Scorpius saw Albus sat beside the common room's door reading a book on alchemy when he got back to Ravenclaw Tower after breakfast that Saturday.
"Hey, locked out again?" he asked him.
"Yeah."
Scorpius slid beside Albus.
"I still suck at these even after six years! I'm the worst Ravenclaw ever," Albus bemoaned.
"I think you're the best."
"Well of course you do. You're my best friend. You have to say that."
"I don't have to say anything, git. Now what's the riddle?"
The bronze eagle knocker began to speak:
"I am the creature you have not seen.
I am you. I am me. The echo unforeseen.
Sometimes in front, sometimes behind,
A constant companion, for we are entwined"
"A shadow," Scorpius said.
The door opened.
Albus let out a long sigh.
"Come on, I have something to tell you if you quit your moping."
"Moping complete. Tell me," Albus grinned, popping up beside his best friend.
Scorpius grabbed his hand and dragged him through the doorway.
"I'm in love. I've just realized," Scorpius said.
"In love? Is this about Rose again? She still hates you, you know. Unless... did something happen?"
"It's not about Rose," Scorpius assured him as they wound through the common room's untidy library to their shared dorm room.
"Thank, Dumbledore. I was so over that. So, who is it?" Albus pressed.
Scorpius shut the door behind them.
His face scrunched up in a thoughtful frown.
"What?" Albus asked, touching his face to see if there was smeared jelly from his breakfast toast.
"You just would look better in green than this blue and bronze. Your hair is too dark for it. It clashes."
"My hair clashes with my school uniform?" Albus stated.
Scorpius rolled his eyes.
"You think I should be in Slytherin, is that it?" Albus continued.
"I think..." Scorpius said loudly then petered out.
Albus stared impatiently.
When Scorpius didn't respond he rolled his own eyes and said, "Exactly. You think I'm an idiot who was missorted and should be in Slytherin with all the idiots. I get it. You don't have to blame it on my Potter hair."
Silence followed.
"You know what?" Scorpius finally said. "Never mind. Just never mind."
"Never mind what?"
"Never mind you, Albus!" he shouted. "It's always you, you, you! I'm just... I'm fed up with it."
"Fine," Albus said flatly.
"Fine," Scorpius replied.
They stared at each other heatedly.
After almost a minute Albus laughed quietly. "Sorry, I forgot what we were fighting about."
"You being self-centered."
"Ah, yes. The world revolves around me. That's right. I forgot. Sorry." Albus took two steps towards Scorpius to close the distance between them.
"You're not forgiven, " Scorpius tried to say, but it came out as a whisper.
"You were going to tell me about who you loved," Albus said, his voice loud and clear.
"I was, wasn't I?"
"Yes."
Scorpius swallowed and Albus watched his Adam's apple push outward and retract.
When Scorpius continued in his speechless way, Albus leaned in to kiss his neck. He circled around it towards the flaunting Adam's apple.
Scorpius whimpered.
"So, who is it?" Albus asked, his breath tickling the sensitive skin over Scorpius' throat.
"Albus," Scorpius breathed out.
"Yes?"
"It's Albus. That's who I love."
Albus began to kiss up his neck to his jaw and cheek, continuing to his ear where he whispered, "Oh, and here I was thinking he only cared about himself. You make him sound so selfish. As your trusted friend, I'm not sure I can support your choice. It seems… unhealthy."
Scorpius gripped Albus' chin and forced it in front of him so he could kiss him properly. Albus smiled against his lips before wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling their bodies close.
"Ahem!" a throat cleared loudly across the room causing both boys to separate their mouths and look over.
"Hi, yeah, I just... well, I'm revising for our O.W.L.s so if you could just... find somewhere else to snog, well that'd be great, thanks," their roommate Paul said awkwardly.
"Sorry," Scorpius mumbled.
"Sorry, Paul," Albus said, barely keeping in his laugh.