Working Through the Rest

No Matter What

The train drawing into King's Cross Station the next afternoon seems painfully slow and I stand up to pull my trunk out the overhead rack. Scorpius stops me, pulling on my jumper and making me sit down again. I roll my eyes, smiling at him.
"I'm fine," I protest.
"You are injured," Scorpius says calmly. "We agreed this hours ago. Rose is taking your trunk."

Much to our surprise, Rose had popped her head into the compartment, holding two Pumpkin Pasties and a bag of Pepper Imps, around lunchtime. The Trolley Witch had blatantly ignored us on her rounds, and I don't really blame her. We ruined her Hogwarts Delivery Record. Still, we were grateful for the food.

She'd sat with us for a few minutes, and we decided then that, although I'd protested, she would take my case to prevent me hurting myself further.
"Fine," I smile, leaning back against the seat.

I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt to do literally anything, but it doesn't hurt that much. It doesn't hurt enough to complain. But Rose did insist on putting my arm in some sort of sling to 'alleviate pressure from my ribs'. So, thinking about, it might not be such a good idea to lift my trunk down with one hand.
"How are you feeling?" Rose sticks her head into the compartment again.
"Better thanks," I nod, breathing slowly; it hurts slightly less that quick, shallow breathing.
"I came to get your trunk," Rose steps in, closing the door behind herself. "You guys ready to go?"

Scorpius and I both nod and I stand up to allow Rose to reach my trunk. As it hits the floor of the compartment, the train grinds to a halt and we all regain our balance after a moment.
"I vote hiding in here until the rabble are out on the platform," I mutter.
"Come on," Rose rolls her eyes, grinning.

We follow her out into the predictably overcrowded corridor and Scorpius loops a gentle arm around me, guiding me towards the door.
"I'm not completely useless," I roll my eyes. "Honestly."

Scorpius smiles at me and I shake my head, breaking into a smile. The sunlight shining through the windows bounces off his hair, which is now almost blinding to look at. It looks as though he has some sort of halo.

He deserves a halo. He is an angel. I've done stuff that has put him through so much shit and he's still sticking with me. I screamed at him and he threw himself into a fight for me. I am incredibly aware that I do not deserve him. And yet he's stuck with me. Because he is the best person I know.

We step off the train together and I wince as my feet hit the floor. Almost immediately by my mum, who wraps her arms around me. I wince again, pulling away slightly.
"Sorry," I mumble. "It hurts."
"Are you okay?" she asks quickly, glancing up and down to look at my remaining injuries.
"Yeah," I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"So it does hurt, Albus," Scorpius raises an eyebrow.
"A bit," I admit, rolling my eyes for the umpteenth time.

There's a silence for a moment and then Scorpius lets go of me, charging across the platform into his dad's arms. I watch, smiling, as Draco almost lifts him off his feet, and then I reach out to take his trunk to him, as he had apparently abandoned it, moments ago.

Before I can put my hand on it, however, someone, that I assume is Rose, knocks me back gently. I turn to look at her, smiling.
"Your luggage, Monsieur?" she grins, putting my trunk down.
"Thanks," I smile back gratefully.
"You're very welcome. And don't even think about it," she adds sharply as I start to move towards Scorpius' trunk again.

I nod, looking around again. Dad is stood a few feet away, with James and Lily, who are chattering constantly. Dad keeps smiling and laughing. I'm not sure whether going over there is really the right thing to do when I have a decent track-record of completely wrecking the mood.
"Albus."

I freeze for a moment as dad calls my name, smiling at me. I smile back awkwardly, taking my trunk handle and walking over. Dad stops speaking to James and Lily to pull me into a hug. I ignore the pain in my chest and wrap my free arm around him tightly, blinking back tears.

I didn't know I needed this until now. I didn't know I needed this feeling, even if the little voice in my head insists that it's temporary. If I hold on for long enough, maybe it won't be.
"I've missed you," I mumble.

I don't know if it's true, but it feels like the right thing to say to make everybody happy. Keeping up on a half-lie until I can find a happy truth is an achievable objective. Probably.

I move out of the hug to find Scorpius behind me, smiling softly. He pulls me into a gentle hug and I grimace slightly. All this affection really isn't good for my ribcage. I'm not going to stop him, however. If he's comfortable hugging me in front of everyone, then I won't stop him.
"Write this summer?"
"Would I ever not?" I smile.

Scorpius smiles back, pulling out of the hug. I almost wanted him to stay longer but that would probably feel strange for him. It's meant to feel strange for me. I don't know if it would.
"See you soon?"

Scorpius nods eagerly.