Fic; Never Leave Part 3
Title: Never Leave
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Albus Severus/Scorpius
Summary: Friendship is difficult and romance is worse. Only the strongest of relationships can withstand the obstacles that both bring.
Author's notes: This is the final part of this fic, guys. I hope you enjoyed it! The lyrics at the beginning are from 'You're All I Have' by Snow Patrol.
Train this chaos turn it into light
I've gotta see you one last night
Before the lions take their share
Leave us in pieces scattered everywhere
Seventh Year.
Scorpius Malfoy was in a foul mood, and he had been for days. Whilst the rest of his year celebrated finishing their exams and the fast-approaching end of their time at Hogwarts, Scorpius sat alone in the library.
He rejected all of his boyfriend Albus' invitations to spend time together and ignored the hurt that graced his better half’s features every time he walked away from him. Scorpius knew he was being unfair, but he had decided that it was the way things had to be.
He was sitting in the library, at his favourite desk which was secluded in the corner, when Albus entered. Albus was never one to give up; Scorpius knew that because they had, after all, been best friends for almost seven years and a couple for two.
He had shared most of the best moments of his life with Albus, and he loved him, but he had to distance himself from him. In a week’s time, they would be boarding the Hogwarts Express for the very last time. Albus would be going off to train as an Auror, like his father, and he wouldn't want his childhood sweetheart there to drag him down and keep him living in the past. He would want to move on, and Scorpius had sworn to himself that he would not show any weakness when Albus told him that. He wanted Albus to be able to live the life he wanted without feeling any guilt over leaving Scorpius behind. So he had to prepare himself for life without his best friend.
Albus beamed at him as he crossed the room, and Scorpius was unable to prevent the smile that spread across his face in return. Albus’ easy going smile was always something that he had found irresistible and contagious. He was so helpless in every way when it came to Albus.
"Hey," said Albus softly, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on his lips.
Scorpius' insides danced, and his limbs seemed to turn to liquid. He thought it ridiculous that Albus' kisses should still have such an extreme effect on him after two years.
When they broke apart, Albus grinned at him, his emerald eyes glittering.
"What are you doing in here?" asked Scorpius, catching Albus’ hand in his own.
"Looking for you," Albus replied, stroking the back of Scorpius' hand with his thumb. "Exams are over, Score, you don't need to study anymore."
"I'm not studying; I'm just reading.”
Albus frowned slightly. "Oh, right, you're just in here because you want to be."
Scorpius stayed silent and was shocked to hear that when Albus spoke again his voice was an angry hiss.
"I just thought I might be able to persuade you to have a break for a while, thought that maybe you might miss me just a little bit, too, since we've barely spoken all week because you refuse to spend any time with me. But no, you're in here by choice. That’s fine; I'll leave you to your book." Albus all but spat the last word and snatched his hand away from Scorpius abruptly.
Scorpius was horrified, the fury flickering in his boyfriend’s eyes caused panic to erupt in his chest. ‘What have I done?’ he thought.
He grabbed Albus' wrist to stop him from leaving. All thoughts of his plan to distance himself from the dark haired boy seemed to evaporate.
"No, Albus, wait. I do miss you.”
Albus didn't say anything. He kept his gaze hard and stared straight ahead but he did not leave.
"Let's go somewhere," Scorpius said quickly, standing up and twining his fingers with Albus'. He was relieved when Albus didn't pull his hand away; it was a good sign. "Let's go to the kitchens and get some food, and then we can go sit by the lake. The weather's fantastic."
Albus turned slowly to face Scorpius, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. "Can we get chocolate?"
Scorpius chuckled. "We can get whatever you want, Al."
Albus seemed to consider this for a moment before grinning at Scorpius enthusiastically.
"Okay then, you git. Come on."
Half an hour later they were sprawled out on the thick, vibrant grass beside the Black Lake with a large wicker picnic basket beside them filled with every type of food they had fancied, thanks to the house elves in the kitchen.
"Pass me a pumpkin pasty, Al."
"You're so lazy; you need to learn to do things for yourself."
Scorpius groaned. "Noooo, please get me a pasty. I need a pasty. Please, Albus, the love of my life, the only star in my sky, my sweet, sweet baby, my lovebug, my - OUCH!"
A pumpkin pasty collided with the side of Scorpius' head.
"Don't you ever call me those things again!" said Albus, looking mildly sick.
Scorpius cackled and bit into his pasty; he knew exactly how to get what he wanted from Albus.
He licked the icing off of his fingers and then lay down, resting his head in Albus' lap. Seemingly without thinking, Albus began running his fingers through Scorpius hair, and the blond sighed contentedly. He didn't know what he would do when Albus was no longer there to do that for him, or to hold him and to kiss him. The thought made his stomach churn unpleasantly.
They lay in silence for what could have been minutes or even hours before Albus spoke.
"The leaver’s ball is next Friday."
"The night before we leave this place for good," murmured Scorpius with a sad lilt to his voice.
"Yeah," said Albus quietly. "Will you go with me, Score?"
"You didn't have to ask, Albus. Who else would I be going with?"
"I just wanted to do it properly. So, will you do me the honour of being my date?" Albus smirked as he asked this.
Scorpius snickered but he couldn’t deny the bolt of pleasure that shot up his spine. "Yeah, okay, I'll be your date to the ball."
Albus laughed and leaned down to kiss Scorpius hard on the mouth.
They were both laughing when they broke apart. "Love you, Scorpius."
"Love you, too."
--------
Albus Potter was walking down to the Great Hall for lunch when his cousin, Rose Weasely, bounced up behind him and grabbed his arm.
"Have you heard?" she asked, an excited smile stretching across her freckled face.
His brows furrowed. "Heard what?"
"The ball," she began, her blue eyes twinkling, "It's going to be a masquerade ball! I might find my one true love. It will be so romantic; I can see it now. We will dance all night long, and then at midnight he will carefully remove my mask and I his, and we will realise that we are the perfect pair."
Albus snorted at the wistfulness in her voice and the far off look in her eye.
"That's all well and good, but I'm going with Scorpius. I don't need to find my one true love; I already have him," he said smugly.
"No need to rub it in," she said sourly, narrowing her gaze at him.
His family had all been extremely supportive of his and Scorpius’ relationship. Truth be told, Albus had an inkling that they had all seen their romance coming before he and Scorpius had. He had expected his uncle Ron to be angry that his nephew was in love with a Malfoy but the red haired man confessed that after all the summers that Scorpius had spent with their family, he had actually come to like the young Malfoy.
Most surprising of the reactions was his older borther James’. He had clapped Albus on the back and whispered,
“Well in mate; it’s not every day you find someone to love you the way he loves you.”
Albus was sure if he brought it up James would deny ever saying it.
---------------
Scorpius had given up on his plan of distancing himself from Albus and had decided just to make the most of the time he had left with him. He was looking forward to the ball and seeing Albus all dressed up in his finery. It would be the perfect way to end their time at Hogwarts.
The seventh years had all been given permission to go into Hogsmeade on the Wednesday before the ball to buy outfits. The clothes shops were absolutely packed and Scorpius thanked Merlin that he and Albus were both rich able to shop in the quieter, more expensive shops in the village.
They entered a small, purple shop, hand in hand and waited for assistance.
A tall, slender woman in deep red robes approached them with a polite smile on her crimson lips.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Here for an outfit for the leaver’s ball I assume?"
Scorpius nodded primly. "Could we please be fitted separately? I would like our outfits to be a surprise."
Albus gaped at this; he had expected to be fitted with Scorpius. Expensive shops made him feel uncomfortable; he felt as though he didn't belong there.
"Of course, not a problem," she said, turning to call on someone called Monique.
Monique was a tall, plump witch with sleek caramel curls that fell below her shoulders. She looked pleasant, and Albus hoped she would be the one to fit his robes.
His luck was in. "Monique, take this young man through to be fitted," she said, gesturing to Albus.
Monique ushered him through to the fitting room.
"Was there anything you had in mind, sir?" she inquired.
He hadn't even thought about what he wanted.
“Umm, I'd like something simple, you know? Nothing too fancy."
She smiled. "I think we have just the thing for you. Give me a moment."
And then she bustled off to find an outfit for Albus.
------------------
An hour or so later the boys made their way back down the streets of Hogsmeade laden with bags. Both were content and sure that they had found the perfect outfits for the ball.
"Can I see what you got?" Albus asked, trying to peak into Scorpius' bag.
"No you may not!" exclaimed Scorpius,, hastily pulling his bag away and looking at Albus, affronted as though he had asked if he could pull down his trousers in the middle of the street.
--------------------------
The two days before the ball passed quickly and before anyone knew it, Friday, the night of the ball, was upon them. A strange atmosphere surrounded the seventh years, a feeling of giddiness mixed with sadness as their last night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry began.
By half past five, all of the girls had retreated to their dorm rooms to prepare for the night ahead while the boys sat in the common room wondering why they would possibly need more than forty five minutes to get ready.
"Seriously, though," said Alexander Zabini, "two and a half hours, it's too long. There is no way they need all that time."
"Well, Charlotte Banklebee probably does. Have you seen the warts on her chin?" said Mathew Thomas, laughing heartily.
Scorpius who was sitting with his head on Albus' shoulder, leaned up and stroked his lover’s cheek with his index finger, "I'm so glad I don't have to put up with women. You're much less hassle."
"You aren't," remarked Albus, grinning cheekily.
Scorpius swiftly swatted him on the head. "Rude boy. I'm going to get ready now."
"Aw, no don't go," pleaded Albus, trying to tug him back down onto the leather couch they had been sitting on.
"No, I'm going. Don't leave getting ready too late, Al. I don't want to have to wait while you rush about at the last minute."
"Sure, sure," smirked Albus.
Scorpius entered the dormitory and sighed contentedly at the silence that surrounded him. He loved it when the dorm was empty; it was hard to get peace when you lived with four other boys. That was one thing he was not going to miss about school.
He pushed open the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower, putting his hand under the powerful sprays to test the temperature. As always, it was perfect. He didn't know why he still tested the water; it was just a habit he supposed.
He pulled off his uniform, shimmied out of his boxers, and stepped into the deliciously warm shower. He hummed quietly as the sprays massaged the muscles in his back, relieving the tension that had built there. He took his time lathering and rinsing his hair because he knew it would be the last time he would really get to do it properly in the Hogwarts showers. If he showered tomorrow, it would just be a quick one to refresh him before the train journey.
The thought made his stomach clench uncomfortably. He wished he could just dig his heels in and slow time down just a little bit. Everything was happening far too quickly for his liking. Not only was his time at Hogwarts coming to a close, so was his time with Albus. His goofy, clever, perfect Albus. No matter how hard he tried not to allow it, his mind continued to wander back to dark thoughts of life without Albus. He was torturing himself.
As he stood in the steamy bathroom towelling himself dry, he heard the boys enter, chatting animatedly. He tied the towel round his waist and opened the door.
"Mathew, what's the password for the prefect’s bathroom? I want to get ready in there."
"It's 'excellens discipulus.' Why do you want to get ready in there?"
"Because," he said, casting a glance over at Albus who looked adorably puzzled, "I don't want Albus to see me until I'm completely ready."
He pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain black top, gathered the bags with his outfit, and placed a quick kiss on Albus’s lips. "I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs at eight o'clock. Don't be late."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Albus dressed slowly but carefully. He had plenty of time, and he wanted to make sure he made the most of it to get himself looking as good as possible for Scorpius. He really wanted this night to be perfect.
He pulled his long-sleeved, white cotton shirt over his tanned, freshly showered skin and slid the perfectly fitting black trousers over his hips and did up the buttons. He took time preparing his hair so that it looked stylishly dishevelled rather than like a haystack as it usually did.
The Slytherin then applied a subtle amount of aftershave to the base of his throat, just enough so that Scorpius could catch a whiff of it if he came close enough.
He tied his black tie slowly, trying to make it as perfect as he possibly could, pulled on his black suit jacket and ran his hands down it. Then finally, he placed his simple black mask over his eyes.
He stood in front of the only full-length mirror in the room and inspected his appearance. Not bad, he thought, not bad at all.
His mirror seemed to agree with him. It made a low growling sound and said, "Go get 'em tiger."
-------------------------
Scorpius waited at the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall fiddling with the sleeves of his white silk shirt. He was five minutes early, and he wished Albus would hurry up. Other students passed by him and the vast majority had made a huge effort with their outfits. The girls wore beautiful flowing dresses with sparkles and lace, and on their faces they wore masquerade masks. Some were simple while others were more elaborate. The boys also looked incredibly smart in their formal outfits. Some were wearing tuxedos; others, like Scorpius had gone for something a little less traditional. He had on a fine silk shirt with a midnight blue vest on top with silver embroidery and a matching cape clipped with silver clasps engraved with the Malfoy crest. On his face he wore a simple, silver mask that covered his eyes and nose. He was pleased with the outfit; he thought it made him look rather dashing, like a prince or a hero.
Finally, Scorpius looked up to see Albus coming down the stairs; even while Albus was wearing a mask he was still able to spot him with ease. When his boyfriend got close enough for Scorpius to get a proper look at him, his breath hitched a little. Albus looked ridiculously handsome; he had obviously put a lot of effort into his appearance. Scorpius was unable to suppress the wide smile that spread across his face when Albus waved at him from the stairs and he was still smiling when his boyfriend pulled him into a passionate kiss.
"You look amazing," Albus murmured breathlessly, touching his forehead against Scorpius.
"Not as amazing as you," said Scorpius, running his eyes over Albus hungrily. "How in the name of Merlin did you manage to get your hair to look like that?"
Albus winked and tapped his nose.
They laced their fingers together and made their way into the Great Hall. They were absolutely taken aback by the scene that greeted them; they'd never seen the hall looking as beautiful as it did then. The entire room seemed to shimmer. One half of the hall had two long tables, each piled high with every type of food and drink imaginable with huge gold chandeliers over head while the other half of the room was being used as a dance floor. The floor was already filled with many students dancing along to music played by the popular wizard band, Deadly Nightshade.
"McGonagall and the rest of the professors have really outdone themselves tonight," said Albus, as his eyes scanned over the room.
"Yeah, it's fantastic," replied Scorpius. "Do you want to go over to the tables and say hello to everyone? I think that's Mathew over there with the green mask and black suit."
Mathew waved and nudged Alexander when he noticed the boys approaching. "Alright, you two? God, Score, how much did that outfit cost you?"
"Enough," he replied with a chuckle.
Scorpius put his hand on Albus' arm. "I'm going to get a drink, Al. Would you like anything?"
"Um, could you get me a Butterbear, please?"
Scorpius wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how you drink that awful stuff."
"Shut up," laughed Albus. "I don't say anything about that disgusting earl grey tea you drink."
"Earl grey tea is a sophisticated drink, of course you wouldn't be able to appreciate it, you plebeian," said Scorpius with a haughty expression on his pale face.
Albus just snickered at him as he turned away.
-------------
As Scorpius went to fetch the drinks, a familiar tune began to play. He grinned
‘I love this song’, he thought, as the music caused an excited buzz to run through his body.
He weaved his way between the crowds of people to get Albus up to dance, his hips swaying slightly to the music, all thoughts of their drinks forgotten.
He arrived back at the group just time to hear Albus' voice loud and cheerful. "I can't wait to get out of this place. It's time to move on. Time for a new beginning!"
"Here, here!" boomed the other boys.
"Score! Hey, where's the dri-" Scorpius never stopped to let Albus finish his question as he shoved past him roughly, trying to keep the nausea that had suddenly hit him at bay. He ignored Albus' calls of 'Scorpius, what's the matter?' and fought to keep the tears stinging his eyes at bay.
As he rushed through the entrance hall and all but hurtled through the front doors of the castle, he ignored the bewildered gazes of his fellow students. Once he was outside under the clear, night sky he took huge gulps of the cool air in an unsuccessful attempt to calm his jangling nerves. His thoughts were whizzing uncontrollably in his brain, making him feel light-headed and dizzy.
‘Albus really doesn't want me. He said it himself. I was right.’ Went through his mind on a sickening loop.
He felt foolish for reacting the way he was, but he couldn't help it. He had let himself hope that he and Albus would have a future after Hogwarts, and after finding out that wasn't the case he was painfully disappointed -- heartbroken even. He wasn't just losing a boyfriend; he was losing a best friend, and it was just too much for him to bear.
He walked silently through the grounds until he reached the lake. When he sat down on the grass he drew his knees up close to his body and wrapped his arms around himself. At any other time, he would never have even thought of sitting on the ground in his new suit for fear of ruining it, but in that moment, his suit seemed to be the least important thing in the world.
Warm salty tears leaked from behind his mask as he considered what he would do when Albus was not around. He couldn't even imagine a life without his lover; his mind just seemed to reject the idea completely.
Scorpius rested his head on top of his knees and let his mind drift. He was unaware of the heavy footsteps that were fast approaching.
A hand gripped Scorpius' shoulder tightly and shook him hard.
"Scorpius!" came Albus' angry voice, "What the fuck was that all about? You just stormed out for no reason and ignored me when I called after you! What happened?"
"Piss off Albus," muttered Scorpius, glaring out at the lake refusing to look at Albus.
"Why?" Albus exploded. "What am I supposed to have done, Scorpius? I thought you'd stopped with your moodiness; you've been fine all week!"
"Well, you won't have to deal with my moods much longer."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" snapped Albus, fear tangling with his anger.
"When we leave tomorrow!" yelled Scorpius standing up suddenly and whirling round to face Albus. "You'll never have to see me again!"
The rage immediately melted from Albus' face and was replaced with an expression of worry and panic. "What the hell do you mean, Score? What's going on?”
He reached out to take Scorpius' hand, but the blond pulled away from his touch.
"You know fine well what's going on. Why are you making this so difficult? I heard you, Albus!"
"For Christ's sake, Scorpius, you heard what?"
"You saying you didn't want me anymore!" Scorpius roared, sounding broken and bitter.
Albus' face contorted with confusion, and he shook his head as if trying to make everything in it fall into place.
"I never said that, Score. I swear I never did."
"Well, no, you never said that exactly, but it's what you meant. You said there was nothing you were going to miss about this school and that it was time for a fresh start."
To Scorpius' shock Albus laughed. It was a huge, loud laugh that filled Scorpius with rage. He could see nothing funny about the situation.
"You idiot. Are you insane?" asked Albus, still laughing.
Scorpius glared at him but he was sure Albus wasn't getting the full effect because he continued to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"When I said that, I didn't mean you, Scorpius. How could you even think that?"
Scorpius stayed silent, so Albus kept talking.
"I love you. I need you. You're not just my boyfriend; you're my best friend. My very best friend. So, even if this," he waved his hand between them, "doesn't last, our friendship will. Best friends are for keeps, Score. We can get through anything together."
Albus' emerald eyes had begun to look suspiciously wet, and Scorpius had to resist the urge to reach out to the other boy.
"When I first met you,” Albus continued, “I knew straight away that I wanted to keep you. You were so... fascinating to me. With your unnaturally blond hair and your freaky grey eyes. You were the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen."
He ignored Scorpius grunt of protest and carried on, "And you were so unsure of yourself. You tried to hide it, but I could tell and I wanted to take that uncertainty away so that you would never have to worry again."
They had subconsciously moved closer to each other, and Albus was running his hand up and down Scorpius' arm.
"That's why when I saw you being sorted into Slytherin, I knew that's where I had to go, too. And if you'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, I would have even gone there just to be where you were. And it's the same now, Scorpius; I just want to be where you are."
Albus reached up and carefully removed Scorpius mask, letting his thumbs graze against his boyfriend’s cheek. He then pulled off his own mask and dropped them both down on the grass.
"I am in love with you. I have been since I laid eyes on you and I'll stay with you as long as you want me. I don't care how soppy all of this sounds. I'll never leave."
Scorpius didn't even have the time to notice the grin that had spread across his face before Albus was kissing it away. It was a long, slow but desperate kiss as both boys tried to communicate all of their unsaid feelings through the desperate slide of lips. When they finally broke apart, they were breathless and completely intoxicated by each other. Albus leaned down to nuzzle Scorpius nose with his own.
"Do you believe me?"
Scorpius nodded and grasped Albus' hand in his own pale slender one. He felt light and elated and relieved.
"Dance with me?" The blond boy asked.
"There's no music out here."
"It doesn't matter," murmured Scorpius as he began to sway, trying to make Albus do the same.
Albus chuckled deep in his throat then began to hum and sway.
"I love you, Al."
"I love you, too, Score. Always."
They stayed outside and just held each other until the morning light and then returned to the Slytherin dungeons to shower and collect their things before they had to leave Hogwarts for good. They were unsure of what the future had in store for them, but it didn't matter to either of them because they knew that wherever life took them, they would be going together.