A/N: I've gotten a lot of questions about this story. I don't want to give too much away, because the beauty is in the not knowing, but I will say that the only couple is AS/S. I don't think this story is romantic, in the traditional sense of the word, which is why I did not label it as such. It's not a dark story, and it's not negative, it's a story about misreading signs, and misunderstanding people's motives. Albus definetly does not pine, he's very active- he's an adult- not like my last story. But I wouldn't say that his actions are the right choices- he makes his own bed, and he's very Slytherin. He's the new age Draco Malfoy in this fic. He sees himself as a perma-victim, but he never notices the fact that his choices are the reason for his unhappiness Let's just say there's a reason why his brother/sister do not like him. However, Scorpius is not innocent, either. He is trying to be everything his family is not, trying to fit in with his mates, while hiding a huge secret.

Part Four:

Scorpius edged his bag off his shoulder, wincing even though he experienced no pain. Edging the door closed with his wand in his mouth instead of using his hands -a safety hazard which he risked since there was no one here to see- Scorpius let out the low sigh of exhaustion, one which he had been holding in all morning long.

He was finally alone. Scorpius had never been the sort of person who enjoyed being alone, but he was injured; and as a person who ate, breathed, dreamed and lived defense, all he could think about was how utterly useless he felt now. The potion was working- knitting together his muscle and numbing the throbs, but Scorpius would have rather had the pain of the injury any day of the year. Like this he was fighting blind, and he had always detested wearing glamours, except on the most necessary cases.

Let them see who he was, Scorpius had always reasoned. He had always rather a Dark wizard see that the Red Cloak taking him in was the Malfoy brat. Made things that much sweeter.

Scorpius rolled his shoulder back, and this time he did sense a twinge of pain. Pain meant he was feeling something, and that was better than being constantly dulled in order to face the world. Scorpius rolled his shoulder back again, testing it's range. He wouldn't be able to do much dueling until after the holidays, but he'd push for field work sooner rather than later. Until then, Scorpius reckoned that he'd just have to get used to carrying his bag on the wrong shoulder, as awkward as that felt. Or he could shrink it- but whenever he did that, he always left something at home.

"Like your sanity," Scorpius muttered to himself, and then he laughed. He was being so miserable that reminded himself of his father. All Scorpius needed was an abacus and a receding hairline to go along with his paperwork . . .

Now that was cruel, Scorpius chided himself, settling down behind his desk, and retrieving a fresh quill, ink, and his blotter from the side drawer.

At times he had the worst sense of humor- positively Slytherin. In those moments, he was just such a miserable creature that Scorpius really wondered how he had ever Sorted Gryffindor. Then there at other times he had been told that he should have been a Hufflepuff. Perhaps the Sorting it had been a catch-all sort of thing. Perhaps time changed your Sorting, anyway. His grandmother was one of the bravest witches he knew. And Uncle Blaise was more analytical than cunning, really . . .

Scorpius was procrastinating. He was not upset about the case anymore, that would have been just pathetic, and honestly, he had had enough time to work on being happy for Jamie throughout the years, that now it came naturally whenever they were put in competition. He was more frustrated with the cases he had here, the three Unsolvables, as Scorpius was referring to them in his mind. On one, a domestic, Scorpius had made a bit of headway; but the others were so far beyond him that even a Portkey couldn't save Scorpius now.

At this point, Scorpius didn't know what to think. Should he be proud and take it a sign that the Head Auror trusted him with the backlog of cases, the ones most Aurors had found difficult? Or should he take it as a sign that Auror Potter didn't trust him to handle cases with a higher likelihood of being solved- like the Copper Cauldron case?

Scorpius rolled his shoulder again, biting his lip. If he was Harry Potter, he wouldn't trust himself, truth be told. Scorpius had made a mistake, and a stupid one. It was the type of mistake that first year Aurors made when they got over-exited about bringing in their first little suspect- except Scorpius wasn't a first year, and he couldn't risk injuries like that anymore. Especially if he wanted the Head Auror to consider him for promotion.

Still mentally berating himself, Scorpius lifted a file out of his bag and stared at a photograph, spellotaped onto a single page amongst the pages, and pages of parchment notes. The photograph was of a skull, pristine, except for two small indentations that had been placed there by some force. The skull had been found on Muggle land, in a warded area, in a cursed box. Luckily for Scorpius, it had been during the time he and his partner, Phillipa Goldstein, had been on duty. Even luckier for Scorpius, Phillipa Goldstein was now on maternity leave.

Scorpius tapped the photograph against his thigh, trying to think of a single lead. He could visit the skull in storage for a bit of morbid inspiration, but Scorpius doubted it would do any good. The bone had already been tested by the Unspeakables. What little information they had been able to extract hadn't given Scorpius much to go on, which was why the case was collecting doxies, still. Scorpius could go check the missing persons list again by Auror Weasleys office, but that was sure to be an enormous file . . .

What would cause those indentations?

Hexes, curses, spells . . . Scorpius would need to research. If the case was solvable, it wasn't solvable before the New Year . . .

Goodbye social existence . . . Scorpius hummed a song to himself. It was nice having you . . .

Scorpius cast tempus, and stared at the time. Ten-forty. The day was moving ridiculously slowly, as though someone had charmed it to slog along.

Across the wall there was a poster, aged and faded with time, but permanently posted, as though it provided infinite inspiration. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Wizarding Defense Begins with You! Amongst the Hit Wizards and Law Enforcement Patrollers in their dated uniforms, was a young Harry Potter, chosen for what was supposed to be an 'informal' shot. He stood at the back, combing his thick dark hair over his forehead, trying to fade into the background despite his red robes.

Scorpius smiled at the poster. He had never noticed exactly how much Albus looked like the younger version of his dad. Harry Potter had been thinner, and more haunted- his face and body jaundiced by the war, his eyes wary and focused. Albus' hair was also more auburn than black, and he had freckles along the sides of his face and the bridge of his nose. And Albus didn't wear glasses; Jamie did . . .

Al had been so different at the restaurant to the boy that he had known at Hogwarts. That Albus Potter would have never sought him out; would have never noticed him except to huff when he brewed his potions incorrectly, or to roll his eyes when Jamie and Scorpius had finally gotten caught in the midst of one of their pranks. In those days, Albus had sat on the sidelines because Jamie had forced him there, and surely part of that was Scorpius' fault. Scorpius was sure that a part of Al must hate him for not being the bigger person and standing up to Jamie and his ideas for 'fun'.

A swift feeling of shame swept over him, and Scorpius looked away from the poster. If there was a line, maybe Scorpius hadn't ever crossed it-but he had danced on it gleefully. And Jamie certainly had crossed it, many times in his company.

"Ow!" A voice cried in the hall irritably, followed by the sound of something falling. "Sodding boxes stacked right here in the corridor! Who would do that?"

Scorpius snickered to himself. The hallway encircling the bullpen was quiet- most of the Aurors who could manage it had arraigned for their leave to coincide with the Yule holidays. The rest had taken later shifts so that they could sleep in, or had done weekends day flies just to avoid the morning doldrums in between night rounds. Scorpius had thought, probably absurdly, that he was the only wizard left in this sinking ship.

Teddy opened the door to Scorpius' office and started. "You're here, Malfoy?"

Scorpius made a face. Questions like that didn't deserve answers. "Did you stack up those papers you knocked over? Brown has to send them to the Witch Watchers when she gets back from her holiday."

"Wish I was on holiday," Teddy mumbled to himself, sitting down on Goldstein's chair. He opened the first drawer of Goldstein's desk, breaking every law of decency, and probably a few regulations for employment at the Ministry. Scorpius knew what he was looking for- when Goldstein had begun to get further along in her pregnancy, she had begun to operate a small sweets shop in their office, all due to her cravings.

"I ate it all," Scorpius shrugged. There hadn't been much. In the end, all there had been was a bar of Flake and a Sugar Quill, left under stasis. Scorpius had took the spell as a cosmic sign that it was alright for him to eat it.

"Not going to Scotland?" Teddy pried.

Scorpius spun himself around in his chair to stare at Teddy. Teddy looked tired, his blue hair not it's usual teal, but a darkened, dismal navy. In fact, Teddy's hair looked just about as tired as Scorpius felt, even if the rest of Teddy was just as ridiculously handsome as ever.

Scorpius could still remember the first time he had met Teddy, almost perfectly, probably because it had felt so awkward, and the meeting had been so rushed. The marble floor had been cold under his bare feet, and Scorpius' grandmother had scolded him for being late, and for dragging his broom into the main house. It had been raining that afternoon. Thick like sheets, hard against the new glass that had had to be put in the Manor after the war. Teddy had grown freckles on his arm, then a scar. It had looked like a horseshoe.

Back then, Scorpius hadn't known what the dizzy flipping in his stomach had meant, but he had known that he couldn't look away from Teddy's face, even when it had morphed. Thankfully, just about the time Scorpius had figured out what his awkward stutters and pauses had meant for himself, the feeling had faded away.

And then after the lot of them had graduated Hogwarts, they had taken to hanging about Grimmauld; drinking Teddy's firewhisky, and eating all his takeaway. Teddy had always tolerated them with the long-suffering patience of an older sibling.

A very attractive older sibling.

"Not yet," Scorpius sighed. His parents and grandmother had shut up the house, and had left already to join Aunt Daphne, Uncle Blaise and his Zabini cousins. If it wasn't for the mountain of paperwork on his desk, Scorpius would be joining them, sitting around the fire, playing chess, and acting out polyjuice plays that had grown stale a decade ago.

Even though he was warded here with a photo of a skull, it was pretty much the better option.

"You shouldn't feel as though you have to go," Teddy stated evenly, and sympathetically. "You could come to France. With me and Victoire. It would be a good enough excuse, Snitch. You've never gone, and you speak the language, for Merlin's sake."

Scorpius lifted his shoulder and flinched back, his eyes watering. He had to remember not to do that as well. Scorpius looked up quickly at Teddy, hoping he hadn't caught that involuntary show of weakness, but of course he had. Teddy said nothing, however. Either he had had the whole story out from his godfather, or the gossip had spread through the department faster than the Yule holiday had come.

Either way, Scorpius felt a bizarre mixture of embarrassment and frustration pass over him. He was supposed to be better than an injury like this. No wonder he was shackled to his desk right now, his only company paperwork. No wonder Harry Potter didn't have faith in him, despite his protestations to the contrary.

"Maybe next year," Scorpius smiled. Teddy and Victoire were newlyweds, and even though a year had passed since their wedding, they were still in that cutesy stage where being the only person alone with them made even the bravest Gryffindor feel uncomfortable.

"You'll miss Lily's birthday," Scorpius groaned. Lily was going to look for Teddy first thing- she had her friends and her friends, and if her friends dared not to show up to one of her events, they would hear about it for years. Scorpius sighed. He didn't think that Albus Potter was the right sort of wizard for this sort of task, no matter how utterly decent he was as a person. They needed a party planner, but the last time that Scorpius had hired one, Jamie had slept with her . . .

Scorpius had the feeling that Albus wouldn't have the same inclination- that was if Scorpius could convince Eire Finnegan to work with them again.

"I think if I can survive being born a war baby, I can survive Lily's wrath," Teddy grinned, his hair turning teal again. "So you're planning this party with Albus Potter?"

Scorpius was going to AK Jamie. No- that was too kind. He was going to imperio Jamie to visit every single one of his ex-girlfriends and let them do the dirty wandwork for him. Fucking Potter. Couldn't even keep his mouth spellotaped for one day, could he?

"I guess you read that in the Daily Prophet?" Scorpius asked. The Daily Prophet was one of their nicknames for Jamie.

"Mhmm," Teddy nodded. "Oooh look- a chocolate frog!"

It was a dusty and mashed chocolate frog that Teddy had had to pry from the edge of the desk drawer using both hands. Scorpius stared at it, both amazed that Teddy was considering eating that, and amazed that Teddy had managed to get that out using his hands. But then again, Teddy was a chocolate fiend.

"Don't eat it, Lupin," Scorpius winced, but it was too late- Teddy had unwrapped the choccie (this time using his wand), and had plopped it into his mouth in one swift motion.

"Not the worst I've had," Teddy winced, swallowing. "But definitely not the best."

"That's what Vic says every night," Scorpius crowed and Teddy growled.

"Calm down, your hair is turning ginger," Scorpius said with nonchalance. "Do you want some of my pumpkin juice, then?"

"Give it here," Teddy held his hands out and Scorpius tossed it over. "So don't change the subject, Malfoy."

"I haven't changed anything!" Scorpius protested. He hadn't! Maybe he had gotten distracted seeing Teddy wrestle a chocolate frog out of a desk drawer to eat it, but all in all it was because it was slightly out of the ordinary. Actually, the topic was supposed to be for Scorpius to deal with the two cases he hadn't made any headway on, but he wasn't kicking Teddy out of his office to deal with his work, now was he?

"Now you calm down," Teddy grinned wickedly and Scorpius huffed. "What's going on between you and Albus?"

Albus? "What?" Scorpius stared at Teddy. Merlin- when had his male friends become worse than a coven of gossiping witches? "Is that what Jamie thinks?"

"Jamie thinks that you're sleeping with Al, or that Albus wants to- or that Albus is planning something," Teddy said, and Scorpius could see that Teddy was putting on his older brother cap again. "But that's obviously paranoia talking."

"Good," Scorpius stated fiercely. "Because I am not interested in Albus."

Teddy put up his hands, as if that would absolve him of all interest in the topic. Scorpius watched Teddy carefully. There was a clearly implied but in Teddy's explanation. So Teddy didn't think that Scorpius and Albus were interested in each other. And he also didn't think that Albus was planning something. Did this mean that Teddy thought Scorpius capable of planning something?

A sick feeling of dread lanced through Scorpius. Didn't Teddy trust him? Scorpius understood about their families, and the war . . . . . . but good gods. Scorpius and Teddy had worked together, trained together. They had gotten pissed together. In some remote way they were still family.

"Logical, old Lupin," Scorpius smiled carelessly, trying not to show how hurt he felt. Instead, he wheeled his chair over to where Teddy's was, stopping when their knees knocked together "So, what do you really think?"

"I think," Teddy rolled his eyes. "That you've got to stop flirting with anything with a magical signature. One of these days you're going to get challenged to a duel you can not win. And why don't you come by Grimmauld anymore, like you used to?"

"You're married, now," Scorpius shrugged, pushing his chair back toward his own desk. Scorpius wouldn't even admit to himself that this final move was to avoid Teddy's searching, sympathetic gaze. "And I've got work, and so've you. We've both been busy. A Floo works both ways, you know. Besides, you know you can't keep me out of trouble."

Scorpius forced a grin, but it felt false and brittle. As if in retaliation for his lies, his shoulder throbbed once more, viciously.

Teddy's hair darkened back to navy. He rose up from Goldstein's chair, tossing the Chocolate Frog wrapper into the bin. "Well. If that's all it is, then fine. But you used to seem happier, Snitch. That's all I'm trying to get at. I'll leave you to get on with this. What are you doing this weekend?"

"Al is coming over for dinner," Scorpius sighed. If he had escaped their speculations before, by admitting this, Scorpius was tumbling right back into them.

Teddy said nothing. But his hair turned teal and then lavender- a hint that he was suppressing an emotion he had to express in another way. Scorpius narrowed his eyes. What was it about the Potters- and Teddy- an adopted Potter? Couldn't Scorpius have a new friend? Albus was being utterly decent and wonderful by overlooking all of the pranks that had occurred during their childhood at Hogwarts. He was even throwing a party for Lily- and Lily was not the best sister- hades, she was even a better friend to Scorpius than she was a sister to Albus.

So what was the issue?

Did everything have to boil down to picking a side? Did everything have to mean that someone was planning something? If Scorpius was honest with himself, he might even think that Albus was planning something; the way that he was so willing to overlook Jamie and Scorpius' faults from the past.

"Albus is going over to your place," Teddy said slowly, as if he wanted desperately to comment on the proceedings, but his older brother cap did not allow it. "And he's going to . . ."

"Help me plan Lily's party," Scorpius frowned deeply until Teddy's hair turned teal again. "Do you know what Al likes to eat?"

"Why?" Teddy knocked his elbow against the door jab. "You're never going to cook for him, Snitch."

"Shut up, Ted," Scorpius whispered. "I'm a decent person, you know."

Teddy's hair turned violet at the roots, but he had no response.