Working Through the Rest

Big Year, Fifth Year

Scorpius is waiting exactly where I asked him to wait when we arrive on the platform, and the weight seems to lift from my shoulders when I see him smiling at me. His hair is glinting in the sunlight and I smile back at him. We pause awkwardly for a moment, and then he wraps his arms around me. I lean into him, attempting to bury my face in his shoulder.

I've missed him so damn much, and, no matter how long our letters were, it couldn't ever compare to actually being with him. The little details come back. I haven't forgotten them – I don't think I could – but they floated to the back of my mind.
"Albus," he says gently.

I step back slightly as I realise that I've probably held onto the hug for too long. I smile awkwardly, muttering an apology.
"It's fine," he smiles back. "I've missed you too."
"How are you?" I ask. "How are you doing?"
"Good," he nods, smiling again. "Yeah. I'm good."
"Really?" I raise my eyebrows.

I'm not stupid. I know when he's lying. But when he glances past me and then nods silently, I don't press him.
"Should we get on?" he asks. "Before everyone else gets here."
"Probably," I nod. "I need to say goodbye first."

I turn around to see mum and dad chatting to Ron and Hermione. Rose grins at me and I smile back.
"Scorpius and I were going to get on," I try, and fail, not to mumble.
"Okay," dad smiles. "We'll see you at Christmas."

He pulls me into a hug and I find myself holding on tightly. Despite everything, he is my father and this summer has been good for us. I'm going to write, and it's going to be sincere, because I will miss him. I'll miss his awful jokes and his attempts to laugh off pretty much everything. I'll miss the fact that I can talk to him about anything. Almost.

He lets me go and I turn to hug mum. She hugs me tightly, stroking the back of my head.
"You'll be okay," she murmurs. "And if you need anything..."
"Owl," I nod, smiling. "I know."
"I'm going to miss you," mum smiles, pulling me into another hug.
"Me too."
"I can't wait to see you at Christmas."

She smiles again and I pick up my trunk, turning to look for Scorpius. He's still saying goodbye to his dad and I wait, watching them hug. I think this summer has been good for him too. In some ways.

Scorpius walks back to me and we climb onto the train, pushing open the door of the first empty compartment we find and putting our trunks in the luggage racks. We sit down and I look out the window at the increasingly busy platform.
"How was your summer?" Scorpius asks.
"It was good," I nod, "yeah, you?"
"I missed you," Scorpius mumbles. "It was quiet."
"Are you saying I'm noisy?" I grin.
"Yes," Scorpius grins back. "And I've missed it."

I continue to smile as the train starts to pull out of the station. I search the platform for mum and dad, waving frantically. I've never done it before. Most fifth years don't. But it feels nice.
"Albus," Scorpius start to speak again as the platform disappears, "in all honesty, how are you? You've got huge bags under your eyes."
"I had nightmares," I admit, "a lot."
"Did your parents just ignore you?"
"I asked mum to soundproof my room. I thought it would be easier to deal with them myself."

To my surprise, Scorpius nods, breathing out slowly. I close my eyes, trying to concentrate on the rocking motion of the train. It's surprisingly calm. A few minutes later, I hear Scorpius laugh and I open my eyes.
"We're approaching the viaduct," he looks at me.

I smile. I can't help it. Jumping off the Hogwarts Express was, compared to the rest of it, almost fun. I mean, the Trolley Witch actively despises us now, but we actually did something successful.
"Fancy a Pumpkin Pasty?"
"You know what?" Scorpius says. "I think I'll pass."