Time After Everything || a Sequel to Saving Myself

XVII

"---and he lied, Erick!" Albus exclaimed to his friend as they walked down the road back to Albus' home. Erick stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping he didn't give anything away. He quite liked the idea of fooling his best friend right under his nose. It gave him a strange fill.

"I'm sure it was nothing."

Albus scowled. "You believe that stupid lie about the radio?"

"Not really, no, " Erick sighed. "Are you sure he wasn't talking to himself?"

Albus grumbled something under his breath as they made it into his home. Erick stiffened as both Malfoy-Potter's looked up at him from their copies of the Daily Prophet. Albus grinned and said, "This is Erick."

"Hullo, " Erick told them, letting a relieved breath out as Draco smiled.

"Hello, Erick, " Draco said with a smile, stepping over to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, " Erick grinned. "Father speaks horribly of you, so you must be okay."

Draco's smile turned into a grimace as Harry piped up from the couch, "Your father can go suck a---"

Draco covered his mouth quickly, frowning when Erick laughed. "Harry, you can't go around and say that."

"Ronald Weasley is my least favourite person in the world, " countered Harry. He gave Erick a once-over before saying to him, "Ah, you look a bit like Granger---er, your mother."

Erick's eyes darkened a bit as he said, "Merlin, I hope not. That woman's better off dead than alive."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows as Albus led him upstairs, babbling nonsense. "Wonder what happened. . ."

Harry shrugged. "If he had her for a mother, I wouldn't blame him. At least mine likes me."

"Yeah, but---"

Harry patted his cheek. "Don't look too much into it. You always seem to do that. Don't worry, "

Draco kissed Harry softly, only pulling away to say, "Thanks. You're amazing, you know."

"You say that a lot."

"I mean it, " he whispered, kissing Harry again.

Scorpius sat in Violet's room, frowning. For one thing, it was covered in pictures of her, her mother, and Ronald, but there were none with Erick. Only a few of when they were younger---before either of them went to Hogwarts. When he asked Violet about it, she frowned.

"He doesn't really. . .talk to me anymore. After his third year, he just kinda melted into the background."

"Why's that?"

Violet blushed crimson. "That was the year he told me he was gay."

"Oh, " Scorpius muttered. He peered at a photo of Erick with his sister, both waving enthusiastically at the camera. "Were you. . .upset with him?"

"No, " Violet sighed. "But I couldn't keep my mouth shut and asked him about it during supper one summer and he froze. He didn't say or do anything. But, the next day after I hung out with you, I tried to apologize."

"How'd that go?"

Violet shook her head. "He shouted at me and got angry. Then, he began to avoid me. Ever since then. . .he's been unreachable."

Scorpius looked away, thinking about Erick's careless lifestyle; how his eyes turned dark whenever Scorpius spoke of Violet, how he had gotten so angry when Scorpius asked just how many times he had been with others.

Violet shook her head again, adding, "I don't think Dad approves. But it's odd. Whenever I go to meet you in the woods, I come home and the entire atmosphere changes."

Scorpius furrowed his eyebrows, asking, "What do you mean?"

Violet frowned deeply, saying, "Dad's always in a sour mood after I come back. And Erick is holed up in his room but he stays up there for days without eating. Well, once I caught him downstairs in the middle of the night taking food from the pantry and, when I asked what he was doing, he said, 'What? Are you going to blab like you always do?' "

Scorpius asked, "How. . .how long ago was that?"

"This last summer, "

Scorpius chewed on his bottom lip. He had thought about telling Violet about him and Erick but, after that confession, he wasn't sure if he trusted her. Mentally, he shook his head. No, he told himself, you don't trust her at all.

He sat down beside Violet, looking at his hands. "Vi, don't you ever think that something is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, haven't you tried to talk to him?"

Violet looked away. "He doesn't want to talk to me, Scorpius. It's not like we're inseparable like you and Albus."

Scorpius glared at his hands and said, "We aren't. He's popular. He doesn't have time for me."

Violet looked at him in confusion. "He always tries to talk to you."

"No, he doesn't, "

"Yes, he does, " Violet told him, frowning at his confusion. "He comes up to you in the halls and tries to talk to you. Do you not see or hear him?"

"No. . ." Scorpius mumbled, trying to backtrack his mind. When did Albus ever talk to him during school? If he really did, why didn't he say anything later?

You're a horrible brother, a voice hissed in his ear. Horrible, horrible brother. Can't even get out of your own head long enough to say hello to your brother.

Scorpius brushed it aside, saying with as much happiness as he could muster, "C'mon, how about a game of Gobstones?"

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