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“I still can’t believe you guys did all of that this year and didn’t let me know.” Rose said as they slid into a compartment at the back of the Hogwarts Express. She still hadn’t forgiven them for their adventures in time. “Even my parents left me out of it. Why couldn’t I have come too?”
“It’s not like that, Rose. I promise! We weren’t avoiding you. We just didn’t have time to get anyone at the end. Get it? Time?” Scorpius replied. He had a way with words, as everyone knew, and Albus wondered how long he had been sitting on that use of the word time. “Everything happened so fast at the end, but that was at Halloween. I thought we moved past it now that we are officially friends? We are, aren’t we?”
There was a hint of pleading in his voice, Albus could hear it. It hadn’t been too long since that day on the stairs. Scorpius had asked Rose to be his friend, but all Albus could think about was what had happened after. In fact, Albus hadn’t thought about much else since then.
“And, that’s who you want in your palace?”
“Yes. Isn’t it?”
What would have happened if Rose hadn’t shown up right then, interrupting their private moment? He remembered the moment so vividly. The look in Scorpius’s piercing gray eyes. Was it a mutual understanding of what was unsaid? The sparks that he felt as he put his hand on Scorpius’s shoulder. The moment of bravery experienced he started to lean in. Was Scorpius leaning too? Was it his imagination? What would have happened if Rose hadn’t shown up and interrupted?
“Yes, fine, we can be friends, on a trial basis only. Just don’t mention bread again, okay?”
Albus re-lived that moment often over the weeks since. Nothing had come up since then. After he had gotten back from the graveyard with his dad things just continued on as normal with Scorpius. His friend. His best friend. The most important person in his life he had told his father, but he hadn’t known how to navigate his feelings. Did Scorpius feel the same? He had hugged him, and they hugged often now in “this new version of us” as Scorpius had said. Friends hug though. Were they just friends, or did Scorpius feel the same?
“Wizzo!” Scorpius said as they all took seats. Rose, Lily, and Hugo on one side with James, Albus, and Scoripus on the other. Albus wasn’t thrilled about sharing a compartment with everyone else, especially James, but he didn’t say anything about it. He knew his brother was trying. Ever since the events leading up to Halloween, James had been trying harder to not make him feel like an outsider, so Albus was cautiously optimistic that things might be okay with them in the future. Scorpius continued “Are you and your family doing anything exciting over the break, or is your mum busy at the Ministry?”
“Dad and Uncle George want to go to Italy to look into some muggle jokes there to sell in the store. Not sure why Italy, but it could be fun. I think mum was going to tell Ethel to clear a week off her schedule so we can all go. I can’t wait to try all of the pasta!” replied Hugo. The conversation continued as the train lurched forward, but all that Albus could focus on was that when the train started to move, Scorpius’s leg had moved and was touching his, and Scorpius wasn’t pulling it away.
The journey back to London seemed to fly by. The initial awkwardness of the group in the compartment faded away once they pulled out the Exploding Snap cards.Turned out Lily was quite the mastermind at the game. She and Scorpius had a very intense match that everyone was paying close attention to, the cards ultimately exploding on Scorpius’s last move.
“Better luck next time, Scorpius.” Lily said, a smug look on her face. Albus couldn’t help but notice, while everyone else was congratulating Lily on her spectacular victory, that Scorpius was holding a winning card in his hand still.
“Scorpiu-’ he started, but was cut off.
“I never had a sister to play with. I will win next time, don’t you worry” he said with a sly wink.
Albus couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He didn’t think he could like Scorpius anymore than he already did. He caught Rose’s look out of the side of his eye and shifted his look out the window, remembering what she had said.
“This is only going to be weird if you two let it be.”
He knew she knew, but she was kind enough not to say anything.
“Anything off the Trolley dea . . . Oh, it’s you two. Permanently banned from buying anything from me! That’ll teach you to jump off of my train!” the Trolley Witch said as she arrived at their door.
“Hang on! Not all of us did it! Some of us were smart enough to not go running away like that! Can’t I buy some stuff?” James replied, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. After some back and forth, Albus and Scorpius apologizing to everyone for the trouble they caused, the Trolley Witch relented and allowed James to get his snacks. James bought enough for everyone to share and they passed the rest of the journey home snacking, laughing, and reminiscing about the year.
Every so often as they were picking up some sweets, the last that he would be able to eat for the summer with his mother’s ban on sweets in the house, Albus’s fingers would graze Scorpius’s. It was electric. He wondered every time whether Scorpius felt it too. Their legs were still touching, and the grazes of their fingers lingered longer and longer as the train got closer to London.
As they pulled into King’s Cross, everyone readied their belongings. Albus couldn’t help but notice Scorpius taking his time, longer than it should take. “You lot go on ahead. We will meet you on the platform.” Rose gave him a knowing look and Albus just rolled his eyes.
“It’s going to be very strange to not see you every day, Albus.”
“I know. I have gotten so used to you being with me that I can’t imagine what it will be like without spending time together everyday. What are you and your da-”
And it happened. Scorpius leaned in and it was like everything else disappeared.
“Scorpius . . .” Albus stammered. He was caught off guard. What did this mean? His mind was spinning.
“Well, you started it on the stairs that day, and I have been waiting ever since for you to try again. I really like you, Albus Severus Potter. It’s been clear to me since the thought of you helped me to fight off the Dementors. I fought for you then, and I will fight for you always.”
Albus didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and kissed his Scorpius again, but this time with more meaning and purpose, and Scorpius returned the kiss in kind. Nothing else mattered. Time seemed to stop for the moment. It didn’t matter what had happened in the past, or what the future held, the two knew that they would face it together.