Harry and Ginny insisted that Scorpius give up his tent, telling him that he would stay with them for the rest of the holiday, on a cot in Albus' room. Scorpius tried to refuse, worried that he would be intruding, but they wouldn't hear a word against it.

A short while after Scorpius and Al had got back to the Potter house, Al's Aunt Hermione and cousin Rose entered the kitchen. Apparently, Harry had asked Hermione to come by, since she was the best person he knew at healing spells, and Rose had tagged along, worried about her cousin. She hovered nervously nearby as Hermione flicked her wand and the cuts on Al's feet healed instantly.

Scorpius watched Al closely. The small boy didn't seem able to look into his family's eyes, and Scorpius thought he understood. These were strong, good people, and Al didn't feel worthy. The thought tore at Scorpius' heart.

Rose was staring meaningfully at Scorpius, trying to ask him silently what had happened. Scorpius felt horrible for his other oldest friend. She had been beside him and Al from the start, and it felt strange keeping things from her.

"Excuse me," Scorpius said suddenly, facing the adults as they talked quietly by the door. Harry, Ginny and Hermione looked at him.

"I'm sorry to interupt," Scorpius continued softly, "but would it be alright for Al, Rose and I to go to Al's room?"

The adults looked at eachother.

"Of course, Scorpius," Ginny responded first, smiling.

Scorpius thanked them and the three teens left the kitchen and walked together to Albus' room, Rose looking ready to burst with questions.

When they entered the bedroom Scorpius closed the door behind them and turned to face his friends. Al was staring at his toes, his green eyes wide, and Rose was glancing quickly between Al and Scorpius.

"What is going on," she demanded, fists on her hips.

Scorpius looked at Al, who was staring at him now with pleading eyes.

"She deserves to know, Al," Scorpius said quietly, and Al's face paled, "We shouldn't have kept it from her."

Al was shaking, looking mortified, unable to meet his cousin's eyes.

"Know what?" Rose asked loudly, "Kept what from me?"

"I'm telling her, Al. She loves you, and she won't think any less of you, I swear..."

And then he told her. Scorpius told Rose about Al being attacked by Rosier, explained the reason why the boy had been so very different the last year. Rose listened in rare silence, her face horrified.

"Oh my god," she whispered when Scorpius had finished, looking between the two boys, "Oh my god, Al, I didn't know. Why didn't I realize?"

And then she was hugging Al, tears sliding down her freckled face.

"Of course I don't think any less of you!" she cried, "You should have told me-"

Scorpius stood back as the cousins embraced, tears falling silently down Al's face now too.

Scorpius was glad he told Rose. Glad he had told Al's parents about his panic attack. He was starting to realize that the more the boy hid, the less help he would receive. Al's family were good people, and they would always love him. They wanted to help, and Scorpius wasn't going to allow Al to push them away anymore.

An hour later Hermione called up the stairs for Rose. The three friends had been talking comfortably, and it almost felt like it had before, to Scorpius, when the three had been inseperable. Rose stood and straightened her skirt, looking sternly at Al and Scorpius.

"Well, I've got to go," she said, "but there'll be no more of this hiding things nonense! I'll come back as soon as I can."

The boys bid her farewell as she left the small room, and they listened as her footsteps receaded down the stairs. Scorpius turned to Al, who's face seemed relieved.

"I told you she wouldn't care," he said quietly to Albus, who was sitting on the bed beside him. Al looked up and smiled a little.

"You were right," Al said in a small voice, his hands clentched in his lap, and he looked away from Scorpius.

"Thank you..." the boy whispered, "For coming here..."

Scorpius couldn't tear his gaze away from Al's face; his lowered eyes, framed by long black lashes; his delicate pink lips...

Slowly, almost thoughtlessly, Scorpius raised his hand to Al's cheek; watched as the boy looked up at him in surprise. His hand slid behind the boy's head, weaving into his silky hair. Al's eyes widened, but he didn't pull away.

Scorpius drew nearer, and Al's scent filled his lungs. His other hand moved to the boy's chin, tilting the small face upwards as he drew even closer. He could feel Al's breath now, warm and sweet and a little shaky. He couldn't resist any longer...

Scorpius pressed his lips against Al's, and the small boy froze, his eyes wide.

Heat erupted inside Albus as Scorpius' mouth met his. His heart seemed to jump into his throat and a strange tingling filled his fingers and toes.

Then Scorpius' hand tightened in his hair, and his lips pressed harder against Al's. The boy gasped and Scorpius took advantage of Al's open mouth, kissing him deeper. The boy's head swam as Scorpius' tongue slid across his bottom lip; Al heard himself make an odd sound, and Scorpius' hand twitched on his chin. The next second Scorpius had wrapped the arm instead around Al's waste, pulling the boy closer. Al thought he might faint.

There was a knock on Al's door that made both boys jump and pull apart, panting and red-faced. Then came a second knock and Al glanced over at Scorpius, who's face was quickly turning from red to white.

"C-come in!" Al called shakily and his door pushed open, his mother's face looking around it.

"Lunch is almost ready," she said, glancing curiously between the two boys, who were sitting stiffly upon the bed, a few feet apart.

"O-ok, mum," Al replied, his cheeks still red, "We'll be right down!"

Ginny left, closing the door once more. Albus and Scorpius remained where they were, and the silence grew until it seemed to press upon Al's eardrums. He glanced up and found Scorpius was staring at him, his blue eyes seeming to pierce Al straight through. The look in Scorpius' eyes quickened Al's heartrate again, as the memory of those warm lips against his filled Albus' mind... He felt heat rush into his cheeks, knew that he was blushing...

Scorpius had just kissed him! He could still taste the other boy, still feel the frantic fluttering in his stomach.

Scorpius was leaning towards him again, his blue eyes steady as he stared at Al, and Al discovered that he couldn't look away. Scorpius was craddling his face now, his hands incredibly gentle as he tilted it up to his.

Then he kissed Al again, softly this time, with a tenderness that stole Al's breath away. When Scorpius pulled back he remained close, staring into Al's eyes with an intensity that made Al's heart ache.

"Al..." Scorpius whispered, his deep voice sliding over Albus like honey, "I love you."

Al blinked; his brain seemed to be working incredibly slow.

"I've loved you for a long time now, maybe even from the very first time you spoke to me."

Al was frozen, staring up at his best friend with enormous eyes.

"I'm sorry I kissed you. I will never do it again if you don't want me to. I don't expect you to return my feelings, and I won't bring this up ever again if you'd like."

Scorpius' eyes continued to bore into Al's, searching for something.

"You're still my best friend, and nothing has to change. You can forget this ever happened, and we can continue on like normal-"

"I don't want-" Al said abrubtly then stopped, his face burning with a fresh blush, and his eyes dropped to his hands.

"I... I don't want to forget it happened..." Albus murmered, his voice almost inaudible.

Al could feel Scorpius staring at him, his larger body completely still on the rumpled sheets close by. Al didn't know what else to say, and he continued to sit in awkward silence, waiting for Scorpius to say something instead. After what seemed like an eternity, Al felt Scorpius' fingers under his chin, lifting his face once more.

"You don't want to forget?" Scorpius asked softly, his eyes locked on Al's. Albus swallowed and then nodded, his heart pounding furiously beneath his breast.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Albus' heart felt like it would burst from his chest. Slowly, he gave the tiniest of nods, his body trembling as he stared in those pale, burning eyes.

For a third time Scorpius kissed him, soft and sweet at first, and then more urgantly, his mouth moving hungrily over Al's. Al gasped, and Scorpius' tongue slid past his lips into his open mouth. Scorpius' arm wrapped around Al's waist once more, pulling the smaller boy into his lap. Al panted weakly as Scorpius' lips slipped over his, then trailed slowly down his jaw and over the skin of his neck.

Al shivered, his fingers gripping the other boy's broad shoulders as Scorpius' tongue ran along his collarbone. The boy's teeth nipped at his throat, his long fingered hands sliding up beneath Al's shirt, exploring every inch of skin they could reach. Al's head swam as Scorpius' mouth worked it's way back up his neck and found his lips once more.

Albus heard himself moan; his cheeks grew even hotter, and Scorpius pulled him closer still, his lips almost desperate on Al's.

"Lunch!"

At the sound of Al's mom's call from the bottom of the stairs the boys started and pulled apart, panting heavily. They remained still for a moment, and then Scorpius slid Al off his lap and stood up, looking pale and shaky.

"I-I'm sorry," said Scorpius hoarsely, running a hand distractedly through his loose hair, "I got a little... Carried away..."

Al swallowed and nodded, his face burning and still unable to speak.

"Shall we- Shall we go down?"

Again Al nodded, stumbling unsteadily to his feet. They left the bedroom in silence, each of them intently aware of the other as they walked down the stairs and through the hall towards the kitchen.

James watched the two boys enter the kitchen with his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with dislike as they took in Scorpius. What were his parents thinking, letting Malfoy stay here? Didn't they realize that the Slytherin boy must be behind the reason for Al's strange behavior? How could they trust him so easily?

For god's sake, Malfoy shows up and that night Al has a panic attack, runs away and then comes back with his feet all torn apart? Wasn't it obvious that Malfoy was the cause? James watched as the two boys sat down beside eachother, and he looked between them suspiciously. His brother's face seemed strange, and Al kept glancing sidelong at Scorpius, then dropping his gaze quickly back down at his plate.

It was weird... Something had happened; Malfoy had done or said something to his brother while they were upstairs, alone together. As James watched, the two boys across from him both reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice at the same time, their fingers brushing against each other's on the handle. Al pulled his hand back as though he had been burned, and it seemed to James that Al was afraid of Malfoy for some reason. Albus murmured for Malfoy to go ahead, and James' eyes narrowed with suspicion. Why had Al seemed afraid of touching Malfoy, just now? What had Malfoy done to his brother?

James swore to himself that he was going to find out...

Ooo, what do you think about that, huh? Very happy to have gotten my first review. Keep reading!