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Albus has been worrying for a week about this stupid presentation. He’s presenting a new Potions book that has three learning levels, 5th, 6th, and 7th years, and it is specifically for those students that are interested in learning how to be Potion Masters. He’d spent two years working on this project in complete secrecy, so he has possible assignments and final exams designed to work with these extra course ideas, textbooks, etc. Having finally finished it to his level of perfection, he now had to present it in front of Hogwarts professors, and the Headmaster, as well as the Minister, and Education section of the Ministry of Magic. It’s a twenty-minute, uninterrupted presentation, fifteen minutes of questions, and a two-minute thank you. They’ll take a week to “deliberate” before calling him in again to deliver their decision in a twenty-minute time period no matter the decision, final questions are asked, and they give him a chance to delve into a few things again. He’s been in this position before, working with Professor Longbottom to create a new Herbology textbook a year and a half ago.
He wasn’t nervous then, mainly because he had a Hogwarts Professor on his side, he didn’t have to speak half as much as he would now, and he had his godfather with him. This time, he’s entirely on his own. This is his work, all of it happening because Scorpius, his best friend, and the unrequited love of his life, has written to him many times since becoming the Potions Professor at Hogwarts, about students showing an interest in Potion Mastery. But there’s no class or club to prepare them for what comes with becoming one. Of course, Scorpius has no clue that Albus took his words and ran with them, but he did know Albus was presenting another possible textbook thanks to the Minister. The only one who knows what's coming, aside from Albus himself, is the Minister until the presentation introduction, odd but safe.
Albus is unprepared for Scorpius’ reaction as he hadn’t personally told him anything like last time, but after the last interaction they had over break, Albus is glad he’ll be the one presenting this time around.
**********
When Scorpius came home, during Christmas break a few weeks prior, Albus had gotten smashed while at Rose’s house as they did during breaks. And, as usual, Scorpius was the one who brought him home. Albus usually didn’t get so smashed that he couldn’t at least floo himself home, but unfortunately for him, Rose decided that she was going to flirt with Scorpius, knowing that Albus has been in love with him for several years now. She was doing her best to get Scorpius to say yes to her.
He started drinking as soon as she’d smirked at him, then he left the room, trying to find someone who would take him to theirs to avoid being around Scorpius. He, according to his brother, got more drunk than he had at that stupid Gryffindor party he and Scorpius were invited to in fifth year, and he apparently refused to let Scorpius touch him once they’d gotten in the house, according to his drunk memories.
He also grumbled, and it took him way too long to figure out what he was saying, but it roughly translated to, “Stupid cousins. Stupid blind friends. Stupid feelings. Stupid me.”
The next morning, Albus woke to Scorpius sitting on the side of his bed, eyes full of confusion as he handed Albus the Sober Up Potion.
“It’s too early to look that muddled. What’s wrong Scorp?” asks Albus after downing the potion, glancing at his friend, and struggling, for the first time in 14 years, to read him.
“Albus, I- we need to talk for a minute before I have to leave again.” says Scorpius softly, cautiously.
Albus immediately grimaces because he knows what he said last night, and he sighs, “Alright, let me have it Malfoy.”
“Albus, I’m not upset with you. I just- last night you said some things, and I-” rambles Scorpius before Albus harshly cuts him off, “Just say it and get it over with.”
“I think you’re in love with me, and I don’t know… I’m not…” His confidence diminishes, and Albus decides to make things easier.
“You’ll still have a room here. I’m going to go back to my parents' home for a while. Have a good rest of the year Scorp.” says Albus as he stands and goes about gathering the things that he needs to take with him.
Scorpius sits, unmoving on Albus’ bed as Albus moves around on a mission to get it done quickly, wand waving so he can multitask, then he grabs his Weasley sweater, and grabs his filled briefcase, the only thing he needs.
Albus whispers, “I’m sorry.”
Then he disapparates all the while Scorpius sits on his bed, unmoving and at a loss for words.
It took three days for a letter to show up, one that he knew was coming the second he left Scorpius sitting on his bed. Rose, the newest History of Magic professor, and his most annoying cousin had clearly decided she needed to reach out to him now.
Albus,
I don’t know what your problem is with Scorpius, but I thought you were finally going to confess! Have I not pushed you far enough still? Dammit Albus, I set that night up perfectly! Why does he seem so dejected? The students are asking who they need to send a letter to in order to fix their favorite professor, and I have half a mind to tell them it's you. Respond to me by lunch, or I am giving them your name, and/or your parent’s home because I know you’re still staying there, Hugo told me. I've been seeing Maxwell Zabini for a few months now, and Scorpius damn well knows it. Max knows why I did what I did that night, and so do you. Tell Scorpius the damn truth and send me a responding letter by lunch!
Your cousin,
Rose Weasley, History of Magic Professor, and The Best Weasley.
Albus groans from his spot in the end cap seat at the dining room table, and his mom chuckles, knowingly because of course she knew this was coming.
“When did you get told this was coming to me?” asks Albus as his head lolls around to look at her behind the kitchen counter.
“Oh, ya know, when she floo-called me last night and yelled at me for like three hours while you were visiting Draco.” replies Ginny as she picks up the plate of breakfast she’d made for him, bringing it to his spot at the table. “You do need to talk to Scorpius, Albus, you know you do.”
“Mum, he was stumbling his way into a rejection, I am not dealing with this when I have a week before the biggest presentation of my life.” snips Albus bitterly as he stands from his seat, takes the letter, and tosses it into the fire in a crumpled form.
“Albus, you can’t keep ignoring him and then suddenly see him for this presentation when the project came because of him. He’s going to know you did this because of his letters. At least send him a letter telling him that Rose sent you a letter to complain. For him, anything would be better than nothing.” says Ginny with a stern tone that makes Albus drop his head forward towards the fireplace and close his eyes.
“Mom, I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with all of this. There’s so much going on right now, and I have to deal with my presentation before dealing with Scorpius. I need you and Rose to leave me alone about it. Draco’s leaving me alone, why can’t you two?” asks Albus with a sigh as he turns to look at her.
“Draco is leaving you alone because you’re his favorite Potter. He’s also leaving you alone because he knows he can’t push you. Rose and I will continue to push you until you speak to Scorpius.” says Ginny and her voice is tight, harsh, and Albus can’t help but snap.
“I’m not going to let you push me and push me until I break mother. I’m not doing this, but if you two want to, then fine, by all means go for it. You won’t hear from me, or have access to me, until my presentation has gone through everything it needs to, until I hear whether these books are going to be brought into Hogwarts or not.” snarls Albus before he disapparates back to his apartment without giving Ginny a chance to react.
Once back, he completely locks down his apartment, the wards set only for him and Scorpius. The mail is still open, but Rose is blocked as is his family. The fireplace is solely open for Scorpius or Draco, and that’s it. He then sits on the green blanket covered couch that he bought simply because the brown couch was too boring and because he falls asleep on the couch more than anything else. He ended up curling the blanket around him, laying on the couch, feet tucked under the couch pillow, head cushioned on his arm as he curls into himself on this fluffy couch and lets himself fall back to sleep.
He should’ve known that Rose wasn’t kidding. It’s about three when he first jolts at the sound of something hitting his kitchen window, but he thinks nothing of it at first. He should’ve. Two minutes later and his fire goes out as letter after letter flies out and covers him, Albus groans as he stands and pulls his wand out to produce a mailbox for the letters, directing them all into it until there are no more. Then he goes to his window, mailbox head in hand, and opens the window, holding the mailbox head out for the, at least a dozen, owls flapping their wings outside his home. When the last owl flies away, he pulls the mailbox head in the house, shuts his window, and sits the mailbox head on his coffee table.
“She really gave them a way to get to me because he’s dejected… I can’t fucking stand her.” grumbles Albus as he goes to his room to get the parchment he needs to respond to these students as well as to Rose.
He sees the howler sheet, thinks, then grabs it as well before heading back into his living room to respond to everyone. There are at least a thousand letters to get through before dinner time, and he wants them to get his letters tonight. So, he opens the letters, and gets to work responding to each student who reached out to him. His responses are calm, short, and concise, but consistently thankful. He gets them all into the Mailbox head, then he writes up his howler to Rose, and then he calls his own owl, Minty, and sends a letter to Minerva, asking to come through with all of his letters to personally deliver them to the students at dinner.
He gets his response from Minerva at 6:45 p.m. and makes his way through floo to her office and smiles thankfully as he sees only her standing there. The mailbox head is in one hand, Minty on his arm holding Rose’s howler.
“Headmaster McGonagall, it’s nice to see you again. I hope you’re doing well.” says Albus softly as he nods to her, brushing the soot from his robes.
“Mr. Potter, it’s nice to see you as well. I’m doing wonderfully, though I was surprised to get your letter. Did Professor Weasley really hand those students access to you?” asks Headmaster McGonagall with a suspicious tone.
“She did, though I’m not surprised in the least. I apparently upset Professor Malfoy enough for his students to be worried, and I know he is the favorite among students. I just wanted to give my replies personally and see her face when she receives the howler from Minty in the middle of dinner.” replies Albus softly, a smile on his face to show he’s not as upset as he was before.
“I’ll have to have a talk with her about this, but I was worried about Scorpius myself. I hope that whatever is happening with the both of you gets solved soon. You have a big presentation coming up, and I expect Scorpius knows more about this than even the Minister does.” says Headmaster McGonagall softly, the concern showing in her eyes and tone as she looks at him.
“He actually only knows what you all know. I planned to tell him, but then things got busy. I figured now, he’ll just find out what’s going on when we get there. Though, I will let you in on a secret, he and his students sparked this presentation. That’s all I will say now though.” replies Albus with a bit of a chuckle as he leaned in as though sharing an actual secret.
“Well, then I am even more excited to see what is coming next week. Let’s get headed down to the Great Hall, dinner is about to start.” says Professor McGonagall with a smile as she nods towards the door.
“Ah, can I let Minty go to the Owlery so he can deliver the howler from there?” asks Albus softly as he rubs his finger against Minty’s fur.
“Of course, follow me.” says Headmaster McGonagall with a grin as she turns towards the window behind her desk.
Albus sends Minty to the Owlery before he follows her to the Great Hall, Mailbox head in hand, and he keeps the soft smile on his face as he trades remarks with her along the walk to the head table. She gets up and speaks first, then she calls him up, “Everyone, I have heard that Professor Weasley acted slightly unprofessionally in giving you all access to an un-Hogwarts-related individual. He reached out to me in order to come and personally deliver his responses to each individual that reached out to him. So, everyone, please welcome Albus Potter, give him your attention as he addresses you all.”
Albus moved from where he’d stood on the side of the platform with the podium, walking onto the platform.
“Thank you, Headmaster, and I’m sorry for the unexpected appearance made during your dinner everyone. However, it came to my attention that my cousin provided my whereabouts to concerned students in response to their concerns being voiced during her class. Now, I appreciate the messages I received, none of them held anger or threats, which as loved as Professor Malfoy is, I had been expecting. I received messages of concerns, messages of worry, and messages of advice on how to fix the situation. So, thank you all for reaching out to me with your concerns, though I am sad to say that I don’t have an answer to your concerns. I do have a response to each and every one of you though, so I will be handling that with the help of each table. I wrote the table you all are in, and organized the letters as such, so that each house will have their letters on the ends of their table. I will be here through dinner as I have a surprise for my wonderful cousin because I am nothing if not a Slytherin at heart. But if anyone wants to speak with me, I welcome any of you to come find me with Filch.”
His voice is level, his words are calm, and he looks among each student, picking out the faces of his family, his friend’s children, and the ones Scorpius described so beautifully. He steps away from the podium, walking first to Hufflepuffs table, and pulling their response letters out to sit on the end of the table, proceeding to do the same until he reaches the Slytherin table.
“Mr. Albus, can I ask you something?” comes a voice a bit further into the room, and Albus immediately looks up to find a Slytherin cloaked student standing in the middle of the row, but it’s the scar on his cheek that makes Albus turn to where Scorpius is sitting with concern clearly breaking through the Malfoy mask.
Albus turns from Scorpius before he realizes he’s looking, then he turns back to the Slytherin, the one that Scorpius saved his first year as professor, the one that Albus had to floo into Hogwarts to help after hours despite the consequences he received later from Headmaster McGonagall.
“Sure, but first, can I get your name and year please?” asks Albus calmly as he walks towards the middle of the table.
“I am Alec Lovegood, and I am a sixth-year student.” says Alec, and Albus knew he was a Lovegood by the hair and purple eyes.
“Alec, it’s nice to meet you, and please call me Albus, no honorifics needed. Is there space here? I have a feeling that Professor Malfoy’s house will have the most questions for me, so maybe I should sit here?” offers Albus softly, a smirk as he notices the nods up and down the table.
“You should sit with us, seventh years, we’re more preferable.” sneers a student who stands a bit further down the table.
“You must be Nyle, a seventh-year student with an attitude problem. I do believe that I was speaking with Alec, but if I am mistaken, do correct me if I am wrong.” sneers Albus, eyes narrow at the pureblood that was horrible to Scorpius his first year as a professor.
“Where’d you hear that from? Your mudblood cousin?” snarls Nyle, and Albus pulls his wand out on instinct at the word before he takes a deep breath and turns to walk to the professor’s table.
He goes straight to Scorpius, setting his wand down in front of him, then he turns around and walks back to the Slytherin table.
“Nyle, you’re a pureblood, now, but your family has only been considered pureblood for fifteen years. Your ancestors were muggle-born witches and wizards. I hope that I never hear that word pass from another student in this building.” replies Albus as calmly as he can to keep from losing control because despite leaving his wand with Scorpius, his fingers are twitching for wandless magic. “My cousin, Rose Weasley is the smartest student to ever come through these halls, even beating her mother in marks, and I believe that once she’s done teaching, she’ll go on to change the Wizarding World as her mother is doing now. If you have a problem with her, then maybe you should take it up with your father, her best friend.”
“Why did you give your wand to Malfoy?” asks Nyle, his sneer fully locked in place.
“Because he’s the only one who can counter me when it comes to duels, and he knows full well how to stop my wandless magic. He’ll know when I am calm enough to have my wand back. Not even Rose can do that, and that’s because Scorpius and I came through this house together, practicing, studying, and screwing up together. Also, it’s Professor Malfoy to you, Lestrange.” replies Albus before he turns to Alec with a soft smile. “Is there room for me to sit with you to answer your questions?”
“Of course, Albus, you can sit next to me.” says Alec as he sits, and gestures for the spot between him and a blue haired Slytherin girl, who makes him grin. “We have a lot of questions.”
“I’m excited to hear them and hopefully answer them if I can.” replies Albus as he takes the seat with a comfortable ease as the questions begin to fire off.
The questions come for what has to be twenty minutes before the owls come soaring through, and Albus smirks as he turns to look at the head table, Rose has clearly forgotten to be expecting something. She doesn’t even notice Minty dropping the letter off before he flies to Albus, and the chuckle catches the student’s attention quite easily as she looks down and opens it unsuspectingly.
“Rose Weasley, I cannot believe you betrayed my home to those students simply because they were complaining about their Favorite Professor being down! You work with the man, and yet you chose to antagonize me with this big presentation right around the corner! This is why I never listen to you when you try to offer textbook ideas, it is solely your fault, and yet you still choose to try to torture me from afar…. By the way, have you managed to get rid of that… spot? If not, I might have a potion that would work, though you can’t have it until AFTER my presentation… But you could wait until then, right, you’re so good at being patient…”
Her face is a bright red, and Albus is chuckling with his whole body as the students howl with laughter. She shouldn’t have given them access to his home, and she should’ve expected something outrageously simple. Her glare shows her reaction as her wand is out and aimed towards him, but even in his laughter, he is able to deflect the curse sent his way.
“Now, Professor, it’s not nice to attack a guest like that… What kind of example are you setting for your students?” teases Albus from his spot at the table as he moves to stand away from it.
“You’re such an ass Potter!” snaps Rose from her seat and he chokes a laugh as Professor McGonagall admonishes her.
“I do have the potion though, and I could be nice and give it to you now, if you’d like.” says Albus softly once he’s made his way to the table, standing in front of her.
“You’re still an ass, but yes please… It’s getting worse.” grumbles Rose though she’s got a smile that shows she’s not as mad as she seemed.
Albus pulls the vial out of his pocket, handing it to her as he says, “It tastes like shite, but you can mix it into your pumpkin juice to get the bad taste out.”
“Thank you Albus, but you’re still an ass.” replies Rose softly as she takes the vial.
“You gave over a thousand students my address, so I believe what I gave you was way less problematic. I mean, I could’ve done a lot worse, and you know it. So, what I did was pretty calm, don’t you think?” says Albus with an eye roll as he pulls himself back, chancing a glance at Scorpius, only to find his grey eyes already looking at him.
“You do need to talk to him.” says Rose with a tone that makes his turn to her with hard eyes. “Don’t look at me like that Albus, you deserve to know whether he was really going to reject you.”
“Rose, if you don’t back down. I am going to make your life on the ground's hell, I’ve made many Slytherin friends, cousin dearest.” replies Albus a bit harshly but the warning is highly necessary.
“You wouldn’t dare.” says Rose her eyes squinting at him, unsure.
“Rose, do you really want to risk that?” asks Albus with an airy tone as he shrugs and smiles.
“You would.” mutters Rose as she sits back with a groan.
“Well, I am going to get out of here. Headmaster, could you open the wards for me? I’d rather not trek to your office to make my escape again.” says Albus as he turns towards her, moving closer to her because Scorpius is right next to her.
“Of course, Mr. Potter.” says Headmaster McGonagall softly, a tense smile curving her lips.
“Headmaster, I’m going straight to my apartment, and I will speak with him later. I promise.” whispers Albus softly because he knows she’s worried about the friendship she helped grow over their time at Hogwarts.
“Alright, speak to him, and let me know when you’re ready.” says Headmaster McGonagall happily, and Albus can’t help the grin that curves his lips up.
He turns and moves the three steps towards Scorpius’ seat to see him holding out his wand with a soft smile. Albus takes the wand, breathing softly at the feeling that courses through him, feeling Scorpius’ magic again, before he slips his wand back up his sleeve and magics it in place again.
“If you could, I’d really rather speak with you tonight than next week. Minerva is quite scary when she’s concerned.” says Albus softly as he leans forward enough to keep the conversation private.
“I’ll floo call you when I get back to my office, but I’m not the one that’s upset, just so you know.” says Scorpius as soft as Albus did.
“Well, I’m not the one that’s upset either, so is this conversation even necessary?” asks Albus with his brows pinched confusedly together. “This whole thing happened because your students and Rose have felt that you’re upset. Scorpius, what is going on?”
“What’s going on, is that you haven't responded to any of my letters since I left.” replies Scorpius, his tone showing how upset he really is.
“I haven’t gotten any letters since you left aside from the one Rose sent today. You know I don’t ignore your letters no matter how annoyed or mad I am at you. Why didn’t you tell your dad or my mother? I’ve seen them both.” argues Albus in complete confusion as he looks at Scorpius, their voices rising enough to catch the table’s attention.
“What are you talking about? I sent a letter a day since I got back. Rose knew that. She told me you were probably just annoyed, and she’d tell you to write me back.” says Scorpius as he feels just as confused.
Albus turns and immediately casts a spell to freeze Rose in her spot, she was standing, clearly ready to escape.
“This little… I cannot deal with anymore shite from my family about my business.” snarls Albus as he glares at his cousin, walking to where she’s suspended, petrified, in the air.
“Al, I need you to calm down a little bit. We need to figure out why she did it.” says Scorpius softly, and Albus feels himself calm the second that Scorpius’ heat reaches his senses, hand resting on his shoulder.
“Veritaserum, you have it, and I am administering it, whether anyone likes it or not because I don’t trust her.” mutters Albus before he moves, walking out of the great hall, a floating Rose following him out.
He goes straight to the Potion’s room, letting Rose sit in a chair, tying her up and taking her wand away from her. Then he goes to Scorpius’ cupboard and finds the Veritaserum, pulling it out, then he goes to Rose, unleashing the freeze spell, and administers three drops to her, ensuring she swallows.
“Albus, you can’t do this!” exclaims Rose angrily, eyes wide.
“You know what, Rosie, I am sick and tired of you and my mother lying to me repeatedly because you all have issues.” snarls Albus dangerously.
Rose clamps her mouth shut, but Albus asks, “Who is your mother?”
“Hermione Granger-Weasley.” replies Rose though it’s clear she didn’t want to.
“What do you teach?” asks Albus again, setting the parameters to ensure it’s working.
“History of Magic.” says Rose again, against her will as she bites her lip.
“Why did you lie to me and Scorpius?” asks Albus as Scorpius walks into the room.
“Because I wanted to prove that Scorpius isn’t good enough for you, prove that he isn’t over me, and prove that everyone you have feelings for will always prefer me.” says Rose with tears in her eyes and Albus feels his anger flare.
“Well, good on you then. Rose Weasley, I want you to listen to me right now, and listen well. I am done with you, and you are never going to have contact with me again after this damn presentation. But before I go, was my mum involved in this?” asks Albus, his voice hard, anger blinding his green orbs.
“No, she had no idea. She actually loves Scorpius for you, and she has been trying to get you two to confess for years.” says Rose and the tears slip down her cheeks.
Albus releases her, stepping away as he puts the potion up, then he turns to look at her, his own eyes full of tears despite the anger and betrayal coursing through him. “Rose, I am disowning you as my cousin. You are never going to come back from this, and I am never going to forgive you. I am done with you, but for your sake, I won’t tell anyone what you’ve done so long as you swear an unbreakable vow that you will leave Scorpius alone, if he wants you to. This vow will be made with Professor McGonagall and Professor Longbottom as witnesses. I do not want to know anything, I don’t want anything to do with you, nor anyone else right now. Goodbye.”
He turns and nods at Headmaster McGonagall, avoiding Scorpius’ eyes as best he can, then he nods before disapparating the second he feels the wards change. He leaves, he blocks everyone from access, he drafts up a letter for Scorpius almost immediately after fixing the wards ten times.
Scorpius,
No matter what she said, or what you decide, I will forever be your best friend. We had an issue when you left, and I want to clear up any misunderstanding. You were right when you said you thought I was in love with you. I am, and I have been for years. Your dad knows, my mum knows, well my family knows, so you can ask literally anyone if you don’t believe me. You still have access to the apartment, and I will still be here, but I have shut down the mail, so send it through floo if you decide you want to talk to me.
My presentation will surprise you, but hopefully you understand. I know that Rose will cause me trouble during it, but please don’t get yourself in any trouble for this project. I know you won’t do anything for me, but what I’m bringing, you will stand up for. Please don’t. I’ve spent two and a half years on this, so I know it’s not beatable. I’ve done everything I could to perfect it, to complete it as much as possible, and to prepare it for scrutiny even by Rose. I understand if you choose not to respond to me, this was a lot more than I expected when I made the decision to come to Hogwarts this evening. But I’m always going to be here, and that’s all you really need to know.
Love,
Albus, your best friend (that’s all that has to matter for me.)
He sent that letter through to Scorpius’ office, then he took himself to bed. The emotions rolled through him all night, and he never heard back from Scorpius after that letter.
**********
Albus fixes his robes, the suit underneath is as it needs to be, pristine, clean, and professional. He has the prototypes, the presentation tucked into his briefcase, and he fixes his unruly hair with ease thanks to all of his Potions practice. He heads to the kitchen, the portkey to the Ministry sitting, waiting on his island for him to pick up. He breathes deeply, grabs the key, and in two seconds, he leaves his apartment to land in the middle of what is usually the courtroom.
“Mr. Potter, it is wonderful to see you again with yet another impressive, ambitious Hogwarts class opportunity. Whenever you’re ready, please begin your presentation.” says Minister Luna Lovegood, and Albus smiles softly at her, opening his body language as he nods to everyone in the room, including Scorpius.
“Hello Minister, Headmaster, and Hogwarts Professors, it is lovely to see you all in high spirits yet again. Today, I am bringing a Potions centric textbook, mainly Potion Masters, and I have three levels of prototypes with me along with assignments and exam samples for you all to look over.” says Albus as he opens his briefcase, choosing to use wandless magic to procure his presentation, his sample pieces floating to each professor, the Headmaster, and the Minister as he sets his groove.
He’d be lying if he said his eyes hadn’t drifted towards Scorpius and Rose, noting how they are on separate sides of the room, a stark contrast to the last time they were all in this room. Scorpius was practically buzzing in excitement, but he’s also focusing on Albus the entire time. Albus has to look away almost immediately because Scorpius’ grey eyes are seemingly only locked on him the entire time he is presenting and answering questions.
“Mr. Potter, why do you think the students would want a course like this?” asks Rose, her voice harsh and cold.
“Professor Weasley, each course of Hogwarts has a connection to a job outside of Hogwarts, has connecting courses that help prepare students for that exact job outside of school. Potions can prepare you to study for four more years to become a Potion Master, but it can’t prepare you to delve into the field immediately following graduation. I wish I had this class when I was a student at Hogwarts, it would have been easier to become the Potion Master I am today had this class been offered in whatever capacity it could’ve been offered during my time in Hogwarts. Any students that fall in love with Potion making want the opportunity to pursue the option, but it’s much harder to do when there isn’t another, more focused Potions course to prepare them.” explains Albus with a soft voice, a nostalgic tone filling the room before he gets right back on point without his voice changing to the anger he’d like it to show.
“Thank you, Mr. Potter, we have a lot to think about now. We will send you a letter when we are ready to reconvene, your portkey is ready to take you home when you’re ready.” says Minister Lovegood with that whimsical smile he’s seen very few times when a presentation happens.
“Thank you all for your time and your kindness in considering the option of bringing these textbooks into such an established school. Goodbye everyone.” replies Albus with a soft bow before he packs his bag up with a wave of his hand, picking the handle up in the same movement.
He softly smiles to each individual in the room, eyes lingering on Scorpius as he lets his fingers wrap around the portkey, his smile turning sad as Scorpius’ eyes fill with what seems to be regret or pity, then he’s back in his apartment. The portkey throws itself into the fire, burning to a crisp, and Albus throws himself back onto his couch for a few minutes before the wards jolt him into a standing position as he turns to see Scorpius standing in the middle of the kitchen.
“You created a course that focuses on Potion Mastery, I told you about that almost three years ago, and you went about beginning to create this almost immaculate course textbook. You are so brilliant, and I cannot believe that anyone thought I wouldn’t see how amazing you are.” rambles Scorpius as though he doesn’t need to breathe, and Albus can’t help the grin that curves his lips at the normal sight. “Albus Severus Potter, I am in love with you too, and I am sorry that I didn’t tell you that night but there was so much information and then the situation with Rose got out of hand, and I was at home for this whole week.”
“Scor, could you breathe for a second?” asks Albus with a soft chuckle.
“I can, but I’d really rather you kiss me instead.” says Scorpius a bit smoothly, though his cheeks bloom with a blush that Albus can’t help but stroke his thumb over as his hand cups Scorpius’ cheek.
“I have to do everything, do I?” asks Albus with a chuckle as he leans in and presses his lips lightly to Scorpius’ forehead before his nose trails down, rubbing softly against Scorpius’. “Maybe you should kiss me Scorpius.”
Scorpius’ eyes are soft, his cheeks are bright red, but he does lean in and press their lips together in a soft, loving embrace.