Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's that. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

If You Dare

It was during a Care of Magical Creatures class that Rorake and Al finally found a chance to talk without prying ears. Both had a lot to discuss and they were grateful when Hagrid's assignment for the day was to spread out in a designated area of the Forbidden Forest on a sort of scavenger hunt. The object was to find as many indications of wildlife as they could during the class period. Hagrid was still pretty sick and the scavenger hunt was the best he could come up with in his highly medicated state. Most everyone had done a cursory look, collected one or two things from the forest, and then headed back for the castle without a backward glance. They all figured that they could just use some of their potion ingredients and pass them off to Hagrid when he came back from sick leave.

But Al and Rorake were in no hurry to escape the cold and walked through the forest as Al explained to his friend how he'd had the misfortunate to fall for Scorpius that morning.

"Well that sucks." Was the best Rorake could come up with after Al had summarized his conversation with Scorpius and how things now stood between them. "So what are you going to do? Are you going to tell him that you're in love with him?"

"Judging from his reaction to me telling him I was just falling, I can't see me telling him I'm in love with him going over well." Al shrugged with a rueful look on his windblown face. "And the last thing I need is him having that to hold over my head. The last time I used the L word in his presence he got even more bossy than usual."

"Which is saying something."

Al laughed in agreement. "I don't know what to do about our…relationship though. He meant it when he said that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He's determined that we stay together until school is over. And I'm not really good at saying no where he's concerned."

Rorake was willing to bet that was a serious understatement, but he didn't need any more mental images. After a minute or two of contemplation the Slytherin gave his friend his opinion. "I'd play hard to get. It will lessen the chances of you two getting caught and when he does finally catch you he'll appreciate you more. He's not used to having to work for it if you know what I mean. It would do him some good."

"I'll take that under advisement." Lips twitching, Al gave Rorake a considering look, hoping to distract himself. "Anything new with you, besides the fact that you got hugged by Lysander yesterday that is?"

Rorake raised an eyebrow, having a feeling that there was some hidden reason Al had brought up the hugging incident. But that could wait until after he'd told Al all about his meeting with the four presidents of the Prince Louis Fan Club.

"They even figured out that you have Delsym Syndrome? Damn but they are seriously good."

Rorake nodded his agreement. It wouldn't surprise him if they hadn't already figured out how the centaur blood had come into his family. One simply had to go back four generations after his grandfather, find out that that ancestor had been a horse crazy woman with an Animagi horse form, and well…they would get the idea. Though he preferred not to think about that, ever. The dynamics were almost as mind boggling as trying to figure out how Professor Hagrid's parents, human and giantess, had managed to procreate.

"Well since we're on the topic of Louis's fan club, you might wanna do some kissing up where my cousin is concerned. He's convinced you're either putting the moves on both him and Lysander or you're simply unaware of how you're supposed to be obsessed with him and ignoring everyone else. If he's unhappy with you than his fan club is unhappy with you and that would be very bad for your health."

"I'm supposed to be obsessed with him?"

"This is Louis we're talking about here."

His friend had a point. More amused than worried, Rorake gave Al a questioning look. "Just why does he think I'm putting the moves on your Ravenclaw friend? Just because the kid hugged me?"

Al was used to translating Louis's thought processes to others. "That and you gave him one of your pictures. Louis is now feeing slighted."

"I see."

)

When the two arrived back at the castle Al asked Rorake to wait a moment, digging out a piece of parchment from his satchel. Borrowing one of Rorake's pencils he scrawled a quick message before folding the parchment in half, trusting that his friend wouldn't peek. Well that and even if he did Al was fine with his Slytherin friend knowing his decision. "Deliver this to your roommate for me?"

Taking the piece of parchment from him Rorake nodded, sliding the paper into his coat pocket without looking at its contents. "Will do."

Al grinned. "Any message you want me to pass along to Louis?"

Rorake considered this, than opened his own satchel. Retrieving his sketchbook Rorake flipped through the pages until he came to a fresh sheet of parchment. With quick, steady strokes of the pencil Rorake quickly went to work on the rough sketch, his lips curling up in a slight smile as he imaged what the Gryffindor's response to it would be.

At least he'd get some points for originality. Hopefully.

Carefully removing the picture Rorake nodded in the direction of Al's satchel. "Do you have something in there you can slide this into until you give it to him? Or better yet, could you slip this into one of his books without him noticing?"

Taking the picture Al smiled at the drawing on the page. Louis was going to love it. "And it's more romantic that way too. I'll get it to him without him noticing. No problem." Carefully he put the piece of paper between the pages of one of his own books, already planning how to slip it into one of Louis's later.

"Thanks."

Both agreeing to fulfill their postal duties, the two friends parted ways.

Moving out of the shadows when the two were no longer within her sight Andromeda absently tapped her fingers against her crossed arms. Interesting, very interesting, she mused as she replayed their conversation in her mind. Not to mention terribly sloppy. Anyone could have overheard them. She and Harry had taught Albus better. The boy and her were going to have a talk later.

But men were often too stupid for words. It was why the world was always on the brisk of going to hell in a hand basket.

So Goyle's grandson was interested in Louis. That would be interesting to watch. It was hard to guess what Louis's reaction to the Slytherin's interest would be, but Albus's voice and tone had indicated that he thought his cousin would be receptive to the attention. No one outside of Louis's immediate family knew the boy better so she was prepared to trust Albus's instincts on the matter.

And as interesting as it was to speculate about that relationship there was something that interested her more than Louis and Rorake Goyle.

Just what sort of message had Albus written and given to the Slytherin?

Goyles were Malfoy lackeys. They had been for as long as she could remember. Odds were high then, that the roommate Goyle was delivering the note to was her great nephew. What sort of message could Albus need to send to Scorpius? A note of challenge? She thought not. Albus wasn't the sort to borrow trouble and apparently the centaur who had made the prediction about Albus had stated that the danger would not be coming from Scorpius. At least not yet. The boy had enough trouble without adding Scorpius to the mix and he knew it. Albus wasn't stupid.

If, and it was a very big if, but if the letter was romantic in nature than surely Albus had the sense not to trust someone else to deliver the note for him. Unless of course the Goyle boy was regularly tapped to play errand boy, she amended thoughtfully. It was logical to assume that Goyle was under Scorpius's thumb after all. Lackeys didn't dare undermine their masters if they wanted to remain lackeys and Scorpius would not be someone anyone would cross willingly. He was part Black after all.

She would have to have a talk with her great nephew and Albus, Andromeda decided. And soon.

)

Having arrived at the Great Hall early, Scorpius sat in his habitual seat and waited for the rest of the students to arrive. He was glad there was no one around him; that would give him time to think. He'd overreacted with Potter earlier. In hindsight the other man had had a valued point. Just thinking about his grandfather's reaction if his affair with the Gryffindor got out had Scorpius's blood running cold. Especially since he couldn't back up his actions with proof that he'd corrupted Potter in the slightest. Because he hadn't. He had definitely not been the one doing the corrupting. Potter had turned him on to guy sex for Merlin's sake. Talk about corrupting a man!

And it was doubly dangerous now that his great aunt was here. If she was anything like his grandmother then very little would get past her. And since she was at the school to keep an eye on his lover the odds were she'd notice them being together and not trying to kill each other. And given how the sparks flew whenever they were now in each other's company…well it was probably a given that she'd pick up on something sooner or later.

She wouldn't turn him in, Scorpius reasoned, but she'd probably use the information to make him pay somehow, especially since Potter wouldn't get off scot free if their affair was discovered by someone else.

Yes, it was probably in his best interests to concede Potter's point and let things end on a somewhat positive note.

But he hated the idea of admitting that the Gryffindor was right, the Slytherin fumed. And he especially hated the idea of not spending his nights screwing the other man's brains out. He'd really, really gotten to love that part of the day.

Tapping his fingers on the table Scorpius admitted to himself that he had no choice in the matter. What was between him and Potter had to end, just as the man had suggested earlier.

Looking over as Rorake took a seat beside him, Scorpius didn't bother to say hi, too busy thinking about how to dump Potter without it seeming redundant. Because while Potter had technically dumped him that morning Scorpius refused to be a man anyone would dump. He always did the dumping and that wasn't going to change just because he was dealing with another man.

Blinking when a piece of paper was held out in front of him Scorpius stared at the parchment blankly for a moment and then took it. "What's this?"

"A message."

Knowing instinctively who it was from Scorpius unfolded the note and quickly read the single sentence boldly scratched across the paper's surface.

Scorpius stared at the words for several heartbeats before refolding it, setting the piece of paper down on the table as he stared straight ahead. "Oh it's on now." He growled, his eyes cold steel as he began to plot with deadly precision.

Trusting that Scorpius was lost in his own thoughts once more Rorake took the paper off the table and unfolded it to get a look at the message he'd just delivered. Staring down at the words Rorake's lips twitched with amusement he didn't dare express as he read the words written on the parchment.

CATCH ME IF YOU DARE

)

Sitting up against his bed's headboard Louis cursed the fact that he was stuck wasting his beauty sleep awake and doing homework. If he had to be awake than he would have much rather spent the time plotting various punishments for his stupid Slytherin. And the fact that the dumb Slytherin had brainwashed him into thinking of him as his Slytherin was just one more reason the man had to pay.

Staring down at the textbook Louis thought not for the first time that as soon as he left Hogwarts he would burn all his school books in a celebratory fire. Complete with smores and hot chocolate. It would be a very happy day indeed.

Flipping through the book's pages Louis's fingers stalled at a page that didn't look like a textbook page at all. Going back to the strange page Louis stared at the sheet of parchment that had magically appeared in between the book's pages since the last time he'd opened it.

The picture on the page was done in cartoon style, the lone figure's defining features exaggerated to a comical degree. He knew who it was, though inwardly Louis thought that the man the cartoon was based on was a lot better looking than how he had portrayed himself in the drawing.

But it was what was in the man's hand that had Louis going all mushy.

Rory had drawn himself holding out a bouquet of tulips. To him.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwww."

"Awww what?" Al asked from his own bed, playing dumb. Besides, he knew that Louis would be doubly happy about the present if he got the chance to brag about it.

And sure enough, Louis was out of his bed in a flash and was sitting beside Al on his bed before his cousin could even blink. Their heads pressed against each other's Louis eagerly showed off his present. "Look, look, look. Look what he gave me! And he snuck it into my textbook without me noticing!"

"Very cute. I especially like the way he gave himself puppy dog eyes." Admiring the picture Al thought not for the first time that Louis and Rory were doing this the right way. Rorake was romancing his cousin the way you were supposed to romance someone you were interested in. He had never romanced Scorpius and Scorpius had never romanced him. They'd skipped all the usual steps and he hadn't even made the Slytherin buy him dinner first. No wonder they were so doomed, Al thought with an inner pang of regret. They had zero foundation to build on.

"He's so talented." Enormously pleased by that fact Louis couldn't wait to see more of the Slytherin's work. In his mind Rory was far more acceptable because he was an artist and artists needed muses. It was therefore reasonable to assume that the fates had caused his crush on the other man in order to inspire the Slytherin to artistic greatness.

Al didn't think someone's talent could be judged by one picture, but since Rory really was that talented he saw no reason to contradict his cousin. "I'm sure he'd be happy to draw you plenty of pictures." The guy had countless sketchbooks full of material after all.

"Plenty of works of art." Louis corrected.

Al nodded back solemnly. "Exactly."

)

Working away in his sketchbook Rorake glanced up, noting the time with a wince. It was late and Scorpius usually turned in early if he wasn't meeting up with Al. Looking over in the direction of his roommate's bed Rorake wondered why Scorpius hadn't complained about the light yet. That was his standard MO about such things. Of course it had been a while since he'd gotten so caught up in his drawing that he'd forgotten Scorpius's presence in the room.

"Is the light bothering you?" He called out, wondering if maybe the other man had been so tired that he'd fallen asleep despite the light.

Scorpius answered from the other side of the room. "I'll tell you when it is."

Not doubting that for a moment Rorake turned his attention to his drawing, which he would slip to Al sometime after breakfast. He was holding a bouquet of tiger lilies in this drawing and he thought that they'd turned out rather well considering he was drawing from memory. He wasn't much for drawing flora, or cartoons for that matter. But he wanted to keep things light between them until he had some idea of just what Louis Weasley had planned for them. He was Slytherin enough that he refused to go mushy without damn good reason.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"If someone says 'Catch me if you dare', does that mean that they think you're going to fail and therefore it's safe to taunt you, or does it mean that they just want to be chased?"

"In your case, I think it means that if you expect to get any from the Gryffindor before school ends, you're going to have to step up your game."

"Step up my game? The sex couldn't get any better. We'd simultaneously combust."

Rorake rolled his eyes. "Way too much information, my friend. Seriously. And that's not what I meant. What I meant is that Potter wasn't exaggerating when he said that there are serious consequences to what you're doing. What he's saying is that you need to give him a damn good reason why he should keep sleeping with you and risking both your necks. Even if you manage to get him back into bed, that's not catching him by the way."

Confusion in his voice, it was obviously Scorpius didn't see how that wasn't the goal. "How is that not catching him?"

"Because detaining isn't catching, Scorpius. You have to make him want to stay for it to count."