Content Warning: Mentions of Self-Harm
Scorpius, rather unwillingly, drifted away from Albus, skimming out of their ardent embrace, his jaw still half-opened. Of course, he trusted Albus. He trusted him with his life, for goodness sake! But even so, it was still quite impossible to shake off that peevish voice in the back of his mind which kept heckling him to remain locked in their hug—to not draw away from him—to disobey Albus' cryptic orders.
Scorpius wasn't sure what Albus had planned. What was he was rambling about? It wasn't what Scorpius had feared, now was it? He wasn't really—he couldn't possibly be contemplating the unimaginable! Albus wasn't going to...to...hurt himself? Right now? In front of him? Surely, Albus knew better than to do that. Albus said he had everything solved. He said he figured out the final line of the Prophecy. That meant...that meant things would soon be okay. It meant everything would go back to the way things were. Then again, who was Scorpius trying to fool? Things could never go back to the way they once were. Everything was going to change now. Never mind now—things were already changing. Everything in Scorpius' life was transforming quicker than a werewolf during the first sight of a full moon. Before any of this, he was just Scorpius—Scorpius Malfoy. He was Scorpius dating Rose. Now he was Scorpius dating Albus. And his Dad—? His Dad knew he was gay. Delphi said she had controlled him. She used him as her puppet and invaded his thoughts. Before any of that happened—before he was taken over by Imperio—he did seem accepting of it all, didn't he? Things with his Dad...had always been a bit rocky, and even more so since his Mum had passed. But Scorpius had hope that their relationship would be solid as gold now—especially since Scorpius came out to him. That is what Scorpius was hoping for, at least. What terrified him the most was Harry Potter's reaction to it all. Harry always seemed to hate Scorpius since he set eyes on him. Actually scratch that last. Harry had hated Scorpius since he found out that Albus and he were best friends. More to that, Scorpius was never invited to their house—he had never set foot in Godric's Hollow. Not once. Even when Harry and Ginny came to the Manor to pick Albus up, Ginny would smile pleasantly at Scorpius while Harry would give him a pained and rather forced smile. Harry would probably spit at him if he knew he was in love with his son.
Scorpius tried to empty out his mind, but he found it quite difficult to do so. There were so many pressing issues attacking him relentlessly until his head was splitting with pain. Scorpius wished he could switch off such anxiety and raise his hands in surrender, beseeching for mercy. It was all too much. Fret after fret. Everything was changing by the mere minute. Surely, he would face each individual problem accordingly. What mattered most was the problem right in front of him. He needed them to stop. Scorpius needed Delphi and Rodolphus to leave them alone. To uncharm the cellar so they could escape. It was bad enough that they were trapped here. To make matters worse, they held his second best friend captive: Elfie. He could imagine her perky brown face meshed in a perplexed grimace while her pinkish, tanned ears drooped in misery. She was probably frightened by it all—having former Death Eaters stand on guard, their wands pointed hostilely at her. He could imagine it now. It was so cruel. He wanted to leave the cellar at once to find her. To assure her everything was going to be just fine.
Scorpius blinked, stealing a quick gaze from Albus, who appeared just as startled as he was. He hated that they were landed in such a situation. Scorpius didn't enjoy this one bit. What he craved—what he yearned for—was to be alone with Albus again. What he wouldn't give to have two minutes alone with him. Two minutes to hear the thumping of his heartbeat. To feel the ridges of his warm fingertips. To taste his honeyed lips. Scorpius felt like they were parting ways. Saying goodbye. Scorpius wasn't sure if he was going to make it out of this alive. If Albus was. Was this really how their story would end? They were just getting started. Scorpius wanted to protect him from all of this. He wanted to pretend that none of this terror, none of this anguish ever existed. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Albus' pain away.
Scorpius shook his head, defying what his brain had told him and instead, listened with his heart. He bolted towards Albus, speaking fast, positive that life itself was slipping away from his bare hands. That they were acting on borrowed time.
"W-w-w-we n-need t-t-o leave," he said faintly, ripping the Quill out of Albus' hand and setting it aside on the parchment. Scorpius folded his hand with Albus', jerking back slightly due to the surprising frosty temperature of Albus' tender palms. "Just—hear me out. I don't care that you've—" He lowered his voice so they wouldn't be overheard. "...figured it out. It doesn't matter. We've got to go," he urged.
Albus spoke in hushed tones. "No one's going to die," he said gravely. "It'll be alright..."
"You're not going to—you can't use that bloody Quill! Do you hear me? Using the Quill isn't going to solve anything, Albus!" Scorpius argued. "It'll just make matters worse. You're asking me to trust you, and I do. But please...p-p-please...trust me. I-I have...have a bad feeling about this..."
"AWAY FROM HIM!" Rodolphus screeched, his face demented with an unexpected burst of vitriol. He charged towards Scorpius with his cloak raking all over the marbled floor, looking much like a large winged bat. "DO NOT INTERFERE." He jagged his wand at Scorpius menacingly, shifting his blue eyes from Scorpius to Albus. "BACK. AWAY. NOW."
Scorpius didn't want to leave Albus' side. He wasn't going to listen to whatever Rodolphus said. He would not abandon Albus. Not like this.
Scorpius creased his grey eyes into a venomous glare. "NO!" He fought back.
"YOU REPULSIVE PURE-BLOOD! HOW DARE YOU SMEAR THE MALFOY NAME LIKE THIS?" Rodolphus thundered, his voice as deadly as the crack of lightning. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME?"
Scorpius shot him a deleterious look, ignoring the man's every attempt to fatally wound him with the power of speech. "Let. Us. Go," he rumbled indignantly. "Let us go and we won't breathe a word to anyone about what went on here."
"LOOK AT YOU!" Rodolphus grimaced coolly. "Giving orders to me. Me. You're nothing but a useless child. You are not the one who has all the power here. Surely you know that by now? It astonishes me that you are arrogant enough to think you can actually beat two well-off adults." His blue eyes wandered off to Albus' ice-cold expression. "Both of you have no chance...against us." He twisted his face back at Scorpius, grinding his teeth together with fury. "You think...think you can challenge us?" he gobbed, penetrating his wand into the bone of Scorpius' neck, who let out a whinge of terror, but managed to still look undoubtedly brave as he stared audaciously within the callous sapphire eyes of the former Death Eater.
"You don't scare me," Scorpius choked out.
Rodolphus sneered at him diabolically. He rammed his wand deeper into Scorpius' collarbone. "Lucky she wants you alive or—"
"STOP IT!" Albus bellowed. "He'll listen to you, alright?"
"Albus, please, it's fine, I can take it—"
"Trust me," Albus said softly. "Do what he says, Scorp."
Scorpius locked his horrified grey eyes onto Albus, who gradually nodded. Scorpius outstretched his arms in the air and slightly drifted backwards. He was only a few steps away from Albus, but even that was nearly excruciating.
Scorpius twiddled his hands into the pocket of his dark pants, signalling to Albus that he was armed and ready to strike if needed. Albus shook his head at him. Scorpius nodded, comprehending what Albus had planned. All he had to do was wait for Albus' cue.
Delphi's nostrils were dilating with boundless delight. "Atta boy, Albus..." she said in a drawling voice. "Write the final line of the Prophecy with the Quill. This is very important and must be done promptly."
Albus remained seated in the lilac-cushioned chair, his fingers trotting up and down the midnight Quill. The feel of it was horrifyingly familiar. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, the touch of the Quill brought comfort to his very soul.
He pursed his lips together, peering down at the wrinkled piece of parchment in front of him. It was all too real. Sitting in a darkened area. Feeling his heart pulse out of his chest. Rimming his cool fingers onto the arched body of the Black Quill. Keeping his eyes onto the haunting Prophecy. Memorizing the scribbled words that sat upon the olden parchment. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was having an audience.
No matter what, he wouldn't bite the bait. He wouldn't let himself be compelled to use the Quill. His Dad and Draco were on the way. Albus had to remind himself that this was all temporary. That everything would be okay once they arrived. He had to be patient. Give it another moment.
Albus, of course, had no intention of using the Quill.
"Albus!" Delphi whirred. "I know what you're doing."
"Got no idea what you're talking about," Albus responded innocuously.
"Oh I think you do," Delphi refuted. "I know quite well that you are stalling. Desperately trying to buy time." She tracked over to Rodolphus, and murmured something imperceptibly into his ear.
He propped close to hers, and drew out a reddish, white wand...a wand Scorpius had seen before. It was Delphi's original wand. The one Albus and Scorpius remembered spotting Delphi carry around with her during their days together. There it was. Right in front of them. Just like they remembered. Her wand was unyielding, 12¾ inches, plucked from the finest Phoenix Hair. The handle of the wand was Walnut and the entire slim body was practically as red as her flaming eyes. She threw the Yew wand from her hand and leaned down and spat on it. Thrilled to be reunited with her original wand, she pressed her lips against it affectionately, her teeth glistening with happiness.
"Now that I have my own wand back, I sincerely urge you, Albus Severus Potter, to not toy with me," she instructed pitilessly. "I know very well what you are doing. Do not forget, boy. I have immediate entrance to your thoughts. If you continue to be stubborn, I assure you there will be dire consequences. I am giving you to the count of three. There will be no fourth. Failure to cooperate in the next seconds will result in me taking that Quill out of your pathetic little hands and carving it straight into that worthless old elf's face! Ask me if I'm bluffing!"
"S-stop it!" Albus spluttered feebly. "I-I'll do it. O-okay? I-I'll do it."
Albus had no choice. He had to obey. He would grit his teeth and do it. Why was it so hard? He did this before, countless times. He remembered each and every one of them. He would creep out of his Dormitory, once Scorpius was fast asleep, and sneak out into the darkened corridors, find an empty classroom and use the Quill. He would do it once a night every week. But as the bullying intensified, and the feelings of self-loathing became more present, he would use it far more frequently. Sometimes, there were weeks when Albus did not use the Quill at all. Conversely, there were times when Albus used the Quill every night.
Albus knew perfectly well how to use the Quill. He knew what had to be done. How come it was so difficult to use the Black Quill now, then? Of course. It was because Scorpius was watching. Rodolphus was watching. Delphi was watching... and she certainly didn't deserve that satisfaction.
Albus had a plan. He figured out the Prophecy. But he needed time to make his plan work. His eyes flickered around the cold cellar. There was nothing to help him. No large object that would be useful to them whatsoever. Albus had to keep stalling. His mind was racing. He needed to devise a plan, already! He knew what had to be done. But how to do it was the question? They had to wait. For how long, he wasn't sure. Perhaps a little longer? That's it. A little longer until he mustered up the strength to do what needed to be done.
Use the Quill. The mysterious voice hissed, sounding like a snake circling around the back of his neck. He could clearly hear the delicate, persuasive whisper in his ears. What's a few lines? It's nothing. Nothing! You've done it before, haven't you? Don't pretend this is new to you. You know how to do it. Take the Quill and draw a few more lines. It doesn't even hurt that much. Come on, Albus Severus Potter. Are you weak? A coward? A spare? No. No you're not. Take the Quill and do the lines, I say. Scorpius would get over it. You wouldn't mortify him that much, I imagine. Only slightly. Just do the lines. A few more lines and you both will finally be free. You can leave this horrid room. Go back to Hogwarts. Be with your dear Father while you can. Pretend this never happened...
He gaped down at his forearms. Earlier, Delphi had said the connection was getting stronger—right when Albus had heard the ominous, unrecognizable voice. That...that couldn't be good news at all. Albus had a problem, didn't he? There was no logical explanation to the murmurs he occasionally heard. Why could he hear voices? His Dad used to hear voices, but that's only because he was connected to Voldemort. A part of Voldemort's soul lived inside of him. Albus felt chills all over. A part of Delphi—lived...lived...inside of him? Him? No. Of course not. Most certainly not. A part of her couldn't be linked to him. That wasn't remotely possible. There was no plausible way that could have happened. Then again, why did he hear the voice...and why— why...did it sound like her?
Albus was exhausted is all. That was the reason he was jumping to all sorts of wild conclusions and assumptions. He barely slept. He'd been battered with spells of all sorts. Seen his boyfriend suffer at the hands of his Boggart. Realized Yann—his bully—was willingly working with Delphi. Albus had seen too much. He was paranoid. Traumatized. It was all in his head, yes?
Do it. The voice rasped with a resurgence of exhilaration. Do it.
Albus swallowed the lump in his throat. There really was no away around this, was there? Albus was not going to let Elfie—Scorpius' beloved house elf—die at his expense. It wasn't right. Scorpius had been through enough. Albus wouldn't let that happen. He had to do it. He had to use the Quill. Delphi knew Albus had been stalling. There was no use pretending. It had to be done. He had to abide by her. It was only a few strokes, anyhow. He'd be fine. It would all be fine. She said they would uncharm the room—let them leave unharmed once the deed was done. It seemed there was no use trying to fool her. It was two against two. Delphi and Rodolphus against him and Scorpius. Delphi, as much as Albus hated admitting it, was a remarkably powerful witch. She could perform wandless magic, fly without a broom and was an excellent Legilimens. He didn't know much about Rodolphus. All he knew about him was that he was Bellatrix's husband, a Former Death Eater and was nearly as harmless as a Hungarian Horntail. The two practically knew dark and dangerous curses in their sleep. Albus knew they were trapped. He had to comply. He had no choice. He had to do it...
Albus took a deep breath and stared at the parchment in front of him. Albus now knew it wasn't just any note. It was a Prophecy. His Prophecy. He could see his own markings upon the parchment. He had used his normal school quill and traced it all over each sentence of the Prophecy. All but the last sentence: Death Shall Take the Second Dad.
Albus locked his eyes onto his inflamed forearms. There were straight lines of faded red cuts on his wrists and that x slash which had fascinated Delphi so much. Hold on. Perhaps it did make sense, after all. Perhaps that x marked the spot in which Albus was supposed to write the Prophecy lines on his skin. Even so, it was still rather confusing. There was no use analyzing it. He had one more line to write. One simple sentence. All he had to do was write it. Once he did that, he would be set free. After that, all of this would be over.
Clenching the Black Quill in his right hand, Albus bit his lip to stop himself from letting out a gasp of pain because he knew how much this hurt—he was expecting it to, but even as he traced the first letter of the final sentence into the parchment, the pain he was consumed with was most surprising and terrifying. He exhaled at once—a short and careful breath escaped his lips. He couldn't help it. He was shaken by it. He glanced down at his forearms, watching his skin heat with fresh red cuts. It was as if a blade ripped a piece of Albus' flesh as he swiftly wrote the first word: Death. Albus stuffed his fist into his mouth to keep himself from screaming out loud.
"Albus?" Scorpius' voice was abnormally ear-splitting and petrified. He appeared as though he had just witnessed the rebirth of Voldemort for he did not sound like himself at all. Albus felt his stomach tighten against his will at his boyfriend's cries. Scorpius wheeled forward, quite positive Albus couldn't be doing what he thought he was doing. Then he saw it. The red shining cut that was forming on Albus' forearms. Albus now moved onto the next word: Shall. The lines scratched on his flesh healed momentarily, and then reappeared once more as he continued setting the Quill back onto the parchment. "ALBUS?" Scorpius bellowed, rushing over to his side, but Rodolphus caught him from the behind tangling Scorpius' hands behind him. Scorpius squirmed frantically. "ALBUS NO! STOP! PLEASE STOP!" He was sobbing loudly now, still trying to fight his way out of the man's constricting hold. "GET OFF ME!" he howled. He was glaring at Delphi now, his dreary grey eyes swimming in thick tears, hoping she would have the decency to take pity on her own flesh and blood. "DELPHI...P-PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!"
A monstrous smile rushed onto her gaunt cheeks. She smirked at Scorpius, but kept a watchful eye on Albus. "Your boyfriend—he's getting quite restless, isn't he?"
"NO ALBUS DON'T!" Scorpius' face was wet with tears. "DELPHI—YOU CAN HAVE ME! I'LL BE PART OF YOUR SACRED TWENTY-EIGHT, JUST MAKE HIM STOP! TELL HIM HE DOESN'T NEED TO USE THAT!"
Delphi's eyes glistened at that statement. "Would you?" she asked dimly.
"SCORPIUS DON'T SAY ANYTHING!" Albus yelled.
Scorpius' heart was racing. "I'LL DO IT!" he complied, still trying to shake Rodolphus off him.
"Make the Vow," Delphi said primly. "Make the Vow and I just might spare your boyfriend..."
The knot in Albus' stomach tightened at once. "Scorpius you break that and you die."
It was as if Albus had an Invisibility Cloak thrown over him for Scorpius was peering straight ahead, his eyes insouciant and frightened. "I don't—don't...care..."
Now Albus was in tears. Watching Scorpius lose it. Unbalance. Watching him gutted in absolute pain was completely horrendous. He wanted to stop using the Quill for Scorpius' sake. But he knew deep down, he had to continue. It was the only way...
"Don't talk like that!" Albus cried. This was not Scorpius talking. Scorpius was light-hearted, easy-going, and full of life. He wasn't this person. Broken. Empty and gray. Gambling his life away. "You can't possibly believe her! S-she's lying! She's not even a Pure-blood! Bellatrix was yes. But Voldemort wasn't. He was Half-Blood." Now his eyes were feasted on Delphi's. "Voldemort was Half-Blood. Just like you are. I don't know why you keep acting as though you aren't. You're Half-Blood, Delphi. Are you forgetting that? If you marry a Pure-Blood, guess what that makes you? Still Half-Blood! You were born a Half-Blood, and you'll die a Half-Blood. And according to you, there's nothing pure about being a Half-Blood, now is there? You're nothing but a two-faced liar! A hyprocite! How can you put so much value on being Pure-blood when you aren't even one yourself—?"
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Delphi shouted.
Albus was no longer interested in speaking to Delphi about this matter for he could still hear the shallow weeping of Scorpius. Albus let go of the Quill at once, and jumped to his feet, wanting to run to Scorpius, craving to hold him in his arms.
"STOP!" Delphi shrieked. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
Albus remained standing. He continued to speak softly to Scorpius. "Think she'll let me go after you make the Unbreakable Vow? She'll allow us to run off back to Hogwarts, now will she? Like hell. She'll keep us here until I do what she says. She wants me to continue with that bloody Quill!" He glared at Delphi. "In case you were wondering, the answer, of course is no. You can't have him. If you think I am going to stand here and watch you take away the one person I love in this world, then you're about as foolish as your parents."
Scorpius was trembling all over. "Please don't—don't continue..."
"Scorp, I'm okay. Doesn't hurt," Albus lied. "Let me finish."
"No," he protested.
"What about Elfie?" Albus said quietly.
Scorpius' face crooked into inescapable irascibility, hopelessness and befuddlement all at once. "I...I don't...d-d-d-don't k-k-know..."
"Exactly," Albus said gingerly. "I'm not going to make you choose between us. Let me finish this task and then we can go. All she wants is for me to finish the lines. That's all she wants. Then we can leave." Albus knew, even after he did what Delphi had asked of him, there was little to no chance of her letting them leave the premises unharmed. Especially since the Manor was crawling with former Death Eaters. He knew a couple of them were guarding Elfie upstairs. Who knew how many more of them were there? He didn't want Scorpius to worry about that, though. He just needed Scorpius to calm down—to let Albus finish the deed. "I promise I won't ever use the Quill after tonight."
"There must be another way," Scorpius said breathlessly. "Maybe if I make the Vow, she'll reconsider—?"
"She won't stop," Albus said aloofly. "Don't you get it?" He was growing frustrated—not at Scorpius but at Delphi. "She won't ever stop until she gets what she wants."
The voice was shrilling, louder and far more profound this time.
Excellent job, Albus. You are nearly there, boy. A few more words and you will be most honoured. Only a couple more strokes of the Quill and all that pain—all that suffering and anguish will be burnt to dust. You both will be free. This, I promise you...
He took his fingers and scraped the tears off his dark eyelashes, wishing no one would take this into account. Four more words. Four more words and he would stop. Four more words and they would be released from this cellar. Four more words and it was all going to be okay.
Pushing his fist further into his mouth, Albus pressed the Quill onto the parchment: Take. He wrote. Once again, blood spilled onto the paper, the red emerging on his forearm...
"DELPHI WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?" Scorpius shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?"
But Albus disregarded him, finishing the word. It was obvious why she was doing this; she was enjoying watching Albus in pain. More to that, she wanted Albus' Prophecy to come true. She wanted death to take the second Dad; to take his Dad—Harry Potter. It couldn't be Draco Malfoy she was after seeing as he was part of The Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Albus closed his eyes shut, letting out an involuntary whimper in pain. His forearm was shining with heated red strokes. Albus pitched the Quill aside, quickly pressing his hand against his inflamed forearms, doing his very best to soothe the stinging daggers he felt still being drawn over and over again on his flesh.
You're nearly done, Albus Severus Potter. Hurry up, now. We haven't gotten much time. I assure you, you must continue. You will be honoured for what you did tonight. You won't ever forget what you did tonight in the cellar...
The voice...
It was louder...
Louder the moment Albus had self-inflicted. Stronger the moment he used the Black Quill. The voice was clearly Delphi's. He knew it was. Albus' eyes met his Boggart's, who was standing over him with a grin, waiting for him to finish off the remaining words. She wanted him to continue. So badly. Albus had wondered what significance the self-infliction was to her. Why did she want him to hurt himself? Why was she so obsessed with him using the Black Quill?
It was becoming clearer now. The voice. It—it grew far more lasting—far more powerful—the second Albus used the Black Quill. Could it be—?
Of course. It was all adding up now...
The Black Quill allowed the voice to grow louder, clearer. Delphi...Delphi had been communicating to Albus through...through his cuts. For some dark reason, it was the usage of the Quill that had acted as a gateway of communication between Delphi and Albus. Albus should have figured it out sooner...
Albus was combing memories through the back of his mind, determined to solve this riddle once and for all. It was what he had feared.
A year ago, when Albus was given the Quill and began using it, that was when it all began. That was when he started having those awful nightmares about the cellar and hearing those portentous voices. Only it wasn't just any voice. It was Delphi's voice. He thought of what Delphi had said earlier.
The connection...I see it's getting stronger.
She was referring to the connection of communication between the pair. It was obvious, wasn't it? The connection intensifies each time Albus used that bloody Quill! That's why Delphi had been so obsessed with Albus' cuts and repeatedly insisted him to continue finishing tracing out the lines of his Prophecy.
Albus kept hoping Scorpius would nudge him awake and tell him this was all just another nightmare. But it wasn't. Albus was in a nightmare. A nightmare he couldn't wake up from. He didn't want to believe this was all real. It was twisted. Sick. Immoral. Delphi somehow produced Dark Magic within the Quill so that every time Albus used it, the cuts would be an opening to Delphi's wicked whispers and twisted thoughts. It was almost like what his Dad had endured.
Harry had a scar of a lightning bolt on his forehead that throbbed whenever danger was nearby. Harry was miraculously able to pinpoint Voldemort's seemingly unpredictable and disturbing moods. He had an inside glance and possession to Voldemort's plans, thoughts and feelings.
Albus was hit with a suffocating feeling of misery. He—he didn't want to be marked with the same destiny. He didn't want to be confined to Delphi's haunting whispers. What did he do? Why did he continue using the Quill? He made matters worse by listening to her. Albus felt like a failure. He kept making mistake after mistake. He should never have listened to Delphi. But...he didn't want Scorpius' elf to die, either. Albus had to hold it together. If he started to fall apart, Delphi would know he had everything figured out; that he finally realized why the Quill was so important to her. He wondered if he should tell her about his findings. What would she say then?
Albus took the Quill and shoved it into his pocket, gaping blankly at the Prophecy in front of him, trying to sort through his fuming thoughts.
"What is it?" Delphi barked in a querulous voice. "Why'd you stop?"
"Because," said Albus austerely, mounting up from the plum seat. "I know everything."
Delphi gave him a smug glance. "What, exactly, is everything?"
Albus was so overcome with emotion, he was practically rendered speechless. He decided—with great defeat—to not admit that he knew the true nature of the Quill. That would be a complete secret of his own. Albus nodded at Scorpius fiercely.
"NOW!" he ordered.
Scorpius lifted his wand out from his robes and pointed it at Rodolphus' arm, which was still twisted painfully with his.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Rodolphus' body went hard as stone, and he fell to the floor. Albus rushed to Scorpius' side, hauling him close to his chest.
"It's okay," Albus whispered, pecking a kiss on his cheek. "I...I'm fine."
"Does it hurt?" Scorpius sniffled, trying to touch Albus' forearm, but Albus pulled away very quickly, not wanting Scorpius to see his fresh cuts.
Albus rolled down his sleeves at once. "We need to find a way out."
Scorpius scanned the cellar quickly, wondering if there were any exits. Delphi barred her teeth together. She raised her wand and lightly moved her lips—the end of the wand pointed at Albus' abdomen. Scorpius let a breath of panic escape his lips and shot his wand up in the air, blocking the curse nonverbally with a clean flick of his wand.
Delphi glanced at Yann's still body and muttered spells from the tip of her tongue. She was evidentially trying to wake him up. Help him. That meant they would again be outnumbered. Three against two.
Scorpius shot her a nasty scowl.
"Expelliarmus!" he said loudly and Delphi's wand was suspended from her hand.
"We've got to get a move on before it's too late!" Albus panicked. He directed his wand at the black trunk. He needed to cause a diversion while he and Scorpius escaped. "Fiendfyre!" he bellowed.
A jet of orange and red smoked out from the tip of Albus' wand. It was not a normal fire-making spell. It was far more deadly and powerful than Albus could ever imagine. The flames that shot out of Albus' wand quickly emerged together creating an enormous line of flaring animals. The flames linked together, revealing three large serpents, their tongues slithering out of their sneering mouths. The snakes let out an awful roaring sound, almost as in warning. Albus pulled Scorpius back at once, both heading to the staircase. The beasts soared towards the dark crate, looping their blazed bodies around the trunk, quickly melting its unknown contents to the ground. They heard a faint screech from the bolted box. Sparks of flame soon began filling the floor of the cellar. The large orange serpents with eyes as black as the devil, raced around the room, burning everything in sight. The fire was most atrocious and uncontrollable. Every article and crooked brick in the room was now dipped in fire. It wouldn't take long before the Manor was burned to the ground.
Delphi uncharmed the room with her small fists. She helped Yann to his feet.
"Get up," she hissed, and immediately Yann obeyed, taking her hand.
"I can see again!" he exhaled in relief, gazing up at Delphi gratefully. His raven-coloured eyes widened at the destruction that had unfolded before them. "Merlin's Beard! What happened—?"
"Ignore them. Keep going," Albus advised.
The pair wrapped their arms around each other's bodies, helping one another up the limestone staircase.
The fire was getting worse by the second. One of the serpents let out another large cry of rage, sending a ball of fire as large as a bowling ball, down onto the floor, hitting the man who was paralyzed in the Full-Body Binding Curse.
"Delphini, I reckon we ought to Disapparate now," Yann grunted, squeezing his eyelids shut.
"WAIT!" Delphi ordered. "HAS IT HIT HIM? THE FIRE? I THOUGHT I SAW—IT'S HARD TO SEE! HAS IT HIT RODOLPHUS? OH WHERE HAS HE GONE?" Albus had never seen Delphi like this. So hysterical. Vulnerable. Human. "WHERE ARE YOU?" she screamed, smoke clouding her vision. She rubbed her face frantically, stumbling helplessly about the room, leaning on Yann's slumped shoulder to help her walk. "WHERE ARE YOU?" She was coughing loudly. There was much terror infesting her voice. "I CAN'T...CAN'T LEAVE THE CELLAR WITHOUT YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM, ALBUS?" Delphi shrieked, trying and failing to open her eyes. "Oh it's too hot in here. We have to leave." Delphi sighed incredulously. "B-but I cannot. Oh please answer me, Rodolphus W-where are you? SCORPIUS? ALBUS? I WILL KILL YOU BOTH ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU. AGUAMENTI!" Water sprayed from her palms, but not even that would be enough. The fire was far more powerful. "AGUAMENTI! AGUAMENTI! AGUAMENTI!"
Albus and Scorpius trudged up the middle of the staircase, blackened and panting from the fury of the flames, observing the chaos they had created. Their frightened faces were dusted with black smoke powdering down their cheeks and there were tears at the leg of their pants.
"We should go up to the Manor," Scorpius suggested, ducking down in case Delphi was able to spot the two. He let out a huge cough. "It's safer there."
"Wait," Albus whispered, squeezing his hand. His eyes were wide with wonder.
He could see Delphi's disoriented figure, shrieking hopelessly for Bellatrix's husband.
"WHERE ARE YOU? She screamed, her fingers burning as she made contact with the flames.
"CAREFUL!" Yann screamed, clearly protective of her.
"WHERE IS HE?" Delphi whined. "WHERE HAS HE GONE?" She turned her head about the room, like a curious bird, certain there was a darkened silhouette of him tossed neglectfully somewhere amongst the chaos.
"DELPHINI! I SEE HIM!" Yann pointed at a burnt body face up on the floor. He snatched the wand out of Delphi's hands. "AGUAMENTI! AGUAMENTI! AGUAMENTI!" Water poured from the wand, washing away the remaining flames. He then murmured a countercurse to break the Full Body Binding curse, expecting to hear a weak cough, a drawn-out wheeze, a storm of indecipherable words, or fluttering of his eyes. However, the man was hauntingly silent and still as stone.
"RODOLPHUS!" Delphi gasped, trying her very best to open her weakened eyes, pushing Yann away from her. She fell to the man's side, ignoring the flames that kept dancing around the room, burning everything it kissed.
Yann skated in front of her to shield her from the fire. "Aguamenti!" A jet of clear water shot from the end of the wand pathetically. It wasn't enough to eliminate the blazes which soared in every direction of the cellar. "Aguamenti!" Yann yelled. "Damn it! Delphi. Come on. We have less than a minute to Disapparate."
"WAKE UP, RODOLPHUS!" Delphi ordered, shaking his body. The man's eyes were wide open and his mouth was vaguely opened in U shape as if he were permanently surprised or scared. She beat her fists into his still chest, waiting to hear a groan of pain—a soft murmur—a sarcastic laugh—anything that indicated he was well and alive. But nothing. No sound was uttered by the man. All she could see was his burnt corpse and his blank eyes. He was no more. He, like everyone she ever loved, was gone forevermore. "NOOOO!" Delphi sobbed, punching him again—harder. She heard a rib crack. That wasn't enough to awake him. Nothing would be enough. "PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD. OPEN YOUR EYES!"
"He's gone, Delphini—" Yann tried telling her.
"OPEN YOUR BLOODY EYES! SURELY YOU CAN HEAR ME!" She hurled his body up to her heaving chest. "PLEASE! PLEASE! OPEN YOUR EYES! DAMN IT! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ME!" Delphi wailed in a high-pitched strained voice, shaking his blackened corpse, wishing he would reawaken already. His clothing was charcoal, tattered and crisped with fire. "YOU'RE THE ONLY FAMILY I HAD LEFT!"
"Delphini," Yann said mildly, grasping her shoulders and shaking her gently. He stroked his meaty fingers into her lush hair. He turned her face so she would look at him. Tears splashed down her thinned cheeks. "He's..."
"No," she moaned, clutching the man closer. "No..."
"I'm sorry, Delphini." Yann whispered. "There's no...no use...h-he's gone...dead...he's with the rest of them..."
"How could he leave me—?" she croaked.
"We've got to get going before we meet the same end!" Yann told her, pulling her to her feet. "Avenge those who killed him." Yann encouraged, his voice drained due to the intense heat of the fire.
He offered his arm for her to take. Delphi released the man from her arms and nodded at Yann, closing her fingers with his.
CRACK.
Delphi and Yann vanished into thin air.
Albus touched his boyfriend's shoulder protectively. "You alright?"
"What did we do?" Scorpius gasped, unsure who either of them were at the moment.
Albus gave him a careful glance. "What needed to be done," he said prudishly. "Death Shall Take the Second Dad."
Scorpius opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by the familiar voices coming from above.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried out.
They heard the grunting of a man fall to the floor.
"Everte Statum!" Draco yelled.
Another was thrown high into the air and shot back down, slamming into the kitchen cupboards.
Scorpius and Albus stared up at the ceiling. They faced each other again, breaking into relieved beams.
"DAD!" they said at the same time.
"BOYS!" Harry shouted.
"DAD, WE'RE DOWN HERE!" Albus coughed.
"I SMELL SMOKE!" Draco hollered. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
"IN THE CELLAR!" Scorpius called. "THE PLACE IS ON FIRE!"
"Draco, take the boys while I fend them off—"
"Stupefy!" They heard a man that wasn't either of their Fathers holler out.
He and Draco were clearly still duelling the masked men upstairs for Scorpius and Albus could hear the spell-casting of their Fathers and the mass destruction that followed afterwards.
"Let's go upstairs. It'll be safe now, with them here." Scorpius suggested, helping Albus to his feet.
"Wait," Albus panted.
He took the Black Quill from the pocket of his robes and threw it deep within the pool of flames watching it shrink into nothingness, taken over by the heat of flames.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Albus suddenly screamed, touching his forearms. He dropped to his knees instantly.
"What is it?" Scorpius cried, reaching out to him. "Has it hurt you?"
"AHHHH!" Albus yelled, his green eyes filling with tears. He squeezed his eyelids shut. "JUST MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"
Scorpius squatted down next to him, placing his hands gently on Albus' face. "I'm right here," he promised him. He rolled Albus' sleeves up, trying to checking his scars, but Albus kept squirming away. "Albus, show me what she did to you."
"I NEED IT TO STOP!" he groaned.
"It's going to be okay," Scorpius whispered, unsure if he believed it himself. He was doing his absolute best to remain calm when all he wanted to do was to join in on the crying. He couldn't stand seeing his boyfriend like this. He knew neither of them could stay down here a second longer. The fire was getting deadlier. They needed a safe space to go to in the meantime. "Come on. Let's get you out of here." He scooped Albus up by the waist, and hobbled up the staircase.
"SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH ALBUS!" Scorpius screamed once he reached the top foyer.
"WHAT?" Harry shouted.
Scorpius could hear movement from the kitchen, but neither Dads made themselves seen.
"TAKE HIM TO YOUR ROOM AND WAIT THERE." Draco instructed. "I'll look after the fire in the basement. Potter, grab some cool cloths for the boys. Hurry!"
"We need to take them to the hospital for burns. I reckon we should—"
"Potter—behind you!"
"Tarantallegra!"
Scorpius ducked down, covering Albus' head so he wouldn't be hit. He led Albus down the hallow hallway and headed straight into his bedroom, gently pushing Albus onto his bed.
"IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Albus wept, turning his head the other way, keeping his hands on top of his wrists. "IT BURNS!"
Scorpius climbed on top of the bed, moving Albus' head so that it would rest upon his thighs. "Show me where it hurts." he murmured, peering down at Albus' sobbing face. "It's okay. It's going to be okay," he soothed.
"I can't...c-can't..."
"Breathe." Scorpius suddenly remembered, taking his finger and brushing away the tears streaming out of Albus' thick eyelashes. "Hey. Albus. Look at me. Look at me and breathe. Just like you taught me. In and out. In and out. Remember?"
"In...and...out..." Albus murmured quietly, closing his eyes.
Scorpius watched the rise and fall of his chest.
"Tell me where it hurts," he said quietly. "I can mend it the best I can. I have brews kept in the cupboards."
Albus squinted up at him. "S-Scorpius..." he said feebly, reaching his arm up so he could caress Scorpius' tender cheeks. "T-there's...t-there's n-no...no u-use..."
"There is!" Scorpius shouted. "You're going to be fine, alright?"
"I need you to know that I..." Albus' rasp was husky and indistinct. "...I always—always..."
Scorpius' striking face appeared blurry...pixelated...heavily unclear. Albus blinked several times, wanting to believe once he did, his fuzzy vision would be restored. He felt weak all over his chest. His head. His forearms. Every part of his body. It was difficult to breathe let alone speak. He was losing it. He was losing time. Every precious minute was sliding away, further out of his reach. Albus could feel his entire system slowly shutting down.
He closed his eyes, and everything went dark.