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Chapter 6

Breaking Walls

That night Scorpius could barely sleep at all. He would open his eyes every five minutes, worried about Albus. He feared something would go wrong. That Albus wouldn't wake up, or that Scorpius would awake to the sound of Albus' yelps of pain. He replayed the Potion brewing in his head over and over again, trying to remember if he did everything correctly.

Finally, after a long sleepless night, the sun appeared on the horizon, dyeing the Slytherin room in green and blue.

Everyone in the room started moving, getting ready for classes, but there was no sign of Albus waking up. Scorpius waited patiently for him to appear from behind the curtains.

10 minutes,

15...

30...

Albus wasn't coming out. At 40 minutes Scorpius couldn't wait any longer and slid his curtains open, finding Albus sleeping with his back towards him.

"Potter! Are you alright? Wake up!" he whispered, starting to get a bit desperate. Images of Rose yelling uncontrollably at him while they moved Albus to St. Mungo's Hospital flicked wildly through his head.

"Potter, Wake up!" he said a little louder, extending his hand to reach for Albus' shoulder.

At the slightest touch Albus flinched and his head bolted towards Scorpius, still a bit sleepy, but surprised.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" he drawled, his voice hoarse. He ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Merlin, Potter, you could've at least let me know you're still alive!" he said, an overwhelming feeling of relief washing through his body. "It's almost time for class, you overslept."

"I don't have classes, Malfoy. I'm sick, my body hurts all over, and I couldn't lit my wand if my life depended on it." Albus said irritated, stifling a yawn.

Scorpius raised his shoulders and drew the curtain again. He was just too relieved to see that Albus had made it through the night safely and had awoken like his usual self.

"Oh, Potter, before I go, the Potions need Mandrake, and I won't risk sneaking into Professor Longbottom's cabinet again, so if you want me to brew them for you, I suggest you find a way to get them by the time I come back." Scorpius said, and with that he turned around and left the dormitories.

"Alright, have a nice day." Albus replied sleepily, turning around to go back to sleep. Scorpius wouldn't have time to have breakfast, but he didn't really care, because Albus' sudden encouraging words plastered a smile all over his face and erased every thought of hunger. Honestly, talking to Albus was a much better way of spending his time than eating.

The next couple of days went on in much of a routine. Scorpius would go to his classes while Albus wandered around the castle asking Madame Pomfrey for pain killers and collecting the necessary ingredients for the Potions, and at night they'd both sit on Albus' new bed and talk just about anything while Scorpius finished the Potions. It was Scorpius' favourite moment of the day.

The fourth day of the treatment sundown found the two boys sitting with the curtains drawn; Scorpius trying to get the right viscosity for the cream while Albus read an article about him that had come in the latest edition of Witch Weekly.

"Check this out, Malfoy." Albus said, and cleared his throat before reading out loud.

"Attention young witches! Albus Potter, the emerald-eyed teen heartthrob, has a new girl in his radar, Rita Skeeter reports. Sources tell us that the Slytherin boy suffered a severe injury during last week's Quidditch match while trying to impress a new girl with some outstanding flying acrobatics. Needless to say, the Potter hunk left more than a few girls starstruck, but his current girlfriend, Ravenclaw Emily Stark, is said to be livid!"

Albus finished reading with an expression of utter disgust, creasing the piece of paper like he always did after reading the articles.

"To be perfectly honest, Potter, you did look very keen to show off" said Scorpius absently, smashing some roots into a bowl, making the substance turn a bit more yellow.

"I was trying to score! It had nothing to do with girls, I just got a bit carried away, that's all."

"And what about the Stark girl, is she really...livid?" Scorpius asked, rising his head just a bit to have a quick glance at Albus. The dark haired boy was about to say something about that being none of Scorpius' business, but his words got lost when he caught sight of Scorpius' eyes. They were shining in a most peculiar way, and Albus realised he had never really seen them. They were filled with something he couldn't quite identify. It was as though they were filled with an ethereal peace.

It made Albus feel, for the very first time in his life, that he could actually trust someone. There was a clarity in those eyes he had never seen before. He could tell Scorpius wasn't interested in the gossip. He was actually, genuinely interested in Albus.

"I...I don't know..." he said slowly, as he quickly realised that he actually wanted to tell Scorpius. He wanted to tell him everything. For the first time in his life Albus felt the need to talk about his problems. He wanted to tell him that he didn't really like Emily. He wanted to tell him that he was so fed up with articles about him, and what it felt like having to be with someone just to avoid being constantly news for other people to read. Suddenly the weight of the secrets he was carrying became heavier than ever.

Scorpius, however, looked down again soon enough, knowing that Albus wouldn't tell him anything. After all, he never did. Not even to his closest friends. So he finished the last substance and proceeded with the treatment. "Never mind," he said with a weak smile, looking down at his bowl, Albus' answer painfully reminding him that he would never be someone in whom Albus would trust. So he just sighed and rubbed it off.

"Drink the first potion. I just finished the cream." he said, and poured a small amount of the substance on both hands, ready to begin the Treatment.

He touched Albus' temples, massaging them slowly while avoiding his gaze. But this time he noticed that Albus' eyes were fixed on him.

This time Albus couldn't take his eyes off Scorpius' silvery eyes. He couldn't understand how he had never noticed how beautiful they were before. He followed those shiny spheres while they moved looking at Albus' temples.

"I reckon she's a bit angry at me." he finally said. Simply because everything inside him wanted to talk to Scorpius. "I've been...avoiding her. Since the beginning of this term."

Scorpius was caught off guard by Albus' sudden rush of honesty, so before he could stop himself, he was looking back deep into Albus' green eyes, unable to believe that the boy was actually telling him this.

"Oh, that's...sad" he managed to say in nothing more than a whisper. He noticed he was staring at Albus and immediately looked away, drawing his hands back to pour more cream into them. He reached between Albus' eyes this time, massaging gently, trying his best not to look at the beautiful emerald eyes that followed him again.

"Your eyes. What colour are they?" Albus asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on Scorpius'.

That simple question threw Scorpius into what felt like a full blown panic attack. Grey. Grey. Grey. Say grey. His mind told him rapidly, but he couldn't articulate any word. The intensity of Albus' stare was piercing and made him feel dizzy. His whole body began to tremble lightly. A huge knot nested in the pitch of his stomach.

"Gr—grey. Just grey, like my father's" he managed to say, smiling weakly.

"They're not," declared Albus, sounding confident. "They're...silver. Like...just like Slytherin Silver." he said, still looking at his eyes. "They're...beautiful" he finished in a low voice.

Scorpius wanted to say thank you. Be polite; be graceful. He dared to glance at Albus' green eyes again. Just for a second, he thought. And as they locked gazes he knew that he was trapped, because he couldn't look away while the overwhelming feeling of irrational panic took over his body once again. They were so incredibly close, his hands resting on Albus' soft face, suddenly very aware of the feeling of Albus' skin under his hands. He wanted to lean forward so much. He completely forgot about thank you's or politeness. Every part of his brain was focused on his lips, red and slightly parted. He wanted to touch Albus' soft lips so much, just close that infinitely small distance and give in to the desire of every inch of his body. Lips. Lips. Eyes. His body begged him to draw closer, touch him, have him all for himself.

Suddenly Albus scowled, and the sudden change in his expression propelled Scorpius back to reality, coming out of his deep trance.

"Okay, done!" Scorpius stammered loudly, almost shouting, his mouth dry, standing up as fast as possible. He moved to his own bed, almost jumping to it, and took out his Transfigurations essay, leaving Albus' curtains half open.

Albus stayed still for a moment, looking forward, apparently deep in his own thoughts.

He slowly grabbed the second potion, drank it, and took off his shirt. Then he brought the blankets up to his neck and quickly slip away in a dreamless sleep while Scorpius finished his Transfiguration essay on his bed, forcing himself not to look to the side, with only the light of his wand to keep him company.

About half an hour later, he put down the quill and finally gave up, folding the piece of parchment. It was extremely uncomfortable to work on his bed, and he couldn't concentrate at all. He'd been trying to think about the assignment for the entire time but he could only think about Albus' lips, again and again. He covered his face with his hands.

I'm becoming a bloody twelve year old girl, fantasising over Albus bloody Potter, of all people, he thought to himself, sighing heavily.

He decided to finish the essay in the morning as he lay on his back, but before he could turn off the light of his wand, his eyes darted off to Albus, who now had the blankets up to his hips, revealing his naked chest and torso. He was laying on his back, with a hand slightly falling from the bed. Scorpius noticed that his body was quite sturdy and well defined, thanks to perhaps too many Quidditch practices. He cursed Albus under his breath, feeling like the boy was doing this on purpose. Teasing him, torturing him. Albus' chest looked pale and smooth under the light of Scorpius' wand. Scorpius swallowed as he felt the knot in the pit of his stomach tighten. the dim light allowed him to see Albus' pale chest slowly rising and falling in what seemed to be a deep sleep.

The git had forgotten to close his bed's curtains, and since Scorpius knew he liked privacy, he wondered if he should get up and close them for him. He decided it was the best thing to do, so he got up and stood in front of Albus' four-poster, grabbing the end of the curtains with one hand. But he didn't close them.

He stopped and looked at Albus from above: his lips slightly parted, breathing slowly, and his naked chest so close to him. He was so beautiful. No wonder all the girls fancied him. His eyes wandered mischievously to the boy's nipples and he felt his mouth go dry and hot arousal building in the pit of his belly. All it would take was a stretch of his arm and he would touch the other boy's soft skin.

Without thinking, his free arm started moving towards Albus' chest, closing the distance. But halfway through the motion he made a full stop as he noticed that the dark haired boy had his eyes open and was staring at him.

Scorpius felt a rush of tension and grabbed the curtains more firmly, freezing on the spot, now looking directly into Albus' green eyes while his other hand stood halfway between them.

"'the hell are you doing?" Albus asked, still half asleep, but looking at Scorpius with a suspicious look.

"Calm down, Potter. You fell asleep with your curtains open, I'm just closing them for you," he replied, thinking as quickly as he could, dropping his hand to his side slowly.

"Oh. Thanks Scorp," Albus mumbled, and turned around, drifting to sleep again just as quickly as he had awoken.

Scorpius let out a sigh, feeling his muscles relax, and finally moved the curtains, cursing in the dark for being so stupid.

The hell are you playing at Scorpius? It will never happen so stop being stupid, he told himself angrily, while sliding inside his own bed and drawing the curtains. He turned off the light and stayed looking at the ceiling for some time, waiting for the knot in his stomach to loosen up a bit.

He called me Scorp, he thought, suddenly smiling stupidly to himself. He wasn't so sure if that made everything better or worse.

The next morning Scorpius woke up late and went straight to classes. He felt more tired than ever, partly because of having to brew Potions everyday between classes. But also because throughout the last week almost everything had changed for him.

For once he started feeling like there was something that made his days different, and worth living. He constantly found himself eagerly awaiting nightfall, when he would be sitting next to Albus, talking and laughing about anything while finishing the Potions. These thoughts filled him with excitement and happiness. But there were some thoughts that also made his stomach tighten. He had tried to ignore it, but there was no denying the truth: He liked Albus. Not only as a friend, but also in a romantic way; he fancied him. It was impossible to deny it. He only felt alive when Albus was around, and the most subtle touch was enough to make his whole body shiver. He dreamt about the dark haired boy, and sometimes he would stay awake at night just to hear the other boy's slow breathing.

Scorpius had never questioned his sexuality, mainly because he always assumed he would end up marrying a pure-blood witch, so there was really no point thinking about it. But now the arrival of Albus to his life had put everything into perspective. He still didn't reach any conclusions though, because the face of every fantasy he played in his head ended up having only Albus' eyes, and hair, and skin and smile. He just liked Albus, and that was it. But it terrified him so much to think of what Albus would say if he ever found out about Scorpius' true feelings, realising that he was one more out of the hundreds,—probably thousands— of desperate teenagers with a stupid crush on him. And it terrified him even more to think what his father would say if he ever found out. And so he vowed to never, ever tell them anything about it.

He decided that since his life didn't really have meaning, one more unattainable thing added to the list wouldn't be so much of a problem...

But he still dreamed of Albus. And it hurt to think that nothing would ever happen between them.

All these thoughts made his nights more tiresome than they should be, and his days filled with thoughts that looped eternally, spiraling until Scorpius didn't want to think anymore about them.

"Mr. Malfoy? are you listening?" came Professor Flitwick's voice, making Scorpius come back from his deep thoughts. The morning Charms module had just finished, and he found himself sitting alone in the classroom with the small teacher calling his name.

"Yes, I mean no. Sorry Professor. What it is?" he asked quickly, paying attention to the Professor.

"I was saying that I'd be very thankful if you could take this homework to Mr. Potter, he may be sick but he still could do some theoretical work." repeated Professor Flitwick, patting a piece of parchment laying over the table.

"I'll give it to him." he said unenthusiastically, standing up and walking towards the front desk.

Professor Flitwick nodded at him and walked out of the classroom. Scorpius grabbed the piece of parchment, stuffed it inside his bag and walked out of the classroom, yawning.

I really need to get some rest, he thought to himself, heading lazily towards the Great Hall