A/N: This chapter is named after the song 'A Mess Like This' by The Dø. I'm so sorry this chapter took such a long time to write, I hate seeing my characters suffer so I just kept putting it off, but here it is, at long, long last! My poor babies. :(

Chapter 50: A Mess Like This

"You were the worst idea I ever had"

Albus had never considered himself a hero. He had done heroic things, sure, he didn't try to deny that, but next to his father, the Saviour of the Wizarding World, he was just a boy, and he was frightened, and that had never been more clear than in the prison cell the Pureblood Knights were keeping him in.

How could he stand up to the villains when they so clearly had the upper hand? How could he be the hero when, for all that he could tell, he had already lost?

These thoughts turned over and over in Albus' head as he lay on the pallet that passed for a bed in the corner of the cell, little better than the stone floor itself. He could hear Scorpius' slow, gentle breathing in the other cell, and hoped that the boy he loved and wished to protect above all others was finding some escape from it all in sleep. Some small part of him felt a pang of jealousy that the other boy could find rest here, but that wasn't fair of him.

Albus had no clue how long he had been in here, but it can't have been for much longer than twelve hours or so, and already he felt like he was beginning to lose his mind. He turned over, his muscles aching in protest, and closed his eyes decisively. There was little chance of a good night's sleep, however he eventually began to drift off into a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares of dark shadows and enclosed spaces.

When Albus awoke at last, unsure if he had slept for two hours or ten, he became aware of a presence outside the cell. He tried to quell the panic growing quickly inside of him, and opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sight of the familiar robed figure standing by the door. There was just one small difference – this figure was unmasked, and Albus, despite bleary eyes, was certain he recognised him.

"Vincent?" Albus asked, his voice rough and scratchy from sleep. He sat up uncertainly, ignoring the aches that permeated his entire body and focusing on Scorpius, who miraculously slept on. He looked unharmed and hopelessly innocent, his thumb in his mouth. Albus tried not to watch him too fondly, instead focusing on his old dorm mate, who stood leaning against the door, looking completely unbothered by any of this.

"Good to see a familiar face, I bet," Vincent said with a sardonic grin.

Vincent Goyle looked much the way Albus remembered him; cruel eyes in a cruel face, his large stature taking up the space and demanding attention. It was strange to see Vincent without his usual cronies, Richie Spencer and Laurence Marr, with whom he had shared his dorm for several years, but he couldn't help but be relieved just to be in the presence of one of them. He would rather have not seen any of them, but here, in this place, it clearly couldn't be helped.

"If you were the last person in the world, I don't think I'd be glad to see your face," Albus said gruffly.

"You've kept your sense of humour, I see," Vincent said, crossing his arms. He was probably supposed to look imposing, but in the flowing, slightly too-long robes, and his scowling expression, he just looked slightly ridiculous. It was just a small thing, but somehow it made Albus feel just a little better; that perhaps, behind some of those masks, there were notoriously bumbling fools like Vincent.

"It's hard not to, with people like you around," Albus grinned even as Vincent pulled out his wand and pointed it through the horrible bars of the cell, the scowl on his face only accentuating the cruelty in his eyes, but Albus refused to be afraid until Vincent actually did something to hurt him, which he was hoping would never happen.

"Stop!" A voice cried out, and it was Scorpius, his voice cracking from both fear and from being recently awoken. Albus' attention fixed to his boyfriend, to the look of horror on his face, unusually pallid even for Scorpius, and the tufts of blonde hair sticking up around his face like a jagged halo. Albus tried to convey a look that said he was alright, that he had everything under control, but Scorpius didn't seem convinced.

Vincent's attention turned to Scorpius, and his wand dropped back to his side as he turned to face the other boy. Albus winced and edged closer to the bars; he had been hoping to keep Vincent's attention away from Scorpius, but that plan had failed miserably.

"Scorpius Malfoy," He said in a slow drawl, "I'm not surprised to find you in here."

"Leave us alone, Vincent!" Scorpius replied in a half-yell, getting to his feet and facing Vincent Goyle on slightly more even terms, if one ignored the bars between them. Albus couldn't, and he prayed that Scorpius didn't do anything stupid, though he knew that such a thing was far more likely on Vincent's part.

"Don't you want to know what part you play in all of this?" Vincent asked, his tone condescending and considering all at once.

"No, I'd like to get the hell out of here, to be honest," Scorpius spat, his voice like venom. His eyes were cold grey steel, flat and emotionless. They made Albus' heart constrict in his chest.

"I don't think you'll want to go anywhere once you find out why you're here," Vincent smiled knowingly, and Scorpius froze, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"What could you possibly have to share?" Scorpius asked, "What do you possibly think could ever keep me here?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Said a cool, feminine voice from outside the room. A cloaked figure stepped casually into the room and came to a halt next to Vincent, and Albus swore vehemently at the familiar face and long, curling brown hair. It was Astoria, Scorpius' mother, except -

It wasn't. The woman standing in front of him with her hand on resting on Vincent's shoulder was too tall, and her features were off. Her smile was nothing like Scorpius' mother's, her features lacked all of the warmth that Albus had come to recognise as uniquely Astoria.

Scorpius had gone pale, his usually pallid features ghostlike in the dark, dingy cell. Albus met his eyes, and saw confusion there matching his own. How he wished he could hold on to Scorpius, how he wished this could all just be over.

"Who are you?" Scorpius asked in barely more than a whisper.

The woman laughed, throwing her head back, "That is so like dear Astoria, to keep the existence of her own sister hidden."

Albus frowned as things began coming together. This woman – somehow – was Scorpius' aunt. He could see nothing of her in Scorpius, and for that he was glad, especially if she was a part of the Pureblood Knights, which he couldn't help but think she might be.

"You're… you're my aunt Daphne?" Scorpius demanded, his eyes wide and pale in an even paler face, "She mentioned you once or twice, I always assumed you'd moved away, or… Or that you didn't get along."

"We certainly didn't," Daphne's eyes were narrowed, "especially once she learned I was pregnant with Vincent, here. She and Draco never did approve of my relationship with Gregory, not once they had cut all ties with our world. I still don't know what she saw in your father. I don't know that I care enough to find out."

"Wait," Scorpius spluttered, his eyes fixed on Vincent, who was smiling smugly up at his mother, "Vincent Goyle is my cousin? I can't believe I never knew."

"Believe me, it's no loss to me," Vincent said with a shrug, "I'm not sure I'd want to have spent my childhood going to dinners and brunches with a load of good for nothing Mudblood sympathisers."

"Excuse me?" Scorpius spat, his knuckles white as he wrapped his hands around the bars of his cell, "How dare you! My parents are kind, decent people – Dad's a surgeon! He saves lives on a daily basis. What good have you done for the world? Certainly nothing more than spew your hatred about blood purity which, I hate to tell you, is a load of bullshit."

Daphne Greengrass rolled her eyes in a fashion that was frighteningly similar to Scorpius, "You do sound so like my sister. She always did try to get along with… Their sort. Astoria always says she regretted being a Slytherin, though she didn't seem so bothered by it when we were at the Battle of Hogwarts, hiding in the dungeons away from the danger."

"Why are we here?" Albus asked, finding his voice. For the past few moments he had been overwhelmed by Daphne's revelations, but he knew that while she was down here with them, he might as well try and find out more, since Vincent had hardly been forthcoming.

"Ah, Albus Potter speaks at last," She turned on him then, fixing him with intense blue eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. He could feel almost feel the revulsion coming off her in waves, "the son of The Boy Who Lived, and we have him here, in our grip. How must that feel to him, I wonder?"

"He's going to find you, you know." Albus said resolutely, "And when he does, you'll be sorry. All of you will."

Albus had fixed Vincent Goyle with a glare, but the other boy simply chuckled. The mention of his father made him sick with dread, wondering how his family must be feeling right about now. In the aftermath of the chaos at King's Cross, how long had it taken for everyone to realise he and Scorpius were gone? Had it taken them long to come to the conclusion that the Pureblood Knights had taken them?

"I just don't understand why," Albus said in a mumble, hating himself for the way his voice shook. He tried to reach inside himself, for that strong and innate sense of magic, but there was still nothing there, "why any of this? Why the hatred? Why all of these attacks, and… and the murder?"

"You really don't see?" Daphne laughed, brushing aside any mention of murder, making Albus' skin crawl, "you all thought you were so safe, after the Dark Lord had been vanquished. You thought peace had been achieved. Well, those of who believed in his ideals remained, those of us who understand that Wizarding blood has to be kept pure. We couldn't voice our opinions out in the open, of course, but we waited, biding our time, until you grew content, certain that your perceived evil had been defeated. Worst of all, after twenty years you grew sloppy, and that's what allowed us to make our voices heard once more, to gather a substantial following.

"And I was right. All of this time, I was right. We, the Pureblood Knights, have risen from the ashes of the Death Eaters, and the Wizarding World is in complete disarray." She grinned smugly.

"You mean to say..." Scorpius began, fumbling on his words, his eyes focused solely on his aunt. "You mean to say that you did all of this… just because you could? Then… Why me? Why Albus? Why go to all these lengths just to capture us? Do you think my parents are just going to renounce their ways, that after spending twenty years trying desperately to carve a name for themselves away from all of this bullshit, they're just going to come crawling back because their son's in danger? I think they deserve more credit than that."

Daphne shrugged as if it were all the same to her, "I've long since given up hope of my sister ever returning. This isn't about revenge, it's so much more than that. This is about chaos – for the Wizarding World, for all of the filthy Mudbloods that think they have a right to inhabit it."

"Not only are your views particularly antiquated, but you're also batshit crazy. Go figure." Scorpius scowled up at his aunt, who merely smiled that disarming smile of hers.

Vincent took a step forward and raised his wand, "Don't you dare speak to my mother like that! You deserve to be in that cage, just like the rest of them should be."

"Now, now, dear," Daphne said soothingly, "he may be a Muggle sympathiser, but he's still your cousin. Albus Potter, however… I have no such qualms about him. Do as you wish."

"Leave him alone!" Scorpius shouted, his knuckles stark white as he clenched his fists around the bars. Albus willed him to be silent, to make as little fuss as possible, to leave the true extent of their relationship alone. Merlin only knew what they would do then, and Albus had no wish to find out.

"Oh, isn't it touching?" Daphne said derisively. Vincent merely scoffed, but slowly lowered his wand back to his side. Albus tried to fight them using his wandless magic, straining against the wall in his mind, but there was not so much as a breath of wind, a stirring of air. If he could only do something, if he could only be of some use… If he could only break them out. He suddenly felt exhausted, more so than he ever had before. More than anything, right now, he wished that Vincent and his mother would stop their taunting, would give he and Scorpius some peace. Albus knew his boyfriend would still be reeling at the news of his newfound family, and would only be beating himself up, convincing himself that he was no better than them, and would need Albus to get him through it.

But Daphne and Vincent continued their taunting and thinly veiled insults, and Albus felt his anger at the Pureblood Knights renewed. Even under the dullness of the fatigue and hopelessness, he felt the anger burning bright inside him, and he only wished that he could use that anger, harness it, fuel his wandless magic – but it was to no avail.

"How long do you even expect to keep this up?" Scorpius demanded, "Do you just think you're going to be able to keep us here forever? Don't you think that eventually you're going to get bored, or we're going to find a way out of here?"

Scorpius' questions seemed rather reasonable to Albus, but Daphne merely laughed, "Scorpius, dear, have you not worked out where we are yet?"

"No..." Scorpius frowned, "It's not like it matters. We'll get out of here."

"If only you weren't in the last place on this earth that anyone, especially your father, would be likely to visit," She smiled, almost indulgently, and the sight made Albus shudder, "no matter that it has been abandoned for over twenty years now, ever since your traitorous grandmother fled following the Battle of Hogwarts, and your grandfather was sent to Azkaban. Such a shame he died there, really. I'm sure he would have aided our cause greatly."

"Shut up!" Albus shouted, all too aware of the way Scorpius appeared to be folding in on himself. His eyes, which only seconds before had been shining with anger, were now a dull and lifeless grey, and his hands fell to his sides with defeat.

"Malfoy Manor..." Scorpius whispered. Albus had heard vague mentions of the Malfoy family's ancestral home and a little of what had happened here, and the thought that he was in that very same place, in that very same dungeon where Luna Lovegood, his sister's namesake, had been imprisoned, was enough to make him feel the very same sense of defeat that Scorpius seemed to radiate as he finally stepped away from the bars and slid down the wall onto the floor, curling up on himself.

"And isn't it lovely to be home?" Daphne jeered.

"Go away," Scorpius murmured. All of the fight that had been in him only moments prior was lost, and Albus ached to hold him, to comfort him, to whisper in his ear that everything would be okay, that their ordeal would soon be over. It mattered little that he didn't believe it himself.

"Very well," Daphne acquiesced, still smiling that sickly sweet smile, "come, Vincent. Don't try anything, boys – we'll know, and you'll only make things worse for yourselves. And don't worry, someone will be along in a little while to make sure you're fed and watered. Do make yourselves at home, why don't you."

Vincent sneered and left the room without another look back. Albus only wished he could hex his former dormitory mate into oblivion. The time will come, he told himself with a great degree of uncertainty. Daphne soon followed, not even deigning to look in their directions, sweeping from the room with a swish of her long black cloak, and finally, mercifully, they were alone once more.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Scorpius snapped, wiping his nose on his sleeve and clearly not caring, or even noticing, that Albus could see.

With a sigh, Albus turned away, realising that it would be better to give Scorpius a little time to try and take in everything that had just happened. He lay down on his bed, facing the blank stone wall, and tried to think of possible ways he and Scorpius could get out of this, each idea more ridiculous and far-fetched than the last.

They were trapped here. And Scorpius didn't even want to talk to him.

Things had truly never been worse.

Albus was awoken from a fitful sleep several hours later by the sound of somebody whispering his name. Groaning, he sat up and turned towards the source of the noise. Scorpius sat in the other cell, face pressed to the bars, looking truly miserable.

"You're awake!" Scorpius said, smiling a small smile which faded quickly, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About earlier. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you, you did nothing to deserve it."

Albus got to his feet, muscles complaining in protest, and sat back down in front of the bars of his own cell. He shivered slightly despite his cloak, rubbing at his arms and wishing he could perform a quick spell to warm himself up – but if he could do that, he could perform any magic he wanted.

"You don't have to apologise." Albus said, "No – really. After everything that had just happened, everything you'd just found out… I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must all be for you."

Scorpius nodded, "To think, all this time, my aunt has been behind this..."

"We don't know that for sure," Albus tried to reassure him, "I mean, there's no denying she's one of them, but we don't know what part she plays in all of this. She could just be a lackey, or some underling, or..."

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders, "You might be right. But somehow this all kind of feels like their end game… They have you, the son of the Saviour of the Wizarding World, and me, the son of the man they consider to be the greatest traitor in the long and ridiculous history of Purebloods. Why else would they go to such extreme lengths?"

Albus couldn't help but sigh at that, "I wish I knew. I wish I could just tell you that none of this is real, that it's all just a nightmare… That any moment now you'll wake up and laugh at yourself for thinking any of this is real. I wish I could reassure you that some day soon this will all just seem like a nightmare. We'll be back at Hogwarts, and we'll all be alright. We'll be smiling again, laughing again."

But Albus knew that wishing was never going to get him anywhere. All he had left was Scorpius, and the vague hope that they would escape this. Scorpius reached out to him, and Albus felt his heart ache, knowing that they couldn't even touch each other.

"Oh, Albus," Scorpius murmured, letting his hand drop back to his side, "We're going to get through this. It's hell, but think of all the things we've gotten through before, just you and me. Think how strong we've been. We can get through this, together. You know I love you, right?"

Albus couldn't help but smile at hearing those three words, no matter how futile it all felt, "I do know. I love you too, more than anything, and somehow – somehow that makes it all worse, seeing you over there, behind those bars, and I can't even touch you, I can't even hold you. I wouldn't change what we have for the world, but right now it would be so much easier if – if I didn't feel this way. Merlin, I feel horrible for even thinking it."

"No, I – I know what you mean," Scorpius breathed, "but we're going to get out of here, alright? I know it doesn't seem possible but a few months ago the possibility of you ever feeling the way you do about me seemed nonexistent. You're proof, to me, that miracles are possible."

Hesitantly, Albus reached out his hand, and Scorpius did the same. The inches between them felt like miles, and what Albus wouldn't give to be just that much closer. He felt tears welling up in his eyes at Scorpius' words, and was about to respond with his own heartfelt declarations of love and hope and miracles when the door to the little dungeon was flown wide open and a robed, masked figure stepped inside.

Albus jumped back as if burned, not at all surprised to see Scorpius do the same.

"Well, well," An unfamiliar, masculine voice said with a sneer, leaving no doubt in Albus' mind that their relationship had been discovered, "I was told the two of you were friends, but I couldn't possibly have imagined this. A Malfoy and a Potter. A few of us weren't sure about keeping the two of you together anyway – and I'm sure Daphne will be fascinated to hear about this."

The stranger pulled his wand from his robes, sending a jolt of fear through Albus' stomach. This had been what Albus had feared, most of all; that they would be separated. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, with Scorpius there beside him he was certain he could have persevered. Now, however, as the man used a quick series of spells to bind Albus' hands and feet, and deftly unlocked the cell, it was clear that all hope was lost.

"No! Please!" Scorpius begged, shaking at the bars as if sheer force of will alone could tear them down. Albus could hardly bear to look at him, to say goodbye.

Albus struggled uselessly as the Pureblood Knight pulled him roughly from the cell, feeling hot tears already spilling down his cheeks. His last glimpse of Scorpius showed the resignation in the other boy's face, the despair that mirrored his own. He stopped fighting as he was led down a nondescript, dimly lit hallway. He could have used the opportunity to look for some way out, but his eyes were too bleary and full of tears, and before he had the chance to look around he was shoved unceremoniously into a room almost identical to the one he and Scorpius had shared, save that there was only one cell.

On being released, he simply curled up into a ball on the pallet that barely passed for a bed, his whole body shaking as he continued to cry. He lost all sense of time as he lay there, until eventually his weeping began to subside. The stranger must have thought him totally pathetic, and perhaps he was, but mercifully he had left Albus alone to his tears.

Still sniffling, he sat up, assessing his surroundings. On the floor sat a tray with some bland food, which he quickly devoured, careless of what it might have contained, of whether the water he drank might have contained the potion stopping him from accessing his wandless magic. Without Scorpius, he didn't care at all.

What would happen now that he was all alone? The realities of such a thing began to dawn on him. Would they leave him alone, or would they use his relationship with Scorpius to taunt him? Either way, he was exhausted. What little fight he might have had left in him had all but deserted him, and so he lay back down, closing his eyes and trying to think of something, anything, that didn't make his heart feel made of glass, like it was about to shatter.

Pushing away all thoughts of Scorpius, his family, and his friends, he focused solely on revenge, and soon drifted off, thinking of just how much the Pureblood Knights would have to pay when – if – he could fight his way out of there.

Author's note: I promise the next chapter will be out quicker, I really do. No more four month waits or anything! No matter how much I dislike writing about unpleasant things happening to my favourite characters...

Next time: Albus starts to lose it a bit (I mean, can you blame the guy?).