Blood.

That was the first thing that registered through Scorpius Malfoy's mind as he came upon the abandoned third floor corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during his rounds just after curfew on a cold December night. Small droplets dotted the stone floor of the hallway and disappeared into the inky darkness beyond the range of the dim candle on the wall next to him. Scorpius- a prefect and therefore needing to find out what was wrong despite the warnings in the back of his head to runrunrun- whispered "Lumos" as he silently stole his way down the corridor, following drops of blood and footprints on the dusty floor through the still darkness. His footsteps bounced too loudly against the stones in the still hallway, making him cringe at the sound. He avoided the already smeared puddles of sticky liquid as best as he could.

Scorpius stopped a few steps away from the edge of a large puddle of blood and was almost sick. Just the stench of the metallic liquid made him stumble back. He barely managed to keep himself upright, using the wall to his right for support, and his light dimmed dangerously. The Slytherin wondered how the person was still alive; he was sure this was all from one person, and there were at least three different sets of bloodied footprints.

Those three sets did not include the dragging lines right down the middle of the path.

He wondered who could have done it, and who the victim was, as he willed his light to shine brighter. Something black on the edge of the grotesquely large puddle caught his attention. He carefully stepped around the pool of blood to examine the shape closer. Upon reaching it, he saw it was just a torn black robe with Gryffindor colors and insignia above where the heart should have been. Scorpius crouched down to search for the name tag, finding only white scraps a few moments later.

Scorpius wondered why a Gryffindor would have been attacked, especially this late at night. He also wondered who would have attacked a Gryffindor. The only answer he could come up with was not pretty. He entertained the idea of a Slytherin or three beating up a Gryffindor for something the Gryffindor's father had done to the Slytherins' fathers.

Or...

Or.

Scorpius did not like the or; he cringed at the thought of a Gryffindor losing his or her- although most likely a teenage boy's- robe in the struggle to hurt another student.

The name tag, however, disagreed with that idea.

Shakily, Scorpius rose to his full height, deciding to leave the robe there. It, too, was soaked in blood, and Scorpius could feel the liquid slicking his fingers. Absentmindedly, he wiped his hand on his own robe. He tried his hardest to ignore the coppery scent that was so heavy in the air he could taste it on his tongue. He nearly choked as he continued his slow trek down the corridor, watching the puddles grow bigger every few meters with heavier drops than before in between. Scorpius knew he should have hurried, but he didn't know what waited for him at the end of the tracks; he was in Slytherin for a reason, and, albeit he wasn't a very good Slytherin, self-preservation was at the top of his list.

The hallway seemed to drag on forever and ever, stretching on to eternity. Scorpius wondered, yet again, whose blood this was and if they were still alive. That thought stilled him. What would he do if there was a corpse at the end of his journey? Was he to go to the headmistress? What if the person was still alive? Was he supposed to carry them to the hospital wing or call for help or what? They never covered that in the prefect guide books. The last time he knew of a student getting attacked and nearly dying from blood loss was his own father over twenty years ago.

Scorpius shook the thoughts away and continued onward. His light and his hesitant, echoed shuffles around the blood were his only companions as he made his way down the death-still corridor. He was frightened out of his mind at what he would find, and he didn't quite fancy the nightmares that were sure to come after this ordeal.

This was a bad idea, he thought as he followed the blood down another corridor. The metallic scent only got stronger and he had to stop to retch just a few steps in. He leaned heavily against the wall, cursing his weakness. Someone could be dying! he berated himself harshly. In that moment, he really, truly hated himself.

He was weak- he was too Slytherin. Scorpius hated his father, and his father's father, and his father's father for forcing the Malfoys to be a Slytherin family through and through. Being a Slytherin was hard; especially when all Scorpius wanted was to right his father's wrongs and to help people. Perhaps that ambition had landed him in Slytherin in the first place and Scorpius thought sardonically how ironic that was.

Again, Scorpius shook the thoughts away to continue on his search. The bleeding person would have been losing strength and life the longer Scorpius stalled, and he wanted to help, damn it!

His renewed vigor had Scorpius proceeding with a faster pace to find the forsaken soul. He just really hoped the victim was, well, at least not dead.

Scorpius did not let his hopes get too high. The dark red puddles were slowly increasing the longer he walked. The further he followed the red, the whiter he became. This is an awful lot of blood, he thought, pausing yet again. He needed to decide how he would handle whatever he found at the end of the trail. If the victim was alive, he could always send a- rather weak- Patronus to find the Head Boy or Girl, or even a teacher or the headmistress.

Or, he could do the Patronus now and get help to the student a lot sooner.

Scorpius closed his eyes and tried to find his happiest memory. It was hard; thoughts of blood and corpses kept popping to the forefront of his mind. Finally, he managed to find a memory of when he helped that Hufflepuff under year just last week and she had smiled at him and thanked him for his kindness.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A large cat burst from the end of his wand. Its corporeal form elated Scorpius until he remembered why he had conjured it. He had no idea if he was doing this right, but... He needed to try something.

"T-Tell Professor McGonagall... F-Find her and t-tell her there's b-been an accident- an attack- in the abandoned third floor c-corridor, and t-to f-follow the... the... b-blood." He cursed his stutter for appearing at a time like this. "T-Tell her to bring Madam Pomfrey, and to hurry!"

The cat cocked its head to one side before leaping away to find the recipient of the message.

Relieved help would come sooner and scolding himself for not thinking of that method sooner, Scorpius continued to his destination faster than before to make up for lost time. He questioned how much farther he had to go before he would reach the student.

Along the way he saw torn clothing and quite possibly a shoe. Scorpius did not stop to examine it further, determined to get to the injured student as quickly as he could. He continued to steer clear of the sticky liquid to avoid slipping in his hurried pace and causing him to lose more time until he found the student. However, he did pause to stare at the large puddle against one wall where there had quite obviously been a struggle.

It was then he realized there was also blood on the wall right above the lake of blood. A bloodied handprint streaked down the stone. Scorpius shuddered and he could not even think about who would be cruel enough to do this to another student. It reminded him of some of the Death Eater meetings his father had shown him in a pensieve.

"To keep you from making the same mistakes as I," was the answer Scorpius received when he asked his father why he had shown him the horrid memories. It had been a horrible thing to show a nine-year-old, but it got its message across loud and clear.

I have to stop getting distracted, Scorpius thought, maneuvering around the red fluid swiftly. He had to get to that student. If he couldn't save them, then perhaps just being there for them in their last moments would suffice. If being there for them so they wouldn't die lonely would help...

Scorpius refused to think on the matter anymore. He made his mind blissfully blank as he continued to follow the heavy drops down the dark hallway. The prefect wished to just find the body already- he was getting sick of the suspense. Careful of the liquid and pushing down the fear of slipping, he started to run, his wand held out in front of him as his panic finally settled in.

He turned once more and stopped at a huddled mass against the wall several meters in front of him. The moonlight streamed in through the high windows, illuminating the heap in an eerie crisp-blue hue. At first he thought it was another robe, but creeping further down the hall showed it to be the crumpled form of a body. One foot was bare and the torn white shirt was really no longer white; instead it was a deep red and stuck to the corpse's torso; he was too late. Scorpius only knew it was a corpse because there was just somuch blood and the upper body did not move to draw in or exhale breath. His own breath caught in his throat at the sight.

"H-Hey," he said, moving towards the body. He had to check to make sure they were really dead. "H-Hullo?"

The body did not move.

Scorpius moved his wand over the head of the body and gasped. There was no mistaking that black hair, and Scorpius was sure that if the corpse opened its eyes right then they would be bright green.

It was Albus Potter, the youngest son of Harry Potter, the enemy of his father, Draco Malfoy.

Scorpius could not get his voice to work to call out for the headmistress to hurry. He dropped to his knees beside his kind-of-sort-of-but-not-really enemy. They had only been enemies because their fathers had been enemies. In the five and a half years of being at Hogwarts, they had never once spoken to each other; they had ignored the existence of the other in a silent agreement. It made absolutely no sense to Scorpius as to why Albus Potter would be dead in an abandoned corridor. Albus had no enemies- he was too liked by everyone.

A shallow, shaky breath caught his attention. It was not his own, and he was pretty certain Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were not there yet. Scorpius looked down at the face of the corpse- almost corpse- and stared at the single green eye that stared right back up at him; the other was swollen shut. The only good eye tried to blink the blood away as it stared into the steel grey eyes of Scorpius Malfoy. Air rattled in his lungs, and Scorpius could have sworn he heard gurgling before a river of dark fluid fell like a waterfall from the corner of his pallid lips. Blood was smeared across his face from his broken nose, and the blood was still sluggishly streaming from his nose.

"Oh, Merlin." Scorpius, eyes wide and horrified, cursed under his breath at how bad the other boy looked.

The injured teen tried to respond, but only succeeded in creating more gurgles and pushing more blood over his lips.

"Shh, Potter," Scorpius soothed, pushing blood-drenched black locks back. "It'll be all right. McGonagall and Pomfrey are coming."

"Sss... Ssssc..."

The terrified boy placed a trembling hand over the blood-stained lips. "Hush, Albus. Save your strength." Scorpius was surprised at how steady his voice sounded, despite how shaken he felt. "They'll be here soon." His shaking hand felt for the limp hand resting inthe pool of sticky liquid. Scorpius tried to ignore how the fluid felt on his fingers as he held the hand tight. "I'm here, Albus. You are not alone."

"Th... Th..."

"Shush." Scorpius felt tears burn behind his eyes. "Don't say anything." He felt terrible because he did not know how to fix the boy in front of him. He did not want to accidentally cause more damage. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain Albus Potter was obviously in. "Merlin, Albus. I wish there was something I could do to help..."

"Sss... Ssslll..."

Scorpius blanched further. It was as he feared. "Slytherins did this to you? Blink once for yes and twice for no." One slow blink of the dulling green eye confirmed Scorpius' fear. Then, surprising the trembling blond, Albus blinked twice.

He almost did not want to know, but his need to find out who to punish took precedenceover his want not to know. It was a long stretch, but... "You mean there was also a... Ravenclaw?" Two blinks. "A Hufflepuff?" That idea was too ludicrous to even think, let alone express, but it was more plausible than a-

Two blinks.

No. No. That went against everything Scorpius believed. Gryffindors weren't supposed to beat each other up! They were definitely not supposed to team up with Slytherins- of all people!- to nearly kill one of their own. Slytherins attacked each other, sure, but that was to keep each other 'on their toes'. No other house swooped down to such low levels- it was highly frowned upon and too Slytherin to even consider. It just wasn't possible. Scorpius almost broke down at the thought. He clenched his wand tightly to keep his hand still at his side. Hoarsely, he whispered, "There was a Gryffindor, wasn't there?"

Only one slow, teary blink this time.

"Oh, Merlin, Albus. I'm so sorry. Once Madam Pomfrey fixes you up I'll go after then myself. Just point them out and I'll go after them, even if that means expulsion on my part." A tear fell languidly from his eye and landed on the bloodied cheek below.

Albus reached up with a shaky arm, trying to reach the pale face above him. That action alone made Scorpius' shoulders shake with suppressed sobs. "D-D-Don't... c-c-cry..." he rasped. Scorpius lowered his head so Albus could reach him. The bloodied fingers wiped across his cheek, smearing the red fluid over his skin. "Sss... S-S-Ssssorry."

"Don't be." Scorpius held the hand tighter. He dropped his wand to clutch at the hand at his cheek. He could feel the fingers, unnaturally crooked. Albus let his eyelid drop and his head loll back into the puddle of sticky liquid. "Come on, Albus. Stay awake. Madam Pomfrey will fix you right up when she gets here." Albus opened his eye once again. "There's a good boy."

Albus tried to let out a scoff to reprimand the other boy, but ended up pushing more blood past his lips. "Ow... Huuurtsss..."

"Everywhere?"

One blink.

Despite himself, Scorpius choked on an embarrassingly hysterical chuckle. The chuckle quickly turned into a sob. Here he was, laughing at an inappropriate moment. Albus Potter was dying in front of him, and here he was laughing. Scorpius did not want to cry, but he could not wipe away his tears; both hands were occupied with holding onto the cold hands of Albus. So he let the tears fall, cursing his father and his father's father and his father's father once again for putting him in Slytherin when he should have obviously been a Hufflepuff.

The bloodied hand on his cheek swiped at the tears running from his eye with his thumb, only managing to spread the bodily fluids across the pale cheek. "D-D-Don'... c-cry f-for... me."

Scorpius nodded, though his tears still fell. "D-Don't d-d-die, then."

"You've... nev'r..."

"Just shut it," Scorpius hissed, clutching tighter at the hand against his cheek. "I'm not my father!"

Albus managed a smile that looked much closer to a grimace. "Me... n'ther..."

It was then that Scorpius realized how childish their little 'feud' had been all those years. Neither teenager wanted to be like their fathers; yet here they were, 'enemies' nonetheless. That might have been a harsh term to use, but they had never been friends. With those two, harshly whispered words from Albus, Scorpius knew, without a doubt, they had more or less ignored each other for five years with each boy wanting to fix the rift and right the wrongs for their fathers. Each had waited for the other to start something because they were too afraid to do so themselves.

"Sss... Ssssec...t-t-tumm..."

The stuttered half-word and the thought of their fathers led Scorpius back to a previous thought. He dropped the hand against his cheek and wildly grabbed for his wand. The hand at his cheek only stayed for a moment before dropping into his lap. Forcing himself to calm down, Scorpius took a deep, calming breath to steady his frantically beating heart and racing thoughts. All he had to do was remember what his father had told him.

Slowly, but surely, he ran his wand over the wounds. It was a painfully slow trek, but Scorpius wanted to get it right. If the grunts and pained moans from Albus were anything to go by then it was helping at least to some extent. Once he had done as much as he could, Scorpius ripped open the red-dyed shirt with his free hand only to gape in unabashed horror at the sight.

He could see where he had closed the wounds; there were thin, pink lines that shone in both his wand light and the moonlight. There were more wounds, however, those that would not have been fixed with the spell he had used. Blood covered almost every inch of Albus' torso, and what was not bloodied was deathly pale. Scorpius was not sure, but he suspected the other wounds were made from a jagged dagger. It was a sickly sight, and Scorpius just managed to keep the bile down.

If only McGonagall and Pomfrey would hurry.

It was several moments later when Scorpius heard the two hurried footsteps heading his way that he let out a breath of relief. "They're coming, Albus!" he told the other boy excitedly. He grasped the hand tighter in his own. "Just hold on a little while longer. Professor McGonagall! Madam Pomfrey! Please hurry!"

"D-D-Don'... leave..."

"I'm staying right here, Albus," Scorpius assured him, turning back to the beaten teen. He pushed another black lock of hair from the bruised and swollen face.

"P-Promissse?"

Scorpius nodded just as the two older women turned the corner. "Of course."

"Oh my..." Professor McGonagall gasped, stopping dead at the sight of the two in the pool of blood. "Mister Malfoy! Step away!"

Albus clutched tighter on his hand. "You... p-p-promisssed!"

Scorpius held on just as tight. "I'm not leaving," he told the scared boy as Madam Pomfrey nudged him so she could get in to heal Albus. Of course Scorpius was hurt that the headmistress would assume he was the attacker. However, he ignored the pain in his chest to clear up the misunderstanding. "It wasn't me, Professor. It was... Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor?" Scorpius watched Albus carefully; he didn't know if he could stand knowing that a Gryffindor- let alone two- had hurt their own. Albus slowly let his eyelid drop before staring back up at Scorpius. The blond nodded. "Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor, then. I was doing my rounds and I noticed blood at the entrance of the corridor..."

The prefect explained his discovery, leaving out exactly just how terrified he had been as he helped Madam Pomfrey maneuver Albus onto his back and away from the wall. Once satisfied, she moved to the prone boy's other side to better reach his injuries; Scorpius was not about to move away from the injured Potter. Scorpius continued his explanation, skillfully leaving out letting his weakness overcome him as well, sure they would not need those insignificant details. He explained to the nurse the spell he used after Albus had told him about the cutting curse. She merely smiled at him in gratitude and pulled out a Blood-Replenishing Potion from one of her numerous pockets.

As the silence began to overwhelm him, Scorpius concentrated on the hand connected to his own. Albus held on as tightly as his failing strength would allow him. Scorpius felt as if he would float away and Albus was his only anchor to the world. The blond could only wonder why Albus held on so tightly. Perhaps it is because he is afraid of dying, or dying alone, Scorpius contemplated. Or he's holding on to me to concentrate on staying awake. Maybe he's floating away just as I am. Those thoughts were much more pleasant to endure than the morbid ones before.

It was strange, Scorpius thought, for two boys who had never spoken to each other in their lives to suddenly be each other's anchor.

OOOOO

Scorpius was startled awake as the infirmary doors slammed open. He was instantly aware (Slytherin would do that to you) and saw the two remaining Potter siblings running toward Albus's bed. James shot him a dirty look, but said nothing as they came to a halt by their brother's bed. Lily plopped down on the bed and took the hand Scorpius was not holding. She kissed the knuckles, silently pleading for her brother to wake up.

He was still out cold and shockingly pale.

James pulled over another chair and sat down, glaring over at Scorpius. "Why do you get such a comfy chair?"

"I've been here all night," Scorpius croaked back. He cleared his throat. "I found your brother. Last night during my rounds. In the abandoned third floor corridor. He asked me to stay with him." His sentences were chopped and made little sense separated from one another. He, however, did not care; he was too tired to care, too exhausted to be frightened of James' ire like he usually would. He had stayed up all night, keeping vigil at Albus's bedside. The evidence of his lack of sleep was shockingly apparent; his hair was in appalling disarray and his eyes were bloodshot.

Lily, with her tender Hufflepuff heart, brushed a stray lock of blond hair from his bloodshot eyes before her fingers trailed lightly over the blood smears on his cheek. She looked incredibly sad at the sight. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I'm glad you stayed with him."

Scorpius smiled shakily at her, but it slipped as he remembered why he had stayed. "H-He asked me t-to," he confessed. "I-I... I was afraid he was d-dead already," he whispered. He glanced at the pallid boy before turning back to the Potter siblings. "Th-There was j-just so much blood. I-I wondered how anyone c-could be alive. I-I... I thought I was t-too late. I p-promised to stay and- and when I s-saw all that b-blood I-I just knew the v-victim had t-to be d-dead so I hurried t-to g-get there as fast as I could b-because I thought maybe they weren't d-dead yet but I-I would be too late to get help so I could j-just c-comfort them in their last m-moments and-"

There were hands on his face and it was only then he realized he was crying- sobbing- as he clutched Albus's hand close to his chest. Albus had been cleaned of all his blood, but Scorpius was still covered in it. His robes and clothes underneath were stained with the liquid but he didn't care. He had had a chance last night to change clothes and to clean up, but he had not wanted to leave Albus's bedside.

Someone was talking to him, trying to calm him down. It was a soothing voice, a girl's voice, young. A bottle was pushed to his lips and he swallowed the contents without thinking. He was suddenly calm, then, and he lowered his head, ashamed. He wiped his tears and snot away with his sleeve- the robes were ruined anyway- and looked up once he was composed. James, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall had all turned away so he could get under control in a crude attempt of privacy. But Lily...

Lily was watching him carefully with sad, tear-filled eyes. She had crawled over her unconscious brother so she could sit on the edge closest to Scorpius. He flushed under her look and tried to turn away but the girl stopped him. Her small hands were gentle as they turned his head to face her again. "Hey," she said softly with a watery smile. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "It's alright to cry. It doesn't make you a lesser man if you do."

A humorless laugh slipped past his lips. "Tell that to my father," he said bitterly. "I'm a horrible Slytherin, sobbing like this- like a Hufflepuff."

"Hey, now," the girl said, mock-glaring at him. "I'm a Hufflepuff."

Just the look of mock-indignation sent Scorpius Malfoy into peals of hysterical laughter that made him sound not too unlike a madman. He could see James staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes and Madam Pomfrey watching him with concern. Professor McGonagall's eyes softened in understanding and Lily just grinned at the hysterical boy.

"There. Don't you feel better, now?" she asked once he had calmed down.

And surprisingly, he did. He felt lighter than he had since... well, a long time. "Yeah," he whispered, wiping some of the tears away from his eyes. "Loads. Thank you."

"It was nothing compared to what you did for my brother."

"I did what any other human being would do-"

"Not so, Mister Malfoy," the headmistress interrupted. "There were those three who nearly killed him in the first place." She sighed, sounding pained. "You don't happen to know the names of the three, do you?"

"No, Professor. I'm sorry."

She placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Scorpius. I have owled your father, to let him know what you've done to help the school. And I've owled your parents," she said to the Potter siblings. "They should be here within the hour. You should get cleaned up, Scorpius."

"But I promised-!"

"Scorpius," said Lily, placing a hand on his cheek. "He'll still be asleep, but if he wakes up you can just explain that you needed to clean up. Here, I'll help you."

He looked down at his stained clothes. "But... I don't have anything to change into."

Madam Pomfrey handed him a pair of pajamas. "You can just put your clothes into the rubbish bin."

Lily pried his fingers from Albus's hand and led him to the bathroom. The blood crunched uncomfortably around his knees. The two worked together to get him cleaned off and changed. Scorpius didn't even bother with embarrassment at his state of undress in front of the younger girl. Once done, Scorpius hurried back out to Albus to sit at his bedside once again, ignoring the cold stone underneath his naked feet. James glared as Scorpius sat back down in his comfy chair. Scorpius, however, ignored him and took Albus's hand once again as he curled in his seat.

His father entered soon after that. "Scorpius," he greeted, quite coldly if Scorpius could say so. But only he would have been able to tell.

"Father."

The door opened again before Draco could say anything else. Mr. and Mrs. Potter rushed through and paused when they saw their son unconscious in the bed surrounded by his siblings and Draco Malfoy's son. The Hospital Wing was totally silent, each person looking at someone else to speak up.

"Well," Professor McGonagall said, hoping to break the tension. "The school will be rewarding Scorpius a Special Award for Services to the School-"

"No!"

Seven people turned to look at a panicked Scorpius. "I-I d-don't want an award. I just did what any d-decent human b-being would d-do." He cursed his stutter. "P-Please."

"But Mister Malfoy-"

"I don't want it!"

"Scorpius!" Draco stormed over to his son. "You will not-"

"I said I don't want it!" Scorpius hissed, daring to interrupt his father. He was surprised that he was speaking back to his father, and that his stutter was gone- for the moment, anyway. "All I did was what the school expected me to do when I became prefect. I didn't do it for the reward. I did it because I am human, and because-" Well, he couldn't really say that other 'because'. He couldn't admit in front of his father that he just wanted to help people. "I don't want it."

The room was silent after his outburst. No one knew what to say.

"Your selflessness is all the more reason to give you it, Mister Malfoy," said the headmistress.

"No."

"You really don't want it."

"I really don't want it."

"What about points?" the headmistress asked.

Scorpius stared bitterly at the hand he was holding. "Points are for correct answers and good behavior. What I did was something any human with a heart should do."

Mrs. Potter moved forward, leaving her husband behind so she could stand with the rest of her family. "Thank you," she whispered. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Thank you so much. If there is anything we can do to repay you-"

Draco moved forward, now, to give his input. "I'd like to think we're even, now. Potter saved me over twenty years ago and now my son has saved yours."

Mr. Potter nodded, not wanting to get into a fight- in the infirmary of all places. Instead of saying anything to the Malfoys he turned to his old nurse. "Poppy? How is he?" He sounded afraid and his voice nearly broke, but he did not move closer to his son quite yet. "Please don't hold anything back."

"He just needs to rest, now. Sectumsempra did a lot of the damage, but a cursed dagger did a lot more and caused internal bleeding. His left hand was broken badly enough I needed to use Skele-grow." Mr. Potter made a face at that, remembering his own time in the hospital during second year. "One eye was swollen shut, his nose was broken, a few teeth were knocked loose, and he has a concussion. His attackers were not afraid to use their fists and feet."

Scorpius could see Mr. Potter clenching his shaking fists at his sides. When he looked closer he could see the man trembling in anger. "I see," he hissed, his eyes shut tight. "Do you know who did it?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "No, not yet, Harry. When Albus wakes we'll know who, exactly. Scorpius-" she paused and looked at the boy. He instantly shied away. "-managed to get out of him that it was two Slytherins and a Gryffindor. All students will be confined to their common rooms until Albus gives us those names."

"And his wand? Was his wand broken?"

Professor McGonagall turned to Scorpius. "Did you pick up his wand, Mister Malfoy?"

He shook his head. "I didn't see one, but I wasn't exactly looking for a wand at the time."

She turned back to the enraged father. "I'll go look for it immediate-"

"Don't bother," Mr. Potter growled, stalking out the door.

It was silent once again. Mrs. Potter, Scorpius could tell, was torn between staying with her children and going after her husband. Professor McGonagall solved her problem by going after the angry father. Draco was fuming off to the side, waiting for his son to leave now that he wasn't needed.

"I'm not leaving," Scorpius managed to croak through the lump in his throat, startling everyone in the room. "You don't have to stay. I'm not sure why you were called in the first place."

Once again, the room fell silent. The others were shocked that Scorpius would dare talk to his father like that. Draco- once again, only if they were looking for it as Scorpius was- glared down at his son. The two talked with their eyes, each defiant in their own right and each believing they could control the situation. Scorpius won out in the end.

"You're on thin ice, Scorpius," Draco muttered, but his voice carried in the silent room. He turned and left without another word.

OOOOO

Scorpius hardly slept that night, and slept even less the next night. Albus woke in the early hours of Monday morning. He was certainly groggy and his groan roused Scorpius into awareness. He wanted to call for Madam Pomfrey, but he didn't.

"Scorpius...?" The blond grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to Albus. The injured boy gratefully took it but needed Scorpius's help so the water wouldn't spill. "What...?"

"What do you remember?" Scorpius hated to ask this, but it had to be done. "Do you remember your attackers?"

Albus shuddered and closed his eyes. "I wish I didn't." They were silent for a moment as Albus tried to gather his wits. "How long have I been out?"

Scorpius hesitated, then said, "I found you Friday night. It's Monday morning, now." He paused to let the information sink in. "Your family's here. They're sleeping in the other beds."

"Why aren't you?"

Scorpius really didn't want to say, but he knew he had to. "You asked me not to leave."

Albus squinted, trying to determine the other boy's reasons, blurry though his eyesight was. Scorpius then gently placed his glasses on his nose. Albus's eyes narrowed further, but this time in anger. "Have you slept at all?" He raised a shaky hand and nearly poked Scorpius in the eye. "You could have at least done that."

"I-I..." Scorpius ducked his head so Albus couldn't read the emotion he was sure would be in his eyes. "I was worried. Y-You c-could have d-died, Albus."

Albus softened, tightening his grip on Scorpius's hand, and Scorpius's heart fluttered at the action. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." He smiled crookedly at the blond. "So does this mean we can stop 'fighting'?"

Scorpius smiled back while trying to hold back a furious blush at the smile the other boy gave him. "Yeah. I'd like to be your friend." It was only then he noticed how presumptuous he was. "I-I mean-! I-If you want t-to be friends." Inside he was kicking himself. Surely Albus wouldn't want to be friends with a Slytherin-

"I'd like that," Albus admitted with a soft smile. "I've been wanting to make friends with you for years, now, but... Well, my Gryffindor courage has failed me, I guess. Too bad it takes me almost dying to get that to happen, huh?"

But instead of taking it as the joke Albus was trying to make it, Scorpius became rather poignant. "I'm really sorry I didn't find you sooner," he said, clutching tighter at Albus's hand. "But I just got so scared..." He told Albus the entire story of his terrifying trek, every emotion he felt and every thought he'd had. Scorpius decided then and there that he wouldn't leave anything out because friends told each other the truth, the whole truth, and besides, he couldn't lie to an injured person anyway. It was his Hufflepuff-ness showing through.

And he told Albus what a terrible Slytherin he was and how he should have been placed in Hufflepuff and-

"I hope that's not an insult to the Hufflepuff house," Albus teased. "My sister is a Hufflepuff."

Scorpius scoffed. "It's no insult, I'll have you know." He turned to the bed he knew Lily to be in. "She's really nice. I wish I was more like her."

Albus followed his gaze. His eyes softened when he saw his baby sister curled up on her side, resting peacefully. "Yeah... But she can be a right terror, sometimes." He chuckled, but stopped immediately because it hurt too much. He clutched his side in obvious discomfort, but waved Scorpius's concern away as he tried to stand. "I'm fine."

Scorpius watched him lean back into the pillows. "I hope you're not just trying to be brave, Albus."

"Trust me, I'm not."

"Good." Scorpius nodded, as if coming to a decision.

"You know..." said Albus slyly. "My friends call me Al."

Scorpius grinned at the invitation. "Alright, Al." He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. "Now go to sleep so I can." He took off Albus's glasses with a roll of his pale eyes before gathering the once-injured hand once again in his own hand. Their fingers linked together unconsciously as the two boys fell into a peaceful slumber.

Harry Potter shook his head as he left his bed. He had watched the two and neither had thought that he was awake. If the two wanted to be friends, it was fine by him; he really had no say in the matter who his son was friends with anyway. It wasn't his business. What was his business, however...

Harry smirked at their linked hands. He'd let his son come to him in his own time, he decided as he kissed his son's forehead.

OOOOO

The three students who had attacked Albus had been expelled promptly by nine o'clock that same morning. Once they were gone the rest of the students were finally allowed to leave their dorms. Rumors were flying around the school by lunch time. During lunch in the Great Hall two tables were unnervingly silent and seething for the same reason; they couldn't believe members of their own houses would try to kill another. The Gryffindors were even more angry since a member of their house had tried to kill one of their own. The Hufflepuffs were wary of the change and the Ravenclaws ignored it like usual.

And Albus Potter was still in the hospital wing.

Classes had been cancelled for Monday only, and the Headmistress bade Scorpius to return to his on Tuesday. Scorpius reluctantly did as he was told, but once classes were out for the day or he had a break between classes and for meals the Slytherin visited his new friend in the infirmary.

Albus, of course, was ecstatic for his company. Sure, his brother and sister visited as often as they could, and the rest of the Weasleys still in school visited a few times, but other than that Albus had no visitors. Scorpius, curious, asked as to why, since he hadn't seen anyone else besides the Weasleys in his visitations (which was almost all day, since he immediately came once he could).

Albus shrugged with only a light wince when Scorpius asked (which was on the Thursday after the attack). "I don't really have many friends," he answered. "Besides," he added with a smile, "I've got you to keep me company."

Scorpius couldn't stop the grin that threatened to split his face in half.

It wasn't until Sunday before Albus was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing. Both James and Lily were there to help their brother shuffle back up to the dorm. James and Scorpius, being more his height, walked beside him to catch him if he fell and to help him up the numerous stairs. Lily's job was to carry her brother's book bag full of his completed homework, courtesy of Scorpius's help. Lily, as usual, chattered on and on by herself, speaking to the boys behind her without so much as a pause for breath so they could get a word in edgewise. It was fine by them; they were amused with her silly anecdotes and theatrical sweeps of her arms to prove her points.

At the portrait Scorpius paused, unsure if he was supposed to follow through. When Albus realized his new friend was not following he turned to give him a curious look.

"You coming?"

Scorpius followed without a second thought, a small, victorious smile brightening his features. Albus smiled right back and squeezed his hand in reassurance. The common room and those in it, decorated with reds and golds and laughter, paused at their entrance. They gave Scorpius a suspicious look and the boy almost bolted, but Albus tightened his grip to keep him there.

"I'm back," Albus said with his trademark grin.

There was still silence.

Lily huffed and stomped her foot childishly, bringing their attention to her. "For Merlin's sake!" she said, crossing her arms. "Scorpius, here, is now an honorary Gryffindor. He saved Albus. You will welcome him, or else."

The last two words were growled out, and the majority of those in the common room flinched at her tone and looked between her two protective brothers. Scorpius was curious, of course, but tactfully kept so as not to attract attention to his light blush as they made their way up the boys' stairs to get to Albus's dorm. Inside the room was a complete mess. All three Potter children sneered at the exact same time in the exact same way, and Scorpius couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"I'm gone for one week," Albus muttered weakly, the sneer at the mess still firmly in place. "One week..."

"Hold on, Al," James said soothingly, steering his brother to one of the beds. Scorpius saw the dark trunk with the silver initials "A.S.P" at the foot of the bed. James took out his wand. "I'll fix it." A wave of his wand later and everything on the floor had been put in its place. "See? All better."

Albus shook his head, his eyes gazing around the room. "But... the mess... How could they...? One week!"

"There, there, brother," Lily soothed, sitting beside him on the bed and patting his arm. "It's alright. The mess is gone."

"One week!"

Scorpius, completely lost, turned to James for an explanation. Since the scene with his father and the headmistress where he refused to take an award or points, James had been a lot nicer to him. Well, the glares had softened somewhat, and he always had a calculating look when he saw Scorpius was in the infirmary before them. But at least that was an improvement from the total lack of acknowledgement he used to get from the older boy.

James sighed and placed a large hand in his younger brother's messy black hair. "Our dad taught us to keep everything at least tidy, so it bothers us when there is a mess, such as what had happened here."

"One week," Albus moaned pathetically.

Scorpius bit his lip and thought a moment. How could he help his friend? "I- I've... got an idea," he murmured after a moment while James and Lily were trying to comfort their brother. He slowly pulled out his wand. Once their attention was on him, he muttered a spell and waved his wand around the room. "There. That should help."

"What did you do?" asked James suspiciously.

"Drop a piece of clothing on the floor," he replied. The siblings cringed. "No, no!" he insisted. "You'll see what happens."

Reluctantly, James peeled off his slightly small red jumper with a large gold "J" in the middle. Underneath he only wore a thin shirt. Scowling, James dropped the article of clothing onto the floor. Nothing happened for a moment. Albus and Lily stared at the jumper with identical looks of confusion. James finally looked up to ask Scorpius what was going to happen, when it happened.

The jumper leaped from the floor and attached to the oldest boy's head, much like an octopus might. Scorpius smirked at his shriek of surprise. Albus and Lily, however, did not hold back at their brother's plight. Both burst out into peals of laughter at their brother's expense and neither bothered to help James get the jumper off his head. It took him several moments, but James eventually got it off his head and angrily put it back on. Scorpius took a timid step back, afraid James would want to retaliate.

Instead, James broke into a grin and laughed. He clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. "That was brilliant!"

Over the next two weeks, Albus and Scorpius hung out whenever they could. They sat beside each other in the classes they shared and Scorpius joined the Gryffindor table to eat lunch and dinner, and sometimes breakfast, with the Potter siblings. They studied together in the library and sometimes Scorpius would join them and the rest of the Weasley troupe in the Gryffindor common room. Lily joined them in the Gryffindor common room, sometimes, and almost always ended up curled up next to Scorpius. He didn't mind, of course. The girl was sweet, like a tiny kitten.

One evening, a few days before they would leave for the Christmas Holiday when it was just the Potter Siblings and him lounging about the common room, he blurted that out when she curled up next to him again.

Both Potter boys snickered and Lily giggled. It sounded just like bells. "Why, Scorpius!" she swooned. "I am ever so pleased you tell me this!" She cuddled closer. "Meow."

Scorpius snorted in amusement. "You, Lily-dear, are adorable."

The girl grinned up at him. "I do so try."

"Uh huh." Scorpius looked up to Albus sitting on his other side and rolled his eyes. Albus chuckled right back.

And James watched on with suspicion when their hands brushed against one another's.

OOOOO

"You're staying here?"

Scorpius bit his lip. It was the day before the Hogwarts Express left for Kings Cross for the winter holiday. He had decided to stay at the castle after the fiasco in the Hospital Wing. He just knew his father would be angry, and he was afraid of the punishment that could come from his refusing to leave. He wasn't exactly looking forward to going home. Not that he could exactly tell Albus that... even if they were friends.

"Come home with me," Albus whispered, taking his hand; Scorpius's heart jumped into his throat at the action and his words. Through their two weeks of friendship, Scorpius had realized that Albus just liked to touch people, him especially, and the touches had only increased as time wore on. Albus always had a reason to brush his hand against Scorpius's, or to have his hand on Scorpius's arm or knee. "I know mum wouldn't mind."

Scorpius wanted to, really, and he told Albus so-

"Then come!" Lily chirped, coming up behind Scorpius and startling him. James followed and a more sedate pace just a few steps behind his younger sister. "I'll help you pack!" She grabbed his hand to drag him down to the dungeons.

Albus rolled his eyes and grabbed his other hand. The two boys together had more mass than the slight girl (though both boys were slight themselves) and Lily gave up after she realized she could not move them by herself. "James!"

James, too, rolled his eyes. "It's Scorpius's choice. Don't force him to do something he doesn't want."

The blond nodded in gratitude when Lily finally let him go. Albus, however, still held onto his other hand. "Okay. I'll come."

He would never admit it aloud, but the smile Albus gave him nearly made his heart beat right out of his chest.

OOOOO

The ride to London was fairly boisterous and lighthearted. James had gone off to find his friends once he saw that Albus was seated (over the past two weeks he had become very protective of his younger siblings and hardly let them out of his sight) and the compartment was nearly bursting at the seams. Albus and Scorpius were huddled in one corner with Lily nearly sitting on her brother's lap and Rose right beside her. The Scamander twins, Hugo, and Louis crammed together on the other bench. Scorpius by now was used to the noise and laughter, but he still felt uneasy and slightly claustrophobic in the packed compartment.

Albus, as if sensing his discomfort, placed a hand over his and smiled reassuringly over at him.

Neither saw the mischievous grin threatening to overtake Lily's face at the innocent gestures.

At the train station, Scorpius hid behind Albus, suddenly nervous. Albus took his hand and squeezed it, giving the blond boy a look to show him he understood, and that he was there for him. Scorpius smiled nervously back.

Suddenly, they were swept up in a pair of arms. Scorpius squeaked in surprise as Mrs. Potter hugged both him and Albus. "Oh, boys!" she said excitedly. She dropped them and took Albus's face in her hands. "Are you alright, Alby? You're healing alright?"

"Mum," Albus groaned, shooting Scorpius an embarrassed look. A light pink dusted across his still-pale cheeks. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Potter scrutinized him for several moments longer before dropping her hands and turning to Scorpius. "How about you, Scorpius? How are you faring with our troublesome lot?"

Scorpius glanced nervously to Albus. He didn't want to say the wrong thing... But Albus didn't give him any hints except a smile and a slight nod of his head. "I... They..." he stuttered. He scowled at his pathetic actions. "I... like them. They're... They're nice t-to me." Albus gripped his hand tighter, sending as much comfort as he could through their linked hands. Scorpius smiled and squeezed back to thank him. "They aren't all that troublesome."

Mrs. Potter's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair. "Oh, really? James hasn't been giving you trouble?"

"Mum!" James's voice shouted in indignation.

Mrs. Potter went off to attack- ahem, hug and hopefully embarrass- her other son. Albus snickered at his misfortune and turned to his friend. "You don't need to be afraid of my parents," he said softly, still giving Scorpius that shy, reassuring little smile that brightened his eyes. "They like you."

"I-I'm not afraid," Scorpius nearly shouted in indignation. His permanently quiet voice hardly rose above normal speaking tones on a normal day. He immediately hunched his shoulders and looked around to see if anyone had overheard. The platform was noisy and no one was paying them any attention. Quieter, he said, "I'm just... nervous."

"Why?"

Scorpius looked away. How could he tell his friends that all adults made him nervous? That he was afraid they would see his father instead of him? Just how could he tell Albus that he was absolutely terrified of staying in the same house as Harry-Freaking-Potter? He couldn't find a good enough answer besides, "I-... Not here, please?"

Albus nodded solemnly, the smile slipping from his face. "Okay, Scorpius. Later."

It was then that Harry Potter came up to them to greet his son. "Hey, Al," he murmured into his carbon-copy-like son's hair as he held him close. "How're you?"

Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched the two interact. He had always been told how much he looked like Draco Malfoy, his father, but... His father had never done anything like what these two were doing. Mr. Potter was handling his son gently, as if he might break with too rough of a touch. His own father, Scorpius knew, would never do that. The closest he had come to that sort of affection had been right before he had started Hogwarts. Scorpius could not remember the exact words, but his father had explained to him why he might be persecuted and to please be careful and keep his head down.

No one had wanted anything to do with him, anyway.

Not until Albus had come along, anyway.

He was startled when Mr. Potter turned to him and asked the same question. "And you, Scorpius? How've you been?"

Scorpius spluttered in his surprise. "I- Uhm- I've been g-good, sir. Yourself?"

Mr. Potter smiled softly down at the boy. "I've been well. You haven't had any trouble?" Mr. Potter suddenly frowned at the unpleasant thought. "Your housemates haven't retaliated for your heroics?"

"I-..." Scorpius cleared his throat, suddenly very nervous. "Er, they don't usually talk to me, much, so I haven't had much trouble from them."

Mr. Potter's frown deepened. "I'm sorry to hear that, Scorpius," he said, reaching out a hand to place on the boy's shoulder. Scorpius, however, flinched away. Mr. Potter narrowed his eyes at the action, but did not press further.

The grip on his hand returned, which Scorpius was thankful for. The two followed the rest of the Potters through the crowd to get back into the Muggle world. The four children crammed into the back seat of the car and away they went to Number 12 Grimmauld place.

There, Albus immediately pulled Scorpius up to the top floor, explaining the history about the house on his way. It used to be the Black's and it used to be quite dark and foreboding; somewhere children should never grow up in. Looking around, Scorpius had trouble seeing the home's supposed dark past. Albus then explained that he had Regulus's old bedroom, James had Sirius's- since it was part of his namesake, and Lily and their parents slept on the third floor where a hippogriff named Buckbeak had once been kept. Albus also explained that the tapestry in the drawing room on the first floor had been removed and the wall with the magical window used to hold a portrait of a livid Mrs. Walburga Black. There had also been house elf heads lining the walls on the ground floor. The library on the first floor used to have dark books, but Mr. Potter had burned them all- quite to Mrs. Hermione Weasley's (one of Albus's many aunts) dismay- and had been replaced with all kinds of books.

Scorpius was glad that they had decided to remodel the place.

On the top floor, Albus dragged him into the room next to what Scorpius assumed to be a toilet, since the door they had passed had shown a tidy room full of posters and quidditch things. Albus opened the door to show a tidy room with many sorts of gadgets- mostly muggle- and covered with many moving pictures of many members of his family. Scorpius gazed around the room in awe; his own room was quite Spartan in appearance, only filled with the things he absolutely needed.

"Ah, looks like dad set up the spare bed," commented Albus, pointing to the bed in the far corner.

Scorpius blinked at him in surprise. "Your dad is letting me stay in the same room as you?"

"Er... Yeah?" replied Albus. "Why not?"

Scorpius fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper. "Is... Isn't he afraid I'm g-going to... t-to jump you?"

Albus's brow furrowed in confusion. "Jump me? What are you talking about?"

Scorpius stared right back in his own confusion. "Doesn't he know I... I like blokes? I thought everyone knew? You never told him?"

"What?" Albus shook his head, his dark locks flying wildly around his head. "I didn't know."

Scorpius relaxed upon seeing how well his friend was taking the surprising news. "I thought everyone at Hogwarts knew."

Again, Albus shook his head. He sat on his bed, patting the mattress to indicate he wanted Scorpius to sit with him so they could talk. Scorpius did so, though kept his gaze at his hands in his lap. "I'd heard rumors, of course, but I thought they were just that. Rumors. But... Well, we Potters have been known to be a bit thickheaded," Albus chuckled. He then grew serious. "I... So you really are gay?"

Scorpius nodded, keeping his eyes on his lap. "Yeah... It's mostly why I stay at Hogwarts as much as I can."

"I see..." Scorpius peeked through his fringe to see Albus scrutinizing him. "What happened, Scorpius? Does your father beat you? Turn his wand on you?"

"What?" Scorpius shot his head up in surprise. "I- Where- How- I don't know what you're talking about!"

Albus laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and moved closer. The hand on his shoulder moved around to settle on his waist. "Scorpius... Please talk to me?" Scorpius stayed tight-lipped. Albus frowned. "Then will you talk to my dad? I know he can help-"

"N-No!" Scorpius shook his head. "I-I c-can't."

"Hush." Albus pulled the other boy close and held him as he cried. "It's okay, Scorpius. I'll protect you."

Scorpius held on tighter, drinking in the comfort he so desperately needed as he sobbed bitter tears into Albus's shoulder as Albus rocked him and whispered soothing words into his ear.

OOOOO

"No!"

Scorpius shot up in bed as he woke up from his most frequent nightmare nowadays.

All that blood... He shuddered at the mere memory.

"Scorpius...?" Albus muttered sleepily. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "Sorry I woke you, Albus."

The mattress creaked and the sheets rustled as Albus got out of bed. He slipped in beside Scorpius, pushing half-heartedly against his friend to make him move over so he would have more room. "Ngh... Move, Scorp'us..." he slurred.

Scorpius did as he was told, his heart beating once again in his throat, though this time it was not in fear. It was in anticipation. "What... What are you d-doing?"

"Sleepin'," replied Albus, throwing an arm over Scorpius's waist to make him lay back down. He waited until his friend settled. "Are you alright?" He sounded more awake, now.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly.

"Liar," was the affectionate reply.

And the words came spilling out. Every moment of his nightmare was spread out between them as he whispered the details of his dream. Albus stayed silent, and soon Scorpius was spilling the secrets about his father, how he had punished him when he found out his son liked men, and how his mother stood in the background just watching silently, and that was why he had so much trouble trusting adults; they weren't about to help him out, and he could do it on his own as he had been for so long. He told his friend how he was only in Slytherin because his ambition was to help people- to save them.

His words soon died down several minutes later, and the room was silent.

The only sound was their breathing- Scorpius panting from the emotions of his story and Albus breathing quietly and evenly. For a moment, Scorpius though he had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, Albus propped himself on one elbow and leaned over his friend. His hair, slightly longer than usual since he had not had a haircut in several months, made a slight curtain around their faces as his nose nearly touched Scorpius's. His breathing was light, as if he was trying to be as quiet as he could.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question surprised Scorpius. He wondered if it was some sort of joke. "I-I... What?"

"Can I kiss you?" Albus repeated, no hint of a joke about him; Scorpius could tell he was being completely serious. "I've wanted to for a few days, now."

So that explains the increase in touching, Scorpius reasoned as the Potter gently brushed the tears from the aristocratic cheeks.

"Please?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Scorpius lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips to Albus's. His heart fluttered in joy when Albus pressed back down- gently, gently, lovingly.

Albus pulled away after a few moments with a silly grin, then pecked his lips one last time before flopping down on his side to cuddle Scorpius. "Now go to sleep, luv," he whispered. "I'll protect you from the nightmares."

Scorpius smiled and- cuddling closer to who he supposed was now his boyfriend- did as he was told.