Albus woke up early the next morning after a night of fitful sleep. He was tired and irritable and he was not looking forward to a day in which he knew that he would be scrutinised, stared at and talked about...But he couldn't wait to see Scorpius. So he got out of bed and got ready for the day. Frank woke up just as he was getting dressed.

"Couldn't sleep?" Frank said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"No...too restless."

"Hmmm...wait for me?" Frank said as he stood up and gathered his clothes.

"Sure," Albus finished dressing and then he sat down on his bed and picked up his bag. He hadn't been able to get his homework done the previous day and he only had a couple of hours before classes were due to start. So he propped himself up against the headboard, got his textbooks and his parchments out, picked up his quill and got to work. Soon enough, he was so engrossed in detailing the mechanics of animagus transformations that he forgot all about his irritation and lack of sleep.

Frank came out of the bathroom and got dressed. He stood still for a moment as he saw a small smile on Albus' face as he read through his text and took notes. Albus felt his friend's eyes on him and he looked up. "What?" He said.

"You're the only bloke I know who's cheered up by studying," Frank said.

"I like learning new things. So what?" Albus said as he went back to his work, that little smile firmly in place.

Frank watched him for another couple of minutes, thinking how different Albus was from the stereotype of the teenage boy. "You're crazy," he said finally.

"No more than that girl you've gone and fallen in love with," Albus replied calmly as he continued to work.

"How did you...I mean...I'm not in love with her."

"Yeah right," Albus said as he gave Frank a look which clearly said, "Don't bullshit me. I can see right through you."

"Okay. Maybe I am in love with her...a little."

"You think the sun rises and sets on her, Frank. I don't think 'a little' quite covers that."

"Yeah, okay. I'm crazy about her, alright and it scares me," he added in a small voice.

"I take it you haven't told her, then."

"I'm afraid she'll think it is too early. We've only been together three months now." Frank said, as he sat there fiddling with his tie. He had no idea how Rose felt about him and all the wondering was starting to get to him.

"Frank, you're stupid if you don't know that Rosie is crazy about you too. Do you honestly think she'd have slept with you otherwise?" Albus said as he quickly scanned his parchment. Then he put his quill aside, rolled up his parchment and packed his bag.

"Oh! I hadn't thought of it like that..." Frank said as he continued to fidget with his tie.

"Just tell her, Frank and let go of that tie before you strangle yourself."

Frank got up to gather his books. He was thinking about what Albus had said as they made their way downstairs. Rose and Scorpius were waiting by the door of the great hall. Albus walked up to his boyfriend and hugged him tight. Scorpius smiled happily as he hugged back. It felt so good to greet each other openly like that.

Rose greeted her boyfriend the way she always did. She smiled and reached up to kiss him on his cheek. She stepped back with a fond smile on her face. Frank could feel his heart flutter at the sight of it. Damn! I have to tell her soon. I can't keep it inside me anymore, he thought as he took her hand and led her to breakfast.

Albus and Scorpius walked into the great hall holding hands. They were very aware of the fact that everyone was looking at them. Most of the students just looked curious. A lot of them smiled and nodded approvingly at them. But there were some who looked uncomfortable at the sight of them together. Well, there were always going to be a few who felt like that, Albus thought.

He couldn't fault them, not really, considering the way his own brother had reacted to the idea of Albus being with another boy. And so long as they stayed away from him and from Scorpius, he didn't care what their opinions were. Scorpius noticed the direction that Albus' eyes had taken and he could easily guess the train of his thoughts. "There are always going to be a few small minded people in the world, love," he said.

"I know. I don't care about them. Not really," Albus said. It was difficult, but they'd decided not to let any of the attention trouble them. So they went to their place at the Ravenclaw table and they carried on entirely as usual. Scorpius looked up at the head table to see his father smiling approvingly at them.

James was staring at them. He had a thoughtful look on his face. He made no attempt to approach them or to say anything. Fred still looked uncomfortable, but he always followed James' lead, so he kept to himself as well. Louis though, was another matter entirely. He stared at Albus and Scorpius all through the meal. He didn't seem angry or uncomfortable. He was just looking. Albus wondered what was going on. He had the distinct feeling that he was missing something.

...

Harry sat on his bed and read the note again. Then he walked over to his table and sat down to write a reply. It took him a while because his head was aching and he felt nauseous. But finally he was done. He read the letter over and nodded, feeling satisfied. Then he opened the window and whistled. His owl swooped down and settled on the window sill. Artemis was a handsome eagle owl. Harry had bought him just over a year ago. He was regal and he tended to act superior to the other owls in the house, but he was highly intelligent and he was very obviously fond of Harry.

He nuzzled his head against Harry's hand and then he stuck his leg out and waited for Harry to secure the parchment and then he inclined his head and listened carefully as he was told where to go. The he flew up to Harry's shoulder and gently pecked his ear in what could only be described as an affectionate manner and then he was gone. That little interaction left Harry with a smile on his face.

He went into the bathroom to take a shower but his head was still throbbing painfully. So he took a dose of hangover potion and lay down in bed waiting for the head ache to subside. He thought about what Draco had said in the note and he realised again just how foolish he had been the previous night. His behaviour had been self destructive. And he was heartily ashamed of it.

Never again, he decided as he lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering how long it would be before Draco got his letter. His eyes closed of their own accord and he was asleep in a matter of minutes. That was how Ginny and Hermione found him when they came through the floo sometime in the afternoon. Neither of them had the heart to wake him up so they let him be.

...

Draco walked back to his rooms at lunch time and called the house elves. He had invited Albus and Scorpius to lunch with him. They'd had an eventful couple of days and he wanted to hear all about it. He thought of himself as a hands-on dad and he liked to be involved in his son's life and now that now Albus and Scorpius were together, Albus ended up getting the same kind of attention and affection...The boys turned up just as the house elves had finished setting the table.

They were ready enough to talk so they told him everything that had happened and Draco listened with the occasional comment, thinking as they finished, that he was really proud of them, particularly the way they had handled James. He told them so and he was amused by the way they flushed in response to the praise. Albus in particular, looked like he'd really needed to hear that. They had just started dessert when there was a tapping at the window. They looked up and Albus recognised the owl immediately. "Artemis!" He said as he went up to the bird. "That's dad's owl." He said, clearly wondering why his dad was writing to Draco.

Draco silently cursed the bird and his timing as he took the roll of parchment. "Must be about work," he said casually, his Malfoy mask firmly on place. He opened it and glanced through it quickly. It was with the greatest effort that he held back a smile. It wouldn't do to react like that in front of the boys. He rolled up the parchment, put it in his pocket and got back to what they'd been talking about before they were interrupted.

By the time they finished their meal, it was time for afternoon classes to begin, so Draco didn't get a chance to read the letter properly. He had two classes to take after lunch. He got through them somehow, though his mind was simply not on his work just then. It was four in the afternoon when he finished. He walked back into his rooms, shut the door, pulled off his cloak and settled down to read Harry's letter properly.

Dear Draco,

I cannot thank you enough for everything that you did for me last night. You said that there is no need for gratitude, but I cannot help but feel it. It was very kind of you and I hope to do more to deserve your kindness than be stupid and drink myself silly. It was, as I said, a very stupid thing to do and I hope I will show more sense in the future.

And now for some honesty. Something did happen that upset me badly yesterday. I had in fact, considered coming over to see you, but I didn't, because I was afraid of imposing on you. I have already spent too much of our time together rambling about my problems and I felt quite ashamed of that last night. I just couldn't bring myself to do it again.

I know that what I have just said will probably make you angry. I'm sorry I didn't come and talk to you yesterday. I should have trusted your friendship enough to impose on you. Reading your note made me feel quite emotional. It is good to know that you care about me so much. Though I honestly cannot see what I have done to deserve it.

I'd like to make amends if you would let me. I want to take you out to dinner tonight if that is okay with you. I hear there is a charming new French restaurant in Hogsmeade. There probably isn't enough time for you to owl me back. So will call you around six and you can let me know then. Thank you for being such a good friend. Hoping to see you soon,

Harry.

Draco finished reading the letter and he smiled. He was happy and relieved. He had been a little worried about Harry's reaction to his note. He had gone over it again and again in his head, wondering if he had said too much. And here Harry was, wanting to make amends. I wonder if he realises that he has pretty much asked me out on a date? Knowing Harry, he probably doesn't. Draco sat there for a while rolling and unrolling the parchment in his hands and thinking...

Then he saw the time...I'd better hurry, he decided. He walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower and got dressed. It was around five thirty when he was done. He read the letter again. He put it away. He tried to read a book, but he couldn't focus. He kept looking at the clock every other minute. It was still only five forty five. Damn! He paced up and down for a while. Then he sighed and decided that he was being silly. So he sat down in his favourite armchair and stared at the fireplace. All he had to do now, was wait for Harry to call.

...

Harry woke up with a start. He felt sluggish and disoriented. He'd only meant to lie down for a few minutes. I must have fallen asleep. I wonder what time it is, he thought as he picked up his wand and cast a quick tempus. It was five 'o' clock in the afternoon. He saw the time and then he cursed and bolted into the bathroom. It was five thirty when he ran down the stairs fully dressed, only to walk into a Weasley family gathering.

Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Hermione, George, Angelina and Ginny were sitting around the dining table and talking...All of them, that is, except Ginny. Harry was in no mood to get drawn into that conversation. Besides, he was on his way to see Draco and that was pretty important to him right then. He wondered briefly if he could somehow apparate out of there without anybody knowing but Ron spotted him just then and called him over. Bugger!