When Lily woke up, she didn't open her eyes. She was too warm, too comfortable, and too relaxed. But when she felt the body next to her and wrapped around her, it took Lily a split moment to remember whose bed she was in. The musky smell of rain and cinnamon whirled around her, and she smiled.
Blinking a few times, Lily opened her eyes to see Scorpius still sleeping. His hair fell over his forehead, his eyes closed peacefully, his lips parted slightly as he took in small breaths. Lily sighed as she looked at him. He was so . . . perfect in these moments. At least to her. In fact, these moments were perfects for her. But she could tell that it was almost time to get up anyway. So without disturbing him, Lily moved Scorpius's arms away from her.
She slid out of the covers, and peaked out of the curtain. Silent, and nothing was stirring in the room. She picked up her wand from the bedside table, and easily with a whispered spell, placed a charmed lily on the pillow. Then she left the bed, closed the curtains, and then grabbed her clothes. She changed back into them, just incase she ran into anyone, and then left the room. It wasn't needed, because the halls were empty. She quietly opened the door to her actual dorm room, and saw the girls all sleeping.
Lily slid into the room, opened her trunk, grabbed a fresh set of clothes, and then went into the bathroom. She made her shower quick, then dried her hair messily before throwing it up into her usual side ponytail. She dressed in her uniform, and then went back into the room. She opened her trunk and quietly began to put her things away around the room. She threw Scorpius's shirt in with the rest of her clothes, saving it.
Megan was the first to wake up. Lily knew that normally, Megan would have been the first to make a joke at her about not coming in last night. But the big yawn and tired eyes showed Lily that Megan wasn't up for it just yet. With a bit of a grin and a nod, Megan grabbed her own clothes and then walked into the bathroom.
Lola was the next to wake up. She was more bright-eyed and awake, and she smiled when she saw Lily. "That must have been a long meeting with the headmaster," Lola teased. She got up from her bed and began to rifle through her own clothes.
"It wasn't actually," Lily admitted with a grin of her own.
"So, was I right when I told the girls you were probably sleeping in Scorpius's bed?" Lola inquired as she began to change. Shannon and Izzy began to wake up as well.
Lily laughed lightly. "Yes, you were correct in saying so."
Lola squealed with excitement. She quickly finished buttoning up her shirt, and then pounced on Lily's bed, looking at her with questions in her eyes. "And?" she hinted.
Lily rolled her eyes. "And it was just like the last time. Nice, warm, and perfect. So much in fact that, I might sleep in there again tonight."
"Are we to assume that you won't be sleeping in here with us too much now?" Shannon asked teasingly as she pulled out her own clothes.
Lily laughed with them. "Yes, you may."
Lily sighed with a bit of boredom. She was sitting outside with the rest of the students in Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had been instructing them all about Bowtruckles since he took them to an area near the edge of the forest. They were sitting on the grass as they listened. But Lily was a bit preoccupied, and it was only the first class of the day. But next was Potions. She had been given a note from Professor Slughorn along with her schedule. The note had explained what he was teaching the fifth years today. It wasn't something the class had ever learned before, but Lily knew from experience that it was on the O.W.L. test. Polyjuice Potion. It was what a good chunk of the written portion was about.
"Lily, can you tell me where Bowtruckles are known to live?" Hagrid asked suddenly.
Lily blinked, focusing back on Hagrid and the class. He had a look that told her that he knew she had been daydreaming. She glanced at her friends, but they looked clueless. Hugo looked hesitant, and Wilde looked smug from where she sat next to him.
Lily licked her lips. "Well, they are usually found in western England, southern Germany, and a few Scandinavian forests, Professor."
Hagrid stared at her with a bit of suspicion, but then nodded. "Yes, that is correct. Now, this is the point where we open our books to page seven."
Lily sighed again as she opened her book. This was going to be a long lesson. Luckily, it gave her time to remember all she could about Polyjuice Potion.
When the class was over, the fifth years all trekked up to the castle. Lily was grateful it was over. It was hot outside. She had popped open the bottom and top button of her blouse, and had loosened her tie. Everyone had taken off their black robes, which just attracted even more heat.
"That was brutal," Xavier grumbled. His black hair was sweaty, as was his forehead. It was obvious that he had pushed his hair back during class, because it stuck up oddly. His arm was thrown around Manny, who looked just as hot and sweaty.
"And it's off to Potions," Jace groaned.
"At least Lily is helping to teach it now," Shannon pointed out. "That'll make it a little better."
"I guess. I'm just glad it's my last year of Potions," Jace sighed.
"You aren't taking it next year?" Megan asked.
"I don't think I can pass it to take it next year," Jace joked, making the guys laugh.
Lily just kept her thoughts out of the conversation, focusing on the upcoming lesson she was to help teach. She felt a bit of disaster coming on. This year, Slytherins had the class with Gryffindors, and Lily just knew that there would be some kind fight.
When the Slytherins made it to the Potions classroom, they found that Lola and Izzy were already there.
"You guys look hot," Lola teased.
"And you don't," Jace shot back with a smile.
Lola reached forward and flicked him on the forehead. "Shove off."
Lily shook her head and moved to the front of the classroom. She found Slughorn in the office. "Professor?"
Slughorn smiled when he saw her. "Lily! Glad you're here. I want you to know that it's just a lecture today. So I just want you to help explain the complexities of the potion."
Lily nodded. "I can do that."
"Then let's start the class," Slughorn told her. He led her out of the office, and in front of the class. "Settle down, kids," Slughorn called. The classroom got quiet, and Lily could feel eyes on her. "Welcome to Potions. Sadly this year will be a bit tougher. O.W.L.s are coming for you, and they will be hard. Lucky for you, we have another teacher in our class, and she will be helping to teach you kids what to expect."
"Who?" Hannah Belle asked.
Slughorn smiled big. "Our own Lily Potter, of course!"
"What!" Paige Wilde exclaimed. "Sir, how can Potter teach us about our O.W.L.s? She has no more of an idea about them than we do?"
"Actually, Lily took her Potion O.W.L. during your third year. She got a perfect score. She got a perfect on her N.E.W.T. too, which she took just last year. Lily could teach it better than I could," Slughorn corrected. "And, I expect her to be treated just as you would treat me," he warned. "She can take points and reward points in this classroom as a teacher."
Lily looked at Slughorn in surprise. He hadn't mention that to her before.
"Now, we will be talking about Polyjuice Potion today. Just a lecture, no actual practical lesson with this potion," Slughorn told them all. He glanced at Lily, as if urging her to speak.
Lily took in a breath. "So, open your books to page one hundred and thirty-seven. Now, you'll want to pay very close attention to this lesson, because it is part of the O.W.L., and it's pretty difficult," she told them.
"This is the longest day ever!" Jace complained as they all sat down to lunch.
"Stop complaining," Lola retorted. Then she looked at Lily. "You did amazing in Potions today."
"She's right. I actually understood and learned something," Jace added.
Lily smiled. "Thanks. I think we'll be talking about it more. We didn't fully cover what we needed to. There's much more to know."
"Lily."
The three turned to see Scorpius coming their way. Lily felt herself tense at the look on his face. It was a hardened scowl, his eyes dark and stormy.
Lily got up from her seat. "Scorpius, what is it?" she asked carefully.
Scorpius stopped when he stood in front of her. "Change of plans. Quidditch tryouts will be in two days. Everyone is going to have to defend their position."
Lily looked at him in surprise. "What? I thought you were just going to fill in Will and Dante's spots. And I thought you were waiting a couple of weeks."
"There's been a change," he muttered.
He began to turn, but Lily grabbed his arm. "Scorpius, what changed? What's wrong?"
Lily could see his jaw clenching and unclenching again. It was a heavy moment before he spoke. "We'll talk about it later. I promise."
But Scorpius said nothing about it for the rest of the day. And Lily noticed that he was a bit moody whenever she saw him. When she asked Mitch, he said that he had been brooding ever since first break. But Lily was determined to get to the bottom of it.
That night, Lily had dragged Scorpius upstairs a bit early. She moved to sit on his bed, and watched as he paced, staring really at nothing.
"Are you going to tell me what happened to day?" Lily demanded.
Scorpius froze where he stood, scowling at the wall. Then he licked his lips. "I had a run in with the little Potter," he replied.
Lily looked at him sharply. Albus? Nothing good could come from this. "And? What happened?"
Scorpius sighed as he moved to sit next to her on his bed. "We had an argument. It spun out of control, and suddenly we were making challenges. So now we're both making everyone retry for their positions, proving who has the better team, and who is going to win the Quidditch Cup."
Lily raised a brow. "And by challenge, you mean?"
"I was able to avoid a bet," Scorpius assured.
Lily moved to soothingly run her fingers through his hair. "Scorpius, there's something more to this. This is a simple challenge, and I know you have confidence in our players. What else happened?"
Scorpius scowled at his lap. "I just hate your brother is all. He irritates me."
Lily knew that he wasn't going to say anymore, so she left it alone, and continued to simply stroke his hair. The silence between them was relaxing, and Lily could slowly begin to feel the tension loosening in his body. Scorpius lowered his head onto her shoulder, giving her better access to her hair. She saw his eyes close, and Lily smiled. He looked so relaxed like this.
But then Scorpius began to pull Lily down to the bed. Lily yelped in surprise as she fell onto Scorpius's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close. Lily shifted a little, moving so that her head was resting on him, her hand laying on his chest. She could feel his heart beating underneath his skin and shirt. It was like a drum with each vibrating beat. And it was then that Lily came to realize something. Something that perhaps was insignificant and coincident, but it still knocked her breath away.
Their hearts were beating together.
Lily blinked rapidly as she began to ascend back to the ground of the pitch. Her broom brought her down quickly, and Lily was thankful to be back on the ground. The air was damp, hinting at a bit of rain later, and it was making her eyes sting.
The Slytherin Quidditch tryouts had been chosen for today. The Beaters had already gone, and now Scorpius had Seeker tryouts. A lot of kids had come to try out, but only three others had come to try for Seeker. And Lily knew that she had crushed them all. In the stands sat a large group of Gryffindors, Albus having led them in. Probably watching to make sure Scorpius picked the teammates with actual talent, and not based on what would win him the bet.
"All right, I want the ones trying out for Chaser to step up!" Scorpius called out. He glanced at Lily as she began to walk toward him. Lily smiled at him. When passing him, she reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips quickly before walking over to the benches. She sat down next to Tanner, who was relaxing where he sat.
"Man, my cousin is too damn lucky!" Tanner joked as Lily sat down.
"What do you mean?" she asked with a sigh.
"Awesome parents, Quidditch captain, a hot girlfriend," he teased. "Guy's got it all."
Lily blushed lightly, but was able to roll her eyes. "Cute," she muttered. Then she quickly switched topics. "So, I'm pretty sure that you and Lars secured your positions."
"Yeah, I think so too," Tanner agreed. "The only one that was really any competition was that Courtney Derrick kid. She was pretty good for a third year."
"I didn't know that Rex's little sister could play Quidditch," Lily commented.
"I know. She never plays at home, not that I know of, and Rex has never said anything," Tanner agreed.
Hey, guys, how's it going?"
Lily smiled at Hugo, who was sauntering over to them. "Hey, Hugo. This is Tanner Zabini. He's Scorpius's cousin."
Hugo nodded toward him. "Hey, dude."
"Nice to meet ya, kid," Tanner agreed. "At least formally."
Hugo moved to sit next to Lily on the bench. "So," Lily spoke, "why aren't you over there with your team?"
Hugo grinned. "Well, Albus asked that too when I decided to come down here. But I simply pointed out that until our tryouts, I am no longer part of the team."
Lily laughed. "Wow. That's a Slytherin thought."
Hugo laughed too. "Yeah, Albus said that too. I just flipped him off and kept walking."
"Way to go," Tanner said with a laugh.
"I didn't want to sit up there with them in Albus's little royal court anyway. And Paige didn't want to come watch your tryouts, so it was just me," Hugo told them.
Lily was a bit thankful for that, but didn't let it show. "Can't blame you."
"You need to tell your boyfriend to lighten up!" Lance groaned as he moved to drop onto the grass next to the bench. Lily was impressed with Lance's growth since she'd last seen him. He was taller, taller than her now. His dark black hair was longer, sticking out in all directions. Muscles wrapped thicker and leaner around his arms. He crouched down onto the grass, leaning on his toes.
Lily glanced over at where Scorpius was now shouting commands to a group of Chasers trying out. "He's a bit stressed," she murmured.
"Yeah, I heard about his and Albus's challenge," Hugo mentioned.
"So this is Potter's fault?" Tanner demanded. "Oh, I'm so kicking his ass later."
"Keepers! You're up!" Scorpius yelled.
Lily sighed as she examined the back of her boyfriend. She could see how tense his shoulders were under his Quidditch robes. His hands were balled into fists. She shook her head. "I'm going to shower and change. There's no point in me being out here anymore," she told the boys.
"Yeah. There's no way you lost your place," Lance agreed.
"If Scorpius asks, just tell him I'm in the locker room," Lily said as she made her way to the door. She pushed it open and made her way to her locker. She pulled out her clothes and a towel, and then made her way to the girls' showers.
Thoughts plagued Lily as the warm water ran over her. She had so much to do, yet she still needed time to get Scorpius to relax. He'd been tense ever since that dumb challenge had been made. But she had to talk to Slughorn after dinner, which was after tryouts. Plus she still had a bit of homework to do. So far fifth year sucked on the homework front. She'd received an assignment in every class she went to, excluding Potions of course. Plus she had patrols tonight, and she had to meet her partner on the second floor at nine o'clock.
Once Lily was clean and dressed, she sat in the locker room, not exactly wanting to go back out there yet. But before she could really even think about it, the door slammed open, and Scorpius stormed in. Lily looked at him in surprise, but he moved passed her and into the captain's office. The door slammed behind him. Lily gazed at the dark wood of the door, deliberating on whether she should leave him alone, or talk to him. She stood up and moved to the door. If left alone, he might brood, and that wasn't something anyone wanted.
"Scorpius?" Lily said tentatively as she opened the door. He was sitting behind the small desk, a scowl over his face. He gave a nod to show that he was listening. "How did the Keepers do?" she asked.
"Decent enough," he muttered. "I'm choosing Hank Harper. He's got a bigger build than the usual Keeper, but he was good, and he's quick. With one of our brooms and more practice, he'll be excellent."
"And the rest?" Lily asked carefully. She moved to sit in front of him on the desk.
Scorpius's eyes were still glued to the paper in front of him, which had been scribbled on during the tryouts. "You're keeping your spot. You creamed the others. Lars is keeping his spot . . . and Tanner is as well. Courtney was very good for a fourth year, but Tanner's got more strength. Her aim may be dead on, but Tanner's is almost as good, and he's got more of a force behind his hits."
"And Chasers?" Lily inquired.
"Lance was great. That kid gets better every time I see him in the air," Scorpius told her. "But that doesn't help my next choice."
"What do you mean?"
Scorpius sighed. "Well, there were two good kids that could both easily fill Will's spot as Chaser. The only question is do I go with the older one, who has had a bit more experience playing the game, or do I go with the younger one, who I'd guess has only seen the game being played."
"Go with the younger one," Lily told him. "He'll be at Hogwarts longer, giving him more time to get better at the game, plus we won't have to replace him as quickly."
Scorpius nodded once. Then he dropped the paper, and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "I'm going to make sure we crush Gryffindor after this," he groaned.
Lily moved off the desk, and went around to the back of his chair. Gently, she began to rub the knots out of his shoulders. "We all want to crush Gryffindor after all this. I'll make sure Potter ends up in the Hospital Wing during our match."
Scorpius placed one of his hands on hers. "No one is safe on that team except for Hugo. I don't know how, but it seems that after James Potter left, he distributed his arrogance throughout that House. They're almost all unbearable," he muttered.
"Hugo tells me the exact same thing," Lily replied.
Scorpius gripped her hand a bit firmer, and then gently pulled her around, pulling her onto his lap. He buried his face into her hair. "This has been one hell of a week," he mumbled.
Lily pulled away from him slightly, and pushed his hair away from his eyes, which seemed tired. "That means it can only get better," she pointed out.
Scorpius leaned forward to kiss her. His lips were warm against hers, and even a little demanding. Lily tangled her fingers into his hair, her other hand gripping his shoulder tightly. Scorpius's hands held her sides tightly, making the hem of her shirt bunch up slightly. His fingers brushed along her newly expose skin, making her shiver lightly. His hands were as warm as his lips. On hand slid to her back, placing his palm flat against her skin. His lips parted from hers, and began to pass over her cheek to her earlobe. He nipped at his twice, before moving his lips lower to her neck. Lily moved her own hand beneath his Quidditch robes, letting her fingers ghost over the hot skin of his shoulder.
A knock on the door made them both jump. Scorpius's embrace kept her from falling to the floor. Scorpius growled lowly. "What?" he snapped at whoever was behind the door.
"Chill out!" Tanner called back. "We've all showered and changed, so get out here and tell us the results!"
"One second!" Scorpius told him.
Lily ran a hand through her bangs, pushing the pink hair away from her face. She gave a sheepish smile to Scorpius. "I'm going to go out and wait with them. Ok?"
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to change quick."
Lily kissed him again, only this time briefly. Then she quickly left the room before she could convince herself to stay in there with him. When she walked out, she noticed that Hugo was gone. Tanner gave her a sly smirk that she ignored with a bit of a blush. She moved to stand next to him and Lance. "Where's Lars at?" she asked.
"Over there," Lance said, pointing to the edge of the pitch. Lily could see that he was talking to a girl, but she couldn't identify who.
"Hey, Lars, let's go!" Tanner called out. "Scorp should be out soon!"
Lars glanced back at them, then turned back to the girl. After a moment, he turned and jogged back toward them. "Kiss my ass," Lars told Tanner, punching him jokingly in the shoulder.
Tanner laughed. "Looks like you got someone to do that for you already!"
Lars rolled his eyes. "I wish."
Lily grinned. "So, who was that?" she asked.
Lars grinned now too. "Ashley Anderson."
Lily looked at him in surprise. "Ashley Anderson? Isn't she like a really popular Gryffindor?"
"The most popular girl in her House," Lars told her.
"Way to go, dude!" Tanner said with pride.
Lars shook his off. "It's not that fantastic. We're still at the dumb 'getting to know each other' stage."
"Ah, it won't be long," Tanner assured. "Soon, you'll be wrapped around her finger, and she'll be wrapped around your-,"
"Tanner!" Lily interrupted sharply. She smacked his shoulder.
"Dude!" Lance groaned, looking away with a blush.
Tanner laughed. "Oh, please! Lance, you're a fourteen-year-old boy. You've had those thoughts. And, Lil, tell me, what were you and our captain doing in his office?"
"Not that!" Lily argued.
"Not far from that!" Tanner countered. Lily rolled her eyes, but then a hand smacked Tanner on the back of the head. "Ow!"
They all turned to see Scorpius standing there. He walked passed them. "Shut your mouth, cuz."
Tanner rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.
Scorpius ignored him as he went to stand in front of them all. "Ok, so I've got our main roster. List of reserves will be posted later. Our Seeker will obviously be Lily Luna." Scorpius threw her a jersey. Lily looked at it, recognizing it as her usual one.
"Our Beaters will be Lars Goyle and Tanner Zabini," Scorpius said, tossing them each a jersey. "Our new Keeper will be Hank Harper." Scorpius tossed a jersey to a tall sixth year with curly brown hair. "And our Chasers will be me, Lance Higgs," he tossed Lance a jersey, "and Bobby Pritchard."
Lily looked over at the Chasers in surprise. She hadn't noticed Bobby. But sure enough, he was there, looking surprised yet still excited at the news.
Scorpius handed him a jersey. "Ok, now our practice times will be posted with the reserve's list, so keep an eye out, or just ask me. That's all, you can go, except for the team," he dismissed.
It was a minute or so before everyone had made it to the edge of pitch, and Scorpius spoke to the team. "Ok, I'm glad that you guys did good enough to keep your spots. Now, just a note, I want to kill Gryffindor. I'm not going to let Potter think he got me. We've still got all our old players, plus two great new ones, and we're going to kill them!"
"Hey, Malfoy! You cheating snake!" a voice yelled across the pitch. Lily felt irritation boil in her at the sound of Albus's voice. They all turned to see the group of Gryffindors from the stands coming toward them.
Scorpius glared at them. "You got a problem, baby Potter?" he snapped, making all the other Slytherins laugh.
"Yeah! You cheated on our bet! You clearly didn't choose the ones with the most talent!" Albus argued.
"You're just pissy because you have no faith in your players from last year," Lily retorted. "You don't think they can match the skills of others, because you know that your brother just played favorites while he was captain!"
"Watch your mouth, kid!" Albus hissed.
"Watch your mouth, Albus!" Hugo snapped. He moved away from the crowd and toward the Slytherins. "Scorpius picked the ones with the better talent and skills! You can't call him out just because these guys have more experience and talent in their game."
A murmur began to go around the group of Gryffindors, and Albus turned his glare to Hugo. "What House do you belong to, Hugo, because I'm starting to question your loyalties? Are you a Gryffindor, or a snake?" he demanded.
Hugo glared back at him, and moved closer. It was comical to Lily, and probably to the other Slytherins, because although he was two years younger, Hugo was taller than Albus. "I'm a Gryffindor, Potter, and don't forget that! But I'm their friend! Not yours!" Hugo hissed. He backed away, moving to stand with the Slytherin team. Scorpius patted him on the shoulder, and a few others praised him.
Albus scoffed. "Real smart, Huey. Team up with cheaters, liars," then Albus looked at Lily, "and a tramp."
Lily felt rage run through her, but that was the only reaction she had time for.
Scorpius lunged forward, and slammed his fist into Albus's jaw. Albus stumbled back, falling on his ass. Scorpius kicked his stomach, knocking him onto his back. Then he placed his foot on Albus's stomach. "If I ever hear of you calling her that again, you better hope that you drop dead before I get to you. Otherwise, I'll make your death painful!" Scorpius growled.
"Get off him, Malfoy," Rose demanded.
"Shove off, Weaslette," Lars mocked.
"Yeah, go bore your boyfriend to tears. We really don't want to hear it," Tanner sneered.
But Scorpius did lift his foot, but only after practically stomping on Albus. Then he backed up, wrapping his arm around Lily.
Rose turned to her brother. "And Hugo Arthur Weasley, apologize to Albus, and go back to the common room. You're acting like a child."
"Well you act like a bitch," Hugo spat. Gasps rang out in the Gryffindors, but the Slytherins began to cheer and laugh. Hugo continued. "You think you're all high and superior just because you're Head Girl? You got that by kissing ass. You're nothing but a stuck-up, annoying, bitch."
Rose narrowed her eyes. "Do I really need to write to Dad?" she threatened.
Hugo crossed his arms. "Go ahead and see if I give a shit. I'm sick and tired of dealing with a bunch of stuck-up, snotty, fakes!"
Scorpius took hold of Hugo's shoulder and began to lead him away. "Come on, guys. We got to celebrate Hugo joining our nest of snakes. Come on, buddy." Scorpius grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her along. Lily intertwined their fingers, proud to call Hugo her cousin, and very proud to call Scorpius her boyfriend. Sure, perhaps she shouldn't be so excited that her boyfriend easily resorted to violence to protect her, even if it was just name calling. But Lily found it to be such a thrilling change from Lysander. And it was fabulous.
Now this was a man.
"When are you going to be back?" Scorpius whispered against Lily's lips. They were in a hidden corner in the dungeons, where they'd been for some time past five minutes now. It was the fifth, and Lily was going see Duncan today.
"After dinner," Lily murmured, her hands sliding over his shoulders, her fingers sliding under the collar of his white shirt.
"We've got time then," Scorpius mumbled, his own hands sneaking beneath her shirt, his palms hot against her skin. He pressed harder against her, moving her even firmer against the wall. Not even a sliver existed between them. He was strong against her, sending a rush and thrill through her.
Lily smiled against his lips. "Not that much though," she pointed out. Dinner would be in about ten minutes.
"Just enough," he muttered as his lips trailed down to her neck. His fingers walked up her sides, caressing the skin as he passed by.
Lily sucked in a breath, a heat running through her as Scorpius's lips began to suck and nip at a piece of skin. "Scorpius, I have to go to St. Mungo's later, please don't leave a mark," she pleaded. Leaving marks had seemed to become a habit for him.
"I'll try," he replied, his voice muffled. His tongue lapped at where he'd bit, and then moved onto the hollow of her throat. Lily moved her hand deeper into his shirt, thankful that the top button of his shirt was undone. But then his finger began to dance along her ribs, ghosting just beneath her bra. She felt her heart beat harder with ever accidental brush against the underside of her bra. But then seeming to abandon all plays of an accident, and then with two fingers, tugged at the bottom of her bra gently, not moving it, but rather playing with it.
Lily swallowed harshly, almost unable to breathe. Taking her hands from his shirt, she placed them on his cheeks, pulling his lips back up to hers. Scorpius groaned against her lips before pulling her bottom lip between his teeth and sucking on it. Lily moaned, letting her hands run through his hair. And finally, finally, Scorpius's hand moved up more, fully covering the cup of her bra.
Lily let out an involuntary gasp, and Scorpius quickly moved his hand away, and pulled his lips back marginally. Lily missed the feel already. "I'm sorry," Scorpius murmured. "Was that a bit too much?"
Lily quickly shook her head. "No, no. Not at all." And before Scorpius could ask again, because she knew he would, she pressed her lips against his again. And he immediately brought his hands back.
"You know, if you're going to snog for twenty minutes, you can at least make it look a little less obvious," Lola commented as Lily sat in-between her and Jace. She and Scorpius had entered dinner about ten minutes late, and they had separated when reaching the table, Scorpius going to sit with the boys from his year, and Lily going to sit with the others from her year.
Lily sighed. "There was no time. I'm hungry, and I'm leaving right after dinner, remember?"
Lola reached her hand up to try and smooth Lily's hair back. "You know, your hair is impossible to tame?"
Lily nodded as she filled her plate. "The agonizing fault of having Potter hair. I can't fix it without a brush."
"I've got a hair tie," Izzy offered, holding out her wrist.
Lily leaned forward to take it. "Thanks." Working quickly, she pulled her hair up into her normal side ponytail. Then she began to eat.
"Your shirt looks like hell too," Jace joked.
Lily glanced down. The top button was undone, which was usual for her, but her collar was wrinkled and worn. It was untucked, a difference from earlier. "Thanks for noticing," she muttered.
"Leave her alone," Shannon defended. "We don't give Megan that much trouble when she comes back from snogging Matt."
"It's not as obvious with me though," Megan pointed out.
"Can we just leave it alone?" Lily pleaded. "You can make fun of me when I get back. But for the moment, just let me eat."
"Ok. We can wait. But you better come up to our dorm before you go to Scorpius's," Lola teased.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'll try, but I won't promise anything."
"He does look like a demand force. Must be hard to say no," Megan taunted.
Lily did her best to ignore the approaching blush coming to her cheeks. But they left the topic drop, and Lily was happy to see the end of dinner coming. She was eager to go and see Duncan. When dinner began to come to an end, Lily noticed Professor Brown approaching the podium. Others did too, and it soon grew deadly quiet as everyone else noticed too.
"Good evening, students. I know this may seem a bit odd, but I have something very important to announce for you all to hear," Professor Brown stated.
Murmurs began to float softly around the tables. "It has to be serious. You think it's bad?" Lola whispered.
"Now, in almost two weeks from now, we will be having a group of visitors coming to our school. They are the Hogwarts School Governors. They are curious to see how things are going among the students, so they will be joining us to observe how things are going. Their visit may be a short one, or one that could last the entire year. So I hope that you all can extend a warm welcome, and a polite manner with them. Treat them as if they were like any other teacher," Professor Brown instructed. "Now, finish eating, and then let's get some shut eye."
While everyone else in the room began to talk about what had just transpired, Lily watched Professor Brown move down the table, most likely coming to her so that they could leave. But mostly, she looked at his face. He looked very thoughtful, like when he was trying to figure out a puzzle, or understand someone or something. So then something about the governors' visit confused him?
But when he came to her, Professor Brown was smiling happily, the look gone from his eyes. "Good evening, kids," he greeted them all. "Are you ready, Lily?"
Lily nodded as she pushed her plate away and stood from her seat. "Yeah. I'm ready."
"We'll see you later, Lil," Lola told her.
"Yeah, cause I need help with the last Potions assignment," Jace replied.
Lily grinned at him. "No prob. I'll be back later. Bye."
With a few more goodbyes, Lily and Professor Brown began to leave. Just before walking away from the Slytherin table completely, Lily caught Scorpius's eye. He smirked at her. Lily smiled at him, giving him a small wave.
When they had made it outside, Lily saw that one of the carriages was waiting at the doors. "I thought it would quicker," Professor Brown told her as they climbed in. "I figured you'd be eager to get there."
"You figured right," Lily joked lightly, although her stomach was starting to feel hollow due to nerves. Her mind began to wander around ides and images of how Duncan would be when she saw him.
While the carriage moved, Professor Brown simply inquired about how she'd been, how Quidditch tryouts went, and about how she and Hugo had been patching things up more and more. Once they'd made it out to Hogsmeade, they both stepped out of the carriage.
"Are you ready?" Professor Brown asked.
Lily took in a deep breath. "I hope so."
Lily hesitated outside Duncan's door. Professor Brown had urged her ahead, saying he needed to speak with someone at the desk for a few minutes. Lily now felt even more nervous alone. She thought she'd have a bit of support when she saw Duncan, but . . . now it was just her. She alone would be bearing the weight of supporting Duncan, while pretending that it would all be ok.
Lily opened the door with a rush, and stepped inside. But she stopped when she saw that Duncan was asleep. So she quietly closed the door, and then made her way over to the bed. He seemed so peaceful while asleep. His hair, which was getting longer, was like ink spilled over the pillow. His face was turned so that I couldn't see the side which had become partially invisible. She could see smooth skin without a flaw. The blanket was pulled up to his neck, hiding his invisible limbs.
Lily silently pulled the nearby chair closer, and sat down. Not in any hurry to wake Duncan, and not in any hurry to see the relaxed look he held fade away, she was content to wait for him to wake. She looked around the room instead. The pictures moved about her, and she smiled as she caught images that she remembered. And on the wall she could see some of her pictures from the magazines. He must have had Gordon put them up.
The sound of shifting fabric brought Lily's eyes back to Duncan's form. She watched as his eyelids began to flutter. Then they opened and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't seem to notice her.
"Duncan?" Lily whispered gently.
He didn't move for a tense moment, but then Duncan turned his head without moving it off the pillow. Then she could see the missing part of his face, and moved her eyes to lock onto his. But she wished she hadn't. His eyes seemed hollow, empty. It was a haunting look.
"Hi, Lily," he greeted quietly, his voice thick with leftover sleep. Other than sleep, his voice was just as empty as his eyes.
Lily did her best to smile. "Hey there, Duncan. How have you been?" Lily regretted the question as soon as it slipped past her lips.
But Duncan's face didn't change. It was still just blank. "Depends on how you look at it," he mumbled.
Lily wet her dry lips, feeling her heart stutter with sadness and nerves. "How do you look at it?"
Duncan shifted so that he was looking back at the ceiling. And when he did, Lily felt a bit of distance grow between them. And he didn't speak, but just stared at the ceiling. But as Lily watched him, she felt as if he was staring past the ceiling, up at something no one but he could see.
After what must have been five minutes, Duncan's voice came out in a whisper that echoed. "Every day, I get worse. Never better. So today I feel the best I ever will again. I'm at the top of my health. Each day, my health will get worse, but I will still always be at the top of it. That's how I see it."
Lily thought over what he said. Always the best he'll ever be, and it will get worse every day. It was almost like a riddle.
And maybe Duncan sensed Lily's uncertainty about what he said. Maybe he knew she was a little confused. So he spoke again, in that same, unemotional whisper. "I'm dying, Lily. I will never get better than how I feel each day. And each day I will feel worse than the last. That's not only how I look at it. It's also how it is."
Lily brought in a bit of a shaky breath. "Things can change, Duncan," she told him softly.
"Lily, the longest anyone has gone with Vanishing Sickness before dying is four years. It's been five years for me now, and it hasn't gotten better. My Healers don't know what to do anymore. They do the same thing, or they use an old method again. They're out of ideas. My mum visits a little less because it breaks her heart to see me dying a little more each time. Gordon tries to hide what everyone is saying about me, but I know. I hear what they say when they think I'm asleep, when they think I can't hear their whispers. I know, and I can feel it happening. The odd and tingling feeling in my side is getting more sensitive, hinting that it will be disappearing within the next three days. And then the feeling will be gone, as will my kidney. And then there will be a period where everything seems ok, and then the feeling will come back. But next time, no matter where it goes, it's going to knock out an important organ. My stomach, my lungs, my heart, or my brain. It has no where safe to go after this," Duncan stated quietly.
"Duncan-,"
"Lily, I see no point in pretending," Duncan told her. "I'm dying, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Day by day, I'm going to sit alone in this room, until I fade away. That's what my future is. I don't need to be a Seer to know that."
Lily reached forward to cup his good cheek. "You're not going to be alone Duncan. I'm going to come and see you every week. And in a couple of minutes, Jacob's going to be here too. We're not going to let you go through this alone."
"No, we're not." Lily turned to see that Professor Brown had come into the room. How had she not heard him? He moved forward to stand next to the bed, and then sat down on the edge. He placed his hand on Duncan's hair. "We're going to be right here with you. All the way until the end."
Lily nodded, although the thought scared her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see the end when it came. She wasn't sure if she could handle it.
Duncan's emotionless look finally changed into a face with a small and soft smile. "Well, it is nice to know that I won't really fade away." And he was right.
He would never fade from Lily's memory.