Scorpius is accosted by Roxanne Weasley, Rose and Albus' cousin who is going for her first year, and blinks when she speaks in Slytherin green. That's odd. Weasleys, in his brief experience, don't go much for green.
"Hey, you're Scorpius, right?", she asked, and Scorpius nodded, wondering if that means anything. She took a candy box from her pocket, Cupid Confit written in pink calligraphy, box an obnoxious shade of pink, decorated with little hearts and fat angels in diapers. He frowned at it, but accepts whatever that wa anyway. "Thanks! Do tell me what happened later."
Before he can speak, Roxanne and her Slytherin words skip away, and Scorpius pockets the candy, deciding he can share them with Albus and Rose later, when the train is on its path to Hogwarts, going to find his friends/crushes, engaging in small chat about their summers as they found a compartment to themselves, trying his best to not ogle the small sliver of belly Albus showed when he put his trunk up, nor the way Rose's skirt rode up when she sat carelessly with her feet on his lap, Albus head laying on his shoulders, and it takes all of Scorpius' concentration to not spontaneously combust.
When he hears the candy lady come near with her oddly grey voice, he remembered the candy Roxanne gave him, and offered to the two of them, picking up one himself - it's heart shaped and purple. Scorpius figures there's probably nothing wrong, eating one as Albus passed Rose the box.
As soon as Rose ate it, however, the world goes out of focus, slightly pink hues being added to it, and by Albus' confused gasp, he's not the only one. Scorpius' is about to ask what's going on when he feels Rose sit up, and plucks him by his collar to kiss him, and Scorpius allows himself to melt into it, and when he separates, Scorpius only has a moment to catch his breath before Albus speaks.
"Don't leave me hanging, Rose,", muttered Albus, blue hazy and filled with desire, before pulling Scorpius' to his side and kissing him too.
Kissing Rose was like sinking into the sea, and kissing Albus, hearing from far away Rose mutter privacy spells, is like flying into the sky. He wonders how the two feel kissing each other, but his thoughts flow away as they turn their attentions with hungry eyes and mouths, to him.
When whatever that candy was faded, the train was stopping, Scorpius' lips are swollen, and he's wearing less clothes than what was ideal to wear in public. Just like his luck, so are his two best friends, and while he can remember hazily what happened in the past hours, Scorpius really wished his memories could be less hazy.
"So,", he started, picking the candy box from the floor, and turning it so he could read what was behind. Scorpius frowned, barely being able to read the words natural aphrodisiac when a half-dressed Rose snatched it from his hand, eyes blazing through the lines.
"I am so killing Roxy tomorrow.", she said, caustic gold, before picking her shirt from the pile their clothes seemed to have gone, buttoning her shirt up. "Alright, we're talking this over tomorrow, your room, Scorp, during lunch. Got it?"
"Are you sure it's a good idea?, asked Albus, cautious blue. Rose rolled her eyes, buttoning her shirt up quickly.
"No, but shut up, we're late.", she hissed, acid gold, as she puts up her skirt, watching Albus dress up as well.
They aren't late per se, but the two of them obey her, try to tame their now tousled hairs, and flee to the Great Hall to watch Roxanne Weasley become a Slytherin. It's not a surprise to Scorpius, at least.
The next day, Albus eats breakfast in the Slytherin table, and Rose goes straight for Gryffindor, sitting by Lily's side, with Hugo in front of her. Lunch is more of the same, but Rose speaks with Roxanne in low, hushed tones, and Albus playfully messes with Lily and whoever is her newest boyfriend. Scorpius sighed, pushing his food around, and doesn't notice when Molly sits in front of him.
"Did you fight with my cousins?", she spoke in cool orange, calm and calculated, notebook filled with writing in hands. Scorpius shrugged."Because according to my notes, today at breakfast you were supposed to eat in Gryffindor, and then the two were supposed to join you here. What was the fight about?"
Scorpius is about to ask her why in Merlin's name is she taking notes on their eating habits when Lorcan Scamander leans in, green eyes filled with mischief. Scorpius tried and failed to decipher them, but then, he was best with voices.
"No, Molly, it's something else,", he says in forest green husky, putting one hand on top of Scorpius', and the boy in question looked to it with a faint blush creeping on his face. Lorcan chuckled, eyes darting to the direction of the Gryffindor table, and Molly followed his line of sight for one brief moment before nodding, picking a quill from behind her ear and annotating something. Scorpius looked behind him, feeling someone boring holes in both his back and front, and found Albus' looking at him and to Lorcan. Looking to the front, Rose did something similar.
He could see the colours in the Great Hall die down, silence reigning as everything came to a standstill.
"Hm, looks like this isn't enough. Do forgive my manners, Scorpius, but I am having fun,", Lorcan whispered, theatrical, rising up slightly to pick up Scorpius' hand and kiss his knuckles tenderly. Too tenderly.
Scorpius started to try and ask Lorcan what the hell he was doing when he heard the twin, violently green, sound of people rising up forcefully, looking up and seeing Rose approaching in quick yellow steps, Albus in blue ones. Lorcan winked to him as Albus put his hands possessively over Scorpius shoulders, and let go, hands in the air, when Rose pointed his wand at his neck.
"Scorp, maybe we should go and have that talk, huh?", Rose said, furious gold, and Scorpius, nodding, heard Headmaster Longbottom try and stop them, but Madam Longbottom shushed him.
However, as soon as Scorpius rose up, Albus just turned him and dipped into a kiss, and Scorpius wasn't sure if the fireworks were in his head or if they came from the roaring crowd of the Great Hall. Merlin, the metaphor was terrible. But they sounded so nice in his romance novels.
When they separated, Rose casted a mild Stinging Hex in Albus, and stepped over the table to meet them as Scorpius tried to calm his heart, plopping down in the floor and putting her wand in her pocket.
"You overdramatic sanctimonious bastard,", she hissed to her cousin, pulling Scorpius once again by his collar to kiss him, and he fell from the sky into the dark depths of the ocean.
Albus laughed at something, and when Scorpius returned to surface, the trio held hands and ran. Scorpius could hear fireworks, voices loud and boisterous and colorful, fading away as they went to the Ravenclaw Tower, which while not closer, was the only one where they could have some modicum of privacy. Rose answered the riddle ("what is harder to catch the faster you run?" "listen, I'd normally play along but today I have an inclination to hex you off."), and they made a run to the room he had called his since first year, closing the door with all the spells he could remember while Rose and Albus catched their breath. When Scorpius was done, however, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath before opening them again, and turned to face his two best friends, deciding to sit on his bed.
"So,", he started, plopping down, taking off his shoes. "What do we start by? By what happened on the train or by what just happened?"
Rose sighed and sat by his right, Albus assuming his left.
"Uncle George is producing an aphrodisiac that only works between people in love with each other, and it apparently lowers inhibitions while raising libido, which explains what happened on the train,", she started, tired and gold, a hand going through her hair as Albus drummed in his leg. "And apparently, she gave it to you because, and I quote, 'we were a bunch of dumbasses who couldn't see the chemistry'."
Silence hung in the air, thick and heavy.
"So…", Albus started, leaning into Scorpius, playing with his own tie, loosening it. "What are we supposed to do about it? I mean, we like each other, you guys like me, great!, Literally everyone knows, great! What now?"
Scorpius had an idea. It was a bad one, because he had read it in one of the trashy romance novels, but it was something. He kissed Albus and then Rose, and the two of them grinned.
Scorpius spoke in red, Albus in blue and Rose in gold, and he wondered why they hadn't done that before.
"How about we live until our parents kill us?", because they would. Scorpius just knew his dad would raise a fuss.
"I quite like your idea, Scorp,", Rose started unbuttoning her shirt, and the two boys were quick to follow her example, clothes quickly flying off his bed. ", because let's be realistic, we'll be dead in two days anyway."
The Howler from Molly Weasley actually comes in during breakfast the following morning, when Scorpius is trying to adjust his collar so that the hickeys he has won't show too much while Rose plays footsie with him and Albus under the table, a comfortable grey hum in the background as the owls swoop in.
"Uh oh,", Albus says, looking at the red angry letter, and Scorpius stops fussing for a second as his father's owl gives him two letters. He looks at Persie, and the girl frowns at him, eyes going to Lorcan, who seems to be having too much fun with this. Rose sighed, opening the Howler.
"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER AND ROSE HELSIN WEASLEY, HOW DARE YOU BE DATING EACH OTHER AND ANOTHER BOY?", the woman's brightly white voice screamed. Scorpius mouthed to Rose "your middle name is Helsin?", and she stuck her tongue out at him, picking up a letter from her mom. Scorpius decided to open the letter from his dad, first, and cracked the wax to find a very succinct letter.
As long as you plan to have at least one child, I don't care if you're dating Potter, Weasley, or both. Do use protection, son.
Huh. Scorpius thought he'd be killed, but blushed still. He sighed with relief, and opened his mother's thick letter, only to find several pieces of paper that he recognized - it was the genetic probability testing she did, with a small note clipped on top.
Listen, son, his mother's letter started, Molly Weasley congratulating Roxanne on being put in Slytherin, do let me know if I'll have to be your children's doctor too.
Scorpius let his head fall on the table, and his father's owl pecked his head. Scorpius blindly picked up the plate of bacon and offered it to the animal, who hooted happily.
"Everything alright, Scorp?", asked Albus, one hand in his back.
"My parents think they're getting a grandchild next year,", he answered, taking a protest from Rose's lips as he rose his head. "You two alright?"
"My dad thinks I was seduced with love potions, and my mom says that if I don't answer this letter she's sending the Aurors to arrest you two. How do you think I'm feeling?", Rose put her head on her hands, and Lily, who was sitting near her, patted her back. "How did they even know?"
Scorpius looked to face Lorcan, who waved cheerily at him, and sighed.
"Aunt Luna, I'm guessing.", he turned to Albus, red vicious and dry. "Let me guess, I must have poisoned you two with Dark Magic."
Albus shrugged, not caring much.
"Eh, close. That's mom's theory, dad just thinks we're all being teenagers.", Albus touched Rose's arm. "Hey, Rosie, Scorp, I wouldn't worry too much. We got until the holidays to sort this out. I say we just make due with whatever time we got until there. Deal?"
It's a deal.
They spend their days like it's the last one, making out between classes and sneaking into Ravenclaw Tower at night to sleep together, to the point their wardrobes mixed into Scorpius', or just being lazy in each other's common room, Rose laid in both their laps reading a book, or Scorpius sandwiched between the two cousins in bed while kissing Albus and let Rose mark his neck and shoulders with bites, or Albus lazily splayed between the two as they sleep. Lily faked gagging whenever she saw Albus kissing either of the two, and Persie threw an occasional hex at the cousins for "making her brother fall from grace", whatever that meant, and Hugo, the eternal Hufflepuff, just sighed and gave them chocolates.
The holidays come, and the ride back is silent and filled with them kissing occasionally, whenever Persie, Lily, Hugo, Lorcan or the rest of the Weasleys weren't checking on them to see if they hadn't escaped to another country.
However, the train had to stop, eventually.
"Listen, Scorp,", started Persie, guilty silver, when the two walked slowly to their waiting parents,", if they try to blame you, I'll say it was my fault, okay?"
"What?", he asked, frowning, but kept a neutral face, aware of his parents' scrutiny,
"You can't be blamed by dating Albus and Rose. If they start to crack down on you, I'll say that I put a love potion keyed to them in your food.", by the look of her face, Persie had that plan for a while. "And don't say you don't want my plan, I'll do it nonetheless, and Lily and Hugo have agreed on doing the same."
He blinked, surprised' and tousled his sister's perfect dark hair, the girl protesting.
"Thanks. That's very generous of you, Persie,", he whispered, as the two approached their parents, his dad looking at something behind him and his mom scrutinizing his tie. "Hello."
"Hello, son,", his dad replied, and Scorpius turned his head for a second to see Rose being taken away by her parents, Albus listening with a smile his mom hiss at him while his father sighed.
"Scorpius, your tie is crooked. Curiously enough, so is Albus'.", his mom said, fixing the tie with a spell while Scorpius blushed. "Anyway, don't we have a lot to talk about? Let's go."
They go, Persie's hand not leaving his own, the Apparition uncomfortable for a second before they arrived at the place he had called a home for almost his entire life. His parents told him to put his trunk in his room and meet him in the kitchen. Persie nodded to him, and Scorpius obeyed in silence, pausing to pick up the framed photo of the trio Dominique had took - Albus with his arms around Scorpius and Rose's shoulders, the three of them grinning for the camera and playing with each other.
He took a deep breath and went to face his parents, finding Persie sitting in the floor, near the door, and she gave him a thumbs up. Scorpius nodded and went to face his parents, the two of them sitting side by side, his father's fingers drumming on the table, his mother's eyes distant yet sharp. He sat in front of them and waited.
"Son, I must say, I am extremely concerned about this,", his father started, and took a deep breath. Scorpius steeled himself for whatever was to come. His mother started giggling, and his father tried to control the smile in his lips, which just made everything become confusing.
His mother assumed the conversation seamlessly.
"Scorpius, me and your father can't really care about the fact you're dating both of them, really. We saw it coming."
"Did you?"
"Son, your choice of literature was a dead giveaway from day one. Did you honestly think we wouldn't end up seeing your books?", his father said, one eyebrow raised. Scorpius could feel his blush deepening.
Persie started laughing hysterically and Scorpius wanted to die.
The holidays were sort of normal, even if he hadn't gotten a letter from Rose or Albus other than a quiet note that came with Persie's letters from Lily and Hugo - they were alright, even if their parents were a bit fussy and unwilling to let them communicate until this was cleared, like it was some sort of dirt. Persie wanted to pick up her broom and hex their parents, more furious about this subject than Scorpius was.
"It's not fair!", she screamed, letter crumpled in her fists, and Scorpius tried to calm her down, thankful their parents had decided to go on a date night. "Just - just because of who is your father, they're doing this!"
"Persie…", he gulped. "You're taking this… Personally."
"Of course I am, you're my brother, and if you aren't going to take this personally, I will,", she hissed, and turned. "I am so scheming something for the Golden Trio. Just you wait."
He sighed, passing a hand through his hair.
"Just don't get yourself hurt,", he called, as she left his room.
"I won't!", she called back, and Scorpius took a deep breath, eyes going for the framed picture. He touched the images of his friends, and bid his time.
When the day they were supposed to come back to Hogwarts came, Scorpius, by his sister's suggestion, quietly goes to the third compartment, and sat down, alone, watching the outside quietly, wondering why this specific compartment and if his sister had anything planned.
He heard the door opening, and turned his head to find Albus and Rose there, the girl with her wand out already.
"Scorp.", Albus said, relaxing, and the boy in question smiled, the two entering as Rose set up more privacy spells than strictly necessary. "You won't believe some of the things I've heard during this break."
"Don't even have me start on how many cleansing potions I took,", Rose snarled, throwing herself on top of Scorpius, with Albus chuckling and sitting by his side, unbuttoning Scorpius shirt so he could have easier access to his neck, like some sort of vampire. Rose straddled his hips, one hand touching his cheek. "What about you? What did your parents do to you?"
Scorpius blushed, one hand in Rose's hips to secure her better, other hand blindly unbuttoning Albus' shirt.
"Er, they accepted everything pretty easily.", Scorpius said, deciding that his book collection best be left out. That made the two working on him - with rousing success, if Scorpius could say so - stop.
"Are you trying to say that your parents didn't make you drink cleansing potions?"
"Nor did they lock you in your room and forced you to hear your grandma speak about how she had each one of your uncles?", Albus asked, and Rose rolled away, crossing her arms.
"I want to be adopted by your family, Scorp,", she huffed, and Scorpius laughed as she kicked off her shoes. "Alright, since I was the only one who suffered, I want to be kissed. Thoroughly, mind you. To work, quick."
Albus and Scorpius looked at each other and grinned.
The following day, Lily and Hugo receive letters wondering if they have anything to do with the glitter bomb their parents received via letter, and Persie and Lily looked oddly smug about the whole ordeal.