Chapter 4
Albus was laying down in the grass on the lawn, eyes closed. He'd needed some fresh air, especially since lessons started tomorrow. And for some reason, he couldn't get Scorpius Malfoy out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. He even started being more social toward other people, yet the stupid Slytherin was still on his mind.
Before, Albus had never thought about him in any way other than his sworn enemy. Al remembered getting off the train in his first year and meeting Scorpius for the first time. Scorpius had walked straight up to him and sneered, "So you're the famous Harry Potter's son, eh?"
Albus absolutely hated being referred to as 'the famous Harry Potter's son.' That title attracted too much attention than for which he cared; besides, if he had to have a title, he'd rather earn it himself.
Albus had retorted back, "And I hear you're the infamous Draco Malfoy's son. Has he gone to Azkaban yet?"
Needless to say, the two had been going at it since then, the insults and bantering growing worse with each passing year.
And now here was Albus, perplexed. He didn't want his stomach to do flip flops every time he saw Scorpius. He didn't want to dream about Scorpius. He didn't want to be so concerned with how he looked, just in case Scorpius happened to notice. He didn't want to feel any other feelings besides annoyance and dislike toward Scorpius.
And Albus couldn't tell anyone. It was one thing for his friends to fully accept that he was gay, but they might not be so accepting anymore if they knew he had a crush on a Malfoy.
It doesn't matter though because I don't like him. I won't. I can get over him, no big deal. Besides, I'm just probably - "Ow!"
Albus abruptly opened his eyes, having felt something hard hit his head. He sat up and saw a rock lying near him.
"That was for disarming me." A voice got louder, then a face appeared in view.
Albus groaned. And speaking of the bastard. Geez, did I accidentally summon him or something?
"You asked for it," Albus stated flatly.
Scorpius laughed, plopping himself down beside Albus. Ugh, go away! You're torturing me! Albus yelled silently in his head. He wanted to say this but, instead, narrowed his eyes and suspiciously asked, "What are you doing Scorpius"
"What?" The Slytherin asked innocently. "Can I not have an innocent conversation with you?"
Albus stared at Scorpius as if he had three heads and sixteen eyes, and stayed quiet for a few moments. Scorpius, growing serious, turned his head to face the lake. "Well, I guess...I just...felt bad. For the jokes Jay and Brock were making." He bit his lower lip, his forehead creased into a frown; Albus' heart started thudding harder at the sight.
It was hard to concentrate on what Scorpius had just said because it was so out of character. Dumbfounded, he asked, "You-you felt bad?" A small smile crept at the corner of his lips.
Scorpius turned his head around, his face in a hardened expression. "Don't think too much into it, Potter. But yeah, I should have hexed them, too. They were being idiots."
Albus knew this was probably hard for Scorpius to say; he had to commend the guy. He shrugged and softly replied, "It's okay. I'm used to it." Not everyone at Hogwarts was fond of the homosexual community. Quite ridiculous, in my opinion. "Felt bad for Andrew, though," Albus said quietly as an afterthought.
Scorpius nodded, then asked, "So you and Andrew aren't -"
"No, definitely not," Albus cut him off. He was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable talking about this, given the current situation.
"Rumors, I guess." Scorpius nervously laughed, fiddling with a piece of grass. Normally, he didn't let his guard down like this, allowing for some vulnerability to show. Scorp wasn't exactly sure why he was doing it now; he usually never let his soft side show for anyone.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. Albus wasn't exactly sure what to say or how to feel. He definitely didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it struck him as odd that Scorpius was even the least bit interested in his own love life. Finally, Albus, as casually as possible, asked, "Why are you out here?"
Grateful that Albus had said something, Scorpius smirked slightly and said, "I could ask you the same thing."
Al grinned and answered, "I needed some fresh air, and some peace."
"Me too," Scorpius replied. "The commons was too suffocating and the library was too noisy."
Albus' eyes widened, making a noise in mock surprise. "You go to the library?"
Scorpius let out a light laugh. "Contrary to popular belief, yes. I'm quite the avid reader, mind you. My favorite books are about dragons, giants, and other creatures of that sort."
Albus scoffed. "Now that I can't believe! Just yesterday you tried to murder that poor rabbit."
"No, not me," Scorpius said defensively. "It was mostly Jay and Brock. I was just an innocent bystander."
"That's even worse, and egging them on, to boot."
Scorpius opened his mouth, then closed it. He was quiet, at a loss for words, for a few seconds. Finally he asked, "Well, what were you doing near the barn?"
Albus contemplated on whether to answer him or not. He wasn't sure he could trust Scorpius, even if their conversation were absurdly light-hearted. It was also completely astounding that they were even holding a conversation! To be safe, though, Albus vaguely said, "We found a dead unicorn. Got some hair from the tail, even."
"No horn?"
"It was already gone."
"Damn. Should have gotten there faster. Those things sell for a vast number of galleons."
"If only."
The two boys fell silent once again, staring at each other. This went on for a couple moments. Eventually, Scorpius cleared his throat and looked back at the lake. His intense silver eyes quickly brightened as he leaned back on his elbows. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" He turned back to Albus, that all too familiar gleam in his eyes.
Albus sighed, knowing this would not have a good outcome. Nonetheless, he asked, "What'd you have in mind?"
Scorpius paused briefly, then casually stated, "Bet you five galleons you won't skinny dip in the lake."
Albus seemed to have frozen in place, not sure if he had heard correctly. "S-skinny dipping in the lake? I-I can't do that," He stuttered, his voice going an octave higher.
Scorpius leaned in, getting closer, which caused Albus's heart to beat faster, if that were even possible. "Have a sense of humor, Potter! Besides, there's no one here to bust us."
Al glanced around him, just to make sure. There were only a couple of people around, immersed in either their studies or conversations. Meanwhile, Scorpius had already taken off his shirt, revealing a lean, tan stomach. Well that answers my previous question from a couple of weeks back. Is that a six-pack?! He averted his eyes, trying not to gawk.
Instead, he focused on what Scorpius was trying to get him to do. He sniffed at the thought. "I am no way in hell getting naked with you."
"Afraid I might see you get a boner? Well, that's if you even have a dick. I'm still not sure." Scorpius had a pronounced smirk upon his face, clearly enjoying himself. Albus, on the other hand, was glaring. Besides, that was precisely what he was afraid of.
Scorpius sighed, not knowing why Albus had to be so serious all the time. "Don't worry, I'll keep my pants on. But if you're too much of a pansy- " Scorpius broke off, taunting the Gryffindor.
Pansy?! That did it! No one called Albus a pansy! Off went his shirt, and down came his pants. He turned around so that Scorpius wouldn't have to see his "junk." He hesitantly took his briefs off, both hands censoring his bum and privates, then ran and dove into the cool lake. Al felt free, being naked and all, in the water.
Coming up for a breath, Scorpius had jumped in and was right beside him. Albus backed away, not wanting Scorpius to get too close. "Don't crowd my space."
Scorpius laughed, then got closer; he enjoyed making Albus squirm. Albus on the other hand thought it was a bit rude; it was as if Scorpius were taking advantage of him.
Al splashed Scorpius, "Stop it!"
Scorpius splashed back, then went underwater to avoid being splashed again. Albus stiffened. Please don't get hard. Please don't get hard. Please don't get hard, he willed silently in his head, trying to think of something else. Boogey-flavored jelly beans and fruitcake immeaditely came to mind. Those were his worst foods. That, and lima beans.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts. "What the bloody hell?!"
Albus slowly turned just as Scorpius came up from the water. There, standing at the edge of the bank, was a small blonde in Hufflepuff robes. Albus guessed that she was a couple of years younger than he and Scorpius.
The girl was staring at them, her eyes wide. Albus wasn't sure if it were because she saw him and Scorpius together in the lake or if she had noticed the pile of clothes on the ground. Probably a mixture of both.
Scorpius casually spoke up, "Care to join us?"
The girl's eyes widened even more, her face reddening. It was obvious she was mortified.
"If not, then you must pretend you didn't see anything. This is an exclusive stripper club. Our theme for this week is Merpeople," Albus said, a grin forming.
The girl, mortified even more, sprinted away from them. Albus and Scorpius glanced at each other, then bursted out into laughter.
"That poor girl is going to be traumatized for life!" Albus exclaimed, making his way back to the bank. He looked back at Scorpius, then glanced from side to side to see if it were clear. When he was sure no one was watching them, Albus carefully got up and placed his hands to cover his private area. Then he quickly grabbed his clothes and pulled them on his body.
Scorpius got out soon after Albus, his boxers soaked. "I guess I owe you five galleons. You've got guts...and a dick."
Albus turned around, his face reddening. He was about to retort an insult, but Scorpius was already heading toward Hogwarts, clothes in hand. Albus sighed, but it was more happy than anything. Who knew skinny-dipping was such an adrenaline rush! And he was going to blame the adrenaline rush on skinny-dipping and skinny-dipping only.
Soo this is my favorite chapter so far. :D tehe.
R&R
And I'll have the next chapter up hopefully by tomorrow.
