Fic: Puppy Love (1/2)
Title: Puppy Love (Part 1/2)
Author: HellusBellus
Rating: PG-13 (Light R)
Pairing/characters: Scorpius Malfoy/Hugo Weasley
Warnings/content: Highlight to read *Original Characters, 17-year-old with mildly sexual thoughts*
Word Count: ~12,640
Summary: Hugo Weasley is just the cutest little stalker ever to out a Prince of Slytherin.
Notes: Originally written for nextgen_mas, Prompt 13: "The new Prince of Slytherin and the adorable red-head Hufflepuff". Go to Part (2/2). Cross-posted to hugo_scorpius.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. All works posted on this journal were created entirely for fun without making any profit. No copyright infringement is intended.
*
A small crowd of Slytherins gathered around Scorpius in the courtyard. Scorpius reclined on one of the benches, heavy robes spread around him, green scarf wrapped around his neck, legs propped against the opposite arm of the bench. He grinned as he recounted a story about one of his house elves chasing the peacocks around the Malfoy estate, attempting to retrieve a comb of Astoria's which Scorpius had tucked into the bird's feathers. Of course, he'd done this when he was seven, but the people around him smiled as he told the story. When Scorpius reached the part about the house elf attempting to ambush the bird from above, the students laughed.
"But why didn't the elf just use magic?" said Miranda Evercreech, her pretty face scrunched up in puzzlement.
"Because it would ruin the story," said Christian, who sat on Scorpius' other side. Scorpius and Christian exchanged looks, rolling their eyes in tandem.
Miranda still looked confused, but she kept any further comments to herself, as now quite a few of the gathered Slytherins were chuckling at her instead of Scorpius' story.
One of Scorpius' friends picked up the subject of house elves and began to speculate about sneaking down to the kitchens. While the rest of the group talked about hot chocolate and the types of pastries they preferred, Scorpius closed his eyes and leaned his head back, feeling the chill of the stone and the winter air seep in past his layers. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the previous night, and a nap between classes sounded preferable to listening to his friends blather. Scorpius sighed and tucked his arms beneath his head.
"Scor," said Christian. Scorpius frowned.
"What?" he said impatiently.
"Scor, that Weasley kid is looking at you again."
Scorpius blinked his eyes open. He raised an eyebrow at Christian, but the boy just smiled at him in a tight, amused way, and jerked his head towards the other side of the courtyard.
Scorpius turned to look, and, just as Christian had said, Hugo Weasley was standing beneath one of the stone archways, a stack of books tucked against his chest, his cheeks and nose pink with cold, and his eyes trained on Scorpius. Scorpius raised an eyebrow, and Hugo ducked his head. The redhead kept his eyes down as he shuffled across the courtyard, pointedly avoiding the gazes of the Slytherins.
"Oh, how sweet," said Miranda, and she sounded sincere.
Christian shot her an incredulous look. "Sweet?" he sneered.
"He fancies you, Scor, I can tell. Oh, that's just cute, don't you think?" Miranda smiled at the girls around her. A few of the other girls tittered behind their hands. Most of the boys looked confused, but they all pointedly did not look at Scorpius.
"No, it's not cute," said Christian. He nudged Scorpius' side. "He's been watching you for weeks, right, Scor? It's bloody creepy."
"Ah, young love," drawled one of the Venheart boys. The others snickered. "I knew the Weasleys had fallen low, but arse-burglary…" The snickers were louder now. "That's a new depth."
"Fucking ridiculous," Christian muttered.
Scorpius' eyes were still trained on the spot where Hugo had disappeared back into the castle. His brow furrowed. Christian frowned, and nudged his side. "Scor?"
Scorpius blinked and looked back at his friends. "Hm?"
"That Weasley bloke, he hasn't talked to you, has he?" Christian peered at Scorpius. Scorpius felt his heartbeat kick hard against his ribs. He flit his eyes around his friends' faces, measuring their intrigued and somewhat suspicious expressions. Scorpius tightened one hand into a fist and then quickly released it.
Scorpius forced a smile. He twitched his eyebrows and shrugged, as though bored by the entire conversation. "He hasn't."
"Well?" said one of the boys.
"Well, what?" said Scorpius.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Do about it? Weasley?" Scorpius scoffed. "What do I care if Weasley's a pouf? Personally, I think we should encourage it. Fewer breeding Weasleys means less ginger spawn, don't you agree?"
His friends laughed, and Scorpius felt his heartbeat begin to slow. Christian didn't laugh, but when Scorpius glanced at him to check his reaction, he seemed preoccupied with Miranda Evercreech's latest dim-witted questions. Scorpius took a deep breath and slowly, quietly exhaled. He turned his attention to Miranda, and tried to tidy his thoughts. It was okay, he told himself. It was fine. Everything was fine. Nobody could tell.
*
"Fucking Merlin, Malfoy, aren't you tired?" Flint collapsed onto one of the benches, spread-eagle. He kicked lazily at Scorpius' thigh as he passed, and Scorpius dodged, shoving Flint's leg hard enough to unbalance him. Flint toppled off the bench with a swallowed curse.
The rest of the team laughed and jeered. Leather practice pads hit the floor as the boys began to strip, and Scorpius cast his eyes to the floor. He picked up the pace, hoping to escape the locker room before they made it to the showers.
"What's your problem, Malfoy?" Sebastian Nott, the newest addition to the team (Keeper), and easily Scorpius' least favorite person in his year, stepped in front of Scorpius on his way out the door. He had his shirt off, balled up in his hands, sweat running down his sternum and neck. Scorpius glared.
"I like to take my showers indoors, like civilized people."
"Oooo," said Flint, who had picked himself up off the floor and begun to strip. The rest of the team rolled their eyes and catcalled.
"Civilized?" Nott frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Scorpius didn't move his gaze. "It's a fucking shower."
Scorpius didn't say anything, just clutched at the sports bag flung over his shoulder and glared.
Zabini sighed. "Let him go, Nott. The Prince likes his rose soap." The boys snickered, but mostly turned back to their lockers. Zabini was Captain, but he didn’t talk much. When he did, people tended to listen.
Scorpius continued to stare Nott down until he stepped out of his way, obviously reluctant, but unwilling to challenge Zabini. Scorpius could feel the Flint's eyes on his back as he left the locker room.
Scorpius sighed as soon as the stink and heat of the locker room vanished behind the swinging door. He shrugged his sports bag further up his shoulder and started off across the lawn.
"H-hey, Scorpius."
Scorpius frowned, and glanced behind him. Hugo Weasley walked slightly behind him, his eyes fluttering from his own feet to Scorpius' face, then back to his feet. The redhead clutched at the strap of his book bag. Scorpius rolled his eyes and walked faster.
"Uh, hey," said Hugo, jogging to keep up with Scorpius' longer strides. Hugo was a little shorter than Scorpius, with broad shoulders and a heart-shaped face. Hurrying along in Scorpius' wake, he resembled a rather over-eager spaniel. Or, at least, that's the image Scorpius couldn't get out of his head as he jogged up the front steps to the castle doors. Hugo panted behind him.
"Hey, um, maybe you could- um..."
Scorpius' hand was reaching for the door handle when he felt Hugo's broad hand settle on his shoulder. "Hey!"
Scorpius whirled around, and Hugo snatched his hand back. He curled it against his chest, a blush rising in his cheeks beneath the spray of freckles.
"Leave. Me. Alone," said Scorpius, giving Hugo the coldest look he could conjure. Hugo blinked, and took a step back, clutching his hand closer to his chest.
Scorpius waited a moment for the words to sink in, then pulled open the front doors and stalked into the entrance hall.
*
The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg made Scorpius' head feel cloudy and lovely and light. He slipped a bite of apple tart off his fork, the spicy sweetness like heaven against his tongue.
"Have you tried these tarts, Chris? These are bloody excellent. I thought the apple pies were good in November, but I love this." Scorpius sighed, studying a bite of apple tart that perched on the tines of his fork. "How are we ever going to leave all this behind, Chris? When we graduate, I mean. Sure, there are house elves and one can always eat out, but there's nothing quite like-"
"Would you shut up about the desserts?" Chris rolled his eyes and tapped his spoon against his bowl of ice cream. Vanilla, of course. Sometimes, Scorpius wondered why he and Chris were even friends. Chris glanced over Scorpius' shoulder. "Merlin, Scor. There are more important things."
"Like what?" Scorpius muttered. He shoved a bite of apple tart into his mouth and made a show of really, really enjoying it.
Chris raised an eyebrow. He gestured with his spoon. "Like that Weasley bloke is still staring at you."
Scorpius blanched. He swallowed his bite of tart to avoid choking on it. Chris nodded his head ever-so-slightly towards a spot at the Hufflepuff table. Ever-so-casually, Scorpius turned his head, reaching a hand up as though smoothing his bangs out of his face.
Oh yeah. There he was. Hugo Weasley, button nose covered in freckles, big brown eyes, wide pink mouth slightly open as he stared hard at the Slytherin table. Scorpius turned his gaze back to his apple tart. He sighed. His appetite was gone. He could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rising. "Fuck," he muttered.
"Yeah," said Chris. After a moment, Chris cleared his throat, and Scorpius glanced up. He raised an eyebrow. Chris wouldn't meet his eyes.
"What?"
Chris shrugged. "Maybe…hey, maybe you should actually…talk to him. Or something."
"What? Why?"
"I mean, talk to him and tell him you're not…you know…" Chris shrugged again.
Scorpius stared, but Christian still wouldn't meet his eyes. Scorpius fiddled with his fork.
Eventually, Christian appeared to have had enough. He met Scorpius eyes, and when he spoke, his tone was serious. "Look," he said, "it's bloody annoying to have him following us around all the time, okay? You should probably talk to him before people start thinking you're…you know, whatever."
Scorpius felt his stomach twist. He put his hands flat against the table. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, probably, I should do that."
Chris nodded, and took a bite of his ice cream.
*
Avoiding Hugo Weasley really shouldn't have been that hard. He wasn't an inconspicuous person, frankly. Quiet, sure. Shorter than Scorpius, but not short, and he had those broad shoulders, and that mop of violently red hair. Somehow, though, every time Scorpius turned down a corridor, Hugo was there, looking at him with his big, wistful eyes. Scorpius began to walk a lot faster than he ever thought possible, desperate to get to his next classroom without running into the Weasley. At least in his classes it was possible to escape the little stalker, as Hugo was a full year behind him.
Of course, just because Scorpius could avoid one Weasley, didn't mean he could avoid the whole pack. There was a ridiculous amount of Weasley genetic material floating around the school, Scorpius thought. Between the Potters and the Weasleys-proper, Scorpius found cold, inquisitive eyes peering at him from across the Great Hall, during class, and in the corridors. Even Scorpius' friends had begun to give him strange looks.
After a few days of this sort of scrutiny, Scorpius was about ready to burst. Or cry. Or maybe set something on fire. He slammed his books down on the library table, sneering at the students who looked up from their work to glare at him.
"What's your problem?" Chris muttered as Scorpius slid into the chair across from him.
Scorpius threaded a hand in his hair, leaning on his elbow and flicking his eyes around the library. "They're bloody everywhere."
"Who?"
"Weasleys," said Scorpius. "They're all looking at me like I've got something to do with that defective Hufflepuff brat. Honestly, it's not my fault he's, you know, he-" Scorpius sputtered.
Chris smirked. "Wants your body?"
Scorpius blushed. "Shut up." He kicked Chris under the table, which just made Chris chuckle and kick him back.
"You're a boy-magnet, Scor, it's nothing to be-"
"I will kill you, you understand that? Murder you? You think I can't? Do you know who my father is?"
Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh, save it, Scor. I can out-cast you any day of the week and twice on Sundays."
"Ha!" The students around him looked up and glared. Scorpius huffed and tucked himself farther down in his chair. "You bloody wish," he whispered. "Your Charms grades are pathetic. You're practically a Longbottom. I, on the other hand-"
"Have a visitor." Chris smirked.
Scorpius' shoulders stiffened. "Where?" he muttered.
Chris nodded towards the end of the table. Scorpius glanced, and sighed. In the center of a group of sixth year Hufflepuffs sat Hugo, apparently working very hard on his essay, the tip of his quill between his lips. The library was always murky and dark, but the amber glow of the reading lamps reflected off his hair. He glowed red.
"You should go talk to him," said Chris.
Scorpius turned wide eyes on his friend. "Now?"
"Uh, yeah," said Chris. "Just take him to the stacks and tell him the truth: you don't like him and it's sort of ridiculous how much he follows you about. Your mates think it's creepy."
Scorpius gave him a horrified look. "You want me to take him into the stacks? To stop the gossip?"
"Scor, he's a Hufflepuff. It's not like he's going to hex you. He might cry, though. Looks like the type."
Suddenly, Scorpius couldn't get the image of Hugo Weasley brushing at his freckled cheeks with his big, square fingers, out of his head. Hugo's little button nose was red and his bottom lip trembled like Scorpius had just murdered his puppy or something. It made Scorpius feel nauseous.
"Or are you afraid he's going to push you down and ravage you?"
"I hate you," said Scorpius.
Chris laughed. "Hufflepuff, Scor."
"Who's a Hufflepuff?" Sebastian Nott slipped into the chair beside Chris. Miranda Evercreech sat down in the chair beside Scorpius.
"Hi, Scorpius." She smiled.
"Hey, Miranda," said Scorpius, barely looking at her. He was still staring at Chris.
"What're you two working on?" asked Chris.
"We've got an independent project in Potions," said Miranda. She sighed as she reached into her bookbag, pulling out a thick potions tome. "I've been trying to explain it to Nott, but he's a little thick, you know."
"Oy," said Nott. "I'm right here."
Miranda cast him a significant look. "I know."
Nott scoffed, then shook his head and turned his attention back to Chris as Miranda began unloading the contents of her bookbag.
"Now, what's this about a Hufflepuff?" said Miranda.
Scorpius shot Chris a pleading glance, but Chris ignored him.
"Scor's Weasley."
Nott smirked. Miranda was already craning her neck around to get a good look at the Hufflepuffs.
"Aw, you have a Weasley, Scor," said Miranda.
"I do not have a Weasley," Scorpius grumbled.
"But he's the cute one," Miranda insisted. "Rose is just so plain. Looks just like her mother, Mum told me. Hugo's like a little puppy. You just want to put him on a leash and walk him, you know?"
Chris bit his lip and Sebastian snickered. Scorpius glared at Miranda. She shrugged, and went back to arranging her papers.
"Why, Miss Evercreech, you are positively a freak," said Sebastian.
Miranda sighed and shot him a disgusted glance. "I'm just saying, it could be worse. It could be the girl. Or it could be Albus- oh, dear." Miranda giggled and looked between the boys. "Can you imagine?"
"No," Scorpius snapped. He shifted in his chair. "No, I cannot imagine. I do not care to imagine. I would really appreciate it if none of you imagined, either."
Chris rolled his eyes. "So, go smack his nose with a newspaper and have done with it, Scorpius. This is getting tiresome."
"Wait." Sebastian held up a hand and shot Scorpius an incredulous look. "You mean you haven't told him to bugger off yet?"
Scorpius glared at him. God, he hated Sebastian Nott.
"What are you waiting for? You don't like it?" Nott scoffed, and then looked to Chris and Miranda for support. Finding none, he turned a sneer on Scorpius. "Like attention from boys, do you, Malfoy?"
"Shut your mouth," said Scorpius, his voice low.
"You do. That's why you won't go talk to him. You'd like a little puppy of your own, wouldn't you, Scor?"
Scorpius jumped to his feet, his chair skittering back. The students around him jumped, looking up from their books to stare at him (again). Scorpius ignored them. His hands clenched into fists.
"I said shut your mouth, Nott."
Nott glanced around the table. Seeing his audience, he pushed himself to his feet as well. "Make me, Malfoy."
Scorpius reached for his wand a moment before Nott grabbed for his. Scorpius' arm was extended, a hex on his lips, when Chris jumped to his feet as well, grabbing both of their wrists and shoving their wands down towards the table. Scorpius panted, glaring over Chris' head and into Nott's eyes. Nott's eyes were narrowed, his cheeks red.
"Get a grip, both of you," said Chris harshly. He shoved their wrists down and away. He stared hard at Scorpius, but Scorpius wasn't looking at Chris anymore, or at Miranda, who was busy trying to pretend she didn't know them. He was looking over at the Hufflepuff end of the table, where all of their heads had popped up at the commotion. Hugo's eyes were wide and concerned. He looked between Nott and Scorpius, then finally met Scorpius' gaze.
"What's this?" The librarian bustled up to the tables, her voice a harsh whisper. "What's all this now? This is a library, not a pub. Who's making that racket? Hm?"
Scorpius stared at Hugo's liquid eyes and he felt his chest constricting. He couldn't…breathe. He couldn't breathe.
Scorpius ripped his eyes away. He grabbed his books off the table and stomped past the librarian, who began to scold and flutter around him.
"Scor-" Chris started to get up, but Scorpius made a violent motion with his hand, and Chris must've taken that as a sign to stay where he was. No one followed Scorpius as he stomped out of the library.
Scorpius kept walking, staring at his feet, until he reached the dungeons. The air was cooler down there and a little damp where the castle approached the edge of the lake. Scorpius slowed his pace, eventually coming to a stop. He rested his forehead against the cool stone wall, breathing deep, calming breaths that smelled and tasted of mildew.
Scorpius sighed and turned around, leaning his back against the wall instead. He rubbed a hand over his face. His cheeks felt hot, and the stone had felt good against them. His heart had slowed, but it was easy for him to remember the way it had pounded, the echo of adrenaline in Scorpius' limbs as he thought about Nott's words, and Chris' expression…and Hugo. Hugo's liquid eyes. Hugo's freckled cheeks. Hugo's big, square hands.
Scorpius pinched the bridge of his nose and ducked his head. He stayed like that, leaning against the wall, thinking, until the cold seeped through his robes.
*
It was eight the next morning before Scorpius saw Hugo again. Chris chattered in his ear about his project for NEWT Astronomy, and Scorpius was attempting to follow, though, personally, he'd never cared for the subject. He much preferred Charms, and was about to make a comment to that effect when Chris stopped his monologue mid-stream and sighed.
"Say good morning," said Chris, rolling his eyes as he gestured to the end of the corridor. Scorpius didn't need to follow his gesture to know that Hugo Weasley was standing there.
Scorpius took a deep breath and turned around to face the inevitable. Hugo smiled when their eyes met. He took a half-step forward and raised a hand, waving slightly. He quickly tucked the hand away, however, embarrassed.
"Isn't that sweet," Chris drawled.
Scorpius rolled his eyes, and pointedly looked away from Hugo's gaze. He kept his eyes straight ahead and picked up the pace. Just get to class, he told himself. Just get to class and think about something else.
"Um, good morning, Scorpius," said Hugo as Scorpius drew closer. Hugo smiled tentatively. Scorpius said nothing. He didn't look at the boy. Scorpius brushed past him. His heart throbbed in his throat.
"Um." Hugo turned around, joining the stream of people going opposite his original direction. He hovered near Scorpius' elbow.
Chris walked around to Scorpius' other side, giving Scorpius a look which Scorpius clearly read as, 'Fix this, and get the Hufflepuff away from me.'
"So, I, uh, wanted to talk to you for a second, about what happened-oof." Hugo doubled over as a passing Ravenclaw's elbow hit him the stomach. The girl's books scattered across the ground and she shrieked out an apology. Hugo stopped to help her with her books, and Scorpius kicked up the speed.
His eyes focused on the next available turn. Just a few more steps, he thought. A few more and he could get out of this corridor. Maybe lose Hugo for good. Or, at least lose him for this morning.
Apparently, Hugo Weasley had no compunctions about jogging in busy corridors.
"The library." Hugo panted, and Scorpius glanced at him briefly, instantly regretting it when Hugo sent him a shy smile. Scorpius' stomach twisted. He snapped his head forward, and scolded himself about removing his eyes from his goal.
"Uh, yeah. So. I'm sorry about what happened in the library the other day," said Hugo. "I mean, it must be pretty annoying, having all my, um, relatives, sort of…anyway. I didn't ask them to do that or anything. They're sort of annoying me too, actually. Anyway. I don't want to bother you, or cause problems for you, or anything, and it looked like maybe I sort of was, so I wanted to say I was sorry. And. And, um." Hugo took a deep breath, and internally Scorpius growled. Merlin, wasn't this boy done yet? Were declarative sentences really so bloody difficult to form? "Um. So, I thought maybe we might do some homework sometime. If you wanted. Or-or not. You know, I just kind of wanted to talk to you, so-"
All right, that was enough. That was just enough. Scorpius stopped walking. Hugo was following him so closely that he walked right up into Scorpius' chest before managing to stop and jump backwards, blushing furiously.
"No," Scorpius snarled.
Hugo's head snapped up. "W-what?"
"I don't want to talk to you. Yes, you bother me. Yes, what happened in the library was your fault, and you are a problem, so I'd really appreciate it if you would bugger off and stop stalking me, you queer little freak!" By the time Scorpius was finished, he was shouting, and breathing hard through his nose.
Scorpius could feel his cheeks burning hot with a blush, but he was sure they were nothing compared to the maroon that Hugo's cheeks had flushed. His wide pink lips were parted slightly, his liquid brown eyes wide with shock, and, as Scorpius stared him down, they filled with shame. Hugo ducked his head, his hands clutching hard at the strap of his bookbag.
Scorpius turned around, fighting down the nausea that was rising in his throat, overtaking his anger. He marched towards the end of the corridor and made his turn, barely noticing when Chris joined up with him.
They walked for a moment in silence.
"That was…effective," said Christian.
Scorpius didn't say anything. He didn't think he could open his mouth without vomiting.
*
"I haven't seen the puppy all day," said Miranda. She sighed, and plopped her chin down on her fist.
Scorpius' mouth tightened. He forced himself to concentrate on his Potions essay. This was his thesis, damn it. He was a NEWT student. He had a lot of really important things to think about besides whiny Hufflepuffs and their obsessive, homosexual crushes.
"Oh, I don't think we'll see any more of Weasley," said Chris. Scorpius glanced at him, but Chris' face was as blank as his tone.
"Why?" Miranda scooted forward, her long brown hair pooling on her textbook. "What happened?"
"Scor set him straight, so to speak."
"Oooh."
"Yeah. Pretty hard."
"Oh my God, what'd he say? What'd Weasley do?"
"He is right here," Scorpius snapped. "And doesn't think it's any of your bloody business."
Miranda pursed her lips. "You don't have to get snippy."
"You've been in a bad mood all day," said Chris. "What is up your arse?"
"Nothing." Scorpius was snarling, his hand curled in his hair, his face an inch from the page of his book. He glared at his friends. "Nothing is wrong. Nothing is the matter. I am in a fine mood, I just feel like maybe we should come to the library to, I don't know, study? So maybe we don't, I don't know, fail?"
Chris and Miranda stared at him. Finally, Miranda sniffed, and turned back to her book. "You know when you sneer like that, Scor, you look so ugly."
*
"Fucking Hell, Malfoy, where are you?"
Scorpius jumped, and whirled his head around. His hand came up, but the practice Snitch was already dancing away from his fingers, zooming beneath the Chasers and then out of sight. Scorpius' expression twisted, and, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zabini shaking his head before zooming after the Quaffle.
Scorpius sighed, and shook his head, trying to physically clear his thoughts. He kept going back to that image of Hugo in the hallway, the shock in his eyes turning to shame, then his chin dropping down to his chest. Scorpius could feel his stomach twisting just at the thought. He cast his eyes downward.
"MALFOY."
Scorpius snatched in front of his face, but the Snitch was gone. "Fuck!" he shouted.
He tried not to look at any of his teammates, but it was hard to miss the smirk that had overtaken Nott's face or the hard look in Zabini's eyes as he flew up and hovered in front of Scorpius.
"Malfoy, we have a match in two days."
"I know," Scorpius snarled.
Zabini's eyes narrowed. "I know you know. I'm telling you, I don't care how bloody popular you are. Get it together, or Stewart's flying Seeker against Ravenclaw."
Scorpius fumed, but he bit back the sarcastic retorts that jumped to the ready. He nodded.
*
Scorpius paused for a moment inside the door of the Great Hall. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his Quidditch robes and quickly scanned the crowd. It was easy to pretend that he wasn't looking for anybody in particular, but harder to pretend that he didn't pay extra special attention to the Hufflepuff table.
"Scor?" Chris was looking at him strangely.
Scorpius scowled, and walked to the Slytherin table. He and Chris slid into their regular seats. The students around them smiled at Scorpius, chirping a chorus of, 'Good luck!' Scorpius nodded to them and mumbled something that might have been, 'Thank you,' or, 'Whatever.'
Scorpius pushed his eggs around his plate for a minute before dropping his fork. He sighed.
"Merlin, Scor, are you PMSing or something?" Chris was giving him a very strange look, now. "You've got a match today, mate."
"I know. Doesn't anyone think I know that?"
Chris glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then leaned forward. "Mate, I don't want to…I don't know, accuse you, or anything, but you've been really…well, you've been really pissy since you blew off that Hufflepuff. Is there maybe something you want to talk about?"
"No," said Scorpius, but even to his own ears he sounded sullen. He sighed. "It's just…weird. I mean, I don't want him around and he's bloody everywhere, and now it's like he just…disappeared. Like, vanished. I mean, he hasn't been to breakfast in days, and it's just…weird."
Scorpius glanced quickly up at Chris' face, but his friend was frustratingly unreadable.
"His family keeps glaring at me," Scorpius mumbled, picking his fork back up and spearing a sausage.
"Okay, momentarily setting aside the fact that you're a Malfoy and they're Weasleys, you sort of called their puppy a big gay freak in front of a whole bunch of people, Scor."
"Their puppy?"
Chris shrugged. "It makes me feel fruity just saying it, but it is pretty appropriate."
It was, Scorpius admitted, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "But," he huffed, "I mean, don't you think it's weird that he's just suddenly gone?"
"Um." Chris raised an eyebrow. "No? It's a big school; you humiliated him. He's licking his wounds. I do think it's a little weird that you're worrying so much about not seeing someone you don't want to see -- that you specifically told to have a nice short fall off a nice high cliff. That's a little weird."
Scorpius frowned. He glanced up and held Chris' eyes for a second. Scorpius looked back down at his plate. This was exactly, exactly, the situation he had been avoiding since third year. That's when puberty had taken over the Slytherin dormitories and Scorpius had started taking his showers inside after Quidditch practice. Which made him strange enough, he knew. He didn't want Chris thinking him weird. He didn't want anyone thinking he was weird.
Scorpius sighed, and took a bite of his sausage. He had a match.
*
Scorpius tuned out the sound of the crowd and the squawks of the student announcer. He let it all fall below him, fading into a buzz as he scanned his eyes across the field, searching for the flash of gold that betrayed the Snitch.
There. Hovering beside Zabini's knee.
Scorpius had no sooner seen the flash than he was flat against his broom, cold air whipping against his face as he dove beneath the tussling Chasers and reached for the Snitch. Scorpius could feel the soft currents stirred by the Snitch's silver wings just before his broom jerked upwards.
Both of Scorpius' hands jumped to the head of his broom instinctively, tugging him level. The buzz of noise rose to a roar. Scorpius whirled his head around, and blanched. The Bludger had only just clipped the bottom of his broom's tail, but the small black ball was arching back around, speeding straight towards Scorpius' head. Scorpius didn't think. He pushed with both hands, dropping his broom into a sudden, sharp dive. Scorpius could hear the faint whistle as the ball zoomed overhead, curling itself back around to chase Scorpius up the field.
His heart thundered in his throat. Scorpius tried to look for a Beater as he zigzagged across the field, but he was going too fast to see more than blurs.
There.
Scorpius jerked his head around, and his broom followed. He'd seen a flash of gold. The Snitch. Merlin, the Snitch. Scorpius panted and pointed himself at the flash of gold. He ignored everything but that metallic wink, slipping his belly close to his broomstick, lying almost flat against it.
Distantly, he thought he heard Zabini's voice call out his name, but it was mixed too thoroughly with the buzz. His blood pounded too loudly in his ears. Scorpius reached out his hand, fingers stretching for the ball. Come on, he urged himself, willing his arm to grow longer.
There. Behind the gold, a familiar metallic wink. But not gold -- it was copper.
For a moment, Scorpius' eyes slid away from the Snitch. His heart skipped a beat. His fingers touched something cool and smooth that vibrated against his fingertips.
"MALFOY!" Scorpius heard Zabini that time, but he had no time to react before the left side of his body exploded. His broom was no longer in his hands. Scorpius was falling, but he couldn't tell how fast. Everything hurt. The world went dark.
*
Part Two
Author: HellusBellus
Rating: PG-13 (Light R)
Pairing/characters: Scorpius Malfoy/Hugo Weasley
Warnings/content: Highlight to read *Original Characters, 17-year-old with mildly sexual thoughts*
Word Count: ~12,640
Summary: Hugo Weasley is just the cutest little stalker ever to out a Prince of Slytherin.
Notes: Originally written for nextgen_mas, Prompt 13: "The new Prince of Slytherin and the adorable red-head Hufflepuff". Go to Part (2/2). Cross-posted to hugo_scorpius.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. All works posted on this journal were created entirely for fun without making any profit. No copyright infringement is intended.
*
A small crowd of Slytherins gathered around Scorpius in the courtyard. Scorpius reclined on one of the benches, heavy robes spread around him, green scarf wrapped around his neck, legs propped against the opposite arm of the bench. He grinned as he recounted a story about one of his house elves chasing the peacocks around the Malfoy estate, attempting to retrieve a comb of Astoria's which Scorpius had tucked into the bird's feathers. Of course, he'd done this when he was seven, but the people around him smiled as he told the story. When Scorpius reached the part about the house elf attempting to ambush the bird from above, the students laughed.
"But why didn't the elf just use magic?" said Miranda Evercreech, her pretty face scrunched up in puzzlement.
"Because it would ruin the story," said Christian, who sat on Scorpius' other side. Scorpius and Christian exchanged looks, rolling their eyes in tandem.
Miranda still looked confused, but she kept any further comments to herself, as now quite a few of the gathered Slytherins were chuckling at her instead of Scorpius' story.
One of Scorpius' friends picked up the subject of house elves and began to speculate about sneaking down to the kitchens. While the rest of the group talked about hot chocolate and the types of pastries they preferred, Scorpius closed his eyes and leaned his head back, feeling the chill of the stone and the winter air seep in past his layers. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the previous night, and a nap between classes sounded preferable to listening to his friends blather. Scorpius sighed and tucked his arms beneath his head.
"Scor," said Christian. Scorpius frowned.
"What?" he said impatiently.
"Scor, that Weasley kid is looking at you again."
Scorpius blinked his eyes open. He raised an eyebrow at Christian, but the boy just smiled at him in a tight, amused way, and jerked his head towards the other side of the courtyard.
Scorpius turned to look, and, just as Christian had said, Hugo Weasley was standing beneath one of the stone archways, a stack of books tucked against his chest, his cheeks and nose pink with cold, and his eyes trained on Scorpius. Scorpius raised an eyebrow, and Hugo ducked his head. The redhead kept his eyes down as he shuffled across the courtyard, pointedly avoiding the gazes of the Slytherins.
"Oh, how sweet," said Miranda, and she sounded sincere.
Christian shot her an incredulous look. "Sweet?" he sneered.
"He fancies you, Scor, I can tell. Oh, that's just cute, don't you think?" Miranda smiled at the girls around her. A few of the other girls tittered behind their hands. Most of the boys looked confused, but they all pointedly did not look at Scorpius.
"No, it's not cute," said Christian. He nudged Scorpius' side. "He's been watching you for weeks, right, Scor? It's bloody creepy."
"Ah, young love," drawled one of the Venheart boys. The others snickered. "I knew the Weasleys had fallen low, but arse-burglary…" The snickers were louder now. "That's a new depth."
"Fucking ridiculous," Christian muttered.
Scorpius' eyes were still trained on the spot where Hugo had disappeared back into the castle. His brow furrowed. Christian frowned, and nudged his side. "Scor?"
Scorpius blinked and looked back at his friends. "Hm?"
"That Weasley bloke, he hasn't talked to you, has he?" Christian peered at Scorpius. Scorpius felt his heartbeat kick hard against his ribs. He flit his eyes around his friends' faces, measuring their intrigued and somewhat suspicious expressions. Scorpius tightened one hand into a fist and then quickly released it.
Scorpius forced a smile. He twitched his eyebrows and shrugged, as though bored by the entire conversation. "He hasn't."
"Well?" said one of the boys.
"Well, what?" said Scorpius.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Do about it? Weasley?" Scorpius scoffed. "What do I care if Weasley's a pouf? Personally, I think we should encourage it. Fewer breeding Weasleys means less ginger spawn, don't you agree?"
His friends laughed, and Scorpius felt his heartbeat begin to slow. Christian didn't laugh, but when Scorpius glanced at him to check his reaction, he seemed preoccupied with Miranda Evercreech's latest dim-witted questions. Scorpius took a deep breath and slowly, quietly exhaled. He turned his attention to Miranda, and tried to tidy his thoughts. It was okay, he told himself. It was fine. Everything was fine. Nobody could tell.
*
"Fucking Merlin, Malfoy, aren't you tired?" Flint collapsed onto one of the benches, spread-eagle. He kicked lazily at Scorpius' thigh as he passed, and Scorpius dodged, shoving Flint's leg hard enough to unbalance him. Flint toppled off the bench with a swallowed curse.
The rest of the team laughed and jeered. Leather practice pads hit the floor as the boys began to strip, and Scorpius cast his eyes to the floor. He picked up the pace, hoping to escape the locker room before they made it to the showers.
"What's your problem, Malfoy?" Sebastian Nott, the newest addition to the team (Keeper), and easily Scorpius' least favorite person in his year, stepped in front of Scorpius on his way out the door. He had his shirt off, balled up in his hands, sweat running down his sternum and neck. Scorpius glared.
"I like to take my showers indoors, like civilized people."
"Oooo," said Flint, who had picked himself up off the floor and begun to strip. The rest of the team rolled their eyes and catcalled.
"Civilized?" Nott frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Scorpius didn't move his gaze. "It's a fucking shower."
Scorpius didn't say anything, just clutched at the sports bag flung over his shoulder and glared.
Zabini sighed. "Let him go, Nott. The Prince likes his rose soap." The boys snickered, but mostly turned back to their lockers. Zabini was Captain, but he didn’t talk much. When he did, people tended to listen.
Scorpius continued to stare Nott down until he stepped out of his way, obviously reluctant, but unwilling to challenge Zabini. Scorpius could feel the Flint's eyes on his back as he left the locker room.
Scorpius sighed as soon as the stink and heat of the locker room vanished behind the swinging door. He shrugged his sports bag further up his shoulder and started off across the lawn.
"H-hey, Scorpius."
Scorpius frowned, and glanced behind him. Hugo Weasley walked slightly behind him, his eyes fluttering from his own feet to Scorpius' face, then back to his feet. The redhead clutched at the strap of his book bag. Scorpius rolled his eyes and walked faster.
"Uh, hey," said Hugo, jogging to keep up with Scorpius' longer strides. Hugo was a little shorter than Scorpius, with broad shoulders and a heart-shaped face. Hurrying along in Scorpius' wake, he resembled a rather over-eager spaniel. Or, at least, that's the image Scorpius couldn't get out of his head as he jogged up the front steps to the castle doors. Hugo panted behind him.
"Hey, um, maybe you could- um..."
Scorpius' hand was reaching for the door handle when he felt Hugo's broad hand settle on his shoulder. "Hey!"
Scorpius whirled around, and Hugo snatched his hand back. He curled it against his chest, a blush rising in his cheeks beneath the spray of freckles.
"Leave. Me. Alone," said Scorpius, giving Hugo the coldest look he could conjure. Hugo blinked, and took a step back, clutching his hand closer to his chest.
Scorpius waited a moment for the words to sink in, then pulled open the front doors and stalked into the entrance hall.
*
The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg made Scorpius' head feel cloudy and lovely and light. He slipped a bite of apple tart off his fork, the spicy sweetness like heaven against his tongue.
"Have you tried these tarts, Chris? These are bloody excellent. I thought the apple pies were good in November, but I love this." Scorpius sighed, studying a bite of apple tart that perched on the tines of his fork. "How are we ever going to leave all this behind, Chris? When we graduate, I mean. Sure, there are house elves and one can always eat out, but there's nothing quite like-"
"Would you shut up about the desserts?" Chris rolled his eyes and tapped his spoon against his bowl of ice cream. Vanilla, of course. Sometimes, Scorpius wondered why he and Chris were even friends. Chris glanced over Scorpius' shoulder. "Merlin, Scor. There are more important things."
"Like what?" Scorpius muttered. He shoved a bite of apple tart into his mouth and made a show of really, really enjoying it.
Chris raised an eyebrow. He gestured with his spoon. "Like that Weasley bloke is still staring at you."
Scorpius blanched. He swallowed his bite of tart to avoid choking on it. Chris nodded his head ever-so-slightly towards a spot at the Hufflepuff table. Ever-so-casually, Scorpius turned his head, reaching a hand up as though smoothing his bangs out of his face.
Oh yeah. There he was. Hugo Weasley, button nose covered in freckles, big brown eyes, wide pink mouth slightly open as he stared hard at the Slytherin table. Scorpius turned his gaze back to his apple tart. He sighed. His appetite was gone. He could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rising. "Fuck," he muttered.
"Yeah," said Chris. After a moment, Chris cleared his throat, and Scorpius glanced up. He raised an eyebrow. Chris wouldn't meet his eyes.
"What?"
Chris shrugged. "Maybe…hey, maybe you should actually…talk to him. Or something."
"What? Why?"
"I mean, talk to him and tell him you're not…you know…" Chris shrugged again.
Scorpius stared, but Christian still wouldn't meet his eyes. Scorpius fiddled with his fork.
Eventually, Christian appeared to have had enough. He met Scorpius eyes, and when he spoke, his tone was serious. "Look," he said, "it's bloody annoying to have him following us around all the time, okay? You should probably talk to him before people start thinking you're…you know, whatever."
Scorpius felt his stomach twist. He put his hands flat against the table. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, probably, I should do that."
Chris nodded, and took a bite of his ice cream.
*
Avoiding Hugo Weasley really shouldn't have been that hard. He wasn't an inconspicuous person, frankly. Quiet, sure. Shorter than Scorpius, but not short, and he had those broad shoulders, and that mop of violently red hair. Somehow, though, every time Scorpius turned down a corridor, Hugo was there, looking at him with his big, wistful eyes. Scorpius began to walk a lot faster than he ever thought possible, desperate to get to his next classroom without running into the Weasley. At least in his classes it was possible to escape the little stalker, as Hugo was a full year behind him.
Of course, just because Scorpius could avoid one Weasley, didn't mean he could avoid the whole pack. There was a ridiculous amount of Weasley genetic material floating around the school, Scorpius thought. Between the Potters and the Weasleys-proper, Scorpius found cold, inquisitive eyes peering at him from across the Great Hall, during class, and in the corridors. Even Scorpius' friends had begun to give him strange looks.
After a few days of this sort of scrutiny, Scorpius was about ready to burst. Or cry. Or maybe set something on fire. He slammed his books down on the library table, sneering at the students who looked up from their work to glare at him.
"What's your problem?" Chris muttered as Scorpius slid into the chair across from him.
Scorpius threaded a hand in his hair, leaning on his elbow and flicking his eyes around the library. "They're bloody everywhere."
"Who?"
"Weasleys," said Scorpius. "They're all looking at me like I've got something to do with that defective Hufflepuff brat. Honestly, it's not my fault he's, you know, he-" Scorpius sputtered.
Chris smirked. "Wants your body?"
Scorpius blushed. "Shut up." He kicked Chris under the table, which just made Chris chuckle and kick him back.
"You're a boy-magnet, Scor, it's nothing to be-"
"I will kill you, you understand that? Murder you? You think I can't? Do you know who my father is?"
Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh, save it, Scor. I can out-cast you any day of the week and twice on Sundays."
"Ha!" The students around him looked up and glared. Scorpius huffed and tucked himself farther down in his chair. "You bloody wish," he whispered. "Your Charms grades are pathetic. You're practically a Longbottom. I, on the other hand-"
"Have a visitor." Chris smirked.
Scorpius' shoulders stiffened. "Where?" he muttered.
Chris nodded towards the end of the table. Scorpius glanced, and sighed. In the center of a group of sixth year Hufflepuffs sat Hugo, apparently working very hard on his essay, the tip of his quill between his lips. The library was always murky and dark, but the amber glow of the reading lamps reflected off his hair. He glowed red.
"You should go talk to him," said Chris.
Scorpius turned wide eyes on his friend. "Now?"
"Uh, yeah," said Chris. "Just take him to the stacks and tell him the truth: you don't like him and it's sort of ridiculous how much he follows you about. Your mates think it's creepy."
Scorpius gave him a horrified look. "You want me to take him into the stacks? To stop the gossip?"
"Scor, he's a Hufflepuff. It's not like he's going to hex you. He might cry, though. Looks like the type."
Suddenly, Scorpius couldn't get the image of Hugo Weasley brushing at his freckled cheeks with his big, square fingers, out of his head. Hugo's little button nose was red and his bottom lip trembled like Scorpius had just murdered his puppy or something. It made Scorpius feel nauseous.
"Or are you afraid he's going to push you down and ravage you?"
"I hate you," said Scorpius.
Chris laughed. "Hufflepuff, Scor."
"Who's a Hufflepuff?" Sebastian Nott slipped into the chair beside Chris. Miranda Evercreech sat down in the chair beside Scorpius.
"Hi, Scorpius." She smiled.
"Hey, Miranda," said Scorpius, barely looking at her. He was still staring at Chris.
"What're you two working on?" asked Chris.
"We've got an independent project in Potions," said Miranda. She sighed as she reached into her bookbag, pulling out a thick potions tome. "I've been trying to explain it to Nott, but he's a little thick, you know."
"Oy," said Nott. "I'm right here."
Miranda cast him a significant look. "I know."
Nott scoffed, then shook his head and turned his attention back to Chris as Miranda began unloading the contents of her bookbag.
"Now, what's this about a Hufflepuff?" said Miranda.
Scorpius shot Chris a pleading glance, but Chris ignored him.
"Scor's Weasley."
Nott smirked. Miranda was already craning her neck around to get a good look at the Hufflepuffs.
"Aw, you have a Weasley, Scor," said Miranda.
"I do not have a Weasley," Scorpius grumbled.
"But he's the cute one," Miranda insisted. "Rose is just so plain. Looks just like her mother, Mum told me. Hugo's like a little puppy. You just want to put him on a leash and walk him, you know?"
Chris bit his lip and Sebastian snickered. Scorpius glared at Miranda. She shrugged, and went back to arranging her papers.
"Why, Miss Evercreech, you are positively a freak," said Sebastian.
Miranda sighed and shot him a disgusted glance. "I'm just saying, it could be worse. It could be the girl. Or it could be Albus- oh, dear." Miranda giggled and looked between the boys. "Can you imagine?"
"No," Scorpius snapped. He shifted in his chair. "No, I cannot imagine. I do not care to imagine. I would really appreciate it if none of you imagined, either."
Chris rolled his eyes. "So, go smack his nose with a newspaper and have done with it, Scorpius. This is getting tiresome."
"Wait." Sebastian held up a hand and shot Scorpius an incredulous look. "You mean you haven't told him to bugger off yet?"
Scorpius glared at him. God, he hated Sebastian Nott.
"What are you waiting for? You don't like it?" Nott scoffed, and then looked to Chris and Miranda for support. Finding none, he turned a sneer on Scorpius. "Like attention from boys, do you, Malfoy?"
"Shut your mouth," said Scorpius, his voice low.
"You do. That's why you won't go talk to him. You'd like a little puppy of your own, wouldn't you, Scor?"
Scorpius jumped to his feet, his chair skittering back. The students around him jumped, looking up from their books to stare at him (again). Scorpius ignored them. His hands clenched into fists.
"I said shut your mouth, Nott."
Nott glanced around the table. Seeing his audience, he pushed himself to his feet as well. "Make me, Malfoy."
Scorpius reached for his wand a moment before Nott grabbed for his. Scorpius' arm was extended, a hex on his lips, when Chris jumped to his feet as well, grabbing both of their wrists and shoving their wands down towards the table. Scorpius panted, glaring over Chris' head and into Nott's eyes. Nott's eyes were narrowed, his cheeks red.
"Get a grip, both of you," said Chris harshly. He shoved their wrists down and away. He stared hard at Scorpius, but Scorpius wasn't looking at Chris anymore, or at Miranda, who was busy trying to pretend she didn't know them. He was looking over at the Hufflepuff end of the table, where all of their heads had popped up at the commotion. Hugo's eyes were wide and concerned. He looked between Nott and Scorpius, then finally met Scorpius' gaze.
"What's this?" The librarian bustled up to the tables, her voice a harsh whisper. "What's all this now? This is a library, not a pub. Who's making that racket? Hm?"
Scorpius stared at Hugo's liquid eyes and he felt his chest constricting. He couldn't…breathe. He couldn't breathe.
Scorpius ripped his eyes away. He grabbed his books off the table and stomped past the librarian, who began to scold and flutter around him.
"Scor-" Chris started to get up, but Scorpius made a violent motion with his hand, and Chris must've taken that as a sign to stay where he was. No one followed Scorpius as he stomped out of the library.
Scorpius kept walking, staring at his feet, until he reached the dungeons. The air was cooler down there and a little damp where the castle approached the edge of the lake. Scorpius slowed his pace, eventually coming to a stop. He rested his forehead against the cool stone wall, breathing deep, calming breaths that smelled and tasted of mildew.
Scorpius sighed and turned around, leaning his back against the wall instead. He rubbed a hand over his face. His cheeks felt hot, and the stone had felt good against them. His heart had slowed, but it was easy for him to remember the way it had pounded, the echo of adrenaline in Scorpius' limbs as he thought about Nott's words, and Chris' expression…and Hugo. Hugo's liquid eyes. Hugo's freckled cheeks. Hugo's big, square hands.
Scorpius pinched the bridge of his nose and ducked his head. He stayed like that, leaning against the wall, thinking, until the cold seeped through his robes.
*
It was eight the next morning before Scorpius saw Hugo again. Chris chattered in his ear about his project for NEWT Astronomy, and Scorpius was attempting to follow, though, personally, he'd never cared for the subject. He much preferred Charms, and was about to make a comment to that effect when Chris stopped his monologue mid-stream and sighed.
"Say good morning," said Chris, rolling his eyes as he gestured to the end of the corridor. Scorpius didn't need to follow his gesture to know that Hugo Weasley was standing there.
Scorpius took a deep breath and turned around to face the inevitable. Hugo smiled when their eyes met. He took a half-step forward and raised a hand, waving slightly. He quickly tucked the hand away, however, embarrassed.
"Isn't that sweet," Chris drawled.
Scorpius rolled his eyes, and pointedly looked away from Hugo's gaze. He kept his eyes straight ahead and picked up the pace. Just get to class, he told himself. Just get to class and think about something else.
"Um, good morning, Scorpius," said Hugo as Scorpius drew closer. Hugo smiled tentatively. Scorpius said nothing. He didn't look at the boy. Scorpius brushed past him. His heart throbbed in his throat.
"Um." Hugo turned around, joining the stream of people going opposite his original direction. He hovered near Scorpius' elbow.
Chris walked around to Scorpius' other side, giving Scorpius a look which Scorpius clearly read as, 'Fix this, and get the Hufflepuff away from me.'
"So, I, uh, wanted to talk to you for a second, about what happened-oof." Hugo doubled over as a passing Ravenclaw's elbow hit him the stomach. The girl's books scattered across the ground and she shrieked out an apology. Hugo stopped to help her with her books, and Scorpius kicked up the speed.
His eyes focused on the next available turn. Just a few more steps, he thought. A few more and he could get out of this corridor. Maybe lose Hugo for good. Or, at least lose him for this morning.
Apparently, Hugo Weasley had no compunctions about jogging in busy corridors.
"The library." Hugo panted, and Scorpius glanced at him briefly, instantly regretting it when Hugo sent him a shy smile. Scorpius' stomach twisted. He snapped his head forward, and scolded himself about removing his eyes from his goal.
"Uh, yeah. So. I'm sorry about what happened in the library the other day," said Hugo. "I mean, it must be pretty annoying, having all my, um, relatives, sort of…anyway. I didn't ask them to do that or anything. They're sort of annoying me too, actually. Anyway. I don't want to bother you, or cause problems for you, or anything, and it looked like maybe I sort of was, so I wanted to say I was sorry. And. And, um." Hugo took a deep breath, and internally Scorpius growled. Merlin, wasn't this boy done yet? Were declarative sentences really so bloody difficult to form? "Um. So, I thought maybe we might do some homework sometime. If you wanted. Or-or not. You know, I just kind of wanted to talk to you, so-"
All right, that was enough. That was just enough. Scorpius stopped walking. Hugo was following him so closely that he walked right up into Scorpius' chest before managing to stop and jump backwards, blushing furiously.
"No," Scorpius snarled.
Hugo's head snapped up. "W-what?"
"I don't want to talk to you. Yes, you bother me. Yes, what happened in the library was your fault, and you are a problem, so I'd really appreciate it if you would bugger off and stop stalking me, you queer little freak!" By the time Scorpius was finished, he was shouting, and breathing hard through his nose.
Scorpius could feel his cheeks burning hot with a blush, but he was sure they were nothing compared to the maroon that Hugo's cheeks had flushed. His wide pink lips were parted slightly, his liquid brown eyes wide with shock, and, as Scorpius stared him down, they filled with shame. Hugo ducked his head, his hands clutching hard at the strap of his bookbag.
Scorpius turned around, fighting down the nausea that was rising in his throat, overtaking his anger. He marched towards the end of the corridor and made his turn, barely noticing when Chris joined up with him.
They walked for a moment in silence.
"That was…effective," said Christian.
Scorpius didn't say anything. He didn't think he could open his mouth without vomiting.
*
"I haven't seen the puppy all day," said Miranda. She sighed, and plopped her chin down on her fist.
Scorpius' mouth tightened. He forced himself to concentrate on his Potions essay. This was his thesis, damn it. He was a NEWT student. He had a lot of really important things to think about besides whiny Hufflepuffs and their obsessive, homosexual crushes.
"Oh, I don't think we'll see any more of Weasley," said Chris. Scorpius glanced at him, but Chris' face was as blank as his tone.
"Why?" Miranda scooted forward, her long brown hair pooling on her textbook. "What happened?"
"Scor set him straight, so to speak."
"Oooh."
"Yeah. Pretty hard."
"Oh my God, what'd he say? What'd Weasley do?"
"He is right here," Scorpius snapped. "And doesn't think it's any of your bloody business."
Miranda pursed her lips. "You don't have to get snippy."
"You've been in a bad mood all day," said Chris. "What is up your arse?"
"Nothing." Scorpius was snarling, his hand curled in his hair, his face an inch from the page of his book. He glared at his friends. "Nothing is wrong. Nothing is the matter. I am in a fine mood, I just feel like maybe we should come to the library to, I don't know, study? So maybe we don't, I don't know, fail?"
Chris and Miranda stared at him. Finally, Miranda sniffed, and turned back to her book. "You know when you sneer like that, Scor, you look so ugly."
*
"Fucking Hell, Malfoy, where are you?"
Scorpius jumped, and whirled his head around. His hand came up, but the practice Snitch was already dancing away from his fingers, zooming beneath the Chasers and then out of sight. Scorpius' expression twisted, and, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zabini shaking his head before zooming after the Quaffle.
Scorpius sighed, and shook his head, trying to physically clear his thoughts. He kept going back to that image of Hugo in the hallway, the shock in his eyes turning to shame, then his chin dropping down to his chest. Scorpius could feel his stomach twisting just at the thought. He cast his eyes downward.
"MALFOY."
Scorpius snatched in front of his face, but the Snitch was gone. "Fuck!" he shouted.
He tried not to look at any of his teammates, but it was hard to miss the smirk that had overtaken Nott's face or the hard look in Zabini's eyes as he flew up and hovered in front of Scorpius.
"Malfoy, we have a match in two days."
"I know," Scorpius snarled.
Zabini's eyes narrowed. "I know you know. I'm telling you, I don't care how bloody popular you are. Get it together, or Stewart's flying Seeker against Ravenclaw."
Scorpius fumed, but he bit back the sarcastic retorts that jumped to the ready. He nodded.
*
Scorpius paused for a moment inside the door of the Great Hall. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his Quidditch robes and quickly scanned the crowd. It was easy to pretend that he wasn't looking for anybody in particular, but harder to pretend that he didn't pay extra special attention to the Hufflepuff table.
"Scor?" Chris was looking at him strangely.
Scorpius scowled, and walked to the Slytherin table. He and Chris slid into their regular seats. The students around them smiled at Scorpius, chirping a chorus of, 'Good luck!' Scorpius nodded to them and mumbled something that might have been, 'Thank you,' or, 'Whatever.'
Scorpius pushed his eggs around his plate for a minute before dropping his fork. He sighed.
"Merlin, Scor, are you PMSing or something?" Chris was giving him a very strange look, now. "You've got a match today, mate."
"I know. Doesn't anyone think I know that?"
Chris glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then leaned forward. "Mate, I don't want to…I don't know, accuse you, or anything, but you've been really…well, you've been really pissy since you blew off that Hufflepuff. Is there maybe something you want to talk about?"
"No," said Scorpius, but even to his own ears he sounded sullen. He sighed. "It's just…weird. I mean, I don't want him around and he's bloody everywhere, and now it's like he just…disappeared. Like, vanished. I mean, he hasn't been to breakfast in days, and it's just…weird."
Scorpius glanced quickly up at Chris' face, but his friend was frustratingly unreadable.
"His family keeps glaring at me," Scorpius mumbled, picking his fork back up and spearing a sausage.
"Okay, momentarily setting aside the fact that you're a Malfoy and they're Weasleys, you sort of called their puppy a big gay freak in front of a whole bunch of people, Scor."
"Their puppy?"
Chris shrugged. "It makes me feel fruity just saying it, but it is pretty appropriate."
It was, Scorpius admitted, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "But," he huffed, "I mean, don't you think it's weird that he's just suddenly gone?"
"Um." Chris raised an eyebrow. "No? It's a big school; you humiliated him. He's licking his wounds. I do think it's a little weird that you're worrying so much about not seeing someone you don't want to see -- that you specifically told to have a nice short fall off a nice high cliff. That's a little weird."
Scorpius frowned. He glanced up and held Chris' eyes for a second. Scorpius looked back down at his plate. This was exactly, exactly, the situation he had been avoiding since third year. That's when puberty had taken over the Slytherin dormitories and Scorpius had started taking his showers inside after Quidditch practice. Which made him strange enough, he knew. He didn't want Chris thinking him weird. He didn't want anyone thinking he was weird.
Scorpius sighed, and took a bite of his sausage. He had a match.
*
Scorpius tuned out the sound of the crowd and the squawks of the student announcer. He let it all fall below him, fading into a buzz as he scanned his eyes across the field, searching for the flash of gold that betrayed the Snitch.
There. Hovering beside Zabini's knee.
Scorpius had no sooner seen the flash than he was flat against his broom, cold air whipping against his face as he dove beneath the tussling Chasers and reached for the Snitch. Scorpius could feel the soft currents stirred by the Snitch's silver wings just before his broom jerked upwards.
Both of Scorpius' hands jumped to the head of his broom instinctively, tugging him level. The buzz of noise rose to a roar. Scorpius whirled his head around, and blanched. The Bludger had only just clipped the bottom of his broom's tail, but the small black ball was arching back around, speeding straight towards Scorpius' head. Scorpius didn't think. He pushed with both hands, dropping his broom into a sudden, sharp dive. Scorpius could hear the faint whistle as the ball zoomed overhead, curling itself back around to chase Scorpius up the field.
His heart thundered in his throat. Scorpius tried to look for a Beater as he zigzagged across the field, but he was going too fast to see more than blurs.
There.
Scorpius jerked his head around, and his broom followed. He'd seen a flash of gold. The Snitch. Merlin, the Snitch. Scorpius panted and pointed himself at the flash of gold. He ignored everything but that metallic wink, slipping his belly close to his broomstick, lying almost flat against it.
Distantly, he thought he heard Zabini's voice call out his name, but it was mixed too thoroughly with the buzz. His blood pounded too loudly in his ears. Scorpius reached out his hand, fingers stretching for the ball. Come on, he urged himself, willing his arm to grow longer.
There. Behind the gold, a familiar metallic wink. But not gold -- it was copper.
For a moment, Scorpius' eyes slid away from the Snitch. His heart skipped a beat. His fingers touched something cool and smooth that vibrated against his fingertips.
"MALFOY!" Scorpius heard Zabini that time, but he had no time to react before the left side of his body exploded. His broom was no longer in his hands. Scorpius was falling, but he couldn't tell how fast. Everything hurt. The world went dark.
*
Part Two