A/N: Awesome, I have internet connection in a random cabin in Yellowstone. O.O So, it looks like I'll be updating regularly, since I can just write during the nighttime.

Again, thanks for reading :O. I had a question from RavenShay in a review, and I thought it was a good question, so here's the answer: Why Slytherin?
Because, and I do (regrettably) admit it'll turn cliche really fast, it's more interesting. That's one reason, plus it helps in showing the isolation between Albus and the rest of his family/family friends who were sorted into Gryffindor. I guess you'll see in this chapter a bit more how important him being Slytherin is. Thanks for R&Ring.

And if any of you caught on that I've been spelling 'Weasley' wrong for the past two chapters, good eye and my bad. xD I really don't know how I missed that.

Chapter 3

Scorpius was waiting.

His summer had been one long, dragged out, torturous form of death that had strangled him into submission. Put in simpler words, he was bored out of his mind. Out of seemingly nowhere, his father had forbidden him to visit any of his friends at any time on any day without specific permission given to do so. Yes, the lack of explanation irritated Scorpius, but it hardly mattered. None of the people he actually kept contact with who lived remotely near him were even worth the trouble of being scrupulously questioned by his dad. Was it because he knew of his friendship wtih Albus? He had known of the duo's companionship before, it wasn't even likely... it was something else. Something he'd find out.

But for the meantime, Scorpius waited for August to end and for his fourth year to begin at last.

Rolling over on his bed, he found himself staring down a rediculously expensive stationary kit meant for writing family, thought he'd opened it and used the thing to scribble doodles and write to a few friends. His mum hadn't noticed, so all was well. Grinning, he took a pen and decided he'd write another one of his many bored letters to Albus. Albus because, quite simply, he was the only person who found things Scorpius wrote amusing. Everyone else lost interest in writing back and forth with the Malfoy boy. Everyone except Albus.

'Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm bored as hell
And if you're reading this, you must be too.'

Did Scorpius really have to sign the letter as his own? Of course not. Albus would know. He always knew. A sudden pang of affection was sent out for his best friend, the only one who, when it came to Scorpius, just knew. Albus was the only living being on planet Earth who, from their first day of Hogwarts, actually went out of his way to be his friend. He really couldn't hide it, books were more difficult to read than Albus's face.The little clutz had hardly known what to do, but Scorpius knew that he knew he could understand him, and understanding without knowing was well known to be the basis of only the best relationships.

...You following this?

His owl was sent off, and he watched it emptily until it blended in with the distant clouds. He wanted to go with, to go see Albus. Missing his co-slytherin so much was both annoying and kind of...nice. On one side of the spectrum, having someone he genuinely missed meant he'd actually gained a real friend who wasn't just out for his money (huzzah, Scorpius!). Then again, being without Albus hurt, and it made Scorpius wonder if that was exactly normal, because he really hadn't felt pain when being without a certain person in his entire easy-as-pie life. Sure it was normal, right? Albus was his friend, it was only natural to want to see him so badly he'd be willing to hijack a plane or two so he could do it.

Now what to do? The heir to the Malfoy fortune (which wasn't much compared to the insanely large sum of money they had held before the fall of You-Know-Who) left his room, descended the grand staircase, and found himself alone in a giant mansion full of everything he could ever need, full of so many relics and riches and things to do but were already done, and often done twice.

So Scorpius waited some more.

-------

The same day, Albus Potter contently buried himself in a book, basking in the summer sun as his siblings and the Weasley kids contemplated how they would spend their day. Although he knew it was better to involve himself in the group, he couldn't resist the need to just hide in his book and not be a part of them. He didn't fit. He was the wrong puzzle piece being forced into a space that wasn't his to be in. He was different from them in some invisible, unknown way that took shape, only subtly, in the form of his being sorted into Slytherin.

"Well, it's settled. Quiddich! Hugo, go get the brooms." James smiled winningly before looking down at his brother, sitting and reading. In the summer. Reading. If they didn't look alike, James would have sworn the two were not related. "Oi, Al. Quiddich match- Potters Vs. Weasleys. We'll rotate, two on two!"

"James, you know I'm no good at flying." He frowned, "Just go on without me, I haven't finished this chapter yet."

"More broom time for me!" Lily beamed. She loved to fly, almost as much as James did. Maybe it was a Gryffindor thing. Yes, yes, Albus was the only Potter not to be sorted into Gryffindor. Fancy that.

"Come on, Albus, don't be so boring." From behind, he heard Rosie say something that sounded like 'Let it go, James'. However, Abus simply stared at his current interest, which was reading. Being ignored, James scowled. He hated being ignored, so he did something about it. "What's that?"

"Hey, that's mine!" In one sly movement, Albus's brother had snatched his bookmark, leaving no time for response. It wasn't actually a bookmark, it was an old letter from Scorpius that he'd shoved between the pages to keep his space without thinking twice about who may find it poking out and ready to be investigated. Now, it was one huge regret.

"Oh, it's signed from...Scorpius Malfoy." The way he said that name was as if he had just eaten dirt. As if something awful had just been put in his mouth and he had to rid himself of the disgusting thing before whatever disease it carried was spread to him. Scorpius Malfoy. "Let's see what it says, shall we?"

"James, just give it back! James!" Try as he might, Albus just couldn't reach it! He had grown an incredible amount since he was a puny first-year, but not as much as James, who still towered above him.

"Oh, James, just leave it alone already." Rose echoed the voice of her mother perfectly, starting towards the struggling Albus and the grinning James, determined to calmly sort out the issue. This was quite silly of her, considering James never solved anything calmly ever.

And, don't be so surprised, James wasn't letting up. In fact, as he dodged and jumped away from his brother more and more, he seemed to enjoy it just as much. He smiled, and not cheerfully, but almost sadistically as he became absorbed in the fun of picking on someone smaller than himself, or, perhaps, the fun of a Gryffindor duking it out with a Slytherin.

Of course, Albus hardly saw it this way, he was just being ruthlessly beaten on.

With a great leap, the younger brother lunged towards the elder, missing, naturally. Albus never was the athletic type, and James was the type of guy that wasn't afraid of anything. Less in a corageous way, more in a childish way. As in the way kids aren't afraid to climb on anything and jump off of everything and put whatever in their mouths regardless of whether it was toxic or not because they didn't have the logic in them to have that fear. They just never seemed to get hurt, and that was James. James never, ever got hurt, and it was a bloody miracle in their parents eyes (or, 'not-bloody miracle' would appear to make more sense). Hugo, on the other hand, had several trips to the emergency room due to his many clumsy trips and falls. Poor lad just didn't have quite the same coordination as James did.

"James-"

"Stay out of it, Rose!" He barely had escaped Albus, that time.

"I swear, James!"

"Ooh, now he's angry." James taunted, and suddenly felt his shoulders being tugged away from his target, causing him to furiously shove away the pesky source, which had caused him to lose the letter to Albus. That distraction, whatever it was, took the full force of his gathered momentum in one strong blow. Soon after, all the commotion had settled. It was quiet once again, as if the dust after a giant storm was beginning to settle. Lily squeaked, and James slowly lost the vicious glint in his eye, which had shattered into a look of sad, pitiful guilt.

"You pushed me down." Rose blinked up, astounded at James, who had just realized what he'd done. She was light, too, and he really had drove her into the dirt pretty hard. "You actually just...you just threw me to the ground."

"Rosie... I- I'm so sor-"

She slapped him.

"Save it, James Potter. I can't believe you. You're such a jerk." Dramatically, she turned (man, did those Weasley girls lay it on thick), and, still slightly stunned, hurried back to the house just as her brother was coming back with a massive pile of Quiddich gear.

Panting, Hugo dropped the mass and looked stupidly between his friends as James persued Rose, still begging for forgiveness.

"Rose! Rosie! I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me, Rose! Come on, say something to me!"

Mouth open, Hugo asked, "Wha? What happened? What'd I miss? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing." Lily was still watching her brother, and spoke in a sigh without looking to Hugo. "Just my stupid airhead brother getting himself into trouble again."

-------

Not long after, the Weasleys called it a night, and the Potter family was left with a very quiet home. Albus and Lily were in their respective rooms and no noise was heard, save for the lecturing occuring Jame's quarters.

"You never lay your hands on an innocent person! Especially a girl! Especially Rose!" Albus smiled. He'd had that tone used on him before. Granted, not nearly as much as James had it used on him, but a fair good amount. It was the parent tone, and when used while yelling, it never mean, but just a little angry. Most of all, it was riddled with dissappointment, which was even worse.

With a sigh, Albus lay down on his bed, glad to be away from all the tension. Rolling over, he heard a stifled crunch come from his pocket. Remembering what the whole ordeal was about, he took out the letter Scorpius had sent him a just a few days back, though he'd never had a chance to fully look over. He'd just assumed it was another one of Scorp's 'bored letters'. Intrigued, he read:

'Hey, Albus, I'm bored out of my bloody mind so you'd better write back.' So much for a proper greeting. When that kid wasn't being the pompous rich brat he had been when Albus first met him, he really could be pretty rude. It continued, 'If our parents didn't avoid each other like the plague, I'd visit. But, seeing as that's hardly the case, I've been entertaining myself with wholesome activities like watching grass grow or meat thaw. So, since I have all this wonderful time to just sit and think, I started planning school business and such. I'm assuming we're meeting back up in the usual place? You remember.'

The big old tree by the lake. It was a popular hangout, often had visitors, but it was easy to find and easy to get to.

'Actually, let's just meet up on the train. That's sooner. Just...tell your brother and sister you...got lost or...something.'

He smiled, and fancied that Scorpius was in some hurry to see him, that he was genuinely missed. He wasn't far off, as it would be.

'Well. That's all for this time.'

Albus almost grinned as he felt through the ink on that page the difficulty Scorpius had in deciding how to end this letter. He was grinning when he finished it off.

'Looking forward to fourth year. See you then, Al.

-Scorpius Malfoy

P.S.: Don't use this thing as a fucking bookmark like I know you do, because your parents or somene'll find it and you'll feel all 'guilty' because you 'just know' it 'deeply upsets them' when they see how much we talk. So do yourself one big favor and don't.'

"What an ass." Albus tossed the letter aside, but quickly took it back and read the P.S. twice. He really did miss Scorpius, that summer. More than before. More as in a lot.

Grinning just barely, he placed the parchment in his desk along with all the other messages Scorpius and a few others had sent. Most of the 'others' were from Teddy Lupin, his childhood hero and babysitter who was a living pool of wisdom Albus went to when he needed guidance. You see, Ted, being the son of a werewolf and a changeling, was considered somewhat a freak as he was growing up, and knew all about the feeling of not belonging in one's own surroundings. When Albus couldn't escape the feeling of isolation, the feeling of just being different amongst Rose, Hugo, Lily and James, he vented to Teddy, who knew exactly how to overcome the obstacles ahead. Or, at least, a few of them.

------

The Hogwarts Express had arrived, and Scorpius was nowhere to be found in Kings' Cross Station. Despite Albus's best efforts to catch sight of him, no Malfoys were found, and he supposed he'd just have to find his friend at Hogwarts.

"Who're you looking for?" James asked suspiciously, though it was slightly obvious he already knew the anwer to his own question.

For a moment, Albus smiled to himself. He remembered being eleven, searching frantically for that head of blonde hair and blue eyes and wanting to badly to steal just another glimpse of Scorpius Malfoy, like a little girl with a crush-

He'd struck gold. "'So there really isn't anyone?' Somehow, Albus fancied he was looking for a specific answer, waiting for the name on the tip of his tongue, the one he just couldn't recall and couldn't find the daring to say..."

No, no no, no. It couldn't be. It wouldn't be. That wasn't what he felt, was it? Right?

But there had been so many, way too many, times that Albus couldn't find a way to explain what he thought of Scorpius. Friendship, companionship- even 'endearing' never seemed enough. The words just never added up, not until just then, and keeping away from the thought of him feeling more about his 'friend', Scorpius Malfoy, was a battle he knew he would lose.

Like a kid with a crush...

He had to stop thinking like that. 'Crush' and 'Scorpius' were not belonging in the same sentence. Not thinking about it was impossible, though. His mind just couldn't stray away. Once he'd hit that one magic phrase that he'd been searching for, he couldn't help feeling like the puzzle was complete. In love with Scorpius Malfoy.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Like a looney, he hissed to himself, just barely keeping out of the others' earshot.

In. Love. With. Scorpius. Malfoy.

What? What was this?! He was only fourteen! Fourteen-year-olds didn't fall in love! Did they?

His stomach gradually began doing backflips, and his world spun around as he blindly followed James onto the train.

Somewhere from his left, a voice asked, "Al, aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, James. Just give me a few minutes. I'll- I'll be right there."

"I'm not James, I'm Hugo, you loon."

"Yeah, whatever, Hugo."

Followed by the feeling similar to that of riding six rollercoasters after eating seven corndogs was a freakish desire to find him, find Scorpius, look him in the face, straight in the eyes. Finding Scorpius would give him the answer he needed. All he had to do was look into him and see clearly and plainly that all he felt was friendship, all there was was friendship. Exactly. So, cabin by cabin, Albus searched, until eventually he just coasted by each car, wondering how the hell he was going to find anyone with so many people running around everywhere-

"Oi, you!" Someone grabbed his arm, pulling him into a cabin. Jumping in fear, he pulled back, winding up just where he'd wanted to wind up: staring Scorpius in the face. He looked just as surprised. Apparently Albus didn't exactly look like he'd just woken up from a beauty sleep. "What the blazes happened to you? You look awful-"

You really do like him, you know it...

"Look at me." Albus demanded, gripping his best friend's shoulders. The guy he'd known for three years, the guy he'd assumed was his friend but just never felt right calling him so. Because it was more than that, or less than that, or something just completely different altogether! He knew what it was, he simply couldn't admit it! His stupid, out-of-control feelings would ruin everything. "Just look at me!"

Fucking hormones!

Terrified for the sanity of his friend, Scorpius (for once) just did as he was told. He looked at him, alright. Blue peering into green, Scorpius feeling lost for breath as he came under the sudden feeling that Albus Potter could see everything from his face to his innermost thoughts, "Albus-"

...you always have...

"Stop looking at me that way!" It was actually very fortunate nobody else was in that cabin, because if any other classmates from Hogwarts (especially Slytherin) had seen, Albus would never live it down. He looked like he'd just been on the run after escaping an asylum. Shaking and pale, he sat down, avoiding eye contact with Scorpius at all costs, but wanting to so badly. Like first year.

"I don't get it, what the hell did I do?" Malfoy shut the door, kneeling down in an attempt to force a look from Albus, to grab his attention and make some sense out of it all. He saw something was wrong, seriously wrong. All the possibilities ran through Scorpius's mind. Oh, God, what could've happend to make Albus look like that? It was as if he'd had his heart ripped out, his soul stepped on, his body left to deal with the violent aftermath. "Al, what happened? Was it something James did? I'll beat that shithead's face in if it was, he had to do something really low to-"

"It's not him, Scorpius, it's you! It's all you!" His face was buried in his hands, and when he looked up, Scorpius could see he was even sicklier looking than before. Guilt flooded into him. He had done that? What had he done? Right then was the first time he'd seen him since before summer, and he had been so happy to see Albus again, too...

All Scorpius wanted to do was make that illness in Albus go away, fix him, to just do something, whatever it was.

I can't say anything to him. It'll ruin our friendship, it'll ruin everything. Albus thought to himself, finally locking stares with Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy. The name that oozed poisonous venom, pouring into his veins and taking him over. Just being in the room as that kid was like being in an invasion. Their fathers hated each other when they were fourteen, but Albus wanted nothing more than to grab him, kiss him, to finish the puzzle and finally make everything the way it should be.

Were they still staring each other down? Maybe it had been a second, maybe it had been a minute. Still, Scorpius wasn't moving. He just watched, waiting for something to happen. Albus swore his eyes beckoned him, but did Scorpius even know he was looking that way?

Too bad if he didn't.

In the boldest, most daring moment of his life, Albus took hold of his first friend at Hogwarts (and perhaps soon-to-be worst enemy, if things went the way he suspected they would) and kissed him. Right there, on the train to school, any student able to walk in on them at any moment. It was over. He was sure of it. He'd finished the puzzle, but readied himself to be punched in the face and abandoned for good.

But he was kissed back, and most surprisingly, Scorpius seemed to have wanted it even more than he had. It clumsy and awkward- Albus hadn't really ever locked lips with someone before- but was so full of unspoken happiness that it honestly didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. The both of them had finally gotten what they'd secretly always wanted, never even knowing it until it had happened. Scorpius always wanted someone like Albus, and Albus never wanted anyone except Scorpius. Then they stopped, Albus petrified, Scorpius looking like a starved animal in need of more, much more. Albus expected it to be over with, but apprently Scorpius had other intentions.

"Oh my god." He croaked, gripping his chest with one clammy left hand as if in mid-heart attack. Scorpius took the hand, threw it off of him (it was in the way), and leaned in for more. More, more lips thouching lips and hands running through black and gold hair, more of Albus because Albus was full of affection and love and everything he'd lived without for fourteen years.

Dear Lord, he was only fourteen!

"Scorpius, we-" Malfoy knew what he wanted, and he was going to get it. A hand snaked around Albus's neck, his pulse in that blonde boy's palm. More, more, he wanted more. So he went in for his tongue, and it was the most peculiar thing that Albus had ever felt, and Scorpius could see that, but didn't care. Who gave a shit if he had to freaking teach Albus how to properly make out with someone like teaching a child how to walk? He was getting everything he ever needed from someone, and he loved it. They were finally there, where they belonged: Scorpius Malfoy sandwiching Albus Potter between a goddamn wall while the Scorpius kissed the living hell out of him."-we really should- we should stop..."

"We should." Albus was pulled off the seat, onto the floor, and pinned under the serpent that had already sent so much venom jolting through his body, every nerve erupting with the wonderful, fantastic poison that was Malfoy. He was defenseless. "But I don't want to, and neither do you."

"But-"

"Shut up, Potter." That shut him up, and soon they were at it again, Scorpius leading the way as he felt the green-eyed boy beneath him squirm and tense up every time he tried something new. He was in control, and he belonged that way. Curious for more, always wanting more, he took a handful of pretty Albus hair and used it to keep that kid in place as he moved in for his neck, savoring his neck, wanting more and pulling his cloak off, wanting to get himself a shoulder, tugging and ripping that perfectly black hair without realizing it must've really hurt. He ignored it, ignored the moans and wimpers Albus couldn't contain. Too bad. If it hurt, it'd be worth it, and if it was worth it, it'd be better. Better meant more, and all Scorpius wanted was more, more, as much of Albus he could manage to take before either one of them came to their senses.

What if someone walked in? They wouldn't.

What if James found out? Oh, Christ, he couldn't.

But that was when nothing else mattered. James, their parents, all of Hogwarts was all an entire universe away. Who knew what would happen once they stopped? They would get off the train, go to their classes, and foolishly put up the front to the rest of Hogwarts that they were 'just friends'.

Well, they were friends first, but no longer.

Now they were more, and there was no going back.

-------

A/N: Neeee- that was the first kiss scene I've ever written, so I hope it wasn't as awkward and completely unrealistic as I feared it would. x-x;
Of all the chapters, I need constructive reviews now more than ever now. If you're not going to review, the don't, and if you are, tell me what you thought in terms of writing style. Was it too confusing, switching between Scorpius's take on things to Albus's take on things, especially when they meshed together in the very end? This is my first romance fic, and I didn't want to scare people off by saying that, buuuut, it is. It's an area I need to work on, so I'm doing that on fanfiction.

Please no obsessed fangirl reviews, I don't need my story gaining popularity just because you all are horndogs. xD