Scorpius Malfoy was not amused as he padded down the sixth floor corridor. Not amused in the slightest. He'd been patrolling the fifth floor when he was stopped by a muffled thump, coming from inside one of the broom cupboards. He'd wrenched the door open and stood back as the pair tumbled out onto the flagstone floor, scrambling to stand up. The boys name was Jace Crawley, a 7th year in Slytherin, an old dorm mate of Scorpius as it happened, before the boy had been removed and placed in a room of his own. The details hadn't been shared, but rumor had it that the boy had been classed as a threat and Scorpius thought that it was very likely true. Why the girl stood next to him would willingly put herself in a cupboard with Crawley was beyond him. Especially when said girl was Pippa Chang, a 7th year Ravenclaw and one of the best and brightest in the school. Scorpius stared for a moment before blinking twice and clearing his throat.
"Well then. Ten points from both your houses and detention on Monday. Now be off with you."
"Aw c'mon Scorpius, let us off. It's nearly Christmas!" Crawley whined.
"Nope. No exceptions. I'm sorry. It wouldn't be fair on the 3 other couples I've found hiding out this evening."
Crawley's eyes darkened. "Listen Malfoy, let Pip off at least. She's got a stellar record and this'll tarnish it."
Scorpius sighed. "Look, Crawley, I can't do that. I've got to be fair on all the houses so she get's what you get, and you get what every other person I've caught tonight gets. And that's the end of it. Now get back to your rooms before I dock another ten points and slap on another detention." His voice was cold and final by the end of it, and he turned, heading back towards the stairs. He heard Pippa shout, and whirled just in time to see the spell hit him before he was sucked into a small tornado and left sprawled on the floor, dazed and confused.
"Dammit, I was going for a rat, but this'll have to do. See you in the morning Malfoy." Crawley called, grabbing the protesting Pippa's hand and pulling her past his dazed form. They looked big. Really, really big. He heard their retreating footsteps as he tried to stand, but found that he now had four legs, and they were furry. And he had a tail and… Realization dawned. He was a cat. Crawley had turned him into a fucking cat. Brilliant.
He'd managed to master walking with four legs by the time he reached the sixth floor. Of course he then realized he couldn't do his patrol in his current form, and might as well return to the dungeons. But then there was the problem of not being able to speak the password. He sat down outside one of the empty classrooms, deciding that for all intensive purposes he might as well sleep here. Curling in on himself, he sniffled a little, and let out a pathetic mewling sound which, he guessed, was cat language for 'I'm sad, someone rescue me'.
Which is exactly what happened.
"Hey little fella, what're you doing here?" Scorpius's ears pricked up, and he lifted his head, scanning the corridor for the source. When he found none he blinked, head dropping back onto his paws and mewling again. He heard a chuckle, and a rustle of fabric and suddenly a pair of hands were rushing towards him. He jumped up, skittering backwards across the stone and hissing. "Hey hey hey, calm down. I'm a friend, okay?"
Scorpius paused as the figure stepped into the moonlight shining through one of the windows, and blinked up at them. Albus Potter was stood there in all his glory, eyes crinkled and a smile on his lips. Fucking bollocking shitting hell. Albus Potter was stood there looking glorious and perfect as usual and his hands were sweeping down, encasing Scorpius's tiny frame in absolute blissful warmth, and his fingers were scratching all the right places and Merlin it felt absolutely wonderful. Scorpius was a purring ball of molten goo before he knew what'd hit him. Potter's chuckles reverberated through him, doing strange things to Scorpius's stomach.
"Well aren't you affectionate?" The ministrations stopped, and Scorpius mewled needily, butting his head against Potters hand urging him to continue. "And you look like Scorp in cat form. I might just keep you for myself."
Scorpius froze for a second, before Potters scratching's urged him to relax again… What was that? Scorp?! Nobody called him Scorp! And why would he want to keep a cat that looked like him to himself!
"Your eyes are exactly the same. It's kind of weird, you know." Potter mused as he took the stairs three at a time. "Anyway, you'll have to sleep in my room until I can find your owner tomorrow, okay?"
Scorpius mewled, partially out of fear and partially out of glee. Fear because he was entering the Lions den, and he had no idea just when this spell would wear off, and glee because he was going to, essentially, spend the night with Potter. The boy he'd been wanking over since he hit puberty and realized that cock really did it for him. It didn't start off with Potter playing the starring role, of course. No. All his favorite fantasies had somehow molded into him. Seeing Potters face looming above him with sweat beading on his brow and breath coming in arousing gasps, or green eyes staring up at him from somewhere around his crotch, batting his thick black eyelashes instead of the standard male models.
He should not be thinking arousing thoughts in cat form whilst being carried into the Gryffindor common room. No he should not.
Potter quickly climbed the stairs, pushing open one of the doors and sliding in, closing it softly behind him. Only one bed was vacant, and it was surprisingly tidy. Scorpius had always pegged him as a slob.
"Oi, Al, where you been?" Frankie Longbottom stuck his head out of one of the beds. "You haven't been trailing Malfoy again have you?" He teased, smirking at him.
"Fuck off, Frankie." Al rolled his eyes.
That piqued Scorpius's interest as he wriggled out of Potters grasp, trotting over to his bed and jumping up, pawing at the duvet and mewling again.
"You seriously need to get over him, Al. It's not healthy." Another head popped out, Wesley Thomas this time. "I mean you've been pining after him for what, seven years now?"
"Yeah. You've been obsessed with him since you could first get it up." Xavier Wood emerged from the bathroom.
"Fuck off the lot of you. What's it to all of you anyway?"
"Mate, we've watched you act like a lovesick puppy for seven years and this is the last real chance you have to tell him how you feel. Either man up and spit it out or find someone else to moon over."
"Yeah, Al. You've hardly even spoken to him. I don't really get how this obsession even started or how you're fueling it, to be honest. All you do is stare at him or trail around after him when he's doing his prefect rounds. It's pathetic."
Al exploded then. "Shut the fuck up all of you. If you really gave a shit you'd of spoken up before now. And no, Xavier, pining after your fucking roommate and not manning up and admitting it is pathetic. Deal with your own issues first before dishing out advice to other people, twat." Al stomped over to the bed, drawing the curtains behind him and casting a quick succession of privacy spells. He sat there, staring at the curtains, chest rising and falling harshly. His previously flushed face was now pale, and he was nibbling on his lower lip. And all Scorpius could do was stare at him in shock. Albus Potter liked him back, and apparently he'd been dealing with his feelings in exactly the same way Scorpius had. By burying them and hiding behind friends and doing anything but dealing with them head on. He took a few shaky steps forward and butted his head against Potters hand. The boy jumped, looking down in shock, before his face softened and he turned to sit properly on the bed, crossing his legs and pulling Scorpius onto his lap.
"They don't get it." The boys voice was thick, and Scorpius felt a few drops fall onto his fur. The boy was crying, and Scorpius's heart tightened a little. "They don't get that you can fall in love with someone from a distance. And they don't understand how fucking terrifying that is."
Scorpius blinked up at the boy, eyes wide and imploring, sympathetic. It didn't even register immediately that he'd said he was in love with him. The pain and anguish in his face was too much.
"It's not like I don't know him. I know him perfectly well. I know he doesn't like orange juice with pulp in, and he only like his toast lightly done and only spreads the butter on after it's cooled. I know he says his favorite subject is Charms but it's actually Arithmancy, I know he hates being a seeker and he'd much rather be a chaser, but he doesn't ask for a position switch because he wants to make his father happy. I know his grandmother sends him vouchers for Honeydukes and he always sends her sugar quills back.
I know how upset he was when he didn't get the Head Boy position. I know he still has to deal with shit from other kids about what his family was like during the war." Scorpius tensed then, his claws digging into Albus's leg slightly. If he felt it, he didn't show it. "I know he's nothing like them. His father and his grandfather. I know he's amazing and good and kind and a wonderful person. I know he tutors the younger years in nearly every subject. I know he volunteers outside of school. I know he works so so hard to try and get what he wants out of life." Albus sniffled, and more tears fell on Scorpius's fur."I know I'm in love with him and it's totally pointless and pathetic and stupid and impossible but I am. And I can do fuck all about it. I'm too much of a wimp to go up to him and tell him, I'm too afraid to leave this school without him… I…" He paused, taking a shuddering gasp of air. "He makes me feel stronger. Like I can do anything I want because he can. He doesn't have a brilliant name or history, whereas I do. Knowing he can do well in life makes me certain that I can, you know? If he can make it I can make it. But… But I want him there with me, by my side supporting me through it. And I want to do the same for him.
I want to hold his hand and comfort him if he has a bad day and I want to watch shit movies on the WizViz and I want to spend Christmas and New Years and Valentines with him for the rest of my life. And that's ridiculous because I've never spoken a word to him but I feel like I know him better than anybody else. I get this burning jealousy in my gut when he laughs with other people, or when girls hug him and boys wrap an arm around his shoulder. I want to hex them into oblivion and tell them all he's mine." He laughed to himself, wiping away the tears and shifting Scorpius off of his lap. He grabbed his wand, spelling his pyjama pants on and levitating the folded uniform to his trunk at the end of the bed. His voice was soft, so soft Scorpius had to strain his cat ears to hear it. "In my head he's already mine. And in my dreams. And I sound like a pathetic, stalkerish hopeless romantic." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Well, cat, you can sleep in my sock drawer…" He jabbed his wand, and a draw flew out of his trunk, settling itself neatly at the foot of the bed. "Or on the duvet, what'll it be?"
Scorpius mewled desperately, scrabbling back up to the boy and rubbing his head frantically against his hand. He wanted, no, needed to be close to him now. More than anything. Now he knew that his feelings were reciprocated he had to have him. He wanted desperately to be human again so he could kiss the boy and never let him go.
"Okay, with me it is…" He extinguished the light and shimmied down under the covers, getting comfy before making a space for Scorpius's tiny body. "Good night, cat. Thank you for listening."
Scorpius settled down, pawing at the fabric for a moment before closing his eyes. No, Albus. Thank you for talking. He thought to himself, before he drifted off to sleep.