Title: The Curse of Red Hair

Pairing: Albus S. Potter/Scorpius H. Malfoy

Rating: PG14

Summary: Harry Potter fell for a redhead, Harry's father, James Potter, fell for a redhead, and now Albus Severus Potter is terrified that there is a curse of sorts on his family. Pure fluff. Oneshot.

Disclaimer: Jo owns the Epilogue kids, we just play with them for a bit.

Dedication: To Harry and Malfoy for naming their kids something god-awful just so we could laugh hysterically about pairing the two kids.

"Ginny, you gotta know I love you, so please understand I'll have to leave you. Hey, I think I've finally got it figured out-- red hair's one thing that I'm all about."

-"Red Hair" by the Weasel King

"I told you, Scorp. It's fate! It's unalterable!"

Scorpius rolled his grey eyes at the flailing arms of his friend, Albus Severus Potter. "Al, I don't believe in fate and neither should you." The blond Ravenclaw's voice had gone cold on the word 'fate', as if it was a curse.

Of course, to the Malfoy family, the idea of everything being uncontrollable was nothing less then a belittlement of their efforts to right what wrongs they and their ancestors had created.

Albus, however, was a Potter, and the Potters had been raised to the story of their father's unalterable fate foretold in prophecy long before the event would ever tell the world its secrets.

"It's fate's idea of a bloody curse! That's it! It's a curse!" Albus was chattering uncontrollably, obviously frantic in his distress. Scorpius took pity on his friend and cuffed him on the back of the head. "Bloody—what the—OW." Al stuck out his lower lip in a puppy-dog pout, learned from his Godbrother, Teddy Remus Lupin, no doubt.

"Al, if you don't stop his complete and utter nonsense, I'm going to have no choice but to let your brother smack some sense into you." Scorpius adjusted the narrow-framed glasses on his nose, expression solid even in the face of Albus's most pitiful pout.

Finally Albus sighed and twisted the pout into a calculating scowl—his typical expression in the face of any problem—there was a reason he was a Slytherin after all. "Fine, fine. You don't need to sic James on me. I get the hint—you're not going to help me at all. You're just going to let me be cursed forever and never lift a finger to help. You probably enjoy the curse that's on my family, after all, there're no redhead pureblood families, except for mine—keeps us from 'further thinning the blood of the noble houses of pureblood wizards and witches,' bleck." Albus snorted the last part, letting the sarcasm drip from his voice. But Scorpius could hear the hurt beneath it, and that was what finally broke through his icy expression.

Scorpius ran a pale hand through his mildly scruffy blond hair. "I get it, I get it. Sheesh, Al, way to play the 'woe is me' card," He refused to be ruffled by the insult within the ramble though. He was not going to get into another fight with Al about his grandfather's views on non-purebloods.

"Does this mean you'll help?" Al's voice was far too happy.

"Only if you'll shut up," Scorpius retorted.

"Oh you're such a good friend!" Albus grinned widely and threw his arms around his thin friend, nearly toppling them both to the floor.

Scorpius unwound the Potter's arms from his small frame, then dusted himself off, and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Stop that, will you? We're not Hufflepuffs, as you constantly remind me. You don't need to hug me all the bloody time."

Al just laughed, and enjoyed Scorpius's flustered glares. This was why he did it, of course. Scorp was just too easy to get all riled up.

Scorpius tried to regain his dignity and readjusted his glasses, a nervous habit of his, Al noted, and let out a huff of breath. "Well, I suppose, it is true that both your father and your late grandfather fell for redheads, but I wouldn't call that a curse, just a coincidence." The pale boy had a scowl played across his face, but he didn't seem to notice it, which meant it was better then the usual forced scowls Scorp inflicted on other students.

Albus nearly threw his face into another pout, but caught the twitch of lips that meant Scorpius was scowling because he was plotting something. Al's mouth snapped shut again to wait for the plot to unfold.

"Ted Lupin isn't even related to you, but I suppose that it could be true that it was the Potters' influence that drove him to date that stupid redheaded Weasley Veela," Scorpius continued even though Albus began a retort that Weasleys were not stupid, even the Veela portion. He was part Weasley after all. "And I don't believe in any sort of fate or that insufferable nonsense that Professor Firenze keeps trying to shove down our throats, but I suppose it could be a family trait and therefore a threat to you, and as you have already noted, that James and Lily are redheads themselves, so they are safe." Scorpius twisted his finger in one of the longer scraps of hair that had fallen loose from his sleeked back hair. Mr. Malfoy had been particularly unhappy about his son's scruffier appearance, blaming it on the 'Potter Influence' and Al having his father's messy hair. Albus thought it made Scorpius look better—much better then he had the first day, with his hair greased back against his skull like a snake.

Lost in his thoughts, Al nearly missed the conclusion of Scorp's long rant, "So, I suppose I should save you from yourself, since you are clearly unable to."

"So you'll help?" Al's demand gave little room for Scorpius's usual roundabout ways of agreeing to things.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "If I didn't, you'd only hound me all day about it anyway."

Albus broke into a large grin and Scorpius's scowl twitched into a smile once or twice. "You have a plan then, Scorp?"

"Scorpius," The Ravenclaw corrected him absentmindedly, "Of course I do. I'm not like you, who charges into everything half-baked and unprepared."

"Hey, now!" Albus frowned, feeling his cheeks burn, and internally cursing this rather Hufflepuffian behavior. It was always Scorpius that made him stupidly act like a bloody pansy Hufflepuff.

The blond raised a pale brow, "Do you want to hear it, or should I just forget agreeing to help?"

Al swore internally again as he flailed his hands in front of him, shaking his head frantically like an idiot. "No, no, no. Please tell me."

Scorpius's lips twitched and a small smile grew on his lips while the blond wasn't paying attention. Albus had noted that his friend didn't usually smile unless it was intentional. This made his smiles all the more pleasing. "Alright, but you're going to have to do everything I say."

"Are you serious?" Albus frowned, eyeing the wired frames with distain.

Scorpius snorted, enjoying Albus's pain, as always. It was a mystery why the boy was not a Slytherin as well. Al supposed it was because Scorp didn't spend as much time plotting as he did with his head in a book. "I'm quite serious, Albus Severus Potter." Al shot him another glare, for using his full name. They both knew quite well that each of them both quite hated their rather unfortunate names. "Oh just put the bloody thing on."

"They make me look like a swot." Al muttered, placing the glasses on his face. He blinked owlishly at Scorpius for a moment. "What the—everything's blue!"

Grey eyes rolled in mild amusement as well as fond annoyance. "That's kind of the point, Al."

"You're trying to turn me into a swotty Ravenclaw, aren't you?" Al made a face.

Scorpius made an exasperated noise. "No, Al. I chose blue because it's the farthest from auburn." Albus gave him a blank look. "Redheads, Al, it's the color of their hair."

"I thought their hair was red."

Scorpius ran a hand down his face, trying to not yell at Albus for his stupidity. "Al, auburn is a shade of red."

"Oh." Albus blinked and looked around again. "I still don't get why I'm wearing glasses that make everything blue." He squinted, and then furrowed his brows, "Why aren't they making my eyes go crazy like your glasses do?"

The pale boy rested his chin in his palm, cool grey eyes watching him, "They're not real glasses. I borrowed them from one of the first year's old 'Chosen One' costumes from Halloween. I charmed the lenses to turn blue, because now you won't have to worry about that 'curse', because you won't be able to tell who is a redhead and who isn't." Scorpius looked mildly amused at Albus's dazed expression. "I took the idea from that muggle phrase about 'seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses' and decided it would work quite well for your problem."

"So… then it's fixed then?"

Scorpius allowed himself a small smile, "Yep. You're cured. Welcome to the human race. Have some complementary peanuts."

"Oh shut it." Al snapped, rolling his jade eyes at Scorpius's flat attempt at humor. Glancing back at his gently smiling friend, blue, but still Scorpius, Al let loose a grin. "Thanks, Scorp."

"Scorpius," He corrected him automatically, and his lips twitched further upward at the fond look Al was giving him, "You're welcome, Alby." Albus squawked awkwardly at the nickname, nearly choking in surprise, "Go off and have your fun then. You know, I think you look even more like your father now—if that is possible anyway. I think we've got class soon anyway, and we've yet to eat a thing."

"Alby?" Al gave him a wild look, made only more hilarious by the blue-tinted glasses that framed his green eyes and made them appear even larger and even more impossibly green.

Scorpius couldn't help but break into laughter, unable to answer Albus for several moments and even then, only getting the words out between chuckles and snorts of laughter, "If you're intent on nicknaming me with an even worse name then my birth-name, then I'm entitled to give you the same treatment."

Albus shook his head with a frown, but a smile was pulling at his mouth. He hadn't heard Scorpius laugh for a while.

With that, they left to snatch up some lunch before dashing off to their respected classes.

"SCORP!"

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had been enjoying a good read by the fireside in the Ravenclaw Common Room, not expecting Al until much later, but obvious his plans were about to be tossed to the wind, if the yell from outside was anything to figure by.

Gingerly placing his novel on the tea table, a strip of parchment marking his place, Scorpius grabbed his robe and scarf (better to be prepared then not, especially when it was Albus yelling for him), pulled them on, and trotted towards the door. The blond yanked it open and gave the panicked-looking boy a swift look before stepping out and closing it behind him.

"What's gone wrong now, Al? Did your sister get a hold of your W-cubed collection again?" Scorpius pulled at a stray lock of blond hair, the hair that would probably give his father a heart attack, and watched Albus shift nervously from foot to foot. "The Great Hall is full of fishes again, isn't it? I knew this would happen, I told you—"

"Just shut up!" Albus ran his hands through his messy hair, making it only look that much worse and scruffy.

Scorpius snapped his mouth shut in surprise, nearly biting his own tongue. Albus usually didn't raise his voice unless he was very stressed out about something.

Albus nervously pushed the glasses back up his nose and stared at Scorpius, as if his friend could understand just by the pleading in his wild green eyes. Finally his voice managed to work again, "The glasses don't work anymore!" he croaked, a frantic look taking control of his face now.

Scorpius blinked, adjusting his own glasses. "What do you mean, 'don't work'? It's a very simple charm… I don't think—"

"They just don't work anymore!" Albus groaned, bouncing on the soles of his feet, "Everything's gone back to the right color now—they just don't work! What am I going to do! I told you—it's the curse!"

Scorpius sighed, and stuck out his hand, palm up, gesturing with his fingers. Al stared at the hand. Scorp frowned further, gestured again, and then finally just snatched the glasses off Albus's face.

Al jerked his head back in reflex, snapping his eyes shut as the sudden absence of the glasses shocked them.

It was a moment before the younger Potter boy managed to open his eyes, blinking frantically.

Scorpius turned the glasses over, exchanged them with his own glasses, then folded the blue-tinted costume glasses up and replaced his own, adjusting them on their perch on his nose. "Well it doesn't seem like anything's wrong with them. I think I just forgot that the human body adjusts to changes rather quickly. Your eyes probably just adjusted to the range of blues, I'm sure they'll—Why are you staring at me like that?" Scorpius had finally looked up to see that Albus hadn't moved since the blond had taken his glasses except to blink and stare.

Albus blinked again, and opened his mouth, then, after a moment, shut it.

Scorpius swept closer, placing his hand on Al's forehead, noting his friend's frazzled expression and red face. "You're not getting ill, are you? Maybe we should go down to old Madam Pomfrey just to make sure there's nothing wrong with your eyes now."

The dark haired boy opened his mouth, his eyes still as wide as plates and green as spring leaves. "No…" he croaked, still refusing to take his eyes off his pale blond friend.

Scorpius gave him a look, "Let's go anyway. You're acting quite odd." But Al didn't move. The pale boy sighed and grabbed his friend's arm, earning him a squawk of surprise, and dragged the Potter boy down a few flights of stairs.

Finally something in the boy seemed to snap back into place. Al dug his heels into the carpet, effectively stopping Scorpius from going any further. "No, no. Scorp, I'm fine."

The blond gave him a searching look, and Al's mouth twitched into a smile. His grey eyes seemed to find something in the jade-green eyes of his friend and he couldn't help but smile back, "If you're sure." Scorpius made to wrestle the smile off his lips, and tamed it back into his scowl of concern for his friend, "Do you want me to figure out something else for you? Don't want you to be sucked in by the first redhead you see (who you're not related to, of course) and be cursed to end up hopelessly in love with her."

Albus's wide eyes still hadn't left Scorpius's face, and his smile only grew wider. "Nah… I think… you've cured me, Scorp." He said slowly.

Everything was tinged a dark red-orange. The exact opposite of the blue of the glasses. His eyes still hurt slightly from the abrupt change in color, but even now the real color of things was leaking back into his vision, promising him that this wasn't permanent.

But the change had made him realize something. Something important.

Scorpius let out a sigh, "Good." The blond pushed his glasses back up his nose, "You'd better get to class then. You've got Herbology in-" He checked his wristwatch, a gift from his grandmother, "Ten minutes. It's all the way across the castle, you had better hurry. I'm going to go read for a bit more and I'll meet you for dinner, alright?"

Albus nodded, his eyes still drinking in every angle of Scorpius's pale face. "Sure. See you later, Scorp."

The blond shot the dark-haired boy another odd look and turned to walk back to his chair by the fire and his waiting novel.

Albus watched him disappear through the hallway at the top of the stairway before turning and bolting to class, grinning to himself as he ran, "I think I like blonds a lot more anyway." He muttered, a larger grin growing across his face.

End.

Slight Explanation: If you've never experienced this, put on some colored lenses and try it out. Eventually (you do have to wear them for more then a few minutes) your eyes adjust and everything's pretty much the same color as it is without them. Your eyes have basically just 'turned off' the portion of your mind that uses that shade of color to compensate for the over-needed amount of it in your vision. The only thing is, that your eyes need time to adjust, especially when you take the colored lenses off again. Your eyes still have that color 'turned off' and so when you take the lenses off, it's like wearing lenses of the exact opposite color. If you're wearing orange glasses, everything turns blue. If you're wearing the shade of blue that Albus is, everything will turn a dark red-orange (auburn) when you take them off. So basically, everyone (and everything) is a 'redhead' to Albus when he first takes off the glasses.

I got this idea from all the times I was shocked with the color of blue when I took off my orange-tinted ski-goggles. It really makes you appreciate the range of colors our eyes see and how quickly humans adapt.

Hope this cleared up any confusion. Happy Writings!