Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The lyrics at the top belong to Snow Patrol.
A/N: Thank you to my wonderful beta, Lisa for all the hard work she put into this.
Train this chaos, turn it into light
I've gotta see you one last night
Before the lions take their share
Leave us in pieces scattered everywhere
Seventh Year.
Scorpius Malfoy was in a foul mood, and he had been for days. Whilst the rest of his year celebrated the end of exams and the fast-approaching end of their time at Hogwarts, Scorpius sat alone in the library.
He rejected all of his boyfriend Albus' invitations to spend time together and ignored the looks of hurt on Albus' face every time he walked away from him. Scorpius knew he was being unfair, but he had decided that it was the way things had to be.
He was in the library, sitting at his favourite desk in the corner, when Albus entered. Albus was never one to give up; Scorpius knew that. They had, after all, been best friends for almost seven years and a couple for two of those seven.
He had shared most of the best moments of his life with Albus, and he loved him, but he had to distance himself from him. In a weeks time, they would be boarding the Hogwarts Express for the very last time. Albus would be going off to train as an Auror, like his dad, and he wouldn't want his childhood sweetheart around. He would want to move on, and Scorpius had sworn to himself that he would not show any weakness when Albus told him that. So he had to prepare himself for life without him
Albus smiled at him as he crossed the room, and Scorpius couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face in return. He was so helpless when it came to Albus.
"Hey," said Albus softly, leaning down to kiss him gently.
Scorpius' insides danced, and his limbs seemed to turn to liquid. He thought it ridiculous that Albus' kisses should still have that effect on him after two years.
When they broke apart, Albus grinned at him, his emerald eyes glittering.
"What are you doing here?" asked Scorpius, taking Albus' hand in his own.
"I could ask you the same thing," said Albus, stroking the back of Scorpius' hand with his thumb. "Exams are over, Score, you don't need to study any more."
"I'm not studying; I'm just reading. I like to read."
Albus frowned slightly. "Oh, right, you're just in here because you want to be."
Scorpius stayed silent and was shocked to hear that when Albus spoke again his voice was an angry hiss.
"I just thought I might be able to persuade you to have a break for a while, thought that maybe you might miss me just a little bit, too, because we've barely spoken all week. But no, you're in here by choice. Fine, that's just fine. I'll leave you to your book." Albus all but spat the last word and stood up abruptly.
Scorpius was horrified. What have I done? he thought.
He grabbed Albus' wrist to stop him from leaving. All thoughts of his plan to distance himself from Albus seemed to evaporate.
"No, Albus, wait. I do miss you. I really miss you."
Albus didn't say anything. He kept his gaze hard and stared straight ahead.
"Let's go somewhere," Scorpius said quickly, standing up and twining his fingers with Albus'. He was relieved when Albus didn't pull his hand away; it was a good sign. "Let's go to the kitchens and get some food, and then we can go sit by the lake. The weather's fantastic."
Albus turned slowly to face Scorpius. "Can we get chocolate?"
Scorpius chuckled. "We can get whatever you want, Al."
Albus seemed to consider this for a moment before returning Scorpius' grin enthusiastically. "Okay then, you git. Come on."
Half an hour later they were sprawled out on the grass beside the Black Lake with a large wicker picnic basket beside them.
"Pass me a pumpkin pasty, Al."
"You're so lazy; you need to learn to do things for yourself."
Scorpius groaned. "Noooo, please get me a pasty. I need a pasty. Please, Albus, the love of my life, the only star in my sky, my sweet, sweet baby, my lovebug, my — OUCH!"
A pumpkin pasty collided with the side of Scorpius' head.
"Don't you ever call me those things again!" said Albus, looking mildly sick.
Scorpius cackled and bit into his pasty.
He licked the icing off of his fingers and then lay down, resting his head in Albus' lap. Albus automatically began running his fingers through his hair, and Scorpius sighed contentedly. He didn't know what he would do when Albus was no longer there to do that for him, to hold him and to kiss him. The thought made his stomach churn.
They lay in silence for what could have been minutes or even hours before Albus spoke.
"The leavers ball is next Friday."
"The night before we leave this place for good," murmured Scorpius with a sad edge to his voice.
"Yeah," said Albus quietly. "Will you go with me, Score?"
"You didn't have to ask, Albus. Who else would I be going with?"
"I just wanted to do it properly. So, will you do me the honour of being my date?" Albus smirked as he said this.
Scorpius snickered. "Yeah, okay, I'll be your date to the ball."
Albus laughed and leaned down to kiss Scorpius hard on the mouth.
They were both laughing when they broke apart. "Love you, Scorpius."
"Love you, too."
--------
Albus Potter was walking down to the Great Hall for lunch when his cousin, Rose Weasely, bounced up behind him and grabbed his arm.
"Have you heard?" she asked, smiling widely at him.
He furrowed his brows. "Heard what?"
"The ball," she began, her blue eyes twinkling, "It's going to be a masquerade ball! I might find my one true love. It will be so romantic; I can see it now. We will dance all night long, and then at midnight he will carefully remove my mask and I his, and we will realise that we are the perfect pair."
Albus snorted at the wistfulness in her voice and the far off look in her eye.
"That's all well and good, but I'm going with Scorpius. I don't need to find my one true love; Ialready have him," he said smugly.
"No need to rub it in," she said sourly, narrowing her gaze at him.
---------------
Scorpius had given up on his plan of distancing himself from Albus and had decided just to make the most of the time he had with him. He was looking forward to the ball and seeing Albus all dressed up. It would be the perfect way to end their time at Hogwarts.
The seventh years had all been given permission to go into Hogsmeade on the Wednesday before the ball to buy outfits. The clothes shops were absolutely packed, and Scorpius thanked Merlin that he and Albus were rich and were able to shop in the quieter, more expensive shops in the village.
They entered a small, purple shop with their hands clasped and waited for assistance.
A tall, slender woman in deep red robes approached them with a polite smile on her crimson lips.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Here for an outfit for the leavers ball I assume?"
Scorpius nodded. "Could we please be fitted separately? I would like our outfits to be a surprise."
Albus gaped at this; he had only agreed to come into the fancy shop because Scorpius had promised to stay with him. Expensive shops made him feel uncomfortable; he felt as though he didn't belong there.
"Of course, not a problem," she said, turning to call on someone called Monique.
Monique was not as tall as the other woman, and she was plump. She looked pleasant, and Albus hoped she would be the one to fit his robes.
His luck was in. "Monique, take this young man through to be fitted," she said, gesturing to Albus.
Monique ushered him through to the fitting room.
"Was there anything you had in mind, sir?" she inquired.
He hadn't even thought about what he wanted.
"I'd like something simple, you know? Nothing too fancy."
She smiled. "I think we have just the thing; it will be perfect, I'm sure."
And then she bustled off to find Albus' outfit.
------------------
An hour or so later the boys made their way back down the streets of Hogsmeade laden with bags. Both were content and sure that they had found the perfect outfits for the ball.
"Can I see what you got?" Albus asked, trying to peak into Scorpius' bag.
"No you may not!" exclaimed Scorpius,, hastily pulling his bag away and looking at Albus as though he had asked if he could pull down his trousers in the middle of the street.
"Sorry," said Albus in a singsong sort of way.
"You should be," said Scorpius haughtily.
The two days before the ball passed quickly. Before anyone knew it, Friday, the night of the ball, was upon them. A strange atmosphere surrounded the seventh years, a feeling of giddiness but also sadness as their last night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry began.
By half past five, all of the girls had retreated to their dorm rooms to prepare for the night ahead while the boys sat in the common room wondering why they would possibly need more than forty five minutes to get ready.
"Seriously, though," said Alexander Zabini, "two and a half hours, it's too long. There is no way they need all that time."
"Well, Charlotte Banklebee probably does. Have you seen the warts on her chin?" said Mathew Thomas, laughing heartily.
Scorpius who was sitting with his head on Albus' shoulder, leaned up and whispered to him, "I'm so glad I don't have to put up with women. You're much less hassle."
"You aren't," remarked Albus, grinning cheekily.
Scorpius swiftly swatted him on the head. "Rude boy. I'm going to get ready now."
"Aw, no don't go," pleaded Albus, trying to tug him back down onto the leather couch they had been sitting on.
"No, I'm going. Don't leave getting ready too late, Al. I don't want to have to wait while you rush about at the last minute."
"Sure, sure," smirked Albus.
Scorpius entered the dormitory and sighed happily at the silence that surrounded him. He loved it when the dorm was empty; it was hard to get peace when you lived in with four other boys. That was one thing he was not going to miss about school.
He pushed open the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower, putting his hand under the powerful sprays to test the temperature. As always, it was perfect. He didn't know why he still tested the water; it was just a habit he supposed.
He pulled off his uniform, shimmied out of his boxers, and then stepped into the deliciously warm shower. He hummed quietly as the sprays massaged the muscles in his back, relieving the tension. He took his time lathering and rinsing his hair because he knew it would be the last time he would really get to do it properly in that shower. If he showered tomorrow, it would just be a quick one to refresh himself.
The thought made his stomach clench uncomfortably. He wished he could just dig his heels in and slow time down just a little bit. It was all happening too fast. Not only was his time at Hogwarts coming to a close, so was his time with Albus. No matter how hard he tried not to think about that, his mind continued to wander back to the dark thoughts of life without Albus. He was torturing himself.
As he stood in the steamy bathroom towelling himself dry, he heard the boys enter, chatting loudly. He tied the towel round his waist and opened the door.
"Mathew, what's the password for the prefects bathroom? I want to get ready in there."
"It's 'excellens discipulus.' Why do you want to get ready in there?"
"Because," he said, casting a glance over at Albus who looked adorably puzzled, "I don't want Albus to see me until I'm completely ready."
He pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain black top, gathered the bags with his outfit, and walked over to Albus and kissed him quickly. "I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs at eight o'clock. Don't be late."
Albus dressed slowly but carefully. He had plenty of time, and he wanted to make sure he made the most of that time to get himself looking as good as possible. He really wanted this night to be perfect.
He pulled his long-sleeved, white cotton shirt over his tanned, freshly showered skin and slid the perfectly fitting black trousers over his hips and did up the buttons. He took time preparing his hair so that it looked stylishly dishevelled rather than like a haystack as it usually did.
He applied a small amount of aftershave to the base of his throat, just enough so that Scorpius could catch a whiff of it if he came close enough.
He tied his black tie slowly, trying to make it as perfect as he possibly could, and then pulled on his black suit jacket and ran his hands down it. Then finally, he placed his simple black mask over his eyes and nose.
He stood in front of the only full-length mirror in the room and inspected his appearance. Not bad, he thought, not bad at all.
His mirror seemed to agree with him. It made a low growling sound and said, "Go get 'em tiger."
------------
Scorpius waited at the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall fiddling with the sleeves of his white silk shirt. He was five minutes early, and he wished Albus would hurry up. Other students passed by him and the vast majority had made a huge effort with their outfits. The girls wore beautiful flowing dresses with sparkles and lace, and on their faces they wore masquerade masks. Some were simple while others were more elaborate. The boys looked smart in their formal outfits. Some of the boys were wearing tuxedos; others, like Scorpius had gone for something a little less traditional. He had on a fine silk shirt with a midnight blue vest on top with silver embroidery and a black cape clipped with a clasp with the Malfoy crest on it. On his face he wore a silver mask that covered his eyes and nose. He was pleased with the outfit; he thought it made him look rather dashing, like a prince or a hero.
Finally, Scorpius looked up to see Albus coming down the stairs; even while Albus was wearing a mask Scorpius was still able to spot him with ease. When Albus got close enough for Scorpius to get a proper look at him, his breath hitched a little. Albus looked ridiculously handsome; he had obviously put a lot of effort into his appearance. Scorpius was unable to suppress the wide smile that spread across his face when Albus waved at him from the stairs and he was still smiling when Albus pulled him into a kiss.
"You look amazing," Albus murmured, touching his forehead against Scorpius.
"Not as amazing as you," said Scorpius, running his eyes over Albus. "How in the name of Merlin did you manage to get your hair to look like that?"
Albus winked and tapped his nose. "Don't be nosey, Scorpius."
They twined their fingers together and made their way into the Great Hall. They were absolutely taken aback; they'd never seen the hall looking as beautiful as it did then. The whole room seemed to shimmer. One half of the hall had two long tables, each piled high with food and drink with huge gold chandeliers over head. The other half of the room was being used as a dance floor, and it was already filled with students dancing along to music played by the popular wizarding band, Deadly Nightshade.
"McGonagall and the rest of the professors have really outdone themselves tonight," said Albus, as his eyes scanned over the room.
"Yeah, it's fantastic," replied Scorpius, nodding. "Do you want to go over to the tables and say hello to everyone? I think that's Mathew over there with the green mask and black suit."
Mathew waved and nudged Alexander when they approached. "Alright, you two? God, Score, how much did that outfit cost you?"
"A lot," he replied with a smirk and a chuckle.
Scorpius put his hand on Albus' arm. "I'm going to get a drink, Al. Would you like anything?"
"Um, could you get me a Butterbear, please?"
Scorpius wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how you drink that awful stuff."
"Shut up," laughed Albus. "I don't say anything about that disgusting earl grey tea you drink."
"Earl grey tea is a sophisticated drink, of course you wouldn't be able to appreciate it, you plebeian," said Scorpius with a haughty expression on his pale face.
Albus just snickered at him as he turned away.
-------------
As Scorpius went to fetch the drinks, a familiar tune began to play, and he smiled.
I love this song, he thought, as the music caused an excited buzz to run through his body.
He weaved his way between the crowds of people to get Albus up to dance, his hips swaying slightly to the music, all thoughts of their drinks forgotten.
He arrived back at the group just time to hear Albus' voice loud and cheerful. "I can't wait to get out of this place. I don't think there's much that I'm going to miss. It's time to move on. Time for a new beginning!"
"Here, here!" boomed the other boys.
"Score! Hey, where's the dri-" Scorpius never stopped to let Albus finish his question as he shoved past him roughly, trying to keep the nausea that had suddenly hit him at bay. He ignored Albus' calls of 'Scorpius, what's the matter?' and swiped impatiently at his stinging eyes.
As he rushed through the entrance hall and all but hurtled through the front doors of the castle, he ignored the bewildered gazes of his fellow students. Once he was outside under the clear, night sky he took huge gulps of the cool air in an unsuccessful attempt to calm his nerves, which were jangling inside of him. His thoughts were whizzing uncontrollably in his brain, making him feel light-headed and dizzy. He felt vomit rising in his throat and stumbled over to the nearest rose bush, bent over, pressed his hands hard into his abdomen and heaved.
Once he was finished he straightened up and wiped his mouth roughly on the back of his hand. His eyes were streaming, but he didn't bother to dry them. His thoughts still wouldn't slow down, and the only thought that stood out and repeated itself over and over was, Albus really doesn't want me. He said it himself. I was right.
He felt foolish for reacting the way he was, but he couldn't help it. He had let himself hope that he and Albus would have a future after Hogwarts, and after finding out that wasn't true he was painfully disappointed, heartbroken even. He wasn't just losing a boyfriend; he was losing a best friend, and it was just too much for him to bear.
He walked through the silent grounds until he reached the lake, and then he sat down. He drew his knees up close to his legs and wrapped his arms around his legs. At any other time, he would never have even thought of sitting on the ground in his new suit for fear of ruining it, but in that moment, his suit seemed to be the least important thing in the world.
His eyes continued to leak warm salty tears that splashed down his mask as he considered what he would do when Albus was not around. He couldn't even imagine a life without Albus; his mind just seemed to reject the idea completely.
Scorpius rested his head on top of his knees and let his mind drift. He was unaware of the heavy footsteps that were fast approaching.
A hand gripped Scorpius' shoulder tightly and shook him hard.
"Scorpius!" came Albus' angry voice, "What the fuck was that all about? You just stormed out for no reason and ignored me when I called after you! What happened?"
"Piss off Albus," muttered Scorpius, glaring out at the lake refusing to look at Albus.
"Why?" Albus exploded. "What am I supposed to have done, Scorpius? I thought you'd stopped with your moodiness; you've been fine all week!"
"Well, you won't have to deal with my moodiness much longer."
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" snapped Albus.
"When we leave tomorrow!" yelled Scorpius standing up suddenly and whirling round to face Albus. "You'll never have to see me again."
The anger seemed to melt from Albus' face and was replaced with an expression of worry and fear. "What's supposed to mean, Score? What's going on?
He reached out to take Scorpius' hand, but the blond pulled away from him.
"You know fine well what's going on. Why are you making this so difficult? I heard you, Albus!"
"For Christ's sake, Scorpius, you heard what?"
"You saying you didn't want me any more!" Scorpius roared.
Albus' face contorted with confusion, and he shook his head as if trying to make everything in it fall into place.
"I never said that, Score. I swear I never did."
"Well, no, you never said that exactly, but it's what you meant. You said there was nothing you were going to miss about this school and that it was time for a fresh start."
To Scorpius' shock Albus laughed. It was a huge, loud laugh that filled Scorpius with rage. He could see nothing funny about the situation.
"You idiot. Are you insane?" asked Albus, still laughing.
Scorpius glared at him but he was sure Albus wasn't getting the full effect because he continued to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"When I said that, I didn't mean you, Scorpius. How could you even think that?"
Scorpius stayed silent, so Albus kept talking.
"I love you. You're not just my boyfriend; you're my best friend. My very best friend. So, even if this," he waved his hand between them, "doesn't last, our friendship will. Best friends are for keeps, Score. We can get through anything together."
Albus' emerald eyes looked suspiciously wet, and Scorpius had to resist the urge to reach up and wipe them.
"When I first met you, I knew straight away that I wanted to keep you. You were so... fascinating to me. With your unnaturally blond hair and your freaky grey eyes." He ignored Scorpius grunt of protest, "You were so unsure of yourself. You tried to hide it, but I could tell."
They had subconsciously moved closer to each other, and Albus was running his hand up and down Scorpius' arm.
"That's why when I saw you being sorted into Slytherin, I knew that's where I had to go, too.
And if you'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, I would have even gone there just to be where you were. And it's the same now, Scorpius. I just want to be where you are."
Albus reached up and carefully removed Scorpius mask, letting his thumbs graze against his cheek. Then he pulled off his own mask and dropped them both down on the grass.
"I'll stay with you as long as you want me, and I don't care how cheesy all of this sounds. I'll never leave."
Scorpius didn't even have the time to notice the grin that had spread across his face before Albus was kissing it away. It was a long, slow but desperate kiss as both boys tried to communicate all of their unsaid feelings. When they finally broke apart, they were breathless. Albus leaned down to nuzzle Scorpius nose with his own.
"Do you believe me?"
Scorpius only nodded and grasped Albus' hand in his own pale slender one. "Dance with me?"
"There's no music out here."
"It doesn't matter," murmured Scorpius as he began to sway, trying to make Albus do the same.
Albus chuckled deep in his throat then began to hum and sway.
"I love you, Al."
"I love you, too, Score. Always."
They stayed outside and just held each other until the morning light and then returned to the Slytherin dungeons to shower and collect their things before they had to leave Hogwarts for good. They were unsure of what the future had in store for them, but it didn't matter to either of them because they knew that wherever life took them, they would be going together.
A/N: Thank you for reading , I hope you enjoyed. It would be much appreciated if you reviewed and constructive criticism is more than welcome!