Chapter 1
Albus glared at the sight in front of him.
He and the rest of his family were currently at the Christmas Eve Party held in his grandparents' house, where almost the entire family was there. There were also some extra guests invited, including his best friend Scorpius. His parents had decided to visit France for the holidays, but Scorpius managed to convince them to let him stay with the Potters for Christmas Eve.
And so that's how Albus found himself glaring at the sight of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley.
Scorpius was currently trying to catch Rose's attention by smiling and giggling and doing all the tricks omegas did to capture an alpha's heart. But Rose was clearly not interested. She had a bored and irritated look on her face, and when she replied to anything Scorpius said, she seemed to be saying hurtful things if Scorpius' expressions were anything to go by. But even then, Scorpius persisted and acted like nothing hurt him, too in love with the alpha to care.
It made Albus' blood boil.
He absolutely hated how infatuated his friend was with that alpha. Couldn't he see just how awful she was? What did he think would happen if Rose somehow finally agreed to date him? Didn't he think about the way Rose would surely treat him in a relationship? Why did he continue giving her so much attention - there were better alphas out there!
He knows that he thinks of himself as a better alpha for Scorpius. He sometimes feels guilty and a bit selfish for thinking that, but he thought it to be true. He always gave his full attention to the omega. He always treated him kindly and like an equal, and he always showered the omega in adoration. The complete opposite of how Rose treated Scorpius. And even then, Scorpius blissfully ignored Albus' advances. Sometimes Albus wondered if Scorpius really did ignore him, or if he was actually oblivious to Albus' feelings. But Albus felt like he didn't really hide his feelings towards the omega, so he was resigned to the fact that Scorpius would never see him as anything more than a friend.
In the past, Albus has had a few confrontations with Rose - but it was mainly when they first entered Hogwarts and Albus didn't realize that the feelings he felt for Scorpius were more than platonic. Once he realized his feelings, he no longer confronted Rose as often. He didn't want Rose of all people to know of his feelings for the omega, and he felt that by yelling at her for always treating Scorpius so badly, he'd sort of expose himself. So all he could do was watch from the sidelines as his best friend and crush got rejected countless of times by Rose.
Albus gulped down the punch he was drinking and looked away, not wanting to see any more of Scorpius suffering. He spotted his older brother James walking down the stairs and towards a corner in the living room. He had a hurt expression on his face that he tried hiding, but Albus knew his brother too well. Albus sighed as he remembered seeing James go up to the second floor with Teddy and Dominique on his trail.
"You okay?" Albus asked.
James jumped slightly and quickly tried hiding his hurt expression further.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" he laughed nervously. Albus shook his head and sat down next to his brother.
"What happened with Teddy and Dominique then?"
James sighed, dropping the facade.
"Nothing. They're just being dumb and fighting again." James told him.
For the longest time now, James was stuck in this love triangle with Teddy and Dominique. The two alphas would therefore argue constantly, always trying to have James to one of themselves. Albus remembered when he first entered Hogwarts, there seemed to be a tension between the three even when they were still so young. As they grew older, they seemed to have realized what that tension was. And so now James was always stuck in the middle of very stupid yet aggressive fights between Teddy and Dominique.
"Sorry. I'm sure they'll stop soon, it's a party after all," Albus tried consoling, wrapping an arm around James. James let out a watery sigh and buried his face into Albus' chest, and the two just sat there in a comfortable silence.
Something that Albus was always grateful for was his great relationship with his brother. The two were very, very close, and they could always trust and confide in each other with everything. In fact, James was the only person Albus has ever told about his crush on Scorpius. Albus often found himself comforting an upset or crying James, and James often soothed Ablus' hurt and jealousy.
"Ignore them," James said knowingly. Albus guiltily took his eyes off of Scorpius and Rose, realizing that his anger had started to spike and seep into his scent. Ablus breathed in and out, trying to calm down. Like he just said - this was a party. There was no need to bring down the mood.
"Y'know what - why don't we join the others outside playing Quidditch? Dinner still won't be ready for like another hour," Albus said, needing to get his mind off of Scorpius. James hesitated for a moment before nodding. The two got up and quickly went outside, and Albus inhaled some fresh air, already feeling a bit better. Quidditch always managed to calm him down.
"You starting another match?" Albus asked as he approached his little sister. Lily was a beta and was also very good at Quidditch - she almost rivaled Rose and Teddy, who were one of the best players in Hogwarts. With some more experience, she'd surely beat them eventually. Albus always smiled evilly at that thought.
"Yup. Wanna join?" she looked at her two brothers expectantly. Albus immediately agreed but James shook his head.
"I'll just watch for now. Maybe in a few minutes I'll join," he said. Albus gave him a questioning look but James smiled reassuringly and sat down on some benches next to a few of their other relatives.
Albus mounted a broom and was about to fly up and start the next match, when another voice joined them.
"Mind if I join?"
Albus felt his blood boil in anger once more, but he tried not to let it show. He reluctantly glanced behind him and saw Rose heading over, and she looked quite done with a situation. With Scorpius, Albus' mind helpfully supplied.
"Of course!" Lily said, and Rose grinned.
This was going to be a long day.