Scorpius waited as long as he could stand it. Ainsley sat with him on the stairs that led to the hospital wing until she finally had to go downstairs to study and eat. The castle had been quiet for the first few hours after the accident, but after a while, Scorpius started hearing the echoes of students laughing and moving about as they always did on Saturday nights.

The sun was low in the sky when he entered the hospital wing. There was another student - one so small he barely looked like a first year - getting a cut looked at by Madam Pomfrey, but other than that, the wing was empty save for the cluster of people at the end. Harry, Ginny, Lily, James, Rose, and Hugo were all milling around a bed sitting under a window where the red light was filtering in from the sunset.

Scorpius walked towards them, but Madam Pomfrey released the first year and approached him.

"I'm sorry Malfoy," she said, holding her arm out to stop him. "Family only for right now. He needs to rest."

"But -"

"No 'buts,'" she said, making a motion to shoo him along, but Scorpius didn't move.

"It's okay, Madam Pomfrey," called Harry from across the room. "Scorpius is family."

Gratitude rushed through him, and Scorpius looked down the long room at Harry, who had stood from his stool beside Albus' bed. Madam Pomfrey sighed and stood aside, going back to tend to the younger boy, and Scorpius decided not to question a good thing and walked quickly to Albus' bed where Harry Potter greeted him.

"Hello, Scorpius."

"Hello, Mr. Potter." Scorpius cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"Of course. You're practically Albus' brother."

"I'm Albus' brother," said James, his voice full of sarcasm. Harry and Ginny's eldest son was still wearing his gray Gringotts uniform and was standing at the head of his brother's bed. This was the first time Scorpius had seen James in more than a year, and it struck him how much older he looked out of his Hogwarts uniform.

It wasn't until Albus spoke that Scorpius realized he was awake.

"I keep telling you all, I'm fine," said Albus quietly. Scorpius looked past Ginny to see that he was propped up on several pillows with his arm in a sling. There was a brown paste covering a gash above his eye and a nasty, dark bruise over his cheekbone. Madam Pomfrey had put him in shorts, and the wound on his leg was exposed and covered in the same brown paste, which was giving off an earthy, musky smell.

"And I keep telling you that we'll stay a bit longer," said Ginny. She turned and smiled at Scorpius, and he marveled at how they all just looked like they fit together. Lily and Rose had the same Weasley nose and red hair, and Rose and Hugo both had their mother's brown eyes. The shape of Hugo and James' jaws were similar, and though Hugo's voice had yet to change, Scorpius imagined that he sounded just like James when he first started at Hogwarts. He watched as James gestured as he talked to Rose, and saw that he had the same hands as Albus - long fingers and small wrists.

Maybe that was why Madam Pomfrey hadn't wanted to let him in - he was a blemish on a perfectly good portrait of a family that loved one another and belonged together.

"Scorpius, are you okay?" Ginny asked. She was sitting on the edge of Albus' bed, holding his hand and stroking the back of it with her thumb, just as his mother used to do when she soothed him after a nightmare.

"I just wanted to make sure Albus was doing better," said Scorpius. He walked closer to Albus' bed. From underneath the fog of whatever potion Madam Pomfrey had given him, Albus looked up and smiled at Scorpius.

"I'm fine," he said. "I keep telling everyone that."

"Well, you scared the hell out of me." Scorpius folded his arms. "If Madam Hooch hadn't reacted as quickly as she did -"

"But she did, and I'll be fine," Albus croaked. His voice was raspy, and Scorpius could see his breaths were still shallow. Albus cringed and raised a hand to his chest.

"Did you break your ribs?"

"Yes," said Ginny. "And a dislocated shoulder, the gash on his leg was pretty deep. Madam Pomfrey said his cheekbone is likely cracked too."

"Not the cheekbones," said James, aghast. Ginny shot him a glare.

"It's going to be a few days before he's better," said Lily. "She said there's only so many potions and so much magic a body can handle. There's only so fast someone can heal."

"I'm fine."

"All the same," said Harry, "Listen to Madam Pomfrey. She'll have you right in no time, but you'll have to take it easy for a few days."

"Oh, he'll be back in class by Tuesday," said Pomfrey approaching, "but he'll still be moving slow. You're taking a week off of any physical exertion, and that means no Quidditch practice."

"Understood," said Albus, his eyelids visibly heavy. For a moment, he tried to stay awake, looking from his mother to his father, and then to Scorpius, but he gave up, letting his head drop back onto the pillow.

"He's going to have to sleep this off," said Harry. "By morning, the worst of it will be done, healing his bones and all."

Ginny stood up slowly, careful not to disturb Albus, and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead as she smoothed down his hair. Scorpius watched as Harry did the same, standing back, his hands in his pockets. He watched as the Potters said goodbye to their sleeping son, all at once glad that Albus was loved - that he had a family that would rush to his side when he was hurt - and sad that he no longer had a mother to care for him and no siblings to speak of.

Lily left first, telling her parents that it was time for dinner. She kissed her parents and brother goodbye and took off through the doors.

"She's always on the go, isn't she?" asked Harry.

"I see her around sometimes," said Scorpius. "She's always with her friends. She seems very popular."

"She's a good girl," said Ginny, taking Harry's hand.

"You'll keep an eye on him, won't you?"

Scorpius frowned at Harry. "What do you mean?"

"Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself before he's done healing. I always made it worse before I was completely better."

"Like that time you had to regrow all the bones in your arm?" Ginny smiled up at her husband.

"That was probably the worst," said Harry. A crease formed between Harry's eyebrows as he adjusted his glasses. "Just... take care of him?"

There was a weight to Harry's words and the way he was looking at Scorpius.

"Of course, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled almost sadly and nodded. "Then we'll see you around."

"It was good to see you, Scorpius," Ginny said.

James gave him a nod as all three of the Potters left. Scorpius watched as they disappeared through the great double doors, and stared long after they were gone.


After eating a hasty dinner, Scorpius crept back into the infirmary with two plates laden with Albus' favorites - tarts, fudge, and cake slices, with a side of actual food. Madam Pomfrey, he knew, was still downstairs with the rest of the faculty, enjoying a leisurely Saturday evening meal knowing her only patient was asleep and healing.

For a second, as he passed the medicine cabinets, he wondered if there was something in them to make his eyes and head hurt less. He'd tried to go back to the dorm and take a brief nap to no avail. Every time he closed his eyes he saw a streak of green falling through the air and heard Maggie screaming Albus' name.

Scorpius set the food down on the table beside Albus and cautiously settled himself on the edge of the bed near Albus' uninjured arm. The bruise on his face had blossomed into a dark purple monstrosity with green edges that stretched from his cheekbone all the way down to his jaw and had spread into a black eye. The gash, however, seemed to have closed even more over the last couple of hours.

His leg was even nastier up close, and Scorpius tried not to look at it. Instead, he gently pushed back the edge of Albus' robe to get a better look at his chest and found that it too was covered in a massive bruise.

"Trying to undress me?"

Scorpius jumped when Albus spoke, which was clearly Albus' intent. He had a sleepy sort of smirk on his face as he blinked away the sleep and fog from the potions.

"I'm not sure it would get me very far right now," said Scorpius, tucking the blanket around Albus, making sure his leg remained exposed as Madam Pomfrey had left it. "You can't exactly move."

Albus smiled and moved, adjusting himself to look at Scorpius. "Don't underestimate me."

"Yeah, okay," said Scorpius, mocking. He grabbed a tart from the plate and held it up. "I brought you food."

"That's not food. That's dessert."

"Yes, well, sweets will always help you make friends."

Albus smiled and tried to use his good arm to sit up, but it was no use. The fire in his ribs reignited and his shoulder stung until he gave up and fell back onto the pillows.

"This isn't working."

"Hold on."

Scorpius went from bed to bed, gathering pillows until he had enough, Albus' eyes following him all the way. He returned with a small pile, which he laid on the adjacent bed.

"I'm going to prop you up," said Scorpius, holding up one of the pillows. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, let's try it."

Scorpius bit his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Albus, but he needed to eat if he was going to heal. Scorpius leaned over him and wrapped his arm around Albus' back, and together, they sat him up enough that Scorpius could slide the pillow behind his back. While holding Albus up, he wordlessly summoned another and another, until Albus could sit comfortably without straining. Slowly, Scorpius lowered him back onto the pillows, keeping his hand behind Albus' neck until he was comfortable.

"You're a wonder, you know that?"

"What?"

Albus looked up at him, somewhat content now that he was at least half upright.

"There are grown wizards that can't do wandless magic. Good wizards. And I think you just summoned those pillows without even considering it."

Scorpius looked down. His wand was still in his pocket.

"I... guess I did."

"And even breathing hurts, and you managed to do that without even making me flinch."

"I was as careful as I could be," said Scorpius, looking down at his hands. There was a tension in his chest that he couldn't shake off, no matter how much he tried to control his breathing and calm himself. "The sooner you're better, the sooner you're out of here, and the sooner I can stop imagining you falling over and over again."

"Hey." Albus tugged at Scorpius' shirt. His senses were starting to come back now that he was upright, and memories of lying in the sand on the pitch were starting to flood back. They were flashes of white hot pain and loud voices, and the deep, metallic thud of his body hitting the goal post. But mostly, Albus was remembering Scorpius' face appearing above him, and the expression he'd worn. It was a contorted sort of pain he hadn't seen for a couple of years and had hoped he'd never see again.

Scorpius looked up at him. He couldn't stop biting his lip, and it was very difficult for Albus to stay still when he was doing that.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Albus, using his good arm to reach out and take Scorpius' hand into his own. "I promised."

Scorpius had to wipe the dampness from beneath his eyes. "I wasn't sure if Madam Hooch had caught you in time. That bludger hit you so hard, and you fell so fast."

"I know." Albus squeezed Scorpius' hand the best he could. "It must have looked awful."

"And I didn't even know what to do. And I know you're in pain and that this is something that happened to you and I just happened to see it and so I shouldn't complain, but -"

"Calm down, Scorpius," said Albus. "Take a deep breath."

"And here you are trying to calm me down." Albus knew what was happening, and he was powerless to stop it as Scorpius started to panic, just a bit. "You almost died."

"Okay, first of all, you sound like Aunt Hermione right now," said Albus. "Secondly, I'm fine."

"But you almost weren't, and it was terrifying. I think that took at least two years off of my life. My heart is weaker now."

Albus knew Scorpius sometimes had a biting sarcasm when he was stressed and didn't like it when he said things like this. They didn't talk much about Astoria, but Albus harbored a quiet fear that Scorpius' constitution would take more after his mother than his father.

"And then I finally got down to the pitch, and there you were. You were bleeding, and your arm was going the wrong way, and you were having trouble breathing, and the most horrifying part was that you were awake. You were conscious, and there was nothing I could do to help."

"I know," said Albus, raising his voice. He hated it when Scorpius got like this - over tests, fights with friends, the prospect of being cooped up in the Malfoy manor all summer, so he pushed himself further up on the pillows to sit up, gritting his teeth, until he was eye-to-eye with Scorpius.

"Oh, don't. Please," quavered Scorpius.

"Shut up," snapped Albus, gritting through the pain. "Listen. I almost died. That much is true, and I got lucky. I did. And do you know what I was thinking about while I was lying on the ground?"

"No," muttered Scorpius, sheepish.

"I was wondering where you were. I didn't know how I was alive, and all I could think about was whether or not you saw what happened or if you were on your way," said Albus, gritting his teeth against the pain and frustration that that had built up inside him - but mostly the sharpness in his cracked ribs.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius whispered. His voice was gone. "I got there as fast as I could."

"That's not the point," sighed Albus. He was making things worse. He always made things worse. "I just need you to know that I worry about you. I was scared, Scorpius."

Scorpius shifted closer to him on the bed, holding back tears, and rested his forehead against Albus' as gently as he could. He could smell the medicine on his skin and could hear the rasp in his breath.

"I was scared, and all I wanted was you, and I was worried about you." Albus' voice was soft.

"Well, isn't that what we do best?" Scorpius raised his hand to rest on Albus' neck. "We worry about each other."

Albus swallowed back what could have turned into tears if he'd thought his chest could have taken it. As it was, he wasn't sure his heart and ribs could take much more abuse. He just breathed deeply, feeling Scorpius near him.

"What happened there?"

Scorpius looked at where Albus nodded. Beneath the sleeve of Scorpius' t-shirt, he could see a hand-shaped bruise coming in - not nearly as intense as anything on Albus' body, but still visible.

"Oh, that's nothing."

Albus raised his hand to Scorpius' arm and gently aligned his hand to the bruises.

"Oh, damn."

"It's okay," insisted Scorpius. "Really. I mean you had to hold onto something."

"I'm sorry I hurt you," said Albus.

Scorpius smiled and helped Albus lean back into the pillows again.

"It's fine. Just stay lying back, okay?"

Scorpius grabbed the tart again and placed it in Albus' good hand and watched quietly as he ate, handing him a sandwich, and then some fudge. He watched as Albus' eyelids got heavy again, and helped him drink some water before he began to drift off again.

"I'm glad your family got here so quickly today," said Scorpius as Albus began to relax. He stroked Albus' hair back idly, as it always seemed to soothe him. "Your father was quite nice today."

"He and I are getting along better," said Albus. "And he does like you."

"I'm just glad to see that things are better there," said Scorpius, tucking the blankets around Albus gently, avoiding his bruises. He wanted Albus to fall asleep comfortably and gently, not focused on the pain.

"I just want you to be happy. And you're going to get better, and we're going to go to Hogsmeade next weekend."

"It's a Hogsmeade weekend?" Albus was drifting off, and Scorpius smiled.

"Yeah. I'll take you out for a butterbeer. And then we'll go to Honeydukes and get some of that toffee you like so much."

Albus stopped responding, but Scorpius stayed there, on the edge of the bed, talking to him quietly until Madam Pomfrey returned and kicked him out.


Rolanda Hooch arrived back in her quarters after what had been a very long day. Her referee robes were already with the House Elves being cleaned of Albus Potter's blood, and her head pounded from the stress of the day.

In all year years of refereeing at Hogwarts, students had only fallen a handful of times, and only once had she not been the one to catch them - and that was when Dumbledore had rescued Harry Potter form the Dementors. This one was too close for her, and she was wondering if it was time to consider retirement before she became too slow to react.

"These Potters will be the death of us all in the most mundane ways," she said, pulling off her boots. It wasn't until she stood up that she noticed something off in her quarters. Something different.

Atop her kitchenette counter was a vase of roses - white roses, her favorite. Hooch frowned and walked over to them, freeing the card that was tucked beneath the base and opening it, noting immediately that it was unsigned.

Madam Hooch,

For saving Albus Potter.

Hooch knew her memory wasn't what it used to be, but she was fairly certain this was the handwriting of Draco Malfoy.