Working Through the Rest

Similar To When He Disappeared

Scorpius barely allowed himself to move as Rose checked Albus was breathing and examined his injuries. She kept murmuring his name, the only sound that Scorpius could hear over the wind.

Eventually, after what felt like eternity, Albus began to murmur something, very faintly, and Scorpius felt his heart leap slightly. Albus was conscious. Albus could breathe. He was alive. There was hope.
"Albus?" Rose murmured.

Albus' eyes opened slowly and he looked at them, groaning in pain. He pushed his hand out towards Scorpius,  who took it gently. He had to blink back tears as Albus' hand fell limp in his.
"Albus," Rose said again. "Can you blink if you can hear me?"

Albus blinked slowly, grimacing.

"Okay, Albus. We need to get you to the Hospital Wing. Okay?"

A blink.

"I know it's going to hurt, but we need to move you to somewhere to help you. Just – just take your time. Okay?"

Albus blinked again and Rose pulled him up slowly, looping her arm around him gently on one side. Scorpius did the same on the other side, and Albus groaned again. Scorpius looked at him, his stomach lurching at the bruises beginning to form on his friend's face.

The three of them stood up and Albus sagged between them, barely able to keep himself up. Scorpius took his weight, trying to step forward with Rose. They didn't make it as Albus let go, slipping from Scorpius' sweaty palms and crashing onto the stone floor.

Rose dropped with him, beginning to move his limbs gently. Scorpius stayed standing, a numb feeling swelling inside his chest. He had no idea how he could do anything. If he had just gotten up earlier, just been there, just tried to face talking to him, they wouldn't have pounced on Albus. Albus wouldn't be bleeding and bruised on the floor.
"Scorpius."

Rose's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked down to see her beckoning him down and he obliged, ignoring the pain in his knees as he hit the floor.
"Stay here and make sure he doesn't move," Rose said quickly. "I'm going to get help."

Scorpius nodded and Rose jogged away. Scorpius looked back at Albus. One of his hands was tucked under his cheek, the other out in front of him. Scorpius took it took gently, holding on as tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

He was terrified of losing Albus. He didn't want to be alone. He couldn't' face losing another person he cared about that much. And he wouldn't. He would fight hard enough to shake the ground, for Albus. It didn't matter what had happened the night before.

As he waited for Rose, his thoughts turned to the occasion when his and Albus' positions had been reversed, when he had been the unconscious one, and Albus had been left with the fear, constantly mounting inside of him.

A wave of guilt crashed over him as his mind landed on this. He had been prepared to leave Albus alone, to deal with the pain in his own mind. And while that pain had started to improve, however slowly, he had still caused Albus that hurt. He couldn't forget that.

"I understand that, Professor," Rose's worried voice floated in as Scorpius shivered in the wind. "But this will be a much quicker explanation."

Scorpius looked up as Rose and Professor Longbottom ducked into the alcove, Rose coming straight to Albus' side. Professor Longbottom stopped momentarily, staring at the sight in front him, before looking at Rose.
"Better explanation than I could have given," she said quietly.
"What happened?"
"They beat the shit out of Albus," Rose snapped, her temper bursting out.
"We can't move him," Scorpius said quickly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We tried. He collapsed."

Professor Longbottom nodded, pulling out his wand quickly. He waved it, conjuring a stretcher below Albus' frail figure. Scorpius up with it as it rose into the air, continuing to hold onto Albus' hand. He had very little idea whether Albus would have actually wanted that, but he was going to hold on. He needed to hold on.

If only because they had come too far to lose now.