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“What are we going to do, Harry?” Ginny wondered, crossing the kitchen to wrap her hands around her husband’s waist and breathe in his scent. He was in the midst of cooking dinner when she had entered, numb from dealing with Albus.
He had always been their most difficult child, even from a baby. They thought Lily would rise to the challenge and be somehow worse, but she was shockingly easier to control despite her fiery and defensive temperament. Albus was different, and because he was different, neither of the parents quite knew how to handle him.
He wasn’t their most difficult child in terms of his behaviour; in fact, Albus was definitely their most well-behaved, if you take away his fourth-year antics that involved a time-turner and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy. Albus wasn’t like James in his confident persona and constant need for tricks – that one truly lived up to his namesake. Albus wasn’t like Lily in her need to feel powerful and constantly prove herself – if Lily Potter was alive, Ginny firmly believed she would be proud Lily held her name. No, Albus was nothing like his siblings.
Albus was quiet. Aloof. Stubborn. But, most importantly, angry. Being quiet all the time meant Ginny had a hard time connecting with him, as did Harry. Harry felt like it was a personal attack on him, but it wasn’t. Albus was just hard to understand. Albus had never connected with his parents the way James and Lily had. He never confided in them, he never spoke of his personal life, he never admitted when he wasn’t feeling okay. Even when he was sick, it wasn’t his parents he wanted, it was his toy Niffler he’d been given at age three and his bed, and sometimes his best friend if he was around.
“I don’t know, Gin,” Harry responded, sounding equally exhausted.
Since Albus’ return from time, he’d been even more different than usual. Naturally, an experience like that can have a dramatic effect on anyone’s mental health, let alone a sixteen-year-old. It was something that maybe Harry could relate too, but he still couldn’t engage in a conversation with Albus for too long before it turned into a shouting match. They had always clashed, they were too alike; something Ginny would never admit out loud for fear of losing Albus forever. The last thing that boy wanted was to be like his father, it’s what he said made his life so difficult.
Albus hated the fame that came with his name. James and Lily loved it, basked in it, were always fighting for the limelight on their family outings. Albus favoured hanging back with his face covered by his hoody and shoulders slumped, ready to spit a curse at anyone who dared shove a camera in his face. It was that attitude that landed him with the prediction of being the Slytherin Potter, well before he had been sorted.
Ginny thought she knew everything about her kids, and where she did know a lot about Albus, there was still a lot she was keeping from him.
Like the fact that he had been in bed for three days since returning from Hogwarts for the summer, ending his fifth year. He had been quiet the entire car journey home, hadn’t hugged either of his parents, and disappeared upstairs before either Ginny or Harry had the chance to properly scold him for his aloof behaviour.
Of course, Harry had gone up there all guns blazing, which was – in retrospect – the worst thing he could have possibly done. It had put Albus in an even more foul mood than he had been before, and when Ginny went to talk to him, he screamed at her too. Albus had never risen his voice at her, this was the first time, and she felt incredibly wounded. She wondered if this is how Harry felt all the time – he’d been fighting with Albus for as long as he could talk.
She hugged Harry tighter from behind and buried her face in his neck, if only to stifle the tears she felt stinging behind her eyes. She hated when her babies were hurting, but it was even worse when she had no idea how to solve this problem. She wished she could just hug him and take away all his pain, but when she tried that he hid further under his duvet and screamed at her to leave.
“He’s hurting,” she mumbled, her voice now brittle. She was finding it hard to hold back her tears the longer she thought about it.
He must have been struggling, but it had been over a year since the Delphi incident and he had been fine, aside from a few nightmares. Or, so she thought. She never really got to see him throughout the year when he was at Hogwarts, and when she did at holidays he was the same brooding teenager he’d always been. Except now, he wouldn’t even talk to his grandparents. That should have been the first sign, really. Albus loved his grandparents, they never treated him differently like the rest of the family had when he became the only Slytherin in the family.
“JAMES, FUCK OFF,” Ginny heard Albus scream from upstairs, followed by the snicker of her eldest son. She immediately became defensive and untangled herself from Harry, stomping her way to the bottom of the stairs.
“James Sirius Potter, get your arse down here now and stop bothering your brother!” She scolded.
“But mum…”
“NOW.” There was short mumbling, the slamming of a door, whispered protests and finally, the steps of her eldest son sulking down the stairs. She smacked him across the arm lightly with the back of her hand and pointed a finger to the kitchen.
He obliged, and sulked his way into the kitchen, plopping down on a dining room table chair. Lily had popped up from somewhere and was now sitting opposite him, reading a book on magical creatures. She was absentmindedly playing with her hair whilst she thumbed her way through the book, brown eyes alight with wonder.
“Where’d you get that?” Ginny asked, lifting the book slightly to read the front cover. Lily never reacted.
“Scorpius lent it to me,” she supplied, turning the page. James scoffed.
“Any of you two know what’s wrong with Albus?” Harry asked now, turning from the cooking pot and letting it simmer. He crossed the small kitchen to meet eyes with his children.
“What’s right with him?” James muttered under his breath. Unlucky for him, Ginny caught his words and she took the tea towel from Harry’s hands and swatted him with it. “Ah, mum!”
“Don’t you dare speak about your brother like that,” she scolded.
“Fine… fine,” he waved his hands in surrender and went back to picking his nails – a childhood habit he never got out of.
“You should get Scorpius,” Lily spoke now, her voice distant.
“Why Scorpius?” Harry asked tentatively. He had never been a fan of Albus’ best friend, but Ginny thought he was a rather sweet boy. Albus and Scorpius had told them about the time that Harry had separated them in the first alternate universe, and even though those actions were never from the man standing next to her, it still made the boys wary. Albus seemed almost scared to ask if Scorpius could visit this summer, and Scorpius seemed scared of Harry altogether.
“Scorpius knows how to handle him,” she shrugged. “He’s like the Albus-whisperer.” Ginny got the feeling that Lily knew something that they didn’t, but she let it go for now.
“He did ask if Scorpius could come over, and we said no,” Ginny said, disappointed in her past actions. Maybe the way Albus went quiet as soon as they declined should have been the obvious clue as to why he was acting like this.
“They’ve seen each other all year,” Harry said in disbelief, but Ginny cut him off before he could carry on.
“Yes, but that shouldn’t mean he can’t see him at all. I’m going to floo Draco and see if Scorpius wants to stay over tonight.”
“That’s your solution to this? Scorpius Malfoy?” Harry deadpanned. “And what if it doesn’t work and Albus acts out on him, too?”
“Please,” Lily scoffed, her eyes still firmly on the book. “Anyone who knows Scorpius could never truly be mad at him, especially Albus.” Harry looked like he was going to question her, so Ginny quickly turned on her heels and made for the floo.
She’d just made it when Harry realised she was no longer in the room and followed. Ginny grabbed the floo pot and took a handful, she stepped into the fire and raised an eyebrow at Harry: are you coming? Harry nodded and shouted at the kids to keep an eye on dinner. Ginny took it as her cue and engulfed herself in flames before arriving swiftly at Malfoy Manor. Harry followed shortly.
“Draco?” She called out into the great silence, her eyes flicking throughout the empty living room which was connected to the floo. It was so immaculate that it looked like no one had even been living there. Harry took her hand, clearly feeling quite anxious to be back in a house where he had so many traumatic memories.
The sound of distant footsteps coming closer caused Ginny to turn around, only to be met with the man himself, standing tall and brooding in the door frame.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Potters?” He drawled. Ginny tried not to scoff at his rudeness.
“We were-”
“Dad?” Ginny was cut off by another voice sounding through the house. Scorpius quickly appeared at his dads side, looking at him intently before his gaze landed on Harry and Ginny. Within moments, Ginny watched his expression change from doe-eyed confusion, to worry, to apprehension and finally ending with a wide-eyed concerned expression. It was such a soft look that Ginny had a hard time believing he was Draco Malfoys’ son.
“Mr and Mrs. Potter… is everything okay? Is Albus okay?” He asked, standing firmly next to his father and wringing his hands together.
He had always had a nervous predisposition, Ginny knew this from the moment she first met him, and apparently nothing had changed as he got older. That was the first tell, really, of how different he was from his father. Harry wasn’t as convinced, somehow believing that Scorpius’ behaviour was an act to trick Albus in some way, but anyone with a pair of decent working eyes could see that there was nothing threatening about Scorpius Malfoy. From the way he stood – arms folding around him, shuffling constantly on his feet – to the way he spoke – stuttering sentences and talking way too much – it was obvious the boy was severely anxious most of the time. In fact, the only time Ginny hadn’t seen him anxious was when he was with Albus.
Maybe there was a deeper bond between the two boys that Ginny had never considered before. What was it Lily said: Scorpius knows how to handle him. Maybe Albus knew how to handle Scorpius too. She had always known that they were better friends than any two people she’d seen before – even Harry and Ron. There was extenuating circumstances that brought them closer: they’re both in Slytherin, were both bullied notoriously, and had both shared a life-threatening adventure and made it back alive. Circumstances like that were bound to bring to people closer.
“Albus is fine,” Ginny assured. “He just seems a little…”
“Sad? Gloomy? Angry?” Scorpius supplied when Ginny struggled to find the words.
“Exactly,” at her confirmation, his shoulders dropped and his nerves seemed to increase somehow.
“Oh, has he been eating? Has he just been in bed all day because he gets like that sometimes and I usually have to drag him out of bed and force him to eat otherwise he’ll completely avoid it. Has he been outside at all? Or even just downstairs? Or even just at his desk? Has he drank a lot of fluids because lack of water can make him extremely exhausted but sometimes he forgets to drink, which is why I bought him that muggle water bottle, so he wouldn’t forget even though I still have to remind him and-” Draco cut Scorpius off from him ramble with a firm hand on his shoulder.
“So, why are you here?” Draco cut to the chase.
“Lily said Scorpius can help Albus when he gets like this, in one of his… moods, I guess, and we were wondering if he could stay over tonight, just to get Albus out his slump?” Ginny was hesitant as she spoke, and Draco’s impassive expression made it worse.
Scorpius jumped on the balls of his feet and turned to Draco. “Please dad,” Ginny could no longer see his face, but she just knew the wide-eyed puppy dog face he was pulling. Lily could do the same one pretty well.
Draco set a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder again to calm him. “If you want to, if that’s what Albus needs,” he spoke softly. Ginny got the feeling Draco knew something she still didn’t. Albus was definitely keeping something from her.
“Really? Thanks!” He gave his dad a brief hug then turned to Ginny and Harry. “Let’s go!” He said, running over to the floo.
“Scorpius, don’t you want to pack something?” Draco asked.
“Nah, I’ll just borrow something of Albus’s.” No one decided to question it. Ginny and Harry flooed back with Scorpius, who thanked them for letting him stay before running upstairs to Albus nearly straight away.
Ginny and Harry sat and ate dinner with James and Lily, leaving leftovers for the other two whenever they were ready.
All Albus wanted was for someone to actually listen to him. He wanted someone to actually want to sit there and hold him for hours until his weary heart repaired. He wanted someone to actually care about him, not just pretend. Scorpius was all of those things, he listened, he held him, he cared about him.
Maybe it wasn’t normal to instantly drop into a slump when forbidden to see your best friend (and secret boyfriend) over the summer, but Albus felt utterly lost without him.
His parents – despite how much they preached it – never truly cared how he felt or why he felt like the way he did. They isolated him for years, made him feel like he was on the outside looking in, made him feel useless and vulnerable, made him feel like a disappointment, made him feel stupid and incompetent. They made him feel a lot of things, and happy was never one of them.
And that was the worst thing.
Even in his return from the past, it felt like they reacted differently to how they would with his siblings. Maybe he was stupid to think that, because of course his parents were happy and relieved to see him, but it still never felt like enough to Albus. He also thought that his father would try harder with him, as it was his fault Albus had ran away in the first place – to prove he wasn’t the outcast Potter child. To prove there was more to him than his Hogwarts house. And his father had tried at first, a lot, but the longer he tried, the longer Albus seemed to be like a chore to him rather than his child.
And that stung more than anything.
Albus had decided it was silly to expect people to change, so he stopped expecting it. He started getting into fights with his dad again because fighting with him – that small contact – was better than awkward bonding lunches where neither knew what to say. James still bullied him at school, maybe not as much as he used to, but he still did. In fact, he bullied Scorpius harder, which actually only made Albus angrier. Rose was trying, but it was difficult to sway people from beliefs they’ve grown up with and Albus was still angry at his childhood best friend for abandoning him on their first day just because Albus wanted to sit with the alleged son of Voldemort (what a ridiculous rumour that was).
The only person who really seemed to try was Lily, who befriended Scorpius quite quickly, never said a mean word to him and talked to him about books all the time. Having Lily, even if she was the only member of his family trying, was what made Hogwarts bearable. She, and Scorpius, of course.
Then there was his mother, and she was someone he couldn’t quite figure out. He had never been as close to her as James had been, but he wasn’t sure if that was because his dad tried to have a closer relationship with him that backfired in his face when he couldn’t handle Albus’ temperament. Though, Albus did have a good relationship with his mum when he was younger, and mostly he missed curling up in her arms after a long day. It’s what he truly wanted now, but she wasn’t doing it because she wanted to, she was doing it because she felt obliged, and that hurt more.
Albus turned over with a groan, burying his head further into his pillow and hugging the other one tighter. He wished his brain would just shut up. He wondered if there was a spell to turn it off and turn it back on again, because his was surely broken. He curled himself up in a ball, hugging his legs with the pillow squashed in between his chest and thighs and let out another loud scream.
They don’t want you.
Stop it.
They never have.
STOP.
You’re a disappointment.
“SHUT UP!” He screamed into his pillow, letting the tears he’d been holding back for so long erupt from him. He let the sobs quake through his body as he shook viciously.
He thought about getting up, running downstairs and flooing to Scorpius’, but his lack of energy kept him firmly in his bed. He wanted nothing more than for Scorpius’ arms to wrap around him and hold him till he felt better. Scorpius was good at that, it was like he had some magical emotional healing powers. Whenever Albus felt sad or anxious, Scorpius was there in a moment, stroking his hair and whispering to him, calming him immediately.
A wave of longing washed over him, and it made him feel one hundred times worse. Scorpius wasn’t here, he’d have to suffer in silence alone. The thought sent another sob through his body.
He probably doesn’t want to be here, anyway.
Probably not.
Who could love someone like you? You’re a mess.
I know.
Scorpius may not want him, but Albus needed him. He hated it sometimes, the co-dependency he’d acquired around Scorpius. It was like he couldn’t function without him. He was his home, the place he felt safest. He could talk Albus down from his deepest, most depressive, thoughts. He was so incredibly patient with him when he was especially moody. He was Albus’ only light in a very, very dark tunnel.
Albus was sure that without Scorpius, he would forget his own name. He’d forget to eat or drink, he’d forget to get some air, he’d forget to go to classes, he’d forget to feed his ferret, he’d forget how to breathe. He’d forget how to function.
Thinking about him only made his longing worse, and the pitiful hole in his heart only grew, watered by his tears. Usually, when Albus felt inadequate, when he felt like a disappointment, Scorpius was there telling him that he was the best person he’d ever met. He was there looking after him even when Albus didn’t deserve to be looked after. He held him even when Albus snapped at him.
Albus’ heart tightened within him, calling out for Scorpius even though it knew it would never be answered.
Albus let himself wallow in his self-pity.
There was a soft knocking at his door, which was odd because usually his family just burst right in without his permission. He guessed they were finally being sensitive to his situation; that didn’t change anything. The creaking of the door indicated that the person behind the knock had decided to enter without Albus’ permission. He groaned loudly and turned over, throwing the pillow he was hugging towards the door.
“FUCK OFF,” he screamed, refusing to open his eyes to see who it was or where the pillow landed. He just curled himself up into a ball again and held himself, hoping that whoever it was would disappear.
“You sure about that?” The voice asked and Albus’ eyes shot open immediately. He knew that voice, but there was no way he could be here. Surely, Albus’ brain wasn’t wicked enough to start playing tricks on him. Sure enough, though, when Albus opened his eyes, they landed on exactly who they thought it would.
Scorpius crossed the room immediately and climbed on the bed beside Albus when he didn’t object to his presence. He unwrapped the duvet from Albus – who had somehow managed to burrito wrap himself – and climbed inside with him, along with the pillow Albus had thrown at him. Once comfortable, Scorpius wrapped his body around Albus, entwining their legs and pulled Albus into his chest.
Albus’ weary heart instantly felt the warmth, he could almost feel it pulling him towards Scorpius, as though he wasn’t already close enough.
“What’s wrong, Albie?” He asked softly, stroking his back gently. Albus couldn’t hold it in anymore, the tears were falling onto Scorpius’ jumper before he had the chance to catch them. He sobbed into Scorpius’ chest, unsure of the actual cause of the tears this time. Maybe it was because Scorpius was exactly what he needed and somehow he was here.
“I don’t know,” his own voice sound weak and pathetic, but there in Scorpius’ arms, he couldn’t find it in him to care. He cared about so little these days, what was one more thing?
“It’s okay,” he responded, voice quiet and soft. Scorpius pulled away from him slightly, shuffling down so he was eye level with Albus. He couldn’t make out Scorpius’ grey eyes in the dark of the room, but he already had the colour memorised. “It’s okay to feel weary and not know why, that’s okay,” he pressed a kiss to Albus’ forehead.
Albus felt like he could breathe again, and he let out a long unsteady breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Scorpius reached a hand up to stroke his cheek which eventually led to his hair, tucking stray pieces behind his ear. From his sniffles, Albus suspected he was close to tears. That was the worst thing about all this, it hurt Scorpius. If he could do all of this on his own without needing him, he would, because hurting Scorpius was never an option. Unfortunately, he needed him.
Albus let out another strangled sob and Scorpius pulled him in again, shushing softly in his ear. “I love you, Albie. I love you so much, please always remember that,” he whispered against him. Albus’ heart felt heavy.
“I feel so… pathetic,” Albus whispered against Scorpius’ chest.
“You’re the furthest thing from pathetic,” Scorpius kissed his temple. “You’re perfect in every way. And I know you don’t why you feel like this most the time, but you’re just a little bit lost, Albus.” Another kiss. “It’s okay to be lost. All great things are lost before they’re found.” Another kiss. Scorpius pulled away, placing a hand over under his chin and lifting Albus’ face to meet his. “You will be found,” he assured, pressing a small kiss over his lips.
Albus felt really pathetic now. His words were so kind and beautiful, so assuring, so why did Albus have a hard time believing him? Maybe it was because deep down, he knew he didn’t deserve someone who was as kind and patient as Scorpius. Scorpius was the sunshine, and Albus was the moon that blocked him from shining. He dragged him down, he hurt him, he caused his anxiety by dragging him along on life-threatening adventures.
He was the reason why Scorpius suffered from terrible nightmares and probably would for a long time. He was the reason that he was subject to that horrific curse that he still felt sometimes in his dreams. He was the reason he stopped smiling all the time. He was the reason he started biting his lip whenever he got anxious and the wringing of his hands got worse. Albus was the reason for so many negatives in Scorpius’ life. He would never forgive himself for what he put him through. Never.
That was why he would never deserve him. He could never understand why Scorpius stayed.
“I don’t deserve you,” Albus told him, struggling on the words. He was never very good with this sort of thing – opening up. He was too scared of rejection.
“Don’t be silly,” he replied. “You deserve every part of me, whether you like it or not. I’m staying. I don’t think I could live without you.” This is why he loved Scorpius, because he was always so open and honest. Albus felt the same – there was no way he’d be able to live without Scorpius Malfoy. Mostly, that terrified him. When you love someone that much, when you’re that dependent on someone, the idea of losing them is paralysing.
“I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”
“No,” he responded, his voice slightly sharper this time. He was speaking with a purpose now. Albus knew he had to listen, so he forced away the negative thoughts to give Scorpius his complete attention. “You’re not a mess, Albie. You just have to learn to be kind to yourself. That is so important. Stop being so hard on yourself. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you just give yourself a break, give yourself a try.”
Albus wondered at what point Scorpius had become so wise. He wondered if he was speaking from experience. Scorpius had gone to a pretty dark place himself when he lost his mum a couple years back, and the same again when he returned from the dark universe where Voldemort ruled. Albus had been at his side both times and Scorpius was forever grateful for it. That’s why he was so glad that Scorpius was always there for him, too. Maybe they were just as co-dependent with each other.
“Are you staying? Please stay,” he begged, not even bothering to cover up his desperation.
“I’m staying, my love,” he whispered, stroking up and down his arm. Albus let out a breath and snuggled into Scorpius, holding onto him whilst he had the chance. “You need to eat, though, Albus. Shall I go get us something?” Albus nodded against him, and Scorpius kissed the crown of his head before detangling himself. He grabbed Albus’ empty water bottle on the way out.
Albus knew he was coming back, but he still felt incredibly cold without him.
Scorpius lingered in the doorway a moment, watching Albus curl back into himself. The sight of it made his heart constrict and he wanted nothing more than to get back into his bed and hold him close. But the rumble of his stomach and the knowledge that Albus hadn’t eaten in a while forced him downstairs.
He took a deep breath before appearing in the living room, clearing his throat to catch attention. When no one looked up, Scorpius took another deep breath, playing with the straw on Albus’ bottle to keep his hands busy.
“Mr. Potter?” He asked timidly, his voice irritatingly quiet. Finally, all the eyes on the room settled on him. Scorpius did his best to swallow his anxiety and bit down hard on his lips before continuing to speak. “We were wondering if me and Albus could get something to eat?” He asked as though he was asking for dragon, not some food.
“Of course,” he jumped up, running into the kitchen, gesturing for Scorpius to follow him. He smiled sweetly at Lily who beamed back at him. She was reading the book he’d given her.
Scorpius followed Harry into the kitchen, hoping that Harry wouldn’t try to make small talk with him – small talk was the worst. Scorpius crossed over to the sink to fill up Albus’ water bottle for him.
“How’s Albus?” Harry asked as he turned the gas on and started heating up whatever was in the pot. It smelt good, it was lucky Scorpius wasn’t a fussy eater.
“He’s okay,” Scorpius responded.
“I made his favourite, so I’m glad you managed to convince him to eat something,” Harry was grinning at him, a little creepily Scorpius had to admit. It made him feel even more uncomfortable.
“What is it?” He asked, only to keep an awkward silence from settling in the air. He was still quite uncomfortable around Albus’ dad. The time he had separated them still burned in his mind – admittingly, that was a different Harry of a different universe and he certainly never remembered doing that, but to Scorpius it meant it was possible for him to do that. After all, how different were the alternate versions of themselves?
Scorpius feared to answer that question most days. He didn’t want to believe he was like The Scorpion King. Most days, he couldn’t help but let the thoughts consume him.
“Spaghetti Bolognese,” he spoke just in time to bring Scorpius from his thoughts. Scorpius smiled – that was one of his favourites, too.
Harry smiled back at him and Scorpius’ anxiety faded a little bit. Harry pulled two plates from the kitchen cupboard.
“Oh, me and Albus will share a plate. I only have two hands and he probably won’t eat much,” Scorpius said, interrupting the action. He gestured to the bottle in his hands to indicate it wouldn’t be possible for him to carry two plates as well.
“Oh,” was all he said and put the other plate back. If Albus’ parents weren’t aware of their relationship before tonight, they certainly would have inclines now.
Scorpius forced an awkward smile to Harry. Harry piled a decent amount of Spaghetti Bolognese on the plate and passed it over to Scorpius. He thanked him and followed him back into the living room – which you had to walk through to get to the stairs. Scorpius was at the door when Lily saying his name stopped him in place. He spun slowly on his heels to meet her.
“Yes?” He responded.
“Mum was wondering how you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You’re the only one who can handle Albus, how?” He was taken aback from the question. He didn’t think Albus needed ‘handling’, he wasn’t a dog. Though, he kept those thoughts to himself. He pondered the question for a moment, searching for the least passive aggressive way to answer. He could explode of course, the reason Albus felt like he did most the time was because he felt like his family didn’t love him. But, that wasn’t Scorpius’ secret to tell. So, he kept it simple.
“You treat him like he’s broken, he’s not broken. He’s just sad sometimes, and sometimes all he needs is a hug. But, not a hug where you feel obliged to hug him, one where you want to. I guess that’s why, I always want to make him feel better.” Fearing he said too much, especially about their secret relationship, Scorpius turned on his heels and disappeared upstairs before he was subject to further questioning.
Albus was still awake when he entered his room.
“Hey, sit up?” Scorpius asked, crossing the room. He put the now-full water bottle on his desk-side table and allowed Albus to sit up before climbing on the bed opposite him. He crossed his legs and settled the plate between them, handing Albus a fork.
They didn’t speak as they tucked into their food. As predicted, Albus ate significantly less than him, but Scorpius was happy he’d eaten anything at all. Following that, Scorpius made him drink some of the water before leaning over and stroking his hair.
“How about we get you into the shower?” He spoke, running his hands through Albus’ greasy hair.
“If you wanted to get me naked, you could’ve just asked,” he teased. There he was. There was the Albus he knew. Scorpius beamed and chuckled at his joke.
“Come on, joker, let’s go,” Scorpius got out of bed and pulled at Albus’ hands. He groaned loudly before relenting to Scorpius. He dragged him into Albus’ en suite and turned the shower on before stripping Albus and getting him into the shower.
“Come in with me.”
“Oh no, not with your parents downstairs,” Scorpius replied, getting the shampoo and running it through Albus’ hair.
“You’re no fun. You showering me is just as compromising in their eyes.”
“But, much easier to explain,” he responded, booping Albus’ nose which caused him to adorably scrunch up his face.
When Albus was showered and in clean pyjamas with his teeth cleaned, Scorpius tucked him back up in bed before changing out of his clothes and into some of Albus’ borrowed pyjamas. Luckily, Albus had a spare toothbrush for him to use as well. Scorpius climbed in next to him and wrapped his arms around Albus, pulling his back against his chest and entwining their legs. He pressed a kiss to Albus’ neck.
“Won’t your parents find it weird we’re sharing a bed?” Scorpius asked, suddenly concerned that their secret would come out.
“Probably,” Albus replied.
“Is this how they’ll find out?”
“Probably.”
“And, you’re not worried?” At that, Albus shifted slightly to look at Scorpius, who had propped himself up to get a better look at him.
“Not if you’re not. Are you ready for this?” Strangely, Scorpius find himself completely at ease with the idea. Okay, maybe not completely, but mostly.
“I guess so,” he replied, dropping back down on the pillow and pulling Albus’ closer. “Feeling better?”
“I always feel better with you,” he mumbled sleepily, grabbing onto one of Scorpius’ hands. It was rare Scorpius played the big spoon, even though he was taller, but he liked it when he did. He liked feeling like he could protect Albus, even from the demons inside his head. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he replied, kissing the crown of his head. As Scorpius slipped into sleep alongside Albus, he didn’t notice the two figures standing at the door. One beaming with pride, the other clouded with confusion, but happy nonetheless, because their son had found someone who could make him happy even when they couldn’t. They had a lot to thank Scorpius Malfoy for, but protecting Albus when they couldn’t was something they could never thank him enough for.