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

Part 87: Giving and taking advice

Surprisingly, Lily was one of the first kids up. But she wasn't surprised by the light pounding in her head. She groaned softly as she sat up, her throat thick and dry, her mouth feeling like cotton. She looked around and found that Roxanne was missing from her spot on the floor, apparently already awake too.

Lily stood up with a sigh, and folded up her blanket, placing it neatly by her pillow. Then with a yawn, and another throb in her head, she walked into the kitchen. Her grandmother was already making breakfast for them all, and Victoire seemed to be helping. Teddy sat at the table, reading The Daily Prophet, and Uncle George sat, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," Lily said, trying to sound as chipper as she could with her small hangover.

She was greeted by them all, and she watched as Uncle George got up and began to dig through a cupboard. But then she went ahead and sat down.

"You're up early," Teddy commented.

Lily shrugged. "I guess. I saw that Roxy was up already. Where's she?"

"I saw her go upstairs earlier," Victoire answered.

Then Uncle George placed a cup in front of her, a bit of steam rising from the liquid. "There ya go, flower. Some hot chocolate. Drink up," he told her as he sat back down.

Lily looked at the cup, and then looked at her uncle, who was now talking casually with her grandmother. Normally, Lily would have hesitated before drinking something that she didn't watch her uncle make step by step. After all, he was famous for pranks and jokes. But after last night, she gave him the benefit of the doubt, and took a drink. Immediately, the pounding in her head stopped, the cotton-feeling left her mouth, and her throat cleared. She sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Uncle George," she said, just as casually as he had.

He gave her a nod. "No problem."

Lily finished off her cup quickly, thankful as it made her hangover disappear quickly. She sighed as she set her cup back onto the table, and watched as Victoire and Grandma Molly puttered around the kitchen. "Do you two want help?" she asked them.

"Well I know how you can help me," Victoire told her.

Lily perked up. "Sure. How?"

"Go check on Theodore. Sometimes when he wakes up, he doesn't cry, but instead just starts throwing things around the room. Go see if he's still sleeping, please?" Victoire requested.

"Yeah, he once threw something into Gabby's crib, and she cried for what felt like hours," Teddy muttered.

Lily chuckled. "Yeah, I'll go see." She left the room, and carefully dodged the sleeping bodies of her cousins and brothers. Then she made her way up the stairs, and made her way toward Uncle Charlie's room. Teddy and Victoire had decided to allow the newlyweds, Fred and Janie, to have the new room that their grandfather added the year before. Uncle Charlie had offered to share his room with the couple and their two children.

Quietly, Lily opened the door and peaked inside. Uncle Charlie was sprawled across his bed, blankets covering him almost to his head. When she stepped in further, she could see Theodore standing in the crib, looking ready to throw a stuffed animal from his crib. But then he noticed her, and smiled.

Lily smiled back at him. "Hey, baby boy," she whispered quietly as she walked toward him. Then she reached in and picked him up. Teddy rested his head on her shoulder, his arms hugging her neck, the stuffed animal still in the grips of his fingers. "Come on, let's go downstairs and greet everyone."

After everyone had woken up, eaten breakfast, and opened presents, Lily found herself sitting with Hugo, who was looking over his new chess set. They sat in the far corner, far away from where James sat.

"How long are you going to pout about Stacy?" Lily asked him as she flipped through a book over medical potions that Victoire had gotten her.

Hugo sighed. "Not long. A few days ago, I bought her this little bracelet. Nothing special, but I sent it to her yesterday morning, and a note, saying that I hope she's ok. I figured . . . maybe I'm being selfish, thinking that it's all about me. Maybe the reason she's acting weird has nothing to do with me, and something more to do with something personal."

"Well that was sweet, and good thinking," Lily replied. "But you did make it seem just friendly?"

"I put 'from your friend, Hugo' is that good enough?" Hugo questioned as he picked up one of his rooks.

"Sounds pretty platonic," Lily agreed.

"Besides, we've known Stacy since before Hogwarts. It wouldn't seem weird if I was concerned about an old friend, right?" Hugo inquired.

"No, you're ok," Lily assured.

"But anyway, I think I'm going to swear off girls for a while, Stacy included," Hugo stated.

Lily raised a brow. "Really?"

He shrugged. "I'll probably still have feelings for a while, but I don't want to hurt another girl like I did Jaclyn. And I don't want to mess with Stacy's life, when she's obviously happy. So, I decided I'd keep away from the dating scene for a while."

"It's not a bad idea," Lily said. "After the thing with Lysander, that's what I did." She paused, but then shrugged. "Although, it only lasted until July, but I think it was still helpful."

"I just don't want to hurt anyone again," Hugo muttered. "I seem to be too good at that."

"Well, I hope it works out for ya," Lily told him.

But Hugo changed the subject. "So, how was your night?"

"Well, it was hell, then numb," Lily said.

"So, James said something, then you got drunk?" Hugo guessed.

"Good guess," Lily sighed. "How'd you know?"

"Well, I figured it was James, because your big thing has been either avoiding him, or trying to be calm around him. And I guessed about the whole drunk thing, based on the memory of what you did during Kim Avery's wedding," Hugo replied.

"When did you get to be so smart?" Lily muttered as she read over the ingredients of a potion.

"I'm not smart. I just know you," Hugo retorted. "Just like you know me. Isn't that what being best friends and cousins is all about?"

That was when a sight of Louis talking with Roxanne caught Lily's attention. "Yeah. You're right." Then she looked back at Hugo. "So, what did you think of Paul yesterday?"

Hugo shrugged as he began to put his new chess pieces back into the box. "He was a cool guy. Seemed a bit nervous at first. Why?"

Lily shrugged this time. "Just curious. I thought he was pretty cool."

"Well Louis seems happy. That's what matters," Hugo commented.

"Have you talked to Louis lately?" Lily inquired.

Hugo shook his head. "Not much since we came back for break. These past few months have been so hectic, and full of confused and mixed feelings. I haven't even really had time to keep up on how Louis is, or Roxanne. I've kept up with Lucy because I've been worried about her and . . . well her breakup." Then he looked over at her, a curious look on his face. "Is there something about Louis that I need to worry about?"

Lily bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm not sure yet. That's why I want to talk to him, alone."

Hugo scowled. "You want me to be there?"

"No, no. I just want to talk to him alone first before I bring anyone else in," Lily replied.

"You know something?"

"Something that Louis thinks I'm ignorant to," Lily countered. "I don't want to tell anyone else until I've talk to him."

"So Paul told you something?" Hugo guessed.

Lily ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah. And it's made me worry enough to want to talk to him alone."

Hugo gave her a nod. "No problem. Hey, Louis!" he called.

Louis looked over, curious, but then got up and walked toward them. "Yeah, what's up?"

Hugo held up his new chess set. "Want to play a game with me? Let me break in my new set? Lil, won't play with me."

Louis chuckled. "I know you'll murder me, but ok. Why not?"

Hugo grinned. "Cool. Let's go upstairs, where it's a little quieter. That way my set can learn my voice easier than with a hundred other voices flowing around. Come with us, Lil."

Lily set Hugo a smile as she followed the two boys to the stairs. She was going to have to go ahead and play a game of chess as a way to thank him later.

They entered Uncle Percy's old room, which, of course, was kept clean no matter how many kids were running through the house. Hugo set the board down on the floor, and set the box containing his new chess set on the floor. "Oh, did you leave your set downstairs, Louis?" Hugo asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'll go get it-,"

"No, I'll get it," Hugo offered quickly. "Be back in second." Then he left the room, closing the door firmly behind him. That left Lily alone with Louis, who casually sat on the bed, patting his knees.

"So, you ok, Lily?" Louis asked.

Lily looked at him curiously. "Um, why wouldn't I be?"

Now Louis raised a brow. "Because everyone in the family knows about your fight with James."

"Oh!" Lily shook her head. "Um, I'm fine now. Actually, there's been something else on my mind this morning."

"Yeah? What is it?" Louis inquired.

"Well, it has to do with you," Lily said hesitantly. She was really unsure of how to bring it up. It was obviously a touchy subject of its own.

"It has to do with me?" Louis said with a bit of confusion.

Lily nodded as she began to slowly pace. "Well, I had a talk with Paul yesterday."

Louis sighed but then chuckled. "And he told you about last July?"

Lily looked at him with surprise. "You knew?"

Louis scratched at the back of his neck. "I didn't, but I guessed. It's been on Paul's mind since it happened. He's been kicking himself over it. I'm not too surprised that he finally told someone. And personally, I'd rather it be you than my parents, or Teddy, or someone else in the family."

Lily stopped in front of him. "Why me?"

"Because you won't overreact," Louis said simply.

Lily gave him an incredible look. "Overreact? Louis, no matter how I react, it would not be an overreaction! This is a big thing, Louis!" she exclaimed.

Louis rolled his eyes. "No, you guys want to make it a big thing. I just want to forget about it!"

"Have you forgotten about it?" Lily demanded.

"Well Paul hasn't stopped reminding me," Louis countered.

"Because it scares him!" Lily snapped. "And it scares me! It scares me that someone might come and hurt my cousin, just because of how he is! It scares me that you're ok with someone hurting you because you are the way you are! That you'll let someone get away with hurting you just because you're gay!"

Louis got up and gave her an exasperated look. "What do you want me to do, Lil? Beat them up? Will that change their mind? If I hurt them like they did to me, does that mean they'll accept me? Guess what, it won't! It won't change anything! And if I tell your dad, and get them into trouble with the law, they still won't accept me! Nothing will change!"

Lily pulled in a deep breath. "Nothing will change? One thing will change. One thing, Louis. And that is, that they won't be able to do that to anyone else. But if you let them get away with what they did, then you're just telling them that they can keep on doing this to others, and nothing will happen to them. That they'll never have to face consequences because of their actions. You're telling them that what they did was ok. And it's not."

Louis moved past her, and ran a tired hand over his face. "I don't want to scare my parents. With all they've been through with Dominique leaving, I didn't want to add onto it. And I don't want Aunt Hermione to start a movement against this. I don't want your dad to try and throw them in Azkaban, and I don't want Paul to beat the hell out of them!"

This time, Lily sat on the bed. "Louis, you haven't gotten over this, and neither has Paul. I think you both need to talk about this. And you need to do something about this."

Louis leaned against the wall. "That's the thing. I don't know what to do. I just want to let it go."

Lily sighed and shook her head as she rose from the bed. "Then tell Paul that. Talk to him." As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she turned to look at him. "And next time, defend yourself. Because when you don't defend yourself when people attack you for being gay, you're not just allowing them to hurt you, but all other gay teens too. Think about that."

"My mother is very excited that you're coming," Scorpius commented as they walked down the hall of Malfoy Manor.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Lily inquired.

"Well she hasn't seen you yet, and understands that you're very busy," Scorpius replied. "She wasn't sure you'd have time."

Lily sighed, feeling a little bad that she hadn't taken time to see Astoria and Draco. But she had been a little occupied. "I'll have to stay over one night during the break." Lily looked over at him. He was dressed nicely in black pants and a green dress shirt. His short hair was combed to the side, and he was cleanly shaven. He was so handsome that Lily's heart kept skipping a beat when she looked at him.

But this time, Scorpius noticed her gaze. "What?" he asked with a smirk, and with love in his eyes.

Lily bit her tongue, hating and loathing how James's words from the night before were whirling around her head. Why was she letting them stick to her? "Love me?" she whispered softly, hating the question as soon as it passed her lips. She knew the answer.

Scorpius looked at her curiously. "Of course I love you. Why would you have to ask?"

Lily shook her head. "I don't. I don't know why I did. Just forget it."

Now he looked worried. "Lily, what's wrong?"

But Lily gave him a smile. "Nothing."

"Lily, you're not telling me something," he said with slightly narrowed eyes.

Lily nodded. "That's true, but can we talk about it later?" At Scorpius's hesitant face, she sighed. "Please? I'd really rather just forget about it at least for a few hours. No one at home really has. They keep asking me how I am after last night, and I just want to relax for a few hours, ok?"

Scorpius looked ready to say something, but then nodded. "Ok. But I better know before the night ends."

She ran a hand over his smooth cheek. "You will," she promised. "Now, let's go and greet everyone."

Scorpius shook his head and laughed. "With that attitude, you'd fit in with more pureblood wives than you'd think. They're all pretty good at ignoring problems too."

Lily elbowed him in the side. "I'm not ignoring it. I've dealt with it. I'm just postponing telling you about it."

"Not much difference," he countered, but he still smirked as he wrapped an arm around her. Then he placed a kiss on her temple. "Well, let's join the party."

"Lily!" Astoria practically squealed when the two stepped into the large dining room. Lily was pulled into her embrace within seconds. "How are you, sweetheart?"

Lily smiled as she pulled away from the hug. "I'm just fine. And I'm very sorry that I haven't come over to visit you and Draco this break. I've been a little preoccupied."

Astoria dismissed it. "Oh, Lily, you don't need to worry about that. We understand that you're a young woman, not to mention a busy one. Brandon has been talking nonstop about how well you've been doing as a model."

Lily repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Kim was right. It was always work with Brandon. "Well, I've been thinking that maybe I'll take a night to spend over here with you and Draco."

Astoria smiled brightly. "I think that would be wonderful!"

"Lily, you've finally arrived," Draco commented as he approached them.

Lily smiled. "Hello, Draco."

"Well, that's everyone. Shall we sit and start the dinner?" Draco inquired.

Scorpius pulled out a chair for Lily, sitting her between him and Lana. Lana grinned at Lily. "Hey, Lil. How's break going?"

"Not terrible. How's life?" Lily replied.

Lana shrugged, then glanced over at Dante, who was talking to Lars. "Well, it's a little better now."

Lily looked over at Dante as well, then looked around the large table. "I notice that I don't see Megan here," she commented.

"She and Shannon skipped out. Megan skipped because she refused to be anywhere near her brother, and Shannon is her support," Lana explained.

Lily pushed her hair off of her shoulder. "I get the feeling us girls are going to hear quite the story on the way back to school."

"Oh, you will," Lana assured. "I've heard enough of it."

"So she's still furious with him?" Lily asked.

"Last I heard, she attempted to hit him with a chair," Lana commented.

Lily laughed and shook her head. "Sounds enough like Megan."

"I'm just surprised that they both came out of that argument without a scratch," Lana muttered. "I told Dante to mind his own business, and stay out his sister's life."

"When does Dante ever listen though?" Lily teased.

"Hey, I heard that," Dante retorted with a sly grin. "And you can tell me to stay out all you want, but what kind of brother would I be if I wasn't concerned about my little sister being involved with a guy I know is a jerk, and might hurt her? As a brother, I'm forced to be concerned about even the sweetest guy she's involved with."

Lily looked away and gulped as she tried to push back memories of the previous night that were itching to reappear. She didn't want to think about it. Like she told Scorpius, she just wanted a few hours to forget about it.

"Lily! How has my favorite girl been?" Brandon asked as he sat across from Lily with a smile.

Lily gave him a tentative smile back. "Hey, Brandon. I'm just fine. And you?"

"Amazing! In fact, once Scorpius starts training again, I've got a few job offers for you and I to go over and consider before you go back to school," Brandon told her.

Even though the reminder of Scorpius having to return to training bit at her lightly, she still smiled. "Sounds good."

"So, I assume the whole modeling thing is going well then?" Lana asked curiously.

"With Lil, extremely well," Brandon answered with a cheeky smile. "I am so excited for you to graduate," he said to Lily.

Lily glanced at Scorpius, who was silent, although didn't seem irritated or pouting at the topic of conversation. "Yeah. I'm kind of excited for that too," she admitted.

"Maybe now," Brandon countered.

Lily looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Brandon shrugged as he swallowed down a drink from the glass by his plate. "I just mean that, maybe now, you're eager for it. But I'll bet that, when the end of your seventh year comes closer, you're going to start thinking about all the things you're going to miss about Hogwarts. Everyone does in their seventh year."

"Maybe, but at the rate I'm going, I think I'll be glad when I can stop planning study groups for the entire student body and I can stop creating ideas to promote House unity, and instead can relax and model every couple days," Lily joked.

Brandon chuckled. "Well, then you can relax and pray that your kids never have to go through what you did at Hogwarts. At least when it comes to things like that."

Lily grinned dryly. "Well, my parents prayed that I'd never have to go through what they did at Hogwarts. Maybe it just gets a little less and less with each generation?"

After the meal had ended, and most everyone had ended up in the parlor, just chatting, Lily found herself simply needing to escape for a few minutes. She had excused herself from her conversation with Lana and Miley, and now found herself sitting in her room. She sat at her desk, staring at the picture of her grandmother, Lily Evans, that was still on the wall from when she'd put it there.

"Needing a breath of fresh air?"

Lily didn't jump at the sound of Draco's voice. "I don't know if I should have expected you to come, or be surprised that Astoria didn't come up."

"Well she was the first of us to notice that you were missing, but I offered to come up and talk to you," Draco replied. "And maybe it's parent intuition, but we knew something was wrong."

Lily turned her head to see that Draco had come to stand by her, but was also looking at the picture as well. "Am I that obvious?" Lily asked.

"No, but our son is. And when something is wrong with him, and then you disappear without him, we know that something is also wrong with you." He glanced at her. "Something I should know about?"

Lily sighed. "There's no fight between the two of us. I just . . . something happened with me, and I haven't told him yet."

Draco looked back at the picture, just as Lily did. "Why not?"

Lily pushed back her hair. "I guess I'm still working out how I feel about it. Sometimes, it cuts me up and hurts, and sometimes it makes me furious, and other times it just upsets me. When Scorpius and I talk, I like to know how I feel about it first. But this time . . . I don't know."

"Why don't you tell him all of that?" Draco suggested.

"Because I know how he'd react. He'd be angry at the other person, and he'd want to do something about it. And even if I told him that I just wanted to forget about it, I know it would still bother him. I know he'd still feel like he should do something," Lily murmured. She almost shook her head at how much this reminded her of the talk between her and Louis.

"Seems you know my son pretty well," Draco said with a dry chuckle. But then he put a hand on her shoulder. "But, Lily, you're making it obvious that you really haven't talked about it, and it's going to eat away at you if you bottle it up. And we both know that Scorpius won't let it go until you tell him. So why don't you?"

Lily leaned her head against his arm, and glanced up at him. "Can I tell you first? It'd be nice to tell someone who's going to stay calm."

Draco sent a small smile down to her. "Of course you can."

Lily relaxed as she, again, looked at the picture. "I got into a fight with James last night. Well, he mainly told me about how I'm dumb to trust that Scorpius will and is waiting for me, and a bunch of crap like that."

"And that's what hurt?" Draco inquired.

Lily shook her head. "No. I don't believe a word he said. It angers me that he'd say that. That's the thing that makes me furious. What upsets me is that . . . it did hurt me, and I don't know why it hurt me, other than . . . because he's my brother," she whispered.

He squeezed her shoulder. "I wish I had advice on how to handle siblings, but since I have none . . . I'm a bit clueless."

"I want to fix things with him . . . but it seems impossible, and that upsets me too. And it almost seems like he doesn't want to fix anything. And it seems that I can't talk to him without yelling and arguing. And I find that at times, all I can think about all the horrible things he's said to me, and not just last night, but over the years. And all I can do is whatever I can to forget those words, or numb myself to the feelings I get when I do think of them." Then she scoffed. "I don't want to be an alcoholic, Draco, but it seems like at this rate, that's where I'll go. Because I can never stop thinking about it at times, and that seems to be the only thing that stops it."

Draco's hand moved from her shoulder, to smooth down her hair in a fatherly way. "It's never easy to stop thinking about the things that hurt you. Probably because they are some of the things that help define us as people. They help make us. Maybe it's because it's easier to bring up old wounds than fleeting happiness. I don't know. But I know it's hard. And toughing it out . . . it doesn't always work."

"Even though I'm mad at him, and even though he's said and done things that have hurt me, and upset me . . . I still want to fix it. And not just because my parents want that. I want that. Because, although I've been denying the feelings, I've come to realize that they can't be ignored. He's my big brother. He was my hero and idol for years. For most of my life and childhood. I want to put things back the way they were . . . but things have become so messed up that I don't think I can do it," Lily whispered.

"Once again, I can't help you on the sibling thing. Astoria might be a bit better about that, although I don't think her and Daphne ever had big problems between them. They've always been pretty close as sisters. But I can say that, sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. Life can be like that. But when you really want something, all you can do is work at it. And even if you don't succeed, you can at least say you tried," Draco said softly.

Lily nodded, but still felt a dull sadness. "You know, I can remember how it was. But I don't think I actually know how to act like that with James anymore."

Draco dropped both his hands to her shoulders, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "You know, sometimes, even though a person has really happy memories, when something bad happens to them, they can forget how to be happy again. I know that for a fact. This isn't much different. And really there's only one thing I know to do in order to learn how to again."

Lily ran her fingers across the wood of the desk. "How?"

"You can only try."

"You let me know whenever you want to stay over. You're free to stay over any night you wish," Astoria stated as she hugged Lily tightly.

Lily smiled. "Of course. And it won't be long before I do," she assured.

"I'm glad," Astoria replied.

"Mum, let her go. I've got to take her home soon," Scorpius joked mildly.

Astoria rolled her eyes, but pulled away from the hug. "You take care, Lily."

Lily nodded. "I will."

"Bye, Lily," Draco said with a small grin.

Lily smiled even brighter. "Bye, Draco."

When Scorpius took Lily outside to Apparate her home, she suspected nothing. But she was surprised when they landed in the middle of Scorpius's own flat, and not the pathway to the Burrow.

Lily looked at him curiously. "What are we doing here?"

Scorpius took a hold of her hand, and brought her to sit on the couch with him. "We are here because not only have you not explained what happened, but you also disappeared in the middle of the night, and said nothing about it when you came back."

Lily sighed as she leaned back into the couch. "I just went up to my room. I wanted to think a little."

"'Bout what?" Scorpius inquired.

"About the conversation that we're about to have," Lily answered. "I wanted to know what I wanted to tell you."

"Do you mean that, you don't intend to tell me all of it?" Scorpius asked.

"At first I didn't know what I wanted to tell you," she whispered. Then she sighed again, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "James and I had a small, but loud, argument last night. It was basically about how I'm dumb to simply love you and trust you while I'm at school."

She could feel Scorpius tense, and she could hear a slight strain in his voice when he spoke. "And why would he say that?"

"Because he doesn't like you. He's an ass. I can list reasons all night, and some would be right, some would be wrong," Lily replied. "But anyway, I got angry. I got upset. It hurt. I ended up getting wasted in the shed, where my uncle George eventually came out and had a drink with me." Lily closed her eyes. "And really, that is it. That's all. How I feel, what happened. That's all."

"And there's nothing I can do, is there?" Scorpius mumbled.

Lily shook her head. "No. I don't want to have another talk with my parents about me and my brothers. I don't want to have another fight with him, and I don't want you to feel like you have to do something about this."

Scorpius pulled away to lean his elbows on his knees, so Lily moved so that she could look at him. A scowl was on his face, but it didn't look as angry as Lily'd expected. "You're my girlfriend, I love you, and he hurt you. I should do something about it."

Lily reached up to play with the hair on the nape of his neck. "But you don't need to. There's nothing to do. I'd rather you just focus on me while you're on your break. And then you'll be too distracted by training to do anything, just like I will be too distracted by modeling, and then school, to even think about it."

Scorpius sighed as he stood up, hands in his pockets. "I'd just hate to let him get away with it."

"Get away with what?" Lily replied.

"Hurting you," Scorpius retorted. "I'm surprised you're letting him."

Lily shrugged. "I don't want to fight anymore."

"So you think it's better to just let him walk all over you? Say what he wants and hurt you?" Scorpius countered.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We rarely do even argue anymore. We aren't around each other often enough."

"So? You still let him do it. Personally, I kind of miss when you were up for fighting back," Scorpius stated.

"It didn't matter if I was angry and fought back, it still hurt even then," Lily argued. "Just like, even if I fight back now, it's still going to hurt. There's nothing that can stop that, Scorpius."

"But I can't say something to defend you?" he countered.

"What would you do, Scorpius?" Lily demanded as she stood up. "What would you be able to do that would make James stop? Nothing. Nothing would change the way he is. So excuse me, if I see no point in fighting anymore. Because fighting just doesn't make me feel better about it anymore. It just seems pointless."

"You think I want to be an Auror and defend people so that criminals will change their point of views? No! But I want them to pay for hurting people. I want them to know and pay because they were wrong!" Scorpius stated firmly.

"James and the types of criminals you're getting at, are completely different!" Lily retorted.

"No, they're not!" Scorpius argued. "It's the same situation. You may not change them, but you can't let them get away for doing something that isn't right. When someone does something wrong, there are consequences. And you are letting James get away without any. You are letting him think that it's ok if he were to do it again!"

"No consequences? You really think that both my parents are just going to let this go without trying to talk to both him and me?" Lily countered.

"And what are you going to tell them?" Scorpius demanded. "That you don't want to talk about it. That you want to let it go? Like you're telling me? And then James probably won't tell it in a way that makes him look like the ass he was. Look at me, and tell me I'm wrong."

But Lily didn't look at him . . . because she knew he was right. She had planned to try and bypass any talks her parents wanted to have about it, and James never portrayed himself correctly to their parents. But just because he was right, it didn't make Lily want to fight back. It didn't make her want Scorpius to act on it. "The more you or I act against him, the more he's going to do it. I've leaned that fighting doesn't stop it. We just do things that make us hate each other more. And then he and I are back at square one. I like where I am now. I like that I still want to fix things. But if I give into hating him again . . . then I lose everything I've learned. I would no longer be able to say that I matured. I couldn't say that I tried. And I'd only have myself to blame," she replied softly.

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand over his hair. "Well, I can't let this go. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just not as mature as you are. Maybe it's a guy thing. But when another guy attacks my loyalty to the woman I love, and hurts her . . . I can't just let it go. I can't ignore it. Because I'm proud of our relationship, Lily. And I'll be dammed if I let anyone attack it, verbally or otherwise."

Now Lily sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Then I guess we differ on opinions when it comes to this matter. So, you can sit here and dwell on it, but I'm going home now."

"I'll take you home, Lily," Scorpius muttered.

"I think I'll take the bus," Lily retorted as she headed for the door.

But Scorpius grabbed her wrist before she got far. "I'll take you home," he said firmly.

Lily didn't look at him, and didn't argue or say a word as he Apparated them out of his flat. After the feeling passed, Lily felt her feet touching down on the thin layer of snow that covered the walkway up the Burrow. Lily waited until Scorpius let go of her wrist, and when he did, she wordlessly walked toward the door.

"So that's it? You're not going to say a thing?" Scorpius demanded.

Lily stopped, but she still refused to turn and look at him. "What's left to say? You told me how you felt, and that you won't let it go. I said what happened, and that I'm letting it go. What else is there?"

Scorpius scoffed. "Well love you too, princess."

The resounding "CRACK" of his Apparation timed well with the crack that stung her heart. She stood out in the snow, alone, trying to ignore the sting in her heart and eyes. She closed her eyes, and brought in what she hoped would be a calming breath. But her heart still squeezed when realization really hit her. She was standing alone outside, and the cold air whipped at her skin. Scorpius wasn't with her, making her forget about the cold temperature or snow. He wasn't there to make the sting in her heart go away. He wasn't there to make everything ok. Because now, she was just as angry at him as she was with what James had done the night before. And like always, she had been right. Her anger had left her feeling empty, and alone.

He wasn't there to push away the cold.

"Lily?" Lily opened her eyes to see that the door to the house had opened, and Hugo was standing in the doorway. He looked at her curiously, but she could see the worry in his eyes. "Are you coming in?" his voice was deceptively teasing in nature, hiding the worry that Lily could see.

Now feeling a little numb from the cold, she nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled as she began walking toward the door. The sudden burst of heat that surrounded her once she stepped inside struck her skin, bringing back the feeling in her bare legs slowly, and a little painfully. Like pinpricks along her skin.

"How was the dinner, flower?" Charlie asked as Lily slipped off her jacket and shoes.

"It was good," Lily said vaguely. She looked at Hugo, who was still looking at her. "Wanna hang out upstairs for a bit?" she asked casually.

Hugo shrugged just as casually. "Sure."

Lily grabbed her bag so that she could change clothes, and then Hugo followed Lily up the stairs, both of them not saying anything. Lily chose her mother's old room for them to hide out in. Lily immediately pulled out a pair of pajamas, and Hugo turned to stare at the door and give her privacy. She dressed quickly, put the dress into her bag, and then dropped onto the bed. "You can turn around now," she muttered.

He did quickly, and came to sit next to her. "What happened, cuz?"

Lily hesitated. She'd filled Hugo in about the argument with James over lunch earlier that day. She had asked him not to do anything to James for it, and as far as she knew, he hadn't. But did she want to talk about this? About an event that was still tugging at her heart. "Scorpius and I had a fight . . . about what happened between James and me," she admitted.

"He doesn't want to let it go like you?" Hugo guessed.

"How'd you know?" Lily whispered.

"Well, for as long as I've known him, Scor has always been a proactive guy. And he's always been protective of you and your relationship," Hugo explained. "But, moving on, are you ok?"

"I miss him already," Lily murmured. "I'm mad at him, but I still wish that he was here. I've always felt better with him around . . . but I'm afraid we'll just argue about it again."

"If you want to talk to him, why don't you just use the mirrors?" Hugo asked.

"Because I think he's really mad at me. He'd probably ignore me," she whispered, and the thought made her heart squeeze even tighter.

Hugo chuckled. "You know, you sound like you miss him more than you sound like you're mad at him," he pointed out.

"Well I am mad . . . but maybe I'm just not good at being mad at him."

"And he's no better at being mad at you," Hugo retorted. "I'd bet my entire Chocolate Frog Card collection that he'd answer if you called him through the mirror."

Lily reached for the pillow, and brought it closer so that she could wrap her arms around it, and rest her chin on it. "I'm still afraid that he won't."

"Well maybe you need to get over the fear of that," Hugo countered.

Lily shook her head and buried her face into the pillow. "I don't want to. Not yet."

She heard Hugo sigh. "Lil, all couples fight."

"I know," she mumbled into the pillow. "He and I have fought before."

"Then you know that the anger doesn't last. You both get over it soon enough," Hugo pointed out.

Lily turned to rest her cheek on the pillow, allowing her to look at her cousin. "But it's different now. There's a time limit. We only have a few days to get over it before he goes back to training, and then only a few more before we go to Hogwarts to finish the year. This time, I'm afraid we won't resolve it in time."

"I thought you and he talked over the mirrors every night while we were at Hogwarts?" Hugo asked.

"I don't think it would be the same," she whispered. "Somehow, I think it would feel different. Unsettled."

"Well, maybe you two need something like that. A bit of time to figure out what you want in your relationship." Then Hugo shrugged. "I don't really know. I've never been in love like you two. I'm just throwing crap out here, take what you want from it."

There was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, Ginny stepped into the room. "Hugo, could you give me a minute alone with my daughter?"

Lily sighed as she sat up and placed the pillow onto her lap. "Later, Huey."

Hugo gave Lily a nod as he too sighed. "Later, Lil. Good luck." He left the room, and the door closed with an almost final sounding "click."

Lily looked over at her mother, who came to sit on the end of the bed. "What's up, Mum?"

"You tell me," Ginny retorted easily.

Lily sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Mum, I don't want to talk about me and James. We've all talked enough about me and the boys over the past few years. I'm tired of discussing it, and our problems, and how to fix them."

Ginny raised a brow. "I love how I can just say a simple sentence, and you basically tell me what's wrong."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, ha. That's not it at all."

"So there's more?"

Lily almost smacked her forehead. How did she always fall for these things when it concerned her mother? "It's nothing!" she groaned.

"Well it's obviously something. And I'm sure it has to do with Scorpius," Ginny replied.

Lily did her best to keep her face neutral. "Why do you think that?"

"Because if everything was normal, I've no doubt that Scorpius would have, not only walked you to the door, but said 'hello' to everybody before leaving. So what happened?" Ginny asked.

Lily dropped onto her back. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why is it that you'll talk to Hugo about things, but not your mother? Just curious?" Ginny inquired.

Lily played with the ends of her hair. "Because . . . talking with Hugo is like . . . well didn't you talk to Aunt Hermione more than you did grandma at my age?"

Ginny laughed. "I guess you've got a point there. But why don't you want to talk to me, when I've probably been there more than Hugo has."

Lily sighed. "I doubt it." But when she looked at her mother's expectant face, she sighed again. "Scorpius and I had a fight about my fight with James."

Ginny moved so that she was propped up on her elbow, and was now next to her daughter. "And?"

Lily smoothed out small wrinkles on the pillow. "He's mad that I won't do something about what James said to me. He's angry that I told him not to say or do anything about it. He's mad that I won't let him 'defend our relationship,' when I don't see the need to defend it against what James says. What does James know about our relationship anyway?" she muttered.

"So you don't want him to defend your relationship?" Ginny questioned.

"There isn't a need. And I don't see how it would make a difference," Lily replied.

"Maybe it makes a difference to him," Ginny suggested.

Lily looked at her mother. "What?"

"Did you consider that perhaps it would make Scorpius feel better if he were able to defend his relationship? Maybe it would be to ease his own mind," Ginny pointed out.

"So you want me to tell him to beat up James?" Lily said mockingly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling you to do anything. If I've learned anything about you over this past year, it's that you make wise and mature choices that are usually beyond your years. And you are sixteen, soon to be seventeen. And it is your relationship. I can't tell you how to handle it. I can only give advice."

"So what is your advice?" Lily asked.

"Two things," Ginny told her. "First of all, have you ever known Scorpius to be a passive, and 'let it go' type of guy?"

Lily sighed. "No."

"And do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

"And you love everything about him?"

"Yes, Mum. You know I do."

"Then do you think it's right to be angry about something that's just part of who he is?" Ginny questioned.

Lily brought the pillow up to cover her face. "What's the second part?" she mumbled, ignoring how her mother was right.

Ginny pulled the pillow away from Lily. "Have you really sat down and thought why James would say anything at all about your relationship with Scorpius?"

Lily gave her a slightly confused look. "Because he's an ass," she replied.

Ginny smiled and shook her head. "I'll give you an example. When you used to do something I thought was dumb or dangerous, why did I yell at you for doing it? When you answer that, then you'll know why James said what he said." Then after placing the pillow back onto Lily's lap, she got up and left the room.

Lily lay on the bed, smoothing out the pillowcase even though there was no need. She already knew the answer to her mother's given example. But she wasn't sure if it applied to James. She didn't trust James enough to put her hopes on it.

"Because you care," Lily whispered to herself.

When the next day came, Lily found herself at home and sitting in her own room. Originally, she'd planned to be with Scorpius. But they had also planned to make plans for the day the night before. Sadly, they hadn't gotten to that before the night blew up.

Her mirror was sitting on the pillow, urging her to pick it up and call his name. But the fear in her heart, and the pride of her person, kept her from doing so. She hated both of them. She also hated being stuck in the house. Not that she was, but she felt trapped. She wanted to get out of the house, but she was still hoping that Scorpius would come by the house for her.

Oh, how cruel love and hope could be.

Lily wasn't able to force herself out of the house until the day after. And she didn't get far. She sat at a table in The Leaky Cauldron, sipping a butterbeer. Her mirror was tucked into her jacket pocket, and her hopes were still on the idea that he would call to her. Mainly because she still didn't have the guts to do it herself.

"Lily?"

Lily turned her head to see that Stacy had approached her table. She was obviously dressed for work, letting Lily assume that Stacy was working a shift today. Lily forced a smile, despite her slighted mood. "Hey, Stacy. How are you?"

Stacy cleared her throat and sat in the other chair. "Um, good. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment?"

Lily sighed, already not wanting to hear about more problems. But Stacy was a friend, and what are friends for? "Sure. What is it?"

Stacy just bit her lip for a moment, so Lily just continued to sip her butterbeer, until Stacy finally spoke. "You've been dating Scorpius for a while now, right?"

Lily tried not to cringe at how Stacy brought up a topic that she really didn't want to discuss at the moment. "Yeah. Over a year," she answered, trying to not sound dull or bitter.

"And you love him, right?" Stacy continued.

Lily took in a big drink before answering. "Yes. Yes I do."

Stacy let out a deep sigh. "Well, . . . has he ever done something that . . . you don't like or approve of?"

Lily looked at Stacy closely, starting to wonder if Hugo had said something about her to Stacy. But when she did, she only saw the face of a concerned and slightly worried girlfriend. So Lily finally engaged herself into the conversation and situation. "Yes. He has. Why do you ask? Problems with Andrew?"

Stacy rubbed her arms, as if to warm herself. "Sort of. He . . . well he did something, and I don't approve. And I don't know what to do."

Lily rested her chin on her palm. "Well, Stacy, it comes down to one thing. Do you love him enough to be able to get past this downfall in personality?"

Stacy still looked hesitant. "I think I do. I mean . . . I've had other boyfriends, but none have made me feel like Andrew has. But after this . . . it's like everything has changed between us. And I'm afraid it'll happen again."

Lily sighed. "Things change when you begin to really see everything that your boyfriend is. You know, I used to hate when Scorpius would brood because a new picture of me came out in magazines, or when a boy would look at me or say something about me. But . . . I love him more than I dislike that part of him. And, once we had a talk about it, he's done his best to not brood every time something similar happens."

Stacy nodded once. "So, you're saying that, if I talk to him about it . . . we might come to an . . . impasse?"

Lily grinned. "Possibly, yes. Did I help you at all?"

Stacy nodded shyly. "Yeah. Thanks, Lily. You're really good at this."

"One thing, though, Stacy," Lily said as Stacy began to stand.

Stacy looked at her curiously. "What?"

"Why ask me for help? Just out of curiosity?" Lily asked.

Again, Stacy smiled. "Well, I'd feel much more comfortable asking a friend than my mother or sister. And out of all my friends, you've had the longest relationship, so you're obviously doing something right."

Lily nodded in understanding. "Ah. I was just curious." But then Lily glanced at her. "So, how's working with my cousin? He bugging ya yet?" she asked, trying to simply sound joking.

Stacy's smile became a little hesitant. "It's fun working with Hugo. He's funny. And really nice."

Unable to help it, Lily glanced down at Stacy's wrist and saw a simple, silver, bracelet. But it was a quick glance, and then Lily looked back at the small smile on Stacy's face. "Well you let me know if he bugs ya. I'll straighten him out for you," Lily teased.

Stacy finally giggled lightly. "I will. Thanks, Lily. I'll see you later."

"Later, Stacy."

But just as Stacy began to walk away, she spun on her heel to look at Lily again. "Um, Lily, do you think that . . . maybe if I have another issue like this that . . . I could come talk to you again?"

Lily sighed and gave her a small but friendly smile. "Of course, Stacy. Anytime." She watched as Stacy walked away from the table and toward the counter where Hannah was waiting for her. Then she sighed again.

Why was it easier to give advice than to take it?

"As you saw, Maximilian is still sleeping, but my guess is that he'll be awake within the hour," Mrs. Pritchard instructed Lily as she led her down the stairs to return to the hall. She'd just finished showing Lily where everything was in Max's room, and letting her know about Max's usual routine.

"Also," Mrs. Pritchard continued, "Richard and Bradaigh are not allowed outside, and their brooms are to stay locked in the hall closet. They are still in trouble from a few days ago."

Lily looked at Mrs. Pritchard with slight confusion. "Brawdee?" she asked, confused by the name.

But Mrs. Pritchard waved it off. "That's Brady's birth and rightful name. But Richard and Bradaigh could never properly pronounce it, so the kids all started to call him Brady. Anyway, they've all eaten breakfast, so they should be ok until lunchtime. Do not allow the twins to have any snacks. Jonathan will most likely be going to his friend's house, at least that was the plan. Candice and Marsha are playing outside in the backyard, I sent Patrick upstairs to clean his room, it was a mess. And young Robert is still up in his room. I'm not sure what he's doing. He's been up there all morning."

Lily nodded as they came to the front door, where Mr. Pritchard was pulling on his coat. "Is that all?" she asked.

Mrs. Pritchard sighed as she seemed to think. She slipped into the coat her husband held out for her. "I think that's all. Lolita already left, and I don't think Martin said that he would be getting off early today."

"Well, then you can count on me to be here until you get back," Lily assured with a smile.

"Don't tell her that, Lily," Mr. Pritchard said with a small smile. "She's close to her aunt. Tell her that and she'll never leave the hospital."

But Lily smiled. "And I wouldn't mind. I understand how a person can worry when someone they care about is very sick. So, please, stay with her as long as you wish. I'll take care of everything here. You have my word."

With a large smile, Mrs. Pritchard pushed Lily's bangs away from her face. "You are an absolute treasure. I assure you that we'll pay you once we get back."

"That's really not necessary," Lily replied as they opened the door.

"Nonsense, I insist. Now, if you need anything, we're at the hospital, and all of the kids know how to get in contact with Martin at work," Mrs. Pritchard told her. "So, have a good day."

"And good luck," Mr. Pritchard teased lightly.

Lily still smiled. "I hope you enjoy your visit, and that your aunt feels better by it. I know a visit can make the difference."

Once they finally left, Lily sighed and looked around the hall. The house had been pretty clean already, and so far, the house was quiet. With a shrug of her shoulders, she began to go back up the stairs, intending to check on Max. But as soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she was almost startled by the sudden appearance of Brady and Richard.

"Hello, Lily," they both said with overly friendly smiles.

Lily automatically didn't trust them. "Good morning boys." She moved past them, and headed toward Max's room.

"Why hello, Lily," Richard greeted.

"You look lovely this morning," Brady complimented.

Lily glanced back at them. "What do you two want?"

Brady gasped. "So suspicious!"

"But she did hit the mark," Richard sighed.

Lily shook her head as she walked into Max's room to see that he had indeed woken up, and was rubbing at his eyes, and then gave a large yawn. "Well good morning, Max," she greeted sweetly. Max smiled, and babbled cutely. Lily moved to his bed and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Let's get you dress, ok?"

"Anyway, Lily, we have a proposal for you," Richard mentioned.

"We are going to give you the chance to make this day easy on you," Brady told her.

Lily looked at them and raised a brow as she opened Max's closet. "And how is that?"

"By getting out of the house, and going to a friend's house today," Brady answered.

"No," Lily said immediately. "Your mother said you two aren't allowed out of the house." She grabbed a shirt from the closet, and walked back to where Max was still sitting on his bed, swinging his feet.

"But you know we'll eventually grate on your nerves if we stay here with you," Richard pointed out. "So why not make it easier on yourself?"

"You're not allowed out of the house," Lily repeated as she dressed Max in a bold, blue shirt.

"But it's so boring in the house," Richard complained.

"We like to be active and healthy," Brady added.

"No," Lily replied. She tried to slip a pair of pants on Max, but he began to kick his legs, giggling wildly.

"Please, Lily?" Brady pleaded.

"If you let us go out, we'll help you get Max dressed," Richard bribed.

Lily looked at the two with exasperation. So they had already known that it would be difficult to get Max dressed beforehand.

"You should help her anyway." Lily turned to see Bobby standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a nice and casual outfit, with his hair gelled and combed to the side. He smiled at Lily, and stepped into the room. He grabbed Ma's flailing legs, and held him still. "He thinks getting dressed is a game," he told her.

Lily returned his smile with one of her own. "Thank you, Bobby." Then she began to slip the pants over Max's feet.

"Oooh! Don't you look handsome!" Richard mocked.

"Got a hot date?" Brady teased.

Then they both scoffed. "Of course not!" Richard laughed.

"He just plans to stay with Lily all day," Brady said.

"To be her knight in shining armor."

"A helping hand."

"A friendly shoulder."

"A hot kiss."

"Get out!" Bobby roared, his cheeks beet red. Brady and Richard both scurried from the room.

Lily bit her tongue, and focused on snapping the button to Max's pants, trying to spare Bobby any more embarrassment.

"Sorry 'bout them. They're just upset because Mum didn't give into their pleas over breakfast," Bobby apologized.

"Oh, it's ok," Lily assured. Once Max was finally dressed, she picked him up. "Anything else I should know about Max?"

"No!" Max squealed.

Bobby chuckled. "Well, first of all, that's his favorite word, and about all he ever says at this stage." They left the room and headed for the stairs. "Also, he's starting to do some accidental magic every so often, so be careful. And, when it comes to breakfast, he only eats dry cereal. He throws everything else."

Lily gave a nod. "That's simple enough."

"And he likes to try and climb the stairs, so we have a little gate that we put over the stairs. Mum tried different spells, but it just kept all us kids from being able to climb the stairs. The gate works easier," Bobby commented. And when they were at the bottom of the stairs, Bobby grabbed a small gate that had been leaning against the wall, and placed it across the stairs.

Lily sighed as she stepped into the kitchen, and placed Max on the floor. She watched as he stood up on shaky legs, and then stumbled over to the fridge, and began to play with the handle.

"Hold on, tyke. We'll have some breakfast," Bobby said as he grabbed a small bowl from the cabinet.

Perhaps because he heard "breakfast," Max toddled over to the kitchen table, and attempted to pull out a chair. Lily rushed over and helped Max into a chair. Bobby then placed down a bowl of dry cereal. Max quickly grabbed a handful, and placed it in his mouth.

"Oh, and don't worry if he plays with doorknobs. He still can't get doors open," Bobby mentioned.

Lily looked over at Bobby. "You're pretty good at this," she commented.

Bobby shrugged and blushed lightly. "Well, I always tried to help with Candy when she was little, but I was still pretty young too. So I've learned more with Max." He paused, but then looked at her. "You seem pretty good as well."

"I babysit my nephew all the time, as well as my new niece," Lily replied. "And Theo is the same age as Max." Then she sent Bobby another smile. "And by the way, you do look very handsome today."

Bobby looked away bashfully. "Thanks. I just felt like looking nice today."

"Lily!" Candice rushed in and hugged Lily around the waist. Although she wasn't wearing a coat or snow boots, Lily could feel that she was colder from being outside, and there was a bit of snow in her hair.

"You're really watching us today?" Marsha said excitedly.

Lily smiled at them both. "Absolutely. I'll be here until your parents come home."

"Great! Then can you help me with something?" Marsha asked immediately.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Isn't it a little rude to ask someone for a favor so quickly?"

Marsha glared at him. "Isn't it rude to butt into conversations?" But then she smiled at Lily again. "So?"

Lily raised a curious brow. "What do you need help with?"

"An outfit, and hair advice," Marsha replied. "I'm hanging out with Alec and Riley this afternoon."

"Did your parents say that you could?" Lily asked. Marsha nodded eagerly, but Lily still looked over at Bobby.

Bobby sighed but nodded. "Yeah, they said she could. Although, I'm not sure I like the idea of her hanging out with older guys, even if I do know them."

Again, Marsha glared at Bobby. "You sound like Marty. Quit it. Besides, Riley's my age."

"And Alec is my age. And money says that you'll end up hanging out with John, and a few other older guys," Bobby muttered.

Lily laughed lightly, and patted Bobby on the shoulder. "Bobby, I hung out with older guys all the time. She'll be fine." She smiled back at Marsha. "And of course I'll help you. When are you leaving?"

"We're going to meet up for lunch," Marsha answered.

"Ok. Well, let me make sure that Max eats, and then I'll come up and help you," Lily replied.

"No, go on and help her. I've got Max under control," Bobby assured.

"You sure?" Lily asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. And I'll make sure that Rich and Brady are kept in line for the time being."

Lily patted his shoulder again. "Thanks, Bobby. Just let me know if you need help."

"Let's go then!" Marsha squealed happily.

"Can I come too?" Candice asked as she grabbed Lily's hand.

Lily smiled at her. "Of course. Come on."

As the rest of the day continued, Lily found that the Pritchard children, excluding Richard and Brady, were actually easy to watch. Lily finally helped Marsha pick a flattering pair of skinny jeans, along with a black top to go with it. Then Lily helped her straighten her blonde hair, and clip it to keep her bangs away from her eyes.

"You have such pretty eyes," Lily had told her. "You should keep your bangs from hiding them."

Then Marsha was Flooing out to The Leaky Cauldron. Bobby turned out to be a great help with Max, who was more concerned with just walking around and touching different things.

"He likes to try and learn new words," Bobby explained to Lily. Then Max moved forward and touched the table, so Bobby knelt beside him, and touched it too. "Table," he said slowly.

Max giggled. "Tay-ba," he gurgled cutely.

Bobby grinned at Lily. "He gets closer each time."

Lily smiled at the cute scene. "Ok, so what do you guys want for lunch?"

"Anything!" Candice said with a smile.

"I'm actually heading out now," Johnny said as he stepped in, pulling on a coat.

Lily nodded. "Your mum told me you might be, so that's fine. Bobby, is there anything you'd like?"

"Nah. Whatever you make is ok with me," Bobby assured.

"He'd love anything you made," Brady mocked, as he and Richard sat, practically pouting on the couch.

"A meal from Lily is like a meal from an angel to Bobby," Richard joked.

Bobby glared at the two of them. But Lily shook her head. "Be nice you two. And remember, if you keep pouting, I'm locking you in your room." The twins immediately looked away. Lily looked at Bobby. "What about Patrick? I haven't seen that boy all day."

"He's . . . a little shy," Bobby remarked. "He'll eat anything though. And Max can have anything too."

Lily looked at Bobby skeptically. She had never known Patrick to be shy. He'd always been talkative when Lily had visited before.

Candice pulled on the leg of Lily's jeans, forcing Lily to look down at her. "Patrick is shy around other girls. He feels better when another guy is around."

Lily raised a brow. "Don't Bobby, and Max, and the twins count?"

Candice shook her head. "Only Martin and Johnny. He likes when an older boy is around. And he doesn't count Bobby as older."

Lily laughed and shook her head. "Ok. Well, I'll make you guys some lunch then."

Patrick finally came down after Lily had made lunch. But only after Candice apparently dragged him from the room they shared. And he was basically silent as the others ate and chatted around him. Lily was mostly focused on Max actually eating his food, and making sure he didn't throw any of it.

"I thought Scorpius was coming over," Patrick finally mumbled.

Brady gasped. "He speaks."

"Alert the presses!" Richard laughed.

"Boys," Lily scolded lightly. Then she looked over at Patrick. His dark blonde hair was combed into a spiky style, and his brow was in a scowl over his dark eyes. "Patrick, I don't think Scorpius will be coming over."

"Why not," he pouted. "I like Scorpius."

"Because he might be busy," Lily said vaguely. She really didn't want to explain her relationship problems to a ten-year-old.

"Trouble in paradise," Brady whispered loudly.

Lily tried to keep from glaring at him. "You boys are one sentence away from being banned from dinner altogether," she mumbled.

Once lunch was finished, Patrick disappeared upstairs again, and Lily sent the twins upstairs after they had started to tease both Bobby and Candice. Since Max had still managed to get food on his shirt, Lily changed his clothes, and decided to do a thing of laundry for the Pritchard kids. She found herself again wishing that she was of age to use magic. But Candice helped her get the dirty clothes from her and Patrick's room, along with the clothes from Lola and Marsha's room. Bobby gave Lily all of his and Johnny's clothes that needed cleaning, and then she opened the door to the twins' room.

"What the hell happened in here?" Lily demanded. The room was a mess. Clothes were everywhere, toys thrown about, and blankets and pillows piled around near the bed.

Brady and Richard sat on a small cleared space of floor, playing Exploding Snap. "What do you mean?" Richard asked.

"What happened to your room? Does your mother know it looks like this?" Lily questioned.

Brady shrugged. "I don't think she likes coming in here."

"I think the room scares her," Richard sighed.

Lily gave the two an exasperated look. Then she put the laundry basket on the floor near the door. "Get all your dirty clothes together," she commanded.

Brady groaned. "Must we?"

"Now!" Lily snapped.

Both boys quickly got up, and began to move around the room, pulling clothes out from under the bed, thrown randomly in the closet, hanging out of dresser drawers, and hanging on the closet doorknob. Obediently, they put them in the basket by Lily's feet.

Lily gave the two a stern look. "Now I want you two to clean this room before your parents get home."

They both gave her a shocked and disbelieving look. "You can't be serious!" Richard replied.

"It would take forever!" Brady complained.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Let me start the washer, and then I'll come up and help you. But this mess is ridiculous."

Brady groaned. "Do we have to?"

Lily sighed and ruffled his hair. "Yes."

"But why?" Richard whined.

Lily leaned down a little so that she could look both of them in the eye. "Look you two, your mum's favorite aunt is very sick, and she's worried. And she might be a little upset when she gets home. And if something happens to your aunt, she'll probably be very upset. Now, don't you think that the least you two could do is clean your room, so that she doesn't have to come home and clean up a mess?"

Both boys looked at their feet. "Yes," they both mumbled.

Lily finally gave them a smile. "So, you two start cleaning, and then I'll come back up and help you, ok?"

They both looked up at her and nodded. "Ok, Lily," Brady agreed.

"You know, you can be scary at times, but then nice and right at the same time," Richard pointed out.

Lily chuckled. "It's a trait most females in my family get. Now, I'll be back, ok?"

"Do the others have to clean their rooms?" Richard asked.

Lily picked up the basket and thought for a moment. "You know, I think I'll have them do that. It'd be a nice surprise."

"Can we tell them?" Brady requested.

Lily gave them a slightly suspicious look, but then nodded. "Ok, but when I come back up here, you'd better be in here."

Lily was surprised by how Brady and Richard had somehow gotten the other kids motivated to start cleaning their own rooms. Candice and Patrick both continued to clean where Patrick had left off, and Bobby continued to watch Max, while Lily helped the twins. But once she'd returned to the room, she found that they were doing fine on their own.

"So, do you need my help?" Lily asked them.

"Can you make our beds?" Richard asked as he began to pick through a pile of Chocolate Frog Cards.

"We're really bad at it," Brady said as he fixed clothes that were hanging lopsidedly on hangers in the closet.

"Of course," Lily told them. "You can't grow up in my family without knowing how to make a bed perfectly. But, which blankets and pillows belong to who."

So the boys stopped what they were doing, and began to separate the pillows and blankets. Lily immediately noticed the color scheme. Brady had the white sheets, a thick purple comforter, a thin lavender blanket with a Snitch pattern, and pillows with silk, royal purple color. Richard had a light blue sheet, a thick comforter that was ocean blue, a thin baby-blue blanket, and dark blue pillows.

"What's with the thin blankets?" Lily asked as she pulled the sheets over Brady's bed.

"Baby blankets," Richard answered.

"Put them on after the sheets. They should be the first blankets on the beds," Brady instructed.

"I didn't know you two had baby blankets," Lily commented.

"All of us kids do," Brady said.

"Even Marty still has his," Richard added.

"I bet he even sleeps with it," Brady joked.

"We know Ginger does," Richard mentioned.

Lily shook her head and smiled. "Well, besides the beds, is there anything else you'll need help with?"

"I guess we can do the rest," Brady told her.

"Then you can watch Max while Bobby cleans his and Johnny's room," Richard offered.

"Well, you let me know if you need help, and I'll come help you," Lily assured.

"Are we just cleaning our rooms?" Brady asked as he closed the closet door.

"Well I planned on cleaning up the entire house a little," Lily replied. "But you don't have to help with that. Just your rooms will be enough."

"Nah, we can help," Richard told her.

"After all, it might put us in a better light with Mum," Brady joked. Lily looked at them with a raised brow. Brady sighed. "And it would be nice if we did something for her. Especially after the trouble we caused on Christmas."

"What did you do?" Lily asked curiously as she started on making Richard's bed.

"Had some fun with our Christmas presents," Brady said vaguely.

"Good-natured fun," Richard agreed. But then Lily gave him a small but stern look, so Richard looked away. "Ok, so we lit a few fireworks in the house."

"And accidently made Candy cry when we scared her," Brady added.

"That was an accident though," Richard said quickly.

"We did feel bad for that one," Brady assured.

"We would never make Candy cry on purpose," Richard defended.

Lily smiled lightly. "I believe you on that." Then she sighed as she finished the bed. "Ok, well I'm going to relieve Bobby of watching over Max so he can clean up his room as well. Then I'll probably clean up Max's room a little. Mostly his toys."

Lily was surprised at how eager Brady and Richard were to help clean around the house after they had finished their room. And when Lily had checked to see that their room was really clean, she was surprised to see that it was spotless. She checked everywhere. Nothing was just jammed or thrown into the closet or dresser. They didn't put a bunch of things under their beds. Even the contents in their desk were clean and organized.

"Do you want help with the other rooms?" Brady asked.

"We're willing to help," Richard offered.

Lily almost laughed. "Are you trying to get on my good side so that I might give you a few more liberties?"

Brady sighed. "Sort of, although we know that you will follow all the rules Mum gave you concerning us."

"And partially because you were right. Mum has been really worried about Auntie Marcia lately," Richard said.

Lily smiled at them. "Well, you can help clean up the living room and kitchen. But I don't want you touching Lola and Marsha's things, so I'll leave their rooms to them."

"What about Martin and Ginger's room?" Richard inquired.

"They don't have much left in there," Brady added.

"Just a few things incase they come to stay for a night."

"We could make up their bed."

"Make sure the floor is clean."

"Ok, ok," Lily said, stopping their back-and-forth sentences. "Just don't rifle through anything personal. Promise?"

"We promise!" they assured before running off toward their siblings' room.

"What can I do?" Candice asked sweetly. Lily had already checked her and Patrick's room, and it was spotless as well. And surprisingly, Patrick was actually out of his room. But he was still silent, standing behind Candice.

Lily sighed. "Well, would you two start on the living room and kitchen? Your brothers will help once they finish their rooms."

Candice smiled brightly. "Of course! Come on, Ricky!" She took Patrick's hand, and began to drag him down the hall.

Soon the twins came down to help, as did Bobby. Lily and Bobby took care of the kitchen, while the other four cleaned the living room. Max just played with a few toys in the middle of the kitchen floor. After cleaning up the toys in his room, Lily had brought a few down to occupy him.

"I thought your mum said that Max usually took a nap about this time," Lily commented as she looked at the clock.

"He's probably excited about having someone new in the house," Bobby said. "Which is good, because that means he'll sleep like a rock when he goes to bed tonight."

"Why is everyone cleaning?"

Lily turned to see Marsha standing near the doorway, looking completely confused.

"We're doing it as a gift to Mum," Bobby answered.

"My guess is that this was Lily's idea?" Marsha guessed.

Lily gave a nod. "Yes. And it's a command, so go and clean your room too. Just don't go through any of Lola's things."

Marsha groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. And then over dinner, I want to hear all about your day with Alec and Riley," Lily told her, knowing it would perk her up.

And it did. "Ok! I've got some great stories to tell you." Then she was running off to her room.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "No twelve-year-old girl should have 'great stories' to tell," he muttered.

Lily laughed. "Wow, you do sound like Martin."

Bobby scoffed. "No. Just a big brother. And a concerned one."

"You're not going to be like Martin is to Lola with Marsha, are you?" Lily teased.

Bobby shrugged as he put the broom away. "Possibly. Depends if I can trust the guys she hangs out with. And personally, I'd feel better if she hung out with more girls. Girls her age. But she's always hanging out with Alec. And I don't mind Alec. He's cool. But he's still a guy, and two years older."

Lily only shook her head. "Well, while she may resent it, later she'll realize that you mean well. That's how it was for Lola, if I remember correctly."

Bobby sighed. "I have too many sisters," he muttered.

"The laundry's done, Lily!" Brady and Richard said as they brought in the basket, setting it on the kitchen table.

"We did the honor of sorting it before throwing it in the basket," Brady commented.

"Max's clothes on the bottom, and then Candy's, then ours', the Ricky's, and so on up the line," Richard explained.

Lily smiled and patted them both on the shoulder. "Well thank you."

"Why don't you go and put it all away? I'll watch Max," Bobby told her.

"And we'll help with the kitchen!" Brady said.

Bobby glared at the twins. "You are so up to something."

Lily just laughed as she picked up the basket. "No fighting, you three. And thank you, boys. I'll be done in a few minutes."

Lily made her way up the stairs, and went to each room, putting away clothes. She did her best to figure out which clothes were Bobby's and which were Johnny's. When she wasn't sure, she just left them on the dresser. Max's room was last, so she opened his dresser, and began to fold, and put them away. But after a few minutes, someone knocked at the door she'd left open. Lily turned, ready to question why one of them was knocking, but she stopped short, and almost dropped the tiny shirt in her hands, when she saw that it was Scorpius standing at the door. He looked tired, and almost like he was brooding. It was obvious that he hadn't shaven in the past few days, and his lips were almost pulled into a grimace. He wore a grey shirt and baggy black jeans. His hands were stuffed into the pockets.

Just as when she'd first seen him after coming home, her first instinct was to run and hug him. And the longing in her wanted to immensely. But again, her pride welled in her throat, and she turned her back to him, and continued to fold the shirt in her hands.

"What are you doing here?" she grumbled.

"You invited me," Scorpius retorted. "I wasn't sure if my invitation was still open or not, so I decided to come."

"It took you all day to work up that courage? You really aren't a Gryffindor," she muttered lowly.

"You didn't have the courage to talk to me with the mirror," he countered.

"Neither did you! That's one count against two of yours," she replied childishly.

"Well I was angry," Scorpius admitted, but then he paused briefly, "at first. But then . . . then I just wanted to see you."

"But your pride wouldn't let you," Lily stated as she continued to fold the rest of Max's clothes.

"You sound so sure," he said.

"That because it's the same reason I didn't contact you," Lily said honestly.

Scorpius hesitated then. "So, you're still mad at me?"

Lily set down the last shirt, and finally turned back to look at him again. "I don't know anymore. All I know is that I missed you. And I hate that we lost two days because of this."

Scorpius sighed. "So do I."

Lily moved forward and hugged him around the middle. "I'm sorry for how you left."

One of Scorpius's hands moved to stroke her hair, while the other came to rest on her hip. "I still don't think that I can let it go without at least saying something," he mumbled.

Lily nodded. "I know. And I may not like it, but I can accept it. After all, that's just you."

She felt him place a small kiss on the top of her hair. "I'm sorry."

But Lily shook her head. "No, don't be. I was wrong to keep you from doing what you felt was right. I'm sorry."

Scorpius pulled her flush against him. "I love you, Lily Luna."

"I love you too," she whispered. "But, can I ask you one thing?"

"Anything," he murmured.

"Before you do or say anything to James, at least think about it first," Lily requested.

"Well I promise to try," he assured.

Lily couldn't help but to smile. "That's all I can really hope for."

That was when Scorpius finally tilted her head back and kissed her. Lily felt the weight of her longing disappear from her shoulders almost instantly as she kissed him back. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and the other on his cheek. The thick stubble scratched at her hand, but she hardly noticed it amidst the passion of their kiss.

"Oh damn!"

"Lily!"

Lily broke the kiss in shock, and immediately pulled away from Scorpius and hurried out of the room. She took the stairs two at a time, practically running as she heard frenzied voices coming from the kitchen. When Lily got to the door, Scorpius right behind her, she saw a surprising, and slightly panicked sight.

Bobby was holding his hand close to his chest, muttering curses under his breath. Max sat on the floor, innocently confused, while the other siblings stood around in their own panic and what must have been fright.

Candice was the first to notice that Lily had arrived on the scene. "Max accidently slammed Bobby's hand in the pantry door!" she cried.

Lily hurried to where Bobby was cradling his hand. "Let me see," she instructed gently.

Bobby slowly held out his hand, and Lily almost winced when she saw it. It was swelling badly, and was already discolored, and looked ready to bruise even worse. And even worse, two of his fingers looked oddly crooked. Carefully, she took his hand into hers.

Bobby hissed harshly. "Ow!" he groaned.

Lily gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry." Then she looked at Scorpius. "Do you know a spell?"

Scorpius shook his head as he came closer. "Nothing that could fix something like that. And since I don't plan to be a medic Auror, I haven't been taught any in training," he replied.

Lily sighed. "Ok, then I've got a purse sitting on the couch. In it is my potion box. Go grab that for me, and my wand. Brady, can you put some ice in a bowl for me? And Marsha, grab Max."

The three quickly did as she told them. Lily led Bobby to sit down at the table. Candice came to sit in the seat next to him. "What can I do?" she asked as Brady brought over a bowl of ice.

Lily gave her a reassuring smile. "Just don't worry," she said as she carefully put Bobby's hand into the ice. He hissed again, this time through gritted teeth.

"I think he broke something," he mumbled.

Lily nodded. "I think he did too," she replied.

"I got the things you wanted, babe," Scorpius said with a sigh as he returned. He placed the tiny box on the table.

Lily pulled the hand-sized box closer. "Thank you." Then once she'd whispered the password, and gave the box a tap with her wand, it expanded largely. Lily set her wand down, opened the top, and pulled open smaller compartments. "Just keep your hand in the ice," Lily told Bobby as she began to pull out a few potions. "Actually, Candy, why don't you get Bobby something to drink. I'm sure he'll want something after he drinks these."

Candice smiled at the chance to be helpful. "Ok!" She hopped from her chair, and hurried to fulfill Lily's request.

Meanwhile, Lily handed Bobby the first potion. "Ok, this one will numb the pain. Take a small drink. And I'll warn you now, none of these will taste pretty."

Bobby was already grimacing, but with his good hand, he picked up the potion and brought it to his lips. Lily watched as he took a small drink, and then looked ready to spit it back up. But with a disgusted look, he swallowed it down. Then he gagged. "Man that was nasty!" he complained.

Lily sighed. "Well, one bright side is that the rest taste a bit better. They're still awful, but better than that one. So, drink up, because this will stop the swelling," she said as she handed him the next.

Lily gave Bobby four potions total, each disgusting, but useful. Then she had Candice give him the glass of pumpkin juice she'd gotten for him. Bobby began to chug it down.

"That last one was to heal the broken fingers. But it'll take time to work. Richard, could you get some bandages?" Richard nodded, and hurried from the room. Lily looked back at Bobby. "We'll keep your hand wrapped until they heal."

Bobby sighed as he finished the glass. "How will I know when they've healed?"

"Well, they won't look crooked. And you'll feel them shift and fix themselves," Lily explained.

Bobby grimaced again. "Will it hurt?"

"Well, I can give you something to keep it numb. So I can keep it from hurting, but you'll still feel it. It'll just be weird-feeling," Lily offered.

"Sounds like a better idea," Bobby said.

Lily opened another small compartment of the now bigger potion box, and took out three empty bottles. She began to fill them only so far with a numbing potion. "These should last you through the night then. Once you feel the pain again, then take one. Your fingers should heal by the end of the night."

"I got bandages!" Richard announced as he came back in.

Scorpius took them from him. "I got this then. Pull out your hand, Robbie," he instructed.

Lily was glad to see that Bobby's hand looked better after he pulled it from the ice. The swelling was receding, and the bruising was already fading. She watched as Scorpius took much care in wrapping Bobby's hand, putting his crooked fingers into their normal position so that they could heal right.

"Does that hurt?" Scorpius asked as he moved the first one into a straight position.

Bobby shook his head. "I don't feel a thing now."

Scorpius chuckled. "Good."

Lily felt someone tug on the hem of her shirt. She turned her head to see that it was Patrick. "What is it?" she asked.

"When will dinner be?" he asked timidly. "I'm really hungry."

Lily sighed as she looked at the clock. It had been hours since she'd made them lunch, and the window showed that it was almost dark outside. "I'll start making you kids something now. It has been awhile."

"Do you need help?" Marsha asked as she held a squirming Max.

"Sure," Lily replied.

"I'll take Max," Scorpius said as he finished bandaging Bobby's hand. He stood up and took Max from Marsha, who looked happy to be relieved of holding the squirming toddler. Scorpius held him up high, making him squeal with giggles. "Come on, little man. Let's go and read a book until dinner, huh?" Then he was walking out of the kitchen, Max still giggling as they left.

Marsha gave Lily a sly and playful grin. "You have the perfect boyfriend, you know that right?"

Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled, as she stood from her seat. "Yeah, I guess I know that."

"And probably the hottest," Marsha added as she leaned against the counter.

Again, Lily rolled her eyes. "What do you want for dinner?" she asked, ignoring Marsha's comments.

"You can make us anything," Marsha replied. "And how about everyone else leaves the kitchen?"

"Why?" Bobby demanded.

"What are you going to talk to Lily about?" Brady teased.

"Boys?" Richard mocked.

"Something you shouldn't be talking about?" Brady joked.

"Will you just get out?" Marsha hissed.

"Bobby, go relax in the living room. And how about the rest of you go and make sure the living room is completely clean?" Lily suggested.

The twins grumbled, but left the kitchen. Bobby sighed and was obviously reluctant to leave. But he left with Patrick following behind him.

But little Candice stayed. "I'm a girl. Why can't I stay?" she asked cutely.

"You are a girl, but you're also only six. Go clean with the boys," Marsha replied, ushering her little sister out of the room. Once they were alone, she turned to look at Lily again, who had begun to take a few things out for dinner. "Lily, can I ask you a question? It's a confidential one, so you can't tell Lola."

Lily sighed. "Why don't you ask your sister this question? Isn't that what sisters are for?" she asked.

"Usually I would. But I think you can relate to my question better. So, can I ask it?" Marsha pleaded.

Lily gave in and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

Marsha lifted herself to sit on the counter. "Well, you and Scorpius were like . . . best friends before you dated, right?"

"Well, we became really good friends during my first year, and yeah, it evolved to us being best friends. Why is this relevant?" Lily inquired.

"My question isn't done," Marsha replied. "Anyway, you were best friends. But . . . when you started to crush on him, were you ever afraid to tell him? Afraid that it could totally ruin the great friendship you have?"

Lily looked at her with a raised brow. "You're crushing on Riley?"

Marsha looked shocked. "What? No! No, Riley's almost like a cousin to me! I mean, I could consider him a brother, but I find brother's annoying. Cousin sounds better to me . . . but anyway, no! Not Riley!"

Lily looked at her with a bit of confusion. "I thought Riley was your best friend? You're always hanging out with him."

"Actually, I always hang out with him and Alec. Now take a guess on who my best friend is," Marsha muttered.

Lily bit back a grin. "You're crushing on Alec Avery?"

Marsha nodded. "Yeah. I mean, he's really cute, and he's funny. I don't really care if he's two years older. After all, Scorpius is two years older than you."

Lily sighed. "Yeah, that's true. Although, my feelings for him didn't really set in until about my fourth year. I mean, I thought he was cute and funny in my second and third years too. But it wasn't until my fourth year that I really, really, liked him. More than a crush even."

Now Marsha gave her an exasperated look. "You're not going to tell me that I'm too young, are you?"

Lily laughed. "No, you have older siblings for that. But I will tell you to think about it. Are these feelings really concrete? And if it is just a crush, is it worth risking your friendship? And not a lot of first relationships last. These were all questions that I had to think about before I even considered telling Scorpius how I felt."

"How did you tell Scorpius?" Marsha inquired curiously.

Lily wet her dry lips. "Well, the kiss we shared at a Slytherin party was a really good indicator."

"So you just kissed him?" Marsha asked.

Lily thought about that. She was surprised on how it seemed like so long ago when they shared their first kiss. "Well, the kiss was . . . spontaneous. We kissed each other. I don't think either one of us started it. It just happened, you could say."

Marsha sighed heavily. "It sucks having a crush on your best friend," she mumbled.

Lily chuckled dryly. "Sucks more when you fall in love with him. Makes it practically impossible to stay angry at him."

Lily closed The Tales of Beetle the Bard, and looked at where Candice was now sleeping soundly under the comfort and warmth of her blankets. Her dark copper hair fell across her pillow, her arms holding the blankets close to her body.

Careful not to wake the sleeping girl up, Lily got up from where she sat on the bed, and turned off the dim lamp on the bedside table. Then she silently crept from the room, leaving the door open just a sliver. Then she moved down the hallway, and peeked in on Max. He was still asleep, but it was obvious he had rolled around on his bed. The blankets were tangled around him, but he didn't look like he was waking up until morning.

So she quietly made her way down the stairs, where she could hear the others in the living room. She walked in to find Marsha flipping through an issue of Witch Weekly, where Lily could see a picture of herself on the cover. Again, Brady and Richard were playing a game of Exploding Snap, Johnny, who had come home an hour or so ago, was reading a book, Patrick and Bobby were looking through a Quidditch magazine, while Scorpius was lazily making an empty glass dance around the table with simple flicks of his wand.

"The younger ones are asleep," Lily announced as she looked at them. Then she looked at the twins. "Brady, Richard, when do you usually go to bed?"

"Two in the morning," they both answered instantly.

Lily rolled her eyes and looked at Bobby. "Bobby, what time?"

Bobby glanced at the clock. "Well, since they're in trouble, they were actually supposed to be in bed two hours ago. Sorry, I forgot."

"See, we already broke our bedtime rule," Brady said.

"Why stop now?" Richard added.

But Lily shook her head. "Why not call it a gift from me for helping clean the house. Now go to bed."

Both groaned. "Must we?" Brady asked.

"Now," Lily repeated.

The twins sighed, but picked up their cards and went to the door. They stopped in front of Lily, looked at each other, then at her. "Good night, Lily," they both said.

"You're probably the best babysitter we've had," Richard admitted.

"We fear you, but still like you. That's rare," Brady agreed.

Lily smiled and rolled her eyes. "Good night, you two."

"Night!" they both said with smiles, and then moved past her, and went into the hall.

"And don't wake Candy or Max up," Lily warned. Then she looked to the others. "What about the rest of you?"

"On breaks, Marsha and I have until midnight," Bobby answered.

"A privilege we get once we start school," Marsha said with a grin.

"And you, Patrick?" Lily asked.

He sighed as he stood from the couch. "I'm going. G'night, guys," he mumbled.

After he received various "Good nights" from the others, and he'd left the room, Lily looked at the others. "Why is that boy so shy and quiet?"

"Stands out among us, doesn't he?" Marsha joked.

"We have no clue why," Bobby said in agreement.

"And, so you know, I don't have to go to bed until midnight either, Lily," Johnny said as he turned the page of his book.

"That's fine," Lily said as she came to sit by Scorpius, who finally let the glass rest on the table. He wrapped an arm around her just as they heard the door open.

"I'm home!" Lola's voice called from the hall.

"Where the hell have you been all night, Lolita Laura Pritchard?" Bobby yelled to her. "What date takes that long?"

"Mind your own damn business, Robert Thomas Pritchard!" Lola called back. Seconds later, she was walking into the room. She smiled when she saw Lily. "You're still here?"

Lily grinned. "Your parents have yet to return. I'm staying until they get back."

Lola looked around. "Wow, it's actually clean."

"You missed it. She got the twins to clean their room," Marsha told her.

Lola laughed. "Wow. That's amazing."

"Actually, we all cleaned our rooms, plus the rest of the house. Don't worry. I didn't touch any of your things," Marsha assured.

"Actually, you didn't clean as much as the rest of us did," Bobby amended. "And Johnny pretty much just came home, and didn't clean at all."

"And I apologized," Johnny mentioned.

"But back to the main point, what the hell kind of date takes that long?" Bobby demanded.

Lola rolled his eyes. "Bite me, little brother. And once again, mind your own business."

"Well what the hell could you have been doing for an entire day?" Bobby pointed out. "I can only think of one thing."

"That's because you're prepubescent," Lola mocked.

"Hey, I've gone through puberty!" Bobby argued.

"And," Lola continued, "there are plenty of things that can go on during a date, besides sex. Don't be a child."

"Children, children," Lily scolded teasingly. Then she sighed. "How about me, you, and Marsha go up to your room, and you can tell us about it?"

Lola nodded. "Sure, but why is my sister coming?"

Lily laughed as she stood up. "Because then you can hear about her day, and so we don't force her to put up with three boys."

"Boys?" Scorpius questioned.

Lily rolled her eyes as the girls made their way to the hall. "Two boys and a man," she corrected.

"Thank you," Scorpius called as they left the room.

Lily looked over at Lola. "And by the way, have you heard from Megan?"

Lola shook her head. "No, have you?"

Lily grinned. "I've heard what happened."

Lola grinned just as slyly. "I think I've gotta hear this."

"Lily Potter, you are an absolute angel!" Mrs. Pritchard squealed as she looked around the clean living room. Lily, Scorpius, and Lola were the only ones still up.

Lily gave her a smile. "Really it was no trouble. Me and the others just thought it would be nice if you could come home from your visit and not have to worry about cleaning a mess."

"Where are the other kids, Lolita?" Mr. Pritchard asked.

"Well Lily apparently put both Max and Candy down to bed, and got the twins and Patrick to go to bed on time," Lola answered.

"And Johnny, Marsha, and Bobby just went to sleep not too long ago," Lily added.

"Were they any trouble?" Mrs. Pritchard asked.

Lily shook her head. "None at all, when compared to the kids in my family. Actually, the twins even cleaned their room, and helped to clean the rest of the house."

"Richard and Bradaigh? Those twins?" Mr. Pritchard asked with a chuckle.

"Yup. So, I hope you don't mind, but I let them stay up a little bit longer than they were supposed to. A little thank you for helping so much," Lily told them.

"Oh, that's fine. It's a miracle that you convinced them to help. Those two can be such a handful," Mrs. Pritchard replied.

"Also, Bobby had a little accident," Scorpius commented.

But before Scorpius could explain, Mrs. Pritchard gave an alarmed look. "What happened? Is he ok?"

Scorpius just waved it off. "He's fine. Max accidently slammed the pantry door on his hand. But Lily gave him a few potions to fix it up. He'll be a hundred percent by morning," he promised.

"Once again, Lily, you are an angel," Mrs. Pritchard said with a sigh.

Lily shrugged. "Thanks, but it was really no trouble. Kids are easy to handle when you grow up with about ten cousins."

"Well let me go get my purse, and I'll pay you for the night," Mrs. Pritchard told her.

"That's really not necessary," Lily assured her.

"I insist!" Mrs. Pritchard countered as she left to the hall.

Lola rolled her eyes. "The only payment I get for babysitting is a 'thank you' and that's it," she muttered.

"They're your siblings. You can consider it a chore," Mr. Pritchard sighed as he sat down on the couch.

"How was the visit, Graham?" Scorpius asked as he sat next to him.

Mr. Pritchard pushed back his hair. "Good. Marcia is looking good. And Elisa and Ginger made it through without crying. Did Martin stop by?"

"No, he didn't," Lily answered.

"I came by some time before dinner, and they were all cleaning," Scorpius told him.

Mr. Pritchard gave a nod. "That's good." Then he clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. "So how's Auror training going, Scor?"

Lola shook her head. "How is it that your boyfriend can connect easily with any father?"

Lily shrugged. "I've no clue. You don't think Jace could?" she asked in a whisper.

Lola rolled her eyes. "If I asked Jace to have a talk with my dad, he'd probably pee himself."

Lily laughed. "That afraid?"

"More of Marty. Because Dad would for sure tell him. Then Dad would forbid me to see him, and then Marty would beat him up," Lola muttered.

"Well, my dad hated Scorpius when we first dated. And now they get along fine. I'm sure it'll be the same for your dad and Jace," Lily told her, trying to make her feel better about the situation.

"Yeah, but Scorpius spends more time with your dad since he started training. Jace probably won't be working with my dad after school," Lola pointed out.

"Actually, my dad did try to make an effort to like Scorpius before he started training. Although, it wasn't until after he'd graduated. But still," Lily replied.

"Here you are, Lily!" Mrs. Pritchard announced as she returned to the room. She held a small pouch, and held it out to Lily. When she took it, she knew immediately that it was more than necessary.

But Lily knew that protesting would get her nowhere. "Thank you, Mrs. Pritchard."

"Oh, thank you, Lily. I don't think that Lolita ever got the twins to help clean anything," Mrs. Pritchard joked.

Lola rolled her eyes. "It was easier to get the entire staff of Hogwarts to call me Lola than it is to get my mother to."

Mrs. Pritchard dismissed it. "I named you Lolita, not Lola. I retain the right to call you by your real name."

Lola shook her head. "Something about pureblood mothers and giving their kids the longest names," she mumbled.

"Well, Lily, Scorpius, I'm sure we've kept you two here long enough," Mr. Pritchard said. "And if you give her the chance, my wife will keep you longer."

Lily and Scorpius laughed lightly, while Mrs. Pritchard playfully smacked her husband's shoulder. "It's ok. I told my parents I might be home late," Lily assured them.

"But, I'd better get you home," Scorpius said with a sigh as he stood from the couch.

There was another five minutes of Mrs. Pritchard thanking both of them for their help, before Scorpius finally walked Lily outside. Then he looked at her. "By the way, you did perform a miracle by getting the twins to be helpful," he joked.

Lily laughed and shook her head as they walked down the sidewalk to the Apparation point. "Well, I guess I scare them, but I'm still nice to them. At least that's what they think."

Scorpius wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Lily bit her lip. Tomorrow was Scorpius's last day before he went back to training. Again, she hated that they wasted two whole days by being angry and prideful. "I don't know. Perhaps just spend the day together? And then I could just stay over at the manor."

Scorpius smirked. "So basically, you'll just spend the night with me as well?"

Lily smiled. "So you know my intentions?"

Scorpius chuckled. "Using the manor is good cover, but you don't think that your parents will assume I'll be there too?"

She shrugged again. "It would be supervised. Your parents and grandparents will be there too," she pointed out.

They both stopped walking once they reached their destination, and Scorpius turned to look at her fully. "But tell me, how long do you plan to stay in my flat until we finally go to the manor?"

Lily gave him a mockingly innocent look. "Are you assuming that we'll be at your flat at all?"

Scorpius laughed. "Oh, don't even try that innocent facade. I know you plan to."

"Are you saying that I'm planning to be in your bed most of the day? Is that really what you think of me?" Lily mocked, wanting to hear how'd he'd backpedal.

But Lily should have known that Scorpius would have a charming and smooth answer for anything. "I'm not saying anything about you. I'm just pointing out that I plan to take my girlfriend home and take every minute to show her just how much I'm going to miss her," he murmured, placing a hand on her cheek, his thumb stroking small circles. "And I'm just curious as to when you'll want to pause so that I can take you to the manor, and then continue there."

Lily felt her heart pound, but she kept a causal and teasing tone. "Are you saying that you plan to take advantage of me in your parents' home?"

Scorpius smirked again. "I think you need to get your mind out of the gutter, baby girl. I just said that I planned to show you how much I missed you. Sex never entered my sentence."

Lily closed her eyes, and bit her lip to keep from laughing, as she heard him laugh. She smacked his arm. "Take me home, you ass," she replied.

Scorpius still chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, and Apparated them to the park in Godric's Hollow. When their feet hit the ground, he looked down at her, still chuckling lightly. "I love you, babe."

Lily smiled. "I love you too." She reached up to kiss him, and his lips were warm despite the cold winter air. When she pulled back, she felt her smile turn brighter. "Come on. My parents are probably waiting up for me."

They both began walking toward her house. "What will they think if they see me walking you home?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. And at the moment, I don't really care."