Scorpius absolutely despised lying to Albus. He hated the lie he'd gotten himself into, and how uneasy it would be to break free from it. This choice he'd made had been going strong for months, but the blond boy knew that sooner or later, his father would realize his son's account was being drained faster than an average trip to a shop's worth.

Time was running out, as the previous note from his blackmailer had said, and he couldn't have agreed more. Sooner, rather than later, Scorpius would have to own up to his problems, and he would have to pay the price - metaphorically, as a literal price was already being paid.

Every day wasted on this secret is a day that both of us could have been happy.

Scorpius looked down at the note that had just arrived during supper that evening. Albus was back to sitting beside him, though he was quite distracted in his treacle tart and the fact that his brother was glaring at him from three tables away.

He stuffed the note into his pocket, hating the way they now just materialized in front of him rather than being delivered by owl, and refused to meet a different set of eyes focused entirely on him. He scooped potatoes into his mouth and turned to face his best friend, who was drinking and blissfully unaware of his inner turmoil.

By the time Albus put down his drinking goblet, Scorpius had plastered a fake smile onto his face, and had prepared a conversation in his head.

"So, there's a Hogsmeade visit this upcoming weekend, and I'm curious if you'd like to join me." He spoke, resting his chin on his palm, and elbow on the table casually.

Albus thought back to that day in the courtyard then, and the way Scorpius had stood on the opposite side lip-locked with his cousin. He wondered if the blond ever grew tired of kissing her. He then remembered his younger sister, Lily, and the way she'd been so excited for the visit.

He knew that if he did decide to attend the Hogsmeade visit, he'd either have to endure third-wheeling Scorpius and Rose, or being pulled around by his hyperactive sister. He shook his head.

"I don't think I'm feeling a visit this weekend, Scorpius. Perhaps next time." The green-eyed boy said, and the blond's expression fell. Now I'll have to endure it alone, Scorpius thought. He made the mistake of looking across the Great Hall then, all too familiar with where his blackmailer sat, and grimaced as she gave him a wink.

~△⃒⃘~

"Are you absolutely positive you don't want to come to Hogsmeade with me?" Scorpius asked as soon as he and Albus had made it back to their dormitory. The other boys from their dorm were still hanging out in the Common Room, but Scorpius had followed his best friend as soon as Albus had yawned.

"Scorpius," Albus groaned, slipping out of his school clothes and into his pajamas. "I have studies to stay ahead of. Besides, there's nothing for me to do at Hogsmeade."

Scorpius watched as Albus slipped a thin, cotton t-shirt over his head, frowning. As Albus went to move out of his trousers, the blond looked away respectfully and sighed.

"You could visit your uncle. Perhaps we could purchase a few jokes from his shop: like we used to do." A short time ago, after the success of Albus' uncle's joke shop in Diagon Alley, the redheaded man had set up a secondary location in Hogsmeade, wanting to be closer to his student-customers and mischief-makers.

"Why are you so adamant on me going? I don't want to, alright?" Albus snapped suddenly, and Scorpius looked at him in astonishment. Albus' green eyes softened, and he let out a sigh, stepping forward to place a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Listen, Scorpius, I'm sorry. Perhaps next time."

"Yeah," Scorpius claimed, hurt though he didn't want to show it. "Perhaps next time. I'm sorry."

The blond pulled away from Albus' grip and climbed into his bed, pulling his hangings shut and lying in the opposite direction, facing away from where the dark-haired boy still stood sadly outside. After a minute, Albus shook his head and climbed into his own bed, pulling the hangings shut and muttering a "goodnight Scorpius" before closing his eyes and praying for morning to come quickly.

~△⃒⃘~

The Slytherins had Transfiguration with the Gryffindors the following morning, and Albus was anything but happy about it. In classes that he and Scorpius had with the Gryffindors, Rose never seemed to leave the blond alone. She was always standing far too close for what had to be comfortable to Scorpius, and whispering things in the blond's ear that left him blushing. Albus thought it was disgusting: that Rose was disgusting.

As he settled into his seat, Albus watched as Rose made her way into the classroom, looping her arm through Scorpius' as soon as she saw him. She leaned up to peck his cheek. Then, as an afterthought, she waved towards the green-eyed boy and pulled a chair over to their table, ignoring the countless times Professor McGonagall had told her it was only two to a table.

"Oh, Scorpius," Rose began in an over-the-top voice, leaving Albus to wonder just what the blond saw in her. It had to be her brain, because she was lacking everywhere else. "I've been thinking of you all morning!"

"Have you?" Scorpius asked, facing his girlfriend with a polite smile on his face. Albus slumped his cheeks into his hands and rested his elbows on the table, waiting for the professor to enter the classroom.

"Were you thinking of me?" Rose asked, a tone that sounded somewhat possessive, but still high-pitched. Albus wondered if Professor Flitwick might consider her for his frog choir.

"I'm always thinking of you." Scorpius admitted, voice seemingly over-the-top as well. An idea came to Albus then, causing him to wonder if maybe the blond was as miserable as he was - being around this girl. This, however, couldn't have been the case, or surely the two wouldn't have been dating.

Before anymore clichés could be vomited from Scorpius and Rose's mouths, Professor McGonagall appeared. Her gaze landed on Rose's seating arrangement and rolled her eyes. What was the point in trying to stop her anymore?

"As you are all aware, the first Hogsmeade visit of the school year will be taking place tomorrow. If you have your permission forms signed, make sure to bring them with you tomorrow morning for me to look over before we head out. If you do not have a form, you are not permitted to go." An excited chatter fell amongst the class at the mention of Hogsmeade, but Albus kept his eyes trained on the blackboard, only losing his focus when Rose poked his shoulder.

"Will you be joining Scorp and I tomorrow, Albus?" She asked in her usual cheery tone.

"Not this time, Rose. Perhaps next time." The dark-haired boy muttered. He directed his attention back on McGonagall as she made a gesture for the class to settle down.

"That was all I have to say on tomorrow. As of right now, we will be transfiguring worms into pocket watches for our lesson today. On your desk, you will find a small container filled with dirt, and various other compostable materials. Three long worms are hiding inside them, and once you've extracted them from the dirt, we will begin." The class set to work, though as soon as Scorpius had popped the lid off of the container, Rose yelped at sight of the writhing pink critters.

"That's disgusting!" She proclaimed.

"That, my dear," Scorpius said. "Is science."