Before I Come Undone

...call my name and save me from the dark...

...before I come undone

save me from the nothing I've become

~ from Bring Me To Life by Evanescence

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Albus Potter woke with a jolt, the scream still echoing in his ears. Panting heavily, he untangled his limbs from the duvet and sat up. His t-shirt clung to his chest uncomfortably but he barely registered it. He needed to get the scream out of his head where it was still ringing loud and clear, much like James' shouty metal music he often blasted out in his room at home.

Bringing the duvet over his face, he wiped away the layer of sweat that had formed on his skin, willing the noise to subside.

It was only a dream, Albus. Scorpius is fine.

His breathing beginning to return to normal, he decided he should probably change his t-shirt. There'd be no harm in checking on Scorpius afterward. Just to set his brain straight.

Albus grabbed his wand off the nightstand, lit it with a quick mutter of Lumos, rummaged in his trunk for a spare tee and padded over to the bathroom. Stripping off the sweat-soaked t-shirt, he threw it over the towel rack before turning on the cold tap in one of the two sinks and splashing the cool liquid against his face and neck.

He turned off the tap and stood for a few seconds examining his reflection. No doubt the nights ahead would be much the same and he would steadily begin to look worse. Though he should probably go see Madam Pomfrey about a potion to stop the ringing in his ears as the damn scream was still there...

He frowned. Come to think of it, it was no longer echoing in his ears. It was quieter, almost like-

Quickly throwing the dry t-shirt over himself, he emerged from the bathroom and stopped, frozen. A chill ran down his spine and his heart all but stopped. It was real, broadcast across the silence and blackness of the dormitory. Louder.

Scorpius.

Guilt flooding him at having not realised sooner, Albus all but threw himself across the remaining space between himself and his best friend's bed. He may have had a nightmare himself but if Scorpius was still trapped, someone needed to help him and Albus was not just going to let his friend suffer if he could help it. Launching himself through the hangings of the four-poster, his heart broke at the sight that met his eyes.

The pale, grey-eyed, blond-haired boy Albus knew to be soft and warm was tense and fragile. Limbs thrashing around, tears drenching his face, the never-ending gut-wrenching screams. His usually pristine hair was drenched with sweat and either stuck to his damp skin or stuck up where it had been mussed from the constant movement. The bedsheets were all but forgotten, kicked down to his knees and hanging off the opposite side of the mattress, and his pajamas clung to his figure.

Thinking quickly, Albus cast a Muffliato charm in the hopes their dormmates would remain undisturbed but giving Scorpius some privacy in case any of them did awaken. He then knelt on the mattress by Scorpius' hip and made a dive for his best friend's arms in an attempt to stop them flailing. Succeeding and nodding to himself, wincing as he got kneed in the side, he grasped said arms firmly against the blonde's chest with one hand, the other gently shaking his shoulder.

Scorpius shot bolt upright so fast he actually headbutted Albus in the chin, causing him to violently impale his bottom lip with his teeth. Yelping but not wanting to further scare Scorpius, Albus hastily shoved his lit wand between his teeth and placed his hands either side of his best friend's face to get him to focus. He could taste blood in his mouth and feel a warm streak down his chin but his wellbeing didn't matter at that moment. Gently stroking Scorpius' cheeks with his thumbs, wiping away some stray tears, he looked directly into the grey eyes that belonged to his favourite person, and almost laughed when he saw the light of recognition flood them.