A/N: This is just something I've been gnawing on for the past few months. It might seem fragmented though. Enjoy, in any case! One-shot (for now!)

One of my earliest memories is of papery white flowers growing on dark green ivy that crept up a small coffee shop near the park. I remember wishing that the ivy could grow on my house. I remember that day very clearly. Dad had taken me to the park, but he wouldn't play with me and I didn't know how to make friends. So I had run away when he wasn't looking, past the playground, through the straight lines of trees that lined the trail, chasing the pigeons, and across a very narrow, cobblestone street where that ivy-covered coffee shop stood.

There was a man behind the large glass window of the shop. I remember him well. He had a book in one hand and a sliver spoon in the other.

He lay on his back to stare up at the clouds. His fingers dug into the damp ground and his toes curled up as they were tickled by waving blades of grass. It was such a nice day out but he wasn't feeling so nice.

He turned his head to the side and stared at the other children in the park who were running amuck while giggling and shouting. He didn't know how to have fun like that. He knew how to be quiet and play nicely. He knew how to play by himself. But when he was among others his age, he froze up. He was often left behind for that reason. He felt sad because of that, but he didn't know what to do other than blink away his tears.

"Daddy? Can you play with me?" he murmured.

"Run over to the swings," Draco said absently, hardly getting distracted from the booklet he was reading.

Scorpius' father was always working. When he wasn't working, he was still working. The boy didn't know why his father always worked. Maybe he was very important.

Sometimes he wondered if his father even liked him at all.

"Daddy?"

"We're at the park, Scorpius. You wanted to come to the park, didn't you?"

He didn't know anymore.

His father wasn't unkind. But he never tucked Scorpius into bed or hugged him in the morning. They never laughed and played like the other children and their parents. Sometimes he wouldn't even see Draco for days on end.

It just wasn't fair.

He scrambled up to his feet and sprinted away.

He wasn't really running away, of course. He would never do that. That was too scary. But he wanted to pretend.

He spun around as soon as he got to the row of trees by the trail.

Draco still sat on the picnic blanket with his head bowed. He hadn't even noticed.

Scorpius stomped his foot once and brushed at his nose with the back of his hand. No one would miss him if he ran away. No one but his mother. He just knew it.

He turned on his heel and kept on running and running until he found himself standing on the very edge of a narrow cobblestone street. He looked back again. He could make out the park but it was so small. Then he looked across the empty street. There was a small shop there. He couldn't read the writing, but the board at the very top had scrolling golden writing that looked nice. The shop had large windows on either side of the door and there were small tables and chairs inside. People were drinking tea and coffee in there. It was one of those places he could never go into because you had to be really grown-up and pretty.

He approached the shop hesitantly. There was ivy creeping up on the bricks that surrounded the clean glass. He looked down at the white, papery flowers growing on the curly vines. He had never seen this plant before. He touched it gingerly. It felt like velvet against his fingers. He crouched down and examined the flower. He thought it looked very beautiful. Even the tendrils of the ivy that was stuck against weathered red brick looked magical. He wanted to grow this in his garden. It would be great if his whole house were covered in this.

He tilted his head up when a glint caught his attention.

It turned out to be a reflection of the sun against a bright silver spoon that was held by long fingers. Scorpius' eyes jumped up curiously to the face that the hand belonged to. Against the glare of the sun, he could barely make out a faint profile of a man sitting by the window.

And he would have left it at that… if the man hadn't glanced to the side to meet his gaze.

Scorpius froze in fright. He knew he wasn't supposed to be there. Not only that, but the man was so somber that he didn't know what to do. His face fell.

The man blinked once. Then he raised his eyes to look around the street, obviously searching for someone who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the barefoot ruffian. Scorpius gulped and brought his hands in front of his stomach, twisting his fingers together with a guilty expression so plain on his face. The man looked at him again, this time as his brows knit together in confusion.

Scorpius suddenly panicked and reached down as fast as he could to pluck the papery flower he had been admiring a mere ten seconds ago. He held it up to show the man that he had only come across the street because of it.

The man set down the spoon on the saucer and gestured for Scorpius to come closer. He complied, but with hesitance. He leaned in until his forehead was pressed on the warm glass.

The man rested his finger on the glass, over top of Scorpius' nose.

Scorpius gasped as he pulled back while quickly rubbing his nose. Looking down at his hand, he realized that he had been running around with dirt on his face. He blushed bright before stumbling over his feet in his hurry to run back to the park. He was so embarrassed.

He couldn't help but look back when he got across the street.

The man had turned to his book again, so all Scorpius could see was his profile.

He committed the man to memory before taking off towards the park as fast as his little legs could carry him. He ended up out of breath and flushed by the time he plopped down next to his father.

"That was quick," Draco murmured.

"Mhm." He clutched the stem of the flower tight.

Fifteen years later…

"She dumped you, didn't she?"

Scorpius hid his smile behind his coffee and didn't take his eyes off of his book despite hearing the desperation in his best friend's voice. He didn't understand why everyone was so interested in what he did, or didn't do, in his private life. He would rather focus on other things, like school.

Drew slumped forward onto the small round table, hiding his head under his arms. "Dude…" He looked up briefly. "I thought she was super into you."

"Hmm."

"You have a serious problem." He sat up again and pulled the book out of Scorpius' hand. "Listen to me."

Scorpius sighed deliberately, setting his mug down. "Go on." He had to indulge his friend once in a while to get some peace of mind.

"You haven't been in a serious relationship. Ever."

"So?"

"You didn't like any of them?"

"Do you think it's that easy?"

"Of course it's that easy," Drew sputtered.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Useless."

"What?"

"I said you're useless."

"That's rich." Drew shoved the book back to Scorpius. "You're looking for someone, aren't you? Someone in particular?"

Scorpius shrugged noncommittally. "It doesn't matter." He returned to his book without further comment.

Drew could only shake his head and tsk. "If you sit around with your nose stuck in a book," he continued, "you won't get anywhere."

"I'm studying."

"Yeah, yeah. Studying."

"Which is what you should be doing, Drew."

"I've got this in the bag."

Scorpius smirked as he peeked up from the book. "You do?"

Drew puffed his chest out, reeking of confidence. "Don't try to psyche me out for this test. It's all up in here." He tapped his head.

He expected a smart quip. Instead…

The chair scraped jarringly on the floor as Scorpius jumped up to his feet. His book dropped to the floor in a careless heap, but he paid no attention to that. His eyes were fixed fast on one of his oldest memories.

"You…"

He jerked the apparition around.

Yes, it's the same man.

His heart dropped as all logic fled. He had no questions. Just an intense emotion. Euphoria.

He kissed the man with all his might.

It was perfect.

The man blinked at him, bewildered. "Uh…" He was rooted on his spot, arms outstretched, coffee dripping from one hand and a cellphone held in the other.

"C-can I give you my number?" Scorpius stammered. He didn't wait for a response. He grabbed the cellphone out of the man's hand and jabbed his contact information in despite his trembling fingers. He could hardly see straight. He swallowed hard as he pressed OK and gave the phone back. "Sorry."

He staggered over to his friend who was gawking like everyone else in the coffee shop. "I'll see you later," he mumbled faintly as he picked his book up off the ground and slung his bag over his shoulder. He brushed past the other students, disappearing into the afternoon bustle.

As soon as he got to his dorm room, he slammed the door shut and locked it before sliding down to the floor. His legs refused to hold him up any longer. His chest was tightening by the second. He clutched his phone in his hands, willing it to vibrate. "Please, please, please," he whispered. Just one message. Anything.

He gasped in fright when it went off in his hand.

He fumbled for a frustrating few seconds before he could get his hands to cooperate.

Unknown number.

You owe me a coffee

Anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of room 113 were startled out of their wits by the sudden shriek that exploded out of there.

"Who is he?"

"I don't know."

"… Like, you don't know his name?"

"No."

"And he doesn't know you?"

"No."

"Have you gone insane?"

Scorpius nervously brushed his shirt smooth and shifted his weight while refraining from looking at his watch. He had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes. He held a cup of coffee reverently between his hands. He kept running scenarios in his head. What was the man going to be like? Would he be funny? Kind? Wonderful? He had hardly been able to sleep these past three days. He had dreamt the strangest things. He quickly shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking things like that. He shouldn't get ahead of himself. This was just coffee. Just coffee.

He was spun around with a quick yank at the elbow and, before he could react, lips crashed against his. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting go of the coffee when he felt fingers beside his. He could just melt away right now.

He opened his eyes dreamily when he was let out of the liplock. His apparition appeared, coffee in hand. "Thanks for this," the man murmured, amusement softening his voice. "I have class, but… text me."

"Mhm."

"I'm James."

"Okay."

He studied Scorpius for a beat longer before chuckling to himself and stepping away.

I met someone.

"You're staring," James whispered.

Scorpius snapped out of his reverie and jerked his head down to stare at his lukewarm pasta. A faint blush crept up his cheeks. He was always caught staring. He pushed his dinner around on his plate.

"You like watching me?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"Hmm."

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. You can't help yourself."

He peeked up.

"Stare if you want."

I thought I would be too busy with classes and projects. I didn't think I would have any time to spare.

James chewed on his licorice wand as he rewrote his notes in his notebook. Scorpius sat across from him, reading his history textbook. The library was almost empty as it was already past seven in the evening. The quiet whirring of some radiators and muted flipping of pages were all that could be heard.

Scorpius reached to the side blindly and felt around for another piece of licorice. When he came up empty, he frowned and looked at the discarded package. Apparently the two of them had gone through the whole thing in a matter of four hours.

"Psst."

He looked up with a disgruntled expression.

James spun the licorice wand between his teeth. Inviting.

Scorpius glanced around. No one was watching. So he pressed his hands to the table and leaned across it, biting down on the other end of the wand.

It's fun. I am really happy here. I think both of us are.

Scorpius tossed his shirt on the floor before kissing James again. In the dark they needed to feel their way around each other. It was late, past curfew. They had to be quiet. But when an errant elbow connected with a hip, neither of them could stop themselves from laughing. It was so stupid, being this giddy. "Stop, stop," James snickered. He quickly got hold of Scorpius' roaming hands and held them still. "Slow down." He tilted his head to the side, lacing kisses along warm, pale skin. Scorpius shivered from the feathery touch. "We'll slow down." They caught their breaths between caresses.

Sinking into bed, James rolled on top of Scorpius, straddling him and trapping him in a cage. He gazed up at the face that had haunted his sleep since he could remember. He examined those deep eyes, kind expression, wonderful lips… His heart was going to explode from the intense emotions that this face was stirring in him.

"You're perfect," James whispered.

There's something else…

Scorpius tried to bury himself against James as sunlight crept into the small dorm room. Too early. He tightened his arm and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to keep sleeping, but now that he was aware of the sun, he couldn't get back to his amazing dreams. Keeping his eyes closed, he titled his head up and pressed his lips over James' stubble. An incoherent mumble followed. It made him smile.

He managed to get his heavy eyelids open after a few attempts. Then he sat up, cringing as his muscles stretched painfully. He wanted a few more hours. Just lie in bed, do nothing, pretend that it's still nighttime.

He tried to get out from under the sheets.

But James didn't like that idea.

He wrapped an arm around Scorpius and curled into him. "Stay."

"I will." Scorpius ran his fingers through James' black hair. "I'm just going to close the blinds."

"I'll get it…"

Then he moved his arm to the side and flicked his wrist down.

The blinds slid down with a loud rustle onto the windowsill.

Perhaps it was the sound… Or maybe it was Scorpius' sudden jolt…

One, or both, of those woke James up fully.

He scrambled up, still tangled in his bed sheets, stammering nonsensically as he whipped his eyes back at the shut blinds and then at Scorpius who was gawking at it open mouthed. "N-no, I-I-I… L-listen, don't-That was…" He twisted the sheets between this fists. "I-I can explain."

Scorpius slowly turned to him. "Did you… You did that?"

"I should have told you-But I didn't know how-I mean, I-"

"You're a wizard?"

James trailed off. "I… What?"

Scorpius' eyes widened. "You're a wizard…"

"I'm…"

He pressed a hand to his mouth. "Oh my God."

James frowned in confusion. "How do you…?"

"I-I'm a wizard too."

We both know magic! What are the odds? I thought coming here, surrounded by Muggles, it would be near impossible to run into anyone like me. But it happened. Of all the people I could have run into…

Like I said, it's perfect.

Scorpius stared at the photograph. This… It's that man from the paper flower window. It's him from all those years ago. "Your father?" He brushed his fingers over the moving image of a young dark-haired man carrying a squirming blue bundle.

"Mhm." James studied the album with him. "Dad and me."

"He seems nice."

"He is. He's the best."

Scorpius flipped the page, eagerly memorizing the photographs of the happy family. James' mother was strikingly beautiful, complimenting his father just right. "What is it like?"

James tilted his head to look at Scorpius' profile. "What is what like?"

"Your family."

"My family?" He sighed and pressed his nose to the crook of Scorpius' neck. "Well… We had to move around a lot. Dad's job and all… I guess Mum's job too. But I remember being at my Mum's family home every single year for holidays. Grandma would hunt us down and demand that we show up." He loved the Burrow. "So many presents. That's what it's like. Lots of hugs and lots of presents." He knew Scorpius didn't have the same experience as him. He didn't come from a complete family. "How come you don't like magic?"

Scorpius shook his head. He didn't like to talk about it. "What does your dad do?"

James stilled.

Sensing this, Scorpius turned his head. "Can't you tell me?" he wondered. Maybe it was too complicate?

James peered up carefully. "Um… You don't know what my dad does?" he hesitated.

Scorpius chewed on the side of his cheek, thinking back to whether James had already told him. "How should I know?"

"Harry Potter? You don't know what Harry Potter does?"

His jaw dropped. "Shit…" He shoved the album aside and jerked out of James' grip, nearly falling out of bed in his haste to turn around. "You're…" He couldn't say it. That was Harry Potter. He hadn't even considered the possibility… The man from his memories. Harry Potter. This was Harry Potter's son.

James responded with a weak smile. "I thought you had figured it out. I mean, we have the same name…"

"Shit."

"Come on." He laughed helplessly as he reached forward. "Don't make a big deal out of it."

"Oh man…" Scorpius hid his face behind his hands. "I'm such an idiot."

"So you're embarrassed now?"

"Mhm."

If that was the case, James wanted to have some fun with it. "Well, I guess you're right. I am a pretty big deal back home, you know?"

"I can imagine."

"A celebrity."

"I said I know."

"Royalty, even."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

"I just got tired of being waited on hand and foot."

"You can stop now."

"I thought, 'Hmm… What would it be like to live amongst the peasants?' So here I am."

Scorpius dropped his hands on his lap and scowled. "Don't get ahead of yourself." He jabbed a finger at James. "If you're so cool, how did you end up with me, huh?" He jerked his chin up in defiance.

"Merlin knows." James teased him with a playful kiss.

How could just one person make me feel like this?

"Now you're staring too," Scorpius croaked groggily into the darkness.

"Isn't it unsettling?" James said without bite. He brushed away a strand of pale hair to reveal long lashes. He pressed a kiss on them. "You're unsettling."

"Hmm. Sorry."

"Do you feel weird?"

Scorpius opened an eye. "Weird?"

I think I get it now.

James pressed his hand to his chest. "Here? Do you feel weird here?" he asked.

I'm in love with Scorpius Malfoy.

"All the time." Scorpius pressed his hand to his chest. "Whenever I'm with you."

I'm in love with James Potter.

"Oh no," Ginny groaned before glancing at her husband who was blissfully unaware of his son's escapades.

"Oh dear," Astoria muttered as she set the letter down on her desk gingerly.