SPOV
Day three of having my magic sealed and I was already tired of the ordeal. It helped that our cacophony of friends insisted on attending Al and I as if we were royalty. Eager to impress their leaders, we seldom found ourselves without one or more Jade Rabbits wherever we went. The Headmistress and Al's father had been alerted to our predicament and would cover for our infirmity as best they were able. Our strike teams were taken off of standby and back into training mode, under the guise that I needed time to train new recruits. The headmistress had explained to our professors that our prodigious talents were taking opportunities away from other students and that we'd be allowed to skip or not participate in classes if we wished.
Al and I opted for the most part to sit quietly in lectures without the fear of being called on to perform or practice without actually skipping out on every class.
It had, alongside our decision to scale back our potion inventing, given us more time to write and compose music. Well, it gave Al more time. I chose to at times leave the castle with Victoire and Max, making the hop over to Paris to oversee construction of the nightclub. Vivienne, Ariana, Rose and now Hugo worked with us on the theory of the pocket dimension that would exist inside the club, though we all knew none of them would be able to finish the project until magic was again available to Al and I.
The most astounding change in my life, wasn't really the loss of my magical ability, but rather the growing notoriety I'd received since the release of our three song EP. Stats on Galaxy Ghoul, our version of Spotify, reflected that the entire wizarding populations of the US and UK had heard or listened to it. The first time a third year asked for my autograph was the only time in my life I could recall stuttering in front of anybody.
I had always been famous after a fashion. My father the Pureblood, the traitor, the supreme founder, the second richest man in the wizarding world, and I his handsome heir. This however was different. Between my performance at the carnival of the moon and now my music venture with Al, I had finally been recognized in a light not only my own, but in one of polish and shine. It was Scorpius now, not MALFOY, or Traitor, or son of the enemy.
I swelled with something almost like pride as I strode my way towards the room of requirement. Pride and—if it was possible—joy. It wasn't pride for my own accomplishments exactly. It was pride for Albus.
Not for the first time I pondered my best friend and the influence he'd played in my life. I was not naive enough to think I was the only person who's life he'd altered for the better, and yet I found comfort in the thought that what we had was different from all the others. I knew I was more important than they. That I occupied the most special place beside him. I looked down at the love note that had been slipped into my effects, sighing over the calligraphic confession with something akin to exasperation. Girls were flirting with me more and more these days, and yet the thought of dating only made me realize how much time it would take away from my friendship. How much it would take away from our great plans for the future. 'How can I possibly go out with a girl right now?'
It was to the backdrop of a million thoughts of Al and our future that I entered the Room of Requirements.
"Oh I lost you, before I loved you"
Al was singing a cover of a Song by Sj and Rynn, practicing his vocals as he often did, by using cycle on our muggle Spotify app. He had on an expensive set of professional headphones, casting his voice through a filtered mic as the lyrics trailed on the screen of his phone.
"I let it go, before I hung on for dear life."
Victoire and Louis were in the sound booth, watching Al through the glass of the recording studio with a newcomer I didn't recognize.
"Who's this?" I asked, looking at the asian man with flawless skin. He appeared to be in his late twenties although how he managed to maintain such porcelain skin was a mystery.
"Taesung Lee. I was contracted by my label to give the Jade Rabbits dance classes."
"Korean? Why does that name sound familiar?" I wondered aloud, grabbing the mans outstretched hand for a firm shake. "Scorpius Malfoy, pleasure."
"He's part of South Koreas top five k-pop boy bands. My Sis thought we needed choreography work and Mr. Lee wanted to hear Al sing first, though we're not sure why."
"Dance is stagecraft, it is part of the process of polishing up a rough diamond. However, If we're not working with diamond, then there's no amount of polishing that will help" The korean man explained in flawless english. "I'm determining what kind of gemstone we're working with here."
"Fair enough" I replied, showing the man some deference "We are only sixteen after all"
"In Korea we start Idol training very young. Our industry doesn't just discover talent, we create it from the ground up. There's no reason you can't be successful as young as you are now. Though its rare and not without a tremendous amount of work."
I nodded, agreeing again with his assessment. He swiveled in his chair and pressed the button that would allow his voice to be pumped into the sound proof room.
"I'm sending in your cousin Louis, I want you to dance together as if you were alone in your room, just have fun with it. Allow yourself to relax. There's no stage or audience right now. We can teach and train you later, this is just raw ok, so don't sweat this."
Louis bounded excitedly into the room as the first song began. I watched the two smile and laugh as they danced to a shifting medley of different genres and styles of music. When it was rock, Al would grab the mic stand or pretend play on his guitar, a flawless charisma that came with confidence. Then a deep seductive kind of club track came on and the two paused, their laughter and smiles stalling as the unexpected sound piped into the room. They both looked unsure how to proceed. I checked the title on Al's Eyephone
'Heartbeat Speed — Extended Mix, by Cyclist and Jocelyn Alice'
'A great song.' I thought to myself.
"I've got a wonder, deep inside of me…
best believe you can't take this heat,
best believe i got what you need"
Finally Al smirked and began a slow approach of his cousin, taking the blonds hand and moving them closer together than they had been before. Closer and closer until they were so close that Al had to twist around so that his back was turned to the Veelish boy to keep them from kissing. I saw Al's face smile seductively as his arms came up passed his head. Louis and Al watched their faces in the reflection of their side of the mirror, not able to see us. I watched the intimate slow dance with a desperate fear. My best friends expressions so resembled Athena's the night we'd slept together that I did not know what to fee at the sight of the boy acting so... feminine. He was like art, the way he moved, the way he directed Louis despite his position in front.
"CAN I MAKE YOUR HEARTBEAT SPEED, IF THIS ISN'T LOVE?"
It was a more respectful, professional performance than clumsy teenage grinding, and yet they weren't exactly not grinding either. Then Al shifted their positions so that they were again facing each other, bringing the back of his left hand to caress Louis's cheek even as his right hand gripped ever so lightly at Louis's hip.
This time Louis wrapped his arms around Al's neck, playing the feminine position as their serpentine motions continued to sway back and forth.
"Fuck me can I join?" Raven interrupted, appearing by my side as if from nowhere. He too had come by the Room of Requirements to check in on those Rabbits involved with the Label division. His voice had startled the dancers forcing Al and his Cousin to leap apart. After the fright they exchanged a glance and began to laugh boyishly, familial love evident in the way they observed one another. After me, it was Louis even more than Rose who Al felt closest to.
I watched the Brunet's carefree mirth, the freedom and happiness he'd found when he'd created his little order of friends and family. 'He's come so far' i thought as he grabbed a bottle of water and exited the room.
Raven embraced his boyfriend with a few kisses to the mouth, welcoming him after their day of classes spent apart.
"S-Scor!" Al stumbled when he saw me, the smile falling from his face to be replaced with sheer embarrassment the moment he'd followed Lou into the chamber.
"You were awesome Al… no need to get so flustered" I returned, moving up to him with a hand towel to wipe the sweat from his brow and hair. I draped it around his neck so that he could finish up on his own.
"Yeah" He gulped some water down "but I didn't think anyone but Vicky and Taesung were watching."
"Your friend is right though. You were very good. That was without a lick of training. You're quite natural at this part."
Al grew redder, though he hid it well beneath the attention of his hand towel.
"You're the other lead vocalist right? You both play guitar and sing interchangeably right?"
I nodded in reply. "i'm trained classically on the violin and piano but Al made me learn guitar during our first year."
"Mrs Weasley Delacour, do you have the footage of their dance at the carnival? I want to review it since they will be the front men of the group."
"Oh not that again!" Al whined, ever embarrassed anytime pictures or talk of Athena surfaced.
"Or you can dance together right now to show me? I don't mind either way."
APOV
I was expecting Scor to be his usual lazy, wealth addled self. He was doubtless annoyed over having to watch the video, but would be even more opposed to the effort of getting all sweaty if he didn't have to.
"Why not do both? Give the professional here a more honest assessment?"
I blinked stupidly, watching Scor loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top of his shirt. He removed his robe and hung it by the door, before he rolled up an extra chair to the monitor.
"I haven't watched it yet. Have you?" Scor asked, looking blankly at me as I found a place in the chair beside him. I nodded my head back and forth quietly. He wasn't nervous? He didn't mind dancing with me?
'Of course he's not nervous! He's not in love with you, idiot!' A dark voice in my head barked.
Scor's eyes watched me as they often did, an inscrutable maze of bright teals and enigma. Then his attention lapsed to my right, where he saw Voldemorts face smirking in the glare of reflective glass. I knew the cunt wouldn't dare interrupt at this moment, yet it felt too revealing for my beloved to physically see the evil thing residing in me.
Scor only placed a reassuring hand on my knee, squeezing me there as he shifted his attention to the monitor.
I gave myself a weak smile, forcing my eye to see passed the snake's face to trace the outline of my own beneath it. When the shape of my reflection overlapped more firmly over the evil twat's, I too finally allowed myself to turn to the screen.
We watched our older bodies bend and twist, chant and sing, shift and strike, the formal ritualistic dance a heated, ancient, visceral thing.
I chanced a glance at my blond, surprised to see shock on his face as he too observed the scene that was unfolding. He watched my female body moving her arms, watched her ebb and flow like magic itself as the flurry of Ribane's fabric furled and warped between us.
Scor looked utterly enchanted by Athena, both the Scor in this room and the one in the video. He hadn't realized his hand had never left my thigh. It lingered there as we watched ourselves, a jump, a twirl, a bend. A double twirl and then I was drawn close, so close our mouths almost touched, our eyes locked even as our breaths collided against one another. Then finally erupted the enormous beam of light followed by the crowds exultant cheers. Yet the world defining anomaly and the shock of the onlookers all seemed fake to the two figures on the screen. To them, the only real thing was each other. The richest most powerful wizards were as dust in the wind beyond them, their explosive magical release merely a curiosity for another time.
Only we existed in those frames.
"You guys look like you're going to eat each other" Louis teased, as the performance came to a close.
Scor ignored the blond
"I didn't raise her high enough during the crescendo"
The Korean nodded to himself, seemingly as focused on the technicality of the performance as Scor was. He twisted a dial to frame select an earlier portion of the file.
Still the blond had not released his hold on my leg. The weight of its presence was like a hot iron pressing on the muscle. With the gentlest of motions and mountains of courage I dared to move my hand on top of his. His eyes didn't move from off the screen as the footage rewound to the segment under discussion.
"True… but all in all you know what you're about. It was an excellent show. Naturals the both of you. Your cousin told me you only had one day to practice that routine too."
"Hear that Allie? We're naturals" Scor teased, rearranging his grip so it was on top of mine this time. I blinked stupidly, pretending to watch the screen even though my attention was on the intertwine of our digits. He squeezed, forcing my attention finally to his face.
"Should we show them?" My cheeks felt like they were suddenly on fire, the telltale sign they'd become beet red. All my earlier confidence had evaporated. "We were in a ball room… have you ever seen a pop show? You realize Tae is going to ask something completely out of our range?"
"We're writing mostly prog rock, when will we need to actually employ what this K-star has to teach us?"
"I don't know… i've been thinking of writing some more accessible songs…"
"Oh a populist now? A man of the people are we?"
"Not exactly… Vicky just thinks… we could become even bigger if we..."
SPOV
I looked over to Al's cousins, who watched me with thinly veiled grins. They too were amused by my effect on the genius polymath. It unnerved me still, in some recess of my heart, that his feelings for me went beyond that of a mere brother.
"Do you not want to dance with me for some reason? You were dancing with Louis just fine a moment ago?"
"You're really good Allie" Lou added, from his position. "You're fun to dance with."
APOV
He didn't wait for my answer. Scor merely pulled at me from where are bodies were joined, leading me towards the recording studio room. He pushed the mic, table and chairs to one side so that we'd have room. I was nervous at first but the longer we went at it the more my confidence returned. Scor's eyes remained free of suspicion which alone was enough for me let go. A few vocal centric songs cycled amidst the cornucopia of tracks, and for each of those that came around, we found ourselves singing alongside the vocalists.
Finally Taesung entered the room and showed us the most proficient and modern muggle choreography i'd ever seen. Hip Hop and Pop fit for a stage. It was mostly improv as he didn't have anything planned. It only impressed us more. Scor looked aghast at how unrestrained the movements were. I could picture him do a waltz, a slow dance, even salsa, but this? Could he be this aggressive outside of combat?
To my surprise Tae had us learn and repeat an entire performance over the next two hours, by which time we were nearly drenched in sweat.
After that he turned to us, squeezing the last bits of water from a bottle into his mouth.
"Good, very good. You two have energy for a few more?"
I looked at Scor and nodded, likewise soaked.
"I'll pick a few songs that are difficult to develop choreography for so—"
"—Oy lads, what's this then?" Max Macmillan cheered, coming into the studio with Louis and Izanagi in tow.
"Dance lessons" Scor offered, checking his watch. We had music practice with the band in the next five minutes.
"I could see that. You two are amazing!"
"Taesung-nim"
"Muramasa-dono"
The Korean and Japanese wizards greeted, clearly familiar with each other.
"We can pick the practice up another time. I'll definitely be accepting your group as students. I just need to hammer the details out with Victoire. I'm very expensive" Tae explained, departing from the room, so the boys could find their instruments and begin setting up.
"Before I take my leave. I'd like to hear you all play something in your wheelhouse. You specialize in rock do you not? Who are some of your favorite groups?" The performer's voice asked through the intercom.
"Earl Izanagi has gotten us all into a Japanese band called One Ok Rock" Louis answered for the group.
"I'm familiar. Their lead is a friend of mine."
"Can we really play something on the fly? Wonder? Save yourself? Prove maybe?" Max asked of Agi. The drums were the most difficult and important component. Scor and I had a near photographic memory, we already new the guitar portion and lyrics to most of their songs but they were master craft pieces. Difficult to play.
"I can play Vandalize and Prove perfectly. Really I can play most of their more recent pieces if we're being honest. I learned to play by practicing their songs" Agi explained.
"Go for Prove, Wonder and The Beginning. Start with wonder" Tae instructed, already envisioning in his mind what he wanted to see from us.
I was a master wizard. I could invent and do rudimentary business. I spoke three languages. I could play guitar and sing too… but this, was a professional. He and Victoire were on another level. She was completing her Master Healers degree while managing our label and assisting the club development process.
'We're not the only critical members of this operation' I realized, wondering how she had coaxed this impressive man into splitting his schedule just to polish us up.
"Scor speaks Japanese. He'll have to do the portions not in english as a solo."
"That is perfect actually. It will lend dynamism to the performance. Its rock so you won't be dancing exactly, but I want you to bring as much physicality to these songs as you can. Move around with your instruments and play as if you were on stage. We know you all can release good recorded music but playing live to a crowd is a completely separate art."
I nodded to Scor as we strung our guitars over our shoulders, nervous in particular about performing 'The Beginning'.
The room of requirements seemed to breathe in at my trepidation, its walls expanding to make room for us on a makeshift stage.
Live performances were a critical component of building our mythology. Ever since Arcanis had instructed me to essentially paint a giant red target on myself, I realized that my solo anonymous act wouldn't fly. Once i'd gone public and invited other members to join, the only logical next step was a tour or at the very least some concerts in England and Scotland.
"Lucky you know the drums for this" Louis teased. He played keyboard and these songs only required two guitars, a bass and drums. He'd get to sit this one out.
"You're the one missing out" I stuck my tongue out at my favorite cousin, wondering where rose might have gone off to. She usually took a break from study and order paperwork to watch the band practice. Maybe she was in the viewing room with aurora and the others?
I spared only a wayward thought towards my genius cousin before beginning to play.
So we performed, and did so well. Max was a little behind, less familiar with the notes than the rest of us were, but still it was an excellent rendition. Agi was masterful, and Scor's guitar lead and vocal solos blew us away.
It was the final song that really set my hairs bristling, the epic composition a shock for me to hear replicated by our high school group.
When we finished, Aurora, Matheus, Izanami, Ariana, Melody and even Cyril burst excitedly into the room. Their cheers and hollers nearly deafened me.
"Hang on who let you in here cousin?" Scor demanded defensively, although not resisting the enormous hug his eerie clone wrapped him up in. Behind the royal Pureblood entered James, a curious expression on his face.
"Jamie?"
"Rosie went to get us… she thought we'd enjoy the show. Though it's weird to know your hand picked strike team hangs out even when not training."
My brother gave an odd look towards Scor, examining the way the two blonds had hugged one another.
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you think silly?" I asked eagerly, putting my guitar down and walking over to my brother, painting a little extra naivety into my expressions for good measure. We were still not on the best of terms, but slowly I believed he was coming around.
"You were actually pretty cool Al. I mean, the last song was really awesome. Even you were great Malfoy" James nodded, as though it were an effort to shake his disbelief. Or an effort to admit it.
"Il a perdu la tete ou quoi?" Scor asked Cyril, his own disbelief mirroring my brothers. (Has he lost the plot or what? [lit. 'his mind']
"Take him to the doctor, he's having a stroke" Louis added, joining in to a chorus of laughter.
We all bantered for a bit, avoiding the more delicate subject of the order's business while the non members were present. Victoire and the Foreign performer hammered out terms in an office next door until it was time to head to the great hall to eat dinner. I caught James and Cyril's arms as everyone else made to depart, stalling them for a private word. Then another idea hit me.
"Actually i'm going to fetch Raven and Lou before they get too far. You guys stay here."
SPOV
"Actually i'm going to fetch Raven and Lou before they get too far. You guys stay here" Al called before dashing into the castle proper.
"You know what this is about Malfoy?"
I rolled my eyes, refusing to answer.
"Oy you hear me?"
"My name isn't Malfoy, POTTER, it's Scorpius."
"I know what your name is Malfoy."
This time Cyril rolled his eyes, placing a calming hand on the older boys shoulder to keep him in check.
We all grew quiet until the three boys reappeared, motioning for us to follow them.
"You know, I was just thinking that we haven't had a chance to really hang out for months now. Why don't I have the elves send food up for us? We can eat in Dads tower" Al offered sweetly, surprising us all with the suggestion as we ambled down the fifth floor corridor.
"WAIT! YOU HAVE THE PASSWORD TO THE TOWER? SINCE WHEN?" James roared, a mix of ferocity and curiosity heavy in his voice. Al winced, seemingly forgetting how loud his other Weasley gened relatives could get when in shock.
"Since first year. Dad and Mum gave it to me. I thought you and Lily knew it too? I was always surprised you never decided to visit…"
"It's like a private lounge damn it… with a five star suite built in! Of course i'd have made use of it if i'd known!? Have you had the run of it all this time? Don't tell me you let your filthy Slytherin friends in too?"
"Why are you always so mean to him James? You realize you never act like that with anyone else in the family right?" Louis remarked as we all made our way towards the Hero's beacon.
James went quiet at that, leaving us all a little awkward.
"So?" Al inquired curiously.
"I… ok... i'm sorry Al…"
"Oh my goddess no… although thanks for the apology. Wow, I'd never thought I'd get one of those from you. No i meant, SO, as in, so do you want to have dinner with us or not?" Al corrected, shocked that his ass of a brother had really said the word sorry to him.
"Wellllll…" Potter hesitated, looking skeptically at me as though I were an explosive about to go off at any moment.
"We'd LOVE to!" Cyr replied, elbowing his boyfriend surreptitiously in the ribs. He'd effortlessly turned back to face us, hiding his arms behind his back as he walked backwards. "Thanks for inviting us Al. You're the sweetest!"
He gave us a polite smile our way as thanks before facing forward again. Ever the well bred lord-ling.
"I guess we'd love to" James parroted, physically pulling down on his face with the palm of his hand. The groan that accompanied the facepalm told me what he really felt about that plan. His expression read 'I'd rather eat mud'
"I snuck in some of my fathers wine" I added mischievously. "You're welcome to have some Potte—I mean... James"
That did get Potters attention.
"Scor! That's only for special occasions!"
"No, the champagne is for special occasions you nouveau twit."
"Yeah no, I'm well aware the proper use of champagne, twat. I meant because we're underaged! Any alcohol is a special occasion!"
"Twit and twat huh? Are you sure that shouldn't be the name of your band?" James laughed, teasing his brother.
"Rudeness! Twit and Twat are their pet names for each other" Louis scoffed with a smile.
"Al, you shouldn't draw more attention to your blond's scheming… it might have otherwise gone unnoticed. He's trying to be nice to me to smooth things over. Bribing me with alcohol though? isn't that more something you'd try on Al?"
"MORE RUDENESS" Cyril repeated, swatting his partners arm.
"I meant it as banter that time… sorry again… it sounded less pointed in my head."
"Wait…" I stalled us all in the hallway with an outstretched hand, just before we reached the special castle lift. "Did he give MEEE an apology this time? Call the guards, we have an intruder. Call a doctor… Raven call your mom at the daily prophet. Headline reads eldest Potter boy loses the fuckig plot—"
"—Oh shut up snake" James interrupted, pushing past me and pressing the elevator button. He'd all but ignored our laughter. "I could always take it back if you like?"
"Jamie, don't be mean to my cousin" Cyr instructed effortlessly, entering the elevator bank first when it arrived.
"But Cyr, that's like, James's entire personality. Don't take the one interesting thing about him away. He might deflate."
"You too Cousin, don't be rude to my boyfriend either."
Everyone froze, quieting ourselves so the only sound remaining was the rumble of machinery and that of the dinging of the floors as they passed.
"So that's… like a real thing then?" Raven inquired with a smirk, his eyes shifting to catch Louis's.
Cyril realized his mistake, looking over to James worriedly. Thankfully James remained stoic, shrugging his shoulders simply.
"That's amazing cherie" Louis beamed excitedly. He turned to Raven to kiss him on the lips. "Don't worry. This one and I are dating so it's not like we'd judge. Al and Scor don't mind either i'm certain. They're probably asexual, or have logic-ed themselves out of an interest in such mortal pursuits" The blond veelish boy explained, just before the compartment stopped to the issuing of a loud *DING*
This time he had been the first to exit.
"You mean you two are together?" James asked shocked, passing the tactician as he used his arm to keep the electric eye open for everyone.
Raven merely shrugged, licking the tip of one of his exceptionally sharp canines in a kind of undisguised pride. The idea that he got to claim his boyfriend out loud for once clearly delighted him.
Al's cousin nodded slow and decisively, as though the luckiest man in the world. Al pushed his brother out of the way so that we could file through the foyer and unlock the massive portrait that led into the private apartment.
We slipped into the living room where dozens of silk pillows were strewn about like an arabian hookah den from our last planning session.
"You… redecorated?" James asked, eyeing the chic space. Was he actually impressed? For the second time in one night? Or was he annoyed with the brunet that he or I had presumed to alter the room ourselves?
Al nodded timidly, ringing a special bell to summon the head house elf to the tower. He issued a series of brief orders and—after an ardent struggle—insisted on tipping the creature with several whole galleons as thanks. A deep bow and a loud crack saw to the ecstatic thing's departure, leaving James once again to examine his brother in that awful way I was used to seeing.
'Alien… Freak… outcast… weird…'
Al, beautiful as ever, failed to notice. He fixed some strands of chocolate hair behind his ear, moving over to the speaker system by the bar to plug in his eye phone. I watched his intent eyes in the mirror, searching until he'd found what he'd been searching for. A, Lain Howie mix of "Enough to Believe" by bob Moses came on and I began to nod my head.
'Goddess we have such good music' I realized, thinking about the massive library we shared over our joint Spotify account. Al's eyes caught mine in the reflection of silver panes and he smiled at me.
'What?' he mouthed cutely at me.
Something like a chord panged in my chest as the vision of Athena dancing flashed in my mind. The music beat louder as we continued to watch each other, the song picking up speed.
I caught Louis diving onto several pillows in the enormous backsplash of bar mirror, followed by Cyr who deposited himself with more decorum. Still Al and I watched each other, unable to break away. I came over to the wine fridge to withdraw a Rosé and bottle opener, placing the items on the counter beside him.
The elegant cooling rack sat immediately to the right of my brunet, placing us squarely next to one another. Still I watched him, unable to look away.
I dimmed the apartments lights and moved to unknot his tie, realizing how much like his model mother he was turning out to be. I hung the loose piece of fabric around his neck, motioning towards the small kitchen in the other room.
He followed me so that we could wash our hands together in the sink before our food arrived.
"No magic is kind of weird isn't it?"
"Listening to you sing is magic" I offered, knowing how flirtatious the line sounded. I couldn't get his performances out of my head.
To my surprise he didn't get red this time, he merely passed my hand the soap under the falling arc of the water, grazing my fingers accidentally as he did. I had to physically stop myself from grabbing his hand in mine.
"It's my favorite thing really…"
"Music? Or music with me?"
Al nodded deeply, looking at me ambiguously with those beautiful emeralds of his.
A picture of Athena intruded into my head, standing there in Al's place. A ravishing beauty that could make men kill each other to possess, just standing there in that narrow alley kitchen. An impulse to push her up against the fridge jolted through me, a crash of lips and mouths and tongues as real in my imagination as anything.
"I get to share music with you. More than business or magic, or banter or inventing… it's the best really. Our minds... work well together I guess."
This time I nodded, turning off the tap and moving to dry his hands with the towel first. He let me wipe him the way I often tended to baby him. When we were clean I led us back to our friends, retrieving the wine and corkscrew in the process. I didn't stop to ponder my strange fantasies about Athena... or the weird way my heart beat in my chest over the memory of those green eyes.
"SOOOOOOOO?" Louis began, attempting to sound casual as he passed out silverware around the table. "How did all this start?" He waved a hand in the boys general direction.
Just like that we were back in the real world.
"Sadly tt's not exactly going, he's pretty straight for a boyfriend" Cyril explained, pulling a napkin into his lap when the serving plates appeared in place before us. I uncorked the bottle of rosé, making a point to serve James first, shocked again to receive a quiet thank you from him.
"You're pretty straight? What does that mean James?" Lou continued.
"I agreed to dinner, not an interrogation from my fruity cousin. I can just as easily fuck off to the great hall if the children prefer" James began.
'Goddess his irritation is so offensive…'
"Can you not veil your emotions like a proper Englishman? At least for five minutes?" I snapped, catching myself a little late. "Sorry… I… Sorry… James is right Lou… you shouldn't pry. Let's just eat" I offered, retracting my criticism for the sake of the upcoming meal.
"Well, not straight enough that he won't make out with a boy, clearly" Lou huffed, violently yanking his glass up to his mouth the moment i'd filled it. He had not disguised his distaste for James's gruffness either.
I kicked Louis under the table, annoyed at his stupidity. Al and Raven looked confused suddenly.
"And how exactly did you know we make out Louis? Cyr only mentioned we were dating" James demanded of his cousin, failing to notice my angry swipe at the boys shin.
"Oh… well… Aurora... might have told me…"
I kicked him a second time, which did not go unnoticed twice.
James swung his ire straight at me then, his hand gripping his wine glass so tightly I feared it might break.
"You told your little girlfriend? How else would Aurora know that if not from you? You see why I fucking hate you?"
"It was supposed to b a secret. I didn't tell Al. Like you asked" I gritted back.
"I asked you not to tell ANYONE. It wasn't just about Al!"
"Oh look, food's here" Louis shot, eager for a distraction from his fuck up.
"It's the only thing i've ever asked of you! Why did you have to say anything Malfoy?!" James continued, not taking the out.
"What the fuck is going on guys? Cyr already told me about you two? How did Scor know? And why would you ask Scor not to say anything? Why would you of all people share a secret with Scor?"
Cyril suddenly pointed his fork between his boyfriend and I.
"CA SUFFIT! (That's enough!) YOU TWO WILL BEHAVE OR I'LL GAG THE BOTH OF YOU! I haven't caught up with Allie in forever and it would do us all some good to have a peaceful family meal. For your information Al, Scor was playing me for an afternoon so I could leave the castle to meet with my uncle undetected. James basically mistook Scor for me in a deserted corridor and well... there you go. Now… I'm not the happiest about it either but it was an innocent mistake alright? So can we move on and discuss other subjects?" Cyril commanded, stabbing his fork into his bowl of risotto, though it didn't need it.
"Don't remind me" I ignored, making a face as though I might be sick.
"What do you mean mistook you? Wait making out? So basically you kissed my brother?" Al demanded, a little more upset than he might've been.
"Eww no, he kissed me. I was all done up like Cyr, hufflepuff robes and everything. He snuck up behind me and well… It's how I found out they were dating."
"But I was the one who told you they were dating, you know, when Cyril asked about the, the thing..."
"Ok I'm leaving! Sod this"
"Sit down, and you two be quiet on the subject or i'll let James take off for real."
"Alright, alright, let's just eat" I offered, resigned. I did feel a little guilty that Aurora had gone and blabbed to her blond idiot. Well, ok I should't have told her either.
"I'm going to knick a bottle of champagne from you on the way out, for being a little rat. A right expensive one too."
"FINE… i deserve that... just as long as you don't think to kiss me agai—OWE" I cursed, feeling an elbow collide with my ribs. The brunet was staring quietly down into his plate, awkwardness painted on his face.
We were all silent for several moments, the only sound the clinking of silverware and the soft sounds of glass being placed back onto the table.
"Ok then Al, I have a less dangerous topic. I've been wanting to get Cyr a gift and he mentioned how much he liked a piece of jewelry you were wearing the night of the carnival? I wanted to ask who made it for you? So i could get something similar."
Cyril groaned and Raven physically picked his plate up and moved to the breakfast table instead, grumbling the words "Yeah, not a less dangerous topic, AT ALL."
"What? What have I stepped into this time?"
"Get back here Raven, it's honestly fine… he wanted to do something sweet for Cyril, it's not… a big deal" I offered, trying to hide my discomfort. "It's not like he did that on purpose…"
"Do what on purpose? Fuck, is it impossible for us to go three minutes without wounding each other? What did I say this time?"
"The hairpiece was Limstella's... his twin Sister's…"
"His Sister?"
"I dove for days around the cliffs where she died to retrieve it… which was my own form of clumsiness… It would have been awful if i'd found anything other than her ring or comb…"
I placed a hand on Al's shoulder.
"Sweet… the both of you that is… a little clumsy… but sweet" I corrected.
"Damn Malfoy… I didn't know... I was just looking to do something nice for Cyr... i'm…"
"Sorry? twice in one day? Are you trying to set a record?"
"No, i'm certain that wasn't the word I was going for" The elder brother smiled at me cheekily. Al watched the exchange, curious when he saw a smile form on my own lips.
"I never knew you lost a sister… a twin no less. That's... rough"
"Yeah, she was apparently the sweetest thing on earth" Cyril commented absently in between bites of his creamy rice.
"What do you mean apparently? You're their cousin though. How is it you never met her?"
"She died before my mother brought me to the french court. I only met Scor when I was eight. Allie and Raven have told me stories about her though… from what they remember as kids."
"Wait, Merlin's beard! Al, was she that blond girl? You know, the one you were absolutely obsessed with as a child? The one you lit that poor boy on fire for in the playground? That sniveling boy grabbed her by the arm and you totally lost it."
I dropped my fork into my plate. My muscles had utterly failed.
"That was Lily. I was defending Lily."
"No, Lily was at home with dad. Don't you remember that kids garden on Isle Avalon we used to play in? Well, Lily did come too on occasion, even the Malfoys would bring this one there back then. I guess this one and his sister. I just never realized who it was. I was off playing with my own friends for the most part."
I picked up my fork and resumed eating, chancing a glance over at Al. I tried to speak into his mind but remembered that our magic was sealed by the curse of our accident with the tome. I tried to picture the memories that had been erased and restored from our childhood. The scenes were hazy and would not come into focus. Only a flickering of grainy images passed through my head. A jumble of little Al and I playing with my sister and a few other faceless toddlers. Louis gulped his wine nervously as our cutlery moved food about their respective plates.
"Hoen and Van der Graff" I offered James's way after the silence became unbearable.
"Huh?"
"He means the jeweler who made the hairpiece…" Raven clarified daring to return to the table from the other end of the room.
"If you were curious I can make an introduction. Though you'll need to borrow some money in advance if you want to buy something for Cyr from there."
"I'm not exactly poor you know. I have a trust. I'm not some helpless chump..."
"No... I... That's not what I meant at all… It's just… a very expensive designer."
"I know what you meant Malfoy. Thanks for being a dick."
"No actually though, you'll have to borrow from somewhere? How am I being a dick? Even if it comes from your trust. Am I wrong?"
"Piss off…"
"What's your problem? It was eighty alright? If you must know! My mistake if you have that casually laying around in a cupboard somewhere."
"Eighty galleons? So what? You think I don't have eighty galleons loose somewhere?!"
Cyril chuckled despite himself, trying to turn the sound into a cough behind the fan of his delicate fingers. He was a little nervous that he'd been caught laughing at his boyfriend.
"Eighty GRAND" I corrected, bulging my eyes at him as if to say 'get it now?'
"Oh"
"Ashera! I wasn't making fun of you James… I just wanted to offer to make the introduction… if we show up without a tidy sum ready we'll look like imbeciles to the staff! Leave it to you to assume I was taking the piss. I'm not the ass here alright?"
"I'm never suggesting this again" Al complained, getting up to retrieve a bottle of wine just for himself. There was already a full one open at the table.
"Enough Melodrama twerp, we can behave? See how well we're getting on? Scor is taking me to his family jewelers though i'll likely have to pawn off my organs if I want to buy anything."
"This is what you two getting along looks like?" Raven, Louis and Cyril demanded incredulously. We all looked at each other and began to laugh, feeling the slight buzz of our wine working at us.
James physically got up and seized the fresh bottle, stowing it away from his brother so that he wouldn't over drink. In that one act of kindness, I saw a different side of James. Not in the rest of his meager attempts at civility, but in his care for his brother when instinct drove him to ignore his pride.
"FINE… but i'm at least having a second glass" Al complained, refilling his from the already open bottle in front of us.
"I have another question" Louis tried, after a few minutes of idle school drama passed between us. "Who's the better kisser?"
"Oh Al for sure" Raven answered without thinking. He looked up from his plate, realizing his boyfriend had not been addressing him.
"I'M SORRY? How do YOU know the way James kisses?"
"What? No I meant Al is better than Scor. Isn't that what you meant?"
"You kissed your cousin?" James squawked.
"That's not the big deal. Al and I have kissed before" Louis defended waving a hand in the air. "Wait? Then when did you kiss Al? Oh never mind…"
James looked so confused that I thought he might short-circuit.
"Why would you ask Raven who the better kisser?"
"No, I was asking S… just never mind…"
Louis gulped as both Al and I glared daggers at the blond.
"Al is a great kisser though isn't he Lou?" Cyril replied absently trying not to laugh.
"I HATE my life" James spat, trying to massage his temples with his fingers to relieve the tension of his likely massive headache. "When was this? I'm guessing while you were at their palace in Paris?"
Cyril nodded, still suppressing a grin.
"Wait, I did't know this? I knew Raven had tried it with you but Cyr too? Both of my cousins made a move on you?"
"You be quiet Scor… you're NOT helping…"
"Why don't we all just have an orgy then since we've all apparently had each other's tongues down our throats?" James cursed, pushing away his food as though he'd finally given up on the idea of eating.
"Because, you, Al and I are straight? Why do you think he turned them down after they kissed him?" I argued.
"Forget that! Cyr, you said Al is a great kisser. But who's better? Me or my brother?" James demanded, the urge to beat his brother at something clearly distracting him.
Cyril placed a hand on the elder Potters cheek.
"You cherie. Of course."
"Pffffft. Absolutely not. Al is a million times better than Ja…"
Everyone's heads swiveled to me as I caught myself. Al's face was a snapshot of Weasley rage as I stalled myself mid sentence.
"YOU TWO!?" James asked, horrified. "I KNEW IT! FUCK ME!"
"And thaaat was what I was asking earlier" Louis giggled, finally in the clear to repeat his question.
"You know, this is kind of fun? Are all family dinners in England like this? The french could take a few pointers. Though we'd doubtless need to introduce popcorn to the evening menu if drama becomes this routine. It's like going to the movies."
"You're having fun? Finding out all these boys have had occasion to… make out with each other?" James asked of his sort of boyfriend.
"Oh absolutely" Replied Lou, Raven and Cyr all at once.
Boy crazy lunatics.
"Didn't you just say you were straight Malfoy? You fucking assaulting my brother doesn't sound straight to m—"
"—First of all I did not ASSAULT your brother, secondly i'm as straight as you are, boy kisser. Al was a girl at the time. Plus we were super drunk so whatever…"
"Oh, during the carnival you mean? Well, that's ok then" James noted, relaxing a little into his silk cushions.
"What do you mean, that's ok then? Why do you get to say what's ok for them to do?" Louis barked at his cousin.
Cyril laughed giddily at the resurgence of the drama. "It's like a play" he clapped excitedly, hugging his knees and tapping his feet back and forth like a toddler as he watched the comedy unfold before him.
"I'll remind you, TWIT, that this was your idea" I spat at Al.
"I must have been having a stroke at the time. Why on earth did I invite James?"
"I for one am over the moon. You're all so much nicer than Acelin or Apolline. It's like having a real family for once… a real family meal..."
We all realized suddenly how awful the frenchling's family must have been for him to have enjoyed our squabbles so earnestly. We grew quiet then, this time for a great deal longer than before.
"Sorry Cyr" I began
"Sorry" Al tossed in
"Me too" Louis added.
"Same. Sorry mon amour."
"What ever for?" The french royal asked naively, failing to register our pity. "Aren't you all having a good time too?"
This may seem an inconsequential chapter but it's setting up something extremely important.
Oh and the boys may or may not be getting together shortly. Still a few major chapters to work through but its during this school year.