AlbusScorpius

On Your Side

Chapter Five: Connections

A/N: Okay seriously I need to stop writing out the opening bit and then getting distracted. Though bubbleshooter isn't helping.

It would be today, he decided as he strode down the hallways to The Great Hall, running slightly later than usual. He had stayed up quite late last night to finish grading homework for that day, and had slept in slightly. Something that he could not remember happening since he was at school. He still managed to arrive before the hordes of students began to arrive however, receiving a curt nod from the Potions Professor as he sat down, pleased that his quarters were closer to The Great Hall than the student dorms.

Today he would contact his grandfather. He had admittedly been putting off the conversation, though he couldn't remember why he was so worried about it. Perhaps he was trying to wait to see if the older man would be contacting him first, after all, they never specified who would be calling who. But he was now at the end of the second week and had no excuse for leaving it any longer. Waiting for the older man to contact him would only be a good enough excuse for so long.

He was pulled out of his thoughts at the arrival of one Gryffindor student, looking at him nervously and with questions in his eyes. Had had not yet told the boy that he had found a place for their extra lessons to continue, feeling slightly sore about having to panic about his desk disappearing still. The man next to him gave him a slightly reprimanding look, and he rolled his eyes. He probably should've informed the boy yesterday after their lesson when he asked, but he'd merely told him it was taking longer than he thought it would.

Smiling slightly, Scorpius nodded his head at the boy, unable to help himself from chuckling as a large grin spread across Albus' face, eyes lighting up brightly.

It wasn't until lunch that the boy approached him to know where their lesson would be held. As he left the hall Albus jumped from his seat, running to meet the man, his friends watching him, clearly amused. They fell into step as they walked through the halls, heading upwards side by side. Albus asked where they were going, and Scorpius merely answered they would be going towards the seventh floor with a secretive smirk that had the younger male's cheeks tinged pink.

"Here we are," the blond said, walking down a corridor before turning on his heel, spinning and walking back in the direction they had come in.

Albus glanced around them, feeling slightly confused, watching his Professor turn back to him and return to his side, opening his mouth to ask the man what he was doing, eyes widening as a door appeared, something dawning in his mind. "The Room of Requirement," he murmured.

"Have you never been here before?"

"Once, when my brother and I were exploring back when I was in second year, but not since," he muttered, shaking his head. "Never had a reason to use it."

Scorpius nodded, gesturing to the door. "Now you do."

Smiling with slight excitement, Albus jogged towards the door, opening it and looking around the sparsely decorated room, grinning slightly and turning to the teacher. "There's certainly nothing for me to break."

The blond chuckled. "Which was what I had in mind. Come, let's start your practice, Conjuring is a lot more difficult than Vanishing."

Albus sighed in annoyance as his Professor disposed of another failed conjuring, running a hand through his black hair and glaring down at his workspace. Scorpius returned to stand by his student's side, patting the boy on the shoulder with a slightly concerned look painted on his face. "Are you okay?" he questioned. "You seem more distracted than usual."

"Family things," the dark haired boy muttered, huffing as he thought about his sister. The girl still hadn't forgiven him, now that he'd managed to retrieve the desk that she helped him Vanish. "With my little sister, she holds grudges for a long time."

The older man hummed, gesturing towards the space in the centre of the room. "Come on, try again," he encouraged. "And I'm not surprised your sister holds grudges. She's a very," he paused to try think of an appropriate word. "Strong woman."

"Don't start calling her a woman," Albus grumbled. "That implies she's going to be dating."

"I believe she already is," Scorpius said with raised brows. "She certainly seems close to one of her housemates."

Albus looked up, horrified. "The day I trust her to a Slytherin is the day Rose sings at my funeral."

The older man looked torn between being offended and amused. "So glad you hold my former house in such a high opinion."

"I-I didn't mean it to sound like," he swallowed a lump in his throat, flustering. "It's just, the boys in her year, they're all a bit…"

"I understand," Scorpius gestured towards the work space again. "If you want to chat you can work while we're doing it. He isn't the purest boy around, and she seems to be in competition with one of her friends for him. I'm sure she'll get bored of him easily if she wins."

"Do you think she will?"

"It's very likely. Your sister is a very sought after girl."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation," Albus muttered, shaking his head. "And I'd rather pretend my sister was still twelve and the only boys she talked to were her brothers."

Scorpius hummed, watching carefully as the boy in front of him tried to Conjure a blanket again. "You'll have to accept it eventually."

"Never."

Unable to help himself, Scorpius started to chuckle, shaking his head at the boy's stubbornness. "That's enough distractions, focus on the spell. Picture it perfectly in your mind, the more details you can get the better."

"You've told me that many times."

"Yet you seem to fail to grasp the spell still," the blond man shot back. "It's been two hours now, Mr Potter."

Albus bit his lip, frowning at the reminder of their relationship. He was beginning to feel more relaxed and open around the older man, until that stinging reminder was brought back. "Sorry, Professor Malfoy."

Scorpius nodded, brushing off the apology and stepping back from the boy, clearing his throat and reminding himself of where he was. It would not do to be too friendly with his students; he had to keep himself distant. After all, he might find himself putting a few of them in danger. And the same went for his work colleagues.

He felt his whole being sober up at this fact. It had never occurred to him before, how much damage he might do under his grandfather's wishes. There was more at stake than he was willing to admit. And the only way he was going to be able to successfully go through with the plan is if he ignored it. Because when he overlooked that fact and just remembered the conviction that was in his grandfather's voice, the man was so sure of himself, so sure this was the right path, there was no way Scorpius could say no. He believed in his grandfather's cause. That was what he had to focus on.

"I did it!"

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Scorpius turned to look down at the space in front of them, seeing as slightly small, slightly thin and badly made quilt laying on the floor. If it was any of his other sixth years I'd give them a smack round the head. But it wasn't, it was the one who had trouble Vanishing a spoon, so he was entirely grateful. He turned to look at the bright smile adorning the dark haired boy's face, green eyes glittering happily.

"I did it!" he repeated.

"You did," Scorpius agreed, patting the boy on the back and going over to inspect the quilt. "Now all we have to do is make it more substantial, unless you planned on having it look like a homemade safety blanket."

Albus shifted uncomfortable. "Well, you said picture a blanket, and that's the one that came into my mind," he shrugged. "If you wanted something more substantial you should've been more specific."

"You're certainly being quite lax with your choice of words today," the Professor pointed out, amused at the accusation that was sent his way. "Don't think you can get out of this so easily, Mr Potter. I expect more than just a blanket out of you today, so you might want to speed up your learning progress."

"Sorry Professor," Albus murmured quickly, face heating up again in shame. If only Rose was here to hear the way he spoke to their Professor.

"Seeing as you're so confident with the blanket, you can Conjure me a bed."

"What?"

"You heard me, remember what I taught you in Vanishment about materials and detail," he nodded, taking hold of the boy's wand hand and directing it to the right direction, not noticing the way the Gryffindor's entire body froze at the action. "What has your sister done to distract you so?"

Trying to hide the slight disappointment he felt as the pale hand dropped after positioning his hand. He paused, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell the whole story without giving away her little practical joke with the desk. "She tried to get revenge on me for the thing on the train and failed. Well no, she succeeded, but I fixed it and now she's all pissy about it, which is worse than before."

"What did she do, may I ask?"

Scorpius watched his pupil scowl, nibbling his lip in thought, sucking in a deep breath. He waited patiently for the boy to decide what to say, about to suggest they simply moved on.

"You remember last time, when I Vanished your desk?" Albus asked, slightly awkwardly.

The blond man raised a brow curiously, but nodded. "Yes, I do. And you managed to get it back, somehow. While injuring yourself."

Albus flustered lightly. "Yeah, well, the reason I got distracted was because she was shining a light about your desk to distract me. But when I got it back, she decided that was her revenge ruined and she's now plotting something else," he glared at the floor. "She's always plotting something, the little-!"

"So while she's off plotting, she's also managing to disrupt your learning again, and this time she doesn't even need to be here?"

The dark haired boy went to protest, opening his mouth and trying to think of something to say, but realised his Professor was right. She wasn't even here and she was still bothering him.

"Exactly," Scorpius pointed back to the work space. "Now put her out of your mind and focus on the task at hand. She may bother you outside of class, but inside of class don't give her the satisfaction."

"Thank you, Professor."

He nodded, unable to help himself from probing the boy some more. "Why didn't you tell me this last week?"

"Because she also helped me last week," Albus muttered, so quietly the teacher had to strain to hear it. "There was a rumour going round about me. She found out who started it and taught him a lesson."

"You don't seem like the type that would care about what others thought, or about rumours."

"I'm not, it's just," he let out a sigh, lowering his wand and allowing a slightly pained look to cross his face, unable to hide his emotions. "The rumour was true."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes slightly, aware of some of the rumours that floated around the school. If he had the unfortunate fate of winding up talking to the Divination Professor she would enjoy gossiping about their mutual students and the scandals that went on within the school, much to his horror. He really didn't care what a bunch of teenagers got up to in their free time, nor did he have much interest in speculation; if there was no proof why would you want to make a big deal about something that probably wasn't true. But the woman did tell him of the delightful rumour concerning the now eldest Potter student, eyes glistening with pleasure as she told him. He drew the line at making a large commotion about people's sexuality and told her to fuck right off thank you. She hadn't talked to him since.

"Professor?"

"Sorry, just thinking," he muttered, turning his attention back to Albus, heart stopping for a moment at the almost frightened look on his face. "It was very noble of your sister to sort out your problem for you, and I understand why you wouldn't want to tell me what she did. However if you had, I could have arranged for you to have some form of punishment for Vanishing my desk. Don't be scared to come to me with these things, I know that dealing with your sister might be delicate. May I ask what the rumour was?"

The boy looked slightly uncomfortable again. "It-it was that I was, ah, not interested in girls."

Scorpius nodded slowly. "I see. And why is this such a bad rumour?"

"Well," Albus frowned. "The way Lily told me it, it kind of sounded like it was suggesting I," he paused, swallowing a lump in his throat and flustering. "That I got around. But I don't. Get around, that is."

The Professor cleared his throat, licking his lips to try and keep the smile off his face. "I can see why that might be upsetting."

"And I'm just, I'm not ready, you know? I don't want the whole school knowing my personal life. When I do, I'll be the one to tell them, not Jeremy fucking-!" he felt his face heating up, anger subsiding and embarrassment creeping in. "Uh, sorry."

"Its fine, you have every right to be upset. But yes, mind your language please," Scorpius said with a small, amused smile. "Your sister has dealt with the rumour, and when you're ready you'll be ready. For now stop focusing on how angry it makes you and be thankful your sister cares enough to fix it for you."

He watched as Albus seemed to contemplate this fact, satisfied to see a content smile spread across the boy's face as the green eyes looked up at his. There was a spark of admiration that shone in them, making his heart swell with pride. "Thank you again, Professor."

"Its what I'm here for, Albus. Now, enough distractions, I want to see a bed and I want to see it before dinner."

He fingered the mirror, nibbling on his lip, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He thought he had erased any fear that morning, but after bonding slightly with the dark haired Gryffindor, the fears had returned. But he could not let them show on his face, he had to remain strong for his grandfather, else the man might decide he was unsuitable for the task given to him. He could not let them down, he could not let Lucius Malfoy down for a second time.

Sucking in a breath, Scorpius ran a thumb over the cold surface and schooled his face. "Grandfather?"

There was a pause, and he tried again.

Slowly he saw a shadow flitter across the mirror, followed by dull grey eyes framed with wrinkles, white eyebrows pulled together in a frown, nose scrunched slightly.

"It's me, Scorpius," he said, hesitating for a moment. The man looked like he didn't know what was going on.

The white brows straightened however, and the angry lines were replaced with creases of a smile, understanding dawning in the eyes that looked so similar to his own. "Scorpius," the old man's voice greeted in a quiet whisper. "Have you enjoyed your first few weeks as a Professor of Hogwarts?"

The man hesitated, but nodded. "It has been interesting. I am pleased to have Blaise to help me. He is a familiar face."

"A good man. I know he will look after you," the eldest Malfoy said with a satisfied nod. "I trust things are going well?" he asked, in a slightly more serious tone, smile dropping.

"Of course, Grandfather."

"Good. The workload will not impede on your progress?" the man's brow was lined at the very thought. "I am aware from Draco's old school friend that teaching requires a large amount of work."

Scorpius shook his head, a confident look in his eyes. He was determined to not allow Lucius Malfoy to know of the extra work he had taken on, at least not from his lips. It would suggest the man needed to be worried about it. "No it will not, Grandfather."

"Remember to keep yourself at a distance to your colleagues," Lucius warned, something that Scorpius had told himself to do that very morning. "I know how you can get…attached to people," he practically spat the last word, a fire starting in his eyes. "Though I would hope you don't need the reminder."

"No, I do not," Scorpius replied, looking away with shame written on his face. "And I will remember, Grandfather."

"I'm glad to hear it," the man said, nodding. "I have arranged for you to meet with my contact during the visit to Hogsmeade, will you be supervising it?"

Scorpius shook his head. "I have the day off, so it will be fine. Where should I expect to meet him?"

"I will contact you again closer to the date. I believe the visit isn't for another two weeks?"

"That's correct," the younger man said with a nod. "Two weeks today."

He saw his grandfather nod through the mirror, a thoughtful look in the faded grey eyes. Scorpius glanced up at the door to his rooms, worried about unexpected visitors, though he had never had any so far.

"I should let you get back to your work," Lucius said, an edge to his voice that clearly said he was finished. Scorpius nodded mutely. "I will make sure I contact you in the evening of next week, so be sure to be in an appropriate setting for my message."

"Understood."

"Good evening, Scorpius."

The man vanished from sight, leaving Scorpius to stare at his own reflection with a sigh of relief. The dull eyes were replaced with his own, almost darker ones. After a few moments he set the mirror down beside him on the bed before falling back with a slight bounce, feeling exhausted. His mind was blank and his limbs felt like he was already asleep. He didn't know what it was about his grandfather that made him feel so drained of energy, but it happened every time. And as he got older he had begun to notice he wasn't the only one. He would catch his father leaning against a wall looking almost as old as the elder Malfoy himself.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts he focused on the task that was set before him, wondering who it was he was supposed to be meeting, wetting his dry lips. He had too much time to think in this old castle.

I know, I know, I'm a horrible person, that took me far too long than it should have. I was reliving my childhood all week though, so don't blame me. Blame Tetris.

You will be glad to know I've started on chapter six already, and have gotten about a third of it written. Of course it took me an entire week to write a thousand words for this chapter, so don't hold your breath. Hopefully I've kicked the writer's block down. Next chapter is certainly more interesting.

Reviews, alerts and faves are appreciated as always!

Thanks,

Kivea R.

PREVIEW

"I'm not sure about that man, Al. Not at all."

"Oh lighten up Rosie; I'm sure it was nothing."

"Did you see the man he was with?"

"Don't judge people on their looks."