The Corrupted One

The Corrupted One: II

Note: A bit of the Potter family dynamic. Harry is trying to be a good dad, he just doesn't exactly know how.

A little while later Draco stood up against the wall nervously, afraid that he would lose his son too just like how he lost his wife. Harry and Ginny sat on the floor against the opposite wall. Only Albus was perched on the windowsill alone at the other end of the hall, feeling excessive guilt for turning his best friend evil.

"Maybe you should go talk to him," Ginny encouraged Harry.

"No. After all he's been through, I'm the wrong person to talk to him. Besides he seems like he needs his space right now anyway," Harry objected.

"Which is exactly why you should. He needs someone to confide in and his best and only friend is in hospital. And since he produced the Patronus before the dementors got to Scorpius' darkness, Albus saved that darkness. Who knows how much guilt he feels for doing so," Ginny protests.

"You're a lot better at handling his moods than I am. But let's both go talk to him," Harry said, getting up and extending a hand to his wife.

"If you insist," she took his hand and they both walked over and sat down next to Albus who wouldn't take his eyes off the surface of the Black Lake.

"Who knew the Black Lake was so beautiful at sunset," Albus said quietly sighing. "I bet Scorpius would've loved to see the sunset one more time before I took the color from his world and turned it dark. He loved sunsets." He drew his knees up to his chest and just sunk his head down. Ginny took him into her arms again as he began to sob.

"He's never gonna be the same, is he mum?" Albus whispered through a stream of tears though he said it as more of a statement than a question.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart," she replied mournfully.

"But Albus, even though he won't be the same, you saved Scorpius. Dementors are meant to suck the soul out of someone and leave them with nothing but a husk of a person with no memories or emotions. By casting the patronus you saved him from a life of eternal nothingness," Harry assured him. He put his hand on his son's shoulder and Albus looked at him then relinquished his grasp from his mother. Instead, wrapping his arms tightly around his father and burying his head into the crook of his neck. Harry hugged him back and just then the doors to the infirmary wing opened with a loud creak as Madam Pomfrey came out. She looked at Draco then at Albus, Harry and Ginny who were now staring at her. She nodded and that's all they needed to know that Scorpius was awake.

"He hasn't said a word to me when I've tried to ask him basic questions but maybe he'll respond to one of you," she said to Draco and Albus as she led the two of them toward a cot enshrouded by a curtain. "I suggest you talk to him one at a time so as to not overwhelm him, I still don't know much about his current state so if he gets hostile at any point I won't be too far away," Madam Pomfrey warned and walked away.

Albus turned his attention to the curtain but hesitated in pulling it back. He knew Scorpius would be different but he wondered just how different.