Fic: All Grown Up, Chapter 7 (Harry Potter, Scorpius Malfoy / James Potter)
Title: All Grown Up, Chapter 7
Author: Finnishsphinx
Pairing: James Potter / Scorpius Malfoy
Rating: PG (for this chapter)
Summary: James is coming home after spending four years abroad. His little brother has grown up, but so has his brother’s best friend.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be mine, etc.
Warnings: None
Notes: My first HP story. I’ve read the books in my own language (and a lot of the phrases and some names had been translated), and now writing in English, so I’m trying to check them while writing. If I mess up with them, go ahead and tell me, I appreciate it.
More Notes: For the sake of this fic, I stretched the age gap between James and Albus to five years.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ -----
James couldn’t hear any talking, so he peeked into the kitchen. The fire had died down in the fireplace and Scorpius was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper and sipping pumpkin juice.
“Is it safe in here?”
“Yes, we already finished our conversation. You are back in one piece, so I’ll assume yours went well too.” The blond sipped his pumpkin juice, and refolded the newspaper he had been reading.
“I’d be more worried about your dad than my mom...” James stated. He picked up the jug of juice from the table and poured himself a glass. “Did you talk to your mom?”
“No, she wasn’t home, but I talked to my father.”
A dose of the juice sloshed to the table instead of the glass.
“He’s not about to show up unannounced and began a murderous rampage, if that is what you’re worrying about.”
“So he’ll just wait till I start my practices and strikes then.”
“I see the cat is out of the bag.” Scorpius chuckled into his glass.
“Yeah, why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Well, your mother was worried you would sneak back to Italy if you had known before you signed the deal-”
“I should have guessed something was up when I had to sign it with blood. My own blood!”
“It’s more binding than ink. And when was the last time your older family members voluntarily mentioned my father or his businesses?”
“Good point… What about you or Al or Lily?”
“I promised Al I wouldn’t tell you. He thought it would be a big surprise for you when you walked into the first strategy meeting.” He looked up at James and gestured him to refill his glass. “And the change in ownership only happened few months ago, so this will be my father’s first season as the owner. They intend to have a press conference and a small celebration for the team and some members of the press to introduce the new line-up and the new management team. In case you didn’t know the location, they had to relocate it to the Malfoy Manor. The team’s headquarters are now under renovations after that incident with a steroid crazed snitch.”
“I should have seen this coming… The invitation said formal eveningwear! Who asks a bunch of Quidditch players to dress up, except maybe the queen?”
“My father is quite traditional when it comes to his soirees.” Scorpius took a sip from his juice and grimaced. “But I’m sure your new team will keep things lively for everyone.”
“You’re going?”
“Of course, and so are you. Don’t you remember the fine you have to pay if you neglect your contracted duties in promoting the team?”
“How much is the fine?”
“Three months salary.”
“I better order some new dress robes.”
“That’s always a wise decision. You can never know when you’ll need them.”
“Apparently not. How exactly did you make your dad back off?”
“I guess you could say that…” Scorpius tilted his head to the side, as if he was enjoying every word. “My father knows where the bodies are buried, but I know who they are.”
“Have I ever told you, that your family’s creepy?”
“Several times over the years.” He giggled, then sobered a bit. “They are quite manageable if you know how to handle them. And under everything else…” A warm little smile showed up on his face. “…my father is a very good one. He had to carry a lot of baggage of the previous generation after the war, but he made sure I was kept out of all that.”
“What about your mom?”
“Their marriage was arranged and I am the result of that. She did what was expected from her and now she’s free to enjoy the perks of her position.” Scorpius shrugged and emptied his glass.
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“Long lunches with the other ladies, usually with several drinks, shopping trips to the best boutiques, quick get-aways to the Southern France to meet her family. Their arrangement works, and they are quite good friends. I suspect that is the best possible outcome in that situation. To me… Well, she’s my mother. She might be less affectionate than some other mothers, or even my father-”
James’s eyebrows reached his hairline, but he quickly forced his face neutral. Scorpius`s expression confirmed he had noticed the reaction.
“-but she is my mother non the less.” He toyed with the empty glass in his hands, then got up to put it away. “How was the discussion with yours?”
“Pretty good.”
“She looked quite upset.”
“Well, she’s calmer now. And I got a question for you.”
“About your mother?”
“Partly. She said something and I started thinking about what you said last night.” James walked across the room, stopping right in front of the boy. “My mom had a theory.”
“They very often do.”
“About your mystery crush.”
“What did she tell you?”
“She has this theory…” James wasn’t sure how to say it. He was quickly becoming used to the fact, that Scorpius could get him tongue-tied without even trying, but it didn’t make the situation any easier. The blonds lips seemed to be approaching him, but he was sure he hadn’t moved himself.
His last rational thought was the realization that Scorpius must have moved. Then their lips met and his mind went off-line. Before he got back to his senses, he was already pinned against the fridge door. Scorpius`s hands had grasped James’s hips, grinding their bodies together.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, the last mental image of a silver haired skinny teenager shattered to small pieces. Scorpius was kissing him with experience and skill, not a teenager trying to please, but a grown man taking control. James wasn’t often the shorter one, but now he had to tilt his head slightly up to meet the blonds lips. A pair of skilled hands traveled up and down his sides, mapping out the tickly spots.
A loud sound shook them out their heated kissing. James turned to look what had made the noise and stumbled back when he saw the large bird sitting on the windowsill. He didn’t know what it was, but it`s large size, sharp beak and even sharper claws made sure he didn’t want to agitate it in any way. Scorpius approached the beast and guided it into the kitchen.
“What the hell is that!”
“That’s just Belial.” Scorpius stroked the bird`s head and it gave him a tender little peck on the back of his hand.
“That’s a goddamn vulture!”
“He’s a Griffon Vulture, Gyps fulvous, part of the Accipitridae family.”
“It looks like it eats little kids for breakfast!”
“You’re hurting his feelings.” Scorpius opened the fridge and grabbed a few cold cuts. He tangled them in front of the bird, and it latched onto them. The quickness of the movement made James shiver with mild horror, especially when the giant bird was eyeing him with clear disapproval. Scorpius removed a rolled up parchment from the bird’s leg. “You can go home.”
The vulture nodded and turned around. It spread it’s wings and disappeared through the same window it had come from.
“Is that your pet?”
“No, it’s my father’s. He uses it to carry messages, when he thinks a traditional owl isn’t enough to signal his sentiments. It’s for you.” He held the parchment in front of James, waiting for him to recover from his shock. James took the message, rolled it open and started reading. As he got to the last few lines, his face blanched.
“What is it?”
“Reminder to dress appropriately for the Cannons press conference.” James had to pause and take a calming breath. “Which is being held in the Malfoy Manor.” He glanced at the parchment and read the next line out loud. “Since the Potter family is notorious for its neglect of things such as appearance, appropriate dress code, hair grooming, and general hygiene, I have felt it necessary to remind you of your contractual obligations. For the same reason, you are expected to arrive early, for a private meeting with the current management team to discuss your recent expressions of poor judgment.” Just as he got to the last line, the parchment suddenly combusted, bright flames bursting out from it. He quickly threw it into the sink.
“I guess he wrote that on his business parchment.” Scorpius stated calmly. “It self-destructs after it has been read twice. Father thinks it minimizes the risk, that confidential affairs would leak to those who shouldn’t know about them.”
“He’s going to kill me.”
“No, he wouldn’t kill his new star player, before he has even been in the pitch.”
“I won’t get anywhere near the pitch, he’ll keep me on the bench for my whole three year deal.”
“I won’t let him, so calm down.” Scorpius placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You can do that?”
“I know how to deal with my father, and I always get what I want.” The statement wasn’t even smug, he sounded like he was simply reciting a simple fact of life. “Like you.”
“Me?”
“It took years, but I got you too.”
James responded by tilting his head for another kiss. His body melted against Scorpius`s, relaxing instantly, then tensing up again for a completely different reason. “This is like playing with fire…”
“That’s is exactly what it should feel like, when you are dealing with a Malfoy.” Scorpius hissed into the kiss. “And I’m a Malfoy through and through.”
“No doubts about that… Aren’t you people supposed to be icy?”
“Ice can burn too.” Scorpius`s hands wandered down James’s back, briefly squeezing his butt and then moved to caress his front. “Just so you know… Malfoys don’t surrender easily. Unless your family is offering a suitable dowry.”
“Dowry?” James stammered.
“I just wanted to see if you still had enough blood to go all the way up to your head.” The blonds hand slid down to stroke James through his jeans.
“You’re driving me nuts…” James gasped, pushing himself against the warm palm. “I… we…” His thought seemed to cut him down every time he opened his mouth. “Can… can we go upstairs?”
“No.”
“I mean… mom’s in the living room-”
“I mean no.” Scorpius pressed his palm against the man’s chest and pushed him gently away. “We do not go to bed the same day you decide you want it.”
“I didn’t mean… I mean-”
“I know, but I think you need to be told no. I am not like your previous affairs.”
“You’re not-” James tried to assure, but the blond silenced him by pressing his hand over his mouth.
“I’m talking. I’m not like them, and I will not be treated the same way they were.” He removed his hand and pressed a kiss on James’s lips. “Do I make myself clear?”
James nodded. He didn’t trust his voice enough to try speaking.
“I don’t take orders, I give them. That`s another Malfoy trait.” Another kiss landed on James’s cheek. “Any objections?”
James shook his head.
“Good.” Scorpius smirked. Right then and there he looked like a cross between an innocent angel and a seductive little devil, luring unsuspecting men to his trap. “There’s almost two weeks before father’s party. During that time…” He nuzzled James’s neck gently, teasing a low moan out of his throat. “…we can kiss…” His teeth found James’s ear and gave it a little nip. “…and touch…” He tilted his head back to look at the man. “…but only if you can play by my rules.”
“I can play…” James moaned. The loss of bodily contact felt harder than he could have imagined.
“I care about you.” The blond stroked his cheek gently. “I’ve cared about you for a long time. And I won’t be taken to bed and then tossed aside.”
“I wouldn’t-”
“But you have before.” Scorpius reminded and his fingers travelled down James’s neck. “That’s why I am going to re-train you.”
“Re-train me?” James murmured. He was too far gone to disagree.
“Exactly. I care about you and I want you, but I will not waste my time with a playboy, who isn’t serious about it. If you are serious, and do this right, you’ll get me.”
“Promise?” James sighed and leaned heavily against the blonds shoulder.
“Promise.” Scorpius murmured lowly. “You promise to try?”
James nodded against Scorpius`s shoulder, burying his face in the soft silvery hair.
Chapter 8