Taken by Surprise

Guys, your silence is killing me! I need to know what you think! If it’s good or bad or you hate it – tell me!

Chapter 9

Harry was making his way back after a gruelling day at the Ministry. He was tired, angry and frustrated and needed to take the edge off more than anything else. A nice meal, a hot bath or a good night’s sleep would not do the trick. He hoped that Al was away, because he was in the mood for hard and fast shagging Scorpius-style. But as he approached the door to their flat, all thoughts of instant gratification left Harry’s mind at the sound of Al’s and Scorpius’s raised voices. Those were the unmistakable sounds of a fight, accompanied by actual curses flying around and occasionally shaking the walls with their force.

The wards were down and they didn’t hear the click of the lock with all the racket they were making, but Harry stopped dead, his hand inches away from the doorknob. He was seized by dread and panic, because he had never heard Al and Scorpius so much as have an argument before and something told him that they weren’t fighting over who ate the last helping of treacle tart. In fact, Harry knew what exactly could set Al off to start hurling hexes at his best friend. After another painful moment, stilling himself for the worst, Harry opened the door and slipped inside, creeping like a thief along the dark corridor to the source of the action. Then, stopping on the other side of the living-room, he held his breath and listened.

‘So this is how much our friendship means to you!’

That was Al. His words were followed by a Bat-Bogey Hex, that missed the target but hit the wall with a nasty splatter.

‘Al, honestly, don’t be such a drama queen! You’re my best friend – of course, your friendship means a lot to me.’ replied Scorpius. He was slightly out of breath and Harry imagined that he was dancing on the spot to try to avoid direct contact with Al’s next spell. ‘You’re my only friend.’ he added soothingly.

‘And no wonder if that’s how you treat them! Confringo!’

‘Al!’ yelled Scorpius, a real note of panic entering his voice as another curse missed him and, by the sound of it, blasted a sizable hole in the wall. Harry was relieved that it was not the wall he was leaning against or he would have been sporting a nice hole instead of his stomach now. Upon quick reflection, he decided that he couldn’t just stand there unprotected and wait for his organs to be donated to the cause and moved back into the corridor. It’s not like he couldn’t hear what was going on from there.

‘Expelliarmus!’ yelled Scorpius now, but Al was too quick for him and deflected it with timely ‘Protego!’ that blasted Scorpius off his feet. He hit the floor with a painful ‘Oof!’ as breath was knocked out of him. Harry cringed. He could just imagine how that would hurt and not so much Scorpius’s backside as his Malfoy pride. Harry knew that he acted like a coward, standing and eavesdropping, but he had never seen his son in a battle-mode before and he was secretly pleased to catch him at it and extremely curious to know what he would do and how he would cope. Harry decided not to abandon his hope that Al would join the Auror department just yet.

‘Al,’ gasped Scorpius, still on the floor. He obviously decided that Al would not attack him while he was down. ‘Can you stop this ridiculous display and look at it from my point of view? You’ve always known my preferences and what I go for in a man. Did you really expect me to turn my back on such a golden opportunity as this? Al, we’re Slytherins. We don’t walk away from a chance when it presents itself.’

Harry’s eyebrows rose and his jaw dropped A chance? A golden opportunity? What was that? What did Scorpius mean?

‘I expected you to keep your word, Scorpius! Slytherin or not.’ replied Al. He was walking in angry circles now, his wand poised at the ready. ‘I never cared what you did with your other men, but my father was supposed to be off-limits! Remember? You promised me to stay away from him! You promised to keep your hands – and other parts of your body – off him! That was the deal!’

‘Don’t forget, Al, that when I made my promise, your father was happily married to your mother – ’ started Scorpius.

‘He is still married to my mother!’ interrupted Al, furiously. ‘Just because they’ve got problems at the moment, doesn’t mean that they won’t get back together! And they would have by now if you haven’t seduced him into your bed and convinced him that that’s where he had to stay!’

‘And were he to remain so – happily married that is – I would do exactly as I promised.’ continued Scorpius as if Al had not interrupted him. ‘But when he walked straight into my arms, lost, miserable and heartbroken, I saw my chance to do something to make him feel better. So I took care of him.’

‘More like swooped down on him and took advantage! He was desperate and vulnerable and you should have left him alone! I know my dad: he’s clueless when it comes to such things. Why did you have to do it?’ Al almost wailed the last part. ‘I don’t know why we’re even friends, Scorpius. I hate you so much right now I could hex your face off! Though, I suppose it’s not your face I should blame. How would you like a Severing Charm applied to your private bits?’ he asked conversationally, while menacingly twirling his wand.

Not that Harry could actually see what was happening, but he used his imagination to fill in the blanks, listening keenly to every movement that accompanied their words.

Scorpius apparently didn’t wait for Al to go with his threat and leapt to his feet. The duel began for real this time. They didn’t talk anymore, but yelled hexes and jinxes at each other at a rapid pace. They were not particularly dangerous, but, Harry thought, that their combined effect on an individual could become a problem. That was his cue to interfere.

Quite apart from not wishing muggles to become aware of their magical presence and Ministry of Magic officials to arrive and sort out the mess, Harry didn’t want Al and Scorpius to completely demolish the flat and their friendship in the process. It was not worth it. What he and Scorpius had was not worth such sacrifice. Though, Harry started to think that there was more to it than Scorpius let on. But now was really not the time to contemplate the dimensions of their relationship.

With swift, practiced movements, amidst spells and sparks, Harry immobilized and disarmed the duellers, before suspending them in the air with ‘Incarcerous’ and grimly holding their wands in one hand.

Looking stunned at the sudden intrusion, hovering like over-sized puppets a few inches above the floor, both Al and Scorpius glared at him. Harry looked them over and sighed: singed, ripped clothes, black eyes, bloody lips, sting marks, smoking hair…

‘You!’ yelled Al, overcoming his shock quickly enough and startling Harry out of his inspection. Sooner than he would have wished. ‘How could you?! How could you?! How?!’
Harry winced.

‘Al, my eardrums are hurting from your infernal screeching. Can you tone it down?’ asked Scorpius lazily and Harry recognized characteristic Malfoy drawl he so hated at Hogwarts.

‘I thought you needed a place to think – not to fuck!’ screamed Al, disregarding Scorpius’s request.

Harry supposed he deserved that, though he didn’t like Al using the word. However, pointing it out now was not wise, considering that this was indeed what he and Scorpius have been doing and Al somehow got wind of it. Harry knew that there was nothing he could say that would take the blame off him or placate his son. The situation looked bad and Scorpius wasn’t helping.

‘Al, please, I’m sure you’ve done enough screaming for one day. Give it a rest. Your dad needs a good fuck once in a while. And come to think of it – so do you. You’re terribly uptight about the whole thing.’

He gave Al an exaggerated once over.

‘I’m sure I could disregard the fact that you are far too young for my average shag, as a sign of our friendship of course, and oblige you.’

‘Go fuck yourself, Malfoy! I’m not gay!’ snarled Al, looking disgustedly at his friend.

Scorpius snorted.

‘I don’t remember celebrating at your father’s coming out party either and yet he doesn’t complain. What?’ he asked innocently when he caught Harry’s glare. ‘You do.’

‘That might be so, Scorpius, but that is no reason to flaunt it in my son’s face.’ gritted out Harry.

‘So what did he do, eh?’ snapped Al, immediately hating the long look they shared. ‘Wait, I know.’ he added with a healthy amount of derision that was very unlike him. ‘He asked you to listen to his band play, right? Bought you a drink. Took matters in his own hands from there. Blowed you for starters. Maybe even snogged you after. Oh, don’t look so surprised, dad, that’s Scorpius and his usual routine of getting men into bed.’

Harry coughed, shook his head and tried to speak. Looking Al in the eye was proving to be very uncomfortable. Yes, getting involved with your son’s best friend was a bad thing, considering how well they knew each other. It was almost like getting involved with your own son. Harry shuddered.

‘Al, you must understand that as I was not as intimately acquainted with this routine of his, Scorpius took me by surprise.’

Al snorted, Harry grimaced; it sounded weak and unconvincing even to his own ears.

‘Oh, Harry,’ drawled Scorpius. ‘I can take you anyhow you want, anywhere you want, you know that. All you have to do is ask.’

‘That’s it! You’re so going to die, Malfoy!’ yelled Al, outraged. ‘Give me my wand, dad! I’m gonna kill him!’

Harry flushed and glared at Scorpius. He was never this unmanageable before.

‘Scorpius, now would be a good time to keep your mouth shut.’

‘But, Harry,’ continued Scorpius in the same vein. ‘I’m sure you know a very effective way of shutting me up. Use your mouth and tongue and that’ll do the trick.’

‘Langlock!’ said Harry before he could stop himself. Scorpius looked shocked as the hex effectively fastened his tongue to the roof of his mouth, making him choke on whatever he was about to say next.

‘Scorpius, what exactly are you trying to do here?’ asked Harry angrily; though he didn’t know if he was more angry with Scorpius for provoking Al or at himself for actually using a hex on him. ‘Make Al hate you?’

‘What? More than he already does?’ asked Scorpius bitterly, after Harry lifted the spell. Harry shook his head.

‘He doesn’t hate you. He’s just – ‘

‘Yeah, I do!’ snarled Al. ‘I hate this piece of shit.’

‘Al, mind your tongue.’ snapped Harry and then sighed, rubbing his face.

The tiredness that had stepped back in the face of the friendship and family crisis returned with redoubled force and he needed quiet to think about what to do next and how to stop Al from hating them both.

‘Listen,’ he said finally. ‘What we need is to calm down. This yelling and hexing business will hardly solve the matter. I think that you should both go to your rooms and calm down. I will cook something for dinner and then we will eat. Like we always do. Can I trust you both not to hex each other when I release you?’

Al just glared at him, while Scorpius sneered with feigned indifference. But his face was flushed and his eyes shone with emotions Harry couldn’t identify and didn’t have time to examine too closely at the moment. He would just have to deal with it later.

‘Al,’ said Harry with forced calm. ‘I know that it has come as a nasty shock, that you didn’t expect it, and I cannot justify myself enough, but you can’t set your friendship of many years aflame just because you don’t like Scorpius’s choice of a – er – ’

‘Bed partner.’ supplied Scorpius helpfully, grinning evilly at Al.

‘Fine!’ snapped Al, glaring at Scorpius. ‘Let me go. I can’t be with the two of you in the same room at the moment.’ He rolled his eyes when Harry just looked suspiciously at him. ‘All right! All right! I’m not going to curse him! Happy?’

Harry lifted his spells, gave them back their wands and frogmarched them out of the living-room and into their rooms. On his way to the kitchen, Harry inspected the living-room and the damage. It would have to be repaired. There were holes in the walls, the floor and the ceiling and some of the furniture looked like it would collapse any second. Harry knew exactly how it felt. It was as if he was the one hexed and jinxed as his body ached all over.

He chose to prepare something to eat, because it calmed him down and his mind was too busy with uncovered information to give him any rest. He knew now that Scorpius’s interest in him was not a spur of the moment thing. It surprised Harry and pleased him too. But it complicated the matters considerably and he knew that they would have to make some adjustments to their current relationship. If it could be even called that, which he seriously doubted. What adjustments, Harry didn’t know, not until he could be sure of what it was that Scorpius really wanted from him. What he wanted himself, he couldn’t say, but he knew now that it was a mistake to proceed so heedlessly with what they had started at the club and take it as lightly as he had done.

When dinner was ready, Harry went to call Al first.

‘Hey.’ he said quietly as he entered the room. Al looked as moody as a teenager, lying on the bed with a book in his hands. His room held unmistakable marks of being used for venting off his anger and the book, held upside down, did not quite conceal his glower. ‘Dinner’s ready.’ announced Harry softly.

‘M’not hungry.’ muttered Al sullenly, turning away from Harry and curling his body around the book as if Harry was going to take it away from him. Harry sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

‘Come on, Al. It’s getting cold and I don’t want to use Warming Charm. It spoils the effect.’

Al didn’t move.

‘Al, please, I need your cooperation here.’ said Harry, his hand outstretched, waiting for Al to take it. ‘I know it’s difficult for you. I can imagine that you hate me right now, but stewing in your room will not help. Believe me, I know. I’ve done enough stewing in my days. Let’s eat. Then we can talk.’

Al sighed and, grumbling something Harry couldn’t make out – not that he tried very much, knowing what it was about – took Harry’s hand, looking reluctant as he did so. But he couldn’t stay angry with him for long. And it was all Scorpius’s fault, anyway.

At the door, while Al was changing from the ruined shirt, Harry turned around and, not able to contain his curiosity any longer, asked the question that has been bugging him ever since he heard the fight –

‘How did you find out?’

Al scowled at him, bent down, picked something from the floor and tossed it at Harry.

‘Found it on your bed.’ he muttered, glaring at the offensive object in Harry’s hand.

Harry caught a well-crumpled piece of parchment and smoothed it out. He quickly scanned what looked like a very carefully-written note and when the exact meaning of somewhat distorted words reached his brain he gaped. By the looks of it, Scorpius wanted to ask him out on a date!


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Next chapter – the last.