Author's note: Much love and thanks to Alexis who betaed this for me.

I said I'd gift eiajhn a Boggart and I have. Enjoy lovely. x

Chapter 6: Rescue me

Albus woke up late the next morning after a fitful sleep where his mind was plagued by the mysterious Catherine, the nineteenth century woman he had gotten a brief glimpse of. When he arrived at breakfast Scorpius greeted him with a warm smile that made Albus both excited and scared at the promises it held for him.

"Good morning, Sleepy-head," Scorpius teased him. "I got some breakfast for you." Scorpius glanced down at the steaming bowl of porridge next to him and nodded for Albus to sit.

"Thanks," Albus replied nervously at the gesture; Scorpius was definitely interested in him and he didn't know how to respond. Albus was sure he wanted to encourage Scorpius, but Scorpius seemed to be getting plenty of encouragement on his own, any more and Albus would likely run for the hills, so he left it be.

"Sugar?" Scorpius offered and Albus started to politely refuse when a bowl of raisins slid effortlessly across the table coming to a stop to Albus' right.

Albus glanced up and Oscar threw him a cheeky grin and a wink as if to say 'you're welcome' before getting up to wash his empty plate. He laughed and nodded his thanks to the attentive sixth year. "Um, I don't eat sugar with my porridge," Albus explained as he mixed through a handful of raisins to sweeten the otherwise bland oats. "I saw I read an article on what eating too much of certain foods actually do to your body and it scared the shit out of me," he laughed.

"I'll remember that," Scorpius told him seriously. He was disappointed that he was, once again, one upped by Albus' boyfriend, but he was determined not to let the beautiful Potter go without a proper fight.

"Good morning, Lads," Professor Faulkner greeted them much more brightly than the early hour permitted. "Would you two mind hanging back for a minute or so after breakfast? I just want to have a quick chat."

Scorpius and Albus both automatically nodded their agreement, but exchanged confused glances once Faulkner had disappeared into the makeshift kitchen. Once almost everybody else had disappeared -Rose more reluctant to leave than others since she had hardly seen her cousin the last few days and was dying to question him about Scorpius Malfoy- Faulkner came to sit at the dining table across from the two boys.

"I understand you've finished cleaning out that old study," he began. Professor Faulkner wanted to officially wrap up the punishment Professor McGonagall, who was now returned to Hogwarts, had charged them with before letting them begin their exploration of the house. "Professor Kettleburn looked it over this morning and said you did a wonderful job, completely Doxy-free."

"Yes, Sir," Scorpius nodded. "It's all finished."

"I'm glad to hear it," he beamed. "And I'm pleased to see the two of you getting along so well. The rivalry between your fathers is famous at Hogwarts and I was determined to break your families' feud with the two of you if I could."

Albus looked shyly over at Scorpius who was seated closely next to him, Scorpius smiled back and let his hand grip Albus' thigh for a few brief seconds. "Yes, Sir, we're getting along great," Scorpius assured their Defence professor.

"Good," he smiled. "Now, I have a room saved for the two of you to explore today. I know what you've been doing over the last few days hasn't been much fun so I saved this for you specially – just don't tell the others." He gave them both a wink, reminding them just how young he was compared to their other professors who had difficulty connecting with their youthful students. "It's a very interesting room," he mused as he started to get up from his chair.

"Actually, Sir, there were some documents I found in the study that I was keen to look though," Albus piped up. It was obvious he wanted to spend the day in that study trying to learn more about the troublesome spirits they'd stumbled across.

"Oh, really?" Faulkner asked sounding surprised that the two of them would want to spend another second in that old study.

"Well, Albus wants to," Scorpius added casually, trying to keep his friend's curiosity somewhat contained by allowing them to explore another part of the manor.

"The two of you are partners, you have to stay together," Faulkner informed them thoughtfully. "I tell you what, I think you've spent enough time in that Doxy-infected room over the last few days, why don't you explore another area of the house, just for a change, and you can go back and investigate those documents another day. How does that sound?"

Albus looked a little disappointed, but didn't object. Scorpius smiled at his victory.

"After all they're already two hundred years old or more, surely another day or two won't hurt?" Faulkner reasoned.

"Yes, Professor," Scorpius agreed nodding enthusiastically.

Professor Faulkner led the two boys – Albus a tad reluctant – to the East Wing; the room they were to explore was on the ground floor with a large opening out on to the rear courtyard. As they entered they found themselves in a dusty bedroom; most of the furniture was covered in large cotton sheets, but some of them had been moved recently, by the professors Scorpius supposed as he took in his surroundings.

"Looks like a fairly standard bedroom, although there's not much personal stuff in here," Albus observed, and he was right. There was a dresser but nothing on it, there were no photographs, no writing desk and no storage trunks.

"Yeah, standard except for that," Scoprius stated pointing over at a long metal stand that stood taller than himself.

Faulkner smiled. "That's what makes this room so interesting," he said. "This is a guest room bedroom, I think, wouldn't you agree, Mr Malfoy?"

"Yes, this is a downstairs bedroom so it's more than likely, I mean all our guest bedrooms are downstairs except for one's reserved for particular guests," he answered thoughtfully.

"Whoever used this bedroom was ill and they were treated in here," Faulkner informed them, nodding to the metal stand which the boys presumed was some kind of medical device. "But I can't figure out why they would have nursed a guest through such a serious illness, does that seem irregular to you, Mr Malfoy?"

"Highly, I mean a cold is one thing, but a serious illness… surely they would have sent them home or to a treatment centre," Scorpius frowned, thinking through the pureblood etiquette he had been taught.

"That's what I thought. Perhaps you can figure it out," Faulker smiled. "See if you can make some inferences using the things you find in here about who might have used this room and why, perhaps even what they were ill with if you're really good. You'll only have this room to yourselves for today though, tomorrow Professor McGonagall has organized for someone to come in and give everyone a lesson on nineteenth century medical care and provide a little bit on insight on what happened in here."

"Cool," Albus smiled, obviously impressed. He wandered further into the room and took a peek under one of the dirty sheets.

"Make sure you behave yourselves, won't you?" Faulkner winked, grinning at them as he left. "Oh and there's a Boggart in that end cupboard over there," he added as an after thought. "I was going to remove it but I thought you two would have fun playing around with it before getting rid of it yourselves."

Once Albus and Scorpius were left alone and unsupervised the pair instantly relaxed and let their curiosity take over as they explored the remains of the room. It was a large room but very dimly lit, the candles provided only a flickering orange light when they were used to the luxury of working with natural light in the old study. Albus moved over to the curtains and poked them just to make sure they were inhabited before he started to pull them open.

"Not like that!" Scorpius laughed as he looked up to see his partner struggling with the heavy curtains. He stalked over to the window and searched for a minute until he found a long wooden pole with a large hook on the end. Scorpius smirked when he found it and displayed it to Albus. "Like this," he said and he reached up to hook the curtains up high and pull them over.

"Well sor-ree," Albus pouted. "My ceilings are a normal height; I've never needed equipment to open my curtains."

Scorpius handed him the pole. "Better let you practice then." Albus just scowled at him.

Thirty minutes later and Albus had successfully opened the curtains and the large doors leading out to the rear courtyard. The boys worked together to remove all the dust-protective sheets where they piled them haphazardly outside.

There was a large range of medical equipment stored in a white cabinet at the back of the room, most of it the boys did not recognize. There were at least thirty small clear bottles, their contents long gone, with glass stoppers balancing on the tops and scattered all around. There were an assortment of discoloured rags and bandages, along with a range of glass, wooden and metal instruments most likely for cutting, poking, clamping, prodding, and all sorts of other cringe-worthy purposes.

"Some of this stuff looks scary," Albus commented as he watched Scorpius pick up a wooden clothes peg looking thing.

"Huh, what do you reckon this is for?" he asked playfully before snapping the peg on to Albus' nose and releasing a pleasant chuckle.

Albus snatched the object off his nose and flung it across the room. "Yuck, Scorpius! I think the more important question is where has that been?" Scorpius just laughed harder, clutching his sides as he leaned back on to the wall; Albus' face only got redder the longer and harder Scorpius laughed.

They explored the room for the next few hours, enjoying themselves enormously as they let their imaginations grow wilder and wilder as they invented stories about what different objects were used for and what the person living here was possibly ill with. Unfortunately the equipment was too unfamiliar and the possibilities for illness too broad for either of them to make any evidence-based guesses as to what might have happened.

"I suppose we should tackle this Boggart before we break for lunch," Albus suggested.

"Okay, um, I'm just going to nick off to the loo for a minute," Scorpius said sounding rather skittish.

"Don't bother," Albus laughed, picking up and throwing a metal bed pan on to the bed next to where Scorpius was standing.

"Now that's disgusting," Scorpius commented. "You go ahead with the Boggart, I'll be back."

"It's okay, you go, I'll wait for you," Albus replied feeling carefree. He'd had the best morning with Scorpius, the Slytherin was so much fun, and although he teased him a fair bit Albus still felt a rush of warmth even through his annoyance.

"No, don't wait. You just go ahead, I don't mind," Scorpius insisted.

"Are you crazy? Boggarts are hilarious, you can change them into fun stuff and they're not even scary anymore," Albus chuckled, obviously remembering his last encounter with a Boggart fondly.

"They're embarrassing," Scorpius retorted and for the first time Albus noticed how uncomfortable he was.

"Only if you're afraid of fluffy bunny rabbits," Albus scoffed, pouting a little. "You aren't, are you?" he asked as an after thought.

"No," Scorpius answered quickly. "But I wouldn't scoff at bunny rabbits, I heard about a killer rabbit that ate a bunch of Knights who thought it was 'just a rabbit'."

"Really?" Albus asked, clearly finding it hard to believe.

"Really. Anyway, all I'm saying is don't underestimate them," he replied.

"So that Boggart is going to turn into a rabbit?" Albus pressed.

"No," Scorpius insisted. "It's just – don't you think it's a bit personal, other people seeing what scares you?"

"Oh," Albus breathed. He was disappointed and a little bit hurt that Scorpius didn't trust him enough to let him see him face a Boggart. "Yeah, I guess. It's okay, you can go, and I'll do this by myself."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded and slowly made his way out of the room feeling guiltier with every step.

He had only been gone for five minutes before the guilt became too much and he knew he couldn't sit there and let Albus deal with it alone. He reasoned that he should at least stay and watch just to make sure it all went smoothly; if you let yourself get overwhelmed by a Boggart it can be rather damaging psychologically. Once he was within a few metres of where he'd left Albus he heard a scream and pleading that sent a flood of dread through his heart and he was off at a sprint to save the hopeless Gryffindor once more.

When he entered the room the sight of Albus curled on his side on the floor with his head tucked between his knees and a swarm of locusts jumping all over him made Scorpius feel ill. The young Potter had apparently given up trying to swat them away and had just taken to hiding and whimpering until the Boggart had enough. Scorpius drew his wand and shouted 'Ridikulus!' turning the terrifying grasshoppers into a collection of brightly coloured rubber bouncy balls that he sent bouncing straight back into the cupboard the Boggart had taken up residence in.

Albus trembled on the floor at his feet still unaware that he was no longer covered in grasshoppers and Scorpius' heart lurched with emotion. He should never have left Albus alone; it was his fault this had happened. He knelt down and touched Albus' shoulder and he shrank away from him whimpering a plea to be left alone.

"Albus, it's okay they're gone," Scopius assured him touching him again and the Gryffindor tentatively looked around him.

"Scorpius," he gasped and he buried himself in the blonde's protective embrace. "It turned and I tried to banish them, but then they were all over me and I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay; it's my fault I never should have left you by yourself," Scorpius confessed. "I'm so sorry, I'm a rotten partner!" he scolded himself.

"No, you aren't a rotten partner! I was the one who decided to do it alone," Albus reminded him. "Normally I'd be fine, but after you left I just couldn't concentrate. I kept thinking I'd hurt you or something."

"You didn't hurt me, Albus," Scorpius assured the boy still shivering in his arms. Albus was still carefully brushing away invisible locusts and Scorpius could only pull him in tighter. "I was being childish when I said I didn't want to help, I was just embarrassed about what the Boggart would turn into for me."

"I never would have laughed at you, no matter what it turned into," Albus told him sincerely and Scorpius knew it was true. He felt like he could tell Albus anything and he would never laugh and never tell anyone else, even if they only ever remained friends.

"I know, I'm sorry," Scorpius whispered letting his face nuzzle into Albus' hair. He wanted to kiss him so much it hurt, but he knew he couldn't; Albus needed to be the one to instigate an action like that and Scorpius knew he never would, he was too faithful to betray his boyfriend that way. "Do you want to know what it would have turned into?" Scorpius asked softly thinking that he at least owed Albus that.

"You don't have to," Albus replied.

"No, I want to," he said and he meant it. "When I face a Boggart it turns into my Grandfather."

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yeah," Scorpius confirmed, blushing slightly. "See I told you it was embarrassing."

"That's not embarrassing, I've met your Grandfather and I think it's kind of fair enough," Albus smiled shyly. "He scared me too."

"You met him?" Scorpius asked confused; his Grandfather was under house arrest from the war. Had Albus been to his house?

"Yeah, he was at the Ministry appealing his sentence and my father had to testify again. I was only nine and there was no one to watch me and Lily because Mum was working and Nanna and Pop Weasley were visiting Uncle Charlie and his partner," Albus explained. "So Lily and I went with him and we bumped into your Granddad in the Lobby on the way out. He didn't say much but it was enough to scare me. I remember having a nightmare that same night about being chased through an old dark warehouse, I never saw who was chasing me but I just knew it was him. Pretty silly, huh?"

Scorpius laughed. "Not at all. I used to have nightmares about him all the time. I'm still frightened of him, that's why it's so embarrassing. I'm a sixteen year old boy who's terrified of his own Grandfather."

"Yes, well, you're Grandfather is terrifying," Albus smiled and Scorpius felt better already, especially with Albus still snuggling close to him.

"Professor Faulkner!" Albus called out as the Professor was heading out just after lunch. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead," he smiled. This man was always smiling and Albus found it both endearing and frustrating.

"I've been thinking," Albus began.

"Always a dangerous pastime," Faulkner quipped.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, please continue."

"Well I was wondering if I might be able to contact the owners of the house," Albus requested. "You see after going through some of their belongings I've become very curious about the family that last lived here and I was hoping to get some extra information about how many people lived here, who they were, things like that."

"You know you're the first student to ask me that," Faulkner mused. "I'll have to ask Professor McGonagall of course, but I see no reason why you can't write up a letter and if she agrees I can forward it on for you."

"Okay, Sir," Albus grinned. "Thank you, I'll do that and have it to you before dinner."

"Oh, did you get that Boggart for me?" Faulkner questioned just as he turned to leave.

"Not yet, Sir," Albus replied with a slight blush to his cheeks. "But we will, Scorpius and I will get rid of it this afternoon, together."

"Well, alright then," Faulkner nodded, confused and intrigued by Albus' emphasis on his cooperation with the young Malfoy heir in removing the creature. "Glad to hear it."

Albus glowed after the events of that day. Not only had he spent the whole day with Scorpius, but they had teased each other, laughed together, confessed secrets and cuddled. After their long embrace before lunch Albus had noticed Scorpius touching him more than usual and sitting or standing closer to him than he had before; it gave Albus hot flushes. Dinner was no exception. Many of the other students were relieved to finally have other company and sat far from their assigned buddies – no one more than Rose did with crazy Stacey – but not Scorpius, he saved a sit for Albus right beside him and he pressed his thigh up against Albus' through the whole meal.

Afterwards, Scorpius went to take a bath in their improvised bathroom and Albus joined Rose in the common room prepared for the questioning of a lifetime; apparently she had noticed everything at dinner.

"And so you have been stolen from me," Oscar exclaimed dramatically, pulling Albus down on to his lap and slipping his arms around his slender waist. "But he's a worthy opponent I must admit, a skilled thief to have stolen your heart from my clutches."

"You never had my heart, Ozzie, you know that," Albus scolded him while blushing furiously.

"Yes, well apparently my hands aren't as nimble as Malfoy's," he replied, shaking his head sadly.

"I wouldn't know how nimble Scorpius' hands are," Albus quipped, "yet."

"Ohh!" Rose squealed at this statement. "My little Allie is all grown up! Tell me everything!"

"Yes, do tell," Oscar begged, holding on to Albus tightly despite the boy's struggles to break free of his grasp. "Have you kissed him yet?"

Albus didn't reply, he only blushed harder and Rose squealed again. He felt Oscar's hands clench on his robes when he realized why Albus didn't respond.

"Is he better than me?" Oscar asked somewhat tightly. For all his casual suggestions and encouragement for Albus to make a move on Scorpius, the sixth year was certain getting rather jealous.

"That's none of your business," Albus answered, finally managing to remove himself from Oscar's embrace.

"Is it mine?" Rose asked looping her arm through Albus' and poking her tongue out at Oscar as the pair of them hurried off.

"Of course," Albus replied. "Who else would I tell?"

They are just so frickin cute together, aren't they? *sigh*