Parts (56-58)

II

Chapter 14

Wounds

Part 1: The Unexpected

Abby was the first to leave since her mother didn't need to talk about arrangements, since Rose was also being picked by Mrs Potter because her parents were too busy working she didn't leave though. Albus' sister and Rose's brother were also there, they engaged their siblings with excited reminders that the next Easter they'd also be coming back from Hogwarts, James thankfully hung back away from them, leaning against the war and alternating his glare between Scorpius, Michael, Crystal and the Malfoys.

"So... your mum seems nice," Scorpius commented to Michael to make conversation, Michael seemed unusually nervous and fidgety.

"If you do an Albus then I lose all faith in you," Michael told him.

"Don't worry I'm not, its still Molly. I just meant... you know, considering you never have any contact with your family and never go home for the holidays that she seems nicer than I would have thought."

"Crystal is a very good person and mother," Michael stated defensively, "and thanks, I think."

"Some reason you're so on edge?"

"No," Michael said quickly, "I mean maybe. Sort of. I have an appointment in St Mungo's to talk about prosthetic eye options on Saturday, I'm just nervous about that. And only that."

"You're getting a prosthetic eye? That's great!" Scorpius exclaimed happily although Michael frowned.

"I said looking at options not getting one and if all they have are those freaky eyes that see through things then I'm definitely not, it just couldn't to hear what they have to say."

"Well still great, don't be nervous, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Thanks... I think."

Scorpius' mood brightened up at the thought of Michael getting a prosthetic eye, it was much healthier than having his useless ruined one. His good mood carried as the adults stopped talking and Scorpius could finally leave, he bade his friends goodbye as they went their separate ways for the week. His parents asked him about how classes were going, how Quidditch practice was going and new ones about his chosen electives. His mother praised him for taking three not two and insisted they were all good subjects, his father looked very worried though when he mentioned Care of Magical Creatures.

"It was easily my favorite taster and I like Professor Hagrid," Scorpius defended his choice before his father complained.

"Well just be very careful and remember, there's no shame if you choose to drop it," his father pointed out and Scorpius rolled his eyes, "you get yourself into enough danger without taking the most dangerous class."

"I don't get myself into danger."

"Attacked by an Auror, getting lost at Christmas, nearly drowning at Quidditch, Dementors at the start of term feast, Shadows at Diagon Alley and that's just this year!"

"Firstly, most of those things happened to everyone and secondly, am I allowed to go to Diagon Alley or is it still not safe?" Scorpius asked irritably, his parents really knew how to suck his good mood away.

"Why? Did you want something?" his mother wondered, "we can get it for you."

"Its my friend Molly's birthday and I want to get her a present, another charm for her bracelet, I'd rather see what they have myself."

"We're letting you go to the Quidditch World Cup, can't you let us have Diagon Alley? We'll see how things go and think about letting you come with us to get your things for Third Year over the summer."

Scorpius sighed as his good mood evaporated, why were his parents suddenly being so cruel to him? Banning him from going to a few stupid shows for one lousy present on top of dragging him to St Mungo's for no good reason. It made him want to scream but he didn't let himself, instead simply nodded in consent. He hoped the shop still had that lion charm because he was running out of ideas without seeing what they had again, at least next year he'd hopefully have Hogsmeade for gifts regardless of his parents on Diagon Alley. Assuming they didn't ban him from that too anyway.

Scorpius didn't sleep easily that night, he thought he did but his grandmother told him at breakfast that she'd found him sleepwalking and had to get him back to bed, it was really starting to bother him. His grandmother did seem to be doing better at least, he spent the morning talking with her as they played Wizard Chess to pass the time, he was giving Varanian a chance to contact him but if he didn't by the afternoon then Scorpius was simply going to test out the Portkey ring and go to him. His parents were going to Diagon Alley in the afternoon, as soon as they left he told Yip he was taking a nap and didn't want to be disturbing before retreating to his room.

Varanian hadn't contacted him so Scorpius was just going to go to him, feeling nervous that it wouldn't work. He pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed the ring hand in the other one, making sure his hand was over the ring because he had a feeling that was what really mattered.

"Go."

At his command it worked, he immediately felt as though someone had hooked him behind the navel and as dragging him backwards until he was standing in the general area where Varanian's... building was. The same overgrown grass and weeds and plenty of trees, Varanian tended to disapparate from the same spot but apparated to different locations so Scorpius was easier able to find his bearings. He'd just caught sight of the building when someone stepped out from behind a tree, Scorpius' wand was in his hands quickly but he lowered it upon seeing it was Varanian.

Albus had been looking forward to Easter, at the very least it was a week of not having to work on his classes and he could practice more on his broom - he was still determined to get on the team next year - and Michael had Scorpius were coming to the Quidditch World Cup with him. It had gone downhill pretty quickly though, his mum had been sweet and lulled them into a false sense of security until they'd dropped Rose and Hugo off at their grandparents and gone were back home. Then she unleashed her anger like an erupting volcano, furious at them for what they did to Maurice and she screamed at him - he tried to point out that all he did he was lure Maurice not actually hurt him but she didn't seem to care - and James - James tried to point that it had been a justified revenge but she didn't seem to care either and since he'd been defending Orous, James had been the first one in the wrong - for what felt like hours before grounding them for the entire week and banishing them to their rooms.

He'd just laid there in misery for awhile, he needed all the flying practice he could get if he was going to make the team, wasn't getting detentions at school punishment enough? Apparently not. He'd only left when Lily had told him to come downstairs for dinner, Lily had also been the only one to say a word all meal, chattering away excitedly while he, James and their mum ate in sullen stony silence, predictably his dad hadn't been there, he never seemed to be there anymore. He'd just been thinking that when his dad did actually come back home as Albus was going back to his room, he ran to hug his dad but stopped when he saw the expression on his dad's face. And then his dad also yelled at them for what they did, how could they attack a first year - and shut up James, this is about what you did not what Maurice wrongly did as revenge - and he didn't work to keep bad people off the streets for them to turn around and do bad things themselves.

"But he's Roman Rivers' son! The guy who kidnapped Lorc and Lys!" James protested, still apparently defending his actions after punishment from teachers, Mum and then Dad, at least Albus had the decency to feel bad. Their dad looked just as surprised at this as Albus was.

"How many times do I have to tell you!? We don't judge people based of their family's rights or wrongs but but by their own character!" Harry Potter raged and James actually looked like he was about to say something insulting about Maurice before thinking better of it, Albus didn't like Maurice either but he could see how they might've crossed the line although Maurice clearly had to, he wondered if he was being punished too, "I don't attack people for the crimes of their parents and neither should you! Didn't I raise you better than that?! I'm shocked and angry and downright disgusted by your actions, this is not acceptable! Get out of my sight, the both of you and don't you dare come down these stairs until breakfast tomorrow!"

"Fine," James muttered as he stormed off, stamping upstairs angrily while Albus went to follow at a slower pace, his dad had never yelled at him like that before.

"I'm sorry," Albus mumbled under his breath as he started to turn away.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Al, I expected better," his dad said in a quieter tone behind Albus' back, Albus didn't say anything but just ran the rest of the way to his room so he could get there before the tears started falling. His dad's disappointment was even worse than detentions or no flying, he cried himself to sleep.

Albus was still feeling down about it the next day when he was called down for breakfast by Lily who didn't look happy at being used as an owl again, he resisted the urge to point out it could be worse and if she wanted to trade places with him then he'd be more than happy. James lumbered along behind him and Lily, yawning as they headed downstairs where Albus was surprised to see that breakfast wasn't ready yet and his dad was sitting at the table. He gave a look of askance at Lily who shrugged, seeming as clueless as he was, it took James a moment longer to notice in his haze of sleep but his eyes did widen in shock.

"Come and sit down," his dad told them and gestured for them to sit at the seats opposite him, they reluctantly did so exchanging puzzled looks, "I meant to tell you this yesterday but... well other things seemed more urgent so I'm going to tell you now, also just as fair warning before I get to the issue, the Scamanders are coming over later and staying for dinner tonight so best behavior."

"Any word on Lorcan?" Albus asked quietly and worriedly but his father shook his head sadly.

"Not yet but we're still looking. Anyway, as you all know Uncle Dudley and Aunt Millicent Dursley were killed a couple of months ago, leaving Malcolm, Daisy and Vern orphans. Their grandmother, Petunia, took in Malcolm and Daisy for the time being and I put an Auror on them in case of another attempt on Dursley lives while Vern could simply stay in Hogwarts. However it wasn't exactly a permanent solution, Petunia and I have discussed the issue in detail and we've come to a conclusion."

"Like we care what happens to Dursleys," James muttered under his breath, their dad either didn't notice or chose to just ignore it as he continued.

"Since they may still be in danger from Shadow forces and Millicent's family are unaware of the existence of the magical world, we do not think its safe to leave the children with them. Petunia is willing to care for them, she wishes the protection revoked but knows how to contact us if something happens or she notices anything suspicious and has been given an emergency Portkey in case they need a fast getaway. However since Vern is a wizard... we think it would be better and would make life easier if he was living with wizards so, also easier financially for Petunia to take on two so... Vern is coming to live with us."

"What?!" the three Potter kids burst out in unison as their jaws drops.

"Vern is moving in with us."

"You can't be serious?" Albus wondered.

"Not a Dursley! Make Petunia take him," James complained.

"No!" Lily wailed and their dad scowled at them.

"Vern is moving in and that's final," their dad told them firmly, "and I expect you to give him a much warmer welcome than you did just now, he just lost his parents and the last thing he needs is to be treated with hostility in the place he's coming to live."

"Do we have to?" James grumbled crossing his arms grumpily.

"Yes," their dad said in such a final tone that not even James could argue with, "he's a good kid and you don't have to like him, just be nice to him."

"Where's he gonna sleep?" Lily asked cautiously, "I don't want him to sleep in my room."

"Well there's a couple of options, one of you can volunteer to share with Vern or two of you can volunteer to share a room and give Vern your room, we thought we'd give you a chance to have a say rather than just moving you around as we see fit unless there's no volunteers."

James and Lily launched into a debate on where Vern should go while Albus fell silent, neither of them were going to volunteer and if no one volunteered then odds are his parents would put him with James and he'd have to give up his room, he'd lose no matter what. He didn't want to share a room James, or Lily, or even Vern but it was the matter of the lesser of two evils if he just agreed to let Vern move into his room. He got to know the boy a bit better and he thought Vern would be a better roommate than James, at least Vern was quieter.

"I'll do it," Albus announced with a resigned sigh before he could change his mind, his siblings looked at him in surprise while his dad smiled slightly, "Vern can share with me."

Albus was already regretted his decision. He had to spend the rest of the day preparing his room for Vern's arrival in summer, clearing things out to put in the bed they'd already gotten, rearranging the furniture, having Albus sort his stuff to get rid of things to make space for Vern's things, he even had to take all the posters and things he had hanging on the wall and limit them only to 'his' side of the room. Albus thought this was unfair, Vern wouldn't be there until the summer, he didn't see why he couldn't enjoy having his room the way he liked it for one week. It looked weird when it was done, Albus' side bursting with things and life whereas Vern's side was completely bare and desolate.

Albus sighed mournfully as he trudged downstairs to meet the Scamanders, he was actually glad to get to see them though, he did like Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf and he liked the twins too. Or he had anyway, who knew if Lorcan was even still alive? It was a horrible thought but it had crossed his mind, his brain kept telling him it was the most obvious reason that Lysander had been found but not Lorcan but until he knew for sure he'd like to cling to hope too. It was strange seeing Lysander without Lorcan,

Lysander didn't actually any different though, he had the same short dirty blond hair from his mother as he had before with the same glinting amber eyes from his father, maybe he was a bit taller but he smiled all the same and ran over to hug him. Albus hugged him tightly back and was flooded with joy that washed away his bad mood, it was one thing to hear Lysander had been found but another to actually get to see him.

"Its so great to see you, Al!" Lysander exclaimed happily, pulling away as a smile split his face, "how are you? How's things? How's Hogwarts?"

"Good," Albus answered also smiling, "well things could be worse, have a share a room with Vern now - just spent the whole day getting it ready even - and I'm grounded but otherwise I can't complain. Hogwarts isn't too bad either, you'll see it yourself in September. How are you? How's things at home?"

"Pretty great, its so good to be home and have my parents again although..." Lysander told him and trailed off a bit as his smile wavered, "I do miss Lorcan a lot, its so weird without him. We were always together, y'know? He was the strong one, the one who knew what to do, the one who led, I feel lost without him."

"I'm sorry. They found you, its only a matter of time before they find Lorcan I'm sure."

"I hope so," Lysander said nodding before a smile snuck back onto his face again, "so why don't you show me your new-improved Vern sharing room? I can see where you need charms to keep away the Bazults."

"I have no idea what a Bazults is but... sure."

"Told you the Portkey works," Varanian told him almost triumphantly with a hint of smirk as they headed back towards the building and down into the basement, Varanian was serious again by the time they were down, "so tell me about what happened with the Potions Mistress."

"Why?" Scorpius wondered as he sat down on the chair.

"I'll tell you what I know if you tell me."

"Okay," Scorpius agreed and launched into an explanation on what had happened with Vipera and how he'd suspected her because of the Aurors keeping an eye on her, Varanian listened patiently and silently as usual, holding his questions until the end, "so what do you know about it?"

"I know the Shadow Aurors have been stealing from the stores of ingredients, she interrupted him and he attacked her, your timely arrival stopped him from finishing her off. The attackers from the Start of Term feast were trapped in Hogwarts, their Shadow Auror allies had been stealing ingredients from... the stores to make polyjuice potion to disguise them as other Aurors to leave Hogwarts without arousing suspicion or simply to move about without being questioned to keep an eye on persons of interest."

"Well that's creepy."

"Yeah but I think I've succeeded in my spell that detects the corrupts the wands, I'll teach it to you later although they'll know that you've done it, it makes the wands glow after all if they're corrupted. I'll come back to that though, I've found out more about the Shadows being after you. They're not just after you anymore but Marius, the Shadow Master's coma was caused by something to do with the Blood Runes and while you were the one to activate it the last time, Marius' blood was also in the obelisk. They've stopped trying to get you until they can get Marius too, I get the impression there's a plan in place or they're working on it but the Lieutenants are keeping it very close to their chests and way over the heads of the Shadows I usually follow."

"Anything else?" Scorpius asked feeling suddenly anxious for Calderon, "there's some things I wanted to talk to you about."

"I think I've figured out where they're keeping Lorcan, not with muggles but at a Shadow base location place. I was just about to check it out before you showed up."

"Well then we should go check it out right away."

"No," Varanian said firmly shaking his head, "its not going on against one muggle, if I'm right about this then there'll be Shadows there who can duel and defend themselves. Its dangerous and as much as you want to help, you're still twelve and aren't advanced or experienced enough to come especially if there's a lot of them and its heavily protected as I fear it is."

"Won't two even the odds?" Scorpius offered hopefully but Varanian's resolve didn't crack.

"I consider myself a fair duelist but with multiple attackers of varying skill its not easy, I might not even be able to protect myself let alone you and there's charms in place to protect it so its not like I can apparate us to safety if anything does go badly wrong."

"I..." Scorpius started to protest that he could be useful and help but stopped himself, it wasn't his parents being overly protective, Varanian did actually have a point even if Scorpius didn't like it. He still thought he could be useful though but wasting time arguing was time Varanian could be spending saving Lorcan, it had been four months-ish since Christmas and the poor boy could use a rescue, "I understand. Alright, I'll head back and you can head out."

"You said there were things you wanted to talk about," Varanian pointed out as Scorpius stood.

"It can wait, saving Lorcan is more important whether it checks out or not, you should go. Just contact me when you leave so I can know what happens."

"Fair enough," Varanian agreed as they headed back up the stairs, "but don't expect to hear anything until tomorrow, I'm not just jumping in blindly and it'll take time to figure out their defenses and get past them and night is a better time to attack because it'll catch them off-guard. I'll contact you tomorrow then unless I die or it turns out to be nothing, if its nothing then I'll contact you sooner."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded as they made it outside to the point of apparation as he put his hand over his ring hand again, "good luck, Varanian."

"Brutus, are you awake?" a voice snapped loud enough to actually wake Brutus up.

"No," Brutus mumbled sleepily into his pillow.

"Well wake up then," Sal complained and Brutus groaned as he turned his head towards the direction of the voice, blinking the sleep from his bleary eyes as he did so.

Sal had drew a chair up to sit beside his bed, not extremely close but close enough with her legs crossed at the odd way she preferred to sit. Despite her freedom she still seemed to prefer dark colors that blended into the background instead of bright ones that stood out, she also continued to favor pants over skirts or dresses and frequently wore long black coats that reached her ankles - beneath cloaks if they were outside, she said it made up for the perpetual cold she felt from being the Shadow Master. Despite the presumably early hour, she was fully dressed on the seat and watching him with her dark eyes that blissfully lacked the heavy lids of her mother. In truth she did bear a resemblance to Bellatrix as she and Tommy had as teenagers but wasn't an identical clone. She was her own person and had grown up actually to be quite beautiful. Sal smiled.

"Do you know what today is?" Sal questioned and Brutus wracked his sleepy brain for an answer.

"Your birthday?" Brutus half-guessed and half-recalled.

"Yes, I'm twenty-one today. I'm twenty-one now in fact, I was born at one minute past six in the morning, Tommy five minutes later."

"Happy Birthday."

"Thank you."

"You couldn't have waited until later to get birthday wishes?" Brutus grumbled sitting up and suppressing a yawn, "moving countries have my mind shot from the time difference."

"I didn't wake you up so you could wish me a Happy Birthday, I woke you up because..." Sal trailed off before sitting up straighter and sounding more forceful, "because I'm not a child anymore, I've been off age for four years and not been a teenager for two. I'm not a child, I'm an adult, a woman."

"I noticed that," Brutus pointed out in confusion as Sal shifted nervously, "is it relevant to something else you want to research or... what?"

"I just um... well... I... I like you, Brutus, I... erm... I don't know how to do this," Sal said usually awkwardly and Brutus' only got more confused, this wasn't like her at all, she was always confident and articulate. Sal took a deep breath and pushed on, "I want us to be dating. I know what it means now and... I... I like you that way."

"What?"

Brutus was completely bewildered, was he dreaming or something? Sal opened her mouth to reply before seeming to change her mind as she stood up and crossed the gap between them, he noticed an odd perfume smell coming from her and was about to repeat his question when she leaned down slightly and pressed her lips against his. Brutus was too stunned to react, overwhelmed by the scent and kissed back instinctively before he thought better of it, he felt Sal's smile through his lips before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders gently. He tried not to relish it but it had been far too long since he'd last kissed a woman, reluctantly he gently started to pull Sal away as she leaned slightly back anyway to draw breath. She didn't move her arms away though, the scent of her perfume still intense.

"Are you wearing perfume?" Brutus asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, the guy at the market stall said it was good for attracting a mate," Sal answered equally quietly but she was still smiling, "do you like it?"

"Err... yeah but we can't... we can't do this Sal," Brutus pointed out and Sal's smile faded but she didn't pull away.

"Did I kiss wrong?"

"No, no, you're a pretty... not bad kisser but you know..." Brutus stumbled out awkwardly, trying to remember why it was improper and ignore the part of his brain demanding to know why he was turning down the beautiful woman inches from his face who was throwing herself at him.

"No, I don't know, what?"

"You're my master and I'm just a follower, I'm ten years older than you and you know just... you're very beautiful and I'm... very not, it wouldn't work."

"I'm the Shadow Master, I can do what I want," Sal stated stubbornly, "I don't understand your point about how it matters that you're my follower, I don't care about the age. Who would you rather I am dating? Rabastan? He's even older and since we're basically niece and uncle and think of ourselves as such then it would just be weird and... no. I l-like you, Brutus, and I've never seen you as ugly, you're the most beautiful person I know... It won't work if we don't even give it a try."

The last line was a whisper and she searched his face almost fearfully, was she actually afraid of him rejecting her? He was only doing it because he had come to care about her, she'd be much better off with someone else... His train of thought trailed off as he did realize it was stupid, Sal wasn't like normal woman and she couldn't just go to the Leaky Cauldron to meet people, she was the daughter of Voldemort planning a campaign to conquer the world and create a better one which didn't help her love life any. He met her shadowy eyes carefully, it would never work if they didn't try and he was lonely too, it'd be an odd change to actually date a woman who liked him for who he was not because his family were loaded. He sighed and shifted nervously.

"Alright," Brutus agreed, "we can... be dating now."

Sal's smile lit up her face as she kissed him once more, this time he didn't kiss back in surprise and encircled his arms around her to draw her close while she ran her hands through his hair. He felt her smile through the kiss again only that time he returned the smile.

Part 2: Secret-Keepers

Scorpius found himself distracted and anxious all day, when Varanian didn't contact him by the time his parents got back before dinner he decided that the lead had definitely payed off. It was just a matter of waiting even more to see if Varanian found Lorcan or at least anything useful. He sent off his gift to Molly and then found himself struggling with just waiting, it took him awhile to get to sleep, he kept putting off going to bed in the first place in case Varanian contacted him but he didn't. Nor did he that morning, the afternoon came and Scorpius still heard nothing, he fiddled with the ring idly on his finger waiting but nothing. Finally he decided to just talk to Varanian instead.

"Varanian?" Scorpius questioned pressing his wand tip against the ring.

He waited. And waited. And waited some more. After fifteen minutes of no reply he tried again. And waited. And waited again. Another fifteen minutes with no reply so he tried again. And again. After over an hour of unsuccessful attempts, Scorpius was even more worried, Varanian had said it would be dangerous. Was he alright? Was he hurt? Was he captured? Was he even alive? Was he just being annoying? Had he just lost his ring? Scorpius had no idea where Varanian had gone, he'd never mentioned the location. But he could check the basement, see if Varanian had it written down somewhere or maybe he'd just be there.

Scorpius told his family again he was taking a nap and didn't want to be disturbed before activating the Portkey ring again to transport himself back, he hurried towards the building. He stopped hastily when he noticed a bloody handprint on the door, there was no other signs of damage though. He drew his wand out in readiness, heart pounding as he wondered whether the Shadows had managed to follow Varanian back or maybe Varanian just had blood on his hand or something. He pressed on, scanning around for any signs of disturbance or people, there were droplets of crimson staining the floor between the door and trapdoor but he didn't see anything else or hear anything, still, Scorpius systematically checked every room in the house just to make sure first. Every single one was as empty and disused as when Varanian had showed them to him before, the dust hadn't been disturbed any either so Scorpius thought it was safe enough to enter the basement and check down there.

He still kept his wand out though as he crept down, more blood speckled the steps and he could hear someone's jerky breathing and make out a figure lying on the bed. He checked the rest of the room to make sure it was empty before finally relaxing and going over to the bed, it was Varanian only he looked in a bad way. His eyes were closed and his breathing was ragged, he was shirtless but his chest was heavily bandaged but they were soaked through with blood, his hands were also bloody but it was dried and probably from bandaging his chest wound rather than being injured, Scorpius couldn't see any cuts on them anyway.

"Varanian?" Scorpius questioned once more Varanian didn't respond or give any indication of having heard him, hesitantly he reached out to shake Varanian's arm gently, he cringed and his breathing became more rapid but he still didn't awaken. Scorpius moved his hand away and Varanian's face relaxed a bit although he still looked in pain, his breathing jerkily going back to how it had been before Scorpius had touched his arm.

Scorpius didn't know what to do, he didn't know anything about healing or any healing spells although since they were probably caused by the corrupted Shadow wands, he supposed it probably would have been useless anyway. Scorpius swallowed nervously and pulled up the chair beside Varanian, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't take Varanian to a hospital - even ignoring the fact he could only Portkey back to his home - as Varanian was still a fugitive, he'd be caught and the Shadows would kill him. He couldn't bring a healer to Varanian because they'd know about the secret location and also turn him in. He didn't know much about injuries but he was pretty sure Varanian's chances weren't high if he just left him there alone, injured and unconscious. Why not let him die? You don't even like him, his mind pointed out and for a second Scorpius actually considered it before mentally slapping himself. Where had that come from? He wasn't going to just leave Varanian to die.

He tried to summon what little he knew about injuries, Shadow wounds needed some special potion to that eased the taint or something so healing could happen to a certain degree or something, Varanian did actually keep some potions around that he thought might be useful such as for injures although he didn't label them and Scorpius didn't know what did what, there was some at home too but they were for non-life threatening things. Last year when he'd had the soles of his feet injured, Michael had said things about cleaning the wound to stop infecting and that horrible stinging stuff was to also stop infecting... and bandages needed to be changed or have the blood cleaned off and put back on when they'd been soiled too much, he thought Varanian's probably needed that. Of course all that was pointless if the wound was already infecting or deep enough to be causing worse damage, he didn't know how to counteract that. Or even how to tell if either of those happened or even any other medical things that he hadn't thought of or knew of.

He sighed heavily, wishing Michael was there because he'd probably know what to do. Michael... Scorpius could maybe get him to help, he had his appointment in St Mungo's that day do if Scorpius returned home then Flooed there to get Michael. He could ask him what to do to help Varanian - without telling him that it was Varanian - and then do it. It was worth a shot, he had to do something.

"Don't worry, Varanian, I'll be back," Scorpius promised even though Varanian gave no indication of hearing him still before heading back outside to Portkey back.

He pocketed some Galleons and snuck out of his room to one of the fireplaces to Floo from, it was a big house and there were several, he picked the one furthest from where his family would be. If anyone asked then he was going to give his friend moral support but knew his parents would say no so went without permission, it sounded plausible enough as he tossed the powder into the flames turning them emerald. St Mungo's had an extension in the basement of fireplaces for people to get there, there was a charge so hence the coins. He called the name, felt the sensation of Floo travel and simply stepped out of the fireplace.

There was about ten of them that Scorpius could see, all with people coming out of them and heading towards the left as the right end of the room was a solid wall. There was an annoying queue, Scorpius was behind some elderly man who kept sneezing out purple ooze, Scorpius cringed and wondered why the queue until he got to the door. There was a man standing in front of it dressed in some kind of uniform with a St Mungo's name tag, there was some kind of canister beside him.

"Are you by yourself?" the man asked in a bored, drawling voice.

"Yes," Scorpius pointed out thinking it was fairly obvious.

"Are you here as a patient or a visitor?"

"A visitor."

"Are you under seventeen?"

"Yes."

"That'll be two Galleons then, please," the man told him offering out his hand.

"Two Galleons to visit a hospital? Isn't that a little harsh?" Scorpius pointed out as he handed over the coins.

"Its cheaper for patients than for visitors. Seniors, underage children and members of the Ministry or relatives of hospital staff get a discount. St Mungo's staff and infants are free," the man reeled off as if from memory as he dropped the coins in the canister and stepped aside, "you can enter now, please remember there is also a charge to access the fireplaces if you choose to leave by them. I hope your experience here is a pleasant one. Next!"

Scorpius went through the doorway while the next person stepped up, it led to stairway that he followed up into the main entrance hall of the hospital, he scowled darkly as he recalled what had happened the last time he'd been there. There was another queue he had to get in line to speak to the Welcome Witch, he couldn't see he had a choice though, it wasn't even like he could tell them that it was important. Of course it would all be a waste of time if Michael had already had his appointment or it wasn't until later, he was pretty sure - or at least hopeful - that it was the afternoon.

"Well good afternoon there young man and welcome to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies! How can I be of service?" the Welcome Witch greeted him brightly and slightly too loudly with a toothy smile that literally seemed to take up half her face.

"I'm here to see my friend, Michael Sanford, he was getting assessed about a prosthetic eye," Scorpius answered and the woman's smile actually managed to increase.

"Excellent, young man!" the Welcome Witch continued in the same cheerfully loud tone as she checked the books and gave him directions, it was actually kind of disturbing, "ah yes! Here we go! A young Michael Harold Sanford, aged twelve for an assessment about a prosthetic eye! The assessment should just about be over now unless its ran over but you're more than welcome to check! I hope it goes well for you friend! Happy Easter, young man!"

"Thank you," Scorpius mumbled as he went to follow the still smiling woman's directions, he heard them before he saw them.

"Well you do have the rest of the holidays to think about it," Crystal's voice was saying as he rounded the bend, she and Michael were sitting on the edge of one of the beds on the end, "you don't have to decide right now."

"I know," Michael said quietly before seeming to notice Scorpius, his head did a double take, "Scorpius? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how it went and be here for moral support," Scorpius lied and felt guilty.

"That's sweet," Crystal told him with a smile before turning to Michael and kissing him gently on the forehead, "I'll leave you two here to chat for a moment while I call my husband to check in, he worries, back soon."

"Okay, Crystal," Michael agreed as his mum left, Scorpius went over to sit beside Michael instead, "there's not much to say, they just checked my eye over and the scars to make sure there is nothing they can do and then talked about the prosthetic ones. They have to take my bad eye out permanently to put one in, they say they've improved a lot since that Mad-Eye Albus, Abby and Rose talked about and they don't usually give out eyes that can see through things, it was just because he was an Auror and they're more expensive anyway. They-"

"That's great, Michael," Scorpius interrupted, not wanting to waste anymore time and Michael sighed heavily.

"So not here for moral support and to know how it went?"

"No, I just wanted to ask you for some advice and its really important."

"Okay, fine. What is it?"

"Well since you know so much about injuries and healing, I was wondering. What would you do to help someone who'd been injured if you couldn't get them to a healer?"

"It would depend on how they're injured," Michael said with a bemused expression.

"Erm... Some kind of curse wound the Shadows cause and erm... there was blood through the bandages."

"Well that's very specific," Michael quipped sarcastically, "I need to know what the wound would be, is it a kind of slash? Or more of a stab wound? Is it a broken bone coming through the skin? Is it a head wound? Limb? Torso? Small wound? Big wound? Deep wound? Shallow wound? There's a lot of factors to take into account and not taking them to a healer would just be silly, just because I know a bit about that stuff doesn't mean its not still better to get someone to a healer. Why are you asking me anyway?"

"What would you do if you came across an injured person whose chest is soaked in a bloody bandage and is unconscious and you strongly suspect its a Shadow wound?"

"Take the bandages off to see how they're injured."

"Can't you just guess?" Scorpius pleaded desperately.

"No. Why are you asking me this? Is someone hurt?"

"I can't tell you, I just need to know what to do if that situation ever arose."

"Well again, I'd have to know more about the wound and see it for myself. Scorpius, tell me what's going on."

"I can't."

"If someone's hurt you can't keep it a secret, whatever the reason, some people die if medical help doesn't get to them in time," Michael pointed out forcefully, "you want my advice? Tell a healer before this person dies."

"I really can't, Michael."

"Fine then, I will," Michael said with a shrug standing and Scorpius jumped up and grabbed his wrist in panic, Michael flinched, "Scorpius, I don't want a death on my conscience."

"If you tell people then there will be a death on your conscience," Scorpius protested desperately.

"So someone is hurt? Scorpius you have to tell someone."

Scorpius sighed heavily and looked into his friend's mismatched eyes, Michael was very serious and Scorpius had just stupidly slipped into verbally admitting he was asking about someone injured. Scorpius may be able to lie his way out of it, they had no proof but Michael was sure and he might lose his friendship over and Varanian lose his life. Both were things he wanted to avoid. If he could tell Michael about Varanian then he'd understand, if he could take Michael to Varanian then it'd be even better... But that would mean having to tell Michael about it and show him, Michael would know about the ring, about Varanian, about fighting the Shadows... Could Scorpius really trust him with that? If Varanian did survive he'd probably kill Scorpius but what choice did he really have?

"Okay, come with me," Scorpius told him reluctantly, keeping his grip on Michael's arm and leading him away for some privacy despite Michael's protests, he pulled him into a supply closet and shut the door before holding his hand over the ring, "put your hand over mine."

"Why?"

"Do it and I'll tell you," Scorpius informed him seriously and Michael frowned as he did so, "go."

He immediately felt the sensation of a hook dragging him backwards by the naval, this time very aware of Michael's hand over his before they came out near Varanian's place. Michael fell backwards while Scorpius managed to remained on his feet, he helped Michael up, who was gaping around in shock.

"What did you do?! Where are we?!" Michael burst out frantically and Scorpius just took his wrist again and led him in the right direction, "Scorpius, answer me!"

"Its a Portkey, a magical thing that transports you to a location instantaneously," Scorpius explained as they reached the building, he knew Michael wouldn't be able to see it but he couldn't physically tell him about it however he could show him. He took a deep breath, there was no going back now, before pushing open the door and leading Michael inside, "and this is a building protected by the Fidelius Charm, you're now a Secret-Keeper like I am."

"A what? Scorpius, I don't understand any of this. Crystal will be worried," Michael pointed out worriedly as Scorpius opened the trapdoor to the basement.

"Okay so the short version, remember how I've been saying that Varanian was innocent?"

"Err... yeah."

"I know it not just because of last year's events but because I've been in contact with him, some of the Aurors are on the Shadows' side and they tried to kill him which is why he escaped and he's been fighting them ever since. He's trying to stop the Shadow Master - the real Shadow Master - and the Shadows, we both are. He was going to a place he thought was an important Shadow location and where they were holding a kidnapped boy and he got hurt, I just found him unconscious or injured but I don't know how to help him. I can't get a real healer because they'll turn him in and the Shadows will kill him for sure, you have to help."

"Scorpius I just..." Michael began and just trailed off looking completely stunned, "I really did not see this coming... And you do realize I'm not a perfect substitute for a healer or a doctor?"

"Its better than nothing," Scorpius shrugged and Michael only hesitated slightly before sighing.

"Alright... I'll see what I can do."

"Great, thank you," Scorpius said gratefully as he led Michael down into the basement, "I'll take you back to the hospital right after and we can tell your mother some story to cover. And this place is protected so its okay to use magic."

Michael nodded in understanding as he went over to Varanian, pausing for a moment with a solemn expression before going over to him and taking off the bandages. Scorpius cringed, his burn scars extended far beyond his hands to every visible part of his chest, they weren't his only scars although they all seemed less vivid although the words 'blood traitor' were scarred beneath his collar bone in large capital letters. The fresh wound overlapped it all, an odd starburst shape concentrated on the left side of his chest and spreading out from there, it still seemed to be oozing blood.

Scorpius moved away to retrieve the selection of potions that Varanian had in case Michael thought any of them would be useful, he recognized the blood-replenishing potion himself and that would definitely be useful. Michael did give Varanian that, he also identified the ones carrying the solution that helped Shadow-injuries and the same orange one he'd asked him to get for Vipera as it helped stop bleeding as well as another one that worked to prevent infection - apparently his sessions with Vipera were paying off, the rest were either not useful or unknown. Scorpius just hung back as Michael saw to Varanian's wounds.

"These wounds definitely need stitches to close them up," Michael told him after a few minutes.

"I can go back to the hospital to get them," Scorpius pointed out starting to head up the stairs as Michael ran after him.

"No! You can't steal from a hospital and I've never done stitches before either, magically or muggley."

"Its not really stealing, if we took him to St Mungo's then they'd use it on him anyway," Scorpius informed him seriously and Michael still looked uncertain but not outright against it, he deserved them anyway to make up for the awful way the healers had treated him when his parents had dragged him there, "Varanian needs them and I'm sure they have plenty anyway. And you've seen stitches done, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"So just do what they did, I'll be back."

Scorpius ran back outside to Portkey back to St Mungo's, since he'd came from there the ring returned back to the hospital instead of his home which was actually pretty good. The supply closet actually seemed pretty full, Scorpius didn't actually feel guilty for taking the suture thread or the weird curved needle. Why should he feel guilty? Hoping he had enough, Scorpius Portkeyed back and ran back to the basement. Michael looked incredible nervous as he threaded the curved needle easily and took out his wand before turning back to the still unconscious Varanian. Scorpius looked away as Michael started to stitch the widest wound and only looked back when he heard Michael say a spell he'd never heard before, watching in surprise as the needle started stitching by itself in the direction Michael moved his wand with it.

"Its a self-stitching needle," Michael explained with a weak smile, "once you get it going you just need to guide it and it does all the work. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Cool and... ick," Scorpius offered stepping back while , he had a good respect for healing and it was useful but it still wasn't the funnest thing to watch.

No wonder Marigold complained so much, although still, if it bothered him that much he should pick a better profession. It didn't take Michael long with the self-stitching needle, cleaned the wound again and added more potion and then he just needed to put the bandages back. They looked much neater and tighter than before, then again, it was probably a lot more difficult to bandage yourself while bleeding and in pain than it was for someone else to see to you.

"Alright, I've done all I can," Michael announced taking a deep breath, "let's go back before Crystal gets too worried."

"Okay, thank you," Scorpius offered as they headed back up the stairs, "and erm... you won't tell anyone will you? It could get Varanian killed."

"I won't," Michael sighed.

"So erm... what were you saying about the prosthetic eyes?" Scorpius asked to try change the subject and cheer him up as they left the house and Portkeyed back to St Mungo's, Michael put back the thread they hadn't used although since the needle was now tainted with Varanian's blood, he'd left that.

"I don't want to talk about it," Michael said shortly, "just go back home, I'll see you back on the train."

"What about Crystal?"

"I'll just tell her you had to leave and I went to see you off, got lost on the way back."

"Okay then, see you and thanks again."

Part 3: Stress and Recovery

Scorpius Flooed back home and was surprised to find how little time had passed, he returned to check Varanian was alright before returning to stay home until dinner before returning to check on Varanian again who was still unconscious but still alive before bed. Scorpius lay awake that night thinking about the days events, Michael knowing about Varanian. He should have been more freaked out than he was but actually he felt oddly relieved, he wouldn't have to keep it a secret anymore from Michael and him knowing also gave him someone to talk to about it aside from Varanian, maybe Michael would have some idea how to figure out the Shadow Auror. Although it did still worry him a bit and he felt a bit bad for breaking Varanian's confidence but then, if he hadn't then Varanian would've died, it wasn't as if he'd done it lightly or let it slip out stupidly.

The next two days of Easter were frustrating, his parents kept wanting to spend time with him which impeded his attempts to check on Varanian every hour, it was more like an hour and a bit. Varanian remained unconscious for almost the whole two days - or at least when Scorpius was there - and his bandages weren't blood-soaked when he checked on him which he thought was a plus. The only time he was awake was in the evening of the second day, he was weakly reaching out with his arm for the bottle of water on the table. Scorpius had taken the bottle for him, Varanian had stopped reaching and Scorpius had thought he'd fallen back asleep until he croaked for the water, he still hadn't seemed with it though as he'd dropped it when Scorpius handed it to him then dropped it again the second time. Finally Scorpius just opened it himself and helped him to drink it, when the bottle was almost completely drained his head had fallen back as he slipped into unconscious once more and not been awake the other times that Scorpius checked on him.

The next day was better, Varanian had been awake the first time that Scorpius checked on him after breakfast, reaching for the bottle that Scorpius had left in its place. This time Scorpius just opened it himself and helped him to drink it, that time Varanian managed to completely drain the bottle before falling back asleep. He'd been awake again in the afternoon, reaching for the replacement bottle again with hands that Scorpius realized Michael had also washed because they were no longer coated in dried blood, this time when Scorpius tried to help he actually responded though.

"I can drink it myself, I'm not a bloody invalid," Varanian had growled albeit weakly, Scorpius thought it was a good time that he was sounding more like himself.

Scorpius handed him the bottle, it looked incredibly difficult without help. He tried to sit up several times, each time his face became a mask of pain and he let his head fall back again. He refused Scorpius' offer of help again and finally just poured into his mouth while still lying down, he only drank about half that time before putting it back down, he seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open.

"How are you doing?" Scorpius asked gently.

"How does it look like I'm doing?" Varanian retorted but didn't manage to put the effort into snapping at him, "lot of pain, stupid weak body..."

Varanian slipped back into unconsciousness when he trailed off, maybe Scorpius was just feeling hopeful but he thought Varanian's breathing seemed more even although still not normal. Scorpius left him to return home and waited for dinner, he asked to eat it in his room and brought it back to share with Varanian in case he was hungry, it would probably be good for Varanian to eat. Varanian's eyes flicked open at the sound of his name, he seemed to be putting his effort into staying conscious, he didn't eat much but Scorpius thought a few bites were better than nothing.

Michael barely slept the next few days, haunted by memories, tormented by his choices, his eyes felt so raw from crying and gritty by Tuesday that it wouldn't surprise him if he hadn't slept at all. He regretted helping Varanian, Scorpius had just sprung everything on him so fast that he hadn't really had time to see it through and his instinct had been to help the injured man bleeding to death even if he was the same one who'd spent the past year torturing him. But now he worried about it, what if Scorpius was wrong and Varanian was the Shadow Master or at least working with the Shadows and was just tricking him? He could've just saved the source of all evil and anything Varanian did from that point was his completely his fault. He had so many questions but he knew Scorpius wouldn't give him an answer, he never did.

And ironically the other thing weighing heavily on his mind was also partially because of Scorpius, the decision to get a prosthetic or not. Its importance seemed diminished in comparison to his concerns about helping an evil person but yet still refused to leave his thoughts, he'd made his decision the day he'd seen the specialist but it hadn't stopped him grappling with it since. Rationally it made sense to everyone, he'd be able to see better again and he didn't disagree with them. The part that bothered him was the part everyone seemed to forget about or just not think mattered, actually having to lose his eye to get it replaced. Maybe they considered his eye already gone but he was aware of it even if it was useless and couldn't see, it was still there, it was still his eye, it was still a part of him. And he'd have to give it up. He considered himself a pretty useless person and sacrificing a useless part of himself just seemed oddly cruel to him, if he got rid of everything he thought was bad about himself then there'd be nothing left and he wouldn't be himself anymore.

Michael knew that he was probably being irrational, thinking about something stupidly in a way you weren't supposed to but that didn't stop him thinking those thoughts. He was scared, the thought of losing his eye scared him even if it was the right thing. Then again, the right thing usually was the scariest and the most painful, the wrong thing was the easy way out. His conversation with the new Divination professor had helped, it was like any kind of loss, you mourned, accepted and tried your best to move on. Until it actually happened though, he was scared and a part of him screamed to back out but he refused to listen.

He still couldn't sleep though, he couldn't even eat for fear of losing it again. He got up that day like any other at home - the basement felt strange since he spent so much time in Hogwarts, it literally felt like another world - and got baby Bertie up, changed him and fed him before starting breakfast for the other little ones who woke early to watch the cartoons in the morning. At least it kept them quiet, he'd just set the plates down when the phone rang. Michael sighed as he answered it, he didn't to learn Divination to know who was calling and why.

"Hi Jack," Michael offered in a tone that hid his disappointment, at least he called beforehand at least this time.

"Hey Mikey!" Jack's voice greeted him brightly and Michael resisted the urge to sigh again, he really wished he could be wrong.

"Michael," Michael corrected instinctively, any other dad would get their only child's name right after twelve years.

"Got it, Mikey. I kinda have bad news I'm afraid, when Crystal asked me to take you to hospital I forgot to see if I had anything planned and... I kinda did."

"Its okay, I understand."

"I really... I really did mean to make it this time - I swear! - but this is just an urgent appointment I can't get out of, they don't let you change the time or day."

"Its fine, really, I understand," Michael insisted, he'd stopped expecting Jack to show up a long time ago.

"Really? Great, thanks," Jack burst out sounding relieved, "I'll make it up to you, Mikey, I promise."

"Sure," Michael stated dismissively and miserably, just another broken promise, "I've got to go now, hope your appointment goes well. Bye, Jack."

Michael didn't wait for a reply before hanging up, he had better things to do than wait for Jack, he still had chores to do. He did the dishes when the little ones were done before going upstairs to lay out their clothes for day, calling them up to get changed and helping the younger ones to do so, tidied up their rooms and the living room just in time before Crystal returned from her night shift. She was immediately pounced upon by the little ones except Bertie, she tiredly but happily greeted them all and went over to him to be handed baby Bertie, the little guy was getting heavy.

"Jack can't make it," Michael told her after she'd cooed over Bertie for a minute, Crystal sighed but didn't look the slightest bit surprised.

"Good thing Ruth was coming over anyway," Crystal pointed out, Ruth being Bob's mother and the babysitter, neither of them liked her particularly much but much like Bob anyone family was royalty and anyone not was dirt. Ruth did take good care of the little ones - for free even - and doted on them, she wasn't lazy like her son and thankfully didn't resort to violence like he did although Michael was pretty sure she knew and approved of what Bob was like with him and Crystal, "I'll take you after all."

It didn't take long for Ruth to arrive, the little ones pounced on her with the same enthusiasm as she came in. Unlike Bob, she was pencil thin although her eyes were the same shade of cold blue and just as piercing and hate-filled when they looked at him, she also had the same hooked nose although hers didn't look like it had been broken. She also was rather worried about her age, she had bleach blonde hair and lathered her face in so many layers of makeup that it looked not only completely unnatural but completely ridiculous, aided by the youthful clothes she wore.

"Hello my darlings!" Ruth greeted the little ones in a sweeping hug that reminded him of a bird zooming down over its prey before sparing him and Crystal a disgusted glance, "Crystal, Sanford."

"Its Michael," Crystal corrected her defensively.

"Well not all of us can be as young with as perfect memories as you have, my dear," Ruth complained before smirking, "looking a little rundown, are we?"

"Yes," Crystal admitted disinterestedly and tiredly, "Bertie's just about ready for his nap, they've all had their breakfast and are dressed, Bob's not up yet. I'll be back in a few hours, last time the traffic was bad leaving Oxford but good coming back from London so it depends on the traffic how long. I'm on the cell if you need me for anything."

"Why would anyone need you for anything?" Ruth sneered but Crystal really looked too tired to care.

"Don't talk to my mother like that," Michael spoke up protectively and Ruth narrowed her eyes darkly at him in a very Bob-like way.

"It doesn't matter, Michael, come on," Crystal said gently leading him out the door towards, "I don't have time, I have work at the restaurant later so I have to be back soon as I can."

"You won't be there for the whole... thing?" Michael wondered feeling an increased burst of anxiety as they got into the beat-up old rust bucket of a car they had, Crystal looked like she felt a stab of guilt and he regretted saying it as much as he desperately didn't want to be alone at that moment in time, she came first, "I was just curious, getting picked up tomorrow when its over with then?"

"Yes. You know I would be there if I could, I want to, I really, really do but we need the money and my restaurant boss pays higher for working Easter week."

"Its okay, Crystal," Michael told her and smiled a convincing smile that visibly seemed to ease her worry, "its magic, its not like an operation or anything. I'm completely fine, you'd just be sitting around bored anyway."

"Alright."

Scorpius was surprised when the next day he realized that it was the last day of the Easter break, tomorrow he'd be getting the Hogwarts Express back to school again. He had breakfast with his family but asked for seconds and to eat the seconds in his room, he thought it would be better for Varanian to have a bigger portion and less suspicious for his parents, they couldn't complain when he had actually eaten with them and since they didn't have seconds he would've been alone anyway. He was pleasantly surprised to find Varanian was sitting up in the bed when he returned, wand out and flicking it at his boards of notes to look at them.

"I brought you some breakfast in case you were hungry," Scorpius told him as he came down the stairs, Varanian inclined his head in acknowledgement without looking away from the boards, he seemed to be blinking an usual amount, "shouldn't you be resting or something?"

"I am resting," Varanian growled, "doesn't mean I can't still work."

"I think resting means not working," Scorpius pointed out.

"I'm in a lot of pain either way, distracting yourself is better than just lying there suffering."

"Fine. What are you working on then?"

"Identifying the Shadows at Pandoran Hills, where their base is."

"Was Lorcan there?" Scorpius asked anxiously as he handed Varanian the bowl after he'd stopped what he was doing.

"I think so but I didn't get to him, its a maze in there and as you probably guessed there's Shadows."

"What are you going to do?"

"Wait till I've recovered and try again. After staking it out more and coming up with a different plan."

"Is that really safe? You nearly died."

"I'm can't give up and I can't get anyone to help me."

"There's me," Scorpius pointed out but Varanian started to shake his head before seeming to think better of it.

"You're talented for a twelve year old but against fully trained adults? The biggest problem actually isn't the enemy but whatever enchantment they have on the building, when you get inside you get really disorientated, the walls and floor keep moving. Its hard to fight back or find your way back out when everything's like that," Varanian explained before looking hesitant, "and erm... thank you, for not letting me die. I didn't know you knew anything about healing."

"I erm... yeah about that," Scorpius began equally hesitantly while Varanian raised an eyebrow at him, he knew he'd had to tell him eventually but it still made him shift nervously, "I... don't know much about healing but I was um... pretty a hundred percent sure you were going to die without help so... I..."

"Please tell me you didn't," Varanian interrupted darkly.

"My friend, Michael, knows about injuries and things... I brought him here and he saved your life."

"Are you insane?! How could you do that!"

"You were going to die!"

"Well then you should have let me instead of compromising the security of this place," Varanian stated stubbornly.

"Now you're the insane one!" Scorpius protested crossing his arms, "I didn't have a choice and I trust Michael, he won't tell anyone and he did save your life. Maybe he could actually help."

"No, he can't. He's a white soul which makes him vulnerable to Specter possession. It'd be better if I erased his memory of it."

"No! You can't do that!" Scorpius yelled in panic.

"I don't have a choice," Varanian said calmly.

"Yes you do!"

"Well so did you."

"You're such a jerk, I hate you! Next time I'll just let you die!"

"Good."

"Good?"

"Fine."

"Screw you!" Scorpius snapped as he stormed off back upstairs, his wrist searing as he slammed the trapdoor behind him.

Upstairs his wrist was still burning and he noticed the moldy peeling wallpaper was aflame, he almost hesitated before putting it out as he recalled Varanian's fear of fire and the thought of leaving it burning to spite him crossed his mind for a second but he discarded it, he wasn't that cruel and it was dangerous. He put out the flames and returned outside to Portkey home, throwing himself down on his bed in anger.

What was wrong with Varanian?! Michael had saved his life, he didn't deserve to have his memory erased plus wasn't that supposed to be not healthy on children? I told you that you should have just let him die, his mind pointed out and he resisted the urge to tell himself to shut up. Varanian was completely out of his mind to suggest making Michael forget, Scorpius wouldn't have told him if he wasn't desperate and he didn't trust Michael. So what if he could possessed? So could the Embrys and they had a way of contacting Varanian. He'd tell Varanian that next time he saw him, he wasn't going to let Varanian erase part of his friend's mind.

When had Varanian even started considering it acceptable to erase people's minds? Probably the same time he decided it was alright to break other laws like stealing or the methods he used for spying or making Portkeys. Then again, Scorpius thought those things were alright too, he'd stolen from St Mungo's after all. He recalled abruptly last year how much the decision to take the Blood Rune book from the library had bothered him, yet he'd stolen from an actual hospital and had no issue with Varanian's lawbreaking or his own, even speaking to him was probably a crime. But what was right and wrong anymore? What had happened to him?

He felt as though the whole world was against him, he couldn't trust muggles but magical people were just as bad and all of them were suspect to being Shadows. He couldn't trust the Ministry or Aurors that were supposed to keep them safe, he couldn't even trust most of the staff at Hogwarts, in fact he couldn't even trust his own parents after they'd dragged him to St Mungo's. He didn't know when he'd started crying but tears were seeping from his eyes, he just wanted to be normal, he didn't even want to have to worry about those things.

"Scorpius, are you alright in there?" his mother called and he noticed the locked door handle twitch as she tried o open it, be wiped his eyes quickly and hoped his voice didn't betray his mood.

"Yes, I'm fine!" Scorpius yelled back.

"Are you sure? You sound upset."

"I said I'm fine! Its nothing to drag me to St Mungo's against my will for. Leave me alone!"

He thought she would say something, tell him again that it was for his own good and he was overreacting and he didn't understand anything but she didn't. He just heard her footsteps slowly receding away, it did stop him from crying though, the world wouldn't even give him a minute of privacy to cry. To kill time and distract himself, he just started packing his things up for Hogwarts ready although he was looking forward to it less with the thought that Michael might be having his memory part-erased soon. Scorpius only stopped to head down to lunch before he heard his parents talking which brought him to a halt.

"Its like we barely know him anymore," his mother was saying sounding as if she'd been crying, "he's so distant, he always wants to be alone so much so its not even like he's here sometimes and now he just hates us."

"Scorpius does not hate us," his father told her seeming to make an effort to sound comforting, "he's just upset, he's been through a lot but he's a smart boy, we just need to give him some space and he'll come around to understand we were just trying to do what's best for him and make sure he was alright. He knows we love him and we're just trying to help him."

"Yeah right," Scorpius muttered bitterly under his breath heading back upstairs, he wasn't too hungry to be unable to wait until dinner.

His parents said nothing of what they'd been talking about at dinner, Scorpius wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but it was the same as every dinner, his parents and grandmother trying to make small trivial conversation and Scorpius not being particularly engaged or interested in what they were saying. He had a very strong mind to just forget Varanian and not bring him anything to eat but then he started feeling cruel, crossing the line or not he could understand Varanian's concerns about breached security and he was badly injured, he wasn't in much condition to defend himself or get away if his place was attacked. That didn't make it right and he still intended to argue his point for Michael but he didn't think it was right to let Varanian starve, actually he'd started to worry whether Varanian would be alright by himself when Scorpius was back in Hogwarts.

When he got back, he saw Varanian had finished his bowl of breakfast but was sleeping again. Scorpius was uncertain whether to just leave him or not but ultimately decided sleep could wait, Varanian didn't look like he was having a good dream anyway, Scorpius was there now and the food would be cold later. He tried calling Varanian's name but he remained asleep, instead Scorpius had to shake him gently before he stirred and cringed.

"I apologize for threatening to erase your friend's memory," Varanian said with a sigh before closing his eyes again, "I won't, it was wrong of me to suggest it. You can go away now."

"Thanks and I'm sorry for yelling at you too," Scorpius told him sincerely.

"Shouldn't apologize for you how you feel. Now go away, I'm tired."

"I brought you some dinner," Scorpius offered and Varanian flicked him a tired look with icy blue eyes before sighing again and struggling to sit up, pain contorting his face but he did sit up and take the plate, "I'm going back to Hogwarts tomorrow... do you think you'll be alright?"

"How long did I sleep?" Varanian wondered in surprise but spoke again before Scorpius could answer, "and I'll be fine, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You can go now."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded and reluctantly left.