News of Megan and Hunter running off flew through the gossips of remaining pureblood Slytherin families. But they stayed true to their word and kept in touch with Lily, and apparently Dante as well. They were apparently still in London, but they hadn't said exactly where.
Brandon went off and married his girlfriend Ciara Lanes without telling anyone until days afterward. Lily had at first assumed he'd knocked her up, but Brandon denied it and promised that they'd all have dinner one night. He also assured that he had written a letter to Mitch and Dominique to let them know of Lily and Scorpius's wedding next summer. He was just waiting to hear back.
Lily and Scorpius settled into living together more and more each day. While Lily did different modeling shoots, and looked at different dresses each day, Scorpius went off to the ministry. He was still waiting to go on his first real mission as an Auror.
Lily had finally gotten back her test results for her N.E.W.T. exams, and was mildly happy and proud to see a string of O's on the paper. She was more happy to hear the Hugo and Lola got their needed results to start the training for their desired careers. Lola would be officially starting in August, and Hugo started immediately.
Lily found herself a bit nervous as the month of July was slowly coming to an end. Because it meant only one more thing for her. A day that she knew was approaching, but unsure of when.
Lily sat at the Leaky Cauldron with Brandon, both eating a much needed lunch. They had spent the morning between two different fashion meetings. One to look at dresses, and one to model a few outfits. It was becoming routine, but it still made her a little tired and hungry after each one.
"So, this next meeting will be a bit casual. You won't be trying on a million different dresses, I promise," Brandon assured her. "They just want to talk about different styles you might like."
"And then we'll do another meeting where I'll try a hundred different dresses with the styles I mention?" Lily guessed dryly and with a fake smile. "Fantastic."
"Oh, and by the way, there was something I wanted to ask you," Brandon mentioned after swallowing a mouthful of food. "What do you think about getting a muggle phone? A mobile one?"
Lily raised her brow. She obviously knew what a phone was, her father was raised by muggles, as was her aunt. But a mobile one? What the hell was that? And why would she need one? "Um, a mobile phone?"
Brandon nodded, and then pulled something out of his pocket and set it between them on the table. "It's called a cellphone. It's like a normal muggle phone, but much more convenient. You can take it anywhere. They're amazing. I got one when one of my muggle clients suggested it to me. It's a great way to quickly get in touch with someone. I figured it'd make things easier on you and me. In case something comes up for you suddenly, or I have sudden news, ya know?"
Lily picked up the small rectangular thing. She ran her fingers open, and almost jumped when part of it flipped up suddenly. At first she'd thought she'd broken it, but it seemed intact. The screen was like a muggle television almost, although much smaller. And there were the normal buttons a telephone had, along with a few others.
"I could teach you how to use one," Brandon assured. "It's really easy once you get the hang of it. So think about it."
Lily just looked at it hesitantly as she handed it back to Brandon. "Maybe."
"Lily!" Lily was surprised at the sound of her father's voice. She turned to see him hurrying toward her from the fireplace.
"Hey, Dad. How'd you know I was here?" Lily asked curiously.
"Scorpius said you would be having lunch here. But that's not important," her father said quickly.
Lily felt a small bit of worry enter her. Was something wrong? Had something happened to Scorpius? Or her uncle even? "What's up?"
"You need to get down to St. Mungo's. Some healer just ran in to give me the message that Nicole Chapman has gone into labor, and is going to give birth," Harry told her.
Lily's eyes went wide, then she hurried to stand up. She looked at Brandon. "Sorry, but I've got to go. Apologize to the designers for me," she said in a hurry.
Brandon still spoke as she practically ran to the fireplace. "This is a perfect example on the need for phones when something suddenly comes up."
"Sure, whatever!" Lily said dismissively back.
Lily was sure she was going to wear out the floor of St. Mungo's with how much she paced around the waiting room. She had stayed with Mrs. Chapman until she'd been fully dilated, but was then ushered out by the healer, since only one person could stay with her, in this case her husband.
"Lily? What are you doing here?"
Lily stopped pacing and turned to see Lola. "What are you doing here?" Lily asked curiously.
Lola raised a brow. "I asked you that first."
Lily sighed. "Yeah, sorry. Duncan's mum went into labor today."
Lola smiled. "That's exciting. I'm just here for an interview as an introductory part of my training as a healer. I can't wait to really start next month."
Lily finally sat down. "How have things been going with you? The new place, the pregnancy?" She glanced over her friend's obviously pregnant belly. It wasn't all that big yet, but there was an obvious baby bump there, which was expected. She should be about four months through now.
Lola smiled a little bright as she sat down next to her. "Great actually. I'll be five months in a few weeks, and we'll finally get to see if it's a girl or boy."
"Have you thought of names yet?" Lily inquired.
"A few," Lola admitted. "Jace likes the name Michael for a boy, and Melody for a girl. I think they're both really pretty."
"How's Jace's parents?" Lily asked hesitantly. She was really glad her friend showed up. She didn't feel as nervous and fidgety now.
"Getting better," Lola said with a sigh. "I'm just happy that my parents are ok with it. Even my dad was excited when we said we'd find out the sex in a few weeks. He even offered to help set up a crib and things for us."
"That's good to hear," Lily replied. "How much do you have left to get the baby?"
"Not too much more," Lola answered. "My mum took me out and practically bought out the store on unisex baby clothes. She's even started on a baby blanket."
Lily raised a brow. "You mean your mum's making it?"
Lola nodded. "Yeah, it's a tradition on her side of the family. Her grandmother made hers, my grandmother made mine, and so on."
"Your grandmother made a lot of blankets considering how many kids your mum had," Lily joked.
Lola laughed as well. "Yeah, she actually made two for Patrick, because the twins accidently ripped his first one when they were really little."
Lily rolled her eyes and smiled. "Why am I not surprised to hear that."
Lola leaned back in her seat a little. "So, how have things been with you? Jace says that you've been busy with wedding dresses?"
Lily almost groaned. "I'm trying on new ones every day. It's exhausting."
"Why are you doing this so early? I mean, you have basically a year before the wedding," Lola mentioned.
"Brandon's idea. Otherwise, Scorpius and I left everything to our mothers. I'm sure they won't involve us unless completely needed," Lily said with a small laugh. "They let us know every now and then that they've got everything under control."
Lily was glad to talk with Lola for what was probably an hour or two. It felt normal . . . like they were just sitting around the common room, or even just sitting around at one of their houses. It was nice, and Lily never knew how much she missed it.
"Lily Potter?" a voice addressed lightly.
Lily and Lola turned to see a timid-looking healer standing near them. "Yes?" Lily inquired.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mrs. Chapman has finally given birth to the baby, and I'm supposed to take to them," the girl stuttered out.
Lily felt her heart skip an excited beat. She looked at Lola. "We'll talk some other time."
Lola nodded with an understanding smile. "Of course. I need to get home anyway. Jace is probably wondering where I am. Bye, Lil."
"Later," Lily said quickly as she followed the healer through the double doors. She felt her nerves jumping with an eagerness as they moved down the hall to the lift. Her mind kept racing with questions. Was the baby healthy? Would it have the same problems as Duncan? Or would she get to go to Hogwarts when her time came?
When they arrived at the door to the room, the healer held it open for her. "Go on in," she urged quietly.
Lily nodded and stepped inside the room. A tired and sweaty Nicole Chapman sat upright in the bed, with a small, whimpering bundle in her arms. Her husband, Declan Chapman, looked tired but excited. He waved Lily over. "Come on and take a look at your new goddaughter, Lily," he said softly.
Lily's heart and throat squeezed with emotion at his words. Goddaughter. She was honored and emotional at the thought. But she walked over to the bed, and stopped when she saw the small baby in the pink blanket. Her eyes were closed, and there were small wisps of what was probably blonde hair on the top of her head.
"She's so beautiful," Lily murmured quietly. And at the thought of illness and possible death being able to plague this beautiful baby made Lily's heart ache all over again. "When will we know?" she asked.
And they knew what she meant. "She's too little and fragile for them to the test right away," Mr. Chapman told her.
"In a few weeks though," Mrs. Chapman told her. "Then it should be safe for her to go through them, and we'll know."
Lily tried to ignore the dull ache in her chest. "I can't imagine anything being wrong with her," she assured. But she wasn't really sure who she was trying to convince. Maybe all of them, because she herself was still afraid.
Lily returned home that evening with a bag in her hand. After spending some time with the Chapmans and little Cecilia Kay Chapman, she went straight to Flourish&Blotts, and bought every advanced medical potion book she could find. For the first time, she didn't care what time it was, or if Scorpius was home. She just hurried to her work room, pulled out the first book, and flipped the chapter that would most likely discuss immune systems. It may not have been confirmed that Cecilia could face the same problems as Duncan, but Lily wasn't going to take the chance without being prepared.
Lily had poured over two of the books she bought with not much success when she felt a tender kiss being placed on the back of her neck. "How much longer are you going to be at this, because I've got you timed for over an hour at the least already," Scorpius whispered.
"Mrs. Chapman had the baby today," Lily mentioned as she turned the page.
"I know. Your father told me," Scorpius replied. "So, does the baby have a weak system?"
"We won't know for a few weeks, but I'd rather be prepared just in case," Lily admitted.
"What do you expect to find in these books?" Scorpius inquired as he looked at the cover of one. "I mean, if there was nothing that the healers could do, then what do you have in mind?"
"I just need to figure out a few potions that help immune systems. Maybe I can figure out a way to tweak them, and give them a more powerful and lasting effect," Lily explained.
"That's going to be a lot of work and studying, princess," Scorpius commented. "I mean, you'd have to study the potions, the ingredients they take, and then other possible ingredients, and . . . that's a lot by itself."
Lily shrugged. "I don't see the problem."
"Well don't you work?" Scorpius hinted.
"All things that can easily be changed to different days, and I can work over this when I'm not working," Lily retorted. Scorpius sighed and pulled the book away from her sight. Lily turned to glare at him, but his face was one of concern and slight hesitation. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, give it back. I'm not in the mood and kind of in a hurry."
"Just listen," Scorpius interrupted. "Lily, I understand your concern and worry. I get it. And I think it's great what you're trying to do. But you're starting to obsess, and I know you're a potion prodigy, but I don't want to see you be crushed if you find out that there's nothing you can do. Because sometimes, magic just can't fix things. Some things are out of our hands." He sighed again. "Besides, we don't even know if the baby will have a weak system."
Lily closed her eyes and sighed herself. "What would you have me do, Scorpius? They named me her godmother! And one of Duncan's last wishes was that I would watch over Cecilia. So how can I not do what I can to be prepared?"
Scorpius took her hand. "I just want you to relax. I don't want to lose the love of my life over this. And while hearing about Duncan's passing was sad, it broke my heart more when I saw how much it hurt you. And I'm just trying to avoid that happening again."
Lily stayed sitting and looked at the books splayed around on her desk. She knew how she had acted when Duncan died. And she was sure that she'd be upset if Scorpius was ever that sad or hurt. So she could understand. But still . . . she couldn't just do nothing! That was nowhere in her blood or spirit. But . . . "Ok. I'll tone it down. But I'm still studying over these at least once a day."
Scorpius smirked. "As long as you're realistic about it, then ok."
Lily stared at the green muggle phone in her hand. Having forgotten about the short conversation and dismissive agreement she'd given Brandon, she had never expected that just a few days later, he would take her to some muggle store in London to buy one. After her last photo shoot of the day, he had sat her down and showed her how the basics of how to work it.
"You'll learn more as you go, trust me," Brandon had told her before he left.
Lily ran her fingers of the smooth metal lightly. She was sure that she'd never really use the thing, and that Brandon would probably be the one always calling, while she rarely would.
"I guess I could show it to Grandpa," Lily murmured to herself. "I bet he'd love to play with it for a while."
The door swung open with an excited bang, making Lily jump a little. She turned to see Scorpius who had an equally excited expression on his face. He quickly closed the door and approached her. But before Lily could greet him, or even ask what had made him so happy, Scorpius pulled her from her seat and planted his lips on hers in a searing and passionate kiss. Lily responded after a small and shocked moment, and then Scorpius was lifting her off her feet with a tight embrace.
When their lips parted, there was still a bright excitement in his eyes. "Hey, princess."
Lily raised a brow. "Hey, handsome. Good day?"
He placed her back on her feet. "Fantastic! We've finally got a lead on the case we've been working on! We might have the location of a hideout!" he said eagerly.
Lily couldn't stop the small laugh that left her lips. His happiness was contagious it seemed. "So, what's your team's next move?" she asked curiously.
"It means they're finally sending me on my first mission!" Scorpius finally burst.
Now Lily felt his contagious excitement leave her. "What?" she questioned.
He nodded, oblivious to all but his eager attitude. "Yeah! I'm getting sent out on the twenty-fifth on a stakeout with one of the guys from the team." He ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "So, I was thinking we both make dinner and celebrate my going on my first mission?"
Lily nodded mutely, and Scorpius immediately gave off an idea for a meal, and began to get out the needed ingredients. But Lily was lagging a little still. "So, how long will you be gone?" she asked.
Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. We're just supposed to stay long enough to be sure we have a good idea on their routine and habits. So it's hard to tell how long it'll take."
"And it's just two of you?" Lily questioned.
"Yeah. It's not that risky or dangerous, so the captain thought two would do for now. I think we're only watching over three to five people," Scorpius said vaguely.
Lily stayed quiet for a moment as she thought that over. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous, so there was really no need to worry. And from what she could gather from Scorpius's vague comments about his team's current case, they weren't dealing with high-class criminals or death eaters. Besides, that would be something they'd give to a team with much more experienced Aurors. A team that her father or uncle would lead. She really had nothing to worry about.
So why was this nervous fear settling in her gut?
"It's a natural fear, sweetheart," Ginny assured as she set a cup of tea in front of her daughter.
Lily sighed as she let her finger run a round the rim of the cup. It had been just a few days since Scorpius had given the news of his first upcoming mission, and he would leave tomorrow. An awkward and unsettling fear still stuck to Lily's mind, and she found herself coming back to her parents' house, and bringing it up to her mother.
"I remember how nervous and afraid I was when your father went on his first mission as an Auror," Ginny said with a sigh on her own. "But it gets easier to deal with."
"Does the fear ever leave?" Lily inquired.
Ginny shook her head with a small and sympathetic smile. "Not really. It always shows up, but it gets easier to accept and handle. I promise."
Lily ran a hand through her hair, which seemed to make her mother laugh a little. Lily looked up at her. "What's so funny?" she asked.
Ginny grinned. "Well, I have to admit that having you three kids really took my mind off of any fear I felt when your father went on missions. Especially you."
Lily raised a brow. "Why me?"
"Because there are times when you are just like your father. And you have the same strange little habits," Ginny commented as she reached over to straighten Lily's hair that she'd just moved her hand through.
Lily smiled wryly. "Well I think I'll pass on the whole having a kid thing for now. While it could possibly alleviate my fears with Scorpius's mission, I'm sure it would bring around a whole more fears. Not to mention giving dad a heart attack."
Ginny laughed fully. "I think he'd be just as excited as anyone else in the family," she assured. But then she simply smiled at her daughter. "So, you are aware that your grandmother is throwing you a birthday party at the Burrow again this year, right?"
"Aren't I too old for that by now?" Lily joked.
"Not enough in her eyes, apparently," Ginny teased. "Besides, your birthday falls on a weekend this year. There's a chance that most of the family will actually be able to come out and spend the day together, which is really what she wants."
"Well then I guess I can go along with it, for that reason," Lily said with a smile.
Lily had enjoyed spending the day with her mother, as it had been a lovely afternoon. But once she'd returned home, that fear crept back into her heart. She did her best to hide it from Scorpius that night, who was much too eager to pay too close attention to the feelings she hid from him. He spent part of the night packing a light and simple bag, and doing one last workout before going to sleep next to her. Lily found herself awake for most of the night, unable to sleep.
When morning came, Lily was tired, in a less than good mood, still a little scared, and now sad as well. She stared at Scorpius from across the breakfast table with a bit of longing. How much time would pass before he came home? Days? Weeks? A month? She rubbed her temples. She was being much too dramatic about this, and it was irrational.
But then again, she thought, who said love and fear were rational?
"I'll be back as soon as possible," Scorpius assured her as he slipped his shoes on. "I really don't think it'll take too long. A week maybe? At most."
Lily gave him a smile, although her gut still twisted in silence. "I'll be waiting for you," she murmured as she straightened his collar, which she always seemed to be doing for him.
Scorpius smirked. "I love you, princess." Then he pressed a sweet kiss on her lips, which just unintentionally added to her longing for him.
"I love you too," she whispered. When he finally left, Lily found herself staring at the door, wishing that she'd admitted how she felt about this. But she knew that would never be a good idea. Knowing Scorpius, he'd do something incredibly stupid and noble, and take a simple desk job in the Auror Department. And Lily knew that this was what he really wanted to do. Scorpius was never one to just sit around. He loved to be out there and involved. And she had said long ago that she would never stop him from doing what he wanted and what he loved. This was a dream of his, and she would not stand in the way of it.
Even if she had to lie to him about it.
It had only been a day since Scorpius had left, and Lily was already thrilled to be out of their quiet flat. After so long, it felt unnatural to fall asleep alone in their bed. It was if he had graduated from Hogwarts all over again.
But the situation that Lily found herself in wasn't the greatest, even if it did get her out of the house. As part of the plan to get the Creevey brothers into the same room, Hugo and Lily were in Lucy's flat as support and protection for if the boys blew up at each other, or her. Lucy was getting dressed, after Lily and Hugo had forced her to take a relaxing shower. She had been so panicky and nervous when they arrived.
Hugo looked over at Lily. "So, how's it been, cuz?"
Lily shrugged. "Same as always."
"Don't lie," Hugo retorted. "How have you been since Scorpius left yesterday?"
Lily twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oddly lonely for being only one day." She sighed. "It doesn't matter though. I'll grow used to it. I mean, I can't stay dependent on having him around all the time." She glanced at him. "And you?"
"I am told that come February, I'll be an official hit wizard," Hugo said with a proud smile.
Before Lily could congratulate him, there was a knock on the door. She sighed again. "Here we go. Got your wand, Huey?" she asked as she went to the door.
Hugo patted his pants pocket. "Always do. And you?"
Lily tapped her wand, which she'd placed on her ear as if it were a pencil. A little quirk she'd picked up from her godmother. She opened the door and saw that it was Zack behind the door, a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked ready to say something, but stopped. "Oh, Lily, you're here?" he questioned.
Lily nodded and allowed him inside. "Yes, and nice touch with the flowers, but I'm getting married," she teased.
Zack gave a small laugh. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone else would be here when Lucy told me . . . whatever it is she wants to tell me. She's avoided me and refused to talk to me for so long, I was afraid I did or said something, so I thought I'd take this chance to apologize a million and one times," he explained.
Lily took the flowers from him. "Well that's sweet. But let Lucy say what she needs to first, ok?"
Zack nodded, and held out his hand to Hugo. "Hey, Hugo, how's it been?"
Hugo looked a bit too serious, but he'd been a little more angrier at the boys for what happened to Lucy. But he shook Zack's hand. "Not too bad. And you?"
Zack cleared his throat, obviously noticing Hugo's tone. "Busy." He turned to Lily, who was placing the flowers in a vase on Lucy's counter. "So . . . , Lily, how's the modeling going?"
Lily gave him a more friendly smile. "Good, thank you."
"And . . . you said you're getting married? I mean, I saw the article in the paper but with Rita Skeeter . . . hard to say what's true and a lie," Zack joked, obviously feeling a bit awkward. At least he knew when something was up, Lily thought.
"We are getting married," Lily assured. "Next summer, actually."
Zack gave a nod and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So . . . where is Lucy?"
"Right here," Lucy said in a bit of hesitant and quiet voice.
Zack looked to where she stood by the hall, and quickly hurried over to her. He took her hands, and Lily honestly felt sorry for him, for he looked so upset and sorry himself. "Lucy, I'm so sorry . . . for whatever I did or said. Was this because I had avoided you? Because I can't tell you how sorry I am for that," he rambled off.
Lucy pulled her hands away from his. "I know you're sorry, Zack. And it's not that. I was just . . . a little mad at myself for what happened that night," she admitted. Then before Zack could say something else, she looked at Lily and Hugo. "Is everyone here yet?" she hinted.
Lily shook her head. "Not yet."
Zack looked back at them, then to Lucy. "Wait, more are coming? I thought you just had to tell me something."
Lucy nodded. "I do, but there's someone else I need to tell it to as well."
Zack had a small scowl of curiosity on his face. "Oh. Well, who?"
"You'll see," Hugo retorted. His words were followed by a knock on the door. "Like now. Lil?"
Lily nodded as she took her wand into her hands. Hugo pulled his own discreetly out of his pocket, and the two moved toward the door. Lily opened it, and unlike Zack who had waited, Tyler quickly stepped inside. "Look, Lucy, I'm really confused as to why you're suddenly avoiding me again!" he burst out. Then he caught sight of his brother, and the two of them and Lucy froze.
Lily closed the door, then the two of them moved closer, stepping around to stand on either side of the space in-between the brothers. Hugo scowled at the two of them, waiting for one to pounce. Lily just eyed them both carefully, wondering who would speak first.
And it was Tyler. "What the hell is he doing here?" he sneered.
Zack turned his back to Lucy, as if shielding her, and glared at his older brother. "I could say the same to you. And as to why she's avoiding you? I can list a few reasons, but the biggest one might be heartbreak."
Tyler glared just as fiercely. "You think you can speak for her just because she pitied you after your breakup years ago? Get over yourself, Zack, and get out."
"This isn't your flat to command!" Zack hissed. "And at least when I say I love her, I mean it! I'm no coward about it!"
"Love her?" Tyler questioned, his fist clenching in anger. "You have no idea what love is! I've always loved her, and I've always put her first!"
"Bullshit! You made decisions for her! That's not love, you selfish prick!" Zack argued.
"Enough!" Lily interrupted as she shot sparks into the air between them, startling both brothers. Then she gathered in a breath. "Look, this meeting is not about your hatred toward each other. Save that for another day."
"Lucy needs to tell both of you something," Hugo said firmly. "And you're both going to shut up and listen to her." He glanced at Lucy, who still hid behind Zack. "Lucy?"
Lucy seemed to be taking in a couple of deep breaths herself as she came to stand next to Hugo. "Ok, now this is going to be big news for both of you. But you deserve to know that . . ." Lucy took in one more deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
A brief pause, then both brothers reacted. "What?" they exclaimed.
Zack took a step toward where Lucy now stood. "You're pregnant? How long have you known?"
Lucy sighed. "A few weeks now. I've been taking time to process it, and try to figure out how to tell you guys and my family."
Tyler scratched his at his jaw. "Wow. So, why does Zack need to be here for this? So you can finally tell him off?"
Zack turned and glared at his brother in an instant. "It's my kid, why would she tell me to get lost?"
Now Tyler's eyes seemed to burn, and Lily knew this was where it would really begin. "Your kid? You're dreaming. It's mine! You can't be pregnant for two years, or however long ago it was that she slept with you out of pity."
Zack took a threatening step toward his brother. "For your information, I told her I loved her, and showed her, this last March!"
Tyler turned to Lucy, and anger in his eyes. "You slept with him again? And you didn't think to tell me that before sleeping with me, which was probably weeks later?"
Now Lucy glared at him. "Hey, I was drunk when I slept with you then."
"You took advantage of her while she was drunk?" Zack exclaimed. And before Tyler could even think to defend himself verbally, Zack jumped at his brother, knocking him to the floor, but not before crashing through the coffee table, breaking it into about four pieces. The brothers rolled around on the floor, throwing punches and possibly breaking or dislocating bones.
Hugo looked over to Lily. "With the way Zack put it, I'm tempted to let them go at it."
Lily nodded. "Give them a few minutes to get it out of their systems, then we'll stop them."
Hugo placed a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Don't worry. Any damage they do to your place will be easily fixable," he assured.
"I'm not worried about the damage to my flat," Lucy said vaguely.
It wasn't until Zack had finally seemed to pin his brother, with his fingers tightly around Tyler's throat, that Lily stepped forward and pointed her wand at Zack. "Immobulus," she cast. Zack stopped moving immediately, and Tyler quickly pushed his brother off of him.
But Hugo was quick to move as well. "Levicorpus!" Tyler was instantly brought into the air by his ankle, where he dangled and struggled.
Lily looked at the two of them. "Now, Hugo and I are going to let you move again. And you both will be mature adults. No physical fighting."
"Try it, and these spells will seem like a cheering charm," Hugo threatened. Both of them waved their wands silently, and Tyler fell to the floor with a thud, while Zack quickly scrambled to his feet.
Lucy stepped forward. "Now look, you two . . . I honestly don't know which of you is the father. And I won't be able to know until after the baby is born. Right now, they can only tell me that it's a Creevey, which I obviously know already."
Zack sighed. "Look, Lucy, I'm sorry. And I'll fix the table. But . . . is there anything I can do?"
Tyler scoffed. "Oh please. What could you possibly do?"
"Well unlike you, I don't make decisions for others," Zack countered. He looked back at Lucy. "That's why I'm offering. If there's anything you need."
"Hey, I can provide a lot more than you can," Tyler defended.
"You can't even live by yourself!" Zack mocked. "At least I have my own place and don't go running to Mum and Dad for help once a month!"
"At least I wasn't afraid to tell her I was in love with her!"
"You wouldn't have even been with her if it hadn't been for me! And if I regret anything in my life, it's that I let you hurt her!"
"I hurt her? You were the one that avoided her after having sex with her!"
"You don't know what it was like for us then! We were both suffering from a breakup! And at least I didn't tell her I love her, have sex with her, and then leave her like you did! You hurt her!"
"I was graduating!"
"Excuses, excuses! You have one for everything, you child!"
Lily tightened her grip on her wand, ready to intervene if needed. Lucy just closed her eyes and leaned her head on Hugo's shoulder. Hugo whispered something that Lily couldn't hear over the fighting of the brothers, but Lucy nodded in agreement with his words, and left down the hall without a word.
Hugo turned to the brothers. "Shut it!" he said in a voice that boomed over theirs, making the Creevey boys stop arguing and look at him. Hugo glared at them both. "Lucy is going to go and sleep off the drama now. So quiet down, and let's figure this out."
Tyler glared at his brother again. "She's carrying my baby, and you know it."
"How?" Zack mocked dryly.
"Because . . . because I had sex with her last," Tyler stumbled, looking confused at his own words.
Lily rolled her eyes. "That was the stupidest piece of logic I've ever heard," she stated. "Moving on, that does not matter. What does matter is that Lucy is pregnant, and one of you is the father. Now, you both claim to love her. If that's true, then help her. Stop arguing and fighting, and help her. She's going to need it. And I'll warn you now, if one of you abandons her now without her telling you to get lost, I will hurt you. My father may be The Chosen One, but I'm much scarier than he is."
Zack ran a hand over his face. "How can we help? You know she's not going to tell us anything like that."
"There will be things that the baby will need," Lily listed. "She'll have appointments with healers to make. She'll start getting morning sickness very soon, and her hormones will be all over the place."
"And she'll be looking for a new flat," Hugo told them seriously.
Tyler looked confused. "Why is she moving?"
Hugo shook his head. "She's not moving by choice. She got this flat because she was part of the Holyhead Harpies, and they provided her with it. But she resigned from the team when she found out she was pregnant."
"They can't give her time? She's pregnant!" Zack exclaimed.
"They did," Lily assured. "They even said she could stay during her pregnancy, and until after she was settled once the baby was born. But Lucy plans to start looking right away."
"That makes no sense," Tyler retorted.
"It doesn't matter," Hugo replied. "She thinks it's best, so that's what she wants to do. You wanna help, help her find a place. Get things for the baby, help think of names for Merlin's sake! Just do something to help the situation you two put her in!"
Zack dropped down onto the couch with a small flick of his wand, the coffee table came to form one whole table again, then he leaned back and groaned. "Shit," he mumbled.
But Tyler looked more determined. "A place. I can do that. Tell Lucy she has nothing to worry about," he assured before rushing out of the flat.
Lily looked at Zack. "Zack, if you're staying here to talk to her, then don't bother. I think she really needs to just rest and process what happened."
But Zack shook his head. "That's not it. I'm just processing it myself," he replied. He ran a hand through his hair, making his blonde locks stick up awkwardly. "I fucked up bad. More than I thought I would."
Hugo cleared his throat. "So, you might have knocked up our cousin, and are fighting with your brother. It's not the end of the world."
"It's not that," he muttered. "When I confessed my feelings months ago, I promised her that I would never hurt her. That I wouldn't be a burden. And what do I do? The exact opposite. And I didn't just do it to the woman I love, but my best friend. I don't blame Lucy for avoiding me. I deserve it."
Out of all the things Lily had expected him to say, she hadn't expected for Zack to be angry with himself. She'd mainly expected anger to his brother. But then again, Zack was the more sensitive Creevey, always aware of the feelings of others.
Hugo sat down next to him. "Well, while I'm pissed at the two of you for putting her through this, I'm rooting for ya, Zack. You're a much better man than Tyler."
"But it's never easy to fight with a sibling," Lily sighed, giving Zack a sympathetic gaze.
But Zack only shrugged. "I may not like it, but my anger at him exceeds that. I will not be sorry for fighting for her. And I don't plan to give up until she tells me to."
Lily knew that Lucy's pregnancy would be sure to cause drama throughout their family. In fact there never seemed to be a time where the Weasley clan didn't have some kind of drama running through it. Lily found that with only dealing with the fear of Cecilia's immune system, and her longing for Scorpius to return home, she was dealing with less drama than she'd been used to. But she knew that her "birthday party," the day for her family to finally gather back together, would be a day for everyone to catch up on every piece of drama the members were involved in.
"So, I told my parents," Lucy mentioned quietly to Lily and Hugo as they sat in the Burrow's living room.
"How'd they take it?" Hugo inquired.
Lucy shrugged. "Better than I expected. My mum was really supportive, and once Dad calmed down, he was too. Molly ended up missing the dinner, so she doesn't know yet. They're expecting me to tell the family today."
"Not a bad idea," Lily agreed. "Since we're all here."
"Yeah, and it might calm the excitement Lorcan has about going to the Quidditch World Cup this year," Hugo joked.
Lily rolled her eyes, and Lucy laughed. "Leave him alone. He should be excited. Not only is his team going to play for the cup, but he's going to be a first-string player this time. He has the right to be excited."
"Who's their opponent?" Hugo inquired.
"We won't know until tomorrow. A match with Arrows happened last night, so it all depends on how those scores evened out," Lucy explained.
"Who does it look to be?" Lily asked.
"Unless the Arrows lost horribly, it's either them, or the Cannons," Lucy answered.
"Please, Merlin, let it be the Arrows," Lily mumbled.
But Merlin wasn't listening to her. Because just an hour before lunch, the door burst open, and James walked in with his usual smile. "The Cannon are going to the World Cup!" he cheered as Melody walked in behind him.
Lily groaned quietly as the rest of the family congratulated him. Despite their problems, Lily understood that it was something that James should be proud of. But she wasn't sure if she could endure the bragging. Because it seemed that every time he did so, it never ended well with the two of them.
"Auntie Lily?"
Lily looked over to see four-year-old Theodore climbing up to sit on her lip. She smiled softly at him. "Hey, cutie," she greeted.
Theo looked up at her with an adorable smile. "Happy birthday," he said in his childishly soft voice. His hair was the color of grass, and his eyes were a normal soft brown.
Lily placed a small kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, cutie."
He rested his head on her arm. "Is Uncle Scorpius coming today?"
Lily shook her head. "No, he's still working," she said vaguely. She didn't want to explain her sadness of Scorpius's absence to a child.
A very pregnant Victoire came to sit with Lily as well. "Did you tell Aunt Lily happy birthday, Theodore?" she asked.
Theodore nodded. "Yes, Mommy," he replied. "When are we gunna eat?"
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Grandma?" Victoire replied. Theodore quickly got off Lily's lap to run to his grandmother. Victoire just chuckled. "That boy definitely has a Weasley appetite."
Lily looked at her heavily pregnant cousin. "So, when is this one due?"
Victoire smiled as she placed a hand on her belly. "In two months."
"Will this finally be the last one?" Lily teased.
Victoire laughed. "Oh, I don't know. While being pregnant can be taxing at times, the outcome is always worth it. I love being a mother."
"Well what's the maximum number of kids you'd have. Or is there a limit?" Lily joked.
Victoire looked to be considering it. "I don't know, actually. I've never really thought about a limit."
When lunch finally came around, there was a surprisingly casual air about the table, which was unusual when Lily and James were together. But he was chatting with Lorcan, both discussing their excitement about playing in the upcoming match. And Lily was more focused on supporting Lucy, who finally admitted to their grandparents that she was pregnant. It had caught the attention of most of the family.
"Pregnant?" Grandma Weasley questioned. "I didn't know you were even seeing anybody."
Lucy cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. "Well . . . I'm not really seeing anyone," she admitted with a heavy blush.
"One night stand gone bad?" James said with a shake of his head. "Ah, that sucks."
Lucy pushed her food around on her plate. "That's one way to put it."
"Well, if it doesn't make you uncomfortable to answer, may I ask who the father is?" Grandpa Weasley asked.
"It's Tyler's, isn't it?" Albus questioned. "I mean, that's what he told me."
Lucy glanced at Lily, looking unsure. Lily gave her a reassuring smile, so Lucy hesitantly smiled back. "Well, it's a bit complicated. I don't know for sure if it's Tyler's or not. A fifty-fifty chance, really," she said as casually as she could.
"Well who's the other guy then?" James questioned.
Lucy paused for a brief moment, before speaking casually again. "Zack."
"Whoa!" Albus interrupted. "Zack, as in Tyler's little brother, Zack?"
Lucy just gave him a look of finality. "As I said, it's complicated."
"So, what are you gunna do about Quidditch?" James asked.
"I'm no longer a part of it. I can't play while pregnant, and after the baby's born, I still won't be able to play. So they're letting me out of my contract, with the promise that I could always come back when I'm ready," Lucy explained simply.
"Well at least you'll get the chance to go back and play," James said lightly. "You know, I really thought the Harpies were going to go the cup this year."
Lucy scoffed. "After our last game? No way."
The air and conversation relaxed then as the conversation turned toward the coming of the Quidditch World Cup. Lily was able to avoid joining the conversation and making it awkward when her grandfather asked her if he could see her new muggle phone, for what had to be the fiftieth time by this point. But she smiled as his face lit up as he pressed button after button, asking a dozen more questions about it.
Days later, Lily sighed with relief as she stepped inside, loving the cool air of the flat. With summer almost done, it was getting hotter and hotter by the day. She was almost sweating after a simple shopping trip.
Lily set down her bags on the counter, and began to put things away. According to what her father had said on her birthday, Scorpius shouldn't be gone too much longer, and could be home any day at and time. So when that day came, Lily thought she'd make his favorite foods for dinner to welcome him back.
Lastly, Lily pulled out a small stuffed dragon. While shopping around Diagon Alley to restock some of her potion supplies, she had seen this in the window of a small shop. She bought it hoping that little Cecilia would like it. She grabbed the bags with her new potion ingredients, the stuffed dragon, and headed down the hall. She put away her new ingredients and supplies, and then headed for the bedroom. Not paying much attention details, Lily ignored the fact that the door was slightly open already, and just pushed it open fully. Then she stopped in surprise, and her heart fluttered rapidly.
An open bag looked to have been dumped onto the floor, with wrinkled and crumpled clothes spilling out of it. And sprawled across the bed was none other than Scorpius. He had apparently only gotten his shirt off before passing out. His hair was a mess, and she could see the traces of exhaustion on his face even as he slept. His cheeks and shin were covered with stubble, and looked the scruffiest she'd ever seen him.
Setting the toy dragon down on the desk, Lily quietly crept over to where Scorpius slept soundly. She glanced at the time. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. He really must HAVE missed a lot of sleep if he was this tired in the middle of the day. She leaned down to place a soft kiss on his temple.
Scorpius flinched a little in his sleep, and his eyes opened a little, before falling shut again. "Hey, beautiful," he mumbled into the pillow.
Lily smiled. A relief and happiness had set into her heart once she'd seen him safe and home. It was a lovely feeling. "I didn't mean to wake you. I forgot how easily an Auror wakes up," she teased.
A slow and tired smirk came across his lips. "Once you do a stakeout, you wake up if a paper falls on the floor. Trust me."
Lily gently smoothed down his hair. "I won't keep you awake then. Will you be hungry in a couple hours?"
"Starved," he muttered.
Lily placed one more kiss on his cheek. "Then I promise to have something ready for you."
She kept her promise, and had a large meal ready for Scorpius be the time he woke up to eat. He still looked tired, but more alert as he ate like he'd been starving for weeks. Lily refrained from teasing him, knowing that being on a stakeout of all missions was probably one of the most exhausting.
"So, what's your team's next move?" Lily asked instead.
Scorpius shrugged. "No clue. When we got back today, we gave our findings and reports to the captain and the boss, and then he told us both to go home and to not come back until the day after tomorrow," he replied.
Lily felt another smile tug at her lips. "So, you'll be home tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Yep, all day. You?"
"The same. I don't have a job scheduled until three days from now. I needed the break," Lily told him. "Oh, and I hope that you'll be ok with taking the twenty-fourth of August off."
Scorpius raised a brow. "Depends. What am I taking it off for?"
"Because you're going to join me and my family at the Quidditch World Cup match," she answered. "It's the Cannons against the Falcons. So since that means both Lorcan and James, the whole family is going."
He nodded. "Sounds fun. I'll make sure to wear a Falmouth Falcons shirt." He took another bite of food, and quickly swallowed it. "So, how did it go with the Creevey boys and Lucy?"
"Not terrible, all things considered. And it went well enough with the rest of the family too," Lily retorted. "Apparently Zack's been showing up at Lucy's every morning to check on her."
"You're rooting for him, aren't you?" Scorpius guessed.
"Well I like Zack better," Lily replied easily. "He's not a coward, and much more mature from what I've seen."
"Anything else that I missed?" Scorpius inquired.
"Did you miss me?" Lily teased.
Scorpius smirked as he reached over to take her hand. "Every free second I had was dedicated to thoughts of you."
Lily kept up her teasing. "And how many minutes was that?"
He chuckled. "The few times I got to sleep. But it provided wonderful dreams."
Lily raised a brow. "Really?"
"Really," he assured with a chuckle. "Did you miss me, princess?"
Lily rested her cheek in her palm. "You have no idea."
"So, what exactly do you do around here when you're not working?" Scorpius asked curiously the next morning. He was much more refreshed now that he'd had a long period of sleep and a warm shower. He was now lounging across the couch, obviously unsure of what to do with himself.
Lily bit back a grin as she kept her eyes on the page concerning ingredients with healing products in potions. "Well, I keep the place clean, take care of Salazar, go shopping, study over a few potion books. Sometimes I hang out with a friend or two."
"Ah," Scorpius said with a sigh.
Lily rolled her eyes and laughed. "You know, you can go do a work out, or see one of your friends if you want. You don't have to stay here."
"No, I just wanna hang out and relax," Scorpius assured.
"You seem and sound utterly bored, though," Lily pointed out.
Scorpius sat up. "It's not that I'm bored. But I've just been so busy the past few years that it feels like I've never really had a time like this. Where I could literally sit and do nothing at all."
A knock sounded on the door then, so Lily marked her page and shut her book. "I'll get it. You continue to sit and do nothing," she teased. Lily got up from her seat and went to open the door. She was happy, surprised, and slightly worried when she saw Mrs. Chapman standing there, little Cecilia in a carrier.
Mrs. Chapman's smile was one that set Lily at ease and gave her hope for good news. "Hello, Lily. I hope you don't mind us stopping by, but I was hoping I could talk to you?"
Lily smiled. "Of course. Come in," she urged. She shut the door behind them, and motioned to Scorpius. "Oh, this is my fiancé, Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius, this is Nicole Chapman, and that's Cecilia," she introduced.
Mrs. Chapman set the carrier down on the couch as Scorpius stood and held out his hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Chapman," he greeted.
"You too, Scorpius," Mrs. Chapman said with a soft smile.
Scorpius leaned down near Cecilia. "So this is the little one. She is adorable," he mentioned. Then he looked at Mrs. Chapman hesitantly. "May I hold her?"
"Of course," Mrs. Chapman assured. She carefully took Cecilia out of the carrier, and helped her into Scorpius's arms.
Lily smiled at the sight. "Would you like something to drink, or anything?"
"Oh, no I'm fine," Mrs. Chapman replied as she sat down. "I actually just came back from the hospital."
Lily sat down as well, her body instinctively tensing. "Really? Were they able to run the tests?"
She nodded. "Yes. And according to the healers, Cecilia is currently in no danger of having a weak immune system."
Lily felt as if her entire body relaxed, and a permanent smile crossed her lips. "That's really great to hear."
"It was," she said with a bright smile of her own as she glanced at the small infant in Scorpius's arms. "Greyson suggested that we bring her back in for a follow up test after she's at least a year old, but he's confidant that Cecilia will be in the best of health when it comes to the strength of her immune system."
"Well I personally can't imagine something like a weak system plaguing this little beauty," Scorpius commented as he looked at Cecilia.
"Also, I wanted to come by and give you this," Mrs. Chapman said as she began to dig around in the diaper bag that she had placed at her feet before. She pulled out a small and thin picture frame, and handed it to Lily.
Lily took it, and felt her heart squeeze at little at the picture inside. It was of Duncan. He was smiling brightly in the picture, his hair surprisingly shorter than she was used to seeing. There was a bit of dirt on his cheek, and she could see that his hands and arms were dirty. Every so often, the picture would look to be laughing, or try to rub the dirt off his face.
"He was about eight when we took that picture. He used to love playing outside, and would always come back filthy and in need of a bath," Mrs. Chapman commented softly with a sad look in her eyes.
"I love it," Lily told her. "And I really appreciate you giving it to me."
Mrs. Chapman stayed for a few hours. She and Lily chatted, Lily gave her the stuffed dragon, and she promised to keep Lily updated on Cecilia. In return, Lily promised to come by and see her when she had time, and told her that she could babysit Cecilia anytime. The entire time, Scorpius had held on to little Cecilia, letting her grasp one of his fingers with her tiny hands.
Once they left, Lily began to start making dinner, while Scorpius sat at the table in an odd silence for a while. "Hey, Lil," he finally spoke.
"Yeah?" Lily inquired.
"Well, . . ." Scorpius trailed off hesitantly.
"Well what?" Lily questioned.
"When do you wanna have kids?" he blurted out.
Lily dropped bowl that had been in her hand, and it clattered along the counter. She turned to look at him with obvious surprise etched on her face. "What?"
A small scowl was on his face, one of thought. But Lily could see the uncertainty in his eyes. "Well . . . we've never really talked about that. I mean, sure we've mentioned that we'd want kids sometime, or the fact that I want more than one, and you want no more than three. But . . . we never really talked about when we would have kids," he explained.
Lily felt an odd blush came over her cheeks as she turned her back to avoid him trying to lock eyes. "What brought this up?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know. A lot. We've got a lot of friends it seems either having kids, or that have kids. It just makes me wonder, I guess," Scorpius replied. "So, do you know when you . . . want to?"
Lily gulped quietly. "I haven't really thought about that honestly . . . Have you?"
"Not until lately," he admitted.
"So . . . do you know when . . . you want to?" Lily was sure that she had never had a more awkward conversation with Scorpius. Maybe it was the seriousness of the topic, or maybe it was the hesitancy they both felt toward the topic. Either way, Lily wasn't sure what to do or think. She wasn't even sure she was ready for whatever Scorpius had for an answer.
He gave an awkward chuckle. "Not really. Every time the thought comes up, I never come to a conclusion."
Lily finally turned to look at him again. "Well . . . how about . . . a year after we've been married, we talk about it then, and come to a conclusion then?"
A relaxed smirk came over his face, and it made Lily relax as well. "Sure. That's not a bad idea."
"So, two years from now?"
"It's a date."