Harry was sitting at his son's bedside, in a private hospital room. Three days had passed since the attack, and Albus still hadn't woken up. Harry and Ginny were constantly watching over their son, mostly together, but now it was Ginny's turn to go home and sleep at least for a few hours. James and Lily were at their grandparents', nervously awaiting any news about their brother's state. Scorpius, Albus's boyfriend, had been immediately informed about the assault and had come to the hospital with his father. He became hysterical seeing Albus and learning about his condition, and had to be given Calming Draught. He visited him every day, bringing fresh flowers and talking to him for hours, hoping that it would help Albus to wake up.
Harry was holding his son's hand, which was still slightly trembling. Apart from two seizures on the first night, Albus didn't have more attacks, and the Healers were sure that tremors would soon be gone completely, thanks to a potion Albus was being given. Everybody's main concern was the fact that he was still in coma, and no one knew when and in what mental state he would wake up.
Harry tried to stay optimistic, but he couldn't stop horrible thoughts swirling in his mind. Was his beloved son going to live like a plant, his body functioning, breathing, pumping blood through his vessels, but his brain dead? Or was Albus going to wake up as a mere shell of himself, insane, broken, like Neville's parents? Harry didn't know which vision was more frightening.
He reached for reports from the Aurors who were working on Albus's case. There was no trace of the attacker. No one present in the park that evening had seen anyone or anything suspicious. They had interrogated former Death Eaters and their families but learned nothing helpful. It added to Harry's stress that the aggressor was still free and unpunished. Harry believed that even a lifetime in Azkaban was too mild a punishment for this crime.
As he read, something caught his attention. Albus's fingers weren't twitching anymore, not like they had been. They were still moving, but slowly closing into a tight fist, as though Albus were controlling them. Harry looked at his son and saw his eyelids fluttering. His breaths were shallow and fast and there were signs of distress and pain on his young face.
Then Albus opened his green eyes and screamed. It was a scream full of terror and pain, and it broke Harry's heart. Albus turned weakly to his side and curled into a tight ball, still screaming and sobbing. Harry reached for a tall flask filled with an analgesic potion. It had a straw put into it so the potion wouldn't spill as Albus drank it while lying down. Harry gently put the straw into Albus's mouth and told him to drink. After a moment Albus took a few small sips. Harry stroked Albus's hair until he finally stopped yelling in pain and relaxed.
"Albus. Al," Harry said softly, almost whispered. "Do you hear me?"
"Dad?" Albus croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse and screaming.
"Yes, it's me. You're safe now, no one will hurt you. Do you still feel any pain?"
"A little."
"Drink more. Until the pain stops," Harry again put the straw in his son's mouth; the Healers had said that the potion had no maximum dose, and Albus should be given as much as he needed. Finally, after the flask was half empty, Albus nodded.
"No pain," he said, sounding relieved. "Thanks, Dad."
Harry was crying tears of joy, because it appeared Albus was completely sane, but when Albus spoke, they turned to tears of anguish.
"Dad, could you turn on the lights? I can't see anything."
Harry swallowed, realising he had to convey a terrible message to his son.
"The lights are on," he said and paused. After a moment, he took a deep breath and continued: "Albus, I'm so sorry but the Cruciatus Curse destroyed your optic nerves. You're blind."
Albus sat abruptly and raised a hand to his eyes. He felt around them, thinking that maybe he had a blindfold or a dressing on them. But no, his face and eyelids felt completely normal, there was no scarring, no injuries, nothing which may hinder his eyesight. Maybe his father was lying? But why would he lie about such an awful thing? Yet, Albus preferred to think that his father was telling a lie than to believe his words.
"I don't believe you," the boy said, sounding angrier than he wanted to, in an attempt to mask his fear. "You're lying."
"Albus, I would never lie to you," Harry said firmly.
"No, no, no." Albus was still in denial. "Turn on the lights. Please."
"They are on. And it's the middle of the day. Albus, you are-"
"No!" the distraught boy interrupted his father. "Cast Lumos!"
"Albus," Harry was trying to stay calm for his son but seeing Albus's fear and pain caused tears to fall uncontrollably down his face.
"Cast the spell, Dad," Albus almost begged, trying desperately not to panic.
He heard rustling of clothes as his father took out a wand. Harry whispered 'Lumos' and Albus waited impatiently to see the bright light. But he saw nothing.
"Are you casting the spell?" he asked, panic evident in his voice.
"Of course. Here," Harry took his son's trembling hand and wrapped it around his phoenix feather wand. Holding the wand together with Albus, he once again pronounced the spell, loud and clear:
"Lumos!"
And still Albus saw nothing. No light. There was only darkness around him and sometimes streaks of red or blue. He couldn't deny it anymore, he was blind. But there was still one ray of hope.
"But maybe it's not permanent? The Healers can fix it, right?"
"Albus, I wish they could but I'm afraid it's impossible. Even magic can't fix the nervous system."
"What about Muggles? Maybe they know some methods of restoring eyesight?"
"Aunt Hermione already did some research and for now Muggles can do no more than Wizards."
That was it. He was blind. Permanently. He would never see his parents, his siblings, his boyfriend again. He would see no one and nothing. When that truth finally reached him, Albus broke down completely and burst into tears.
Harry embraced his son and kissed his forehead. He wanted to comfort him, but knew that no words could bring solace in that situation. So he just held Albus tightly and wished that he could change places with him, give him his eyesight instead.
"I want to see Mum," Albus said between sobs and then, when he realised what he had said, he started crying even harder.
"I'll get her," Harry said and, still holding his son, sent Ginny his stag Patronus.
Albus was still crying hysterically when five minutes later Ginny rushed into the room. She hugged her son fiercely and he clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably into her chest. Ginny stroked her son's hair and whispered some comforting words into his ear. After a moment, she looked at her husband questioningly.
"He's alright," said Harry and Ginny sighed with relief, knowing what he had meant. Her worst fear was over.
Albus was crying so hard that Harry was afraid he was going to make himself sick. He sat next to him and rubbed his back.
"Albus, please, calm down. Breathe deeply. It's going to be fine. We'll help you," he said, but couldn't tell if his son heard anything.
Finally, Albus calmed down a bit. He was exhausted and wanted to do nothing but sleep. Ginny was still embracing him tightly, not ready to release him, now he was finally back with them.
"Harry," Ginny said. "Tell Lily, James and Scorpius that Albus is awake. They can come visit him later today." After a moment's thought Ginny added: "Of course, if you want them to, Albus."
"I do. Can Scorpius visit first?" Albus said quietly, tears still running down his face.
"Of course, sweetheart. He'll be here soon."
She felt her son relaxing a bit at the thought of meeting with his boyfriend.
Scorpius knocked on the door of Albus's room and waited impatiently for a response. He had been overjoyed when Harry had informed him and his father that Albus was awake and that he wanted to see his boyfriend. Scorpius wished to jump, dance and sing from happiness. His father told him to calm down a bit and take Albus's dreadful situation into consideration. Draco was currently talking with Ginny in the hospital's café, and Scorpius had been allowed to visit Albus on his own.
"Come in!" the second he heard his boyfriend's voice, he opened the door.
Albus was sitting on the bed, looking in the Scorpius's direction, but one glance was enough for Scorpius to know that Healers' predictions were correct and Albus was indeed blind. He wasn't looking directly at Scorpius, but a good two feet to the right, and his gaze was distant and unfocused.
"Hi, Albus,'" Scorpius quickly said when he realised that Albus couldn't know who entered the room.
"Scorpius!" A radiant smile appeared on Albus's face.
Scorpius hurried to the bed and hugged his boyfriend fiercely, wanting to express through the embrace all his love, relief and support. Albus flinched at first, not expecting to be touched, but quickly returned the hug and relaxed in Scorpius's arms. Tears welled in his eyes when he thought about never seeing Scorpius's beautiful face again, but he blinked a few times, not wanting his boyfriend to see his distress.
After a long while, Scorpius released Albus from his arms and looked at him closely.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned.
When Albus heard that question, he started to think that maybe Scorpius visiting so soon wasn't a good idea. His boyfriend would want to talk about what happened, of course in an earnest attempt to comfort him. But Albus didn't wish to talk about the attack and its horrible effects. All he wanted to do was cry, and then sleep and forget about everything.
Albus shrugged.
"Fine."
"Albus," Scorpius said in an admonishing tone. "You can tell me everything, you know that, right? You don't have to hide your feelings."
When Albus still didn't say anything more, he tried by asking specific questions: "Do you feel any pain? Healers say that you may be in pain for a few months after such a long exposure to the Cruc-"
"Yes, I know," Albus interrupted him, sounding irritated.
Scorpius raised an eyebrow, surprised by Albus's behaviour. It wasn't Albus's frustration and rudeness that shocked him, because his best friend often lashed out at people when he was angry or scared, it was just that Albus very rarely turned his anger against him. So rarely that Scorpius had difficulty recalling the last time he had done that.
But he wasn't going to give up. He knew why Albus was reacting this way and he was determined to not let him wallow in misery alone like he apparently intended to do.
"Albus, don't shut me out," he said gently but firmly, taking Albus's hand and squeezing it tight. "I want to help you."
"How could you help me?!" Albus raised his voice. "I'm fucking blind, and there's nothing you can do about it! No one can fix it!"
"I'm so sorry," Scorpius said gently, feeling a little hurt by his friend's outburst.
"Everybody is sorry! I don't need it! Besides, it's not your fault."
Scorpius was silent, not knowing what to say to not anger Albus even more.
"Look at me," said Albus and Scorpius saw tears brimming in his green eyes. "I'm broken, destroyed. My hands are shaking, I'm in so much pain that if it wasn't for the potion I'd be writhing and crying on the floor. And I'm blind. I'll never be able to read again, watch a film, go outside on my own, see new places. I'm blind at the age of fifteen. Fifteen, Scorpius."
Tears were streaming down Scorpius's face. But before he could say anything, Albus doubled over and hugged his knees to the chest. He was gripping his hair so hard that Scorpius was afraid he was going to pull them out.
"Albus!?"
"It hurts," Albus sobbed. "Potion."
"Potion. Right," Scorpius panicked. He wanted to run for a Healer but he couldn't leave his boyfriend alone. "Where is it?"
"On the table," Albus was gritting his teeth to keep from shouting.
Scorpius found a flask filled with a red potion. Before he could put the straw in Albus's mouth, Albus started screaming. Scorpius was sure seeing his best friend screaming in agony was the most devastating thing he had ever witnessed. Now he knew how Albus must have felt when Delphi tortured him. It was worse than the torture itself.
"Albus, here. Drink it," Scorpius gently put the straw in Albus's mouth.
For a moment he wasn't sure if Albus was capable of drinking the potion but finally he took a small sip. Scorpius was holding the flask with shaking hands as Albus drank, the pain visibly diminishing with each swallow. The flask was almost empty when Albus released the straw from between his trembling lips. He released the death grip on his hair and raised his head. He was pale, tears and sweat were covering his face, his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Scorpius's heart broke when he saw his boyfriend's suffering.
"Is that enough?"
"Yes. At least for now," Albus answered, wiping his face with the pyjama's sleeve.
"Did you have an attack like this before?" Scorpius asked, putting the flask back on the bedside table.
"Well, I woke up in pain. Dad gave me this potion. And then Dr Austen gave me a basal dose, as she called it, which is administered every six hours to keep the pain at bay. But she said that if I felt any pain, I should take as much potion as I need to stop hurting. That was the first time it happened but I've been awake only for a few hours."
"Maybe you should be given a higher basal dose?"
"Yeah. Maybe." Albus fidgeted with his blanket for a while and then asked: "Scorpius?"
"Yes?"
"Did- did you have any residual pains after you were tortured by Delphi?"
Scorpius hesitated. He didn't like to think or talk about his torture. He still had nightmares about that day but now he knew he was lucky. Compared to Albus's torment and loss, his suffering was nothing.
"Scorpius? Are you still here?" Albus's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, sorry," Scorpius said and took Albus's hand. "No, I didn't. I was exposed to the Cruciatus for a short time. Three times just for a few seconds. I can hardly remember the pain."
"That's good." Albus's anger had evaporated after the attack. Now he was just tired and resigned.
After a moment Scorpius said sadly: "but you were tortured for fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes?" Albus asked disbelievingly. "It felt like ages."
"That's what Healers said. Do you know after what time most people go mad?"
Albus shook his head.
"Thirteen minutes. Alice and Frank Longbottom, Professor Longbottom's parents, went insane after seventeen minutes. And they were Aurors, trained in Occlumency."
"What's the longest someone endured without going mad?" Albus asked, slightly terrified.
"Twenty-three minutes. Severus Snape. But he was used to it, and one of the best Occlumens' of all times."
"But I'm not mad?!" Albus was scared that he was insane without knowing about it. Mad people didn't realise they were mad, right?
"Of course not!" Scorpius took Albus's face in his hands and looked him in the eyes, even though Albus was staring somewhere over his shoulder. "That's the point! You're still a child, Albus, and you survived much longer than most adults. You're not broken or destroyed! You're one of the strongest people I know. You were able to protect the most precious part of you. Your brilliant mind."
Albus hadn't realised that he'd been so close to losing his mind, losing himself. Suddenly everything had been put into a different perspective, although it didn't change the position he was in.
"But I'm still blind. And I'm afraid, Scorpius. I'm terrified that I won't be able to function on my own, that I'll constantly need someone else's help. I don't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden!" Scorpius released Albus's face and took his hand again. "You have family and friends and we're all here to help you. We want to help you. And yes, your life is going to be much different now but there are a lot of things which make blind people's lives easier, which help them to function almost normally. You can learn Braille so you can read again."
"What about writing?" Albus asked anxiously.
"I bet there is a spell for that. You can use white cane to walk on your own. Or you can get a guide dog! You always wanted a dog." Scorpius recalled Albus's great unfulfilled childhood dream.
"Yes, but as a friend, not because I'm blind."
"Well, it can still be your friend."
"But school is starting in three weeks," Albus realised. "I won't learn Braille so quickly. How am I supposed to learn?"
"We'll think of something," Scorpius said confidently. "Professor McGonagall and the other teachers will surely find some way so you can learn and not fall behind. And I'll be always with you until you learn how to navigate the castle with a white cane."
"Even when I'm using the bathroom?"
"Yes, even then! I won't leave your side even for a second!" Scorpius answered with a smile. "Albus, it'll be fine."
"It's easy for you to say. You're not the one who lost sight," Albus said gloomily. "And all that help won't change the fact that I'll never see again. I won't see you, how you change in the years to come, how you become a handsome young man."
"And you'll never see me becoming an old, wrinkled man. I'll always stay young and beautiful in your eyes!"
Albus rolled his eyes at Scorpius's attempt to improve his mood. But it worked because a little smile appeared on Albus's face.
"Yes! You smiled!" Scorpius squeaked joyfully. "Mission accomplished!"
"Scorpius!" Albus said reproachfully but couldn't stop his lips from forming an even bigger smile.
Then he felt Scorpius's hands cupping his face and a moment later Scorpius was kissing him. At first slowly, delicately, as if he wasn't sure if Albus wanted to be kissed, but Albus quickly dispelled Scorpius's doubts and deepened the kiss. For the first time since he woke up, Albus felt contentment.
The boys broke the kiss after a long while, both breathing deeply. Scorpius's hand remained in Albus's hair, stroking it and disentangling knots.
"Scorpius?" Albus asked after a minute of comfortable silence.
"Hmm?"
"What do my eyes look like?" Albus asked, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"What do you mean?"
"Are they- I don't know- scarred? White, cloudy?"
Scorpius looked deeply into Albus's eyes, searching for any changes in them.
"No. They look perfectly normal, still beautifully green," he said and saw a relief on Albus's face. "Your eyes weren't affected by the curse, only the nerves connecting them with your brain. But they are- um-" Scorpius hesitated. He didn't want to hurt Albus's feelings and make him think that he didn't like how he looked now.
"Scorpius, please, tell me."
"Your eyes- they are- distant. You know, they're not focused on anything. Kind of- blank."
"Maybe it'll be better if I close them?"
"Well, I prefer to see your eyes, I love looking into them, but it's up to you. What's more comfortable for you."
"Then I'll keep them open," Albus decided.
Scorpius smiled and, after realising that his boyfriend couldn't see him, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Albus flinched, surprised, but quickly relaxed.
"You need to tell me when you're going to touch or kiss me," Albus said. "Unless you want me to flinch all the time."
"Ok, I'll try to warn you next time. I've brought you something."
Albus raised an eyebrow, curious. Scorpius took out something from his bag and handed it to the blind boy. Albus felt the object for a few seconds and smiled broadly when he recognised what it was.
"A Chocolate Frog!" he started to unwrap it but stopped and his face fell. "I don't know if I'm allowed to eat chocolate. I've just woken up from the coma and it might interfere with potions I'm taking."
"You can eat it," Scorpius assured him. "I asked you doctor and she said it's fine. Just not too much."
"Great," Albus said. He broke off the frog's head and put it in his mouth. "Here, have some," he gave the frog to Scorpius who gratefully bit off its legs.
"I've got something else for you. I thought you're bored here so I brought you a book."
"A book? But-"
"I'll read it to you. Aloud. If you want me to."
"Great idea. You're right, it's pretty boring here. I asked my dad to bring me my phone so I can at least listen to some music. But the book is brilliant. What have you brought?"
"'A Tale of Two Cities'. I know that you wanted to read it," Scorpius answered, hesitantly turning the book in his hands, now unsure if he had made a good choice.
"Yes, I wanted for a long time but never had time," Albus said and moved towards the bed's edge, patting the space beside him. "Come here and let's start."
Scorpius climbed onto the bed without hesitation and lay down next to his boyfriend. Albus put his head on Scorpius's shoulder and took his hand, stroking his delicate fingers with his thumb. Smiling, the blond boy opened the book and started reading:
"'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way —'"