I'd like to dedicate this to Louise (A Thousand Reasons To Smile) who I recently proposed to. I'm already married, but she's going to be my mistress/bit-on-the-side/lover/BFFEEEEEEEA (best friend forever ever (xhowever many E's there are) after).
So, Isy, this is for you! Oh, and happy late birthday too ;)
"What do you mean, you don't love me anymore? How can you just stop loving someone? It's not like it's a light that you can switch on and off whenever you want to – it's a feeling! An emotion so powerful that it could knock you off your feet even at the first stirring, or take your breath away with just a little nudge. Before you came into my life, I had never been in love. Now you're trying to leave my life, and I will still be in love because I can't just make myself stop loving you. Even if the world stops turning, and my heart stops beating, I will still love you. So I'll ask you again… How can you just stop loving someone?" James gazed down at Dominique, his expression fierce.
"Your cousin is such a pansy," Scorpius muttered to Lucy who rolled her eyes disapprovingly at him. "Seriously, I don't know how Dom can stand there and listen to him gushing on like that without laughing in his face – I'm quite proud of myself for not rolling around on the floor laughing, especially when he started talking about love being "an emotion so powerful…" – what was that about?"
"But… but how can I know for sure that I'll ever be able to trust you again?" Dominique asked quietly, her face betraying just how hurt she was. James looked down at her for a long moment.
"You can't," he said very quietly and then took her in his arms.
"And now they're kissing. This just crossed the line between slightly embarrassing and outstandingly awkward," Scorpius observed and Lucy slapped his arm lightly.
"And that, class, is how you do romance!" Their teacher stepped forward and brought his hands together, looking at James and Dominique with admiration as they broke apart and smiled and bowed for their applauding audience. "James, Dominique, well done! The emotion you two showed was so pure and believable that I almost forgot you were even acting!"
"Yes, I almost died with happiness and adoration at the skills these two portray – I almost forgot they were co-" Scorpius got no further in his sarcastic statement before Lucy slapped a hand over his mouth, smiling innocently at their frowning teacher. They had signed up for the muggle class out of sheer boredom a few days ago and Scorpius was already vowing never to sign up for anything with his girlfriend again – this was just weird. They had missed the first couple of lessons and several assignments so didn't really have a clue what they were doing compared to everyone else but Lucy, James, and Dominique all went with the flow. Scorpius usually just sat in the back and laughed – especially when one of the assignments had been 'wizards' which he had found beyond hilarious.
"Right, well that's us for today. I'll see you all tomorrow for another class… We'll be working on improve so get ready to do things you aren't prepared for!" Their teacher grinned rather madly at them and then left the room through the window as always, eating a passion fruit. Lucy and Scorpius looked at each other, shrugged, and followed James and Dominique out of the room.
"You know, it would be really awkward if the rest of the class knew you were cousins," Scorpius drawled languidly to Dominique, nodding in James's direction but not actually addressing him.
"Eh, we'd get used to it. It's awkward enough with the rest of the family," Dominique said cheerfully, looped her arm through James's, and tugged him out of the room.
"Remind me again why we're taking this class?" Scorpius asked Lucy, linking his fingers through hers as they left the building and wandered out into the sunshine covered streets.
"Because! It's summer and just the other day you were complaining about how bored you were because you have nowhere to go so we signed up for this class! Of course you could have gone on holiday with your parents…" Lucy smirked up at him when he began violently shaking his head.
"What, and listen to my dad go on and on about how I 'besmirched the family name' and brought 'great dishonour to the House of Malfoy' by being Sorted into Gryffindor? I'd rather pretend to be a muggle and do an acting class… Wait, I'm already doing that." He rolled his eyes at her as she beamed up at him. "The things you convince me to do. You know, if you weren't so bloody adorable I wouldn't even set foot in a muggle town, let alone freely interact with them."
"Scorpius! That's so mean! It's no wonder you weren't Sorted into Hufflepuff…" Lucy chided as they followed Dominique and James down the road to the beach. The two cousins had wandered ahead, their arms still linked, with their heads bent closely together. James was whispering things that were probably extremely inappropriate in Dominique's ear and she was giggling like a schoolchild as she listened.
"Lucy, you know I was joking. Besides, if I was in Hufflepuff that would mean I'd be good. And being good would be no fun because I wouldn't have you to come and scold me and put me back on the right track whenever mine and Albus's pranks go wrong." Scorpius flicked her nose playfully and she giggled up at him. "Despite that, you're a bad influence on me."
"What? How?" Lucy gazed at him, her face the picture of distress as she tried to figure out how she could be a bad influence on her boyfriend.
"You," Scorpius said, pointing in her face with a teasing expression, "are turning me into a loving, kind sap. And I do not like it. Before you and I started going out I used to be feared at Hogwarts because people thought I was actually my father, which isn't true, but still-" Scorpius was suddenly shut up by Lucy kissing him. After a few minutes she pulled away and grinned up at him cheekily, laughing at his rather stupefied state.
"Shut up, you love being a sap really," she teased and he nodded dazedly. "Because you love showering gifts and fun upon your sweet, loving girlfriend in exchange for loving kisses and soft hugs, am I right?"
"When are you ever wrong?" Scorpius replied, still looking quite befuddled.
"That is the correct answer! Smart boy. Now, go and do something fun to entertain me and you may get another kiss, you love struck fool." Scorpius immediately lit up and swung her onto his back with ease.
"Come!" He declared as she giggled loudly on his back. "Let us frolic through the light waters of the ocean and dance like spirits on the sand!" He ran towards the beach with her clinging to his back, both of them laughing like idiots as they passed a surprised James and Dominique.
"Now who's the pansy?" James called after them and Scorpius flipped him off over his shoulder. Dominique chuckled and jumped on James's back, gently nudging him in the sides with her heels.
"Go, Jamesie, go! If we can beat them to the ocean, we'll have bragging rights forever!" She urged and he grinned and took off like a rocket.
After that afternoon, in which two girls were dumped in the sea and in return ducked their respective boyfriends, the four didn't bother going back to acting class and instead spent the remainder of their summer on the beach. Scorpius even managed to get a tan.
