23 June, 2039

They couldn't stay locked up in there forever. At some point, either Albus or Scorpius had to venture out, if not for food then for a chance to get away from the stale air in the neglected flat. Great issue had been taken as to who would get to leave first, but Albus had won that argument.

"Please tell me you're still going to be here when I get back," Albus said, dubious about leaving Scorpius alone. He could very well do a runner the moment Albus left.

Annoyed, Scorpius said, "I said I wouldn't. Besides, where would I go when there are dozens of ex-Death Eaters trying to get me? Maybe I'll just go for a little stroll through Diagon Alley. Merlin, Potter, how stupid do you think I am?"

"Oh, don't turn this back on me!" Albus snapped. "You were the one bitching not an hour ago about not having a change of clothes. You know you can't go back to your flat, especially not for something so utterly unimportant."

Rolling his eyes, Scorpius said, "Well, maybe if you dressed like a civilised human being and not a homeless person, I could borrow some of yours."

"Merlin's twisted knickers, are you on about that again?" Truthfully, Albus didn't mind bickering with Scorpius. It gave him something to think about other than the fact that they were in danger should they ever stray from those walls. "Just please don't do anything foolish."

Hoping that Scorpius would turn out to be far more reasonable than he was letting on, Albus Apparated to the Ministry. He needed to fill in Jenkins on what had happened in the past few days, plus arrange a more hospitable safe house for Scorpius. If they were both left penned up, they'd likely tear each other apart out of sheer boredom if nothing else.

Without waiting to announce his arrival, Albus stalked into Jenkins's office. He could not quite prepare himself for what he saw there. In conference was no less than three confirmed or suspected Knights, laughing and joking with Jenkins like old friends. When they noticed Albus, the room became quiet.

Slowly, the pieces all began falling into place. There had been an operative inside the Ministry who held a high position. Even after all the information Albus provided, only a couple token arrests with no consequences were made. Now that he thought about it, it was all so ridiculously clear, and he'd missed it. "So it's you then. You're the mole." The door was closed behind Albus by a non-verbal spell, and one of the Knights cast a Silencing Charm around the room. That gave him all the answer he needed.

"You never were very quick on the uptake, Potter." Jenkins's voice was ripe with disdain. "Why do you think I gave you this job in the first place?"

Albus was frozen. The whole truth hit him like a ton of bricks. Harry had said something about Jenkins putting someone on the case, hence ending the Auror Department's involvement in Knight activity. Scorpius had mentioned that a Ministry take-over had always been the plan. Greengrass had told him to trust no-one and just hide. "You can't seriously think this will work, can you? You want to snuff out the Minister and blame it on a couple of known radicals based on the information that I gave you, thereby giving you the right to avenge our beloved leader. The people will be looking for a hero, and they'll happen to have you handy, there to give them back their security."

Actually, the plan was brilliant, only Scorpius and Greengrass, who gave him information he wasn't supposed to have, had unintentionally foiled it. Now that he had bearded the proverbial lion in its den, he was fairly certain that he had a slim chance of leaving the room unharmed. Playing things by ear had never been a strong suit of his, which is probably why he had been the rather unfortunate crux of the Knights' scheme.

"So," Albus said weakly, "I don't suppose you're going to tell me what happens now." If he could get them to admit to anything, he would have at least a slim chance of getting a message to Scorpius to run for his life. If he had to die for that to happen, then that was how it would be. No matter how much of a joke Jenkins had made of his career in law enforcement, Albus had still vowed to protect the innocent with every last breath in his body. That resolve had never been tested to that point, but he was almost surprised that he had the bollocks to see it through.

"Oh, I'm definitely going to enjoy killing you," Jenkins sneered. "All of your insipid drooling about the Malfoy boy, as if I wouldn't notice you were half in love with him. Perhaps a lovers' quarrel double-homicide would be the correct course of action."

"Don't touch him!" Albus growled. Even if they tore him to pieces, he would be damned if they would harm one hair on Scorpius's head. He'd take them all on if he had to.

Jenkins laughed cruelly. "My point exactly. You are just too easy, Potter. Too easy."

There was no way Albus was going to let them get away with anything. Closing his eyes, focussing on his sweetest and fondest memories, he clenched his hand around his wand, ready to cast the most important spell of his life. Remarkably clear-headed, he aimed his wand north-east in the direction of his flat and bellowed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A luminescent frog leaped out from a cloud of silver smoke and disappeared through the door. It would tell Scorpius what he knew and to run for it, and he would do his best to make sure that he got a chance to do so. Once the spell had been cast, Albus turned back to the four furious Knights, all of whom were armed and willing to kill him.

His Shield Charm was barely cast in time to deflect two Stunners and two other curses that he didn't recognise. They seemed willing to let him live for the moment, even if it wasn't for any other reason than to set up their false double murder. Even if he was outnumbered and categorically doomed, though, Albus wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of taking him down without a fight.

All of his efforts were concentrated on pure defence, but Albus knew he was eventually going to lose. What kept his resolve up was the thought that every second of their time that he wasted was one more second of a head start that Scorpius would have to escape these maniacs. Even as the raw frequency of his shield weakened it each time he cast it, he wasn't going to give up until they started using the one curse that couldn't be stopped.

Nearly exhausted, Albus was too slow in protecting himself, allowing a purple jet of light to hit him square in the chest. Pain the likes of which he had never experienced buffeted every last nerve in his body like fire ravaging a forest. His cries of agony were drowned out in his own ears by the roar of the fire that was cascading through him. He felt like his very bones were ready to melt under the intensity.

But just as soon as it started, it started to ease. The sounds in the room began to trickle back into his brain, and he could sense a newcomer to the room. Everything was still very hazy, but Albus felt himself being dragged away by someone who was swearing profusely. Though it was impossible, the voice reminded him of Scorpius, who was likely far away from London. The idea of it gave him peace of mind, which allowed the darkness that had been lurking around the perimeter of his mind to win over and he could finally sleep.

Albus had no idea how long he was out, but when he started to regain consciousness, he wished he hadn't. His body hurt everywhere. Even his hair hurt. This distracted him for a while before he figured out that there were no more curses flying around him. Then he vaguely recalled someone pulling him away from the fight. He hoped that his benefactor was still around.

In an ill-advised effort to see where the hell he was, Albus sat bolt upright. The room started spinning, and he felt like vomiting. A bucket was placed under his chin so he could empty the contents of his stomach somewhere besides all over himself. When he was finished, he was pushed back down onto his pillows and—

Pillows? Where the hell was he? This time, he was far more careful, slowly opening his eyes. His glasses were gone, so he couldn't see properly, but he could recognise that platinum blond hair anywhere. "W-why are you here? It's not safe."

Scorpius chucked. "We're about as safe as we can get. We're at your parents' house."

As the fog lifted, Albus jerked his head toward Scorpius. "But… what happened?" Somehow, his plan to give Scorpius time to get away had been dangerously uprooted.

"When I got your Patronus, I knew what you were trying to do. There was no way I was leaving you to die there. I sent an owl to your dad, giving him a place to meet up with us, should either of us get out of this stupid fiasco alive. I managed to catch them by surprise and Disarm all but one of them, and after that, it was actually fairly easy to get away. I managed to get you to your father, and we've been here ever since." As if he realised something that he'd forgotten, Scorpius reached into his pocket and placed Albus's glasses — the ones he preferred — onto his face. "Better?"

"Please don't say you went back to the hotel."

"I didn't go by myself, if that's what you're asking. Between when your mum threw me out for thinking I was one of your attackers to when your dad finally convinced her that I wasn't one of the Knights, I had some spare time. Your other ones were broken."

Albus smiled at the mental image of his mother railing at Scorpius. "Sorry 'bout that."

Shaking his head, Scorpius said, "No need to apologise. She loves you and had every right not to trust me. Considering my grandfather and even my own mother were implicated in Jenkins's confession, it's a natural assumption."

"Wait, what?" Albus was shocked. What purpose could Jenkins selling out his cohorts possibly serve? It would earn him no friends in Azkaban.

The corner of his mouth twitching, Scorpius clarified. "Oh, your father may or may not have slipped and splashed some Veritaserum Jenkins's way. It was quite informative, and he's off with his Aurors, rounding up every last one of them."

"But that's illegal!" Albus was in disbelief that his father would have such blatant disregard for the law.

"I would have done a hell of a lot worse if I'd got a hold of them first." Scorpius's eyes darkened. "If you could have seen the look in his eyes…"

Almost in awe of Scorpius, Albus asked the question that had been in his mind since he had been told what happened. "Why did you come back for me? All you had to do was run, and you would have been shot of me for good. No more uncomfortable reminders of everything, no more putting up with the idea that a bloke is stupidly in love with you…why?"

"Oh, I considered it," Scorpius admitted, "but only for a few seconds. When I thought about you, that you would let yourself be slaughtered just so I might be able to get away, I knew that I would never be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. It didn't take long to figure out where you were, and the rest you know."

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Albus asked, "What the hell curse was that anyway?"

Scorpius glowered. "Your dad said it was a Burning Curse. He'd seen it once before, and I think it was the memory of it that set him off."

That sounded very much like Harry, which made Albus smile to himself. "Thank you for coming back. Even though I'm right pissed that you did, thank you."

"Potter…" Scorpius said before amending, "Albus, I think I need to tell you something."

Worried that someone else had been hurt, Albus was anxious to know what this 'something' was. "Is everyone okay?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. You're injured enough for everyone. I was talking about something else." Scorpius closed his eyes, as if collecting his thoughts privately before proceeding. "There was a point while you were out that it wasn't certain whether you were going to make it."

Albus had no idea where this was going. "Okay," he said tentatively, hoping to spur on something a bit more enlightening.

"That gave me time to think about a lot of things. First, there was the fact that I'm probably damaged beyond words for any serious relationship. Then there's the fact that my mother and grandfather are traitors, and I'll be lucky if I have an inheritance now. But the one that struck me the most was how much the idea of you dying made me sick inside."

"Are you saying…" Albus didn't dare hope that Scorpius had somehow had a change of heart, not to mention sexuality.

"What I'm saying, Potter, is that I care about you. I don't know what that means at the moment, because we have the most fucked up thing going on between us and it's more complicated than I know how to deal with. But I suppose what I mean is that I don't think I could go the rest of my life without knowing whether it was you I fell in love with or if it was really Melinda. I would like the opportunity to find that out."

His jaw hanging slack, Albus stuttered, "Sure... I mean, if you want to, but don't feel like you have to for—" He never finished his sentence as Scorpius cut him off with a searing kiss. It caught him off guard, but it didn't take long to remember that hint of peppermint and a flavour that belonged solely to Scorpius. It felt just as good and right as it had when he was under the effects of the Polyjuice pills.

Finally tearing his lips away, Scorpius was breathless. "You taste the same. How is that possible?"

Shrugging, Albus said, "No idea. I suppose I should let the boys in Intel know that the pills aren't effective on everything."

Scorpius nodded absently, seemingly in deep contemplation. Albus would have given anything to know what was going on inside his head at that moment. He wanted so badly for Scorpius to declare that he was still interested, but it would have been the height of delusion to expect it to actually happen. That was probably why Albus nearly flinched when his lips were again occupied.

If possible, this kiss was even sweeter than the first, because there was no sense of hesitation or doubt. Albus felt himself melting back into the pillows as Scorpius leant in closer for just that much more added contact.

A throat clearing in the background interrupted an otherwise perfect moment. They both turned to see James, who was trying his best not to smirk. "Mum told me you'd been cursed or something. I came by to see how you were doing. I guess I should have asked who you were doing first."

Albus glared. "Go to hell, James. It's none of your business."

James looked ready to retort, but Scorpius stood up. "I should probably talk to your father sometime soon to see if he needs me for any more information. I'll leave you two alone." As he left, he passed by James, whispering just loud enough for Albus to hear, "Helen Markle."

Turning red, James glowered as Scorpius walked away looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary. His little brother, however, had nowhere to hide. "What the hell is wrong with you? Malfoy? Really?!"

"As I said, James, it's none of your business who I'm snogging. Now, if you could be so kind as to act like an adult when he's around, I'd really appreciate it." Albus hated the defensive tone in his voice, but the last person who had room to judge him for anything was James.

"Weren't you dating Wendy Smith? You know... the ugly one. Bit of a downgrade after the Ashley Crane feat. Then again, Malfoy's kind of pretty for a bloke, so maybe you're not so—"

"For the love of Merlin, she wasn't ugly! Besides, she was really good at... other things. And isn't it some sort of character flaw to judge people by how they look?" If anyone could be an authority on the subject, Albus was definitely it.

Scoffing, James said, "No, it's not, and — wait a minute! Since when did you start being gay?"

"I'm not, as far as I can tell. I just... like him. I like a nice pair of tits as well as you do. Just not when they're on me." At James's confusion, he gave a brief synopsis of his months' long assignment.

"So, he fell for you as a girl, and now that you're a guy again, he still fancies you? Maybe a Malfoy can really change his spots."

Albus wasn't very strong at the moment, but he had enough in him to punch his brother in the arm. "I don't suppose it would kill you to be happy for me, would it?"

"Murder, little brother. It would be murder." James ruffled Albus's hair and darted away before the fist that was careening toward his face could make contact. "I'll leave you two alone. Get well soon so Mum can go back to yelling at the wireless instead of wearing a hole in the kitchen floor with her maniacal pacing."

As James left the room, Albus laid back, thinking about everything that had happened, starting with that day in Diagon Alley and really veering into the realm of the bizarre at the Halloween Masque. When he had been given the assignment, he had known it would be difficult, but he had no idea how much it would really change his life.

And he believed it was for the better, but when Scorpius came back in and gave him a lazy smile, he knew it for sure.