Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way of it.

A Cozy Scene

Albus wasn't terribly surprised when Neville asked him to visit him in one of the greenhouses later that day, his father's friend was way more observant than a lot of people gave the man credit for. Plus the Herbology teacher had known both Albus and Scorpius since they were boys, and Albus figured that it was too much to hope that he and Scorpius hadn't given themselves away at least a little with that scene before breakfast. So he agreed to meet the man when they both had a spare period, letting himself into the humid space at the agreed upon time with a cheerful resignation.

He found the other man watering some plant that Albus didn't recognize, which wasn't surprising since he'd never been all that great at remembering their names unless they were particularly interesting or cause for concern if he got too close to it.

"Hello, Al. How's your afternoon going so far?"

"Can't complain. Though I'm still shaking loose bits of leaves from my hair." Rolling his eyes Albus sighed for dramatic effect.

"Your father's hair."

"In a word. Or three, technically." And figuring he'd cut to the chase since he knew how confrontations upset the older man, Albus leaned his hip against the worktable Neville was at and asked him point blank what he wanted to talk to him about.

"Malfoy."

"I thought so."

"I don't know what you're up to there, and frankly I probably don't want to know." Neville glanced in Albus's direction and then quickly returned his gaze back towards his plants. "I just want…feel the need to say that you need to tread very lightly where that one's concerned. If you're up to something, by which I mean if you have some ulterior motive for trying to become friends with Malfoy, you need to stop."

"Worried he'll do me in?"

The sound Neville made in response to that was one of wry amusement. "I know I said before that it would only do Malfoy good, being around you, but Albus…you do realize that he's not someone you want to get on the wrong side of, don't you?"

"Yessssssss."

"Albus." The older man's tone said it all. "I'm serious. If you're attempting…whatever you're up to with him with hidden motives, you need to stop. He won't find it funny and will make you very sorry in the end. And…it would be cruel to him, too."

Okay, he had not expected that last part.

"Malfoy is one of the most self contained people I've ever met, and one of the most solitary by choice. If he wanted to draw people in he could, it's rare but I've seen him use charm a time or two and he can pull it off shockingly well. He chooses to be alone and you wiggling your way into his life…well the fact that he's letting you get close at all is no small thing. You need to respect that fact."

"You…you're trying to protect…him." All his planned arguments had revolved around the idea that Scorpius wasn't the threat most people would likely assume he would be to Albus, especially since he was a Potter, but here Neville was basically warning Albus off for Scorpius's sake.

"Strange, I know." Neville finally looked up and held Albus's gaze. "He's a sarcastic, egotistical ass who practically bleeds green and silver, he's so Slytherin. I didn't like him as a boy and I don't care for him as an adult, either. But he's been blamed and punished for crimes others committed all his life, and for all his faults Malfoy is not an evil or even bad man. He just doesn't like people and keeps them at a distance as much as possible."

"No kidding." And loving Neville that much more for caring about Scorpius's wellbeing, especially since the Slytherin had done nothing to earn Neville's protection, Albus moved to sling an arm around the man's shoulder. "I'm not trying to be his friend just to mess with him, or even to satisfy my curiosity about what actually makes him tick behind all that armor he wears. I really do like him, in spite of myself."

"And you aren't just doing this because it will drive James batty when he hears about it?"

"No. Though that is a side benefit."

"Alright then. Though now I have to question your sanity, Albus, because this is Scorpius Malfoy we're talking about here. That boy doesn't do anything unless it benefits him in some way."

"Maybe he likes the idea of it driving James completely nuts?"

Opening and then closing his mouth, Neville had to admit that that was a possibility.

In agreement with that, Albus took a couple moments to consider that Scorpius might be sleeping with him just so that he could see the look that news would put on James's face when he told him. Just that quickly he discarded the idea though, since even if that had been a factor previously, Albus was very sure the Slytherin had kept coming back for more because they were just that good in bed together.

"So why are you getting mixed up with him anyway? It's not like you've ever lacked for friends and he's the polar opposite of the people you like to hang out with."

"Blonds are more fun?"

Narrowing his eyes a little, Neville turned and pointed a very close to threatening finger in Albus's direction. "If you're shagging him, or even thinking of shagging him, everyone who knows your father and his is going to curse you for putting those mental images in their heads."

Getting what Neville was implying, namely that he and Scorpius looked just like their fathers and comparisons were always being made, Albus grimaced.

"Ugh."'

"You have no idea."

)

Scorpius had planned to spend the evening grading homework with the help of a couple glasses of whiskey, which would have hopefully kept him from completely losing it over the gross stupidity of some of his students. That had been his plan, and he'd said as much when Albus had asked him if he'd be paying him a visit after supper that afternoon. How he'd let himself be talked into retrieving said homework from his rooms after the last meal of the evening, and going to Albus's rooms instead, was a mystery to him long after he'd agreed to the change in his plans. The fact that Albus had offered to grade the multiple choice sections of a test he'd given his forth years had definitely been an incentive, true, but Scorpius had been planning to dump Albus before the chess incident, and it struck him that spending time together when sex or chess wasn't on the menu was going to set a bad precedent.

Yet here they were, sitting in front of the fireplace with the schoolwork stacked in front of them, their cats curled up together nearby to enjoy the fire's warmth. Off to the side were mugs that still held some hot chocolate, as well as plates with crumbs from the smores Albus had insisted they make after they'd been working away for an hour.

It was those Weasley genes, Scorpius thought absently to himself, that made the Gryffindor such a bottomless pit when it came to food. The man had eaten plenty at supper, and then had gobbled down at least six smores like he'd been made to starve all day. Personally he'd only had four, and even then he'd only had the last one because Albus had kept making the damn things for him and teasing him into eating them.

Really though, he'd have written off the whole thing if he hadn't had the opportunity to watch Albus lick melted chocolate off his fingers, which had certainly made the whole grading thing a lot more bearable in Scorpius's opinion.

Glancing in Albus's direction, just to make sure the idiot wasn't trying to make any more while he wasn't looking, Scorpius noted that the Gryffindor appeared absorbed in the marking, hunched over in a way that had Scorpius shaking his head as he informed the man, yet again, that he had deplorable posture.

"Well we can't all be born with sticks up our arses to give us perfect posture, now can we?" Looking up Albus grinned at him, the twinkle in his eyes making it clear he was just teasing and wasn't being mean.

Potter was doing that a lot recently, teasing him. He didn't like it. But since he didn't want to come off as whiney, or tip the man off as to how much it got to him, Scorpius simply raised an eyebrow as he delivered a response that he was sure would get a very satisfying reaction from the Gryffindor.

"Well if you hadn't been such an annoying git when we were students I could have fucked you into having proper posture. Too bad you're beyond help now."

Laughing in delight, which had most definitely not been Scorpius's intention, Albus grinned at him as he leaned forward, a devilish gleam in his eyes. "You're being too hard on yourself, Malfoy. You can still get it up well enough. You aren't THAT old yet."

Cheeks flushing with color, Scorpius actually stuttered as he pointed out that they were the same age.

"Technically you're a little older."

While that was true, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in their world that didn't know when Albus's birthday was since the birth of each of Harry Potter's children had been a huge deal, Scorpius still wanted to argue but couldn't because he knew a trap when he saw one. Potter wanted to embroil him in innuendo banter that would lead to them having sex in front of the fire and that wasn't going to happen. He'd already decided as soon as he'd seen where Albus thought they should set up to work. It was not happening. They had work to do, and that being the case Scorpius forced his voice into a completely mature tone as he stated that fact, pointedly looking at the papers Albus had yet to mark for him.

Rather than argue with him Albus just smiled at him. "Yes, Professor."

Damn.

Scowling at the annoying little shit, who was pretending complete absorption in the papers he was now looking at, Scorpius cursed the fact that his title sounded so dirty and sexual when Albus said it. He was referred to as professor countless times every day, and it had never made him think inappropriate thoughts until now. And only when it was Albus saying it, with that look in his eyes that did annoying things to Scorpius's concentration and ability to focus on other things.

The little shit knew it to, and Scorpius was determined to become immune or at least present the image of disinterest at the very least. So far he was failing horribly at that.

"You know, I really would have had to provide you with sexual favors to pass your classes, Malfoy. The way you've worded some of these questions is downright evil, even for you."

"Oh I'm sure whoever did your O.W.L.s for the subject would have passed you just because of your father."

"True, but I'd have never gotten to the point of being able to take the O.W.L.s for Potions if you kept failing me for the first four years." Albus rolled his eyes, holding one of the pages up as he read the question outloud, stating at the end of it that he wasn't even sure what Scorpius was asking, much less the answer.

"And that's why your sister is the only member of your immediate family that wasn't complete pants at Potions."

Eyebrows rising, Albus asked if Scorpius hadn't just said something nice about Lily.

"No. You must be hearing things."

"I must be." Setting the paper aside the Gryffindor got up to his feet, Scorpius watching him warily as the menace came over to take a seat beside him, so that their thighs were pressed against each other as Albus leaned into him. "I think marking all those answers wrong, thus helping you destroy those poor children' grade averages, is messing with my brain. I'm not used to failing people."

"Given that you teach a bird course, that really isn't surprising."

)

"True." Albus grinned when Scorpius gave him a surprised look, not surprising since the Slytherin had likely meant the comment to be either insulting or at the very least antagonistic. "What? It is. Hell, most of the kids will forget the majority of what Hagrid and I teach them about Magical Creatures even before they leave the school for good. Most don't even bother to take it into seventh year unless it's required or they're hoping to boost their overall grade average. I teach it because I love working with animals and teaching others to do so as well. It's as simple as that."

"You're simple, alright."

Albus rolled his eyes but let that do, instead giving the blond a nudge with his elbow. "Why did you decide to become a teacher, anyway? I've always wondered, especially when you make it so bloody obvious that it isn't a love of children or even teaching in general."

"None of your nevermind. Now back to work."

"Have I mentioned to you today that you're a slave driver, Professor Malfoy? So mean to me." But willing to oblige for the moment Albus got up and retook his seat so that he was closer to the fire, picking up a marshmallow and putting it on the stick he'd been using earlier to start roasting it over the flames.

"You are not eating another one."

The smirk Albus sent in Scorpius's direction made it clear that yes, he was. And the Slytherin couldn't stop him. Besides, he figured he'd earned it, both by listening to Neville's lecturing earlier and helping Scorpius fail his students by marking the damn tests for him.

"Keep that up and you're going to get as fat as your grandmother."

"Oi. My Gran is not fat, she's just…very curvy. And no man should have to say that about his grandmother, even if he is gay." Mock shuddering for Scorpius's benefit, since it wasn't actually that horrible as he'd spent most of his childhood with people commenting on the physical attractiveness of his cousins and siblings, Albus easily switched to smirking at Scorpius. "And better a woman with curves than a stick like YOUR paternal grandmother."

"You shut up about my grandmother or I'll shut you up."

"I don't suppose you'd do it in a fun way?"

The scowl Scorpius sent in his direction made it clear that no, it would not be in a way Albus would enjoy, unfortunately.

"At least I didn't insult your mum." Albus decided to point out, turning the marshmallow around to cook it evenly. "Both are mums are quite fit, actually."

Scorpius outright glared at him as he stated that if Albus continued with this line of discussion he'd choke the man to death with his own marshmallow.

"Well that's harsh." And judging said marshmallow to be done, Albus retrieved two graham crackers and a perfectly sized piece of chocolate, building his smore with practiced ease before biting in with relish. And okay, maybe he moaned a little just to mess with the Slytherin's head. But it really was that good, especially since the chocolate had softened and made it all that much gooier.

"If Weasleys and Potters weren't skinny by design you'd be the size of a house thanks to the amount of junk you eat."

"And if you Malfoys didn't lose your ability to maintain a hard on so young in life I'm sure they'd be more of you."

Jaw dropping, Scorpius stared at Albus in stunned shock, the Gryffindor having to work hard to maintain a straight face while wishing rather desperately for a camera.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

"You heard me. Though you said it before I did, technically. After all, you obviously haven't improved my posture in the slightest despite the ample opportunity you've had to correct it." Punctuating the words by taking another bite of his smore, Albus focused on enjoying it since it might be the last thing he ever ate judging from the fury that was sparking in Scorpius's eyes rather spectacularly.

Merlin but he did love riling the blond up like this.

With very slow, deliberate care, Scorpius set down the papers he'd been holding in his hand, the slighter man getting to his feet with a lethal grace that had Albus fighting the urge to squirm in anticipation. It had been hard enough to keep his hands to himself this long, what with the firelight playing over all those beautiful sharp angles of the man's face and warming the man's normally pale skin. Plus hanging out together in front of a fire, just doing normal stuff with each other, it was a sort of seduction too, though a much subtler, potentially more dangerous sort.

Still, when Scorpius held out a hand Albus took it, letting himself be brought up to his feet and flush against the other man's chest. And when Scorpius's free hand came up to thread his fingers into Albus's hair, tightening them in the mass of it to get a good grip on it, Albus just leaned in, smiling the whole while as he waited to see what the blond's next move would be.

"You Gryffindors never know when to leave well enough alone, do you?"

"Is that your way of saying you can't fix my posture? Cause I figured that out already, Mate."

"We'll just see about that, won't we?"

To drive his meaning home the blond used his grip on Albus's hair to maneuver his head into the ideal position to slate their lips against each other for a heated kiss that definitely had Albus's posture suffering for it as he was bent backward. But rather than try and change that Albus leaned into the snogging as he quite happily gave the man's tongue full access to every corner of his mouth, knowing that he was in good hands. In fact, Albus decided to wrap his own free hand around Scorpius's neck, just to make sure the other man didn't go anywhere any time soon.

Better than smores any day.