together.

nine.

Draco had given his son a little bit of time to cool down after reading the letter from Albus, which he dragged him out of the Great Hall to do. "Scorpius, shh, shh...." Draco said, stroking his son's back, who was still shaking and sniffling. The sobs had slowly come to a stop, but tears still fell from Scorpius' eyes on after one. "Talk to me."

"I miss him, Dad. I hate that Harry was just such an asshole that he felt so mentally broken that he couldn't stay here, with me. I hate that I just wasn't enough for him to stay for," Scorpius cried.

"Scorpius, none of this is your fault. You said it yourself just then; his father broke him and that was what caused him to leave," Draco said. Scorpius knew he was right, and he knew that it wasn't his fault Albus was gone, but fuck, he missed him more than he could even explain. It was so hard without him here, and he realized now how much he depended on Albus for smiles and warmth... how did he ever live without him before? He had to write back to him, and he had to do it soon. He had to feel his love again, he needed to feel him somehow even if it couldn't be physical.

"Fuck," Scorpius mumbled before falling back into violent sobs. Draco just held him, not saying a word and just let him cry. Draco just knew how it felt losing someone you loved; his wife had passed a few years ago, and it was still hung over him. Seeing Scorpius battle though loosing his mother and having to be apart from Albus, his backbone, it was astonishing. Draco knew his son was a strong one, and he was going to be his backbone until Albus came back to reclaim his spot. "Dad?"

"Yeah, Scorpius?" Draco replied.

"How did you do it? How did you lose the love of your life and still smile without her?" Scorpius managed to get out, wiping tears from his cheeks as fast as possible. Draco took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears of his own now. 

"What keeps me going is that she's looking down on us, she's protecting us, she hasn't left us, Scorpius. She's watching over Albus right now too, because you know she would have loved him too. I never really lost her. Whenever I miss seeing her face, I look at her picture, I close my eyes and think of her when I need her most, and the hole in my heart that was created when she passed gets filled up little by little. Best of all, I see her every day when I see you. You're her carbon copy, you're every little bit of her, captured into my son. I am so blessed with you, she was so blessed with you," Draco said, letting the tears fall out from his eyes. They sat together for a minute, wrapped in each other's arms, mourning the loss of their beloved Astoria while also dreading the absence of Albus. 

"She's still there, and he's still here, I'll never lose them, they'll always be with me, somehow, some way," Scorpius started, wiping a final tear from his cheek, "he will come back to me, Dad. Albus is going to come back and I just need to wait for him, I need to let him heal, and Mom, she'll come back too, whenever I need her, I just think about her, and she's there."

"That's right, that's exactly right," Draco said, stroking his son's back one last time before standing up, "and you're one strong boy, so I know that you can push though and wait for your love. Call on your mother if you need some extra support too."

"I will. Thank you for keeping her alive in our hearts, Dad," Scorpius said, hugging his dad one last time before he nodded his goodbye, and headed for the common room. He sat down at his desk, pulled out his parchment and quill, and took one last deep breath. He was finally calm enough to write back to Albus:

Albus, 

I've been starting this letter over and over again, not sure exactly where to start or what to even say in it, but I've got to start somewhere, so here we go.

I miss you a lot. I got your letter and I shared it with everyone but I've been reading what you wrote to me over and over again, and every time I cry a little. I know you're safe and okay but I just wish you were here, in my arms, safe and sound. I know, this is good for you, to be away from Harry and all, I just am being selfish and miss you so very much. My father of all people even cried! He misses you very much too, and I bet he would want you to know so. Your mother also misses you, she shed a lot of tears over you. I know you said not to cry and that you're coming back but we have not been doing very well with that at all. Lily cried, even your brother James cried. If that doesn't say something, then I don't know what will. Of course, I've been crying rivers for you.