Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is only for entertainment purposes.
Author's note: A big thank you to everyone who took some of their time to read the first chapter. An even bigger thank you to those who faved it, reviewed, or subscribed. I didn't expect people to find my story so quickly, nor having faves just overnight.
This chapter will be the last one telling the back story, sorry for the lack of interaction, but it was necessary^^.
The lyrics are from "Time isn't healing", by Tom Felton.
I don't know about you, but I love reading a fic while listening to the song used in it. Let me know if you like it or not, so that I know for the next chapters.
Ok, enough babbling.
Becoming of a friendship
Chapter II
Scorpius was lying on his bed… As every night, he was thinking of that same person. Albus Potter. He was well aware that he shouldn't be. They weren't friends anymore, and it was because of him. He was the one who had decided to put an end to that friendship. He couldn't be friends with Albus anymore, not if he liked him more than in a friendly way. He couldn't dare risking his feelings being revealed.
The way he felt about his best friend had changed since the end of the third year. He had started feeling uncomfortable near him, he acted awkward and his heart rate increased whenever Albus was around. At the beginning, he hadn't paid attention to all these signs. When he had noticed, he didn't understand why. But during the summer, he had analyzed every little detail and had come to the conclusion that there was no way he would let this happen. It should be, and remain forever, his darkest secret. That's the reason why he slowly, yet firmly, distanced himself from Albus, as discreetly as he could. He had tried making new friends, always bearing in mind though that he shouldn't hurt Albus. It wasn't his fault, but above all, he definitely couldn't see him suffer, knowing he would be the responsible one. He wanted to see the boy he loved happy, even if it required him out of the way. It had been a painful decision, but it was the only one he could think of. There was no other way. He couldn't stay in company of Albus all the time, and obviously, he couldn't tell him the truth. Albus would completely freak out; he would be scared, and he would never speak to him or look at him ever again. At least now, he thought, we still talk sometimes. It was unthinkable to consider a life without any interaction with Albus. It was physically impossible for him. He had to be able to look at him and talk to him whenever he had the urge to. That's why he had thought it was the right decision.
Of course, he could have attempted overlooking his feelings, nay forget them, and continue being friends with Albus, but Scorpius could assure you he had tried his hardest; it was just infeasible. The proof was, that even after two years, his feelings were still the same, if not stronger. So he had to deal with it and hide it as best as he could. For now, it had worked quite well.
The good thing about being a Malfoy, was that you could hide your emotions perfectly, precisely because you always knew exactly how you felt. You could lie to people, but you should never lie to yourself. It was a rule. And Scorpius was a Malfoy, even if he wasn't the perfect representative.
How many times hadn't he wished to be a girl? Things would have been so much easier! Or why did it have to be his best friend? Why couldn't he be just normal like everyone else? There was no answer for his questions and he knew it. He kept asking them though. Maybe he was a masochist, it would explain at lot of things, he thought with bitter sarcasm.
Then, he heard a sigh. He held his breath. He knew exactly who it came from. Scorpius turned his head to his right. Obviously, he couldn't see anything. It was a matter of habit. The thought of Albus right there, so close, not even two meters away from him, comforted him. Apparently, the boy who was torturing him unconsciously couldn't sleep either, he laughed at himself. How ironic. And then, curiosity gnawed him. Why couldn't he sleep? Was he thinking about some girl? His heart clenched at the thought. He wanted to growl, but he reminded himself he had to stay quiet. He didn't want Albus talking to him now. Ha, as if he would! he cried sadly. He bit his lip. It was not the right moment to start crying.
Now that he knew the dark-haired boy was awake too, he could never fall asleep. Great, he thought. And why did Albus have to be in the bed just next to him? Right, he thought, because we were friends.
Indeed, at their very first day at Hogwarts, when they had had to choose a bed in the Slytherin dormitory, Albus had chosen the one in the corner, and Scorpius the one next to it. Who would have thought at that time that it wasn't a good idea? Scorpius wanted to laugh, laugh of exasperation and anger. He wished he could go numb and just stop feeling anything at all. He was desperately in love with Albus, and he knew it wouldn't change anytime soon. Scorpius started humming to himself in order to distract himself.
And tick tock, goes the clock
Time is going so slow
And I'm supposed to be fast asleep
Like a couple hours ago
Albus sighed again. Scorpius held his breath one more time. Can't he stop sighing? It just makes everything worse! Scorpius tried to ignore the other boy's presence.
So I, I need to exercise
Alright, I've got to rest these eyes
And I, I need to knock on some doors
And I won't have to lie here by myself anymore
Against his will, the memory of their first dialogue came back to life…
Albus and Scorpius were walking side by side, like all the other first years, heading towards the Slytherin common room. It was the first time they would see it. They were both silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Eventually, Scorpius passed Albus and stopped right in front of him.
"I haven't introduced myself properly yet."
Albus looked at him, somewhat surprised by his sudden statement.
"I'm Sorpius, Scorpius Malfoy."
The blond boy held out his hand apprehensively. Albus hesitated for a second, and then accepted it, with greater determination.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Albus."
They both grinned. They already knew perfectly well who each other was; it was simply a matter of courtesy and etiquette.
And from that moment, they remained inseparable.
Inseparable, until I had to mess everything up, Scorpius corrected himself.
'Cause time isn't healing
Pretty sick of staring at my ceiling
And I, I can't help the way I feel about you
'Cause time isn't healing
Pretty sick of staring at my ceiling
And I, I can't help the way I feel about you
I have a smoke to try to send me to sleep
But things aren't all that they seem
The only time I seem to spend with you
Seems to be in my dreams
A single tear rolled down Scorpius' cheek.
So I, I need to let [him] go
Would it have worked? I guess I'll never know
And I, I need to hit the road
And find me a girl of my own
'Cause time isn't healing
Pretty sick of staring at my ceiling
And I, I can't help the way I feel about you
'Cause time isn't healing
Pretty sick of staring at my ceiling
And I, I can't help the way I feel about you
And I, I can't help the way I feel about you
And I, I can't help the way I've fallen for you
Scorpius fell asleep at last, only one person wandering in his mind.
Next chapter: Albus talks to Rose and takes initiative.