Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor am I making any sort of profit from writing this.
Warnings: Implied male/male sexual content but nothing graphic, Spoilers, some swearing
Notes: This takes place in Albus and Scorpius' sixth year. As for Draco's part in this, I figured he'd go crazy doing nothing all by himself after Astoria died, and that maybe he'd realized that he could do some good for others after the events in the Cursed Child. With him being a badass at potions, it makes sense that he could be a decent healer, even if his bedside manner is probably shit, lol. I don't have a beta reader, so please forgive me (and let me know) if you see any mistakes I missed.
A Minor Mishap
It was an unseasonably hot day in early June. The sort of humid, sticky day when no one in their right mind wants to be outside. Scorpius would have much preferred the cool semi-darkness of the library to unbearable heat of the midday sun, but he never did manage to win an argument with Albus. Dejectedly, he sat with his back to a tree and his potions homework laid out on the ground around him. At least it was peaceful by the lake – with the giant squid sunning itself in the shallows nearby. Albus was a little ways away, with Rose and one of her friends. Scorpius only looked up from his homework when Albus tossed a wad of discarded parchment at his head. It got stuck in his white-blonde hair, and Scorpius sighed in annoyance as he picked it out.
"I have work to do, Al." He groaned. In truth, he could have had the essay done hours ago. His mind was elsewhere. His eyes fell on Rose, who was watching him curiously. She no longer hated him, as far as Scorpius knew, but they certainly weren't snogging in the corridors between classes either. He let his head fall back against the tree he was leaned up against, and swore to himself in frustration. He had tried everything to get her to see him as something other than 'that Malfoy kid'. It seemed like he was destined to spend eternity in the friend zone. At least they were friends now. They were friends, right?
"Hey! Are you all right? You're so spacey lately." Scorpius opened his eyes and glared at Albus, who was standing over him.
"I'm fine it's just..." He looked to Rose who was headed back toward the castle with her friend. "The term's almost over. It's now or never!"
"She's nevergoing to say yes. Give it up, already. It's been years." Albus replied, rolling his eyes.
"You bloody well know I'm not going to give up." Scorpius snapped, shoving his half written potions essay and books back into his pack. "I just need to think of something new."
"I don't know, mate. Tried a love potion yet?" Albus suggested, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Scorpius' face lit up, and he almost smothered Albus in a fierce hug. "I thought we didn't hug." Albus whined, managing to extricate himself from Scorpius.
"That's it! I just need her to notice me, like actually notice me. So, it doesn't have to be anything really strong. That stuff from the Weasleys' shop should do the trick." Scorpius explained, mostly to himself.
"That 'stuff from the Weasley's shop' is banned from the Hogwarts premises, though. How are you going to get it? Never you mind that I was kidding! Love potions don't work." Albus retorted glumly as he followed Scorpius, who had already set off toward the castle with a purposeful stride.
"Oh, well, in that case I guess I can brew my own. Amortentia isn't that hard to make, and getting into the potions room after hours isn't hard either." Scorpius said thoughtfully, the plan already coming together in his mind. "Yes, I can do this."
"I am not helping you brew a love potion in the middle of the night to seduce Rose Weasley with." Albus griped. "Wait. Since when are you the one who wants to break about fifty school rules in one go? Who are you and what did you do with Scorpius?"
"Are you actually complaining, or are you going to help?" Scorpius replied with a fond smile.
"Meet you in the dungeons at ten." Albus said, laughing.
The following morning, Albus woke up to a nearly empty dormitory. The other boys were either asleep or dressing quietly as it was still early. Scorpius, of course, wasn't there. Assuming he had gone down to the great hall to put his idiotic plan into motion, Albus dragged himself out of bed and hastily threw on his clothes. He couldn't help the slight twinge of jealousy that crossed his mind. He didn't know why, but he hated it to hell and back whenever Scorpius started going on about being in love with Rose.
The great hall was mostly empty aside from a few teachers at the head table and whatever students happened to be early risers. Scorpius was sitting alone in his usual spot at the Slytherin table, still trying to finish that potions essay. A couple first years were huddled over a game of gobstones at the opposite end, but it was quiet otherwise. Albus slid into the seat beside Scorpius and helped himself to a blueberry scone from the platter on the table near them.
"Rose is usually up by now." Scorpius complained, drumming his fingertips on the table.
"Maybe she stayed up late studying; exams are in a few days, after all." Albus suggested, and downed a goblet of orange juice in one gulp. Scorpius stared at him utter horror.
"What? Have I got owl crap in my hair?" Albus asked with a bark of laughter. "Your face looks like you swallowed a spider or something."
"That was... Oh God." Scorpius moaned and banged his head on the table. "You drank the wrong juice. That was the one with the fucking potion in it."
Albus burst out laughing, and helped himself to another scone. "Yeah, sure. Very funny. You're so sexy I can't take my eyes off you. If I did drink it, I'm not feeling it."
"What's going on, boys? What's so funny?" Albus hadn't even noticed Rose as she slid into the seat across from them. Even though she was in Gryffindor, she often sat with them at the Slytherin table for meals. Unable to keep a straight face, Albus bolted out of the hall laughing. The last thing he saw on the way out was Scorpius giving her an awkward smile and booking it out the door behind him.
"You really did drink it!" He hissed as they passed a group of Hufflepuffs heading into the hall. "All of it."
"Huh? Well, it's not working then." Albus said with a giggle. "I'll let you know if I suddenly want to do naughty things to you."
An hour later, all Albus could think of was that he shouldn't have laughed. He was sitting next to Scorpius in History of Magic. Scorpius looked bored out of his mind as he absently watched professor Binns droning on about about the goblin wars. It was then he noticed, for the first time, that Scorpius really had quite a handsome face. It wasn't quite as pointy as he father's, and his slightly parted lips were perfectly shaped. Without turning his head, Scorpius glanced to his side and their eyes met.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" He whispered, nudging his chair a little bit away from Albus'. "Stop it!" He mouthed and glared pointedly ahead.
"I don't... I don't know." Albus replied in a breathless whisper and tried to focus on the lesson. He gripped the desk in front of him as kept his eyes trained the blackboard. Fighting the urge to turn his gaze back to Scorpius became nearly impossible. Instead, his mind wandered to a memory of Scorpius shirtless in the Quidditch locker room after practice. His pale skin glistened with sweat as he changed out of his robes. He wasn't exactly muscular, but he was firm and sculpted in all the right places. If only he took off those wonderfully tight-fitting pants that hugged his shapely arse just right... The sound of their classmates chattering and packing up their books as the lesson ended was the only thing that snapped Albus out of the lurid fantasy.
"Bloody hell, no..." Albus moaned, and hid his face in his hands.
"What? What's wrong?" Scorpius asked in alarm.
"Your books, give me your books!" Albus begged, and snatched the pile of books from Scorpius' desk before he even got an answer. Awkwardly, he held them in front of him in a relatively pitiful attempt at hiding his thoroughly unwelcome, throbbing erection.
Scorpius' eyes darted to the obvious bulge in Albus' jeans. "Oh my God! Are you...? We should go to the hospital wing and -"
Albus cut him off mid-sentence as they slunk out of the classroom. "And explain this to your dad? I'd rather go to herbology naked! Did you forget that he works there now?"
"No I didn't, idiot! We can tell him some girl slipped it to you and -"
"There's no way he won't know!"
Albus was right, as it turned out. Scorpius wished he had an invisibility cloak handy, or some polyjuice potion – anything to escape his father's disappointed glare. Luckily, the hospital wing was empty aside from the three of them.
"A love potion? Really, Scorpius?" Draco grumbled, shoving Scorpius into his office and shutting the door behind them. "What were you thinking? And even worse, you lied to me."
Scorpius suddenly became incredibly interested in the plain tile floor to avoid meeting Draco's eyes. "I wasn't thinking, clearly. Is there an antidote?"
"Yes, but I don't have any and it takes longer to brew than the effects of the amortentia will last." Draco replied, running his fingers through his hair in irritation. "I will, of course, have to send Harry an owl about this and give you both detention for being out at night."
"Father! I wasn't out at ni-"
"Where did you brew that? Under your bed? Without Potter's help? I'm not an idiot, and you two never cause trouble without the other. Oh, and as much as it pains me to do this, twenty five points from Slytherin."
"Father!" Scorpius whined.
"Twenty five points for each of you." Draco snapped. "Now, get your arse back to class. I'll look after Potter."
Scorpius slunk out of the infirmary office like a beaten dog, and gave Albus a sad sort of smile. He was sitting on a bed nearby, with his knees drawn up to his chin.
"How many points? I heard him mention points..." Albus demanded. Scorpius only shook his head and left. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this stupid. He steeled himself for a defense against the dark arts class without Albus, and hoped to the high heavens that Rose wouldn't ask where he was.
"How long does this last?" Albus asked, mortified beyond any sense of reason as Draco finally left his office.
"About twenty fours hours." Draco answered dully. "Just go back to your dormitory and try to sleep it off. I'll write you a note to get out of your classes. There's really no point in staying here, unless you want to explain why you're here to whoever comes in and asks."
"Um, no. I think I'll go." Albus replied, mentally mapping out which route to the dungeons would be less likely to force him to interact with other people. Without another word, he slid off the bed and made for the door, holding his bag in front of him to hide his still very obvious erection.
"Don't bother masturbating, Potter. It won't help. You'll just come back here looking for something to help with the chaffing." Draco called after him, with a smirk.
"And what will help?" He asked rhetorically.
Draco seemed to consider his words carefully before speaking. "Well, physical intimacy with the person the potion was brewed to cause an attraction to will shorten the duration."
"So I have to bugger him?!" Albus sputtered in horror.
"No, you can sleep it off and pretend it never happened – which is the safest option. Though, you might want to sit down and think very hard about how you really feel." Draco said, his patience obviously wearing thin. "A love potion can make you lust for a person, yes, but reactions this extreme don't really happen unless the feelings were already there. In that case, you can't really blame the potion if you still think Scorpius has a nice arse in the morning."
"And that... Doesn't bother you?" Albus asked in shock, not even wanting to think of the implications of Draco's statement.
"When I was your age, if someone told me my son would be best friends with Potty and the Weaslette's kid, I might have killed myself. I definitely would have killed myself if I ever imagined this scenario. But, I'm not that person anymore." Draco explained. "Potter, please just go to your dormitory and don't do anything else stupid for at least one day."
"Right, thanks." Albus said and finally left the infirmary. He didn't know what to make of it, really. Aside from giving them detention and docking the Slytherin house for a ton of points, Draco had been surprisingly patient with them – kind even. ...Not that he was an unkind person, he simply didn't normally express any sort of worry over others' well-being. That was what it was, Albus realized. Draco cared about him, maybe even as much as his own son. Maybe Draco wasn't about to admit it, but Albus knew it was true.
Luckily, Albus made it to the Slytherin common room without running into anyone else. There were a few younger students hanging around in the common room, that he easily sneaked past and down the stairs to the dormitories. Sleep didn't come easily for Albus. He hadn't expected it to. At least he was alone in the dormitory, but it was getting late and he could hear the muffled sounds of the other Slytherins hanging out in the common room above. Dejectedly, Albus buried his face in his pillow and tried to ignore the echo of steadily approaching footsteps. At least none of the other sixth year boys would be likely to notice him curled up in a ball on his bed, behind the thick emerald canopy.
Giving up entirely on sleep, Albus threw off his covers and decided to wander the corridors. At least, while no longer in Scorpius' proximity, he wasn't plagued with an unrelenting boner. Still, he found himself completely incapable of focusing on anything other than thoughts of Scorpius, and a mindless need to seek him out. The worst part, was Draco's implication that he may actually have feelings for Scorpius. It made sense, the more he thought about it, what with his otherwise unexplainable jealousy over Scorpius' infatuation with Rose. Albus wasn't sure what to think about that. He didn't know what unsettled him, whether it was because it was Scorpius, or because he was a bloke. His aimless wandering eventually brought him to the library. It was nearly midnight, and no one was around to bother him. When he tried the door, it was locked tight. Albus considered an unlocking charm, but decided against it. Who knew what sort of hexes Madam Pince might have used to keep misbehaving students just like him out. Just as he was about to head back to the dungeons, the sound of quiet
footsteps approached.
"Shit!" Albus muttered and tried to plan an escape, but he had nowhere to run except into the library. Inconvenient as ever, the though sprung unbidden into his mind that it would be amazing to snog Scorpius in an unused classroom at night. Right now. Naked. "For fuck's sake!" He whined in utter defeat.
"...Albus?" The panic ceased immediately, only to be replaced by desperate longing.
"Bloody hell, mate! you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Albus whined, turning to see to Scorpius standing nearby in small pool of wandlight. The urge to throw him against a wall and have his way with him was overwhelming, and he barely stopped himself from doing it. "We need to talk. Now." Albus managed, surprised he could even form a sentence.
"I came looking for you when you never showed up. There's a classroom down the hall no one uses, come on." Scorpius suggested and gave Albus a nudge in the right direction.
Safe in the empty room, Albus relaxed a bit and sat in a dusty desk chair with his knees drawn up to his chest. Scorpius grabbed another chair, and sat on it backwards, resting his chin on the back rest.
"Well, talk." Scorpius said.
Albus heaved a sigh and relented. "After your dad kicked me out he said there was away to shorten the duration of the potion's effects. You're not going to like it, though."
"Yeah?"
"We have to... Ugh." Albus groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Well, you know..."
Whatever answer Scorpius expected, it wasn't the one he got. "I...I don't know how I feel about that, Al. I mean, no offense, but I don't fancy blokes." Scorpius said, but without any real conviction. "And Besides I..." He let the words trail off and stared blankly at the wall, deciding it was probably not a good idea to comment that he didn't really want to lose his virginity like this.
"Why Rose?" Albus asked, trying to change the subject.
Scorpius thought about it for a moment, and wished Albus could have asked anything else. "I don't know." He did know one thing, however, one thing he'd known since he'd set out to steal Rose's heart in the first place: It was never meant to be. It had gotten to the point of simply being a challenge to be conquered, because he couldn't admit that he'd failed ages ago.
"Scorpius, please just listen to me! I think this more than just your potion. I think these feelings were already there, and it just made it impossible for me to ignore it. I... I think I love you!" Albus said pitifully.
"No, Albus. That's just the potion talking. I don't want to you to do something you'll regret." Scorpius insisted gently. "Let's just go back to the hospital wing. Maybe my father can give you something to sleep until it wears off. I don't think he realized it was this bad."
"Fine. Okay. But, what if it really is just me?" Albus asked.
Scorpius sighed in irritation and patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't we have this conversation after the potion's worn off?"
"Okay," Albus grudgingly agreed. "Just, I know it's stupid to ask but, would you kiss me?"
"No. This isn't you." Scorpius snapped. "Come on, let's go."
Albus trailed along behind Scorpius, sulking like a child. Scorpius had the sense to ignore it, and not take it to heart. If nothing else, he'd certainly learned his lesson and was a little glad Rose didn't actually drink the potion. If he really did want to be with her, this wasn't how it should be. ...And if this was the only way it would happen, then maybe it shouldn't happen. It was through sheer luck, or an act of divine intervention that none of the teachers or the caretaker caught them on the way to the infirmary. Scorpius was relatively sure his father was going to literally kill him, but he couldn't leave Albus in such a sorry state.
"I'll be right back, just stay here." Scorpius whispered and went to wake his father.
Draco, as predicted, was anything but thrilled to have both of them there in the middle of the night. Irritably, he threw his cloak over his nightclothes and lit the lamps around his quarters with a wave of his hand. "You know, amortentia doesn't usually provoke such lust." He said with a yawn.
"I didn't think so but... Did I brew it wrong?" Scorpius mused.
"I doubt it was perfect, but it wouldn't do this. Love potions are dangerous enough on their own, but when used on someone who already fancies that person, well, this happens. I can give him a potion for dreamless sleep, yes, but I hope you realize Albus is still going to feel the same in the morning - without the need to bend you over a desk at any rate. If he says otherwise, he is lying." Draco explained, somehow keeping a straight face.
"What should I do about that? I mean... He's... Well, he's Albus." Scorpius said dismally.
"The nice thing about falling in love with your best mate, is that they know everything about you – the good and the bad, and they still wouldn't trade you for the world. They always have your back, and you don't have to try to win them over, because they're already fond of you just as you are. That was... That was the best thing about being married to your mother. After the war, she was the only one who didn't disown me, who gave me a second chance to be a better person. She was the best friend I ever had. I don't remember when we fell in love, honestly. It must have happened somewhere along the way. Maybe it's that way for you two." Draco replied, far more patiently than Scorpius ever would have expected. Actually, Scorpius was pretty sure it was the most emotional, and touching thing his father had ever said. It was also, as far as Scorpius could recall, the first time he'd really said anything about his mother since her death. As hard as her passing has been for Scorpius, it had really taken its toll on Draco. He knew the reason Draco had spent the past few years studying hard to become a proper healer had been equal parts distraction, and an attempt to do good by her memory – even though he'd never admit it. Suddenly, Scorpius felt like a complete arse for handling Albus' confession the way he did – even if he was a complete mess.
"Make me some tea." Draco added in his clipped tone and swept out of the room, either to let Scorpius ponder his words or to escape having to say anything else sappy and sentimental. Somewhat shaken, Scorpius set a kettle of water on the grate in the fireplace and fetched a tea set from the cabinet nearby.
When Albus woke the following the morning to find himself in the hospital wing, he had to think for a moment to recall how he'd gotten there. When the memories came flooding back, he wished could literally die. Holding back tears, he sat up and was somewhat relieved to see that he was alone aside from Draco was sitting at the large desk at the end of the hall with his nose in a book. Uncertainly, Albus looked out one of the tall windows at the cloudy grey sky. He sighed quietly and hid his face in his hands.
"I've sent your professors notes to exempt you from your classes for the day. How are you feeling?" Draco asked, looking up from his book. Albus didn't reply. "Honestly Potter, I should send your parents a bill for being an occasional babysitter and psychotherapist. Answer the bloody question."
"I'm fine. Physically, at least. I think." Albus mumbled, just as the doors to hospital wing opened with a loud creak. Scorpius half ran to his side, followed by Rose who looked sick with worry. "Morning." Albus said dully.
"Are you ok? Should I write your dad? Do you feel sick?" Rose babbled excitedly. "Scorpius, I still can't believe you did this!"
"I told her what I did." Scorpius admitted sheepishly. "There wasn't much point in lying. She's said she wouldn't be my girlfriend now even if hell froze over."
"Ugh, well, I have to go! I'm going to be late for transfiguration!" Rose chattered and ran for the door. "If you don't feel better let me know! And you... Don't fuck this up, Malfoy!" She added as she closed it behind her.
"I need to send an owl, I'll be back in half an hour." Draco said flatly and left the infirmary in much less of a hurry, locking the door behind him. Albus thought to himself that he might as well have just said 'I'm giving you some privacy to work out your drama, come get me if you need me'.
"I figured you wouldn't want to go to the great hall for breakfast, so I brought some of the scones you like. I think the elves threw in a pumpkin pasty, too." Scorpius said and handed Albus a small package of baked treats from the kitchens. He took it gratefully, and realized that he was absolutely starving. "So, still want me to kiss you?"
Albus choked on the scone he had nearly inhaled and awkwardly looked up at Scorpius who watched him with an unreadable expression. Part of him wanted to deny ever having said it, and go on about his life like nothing had happened, the other half desperately wanted to know how it would feel. It wasn't like being under the influence of the potion, though – just a sort of curiosity and warmth. He took a deep breath and hoped beyond hope itself that Scorpius wouldn't push him away.
"Yes, but only if you want to." Albus finally said, barely above a whisper.
"Okay, then." Scorpius replied, unable to keep a trace of uncertainty from his voice. Before he could respond, Albus found himself pinned to the bed with Scorpius' nose almost touching his. His breath caught in his throat and he found himself wondering how long he'd really wanted this, but been afraid to accept it. His emerald eyes met Scorpius' steely grey ones, and he tugged lightly at the collar of Scorpius' robe to close the distance between them. Albus tangled his fingers in Scorpius' pale blonde hair, and the world seemed to stand still for a second as their lips finally touched. The kiss was hesitant first, but tension quickly vanished and only the need for air separated them.
"I think I'm all right with this." Scorpius said breathlessly and flopped down on the bed next to Albus.
"There'll be no dealing with Rose." Albus said flatly.
"She'll get over it." Scorpius replied with a smile and pressed a light kiss to Albus' forehead. "I, on the other hand, am very, very late for transfiguration.
"I'll go, I'm sure if I give professor McGonagall my note from your father she won't give us a hard time." Albus suggested.
"You're joking. It'll be another fifty points." Scorpius whinged.
"Or we could skip class and snog some more?" Albus suggested with a wink. Scorpius rolled his eyes and shoved a pillow over Albus' face.
"Come you lazy bum, let's go!" Scorpius said, laughing. "...There's plenty of time for that later."
"Ugh, fine." Albus griped and let Scorpius drag him along. Hopefully they wouldn't be too late.