Here we go, the first of three entries in lilrose13writes challenge, Shipmas 2018. I'll be posting again on Dec 12 and 24 on the assigned stories. For today, it's Scorbus fluff during the Christmas Lights in Hogsmeade. *set after Cursed Child events*
Come on, Albus, let's go!" urged Scorpius Malfoy.
"Can't we just stay here?" asked Albus. He grabbed Scorpius' hands in his and dragged him down to sit on the side of his bed. "Think about it, all our dorm-mates will be down there, we'll have this place to ourselves for a couple of hours...and there's a lot we can do in a couple of hours, Scorpius," hinted Albus.
Scorpius smiled at his boyfriend. Boyfriend! He still couldn't believe Albus felt the same way about him, as he did about Albus. But they had decided to keep it a secret till they told their families at Christmas time, a mere week away. The students would return to their families tomorrow to begin their Christmas celebrations.
"But Albus, it's our last chance to see the the Christmas lights in Hogsmeade, and everyone says how pretty they look. I know we've never wanted to go before, Albus, but please, let's go this year," begged Scorpius.
"But it's so cold outside," protested Albus, even knowing he was losing the battle. When Scorpius looked at him that way, Albus couldn't deny him anything.
"It's our first Christmas together as us, a couple, Albus," reminded Scorpius. "Everything we do is our first. Our first gifts to each other, singing our first carols together...and our first trip together to see the Christmas lights in Hogsmeade."
He tossed Albus' green and silver scarf to the frowning young man. "But it will be so busy there, everyone's going. We won't be able to hold hands or anything. I'd rather just stay here with you," said Albus, trying one last time to convince Scorpius.
"Poor Albus Potter," teased Scorpius gently. "If we walk down to Hogsmeade instead of taking a carriage, we could hold hands," he suggested.
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" chuckled Albus.
"Nope," agreed Scorpius cheerfully, realising he had won the argument. "I'm full of the Christmas spirit this year, Albus, and I want to share everything with you."
"Full of something," muttered Albus, bending over as he searched for his only decent pair of shoes to walk in the snow with.
"Pardon?" asked Scorpius, gathering coats for him and his boyfriend. He decided to grab their gloves too.
"Nothing," replied Albus, standing and accepting his jacket and pulling it on. He took a moment to admire Scorpius, almost bursting to admit this handsome boy was his boyfriend, his! "Shall we go, get this torture over with?"
"Oh, stop acting like a Scrooge, Albus," sighed Scorpius. "We'll go, see the lights, say hi to some people, then come back here and snog."
"Well, that sounds more like it," beamed Albus. He flung the scarf around his neck and shoved a knitted hat on. "Come on, then, let's go."
Scorpius adjusted Albus' hat till it was just right. He too, added his scarf, adjusting it till it was perfect. "All right, I'm ready now."
"Malfoy the Handsome," teased Albus, grabbing Scorpius' hand and squeezing before letting go.
Scorpius blushed and Albus chuckled. "Come on, the sooner we go, the sooner we can come back."
"You just might enjoy yourself if you try, Albus," chided Scorpius, as they walked out the Slytherin common room.
"For you, I'll try," vowed Albus, and together they headed out of the castle and down to Hogsmeade.
/*/*/*/*
Albus was hunched over, hands in his pocket as they headed to the little village near Hogwarts. Scorpius had his arm threaded through Albus' and was chattering away madly, that is, till Albus realised Scorpius had simply stopped walking.
"Scor?" He looked back at Scorpius, but the boy's face was all alight with wonder.
Albus turned to see what had caused Scorpius to stop and then look like that. He nearly gasped aloud at the first sight of Hogsmeade, as his eyes darted this way and that, trying to take it all in.
The main street was all lit up with white lights, and Albus could see many of his fellow students eagerly walking along, soaking it all up. Some of the professors were walking down the street too, simply enjoying this festive time that the vendors in Hogsmeade put on for the residents.
The little village had taken a hit during the final battle, with Death Eaters often hanging around, sure Harry, Ron and Hermione would somehow try to get to Hogwarts. Of course, on the night of May first, they had been proven correct. While the sirens were set off to alert them to intruders, they had revelled in causing much destruction in their search for the trio.
Hogsmeade had also seen fallback from the battle, with many fleeing or being chased down. Whilst the major wizarding areas, such as Hogwarts, Gringotts and Diagon Alley had been the main focus of the rebuilding, the little village had taken its time to get back to what it was before.
With his girlfriend Ginny returning to Hogwarts for her seventh year, Harry Potter had eagerly looked forward to visiting her during Quidditch matches and Hogsmeade visits, till she had written him to say that Hogsmeade just wasn't prepared for a school visit that year.
Disappointed, Harry had decided to come to Hogsmeade anyway and he was surprised to see so much still needed to be fixed. Aberforth Dumbledore kindly let him through the tunnel to the Room of Requirement, where he and Ginny had a much needed reunion.
But the woes of the people of Hogsmeade still weighed on Harry's mind, and he decided to ask Arthur Weasley how to go about getting people in to help fix the village.
It was Fleur who came up with the idea of using his name to appeal to the wizarding community to come to Hogsmeade to help with the last of the reparations. With Lee Jordan's help, Harry released a public statement over the wireless, asking for help to fix the small but very important village, calling on memories of their own visits to the small village close to the school.
He could not have imagined the success his appeal caused, and with so many skilled wizards, a week-long project was successfully completed in four days.
In gratitude, the vendors of Hogsmeade decided to go all out for the two weeks before Christmas that year, with colourful lights, and many specials in each store. There was a rink for ice skating and a thestral pulled carriage, on loan from Hagrid, to take people for a ride around the village. Carriages also carried the students to and from the village.
Many people visited for a look at the lights, including Harry and the Weasley family, which made the front of the Daily Prophet. This enticed many more people to come and see them too. It proved to be a win win, for the more people that came to see the lights, the busier the stores were, and it became a most profitable couple of weeks. So much so, the vendors in Hogsmeade decided to make it an annual event.
The wizarding community embraced the festive event, with most coming up from London on the Hogwarts Express, dining at the Three Broomsticks before taking a stroll around the village and sampling their wares.
Each year became a challenge to do better than the year before, and Albus knew on this Christmas Eve, there would be fireworks at the end of the alley, procured by his uncles' store.
"Come on, Albus, I don't want to miss a minute," cried Scorpius, grabbing Albus' hand and dragging him down to join the other students.
Albus followed Scorpius as he ran from window to window, oohing and ahhing over every display. Amused, Albus looked in the Honeydukes window, to see fairies dancing and flying around, enjoying being the centre of attention. One flew close to Albus and cheekily stuck her tongue out at him.
"Albus, look, hot chocolate," grinned Scorpius, drawing Albus' face away from the window to his boyfriend, standing two feet away, holding two small mugs. "There's even a marshmallow in it, and it was free!"
Albus gratefully took the mug and sipped. "Mmm, so good," he moaned.
"You and your sweet tooth, Albus Potter," teased Scorpius.
"Yeah well, with my mum and her sugar ban at home, this will be my last chance for the next couple of weeks," reminded Albus.
"Too right, brother."
Albus and Scorpius turned to see James Potter behind them. "Make the most of it, Bro. Hey, Mrs Flume is handing out samples of their chocolates inside, better hurry," He gestured with a toss of his head after showing them his bulging pockets. Some of his friends called out to him and, with a pat on Albus' shoulder, he left to join them.
The boys did go inside and James had told the truth, the Flumes were handing out samples of every chocolate they sold. Luckily they were selling a lot, as students grabbed some last minute gifts or simply something to eat on the ride back home.
"Albus, look," laughed Scorpius, pointing to a tray of treacle flavoured chocolates in the shape of lightening bolts. "You have to get some for your dad."
"Dad hates stuff like that," said Albus, " but Mum will get a kick out of it. Yeah, I think I will."
Scorpius continued to look around while Albus went to pay for his chocolates. He had already finished his Christmas shopping, only having to buy for his father and Albus.
"Hey Scorpius. Is Al here too?"
Scorpius looked up to see Lily Potter next to him, a Honeydukes bag in her hand. She was looking around the store for her brother.
"Yeah. He's just purchasing something," replied Scorpius.
"I just found the cutest chocolates for Mum, they're in a lightening bolt shape, she'll love them and tease Dad about them all Christmas," chortled Lily. "Have you been to all the stores in Hogsmeade, aren't the lights pretty?"
"We've only just arrived, but yes, the village looks wonderful," agreed Scorpius.
"Wait till you see the Christmas tree," gushed Lily. "It must be ten feet tall. Oh, I can't wait to get home and decorate our tree."
Scorpius nodded, feeling a pang, as decorating his tree was something he and his mother, Astoria, really loved to do. But after her death, when he returned from Hogwarts, it was to find the Christmas tree already up and decorated by the family house elves.
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Albus, materialising beside him.
Scorpius blinked and nodded; Lily must have left. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just saw Lily, she said we have to go and see the Christmas tree. Come on," he urged.
Albus shook his head with amusement as Scorpius dragged him up the main street, exclaiming with delight over every display and giveaway. Suddenly he halted. "Listen," he breathed.
The sounds of 'The First Noel' being sung even got to Albus, making his heart swell with Christmas cheer. They joined the crowds surging forward, to see the Hogwarts choir, led by Professor Flitwick, standing in front of the large Christmas tree. It truly was magnificent, on a par with the ones in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
"I reckon Hagrid brought them here, just like the ones in Hogwarts, what do you think?" whispered Albus to Scorpius, who nodded his agreement.
Scorpius sighed happily as they finished that song and went straight into Winter Wonderland. "This is the first of our Christmas traditions, Albus," he said softly, so only Albus could hear. "Every year, even long after we've left Hogwarts, we'll come back to Hogsmeade to see the lights, then we'll go home and decorate our own tree."
Albus looked at Scorpius in wonder. The newness of their relationship still thrilled him, and in Albus' mind, the future only consisted of how their families would react to the change in their relationship when they told them during the Christmas break.
"You think about that? I mean, long term...a home, a Christmas tree...us, like that?" asked Albus in surprise, wonder and hope.
Scorpius flushed, realising he might be getting way ahead of himself and possibly even scaring Albus off. Still, he'd rather Albus knew what was in his heart and mind, than not at all. "It's what I want more than anything in the world," he confided bravely.
Albus sucked in a breath. He realised he, too, wanted to do all those things, and many more, with Scorpius by his side...and if Scorpius could be brave, then so could he. He picked up Scorpius' hand, laying by his side, and took it in his own.
"I want it too...with you," he replied softly, and squeezed Scorpius' hand.
He did not let go.
It was totally worth it to see Scorpius' face light up. "Come on, let's go and see Madame Rosmerta, I think I need some more hot chocolate. Even my lips are cold now," he commented.
This, of course, made Albus look at Scorpius' lips and want to kiss him so badly. "There's hot chocolate back at the castle," he said hopefully.
Just when he thought Scorpius might agree with him, Lily appeared. " Come on, join us at the Three Broomsticks," she urged, grabbing their joined hands and dragging them with her, leaving them with no choice.
To Albus' surprise – horror – Lily led them to a booth that included not only James, but his parents...and Draco Malfoy!
"Mum, Dad, what are you doing here?' he asked, sliding in and dragging Scorpius with him.
"Hello Albus, we're fine, thanks for asking," replied Ginny. She smiled at Scorpius. "Hello, Scorpius."
"Hi Mrs Potter, Mr Potter," replied Scorpius. He looked at his own father. "Dad, why didn't you let me know you were coming here tonight?"
"I had no idea I'd be in Hogsmeade tonight, Scorpius. That is, till I was abducted by the Potters here, not thirty minutes ago," said Draco, dryly. He looked closer at his son. "Are you well? You look cold." He signalled for hot Butterbeers for the table and they arrived promptly.
"Brilliant," cheered James, picking up one and handing it to Lily. She looked at her dad, who nodded, then took a sip. "Aah," she sighed in appreciation.
"You have a froth moustache, Lily," chuckled Ginny. Self conscious, Lily wiped it on her sleeve, before her mum could slide her a napkin. Ginny shook her head in resignation, then turned back to Albus. "And to answer your question, it's a tradition that your father and I started my last year at Hogwarts." She shot Harry a loving look.
"How come I don't remember that?" asked Albus, looking between his parents.
"I think I do," said James, uncertainly.
Ginny nodded while Harry took up the story. "I came up to visit your mum for a Hogsmeade visit the very first time they had the lights on. It was so wonderful we decided to make it our tradition."
"One of our traditions," corrected Ginny. Visiting the Potter's graves in Godric's Hollow on Christmas Eve was another sacred tradition.
He nodded. "Actually, our first Christmas tradition," he agreed. "We couldn't wait to bring you kids to see the lights, and James, you were right, you came with us for two years."
"Then we brought Al with us the next year but -" began Ginny,
"He/I hated magical travelling when he/I was little," chorused the Potter siblings. Draco and Scorpius looked on in amusement.
"We tried again the next year, but it was the same," sighed Ginny. "So Harry asked my mum and dad to babysit the boys while we came here for a date night...and have done so every year since."
"That's not fair," pouted Lily. She looked at her brother. "I never got to come here because of you, Al." She threw a tiny marshmallow at him. He caught it and plopped it into his butterbeer, grinning at her.
"Well, I'm pretty sure you were conceived after a Hogsmeade visit, Lily," grinned Ginny.
"Ew, Mum, gross, too much information," groaned the Potter siblings.
"Ginny love, was that really necessary?" asked Harry, covering her hand with his and flushing.
"Sorry," grinned an unrepentant Ginny.
"But why did you bring my dad with you tonight?" asked Scorpius.
"The Potters have asked us to join them for their Christmas celebrations this year," remarked Draco.
"Really?" Scorpius didn't dare look at Albus, lest he give away his feelings. Instead, he looked at his boyfriend's parents. "You really want us there?"
"Of course," smiled Ginny. She looked at both the Malfoy men. "We want you both there."
"Scorpius, you can help us decorate our tree," cried Lily, trying to scoop her marshmallow out of Albus' mug.
" Well then, perhaps the Potters can help us decorate our tree," suggested Draco.
"You haven't gotten the house elves to put ours up yet?" asked Scorpius in surprise.
Draco shook his head. "I simply asked them to bring the decorations up from the dungeons. Harry kindly asked Hagrid to procure us a tree, it will be delivered first thing in the morning, ready for when you come home."
"Dungeons? Oh boy, I can't wait to go exploring, er, decorate your tree," finished James, lamely, after a fake cough and a frown from his mother.
"You can join us on our shopping spree to Muggle London too," said Lily excitedly, "Dad buys us lunch at some fancy place then we come home and wrap presents for everyone. Oh, it will be so much fun with Scorpius there."
James and Albus crossed their arms and looked grumpily at their sister. They were about to reply when Scorpius replied first.
"Oh, I'm sure you'd have just as much fun with your brothers, Lily," he said.
James started to tell Scorpius and Draco about the time they nearly lost Lily in Muggle London. Albus listened with one ear, for his attention was taken with a couple of older students suddenly appearing out of a door that he hadn't seen before. They looked well and truly snogged. The boy, a seventh year, caught Albus watching, and he winked at him before walking off after the girl.
"Hey Scor," whispered Albus. He waited till he had Scorpius' attention. "Come here, I want to show you -"
"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER," cried Lily, making Albus look at her sharply. "Come on, we're all going out to listen to the carols and watch the fireworks."
Albus scowled at her use of his full name, but reluctantly followed his family and Draco and Scorpius back outside, where the crowds had built up to watch the fireworks.
Abus smiled a greeting to his godfather Neville and his wife Hannah Longbottom, who had joined their little group. The choir sang Away in a Manger, then went straight into Silent Night, with many of the crowd singing along.
Once the fireworks started, Albus took advantage of his family's distraction and grabbed Scorpius' hand, indicating he should come with him.
"But why, Albus, the fireworks are amazing?' asked a curious Scorpius, as they returned to the Three Broomsticks.
"Just come with me, will you," replied Albus, manouvering them amongst the many tables. "I just hope no-one is using it right now."
"Albus, what are you talking about?' asked an exasperated Scorpius.
They arrived at the spot Albus thought the door was. There was absolutely no sign of any door or room anywhere. He pulled out his wand and said, "Alohamora."
A door materialised out of nowhere, and Albus gleefully opened it, peeking in to find it was empty. He quickly pulled Scorpius inside and sealed the door.
"What is this place? Perhaps a storage cupboard do you think – oh!"
Scorpius lost all thought as Albus cupped his cheeks in his hand and kissed him thoroughly. He returned the gesture in kind, and the two lost all track of time until -
" -just check it out, Harry, I'm sure it – oh...OH!" Ginny glanced at both boys then back at Harry.
"Mum, Dad, I...we...er," mumbled Albus.
"I'm sorry we didn't mean to interrupt," said Ginny, " carry on."
Albus and Scorpius looked at each in confusion, then quickly back to the departing Harry and Ginny. "Wait!"
At his parent's questioning eyes, Albus flushed. "Are-aren't you going to say something...about this? Us?"
Harry shook his head. "We're sorry we interrupted a private moment, Albus, Scorpius," he said.
"Yeah," agreed Ginny, " we hoped nobody else would be in here. It's been a year since we were last here."
Scorpius let out a guffaw, then clamped a hand over his own mouth in horrror, but Albus' jaw dropped open. "You- Mum, Dad, you...in here?"
Harry chuckled sheepishly but Ginny nodded. "We'll leave you boys to it. I guess we'll see you at King's Cross Station tomorrow afternoon."
"Mum, Dad...? They stopped and looked back at their son. "Thanks," said Albus, meaningfully.
They nodded and went to leave, when Ginny poked her head back in. "Don't forget to leave your initials on the wall." She pointed to a spot that had HP +GW in a heart. Albus saw many more couples' initials all over the wall.
"That's you and Mr Potter," cried Scorpius.
Ginny nodded and looked for another. "Here, Albus," she said.
He looked to where she pointed. " JP+LE. "My grandparents!" he realised aloud.
"Yes," nodded Ginny. "It took Harry and I six visits to find that."
"Mum!" gasped Albus.
"Albus!" she gasped back, teasing. "It is a Potter tradition."
And with a wink, she left and sealed the door.
Albus breathed heavy, realising his parents now knew about him and Scorpius and amazingly, seemed happy about it. He exhaled loudly, feeling as though a huge burden had been lifted.
"Wow," said Scorpius, echoing his thoughts, " that was almost...easy."
Albus grinned. "Well, that's my parents done, that just leaves your dad." He stepped closer to Albus, his hands going to his boyfriend's waist. Scorpius seemed keen, till there was a knock on the door.
It was Draco. "Er Scorpius. I'm leaving now. No need to come out, er I mean, come to see me off. I shall meet you at Kings Cross Station tomorrow afternoon."
Scorpius bit his lip, unsure what to do. Should he go and farewell his father? How would he react to seeing him and Albus in such closed confinement?
Draco made the decision for him. " Albus, er, I guess we'll be seeing you too, you and your family. And Scorpius, son..."
Scorpius held his breath. "I'm very happy for the two of you," said Draco, softly. "Goodbye."
Scorpius pulled away from Albus and burst open the door. "Dad, did you mean it?" he cried.
Draco nodded and pulled his son into his arms. "We don't choose who we love, son, but we should embrace it with everything we have. If Albus makes you happy, if he is your choice, then I'm happy too...for the both of you," he said to Albus, who, despite his red face at being caught by his boyfriends parent, knew how much Draco's opinion meant to Scorpius.
"Thank you, sir," said Albus, " that really means a lot."
Behind Draco, Lily and James lingered. "Are the two of you done snogging, then?" asked Lily. Draco tried to hide his grin at the boy's surprised expressions.
"We're heading back to the castle, want to grab a carriage together?" asked James.
The five walked out to join Harry, Ginny, Neville and Hannah who were waiting outside and enjoying the last of the fireworks.
"So I guess everybody knows, then?" asked Albus, as all eyes turned to him and Scorpius.
"Pretty much," nodded Ginny.
"Fine. Mum, Dad, Mr Malfoy, we'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Aunt Hannah, Uncle Nev, guess we'll see you tomorrow. Come on, Scorp," prodded Albus, and he took his boyfriend's hand and together they walked up the streets of Hogsmeade, hand in hand, ignoring the whispers and stares.
James and Lily followed, the former piggybacking his sister. They glared at anyone whispering about their brother, but really, nobody wanted to start any trouble that night.
"They'll be all right," assured Neville, " but I'll keep an eye on them tomorrow." Ginny hugged him, then Hannah in thanks, wishing them both a happy Christmas.
The five adults started walking back up the streets of Hogsmeade. Most of the students were departing too, and the street was less crowded now.
"Oh look, Harry, Honeydukes has chocolates in the shape of lightening bolts," cried Ginny, and before he could stop her, she had darted into the shop to purchase some.
Laughing, Neville and Hannah farewelled them, leaving to walk to their own cottage in the village.
Draco and Harry stood outside, waiting for Ginny to return. "Do you really think they'll be okay?" asked Draco, quietly.
"Yes, I do," nodded Harry, emphatically. "Sure, there might be the one or two ignorant people, but Draco, look at what they've overcome already. We just need to let them know we support them wholeheartedly in this."
"You're right," admitted Draco, begrudgingly. "I hate it when you're right."
Harry laughed, till Ginny returned with a whole box. "Want one?" she asked Harry. He scowled and shook his head. Shrugging, Ginny turned to Draco to offer him one.
He too, shook his head. "Personally, I've never seen the appeal of a lightening bolt," he said dryly, his eyes going to Harry's forehead.
"More for me, then," said Ginny. " Come on, Abe's letting us use his Floo to get home."
Meanwhile, the three younger Potters and Scorpius had arrived at the castle, with Lily and James saying goodnight before heading to Gryffindor Tower.
"Wow, what a night," exclaimed Scorpius, as they walked to their own house. "I feel...brilliant."
"I can't believe they just accepted it so easy. I'd been building it all in my head how I was going to tell them and everything," said Albus.
"Well, now we can simply enjoy our Christmas and spend lots of lovely time together," grinned Scorpius. "It was a great way to start our Christmas celebrations, wasn't it?"
Albus nodded. "And next Hogsmeade visit, we'll continue the Potter tradition and add our initials to the wall."
They nodded to their friends, lounging around the common room. Still holding hands, they walked up to their room.
"Stay with me," urged Albus, after they had retreated to the bathrooms to get changed into their pyjamas. "Just for a bit."
Scorpius didn't hesitate, but climbed into Albus' bed, and watched as he charmed the curtains shut and did a silencing charm.
They lay together, looking at each other, their faces so close as they were sharing a pillow. "I still can't believe it," whispered Scorpius, gleefully.
"I know, me too," grinned Albus. "Now I can tell the world you're mine."
"And you're mine and we're together," agreed Scorpius. He leaned in to kiss Albus.
They snogged for awhile, then their dorm-mates came to their room, and they lay listening to the varying conversations from the other three boys, until - .
"Hey, where's Scorpius?" asked one.
"Where do you think?" snorted another. "Didn't you see them holding hands?"
Albus and Scorpius looked at each other, quickly coming down off their high. What would their dorm-mates say?
"About time, then. Honestly who did they think they were fooling?" another stated.
Albus and Scorpius could not believe their ears.
"Hey boys, hope you remember all the charms," called another, cheekily.
"Shut it, leave them alone. Come on, fellas, off to bed," said another.
One by one, they heard the other boys get into bed, and finally there was silence.
Albus and Scorpius looked at each other again. "We're going to be okay, Albus," realised Scorpius aloud.
"Yeah, I really think we are," replied Albus, as they unknowingly echoed their fathers' conversation. They continued snogging, then cuddled till they both fell asleep.
And together, next day, they stepped into the Great Hall for the leaving feast, hand in hand, ready to face the world.
Together.