A/N: Scorpius Malfoy is running for his life, and being chased by...well, if I told you that, it would be cheating!

Disclaimer: Don't own Scorpius or any other characters you recognize, the other one is mine but I'm not making anything from this except the warm fuzzies glowing reviews give me.

WARNING: SLASH. Mention of MPREG. Don't like, don't read.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy gasped for breath. He'd made a mad dash into an unused classroom at Hogwarts, then slammed and locked the door behind him. He knew the thick wood door and his locking spell wouldn't do more than slow his pursuer down for a moment, but he needed every second he could buy himself. Merlin, he needed to think! There had to be a way to escape! He couldn't let himself be caught like this, not by him!

"Scor…pi…us," The singsong voice of his purser floated through the door. "I know you're in there. Come out, come out, little rabbit! The big, bad wolf is going to eat you up!"

Cursing under his breath, Scorpius frantically looked around for some avenue of escape. Seeing a door at the back of the room, he dashed for it, unconcerned about the tracks his trainers were leaving on the dusty floor. It didn't matter, because the…thing following him could track him by scent even easier than by sight. No, hiding a visual trail was the last of Scorpius' concerns.

The door opened at the touch of his hand, and Scorpius ducked into the darkened space.

"Lumos." The faint light from his wand showed a cloakroom, with a single ancient cloak hanging there where someone had obviously forgotten it. Under more pleasant circumstances, Scorpius would have wondered whom it belonged to, and where that person might be now. At the moment, however, any thought like that was far, far from his mind. Turning, he waved his wand back across his tracks, watching as the dust blurred them away. Another incantation spread the scent of crushed aconite in the air. Despite his dire straits, Scorpius grinned. No sense in making it easy, he thought. Make the bastard work at it, at the very least. Distantly he recalled his father's words: "No Malfoy goes down without a fight". Well, he'd give them a fight if they wanted one! But, for now…he was a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor.

A loud thud and muffled curse from the direction of the door spurred Scorpius to action once again. A third wave of his wand created a set of footprints leading to a window near the front of the room, far from the cloakroom where Scorpius stood. One final wave opened the window, and then Scorpius shut the cloakroom door and warded it thoroughly. For good measure, he added a one-way silencing spell on himself, so he would be able to hear what was happening but not be heard.

A moment passed, and then another. Then, finally, a loud shattering sound let Scorpius know the classroom had been breached. Despite the silencing spell, Scorpius held his breath, hoping against hope that the beast following him would fall for his hastily improvised deception.

For what seemed like hours but was probably only five minutes or so, Scorpius waited, his ears straining for any sounds that would tell him what his pursuers might be doing. As best he could tell, the man-wolf crossed to the open window, then left through the door he'd undoubtedly shattered. Hopefully, he was already outside the castle, sniffing around the grounds outside the window, trying to pick up Scorpius' scent to continue the chase.

Scorpius gnawed his lower lip, thinking furiously. He could slip out of this cloakroom and be in the Slytherin common room in minutes. Once there, he could barricade himself in his room while he sent some of the other Slytherins for reinforcements. He certainly didn't want any of his housemates trying to stand against the wolf—that was a formula for disaster! —but a Professor might be close by.

Finally, he decided to risk it. Leaving the silencing spell up, he carefully unraveled the locking spells he'd thrown at the cloakroom door. Then, after a lubricating spell on the hinges—he honestly couldn't remember if it had many any noise when he opened it or not, but why take chances? —he carefully opened the door and peeked out, wand at the ready.

Scorpius relaxed with a sigh when he saw an empty room, dropped his silencing spell and stepped out into the classroom—only to be grabbed from behind.

"Gotcha!" a deep voice crowed, and Scorpius froze in terror, his mind flashing back to earlier that very afternoon….

"Scorpius, can I talk to you?" The deep, resonant voice came from somewhere behind where the scion of the Malfoys was engrossed in an advanced Charms text. Looking over his shoulder, Scorpius saw the tall, muscular form of William James "everybody calls me Billy" Potter-Black standing there. Nodding, he started to rise, but was waved back into his seat by the dark-haired American. "No, keep your seat; I'll join you."

Scorpius swallowed and nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. He'd known "Little Billy" Potter-Black for years, had played with him as a toddler and later a child, but until the young man had come to Hogwarts for a year's "cross-cultural education", he'd never really noticed him…that way.

Scorpius had come to the realization the previous year that his homosexual fantasies would have to stay just that—fantasies. As the Malfoy heir, it was his duty to the Family, and to magic itself, to marry and produce his own heir. Of course, he'd only sire one son because of an old curse on the Malfoy line, but the curse also made sure that he'd have that one. At least, that's what Poppa Lucius had always told him.

It didn't matter that he much preferred the company of men, and the images he wanked to late at night were invariably male. He'd told Agatha Zabini, his best friend, that he preferred "the Mediterranean type", with olive skin and dark hair and eyes. Truthfully, though, he'd fallen in crush with his childhood friend the first night Billy Potter-Black walked into Hogwarts with the new firsties. He'd towered over them all, more than six feet of rippling muscles beneath russet skin, black hair sleek from the misting rain outside, green eyes flashing as they met Scorpius' across the room.

The next few months had been hard—in several ways—on Scorpius. He was in his seventh year at Hogwarts, and was beginning to feel the pressure of the upcoming NEWTS. He'd do well, of course; a Malfoy could do no less, and he was at or near the top of his class in every subject. As Head Boy, he had extra responsibilities, but they weren't anything he couldn't handle. After all, he'd been training for the day he'd take over as 'the' Malfoy since he was old enough to walk. That day would be years away, thankfully, as his father was in excellent health, and had taken over from Lucius some years earlier when the elder man's health had begun to fail. Now Lucius and Narcissa had their own wing in Malfoy Manor, and spent their time puttering about the gardens or something, Scorpius really wasn't quite sure, but they seemed happy. They, like his parents, were pleased that he'd been named Head Boy. Scorpius had been a bit put off by it initially until Headmistress McGonagall pulled him into her office one day and assured him that he'd gained the position on his own merits, not just because his father was the school's Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House.

No, the hard part had been…just that, literally. "Little Billy" was anything but, and he radiated a masculine sensuality that more than once had Scorpius clutching a textbook over his crotch to hide a painful erection, or running to the loo for a quick wank between classes. Worst of all, Billy seemed to have no idea just how he affected those around him. Most of the females (and quite a few of the males) followed the young man when he strolled through the halls, or sauntered into the Great Hall. He was staying in Gryffindor tower, despite not really being a student. He'd taken the American equivalent of his NEWTS and was spending a year at Hogwarts before entering muggle university…or so the scuttlebutt went. Apparently, the son of Harry Potter and Jacob Black wanted to be a fire-jumper (whatever that was, Scorpius had absolutely no idea why or how one could make a living jumping over fires) but was going for a degree in Forestry before he began jumping his fires. At least Scorpius had some inkling about what forestry was. And, given that he'd spent the better part of several summers as a child visiting the Potter-Blacks with his family, he could understand the attraction of the immense forests of the American northwest. It was there he met, and became friends with, Billy Potter-Black. Then, as often happens, other matters arose, and it became impossible for the Malfoys to be away from England during the summers. It had been five years since Scorpius and Billy had seen each other, and that first eye-to-eye contact in the Great Hall at the beginning of the year had changed Scorpius' life forever. At least, that's what that hag Zabini kept insisting when she teased him about avoiding Billy in the halls.

"Can I ask you something, Rabbit?" Billy was asking, and Scorpius snapped back to reality.

"Don't call me that!" Scorpius snapped, instantly irritated. "You called me that when I was six, and it was fine then. Now," he hissed, looking around to see if anyone had heard him so he could Obliviate them before his secret got out. "It's juvenile, please stop. My name is Scorpius, as you well know."

"Okay, Scorp, whatever," Billy shrugged, a grin on his handsome face. "Can I ask you something?" he repeated, ignoring the dirty look Scorpius flashed him at the abbreviating of his given name.

"If you must," Scorpius sighed, giving every indication of being put upon but willing to cooperate out of a sense of noblesse oblige. It was an attitude that he'd been practicing lately, using his father as a model.

If Billy noticed, he gave no sign of it. "Great!" he said, beaming. "You're going to Hogsmeade this weekend, right?"

"Yes," Scorpius answered slowly, wondering where the conversation was heading.

"Cool. Wanna grab a soda at the Three Broomsticks?" Billy asked.

"I…suppose so. Why?" Scorpius answered carefully.

"Can't two guys have a drink 'down to the pub'?" Billy asked, affecting a horrible quasi-British accent.

"That has to be the most horrid attempt at proper enunciation I've heard in my life," Scorpius' frown was intended to be repressive. It didn't seem to be working.

"You haven't heard my Pop's," Billy snickered. "He does it every now and then, just to annoy Dad, I think. Then, Dad usually punches him, then glares at him, and then they wind up kissing, which is when I run screaming," he finished.

"Good policy," Scorpius nodded. He was absolutely certain that his parents had only had sex once, on their wedding night, to consummate the marriage as was required by law. His conception—which, going by the calendar had occurred some three months later—was obviously accomplished by magical means which he flatly refused to think about but most assuredly involved separate rooms for his mother and father. The very thought that his parents might actually enjoy sexual congress with each other, despite their very obvious fondness and occasional displays of affection (limited, as was only proper, to times when the two of them believed they were unobserved, anything else being beneath the dignity of the name of Malfoy) was something that he just would not think about.

"Yeah, especially since one of them usually drags the other off to their rooms, and sometimes Dad forgets the silencing charms," Billy shrugged, then grinned at the look on Scorpius' face. "What? They're old, not dead. Anyway, the Packlettes had to come from somewhere." He shrugged, still grinning.

Scorpius could only shake his head at the casual way the young half-Quileute/half-British man talked about his parent's intimate relationship. Of course, with four brothers and sisters—his 'Packlettes'—Billy was certainly aware of the mechanics involved in procreation. That his 'Dad'—Harry Potter-Black—required fairly extensive magical support during all five of his pregnancies, provided in no small part by Scorpius' own father, was well known to both of them. Still, some things just weren't spoken of in polite company. Or thought about. Ever. Period. Full stop.

"I refuse to continue with this line of conversation," Scorpius sniffed. "Do you have anything more of substance to discuss, or must I silence you where you sit?"

"Oh, there's plenty I'd like to 'discuss' with you," Scorpius felt his ears heating up as Billy's tone made it perfectly clear what some of those 'discussions' would involve. "Mainly, I wanted to pick your brains about a Charms project I'm working on for old Flitwick."

Scorpius nodded, too relieved at the change of topic to let his brain dwell on have an extended 'discussion' with the other young man. "I'll be happy to look over anything you have. Only…I thought you were working with Sprout and Longbottom?" One of the changes Hogwarts had gone through in the last two decades was the addition of additional staff. Now, every core subject had two professors, one to teach the younger years, and another to teach the fifth years and up. It had allowed the senior staff to take on Mastery candidates for the first time in centuries, and lightened the load such that there was more actual teaching—as opposed to just running the students through the cattle chute—being done. As a result, scores had climbed, and more competent witches and wizards were being turned out.

"I am, but I'm also taking an independent study with Flitwick, and with Vector when I get the chance. Next term, Dad said I needed to spend some time with your dad, 'cause you never know when you'll need to make your own basic potions. Always running to Seattle isn't the best way to do things." Billy grinned, and Scorpius felt his entire body heat up from the sheer number of megawatts in that smile. He wasn't sure what a 'megawatt' was, but whatever it was, Billy's smile had a lot of them.

"That sounds sensible," Scorpius answered, with only a tiny squeak in his voice. "But I'm not nearly the Potions expert my father is. Why not ask him?"

"Because I'm having trouble with a charm, not a potion," Billy said reasonably. "And, everyone agrees that you're the best Charms person around here, except for old Flitwick and Miss Ogden."

Scorpius nodded. Felicity Ogden was Flitwick's apprentice, and would have her Mastery by the end of the year…just in time for Scorpius to step in, but there was no way Potter-Black could know that. "I'll be happy to look at it, but I doubt Madam Rosmerta will have your muggle soft drinks. You'll have to buy me at least one butterbeer."

Billy made a face; he'd never liked butterbeer, or pumpkin juice either. Scorpius' mother attributed it to having been raised by 'savages', and (having first-hand experience of the tribe as a child) really couldn't disagree. Some of the Pack were SCARY…especially to a small child. Of course, Billy had always stood up for him against them, but still. Completely unbidden, a memory swept over Scorpius. He was a child of five again, standing there, frozen in place like a rabbit, completely terrified at the pair of massive creatures that appeared out of the woods when he'd wondered away from the house…then suddenly there was a russet wolf cub between him and the adult wolves, snarling and growling, shifting to keep itself between the adult beasts and Scorpius. Of course, it'd only been two of the Pack, and he'd been intensely jealous that Billy was an animagus at such a young age when he wasn't, but in the excitement of everyone finding out that Billy could shift, Scorpius' wandering off had been forgotten. Much later, Billy had confessed to Scorpius. "I wuzzn' gonna let dem hut you," he'd mumbled around a mouthful of pizza. "Wuzzn' no big." Scorpius had idolized the older boy for the rest of that summer, and their adventures together had been nothing short of legendary…at least, so it seemed to them at the time. They had been Cub and Rabbit, Terrors of the Forest….

Billy was talking. "That's okay; I'll buy you as many butterbeers as you like, so long as you help me fix the mess I've made of the spell diagram. I can always drink tea, I guess. Or firewhiskey," he added with a wink.

"Trying to get me drunk, Mr. Potter-Black?" Scorpius tried another repressive look, again with no success. He was totally unprepared for what happened next.

"Dunno. Depends on what happens after that," Billy said, an evil grin spreading across his broad face. Then, reaching out, he took Scorpius' hand in his own and raised it to his lips. Without breaking eye contact with the young Slytherin, Billy placed a light kiss on the back of Scorpius' knuckles, just as Scorpius had been taught to do to young ladies of good breeding.

The instant Billy's lips touched his skin, Scorpius' magic flared, and his entire body shivered. Billy's eyes bored into his, and Scorpius found that he couldn't, wouldn't look away. The other boy's pupils dilated until his green eyes were black, and he inhaled, nostrils flaring as Scorpius' scent flowed in. Billy's fingers tightened minutely, then relaxed, still holding Scorpius' hand. A connection formed between the two—Scorpius could feel his magic entwining with Billy's in a way he'd never felt before—and then….

Billy pressed Scorpius' hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. Scorpius sat there, stunned, as the older boy nuzzled the back of his hand. Then, with a start, Scorpius felt his brain re-engage.

"I…I've got to go," he stammered, snatching his hand back and shoving his papers into his bag carelessly. Leaving the book he was studying there on the table, he bolted from the library.

He'd only gone a few steps when he heard his name called, and the sound of feet chasing after him spurred him on to greater speed.

"Let me go, Potter-Black!" Scorpius half-screamed, pulling frantically away from his captor. He might as well have been pulling away from a troll, such was the strength of the grip that held him captive.

"Nope. Caught you fair and square, so now you're mine, little Rabbit," Billy laughed. "The only question is…what will I do with you?" He pulled the struggling boy closer and inhaled his scent once more.

"You'll let me go right this second or…." Scorpius demanded.

"Or you'll what? Hex me? Go ahead," Billy just grinned. "Oops, dropped your wand," he said, looking down to where Scorpius had indeed dropped his wand. "Oops again," he repeated, gently kicking the wand away. Scorpius' heart dropped as his precious wand skittered across the floor, undamaged but out of reach.

"I'll…I'll kick you in the stones!" Scorpius announced, then promptly tried and failed to do just that. Damn Potter-Black, he'd just turned slightly and caught Scorpius' knee on his shin. It had no more effect than kneeing a stone wall, and from the way Scorpius' knee bounced off, it probably would have hurt the wall more.

"Naughty, naughty, little Rabbit," Billy pulled Scorpius even closer. "Don't do that again. You might make the Big Bad Wolf have to spank you."

Scorpius sputtered, enraged. He hadn't been spanked since…since he was eight, and he and Billy had snuck out of the Potter-Black mansion one night because Paul and Quil promised to take them snipe hunting. They'd finally made it back to the house by the middle of the next morning, only to find two sets of 'enraged' (and secretly amused) parents waiting there for them. The three swats Scorpius had gotten had stung like bees, but being grounded for the next three days had been even worse. He'd completely missed seeing a vampire/shifter wrestling day, and been on 'no desserts' to boot!

That Paul and Quil were punished much more severely by his father and Billy's parents only helped a little. Neither was actually turned into a rug, despite the threats. Years later, Scorpius found out that other members of the Pack had been shadowing them the whole time, ensuring their safety…which was probably the reason Paul and Quil hadn't been skinned.

"William James Potter-Black, if you so much as lay a hand on me, I'll…."

"You'll what? Use my full name to let me know how mad you are? I get the picture," Billy was laughing out loud now, his powerful arms crushing Scorpius against his broad, firm, hot chest. Scorpius remembered, somewhere in the back of his mind while he was struggling against his captor while simultaneously enjoying the feeling, that Billy's body temperature was noticeably higher than his.

"I'll report you to the Headmistress! And your parents! And mine!" Scorpius hated invoking adults, but he was rapidly running out of options.

"Ooooh, go running to McGonagall, will you? And your dad? 'Cause last I heard, mine were still on the Rez, and not even Hedwig can fly that far without a break."

Scorpius' glare could have melted iron, but apparently large, buff, hot (in every sense of the word) savages were tougher than iron. "You're hurting me," he said sternly, not expecting it to do any good, but quite frankly he didn't have anything left to try.

Instantly, he felt the pressure on his body released as Billy's smirk morphed into concern. "Oh sweet Spirits! I'm so sorry, Scorp! Do you need to see the nurse? Here, let me see! I'm lousy at healing charms, but I can carry you to the infirmary…."

"Just let me be, Potter-Black! Stay away from me!" Scorpius backed away, now thoroughly confused, rubbing his only slightly bruised arms. He'd had far worse injuries bumping into other students in the halls between classes, but it didn't seem like the time to bring that up. Seeing Billy just standing there, grief-stricken, Scorpius snatched up his wand and, without taking his eyes off the other young man, backed out of the room and ran for dear life.

By the time he got back to his room in the Slytherin dorms he was winded, had a catch in his side…and a dull ache in his chest at the memory of the look on Billy Potter-Black's face as he'd left the classroom.

Scorpius didn't leave his dorm that night. He made a supper out of cookies, chocolate frogs and other snacks from the pantry in the Slytherin common room (according to his father, that was probably the best change to come to Hogwarts since the Founding); healthy enough (the house elves were under strict instructions about that!) but hardly up to the standards of the Great Hall. Other Slytherins took one look at him and then gave him a wide berth; he had the 'go away or I'll hex you seven ways to Sunday' look all Slytherins perfected in their first year. After a long, restless night, he showered, got dressed, and strode to the Great Hall for breakfast, the same look still warning people away from him.

As he expected, Scorpius found Billy Potter-Black sitting at the Gryffindor table, head down and plate empty.

Scorpius paused. Potter-Black usually had an appetite to rival a dragon's. For him not to be eating…the ache in Scorpius' chest swelled painfully before he forced it down.

"Potter-Black, a moment of your time. In private," Scorpius said. His voice was firm and steady, thank Merlin for small favors. He stood calmly as the other boy's head snapped up at the sound of his name, then clambered to his feet. Without waiting to see if he was followed, Scorpius turned and exited the Great Hall, ignoring the whispers and curious looks the pair was getting.

Scorpius took a direct route to the nearest empty classroom, entering it then turning to see Billy Potter-Black shuffling behind him, his slumped posture a stark contrast to his usual proud stride. Scorpius suppressed a wince at the sight. This was no time to show weakness. A Malfoy is never weak, most especially in the face of adversity.

Billy just stood there, eyes on the floor. Finally, after letting him stew for a long moment, Scorpius waved his wand, closing and spelling the door locked and silenced, then addressed his adversary.

"You imprinted on me yesterday, didn't you?" he asked, his voice cool. Scorpius had thought long and hard about what had happened in the library, and come to the obvious conclusion sometime during the night.

Billy didn't look up, but his head did nod.

Scorpius' head moved fractionally at the confirmation. "I suppose we should talk about it, then. There is a great deal about the imprinting process that I do not understand, but I do know that once it occurs it cannot be reversed. That being the case, I think it best if we have an honest discussion about what it entails, and just what we should do about it."

"It means that I'll do whatever you want, Ra…Malfoy," Billy replied, still not looking up. "I don't have a choice. That's basically what it means."

"I see." Scorpius' mind whirled. He'd thought that was the case, but hearing it from his…well, what did one call 'the person who has imprinted on me'? "Look at me," he said, voice warming slightly.

Billy's eyes came up slowly, and when Scorpius' met them, he felt his magic sizzle in response. "It seems that we have something of a problem, then. You plan to return to the colonies when this year is up, while I," he paused, then realized that telling Billy didn't matter at this point, "hope to stay here and apprentice under Flitwick."

"I…I can't be that far away from you, not for any length of time," Billy sighed. "It's…bad."

"How bad?" Scorpius' voice was sharp. This was something new….

Billy just shrugged. "We think…it could be fatal. The few times it's happened, wolves whose imprint rejected them, or died, they…."

"You're not a 'real' wolf. You're half wizard," Scorpius interrupted, alarmed. Circe's tits! He certainly didn't want his childhood friend to die!

Again, Billy shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I guess. When it's happened before, the wolf…usually manages to get himself killed pretty quick. Finds a nest of vamps all by himself, or…." he trailed off, shoulders slumping. Then, looking away once more, "I never meant for this to happen, Scorp. I'm sorry. I've already started making plans to leave; I'll be gone by this afternoon."

"Like hell you will!" Scorpius exploded, stepping forward and grabbing the taller man by the arm without thinking about it. "I won't have it!"

Billy shook off Scorpius' hand as easily as he'd shoo away a fly. "No, you've already told me how you feel. Like I said, I'm sorry. Maybe Dad and Pop, or Aunt Hermione can break the imprint, once I'm back home."

"Harry Potter-Black may be the most powerful wizard, and Hermione Granger-Ateara the smartest witch alive today, but you can't know that for certain! No, I won't allow it!" Scorpius shook his head vehemently. Hermione Granger had gone to America after divorcing Ron Weasley, never expecting to become Quil Ateara's imprint. Obviously the arrangement suited the pair; Hermione had flatly refused to return to Britain and their first child (they were up to three, the last Scorpius heard) was born just a year later. Then, a thought suddenly came to him. "I'll come with you to America. They can examine both of us, and see if there's anything to be done about this."

"But…you've got NEWTS coming up, and you're Head Boy, and…." Billy looked up, angrily.

"SOD THE BLOODY NEWTS! I'll NOT HAVE YOU DYING ON ME!" Scorpius roared, his own anger flaring, the image of a lifeless Billy Potter-Black terrifying him more than anything he'd ever imagined. "It's not that easy, you idiot. I think…" he paused, then sighed before speaking more calmly. "I think my magic responded to the imprint. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find that we're bound together, not just you bound to me."

Whatever Scorpius was expecting at that point, Billy's angst at that statement wasn't it. "Oh, Scorp," he moaned. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen…."

"Yes, yes, imprinting is something you wolves have no control over, I know that," Scorpius said dismissively. "I didn't intend to let my magic be wrapped up with yours, either, but it has. So, the only logical course of action is for us to go to America together, find the way to break this, then both of us can go on with our lives."

Scorpius expected Billy to agree, at least reluctantly, to his plan. After all, it was his plan, and therefore it was logical, reasonable, and accommodated both of their widely divergent life plans. The waves of depression coming off the dark-haired boy as he sank to the floor and the terrible ache in his own chest were rather unexpected.

"I'll tell McGonagall we both need portkeys, then," Billy said, so softly that Scorpius barely heard him.

Sinking to his knees beside the larger boy, Scorpius reached out to touch him lightly. "Billy…it's for the best, really. Neither one of us intended this, and we both have plans for our lives, plans that don't involve us staying within a few meters of each other for the next hundred years."

"It's not that bad," Billy huffed, not meeting Scorpius' gaze. "Pop and Dad can be apart for a couple of weeks," he explained.

"Your fathers have had years to strengthen their bond, and there has never been any doubt they'd come back to each other," Scorpius said gently. And, it was true. Jacob and Harry Potter-Black were almost disgusting in their devotion to each other, and made no secret about that fact.

"Yeah, I guess," Billy agreed, and Scorpius found himself wondering just what it would be like to be in a relationship like that. To have someone that devoted to you, and to return those feelings just as intensely….

Scorpius rubbed his chest absently. He'd need to see the nurse about a stomach-soothing potion after this; either that, or eat breakfast. His stomach was decidedly uncomfortable, probably because of his meal the previous evening. Yes, that had to be it.

Billy was just sitting there listlessly. Scorpius looked at him, imagining what it could be like, but then…no. He couldn't even consider it. He was the Malfoy heir; unless he produced his own heir in turn, the line would die with him. He had a duty and an obligation to his Family and to magic itself to carry on the line. Perhaps if the other young man understood that it wasn't him per se, that Scorpius had a duty that he could not lay down...

Scorpius stood and straightened his robes. "Billy, I am the Malfoy heir. I have to marry and produce an heir, otherwise…." he was cut off.

Billy's laugh was frightening with the amount of regret and anger it held. "Is that it? Is that why you're so keen on breaking the imprint? Do you have any idea how I got here?" he glared at Scorpius, then snapped his mouth shut and stood. "I'm going to McGonagall; we'll portkey out this afternoon. You'd better go pack."

Scorpius grabbed for an arm, missed. "It's not that simple, Potter-Black! The Malfoy line is passed father to son, and I'm…."

"What? Too good to do what my Dad did? Blood too pure to ever sully it with a savage like me? Go ahead, Scorpius! Say it! I know that's what you really mean! You can't pollute your precious 'bad faith' blood with mine? Fine!" Billy rounded on the blonde, green eyes blazing.

Scorpius saw the fire in those eyes, and his own gray orbs lit up in response. "That's not it and you know it! I have to marry a witch, a British witch…okay, maybe a French witch, or possibly Italian, not a Bulgarian, that would never work," Scorpius knew he was babbling, so he wrenched himself back on topic. "I have to marry a witch, not be the witch in the relationship. The Malfoy curse…."

"The 'only have one boy and no other children' curse? Yeah, your dad told mine about it one time. Well, did you ever think the curse might only apply if you fathered the child? What if you actually carried it, like my Dad carried me, and the rest of us? Pop's not a wizard, he couldn't do it. I know, I asked them, when Dad was preggo this last time." Billy stood there, arms crossed over his chest, looking for all the world like Jacob…only with Harry's eyes.

Scorpius paused, stunned. Could Billy be right? Would the curse apply if he was, for lack of a better word, 'mother' to a child? He knew his own parents wanted more children, not that they'd ever slighted him, but he'd also envied Billy his younger sibs. Still….

"I'm not a girl," he said, knowing just how weak an excuse that was.

Billy's anger melted like a snowball in the desert sun. "I know," he said, closing the distance between them. "I'm glad," he said, leaning into Scorpius' personal space. "I don't really like girls that way. You?"

Scorpius could feel the heat radiating from the considerably larger young man. "Nuh…no," he said, his mouth suddenly dry. He felt his pulse pounding in his temples as Billy leaned still closer.

"That's convenient," was all Billy said, before his lips brushed Scorpius', making both of their skins tingle with the contact. Then, before he let himself think about what he was doing, just letting himself do what his body and magic and soul were telling him to do, Scorpius Malfoy threw his arms and legs around the other boy's body, leaped into his willing embrace, and opened his mouth for a wet, sloppy kiss that went on and on and on and on….

"Can I take a breath now?" Billy asked, grinning from ear to ear as he effortlessly held up a squirming Slytherin.

"No," Scorpius said, pulling his imprint (was that the right word? he'd have to look into that, but not just now) back into another searing kiss.

"I guess we're not portkeying out this afternoon."

"No."

"You're going to be late for class."

"Don't care."

"Scorp, we need to talk about…."

"Shut up."

"Alright, enough! We can smooch later! Scorp, please!" Billy laughed as Scorpius pouted. "You're still Head Boy, and need to go to class. We can meet for lunch, and then…"

"Then, we're going to tell my father, who will probably AK you for molesting his only son and heir, but I'll protect you, of course," Scorpius snickered at the look that came over his lover's face (well, not yet, but given what had been pressing between their bodies for some time now, probably wouldn't be too long…or actually, rather long, and since when was his mind happily splashing around in the gutter?) as Billy realized that yes, he would indeed have to face Professor Malfoy sooner rather than later. Telling his own parents would be hard enough, but…Draco Malfoy?

"Spirits!" Billy breathed. "I hadn't thought about that. He's gonna kill me!" he winced.

"No, I won't let him. Vivisect? Probably. Maim? Almost certainly. Kill? No. Anyway, don't you wolves heal quickly?"

"Not fast enough," Billy muttered, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, love," Scorpius said, liking the way Billy's face lit up at the endearment. "I won't let him cut off anything vital," he said, grinding his hips against Billy's sizable erection. Oh, Merlin! The stuff that dreams and nightmares are made of…but mostly dreams. He'd need to send a letter to Billy's Dad immediately, there had to be charms for dealing with a Black's wedding tackle without suffering serious injury. And there his mind went again, splashing along….

Billy's groan was music to Scorpius' ears, but did absolutely nothing for his mental splashing.

"If you don't get down, I'm going to turn you over this desk right now," the black-haired young man managed to get out.

Laughing, Scorpius dropped to the ground, keeping his arms around Billy's neck. "Not just now, I think. But…soon," he said, gray eyes locking with green. "And, you're right, I do need to put in an appearance in class this morning. Otherwise, people will begin to wonder." Then, looking up into those beautiful green eyes. "We'll work it out," Scorpius whispered, closing his eyes as a kiss was pressed to his forehead. It was the only answer he needed.

Billy gave Scorpius' bottom one final squeeze, making him squeak. "That's my little Rabbit," he said. Then, he stepped back, giving that same bottom a quick slap. "Go."

"You're a bad wolf," Scorpius tried to pout, but the smirk got in the way. "Tonight, are you going to eat me all up?" he asked. The memory of Harry reading the two boys muggle fairy tales years ago came, unbidden but welcome.

Billy grinned, obviously remembering the same thing. "Oh, I'm going to be a very, very bad wolf, little Rabbit," he said. Scorpius found himself preening at his old childhood name and the new meaning it had just acquired. Smiling, not realizing that he was basically glowing with happiness, he straightened his robes and left his boyfriend—BOYFRIEND! HE HAD A BOYFRIEND!—in the empty classroom.

Scorpius never saw Billy whip out his wand, nor felt the spell that transfigured his robe. He was so far gone in his blissful state that he didn't notice anything amiss until he walked into his first class of the day. The sudden silence, followed by whispers and giggles, made him look down in shock.

Although, he later realized (after a few minutes of plotting ways to seriously hurt his rotten boyfriend), that particular shade of red really did look good on him. Even Agatha Zabini commented favorably on it, and Hagatha was Hogwart's fashion doyen of record.

He especially liked the hood on the robe. He even wore it for his first real date with Mr. Potter-Black in Hogsmeade. Remarkably, there was even some Charms homework completed that weekend!

Finis

A/N: Just a little episode that came to me while writing Harry Potter and the Inconvenient Condition. Now you at least have some idea about some of the other people in that story. Yes, there are many, many more stories like that waiting to be written, if and when I have the time. And, if Scorpius seems to be moving a little quickly, consider that he's been crushing hard on Billy for a while now, and he's got a new bond demanding to be satisfied. So, why wait?