Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is only for entertainment purposes.

Becoming of a friendship

Chapter XIX: Epilogue

Two months later.

"Sounds like fun!" Albus said and smiled kindly.

"Yeah… we'll see. To be honest, I'm sure it will be something boring… I mean, it's my mum's idea, you know, but if it makes her happy…" the brown-haired boy said.

"Aw, that wasn't very nice of you." Albus laughed. "Spending Christmas with your family is always nice, whatever you do."

"Ugh, trust me, it depends." David said. "My family isn't like yours. There's nothing lovely about it. You have a sane mum, an awesome dad, and siblings that care about you a lot. I have almost absolutely nothing."

"Um, well, maybe seeing your grandma again after all this time will make things better between you and your mum. And… think about her too… Her husband mistreated her, abandoning her with a newborn, while her own mother had completely forgotten about her… I'm sure it was really tough for her, so if sometimes she has those anger crises…" Albus explained hesitantly.

"Yeah, I guess so; she went through quite a lot…" David said. I wasn't the best kid to have either, he added to himself, frowning. He hadn't mentioned anything to the other boy about it though, so he remained silent.

"And you know she loves you more than anything, don't you? You're the only dear person left to her…" Albus said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

David kept avoiding Albus' gaze. It wasn't a conversation he'd like to pursue. Especially with Albus, who'd never completely understand it. Besides, he still felt awkward being in his company.

They were friends again, thanks to — or should he say 'because of' — Malfoy. About a month ago, Malfoy had a little 'talk' with him. Actually, he had bluntly threatened him that if he kept rejecting Albus' friendship, he would "highly regret it". It's not that he didn't want to, no, he missed him, but things had gotten complicated lately…

"So, what are you doing during the holidays? The usual Potters-Weasleys reunion?" David asked, trying to change the subject.

To his surprise, the dark-haired boy blushed furiously and looked away. What was the matter with him?

"Albus?" David asked, seeing that the other boy wasn't answering.

"Um, I… I will stay here." Albus mumbled, still staring attentively at the library's bookshelves.

"What?" David was incredulous. "But… aren't you the one saying over and over again that there's nothing better than going back home for Christmas?"

"I know, I know, I do, but… er, it's different this year…"

David gave him a questioning look—that Albus didn't see, since he was stubbornly not looking at him. "What do you mean?"

"Scorpius and I decided to spend Christmas together, here." Albus eventually blurted out.

"Oh."

OH.

David clenched his fists under the table, far more mad at himself for letting jealousy overpower him than for anything else.

"By the way, what is Ethan going to do?" Albus asked, meeting his gaze at last.

"Huh? Oh, erm, he's going to stay at his parents' manor, going from party to party. You know, rich, powerful people's traditions… or 'duties' if you prefer."

"Ah, I see. Is he enjoying it at least?"

David shrugged. "Enough for it to be bearable."

"Will you see each other? I mean, er, during the Christmas break."

"I don't think so." David replied coldly. Albus' overly casual tone and interest was starting to get on his nerves. It seemed too fake and superficial, almost hypocritical. "Listen, you don't have to pretend to care if you don't. I don't need your pity." he abruptly told him.

Albus gave him a scandalized look. "Excuse me? What are you talking about? Of course I do! And it's not because I pity you! I truly want to hear that everything's going fine for you."

"Then you have to understand that I don't want to talk about that with you." David firmly stated, looking straight into the other boy's big green eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just trying to make the conversation last longer… I didn't know… I didn't want to…" Albus apologized, his head low, his cheeks slightly pink.

"Okay; let's forget about it." David cut him off. "I think you already helped me enough with that potions assignment, thanks." he added and began to gather his books.

"You're leaving?" Albus asked stupidly.

"As you can see… I have some other stuff to do too."

The dark-haired boy nodded in silence. He got up too. "Um, see you later then." Albus said in a low, unsure voice, and walked away. David sighed deeply, regretting his rudeness. He didn't deserve all the efforts Albus was making…

Scorpius was pacing around the Slytherin common room impatiently. He was seriously starting to regret what he had done for Albus.

"Can't you sit your fucking arse down for a second?"

"Ugh, shut up, Wilson." Scorpius said, finally standing still.

"You're even worse than me." Ethan joked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Don't worry; he'll come back… hopefully."

Scorpius glared at him but an amused smile had appeared on his face. "But…"

Ethan silenced him with an imperative hand gesture. "He's what? Five minutes late?"

"No! Half an hour!"

Ethan laughed at the face Scorpius made. "Well, maybe your boyfriend isn't that clever and can't explain things properly to David."

"Or maybe David sucks too much at potions to get anything." Scorpius retorted.

Ethan's smirk disappeared. "Don't force me to punch you." he said, narrowing his eyes. Scorpius lifted an eyebrow. "I could say the exact same thing to you." Ethan's face softened a little. His lips curled up into a crooked smile.

"That's the Malfoy I like." he teased the other boy.

"Since when did you become so protective, by the way?" Scorpius asked.

The taller boy shrugged. "You never seemed to care about anyone before…" Scorpius pursued.

"It's different with him. He… David somehow changed me." Ethan said and shrugged again.

"Whoa, that sounds deep." Scorpius joked. "Looks like you stopped spending your time only…"

Ethan burst out laughing. "It seems so."

Scorpius had to admit that he was genuinely surprised. His friend behaved better indeed. He just couldn't get how Collins had contributed in any way. Collins seemed so… average.

"I know what you're thinking." Ethan said. "I'll answer you with another question: what's so special about that Potter kid?"

Scorpius opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. He didn't want to start an argument with Ethan. Besides, Albus would soon be back. Hopefully.

Scorpius sprawled on the couch, ignoring Ethan's smug expression.

"Ugh, stop tapping your foot or sit somewhere else!" Ethan exclaimed in an exasperate tone some moments later.

"I can't!" Scorpius whimpered.

At that time, the door opened.

"At last!" Ethan exclaimed, lifting his arms up in the air in an exaggerated manner. "Now I'll finally get some tranquillity."

Scorpius sighed and Albus looked at them with confusion.

"Oh, Potter, where is David by the way?"

"Um, he's coming in a minute." I think.

Ethan gave him a nod and went back to reading his newspaper. Scorpius got up. He smiled faintly at Albus and headed to the dormitory, clearly expecting the dark-haired boy to follow him.

"Al, don't get mad, but I… I think you're spending too much time with Collins…" Scorpius said in a low voice, still caressing Albus' hair but avoiding his gaze.

They were lying on Scorpius's bed, Albus' head resting on the blond boy's chest. Albus got on his elbows. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"You, erm, you're really only talking about potions and arithmacy, aren't you?"

"Huh? No?"

Scorpius' eyes went wide in horror. He straightened up so abruptly that their heads almost collided. "What do you mean?"

Albus started laughing uncontrollably. Scorpius was staring at him as if he was insane.

"Merlin, you can be so stupid!" Albus exclaimed when he finally regained his breath. And then, when he saw Scorpius' scandalized expression and round eyes, he laughed again.

"What?" Scorpius asked impatiently.

"You are so jealous!"

"No!"

"Oh, yes, you are! And you're also adorably silly."

"Okay, okay, I admit it." the blond boy said with a pout that looked more like an awkward smile. "But who wouldn't be?"

Albus gently pushed Scorpius down and lay on top of him again. He took Scorpius' tie between his fingers and began playing with it. Then he looked at his boyfriend. "We are friends, Scorp; we don't spend our time only studying. But that doesn't mean anything that should upset you. You have to trust me." Albus said kindly. "And trust David too." the dark-haired boy added before Scorpius could object. Scorpius shrugged, still not completely convinced. "You know," he said, "I could be the one to help you with arithmacy… So we could spend more time alone…"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you're such a spoiled brat!"

"Me? Of course not!" Scorpius exclaimed, trying to sound indignant. They both chuckled and then Albus said: "Besides, David is better at arithmacy than you."

"I beg you pardon?" the blond boy asked, utterly outraged.

"It's the truth. Life's tough, isn't it?" Albus teased him.

"How dare you? What an awful person you are! I can hardly recognize you anymore…"

Albus' giggles echoed in the stony room. The blond boy couldn't help laughing too.

Scorpius flipped the other boy over and kissed him, softly at first, and then much more passionately. Albus responded eagerly, whilst lifting up Scorpius' sweater and shirt, sliding his hands over the smooth skin.

One week later, at the train station.

"Um, well, have fun." James said flatly.

He had thrown a tantrum when he had learnt that their parents had let Albus stay at Hogwarts with his boyfriend. They hadn't even considered it when he had proposed the same thing back in third year! It was so unfair!

"Aw, come on, James, you know I'll miss all of you!" Albus said and hugged his brother. The taller boy mumbled something like 'really hope so'. He let go far too quickly and turned to face Scorpius. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I'm warning you; if I ever hear anything, anything, I won't hesitate for the briefest second to beat you up until you wish you weren't born."

"I never doubted that." Scorpius replied in an amused tone.

James narrowed his eyes even more. He really didn't like that guy. But, of course, he had to act civilly to him, because all the Potters had welcomed with enthusiasm the news — especially Lily. She always seemed a little crazy…

Albus had tensed a little, just like every time James and Scorpius were some meters away from each other. "Give them my greetings, okay?" Albus told his brother, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, I will."

James gave Albus a pat on the back, before shaking Scorpius' hand with a wince.

Then, Albus went to say goodbye to Rose and Lily, who were having a very animated discussion with their friends, while Scorpius was talking with some Slytherins.

"Are you sure you can't find a way to come over for a couple of days?" David asked.

"I already told you that my parents have some expectations from me. You know I don't appreciate it much, but I can't go against the flow — at least not until I finish school." Ethan replied.

David frowned. "Is that really the reason?"

The blond sighed loudly. "We've talked about that, haven't we?"

Since the other boy remained silent, Ethan got up of the bench and went to sit on David's lap, straddling him. He took David's face between his hands, his own face extremely serious, looking almost angry.

"Listen, I understand that it can be difficult for you to trust people, but you know me better than that. If it was only a game for me, we would have been over long ago."

The brown-haired boy seemed to consider it, and eventually be convinced. Ethan softly brushed his fingertips against David's cheek, which was a much unexpected sign of affection since Ethan's manners were usually rough. He leaned in and slowly brushed his lips against David's, so very slowly that it felt almost like torture. David wrapped his arms around Ethan's waist and pressed the other boy against his chest. The kiss deepened, tongues fighting for dominance, teeth biting and clashing. Ethan's hand was tightly gripping David's nape, his hips pushing the other boy down, as if he wanted to melt their bodies together. David let out a groan and slid his hands in Ethan's pants, cupping his butt cheeks. The blond boy arched his back, asking for more.

And then, suddenly, they heard someone cough. The two teenagers turned towards the compartment door… to see a very red looking Albus Potter, who was staring at David's hands. David quickly withdrew said hands, feeling his cheeks get hot.

"You're interrupting, Potter." Ethan said harshly.

"I-I'm really sorry, I…" the dark-haired boy mumbled. "David, I was looking for you…"

"I'll be back in a sec'." David whispered in Ethan's ear. The blond boy stood up to let him go. Albus went to the train corridor, David following him.

"I'm sorry," Albus repeated, "I didn't see you much this week, so I thought it would be nice to wish you happy holidays face to face…"

"Yeah, I was a little busy lately…" David said and briefly glanced in Ethan's direction. "Um, thanks, happy holidays to you too."

Albus smiled and gave him an awkward hug. "Er, I wanted to apologize about last time…I was a bit too rude. Sorry." David eventually said.

"It's okay, I understand."

David grinned at him, and after some last greetings, he went back to his compartment. And before Albus left the Hogwarts Express, he heard Ethan say "I promise you I'll try to convince my parents."

Albus was staring at the decorated ceiling, eyes wide open. He couldn't sleep. He felt too happy to be able to sleep. Scorpius was fast asleep apparently, his breathing low and even. Albus tightened his arms around the other boy. He still couldn't believe they were together… It seemed too good to be true. But it was, Albus reminded himself and grinned like an idiot in the darkness. He closed his eyes. He had to sleep; it would be a long day tomorrow. December 25th.

Time ticked by, but Albus couldn't stop his brain from thinking. There was no way to suppress his excitement. It was so different from the previous years. He would spend his favourite time of the year with the person he loved, alone.

He felt Scorpius stir. Albus loosened his grip. The blond boy slowly turned to face him. He looked surprised to find him awake. A broad smile appeared on his face.

"Al, it's midnight." Scorpius muttered. "Merry Christmas." he greeted him, before fondly kissing the tip of Albus' nose.

"Merry Christmas, Scorp." the dark-haired boy said, grinning form ear to ear.

Scorpius kissed him again, this time on the lips. Then, Albus snuggled against Scorpius' chest, letting his eyelids fall, feeling serene but also strangely alive. Because as people rightly say: love is friendship set on fire.

This is the star, this is your heart

This is the day you were born

This is the sun, these are your lungs

This is the day you were born

.

And I am always, always, always yours

And I am always, always, always yours

.

These are the scars deep in your heart

This is the place you were born

And this is the hole where most of your soul comes ripping out

From the place you've been torn

.

And it is always, always, always yours

And I am always, I'm always, I'm always yours

.

Hallelujah, I'm caving in

Hallelujah, I'm in love again

Hallelujah, I'm a wretched man

Hallelujah, every breath is a second chance, yeah

.

And it is always, always, always yours

And I am always, I'm always, always yours

Yeah, yeah, I'm always yours, I'm yours

Yeah, yeah, I am always yours

A/N:

Lyrics are from the song 'Always', by Switchfoot. (I love this band) I own nothing. (I cannot not think of Snape/Lily whenever I see that word btw…)

There's also another song by the same band that I frickin' love and that I wanted to put in this fic, but I couldn't put two songs… It's called 'Your love is a song'. I think it suits Al and Scorp a lot. Go listen to it if you want:)

So that was the last chapter of this fic… The feeling is bittersweet. I'm happy to have finally finished something, but I'm sad that it came to an end. As I've already told you in my long, useless author's notes, I'm way too attached to fictional characters. Speaking of characters, you have no idea how much it makes me feel happy and proud to see that you grew to love my OCs so much. I didn't expect such a response. At first, the fic was supposed to be maximum five chapters LOL, with no OCs, no nothing. But yeah, things turned out differently. I'll miss David and Ethan a lot. Which is why I think about mentioning them, just a tiny bit, in my next fic (in another context obviously, you know, just to keep them 'alive' in some way).

Also, just to make it clear, David isn't still in love with Albus, Ethan is much more important to him now, but when you have loved someone, it still hurts to see them with another person, because it reminds you that they preferred someone else…

And yes, I'll write another AS/S fic:) I already have the plot ready. I don't know when it will be up though… I wanted to write as much chapters as I could before starting to post it. It will have more angst, less fluffiness, and Scorpius will act a little differently. A bit OOC compared to my headcanon, but the story has to be different. I really hope you liked this one and, hopefully, look forward to the next one.

Thanks for all your support (Jeez, I feel like I'm giving an official/important speech or something)

Also, thanks to my lovely betas, Hannah and Celine for helping me make this story better. (by the way, Hannah, if you ever read this, let me know:P)

That is all;)

P.S. Sorry for the X-mas spirit overload in October.