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Set the World on Fire	By : jessebarbieheart Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Albus Severus/Scorpius Views: 3701 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of her delicious characters. Though I wish I could, I will never make proffit from this lovely fic. Nor do I own the rights to Fun's song "We Are Young".

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: To forwarn, this is a chapter more of information than action. I did this because there were things I wanted to have said before the next chapter. Which gets...really good. This chapter is based on Black Veil Brides' "Knives and Pens". So enjoy it!

After drinks, nearly everyone retired to their rooms. Albus was the first to leave, but he could hear people traipsing up the stairs not much later. It seemed everyone was drained. The emotional blows of the night had taken their toll.

But the discussions didn't completely end there. From his gentle embrace of pure cotton sheets, Albus could nearly hear every word that was said next door. The bed was close to the connecting wall and if he tilted his ear the right way, words came through crystal clear.

He was tired. He was absolutely drained. But Al feared what sleep may bring him. He was fighting to stay awake and was glad when his father and Draco began speaking. Their disembodied voices were enough to keep him awake for now.

"Hey...are you doing alright?" Harry's voice dripped with concern. An emotion he'd kept locked away until now. But in the comfort of his lover, he found freer to express things. Freer to break down and appear normal.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Draco, though, seemed more stubborn to let go. He still held his emotional barricades because that was how he was raised. It was in his blood.

There was a subtle creak of bed springs as if someone was turning upon the mattress. Then a soft, pitying sigh. "Maybe because your son has nearly single-handedly begun a war you fought so hard to escape once before." There was silence after the statement, like the other man was ignoring him. But Harry was persistent. He wouldn't just let this go. "I know what you're feeling, really. Deep down. I know you better than to believe what you're showing on the outside. So you might as well tell me what you're thinking."

Again, there was silence. Both men held their tongue, waiting for the other to give in and speak. And it was Draco who finally did. Harry Potter was his weakness. "I can't see how... How I didn't notice anything was going on with him. Scorpius has always been a good kid. He did well at school and excelled at Quidditch. He was everything I could ask for in a son. I never caught on that something like this was going on with him. I never suspected that my father's interest in him was anything but pure. I truly thought he was just trying to be a good grandfather.

"I suppose that's when I should have started to worry. After Astoria passed, they started to spend more time together. Father would say...that he felt Scorpius needed time away from home. Time to get his mind off of mourning. Except...I never once saw him cry. Never did he shed a tear or at least look shaken over his mother's death. But I was gullible. I wanted to believe them. I wanted things to be normal for us for once."

Another cry of bedsprings followed by a whine of the floorboards told Albus that someone, presumably Draco, was standing. Soft footsteps to his right let him know that the standing man had crossed to the window. No doubt he was looking out at the Muggle world and wishing to be a part of it just as he had earlier. "I've never told anyone this... About what happened that night..."

"Draco, you don't have to if-"

"No! Don't tell me that. You've told me your...deepest secrets, Harry. I suppose it's my turn." Draco took a few moments to pull in deep, steadying breaths. "Scorpius was the one to find her, you know..."

The other man stood from their bed, crossing to his lover in carefully measured steps. Albus could imagine his father wrapping his arms around Draco in comfort. Letting him know it was alright. That he was here for him no matter what.

"I was working late at the hospital. It wasn't a normal shift for me. I was covering for another healer. If I had been home..." The hesitation crept back into his voice, but he pushed it aside with a clear of his throat. "The last thing I expected to see that night was my wife being rushed in, wrists gauged out and absolutely lifeless. My son standing by covered in her blood. My family torn apart by a suicide that..." He again cleared his throat, but this time to rid himself of the burbling emotion. "We were happy, I thought. To this day, I don't know why Astoria did it. Maybe she realized before I did what a monster she'd given birth to. Or maybe I was just delusional in thinking we were a contented family.

"Or, maybe still, it was because she couldn't bear to produce for me another child. When they did the autopsy...they found out she was pregnant... She hadn't even told me. It was something she'd hidden from me for nearly five months. And I had been too blind to see the signs..."

"Draco, look at me." Harry's voice was strong and comforting at the same time. Albus heard the sound of a soft kiss before he continued. "That was four years ago. I realize that I don't have any idea what sort of pain you went through that night. I've never lost anyone that way before. And I couldn't imagine any of my children dying, especially before I had a chance to know them. But it wasn't your fault. Clearly, Astoria had things hidden within her that she couldn't deal with. That doesn't make you at fault, though.

"And as for Scorpius, that's not your fault, either. Maybe he's been corrupted from the beginning. From what I've seen, you're a wonderful father." Draco tried to protest, but it went muffled as though his mouth were covered. After a minute, he groaned and went silent, letting Harry finish. "You're a kind man. To my children, you have been nothing but caring. You have a way with children. It may not be entirely conventional, but it's not deficient. Whatever happened to Scorpius to make him like this was not by your hand, I assure you. I have no doubt that it was your father who did this to him. Though I'd never have guessed he had that much of a spine..."

"He doesn't."

Both men fell silent. Albus waited to hear more, but no words came. They'd said what they'd needed to. There seemed to be nothing else they had to voice, but Albus longed for them to keep speaking. If the silence persisted, surely the blackness would envelop him. He would be forced to fall asleep.

"Do you really think we can win again?"

Slumber hit him so fast then that he almost didn't catch the last words that were spoken. His lids were heavy and sliding closed over his eyes, ears filling with the fuzziness sleep brought. But before he drifted off, he forced himself to hear the answer to Draco's question.

"I wish I could say that I did..."

xxXxx

"Morning."

With a groan, Albus stirred from deep sleep and looked over at the source of the voice. James sat on the edge of his bed, nursing a cup of tea. His eyes were tired and bloodshot, like he'd not slept that night. Rubbing at his eyes, Al nodded and half-heartedly raised a hand in greeting. Anything resembling social or happy had died during the night. Slowly, he sat up, putting his feet down on the floor. "Yeah," he muttered with a soft sigh.

"Mum asked that I bring you something to wear." James smiled down at the clothes in his free hand. "Though I'm pretty sure you'll drown in them."

"Yeah, well, sorry I'm not built like a troll." Al pushed up off the bed, stretching the knots out of his back. "I'll see if Teddy has something more...suitable." He headed for the door, not even giving his brother a backwards glance.

Just as the younger's hand closed around the doorknob, James sighed. He stood as well, laying a hand on Albus' shoulder after setting aside his mug and the clothing. "Al, wait a minute." When the other's hand fell back to his side, he continued. "Why'd you let him take you home that night?"

"That night?" Albus' eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean my birthday?" James nodded calmly, unflinching at his brother's temper flare. "Because... Because he was the only one that gave a damn about me that night! Turns out...he really didn't, but at the moment I felt slightly special."

James scoffed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Not true. Hugo, Rose, me... We were all there for you. We were there celebrating with you."

With a roll of his eyes, Al turned around to face the elder man. "You were there, but not for me. None of you. Rose skipped off the moment she could. And you and Hugo? You guys were more concerned with partying between yourselves than with me. I could have forgotten all of that, though, if my own girlfriend had bothered to...to be my girlfriend." His eyes fell to the floor, ashamed that he had to hold back tears.

"So that's what it was all about? That's why you helped to start this war? Because of Alice?" The glare from Al didn't go unnoticed, but James kept on. "You and Alice had been over for months, you know that? She told me so. But, honestly, she stayed because she knew you'd be a goddamn wreck. Guess she was right."

Albus wiped at his eyes, fingers curled tightly together in rage and hurt. "That's not true," he hissed in hardly a whisper.

"Yes, it is." James' voice was resolute and unforgiving. He truly felt his brother needed to understand this. "Do you remember Easter? How you caught her just speaking alone with another guy? Remember what you did?" The way the other's face fell showed that he did. But James decided to refresh him anyway. "You threw a fucking rock at her. I think it's safe to say, her feelings for you ended right there."

There was a noticeable shake to Albus' voice and hands as he countered, "I...I wasn't aiming at her. You know that. I was aiming at Davies. He...h-he was being an ass. He was taunting me with her. Kept saying he'd take her from me..."

The way James looked at his younger brother was strange. There was a mixture of pity and hatred present in his eyes. He was having a hard time figuring out just how he felt about this whole mess. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. What does is you went willingly with him. You allowed him to make you his bitch. And now people are going to die again. Do you even care that people you love are in danger all because you felt like a sorry fuck on your birthday?" He reached up and grabbed the gold Snitch around Al's neck with force, pulling him a step or two closer. "I don't think you do," he said in a low, dark growl.

Panicking, Albus stared down at the hand on his necklace. His present. A precious item he would easily kill to keep.

Just as he thought that, his heart seemed to stop. He found he couldn't breathe; couldn't move. The realization had hit him that hard. It was written plainly on his face as he didn't have the capacity to try and hide it.

The rage overtook everything else within James. He pushed his brother back against the door and snarled, "You're pathetic. You still fucking want that jerk, don't you? You do know he's the reason Dad's going to die, don't you?"

"D-don't be an idiot, James..." Albus couldn't come up with a better response. He couldn't deny it – he didn't hate Scorpius. Feared him, maybe. But somewhere inside of him, he was questioning whether his feelings of love and devotion had been more than just a spell.

"An idiot? I'm just seeing what others can't, apparently!" The elder Potter shook the younger with enough force to make him hit his head against the door several times.

Though his head was swimming, Albus was able to make out the sound of his father's voice just outside the door. He was pushed forcefully away from its solidarity as it was opened. He groaned, reaching up to feel the growing bump on his head. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?" Harry shouted, looking between them both. When Al only blinked to clear his vision and James stared back in indignation, he stepped closer with a threatening look in his eyes. "What's with you James?"

"He's still wearing that twat's necklace!" James bellowed back, pointing over at Albus.

Al frowned and stared down at the pendant around his neck while feeling the back of his head. He knew they were waiting for him to explain himself, but he couldn't. He just knew that he couldn't bear to take it off. If he threw it out, he could never see the Snitch fly. He could never watch those wings open upon Scorpius' supple tongue. His mouth went dry and his groin twinged as he thought about it. Thoughts and emotions he knew were not normal and that he shouldn't be having. So how was he supposed to explain that to the Chosen One and his prized son?

"Draco picked it out. It was his idea. So...truly, it was from him. I have no problem with that. Why don't we stop picking fights, huh? We have bigger battles ahead." Harry raised a brow, speaking towards his first born. But his attention was focused on Albus. His expression behind the indifference was that of puzzlement. It was like he didn't believe his own explanation. He had only wanted to dismiss the topic so he could think over it more in private. "Now...have either of you seen Draco?"

Albus shook his head silently, secretly tucking the necklace under his shirt. But James, who was still red with anger, spoke up right away. "He left."

"He...left?" Harry's expression crashed completely, immediately assuming the worst.

"Dad, chill. He just went out to...speak with the minister, or something. Said to tell you he'd be back soon and, I don't know, not to worry?" James stepped past his father, making for the door as fast as he could.

Relief flooded Harry's face, but concern soon overtook it. "And no one tried to stop him? I was under the impression that we were all laying low."

"Nobody cared to." James stopped in the door long enough to finish with, "Face it, Dad – Nobody here cares what happens to your wretched boyfriend." In his absence, an air of despair settled into the room that Harry attempted to hide.

He cleared his throat, running his fingers through his untamable hair. His composure was slipping and he was having a hard time regaining it. Gently, Albus crossed over to him and patted his arm awkwardly. "He... He's a smart guy. He'll be alright, I'm sure..." A moment of silence passed before he felt he had to add, "And, uh, I care. Okay?"

It wasn't even a lie. Initially, he hadn't been sure how to feel about his father dating Draco. A man. But nearly two years had passed now since their relationship went public after the divorce. He'd grown accustomed to seeing the two of them together. And in the last day, Draco had helped him – or at least tried to – more than almost anyone else. It wasn't all that bad having him around. The other may not have felt the same, but maybe the support of just one was enough to keep the couple going.

A ghost of a smile crossed Harry's lips and he nodded. "Thanks, Al. Um, Teddy has some clothes downstairs for you. Maybe you should take a shower, too?"

Now that he actually thought about it, Albus couldn't remember the last time he'd really bathed. "Yeah, I think I will," he said absently and followed his father down the stairs.

It turned out, a shower was just what he'd needed. The time under the warm spray gave him the opportunity to think in a solitary world all his own. Sifting through his mind was much easier in the safe, comfortable water.

When he emerged and wrapped a towel around his waist, everything was sorted out. He'd never voice it out loud, but he'd come to understand his heart maybe just a fraction.

He loved Scorpius.

Though he had no real, tangible excuse for why, he did. The heavy weight of the silent Snitch around his neck was all the reasoning he needed for the moment. It reminded him that there was a side to the other that was lovable.

He just needed to get through to it.

Another thing he knew was that he didn't support anything Scorpius was doing. He knew deep down that he was a good guy. Somehow he'd just been roped up into being who someone else wanted him to be.

Another reason he wanted to see You-Know-Who's downfall was that he didn't want to see his dad die. Out of both his parents, he was more likely to run to Harry for something right now. All his life he had despised being compared to him and had shied away from him because of it. But their similarities right now seemed comforting. He liked feeling like someone else out there had problems. Someone else had to make hard decisions.

Ginny was wonderful and would always be his mother. But she was a woman. She handled things differently. And she had never been in love with someone she shouldn't be. Her decisions had stemmed as far as what to make for dinner. His thoughts may have been harsh, but there was some truth to them.

She would never fully understand.

So to lose Harry at such a time as Albus needed him the most seemed like a nightmare. He would never be on the same side as Scorpius if his family had to die for any reason.

Albus pulled on his clothes, a resolution to his thinking process. His mind was battling itself, but at least he knew where he stood with his thoughts. Maybe he didn't know what to do about Scorpius or this war, but he could live with being a little more at peace with himself. It was good enough for him right now.

The robust smell of a complete dinner filled his nose as he left the bathroom. He followed it back down to the kitchen and smiled at the gathered group of his family. Ginny was pulling a succulent turkey out of the oven. While juggling playing tea with Remi, Victoire was attempting a gravy. And Hermione was concluding the meal with mashed potatoes and a slurry of different vegetables. To round it all off, Lily was over at the table setting places for everyone.

"Hey," he said softly and joined his sister, grabbing the silverware and helping her set it out.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked softly, watching him with her careful brown eyes.

A crease punctured Al's smile and he met her gaze. "What do you mean? I just woke up...not two hours ago."

Lily nodded towards the clock upon the mantle. "It's nearly six. You must have been tired." She was calculating him in a way that made him feel almost uncomfortable. Maybe James had spoken to her. Or maybe she could see the indecision in his eyes as well. He had to imagine it was quite plain.

"Oh, well... I just assumed that when James woke me, it was morning. Um...yeah, I guess I was tired. Haven't slept well lately..." Silent, his sister only stared at him a little longer before turning away to retrieve napkins. "Where's everyone else?" he asked when she returned, noting the lack of male presence in the room.

"Meeting room. Upstairs." Lily finished setting the table and walked quickly away from her brother. There was a frown in the corners of her mouth that she was trying so hard to hide. But she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

Turning from her busy work at the stove, Hermione offered Albus a sweet look. It wasn't condemning or calculating. Just nice. But that was how his aunt was. She was more likely to give people a chance to prove themselves rather than judge. Lily on the other hand had been raised more like her mother. Rash and harsh when it came to people with many layers. "Why don't you go fetch the men, Albus? Dinner's nearly ready," she said softly, levitating the dishes of vegetables to the table.

Albus nodded and climbed the stairs back up to the main floor. He paused on the landing a moment, looking back down towards the kitchen. Being here, he felt like an absolute stranger. His family, his siblings, who he had grown up with were treating him like he had a disease. It smarted. Their doubt of him, the judging look in their eyes... It was something he'd never expected to see. Family was supposed to be there for you no matter what, right? Through thick and thin. So why were they not adhering to that rule?

As he came upon the rarely used meeting room, Al raised a fist to knock. But something said beyond the door caused him to freeze.

"Albus can't fight with us. He can't come with."

His fists curled at his brother's words, eyes narrowing as he imagined James' smug face. Of course he would say that. He had absolutely no faith whatsoever. But what stung more was his uncle's retort.

Ron said with a strong resolution to his tone, "I agree. He's...not stable. You can tell just by looking at him. One tip from that prat and he'll be back on their side. He has to stay here. Probably until this war is over if you don't want to lose him, Harry."

"So your boy, who's not even of age yet, is allowed to drop out of school and come fight-"

"We dropped out of school at his age! I'm not about to say Hugo can't do the same! Besides he turns seventeen in less than three weeks."

"Don't interrupt me, Ron!" Harry shouted and the sound of a chair being tipped over echoed the stress in his words. "Albus is an adult. I can't tell him what to do. And I won't let you all do it, either. If he wants to join us against Voldemort, I'm all for it. He's a talented wizard. We could really use him."

The room was silent following his words. Albus smiled proudly at the way his father stood up for him. He knocked softly and poked his head in, looking around at the gathered family in the room. Joining his father, Uncle Ron, brother, and Teddy was the rest of the Weasley males. Grandfather, uncles George, Charlie, Bill, and Percy, as well as his cousins Fred and Hugo. They all looked up at him with mixed degrees of shame. Harry welcomed him in with a smile, though. "Sorry...we would have invited you but you took quite a long shower."

"No...no, it's fine. I just came to tell you that dinner's ready." Albus swallowed hard and turned away, exiting as fast as he could. Out of everyone in the room, his father had been the only one to stand up for him. Which meant no one else trusted him. All of those men thought he was wrong. Not even Teddy came to his aid?

He came to rest against a door he assumed led to a broom closet. His breathing was shallow as he attempted to hold back tears. But as a sob escaped him, he reached behind his back and turned the knob. Once inside the closet, he cast a silencing charm around the door to keep his noises inside of the small room. Only then did he feel free enough to let out his cries. He sank to the floor, head in his hands. He let go all of the sadness and frustration he'd felt for the last few weeks right there.

But, in the end, it left him feeling empty rather than better. He just felt so alone.

Somewhere a sliver of light broke into his seclusion and a pair of arms enveloped him in their strong embrace. He was once more bathed in his father's cologne, taking in deep breaths of it to ease his cries. Somehow they only made them worse, though. His found the crook of Harry's neck and laid his head in it, letting out all of the feelings he had. Maybe then he could just go numb.

"Don't...don't worry about them, Albus. They don't know what it's like. You have me, okay? I have you...and you have me. That's all we need. You support me and I'll support and help you." Harry's fingers were in Al's hair, a sweet gesture that reminded Al of when he was a child.

Anytime he would have a nightmare, his father would almost automatically know it. He said it was father's intuition, but he knew that it had more to do with Harry's inability to sleep all the way through the night. He was awake and therefore could hear when his children began to panic in their dreams. When this happened, he would come in with a glass of milk and a cookie, which he would set on his nightstand. Gently, he'd slide into bed next to Albus and run his fingers through his messy black hair. It would ease him gently from the terrifying sleep cycle, and when he awoke the small snack completely erased it from his mind.

But this wasn't just a nightmare.

"S-so...," he started cautiously after a few moments, wiping away some of the tears, "they all believe James? What he's saying about...about me and..."

Harry bit his lip before sighing and pressing a kiss softly to the top of Albus' head. "Yes. I think everyone's just...too afraid and cautious that they're willing to believe it. After all, it does sound quite plausible. You're a sweet, naïve boy. Why wouldn't you develop Stockholm Syndrome?" He scoffed at the sound of it on his lips.

"Don't say that!" Albus snapped, pulling sharply from his father's hold. "I'm not fucking naïve! I'm a man! A grown man, not a child! I'm not innocent or sweet or anything like that, okay? Don't say that I am!"

"I...am sorry," Harry said gently and lit the end of his wand. He scanned his son's irritated expression and nodded slowly. "Okay. I'm sorry." He offered his other hand down towards Al with a soft smile. "Why don't we go eat dinner? Your mother said she was going to make apple crumble. Your favorite?"

Albus gave a consenting nod and took his father's hand, standing with his help. He wiped away the last of the tears upon his cheeks and cleared his throat to rid it of any pathetic emotion.

They walked together back to the kitchen, not speaking anymore about what had happened in the meeting. But as they reached the door, Al had to ask something that had been nagging at him since he'd opened that door. "Where's Draco?"

A pained look crossed Harry's face and he had to grab the railing to keep his knees from giving out on the stairs. "He, uh, isn't back yet. I don't know where he is. But, uh...he should return any minute. I'm sure he just stopped to...buy you clothes or...or something." His words were hollow as they lacked any ounce of confidence. They did nothing to make either of them worry any less. If anything, they made it worse. It was all they would think about throughout dinner.

By the time dessert was served, they were too vexed to eat. They just cast each other glances every so often. Something was wrong here that sent shivers down through their spines with every thought of Draco's possible situation.

A/N: What'd you think? Leave me a review to let me know!

I am also offering email updates for this fic. If you are interested, leave your email address in your review and I will email you when I get another chapter up.
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Set the World on Fire