A/N: I don't usually put author's notes in my stories, but I feel that I need to for this one. I sincerely apologize for taking so damn long to write this - especially when I have so many amazing, lovely reviewers. Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! I appreciate every single one of them! It's taken me so long to write this last chapter because I lost the inspiration for it (writer's block is honestly my biggest flaw ever). But here it is! The last chapter! I hope you enjoy it. I tried to write as much as I could for you all. :D As well, I've edited all previous chapters (oh my, the glaring mistakes! I can't believe I used 'bullocks', honestly - apparently I put too much faith in the spellcheck.)

The afternoon before the ball was full of raucous excitement. It was the last day of school, so naturally everyone at Hogwarts was excited, whether it was because they were going home or getting ready to party or quite possibly both. As well as that, seventh years received notice on whether or not they had passed their classes.

James wasn't the only one who was relieved to see the passing grades. By the looks on most of his Professors faces, he wouldn't have been surprised to find out they had forged the marks just to get him out of school. While his attitude in the past two weeks had been one of a more serious nature, it hadn't stopped Fred and him from releasing a bunch of pixies into the sixth year's History class (it was conspicuously full of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins) and setting off fireworks on the grounds the night before.

Gryffindor lost the cup because of that, but no one had cared. The fireworks had been seen by near the entire school and it had been an excellent way to send off the students, James had thought. Fred singing off the hair on his arms had just been an added bonus.

James sat in the Gryffindor common room with his legs propped up on one of the tables. He'd been ready for the Graduation Ball for the past hour and it was still nearly an hour before it was set to start. He was watching in amusement as the seventh year girls began shrieking when one of them came out of the dormitory with blue hair.

"Come on, Fred, that was low," he laughed, glancing over at his best mate. Fred was fussing over the flower that was pinned to his lapel in an effort to match Gina's lilac dress she'd picked out months earlier, but there was a smirk on his face.

"Oh, what, now you're so mature?" Fred asked, looking up from his flower. James was quietly thankful he didn't need to adorn his suit with anything so girly. He had a red kerchief in his pocket, but that was far as he went. He had no idea what Scorpius was wearing, since he hadn't asked (quite frankly, he preferred Scorpius san-clothes.) He'd only chosen the muggle suit because it was something that had been there, back from when they'd attended his dad's cousin's wedding, and because Scorpius had a thing for muggle clothes.

James wasn't sure if it was because he found them attractive or funny, but either way, James certainly didn't mind a bit of extra fawning.

"JAMES POTTER!" one of the girls shrieked from the dormitories and Fred fell about laughing. James' mouth popped open and he glanced at Fred. He hadn't done anything! He'd been too busy getting ready to pull any last minute pranks and honestly, with the girls fluttering about in their dresses, he'd been too afraid to ruin them. He had a sister and female cousins. He knew what they could do if you ruined something they were looking forward to.

Lisa came stalking down the stairs, a luxuriously groomed mustache hanging from her upper-lip. She glared at him furiously and James couldn't help but shrink back. Fred had slipped underneath the table and James could still hear him sniggering. What on earth did he even have best friends for?

"Why, Lisa, I've always said: nothing sexier than a lass with a nice mustache." James couldn't help it. It was simply in his nature.

The ball, which had been done up by a committee of seventh years (excluding James, because frankly, it would have simply been too amazing if he had), apparently included the corridors outside the Great Hall. As James waited at the foot of one of the staircases, fairy lights buzzed passed his ears and rained confetti down on his head - which popped and vanished as soon as it made contact. Still, he could feel malfunctioning bits of metallic paper getting stuck behind his ears.

Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, James nervously tapped his foot. Why was he nervous? It was just a stupid dance. Girls got nervous. James Potter was never nervous. But then he thought of Scorpius and his stomach twisted and it felt as though he had fairies throwing confetti around in there. And he wasn't entirely sure if his nervousness could be attributed to seeing Scorpius dressed up (for him), or the fact that every seventh year parent was in attendance.

Which included his own.

Oh Merlin, they were going to embarrass him horribly.

"James," Scorpius voice pulled him out of his thoughts of horrible, apocalyptic, parent-induced disaster. He blinked and saw that Scorpius was standing a few feet in front of him dressed in rather remarkably tailored dress robes. They were a shimmering dark blue with silver trimming and barely visible pinstripes. Beneath he wore a variation of their school uniform, minus the vest. He looked fantastic. "You're going to catch flies with your mouth hanging open like that, Potter."

James swallowed and promptly closed his mouth (which wasn't really hanging open all that much.) And then he grinned and moved forward, sweeping his boyfriend (his boyfriend - he felt he would never get used to that) into a kiss. His arms slid around Scorpius' waist and he could feel Scorpius hands sneak under his suit-jacket. If his shirt hadn't been tucked in, he might have been worried - or pleased.

There was a clearing of throats that sent Scorpius skittering away like a frightened rabbit and James couldn't help but flush. He grabbed Scorpius' hand before he could get too far away and looked up the stairs. Fred was standing with Gina, their arms linked. Gina simply raised an eyebrow before shaking her head and leading Fred down the stairs.

"Ready, you two?" she asked, her face breaking into a smile. James couldn't help but notice Fred was oddly quiet and his cheeks were red. He might have suspected alcohol, except that Fred was usually quite noisy when intoxicated. And he kept looking at Gina and smiling. Well. James wondered how long Fred had kept his feelings to himself about Gina.

Maybe he really was a decent best mate after all.

"Yes," Scorpius said, sounding as though he were steeling himself to go into battle. James glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh. He looked as though he were about to be marched off to the gallows. Was going to a ball with James really that bad? But James knew otherwise. It wasn't that at all.

Although Scorpius was only a date, his parents would be there too. His father was on the Hogwarts committee and therefore showed up for all important events. Draco Malfoy wasn't unfamiliar to James, either. He'd heard stories from his parents - usually his mum, his dad was pretty silent on the topic - about what a giant git Mr. Malfoy had been in school. So he sort of understood Scorpius' nervousness. His parents would be all sorts of embarrassing, but he didn't worry that they were going to disown him.

James squeezed Scorpius' hand. "We could skip, you know. Go some place else. I'm sure the Three Broomsticks is open."

Scorpius glanced at James and shook his head. "After all those lessons I gave you? You had better bloody dance."

They walked to the Great Hall with Fred and Gina, with James keeping up most of the conversation. Fred was fairly quiet the entire time and Scorpius had his mouth pressed in a firm line. His hand kept nervously twitching in James', and every time it did, he'd glance at Scorpius and give it a squeeze, hoping to ease some of the other boy's nerves. He carefully avoided the uncomfortable subject, though, and found himself chatting with Gina about Quidditch. He surprised himself when he realized he liked her a whole lot more when he wasn't vying for her affections (which he was sure, by the look on Fred's face, was a great relief to his best friend.)

Fred and Gina slipped into the Hall first and James linked his arm with Scorpius'. Other students were passing by them and, on occasion, some would glance their way and begin to whisper. That hardly bothered James, though. He'd been putting up with it for weeks, and honestly, if there was a student in Hogwarts who didn't know James and Scorpius were dating, they must have been living under a book.

"Look," James said quietly, leaning in close to Scorpius. "I just want to say it, but I... I'm really glad that you're here with me."

Scorpius' lips tugged upward for a moment, but when the door to the Hall opened as another pair of students slipped past, it disappeared.

"Let's just get it over with," Scorpius breathed, tugging James along.

Their entrance was unceremonious. With so many people milling about, they went relatively unnoticed, but it wasn't long before someone spotted them. Louis came over, his cheeks bright and a champagne glass in hand. He grinned and winked at Scorpius, who suddenly flushed.

"Been drinking, have you?" James laughed at his cousin, who was uncharacteristically flouncing about. When he saw the look Louis was giving Scorpius, James carefully slipped his arm around Scorpius' waist. "You can't have him, he's mine."

Scorpius gave him an indignant glare. James grinned. "Well, I mean, if you want to go off with my cousin, I suppose I could -"

"No," Scorpius said quickly when it became apparent that if James let go of him, Louis would probably end up dragging Scorpius away. Louis laughed and trailed off, probably to find some other poor bugger. He'd regret that in the morning. James would have to remember to get pictures. The blackmail opportunities would be glorious.

"James!"

"Oh dear God, no," James whimpered, which had Scorpius looking frantically around for the voice that was all too familiar to James.

"James Potter, don't you ignore your mother!" James reluctantly turned around to face the red-haired woman who was coming their way. She had his father by the arm, who seemed to be pointedly avoiding looking anywhere at James. And his date, he thought. His mother suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the ear, tugging. "How long has this been going on?"

James swallowed. "Uh -"

"Look -" Scorpius began to say boldly, but James' mother suddenly shot him a look that would have made even the bravest of them cower (James' father was among them, and he was practically the bravest person James ever knew).

"How dare you," His mother was saying loudly and suddenly James could feel his own hackles rise. Surely, he hadn't expected this sort of reaction out of his parents. Granted, Scorpius was the son of their sort-of enemy, but that was hardly - "You didn't even tell me you were dating anyone! Never mind that you haven't written in two months, I had to hear it all from Lily! Did you think we would disapprove? How could you think that of your poor parents!"

James found himself gaping at his mother. Embarrassment was beginning to wash over him and well, that wasn't a surprise. Suddenly it all seemed very much like his mother.

"We were perfectly all right with Louis, weren't we? And to be quite honest, the fact that you've settled down and stopped chasing after girls is a relief. We were certain that one of these days we would be getting a letter that said you'd gotten some poor girl -"

"Ginny," James' father hissed, nudging his mother. His mother flushed, before shaking her head. His father cleared his throat and held out his hand. "Scorpius, isn't it?"

Scorpius looked positively terrified and James couldn't help but grin. For a moment he stood stock-still before he finally extended his own hand. James' father shook it and then cleared his throat, turning back to his eldest son.

"Now then, did you pass?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, sir," James said promptly. His mother's shoulders suddenly sagged with relief. First the girls and now his grades? Who did she think he was?

"Good, because I certainly wasn't looking forward to that conversation," James' dad smiled, and set his hand on James' shoulder. "I'm not sure I could have kept your mother from locking you in the library for the rest of your life."

"I would have done it too, just so you know," His mum admonished before she was smiling too. She looked at Scorpius. "If he ever does anything that isn't perfectly chivalrous, you tell me and I'll sort him right out for you."

Suddenly James' father got a strange look on his face. It was serious and his brows furrowed. James was a bit afraid he was finally going to say something, anything, about the fact that he was dating a Malfoy, but instead he excused himself and strode off across the Hall. James' gaze followed his path as he pushed his way around dancing couples and he realized, as his stomach felt as though it were going to fall out altogether, that his father was talking to a tall man with blond hair. Scorpus' father.

Merlin's balls.

When James turned back to his mother, he realized that she had engaged Scorpius in a conversation about his academics. Suddenly his grades seemed important to her too. But then, he realized, she was diverting Scorpius' attention away from where his father had gone off to. Every so often she would glance in his direction before turning back to Scorpius.

"You're telling me my son actually helped you pass a class?"

"Mum!" James tried to frown, but couldn't. He couldn't really believe it, either.

"James, dear, I love you but to be perfectly honest, there were wagers going on in the family about whether you'd graduate or not," she said, smiling. "Of course, I would never bet against you, but..."

"I can't believe my own family..." James began to say before shaking his head. "If you won, where's my cut?"

His mother laughed and swept him into a hug - which was thoroughly embarrassing. Honestly, this was a ball, not a bloody family reunion. He caught sight of Scorpius watching with amusement. Merlin, he was going to be relentlessly teased about this later, he just knew. Finally, his mother released him and said, "Graduation present?"

James broke into a grin. "Fantastic."

"Scorpius," James' father was back and he looked quite a bit more sombre than he had earlier. "I believe your parents wish to talk to you."

Scorpius glanced at James and suddenly James felt compelled to grab Scorpius and run. Scorpius bit his lip - a sure sign that he was worried - before nodding. When James moved to follow him, his dad grabbed his arm. "In private."

James sighed, keeping his eyes on Scorpius' retreating back until he'd made it to the other side of the hall where his parents stood. From this distance, it was impossible to see what they were talking about, but Scorpius stood a bit stiffly with his hands clenched at his sides. Draco Malfoy had his arms folded over his chest and didn't look none too happy, though his mother, a vibrant brunette, kept reaching forward for Scorpius' hands.

"This is painful to watch," James heard his mum say from behind him.

"I did what I could," his father muttered. James glanced at his parents and his mum attempted to give him a reassuring smile. His father put his arm around her waist.

"They're his parents. How can they even -"

"It'll be fine," James' father suddenly sighed and patted James' shoulder, and he realized he wasn't attempting to keep his mother from saying something out of turn, but rather it was an attempt to comfort James. And that's when James realized he'd been standing much as Scorpius was - fists clenched at his sides and his mouth set in a firm line. He wanted nothing more than to rush over there and protect Scorpius' from whatever his parents might have been saying.

Scorpius took a step away from his parents, obviously saying something angrily and that was all James could take. He broke away from his parents and marched across the Hall. He heard his mother say his name, but he ignored it. This was his graduation, damn it, and he wasn't going to have Scorpius' bigoted parents ruining it. He was nearly there when he caught part of their conversation.

"It's not that, love, it's just... He's obviously not very good for you," Scorpius' mother was saying.

"That's rich," Scorpius snapped, and James was surprised by how angry he seemed. While he could be a bit of a git (or, sometimes, a lot of a git) and often snarky or sarcastic, James had never seen Scorpius look so... pissed off. "Before Christmas you were complaining about my potions grades. Two weeks ago you were congratulating me because they're nearly top of the class. If it weren't for James, I'd still be at the bottom, thanks very much."

James couldn't help the small grin when Scorpius' mum seemed to flounder. His father reached out and grabbed her arm, leaning over a bit and sighing. "Astoria, let it go."

"Draco," she hissed, but Scorpius' father quickly shook his head.

"You're right, Scorpius," he said, though he still looked a bit sour. His eyes flicked up and landed on James, who felt a bit frozen on the spot, before they shifted and he was looking past James to where James' parents stood. "Just... if he ever does anything..."

"I won't," James stepped in, reaching out and grabbing hold of Scorpius' hand. He was nearly as tall as Malfoy Sr, and he squared himself off. He held out his free hand. "I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Scorpius' father said, quickly shaking James' hand. James glanced at Scorpius when he didn't say anything and was amused when he saw that the other boy looked as though some turtles had just wandered past singing Celestina Warbeck.

"Close your mouth," James whispered. "You'll start catching flies."

It was nearly midnight and they were both thoroughly exhausted. Between drinking copious amounts of tainted beverages, and socializing with parents and other seventh years he probably wouldn't see again for quite some time, James was quite tired. Scorpius still seemed rather lively, but then he'd been fairly quiet for most of the evening and seemed to have done the smart thing and not touched the punch like the rest of the student body. Fred and Gina were hiding in a corner, possibly doing things James didn't want to think about ever, Louis had been dragged away by his parents after he'd climbed atop a table, and Molly was still gloating over her good grades.

Though the music was still playing quite loudly, the rest of the ball seemed to be winding down. There were only a few stragglers left on the dance floor and most of the parents had shuffled off for the night. James collapsed into a chair near the wall and sighed. It had been a good night, for the most part. Aside from that hiccup at the beginning, of course. Scorpius was off chatting with one of the seventh year girls from Slytherin but every once in a while, James would catch his eye and grin. When Scorpius would grin back, James pretty much felt as though he were on Cloud Nine.

He'd closed his eyes and was drifting away, listening to the music when the chair next to him creaked and someone grabbed his hand. He didn't have to open them. Instead he squeezed the hand in his and smiled.

"You know, we haven't gotten to dance once," said Scorpius, nudging James with his elbow.

"Which is probably a good thing for your feet," James laughed, opening his eyes and looking at the other boy. Scorpius looked a bit tired but no worse for wear, though his cheeks were flushed. He was quiet for a moment, looking pointedly at James. With another chuckle, James managed to pull himself to his feet and dragged Scorpius with him. "Come on. I have a better idea."

James knew all the ins and outs of Hogwarts thanks to a handy map he'd found in one of his dad's old trunks, so finding a quiet spot wasn't hard. But instead of leading Scorpius away to a convenient place - all the while with Scorpius giving him hard, accusing looks - he meandered through the halls and once through a hidden passageway through a painting, only to end up in a secluded part of the courtyard. It was lit with celebratory fairy lights, as was everything in the castle it seemed, and the foliage seemed alive with buzzing lights.

From there they could still hear the music from the Great Hall, but it was dim and far off and mixed with the sounds of the owls hooting in the Owlery and the rustle and giggle of the fairies.

"You know, you're paper-thin," said Scorpius, raising an eyebrow. "I see right through your ruse to seduce me with dimly lit gardens and fancy lights."

James snorted before grabbing Scorpius wrist and twisting him around so that they were facing each other. He slipped his arm around the other boy's waist and entwined their fingers, leaning in and pressing his lips against Scorpius' jaw bone, beneath his ear. "Ah, foiled again."

He didn't have to look to know Scorpius was coloring, but even in the moving glow of the fairy lights, he could see the pink blush that was creeping into his cheeks. James grinned. He wasn't sure why but he did enjoy it when he managed to succeed in making Scorpius flush. It was incredibly... endearing. At one point he might have balked at the idea that he would think of anyone that way, but with Scorpius it seemed ridiculously right.

James pulled away with a smile and began to dance in time to the music from the Great Hall. It was difficult - he was still a terrible dancer, but he'd definitely gotten better and he could at least pretend to look as though he knew what he was doing. Every once in a while, Scorpius would nudge his footing or pull him in a different direction, subtly taking lead for a moment before lapsing back into allowing James to pull him around.

"I have to say, I'm impressed with my own teaching abilities," Scorpius said idly, looking as though he was trying very hard to keep a straight face but his lips kept tugging into a small smile. "You've become an adequate dancer."

"Hogwash," James said with a shake of his head. "I'm rubbish and quite proud of it. If I were dancing with someone else right now, I'm fairly certain they'd have several broken bones."

"Aren't I lucky," Scorpius answered dryly with a roll of his eyes.

"No," James faltered in his footing and Scorpius nearly ran right into him - which was perfectly fine with James. "Just very good at handling... me."

Scorpius suddenly laughed, pressing his forehead against James shoulder. "I can't believe you would ruin it with a double entendre."

"You're laughing," James grinned.

"Shut up," Scorpius pressed his lips into a thin line in an attempt to hold back the laughter.

"Happily." James slid his arm around Scorpius waist and pulled him closer. He brushed his thumb along the side of Scorpius' jaw, feeling him shiver beneath his fingers and smiling. He closed his lips of Scorpius', and it was really quite perfect. He had never been one to be particularly romantic - not unless he was trying to get someone to forgive him - but the feeling of wanting to make Scorpius happy, happy with him, seemed to make him do all sorts of silly things he wouldn't have otherwise.

It wasn't a bad thing.

Not a bad thing at all.