Hello everyone! Alright so this is my first attempt at slash, eek! I have recently fallen madly in love with AS/S and have been unable to work on anything else because this story has been consuming my thoughts. I'm a little worried about the rating on this story, I figure better safe than sorry. It's certainly NOT explicit, lord knows I'd be shit at that, but it's definitely not for children's eyes either.

So warning: male on male (don't like it, don't read!), mild language, and some implied naughtiness!

I do not own Harry Potter, that privilege goes to the lovely J. K. Rowling!

Scorpius wasn't like other boys. He had a bag for his hair care products and twelve different brushes. "How can you possibly need that much stuff?" Were the words Albus had spoken to him on their first morning at Hogwarts. The blonde blushed and scurried from the bathroom. Albus never saw the bag again, he also never saw Scorpius's morning ritual again either.

"Morning," Albus yawned. Scorpius looked around, as if to ensure that he was the one being addressed before nodding a greeting. Unlike the others, he was quiet. The now 5th year boys of Slytherin were notoriously rambunctious; Albus as much to blame as any. But not Scorpius, in fact the boy really didn't fit in. Which was exactly why Albus was not looking forward to the coming weekend.

"Come oooooon, it won't be that bad."

"But Quinn-" She silenced him with a kiss.

"He's my best friend! And I'm sick of having to blow one of you off for the other." Albus rolled his eyes. He was sick of being blown off. "Trust me, if you guys just get to know each other, I know you'll get along."

"He's just so, so… I don't know, weird."

Quinn smacked him lightly on the arm, "He's not weird! He's just different than your Neanderthal friends."

"You aren't helping your case." But he knew he'd do anything she asked. And she knew it too.

"Baby," She cooed and batted her thick lashes. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."

"Oh you will, huh?" She giggled and bit her lip. "Come here you." She squealed and took off down the hall. He smiled at the way her blonde curls flew out behind her making her look like some sort of angel.

"Slowpoke!"

"I was just giving you a head start." He laughed and set off after her.

"Be nice." She whispered. Well more like she hissed.

"I'm always nice." He grumbled.

"Scorpius!" She cried as the boy came within earshot.

"Hey Quinn," He said, hugging her. The pale boy stepped back and looked at Albus.

"Uh hey," Albus said awkwardly.

"Hello." The silence seemed to drag on forever.

"Well I suppose we ought to get going." Quinn said brightly. On a typical day, Albus was quite happy to take a trip to Hogsmeade with his beautiful girlfriend but this was not a typical day, this was a shopping day. And Albus was struggling to not just stomp his ass all the way back to castle.

"What do think Albus?"

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes, turning back to the mirror. "The dress Al. What do you think?"

"It's uh… alright."

"Just alright?"

"I think what he means," Scorpius came to his rescue, "is that it's perfectly acceptable. But you would look much better," He flipped through a rack of clothes before selecting a dark blue dress with a v-neck, "in this one."

"Ooooh I like that!" She said, taking the dress.

Albus let out a long, low whistle as soon as she was gone. "Thanks man."

"Of course." The blonde said with a small smile. "And when she comes out be sure to tell her that the color brings out her eyes."

"Color brings out her eyes." He repeated. "Right." Albus shook his hair before running his hands against it in an attempt to flatten it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Scorpius biting back a smile. "What?"

"Oh!" He blushed, obviously embarrassed to have been caught staring. "I-I just… well that didn't really help did it? Your hair I mean."

It was Albus's turn to blush. "It's just one of the many unfortunate traits I inherited from my dad." Scorpius looked like he wanted to say something but Quinn had returned.

"Alright I love this one!" She squealed and did a turn. "What do you think of this one Al?"

"It's…" He trailed off. Scorpius raised a brow and gave him a quick nod. "I think the color brings out your eyes."

"You do? I was thinking the exact same thing!" She flung her arms around her boyfriend pulling him in for a kiss. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around." Behind her back Albus gave Scorpius a thumbs up. "You like it to Scorpius?" Quinn asked, stepping out of the embrace.

"It's great, Quinn, you look stunning."

She beamed, "And that is why you are my best friend."

"Don't let Lily hear you say that." He chuckled.

"Lily?" Al asked. "You know-"

"Heeeeeeeeey!"

"Speak of the devil." Al groaned as his little sister made her way through the store.

"Hi Lily."

"Hey Quinn, Scorpius."

"Ah hem." Albus cleared his throat. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes Albus?"

"What are you doing here?"

She huffed, "Excuse me, these are my friends!"

"Actually Quinn is my-"

"Quinn is confused."

"Hey!"

"I think it's you who are confused my dear little sister."

"Merlin, please stop calling me that in public. I don't need you going around soiling my reputation!" It was Al's turn to roll his eyes. Lily could be so difficult at times; she took after their mother in that aspect. Al often wished he could trade Lily for Rose, at least she had a brain under all that red hair.

"Lily?" The feisty girl's glare softened as she turned to Scorpius. "I do believe I promised you lunch at the Three Broomsticks."

She grinned, Lily couldn't resist. Free food was her weakness. "That you did."

"Well then, shall we?" He offered her his arm, which she gladly accepted without so much as another glance in her brother's direction. Scorpius, however, did and was rewarded as Al mouthed the word "Thanks." He just smiled and left with Lily.

"I told you you'd like him." Quinn grinned.

He shrugged. "I guess he's not so bad."

Albus groaned as his Potions essay was returned to him. "Another D? Damn Potter you aren't going to make it to O.W.L.'s at this rate."

"Shove it Zabini."

Ian smirked, "I could tutor you, you know." He held up his paper. "O. That's for Outstanding."

"Fucking prick." Al grumbled.

"I'm just trying to be helpful," The dark boy grinned. "What's a mate good for if you can't ask him for help?"

"Like hell I'm going to ask you for anything."

"Fine," He shrugged. "But don't come crying to me when Quinn or Rose find out." Albus cringed inwardly. Ian was right; if either of them found out he was failing Potions he'd be in deep shit. But pure stubbornness prevented him from asking for Ian's help, even if he was top of the class. Well except for Rose, of course. And, now that he thought about it, Scorpius.

Albus found himself sucking up his pride and approaching the other boy in the library that evening. "Er… Hey Scorpius."

Scorpius looked up from his book and smiled. "Hello."

"So, uh… um what are you doing?"

"Reading." He lifted the book for emphasis.

"Oh yea, right." Albus bit the inside of his cheek. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

"Did you need something?"

"Actually…"

Scorpius closed his book and motioned to the seat across from him. "You can sit down if you'd like." Albus nodded and sat down. "So you needed something?" He prompted.

"Right. Well, uh, I'm kind of, sort of… miserablyfailinginpotions." He rushed his words, feeling a deep blush forming on his face.

"I'm sorry?"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I'm failing potions."

"Ah I see."

"I don't know if you have time, or if you even want to, but I could really use some help."

Scorpius studied him for a second. "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you just ask your cousin?"

"I can't! She can't know I'm failing, she'll tell my parents."

The blonde nodded, "That makes sense. Well I suppose I could tutor you."

"Really? You have no idea how much this means to me. Honestly, Scorpius I'll figure out some way to repay you."

A blush crept up on his pale face, "Oh you don't have to do that."

"Yes, yes I do."

"No really, I'm glad to do it. I know I've caused a bit of friction between you and Quinn, this will be my way of apologizing."

Al shook his messy hair, "You really don't need to apologize but speaking of Quinn… Do you think we could keep this just between us? I know she's your best friend and all but-"

"Don't worry about it. It'll be our little secret."

Scorpius, as it turned out, was a great teacher. He was patient, repeating himself often as Albus struggled through the material. "So you can't add the Gurdyroot until you've stirred the Alihotsy leaves clockwise three, no four! No, wait…" He trailed off, trying to remember exactly what Scorpius had told him. Albus knew that the potion was supposed to turn a lovely shade of puce at this point. He also knew that his potion had in fact turned yellow, not puce, after he'd stirred it four times clockwise.

Amongst the ruckus of Ian's hysterical laughter and the professor's scolding, Scorpius had whispered, "If you're unsure, stir less. You can always stir more but once you've stirred too much the damage is done. Now go get some…" And under his watchful eye, Albus had been able to fix his potion and turn in something that somewhat resembled everyone else's.

"You stir it three times." He said confidently.

"Yes!" Scorpius's face lit up. "That's great Albus, you're really starting to grasp this stuff." And grasp it, he did. His next exam was solid proof.

"Fuck yes!"

"Mr. Potter!"

"Er, sorry!" He called, still smiling. "Hey Ian can you make out my score? I can't seem to."

Ian rolled his eyes, "They're called glasses Albus. I know you've been called 'Harry' one too many times but come on."

"Just tell me the score?"

"It's an-"

"O! It's an O Ian! That stands for outstanding."

"Congratulations!" He said in mock excitement. "You're first O!"

Albus gave him a friendly shove. "Shut it. I want to bask in this feeling forever." A glimpse of blonde hair caught his eye as the left the room. "Catch you later mate." Ian nodded and continued on his way. "Scorpius, wait up!" Scorpius stopped, signaling for the boy he was with to go on without him.

"How did you do?"

"Take a look for yourself!" Albus grinned proudly, handing him the paper.

"Outstanding? Albus this is fantastic! I'm so proud of you."

"I never could have done it without you."

"Of course you could have." He said matter-of-factly. "You have all the knowledge inside you, you just needed a bit of guidance."

"That's nice but no. Honestly Scorpius, you're brilliant! You should have been a Ravenclaw." Out of the corner of his eye Albus saw the other boy tense up. His face, smiling only moments before, was now stoic.

"Well I'm not." Was his cold reply.

"No, I-I didn't… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It was supposed to be a compliment."

Scorpius softened and his shoulder's slumped ever so slightly. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that you aren't the first to say that. I guess I'm sick of everyone questioning why I'm in Slytherin."

Albus snorted, "If anyone understands that, it's me. You should try being the only Potter in recent history to not be in Gryffindor." At this Scorpius smiled.

"True. I guess I can blame it on my inner Malfoy. You don't really have an excuse."

"I think Gryffindor was just too full of Potter and Weasley children, one of us was bound to break the mold."

"At least you have siblings. You can't imagine what it's like at the Manor with just the three of us."

"Oh, all alone at the Manor, sounds dreadful." Albus joked, "I imagine the house elves who wait on you, hand and foot, are terribly slow as well. How irritating!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "I get the point. But it's really not as glamorous as you think. I'd rather have a big family like you do."

"You think that now, but you have no idea what holiday's are like. The whole family shoved under one roof? It's mass chaos." Albus shook his head. "That's bad enough on its own but having to share a room with James is just the cherry on top of the shit sundae."

Scorpius chuckled, "That sounds much more fun than the traditional Malfoy holiday which includes an uncomfortably quiet meal where my father and grandfather get drunk and start berating me about carrying on the family name and ends with my grandmother crying and telling the story of how she saved Harry Potter's life."

Albus groaned, "Man even you can't escape my dad."

"I guess it could be worse." Albus raised an eyebrow. "We could be our fathers."

"God forbid!"

A loud shriek startled Albus from his deep sleep. "Wh-a-a-aat?" He stifled a yawn.

"What the fuck is that?" Ian shrieked, pointing to something under Albus's bed.

"Dunno. What is it?" Albus wiped the sleep from his eyes as the others started to stir.

"Ugh Potter!" Elliot Knott said, leaning over the edge of his bed to peer at the offending object. "That's sick."

"What is it?" Albus demanded.

"Take a look for yourself." Ian said. "I'm starting to get queasy."

Scorpius mimicked Elliot's position and cocked his head to the left. "Ew."

"Scorpious please! What is it?"

"I…" He trailed off. "I'm not sure."

Elliot leaned a little further over his bed to get a better look. "It's a dead rat?" Albus retched and scooted to the top of his bed, desperate to get away from it.

"No," Ian furrowed his brows, "I think it's… moldy?"

"Maybe," Scorpious agreed.

"Do you think it's alive?"

"If it was, it isn't any more."

"Is that blood?"

"Nah, it doesn't look thick enough. I think it's saliva."

"Saliva? Nasty."

"Maybe it's just wet."

"Albus give it a sniff."

"What? No!" He cried. "You give it a sniff Ian!"

"It's not under my bed."

"Well is anyone going to help me?"

"I think you're on your own here." Elliot said, getting off his bed and heading for the bathroom.

"I'm with Elliot on this one." Ian said, sticking close to his own bed and skirting around Albus's. "Good luck, mate."

"Not you too!" Albus groaned as Scorpius began to stir.

"Don't worry Al, I'm not going anywhere." Albus smiled with relief and maybe because Scorpius had called him Al. "You think I should vanish it?"

"Uh what?" Albus turned to see Scorpius holding his wand. "Oh yea. Can you do that?" That was a spell Albus had yet to master, except for this one time but he was certain that was a fluke.

"Of course." Scorpius scooted the very edge of his bed and pointed to the offending object. "Evanesco!"

"Is it gone?" Albus asked, still afraid to look.

"I think so. I don't see it any more."

The dark haired boy let out a sigh of relief. "What was that?"

"Honestly? I don't think you want to know."

He shuddered. "Well thank you."

"Most certainly."

"So… Al?" He asked with the smallest smirk.

Scorpius blushed, "Yes. Al."

"So does that mean I can call you Scorp?"

He wrinkled his nose, "Can I stop you?"

"Probably not."

Albus was an amazing seeker. Hello his mother had played for the Holyhead Harpies and both his father and grandfather had been seeker for their house teams. Quidditch was simply in his blood. Unfortunately it was in James and Lily's as well. And even more unfortunately, both were out for blood after the last game, during which Albus had led the Slytherin's to a glorious win over Gryffindor. "You might as well give up now big brother." Lily sneered.

He snorted, "I could fall off my broom and we'd still win at this point." Which wasn't far from the truth. Lorna Knott, Elliot's older sister, had sent a bludger straight for the Gryffindor keeper early on in the game. It had hit him in the head, knocking him out and effectively taking him out of the game. The score was an embarrassing 140-20, in Slytherin's favor.

Lily glared. "That's only because you Slytherins are dirty cheaters."

"All's far in love and Quidditch, Lils."

"I bet you won't be saying that when win the Cup this year."

"HA! I seem to recall-" WHAM! In all his taunting Albus had missed the bludger coming straight for his face. The last thing he saw was James smiling victoriously, bat held high in the air. Git, he thought as everything went dark.

"Oh god, he's going to be so mad."

"It's not that bad,"

"Shut it James. You'll be lucky if I don't owl your mother about this."

"Yea James, I'm with Rose on this one."
"What? Lily you wanted to win as much as I did."

"I can't believe you hit him in the face."

"It's not like I was aiming-"

"Bullshit!"

"His teeth…" What's wrong with my teeth? Albus thought. He was vaguely aware that he was lying down. Probably in the hospital wing, if the throbbing in his face was any indication.

"Uh, I think he's waking up." Scorpius? Amongst the voices of his various family members, Scorpius's stood out as a beacon of sanity. Albus opened his eyes just a little. Scorpius was standing at the side of his bed; he smiled when he saw Albus's looking at him. Albus tried to smile back but his lips and mouth felt dry and cracked.

"Here baby," Quinn was holding a glass of water out to him. Albus sat up and took a sip. He looked around the room; he was definitely in the hospital wing. And much to Madame Pomfrey's annoyance, if her face was a sign, the entire Weasley-Potter clan, plus a few, was there as well. At the foot of his bed, James was snickering, still dressed in his Quidditch uniform. Lily, also still dressed, punched him in the gut. Next to her stood Hugo and Ian, the latter of whom was staring at Albus with a much too gleeful look on his face. Louis and Rose were sitting on either side of the bed; Quinn was still perched on the edge of it.

"How do you feel?" Scorpius asked.

"Aight." He garbled. His face was throbbing, his tongue swollen.

"So your face…" Hugo trailed off, looking guilty under James's glare.

"Wuds wong wid meh faaae?" Albus raised a hand to feel his face, bloated and painful.

"It's not that bad!" James insisted. Rose and Quinn sent him twin death looks.

"Your face can be fixed." Scorpius said confidently.

"See!"

"Well of course Madame Pomfrey will fix your face." Rose said with a wave of her hand. "That doesn't make what James did okay."

"Look I'm sorry! Honest Al, I didn't know it would hit you in the face." Albus couldn't bring himself to be seriously angry with James. It was Quidditch; Albus would've done the same thing if he had been in his position.

"Oo waah?"

"Er…?" James looked to Lily, who shrugged.

"Oo waah?" Albus repeated.

"What is he saying?" Ian asked, nobody answered.

"Oooo," Albus said again slowly. "Waaaah?"

"Oo wah." Louis repeated. "Oo wah?"

"Who won!" Rose said. Albus nodded emphatically. "He wants to know who won."

"Who do you think?" Lily asked smirking. Albus groaned.

"Forget it Al, we are still way ahead." Scorpius said.

"Yea," Ian nodded. "We'll still kick Gryffindor's ass in the championship." The whole room sans Louis and Rose, who were Ravenclaws, glared. "Right, wrong crowd."

"Anyways," Lily said pointedly. "I found this on the pitch." She held up a small rock. "I'm pretty sure it's yours." Albus took it and studied it. It wasn't a rock, as he had first thought, but a tooth.

"No!" He cried, feeling his mouth. There was a gap in the front of top row of teeth.

Lily giggled. "You look like a jack-o-lantern." Ian snorted.

"Ees noh funny!"

"It is a little bit," Scorpius admitted.

"Out, out, out!" Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the room, shooing everyone. "You'll have to come back later. I need to tend to my patient." Slowly the students started to file out.

"See ya Al!"

"No hard feelings eh?"

"Out!" Pomfrey called again.

Quinn leaned down and kissed Albus's forehead, "I'll be back later."

"Don't worry," Scorpius said. "Pomfrey will set you right. You'll look just as good as you did before." Albus smiled or at least he tried to, who knows what it really looked like. Scorpius gave him one last wave before he left with Quinn.

"I promise you can't tell. Not that I'm sure I'd know what a broken jaw would like if I saw one." Scorpius said, scooting his chair closer to the bed.

"Yea well it sure hurts like hell." Albus stretched his jaw; inwardly cringing at the way it now cracked when he did that. "Stupid James."

"I brought you some notes," Scorpius held up a stack of parchment.

"Some?" He asked dubiously. "You and Rose are one in the same. Thanks though." Scorpius nodded and set the notes down on the bedside table.

"So when can you leave?"

"Probably today. My tooth has pretty much grown back at this point. Though I have to admit, the milkshake for lunch was pretty good." Albus grinned, his Uncle Ron would be proud. "Is this your free period?"

Scorpius nodded, "Figured you'd probably be in need of some company."

"Desperately. This place is boring as hell and Floyd over there won't quit moaning." Albus motioned to a boy laid up in a nearby bed. His head was completely covered in white gauze. He looked like a mummy.

"Muuuuuuuuhhhhgggg," Came the drawn out moan.

"Oh now that is bad."

"I told you!" Albus groaned. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark haired girl enter the room. She quietly sat down next to the moaning boy.

"Floyd you said?" Scorpius asked.

He nodded, "Derrick or something."

"Darren."

"Yea that's it. You know him?"

"Hm? Oh no I-I," His grey eyes flickered from the door to Floyd and finally rested on the dark haired girl, who's eyes narrowed to slits when she saw him looking. Scorpius sighed, "I used to."

"Used to?" Scorpius didn't answer instead opting to bite his lip. "Nevermind, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No," He sighed again. "I guess you'd find out sooner or later." His face was impassive, a look, Albus decided, that did not suit him, as he picked a bit of lint off his shirt. "I had a thing with him."

"A thing." Albus repeated. "Like what? A fight or something?"

"No." He looked like he was resisting the urge to cry, "Like a fling kind of thing."

"Fling," Albus said slowly. "I don't…oh. Oh!"

"Yea," Scorpius hung his head. "I understand if you don't want to be seen with me any more."

"What? No way! So you're gay," The pale boy cringed ever so slightly, "It's cool. Whatever man, less competition for me." He said with a wink.

"Wait. You are…okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" At this point Scorpius was practically beaming. "I mean, I have to admit, I always kind of suspected." Albus thought back to that first day in the bathroom when he'd seen the hair care products. "Yea I definitely wondered. Does Quinn know?"

Scorpius snorted, "I think half the school knows. But to answer your question, yes, I told Quinn."

"Half the school knows?" That actually kind of bothered Albus. "How come I never knew?"

"It's not like I told them. You know how people are," He shrugged. "They gossip."

A flash of anger flared up in the green-eyed boy. "Doesn't that make you angry?"

"Sometimes," Scorpius admitted. "More so it makes me sad. People can be cruel. I mean at least it's mostly just talk."

"What do you mean mostly?"

"Well it can get, you know," He shifted uneasily in his seat, "physical."

"They hit you?" Albus asked, outraged.

"No! Just shove me into walls or trip me." It wasn't fair. Scorpius was nice and smart and deserved more than that. Albus could feel himself gritting his teeth, although it was exceedingly painful.

"Next time someone messes with you, tell me."

"It's really not a big deal Al."

"It is. And I'm not going to just stand by and let it happen."

Scorpius was quiet, with his head bowed. Albus was afraid he'd some how offended him. But then the blonde looked up with a sad smile.

"Thanks." He said softly.

"That's what friends are for." Al replied with a shrug. He hoped he gave off an air of casual confidence even though deep down he really wanted to jump up and pull the more fragile boy into a bone-crushing hug. Damn grandma Weasley and her attempts to cure everything with affection.

Later that night, Al returned to the dormitory to find the other boys asleep, except for one. Having thought about it all day, Al headed straight for him. "Al! What's-" Scorpius stiffened at the hug but Al was persistent. He hugged him tight, noting how much more it felt like hugging Quinn than it did Ian. He brushed it off, telling himself it was because Scorpius was so thin. After what seemed like hours but was really more like seconds, Albus felt him relax and finally hug him back.

"He's just so damn smart. He seriously kicks my ass every time we play wizards chess." Albus stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned against the tree. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly maybe, but the sun was shining nonetheless. Quinn smiled and laid her head in his lap.

"Sounds like you guys are getting pretty close."

"Yea, well you know how it is." Al ran his hands absentmindedly through her hair, enjoying the soft feel of it. Her hair looked like gold unlike Scorpius's, which was more like platinum or rays of sunshine. Albus snickered to himself; Scorpius would scoff at the comparison. "He's pretty cool."

"I'm glad you guys get along," She said, still smiling. "I never see you any more. Or Scorpius for that matter." She wasn't angry, just pointing it out. Albus loved that about Quinn, she didn't make things a big deal like most girls did.

"We've been busy lately." Even as he said it, Albus wasn't entirely sure if it was true. They'd certainly been doing a lot together. They were still working on potions, which took an ungodly amount of time, and they studied a lot. For the first time ever Albus was ahead in schoolwork. Scorpius was to thank, or rather to blame, for that one. But in addition to school related things the two boys just generally hung out. They had taken to walks around the grounds or sitting by the lake. Albus preferred when it was just the two of them; it was easier to hear the soft-spoken boy.

"It's fine with me." Quinn said, flicking a fallen leaf off her chest with her wand. "It's good for him. Scorpius needs more friends, particularly male ones. I think it gets lonely for him sometimes, hanging out with only girls."

Albus thought he might kill himself if all his friends were female. He shook his head in disbelief, "I don't know how he does it."

"It's not as bad for him as it would be for you."

"Why's that?"

"Well there's stuff that only us girls understand."

"Like what?" Albus asked thickly.

"Like clothes, gossip, boys… You know, girl stuff." Boys. Oh yea.

Albus was irritated. He couldn't shake the feeling; it was deep in his gut. It'd been there since his talk with Quinn and now, sitting on his bed with Scorpius, he could no longer contain it. "Why don't you talk to me about boys?" Albus blurted out.

Scorpius stopped mid-sentence. His mouth hanging open, stunned in a most undignified manner.

"Why don't you?" Albus demanded.

"I… are you serious?"

"Yes! We're friends, are we not?"

"Al, you know we are."

"Well friends talk about stuff. Stuff like clothes and gossip and boys!" He finished angrily.

Scorpius stared at him for a moment. "I'm sorry, are you listening to yourself? Do you really want to talk about clothes, gossip, or boys?"

"Yes!" Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Well okay maybe not. But that's not the point! You should be able to talk to me about anything."

"Albus," He started patiently. "Do you talk to Quinn about Quidditch?"

"Not really. She gets this glazed look on her face when I try to."

"Does that mean you like her any less? Or that she likes you less?"

"No," He said slowly, "I suppose it doesn't."

"Well that's the same thing here. If I started talking about my new cashmere scarf you'd get that exact same look on your face."

Albus felt his irritation starting to wane; Scorpius had a point. "But what about boys?"

The blonde chuckled, "What about them?"

"I want to know. Like if you meet someone, or have a boyfriend or something. I want to know."

"That's fair enough. I'll be sure to tell you if that day ever arrives."

"And," Albus started hesitantly, "If you like someone, you can tell me. We can talk about these things."

"Well I do like someone, but he's currently unavailable."

"Oh really?" Albus tried sounding casual but he was utterly ecstatic to be having the conversation. "Does he have a boyfriend?"

"Worse," Scorpius said, sprawling out on Al's bed. "A girlfriend."

Albus was dragging himself back to the dungeons after a grueling Quidditch practice. Every part of his body ached and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

"What are you looking at?" The voice was angry, it echoed loudly in the empty corridor. Albus felt his heart stop at the reply.

"N-nothing!" Scorpius choked out.

"I could have sworn you were looking at me, fag." The boy ripped Scorpius's bag from him and turned it upside down. His books fell out shortly followed by an inkbottle that broke, soaking the pages.

"Hey!" Albus yelled angrily, running to his friend's aid. "Leave him alone."

"Move along Potter."

"I don't think so Morgan." Albus stood his ground. Alec Morgan was a 7th year and almost twice his size but his inner Potter refused to back down.

Morgan sneered, "I see how it is." He gave Albus a hard shove with his shoulder. The smaller boy stumbled but Scorpius braced him preventing a fall. "I'd watch my back if I were you Potter," He called as a parting shot.

Albus took a deep breath, his body shaking with anger and the smallest twinge of fear. Behind him Scorpius choked back a sob. "Oh no, Scorp, please don't cry."

"I'm s-sorry," He said quietly as tears began to spill over.

"Come here," Albus pulled the feeble boy into his arms. Scorpius smelled soft and expensive, like fine cologne. "Forget him. Morgan is an asshole." Scorpius mumbled something into Al's shirt. "Sorry?"

The blonde pulled his head up, resting it on Albus's shoulder. "He ruined my homework." Scorpius's warm breath ghosted across his neck. Albus suppressed a shudder, mildly horrified by the reaction.

"Only you would cry over ruined homework." He chuckled, still trying to regain his composure. Scorpius, fortunately, hadn't noticed, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"I worked hard on that,"

"I know you did," Albus was only half listening, lost in the feel of Scorpius's warm body clinging to his own.

"Al?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

"Of course."

Scorpius was talking to a boy Albus had never met before. He was a tall Ravenclaw with dark hair and a tight fitting shirt. Albus glared, he looked like a douche. Scorpius was smiling and… batting his eyelashes? The Ravenclaw grinned and said something that had the blonde throwing his head back in laughter. He was flirting! Albus watched as Scorpius gently touched the boy's arm before growling and heading for them. "Scorp!"

"Oh hi Albus! This is-"

"Jeremy." The Ravenclaw extended a hand. Albus glared at it until it was withdrawn. "Right, well I'll see you later Scorpius. Nice to um… yea. See ya."

"Who the hell was that?"

"Albus! What is your problem?"
"Who was that?" He asked again.

"That's Jeremy, he's in my divination class." Scorpius said in irritation. "So, again, what is your problem?"

"You like him?"

"Well yes I… oh!" Scorpius's face suddenly split into a smile. "Albus, he's just a friend." Albus let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Right. Well sorry, I didn't…"

"It's alright." The blonde was still smiling. "I kind of like you jealous." Jealous?

For the rest of the day, Albus couldn't concentrate. Next to him Scorpius sat, diligently taking notes. Every once and a while his arm would brush Albus's, which would send a shock of tingles through the latter boy. Something that the dark haired boy was trying desperately to ignore.

"Albus are you alright? You look pale."

"I'm fine," Albus said, running a hand through his messy hair. His eyes rolled back in his head when Scorpius put a hand on his forehead. His hand was cool and smooth against Albus's, now, sweaty skin.

"I think you're running a fever. Come here," Before he could react Scorpius had placed his cheek flush against his.

"W-what are you doing?" Albus choked out. His head was spinning, his heart thudding in his chest. The soft, expensive smell once again filled his nostrils.

"I'm checking your temperature."

"With your face?" Albus squeaked out, barely able to breathe.

Scorpius pulled back and studied his friend.

"Albus I really think you should go to the hospital wing."

"I-I think I will," He said, practically running from the room. What the hell was that? He made his way back to the dormitory in a blind haze, only realizing he was there as he crashed on his bed. Something strange was going on. His thoughts strayed back to Scorpius. The way he smiled when Albus said something stupid, his inexplicably comforting scent, the feel of his soft fingers… Albus felt himself growing hard. He had a problem. That problem was Scorpius Malfoy. Which was unfortunate seeing as how, in any other situation, Scorpius was exactly who Albus would go to for advice. Due to the sensitive nature of the problem Albus could only think of one person to go to.

"Uh James?" James looked up, shading his eyes from the sun.

"What's up little brother?"

"I…" He trailed off. Albus was suddenly unsure if this was such a good idea, but he was here and he desperately needed to talk. "I need to talk to you."

James patted the grass next to him, "Take a seat." Albus sighed in relief, taking said seat. He had been worried that James would give him a hard time, as he usually did, but it must have shown on his face how serious it was. "So what's going on?"

Albus twisted his hands together nervously, "I-I… I have this friend right?"

"A friend." James nodded knowingly.

"Yes, a friend. And uh, he has this other friend."
"Your friend has a friend?"

"Right."

"Proceed."

Albus took a deep breath. "So my friend has been having these… feelings for his friend." James's eyes widened noticeably but he kept quiet. "And he's wondering if that's normal."

"Well what kind of feeling are you talking about?"

Albus blushed, looking down at his hands. "Like you know, feelings."

"Al," James hesitated for a second. "Does this have anything to do with Malfoy?"

"What? No!" James simply stared at him. Albus felt his resolve weakening. "Maybe." He said feebly.

"So what, you uh like Malfoy?"

"I don't know," Albus groaned, "He's my best friend, he's the best friend I've ever had. I've never been so close to someone before."

"What about Ian?"

"What about him?" Albus scoffed. "Ian's my friend but Scorpius, he's different. The other day he was talking to this guy and I got jealous. Jealous of this douche bag in his stupid fitted shirt talking to my Scorpius! And the other day I… I thought about him while… you know."

James made a face, "I hate to break it to you Al, but having a wank to your best friend is not exactly normal." Albus wanted to cry. "Look, maybe you should talk to him."

"No way! I can't tell him, it's too embarrassing."

"What about Quinn?"

Albus felt his stomach drop, "I hadn't thought about her."

"Hm. I don't know what to tell you Al but, uh, I'm cool with it. You being gay and all."

"I'm… not gay. It's just him."

"Well I'm cool with that too." James pulled his brother into a one-armed hug. "But you have to tell them. Scorpius and Quinn, I mean."

"You don't have to say it Al." Quinn smiled sadly. "I'm not dumb, I've seen this coming for weeks now."

"Quinn…" Albus felt horrible. He really did like Quinn but things were different now. "I'm so sorry."

"I just… what happened? To us, I mean."

"You are amazing. You're beautiful and smart and funny. I know this sounds like a line but, in all honesty, it's me." Albus grabbed his now ex-girlfriend's hand and took a deep breath. "I…"

"It's someone else isn't it?" He hated the pain in her eyes but knew he had to be honest.

"I don't even know how he feels but I just can't be with you when I'm thinking of someone else."

She was quiet and staring at the ground. "He?"

Albus swallowed hard, "Scorpius."

Quinn stood up and for a moment he thought she was going to leave but instead she stretched her arms up over her head and heaved a sigh. "I've never been so torn in my entire life." She was smiling though.

"You aren't mad at me?"

"Nah," She said. "I mean, I'm not thrilled and I won't lie, as soon as I leave here I'll probably cry for a good two hours," Albus cringed, "But if you like guys, then there isn't anything I can do about it." Albus wanted to correct her, he like Scorpius, not guys but thought given the circumstances he should keep his mouth shut. "Scorpius is my best friend and I can't think of someone better for him than you. So I wish you guys the best of luck."

Albus could hardly believe it was happening, "Are you serious?"

"Sincerely." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "So have you told him yet?"

"Er…"

Telling Scorpius was actually more difficult than Albus thought it would be. "So you broke up with her? Why? Oh my god, is she heart broken? My poor Quinn!"

"She's fine. We're still friends, don't worry."

"I have to go see her,"

"No!" Albus grabbed his arm, preventing the other boy from leaving the room. "I-I need to talk to you. Please," He pleaded.

Scorpius nodded and took a seat at the foot of the bed, fixing his eyes on Albus.

"Yes?" He asked expectantly.

"I…" Albus was shaking, he could see it in his hands and hoped Scorpius hadn't noticed. He took a deep breath and continued. "I had to break up with Quinn."

"Al, you don't have to explain yourself to me!"

"Yes, I do. Please just let me talk." Scorpius pursed his lips in annoyance but nodded for him to proceed. "I had to break up with her because I have feelings for someone else." The blonde stiffened, his face falling into the Malfoy mask.

"Oh?" He asked conversationally. "Does she have a name?"

"It's…It's not a she." Albus felt his face heating up, a blush spreading across his entire being.

Scorpius was quiet for a moment before "Oh." Albus deflated a little. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but that certainly wasn't it. "So is that all then?" Scorpius said, standing to leave.

"W-what?"

"Are we done?" Scorpius was already leaving the room and the fear that he'd miss his chance suddenly hit Albus. Without thinking, he pounced. Albus's lips met stunned ones but he didn't back down. This might be the only chance he had and damned if he wasn't going to make the best of it! Scorpius gasped as Albus pushed him against the wall. The dark haired boy took it as an invitation and began exploring his mouth. Albus moaned when Scorpius gave a little whimper and pulled him closer. The kiss was hot and intense, like nothing either of them had ever experienced. When Albus pulled back, he was panting.

"So uh, I kind of… like you."

Scorpius snorted, "Really? I couldn't tell."

"I broke up with Quinn for you." Albus ran a hand over his head, trying desperately to flatten his hair. Scorpius grabbed the hand.

"Stop that. You do that when you're nervous and right now, you don't need to be nervous." He leaned forward and gave Albus a quick kiss. "I want to be with you."

1 MONTH LATER

"So you aren't dating Quinn any more?"

Albus groaned, "No dad!"

"But she's still coming for Christmas?"

"Yes!"

"She's staying in my room." Lily supplied. "We're closer than ever since Albus stole her best friend."

"Which is the Malfoy boy?"

"Scorpius, dad! Please be nice to him, he's sensitive."

"Sensitive… right." The fireplace flared and out stepped a pale boy with grey eyes and fine, blonde hair. Harry Potter, suppressed a shudder, it was like a small Draco Malfoy come to haunt him. He watched his son throw himself at the other boy, clinging to him in a more than platonic manner. Lily snickered. Harry cleared his throat and the two boys pulled apart.

"Mr. Potter! I'm Scorpius Malfoy," He smiled and shook the older man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Er yea, nice to meet you too."

"My father apologizes for not being able to bring me himself and sends his regards." Harry snorted, finding it hard to believe the elder Malfoy had said either of those things. Scorpius frowned causing Albus to glare at his father.

"I mean, of course. Apology accepted."

"Oh Scorpius, hello!" Ginny Potter came into the room and pulled the small boy into a hug, "I've heard so much about you! Are you hungry dear?"

"No thank you Mrs. Potter." He pulled a beautiful bouquet out the bag he was holding and handed them to her. "These are for you. My mother hand selected them from her garden."

"They are lovely, thank you. Harry honey can you help me in the kitchen?" Harry followed his wife, still eyeing his youngest son's friend. "He seems sweet doesn't he?" She asked as she placed the bouquet in a vase.

"Not at all like his father," Harry agreed. James came into the kitchen and spotted the flowers.

"Is Quinn here?"

"No Scorpius just arrived."

James smirked, "Brought flowers eh? Already trying to impress the future mother-in-law." Harry choked on the water he was drinking, sending it spraying all over the kitchen.

"Harry!"

"What did you say James?"

"Oh come off it dad! Like you couldn't tell he was a ponce."

"James!"

"Sorry mum,"

"I don't want you talking like that again." She scolded. "Scorpius seems like a very nice young man and if that is who Albus chooses to be with, he could do a lot worse."

"What?"

"Well really Harry dear. It's certainly obvious isn't it?" Harry did not think it was in fact obvious. On the contrary, he was dumbfounded and refused to believe it. He marched into the living room… and marched right back out, spluttering.

"Dad!" Albus followed him into the kitchen, blushing deeply. "I-I didn't know-"

"Albus, Scorpius can have your room while he's here and you'll be sharing with James."

"Yes dad." He was still blushing as he left the kitchen.

James smirked, "Believe us now?"

Harry shook his head and left the room muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "On our family couch nonetheless!"

Well there you have it! Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated :D