Scorpius quickly walked past the main hall. The only plan he had been able to come up with was avoid all meals and stay in the library as much as he could. Maybe he could just pretend the only thing he was stressing out about were the upcoming OWLS. He quickly went down the stairs to the dungeons that let into the Slytherin dorms.
He hadn't been able to sleep since that night and that had happened a week ago. He sighed, going on two hours of sleep was harder then he had thought. Finally he was standing over his bed ready to fall into it and sleep when he noticed something on his pillow. "What's that?" he asked to himself lifting it up.
I am NOT happy! Try something like that again and I will deliver this to your father personally!
Scorpius bit his lip as he slowly turned it over and saw that it was another photograph of Albus and him. This time it was even worse! The one time that Scorpius had ridden Albus was now in front of him.
'How the hell did he get into here?' Scorpius thought to himself folding the bloody picture and shoving it into his pocket. What was he supposed to do now? If he wasn't even safe in his own dorm then nowhere was safe.
xxxx
Albus looked over the books that Lysander had shoved onto him. Saying something about not wanting to be blamed for him failing all his classes. He sighed as he threw another book closed. Studying had to be the most boring thing he had ever done and on top of that he had other issues to deal with!
Albus picked up the book and walked to put it back on the shelves. No need making a new enemy out of the librarian. "Albus! We need to talk!" Scorpius hissed pulling him behind the shelf so that no one would be able to see him.
"What happened?" Albus asked knowing that his bastard of a brother had done something again.
"I found this on my pillow!" Scorpius hissed shoving a photo under Albus' nose. Albus looked down at it and bit his lip. Scorpius had said that the photographs were bad but he had never thought they were this bad. "What am I going to do?" Albus looked at Scorpius. There was only one thing he could think of and Scorpius would not like it. "Albus please!"
"There is only one way to make him stop an-and you won't like it."
"I'm not in the mood for games! What the hell are you thinking?" Scorpius growled grabbing the front of Albus' robes.
"Tell your father..." Scorpius immediately released Albus' robes and backed away. "I know that has to seem like the worse possible idea in the world but it would be better then him finding out like this!" Albus said holding up the picture again making Scorpius wince.
"I-I can't," Scorpius mumbled backing away. "Yo-you don't understand what that would do! He would hate me! He would disown me! He would..."
"Is it going to be any easier then doing this with James?" Albus asked darkly before crumpling the paper. Scorpius cringed, just the thought made him want to throw up. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius, "Please, I wouldn't be able to stand knowing that you got hurt like that."
"I can't tell him through a letter," Scorpius whispered.
"Listen, you keep avoiding him the best you can and I will see if I can get those photographs away from him. Then, if you can, tell your dad." Scorpius slowly nodded against Albus' chest. "Don't worry, we will fix this," Albus promised kissing him on the forehead, "I promise!"
"I don't know what I would do without you," Scorpius whispered.
"Probably have an easier life," Albus laughed pulling Scorpius into a tight embrace before releasing him. "But a lot less interesting one." Scorpius smiled for the first time in a week before turning around and leaving.
xxxx
Albus opened the trunk and slowly started searching through it. Where the hell would he keep something like that? He pulled out his wand, he had to do this quickly before anyone came back. "Accio photographs!" He sat still for a moment waiting for something to happen, but it didn't. "Dammit!" Albus cussed. Did he have to be more specific? "Accio photographs of Scorpius!" Still nothing!
"Guess I will just have to do it the old fashioned way," he snarled going back into his brother's trunk to look for the photographs. They would have to be hidden well in here, if they were even here!"
"What are you doing?" asked a voice behind him.
Albus shot up and turned to see James standing in the doorway looking at him. What the hell was he supposed to say? "I borrowed the invisibility cloak without asking," he laughed, "I was trying to put it back without you noticing."
"You are almost an adult and you still look like a child with your hand in the cookie jar. I told you, you can borrow the cloak anytime, you don't have to sneak it in and out of my trunk. With the mess your making please just put it on my bed next time," he laughed walking over to the pile of his clothes and parchment that Albus had thrown out.
"I was planning on putting that back, you just came back earlier then I thought," Albus grumbled.
"I'm sure," James laughed sitting down to sort through the mess his little brother had just made. "Hey, shouldn't you be studying or something instead of sneaking in and out of my things?"
"I don't think they will be that hard," Albus shrugged.
"Yeah you might be saying that now. Just wait until you get a troll and mom sees it. Come on, get going. She'll be yelling at you all summer and I don't want to have to deal with the headaches! Go study!"
"Fine," Albus sighed walking out of the room. As soon as the door was closed he felt like screaming. Nothing! Where the hell was he hiding them? Albus kept walking, his mind running in circles. James had acted like the brother he had always known but at the same time he could see the burns that Scorpius had said had been caused during the attack. He had even found the burnt uniform.
Why did it have to be his brother? If it had been anyone else he would have had no problem taking them down but James had been his best friend for years. Why would he do this to Albus? Albus wanted to pound the wall but that wouldn't do anything. It would just make him more confused the he already was.
xxxx
Scorpius ran down the hallway. He had to get to the library before it was closed. His first OWLS test was taking place tomorrow and he needed to study certain potions before then. Suddenly he felt someone grab the collar of his shirt and pulled him behind a statue. "What the..." Scorpius stopped when he realized it was James looking down at him.
"You've been doing a pretty good job of avoiding me," James growled.
Scorpius had to suppress the smile when he saw the burn on James' arms. He had told everybody that it was a potion gone wrong but Scorpius knew he had been the one to do that. Scorpius was brought back to reality when James' slammed him against the wall again. "I-I haven't been a-avoiding you! OWLS are starting tomorrow! I have just been studying," he lied trying not to look James in the eye.
"Oh, so you not eating in the in the main hall and only go to the library when I have classes have nothing to do with this?" he snarled pointing at his burns. Scorpius winced, expecting James to hit him.
"I-I didn't rea-realize that that was-was what you wanted," he stammered. "I-I was surprised and I-I'm sorry!"
"Are you going to make it up to me?" James asked sweetly, their foreheads practically touching.
"I-I can't! With OWLS and the year ending..."
"You do make a good point," James said as if he was thinking. Scorpius was silently praying that he would leave him alone. Just until he could tell his father so he wouldn't find out by getting those horrible photographs. "How about this, the Holyhead Harpies will be playing a week after school gets out. I'm sure you will be there. I will find you and then you can make it up to me for all this pain I have had to suffer."
"Ho-how am I supposed to ma-make it up to you?" Scorpius asked looking at the burns.
"I will have two weeks to think about it, I'm sure I will think of something," he laughed before walking out from behind the statue. Scorpius slid to the floor. There was nothing he could now except tell his father! James really wasn't going to leave him alone! Scorpius just sat there numb not knowing what to do, James had really taken away every single one of his options.
