Three hours later, A-Sev and Brady were still in the courtyard that counted as Slytherin territory, despite the wind beginning to pick up, and the grey clouds becoming darker, promising freezing rain. Many of the Slytherins had retreated to the common room to continue their games or gossip. Only Albus, Brady, and a few of the more careless Slytherins still sat around. Albus and Brady were trading chocolate frog cards with causal competition.
"I'm not giving away MY Agrippa for Morgaine Le Fey, A-Sev," insisted Brady. "Agrippa cards are rare, and besides, I already have three Morgaines!"
"Fine, then," Albus moaned sarcastically. "You drive a terribly hard bargain. For your Agrippa, I'll deal you a Lady of the Lake, a Cliodna, and a Merlin!"
"Sorry, you'll have to pry THIS card from my cold, dead hands!" Brady insisted.
"You can be such a git, Brady," said A-Sev. "I have taught you well!"
Brady grinned. "I think we'd better get inside. Rain's coming soon." But Albus shook his head.
"Ten more minutes," he insisted. "I hate being cooped up in out stuffy room all night. I can almost hear your jerking off underneath the sheets, and it repulses me!"
Brady blushed deep crimson. "You bastard!"
"The one and only!" Albus said, playfully punching Brady in the arm. He almost didn't notice the courtyard going silent. Looking up, Albus quickly got to his feet at the sight of James approaching. There were a few hoots and hollers from the Slytherin.
"This is Slytherin turf!"
"Get your Gryffindor ass out of here!"
"Don't talk to him like that or else he'll write to his daddy!"
James spat on the ground in front of the group. One boy almost charged, but was held back. He was accompanied by Aaron and Miles, just like the first night of the term. A-Sev was the only Slytherin to coolly approach his brother.
"This isn't your space," he hissed.
"Back off, I'm sure he's here somewhere, probably cowering in a corner," James muttered.
"Who, your imaginary friend Bobby?" Albus mocked. The Slytherins laughed.
"Scorpius Malfoy, where is he? His time is up!" James said.
Albus rolled his eyes. "What, was he going with you to Madame Puddifoot's? Uncle Ron told me you're quite fond of the pink sugar rabbits!"
More laughs from the Slytherins. A-Sev pulled out his wand and pointed it at James' chest. "Scorpius isn't here. If you want to lose a duel, then why not with me?"
"Psh! I want no one's blood but his!" James said, pushing Albus' wand aside. Albus quickly got back into position, only this time, his wand was jammed right at the base of James' throat.
"You want blood, you vampire? Then pick on someone your own type!" Albus insisted.
James rolled his eyes. "I don't have the patience right now, give me Scorpius Malfoy! HE'S the only one I'll duel!"
"Oh, shut up you old toerag!" Albus said, waving his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
The spell caused James' wand to tumble through the air. It landed about twenty feet from where Miles stood. No one made a move towards it for a full minute. Albus didn't make another move.
"Chicken shit," Albus hissed. "No wonder the Sorting Hat separated us, it was doing me a favor! I'm embarrassed to share parents with you! It makes me sick looking at you and seeing we have the same nose…" Albus raised his wand again. "Stu—"
"A-SEV! STOP!" hollered a sudden, shrill voice. Everyone turned to see Scorpius running towards Albus. James smirked and snickered.
"Miles, my wand?" he ordered. Miles scrambled immediately to pick up his wand and bring it back to its' owner. "Here's my man now."
Scorpius shoved Albus away from James. "A-Sev, McGonagall will expel you! This is against the law!"
"DAMN THE LAW!" Albus said. James' evil grin widened.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Merlin, I bet he can't even spell his own name at fifteen, it's so long!" James suddenly joked. None of the Slytherin witnesses laughed, but Aaron and Miles were in hysterics.
Scorpius turned to face his opponent. He let the silence take over for a second, noting how James didn't move. Scorpius couldn't hurt him, even if he wanted to (which he didn't). Like it or not, James Potter was a part of his family now. James looked furiously at Scorpius.
"Scorpius, the time's come. We duel to the death!" James announced. The Slytherins began cheering Scorpius on. Aaron and Miles stood back from James and moved around the opposite side of the Slytherins.
Scorpius took a brave deep breath and began stepping towards James, his arm and his wand at his side. James could have easily given him death right there and then, but he was too perplexed by Scorpius' calm demeanor. Scorpius kept walking until he was five feet away from James. He then dropped his wand to the ground. The Slytherins gasped. A-Sev knitted his eyebrows and squinted in confusion.
"Scorps! Have my wand!" he said, getting ready to throw his wand. But Scorpius held up a hand, stopping him.
"James, you'll never understand why I have to love you, but nonetheless, I do. Unfortunately, we aren't on good terms, nor do I doubt we will be anytime soon. I don't believe in revenge or hate anymore. You may go tell your friends that you've beaten me in a duel, so be satisfied," he said, his voice calm and full of conviction at the same time.
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" James whispered. "I came here to kill you, slowly and painfully, and that's what I intend to do. Stupefy!"
The curse threw Scorpius back about twenty feet. Gasps rang out. James grinned and hit him again as soon as he rose to his feet.
"Levicorpus! Liberacorpus! Stupefy! I don't see you fighting back, you wuss! Too afraid you won't be able to produce so much as a spark?! STUPEFY!" James taunted. Aaron and Miles cheered him on as James continued to torment Scorpius.
Albus winced and gritted his teeth. Why was Scorpius just letting himself be humiliated and beaten like this? Some Slytherin he was…
"Why don't I just finish you off now with some green sparks and end it all now?" James said, grinning as he raised his wand.
Albus let out a scream and, with wand flying high, he charged at James. With one swift, instinctive reflex, James whipped around and shot blindly at his new challenger without thinking, "Sectumsempra!"
The jet of lethal sparks hit A-Sev directly over the heart. Blood sputtered everywhere as he fell to the ground. That was the moment the chilling rain began falling. Most of the Slytherins, in addition to Miles, fled the scene in a sudden panic. Only Aaron and Brady remained as witnesses.
Scorpius hollered in sorrow as scrambled to the side of his fallen friend. Albus was still breathing, but every breath for his was a challenge. His was bleeding unstoppably. James stared at his wand, then at the sight of what he'd just done: he'd just killed his own brother on an impulse. He was paralyzed with shock.
"A-Sev! A-Sev!" Scorpius cried, tears coming uncontrollably to his eyes. He took his coat off and pressed it over Albus' chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding. But that was to no avail. Albus Severus grew paler with every breath.
"Get…get a Healer…" Albus tried to say.
"Everything's going to be alright, A-Sev," Scorpius said, more to assure himself than
"I…I took it for you…you didn't stop him, you didn't fight…fight back…" A-Sev breathed.
"I thought it was all for the best! I couldn't do it…A-Sev!" Scorpius said.
Albus' breathing became shallower and quicker. "To hell with BOTH your Houses! Damn Gryffindor AND Slytherin! You BOTH killed me!"
"No, A-Sev," Scorpius said, trying to elevate Albus' head, as if it would help. The rain got heavier. Albus gritted his teeth against the pain as he continued to bleed. His blood was forming a pool around him and Scorpius. James still didn't make an attempt to flee the scene.
Albus formed his lips to say one more thing. His voice was barely above a whisper, only Scorpius could hear A-Sev's final words.
"Damn BOTH your Houses!"
And with that, his skin when white and cold, his chest was stilled, and his head went limp in Scorpius' arms. Scorpius wailed over the body and refused to let go of his best friend. Brady bit his lip and fell to his knee. The next few seconds seemed like ages to pass.
Aaron looked at James. "James, we should get out of here—"
"NO!!!" Scorpius suddenly shouted. He took Albus' wand from his lifeless hand and cast a Shield Charm at every possible escape for Aaron and James. They were trapped.
James turned back to look at Scorpius, who shot to his feet, his eyes raging with hate, Albus' wand gripped tightly in his fist, his breaths quick, rapid, and malicious as he advanced on James.
"YOU KILLED HIM!!!" Scorpius shouted. James and Aaron both parted ways, scrambling for a way to run from the madman who was previously Scorpius Malfoy, driven insane by his best friend's murder. "HE WON'T BE THE ONLY ONE!!! HE CAN'T GET TO THE VEIL ON HIS OWN!!!" Scorpius shouted with rage. Commotion was beginning to go on inside the castle.
Then, with one second that seemed to pass in slow motion, Scorpius waved his wand and screamed at the top of his lungs: "Avada Kedavra!"And bold, green sparks flew out of his wand, cut through the rain and dank air like lightning, and hit an unsuspecting James square in the chest. Scorpius watched as James body tumbled over itself in the sir twice before hitting the earth with a sickening THUD. The last expression James ever made was still etched in his face…wide eyes and an open jaw. He was dead.
It took a solid twenty seconds before Scorpius realized what he had done. He'd just killed his wife's beloved cousin. He'd just KILLED his WIFE'S cousin.
Uttering another scream, Scorpius sank to his knees. Brady got out his own wand and waved away the Shield Charm.
"Scorpius! We have to leave! SCORPIUS!" Brady hollered, grabbing Scorpius' elbow, heaving him to his feet, and dragging him towards the greenhouses, where he knew Scorpius' mentor, Professor Longbottom, would be of help.
"CASTORA!!" Scorpius yelled just before Brady dragged him out of sight.
Within ten minutes, nearly the entire Hogwarts staff was outside, having discovered the bodies of James and Albus Severus Potter lying ten feet from each other, lifeless. Aaron and Miles had brought them outside. Minerva McGonagall had Lily Potter, and Rose and Hugo Weasley brought to the courtyard in the rain as well.
Upon seeing James' body, Lily hollered a tragic shriek that could've waken the dead and made dementors cry. She threw herself over his body. Rose and Hugo embraced and shook uncontrollably.
"Who did this?" McGonagall asked, trying hard not to scream herself.
Aaron stepped forward. His voice stumbled every few words over shock for the loss of his friend. "James had ch…challenged Scorpius Malf..Malfoy to a duel. S…Scorpius didn't want to do anything…so Albus Severus did. James…he killed Albus with sec…sectumsempra. S…Scorpius then turned on James…and hit him with a K..Killing Curse. J..Just like that."
Lily shrieked again. Professor Creevey tried to comfort her, but she kicked him away. "HEADMISTRESS!! CALL THE AURORS!! MY BROTHERS!!! BOTH OF THEM ARE DEAD!! SCORPIUS MALFOY KILLED MY BROTHER!!! SCORPIUS MUST DIE!!!"
McGonagall looked at a loss for what to do for once in her life. "He is underaged…"
Professor Creevey interrupted. "But he used the Killing Curse nonetheless."
"But he used it on James, who did no better to his own brother," McGonagall said. Lily wailed and moaned in a style similar to Moaning Myrtle.
"MALFOY MUST DIE IN AZKABAN!" Lily cried.
McGonagall took a breath and turned to the staff. "I…I want to wait until morning to call the Aurors. They're more skilled in this than I am, as I am in no position to arrest or convict anyone. Until then, everyone, be on the lookout for Scorpius Malfoy. No matter what the Aurors do, he will be expelled and banished from the Wizarding World at the very least. As soon as ANYONE finds him, bring him to me by any means necessary!"
Rose let go of her brother and ran inside. She knew of someone up in the clock tower who still hadn't heard the news…
