A/N: So the gala is going to be split up into two chapters because there is a lot I want to write and I wanted to get this out because I took so long doing it. Thank you so much for your feedback and I'm really happy to see people enjoying the story!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The next day at potions had once again forced Professor Elwes to reevaluate his decision on pairing the two boys together. Everything started out relatively normal: lecture, instructions, and then the partnering up to recreate the daily potion. Malfoy and Potter apparently had other ideas. Ideas that consisted of unruly purple liquid to splatter itself along the walls and a rank smoke to emit from the offending cauldron in front of the two sixteen year old boys.
Albus had every intention of focusing in class today. Truly he did. Even when the blonde entered the dungeon with his oh-so-familiar smirk of superiority and his knowing grey eyes fell upon him, which of course sent a wave of memories from the night before straight to Al's crotch. Even then, he was determined to stay focused. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was the tenacity the Slytherin seemed to possess to cause Al to lose what he was trying so desperately to hold onto: his sanity.
Settling into their respective partner positions for potions, Scorpius began sorting and chopping up the necessary ingredients while Al grabbed them and deposited them into the cauldron, stirring when the recipe called for it. Ten minutes into the task, however, the Ravenclaw felt a familiar hand rest on his right thigh, it's thumb tracing small circles over Al's trousers.
"Stop that," Albus hissed under his breath as he stirred, his heart beginning to pound traitorously inside his chest.
Scorpius' response was to pressed harder and move his hand up a little further.
Albus sighed and tried to pry his thigh away, making a small squeak of surprise when Scorpius gripped harder and squeezed in retaliation, pulling the leg back to press up against his own.
"Malfoy..."
The blonde raised impassive eyebrow as he turned his gaze upon the dark-haired boy, his pale hand resuming it's distracting caresses.
Albus sighed once again in momentary defeat as he reached across Scorpius to grab the knife and the unchopped ingredients, realizing that Malfoy had decided exactly what he was going to do during the rest of class and it didn't matter if Albus wound up chopping his own fingers off in the process because he was getting so damn turned on. No, Scorpius didn't care at all. Stupid, stubborn git. When he leaned forward, however, Scorpius' warm breath tickled his ear, teasing him further.
"I have something of yours. Something you left after last night's... rendevous."
Albus shuddered involuntarily from the silky tone the Slytherin possessed, knowing all too well he had left his school robes in Classroom 11 the night before. He had to beg Alex to borrow his extra one since he couldn't find his own spare without risk of being late to class. The brunette shifted back into his seat and began chopping methodically, taking extra care not to cut himself everytime Scorpius' hand grew closer to a part of him that was beginning to throb mercilessly.
"I don't know what you're talking about..." Albus finally whispered back, already regretting his lie. The Slytherin's hand stilled for a moment, as if deciding whether Al was trying to be coy or simply pretend last night never happened. And that just wouldn't do. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, Scorpius moved his free hand over Albus' own, pausing the Ravenclaw's cutting, as he moved to his ear once again.
"Now don't pretend like last night didn't happen, because it did," Scorp's lips grazed Albus' earlobe as he continued speaking, inwardly delighted at the low whimper the Ravenclaw emitted from his throat, "And I don't take kindly to liars or people who take advantage of me without my consent. Do well to remember that."
Simultaneously, Scorpius' hand pressed possessively against Al's crotch as soft lips suddenly found themselves on his neck, leaving a light bite on the tan skin. With a soft yelp, Albus leapt from his stool with his hands out, knocking over the black pot filled with an unfinished purple potion. It all felt like slow motion really. His green eyes watched in rapt horror as their potion spilled, decorating the nearby wall and floor rather haphazardly. But that wasn't the worst of it. Of course not. The harmless-looking liquid began to bubble, steam lifting from the potion rather quickly. It wasn't until the smell hit Albus' nose, however, that he began to back away. It smelt like overcooked eggs mixed with Hippogriff dung and a dash of shriveled slug guts.
Professor Elwes immediately started ushering the panicked class out of the dungeon, but not before Colette Zabini tipped her own cauldron on the way out, the heavy pot landing on the Professor's foot with a loud clank.
Between another Albus/Scorpius-related debacle and Colette Zabini trying to amputee his foot with a cauldron, Mr. Elwes was seriously considering resigning before the term ended.
()
It had been five days. Five excruciatingly long and silent days. The moment after Flair had slapped Colette, the Slytherin wanted to chase her down and demand an explanation but went to Quidditch practice instead, peeved. Friday morning, after witnessing Flair's scratched face, Colette wanted to run over and demand what the hell had happened, but Scorpius held her back and said to wait. So she did. And she waited some more. The normally calm and impassive Slytherin felt as if she had a sudden case of that muggle term Bipolar Disorder; one minute she wanted to rush to Flair's side and beg forgiveness and the next she wanted to remain stubborn and wait for the redhead to come around. And yet through all of it, Colette couldn't help but ponder when she had become so dependent on someone else for her happiness, and in such a short amount of time no less.
Flair never reached out to her, never owled but always looked. That was the worst, in Colette's opinion. To know that Flair was completely aware of the turmoil she was putting the Slytherin through. It was finally on Tuesday after Divination that she decided to make her move. Instead of hanging back with Scorpius until the class dispersed, Colette practically trampled over her fellow classmates to reach the redhead, grabbing the girl's hand and dragging her down the stairs and into a nearby alcove, out of sight from their peers.
"Why are you ignoring me?"
"Why are you ignoring me?" The redhead harshly whispered back, gripping Colette's hand roughly as a means to get the darker girl to let go; she didn't budge.
"Are you kidding me? You've been ignoring me for five days," Colette turned to look at the Gryffindor, trying not to get frustrated by the smaller girl's lack of eye contact.
"I could say the same..."
Realizing this was going nowhere fast, Colette sighed, "Look, I didn't approach you because I didn't know what to say. I mean, you slapped me. Granted, I was being an ass I guess..."
"You guess? You're a girl too, babe. Don't you hate that phrase when your guy friends ask you?" Flair finally turned her blue eyes to meet hazel, both tinged with sadness and annoyance.
"Well yeah, of course I do. I'm really sorry," Colette tugged on Flair's arm to bring her closer, wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist and ignoring her stiffness, "Come on I'm really sorry..."
Small shivers ran down Flair's back at the feel of Colette nuzzling her neck again, in that special way she only knew how to do. However, Flair was still stubborn and foolhardy at times and decided to remain stoic despite her slight excited hitch in breath.
Colette, being as observant as the snake her house represented, noticed the change of breath and smiled in triumph before repeating the intimate action, leaving a small kiss behind Flair's ear, "Come on... Stop being so stubborn. Look, we both were being silly. But I'm here now and I'm apologizing because I like us together. What do you want me to do to make it up to you?"
Flair couldn't help the small smirk that graced her lips as Colette spoke, a million ideas sparking through her vivid imagination, "Oh, I can think of a few..."
"I'm sure you could, you little minx," Colette tightened her grip around Flair before pulling back slightly, looking down at her girlfriend as her finger traced the fading scar on her face, "But first, you need to tell me who the hell gave you this so I can kick their ass."
Being reminded of the scar made something angry flash in Flair's eyes before she sighed and shook her head, pushing Colette's tracing finger away gently, "No one. It was all me. Just being clumsy. Walked into a tree. Those damn branches sure know how to fight back alright..."
She laughed lightly, as did Colette, but the mohawked girl couldn't help but think it felt forced. She wouldn't push for now but she definitely planned on keeping a closer watch on her lady from now on.
"Alright, I've never gone up against a tree before, but I like my odds," she winked softly before leaning down and capturing Flair's lips in a deep kiss, savoring her mouth as if it was oxygen, "But first, I'd like to know how I'm going to make it up to you..."
A small blush rose on Flair's cheeks as she tried to slow her breathing, forgetting how much she missed kissing the Slytherin, "Well that's definitely a start..."
()
After the incident in potions and Albus' blatant ignoring during Divination, Scorpius decided to take a cue from his best friend and seek out his own slippery Ravenclaw. He found him sitting oh-so-innocently in the empty courtyard drawing with his new art set, the autumn wind twisting around him rather delicately. Something strange caught itself in Scorpius' throat at the sight of the Ravenclaw using the art set he gave him. For a moment, the Slytherin thought he was dying from the inability to breathe as his chest tightened up rather unexpectedly, but soon enough his lungs remembered how to work and oxygen flowed freely through his body once more. Upon realizing that his lack of breathing wasn't from a bodily malfunction but rather an emotional one, Scorpius immediately berated himself for feeling something so... fluffy toward the Ravenclaw and immediately set out to shake off the unnatural feeling.
Scorpius walked as quietly as he could toward the unsuspecting Potter, grinning inwardly when Albus made no sign of knowledge towards the blonde's presence. He suddenly covered Al's eyes with his hands and dropped his head to speak, "You know, being the son of the head of the auror department, I thought you'd be more observant of your surroundings."
Albus, after forcing his breathing to regulate, scowled and threw off Scorpius' hands before trying to cover up his artwork which just happened to be a drawing of something suspiciously blonde and dapper. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"The question should be, what you want from me, Potter?"
Al involuntarily blushed at the unintended double entendre and forced himself not to fidget nervously despite the strong urge to do so, "I-I don't want anything from you..."
Scorpius couldn't help the feral grin that overtook his face at Potter's meek response, contrasting greatly with the Ravenclaw's brave little "performance" last night, (which he had every intention of figuring out what had made Albus so bold in the first place). Instead, he pulled Albus' rumpled school robe out of his bag and dangled it in front of the dark-haired boy teasingly. "You mean, this doesn't belong to you..."
It wasn't a question, Albus knew, but rather a statement meant to provoke an unsettling reaction for the Slytherin's sick amusement. He went to reach out for it and inwardly growled when Scorpius took it back with a tutting noise of disapproval.
"What do you want for it?" Albus gritted through his teeth, hating himself for how easily the blonde could rile up his naturally patient demeanor.
"Now no need to get hostile," Scorp scolded as he sat down next to Albus, purposely pressing his thigh against the Ravenclaw's in the process, "I just feel I deserve something in return for taking such good care of it."
"It hasn't even been 24 hours... I hardly call that a burden."
"I could have just scorched it you know," Scorpius frowned, slightly irritated that Albus wasn't playing into his game so easily. He knew how he wanted this encounter to end and he was damn well going to get it.
Albus finally rasied his green eyes to glare into grey ones, immediately regretting it when Scorpius licked his lips slowly. The Ravenclaw's eyes widened comically as he bit his lip before looking away, not trusting himself to be around Malfoy for much longer (especially not alone) as last night's memories seemed to choose this moment to flood into his frontal lobe.
"Alright, Malfoy. I'll play along. What do you want?" He started to put his art supplies away when a cool hand shot out to grab his wrist, sending shivers down the shorter boy's spine.
"A kiss."
Albus gasped under his breath and withdrew his arm from Scorpius' grasp, looking at the beautifully pale boy incredulously, "A kiss? That's it?"
"Precisely..." Scorpius gave him an innocent smile that just didn't look right with his calculating silver orbs, "But there are conditions."
"Of course," Albus muttered.
"Like," Scorpius continued talking over the other boy's mumbles, "No body-binding, no unnecessary biting, it lasts for at least a minute, tongue required and you have to reciprocate. Which shouldn't be a problem if your little show last night had anything to say about your feelings toward me."
"Fuck off," Albus growled as he moved to stand up, angry that Scorpius seemed to find Albus' love life so amusing. The Slytherin, as if expecting this reaction, promptly reached out and grabbed Albus' slender hips, forcing him to sit on his lap as art supplies and sheets of paper fell to the floor.
Making a noise of sputtered indignance, Al tried to push himself off of the blonde, but the other boy held firm also growling his next statement in annoyance, "Stop struggling, Potter. It's not that silly of a request... considering the other things we've done."
And dammit, there was that predatory grin that all but made Albus turn to mush on the spot and make him feel like a prey that wanted to be devoured because if Malfoy was the predator, Albus could die happy. With a defeated sigh, Al twisted his waist to face Scorp as he tentatively placed his hands on Scorpius' shoulders for balance, "Fine. But on your lap? Really?"
"My reward. My rules."
"Well, make it quick then..." Albus tried to sound impatient as he rolled his eyes, but his words came out sounding more excited and hopeful.
Scorp just gave a breathy chuckle of amusement that made Al's hairs rise as one of his pale hands reached up to cup the Ravenclaw's face while he leaned forward, pausing an inch before reaching the brunette boy's lips. Time felt like it stood still and Albus never knew anticipation could be a far worse torture than any curse or hex could provide. He felt baited as Scorpius refused to close the distance between their lips, practically taunting Al to give in, to surrender. On normal circumstances, the middle Potter would refuse out of pure stubborness, but he wanted this. He wanted a kiss from Scorpius that wasn't forced, out of revenge or not reciprocated because one of them was physically paralyzed from the other's wand. He wanted something that felt normal between them because everything else considering their predicament was vastly unique, and not in the pleasant way. So Albus moved forward. He pressed his mouth confidently against Scorpius' as his hands trailed up from the taller prefect's shoulders to wrap around his neck.
So this is what's been missing... Albus and Scorpius thought at the same time as their lips voluntarily molded together, gently at first before Scorpius took the lead and slipped his tongue into Al's mouth, making them both groan in satisfaction as their tongues teased and fought for dominance. Albus wasn't sure when it happened, but he somehow maneuvered himself to straddle his Slytherin's lap... and when did he start thinking of Scorpius as his Slytherin? He didn't dwell on that disturbing thought for long, however, as Scorpius' hands trailed down his sides and gripped his ass possessively, pressing their bodies closer together and loathing the bulkiness of their uniform robes.
Finally breaking apart with a shuddering breath, Albus pulled back slightly to try and reorient himself, only to be grabbed forward again by his blue and bronze tie as Scorpius' kisses became more urgent, and dare he think it, needy. Albus moaned into the blonde's mouth helplessly as he allowed himself to be literally ravaged by the boy's talented lips. The Ravenclaw internally whined when Scorpius finally pulled away, gasping for breath as he kept Al close, their chests rising and falling heavily against eachother like an teetering seesaw.
"Wow," Al heard Scorpius say under his breath, almost too quiet to hear if they weren't in an abandoned courtyard. The Ravenclaw simply nodded gently in agreement, pressing his forehead to the Slytherin's while his breath finally returned.
"I-I think that was more than a minute..." Albus murmured faintly with a soft smile, keeping his eyes closed as he remained where he was, enjoying the odd intimacy of the moment. Scorpius, on the other, found himself being plunged back to reality as the last five minutes had been a little to life-altering for his liking. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, Scorp pulled back and gently pushed Al's hips, signaling for the smaller boy to stand.
"Yeah... I guess it was worth it," Scorpius whispered as he handed Albus his school robe, as promised, without meeting the confused green eyes.
Al furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation towards Scorpius' suddenly uncomfortable demeanor as he reached for his robe, his hand brushing against Scorp's in the process. As soon as their skin met, the Slytherin hissed as if burned and abruptly stood up. He brushed off his own clothes as if their was filth lingering among the threads before proceeding to walk past Al, careful to not brush their shoulders or have any other body contact with the brunette.
"See you at the prefect's meeting later."
"See you..." Albus trailed off, suddenly feeling disappointed and more puzzled than ever before. Once he knew Scorpius was out of earshot, he bent down to pick up his belongings, muttering to himself, "What the hell?"
Unknown to Albus, Scorpius was grumbling the same phrase as he headed back to the castle, but adding self-deprecating insults such as, 'idiot', 'wanker' and his personal favorite, 'glutton for punishment'. The kiss had done more to him than he expected and seeing a drawing of immaculate likeness to himself on the floor with Al's things only added gasoline to the flame known as his emotions.
()
The rest of the week felt like a blur to Albus: filled with homework, awkward prefect meetings and absolutely no mention of the intimately passionate kiss he had shared with Scorpius Tuesday afternoon. He wouldn't say Scorpius was avoiding him, persay. It just seemed everytime Al looked at him, the blonde rapidly averted his eyes and blushed. Blushed! Al couldn't figure him out. Yet again.
The Ravenclaw admitted to himself on Tuesday night that the kiss only proved to ignite his feelings for the irritating Serpent further and for some unfanthomable reason, Albus was accepting of it. Scorpius, however, seemed to be the opposite. Because Al wasn't stupid, (he was in Ravenclaw for a reason), and he knew that Scorp felt what he had felt when they kissed; it wasn't volatile or dominating or vengeful. It was hot and suffocating in the best way possible with an underlying sweetness Al didn't think the boy could possess. He felt like a diabetic drowning in the finest chocolate. And it was for this reason alone that Al wouldn't give up.
He found himself on Saturday afternoon with Rose and the other prefects setting up for The Ghoul's Gala and trying in vain to keep the other students away from the Great Hall. Despite his undying focus on figuring out his feelings for the Serpent leader this week, he was also very much aware of the fact that he was supposed to meet his S.A. tonight and end the mystery that had baffled him for the past month.
"So, Al... You excited for tonight?" Rose grinned knowingly as she flicked her wand, helping her cousin raise green and purple streamers to dangle down from the enchanted ceiling.
"Hmm? Oh yeah," Albus murmured as he mimicked the redhead's moves, completely lost in his own thoughts as per usual this week.
"Alright, spill."
"What? There's nothing to spill," Al snapped his head to look at Rose, his green eyes a little glazed over from daydreaming.
"Uh-huh."
"I'm just nervous. About tonight I guess," he shrugged lightly as he turned back to his work, trying very hard to ignore the intense gaze he could feel from Malfoy across the hall as the Slytherin helped Zabini set up one of the many game booths for the gala.
"As you should be, I suppose..."
Little did the two Ravenclaws know that an eerily similar conversation was happening between the two 6th year Slytherin prefects.
"Alright, spill."
"I have no idea what I'm supposed to be 'spilling' here, but I do know you're supposed to be helping me set up this horrid contraption." Scorpius glared distatefully at the large slab of wood with cut-outs drilled through it, each with a number above it.
Colette merely raised an unamused eyebrow at her best friend's way of trying to avoid an obviously uncomfortable subject, but humored him nonetheless, "Apparently it's called a bean-bag toss. The professors thought that it would be fun to also add some Halloween Muggle games to the gala since they're pushing that theme."
"I'll never understand Muggles," Scorpius sighed as he bent down to pick up the orange colored beanbags that were strewn along the floor, tossing them in a bucket, much like a basketball player.
"So back on point. What's up with you? You've been really anti-social this week," Colette tilted her head and gave him a look that usually crumbled his resolve, but Scorpius was determined not to verbalize anything having to do with Monday night or Tuesday afternoon until he figured it out himself. So he gave her an answer he was comfortable with.
"Tonight," he sighed gently as they moved onto setting up the next booth, a table that required bowling pins and softballs, "What's up with Muggles and throwing things anyway? This is the fourth booth where it's required to pelt something. And don't get me started on that bobbing for apples bullshit. Unsanitary."
"Don't change the subject," Colette snapped as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I don't know. I mean," he softened his voice so only she could hear, "I know I said I would reveal myself to him tonight but what if it all goes horribly wrong? What was I thinking when I started this anyways?"
Colette placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gazed up at him with warm hazel eyes, "You were thinking it would just be another prank in your Potter-Malfoy rivalry and you found yourself falling down the rabbit-hole instead."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, sorry," the dark girl squeezed his shoulder affectionally before blushing a little, "Muggle reference. Flair has been exposing me to her 'world', which includes a crash-course in all Muggle things books, media and fashion have to offer."
"Who have you become?" Scorpius looked at her mildly horror-stricken, "I know we said for you to push your limits since your father has gone bonkers, but truly this might be too much."
"Shut up, Scor," Colette laughed and pushed her friend playfully, "It's all rather fascinating actually..."
"Alright, hand over the polyjuice potion you imposter."
Colette Zabini merely rolled her eyes in amusement and chanced a glance toward Albus, smirking in triumph when she caught him quickly looking away from them with guilty reddened cheeks.
()
After the initial set-up with the other prefects, Al took a power nap filled with dreams of smoldering grey eyes and cool, pale hands. When he awoke, he grumbled in annoyance at the hardness between his legs before he hopped in the shower to remedy the issue. When it was time to put on his gorgeous dress robes, he felt himself hesitate, feeling as if he was betraying Scorpius but willingly going to the gala in search for his other love interest, if they could even be called that.
"You're being ridiculous. He's not even your boyfriend," the Raveclaw stated simply as he began to dress, "Hell, he isn't even your lover technically... right?"
A rather detailed mental chart of what constituted being a lover filled his head while he finished getting ready, his mind finally settling on the fact that Malfoy and him were not lovers and one consensual kiss didn't change anything. When he reached the common room, he was greeted by a very believable Persephone and Hades and laughed in delight.
"Wow! You two look great!" Albus praised as he hugged Rose gently, making sure not to jar her costume, which consisted of a beautiful flowing white gown, trimmed with dangling blue sleeves and form-fitted around the middle with a gold-rope bodice. Her normally frizzy red hair was charmed straight and swept up with flowers. Jeremy, on the other hand, hardly looked like the gentle seventh-year Ravenclaw he usually represented. Instead, he was decked out in a short black and red tunic, black leather pants, heavy black boots and a long black cape. His sandy-blonde hair was transfigured to look like a flickering flame atop his head and his glasses were replaced with red contacts that Rose must have ordered from a Muggle Halloween shop.
"Uh, Rose thought it would be a good idea to go with the modern version of Hades..." Jeremy mumbled as he glanced down at his attire, not really used to such attention. Most of Ravenclaw house had already come through the common room to leave for the Gala and many of the girls had given him overly-obvious appreciative looks, much to Rose's chagrin.
"See, this is why I was okay thinking you were my S.A."
"Excuse me?" Jeremy looked at Al, baffled for a moment, before glancing at his goddess for clarification.
"Eh, that's just Albus' way of saying you look sexy as hell," Rose chuckled as she shook her head, giving Al a 'he's mine' glare jokingly.
Al puts his hands up in mock surrender before grinning, "Hey, just stating a fact. I really like the costume idea by the way."
"Well it seemed fitting since it went with the invitation Jeremy so creatively thought of," the redhead beamed brightly at the slender boy before leaning up to give him a gentle kiss, making his cheeks match his hair, "Oh, and we have nymphs, too."
"Really? Who did you rope into your little Greek mythology scheme?"
"Lily, actually. And Roxanne and Georgina."
"Lily, I'm not surprised... Just what she needs. A costume that personifies her natural personality," Albus grumbled as he placed his shaking head in his hand, "You should have told her to be a Siren instead."
"I did, but she didn't care for the idea of transfiguring half of her body into a bird. Said it would be highly unattractive."
"Of course she did."
The three laughed at they left the common room, Albus' nerves once again beginning to frazzle as they headed toward the Great Hall.
()
By the time the Ravenclaw trio arrived, the gala was in full swing. Live music from the popular band The Boggarts blared from the stage as the two-girl pop duo encouraged the students to dance along with them energetically. Streamers of colored paper dangled from the ceiling, swaying back and forth in a way that made it look like thousands of fingers were wiggling and trying to reach the students below. Carved Jack-O-Lanterns decorated each table of food, charmed to sing when someone came within their vicinity. There was an everlasting fog that settled along the ground and licked up the legs of the dancing mass. The large hall looked fairly similar to the Forbidden Forest, but people seemed to like the slightly eerie feel of the decorations and special effects. Many people also seemed taken with the idea of Muggle games and each booth had a fairly decent line of costumed teens waiting for their chance to win the stuffed prizes promised with victory.
"Hey guys!" Lily ran up to her three favorite Ravenclaws with a grin, a bundle of said stuffed prizes in her barearms, which were painted a pastel shimmering silver-blue along with the rest of her body. Her hair was charmed a seafoam green and had seashells and pearls strewn about the long locks that covered her unclothed shoulders that glittered under the lights.
"Lily," Albus started patiently, a small fire burning in his green eyes, "where are the rest of your clothes?"
The youngest Potter gave her brother a strange look before glancing down at her attire and then back to Al, completely confused, "I'm wearing them?"
The Ravenclaw took a small steadying breath before running his hands through his tousled hair, trying not to ruin it too much, "I know when Rose said nymph I expected you scantily dressed, but this... I wear more to bed!"
"Ew, T.M.I. little brother," James' voice cut in at what he suspected was going to be another infamous Potter sibling argument. James, deciding to tap into his inner gangster, was clad in an old black and red-pinstriped Zoot suit complete with a black fedora and red feather. Natalia was not far behind him, draped in a shimmering red dress that Albus was fairly sure was a replica of that Muggle cartoon character Jessica Rabbit. Needless to say the drooling factor rose to an all-time high amongst the male population for the evening.
"Not now, James," Albus cut off irritably, "Do you see what our little sister is wearing? Or should I say not wearing?"
James raised his eyebrow at his little brother's protectiveness before chancing a glance at Lily, his eyes widening a bit. While Al was definitely over-exaggerating like his typical mother-hen self, the oldest Potter couldn't help but notice that his baby sister was wearing what looked to be a bra made out of pearls and an extremely sheer blue chiffon skirt (if it could even be called that since it stopped upper/mid thigh). James cleared his throat for a minute before speaking, using his I'm-your-big-brother-so-you-have-to-listen-to-me voice, "Lily, I have no idea how you snuck in here wearing that, but I suggest you at least put something on to cover up your stomach.. and that area." He gestured upward with his hand nonchalantly, "No brother should ever be subjected to the horrors of his kid sister's nudity."
Rose and Natalia both giggled behind their hands at the spectacle, but Lily was fuming as she threw her prized stuffed animals on the ground and crossed her arms over her barely concealed chest, "I'm fourteen. I am not a kid and I can wear whatever I damn well please. I'm a Nymph! I'm pretty sure Nymphs were usually naked back in their day so you both are lucky I bothered putting anything on at all!"
And with a screech of irritation, the small Gryffindor threw her hands up and walked off.
Al sighed and bent down to pick up the dropped toys before a large hand reached out to grab them from him instead.
"Hey..."
"Sorry," Thomas apologized swiftly as he finished picking up the prizes, "Duty calls." He gave them all a soft smile before running off after his fiery lover, making sure he didn't make eye contact with either Potter boy after hearing the siblings' argument.
"No sex! I don't care if she is a Nymph tonight, she's still my sister! And I know where you sleep young man!" James called to Thomas Handler's retreating back, resisting a chuckle as Natalia hit him on the arm before gesturing to the students, who were starting to look at their Head Boy with expressions of bewilderment mixed with embarassment.
"You're unbelievable."
"You love me."
"Unfortunately," Natalia grinned and looped her arm into James' before looking Albus up and down appreciatively, "Wow, Al, you clean up well. I might have to reconsider which Potter boy is for me." She winked conspiratorially before kissing James' cheek, smiling at his look of contempt at the thought.
"Thanks, Talia," Al couldn't help but blush, not used to having attention on him, "Well let's just hope my secret admirer agrees and doesn't chicken out."
"Indeed."
()
Said secret admirer was chickening out. Most definitely. After setting up early that afternoon, Scorpius tried to take a short nap before getting ready but found himself lying back on his bed and staring at the ceiling for a good hour before realizing rest would not come to him. He opted instead for a long hot shower before he started to dress. Cody and Adrian had already left together and Rodney was still lying in bed when Scorpius began pulling on his black Muggle tuxedo.
"Are you ditching tonight?" Scorpius questioned his larger friend as he adjusted his black bow tie.
"Nah, I'll be down there soon enough," Rodney grumbled from his pillow.
"Suit yourself. There's a hangover potion on my bedstand if you need it."
Rodney gave a thankful grunt before quieting again, not moving from his plush mattress. Moments of silence passed as Scorpius gelled back his hair and put on his shoes.
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"James Bond... apparently," Scorpius murmured as he finished lacing his dress shoes, "I told Colette I wanted something simple and understated and she said this would be perfect. That American girlfriend of hers has been forcing her to watch all these old Muggle films. I guess James Bond is kind of a badass spy who always has hot girls at his disposal."
"Sounds perfect for you," Rodney noted sarcastically, "Except for the 'girls at his disposal' part. I haven't seen you fall out of any broom closets lately. You may be losing your touch."
"Oh shove off," Scorpius grumbled good-naturedly as he chucked his own pillow toward Goyle with a satisfied smirk when it hit him directly on the back of the head, "I've just been busy. Besides, Malfoy's do not fall out of broom closets. We gracefully tumble, if anything."
"Way to sound like a poof."
Scorpius snorted automatically before he cleared his throat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as he realized that Rodney was dead-on. He had been 'tumbling' around with a certain boy, making him more of a poof than his friend knew. "Well with how I look tonight, I'm sure Scorpius Malfoy's track record will be back on track."
Rodney finally sat up to look his friend over with a self-satisfied nod before he got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, stopping in the doorway, "Good, because I can't stand the rumors flying around."
"What rumors?" Scorpius raised an uninterested eyebrow, even though something that felt like a lead bullet pierced through his stomach.
"Eh, it's mostly girlish gossip I think, but things have been said about you and Ravenclaw-Potter. And not the normal Scorpius-hates-Potter-so-he-pranks-him bullshit. More along the lines of what Adrian and Cody are up to behind closed doors."
Scorpius' clenched his fists involuntarily as his jaw locked, that metaphorical lead bullet escaping his body only to be chucked through him again and again.
"Well if that's your reaction, then I'm relieved. I knew it was all just rumors. Even if you did decide to suddenly go that way, the last person you'd choose would be pathetic Ravenclaw-Potter. I blame my stupid sister and her friends," Goyle shot his friend a slightly symphathetic look as he shrugged before disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of the shower turning on seemed to drown out Scorpius' "fuck".
The Serpent leader remained frozen in thought until 10 minutes later when he heard Rodney's shower end, deciding to dash out of their dorm room and wander the halls alone, not in the mood to hear any more of his friend's opinions on the matter.
He really hadn't thought this through. He really hadn't.
In some sort of fantasy he had conjured in his head, Scorpius imagined just showing up to the dance, sweeping Al off of his feet and that being it. Or the other extreme where he revealed it all to be the huge prank that he had started it as. Of course, all of this changed with that kiss on Tuesday. Why he had to suggest the damn kiss as a reward was beyond him; he always knew he lead to his own self-destruction. That kiss changed everything. It was so authentic. In those blissful moments, Scorpius felt as though Albus was his and his alone and that the Ravenclaw would be there for him whenever he needed. Would support and care and love him. It was those realizations that normally had the headstrong Slytherin literally running for the hills that afternoon. And the rest of the week.
He had never felt this way about anyone. None of the girls he had snogged or screwed around with. Those were just sexual experiments in his opinion. No emotion. No attachment. With Albus though, he had always been attached, whether it be through hatred or lust or dare he say it, love. No... Affection. Love was not a word Scorpius tossed around lightly. He loved his parents and The Serpents and that was about it. That emotion couldn't include Potter; it would be far too risky. Because while Scorp knew he would always have his family and his friends no matter what happened, he was quite positive he would not always have Albus Severus Potter. The Ravenclaw was one of those who would wake up one day from his grand delusions and realize that Scorpius Malfoy was simply not worth the trouble and leave.
And it was that thought alone that had Scorpius tossing and turning in sleeplessness each night the past week.
Rodney's statement moments ago only seemed to accentuate his uneasiness and seal his inner fears. Without realizing it, Scorpius found himself in front of the Great Hall, his thoughts drowned out by the loud music blaring through the ancient walls and the shouts and laughter echoing from within. Scorpius knew he could run. He never had to step foot into the gala and never had to see how breathtaking Albus most likely looked in the robes he purchased specifically for him. Of course, Colette would probably murder him for not showing up and as a prefect, he was expected to make an appearance, but none of that really mattered did it? Not when his heart decided that it actually existed and was capable of something deeper than shallow encounters.
Scorpius stood hidden near the doorway, debating on whether to listen to his head or his heart.
Next time on Jigsaw Love:
The Ghoul's Gala continues! What are the rest of our Slytherin's dressed as? What will the brazen Flair's costume be? Will Lily put some clothes on? Will James and Fred behave themselves or will pranks ensue? And of course, what will our favorite Serpent decide?