This year's journey to Hogwarts was very unlike any other Scorpius had done before. Usually he was one of the first students to board the train in order to avoid rude and mean comments about his parentage. This year, however, Albus and his family were the first to arrive to Platform 9 ¾. They wanted to evade people staring, whispering and pointing at Albus. Harry and Ginny had gone to great lengths to keep details of the attack from newspapers. Only a short note had appeared, informing about the attack, but not explaining what exactly happened to Albus, and asking people to convey any information they may have to the Ministry.
After arriving to the Platform, Scorpius said goodbye to his father and quickly joined Albus and his siblings in their favourite compartment at the end of the train. They were soon joined by Rose and Hugo. When the train started to move, Rose reminded Scorpius of their prefect duties and he reluctantly followed her to the meeting with the Head Girl and Boy. Then for another hour he patrolled the train with his fellow Slytherin prefect, Elanor Fraser. He felt honoured to be a prefect and wanted to perform duties to his best abilities, but in that moment all he truly desired was to be with Albus alone, like they always had been during the previous journeys to and from Hogwarts. He was comforted though by the thought that James, Lily and Hugo kept his boyfriend company.
When his shift ended, he practically flew back to his compartment. The Potters and Hugo were playing cards and Scorpius enthusiastically joined the game. The next hour was interrupted only by the trolley witch; when Scorpius heard familiar 'Something from the trolley, dears?', he squeaked and turned quickly towards the window, pretending to be engrossed by the passing landscape, while Albus hid behind Lily. Soon after that, Rose came back and all six of them spent time talking, laughing and eating sweets.
Albus's siblings and cousins weren't stupid and finally left Scorpius and Albus alone. That was the moment Scorpius had been waiting for since morning. After a long snogging session, Albus curled up on the seat and put his head on his boyfriend's lap. Scorpius read him a few chapters from 'A Tale of Two Cities', all the time playing with his hair. When he heard Albus's breathing turning slow and deep, he changed books and started reading the new Transfiguration textbook.
Scorpius raised his head and looked through the window. It was already dark, the full moon was shining over the mountains in the distance. He put the book aside.
"Albus," Scorpius whispered into Albus's ear, still sleeping with his head on Scorpius's lap. "You have to wake up."
His boyfriend didn't even stir. Scorpius said his name a bit louder and shook his shoulder. He knew it wouldn't be wise to wake Albus by shouting his name like he often did. After a few more shakes, Albus groaned and opened his eyes.
"I'm sorry to disturb your sleep but we're almost at Hogwarts," said Scorpius as Albus sat up. "You need to change into robes."
Albus rubbed his eyes. "How long have I been sleeping?"
Scorpius checked his watch. "About two hours."
"Sorry for being such a boring companion," Albus said with a wry smile.
"No, it's okay," Scorpius said hastily. "I've read a book and you were sleeping so peacefully. And after a hectic morning I guess you needed a lot of rest."
"I did. And you know what?" Albus turned to Scorpius and his face brightened with a big grin. "I didn't have any nightmares! For the first time since the attack. You know what that means?" Albus asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.
Scorpius raised his eyebrows questioningly. Then he quickly said: "What?"
"I have to sleep beside you! Your presence stops the nightmares!"
"I don't think our dormmates will be very pleased."
"Who cares about them?" Albus shrugged. "Stopping bad dreams is more important. Besides, they'll be less pleased with my screams waking them up than with us sleeping together."
"You can always cast a silencing spell around your bed," Scorpius reasoned.
"Scorpius, don't spoil the fun! You don't want to sleep with me?"
"Of course I do," Scorpius said and kissed Albus on the cheek. "I'm just teasing you."
Albus swatted his arm and went over to his trunk to get his robes. Slowly, but without any help, he changed into the school uniform. Scorpius helped him only in tying his tie. Then they sat in comfortable silence and waited until the Hogwarts Express reached its destination.
The train slowed and finally stopped at the brightly-lit Hogsmeade Station. Soon the corridor was filled with students, shouting and pushing each other. Scorpius looked at Albus and one glance was enough to notice that Albus was extremely nervous. He was pale and was taking deep, slow breaths. His hands were shaking and Scorpius was sure it wasn't remnants of the curse. He took Albus's sweaty hand and squeezed it tightly. Albus looked at him and managed a weak smile.
"It'll be okay," Scorpius said. "I'm with you."
Albus nodded but didn't say anything. Scorpius looked through the door's glass. The corridor was empty, most of the students must have already left the train.
"We need to go," he said, standing up. "Before the train takes us back to London."
Albus stood up as well and grabbed Scorpius's arm. Scorpius carefully guided him through the narrow train corridor. When they reached the exit, Albus took out the white cane and with an ease that surprised Scorpius hopped onto the platform. He clearly had been practising intensively.
The platform was wet, littered with puddles of water. Scorpius breathed in deeply the crisp Scotland air, filled with scents of wet grass, fresh soil and that distinctive after-the-storm smell. One last carriage was waiting for them, with two Thestrals at the front. Scorpius recalled how fascinated by these strange creatures Albus had been when he had seen them for the first time before their journey back home in June. He glanced at his boyfriend and felt a pang of hurt when he saw longing on his face. Thestrals were just one of many things Albus would never see again. Scorpius couldn't even imagine what it would be like if he was unable to see Hogwarts, his dad, friends and Albus ever again.
The boys got into the carriage. Albus was sitting silently, nervously picking the handle of the cane. Scorpius was looking through the window, impatiently waiting for the first glimpse of Hogwarts. Soon he saw the castle, in all its enormous glory, with dozens of towers and turrets, everything bathed in the golden light from hundreds of windows. The full moon above the Astronomy Tower added the eerie atmosphere to the whole scenery.
"Hogwarts. It looks as magnificent as ever," Scorpius said, turning to Albus with a wide grin.
"Does it? I believe you," mumbled Albus. He looked like he was going to be sick any moment.
"Are you alright?" Scorpius came closer to Albus and took his hand. "Do you need the carriage to stop?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just- nerves, I guess," he said, leaning his head on the window pane, and closing his eyes.
Scorpius wanted to assure Albus once again that everything would be fine but he knew that statement would be a lie. And Albus knew that too. So many things could go wrong. Other students didn't know that Albus was blind, the note in the Daily Prophet hadn't conveyed details of the attack. No one knew how children and teenagers would react to a disabled peer, if they would help and support him or if they would bully him even more than they already had.
Teachers had been told that Albus lost his sight but they didn't know that it was the effect of the prolonged use of the Cruciatus Curse. Only Headmistress McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey knew the whole story. Scorpius hoped that the teachers would be gentle, understanding and helpful to Albus, but he worried about some of them, who weren't very fond of Albus.
The carriage passed the Quidditch pitch and Hagrid's hut and came to a stop before the main entrance to the castle. The huge oaken doors were open and the light was spilling out onto the stony stairs and soft grass. Scorpius helped Albus out of the vehicle.
There were still many students in the Entrance Hall, talking and laughing, passing their time until Professor Longbottom arrived with the first years and the Sorting Ceremony started. Scorpius felt Albus's grip on his arm tightening. He guided him through the crowd, straight into the Great Hall, not looking at anyone, hoping that other students wouldn't notice them.
But it was a fool's hope.
"Scorpius! Albus!" Henry, one of their dormmates, stopped them, blocking their way. "How were your holidays?"
Before either Albus or Scorpius could answer, he added: "Albus? What's wrong with you?"
Scorpius saw red. "Nothing is wrong with him, you idiot," he seethed.
Henry looked at him surprised, then at Albus again, his gaze stopping at the white cane and Albus's eyes that were looking somewhere over his shoulder. He quickly came to a conclusion.
"You're blind, Albus?" he asked in disbelief, not bothering to keep his voice low.
Scorpius winced. Every person in the Entrance Hall heard Henry. People stopped their conversations and looked at them. Many came closer, forming a circle around the three boys, pointing at Albus and whispering to each other. Scorpius gritted his teeth in pain as Albus's grip almost crushed his arm. Albus went extremely pale but Scorpius noticed with pride that he held his head high.
Scorpius couldn't remember the last time he was so angry. Usually when people mocked and laughed at him, he ignored them and quickly left their presence. He hated to be the centre of the attention. But now he didn't want to flee. He wanted to fight. He wanted to defend Albus, to shout at all these ignorant people, to use his prefect power and take a lot of points for their cruel behaviour.
But before he even opened his mouth, the least expected person showed up.
"What is going on here?" James asked, coming from the Great Hall. He pushed through the circle of students and his expression changed from bored to livid when he saw his brother. "Albus, are you alright?"
Albus nodded, though it was clear to everybody that he was far from being fine. James glared at the surrounding students.
"What are you staring at? Go to the Great Hall! Now!"
Reluctantly, they obeyed James and headed to the feast. Some even looked ashamed but more were glancing curiously over their shoulders. Albus let out a deep breath.
"Thanks, James."
"No problem. I'm keeping my promise." When Scorpius looked at him questioningly, he added: "To be a better brother."
Albus stepped nervously from foot to foot. "Everybody will know I'm blind before I even enter the Great Hall."
"Albus, honestly, did you think you could hide it for long?" asked James. "It doesn't take a genius to see that you're blind. And news spread quickly in Hogwarts."
Albus scowled. "Let's go," he said, determination on his face. "Let's not keep them all in suspense."
The boys entered the Great Hall. As if on command every face turned in their direction. Everybody wanted to see if the rumour was true. Some were trying to look at Albus furtively but most were openly staring at him, thinking that if he couldn't see them, they could gawk at him with impunity.
James patted Albus on the back and went to the Gryffindor table. Scorpius guided Albus to their usual place at the Slytheirn table. Unfortunately, to do so, they had to pass along the whole table so every Slytherin student had a clear view of Albus. After a minute, which felt like an hour to Scorpius, the boys sat at the end of the table, just as Professor Longbottom entered with a group of frightened first years.
The Sorting Ceremony diverted students' attention, though Scorpius saw that now and then people were casting quick glances in their direction. When the Sorting was over and Slytherin had gained a fair amount of new witches and wizards, Professor McGonagall invited everybody to the feast. Huge amounts of delicious food were enough to make the hungry students forget about Albus. Scorpius helped Albus put his favourite food on a plate and they spent the feast eating and talking about coming lessons and exams, not bothered by anyone.
When the feast was coming to an end and they were devouring the last bits of the dessert, Henry came to them.
"May I join you for a while?" he asked.
Scorpius glared at him but Albus just shrugged his shoulders. Henry sat down beside him hesitantly and started to play with the teaspoon.
"I came to apologise," he said after a while. "I'm sorry. I was just so surprised and I tend to speak before I think. But that's not an excuse. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Albus said.
Henry smiled. "And I want to tell you, on my behalf and our classmates and I believe all Slytherins as well, that we're here to help you. I know you have Scorpius but don't hesitate to ask us for help if you need it. And forgive us if we're clumsy and don't know how to help you at first. You know, most of us have never met a blind person before. But we're eager to learn and help."
"Thanks, Henry," said Albus, smiling a bit. "That's very nice."
"May I ask you what happened? You lost sight in that attack they wrote about in the Prophet?"
"Yes, but I'm sorry I won't tell you what exactly happened. Just know that I lost my sight permanently."
"I'm very sorry. I hope that whoever did that will be caught soon," Henry said and stood up. "Okay then, I'll see you both later in the common room."
As Henry left them, Albus turned to Scorpius and smiled broadly. Scorpius pecked him lightly on the cheek. That went better than he had hoped. Maybe this school year wouldn't be so bad after all.
It was the most exhausting first week in Albus's school career. Every teacher started a lesson by reminding students how important O.W.L.s were and how much hard work was ahead of them. By Friday, Albus and Scorpius had six essays to write and three new spells to practice. Add to that lessons with Mr Parry and practice in Braille reading and there was no surprise that all Albus wanted to do after the last lesson on Friday was to curl up in his bed and sleep through the whole weekend. Nightmares and few pain attacks didn't help either.
Though Albus had to admit that it wasn't all bad. The teachers were really understanding and helpful. Instead of writing essays, he could pass the topic orally after the lesson. He read textbooks either using the reading spell (it required sitting alone in the dormitory so he didn't like it much) or listened to Scorpius reading the chapter aloud (that, he loved). Mr Parry was an excellent teacher and his patience and teaching skills combined with Albus's determination caused that Albus was getting better in Braille with every day and was able to slowly read short texts.
What astonished Albus the most was the behaviour of other students. He had been worried that they would ignore him at best, but most probably that his blindness would be a new reason for bullying and harassment. He hadn't expected his classmates to be so kind and helpful. They weren't intrusive, always asking before helping him but Albus could feel that their care was genuine. Other classmates' help was especially convenient during the few lessons he didn't share with Scorpius.
It was Saturday evening and Albus was curled up on the sofa in front of the fire. Scorpius was sitting beside him, reading a chapter from the Herbology textbook in a soft voice. It was really hard for Albus to pay attention to what Scorpius was reading instead of losing himself in his melodic voice.
"Alright, Albus, summarise what I've just read," Scorpius said.
"What?" Albus said dreamily, not knowing exactly what Scorpius demanded of him.
Scorpius sighed. "Albus, this is our homework. I have to write an essay about it and you will have to summarise the chapter and answer Professor Longbottom's questions. Don't tell me that I made myself hoarse and you didn't even listen."
"I listened!" Albus protested, sitting up. "It was about healing plants of Britain and how they can be used in potions."
"That's right." Scorpius sounded a bit surprised. "Can you give an example?"
"Whortleberry is known to relieve stomach problems, clear throat infections and improve eyesight," Albus said triumphantly. "Not that it will help me."
"Yes, that's a correct answer," said Scorpius, turning the pages of the book.
"Will I get a Jelly Slug as a reward?"
"Watch out, Albus, you're eating too many sweets," said Scorpius but gave him a Jelly nonetheless.
"And who says that?" asked Albus, popping the sweet in his mouth. "You eat twice as many sweets as me. It's all your fault. Before I met you, I didn't eat any sweets."
"Because your mum didn't let you have any," Scorpius reminded. "And you confessed later to me that you got sweets from James and your cousins. You're no saint, Albus."
"No, I'm not," Albus agreed. "And mum, to this day, doesn't know that Lily and I smuggled sweets to our rooms."
Scorpius laughed. It was the most beautiful sound. When Albus listened to Scorpius's laugh, he always forgot about all his problems and was happy, just because his best friend was happy.
"What's so funny?"
Albus flinched. He was so focused on Scorpius that he hadn't heard or felt someone approaching.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." A deep male voice. It was Hayden, their dormmate. "Mind if we join you?"
But he didn't wait for an answer, just threw himself on the couch, with a deep sigh. A moment later Albus heard rustling, giggling and sounds of very intense kissing. It could only mean that Joanne, sixth year prefect and Hayden's girlfriend, joined them as well.
"Oi, do you have to snog everywhere?" Henry said, disgusted. "Not everybody wants to see how you eat each other tongues."
"You're just jealous because you don't have someone to snog," said Joanne, breathing hard.
"I don't need a girlfriend," said Henry. "I'm perfectly fine on my own. Move guys, make some room."
"Sod off," said Hayden. "This couch is only for couples. Get a chair."
Albus heard Henry muttering obscene words under his nose as he went to get a chair. He put it violently in front of the sofa and sat down with an angry huff.
"So, guys, are you going to the first Quidditch match?" asked Hayden.
"When is it? And who's playing?" Scorpius inquired. He was holding Albus's hand and running his finger over the base of Albus's thumb in a soothing manner.
"First weekend of November. Slytherin and Ravenclaw," said Joanne, who was a Chaser. "We've got a great team. We just need to find a new Beater. Tryouts are next Saturday. Are you going to try, Scorpius?"
"Me? For a Beater?" Scorpius squeaked, sounding terrified. "Over my dead body. But maybe I'll come to watch the match."
"And you, Albus?" asked Henry.
"You know that I've never been a Quidditch fan. Why should I go now when I can't even see the game anymore?" he asked dryly.
"Sorry," said Henry, sounding really ashamed.
Albus was truly amazed by this whole situation. In his first four years in Hogwarts other students usually ignored him, speaking to him only when they really needed to, wanted something from him or bullied him. Nowadays, people were eager to help him, but rarely started any real conversations with him. The fact that three students just joined him and Scorpius and initiated conversation made Albus confused. He had no idea what to think of it. Did they really just want to talk, get to know them better and perhaps become friends? Or were they just nice and kind in order to lull them into a false sense of security and tease them later? Albus hoped for the former, and decided to give them a chance, but still stay cautious.
"So, guys, what do you want to do after the school?" asked Joanne. "You're going to have special meetings with Professor Warmund. He'll help you choose a career and tell you what subjects you should continue after O.W.L.s. but you need to have some ideas and suggestions before the meeting."
"Oh, I really don't know," said Henry. "It's quite scary to choose at the age of fifteen what you want to do for the rest of your life. What if I change my mind?"
Albus silently agreed with him.
"You don't have to choose a specific job now," comforted him Joanne. "Just think what you'd like to do in general. Do you prefer to work alone or with other people? Do you prefer science stuff or rather keep away from that? That sort of things. I know that I don't like to work with a lot of other people and I love science, so I'd like to become an astronomer. But maybe I'll change my mind and find my place in the other areas of science."
"I'd like to be a Healer," said Hayden proudly. "My dad is, and when he talks about his job, it sounds fascinating. And I'd really like to help other people."
"I'm also thinking about becoming a Healer," interjected Scorpius. "But I love history so much that I'll probably be a historian. Or an archaeologist. That sounds pretty amazing and interesting. Finding new things, new cultures."
"What about you, Albus?" asked Henry.
Albus hesitated. "Um- I always wanted to be a Magizoologist. I love animals. But now-" he hung his head. "I don't think I can do any job at all."
Scorpius took his hand and squeezed it. "Albus, don't think like that. I'm sure there are plenty of jobs you can still do."
"But who will hire a blind person?"
"There must be places, people who will take you for your skills and knowledge. Ask Mr Parry, he will surely help you."
"Maybe. I hope so," said Albus, still not convinced.
"And you don't have to work, really," said Henry. "Your family is wealthy enough. And Scorpius's too."
"Henry!" exclaimed Joanna, and moment later Albus heard a solid hit and Henry's shouts of pain and anger. "Work is not only about money. It also gives you purpose, satisfaction. And I'm sure, Albus, that you'll find something."
"Thanks," said Albus.
"Who wants Jelly Slugs?" asked Scorpius and Albus was grateful for a change of topic.
No one said 'no' to Scorpius's offer and soon they were sharing sweets and discussing which flavour was the best.
"Sweets, they always help you make friends!" whispered Scorpius into Albus's ear and kissed him on the cheek. Albus snorted. He couldn't agree more.
The second week of school arrived and with it such warm and sunny weather that everyone was dreaming about leaving the castle and catching the last moments of summer. The teachers however seemed not to notice the sun outside and kept giving them enormous amounts of homework. Scorpius was managing all the work quite well as he liked learning and always had been systematic. But he was getting more and more worried about Albus. With every day, Albus became more stressed and tired which seemed to cause more pain attacks. He had had two today and it wasn't even two in the afternoon.
It was the last lesson of the day, the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Albus and Scorpius were already sitting at their desk and preparing for the class, waiting for Professor Flagstad to arrive. Scorpius put his things neatly on the desk and turned to Albus who was running his fingers over books' spines in his bag. Braille books were much bigger and heavier, luckily they usually came with the feather-light charm.
"Scorpius, is this the Defense textbook?" asked Albus, pulling the dark green book from the bag.
"Yes, it is," confirmed Scorpius. Albus smiled and put the book on the desk. He took out his notebook and quill as well and opened the notebook on the first unwritten page, prepared to take notes.
Scorpius wanted to ask how he was feeling (the pain attack after the lunch had been quite bad) but before he could, Professor Flagstad entered and began the lesson. She was a great teacher but was very strict and had no tolerance for chatting during her lessons. She didn't bother to check the list: one look over the classroom was enough for her to know that every student was present. She waved her wand and the lesson's topic appeared on the blackboard. 'The Cruciatus Curse'. Scorpius cringed.
"Today we're going to talk about the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgiveable Curses." Scorpius saw that Albus went extremely pale and tense. "Please, read about other two for the next lesson, we're going to discuss them as well." Professor Flagstad started to walk around the classroom. "So, who will tell me what is the purpose of the Cruciatus Curse and what is the incantation?" She looked around and despite Scorpius's urgent prayers, her eyes stopped on him and Albus. "Mr Potter, do you know the answer to these questions?"
Albus visibly flinched. Under the desk, Scorpius put his hand on Albus's thigh, hoping to give him some comfort and courage. He wanted to be mad at Professor Flagstad for making Albus remember the worst night of his life. But it wasn't her fault. She didn't know.
Albus's hands were shaking and he was holding the quill so tight that it was moments from breaking. He whispered: "I- the- the curse- it-" he stammered.
"Yes, Mr Potter, the Cruciatus Curse. What does it do and what is the incantation."
Albus took a deep breath. "It- it-" he paused and hung his head. "I- I don't know."
"You don't know?" Professor Flagstad looked surprised. "It's an easy question. I'm sure you know."
Scorpius decided it was the time to safe his boyfriend.
"Professor, may I?" he asked politely, raising his hand. She turned to him and nodded. "The Cruciatus Curse is used to torture people, to cause an extreme pain. Its incantation 'Crucio' means 'I torture' in Latin."
"Very well, Mr Malfoy. Five points to Slytherin," said Professor Flagstad and fortunately left them alone. She returned to the front of the classroom and started to talk about the origins of the curse.
But Scorpius didn't listen to her. He leaned over to Albus and whispered: "Albus, are you okay?"
"Yes, it's fine," Albus whispered back.
"Is it? Because you don't seem fine. Do you need the potion?"
"No, I'm not in pain," Albus murmured and Scorpius sighed in relief. "We'll talk later."
"Are you sure?" Scorpius was still worried, though Albus already looked slightly better. "Do you want to leave? I'm sure Professor Flagstad will let you if you say you don't feel well."
"Scorpius, I'm fine," said Albus and he sounded a little irritated. "I don't want to leave. I need to stay. I need to know more about the- the curse."
He looked very determined, quill in hand, ready to take notes.
"Okay," said Scorpius, opening his own notebook. "But if you-"
"Yes, I'll let you know," Albus interrupted him.
Scorpius sighed and turned his attention to Professor Flagstad.
"Now, that you know about the origins of the curse and what it can do, we're going to learn about the most important thing. Does anybody know how you can protect yourself from the curse?"
Later that day, Albus and Scorpius were sitting at their favourite table in the far corner of the Library. Scorpius was writing an essay for the Potions and Albus was practising reading Braille. Learning the alphabet had been quite easy but reading fluently was a completely different matter. There were times when Albus wanted to just give up but Mr Parry encouraged him every time, saying that he was making a great progress.
But today Albus was making very little progress. He was running his fingertips over the same dots over and over again, not understanding what he was reading. His thoughts were constantly returning to the Defense lesson earlier this day. What Professor Flagstad had said, made him think more insistently than ever about the question he had been asking himself since he woke up from the coma after the attack.
"Albus," said Scorpius in a soft voice. "What's going on? You've been awfully silent and distracted since the Defense lesson. Would you mind sharing what's on your mind?"
Albus closed the book. "Do you remember what Flagstad said about people going mad after the prolonged use of the curse?"
"Yes, I remember."
"She said that the average time people survive without going insane is seven minutes," said Albus. "And that it's extremely rare to survive more than thirteen minutes. There are only a few documented cases of people surviving more."
"Yes, the Longbottoms who lost their minds after seventeen minutes. Severus Snape. That wizard from Middle Ages, Ranulf Guildersleeve. And I read also about Jacob Swann, who survived twenty minutes, I think, during the First World War."
Albus smiled. It was so typical for Scorpius to know all those unnecessary and obscure historical facts.
"Yes, thank you," he interrupted Scorpius before he could provide more names. "And Flagstad said that the only known method to survive the curse with your mind intact for so long, was Occlumency. Occlumency protects your mind from external penetration but a skilled Occlumens can use it to protect the mind from the pain as well."
"Yes, but you need to be extremely good in Occlumency to use it when you're in such an enormous pain," added Scorpius. "That's why there are just a few people who survived more than thirteen minutes."
Albus went silent. He ran his fingertips over raised dots on the book's cover. He took a deep breath and finally asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.
"Then tell me, Scorpius, how did I survive the curse for fifteen minutes if I'm not an Occlumens?"
Silence. Interrupted only by murmurs of distant conversations and occasional steps.
"Scorpius?" Albus asked hesitantly.
"Yes, yes, I'm still here," he said. "I'm thinking. Are you sure you're not the Occlumens?"
Albus sighed. "Yes, I'm pretty sure. I hardly know what Occlumency is. I have no idea how to use it."
"Maybe-" Scorpius began and Albus was almost sure he propped his chin on the hand and was looking in the distance with a furrowed brow. "Maybe you're an Occlumens, but youjust don't know about it. You know, congenital skill in Occlumency, you're just born with it and don't have to learn it. Like Metamorphmagi. And you didn't know about it until now because you never had to use it before."
"You read about it somewhere? Or is it just your idea?" Albus was sceptical. He'd never heard of a congenital Occlumens before.
"My idea." Scorpius sounded rather proud. "Though I have to admit it's very unlikely. I've never read about it in any book about Occlumency and I read a lot about it some time ago."
"Of course you did," said Albus. "Any other ideas?"
"Hmm- I know!" Scorpius exclaimed but quickly lowered his voice so the librarian wouldn't throw them out. "Maybe your grandmother's sacrifice protected you?"
"No, it only protects my dad. She gave her life for him," reminded Albus. "And the attacker didn't want to kill me."
"Then I have no idea. Maybe there's something else that protects the mind that we don't know about yet. You're special, Albus. You've always been." Albus could hear that Scorpius was smiling.
Albus didn't feel like smiling at all. "I really hoped that I'd find the answer to that question today. I can't stop thinking about it."
"We can do our own research," Scorpius suggested. "We can search for books on Occlumency and the Cruciatus Curse. Maybe there's something in old books which Professor Flagstad hasn't read."
"With all the work this year, we'll not have much time for it. And I don't want you to fail your exams because of me."
"No, I'm happy to help you. I know how important this must be for you," Scorpius said.
Albus heard a rustling of clothes and knew that Scorpius was fiddling with his sleeves, most probably pulling them over his hands. It was a sure sign that Scorpius was nervous.
"Um, Albus?" he asked and Albus hummed in response. "What happened in the beginning of the Defense lesson? When Professor Flagstad asked you questions? You must have known answers."
"Of course I did. I was just shocked by the lesson's topic and that Flagstad asked me. I don't blame her, she doesn't know. But it's ironic that of all students, she had to ask me. And I-" he hesitated. This wasn't something he was comfortable admitting. But he could tell Scorpius everything. "I just don't like those words. The name of the curse and what it does."
"You mean the word 'torture'?"
Albus grimaced. "Yes, that one. I don't like to hear them and I somehow can't force myself to speak them loud. It's weird, I know," Albus chuckled mirthlessly.
"No, it's not," Scorpius said. "They remind you of what happened. I'll try not to use them."
"Thanks."
"I just thought about something. The reason you survived the attack." Albus straightened and listened to Scorpius intently. "Maybe- I don't want to diminish what you went through, but maybe Healers didn't estimate the time of the curse precisely. Maybe it was shorter."
Albus dropped his shoulders. "No, Healer Austen said that their spells were very precise and estimated the time with an error of fifteen seconds."
"Oh." Scorpius sounded disappointed. "We'll find something, I'm sure of it."
Albus took his bag up from the floor and put the book inside. "I'm very tired. I think I'll go to bed. Have you finished your essay?"
"Almost. But I can finish it later in the common room. Let's go."
Scorpius packed his things while Albus unfolded his cane. Even when he was guided by someone he usually used the cane as well. He wanted to use it as often as possible, to feel confident with it and navigate Hogwarts on his own someday.
They were walking through the deserted corridor, just the two of them. Most students were already in the common rooms or in the library. Albus was thinking about warm and soft bed. His movements were sluggish and he could feel his eyes closing. Two pain attacks this day really exhausted his body and mind.
Suddenly he felt the pain again. It always started unexpectedly and that was what he hated about it the most. It could attack at any time, in any place. Like every time the pain began in his head. He felt like his head was going to explode from inside and was being crushed by an iron band around his skull at the same time. His eyeballs felt like they were going to pop out of his eye sockets. Or like they were melting.
He screamed and dropped the cane. He felt Scorpius's arms around his shoulders and fell down to his knees, dragging Scorpius down with him. He pressed his forehead to the cold stone floor, in the vain hope that it would numb the pain. But the pain only intensified.
Albus curled up into a tight ball, wrapping his arms around his head, screaming and sobbing. The pain travelled down his spine. He felt knives and needles slicing and stabbing his arms and legs. He felt like instead of blood, scalding liquid was running through his vessels. The soles of his feet were being burned with fire.
And amidst all this agony, Albus remembered something.
He felt gentle hands on him, yet their touch was like white hot brand. With the little part of his mind that wasn't consumed by pain, he realised that Scorpius was touching his lips with the edge of the flask. With the huge effort he opened his mouth and let Scorpius pour the potion into his throat. He drank greedily and felt the pain very slowly diminish. When the pain became at least slightly bearable, he pushed himself into a sitting position, Scorpius's strong but gentle arms supporting him.
"Do you need more potion?" Scorpius asked in a shaky voice.
Albus weakly nodded.
"Damn it!" Scorpius said. "You need to wait until the flask refills itself. Oh, come on! Hurry up! Here, drink!"
Albus drank until the pain vanished completely, leaving behind extreme fatigue. His whole body was trembling, he felt like he could sleep for a week. But he couldn't rest now, he had to do something.
"Albus, I think you should go to the Hospital Wing," said Scorpius, putting the flask into Albus's pocket. "It was the third attack today and it was really bad. You drank two flasks of potion. You should even call Healer Austen. There must be something wrong with the potion. It's not working properly anymore. Or maybe the basic dose is too low."
"Scorpius," Albus interrupted his friend's rambling. "We need- we need to go to McGonagall. Now."
"What? Why? Albus, really, you should rest. We can go to her tomorrow."
"No, now. We must go now." Albus tried to stand but his legs were too weak. "I need to see my dad."