A/N - Using the quote "That didn't happen, of course. Things never happened the way I imagined them." - John Green, Looking for Alaska.
He would do it. He would go up to the older boy and… tell him. Simple plans always worked best, right? Less could go wrong. Hopefully.
He would walk up to him, tell him how he felt - confidence was key here - and let the fates decide what was to become of them.
.oOo.
"Scor- Err… Malfoy?" he stuttered, eyes trained on his shuffling feet.
"Hey," the older student answered cheerfully, showing nothing of his Pureblood heritage. He'd always been different - from his family, from his peers, from everyone - and that was what Lysander admired most about him.
"Um… I-"
"Lysander, isn't it?" Scorpius asked, surprising him.
"I- Yeah," he whispered, clearing his throat and repeating the word louder. "Yeah." He looked up to see a soft smile on Scorpius' face, instantly putting him at ease and boosting his confidence.
"Do you… um… maybe want to-" Okay, so maybe he still wasn't particularly confident - but it was a damn sight better than before, and Scorpius knew his name.
"There's a Hogsmede weekend coming up," Scorpius interrupted him. "Go with me?" he said with an easy smile.
"I- Really?" he hesitated once more, unsure if Scorpius' question was genuine - after all, how could he possibly be good enough for the other boy?
"Really." Scorpius' smile didn't waver.
.oOo.
He smiled sadly at the girl sitting on the bed opposite him, hands clutching desperately at the duvet as he came to the end of his tale. She stared at him with eager eyes, maybe not noticing how stiffly he was holding himself or that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"That didn't happen, of course. Things never happen the way I imagine them."
.oOo.
"Um… I-" He could feel the hot sting of tears fill his eyes; he needed to leave before Scorpius could see them spill over. "Nothing, I'm sorry."
He pushed past the older boy, hating himself all the while, knowing that he could never be good enough.
"Scorpius? Who was that?" He heard someone ask as he fled.
"I don't know." Scorpius' voice drifted down the corridor, made faint by distance.
He wasn't brave or smart. He didn't even register to the other boy.