Disclaimer: I own only the original characters and the storyline. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Al had managed to avoid all the members of his family, Fran and Damien on his way up to the Room of Requirement. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to gather his thoughts and work through his emotions, and he wanted to do that without being seen or interrupted. He also, he admitted to himself very softly in the confines of his head, wanted to cry. The Room of Requirement provided him with a large spacious room that resembled the room in the Gryffindor tower where Al and Scorpius had just spent the night. The one thing it had that the room hadn't had was a warm and cosy fireplace with a comfortable armchair in front of it. Al made a beeline for the chair and curled up on it, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his chin on them.
Nothing Smith had said was new to Al. He had heard it all before. His first year at Hogwarts had been a nightmare because of people whose line of thinking hadn't been too different from Smith's. When he had first entered Hogwarts, Al had been timid, afraid, and just a little bit excited. He remembered the conversation he had had with his father on Platform 9 and 3/4. His father's words had given Al the courage to believe that it was all right to be in Slytherin, which the Sorting Hat had picked up on and approved of. Those words, however, had not prepared Al for the rest of the world's reactions.
The Daily Prophet had released an article a week after he was Sorted, telling the world he was in Slytherin and stating numerous reasons as to why this fact was disturbing and wrong. Some of the reasons had been bizarre, and very similar to what Smith had said, but others were more reasonable. After all, most of Voldemort's followers had come from Slytherin, so no one was particularly inclined to be accepting of a Slytherin, even if he was the Chosen One's son. Perhaps especially because he was the Chosen One's son.
Al had spent that first year dogged by insults and humiliating words. His family, though they loved him to death, had been fairly ignorant of the abuse he faced at the hands of his peers and seniors because no one was stupid enough to insult him when they were around and Al was too proud and stubborn, even then, to ask for help.
It had taken Al till Christmas that first year to figure out that he wasn't like the rest of his family and no one was about to let him forget that. So he had distanced himself from his family in school. He had learned to put up a façade of complete and utter disinterest that had his bullies quickly tiring of using him as a target because of his lack of a reaction. And, to his greatest advantage, he had learned to be quick to use his wand to curse when someone tried to get a punch in.
The sound of doors opening drew Al from his thoughts and he frowned, glancing back at the entrance of the room. He had wished to be alone, so really, no one should have been able to get in.
When he saw who was standing there panting at the entrance though, he couldn't help a bemused smile. Evidently, the room knew what he wanted better than he did because the sight of Scorpius's flushed face made warmth rush through Al.
Scorpius took long strides to reach him quickly, the doors closing behind him. He reached Al and dropped to his knees in front of the chair his boyfriend was curled up in, looking lost and alone.
"He's a fucking moron." Scorpius said, his tone fierce as he cradled Al's face in his hands.
Al let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. And suddenly, the tears that he had felt earlier began to fall, and the crushing feeling of loneliness threatened to overwhelm him. Al trembled as he began crying in earnest.
Scorpius immediately squeezed himself onto the armchair, his arms going around the other boy, holding him tightly as he ran a soothing hand up and down Al's back. He let Al cry; his own eyes feeling a little wet as he watched the boy whose composure he'd always admired come apart.
When the crying subsided, words began falling out of Al's mouth and Al couldn't bring himself to stop talking. He told Scorpius about his first year. He told Scorpius about how lonely he had been when he had come home that Christmas. How angry he had been when he had seen Scorpius integrate himself effortlessly into the Potter-Weasley bunch. Scorpius who had gotten Sorted into Gryffindor where Al had not. Scorpius who was suddenly close to James in a way Al only wished he could be.
"I've just always been so bloody jealous of you." Al admitted quietly, burying his face in the crook of Scorpius's neck, "I felt like maybe both of us had just been born into the wrong families. You certainly fit in well with mine and I'm sure I wouldn't be entirely out of place in yours."
Scorpius tightened his arms around his boyfriend, nuzzling his cheek as he tilted Al's head back and looked down at his face. "Have you ever thought, love, that maybe we were made that way because we were meant to find one another? Everything you said about my relationship with your family and how you would get along with mine only makes it easier for us to be together." Scorpius said gently, running his fingers through the Slytherin's soft hair, "Imagine if I had gotten Sorted into Slytherin and you had been in Gryffindor. We might have had a lot more than just our pride standing between us."
Al shivered slightly at the thought, his hold on the Gryffindor tightening. "I'm sorry I was such a git to you for five years, Scor."
"I'm sorry I didn't realise how lonely you were, Al." Scorpius leaned back to slowly run his fingers down the side of Al's face, "Because you were never alone. I was always there. I've always been there for you, even when you didn't know it. And I always will be."
Al's green eyes looked up at him for a long moment before his lips curved in a soft smile, "I know." He reached up to curl his hand around Scorpius's neck, guiding his face forward so their lips met in slow, lingering kisses that had both of them feeling warm and loved.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Al sighed, "We should go find everyone else."
Scorpius nodded, leaning forward to press a kiss on Al's forehead, "I love that you're different Al."
In contrast to the previous night, Al's eyes lit up and he chuckled, "I'll try to remember that."
There you go :) Read and review please!
~Living to Laugh and Love