Stained Glass Window
Stained Glass Window
James/Scorpius, rated: pg-13, genre: romance, flangst, ~6,300 words
James knew Malfoy from school, but he had no idea who he really was until a potions accident brought them together.
A/N: This story was inspired by this sketch (second pic down) by draykonis and commissioned by gossymer . Thank you guys for providing some amazing inspiration! :)
EDIT: This is the final colored version of the sketch above. It's so pretty! ♥
When James burst into the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes workshop, he didn’t expect Scorpius Malfoy to be there, and he really didn’t expect Malfoy to drop too much asphodel into the potion he was working on. He really, really didn’t expect to be turned orange in the resulting explosion.
He gazed at Malfoy with wide eyes, watching the potion drip down the front of the boy’s robe. “Um, hi? No offense, but why are you in here? And should you really be messing with potions ingredients?”
Malfoy frowned and pulled out his wand. Using a variation of tergeo, he cleaned up the mess, but James’s skin remained fluorescent orange where it had been touched by the potion. Malfoy set his wand on the table next to him, picked up a ballpoint pen, and began scribbling something in a notebook.
“Hello, Malfoy? What are you doing here?”
Malfoy huffed and shoved his hair out of his eyes as he turned to look at Scorpius. “I work here. Be quiet.”
Since when did Malfoy work at Wheezes? “Well, where’s Uncle George then?”
“Hogsmeade,” Malfoy grunted.
James sighed. Obviously, he was not going to get any information out of him until he had finished writing whatever he was writing. James wandered over to the sink and grabbed the acid-neutralizing soap. He attempted to scrub the orange off, but it turned bright pink instead.
Malfoy’s scribbling was slowing down, so James walked over next to him. “Look what the soap did to my arm.”
Malfoy looked at him then, taking in the orange splotches on his skin, and the pink tint of his arms.
“Interesting...”
He returned to his notebook.
James felt like screaming. “Oi! What does it take to get your attention?” he asked as he waved his hand in front of Malfoy’s face.
This time when Malfoy looked at him, he really looked at him. Malfoy blushed bright red. “I’m sorry! I was just so worried about getting the potion’s ingredients and the effects written down... here, let me see about an antidote.” He ruffled through a variety of vials that were sitting on the table. “Try this one. Rub a thin layer into your skin.”
James nodded and proceeded to do just that. The colour disappeared from his skin slowly. “It worked.” He looked at the vial in his hand and peered at the light green potion. “What potion is this?”
James moved the potion close to his nose to smell it-“No, don’t do that!”-and promptly gagged.
Malfoy sighed. “It’s something I created. It absorbs most acidic potions and neutralizes them. I want to market it, but the smell makes it unusable in most circumstances.”
After sneezing a bit, James finally got the smell out of his nostrils. “That’s putrid.” He grinned. “You could bottle it and sell it as ‘Pure Essence of Crap.’”
Malfoy gave him a small smile. “I suppose I could.”
“You came up with this yourself?” Malfoy nodded. “Why aren’t you in potion’s master training then?”
Malfoy stiffened. “I like working here at Wheezes.”
“But, we learn so many important things in class. You’re missing out on a lot! You should-“
Malfoy turned back to his writing.
“You know, that’s really rude,” James grumbled.
“So is badgering someone,” he replied.
James rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, I had a question for Uncle George. Do you know when he’ll be back?”
Malfoy shrugged. “He’s meeting with some investors in Hogsmeade. He might not be back at all today.”
James slumped into a nearby chair. “I really need his help. Do you have any idea where he is?”
“Do I look like a secretary?”
“Fine. Be a wanker then. I don’t care.”
Malfoy’s gaze flew to James’s face. “Look, I’m sorry. Just... I need to finish developing this potion, and it’s not going well.”
James’s face brightened. “You get to develop potions? Already? They won’t let us come up with our own potions until we are Apprentices.” Then his mood dimmed. “Not that I’ll ever get to that point.”
“Why not?” Malfoy seemed genuinely interested, and James needed to talk to someone, so he decided to tell him.
“I’m flunking out of the Potion Master Academy.”
Malfoy gaped at him. “But, you were always so good at potions. I remember Professor Manning always proclaimed you were the brightest student in any of her classes.”
James laughed derisively. “That was then, and this is now. Apparently, being a good potions student means more than being able to mix potions properly.”
“What else does it take?”
“For one thing, you have to know all of the interactions that occur between ingredients. You also have to be able to name every possible ingredient by sight without them being labelled.” He dropped his head down to the table. “I’m so out of my league. All I had to do at Hogwarts was follow the directions and remember the steps.”
“It’s not that hard to remember all of the ingredients and their interactions.”
James looked up from the table and glared at him. “That’s easy for you to say. Al said you’re even more of a bookworm than my aunt, Hermione.”
Malfoy looked offended. “I’m not a bookworm.”
“You were a Ravenclaw. Of course you are a bookworm.”
“You’re a brainless Gryffindor then?” Malfoy asked sweetly.
“Hey, no, I-“
“Don’t stereotype unless you want to be stereotyped in return.”
James stood up. “Whatever. Look, I need to go find someone to help me study. I’ll see you around.” He headed towards the door.
“Um, wait!” James stopped. “I can help you study.”
Malfoy shuffled his feet as James looked at him for a moment. “Why do you want to help me?”
Malfoy sighed and looked away. “I wanted to get into the Academy. My application was turned down.” He played with the pen in his hand for a moment. “I expected it to happen, but I still wish I could have gone.” He looked at James with shuttered eyes. “If I tutor you, you’ll have to teach me everything you are learning in return.”
James contemplated the offer for a minute. He didn’t know many people who were good at potions. Most of his friends at Academy were failing as badly as he was. Uncle George had been his last hope, but it seemed like he was busy. Al had complained more than once about Malfoy beating him in classes, so James figured he probably did know the material. Uncle George didn’t hire idiots either.
“All right. That sounds good to me. When can we start?”
Malfoy gave him a bright smile, and James felt his breath stutter for a moment. What an odd reaction. Maybe it was a delayed response to the potion.
“Let’s get together tonight. If we can meet at your place, I’ll bring Chinese take-away.”
James nodded. “That sounds great.”
~*~
It wasn’t great. It was perfect.
Malfoy had shown up that evening with food, including an entire container of pork fried rice, James’s favourite Chinese food. He had knocked on the door and greeted James with a shy smile, politely remarking that his flat was very nice. Then he had proceeded to set himself up at James’s kitchen table with the food and a pile of books.
He had launched into a lecture about the various properties of different groups of ingredients, and he had made it interesting enough that James found himself able to follow along without trying. He munched on his fried rice as Malfoy began passionately drawing a chart detailing how various elements and ingredients related. James thought he had probably learned more in an hour than he had in seven years at Hogwarts. Malfoy really knew what he was talking about.
“...and if the spider silk reacts violently with a blood base, how would it react with an alcohol base?”
James glanced over the chart and saw that the fibres family usually exploded when placed into a blood base, but that it neutralized the latent poisonous qualities that alcohol bases were famous for.
“It would turn the alcohol into something safe to drink?” he ventured.
Malfoy grinned and James’s breath stuttered again. Really, that potion was very long lasting. He should probably ask Malfoy when the effects would wear off. “You’ve got it! See, that wasn’t that hard, now was it?” asked Malfoy.
James tried to look like he was contemplating his fried rice, when in reality he was trying to cover a blush. “I guess it makes sense. How am I ever going to remember all of these rules though?”
“You can do it. And once you remember all of the ways ingredients react, you’ll be able to create your own potions.” Malfoy’s eyes lit up. “That’s the best part of working with potions.”
“I’ll just be happy if I can pass the Academy.” James jabbed his fork into the rice and set it aside. “Speaking about the Academy, what do you want me to teach you?”
“Everything,” Malfoy said. “Absolutely everything.”
“Alright then...” James wandered into his bedroom and came back out with his textbooks. “Here’s what I know...”
He sat down and began talking about the most recent thing they had studied, the history of popular potions. James had snored his way through most of the lectures, and he found it hard to recall anything to tell Malfoy. He started with what he knew, and slowly realized he actually remembered a lot more than he thought he did.
“You know, I don’t even remember learning this, but somehow I know it,” James mused aloud.
“You learn more when you teach things to someone else. It forces your brain to build more connections between information so that you can explain it to them.” Malfoy leaned forward conspiratorially. “That’s the reason why Ravenclaw house members like to lead study groups. We actually learn a lot from helping others.”
James laughed. “Uh-huh. And you make a lot of money tutoring others. Al informed the whole family how you were offering to tutor the Gryffindors for compensation.”
Malfoy smirked. “I come from a family of Slytherins. I love learning, but I’ll always be ambitious. If that means I have to take advantage of that Gryffindor stupidity, well, that is just how things work out.”
“Oi, shut your gob!” James reached out and shoved his shoulder. He meant for it to be a teasing gesture, but James found his fingers lingering on Malfoy’s shoulder for a few seconds too long. He pulled his hand back, his fingers tingling. “Anyway,” he coughed to clear his throat, “let’s get back to this.”
They spent another hour going over James’s work, and they would have kept going longer, but Malfoy kept yawning.
“I think it’s time to say goodnight. I’m getting tired,” James said, not wanting to irritate Malfoy by pointing out his yawns. James stood and helped Malfoy clean up all of his stuff. “Lemme throw the leftovers into a bag for you.” They had everything cleaned up quickly, and then James escorted Malfoy to the door.
Malfoy stood in the doorway for a moment, his books clasped in his arms as if they were a shield. “This was kind of fun,” he said quietly.
James nodded. It had been fun. “I’ll see you soon then?”
Malfoy quirked his head to one side. “Really?”
“Yeah. I need plenty of help, and as long as you are willing to work together, I’d like to keep studying with you.”
“Yes! Um, I mean, when do you want to meet again?”
James had to keep himself from laughing. Malfoy was adorable, like a little puppy who wanted attention. James found himself wanting to make the boy happy. “How about tomorrow night? Same time, and I’ll get the take away this time.”
Malfoy’s smile was blinding. “That sounds great! I’ll see you tomorrow!” He Apparated away, leaving James clutching the doorknob too tightly as he fought to breathe.
That was one long lasting potion.
~*~
A month after he started studying with Scorpius, James found that his life was very different.
For one thing, James had started calling him Scorpius. Also, he’d spent almost every night since the first one with Scorpius. They had spent the entire weekend together last week, brewing potions and just having fun.
That was something else. They were more than tutor and pupil now; they were friends. Half of the time they spent together was spent studying, and the other half of the time they talked or went out to a pub, or just hung about in James’s flat.
Scorpius was a great friend. In fact, he was probably James’s best friend. James had never been overly close to anyone at Hogwarts, probably because he was the son of “The Man Who Lived,” but he was nothing like people expected him to be. James liked to watch Quidditch, but he couldn’t play it. He was abnormally clumsy, and he tended to stumble over his words, especially in front of large groups.
He’d heard whispers behind his back that he was the “stupid” Potter. Sometimes it seemed true. The only subject he had done well in was potions, and it was the one thing that truly interested him. His siblings had excelled in many subjects, and Al was doing very well in Auror training while it looked like Lily would ace her N.E.W.T.S. next year. James was just grateful that with Scorpius’s help, he probably would make it through one more year at the Academy.
That gratefulness led to James standing outside a rundown apartment building one afternoon, a bottle of Pepper-Up Potion in his pocket, and a container of chicken soup in a bag at his side.
He looked at the building for a moment, and checked the address. Yes, he was in the right place. James pushed open the door to the building and made his way to the third floor. The sixth door down the hall bore no identifying marks, so he took a deep breath and rapped on it. He really hoped he had gotten the right address.
Apparently he had because a minute later the door was pulled open slightly and Scorpius peeked into the hall. “Hello?”
James smiled broadly and held up his bag. “Hey! I brought you some soup.”
Scorpius blinked at him and shut the door in his face. James waited for a moment before knocking on the door again.
“Scorpius? What’s going on?”
There was no answer.
“Scorpius?” James knocked harder. “If you don’t let me in, I’m going to knock down the door.” He wouldn’t actually knock down the door, but Scorpius didn’t have to know that.
Sure enough, James’s threat made Scorpius open the door again. “What do you want?” His voice was angry, but James thought he could see tear tracks on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
Scorpius scowled at him. “Nothing. Now go away.” A sudden sneeze made the door shudder.
“You’re sick. I’m here to take care of you. Now, let me in.”
James stepped up to the door, and Scorpius backed away.
“Whatever,” he said. “Just shut the door behind you.”
James did as he asked, and then followed him over to a couch. “How are you feeling?”
“If I tell you I’m fine, will you go away?” Scorpius’s question was followed by a large sneeze.
James chuckled. “If you weren’t so obviously sick, then yes, that would have worked.” He fumbled in his pocket. “Here, I brewed you some fresh Pepper-Up.”
Scorpius just looked at him frostily. “I can brew my own potions, thank you.”
“Without sneezing into them and contaminating them?” Scorpius looked away. “That’s what I thought. Come on, just drink it. You’ll feel better.”
Scorpius snatched the vial from him and popped it open. Swallowing it quickly, he hardly seemed to notice the steam coming out of his ears as he thrust the vial back into James’s hand. “There, I took it. Now leave.”
James recapped the bottle and tried not to feel hurt. Scorpius was sick, and that was why he was treating James like this. “Can I make you some tea?”
“I can make my own tea.”
“How about if I warm up some soup for you?” James knew he sounded desperate, but he had missed seeing Scorpius. When Scorpius had cancelled on their study time two nights in a row, James had gone to hunt down his Uncle George to see if he knew why. James’s uncle had told him that Scorpius had called in sick, and had readily given James his address when he said he wanted to go check up on the boy.
Scorpius stood and moved to the door. “All I want is for you to leave!” He flung the door open.
James stood up and moved next to him, but he didn’t go out of the door. “Why are you acting like this?”
Scorpius shoved him towards the door, but James didn’t budge.
“Would you just leave me alone?” Scorpius’s voice broke on the last word. “You’ve had your fun. You’ve come slumming and seen where the poor Malfoy lives. You’ve done your good deed. Now run off and tell your friends all about it, and leave me alone.”
Scorpius tried to shove him again, but James caught Scorpius’s hands in his own. “What are you on about?”
Scorpius tried to pull away, but James didn’t let him. Instead, James closed the door with his foot and pulled Scorpius over to the couch to sit down.
“I came to see you because I was worried about you. I just wanted to be sure you were okay.”
Scorpius refused to look at him. “Just leave.”
“Why?”
Scorpius pulled his hands, but James kept a tight grasp on them.
“I’m embarrassed, okay? There, I’ve said it. You can leave now that you know I’m okay.”
James squeezed his hands. “Embarrassed about what? Being sick? Everyone gets sick.”
Scorpius tugged his hands again; this time James released them. Scorpius didn’t try to run away though. He collapsed back against the couch and crossed his arms.
“I live in the slums. My apartment is tiny and pathetic. I’m pathetic.”
“You aren’t pathetic! And I like your apartment.”It was true. James glanced around. It was clean and tidy. The walls were covered in pictures of Scorpius and his family, and there was a soft rug on the floor and throw pillows on the couch and chairs. “It’s really nice.”
“Don’t lie,” Scorpius snarled at him. “It’s a dump.”
James shook his head. “It isn’t fancy, but it’s comfy and clean.”
Scorpius looked at him then. “You like it?”
“Of course,” James said and smiled. “Now, can I stay, or do we have to fight over something else first?”
Scorpius shrugged and pulled a throw pillow into his lap. “I don’t know why you’d want to stay. I hate this place.”
Early on in their meetings, James had suggested going to Scorpius’s flat for the evening, and Scorpius had refused. Now James thought he knew why. “You know, it’s okay if you can’t afford a posh place. I’d never be living in my flat if my parents didn’t pay the rent for me.”
Scorpius frowned and pulled his knees up to his chest. He laid his head down on the pillow that was now squished between his legs and chest. “I can afford a better flat. I just can’t rent one.” He sighed. “I tried to find a nicer place when I decided to move out of the manor, but no one wants to lease anything to a Malfoy. No one wants anything to do with a Malfoy.” He glanced up at James. “Did you know that I applied for thirty different positions before I met with your uncle? He was the only one who even called me in for an interview. The rest of them saw the name on my resume and turned me down immediately.”
James didn’t know what to say or do. His hands felt clumsy in his lap, and he wanted to reach out and rub Scorpius on the back as he did when he was comforting Lily, but Scorpius was a bloke so it was completely different. “I-“
Thankfully, he didn’t have to talk because Scorpius kept on going. “The Potions Academy didn’t take me for the same reason. I know it was my name because Mark Quirke got in, and he only had an A in Advanced Potions. I had better grades and an excellent teacher recommendation, and he still beat me because of my name.” Scorpius buried his face in the pillow and took a shuddering breath. “I thought I was used to this, but I’m not.”
“Why should you be used to it?”
The pillow muffled Scorpius’s voice. “It’s been like this since I was little. Mum and Dad couldn’t find jobs and if they hadn’t had Malfoy Manor and the family fortune, we probably would have been broke and on the streets. None of the kids at school ever wanted to be friends with me.” He glanced at James. “Of all the kids in my year, your brother was probably the nicest to me.”
James blinked at him. “But... Al was always bad mouthing you at home.”
“He never did it to my face though. All of the other kids made fun of me, but he never did. None of the Potters or Weasleys did.” He smiled. “My dad told me he was really cruel to your family when he was younger. I was amazed when I started Hogwarts and you all ignored me instead of abusing me for my father’s malice.”
James poked his finger into a hole in the couch, watching it sink into the fluff instead of looking at Scorpius. “Dad and Mum told us to forgive people. Dad thought that everyone deserved a second chance.”
“I appreciated it. You were just about the only kids who didn’t judge me by what my dad and grandparents did.” He gave an embarrassed laugh. “I idolized all of you for that. At one point, I would go sit next to Rose Weasley in the library even though she had never spoken a word to me, just because she was a part of your family. Then I started tutoring the other kids, and I got treated a little better.”
James pulled his finger out of the couch and balled his hand into a fist. “Those brats. You were just a kid too.”
Scorpius tried to shrug it off. “It’s understandable. You pick up things from your family. Mine taught me that being pureblood was good, yours taught you to forgive, and theirs taught them that the children of former Death Eaters are bad.”
James opened his fist and reached out as if to touch Scorpius, but he dropped his hand onto the couch instead. “I wish I’d known back them. I would have been nicer to you.” He smiled. “We could have been friends for ages.”
Scorpius buried his face back into the pillow. “No, we couldn’t have been friends. I idolized you the most. The idea of being friends with you would have scared me to death.”
“Me? Why me?”
“You were so popular.” Scorpius sounded wistful. “Everybody knew who you were and liked you. You were nice to everyone too. I never saw you pick on anyone, and you always seemed to know people’s names or said hi to them. You said hi to me once, and I was elated.”
James balled his hand back up into a fist. “I wasn’t all that great. I didn’t have many friends.”
Scorpius’s head popped out of his lap. “You were so popular though!”
He shoved his fist into the couch. “I just had acquaintances. I was friendly because I wanted to make friends. That tactic didn’t work though. I just made more acquaintances.” He relaxed his hand and took a deep breath. “Sorry to burst your bubble. I’m not much of an idol.”
Scorpius reached for James’s hand, and then stopped. “You’re a great friend, and that’s much better than being an idol. Thanks for letting me vent. I’ve never told anyone else about this.”
James crossed the remaining distance and gripped Scorpius’s hand tightly. “I’m really glad we’re friends.” They smiled at each other for a moment before Scorpius let out a small sneeze and James dropped his hand. “I forgot you were sick! Oh, no, and the soup is probably cold too.”
Scorpius propped his head on his knees and watched James scramble to check the soup. “It’s fine. I’m just glad you stopped by at all. I’ve never had anyone do that before.”
“That’s what friends are for!” James replied as he warmed the soup up and poured it into two hastily transfigured bowls. He handed one bowl to Scorpius, along with a spoon, and settled onto the couch with the other. “Now, let’s talk about something happier. Have you read the latest Potions Products newsletter?”
Scorpius nodded and took a sip of his soup before replying. “Yes. I loved the article about the exploding marshmallows that killed the boy and...”
They sat talking for hours, comfortable in their own skin and with each other.
~*~
It was a potions accident that led to Scorpius and James becoming friends, and it was a potions accident that made James realize he wanted to be much more than friends with Scorpius.
One minute they had been trying to work something James had learned at the Academy into an experiment Scorpius was working on for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. The next minute Scorpius was dripping with viscous purple goo that began to smoke.
James cast a quick tergeo and then a scourgify, and the goo disappeared, but Scorpius’s robes began to smoke. Scorpius sighed and pulled out his wand, banishing his robes. The clothes beneath the robe were also smoking, so he banished them as well, leaving him standing there in nothing but his pants.
James knew he should be cleaning up, but instead he watched as Scorpius trotted over to a closet and pulled out a pair of trousers. He put them on and immediately turned to his notes and began scribbling down what had just happened.
James found himself smiling at Scorpius’s obsessive-compulsive note taking and watching his bottom wiggle slightly as he wrote. He wondered absently if everyone’s back rippled when they moved their arms or if it was a Scorpius thing. Then he blanched when he realized he was ogling Scorpius.
Ogling men was nothing new to him. James knew he was bisexual, and he had dated both boys and girls, but nothing had ever worked out. However, ogling his best mate was new, and it was not something James was happy about. He was not willing to risk his friendship with Scorpius, not for anything.
He pulled his eyes away from Scorpius’s bare back and began organizing the ingredients for his next attempt. He was so focused on not looking over at Scorpius that he didn’t hear he come up behind him.
Scorpius looked over his shoulder. “Do you think it was the wormwood or the newt’s eyes that did it?”
James struggled to think as he continued to order the ingredients. Scorpius’s bare flesh was touching him. “Um, maybe it was the newt’s eyes?”
Scorpius frowned and pulled away to look at his notes. “Really? I was thinking it was probably the wormwood. Hmm...”
“Well, it’s probably the wormwood then!” James replied.
“No, no, you might be right. The newt’s eyes are soaked in an acidic solution before they are dried, so maybe we need to add something basic to even everything out.”
James’s eyes looked over at Scorpius without his permission and got stuck on the thin line of hair under his bellybutton.
“...and that’s why it could be the wormwood too. What do you think? James? James!”
James panicked and swung his gaze up to Scorpius’s face. “I have to go.” He grabbed his wand from the table and bolted outside. He reached the alley behind the store and Apparated away.
~*~
Things had only gotten worse since James’s realization. He had explained away his odd reaction by claiming that he had left his stove on at home and had to go turn it off before his house burned down. Scorpius had looked at him with disbelief, and then shrugged and accepted it.
Since then James had been falling for Scorpius. At first, he had simply admired Scorpius’s looks. He was pretty graceful for a bloke, and he had a nice body for a potion maker. More than his body though, James liked how Scorpius’s hair was always perfectly combed except for one spot where he had a particularly stubborn cowlick. He also liked how Scorpius’s whole face would turn bright red when he was embarrassed and how Scorpius’s eyes always brightened when he learned something new.
He liked the way Scorpius talked too. He spoke in a calm and concise manner, and he rarely got as animated as James did. James liked to tease him until the speech devolved into terse words and Scorpius began to wave his hands about wildly. James liked to make him lose control.
In fact, James did everything he could to makes Scorpius lose control. James said the corniest jokes just to make him laugh. He would sit with Scorpius through sad, weepy chick flicks so that he could watch him dissolve into tears. What he liked best, though, was watching Scorpius sleep. While he slept his face would relax slightly and he’d smile slightly. James’s had spent hours watching him sleep and gently brushing the hair out of his face.
James was in deep. He often found himself touching Scorpius in ways he shouldn’t. He would prop his chin on Scorpius’s shoulder to read a book with him or get a little too close while they were watching a movie. He’d even brushed the hair out of Scorpius’s eyes while he was awake more than once.
Scorpius never seemed to mind the touches, and that was the worst part. James knew Scorpius hadn’t been touched very often, and he seemed to live for human contact. James was taking advantage of his friendship and Scorpius’s need to touch him.
Every time he touched Scorpius, James felt braver. Each touch was slightly more intrusive than the last. James had even hugged Scorpius goodbye one night as they left a pub. It wasn’t enough though.
James wanted more.
~*~
One day he got much more.
Scorpius had owled him early that morning, begging him to meet him at The Three Broomsticks for dinner. James had agreed instantly, though he had no idea why Scorpius wanted to meet there. They’d been spending every night together for months though, so James didn’t question it. Maybe Scorpius just wanted to eat somewhere different.
When James Flooed into the pub that evening, Scorpius was already there waiting for him.
“Come on!” Scorpius grabbed James’s hand and pulled him out of the pub. “I’ve amazing news!”
They ran full tilt for a few minutes before Scorpius came to a stop in front of an empty store front.
“Look!”
James looked.
“Isn’t it great?”
“It looks a bit... dusty?” James couldn’t figure out what Scorpius wanted him to see.
Scorpius snickered. He pulled out his wand and cast a spell on James. “It had to be hidden while it was under construction. Now look.”
James looked and gasped at the sight. “It’s a Wheezes store! Awesome! Filch is going to hate Uncle George.”
“That’s not even the best part!” Scorpius seemed to vibrate with excitement. “Guess who’s going to be the manager?”
“You?”
Scorpius nodded madly.
James looked at the boy in front of him. He wasn’t a boy any longer. He knew as much about potions as James did, probably more. He was going to be the manager of a store. He was beautiful, an absolutely gorgeous man.
“Congratulations,” he said and swept Scorpius up into a hug. Holding the other man in his arms felt amazing. “You deserve this.”
Scorpius pulled away slightly and smiled. “Thank you.”
James covered his smiling lips with a kiss. It quickly devolved from a chaste kiss into a passionate snog. When Scorpius pulled away, gasping for breath with a huge grin on his face, James realized what he had done.
“Shit.” He released Scorpius. “Shit. Shit. Shit!”
Scorpius reached out to touch him, and James pulled away from the touch.
“What’s wrong?” Scorpius asked.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Scorpius jolted as if he had been stung. “Didn’t you like it?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that.” James sucked in a deep breath and expelled it forcefully. “Merlin, I don’t even know if you like men!”
Scorpius nodded. “I’m gay, and I liked it. So it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.” James kicked the ground, trying to keep his anger at himself from being directed towards Scorpius. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“I don’t want to ruin it either.”
James sighed and nodded. “Good. Then we can just forget about this.”
Scorpius glared at him suddenly. “What if I don’t want to forget about it?”
James was bewildered. “But, our friendship... it means the world to me. I don’t want this to interfere with it. So we should just forget about it.”
Scorpius reached out and grabbed James’s hand before he could pull it away. “This doesn’t have to hurt our friendship. It can make it stronger.”
“How?”
“Nevermind.” Scorpius dropped his hand. “I was just seeing things that aren’t there, I think.”
James caught on to his meaning then. “You want us to date?” He tried to keep the hopeful note out of his voice and failed.
Scorpius nodded.
“Really?”
Scorpius rolled his eyes and nodded again.
“Thank Merlin!”
James swept Scorpius up into a hug and pressed a passionate kiss onto his lips. Scorpius gasped slightly and let James deepen the kiss. Then James moved to kissing Scorpius’s neck. If they were going to date, James had permission to touch him. So, he was going to touch him, taste him, mark him, own him. Scorpius was his.
Scorpius moaned into the open air. Suddenly James realized they were on a public street. Thankfully it was empty, but he pulled away anyway. “Um, I think we need to go somewhere a little more private.”
Scorpius grinned. “I’ll show you my other bit of news then.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and headed for a set of stairs on the side of the building. James followed him and watched quietly as he unlocked a door at the top of the stairs. They entered the a completely empty room.
“Does this one need a spell to be seen too?”
“Nope. It’s empty.” Scorpius moved into the middle of the room and started spinning around slowly, looking at everything. “And it’s mine.”
“Yours?” James moved up behind him and wrapped him up in a hug. Propping his chin on Scorpius’s shoulder, they surveyed the room together.
“George owns the flat, and he’s leasing it to me. I’ll finally be able to live in a proper apartment.” He turned his head to smile at James. “I won’t be embarrassed about you visiting anymore.”
James squeezed him. “You shouldn’t have been embarrassed in the first place. I do love you apartment. It feels like you.” He couldn’t get over the need to touch Scorpius, so he kissed him gently.
Scorpius was blushing when James pulled away. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh?”
“Yeah. What is it?”
Scorpius blushed even darker. “Remember when I told you I idolized you at Hogwarts?” James nodded, his chin digging into Scorpius’s shoulder. “The truth is I more than idolized you. I had the hugest crush on you.”
James laughed loudly, and Scorpius elbowed him in the stomach. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh!” he shrieked and tried to escape James’s arms.
Instead of letting him go, James turned him around and kissed him soundly.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured against Scorpius’s lips. “It’s just so cute and amazing.”
Scorpius shoved at him. “Shut it. I’m not going to tell you the rest now.”
“The rest?”
“I’m not telling!”
James ran his fingers through Scorpius’s hair, making him moan. “What’s the rest?”
“Cheater.” Scorpius moaned again. “All right, stop doing that so I can think.” James paused, but left his hands in Scorpius’s hair.
“That day when you walked into the lab and I exploded the potion? It was all your fault.”
James squawked. “Nuh-uh! It was your potion!”
“I was so shocked at seeing my long time crush walk in the door that I added three times as much asphodel on accident. The potion had already been perfected, so I was just brewing it. If it hadn’t been for you, it never would have exploded.”
James felt a little warm and fuzzy after hearing that. “You really liked me then?”
Scorpius blushed darkly, but answered resolutely. “I do. It was why I offered to help you study. I had a chance to get to know you, and for you to get to know me, so the Slytherin bit of me took it.”
James hugged him tightly. “I’m glad you did. You’ve been a life saver with my studies, and I really-um, I really...”
“What?”
James buried his face in Scorpius’s shoulder. “I really like you too.”
Scorpius kissed him then, a soft, sweet kiss. James kissed him back slowly, trying to convey his feelings to Scorpius.
James was glad he had almost flunked out of the Academy. Now that Scorpius was in his life, he couldn’t imagine it without him.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. “Scorpius, the day the Gellian potion exploded and you had to shed all of your clothes, was that an accident?”
Scorpius smirked. “Neither a Ravenclaw nor a Slytherin ever tells all of their secrets.”