Disclaimer: I only own the original characters and the story line. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
The first few days of the new year went off in the usual way. Scorpius had a full schedule of Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Charms and Ancient Runes. He was still playing around with what he wanted to do once he was out of school so he really couldn't afford to drop any of his subjects. Who knew what skills he'd need?
He was walking to his first Potions class, a double-hour lesson with Slytherin, when he ran into Al, literally. He'd been walking backwards as he spoke to his friends, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He did this regularly, and usually, people moved out of the way when they saw him coming. Al had obviously not been paying attention either and this led to him walking headlong into Scorpius's back, his nose hitting the back of Scorpius's head quite hard, jarring him into falling back, even as Scorpius stumbled forward.
"Fucking hell!" Al cursed, bringing his hand up to his nose, "Watch where you're going, Malfoy!"
Had it been anyone else who had spoken to him in that way, Scorpius would have retaliated, but it wasn't anyone else. It was Albus. Albus who had not spoken to him in five and a half years. Albus who had barely acknowledged him all the times he had gone to the Potter house for Christmas and the summer over the years. Albus who really couldn't stand his guts and whose opinion Scorpius really wanted to change. And breaking Al's nose with the back of his head wasn't going to win him any points.
He dropped to his knees in front of the boy, ignoring the slight throb of his own head, as he pulled Al's hands away from his face, sighing in relief when he saw that there was no blood, "It doesn't look bad." He said, a smile tugging his lips as he looked down at the other boy.
Al blinked at the smiling blond before him. Sure, Al had accepted in some corner of his head that Scorpius's smiles were as deadly a weapon as Fran's nails, but this was really the first time in a long time he had one of those smiles aimed at him. For him. Shaking his head, Al frowned, pushing himself off the ground and standing, narrowing his green eyes as he met apologetic grey ones.
Muttering murderously under his breath, Al just picked his bag off the floor and stalked away, not sparing the Gryffindor another glance.
Scorpius sighed, picking himself up off the floor, turning to find his friends giving him very odd looks. He looked down at himself to see if something had torn in his encounter with Al, but found everything just the way it had been before. He frowned at Frank Longbottom and Lorcan Scamander, "What?"
"Nothing." Both boys said, exchanging glances as they spoke. Then, in an effort to change the subject, Lorcan took his friend's arm and tugged him toward the dungeons, "So, Al still can't stand you, huh? What exactly did you do to him?"
Scorpius scowled, "Shut up, Lor. You know I've done absolutely nothing. He just...doesn't like me."
"More like he hates you." Frank quipped, earning a glare from his best friend, "It was bound to happen though. Every other chick and bloke in Hogwarts loves you. No one gets to be universally loved."
"I am not universally loved." Scorpius said, rolling his eyes.
"You're right. If you were, Al would like you." Lorcan said, grinning as he dodged a well-aimed punch to his side.
Scorpius would have tried again but they arrived at their classroom and filed in, taking the same seats they'd been sitting in since their third year. Rose, the fourth member of their table, was standing across the room, chatting with her cousin and his friends. She sauntered over when Slughorn entered the classroom, taking her seat next to Frank.
"So Scor, I forgot to ask you before, but why did Justin Smith look like he wanted to punch you out at lunch yesterday?" Rose asked as Slughorn went into his usual welcome spiel.
"Oh." Scorpius couldn't help his grin, "I've been avoiding him since school started."
"How come? I thought you both were friends." Rose said, frowning.
"Well, we weren't so much friends as friends with benefits." Scorpius explained with a chuckle, "And I called that off over the summer saying I'd found myself a French guy."
"Did you find yourself a French guy?" Rose asked, curious.
"No. I just knew he wouldn't let me end it unless I told him I was with someone else." Scorpius said, his smile turning sheepish, "I was kind of using him and my conscience caught up with me."
"Using him for sex, right?" Lorcan asked, a bemused grin on his face, "If you had told me three years ago that I'd be talking to my best mate about gay sex, I would have hexed you."
Scorpius gave his best friend a bright smile, "It's a good thing that the only thing I told you three years ago was that I'm gay."
"Did Smith really mind being used for sex, though?" Rose asked, brows raised in question.
"Well, no. He didn't. I just-it's just-I feel like I'm on the verge of meeting someone. And I don't want Smith to be in the way then." Scorpius admitted, his cheeks flushing slightly with colour. It took all his effort to not to glance towards Al as he spoke.
"…with Mr Malfoy, since if today is any indication, he will need help to remain focused on the subject."
Scorpius started, looking to the front to find the teacher, and most of the class looking back at him. Even Al, who usually took great pains to avoid looking at him, was staring at him with something akin to horror.
Before Scorpius could speak, Al had stood up, "Professor Slughorn, I've always been paired with Damien in Potions. He is pants at it!" There was a tinge of desperation in his voice that Scorpius did not yet understand.
Damien looked like he was contemplating protesting to the insult before he just nodded glumly, "He's right, Professor. I'd be getting a T in Potions without Al. I need him as my partner."
Al seemed to relax slightly, giving his best friend a wide smile for his support.
Slughorn was having none of it though, he just shrugged, "I'm afraid my decision is final Mr Potter. Please move your things to Mr Scamander's place. You can help Mr Malfoy with his grade instead, and Mr Scamander can work with Mr Holt. I think sixth year is a great time to be making new friends. On with it, boys."
Scorpius didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he cottoned on to what was going on. Slughorn was making Al his Potions partner. He was going to have at least four hours every week where Al had to speak to him. It was going to make Potions even harder than it already was for him, but maybe he could finally make some headway in getting Al to like him! Scorpius managed to bite back his grin in the last minute as Al sullenly sat down beside him.
"In fact, I think I'm going to shuffle everyone's partners. You lot are getting too set in your ways. Let's see, Ms Weasley, you can work with Ms Zabini. Mr Longbottom with Mr Nott." As Slughorn went on, Scorpius felt the glares of every single member of the class on him and he sank down in his seat, "Bloody hell." He muttered, "I'm not going to make it out of here alive, am I?"
Al snorted next to him, "I wouldn't count on it."
"Can you believe Slughorn went and shuffled everyone's partners in my class?" James asked indignantly, stomping into the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Ours too!" Lily cried in outrage, scowling, "I have to work with that stuck up ass, Kevin Flint."
Scorpius would have sank lower into his seat, but any lower and he would be in danger of disappearing. Beside him, Lorcan sniggered, picking up on his unease.
"Who the hell got it into his thick head that we were 'too set in our ways'?!" James's girlfriend, Nicola, growled, throwing her bag down by the fire and throwing herself onto the couch beside James.
"It's Malfoy's fault." Said a voice that had Scorpius straightening in his seat and looking to the entrance to the common room. Sure enough, there stood Al, his jet black hair styled to look artfully messy, his school robes gone. Instead, he was dressed in a well-fitting black tee and wonderfully snug blue jeans. Scorpius wondered if he would get a chance to see Al's ass in those jeans...which led him to wonder about Al's ass out of those jeans, and really those weren't thoughts he ought to have. At least not while in the same room as Al's younger sister and older brother.
"What are you doing here?" James asked immediately before Al's words registered and his mouth dropped open, "What? Scor?! Is that true?" He turned to glare at his friend who just gave him a sheepish smile.
"It's true." Lorcan confirmed, earning an elbow in his side, "Oof! He wasn't paying attention in class and Slughorn thought this was a good way to teach him a lesson."
"I could murder you, Scor." Lily said, narrowing her eyes at him.
Scorpius held up his hands in surrender, "I didn't think he'd do it to every year Lils. I didn't even realise he was punishing me until after it was done."
Nicola snorted, "What in the wizarding world was so important that you didn't hear Slughorn punish you?"
"He was talking about gay sex." Lorcan supplied, laughing as he dodged his friend's elbow, "You know, Scor, you keep that up and I'll be black and blue."
"Well, you'd deserve it." Scorpius quipped, his eyes flitting to Al who was still standing by the entrance looking extremely uncomfortable now. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans and his shoulders were hunched as his green gaze rested on his siblings. Then, as if sensing his gaze, Al looked up to meet his eyes, immediately straightening and scowling, "I don't have all day Malfoy."
Scorpius raised a single brow, "You're here to see me?"
"Is there another Malfoy I'm being forced to help out with Potions?" Al asked sarcastically, matching his expression with a single raised brow of his own.
"Oh. Right." Scorpius felt a shiver of delight run down his spine. Study sessions with Al. Alone. "I'll be right back." He told his friends, getting up of his seat and making his way to Al. As he did, Al turned to leave the common room, choosing to wait for him by the portrait of the Fat Lady.
When Scorpius stepped up to stand beside him, Al took a step back, "Right. So exactly how bad are you at Potions?"
"Better than Holt." Scorpius said, a small smile curving his lips, "But that doesn't really say much, does it?"
Al pursed his lips as he studied the boy before him. Fran was right, he acknowledged silently. Scorpius Malfoy was pretty fucking gorgeous. The fine, silky straight blond hair tied back in that sleek high ponytail; his delicate features that were complemented brilliantly by large silver eyes; his tall, lean but definitely well-muscled body that filled out his clothes ridiculously well; and that earring on his right ear, the only link to his family's roots which were steeped in Slytherin, a coiled, poised-to-strike, black snake. If Malfoy had been just another guy, Al was man enough to admit to himself that Scorpius would have been able to coax Al into coming out of the closet and getting into a relationship. As it stood though, he wasn't. He was Scorpius Malfoy, and Al really wanted nothing to do with him. It was time he made that very clear to the other boy.
"Listen, I get that you're trying to cultivate the image that you're this completely wonderful guy who just genuinely wants to be decent to everyone, but you can cut the crap with me. Stop trying to be friendly, stop talking to me about anything not related to class, and stop trying to pretend I'm not a complete dementor to you whenever we meet. I have enough friends, so I really don't need you." Al paused, noting that the smile had faded from the handsome boy's face. Good. "That being said, Slughorn made it clear that we were supposed to work together and since Lorcan has agreed to help Damien out with his grade, I figure I should return the favour. So let me know when you want to meet up to study. We can meet in the library or in either of our common rooms. I think I can manage twice a week in the evenings. Sound good to you?"
Scorpius had honestly stopped listening a while ago. He was just staring at Al now, in complete and total disbelief. Because really, what the fuck had he ever done to deserve such animosity? He had broken his head over it so many times over the years and really, he was done with it. Al wanted him to cut the crap? He was going to cut the crap.
Al started as large hands curled around his upper arms, the strength in those hands pushing him back against the portrait of the Fat Lady, earning a squawk of protest from her. Al opened his mouth to join her in protesting when he suddenly found himself caged in between Scorpius's arms, the other boy's body inches away from his, his elbows resting on either side of his head, his face too close for comfort. Seeing those silver eyes at such close range made it difficult for Al to breathe, and all he could do was stare at Scorpius, wide-eyed.
"I don't know what the fuck I ever did to you, Potter. You've been a right git to me since our first year and I honestly don't know why. You have no fucking right to treat me the way you do." Scorpius's voice was sinister and dark, not more than a whisper, and it sent a shiver of excitement down Al's spine. "You want me to cut the crap? I'll cut the crap. I don't care if you want me to stop being friendly to you. I don't care if you want me to not talk to you about anything but Potions. Because I'm going to. You think you don't need me? Well, I'll change that. And at the end of this, you'll need me, and I'll know what the fuck your problem has been all these years. I'm not giving up. Do you understand?"
Al felt his pulse stutter as he stared into Scorpius's determined grey eyes. He was serious. Of course he was serious. He wasn't going to give up. And for some bizarre reason, there was a tiny part of Al that was happy about this. Pushing that part of him to the side, Al schooled his features to look less astounded and more irritated, placing his hands on Scorpius's chest and pushing him back. "Let me know which days would be good for you." He said stiffly, sidestepping Scorpius and walking away. He felt the Gryffindor's gaze burn into his back as he left.
Okay, so I'll start with two chapters. Let me know what you think!
~Living to Laugh and Love