((Readers, my lovely readers… It's been so long since I've updated, and still now and then I get a message asking where I've gone, checking for updates, to see if I'm still alive, if I'll ever finish. Truthfully, those little reminders are the reason I'm here right now, trying to move forward. The reason for my extended absence is… well, terrible. My mother finally lost her two year battle with leukemia this past January and it's been… a nightmare. But life goes on, yes? And so must the show. And that's why I'm here. So. Let's see if I can still make these muses behave…))

James kept his distance after that day. It was difficult – fuck, nearly impossible – but he forced himself to maintain the distance, despite how much he wanted to storm across the Great Hall most days and haul Scorpius right up off his seat at Slytherin table to kiss that abrasive little sneer off his face and give Zabini a reason to take the first shot so he could pound the cocky brat bloody. He had sworn to keep to himself and let Scorpius make his own mistakes, and that was exactly what he was going to do. And if he got himself fucked over in the meantime… Well, it was his own damn fault then, wasn't it?

Albus occasionally still looked at him as though he was a stranger. And why wouldn't he? His temper was constantly short, his patience thin, and if not for classes to bury himself in he might have already done even more that he'd end up having to regret.

Sprawled out in the sand by the edge of the Black Lake, James stared up at the sky and tried not to wonder if they'd done the deed yet, if Scorpius had melted under those filthy, coaxing hands and oily words of insincere praise. The image he kept getting in his head of pale and dark flesh twisted together in green silk sheets was enough to make him sick to his stomach, which was precisely why he was here and not at dinner. It was slightly easier to bear if he didn't have to see them sitting shoulder to shoulder, whispering to each other over their pumpkin juice.

He doubted they would even notice he was gone.

But Scorpius noticed. Like he noticed everything James did, he noticed the older boy's absence from dinner and it had concern and frustration and self-disgust coiling up and around his ribcage, climbing into his chest and squeezing his heart. Every time James was in the Hall he watched them as if he wanted them both to spontaneously combust, and whenever he wasn't staring at them he was looking anywhere but them in such an obvious fashion that it was almost worse than the staring.

Alistair seemed more amused than anything by the displays, often teasing the 'overemotional Potter' as one hand slid up Scorpius' thigh and stroked along his hip, toying with the edge of his shirt. Admittedly, as pleasant as the sensation was, it never compared to that white-hot flash of heat and temptation he'd faced for those brief, forbidden seconds when James had towered over him with his back pinned to stone and his chin gripped in unforgiving fingers, jerked up so their eyes could meet steadily. He could still remember the way his heart had raced and clung to the insides of his throat as though it might escape through his mouth if he weren't careful. The flutter of breath across his parted lips, just a single torturous inch away from meeting, before it had all been yanked away.

And since then – since their fight in the hall, where Alistair had staked his claim – James hadn't spoken two words to him. And that scorching moment had never seemed further away.

"Scorpius."

The blonde blinked and lifted his head, torn from his thoughts by the sound of his name. He turned slightly to the side, and met the dark-eyed gaze of Alistair, whose grip on his hip had gone from seductive to concerned, rubbing his flesh soothingly through his shirt. "Scorpius, this is the third time just this evening that you've gotten lost in your head in the middle of our conversation." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "If I'm really boring you that badly…"

"No. No, it's nothing like that, Alistair. Just… generally distracted. It's nothing." He dragged his mind forcefully away from the subject of James and focused himself on Alistair instead. The person he should have actually been worrying about. "You were saying?"

"I was saying that I'm finished eating, but if you're not done yet I'd be willing to wait for you so we can walk back to the Common Room together."

Scorpius blinked, looking down at his plate, which was indeed still full of food he'd served himself and then toyed with without really consuming much of anything. "Ahh… No, no, I'll come with you now. Sorry. Seems my appetite is just a bit absent tonight." He summoned up a reassuring smile as he looked up at Alistair once more.

After a moment's quiet contemplation, Alistair nodded once, accepting this. "If you're sure. If you're feeling too poorly, we could always take you to the Hospital Wing-"

"Alistair, I'm fine. Just not hungry." Scorpius rose from the bench and held out a hand, inviting the other to join him without further protest. He smiled as his hand was accepted, bringing the other to his feet as well. Their hands dropped afterward, but they walked close enough for them to brush from time to time as they left the Hall, heading down to the dungeons together.

Alistair gave the password to get them both inside, and they passed through and down another flight of stairs to their dormitories. The eerie green light shining in from the Lake illuminated them as they stepped through the door and Scorpius shut it behind them, sealing them into the room alone together. Before he could speak, Alistair had a hand at his cheek, cupping his face as he brought their mouths together in a kiss that just hinted at something more as his teeth scraped over Scorpius' lower lip. "You seem like you could use something to distract that busy mind of yours, since it seems to run off with you so often."

Scorpius hummed quietly at the pleasantly stinging sensation, welcoming the distracting warmth that accompanied his attention. "Mm, I think we have an hour or two before any other boys will be back here…"

Alistair chuckled and bit again at his lip, more harshly now. His hands roamed down across his hips, following the waist of his trousers, and then lower to cup his ass within his hands, squeezing as he backed Scorpius into the foot of the bed. "Plenty of time."

Scorpius' shoes slipped off his feet with a mumbled spell, and he braced his hands on the mattress to help lift himself onto it, sprawling across the sheets as Alistair climbed up over him, mouthing down his throat as he freed a hand to loosen the buttons on his shirt now instead. "Don't – aah, Alistair… Don't get ahead of yourself."

Still, he didn't protest too strongly as the other boy continued to work at stripping him and that hot mouth streaked across his pale flesh, leaving warmth and wetness wherever it traveled. His nipples perked under the insistent ministrations, and Scorpius' breath left him in a hiss as fingers followed where his tongue had already been, plucking and twisting until his torso hitched slightly upward off the bed.

"Heh… So sensitive." Alistair's tongue lifted off his belly now from where it had been drawing circles around his navel and their mouths met again, tongues clashing as Scorpius' hands settled contentedly at Alistair's shoulders and squeezed there, sliding up along the blades up into his hair.

"Bastard." Heat throbbed deep in his belly, demanding his attention. His hips jerked slightly, rubbing their bodies together. Alistair purred and his hands wandered down across his body, slipping under his waistband.

Somehow, all at once, it was enough to make the warm wash of pleasure turn to terrifying ice.

His fingers tightened in Alistair's hair, but he only took it for further encouragement, and the front of his trousers loosened under those insistent fingers, and now his palms slipped inside as well. Inching deeper and deeper past the rich fabric, seeking –

"A-Alistair…"

"Shhhh." Those inquisitive hands slipped down far enough to curl around the waistband of his boxers, tugging, and he felt anxiety suddenly clutch at his throat, sealing off the word that choked at the edge of his tongue. Arousal still burned within him, but it was quickly being overwhelmed by the sudden fear that seemed to roar up from nowhere all at once.

"A-aah…" His hands fumbled, loosened, and then dropped, curling around Alistair's wrists. His cheek pressed into the pillow, and Alistair's mouth laced more kisses down his jaw and over his throat, keeping him just that side of overwhelmed, unable to speak, panting quietly – yet noticeably – in the otherwise quiet room. "S-stop…"

Alistair's teeth grazed the lobe of his ear. Calloused fingers curled around his length through his boxers and –

"No."

It came out in a short, fierce whisper that finally caught the other's attention, causing him to pause, lifting his head to look down at Scorpius, dark eyes hazy with lust, lost in confusion. "Scorpius?"

He tugged more insistently at Alistair's wrists, wanting them out of his trousers. Adrenaline suddenly rushed through his system, and he just knew he needed to get up, to get some air, to get those hands off of him and –

"Scorpius, hey!"

He froze, his hair mussed from being dragged against the sheets, eyes wide and somewhat wild. Warm, familiar hands stroked over his jaw. "Hey. Calm down."

Scorpius nodded, taking a breath. But he could still feel the other boy's arousal pressed against his thigh. "Let me up." The words were quiet and oh so carefully controlled. Alistair complied, hands lifted somewhat in surrender, shifting off of him and onto the mattress, freeing the blonde. Scorpius was off the mattress and on his feet immediately, feet stuffed hurriedly back into his shoes.

"You don't have to – "

"I just need a walk." He snapped the retort out sharply before Alistair could finish, and an uncomfortable silence fell between them; Scorpius staring to the side and Alistair staring at his profile as though he might be able to read something from him if he just looked long enough. "I'll be back. I just." He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I just need some air."

He turned on his heel and disappeared through the door without waiting for Alistair to respond again, leaving him behind there on the bed as he took the stairs back up out of the dungeon two at a time. Chills tore through his body the further he got, the faster he moved. He just needed to get away. To make sense of what had happened. How such pleasure had morphed into such confusion and doubt and – Damn it!

He slipped through the halls and out of the castle quickly, managing to halfway button his shirt along the way. The passages were familiar to him now, the hidden tunnels which made escaping onto the grounds so much easier. He loped through the grass, gradually slowing now as the sounds of the Lake washed over him. He exhaled softly, the sound morphing into a shudder as it escaped him and drifted off into the night.

"Surprised to find you out here."

Startled, he jerked around, and spotted James seated against a chunk of stone jutting out from the shore, leaning back casually against it, those sharp green eyes locked onto his face, ready to pick him apart and shred him and his insecurities, no doubt. Anger bubbled hotly under his skin at the very thought.

"Why, because I suppose this is suddenly your special strip of shoreline that stupid little Slytherins aren't allowed in?" he asked, his tone short and tightly reserved as his head swiveled to the side, redirecting his gaze elsewhere.

"No, because I figured you'd be busy getting fucked by your scummy boyfriend by now."

Shame and fury twined together in his belly. If not for his inexplicable anxiety, he might have very well been, this very night. But Salazar knows he wasn't about to tell the other that much. "Not that it's any of your business, but for all you know, I already have been."

Even as the words leave his mouth, he knows it's exactly the wrong thing to say. And somehow, that makes them exactly right. He can feel that heavy gaze settle on him, the anger seething just under the surface as James stared at him with judgment in his eyes. "Have you?" It lashes out at him sharply, demanding answer. "Have you, Scorpius?"

"And what if I have?" he demanded, whipping around to face him, only to realize that James had gotten to his feet, and suddenly he was at a disadvantage again, looking up at the older boy who loomed over him, and he felt that rubbery sensation leaking into his knees again, threatening to make them give way. "What if I have?" he asks again, with slightly less resolve than before.

"Then you're more of a fucking idiot than I thought." Scorpius' chin lifted stubbornly at that, pride immediately injured by the insult. Before he could fling a worthy retort, he realized he had been grabbed. James' hands were on his shoulders, and his position had been reversed, and he found himself with his back against unforgiving stone again. It seemed to be becoming a habit for them, really. And it wasn't one he was overly concerned about breaking, if he was honest with himself. One hand slid down and fisted in the gaping front of his half-fastened button down shirt. By the light of the moon, he could see the flush of marks along his neck, standing out harshly on his pale, pale skin. That coupled with his ruffled appearance and half-dressed state was more than enough proof as far as James was concerned. And the knowledge lodged sickly in his gut like a hot iron.

"Feeling like something really special now that you've had your precious little cherry popped, Malfoy?" he sneered, even as warning bells sounded off in the back of his head. Saying too much, losing control. If he were smart, he'd let go and back off. But of course, he was hardly the smartest kid in their family. That was left more to Rose. "Must not've been all that great if you felt like you needed a midnight stroll around the lake afterward. Some people indulge in a cigarette, but – "

Scorpius planted his hands on James' chest and shoved roughly, driving him back a step. "What the fuck do you even know, huh? What if he was fucking amazing and we're planning on going again as soon as I get back there?"

Rage lit fire in the dark green eyes, and he drove Scorpius back into the stone, harder now, pinning his hands at his sides. "My question stands. Why would you be out at the lake after such an amazing fuck unless it wasn't really as amazing as you were hoping?"

Scorpius squirmed and bucked underneath him immediately, snarling a feral curse when he realized he was completely pinned. He bared his teeth in a growl. "Why in the name of fucking Merlin is that any of you-"

The sound of his rebuke was swallowed up by the mouth that suddenly – unexpectedly – sealed over his and stole the voice right from his throat. He made a lost, confused sound, and that too was swept away as a tongue slipped past his still-parted lips and into his mouth, demanding, conquering, accepting no surrender as Scorpius took up the edge of his demand and met it halfway with demand and expectation of his own.

Their bodies melded together from chest to thigh, and for a wicked, wordless moment, they merely lost themselves to it all, unquestioning, pleasure-seeking. Bodies rubbing together, and all Scorpius knew was that there was no doubt here, no anxiety, no unexpected wash of paranoia that perhaps he'd made a bad decision, one he would regret. There was only building lust and heat, until the need for air broke the suction of their wet lips, and they stared at each other, gasping quietly for breath that hadn't been stolen from each other's mouths.

"James…"

The single syllable stumbled off Scorpius' tongue in a half-whisper.

The older boy fell back, hands loosening their grip, staring at Scorpius as if waiting for some further reaction from him. When there was nothing, save for the unbroken stare of grey eyes locked onto green, James hesitated, and then turned, and the spell was broken, and he dashed off into the night, leaving Scorpius far behind.

(Time skip)

Lunch with Roderich had been exactly as Harry had assumed it would be. Uneventful. Not necessarily boring, but he'd have much preferred to have spent the hour with his husband. It might have been less of a chore overall if he hadn't been preoccupied the whole time with thinking of Draco and Gilbert and what they might be talking about that needed to be so secretive.

As they were walking back together in semi-awkward silence, it was Roderich that breached the barrier first. "I'm as curious as you."

Harry blinked, glancing to the side at the other man. "What…?"

"Gilbert and Draco, of course. I know you've been thinking about them the entire time we were eating. Truthfully, I'm surprised you bothered to come out with me when we both know you'd rather have been trying to track them down to see what they were up to together." He seemed unconcerned by the suggestion of Harry's snooping, and it might have been insulting if Harry hadn't known that it was completely true.

"I didn't mind eating with you instead," he muttered, dragging a hand through his dark hair.

"But you would have been far less likely to do so had you not been coerced by your husband." Harry spluttered, but before he could fully form a protest, Roderich was continuing on. "Don't look so offended. Gilbert did the same thing to me. He suggested that we eat out together today to give us a chance to get better acquainted. And the way he proposed it did not leave very much room for wiggling out of the arrangement."

A small smile tugged at the usually stern mouth. "I tell you this not to offend, but because I feel as though Draco might have pulled a similar stunt. In order to ensure they were able to eat alone without either of us interrupting. Had they not put such effort into guaranteeing their privacy, I might not have thought twice about it, considering their history. But it must truly be something vitally secret for them to go to such lengths."

Harry had to take a moment to put his thoughts in order, first and foremost the idea that even if he hadn't fumbled quite so badly during their heated conversation in the shower last night, he probably still would have ended up eating with Roderich today rather than Draco. Suspicion bloomed anew, and he looked up and over at Roderich with a nod, agreeing with his summary. "So what exactly did you plan on us doing next?"

"Simple. We must flush out whatever secret they're keeping."

Harry couldn't help but smile a little at that. "All right, I kind of guessed that part. But how?"

Roderich returned his half-amused smile. It was small, but sincere, and he wondered how many other people aside from his fiancé had seen that pleasant smile on that serious face. "Well, you would be the expert, no, Auror Potter?"

"Well, when you put it like that…" Harry scratched his chin. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Gilbert is bound to arrive home before Draco because he still has to work, so once he arrives you can take him off on your own and see what you can find out about how their lunch went. And I'll do the same with Draco after dinner, once he's home and we've gone our separate ways. Then we see if our stories match up and see what else we can find out from the both of them."

It was a fairly simple idea, all in all, but sometimes honesty and simplicity was best. And if that failed, there was always his invisibility cloak. He certainly wasn't above using it to stalk the pair of them if it really appeared as though they might be hiding something remotely serious from them both. He and Roderich surely had a right to know about whatever it might be.

"I like it." Harry pushed open the front door and stepped aside for Roderich to follow him into the Manor. "With luck, we'll both be merely overreacting, and by the end of the night we'll know well enough whatever the big secret might have been." Harry nodded in agreement again as they headed together into the living room to take a seat on either couch facing one another. "But still, it never hurts to be prepared…"

((I feel like this was not my best work. But. Hopefully this shall appease, lovely readers, while I see if I can maybe build from this progress and write more after this. Comments are welcomed and appreciated, of course 3 They're what keep me going. And always feel free to message me at any time with comments, questions, and concerns. It's a pleasure to see you all again, lovely readers. I hope you enjoyed.))