A/N: Hey all, so I haven't written a fanfiction in forever, but I've been itching to so here goes. As always I own nothing except for original characters. Enjoy.
As puzzle pieces littered the Ravenclaw common room floor, two inquisitive sixth-year students were situated directly in the middle of the mess, like an island of bronze and blue surrounded by unruly cardboard waters. Rose Weasely and Albus Potter were smiling at the chaos, finding it easier to scatter all the pieces out first before attempting to complete the puzzle.
"I can't believe we're sixth years already, Al," Rose murmured as she began to separate all the edge and corner pieces, a tactic she had consistently used since childhood.
"I know..." Albus trailed off, following his cousin's strategy, "I'm going to miss having Louis around... and James is going to be more insufferable than usual now that he's Head Boy and all."
It wasn't that his older brother didn't deserve the position, on the contrary actually. Despite being flashy and full of himself, James worked hard at remaining friendly with all houses (even Slytherin, for the most part), playing Quidditch and keeping up with his studies. He earned the position fair and square; Al just didn't want to think how much more big-headed his brother would become because of it.
His cousin, Louis Weasely, on the other hand, was more of the grounded sort unless one got him riled up. Then all Veela-hell broke loose without hopes of salvaging the victim's dignity. Albus had a closeness with Louis that he couldn't share with his older brother, something only the two of them could understand. It wasn't like Albus flaunted his preferences around or anything, but whenever James tried to small-talk him into discussing his love life, the older brother would always get weirded out and quickly change the subject, not being able to hear about Al's boy crushes. Louis, however, was as flamboyant as they came; it wasn't his fault really; Veela blood just tended to make one more feminine and soft to look at... Louis' tastes in men just kind of came along with the territory.
Albus came out to Louis when he was thirteen at their family Christmas party. Needless to say, the Veela-boy was more than pleased to have someone else in the family to chat up boys with that wasn't one of his sisters or silly fangirls at school. If it weren't for Louis' experience and Albus' knack for researching subjects he was uneducated about, the poor Ravenclaw would probably feel like a fisher without a net, hoping against hope that some cute little gay-boy fish would jump in his boat willingly. Unfortunately, Louis, being two years older, graduated last year so now Albus was forced to fend for himself in straight-infested waters. Not to say his family didn't know about him being gay. They did. He officially "came out" of the closet at the beginning of last term and as expected, his family could care less. As long as he was happy and kept up in school, Albus could love whomever he wanted. Granted, the blow was more likely softened because of Louis coming out first, but Albus liked to believe his family was pretty up-to-date with the times and open-minded enough to accept him for who he was. Because let's face it, in a world of magic being gay was kind of boring. Being a half-Giant or Squib were far worse offenses.
"Yea, let's hope his head doesn't explode from too much self-worship," Rose smiled a soft, understanding smile toward her favorite cousin. Rose couldn't imagine having an older brother like James; having him as a cousin was hard enough. James wasn't the bad sort, just more the "perfect" and expected sort when it came to the name Potter or Weasely. He was charming, witty, outgoing, intelligent, athletic... it was disgusting really. Albus had always had insecurities with his social awkwardness and it was no wonder considering what examples he was supposed to live up to. Al's father could tell him until he was blue in the face that popularity wasn't everything and even he, "The Chosen One", had moments of extreme unpopularity in his school days, but it wouldn't matter; in the time of adolescence, the universal concern of being accepted seemed to take precedence.
Al had to chuckle at Rose's comment, indulging for a moment at the fictitious thought of James' head exploding, because he loved himself too much. If anyone where able to die that way, his older brother would definitely be the likely candidate.
"So do you have your eyes on anyone this year?" Rose inquired slowly with the raise of an eyebrow, always curious as to what tickled her cousin's fancy. That and truthfully, she didn't have many friends that were girls so Albus was the closet she could get when it came to girl-talk.
"Same old, same old," Al sighed as he began to put the edge and corner pieces together, beginning to form the outline of the 1000-piece puzzle (which spoke volumes of their lack of love life). Albus had dated a Hufflepuff boy, Randy Harold, near the end of fifth year but it only lasted a month or so before Albus abruptly ended the affair, Al claiming that he just wasn't ready for anything serious. In truth, the boy had been just so damn nice it was sickening.
"You're not telling me you still have a thing for blondie do you?" Rose referred to the blonde Slytherin she liked to think resembled Albus' albino pet ferret named Leonardo (inspired by one of Albus' favorite old Muggle actors, swoon-worthy Leonardo Dicaprio, post-Titanic). By the look in his emerald green eyes she knew she was accurate, "Please, Al. He's so not worth it. He's not even THAT good-looking."
"You're lying."
"Well maybe he IS that good-looking, but still... he's a prat. And a bully," she pointed her finger at her cousin, a motion she had memorized from her own mother since birth, "And if you think I'm going to sit around and watch you wallow in your own misery again because of him, you're wrong." Rose paused for a moment, almost feeling guilty because Albus wouldn't meet her eyes with own, " Look, I know Randy was too nice for you or whatever bollocks excuse you used, but Scorpius Malfoy? He's a bloody... a bloody..."
"Good-for-nothing twit?" Albus offered with a weak smile, knowing his cousin was right. He just couldn't help it. One look in those menacing steel-grey eyes and Albus was all but a melted chocolate frog in the Slytherin's hands. Damn his self-sabotaging ways for having a thing for bad boys without a hope for a good side.
"Sure, that works," Rose agreed before smirking a little, helping Albus finish up the edges of the puzzle before beginning to tackle the middle, "You know. I heard he and Colette Zabini hooked up over summer holiday, but I don't believe it's true. I've caught her looking at me funny this year... if you know what I mean. It's sad really, to think that the only attention I get is from a closeted-lesbian who sports a Mohawk and runs around in a leather jacket."
"Well at least someone is giving you attention," Albus mused solemnly before he fingered two puzzle pieces, pushing them together until they connected, "I don't know what it is, Rosie. I just feel like him and I are two pieces of a puzzle just waiting for someone to fit together. I can't explain it."
"Or maybe," Rose countered as she picked up two other pieces, obviously not meant for each other but almost fitting just the same, "it only looks like you two fit because you want it badly enough."
"I guess," Albus spoke almost inaudibly, the second part coming out in a defeated breath, "But isn't that worth something?"
Rose sighed and gently placed her hand on Albus' shoulder, her warm brown eyes speaking what her mouth wouldn't say before returning to their puzzle. They continued in silence for the rest of the evening, allowing the darkness outside to loom over their countenances.
()
Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy sauntered through the halls of Hogwarts as if he owned the place, which in his arrogant mind he did. His fellow crew of Slytherins lagged behind him self-assuredly: twins Colette and Cody Zabini, Rodney Goyle, and Adrian Thames (nee Parkinson). Despite Scorpius' father's considered betrayal among Voldemort supporters, Draco Malfoy still managed to remain friends with his old crew from school. Therefore, his son, Scorpius, grew up with the people that were now known as The Serpents. It was their own sense of a club and plenty of Slytherins had tried to get in, without much luck. One could spot them during school by their robes which were embroidered with two serpents intertwined with silver thorns wrapped around their slithering bodies... or by the teens' matching leather jackets with the same design plastered on the backs which they wore whenever they weren't in classes.
Back in fourth year, when Scorpius bought his mates their jackets, James Potter had made the snide comment that they reminded him of a Muggle movie called West Side Story and how ironic it was that a group so bent on being purebloods resembled something so Muggle... and from a musical no less. He continued to comment on how simply gay the whole thing was (this was, of course, before he realized which team his little brother played for). Needless to say, the group went about relentlessly pranking James Potter for a month, but the slimy bastards were never caught, something James is still bent about. Of course, being a Potter and a Weasely, he managed his revenge flawlessly: it took weeks for Scorpius to try and get the fire-engine red color to wash from his platinum locks and in the end, he had to shave his head and wait for his Malfoy blonde hair to grow back.
It was only the second week of school, but Scorpius was looking forward to the year: he was prefect (yet again), Seeker and Captain for their Quidditch team, head-to-head with that know-it-all Rose Weasely in classes and he already tormented Ravenclaw-Potter four times since school started. It was going to be a good year, he could tell. And speaking of the Middle-Potter, Scorpius thought wickedly as he gazed at the messy black head coming his way. He motioned for his friends to go ahead of him, telling Colette to save him a seat in potions, before redirecting his attention to the socially-graceless Ravenclaw.
"Hello Ravenclaw-Potter," he sneered, enunciating the 'Ravenclaw' part as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "Enjoy the break with your little fag of a boyfriend?"
Albus swallowed when he had seen the Slytherin up ahead, tempted to turn around and walk the other way but realizing that would only make it worse later. Come on, Al. This is your year to stand up for yourself. Grow some.
"Its just Potter," Albus said meekly, annoyed with himself that his voice was so soft despite the annoyance he felt inside, "And I dumped him."
Deciding short and sweet was best, Albus brushed his hair out of his eyes and dared to glance up at Scorpius, hoping his green eyes were mirroring his distaste and not his pleasure at seeing how well the Slytherin had filled out. Sure, he had noticed when they were on the Hogwarts Express two weeks ago and Scorpius insisted on brushing by him just hard enough to push him into the hallway wall during their first patrol of the year, but now he could take full advantage to see how much the blonde boy changed over the summer. His face was more defined, with cheekbones popping underneath taut, smooth ivory flesh and eyes that had grown older and more piercing as if they had wised up over the two months of break. Blonde wisps of hair framed his face delicately and Al had to admit to himself that he was grateful for his older brother's prank, much preferring the short shaggy haircut as opposed to the traditionally long hair. His body had taken a change as well, resembling more of a swimmers' build with built shoulders and arms tapering down to a trim waist and hips, a far better improvement from the tall, lanky form he was sporting last year. Not that Albus minded, either way the boy was gorgeous in his eyes...
"I highly doubt that," Scorpius cut into his thoughts with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest, as if he felt the intensity of Albus' admiring orbs.
"Doubt what?" Al looked up at him confused for a moment, internally having a panic-attack that he had spoken his praises of the Slytherin out loud.
"Doubt that you'd be the dumper and not the dumpee."
"Oh, that. Well it's true. You know, it's not unheard of. Someone fancying me and I dumping them, because I lost interest. I'm not that pathetic..." He trailed off with an annoyed huff before pushing past the taller boy, suddenly irritated at the thought of Malfoy not thinking he was worthy of being desired or that he was so desperate that the idea of him choosing to leave someone was preposterous.
Scorpius, slightly irked by Albus' sudden moment of ball-busting bravery, followed the raven-haired boy with eyes fiercely cold before pushing him into the nook of the wall, hiding them away from the straggling students entering the potions' classroom at the last minute.
"Aren't you though?" Scorpius spoke barely above a whisper, pressing his body against Albus' to the point of crushing, the smaller boy letting out a soft whimper in the back of his throat, "Aren't you pathetic enough to believe someone would want you? That someone would be attracted to how socially-inept you are," he pressed closer until his mouth was near the other boy's ear, his warm breath dancing along Al's skin deliciously while his hands rested against the hard wall on either side of his victim's head, his chest continuing to pin the other boy's smaller frame in place, "how undeniably awkward and clumsy you come off as? How you're the only Potter since Merlin knows when that wasn't sorted into Gryffindor, because you didn't have the balls to cut it…"
Albus couldn't breathe. He had dreamt of intense moments like these since fourth year, but never like this. Never this cruel. In his daydreams, Scorpius was pressed against him because he couldn't be close enough, because he desired Al so much that the thought of being inches apart would drive the Slytherin mad. He had imagined Scorpius being this close to him would have be pleasurable instead of the pain he was feeling against his chest. In that back of his rational mind, this is what Albus believed he deserved for reading too much into muggle romantic comedies and novels. His life was no Jane-Austen tale and Mr. Darcy was a farce.
Al tried to struggle against the taller, more fit, boy but it only seemed to egg Scorpius on more as he grabbed Al's wrists and pinned them about his head, now moving his face so his lips barely grazed Albus' as he spoke, the flavor of the blonde's mint candy he was sucking on tantalizing the Ravenclaw's mouth. "You really think someone would desire this... desire you?" He paused and for a brief moment, Al caught something in those grey depths, a flicker of something foreign... and heated. With a small swallow, Al remained motionless and still, hoping that Scorpius was almost done with his taunting because he wasn't sure how much more of this he could handle before a reaction down below would most likely begin to make itself known. And as much as he hated to admit it, Albus enjoyed being this close to the dick-head. If only he'd stop talking...
"It's laughable, Potter," Scorpius finished before pushing himself off, immediately missing the warmth the other boy's body created against his and berating himself for thinking such irrational and dangerous thoughts.
Albus watched Scorpius stalk off to the potions' classroom and waited until he was inside before he allowed himself to slide down the cold wall and put his head in his hands, forcing himself not to cry as he body shook with the realization of what just happened. Whoever said "stick and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me" was the biggest bullshitter Albus had ever heard of. Because this hurt. This hurt worse than the Cruciatus Curse.
As Scorpius entered the classroom, he glanced at his group and headed their way, brushing his hands through his hair absently as he did so.
"Are you okay? You looked all flushed..." Colette started with concerned hazel eyes as Scorpius sat next to her, beginning to pull out his things for the lesson and ignoring her coddling.
"Maybe he found some hot thing wandering the halls and decided to have a go with her," Cody chimed in with an amused whisper and identical hazel eyes, lightly patting Scorpius on the back in congratulations.
"Yea, that's it," Scorpius agreed with the infamous Malfoy smirk as he high-fived his friends and winked at Colette. She just returned the wink with a knowing roll of her eyes and a smile, about to say something but was cut off by Professor Elwes greeting the class matter-of-factly. Albus never did come into class, but only Rose and Scorpius seemed to notice.
Scorpius tried to listen as the potions professor began to drill into their heads that this year was just as important as the last because N.E.W.T.S. were upon them, but all Scorpius could think about was flushed, tan cheeks and probing green eyes.
Next time on Jigsaw Love:
Scorpius can't get a pair of green eyes out of his mind; Albus recounts his sorting back in first year; A certain Slytherin hatches the ultimate prank.