'Open your eyes, shout to the sky.' - Hilary Duff, Hey Now

"HEY NOW, HEY NOW!"

"THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!" Ria yells back. She stands up, spreads her arms wide, and Scor shimmies over to the Gryffindor table and pulls her into a hug.

I groan. This is what we have to deal with when Ria actually gets up on time for breakfast. Shimmying. Lysander holds his book up to cover his face, and Emma swings her hair so no other students can recognise her.

Ria holds Scor at arm's length, staring at him, then beams and sits him down next to her. "So, babe, last night was rough, right?"

When I got back to the dorm last night, Scor's drapes were closed around his bed. At the time, I figured he was sleeping, but now I assume he was out partying with Ria somewhere to celebrate Rose being serious about their relationship.

He laughs, eyes twinkling. "Fuck, yes. I needed a nurse to help me through that."

I frown. "A nurse? Mate, what happened? Did you go to the Hospital Wing?"

Scor grins. "No, man. Some chick was dressed up as a nurse."

"Oh." I leave it at that. Some weird birds like to wear fancy dress to all parties.

"Scor, I hoped you filled that hole." Ria holds his gaze.

Huh? I feel like I'm missing something here. "What hole?"

"Rose tore her dress so she asked me to stitch it for her." Scor says to me, then turns back to Ria, smiling wickedly. "Yeah, I filled the hole."

What the fuck? I'm quite sure Scor can't stitch. But then again, he probably learned it just so that he could fix Rose's dress, the lovesick puppy.

Sander's eyes widen suddenly and he whacks Scor over the head with his book. Emma looks at them confusedly, but then she suddenly chokes on her juice. Ria winks at them and Scor just shrugs. Lysander glares at them, while Emma just sighs and shakes her head.

What was all that about?

"Fuck, that was a wild party last night." Ria's words cement my suspicion that they went to a rave. "Lots of liquid spilled, am I right, Scor?"

Emma spits her juice over the table and Lysander looks like he's going to be sick. He and Emma quickly gather their books and leave without a word of explanation.

I frown. I was going to ask Emma about the Ghoul Studies homework so I could do it in my free period after breakfast, while everybody else has Herbology.

I turn back to the table, where Scor and Ria have completely straight faces.

"Yeah," Scor says, "Rose spilled quite a lot, but I have to say I'm not completely innocent either."

"Mm." Ria nods along sagely.

"The girl's an animal, you know?" Scor continues. "A very sexy animal, though."

Right, I am completely lost in their conversation. What the fuck are they talking about?

Right on cue, Rose bounces up and slides into her seat next to me, grinning at Scor. "Hey Al, hey Ri, hey Scor. Lovely morning, isn't it?"

I narrow my eyes. Something's off.

In fact, the only reasons Rose is ever this happy in the morning without having her coffee first is if –

"YOU HAD SEX WITH SCOR LAST NIGHT?!" I turn to her incredulously.

Scor and Ria burst out laughing.

"Yes. Problem?" Rose smirks at me.

"No." I shrug, "Just didn't expect it somehow, that's all." I turn to face Scor. "Mate, why didn't you tell me? Don't you think I have a right to know that you shagged my cousin?"

Scor wipes his eyes. "Dude, Ria figured it out immediately, and we gave you enough hints."

I frown. What hints? I think back over the conversation.

FUCK.

I spray my tea over the table.

Scor and Ria literally have tears of mirth running down their faces now.

I now understand why Lysander and Emma left. Too many sexual innuendos.

"WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" I splutter.

Scor looks slightly offended. "What, and you don't explicitly tell us about every shag you've ever had?"

"BUT ROSE IS RELATED TO ME!"

Scor shrugs. "So? I bet you used to have a crush on her."

I look disgusted now. "Mate, don't even talk about shit like that."

Rose pokes me, put out. "Hey, do you think you're too hot for me? 'Cos I am way above you on the scale of hotness."

"IT'S INCEST!" I yell.

The whole Hall is suddenly quiets and everyone turns to looks at me.

Shit. I can already hear people's minds whirring out new rumours.

Scor waves the starers away. "My family tree is full of incest, mate. So get over it."

"Yeah hun, but only 'cos your family is messed up." Ria laughs. If I said that to Scor, he would bite my head off. Ria's the only one who can get away with passing comments about his family.

We all turn in unison to look at her dubiously. "And yours isn't?" Scor smirks.

She rolls her eyes and flips us off. "Whatever, fuckers."

"Hey, I nearly forgot to tell you," Rose pulls a letter out of her bag and waves it in Scor's face, "My dad replied."

Scor's eyes widen and he grabs the letter, poring over it rapidly, with Ria doing the same over his shoulder.

"Well?" When none of them answer, I grab the letter and read it myself.

Certain phrases jump out at me.

You're only 17, Rose -

Remember to use birth control -

We've known him for a long time -

Draco was an idiot at school, but -

Whatever makes you happy, darling -

I'll see Scorpius at Harry and Ginny's New Year's Eve party -

I grin and give the letter back to Rose. Scor is beaming. "HE ACCEPTED ME! WOO!" He grabs a handful of cereal and throws it into the air.

"Of course he said it was fine." I say, carefully picking cereal out of my hair, "But he mentioned seeing you at our New Year's Eve party. Get ready for an interrogation."

I smirk at him, shove a few croissants into my bag and leave the Great Hall, leaving him to panic and question Rose about what her dad will ask him about.

I stroll out of the castle, and down to the Black Lake. A few Hufflepuff chicks have the same study period as me, but they like to stay indoors, whereas I vastly prefer to sit outside.

I dump my bag beneath a tree beside the lake and relax into the cool grass, feeling the wind on my face as I close my eyes.

My mind immediately shifts to the discussion this morning, but in particular the girl with black hair whose smile makes my stomach do flips. And this time I don't push away the thoughts; I just accept them: I've got a crush on my best friend.

The sound of wings lifts me out of my now indecent thoughts and I sit up as a beautiful snowy owl swoops down on my lap. She holds out a leg, and I rip the letter off and open it as the owl glides away.

As my eyes scan the letter I growl and scrunch it up, throwing it into the Black Lake.

Mum's writing to remind me about the famed Potter New Year's Eve party. I hate it so much it hurts. Mum forces me into a tuxedo because I'm 'one of the hosts and so you have to look good, Albus.' Tuxedos are definitely not in my comfort zone.

All of my cousins get a letter this time every year from mum detailing the time of the party (19:00, December 31st as always) and the dress code (black-tie obviously) and telling us to write back if we want to bring a plus-one.

My plus-one has always been Ria, while Rose brings Scor because Lysander and Emma are already invited, but this time mum says that dad has invited the Malfoys, meaning that Rose and I will have to find someone else to bring, because mum encourages us to invite someone who's not on the guest list, and Scor'll bring Ria.

Screw her.

This year, I'm flying solo.

I resolve to forget about the party until the day, and instead pull my sketchbook out of my bag and sit against the tree, facing the castle, and I draw.

To be honest, I'll draw anything. Fictional people, real people, cartoons, caricatures, still-life, animals etc., but what I really love to draw is buildings. And Hogwarts is a beautiful building, so pretty much every other page in my sketchbook has a failed drawing of Hogwarts on it, and here I am, ready to try again.

As I draw, I marvel as I always do at all the intricate details that make up the architecture of my school, that aren't really noticed unless you look closely, but all add up to make Hogwarts the fascinating castle it is.

Two hours later and I sigh as I look down on my sketch. I've got the shading wrong on the turrets.

I stuff my sketchbook back into my bag, annoyed at the repeated failures to draw the castle, but satisfied at two study periods spent not doing homework.

I head back up to the castle, ready to while away the time until lunch by reading this month's RPM magazine under the desk in Muggle Studies.

However, as much as I don't want to think about the goddamned New Year's Eve party we're hosting, it's all anyone can talk about at lunch. Somehow, the knowledge that the invitations have been sent out has spread around the whole school. And courtesy of Scor waving his invitation around at lunch gleefully, people know he's invited and will be taking Ria, so it has clicked that I'm free, and students are crowding around me as I try to eat the steaming shepherd's pie in front of me.

And the thing is, they're not even subtle about it. Guys hasten to press themselves against my back so I can feel the length of their dicks against my spine as girls perilously lean over the table to give me a view down their shirts. My playboy tendencies are well known around Hogwarts, which is why I now have close to fifty students trying to seduce me at once to get a way in to the party of the year.

As I finally manage to slide a piece of the tempting shepherd's pie onto my fork, a girl knocks it back onto the table as she grabs my hand and puts it up her skirt. Normally I would be basking in this mass seduction, but not today. Not when my shepherd's pie is mocking me from my plate. So close, yet still so far.

Enough is enough.

I yank my hand out from under the girl's skirt and push away a first year (!) unbuttoning her shirt next to me, and carefully stand up on the bench.

The hall goes silent as everyone turns to stare at me.

"Right." I ruffle my hair, suddenly nervous. I catch sight of my best friends at the end of the Gryffindor table, looking at me confused. Lysander catches my gaze and he smiles, nodding slightly as he understands what I'm about to say, and that's all the encouragement I need.

"As you probably all know by now, my mum's sent out the invites to the Potter New Year's Eve party." A cheer rises from the students but quickly quietens down as I open my mouth to continue.

"I guess you also know that my usual date has been stolen from me," I mock-scowl at Scor, who salutes me, "So I'm free. But this year there's only one girl I've got my eye on, and since she's taken, I'm going stag. So go bother James or Lily for a date, because I'm officially unavailable."

I jump down, grab my plate of shepherd's pie, and strut over to join my friends at the end of the table, ignoring the stunned silence around me.

And that's it. I've taken myself off the Hogwart's singles market indefinetely. And the weird thing is, I kinda don't care.

Who am I kidding? No more sex until I manage to woo over my best friend? For a sex-addict like me, that's the definition of hell.

As the hall breaks into shocked conversations, I groan and drop my head onto the table. "What have I done?"

Lysander laughs and pats me on the back. "You did well, mate."

I raise my head slowly to look at him hopefully. "You really think so?"

"Yeah."

I grin. If I can't have sex until I get a date with Ria, then I'd better get cracking on buttering up her up.

I turn to the girl in question, who is staring at me, eyes wide.

My heart drops.

"Albus Severus Potter, what the fuck was that?"

With Lysander's words echoing through my head, I decide to go with it. "You heard me."

Ria softens slightly as I don't deny my speech, and I know Lysander's right (as usual). "That was really sweet, you know."

I grin and wink at her. "I know."

Rose pushes Ria to the side and leans forward eagerly. "So? Who's the mystery crush?"

I tap the side of my nose. "Shan't tell."

"Oh don't be a dick, Potter, spill the goss."

"Potter?" I grab my chest, mock-hurt. "I see how it is, Black."

Ria laughs and turns to Emma and Rose. "Girls, I think it's time for an interrogation."

"Ooh, yes." Scor bounces in his seat excitedly, clapping his hand like a little child.

Ria throws a bread roll at him. "Scor, you're not a girl."

I laugh as his face falls. He actually looks devastated.

Rose snorts and gives him a kiss. "Pumpkin pie, if you were a girl, I wouldn't be dating you."

He immediately perks up and eats the bread roll happily.

Ria rolls her eyes and a whispered conversation ensues between the girls. I wait patiently, and they turn to me when they're done.

"Who is it, Potter?" Ria leans forward menacingly. Godric, she's hot when she's scary.

When I don't answer, Rose pats my hand soothingly. "It's okay, cuz. It's your secret. It's not fair of us to try and force it out of you."

I frown. What? Since when is Rose ever nice to me?

"No!" Ria hisses. "He'd better tell us or I'll make sure he never sees the light of day again."

However OTT she's being, I'm genuinely a little scared.

"I just thought you'd tell us if you had a crush on someone." Emma's voice wobbles. "We're your best friends; don't you trust us?"

I ruffle my hair guiltily. Should I tell them?

"If you don't give us her name on the count of three, I will hex your privates off."

"You wouldn't." I roll my eyes at Ria.

"Fine. Call my bluff." She raises an eyebrow.

Shit.

"One." She pulls out her wand.

I desperately search my mind for a random name. But she'll know I'm lying.

"Two." She points her wand between my legs.

Not my balls. My beautiful, beautiful balls. But I can't tell her the truth.

…..can I?

"Three." She opens her mouth to say the spell.

Her name is on the tip of my tongue when Lysander pushes her wand down firmly.

"Back off with the good cop, bad cop, guilt trip interrogation. He'll tell us when he wants to."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

Thank Godric for Lysander Scamander.