Gift for venturous1
Author: lire_cassander
Recipient: venturous1
Title: Truth Need Not Be Feared
Pairing(s): Albus/Scorpius, implied Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Draco/Asteria, Dudley/Pansy
Summary: Maybe in five or ten yours and mine will meet again, straighten this whole thing up.
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Character death. Angst. Fluff. Swearing.
Word Count: 5591
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: The summary comes from The Fray's song Vienna, as well as the title, which I tweaked a bit to fit in this story. Also, there are some quotes from Deathly Hallows, which obviously I do not own.

Thanks to the mods for running such an amazing fest!

Dear venturous1: I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think I have covered most of your requests, and that I have avoided all of your squicks. I'm sorry this does not have fumbling sex in it, but the boys just didn't want to cooperate. Happy reading!



Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco so much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly and turned away again.

Little Scorpius looked up at his father. "Who are these people, Dad?"

"Just old acquaintances," his father told him in a soft voice. "Just people like you and me, and your mother and your aunties."

Scorpius nodded swiftly, excitement bubbling up in his gut. He was going to Hogwarts, and he couldn't wait until getting there to send an owl to Tuney to share all his experiences. His father tugged at his sleeve, and Scorpius was set back to a reality where Draco Malfoy was knelt in front of him.

"Son, please listen carefully," he said. "There will be people who will not accept you because of me. You can't pay attention to them, you can't allow them to get to you. Just be yourself, and try to have fun."

"But…"

"My years at Hogwarts were the best of my life, Scorpius," his father confessed. "I just hope yours are at least half as fun as mine were."

Scorpius giggled at his father's words, earning himself a playful smirk. "I'll try, Dad."

"That's my boy! Now, get in the train!"

Scorpius turned from his father, a man who very seldom showed his feelings to the world – and who would have to deny for months having been seen going soft in public with his son – to his mother, who gave him a tight hug and some advice.

He hopped inside the train with some help with his trunk, and waved his parents goodbye.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

The train was full of strangers looking funnily at him, Scorpius noticed while he searched for a door to an empty compartment. He was near the last wagon, jumping among other students who tried to make their way to the witch with the trolley even before she started her rounds, when he gave up and opened the first compartment at his right.

Inside, there was a black-haired boy reading what seemed to be a Muggle book, with the cover all immobile and steady, so unlike magical books. Breathing in deeply, Scorpius stepped in, wondering about the convenience of introducing himself – not knowing whether this kid would find a problem in him being a Malfoy – or waiting until the boy noticed his presence.

The black-haired boy lifted his head the second he heard the compartment door click shut, boring impossibly green eyes into Scorpius' standing form. "Hey," he said, leaving his book opened beside him.

"Hello," Scorpius greeted back, still unsure about how to behave.

"If I were you, I'd take a seat right this moment," the black-haired boy warned. "My brother and my cousins are probably on their way, and once they're here, you won't find anywhere to sit."

"Erm… thanks, I guess," Scorpius said timidly, taking a few steps until he was sitting across this strange boy. "How many people are supposed to come here?" he asked in an attempt to make small talk.

"Well," the other kid counted up with his fingers. "There's my brother, James. And then there's Rose, my cousin, and Victoire, my other cousin, though I don't think she's coming, she's a Seventh Year…"

"Wow, that's a lot of people," Scorpius marveled.

"Don't you have siblings or cousins?" the boy inquiered.

"No, not at all. I am an only child," Scorpius explained. "And Auntie Daphne never had children of her own. Though I have an almost cousin, Tuney. She's the daughter of my dad's best friend."

"Oh, what a coincidence. My father's cousin has a daughter named Tuney too!" The kid smiled playfully. "I don't know what I'd do without my family," he added a while later, a bit contrite about his words. "By the way, I'm Albus." A hand was stretched before him.

"Scorpius."

"That's a name?" Albus laughed.

"Have you heard yours?" Scorpius joked back, taking the hand offered and shaking it. It was only when James and Rose entered the compartment that Scorpius realized he had been talking with Albus Severus Potter.

His father wouldn't be too keen on knowing he had befriended a Potter, but Scorpius would deal with that when the time came. He was too busy laughing at James' antics.

Six years later

Malfoy Manor stood sadly against a grey sky the day Astoria Malfoy was buried.

It was raining when the coffin was immersed in the hole dug in the back ground of the manor. A hand gripped Scorpius' shoulder in a soothing way, preventing him from falling on his knees when the first handful of soil was thrown in.

"Everything will be fine, Scorpius," the grave voice of Albus Potter whispered in his ear. "Time will ease the pain. Just know that she will always look over you."

The blond teenager nodded weakly. Losing his mother in an accident had been something completely unexpected, shattering his world into tiny pieces he hoped he would be able to retrieve with the always loyal help of his best friend, for his father was in no shape to comfort even himself.

Draco Malfoy had been the one to find the late Mrs Malfoy after the accidental explosion in the kitchens, where she seemingly had descended to prepare herself some breakfast. Malfoy hadn't spoken a word since then; he had secluded himself in the study where he used to lock himself up to think when his wife was alive, not allowing anyone, not even his son, inside. Rumour had it that the couple had had a fight a while before the accident happened, and Scorpius could see in his father's vacuous eyes that he blamed himself for something that no one could have ever anticipated.

Yet, it hurt to come home in the middle of a cold November to attend the burial of his own mother and not having the comfort of his father's arms to hold him. Scorpius was thankful to have his friend by his side at those horrible times, when no one was meant to be alone.

The last person gave both Scorpius and his father their condolences, leaving them on their own for a while. Albus was talking to his mother a few feet away, probably convincing her of the necessity of his presence in the Malfoy household to keep everyone sane – or at least, to keep Scorpius from hurting too much. The blond turned to his father with teary eyes. "Dad, we should get inside."

There was nothing but silence in the dull eyes that gazed back at him.

"Listen, I'll go thank Mrs Potter while you decide what you want to do, okay?" he offered, half-heartedly. "Just… don't stay alone, Dad. It's… it's not good for you."

Yet there was no response as Scorpius squeezed his father's arm and walked over to the spot where Albus and Ginny Potter were speaking.

"… I will come back to school using a Portkey, Mom. I'm not leaving Scorpius to go back on his own."

"If that's what you think he needs, then do it," Mrs Potter replied. "Just make sure not to be too late, honey."

"Can you Floo-call the Headmistress and tell her we'll be back tonight?" Albus required from his mother, still unaware of Scorpius presence at his back. "I don't know if we'll make it to dinner. They seem pretty affected."

"We are," Scorpius said in a low voice. Albus turned around, blushing. "Don't be ashamed, Al. I appreciate your efforts in trying to comfort me. I wish someone could help my father."

Mrs Potter smiled in a sad way. "I'm so sorry for your loss, my dear child."

"Thanks, Mrs Potter. And thanks for coming."

"I'm just sorry my husband couldn't make it. The shop keeps him too busy for his own good," she explained.

"Don't worry, Mrs Potter," Scorpius waved her words away with a sad smile of his own. "I… I have to go back inside with my father."

"He is already walking back," Albus noticed, pointing at the lonely figure making his way grimly toward the manor.

Scorpius bid a quick farewell to his friend's mother and ran to his father, not reaching him until they were both inside Malfoy Manor. Even then, all he could do was follow with his steady gaze his father's shadow staining the pristine floors of the entrance hall, chasing the steps to his study. Sighing, Scorpius leant backwards, resting his back and his head on the nearest wall.

It was there where Albus found him a couple of hours later. "Scorpius?"

"Hey, Al."

"I know you'd like to stay longer, but the Headmistress wanted us to be back at Hogwarts tonight. We should take the Portkey now."

"I…" Scorpius fought with his words, just like he had always done, ever since he learned the rudiments of speaking. "Alright."

"I'll be getting our things," Albus offered, already walking up the stairs to the bedroom they both had shared the previous three days. "Meanwhile, I think you'd like to say goodbye to your father."

"Thanks," Scorpius managed to mouth, his strength leaving him as he straightened and headed toward the door across the hall. He knocked on the wooden material, earning himself a low growl from the other side. Shyly, he pushed the door open and watched as his father sat, back to the door, the flames blazing in the fireplace.

"Dad?" Scorpius tried to catch his father's attention unsuccessfully. "Dad, I'm here." But Draco Malfoy was far too engrossed in staring at the flames before his eyes to reply to his son. "Dad, I'm about to leave, I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Then say it and leave me alone," Draco said mournfully, his words just a tiny shy above a whisper. "I deserve it, don't I?"

"Dad, please, don't do this to yourself," Scorpius pleaded. "It is not your fault."

"Just go," Draco offered in a rusty voice.

Scorpius took in the helplessness in his father's voice, fighting between stepping into the study and hugging his father or flying away to touch the Portkey with shaky fingers. In the end, it was just a voice that made the decision.

"Scorpius, come on, we're running late!"

He cast a last glance towards Draco's direction before turning around and walking away from the protective figure he once knew.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

Scorpius found himself staring at the empty darkness surrounding his bed in the Ravenclaw bedroom at three in the morning. Unable to sleep, he threw the covers aside and stepped out of his bed, struggling with the sheets that seemed to trap him down to the mattress. He looked around at the other beds – Linney McCormack was snoring loudly, Fred Weasley was silent, Makeesha Johnson seemed to be fighting with his pillow, and Albus was tossing and turning in the bed next to Scorpius'. For a moment he thought he had awaken his best friend, for Albus began stirring when Scorpius' feet touched the ground, but it all remained a false alarm, and the blond could make his way down to the common room.

He hadn't been able to sleep for a whole week, after knowing about his mother's accident. He had started becoming used to it, but it wasn't any easier when he was all alone. At first he had had Albus by his side, meaningless words spilled in his ears, sharing the night on the same mattress. But after a couple of days, tiredness had taken the best of him and Albus had chosen to sleep a bit in his own bed.

There was a void in the left side of Scorpius' bed.

The common room was lit with a fire, keeping everything warm and soft. However, he didn't sit in front of the fireplace; he kept on walking, his long pajama pants brushing the dusty ground as he marched, until he crossed the entrance door and stepped into the corridor. Looking at both his right and his left, he decided on ambling en route for the dungeons. He needed to speak to a special someone.

The same someone who had listened to him whining and complaining for the past seventeen years of his life.

The dourly portraits hung off the walls greeted him with snores and huffs, as he sauntered past them in his quest for solace. The dungeons were right before him in less than fifteen minutes – it had taken him that much because he was looking at his back every now and then to check he hadn't been discovered in the corridors at that ungodly hour. At the end of the last walkway he found what he was looking for.

The sour portrait of a very awake Severus Snape.

"Uncle Severus," he greeted softly, making the portrait form startle and watch him.

"What are you doing here, Scorpius?" the portrait demanded. "It's well past curfew."

"I needed to talk to you," the boy replied, sitting Indian style before the wall. "About… stuff."

"Stuff," the portrait snorted. "If by stuff you mean berating yourself for not being there for your mother, then we can talk. If not… well, we can talk too."

Scorpius shook his head, astonished at the former professor's witticism. "It's not about Mum, Uncle. It's about Dad, in fact." The teenager put his hand son his bent knees, in a failed attempt to stop them from shaking. "He was so off when I left, Uncle! I shouldn't have come back, I should have stayed. You've seen him when you've been there in the painting we have at home, you've seen him! I don't know what he thinks, what he feels, anymore."

"Your father's feelings are a mystery to me too," Severus commented matter-of-factly. "They always were, and I suppose they always will. But I can guess."

"Then please guess! Your ideas will be more accurate than mine," Scorpius nearly pleaded.

"There was a time," Severus started. "There was a time when your father made the worse mistake he could have made. He was young, Scorpius, so very young, but he never backed down on his actions. He has regretted it over the years, and in the end, that mistake has led him to the situation he is in now."

"I know Dad supported Voldemort for a while, Uncle," Scorpius reminded his father's godfather. "It wasn't very wise of him, but he was a Slytherin!"

"Watch your tongue, my boy, for you are talking to a Slytherin here," Severus reprimanded him. "I'm not talking about that mistake. That had more to do with family obligations than a matter of the heart. Clearly, he thought things had straightened up a bit when you friended Potter's spawn, but your mother's death has racked him more than I thought."

"I don't think I understand," Scorpius confessed. "I don't know why my friendship with Albus has anything to do with Dad's past mistakes."

"Oh, but it has, Scorpius, it has." The portrait examined the teenager in front of it with an intense gaze. "When your father was in his Sixth Year, he and Potter had a misfortunate encounter in the bathrooms on the third floor. Blood was shed, as well as tears, after a particularly nasty spell was cast. It was the beginning of the end for them, with no way back. Luckily enough, Draco met Astoria, and Potter finally married the Weasley girl. It seemed perfect."

"Uncle, I think you need to sleep," Scorpius said seriously. "You're not making any sense."

"In time, you'll understand," Severus assured him. "For now, let's just pretend I'm an old portrait babbling about mistaken memories. Good night, my boy."

Scorpius took the cue and stood up, smoothing his shirt with his hands. "Good night, Uncle." He walked back to the Ravenclaw dormitories with a strange weight in his heart and a limp in his walk.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

"I don't care!" Albus yelled at him the morning after. "I don't give a fucking fly about where you were last night!"

"Then why are you acting like this?" Scorpius tried to reason with him, to no avail.

"Because you were gone! Merlin knows what I thought! You scared me to death! Don't you see?"

"I honestly don't understand your point. I'm here now, and I'm fine."

"There could have been an accident, Scorpius! I was frightened! You have just lost your mother, you won't even talk to me about it, and then you up and disappear one night! The whole fucking night, Scorpius!"

"I'm sorry for having worried you, Al, honestly." The black-haired boy scoffed, but Scorpius knew he had won this battle. "Forgive me?" he pouted, for good measure.

"Shit, Scorp!" Albus exclaimed, defeated. "I cannot stay angry at you for too long. You're a lucky git for that."

Things straightened out, and explanations not needed, the two walked down to the Great Hall to have breakfast.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

Albus wasn't there when Scorpius woke up a couple of mornings later. It was Saturday, so he was allowed to have a lie-in, but he hadn't expected to be all alone. All in all, Albus wasn't a morning person, and it was nine o'clock – far too early for his friend to be up.

"How strange," Scorpius mused, talking to his sheets as he took his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Linney and Makeesha were gossiping in the stalls, all the while wiping their faces and making weird noises. They stopped when they saw him entering. "Don't shut it for me," Scorpius warned. "I'll think you were talking about me."

"Well…"

The hesitation in Linney's voice made Scorpius suspicious. "Well?"

"Rumour says your best friend finally hit it on with a pretty Gryffindor," Makeesha confessed. "It seems Al hasn't spent the night in our bedroom."

Scorpius felt a sweep of rage and an unidentified feeling inside of him, swelling in his chest and making breathing very difficult. "Who's the fortunate girl?" he asked feigning a carelessness he didn't feel.

"You mean you don't know?" Linney marveled. "No one knows as of yet, but we thought you…"

"Well, I don't," Scorpius replied in an acerbic tone. "I wouldn't feed your gossip needs if I knew, either."

He turned around, deciding against a morning shower and stepping back into the dormitory with a weird and sudden need to flop down on the bed and sleep for at least a thousand years. He didn't understand himself sometimes – it was hard to figure out what he himself thought when it came to Albus. Granted, he was Scorpius' best friend, so the jealousy was somehow excused. But he wasn't sure as to why he felt jealous. Albus had been pining for a Gryffindor girl for years, though he never confessed her name to Scorpius, and the blond would have to feel happy for his friend finally getting what he had been pursuing for so long.

Maybe he was narrow-minded in this affair just because Abus was his best friend. Maybe he needed the advice of the only person who had known him since the day of their birth, both at the same day, at the same time.

He jumped out of the bedroom, surprising Makeesha and Linney, who were getting out of the bathroom at the time, and made his way down to the dungeons again.

"Tuney!" Scorpius called from the entrance, searching for the girl around the Slytherin common room. "Petunia Dursley, where are you?"

"Could you please stop yelling for a second and wait in silence?" a Seventh Year admonished him from her spot at the central table. "Some of us are trying to study, Malfoy."

"Sorry," he apologized, shrugging. He waited patiently for another Slytherin student to go fetch Petunia from the girls' dormitories.

The petite Slytherin looked so much after her mother it scared Scorpius sometimes. When Petunia appeared in his line of vision, the very same eyes of his Aunt Pansy haunted him with graveness. No one really understood how or when Dudley Dursley, the cousin of the infamous Harry Potter, and Pansy had met, or why they had fallen in love, but they had. Petunia was the vivid proof of a love that hadn't died, against all the bets and prophecies, and a true heiress of her mother's tittle-tattle skills.

"Hello, Scorp," she greeted him with a smirk. "What has taken you down the dungeons at this hour?"

"I'm glad to see you too," he replied, matching her sneer.

"You are not this cheerful at nine on a Saturday. You either want something from me, or you want to convince me to do something for you."

"Erm, well, can we go for a walk, please?" he asked, suddenly nervous. She agreed reluctantly, following him around the castle until the boy exited the Entrance Hall. "Tuney, I need your help."

"I supposed so. What has the ass done now?" she demanded in a business-like voice.

"Huh?"

"Potter," she clarified. "You only look this miserable when he has been mean to you."

"I am not miserable!" he defended himself. "And he hasn't done anything… at least to me."

"Oh, I can sense something grand here. What happened, Scorp?"

"I think Al has spent the night with a girl. But I don't know who she is."

"Have you thought about asking him?" Petunia retorted. "Because I don't know anything about this. For all I know, the prat has been staring at the stars the whole night in the Astronomy tower. That's what Lily Potter told me after breakfast, when she found her brother up there."

"What?" Scorpius tried to pretend being nonchalant about it, but his relief was easily readable in his features.

"Scorpius, you should stop pining for him and start acting on your feelings," Petunia advised him. "You're going to turn me crazy with your uncertainties."

"What feelings?" he said defensively.

"The ones you have for that stupid arse, obvious for everyone but you and your hero."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Petunia smiled softly. "But you will. There's nothing wrong in liking boys, Scorp. You and I both know you are not attracted to girls. What I can't understand is why you are not aware of what you feel for Albus."

"My father would kill me if he knew I don't plan on breeding a whole new Malfoy generation, Tuney," Scorpius retorted, coming to a halt. "And I don't feel anything for Al."

"If you don't tell him, you won't know what his reaction to your feelings will be," she counterattacked wisely. "And that applies to the brat too."

Silently, she made her way back to the castle, leaving a very confused Scorpius in her wake. The boy stood still before the lake, her words sinking in his mind as if hammered there.

He had known he was gay for what seemed like ages – ever since he started having wet dreams about fit wizards. But he had never confessed that to his parents, and now that his mother couldn't be there to help him get to his father, telling Draco was almost out of the question.

Maybe it was time to make a decision about that.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

The portrait was waiting for him, as always. It was like Severus could sense when Scorpius was about to lower the stairs to talk to him. The former headmaster waited until the boy sat on the floor before speaking.

"What brings you here from your Ravenclaw golden cage?"

"Uncle Severus, I am gay," he blurted out, snapping a hand over his mouth right after saying it.

"That is not a surprise at all for me, kid," the portrait smiled. "Remember I live in this castle as well?"

"Oh, Uncle, but that's not the worst part of it!" Scorpius breathed.

"I can't fathom why being gay is a bad thing," Severus wondered aloud. "Albus was too."

"What?" Scorpius choked.

"Albus Dumbledore," Severus explained. "The former headmaster, before me. He was gay too. Have you told your father?"

"Ah," Scorpius sighed. "Erm… no, I haven't."

"You should."

"I know. I still don't know how he'd react to this bit of information. But, Uncle… I think I've fallen for someone."

The portrait stopped regarding his nails to actually look up at the boy. "Interesting. Does this person know about it?"

"Well, no. Technically, I didn't know until Tuney showed it to me."

"How many times do I need to tell you not to call Miss Dursley that?" Severus frowned. "Too many memories in a name."

"Sorry. Well, she… she told me I had feelings for another boy… for a friend. She said it was pretty obvious…"

"What is obvious? How you practically drool over Mr Potter whenever you're together?" Severus smirked.

"Shit!"

"Indeed, my boy, indeed."

"What do I do, Uncle?"

The portrait sighed in frustration. "I find this highly uncomfortable, Scorpius, I'll let you know. But I think you should tell your father, first, and then the object of your affections. That way, you'll find out what they both think about all this."

The student nodded briskly, his mind spinning at lightning speed. All of a sudden, he stood up, shaking. "Thanks for your words, Uncle. I think I'll write Dad and tell him to meet me in Hogsmeade next excursion."

"Wise thought, Scorpius."

"Good night, Uncle Severus."

"Good night."

Severus Snape knew that Scorpius would never write that letter. He, as always, had to take action in this matter.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

The letter came a couple of weeks later, with the ruckus of owls and packages ever present every morning in the Great Hall. Clothilde, his mother's owl, landed gracefully before Scorpius, who took the parchment from its leg and treated her with some sweets. "Good girl," he whispered.

He looked around to see if someone was staring at him, noticing with a low pain in his chest that Al wasn't around that morning either. Scorpius wasn't sure why his friend stubbornly insisted in detaching himself from the world, not after they had made amends after their fight.

Shrugging, he unsealed the letter and read it.

My dear, dear Scorpius,

I'm so sorry. About everything, I mean. I know I haven't been the best of fathers lately, and I know you needed me after your mother's death. I'm sorry for not being there for you.

Severus has confessed to me that he has indeed hinted some things to you. Things I wanted to keep as a secret. But now the reasons to do so have vanished, for Severus tells me you are rather unhappy due to my moods and some special Ravenclaw. Let me tell you a story…

It all started in a Hogwarts Express, so many years ago. There were two boys, there was rejection, there was fear. As years passed by, the fear turned into hatred and then hatred turned into attraction, but neither of them acted upon it. Then, all hell broke loose and a war exploded. The boys fought on opposite sides, and in the end one switched sides and helped the other win. There were casualties and there were reunions. The two boys didn't see each other until one went to give a wand back to the other.

When Harry Potter came to the manor to return the wand I had lost to him, it was far too late. We had been denying our feelings for too long, he was engaged and I was desolated. There was just a kiss, Scorpius, just one kiss.

Along with your presence, the memory of that kiss has helped me live through my existence without giving up.

If there's something I regret, it is not confessing my love earlier. I don't regret the consequences of not doing so, for they are all condensed in you. I wouldn't have you if I had acted upon my feelings. But that's just the story of my life, what I chose to write in my book.

Whatever you decide to capture in yours, I will support you.

With my greatest love,

Dad

Suddenly it all made sense – the stolen glances his father cast at Mr Potter whenever they were near, the soft sighs his father exhaled whenever Mr Potter happened to touch him, the urgent need his father felt to lock himself in the study where Mr Potter had given him his wand back… and with it, his dignity and his heart. Scorpius shook whilst holding the letter written in his father's neat handwriting. It was all crystal clear – the lie his parents' marriage had been, the guilt in his father's words after being widowed, the words of a portrait.

Suddenly, feeling something for Albus Potter felt not only right, but necessary. It was as if, by acting upon his newly-found feelings, he was straightening his father's past and making up for ancient mistakes.

The moon was high in the sky when Scorpius made his way up to the Astronomy Tower, where Albus had found comfort the previous nights, while the rest of the world thought he was shagging a beautiful girl. Determined to confess what he knew he had felt for years, he didn't pay much attention to the small voice at the back of his mind warning him about Albus being straight, about fear of rejection. Stuffing that voice away with the rest of his dread, he stepped ahead and reached the top of the stairs.

ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS~ASS

Albus was sitting in front of the big glassless windows, his black hair sticking out in odd directions, shining with the glow of the stars. Scorpius shook his head at the sheer feeling of love in his heart at the very sight of Albus Potter.

He made his presence known with just a word. "Al."

The other boy didn't seem to notice the soft sound flying towards him. Scorpius tried louder. "Al, I'm here."

Yet no answer.

"Albus, please look at me," he pleaded, stepping closer to his friend. "Al, I don't know what's happening here, why you're detaching yourself from me. I suppose this has something to do with me wandering around at night. I have an explanation for this."

Albus lifted his chin a bit, but didn't say anything. Though, Scorpius took it as an invitation. "I go to speak with Uncle Severus. He's got a portrait in the dungeons… He's been helping me get something straight."

"And what is it?" the dark-haired wizard choked out at least. "What is it that you can't share with your best friend?"

"Please, Al, let me explain."

"Explain what exactly, Scorpius?" Albus exploded, getting up, his hands fisted at his sides, his face red with rage and what Scorpius recognized as fear. "That you can't trust me anymore, that you have to go to an old portrait to talk? Merlin's balls, Scorp, just say it already!"

"I love you."

The words came out of his mouth thoughtlessly, carelessly, as if they had just happened to be at the edge of his tongue waiting to be dropped out. Immediately afterwards, Scorpius regretted having said them.

Albus was fuming.

"Don't feed me that shit!" he exclaimed. "You can't love me! You hear me? I don't buy your shit!"

"Well, if you find my feelings for you a problem, then we won't be talking about them anymore," Scorpius managed to drawl evenly. "But I wasn't aware that you had trouble accepting any kind of sexuality."

"And I don't," Albus confessed. "But how did you know…? How could you…?"

"How did I know what?" Scorpius asked, intrigued. Albus' rage had seemed to flatten, and before his silvery eyes there was only a dark shade of his best friend, shaking. He would give anything to be able to soothe him.

"That I… I… that I…" his friend stuttered.

"Albus, what is it? You're worrying me."

Then, it all happened in half a second.

Albus flung himself towards Scorpius, whispering a brief "This" before capturing his plump lips in a searing kiss that made both of them moan. Their tongues enlaced in a sensual dance of willing and sweetness, exploring small secret spaces within their mouths. Albus' hands were in Scorpius' hair, twined in his soft tufts just as Scorpius' fingers found their own way through the silky locks of his friend – lover – love .

When they both came up for air, Scorpius was shaking. "I guess Severus and Dad, and even Tuney, were right," he whispered. "I had to let myself go…"

"I don't know what you mean," Albus chuckled softly. "But I don't think I care anymore."

"Tell me something, Al," Scorpius asked, his eyes boring into Albus' green orbs. "How long have you wanted to do this?" Scorpius stretched out his hand, feeling the same anticipation he felt back on his first ride to Hogwarts, when his whole life was ahead of him.

When Albus took it and held it softly within his fingers, squeezing just the right places, Scorpius let out a sigh of relief. "Ever since you stumbled past that door in the Hogwarts Express."

Scorpius smiled and kissed him briefly on the lips. He tugged at his friend – lover - boyfriend's hand and made him stand up. Together, they strolled down the stairs and across the castle until their feet sensed the softness of the field’s grass underneath. Above, the moon was smiling just for the two of them.

The past fixed and the future unknown, Scorpius and Albus walked under the stars shining brightly over the Earth.