Albus Potter had stood outside the door to his Father's study for almost ten minutes, his stomach feeling as if it had been tied up in knots and that he had lost the use of his arms. Why couldn't he knock on the door? All of his courage seemed to have failed him at the moment.
Although his relationship with Harry had greatly improved, this was his big test. He had to tell Harry; He owed it to Scorpius to tell Harry about their relationship.
Scorpius. The mere thought of Albus's boyfriend calmed Albus down considerably. If Scorpius were here, he would tell Albus that he was being silly worrying about Harry's reaction and would give him a Pepper Imp and a kiss on the cheek good luck. Albus couldn't help grinning at the thought.
During the course of their relationship, Scorpius had helped Albus grow more confident in himself. Scorpius's constant praise had helped Albus considerably in his studies and had helped him grow as a person; He was more comfortable being in his own skin and the summer days he had spent with Scorpius cuddled up together by the beech tree by the Hogwarts Lake had been the happiest of his life.
It was as if all his worries went away, being with Scorpius. Albus loved him so much and he hoped with all his heart that his family would accept Scorpius as his boyfriend.
Lily had already accepted Scorpius and he hoped that the rest of his family would. He was sure that Ginny would accept Scorpius, but Albus was worried about Harry.
But Albus knew that the longer he stood there at the door, the longer he would lose his nerve. Picturing Scorpius's handsome face and his soft grey eyes that made Albus's stomach fill with butterflies, he knocked on the Study door.
"Come in," said Harry's tired voice.
It took everything for Albus to turn the handle and push the door open.
Harry was sitting at his cluttered desk, looking very tired and very stressed as he pored over a huge stack at parchment. At the sight of Albus however, Harry's face split into a very wide grin.
"Albus," Harry said warmly. "It's late. What are you doing up? Are you alright?"
"Hi Dad," Albus smiled. "Am I disturbing you?" He asked uncertainly. He didn't want to interrupt Harry from any important Ministry work.
"Of course not," Harry said, shoving aside the large stack of parchment. "I can talk to you. Come in."
Albus gingerly set foot into Harry's study, his heart pounding in trepidation as he reached Harry's desk.
"Sit down," Harry said, pointing to the rickety chair in front of his desk. Albus sat down nervously, looking at his Dad who looked exhausted; There were dark patches around his eyes and Albus was quite sure that Harry was struggling to stay awake.
"Have you got Ministry work coming out of your ears again, Dad?" Albus asked, attempting to grin but the muscles in his mouth were too stiff.
"I've been filling in the court papers for those Lower Flagley burglars," Harry said. "They're due in next week, but I've been tied down doing other stuff. I've pretty much finished them and I was just going to pack up. Are you alright? You look like you've got something on your mind."
Albus tensed at the idea of telling Harry now. It was all too soon. He thought he would have more time to steel himself.
"Would you like a nightcap?" Harry asked suddenly, jerking Albus out of his thoughts.
"A what?" Albus frowned.
"A nightcap," Harry repeated. "I've got some Firewhisky if you- "
"Okay then," Albus said, hoping that a little bit of courage would help him here.
Harry got up, stretched and made his way to the rickety cabinet where he began pouring them both a small amount of Firewhisky.
"Here," Harry said, handing Albus his glass and sitting back down. "Take it steady and don't drink it all at once. So, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Albus took a small sip of Firewhisky and made a face as it burned the back of his throat and a wonderful feeling happened; it was as if all his fears melted away.
"I'm dating Scorpius Malfoy and I love him with all my heart," He said, his voice slightly louder than usual. Surprise flickered in Harry's eyes, but his face was impassive and Albus's newfound courage seemed to flicker away and he looked moodily down at his glass. The seconds lengthened and Harry was still quiet and impassive and Albus was starting to regret telling him.
"That's brilliant news," Harry said, breaking the silence. Albus jerked his head up in surprise and was shocked to see Harry was smiling.
"Really?" Albus asked, not daring to believe what he was hearing.
"Of course," Harry said, his smile turning into a grin. "You two are brilliant together and I think Scorpius is perfect for you."
"So, you're happy for me?" Albus pressed him, not daring to believe what he was hearing.
"Albus, I'm happy as long as you're happy," Harry said, taking a sip of Firewhisky. "If you're worried about what I think about you dating Scorpius, then don't be. I trust Scorpius and I think he will be brilliant for you. You're always laughing together. When you got off the train, I saw that you looked a lot happier, a lot less anxious. That's because of Scorpius, isn't it? You're always a lot calmer around Scorpius."
"Yeah," Albus said, a soppy grin appearing on his face which he quickly got rid of. Harry nodded approvingly.
"I thought so," Harry said. "To be honest, I thought something was going on between you two."
Albus's mouth dropped open in shock.
"What?" He gasped. "Dad, how did you even know? We've both tried to keep it a secret."
"I'm not as clueless as your Mother and Aunt Hermione think I am," Harry smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I just prefer to leave the dating side of things to your Mum. She's a lot better when it comes to feelings. Anyway, you're both pretty obvious. You tend to look at each other a lot more than usual and you both stand a lot closer than normal best friends. I've had my suspicions for a while, but I didn't like to say anything. I thought that it would be best to let you two get on with sorting this out yourselves."
Albus was speechless; he had never expected his Dad to guess about his relationship with Scorpius. He had thought he had been subtle about hiding it, but apparently, he wasn't. Was he really this obvious? Did anyone else guess about their relationship? He was certain that if Harry had guessed, then Ginny certainly knew.
"Being able to read people is an important skill for an Auror, Albus," Harry said, surveying Albus who had a sneaking suspicion that Harry had somehow read his mind. "You looked quite nervous when you came in. Were you worried about telling me this?"
"Yeah," Albus nodded. "I just didn't know how you would react, that's all."
Something flickered across Harry's eyes and his expression became unreadable. Albus had the suspicion that Harry was feeling guilty.
"You know you can tell me anything," Harry said finally, a soft edge to his voice. "Don't be afraid to talk to me."
"I know I can," Albus said slowly. "But it was mostly to do with you know- The boy thing. I didn't know what you would think about me going out with a boy."
"I don't care about that," Harry said gently. "I think it's great that there is more love in this world."
"So do I," Albus said, another soppy grin appearing on his face no doubt due to the Firewhisky he was drinking.
"I remember being nervous when your Mother and I told your Grandparents and Uncles about our relationship," Harry said.
"Really?" Albus asked, feeling shocked. "But they loved you. Why would you be nervous?"
"I was Ron's friend before I was your Mother's Boyfriend," Harry said with a smile. "Thankfully your Grandparents were over the moon about it."
"Did any of Mum's brothers threaten to hex you?" Albus asked with a sly smile.
"No," Harry laughed. "But it was a bit of a shock for your Uncle Percy. He hadn't seen your Mother for a while and seeing her with a Boyfriend was a lot to take in."
"And the fact that you're Harry Potter," Albus said, grinning slyly.
"That too," Harry said with a smile. "He was alright about it in the end."
"Do you think the family would be alright with me and Scorpius?" Albus asked, voicing his worries for the first time.
"We all want you to be happy, Albus," Harry said. "You're happy with Scorpius, so I imagine that the family would be very happy for you."
Albus grinned as a feeling of great relief washed over him. He felt a great burden lift from his shoulders making him feel light and easy. He had never expected things to turn out this good, in fact he was expecting the worst.
"You're looking a lot happier already," Harry said, smiling at the way Albus was grinning.
"Yeah, I am," Albus said. "Thanks for accepting me, Dad. For accepting me and Scorpius. It means a lot to us."
"I'm glad you've found someone like Scorpius," Harry said, his eyes oddly bright behind his glasses. "Someone who loves you and who will take good care of you. Your Mother did that with me after the war."
"She did?" Albus asked, feeling curious. Harry nodded, that familiar faraway look in his eye.
"If it weren't for your Mum, I'm sure I would've fallen to pieces," He said, smiling. "She kept me sane after the Battle of Hogwarts. She kept me going. I was full of so much guilt over losing so many during the battle. Remus Lupin, Tonks, your Uncle Fred, the list goes on. But your Mum picked me up, dusted me off and gave me a reason to get out of bed each day. I don't know where I'd be without her, to be honest."
"That's how I feel about Scorpius," Albus said, feeling surprised. "Especially the getting out of bed bit. He always gave me a reason to do better for myself and since I've been with him, I've found myself doing a lot better in classes."
"The power of love really is incredible sometimes," Harry said, looking pensive. "Dumbledore kept telling me how important it was and there were times that I used to scoff at him for it, but after everything I went through I believe that its importance is more relevant than ever."
"It's hard to imagine living without love," Albus said thoughtfully. "You'd probably have a bleak existence."
"It's what makes us human," Harry said. "Look at Voldemort, look at how he had no compassion for anyone, he never knew friendship or love and I think that that is something to be pitied."
"I would've been nothing without Scorpius," Albus said quietly.
"And I would've been nothing without Ron, Hermione and your Mother," Harry said, just as quiet.
Both of them lapsed into a comfortable silence lost in their own thoughts. Albus didn't know how long they sat there but Harry's clock chimed, jerking them out of their thoughts.
"Well, look at the time," Harry said, draining his glass and pulling a funny face. "We should be in bed. Come on."
Harry got up and put his glass away as Albus pinched his nose and drained what little Firewhisky there was at the bottom of it. It seared his throat going down and he pulled a face as it did so. Harry cleared up Albus's glass and Albus got up to leave, feeling as if he could float on air.
He felt Harry's hand on his shoulder and he turned around to look at his Dad who had a peculiar look in his eye.
"Before we go to bed, do you fancy a Hot Chocolate?" Harry asked. "I've been meaning to make one all day and since you told me about you and Scorpius, maybe we could. Err… Celebrate together?"
"Okay, then," Albus said, feeling incredibly touched. His face split into a grin. "But I won't tell Mum if you don't."
"I think it's a deal," Harry said with a laugh, shaking Albus's hand. Albus pulled Harry into a hug where they stayed for a minute.
"Thanks for everything, Dad," Albus said fiercley.
"I'm glad you're finally happy, Albus," Harry said, patting Albus's back. "You deserve to have someone as brilliant as Scorpius and I hope everything goes alright for you in your relationship."
"Things have just got even better," Albus said pulling out of the hug. "I haven't even told Mum yet. I wanted you to know first."
"Thank you for telling me," Harry said, his eyes shining. "I appreciate it. Now let's celebrate you and Scorpius with some Hot Chocolate."
As the pair of them made their way downstairs, Albus thought that this couldn't get any better. As they sat in the kitchen, both drinking steaming mugs of Hot Chocolate, he realised that he was wrong.
Thank you for reading.