Chapter Text
The sound from the woods startled them both. At first, Albus caught himself on guard. Pulling out his wand and standing at attention. Instinct kept his eyes doll locked on the treeline, waiting for movement. Scarlett was next to him, her wand also directed at the woods.
There was a snap and the quiet of the huddle seemed to diffuse around them. Thick tension filled the air.
“Who’s there?!” Albus yelled through the woods, rubble breaking under his feet. “Come out!”
A body staggered out, Scorpius with his father draped over his shoulder. Two, then three steps out, then they dropped. Albus and Scarlett ran over to them, pulling them up from the ground.
“Holy shit, dad what the hell happened?” Draco’s daughter held her father, trying to wake him. Then realization struck that it would be a fruitless effort. The father was obviously burned, broken and might even be under some type of spell.
Albus held Scorpius on his lap, head resting over his thighs. From the outside it might look oddly personal for two boys that should have nothing in common. Yet, this was expected for these two.
First, Albus checked his pulse then his breathing and made sure there was no immediate injuries.
“Scarlett, I think we need to take them to St. Mungos,” Albus suggested. He wasn’t even sure what the next step was. People were probably starting to realize the cause of the ruckus. Soon Harry Potter would be towering over them. The Aurors might have some healers with them
Before he could voice all his thoughts, he noticed the crowd coming toward them.
“Are they breathing?” Harry asked first. Helaers quick on his heels.
“Yes, but there not waking up,” Albus breathed, horror and shock rocketing through him. He couldn’t imagine what Scarlett was feeling, she stared down at her father. Pressing her finger into his pulse points.
Healers surrounded them, taking Scorpius and Draco to some kind of gurney. Scarlett lunged after them, but Albus held her back. “Let’s have the healers work.”
Scarlett tensed for a moment, then went slack again, Albus dropped her wrist. They stood there for a second, watching the healers work, cold seeping into them. Scarlett started crying, Albus wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The blonde leaned into him, falling into a hug. Albus and Scorpius weren’t always close, they were friends. Mostly cause of Scorpius. They never really bonded or talked one on one. But now the person that had brought them together was lying in a gurney. The burnt ashes of a house around them, crunching under their feet. Albus cried too.
Albus was Scorpius’ best friend. Scarlett was his twin. They were friends by definition. But as they stood there, holding each other as they fell apart, cried and scared. They knew no one knew what that felt like, except maybe the other.