Must Have Done Something Right / Scorbus

Chapter 21 / More Than Mel

Half-way back to the castle, Scorpius noticed that Albus still had his wand grasped in his palm, as if anticipating another attack from Matt. But they were well and truly alone on the path back to Hogwarts—everyone was still enjoying their day at Hogsmeade; the clock hadn't reached midday yet. Still, the boys had made a silent decision to head back, and as they trudged along the paved trail, Scorpius realised that neither of them had spoken since they parted ways with Matt. Both of them were lost in thought.
Scorpius' mind was on overdrive with the million little things occurring simultaneously in his life at the moment. Lily's conversation with him was still as fresh in his memory as if she had just spoken to him, and every time he so much as looked at Albus, her words replayed in his mind repeatedly. "I know that you're really special to Albus," she had said. "He's too protective of the things he considers are his. And now, you're in that circle." He wondered if Albus even consciously knew these things. If he did, he obviously wasn't caught up in it like Scorpius was. Up until the confrontation with Matt earlier, Scorpius would never have known that Albus was concerned about anything, so completely care-free was he—well, except for his whinge about the weather, but Scorpius hardly suspected that counted. Now, however, as he silently walked side-by-side with him, Scorpius knew—through the apprehension in his shoulders, the grip on his wand, the far-away look in his eyes—that Albus' mind was in a thousand different places at once, tossing like haphazard waves in a restless sea, leaving him just as confused as Scorpius was.
Scorpius decided it was time to break their silence.
"What are you thinking?"
Albus, at first, didn't answer, continuing to walk in the same preoccupied pace. Just as Scorpius was suspecting that perhaps he hadn't heard him, ready to repeat it again, Albus responded. "Right now," he sighed, "I'm thinking about what the hell Matt was thinking sending such a dangerous hex towards us."
Scorpius knew this was probably a lie. Yes, the hex was incredibly dangerous for a schoolyard prank, but he knew Albus had more on his mind. It made Scorpius upset that he wasn't telling the truth. Didn't Albus trust him? He was in this mess as well.
"Good thing you acted quickly," Scorpius said dejectedly, just to keep him talking.
"Yeah," Albus muttered, his voice drifting off. His eyes were downcast, looking at the stone path as it passed under his feet.
Scorpius became frustrated. He wanted to speak to Albus, to get things out in the open, and he couldn't do it if Albus was distracted. He dug his heels in the ground and stopped walking. "Thank you," Scorpius said, knowing it would get his attention.
Three steps later, Albus realised Scorpius wasn't beside him anymore. He turned. "For what?"
"For casting the Shield Charm."
Albus smiled at him, and Scorpius was surprised to see it was a genuine one—he knew because his heart flipped when green eyes looked at him with warmth. "Anytime, Scorp."
Scorpius took a breath in and stepped forward. "Are you upset with me?" he asked. He knew, from his talk with Lily that the answer would likely be no, but he wanted to ask it.
A look of surprise creased Albus' face. "What? No!" he answered quickly. "Why would I be upset with you? I'm upset with Matt!"
"You're not talking to me," Scorpius said simply, with a small shrug.
Albus paused and Scorpius watched as his face softened and his body visible relaxed. "It wasn't intentional. I was just thinking; a lot has been going on."
Taking another tentative step forward, Scorpius tried again, "That's why I'm here ... to vent to. If I can help you in any way, then I want to." He let his silver gaze search Albus, trying to communicate through his eyes the support he wanted to give.
Albus smiled at him. "You're already doing so much without knowing it," he said, shaking his head softly, as in wonder. He chuckled. "If you do more, then you may be the most perfect person alive."
Scorpius couldn't help the acceleration of his heart. He never could around Albus. With every word he said or thing he did, Scorpius was falling more and more for him, and it was as if there was nothing that could pull him back up again.
Albus continued. "You're right, though." He smiled grimly. "You're always right." He looked at Scorpius square in the face and took a deep breath in. And, as if plunging suddenly into a cold pool, Albus spoke: "Most of the time, I'm thinking about how everything is changing so quickly that I can barely hang on. I think about Matt, and the things in my life that have left me so suddenly; I think about Mel and I'm wondering why she's so determined to stick up for Matt; I think about you, too. I try to put myself in your shoes, and I realise how difficult this all is for you. I'm always worried that one day I'll get news that you're in the Infirmary again because Matt's hurt you; I think about Hudson, too, and forgive me for being so suspicious, but I'm scared he's just going to turn into another jerk and hurt you like the rest of them." Albus paused. "I feel like I'm on the edge of a massive cliff, and I'm about to take a nose-dive."
Scorpius didn't know what to say or think—except that Lily Potter knew her brother inside-out. Everything she had said was true. He stood in silence, staring at Albus' expectant face, hating himself for his inability to say something when Albus was waiting for it.
Eventually, Albus piped up once more. "I'm sorry. That was a lot to listen to—"
"No," Scorpius interrupted quickly. Albus should not apologise for what he said. He inspired a deep breath, and took another step closer. "You don't know how glad I am that you told me all this."
"You're the first one," Albus said quietly.
"What?"
"The first person I've spoken to like this."
The sound of Scorpius' heart beat reverberated in his ears. "Mel?"
Albus shook his head. "Nope. I mean, I know she's my girlfriend, but there's something about you that makes me trust you explicitly." He quickly added, "It sounds crazy because I've only really known you for such a short time."
Scorpius was scared that if he so much as moved, this moment would end, as if he were treading on very thin ice and it would crack at any moment. He felt his heart constrict in his chest as Albus told him that he trusts him more than anyone else, more than Mel, and Scorpius knew from that moment that he would never betray that trust for as long as he lived. He would always be by Albus' side, supporting him, especially know, through all the troubles that were weighing him down. "It's not crazy," he said. "Because I feel the same way. In the short amount of time that I've been your friend, I feel like I've come much closer to you than anyone else, not even Andrea or Claire." The look on Albus' face was a mixture of surprise and relief. Scorpius went on, "I mean, I know I don't know everything about you—I don't even know what you're favourite colour is—but I know you in different ways, in ways that matter more. And I just want you to know ... that I won't throw that away for anything. You can always trust me." He finished, and his last word hung in the silent surroundings—the only sound was that of the faintly howling wind. Scorpius wondered why Albus wasn't complaining about the cold, because the temperature had not increased at all, but Albus hadn't even noticed. He stood in the cold, goose bumps evident on his skin, staring at Scorpius, as if he was seeing him for the first time; as if something just made sense to him.
Scorpius waited for a response, and when none came for a moment, he dreaded that perhaps he shouldn't have said what he said. Perhaps he had blurted too much. But then, Albus spoke, and he said one word that had Scorpius confused for a moment. "Green."
Scorpius stood still. "What?"
"My favourite colour."
The silence that followed was broken moments later by the sound of Albus' soft laughter, and just like that, their sober conversation was shattered. Scorpius stared at him. "Sorry," Albus said. "That
ruined the moment."
Scorpius was unable to help the smile tug his mouth upward. "You are a very strange person sometimes, Albus."
His green eyes were squinted with obvious mirth and his smile went straight to Scorpius' rapidly beating heart. "That's why you love me," he said.
It was meant as a joke, naturally, but that didn't mean Scorpius' stomach didn't feel like it had jumped to somewhere in the region of his throat. For a moment, he was robbed of breath. When he recovered, he replied with a very pathetic: "Yeah..."
"Anyway, we should probably head back," Albus suggested, as he crossed his arms over his chest and began to rub his upper arms.
Scorpius smiled wryly, determined to get over Albus' harmless—and more importantly, meaningless—statement, and said, "I think a lesson was learned here today."
"Yes?" Albus inquired.
"That you need to listen to me when I tell you to bring a jacket."
With a roll of his eyes, and a smile on his lips, Albus stepped closer to an unsuspecting Scorpius, slung an arm over his thin shoulder, and proceeded to rub his blond head furiously.
Scorpius shrieked as his perfectly styled hair was rapidly reorganised into a chaotic disarray of blond locks. "ALBUS! Not my hair! Get off me!" He tried to duck his head and hit Albus with flailing arms.
This time, thankfully, the torture ended quickly, and with a contented sigh, Albus stepped away and examined his handiwork, while Scorpius fumed and attempted to bring his hair back to its carefully brushed state. It was a useless endeavour. He stared at Albus crossly. "Rule number one about being friends with me: NEVER mess with my hair," he said in indignation, uncaring of just how queer he sounded right then.
Albus had the audacity to smirk at him. "Rule number one of being friends with me: don't put too much importance on things you know I can easily tamper with. You know I can, and I will, mess with your hair." The wicked glint was back in his eye.