Yay, I'm getting fast with these updates! Ha! Thanks to all who reviewed; I greatly appreciate it. I also hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day!

I meant to include Selwyn's party in this chapter, but that would have made this chapter too long. So, after chapter 15, the boys will be back in school.

Disclaimer: I own not the HP characters. The exuberant J.K. Rowling does.

Chapter 14

The next two days were busy for the Potter household. They visited Molly and Arthur Weasley for the day because Harry and Ginny had to go into work. Arthur jumped when he first laid eyes on Scorpius, completely bewildered as to why he was there. But after the initial shock wore down, Arthur and Molly were quite polite toward Scorpius, for which Scorpius was thankful. Then, the next day, they all went to Diagon Alley to buy any school supplies they needed for the next term. After that, the Potters, minus James who had barely spoken a single word to Scorpius the last couple days, took Scorpius to the mountains to go skiing.

Now it was January 30th and needless to say, everyone was fatigued. Fortunately, everyone stayed in, mainly to get ready for the party tomorrow. As Scorpius groggily walked in the dining room for breakfast with a half-asleep Albus following right behind him, Harry announced, "Scorpius, you have mail from your mother."

Scorpius tilted his head to the side, worry instantly coursing through his veins. Did something happen to her? He thought as he reached for the envelope and quickly opened it. The letter read:

Dear Scorpius,

This invitation arrived in the mail for you yesterday, which is enclosed with this letter. I hope you are doing well. I miss you terribly, but I will see you soon. I almost didn't write but Dremus insisted I write to you. These house elves are driving me mad, or madder than I am, I suppose. A good friend of mine, Aria Selwyn, visited me a couple of days ago. She said you told her to visit me. I am not sure how you know her, but I appreciate the gesture. It was nice to see an old friend again.

With love,

Your Mother

Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief as he read that she was doing well. He had forgotten he'd told Aria to visit his mum. Though she hadn't done anything to cause suspicion, Scorpius had been wary of Selwyn's mum since his nightmare that first night here. As he set the letter down on the table, he read through the invitation which was from Selwyn about his party. Scorpius pocketed the letter and invitation then sat down at the table next to Albus and Lily.

"Is everything okay?" Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded at his friend and replied, "Yeah, she's doing well." He would tell Albus about Selwyn's party later. Scorpius wasn't sure if Albus would be allowed to come along, though. But not having Albus beside him at the party unnerved him a little.

"After breakfast, I want you to clean your rooms," Ginny instructed to her children, and all three of them groaned in response. "You can't play until it is spotless," she added.

So, after everyone finished eating – James, Lily, and Albus had taken their precious time to procrastinate on cleaning – Albus and Scorpius went up to Al's room. Albus flopped down on his bed and groaned. "It's times like these when I wish I were of age to do magic."

"I'm sure it doesn't take that long to clean," Scorpius said, grinning. "Although, I wouldn't know. I've never cleaned before."

Albus sat up and furrowed his eyebrows. "What? How have you never cleaned before?" He asked, baffled.

Scorpius shrugged as he casually clarified, "My house elves do all that."

Albus' eyes bugged out of his head. "You have house elves?" He exclaimed, though he really shouldn't have been surprised.

Scorpius didn't know why it was such a big deal that he had house elves. "Yeah, I figured everyone has them."

Albus shook his head. "No, not really," he said. A smile crept upon his lips as he added, "You'd better not tell Rose. She might not like you anymore."

"We don't mistreat them, Albus. And anyway, without them the house would be a mess. Mum doesn't do shit anymore," Scorpius explained, frowning.

Albus got a thoughtful look on his face as he asked, "Think you could summon them up?"

Scorpius chuckled and shook his head. "Come on whinypants, you'll be fine." Then he began to make his bed. He'd seen Dremus make his bed a thousand times so it wasn't too hard. Personally, Scorpius didn't see the point when he would just unmake it hours later.

It took under a half hour to clean Albus' room and the nearby bathroom. After they finished, Albus and Scorpius leaned against Albus' bed post. Scorpius' hand absently caressed Albus' hand, and Albus laid his head against Scorpius' shoulder.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Scorpius murmured after a few minutes had passed, "I received an invitation from Selwyn for his party."

"Selwyn?" Albus lifted his head and turned toward Scorpius.

"Yeah, his party is in two days," Scorpius said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

Albus frowned and asked, "Are you sure he wants me there?"

Scorpius didn't know the answer to that question. Shrugging, he asked, "What's it matter?"

"I don't want a bunch of Slytherins glaring at me the whole night," Albus stated, his arms folding across his chest.

"They'll probably be too drunk to care," Scorpius said with a grin.

But that didn't make Albus feel any better. There was something about Selwyn and his gang that seemed off. "I don't know. You can go, though."

Scorpius nodded, trying not to let his disappointment show that Albus didn't want to go. But, he decided to let the matter be for now.

"Anyway, let's focus on more important things, like how we haven't gotten to snog in awhile," Albus purred, inching closer to Scorpius' face.

"Any longer and I would have gotten withdrawals," Scorpius sexily murmured, his lips lingering just millimeters from Albus' lips.

Albus grinned as he felt Scorpius' hot breath on his face. "Well, we can't let that happen," he softly said. Then he closed in the tight distance between their lips.

Scorpius positioned himself on his knees, wrapping his arms around Albus' back, kissing the pale red lips he loved so much. Albus stroked Scorpius' soft, fine hair as he kissed harder with more intensity. Then he gently pushed Scorpius to the ground with him on top. Still kissing, Albus grabbed Scorpius' hands and sprawled them out over the Slytherin's head, and their fingers laced together.

Scorpius smiled to himself at the affectionate touch. He wrapped his legs around Albus's body, his boner rubbing against Albus' thigh. Allowing passage into his mouth, Albus' tongue gladly accepted the offer and intertwined itself with Scorpius' tongue as Scorpius simultaneously sucked.

Meanwhile, Harry had been sent upstairs by Ginny to check if everyone were cleaning. He first entered Lily's room and was pleasantly surprised that she had already finished. After chatting with her for a bit, he walked down the hall toward Albus' room. He knocked on the door and called out, "Albus? Are you cleaning?" Harry waited a few seconds, but when there was no response he opened the door.

Instantly, Harry noticed Albus and Scorpius on the floor making out. "Bloody hell!" Harry impulsively exclaimed.

At the sound, Albus opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see his father standing in the doorway. Cursing expletives under his breath, he bolted upright and away from Scorpius. He hadn't wanted his parents to find out this way. He had planned on telling them soon, but there never was a free moment to do so.

Seeing Harry himself, Scorpius' face flushed a furious red. As if he couldn't have been embarrassed enough the first night, this was worse times twenty.

"Er, I'm sorry, I should have, er, knocked," Harry mumbled incoherently, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He backed away, turned, and walked straight into a wall. Harry opened his eyes and rubbed his forehead as he called out in a state of panic, "Gin – Ginny? Could you, er, come here please?"

Five minutes later, Albus and Scorpius sat in Ginny's office, sitting opposite Albus' parents, both feeling incredibly awkward. Likewise, Harry and Ginny felt the same way.

"Er, when did you two begin dating?" Ginny asked, the first one to speak. She'd always had her suspicions about Albus being gay. He'd never been interested in girls the way James was, but it was more than that. Ginny had that vibe about her son; call it motherly instinct. She'd never dared to ask in case she was wrong, however. And though she had been right, Ginny was still shocked that she'd found out this way, and that her son was into a Malfoy.

Albus and Scorpius both looked at each other with curious expressions on their faces. Scorpius didn't really know what he and Albus were. They were more than friends of course, but nothing official had ever been said and done. A label had never been put on their relationship.

Speaking up, Albus answered, "Well, we're not technically dating." He glanced at Scorpius once more for confirmation. Scorpius nodded his head then shrugged.

"Oh," Ginny said. "Does anyone else know?"

"Only Rose, Lily, and Louis," Albus replied. "Although, it was clearly a mistake to tell Louis," he bitterly added.

Harry and Ginny nodded in unison, the shock still in both of their systems. Ginny looked at Scorpius and asked, "Do you mind if we speak to Albus for a minute?"

Scorpius shook his head no and left the room.

Focusing her attention back on her son, she asked, "How long have you known you were gay?"

Albus thought for a moment before saying, "Well, there wasn't really a defining moment, I guess. I've just always known, but I've never acted on it until Scorpius came along." Glancing from his dad's baffled expression to an unreadable expression upon his mum's face, he asked, "Are we in trouble?"

Ginny quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. I just wish you had told us."

Albus nodded in agreement. "I meant to, but it never seemed like the right time."

Finally, Harry spoke, "This is quite a shock, but we love you just the same." He wouldn't have ever guessed that his son would be gay. He wasn't upset, but he worried the rest of the Wizarding community wouldn't be as accepting if they were ever to find out. As an afterthought, Harry added, "Scorpius is a great kid."

Meanwhile, outside Ginny's office, Scorpius relayed to Lily everything that had happened. As he spoke, James came around the corner.

"What's going on?" He curiously asked.

Scorpius and Lily exchanged looks. Scorpius decided he probably shouldn't be the one to tell James that he and Albus were gay and had just made out twenty minutes ago. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," he cryptically said.

"Tell me!" James demanded, wanting in the loop.

Fortunately, Scorpius lucked out because the door opened and Albus walked out. "Your turn," he said to Scorpius, smiling softly.

"Are they mad?" Scorpius questioned. Albus shook his head no. He was in a daze, but he was glad that his parents accepted him the way he was. It was a damn good feeling.

Scorpius breathed in deeply and walked back inside the room, closing the door behind him. As he sat down, he immediately said, "I'm really sorry. I'll understand if I should go home."

Ginny smiled sweetly at Scorpius, amazed at how different he was from how the other Malfoys had been. "Nonsense, that won't be necessary!"

Scorpius was half-surprised, and it probably showed on his face. "You're okay with this?" He asked them.

Harry nodded as he told the boy, "This will take time for the shock to wear off, but we don't think any less of you or Albus."

"We can tell he makes you happy," Ginny chimed in, smiling sweetly.

"He does," Scorpius said. Then the realization of just how much Albus had helped him set in. Scorpius had never really given much thought to it until Ginny had said something. "I'm happier than I've been in a long time because of Albus," Scorpius softly added.

"Guess we've done something right," Ginny mused.

A curious look on his face, Harry studied Scorpius as he asked, "Have you told your Mother about you?"

Scorpius slowly shook his head no. He'd known he was gay since he was twelve but had never known how to tell his parents. And after his Dad died, the timing never felt right to tell his Mum especially because he had never thought much about boys while grieving. "No," Scorpius finally uttered, "She's not in such a great state right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ginny said.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Ginny, Harry, and Scorpius immediately looked at the door, from where someone had just yelled.

Scorpius sank back into the couch as he said aloud, "James must have found out about us."

Glancing at Scorpius then at each other, Harry and Ginny got up and walked over to the door. Opening it, they saw a bewildered James.

"Is it true? He's chummy with that twat?" James incredulously questioned his parents.

Harry placed a hand on James' shoulder and tentatively said, "Maybe we should talk about this in the other room."

James gave an icy glare at Scorpius then followed his parents into the dining room.

Albus leaned against the wall and held Scorpius' hand. "This was a relaxing day," he sarcastically said to no one in particular.

(

The next morning, Albus and Scorpius woke up and were instantly met with a list of things to do before guests arrived. Harry and Ginny had said Scorpius could stay in Albus' room as long as they promised to keep the door open at all times. Albus was a little disheartened because that meant he and Scorpius wouldn't have private make out sessions anymore, but at least Scorpius was allowed to stay. He was thankful his parents accepted that he and Scorpius were gay. It made things much easier, especially now that there were no secrets.

Around one, people began showing up. Ron and Hermione were first to arrive. A few minutes later, Molly and Arthur apparated. With each family showing up, Scorpius became a little overwhelmed at just how big this family was. After George and Bill's family arrived, all the kids were ushered outside to play. Fortunately, the weather was fairly nice.

Scorpius hung back with Albus, Rose, and Lily. As more kids came outside, he was met with strange looks. Albus and Rose explained why he was here, and for the most part, no one minded much. They just weren't used to seeing a Malfoy at a Weasley-Potter event. In fact, the only ones who gave Scorpius murderous looks were Louis and James, naturally.

Scorpius waited until he found Louis alone, who was about to walk inside. "Hey, wait," he said to Louis.

Louis turned around and sneered, "What do you want?" He folded his arms across his chest and tapped his foot impatiently.

"To talk?" Scorpius offered. When Louis stayed put, Scorpius continued, "Look, Albus means a lot to me and I know he means a lot to you, too."

"What's your point, Malfoy?" Louis asked, his eyes narrowed in thin slits.

"I'm over this bad blood between us. Albus has been going crazy without you. He won't admit it, but I know he misses you," Scorpius said, as politely as he could. He hated doing this and being the better man or whatever, but it had to be done. Taking in a few breaths, he added, "I'm not going anywhere, Louis, so we might as well try to get along. We don't have to like each other, but can't we at least be civil?"

Louis was quiet for a few moments before finally speaking. "What's your motive? You're brainwashing him to be spiteful?"

Scorpius slowly inhaled again, trying to remain polite. "No, believe it or not, I actually like the guy."

Louis frowned, saying, "He had plenty of opportunities to change his mind, but instead he spends all his time with you!"

"That's because you never gave him a chance! You gave him a fucking ultimatum. What was he supposed to do?" Scorpius practically shouted. He paused to recollect himself. In a quieter voice, Scorpius said, "I'm not trying to destroy your friendship with him. I needed him and he listened."

Louis glanced away from Scorpius, falling quiet again. At last, he dismissively mumbled, "I need to go." Then he briskly walked inside.

Scorpius sighed. Well, I tried, he thought to himself.

Albus and Lily walked up to Scorpius a couple of minutes later. "What were you talking to Louis about?" Albus asked.

Scorpius turned around, facing the two Potters. "I was trying to reconcile things between us. Not sure how much it helped, though," he answered.

Albus grinned a little. It was sweet of Scorpius to try to make amends. He certainly didn't have to because it was Louis who was being the asshole; but the gesture only made Albus like Scorpius that much more.

Startled by a voice, the three turned around and saw Ron announcing that there would be a Quidditch game before dinner.

"You guys play Quidditch here?" Scorpius asked. Though, looking around, there were certainly enough people for two teams.

"Yeah, we do it practically every time we get together," Albus replied.

"Now I know why you're so good," Scorpius said, grinning.

A figure approaching them, Lily suddenly ran out to embrace the figure, screaming, "Teddy!"

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Victoire was cranky and took longer than usual to get dressed. Must be the pregnant hormones," Teddy Lupin said as he approached Albus and Scorpius, arms linked with Lily.

"Congratulations, by the way, mate!" Albus exclaimed.

"Thanks, it's been one hell of a ride, though!" Teddy joked. He turned to Scorpius and grinned. "I'm afraid we haven't officially met," he said, extending his hand, "I'm Teddy Lupin, your cousin."

"I have a cousin?" Scorpius curiously asked, politely shaking Teddy's hand. His aunt Daphne had never gotten married.

"Technically, we're second cousins," he stated, still grinning.

"Teddy grew up here. He's practically my third brother," Lily told Scorpius.

Scorpius cocked his head to the side, a little confused. This family was even more intricate than he'd thought.

To clarify, Teddy explained, "Harry and Ginny are my god-parents. My actual parents died in the war."

"Oh," was all Scorpius said.

"It's okay, mate," Teddy reassured him. "It was nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Scorpius politely said, nodding his head.

Hearing Victoire call out his name, Teddy said, "Better not keep her waiting." Then he turned and went to his wife.

"I didn't know he was your cousin, either," Albus said after Teddy had left.

Soon, the adults came outside for the Quidditch match.

"We'd better go. They're going to pair off teams," Lily said, walking toward the adults. Albus and Scorpius followed closely behind.

"Are you going to play?" Albus asked Scorpius.

Scorpius' forehead wrinkled as he thought about playing, but ultimately he decided it'd be best if he didn't. "No, probably not. I haven't played in so long."

"Come on, you have to!" Albus said, placing his hand on Scorpius' forearm. "You could be Seeker for me. Dad will probably let you win, like he does with me every time. It's so annoying."

Scorpius didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Albus' whole family if he were to play badly. "No, I'll sit out this time. That way, I can root for you."

Albus frowned, but nodded. "Okay, but next time, you're playing."

Scorpius grinned and gave Albus' hand a squeeze. "Good luck!" Then he went over to the porch where Rose sat with Lucy, a fourth-year and Percy's youngest daughter. "Are you not playing either?" He asked Rose.

"No, I'm not good at Quidditch. It's fun to watch, though. The adults get really competitive with the kids, but then Uncle Harry lets Albus get the snitch, and everyone gets mad at him. So, the kids always win."

Scorpius chuckled. "And this is the outcome of every game?"

"Pretty much," Hermione said, turning in her seat. "It's nice to see you again, Scorpius."

"Likewise, Mrs. Weasley," Scorpius politely said.

"Please, call me Hermione," she said.

Scorpius watched the match for a few minutes before asking, "How does Albus get better if Harry lets him win?"

"Uncle Harry doesn't go easy on Al when they're practicing. But this is just for fun," Rose explained.

Hermione added, "Harry's not one for winning and getting the glory. It's what I admire most about him."

"Gin, on the other hand, could have gone far in Quidditch," Molly chimed in. She was still a little bitter about her only daughter becoming an Auror – a profession that definitely had its dangerous moments. Turning to Scorpius, she told him, "Gin played for the Holyhead Harpies before settling down and having kids."

"You must be very proud of her," Scorpius softly said.

Molly beamed, replying, "I'm proud of all my family."

A small, wistful smile appeared on Scorpius' lips as he turned back to the match. He suddenly wished he had this – a big, close-knit family. His own family wasn't much for which to be desired. His father was dead, his mother might as well be dead from how sick she was, and his grand-parents never talked to him. Astoria's parents weren't close with her because she married a Malfoy, giving them a bad reputation. Likewise, Draco's father practically disowned him after he refused to go into business with Lucius, and Narcissa had developed severe depression after the war. But with Albus' family, everyone seemed more or less perfect.

After the Quidditch match, where the kids won, everyone gathered inside. Dinner would be ready soon. Albus took off his coat and hung it in the closet then set out to find Louis. He wanted Rose with him for moral support, but she was nowhere to be found. He would have to do this alone.

Finding Louis, who was chatting with Dominique and Hugo, Albus dragged him off to the side.

"It's rude to interrupt people, you know," Louis remarked, frowning at Albus.

"I'm tired of fighting. Can't we be friends again?" Albus asked him, getting straight to the point.

Louis leaned against the wall. He slowly said, "I don't know, Albus."

A lump rose in Albus' throat and his eyes glanced at the floor. He wasn't going to apologize for befriending Scorpius though. He had done nothing wrong. Remembering what Dad had told him, Albus glanced back at Louis and sincerely stated, "You're still my best friend. Being with Scorpius never changed that."

Louis' expression softened a bit, but he was still wary. "You haven't been making that very clear. I just want things to go back to normal."

Albus was quiet for a moment. He didn't know what else to say that would change Louis' mind. Speaking with Louis for the first time in awhile made Albus realize how much had happened without telling Louis any of it. He used to tell Louis everything. So, in a quiet voice, he said, "My parents found out I'm gay. Yesterday, in fact."

Louis' eyes widened slightly at the news. He tentatively asked, "How'd they react?"

"Better than I thought they would. Dad seemed a bit put out at first, though, but I guess that's understandable," Albus answered him.

Louis nodded, relieved. But, he had never expected Uncle Harry or Aunt Ginny to be upset, anyway. They had always been even-headed and accepting of people. "How do you feel?" He questioned, wondering if Albus were okay with their finding out. He almost asked how they had found out, but decided he didn't really want to know because the answer probably involved Scorpius.

Albus shrugged. "A little weird, to be honest. But I'm glad it's out now," he replied. Yesterday was probably the most awkward day he had ever had.

Louis nodded, smiling a little. There was a period of silence before either boy spoke up again. After a couple minutes, Louis finally uttered, "I guess I've been pretty ridiculous these last couple months."

"You think?" Albus blurted out. In a softer tone, he added, "I never intended for you to get so upset over this."

"I know," Louis softly said. Grinning, he patted Albus on the back and exclaimed, "I've missed you, mate! Fred and James are a bore."

Albus broke out in a smile, a huge weight immediately lifting from his shoulders. "I've missed you too. Friends?"

Louis nodded and gave Albus a man-hug as he confirmed, "Friends!"

Relief and happiness washing over his body, Albus was so glad that he and Louis had stopped fighting. "Now let's get some food. I'm starving!"

Louis laughed, remarking, "Some things never change."

Albus shook his head as both of them headed into the dining room together. Taking a seat next to Scorpius, Albus turned to the Slytherin and gave him a big smile. Scorpius took note of Louis sitting on the other side of Albus, so he figured those two were friends again. Scorpius smiled in response.

Once dinner ended, Louis hung around Albus, Scorpius, Rose, and Lily. Rose and Lily were pleased to see Louis had come to his senses, though they were disappointed when they learned Louis hadn't forgotten about the bet.

"What bet?" Scorpius asked Albus.

Albus groaned. "You don't want to know," he said as Rose told Louis the bet should be moot because he hadn't mentioned anything when he found out.

Soon, everyone joined the living room to tell stories and play games while waiting for midnight to arrive. A couple hours later, the clock struck 11:55 p.m.

While everyone passed out hats and magic knick-knacks, Scorpius whispered to Albus, "Follow me." Then he led Albus to an empty room away from everyone. "I want to be alone with you for this," he quietly said, intertwining his fingers with Albus' fingers.

Albus broke out in a smile. "I was thinking the same thing," he said.

Scorpius gazed into Albus' emerald green eyes. He slowly said, "I know we haven't really talked about this, and maybe it's pointless – " He paused, taking in Albus' confused expression and mustering up courage. After taking in a few breaths, he opened his mouth again. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Albus' eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Had Scorpius just asked him that? "Of-of course!" He exclaimed, smiling big.

Scorpius smiled wide as well, a wave of relief and excitement washing over him. "Great!" He breathed.

Suddenly, people began cheering and making noise, which meant it was a new year. Scorpius placed his hands on Albus' cheek and kissed his new boyfriend. "Happy New Year, Albus," he said, breaking away from Albus' lips.

Albus grinned and hugged Scorpius. "Happy New Year."

I'm sorry if this chapter seemed rushed in any way. I had a lot of important information to get across so there wasn't much room for fluff.

But hey, tell me what you think by reviewing. If you loved it, hated it, or were left wanting more.

Thanks for reading!