Chapter 1
ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER:
Albus had heard about the Oxdon Youth Centre opening it’s doors to misfits, and people that wanted an escape, but he hadn’t considered going until Friday night. He figured he could stay at home, do his homework, and draw until he got tired and wanted to go to bed. Unfortunately, he’d been arguing with his family all week. Not for any particular reason, other than the obvious homophobia his parents suffered from.
It wasn’t that bad he supposed. They weren’t telling him to go to Hell, or kicking him out of the house, so that earned them a few points. But unfortunately, once they found out he was polysexual they decided to start treating him differently. He went to an all boys boarding school, so suddenly they were concerned he’d be some sexual predator. They never said that, but he could tell it was what they were thinking. Why else would they be concerned about him making the straight guys at his school uncomfortable?
It was holidays, he was supposed to be relaxing. Instead, he was shouting at his parents for making him feel like a monster for something he couldn’t control. And it wasn’t just that, they were horrible to the first partner Albus had ever had. Ghost was non-binary, but they had refused to call them by their preferred name or pronouns, rolling their eyes every time they were corrected. After Ghost left, Albus would hear his parents talking about what an attention seeker they were, pretending to not be a girl. It made Albus furious so he’d started shouting at them for being so rude to his partner.
It had been months since he and Ghost broke up, but they were still constantly putting them down. Albus was sick of it. His parents weren’t listening, and they didn’t want to listen, so every time Albus wanted them to listen he’d have to scream at them. Usually, it ended with them confiscating something of his, or grounding him, but whatever. He’d be grounded as much as it took for them to start listening.
This week wasn’t all that different. Screaming, shouting, doors slamming, doors being taken, tears, being shamed, it was all normal. And that ducking sucked. His parents were actually shocked when they found out Albus had been smoking pot behind their backs. Like they weren’t constantly saying and not saying things to make Albus feel like shit. James, Albus’ older brother, was nice, and he listened. Lily, his younger sister, tried to understand, but she also said some stuff that she didn’t realise was extremely offensive.
So, after getting into another screaming match with his parents, Albus left and slammed the front door in his Fathers face. He’d yelled out for Albus, but the boy just kept on walking, not interested in some stupid justification or half-hearted apology. Once he started walking he thought about where he’d actually go. He could have gone to Ghost’s house, but chances were they didn’t want to see Albus after their breakup. That was when he remembered the Youth Centre, and that was when he decided to walk there.
It was cold, and Albus wasn’t dressed to go outside, in just a Kiss t-shirt and some ripped jeans, so Albus was glad when he saw the building. He cut through some trees, to see the large oval where some kids were playing football, kicking the white and black ball around with almost as much skill as James. Across from the oval was a brick building, some kids already walking up to it. Albus hoped none of the kids he went to school with would be there, because he didn’t have the best reputation. Hey, he was a gay guy at an all boys boarding school, rumours circulated and people judged.
He especially didn’t want to see Cooper Maxwell. He was on the rugby team, and had a tendency to beat up kids that didn’t fit his idea of normal. So, he was a homophobic, transphobic, fatphobic ableist that could make your life a living Hell. Albus would have preferred Cooper to have ignored his existence than to constantly appear and ruin his day. It was annoying, because Albus seemed to be the only gay kid at Wilhelm Academy. The only other person he’d met was a transgender student that moved to Everland Academy.
Albus walked up the ramp to the balcony and saw two adults there. One was helping someone else, and the other went up to Albus.
”Hello, my name is Neville,” the man smiled. “If you could give me your name please?”
”Albus Potter,” Albus replied.
”Is that a birth given name or preferred name?” Neville asked.
Albus couldn’t help but smile at that. He wasn’t trans or non-binary, but thank God these people were respectful.
”Birth given,” Albus nodded.
”Alright, and the gender you identify as?”
”Male.”
Neville wrote down an M and then gave Albus a sheet.
”Could you get your guardians contact information so that we have your emergency contact for next time you’re here,” Neville explained. “It’s just a precaution in case anything happens. Or if you’re uncomfortable with getting your guardians information, you can get any trusted adult.”
Albhs nodded. “Thank you.”
Albus walked past and went inside, where it was — thankfully — much warmer. Inside there were two pool tables, a spare table most likely for activities, a lounge with Adventure Time on the telly, a kitchen in the back equipped with a kettle, fridge and microwave, and some halls to the side. It seemed very cozy, and not many kids had shown up yet. Albus didn’t see anyone he knew, which was good because he couldn’t be ridiculed.
There we’re already two kids playing pool, a boy around eleven years old and a boy around fifteen years old. They didn’t look anything alike, so Albus assumed they had met here and decided to play pool together. There was a girl sitting in the corner with a book in her lap, and vibrant pink highlights. Other than that, there only seemed to be staff. Albus didn’t want to disrupt the game of pool, so he decided to talk to the girl in the corner.
Albus sat down next to her, and she glanced over to him.
”Hi,” he greeted, “I’m Albus.”
”Lacerta,” the girl nodded. “You look like you only decided to come here today.”
Albus blinked twice, looking at the girl. “I got into an argument with my parents. Didn’t want to stay at home if they were going to make rude comments on my sexuality.”
Lacerta gave Albus a sympathetic look.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I heard about this a few days ago, decided it was a good way to spend hours away from home without getting interrogated.”
”Your parents don’t like you going out at night?”
She shook her head, and ran a hand through her blonde and pink hair. “They seem to think I’ll end up like my sister if they aren’t careful. Pregnant at sixteen, running away with boys, getting into drugs, that type of thing.”
Albus sighed. “Parents suck balls man. You spend too much time at home and they think somethings wrong with you, but you spend too much time out and they think you have an STD.”
Lacerta raised an eyebrow. “Did your parents ever think that?”
”Oh yeah, forced me to get a test and all,” Albus nodded. “I was a virgin, so I have no idea what they thought they’d find. Although, it is funny that they only got worried after I came out.”
Lacerta snorted. “I imagine if I told my parents I was a lesbian they’d send me to therapy. Or pay a guy to date me. Suddenly it wouldn’t be ‘stay single and abstinent’ it would be ‘get a boyfriend, you’ll change your mind’.”
Albus nodded. “Sounds about right.”
Lacerta smiled and put her copy of The Duke and I into her pink backpack.
”I take it pink is your favourite colour?”
Lacerta nodded. “Yup, I think it’s a pretty colour.”
Albus nodded, noting that Lacerta was in fact wearing a white and pink dress, a pink jacket and white converse. She looked pretty.
Soon, Albus felt his heart drop. A couple other people had walked in, and when he glanced at the door he saw two boys from his school. One was a year older, but one slept in the same dormitory as him. Hadrian Flint and Scorpius Malfoy. He hadn’t talked to either of them, but Hadrian was on the rugby team with Cooper and Scorpius was a rich kid that topped almost every class. He didn’t like his odds.
”Hey, I know that kid,” Lacerta said, getting up and grabbing her bag. “He’s my neighbour. Let’s go say hi.”
”What? No, I can’t do that.”
But Albus was already being dragged over by Lacerta, and Scorpius had offered him a shy smile. God, this was going to be a nightmare.
”Hi!” Hadrian smiled brightly and hugged Lacerta. “This one is my neighbour.”
”Oh,” Lacerta looked startled by the hug. “Sorry, I thought this was Hadrian. Is it Bronwyn?”
Hadrian stepped back and nodded. “But Sab is co-con.”
Albus have Hadrian a quizzical look.
“Right, you probably don’t know about that,” Scorpius pointed to Albus. “Is it okay for Albus to know?”
Hadrian looked as though in thought before answering, in an Essex accent.
”This is Sab talking by the way,” he said. “We’re a DID system. Bronwyn is a little girl, so if you could refrain from swearing too much around her that would be lovely. And I’m the memory holder, non-binary by the way, and there aren’t any memories of you being a dick to us, so I’d say we can trust you with this information.”
Albus nodded. He hadn’t realised Hadrian was part of a system. He didn’t actually know enough about Hadrian’s life prior to this, but he found himself feeling bad for the guy. He understood why they might not want people to know they were a system though, because with people like Cooper at their school it was very easy to be ridiculed for something completely out of your control.
“I know how I know them, but how do you know them?” Lacerta asked.
”Oh, we go to the same school.”
Scorpius nodded. “A school full of horrible people.”
”How horrible?” Lacerta asked.
Bronwyn answered first. “One time, a kid yelled at me for talking in a weird voice. I wanted to say that this is just how I talk, but then they all just started laughing and calling me Baby Voice Hadrian. Which isn’t very nice.”
”My roommates once threw their underwear at me and then insinuated it had turned me on,” Albus commented. “Because my roommates are just so attractive, and I would definitely hold those feelings for guys that don’t even know how to shave.”
Scorpius snorted. “I think they’re a little offended you don’t. I overheard them talking about how they were definitely sure you’d tried to watch them get changed.”
”Oh, you guys go to a boarding school?” Lacerta asked.
”Yup, all boys too,” Albus said. “So you know I’m having fun.”
Lacerta shrugged. “I go to a public school. My friends keep talking about how they want a gay best friend for an accessory or whatever. Keep trying to hang out with a boy named Nikolas, but he couldn’t be less interested in spending time with them.”
”Understandable,” Scorpius nodded. “There’s this girl at the library that keeps asking me to go shopping with her.”
Albus looked at Scorpius in surprise. “Wait, you’re…?”
”Gay?” Scorpius nodded. “In the closet because I’m also ace and don’t want to hear any of the assault claims, and then after they find out have to deal with people telling me to just try sex out.”
Albus was shocked. Scorpius was a rich kid that seemed to have everything in life handed to him. To hear that he was afraid of what could happen if he came out was, well, relatable. Albus had always felt like Scorpius came from a completely different universe, because he was wealthy, his Mother owned the most successful clothing line in London, his Father was descended from a dynasty of businessmen with suspicious hobbies, and Albus’ own Dad was a police officer, and constantly trying to prove that Draco Malfoy was a conman.
”Adventure Time!” Bronwyn squealed excitedly, starting to walk over.
“Don’t worry,” Sab said, “I’ll make sure no one hurts her.”
Hadrian had also very much seemed like he was from a very different world. Not due to wealth, but he’d apparently been shuffled from foster home to foster home before he was finally adopted. He didn’t know any of the details of each guardian, but at least one of them must have been horrible if Hadrian had DID. Albus didn’t want to pry though. He’d never talked to Hadrian before so he didn’t feel like he was entitled to any information.
“I’ve actually been here before,” Lacerta started saying. “And I know how to get on the roof. You wanna see?”
”Sure!” Scorpius went to follow.
”Is it okay to leave Hadri — Bronwyn — by herself?” Albus asked.
”Bronwyn’s not alone,” Scorpius explained. “Sab is co-con. And Neville said that if Bronwyn was left alone at the front, she could go looking for him.”
”Is that safe?” Albus asked.
”Bronwyn is seven,” Lacerta explained. “Besides, she loves Adventure Time so much I doubt she’ll care.”
Albus thought this over a moment. He had never met anyone with DID, so he didn’t know what protocol to follow. He supposed Lacerta and Scorpius knew better, since they were close with the system, and if Neville was going to take care of Bronwyn then it was probably safe. He wasn’t sure, he had no experience with this situation.
He ended up following Lacerta and Scorpius outside, and around the back of the building, where a little wall surrounded a sitting area. He was startled when Lacerta just climbed onto the wall and stood above them.
”Come on, it’s really easy once you know the way,” Lacerta waved them up.
Albus looked at Scorpius a moment before shrugging and giving it a shot. He was a little taller than Lacerta, so it was somewhat easier for him than it had been for her, although he probably looked much less graceful. He stood up on the wall, and everything looked much further down than he thought it would. He’d pin that down to his height, and not the wall since he had been a head and two thirds taller than it.
After a few minutes Scorpius tried and managed to get to his feet on the wall, looking slightly more nervous than Albus felt.
Lacerta walked for a little bit before reaching where the wall was closest to the corrugated roofing of the garage.
”Are you sure this is safe?” Albus asked, feeling goosebumps forming on his exposed arms.
”Yeah, I’ve done this loads of times,” Lacerta explained. “You just gotta do this.”
Lacerta then grabbed onto the edge of the roof and pulled herself up to got on top of it. It was slanted slightly, so Lacerta took a few steps back from the ledge. Albus had never done anything like this. He’d done drugs, yes, but climbing onto the roof of a two story building? Not so much. She made it look so easy, but she had experience and Albus could barely rock climb. Still, he didn’t think about it and pulled himself up and onto the roof. If he thought the wall had been high, this was fucking high.
Scorpius was next, but he was a little shorter than Lacerta, so he needed their help to actually get on top of the roof without splatting on the pavement. Scorpius seemed to have a thing with heights, and held on tight to Albus’ arm like it was a lifeline. Holding tight onto the strap of his bag. He’d been prepared for this too.
Lacerta walked over to a first floor window, and used it as a foothold to reach the roof of the actual building and pull himself onto it. This roof was flat, which Albus was thankful for, so she didn’t back away from the edge as much. Just enough for Albus and Scorpius to climb up.
Lacerta was holding her skirt down while the wind whipped at her hair, so Albus decided now was the best time to attempt the climb. He did the same as Lacerta, and pulled himself up to the roof. When he looked down he noticed Scorpius was apprehensive about the climb, so he sat near the edge in order to help the boy up.
“Come on Scorpius,” Lacerta called out. “We’ll help you up.”
Lacerta then knelt down next to Albus so that she could also help pull Scorpius up. When he saw this, the blond seemed to decide he would be fine, and used the window to reach their hands. Once they had a firm grip on Scorpius, Albus and Lacerta pulled him up and they all stepped away from the ledge.
Now that they were all up on the roof, Albus could take everything in. It was a very lovely view, and he could probably see his home in London from up there. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky an array of pinks and oranges, and the trees rustled in the wind which nipped at Albus’ skin. The roof was flat, but had a bunch of air ducts, vents, and a chimney. Lacerta went over to the edge and sat down with her legs dangling over the side, and Scorpius seemed slightly frightened by the height, but sat down next to her. Albus chose to lean against one of the vents and sat down with his leg stretched out.
”This is actually quite nice,” Scorpius said. “It’s quiet, and there’s a beautiful view.”
”I know,” Lacerta nodded. “I used to play football here as a kid, so when I got bored I started climbing the building and sitting up here. The other girls thought I was so cool.”
”You are cool,” Albus stated. “I wish I went to a school with more girls. Or any. At least then it wouldn’t be dicks everywhere.”
”But Albus, I thought you liked dick,” Scorpius pretended to gasp.
”Yes, but I only accept premium quality thank you very much,” Albus shook his head. “The shit we have at school is the kind you find at Tesco.”
Scorpius laughed.
”It’s not that much better,” Lacerta shrugged. “You still have to share change rooms with the bastards. Although, I’m not doing Sport anymore so I don’t have to.”
”Oh, so you’re a year eleven?” Scorpius asked.
Lacerta nodded. “You’re a year eight right?”
Albus snorted and Scorpius frowned.
”It’s not funny!” Scorpius scolded. “Year ten actually.”
Lacerta looked shocked. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Scorpius waved her off. “Im used to it.”
Albus tried to suppress a chuckle. “Used to it?”
”Shut it!” Scorpius turned bright red. “At least when I’m forty I’ll still look like I’m in my thirties!”
”Or they’ll think you’re a toddler,” Albus suggested, earning a glare from the blond. “Alright sorry. Yeah um, we’re actually in the same year. And same dormitory.”
”Although we don’t have the same rooms,” Scorpius explained. “Mines at the other end of the building. And I share with Jimmy and Quinlon. Those two know nothing about hygiene.”
”Straight boys don’t usually,” Lacerta shrugged. “Wash their hair and think the suds running down counts as washing their body.”
”I know,” Albus shook his head. “Disgusting if you ask me. They think we spend forever in the shower. No, they just don’t spend enough time in the shower.”
”Exactly!” Lacerta agreed. “Now try telling my brother that.”
”Argh, God, you have one of those too?” Albus asked.
”What? A brother?” Lacerta asked. “Yes, unfortunately.”
”Do you have any siblings?” Albus asked Scorpius.
Scorpius frowned, shaking his head. “I wish I did, I imagine it would be quite fun. But no, I’m an only child.”
”It’s not fun,” Lacerta shook her head. “You should consider yourself lucky. I have an older brother and sister.”
”I’ve got an older brother,” Albus said, “my sisters younger though. So I am the disappointing middle child.”
”That would be Vivian in my family,” Lacerta continued. “Although I’m not that far behind her.”
“And I’m just disappointing,” Scorpius sighed.
”How!?” Albus gave the boy a look of shock. “You’re the top student in our year. You win the Good Standing Raffle almost every time. How can your parents be disappointed.”
Scorpius shrugged. “They desperately want me to find a girlfriend, keep setting me up with all these straight white rich girls. And my grandparents are staying over this holiday, and keep talking about all these girls that have grandparents they see all the time. It’s annoying.”
”So that’s why you’re here,” Albus said. “You wanted to escape all the girlfriend talk.”
”Why?” Lacerta sighed. “I would kill to have a girlfriend.”
”Yes but you’re a lesbian,” Albus said. “Scorpius is not.”
Scorpius was about to say something when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered.
”Sab?”
Albus guessed it was Hadrian — or the system? What should he call them when he doesn’t know who’s at the front?
“Oh, hey,” Scorpius moved the phone away from his face to say; “It’s Hadrian,” before returning it to his ear.
There was a pause before Scorpius answered.
”We’re on the roof,” Scorpius said.
A pause.
“Yeah, go outside and you should be able to see us.”
Scorpius put the phone back into his bag and Albus could see Hadrian and someone else running down the ramp to see them. Albus waved at the two, and Hadrian yelled out for them.
”How the fuck did you get up there!?”
“Go around the back!” Lacerta shouted. “We’ll tell you once you’re there!”
Hadrian ran around the side of the building, his new friend in toe. The trio already on the roof got up from where they were sitting to help the other two up. Now Albus could get a better look at the person with Hadrian. They were black, and Albus was partially thankful for another person of colour, and had right black curls. They were wearing a rainbow hoodie underneath black overalls, a stark contrast to the white hoodie and grey jeans Hadrian was wearing.
“How do we get up!?” Hadrian yelled out.
”Climb onto that wall and then got on the roof of the garage!” Lacerta explained.
“Okay, hang on!” The person with Hadrian shouted, a Scottish ring to their accent.
Hadrian and his friend managed to get onto the garage roof with relative ease, although Hadrian did have to help his friend, who was around the same height as Scorpius. Hadrian on the other hand was around the same height as Albus, although much more well built due to playing rugby.
“What do we do now!?” Hadrian asked.
”Use the window to reach the roof!” Scorpius shouted. “We can help you if you can’t reach!”
Hadrian went first, due to being taller, and then his friend tried, but could barely reach the edge. So Albus and Hadrian ended up pulling them up together, and the five stood on the roof.
”This is Rift,” Hadrian introduced his friend. “We went to primary school together, I think. They say we did, but honestly I don’t remember much from that time.”
Rift waved with a smile. “Name and pronouns check?”
”Oh, I’m Scorpius and he/him,” Scorpius answered.
”Albus, he/him.”
”Lacerta, she/her.”
Rift frowned. “I’m the only enby around here?”
”Unless you count Sab and Freedom,” Scorpius pointed to Hadrian.
”Oh yeah!” Albus snapped his fingers. “What should I call you when I don’t know who’s at the front?”
”Hadrian’s fine,” Hadrian shrugged. “We’re still trying to pick a name for the system, but none of us can agree.”
”So, do you use any neo pronouns?” Lacerta asked Rift.
”Um, I’m not sure,” Rift shrugged. “I don’t mind if people use them, but I usually just go by they/them.”
Scorpius sat down cross legged on an air duct after that and started looking through his bag. Rift sat down next to him, with their feet on the scuffing the floor. Hadrian and Lacerta ended up on the floor half a metre in front of them, and Albus chose to use the air duct as a back rest. Scorpius pulled out a container from his bag, and a fork.
”Are any of you guys hungry?” Scorpius asked. “It’s just a salad, but it’s something.”
”Hey, I brought cold left over pizza,” Hadrian shrugged. “At least what you brought is healthy.”
”I completely forgot about food,” Lacerta dropped her head into her hands.
”You’re telling me you brought that massive bag, and there’s no food in there?” Rift asked.
”I remembered my antipsychotics, but not my food,” Lacerta let out a breath. “That’s great.”
”Antipsychotics?” Scorpius enquired.
”I have autism,” Lacerta shrugged.
”OCD,” Scorpius nodded.
“And I’m able bodied,” Rift have a thumbs up.
”Same,” Albus nodded. “But you’re also black, and I’m biracial so, it evens out.”
Hadrian pulled out his cold pizza and Rift had a thermos full of soup. They were much more prepared than Albus, who hadn’t even brought a bag.
”You want any?” Hadrian offered. “I’ve got five slices, and I’m not eating that much pizza in one sitting.”
”Thanks dude,” Albus smiled taking the pizza from his hand. It was pepperoni.
”No thanks,” Lacerta shook her head. “I don’t like cold foods.”
”You want soup?” Rift passed her the cup. “Yo! A should have brought a baguette with me! That way I could put soup on my bread!”
The group laughed out, and Scorpius almost choked on a tomato.
“A whole baguette?” The blond asked. “You’re mental, but I like it.”
”Maybe next time,” Hadrian said. “If you guys are coming here every Friday like Scorp and I plan to, then we can all bring something and have a Feast of Kings.”
”That sounds awesome,” Albus said. “I am up for that.”
”I am definitely coming every week,” Lacerta nodded. “I’m sure I can rustle up some grub every Friday.”
”Noice,” Rift said. “I’ll bring the baguette.”
The group continued like that for the rest of the night. Sitting on the roof, laughing, sharing stories and food. It was the most fun Albus had had since his breakup with Ghost, and he loved it.