Disclaimer: I don't own Happy Potter, wish I did though. Albus spends the summer with his friend Scorpius, and acknowledges his feelings toward him.
Albus Potter was astounded by the size of Malfoy Manor alone, before having even stepped foot inside the place. "Wow!" he let out in a gasp, unable to stop himself. His parents walked with him on either side. Though neither of them would admit it out loud, the manor was quite impressive. It looked more like a palace than anything, seemingly chiseled from white marble. Torches decorated either side of the front door and various points along the roof. Flags waved proudly from the turrets, possibly by charm since it was not windy that night, each one baring the Malfoy family crest. The grounds around the manor were equally awe inspiring.
Before the Potters had a chance to fully take in the scenery the doors to the manor opened and they were greeted by man in crisp black robes, the use of house elves having long been abolished. "Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Potter, young Albus. Do come in." The man offered, his tone sounding a bit forced. He lead them into the entrance hall where they were met immediately by Draco Malfoy, his wife and their son Scorpius, Albus' best friend. Albus and Scorpius, or Al and Scorp as the called each other, had met on the train to Hogwarts at the start of their first year. They became fast friends and despite being sorted into different houses, Al into Gryffindor and Scorp into Slytherin, they remained very close. Most times they preferred each other's company to that of members of their own house. For Al it was a chance to break away from Gryffindor which was almost completely dominated by his siblings and many cousins. While Scorp found Al to be a welcome relief from the back-stabbing, self-serving Slytherins. Their friendship made them out casts for a time, but now after three years most students from both their respective houses had come to accept it, if not fully agree with it. Al and Scorp had convinced their parents to let Al stay with the Malfoys for the summer after Al's birthday celebration. The Potters had been asked to stay for dinner after accompanying Al to the manor. To Al and Scorp's mutual relief dinner between the two families was civil though a bit stiff. The Potters left after desert, and Al and Scorp made their way upstairs.
The butler (Draco found the idea of a human servant even more amusing than a house elf, almost worth the wage he now had to pay) had moved Al's belongings into the guest room. But he and Scorp had already decided he'd be staying in Scorp's room. They sat on Scorp's bed, which was covered in Slytherin Green, laughing at some joke. "I've got something for you." Scorp interjected. He handed Al a box with deep purple wrapping and a bright yellow bow. "What is it?" Al asked, trying to think of what it could be. "It's your birthday present, silly. Go on, open it." Despite Al being allowed to stay with the Malfoy's, Scorpius thought better of going to the Potter's for Al's party. The numbers were simply against him. Al pulled at the bow, the ribbon unraveled and fell away. He lifted the lid of the box. Inside was a box of mahogany with ornate symbols engraved in it. He took out the second box and opened it. Al gasped at the site inside as Scorpius looked on smiling.
"Scorpius" Al whispered, apparently unable to say anything else. He lifted the gift from it's casing. It was a beautiful crystal ball. It glowed with a faint light, white-grey smoke swirled around inside. It looked almost like a giant pearl. The crystal rested on an ebony setting carved into the shape of a sinuous oriental dragon, coiling around the base of the crystal upon itself, swallowing it's own tail. Al looked up at Scorpius as if in a state of shock. "Happy Birthday." Al and Scorp had started taking divination their third year. Though many student, including Scorp, felt the class was a waste of time, Al seemed to have a knack for it. Crystal gazing was his favorite. Everyone, especially Professor Treloney (still teaching long past retirement age) was astounded by the accuracy of Al's predictions. "Well, do you like it?" Scorp asked when Al said nothing else. His answer was not what Scorp expected. "I-I can't take this." Scorp's smile evaporated. "Why not?" He said, hoping he didn't sound too hurt or angry. "It... it's just too expensive." Scorp snorted. Scorp should have seen this coming of course. Al had told him how his mother and her brothers grew up poor, and even now after most of them had become very well off, they were still hesitant about receiving expensive gifts from others. Apparently a trait they passed on to their children. Scorp thought it was ridiculous and quite insulting. "Will you stop worrying about that! It's not like I bought it with my father's money. You know I've been helping out at your uncle's shop in Hogsmead since Christmas. I've been saving for a while to get you this!" He said indignantly.
Al had to smile at the confession. He looked back at the glowing orb in his hands then back up at Scorp, who seemed to glow himself in the crystal's light. "Thank you." He wrapped his friend in a one armed hug, holding the crystal in his free hand. The hug seemed to last longer than most contact between them did. The boys released each other after realizing this. "So..." Scorp started. "What do you see?" Al looked deeply into the orb. His eyes became a bit unfocused after a while. When he spoke it was as though he were half asleep, deep in his trance. "I see... You. Older. You look like you could be your father's twin." Scorp scoffed at that. "You're... Looking out at something. You're smiling now. A man walks over to you . It's me!" At the last part Al seemed pleasantly surprised. "Yeah? What are we doing?" Scorp asked, mildly curious. "We're... hugging each other hello." "Yeah? What else?" "We're..." Al looked into the orb, watching intently, and was shocked at what he saw next. He must have made a noise or let the surprise show on his face, because next Scorp was asking "What? What is it?" Al caught himself and lowered the crystal. "Oh! N-nothing. I lost it." Scorpius gave him a suspicious look. He knew Al well enough to know when he was lying. He decided to let it go. The clock behind him chimed eleven. "Is it that late already?" He asked to no one. "We better get to bed, before dad makes a fuss." Al nodded.
Al changed into his pajamas Scorp simply undressed to his boxers. They had long become comfortable changing in front of each other, seeing each other nude on several occasions. Still, the sight of his friend's body never ceased to amaze Al. It seemed to get more beautiful each time he saw it. Scorp had a small frame but he was wrapped in compact muscle. He was not overly huge but was no longer the skinny little kid Al once knew. Though he was only 14, Al thought he looked like a god. His platinum hair was now almost at his waist. He released it from it's braid to brush it out, while Al watched in complete awe. Scorpius turn and smile at Al's expression. "What?" he laughed. Al shook his head and looked down. "Nothing." Scorpius laughed and continued brushing. Al stopped him and took the brush from his hand. "Let me help you."
They sat on the bed, Scorpius with his back to Al and Al brushing his hair. He could not believe how soft Scorp's hair was. It was almost unnatural. And it smelled like mint. Scorp seemed to relax into Al's strokes. When Al finished he lightly touched the back of Scorp's head and ran his hand all the way down his back, smoothing out the long curtain of hair with his palm. "You done?" Scorp's voice surprised him. "Oh, yeah." He said, handing the brush back to Scorp. Scorp placed the brush on the bedside table before pulling back the sheets to lay down. "Well, good night Al." He laid down on his back only bringing the cover up to his hips, leaving his muscled torso exposed. "Good night" Al repeated. He remained sitting up watching Scorp for a while, before finally lying down himself. Al was a bit restless at first, constantly shifting his position. Scorp on the other hand was out like a light, even with Al's constant moving. Al finally turned on his side facing Scorp. He admired how beautiful the other boy looked. He found himself reaching his hand out, finally resting it on Scorp's chest. Scorp's skin was so smooth, Al notice, caressing it gently. He shifted a little closer to the sleeping boy, and rested his head on Scorp's shoulder. Soon they were both asleep. Al dreamed of the vision he saw in the crystal and hoped with all his heart that this one would come true. The scene of Scorpius and himself sharing a passionate kiss replayed itself in his mind all night.