The scarlet steam train slid into Platform 9 3/4, billowing clouds of steam that swallowed the bustling crowds of parents, siblings and friends, all waving frantically at the passengers. Girls and boys leant out of the carriage windows, scanning the turbulent crowds for the familiar figures of their parents. They dragged their heavy suitcases down the narrow corridors, shouting their goodbyes to their fellow housemates, stuffing left over cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs into the depths of their pockets, lining up at the carriage doors, chatting animatedly.
Albus Severus Potter sat in a compartment sliently gazing at the scene unfolding in front of him as the engine chocked to a halt and the last wisps of smoke dissolved into the air. He gripped the hand that held his own tighter as he caught sight of his parents and brother waving excitedly to his younger sister, who was fighting her way through the mass of people.
The slender, pale hand suddenly gripped his equally tight; Albus guessed he had just spotted his own parents. Sure enough, the white-blonde hair of Draco Malfoy, identical to that of the boy who sat beside him, was prominent against the blur of brown, black and red.
"Scor, I don't want to go." Albus turned to Scorpius, who was regarding the world beyond the glass window with his signature cold Malfoy stare.
"I know. Me neither." The young Malfoy turned to Albus, his grey eyes flooding with warmth. "I'll miss you."
It took every ounce of the Albus's restraint to stop himself throwing himself onto Scorpius' lap, begging him not to leave. His eyes must have betrayed his thoughts as the Slytherin smiled gently at him.
"The summer will be over before you know it."
A cloud of uneasiness passed across their faces as the two boys recalled the task each of them had agreed to undertake over the summer. Scorpius felt sickness stir in the pit of his stomach as he looked out at his parents.
"You promised." Albus' eyes gazed into Scorpius' intently, having seen the unmistakable doubt waver in his boyfriend's expression.
"I know. Don't worry, I will do it." Scorpius reassured him, before standing from his seat, smoothing out his clothes with slender fingers. "Come on, the train will go back to Hogwarts with us still on it."
"Exactly. So we should stay here."
Scorpius laughed at him, pulling him to his feet despite his protests. Scorpius pulled their trunks from the luggage rack, delaying the action as much as he possibly could. He may have been holding the typical Malfoy air of indifference; but he was going to miss Potter more than he could say.
The door to their compartment was the only thing seperating them from the real world. Stood here; they were still safe in the magical atmosphere of Hogwarts, the months of secret encounters in empty classrooms, midnight meetings at the astronomy tower, exchanged glances across classrooms. On the other side waited 6 weeks of seperation, misery and endless letters. 6 weeks of being unable to hold Albus in his arms, see his emerald eyes bore into his own or feel his lips against his.
Seized with a sudden urgency, Scorpius pulled a shocked Albus towards him and firmly placed his lips against his. Allowing himself to revel in the moment for only three seconds, he slid open the compartment door; permitting the real world to smash the delicate illusion.
"Albus!" Harry's face broke into a grin as he spotted his son stepping off the train.
The platform was still crammed with Hogwart's students, some only just getting off the train like Albus. Apparently; he hadn't been shut in that compartment with Scorpius for the hours it felt like. His head was still spinning with their last kiss and he approached his family.
"There you are! We dared to hope they'd left you at Hogwart's." Albus' older brother ruffled his hair patronisingly. Albus shoved him off, traumatised with the thought Scorpius was watching.
"James! Leave him alone." Ginny pulled Albus into a hug, kissing him on the cheek. Albus ignored the urge to pull away and wipe his cheek. Instead, he leaned into her embrace, breathing in the comforting smell of home.
A hand clapped on his shoulder as his father pulled him round and into a hug that cut off his air supply. "I missed you, Albus." His father smiled at him, ruffling his hair in a more affectionate manner.
Albus looked at his brother to see him glaring at something over his head. "Why is that Malfoy kid staring at you, Albus?"
Albus turned around to see Scorpius walking behind his parents towards the barrier, craning his neck around to see him one more time.
"Has he been giving you a hard time?" James cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Want me to teach him a lesson?"
"James! For God's sake, stop taking after your father." Ginny took Lily by the hand and lead her along the platform as Harry winked at James. Albus stood motionless, feeling his heart tear a little as Scorpius' white-blonde hair disappeared from view.
"Albus?" Emerald eyes met their twins in the rear-view mirror of the car. "Are you ok? You're very quiet."
"Hmm." Albus resumed staring out of the window. He could feel himself slipping into a state of misery already; just the prospect of 6 weeks without Scorpius was enough to drag his heart down into his stomach.
"I think he's just tired." His mother's voice carried from the front of the car as she muttered to Harry.
Albus closed his eyes; the fact that there was no one who understood just made the whole situation worse. He wanted his parents to know, to understand, to accept it. The fear of their shame, rejection and his sibling's disgust kept him from screaming it right this second.
"Potter." A cold sneer issued from before him. He looked up to meet the burning silver eyes of Scorpius Malfoy, at which the blood seemed to pulse through his veins with more violence. "A word?"
Everyone around them tittered and scattered from the room; assuming it was another infamous argument that none of them wished to be around for. Scorpius waited until the last person had the left the room and the door shut before turning to Albus.
"I can't do this anymore, Al."
"What?" Albus' brow furrowed in confusion and his mind immeadiately jumped to the worst conclusion at his boyfriend's words.
"I can't skulk around anymore."
The chain choking Albus' throat slackened as his fear vanished. He had been waiting for this conversation to be approached; he was just suprised it was Scorpius doing so.
"I can't handle it." Scorpius continued, taking a step closer to Albus. "I want to feel free to hold you in public, I want to hold your hand in class. I want everyone to know that your mine."
"Whose else would I be?" Albus questioned, not liking the unnatural distress in Scorpius' voice.
"You know what I mean." The Slytherin advanced on Albus further. "It's two weeks until Summer. When we come back, I want everyone to know. I can't survive another year of this. It's ridiculous - and you know it."
"Yes, I know it." Retaliating against the challenge in Scorpius' tone. "But you don't think that the word will get back to your father? I know you don't want him to know, Scor."
Hurt flashed in his grey eyes before the blonde spoke. "I don't care. I'm not ashamed of us, Albus. Which is why I spent all potions thinking about what I am about to propose to you; We go home this summer. And we tell our parents about us once and for all. I don't care if they reject me, disown me or kill me-"
Albus raised his eyesbrows at his boyfriend's exaggeration.
"-I'm getting fed up of being reduced to meeting in the middle of the night in old, dusty classrooms. We deserve better than that."
::::::::
"So, Albus. How do you think your OWLs went?" Ginny's tone was cheery, trying desperately to engage her son in conversation, who was pushing food around his plate, obviously lost in his thoughts.
"Ok." He muttered in response, attempting a weak smile at his mother. Ginny looked at Harry, clear concern in her eyes, who returned the expression.
"He'll have to have a lot of brains to beat my scores!" James shovelled potatoe into his mouth. "Can you pass the salt, Lily?"
"What? All A's and two T's? Give him some credit, James." Harry smiled at Albus, who only managed a half-hearted one in return.
"I was being sarcastic!" James, attempted to speak through a moutful of food, revealing his mouth's content to the table.
"James!" Ginny and Lily shrieked in disgust. Harry's eyes were on his youngest son, who stood from the table, his food still untouched.
"Can I be excused?"
"Oh, but Albus, you haven't eaten anything darling." Ginny's concerned eyes travelled from his plate to her son.
"I'm not hungry." He turned and walked from the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Everyone around the table sat silently, listening to his footsteps thundering up the stairs and the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut.
"You'll have to talk to him, Harry." Ginny turned to her husband. "Something's wrong."
Lily slid from her seat at the table. "Excuse me." She placed her knife and fork beside her plate and walked from the room, following her brother upstairs.
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Albus held the photograph in his hands, stroking his fingers across across the figure of Scorpius Malfoy, who sat on an empty classroom desk, legs swinging, smiling at the camera, his arm around a raven-haired boy who gazed lovingly at the beautiful boy beside him. As the figures moved, Scorpius diverted his gaze, kissing Albus on the cheek, before looking back at the camera.
A tap on the door announced someone's entrance. Albus shoved the photograph under his pillow, lying back against it hastily.
"Come in."
It suprised him to see his little sister walk into the room, pushing it closed behind her and sitting on the edge of Albus' bed, looking at him intently, as if she was trying to look into his thoughts.
"Hello Lily." He coaxed, feeling like he was sat under a spotlight.
"Albus, is this because of Scorpius Malfoy?" She suddenly piped up, never breaking her intense gaze. Albus' eyes widened in shock. How did she know??
"What?" He choked out through his shock.
"Well, I just noticed you've been arguing more than usual this year. Is he bullying you?"
Albus didn't realised he had been holding his breath until it escaped him in one violent rush. Of course his sister, who was only in third year, wouldn't know about him and Scorpius.
"No, Lil." He said. "It's not that. I can handle Malfoy. You know that." He grinned at her, giving her a nudge with his foot.
"Albus!" His father's voice came from downstairs. Albus sighed and got up off the bed.
"Be right back." He said to his sister, leaving the room.
Lily looked around her brothers room. The walls were plastered with gryffindor banners, posters of famous Quidditch players and a framed photo of the family sat on his desk, all of them grinning at the camera.
Lily felt a sudden rush of affection towards her brother. The brother she had always been closest to. Standing from the bed, she was straightening his sheets when her hand collided with the sharp edge of a piece of paper beneath his pillow.
Not even questioning her curiosity, she pulled it from beneath the white sheet and looked at the photograph in obvious confusion. Her brown eyes suddenly widened in shock and understanding as Scorpius Malfoy kissed her brother on the cheek.
"Lily. What are you doing in Albus' room?" Lily whirled round, shoving the photograph behind her back, her cheeks burning red as she faced her eldest brother.
"What's that?" James walked into Albus' room, advancing on Lily.
"Nothing." Lily backed away from James until she met the wooden desk behind her. She couldn't let James see this, she didn't know how he would react. He had to protect Albus' from any embarassment only James could be relied upon to provide.
"Rubbish. I just saw you shove something behind your back. Let me see!" James made a lunge at Lily, who jumped up onto the bed, trying to dart around him.
But James was too quick for her, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her above her head and snatching the photograph from her hands.
"No!" Lily shrieked, but James was already looking at the picture. She watched with him as Malfoy kissed Albus. James dropped Lily onto the bed, who lay motionless, waiting with baited breath for his reaction.
"What is this?" James was still staring at the photograph in clear shock. "Lily, what is this?"
"It was under his pillow." Lily sat up and took the photograph back, smoothing it out and placing it back in its rightful place.
"But - I don't understand. Scorpius Malfoy?"
"Obviously."
"But - Albus isn't gay!"
Lily glared at James, not even willing to indulge his moronic argument.
"Funnily enough, I think he is." Lily slapped her older brother over the head, stepping down off the bed. "And we're not going to say anything to him."
To her suprise, James nodded in agreement.
"He'll tell us when he's ready." She added, beckoning James to the door.
The two were walking out of Albus' bedroom when their brother arrived at the top of the stairs.
"Hey. What did dad want?" James marvelled at her nonchalant tone.
"Just to talk to me." Albus smiled at his siblings as he walked into his room and shut the door behind him.
Thanks for reading. Please review. Next chapter will be up soon. x