Love Hurts

Al's POV

I woke up in the Hospital Wing to feel a stinging pain in my knuckle. I looked down to see a new pink scar, reminding me of the events of today. I could hear James' words replaying over and over as much as it hurt and as much as I tried to forget. Then I remembered what I had said to Scorp, about him being a freak and I felt as if I was going to be sick. Did I really say that to Scorp, the boy I loved? The boy only a few hours before that I had been snogging. I felt so bad.

Madam Pomfrey allowed me to go rather reluctantly and I raced down towards the Slytherin Common Room. To get there you had to go through the Great Hall so I was running down when I saw two people in the middle of my path snogging. Why did they have to do it here? I looked to try and see who it was, I saw the unmistakably ginger hair of one Weasley or another then the blonde hair that I knew so well. The bitter coldness of the whole situation ran through me as I looked at my cousin kiss my boyfriend. It felt as if the world had come tumbling down on me and I couldn't breathe. The only two people in the world I could completely trust had just betrayed me and I couldn't take it anymore. But I was fixed to the spot watching them, my heart being shattered into a million pieces. They pulled away and Scorp saw that I had been watching. His face dropped. I couldn't bear what he had to say, what lame excuse he was going to come up with so instead I just ran away from them.

I could hear Scorp yell my name as if he cared, but he didn't. He wouldn't have kissed Rose if he really loved me. I ran up the Astronomy Tower as fast as I could to the top and stood at the edge the wind blowing against my jet black hair. It was a long way down but I was going to do it. I was going to jump. I couldn't stand my life everything just kept getting worse and it felt as if my heart had been ripped out from my chest. I closed my eyes the memories flashing before me like they always seemed to do in movies. The sorting; the first time that I had flown; when I had come home for Christmas and Uncle Ron nearly killed me because no one had told him I was in Slytherin not even Rose; the times Scorp and I had spent together at Hogwarts and in the summer holidays as friends, nothing more; then our first kiss; the kiss that had followed today. It didn't feel like today, it seemed more like a different life. Then I thought of all the bad times, James teasing me; Uncle Ron not speaking to me for two whole years until dad made him; my mum ignoring Scorp whenever he came to stay in summer; what James had told me today; Scorp and Rose kissing.

"NO AL!" Scorp called but I took that as my cue stepping forward of the firm ground and falling into the air. Something hard hit my head and the pain seared through my body, blood rushing to my wound. It didn't hurt for long. Suddenly all my troubles seemed so far away and everything around me blanked out…

Scorp's POV

Why would Al do this? He stood on the edge and just as I screamed out, "NO AL!" he jumped. I ran to the edge and pulling the wand from my pocket cast the spell, "Aresto Momentum!" I saw his falling slow down and sighed in relief, but then I realised blood was gushing from his head and he appeared to be unconscious. "No, no, no please don't be dead!" I muttered my eyes closed. There was the feeling of emptiness in the pit of stomach and I felt so helpless. I had to see if he was all right so I ran down the many stairs as fast as I could, past Rose who followed me asking constant questions and apologising profusely. I just ignored her, sprinting outside to see my best friend resting peacefully on the concrete. It didn't look too serious he was just unconscious but then I remembered the blood.

There was a large puddle around his head and all I could do was gulp, terrified with no clue what to do. "HELP!" I screamed out. I saw Rose standing there, her hand to her mouth silently crying. "HELP!" I screamed out again, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! PLEASE! PLEASE! HELP! HELP!" I couldn't stop the tears flooding down but my mind had just blanked I forgot all the healing spells and could just stand there.

It seemed like hours but in a matter of seconds Professor Longbottom ran out, red in the face. "What is it?" he asked. I stepped out of the way to reveal Al's limp body to him. He just exclaimed, "Merlin's beard."

He got out his wand and lifted up Al's head so I could see the giant red wound. It was so deep and the blood came out faster. "Vulnera Sanentur." He said to the wound and I could see it clearing up but Al's face was still much more pale than usual. "Expecto Patrunom." Professor Longbottom called out and four bear cubs popped out of his wand. He sent them away and they galloped as fast as their short legs could carry them. Professor Longbottom rested Al's head in his arms and kept muttering some words, cheeking his pulse rate regularly. Rose was in floods of tears now and I needed comforting too so I went over to her and hugged her tightly. We cried on to each other's shoulders.

There was a crowd gathered round the incident now, looking at Al's body, I wanted them to go away, to stop pointing in shock, some of them were even crying, as if they cared about him! I heard the rumours spreading at the speed of light. "THAT'S MY BROTHER!" I heard the voice of a little girl scream. Lily ran through the crowds crying her eyes out and falling to the ground beside Al, crying, "Please Al, please Al, don't die. Please, please, please, please."

I felt sickened with myself it was my entire bloody fault. Al might be dead thanks to me! Madam Pomfrey rushed through with a bunch of potions and shoved them down Al's throat giving him various injections. I couldn't see any difference; his face was still pale and body limp. Then down rushed Professor McGonagall, shocked by Al's body. She appeared to be trying to stay calm. "Come on dears, let's get you inside." She said to Lily, Rose and I. I didn't notice what she was saying, I was still in a state of shock, I just followed Rose who had grabbed onto her cousin Lily's hand. McGonagall lead us to her office where she said her password (which I didn't take in) and bought us inside.

There sat Harry Potter comforting his sobbing wife. Lily ran up to him and hugged him tightly before taking a seat next to her mum. Rose went to sit down but I just stood there awkwardly. I couldn't bear it. They wouldn't want me to sit next to them anyway, I killed their son. There was a flash of flames and there appeared Ron and Hermione Weasley. I hadn't properly met them but Al had pointed them out to me on numerous occasions. Apparently Ron had made Al's life a misery when he'd been sorted into Slytherin and ignored him. I felt a surge of hatred run through me towards him. He had contributed to Al throwing himself of the tower, but then so had I. I had kissed his cousin and caused him to try and commit suicide. I was a horrible horrible person. Hermione was in tears and Ron was just pale. They hugged their daughter as I just stood there with no one to help stop the tears coming down my face.

McGonagall sat behind her desk and cleared her throat. "Please take a seat." She said. Hermione sat next to Harry with Rose in-between her and Ron. I sat next to Ron who moved his chair slightly when I did so he was further away if only a few centimetres. "I trust you understand why we are all here. I would like to get to the bottom of why these events occurred. I understand that young Mr Malfoy here was present at the event. Do you have any knowledge on the events leading up to this?"

I looked up and tried to speak but it wouldn't come out. "Yes." I finally managed to choke out, "there were a lot of reasons. For one he came out to his brother."

Ron looked shocked and managed to say, "Albus is gay?"

"Dad it's not a big deal!" Rose managed to say between the tears, "Just let Scorp continue."

Ron huffed then just said spitefully, "very well Malfoy." I decided I didn't like him very much, actually not at all.

"Well then James said all this stuff about him not being normal and not being his brother. He was punching the tree then he ended up in the Hospital Wing. He saw me and Rose kissing and that's when he lost it." I muttered. Outraged by the last sentence Ron got up and clenched his large hand around my throat. I couldn't breathe as he pushed me up against the wall, me pinned down.

He was pointing his wand at me and madly screaming, "I'LL KILL YOU MALFOY! DON'T YOU EVER LAY A HAND ON MY DAUGHTER AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME?"

Harry was quick on his case quickly getting up and dragging Ron away from me who was still cursing and screaming loudly. I could finally breathe again though it seemed harder than before. I guess I deserved it but not for kissing Rose. She was the one who'd moved on to me! Ron finally calmed down and with a swap of places with Harry, the man resembling Al so much asked me, "So why did it bother Al so much when you kissed Rose?"

I heard Ron mutter something before I replied, "Well, erm, I'm kind of Al's boyfriend, sort of."

All the Weasleys gasped at me in shock and I turned bright red. Great I had just come out in front of Al's parents and little sister and the psychopath who'd almost killed me for his daughter kissing me and his wife. McGonagall didn't look so shocked though, instead she just asked me, "And then what did Al do?"

"He… he… ran!" I spluttered, in tears again, "I followed him to the astronomy tower. As soon as I said told him not to he… he jumped! I… I did the Aresto Momentum charm to slow him down but… but he hit his head! I'm… I'm sorry, it was all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

I wanted to curl up in a ball so small that no one could see me. I didn't want to be alive. I should have let Al go further with me, I shouldn't have kissed Rose, I shouldn't have been born! I was sobbing then it do so much more worse when in burst James Potter. "Sorry what did I miss? Hey, what are you doing here you little queer?" he sneered at me. It made me so angry! I couldn't control it; I got up, wand out pointing it at his neck.

"Don't you dare call me that! Don't you dare ever say any of those things to Al anymore either!" I shouted punching him in the face. That wiped the smile of his face.

"Get your hands of me you fag!" he shouted throwing a punch that I managed to dodge. Before either of us could do anything anymore I felt hands around me pulling me away. I started screaming wanting to get my revenge on James so much.

"Mr Malfoy you should do well to keep your temper." Professor McGonagall said.

"I don't care anymore, I'm leaving!" I exclaimed, kicking Harry Potter who had been trying to hold me back and storming down the stairs of McGonagall's office and out the through the gargoyles. I went to the only place I knew that I'd get privacy, the Room of Requirement…