Disclaimer: All J.K.'s but the plot.
16. The first time Al kissed Scorpius.
Although Al had sworn to himself that he would go upstairs right away to tell Scorpius how he felt, it had, in reality, taken him several hours to prepare himself. He wanted to have a good speech prepared, and he wanted to look good.
Because of all this, when Al arrived at the infirmary, the lights were switched off, and the curtain around Scorpius's bed was drawn. He tried to sneak quietly over, but before he knew it Madame Pomfrey was staring down at him.
"Yes? What is it Mister Potter? It is quite late, and you ought to be downstairs in the Great Hall, don't you think?"
"Er, do you think it'd be alright if I woke Scorpius? Just really quickly? It's important," said Al. Madame Pomfrey just had to say yes. For a moment, though, she just stared down at him, eyes narrowed slightly. Things weren't looking particularly promising.
"He is awake, Mister Potter. He has just finished his food and medicine for the night. You are permitted to talk to him for--" she paused for a second, appearing to be calculating, "--just fifteen minutes. That is how long I will be gone. When I come back, I expect you to be leaving, is that clear?"
"Yes, Madame Pomfrey, I appreciate it," said Al. She said something to him that ended with a nod, but all Al could hear was the thudding of his heart. At the moment, although he was very grateful to Pomfrey, she really wasn't helping much with her talking. As soon as Madame Pomfrey was out the door, Al pulled back Scorpius's curtain and peered in. Scorpius was lying in his bed, eyes closed.
"Uh, Scorpius?" said Al. He ventured further in as Scorpius's eyes fluttered open. When he saw Al, he blinked.
"Winny, 's that you? I thought I tol' you…I don' wanna wake up." Scorpius settled back down into his blankets.
Al paused, and blinked. Winny was the name of Scorpius's personal house elf. Why would Scorpius think Al was his house elf?
"No, actually, it's Al."
Scorpius blinked again, then rubbed his eyes. Then, he blinked again. "Are you…sure? You don' rezam…reasam…look very much like Al."
Al, who had never seen Scorpius so incoherent in his life, had to suppress a smirk at this. "I believe I'm quite sure. Maybe you ought to get glasses?"
"Now I know you aren't Al. He's always telling me how much of a priss I'd look like in glasses," said Scorpius. He paused for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and blinked again. "Per'aps having some light would help?"
"Oh! Yeah, I could probably do that." Al took out his wand, and muttered Lumos. Instantly, things were brighter.
Scorpius blinked again. Then, he strained to lean forward. After a moment, he shook his head and settled back into his pillow.
"Mmkay, I guess you were telling the truth. You certainly look like Al now."
"I'm…glad," said Al. He scratched his neck, trying to think back to his speech. He couldn't remember a single word he'd prepared.
"Was there…a reason…you--" Scorpius stifled a yawn, "--came? Because if not…"
"Oh! Yeah, uh, there's something that I've been needing to tell you. You see…well, that is. Scorpius, I believe I'm a fairy."
Scorpius looked him up and down. "No, remember? You're a wizard, not a fairy. Now, if we have that all settled…"
"No, Scorpius, I mean…I fancy males."
Scorpius looked confused for a second. Then, understanding lit up in his eyes. "Oh…you mean you're gay. Okay. That makes a lot more sense, I guess." Al sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I fancy one person in particular, actually," he said. Scorpius nodded thoughtfully, before suppressing another yawn.
"And who might…that be?"
"You."
There was a pregnant pause in which Al wasn't actually sure if Scorpius was saying anything or not because the beating of his heart was so bloody loud but then Scorpius smiled sleepily up at him.
"Do you really?"
"Of course, I mean, all I know is that I can't imagine not having you in my life, and I don't want to imagine not having you as…ahem, more than a friend. I just…when I was holding you today, I realized that just being near you makes me feel…invincible, like I could do anything." Al coughed. "And I know I sound like a bloody nancy boy, so it would be really great if you could tell me if you might possibly feel the same way? Or not, because that would be fine t--mmph!"
Al was silenced by the warm insistence of Scorpius's lips against his. At first it was soft and sweet, and it made Al smile, but then Scorpius's tongue slipped into Al's mouth, and all thoughts of 'sweet' were gone because what Scorpius was doing to him was not innocent, not in the least. Al moaned into Scorpius's mouth.
Scorpius laughed, and the gentle vibrations of his lips against Al's sent tingles down to Al's toes. He moaned again."'lright now, I think you should be going…" Another yawn. "…downstairs, now. G'night Al."
Al smiled fondly down at the pale blonde curled up below him. He felt like he could fly. Also, he had the rather obnoxious urge to go downstairs, jump on the Slytherin dining table and announce to the world that he and Scorpius Malfoy were shirtlifters. And that they were--
Al stopped, blinking. Somehow, without even realizing it, he'd begun walking. He was almost to his dorm already, but that wasn't the important part. The important part was that he had just snogged his best friend. If they decided to take it further, and began going out, but then broke up, what would happen?
You'd lose your best mate, that's what. A voice in Al's head told him.
You should've thought of all this before you went and attacked your best mate, chided another.
To be fair, it was actually Scorpius who--
Al, what were you thinking? a fourth voice interrupted That you and Scorpius would start dating, and then live together in a nice two story house with a picket fence and a dog named Rufus? If you pursue this, the only thing that's going to happen is that one or both of you is going to end up hurt. Bloody hell, Al, no wonder your mother says you're just like your dad. You have absolutely no planning skills.
Al didn't know why the voices had decided to make themselves known, but…well, the hollow feeling in his gut confirmed that he whole-heartedly agreed with what they were saying. Al couldn't do this. He couldn't date his best friend. And he was a bloody fool for thinking otherwise. Some things, Al Potter had learned, were okay to risk. Scorpius Malfoy was not one of them.
Only trouble was, if he stopped their…relationship before it even began, would that distance Scorpius even further?
17. The first time Scorpius Malfoy disappointed Al.
When Scorpius Malfoy woke up, he was sporting a headache that would make even Harry Potter wince. It felt like something large, and rather unfriendly was banging on his head, and no matter how much he pleaded, they wouldn't let up.
Madame Pomfrey strode in to view, tut-ting sympathetically. She held a small green vial in her hands, which she uncapped and handed to Scorpius.
"Drink this, Mister Malfoy. It should clear up your headache."
Scorpius took it and drank gratefully. Within moments, the pain had reduced to a dull roar.
"Erm, Madame Pomfrey? Why exactly am I here again?" asked Scorpius. He set the green vial on the table next to him, staring intently at it for several seconds. Seeing it made his heart flutter a bit wildly, but he wasn't sure why. He ignored it and turned to Madame Pomfrey, who was staring at him apprehensively.
"Don't you remember getting sick?" she asked. She tut-ted again. "Perhaps you are more ill than I feared."
"Oh! Yes, now I remember!" exclaimed Scorpius. He remembered collapsing in Potions--or hearing about it, at the very least, arguing with Al, ignoring Al, going to Al's Quidditch game, and then…nothing. After the Quidditch game, he couldn't remember anything. He couldn't even remember if Slytherin had won or not.
"But how did I get back here? After the Quidditch game…I--I just can't remember!" said Scorpius. He felt very much like he had done something rather foolish the night before, and it was frustrating him quite a bit.
Madame Pomfrey stared down at Scorpius; he could swear there was disappointment in her eyes. "It appears that the medicine I gave you was strong enough to make you forget your night. That is unfortunate."
"Why is it unfortunate?" asked Scorpius. Madame Pomfrey smiled sadly down at him.
"Over the course of my many years working here, I have learned many things. The most important of all being not to meddle in the affairs of students. Teachers are, as it may be in certain situations, meant to be seen, and most definitely not heard."
There was the sound of a door clicking shut, and Madame Pomfrey nodded her head once. "Speaking of which…hello, Mister Potter."
"Uh, hello. Would it be okay if I spoke to Scorpius? It'll only take a moment and it's really important," said Al. His emerald eyes darted between Scorpius and Madame Pomfrey. Scorpius stared at him; puzzled. He'd only seen Al this nervous when he first told his parents he was a snake.
Madame Pomfrey looked between the two of them, shook her head, sighed, and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Poppy, when will you learn?"
But she left them alone, so Scorpius figured she was okay.
Al sat down in the chair next to Scorpius's bed. It was plastic, and it could hardly have been comfortable, but Al sat in it with an ease that brought a warm feeling to Scorpius's blood. But the way Al was staring at him instantly cooled that feeling. He now felt as if something entirely important had happened, and Al had only now realized that they'd forgotten to invite him.
Al fidgeted about, his hand and feet seemingly never still. Even Scorpius tapped his fingers impatiently against his bed sheet for a moment. Honestly, Al was so nervous that he was transferring his nervous energy to Scorpius. If Scorpius's father had seen him fidget like that, he probably would have scoffed at him. Scorpius's father had an entire list of things Scorpius could and couldn't do. A list that had caused his mother to burst into hysterics when she read it. A list that Scorpius consciously--and occasionally subconsciously--felt the need to follow. A list that included "Do not, under any circumstances, befriend a Potter."
"I don't think last night can happen ever again!" blurted Al.
"Excuse me?" Scorpius asked politely. His father had also taught him to speak eloquently and with manners, and he figured asking Al what the bloody fuck he was on about probably didn't fall into either of those categories. Plus, saying that would probably give Al a heart attack.
"Last night, you see, I mean, it was very nice and all, and by nice I mean incredibly nice, probably the best I've ever had, but then again I've only ever done it once before, and that was rather quick--"
"Excuse me, Al, and I don't mean to ruin your fun, seeing as you seem to be having a great time rambling, but as I've lost all memory of last night, what you're saying doesn't really make much sense to me," said Scorpius. His head, which had ceased throbbing, began pounding even more painfully than before.
Al's face, for a moment was completely unchanged. Then, his eyes widened ever so slightly, and his mouth opened infinitesimally. Al Potter was rarely at loss for words--unlike Scorpius, who clammed up when he was nervous, Al seemed to spout a never-ending stream of babble--and seeing him so made Scorpius feel strangely empty inside.
When Al spoke, his words were precise and measured. "You have no memory of what happened last night?"
Scorpius bit his lip carefully. "I have a brief memory of you playing Quidditch, and everything before that I can remember, but after…well, after is where things go a bit blurry."
"So, then, you don't remember our talk last night?" Al's voice was so quiet that if Scorpius hadn't seen his mouth move, he'd not have known Al had spoken at all.
"No, I can't say I do. Why? Was it important?" asked Scorpius.
Al stood, but his eyes did not meet Scorpius's. Instead, they focused on a point somewhere Al's bed and the floor.
"No. It wasn't important," he said. His voice was so dull and weak that Scorpius had to make sure it was even Al that was talking.
"Al? Are you okay? Are you sure it wasn't important? I mean, I'm trying to remember, but--"
"No, really," said Al, softer this time. "It wasn't anything at all."
Then, without even uttering a goodbye, Al was gone; his dark head disappearing from Scorpius's view. And Scorpius wanted nothing more than to remember what had happened the night before.
Funny thing, really, seeing as Al wanted nothing more than to forget it entirely.
Author's Note: I've been trying to decide which pairing I love more: Al & Scorpius, or Teddy & James...seriously, I have read so many adorable fics of both lately that I think my mind has turned into a quivering ball of fluff. Does anyone have any recs for either?
Anyway! You're probably going to hate me after this chapter...but I just love the tension leading up to the loving, don't you?
Also, this fic has just over 1,000 views! Yay! But it also only has seventeen reviews, so...I'm not really feeling the love here...
(Basically, what I'm saying is this: REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!!!)
