"Albus Severus Potter, would you do me the h-honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?"
"Wow. That really was actually proper." Albus laughed.
"Albus..." Scorpius warned.
Albus stepped forward and gently took each of Scorpius's hands in his, marveling at how right they looked and felt.
Then he slowly looked up into Scorpius's wide grey eyes. "Yes. Yes, I'll go to the ball with you, you great big dork."
A huge grin spread across Scorpius's face and Albus was engulfed in a warm hug. "But I'm y-your great big dork." Scorpius murmured into Albus's thick, dark hair.
Albus turned his head upward and pressed his lips firmly to Scorpius's cheek. "Yes, you're mine."
-'Mine' by autumn-of-ilvermorny
*~o~*
The Yule Ball was just one week away now, and both boys were fretting about what to wear. The school supply list for the year had of course mentioned bringing dress robes, but even if Albus had known there would be a ball, he probably wouldn't have pictured himself attending. Or if he had, he could not possibly have imagined himself caring quite this much. Each boy had basic black formal robes in their wardrobes, and yet he and Scorpius both felt this occasion called for something more.
Almost immediately after Albus had accepted his invitation, Scorpius wrote to his father asking if he could send a few dress robes from home. His nervousness must have shown in his writing, for the owl returned with Draco's reply at breakfast, with a short note in which he insisted on sending his personal tailor, and coming along in person to deliver some precious Malfoy family heirlooms the very next day.
Albus on the other hand, sought out the advice of his cousin Rose. The two of them had worked at mending the broken bridge of their childhood friendship and had bonded a bit over the holidays, to the point that Rose no longer pretended that she didn't have a cousin in Slytherin.
After Albus assured Scorpius all would be well, he handed him back the letter from his father, gave his hand a quick squeeze, and said he would meet him back in the dormitory. Then Albus took a deep breath and strode across the Great Hall with determination, which quickly turned to apprehension as he approached the Gryffindor table and cleared his throat. The eyes of half a dozen fierce lionesses fixed upon him to size him up.
"Rose, your serpentine cousin seems to wish to speak to you," Polly Chapman announced gleefully. "Looking for a date for the ball Potter? Your cousin is already spoken for. I hope you weren't counting on her."
Albus ignored her as Rose turned around.
"Play nice, Polly," she chided. "Albus! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you over to the lions' den?"
All the scrutinizing stares were too much for him to bear.
"I wondered if I might have a word, in private?" Albus asked.
The gaggle of Gryffindor girls giggled.
"Of course, anything for my favorite snake," Rose replied, clearly putting on a bit of a show for her housemates as she rose from the table. "I'll see you ladies back in the common room. Don't head off to Hogsmeade without me!"
"Wouldn't dream of it!" Came the chorus of cheers, as she linked arms with Albus and steered him out of the Great Hall.
*~o~*
"So what's all this about?" Rose inquired, a mixture of curiosity and concern in her voice. "Is everything alright with you and Scorpius?"
"Yeah... yes, better than alright actually, but that's why I need your help, Rose." Albus said.
"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow.
"I don't have anything to wear to the Yule Ball. At least, not anything decent. Scorpius's dad is sending up a tailor to dress him and I... I want to look... worthy of him." Albus mumbled the last part and looked down sheepishly.
"So you two idiots finally got your act together then? 'Bout time." She gave him a superior look.
"Will you help me then?"
Rose mused to herself. "Hmm. I'll take you on as a charity case, on one condition."
Albus groaned. "What's that then?"
"I get to pick out what color you wear." She smirked.
"What? No. No, no, no, no, no!" Albus objected, horrified.
"Alright, good luck on your own then." She made to turn and walk away.
"Rose!" Albus pleaded. "It's just... I'm comfortable in green and black."
"Exactly! It's time to step out of your comfort zone." Rose said. "Besides, you don't want to look like you're in your regular old school robes."
"Fine! But you're not putting me in Gryffindor colors." Albus insisted.
"Ha!" She looked him up and down. "No, we wouldn't want that."
"Cool colors only okay?"
"We'll see." She smiled sweetly.
"So should I meet you in Hogsmeade later?" He asked.
"Albus, have you ever even been to Hogsmeade?" Rose said, exasperated.
"Well yeah, once or twice."
"Then I don't suppose you noticed there is a disturbing lack of a robes shop in the oh-so-charming village that lies beyond the gates of our school?" She asked with a withering look.
"Umm... no?" Albus admitted.
"Sure there's the odd seamstress working out of their cottage, but they're much too slow and old fashioned."
"Right, so how are we managing this?"
"Albus. You insult me." Rose said, dramatically raising her hand to her chest. "I'm only top of the class, and quite frankly, a Transfiguration prodigy: my charm work is superb."
"Sorry, okay. So you'll just bippity boppity boo me a gown for the ball then?"
"One worthy of Prince Charming!" Rose beamed. "Meet me outside the entrance to Gryffindor Tower after brunch tomorrow and we'll have our first consultation."
"First consultation?" Albus asked incredulously.
"Of course! Hopefully you'll only need the one, but I'm not waiting until the last minute to deal with your indecision and you can't expect my clothes alteration magic to last a whole week, now can you?" Rose retorted.
"Umm right, obviously not." Albus tried to play along.
"Just bring along your formal robes, your two best shirts and trousers, a waist coat, jacket and a tie and I'll do the rest." Rose said, counting off the items on her fingers.
"Could you write that down?"
Rose shot daggers at him.
"I'll take that as a no." Then with sincerity he added, "Thank you, Rose. Honestly, you're a life saver!"
"I know! Ta!" And with that, she headed off toward the grand staircase, sweeping upward as Albus trailed back down to the dungeons.
*~o~*
When Albus entered the dormitory he found Scorpius pacing its length, wringing his hands together, which was never a good sign. Albus approached cautiously.
"Scorpius? You okay mate?" Albus asked, knowing full well that he was anything but.
"I'm going to have to tell him Albus!" Scorpius squeaked. "I'm going to have to tell him, and I don't know if I'm ready to tell him!"
"Oh." Albus said quietly, comprehension dawning on him. "Your dad? About us?"
Scorpius nodded fervently and continued pacing.
"I hadn't thought about that." Albus shrugged. What would they tell their parents? What was there really to say? Albus wasn't sure what they were to each other. They were still Albus and Scorpius, just an Albus and Scorpius who were going to the ball together, and as more than friends, if Scorpius's nervousness and Albus's jealousy were anything to go by.
"He doesn't even know I'm gay, Albus!" Scorpius wailed. "I don't even know if I'm gay! Am I gay? Are you gay? Are we gay? What if he disinherits me?" Scorpius was beginning to hyperventilate.
Albus quickly crossed the room and took his best friend into his arms.
"I don't know if I'm gay or bisexual or whatever, but I do know that your dad loves you Scorpius. You're the only family he has. He's not going to disown you."
"But I'm his sole heir. The last of the Malfoy line! If I don't give him grandchildren I'll be letting him down!" Scorpius spluttered.
"Hush now," Albus murmured into Scorpius's neck, taking the other boy's shaking hands into his own. "You don't need to worry about grandchildren anytime soon. How about we head down to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer?"
"I... I don't know if I want to go to Hogsmeade just yet." Scorpius said hesitantly. "Can we lie down for a bit first?"
"Of course," Albus said, leading Scorpius over to his four-poster.
The boys kicked off their shoes and lay down side by side on top of the covers. In this position Albus could cradle Scorpius in his arms, and the two stayed there for over half an hour, Albus running one hand through Scorpius's silky hair and stroking his back with the other, while his breathing returned to normal.
It was nothing new. In the two years following their time-turning adventure, they had frequently shared a bed. Both boys had been plagued by nightmares. Albus often relived his best friend being tortured by Delphi in the dark maze and would wake up shaking and sobbing, drenched in sweat and calling Scorpius's name. On the nights that Scorpius revisited the dark timeline in his dreams, he had to get up and check that Albus was still there. It had been awkward at first, not knowing if it was okay to crawl into their friend's bed, but each had welcomed the other gratefully and insisted they stay. Sometimes they both dreamed about Godric's Hollow, and on those nights there was nothing to do but cling to each other.
The nightmares eventually grew less frequent and less intense. They learned to fight them off, but about once a week one of them would seek the comfort of their companion. It had become a habit that neither one wanted to kick. Yet lately, they had grown more self-conscious about their proximity to one another, as each became aware of their feelings, not knowing if the other returned them. Though Albus loved waking up next to his best friend, he often snuck back to his own bed before morning, to avoid any embarrassing situations.
Now that everything was out in the open, Albus thought perhaps it would be less awkward. But, no. While comforting Scorpius felt natural, the idea of even their lips brushing was terrifying. Well, not terrifying, it was exciting but intimidating. How did you even get your face close enough without startling the other person? Should you ask permission? And how did you work out the correct angle?
Sure he had kissed his Aunt Hermione before, as Scorpius was apt to tease him, but that had been different. It was a spur of the moment thing. He had needed to distract her quickly. He hadn't even been in his own body. Those weren't his lips, they belonged to his Uncle Ron, and Uncle Ron was a passionate man, a brave Gryffindor who could just dip his wife and snog her silly anytime he pleased, but he was Albus, and this was Scorpius, and that was terrifying. One kiss could change everything.
Perhaps he could slowly build up to it, start somewhere else. Last night he had kissed Scorpius on the cheek and that was nice. It was friendly. People kissed each other on the cheek all the time. Where else did they kiss one another? Albus looked down at Scorpius's beautiful white blonde hair. He hardly ever got to see the top of Scorpius's head, only when the other boy was bending down to tie his shoes or grab things out of his satchel. Should he take advantage of their position?
Albus meant to take a deep steadying breath, but it was shallow, and he just ended up holding it in his throat. He slowly lowered his lips towards Scorpius's head until they connected with the fine silver strands. So soft. He let out all his breath, sending ripples through Scorpius's hair, like wind through a field of grain. That was easy, simple, safe, nowhere near the danger zone.
"Mmm that tickles. I think I'm ready for that butterbeer now, and a bit of shopping?" Scorpius asked hopefully, snapping Albus out of his reverie.
"Oh, right. Sounds perfect," Albus agreed, disentangling his fingers from Scorpius's hair.
"Sorry for freaking out on you there." Scorpius said, eyes cast downward, picking at the duvet.
"No need," Albus assured him. "I suppose it is a bit scary. I can be there with you, when your dad comes, if you like."
"Thank you Albus, but I think I'd like to do it alone. I don't want him taking any of his shock or disappointment out on you."
"Alone..." Albus pondered. "Won't that be a bit awkward in front of the tailor?"
"Who, Jacques?" Scorpius suppressed a giggle. "No, he and his husband send us Christmas cards every year!"
"Well good, you'll have an ally then." Albus grinned and stood up. "Now let's bundle up. It looked like it was starting to snow this morning."
*~o~*
The walk down to the village was spent mostly in companionable silence. It had indeed been snowing and hadn't let up, turning the grounds and the lane beyond into a breathtaking winter wonderland. The boys strolled arm in arm, Scorpius kicking up drifts of snow while watching Albus try to catch snowflakes on his tongue. The magical landscape and Albus's adorable antics gradually took Scorpius out of his sulk.
"I forgot to ask you," Scorpius said, "how did it go with Rose?"
"Well, she agreed to take me on as her charity case. I think she likes the idea of playing fairy godmother – fairy godcousin?" Albus contemplated the proper term. "Anyway, she told me to stop by tomorrow morning; she's going to magically alter me an outfit."
"Oh! With Transfiguration and Colour Charms?" Scorpius asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I guess she's quite good." Albus mused.
"She's brilliant." Scorpius stated, with a bit of awe and definite respect but none of the former longing. "I bet she'll be Head Girl next year!"
"Well, let's not forgot who's bound to be Head Boy." Albus added fondly.
"You don't know that Albus! I'm still shocked McGonagall let me be Prefect last year, after all the trouble we caused."
"Just think about all the mischief my Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione got up to with my dad every year, and they still got made Prefect."
"True, but that was when Dumbledore was Headmaster." Scorpius emphasized. "And he was quite the eccentric, Dumbledore. McGonagall isn't one to cross."
"Ah, but McGonagall was their Head of House!" Albus countered triumphantly.
"You – you just out-school-historied me..." Scorpius stopped in the middle of the street, stunned.
"There's a first time for everything. Now come on, let's get out of the cold." Albus wrapped his arm around Scorpius's waist and steered him toward The Three Broomsticks.
*~o~*
The boys found a small booth near the back of the pub and shed their gloves, hats, scarves and coats. When Scorpius removed his knit cap it set his fine blonde hair on end, creating a pale golden halo around his head. After admiring it for a moment, Albus stepped forward, reached up and smoothed it down, tucking a loose strand behind Scorpius's ear.
"It's getting long," Albus said softly as Scorpius blushed an even deeper hue than the cold had already rendered his high cheekbones and distinctly aristocratic nose. Albus couldn't help himself; he kissed the tip of Scorpius's nose, turned cherry, and grinned as he sat down, just in time for the barmaid to bustle over.
"What will it be my dears?" she asked, as Scorpius, still standing, stumbled back into his seat.
"Two butterbeers, please," said Albus. When she had hurried off, Albus turned back to a stunned Scorpius. "Alright there mate?"
"Mate..." Scorpius mused over the word. "Last night, when you said you wanted me to be yours… I was wondering… what might that entail?"
Scorpius was pulling nervously at the sleeves of his jumper, so Albus scooted closer and took Scorpius's restless hands in his own, giving them something else to do.
"Um, I'm not sure." Albus answered honestly. He wasn't sure what he had meant by his sudden proclamation last night. It was fueled by frustration and jealousy. Albus knew he did not want his sister or his cousin or anyone else to have Scorpius, but what did Albus want to be to Scorpius? He laced their fingers together. "This, I guess," he said raising their hands slightly, "and this." He gestured to the pub at large.
"So dating?" Scorpius questioned. "Is this a date?"
"I guess, it could be. Yeah." Albus answered awkwardly.
"Does it include snogging?" Scorpius asked suddenly. "Not the date. Not this date. Just the being yours, does that include snogging? Because snogging might be nice." Scorpius rambled.
"Yeah, snogging could be nice, at some point..." Albus agreed, blushing furiously and looking down at their entwined fingers. He focused all his attention on them, not daring to look up until Scorpius pulled his hand away as Madam Rosmerta set two steaming mugs of butterbeer in front of them.
"Anything else loves?" she inquired, a sly smile on her face.
"No, we're fine!" Scorpius squeaked.
"Alright, I'll give you two some privacy then." She winked, and then sauntered off.
"She knew, Albus!" Scorpius whispered a bit too loudly.
"It's fine Scorp, we haven't exactly been hiding it, and you're going to be telling your dad tomorrow anyway." Albus watched the colour drain from his friend's face. "Sorry, shopping. Let's talk about shopping. Where would you like to go after this? I need to get presents for my family."
This piqued Scorpius's interest. "How do you manage with all your numerous relations?"
"Well, I don't have to buy a gift for every one of them. My parents handle the presents to my aunts and uncles, all the grandkids pitch in for a gift for Gran and Gramps, and then we divide up the cousins. This year Rose is organizing a Secret Sorcerer? It's based on some Muggle tradition, that's how I wound up with my cousin Fred. Last year we drew names out of a hat. Let's see, the year before that was a White Erumpent gift exchange, I ended up with an old Sneakoscope. The year before that I think we had to make something for everyone. Or was that the year we had to do special favors for each other? I can't remember. One year our gran tried to teach us all to knit socks for each other, it was disastrous." Albus grinned fondly. "Still I suppose I owe Rose a nice gift for helping me out."
"That all sounds wonderful," Scorpius said wistfully, wrapping his fingers around his warm mug of butterbeer.
Albus knew Scorpius longed for a larger family so he switched focus. "What did you have in mind for your dad?"
"I don't know. What do you get for the man who has everything? Christmas was a lot easier when I could just make presents for my parents..." Scorpius stared down into his mug.
"Well what are you getting me then?" Albus nudged Scorpius playfully, trying desperately to steer the conversation in a more positive direction.
Scorpius looked up and met Albus's gaze, wavering. "I had something... but now I don't know if..."
"I'm sure I'll love it," Albus assured him, catching his meaning. "Or if I don't, we can go back to being just mates," he teased, knocking shoulders with Scorpius.
Scorpius swatted at Albus's arm, his frown turning to a hint of smile.
"Are you hungry? I hear the fish and chips are excellent," Albus chanced another joke.
"Albus Severus..." Scorpius started in a warning tone.
"How about pasties then?" Albus suggested.
"And a basket of bread?" Scorpius asked hopefully.
"You've got it." Albus said, scooting out of the booth and heading toward the bar.
"And more butterbeer please!" Scorpius called after him.
When Albus came back with their drinks he found Scorpius with a smug look on his face.
"What did I miss?" Albus asked.
"I just remembered that the Headmaster or Headmistress selects all the school Prefects, not their Heads of House!"
"You just couldn't let that go, could you?" Albus said with mixture of disbelief and affection.
"Not a chance." Scorpius beamed. "Still McGonagall undoubtedly had some say. Dumbledore was a very busy man. Ooo look she's bringing over the bread!"
Madam Rosmerta set the steaming hot basket of bread on their table. Scorpius inhaled deeply and sighed.
*~o~*
After lunch, the boys headed back out into the snow for a bit of shopping. Albus proposed hitting the joke shop for his Secret Sorcerer gift to Fred II, and Scorpius thought he might find a gift for his father at Scrivenshaft's.
Albus stopped suddenly in the middle of the High Street.
"Rose is such a liar!" He cursed.
"Um, how so?" Scorpius inquired.
"There is a clothing store in Hogsmeade, right there!"
"Oh, Gladrags?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Well it's not exactly Madam Malkins, or Twilfitt and Tattings..."
Albus marched straight for the entrance as Scorpius glanced at the window display of funky knitwear and accessories in front of a pair of mannequins dressed in a strange mixture of Muggle and Wizarding fashion from the 1960's and 70's. The male dummy was wearing an impossibly long multi-colored scarf around his neck.
The door chimed, not with a bell, but with wind-chimes and the scent of patchouli and cedar flooded their nostrils. The shop was crammed with racks and racks of garments, numerous hat stands and mountains of colourful socks. Most of the clothing appeared to be second hand and there was an alarming amount of corduroy and patchwork. The soulful sound of Reggae Christmas carols drifted in from the back room.
"What's with all the lime green bowlers?" Albus asked, walking over and attempting to twirl one.
"Oh! They were all the rage when Cornelius Fudge first came into power, but he fudged it all up and they eventually wound up here." Scorpius replied, pleased with his pun.
Albus tried on some hats but Scorpius declined, mumbling something that sounded like "magical head lice". However he watched Albus fondly as he made silly faces in a small mirror. While Scorpius admired the stacks of colorful socks, Albus started paging through the racks of clothing. There was a whole section of plaid trousers.
"Scorp, would you mind if I finish up here alone?" He asked. "I think I'm going to pick up a few garments for Rose to work with, and I know she'll probably end up changing them until they're unrecognizable, but I'd still like it to be a surprise, you know?"
"Oh, yes, no problem!" Scorpius stood there looking a little lost for a moment.
"How about I meet you at the bookshop, and then we can head over to Honeydukes together?" The promise of books and sweets sent Scorpius scurrying off in a very good mood.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and turned. "Just promise no corduroy, okay?" Scorpius said, trying for a stern expression on his face, but utterly failing.
"Promise." Albus smiled, and Scorpius gave a little wave. The wind chimes tinkled once more, sending a brief gust of cold air through the small shop.
With his dance partner gone, Albus felt freer to really take in the clothing selection. He admired several vintage suits. One was a bold purple with an orange paisley pattern that made Albus feel inexplicably happy. Then there was an all velvet emerald green five piece, complete with snake tie. He loved it, but he thought it was way too much velvet for one man, and he couldn't imagine his legs being able to move very well in the plush trousers. He also saw a head to-toe-tartan suit. He liked the plaid, but again too much. Then his attention was caught by a formal Highland dress outfit, with blue velvet tails and waistcoat. He didn't think he could pull off a kilt but he liked the way the plaid and velvet looked together, which gave him an idea.
He headed back over to the surprisingly large section of plaid trousers and picked a pair that had a pleasing pattern and was in good condition. He did not focus much on colour or size knowing Rose could alter them, but he avoided the ones with metal studs and strange straps. Then he found a velvet frock coat he had been drawn to earlier. It was a rich burgundy, and Albus loved the feel of the fabric and the way it caught the light and shadows. He grabbed a black shirt, and then asked the clerk to use the dressing room. He admired the effect in the mirror and nodded to himself. He never would have thought to choose burgundy, perhaps Rose could charm it to green or blue, but he secretly admitted that he wouldn't mind this shade, he looked good in it and there was something comforting about it.
Once he was back in his regular clothes he did one last sweep of the shop. He strongly considered getting a matching pair of burgundy leather combat boots, but decided Rose could simply alter his shoes. The same went for neck ties, though he took in the oddity of the designs, and all the colourful patterned socks, picking up a cheerful pair for Lily. At the last moment Albus grabbed a plaid bowtie on a whim. He was really more of a skinny tie kind of guy, but just maybe this would work. Feeling quite accomplished, Albus checked out, and asked for the clothes to be sent up to Hogwarts, Slytherin dormitories. Then he headed off to try and pry Scorpius away from the tomes.
*~o~*