Chapter 21
Decisions
She watched with shock as Draco Malfoy knelt beside Albus, placed his fingers to the boy's throat, pressed his lips together and then motioned for Scorpius to help him lay the boy flat on the grass. He placed his palms one on top of the other on Albus's chest and pressed. He did it again and again till Albus choked and convulsed. Draco then turned him onto his side and began thumping his back while stroking his throat. After a moment of shuddering and gagging, Albus vomited onto the grass and she noted with some shock that it contained blood as well as a reasonably large lump of food.
Albus began heaving and Draco rubbed his back, reaching into his robes and bringing out a small vial. He pressed it to Albus's lips and coaxed the other to drink it, murmuring consoling words to the boy. Once Albus had drunk a substantial amount, he trembled and Draco motioned for Scorpius to move out of the way. As soon as the blond did, Albus began to violently throw up for a good five minutes, till it looked like all the contents of his stomach were spilled onto the grass.
Draco Scoured up the vomit and hefted Albus into his arms, nodding to Scorpius to follow. As they walked briskly back to the castle, Scorpius asked nervously, "Father, why are you in Hogwarts?"
"Headmistress McGonagall had something she wanted to show me," came the crisp reply and Scorpius opened his mouth, making to ask something else, but just then, McGonagall and the matron came running towards them – although the Headmistress's run was more of an extremely fast walk – their robes billowing around them.
"My goodness, is he alive?"
"Yes, he is."
"Oh, thank heavens. Would it be too much to ask for you to carry him to the Hospital Wing, Mr Malfoy?"
"I fully intend on doing just that."
"Very good, then. Miss Palms shall assist you."
McGonagall sent them on their way and then caught Scorpius before he could follow. "You, Mister Malfoy, are coming with me."
She was so involved with everything that was going on, that she shouted soundlessly when the scene dissolved around her in splotches of dull colours and she staggered back, the overwhelming emotions ripping her sanity slowly to shreds. She watched as the scene fluctuated and settled again, and this time it was in a familiar setting.
Albus – now much older – was pacing up and down his lab as he muttered to himself. His hair was even more unruly than she remembered and from how long and shaggy it was, she made a guess that this memory was at least three or four years old.
"No matter how long you persist with your muttering and pacing, the results will not arrive any faster."
She should have gotten used to it by now, but nonetheless, she started violently when she heard the cool voice beside her. She turned to stare wide eyed at Astoria Malfoy leaning against the wall with a blank expression on her face, her chin tilted up and her lips pursed in disapproval. Suddenly realising something, she looked away from the older woman and scanned the room.
'Where is Scorpius? Am I no longer in his memories?'
She stared back at Astoria and surmised that somehow she must be in the Malfoy woman's memory. It may have accidentally happened because of how deep into her mind Astoria had ventured while performing the Legilimency on her.
"I think I should increase the dosage. Maybe if it was a little stronger—"
"Enough, Albus."
Albus looked startled at the sharpness in the woman's voice and she walked up to him slowly, her elegant movements and her regal demeanor never wavering – although her eyes seemed to glisten suspiciously.
"Why? Are you giving up! After all this time! We're almost there. Just a bit more—"
"If we keep going in this manner, your body will shut down before we see even the slightest results in him," Astoria said gently, holding Albus by the shoulders to stop his nervous fidgeting.
"But, it's been three years! I think he's improved! Just a little more and—"
"My darling child, you have done enough," Astoria whispered, placing her hands on either side of the other's face. "You have struggled day and night tirelessly for the past three years and we can now say for sure that he will never awaken. It is time to let go, my love. He would want that."
"No! No, we can't give up hope yet! We can't!" Albus shouted, staggering back. His expression looked delirious, like he was barely holding on to sanity by a thread. "Look!" he said, pushing up the sleeve of his lab coat and pointing at the raw skin that was an ugly shade of purple. "See, now I can properly study his illness and we can—"
"You foolish boy, what have you done!" Astoria shrieked, rushing to him and grabbing his arm. She looked up at him with pleading eyes that swam with raw emotions. "What did you do?"
"I implanted his cells into me. I wanted to test the extent of cellular damage. We already drew to the conclusion that his illness is not purely psychological in nature, but rather it was one that caused psychoses through the degradation of the nerve cells. We know this illness has been eating away at his brain, which is the reason for his extreme mood swings, and loss of memory! If I can somehow reverse it using the potions I brewed and my own healthy cells—"
A sharp slap rang through the large room as Albus's head snapped to the side, a pinkish welt blossoming on his cheek. Astoria's face was flushed and she looked like she was only just keeping her tears at bay. She clutched her wrist as though she had been the one hurt by the slap. Albus slowly turned back to look at her, an insane gleam in his eyes. His face split into a maniacal laugh, his shoulders twitching and shivering.
"You fool," Astoria whispered, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she reached over and stilled Albus, giving him a grave look. "When did you implant his cells into you? Was it earlier today?"
"Today? Are you mad? I did it when we first started doubting that it may be an illness of the body and not of the mind!"
Astoria's eyes went round with fear. "No!" she gasped in horror, shaking Albus. "Tell me you didn't!"
"But I did! It's been two whole years now and look how far I've come! You would've never known if I hadn't told you! The drugs are working, I tell you! He's going to get better!"
Albus staggered out of Astoria's grip and stumbled toward the door. "Contact Scorpius, I say! Tell him his father is alive and well! Tell him he's saved! Tell him—"
"Stupefy."
She watched as her cousin crumpled to the floor, the mental expression on his face frozen in place. Astoria trudged up to him while clutching her arm and fell to his side, reaching out with a whimper and stroking his cheek.
"You foolish, foolish boy," she sobbed as she pulled him onto her lap, cradling him and weeping quietly. "I shall not let you throw your life away for a man who is as good as dead, even if he was once my husband."
She opened her mouth as though to say something, but suddenly snapped her head towards the back of the room, where a shimmering golden rectangle the size of a door appeared on the wall with a faint hiss. That portion of the wall disappeared and a very short wizard bustled in, his pudgy hands clutching a clipboard to his chest so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Astoria straightened and raised her eyebrows in a questioning look. The stubby man dropped his own head and shook it once. Astoria exhaled shakily and nodded, fresh tears falling from her eyes.
"So all has failed, it would seem."
"What would you like me to do, Lady Astoria? Shall I increase the dosage?"
Astoria closed her eyes briefly and swallowed, shaking her head. "No," she replied, opening her eyes and nodding at the pudgy wizard. "I already made a decision and I shall abide to it."
"Are you sure, madam? Maybe the permission from the Healer in charge—"
"Mister Binks," Astoria cut in smoothly and the short man went very still and very red. "Although I respect Healer Albus's abilities, my own decision is final. I already have the necessary parchments in order. It's time to end all our suffering and let him go."
The chubby wizard nodded vigorously and then turning around, stuck his head in through the enchanted door and probably spoke to someone on the other side of it. He stood there for a long time, and it was unnerving to see just his body, neck onwards and not his head. He finally pulled back with the demeanor of someone who had suffered a great loss and bowed his head.
"It is done."
"Thank you, Mister Binks," Astoria said softly and the man bowed again and walked backwards through the enchanted door. It disappeared as soon as he was on the other side of it and Astoria let out a sob as her entire body began to tremble. She doubled over and cried into her hands, the hopeless sounds barely muffled by them.
It seemed like ages passed as she watched Astoria weep at the loss of her husband and the fact that she had been the one to make the decision to let him go. Soon enough, Albus began to stir.
He groaned and moved his head, blinking in confusion. He looked down at the weeping woman bent over him and his confusion turned to fear as he tried to pull away from her grasp. "What's wrong? I only passed out, is all. I'm fine, look," Albus said softly, probably thinking that the older woman wept because of him.
But Astoria simply shook her head and turned away from him, refusing to look at him or let him pull her into his arms. He regarded her for a long moment and then his eyes widened as realisation seemed to dawn. He snapped his head towards the back wall and probably sensed that the enchanted door had been recently opened, because he snapped his disbelieving eyes to Astoria and slowly shook his head.
"Tell me you didn't," he whispered and Astoria broke down with even more force than before. "Tell me you didn't, Astoria. Astoria!"
He shook her fiercely but the older woman could only weep. His own face had become ashen as a growl escaped his bared lips. "No!" he screamed. "I will not let you do this! I haven't approved of this! If I go now, I can still make it!"
He stumbled to his feet and began making his way to the door, but Astoria's reaction was instantaneous. She pointed her wand to him, but maybe he sensed it the second time around, because he dodged the Stunning spell and fixed large, betrayed eyes on her. "I will never forgive you!" he screamed, "If you do this, I will never forgive you!"
"If I don't do this, then I will never forgive myself," she replied quietly, steadying her wand and twisting her wrist in a slow circle. "Forgive me, my love.
"Temporarius Oblivium."
The last thing she saw before the scene dissolved, was Albus lunging towards Astoria with a ferocious roar, and his eyes, that shone with betrayal, losing their light as the temporary memory charm took effect. He fell limply to the floor and disappeared in a swirl of colour.
She let out a soundless cry of desperation. She had had enough. She didn't want to know anymore. She didn't need to know anymore. She understood why Albus was ill. She understood why he was dying. She understood the reason behind everything. She understood the truth. And she didn't need any more pain. She couldn't handle anymore pain.
Her spectral body began to merge with the dull colours as they fluctuated around her. She felt herself become one with all the swirling and burning emotions that engulfed her. Her mind became overcome by the memory and even as she felt herself losing herself in the myriad of emotions, Astoria's warning rang clearly through her mind.
"Do not forget your identity and do not lose yourself within the memory. This is my one and only warning to you."
And she pulled herself together. She separated her own vibrantly colourful mind from the dull memories surrounding her as she floated through them. She pieced herself back together as one would an intricate puzzle – slowly and diligently. She felt the familiar tug of another presence in her mind and she was pulled out of the memory. It was the exact opposite of when she was falling – now she was being pulled back up as the memories shot past her, the same bubbling laughter of a child filling her ears. But this time, she knew whom it belonged to.
"—ose! Rose!"
She blinked slowly and squinted at the brightness. Immediately a shadow loomed over her, making it easier for her to see. She sighed as she reached up and caressed Scorpius's face, smiling as he instantly leaned into the touch.
"You frightened me to death," he whispered shakily, pulling her hand to kiss her palm. She hummed in content and motioned for him to help her up. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the brightness and got shakily to her feet.
"How long have I been unconscious?" she asked as she swivelled around and looked towards the far wall of the gardens of Herington estate.
"Barely a minute or two, but it was enough to scare me—"
She nodded and tuned the rest of his sentence out, her eyes having found what she was looking for. Taking off in a run, she went straight through the flowerbeds, pushing in between the short, manicured trees and jumping over the hedges. Finding running in high heels far more inconvenient when she was in an actual body, she tugged them off and ran barefoot to the far wall. She heard Scorpius and Renée call after her and knew she was causing a scene, but she couldn't have cared less, just then.
Falling onto her knees beside the crumpled form lying on the grass, she pulled the hood of the cloak back to reveal Astoria Malfoy's beautiful face – which was now twisted in pain and covered in perspiration as she breathed heavily. The toll on her magical power had surely been great, but Rose was grateful to the woman for bringing her back out of the memories alive.
"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled the woman to her feet, the latter barely conscious. She turned to see Scorpius, Lucas, Renée and a few others come to a stop several feet away from them, Scorpius's eyes going wide with astonishment as he gaped at his mother.
"Sorry," Rose said to both Scorpius and Renée and caught the dismissing nod from the brunette as her eyes demanded an explanation to be given later. She smiled gratefully and just as Scorpius took a step forwards, she spun on the spot and Apparated.