Hey :$ Again, I'm terribly sorry for not updating! It's just that I don't have time and when I do, I do things with friends and so I barely have time to write. If you're still reading this, I love you so much for putting up with me and I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 23

It had now been a week since Scorpius ran out on Albus and it was killing both boys.

Scorpius had stopped talking to all of his friends and only came out of the library to go to class. He never showed up at dinner. Albus, Rose and Ricky all tried to talk to him, but to no avail. Albus did notice that Scorpius became thinner again. His cheeks were hollow en his robes became too large. He had dark circles around his eyes and his normally well-kept hair was now sticking out haphazardly in all directions.

Albus wasn't doing good either. He spent almost all his free time at the Quidditch pitch, doing all kinds of sporting activities. He wouldn't admit is, but besides heartbreak he also felt insecurity. The way Scorpius had rejected him and made him feel like he wasn't good enough. Like he wasn't loveable enough. So he worked on his appearance. He used Rose to buy nice clothes and worked out so he would become more muscled.

He made sure to keep his appearance on point. Ricky said it was to make Scorpius jealous, but he really didn't do it for him. He did it for himself.

He had a couple of classes with Scorpius, but they didn't sit next to each other anymore. He was now seated besides Elizabeth Jordan, the girl that once broke Scorpius's already fragile heart.

When Albus confronted Scorpius about it, Scorpius said that he was sorry, but that he wanted to be liked by more people and that, to achieve that, he had to hang out with the cool kids. The only condition Elizabeth had for taking Scorpius back, was that he cut off all contact with his old friends.

Naturally, Scorpius had cut himself at least every night for this.

He hated himself. He hated how he hurt Albus. He hated how he had finally heard Albus say he loved him (something he'd always dreamed of), but then had to leave him because Elizabeth and the others wanted to.

The only plus side to this whole situation was that he wasn't beaten up anymore. Granted, he would take a million beatings if it meant he could be with Albus.

Damon still didn't like him, though. Whenever they made eye contact, Damon would glare at him, making Scorpius quickly look away and subtly hide behind Elizabeth.

He had stopped eating. Not because he thought he was fat (that insecurity was almost completely gone, thanks to Albus), but because the stress was getting to him. It made him lose his appetite.

The rest of January and the whole of February passed with both boys suffering from heartbreak and, when March rolled in with nice sunny days, Albus couldn't take it anymore.

During Potions, one of the classes he had with Scorpius, he was working on a project with Elizabeth. Scorpius was partnered with Rose, to the delight of both teens.

It was when Albus was stirring the potion counter-clockwise for thirteen rounds, that Elizabeth spoke about Scorpius.

"He's a real sweetheart, you know. I get why you adore him so much."

"I don't adore him."

Elizabeth "tsk"'d. "Could've fooled me. You're head over heels with that boy. Shame he doesn't like you anymore. He told me so yesterday."

"What do you mean 'not anymore'? He never liked me? He wouldn't have joined your bunch of rats if he did."

Elizabeth smirked. "Honey, he's scared shitless of me. He's so easy to manipulate, you know. Just threaten the thing he loves most in this world, you, and he comes right here to me."

Albus, who had finished stirring his potion by now, glared at her. "You bitch."

Elizabeth smiled, as if Albus had just complimented her. "Why, thank you!"

"You used his willingness to be liked to manipulate him! For what? What are you trying to achieve?"

"It's really nothing. Just avenging my friend."

"What friend? Scorpius hasn't hurt anyone in his life!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "It's not Scorpius I'm getting revenge on, stupid. I'm avenging Danni, by taking everything away from you, starting with Scorpius, then Ricky and then Rose."

What happened then was a blur to Albus. Black spots covered his sight when he raised his wand at Elizabeth and yelled: "Levicorpus!"

Scorpius looked up when he heard someone yell.

Elizabeth hung mid-air, upside-down.

The whole class laughed and even Damon had to stifle a laugh.

"Mister Potter! What, in Merlin's name, did you do?! Headmaster's office, now!" Professor Slughorn said, looking disappointed in one of his favorite pupils.

Albus smiled. "Of course, professor." It was worth it.

-o-O-o-

"Hanging her in mid-air? Al, you're my hero," Ricky laughed, high-fiving Albus when he joined him at dinner that evening.

"Yeah, I got detention for it, but it was worth it."

"I was working and I looked up to look around the classroom, you know, out of boredom, and then I see you looking all angered and next thing I know, you lifted her mid-air!"

Albus chuckled. He looked at around the Great Hall and spotted Elizabeth at the Ravenclaw table, next to Danni, looking at him furiously. Scorpius sat at the far end of the Slytherin table, alone, reading a book.

"Look, Scorp showed up for dinner," Albus said, pointing at the smaller boy.

Ricky frowned. "He never does these days, I wonder if something's up."

After Ricky turned back to his food, Albus glanced at Scorpius one last time. Even in his state of misery, Scorpius looked beautiful. Yeah, you could say Albus's feelings for Scorpius hadn't lessened.

He noticed Scorpius looking up and making eye contact with him, before blushing and turning back to his book.

Albus stood up and made his way over to Scorpius. He sat down next to him, feeling the curious eyes of Ricky and Rose, who was seated all the way at the Gryffindor table, but still managed to keep track of everything that happened at the Slytherin table.

Scorpius looked up, eyes widening in shock. "Albus, I can't be seen with you here!"

"I don't care. I need to tell you something. You know how Elizabeth is suddenly acting all kind to you?" He didn't know why he was telling Scorpius this, but Albus felt like Scorpius needed to know.

"Yes?"

"She is doing that to get back at me, Scorp. Because I dumped Danni. She is taking everything I love away from me, having started with you. I love you, Scorpius. Too much to let that bitch manipulate you like that."

It was the second time Albus had said he loved Scorpius. By now, Scorpius didn't doubt Albus's feelings anymore.

Scorpius got tears in his eyes. "I-I don't understand. She told me she wanted to be friends with me… I thought we could go back to what we used to be…"

"I'm sorry, Scorpius."

Scorpius looked away. Why would you tell me this?"

"I-I don't know…"

Scorpius felt he was going to break down, so he stood up. "I-I need to go fetch something from my room, I'll be right back."

Scorpius thought he had hidden his crying well enough, but Albus noticed teardrops on the book Scorpius had left behind in his hurry.

This was kinda a filler, I'm sorry. I think we're getting to the end of this soon. I milked out every possible storyline I can get with these two. I only have one more in my head but I want to save that for the grand finale. I don't want it to end, though. I am enjoying this way too much :(