Warning: A smidgeon of het in this one, guys. Don't hate me!

Chapter 36

The Difference between Yes and No

Albus stared desolately at his trunk and wondered how it had become so messy after only two months away from home. Clothes were strewn haphazardly over the lid, half of which were unwashed, while his shoes were thrown unceremoniously around the case. His crumpled Quidditch uniform was dumped on his bed, and he could see the tip of his broomstick peeking out from under his bed curtain, covered with a single dirty sock. Albus had no idea where the second sock was.

He groaned in misery and wished his mother was there. He glanced left to Scorpius' bed, where his friend's trunk—which was shut—sat innocently by his carefully made-up bed, not a single sock out of place. Albus swore Scorpius' clean space was mocking his own.

Promising to himself to clean up his mess later, Albus decided to spend his time more productively. He reached for his guitar—which he miraculously found beneath a pair of his school pants that smelled like they had been rubbed against a Flobberworm—and was about to resize back to its larger form when the door burst open. Without thinking, he stuffed the instrument back inside his trunk and kicked the lid shut.

He looked up to see Mel, panting and obviously exerted, enter the room and charm the door shut.

"Mel?" he asked in confusion. As far as he remembered, the last time they spoke, they had parted under unpleasant conditions. Albus was certain Mel was upset with him.

"Hey baby," his girlfriend greeted cheerfully, as she quickly and determinately crossed the room towards him.

Despite her happy countenance, and her obvious disregard to their previous meeting, Albus felt it necessary to address the problem before they continued to talk. "Listen, Mel, about the other day. I think we need—"

Apparently Mel didn't want to talk, if her attaching her lips to his was any indication.

Albus opened his eyes wide even while Mel pressed their mouths together firmly and swept her tongue all around his lips. He remained still in shock and waited for her to pull back and offer an explanation, with his eyebrows lifted in bewilderment. Suddenly, her grasp around him tightened; her hands dug deep into the muscles of his shoulder as she pulled herself higher and tilted her head to further implant her mouth against his. Albus felt her insistent tongue against his mouth but hesitated to open to the invitation. He was determined to wait until her impulsive passionate drive died out, and until he was given an explanation, considering two days ago she had stormed out on him.

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Scorpius couldn't breathe.

He was too late.

Watching Mel and Albus in their deep embrace through the slit in the door, he wondered why on earth he ever thought asking Albus to the Halloween Party was ever a good idea; or where he had gotten his uncharacteristic bout of courage from. Considering the gut-wrenching evidence right in front of him, Scorpius instantly knew he never had a chance; and as a feeling of deep sorrow and jealously filled the pit of his stomach, he couldn't stop the tears welling in his eyes, any more than he could stop his heart shattering into a million pieces.

Albus isn't like you, Scorpius, he reminded himself. He isn't gay; stop pretending he is. Albus had a girlfriend. And what's more, he was obviously very much still in love with her.

And Scorpius was just in the way.

He couldn't bear watching any more of the display in front of him. Without a sound, he pulled away and ran down the stairs, feeling cold, wet tears make tracks down his cheeks.

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When Mel's questing fingers became far too ambitious for Albus' liking—creeping beneath his shirt, up towards his chest—he pulled her off abruptly. They separated with a wet and noisy sound that made Albus wince. He took a step back from her.

"What's going on?" he asked in a tone he thought was perhaps a little too harsh.

"What do you mean?" she asked, smiling mischievously up at him.

Using his right hand, he gestured between the two of them urgently. "You ... me ..." he explained.

Mel winked at him. "I thought it was obvious," she replied, already stepping closer to him again with a predatory glint in her eye that reminded Albus once more of his girlfriend's new uncharacteristic behaviour. "I was kissing you."

"But why?" Albus blurted. "I thought you were upset at me." Because I was upset with you, his mind added silently.

Still with a grin on her face, she rolled her eyes. "I'm not upset at you. Why would I be upset at my incredibly hot, smart, funny, talented boyfriend?"

Albus wondered why her words and tone weren't making him aroused like they normally would. "Er ..." was his puzzled response.

"I love you, Alby" Mel declared, reaching up and kissing the side of his mouth. Then she reached further and whispered seductively in his ear. "Go to the Halloween Party with me." Her fingers sifted through the black locks that bordered the curve of his ear.

Albus shivered. "Mel ..." he began, feeling uncomfortable. He couldn't just agree to go with her when they had so many problems to sort through. Surely she could see that.

"Go with me," she hissed again, allowing her other hand to slide down to the V of his jeans. Albus swallowed loudly as he felt her hand through his denim, cupping and caressing her way to break down his resolve. "You're my boyfriend, Alby," she continued. "It only makes sense."

It did, Albus thought in the portion of his mind not caught up in the sensations downstairs. Everyone would expect them to go together.

So why did something not feel right?

"Do you love me?" Mel asked him directly in his ear, while her hand became more enthusiastic in its mission, stroking with the right amount of pressure. "Tell me you love me."

Albus felt his Adam's apple bob up and down forcefully as he tried to force down the large amount of saliva that suddenly filled his mouth. Mel hadn't been his girlfriend for seven months for nothing: she knew exactly how to make him feel good, Albus thought, as pleasure rocketed through his system with all the urgency of Howler. He felt his toes curl in his sneakers when Mel pressed particularly hard.

"Tell me," she whispered.

"Love you," he answered automatically, closing his eyes and extending his head backward. Mel's lips suddenly attached to his neck, nibbling playfully at the strong, lean lines of muscle that stretched from his collarbone to his jaw.

Against his neck, she murmured again, "Go with me to the Party, Albus. Trust me," she added, "you won't regret it." Her hand below gained courage and with an expert flick, unbuttoned the clasp and lowered his fly. "You want this." She plunged her hand inside the band of his shorts and circled her fingers around his cock, stroking with care and precision.

"Yesss," Albus hissed.

"Yes, you'll go with me?" Mel whispered, back up in his ear, licking the shell of cartilage, and biting gently on his lobe, while her warm hand continued to fondle him distractedly.

"I'll go with you," Albus clarified, eyes closed and head thrown back.

If his eyes had been open, he would have seen the glint of victory lighting Mel's brown eyes accompanying her satisfied grin. "Good," she whispered lustily. "Now for the fun part."

She dragged him backwards towards his bed and threw him down right on top of his rumpled Quidditch uniform, before moving rapidly to straddle his waist, taking care to sit directly above of his erection. Albus hissed and arched as his hands found purchase in her hips, lost in the sensations of her body weight on him, her hands stroking his length and her tongue licking his face.

He had already forgotten what he had agreed to.

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Scorpius wasn't sure where he had run to—he wasn't paying too much attention as scenes of Albus and Mel tangled intimately together flashed viciously in his mind, while a steady flow of tears blurred his vision significantly. What was I thinking? he kept asking himself angrily, as he painfully gritted his teeth and wiped his wet face harshly. He cursed himself for ever having hope; for listening to Lily; for thinking that he ever had a chance with Albus. Humiliation burned his cheeks. The only saving grace in all this was that at least no one else knew what he had been about to do. Scorpius let himself imagine for a moment that Albus, or worse, Mel, found out. He shivered from fear, and hoped to God it never happened.

He glanced around for the first time since fleeing from the Slytherin Common Room and was surprised to find himself very near the entrance to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"Scorpius?"

He turned and saw one of the last people he wanted to see right then. Eamon Hudson stood a few feet away carrying a few textbooks in his arms, having obviously just been to the library. The look on his face was of utter concern and worry when he saw Scorpius'.

"Hello," Scorpius said, trying to keep his head lowered to avoid the inevitable conversation.

"What happened to you?" Eamon asked, walking forward swiftly and reaching Scorpius' side in seconds. He lowered his books on the ground and gently grasped Scorpius' upper arms in his hands, sending an imploring, worried look down to the blond.

"Nothing," he sniffled, wishing that Eamon would just leave. He wanted to be alone in some hidden corner of the castle and just cry. The thought alone signalled a fresh sob to escape from his mouth while a stream of tears cascaded out of his red eyes. He lifted a hand to cover his face.

"Hey ... hey ... what's wrong?" Eamon inquired, rubbing his arms delicately up and down from Scorpius' shoulder.

Scorpius continued to cry but wished he could just hold it in for once. But the memory was too fresh and the hurt was too recent. He kept his head down and saw big fat tears drop to the cobbled floor below them.

"Don't cry," Eamon soothed. With a crooked finger that he gently placed under Scorpius' chin, he tried to raise his blond head. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. You don't have to ... but please don't cry."

It took a monumental effort to stem his tears and withhold the tremors in his body, but Scorpius managed to calm down. He tried to resist the gentle force of Eamon's finger under his chin but the Ravenclaw was persistent and his head was soon upright. Scorpius knew he looked like a mess; what with his ruined eyeliner and red eyes and cheeks. "Don't ... don't look at me," Scorpius pleaded with him, trying to force his head down again.

"Why not?" Eamon asked, perplexed, but keeping his stare firmly and unwaveringly on Scorpius.

Scorpius attempted a small laugh to lighten the situation but it came out sounding like a sob. "I look terrible."

Eamon smiled and shook his head. "I can assure you, you don't look terrible," he said. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Scorpius didn't know how to answer, but he knew that if his cheeks weren't already red, they would have been now. He no longer had any doubt of Eamon's feelings, but Scorpius had yet to figure out his own. He hadn't been given any time to think about it. And now, with Eamon gazing purposefully at him, and with his head still held up with his fingers, was not the time.

"Scorp," Eamon whispered while his eyes darted down briefly to Scorpius' mouth. "Can I ..." he smiled shyly, "can I kiss you?"

His heart skipped a beat, and words fled him as he stared dumb-founded up at Eamon with wide open eyes. Kiss him? Did he want this? Did he want to kiss Eamon? Whether he did or didn't, Scorpius couldn't form words.

Eamon made the decision for him. He bent down a few inches and pressed his lips to Scorpius'.

He gasped immediately at the novel feeling of another mouth against his own. Eamon's lips were warm and tender. He instantly closed his eyes, trying to remember what he had learnt about kissing etiquette from books he had read and pictures he had watched. The arm Eamon had placed on his upper arm slid up to his nape, and Scorpius felt goose bumps skittle all over his skin, and he shivered from the pleasant feeling. Carefully, Scorpius placed his palms hesitantly against Eamon's rib cage. He felt Eamon's heart beat beneath his hand.

Eamon tilted his head and invited Scorpius to copy the same movement in the other direction. It was like a puzzle, Scorpius pondered, as their heads fit together appropriately. He felt Eamon press his lips harder against him and suddenly their kiss deepened. Scorpius, who was still so unsure, decided to pull away a little. Eamon understood the hint and slowly detached himself, with a soft smile displayed on his face. He was obviously waiting for Scorpius to say something.

Scorpius bit his lip and he swore it was hyper sensitised. Once more, he didn't know what to say. It had been his first ever kiss, and while it was amazing and felt good, Scorpius couldn't forget that it wasn't with the boy he was in love with. He swallowed. "Um ..."

Eamon's smile widened as his dark blue eyes twinkled in the lamp light. "If I haven't already stepped over a boundary, I wondered if you would do me the honour of going to the Halloween Party with me," he asked.

This was turning out to be a night of surprises. Scorpius let his mind once more remember the cruel scene of Albus and Mel in the bedroom before deciding that if he wanted to move past it and if he wanted to forget thinking about Albus in a romantic way, he had to take action. He smiled at the Ravenclaw. Even as he replied with, "yes", he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying himself.

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Next Chapter: Albus realises something about Scorpius.