-A/N—
Insert usual disclaimer here. Just a bit of post Cursed Child fun (so, you know, SPOILERS).
-A/N-
Harry Potter, Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, Saviour of the Wizarding World, beloved husband of Sport Editors Mrs Ginerva Potter and father of three beautiful children, was not a morning person.
This particular morning was no exception. Harry had managed to stumble downstairs in a stupor, and turn the coffee percolator on with a lazy swish of his wand and a muttered "Caffinato". That neat little spell had been perfected during his Auror training days, to get him through the early starts. Not to mentioned those times when Ron had convinced him to stay out drinking the night before at the Soggy Broom, the Ministry's local watering hole.
Now those were some good memories. Harry's mind wandered back to those evenings watching Ron attempt to flirt with the blonde witch behind the bar who in all those years never called the Prophet on them.
He had just managed to rouse himself into a state of semi-alertness when a tawny owl swooped in, low enough that it only narrowly avoided the pots that hung suspended in the middle of the room. Setting his coffee down, Harry took the letter offered to him by the impatient bird before it swooped out. He only just noticed the Hogwarts crest sealing the parchment closed before it was torn open by his impatient hands.
Potter,
We need to discuss something regarding your son. If you're available this morning at 9 can you come to my office via Floo? This parchment is enchanted, just write your response with a regular quill.
It's quite important.
Headmistress McGonagall
Rereading the letter a second time, Harry felt a familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. The last time he'd been called into Hogwarts because of one of his offspring… well… needless to say the incident with the time turner hadn't ended well.
He was just patting down his robes in search of a quill when Ginny appeared at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing her eyes.
"Harry, everything okay?" She asked groggily, matching her husband's intense dislike of mornings.
"I'm not sure." Finally spotting a quill laying on the counter, Harry scribbled his hasty reply on the parchment. With a mild sense of curiosity, Harry watched as the ink hung on the surface for a second before it sunk through the paper, glowing brightly as it disappeared. "McGonagall wants to see me, says it's important."
"About?"
"I'm pretty sure it's Albus." Harry said grimly, looking up from the parchment at Ginny as she gave him one of those looks. There was little doubt Albus was the son she was talking about, and no doubt it was likely to be serious. After the events of their fourth year, Harry had come to expect pretty much anything from his wayward son.
"Oh dear." Ginny said, suddenly looking a lot paler.
"Well, it can hardly be worse than last time, can it?" Harry said weakly, wishing he believed it himself.
"Harry just you saying that makes it very likely that it will be. You attract as much as trouble as Albus does."
"Last time he nearly ended the world as we know it Gin. I'm sure McGonagall wouldn't have written me a letter if it was that bad. And what do you mean… I attract trouble? I've been trouble free for… well…"
"Harry, last week you came home covered in Gnorlack blood. If I didn't know better I'd say you spent your days looking for trouble." She was definitely awake now.
"Well, now I have to go. Just in case he's ended up re-writing history again." Harry said with a grin, crossing the kitchen to plant a quick kiss on his wife. She accepted the kiss with a matching smile, but it was clear she was still carrying the weight of the letter.
"Write to me, would you, with what she says? I'll die waiting all day."
"Of course Gin. I better go finish getting ready - can you let Mione know I'll be in later today? Don't know how long I'll be."
"I doubt she'll care, but alright." Ginny said, accepting another kiss as he spun out.
-HP-
McGonagall barely moved an inch as Harry came flying through her chimney a few minutes before nine, covered in soot.
"Morning Mr. Potter." She said, giving him only the barest of glances before returning to her task which seemed to involve shuffling a lot of paper. If Harry didn't know better, he would've thought she was avoiding eye contact with him. "We're waiting for Mr. Malfoy to join us." She answered his unasked question, as he took a seat opposite her.
Almost on cue, the chimney flared to life as Draco spun through. Harry was pleased to note the blonde Slytherin looked as ungraceful as he did arriving by Floo.
"Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for coming. Take a seat." She had finally stopped shuffling, but now seemed even more reluctant to glance up and meet their eyes. Her odd behaviour did not go unnoticed, as Draco took the seat next to Harry with a look that clearly said What did you do? Harry just shrugged in response.
Finally, after a few awkward moments of silence, the Headmistress clasped her hands together and looked up from her desk from behind her spectacles.
"So, I've brought you here to discuss a rather… delicate… matter regarding Albus and Scorpius." To his left, Harry felt Draco immediately tense. He honestly couldn't blame the ex-Slytherin for being a bit apprehensive, but really, it seemed to Harry that everyone was just over reacting. You kid almost destroys the world once and suddenly everyone's walking on eggshells….
"I swear to Merlin Potter if that son of yours has gotten Scorpius in some kind of trouble…" It wasn't said with as much venom as in the past, but the threat was no less real.
"If they're up to anything, they're both complicit. Dare I remind you of the incident with the biting books? They certainly didn't come from my house." Harry retorted, arms crossed. That incident had earned the boys a month's detention in their fifth year, during which they had to write a letter of apology to everyone the books had injured. It was a long list.
"So what have they done this time?" Draco asked, ignoring Harry's comment. They had become reluctant acquaintances since their adventure two years ago, but it rarely extended to anything that didn't involve their sons. It remained their only common connection.
"Well, I don't know quite how to put this so I'm going to just say it." McGonagall began, looking quite desperate. Harry, against his better judgement, felt his panic levels start to rise. "Yesterday evening I was patrolling the corridors when I caught your sons… er… well… they were…kissing." Just hearing such a ridiculously teenage word come out of McGonagall was so absurd that it momentarily distracted Harry. As such, it took several moments for what she had said to sink in.
As understanding dawned, Harry was suddenly painfully aware of his surroundings. The three of them sucked in a collective breath, as Harry felt his panic shoot to an eleven.
"Each other?" Harry managed to choke out, even though the answer was obvious at this point.
"Yes." McGonagall said. Her face was deadpan – it was clear the situation was neither grave enough to warrant her usual grim expression, nor humorous enough to earn her smile. In the corner, Draco's complexion was steadily getting paler.
"Kissing? This has got to be some sort of joke. Scorpius isn't… he isn't… like that." Draco managed to babble out. His eyes shifted from Harry, to McGonagall, then back to Harry - where they narrowed in distrust.
"You!" A long, pale finger was pointed directly at the Gryffindor "This must be your fault!" The Slytherin screeched, rather suddenly, leaping out of his chair.
"My fault? How could it possibly be my fault?" Harry screeched back, similarly rising from his chair, turning to face the now apoplectic blonde. McGonagall, sensing this was getting out of control, reached for her wand.
"Seriously Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy. This is nobody's fault. It's not even an issue, not exactly anyway." She added.
"Well then why did you call us here?" Harry asked, hysterically, his mind still struggling to fathom what was going on.
"Well… I'm in a bit of a predicament. The boys, as they're both in Slytherin, share a dorm. Given the recent… developments… the logical course of action would be to separate them…"
"Well of course they should be split. That should be obvious…" Draco interrupted scathingly, his grey eyes still attempting to bore into Harry.
"… however I'm not so sure if that's the wisest decision." McGonagall continued, ignoring the other man's interruption. Draco opened his mouth to argue once more, but one look from the Headmistress silenced him. "If I move one of them out – that's assuming I can even decide which one would relocate – I'd have to come up with a reason why. It's quite unprecedented, and likely to cause even more gossip than if we left things as they are. I am concerned that this level of publicity would make things… well… worse."
"But surely… surely they can't… stay in the same room." Harry said, unhelpfully, trying not to think too deeply about what this all meant. There were some things he simply wasn't ready for as a father, and his son's… night time activities… was definitely on that list.
"There are four other boys in the dormitory. There's nothing they can get up to that they can't do elsewhere in the castle." McGonagall reasoned. It was clear she had adopted this deadpan tone as a way of coping with what would otherwise be a horrendously awkward conversation. Harry wasn't so sure it was helping.
"So what's your solution?" Harry asked, as it became clear the other wizard was not going to contribute. Draco had managed to work himself up into such a state he had seemingly lost the ability to speak.
"Well, I thought perhaps you could speak to each of them. Separately. Impress upon them the need to conduct themselves appropriately, and the dangers of drawing that kind of attention."
More silence. Harry gave McGonagall's request some consideration, trying to wade through the shock. Perhaps… perhaps that wasn't the worst…
"That is the WORST FUCKING IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD." Draco had emerged from his stasis to interrupt Harry's musings with a snarl.
"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall gave him such a disapproving glare that the Slytherin actually backed down, his hard grey eyes momentarily softening.
"Look McGonagall. I appreciate that you're trying to be a teacher to these boys, but Scorpius is my SON! My ONLY GODDAM SON!" The other man's knuckles went white as they clutched his wand even tighter. Harry, instinctively, reached for his own.
"Is your issue, Mr Malfoy, that Scorpius was caught kissing a boy, or caught kissing Albus? Or perhaps that he was caught at all?" The question was so very Dumbledore-like that Harry had to stop himself from glancing up at the currently empty portrait on the wall.
"I'd venture to say it's all three." Draco snarled. He seemed to have composed himself enough to at least engage in conversation, although whether he was adding value or not remained to be seen.
"Hey! What's wrong with Albus!" Harry asked indignantly, vaguely aware that he was focusing on the least helpful topic.
"Oh don't turn all holier-than-thou Gryffindor! I've tolerated their friendship, but this is really too much. Malfoys have a reputation to uphold and it's currently hanging by a thread thanks to your wannabe Slytherin son! Oh god, I can only imagine what would happen if people found out…"
"Scorpius should be so lucky." Harry seethed, barely registering that his wand was now raised and crackling the air around it.
"I appreciate that you idiotic Gryffindors can't see past your own dimwittedness, but not everyone wants to be associated with you lot." Draco's wand was also raised, and the same electric sparks were now issuing from the end of his.
"I didn't hear you complaining two years ago when we saved your sorry arse. Again!" Harry roared back.
"We'd have been better off without you." Malfoy sneered, his voice soft and hard as ice in contrast to Harry's violent outburst.
It was the last straw, as a brilliant golden light suddenly billowed out from the end of Harry's wand. At the same time, silver erupted from the Slytherin's. The two beams met midway, curling and writhing around each other in a struggle for dominance. Harry was so pissed he didn't stop to think how utterly irrational he was being.
The wizard was just making him So. Damn. Mad.
"DESIST AT ONCE." McGonagall, who had her wand within reach since the conversation had begun, finally put it to good use. With a single, dramatic flick she separated the beams, which soared back to their respective wands as if reprimanded. As the beams re-entered their wands, both wizards were thrown off their feet, hitting the walls with a dull thud.
More silence, as the ex-Slytherin and ex-Gryffindor fought to catch their breath.
"Honestly, I expected you to react with more maturity but it seems very little has changed." McGonagall said, hands on hips, as she surveyed them both. "I can't let you speak to your sons in this state or you'll make things worse."
"I think… I think perhaps you're right." Harry said, feeling slightly ashamed as his eyes locked with Draco's. The other man gave an almost imperceptible nod. It was the closest thing to an apology the Headmistress would get from either of them.
"Right, well why don't you both go home and sleep on it. We can discuss the best course of action tomorrow when everyone is less… emotional. Use the Floo in my old office, I have work to do and no time to babysit adults." McGonagall said the last word disdainfully. There was little doubt in Harry's mind that they deserved her scorn.
-HP –
Outside her office, the two of them were finally able to digest their actions in the cold light of the Hogwarts corridors.
"Well, I'd say that could've gone better." Harry said, grimly.
"Really Potter. Your grasp of the obvious is mind boggling."
"Potter then is it? Have we really resorted back to that then, after all these years?"
"Oh don't get emotional on me. Harry." His name was said with such disdain Harry wished he hadn't said anything.
"Don't get emotional? So what do you call what went on in there then? Just a normal Thursday in the Malfoy household was it?"
"There's nothing… normal… about this Potter." Harry was relieved he was at least back to Potter, although less relieved he was now forced to venture down the path of this conversation. He could think of a number of things he'd rather do than have this conversation.
"No, normal is certainly not the word. Look – I need to send an owl to Ginny – but then perhaps we should…er… talk."
"Yes, well, I suppose that's not the worst idea you've ever had. But before that I think I need a drink. And not pumpkin juice or whatever it is your Gryffindorks drink. Something stiff."
"Leaky Cauldron then?" Harry asked, before briefly checking his watch. "Midday? That seems an acceptable time to drink."
"No time is not considered acceptable Potter. It's just a question of the appropriate drink for the given time of day."
In that moment, Harry could not have agreed more.
-HP—
Harry had to write three letters before heading to the Leaky Cauldron. The first, to his wife, was the most awkward one he'd ever written as he attempted to relay the events of that morning in a way that wasn't alarming. In the end, he didn't have the heart to tell her exactly WHO Albus was kissing, merely that he had been caught doing so with another student.
The second, to Hermione, explained in no great detail that he wouldn't be going to work that day due to urgent family matters and that was that. The third, to Ron, informed him of a few urgent matters that needed to be dealt with in the Auror Department (a trial for a convicted Muggle abuser, a handful of reports, and an inter-departmental memo that Harry was personally thrilled to be rid of).
As the last owl was on its way (he'd rented two additional owls from Eyelops to not overstress his own owl, Herlin) Harry made his way to the Leaky Cauldron with a little trepidation. As evidenced by the morning's display, there was still untold volumes of bad blood between them despite everything that had happened two years ago.
Inside the pub, Harry spotted the blonde nursing a glass of what appeared to be firewhisky by the bar and looking thoroughly depressed. He was still in the same black robes he'd been in that morning. With a sigh, Harry sat himself down on the stool next to him and motioned to Tom to pour him the same.
"Muffliato." Draco whispered with a flick of his wand, just as Harry opened his mouth to speak.
"Good idea." Harry said instead. "Did you want a disillusionment charm as well so people can't see us together?"
"I think I can safely pass on that one. The Prophet knows our sons are friends. Well, were friends." He added scathingly, adding a particularly vigorous swig of firewhisky to the remark.
"We don't know everything. Perhaps they were just experimenting." Harry thought, somewhat unhelpfully.
"Do you think? I'm not sure that makes it better." There was an odd slur to the other boy's comment that made it seem like perhaps he'd been here for quite a few rounds before Harry showed up.
"What's your problem with it, really?" Harry asked, more out of curiousity than anything else.
"Are you fucking with me Potter? Can you not see how this is a complete and utter disaster?"
"Look, I'm not thrilled, I'll be honest. The idea of you being Albus's Father-In-Law…"
"Father-In-Law? Are you out of your MIND? How can you be talking about… no… just no. There will be no marriage. No kissing. Nothing." Another vicious swig, and Harry was now convinced the other boy was quite tipsy. Determined to join him in his state of insobriety, Harry downed the last of his drink and motioned for another.
"I'm not… that's not the point Malfoy. I'm just saying, I think my biggest issue with it is that we won't be able to ignore each other anymore. We'll have to… hang out. Holidays. Christenings. Merlin knows what else."
"You'll be pleased to know that a future of Christmas lunches with you is the least of my worries. He's my only fucking son Potter. Astoria is dead." A slight pause, as a dormant guilt briefly re-surfaced, before he continued. "I need an heir. Desperately."
"They could adopt…"
"THEY ARE NOT GOING TO GET MARRIED POTTER."
"Then it must be about more than the heir thing."
"I… It's mostly that." Malfoy seemed suddenly unsure of himself, at which point Harry was convinced he was drunk.
"And what else?"
"I… don't know. It just bothers me. Doesn't it bother you?"
"It… I think I could learn to live with it. As I said, not thrilled. Accepting." Harry nodded, trying to understand himself what he was feeling. The firewhisky seemed to be helping so he took another swig.
"What do we do now?" Draco asked miserably.
"We follow McGonagall's advice. We talk to them. Warn them to be discrete. And keep an eye on it. If we come across too hostile they'll never tell us anything and THEN we'll be in trouble. Then a wedding could just… sneak up on us." The other boy visibly shivered.
"Okay. So be accepting for now and hopes it go away? And in the meantime pray like fucking gods this is a stupid, hormonal, temporary…"
"Malfoy." Harry said, sharply. "Not helpful."
"Right then. Positive language." Another swig of his glass, and Malfoy motioned for a top up. A silence descended on them, and Harry took the opportunity and his new found liquid courage to ask the question he needed to ask.
"How are you doing Draco, really?" It was the use of his first name that did it. The other man visibly withered, and with a sigh looked him straight in the eye with his silver blue eyes.
"I've been worse." He said, grimly, a meaningful look at Harry. The other boy nodded in understanding.
"But not great, either. I get it."
"Do you though? You've still got Weasley around, other children to give you grandkids if this whole fucking mess turns into what we fear it will. But I have… well no one." He choked on this last confession, but remained stoic in his emotion. A Malfoy to the end, it would seem.
"Draco, you're not…"
"Spare me your pity. It's not wanted nor required. I just mean… I'm going to fight harder for Scorpius. And I'm telling you now, as a warning, but that's it."
"Fine. Consider myself warned. But, you know, if the worst were to happen, we wouldn't… we wouldn't shut you out. You wouldn't be alone."
"Fucking lovely." The other boy said, utterly deadpan. The fact that it wasn't said with his usual cruelty gave him some hope.
-HP-
Harry was forced to Floo back home due to this state of indecent insobriety. He landed in a heap on his living room floor, fighting the wave of nausea that had over taken him. As the alcohol seeped into their blood, the two men had slowly let down their guards and began to trade stories.
Harry shared amusing anecdotes of his more adventurous Auror missions, while Draco shared his woeful attempts at dating. As it turned out the blonde had signed up for an exclusive match making service and was not getting the results he'd anticipated. He'd also not told his son about his dating escapades, mostly out of sheer embarrassment.
To say he'd had a good time with Malfoy wasn't something he was prepared to admit, but it certainly had been an interesting afternoon. It made him think that perhaps – if the worst really were to happen and their families did join – Christmases with him wouldn't be quite as bad as originally thought.
Thanks to his state of drunkenness Harry didn't have the sense to stress about Ginny's arrival. He headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, stumbling his way up the stairs, before settling onto the living room couch with a cup of tea and a book.
He had, in fact, forgotten completely about the 'Situation' with his son until Ginny walked in.
"Hello darling. How was your day?" She gave him a fond look, bending down to give him a kiss as she struggled to take off her scarf. Harry felt his stomach sink in anticipation. Now was a bad time to sober up.
"Err… interesting." He said, returning the kiss.
"Oh? Was this about the Albus thing or something that happened at work?"
"I didn't go to work today." Harry said carefully, watching his wife apprehensively. "I think… I think you'd better sit down. I need to tell you something." Ginny gave him a searching look as she carefully lowered herself onto the couch next to him.
"Harry, you're freaking me out. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's… fine. It's not serious. Just… complicated."
"Is this about Albus? Harry, he got caught kissing. I hardly think it's the end of the world. Honestly I think McGonagall is over reacting a bit, I mean really…"
"It's, well, it's more about who he was kissing that's… complicated."
"Who is it? You didn't mention in your letter but I was going to ask…" Ginny drifted off. Harry braced himself for the fallout as he uttered the next words.
"Scorpius Malfoy."
As when McGonagall had told him the news, her first reaction was seemingly shock. A silence wrapped around them that seemed to suffocate, which Harry took to mean she wasn't taking the news well. Not that he could blame her.
"S…Scorpius? But… he's… a boy?" Ginny eventually stuttered out.
"I know."
"And… a Malfoy?"
"Also true." Harry added, suddenly grateful to the alcohol which made him blunter than usual.
"What… what…" She seemed to be struggling with what to say next. She, like Harry, was obviously wrapping her mind around the problem and rapidly working out that there was nothing else to say. What could they do, after all? Harry mused. Other than hold on and see where the merry ride took them?
"I'm going to talk to Albus tomorrow." Harry added, when it was clear Ginny wasn't going to add value.
"Yes… yes good. We should try to convince him out of… whatever this is…" She muttered, looking a little maniacal as she rubbed her hands on her thighs for lack of anything else to do.
"Well, actually I was just going to tell him to be discrete." Harry said, once again grateful for the alcohol.
"You can't be serious? Don't tell me you're approving…"
"No, not approving. But accepting. If we push him too far we may lose him here. Draco and I decided…"
"Draco? Is that who you were with today?" She said sharply, cutting Harry off.
"Yes. We caught up after McGonagall told us the news and decided to be… understanding… for now."
"Caught up? Since when do we catch up with the Malfoys?" Her temper was clearly rising, and Harry wished he had all his wits about him to deal with it.
"Look Ginny… we both needed to let off a little steam…"
"A little steam?" She narrowed her eyes, and suddenly leaned in to peer at him closer. "Were you… were you drinking?" Evidently he wasn't as sober as he'd anticipated, as she'd clearly noticed.
"Yes. Maybe. A little." Harry said a little sheepishly. "Look, it's beside the point. Don't you remember what happened last time I tried to tell Scorpius who to be friends with? We almost… we almost lost him…" The last comment gave Ginny pause, and for the first time she looked Harry straight in the eye.
"Harry James Potter. I hope to god you know what you're doing."
"I hardly ever do." He said grimly. "Now why don't you come over here and give me a proper hello?"
She gave him a hard look. "This isn't the end of this conversation Mr. Potter. Don't think you've escaped punishment for your little transgression this afternoon."
"Whatever you say Mrs. Potter." He said with a cheeky grin as she shuffled over into his lap.
"Also, I'm not telling Ron." She added, as she went in for a kiss. Harry could only groan in response.
-HP-
Harry's hangover was in full overdrive the next morning when he woke. It did little to prepare him for the day ahead.
Shuffling downstairs, he nursed his coffee as he contemplated what he was going to say to his son. Not for the first time he thought back on how different Albus was to this siblings. Not that James and Lily didn't have their own problems, but really, if they were competing for who brought the most trouble it was Albus by a long shot.
All too soon it was almost 9 o'clock and time for him to Floo back to Hogwarts. Harry had written to Ron and Hermione the night before, saying he'd be late again but boy did he have a good excuse. He hadn't wanted to say anything in the letters in case they were read by their staff accidentally.
All too soon, Harry found himself brushing off his robes in McGonagall's office. Surprisingly, he wasn't the first one – Malfoy was already seated in the same chair he was in the day before.
"Malfoy. Headmistress." He said by way of greeting as he took his seat.
"Morning Mr. Potter. I've just been hearing from Mr Malfoy about your positive discussion yesterday." She was in much better spirits today, clearly relieved she had no more awkward news to deliver. Evidently that was his job for the day.
"Yes well. We decided for now it was best to be accepting…"
"I hope you can extend that acceptance going forward Mr. Potter. But it's a start. Now, I've asked Albus and Scorpius to meet you by the lake and the Quidditch pitch, respectively. Should give you plenty of privacy and won't run the risk of bumping into each other. I suggest you make your way there now."
With a nod, Harry followed Malfoy out of McGonagall's office. They descended the stairs in silence, Harry all the while cursing his headache. It wasn't until they were well clear of McGonagall's office that the other boy attempted conversation.
"So how did your wife take the news then?" He asked as they headed towards the entrance hall.
"Honestly, better than I expected. It's Ron we're both worried about…" Malfoy snorted in amusement.
"Of course Weasley will have a fit. Are you going to tell him?" He added.
"Not… not yet I don't think. Not until it's…"
"Serious?" Malfoy said with a grimace.
"Yeah, pretty much. Don't look so despaired Malfoy, Scorpius will see right through it."
"I hope he does." The blonde said a little viciously.
It took them some time to make their way to the entrance hall. They exchanged some conversation, but both were clearly anxious about the upcoming conversation with their sons to put too much effort into it.
As he bid farewell to Malfoy – the other boy heading to the Quidditch pitch – Harry felt his anxiety hit him in full force. For all his Auror training, nothing in his studies had ever prepared him for having a son. Especially not one like Albus.
"Dad!" The boy in question was running across the grass towards him. In the distance, he could see Scorpius heading in the opposite direction towards Malfoy.
As he approached, Harry could tell his son was as nervous as he was.
"Hello Albus." Harry gave his son a quick hug.
"So… I guess McGonagall called you then." He said, jumping straight into the deep end.
"Yes, she did." Harry said, putting his arm around Albus's shoulders and steering him towards the lake. "Let's take a walk around the lake and chat."
"You can't order me to stop seeing him…" The boy stepped out of his father's embrace, clearly on the defensive. Harry sighed.
"I'm not going to order you to stop seeing him." Harry said, pausing his stride to look at Albus directly. The boy paused as well, evidently surprised.
"Oh. Well… why are you here then?"
"Albus, McGonagall has expressed some… ah… concerns. About the two of you."
"Concerns? What, she doesn't approve?" Albus crossed his arms, a clear warning sign that his defences were rising. Harry had a distinct feeling this conversation wasn't going to end well.
"No, nothing like that. It's just an unusual situation and she's a bit apprehensive about you… sharing a dorm." Harry added awkwardly.
"Oh. OH." Albus said, his eyes going wide. "We're not.. It's not…" Harry held up his hand before this conversation went too far.
"You're a sixteen year old boy. I get it. It might not be happening, but the concern is it COULD."
"And that's what's got you all so worked up?" Albus asked incredulously.
"Well, partly. It's also the publicity thing."
"Publicity? You… you're worried about how this might look." The boy's eyes narrowed, and Harry heard alarm bells ringing in his head.
"No… not… I don't mind… it's just… I'd hate to think what the papers would say and I don't want you to go through that." Harry finished, somewhat pleased with his recovery. It seemed to work, because Albus uncrossed his arms.
"I get it, we're being careful. We don't want that either." He said, carefully.
"Well good. That's all I want, is to make sure you understand the risks and don't go announcing it to the world just because you think you're in l… because you like each other." Harry cursed himself for opening that door. Blissfully, Albus ignored his slip up. Harry was grateful as he wasn't quite ready to hear that just yet.
"Well, we are being careful."
"But McGonagall caught you…"
"Stupid nosy woman." Albus interrupted in a huff. "She found us in a classroom. We'd locked it and everything but she undid the spell." Harry tried not to laugh at the mental picture, knowing it would do nothing to keep the precarious conversation amicable.
"Well, perhaps stick to less used classrooms?" Harry asked with a grin.
"Yes well. Perhaps she should keep her nosy nose out of…"
"Albus!"
"…Our business." Albus finished determinedly. Harry just shook his head.
-HP-
It was well past curfew, and the corridors of Hogwarts were silent as a tomb.
Almost.
On the seventh floor corridor, a few corridors down from the Room of Requirement, if you listened very carefully, a soft whispering and shuffling could be heard. If you were curious enough to follow the sound, you would see the silhouette of two bodies hiding behind a suit of armour.
And if you were feeling particularly adventurous, and inched just that little bit closer, you might even be able to overhear a conversation.
"Scorpius, you idiot, we're going to get caught." Albus said breathlessly, trying vainly to bat the other boy's hands away.
"I know." Scorpius replied smugly.
"And our dad's told us to be careful…" The brunette was rapidly losing control of the situation.
"I know." The blonde replied in between attacking the poor boys neck with hungry, open mouthed kisses.
"If we just… stopped…" Albus sucked in a breath as the blonde found a particularly sensitive spot. "For a moment… we… we could go to the Room of Requirement."
"I know." The blonde said again, not heeding the other boy's advice in the slightest as he continued to kiss his way down the boy's neck. With a little manoeuvring, he managed to align their bodies more closely which earned a gasp from the brunette.
"You'll be the death of me." Albus said with an almost painful groan, as the blonde pressed him against the wall. The action sent a wave of lust through the poor boy that made it very difficult to think straight.
"I know." Scorpius was truly enjoying himself now, as the other boy's reaction was clearly evident.
"And you're a total prat." Albus added, almost painfully, as the friction between them increased.
"I know."
"And I love you something stupid."
"I know."
-HP-