The Inevitable Fate

Chapter Nineteen: Loyalties and Lies

"Tell me again...how it went?" Scorpius asked Albus the following week as he let out a breezy yawn, his head resting snugly on Albus' lap, who was reading the Get Well Soon card his little sister had left him at the Hospital Wing.

He smiled at the drawing of Lily and himself, shaking his head at how thoughtful she was. He held the card close to his puffed-out chest before setting it aside on the night dresser, picking up a paperback by Gulliver Pokeby instead. His fingertips were completely covering the title of the book, as if he didn't want anyone to know what it was he was reading. Albus slid his slim fingers through the velvet vines of Scorpius' alluring blonde hair.

"He finally saw me...for who I am." He grinned, turning a page of his book. "Said he loved me and always would. Called me the bravest wizard he ever knew." Albus felt an indescribable rush of exhilaration birth over him.

Scorpius glanced up at him, beaming, twining his hands with Albus'. Albus was so...mesmerizing the way he smiled when he was really proud of something.

"And he's right," Scorpius said, bringing Albus' hands closer and pulling him down by his forehead. You are."

Albus placed the book away and kissed Scorpius square on the forehead. Why did he even bother trying to read in front of Scorp? Focusing was nearly out of the question now, wasn't it?

"OH GROSS!" James shrieked in fake horror, grinning.

"Shove off!" Albus muttered, kissing Scorpius full on the lips now.

"Let them be!" Rose defended, rolling her eyes. "They've had to hide their feelings for years now."

The group of friends were in the Slytherin Common Room. Rose sat on the thick rolls of the green carpet by the cool dungeon floor. She was wearing a crisp black skirt and her Gryffindor sweater. Her fine robes were thrown carelessly to the corner of the ground. She settled herself directly in front of the crackling fire, leaning her back against the leather couch that her cousin and Scorpius were lying on. Her flowy auburn hair was brushed into a single ponytail, knotted with an orange clip at the very tip. Rose's slim nose was pushed meticulously against the newest copy of the Daily Prophet, determined to read every scrap of lie its editors were foolish enough to publish. James, on the other hand, was trailing up and down the Common Room, sporting his long black pants and his Gryffindor Pride sweater—there were great red and golden stripes all over his beefy chest. He kept juggling his wand around with his huge hands before sticking it by his earlobe, looking rather ridiculous, although no one cared to say that aloud. He craned his head into the dusky green curtains, observing the crashing, seemingly overpowering waves of the Black Lake.

James turned to them, awe-struck. "Blimey!" he gasped excitedly. "Could have sworn I saw the Giant Squid!"

"Managed to find a mirror, have you?" Albus leered.

"Shut it!" James said sharply, striding towards the black sofa, and sitting on its jagged edge, frowning at the roll of parchment and quill that belonged to him. "Remind me again why I've taken Muggle Studies. What a snore fest, that class is." He sighed dramatically at his blank roll of parchment, appearing overly surprised that it was wordless and empty, as if he were expecting his homework to be done all on its own.

"Muggles are fascinating," Scorpius exclaimed, sticking his lanky arm in the air for Albus to take. Albus grasped hard onto Scorpius' hand, who grunted, sitting up. He gaped at James' bored expression, watching him soak the Peacock Quill into the opened bottle of ink. "Would you like me to help you?" Scorpius graciously inquired.

"H-help me?" James choked out. He couldn't comprehend what Scorpius was suggesting. "Help me with...h-h-homework? M-my homework?"

Scorpius shifted his eyes from Albus to James, shrugging insouciantly. "Well. Yes."