Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anyone in his universe, all belongs to JK Rowling. I do not own the picture on the cover, either. It is simply a picture of roses; I found it on google images, and I am not claiming it or the characters in this story as my own in any way.

When I was sixteen, I fell in love. - There's Something About Mary

Meddling

Albus Potter woke up, on the day of his very last Valentine's Day in Hogwarts halls, disheveled and confused.

Until, of course, he looked at the teenage-boy-esque calender on the wall of the dorm (one that both he and his Slytherin dormmates loved), and remembered it was quite literally his least favorite day of the entire year. His face slipped into a grimace, and just for the heck of it, he embraced his bedhead even further, raking his hands through his hair in frustration.

Albus was a hopeless romantice. His mother and aunts and girl cousins told him so, his very first date to Hogsmeade in fourth year had told him so, and he knew he was. As cheesy as it was, and as much as James took the mickey, he didn't care. He thought making grand, romantic gestures for girls was wonderful. They appreciated it, and it was an easy way to charm them, especially if said girl thought he was incredibly arrogant. He had made Head Boy (barely beating out Scorpius, by the skin of his teeth), after all. He slept in the dorm to bother his mates.

Of course he had enjoyed Valentine's Day two years ago, with his first and only girlfriend to date, because they had done lovey-dovey things all day, and James had laughed at him the entire time, but it had felt fantastic.

But anyway, here he was, on the most bloody romantic day of the bloody year, and he was dateless.

Not only dateless, but bloody head over heels for a girl who had no idea how he felt about her, and it was so bloody frustrating he wanted to scream.

And he sighed, because Melonie Malone was perfect, and it had taken him years to realize it. Years in which she had dated numerous other boys and liked all of them a hell of a lot more romantically than she did Albus Potter.

They had met just a week into their very first year, fighting over a book as first years do. And when they were kicked out by Madam Pince, she had grinned madly at him, and they had burst into laughter. Mel was prefect for the Ravenclaws, and seeker and captain as well, making her both Scorpius's and his sister's competition. She was absolutely brilliant, and stubborn and had a right short temper, but it's not like he cared in the slightest. She was hysterical, and brilliant, and not to mention gorgeous, as well: bright smile, tight chocolate curls and pale blue eyes.

And the list goes on, and on, and on...

Al didn't know if he was in love. But he knew he liked this girl. A lot. Enough so that he wasn't going to be willing to date anyone else anytime soon.

To take out his anger, he smirked and, as teenage boys so often do, rolled off his bed a bit and extended his arm, promptly backhanding a sleeping Scorpius in the chest.

"AH!" Scorpius's eyes shot open, and he leapt out of bed, getting caught in his covers and tumbling to the floor. He slowly pushed himself up and glared hard at Albus, who was rolling on the bed laughing, wiping tears from his eyes. If looks could kill, his best mate would have promptly exploded. "What the hell?! Bugger off, Al! Let me sleep!"

It took Al a solid minute to catch his breath. "No can do, Scorp. It's singles appreciation day!"

Scorpius's eyes widened, and he moved to check the calender in confirmation. He groaned, long and loud, and banged his head into his pillow. "You're such a prick, Al. I was not in the mood for that," he muttered.

Albus looked affronted. "Well, aren't you just a ball of sunshine this morning?" he teased. "Why so rude? Would you be polite if this was darling Rosie speaking?" At the mention of Rose, the corner of Scorpius's mouth twitched into a barely-barely-there smile. In fact, if it was anyone but Albus, it would have gone unnoticed.

The look was gone in a millisecond, though, and Scorpius gaped. "Rude?! You've got the bludgering nerve to call me impolite this morning? You hit me! Hard!"

Albus laughed. "Oh come on. Are we five now? I hit you 'hard'? Really?"

"Albus, you did! Why are you so goddamn happy, anyway? You're sodding single!"

The Head Boy's look darkened instantly. "Shut. UP. At least you've got a chance. Like, an actual chance. I'd trade you any day! Melonie doesn't even know who I am!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Dramatic much, Al? You've been friends for years. And what in Salazar's name are you talking about? Chance at what?"

"UGH. Idiots." Al rolled his eyes, stood, and threw on his uniform and robes. "Come on, lover boy, we've got class." Albus strut out of the dormitory, leaving Scorpius gaping and dumbstruck.

A few moments later:

"OI! Wait up! What kind of mate are you?"

"The handsome, manipulative kind." Al quipped.

And that was the truth. Al's got no chance with Mel, he understands that. But Scorpius... Scorpius just doesn't get it. He's so blind, and so is his damn cousin. He gave his friend a sidelong glance as he caught up and they made their way towards the Hall. The proud, arrogant kind, Scorpius was. But underneath all of that, he was a great guy. They had defied the odds: a Potter, a Malfoy. But they were best mates, and they always would be.

"Good morning, Al." Rose suddenly appeared at his side, breaking him from his thoughts. "Morning, Scorp," she added, and Albus turned his head to watch with satisfaction as Scorpius literally beamed because Rose was talking to him. And then Rose beamed, when he talked back! "Ready for your last Valentine's Day in Hogwarts, Rosie? One more day of these blasted cherubs, and then we'll be done! How fantastic is that?"

Rose laughed, and Scorpius smiled even wider.

How could two people be so pathetic and oblivious all at once?

Okay, so Al was a tad arrogant as well.

Albus watched as his two friends walked in front of him, heading to the Great Hall at a quicker pace and talking about the bloody woes of Valentine's Day, as if they had regular singles' problems and weren't completely and utterly in love.

Disgusting.

But if there was one thing a Potter was good at, it was sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. And if he had anything to do with it, everything would be different after this Valentine's Day.

"What are we looking at?" Melonie appeared out of nowhere, whispering into his ear conspiratorially, and Albus's heart skipped a solid three beats. On impulse, though, he grinned, and tilted his head down just a bit to look at her. She was an average height, but Al was quite tall. It took him a few seconds to respond, breaking out of his reverie of her when she nudged his arm. "Well?" she asked.

Albus nodded his head in the direction of Rose and Scorpius. "That. That is a problem."

"Ah, that." Albus nearly jumped a meter into the air when his little sister appeared in a flash of dark ruby hair. Her brown eyes, so like his mother's that he panicked whenever she pulled Mum's voice as well, sparkled with mischief. "Yes, something needs to be done about that."

"I couldn't agree more, Lily," Mel agreed, grinning at her. "Happy Valentine's Day, by the way."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sure, magical," she whispered sarcastically, and Al laughed. "Lovesick girls, perverted boys, and naked babies. Merlin's gift to humanity: the valentine. Bloody fantastic." And then, she brightened. "But that. That's exciting. What's the plan?"

"Right now? Eating," Al answered promptly, and Melonie laughed, and his heart fluttered.

Okay, so Al was a tad pathetic, too.

"But we'll figure something out," Al promised, and the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin separated to their tables.

That breakfast, Albus had the unfortunate experience of watching his baby sister open Valentines, seemingly hundreds of them, for what felt like hours. He was just peacefully eating his bacon, but everytime he looked up he noticed her smiling and blushing again, sending a- dare he say it- fliratious wave in the direction of the boy who sent it. Those boys would then promptly turn into puddles.

And then, he watched as Melonie's fellow Ravenclaw prefect, whose name he could not remember in his anger, but who was obviously far superior to Al, approached her and asked if she'd like to go to Hogsmeade with him tomorrow. She had giggled, and he had felt sick to his stomach. He didn't even find out the answer, and returned to his bacon.

It was then that he realized, reaching for another strip, that practically all the bacon was gone. He looked to his right, and there was Scorpius, chomping away on strip after strip as if it had personally offended him, glaring in the direction of the Gryffindor table. He followed his line of sight to Rose, and Albus instantly felt better. Every time Rose opened a valentine, or talked to another boy, Scorpius took another vicious bite. Albus smirked, and put on a posh accent,

"Something the matter, Scorpius darling?"

Scorpius snapped his head around, doubled over in laughter. "What is up with you this morning? You're so moody. You were so pissed a few minutes ago."

Albus resigned, a frown adorning his features, as he jerked his head to the direction of Lily and her mountain of valentines, and the prick talking to Mel.

Scorpius laughed, long and hard, and Albus elbowed him in the gut. "Little Lily's growing up, then? What would your dear brother say? You're certainly not doing a very good job defending her honor, by the looks of it, and..." Scorpius followed Al's eyes back to Mel and 'the Prick,' where his eyes had snapped back to, and grinned, "ah, of course. The fair maiden being whisked away, eh, Al?"

Al raised an eyebrow. "And you think I'm loopy this morning. Where were you looking, kind sir? Ah, that's right, in the direction of my darling cousin. The one you don't have feelings for, if I recall." Scorpius elbowed him this time, and Albus nearly choked.

"We're just friends, Al."

"What is she eating right now?"

"Pancakes, her favorite."

"How about dinner, then?"

"Fried chicken's her favorite, but her muggle grandmum's, not the elves'."

"Is she going to go out with that guy?"

"Of course not, he gave her a rose. How cheesy is that? Everyone knows she likes-" and suddenly, Albus's heart exploded with hope, as an epiphany lit up Scorpius's eyes, and he fixated them on Rose with his true emotions showing, for the very first time.

Al put in softly, "Does everyone know that, Scorp?"

Scorpius took a few moments, then breathed deeply. "No...no, I don't think so."

Al grinned at him, and Scorpius returned it.

And then, after a few moments:

"Valentine's Day still so terrible? You get it now? You and Rose actually have something; Mel and I, well..."

And Scorpius jumped. "Oh crap." The bliss had vanished.

Al facepalmed, "Merlin, what now?"

"Al, Al, AL! I really, really like her-"

"love," Al corrected.

"-what if I mess this up?!" Scorpius looked positively terrified.

"This?" Al was ecstatic. "You have a plan? That's great! I've been trying to come up with something all through breakfast."

"Good news," Al reports, catching up to Mel in the hall on their free. "Scorpius gets it. He's in love with her."

Melonie frowns, "and the bad news...?"

"He's got no sodding clue what to do about it," Al sighs.

"Okay...okay, yes, we can do this," Melonie says, to reassure herself more than anything. "Your sister told me Rose likes him, but she's not going to believe he likes her until she hears it from him. Don't ask me how she found that out. Lily's a genius."

Al laughed. "She tends to convince people of this. Guess you've fallen into her trap."

Melonie hit his arm lightly, laughing, and goosebumps shot up to his shoulder. "I guess so. Come on, let's go to the library."

They walk in silent companionship through the halls, until Albus can't take it anymore.

"Mel..."

"yeah, Al?"

"That pri- guy, that guy at breakfast. Who was that?"

She looks at him, confused, and Albus can't help but notice again how beautiful she is, as her glassy eyes stare right through him. "The other prefect?"

"That's the one," Al confirms, looking away shyly. "The lucky bastard," he mutters.

Her brows crinkle together. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Al adds hastily. "I was just wondering what you were talking about."

"Well," Mel thinks for a second, "he asked me to Hogsmeade tomorrow, for Valentine's Day."

"Ah..ah, ok." There's a flash of what looks like disappointment in her eyes, and Al can't figure out why for the life of him. "Let's um...come up with a plan, then."

"Yeah." There's something between them, now, and he can't place what. They stand close together in the corridor, face to face, at a dead stop.

Then Albus pulls away, because he doesn't want to be disappointed, and they walk to the library and discuss ways to get Rose and Scorpius together, as if nothing had ever happened. That is, until Lily arrives, and tells them they're both idiots, and this is "exactly what they need to do," rattling off a long winded scheme of flowers, distractions, and enchantments.

Albus and Lily watch as the plan goes off without a hitch, proving Lily's confidence correct, and giving her a quite unnecessary ego boost. They wanted to give Rose and Scorpius privacy, and they can't hear much. But there seems to be, after Scorpius gives her her favorite flowers (forget-me-nots, not roses) exasperated sighs exchanged, and disbelieving words, and shy glances, until together, in unison, they both say something that looks suspiciously like 'I love you.'

They've been snogging at the end of the corridor for five bloody minutes.

"Ah. To be young, and in love," Lily sighs, beaming at the couple.

Albus nudged her. "Who said that?"

Lily stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Daddy," she decides.

Albus laughs, "Sure, Lils. Hey, look over there. Go ahead," he points in the direction of Jordan Wood, and Lily beams, just a bit.

"Really, Al?" she looks up hopefully at him. "You like him?"

"Lily," he looks serious for a moment, "of course I do. I knew him when he was in diapers, remember? He plays a mean quidditch game, too. Really, Lily, he's great. Go on."

"Oh, thanks Al!" she throws her arms around him.

Her brother chuckles, holding her tight, "I was unaware my opinion meant that much."

She smiles at him, "Of course it does," and kisses his cheek. She walks over to Jordan, then, and Albus sees nothing but blush and grinning as they walk away, hand in hand.

Albus is still watching her go when Melonie makes him jump for what seems like the thousandth time that day. "So," she says, bouncing over, excitement evident in her voice. "Mission accomplished," she jokingly extends a hand for Al to shake.

And suddenly, Al doesn't care about this anymore. He wants to be happy. He wants someone to be romantic with, he wants to be in a couple.

And he wants that with Mel; who makes him smile, and laugh, and has everthing he could possibly love about a girl all bottled up into one.

She's perfect. And when he watches the blush rise to her cheeks as they shake hands, and she flashes him that gorgeous smile, he snaps out of a trance and pulls on her hand that he's supposed to be shaking. He places it on his arm, and wraps his arms around her, and kisses her right there in the Hall.

It's everything he always dreamed about, and he's smiling against his lips and whispering how much he's liked her, and how long he's wanted to be with her. Between heated kisses, he hears a "thank Merlin."

This makes him pull away, and he's grinning so hard he thinks he might burst. "Really?" he asks, disbelief obvious.

"Of course!" Melonie exclaims, wrapping her arms around her neck and levelling their faces to whisper against his lips. "I've liked you for ages! Who's the lucky bastard now, hmm?"

"You heard that?" his eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

She just laughs and nods.

And then Albus pulls her even closer. He cradles her face with his palm, as another hand threads into the curls he's been fantasizing about for ages, and puts her perfect lips tantalizingly close to his.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he whispers, "and that lucky bastard would be me."

And then he kisses her again.

A/N: I'd just like to say that I'm proud of the choices I made here in sorting them, and I hope they come across in the story. I know some don't think al is such a slytherin, and scorp is way different than his parents, but I really think their personalities portrayed each house. If you want the full thing, though, you could always go ahead and read my multi-chapter, 19 Years (about the space between the battle and epilogue) and anxiously await the last chapter, coming September 1, 2017, in which I will sort each of them. I am a firm believer that Al takes Head boy, and scorpius the quidditch captainship.

Lily, man, daddy's girl through and through :P

I really hoped you like that! It's a prequel of sorts to "When In Rome," a Drastoria piece featuring draco's reaction to the relationship. sort of. A companion piece, I suppose. Also a prequel to a Romione piece coming soon, a definite companion to when in rome, showing ron and hermione's reaction to rose and scorpius' relationship. Please drop me a review if you liked it! I know it's super fluffy, and that's not everyone's thing, but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless and I would really appreciate feedback and concrit! Written for:

Holiday Competition: holiday: Valentine's Day; main character: Albus S. P.; prompts: life, trade, impolite

Cinema Competition: There's Something About Mary: "When I was 16, I fell in love."

Scrabble Challenge: youthful

Star Challenge: Shaula: write about scorpius

Disney Plotline Competition: Cinderella: write about unexpected love

Thanks again! :)

Lara,