~What Am I Feeling?~
~Chapter 24- Surprises~
A week went by in what felt like no time. Before they knew it, it was Saturday, the day of Albus' Quidditch match against Slytherin and more importantly, Scorpius' birthday.
Time had always gone so quickly in each other's company before, it was only natural that when they were in a relationship and even happier together than they had ever been, it would go even faster. They had hardly spent a minute apart since Scorpius broke up with Chris. There wasn't any need to be apart, they only missed each other when they were.
The kissing had not grown old at all and they couldn't imagine it would. Neither had the 'I love yous'. They couldn't resist saying it to each other, it just spilled from their mouths and each time it would make the other's heart flutter. Like the kissing, they didn't think the excellence of it was would ware off soon.
They hadn't seen Chris much since the break up. Every time they did, he would lower his head and scurry off as quick as possible. Scorpius didn't blame him but he still didn't think Albus should have got involved like that, no matter how much he was trying to protect him. He thinks that it only made it worse. But at the same time, he was glad he told Chris what he did. He was happy that even though it was at the end of their relationship, he was honest with him for once. He told Chris how he was truly feeling for the first time and he was glad for that.
The news had spread quickly of Scorpius and Chris' break up and a lot of shock circulated. The boys had seemed like a very close couple to anyone looking from the outside, so to find out that things weren't all it seemed to be was surprising for many. Some rumours were that Scorpius' father had forbidden the relationship over the Easter holidays and Scorpius had broken it off. Others were that Scorpius realised he wasn't actually gay at all and that it was just a phase. Either way, Scorpius was the one who broke it off and everyone seemed to know this.
Danielle had been particular hostile towards Albus. She had been spreading vicious rumours about their love life. They started out with silly things how Albus was no good in bed and things like that but they were just ignored. The most shocking one was when she claimed Albus forced her into bed. Thankfully, most people knew Albus better than that and didn't believe these lies and it ended up being Danielle who was the one shunned.
The morning of Scorpius' birthday, Scorpius woke up after having a dream about him and Albus. He just loved that when he woke up, he could live out his dream in his real life and it couldn't be more perfect.
Scorpius' eyes flickered open. His face was pressed up against a white fabric and his arms and legs intertwined with another's. He naturally smiled, snuggling closer. He felt bare skin against the tips of his fingers and they unconsciously moved over, discovering that it was Albus' throat.
He felt warm lips caressing his forehead and sighed, finally lifting his head to see his love. Albus' youthful eyes smiled back at him. Hearts fluttering violently, they moved into to each other to press their lips together slowly.
Smiling into the kiss, one of Albus' hand threaded through Scorpius' hair. When they ran out of breath, they separated though with so much practice in the last week, they could last longer and kiss sweeter.
"Happy birthday, Scor…" Albus muttered with a grin, raking his fingers through the smaller boy's hair.
Scorpius cuddled closer and tightened his grip around Albus' waist, "It's a very happy birthday indeed."
"I want to make you as happy as possible today," Albus lifted Scorpius' hand and kissed his palm, "What can I do to make you happier than ever today, Scor?"
"Just being with you today is fine for me..." Scorpius beamed.
"Wait…"
Albus rolled over, poking his hand off out the curtains and picking up Scorpius' present which lay next to the bed. They had to be particularly careful around their roommates. They went to bed in different beds, but when Ben and Thomas were most definitely asleep, they would creep into each other's bed and spend the night in each other's arms. Albus would wake up early of course, and would either carry Scorpius back to his bed or sneak back to his own. But today it was different. They weren't scared of it looking suspicious, it was Scorpius' birthday after so it was only natural that Albus would be with him that morning… right?
Scorpius sat upright with his legs crossed, stretching his upper back out. Albus admired his boyfriend for a moment, a term he still hadn't quite got used because of the brilliance of it. As Scorpius flexed his skinny muscles, he felt in awe of Scorpius' body. Oh this was a new feeling. The desire to kiss Scorpius' sweet lips was nothing new to him, but he had never really looked so much at Scorpius' body. But now he did… he finally realised just how gorgeous and desirable Scorpius was. He shook such thoughts off. He knew Scorpius wasn't ready for things like that and he would probably be more than hesitant about talking about it. It was only a week into their relationship, there was plenty of time for things like that. Plus, Albus wasn't sure he was even ready to do things like that with a boy really, he was still getting used to the idea of having a boyfriend. There was also such an innocence about Scorpius, it almost felt like tainting him just thinking about him.
Albus handed his present over to Scorpius, with an excited grin, probably more excited that Scorpius was really at that point. Though he knew Scorpius would love it. Really, he was just looking forward to seeing Scorpius' reaction.
Scorpius bit his lip, shaking his head, "You didn't have to get me anything…" Scorpius said, though he was secretly thrilled about receiving a present from Albus, the first he would receive while they were a couple.
"Pish posh, of course I did. And I wanted to, thank you very much," Albus bobbed up and down in his seat like an eager child, "Now open it!"
Scorpius chuckled and started to pull off the badly wrapped packaging. Albus watched curiously, his stare remaining on Scorpius not the present. He wanted to see Scorpius' face.
When what was under the wrapping paper was revealed, Scorpius' eyes widened and his lips formed a huge 'o' shape. Sitting there was Scorpius' favourite Beyond Magic album, which of course he already had, but the difference was that there was four shining signatures painted across the front cover. Scorpius recognised each name immediately and an unbelieving smile stretched across his face.
Albus' heart bloomed at the sight of Scorpius then. When Scorpius turned it over, an envelope fell from the back of the CD. He literally couldn't breath as he opened the envelope and saw the contents in scratchy handwriting.
Hey Scorpius,
I heard a lot about you from Albus and thought it was amazing when he asked to get this CD for you. You've got a great friend there! To make it even better we thought we'd send you two tickets for our gig in the Summer! We might get to meet there.
Thanks for standing by us and being a fan of ours for so long and happy birthday!
Love Etienne Allard.
"Oh Merlin… oh Merlin… Oh mother Merlin…" Scorpius panted, his legs shaking as he continued to stare in awe at the note and CD cover.
Albus laughed loudly, "I guess you like it just a little then?"
"I love it! Oh Merlin thank you Al!"
Scorpius launched himself at the older boy, throwing his arms tightly around Albus' neck. Albus was knocked back onto the bed, ending up with Scorpius lying over him, their bodies pressed against each other.
Giggling in happiness, Scorpius pecked Albus' face all over from his cheeks, to eyelids, to nose, to lips. Albus squirmed and chortled too, hugging Scorpius closer to him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Scorpius gleefully cried out, still planting kisses everywhere he could reach.
"Scor! It was nothing! I didn't even know about the tickets when he sent them! That was all Etienne. I just asked for the CD! And as I said before, I wanted to!" Albus sniggered, rolling Scorpius off him. Instead he climbed over him himself, straddling the blonde's hips and holding those small hands in place.
Scorpius' face was flushed with excitement but it turned into a deep blush when he realised the position they were in. He knew it was all innocent and Albus wouldn't ever go too far, but it didn't stop him from feeling incredibly nervous.
Albus joined their lips in a passionate kiss which Scorpius returned willingly. Caresses of tongues were exchanged, small moans but it was now a mastered dance. They had done this so often in the last week, that it now felt like such a part of everyday life, something which they would miss if it wasn't there. They couldn't imagine not being with each other from now on in this way. Deep in their hearts, although it was a scary thing to admit, they hoped be together like this forever.
The kiss ended and Albus buried his face in Scorpius' neck, inhaling the sweet smell of his boyfriend. Scorpius always seemed to smell of coconut, Albus had only noticed more in this last week.
"You'll come with me to the concert, won't you? I don't really want to go with anyone else." Scorpius stroked Albus' messy hair, trying to smooth it out a bit.
"Of course… do you think I would miss the opportunity to see Beyond Magic with my wonderful boyfriend?" Albus kissed the skin on Scorpius' neck automatically, "Our first concert together! It will be amazing… I can't wait, Scor."
"We should get up you know… you need to have breakfast before the match."
Scorpius started to push himself off the bed, yawning when Albus suddenly tugged him down, cocooning Scorpius in his arms. Scorpius giggled but struggled violently, thrashing his arms, but it was no shock that he was overpowered by Albus.
"Al, come on! We should go!" Scorpius gasped for air, forcing Albus' chest away from his.
"Let's just stay here a little longer…" Albus said quietly, Scorpius eventually calming down, "We don't get to be like this with each other in public and I want to on your birthday…"
Scorpius sighed. He knew it had been getting Albus down not being able to walk around hand in hand or being able to kiss each other with no worries about other people's opinions. Scorpius didn't like it either, but both of them knew it had to be done and they had to endure it. Only a few days ago, Scorpius received a letter from his father complaining about the Potters and how he hoped Scorpius wasn't friends with Albus again. For Albus, it was upsetting but mostly eye-opening. He realised quite how much Draco hated him and how much he would disapprove of their relationship. At this point, the only way of staying with Scorpius, without too much trouble, was to keep it a secret. They just wanted it to continue like this, in the early days of their relationship without any complications, but just enjoying each other's company.
"Okay… just for a while then."
~X~
They skipped breakfast, which probably wasn't the best idea in the world for Albus before the game so Scorpius forced him to eat a sandwich. Unfortunately, they couldn't spend that much time together because Albus had to get ready.
Scorpius didn't often go to Quidditch games, even when Albus was playing but this was different now. He was his boyfriend, the person he loved, and Albus had asked him to be there for him to support him. Of course Scorpius couldn't resist going for that reason. It wasn't his ideal way to spend his birthday, but he wanted to be there for Albus as much as possible and make it clear that he was his biggest supporter.
Scorpius held a hand made Ravenclaw flag, with 'Go Albus' written across the colours. He was at the front of the Ravenclaw crowd, practically hanging over the side of the railing. He was so small, that everyone seemed to push him forward. But in a way it was good, it meant Albus would probably see him while he was playing.
The Ravenclaw crowd was not quite as filled as the Slytherin crowd. Exam season was approaching after all and many Ravenclaws would put studying before watching Quidditch. The Slytherins probably liked the fact that they had more people on their side because they thought it would intimidate the Ravenclaws, but unlike Hufflepuffs and even Gryffindors, Ravenclaws were far too logical to know that the number of supporters did not affect the standard of playing really; their players would not let something so trivial affect their game.
The game blasted into action, the players shooting through the air as the balls were released. Formations of blue and green shaped and the cheering in the crowds only grew in size.
Scorpius hung his flag over the side, trying to concentrate on the game though he truly had no idea what was going on. The players were flying so quickly his eyes couldn't fix on one player at a time. When a ball flew through the hoop, he heard the commentator yell '10 points to Ravenclaw!' and guessed what had just happened.
The only player he recognised eventually, was Albus who was whizzing around higher in the sky than others. He saw a Slytherin player also circling the same area as Albus and realised that must be the Slytherin Seeker and Albus' true opposition.
A few more minutes went by and the ball passed through the hoops a few more times for both sides. Scorpius still wasn't too sure what he was watching, but he was getting used to it more. He really did feel that he could go to sleep soon though. He was tired, he and Albus had been up late last night, mostly kissing really but Scorpius really could do with a few more hours in bed. But he stayed of course, trying to look as perky as possible if Albus saw him.
And soon enough Albus did. Scorpius rolled onto the ball of his feet, unable to resist a grin. He raised one hand to wave and the other reached for the banner so he could show Albus. Albus was still flying, but there was an unmistakable smirk flashing Scorpius' way. It still hadn't sunk in yet that they were together. It was something they had both unconsciously desired for a long time and now being like this together didn't feel real. But there were moments when it felt like the most real thing on earth. It was in these moments that they felt quite how real their love was, how it wasn't forced in anyway and how it provoked new emotions neither even knew they had. Every kiss, every touch, every smile brought so many unknown emotions, but they were only good, never bad anymore.
Once Albus was consumed in the game again, Scorpius relaxed back in his spot, though not for long. The voice of the last person he wanted to see on his birthday echoed through the air and Scorpius almost considered running away from him.
"Oi Malfoy, wouldn't expect to see the likes of you here."
The snarl ripped through the air but everyone else was too distracted by the game to notice the vicious tone of the Gryffindor in the Ravenclaw crowd; only Scorpius.
Scorpius whimpered, glancing over his shoulder briefly to acknowledge James but did no more. He didn't want to do anything to provoke the Potter at all. What if he got angry last time and lost control of his wishes? As well as not wanting to hurt James because he was Albus' brother, if it happened a second time surely James would figure out it was definitely something to do with Scorpius...?
"Heard about you and Chris," James sniggered evilly, pushing in so he was standing next to Scorpius, his arms rested on the bars. Scorpius stilled at the closeness of the seventh year, "What happened there, did you realise you couldn't shag one guy at a time?"
Scorpius rolled his eyes at the ridiculous claim and only turned his head to the side, letting his eyes follow Albus.
"And you had something to do with Albus and Danielle breaking up. She did say he was spending too much time with you. You knew what you were doing didn't you? You broke up with Chris the minute Albus and Danielle broke up because now he was free and you could lure him into your trap!" James blurted out as if he knew it was true. He was so sure of himself, no one else could convince him otherwise and the ridiculous accusations just flooded out, "You are a dirty little fag!"
That really got to Scorpius again. Not only because it was a deep insult to his preferences and who he was, it now involved Albus too. Albus liked boys too obviously, so did that make him a 'fag'? They were a couple in love, so did that make them in this together? Both of them had the same label; was that label fag?
Their relationship was something so special, so beautiful that it actually seriously offended Scorpius to hear James talk of it in that way. He knew that James had no clue what he was talking about and his guesses always were coincidentally somewhat accurate, but it still got to him. It still hurt badly.
Scorpius felt his eyes well up with tears but he didn't want to see James let him cry. He couldn't show any weakness, James would only take advantage.
Scorpius turned away to escape but his elbow was grabbed sharply. He winced and struggled, but James was stronger, no doubt about it.
His other shoulder was also manoeuvred to face James again who smirked wickedly. He released Scorpius elbow, however now he grasped Scorpius' chin to face him.
Still, no one around them noticed.
Finally, the tears which threatened his eyes poured over, not dramatically but enough for James to notice and mock him for.
"Oh, did I hurt you? Did I finally get through to you?" James squeezed Scorpius' face tighter and Scorpius let out a sharp yelp of pain.
In that moment, for the first time Albus saw what James did to Scorpius.
His eyes shot over to Scorpius unintentionally as he was near his boyfriend in the sky. He looked support from the other boy, as Scorpius did the last time and some sort of sign of enjoyment but what he saw shocked him into stillness.
His brother, holding Scorpius by the shoulder and the face, while Scorpius cried. What was happening? He knew James didn't like Scorpius… but he didn't know he ever bullied Scorpius. That time in Hogsmeade when Scorpius instinctively used his power against James… was he doing this to him? Was this a regular occurrence?
And if it was, why hadn't Scorpius ever told him? He knew he could get James to stop with some harsh words of warning but he never even knew that James treated Scorpius quite this badly.
Anger boiled up inside Albus. Yes, James did not know of their relationship, but he did know that he and Scorpius were good friends and he still treated Scorpius in that way. More than that, he felt awful for Scorpius, who had to endure this abuse but never told anyone. It hurt Albus to think about Scorpius in any sort of pain.
Without thinking, Albus shot towards the pair on his broom, the game completely forgotten. But of course, it wasn't as easy as that.
A bludger rocketed towards him with impeccable speed and completely unpredictably. He did not even notice it but continued on towards Scorpius and James. Scorpius saw Albus flitting towards them, unmistakable relief shaking through his system, only to leave a second later when he saw the bludger bomb into Albus with incredible force.
Albus had not been expecting it at all and lost balance on his broom.
Scorpius gasped and found the strength to shove James off. James had also seen the incident and he leant over the barrier in concern.
The bludger had knocked Albus completely off his broom.
He was falling fast and hard towards the ground. There was silence in the Ravenclaw stands, apart from a few gasps and there were yells of shock radiated through other parts of the pitch. They all knew that falling from that height, if Albus hit the ground now, he would not survive. Some of the other players had noticed and either frozen on their brooms, or tried to zoom towards Albus and catch him, though it was only impossible from their current position.
Scorpius didn't have to even contemplate his next move. He pulled out his wand, leaned over the bar so he could see Albus falling and yelled with no restraint, "Aresto Momentum!"
Albus' speed noticeably slowed down as he fell and when he hit the ground, it was not nearly as bad as it would have been. He lay there, crumbled in pain, still confused as to what had just happened though.
The match was brought to an immediate break and medi-wizards were sent out onto the pitch immediately.
Scorpius was wavering in fright and worry but pushed through the crowd in order to get down to the pitch. James also followed behind, his eyes wide with bewilderment as to what had just happened, especially as he knew that it was somewhat his own fault for distracting Albus.
Scorpius rushed down the stairs and finally got to the entrance of the pitch. Tears streamed down his face as he saw the sight of Medi-Wizards crowded around a broken Albus.
There was a moment there where he thought Albus was going to die. There was a moment where it was very likely Albus could have. Everything they had flashed before Scorpius' eyes then. All the memories of the past week and since they had met. The future they could have had together, the perfection of their relationship. It made Scorpius realise that he could never give that all up, he could never be apart from Albus and could never lose him.
The blonde threw himself down next to Albus and grabbed his boyfriend's hand. Albus had scratches covering his face and arms and his leg looked like it was distorted. His hair was messier than usual and eyes half-lidded.
A medi-witch pulled Scorpius away firmly, "I'm sorry, we need to get him to the hospital wing."
"Please! I'm his best friend! Let me see him! I need to see him!" Scorpius struggled as the mediwitch held him back. James stood behind, obvious guilt in his eyes. He knew exactly what had happened; Albus got distracted because of what he was doing to Malfoy.
"Scorpius…?" Albus groaned. He lifted his hand slightly from the floor, hoping Scorpius would hold it. He didn't know what was happening, only that he was in an excruciating amount of pain and he could hear Scorpius' voice. He only wanted Scorpius to hold him now, no one else. That was the only thing he could think of.
"I'm his brother!" James yelled when another wizard stopped him from getting to Albus as well, "You have to let me go with him!"
"You will both be able to go with him, you just need to calm now. You'll only panic Mr Potter more." The Wizard who pushed James back said.
Scorpius and James heard one of the Wizards say, "His left leg is broken, probably from where the bludger hit."
One medi-wizard levitated Albus onto a stretcher, "He would have been a goner if it weren't for that Momentum charm. Thank Merlin for whoever cast it, they just saved this boy's life."
Scorpius felt a certain sense of pride that he had been the one to save Albus. But mostly, he was just thankful that he had been able to. What if he hadn't? Albus could've died… he couldn't even imagine it. And for the first time, James felt something different other than resentment towards Scorpius, just gratification.
"Let's get him to the hospital wing."
The whole pitch was watching as Albus was carried away, surrounded by medi-wizards with Scorpius and James scurrying behind.
~X~
Scorpius sat in a chair beside Albus' bedside. The older boy was squeezing Scorpius' hand as tight as possible while Madam Pomfrey fixed Albus' leg. Loud cracks bounced through the room as well Albus' quiet cries. Scorpius could only wince and whisper encouraging comments into his love's ear but to hear Albus in pain was almost heartbreaking.
James and Lily were standing at the foot of the bed, fidgeting with anxiety, but Scorpius was the only one Albus would call out for. James and Lily didn't contemplate for too long why, they were just too worried about their brother.
Lily was in her second year now at Hogwarts and it didn't come as a surprise when she got into Gryffindor. She was loud and boisterous and most of all, very arrogant. Not so much with her looks, but with the fact her mother and father were Harry and Ginny Potter. She was always boasting about it, telling everyone stories of the war which they had probably already heard. But she was kind-hearted, Scorpius realised. Unlike James, she was very friendly with him and didn't hold anything his parents had done in the war against him.
Lily was also a keen Quidditch player and had got into the Gryffindor team in her first year, which made her like her dad in that way. She was a Chaser though, and out of the three Potter offspring, was arguably the best Quidditch player.
Soon, Albus' leg was fixed and he just had to stay in the Hospital Wing over night to rest and take some medicine. The Quidditch match had continued and a reserve took over Albus' place. Unfortunately, without Albus that meant Ravenclaw lost to Slytherin, it would have been a clear victory to Ravenclaw otherwise but they were at a serious disadvantage without their best player. Slytherin would go on to play Gryffindor for the House Cup.
"They should have postponed the game…" Albus complained, forgetting about his injury.
"You know Madam Hooch wouldn't have allowed that unless you had actually died." Lily said in a haughty way.
Albus sulked, crossing his arms and looking to Scorpius, "I wanna be alone."
Scorpius felt small in that moment and quietly replied, "W-we'll go if you want."
"No not you!" Albus chuckled, grasping Scorpius' wrist to make sure he didn't move. He turned his gaze to James and glared at him, "I just want James to leave."
James looked despairing in that moment, "Ally, look I'm sorry… You got distracted cause of me, I know but if you let me just ex-"
"Just get out, James. I don't even want to see you right now," Albus hissed, sinking deeper into the bed, "I'm gonna talk to Scor now, and find out what happened. Until then, I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear you. I just want you to get out."
Scorpius cowered in his seat. He was scared to admit everything James had done to him to Albus. What if it caused a rift between Al and James? He didn't want to be the one who caused that, he didn't want to break brothers up.
With one last glare at Scorpius, James charged from the room. Lily was thoroughly confused, but sat herself at the end of the bed.
"What was that about?" She raised her eyebrows, glancing at Scorpius and Albus.
"Lils, I need to talk to Scorpius alone…" Albus shooed her away.
She rolled her eyes and shrugged, muttering a quick 'Feel better Ally.' Ally was a nickname used among the three siblings, something private, like the way Albus and Scorpius called each other Al and Scor. Albus and James called Lily Lils, and Albus and Lily called James Jamesy. The siblings were really very close, but arguing between them was something common which was quickly overcome. Lily didn't acknowledge it much.
Albus hitched himself up onto his elbows and leant over to Scorpius. He pressed a soft kiss to the smaller boy's trembling lips. Their eyes connected in a strong bond as Albus caressed the side of Scorpius' face.
"Are you okay?" Scorpius mumbled, taking a fleeting look to make sure no one was around.
"Never mind me…" Albus whispered, feeling how Scorpius was shaking, "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine."
"No you're not…" Albus dropped his forehead onto Scorpius' brow, his hand running up and down Scorpius arm, "I'm sorry… your birthday…"
"Al, you're the one who's been injured, not me. It doesn't matter about my birthday, it's just like any other day to me." Scorpius chuckled, craning his head to peck Albus' nose.
"I think it's time you told me what happened between you and James though." Albus said somewhat firmly.
Scorpius still wanted to deny it, but at this point, he knew Albus would only force it out of him. This way, he just saved energy, "He's been doing it for a while now… gradually getting worse… and more hurtful."
"Doing what, Scor?"
Scorpius just about breathed out, "Bullying me…"
Albus gritted his teeth and pursed his lips. So James had been bullying Scorpius this whole time, right under his nose. Frustration but mostly anger towards James bubbled up inside him. It was hard to believe that his brother had actually bullied his boyfriend, "I'm gonna kill him."
"Al, don't be stupid…" Scorpius' hand shot out to clasp Albus', "I didn't tell you because I knew you would react like this and I didn't want anything to happen between you and James."
"You should have told me anyway!" Albus exclaimed, squeezing the other Ravenclaw's hand, "What exactly has he done to you? Tell me everything!"
"W-well, it just started off with him calling me names and stuff like that… he got a bit rough sometimes… after a while…"
"All those bruises… those cuts… that wasn't just your natural clumsiness was it?" Scorpius didn't know whether to be slightly offended by that comment, "It was him?"
"Yeah… it was him…" Scorpius pulled himself up onto the bed next to Albus. He buried his face into the crook of his lover's neck, "And when I broke my ankle… it was cause he pushed me…"
"He just left you there?" Albus finally lost it, engulfing Scorpius in a possessive embrace, "I can't believe he would do that to you! To anyone!"
Scorpius didn't reply, only sank into the comfort of Al's arms more. Both were shaking, Scorpius in anxiety, Albus with anger and disbelief. James had hurt his Scorpius, the most precious thing in the world to him. The most innocent and sensitive person he had ever met, James had tainted him, his own brother. He wasn't sure he could ever forgive James.
"You were crying before… Why were you crying?" Albus asked, weaving his fingers in and out of Scorpius'.
Scorpius gulped, hiding even further into Albus' chest, "H-he just said some stuff… called me some names… it's not a big deal."
"It is though, Scor. What did he say? What did he call you?"
"Just… he called me…" Scorpius took a deep breath and finally forced out, "A fag…"
Albus felt his heart collapse at that point. No one deserved to be called something like that, something so awful and offensive about who you were. It was bad enough that James had physically bullied Scorpius, but verbally as well. And Albus knew that Scorpius wouldn't let the physical abuse effect him but the verbal… Scorpius could take it badly sometimes, "I am going to kill him." Albus repeated.
"No you're not…"
"He knows that you're my best friend and he still did that. I just can't believe he would treat anyone that way," Albus shook his head. He kissed Scorpius' forehead affectionately when his lips neared it, "I always admired James so much… he was my big brother, the one I looked up to… But I could never do what he did. Not to you, not to anyone. I'm just… so ashamed of him. And of all people, he had to do it to you… the person I love the most and means so much to me."
"I-I… Al, I really don't know what to say." Scorpius' eyes were glistened over with tears.
"Sssh, let's just enjoy the rest of your birthday together," Albus finally smiled, twirling Scorpius' hair between his fingers, "It's not exactly going as well as I wanted it to for you."
"Al, are you okay? You nearly died for Merlin's sake and we're talking about me…" Scorpius offered a bashful smile.
"Well I didn't and that's what's important! Who did cast that spell by the way?" Albus said casually, shifting his position to become more comfortable. Scorpius nibbled on his lower lip, beaming through his teeth. Albus felt the smirk against his cheek and cast his eyes downwards, "You? You cast the spell didn't you!"
Scorpius couldn't help but release a small giggle, "Well… yeah, it was just instinct you know…?"
Albus cupped Scorpius' face in his hands so he could look into those silver eyes, "You are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you… Thank you Scorpius…" Albus said gratefully. Albus couldn't love another as much as he loved Scorpius in that moment, "I can't believe y- Just thanks…"
"I wasn't exactly going to let you go was I?" Scorpius mirrored Albus' actions, holding Al's face, "You're everything to me. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Merlin I love you." Albus breathily chuckled, not wasting anytime with capturing Scorpius' lips in an emotional kiss.
~X~
A/N: It feels like ages since I updated but I think it's only just over a week!
This was quite an intense chapter to write and read. A bit of abrupt fluffiness at the end, but I just imagined that Albus would try to change the subject and Scorpius would follow etc. The return of James! We'll see more of him next chapter, promise. This chapter was also much longer than I anticipated, which was probably why it took me so long to write it but oh well...
We're reading Animal Farm by George Orwell in school at the moment and one of my friends pointed out that my descriptions have become quite like the way Orwell writes and maybe I've been unconsciously using him as inspiration. I don't know whether it's a good think because he uses a very journalistic style which works well in Animal Farm and other of his books but I'm not sure whether it works well in my stories... Not sure, I'll leave that opinion up to you.
Enough of the babbling though; Thanks to Words of A Feather, NekoAkitsuki and EKdark for reviewing the last chapter!
Next chapter:: Albus escapes from the Hospital Wing as soon as possible but instead of going straight to see Scorpius he goes to see someone else: James.