(Hello there, my lovely readers! :D This fic is in honor of Reetu, who managed to win the first contest at the end of You and Me. It is multi chaptered.
Fic requests/requirements: AlbusxScorpius, parental involvement in the relationship (which means there will be Drarry, as well ;) )
Here's hoping you enjoy your fic, Reetu, and all the rest of my lovely readers, as well!)

Hogsmeade weekend was an exciting time for the students at Hogwarts, and Albus always looked forward to the chance to venture down from the castle to explore the little town with its many shops while spending far too much money on things that he knew he didn't need, just because they were there and he could do so.

Of course, he knew that many students put a romantic spin on it with their girlfriend or boyfriend, or made the trip with a gaggle of friends that managed to crowd every shop that they tried to all fit into a once. But Albus was always happy to make the trip alone. It was easier if he could do what he wanted, when he wanted, at the speed that he wanted, without having to worry about making someone else happy too.

Well, he had always been happy to go it alone. But now… he found himself thinking more and more of things that could never be, of entangling his fingers with someone else's and taking them around the shops and spending his wasted money on them instead of solely on himself. It wasn't that there wasn't anyone that liked him enough; there was no shortage of students, male or female, that seemed more than eager to try and cozy up to a Potter. It was more an issue of finding someone that he liked enough. According to his dad, he had 'discerning tastes', which his mom liked to tell him meant he was just incredibly picky.

There is someone I like, he had wanted to tell them, But it's a little… complicated.

Complicated because their fathers were now engaged, and it seemed difficult to go home and say, "Hello, future stepfather, I'm going to date your son."

Unbidden, his eyes skimmed the crowd of Hogsmeade-bound students quickly, searching for some sign of the blonde. Disappointment weighed heavily on his shoulders as he realized that the object of his lust and affection was nowhere to be found. It was likely that he had already made his way down to Hogsmeade with some lucky Slytherin girl, rather than wasting valuable free time lingering around the school's entrance waiting for a crush.

Turning, Albus decided that he wasn't in the mood for Hogsmeade after all, and nearly ran into the person standing just behind him. Albus stumbled back a few steps with a yelp and nearly landed on his bum. A hand shot out and caught his arm, helping to keep him steady until his balance returned. "Thanks for that," laughed Albus, scratching the back of his head, "I should have watched where I was… going…"

He trailed off, looking up, and realized that the person he had nearly bowled over was the very one he had been searching for.

"Not going to Hogsmeade today, Albus?" he asked, arching a brow at his curiously. Albus flushed slightly.

"I could ask you the same thing, Scorpius," he retorted, and then realized that his arm was still in the blonde's grasp, and his red cheeks darkened another shade, much to his humiliation.

"I was waiting for a particular person to ask along with me today," admitted Scorpius airily, as if it were no big deal. He didn't relinquish his hold on the other's limb. "I had almost lost hope until mere moments ago."

Albus felt his heart sink, and he scanned the thinning crowd for the one Scorpius had been waiting on, torn between jealousy and despair. "You should probably get on with asking them, then," he said, "You'll be the only one left if you don't hurry."

A peculiar look flashed across Scorpius' face for a moment. "I suppose you're right." The hand on his arm slid down and clasped around his. Albus' eyes widened with shock, jerking up to lock with serious gray eyes that seemed to be judging his every move. "Are you ready to go, or are you going to be a prat and reject me now?"

Albus gaped, struggling to find words. He gripped the other's fingers tightly, reassuring him despite his apparent inability to speak. A faint, endearing blush was now coloring the paler boy's cheeks, but their fingers linked and they both seemed all right with that. Albus gave a hopeful tug, and Scorpius followed, and they trailed behind the rest of their fellow students hand in hand, both embarrassed and yet somehow extremely happy.

A day at Hogsmeade might have been fun, but a day at Hogsmeade with Scorpius Malfoy was something else entirely. The blonde looked at everything at an entirely different angle than Albus did, and the contrast of their views only made Albus even more interested in spending time with him. He held disdain for the largest groups of friends, accusing them of crowding everyone else out wherever they went; he watched first years roll around in the snow with a youthful abandon that had been lost by the time they hit their fourth year and criticized their form, as if it were a sport they were watching; he eyed Honeyduke's with open greed, but resisted going in until Albus finally pulled him inside forcefully, encouraging him to indulge his sweet tooth.

Of course they received odd looks wherever they went. It was bad enough that they were two guys holding hands, blushing whenever they made eye contact. It was even more eye-catching that one of them was Slytherin, while the other was Gryffindor. The animosity between the two houses transcended any other rivalry, and yet there they were, combatting the odds against them on both fronts.

When they sat down to have some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, they managed to look everywhere but at each other for quite a while before either of them finally dared to break the silence. Of course, it was Albus. "Has your dad talked to you about the engagement?"

Scorpius nodded, using one finger to trace a shallow gouge on his side of the table. "He assures me that your father is a very nice man to be around, and that having all of you move in with us is going to be a good thing." Albus frowned, but nodded as well.

"My dad said the same thing, kind of." There was another awkward pause. "So what about… this?" He gestured vaguely between them. "If our dads are getting married, can we…?"

Scorpius hesitated for a moment before looking up from the table. "If… if it's all right with you, I don't see why not. It's not like we're related by blood."

Albus rested his chin on his hand, elbow on the table. "People are going to talk whether they were getting married or not, so I guess we shouldn't let that hold us back."

A smirk curved Scorpius' lips. "Yes, they'll be much more interested in the scandal of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor."

Albus laughed. "So, can we hold hands?"

Scorpius just smiled a little, and rested his head on his folded hands. "We've done that already today, so yes."

Albus felt his cheeks color with embarrassment. "…Can we kiss?"

One brow arched in amusement. "So forward."

Albus felt his cheeks begin to burn. "Not now! I meant… later…. You know, once we get to know each other and –"

He was cut off as Scorpius suddenly leaned across the table and brushed their mouths together. It could have been an accident in different circumstances, it was so brief. Albus' face was now as red as his Uncle Ron's hair, and he found that he couldn't form even the most basic sounds anymore because his tongue had decided to curl up in his mouth and be useless for a while.

Scorpius was smirking again, a bit more widely this time. Amusement – and a little of something else – danced in his gray eyes. "Yes, we can kiss," he said, and though a small blush lit his cheeks at the words, he still managed to look smug as he said it, adding, "It seems to be the best way to shut you up when you begin babbling. I'll have to keep that in mind."

(Time skip)

Draco crossed his arms behind his head and watched his lover – now fiancé – pace their bedroom agitatedly. "Harry, you're going to ruin some very nice flooring if you keep that up. At least do a few zigzags, maybe restart somewhere parallel. I'd hate for us to have to replace this on top of paying for our wedding."

Harry raked his fingers through his hair. "Draco, what if the kids hate each other? What if they're just like we always used to be and they simply can't get along, and now we're going to force them to live together?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Then in twenty years at least one of yours will be marrying Scorpius. Harry, calm down. The Manor is big enough that they won't even have to see each other if they don't want to. And it's not like they're just kids anymore. They're teenagers. In a few years, they'll be adults. I think they can handle this."

Harry dropped onto the edge of the bed and Draco sat up to scoot down behind him and rest his chin on the brunette's shoulder, dropping a kiss on the side of his neck. "They don't even really know us that well," he muttered. "I mean, yeah, we did Christmas together last year, and we spent some time together this past summer, but that's not really enough for everyone to get to know each other enough to feel comfortable living in the same house."

Draco sighed, slightly irritated. "Harry…" He shut his eyes. "Do you want to put this off until Lily gets out of Hogwarts?"

Harry gave a start, surprised by the question. "What? No! Draco, that'll be years from now!" The blonde didn't answer right away, causing Harry to shift so that he could see his face, tugging the slightly taller man into his lap. "Draco…"

Stormy silver eyes drifted up to meet vivid green. "Would it make you feel better if it was just the two of us?"

Harry frowned, now feeling guilty. "No. I'm just… being ridiculous. A wedding is a big deal, and I guess I've just been feeling the stress from all the controversy and the reporters and my friends asking if I'm absolutely insane for agreeing to this, and… I just don't want our kids to turn against us too." But he knew that was ridiculous. He was just projecting the rest of his problems onto them. And Draco was right, soon they would be adults and live on their own, and it wouldn't even be an issue. There was no point in letting that ruin things for them.

Draco relaxed against him, reassured. Sometimes it still seemed like some kind of fantastic dream, waking up to Harry at his side. He worried that one day he would wake up and it would all be gone. Harry did what he could to reassure him, but only time would prove that they were going to stay together. Harry stroked his arm soothingly, over the tattoo that had wrought so much damage in its time. Now it stood as a symbol of all they would do in the aftermath together, despite it.

"As I said, they probably won't even see each other," muttered Draco. "I wouldn't be surprised if they picked bedrooms in opposite wings of the house."

(And… that's the first chapter. ^^ I hope it's not terrible, my muse has been bucking at me a bit lately. Lots going on since classes will be starting back soon. I know reward fics for readers are generally one-shots, but I like chaptered fics. XD Once I get back into my rhythm, things will come more quickly. Still working on the sequel, just you wait, my lovely readers! Expect more of this soon! Review, please!)