Scorpius came into the hospital wing the next morning with a plate full of pancakes and bacon for Albus. Though he'd turned in relatively early, he was exhausted and had a burning in the back of his eyes that wouldn't go away. When he'd dressed, he'd made a special point of finding a shirt with long sleeves to cover up the bruise on his arm, which had become more visible overnight.
When he entered, he saw Albus on his feet, and his heart leaped. He was shirtless and still in a sling in a pair of the heinous standard-issue Hogwarts sweat pants. The deep violet bruise was larger than he'd anticipated, stretching from under his previously dislocated shoulder down to his hip and across his chest. It was painful just to look at.
"I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey."
"Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that from a Potter? Or a Weasley?"
"I imagine a lot," he said. "The only graceful one of us is Victoire." He had his wand in his hand and was making one of the old hospital robes levitate in front of him.
"I think you should stay here for at least a few more hours," said Madam Pomfrey, her hands on her hips.
"I'm going straight to my dorm. And look!" Albus' expression brightened. "Scorpius is here to take care of me."
Albus slid his arm into the hovering robe with a grimace. All the color was gone from his face.
"Will you please tell your friend to get back in bed?" Madam Pomfrey huffed at Scorpius.
Well, I would like to tell him to get into bed, thought Scorpius. Just not that one.
From under the soreness and exhaustion, Albus gave him that wicked, mischievous grin that always got him in trouble, and Scorpius knew he'd had a similar thought.
"I've long since stopped trying to get Albus to listen to reason," said Scorpius, setting the plate on a nearby table. He helped Albus into the robe and adjusted it over his sling.
"Am I decent enough to walk back to the common room?" asked Albus.
"Sure, if you're sure you want to leave," said Scorpius.
"I definitely want to leave," muttered Albus.
"See?" Scorpius turned to Madam Pomfrey. "He doesn't listen."
Madam Pomfrey sighed, clearly distressed that Albus was leaving against her advice. "Rest, Albus. Stay seated and lying down as much as possible, and take it easy."
"I'm not sure I have much of a choice in the matter," said Albus, standing upright and setting his jaw against the pain. Scorpius saw a twitch in his neck that told him Albus was just barely staying up. He grabbed the breakfast plate and looked to Albus.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
"I want nothing to do with this." Madam Pomfrey sighed and walked away. "And come back in two days for another round of potions."
"Yes, ma'am."
Albus gave Scorpius a weary smile. Scorpius hadn't noticed how excellent Albus' posture had been until it was compromised. To Scorpius, Albus had always looked strong and lithe - tall and broad-shouldered - invincible and brave in the face of danger, whether it be extreme or mundane. But now he was bruised and battered, and that made Scorpius feel responsible for him.
He'd always been protective of Albus, but there was a new warmth and fierceness to it that he hadn't expected.
"Come on," said Scorpius with his hand on Albus' shoulder. "Let's get you to the dorm."
It took three times as long to get to the Slytherin dorms as usual. Scorpius eventually discarded Albus' breakfast to free his hands so he could help Albus walk, and by the time they reached the Slytherin common room, Albus was leaning on him heavily and sweating from exertion.
"You weren't ready to leave," said Scorpius. "You must have known that."
"It's so depressing in there," said Albus. "All the stories my dad told me about his time here ended in that infirmary. I can't stand it."
"Don't think you're going far at all today," said Scorpius, helping him through the portal. "I'm taking you straight to your bed."
"I'd rather you -"
"Stop."
When they entered the common room, Albus was swarmed by other students. Flint and Pucey were the first to reach him, wide-eyed.
"Al! Are you okay?"
Albus waved a dismissive hand.
"I'm fine. I'll be right as rain in a couple days. Did we forfeit the match?"
"Actually, no," said Flint smugly. "Since Hufflepuff has now had a player ejected for the season on a penalty, we get a win."
"I don't think Marcus meant for that to happen," said Albus slowly. He moved past the group and fell into his favorite armchair with a deep grimace. His ribs ached, and his head was pounding, but it was worth it to be back in the dungeon where he felt at home.
"I don't think he did either," said Flint, "but the fact of the matter is that he nearly killed you and he can't be on the pitch anymore."
"Accidents happen," said Albus. "I don't think he should be barred from playing."
"Albus." Scorpius sat on the table in front of Albus' armchair. "Whether or not he meant to hit you like that is irrelevant. If he doesn't have the skills to judge whether or not to hit someone like that at such close range, then he can't be on the pitch."
"Malfoy is right," said Maggie from her spot on a couch. "But I saw Marcus this morning, and he looked awful."
"I'm going to have to talk to him," said Albus. He placed his hand on the arm of the chair as if to rise, but Pucey put his massive hand on Albus' good shoulder and held him down.
"No, mate. You're staying right here," Pucey said.
"We'll probably run into him later anyway," said Farley from across the room. "We'll tell him you're okay. You can talk to him when you're better."
"Why are you even here?" asked Flint. "Shouldn't you still be in the hospital wi -"
"I've already tried," deadpanned Scorpius.
"I just hate it down there, okay? Besides, if I'm going to sleep all day, I'd much rather be in my own bed."
"And that's exactly where you're going right now," said Maggie, rising from her seat. She approached Albus and placed her hand under his good arm. "Come on."
Albus groaned as Scorpius and Maggie helped him stand, and his balance faltered once he was on his feet.
"Whoa, there," said Maggie. "That leg is giving you trouble?"
"Everything's giving me trouble," groaned Albus.
"Just get some sleep, mate," said Farley. "We're all just going to be in the library and out here studying. You're not missing anything."
"I'm going to stay with him," said Scorpius. "I just have some History of Magic homework left anyway."
"Let us know if you need anything," said Flint. "Or if he decides to do something stupid like go for a run."
"Sod off," said Albus.
Scorpius and Maggie walked Albus to the dorm room slowly, each step deliberate and careful, just as Scorpius had taken him through the castle. When they got him into the room, Albus fell onto his bed and sighed in relief.
"This is so much better," he said.
Scorpius was about to thank Maggie for her help when he realized she'd backtracked and had closed the door behind him.
"So when are you two going to stop sneaking about?" Maggie placed her hands on her hips, looking from Scorpius to Albus and back again.
Scorpius' heart skipped a beat, and he felt the blood drain from his face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.
"How stupid do you think I am?" Maggie asked. Scorpius and Albus looked to one another. Both knew better than to answer the question.
Maggie sighed and folded her arms. "Also, I saw you two the other night in the common room when I came back down to grab my robes. There were some notes in them I needed, and I saw you snogging."
"Christ," said Albus, rubbing his face. "Listen, I -"
"No, let me finish," said Maggie. "I don't know what's going on or why you're sneaking about, but you shouldn't. It's not a big deal."
"It's not about that," said Scorpius. The color had come back to his face all at once, and he could feel himself beginning to blush feverishly. "It's not at all. It's just..."
"It's not anyone's business," said Albus defensively. "That's all. Besides, we share a dorm and wouldn't that be awkward for everyone else?"
"I doubt it," said Maggie. "You've been inseparable since the day we got here. Unless you decide to be particularly lewd -"
"Please stop," said Scorpius with his face in his hands.
"-then it wouldn't be a problem."
"Maggie, please," pleaded Albus. "We're not hiding. It's not that. We're just not really..."
"Ready. And it's not Albus, it's me. I'm not ready to deal with it."
"Deal with what?" Maggie asked as if it were the most preposterous thing she could imagine.
"Telling people I'm gay. That we're together," said Scorpius.
"It's not like it used to be," said Maggie. "No one is going to ostracize you. Don't you remember Dawlish and Robins? Everyone loved them, and no one said a bad word about their relationship."
"We'll get around to it," said Albus. "Just not right now. Maggie, please."
"I'm not going to say anything," she said. "Don't worry about that. It felt like lying not telling you, and I just... I don't know. I wanted you to know that you've got friends, and it doesn't need to be something you hide."
"Thank you," said Scorpius. "And I, for one, appreciate that. And we'll get there. But for now, let's just leave everyone else out of it."
Maggie nodded slowly. "I understand. I'm just... well, I'm here if you need me," she said before moving to the door. "And can one of you tell Farley to lay off the cologne? He's a good looking bloke, but I can't snog him if he smells like he bathed in the stuff."
Albus chuckled, then winced and immediately regretted it.
"Will do."
Maggie gave them one last compassionate smile before slipping out the door and closing it behind herself. Scorpius exhaled long and slow, sitting on the edge of his bed facing Albus and placed his face in his hands once more.
"She won't say anything, Scorp," said Albus, half lying on his bed.
"It's not that," said Scorpius.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know. I can't describe it," said Scorpius. "I'm just tense. But that doesn't matter. You need to rest. We need to get you better."
Albus nodded and slowly slid back onto his bed, sighing with relief as he relaxed.
"So much better than the hospital cot."
"I'm sure," said Scorpius. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Albus smiled at him sleepily. The green glow from the lake windows made him look even paler, so Scorpius used his wand to light the lanterns around the beds to make the room seem warmer.
"Just stay with me for a while? I know you probably have things to do," said Albus. Scorpius shook his head.
"No. No, I want to stay here."
Scorpius grabbed his book from the desk and pulled his chair over to the side of Albus' bed, where he settled in. Albus held out his hand and Scorpius took it, hold onto it until long after Albus fell asleep.
Monday came with a vengeance, and Scorpius wasn't ready. After spending all day doing homework and looking after Albus, he was still exhausted, and by Wednesday, he was barely upright. His only solace was that there was a three-hour break in his day before dinner that would be perfect for a nap.
Lunch had left him sleepier that normal, and after enduring a particularly dull Transfiguration lesson, Scorpius dragged himself into the dungeons and into his dorm. Albus was sitting at his desk, his right arm still in a sling with his Care of Magical Creatures book open on his desk, and Freya in his lap.
"I'm glad to see you two are warming up to each other," said Scorpius, throwing his bag onto the trunk at the foot of his bed. Freya stretched languidly across Albus' lap and meowed once before closing her eyes again.
"She's actually pretty nice," said Albus, stroking her hair. "How was class?"
"Dull. I've made a list of things you need to read to keep up. It's not long - you can do it between classes tomorrow."
"You're so conscientious."
"I try."
Scorpius pulled back the hangings around his bed, prepared to fall onto the mattress, only to find a wrapped package lying on his pillow.
"What's this?"
"I have no idea," said Albus. "Came in the post earlier. Pucey brought it up."
Scorpius grabbed the package and ripped off the wrapping carefully, unsure of what could be inside. He hadn't ordered anything that he could remember...
"Oh, wow."
Inside was a gilded, leather-bound copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, one of his favorite books. Scorpius ran his fingers over the title and the spine, then opened the book and breathed in the musty, comforting smell of well-worn paper and old ink.
"Who sent it?"
Scorpius looked to Albus, who had risen and was looking very uncertain.
"I know it's your favorite," he said. "I wanted to say thank you. For taking care of me. You didn't have to. At least not the way you did."
"Albus..." Scorpius was touched. He'd only ever exchanged gifts with his family at holidays and birthdays, and for the last few years, he and Albus had only given each other small, fun gifts at Christmas, and sometimes on their birthdays. "You didn't have to."
"I know," he said. "But I know it's a book you really love, and I thought you'd like a special copy of it that's yours, not a part of the Malfoy library."
Scorpius didn't have much that wasn't a part of the Malfoy estate. Not that he minded, but when he looked down at the book in his hands, he was immensely grateful.
"Thank you."
Albus smiled sheepishly, adjusting his sling. "I've never read it. Maybe we can read it together?"
Scorpius set the book down and embraced Albus carefully. "I'd like that very much."
Halloween came and went, and took Autumn with it early. By the middle of November, there was a cold bite to the air - something both Scorpius and Albus looked forward to all year.
"I love it," said Scorpius as they reached the top of the Astronomy tower one evening. "This is the best time of year."
Albus smiled. He loved seeing Scorpius happy and had been doing everything he could lately to make him laugh. Granted, it was difficult when they were around others, but he had managed, and he had never felt closer to anyone.
"Either way, we need the blanket," he said. They settled in at the base of the largest column that overlooked the grounds and mountains below, and wrapped the edges around their shoulders, insulating themselves against the cold. Scorpius pulled out a copy of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' and started thumbing through the pages.
"Where were we?"
Albus wrapped the blanket tighter around Scorpius' shoulders, taking the opportunity to hold him close against the cold.
"Sibyl had just committed suicide," he said.
"Ah, yes," said Scorpius, adjusting his glasses. "It's my turn?"
"Yes, thankfully," said Albus. He hated reading aloud.
Albus watched as Scorpius' searched for their place, looking at the features of his face. It was true that he looked a great deal like his father - they both carried that burden - but where Draco Malfoy's features were sharp and angular, Scorpius' had been softened by his mother's influence. His nose was straight without being pointed, and his eyes were big and almond-shaped, giving him a constant look of curiosity. As his hair grew longer, it fell smooth around his ears and his neck, giving Albus the constant impulse to play with it.
Albus sank against the pillar, contented as he looked out over the treetops and hills, just listening to Scorpius' voice as he began to read.
