~*Chapter 7*~

Confessions

"My dad's practically a hermit these days."

Al looked up quickly, startled and confused by the unprompted admittance. He'd been intently going over a practice problem Scorpius had given him, and had been so caught up in it he'd almost forgotten anyone else was there. Glancing around, he realized he'd been half right. It was getting late, and no one but the two of them remained in the library, save for the Librarian herself, who seemed content to ignore them so long as they were quiet. It took his brain another second to fully process what Scorpius had said, though he still couldn't figure out what had even brought up the subject. "What?"

Scorpius wasn't looking at him. He was staring down at his notebook with unfocused eyes, picking at a small tear at the corner of the page. He grimaced slightly, as if he regretted having spoken.

Al put aside his quill and gave the other boy his full attention. He studied his face, remembering how tense and tired he'd looked their first day in Potions at the beginning of the school year. He wasn't sure what had goaded Scorpius into opening up, but whatever it was about, it must really be bothering him to broach the subject with Al of all people. "Your dad looked kind of rough the last couple times I saw him," he said quietly. "And you told the Headmaster he lost his wand in some kind of... disagreement. Is he all right?"

Scorpius took in a long breath and then blew it out, still refusing to lift his gaze. "I don't know," he admitted. "He won't tell me anything. But he barely left the house the last couple weeks before school started. And from some of the stuff Mom said in her letters, I think he's still taking a lot of sick leave."

Al frowned. "I hadn't heard anything about trouble at the Ministry from my folks. What's he hiding from?" He held up his hands hastily when Scorpius shot him a swift glare, feeling foolish. "Sorry. Poor choice of words."

"...But not wrong," Scorpius grumbled after a moment, lowering his frustrated glare to his notebook once more. "Something's making him uptight. I know it has something to do with some arguments going on between Pureblood families, but my parents try not to talk about it in front of me. I don't know what the reasons are, but I'm starting to get a better idea after that mess with the Dementors and that weird... cult or club or whatever in the dungeons." He shook his head as if annoyed with himself. "I don't know why I'm even talking about this with you," he grumbled.

"I want to know what's going on as much as you do," Al assured him. "You think I don't worry it'll affect my dad? He's an Auror. He's the one who's going to be tracking down these Dementors and all these rumors about Deatheaters. Someone in this school used an Unforgivable Curse. And all I can think about half the time is what if someone uses that on Lily or James or Felicia?" He shuddered at the memory of pain. "Or you," he added. "Dad doesn't seem to think Slytherin's going to be safe for you if this keeps up."

"Why?" Scorpius looked up quickly. "Does he know what's gotten my dad so wound up?"

Al shook his head. "He said he'd talk to him, but if he ever got any answers, he never clued me in. I'd tell you if I knew." He leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. "He doesn't want me sticking my nose in. Figures if I'm here, I'm safe. But last year kind of proved that wrong. I hate not knowing what's happening. Especially when it's still affecting me. I want to be ready in case something else happens."

A new voice interjected. "All of us do."

Both boys jumped, spilling paper and ink everywhere. Twisting in his chair, Al gaped at the boy stepping out from a book aisle, arms loaded with scrolls and books.

"Vincent? What are you- How long-"

The older boy frowned at each of them, then flicked a glance towards the suspicious Librarian and came over, setting his books down on the table. He eased into the seat next to Al, his distrusting eyes locked on Scorpius. "So this is where you keep disappearing to in the evenings. I thought maybe you were studying; I know you've been having some trouble in some classes. But what is he doing here?"

"Don't start," Al said firmly. The last thing he needed was the two of them to get their hackles up at each other. "I need help in Transfiguration and Scorpius is the only one I know who's good at it. Don't tell James, I don't need to hear him fuss at me about it, okay?"

"Spying on us?" Scorpius sneered, though his entire frame was tense.

Vincent's frown deepened. "Some of us have O.W.L.s to worry about. James is off in some dark corner with his girlfriend, so I figured I'd get some extra study time in. Imagine my surprise when I find you two in here, thick as thieves."

Al reached out quickly and seized Scorpius's sleeve when the boy started to rise abruptly to his feet. "Don't leave," he pleaded. For the first time he could remember, he just wanted Vincent to go away. Getting Scorpius to open up and have a conversation with him about something other than schoolwork was rare. On top of that, his feelings from the prior evening's Patronus practice still left him feeling jumpy and bashful around Vincent, and he wasn't sure he could handle being alone in a dimly-lit library with him right now. What if he said something stupid and ruined everything? Scorpius glared openly at Al, trying to tug his arm free.

Vincent's eyes ticked from one boy to the other, his frown still in place but less severe. He crossed his arms over his chest slowly and settled back in his chair. "I didn't overhear much," he said slowly. "Just the last bits. About something being wrong out there, and how it's not so safe behind these walls anymore. Even if all the grown-ups like to think it is." His gaze flickered down to the book on top of his stack, a history book. "I'm with you, Al, I want to be prepared. And there's got to be a way for us to be ready even if no one will tell us everything. Your dad once had similar ideas, if I recall."

Al looked at him in surprise, and Scorpius finally stopped trying to pull away from his grip. "You're... talking about Dumbledore's Army."

Vincent nodded. "James is teaching us the Patronus Charm, and that's a good start. But I think we need to do more." He shrugged abruptly, looking frustrated. "But damned if I know what. Your dad and them... they knew what they were up against. They knew how to prepare. They could gather enough people to have some line of defense. But..."

"But we don't even know who to trust," Al finished quietly. "That other passage in the dungeon led away from Slytherin. Anyone could have used it. And no one there was wearing any badges or ties, and they had on masks. For all we know..." He hesitated.

"A Gryffindor Prefect could've been standing down there and we wouldn't know," Scorpius finished a touch maliciously.

James wouldn't have taken kindly to the implication, but Vincent just gave a dejected nod.

Al spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Even if we wanted to try and spread awareness or whatever, who do we tell? What if we try to warn some Ravenclaw and it turns out they already know more about it than we do? What if they run and tell all their Dementor-loving friends? Or deal with the messenger right then and there? We don't know how far these people will go."

"We have a good idea," Scorpius said grimly, glancing briefly at Al as he finally took a seat again. But Al refused to elaborate. He still didn't want word of that incident at the lake getting back to James. Luckily, Vincent seemed to assume they meant the Dementor, and nodded thoughtfully.

"The only people I know are safe are our group of friends," Al continued. "And Scorpius, obviously. That's not many people, and most of us are in Gryffindor. So most of the students are mostly still in the dark. All they know is there was a Dementor. Everything else has been hushed up."

"Dumbledore's Army wasn't huge," Vincent pointed out. "As much as I'd like the whole student body warned, it's just not feasible. But better some ready than none. Besides," he began ticking off names rapidly on his fingers, "there's me, you, James, Roxie, Fred, Lily, and Scorpius." He tripped over Scorpius's name slightly, as if he had to force himself to include the boy. "All of us are, if I do say so myself, not bad at offensive and defensive spells."

"I told Felicia, too," Al said with only a little guilt. "Well I couldn't exactly tell Andrew," he hurried on when Vincent arched a brow. "He'd just want to pick a fight with Evaine. And Dustin, well..." He shrugged. "He's not exactly hot-headed, but I haven't known him quite as long. Plus his spells are only kind of average."

"So are Felicia's," Vincent said, not unkindly.

"I know. But she's level-headed and can keep a secret. And I won't let her go stumbling into trouble because she doesn't know what to look for."

"Are you sure you two aren't dating?" Scorpius drawled.

Al shot him a dirty look. "I don't want to hear dating advice from someone snogging someone who's rumored to be related to a Death Eater spy, all right?"

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. "I told you, that's just baseless rumors," he snapped. "It's none of your business who I date."

"It's none of yours whether I'm dating anyone or not, either," Al snapped right back, feeling his ears burn. Dating was the last thing he wanted to discuss in front of Vincent.

Scorpius took on a mock pitying tone. "Potter, trust me, no one would date a basketcase like you. Besides, you're a Potter; you attract trouble. No one should have to deal with that."

"Any girl would be lucky to have Al," Vincent said, looking like he was trying hard to hide an amused smile at the argument.

"I said no one," Scorpius spat, turning his glare on Vincent a little too pointedly.

Al felt ready to combust. For a second the air froze in his lungs. Merlin's beard, was he that obvious? He had to be. First Felicia and Rose, and now Scorpius all seemed to have guessed about his pathetic crush. That could only mean Vincent really had figured it out. He stared at Scorpius, unable to risk looking at Vincent.

Vincent's smile slipped, then he waved a hand through the air dismissively, though his airy tone sounded a little forced. "Yeah, I heard you. Cut it out, you two. Honestly, I think you're both a bit young for dating anyway, so you both just sound ridiculous."

Al almost flinched. He coughed to hide it, feeling his stomach twist unpleasantly. If that was Vincent's idea of a subtle way of indicating he still saw Al as a kid, he needed some pointers in tact. Al had the sudden desperate urge to crawl into his dormitory bed, bury himself under the covers, and stay there until everyone forgot what he looked like or what his name was. "It's late," he said, and was immensely proud of how normal he nearly sounded. "Scorpius, as usual, is being a prat, so I'm going to bed. Good luck with your studies, Vincent." He collected his things, trying to radiate only mild annoyance instead of deep raw humiliation, and strode from the library with his head high.

He spent the whole walk of shame back to Gryffindor Tower wishing he had his sister's invisibility cloak to hide under.

Al and Scorpius ignored each other coldly in Potions the next day, and it was perhaps a good thing that Zabini sprang a pop quiz on the class, because Al was sure he would have mucked up any potion he'd tried to make.

Having a tiff with Scorpius was normal, but Al had no idea how to act around Vincent now. Luckily he didn't have to worry about it for much of the day, because during meals Vincent sat with James and the Weasley siblings. So despite his internal humiliation and anger, Al was able to pretend like everything was normal. He briefly considered talking to Felicia about Scorpius and his big fat blabbing mouth and Vincent's awkward reaction to it, but he didn't think he couldn't handle talking about it yet without feeling stupid and whiny.

If I just keep acting normal for a few days, Vincent will keep acting normal, and this will all blow over and we'll never speak of it again, he told himself firmly.

But during dinner James tossed a roll down the table to get his brother's attention and ruined everything. "Hey, pipsqueak, practice tonight. And don't be late. This is the last one we'll have for awhile, I've got Quidditch practice almost all next week, and Vincent's got studying to do for his O.W.L.s. Seven o'clock, got it?"

Al opened his mouth to argue, but James had already turned his attention back to whatever Roxie was talking about. Al bit his lip, choking back a protest. What could he possibly say that wouldn't sound lame to James or like a pathetic excuse to Vincent, who would know exactly why he wanted to skip practice?

Act normal, he reminded himself fiercely. Nothing would reassure Vincent that things were still chill between them as much as him just casually showing up for Patronus practice as if nothing had happened.

But his food had lost all flavor, and he wasn't sure he could keep his expression casual just yet. He needed to gather his thoughts and prepare himself. "I'm stuffed," he told Felicia. "I'm going to bring some ham up to Trinity and check over my Potions notes real quick." He got up and walked out as sedately as he was able, and was relieved when he was alone in the halls. He slowed his pace, taking his time. There were sure to be other Gryffindors in the common room, and he just wanted a few minutes alone to figure out how he was going to make it through an hour of practice without blushing in front of Vincent or getting into a row with James because he would be too distracted and upset to focus and wouldn't be able to explain why.

He was so deep in his own unhappy thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching from behind, and jumped a mile when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Al, wait."

No. No no nono, this was not happening. He turned stiffly, praying his face was mildly inquisitive and not white with panic.

Vincent was frowning down at him, eyes concerned. "Look, I wanted to talk to you. And... apologize, I guess. I kind of treated you and Scorpius like kids last night there at the end." He blew out a heavy sigh. "You're only a year younger than me and James, I know that. I wasn't trying to.. belittle you or anything. I guess I was just... trying to settle things down before you and Malfoy started jinxing each other or something. I didn't even know Malfoy was dating anyone, so the whole argument was kind of confusing, to be honest."

Al blinked, unable to think of a response. A wild hope jerked in his chest. Could Vincent have completely missed what Scorpius had been implying? Another crazy thought struck him. Had he himself misread the whole thing? He could have been jumping to conclusions. Scorpius could have meant nothing by his snide comment. Was he the only one who'd made a connection out of what might have been nothing at all?

He felt incredibly stupid.

"It's fine," he said quickly. He added before he could stop himself, "I know I'm just James's kid brother to you most of the time. I kind of assumed you saw me as a kid."

"You're not. I mean- You are. I am too, I guess? Look." Vincent held up his hands as if frustrated. "That's not the point. You're not a little kid. I guess sometimes I just... forgot that. But I know you're not. Hanging out with you during the summer kind of made me realize that. You're right, I guess I did kinda just see you as my best friend's little brother. I've been kind of... adjusting to you being more than that. That's kind of shallow, I know. I'm sorry." He offered a ghost of his normal infectious smile. "You're Al. You're you. We're friends." The smile wavered. "But..."

Al tensed. "But?"

Vincent glanced around, then steered him towards a far corner near a staircase that had already moved, so they couldn't be interrupted on accident. "Okay. Okay." Vincent shifted his weight uneasily, clasping and unclasping his hands and looking anywhere but at Al. "Sorry, I just... Haven't told anyone this, yet." He took a deep breath. "There's... someone I like."

Merlin himself could have appeared out of thin air and offered Al a hundred galleons to name whatever emotion struck him just then, and he'd have been unable to do so. His mind was veering in three directions at once when Vincent clarified after a moment's hesitation, "I don't think this person likes me back. So I... don't talk about it. And I don't do anything about it. Maybe I never will, I don't know." He finally forced himself to look at Al. "But... I think maybe someone else likes me and I was just too dumb to notice because I was busy uh. Well, paying attention to someone that doesn't think of me that way."

"I really don't want to ask, but I think I really need you to be specific," Al croaked, wishing he hadn't the second the words were out of his mouth.

"Okay. Blunt. I can do that. I think." Vincent glanced away, then looked back at Al again as if he had to remind himself to do that. "Do you like me? I mean like... as more than a friend?"

Couldn't get any blunter than that. Al could physically feel his face turning red. "Um-"

"I mean, if you don't, I'm sorry," Vincent said hastily, also looking embarrassed. "I just, uh... Got a feeling. But I was still kinda thinking of you as James's little brother, you know, uh... My little buddy who was terrified of playing Quidditch and is definitely unquestionably off-limits."

"I think this is one of those conversations that ruins friendships," Al said in an unsteady voice.

"Not if the answer's yes," Vincent said quietly.

Al stared at him, heart thudding in his ears and his insides feeling like jelly. "I thought you said I was off-limits."

"Well... Wait, is that a yes?"

James's shout caused them both to jump like startled cats. "Vincent! Where'd you get to- Oh, there you are."

Al had not realized how close Vincent was until the other boy took two quick steps back before turning to offer a casual wave as James came striding over.

"Oh, you're both here." James glanced towards Al, but seemed uninterested in whatever they'd been discussing. "Good, let's just start practice early. That way I can meet up with Emma afterwards."

Al nodded silently, still unable to speak. He felt like he'd just downed a whole gallon of butterbeer. He felt silly and warm and happy and a little confused. He fell in step beside Vincent as James led the way to the Room of Requirement, allowing his brother to prattle on about tips on concentration and conjuration. Vincent also remained silent, though he sent Al a small secret smile behind James's back.

So it was only James who was shocked when a big puff of white fog erupted briefly from Al's wand ten minutes into practice.