SPOV

"Itsy…"

"Yes master?"

"I am not feeling well, would you fetch another bottle of my medicine? Another log on the fire too."

"Of course master." the elf offered, leaving with distress still worn visibly about her face.

'You understand why we have to do this Scorpius?' fathers words still echoed loudly in my head. It was what he had asked me the day id returned to the manor. The day he told me about Al's premonition. "I don't need to understand do I? As long as you tell me to, I must obey…" I repeated sadly aloud. I don't think I'm ever going to get any better. Merlin thats depressing.

"Thirteen months…It's felt more like a decade…" I sighed into the air... feeling the scales crack and spread along my skin. My whole body ached from the stupid disease. "You miss him too don't you?" I asked of Mercury, stroking his soft fur to the sound of his mewling. His eyes so closely resembled Al's that sometimes I could see him in them. How had a year gone by? I hadn't even noticed the time. The spring had gone in a flash, summer had slipped by, our autumn birthday, winter, christmas again and now... When would it end? When would they allow us to return to living?

"Thank you Itsy." I offered as the elf deposited a green vial at my bedside. She lingered momentarily before deciding to address me.

"Will that be all master?"

"Yes itsy."

"Are you sure there is nothing else you require?" she squeaked worriedly. I waved my hand dismissively which she took to mean she was no longer needed. She had not stopped worrying since the first of the scales had appeared. I watched as she waddled out of sight, closing the door to my room behind her with a wave of my hand. I couldn't believe I was thirteen already. Itsy had been my elf since the day I was born and her concern for my wellbeing went far beyond the normal. Father had bought her specifically for me. Aurora's house elf Spider was Itsy's brother and they both looked unnaturally attractive... which had made them both very expensive. It is said that the house elves were once another race of creatures not entirely dissimilar to the ljosalfar or svaltalfar of legend. the story goes, if i remember it correctly, that man and his magic had become so powerful with the creation of wands that they endeavored to enslave the elves and bind them in service to the wills of the wizards. Over time the enslavement of the wood elves was what caused the enormous distrust to grow between the other sentient species of magic. They saw how our spells had stunted and warped the alfa and knew that something had to be done to safeguard the rest of the magical world from us. I dont remember much what is story, myth or fact after that.

-Suddenly a gust of air blew open the windows, interrupting my thoughts with a violent clang. I had actually needed to spell the panes shut to keep them from shattering. Mercury looked up intently towards the window, despite the fact that I had already closed the panes.

Something wasn't right. Rather…something very much was…

"AL?" I asked to the empty room, shocked beyond belief by the sudden sensations.

Only silence echoed back. This was strange… I felt him. I could smell him. Forest moss and morning dew. The soft scents of spring. Honey and mint... The whole room seemed warmer. Exploding snap, wizards chess, quidditch, books, books, books. Magic itself was woven into Al's skin. Into his eyes. The room was humming and I knew why.

"I missed you you green-eyed twit." I added to the silent room staring directly where the pull was strongest.

"…"

"Al if you don't reveal yourself and get over here right now I swear I'm going to blow up the entire hous—"

"How can you even see me?" Al asked incredulously, pulling off the cloak with a wan smile. He looked so pale that i thought he might fade out of exsistence.

"I… don't know… I guess I just, sort of felt—Oooomph." I managed as the twit knocked into me at incredible speed. He looked taller.

"I missed you too, Brother." he whispered nuzzling affectionately at me. He was like Mercury in his movements.

"Are you leaking? Merlin you're always leaking." I said playfully referring to his tears. His skin was so cold.

"Shut up." he returned with a sniffle, releasing me from his embrace. We pulled back to examine one another, smiling like idiots. We hadn't let go of each other hands.

"Hi."

"Hi." He returned.

At that moment a glint of blue light caught my eye. My excitement had kept me from noticing it until now.

"Al! Is this bluescale all over your hands?" I asked grabbing at the appendages to assess how badly the damage had been on his end...

Merlin... It was disappearing.

"Scor its receding…" The twit whispered in disbelief. Somehow... I was feeling better too. For the first time all year I felt warm again.

I immediately took off my shirt to examine myself, my hands working probingly along my flesh. Gone… my bluescale was gone and my skin was as smooth as silk.

"What on earth?" I asked confused.

"The fountain…" there was something about the way he said it that frightened me.

The next few moments were spent in total silence. We just sat there staring at each other the way two animals might.

The wood crackled softly as the fire licked at the surface of the elder logs. The enchanted fireplace caused the dancing flames to shift from purple to blue to green to yellow to orange to red to white. Every shade and hue imaginable swirled across the walls as the colored lights bubbled in the beautiful stone fireplace. The ancient piece was made of black marble with gold veins running through it like rivers. Set at its entrance were two gilded serpents facing each other as if poised to strike, their bright emerald eyes shimmering wildly.

"Are you even allowed to be here?" I asked suddenly.

"No, but they can pry you from my cold lifeless hands. Besides nobody will even notice I'm gone. My charms were very elaborate." Knowing Al, they might never realize he'd left at all.

"So you can stay?" I asked, not wanting to sound overeager. Malfoys shouldn't-

"UH DUH."

"Shut- up-" I shot before pulling my shirt back on. He merely continued to stare at me with that smile of his. "Merlin its good to see you." I added after a moment, staring at those ridiculously green eyes. Emerald moss and viridian.

Suddenly the insufferable twit launched forward and kissed me on the forehead, smiling that same stupid smile. "Its good to see you too you silly idiot" he whispered pulling me into another hug. Mercury and Hyperion had an equally affectionate reunion. They'd been playing and chasing each other around the room since Al had arrived.

"Alright, Alright, leave off Al." He had been holding on to me for far too long. I had to wipe my forehead where he'd kissed me.

"I can't believe its been a year. I don't know how I survived it without you." i blinked as the words came out, feeling the fire rise in my cheeks. It must have been the heat from the fire.

"Five minutes and i've already had enough of you. You're so clingy."

"Oh um... I'm sorry. Well... then should I go?" He asked seriously.

"NO! Of course not! I mean..." he was smiling again. That smirk was beyond annoying. He'd been messing with me. Cheeky shit.

"See. I knew you cared."

"Well... I... I... merely didn't want to develop bluescale again... thats all" I shot crossing my arms and turning away from him.

"Sure Scor... I hate you too."

"Insufferable twit."

i couldn't tell if he had ignored me or failed to hear what i had said because a moment later he produced an odd rectangular box that i didn't recognize.

"Hey, I brought you a muggle flick that we can play on that magical portrait of yours. If you want?"

"Really? Whats it called?"

"The Sword in the Stone."

"Like Arthurian Lore?" I asked intrigued. There were few things I enjoyed more.

"Yeah. In a sense. Its beyond funny."

"cool. Let's set it up."

"See if you can guess which character reminds me of you. There's a crazy old witch, Madam Mim, she's like a mix of me and you."

"Stop spoiling everything! Just set it up!"

After we had prepared the projector we merely laid back in the mound of silken pillows and cocooned ourselves within the endless folds of silvery sheets. He pulled off his robe and pants throwing them onto a chair across the room and intertwined his soft legs with mine. They were like silk I thought as the credits began. We laughed and laughed throughout the entire film. We were young and silly and together again... merlin had he changed me... only Aurora could do this with me... and not only had I known her since I was three months old but she had to force her way into my house, bed, and arms. I missed her...

~ "Did I say no purple dragons? Did I?!"~

"Thats not fair Al, she said she wouldn't turn into any make believe creatures!"

"Mwahahahahahaha she said she wouldn't turn into pink dragons, she said nothing about purple ones."

"So sneaky! I love it!"

"You would you Slytherin snake."

"Says the boy who'd have done the same thing!"

~"I hate sunshine! I hate horrible wholesome sunshine! I hate it! I hate it! Hate hate hate!"~

"Now that doesn't sound familiar does it?"

"Oh go away you. I don't mind the sun that much." The idiot merely looked at me before breaking out into wild cackling laughter.

"Thats why you're as white as a sheet!"

"Am not!"

"You are and too and you know it."

"I can't really remind you of that crazy witch can I?"

"Hahahahaha. Well you certainly don't look alike. Thank merlin for that. You are much more handsome."

"Oh don't make fun it isn't nice. I'm not that attractive, but you don't have to poke fun." The twit turned to look at me then with eyes as wide as saucers, as if i were crazy for saying what I had.

"You are joking right? Have you seen yourself? You look like an angel." I watched him turn red as he realized what he had actually said. He was so silly sometimes. This must have been another of his elaborate jokes. I was half expecting him to start cackling again, but he didn't. He was staring at my face until his eerie eyes fell finally to my lips... We were very close and i was feeling a little flushed... what with the warmth of the fire. Our legs were still touching beneath the covers and I could feel the silky strands of his hair standing on end. He had goose bumps. Everything was becoming hazy. The fire, the quick recovery from what might have been a fatal illness, my sudden reunion with my best friend. His eyes were like emeralds.

"Anyway, i'm much too proper to be madam mim. You're the crazy one!" I said snapping him out of his daze.

"Yeah, I am." He shot, sticking his tongue out at me. I smiled at that, until I thought about the year we'd missed. Not one day had gone by when I didn't think of him. No matter what I had been doing or who i'd been with, I always missed him.

"How bad was it, on your end?" I asked seriously, watching his smile melt away into the air. A cold lifelessness took up residence in his beautiful eyes, making him seem vacant and dead.

"Oh... well... not that bad." He offered. It was an obvious lie. I wanted to know.

"How bad?" I asked again placing the palm of my hand on the soft skin of his face, turning it so that he had no choice but to look me in the eyes. There was water forming in them.

"I... almost died... twice and I... couldn't use magic for three months." Al whispered sadly as water leaked down his cheeks... he had lost his magic during the ordeal! One of the greatest wizards of our generation had been robbed of his magic... I pulled him against me, hugging him tightly as the sounds of the movie continued in the background.

"I didn't know..."

"Scor... what are we going to do? My charms might fool them for a week or two but... they'll figure it out eventually. I won't let them separate us again. I can't..."

"Shhhhhhhh... stop whining. Do I look like i'm about to let them do that to us?"

"And what can you do to stop them Scorpius Malfoy?"

"I don't know... we'll talk to your dad and maybe-"

"Let's run." he interrupted suddenly. The expression on his face was so frightened, so frenzied that he looked like he had lost his mind.

"Are you mad? We'd be hunted down by our own families on top of a myriad of rogue organizations. We're children how will we survive?"

"Said the second most powerful prodigy of our generation to the first."

"Al... we don't know enough to survive out there. Don't be stupid."

"I know enough to know I won't survive without you..." He finished looking at me seriously. My heart began racing at that.

"Don't be silly Al. We'll manage somehow." He grabbed my wrist then, his hand shaking violently. I fought to free it from his vice like grip but he wouldn't release me. He began unbuttoning his shirt pulling open both sides so that his cream colored chest was visible.

"Al what are you doing?"

He brought my hand to rest against him and the second it made contact with his skin a glowing mark appeared right over his heart. Electricity flowed through me and my own began to pound. The mark was immeasurably complex. The seal was formed from dozens of geometric rings and cirlces which were interposed over complex alchemical formulas and Faeric scripture. At its center lay the seventh symbol of the Goddess etched in silvery ink.

"Al... what is this?"

"Er... well... I think its you."

"Me?"

"I read a book in the DoM that spoke of Faeric soul prints... they are supposed to look exactly like this. The first time I saw this..." He paused, letting the idea sink in.

"So this is... me? I don't..."

"Everything you are or will be is laid out on this blueprint. Your very soul is stamped onto my heart... I am no more capable of escaping you than I am capable of living without you."

The severity of what he was saying made me shiver. It wasn't possible.

"How can you know that? He merely looked at me with a sad smile, releasing my hand and raising his own to my cheek. "Just try and stay calm ok?" He offered as his mouth opened.

"ScOrPiUs" the word reached me as his hand made contact. It was my true name, the one Phoenix had whispered to us that night. I felt my entire being shudder and shift as the syllables left his lips. The second he touched me the mark exploded into life. Every circle began moving, every word and symbol swirled and danced. It was like some divine cosmic clock. Al closed his eyes and sighed deeply, seemingly forcing the mark to fade back beneath the surface.

"I'm sorry I was snooping that day Al. If I hadn't been in that room, you wouldn't have needed to save me and then none of this would have happened."

"So you'll run with me? As apology?" He asked hopefully, a sad smile on his lips.

"Al... I... huff... huff... you know we can't do that. But I promise I won't let them separate us again. Ok?" I offered to my frightened friend. The fountain had really changed us... we were tangled together somehow, in a way that was beyond my ability to comprehend.

"Ok." he offered weakly. I was staring at his bare chest. I don't know what possessed me to put my hand back on him but I did. He was always so soft. I watched in wonder as the mark showed itself again, it was so beautiful.

"Scorpius... what... are you doing?" This time it was his turn to ask. I unbuttoned my shirt... not entirely certain what would happen.

"AlBuS." I whispered, feeling him shiver. I could feel my heart explode again, as a second blueprint appeared on my chest. This one was even more complex than the other. I was swimming with thoughts and feelings, smells and sounds, colors. My vision blurred as the seal came to life. What on earth were we? Suddenly a molten chain sprouted from both of our hearts meeting at the middle in a cloud of sparks. The thing, whatever it was, caused me to retract my hand in fear and distress. Nothing I'd ever seen had frightened me more. It was as though some ancient entity were trying to bind me to Al, if we weren't already too entangled to separate. The second I pulled back, all of it disappeared. The chain, the markings, the swimming thoughts, all vanished. I was strangely alone, strangely afraid.

"In what world is any of this normal? I'm petrified Scor." he whimpered. I pulled him against me wrapping my arm around his shoulder. It was as much to comfort me as him. I... I...

"How about we watch the movie again? It was a perfect choice. I really loved it." I offered kissing the side of his forehead. None of this is real. Its just a dream.

"Scor..."

"We're all better now, right? Everything will be just fine. Lets try not to think about it." He looked so conflicted, filled with so much doubt.

"I... want to tell my aunt... No... I'm going to tell her, tomorrow."

"Are you mad? We can't do that!"

"Please... I think it's the right thing to do." I grabbed both of his wrists and pinned him down to the bed.

"We can't! They'll come after Father... I can't let you do that." I nearly screamed. They'd be after us... they could jail us... take away everything my father worked for his entire life. But even more importantly they would take him away from me. Both of them.

"Scor we don't know what's happening to us. I... I... don't want to die." He was sobbing from beneath me.

"I... you won't. But... but... they'll take you away again... you know that right? I... I... don't want to lose you again. I simply can't lose you again." I started frantically as the words poured out. "And make no mistake, they won't hesitate to do it. They would welcome the opportunity to keep us apart." Al stopped crying at that... looking at me as though... As though i were...

"Well of course I care you idiot. Just because I don't always say it doesn't mean it isn't true."

"Scor... I'm so scared. I want to tell."

"Al..." I started slowly, calculating every word with extreme precision and intent. "I... I... promise i'll protect you. I swear i'll always be there. Keep this secret. Do it for me. If only for me." I whispered into his ear. "Please."

I sat back up, releasing his arms and waiting for his answer. He looked entirely tormented. Beyond conflicted.

"... Alright Scor... I'll do it for you." He offered softly. "On the condition that you rewind the movie and... and no matter what keep them from separating us."

"Deal" I was smiling again and so was he. A sense of levity returned to the room as we both seemed to relax. We sat there for minutes just contemplating each other until Al finally began to squirm.

"You can get off of me Scor. I promise I won't say anything." He shot when I hadn't moved.

"But you're so comfortable."

"Oh leave off."

"Besides I like looking at you like this" I said watching as he blushed at that. "You look entirely too silly for words."

He frowned frustratedly, trying even harder to free himself from beneath me. I sort of enjoyed the way he fought me. I really liked this.

"Come on. I want to watch the movie!"

"I have a better idea." I shot grabbing both of his wrists again, leaning in to within an inch of his nose.

"Ric-tum"

"Scor don't you dare!"

"sem" I watched as his eyes grew wide with shock. His gaze shot around in frenzied worry, trying to spy an escape for himself. There was no escape, my grip was iron and my slytherin smirk in place. Thats when he looked back at me frantically. He knew the last syllable was coming and there was nothing he could do. Just when I thought I'd won he jerked forward seizing my mouth with his own in a kiss so deep that it left me entirely too speechless to finish my spell. I had felt such warmth in my chest at the contact that I couldn't imagine ever having been ill in the first place. A jolt ran through me as the kiss ended and I knew not whether to be afraid, enraged or curious. Shock was by far the prevailing emotion.

"You were saying?" he had donned such a devious grin that I nearly exploded at him. And I would have too if id regained my composure quickly enough. As things were it was all I could do just to keep opening and closing my mouth. In abject confusion. "Well you hardly left me much choice did you" The twit asked, his smile widening. "Now are you going to get off me or would you prefer we do that again?" Al asked with a skeptical expression on his face. I leapt off of him at that, watching as he sat up and redid the buttons on his shirt with calm and surgical precision. Such a blasted Slytherin sometimes. He looked at me, examining the expression on my face seriously before sighing. He merely wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. Something about him looked wrong... almost calculating. This was him thinking of chess... I simply knew it, but why I couldn't tell. It was almost as if he were trying to carefully correct or repair something... Doubt? Uncertainty? I couldn't tell what was happening. I was too shocked to be thinking straight.

"Erm... alright... i won't do that again. Promise. Just... I mean you shouldn't have tried that spell. I panicked." I merely wiped off my mouth the same way he did and went to rewind the movie. He'd better not ever try that again.

When the movie had finished we merely fell asleep listening to the Weird Sisters on Al's EyePod. It had been a welcome distraction from all of the doom and gloom. I licked my cracked lips softly and panicked when I realized I still tasted like him. I turned slowly towards him, taking in his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful that all my worries about the ministry, about father, about marvolo and about al vanished.

I couldn't believe a year had really gone by without Al… but he was finally back and I couldn't have been happier. Now if only Rori and Lou could be here too. Merlin I couldn't believe he was back in my arms. Why did I care so much? How did I even allow this? Nobody meant as much to me as this idiot aside from my own Father. I was losing my mind. Maybe I'd actually already lost it. I drifted off burying my face in his soft hair. Mint and honey, summer mist, books, moss... It was like being lost in some ancient forgotten wood... but what a beautiful place to be lost... I was too tired for coherent thought.

It had started sometime in the middle of the night. The first explosion had seemed to shake the very foundations of the house. They had come.


my idiot says REVIEW OR DIE