CHAPTER SEVEN

"Stuff it, Potter."

"Malfoy, please!"

"You can't just ignore me for a week and then tell me we need to talk." The blonde was clearly exasperated and depressed. "I get it. You don't want to be around queers. I should've realized clans that procreate as much as your family does would not look kindly on people… like me."

"No! They don't… I mean mom and dad never even talked about it… But that's not…" Albus was tripping over himself trying to keep up with Malfoy, who went into the library and made a point of closing the library door before Albus could go through.

The brunette trembled, his eyes nearing the point of tears. He morosely wandered back towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He wiped the tears that were forming and tried to compose himself. The Weasley clan was assembled in the room, playing games with their friends. Lily motioned to a place on the couch as everyone laughed around them. Not having anything else to do, he sat next to his younger sister.

She snorted and looked around. "Where's Malfoy? I think this is the first time this semester that you're actually not with him. It's like you two have become conjoined twins."

Albus shrugged, his face clearly exuding the misery he felt, especially in contrast to the joyful, carefree nature the Weasley family he had been such an active part of in previous years.

She leaned in towards him, inspecting him closely. "Okay there's something wrong. What's up?"

Albus just shook his head and allowed himself to be pulled towards a quieter room. Lily closed the door and gave her brother a knowing look. "Okay, it's about Malfoy, yeah?"

He gave her a look of shock.

"Oh come on now don't look so surprised. I don't have to be Aunt Hermione to deduce it. You're alone for the first time and you look like a kicked puppy."

"Yeah. It's about Malfoy."

"Lover's tiff?" She stuck her tongue out jokingly.

Albus shifted uncomfortably at the statement for being too close to home.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding, Al. Merlin, boys don't know how to take a joke when it comes anywhere close to sex or sexuality. So what's the issue then? Why is he mad at you?"

"I've been stupid and a shitty friend."

"I highly doubt that. You've been nothing but loyal to him." She snorted. "Even against your own family. He'll remember that and come around eventually. Just give him space, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, Al. Glad we had this little chat. Now can you stop being so distant with us and maybe actually be a part of your own family?"

Albus smiled lightly and nodded. As soon as he left he played a few rounds of Exploding Snap with Hugo and Louis and felt infinitely better.

"Um… 12 Grimmauld Place!" He threw the ash in the fire and called his god-brother.

A red-blonde girls head answered. "Albus? How are you doing sweetie? How's Hogwarts and the gang?"

Albus quietly raised his eyebrows as he recognized the part-Veela witch. It appeared the rumors of their romance were true. "I'm good Victoire. Everybody is good and happy here. Is Teddy there?"

"Of course!" Her head disappeared and a few moments later the handsome face of his god-brother appeared.

"Well Albus! I had expected to hear from you earlier. Party is less than a week away, you know."

"I know. That's actually why I wanted to call. I want to come but… can I bring a friend?"

"Well… I assume you can bring a date. Does she have good grades? That's the only way your dad convinced McGonagall to let you leave for my little party."

"Yeah, I think so. But… it's not a she, it's a he."

"Oh. Oh! Who then?"

"Malfoy."

Teddy nodded several times. "Yeah, James has been talking my ear off about the man. I'd be interested to meet him. Just clear it with McGonagall."

"Okay, I'll talk to her."

"Wait, before you go, Al."

"What's up?"

"Why do you want to bring him? Is he… just a friend?"

Albus's neck and ears immediately began burning up, "Yeah, he's just a friend." He knew he didn't sound convincing to the young Lupin, who held a very skeptical face. Figuring that his awkward denial was more an omission than anything else, Albus abruptly added, "Can you… can you not tell my folks or the family?"

The comprehension was clear on Teddy's face. "Of course not, Al. I'm not Rose Weasley— I'm not going to tell a soul."

"Thank you, Teddy. It's just… not easy."

"Of course not. But you can always talk to me. You know that."

"I know." Albus gulped and stuttered out his only other question, "Why me? Why didn't James or Lily get any invitation?"

Teddy sighed. "I'll tell you when you get here. It's really complicated." He thought about it some more and tried to be as vague as possible as he said, "It has more to do with business than family. I guess? I don't know. You'll see. Don't worry it's nothing bad. And I promise you'll have fun too!"

Malfoy had become accustomed to sneaking into and out of the classes at the last possible moment, so that Albus wouldn't have an opportunity to pull him aside and talk to him. He had even gone to the lengths of spelling his curtains shut so that he couldn't be approached at night.

Even Louis noticed it after Albus started paring up with him in Potions again, leaving Malfoy to work with one of the bookish Muggleborn girls in their year. Even at that week's Quidditch practices, Malfoy stayed tight lipped and as far away from the brunette as possible.

Finally, three days before Halloween, Albus cornered a dripping wet Malfoy after his shower after practice. The rest of the team had already left the locker rooms, leaving the two of them alone. The blonde seemed to notice this fact at the same time, and so tried to dart past the brunette.

"Scorpius! Please stop."

Albus saw heat rising on the blonde's neck and face. Malfoy stared intently at the other boy, clutching his towel close to his waist. "You just called me Scorpius."

Albus felt a blush rise on his face in return, but was glad that Malfoy had at least acknowledged him again. "I mean that's your name."

Malfoy shrugged and went to the side of the locker rooms. "What do you want?"

"I'm gay."

The blonde nearly dropped the towel, snapping his eyes up to Albus who instantly couldn't meet his eyes.

His heart was pounding out of my chest. Even though he couldn't see, he knew Malfoy's shoulders were sinking. "Don't pull my leg like this."

Albus sat down, staring at the wall. He couldn't bear looking at his friend. "I'm not pulling anything. I'm gay. That's… that's why I… I just didn't know it until you said… It's been real hard. I didn't mean to…"

Albus looked up and Malfoy was sitting on the bench across from him, now wearing his boxers and a pair of jeans. The blonde's walls were clearly crumbling as a spark of hope was slowly growing in those deep, gray eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Albus felt a little irritation inside of him. "I was trying to tell you but you kept leaving the room and stuff… Oh you meant in the hallway." The brunette stared at the ground, "I didn't even know I was. It just kinda… hit me. But that's not… I didn't want to just tell you that. I wanted to…"

"Wanted to what?"

The brunette sucked in a deep breath and just burst through the question that had been burning on his mind all week, "Do you want to go to the Lupin Halloween Party with me?"

Malfoy took his head back for a moment, his eyebrow arching before a small smile began to grow on his face. "Are you asking me out on a date, Potter?"

Albus's throat was too constricted, so he just gave a sharp nod.

He could feel the smile grow on the blonde's face. "Okay."

Author's Note. Yuyi i- Thank you for the follow up review! I hope his reaction satisfies. I didn't get a chance to update during the week but I'll have another update tomorrow. Also thank you to secretlysmitten and Rachelc85 for reviewing. Gives me encouragement to update more. Let me know if you like this chapter!