Hi! So, now we're getting into more detail about Scorpius and Albus' relationship. By the end of Albus' birthday, you'll probably have some sort of idea about what relationship is like. Like, I don't think I've really given you a good idea about them and their relationship because Albus hasn't actually been mentioned as much as you'd think. Enjoy!

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Scorpius peeled his eyes open upon hearing the buzzing of his alarm. He'd turned the volume all the way down, and kept it close as to not disturb any of his dorm mates. Although he supposed that wouldn't matter if his plan was going to work. Albus could probably sleep through a fire alarm, let alone Scorpius' normal one. 

He pulled the green doona off of himself and welcomed the cool, dungeon air. It was a bit of a shock, and he would rather have been cuddled up in a burrito of blankets, but he was going to be having a busy day. Despite it being a Saturday — perfect really for what Scorpius was planning — he needed to be up bright and early. Well, he supposed not bright seeing as the sun hadn't risen completely yet.

He sighed, brushing his fingers through his white blonde hair and adjusting to the ridiculous temperature of the dungeons. He would never understand Albus' ability to wear nothing more than a shirt — usually some muggle band shirt — and some jeans. Scorpius couldn't even go out in the rain without a thick jumper. Which was most days of the year.

He checked his watch, seeing the hands pointing to 5:07 or what he guessed was probably around that time. He tip toed over to Vincent's bed, knowing that he'd probably be the best person to wake first. Vincent and Scorpius had never been particularly close, even with their family gatherings. However that changed the year prior.

Scorpius couldn't remember what had happened in the correct timeline, so his story would be slightly different but it was roughly the same. Harry — Albus' Dad -- had forced them apart, unbeknownst to Scorpius. So, Albus was spending all his time with the exact people that had tormented them for years. It had hurt Scorpius deeply to watch the boy he thought was his best friend betray him in such a way. Granted, he wasn't aware at the time that it was Harry's doing.

He had been crying over it for a lot longer than he'd ever admit to anyone, and his dorm mates had all seen how hurt he was about it. They'd never really hung out with Scorpius or Albus, Vincent was the only one Scorpius had ever seen outside of formalities. And so, Vincent had been the one to comfort Scorpius through the loss of Albus. Atlas, Zeus and Finn eventually all started chipping in, doing small things at first like simply checking up on him.

Scorpius had grown to realise that a certain belief system didn't make anyone a bad person. He'd never really thought much of it before, being that his Dad was a changed man and he knew for a fact the Draco hadn't been all that great as a kid, but he'd never really thought about it. 

Vincent eventually had had enough and hunted Albus down to scream at him. Scorpius hadn't known until afterwards, but Vincent started yelling at Albus for leaving Scorpius behind for the very gits that ruined their lives. Vincent was the first to know the truth about why Albus had been ignoring Scorpius, and he'd told the rest of the dorms occupants so that they could all figure out a way to get the two friends back together. Of course, they never got the chance to go through with it.

And for all of that, Scorpius was eternally grateful and it became an unspoken rule that the six would defend each other, no matter what, even though they weren't all as close to each other as some of the other Slytherins. One example being when some Ravenclaws cornered Atlas to make remarks about how they thought he might end up killing his muggle Mum. In the end, Slytherin lost a few points for insulting students, but it had been so worth it to see the looks on their faces.

"Vince...," Scorpius shook Vincent and whispered. "Grizzly Vincey. Vincent!"

"Wah!" Vincent fell out of his bed and landed oh so gracefully with one leg still hanging on, one under the bed and his arms clawing at the doona now over his head. Scorpius struggled to contain his laughter when Vincent's annoyed face was revealed from under the quilt.

"Get up and help me wake the others," Scorpius whispered. "Not Albus though."

Vincent staggered to his feet and threw the blanket into a pile on his bed, "I was sleeping. And I quite enjoyed the dream I was having."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Let me guess, Rowan was there. You two were having a lovely picnic by the Black Lake. Maybe there's a few birds in the trees. And the treats were delectable?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes as a blush spread across his cheeks, "Rowan and I don't need to plan a picnic to enjoy each others company. They're quite fun to be around."

Scorpius smiled, "Whatever you say," he waved it off. "Anyway, we've got an hour and a half until breakfast starts and —"

"You woke me up at five in the morning!?" Vincent hissed. "Why would you do that!?"

"There's my favourite grouch," Scorpius pat Vincent on the head as he groaned. "It's the second of October."

"Wait October's started already!?" Vincent hissed. "Now I'll have to endure yours and Jiz's painful puns!"

"Don't be a grinch!" Scorpius hissed in reply. "Save that for December."

Vincent groaned out in annoyance.

"Anyway, I need you to help me wake up the others," Scorpius whispered, going to Finn's bed and shaking him awake. "Finn!"

Finn turned over and grunted, "Go away, I'm asleep," he said groggily.

"Want to get back to your sex dream about Zeus do you?" Vincent whispered with a smirk.

Finn sat up with an expression of sleepiness, "Yep. I was having a ... lovely time in there."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. If it weren't for the fact that Vincent was in a relationship, they'd probably also be teasing him about Atlas. Although Atlas didn't really seem all that interested in the emotional aspects of relationships. Quite the opposite to Scorpius.

As if on cue Zeus woke up with a yawn and groaned when he saw the time, "Why are all of you up at five in the fucking morning!?"

"Shh!" Scorpius hissed, "It's the second of October."

"Yeah, and I can give Albus his gift after he wakes up. Good night!" Zeus flopped down onto his bed and moved around, getting irritated when he realised he wasn't about to fall asleep again.

Atlas soon arose and glanced around the room with a confused expression, "Who died?"

"No one," Zeus crossed his arms and got out of bed. "Scorpius is just a menace."

"I am not a menace!" Scorpius hissed in reply, "I'm just planning a surprise for Albus."

"Oh," Atlas shrugged, getting out of bed. "Okay then. What's the plan?"

"You two are the strangest human beings on the planet," Finn shook his head. "No one is awake at this hour."

"Well we are a bunch of nobodies," Atlas retorted.

"Anyway," Scorpius grabbed everyone's attention, "time for operation birthday. Now, we all know that Albus' parents have never celebrated it on this day. So, that means, all of his parties were either early or late. We're throwing him a party."

"That's a bit short notice Scorp," Vincent complained. "Don't even have time to invite people."

Scorpius shook his head, "Albus almost certainly wouldn't want his family there and us in Slytherin are his only friends," Scorpius explained. "Anyway, the plan is that I'll distract him while you guys blow up balloons. Do any of you know how to cook?"

Atlas put his hand up, "Oh! Call on me Professor Malfoy!" He chuckled. "I can make a few simple things like cake, biscuits and toasted sandwiches."

"Perfect!" Scorpius whisper-yelled. "I'll take him out for breakfast and you guys —"

"Let me guess," Vincent interrupted. "You two are having a lovely picnic by the Black Lake. Maybe there's a few birds in the trees. And the treats are delectable?"

Vincent smirked and Scorpius narrowed his eyes, feeling his face heat up.

"Yeah okay," Finn agreed. "We can do that. I know a spell that fills and seals balloons."

"I have a box of balloons," Zeus claimed.

"Why do you have a box of balloons, might I ask?" Vincent narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Zeus answered in the most vague way possible.

"Alrighty then?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow, "So that just leaves Vince to —"

"Hang up streamers and banners?" Vincent said dryly. "I can probably figure something out."

Scorpius nodded, "Alright then!"

"So, is that all?" Finn asked. "You woke us up at five, for that?"

"I may have overestimated how long it would take to convince you guys to go along with this," Scorpius smiled and watched as Vincent, Finn and Zeus all flopped onto their beds in annoyance.

"Good night," Zeus said.

"It's morning —"

"Good night!" Zeus called out over the top of Scorpius.

Atlas looked around at the four sleeping figures in the room and then back to Scorpius, "So, what are we gonna do now?"

"Do you want to help me with breakfast?" Scorpius suggested.

"Yeah okay," Atlas followed Scorpius out of the room and all the way to the kitchens. The only others there were the house elves preparing breakfast for the school. They caught sight of a bunch of eggs, bacon, toast, sausages and condiments. Scorpius skipped that and went to one of the stove tops not in use, and Atlas pulled out a frying pan and spatula. 

He could remember from whenever Albus would sneak into Malfoy Manor that he was used to bland breakfasts, seeing as his Mum wasn't a good cook and his Dad didn't often have enough time to make anything. Scorpius could remember coming down for breakfast on multiple occasions and finding him in the kitchen. 

Astoria had always been a bit over the top with breakfasts, making what seemed like a whole buffet. Pancakes (usually chocolate chip), waffles, fruit platters and a series of creams, chocolate sauce and even caramel sauce. Scorpius thought it was a bit ridiculous, but Albus had seemed to quite enjoy the breakfasts Astoria would make. Albus had even gone as far as getting a copy of the recipes himself. Although, Scorpius highly doubted they had been used.

Scorpius however, could remember the recipes off by heart. He even made them on occasion during the holidays. Of course, he never went as far as a banquet, but he did make small portions of each. And that would be what he did. He made a few miniature chocolate chip pancakes, a few waffles, cut up some fruit, and got some chocolate sauce. Atlas helped by getting the right amounts and positioned them on the tray with a cup of tea to make it look nice.

Scorpius held his hand up and the two high-fived. Scorpius then took an extra pancake and held it out for Atlas.

"Thanks for the help," the blonde smiled, "here is your payment."

"How much do I have to pay in tax?" Atlas joked, laughing and taking the pancake from Scorpius.

Scorpius chuckled, "It's almost time for breakfast," he said. "The others will be leaving and Albus will be waking up soon."

"I know, I know," Atlas raised his hands in defence. "I'll rally the troops."

Scorpius smiled lightly before covering the tray and going all the way back to the Slytherin dorms. Everyone had cleared out of the bedroom and Albus was rolling around in his sheets as he did when waking up. Scorpius walked over and watched as Albus forced his eyes open.

Albus let out a hum and grumbled in a tired voice, "What's that smell...?"

"It's your birthday breakfast!" Scorpius exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. "Atlas helped me make it."

Albus began to seem more awake at that and his eyes widened slightly, "You made breakfast?" He asked. "Why does it, smell so familiar?"

Scorpius unveiled the tray in his arms and there was an assortment of things made to look very aesthetically pleasing. The two largest plates were in the centre, stacked with small chocolate chip pancakes and two waffles. In each of the bottom corners there were two small bowls, one with small cuts of fruit and one with chocolate sauce. In the top right corner was a cup of steaming tea and to the left was some cutlery. Scorpius would have to find a better way of thanking Atlas than just an extra pancake.

Albus' eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly ajar at the sight. Scorpius smiled shyly and began to feel his nerves take over. Was Albus not happy? Did he not actually like Astoria's cooking and only pretended out of curtesy? Was Albus really looking forward to a traditional Hogwarts breakfast? Had Scorpius somehow got the date wrong?

"Do you not like it?" Scorpius finally worked up the courage to ask. "You hate it. I should've known, Merlin I'm so stupid! I can take this back to the kitchens and get something else? Do you want toast, I can make toast —"

"No, no no no," Albus shook his head and took the tray from Scorpius. "It's perfect. I'm just surprised is all. I wasn't expecting you to go to so much effort for my birthday this year."

Scorpius shook his head, "You deserve a brilliant birthday," he sat down. "Are you absolutely sure that you aren't just saying that for my benefit? I can make something else. Scrambled eggs, eggy bread, cereal, porridge —"

"Scorpius, all I want, is for you to help me finish this ridiculous portion of food," Albus smiled and held out his fork, with a bit of waffle on it for Scorpius. The blonde blushed at the sight and mentally scolded himself for not shutting up. He would have to work on that, but for now, he just leant forward and took the bit of waffle from Albus.

It tasted almost exactly like his Mums. Only a little sweet so that it wouldn't be bland, but not too much so that it tasted like a mouthful of sugar. He also got the hint of lemon. Astoria had added lemon to most things she made, saying that she liked to have the tartness of it cut through any overbearing flavours or something like that. Scorpius didn't really understand what language cooks spoke in.

Scorpius stole a small bit of kiwi from Albus' platter and noticed Albus was slightly reluctant to drink the tea.

"Are you not a tea person?" Scorpius asked. "I can make coffee if you would prefer —"

"Merlin Scorpius, stop being such a worry wart," Albus chuckled. "I've just never really had much tea before. Although this stuff tastes nice so maybe I should. I'd probably get teased for enjoying such a pretentious drink though. Their words, not mine."

"Damnit!" Scorpius shook his head with a smile. "Your family can't keep foiling my evil plan! Can't I reform you to be a respectable member of pureblood society in peace?"

Albus laughed at that, "Unfortunately not. The Potter's have a knack for spotting evil plots."

"But if I remember correctly they almost never get it right," Scorpius smirked. "I suppose you're the smart one?"

"Somehow," Albus shrugged and sighed dramatically. "See Scorp, there is a brain behind this beautiful face."

"What beautiful face?" Scorpius joked. "I only see you?"

"Argh! You wound me!" Albus couldn't contain his laughter at that. "No but seriously, it's ridiculous that I can't enjoy a nice hot beverage without being interrogated."

"Better than forcing us to stop hanging out," Scorpius gave a small smile. His time without Albus by his side was horrific at best. The beatings, the pranks, the jokes, all of it. And what was worse was that he still wasn't brave enough to tell Albus about any of it. 

"Yeah...," Albus' smile brightened after a second. "You know what. I think this might be our year. The Ravenclaws were never that much trouble, the Hufflepuffs seemed to have laid off a little and the Gryffindors have all but stopped. Only things that have really happened is that whole incident on the train and a few potions ingredients being thrown at us. Maybe saving the wizarding world wasn't such a bad thing?"

Scorpius smiled as best he could and ignored the heavy weight in his chest. He was happy that things had been getting better for Albus, he really was, it seemed Albus had even started to be more optimistic than usual. Scorpius was used to hearing Albus turn everything sour, but if things were going so well that Albus could be positive, than Scorpius wouldn't complain. Sure, he'd been assaulted, harassed, jinxed and hurt on the regular, but he couldn't think about that.

Scorpius mentally scolded himself. He was being selfish, and on Albus' birthday of all days. No, Albus came first. He would face whatever obstacles the world threw at him at a later date. Albus was finding things to be positive about, Albus was having a lovely birthday as far as Scorpius could tell from breakfast, and Albus was going to get a surprise party later. Everything was going to be about Albus. Scorpius wasn't going to let his mind wonder to himself for even a second.

"Yeah," Scorpius tried to copy Albus' optimism. "Maybe this will be our year."

Albus took a sip from his tea with a smile and gave the last pancake to Scorpius.

"Have you got anything planned for today?" Albus enquired.

"Albus, I am Scorpius Malfoy," he shook his head, "I've always got something else up my sleeve."

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So, what do you guys think so far? What are you hoping to see for Albus' birthday? No, there will not be a birthday kiss. Don't even ask for it. It's not happening. Okay? Okay. 

Please vote, comment and make suggestions. Thank you!

      - Turtlefreakakw2 <3