More Than Friends | Albus x Scorpius

Part Thirteen: Already Home

Albus awoke to the sound of James playing music from his room. He groaned groggily and sat up, looking at his watch, seeing that it was almost noon. Albus groaned again and rolled out from under his covers.

Albus dressed in tight black jeans and a dark green sweater that made his eyes pop attractively. He grabbed the small backpack he packed and brought along a few rolls of parchment, a container of ink, and a spare quill to make it seem like he was actually studying.

Albus opened his door and saw James walking down the hall to his room. "James, " Albus called out. James turned around, his hazel eyes slightly bloodshot and his mouth open in a massive yawn.

"Yeah?"

Albus beckoned for James to come into his room, where James asked quietly, "Are you going?"

"Yeah, " Albus answered. "Can I ask for a favor?"

James nodded and Albus asked, "Can you hid this in your room until I get back?"

Albus pulled the photo album from its spot behind his bed and held it out to James in both of his hands.

"What is it?" James asked, keeping his hands to his side cautiously. Their mother and father often told them of when she was possessed by a diary. Their Grandpa Weasley told them to never trust anything if you couldn't see where it kept its brain.

"A photo album. I don't want Dad to find it. You can look at it, though."

James reached out and took the album from his brother's desperate hands and opened it, looking at the photos of the two of them together.

"You both look so happy, " James observed. "Why don't you look that happy here?"

Albus shrugged but admitted, "I don't feel like I can be myself here."

James nodded. Maybe he understood more than Albus knew. James looked at his brother curiously and asked in a whisper that was barely audible, "Do you really think that?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah, I really do."

Albus strapped his bag over his shoulders and proceeded to walk downstairs, where Harry was reading the Daily Prophet in the armchair and Ginny was reading the Quibbler on the couch. Lily was tuning the radio while eating a sandwich.

"What are you wearing?" Harry asked when he saw his youngest son.

Albus answered, "Clothes."

Harry shook his head while Ginny spoke up, "I think you look nice, Albus."

"Yeah, " Lily agreed.

James bounded down the stairs and threw his arm around Albus' shoulders and said, "Albus be looking sexy as hell, " while poking his younger brother's cheek.

Albus shoved his brother away, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "Shut up, James," he grumbled.

Ignoring her son's bickering, Ginny said, "There's a beef sandwich for you on the counter, Albus."

"That was for him?" James asked. His mother glared at him and he added quickly, "Kidding. Just kidding, Mum."

Albus went into the kitchen and saw his sandwich, which had a bite taken out of it. He sighed and ate the half of it that wasn't contaminated. James said, "I think he's here."

Albus tossed the rest of the sandwich to James and walked into the den at the exact moment that there was a knock at the door. Ginny opened it before Albus got the chance to and exclaimed, "Scorpius! Draco! Why don't you come in for a moment? You'll catch your death out there."

"Uh, thank you, Ginny, " Draco said as he stepped through the threshold.

"Hello, Mrs. Potter, " Scorpius said in his naturally quiet voice. "Hello, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded once but didn't look up from the Prophet. Ginny gave him a quick smack on the back of his head and he mumbled, "Hello, Scorpius...and Draco."

"Uhm, " Albus cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to show Scorpius a weird chocolate frog card that I have in my room."

"That's fine, Albus, " Ginny replied. "Would you like some tea, Draco?"

"That...would be nice..."

Albus jerked his head in the direction of the stairs and led him up to his room as James struck up a conversation about his job with Scorpius' father. Albus shut the door behind them and let out a breath.

Scorpius looked around Albus' messy room and asked, "Is it always this messy?"

"Yeah. If I try to organize everything, I lose stuff." Albus answered. It was then that Albus got the chance to properly admire Scorpius' flawless choice of fashion.

On his blonde head was a black newsboy cap. He wore a long-sleeved white button-up polo with a black, sleeveless vest with ironed black pants and black shoes. Albus' clothing looked dull and boring next to Scorpius.

"Where's the card?"

"The what?"

"The chocolate frog card that you wanted to show me, " Scorpius clarified, looking up into Albus' emerald eyes, seeing small flecks of gold around the inside of the iris. "Wait, is there no card?"

Albus laughed sweetly and put both of his hands on Scorpius' shoulders, saying, "You're so clueless it's cute."

Scorpius bit the inside of his bottom lip as Albus gave him a kiss on the forehead, then on his cheek.

While Draco was tall, Scorpius was short. While Harry was short, Albus was tall.

Scorpius grabbed Albus' hands and held them against both his cheeks and whispered, "You didn't tell them."

Albus bent his head miserably. "I don't know what you want me to say. You saw for yourself how much he dislikes you and your father. I had to come up with the craziest lie I could produce for him to just let me go."

Scorpius said, "That's not what I mean and you know it. I mean, you didn't tell them about how I'm gay."

Albus shook his head. "I'm sure Dad wouldn't have let me come if he knew that."

Scorpius nodded and let go of Albus, who walked to his desk and grabbed a chocolate frog card with Gilderoy Lockhart on it along with another quick kiss. "We should get going."