[LOG] Dinner at Godric's Hollow

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Where: The Potter Residence, Godric's Hollow
When: December 23, 2021 (fifth year)



Scorpius had never understood why his Grandma Cissy fussed over clothes so much. He never quite understood the fashion trends that swept through the Wizarding world year after year, and frankly couldn't see much of a difference between his old trousers and the new trousers his grandmother insisted on buying for him every time he visited the Manor on holiday. But he wore them anyway, because it was easier to go along with it than go shopping with his grandmother or his mother.

Scorpius was all dressed and ready for the party hours before it was supposed to start, so he lounged about in the parlor, playing a game of Go against himself, and not noticing that the rug he was sitting on was shedding on his black wool jumper. Until his sister came in and pointed it out.

"You've got rug all over you," Delphina said, staring at her younger brother with disapproval on her face. She drew her wand from the folds of her maroon dress and waved it at Scorpius. "There."

Scorpius didn't really see what the big deal was, having a bit of lint on his jumper. In his point of view, if the Potters didn't like him, it wouldn't be for the lint. It would be for the wanking he was doing with their son.

Delphina knelt on the floor and continued the Go game with him, watching her brother as he got increasingly edgy as the time to the party drew closer. It was a bare fifteen minutes before the party was supposed to start before his father emerged into the parlor, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and jacket that was a couple steps more toward casual and chic than he usually preferred. Scorpius looked up from his game and raised an eyebrow.

"Your mother insisted," Draco said in a tone which meant that Scorpius was better off not asking.

Scorpius nodded, and decided not to question his mother's decisions.

"Actually, it looks good on you, Dad," Delphina offered brightly.

"Not my usual style," Draco replied, not flattered by his daughter's compliment and looking more like he would rather spend the night alone than go to dinner with the Potters.

"It still looks good," Delphina said finally.

"Scorpius! Delphina! Draco!"

Scorpius heard his mother call from downstairs, and he leapt onto his feet, ready to go. He pelted down the stairs, leaving his father and older sister to follow is his wake, grabbing his coat and his scarf from the rack in the entryway on his way to the door. It had been a bare three days since he'd last seen Alby at King's Cross, but it felt like it had already been weeks, and he couldn't wait any longer.

"Mum!" Scorpius said, trying his best not to look impatient as he waited by the door. They had to walk all the way down the lane, out the gate, and onto the street before they could Apparate away to Alby's house, and that was a lot of time standing between him and Alby. Scorpius didn't even want to be a second late.

"You can wait a few more seconds," his mother told him, gathering her winter coat. "Don't forget to grab the wine, Draco!"

Finally the small family was assembled, and they bid Grandma Cissy goodbye. Grandpa Lucius was notably absent.

It was dark and snowing when they arrived at Godric's Hollow, a few steps from the Potters's door. Scorpius wanted to race up to Alby's door and knock loudly, but his father reminded both his children to mind their manners.

The Potter Residence was a cozy little cottage, probably larger than the inside than it looked on the outside, looking picturesque in the evening with a bit of snow dusting the roof and frost covering the edges of the windows. Scorpius's mum walked up to the door, fixed the collar of Scorpius's shirt, and rang the doorbell.

"Don't screw this up, Draco," Ora said, glancing up at her husband.

Scorpius's father lifted the bottle of wine in his hand. "I'll do my best," he replied dryly, right before the door opened.

Comments

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Ginny would so totally kill Alby and throw Scorp out if she found them sleeping together. XD Alby totally owes his dad one. D: It's a good thing that for the New Year's party, Malfoy Manor is huge so nobody will be missing the boys (weeell, okay, Draco, Ora, and Delphina will definitely wonder) until the morning. XD

Whee! Let's do it!]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

[OOC: XD Yeah, I think Harry must be a pretty lenient dad, very lucky for his children. :D;; Ginny would so kill them, so we'll assume he closed the door loudly enough that they'd wake up and move to the correct beds. :D; It is definitely good that Malfoy Manor is large, then~ >D]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

Alby woke again at exactly 6:23 in the morning, the click of his door closing registering just loudly enough in the back of his mind to wake him. He blinked in the darkness of his room, which had not yet been lightened by sunrise. He shifted minutely, glancing over at the sleeping form of Scorpius beside him, and realized that while they had meant to put on their clothes and have him move to his proper bed before morning, it apparently hadn't happened.

His stomach seemed to drop from beneath him for a moment - was Dad awake yet? Alby strained his ears to listen for his father's movement in the kitchen, but he couldn't hear a thing through his closed door. But something had woken him up, and maybe he oughtn't take it for granted. If it had been Dad, he hadn't woken them up to yell or lecture, so that was good. Alby hoped.

All the same, Alby wasn't sure Mum or James would be as... polite about finding them curled up in the sleeping bag with very few articles of clothing apiece. And if it hadn't been Dad, then he would be along soon, and Alby would rather not risk that, either. He shifted again, groping for the edge of the sleeping bag carefully, while placing a soft kiss against Scorp's cheek. "Hey, wake up... You need to put a shirt on," he murmured softly.


[Okay, I meant to tag last night and then I came home and fell asleep and slept until about an hour ago, oops. XD;; I'll post a tag for CoS after lunch/dinner/whatever it should be. :D;

Also, I'm sure Harry stood in the doorway goggling a good moment before deciding to save any lecturing for later. XD;]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Scorpius thought he heard something like the opening or shutting of a door in his dreams, but paid it no mind until he felt Alby shift in his arms and a gentle kiss on his cheek. He groaned quietly in response, opening his eyes finally and blinking in the near darkness, the only light in the room from the glow of streetlamps filtering in through Alby's curtained windows.

"Okay," Scorpius said as he squinted and groped around the sleeping bag for the shirt he'd chucked somewhere on the floor the previous night. He saw a small, crumpled pile on the floor to his side and reached out an arm to grab it. "Oooh," Scorpius shivered as he withdrew his arm quickly, unfolding the shirt to find a faded Chudley Cannons logo, barely discernable in the dark. It was pretty chilly in the house, or at least he felt so because he was completely naked save for the sleeping bag and Alby, but really, Alby was better, warmer, and best enjoyed without clothes on.

"Just a shirt?" Scorpius asked, pulling it over his head and down as far as he could before casting about for his boxers as well. He glanced at Alby's clock, not quite able to make out the difference between the hands, but either way, it was terribly early in the morning. Early enough to warrant Scorpius wanting to roll back over and go back to sleep.

[OOC: Hahaha, I can totally imagine Harry in the door just kind of shocked and staring. XD Somehow I doubt that he's ever seen two guys in bed before, and it must be worse because one of them is his own son! ^^;;]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

Alby chuckled as ruefully as he could while still feeling half-asleep. "Pants, too," he added, squinting in the darkness as well, finding Scorp's boxers before his own and wriggling down a bit to pull them on over his boyfriend's feet and up to his waist. It was cold in the still of the morning, and Alby searched a moment more for his own clothes, which had ended up on the other side of the sleeping bag, squirming out and suppressing a gasp as the cold air hit him all over. He fumbled his boxers on, and then his pyjama pants over them, and then finally his pyjama shirt; the clothes were cold against his skin, but they'd warm soon enough.

It was still very, very early, though, and Alby did not want to be awake. Now that he was clothed, he crawled back over to the sleeping bag, clumsily tucking Scorpius into it and leaning over for a tired kiss. "Go back to sleep," he mumbled, nuzzling the other's nose for a moment before he pulled himself away, crawing up and into his own bed, pulling the bedclothes tightly around his body and hoping they'd warm up soon. Settling down on his side, so he could watch the dark lump in the middle of the floor with the shock of blonde hair, Alby grinned sleepily, remembering that last night had been very nice and he was very glad their parents had let them stay the night together.

[OOC: Yeeeeah. XD What a sight, first thing in the morning. I almost feel bad for hi. XD;;]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Scorpius frowned in protest as Alby found his boxers and proceeded to help him put them on, wiggling a bit so Alby could get it over his bottom properly. As much as it was cold and clothes usually helped the whole cold problem, Scorpius definitely preferred having Alby wrapped around him than a t-shirt and his boxers. Not to mention that he'd used the shirt to wipe up some of their mess the previous night, so there was most certainly a stain. Scorpius just hoped it would be easy enough to hide come morning if Alby's father or mother came in for another inspection.

Scorpius tried not very hard not let his mouth fall into its best Malfoy pout (it had worked in the past on his mother and his two grandmothers, though over the years since he'd grown up quite a bit its effectiveness had plummeted drastically) as Alby put his own pyjamas back on. "Hmmm," Scorpius mumured appreciatively as Alby zippered up the sleeping bag and gave him a kiss. He nuzzled his boyfriend back and touched Alby's cheek, letting his caress linger for a moment before Alby got up and rolled into his bed, drawing the covers around himself tightly. The bed was probably about as cold as the rest of the room, and Scorpius wanted to climb into bed with Alby and warm him up a bit, but figured he ought not to push his luck. If they'd been discovered already, they probably should behave, since they'd failed rather spectacularly at that last night.

"Goodnight," Scorpius murmured, fighting back a yawn as he rolled to his side so he could stare at the dark lump against the window that was Alby amidst his blankets. Scorpius snugged deeper into his sleeping bag, curling up a little as he stared at the Alby-shaped shadow.

"Y'know..." Scorpius began, pausing his words for a yawn, "you really ought to come sleep over at the Manor." Scorpius grinned. "Mum and Dad are late risers, and I have a big bed."

[OOC: Hahaha, I like how you almost feel sorry for Harry, but not quite. :D Well, if we're sure of anything, we're sure that Harry's awake now after seeing that in the morning. D: I take it he's not going to tell Ginny? Otherwise Alby would be grounded for sure.]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

Alby couldn't see Scorp's grin in the dark, but he could hear it in his voice, even behind the sleepy tones. He grinned back. "Yeah? A big bed sounds nice. And sleeping in," he paused, yawning, "sounds even nicer." He hadn't actually ever thought about staying with Scorp, but then, he'd never considered having Scorpius over here before last night. And as long as they hadn't been found out - or, at least, Dad hadn't been mad, if he had found them - then it would be all right. No one had to know that they were planning on... misbehaving.

Alby squirmed a little, thinking about how different things really were with Scorp than with anyone else he'd ever dated. Sure, kissing had been exciting, but with Scorp it was different. More than that, somehow. He couldn't put his finger on it, and was too tired to ponder it further, and so filed it under the innumerable unnamable things that went into the word called love. Because that's what it was, plain and simple, and he liked it like that and didn't need to wonder about it more.

The bedclothes were finally starting to warm, and he shifted again in the darkness. "I'd like to come stay with you," he murmured sleepily. "Maybe for more than a day. Maybe I can talk to Mum..."

[OOC: XD He's a big boy now, he can handle it~ And he'd definitely be awake. XD But no, he won't tell Ginny. He's a good dad. :D; Go Harry!

And sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Ajfiahdifa vacation shmacation, I feel like my schedule's booked solid! XP But I can get you a Snogs tag too in a bit, so I shall try!]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Scorpius grinned sleepily, closing his eyes and thinking of what it would be like to have Alby over for a day and a night at the Manor. It certainly would be a cheerier place with him there.

Scorpius had never really liked visiting the Manor during the winter holidays, it was more something he was present for because the rest of his family went. He liked the bit where he got to see his grandparents again, but the Manor was dark and stuffy, and everywhere he went he felt the silent eyes of generations of Malfoy family portraits following him. Scorpius didn't know what it was about Malfoys that made them so quiet (he'd only heard a portrait speak to him once, and that was when he was just five years old and had gotten himself lost trying to find a loo), but it unnerved him quite a bit to have generations of his father's ancestors staring at his every movement. As much as Scorpius loved the quiet, and as much as the Manor was the perfect place to find a corner to curl up and spend an afternoon by himself, there was something about the Manor that always seemed so dreary and imposing that Scorpius had never felt like a member of the family in that house, despite having gone there for Christmas holiday for nearly every year since his birth.

Scorpius almost drifted off to sleep before Alby spoke again and he pulled himself back to wakefulness long enough to say a few words. "Well, my grandparents always have a New Years Eve party for their friends. I'll ask them if you can come..."

Scorpius pulled the sleeping bag up to his chin, curling one hand underneath his pillow as he imagined what it would be like to cuddle with Alby in his room at the Manor, and make the large, dark house seem not quite as cold as it usually was.

[OOC: :D So uh...how should they really wake up? XD My guess is that Ginny is going to knock on the door and tell the boys to get up? :D Are they gonna breakfast before Scorp gets picked up?]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

"Yeah... Yeah, that'd be nice." Alby knew his parents usually had their own holiday party, but he'd gone to them all his life. And he'd see the rest of his family for Christmas in a few days anyway, right? So there was no need to stay for two family parties... He'd much rather go to Scorpius' - and sneak away with him into his room with the nice big bed, and....

Alby started drifting at that point, his imagination taking over as he slipped into dreaming, and stay happily there until a knocking at his door woke him at the somewhat more reasonable hour of 7:50. His mother's voice, only slightly muffled through the wood, drifted into the room next as the handle turned.

"Albus, Scorpius... you'd better get up if you want some breakfast." Ginny opened the door a bit, letting more light into the room than the partly-drawn curtains, through which the yellow light of morning was spilling onto Alby's face.

Alby blinked in the brightness, seeing his mother glancing around the room, and was suddenly very, very glad he'd woken up (or maybe that Dad had woken them up) and moved to his own bed. On the floor Scorp was just stirring as well.

"We'll be down in a minute, Mum," Alby croaked, stirring only slightly, not wanting to move from beneath his warm covers. He'd been having such a nice dream, about stealing away with Scorp into dark corners of Malfoy Manor (which, admittedly, he'd never seen) and doing a number of exciting things that involved minimal clothing. But the real thing was here, on his floor, and even just having breakfast with the real Scorpius Malfoy would be better than all the nicest dreams in the world.

Ginny nodded and shut the door again quietly, with a look that said she expected Alby and Scorp to get up and not go back to sleep. Alby rolled over a bit to the edge of the bed, blinking and grinning tiredly down at the mass of blonde hair sticking out of the sleeping bag on the floor. "G'morning..."



[OOC: Yep, Ginny it is, if that's all right with you. XD And she can certainly make them (and James and Lily) breakfast before Scorp gets picked up, sure! Alby wants to drag out this visit as long as possible.]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Scorpius hadn't realized he'd drifted off to sleep again until he heard the door open, and the voice of Alby's mother telling them to get up for breakfast. Scorpius groaned audibly as soon as he heard the door click shut, sticking his head out of the sleeping bag and blinking groggily at Alby.

"Morning," he yawned, rubbing his eyes and grinning up at his boyfriend. Scorpius wiggled out of his sleeping bag and groped about the carpet for his glasses. He slipped them on and moved to tackle the Alby-lump on his bed, landing them both in a tangle of arms, legs, and sheets.

"Morning," Scorpius said again, placing a wet kiss on Alby's lips. He stayed there for a minute, sprawled on top of Alby, a mass of sheets and blankets between them, before he crawled off again, realizing how much trouble he'd be in if Alby's mum decided to check on them again.

"So..." Scorpius said, perching himself on the edge of the bed and staring at his clothes which were in a pile on the floor, "breakfast?"

He gave his shirt a good look over, noticing a rather conspicuous stain right in the middle of his chest. It was probably in his best interests to change.

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

Alby grinned - and certainly woke up all the way - when he was tackled into the bed and kissed. He returned the brief, wet kiss enthusiastically, feeling much more awake and wishing every morning for the rest of his life could start out like this. His arms slipped around Scorp's middle and help him close, but he realized after a moment that if they didn't put in an appearance downstairs soon, his mum might come looking for them, and it wouldn't do for her to find them in a tangle of sheets on the bed. Scorp must've realized this too, and Alby reluctantly let the other slip from his arms as the blonde perched on the side of the bed.

"Yeah," Alby agreed, following Scorp's gaze to the clothes on the floor, then back down to the faded shirt he was wearing - with a stain on the chest that had not been there last night. "I guess you'd probably better get dressed... I should, too." He wasn't about to make Scorp get dressed and then follow him down in pyjamas.

He reluctantly slid from the warm bed and padded over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a polo shirt; he changed quickly in the cool morning air, though not without trying to catch a few glances of Scorp as he did the same. Pulling on some socks, Alby hopped over to the door and opened it once they were both ready, letting Scorp precede him down the stairs.

In the kitchen, Ginny was making eggs; there were already places set on the table for him and Scorp, beside which Lily and James were working their way through a stack of pancakes - there was a plate full of more on the table, beside which a container of syrup sat half-empty. Ginny glanced up as the two of them appeared in the doorway. "Would you like eggs, Scorpius? Albus, I'm making them scrambled for you."

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

It felt a little bit ridiculous to be putting on a nice pair of black trousers and a button-up shirt when Alby was over by his dresser wiggling his bum into a pair of jeans, but it was either the previous night's formalwear or James's obviously stained shirt, so Scorpius opted for the latter while trying not to stare too conspicuously at his boyfriend's arse, which he felt a sudden urge to grab. Catching himself in the middle of his lewd thought and turning a little red, Scorpius quickly finished buttoning up his shirt and pulled his jumper on.

By the time they made their way to the top of the stairs the smell of breakfast had already wafted up to the second floor. Scorpius's eyes lit up at the thought of breakfast, his stomach growling quietly in response.

"Um, I'll have the same thing Alby's having, please," Scorpius said as he took a seat next to his boyfriend, sandwiched between Alby and his younger sister, Lily. "Thanks, Mrs. Potter," he added, "for letting me stay over and cooking breakfast." And thanks for not catching me and Alby sleeping together, Scorpius added silently as he glanced over to the end of the table where Alby's father was a reading a newspaper. Scorpius took a moment to search Mr. Potter's expression for anything that might betray if he was the one who'd first opened the door when he and Alby were still sleeping together, but Alby's fathers eyes were glued to the paper, and only left when he raised his gaze and nodded a morning greeting in Scorpius's direction.

"Uh, good morning, Mr. Potter," Scorpius replied hesitantly, glancing at Alby for support. If it was Alby's father who'd checked on them in the morning, he certainly showed no signs of it.

"Morning," Scorpius said, turning to Lily who returned it with a small smile in the midst of chewing on a mouthful of pancakes, and then decided to avoid having any interaction with James, who simply looked as if Scorpius's seat was unoccupied. Scorpius didn't like the idea that was being ignored, but he supposed if it was the only way he and James were going to get along in a room together, it was better than some of the alternatives.

Like the meal the previous night, Alby's mum's eggs were delicious, and Scorpius had to keep himself from wolfing them down and helping himself to extra pancakes. He hoped he hadn't offended Alby's parents by bending the rules about their sleeping arrangements, because he sure didn't want this to be his last breakfast at the Potter home.

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome, Scorpius," Ginny smiled, piling eggs on both Scorp and Alby's plates as the two boys helped themselves to the rest of breakfast.

Dad gave no indication that he'd seen them earlier this morning - or at least, if he was, Alby wasn't astute enough to pick up on it. His father was reading the paper, which he usually did, and nodded to Scorp as he offered a good morning. Alby shot Scorp a reassuring smile and tried to ignore the way he could feel his sister staring at him, as though she expected Alby and Scorp to throw caution to the wind and start snogging over breakfast. Alby rolled his eyes and went back to his own breakfast - but not before noticing that Scorp and James were pointedly ignoring each other.

Well, he thought, at least it was better than them fighting.

Scorp seemed to enjoy breakfast, which pleased Alby's mum; he had to admit, she was a really good cook, and so was Grandma Molly. If there was one thing he could count on, it was being well-fed while he was at home. But he kept glancing at the clock, watching the hands march forward slowly, wondering when Scorp's parents were going to come pick him up. Would they have time for anything else this morning? Or would he have to go soon? Alby wished they could just pick a place and stay together for the rest of the holiday, as unlikely as that might be. He wondered vaguely how he'd ever survived without Scorp over holidays, but he supposed he hadn't really known what he was missing, before. It was almost too bad that he certainly did, now.

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Breakfast seemed to go by all too quickly as Scorpius and Alby helped polish off everything that Alby's mum had so generously made for them. Scorpius kept eyeing the clock between muted conversations with Alby, doing his best to remember to swallow his food before opening his mouth, but it felt more and more like time was running out, and by the time he and Alby brought the breakfast plates to the sink the clock hands had moved to nine o'clock. Scorpius thought back to the previous night as he thanked Alby's mum again for the food, trying to remember when his mum said she'd be by to pick him up. He hoped she'd be late as opposed to early, because there was always that likelihood that he wouldn't get to see Alby again until they climbed back aboard the Hogwarts Express. There was nothing more he wanted to than to spend the rest of his holiday with Alby, but somehow he had the feeling that wasn't going to happen, not with Christmas just over the corner. Alby had family to see after all, a family that Scorpius wasn't a part of.

Scorpius's had barely made his way back up the stairs to Alby's room when he heard the knock at the door. He groaned. Why, this day of all days did his mother decide she wanted to be early?

"Come on," Scorpius said, shutting Alby's door quickly, hoping that maybe if he wasn't around his mum would spend more time talking with Alby's mum, and buy him a little more time with his boyfriend. Downstairs he could hear his mum--and only his mum, thankfully--and Alby's mum talking already, the sounds of their voices drifting through the door.

"One last snog, for the holidays," Scorpius whispered, leaning against the door and trying not to look like he was saying goodbye. It was only for a week or so, for crying out loud, but he couldn't help but think it was going to feel like an eternity anyway.

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

It seemed like it was nine before Alby could count down the minutes; he and Scorp had just cleared their plates from the table and started to head back up to Alby's room when there was a knock at the door. Beside, him, Scorp groaned - apparently his mother was also an early riser, and expected to be able to collect her son before he and his boyfriend had a chance to enjoy the morning together.

Nonetheless, the two boys climbed the rest of the way to Alby's room and shut the door, Scorp standing with his back to it, just as voices began to drift up the staircase from below.

One last snog was certainly something Alby was happy to give, placing hands about Scorp's hips and leaning up so their mouths met firmly, venting his frustration at the time they would not get to spend together today into that kiss, so Scorp would have something to remember for later. It was going to be the bess damn holiday snog ever, as far as Alby was concerned, because it was all they'd have until New Years, at the earliest, and only then if they both managed to convince their parents to let them have another sleepover, this time at Malfoy Manor.

Alby was not yet ready to part from Scorpius's lips, tongue still exploring the now-familiar velvety insides of Scorp's mouth, when he heard footsteps on the stairs and his mother's voice calling their names. Pulling back, Alby pressed one more chaste kiss to Scorp's lips before licking his own, relishing the taste of his boyfriend (and making sure there wasn't any spittle there to give them away) and stepped the rest of the way away from his boyfriend, nudging him aside to open the door.

"We're coming," he told his mother, who was on the last step of the stairs and hadn't yet had a chance to knock.

[OOC: One or two more tags at most, I'm thinking? :D]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

Scorpius did his best not to shove his hands right down the back of Alby's trousers like he really wanted to do, so he had to settle for cupping his hands on the small of Alby's back as he leaned forward to meet his boyfriend in what might be their last snog before the new year. Scorpius hoped it wouldn't work out to be that way, but there was always the possibility that Grandma Cissy and Grandpa Lucius were going to tell him he couldn't bring friends to their New Years Party.

"Mmm," Scorpius hummed quietly, a smile gracing his lips as nibbled Alby's lower lip, his tongue playing with Alby's. This was one great kiss.

He wasn't ready for it to end by the time he heard the footsteps on the stairs. He almost wanted to just risk it until there was a knock on the door, but the thought of his mum and Alby's mum on the other side of the door while he was snogging with Alby gave him cold feet. That was not an image he particularly wanted to entertain.

Scorpius grinned as Alby placed on more kiss on his lips. He scooped up his clothes (including James's old Chudley Cannons t-shirt, it definitely needed to be washed) and Alby's present to him--which he couldn't wait to read when he got back to the Manor--and together they emerged from Alby's room, looking not at all as if they'd been kissing each other passionately one minute before.

Scorpius's mum was waiting for him at the end of the hallway, her coat in her arms and a big smile on her face. "Good morning, Scorpius," she said. She smiled at Alby too. "You two boys have fun?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, Mum."

"Well," Scorpius's mum said, turning to Alby's mum, "thank you for letting Scorpius stay the night." They chatted again on the way down the stairs, Scorpius and Alby hanging at the back, following their mums down to the front door.

Scorpius handed his things to his mum, and gave Alby a giant hug. "I'll owl you," he said with a grin. "Keep you updated." Scorpius gave his boyfriend a tight smile. He was going to miss Alby sorely over the next few days. "Happy Christmas. Bye."

Scorpius did not like long goodbyes, and he was pretty sure his mum probably thought he was acting a bit daft, so he hurriedly gave Alby another squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek before joining his mum.

"Thanks again for everything last night, it was wonderful," Ora said, and she and her son stepped outside, still waving to the Potters.

"So umm," Scorpius began, taking his things back from his mother, "where's Dad? Is he mad?"

"Not mad exactly," his mum replied, as she took his hand to Apparate. "But we do want to have a talk with you."

Scorpius groaned. The dreaded talk. He hadn't even started rolling his eyes when his mother Apparated them away, and he felt the squishing, crushing blackness descend on him.

Gragh, those gay lawyer bunnies totally ate my brain! D: Anyhoos, since term is starting again, I am back! Hopefully I'll be on a more regular schedule! ~<3 *not gonna slack off on RPs*

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

Alby and Scorp followed their mums down the stairs; Scorp gave him a quick squeeze and kissed him on the cheek, and Alby grinned softly and nodded. "Thanks - I'll keep an eye out. Have a good Christmas." He turned to Scorp's mum as well, smiling up at her in silent thanks for letting Scorp stay. "I hope you all have a good Christmas."

He stood beside his mother as Scorp's mum thanked them and the two of them turned to go down the walk. He glanced up at his mum, who glanced down at him as she shooed him back into the hall and shut the door. "You have some chores to do," was all she said, with a slightly opaque look that said maybe she knew more than he thought she did.

Alby nodded, ducking his head a bit and heading into the kitchen to help clean up. Just as Alby was about to pass through the door into the kitchen, his father came out, sipping at what was probably his second or third cup of coffee. Alby paused - he still didn't know if Dad had caught them in the morning, and he wasn't sure if he would get in trouble for it, now that Scorp had gone.

His father did catch his eye, taking a long sip from his cup. But he sent a small smile down at his son as they passed each other, and Alby hurried on into the kitchen, thinking that at least if he was going to get a talking-to, it wasn't going to be now. He hoped maybe it wouldn't be ever, but with the looks both his parents had given him, he thought that might be quite impossible before vacation was over.

[OOC: Hee, it's okay. I totally understand~ I'm out of town this week, but I have email so I might be a bit slow to tag, but I'll be around. :D]

[of-gunmetalgrey.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Wow, this thread was epic. XD *laughs* I think that's a good place to end? :D I can set up the next one too, then, since it involves work on Scorpius's end? It'll probably take a couple of days cause my schedule's pretty cramped, but does that sound good? :D]

[n3xt-in-line.livejournal.com]

[OOC: XD That was totally epic, mwahahah~ But yes, that sounds like an end to me! :D; And sure, whenever you get the chance to set it up, just let me know. No rush at all! And we still have the snogs one going, I'll try to get a tag out for that in the next day or two~]