Disclaimer: I only own the storyline and the original characters. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling
"Hogsmeade?" Al asked, surprised.
Fran rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me you haven't even considered it, Al." She said disappointedly.
Al scowled, "Why would I have? Scorpius doesn't seem to mind hanging out at school."
"That's just the thing!" Fran cried, throwing her arms up in frustration, "Hanging out at school is just that, hanging out. Going to Hogsmeade is a date."
"A date." Al said, as if the words were foreign to him. Which, quite honestly, they were. He had never been on a date before! "You're sure Scorpius would want to go?"
Fran rolled her eyes as Damien chuckled, "Al, the boy is gone on you. I'm fairly certain he'd do just about whatever you asked him to."
Someone snorted behind them, "Though I don't know what he sees in you."
Al stiffened, turning to glare at the Hufflepuff boy who had been sitting behind him in Charms for years. In the past few weeks, he had taken to making snide remarks and snarky comments about Al or his relationship with Scorpius.
Keeping his mother's warning in mind, Al had been ignoring him, but he was now well and truly fed up.
"I've been meaning to ask, what is your problem, Smith?"
"I thought it was fairly obvious." Smith said, sneering, "My problem is you. Last year all Scorpius wanted was me, and now suddenly he's all about you!" Everyone nearby was now listening in on the conversation, "I suppose it's okay though. It'll only be a matter of time before he moves on from you as well."
Al smirked, "Oh, he isn't ever going to leave me."
Smith raised a single brow, curiosity and worry battling in his brown eyes, "You seem confident of that."
"I am." Al said coolly.
"Why?"
"Because I know how to keep a guy interested." Al's green eyes gleamed wickedly, "You obviously don't."
Enraged and embarrassed, Smith stood up and pointed his wand at Al, "Confundo!"
"Furnunculus!" Al cried as he ducked, having expected the attack. Smith had fallen right into his trap. After all, he couldn't be punished if he was just defending himself, could he?
"Mr Potter! Mr Smith! What is the meaning of this?!" Professor Flitwick sputtered, waddling up to them.
"Al was only defending himself, sir!" Fran said immediately, "Smith fired the first shot." She looked to the people nearest to them and gave them a narrowed glare, "Right?"
There was a chorus of yeses that met her question, and Flitwick was inwardly bemused by how readily everyone gave their support. He studied the boils that now covered the Hufflepuff's face and frowned, "Who will take Mr Smith to see Madam Juniper?"
A fellow Hufflepuff raised his hand and Flitwick nodded, waving them away. He then turned to Al, a single brow raised in question, "Mr Potter, can I trust that you will not use your wand on a fellow student again?"
"Not unless I am provoked sir." Al promised easily.
Flitwick chuckled, shaking his head, "Somehow I doubt it takes all that much to provoke you."
Just like that, Charms class resumed.
"Are you alright?" Scorpius pulled his boyfriend to stand by an open window, using the light to thoroughly check him for bruises.
Al rolled his eyes, "I'm fine."
Scorpius frowned at the Slytherin's bored tone of voice, "He tried to curse you!"
"Only because I wanted him to." Al said with a shrug. He sighed when he saw the worry in those grey eyes. He smiled reassuringly and took one of the Gryffindor's hands in his own, "I really am fine. He missed and my curse hit."
"What did he try to do to you?" Scorpius asked, slowly allowing himself to relax. When he had heard Smith and Al had had an altercation, he had been in the middle of a double hour of Transfiguration. Since McGonagall had still come in to class, Frank and Rose reasoned that the situation could not have been too bad. They had resolutely refused to let him ask McGonagall if he could go check on his boyfriend, so that had left him with a lot of time. He had been able to come up with thirty different ways Al could have been hurt without the Headmistress being summoned and forty five different ways to kill Justin Smith.
"He only tried to confound me, love. Calm down." It was only when his words made Scorpius's eyes widen and his mouth drop open that Al realised what he'd said. His cheeks flushed with colour as he rushed to clarify, "I-I mean, I don't love you—not that I'm not falling in love with you—wait, no, that came out wrong. I only meant—"
Scorpius laughed, doubling over as he did. He had never seen Al so flustered in his life! It was so completely adorable!
When he finally straightened, still chuckling, he saw that Al was leaning back against the windowsill, glaring at him.
"That wasn't funny." Al said, his voice hard, "I'm sorry, the word just slipped out. It won't happen again." He made to walk away but Scorpius was too quick for him, placing his hands on the windowsill on either side of Al's body and moving forward so Al was effectively caged in.
Green eyes looked up at him warily and Scorpius smiled softly, "I like the nickname." He leaned forward so his breath tickled Al's ear, "I like it even more than 'Scor'. You know why?"
Al couldn't find his voice for a moment, and when he finally did, it was husky. "Why?"
Scorpius pulled back enough to nudge Al's nose with his own, "Because only you would ever call me that."
Al couldn't stop the smile that curved his lips, "You are such a sap."
Scorpius touched their lips together, "I'm your sap." He murmured.
Al hummed his approval of those words as he moved into the kiss. Scorpius let him prolong the contact with each kiss before finally nibbling on Al's lower lip, earning himself a needy whimper as Al readily parted his lips for him. Scorpius's tongue left no inch of his boyfriend's mouth untouched and coaxed Al's tongue to join in the exploration, groaning his approval when it did. When Al finally broke away to take a breath, Scorpius began kissing the line of Al's jaw and continuing downwards along his neck.
"Scor." Al moaned softly as he let his head fall back, offering more of his throat for his boyfriend's perusal.
"You realise that you both are in the middle of a fairly busy corridor, right?"
Al opened one eye, "Go away, Louis."
Scorpius chuckled, biting Al's neck lightly before stepping back, "Louis happens to be right, Al."
Al scowled, turning to his cousin, "Look at what you did. He stopped!"
"In good time too." Louis said dryly, nodding his head to a trio of professors who just turned the corner into their corridor.
Al wrinkled his nose in displeasure and Scorpius couldn't help but lean forward and kiss that nose, "Later. I promise."
"You're always promising me things. You should be careful about that." Al said, grinning.
"It's alright. I trust you not to abuse my promises." Scorpius said magnanimously.
"Scor, you should know better than to trust a Slytherin." Louis reproached, dodging his cousin's fist with a laugh.
"Don't you have a class to get to, Louis?" Al asked, annoyed.
"No. I was actually searching for you. I've been all over the castle. That map of your father's would have been very useful to me today. Too bad your mum forbade him from giving it to you." Louis said, sighing at the loss.
Al straightened, "You were looking for me?"
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you, if that's alright." He looked to Scor questioningly.
With a laugh Scor shrugged, "I actually do have a class right now. I just knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate before making sure Al was okay though. I'll head off now." He wrapped an arm around Al's waist and pulled him close, "Bye." He said with a small smile.
Al pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "Bye."
Once Scorpius was out of sight, Al turned to Louis, frowning. "Is this about what I think it's about?"
"Probably." Louis said, smiling sheepishly.
"And I'm not going to be able to convince you to let it go?" Al made sure.
"Nope. You either talk to me, or I tell our family." Louis quipped.
Al scowled, "That's low."
"It's also true." Louis hesitated, then ventured, "You said it never disappeared and it never would, but I've never seen you happier than you've been these past few weeks. Is it still there?"
Sighing, Al ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, "In the back of my mind, yes. It's not something you or I can fix, Lou. It's about the way I think, and the way I see things. The way most of the world sees things. It can't be helped."
Louis frowned, "Al, what's this about?"
Al shook his head, "Really, just let it go."
"But I'm worried!" Louis exclaimed, starting to pace.
"You don't need to be. I swear. I'm not about to off myself."
Louis froze, horror colouring his face, "You thought about killing yourself?!"
"What?! NO! I'm saying it's something I'd never do! Come on, what reason could I possibly have to want to kill myself? I've got Scorpius, my friends, and you guys as family. My life is pretty fucking brilliant at the moment." Al said, grinning.
Louis sighed in relief, "So I don't have to worry?"
"If I say no, would that really stop you?"
"Probably not." Louis admitted.
Al chuckled, "You Gryffindors are a sappy bunch." He said, shaking his head, "I'm fine, Lou. I promise. If I ever need to talk, I'll come find you."
"You promise?" Louis pressed, staring at his cousin. He knew what a promise meant to Al. His cousin never went back on his word.
Al nodded, "I promise."
"Okay then." The tension seemed to drain out of Louis, "You and Scorpius looked pretty hot and heavy when I walked up."
Al sighed, reminiscing, "We were. It was bloody amazing. I can't believe I never kissed someone before this. If I'd known it would be this good, I reckon I'd have tried it before."
Louis snorted, "Please. I've kissed my share of people, and I don't think I've ever looked as thoroughly satisfied as you did."
"So you're saying it's because I'm kissing Scorpius." Al hadn't thought of it that way.
Louis nodded, "You two just seem to…I don't know, fit."
"Like we're made for each other?" Al winced as he said the words.
Louis laughed at the expression on his face, "Yes, I'd say that's what I meant."
"Funnily enough, you're not the first person to tell me that." Al said, bemused, "To think I started out this year hating him."
"Never saw this coming, did you?"
"Not at all."
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Living to Laugh and Love