Summer Fling

Chapter 9

The first day after the Christmas holidays, Scorpius dragged himself out of bed at 8.30, showered, combed and dried his hair, threw on his school uniform and went to breakfast with Lucas. Albus always stayed in bed until the last minute and often arrived in the Great Hall when most students were already leaving again.

After classes Scorpius, Lucas and Albus went back to the Slytherin dungeons. Scorpius and Lucas stayed in the common room to do their homework, while Albus disappeared into their dorm to continue brewing his potion. After an hour of eager writing, Scorpius quill broke and he went to their dorm to fetch a new one.

"Hey Al, what are you brewing there all the time?" he asked as he went to his trunk to search for a quill.

"Can't tell you," Albus murmured, counting his stirs.

"Why can't you tell me? Is it something illegal?" Scorpius inquired who had found a quill now and stepped closer to Albus.

"Damn!" Albus cursed suddenly. He had been distracted by Scorpius and made a mistake. The potion started bubbling violently. Quickly Albus took a few steps back but Scorpius wasn't quick enough and was hit by a few splashes of the potion.

Albus watched him fearfully. He had no idea if the potion would have worked had he brewed it correctly, much less what it would do now that he had botched it up.

"I should take you to the hospital wing in case the botched potion has any side effects," Albus said, unsure what to do.

"Scourgify!" Scorpius said, pointing his wand at himself and the remains of the potion vanished from his body and clothes. "No need to, I'm fine. Everything's safe and sound. If we go to the Hospital Wing you will only get in trouble," Scorpius refused.

"But...," Albus started.

"No but. I promise I will go the Hospital Wing as soon as I feel something is off but no sooner," Scorpius insisted. He didn't like the Hospital Wing at all.

Reluctantly Albus relented, he really didn't want to get into trouble and explain what he had tried to brew and why. Still, he was worried for Scorpius. He took comfort in the fact he had only used fairly harmless ingredients.

Shaking his head, Scorpius left the dorm and left Albus to clean up the mess. With his new quill in hand he continued doing his homework, the potions accident already nearly forgotten.

Later, when he went for dinner to the Great Hall with Albus, Lucas and Seline, they ran into James, who secretly and unnoticed by the others, passed him a note. Scorpius acted as if nothing had happened and ate dinner with his friends as usual. Only later, when they had returned to the common room, he took out the note and read it.

Midnight, same place. JP

Scorpius was really glad to be a Prefect at such occasions. No one would ask why he was still out and about after curfew and just assume he was on patrol. Even the teachers couldn't punish him today since he was really on patrol tonight.

It didn't cause any suspicions when he left the common room at half past ten that night. Slowly he made his round without seeing anyone. An hour later he made his way to the Room of Requirement. This time he arrived there first and walked by the wall on the seventh floor corridor three times.

I need a room to meet up with James, I need a room to meet up with James, I need a room to meet up with James.

A door appeared he opened it and stepped through. This time the room was a little bigger. Aside the bed, there was also a sofa in front of the fireplace. The floor was covered in green carpet instead of red and the curtains of the bed were green as well. Scorpius grinned in satisfaction.

A few minutes later James entered the room and snorted in amusement when he noticed the change of colours.

"A Slytherin through and through, what can you expect," he remarked but he didn't sound as scornful as usual.

"You knew what you were getting into with me," Scorpius replied and shrugged.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," James murmured so quietly, Scorpius wasn't sure if he had heard him right.

Then he pulled Scorpius to him and started to kiss him everywhere. They didn't even manage to get to the bed, falling onto the couch instead.

When they were dressed again, they sat together on the couch, looking at each other. James plucked up his Gryffindor courage and voiced first what both of them were thinking.

"We need to end this. This has been going on for far too long. It was supposed to be a short summer fling and now it's already January. We need to stop," he sounded nearly desperate.

"I know. You are right. Wow, I never thought I would ever say that. But yes, I would be best if this was our last meeting," Scorpius agreed with a heavy heart.

James just nodded and quickly left the room, before he could back-pedal in a moment of weakness. Scorpius let his eyes wander around the room one last time before he left and went back to Slytherin.

The next few weeks Scorpius and James were crestfallen but both tried to act normal. James started dating other guys again but never stayed with them longer than a week. Scorpius on the other hand distracted himself with work. He finished all of his homework, prepared for the next lessons and trained for Quidditch until he was completely exhausted.

Albus on the other hand was in a really good mood. He had managed to finish Fred's potion in time for the 14th of February. Valentine's Day would surely be interesting this year.

On the morning of the 14th of February, Fred Weasley sneaked into the kitchens with the potion and persuaded the house elves to allow him to put it into the pumpkin juice. Nearly all the students drank pumpkin juice while the teachers all drank coffee or tea for breakfast. It was perfect.

"What did you do?" James immediately turned to Fred when heart shaped bruises started to appear everywhere on the students foreheads at breakfast. "Why didn't you tell me? We always do our pranks together!" he complained.

"You didn't tell me anything either!" Roxanne complained now, too.

"Sorry, but I wanted to prank you, too for once. If you had known about my plan you wouldn't have drunk any pumpkin juice," he explained.

"What do we have to do to get rid of the heart?" Roxanne inquired.

"Where did you even get such a potion? I didn't know a potion like that even existed," James asked.

"Albus. He in invented it for me," Fred announced proudly.

"Hello-o! How do I get rid of it?" Roxanne asked annoyed at being ignored by the other two.

"You have to kiss the person you have a crush on – Alex in your case. Now go and kiss him already and show the others what to do," Fred prompted her.

Roxanne blushed a little - although you could barely tell because of her dark skin - but did as Fred hat told her. A minute later, Roxanne's and Alex's hearts were gone. The students who had a boyfriend or girlfriend followed her example and most of their heart shaped bruises disappeared. But there were some interesting cases where only one or none of the hearts disappeared.

The students who weren't dating anyone were now panicking. No one wanted to run around with a heart shaped bruise on their forehead all day. Some tried to kiss just anyone but of course that didn't work.

James hadn't moved at all while this was going on and had gone a little pale. His current boyfriend came over and kissed him, but only his heart disappeared, James' stubbornly stayed in place. The students around them began to whisper. Abruptly he stood and left the Great Hall.

He waited for Scorpius in one of the alcoves near the staircase to the dungeons. He knew what he had to do to make the accursed heart disappear but he certainly wouldn't have any spectators. When Scorpius walked by his alcove, he quickly pulled him in. Scorpius looked at him in surprise but didn't fight. James quickly pressed a kiss against his lips and watched in satisfaction as Scorpius heart disappeared. Then he conjured a mirror to check and make sure his own heart had disappeared as well. He nodded shortly at the still astonished Scorpius and went to class.

When Scorpius arrived in front of the potions classroom, Albus looked at him stunned.

"Your heart is already gone," he stated in surprise.

"I know that, thanks," Scorpius mumbled.

"Who did you kiss?" Albus asked.

"None of you business," Scorpius growled back harshly.

Now Albus looked confused and a little hurt. He didn't have any time to inquire further though, because their potions professor had opened the door and let them into the classroom. Albus concentrated so hard on the lesson he didn't hear Lucas' and Scorpius' whispered conversation.

"It was your mystery guy, wasn't it?" Lucas whispered to Scorpius.

"Yes," Scorpius admitted.

"So you are still together?" he asked.

"No," Scorpius replied brusquely.

"But you still want him," Lucas reasoned.

"Yes," Scorpius sighed.

Both turned their attention back on the lesson and kept quiet for the rest of the class.

At lunch Professor McGonagall walked through the Great Hall searching out all the Potter and Weasley children. When they arrived in her office she told them smiling the good news.

"I just got word from Madam Pomfrey that Madam Lupin has had her baby. You have permission to visit her in the Hospital Wing. Just don't storm in there all at once, please."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," they exclaimed and instantly ran down to the Hospital Wing. When they arrived they slowed down their steps and quietly entered the room. Victoire was nowhere in sight. They were greeted by Madam Pomfrey who told them Victoire had her own room to have some privacy. Then she asked them to wait while she inquired who was allowed to go in first.

She returned two minutes later and smiled at them.

"The two Mr. Potters, Miss Potter and Mr. Louis Weasley, please come along," she then said.

James, Lily, Albus and Louis followed her into Victoire's room. Harry, Ginny, Bill, Fleur, Dominique and Andromeda were already there. Victoire was lying on the bed holding a small pink bundle in her arms. Teddy sat at her side and looked down on them lovingly.

"Hello," they said as they entered.

Harry and Ginny hugged their kids as Louis was hugged by his own family.

"Hello!" Teddy beamed at them. "May I introduce, this is your niece Vénus Nymphadora Lupin," Teddy said proudly.

"Do you 'ave already decided on godparents for 'er?" Fleur asked.

"Yes, we have, Maman," Victoire replied. "Dominique, would you like to be Vénus godmother?"

"I'd love to, sis," Dominique laughed and hugged Victoire as tight as it was possible with a baby between them.

"And would you be her godfather, James?" Teddy added. He had no real siblings he could ask but he considered Harry's children his younger siblings.

"Really? You want me as godfather?" James asked completely taken aback and a little overwhelmed.

"Of course, little brother. Who else would I ask?" Teddy laughed.

"Honestly, I expected you to ask Louis," James admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry, he will be next time," Teddy said.

"Next time?" Victoire asked.

"You told me you wanted at least two kids, didn't you?" Teddy replied.

"Hmm, yes, I think need to rethink that," she said.

"Do you want to hold your goddaughter?" Teddy asked James to change the topic.

James nodded a little unsure and Teddy carefully transferred her to his arms. Now that he had the opportunity he looked at her more closely. She seemed to have blond hair but it already started to change colour. Her eyes were unusual, the left one was blue and the right one was a grey colour. When he looked at her hair again it looked more pink than blond. Apparently she was a metamorphmagus like her father.

When he had finished looking her over, he carefully passed her to Dominique. She also took the time to admire her goddaughter. She was quite pretty for a newborn. After everyone had gotten to hold her for a while, James, Lily, Albus, Louis, and Andromeda left the room.

Rose, Hugo, Lucy, Fred and Roxanne were still waiting outside in the Hospital Wing and finally wanted to meet their new family member. James, Albus, Lily and Louis decided to wait for their friends and sat down on the chairs the five had just vacated.