More Than Friends | Albus x Scorpius

Part One: Train Ride

AN: Disclaimer I DO NOT own rights to the characters used in this story, but this is my ORIGINAL idea. Enjoy!

"Why does Albus get an owl?" Lily asked her father as she pushes her trolley along.
  
Harry answers her question without looking at her. "Because. Albus needs a quick way to contact us if something happens."
  
Albus ignored his father and sister as he continued to push his trolley. In the distance, he watched as a family of three disappears between platforms nine and ten.
  
James, Albus and Lily's older brother, said, "But I thought he was still grounded. You said he was still in trouble for---"
  
Albus quickly interrupted his brother. He was like a human freight train. Once you got James Sirius Potter started on something, he almost could never stop.
  
"James, shut up!" Albus rolled his eyes and continued, "Stop bringing me into every one of your conversations!"
  
James held up his hands defensively.
  
"Both of you. Quit it," Ginny said in a very scary whisper. Albus, Lily, and James fell into silence.
  
After running through platforms nine and ten to get to Platform 9-and-three-quarters, Albus searched the sea of new and returning students to find an all too familiar face. As he looked around, he saw a young girl (a first-year by the looks of her) vomit into a nearby trash bin.
  
"Al! Albus!"
  
Albus turned his head to the left and saw Rose Weasley running towards him. He said nothing nor did he move as she approached him.
  
"Did you hear?" Rose asked. When he didn't respond, Rose continued excitedly. "McGonagall is going to lift you and Scorpius'-" Harry cringed at Scorpius's name. Albus ignored him."-Hogsmeade ban!"
  
Albus nodded once, a quick bob. James said, "Too bad I'm out of Hogwarts. Then I'll get to see you all of the time."
  
"You're going to be working at the Weasley Wizard Wheezes shop in Hogsmeade," Rose pointed out just as her father, mother, and younger brother caught up to her. "You're going to see us."
  
"Albus!" an excited voice called out. A smile broke onto Albus's face as he saw Scorpius Malfoy running towards him.
  
"Did ya hear?" he asked with a large grin. "Hogsmeade, baby! Whooo!"
  
Albus laughed at his friend's behavior. "Are you really excited?"
  
"Of course!"
  
Draco, Scorpius' father, smiled at Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Harry was the only one to not return that smile. Albus said politely, "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. I do hope you and Scorpius had a great summer?"
  
"Yes, thank you, Albus," Draco answered with a pointed look at Harry.
  
The train whistle moaned sorrowfully and students started to kiss and hug their parent's goodbye. Harry, Ginny, and James, who was now eighteen and out of Hogwarts, said goodbye to Lily. James pulled Albus aside and whispered in his ear so that no member of their family would here him.
  
"Albus, listen to me. Are you listening?" Albus nodded silently. "Good. I want to to take care, alright? Remember, don't do anything stupid and have fun. I expect to see you in Hogsmeade before break."
  
"James, do you think I could tell you---" Albus was interrupted by the trains sad, lonely whistle.
  
"Tell me in Hogsmeade," James said quickly, pushing Albus in the direction of his trunk and owl. He waved goodbye to his brother and mother, but not to Harry.
  
Albus boarded the train and walked down to the end of the corridor. There was only one compartment left and Scorpius was sitting down with a gray barn owl in front of him.
  
"Did you have a good summer, Scorpius?"
  
Scorpius nodded nonchalantly and said, "Went to Paris."
  
"Sounds much better than mine, " Albus said. "All I did was listen to Dad complain and lecture me about being distant and 'rebellious'."
 
Scorpius groaned. "He really said that? God, I'm sorry, Albus. If I knew, you could've gone to Paris with us."
  
" 'S fine, Scorpius."
  
Albus twiddled his thumbs and stuttered nervously, "Hey, S-Scorp. Can I...tell you something? It's---"
  
He was quickly interrupted by an older boy entering the compartment. His hair and skin were dark and he wore a robe with a blue and bronze Ravenclaw crest over the heart.
  
"Hello, Rex, " Scorpius greeted politely. Albus glared at him with as much hate as he could muster.
  
"May I speak to you, " Rex Thomas started then he looked at Albus and added, "alone?"
  
Scorpius opened his mouth to answer, but Albus beat him to it.
  
"Why alone, Thomas? Anything that you have to say to Scorpius is good enough to say to me."
  
"I wanted to ask him something and I would prefer to say it in private."
  
"What, are you gonna say that I'm a fucking---"
  
Scorpius snapped, "Albus, just leave."
  
Albus stood abruptly and stomped out of the compartment with an angry frown. He practically ran to the bathroom and locked himself in. He slowly slid to the floor, leaning the back of his head against the door. His thoughts and feelings slid down with him, suffocating him.
  
Suddenly, Albus couldn't breathe. He gasped for air as his eyes felt hot and itchy. He felt something warm run down his cheeks and spill down his chin.
  
Albus suddenly realized what he was doing. He got up, dampened a paper towel with warm water and places it over his eyes, holding it there. 
  
Albus looked in the mirror. His eyes weren't as swollen. His face wasn't very blotchy. He said aloud, "The quick red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog." His voice didn't crack or sway. He held his hands in front of his emerald eyes and saw that they were shaking slightly. That's fine, he thought quietly, nobody's going to look at my hands.
  
He took a deep, somewhat calming breath and opened the bathroom door. Albus stepped out and wandered down the compartment corridor, making sure to search everyone for a familiar face that he had grown up with.
  
A round of jaunty laughter drew Albus' attention and he looked into one of the neighboring compartments and glanced inside, seeing Lily and her friends. He hesitated before knocking on the door. He decided against it.
  
When Albus finally walked back to the compartment that he shared with Scorpius and saw him with a huge, but sad, grin. Albus walked in and asked when Scorpius looked at him, "What'd Thomas want to talk to you about?"
  
Scorpius answered, his face turning slightly pink, "He wanted me to accompany him to Hogsmeade next weekend."
  
"What'd you say?"
  
"I said yes, "
  
Albus set his jaw and asked, "Are you...?"
  
"Yeah..." Scorpius answered while rubbing the back of his neck, looking at a blue stain on the compartment floor with interest.
  
Albus nodded and sat down next to the window across from Scorpius, leaning his head against the window, watching as the green trees and hills rolled along with the train.
  
"You know, " Albus said quietly. "I've heard that he's slept around with blokes and girls."
  
"Those are just rumors, " Scorpius said defensively but he secretly wasn't sure if it was a rumor. "Why shouldn't I give him a chance, Alb---"
  
"Because he's going to mess you around!" Albus said loudly, shocking Scorpius. "Then, when everyone knows what he did to you, you're going to be the one that people target."
  
Scorpius said in his usual calm and quiet voice that for some reason drove Albus crazy and made him angry at that moment, "I want to give him a chance. He said that he changed and that---"
  
Albus interrupted once again, "Oh, so now you're going to listen to a man whore that's just in whatever this is for sex than your best friend who knows what the fuck is going on?"
  
Scorpius stood, angrily clenching his fists, "Albus, this is my---"
  
"Whatever, Scorpius! You just think you know what's going on. He's going to fuck with your feelings and then---"
  
"ALBUS!"
  
Albus shut his mouth. Anger was seeping through his pores, his throat was dry. He was clenching his fists so hard that his nails were digging into ins palms.
  
Scorpius pointed his finger at his friend's chest and said, "You think that you're so good at reading people, Albus Severus Potter. Well, news flash, you're not. You're just..." Scorpius took a deep breath and whispered in a small, hurt voice, "I just..." Tears filled his eyes and Albus tried to grab Scorpius' arm, to no avail. "You don't know anything."
  
Albus sat down with an angry huff. As the minutes wore on, Albus whispered only loud enough for his best, and only, friend to hear, "I'm sorry..."

        
   A/N: I apologize for any irregular updating in the future. I am currently working on another story at this moment. For this story, I plan to update every Wednesday and Friday. Thank you so much for reading this first chapter in this story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
    Love and Happiness,
               Emma---the author ❤️