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The whole family was gathered at The Burrow for Christmas that year, the kids all packed into tents and causing their usual havoc. Perhaps in desperation to keep them quiet, Teddy and Vic had started a game of hide and seek, and Albus could hear Teddy’s loud counts as they raced off into the darkness. It was childish, certainly, but it was the sort of silliness that always came when all of them got together, and Scorpius seemed to find it hilarious.
‘I haven’t played this since I was a little kid,’ he said breathlessly. 'Where’re we going to hide?’
Albus glanced around - he could see Hugo heading straight for the chicken coop, and James pelting towards the orchard, no doubt to climb up a tree. 'It’s freezing,’ he said. 'We’ll need some sheltered.’ He led Scorpius to the coal shed, but when they opened the door, they found Rose, already covered in black coal dust, scowling at them.
'Get your own spot,’ she said.
'Come on,’ whined Albus. 'I know Lily and Esther have already got the garden shed-’
'Fred and Roxy went that way too,’ she said smugly. 'You better get going - Teddy’s only counting to a hundred, you know.'
'We could squeeze in with you,’ said Scorpius hopefully. A flare of annoyance sparked in Albus. What a ridiculous suggestion. They’d get filthy.
'No way,’ said Rose. 'You never shut up. You’ll give me away in a second.'
Ignoring the fact that it had been his idea in the first place, he grabbed Scorpius’s arm and dragged him away. He couldn’t even hear Teddy counting anymore. They ran further round the garden, passing a rustling bush that he was sure had Louis in it, round to the front where it was all a bit neater and through the warm yellow windows they could see the adults gathered in the living room, apparently laughing at something Uncle George was saying.
'What about there?’ Scorpius said, pointing. Albus looked over. By the front door against the wall of the house was the woodpile for the fire, all the logs neatly stacked, under their own low little shed to keep them dry.
'It’ll do,’ said Al, and they hurried to squeeze into, cramped in the small space where there weren’t logs, pressed against each other as their curled their knees up to be able to fit under the tiny little roof.
Scorpius was sniggering. 'Do you think we might be a bit big for this?'
'You might be, lanky bastard,’ said Albus. 'Ow, watch your knee-’
'Sorry - just shift like - yeah, that’s it.'
They fell into silence, just their own breathing and the slight sound of laughter from inside the house, their faces chilly against the December air but both of them wrapped up in enough layers, and close enough to one another, to feel otherwise warm.
'I’m glad your parents let me come here,’ Scorpius whispered.
'I am too,’ Albus whispered back.
'Are things all… All right now? After the summer.'
'Kind of. Nearly.’ Albus paused. 'They will be.'
'I really like all your cousins,’ Scorpius said brightly. 'It’s funny, isn’t it, we all go to the same school, but you don’t realise what a bubble you end up in, in your own house.'
'Especially our house.'
'Well, yes, I suppose that’s true.'
Albus eyed him. 'And how are things at yours? I can’t believe your dad’s happy for you to miss Christmas.'
'Oh, him, Granny and Grandpa will be all right,’ said Scorpius with a shrug. 'They can have a grown up Christmas. Really, I think he thought it might be best, Grandpa’s still a bit funny when he hears your family name, so after everything in the press and stuff I think Dad thought it might be a bit kinder on me if I wasn’t there.'
'I’m sorry,’ said Albus.
'It’s all right. It’s always a bit awkward when I’m stuck with them anyway - mum never got on with them either.’ Scorpius suddenly craned his neck forward to look out from under the ledge of the little roof. 'Look at that,’ he said, his voice quiet with awe.
Albus looked too. The sky was deep black and glistening with stars; the uncommonly clear night and the fact that their eyes had adjusted to the darkness meant that they could see the smudge of the milky way. Astronomy was one of Albus’s strengths at Hogwarts, his telescope was something that had always given him a little thrill of excitement, but as they slept deep below the castle in the sophisticated, cavernous dungeons, the only times they ever really saw the stars was their weekly Astronomy lessons, which Scorpius always insisted took the fun out of it.
'There you are,’ said Albus, pointing up. 'That constellation there, Scorpius.’ He traced it with his finger, imagining the lines, and Scorpius tilted his head awkwardly to try and line up his sight with where he was pointing.
'Doesn’t much look like a scorpion,’ he said. 'Or like me. Though I suppose a big picture of my face in the sky would be a bit much.'
'Well it is a scorpion,’ said Albus. 'And Antares is right in the middle, that one there - it’s one of the brightest.'
'Oh, yes, I remember about that one,’ said Scorpius. 'I don’t know how you pick them all out in the sky like that, I can do it when it’s on my chart, but I just look up and all I can really make out is the big dipper.'
'Ursa major,’ corrected Albus, grinning.
'Yeah, sure. But, you know what I mean? It looks more like a big saucepan than a bear.'
'It links up with other stars to make the bear.'
'But that’s what I mean. You could draw any shapes you wanted linking up a bunch of dots. I could make an Albus constellation.’
'Go on then.'
'All right,’ said Scorpius, and then he pulled his finger across the sky in what was clearly the shape of a cock and balls.
'Arsehole,’ said Albus, chuckling. 'I was all nice to you, pointing out your scorpion.’
'Oh, all right, I’ll be nicer,’ said Scorpius, and then he joined several random stars in a seemingly random line.
'What’s that supposed to be?'
'I don’t know, what animal would you like to be? It doesn’t actually have to look anything like the line, according to you.'
'Well I suppose when I find out my Patronus we can just use that. But that’s my line, is it? Linking up Procyon, Pollox and Capella?'
'Yeah. I suppose you’re going to tell me that’s already something, are you?'
'No, you’re just tying Canis minor, Gemini and Auriga together.'
'Well, we can remember that, for when you find out your Patronus. It’s going to be hilarious if it is actually just a big saucepan or a cock or something.’
Albus snorted with laughter. 'I don’t think that’s how Patronuses work,’ he said. He checked his watch. 'It’s been ages, I can’t believe they haven’t found us yet. They haven’t even come into the front garden.'
'Yeah,’ said Scorpius. 'My bum’s getting cold - or maybe just dead.’ He shifted, trying to move his legs, having to briefly press against Albus as he did so.
He wasn’t sure why, but his heart suddenly seemed very loud, and he was a bit worried that Scorpius could hear it. Scorpius turned to look at him, and their faces were inches from each other. 'You should have your own constellation though,’ he said.
'Should I?’ Albus asked, and to his surprise his voice was hoarse. Scorpius’s eyes shone light blue even in the dark.
'Yeah,’ said Scorpius. Albus could see his adam’s apple rising and falling as he spoke, above the collar of his jumper. 'It just seems to suit you, you know? Being amongst all the stars.'
Without really thinking about it, without considering that this could ruin everything they had, that he could lose his only true friend, Albus kissed him.
His lips were cold but his mouth was warm, and with a faint flutter Albus vaguely realised that Scorpius was kissing him back, that he hadn’t leapt away, appalled, that they were still huddled close on the cold ground, surrounded by the earthy smell of the logs and beneath a never ending collection of stars. They broke apart, but their lips remained mere millimetres from each other, both of them breathing deeply as they realised what had happened.
Albus had known, for a long time, that he was not interested in girls. But he’d always tried to firmly ignore it, because, to him at least, it felt like just yet another way he was difficult. Another thing for people to gossip about. Another problem his dad would have no idea how to respond to.
And as for Scorpius, well, plenty of people assumed - it seemed reasonable, if a little stereotypical, given the way he acted, but then he always seemed to so adamantly fancy Rose that Albus had found himself, on multiple occasions, furiously insisting to bewildered, usually well-meaning, others that Scorpius wasn’t gay. Something that didn’t occur to him at that moment, that Scorpius would later correct him on, was that it didn’t have to be an either/or situation.
Albus looked up hesitantly. Scorpius was so close that he could only really see his eyes staring intently back at him, the slight movement of them both as they breathed deeply. But then Scorpius leaned forward and Albus’s eyes fluttered closed as they were kissing again, more deeply this time, Scorpius’s hand, trembling, reaching up to touch Albus’s messy hair-
'Boys! Hello? Al? Scorpius!'
They leapt apart so instinctively that Scorpius whacked his head on the roof and swore loudly.
They heard footsteps come towards them, and then Auntie Angie was leaning down and smiling at them. 'Come on,’ she said. 'Game’s over.'
'Did we win?’ Scorpius asked, rubbing his head.
'No one won. Er… Looks like Ted and Vic forgot you were all playing.'
'What?’ asked Al, pulling himself awkwardly out from the woodshed and standing shakily next to her. 'How could they forget?'
'I think they may have become distracted,’ said Angie, her eyes twinkling. 'You must both be freezing, anyway, come on - best to go tot he tents, I think, Bill and Harry are having words with your responsible babysitters.'
So they did, at once too surrounded by Albus’s huge family to discuss what had happened, each of them glancing at the other and then looking quickly away, blushing, wondering what happened now, what it meant.
That night, as they lay in the bunkbeds in the tent, Albus watched Scorpius’s pale hand, which had dropped down over the side of his bed and now dangled, relaxed and warm looking, just out of reach of Albus. He must have been asleep, Albus thought, but he couldn’t sit up and touch it, couldn’t speak to him, because Fred and James were whispering and sniggering in the corner, and Teddy kept grumpily calling out that everyone should just go to sleep because it was late and he was knackered. Albus wished desperately that his bed just a little higher, level with Scorpius’s, so that they could whisper together. He was unaware that above him Scorpius was also wide awake, wishing that his bed was just a little lower, that his hand could accidentally brush against Albus’s soft hair.