Disclaimer: Not mine, sorry.
26. The first time Al actually took James's advice.
The next few weeks passed excruciatingly slowly for Al. He hadn't been able to talk to Scorpius since he'd come to his revelation--that Scorpius didn't fancy him, would never fancy him, and that the kiss had been a fluke.
It hurt. A lot. But Al knew he had to get over it. Unfortunately, having to spend so much time in close proximity with Scorpius didn't help at all. How was Al supposed to get over Scorpius when he was always there, with his shy smile, and his always perfect blonde hair, and those eyes that couldn't stop staring at Al like a lost puppy.
But Al didn't want to avoid Scorpius. Honestly, the last time he had he'd hurt Scorpius. Which had hurt him. Which he didn't want to do again. But at the same time, Al couldn't do anything but moon whenever Scorpius was around.
So, Al devised a plan, involving copious amounts of whipped cream, a well timed departure, and an actual puppy dog.
Of course, Rose immediately nixed the plan, stating it was, "Absolute rubbish," and Al was, "An idiot for even thinking about it!" She thought, stupidly, that Al really ought to just tell Scorpius everything, but Al knew that, while Rose was generally quite brilliant, she was also a girl, and girls just didn't know much about boys. It was a thought that almost always held true for Al.
Finally, after a week of just saying the necessary to Scorpius, Al went to talk to James. If anyone would know what to do, it would be the brutish Gryffindor. He was a bit opposite of Rose in that respect; he knew nothing but boys.
After searching the kitchens, James's dorm, James's bedroom, and even the Quidditch pitch, Al finally found James in,of all places, the library. He was writing something on a piece of parchment that apparently required so much concentration that he didn't even notice Al sneaking up behinmd him. So much for James following in their father's footsteps to become an Auror.
When Al placed a hand on James's shoulder so he could lean in and read what James was writing, James jumped nearly a foot in the air and let out a string of expletives that Al figured James had learned from Uncle Charlie.
"Merlin, Al, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" hissed James, clutching his chest dramatically. Al rolled his eyes.
"Baby," he muttered. His eyes drifted back towards the parchment. Written largely across the top was Dear Teddy. "Have you finally started talking to Teddy then?"
"Please, Al. I'm not a fairy like you; Teddy and I have been talking for weeks now," James said with a snort. His eyes flickered back to the paper and he let out an exasperated sigh. "If you're done trying to kill me, sod off."
"Wait, I need your advice!" exclaimed Al when James tried to push him away. James stared at him, eyes narrowed.
"Since when have you needed my advice? Don't you have Red for that?" Red had been James's nickname for Rose ever since he first pulled her hair when she'd been just a wee baby. It wasn't because of her hair at all. No, it was because at the first tug of her scarlet hair, Rose's face had turned burgundy and she'd wailed her lungs out until she was hoarse. Although Rose hated it--she denied it had ever happened--Al secretly thought it was a good description of the girl when angry.
"Rose doesn't get what I need advice on. She's not very wise in the ways of the lad, I'm afraid," said Al wisely. James snorted and turned back to his parchment.
"How should I end this?" asked James, more to himself than Al. "Love James seems a bit too childish, but Sincerely James is too formal."
"Just write James," said Al. He huffed. "Anyway, I--ahem, a friend of mine happens to have a crush on another friend of his, and he doesn't think he can stand another minute of just being friends, but he thinks that telling the other friend would ruin their friendship. What should he do?"
James looked up at Al with one eyebrow cocked. After a moment, he frowned. "Al, have you been talking to Lily again? I thought I made that girl promise never to tell anyone what I'd told her. Merlin, if she's told Teddy, I'll kill her, I really will!"
"Lily and Teddy? What are you on about? I'm talking about me and Scorpoius. Wait, why? Does Lily like Teddy? Oh man, Victoire is going to be so pissed!" Al clapped his hands in glee. It was a well known fact within the Potter-Weasley family that Victoire and Al had, for some reason, hated each other since birth. Victoire claimed she held nothing for the boy but indifference, but the scars on Al's shins from where she'd kicked him with her ridiculously pointy heels said otherwise.
James looked at Al as if he were watching a monkey perform acrobatics on top of an elephant. In other words, like he was watching the most ridiculous and amusing thing in the world. "Al," he began slowly, "Are you really this stupid? I mean, Merlin, if Lily figured it out, I figured you and Red would." There was a pause, then James smirked. "Well, at least Red would have, and then she'd have told you."
"What are you even talking about James?" asked Al. He shook his head. "I don't have time for this; just tell me what to do with Scorpius."
"Well…I guess, based on personal experience," began James, "you ought to just tell him. It'll save a lot of time and trouble in the future."
Al sat for a moment, contemplating, before giving a sharp nod. "All right, I'll do it." He stood up. "Thanks, James."
"Don't mention it, ever. I need to keep my reputation as a scary Gryffindor up, else the firsties and Slytherins won't be afraid of me," said James, puffing up his chest. Al snorted.
"Please, James, not even little June Longbottom is afraid of you, and she's eight."
James glared at Al and turned back to his parchment, tapping his quill against his cheek while staring intently at the paper. Al turned to leave, then paused.
"You know Teddy isn't going to care what you write, so long as you've written him, right?" said Al. James looked up at him with an unascertainable expression.
"Maybe before, Al, but now…" James sighed, "I've fucked it all up, and if this letter isn't completely perfect, Teddy'll want nothing to do with me. So leave me to it, yeah?"
"Maybe I could--"
James held up a hand. "I've got it," he said roughly, "Now go confess your undying love to Malfoy, or whatever."
Al looked at James for several long moments before nodding and heading towards the door.
For once in his life, James had actually given him sound advice, and Al wanted nothing more than to take it.
And this time? This time Scorpius would actually remember it. Because there was no way in hell that Al was going through it all again.
Author's Note: Ahhh, I haven't posted in forever! Sorry! Also, sorry that this is way shorted than usual, but I figured this was better than nothing. Can anyone guess what will happen next? Will Al's words woo Scorpius, or will Scorpius not feel the same way? Stay tuned!