14 June, 2024

Albus pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen. He found it far easier to write the Muggle way, less ink blots on the page. Besides, he knew he would find this particular letter rather hard to write.

Dear Scorpius,

How are you? I'm finding it rather nice here. The weather is very different from the weather over in Britain, obviously. I think I prefer playing here than in Britain. There's less focus on my name and more on me as a Quidditch player.

The hardest part, really, is being separated from you. As you know, being so far away from you was at the top of the cons side of the pros and cons list we made together. With you being so busy studying Healing, and I so busy with my League responsibilities and settling down here, not to mention the time difference, it's practically impossible to Floo each other. Can you tell where I'm going with this? You're probably hating me for beating around the bush, like this, I know.

Scorpius, what I'm suggesting is we take a break from each other. I relied on you so much for support that I found it incredibly hard to cope when I first arrived here. I think the team managers questioned whether it was a good idea to bring me out from Britain. I'm babbling, I know.

I don't want to bid you goodbye. I will merely say, farewell, until better times come along.

And, just by the way, I don't think we can still be friends. I don't think it will be healthy. Not if what we, no, I want is to have a break from you. I need to learn to cope on my own, before I can think about letting myself being part of a romantic relationship, cliche as it sounds. I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't say this, but I do still love you.

I leave you with a Game of Thrones quote:

"Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."

Until next time,

Albus.

P.S I know what happened between you and Lily. I don't think it affected my decision. I knew about it for a long, long time. Besides, Lily will do what she wants, no matter what, as evidenced by her actions in the past few years.

Albus took a deep breath before continuing to write.

P.P.S. (I just can't say goodbye, eh?) Please don't write back. This was hard enough to do. I don't even know if it's the right thing to do. I'm so, so sorry.

Albus folded up the letter and kissed the paper before sealing it in a Muggle envelope and addressing it to Scorpius.

Scorpius walked tiredly back to his flat in Muggle London. Once again, it had been another interestingly monotonous day of training in Magical Law. He checked his letterbox, knowing that his boyfriend, Al had promised to write through the Muggle post.

He pulled out some junk mail and sorted through it until he found the letter he had been waiting for. He smiled and hurried upstairs to read the letter.

His smile faded quickly as he scanned through the letter. Scorpius was the type of person who quickly read things, before reading them again, his pace becoming slower and slower, understanding more of the text the more times he read it.

Scorpius pursed his lips together. He'd sensed something was off when Albus had announced his intention to sign a contract with an Australian Quidditch team. He just hadn't expected it to come to this.

When Scorpius finally went to bed that night, he couldn't sleep.

He thought of the quote Albus had written in and smiled a little.

"Bloody Game of Thrones fanatic." he muttered.

Scorpius wished he could bring himself to write a letter to Albus. He snorted, wondering how long it would be before he got himself well and truly pissed, and wrote a drunken, alcohol-stained letter to Albus.

He closed his eyes, and began to write a mental letter to Albus.

Dear Albus,

What do I say? Where do I begin?

I wish you didn't feel this way. But you do, and if I were a good friend, I'd accept it, right? But if you say we can't be friends, then I can say whatever the fuck I want, and to hell with polite behaviour and all that shit.

You always said you hated the fake shit that seemed to go on while we were at school. You said it was impossible to love someone at such a young age. Maybe so, but so many people seem to meet their future partners while in Hogwarts. And if they are to marry a British witch or wizard, where else are they supposed to meet?

I know this seems random, but I'm angry right now. And I hate you, in this moment. I hate everything you are, everything you believe. I wonder if this is the blind kind of anger people speak of? Is this what drives people like my father to abuse their families?

Rage and sorrow filled Scorpius, and he felt hot tears begin to fall. He began to sob in the ugly, gasping way. He clenched his fist around his quilt, as the tears made their way towards his ears rendering him breathless. Before he could continue the mental note he had to count backwards from 10 to try and calm his tears, which evidently didn't do much.

My god, Albus. Is this what you do to me? Did I never mean anything to you? Was I merely a new toy, dropped at the soonest opportunity? Am I really such a horrible person? Horrible enough to drive you miles and miles away, to another continent?

A break, you said. But how do you know that I'll still be waiting for you when you get back? Do you really trust me that much? To wait around for you, for the next three years at least? But it will be longer than that before I finish my training in Magical Law.

You shouldn't have started all this crap if it meant nothing to you. You're just as bad as those people you used to hate on.

I'm sorry, but I don't think I love you anymore.

I'm going to sleep now.

Not yours anymore,

Scorpius.

Scorpius rolled over and tried to fall asleep, ignoring the stinging pain in his eyes and the mysterious silence that he would learn all too well.

"There's nothing good about goodnight when it means goodbye." - Jeff Thomas.

Written for Quidditch League, with the prompts:

- 8. Breathless,

- 9. Counting backwards

- 13. Mysteriously silent

- 3."Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your
strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it
will never be used to hurt you." ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

- 10."There's nothing good about goodnight when it means goodbye." ―Jeff
Thomas.