undeniable | scorbus

twelve - scorpius

scorpius: hi
albus: i would die for you

—

He stood near the large entrance to the Potions classroom, shifting his weight on both feet. Slughorn was looking at him patiently.

"I don't think I'll be able to attend class today, sir. I'm not feeling all too well. My head, it... hurts," he finished lamely, and he wanted to hex himself.

"Why, you've come to the right place. No need to visit the hospital wing when a simple pepper-up potion ought to do the trick."

"No, it's-" he said, starting to get frustrated. "I just don't feel that well. I really don't think I'd be able to put in my best effort today."

Slughorn seemed to sense something was wrong, and his expression faltered. His thoughtful eyes surveyed Scorpius's, and he was grateful that he'd never taken the opportunity to skip class before.

"If it's so unbearable, you really should speak to Madam Pomfrey. That woman works wonders," Slughorn said gently. "Take this, in case it comes in handy."

He grabbed a small vial of pepper-up potion off a nearby shelf, and Scorpius sagged in relief.

"Thank you, Professor. I'll see you tomorrow."

Slughorn gave him an encouraging wave as he exited the classroom. Scorpius noticed he'd forgotten to close the door behind him, which meant Albus had probably heard every word of the conversation.

Albus was looking at him curiously.

"You're abandoning your new potions partner?" He raised a brow, and Scorpius resisted the urge to point out that he had a perfectly good reason.

"Not abandoning, exactly. Besides, what does someone who got offered a spot in advanced Potions need from me? You could do perfectly fine on your own. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks." Albus beamed at him, and he tried to reciprocate. It didn't seem to work, because Albus's smile faltered.

"Is your head okay?" He asked. "Is that why you haven't been sleeping?"

"I - yeah, kind of." Scorpius gave him his most convincing grimace.

"That must be awful. You should see Madam Pomfrey. I've never heard of someone having a headache for so long," Albus frowned, looked genuinely perplexed.

"Yeah, I will," Scorpius lied. "I was actually just heading there right now, so I should probably go."

"Oh, I'll walk you there."

"I really don't want to inconvenience you..."

"It's okay, I should probably thank Madam Pomfrey for fixing up my arm so quickly, anyway."

"Oh. Right." Scorpius knew it was pointless to argue, and he let a frustrated sigh slip out before he could stop himself.

Albus was looking at him oddly. He immediately tried to compose his face back into a neutral position, but he knew it was probably too late. Albus was, no doubt, thinking he was up to something.

Albus didn't speak, but Scorpius saw his expression shift from confused to slightly disappointed.

"You can tell me if you don't want me to stay, you know." Albus's eyes were gentle, and the look of concern on his face was almost too much for Scorpius. "Seriously, I don't mind. I should probably be catching up on Divination work anyway."

"Of course I want you," Scorpius replied firmly, without missing a beat. "I do, it's just... not a very good time."

He didn't realize what exactly he'd said until he saw the look of bewilderment (or was it astonishment?) on Albus's face. For the first time, he thought he could see a pink tinge on Albus's cheeks.

Scorpius's stomach sank. There was certainly no way of coming back from that. Albus looked speechless too, but he seemed to regain his composure quicker than Scorpius did.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Scorpius started quickly, wondering where the Hogwarts trap floors were when you needed them.

"It's okay," Albus said quietly. "Let me take you to the hospital wing? I'll shut up the whole way there."

Scorpius felt himself nod, and Albus put a soft hand on his arm, right above his elbow. He desperately wanted to sink into the touch, but instead he let Albus lead him down the hallway, past the grounds, and up the flights of stairs, and it felt good.

True to his word, Albus didn't utter a sound, but it was hard to miss the worried glances he kept sending Scorpius out of the corner of his eye. Under any other circumstances, this would have elated him.

After what felt like an hour, they reached the front of the hospital wing, and Albus stayed outside while Madam Pomfrey searched for a headache soothing potion. Scorpius was certain he'd still be there when he went back out.

If only she had a potion for heartaches, Scorpius thought to himself. If he ever became a potions master, it'd be the first thing on his list of concoctions to invent, followed closely by a potion that could make any drink taste like butterbeer.

He thanked Madam Pomfrey and placed the glass vial in his pocket, right next to the pepper-up.

Albus appeared to be in deep thought when he walked out of the room. His brows were furrowed and he was tapping his shoe on the floor quietly, a small frown on his face. Scorpius mentally moved the butterbeer potion down a spot, and decided the second thing he'd try come up with would be a potion that would allow the drinker to read minds.

Albus was still here, with him.

Why?

—

hmm i wonder why...

here's to oblivious boys and mutual pining. hope you enjoyed this chapter!

- gxldensnitched <3