Chapter 3
Scorpius loved History. It was a well-known fact. From Wizard to Muggle history, he could not get enough of it.
As a child, he and his parents had travelled around Europe, soaking up the history wherever they visited. Later on, it was Albus who Scorpius dragged from place to place, his boyfriend laughing and calling him a nerd with good natured teasing as Scorpius geeked out over the littlest things.
It was only natural then, that Scorpius would chose to get a degree in History. It was the same reason why Albus love of potions had led him to a science degree.
Many years before, Scorpius had imagined himself travelling the world as part of a wizard expedition, uncovering ancient wizarding lore before returning to the Manor to write about his discoveries. Maybe one day even teaching younger wizards the value of history. That dream may have changed slightly, but it hadn’t gone away. Scorpius loved History and he wanted to teach others to love it too.
Once he gained his degree, Scorpius fully intended to become a teacher, maybe in a muggle school in America, showing young students the joy of discovering the past that he so often felt. He had already taken a few tutoring jobs around the town, helping young students and even his peers who were struggling.
Sitting in his last class for the day, Scorpius happily day dreamed. The lecturer had set them to do their own study for a while and most of his fellow students desks were piled high with books, computers balanced on the side. One of the students was playing music from her computer, the music dissolving into a comfortable noise in the background as everyone worked on their own projects.
Scorpius sat at his own desk, pen in hand. He had been working on a lesson plan for his latest tutoring job, trying to decide how to help his current student learn the dates of the American Civil War. His students often found it funny, learning American history from an Englishman. Scorpius had learnt to use this to his advantage, making the lessons more of a game then a task. The same way he had taught himself about it in his first year in America, before he felt confident enough to start collage (Albus, normally the bolder of the two, had taken over two years of almost constant study to get his knowledge of muggle science up to speed before he had been confident enough to start his own degree)
Because of his teaching style, he had developed good relationships with many all of his student’s families and was known as a reliable and highly sort after tutor. Something which would never have happened back in the Wizard World, where his very name would have barred him from being able to follow his passion to teach. The superstitious wizards and witches would have turned his passion to help into something sinister, some form of dark wizardry to convert their children into the next generation of Death Eaters.
Teaching had also helped Scorpius with his confidence. He had always been very aware of his limited confidence in himself. Albus had often denied it, pointing to their 4th year of school as a prime example of Scorpius’ supposed bravery, but Scorpius knew where he was lacking. Years being labelled as ‘Voldemort’s Son’ ‘Death Eater Scum’ and later ‘Grindelwald Returned’ had destroyed any belief Scorpius had in himself.
As a child he had sometimes allowed the rumours to get to him, sending him into the darker parts of his mind, despite both his father and Albus’ best efforts. Scorpius had hidden it all behind a bright smile and a fake joy but it had always been in the background, the Black Dog of depression.
Things had slowly gotten better after their 4th year and surviving the time turner fiasco but the constant bullying in the earlier years had done its damage. Damage that, through good friends, acceptance and a supportive boyfriend, was finally starting to mend.
Something bounced off his head, breaking his train of thought. Turning, Scorpius looked over his shoulder. Sitting behind him was his friend Sam. Meeting his eyes, she gave him a huge smile before ripping a piece of paper out of her book, scrunching it into a ball and throwing it. Scorpius pulled a face as the paper ball hit him softly in the face before hearing Sam giggle.
Careful not to make too much noise, Sam rose from her seat and walked over to Scorpius’s table, kneeling down by his chair.
“How’s my favourite Brit?” She asked quietly to not distract the other students, still grinning. Scorpius rolled his eyes playfully, returning the smile.
“The same as when you asked me before class.” Scorpius replied. “And I know for a fact that I am not your favourite Brit. But I do have this annoying growth that suddenly won’t leave me. I think she’s American.”
Sam punched him lightly in the shoulder, laughing at the good natured joke.
“Ouch.” He said pointedly, rubbing his arm.
“It didn’t hurt, you git.” The woman replied. She had heard Albus call Scorpius the name a few times and had decided to adopt the British word as her own, looking for any chance to use it.
“You hit me.” Scorpius pouted. Sam gave another small laugh and leant her head against his shoulder for a moment.
“But seriously, you ok?” She finally asked. “Al said you had a nightmare last night. Was it the attack?”
Scorpius stiffened for a moment before forcing himself to relax.
It had taken a while for both him and Albus to really open up to their friends, at least as much as they could without revealing the wizarding world to them.
Cranes attack had been one of the stories they had told, although they had tweaked it a little. Their friends knew there had been an attack which had left Scorpius scared. But they thought it had been a car bombing. None of them knew that Scorpius had been the target of the attack, nor that the attacker had gotten away.
Albus fall out with his famous father and Scorpius’ mother’s death were other moments in the boys lives which had been revealed, albeit, in a muggle way, to their friends.
“Just a normal nightmare.” He assured Sam who gave him a small smile. “I guess the homework was getting to me.”
Somewhere outside the building, there was a popping sounds. Scorpius didn’t think much of it. After a slightly shaky start, partly from the trauma of Cranes attack and partly from the surprise at the number of motor vehicles that existed in the Muggle world, he had gotten used to the sounds of the devices. A cars engine backfiring was nothing new.
He saw Sam glance at the window for a moment before dismiss the noise and turning back to him. She opened her mouth to continue the conversation when there was another bang. Louder this time. Like a gunshot.
Sam frowned in confusion.
Suddenly, there was a scream from outside the classroom, followed by more bangs.
Jumping from his seat, Scorpius turned to look at the door. The lecturer was already at the door, peering out into the hallway.
The screams continued, as well as the banging. Other strange noises filled the air. White faced, the teacher turned towards the class.
“Everyone under your desks.” He stuttered, clearly fearful before turning off the lights and diving under his own desk.
Another sound was heard. Not a bang but something different. A sort of whispering sound, as if people were speaking far away. Scorpius blinked. Trying to make out what the voice was saying. After a few seconds, it clicked. He blinked in horror. It was a spell.
Beside him, Sam grabbed at his arm, trying to pull him to the ground but Scorpius reacted without thinking, pushing her hand away and running to the door. Behind him, he heard someone hiss his name but he ignored it, pushing open the door and running out into the hallway.
The classroom was on the ground floor of a U shaped building, the hallway overlooking the walled in lawn in the centre where students tended to spend their time between classes. Dropping to his knees, Scorpius allowed the momentum to slide him into the wall under the window. He could hear more screaming. And more voices. He rose up to peek over the window sill.
A flash of light caused him to duck down again, frantically blinking to get rid of the flash of the spell. After a second, the bright spots faded from his vision and Scorpius tried again.
On the lawn, it was chaos. Scorpius could see student cramming themselves behind bushes and statues, trying to hide. Other students were lying out in the open, unmoving. And in the middle of the lawn stood four figures. Four figures in black robes and hoods, clutching wands in their hands. There was no guns in sight. The spells seemed to have stopped for a moment and Scorpius saw the figures heads move as if looking around. Suddenly, one turned towards the window where Scorpius was hiding. Scorpius ducked down but not before he saw the figure start to move towards the window. And not before he saw the mask. It was one he had only seen in pictures. A Death Eaters mask.
Pressing his back against the wall, Scorpius threw his hands over his mouth to prevent the horrified scream from tearing itself out of his throat. He closed his eyes as memories of his dream filled his head, his whole body starting to shake as he prayed desperately to Dumbledore that the Death Eater hadn’t seen him.
After a few seconds, he heard a voice, so close to him, it had to be coming from behind the window. Scorpius didn’t dare raise his head to see what was going on. For a split second, he wished for his wand, for the comfort of holding it but that disappeared when he remembered it was back at the apartment, hidden away.
“No. Please no!” The voice begged. There was another sound like footsteps drawing near.
“Where is he?” A deep voice hissed in a low tone. Scorpius was surprised to register the British accent from that deep voice.
“I don’t know who you are talking about.” The voice begged. “Please, let me go. I don’t know anything.”
There was silence for a moment and all Scorpius could hear was panicky breathing
“We will find our Lord. With or without your help Muggle.”
There was muffled sobs of fear from behind the wall before the voice whispered. ‘Crucio’.
A bloodcurdling scream filled the air. Scorpius found himself frozen, his mind going back to that day when he was 14 years old, Delphi’s twisted smile as she pointed her wand at him and said those fatal words. Scorpius could almost feel the agony he had felt that day, like a thousand red hot knives driven into his skin over and over, the pain so great he wished for death, Albus’ cry the only thing he could hear over his own screams.
The screams stopped suddenly, Scorpius crawling back from the memory to find himself curled up on the floor, his knees to his chest, his hands over his head as if he could somehow protect himself from the memory. His back was still pressed against the cold wall. On the other side, he could hear whimpers of pain from the poor tortured student.
There was a soft rustle of fabric before the voice whispered.
“Useless Muggle Scum.” Then another, worst spell was cast.
“Avada Kedavra”
Scorpius immediately closed his eyes but even with his hands covering his face, he couldn’t block out the flash of green light from invading his memories, of Craig’s death when he had accidentally discovered Delphi holding them both captive.
The silence washed over him again before there was a faint sound of footsteps moving away from the window. Scorpius stayed where he was, curled up on the hard floor, trying not to breath.
He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, unable to move, hearing the faint sounds of screams and spells, the noises moving away from where he had hidden.
After what felt like hours, he heard another sound, a siren drawing near. Footsteps approached. Scorpius curled further in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible, burying his face in his arms.
A hand suddenly touched his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly.
“We got a live one.” A voice shouted before Scorpius felt the hand rest on his arm. “Son, look at me. You are ok. It’s over.”
With great effort, Scorpius looked up into the face of the muggle policeman standing over him.
“You’re safe now.”
------
“5 hours ago, a collage was attacked.” Ms Graves stated in her strong American accent, standing over Harry’s desk, her eyes flashing in fury. “A large number of No-Maj students and faculty all dead. MACUSA got word that the attackers were all wielding wooden sticks. My Aurors got to the scenes to assist the No-Maj Police to contain it and imagine their surprise when they got into a fight with a group dressed as your Death Eaters on campus. The bastards all apparated away before my people could bring them in.”
Harry opened his mouth to try and calm the woman but she continued.
“Then, when I contacted your office to find out what in Mercy Lewis’ name was going on, to my shock, I learnt a group of No-Maj hating Death Eaters escape from your prison over a week ago and you didn’t see fit to warn us!”
“Gwen, I didn’t….” Harry tried but the female Auror wasn’t done.
“No! I want to know what in Salem’s name you were thinking! Over a dozen people, dead! The President is up in arms over this and the No Maj government is in a frenzy! They are calling it a School Shooting. You know that will create a panic. ”
“Which school?” Draco suddenly asked before Harry could say anything. Ms Graves swung around, looking like she was about to breath fire.
“This is a private conversation.” She spat.
“And you interrupted our private conversation.” Draco replied in that deadly calm voice of his. “Now, which school was attacked?”
The two glared at each other for a moment, Harry unable to tear his eyes away from the two. It had surprised him that Draco had spoken. But what had surprised him more was the trace of urgency in his voice when he had asked about the school.
After a moment, Ms Graves named the school. Harry, who was watching Draco, noticed his already pale skin turn white. Without further explanation, Draco turned and ran from the room. Immediately, Harry rose to follow him and find out what had him spooked but Graves blocked him, shoving something against his chest. Harry looked down at the photos she was holding.
They showed shadowy figures standing in what looked to be school grounds. All of them, dressed as Death Eaters.
“See what you’ve done.” She spat.
------
With a groan, Albus allowed himself to sprawl on the bed, enjoying the feel of the blue sheets under his body, even as the grin he had worn since reading Mr Malfoy’s letter remained in place.
He knew he needed to take a quick nap. His late night the night before had worn him out and he hadn’t managed to get back to sleep after Scorpius nightmare had woken him that morning. He knew that if he wanted to be at his best for his boyfriend’s party, he would need to get some sleep beforehand. And yet, he couldn’t stop the excited buzz he felt.
Even so, he had tried his best, taking his contacts out, running a brush through his unruly hair and changing into a soft shirt to sleep in (It was one of Scorpius shirts, the Doctor Who logo stamped on the front. Technically, it was too big on Scorpius, his naturally skinny build making it hard for some shirts to fit him. But for Albus, with his slightly stockier build, it fit perfectly.)
It was no use, Albus too wired to even think about closing his eyes. Draco Malfoy, the head of the Malfoy family, had approved Albus’ plan. Albus couldn’t wait to hug the man the moment he turned up, the secret guest for Scorp’s birthday, even if Mr Malfoy was too dignified for hugs (he wasn’t. Albus had seen him hug his son several times before and had even given Albus the occasional hug when he had needed it. They were nothing compared to his mother’s hugs but close enough)
Thinking about Ginny Potter made Albus’ smile fade slightly. He would have to write to her soon to tell her the news. Maybe he could slip it in with Scorpius’ reply to her birthday letter. Albus wished he could see her in person, could hug her again and let her know, face to face, how his life had turned out. How safe he was in the muggle world and how he had made friends. He knew during his childhood that it was Ginny’s greatest wish that Albus make friends, even though Albus’ standoffish personality, his lack of similarity to his father (In personality. Physically, Albus had been told, he was a dead ringer to his famous dad at that age) and his choice of Scorpius as his best mate had hampered him in that aspect of his life.
But now, he was sure his mother would be proud. Ginny would love Sam, who was so like Lily sometimes that it was almost spooky. And Alice was a complete sweetheart. And she would get a kick out of meeting Tay, Albus was sure.
But Albus couldn’t see his mother. He knew for a fact the Ministry was still looking for them and contacting his mother would be like showing gold to a Niffler. The Ministry would notice. And Albus feared what would happen if they were found. His father was so certain during their last confrontation that the vial rumour about Scorpius was true. It had happened before, back in their 4th year of school, when Harry Potter had confirmed his believe in that terrible Voldemort rumour. How Harry had been able to say such things about an innocent 14 year old, still confused Albus. Once, in that time when he and his dad were trying to reconnect, Albus had asked why Harry had done it. Why Harry had bullied a child, why he had allowed the rumours to continue and make Scorpius’ live a nightmare.
Harry had made some comment about feeding the rumours would cause more trouble for Scorpius but Albus was not a fool. He knew that a word from Harry Potter would have been enough for most wizards and witches. But he hadn’t. And Scorpius had paid the price. Almost with his life in the end.
Albus feared losing Scorpius. More than he feared his own death. It was why Delphi had managed to control him for that brief time, when she had dragged them back to the third tri-wizard challenge. If Cedric hadn’t accidentally knocked Delphi away when he stumbled on them, imprisoned in the maze, Albus was sure he would have broken to protect Scorpius.
Because of that, he couldn’t see his mother. Couldn’t see her warm smile, feel her pride in him, accept her hugs.
Chewing on his bottom lip, Albus stared up at the ceiling, thinking (Albus was short sighted. His eyesight wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t make out bigger objects. It was mainly the smaller details he missed when he wasn’t wearing his contacts or a pair of glasses Scorpius kept for him for emergencies). As much as he loved his new life (And he truly did. Sure, it had taken a while to get used to Muggle life. Albus had taken a over two years learning everything he needed to survive in this world before he had been comfortable starting collage) There were times he truly missed his old one. Magic had made life easier, although Albus had been amazing to see how Muggles worked around their everyday lives. In some ways, their lives were even easier without magic.
Motor vehicles were a common sight, unlike in the wizarding world where, with the exception of the Night Bus, they were considered abnormal and to be avoided. Electricity too was amazing, as was television. The internet was a modern marvel. Being able to rely on the news without having to wait for the Daily Prophet to be released was another bonus. And then there were mobile phones. Albus loved that all he had to do was type in select numbers and he could speak to Scorpius in a matter of seconds if he chose, instead of the hours it took by Owls.
And yet, Albus still missed magic. He had always thought he wasn’t good at it (The Slytherin Squib had been a common taunt thrown at him by his bullies and his brother) but it had been his whole life for so long. Change to the muggle world (And to America) had been daunting. But Albus had Scorpius on this journey with him. Scorpius, who had always been the more cautious of the two, had taken the lead on this, fearlessly diving in to the Muggle World without complaint, wanting to learn everything he could like the huge nerd he was.
It still made Albus smile to see Scorpius’ joy in learning new things. He had always loved the blond haired wizard for the sheer joy the other took in the littlest things. Older generations of Malfoy’s (Death Eaters and dark wizards, mostly) would roll in their graves if they knew the heir to their name had literally squeaked with excitement the first time he bought a muggle pen.
Once again, the smile was on Albus’ face as he remembered that moment, shortly after they had arrived in America. Scorpius, still shaky and recovering from the attack had been like a kid in a candy store in that muggle shop. It had been so good to see a smile on Scorpius’ face after all they had gone through.
A loud siren outside the apartment broke Albus’ train of thought.
Albus signed. He doubted he would be getting any sleep soon if there were sirens outside. No doubt the police going to a job.
Rising from the bed, the dark haired wizard frowned as another siren raced past. That was odd.
They lived in a small collage town and there wasn’t that much crime around.
A third siren had Albus going to the window as a third police vehicle passed in the street.
The street was eerily quiet for a mid-afternoon. Normally at this time, their neighbours would be returning from work or out in the street to enjoy the afternoon but Albus could not see a single person outside.
Suddenly, there was knock at the door. Albus jumped before he managed to control himself.
He turned and walked to the door, peeking through the cracks before opening it. Outside, his elderly neighbour stood, looking pale.
“Mrs Newman?” Albus asked, opening the door fully. Their elderly neighbour was a lovely lady who both Albus and Scorpius had met shortly after they had moved in. A widow who’s children had long since moved away and had lived in the town most of her life, Mrs Newman had taken a shine to the two young men, calling them her charming British friends and often asking them about growing up in Scotland. She had been the one to show both boys around and introduce them to some of the older residence of the town early in their stay. Both Albus and Scorpius took time out of their days to help the old lady if they saw her out and about.
“Oh thank goodness, Allan dear. I just heard and wanted to make sure you boys are alright?” The little old lady said, looking relieved.
“Heard what?” Albus asked, looking confused at the woman.
“The attack. I am praying for those poor dears.” The woman said, looking heartbroken.
“What attack?” Albus asked. Outside, he could hear another siren drive by.
“The attack on the school.” Mrs Newman replied. “I just wanted to make sure you and Scott are safe. Is he here?”
Albus couldn’t reply, the blood draining from his face. Without another word, he pushed past the old lady and ran, jumping down the stairs and out onto the street. In seconds, he found himself at the Collage gates, his head spinning. Wildly, Albus looked around, trying to figure out what happened as his stomach turned. It seemed, so focused on getting to Scorpius, he had unintentionally apparated to the gate of the collage. A wave of fatigue suddenly washed over him. Apparating was serious magic and Albus had avoided using any form of magic for over four years. The strain of using so much all at once, after such a long period of absence, had left him shaky and confused, his muscles screaming at the sudden strain. Mentally he checked to see if he had splinched in the jump before giving up. He would deal with it later, he had to get to Scorpius.
Picturing the inside of the main building, Albus tried to will himself to Apparate again, this time inside the line but another wave of fatigue washed over him. He had used too much energy too quickly. It would be a while before he could do so again.
Quickly, Albus closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, regaining his composure. He opened his eyes, scanning around to make sure no one had seen him appear. But he didn’t need to worry.
It was chaos. A line had been set up with police standing guard. Around it, Albus could see parents and students standing. Some were crying, a few screaming but most stood there in silent horror. A few people with cameras, ‘reporters’ Albus’ mind supplied, stood a little way off, watching and waiting for a news worthy moment. Behind the line, Police and Medics ran around, trying to contain the situation.
Without thinking, Albus moved towards the police line. He had grown up around Aurors and was used to them recognising him as his father’s less interesting son and letting him through.
A policeman raised his arm, catching Albus before he could cross the line. Albus looked up at the imposing officer.
“Please. My boyfriend? What happened?” Albus found himself asking, his head spinning as he tried to process what he was seeing.
“Get behind the line Sir.” The cop replied, not moving.
Albus opened his mouth to say something but he froze as he saw a figure moving through the crowd of police. Although his vision was slightly fizzy, from both his fatigue and lack of contacts, he could still make out the figure in a long black leather jacket and hat. The ancient outfit of the American Auror.
Albus had seen American Aurors a few times as a child, when they had visited the MoM to see his dad. But why here? What was going on?
The officer took Albus distraction as his moment to push the young man back towards the line of worried families. Albus didn’t bother fighting him, watching as the Auror ducked under a line of tape and moved out of sight, entering a nearby building.
“What are they doing here?” Albus thought, a feeling of dread racing down his spine.