undeniable | scorbus

fifteen - scorpius

scorpius comes to a conclusion

—

Scorpius enjoyed sitting in the empty common room. The only sounds he could hear were the soft crackling of the dim fireplace and the occasional scuffles from the hall outside. It reminded him of being in his library back at the manor, and the thought pulled at his heartstrings. It was nice, not having to worry about people scowling at you for just existing.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there. It could have been a few minutes, but it felt much longer. The noise outside was gradually increasing, signalling the end of their daily classes, and he knew people would be coming in soon. With a sigh, Scorpius decided he should probably move to his room.

His dorm mates usually tended to avoid him, which fortunately meant that they were never back in the room until late after sunset. Scorpius had no idea where they usually spent their time, but he knew it wasn't in the library. He doubted either of them had even touched a book intentionally.

He almost wanted to stay downstairs and wait. He couldn't quite place his finger on what he was expecting. Maybe it was a who rather than a what, not that he'd ever admit it to himself.

He allowed himself to wonder what Albus would say in Potions class the following day. He couldn't see any harm in letting his thoughts roam. Scorpius desperately hoped Albus hadn't paid close mind to his slip up outside the Potions room earlier that afternoon, because that would inevitably end in an uncomfortably long year.

Albus was probably used to people slipping up around him, anyway. Scorpius couldn't comprehend how anyone was able to speak so comfortably to him when he looked at them like that.

Scorpius let himself savour the thought that maybe Albus didn't look at everyone like that. It was a fleeting hope, but he held on to it all the same.

Thinking about Albus made him almost completely forget about the reason he'd avoided class in the first place. Albus was a particularly good distraction, even when he was merely a thought in his head.

He almost wanted to leave the common room that instant and go find him. Granted, he'd probably be surrounded by a gaggle of students, but Scorpius had gotten him alone before.

It baffled Scorpius that Albus, oddly enough, didn't even seem to mind being away from his friends. It was encouraging, yet confusing all at once. Confusing, mainly. Albus Potter, most admired Slytherin in the school, willingly taking time away from whatever fun it was that he had with his friends, just to spend time with him. He couldn't really see the appeal, especially not for someone like Albus, who adventure seemed to follow wherever he went.

He opened the drawer by his bedside, pulling out the photo frame his parents had given him before he left for Hogwarts.

In it, his infant self was being held by his mother, who seemed to radiate light right through the photo. Even his father, normally so composed, had a small smile on his face as he gazed into the camera, one hand around Astoria's waist.

As for himself, he was beaming and holding a small, velvet stuffed dragon. He'd always assumed it was a Norwegian ridgeback, although he highly doubted they had happy smiles on their snouts like his stuffed one did. The picture induced a strong sense of nostalgia, and he wondered what Astoria would have said, had she still been here.

She would have wanted him to be happy. And he was, wasn't he?

No, that wasn't the word. Sweet tea and a good book made him content, but he supposed it was different from happiness.

Contentment... being in a sense of peaceful satisfaction. That he was, most of the time. He didn't mind the way his life was, and there was certainly nothing he'd change about it, as much as he felt like he wanted to sometimes. Everything that had ever happened to him was what made him who he was, and changing anything about his life would feel like losing a part of himself.

But happiness was different. He supposed it was relative to each individual, but he tried to think of things that worked for him. Did curling up in bed with a steaming hot cup of tea and a book make him happy? He was sure of it. Getting an assignment back with an O on it? He supposed. The giddy excitement of boarding the Hogwarts Express every fall? He would have assumed so.

But none of that compared to the way his heart would leap when Albus beamed at him. Or the way he'd feel a pleasant shock on his skin where Albus had touched him; it was electrifying, but in a good way. Or the amount of pure affection he'd feel when Albus looked at him in concern.

That was what it felt like to be happy and Scorpius knew what he had to do if he wanted to live in that feeling. It was what Astoria would have wanted for him, and most of all, it was what he wanted. It didn't matter if Albus didn't feel the same, just being around him was enough.

He looked longingly at his mother's smiling face one more time, then put the photograph away and rushed out the door.

He didn't know where he was going, he didn't know where Albus's last class had been, and he didn't know what Albus would say when he showed up. If he was even able to locate him, that was. But he had to try.

He turned a corner, and immediately bumped into Jordan Botts, one of Albus's friends. Jordan stepped back, surveying him. Scorpius wasn't sure if he should ask him; Jordan probably didn't even acknowledge his existence before today. But Jordan spoke first.

"Is Albus with you?"

Scorpius's heart sank. Jordan obviously didn't know where he was.

"No, I was going to go look for him..." he said, almost out of breath, and Jordan's dark eyes widened. He looked like he'd just discovered some shocking revelation. It almost would have been funny if Scorpius wasn't so keen on finding Albus.

"Merlin... it can't be." Jordan was muttering to himself. "Oh, fuck. I don't believe this. No. Fucking. Way."

"Er, pardon?" Scorpius had no idea what was going on, but he was pleasantly surprised that Albus's friend hadn't hexed him on the spot.

"Merlin's beard. You have to go find him, immediately," Jordan said, with a slight undertone of hysteria. "Ask around, he's hard to miss."

"Oh... okay?"

Jordan had already taken off before he could say anything else. Scorpius took a moment to wonder what had him so worked up, but he had more important things to worry about.

Step one: find Albus.

Step two... well, he supposed he would figure it out when the time came.

—

they're so sweet that you have to brush your teeth after reading scorbus fics. i don't make the rules.

i really hope you like it so far! also, tysm for 700 reads! that's crazyyyyy!

- gxldensnitched <3