More Than Friends | Albus x Scorpius

Part Twenty-Five: Alone

Albus couldn't believe what had just happened. He didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it.

He felt sick. He felt like his chest had collapsed. He felt like he was frozen in time; he couldn't feel anything, though he could tell that his mother was touching his shoulder, he knew she was talking to him, but he couldn't hear her. The ringing in his ears was growing louder with every passing second.

Why did this hurt so bad? How did he feel this way?

Albus felt himself running out of the kitchen and into the living room, James yelled, "Outside! He just left!"

Albus nodded and ran. Frosty air bit at his exposed skin as he opened the door, his father standing in front of it. Scorpius had his head down, his shoulders shaking from silent sobs. Albus shoved past his father and blocked out his voice yelling at him.

"Scorpius, wait!"

Scorpius turned around and shook his head and started, "Albus, w-what are you ---"

Albus embraced him somewhat roughly, sobbing dryly into the spot between his shoulder and neck.

"I'm so s-sorry, " Albus said. "It's all my fault. I ---"

"Albus, please don't cry..."

"I should have waited, " he continued, "until we turn seven-seventeen."

Scorpius said, "No, Albus. It's not your fault...please don't cry. I love you so, so much..."

"I love you, too..."

"Albus, " Draco whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You need to get back inside."

Albus nodded and pulled away from Scorpius and wiped a tear from Scorpius' face before turning away and seeing his angry dad. Albus felt numb when he heard the car start. He kept his emerald eyes on the ground, keeping his face blank and dead.

"Get in the kitchen, " Harry told him. Albus obediently listened, no longer feeling so bad.

Ginny asked him what had happened, why his face was red, but Albus ignored her. Sh asked a second time and got the exact same reaction from her youngest son.

Albus rested his palm against his forehead and twisted his bangs in a tight corkscrew.

Harry walked in and started by saying, "What were you thinking?"

Albus stayed silent, completely numb at this point. Harry stayed silent for a moment before saying, "You're going to end it."

Albus lifted his head up and furrowed his brow. "What?"

"This fling. You're gonna end it."

"No, " Albus said without hesitation. "Not happening."

Ginny said, "Harry, that's too far. You can't make him do that."

"You will end this little fling or I will personally owl Mr. Malfoy and tell him that you will no longer be with his son."

"He has a name, " Albus said through gritted teeth. "And Draco is completely fine with me being with Scorpius."

"You are no longer going to be with him outside of Hogwarts. You won't be able to go to the Manor, he will not come over here ---"

"What does it matter to you if I go to the Manor?" Albus interrupted loudly, standing up angrily.

"Did you really work on a project?"

Albus shifted his gaze away and the corner of his tilted upward as he answered, "No."

"This isn't funny, Albus. You told me that you were working on a project. What did you do instead?"

"That's none of your business, " Albus smirked smugly.

Harry scowled and said, "If you think it's funny, you can have a room with other Slytherins."

"You can't just do that, Dad!" Albus said angrily. He couldn't tell if his dad was serious, but judging from how he used the Marauders Map to keep him and Scorpius separated two years ago, he knew he would certainly do it again.

"I did it before, I can do it again, " Harry responded. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do."

"Harry, you're taking this too far, " Ginny said, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. Albus smacked it off.

"Don't touch me, " Albus deadpanned.

Harry grabbed Albus' wrist and snarled, "Apologies to your mother."

"Let go of me."

"Albus Potter, "

Albus straightened and replied, "Apologies to your son."

Harry shouted, "Quit acting like a child, Albus! You do this too often, thinking that you're grown when you're nowhere close."

"I don't have your name. I don't have your titles, I don't have your fame." Albus said. He felt more than angry as he yelled, "Don't speak to me as if I'm eleven and afraid to go to Hogwarts! I'm not a scared little kid in need of protection!" He slammed his fist onto the table and glared at his parents.

Ginny gasped when she looked into her son's eyes. They were glowing a violent shade of green. She turned her head towards her husband in shock. Harry saw that his son's eyes weren't normal. He, in all of the years of working in the Aurors Office, see a wizard or witch's eyes do this.

Before the two of them could say anything, Albus stormed out of the kitchen, banging open the door, which hit Lily because she had been eavesdropping.

"Ow, Albus!"

Albus kept walking to the stairs. James grabbed Albus' arm but felt an electric shock run up his arm the moment his skin made contact with Albus'.

James said, "Albus... it's alright to be sad."

Albus stopped.

Maybe, just maybe, he could tell James how peculiar he felt. How his eyes burned but there were no tears in his eyes. The way that a greenish color fuzzed the edges of his vision. How empty he felt.

Albus mentally shook his head and entered his room, locking and sitting against the door. He could hear Harry talking about him.

Why do I feel so weird? he asked himself.

Maybe, just maybe, he was ill. Yeah, that was it. But why was he so angry then?

He sighed as he stood up and sat down on the side of his bed that faced his wall, clinging onto the tiny scrap of hope that he would see Mr. Malfoy's Porsche drive down the street. Hoping to see Scorpius.

Albus felt like he was fourteen again; small. Insignificant. Hopeless.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the corner of a piece of parchment showing from under his pillow. He reached for it and his breath hitched when he saw James' messy scrawl.

You can always talk to me, Al.
-JAMES

Under his pillow accompanying the note was the photo album that Albus had told his brother to keep for a few days. It felt like ages since he had first set foot in Malfoy Manor.

What he wouldn't give to hold Scorpius right now.