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No Exit	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Albus Severus/Scorpius Views: 1847 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, I gain nothing from this but a way to pass the time.

Chapter List
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Part IV: Help

Albus stared at the empty space, and held his wand high as he looked around, his eyes wide with panic.

Scorpius was nowhere to be seen.

Albus’s terrified breaths came out in short gasps. He paused his frantic searching when he saw something on the ground roughly two feet ahead of him. He rushed forward and snatched up the thing. It was Scorpius's Malfoy signet ring, sticky with fresh blood.

The world seemed to tilt and Albus closed his fist around the bloodied ring, while he raked his other hand through his hair. He had no idea what to do next.

“Okay,” he whispered to himself softly, “calm down, you need to focus. Your friends need you, and you're no good to them if you lose your head.”

Albus took several slow, deep breaths, then with the bloodstained ring clutched in his hand, he hurried down the passageway towards the next set of doors.

The rusted hinges groaned, protesting the movement as Albus shouldered the door open. Instead of the two sets of stairs he'd expected to see, there was one solitary staircase leading downwards. Unlike the rest of the prison, which was likely under some sort of preservation charm, these stairs showed every hallmark of their age. The surrounding walls were cracked, the stairs themselves crumbling, and to Albus it looked more like the mouth of a cave rather than part of an old building.

Bracing himself for the worst, he transferred the ring to his pocket and brandished his lit wand as well as the iron baton Scorpius had made for him. Treading carefully, he descended the steps. His wandlight flickered off the walls, making every shadow look like a threat. His mind-numbing fear seemed to sink through to his very bones, and he stumbled when he reached the landing much sooner than he had anticipated.

Like every level preceding it, the darkness was as thick as a fog. Instead of a door directly in front of him, Albus stepped through a high archway and upon closer inspection he found four enormous iron doors, each at least eight or nine feet high and five feet wide. Albus noticed a narrow slat in the centre of the door closest to him, and he moved to peer through it. He squinted, poking his wand through the hole, and he gasped sharply when he recognized that shock of purple hair. “Teddy?”

“So nice of you to join us,” Teddy mumbled hoarsely, though he didn't move. Something dark was shining on the side of his head, and Albus knew at once that it was blood.

“James?” Albus called out hopefully. “Scorpius?”

“Here,” Scorpius called out, his voice weak, closely followed by a groan that could only belong to his brother.

Albus felt his shoulders sag with relief, and he stepped back, looking from one door to the next, trying to work out how to best get them out.

“Don't worry guys,” he said with a confidence that he didn't feel. “I'll get you—”

His words cut off sharply as he felt something like a hand but not a hand close around his throat. He cried out in shock and fear as he was suddenly thrown across the space, and slammed into one of the doors. Albus hissed in pain, his head snapping back and hitting the metal sharply, and both the iron baton and his wand tumbled from his fingers. The wand extinguished as though he'd uttered Nox and both instruments disappeared into the dark.

Slightly stunned from the sudden attack, Albus began pawing at the ground around him, searching feverishly for his wand. He let out a sigh of relief when his fingers closed around the thin wood, and he whispered a hasty, “Lumos,” and lifted his wand high.

The space was empty.

His heart lodged in his throat, Albus opened his mouth to call out.

Before he had a chance to utter even a syllable, he was once more thrown across the space, and to his horror he saw that he was heading straight for a stone wall. Albus threw his arms out to protect himself, and cried out as his forearm came in contact with the stone, the bone breaking on impact and its sharp crack cut through the silence violently.

Albus crawled to his feet on trembling limbs, his arm braced against his chest as he looked around, but again the spirit seemed to have vanished.

He could distantly hear an echoed banging, and a high, shrill giggle that sounded unsettlingly like a small child. Albus pressed himself back into the stone, his eyes desperately searching for a nonexistent way out. The banging and laughter slowly drew nearer, and the hoarse cries and screams of his family and friends surrounded him. A dark shadow loomed in front of him, the rough shape of a man but it seemed to be made of smoke and vapour, but somehow more solid.

Albus pressed himself more firmly against the stone, his breath stolen away and his eyes wide. The figure made no movement to approach him, but its mere presence made his skin tingle unpleasantly.

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room, and Albus screwed his eyes shut. At the same moment, he heard a deep, commanding voice cry, “Ferrusortia!”

The sound of the familiar voice filled him with relief, and he slid down the wall as a high shriek filled the air, and he opened his eyes long enough to see the muted silver of a curse collide with the spirit. The curse hit it forcefully, and it forced the spirit straight at him, and Albus shivered as he felt the spirit pass through him and into the wall at his back. He gagged as his fright hit its peak, and the sensation of the spirit passing through him was like he'd suddenly been doused in ice water.

It took a moment for Albus to recover from the shock of the sudden attack upon the spirit and its subsequent disappearance. The light he'd seen when his father arrived was not nearly as bright as Albus thought it was, but after so long in the dark, it had appeared blinding at first glance.

His father stood there holding a handful of fire, long, dusky Auror's robes encasing his frame, brandishing his wand in his other hand. His eyes were narrowed with fury as he went from door to door, and freed Teddy, James, and Scorpius.

Albus didn't move as he watched his father, stepping into each chamber one by one, and helped them walk out. Each of them sported a deep gash along the left side of their hairline, and their skin was a bone white that had little to do with the blood loss.

His father ushered each boy in turn over to where Albus sat, and when Scorpius finally joined them he stood before the quartet with his arms crossed.

“All right,” he said at last, “whose brainless idea was it to go gallivanting off to Azkaban?” He focused on James, and the teen's eyebrows shot up in mock innocence.

“What're you looking at me for?”

“Because you are just dumb enough to talk your brother into tagging along, and persistent enough to pester Teddy into taking you.” He crossed his arms and stared down at his eldest son through narrowed eyes. “Do you think we would have closed Azkaban if not for a good reason? The vengeful spirits that haunt this place were killing off prisoners and guards indiscriminately, and it was far too dangerous to keep open. It was supposed to stay sealed off, as there are precious few ways to properly destroy spirits as strong as the ones that reside here. Thanks to you lot, I'll be undertaking some delightful overtime, heading the team that will replace the wards here, to ensure that no more idiotic teenagers try to break in.” He glared down at James in particular as he enunciated the word idiotic, but Albus was still to shaken to be pleased at the sight of his brother getting scolded.

“We'll continue this discussion later,” Harry said with an irritated sigh, “the curse I cast won't keep it away for long, I and need to get you four to St. Mungo's. Then we'll see about punishments; both Andromeda and Draco are far from pleased.” Albus watched in the low light as both Scorpius and Teddy's skin tone went from unnaturally pale to a sickly green. His father pulled a small book from his pocket and held it out to them.

“Come on, Portkey,” he said, and the four youths obediently reached out to grab hold. As Albus felt the telltale pull of a hook behind his navel, a deep chill filled his form, but his cry of surprise was cut short as Azkaban disappeared around them.

~*~

After arriving at St. Mungo's, Albus's arm was mended and the other three were treated for blood loss and head trauma. They were all given several doses of potion for shock under Harry's watchful eye, as though he was certain they'd go sneaking off somewhere else if he turned his back on them.

Albus was quiet, his stomach churning with guilt. His body still felt strangely cold, despite the fact that the Healers had given him a clean bill of health. He chalked it up to the aftereffects of the ordeal, and tried to ignore the feeling.

He knew it hadn't been his idea, but Albus knew that he had been the one to drag Scorpius along, and he felt awful about putting someone he cared about in such danger. While he looked on and watched the Mediwizards treat the others, a rather harassed-looking Trainee Mediwizard hurried in, and murmured softly in Harry's ear. He glanced quickly at Scorpius, then back to the Trainee and nodded once. Albus felt all the colour drain from his face as they hurried back out, and his suspicion was confirmed almost at once as Draco Malfoy burst through the doors, dressed in solid black and looking furious.

“Potter,” he sneered, glaring daggers at his father, then strode across the room and stood directly in front of James with his arms crossed. Albus was marginally pleased that James couldn't meet the older Malfoy's gaze, and instead suddenly found his trainers utterly fascinating. “Your dear father has given me leave to curse you into next week for endangering my son. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't.”

The sneer of his voice was a tone Albus was familiar with, but the dangerous edge to it wasn't something he heard often, and he knew that Draco was a man of his word. If he did not like James's answer, there was no doubt in Albus's mind that the older man would curse him.

“I..er...I...” James looked up nervously, then his eyes flicked to his brother. “Albus made us take him along!”

“I only said that if you're making me go, I wanted Scorpius to come with me!” Albus snapped angrily, glaring across the room at James.

“Which means you're the one who made him go!”

“It is not! You're the one who made me go in the first place! I just wanted someone there with actual brains, and not be stuck when your stupid idea went sideways, which, by the way, it did!” Albus's voice lifted several octaves as he yelled, utterly oblivious to the adults listening to their argument. “If it wasn't for Scorpius we'd all be dead and you know it!”

“That is so not true! I had everything under control!”

“When was that James, when Teddy was kidnapped by a mad spirit, or when your stupid spell backfired and got you snatched?”

“Don't call my spell stupid, it did what it was supposed to!”

“And what's that, nearly get us all killed?”

“Enough!” Harry roared. Both boys snapped their mouths shut and looked up to their father, who was standing next to Draco and looking highly irritated. “None of you were in the right setting foot on that island, least of all you, Teddy,” his gaze shifted to the eldest of the group, and Teddy hung his head.

“I'm sorry Harry, I didn't think...” Teddy said feebly, and Albus watched his father snort.

“That is obvious.”

Casting one last withering glare at James, Draco took Scorpius by the shoulder and steered him from the ward. Albus stared at his knees; he could feel Draco's eyes on him, but he could not bring himself to meet the older man's gaze. Albus shivered; why did he feel so cold?

“I believe you two are well enough to face your mother's wrath,” Harry said evenly, which caused Albus and James's gazes to snap up and focus on their father. He raised his eyebrows at the pair, “you thought I wouldn't tell her?”

“Granddad Weasley never tattled on his kids to Grandmother, Uncle George told me,” James said sullenly, while he frowned and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, well, I'm not Arthur. Come on,” Harry said, the corner of his mouth twitching as though he was trying to keep from smiling. The two boys got up and shuffled to follow their father, hanging their heads. Albus shivered again, hoping the cold that wouldn't leave him had something to do with his dread at facing his mother. In the reflection of the door however, he was certain that he could see someone standing just behind him.

Albus whipped around, but no one was there.

“Come on Al,” Harry called, and Albus turned back to see his father and brother standing at the ajar door. “Dilly-dallying won't make this any easier.”

Nodding sadly, he hastened to follow the other two Potters.

~*~

The moment Albus and James got home, they were drawn into a bone-crushing hug by their mother, so tightly that their heads knocked together. They both yelped, reaching up to where James's head had collided with his own. Ginny drew back and promptly cuffed James around the head, much to Albus's amusement.

“Ow, Mum!” James yelped and threw his arms over his head in an attempt to protect himself.

She swatted him again and again, punctuating the smacks with her furious verbal reprimands. “You stupid, stupid, stupid boy! What the hell were you thinking, going off to Azkaban and dragging your brother with you?”

She swatted him again for good measure, James wincing at his mother's shrill yells.

“Ow, Mum! Stop hitting me!” She moved as though to smack him again, but his father caught her wrist, and her furious gaze whipped to him.

“I think nearly getting killed has taught them a lesson about sneaking off to dangerous places,” he said evenly, but both Albus and Ginny snorted in unison.

“Don't bet on that, Harry Potter,” she said while she glared at her eldest, yanking her wrist from his grip.

As if anything gets through that thick skull of his, Albus thought, his arms crossed.

“But...I...But...Albus is seeing Scorpius Malfoy!” James said in protest, pointing a shaking finger at his younger brother, who rolled his eyes. That certainly didn't take very long, he thought as Lily peered around the corner from the sitting room to watch the scene with a small smile playing across her lips.

“And?” Harry asked, cocking a brow. James sputtered, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, apparently in shock at his father's lack of reaction to the news.

“He's...he's gay?” James said, forming the statement as a question, and both of their parents snorted.

“Everyone has their sexuality phases,” he said patiently, an eyebrow cocked at his eldest, in a clear So what? Expression. “For some, Homosexuality is a phase, for others it's the other way round. Your brother can date whomever he likes, as can you, which we told you when you first started your fourth year, as you recall.”

“Now is not the time to discuss the inner workings of human sexuality however,” Ginny added, her voice still edged with anger as she looked like she would love nothing more than give James a few more smacks for good measure. “I want both of you in bed,” she said as she looked at them both with the same angry glare, and Albus dropped his gaze. “No supper. We'll discuss the consequences of nearly getting yourselves killed in the morning.”

Albus knew that there was no sense in arguing; they trudged up the stairs and to their respective bedrooms. Albus still felt awful about what he'd put Scorpius through, and fleetingly he wondered if after everything Draco would ever let him see his son again. Based on how furious he was, it didn't seem likely. The idea made Albus feel, if possible, even worse.

Upon reaching his own bedroom, Albus shut the door securely, ignited his bedside gas lamp, and shrugged out of his clothes. He trembled with the same cold he'd felt for the better part of the evening, and despite the sweltering heat of midsummer, he dug out a jumper and long pyjama bottoms and pulled them on before he burrowed under the covers.

The stark shadows cast by his bedside lamp made Albus's stomach roil with fear, each one reminding him of spirits, blood, and solitude.

Albus pressed his pillow over his head with a soft whimper, and with it hindering his vision, he did not notice the strange black fog that seemed to lift from his body. It floated through the air on a nonexistent breeze, stopped above his lamp. It closed over the flame, dousing it at once.

Albus trembled and pulled the blankets closer around himself, utterly oblivious to the dark silhouette that watched over him as he went to sleep, the only thought passing through his mind was the question of whether he'd ever see Scorpius again.

The figure dissolved, and the fog settled itself over Albus and sunk into his flesh. The teenager shivered and drew his duvet closer around him. Black, viscous fluid streaked the boy's cheek like a tear, and his dreams dissolved into the realm of nightmares. He whimpered feebly, but did not wake.

Finis.
A/N: I had a lot of fun playing with this story, and I'd love to write a sequel for it, though with the ridiculous amount of WIPs I'm currently working on, it might take a while. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Until next time,
xox James
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