A couple of weeks went by. Albus and Scorpius had spent a lot of this time together, but mostly in secret. They'd decided to keep their relationship quiet for a while...they both needed some time to get used to it and to each other, without all the attention that they would inevitably get if anyone found out. They told Rose and Lily, of course and Scorpius told his dad. Other than that they wanted to keep it quiet until they went home for Christmas.

They'd taken to having all their meals together, mostly at the Ravenclaw table. People noticed of course, but everyone assumed that they were just friends. Albus' cousins and friends were surprised, but none of them said anything much. James wouldn't keep quiet though. He couldn't understand what Albus could see in 'that Malfoy git' as he called him. He accused his brother of turning his back on his real friends and wasting his time with people who didn't deserve him.

But Albus stood firm. He told his brother to stop trying to run his life and to mind his own business. James was shocked. Albus had never taken a stand like that about anything before.

"I can't believe you are fighting with me over bloody Malfoy," he said one evening when he cornered his brother after dinner.

Albus had gone up to his dorm to get the invisibility cloak before going to meet Scorpius in the room of requirement. It was the third time that week that James had confronted him about this and Albus had just about had enough.

"His name is Scorpius and he's my friend. And I'm not fighting with you. I am simply asserting my right to choose my friends. I am not a child anymore Jamie. I can make my own choices and I can look out for myself. So go live your life and leave me be."

James was livid. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll write to mum about it. Let's see what she has to say, shall we?"

"You do know that you're being ridiculous, right? Go ahead. You write to mum. I'll write to dad. Let's see what he has to say as well."

They would have gone on like this if Rose and Lily hadn't stepped in and dragged them away from each other. Albus was understandably very upset. Rose sent him off to find Scorpius while she went and tried to knock some sense into her idiot cousin. Not that he would listen to her. He had always hated the fact she and Scorpius were friends. Still, she had to try.

Albus stood outside the room of requirement and took a deep breath. He tried to put James and his nonsense out of his mind. He hadn't had any alone time with Scorpius all day and he didn't want his bad mood to spoil it. He pushed the door open and saw his boy friend lying on the couch in front of the fire place. He was staring at the flames with a dreamy smile on his face.

He looked up when Albus entered and smiled his happy smile, as Albus called it. It never failed to lift his spirits. So he smiled back as he walked over to the couch and snuggled up to Scorpius. They held each other for a minute and then they kissed. It was slow and sensual at first but then it grew heated and soon Albus had his hands under Scorpius' shirt. He ran his hands gently up and down the blond's chest. Scorpius moaned in response and Albus found himself wanting more.

He wanted to ask but he wasn't sure how Scorpius would respond. So he hesitated. Scorpius must have sensed it. "What is it, love?" He asked as he continued to kiss and suck at Albus' neck in a way that made his toes curl and his whole body tremble with desire.

Albus smiled at that endearment which slipped so naturally from the boy in his arms. "Aaaaah..." he moaned as Scorpius hit a particularly sensitive spot behind his ear.

"Could you...ah...take your shirt off?" He said. They had only been together a couple of weeks, but Albus was practically dying to see his beautiful blond without his clothes. He didn't want to push but he was getting a bit desperate.

"Is that all?" Scorpius said with a laugh as he casually shrugged his shirt off.

Albus gasped as he raked his eyes hungrily over the boy in front of him and Scorpius blushed, making Albus laugh as well as he pushed him gently and made him lie down on the couch. Albus felt like he was in heaven. Scorpius smelt so good and his skin was soft with a fine dusting of soft blond hair...He ran his hands gently up and down that pale torso, feeling absurdly pleased when Scorpius moaned his pleasure. Then he proceeded to touch and kiss very inch of Scorpius that he could reach. Scorpius lay back on the couch. He ran his hands up and down Albus' arms and his back and..He gasped and panted as Albus kissed his way down his chest. He was very aroused and impossibly happy.

"Al..."

"Hmmm..."

"You should take your shirt off too. It's only fair."

Albus barely paused in his ministrations. He quickly pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside. They explored each other for a good long while before they finally gave in to their arousal. They were both still wearing their jeans...that was not a boundary they were ready to cross so soon. But despite the barrier of all the clothing, it was sensational. They collapsed against each other feeling sated and incredibly happy and totally loved...It was a while before either of them was able to speak.

"Scor..."

"Hmmm..."

"Does it bother you that I want to keep this a secret for a while?"

"No. I understand why you want keep it quiet. So it's okay."

"This is just something I want to tell my parents in person," Albus said.

"Are you worried about their reaction?"

"Neither of them will care about the fact that I'm dating a boy, but mum won't like the fact that it's you."

"But your dad will be fine with it..."

"Of course. I mean he and your dad are friends, almost. I was rather surprised when he told me that they've been working together. Did you know?"

"Yeah. Dad told me. It seems your dad has been coming to him for help with some of his cases over the last year...He also told me that they hadn't so much as spoken to each other for over twenty years before that. Strange isn't it?"

"Very. I've heard so much about how they were at school, always at each other's throats. I wonder what changed."

"Maybe they grew up."

"Uncle Ron certainly hasn't. He doesn't approve of my dad going to your dad for help, despite the fact that he is the best potions master in the country and he still hasn't accepted the fact that you and Rosie are friends."

Scorpius sighed. He wasn't surprised. After all, he knew how the Weasleys felt about him. Despite the fact that he was Rosie's best friend, he had never been invited to their home or acknowledged in any way at all.

"Will it be a problem if your mum isn't happy about us?" He asked feeling rather vulnerable all of a sudden. He would be loath to admit it, but it hurt every time someone thought badly of him just because he was a Malfoy.

Albus heard the uncertainly in his voice. So he pulled him closer and kissed him softly. "If my mum is unhappy about us, then it is her problem, not mine. I'm not going to let something like that get between us, I swear."

"I know. It's just that it's so unfair to be judged by things that happened long before I was born even. The war was twenty four years ago. You'd think that people would have let bygones be bygones by now."

"You know that's exactly what dad said the last time he was arguing with Uncle Ron. I can't wait for the two of you to meet. I'm sure he'll like you."

"I hope so. Though I'm sure it won't be anything like the affection my dad has for you."

"Lucky I'm good at potions huh!"

"I don't think that's the only reason he likes you though...you're a very nice guy, Al. There's an air of honestly and genuine goodness about you. I think it would be hard for anyone not to like you."

Albus was completely taken aback. "What?" He said.

"And you're uncomfortable with praise, which makes you all the more adorable in my opinion."

"Scor...you really think all that about me?"

"I know all that about you," Scorpius said with his quiet confidence. "I also know that you are intelligent, very well read and really charming. Add your gorgeous looks to the mix and you are quite irresistible."

Albus was floored...again. He didn't know how to react so he buried his head in the curve of Scorpius' neck and nuzzled him. Scorpius had a way of making him feel special. It was not a familiar feeling.

Scorpius held him close and ran his hand through the messy black hair that he liked so much. "Al, you are a very special person. I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it...You don't have to fit in, love. You don't have to meet anybody expectations. You just have to be you." That just made Albus snuggle even closer and hold on. He didn't want Scorpius to see the tears that suddenly filled his eyes. Though he had a feeling that Scorpius knew anyway.

All his life Albus had struggled with all the expectations that people seemed to unwittingly place on him. His siblings faced the same kind of pressure, but James seemed to thrive on it, playing up to the image and revelling in the popularity. Lily just didn't care. She pretty much always did as she pleased. Lately the pressure had seemed too much for Albus. He'd longed to put his foot down and assert himself.

He was tired of the toll that quidditch took on his life. He'd been playing for the last five years, and while he liked the game, he wasn't crazy about it. There were other things that he wanted to do with his life, but between school and quidditch, there was never any time. He wanted to quit. He wanted to devote more time and effort to his studies. More time to just be...But he hadn't found the resolve to do any of that. Which was perhaps why Scorpius' words meant as much to him as they did at that moment.