The Summer Trials Part XI: Epilogue
Title: The Summer Trials Part XI
Author: phys_nut
Beta: unbeta'd at the mo cause i'm a gob!
Prompts: all of them!
Summary: The trial is over, and Albus and Scorpius can finally be together
Word Count:5,464
Pairings: AS/S, some Teddy/James
Warnings: kissing, boy sex (do people still use lemon anymore? or am i totally out of the loop?), sap, fluff
Disclaimer:
A/N: oh my god! I’m terribly late with this I realise, and I apologise profusely! All last week was spent finishing my dissertation and handing it in, and so I didn’t get to start this till yesterday morning, and spent the whole day writing it, and by the time I was finished the internet cafes were all closed!! Nevertheless, here it is the FINAL chapter of The Summer Trials, please read, enjoy and let me know what you think!! :D
Epilogue
At first, there was nothing, and then, a light breeze swept over them, curling around Albus’ neck and playing with the tendrils of hair there, and the faint sound of music playing reached his ears. He was about the pull back to check on Scorpius, when suddenly, his friend’s lips changed, from the shapeless, malleable form of sleep, to moulding against his, kissing him back. Albus’ breath hitched, and tingles zipped through his body, pooling in his stomach. The kiss deepened some more, and Scorpius let out a faint whimper, then suddenly froze. Albus slowly pulled back to see his friend blinking up in shock at him, and his heart thumped erratically as they stared into each other’s eyes.
"Al?" Scorpius croaked, looking up at the teen looming over him, looking at him with a mixture of anxiety and warmth.
Green eyes sparkled with happiness and relief, and Albus replied, "Yeah, it’s me Scorp. I found you."
"You look like shit," Scorpius said hoarsely, reaching up to stroke Albus’ cheek.
"Nice to see you too Scorp, glad to see you’re as charming as ever," Albus smirked, sitting on the bed beside him.
"That’s me," Scorpius smirked, "…am…am I…water please?" Scorpius finally whispered, sitting up and rubbing his neck.
His throat felt dry and a little sore from unused, and Scorpius guessed that he must finally be awake. He couldn’t be sure yet, didn’t want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed.
Albus conjured up a cup and filled it with water, then handed it to Scorpius, who drank it gratefully.
He coughed, and then said softly, "Am I awake?"
"Yes," Albus smiled, "You’re awake and the trials are over."
"Oh thank Merlin," Scorpius sighed in relief, leaning his head on Albus’ shoulder.
They sat in silence, drinking in the feeling of one another, happy to be together again.
"So, how did you wake me up?" Scorpius asked casually.
"You know how I did," Albus replied tightly, his face flushing.
"Yeah…" Scorpius murmured, face also turning red, "just wanted to be sure…did…do I have bad breath?" he whispered, trying, but failing, to sound nonchalant.
Albus chuckled, and ran a hand through Scorpius’ hair gently, as he said, "Not in the slightest…Do you mind that I?"
"Oh! No," Scorpius replied hastily, though he tried not to sound too eager, "I mean, it had to be done, right?"
"Right…" Albus murmured, swallowing heavily, as he prepped himself to say what he needed to.
Nerves were building up in his chest, but if there was one thing the trials had taught him it was that he couldn’t be without Scorpius, and he needed to let his friend know.
"Scorpius, I…" he paused, glanced away, but then shook his head and looked Scorpius in the eye as he continued, "I’ve realised that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, that…that you mean more to me than anything, and I’ve been an utter twat denying the obvious for the past seven years."
He paused again, to gather his thoughts, while Scorpius stared at him with wide, hopeful, yet confused eyes.
"Albus?" he said softly, reaching out and taking Albus’ hand, interlacing their fingers.
Albus shivered and tightened his grip on Scorpius’ hand, eyes never leaving the blonde’s. He searched those eyes for a few moments, and then gave a large smile.
"The truth is…I love you Scorpius. I’ve loved you for longer than I realise, and I’m not hiding how I feel anymore. I know you don’t date, or get involved with anyone, but you should know how I feel-"
He was cut off by Scorpius lunging into his arms and kissing him passionately. Albus made a surprised, pleased noise and kissed him back, parting his lips and thrusting his tongue into Scorpius’ mouth, while his arms wrapped around the teen’s body, running over his back possessively. Scorpius had twined his hands in Albus’ hair, and he kissed him fiercely, before pulling back to stare at him, his pupils dilated and dazed-looking. He and Albus panted harshly, while their hands continued to grip each other, never wanting to let go.
"Albus I - I never dated anyone because I’ve only ever wanted you," Scorpius confessed, "I love you too, I love you so much-"
This time it was Albus that leaned in, cutting him off with a hungry kiss that turned his insides to jelly and sent his head spinning. Suddenly the world around them came to life; the wind twirled around them, bursts of light exploded, and music poured out of the air.
"We, are the champions, my friend, and we’ll keep on fighting, till the end!"
The two boys gasped and parted, staring in wonder at the cacophony of energy and joy around them.
"Oh, look!"
Albus looked up and saw giant letters being formed in the sky: CONGRATULATIONS! THE FAIRYTALE TRIALS ARE NOW COMPLETE!
Albus and Scorpius grinned at each other, and leaned in to kiss again. It was completely wonderful and addictive, the slide of lips and tongues, the feel of their chests pushed together, their arms around each other, and best of all, the knowledge that they truly loved each other. It wasn’t a dream, or a hallucination, it was real, and it was THEIRS.
Eventually they pulled away, and sat, looking over each other, savouring every touch and look that they gave and received, while smiling joyfully.
"You’ve really been through the wars," Scorpius murmured sadly, fingering a small scar over a half-burnt-off eyebrow, "just to find me."
"You’re worth it," Albus said sincerely, "You’re worth everything and more."
"Still," Scorpius murmured, "We should get you some dittany. Where are we?" he asked, taking in their surroundings properly for the first time.
"Siberia," Albus answered, "Don’t think we’ll find any dittany near here."
"Nonsense," Scorpius scoffed, "my parents have a holiday home near here, I’ll apparate us and we’ll get you sorted."
"Okay," Albus nodded, feeling an odd thrill run through him at the thought of being alone in a house with Scorpius while cleaning his wounds…He shook his head, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Charlie!"
"What about your uncle?" Scorpius asked, confused.
"No, my noble - I mean, motorbike," Albus told him, standing up and walking over to where the bike lay.
"His name’s Charlie, he’s actually quite cool when you get over the excessive hyperness," he chuckled, kneeling down beside the bike and pulling out his wand.
"Reparo," he said, waving his wand over the bike, which immediately was knitted back together, looking shiny and new, "Charlie? Hey Charlie, what’s wr-" he asked, reaching out to touch the bike.
It was cold. Not in a temperature way, but a magic way. Albus could feel the hum of magic that allowed it to fly, but the fairytale charm which had made it Charlie, was gone. Albus sighed, feeling a little sad, and stood, hauling it upright and walking it over to Scorpius, who stood up from the bed.
"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked, taking in the slight slump of his shoulders.
"Yeah, I just forgot that the charm to make him talk and everything would wear off at the end of the trial. I’ll miss him a little, he was a great noble steed. I wish I could have told him."
"I’m sure he knew," Scorpius smiled, walking over and wrapping an arm around Albus’ waist.
Albus leaned against him, rubbing his face against Scorpius’ cheek, inhaling deeply the smell of cinnamon that always clung to him regardless.
"Ready to go?" Scorpius asked, in a wobbly voice, his hand fisting Albus’ jacket tightly.
"Mmm," Albus nodded, his face rubbing against Scorpius’ neck, upon which he placed a light kiss, feeling delirious that he could do this all the time now without having to question why he wanted to do it in the first place, or be in denial about his motivations.
Scorpius shivered, pulled Albus tight against him, and turned sharply.
They apparated in front of a large cottage, a far cry from the ostentatious Malfoy Manor, and Albus wondered if they were in the right place."
"My mother chose this," Scorpius told him, seeing the puzzled look on his face, "She doesn’t particularly like the Manor, thinks it’s too big and cold, so she wanted somewhere cosy so we can be near each other on our holidays," he sneered, but then smiled fondly as he finished, "She’s terribly keen on family togetherness."
"My gran’s the same," Albus smiled, "The Burrow could be falling down around us and she’d still try to pack the whole family in."
Scorpius laughed and lead Albus to the side of the cottage, where he parked his bike, and then into the cottage.
"I have a medical kit in my room," Scorpius told him, taking his hand and tugging him along.
Albus flashed him a look of surprise, which then melted into such a beautiful happy smile that Scorpius simply had to tug him close and kiss him softly on the mouth. Albus smiled against his lips and he cupped Scorpius’ cheek kissing him back gently.
"Merlin, it’s so good to be able to do that," Scorpius sighed as they parted, and continued walking down the hall.
"You can say that again."
"It’s good to be able to do that."
"Har har," Albus deadpanned, as they stepped into Scorpius’ room.
It was nicely sized, decorated in various shades of vibrant greens and cool blues, and Albus fell in love with the vibe of the room - it was totally Scorpius all over.
"Sit," Scorpius said, pushing Albus down on the bed, and turned to grab his medical kit.
Turning back around, he stalled, heat pooling in his belly at the sight of Albus sitting on his bed, shrugging off his jacket. Albus looked up and sent him a smirk, as though his knew exactly what was going through his mind, and Scorpius’ brain fizzled a fraction, before he shook it off and knelt in front of the black-haired boy, opening his kit and pulling out dittany and antiseptic salve.
Albus stared down at him, his cock enjoying the sight a little too much and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think unsexy thoughts, so much so that he missed Scorpius talking to him, and yelped when he felt something cool run over his forehead.
"Are you listening to me?" Scorpius asked in an amused tone, "I just told you what I was going to do."
"Sorry, got a bit…distracted," Albus stuttered, blushing.
"Did you now?" Scorpius murmured, gazing up at him with hooded eyes.
He smirked then, and continued his ministrations on Albus’ face as he said, "Well feel free to be distracted then."
Albus gulped and watched Scorpius as he put dittany on his cuts and burned, followed by the salve.
"Right, where else?"
"Um, my arms…and back and chest," Albus swallowed nervously.
Scorpius glanced sharply at him, before he said thickly, "Okay…we should take care of them."
He reached out with not-entirely-steady hands and gently pulled Albus’ t-shirt off. Both tens were breathing more heavily than usual, and Scorpius couldn’t help but look over Albus’ bare torso. There were some burn marks and scratches dotted about, but nothing too bad luckily. The worst was a small claw mark on his shoulder, and without thinking, Scorpius leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on it. Albus made a low noise, his eyes closed, and Scorpius stared at him for a few moments more, before getting on with tending to his wounds. As he leaned forward to get the last one, he placed his free hand on Albus’ leg, causing the teen to flinch and hiss in pain.
"What’s wrong with your leg?"
"I, uh…I stabbed them," Albus admitted sheepishly.
"What?" Scorpius gaped, "Let me see them now."
Albus shuck his trousers and sat back, arousal gone in the face of Scorpius’ pain and worry.
"Oh Albus…" Scorpius whispered, staring in horror at the angry red marks which littered Albus’ thigh.
Quickly, he applied the dittany and salve, and then leaned down and kissed each mark slowly, lavishing them with lips and tongue and love and care.
Albus panted, his head falling back at the pleasure of Scorpius’ ministrations. Unconsciously, Scorpius began to kiss around the marks and beyond, moving to the inside of his thigh and upward. There were things they needed to talk about from the trials, things Scorpius had told Dream-Albus that he needed to tell his Albus, but right now, he was overwhelmed by his actions, intoxicated by Albus and every sound and pant and movement he made. Scorpius reached the hem of Albus’ boxers and pushed it up with his nose to kiss the revealed flesh, before he moved and nuzzled his face against Albus’ erection. His head was spinning, and his breaths came in harsh gasps.
"Scorp," Albus moaned, grabbing Scorpius’ shoulders and hauling him up into a desperate kiss.
In no time at all, they were naked, Albus pressing down against Scorpius, the two thrusting in a frenzied manner against each other, hands alternating between clutching desperately, and roaming greedily over every part of the body in reach.
"Albus, need you," Scorpius moaned as Albus attacked his neck with burning nips and licks, "need you, need you, neeeee... Please…oh please, now."
"Scorp, I - I’ve never-" Albus panted, slowing his hips marginally.
"I know," Scorpius said soothingly, stroking Albus’ cheek, "I’ll take care of you."
"Have you ever?"
"Yes. Once," Scorpius answered, half afraid Albus would be disgusted and not want him, "But it - I - I didn’t want it like it want you, it was a mistake. Please Albus," he continued; bending his knees and cradling Albus’ body between them, "you’re all I’ve ever wanted."
"Oh Scorp," Albus sighed, "I need you too. Love you so much."
"Love you too," Scorpius smiled, and pulled him into a sweet kiss, that quickly turned desperate as they touched each other everywhere.
Albus bucked and groaned as Scorpius’ hand found his cock, pumping it slowly, and he fumbled for his wand, quickly performing a lubrication spell. That done, he trailed a finger up Scorpius’ leg, and slowly circled over his entrance. Scorpius twitched and his breath stuttered as Albus circled it lightly over and over again, his finger retreating when Scorpius’ hips surged forward.
"Please Albus," Scorpius whined, hips straining.
Albus couldn’t deny him and sank his finger in slowly, watching as Scorpius’ mouth form an ‘O’ and his eyes rolled back in his head.
"More," Scorpius rasped, after a few moments of Albus carefully sliding his finger in and out.
Albus continued to prep Scorpius as slowly and thoroughly as possible, but there was an edge to his movement and in Scorpius’ hips, which moved in time with his fingers. They needed this, were desperate to be joined, to know and feel that this was real, they were here and had each other. All too soon, Scorpius was crying out and shaking, hips straining, and Albus knew he was ready. He quickly lubed up his erection and slowly pushed in, holding Scorpius’ gaze the whole time. When he was fully sheathed, he paused, panting, giving them both time to adjust.
"Oh, oh god…so tight Scorp…" he ground out as he fought desperately not to move, "Are you - are you okay?"
"Yes, oh yes," Scorpius hissed, "feels so good Al…need you to move…"
The other time Scorpius had done this had been painful, uncomfortable and humiliating, but now, he felt fully and warm and perfect and loved, and he never wanted it to end.
Albus started off with small, slow thrusts that evolved into longer, deeper and harder ones, while Scorpius wrapped his legs around his waist and keened and begged for more. Scorpius reached up, grabbed the headboard for leverage and moved in time with Albus’ thrusts. The pace became frantic, and Albus quickly reached for Scorpius’ cock, stroking it in time with their lovemaking. It was too much for the blond, who tensed and climaxed with a scream. Albus gave two more thrusts before he yelled and came, collapsing on top of Scorpius.
They lay together in a sweaty, sated tangle of limbs, before Albus slowly pulled out and rolled to the side, Scorpius curling up against his side.
"Ugh," Albus groaned, brain on the fritz and nerves pleasantly numb.
"Indeed," Scorpius panted, "That was amazing."
They kissed gently and snuggled up together, revelling in the afterglow. All too soon though, rumbling stomachs ruined the mood. Laughing, they pulled on boxers and padded out to the kitchen for food. When they had finished eating, Albus straddled Scorpius’ lap to give him a ‘thank you’ kiss, and quickly they were making love again, Albus gasping and moaning as he rode Scorpius’ cock, while Scorpius licked and bit at every piece of skin he could reach. They had another go in the shower, and fell asleep in each other’s arms. They both woke up several times during the night: Albus to check on Scorpius, and Scorpius because he was afraid he was dreaming again. The next day, after their shower and breakfast, they decided they had better head home and let people know they were alive and safe.
"First though," Albus said when they were ready to go, "I want to pop in to see James."
"Why?"
"I want to see if Teddy actually picked up the nerve to tell him he likes him."
"You mean he finally caught on?" Scorpius smirked.
"Eventually," Albus smirked back, wrapping an arm around Scorpius and apparating them and the bike to Romania.
They popped up right beside James’ house, and Albus took Scorpius’ hand as they crept silently into his brother’s home. Inside, Albus quickly located the invisibility cloak, and threw it over himself and Scorpius so they could move more freely about. The two boys snickered quietly between themselves as they crept around, feeling as giddy and high as they did when pulling pranks. They swept the whole house, Albus feeling ultimately disappointed when neither James nor Teddy were to be found.
They had convened in the kitchen, when Albus spotted them sitting out the back together at a battered wooden table, Teddy drinking tea and James lemonade. Teddy’s back was to them so they couldn’t see his face, but Albus guessed he was talking because James had his listening face on. James was most definitely the best listener Albus knew - he looked like he wanted to hear EVERYTHING you had to say. Scorpius had once remarked that it was slightly unnerving, but Teddy always drank it up, and would spend hours talking with James, beaming at the younger man.
"Do you think he’s told them yet?" Scorpius whispered, resting his chin on Albus’ shoulder.
Albus studied the two men a bit more and replied, "No, but he’s going to."
"How can you tell?"
"He’s fidgeting like crazy, which he only does when he’s trying to get the courage to say something," Albus told him, "and his hair’s blue. Blue always means he’s feeling upset or bad. Red means angry, and green happy - the more vibrant the better."
"Ah, so that’s why turquoise is his neutral colour."
"Pretty much."
The two teens watched James and Teddy some more, wishing they could hear what was going on. James obviously realised something was wrong with Teddy, and he reached out and put his hand over the older man’s, cocking his head to the side as he spoke. Teddy’s head bowed for a moment, and his hand turned over and entwined with James’ before he looked back up again.
James looked worried, and then suddenly shocked, his eyes widening with hope and disbelief, and Albus saw him mouth, "You do?"
Teddy’s hair turned a faint green, and he slowly nodded.
"Oh he told," Albus smiled.
"About time," Scorpius smirked, "I wonder how long until James drags him to the bedroom?"
"About 0.1 of a second I’d say," Albus chuckled.
However, James sat there, staring at Teddy in shock. His hand pulled away from the metamorphagus’ and covered his mouth as he just sat there, and ten seconds later, he was still frozen in the same position. Teddy’s hair dimmed and turned a murky, depressing blue and he abruptly stood, backing away a few steps.
"James, what the hell are you doing?!" Albus hissed, "You finally get what you want and you just sit there!"
"Maybe the shock is too much," Scorpius shrugged, though he too, silently urged James to DO SOMETHING.
Teddy gestured wildly, before his shoulders slumped, and he took a step away. He was about to turn, when James suddenly leapt on top of him, sending him tumbling back on the ground, before sealing their lips together. James pulled back, said something and then placed frantic little kisses all over Teddy’s face and neck. Teddy snapped into action, and he wrapped his arms around James’ neck and pulled him down into a torrid kiss. They clung to each other, kissing as if they’d never get the chance again, while Albus and Scorpius alternated between glancing at them, and anywhere else BUT them.
Eventually they parted, and just gazed at each other. James looked over Teddy wondrously, and as his gaze moved up, his chest heaved sharply and his gaze softened. He reached up and ran his fingers through Teddy’s hair, which was the brightest, most vibrant green Albus had ever seen.
"Wow," Scorpius murmured.
"Wow," Albus echoed.
"We should probably go," Scorpius said, "it was bad enough seeing them kiss, and they look like they’re going to devour each other."
"Agreed," Albus nodded, then paused and added, "Just two little things."
He pulled out his wand, charmed the door to play "Congratulations," whenever it was opened, then moved into the bedroom and charmed the bed to shout, "TEDDY AND JAMES, SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" whenever someone touched it. Satisfied with his work, he put the cloak back, grabbed Scorpius, pulled him out to the bike and apparated them to the nearest place he could think of.
***
Louis shrieked and enveloped them in bone-crushing hugs and a flurry of cheek kisses when they popped up on his doorstep.
"Albus! Scorpius! It is so good to see you! Oh, and you brought my favourite sentient object with you - hello Charlie!" Louis sang, skipping up to the bike.
"Oh, the charm wore off Louis," Albus told him, "it’s not Charlie anymore."
"Oh…how very tragic," Louis said in a woeful tone, as he knelt beside the bike, "Adieu Charlie, parting is such sweet sorrow."
He kissed the handlebars, sighed and then stood, beaming.
"Well!" he announced, ushering the teens into the house, "Now is not the time for mourning, Charlie would not have wanted that. No, it is a time of celebration! I take it that you have completed the trials?"
Albus nodded and Scorpius smiled.
"And you have admitted your feelings?"
Scorpius and Albus glanced at each other, smiled and held hands. Louis bit his lips, looking for all the world like he was about to cry, before he clasped his hands over his heart.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "I am so happy for you both! Your love, it is palpable, so beautiful! Wine! He simply must have wine!" he declared, marching them into the kitchen.
"Just a little Louis," Albus warned, "no karaoke."
"But of course," Louis said dismissively, sitting them down and disappearing to get a bottle.
***
Albus woke up with a pounding head and a chuckling Scorpius.
"Good morning," Scorpius said sweetly, kissing his head.
"Ugh," Albus moaned, not trusting himself to move.
"I didn’t know you were such a good singer," Scorpius said lightly, his tone teasing, "but honestly Albus, Celine Dion?"
"Shurrup," Albus groaned, swatting at him lazily.
"Aw, I’m hurt," Scorpius pouted, "and I’ve got the cure to your little problem and all."
Albus cracked an eye open and saw Scorpius holding a small vial in front of him. He shifted and tried to grab it, but Scorpius pulled it away, a maddening smirk on his lips.
"Nah ah ah, what’s the magic word?"
Albus could think of a few suitable choice words, but sighed and said, "Please Scorpius."
"Of course darling," Scorpius replied, handing him the vial.
Albus uncorked it and drank the potion, sighing in relief when his headache started to abate.
"Not very nice of you to torture your boyfriend like that," Albus murmured petulantly, glaring up at Scorpius.
The blond chuckled, smoothed Albus hair back and kissed his forehead.
"Sorry," he said, "I couldn’t help myself, you’re so cute when you’re hungover and grumpy."
"Fuck off," Albus grinned good-naturedly, sitting up beside him, "were you drunk at all?"
"I was drunk enough to appreciate the karaoke, but not drunk enough to partake in it."
The living room door opened and Louis danced in, singing to himself.
"Ah, Albus you are finally awake!" he cheered, then knelt down beside him and whined, "Scorpius is being very mean to me, he will not tell me anything about his trials, simply because he has yet to tell you!"
"I think Albus should be told first," Scorpius sighed in an exasperated manner.
"You do?" Albus asked, the same moment as Louis said, "Psssccchhhh!"
"Yes," Scorpius smiled, and kissed him softly.
"Le sigh, I cannot stay mad in the face of such love," Louis sighed, then stood and said, "Come, breakfast is ready."
The three ate their fill, Louis filling them in on the family gossip: Victoire had taken a drastic step and attempted to make amorentia sweets for Teddy ("It is only so he can get a TASTE of what it is to love me, and when it wears off he’s realise that he likes feeling that way a lot," was her explanation). Unfortunately, her mother had discovered this, and had severely chastised her for it, so she was sulking in the family home refusing to talk to anyone. Also, on the search for Crookshanks, Aunt Hermione had come across Hugo’s stash of gillyweed, and incredibly, had believed him when he told her it was for research purposes. Lastly, Molly and Lucy had run away with a bunch of groupies for the wizarding band ‘Wolfsbane and Deadly Kisses,’ and Uncle Percy had practically bribed Harry into sending aurors after them.
Albus and Scorpius in turn filled him in on the latest development with James and Teddy. Louis had cackled over Victoire’s inevitable reaction, and then sighed in happiness about how brilliant it was that everyone was finally finding love.
Eventually it was time to leave, and Louis bestowed more hugs and kiss on them, along with two bottles of wine, and a promise to visit him soon.
"Do you want to fly or apparate?" Albus asked, as they stood by the bike.
"Fly," Scorpius replied, "I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I have to go home."
"Albus beamed, and they hopped on the bike, Scorpius pressed tight against him. They spent the ride telling each other about the trials and what had happened to them, and pulled up outside the Potter house by mid-evening. They were barely five minutes in the door when Draco apparted in, immediately grabbing Scorpius in a tight hug, surprising him to no end.
"I’m apparating you straight home, and you will not be leaving until I say so," he barked, clinging to Scorpius as though frightened he would vanish at any second.
"Well Albus can visit"-
"No," Draco snapped, "It will do you good to spend some time apart."
"But we have been!" Albus protested.
"We just found each other father," Scorpius added, eyes large and pleading.
"I think your father’s right Scorpius," Harry said gently, "Not for the whole summer, but a little space might be good."
"But dad!"
"No buts," Harry said firmly.
Albus and Scorpius glowered at their respective fathers, and then Scorpius sighed and said, "Can I at least say goodbye?"
"Of course," Draco said roughly, slowly releasing him.
Scorpius stepped forward and pulled Albus into a hug, not wanting to let him go.
"Write to me," Albus asked softly.
"Only if you write to me."
"Deal."
And then, not giving a toss about their audience, they kissed, trying to pour every emotion and unspoken vow into it as they held each other tenderly. Harry and Draco made strangled noises of protest, and they pulled apart, smirking at each other.
"Scorpius Hyperion Mal-" Draco started, when Scorpius cut him off saying, "You’re separating us for Merlin knows how long, it serves you right."
Draco looked shocked, and then scowled and said, "Fine. Let’s go."
Scorpius gave Albus one last hug, a peck on the lips and stepped beside his father. Draco gave Harry a curt nod and apparated himself and Scorpius away. Albus continued to stare at the spot where his boyfriend had been, not wanting to deal with anything just yet. His dad cleared his throat and said, "So, you and Scorpius?"
"Yeah," Albus replied quietly, "I love him."
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he muttered, "I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised…I eh…I don’t have to give you The Talk do I?" he asked hesitantly, smiling a little.
"Well seeing as you’ve just separated us I doubt it will be a problem anytime soon," Albus replied sardonically, his eyes glinting as he added, "You might want to pop over to see James though; last time I check he and Teddy were getting along very well."
Harry gaped in shock at him, before he snorted and said, "I hoped that was just a phase."
"Twenty one years if a pretty long phase."
"Ugh," Harry groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face, "I love them, and as long as they’re happy I’m happy."
"Keep telling yourself that dad," Albus smirked, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past him, "I’m going to comfort eat."
***
Albus and Scorpius milked their separation for all it was worth - Scorpius languished impressively about the Manor while Michelle Branch wailed about love and saying goodbye, while Albus made a half-hearted attempt at weeding, and ended up conjuring forget-me-nots around the house. They wrote proper letters to each other, but also sent each other howlers, moaning with impressive prose about their doomed love affair and heartbreak and the like. Harry and Draco managed to put up with it for two weeks before giving in and allowing them to see each other (of course this had NOTHING to do with the return of Astoria and Ginny from visiting their respective parents). Scorpius and Albus, much cheered, were glued at the hip, and spent the next number of weeks flying about on Albus’ bike, using an old, abandoned train station for shagging each other senseless and getting away from their houses.
When their NEWT results (all Os and Es) arrived, Molly Weasley demanded to host a celebratory party at the Burrow. She spent three days on a giant six-tiered cake for Albus and Scorpius, while everyone prepared the house and grounds for the invasion. Lily supplied the music on the day, insisting on playing "The Graduation Song," by Vitamin C, her latest favourite band, several times, while George and Ron supplied the fireworks (and Hugo the gillyweed, but only in a packet for Albus and Scorpius to use wisely). Teddy and James appeared in the middle of the gathering, looking rather flushed and rumpled, and Albus saw his dad give them a stern talking-to, before he smiled, shook his head and hugged them both fiercely.
Astoria, as it turned out, was an emotional soul it seemed: she took a million photos of absolutely EVERYTHING, randomly hugged Albus and Scorpius every now and then, and cried over how grown up "her boys" were (Draco rolled his eyes at this, but was seen trying to ‘get something out of his eye’ later on). The party was a giant success, and Scorpius even managed to get Albus up for a dance, Astoria furiously capturing the moment, sniffing happily, while Ginny patted her shoulder and beamed at the two boys.
Coming up to the end of the summer, with the help of their families, Albus and Scorpius managed to get an apartment on the outskirts of London. They quickly moved their things in and spent three days "christening," every room several times, eating too much take away, drinking too much wine, and generally having a mini honeymoon, before finally preparing to start their mediwizard training. They took turns cleaning and cooking, and started making tentative, hopeful plans for the future: where to settle down, opening their business, marriage, children, holidays. There were agreements, disagreements and compromises, but on one thing they were both adamant: no more trials!
THE END
A/N: Well there we go! The Summer Trials are officially over! I’ve had the most fun ever taking part in The Carnival, it’s been an absolute blast, and I’m pleased to say that in all my years of writing fanfiction previous to this, this is my first ever completed WIP (which is why I can never go back onto fanfiction.net under my old name as there are people baying for my blood!) so I’m well happy with it!
There are a few thank yous I’d like to make: firstly a MASSIVE thank you to my beta dwarfandelf, thank you so SO much, this story would not have been half as fabulous if it wasn’t for your criticism and wonderful inputs! :D
I’d like to give a big, gigantic hug and thank you to asnowyowl - seriously, your comments every week kept me motivated and feeling all warm and fuzzy, it really meant a lot to me! The Teddy/James is dedicated to you, I hope it meets your expectations!
Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who commented: arabesqueno2, remuslives23, 8ami, kingzgurl, ashtar_11, and everyone who took the time to read my little story, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
Sláinte!! :D