A/N: Finally, the idea that had been germinating in my mind materialized into a story. It's not my best work, but I really just had to write, know what I mean?

Warning: AlbusPotter/LysanderScamander love. (I really don't like the term 'slash').

He Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Albus wandered around the almost empty corridors of Hogwarts, looking by all means like a homeless little puppy that was depending on the goodwill of others to make it through the impending winter. His head was hung low and he dragged his feet around half-heartedly, unwilling to sit still yet too lethargic to keep walking around in this manner.

"Argh!" He exclaimed loudly all of a sudden and punched the wall beside him in frustration.

"Hey, watch where you're throwing your punches around, young man!" A deep baritone reverberated from within the stones, and presently Sir Nicholas' startled face broke out of the stone walls. He grinned at Albus, who only scowled back.

"Young Albus Potter!" he boomed, and Albus cringed.

"Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind; I'm trying to be alone here, and you'll probably alert all my cousins to where I am."

"Ahh, yes, I do remember the redhead; what's her name again? She was looking for you."

Albus shook his head, his lips curving in a sudden grin. "That isn't the most helpful description of someone belonging to my family, y'know?"

Sir Nicholas looked rather abashed. "Yes, of course; there are just so many of them! But I believe it was your cousin Rose. Or was it your sister Lily?"

But Albus has caught a flash of blue robes dash around the corner and a sudden burst of confidence came from nowhere.

"Er, right, Sir Nicholas. I'll talk to them when I meet them, okay? I need to go now. It was nice talking to you!" he called, already sprinting away.

"Young boys these days," Sir Nicholas grumbled, floating away to look for another student to talk to, preferably one that wouldn't run away this time. "They have the attention span of a bowtruckle, these ones!"

Dust arose from the floor with the intensity of Albus' thudding footsteps across the corridor, but the boy with the blue Quidditch robes was nowhere to be seen. Albus swore softly under his breath. He'd only just mustered the courage to tell the boy what he really felt. He felt the manic energy leave just as quickly as it had gripped him and Albus walked off slowly in the direction of the Gryffindor common rooms.

"Al, are you really trying to tell me that you still haven't spoken to him?" Rose sat on the floor by his feet and was perhaps the most understanding of the lot.

Albus looked miserable on the couch as his siblings and cousins swarmed around him like a flock of over enthusiastic birds.

"Rose, I've just been waiting - "

"For the right time, yeah, I know," Lily cut him off impatiently, her eyes shining. Albus groaned. Once Lily had begun her tirade, there was really nothing (except perhaps for a snog from her boyfriend Kyle Wood) that could stop her. He made a mental note to ask Kyle to keep her more occupied from now on.

"Albus, you do realise that you're just wasting time waiting around, don't you?" asked Fred practically.

"Yeah, you should have just snogged him senseless after they won the match against Hufflepuff, mate!" James added enthusiastically, and Albus cringed at the mental image of that while the rest of them hooted in agreement.

The portrait hole swung open and Lucy walked into the common room, taking off her woollen hat and mittens.

"It's so strange out there," she complained, now divesting herself of her knitted sweater. "One minute it's the winds are shrieking around you, and the next minute it's all toasty…" she trailed off at the sight of an extraordinary number of her cousins all at the same place.

"What did I miss?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Young Albus here is in love," sang Hugo, pretending to swoon. Albus shot him a death glare that the younger boy blissfully ignored.

"Oh, Al. Are you telling me that you still haven't done anything about Lysander?"

Albus turned beet red at the mention of his name, and James sniggered.

"He hasn't, and I personally think that he's just torturing himself by waiting so long!" Rose burst out, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"You guys?" Albus ventured unsteadily, and everyone's head turned towards him in unison. Albus looked rather unsettled.

"There's something I haven't quite told you about," he continued, by now looking positively awful.

"What is it, Al?" Lily asked, her eyes softening with concern and she placed an arm around his shoulders.

"I did try speaking to him, quite a few times actually," Albus managed, mortified.

"But?"

"But, well, he didn't look like he was really interested," he ended sadly.

"When did this happen?" Lucy wondered.

"Er…after breakfast, once or twice…and once after the match we played against them; sure, we'd won, but he had performed brilliantly, and I tried congratulating him, but he just…" Albus couldn't continue. He buried his flaming face in his palms, all this talk only depressing him more.

"Oi, if that tosser isn't giving you the time of the day, let it go, Al!" Fred advised, indignant. "No one deserves to be treated like that," Rose added in agreement.

"But aren't you two good friends?" Lily asked, suddenly remembering.

Albus nodded sadly. "That's the thing. We were friends, we are friends…I just don't know what went wrong. He's been so strange lately, and it really feels like he's trying to avoid me…I just wish he'd talk it out with me, you know?"

Rose nodded sympathetically. "Well, the world isn't a wish granting factory, now is it?" Lucy said as she paced back and forth, a plan slowly taking shape in her mind.

"Guess not."

Albus smiled weakly. "Hey, guys? Thank you so much for everything," he said. "But it's not something that I can just let go of, you know?" His light tone masked the pain he was feeling, but Rose wasn't so easily fooled. She clasped his palm tightly and Albus squeezed back gratefully.

"Okay, that's it," Lucy declared suddenly.

"Albus, you're going to go and talk to Lysander right this moment."

"What? Lucy, no!"

But she was way too determined.

"It's nearly dinner, so he's sure to be in his common room," she thought out loud.

"James, could you please check up on Lysander's whereabouts on the map?" She uttered the last three words in a whisper, and James grinned.

"On it!" He sprinted towards the boys' dormitory.

He came back in a few minutes, thundering loudly towards the fireplace. "You're right, Luce. He's in the Ravenclaw commons surrounded by a hundred other people, gah. Some of them have already started moving out for dinner, thought."

"So what do we do now?" Fred's eyes twinkled mischievously, and suddenly Albus had a horrible feeling as to how all this was going to end up. He stood up from the couch, all prepared to leave the common room as soon as he could.

"And where do you think you're going, Albus Potter?" Lucy's tone actually frightened him, but the thought of facing Lysander just then scared him even now.

"Er, dinner, I am rather hungry," he choked out.

Lucy didn't look convinced, but Albus made a mad dash for the portrait hole.

"That's it. Get him out." Lucy tackled him to the ground. "Fred take his legs, James, take his arms."

Albus escaped her light grip pretty easily, but her craziness had him flabbergasted. "Luce! What has gotten into you?"

"Well, I just can't see you moping around like this, Al, and since you're clearly not going to do anything about, I thought I'd help." In that moment she resembled Fred so much that Albus had to laugh.

"Alright, alright! Put me down, I can handle this!"

Rose snorted. "I agree with Luce. Now come on, off to the tower!"

"Wait, why are all of you coming? And James, really, put me down!"

James nodded at Fred, and the duo reluctantly set Albus down on the ground. "Only because your weight was getting a little too much for me," James grumbled.

"Okay, enough chit chat. Al, you're going to the Ravenclaw commons. Rose and I will be on the lookout, and the rest of you, we'll meet up in exactly half an hour at the Gryffindor table, okay?"

No one could argue with Lucy Weasley, and she nodded in satisfaction. "Alright then. Off you go!"

It took Albus all of ten minutes to muster the courage to even talk to Lysander. The boy had just exited the common room with his twin and friends in tow and it took every ounce of his mental strength to not turn around and run back to his dorm. He had a burning desire to talk to the boy but he was just so nervous and he had a sneaking suspicion that Lucy and Rose weren't too far away.

"Lysander!" he called out before he could change his mind, and he watched as the taller boy paused in his tracks and turned around. Albus walked towards him slowly as a sudden shyness consumed him and he played with his fingers as he often did when he was nervous.

"Albus." His voice was warm and friendly, and Albus couldn't quite look him in the eye.

"Ly-Lysander," he stammered out, then wanted to kick himself in the head for being such a wreck.

If Lysander felt a little confused, he did a good job of hiding it.

"You must be wondering why I've been rather odd lately," he ventured, the strength slowly returning to his voice.

Lysander merely smiled and motioned to his friends to go on without him. Later, he mouthed at Lorcan, who nodded and smiled broadly.

"Albus, talk to me," Lysander spoke softly, slowly closing the gap between them as he took slow steps towards him.

"We're friends; we have been for so long, what's been happening?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" The words sounded harsher than he intended for them to, and he grimaced. "I mean - "

But Lysander sighed loudly. His eyes reflected firelight from the sconces and they shone with a mixture of guilt, regret and something else that Albus couldn't quite read.

"Umm, the thing is, Albus," he began, and Albus' heart sank at his tone.

What was going on?

"The thing is…IthinkIreallylikeyou," he said all at once.

"What?"

"Albus Potter…I really, really like you. Will you do the honour of being my boyfriend?"

It was all Albus could do to stand there and not melt into a soft pile of happiness.

His eyes shone.

"Yes, Lysander. Yes yes yes yes yes!"

The boys hugged tight, and Lysander planted a soft kiss on Albus' cheek. He blushed.

Hidden amongst the shadows just beside the staircase, a pair of cousins silently high-fived each other.

All was well.

Also entered for:

The Mood Ring Challenge, prompt: Dark Blue (shy, nervous), Albus Potter, Lysander Scamander

TFIOS Quotes Challenge, prompt: "The world is not a wish-granting factory."

The 'Wishes Do Come True' Challenge, with Albus Severus/Lysander Scamander

Scrabble Challenge, prompt: 'Hold My Breath' by Ross Copperman

Quotes Challenge, #11.