Winds Change (Scorbus)

||Chapter 14||

I couldn't sleep. I'd been lying in bed for quite a while, trying to sleep but my mind just wouldn't shut up!
So I finally got to thinking about what I had been avoiding thinking about all day.
The love potion. Then again I guess I am making it a much bigger deal than it is.
But, Merlin, it is a big deal!!
Albus is my best friend. I can't be in love with him! But what if I am?
I do love spending time with him. He's the one person I'm closest to. I'm not very good with people, yet I feel more comfortable around him than anyone else. Except for Dad, of course.
Now that I think about it, recently I have been noticing things about him, that 'just a friend' would definitely not notice.
Like his beautiful emerald eyes, his cute little laugh when he's nervous, his dark black hair that was always unruly, his really big smile when he's happy, his
Oh my God! I am in love with him!
Well, at least I know it now.
And I felt a little better.
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"Oh Scorpius! Come over here, I have news for you."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey. What is it?"
"Well, I have received news from St.
Mungo's that Albus condition is improving. So if you want to, you can go visit him this weekend. James and Lily are going too, so the Potters offered to take you too, that is if you want to go."
"Oh thats great! Thank you for informing me. Tell Mr. and Mrs. Potter that I'd love to visit Albus with them."
"Of course I will."
"Thanks."
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The rest of the week dragged along slowly. I couldn't concentrate in classes and kept getting scolded by my professors. But I couldn't care less. I just wanted the weekend to arrive, and fast!
And after much anticipation, it finally did.
I got up earlier than I usually did on weekends. I got dressed, and then wandered around school for a while. Soon, I got hungry and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. I sat down at the Slytherin table, where Charlie was already present. Everyone had gotten used to a Hufflepuff sitting at the Slytherin table. It wasn't that big a deal anyway.
"Hey! You excited? Scared?" asked Charlie.
"Hmm?" I wasn't really paying attention. "Oh yeah! A little bit of both."
"Eh, you shouldn't worry. It only means you suffer twice."
"I've heard that before. Who said that?"
"You really should pay more attention in History of Magic."
"No thank you, I'll opt for sleep instead."
He laughed. I smiled.
After eating, I went over to James and Lily at the Gryffindor table.
They greeted me with a smile and said, "Hey Scorpius."
"Hey guys."
"Are you ready?" James asked.
"Yeah."
"Do you think Albus will be alright?" This was Lily.
"I-I don't know."
James reassured her, "I'm sure he'll be fine Lil, don't worry."
Lily looked relieved. I was still pretty worried. But I still hoped for the best. Albus wil be okay. He has to be.
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St. Mungo's was a very strange place. I mean, for starters a dummy let us in here, for crying out loud. The reception was filled with people with all sorts of weird diseases and disfigurements. Then we went to the inquiries desk and Mrs. Potter took it from there.
"Hello. I'm here to see my son, Albus Potter. Could you tell us where we might find him?"
The witch at the desk answered, "Hmm, let me see. Yes, you'll find him on the first floor, third door on the right."
"All right, thank you. Come on guys, let's get going."
We reached the room and there was a man standing outside.
"Hello, I'm Park Abbott. I am a Healer and Albus is under my care for now. You must be his parents and siblings."
"Yes, it's nice to meet you. I"m Harry Potter and this is my wife Ginny. These are our children, James and Lily. And thats Scorpius, he's Albus's friend."
"Best friend," I said automatically.
Mr Potter smiled, "Yes. Best friend."
Healer Abbott said, "Alright, well it's nice to meet you too. Now I will inform you about Albus's current condition."
He turned the pages of a file, "Okay, let's see. Well, Albus is doing much better than when he first came here. As for how he was injured, our best guess is some kind of creature attacked him. He's still unconscious, but I can assure you that he'll be fine."
We all breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank God, I thought. I felt a bit happier.
"Thats good to hear. So can we see him now?" Mr Potter asked.
"Yes, please follow me."
We went inside the room and saw that Albus was lying in a hospital bed. We rushed over to him. He was asleep.
"He looks so peaceful," Lily said.
He really didn't. He didn't look peaceful, like he usually did when he was asleep. But even with bruises all over his face, he still looked beautiful. Ugh, I just wanted him to get better and come back to Hogwarts fast!
We stayed there for a while, and the Potters talked to Al, even though they knew he couldn't hear them. Then they went outside with to talk to Healer Abbott, leaving me alone with Al.
I knelt down next to his bed, "Hey Al. Everything's the same here, except we're all so worried about you. I made another friend! His name's Charlie. He's a cool guy, you'd really like him."
"I really miss you. Everyone misses you so much. We love you. Get better and come back soon. Bye."
Then, I went outside. Healer Abbott told me the Potters had gone back downstairs, to the reception. So I went down too.
"Oh Scorpius, you're back! So we should get going." Mrs Potter said.
Mr Potter smiled then, "Also since you're in London, I figured there's someone you'd like to see."
I was confused, "What do you mean?"
"Just come on outside," he said.
So I did.
"Dad!" I shouted as I saw him.
I rushed over to him and hugged him tightly.
He greeted me, "Hey buddy, it's nice to see you. Its been quite a while."
I pulled back from the hug and smiled, "It has. I'm so happy to see you, Dad!"
"I'm happy to see you too, Scorpius. By the way thanks for telling me he was here, Harry."
"Oh, it was nothing," Mr Potter replied. "It was the least I could do. So Scorpius, you're gonna stay with your father?"
"Yeah I am," I replied.
"Okay, so we'll get going. Come on guys."
We watched the Potters go away in a muggle car.
"Scorpius, ready to go home?"
"Always!"
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"So Scorp, how long before you have to go back to Hogwarts?"
"Oh, we have to return tomorrow in the morning. It is middle of the term after all."
"Hmm, its a shame you can't stay longer."
"Yeah."
We ate dinner in a comfortable silence.
Then when we were sitting in the living room I said, "Hey Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"I, uh, kind of need to talk to you."
"Sure. Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine. Its just that recent events have, um, made me realize that I'm... well that I'm bisexual."
I closed my eyes and waited for his response.
Dad surprised me by reaching over and hugging me.
"So you're not angry?"
"Angry? Pfft....why would I be? So, you like both guys and girls. So what? You're still my son, and I still love you."
I laughed, "Thanks Dad, I love you too."
"Let me tell you a secret, Scorpius."
"What? What's the secret?"
He whispered and smiled, "I'm bisexual too!"
"Wow! I didn't know that. Really?"
"Yup."
"So how did you know?"
"Oh I, um, developed a bit of a crush on a guy in my year."
"Ooh tell me more about him."
Dad laughed, "No!"
"Aw, just a bit. What house was he in?"
"Fine. He was in Gryffindor. But that's all I'm telling you."
"All right."
Gruffindor, hmm. I wonder who it could be. Oh Mr Potter and Dad were in the same year! Maybe he knows.
Dad's voice broke my thoughts, "So how did you know, Scorpius?"
"Well, same as you."
"So tell me, who is it?"
"No, thanks Dad."
"Oh c'mon. Just a little. Is he in your year? Do I know him?"
I hesitated then mumbled a 'yes'.
"Well, considering the fact that I only know one guy in your year, I think I know who it is!"
"Aw, man."
"Its Albus, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"I knew it!"
"Agh, its not a big deal!"
"If you say so."
"Now that you know who I like, I think its only fair that you tell me who you liked too."
"Okay, I think I'm going to go sleep now," Dad said as he fake-yawned.
I laughed, "Fine, good night Dad."
There was nothing for me to do, so I went to bed too.
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Thanks for reading my story guys! I really appreciate the positive comments too.
Toodles!
Millie
Updated: March 13, 2017