Disclaimer: I only own the original characters and the storyline. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

500 People

Scorpius eyed his boyfriend of five years, licking his lips unconsciously as he took in the way the charcoal grey dress robes enhanced and showcased Al's long, lean body.

"Don't even think about it." Al said sharply, catching his eye in the mirror.

Scorpius pouted in a way he knew Al found irresistible, "But you look so delicious." He sidled up to Al, reaching out to wrap his arms around his Slytherin's waist.

Al scowled, turning around to glare at his lover, "You will not touch me if you know what's good for you." He warned, deftly avoiding Scorpius's reaching hands, "You know how important today is."

Scorpius sighed, acknowledging the truth of Al's words. He didn't drop his hands though. Instead he wrapped his arms around Al anyway and pulled him close, kissing him softly when he was close enough. Al allowed it, all but melting into the embrace. "Did I tell you how proud I am of you?"

Al smiled slightly, his green eyes alight, "Only around six hundred times."

"Hmm." Scorpius pretended to frown, "Only that many times? I was aiming for a thousand, at least. I suppose I'll just have to tell you again." His lips curved in a grin as Al chuckled, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Al's, "I'm so proud of you, love."

Al didn't reply. He only shifted forward so his lips slanted against Scorpius's, drawing him into a deep, tongue-curling kiss that let the Gryffindor know just how much Al appreciated him.

Scorpius sighed as Al finally ended the kiss, pulling away from him to check his hair one last time before reaching for his coat. "I suppose we ought to leave now. We don't want them to be giving the award away to someone else just because we're late."

Al snorted, "I'm sure they're just looking for a reason to not give it to me." He agreed, "It's only because your father refused to accept the credit for the potion that they even came to me."

Scorpius's eyes flashed with anger at the self-deprecating tone he hadn't heard in so long, "Hey! You deserve this award. You deserve the credit for creating that potion. All my father did was advise you. If anyone thinks otherwise, they're idiots." His expression made it clear he included Al in the group he had just termed 'idiots'.

Al smiled softly at the edge in Scorpius's voice, reaching up to caress the Gryffindor's cheek before placing a soft kiss on his lips, "I love you."

Usually, Scorpius would have melted at those words. He would have drawn Al close and snogged him senseless. But at that moment, Scorpius only felt irritation. Tonight was Al's night and for whatever reason, Al was determined to be unhappy. Well, he wouldn't stand for it. Not tonight.

So, making his irritation clear, he did not react to Al's softly spoken declaration. Instead, he cleared his throat and held out his hand, "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

Frowning slightly, knowing Scorpius's foul mood was his fault, Al nodded. He put his hand in Scorpius's and both of them apparated to the venue for the evening. The Minister of Magic's residence.

"How are you feeling? Nervous? I'd be nervous. Oh Merlin, I am nervous. I can't believe you're going to do this Al!" Fran squealed, after tugging her friend away to one corner of the ballroom they were to have the ceremony in. It was a large open space at the moment, allowing invitees to mingle and socialise, but in another half hour, it would be filled with chairs and tables, complete with place cards. Damien sighed, rolling his eyes at his wife, sharing an exasperated look with Al.

"Of course I'm bloody nervous!" Al growled, shaking his best friend off, "And you aren't helping."

James came up behind him, clapping him on the shoulder, "Baby brother! Man of the hour! How are you feeling? And why does Scor look like he ate a lemon?"

"I might have pissed him off before we left the house." Al admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

Fran groaned, "Oh Al! Only you would piss off the guy you were proposing to an hour before you proposed in front of five hundred people."

Al choked on his sip of wine, making James hit him on the back, "Wh-What?! Five hundred? The Minister said it would be an intimate gathering!"

"Well, five hundred people is probably an intimate gathering to the Minister of Magic." Lily quipped as she joined their conversation, "So Al, think he'll say yes?"

James snorted, "Of course he'll say yes. Scorpius has been in love with Al since he was eleven."

"Five hundred people." Al muttered, green eyes wide.

"What's he mumbling about?" Rose asked, frowning as she and Frank stepped up to the loosely formed circle around Al.

Al turned to glare at her, "Five hundred people!" He cried before storming off.

All of them blinked, looking at one another. "Reckon we broke him?"

"If Scorpius finds out we talked Al out of proposing to him, he will kill us." James muttered, going pale.

Everyone murmured their agreements, eyebrows furrowed worriedly. Al would propose tonight as planned, wouldn't he?

"There you are!" Harry exclaimed, finally spotting his elusive second son hiding on the balcony. "Everything is almost set inside. What are you doing standing out here?"

"Are there really five hundred people?" Al asked his father, green eyes begging Harry Potter to say no.

Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, a gesture Al recognised well. He groaned, "Oh Merlin, I can't do this."

Harry frowned, "You can't receive the award because there are five hundred people here? That seems a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"You don't get it, Dad! This isn't about the stupid award!" Al cried, throwing his arms up in frustration.

Harry's green eyes filled with confusion, "It isn't?"

"I'm going to propose to Scorpius tonight. When I accept my award."

"Oh." Understanding, Harry's jaw dropped open, "Oh!"

He shuffled forward and put his arm around his son's shoulders, "Um, so, you are still doing it, right?"

"I want to." Al admitted, "I love him. And he's stuck by me; put up with so much of my crap. Merlin, he's more than I'll ever deserve, but for whatever reason, he wants me." Al let out a helpless laugh, "He wants me, and I'm not about to let him get away."

Harry grinned widely, so profoundly happy that his son had found someone he loved so passionately. "So you know what you have to do, don't you?"

Al groaned unhappily, "Five hundred people."

Harry laughed, pushing his son towards the ballroom which was now filled with circular tables and chairs all clothed in white and gold, elegant flower arrangements standing at the centre of each table. "Come on. It's time to head in." He gave his son a quick hug at the doorway, "And don't worry. He's going to say yes."

"We are here tonight to honour someone who has forever changed the lives of several families. For the better. Someone who has been working diligently and tirelessly for the past three years. Someone who, I have on good authority, cancelled several dates and evenings with the love of his life because he was on the verge of some breakthrough or the other. His partner was not amused." Here Neville Longbottom paused, grinning as the audience chuckled.

Al felt his pulse begin to quicken as he swallowed nervously. His fingers fidgeted on the table restlessly until Scorpius reached out and placed a hand over his, lacing their fingers together. He relaxed slightly, turning to look at the love of his life and smiling ruefully. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Scorpius chuckled, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "I forgive you." He whispered before pulling away. Then it was Al's turn to chuckle. How Scorpius had known what he had been about to say was beyond him. The Gryffindor constantly unnerved him by reading him too well. He hoped what he was going to do tonight would really be a surprise to Scorpius. Merlin, how would he react?

And just like that his nerves were back.

"Everyone in this room knows my story." Neville continued, "You know what happened to my parents. The horrors they faced and lived through only to lose their sanity at the end of it all. The wizard we are honouring today made it so I could meet my parents — my real parents, not the shells they had become — for the first time last week." Gasps echoed around the room as several heads turned to stare at Al, suddenly seeming to see him in a new light.

"Albus Severus Potter is a wizard who has spent his entire life in the limelight. He has been judged harshly for things that are no fault of his own, and condemned by wizards for the choices he has made in his life. He was well within his right to turn his back on the wizarding community and allow it to fend for itself. And yet, he dedicated a large amount of time and effort to help make your lives, all our lives, better. He deserves the honour of receiving an Order of Merlin First Class for creating a cure for all wizards suffering from long-term effects of the Crucio curse. I invite Albus onstage to receive his medal from the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Al didn't move until Scorpius stood and pulled him up onto his feet. The introduction given by his Uncle Neville had moved him and the thundering applause that followed had thrown him. He finally began to make his way up onto the stage, feeling his hands tremble as he tried to contain the overwhelming emotion within him. He was a Slytherin and he refused to blubber when he accepted the award.

With that thought firmly in place, he glided across the stage to stand before the Minister of Magic. He had met Kingsley Shacklebolt several times over the years, seeing as how the man was a good friend of his father's, but he had never really spent any time with him. He shook the man's hand, allowing him to place the green ribboned medal around his neck. And then it was time for him to speak.

Al used the sonorus charm so his voice would be heard and looked out into the crowd. Every single face looked back at him, expressions tinted with awe and disbelief. He spotted his family, spread out on seven large tables, beaming back at him. He caught his father's eye and grinned, before looking to Scorpius.

His Gryffindor sat in front, long golden hair loose at his request, grey eyes warm and gooey, just the way he loved them. Scorpius's lips curved in a bemused smile as he realised Al was staring at him, and he gestured with his hands for his lover to get on with his acceptance speech.

Al chuckled, "Uncle Neville did a great job of making me out to be some kind of hero, but that really isn't me. Yes, I worked on a potion that will cure wizards suffering from long-term effects of the Crucio curse, but I can't say I didn't do it for selfish reasons. The war against Voldemort was easy to move on from for some, but it left everlasting marks for others. Loved ones killed, injured or mentally unstable from the horrors they had faced." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, "I couldn't do a thing about the ones who were dead, but from a very young age, I knew I wanted to work to heal the ones who could be healed. Potions as a subject always appealed to me. It gave me the liberty to experiment, to create, and above all to help. So that's what I've done here. I wanted to help the people I love, and in a small way I have succeeded." Another thundering applause sounded, and everyone, including Scorpius stood, thinking that was the end of his speech.

He took in a deep breath, waving for people to sit. Befuddled, his audience of five hundred people sat. Scorpius blinked up at him, adorably confused.

"Uncle Neville mentioned that in the years I worked to perfect this potion, this cure, I ended up neglecting the love of my life. I did. I neglected him terribly, and still somehow, he put up with me. His endless patience where I'm concerned never fails to astound me. I've been told by several people that I'm a hard person to live with, and yet he does it every day with a smile, without complaint. He's here today, and I would like him to come join me up here. Scorpius?"

Scorpius looked up at Al, stunned and alarmed. What in the wizarding world was he up to? Had he lost his mind?! He would have remained sitting, staring up at his boyfriend dumbstruck, if his mother hadn't nudged him from behind.

Stumbling to his feet, Scorpius made his way up onto the stage in a bit of a daze. Once he was standing in front of Al, one hundred percent sure that this was the most surreal experience in his life, his Slytherin proved him wrong by going down on one knee.

Scorpius's heart stuttered in his chest as he stopped breathing for a moment. OhMerlinOhMerlinOhMerlin! Was he dreaming? Was Al really down on one knee with a ring in his hand? It was a very nice ring, plain gold with a large ruby inset.

"Breathe, Scor." Al sounded like he was about to laugh, and his words reached Scorpius just before he passed out from lack of oxygen.

He inhaled sharply, a trembling hand reaching down to circle his lover's wrist and pull him up onto his feet. "No kneeling." He whispered, "Just ask."

Al smiled at that, green eyes shining with love, "Will you marry me?"

Scorpius launched himself into Al's arms, wrapped around him completely, arms and legs, "Merlin, yes!"

Al, prepared for this, caught him, managing to hold on to the ring as well, somehow.

The room was on its feet, loud cheers sounding from the Potter/Weasley family and the couple's friends. Al and Scorpius heard nothing though. Scorpius pulled back to frame Al's face in his hands, "I love you."

Al laughed, kissing him fiercely before slowly letting him down and onto his own two feet. He reached for Scorpius's hand and slipped on the gold ring. Scorpius surprised him by reaching into his coat and pulling out a little black box of his own. The Gryffindor laughed at his fiancé's stunned expression.

"I was going to propose once we got home." He explained, pulling out a silver ring with a large emerald inset. He slipped it onto Al's finger and hugged him tight, "I have forever with you now."

Al grinned, "You always had forever with me, love. Will it be enough?" The sonorus charm had worn off now, and the conversation was just between the two of them.

Scorpius's grey eyes lit mischievously, "Hmm. Maybe not. You'll have to love me in your next life as well."

"And every life after that." Al swore solemnly, drawing his fiancé close and snogging him without a care for the fact that five hundred people were watching.

~Living to Laugh and Love