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“Al, can I speak to you for a minute please?”
Albus’ hand froze in midair, the Exploding Snap card still clutched between his fingers. He glanced over at his dad, who was leaning against the doorframe with a hopeful expression.
“Sorry, Lil. I’ll play with you later,” He murmured quietly, “I’m sure you can interrupt James from admiring his new dress robes in the mirror.”
He dropped the card on the floor as Lily huffed, “James cheats. Can’t you stay longer?”
“Lily,” Ginny muttered from the other side of the room, where she was sitting with Albus’ grandmother, “Your dad wants to talk to Albus. Louis and Roxanne are playing Quidditch outside, you could go and join them.”
Albus didn’t wait to see Lily’s reaction and instead moved towards the door where Harry was standing. Albus realised he was holding something, but didn’t ask what it was as his dad lead him towards the kitchen. Harry closed the door behind him and paused.
“I’ve got something for you ̶̶ for tomorrow.”
Albus sensed that his dad was distinctly nervous, and he understood why. The last time Harry had given him an individual gift, it had ended quite disastrously ̶
He shook the thought away quickly, and nodded, “Okay.”
Harry continued, “I bought new dress robes for James, but I didn’t get any for you and you might have wondered why-”
“Well, to be honest I was sort of hoping I could get away without wearing any,” Albus admitted quietly. Harry barked out a surprised laugh and shook his head.
“You sound just like Ron. Well, anyway, I have some robes for you to wear.” He stopped talking and reached into the bag he was holding, pulling out a bottle green set of robes with a flourish. “I had these when I was in my fourth year ̶ Gran bought them for me for the Yule Ball. Needless to say, I only ever wore them once because by the time I needed to wear dress robes again came around, I was far too tall for these.”
Albus nodded his head slowly and reached out to touch the material of the dress robes. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he kept his eyes on the buttons instead.
“You…” Harry paused, “You once told me green was a soothing colour. I suppose I thought… that you’d like these. It’s not a hand-me-down if that’s what you’re thinking ̶”
“Dad ̶”
“It’s a gift to you, but if you’d rather have new ones ̶”
“Dad,” Albus spoke again, and Harry stopped, his mouth forming a small circle as he glance down at his son. Albus smiled, “I really like them. Thank you.”
“You do?” Harry’s whole face lit up, and Albus was reminded of how uncomfortable he felt when his Dad was so open about his emotions. He glanced down at the floor to conceal his embarrassment.
“Yes. Besides, you can’t have given these to James ̶ he doesn’t have green eyes, does he? These robes are a green-eyed-Potter exclusive.”
This made Harry chuckle, and he reached out and ruffled Albus’ hair, “I’m glad you like them.”
“Me too.” Albus murmured as he took the robes from Harry’s other hand. He wanted to say something else, but there was a shout from the other room.
“Al! Scorpius just got here!”
Albus’ heart leapt in his chest, but he hesitated briefly, glancing over at his dad. Harry grinned, “Go. Before Lily gets to him.”
With a laugh, Albus moved towards the door. Just before he left, he paused and smiled at Harry again, “I really meant it by the way, Dad. Thank you.”
He didn’t stay to see his dad’s response, as he caught a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye and suddenly his mind switched to focusing on something entirely different.
“So,” Harry felt a warm pair of arms slide around his waist, “Did he like them?”
Ginny was standing on her tip-toes, her face pressed into his shoulder blade. Her presence sent a warmth through Harry’s body that made him grin until his cheeks hurt. He nodded.
“He loved them. He seemed so… happy.”
He thought of the way Albus’ eyes had lit up when he’d seen the robes, and he swelled with pride in himself. He’d done something right, and it felt fantastic.
“I knew it had worked out,” Ginny murmured in his ear, “You only ever make pancakes for dinner when you’re in a good mood.”
He turned away from the sizzling pan and faced his wife. She was beaming up at him, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the way her eyelashes had turned golden in the light.
“Don’t worry,” He murmured, “They’re sugar-free. I went to the apothecary yesterday with James and found the perfect sugar-substitute.”
“Good. We can’t think that just because it’s the summer holidays we can start eating sugar again ̶” Ginny started to say, but Harry cut her off with a kiss, taking her off guard and causing her to make a noise of surprise.
“Am I really that boring that you’d rather just kiss me than hear what I have to say?” Ginny smirked at him, and Harry laughed loudly.
“Gin, as much as I love you, I’ve already heard you tell James, Lily and Albus that we’re not allowed to eat sugar just because it’s summer ̶ and to be honest, I think the message has sunk in quite enough.”
She didn’t reply to him, but instead reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. He reached out and brushed his thumb against her cheek, longing to take her hand and lead her upstairs ̶
“Mum! Dad!” Harry and Ginny didn’t spring apart but instead just glanced at their daughter like she was the largest inconvenience they’d ever come across.
“I’m starving,” Lily moaned, “And I know you’re cooking pancakes Dad, so please hurry up. Save all that lovey-dovey stuff for after your children have been fed.”
With that she flounced off, her red hair streaming out behind her.
“Remind me why we decided to have a third child again?” Harry murmured into Ginny’s hair.
“I believe it was something to do with hoping for a lovely daughter to make up for our two horrid sons.”
“I don’t know who you’re calling horrid,” James muttered as he walked past his parents, covered in mud and clutching his broom, “I’m marvellous.”
“Says the boy treading mud all over his Gran’s kitchen,” Ginny pointed out, her eyebrows raised. James groaned loudly just as Lily shouted from the room next door.
“DAD! I actually think I might die of hunger if you don’t hurry up. Then you won’t have to worry about having a third child anymore!”
“Fine,” Harry muttered, turning back to the frying pan where the oil was still sizzling quietly. He reached for the pancake mix just as Ginny stood on her tip toes and whispered in his ear, “The faster you make them and get dinner over with, the faster we’ll get to finish what we started.”
Harry’s cheeks turned a brilliant red as he hastily poured the mixture onto the saucepan.
Even though Albus and Scorpius had shared the same dorm room for the past four years, Albus couldn’t help but feel incredibly exposed as he led his best friend up to the room they were sharing.
Normally, he wouldn’t have cared about this. He couldn’t remember exactly when he’d started to look at Scorpius differently ̶ it was all a blur. All he knew now was that he longed for Scorpius to be more than just his friend, and it was messing with his brain. He struggled to think straight when Scorpius was around, because he was there and he was Scorpius and he was amazing.
So leading him up the stairs to their shared bedroom felt a lot more embarrassing in Albus’ head than it should have.
“Wow!” Scorpius beamed as they walked through the open door, “I love it here! It feels so cosy and small!”
Albus laughed, throwing himself down on one of the beds. Scorpius’ brow suddenly furrowed, “I don’t mean small in a bad way! I like it like that!”
“Scorpius ̶ ” Albus started to respond, but Scorpius was shaking his head quickly.
“I only meant that it’s much nicer than being in a big empty house.”
Albus’ smile slipped off of his face when he caught sight of his friend’s expression and realised the meaning of his words.
“Was it yesterday?” Albus asked quietly. Scorpius’ blonde head dropped and he nodded silently. Slowly, Albus reached out and took hold of his friend’s wrist, pulling him down to sit beside him.
“I’m sorry,” Albus whispered, but Scorpius shook his head quickly.
“It’s not ̶ it’s okay,” He closed his eyes for a moment, “It’s just… this year was hard and I can’t believe she’s been gone for two years now. There were so many times this year when I just wanted to hug my mum and I couldn’t. I missed her more than anything.”
Albus dropped his head with a sigh, “I should never have led you into all of that in the first place, Scorpius. I’m sorry I caused you so much pain-”
“No.” Scorpius’ voice was firm as he reached out and placed his hands on Albus’ shoulders, “At the graveyard yesterday… it felt a bit silly really, but I sat and talked to her. And I told her about the bestest friend I could have hoped for. Albus… you never got to meet her, but I know she would have loved you.”
Albus felt his cheeks flush, “From what you’ve told me about her, I think I’d have loved her as well.”
Before he could realise what was happening, Scorpius reached forwards and hugged Albus tightly. Albus barely had time to register that his stomach had dropped at this spontaneous moment of affection, because he noticed that Scorpius was crying.
Without thinking, he leant his head against his friend’s and ran his fingers through his light blonde hair. Neither of them spoke, but Albus knew that, for Scorpius, having someone there to hug him was more than enough. Eventually his sobs subsided. Albus noticed that they both held onto each other for a little bit longer than was necessary, but he decided now wasn’t the time to read into it.
“Sorry,” Scorpius muttered quietly as he pulled away, “When people are nice to me it makes me cry. Merlin, I hope no one’s nice to me tomorrow or I might cry in front of everyone.”
“Well, they say everyone cries at weddings,” Albus murmured quietly. Scorpius’ eyes widened.
“Oh no! I’m just the kind of persons to cry at weddings. Do you have any spare handkerchiefs?”
At first Albus thought he was joking, but when he saw Scorpius’ earnest expression he realised his friend was deadly serious.
“My dad has some I’m sure he can spare for Malfoy the Emotional.”
Scorpius laughed, a beautiful sound that Albus was sure he’d remember for days to come.
“So this is the room we’re sleeping in?” Scorpius asked, looking around with a twinkle in his eyes, “I love it. Is this where your dad used to sleep when he stayed with the Weasleys?”
Albus snorted, “The fact that you’re still such a big fan of my dad creeps me out a bit. I didn’t even ask him, but I guess if you wanted to we could find out later.”
“I’m not a fan as such. I just… when I walk into the same room as him an alarm goes off in my brain to tell me ‘THAT’S HARRY POTTER!’”
Albus shook his head but couldn’t help smiling as he looked at his friend. His heart was bursting with affection, and he wanted more than anything to lean forwards and kiss that stupid smiling mouth.
“Al! Scorpius!” A voice shouted from downstairs, “Dinner’s ready!”
Albus broke away from his thoughts and immediately hoped he hadn’t moved too close to Scorpius’ face. He cleared his throat awkwardly and stood up.
“Most of my family are here at the moment, so prepare yourself for a chaotic dinner.”
Without thinking, he reached his hand out to pull Scorpius up into a standing position. The contact of their palms set Albus’ mind whirring again, and he casually dropped it to pretend he was checking his wand was in his pocket.
He darted out of the door and down the stairs while Scorpius chatted away behind him.
“Chaotic’s not a problem! I’d love to meet the rest of the Weasley clan! I love everyone I’ve met in your family so far!”
Scorpius’ words caused a blush to creep up the back of Albus’ neck.
The two boys stepped into the kitchen and were waved over to the end of the table by Harry.
“Are you alright, Al?” Ginny murmured, pressing her hand against his forehead, “You’re really flushed.”
“Am I?” Albus blurted, “Must be… all those stairs!”
His gaze flickered to James, who was giving him a knowing look. Albus felt so exposed under his older brother’s gaze that he had to glance away quickly. He scanned the table and latched onto a new subject.
“Pancakes! Wow! Thanks Dad!”
He pulled his chair out and sat down quickly between James and Scorpius. As he reached forwards to help himself, his Granddad asked, “Harry, how did you manage to do it without sugar? Or did you convince Ginny to let you use sugar just this once?”
Simultaneously, the eyes of all the children in the room turned to Harry ̶ wide and hopeful. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “I’m afraid I used a sugar substitute. But I’m sure you won’t be able to tell!”
Everyone seemed to visibly deflate, and Harry’s shoulders drooped. Quickly, Albus stuffed a forkful of pancake into his mouth. The taste was amazing - it was as if there was real sugar in there.
“They’re amazing!” He spoke through a mouthful of pancake, “The best things I’ve ever tasted!”
Harry’s chest inflated, and he beamed, “Thanks Al!”
Soon everyone else was taking mouthfuls and realising that the pancakes were amazing, and suddenly Harry was the hero of the evening. Ginny was chatting to Scorpius about school, while Lily was arguing with Louis about the Quidditch match they’d played earlier that day. Harry was telling Dominique the best method to deflect a jinx, while Bill asked James about his upcoming 7th year N.E.W.T exams. Percy and George were at the other end of the table discussing the shop. Through it all, Albus sat in a comfortable silence and listened to everyone talking at the same time.
Suddenly, under the table he felt Scorpius’ knee brush his, and his face felt as though he’d just caught on fire. His fork clattered to his plate, and the table fell silent as everyone turned to look at him.
“Albus - are you sure you’re not unwell?” Albus’ Gran asked, “You look like you’ve got a fever.”
“Absolutely fine!” He responded far too quickly. Scorpius glanced at him questioningly, but the worried glint in his friend’s eyes only made Albus’ face turn an even deeper shade of red.
James spoke up, “Al does this weird thing where he eats hot food too quickly and then his body reacts in the oddest of ways. He gets all hot and sweaty. It’s kind of gross.”
“Really?” Harry asked, gazing at his sons in confusion, “Al, when did this start?”
Albus’ mouth was opening and closing in a similar fashion to a goldfish, and just as he thought he might die of embarrassment, Lily groaned from the other end of the table.
“Dad! Could you make some more pancakes please? I’m so hungry after beating Louis’ arse at Quidditch.”
“Language!” Ginny hissed quickly, but Lily only grinned wickedly.
“Okay!” Harry stood up, “Who else for pancakes?”
The attention moved away from Albus, and he finally let out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Merlin, how was he supposed to carry on hanging around with Scorpius and his family at the same time? It was going to be painful.
“You’re welcome,” James murmured in his ear with a wink before sliding out of his chair to help their dad in the kitchen. Albus barely had time to consider that James knew, because Scorpius’ hand brushed against his under the table.
“Hey,” He whispered, his grey eyes wide with concern, “Are you okay?”
Albus’ heart swelled with affection, and he squeezed his friend’s hand gently, “Absolutely.”
“Have you boys eaten enough?” Albus’ Gran asked. Scorpius nodded gleefully.
“Yes thank you Mrs. Weasley! I think that could be the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten!”
She swelled with pride and squeezed his shoulder, “I’m glad. Now you two should go up and get dressed! The guests will start arriving in an hour, and we can’t be late!”
Albus had expected his dad to be making breakfast when he’d come down to the kitchen that morning, but his parents had been nowhere to be seen. Instead, his Gran had been cooking for all of his cousins; she had been only too happy to cook for Albus and Scorpius as well.
“Where in Merlin’s name are Harry and Ginny?” His Gran asked, throwing down her tea-towel with a huff and storming out of the kitchen. Albus and Scorpius shared an equally confused look before they started to walk up the stairs.
“Don’t make me come in there!” Albus heard his Gran shout, and he suddenly realised where his parents were. Gross. Scorpius hadn’t seemed to notice, and he decided not to scar his friend anymore than he potentially already had been.
“I wonder what kind of cake there will be,” Albus murmured to distract Scorpius from his parents.
Scorpius’ grey eyes lit up, “I hope it’s chocolate! That would be amazing, don’t you think?”
Albus laughed, swatting at Scorpius’ arm gently, “Yes, it would be. But you have to be quick if you want to eat any food – this is a Weasley wedding.”
“If their appetites are anything like your’s, Albus, then I’m well trained.” Scorpius grinned wickedly, and Albus felt his insides melt. He turned away quickly and opened the door to the bedroom. He could feel his cheeks burning, but decided to ignore it and promptly started looking for his dress robes.
Scorpius rummaged through his trunk before producing a set of green and silver robes. Albus’ eye caught on the material, and he smirked, “Is that silk?”
“No…” Scorpius held the robes to his chest protectively, “Maybe… My dad bought them. I had nothing to do with them!”
Albus began to laugh as he watched his friend brush the fabric down gently. A moment later, Scorpius set them down on his camp bed and pulled his t-shirt off. The laughter in Albus’ throat died as his focus was suddenly on his best friend’s bare torso.
“Well! I’m going to go and get changed in the bathroom!” Albus said slightly louder than he’d intended before darting through the open bathroom door with his dress robes in his hand. The last thing he caught before he shut the door was the confused expression on Scorpius’ face.
He could imagine why Scorpius was confused- they’d shared a dormitory for four years and had got changed in front of each other before. But now Albus’ feelings were different, and he found it extremely difficult to look anywhere but Scorpius’ body. He hated how terribly he was dealing with his feelings- why was he acting like such an idiot? He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, instantly regretting it as a tile came loose and fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Are you alright, Albus?” Scorpius asked from outside the door, his voice full of concern.
“Yes!” Albus squeaked, “I just tripped over!”
Great. Now Scorpius thought he was an idiot as well as socially awkward. Could he embarrass himself anymore?
Before he could do just that, he got changed into his dress robes and brushed his hair and teeth. He had to admit when he looked in the mirror that the robes really did suit him - his dad had been right. He didn’t think he’d ever looked so smart in his life, and suddenly felt self-conscious about going back into his bedroom to face Scorpius.
With one final glance in the mirror, he opened the door and stepped into his bedroom.
“Wow,” The word slipped out of his mouth before he could even think, because Scorpius was standing there and he looked… beautiful. The dress robes fit Scorpius so incredibly well that they outlined his lean figure, and the silver embroidery brought out the light grey in his eyes. His cheeks were tinged pink as he looked at Albus, his lips parted slightly.
“You look…” Albus cleared his throat, unsure of how to word it, “The dress robes look really… nice. On you. You look very… smart.”
Merlin, he wanted to die in that moment. He wanted the floor to swallow him up and never spit him out. He raised his hand to play with his hair for something to do, but suddenly Scorpius was standing right next to him, his hand on Albus’ arm.
“Don’t touch your hair,” The blonde boy murmured, “It looks… good. You inherited your dad’s hair and while I usually love that look… I really… like how it looks. Now.”
Now Albus’ cheeks were burning for an entirely different reason, “You… love my hair?”
“Yes,” Scorpius appeared to be quite flustered, “It’s very… Albus-y. You know?” There was a pause, and Scorpius scrambled to fill the silence, “And I’ve never seen your hair look like this. I really… like it. You know. Your hair. Brushed. But I also like it un-brushed. I like all forms of Albus hair. But I particularly like this one.”
Albus couldn’t quite believe his ears. He nodded silently, trying to appear as nonchalant about what Scorpius was saying as possible.
“I particularly like what you’re wearing now.” He murmured, “I know I already said that. But just in case you… didn’t hear me the first time.”
“Yes,” Scorpius beamed, “I heard. Thank you.”
The two boys stood in silence for a moment, and Albus wanted to say something else, but there was too much on his mind to put into a coherent sentence.
“Albus! Scorpius!”
The two boys leapt apart as if they’d been caught doing something much more scandalous than complimenting each other. When Albus turned his head to look at the door, he realised no one was even there - his dad’s voice was coming from downstairs.
Albus glanced at Scorpius hesitantly, and was somewhat pleased to see the pink blush that had settled on his friend’s cheeks.
“Shall we go down then? Or are you not ready?” Albus asked quietly. Scorpius nodded quickly.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
As the two of them made their way down the stairs, Albus was sure he felt Scorpius’ hand brush his. He had a feeling it hadn’t been an accident.
Harry inspected his hair in the mirror again and patted his hands on it for the fifth time that minute. Normally, his unkempt hair didn’t bother him, but he didn’t want to walk into Ron and Hermione’s wedding looking like he’d just slept with his wife. That was something he’d rather keep to himself, although Mrs. Weasley seemed to have figured it out as well.
“Your hair looks great, Dad,” Lily told him from where she was sitting on the table, her legs swinging beneath her, “The rugged look will remind everyone that you saved the wizarding world.”
“People usually don’t need reminding,” Albus remarked quietly, and Harry glanced over at him worriedly. He was surprised - he’d expected his son’s face to look sullen, but instead his eyes were bright and he seemed as though he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
“Those robes look great, Al,” Harry told his son seriously, “Did you and Scorpius intentionally match colours?”
Behind him, James whispered something to Lily, and they both collapsed into fits of laughter.
“Care to share that thought, Jamie?” Harry’s gaze fell on his eldest son, who simply shook his head with a sigh.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older, Dad.”
Harry blinked. “You wha-?”
“Would you look at that?” Ginny exclaimed as she strolled into the kitchen, “Is that the Potter family ready on time? It’s a marvel ̶ call the Daily Prophet!”
She was wearing a red dress with a plunging neckline that made Harry’s thoughts flicker to their time in bed earlier that morning. She turned and winked at him discreetly, and Harry felt his lower stomach tingle.
“Do we… really have to go to the wedding?” He squeaked, his voice higher than usual, “We could… just… you know. Stay here. Me and you.”
“Ugh!” Albus shouted, “Dad, you’re so gross!”
“Oh!” Harry jumped slightly, suddenly remembering that all of his children and Scorpius were standing in the kitchen as well.
“Well,” Ginny murmured as she ran her hand down the front of Harry’s shirt, “You are the best man. I’m a bridesmaid. And the bride and groom just happen to be the godparents to our children. We can’t skip the wedding. A real shame.”
“You have seen them get married once before, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I’m sure you wouldn’t miss much if you need to stay here.” Scorpius interjected brightly.
Albus buried his face in his hands with a groan, and Scorpius looked at his best friend in confusion.
“Scorpius,” James murmured gently, despite the fact a smile was playing at the corner of his lips, “I don’t think you meant that.”
Lily jumped in with a smirk, “I can tell you’re confused, Scorpius. If this helps, I once heard my dad calling it ‘getting funky’.”
Harry gasped, “Lily! When did you hear me say that?”
“Only last week.” She responded with a sigh. Meanwhile, Scorpius’ face seemed to have turned the same colour as Ginny’s dress. He started to splutter an apology, but Albus clapped his hand over his friend’s mouth.
“I think that’s quite enough, Scorpius.”
“Lily, you’re thirteen!” Harry exclaimed, “You shouldn’t know things like this! You shouldn’t know what getting funky is!”
“Hey, Dad,” James jumped off the table and placed a reassuring hand on Harry’s arm, “A bit of advice. Never call it getting funky again. It’s not cool.”
Harry was lost for words. He turned to Ginny for some advice, but her lips were pressed tightly together to stop herself from laughing. He deflated.
“You don’t think it’s cool when I say that either?” He felt like a wounded puppy.
She went on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, “You seemed to like the phrase. Who was I to let you down?”
“My wife!” Harry exclaimed, “You’re supposed to be the one that stops me from making a fool of myself!”
Ginny winked and slipped her small hand into his, “Where’s the fun in that?”
“Can you two please stop talking about this in front of Scorpius?” Albus blurted.
“It’s alright, Mr. and Mrs. Potter!” Scorpius piped up, “You two can talk about whatever you want! Don’t stop just because I’m here!”
Harry expected Albus to groan and tell his friend to be quiet, but instead he hit him over the head playfully and smiled at him fondly. The expression on Albus’ face was so familiar to Harry, he was sure he’d seen it before-
“Okay! Let’s get going – Mum would kill us for being late a second time.” Ginny tugged on Harry’s hand, and they trooped out of the kitchen into the brilliant sunshine, shrugging off Lily murmuring “What made you late the first time?”. As their children began to disperse, Ginny leant up and whispered in his ear.
“Whatever you were thinking about earlier that made you want to stay back, let’s do it twice once all the guests are gone.”
“Three times and you’ve got yourself a deal,” Harry shot back, and Ginny grinned wickedly at him, her eyes bright.
“Be careful, say that any louder and Ron will hear you.”
Almost everyone had arrived- most of the guests were milling around on the grass while a few others had gone to sit down, and Albus noted that not many people had been invited. Hermione’s position as Minister for Magic meant that lots of people had wanted to come, but her and Ron had decided to this time just to invite immediate family and close friends. Hermione’s parents were already sitting at the front next to Albus’ granddad, who looked positively enthralled to be talking to them.
Even though he was having a good time talking to his family, Albus longed to take Scorpius away somewhere private so the two of them could talk like they had earlier that morning. At the memory of his friend’s words, Albus felt his cheeks warm slightly. He smiled to himself and glanced up at Scorpius who had just spotted someone and started to wave.
“Rose!” Scorpius beamed, “Hello!”
Albus felt himself deflate slightly at the sight of his cousin. He didn’t dislike her, in fact their relationship had healed somewhat since 1st year, however he hated how much Scorpius liked her. Whenever he saw them talking, he got a tight feeling in his chest that wouldn’t seem to go away. He could tell Scorpius wondered why he was so short with his cousin, but he’d never asked why.
“Wow! You look amazing!” Scorpius commented as Rose approached them. She was wearing a dark red dress which was the same colour as Albus’ mum’s dress, and she did look nice. Albus didn’t say anything, though. Instead, he kicked at the grass.
“Thanks, Scorpius,” She grinned, and there was a slight pause. “Albus, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look this smart before. You look great!”
Before Albus could even reply, Scorpius nodded in agreement, “Doesn’t he? The green really brings out his eyes, don’t you think?”
Albus felt a blush creep up the back of his neck, and he noticed that Scorpius’ face had darkened as well- or perhaps it was just the light.
Out of the corner of his eye, Albus saw Rose roll her eyes dramatically with a smirk on her face. He was just about to ask her why she was rolling her eyes when Albus’ Gran appeared in front of him and clapped her hands.
“To your seats! The ceremony’s starting in five minutes!”
Rose gave them a quick wave before rushing off to join the other bridesmaids at the front. Albus pulled on Scorpius’ hand to gesture for him to move, but his friend was glancing around with a crease between his eyebrows.
“What’s up?” Albus asked in confusion.
“I’m looking for my dad. He should be here by now -”
Albus pointed at a light-haired figure sitting at the back, “He’s there! Do you want to go and say hello?”
Scorpius nodded, and the two boys moved towards the back row of seats where Draco was sitting. His face lit up when his gaze fell on Scorpius.
“Hey, Dad!” Scorpius beamed, “I thought you hadn’t turned up yet!”
“Hello, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus gave him a wave. He had always been slightly scared of Scorpius’ dad, but since his and Scorpius’ ‘adventure’ last year he had felt a lot more at ease around Mr. Malfoy.
Draco gave them both a smile, “Well, don’t you both look smart? You’re making me feel quite underdressed.”
“I think you’re alright, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus told him sincerely, “You’re wearing silk, and I have a slight feeling that you and Scorpius might just be the only two people in silk robes.”
“Albus! I told you to sit down!” Albus turned and glanced at his gran, giving her a sheepish grin before turning back to Scorpius’ dad.
“Do you want to come and sit with us at the front? I’m sure there’s enough room.”
Scorpius beamed at Albus in gratitude, but his dad shook his head.
“I think I’ll be alright at the back. Thank you anyway, Albus. I’ll catch up with the two of you later - you ought to sit down before your gran hexes you.”
Both of the boys waved at Draco before they started to move down the aisle to their seats. However, after one step Albus stopped. He realised that his hand was still caught in Scorpius’, and his face turned a glorious red. He’d only grabbed onto his friend’s hand to lead him in the right direction, but they’d been holding onto each other since.
Scorpius glanced at him in confusion, “Albus? What’s the matter? You’ve gone all red again.”
Albus took the opportunity to casually slip his hand out of Scorpius’ so he could press it against his cheek to cool it down.
“I’m fine!” He tried to smile, “It’s just…very hot.”
He started to walk again and Scorpius followed suit as he started chattering away, “You see, that’s the benefit of silk. It’s a very cooling material.”
“I thought you said your dad picked your robes out for you?” Albus smirked as he found their seats on the second row next to James.
Scorpius nodded slowly as he tried to think of an answer, “Well… yes! He did! But I heard… on the street… that silk is cooling.”
Albus buried his face in his hands with a groan.
“What’s this?” James asked brightly, slinking his arm around Albus’ shoulder, “Albus, why are you mocking Scorpius’ excellent taste in fabric? Some friend you are!”
Albus shook his head quickly, “I’m a perfectly fine friend! Aren’t I, Scorpius?”
The blonde boy nodded so viciously Albus thought his head would roll off, “Yes! Very… fine!”
He suddenly blushed, realising the choice of his words, and he turned to face the other way. Albus felt his own cheeks begin to burn, and James nudged him in the ribs with a wink.
“What?” Albus hissed, but James didn’t get to reply. Their Gran turned around to give them both ‘the stare’ which had the power to stop even Lily from talking. Both boys shut up quickly and turned to face the front.
The music began to play, and Albus watched as Rose, Ginny and Lily made their way up to the front slowly, smiling at each other as they did so.
“Remind me why Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron getting married again?” Albus hissed to James.
“Well,” Uncle George eagerly leant forwards from his seat behind Albus and smirked, “It was all your dad’s fault, you see. Ron was a bit nervous, so your dad decided to take him out for a few drinks beforehand to settle his nerves. They lost track of time and before they knew it, it was half an hour until the ceremony and were both off their faces. Had to collect them from the ‘Leaky myself. They were almost late, and then both stumbled down the aisle like a couple of homeless drunkards. Hermione and Ginny had to look after them for the rest of the day.”
“Wish I could have been there to see it,” remarked James.
“Well in a way you were,” George jeered, a smirk growing on his face. “From what I can gather from my knowledge of the human gestation period anyway.”
As Ginny passed them, her ears picked up George’s words, and a moment later she cast a silencing charm on him. Albus snorted and turned to face the front again before his Gran could tell him off again.
Scorpius was chuckling beside him, and the feeling of his best friend vibrating with laughed beside him made Albus beam. He could feel that their bodies were a little bit too close, but neither he nor Scorpius moved for the rest of the ceremony.
The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the marquee. Harry was already beginning to feel sleepy, having had too much to drink during the meal after the ceremony. He’d been banned by Hermione from drinking before the wedding, as had Ron. To make up for it, the two of them had had put aside two large bottles of Firewhisky for themselves.
Harry scanned the room, trying to locate where his family had scattered around the marquee. His eyes fell on Albus, who was sitting with Scorpius and listening attentively to whatever the blonde boy was saying, his eyes bright. The expression on Albus’ face was one that reminded Harry of something distantly, but he couldn’t quite place it. A moment later, Albus began to laugh, and Scorpius beamed.
“That right there is the look of love.”
Harry jumped and turned to James, who had silently seated himself beside his dad. Harry blinked in confusion, “What?”
“Al and Scorpius,” James smiled, gesturing at the two boys, “Just look at their faces. That’s love right there.”
With a slight frown of confusion, Harry turned back to Albus and Scorpius, studying their expressions carefully. Albus’ eyes were brighter than usual when he looked at Scorpius, and he always seemed to have a smile on his face…
Ah. Harry suddenly realised why the expression on his son’s face was so familiar to him. It was the expression that he saw on Ginny’s face every day when she looked at him. Things began clicking into place as Harry watched his son.
“How long have you known?” Harry asked James, who seemed only too happy to reply.
“I noticed just after Christmas. I caught them gazing at each other and blushing while eating breakfast, and it suddenly just clicked.”
“They, of course, have no idea,” Lily emerged on Harry’s other side, making him jump again, “James and I have been giving each other daily updates. Merlin, they’re embarrassing to watch. I wish they’d just get together already, it’s sickening.”
“You both knew? Is it that obvious?” Harry demanded, although as he watched the two boys he realised that it really was.
“Are we talking about Al and Scorpius?” Ginny asked as she perched on the edge of the table beside James, “They don’t quite seem to realise how they feel about each other, do they?”
“What?” Harry exploded, “Gin! You knew and didn’t tell me? We could have done something to get them together! We could have invited Scorpius round for tea loads, maybe left them alone in a candlelit room…”
“And that,” James supplied, “Is why we didn’t tell you. I think Al would spontaneously combust if you did that, Dad. So please - never do that.”
“Well…” Harry shook his head slowly, “Am I really that unobservant?”
“Yes,” Lily, James and Ginny all responded at the same time.
He groaned, but as he glanced at Albus and Scorpius again he felt his heart inflate slightly. He’d been so worried about Albus all year - about how he would cope following the trauma that he’d been through with Delphi - and Scorpius’ friendship had been invaluable to him throughout that time. He couldn’t think of anyone that made his son happier.
His gaze travelled over to Draco, who was sitting at the end of the table chatting politely to Hermione’s parents.
“I bet I’m not the last person to find out,” Harry grinned triumphantly, “And I won’t be the one to tell Draco. He can figure it out for himself.”
Ginny leant forwards and tapped Harry’s shoulder gently, “I hope you realise that if our son and Draco’s son do end up together, your petty rivalry with him can’t go on for much longer.”
“Well,” Harry sniffed, “I suppose I’d have to make that sacrifice for Al. But I can be petty in private.”
“Your Aunt Hermione’s dress really is very nice,” Scorpius murmured to Albus as they watched Ron and Hermione have the first dance, “In fact, I love the whole set up of this wedding. If I ever get married, I’d want it to be like this.”
Albus laughed, his gaze turning to his friend, “I would have thought you’d want a bit more silk somewhere in the room. Peacocks leading the bridesmaids in?”
“No!” Scorpius blushed slightly, “Not peacocks - they might poo all over the silk seats.”
Albus dissolved into a fit of laughter, and Scorpius groaned, “Anyway, I meant more the… family feeling of it all. I really like your family, you know.” “Well, feel free to invite them to your wedding.” Albus muttered. There was a pause, and Scorpius nodded slowly, “Well… you’d be there too, of course.”
Albus felt his cheeks heat up slightly as an image formed in his head of a wedding that Scorpius probably hadn’t been imagining. After a moment, he cleared his throat, “Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be?”
Those words seemed to make Scorpius’ whole face light up, and before Albus could register what was happening, Scorpius had thrown his arms around him. Albus closed his eyes for a brief moment, inhaling Scorpius’ scent and allowing himself to appreciate one of the rare hugs that they had.
Scorpius pulled away later than Albus had anticipated, but he didn’t mind. When he glanced up and saw his friend’s face, he was sure that Scorpius was blushing slightly.
“Shall we…” Scorpius shook his head hesitantly, “Do you want to go and dance? Or… something! Friendly dancing! With my friend Albus! My best friend.”
Albus felt his heart inflate slightly, and he nodded quickly, “Yes! That would be… cool. I just… I’m quite thirsty, I might just go and get a drink first, if that’s alright. Can I get you something?”
“Oh, yes please! I’m quite... hot, actually. A Butterbeer would be nice!” The blonde boy beamed, and Albus gave him a quick smile before standing up and moving towards the drink table.
As he grabbed some glasses and began to pour two drinks, he wondered if he was dreaming. Surely Scorpius hadn’t just asked him to dance? While blushing? Or had he imagined the blushing? Or was the dancing just a friendly thing? Merlin, he had no idea what was going on. He hoped that Scorpius really had been blushing, because then… No, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He was probably just imagining the whole thing.
“Al!” Albus’ dad appeared beside him, “Are you alright? You look a bit, erm - flustered.”
“Yep!” Albus nodded quickly, “Sorry, Dad - can’t stop for a chat. In a rush. See you later! Bye!”
He grabbed the drinks and turned around sharply, leaving his rather confused dad behind. When he reached the table where he and Scorpius had been sitting, his friend was no where to be seen. He frowned and placed the glasses down on the table, his eyes scanning the dance floor. Scorpius’ bright blonde hair caught his attention, and he began to move towards him quickly.
A moment later, Albus caught sight of a familiar dark red dress. As he approached Scorpius, he realised that his friend was dancing with Rose, leaning forwards and murmuring something in her ear. Albus stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding. He watched as Rose tapped Scorpius’ shoulder and pointed at Albus. Scorpius’ eyes met his and he smiled, but it was too late. Albus had seen them dancing - it was clear that he’d got completely the wrong impression, and that Scorpius like Rose. He should have known all along.
Slowly, he took a few steps backwards before turning around and pushing through the crowds.
“Albus! Where are you going?” Scorpius shouted after him in confusion, but Albus didn’t wait. He could already feel tears forming in his eyes, and he had to get away before he cried in front of his whole family. He darted past the drinks table and towards the back of the marquee. There was a large sheet hanging up to conceal the wedding cake, which hadn’t been revealed yet. Albus darted behind it quickly, hoping that nobody had spotted him. He wiped his eyes quickly, trying to stop the tears from spilling onto his cheeks.
Merlin, he’d been such an idiot to assume that Scorpius had actually felt the same way about him. He felt humiliated. Scorpius was his best friend- how was he supposed to go on being his friend when he had feelings for him? It could never work, not if Scorpius was going to be with Rose. He closed his eyes, wondering if the ground would just swallow him-
“Albus? Are you back here?”
Scorpius’ blonde head appeared a moment later, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. When his gaze fell on Albus, his eyes widened in concern.
“What’s going on? Albus?”
Albus wanted to stay angry at him, but as Scorpius rushed forwards worriedly, he could already feel his anger dissipating.
“It’s fine. I just… don’t feel very well,” Albus finished lamely, and Scorpius gave him a look that suggested he didn’t believe him in the slightest.
“I thought…” Scorpius gulped, “I thought we were going to dance together. Did you not want to?”
“Well,” Albus muttered bitterly, avoiding his best friend’s gaze, “You seemed perfectly happy dancing with Rose. Why would you want to dance with me?”
If it was possible, somehow Scorpius’ eyes grew even wider, and he shook his head, “I didn’t want to dance with Rose. We were just talking about something. I was waiting for you. Why would I want to dance with Rose?”
After a moment of silence, Albus kicked at the ground with his foot, “Because you like spending time with her.”
“No,” Scorpius frowned slightly, “Well, yes. Don’t tell her I said that - she’s very nice! But… I’d rather spend time with you.”
Albus felt his whole body freeze, and he raised his head slowly to meet Scorpius’ gaze, “What?”
“Albus!” Scorpius grabbed onto both of his hands, “Albus Potter! My best friend, who’s very sulky and Albus-y and makes me smile every day. Albus-y Albus Potter. I love spending time with you.”
Slowly, Albus’ mouth fell open. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind was blank.
“When I’m sad, I want to speak to you. When I have nightmares, I want to speak to you. No one else gives me the same witty Albus-y response that I need! Or the kind Albus-y response!” He paused for a moment, his grey eyes searching Albus’ face, “I thought… well, when I asked if you wanted to dance… I just meant… well… Albus… I quite like being in your company…”
Slowly, Albus nodded his head.
“Your company is very nice! You’re a great friend!” Scorpius paused, “Very friendly! I like being friendly! Speaking of friends…”
Albus raised an eyebrow slowly, unsure of where this was going. Scorpius nodded quickly.
“Right! Speaking of friends! Rose is my friend. I like talking to Rose. But I wouldn’t want to dance with her. You’re my friend. But I would like to dance with you. Very much so. Do you… know what I mean?” He finished, his voice on a much higher pitch than it had been before.
There was a moment of silence. Albus blinked. Did Scorpius mean what Albus thought he meant? Or was he imagining it? Was he completely misinterpreting it? He didn’t know what to say. He stared at Scorpius’ nervous expression for a moment, wondering what to do.
He didn’t want to embarrass himself if he’d misinterpreted everything. But then… could he really go on being friends with Scorpius harbouring these secret feelings forever?
Oh, Albus thought to himself, sod it.
Slowly, hesitantly, he moved his face forwards and closed the distance between them. His lips brushed Scorpius’ lightly, and he paused. He didn’t know what he’d expected to happen- perhaps for Scorpius to freak out and run off- but whatever he’d been worrying about didn’t happen at all.
Instead, Scorpius kissed him back, firmer than Albus had done. A surprised noise escaped Albus’ mouth, but the two of them seemed to ignore it. Albus was kissing Scorpius. Scorpius was kissing him back. He couldn’t quite believe it.
A moment later, he pulled away, “Is this what you meant by dancing, Scorpius?”
Scorpius’ whole face lit up, “Yes! Well… real dancing would be great too. But I’m liking this. Very much so. I like this. A new side of Albus. I like it. I like you, Albus Potter. Very much.”
Albus felt his mouth twitch at the corners, “Good job I like you too, Scorpius Malfoy.”
Less than a second later, Scorpius’ mouth was on Albus’, and they relaxed into each other. Every inch of Albus’ skin was on fire, and he could feel the heat of Scorpius’ skin beneath his fingers. He didn’t think he’d ever been so close to Scorpius, and yet somehow he wanted to get closer. Scorpius stumbled back slightly, and Albus started to laugh against his lips as he held him up.
Suddenly, there was a loud tearing noise as light filled the space that the two boys were standing in. Albus realised- all too late- that the sheet that had been concealing the surprise wedding cake had been dropped. He and Scorpius froze for a millisecond before springing apart. Albus could feel his cheeks burning like they’d never burnt before as he glanced hesitantly up at his family, who had crowded around to see the cake.
There was silence. Everyone stared at the two boys in surprise. Slowly, Albus reached out and held onto Scorpius’ hand.
“Finally!” Lily yelled, “You two have been killing me with all this waiting to tell the other one about how you feel. It’s been agony, pure agony, watching you two!”
Another pause.
“Hermione, are you telling me that we’ve been upstaged at our second wedding?” Ron groaned, “We can’t have this! We’re supposed to be the centre of attention! Not Albus and Scorpius!”
“Ssh, Ron!” Hermione swatted at Ron’s arm at the same time as Rose shouted, “Dad, shut up!”
Through it all, Albus sought out his dad’s gaze. His heart was pounding as their eyes met, but he had nothing to be worried about. His dad was positively beaming, and Albus was sure that his eyes were shining slightly with tears. He smiled back at his dad, a weight lifting off his chest.
“Hello, Weasleys and Potters!” Scorpius seemed to have finally found his voice, “What a lovely wedding cake, don’t you think? I think we should focus very much more on the wedding cake than anything else.” A pause. “Dad, what do you think of the cake?”
Albus glanced over at Draco, who was standing near to the back. He knew- everyone knew- that Scorpius wasn’t really asking about the cake at all. Draco’s lips twitched up at the corners, “I think it’s lovely, Scorpius. I couldn’t find a fault with it if I tried.”
Scorpius’ whole face lit up, and he squeezed Albus’ hand tightly. Their eyes met, and Albus’ gaze travelled down to his lips.
“Okay!” Albus’ Uncle George shouted, “Ron, cut us some cake before we all have to watch Albus and Scorpius make eyes at each other.”
Everyone began to laugh, Albus and Scorpius along with them, and Albus suddenly felt the happiest he’d felt in a long time.
As everyone began to settle down in their seats with slices of the wedding cake, Harry watched as Draco made his way over to where he was sitting with Ginny. Harry smiled at him and gestured for him to sit down.
“What a day, eh?” Harry smiled at him as he sipped his drink, “Are you alright with… everything?”
Draco nodded with a smile, “I’ve known for a while.”
Harry choked.
“When Albus came to stay for a week at Malfoy Manor over Easter and I saw the two of them together, I realised. I’d never seen Scorpius look like that before. But in answer to your question, I am alright with it. If Scorpius is happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
There was a pause.
“So you knew,” Harry raised an eyebrow, and Ginny kicked him under the table.
Draco glanced between the two of them, “Sorry… should I have told you? I didn’t think it was my place, really…”
Ginny leant forwards with a smile, “Ignore him, Draco. Harry’s just sour because he was the last person in the whole family to realise, and he wouldn’t have even noticed if James hadn’t told him.”
Harry gasped, “I’m not sour! Don’t listen to her, Draco! I just thought… maybe you hadn’t noticed…”
Ginny buried her face in her hands, “Please…”
Draco’s eyes glinted slightly as he smirked at Harry, “Well, looks like you lost this game, Harry.”
Ginny began to vibrate with laughter beside him, and it was Harry’s turn to kick her under the table. She turned to him with a smile that made her eyes twinkle, and he instantly softened. With a smile, he turned to Draco, “I’m glad they’re happy. Albus needs someone as good as Scorpius.”
Draco lowered his head in a nod of agreement, and began to say something before he was cut off by Albus and Scorpius appearing at the end of their table.
Albus’ green eyes sought out Harry’s, and Harry opened his arms for a hug. He was surprised by the force with which Albus came crashing into him, squeezing his dad tightly. Harry felt his eyes sting at this sudden burst of affection from Albus, and he rested his chin on his son’s head and glanced away to conceal his misty eyes. His gaze fell on Draco and Scorpius, who were hugging each other without the awkward manner that Harry was used to seeing between them. When he met Draco’s gaze, he saw that the other man was misty-eyed as well. They both looked at each other for a moment, and the expression that they both attempted to convey to each other was something of gratitude.
Albus pulled away slowly, and Harry tore his gaze away from Draco. He ruffled his son’s hair with a smile, “It was the robes, wasn’t it?”
“What?” Albus blinked, and Harry pointed at Albus’ dress robes, “Scorpius, it was the robes that got you all weak the knees, wasn’t it?”
“Well,” Scorpius’ face turned a dark shade of pink, “The robes are very nice-”
“See!” Harry beamed, “You have me to thank for that, Al! Those robes work a charm! They worked a charm on your mum, too!”
Ginny choked on her drink, “I went to the Yule Ball with Neville!”
Harry feigned hurt, “Well, what about that card you gave me in my third year? You always had the hots for me, Ginny. Admit it.”
“Dad!” Albus shouted, “Gross!”
Harry hesitated for a moment, but when he felt the vibration of Albus’ laughter against his chest, he relaxed.
“Al?” He murmured, and his son turned and glanced at him, his freckles more prominent against his flushed cheeks.
“I’m really proud of you.”
Albus shifted slightly, “Dad, you’re doing the soppy thing again.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Harry apologised quickly, but when he caught sight of Albus’ smile he knew that his son truly was grateful. For the first time in a long time, Harry felt like he’d done right by Albus. He didn’t feel like he had to tread on eggshells around him, and it seemed like Albus felt the same way. Finally, he and Albus had built the bridge between them that they had struggled to build for so many years. With that connection between the two of them, Harry felt as though his dream of family was finally complete. He was sure that if he were to look in the Mirror of Erised, he would see exactly what he had now.
Somehow, he sensed that Albus felt the same way.