The Gates are Open

Chapter Two: Hats and Hospitals

A/N: welcome to chapter two! sorry for the late update, life has been really busy lately. anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Published 05/22/24 - Word Count: 2945 

Just a short 20 minutes later, the three arrived at the magnificent castle that was their school. Theo audibly gasped as she saw it for the first time as they came around the bend. They all stared up at the majestic towers and moonlit crevices in the brick. The castle was even more astoundingly incredible than remembered, despite Albus and Scorpius being there only 3 months before. The carriages slowed to a graceful stop and the two boys allowed Theo to get out before them. She smiled at them as she stepped out, moving to the side quickly to let them exit.

Stepping onto the cool night road, Albus took a deep breath and looked at his boyfriend. Scorpius' stormy, deep eyes glinted and glowed in the moonlight, and Albus practically melted at the smile he received.

The blonde stepped out of the carriage onto one of the small steps and felt his foot slip. He crumpled quickly onto the ground, falling into the brunette. Albus caught him before his head hit the ground, thankfully. However, the foot that had slipped had landed on the dirt at a horrible angle, and Scorpius cried out in pain. Theo gasped and ran to get a faculty member from where they were all standing around 20 meters away. Scorpius buried his head into Albus' robes, wincing and gasping in pain.

"Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay, where does it hurt?" Albus asked worriedly.

"My–aghh! My ankle! It slipped–mmh–when I went on the step!" Scorpius gasped, tears running down his pale cheeks. Albus knew that the injury had to be bad for Scorpius to be reacting like this. He was usually very calm and collected when in pain. Albus held him closer as Scorpius' hands grasped his arm tightly.

Hearing hurried footsteps, the boys looked up to see Professor Longbottom rushing towards them. The man gave Albus a worried look, and Albus shot him one in return. Professor Longbottom asked some quick questions to assess the situation, and when Scorpius couldn't fully answer, the professor made a hurried decision.

"I'm going to apparate him to the hospital wing, he needs medical attention." Albus nodded at this. After the war, Headmistress McGonagall had made an executive decision to allow all trusted faculty the ability to apparate into the castle in emergency situations. "Albus, please make your way to the castle for the sorting and feast. He'll be okay, there's no need to worry."

"But–"

"No buts! He will be okay. If anything happens, I will tell you. I promise." Professor Longbottom said. All of his father's close friends at school became big parts of Albus' life, so he had known Professor Longbottom–or, as he was called at their home, Neville, for all of his life. Neville knew him incredibly well and knew how much Scorpius meant to him. The fact that he was promising meant a lot, because he knew Neville would never lie to him.

Albus took a deep breath, knowing he would never win the argument to go with Scorpius. He helped his boyfriend up off of the road, allowing the blonde to hang off of his shoulders. Scorpius stood there for a few moments, saying a silent goodbye to his brunette as they stared into each other's eyes. The Malfoy eventually allowed himself to be taken away by Professor Longbottom, and vaguely remembered the tight, suffocating feeling of apparition through the terrible pain in his leg.

As he saw his boyfriend and the professor vanish into the night, he took in a large amount of air and moved his gaze around to look for Theo. Spotting her a few feet away, he made his way towards her and gave her a comforting look, his eyes assuring her that Scorpius would be okay. They both fell in with the rest of the crowd who were making their way up the short path into the castle.