Slytherin's Potter ( Scorpius Malfoy x Lily Luna Potter)

Part 37: Guess who's coming over

"Do you ever feel like you're alone?" Duncan asked quietly.

Lily thought about that. Was she lonely? No. She had all of Slytherin House. They were all like family, always sticking up for each other. But, . . . what about her real family? The other Slytherins didn't come home with her. What about when she went home? She locked herself in her room, she did things to get out of the house and to be with the others, and recently, she ran away.

"Sometimes," Lily admitted. "Sometimes, I do feel a bit lonely."

"Why? Why are you lonely?" Duncan asked.

Lily bit her lip. Should she tell him that? Should she add more sadness in his life, something she never wanted to do. "Duncan, I don't want to dump this on you," she said gently.

"No, I want to know. Because . . . I want to tell you why I am, so I want to make it even. Please, tell me," he pleaded.

Lily felt a pang in her gut. He was lonely? But . . . didn't he usually have family visiting, and all the Healers that took care of him? Was he really lonely? But with that admittance, Lily couldn't say no. "Well, my family and I don't have a great relationship. So when I go home, I usually hide up in my room. It's times like those when, yes, I am lonely," she told him.

Duncan didn't show pity. He looked empathetic. "I always feel lonely," he whispered. "Except for when you're here."

"But what about your Healers and your parents?" Lily asked.

"Having Healers running in and out aren't the same. And my family doesn't visit me as often," Duncan told her.

What? His family doesn't visit as much? How could they just ignore this little boy? Their son? There had to be a reason. "Why?" Lily inquired.

"Well, I don't come from a rich family, Lily," Duncan started. "My parents don't have really fancy jobs. They're just normal, middle-class people. And that was ok before I got sick. After having been here so long, hospital bills pile up, and it gets harder for them to pay them. So they both have taken on more hours, and my dad got another job. So, they can't come around as often." His explanation ended in a whisper, and it made Lily feel so terrible.

"Oh, Duncan, I'm so sorry," Lily whispered.

Duncan shook his head. "It's not your fault. You visit every chance you get. Every holiday you have off of school, and during the summer. It's not your fault," he said. "I just . . . I just wanted to be able to get that thought out of my head. I knew that I could tell you, and that you would listen."

Lily reached up to touch his cheek gently. "Duncan, you can tell me anything, and I'll listen. Put whatever you want in your letters, and say whatever you want during my visits, and I'll listen to it. I want you to be happy."

Duncan smiled a little. "You're very kind to a boy that you've only known for a short time."

Lily smiled. "Actually, it's been almost a year now."

"Still, you're awfully nice," he insisted.

Lily shrugged and opened up another Chocolate Frog. "I've had things happen to me that I thought were unfair. That life was mean to let it happen to me. Then I met you, and . . . , Duncan, what's happen to you is really unfair. And life isn't just mean. It's cruel to let it happen to such a sweet boy." Lily pulled out the frog and held it by the leg, not letting it jump.

Duncan laughed a little. "Bad things happen to good and bad people all the time. I think life would be unfair if it let mine be perfect."

Lily wasn't sure what to say to that. It in a way was true, it would be unfair to let someone have a perfect life while others suffered. But did such a terrible thing have to happen to Duncan? Did such a sweet boy have to get the worst possible tragedy? He couldn't get a smaller sickness? Something easier to get rid of. But Lily didn't voice her thoughts. Instead she held out a card to Duncan.