New chapter! Enjoy :3
Teddy Lupin cupped his hands in front of his mouth and breathed deeply, warming his hands and then rubbing them together quickly. Despite it being mid-March, the morning was as brink and cold as January. Teddy was just considering going inside the 3 Broomsticks to wait for Albus when he saw his brother running towards him. At least he thought it was Albus, but without his usual mop of black hair it was hard to be certain.
"Teddy!" Albus called, waving enthusiastically. He must have hurried from the castle because Teddy could see his breath drifting in small clouds above his head in the cold. When Albus reached Teddy he was indeed out of breath, but he grinned widely. "Sorry, have you been waiting long?"
"No, not at all. Now who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Teddy wrapped the younger boy in a large hug, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Nice hair, and let's see this infamous earring that has your mother all up in arms." Albus turned to show his piercings off.
"Very cool." Teddy said with a wink. He had to admit that Albus' new look suited him. He looked much older, no longer hiding behind his shaggy hair, or baggy clothes. He couldn't help feel a little sad at the transformation as well. It had only been a few months since he had last seen his brother, but Albus seemed like a completely different person. But that was ridiculous, Teddy reminded himself. Albus was still the same person, just with a slightly more put-together exterior.
"If you're done staring at my good looks, let's go inside." Albus said with a grin, "It's freezing."
They were hit with a blast of warm air as soon as they stepped inside and they both sighed contently.
"Much better," Teddy commented.
Albus went to find them a table while Teddy grabbed them drinks. Once Teddy had the drinks he had some trouble finding Albus. Eventually he noticed his brother sitting at a table in a secluded corner of the large room. As he approached he heard Albus humming happily as he perused the menu.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Teddy asked him, setting down the drinks and taking a seat opposite. Albus blushed slightly and replied, "It's such a cold day, I was thinking something hot might be nice. Maybe stew, or pie." He continued flipping through the menu. Teddy cocked an eyebrow at Albus, who was blatantly ignoring his question, but decided not to press the matter.
"Stew does sound nice." He agreed, "Although part of the cold you only have yourself to blame. Look, you're not even wearing a proper coat," Teddy gestured at Albus' thin jacket, fully aware that he sounded like a nagging mother. "And didn't you think to grab a scarf?"
Albus shrugged, "Well I was very warm when I woke up this morning…" He said, trailing off, seemingly lost in thought.
"Albus?" Teddy asked a few moments later.
"Oh right," Albus shook his head, "All I mean is that I didn't think to bundle up."
"You are acting very peculiar," Teddy said, "Taking a sip of his butter beer and watching his brother carefully.
"Am I?" Albus looked genuinely surprised, "How?"
"Well for instance you sat us at the very back of the 3 Broomsticks." Teddy gestured to their secluded table.
"Oh," Albus nodded, "Right, well that's just because I wanted to talk to you about something that is slightly private…"
Teddy nodded, he had surmised as much.
"Well get on with it then." He said good naturedly. But no sooner had he spoken then someone came to take their order. Teddy decided on the stew while Albus sided with the pie. An awkward silence fell upon them once the waiter walked away.
"Um, you were saying…" Teddy began. Albus remained silent so Teddy took a large sip of his butter beer.
"Scorpius and I are dating." Albus said suddenly. Teddy choked on his butter beer. He managed to not spray any across the table, but starting coughing violently. Albus frowned.
"Sorry." He said nervously. Once Teddy stopped coughing he had to refrain from shouting.
"What?" He asked, doing he best to control his voice.
"For about a month." Albus continued.
"A month?" Teddy was astonished, why hadn't Albus told him anything?
"Yeah, he asked me on Valentine's day."
If Teddy hadn't been so surprised he would have laughed at how cheesy it sounded. Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. Teddy didn't know what to say, this morning he had honestly hoped that Albus was going to tell him that the whole thing with Scorpius had blown over.
"Who knows about it?" Teddy asked.
"The whole school, I guess." Albus replied. Teddy immediately thought of James.
"James isn't happy about it." Albus added, as if reading Teddy's mind.
"Yeah, I can't imagine that he would be."
"He tried to take the invisibility cloak away from me so that I couldn't go and see Scorpius." Albus glared down at his butter bear, "He's being such a prick."
"Well, it's only because he is trying to protect you." Teddy offered.
"But I don't need protection!" Albus argued. Teddy couldn't respond. He could tell that Albus wanted him to be sympathetic, but Teddy couldn't help but think that if it had been him he probably would have done the same thing as James. Albus definitely wouldn't want to hear that.
"Well, then, um, how is it going?" Teddy asked finally.
"It's… it's really good." Albus had a small smile on his face that surprised Teddy. The last time the two had talked about the Slytherin Albus had been extremely stressed out by the whole situation.
"Is he still toying with you?" Teddy frowned, nervous that Albus wasn't telling him the whole story.
"No, he actually is being really sweet. He's very considerate of my feelings. I don't really know how to describe the change, it's a complete one-eighty."
Teddy raised his eyebrows, he was not expecting to hear that, although to be fair he hadn't really been expecting any part of this conversation.
"A one-eighty from what exactly?" Teddy asked.
"Well, I mean he's completely changed since what happened on-" Albus cut off suddenly, looking nervous.
"On what?" Teddy insisted.
"Nothing, it really doesn't matter. The point is that he is different now." Albus replied.
"It matters to me Albus. What did he do?" Teddy was getting frustrated. Albus never kept secrets from him, and Teddy didn't like the idea that he was covering for Malfoy. "Is it about New Year's? I wanted to talk to you about that."
"New Year's was ages ago." Albus rolled eyes, "Ancient history."
Teddy sent Albus a look that must have shown Albus that he wasn't going to back down on the matter, because finally Albus sighed.
"I went to the party, the one in France, with all of my friends and Scorpius… well he kissed someone else at midnight." Albus shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. We weren't even together at that point. It's not like he owed me anything."
Teddy frowned. He didn't like the way Albus said "all my friends" when he knew very well from Albus' mother that it had just been other Slytherin students. But what made him even more upset was the way Albus was acting like what had happened didn't bother him.
"That's a shitty thing to do." Teddy remarked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"It was ages ago." Albus repeated.
"Doesn't make it any less shitty." Teddy replied.
"Well, he apologized and I forgave him." Albus said, as if that settled the matter.
Teddy frowned again, taking another sip of his drink.
"You know, your parents are still really concerned about that." Teddy said after they had sat in silence for a few moments. "New Year's I mean."
"Yeah, the howler they sent made that really clear." Albus glared down at his drink. "I don't know what their problem is, nothing happened. They're just overreacting."
"They were worried about you Al!" Teddy replied. He was angry now. This was not like Albus at all. He didn't seem remorseful in the slightest.
"What do you mean they were worried?" Albus shot back, "The party was already over. Everything was fine. They just don't want me hanging out with Slytherins."
"What is wrong with you?" Teddy was yelling now, though not loudly enough to draw attention to their secluded table. "They're worried because you aren't acting like yourself. You don't do this Albus. You don't sneak out and lie to your family and drink and break rules. Everyone is just trying to stop you from making a huge mistake."
Albus' face was turning red with how angry he was. Teddy felt awful. Not about the things he said, because he knew they were right, but just about fighting with Albus. They never fought, they always got along and when they did disagree it was never like this. They were silent for a few minutes. Their waiter brought their food over and they sat, eating in silence. Teddy wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but he couldn't think of anything. He glanced up at his brother and saw that Albus was holding back tears.
Teddy sighed, his heart sinking even further. "I'm sorry Al." He said earnestly. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
"You know I was really excited to see you." Albus' voice caught in his throat and he had to wait a moment before he could continue. "I can't talk to anyone about this. Rosie never wants to hear it. No one understands. No one wants me to be with Scorpius, but he makes me so happy. I thought that would be all that matters to you." Albus wiped his face and kept eating.
Now Teddy felt even worse. Albus may have seemed confident talking about his relationship, but now Teddy could see the truth, that he was scared. Scorpius was his first boyfriend, and he needed someone to be on his side, someone he could trust.
"Of course that matters to me Al." Teddy said quietly. "And if you say that he is different then I trust you. I just don't want you to get hurt."
Albus nodded, but didn't say anything else.
"I shouldn't have brought up New Year's." Teddy admitted, "You were right, it was a really long time ago, and you haven't been breaking any rules since. I'm proud of you. I don't mean to sound judgmental. I guess I just… well I just don't get it." Teddy admitted.
"Well you haven't even asked me anything about him." Albus pointed out. "You're just relying on what other people say about him."
"I guess that's true." Teddy took a bite of his stew, "Alright, then tell me. Tell me all about him."
And Albus did. Albus told Teddy all about how confident and daring Scorpius was. How people flocked to him, how he was a natural leader. Albus explained that Scorpius put up a front for most people, but that he had let Albus in. That they could be vulnerable with each other. He explained that Scorpius loved potions and wanted to make something of himself outside of his father's shadow. He told Teddy how Scorpius could always make him laugh when he was feeling stressed, or cheer him up when he was feeling down. He told Teddy how safe and peaceful he felt when he was with Scorpius, but also how exciting it was when they were together.
Teddy listened to all of this without a single word. When Albus stopped talking he was blushing, embarrassed by all of the things he had told his god-brother.
"I'm sorry I didn't let you say all of that before." Teddy replied when he was sure Albus was done.
"That's ok." Albus mumbled, still blushing slightly.
"I really am happy for you." Teddy smiled, "It's a beautiful thing being in love."
"LOVE?!" Albus practically choked on his pie, "I didn't say that I- but I don't. I mean, I-"
Teddy couldn't help but laugh at how flustered his brother looked.
"You didn't have to say it Albus. It's obvious, what with the way you talk about him."
"I've only been dating him a month!" Albus insisted.
"Yeah, well Gryffindors fall hard and fast." He responded, "It's in your nature."
Albus scowled slightly, picking up on the fact that Teddy was teasing him. Teddy relaxed finally. This felt more natural, he felt like he was talking to his brother again.
"Why? Would it be bad if you loved him?" Teddy questioned.
"….no." Albus finally mumbled. "But I don't know what I feel." He sighed, "I mean-" He cut himself off and took another bite of pie.
"What?" Teddy asked, curious as to what Albus wasn't sure about. Albus gave Teddy a serious look, as if trying to decide what to say.
"I don't know what to feel right now because last night-" he stopped again.
"What happened last night?" Teddy asked, in concern, but after looking at Albus' face, he realized what his brother was going to say.
"We had sex." Albus said nervously, "For the first time."
Scorpius Malfoy was laying in bed moping when Stephanie pulled back the curtains around his bed.
"Oy!" Scorpius shouted at her. "Ever heard of privacy?"
Stephanie laughed in response, "Oh please, have you met me? You have no privacy from me. Although I suppose now that you have a lover spending the night I should be a little more cautious. Though, I heard he already left early this morning." Stephanie smirked at him, "Didn't take long for you to scare him off."
Scorpius rolled his eyes at his best friend's teasing. "He went to Hogsmeade to see his god-brother." Scorpius explained, sitting up and scooting over so that she could sit on the edge of his bed.
"Well." Stephanie said, sitting down on the bed. "How'd it go?" Her eyes widened and she stared at Scorpius, waiting.
"I don't kiss and tell." Scorpius said, grinning at her.
"Oh please." Stephanie groaned, "That's all you've ever done. If you don't want to give dirty details that's fine, but give me something to go on, I'm dying."
Scorpius peered out from beyond his bed to see who else was in the room.
"Just us." Stephanie confirmed, "Andrew is with Tess, Sullivan is on his date, and Jaysen is god knows where. Now spill."
Scorpius sighed, knowing that Stephanie wasn't likely to drop the subject. "Alright, so after I followed him back into the dorms…"
After Scorpius had finished recounting the previous night (leaving out a lot of the details, because they weren't anybody's business) Stephanie looked impressed.
"Who knew he had it in him." She said winking at Scorpius. "I was half expecting him to run out screaming." Scropius rolled his eyes. "No really," she insisted, "We were taking bets."
"You are all horrible friends, I don't know why I hang out with you." Scorpius sighed, pushing Steph off of his bed so that he could get up and start getting dressed.
She crossed her arms and feigned anger at the rough treatment. "Just remember that Albus still wouldn't be speaking to you if it wasn't for me." Stephanie reminded him.
Scorpius wanted to respond with a sarcastic remark, but he knew she was right, so he just shrugged. "Fine, you win. Happy?"
"Delighted." She beamed at him. "Shall we go get some food?"
"Sure." Scorpius said, "What time is it?"
"Nearly noon." She called back, already half way out of the room, leaving him behind.
"Merlin," He said, chasing after her. "No wonder I am so hungry."
"Yeah," She called behind her loudly, "A good fuck always builds up quite the appetite."
"Hey!" Scorpius yelled, chasing after her, "What happened to best friend confidentiality!"
Stephanie just ran away laughing, "Oh please, have you met me?"
Teddy was silent for longer than Albus thought necessary.
"Wow." Teddy said finally. He sat there awkwardly, seemingly waiting for Albus to respond so that he would know how to act.
"Are you excited for me?" Albus asked him finally. He could tell that Teddy was nervous about saying the wrong thing after the fight they had just had. Albus wished he hadn't told his god brother about having sex with Scorpius at all. The dating had been hard enough for him to swallow. He was so used to being able to tell everything to Teddy, but that just didn't seem to be true anymore. It hurt in a way, but Albus reminded himself that he didn't need Teddy's approval, he had to live his own life.
"Yeah!" Teddy said over-enthusiastically. He was really trying too hard, Albus decided. "Well, I mean, as long as you are happy about it…" Teddy trailed off awkwardly.
"I am." Albus said simply. "It was amazing." He gave a small smile.
"That's good." Teddy replied, "I'm happy for you." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Albus felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This was not what he had been hoping for. Was Teddy really so preoccupied with the last name of the person he was dating? Albus wondered. He couldn't help but think that Teddy would be much more excited for him if he was dating a Gryffindor. Maybe a nice, quiet Hufflepuff boy. It was ridiculous. They both sat in silence for a few minutes, finishing their meals. Albus kept looking over at his brother, and Teddy kept looking like he wanted to say something, but he never did. Albus thought that if they just sat there long enough maybe Teddy would stop being so weird. Maybe he would turn back into the old Teddy and they could talk about everything. Unfortunately, Albus would never find out if he was right because a few moments later they were rudely interrupted by the appearance of Lily Potter.
"Hello boys." She said cheerfully and she sat down in an empty seat. "Enjoying lunch?"
"Lily." Albus glared at her, "I said we would meet you after."
"Well you were taking too long." Lily shrugged.
Teddy looked extremely delighted at the opportunity to drop the subject that he and Albus had been talking about, or rather, not talking about. Albus continued to glare at his sister and Teddy as the two started happily chatting about wedding preparations. Albus noticed that Teddy seemed much more enthusiastic to talk about his own love life than Albus'. When the check arrived Teddy paid it, which only frustrated Albus even more. He didn't want Teddy to pay for his pie, he wanted Teddy to listen to him, and to be excited for him. As the three got up to leave Teddy suggested that they walk around the town, window shopping and ducking into stores whenever the wind picked up and made them chilly. Lily was enthusiastic about the idea, and normally Albus would have been as well. Normally Teddy and Lily were some of Albus' favorite company, but in that moment Albus realized that he wanted nothing more than to get away from his god-brother. The last thing he wanted was to spend another few hours walking around, ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room. As soon as they were back outside Albus pulled away from them.
"I don't feel very well." He said, avoiding eye contact with them both. "I'm just going to head back to the castle."
"No, Albus." Teddy reached out, trying to put a hand in his brother's shoulder, but Albus pulled away.
"Albus, what's wrong?" Lily asked. Albus looked up and saw both of them looking worriedly at him.
"Nothing." He said quickly, backing away. "I think I just need to get some sleep." He walked away quickly, calling out behind him, "Thanks for lunch." He heard Lily calling him, but he ignored her and continued walking quickly back in the direction of the castle. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced them back down. He felt miserable. He felt so lonely, why didn't anyone understand? He was sure Teddy would, but he had been wrong. When he was sure that neither Teddy nor Lily were following him he slowed his pace slightly. It was cold, but Albus realized he didn't mind it much, the cold helped clear his head. As he walked he saw plenty of other students. In the crowd he noticed Sullivan and a pretty brunette, who Albus assumed must have been the Ravenclaw girl that everyone had been talking about. Albus also saw Rosie with Jeremy, Tess with Andrew and even Drew with Grace. None of them noticed Albus who was trying to avoid interacting with anyone. Once he was past the center of Hogsmeade the crowds thinned and he was more or less alone. Albus couldn't ignore the pang of jealousy that ran through him seeing all of the other couples walking through Hogsmeade hand in hand. He was now mentally kicking himself for spending the day with Teddy. The only person he wanted to see right now was Scorpius. And he knew just where to find him. Albus smiled, feeling much calmer than he had most of the morning, and strode determinedly back towards the castle.
Scorpius and Steph and finished eating and were sitting in the Great Hall trying to decide what to do with the rest of their Saturday, most of their friends were in Hogsmeade, but neither of them really had any desire to go. Stephanie mentioned that they could start studying for their end of term exams, which were just a few weeks away. They both had a good laugh at that. Scorpius couldn't remember the last time he had studied for a test. He and Stephanie both usually used the tried and true method of sitting next to a smarter student, copying what they could, and then making up the rest. It had gotten them this far after all. Scorpius had offered the idea of going into the woods to smoke, but Stephanie had complained that it was too cold, and that it wasn't as fun if the rest of the group wasn't around. Scorpius had all but run out of ideas, when Stephanie, who was facing the entrance to the hall, waved to someone behind Scorpius.
The blond turned to see his boyfriend walking towards them, his face red from the cold, but grinning widely.
"I was just about to go down to the dungeons, but I'm glad I thought to check the Great Hall first." He gave Scorpius a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down.
"What are you doing here?" Scorpius asked in surprise
"I finished with Teddy earlier than I expected." The Gryffindor replied, "And I wanted to see you."
Scorpius could tell that this wasn't the whole story. Albus grin looked a little forced.
"Are you hungry." He asked.
"No, I already ate." Albus said. "But, um, I was hoping that we could talk."
At those words Scorpius felt his stomach sink. It had to be about last night, he decided. He knew it was all too good to be true. Maybe Albus had talked to his god-brother and decided that he and Scorpius weren't a good fit after all. Scorpius was mentally panicking, but he tried not to show it.
"Sure," He replied. Looking sideways at Stephanie who was watching them with interest. "Do you wanna, uh, go for a walk?"
Albus nodded, so the two of them stood up and Scorpius shot Stephanie an apologetic look for leaving her alone.
"Don't worry about me," She said sarcastically, "I'll just go and hang out with my boyfriend."
Scorpius rolled his eyes, "We'll meet you in the common room later." He said assuredly. Although there was a voice in his head that was asking if Albus and him would even be a 'we' later.
Stephanie waved them off, and the two began walking, first out of the Great Hall and then deeper into the castle.
"Where are we going?" Scorpius asked Albus, who began leading the way.
"An old classroom," Albus said, reaching out and taking Scorpius' hand. Scorpius hadn't been expecting this. He gripped Albus' hand tightly, feeling calmer. Maybe the Gryffindor's news wasn't bad, he decided.
When they reached the classroom, light was pouring in through the windows. From inside the castle the sun looked deceivingly warm. The room was almost empty except for a few large armchairs in the corner of the room, next to an old fireplace.
"Rosie and I used to come here a lot." Albus said, walking them over to the armchairs so they could sit. "She would probably be mad if she knew I brought you here." He confessed.
"I promise I won't tell." Scorpius grinned. They were silent for a moment. "What did you want to talk about." Scorpius asked.
That was the only prompting Albus needed. He began to tell Scorpius all about his trip to Hogsmeade and his lunch with Teddy. At one point he stood up and began pacing, throwing his arms up into the air in agitation.
"It's like he wasn't even listening." Albus fumed. Scorpius listened patiently as Albus talked. He nodded at all the right parts and kept his face solemn. But on the inside he was jumping for joy, this wasn't about him at all. Albus wasn't mad at him, he didn't regret having sex and he didn't want to break up. Scorpius immediately felt guilty for feeling so happy when his boyfriend was so distressed, but he couldn't help himself.
"I just don't know what to do." Albus exclaimed finally. He sat back down in the armchair across from Scorpius and looked at the Slytherin miserably. Scorpius wished he could make Albus feel better, but he wasn't really sure that he could. He knew how important Teddy was to Albus, and how much the man's opinion meant to Albus.
"Well…" Scorpius took a deep breath, "I mean it was a lot to dump on him all at once."
"I know." Albus moaned, "I knew I shouldn't have told him. It was too much."
Scorpius shook his head, "No, I think you were right to tell him. I mean, he was going to find out sooner or later, and if your relationship is really as close as it sounds he would have probably been hurt if you waited."
Albus nodded, but didn't respond. Scorpius realized the Gryffindor was waiting for him to say more.
"He will get over it. I know it seems like he reacted badly, but I think he just needs time to process it." Scorpius assured him, "He loves you Albus, and he will support you, but he just needs to wrap his head around what that is going to look like. You know?"
Albus nodded, his distressed face relaxing a little. "I just hate people treating me like I don't know what I am doing." He said finally, "I know exactly what I'm doing, for the first time I am making my own decisions and everybody wants to shove me back inside the same box I've spent my whole life in."
Scorpius smiled, "Well I don't." Albus looked at him, a small smile forming on his lips. "In fact, I say, let's burn the box!" Scorpius continued, making Albus laugh. Scorpius grinned widely. He wasn't always the best at consoling people, but he was happy to know he could cheer Albus up.
He reached across and grabbed his boyfriend's hand, yanking the brunette up out of his chair and pulling him into his lap. Albus curled up contentedly, and they began to kiss, softly.
"So, you told Teddy that the sex was good." Scorpius said a few minutes later, referencing a part of Albus' story.
Albus blushed, but smiled, "Well it was." He said matter-of-factly. Scorpius grinned.
"No complaints?" Scorpius insisted. Albus shook his head, smiling still. "Is it, um, sore at all?"
"It?" Albus laughed. "My ass?" He teased.
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Albus, your ass." Scorpius replied, "I was trying to maintain some decency."
Albus laughed again, "I think it's a little late for that. But to answer your question, it's fine. I'm fine."
Scorpius nodded, "Well I'm glad." He said. "I was worried, well, that what you wanted to talk about was about us." He confessed. "That you thought last night was a mistake."
Albus looked shocked, "Of course not!" He insisted. "Trust me Scor, there is no part of me that regrets last night."
Scorpius leaned in and kissed his boyfriend, "Me either." He mumbled into the Gryffindor's lips. The two began snogging. Scorpius loved that Albus' lips felt familiar now, that the two could just kiss lazily like this.
"Thanks for listening to all of that by the way." Albus said quietly after a few minutes. They kept their foreheads pressed together, their faces inches apart.
"Of course," Scorpius replied, "I'm glad I could help." He leaned in and kissed Albus again.
"I wish there was some way I could repay you." Albus voice dropped down low, almost to a whisper. Scorpius felt Albus' hand roam across his thigh and rest on the bulge of his trousers. Albus bit his lip, waiting for Scorpius to respond.
"I could think of a few ways." Scorpius grinned.
The angst is getting so real, and it's only going to get realer, so watch out. We're going for maximum angst. We're talking Order of the Pheonix levels of angst. I can't wait XD. Let me know what you think! Thanks always for the reviews! They make my day!