Summer Camp Part Three

[dysonrules]

Title:  Summer Camp Part Three
Rating:  PG13 (still)
Warnings:  Hugo Weasley
Summary:  Continuation of the AS/S Carnival.  This one contains a few prompts such as road trip, marshmallows, star gazing, glitter, anniversary, the lyrics from Walking on Sunshine, a quote from The Princess Bride, and the bonus prompt of using their initials in a creative way.  *whew*  Damn the fluff.  I waded through it thanks to Hugo.  *loves him*  This was nearly written by my beta, who came up with all the good stuff.  *loves her*  Thanks, byaghro!

Summer Camp Part Three

 

            Al let the water sluice over his head, rinsing the suds from his hair.  The amount of mud that had accumulated there was quite remarkable, considering he had only fallen in it once.  He sighed heavily, not looking forward to the trek back to his quarters.  Score had stalked off without even greeting him after Jake’s irritating manoeuvre.  Jake had been hustled off by his group of worried cronies, so Al had not been able to strangle some answers out of the brat.

            As he shut the water off and climbed out, he wondered if Zeb was still sharing their cabin.  Not that it mattered at this point.  For certain Al would be getting the silent treatment, something Score excelled at when he was enraged.  Still, Al wouldn’t be Al if he didn’t at least try to explain.  He dragged on the pair of pyjama bottoms Hugo had brought for him and made his way outside to navigate the slippery path to his cold bedchamber.

            The lights were out, so Al cast a dim Lumos as he made his way to Score’s bedside.  He was not above grovelling at this point, despite the fact of his innocence.

            Score’s bed was empty.  Al stared at it in shock for a moment and then noticed the bedside table had been cleared of Score’s most precious items—such as his emerald-encrusted silver comb.  Al quickly spelled open the trunk at the end of the bed.  Empty.

            Fuck.

            Al nearly broke his neck racing across the rope bridge to Hugo’s room.  The Gryffindor boy had managed to acquire a cabin all to himself—probably with the intention of using it as some sort of love nest of debauchery, knowing him.

            “Hugo!” he yelled.  “Score is gone!”

            Hugo sat up in his bed, grumbling.  “First one of you and now the other.  Can’t you just stay in camp like normal people?”

            “He can’t have gone far, unless he got his hands on a Portkey.”

            “Yeah, Rose told me the anti-Apparition wards extend to the edges of the property.  That’s what… at least an hour’s walk in any direction?”

            “He might have taken a broom.”

            Hugo shook his head.  “Oliver locked them all up after a homesick second year tried to fly home.”

            “So he’s walking.  I’ve got to go after him.”

            Hugo sighed, but he reached for his clothes.  “I’ll go with you.”

            “No, we’re going to be in enough trouble.  No need to drag you into it.”

            “Forget it, cousin.  Your brother would have my bollocks for potion ingredients if I let anything happen to you.”

            Albus scowled, but he knew Hugo feared no one except James Potter.

            “Well, let’s look on the bright side.  Road trip!” Hugo yelled suddenly, opening his trunk and tossing items haphazardly into a knapsack.  “You’d better put some clothes on.  And don’t try to leave without me, or you’ll regret it.”

            Al nodded and hurried back to his cabin.

 

            At least the Directional Charm seemed to be working.  Al and Hugo trudged through the forest, guided by the dim light of their wands.  Hugo sang snatches of a song while they walked.  “I feel alive, I feel a love, I feel a love that's really real. I feel alive, I feel a love, I feel a love that's really real.  I'm on sunshine, babeeeeeee!  Oooooooh!  I'm on sunshine baby, ooooooooh!  I'm walkin' on sunshine, woooooooah oh!”  Al ignored him, intent upon reaching his stubborn not-boyfriend.  Hugo began making up his own lyrics after a while.

            “Aaaaaaalbus Severus Po-o-otter, Aaaaaalbus Severus a-and Scorpiuuuuuus.  Star-crossed lovers tiiiiiiiiill the end, oh Aaaaalbus…  Dude, your initials together totally spells ASS.”  Hugo snickered.

            “Thank you, Hugo.  I wasn’t depressed enough.”

            “Always glad to help.  ASS.”  He laughed.  Al rolled his eyes.

            After an hour Al was nearly staggering with weariness.  It had been a long day trekking through the tunnels with Jake and now he was walking again.  If it were anyone but Score, he would have given up.

            “I think someone is following us,” said Hugo.  “Why don’t you rest here for a second and I’ll go check it out?”

            “Wait, I don’t think we should split up,” Al said, but it was too late.  Hugo had disappeared into the darkness.  Al leaned against a tree and rubbed his eyes.  When they caught up to Scorpius, Al was going to wring his neck.

            Hugo returned with someone in tow.  As they entered the circle of light cast by Al’s wand, he saw that it was Jacob Nott.  Irritation twisted in the pit of his stomach.

            “What the hell are you doing here, Jake?” he demanded.

            “I wanted to find you and apologize.  I was just trying to help you out… you know, before.  But Scorpius seemed pretty upset.  I got to your room just as you and Hugo were leaving, so I followed you.”

            Al sighed.  “Maybe you should take him back to camp, Hugo.”

            “No way!  I’m not babysitting this little demon!”

            Jake glared at him.  “I don’t need a babysitter!”

            “Oh just come on!” Al snapped.  “We’ll never catch up to Score at this rate!”

 

            Jacob’s presence at least put a damper on Hugo’s need to sing, so it was in relative silence that they continued their trek.

            “I’m really sorry, Albus.  Do you forgive me?” Jake asked and turned the power of his adorable gaze on Al, who was largely immune.

            “Yeah, whatever, just don’t do it again.  You can explain it to Score when we catch up to him.”

            “Who’s there?” someone snapped.  Al restrained himself from racing forward and flinging himself on Scorpius, knowing that jumping out of the forest was a good way to get hexed into a mass of pain.

            “It’s me!” he yelled.

            He heard a growl of disgust and then he did throw himself forward and launched himself at the blond.  He pressed kisses against Score’s face and ignored the efforts of his not-boyfriend to detach him.  “What are you doing here, Albus?  Get off of me.  I’m angry at you.”

            “You have no reason to be angry at me.  I came to find you and give you a proper hex or two for being a total prat.  Lucky for you I’d rather do other things.”  He whispered the last two words into Score’s ear and grinned mischievously when the blond stopped trying to push him away.

            “How did you find me?”

            “It wasn’t hard.  Hear this now, I’ll always come for you,” he intoned solemnly.

            Score snorted.  “Right.  How can you be sure?”

            “This is true love.  Do you think this happens every day?”  Al drew back and tilted his head for a kiss, but Scorpius gasped and pushed him away forcibly.

            “You came to find me with him in tow?” Score snarled.

            “No.  He followed us.”

            “Us?”

            Hugo stepped forward and waved.  “Hey, Score.  I couldn’t let my cousin wander off alone.”

            “Were you camping?” Al asked, looking around.  Score had set up a tent.

            “I obviously wasn’t going to make it beyond the wards before morning.  I did not expect you to follow me.

            Al glared at him.  “You didn’t expect me to follow you?”

            Scorpius looked away and Al felt a surge of vindication.  Score had known Al would come for him.  He had probably just expected Al to come alone and, once again, Al had botched it.

            “We didn’t bring tents,” Al said lamely and tugged at his hair.

            “But we brought provisions!” Hugo said and dangled a bag of marshmallows.

            Score shook his head in disgust.  “I’m going to build a fire and pretend none of you are here.”

           

            Hugo skewered marshmallows and dangled them over the fire.

            “Why are you doing that?” Jake asked.

            “It’s a Muggle tradition.”  When he judged them appropriately toasted, he handed a skewer to Al.  “Here, try it.”

            Al grabbed a warm marshmallow, but the toasted skin peeled away from the melted centre, leaving a gooey string to connect them.  Al nibbled his way up the string and then bit daintily at the crispy bit.  He noticed Jake watching him with a rapt expression and stopped, wondering if his marshmallow eating technique was too much for the boy.  He nearly swore off eating the sweets until he glanced at Score only to find the same expression on the blond’s face.  Al’s eyes narrowed and he licked the inside of the marshmallow seductively before putting the whole of it into his mouth and then sucking on his fingers.  Score’s jaw hung open before he closed it with a snap.

            Hugo threaded another marshmallow and handed it to Jake before leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head.  “Ah, it’s good to be here, under the stars.”

            Al lay back, too, but he was not feeling content at all.  He had envisioned himself stargazing with Score, cuddled together, preferably unclothed.  Instead, he was with the bristly hedgehog version of Score, fully clothed, and in the company of his chatty cousin and an unwelcome guest.  He knew Score would not even dream of kissing him while Jacob was with them.

            Jake’s marshmallow caught on fire.  He leaped to his feet and danced around, waving the flaming object while squealing in alarm, until the burning missile shot from the stick and splattered against a nearby tree.  It continued to flame there malevolently while Jake looked at the others sheepishly.

            “Yeah, they’re flammable,” Hugo commented.

            “Good thing it didn’t fly off and land in my hair or something else would be burned to a crisp tonight,” Score muttered.

            Jacob instantly skewered another and set about making marshmallow torches.  Hugo sat up with a gasp.  “I almost forgot!  Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of my third hamster!”

            The others looked at him blankly.

            “What?  I just remembered.  We need to observe a moment of silence.”  Hugo bowed his head and a look of great sadness came over his freckled features.  “Oh, Scampers, how we miss ye.  Thou wert a fine pet and finer tormenter of Rose.  We shall miss her screams most of all as we remember ye tangled in her hair prior to that terrifying moment when ye shuffled off this mortal coil.”

            Al rolled his eyes, but Jake giggled.

            “Enough grief!” Hugo cried.  “Tonight we shall celebrate!  Let us dance around the fire like the natives of old!”  He leaped to his feet and took off his shirt with a flourish before cavorting around the fire, whooping like a banshee.

            “Um… Hugo?” Al asked.

            “Yes, Albus?”

            “Why do you have glitter on your stomach?”

            Hugo stopped dancing for a moment and grinned widely.  “One of the Abbott twins wears glitter lipstick.”

            Jake cocked his head.  “Then why is it on your stomach?”

            Hugo waggled his eyebrows and Jacob gasped.  Scorpius burst out laughing.

            “Bloody hell, Hugo, you work fast.”

            “I’m irresistible.  What can I say?  Now, who is going to dance with me?”

            Al shook his head.  “No dancing.  I’m exhausted.  In fact, I’m going to bed.”  He looked hopefully at Score, who seemed to be lost in thought, staring into the fire.

            “Me, too!” Jake piped up.  He nearly trod on Al’s heels as they entered Score’s tent.  Al tried to ignore his crushing sense of disappointment.  The tent was a generic summer camp version—one room only.  Al had hoped it was one of the multiple room types, but no such luck.  Not surprising, considering his luck had been fairly shite lately.

            Several sleeping bags were tucked into a cabinet on one wall, so Al grabbed one and rolled it out, followed by his new best friend.  He sighed.

            “Jake, you are planning to tell Scorpius that your kiss didn’t mean anything, right?”

            “Sure, Al!  I’ll tell him in the morning.  I’m too tired right now.”

            With that, the Slytherin leaped into his blankets and seemed to fall instantly asleep.  Al cast a glance at the doorway, but Score seemed perfectly content to stay up all night chatting with Hugo.  Al crawled into his own sleeping bag, tossed a few times, and fell asleep.

Part One
Part Two