Author's Note: Thank you ALL for the reviews and the general lack of lynching! That chapter was so hard for me to write but it needed to be done! That scene was planned out from the very beginning albeit Scorpius was actually supposed to be in love with Lily. Scorpius, however, never really does what he's told does he? Obviously it didn't quite go that way, so in a way, it was almost LESS tragic. Right!? *hides.*

Also Sunday came a lot faster than planned! Wasn't quite ready AHH! which is why it came out 12:30 Am on monday.

We are heading towards the climax of the story hope you stay along for the ride! Next chapter has the funerals! (maybe).

"Did you have to kill the girl? She was so fresh and juicy," Drawled a cold male voice.

"It's alright, there's another one, just as pretty." Called a second.

"She does look tender."

"I say we torture the remaining girl and make the boys watch! Stick to the plan send the broken girls home and off the boys. Oh don't look at us like that Potter! Your sister would have been able to go home after a bit of torture and a few pokes, but, she didn't behave. Guess all the fun will have to be for the Weasley girl!"

"You're ruining the afterglow of my kill boys! I'm trying to revel in the murder of the Malfoy's only heir and with all your yammering I can hardly hear the ickle cries of the kiddies!" Whined the woman Deatheater though she didn't really sound all that upset in Albus's opinion.

Albus felt as if ice had replaced the blood in his veins. He felt frozen, unreal. Scorpius was dead. Lily was dead. And there was absolutely nothing Albus could do. He was completely powerless. He didn't save her and didn't save him. And the Deatheaters were reveling in his agony, in their deaths.

Albus screamed in rage, screamed in fury, screamed in misery. He could not stand there laughter. That woman! With every fiber of his being he wanted to hurt her. She killed his baby sister, like she was nothing, like it didn't matter. And then she had killed Scorpius. Taken his sister and his best friend – and everyone else was next.

Rose felt as if a thousand shards of glass had exploded inside her chest. Each breath slow, shallow, and painful. Lily was like a sister to her. Lily was her tender little cousin who she had to protect. Lily was the only person Rose could really open up to. To tell her secrets and feelings to- and she was gone. She died to save Scorpius. Lily loved him that much. Rose thought it had been a girlish crush. Not a love so deep it was worth sacrificing yourself for. Lily loved him that much and Rose had been with Scorpius without a second thought.

And it didn't even matter. Lily's sacrifice meant nothing! Scorpius was dead. The only person Rose had started to open up to who wasn't family. The boy who made her want to kill him and save him all at once. Who got under her skin and into her heart. She had never even got to tell Scorpius The boy she-

"Hello kitten," drawled a husky voice above Rose. Rose's entire body went stiff looking at the Deatheater before her. Rose let out a soft growl and spit at him.

"Crucio!"

Albus gritted his teeth. A male Deatheater was torturing Rose. Her agonized screams made him dig his fingernails into his palms. He tried to move but the inferius's grip on him was like steel. If only he hadn't lost his wand.

Carrow was looking at Rose as her body spasmed and twitched looking horrified.

The ice inside Albus's veins started to burn, to boil, so much worse than the rage he had felt moments ago. He was going to lose everyone if he didn't do something.

The inferi holding him let out an inhuman shriek and he felt its grip leave him. He didn't know why and he didn't care.

Albus moved faster than he thought possible. He was at Lily's side what felt like instantly his hand touching hers. Her hand was still warm. His heart ached as he slid her wand from her hand and pointed it at the Deatheater torturing Rose.

"Stupify!" He snarled. The Deatheater fell unconscious and Rose's breath hitched as she gasped for breath. He turned his wand on the Deatheater woman. The woman who had taken Lily and Scorpius from him.

The Deatheaters murmured.

"Ooh! Wandless magic Potter, I'm impressed!" The main Deatheater woman cooed. "You think you can take me on?"

So that's how he had gotten the inferius off him.

Some of the Deatheaters began stepping forward.

"No I'll take Potter's brat on myself," She clicked. "Don't worry sugar, you're last," she cooed towards James. James was staring eyes impossibly wide full of tears. He had just lost his sister, and now he was probably going to lose Albus.

"Don't you touch him! Take me instead!" James yelled. Albus glanced at James surprised.

"Aw, how sweet!" The Deatheater woman crooned nastily, "There is no instead, just first and second. You'll get your turn don't be so-"

"Crucio!" Albus hissed. He watched as the woman Deatheater fell screaming in agony. She had taken Lily. She had taken Scorpius. She had let Rose get tortured. She deserved this! The Deatheaters seemed stunned as their leader twitched and screamed on the ground. At first none of them made a move. Albus watched as the first one began to draw his wand.

"Morsmordre!"

Albus wasn't sure where the spell had come from. The Deatheaters seemed just as confused looking amongst themselves. Albus looked up watching the giant skull with a snake protruding from its mouth hover over them. Albus had heard of the mark, but he had never seen it until now.

"Stupify! Confundo! Confringo!"

Albus watched as a Deatheater fell, another looked confused and the rest of the Deatheaters began to flee from a stream of fire from behind Albus.

"Albus stop."

Albus turned his head standing behind him was Scorpius Malfoy. His face was bloody and he lowered his wand halting the fire. He looked exhausted, horrible, but alive. He was alive.

"Albus stop," he said again.

It didn't make sense. He couldn't be alive. Albus had seen the killing curse hit him. It was a trick. A horrible trick from the Deatheaters. Scorpius wasn't real. He was still dead and Albus would make them all suffer for killing him and Lily and trying to trick him.

"Albus! Stop it!" Scorpius said and he grabbed Albus's arm moving it halting the cruciatus curse. The female Deatheater whimpered and started to crawl away.

Scorpius certainly felt real. Albus stared at him eyes wide.

"It's me, I'm still here. Granted I have the worst headache in my life; don't ask me how I'm alive I don't know."

I think I've damaged Potter's brain.

He's just standing there looking at me. I must admit I kind of expected more of a reaction. Maybe a cheer, a hug, something, but he's just standing there.

I didn't mean to surprise him. I was down for a while; I'm not sure how long. My brain decided it was a good time to try to melt. Eventually I had made my way up. The first thing I did was conjure the dark mark. I expected the aurors to be here already, but apparently I've damaged their brains too. So I started casting any curse I could think of at the Deatheaters.

We sort of are still in a crisis so I have to leave Albus in his catatonic state. The Deatheaters have fled; apparently the might of a sixteen year old dead boy was too much for them. Can't say I blame them. One can never really prepare for the dead rising. But the inferi are still here dutifully holding everyone captive. So I point my wand at the closest inferius holding James.

"Incendio!"

One by one I set the inferi on fire careful not to hit their victims. Than a Rose-shaped figure crashes into me.

"Scorpius!" She breathes against my shoulder her arms tight around me. For such a tiny thing, she's doing wonders at successfully cracking my ribs.

"Hey there, you look like you've seen a ghost Rosalicious," I whisper. She laughs, than starts to cry.

I don't think I've ever seen Rose cry before. Not like that. She's clinging to Scorpius so tightly her knuckles are turning white. I want to move, to say something, but it's like my body has shut down.

I can't seem to do anything. It's like I can't process it. Scorpius is alive. He's really alive.

I don't know how and I don't care. I'm just happy he is. I want to go to him. Hold onto him like Rose is, but I can't. What I thought we had – didn't exist.

"Lily," I hear James say. Finally I do move and turn to my little sister. James is cradling her head in his lap, his messy black hair is covering his eyes but I can tell he's crying. I wish she would get back up. Get right back up like Scorpius. But she isn't. She isn't and I don't understand how anything in the world is ever going to be okay again.

"What about me? Are you going to leave me captured with this thing?" Carrow's voice is like a splash of cold water. He's on his knees firmly held by an inferius. Scorpius had forgotten about him, or, had chosen to leave him captive. Probably the latter.

"I think he likes you Carrow, I don't want to break up such a happy couple," Scorpius drawled and though his words are joking I can hear the anger behind them. Somewhere while I was lost in my thoughts Rose had let go of Scorpius and she was now holding Hugo tightly to her who was fighting against her, trying to get to Lily it seemed.

I point my wand at Carrow. The icy feeling in my blood is still there. This is Carrow's fault. He is working with that horrible woman. He tried to kill Scorpius and me. I don't care if he tried to stop that woman from killing Lily, I don't care if he didn't follow through with orders to kill Rose. I don't care about any excuse he might muter up. I want to hurt him. Someone should pay for Lily's death, light as well be him.

"Cruci-"

"Albus! What the hell!"

Its Scorpius he's grabbed my arm again. I stare at him and his silver eyes stare back, for once, no joke in them. He looks. . . scared. Scared and sad and exhausted.

"Albus, stop this," he says gesturing at me. "You're not acting like yourself. You're…scaring me. You'd never use an unforgivable curse," Scorpius says.

And maybe I should be scared too. Because that doesn't bother me and I know it should. I don't care that I used an unforgiveable, and I want to use it again. Particularly on Carrow. Scorpius is right though; there is something wrong with me.

Albus lowered his wand and Scorpius let out a relieved sigh. He wasn't sure what Albus was going through and he wasn't sure he could really blame him. Albus had watched his little sister die. Scorpius winced.

Lily.

Why had she done that? Scorpius was a dead man anyway and she knew it. He was going to die either way. By the Deatheaters hand or the poison.

Then again maybe not. Now he had survived the killing curse and he certainly felt stronger than he had before being cursed so, he felt as if he had completely lost his grip on reality, but, still. He would give anything to rewind time. To Stop Lily.

"Do you hear that?" Rose said softly. Scorpius and Albus turned listening. Footsteps. Albus raised his wand.

"Imperio!" He growled out sending the curse flying at the bushes.

There was a moment of silence before a curse came flying back, a nonverbal one. Albus ducked and it soared over his head hitting a tree. From around the bushes Professor Longbottom emerged wand at the ready, followed by some of the aurors placed at the school. Rose recognized Teddy and she let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Oh thank merlin," Scorpius whispered. Albus stood still his wand still pointing at them. Neville slowly lowered his wand looking around at the scene. His eyes fell on Lily who was still in James's arms. His eyes moved to the tear stained faces of Rose and Hugo, to Scorpius, face bloody and exhausted looking, to Albus who had no expression at all wand still pointed at him, to Carrow looking down held by an inferius.

Neville's eyes met Teddy's. Teddy was staring eyes wide.

"Go get your godfather," Neville said looking grim.

"I don't understand," Madam Pomfrey said pacing back and forth. Scorpius scowled at her from his bed. He hated the hospital wing and didn't really see the point in being in it. At least he wasn't the only one. Well, alright, he was the only one in a bed, which really, wasn't fair. Albus was practically catatonic and he wasn't in a bed.

They had been escorted back to the castle by Professor Neville and the aurors. One of the aurors had carried Lily, and the other aurors levitated Hagrid. The group had been led to the hospital wing. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were already there, as was Hermione Weasley. Soon after Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley were notified that something horrible had taken place.

Lily's body had been placed gently in a private section of the hospital wing and the Potter family had entered alone. They didn't come out for what felt like forever leaving Scorpius alone with his parents as the Weasley family had gone with the Potter family. Scorpius wished Rose had stayed with him, but he couldn't be selfish, he couldn't and wouldn't have asked her to do that. Not when Lily was dead. The Potter and Weasley family had finally come out, and Rose told the families and aurors what had happened, Hugo filling in his, James, and Lily's side of the story. Everyone listened silently until Rose finished.

Draco Malfoy sat next to his son silently, looking lost in thought. Astoria was clinging to Scorpius, looking at the Potters sadly.

Ginny had her arms around James and Albus, and Harry Potter looked pissed. Carrow was trying not exist by the headmaster, and Ron and Hermione sat with their children, speaking quietly to them. Teddy stood by Professor Longbottom looking sick.

"He should be dead," Madam Pomfrey said looking at Scorpius. "And – the poison it's gone!"

In Scorpius's opinion his parents were trying, and failing, to look way too happy. He knew they should be happy, and he should be happy too, but, he couldn't help feel like it was disrespectful to the Potters. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had lost their daughter; Albus and James their sister. Here Scorpius was not only surviving the killing curse but his fatal wound had just vanished and Lily was dead.

It wasn't fair.

"Lily sacrificed herself for Scorpius," Harry said softly. "That's powerful, old magic. It's how I survived the killing curse too. My mother sacrificed herself for me. The curse rebound off Scorpius just like it did from me leaving a scar," Harry said and his fingertips grazed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Scorpius's fingers touched his new scar. A half-moon shape above his left eye.

If it was the last thing Scorpius did he would find that Deatheater and murder her not only for killing Lily, but scarring up his beautiful face.

"But the curse didn't rebound. It didn't hit the woman," James said softly.

"No. It hit the poison in his veins instead. The killing curse is quick, instant, and painless. It ends things. It ends lives yes, but I've seen cases where doctors at St. Mungo's use it to kill viruses and other things. It rebound at what was killing him," Harry explained taking off his glasses, cleaning them. Scorpius wondered how Mr. Potter could be so calm. He knew Mr. Potter had lost a lot of lives in the battle at Hogwarts, and lives before that, but still. He had lost his daughter.

Albus glanced at Scorpius and glanced away saying nothing.

Scorpius felt sick. He was alive because Lily sacrificed herself for him. How did Mr. Potter not resent Scorpius? Perhaps he did? He didn't seem to be resentful though. Did Albus resent him? Was that why Albus was acting so strangely toward him?

"This never should have happened," headmaster Boot said pacing by Carrow. "Such a tragedy," He whispered and he turned on Carrow brows furrowing.

"You! You're going to tell us everything you know. The identities of all the Deatheaters, everything you did under their orders, what their plans are, I want everything," Professor Boot said.

Carrow's eyes were downcast and he didn't look up.

"I can't," he whispered.

"Then you're expelled, and we can use veritaserum to get the truth and send you to Azkaban for use of the unforgivable curse," Professor Boot said sternly.

"Terry," Harry said looking stressed. "Let me talk to him," Harry said. Carrow's eyes widened. Talking alone with the man who lived, the great Harry Potter did not appear to be something Carrow wanted.

"You can't send me to Azkaban. If you do you'll have to send Potter too. Albus I mean. He used the same unforgivable," Carrow said. Albus's jaw twitched but he didn't say anything.

"Come on Carrow," Harry said motioning for Carrow to follow. Carrow reluctantly stood up. He glanced at Rose who looked away. Carrow followed Harry to the door where Harry paused. "Malfoy, come with us," He said. Scorpius raised a single eyebrow.

"Senior," Harry clarified. Draco raised a single eyebrow exactly like his son but followed Harry and Carrow out wordlessly.

"Why didn't he ask me to come?" Ron hissed.

"Don't you read the paper? Haven't you heard of the secret love affair?" Scorpius drawled. Ron scowled. Scorpius knew now wasn't the time to be joking but Rose burst into peals of laughter. It was worth it.