Lovely (a Scorbus story)

Part 1

"There he is," Ginny said, waving at someone across the station. "Want to go say hi, Albus?"

"I'll see him in, like, two seconds," Albus replied stubbornly. "I don't need to go hurtling across the platform."

Harry shook his head. "Teenage boys."

"You saved the wizarding world as a teenage boy," Hermione pointed out from where she was standing next to Ron. The two were expecting another baby, and Ron had been treating Hermione like she was fine china as long as she'd been pregnant, which was about eight months. Ron hadn't wanted Hermione to come to the platform with them, insisting that it was too much walking, but Hermione had fixed him with a stern gaze and he'd dropped it. "If I can manage being Minister for Magic, I can manage accompanying my children to King's Cross," she insisted. 

"Yes, but I wasn't that stubborn," Harry now argued. Ron snorted, and Hermione stifled a giggle.

"I wasn't!" Harry insisted.

"Whatever you tell yourself, mate." Ron clapped him on the back.

"Afternoon, Potter. Granger. Weasley." Draco Malfoy sidled up to the group, blond ponytail impeccable as always. "Scorpius is on the train already, as usual, and I'm sure you want to dash off after him—"

"Why does everyone think that?" Albus complained. Still, he made to slouch off to the train, but his mother caught him by the sleeve.

"Not without a hug," Ginny said firmly, enveloping the boy. "Go on, then. Have fun. Don't freeze in the Slytherin dorms, I hear they're quite cold."

"They are," Harry confirmed, hugging his son. "Gosh, Albus, you're getting tall. Okay, go. And no getting into trouble this year. If I hear you've jumped off the train again I will personally escort you to Hogwarts next year. All the way to your dorm. I've been missing those start-of-year feasts, anyway."

Albus shuddered at the thought. "Don't worry. I'm not getting off this year."

"Good. And no Time-Turners, either." He turned to Ginny. "James and Lily on the train already, then?"

"There goes Hugo," Ron said. "Oi! Hugo! Hu—" He gave up, realizing he'd missed his opportunity. "Little bugger. He didn't even say goodbye."

"I'm gonna go," Albus said. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad." He didn't wait for a reply, racing off towards the train, heading for the familiar compartment he shared with Scorpius every year.

"Albus!"

A female voice. He turned, confused. "Rose?"

It wasn't Rose. It was a very pretty third year-girl. He struggled to remember her name. 

"No, I'm—I'm Emma," she said. "Emma Carthowler."

"Oh. Right." He squinted. "You're in my...Potions class?"

"A History of Magic," she said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Right, of course." He looked at her, wondering why she'd called him.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to sit with me, and my friends?" she asked hopefully, smiling at him.

"Oh. I was just on my way to sit with...Scorpius..." He gestured lamely behind him.

"Oh. Okay." Visibly deflated, she turned away.

"But maybe I can convince him...if I come sit with you, can he join us?" Albus asked.

"Of course!" She beamed. "I'm right in that compartment over there." 

The train started to blow steam, and they were moving. Albus waved once at his parents and swung into his usual compartment with Scorpius.

The blond boy was smiling at him. "Albus!"

"Hey, Scorp." He slid into the seat across from him, hugging him briefly. "How was your summer?"

"Not bad." Scorpius dug around in his bag, producing a box of Peppermint Imps, which Albus knew were his favorite. "Yours?"

"Good. Lonely. I missed you."

Scorpius grinned. "How do you get lonely, sharing a house with James and Lily?"

"Lily spends her summer writing to all her friends and hanging out with Hugo, and James is always in trouble." Albus shrugged. "Plus, they're siblings, you know?"

Scorpius looked mildly uncomfortable. "I don't."

"Right."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"Hey. So." Albus clapped his hands. "This girl Emma invited us to hang out in her compartment. What do you say?"

Scorpius's lip curled. "Us? You mean, she invited you. And I'm your tagalong."

Shocked by his reaction, Albus was struck speechless by a few moments. That was such an un-Scorpius-like thing to say. "Scorp..."

"Go, if you want." Scorpius flapped his hand in the direction of the compartment door. "Don't let me hold you up."

"Hell no!" Albus glared at him. "What's this about?"

"My dad told me this would happen," Scorpius said, staring at the wall behind Albus. "After what happened in the spring. You get popular. Everyone fawns over you. And you leave me behind."

Albus was flabbergasted. "After all we've been through together? I don't think so. Scorpius, you're my best friend."

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut. "Yeah."

"Do you know what that means? It means Emma Carthowler can rot in her compartment. I'll stay here with you."

Scorpius stared at the ground. "You don't have a thing for her, do you?"

"Who? Emma?" Albus shook his head. "The thought didn't even occur to me."

"Is she pretty?" Scorpius mumbled.

"Why, you looking for me to set you up?" Albus laughed.

Scorpius snorted. "God. No. No, I'm not really interested in dating at the moment..."

"But?" Albus prompted. "There is someone. I can tell."

Scorpius's expression shut like a door. "Nope. No one."

Albus shrugged and turned to the window, watching the Hogwarts Express chug along. 

"Whatever you say, Scorp. Whatever you say."