Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Also, I've been receiving a lot of support so thank you very much to everyone who reads my story! As always please let me know if you find any misspellings.

Chapter 16

Fly High

That night Scorpius dreamed he was walking down an eternal meadow of soft green grass under a golden sunset. There was a tall tree without leaves and four branches in the middle of the landscape. Albus was sitting on one of the big branches, dressed in his school uniform, looking at the horizon. He was far too high up for Scorpius' reach, so he just approached the tree slowly.

"What are you doing up there?"

Albus looked down at Scorpius with a sweet smile, like he had just noticed him.

"I think I prefer the summer." he replied. "Will I ever come down?"

"Do you want to?" asked Scorpius.

Albus shrugged. "You put me here."

"I prefer the winter" whispered Scorpius.

"I know. It suits you." said Albus, now looking again at the horizon. "You lie far too much."

Scorpius felt like crying. "If I tell you the truth, you'll leave."

"I know." replied Albus, and looked down at Scorpius, smiling again.

Scorpius woke up slowly, feeling sad and tired. He wiped some small tears from his face as he tried to remember as much of the dream as possible. It had been extremely sad in a very strange way that he couldn't quite comprehend.

The rest of his roommates were still sleeping except for Albus, whose bed was undone and empty.

Scorpius walked out of the bedroom heading towards the bathrooms. When he crosses the common room he noticed Albus was sitting on one of the big dark couches, flicking through his copy of "Quidditch Through The Ages" while absently combing his hair. He looked completely entranced, his green eyes moving rapidly from line to line. Scorpius chuckled fondly while watching the boy stroke his dark and messy hair deep in his own world. He tried to define what he felt for Albus, and he knew the answer was definitely Love. I love him, he told himself. It was real and inescapable. While looking at the boy read his book for the hundredth time he confessed to himself that he was in love. And it had always been a matter of time, he thought, because for some reason Albus had always been at the centre of his thoughts. It felt a bit like destiny, and it was ironic that it was Albus the one who kept reminding him that there was no such thing as destiny.

Scorpius was sure about his feelings, but he didn't really know if his feelings were reciprocated. Granted, Albus was reserved and literally never talked about his feelings with others, but Albus was usually reckless and impulsive, so this thing with Scorpius might just be a fling, a meaningless teenage crush, likely to disappear when the novelty wears off.

It made Scorpius break inside, dreading the day when Albus would look at him with his honest eyes and tell him he's not interested anymore, leaving Scorpius lost again. Lost and broken. Because he's so used to being with Albus. So used to his smiles, and the way he shatters the routine with his ideas every day, and his eyes...those bright green eyes that could pierce into his soul, calm and soothing. And he doesn't know how he could survive if Albus left him. Albus is the only thing preventing him from drowning, and he knows that it's not healthy to cling on someone else so desperately, but he can't help it, because Albus is too perfect and without him Scorpius would be back in his dark tunnel of solitude.

That's why he doesn't say "I love you". Because he knows saying it makes it real; saying those words at the wrong time could have devastating consequences, and it's a risk he's not willing to take. He knows he's not like Albus, who's willing to risk it all, who can step into the abyss of uncertainty, because he knows the reward is worth the shot. But Scorpius is not ready to be like that. Not yet at least.

Just then Albus noticed his presence and turned his head quickly to look at him.

"Scorp! I didn't see you there..." He narrowed his eyes jokingly. "Were you spying on me?"

"You do know that there are other books in the world apart from that one, right?" Scorpius scoffed, leaning on the pillar next to him.

"This, my friend, is the only book I need". Albus raised the book, smiling back.

"How many times have you read it? 100? 200? Or is it that you just read incredibly slow?"

Albus pulled a face. "Very funny. It's just that it never gets old! You should read it."

Scorpius smiled, unable to maintain his bad guy act for long with Albus. "How come you're up so early?"

Albus shrugged. "No idea, my sleeping habits have been completely fucked up ever since the treatment. Now go shower quickly so we can go have some breakfast, I'm starving!"

Scorpius nodded and walked to the showers while thinking Yep, I definitely love him.

For the next couple of months Albus pushed Scorpius to his absolute limit on Quidditch. They spent every free period mounted on their broomstick and even stayed after sundown on some occasions when Albus felt particularly inspired.

As days grew warmer Scorpius noticed that Albus began acting more restless and jumpy than usual. He would grab his broomstick and run off to the pitch at random times, or suddenly explode on someone about how important winning the Quidditch cup was; and by the end of April he had become a walking bag of loose nerves, with reactions as extreme as being completely silent for a whole day and flip out on everyone the next. Scorpius didn't know how to talk to him anymore because he had no idea what was going on inside his head at any given time. Albus looked lost in thought most of the time and more than once Scorpius would have to snap him out of it so he could at least write something on his tests.

"Stop being so bloody dramatic, Al. It's just a Quidditch game." said Rose the last friday of April as the two boys sat next to her at the Ravenclaw table, Albus looking pale and tired. "Besides, the game is still a month away."

"But what if we lose, Rose? I mean...What if we lose, like actually lose the game..."

Rose closed the Daily Prophet she was holding to spare Albus a stern glance. "Al, It's obvious that you'll win. You always do. Besides, you have Malfoy. Last month you wouldn't stop talking about what a great seeker he was. So stop fretting, I know you'll win."

"Thanks Weasley." said Scorpius, feeling the familiar knot in his stomach that appeared every time someone mentioned the fact that he was actually part of the team.

He could understand what Albus was going through because he could feel it too. The sudden panic attacks; the crippling anxiety climbing up his body every time someone would bring up the subject; or even the constant nightmares where the snitch kept flying farther and farther away from his reach. Scorpius had never felt so pressured in his whole life. He knew it was all because of Albus, because if the boy hadn't placed so much trust in him he certainly wouldn't give two damns about the match, even if he was playing. Hell, he wouldn't care even if he was the bloody captain. He had never cared about Quidditch games, because it didn't have any relevance to anything. But now there was Albus, who trusted him, and who deeply cared (for reasons beyond Scorpius' comprehension) about Quidditch and the game results. And Scorpius definitely cared about Albus, more than anything; more than anyone. And just the pressure of not letting Albus down was driving him mental.

"I just wish we had more time to practice..." Albus whispered, sighing and letting his head drop a bit.

"Al, I already told you, you have a whole month left before the match!" Rose protested.

"It's not enough!" Albus replied, louder than he meant to. "Sorry, but please let's just drop it, alright? just talking about it makes me nervous." He ate a toast slowly, while neither of them said another word. Which started to make Scorpius a bit anxious.

"Al, you'll win the match." said Rose after a couple of minutes of absolute silence, looking directly at him.

"Oh for fucks sake Rosie!" Albus burst out.

"What?, I can't help it!" said Rose. "You're making me nervous, looking all pale and jumpy."

Albus grunted, but didn't answer, so Rose just sighed.

"Well, before I forget, Amanda wanted me to ask you if you'd like to go on a date with her..."

"Tell her I don't" said Albus immediately, without even looking at her.

"Vera wants to know if you'd like to meet her at–"

"Tell her I don't."

"And Emily wants–"

"I don't want to know about Emily, Rose!"

"And Luvia said that–"

"No, Rose! No, No, tell them all to fuck off, I'm already–" he stopped himself just a second before saying something he shouldn't. But Rose didn't question him.

"Will you even listen? Luvia said don't worry about the article, she already sorted it out."

"What article?" asked Albus, immediately turning his head to look at the Daily Prophet under Rose's hands.

"You didn't read the newspaper today?" asked Rose, grabbing the Daily Prophet and looking for a certain page. "Here."

Albus and Scorpius both bended over the newspaper to read a short column on the edge of the page.

"POTTER BOYS ON FIENDFYRE"

"Gossips at Hogwarts are on Fiendfyre this year –Rita Skeeter writes. Our very special, 100% British teen celebs (as if you didn't know who're we talking about!) are sure enjoying their teenage years. 16-year-old James Potter was allegedly seen drunk and partying at a Hogsmeade nightclub last weekend..."

"That I believe" commented Scorpius.

"...while 15-year-old Albus Potter, who's currently at the lead for sexiest teenage wizard of the year, (Scorpius raised his eyebrows looking at Albus. The boy just shrugged and continued reading.) ...has been thoroughly enjoying his single teen life, having been caught in some reproachable situations. Sources say he was seen snogging Vera Zabini, a gorgeous Slytherin girl. Nothing wrong with that, right? But would you believe me if I told you that the girl isn't single? Well, you better do, because sources say she's had a boyfriend for the last two years! And we understand how hard it must be to say no to the emerald-eyed Potter boy, but girl, get it together! Our thoughts go out to the poor boyfriend..."

Albus stopped reading with his mouth half open, staring at Scorpius and then at Rose.

"Don't worry, I told you she said she sorted it out. Everyone knows the entertainment section is just rubbish anyway." she said, shrugging.

It pissed Albus off beyond measure every time he read things like that on the newspaper, and it made him want to tell everyone about him and Scorpius so they could cut the crap, but at the same time not want anyone to know, ever.

He just didn't know what to do.

The month passed in a blink of an eye, just like Albus had predicted, and Scorpius was left wondering where the days had gone. As the few days left for the match passed he noticed there was now a permanent void in the pit of his stomach. He constantly wanted to throw up, and then drown in his own vomit.

There wasn't any time left to practice. There wasn't anything left to do. The match was going to happen, and soon. It was days away; hours away. Inescapable, inevitable, non-reschedulable. Scorpius discovered that he had never really known what being nervous felt like, not until now. Nervous to the point of trembles and panic attacks.

The day before the match he couldn't concentrate at all. And Albus looked exactly the same. He crashed the tip of his quill against the desk repeatedly, rhythmically, looking at the window with a pale face and eyes lost. His eyes then traveled to Scorpius, who stared back, trying to look calm. Albus smiled at him, and Scorpius knew he must be looking like absolute shit for Albus to smile at him like that, encouragingly and calming. He tried to smile back, but he felt sick and cold and sweaty. And he was going to faint. He was definitely going to faint.

Then the sky went black. Slowly, but way too fast. Scorpius looked outside of the window at the night sky. How was he supposed to sleep like this? Was he even supposed to sleep at all? He needed some advice.

The lights went out, everyone was in bed already, and Oh Merlin this is happening. Scorpius looked to the side, to Albus' bed. He saw the dark haired boy laying on his bed with his eyes open.

"Are we actually supposed to sleep?" he asked with a lump in his throat.

"We have to try" Albus shrugged, and then looked at him. "Try to get some rest."

Scorpius laid back, and stayed just like that, staring at the tester above him. His heart hammering against his ribcage and his throat dry. He closed his eyes.

Impossible.

"Scorp?" Albus whispered a couple of hours later. "'You still awake?"

"I could throw up right now." replied Scorpius. He had tried, he had honestly tried very hard. But he gave up, he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

"Come," whispered Albus. "Get up."

Scorpius looked at him, saw Albus' silhouette getting up from his bed with a wand in his hand. He sat up on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just get up, I need to get some fresh air, are you coming or not?" whispered Albus.

Scorpius sighed, but soon enough he was walking behind Albus out of the castle. The night was warm and clear, with thousands of stars shining above them. Scorpius followed Albus through the grounds until he realized they were heading towards the Quidditch pitch.

Once they got there, Albus sat on one of the benches and signaled Scorpius to sit with him. Scorpius obliged, sitting very close together, their bodies touching. Albus sighed, looking at the horizon for a long time. After a minute or two, he finally spoke.

"I've never been this stressed about anything before in my life..." he whispered.

"Me neither" agreed Scorpius, wanting to calm Albus down. "We could...you know, run away..." he said, and Albus chuckled, looking at him fondly.

"Yeah, to the second star to the right and straight till dawn?" he asked.

Scorpius looked puzzled. He raised his eyesbrows in a questioning expression.

"It's Peter Pan!" said Albus, baffled. "Don't tell me you've never heard of it!"

"Well, to be perfectly honest I haven't, no." said Scorpius.

"Well...it's a muggle story after all. It was my dad's favourite story when he was a kid. Because he lived a muggle life before coming to Hog-"

"I know Al, everybody knows the story of Harry Potter" Scorpius said, because, honestly, there were at least twenty biographies about the Boy Who Lived.

"Well...He used to tell me about Peter Pan before I went to bed when I was little."

"So...what does the star thing mean?" Scorpius asked, and suddenly Albus looked sadder, thoughtful and serious.

"The second star to the right, that's where Neverland is." he said, pointing at the pale, turquoise blue star shining over the horizon. "You fly to the second star to the right, and straight till dawn, and you'll reach Never-Neverland..." Albus stood silent for a while. "The land where everything is happiness. You never grow up, you can be a kid forever. Fight pirates, and..." He trailed off.

"And how do we get there" Scorpius asked then, in nothing more than a whisper, looking straight at the turquoise blue star. It was the brightest of them all.

Albus shrugged. "Using our brooms, I suppose" he smiled, still looking at the horizon.

"Would you really do it?" Scorpius asked.

"What?"

"Escape. To Neverland, if you could..."

Albus stared at Scorpius for a while. Unsure if he should answer or not, because this was one of his deepest, most sincere thoughts. "I...I used to dream about going there, but..." then he abruptly stopped. "Forget it, it's silly."

"C'mon, you can tell me..." Scorpius said. "Remember? You can tell me." he said, searching Albus' hand with his own, interlacing their fingers together. Albus pressed tight and sighed.

"I...I sometimes feel like...I feel like I'll always be a shadow. I mean I love my dad, I really do love both my parents really much. But sometimes I just feel like...there's nothing I could do to...you know, be special. Not just...the son of Harry Potter. It must sound really dumb..." Albus finished.

"It doesn't" said Scorpius immediately. Albus looked at him for a long time. And Scorpius felt like they had never been this close. Not physically, but in a much deeper way.

"You know, I also sometimes feel that way." said Scorpius. "Not quite like you, because I don't really have a famous father. But, in some ways I felt like my life wasn't really mine. I would marry someone I don't know, And I would live in the Malfoy Manor, even if I hate that place. And I'd have to produce an heir. Just like my father did, and like his father before him. Life didn't really have much meaning...I mean, there was nothing to expect, I was never in control..." Scorpius paused for a minute, looking at Albus. "But then...I found you, Al. And it must sound crazy but...you showed me that maybe not everything is lost after all." he smiled. "You and your mental ideas. And I'd run away, with you. Without a second thought."

Albus stared at him in silence. "I think we should..."

Scorpius chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"But after tomorrow's match" clarified Albus, now smiling.

Scorpius laughed and squeezed their hands together.

"You know, It may seem pointless and silly to you, and to everyone else, actually. But winning the house cup would really mean a lot to me. Winning the tickets...I know it's silly but, I want to know how it feels to really earn something. Not receiving it because I'm a Potter...but because– Because I really deserve it."

Scorpius suddenly felt all the anxiety leave his body. "We will win tomorrow, Al. Even if it's the last thing I do"

"Thanks Scorp. It really means a lot." Albus said, and rested his head on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius could smell him so close. And it was perfect, just the two of them under that glimmering star full of promises of running away to a place where nobody knew their names, where they could be free together, far from newspaper gossips and famous names and the responsibilities that came with them.

In that moment, for the third time Scorpius wanted to say I love you. And this time he opened his mouth, but he didn't say it. This was too perfect, and he wouldn't risk ruining it. And before he knew it Albus was kissing him, warm and tender. And he closed his eyes and swore that they would win this, because Albus deserved it. He deserved everything in the world, and more.

They walked together back to the castle, and swiftly stepped back to the common room and into their beds. This time Scorpius' heart felt at peace, big and calm. He closed his eyes and this time he felt himself quickly slipping away into unconsciousness, and he embraced it.