Albus's POV
Tears dripped down his cheeks. His hair was damp from the rain, and his face felt cold and raw. His eyes stung from the crying. He wished he couldn't feel any of this. He wished he couldn't remember the events of the last half hour, but they were forever going to be on repeat in his head. After everything they'd been through. After all the fighting, and the working towards finally being back together- finally being at one with one another like they were last night.
How could he do this? How could Scorpius just- how could he leave? Albus was frustrated and upset and his heart was broken, he didn't even know everything that he was upset about yet, he just knew he was upset.
Across from him, sitting on another couch, was Raven Malfoy. She sat there silently, holding her arm in one hand. Harry said she had fractured her wrist when she fell. They were all waiting for someone skilled at healing spells to arrive. Right now, the physical pain helped ease the emotional pain. The gaping hole that Albus felt, he knew Raven had it worse.
She had no one. Albus stood up, and his legs nearly gave out from under him as he did. He steadied himself and then walked over to sit by her. Raven didn't even shift as he sat. "Did you know?" He asked her softly.
Raven said nothing. Albus nodded, that was an answer in this case. He put an arm around the small girl and pulled her close until she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
"Thank you." Raven whispered. The first words she spoke since Scorpius had disapparated. Albus sniffled and continued to cry, not knowing what else to say. There was nothing he could say, after all. As the nurse finally entered, his father came with him. They sat up as the nurse began to use spells to fix their bruises and fractures.
"We need to take a statement on what happened." Harry Potter tells them both. Raven didn't even look at him. He looked at his son expectantly.
"We didn't know he was planning to do that." Albus told his dad. "And neither of us are up to talking about it." Harry Potter nodded, looking at Raven and then back to Albus, gesturing to the blonde beside him. "We're fine." There was an edge to Albus's voice. Typical, that Harry Potter seems to only show he cares after something like this. Real fucking typical.
"Well, let's get you home." The Auror gestures for him to stand. Albus doesn't budge.
"I'm staying with Raven."
"It's not appropriate for a fifteen-"
"Sixteen." Albus corrected. The man cleared his throat, clearly realizing he had forgotten his son's own age in that moment. "Raven can't go back to the Manor yet, which means she'll probably go back to the House of Black, right? So I'll go with her. We both need to get our stuff from here but I think we can manage to take care of ourselves. She's been doing it for awhile now, no thanks to you."
"Albus-"
"Just don't." Albus didn't want to hear any apology or excuse. He didn't want to hear anything from him. Harry Potter shook his head.
"I only was going to tell you that The House of Black has been signed into Orion and Scorpius's name. So Orion will have to be okay with you being there-"
"I'm fine with it. Now go." Orion cut him off, appearing in the room. "We've all had enough for today." Harry Potter looked the black-haired boy up and down, then back to Albus and gave a curt nod as goodbye. The nurse finished up, and left the three of them alone in the study. Orion walked over and sat across from Albus and Raven. "I mean it. You're both welcome to stay. It feels weird if it was just me living there."
"You aren't staying with Andromeda?" Albus asked, keeping irritation out of his voice. Even though just the sight of Orion was annoying.
"I'll be switching from the House of Black to here occasionally. There's plenty of room, and I know Scorpius would've wanted you both there."
"Narcissa?" Raven wondered, her voice scratchy from emotion.
"She said she plans on staying here until she returns to her house." Orion answers. "She's welcome to come with us, if she wants."
"She won't." Raven Malfoy brushes it off. Orion shrugs.
"Well the offer is open. She's family."
It was sweet, but Albus knew Narcissa wasn't the kind of woman to wallow. She definitely made her distaste for Orion apparent, which meant it was very unlikely she'd be open to living with him for any long period of time. From what Scorpius had said, Narcissa kept her immediate family close but she was hesitant to let people into her circle, so to speak.
Albus stood up, going to gather some of his clothes together from here. When he entered the room, he felt his heart shatter. Scorpius's stuff was still in here. He wiped his eyes and started to pack, bringing Scorpius's stuff with him. He'd put it all back in his room at the House of Black, so it would be there if he came back.
He grabbed a grey hoodie and examined it, memories flooding back to him. Dancing in the kitchen. Walking the Hogwarts hallways in the dead of night under the invisibility cloak.
Albus held the hoodie to his face and breathed in. Smoke. He felt his eyes fill with tears.
He could remember the smokey taste of Scorpius on his lips, the soft feeling of his hair in his fingers. He remembered the cold of the snow seeping into his jacket as they laid and looked up at the stars after the Winter Formal.
He recalled Scorpius apparating them into the swamp, Albus's jeans soaking up to his knees with mud. Albus choked on his tears, giving a soft laugh at the memory. He couldn't see that boy with Selwyn now. He couldn't imagine that light inside of him being snuffed out because of his brother.
"Come back to me." He whispered, pulling the grey hoodie on and engulfing himself with the smell of smoke. Albus tucked the marauders map and the invisibility cloak into his bag as well, and whatever else he could that belonged to the other boy. He took a few deep breaths to regain his composure, and looked around the room in one last glance. "Okay."
—-
It was awkward at first. Living at the House of Black with Orion. They didn't like one another and they both knew it. Somehow they put it aside and living there started to feel less tense every day that passed. Albus stayed in a room not far from Raven. He couldn't bother to stay in Scorpius's room. He'd went in there once to return his stuff into the bedroom but past that it was left untouched.
He expected Raven to hide away in her bedroom, like Scorpius said she did when she was sad or going through something. But it was like Raven knew if she did that, she'd never come back out. Albus was just relieved neither of them were alone.
It was the morning of Michael's funeral when Albus broke the silence. Kreacher had brought them coffee, deciding they needed the caffeine for the day.
Raven didn't speak much now. The girl who always had something to say couldn't find any words. But sometimes she'd reply to Albus. And that's why he spoke to her.
"We don't have to go today." He curls his legs up on the couch, looking over at the small girl. Raven was looking out the window that had been repaired from Selwyn's attack. Albus wondered who it was that repaired it, but he didn't care enough to ask anyone. "Michael will be buried whether we show up or not."
"We're going." Raven's words meant it wasn't open for debate. Albus nodded, taking a sip of his coffee and letting it attempt to warm him. His chest ached, a part of him was missing.
"I understand. He had no living relatives. You're the only one alive who would even feel his absence." Albus spoke aloud, and the girl gave a curt nod. "And you want to see how the Manor is coming along, don't you?" Another nod.
Albus wanted to ask why she'd want to see the manor. What it meant to her if her family was gone. Narcissa was around, and other extended family, but it wasn't the same. Scorpius wasn't dead but he may as well be. Albus felt pressure behind his eyes, the kind that wells up as warning before he cries.
"We have plenty of time before school to practice Occlumency." He clears his throat as he speaks, focusing on something else. "Regardless of if Selwyn and Aries is a problem anymore, it's a useful skill to have. There's no reason why we shouldn't keep practicing. A day-to-day routine would provide structure. A purpose. I think it's important. Doing things always makes me feel better."
Albus bites his lip. "Like after he and I broke up, I built an entire bookshelf into my room." He shrugs. "It's a good distraction and my books were kind of in chaos. We'll help with the manor too some days, to speed the process. After all, I can't imagine you'd want someone else to pick the chandelier that replaces the broken one in the entryway."
Raven set a hand open against the glass, watching as a muggle family walked a stroller down the sidewalk below. An ordinary day to them.
"Morning." Orion joined them in the room, walking over and sitting by Raven. Raven shifted and watched as Orion set a chessboard with a half-finished game on the table.
"Didn't know you knew how to play." Albus antagonizes in light-heartedness. Orion studies the board and gestures to it.
"I don't."
"What do you mean?" Albus leaned closer and looked at the board. It wasn't half-finished. It was checkmate.
"Scorpius played Black, and he beat me. I'll admit I'm not a professional at chess but he had all my pieces pinned in a dozen moves." Orion looked at Albus, then at Raven. Raven took a drink of her coffee. Albus raised an eyebrow. Okay, and? "It's what he's doing now."
"Elaborate." Albus's eyebrows furrowed, looking at the board.
"He's the most powerful piece on the board." Orion touches the Black Queen. "The black Queen is in perfect position to take the White Queen if she moves to defend the King." Orion grabbed the white Queen. "This is Daniel. And the King, that's Selwyn." Albus didn't follow what he was getting at. But he wasn't going to admit that out loud.
"Oh." Albus said instead, as though he totally understood. Orion saw through him and huffed.
"The goal is to take the King in chess. I didn't understand why Scorpius would do what he did, until I started to look at it the way he would." Orion explains, setting the chess piece back down, and arranging the board a couple moves earlier. "If he takes the King in this move, then white takes Queen. He'll get no where, so instead he moved Bishop here." Orion repeats the move that Scorpius had done. "Then white is forced to move their Queen here, open for black's Queen. It's a gamble but if they don't do it it's checkmate."
"It's checkmate anyways." Albus ignored whatever kind of analogy Orion was trying to do, and focused solely on the game.
"Exactly. That's why Scorpius is with Selwyn." Orion breathed. "It's not Selwyn who he's going after. Because Selwyn is the King. He's got limited power. But while the Queen is on the board? The King has the upper hand. Scorpius is taking Daniel off the board. Or maybe even forcing his hand so that Selwyn will be captured."
"You think Scorpius planned on joining them?" Albus shook his head. "To take down Daniel? Selwyn has always been the problem. Daniel is just his follower."
"Wake up." Orion snapped. Albus grimaced in annoyance. "He controls dementors, Albus. He has instinctual magic. Selwyn is nothing but the brains of the operation. But Daniel? He's the engine. He's the reason why the zealots follow Selwyn." They were quiet for a few moments. "I could be wrong, but this is what a clever person would do. And we all know Scorpius is as cunning as they come. If anyone is capable of infiltrating and taking them down, it's him."
"Cunning or not. Whether he planned this or not, it makes no bloody difference!" Albus flipped the chess board. He wasn't prone to aggression like this, but the thought that Scorpius had thought all this through before taking that unbreakable vow? It was devastating.
Orion jolted backwards as the chess pieces went flying. Raven didn't even react, looking calmly at Albus. Orion's eyes were wide.
"It doesn't fucking matter what he was thinking, Orion." Albus growled. He told me he was in love with me and then he left me like nothing. Albus felt tears behind his eyes once again. "I refuse to believes that he planned this all along- planned Michael's death? Planned to lose? And never fucking told anyone!"
"Albus-"
"No." He cut off the boy's words. "Don't pretend like you knew him better. You didn't. If he had planned to leave, he would've told me. He would've told his sister. We were everything to him." Albus felt tears slipping down his cheeks as he angry-yelled. He was frustrated. So frustrated. "He was forced into this situation. He was stupidly saving me from experiencing the same pain he felt when he lost his father. That's it. No master plan."
Orion slowly nodded, obviously seeing no point in arguing with the upset boy. Albus stepped around the table and extended a hand for Raven.
"We have a funeral to attend." He tells her, Raven sets the coffee down. She gave Orion a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and then took Albus's hand.
—-
Orion and Albus sat on the stairs in the Malfoy Manor as Raven wandered around. People were actively working on the repairs, so they stayed out of the way. Michael's service ended, though there were few people who bothered to come. Michael wasn't loved much alive, and it didn't make much difference to many people now that he had died.
"I'm sorry for this morning." Orion tells Albus. Albus looked over at him. "Why can't you see it my way?"
"I can't accept that he planned this." Albus admitted. "It would mean he planned on putting us all in the position we were in. That he planned on us failing. All of us. My father, the Aurors, everyone. And if he planned it and didn't tell me..." He shook his head. "He knew how something like this would devastate me. Would devastate Raven. So how could he plan it?"
"You're right." Orion agrees after a moment. "He never would intentionally hurt you or Raven." Orion caught Albus's gaze. "But he also would go to any lengths to protect you both. That's what that vow was."
Albus hugged his arms around himself, and looked around the foyer. "This house still gives me the creeps. Even though it's hardly recognizable with the damage."
"Does it?" Orion was happy for the change of subject. "It's a lot more grand than I think I'd ever be comfortable living in, but it doesn't creep me out."
"All the Malfoy's are buried on the property. It's weird. Their ghosts are probably in the walls." Albus shutters at the thought. Orion laughs.
"Okay, Ghost boy." Orion snickers.
"It's not funny. I'm being serious." Albus retorts.
"I know." Orion rolled his eyes. "Let's go find Raven."
——
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