Green Eyes and Silver Lies

It was at that particular moment in time, that bright, uncharacteristically cold late April morning, that the eleven year old Albus Potter decided he hated Scorpius Malfoy.

At least, that was what he liked to tell himself.

It had begun as simple banter, which quickly turned into heated insults (and a few misled "yo mama" jokes), which consequently resulted in raised wands, beginners curses, a few unsightly painful boils and of course, detention.

Yes, at that particular moment in time, the eleven year old Scorpius declared full out war on his raven haired opponent as they were forced to work together in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Albus remembered with astounding clarity how they had hesitated at the border of the forest, the trees looming overhead like silent phantoms. His green eyes had slid over to Scorpius's soft gray ones. He must have looked stricken, his expression silently asking truce? Scorpius only sneered, jutting his chin haughtily into the air like the arrogant little Malfoy that he was. Albus lost all hope.

"Pussy." Scorpius declared with a triumphant smirk as he took that first step into the wood like it was a victory he could hold over Potter's head. Albus had never, ever been issued a detention, and as a straight A student who rarely found himself in trouble, he was quite shaken up about the whole ordeal.

"I hope you get eaten by a troll." He grumbled, emerald eyes narrowing, grudgingly following Scorpius and stepping into the shadows of the forest. Yet again they had at each other as they walked towards the gamekeeper's cabin.

"You're an idiot, Potter." Scorpius declared, reflecting on how they had come to find themselves in this predicament. If it hadn't been for Potter's stupid joke, Scorpius theorized, this whole situation would have been avoided.

"Whatever. You're a pale blond twit."

"Oooo aren't you just evil." Scorpius remarked sarcastically with an exaggerated roll of his dove gray eyes.

"I think that's your Death Eater father." Albus said darkly. Scorpius halted. Hagrid's cabin was in sight, but the boy didn't move. Albus hesitated, fingers itching towards his wand. He had never brought up anything serious in their bickers before. It felt strangely invigorating to hit Malfoy where it hurt. Scorpius turned slowly, eyes flashing.

"Don't talk about my father." He hissed. Albus shrugged, a smirk playing on his pale rose lips.

"Oops. Did I hit a nerve? Is Scorpy gonna cry?"

"Shut up, Potter-"

"Poor little Scorp, your daddy loves his cell in Azkaban more than he loves you-" Scorpius's wand was between Albus's eyes so fast he had to admire Malfoy's speed. He narrowed his eyes.

"Go ahead, I dare you." He whispered. Scorpius swallowed, his cheeks dusted with pink, his gray eyes glazed with…wait, were those tears? Oh, this was too good. Albus shook his wand loose from its hold in his sleeve. He gripped it firmly in his chilled fingers.

"Alrigh', alrigh' that's enough boys!" Hagrid, the half giant gamekeeper, hollered so loudly, the boys practically jumped out of their skins. Scorpius accidentally fired his jinx as he whirled around, and Hagrid ended up with a horribly swollen and painfully red bulbous nose.

Detention. Again.

So six years later, as they found the seventeen year old versions of themselves crammed into McGonagall's office for a little slip up in the hallways between Potions and Transfiguration that had resulted in a very, very angry Professor Slughorn crying over the fact that half of his bushy blond mustache had been singed off, Albus was not altogether surprised. Though McGonagall's beady stare had enough venom in it to cause him to fidget. McGonagall cleared her throat.

"What is wrong with you boys?" She demanded. Scorpius chanced a glance at the raven haired youth sitting opposite him. His lean body was draped across the chair he sat in a carefree manner, one arm hanging loosely across its back. His pale blond hair was slicked back a little, his cool gray eyes studying Albus as if to say truce for now?

The slightly shorter (only by an inch!) and stockier boy glared back at him through his black bangs, his hair feathering about and falling past his ears, a little down his nape. Albus's emerald eyes gleamed. Not on your life.

Albus smirked, and Scorpius looked away, although a secretive smile played on his pale pink lips. Albus brushed the bangs from his eyes and took his green eyes off Scorpius. He was sitting rather straight, legs crossed at the knee in a professional way, hands cupped together in his lap. They said nothing, only glanced at each other, then at the large golden clock on the wall behind McGonagall's head. McGonagall rolled her eyes.

"I'm too old for this. I should have just expelled both of you when I had the chance and have done away with it. Would have saved me the trouble and maybe a few years of my life." She sighed. The boys waited.

"Just get up and go, you'll be late for the match." She muttered, deciding issuing another detention would do nothing for the boys. Grins split their faces, and they stood with a sweep of their crimson Quidditch robes.

"Devils." McGonagall grumbled as the door to her office closed. Albus walked out of the office in triumph, he'd done this before. He met Malfoy's cool gray gaze. Once they were a yard away from the office, they began to snicker behind gloved hands. For a duo so immersed in rivalry, they were in sync , predictable with each other. Yes, after six years of arguing with that idiot Malfoy, the blond had lost the element of surprise when it came to their fights, bickers, and arguments. Nothing Malfoy did could surprise Albus anymore; or so he liked to tell himself.

The green grass of the Quidditch field contrasted starkly with the gray spring sky, making the green pop. It reminded Scorpius of something, but before he could dwell on it longer than a second, Albus shoved past him as they left the castle, looking back with a challenging grin. He hesitated when Scorpius's gaze lingered for a moment longer. In a flash, the serious clump of seconds between them had vanished. Albus always knew how to ruin a moment, of course.

"Damn, Malfoy, I know I'm hot, but stop ogling me like I have my shirt off. You're freakin' me out." He crowed, laughing at the annoyed look on Scorpius's face. The blond twisted his mouth in distaste.

"Heh, like that skinny chest of yours is anything to ogle." Scorpius shot back, though he smiled a little. He followed Albus at a distance, obviously brooding, but Potter pretended not to notice. It was fine, Scorpius didn't need to talk about it anyway. Not that he wanted Potter of all people up in his business.

The boys sprinted across the grounds, and were greeted at the entrance of the Quidditch field by an irritated redhead, tossing a quaffle into the air as she waited. Her lips were pursed, her hazel eyes flashing, her cheeks rosy. She was pissed.

And damn did anger look good on her. Scorpius thought as he smirked.

"I swear to fucking God, if you two can't keep it together and manage to have detention during the championship, I will strangle you in your sleep. I am so sick of you two." She vowed darkly. Albus barked out a laugh.

"Aw, Lil, you know you love me." Albus joked, ruffling her hair as he passed, which only made Lily spitting mad. Her face went from a charming rosy pink to a vicious tomato red.

"Fuck you, Albus, I'm trying to help run the team here. Hard enough keeping everything together without you two airheads screwing it all up!" She cried, running up to join him and smack him upside the head. Scorpius trailed behind, watching the siblings with an interest, eyes lingering on Lily's sashaying hips. Slowly, however, they found their way to Albus's broad shoulders. He frowned.

He and Potter weren't what he would solidly call friends. Their first year they had practically been sworn enemies, but after the detention in the Forbidden Forest, they seemed to have reached a middle ground…

As if he had heard Scorpius's thoughts, Albus looked back. Emerald eyes met dove gray. For a moment, life was simple. Then Albus winked, Scorpius sneered back, and the moment was ruined. Fucking Al.

Sometimes, their banter was playful. Sometimes, they even got along, but ever since their first year, they couldn't seem to stay off each other's backs. Oddly enough, they were never far from each other, even hanging around the same group of friends.

Their second year at Hogwarts, their first detention of the year had been over a fist fight. They had ended up tackling each other over the position for Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Third year, the first detention was over a little duel fueled on by Scorpius's insistence that his spellwork was far more surperior. Fourth year, the first detention of the year had been over some ugly cursing which stemmed from…

Hmm. It had just been a bad morning, he guessed. Fifth year, it had been because they discovered they both had the same girlfriend. A Ravenclaw had been two timing them at the same time. Older, pretty girl like her, damn she had been someone to get angry over (even if she was a bitch). Sixth year, they had mellowed out some, but their rivalry was still there, hot and bothered. Their relationship went in circles, revolving around their rivalry, and their sort-of-friendship. Even if sometimes, Scorpius entertained the thought that he hated Potter's guts.

He abandoned the thoughts as he met with the team, and took his position as Keeper. He watched Albus mount his broom and shoot off into the sky. Watching him fly…well, it made Scorpius forget about his problems. Just for a moment.

Groaning, Albus collapsed on the large ruby red velvet couch in the common room. The thing was ancient, squeaking in protest when Albus's muscled body landed hard on its soft cushions. The team was drenched from an icy spring rain. Some had had the misfortune of being covered in mud and grass stains…along with accompanying bruises and cuts to match.

They had lost against Ravenclaw. Lily, of course, was spitting curses, her face flushed, going on and on about teamwork (the team's only as strong as its players, so put some effort into it damn it) and how zit-faced Tobias Halloway should be cursed to kingdom-come for the way he handles bludgers. Albus swore she invested too much in Quidditch, but thanks to that there were more than one scout who had taken notice of Lily Potter and were itching for her to graduate. Like mother, like daughter, Albus guessed.

"Asshole looked like a kid on Christmas when he hit Rain in the face!" She sputtered. Rain Greenwell moaned in response, holding an ice pack to her swollen face. Albus winced just looking at her, absentmindedly rubbing his jaw. Eventually, Lily's anger gave way to exhaustion (thank God) and the Common Room quieted. Albus noticed the time on the antique grandfather clock in the corner.

Dammit. Eight o'clock already. He mentally cursed, but his blood rushed in anticipation.

Albus quickly showered and changed, only dimly aware that Scorpius was suddenly nowhere to be found. Not that he cared, of course. He pulled on a crimson long sleeve with a golden 'A' at the right top corner, and a pair of black jeans, and snuck out of the Common Room. He was careful to avoid Lily's analytical glare. Apparently, she was still angry with him for landing himself in McGonagall's office. He blew her a kiss goodnight and she flipped him off, returning quietly to her homework.

Oh sisterly love.

Scorpius stared at the letter in his lap, dread pooling in his stomach like a block of ice. His mother's flowy penmanship covered the creamy stationary. His horned owl, Amadeus, slumbered on his shoulder, hopping from foot to foot occasionally. Scorpius absentmindedly stroked the owl's feathers. He stared at the second sentence of the letter.

…Your father will be released on Saturday next. He will be home for break, and I urge you to come home with a forgiving and understanding heart. This is our chance to mend our family, and as his son you should find it within yourself to accept your father and forgive him. He loves you so…

Blah, blah, blah, Scorpius you better love your father now. God, his mother was so oblivious. With a grimace, he waded the paper up in his hand, shoving it in his jeans pocket. He was sitting at the base of a winding set of stairs that led to the divination room. He glanced at his wristwatch.

Eight thirty, damn. At nine, students were required to be in their Common Rooms. He watched a giggling group of fifth year Hufflepuff girls pass by him. He looked over them. The brunette in the middle was cute, and the blond on the left was sporting a decent rack. The brunette on the right just wasn't pretty. Ouch.

The cute brunette glanced at him, whispered to her companions. The three girls erupted in shrill giggles and blushed. Scorpius shot his I know I'm hot crooked grin their way, leaving them red in the face instead of pink. Done with the day, he stood and began to leave.

He walked slowly through the halls, head bowed, not wanting to attract attention to himself. Amadeus hooted softly, nipping at his human's ear in an attempt to brighten him up. It didn't work. He didn't want to see his father. Point blank. Draco could stay in Azkaban and not come home, as far as Scorpius was concerned.

Draco had been sentenced a few months into Scorpius's first year. Some followers of the late Voldemort had reconstructed their little group and somehow had coerced Draco to join. They had been discovered before anything could be done, but the sentences hadn't been light. It had been difficult on his mother, Astoria. His mother had anxiety issues that likely stemmed from Voldemort's time (her family had been tortured), and after Draco was taken away his mother was just a diagnosis short of clinically crazy. It had been embarrassing, infuriating, saddening.

He had to endure the whispers at school, the frightened glances, The occasional Slytherin who tried to talk to him because the same had happened to their father, and so on.

Most importantly, it had given Albus even more leverage to insult him. Albus had called Draco a Death Eater, insinuated that his father was evil. Scorpius had never been angrier at Potter in his life than he had been at that point. At that point, Scorpius had truly loathed him, house-mate or not.

Now though-

Scorpius's thoughts were interrupted by a gravelly groan. He paused, the hair on the back of his neck rising, a blush dusting his cheeks. He looked behind him, casting glances all around. He was alone in the large corridor. Yet he knew somewhere in the shadows, a couple was going at it, judging by that groan. There was a soft laugh, a hiss of "be quiet!". Scorpius's blush deepened. Both voices were male. He shoved his hands in his pocket and walked a little faster, but as he walked, he made the mistake of looking around.

In a shadowy corner to his left, someone very familiar was engaged quite intimately with a handsome sixth year Slytherin known as Dante Lovell. Heat raced up Scorpius's body, and his mind screamed at him to turn away, but he was rooted to the spot. Transfixed.

Albus's strong body was pressed tightly against Lovell's, hips rolling against the other boys, hands roaming, mouth expertly at work. Albus began to trail kisses to the other boy's neck, and Lovell's eyes snapped open, his dark blue eyes catching Scorpius's. The brunette winked roguishly, grinning coyly, then nipped at Albus's ear, causing the older boy to groan softly.

Scorpius ran. He ran straight to the Fat Lady, gasping out the password, and stumbling into the Common Room. Lily was still on the big red couch, doing her homework. Damn her, always making sure the Quidditch players came back by curfew. You'd think everyone would just go about their business anyway despite what she said, but Lily was…

Well, she was scary when it came to quidditch. That and popular, which was a winning combination when it came to being listened to, apparently. She was only five foot four and one hundred and two pounds, but she was five feet of mean who would bite your head off and spit it back out when she wanted to be, and she was a damn good captain, which earned her the team's respect. As captain, it was up to her to keep her team in shape, and she never slacked with the responsibility. Her hazel eyes flicked up to Scorpius, then lowered as if in disinterest.

"Did you see Al out there? Curfew's in fifteen minutes." She said distractedly, scribbling on some parchment, curled up on the couch in her pajamas with an open textbook in her lap, her red hair in a sloppy bun. Scorpius swallowed.

Albus…Albus...

"Albus won't be too much longer." He found himself saying, his mouth dry. Lily nodded absentmindedly, having already dismissed Scorpius from her train of thought. Normally this would irk him, he would whine playfully and flirt with her, but at the moment he was too enveloped in his own thoughts. She glanced up at him almost expectantly, but he ignored the silent invitation to speak to her and went to the showers. His skin felt tight, as if what he had seen was bubbling to the surface. He was aware he was still flushed.

As if to torture him, his mind replayed the scene over and over. In the shower he shivered, despite the warm spray. He hadn't known Albus swung both ways. Get over it, it's not that big a deal. Then why was he so uneasy? He swallowed, rinsing the soap from his body and hopping out-only to collide (dripping wet and naked mind you, as if things couldn't get any worse) head first with Albus, who was looking for an open shower stall, a white towel hung loosely around his waist.

"Dammit, Scorpius!" Albus hollered, covering his forehead with the palm of his hand and rubbing the area. Scorpius mumbled an apology, grabbed a towel and started off, but Albus stopped him.

"Hey…er, everything alright?" He asked, falteringly. Scorpius blinked, shocked. This was definitely a milestone in their odd little relationship. They usually kept out of each other's business unless it involved the other. Albus scratched the back of his head, as if suddenly embarrassed. For one horrifying moment, Scorpius wondered if Dante had mentioned his intrusion to Albus. He swallowed, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Yeah. Why?" Albus shrugged.

"Well, you…you know, you're quiet lately. Which is weird." Potter accused with a frown. Scorpius flushed, but he hid his embarrassment with a jab.

"Aw, if I didn't know any better I'd say you cared." He sneered, his voice a mockery of affection. Albus grimaced, not amused.

"Don't be a fucking asshole," Potter muttered. With a shake of his head, he hopped into a shower stall, leaving Scorpius alone in the tiled hall, blinking against the lights, which suddenly seemed too bright. It was then Scorpius realized that for once, he was the one ruining the moment.

Fucking Malfoy. Albus washed his hair vigorously, a little surprised by his anger. Come on, though! There he was, going out on a limb for the guy, crossing boundaries they never cross, only to be shut down. Why bother? Hell, it because he was concerned.

Yeah, concerned. Yeah, he cared. So what of it? Scorpius didn't need to be a jerk about it. Ever since their first year, after the rumors about Scorpius's family began to surface, the kid had practically been an outcast. Despite their differences, Albus was the first to approach him without empty kindness, and Scorpius had let him reach out. Before long, they belonged to the same group of friends, although they never personally hung out together. Even though Malfoy could get on his nerves Albus…well, cared. He let out a breathy sigh. He really needed to stop getting his panties in a twist over it. Whatever.

He was not going to admit to himself that he was upset mostly because it stung a little that Scorpius didn't view him as someone who could give a shit enough to confide in. He was good to argue and goof around with and that was about it, Albus guessed.

Why did it matter, anyway? For the past six years they had been close in proximity, but always far apart when it came to any kind of friendship. It had always been that way. They knew each other, but not well. They talked, but never confided in each other, and Albus could count the serious conversations they had with each other on one hand. It didn't need to change…

Albus ran the bar of soap down his body, frowning when he noticed a purple bruise blooming from underneath his skin on his collar bone. He grinned mischievously. Dante had given him a hickey. Thinking about his evening activities got his blood roaring. His hand roamed a little lower as he imagined the Slytherin.

Dark brown hair with a little wave to it, full lips, dark, gray eyes…

Wait. No. Dante's eyes were not gray. Albus opened his eyes, suddenly uncomfortable, his flushed skin suddenly too hot. He thought of Scorpius suddenly, how the blond had looked stumbling so ungracefully out of the shower and smack dab into him. Only a blind fool would say that Scorpius was plain looking. He was anything but, with that lean but defined torso, elegantly handsome long face, straight nose, and brooding heather gray eyes. Albus turned off the water and quickly dried off.

Blue eyes, not gray. Dante's eyes were blue.

Albus sometimes liked to entertain the notion that he was bisexual, but it felt like a lie to think so. He didn't believe he was bisexual. If anything, he was bi-curious. He wasn't particularly sure he believed he could be equally attracted to both sexes instead of preferring one over the other. He figured one of these go-arounds, he would find himself more attracted to one particular sex, and stick with it.

He had to be gay or straight, right? His first encounter with another guy had been in fourth year, with a seventh year Ravenclaw named Nathaniel Bitterbridge. Nate had been a sought after bachelor with the ladies. Tall, slim, olive skinned, mysterious. They had met in the library. Then one night, after wandering around after hours and bumping into Bitterbridge, Albus had gone from cursing the guy from writing him up, to making out with him in the corridor. Needless to say, the demerit never reached its destination. For months, they skulked around in the shadows, the relationship a secret. Albus never told a soul.

Yes, Nathaniel Bitterbridge had been Albus's first everything. Al would even go as far as to say the young man had been his first love. It had been hopeless, however. Nathaniel graduated, started dating a woman, and seemed to forget that Albus ever lived.

Talk about heartbreak.

Albus could easily say it was after Nate that he began to get a little reckless with love. He got back on the dating scene with girls, and often had a new flavor of the week as opposed to a steady relationship. With the guys, it was just as bad.

He felt broken (was it so hard to fall in love again? Was there something wrong with him?), confused, and many times, alone. Often his relationships were composed of sex, a little pillow talk, and more sex. Nothing serious. Nothing real. If they tried to worm their way into his life, his mind, he often didn't allow it.

He thought of Dante and found himself frowning. After breakfast tomorrow, he would be sure to seek the Slytherin out and break it off. It had been going on for almost three weeks now, and that was a bit too long for Albus's taste. Albus did have a girlfriend (at the moment anyway) after all, and he preferred to keep his attraction on the down low .

He knew he was being an asshole by seeing Dante on the side, but in his defense Amelia Hawthorne had only been his girlfriend as of last Monday.

Yeah, still not a good excuse. At least he hadn't slept with her yet, that would make things messier.

Nope, He was still an asshole.

Albus tossed and turned in bed, the sheets whispering over his bare chest. He was clad in his boxers, unable to sleep, mind whirring with thoughts. Outside, the moon was fat and full, casting pale silver light through the tower window. It was just enough light to make out the sleeping faces of his dorm mates. Albus's eyes drifted to the last bed on the right, on the opposite side of the dorm.

The bed's occupant turned once, twice, then stilled. Albus wondered if Scorpius was awake. Malfoy almost never tossed and turned (not that he watched him sleep like some pervy creep). He forced himself to look away and stare out the window.

He wished he didn't care about Scorpius. At all. But the feeling was hard to kick. It had been hard to kick ever since first year, ever since (after calling Scorpius's dad evil and a Death Eater right to the kid's face) he had reached out to Malfoy, inviting him to hang out with group, pairing up with him in class when no one else would. It was his way of apologizing. Scorpius, while he did indeed needle the hell out of him, was never cruel to him. Over time, their classmates came around and Scorpius ended up becoming quite popular as the years passed. He was, after all, sweet and charming. Always, Albus watched from a distance. Close, but far away. Sometimes he liked it that way, because when he saw happiness, true happiness, on Malfoy's face, it was his moment alone to relish, and Malfoy never had to know.

Never had to know that Albus played the game he did so the game wouldn't stop.

The door to the boy's dorm creaked open with a sigh, and Albus looked over at it. He rose from bed, not eager or excited. He threw on a robe and slipped silently from the dorm, closing the door behind him with a soft click. In the hall, Amelia was waiting, the picture of loveliness. Her curly hair falling about her shoulders in a tousled, sexy way, her dark eyes gleaming in the dark. She flashed him a pearly grin, grabbing his wrist.

"Come on." She whispered, giggling as she led him away. Albus smiled at her, rubbing his thumb between Amelia's thumb and forefinger. Amelia would carry him away, and Scorpius would be far, far away from his thoughts.

Or so he liked to tell himself.

A/N: I posted this on a whim, it's just something random I wrote, so reviews I receive will decide on this piece's future. I write other things when stuck on fics, and this is what came out when taking a break from writing my Naruto fic. Sooo...any thoughts?