Must Have Done Something Right / Scorbus

Chapter 22 / In Which Cats Jump Out of Bags

It didn't matter how many times he had told himself to get over Albus because nothing will ever happen; his traitorous mind always daydreamed of the day when he would be with Albus.
Seething in anger and sorrow, Scorpius tried desperately to actually read the words in the book rather than stare at them uselessly.
Unfortunately for him, however, the page he had opened to was the chapter outlining the events of the Battle of Hogwarts, and two names leapt off the paper immediately—Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Scorpius couldn't stop his miserable mind from fusing the two names together: Albus Potter.
He shut the book and sighed. There truly was no escape from him.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
He glanced up to see Eamon Hudson standing on the other side of his table, looking terribly dashing with his short brown hair styled up, and dark blue eyes that matched perfectly with Ravenclaw Quidditch attire that sat attractively on his tall, broad frame.
Scorpius was a sucker for boys in Quidditch uniform.
He blushed. "Eamon!" he said.
"Hello."
"Hello," he greeted in response. "Where's Albus?"
And just like that, his brief reverie of Albus-free thoughts was over and his mind began conjuring up unwanted images of Albus and Mel. The frown that married his face was inevitable. "He's with his girlfriend."
"Oh. What are they doing?"
As innocent as the question was intended, it sparked violent flares of hatred within Scorpius' chest once more. "To be completely honest, I'd rather not say."
"Oh?" Eamon said, confused. Then he said it again, more pronounced: "Oh!" His eyes flickered as he understood. "That's kind of ... gross."
Any lingering doubts Scorpius had of Eamon's preferences vanished. "You think so?"
"You don't?" He quirked an eyebrow.
The answer to that question was perhaps the understatement of the century. Scorpius didn't think words could justify his thoughts. He said, "I'm trying not to think about it too much."
Eamon snorted. "Understood. My friend, Robbie Sullivan, likes to tell me—in complete detail, mind—his nightly exploits with some of Hogwarts' more elusive females." He made a face. "There are some things I'd really rather not know."
Amused and disgusted in equal measure, Scorpius dared to ask, "Does he know?"
"Know what?"
That you're gay, Scorpius wanted to ask, but was too scared to. He looked down, suddenly uncomfortable, thinking that he'd put his foot in it this time. His silence was adequate in conveying his query, and fortunately, Eamon didn't seem to mind.
"That I'm gay?" Eamon finished for him. Then he went on to answer. "I think he suspects something's a little different with me. He's noticed that I've never boasted about my female conquests, and he probably thinks I'm either a eunuch, or queer." He chuckled. "And trust me—" He looked at Scorpius. (Did he wink?)—"I am not a eunuch."
The straightforwardness of his stare and the candour of such a statement had Scorpius' pale cheeks flooding with colour. Silence seemed like the best reply at the moment, as Scorpius had no idea what to say in response.
Eamon continued, this time more soberly. "I don't think he would mind if he knew for sure, but I suppose I haven't worked up the nerve to tell him yet." He paused for a moment before asking, "How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Tell your friends."
Scorpius was taken aback. "Oh ... I ... well, with me it was never quite a secret. I've always been ... fairly obvious. And really, the only friends I had when I was younger knew me before Hogwarts, when I first 'came out'—" Scorpius made air-quotes with his fingers—"so to speak."
For a moment, Eamon was quiet as he sat pondering. "Do you think," he asked, "that it could ever be something you would keep quiet?"
Scorpius cocked his head a fraction. "No. I mean, I am well aware of the responses I get because of who I am, but I'd prefer that than lying to myself. Merlin knows I could never pretend to be someone I'm not. I could never like the things I don't, or do things I hate." Realising what the implications of his words were, he quickly looked at Eamon and blurted, "That's not to say that you can't! Please don't think I'm pressuring you into ... telling people ... about—I'm not, really. I'm the last person—"
"It's okay." Eamon interjected with a chortle. "I get it." Upon glancing upwards, he did a quick double take as his eyes landed on a clock. "Bloody hell, is that the time?"
Scorpius looked up to see it was half past one. "One-thirty," he replied with a nod. "Do you need to be somewhere?"
"Quidditch practice," Eamon answered, gesturing at his uniform with a wave of his hand. "I was only supposed to return a library book on my way to practice, but then I saw you all alone, and I couldn't pass up the chance to speak to you."
If the red had left his cheeks, it returned with full-force right then. Scorpius stammered, "Oh ... um ... well I ..."
Eamon laughed. "You're cute when you splutter all over your words."
Scorpius was rendered into complete silence.
"Right then," Eamon said with a white grin. "I suppose I'll be off to practice catching that damn Snitch if I plan to beat your friend! See you later, Scorp."
"Bye," was all Scorpius managed, accompanied with a feeble wave. He watched as Eamon fled the library, his blue and yellow Quidditch robes flying about his retreating figure.
Scorpius had all of five seconds to exhale the breath he had been holding since Eamon had told him he was cute(couldn't he have picked a better adjective?), before the synchronised squeals of his best friends pronounced their timely arrival. Simultaneously, they pounced on him, shoving their faces into close proximity to his.
Andrea was the first to speak. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That! Eamon Hudson! Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! One of the most gorgeous boys in school! Talking to you?" Andrea screeched.
"I do believe you've just answered your own question," Scorpius replied smartly. "And why did you say 'you' like it's so unbelievable?"
Andrea gave him a look. "Honestly, since when has that ridiculously good-looking boy started talking with you? I haven't heard a peep of this!"
"Since we have a History of Magic assignment to do together."
Claire visibly deflated as she slumped into the chair next to his. "Oh," she said. "That's not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be." She instantly began thumbing absentmindedly through Hogwarts, A History, only stopping to look at the occasional moving photograph. Scorpius guessed she didn't even know what a brilliant work of literature she was abusing with her inattentive doings.
He smirked at them both. "My life is nearly not as interesting as you two seem to think it is," he lied, knowing full well he would later incur their wrath when the truth came out that not only was Eamon gay, but he also, very possibly, liked him. Not to mention the other interesting—or disgusting, in his opinion—tid-bit that Albus was currently doing Merlin-knows-what with his insufferable girlfriend and Scorpius was more than a little jealous. Still, the girls needn't know he was lying.
"You're lying," Andrea, ever perceptive, stated boldly.
Scorpius blanched. He contemplated the merit of denying it, but decided it wasn't worth the effort—they'd know eventually. "How did you know?" he sighed wearily.
"Puh-lease," Andrea scoffed. "I've known you since before you discovered that heels were God's gift to girls and gay boys when you were four—" He blushed. Alas, it was true "—therefore I think I'd know what your lying face looks like." She crossed her arms menacingly over her chest.
"I do not have a lying face!" Scorpius protested.
"Oh, look, there it is again," Claire chimed in with her own little smirk.
Scorpius glared at them and sighed impatiently. He was ready to launch into another little argument about his so-called 'lying face', but was interrupted by a female voice calling his name.
"Scorpius!" It was Lily. Her rather loud cry had several studying students shoosh her angrily, but she paid them no attention as she hurried over to his table, her arms overflowing with books while her bag hung perilously on one shoulder, ready to fall off. Bright red hair flew about her face wildly as strands of it kept escaping her tie that held her hair in a ponytail.
"Is that Lily Potter?" Andrea whispered in his ear.
He nodded discreetly, but couldn't do much else as Lily was nearing the table.
"Hello, Lily," Scorpius greeted her as she reached them and dumped all her belongings unceremoniously on the table. Scorpius winced as precious books landed haphazardly on top of each other, squashing bent pages.
"Phew! Way too many books; my arms were about to fall off!" she exclaimed. "Lucky you're here; all the tables at the front were taken and I needed to offload." It was only now that she discovered the two girls on either side of Scorpius, staring at her with a look of equal confusion and amusement. As always, Lily was unfazed by the scrutinising attention and responded accordingly. "I don't think we've met properly yet. Scorpius is doing an awful job of introductions!" she said to Andrea and Claire. Scorpius looked sheepish. "I'm Lily. You probably know my brother, Albus."
Andrea smiled at her, and Scorpius knew she immediately liked Lily. "Andrea Parkinson, Scorpius' best friend."
Claire said, "I'm Claire Zabini." Then with a frown at Andrea, continued, "Scorpius' other best friend."
"Pleasure to meet the both of you," Lily said amiably. Looking down at his near empty half of the table, she asked, "Why Scorpius Malfoy, do you mean to tell me that you're in the library and you're not studying?"
"For good reason," Claire answered, a giggle suffusing her high voice. She leaned in close to Lily as she if were about to tell a secret. "Eamon Hudson was just in here talking to him," she said in a tone of wonder and intrigue.
Scorpius vowed to kill Claire later.
"Is that so?" Lily said in the same tone, also leaning into Claire. "That tall, hot bloke from Ravenclaw? I swear I spent the whole of my first year devoting my diary to thoughts of him." She stared off in a daze.
"Me too!" Andrea squealed. "Isn't he so handsome?"
"He has brilliant hair," Claire gushed.
"And his eyes!" Lily shrieked.
"Have you seen him on his broom?" Andrea remarked
"If you're quite finished!" Scorpius hissed loudly. "If all you're going to do is perv on some boys—"
"Why don't you join us, Scorpius?" Andrea winked at him. "I know how much you like Quidditch boys."
Scorpius added Andrea to his list of people to murder.
"Ooooh!" Lily squealed, gazing at Scorpius. "Who else? Who else?"
Claire answered for him before he could stop her. "Albus, of course." As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Scorpius choked on his own saliva.
Andrea gasped.
Claire clapped her hand over her mouth.
And Lily, Albus' bloody sister, just stared at him.