Year 1: More than a Crush

Chapter 6: February 2018

Getting Scorpius Malfoy alone to talk to him was more difficult than Albus had expected. It seemed that Albus had underestimated how much Scorpius really did dislike him, as opposed to his simply not wanting Albus anywhere near Hayley. Every time Scorpius saw Albus trying to approach him, he would bolt, and Albus was starting to wonder how he was ever going to make peace with the Slytherin boy.

It was his only chance to get closer to Hayley. The way that Scorpius kept such a tight leash on her, Albus knew that in order to get time with Hayley, he had to get Scorpius on board. And then it dawned on him. The way to get Scorpius to talk to him wasn't to try to spend time with Scorpius, it was to try to spend time with Hayley. If Albus was harassing Scorpius, he would just take off and hide out in the Slytherin common room, but if Scorpius thought Albus was harassing Hayley, he'd confront Albus, giving Albus the perfect opportunity to talk to him.

So, one day after potions, Albus casually made his way over to Hayley's work station and started up a conversation while Scorpius was speaking with Professor Abbott-Longbottom at the front of the classroom.

"Hey Hayley," he said casually, leaning against the side of the table.

"Albus," Hayley smiled. "It's been a while."

Albus nodded. After Halloween, Hayley had agreed that she wanted to be friends with Albus, but it was hard to be friends with a person when someone else was dedicated to keeping you away from her.

"Yeah," he said, trying to be cool. "It's been busy. How was your Christmas?"

"It was really good!" Hayley smiled. "It's so weird being away from my family for so long. It was nice to see them again."

"I know, right?" Albus agreed. "It's been a real adjustment, being at Hogwarts. Not that I don't love being here, but it's different. Especially when after eleven years living at home, suddenly I'm gone for four months straight."

"It is a little strange," Hayley nodded. "But I definitely don't mind the distance from my siblings."

"You have siblings?" Albus asked, latching onto this piece of information. It was one of the first things that Hayley had told him about herself, that he hadn't learned simply by watching her, but by talking to her. "How many?"

"Two," Hayley replied. "A younger sister and a younger brother."

"Me too!" Albus exclaimed. "Well, my brother's older, not younger, but I have a brother and a sister too."

"I know," Hayley laughed. "You're Albus Potter. Everyone knows who your siblings are."

"Oh," Albus muttered, embarrassed. "Right." Sometimes he forgot that details like this that were private for the majority of people were public knowledge when it came to his family. Harry Potter's family wasn't publicized and written about quite so much anymore as they once were, but everyone knew that Harry had three children, knew their names and ages, and had seen pictures of them in the newspaper from time to time.

"Your sister is two years younger than you, right?" Hayley asked.

Albus nodded. "She's nine," he confirmed, still a little weirded out that Hayley just knew this about his family.

"My brother Brady's the same age," Hayley said. "They'll be in the same year when they start school."

"It's nice having a break from them, being here, isn't it?" Albus asked, hopeful that Hayley would share the sentiment. It wasn't that Albus didn't love his little sister, but after spending the holiday with her, Albus had realized how much more mature he'd become since being at Hogwarts and how much maturing she still had to do before she turned eleven.

"It is," Hayley confessed. "I love them both, but Chloe and Brady followed me around like a couple of cruppy dogs the whole two weeks I was home. I barely had a moment to myself."

Albus laughed, and then Hayley laughed too and Albus' heart soared. He'd almost forgotten that the point of striking up this conversation had been about Scorpius, and not Hayley, when a shadow appeared and Scorpius walked up behind Albus.

"Potter," Scorpius greeted him coldly.

"Malfoy," Albus responded, trying to keep the chill out of his own voice.

Scorpius turned to look at Hayley. "Go catch up with your friends," he ordered her. "I'll meet you in the common room."

Hayley gave an apologetic look to Albus and then grabbed her back and retreated. Scorpius moved so that he was standing in front of Albus and glared at him.

"What do you think you're playing at Potter?" Scorpius demanded. "I thought I made it clear that Hayley's not interested in talking to you."

"She seemed pretty interested just now," Albus commented. "We were actually having a nice talk before you interrupted."

"Stay away from her," Scorpius ordered. "I don't want to have to tell you again."

"What's your problem with me?" Albus demanded. It wasn't exactly the peaceful way he wanted to broach the subject, but somehow talking to Scorpius always made Albus defensive.

"My problem," Scorpius said, "is that you seem to think that you and Hayley can be friends. And you can't."

"Why not?" Albus demanded. He just didn't understand. What was it about him that made Scorpius so determined to keep him and Hayley apart? "Because I'm a Gryffindor? Because I'm a Potter?"

"No," Scorpius shook his head.

"Just because our fathers didn't get along doesn't mean we can't," Albus insisted. "Obviously we're not going to be best friends, you've made that pretty clear. But can't we at least get along with each other? Can't we be polite to each other and stop getting in each other's way?"

"This has nothing to do with my father," Scorpius insisted. "Or your father for that matter. This has to do with Hayley and what's best for her."

"What's best for her?" Albus demanded. "Shouldn't that be up to her?"

"You'll only drag her down," Scorpius declared. "Hayley is special. She has a bright future ahead of her and if I let you get involved; you'll sidetrack her."

"What are you talking about?" Albus demanded. "I just want to be friends with her. I just want to get the chance to talk to her."

"Oh I think you want more than that," Scorpius spat.

Albus swallowed. "What exactly are you insinuating?" he asked.

"I think you know what I'm insinuating," Scorpius stated. "I've seen the way you look at her. I've seen the way you stare when she's not looking, the way you watch her in the Great Hall, and across the classroom. I've noticed how you choose your seat in the library so that she's in your line of sight. I've seen how your eyes glaze over and your jaw goes slack."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Albus said darkly. It was one thing for Rose to know his feelings for Hayley, but Albus didn't want Scorpius to know. If Scorpius knew that Albus was in love with Hayley, he could tell her and ruin everything. Albus had a plan to win her heart and in order to do it, he had to go slow. If Scorpius scared her off now, it would be the end for Albus.

"Oh, I think I do," Scorpius said, taking a step closer into Albus personal space. "And if you keep pursuing Hayley, I'm going to make sure that you regret it."

Albus took a step back and frowned. "Why are you so invested in this?" he demanded. "What do you care what Hayley does or doesn't do?"

"I'm just looking out for her," Scorpius insisted. "My mother asked me – "

"No," Albus shook his head. "That's not it. There's something else." He could feel it. It was too personal. Scorpius was too invested, too emotional. There was some other reason he didn't want Albus around Hayley.

And then the light went off in Albus' head. "You're in love with her," Albus breathed in surprise.

Scorpius' face turned red and he started to splutter.

"I – That's to say – I'm not – "

"You're in love with her," Albus repeated. "And you're jealous because you think she might actually like me."

Scorpius recovered and his face froze over with a cold and calculated expression. "You don't know what you're talking about," he said, echoing Albus' words from earlier. "Stay away from Hayley."

Albus stepped right up to Scorpius, getting right up in his face, and let his Gryffindor courage wash over him.

"Make me," he said.

Then he grabbed his bag and left the room before Scorpius could respond.

It wasn't exactly the peace treaty that Albus had been going for, but at least he'd learned some valuable information. Scorpius didn't hate him for his house or his parentage. Scorpius' hatred of him wasn't even about him, it was about Hayley. And it wasn't even hatred, but jealousy.

But Scorpius had known Hayley for years. If he stood a shot with her, he'd have her. The fact that Hayley wanted to spend time talking to Albus in spite of Scorpius keeping them apart meant that Albus stood a chance, probably a bigger chance than Scorpius did at one day winning her heart. Just this simple knowledge gave Albus the confidence boost that he needed.

He wasn't going to let Scorpius boss him around anymore. He was going to find ways to talk to Hayley in spite of Scorpius and he wasn't going to hide either. And if Scorpius didn't like it, well that was just too bad for him. Albus knew Scorpius' secret, which meant now he had leverage. Scorpius couldn't do anything without risking Albus telling Hayley how he felt.

AaAaAaAaAaA

Midway through February, a notice went up on the noticeboard in the common room stating that there was going to be a school-wide snowball fight taking place the upcoming Saturday. Apparently, it was a tradition. There were four teams, one for each house, and they battled it out until one house stood victorious.

It sounded like a lot of fun.

"Are you going to play in the school-wide snowball fight this weekend?" Albus asked Hayley the next time he saw her.

Scorpius was glowering from about ten feet away, but Albus ignored him.

"I was thinking about it," Hayley admitted. "What about you?"

Albus nodded. "I think it will be fun. Especially if you're there."

"I guess I'll be seeing you then," Hayley smiled. "But make sure to bring your A-game."

"Oh, most definitely," Albus grinned. As he walked away, he brushed past Scorpius and smirked. Scorpius only glared.

AaAaAaAaAaA

The morning of the snowball fight, Albus tried to convince Rose to join him, but she insisted that she'd rather stay inside and study. She suggested that he remain behind as well, but as much as Albus knew that his schoolwork was important, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to spend some time with Hayley.

When Albus descended to the grounds, he found some upperclassmen already organizing the teams. The Gryffindor team was being led by a couple of seventh years: Kara Jensen and Johnathon Cadwallader. He was a prefect and she was a friend of Albus' cousin Victoire.

The fight itself wasn't scheduled to start for another half hour, during which time the teams all prepared by building their snow forts and walls to hide behind, as well as making as many snowballs ahead of time as possible. There was only one rule: no magic.

While Albus helped to form snowballs with his hands, he kept an eye on the Slytherin fort, in the hope of catching sight of Hayley. Unfortunately, the Slytherin fort was already too high and wide to see much that was going on behind, and even if she was there, Albus couldn't see her.

When the fight began, Albus hung back, keeping sheltered and continuing to make snowballs for the older students as they ran out and began to do battle. Albus kept his eyes peeled, waiting for Hayley to make an appearance and he wasn't disappointed. About ten minutes into the battle, he watched her dart out from behind the Slytherin's main fort to a smaller wall in front of it and engage in a snow battle with some first year Ravenclaws.

This was Albus' chance. The whole point of coming to this snowball fight had been to play with Hayley. Ignoring the snowballs that were flying in all directions, Albus grabbed a snowball of his own in his hand and darted out into the field, making a beeline for Hayley.

She didn't see him coming, because she was too preoccupied with the Ravenclaws. When Albus threw the snowball, she didn't even see it coming before it hit her in the back of the head.

"You're out!" the Head Boy, who'd been charged with refereeing the game despite his loyalty to Hufflepuff house, called out.

Hayley whirled around. "No fair!" she accused Albus. "You snuck up on me."

"You shouldn't have left your back exposed," Albus returned with a shrug.

Hayley pouted. "Well now I'm out, so I guess I'll just go back inside."

"What?" Albus frowned. "No, don't go, we just started playing."

"But I've been hit," Hayley protested.

This was not a part of Albus' plan. He hadn't realized that by hitting Hayley with the snowball from behind, he'd effectively ended her participation in the fight. He'd wanted to engage her, not disqualify her.

"Then hit me," Albus offered. "Then we'll both be out and we can have our own snowball fight over there."

Hayley shook her head. "I can't," she insisted. "I'm already out. If I hit you with a snowball, it wouldn't count now."

Albus cursed in his head. How had this all gone so poorly so quickly?

"I'm sorry Hayley," he said. "I really thought this would be fun."

"It's okay," Hayley said generously. "I'll just go over and watch from the sidelines. You have fun for the both of us."

"I could just let someone else hit me," Albus offered.

Hayley shook her head. "Don't do that," she insisted. "I want to watch you play."

As Albus nodded, a snowball sailed at his head and he ducked just in time for it to miss him and hit the Hufflepuff third year that had been sneaking up behind him. The Hufflepuff cried out in surprise as Hayley ran over to the edge of the field and Albus searched for whoever had targeted him.

Then he saw him. Scorpius Malfoy was hiding behind a wall not too far from Albus and watching him with envy in his eyes.

Albus ducked behind a nearby wall and began to prepare his next snowball. Since he'd left the safety of the main fort, the supply of pre-made snowballs was out of reach and he'd have to make do with this hastily crafted one for now. With the lopsided snowball in hand, Albus waited for Scorpius to peek his head out from behind his wall and then threw the snowball right at his face.

Unfortunately, it missed. The snowball took too long to reach Scorpius, and he saw it with plenty of time to duck back behind the wall before it landed, smashing on the snow and breaking apart into billions of flakes.

"You can't hide back there forever Malfoy!" Albus cried as he readied another snowball.

While he did, a fourth year ducked behind his wall with him, panting and scraping together a snowball of his own before darting back out onto the field. Albus knew that if he was going to get Scorpius, he had to expose himself, get a little closer. It was a risk, but Albus was a Gryffindor. He wasn't going to cower behind the safety of a wall all afternoon. Plus, Hayley was watching. Albus wanted to put on a good show for her. He wasn't going to let Scorpius Malfoy show him up.

So, with his snowball in hand, Albus ran as fast as he could in Scorpius' direction. As he did, Scorpius peeked out again and lobbed his own snowball at Albus, but Albus dodged it masterfully and kept plowing forward.

Panicking, Scorpius began to retreat, running away from the wall and towards the Slytherin fort. If he made it behind that wall, Albus wouldn't be able to follow him. There'd be at least ten Slytherins back there lying in wait with snowballs directed right for him. He had to get Scorpius while he was out in the open.

He threw his snowball, but as he did, another one came at him from the side and caused him to have to lean to the side, throwing off his aim. His snowball missed Scorpius and flew right by him, landing somewhere to his right. Seeing this, Scorpius paused and turned around, something like determination forming in his eyes.

He bent down and scooped up a pile of snow, and Albus did the same. Then the two squared off, dancing around each other, each waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw their snowball. Meanwhile, other snowballs flew through the air, some coming dangerously close to hitting the two boys. Albus and Scorpius ducked and dodged those other snowballs while holding firm to their own.

Scorpius was the first to crack. When he thought Albus was distracted by an oncoming snowball, he threw his own. Lucky for Albus, he saw it coming and dodged out of the way. While Scorpius was distracted, he lobbed his own snowball and watched with satisfaction as it made contact with his shoulder.

"You're out!" the Head Boy's voice called out.

Scorpius looked angrier than ever, but Albus only smiled and waved mockingly at him. He'd bested the Slytherin boy, and with Hayley watching as well.

Albus threw himself back into the snowball fight while Scorpius walked off the field, ducking behind another wall to craft some more snowballs and then strategically lobbing them at a posse of Ravenclaws that were approaching. But as he did, he watched as Scorpius joined Hayley and the two began chatting. Once again, Albus hadn't thought things all the way through.

Sure, he'd defeated Scorpius while Hayley had been watching, but he'd also taken Scorpius off the field where he could monopolize Hayley's attention. Albus realized that what he needed to do now was to get hit. So, dropping the snowball in his hand, Albus stood up straight and held his arms out in surrender, waiting for someone to notice and target him.

It didn't take long. The shot came from the direction of the Slytherin fort and it hit him square in the chest. It didn't hurt – it was only snow after all – and as the Head Boy yelled that he was out, Albus was already hurrying to the sidelines.

"Well, I guess I'm out too now," Albus said with a shrug, joining both Hayley and Scorpius. "It was a good match though, yeah?"

"You surrendered," Scorpius accused him.

"I got hit," Albus corrected him. "After I hit you, if you haven't forgotten."

"After you hit both of us," Scorpius amended.

Albus gritted his teeth. Though he wanted to stand here and talk to Hayley, Scorpius' presence was only going to make things more complicated. It seemed that instead of trying to get Albus to leave Hayley alone, Scorpius' new plan was simply to make him look bad while he did talk to her. Which was why Albus couldn't stick around.

"Well my cousin's waiting for me in the library," Albus declared then. "We're going to study. But Hayley, we'll talk another time?"

"Yeah, sure," Hayley agreed.

It wasn't the most enthusiastic of responses, but at least it was positive.

As Albus walked away from the snowball fight and towards the castle, he thought about how quickly the day had spun out of control. His plan had been to spend a fun afternoon having a snowball fight with Hayley, but instead he'd messed up and Scorpius had gotten in the way.

Albus realized that even though Scorpius couldn't prevent him from talking to Hayley anymore, he was still as much of a threat to his relationship with her as he'd been before. What Albus needed was time with Hayley without Scorpius' influence getting in the way. He needed time for her to get to know him for who he was, and not for who Scorpius wanted her to think he was. Which meant that Albus was right back where he'd started.