A/N: Quick little one shot that I wrote at 5 in the morning on two hours of sleep on a three and a half hour ride to Talahassee to pick up my sister. I quite like it and I kinda see it as a companion piece to The Potter Promise series as I now like to call them. This just came to me after reading a couple of fanfictions about storms and getting spooked by the thunder and I just love those kind so I wanted to try to write one. Also its deadicated to my friend, Penguin, who called me in the middle of the day when it was thundering out and asked if I could come pick her up because she was home alone and scared. I don't remember if this has been done for this pairing before or not, but if it has oh well. This is my own spin on the character's fear of storms. Warnings: Very light Slash and MxM kissing. Fluffy. Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to the wonderful JK Rowling. I was just watching the London Premiere and I just wanted to say, Thank you JK for creating a story that we can all relate to and for allowing us to use your characters in our own adventures in the wonderful world of fanfiction.
Thunderstorms weren't all that common at Hogwarts. Rain yes, thunderstorms no. But when they occurred, they raged on for hours on end, sometimes even days. Albus Potter, son of the Chosen One, was terrified of the storms. He hated the sound of the rolling of thunder and the claps of lighting that lit up the sky. It wasn't a new fear, it was one that had been cultivating ever since he was born. On stormy nights, his parents never got any sleep, for one of them was always in Albus's room, trying to sooth his cries.
Tonight was one of the worst storms Albus had ever experienced in his sixteen years of existence. It had started that morning before breakfast. During class, he wasn't nearly as spooked because he had his boyfriend, Scorpius, or his cousin, Rosie, with him. Plus Care of Magical Creatures had been cancelled that day due to the weather so he didn't have to venture outside.
A particularly loud clap of thunder- one that could probably wake the dead Albus reasoned- had him bolting straight up and yanking back the curtains of his four-poster bed.
All of the other boys seemed to still be asleep. Shaking Albus ran to Scorpius's bed and pulled back the curtains. The blond Malfoy was still sound asleep, a small smile on his lips. Even in his sleep, Scorpius looked very handsome.
The young Potter gently touched his friend's shoulder. "Sc-Scor-Scorpius? C-Can I s-sleep with you t-tonight?" He whimpered. The thunder kept rumbling and Albus kept trembling. He had never been so scared in his life.
Without a word, Scorpius rolled over in his bed, allowing room for Albus to crawl in. As quick as he could he crawled under the covers, immediately feeling the heat coming off of Scorpius's body.
"Thanks." Albus whispered, drawing the curtain closed once more. Scorpius grumbled a non-coherent response that Albus took as a "Welcome." As the thunder rumbled on, Albus shook, but was too scared to even whimper because he knew that his best friend had fallen back asleep beside him.
Scorpius, who felt Albus shaking next to him, rolled back over to face Albus. He wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller boy and pulled him up against his chest. "You're safe, now go to sleep." Scorpius gently murmured, in what he hoped to be a soothing voice. He ran his hand through Albus's genetically messy raven hair trying to calm him even further.
"Thanks Scor." Albus' trembling slowly subsided as he buried his head into Scorpius' chest.
"No problem." The Malfoy closed his eyes, trying to get a little bit of sleep before classes the next morning. He knew falling asleep would be easy with the storm raging above them while they were tucked safely in the Slytherin dorms. He loved the rain and he loved to fall asleep during thunderstorms. If he wasn't tired, he would stay up and watch the lighting flash in great contrast to the night sky, but when school was in session, he didn't get that experience living in the dungeons underneath the lake.
"Scor?" Albus whispered yet again. Scorpius sighed.
"Yes Al?" He sounded more annoyed than he wanted.
Albus must have heard the hint of annoyance in Scorpius's voice because his voice quickly softened and sounded very apologetic. "I'm sorry I intruded on your personal space and for waking you up."
"Albus it's fine, I don't mind having to share my bed with you." Another loud crash of thunder caused Albus to jump and shrink even farther into Scorpius' arms. Scorpius chuckled and kissed the top of Albus's head.
"Just try to go to sleep, love. The storm should pass soon."
Albus nodded. He was so ashamed that he boyfriend was seeing him so scared, so vulnerable. He felt like a bloody Hufflepuff. He sometimes wondered why he was even put into Slytherin. He was too weak and too emotional at times.
The sound of the rain hitting the lake above them soothed Scorpius into an almost unconscious state. But once again, he was awoken by Albus. This time it wasn't a sound he made or his trembling body, it was warm tears seeping through Scor's thin, grey pajama shirt to his bare chest underneath.
"Albus, are you crying?" Scorpius asked, even though he obviously knew that the raven haired boy was.
Albus didn't answer, he just sniffled and buried his head further into Scorpius's chest. The tears, Scorpius could tell, were coming faster now. "I'm s-sorry for my s-stupid childish fear. I know I s-should've grown out of it by n-now, but th-thunderstorms just s-scare me. James still m-makes fun of me f-for it, even though h-he doesn't know that I s-still actually freak out. His room is n-next to mine at home, so I h-had to have my Dad c-cast a s-silencing spell on the wall b-between our rooms so h-he doesn't hear m-me. Merlin, I'm such a H-hufflepuff!"
"Albus, it's not a childish fear and you are not a Hufflepuff. You are a Slytherin, who is just afraid of something. We all are, some of us are just better at hiding it than others."
"Really?"
Scorpius nodded. "Mhm. Nott is afraid of spiders; Goyle is afraid of snakes, Merlin only knows how he got into Slytherin; and Parkinson over there hates heights, that's the reason he refuses to fly."
"And what about you Scorpius? Or are you just perfect?"
Scorpius chuckled. "Oh no, I have a fear too, but mine is more reasonable than spiders or snakes."
"What is it?"
Scorpius's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Don't judge me alright?" Albus nodded. "It's losing you."
"Scorpius, no offense but that is the silliest fear ever."
Anger and humiliation rose inside of Scorpius. He barely thought to cast a silencing spell before bursting out, "You said that you wouldn't judge me!"
"Let me finish Scor! It's the silliest fear ever because I would never leave you."
"You promise?" Scorpius asked.
"I promise with all my heart. I love you Scorpius Hyperion." He cupped the blond Slytherin's face with his hand, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. All anger immediately disintegrated when he leaned into the touch.
"Hey! You know I hate my full name. But I love you too Albus Severus." Scorpius placed a chaste kiss on his best mate's lips and sighed. "Now please can we go to bed?"
"Yes Scorpius Hyperion." Albus chuckled when Scorpius weakly punched him in the arm and closed his eyes, knowing that even though the thunder was no longer rumbling on outside, Scorpius would still hold him tightly through the night.
After that night, Albus no longer feared the sound of thunder because he knew Scorpius would be there to hold him and soothe him if he needed it. Scorpius, knowing now that Albus needed him almost as much as he needed Albus, was no longer afraid of losing boyfriend. Now if only they could figure out a way to cure Nott, Goyle, and Parkinson of their fears.
A/N: Did you like it? I kind of see this as one of the points in their sixth year that Scorpius metions in "A Potter Promise Kept" when he says that he realized just how serious their relationship was in their sixth year. Sorry that its short, but I wrote it completely during the car ride. Please let me know what you think and if you haven't, read the other stories in The Potter Promise Series, "A Potter Never Lets Go of Their Promise, and "A Potter Promise Kept". Thank you so much and please please pleae review! It makes me happy!