Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is an outtake from "A Fine Line," my multi-chapter Rose/Scorpius story, so it is best appreciated if you have read that. It takes place immediately after the chapter titled, "Confrontations and Confessions." However, I've tried to include enough information so that you should be able to follow along even if you're not familiar with that story line.

I wrote this little one shot for a couple of reasons:

1. I came to absolutely adore Albus Potter while I was writing "A Fine Line" and I just wanted to spend some more time with him, and

2. I want to know if people are interested in me writing a multi-chapter fic about Albus. I already have some of the story mapped out in my head and if enough people would want to read it, I'll make sure to dedicate more time to figuring it out. Of course, this would be something that would happen after I finish "A Fine Line." There's no way I could handle writing both stories at once. Albus's story would take place when he is in his mid-twenties, with flashbacks to his time at Hogwarts. It would involve him finding himself in a rather dangerous situation when, through his job with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he discovers a smuggling ring that is shipping illegal - and dangerous - animal parts into the country. It would focus primarily on his relationship with my original character, Ava Mathenson. She makes a few appearances in "A Fine Line," and is the costar of this one shot. I'd appreciate it if you would let me know if this is something you guys would be interested in reading.

As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

What the…?

Albus Potter shifted his gaze back and forth between Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy, trying to wrap his head around the idea of the two of them as anything other than nemeses. Walking in on the two enemies snogging each other's brains out in the library had been quite a shock, and all of a sudden he felt like his understanding of his cousin had been shaken. And now he stood facing them, studying their faces in the hopes of gaining some sort of insight into what in Merlin's name they were thinking. "So I'm guessing this means that you two like each other now?" he asked.

"Well…I mean…"

"Um…well, see…" Rose and Scorpius both trailed off, looking at one another with bewildered, and slightly horrified, expressions on their faces.

Albus snorted out a laugh. "I'll leave you two to figure it out, then." As he walked past them, he patted each of them on the shoulder. "Best of luck with that." Still laughing to himself, Albus exited the room, leaving Rose and Scorpius to continue staring at one another in confusion.

A few feet down the hallway, however, the feeling of amusement disappeared. Albus had no idea what to think of this new development. He, along with the rest of the school, had gotten used to the fact that Rose and Scorpius hated each other with everything they had. The two of them could not even be in the same room without all of its inhabitants sending them wary glances whenever they got a little bit to close.

And yet, somehow, they had been seeing each other behind everyone's backs, while still managing to make everyone think that they were mortal enemies. They had even kept up the pretense by fighting constantly, despite the shifting dynamic between them. And they had been doing it for months. He just couldn't seem to understand it.

As he made his way up to Gryffindor Tower, Albus attempted to make some sense of what he had witnessed. Rose and Scorpius were together. And as much as they had cringed at his sarcastic mention of them being madly in love with one another, he knew that there were much deeper feelings there than either one of them had admitted to him. Maybe even deeper than they had admitted to themselves, if the looks on their faces as he had exited the room were any indication.

He had known Rose all of his life, but he never would have been able to predict this. Rose and Scorpius. It was almost beyond comprehension. Yes, he had always been aware of the heat between them and had dismissed it as pure hatred but, even if that heat had actually been lust, it didn't explain the emotional connection he had just seen. Albus was no innocent. He knew what it looked like when two people just needed a release. But that was not what he had seen between Rose and Scorpius.

Albus walked through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room, his mind still back in the library—the images of what he had seen between his cousin and the blonde Slytherin circling endlessly through his head. He needed some time alone with his thoughts so that he could figure this whole thing out. Thankfully, most of the Gryffindors were spread out throughout the castle so the common room was nearly empty. He wouldn't have to interact with anyone. Still in a bit of a daze, he wove his way through the groupings of chairs and couches that littered the room, making his way towards the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

"Hey," came a voice from his right. He didn't even acknowledge the sound.

"Albus."

He turned his head to see his best friend, Ava Mathenson, sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table in front of her and a Charms textbook open on her lap.

Albus did his best to suppress the chaotic assortment of thoughts that had been muddling up his consciousness. "Sorry, Ava. I didn't hear you."

"What's wrong?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

Ava shot him a knowing look. "It's written all over your face."

Albus sighed, plopping down on the couch next to her. "I just found out something rather…surprising. And a bit disturbing."

"Sounds interesting," she said, closing the book she had been studying and setting it aside so that she could give him her full attention.

"Oh yeah." He rubbed his eyes for a moment. "I just found Rose and Scorpius pressed up against the bookshelves of the Advanced Transfiguration section."

"Were they trying to kill each other again? I swear, those two—"

Albus let out a derisive snort. "If only."

"What does that mean?" Ava asked, her interest piqued.

"Scorpius had Rose pinned to the stacks but he was definitely not trying to kill her. I'll never get that image out of my head," Albus groaned.

Ava's eyebrows shot upwards. "Really. Huh."

"Huh? All you have to say is huh?"

"I'm processing. Give me a minute."

Albus remained silent, letting her think the situation through. He had not planned on telling anyone about what he had witnessed between Rose and Scorpius but, for some reason, the second he had seen Ava the whole story had just wanted to come pouring out. He knew he could count on her to keep it a secret, but that wasn't the only reason he felt comfortable telling her. Ava was muggleborn, so she didn't have the prejudices and preconceptions that came with being raised in the wizarding world. She didn't adhere to the invisible, yet impenetrable line that had been drawn between the Malfoys and the Weasleys long before she had even been born. Because of this, she would be able to view the relationship between Rose and Scorpius from a slightly different perspective. And Merlin knew, Albus needed a different perspective.

Unable to keep quiet any longer, Albus spoke up. "I just don't understand how something like this could happen. I mean, they've always hated each other. To the point of attacking one another on a regular basis."

Ava wrinkled her brow and bit her lip in contemplation. It was an old habit that Albus found absolutely adorable. You could always tell when Ava was lost in her own thoughts—her eyebrows would slowly draw together, her eyes would take on a faraway appearance, and her teeth would start worrying her bottom lip. Finally, she focused in on Albus again. "Have you ever seen them treat each other with anything other than animosity?" she asked. "Have you seen them be kind to one another? Have there ever been any hints that there may have been more to their feelings than met the eye?"

Albus tilted his head, considering. "Yes. After Goyle attacked Rose. Scorpius carried her up the stairs from the dungeons. He took care of her." He paused. "But then he just brushed it off the next day in the hospital wing and I didn't think anything else of it."

Ava's lips lifted in a soft smile. "Then I guess there's always been something more there. It's moments like that that prove they can trust each other when it counts, despite their history. It shows that they probably didn't actually hate each other at all. You know how the saying goes: there's a fine line between love and hate. Otherwise, why would Scorpius have taken care of Rose? That would never have happened if all he felt for her was hatred."

"Yeah…I suppose," Albus admitted. This was definitely the viewpoint he had been missing. Ava had a way of taking apart a situation and laying all of the pieces out in front of her, simplifying even the most complicated circumstances and making them capable of being understood. Maybe he had just missed this thing between Rose and Scorpius. If what Ava said was right, it had been building for much longer than he would have previously thought.

"So what did they have to say when you caught them? Or did you just scream and run away?" Ava teased.

"Very funny. No, I dragged them off to an empty classroom so they could explain."

"So what, are they dating now?" she asked.

Albus ran his hand over his face. "I have no idea."

"You didn't ask? I find that hard to believe."

"Oh, I asked. They're not sure themselves."

"Hmm," Ava frowned. "That could mean that this thing between them is just a crazy fling, in which case there's no need for you to get used to the idea at all."

"No," Albus sighed, shaking his head. He fell sideways, swinging his legs up onto the couch and laying his head on Ava's thigh. "You didn't see them. I know Rose, and I've gotten to know Scorpius pretty well over the years as well."

Ava absentmindedly stroked her fingers through his unruly black hair. "What did you see between them?"

"They care about each other. There was just something in the way that they interacted…" Albus looked up into Ava's face. Her tawny eyes were focused intently on his green ones. He was always amazed by the number of colors that shot through her irises. When she was exhausted, or really relaxed, her eyes were a soft, creamy brown with a subtle flare of hazel at their center. When she was happy, they seemed to sparkle with hundreds of golden flecks. When she was angry, slashes of bronze would arrow in from the amber outer ring towards her pupils, giving her gaze a fiery appearance. He couldn't help but wonder what colors a different sort of passion would arouse.

Whoa. Ava was his friend. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Albus cleared his throat, returning his focus to Rose and Scorpius. "Whether they realize it or not, they're falling for one another."

Ava smiled. "That'll be a shock…for everyone, including them, I think."

"Yeah," Albus huffed out a laugh.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Albus glanced at his watch. "Dammit, I almost forgot. I have a date with Celia Grimstone in an hour." He sat up, groaning. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with her perkiness right now. Not after this mind fuck of an afternoon."

"So cancel," Ava shrugged.

"Nah, I'd never hear the end of it." He stood, turning back to look at his friend. "Thanks for listening, Aves. You really are the best."

She smiled up at him. "Any time."

Ava watched him walk away, attempting to ignore the twinge of jealousy she felt at the thought of Albus with another girl. They were friends. That was it. That was all they would ever be, and she was okay with it. Really, she was.

I hope you enjoyed it! If you haven't yet, please head on over to my Rose/Scorpius fic, "A Fine Line" to read where this one-shot fits in. And don't forget to let me know if you would be interested in reading a story about Albus and Ava!