Lily wasn't sure how long she stayed with James that evening, but it was late when she got home. She had stayed until James had practically fallen asleep in his despondent and self-loathing state. And with everything she had learned in that one night, and all the things she learned about her brother . . . it hurt her to see him like that. She now understood why maybe her parents never just unlocked his door themselves. They didn't want to see him like that either.
Lily was tired when she finally stumbled into the bedroom. The light was on, and Scorpius was sitting up in the bed, looking tired but yet alert. Lily just silently changed for bed, and quietly slipped under the covers. It wasn't until she laid her head on the pillow that Scorpius look over at her.
"Are you ok?" he asked gently.
Lily closed her eyes and brought a hand to her temples. "I am, but James isn't. I don't think I've ever seen someone in such a depressing state."
"Did you give him hell for putting your parents through all this?" he questioned.
She sighed. "Yeah, I did . . . I'm going back over there tomorrow, though."
"What for?" Scorpius sounded confused.
"Because he needs help. Despite what happened tonight, I'm still worried," she admitted.
"James Potter needing help?" Scorpius almost scoffed. "He needs an ass kicking. I think he got what he deserved."
"He's still my brother," Lily argued. "So I'm going to help him out."
"What?" Scorpius exclaimed. "After everything he's done to you?"
Lily finally opened her eyes and sat up. But she didn't look at Scorpius. Only her lap. "Scorpius, he's my brother. I can't just ignore the situation he's in."
"He ignored everything he put you through!"
Lily rubbed her temples. "It's complicated. And he didn't ignore what I went through. It's just that when James gets mad . . . his priorities get a little mixed."
"And that justifies all that he's done?" Scorpius scoffed.
"I'm not saying that it justifies it. And he's not either. But thinking of all his mistakes wouldn't justify anything if I ignored him, especially now," Lily countered.
"It's called karma. He got what he deserved," he muttered.
"He thinks so too," Lily retorted dryly. "He sits in his flat all day and blames himself in the most unhealthy way. And the last thing he needs is someone else saying the same thing! He's done the best with what he had. He knows he messed up. But I think he can fix things, but he just doesn't know how or where to start."
"Because he's a selfish, idiotic, jackass," Scorpius stated.
"And he's my brother," Lily argued.
But Scorpius just kicked the blankets off of him and got off the bed. "Whatever," she heard him mutter.
"Where are you going?" Lily said with a roll of her eyes.
"A different room!" he snapped. Then he stormed out to the hallway, slamming the door behind him. Lily just turned off the light and laid back down. She was too tired to deal with anything else at the moment. A seven-year-old exhaustion was finally coming to its peak.
Although Lily woke up a little later than usual that next morning, Scorpius was still already gone. If she slept late, he usually at least woke her up to say goodbye. But not this time. But with her current anger and irritation at his reaction to her decision, she didn't really care. She ignored it and went through her morning routine of eating breakfast, setting out food for both Salazar and Regal, and then left to go and see James.
As Lily made her way out of her flat, she pulled out her muggle cellular and pulled up Brandon's number. She waited as it rang in her ear.
"Lily! I'm always happy when your name pops up on my screen. What's up?" Brandon asked.
"What time is my photo shoot this afternoon? There's something I need to do today, and I'm not sure how long it'll take," Lily asked.
"It's at one o'clock, and then we were going to have a meeting with T.J. about some big idea he's got at four," Brandon listed off.
"Can you talk to T.J. about making that meeting a business dinner?" Lily requested as she stepped into the lobby. "Say about six or seven?"
"I bet he'd love that idea," Brandon assured. "I'll let you know at your shoot what time."
"Ok. Thanks, Brandon." Lily hung up her phone just as she stepped out into the cold. She placed it in her pocket and began to hurry to her Apparation point. Now that she knew what James's building looked like, she was sure she could avoid the rocky the ride of the Knight Bus.
When Lily found herself at James's building, she again didn't bother knocking. She had a feeling that James still wouldn't answer if she did. And she found that his door was still unlocked from the night before. He hadn't even locked it after she left. Lily stepped in to find it in the same messy state as it was the night before. She quietly shut the door, and took her first real look around. She finally found James's bedroom, which was where he was, passed out along his bed. The blankets were tangled around his feet, and his pillow was over his head. Lily looked at the time. It was almost ten o'clock now.
Lily sighed as she looked around his room. It was a mess too. Clothes were thrown around, a few stray blankets, along with a broken broomstick. Lily was sure that it had been done out of anger, the broomstick at least. Knowing that James used to sleep like a rock, she began to quietly clean his room up a bit. She threw the clothes into his hamper, folded up the blankets, and Vanished the remnants of the broken broom. While doing so she found a small box of potions and a crinkled piece of paper.
"Take one mouthful every day, two sips a day, drink full with a meal . .," Lily mumbled to herself. Instructions. These must have been his potions from the hospital. Lily looked over the list of what he was taking, and what they were for. "No wonder Melody said he was getting mood swings," she whispered.
Lily took the box and headed to his kitchen. She set it on the counter, and began to look at what he had for food. He had a decent amount, which was more than she had suspected. Still, he'd have to go shopping soon. Lily cleaned up the dirty dishes, threw out all the empty bottles and old newspapers that were thrown about. Then she made him a small breakfast and made out the portions of each potion he was supposed to take. That left her with one more thing to do.
Lily walked back to James's room, and ripped the blankets off of his legs, then walked over and flicked the back of his ear. "Wake up, James Potter!" she said loudly near his ear.
James groaned as his eyes slowly blinked open, then only opened half way. "Lil? What are you doing here?" he muttered with a sleepy voice.
"I'm making sure that you stop wallowing and start moving on with your life, even if you have to take baby steps," Lily said firmly. "Now get up and eat breakfast. Then take your potions and take a shower."
James groaned as he slowly got up from his bed, blinking as he tried to open his eyes more. "I'm getting up, I'm getting up," he yawned. He rubbed his eyes, finally looking a little more awake as he followed her back to the kitchen. He looked surprised when he saw that he already had breakfast waiting for him. "Did you make this?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah, you have to eat a full and proper meal with some of these potions. Not just a cracker," she mocked dryly.
James sat down with a sigh. "Shit, you are Mum's daughter," he mumbled. But he ate without a word.
Lily sat down and looked at him. "You know, you have to go shopping soon for food. And I'm coming back tomorrow, so if you don't have food then, I'll kick you in the injured spin," she threatened.
James nodded. "Yeah, yeah, ok."
"And out of curiosity, why did you cut your hair that short?" Lily questioned.
James ran a hand over his short hair. "Melody cut after I kept pulling on it out of frustration. Probably a good idea. I was probably close to ripping my hair out completely." He looked at her. "Does it look bad or something?"
"No, I was just wondering," Lily replied.
James sighed. "Thanks for this, Lil. All of it, not just the breakfast."
Lily shrugged. "No problem. Also, tomorrow I'm going to bring you a few different potions to take. That way you can avoid taking things that will just give you mood swings."
"I appreciate that. I hate what they're trying to make me take now," James admitted. He put down his fork. "You know, Lily, you don't have to do all of this. In fact, I'd understand completely if you just left."
"I know that I don't have to do it," Lily stated. "But if I didn't, then I couldn't say that I tried to fix things between us. My desire to fix our relationship the past few years would have been wasted if I did nothing."
"Wish there was something I could do to help the process, except for being worthless," he mumbled.
"Well you can start by talking to Mum and Dad," Lily told him. "And maybe toning it down just a little on how much you hate my fiancé."
James rolled his eyes at her last statement. "I'll talk to them tonight or tomorrow," he assured. "So, when will you be here tomorrow then?"
"Hmm . . . around ten? And, I'll have my goddaughter with me too, I hope you don't mind," Lily mentioned.
James scowled with thought. "I thought that Louis was named little Fleur's godparent. And I know that Gabby's godparents are Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill."
"I'm not talking about them," Lily said with a nod. "She's . . . the sister of a friend of mine. Her parents named me her godmother."
"Oh," he said quietly. "What's her name?"
"Cecilia. She's really adorable," Lily said with a fond smile.
"Well go ahead and bring her over," James replied. "I don't mind."
"So," Lily said with a bit of a sigh, "what are you going to do about a job?"
"The Cannon's will be coming back to Britain in two days, so I'll go to talk to Coach then," James said a bit quietly. "I figured I'd take your advice and see if he can do anything, or if he has any ideas at least."
"Good," Lily said with a nod.
James picked his fork back up. "So, how long are you staying here?"
"I have a photo shoot at one, so I'll have to leave about ten or twenty minutes before then," Lily told him.
"Why did you choose to be a model?" James demanded. "I mean, you had a seven year winning streak as a Seeker. Any team would have picked you up in a heartbeat. Or with how good people say you are with potions? I mean, out of all the possible careers, you pick modeling?"
Lily shrugged. "Nothing else really interested me. I mean, I like the freedom that modeling gives me. I don't have a nine-to-five job, I can basically choose my hours and what days I work. And . . . well when I first started, I was always told how many younger girls looked up to me because of what I did."
"That can be dangerous," James said instantly. "Be careful on what you do for admiration."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't mean the admiration. But other girls were starting to think that you had to be dumb to be that pretty or successful. I was smart, I took no crap from others, I was athletic, but I was a model. I can't tell you why they never believed it possible before, but it's what happened. And that's something I want other girls to believe. It's not that I want to be their inspiration. I just want them to have an inspiration," she explained.
James shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I don't know how you were able to get past everyone's expectations. Surely you had a million of them like me and Al did."
"Of course I did," Lily said with a scoff. "I learned long ago that you can't be a kid of Harry Potter without people expecting things of you. But I started out avoiding expectations just by being a Slytherin. Then I continued once I admitted that I didn't care about that, and by making friends with some of the best known and oldest Slytherin families. I fell in love with a Malfoy for Merlin's sake," she finished with a laugh.
James even gave a chuckle. "I wish I had been able to do that," he said. "But I just never knew how to, and I ended up falling in line with every expectation they gave me. I think the hardest ones were the ones that my older housemates gave me. Those were hard to resist, and I don't think I ever did. Not once."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
James pushed away his empty plate and picked up his first potion. "You don't want to hear it. You'll get angry." Then he threw back the potion, and his face scrunched with disgust. But he reached for the next one.
"I won't be angry with you," Lily assured as he downed the second one. She got up to get him a butterbeer. "So tell me."
James sighed. "Lil, we're starting to get along again. Are you sure you want to get into something that could ruin it?" He took his last few potions in quick succession, then took the butterbeer she offered. "Thanks."
Lily nodded as she sat down again. "No problem. And yes, I do want to get into it. So tell me," she insisted.
James took a big chug from the bottle, then put it down and looked at Lily with a hesitant but serious expression. "Ok, ok. Well, like I said before, they all expected me to hate Slytherins. To get into fights with them. So I did. They expected that I would get into a fight with Malfoy as soon as he came to Hogwarts, and I did. I was expected to give every hot girl with an interest a chance, go from girl to girl. Girls expected me to be sweet and charming. The list goes on and on."
"Do you regret going from girl to girl?" Lily questioned.
"I regret treating them like I did. But you know what I really regret?" James commented. "I regret that no one kicked my ass hard enough. No matter what I did, no one blamed me. What I did to you, when I attacked one Slytherin with a group of friends, when I ended up snogging Albus's girlfriend. No one blamed me. No one was mad at me. Well, no one that should have been mad at me was."
"You can't learn anything from that kind of treatment," Lily said in agreement. "And you know what's funny?"
"What?" he asked.
"You and Scorpius would have probably gotten along really well. You are very much alike," she admitted with a laugh.
James just rolled his eyes. "I doubt it."
Lily grinned. "It's that attitude that makes you like him," she teased. "You're both stubborn, set in your ways, overly protective, the list goes on and on."
James scratched at the stubble on his jaw. "You know, I like this," he stated, as if changing the subject.
Lily raised a brow. "Like what?"
He motioned between them. "This. Us talking. I like having my baby sister back in my life . . . in a positive way."
Lily checked her appearance in the mirror in the restaurant's waiting area as she pulled off her coat. She had taken time with her appearance that evening. She was dressed in an elegant green dress, she wore her Slytherin pendant and the emerald earrings she'd gotten a few years ago. Her hair was in loose curls, the pink in her bangs hidden. And there was minimal makeup on her as usual.
"Excuse me, Miss, may I help you?" the host asked her.
Lily gave him a friendly smile. "Yes, I'm meeting T.J. Manning," she told him.
"Oh! Of course, Mr. Manning has been waiting for his party. Let me get your coat," the host said as he gave a flick of his wand.
Lily let go of the coat as it floated toward the coat check. "Thank you. Is Brandon Avery here as well?"
"Not yet, Miss Potter. If you'll come this way," the host said as he motioned her forward. Lily followed him through the restaurant. Lily hadn't been to such a magically run restaurant. Trays floated to their correct tables, and couples and groups chatted casually as they ate. Lily was eventually brought to a more private table, where T.J. Manning was sitting, sipping what was probably wine from his glass.
T.J. noticed her approach and quickly stood up. "Ah, Lily! I'm glad to see you. You look ravishing," he complimented. He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. Then he motioned toward the table, where one of the chairs instantly pulled out. "Please, sit and join me."
Lily smiled as she took a seat, and T.J. came to sit across from her. "Thank you. This is a lovely place you chose."
"You mean you've never been here?" T.J. said in surprise. "With your close relations to the Malfoys, I'd have thought you frequented this establishment."
Lily raised a brow. "Why do you say that?"
"Well Draco Malfoy owns it," T.J. explained simply.
Lily looked around her. She hadn't known that Draco owned this place. Then again, Draco owned a lot of businesses. This one probably didn't stand out to him much. "I didn't know that," she murmured. But then she looked back to him. "So I'm surprised that Brandon's late. Usually he's not even a second late."
"Oh, he sent a message that he would be unable to attend tonight," T.J. said. "Apparently he is being forced to have dinner with his in-laws tonight. It was a bit sudden, but I spoke with him about my idea, and he's in full agreement. We just need yours to go ahead with it."
"Are you ready to order?" a young waiter asked as he came to their table.
They both placed an order, which they were assured would be at their table as soon as possible. Lily picked up her wine glass and took a sip. "I hope you're not averse to a bit of wine, but I thought it fit the occasion. After all, I see wine as a relaxing drink, and I hoped to ease any tensions when I told you of the idea," T.J. commented.
Lily put down the glass. "No, I don't mind. It's actually quite good. Anyways, what did you have in mind?" she inquired.
"Well, I've been dying to launch a whole new line with this friend of mine, who is practically a genius when it comes to advertising and business. But he had the idea that we need a face to go along with this new line. Someone that the masses will love, especially teen girls and young women. You were the first person that came to mind," T.J. explained.
Lily thought about that. It did sound promising. "So, what would that mean for me?"
"Well, you would be the model for the line. Anytime the line was advertised, you'd be there," T.J. told her.
"Sounds like a good deal," Lily admitted. "What kind of clothing line is it?"
"It's going to be aimed at girls around your age, a little older and a little younger," he said. "And it would range from shirts to pants to shorts to almost anything. So, what do you think?"
Lily ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "And Brandon agreed to this?"
"We worked out the details when it came to payment, but he loved it," T.J. assured with a small chuckle. "So, do you agree with us?"
Lily smiled. "I don't have a reason not to. It sounds like a great idea."
T.J.'s smile was as charming as Lily had known it to be. "That's perfect. I brought a few sketches if you'd like to see them." He picked a black book up from the side of the table, which had escaped Lily's notice until this point.
Lily took the book from him and began to flip through it. "These are really nice. Are these your designs?"
T.J. nodded. "Yes, although a few are Henry's, my new partner. He mostly just adds to them. He sees himself as more of the business manager of the operation."
"How did you get so good at women's fashions?" Lily asked teasingly.
He chuckled. "By having four older sisters who insisted I help them pick out what to wear for a date, and picking what would be more attractive to guys. I like to think I've picked a few things up from that experience."
"Well that I can understand," Lily said with a laugh as she handed him back the design book.
"So, Lily, how have you been lately? It's been awhile since we've actually been able to speak," T.J. inquired politely.
"I've been doing ok. Things have been a bit hectic, but not unbearable," Lily answered.
He gave a charming grin. "Doesn't that sum up most of life," he joked.
Lily laughed as well. "Last summer I became a godmother to a friend's new baby sister. I babysit her very often, so it's been a bit of trip babysitting such a young child."
"But are you excited?" he inquired.
Lily smiled. "Of course I am. She's adorable. I love kids as a whole, so it's not just her," she admitted.
"I myself have a handful of nieces, each of which I love to spoil," he joked lightly. "I think my being born a boy was a rarity in my family."
"I can understand that. I'm one of the first girls born to the Potter family for generations," Lily told him.
"It's never bothered me," T.J. mentioned. "I've actually come to understand girls well enough to avoid unnecessary fights and accidents concerning other women I've come in contact with."
"You think you understand girls?" Lily teased.
He chuckled lightly. "Well I'm no expert, but I know and understand enough to get by. Perhaps that's why I'm not married," he joked.
"Well maybe you haven't just met the right woman," Lily countered teasingly.
He brought his wine glass to his lips. "Perhaps. Maybe I'm just terrible at searching for her."
"Maybe you look too hard," Lily countered. "Sometimes you have to just relax and let things happen."
"Sometimes things never happen to those who sit and do nothing," he retorted. Then he grinned. "Quick-witted and smart, you are amazing, Lily Luna."
Lily felt a bit of a blush come along her cheeks. "Well thank you." She paused, wondering if she should ask, but then decided to give it a try. "T.J., could I ask you something?"
"Ask me anything," he assured.
"Well, let's say you had a girlfriend, and she started to try and make peace with someone that you hated, and had a bad history with. Would you be angry at her?" Lily asked.
T.J seemed to think about that for a moment. "Well, I guess for a moment I might feel a bit betrayed, but ultimately I know that it would not be my place to resent her for it. It has nothing to do with me, and all to do with her. You know what I mean?"
Lily sighed. "Yeah, I do." She took a long sip of her wine. Why couldn't Scorpius act like that? He'd been accepting of when she made up with Hugo or Rose. He even admitted to having real conversations with Rose at work now. And they'd had problems with Hugo and Rose at school too. So what was it about James? She honestly felt that he'd be more ok if she were to trying and talk to Albus again. This had to be about James. But why?
"Having troubles?" T.J. guessed.
Lily focused back on him just to notice that their food had arrived. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, trying to avoid the conversation. "So, what does T.J, stand for?"
"Timothy Jackson Manning is my full name," he said as an explanation. "But as a kid I always felt it was too long, so we took up the name T.J. instead. So, will you answer my question?"
Lily sighed. "It's nothing. Just a spat really." A lie, because part of her was still a bit furious with Scorpius's reaction to this whole thing. He'd known that she wanted to make up with James, so why was he acting like this now?
"Well I can only guess what it's about from your hypothetical situation, but I will say that you're not wrong. Don't feel guilty for trying to mend broken bridges," T.J. said comfortingly.
Lily gave him a small and weak smile. "Thanks."
"So, what will the next step in this deal be?" Lily inquired as they walked inside to the lobby of her building. After a casual and delightful dinner, T.J. had insisted on at least making sure she got back just fine, even if she was simply Apparating.
"Well we're still in the process of having some of our designs being created, so in the meantime I'll probably be working with Brandon on a few details of the deal. But I'd say in a week or two, we'll have some ready for a photo shoot. Also, we're planning on having a huge launch party, so it would be very helpful if you would attend that, as you will be the face of the new line," T.J. explained.
Lily gave a nod. "Of course I'll be there."
"Then you just have to wait," T.J. said with a smile. Then it softened. "Well, I've had a very nice time with you, Lily Luna, but I believe that this is where we part."
Lily smiled as well. "I had fun too. It was nice to just be able to talk with you about something other than business for most of the night."
T.J. laughed. "I know, but I am a man of business. But I must admit it was nice as well. I hope we can do it again?"
Lily nodded. "Sure. Just talk to my agent, he knows my schedule better than I do," she joked.
T.J. laughed again, but gave a nod. "Of course." He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, just like he had at the start of their dinner. "Good night, Lily Luna."
"Good night, Timothy Jackson," she replied, much to his amusement. She turned and walked toward the lift. When she stepped in, she was able to catch one last glimpse of T.J. before he was walking out of the door.
When Lily stepped into her flat, Scorpius was sitting at the kitchen table, eating, with his back to the door. Immediately Lily felt a bit of her previous irritation rise. And with T.J.'s earlier words of encouragement, she was definitely not going to apologize when she wasn't wrong.
Lily slipped off her shoes and then put her purse on the couch as she walked by it. "What the hell are you wearing?" she heard Scorpius demand.
Lily turned, irked at his tone, and she became even more irritated at his furious scowl. But she didn't back away. "A dress. I had a business dinner tonight. I'm glad you read the note I left you," she mocked.
Now he was glaring under his scowl. "I read the dumb note," he shot back. "I just didn't know it involved you looking like . . . that!" he hissed as he stood from his chair.
Lily glared back at him. "Like what?"
"Like you're meeting a guy!" Scorpius snarled.
"Well last I knew, T.J. Manning was a guy," Lily countered dryly.
"You know what I mean!" Scorpius argued.
"Yes, and it was stupid!" Lily snapped.
"Yeah, being angry about my future wife meeting some guy dressed like that is stupid!" he exclaimed.
"For a business meeting!" Lily stated firmly. "We discussed a major deal that included me and a new fashion line!"
"Because I love when a guy thinks of all the revealing clothes he can take pictures of my girl in!" he yelled.
Lily suppressed the urge to tremble in fury. "You are absolutely ridiculous! It was a professional dinner! T.J. is a professional! Both of us are! Because these are our careers! I am a model! I take that seriously, and so does he! You are the only one that doesn't!" Lily turned on her heel than and stormed down the hall. She entered the bedroom and slammed the door. Then she flipped the lock. He could sleep somewhere else with that attitude.
"Are you sure these potions will work better?" James asked warily as Lily set them down on the table.
"Yes, mainly because they won't affect your mood or personality. But they'll do the same for you physically and for your health. Just follow the instructions I gave you," Lily assured.
James sighed. "How long do I have to take them?"
"How long were you supposed to take the other ones?" Lily inquired.
"Until I felt better, which the team's healer said might never happen," James muttered.
"Then the same goes for these. And if you run out I can always make more," Lily told him.
James scratched at his hair. "Ok, ok. Thanks. And I talked to Mum and Dad last night."
"How'd that go?" Lily asked as looked over at Cecilia, who was playing with a small assortment of toys on the kitchen floor.
"I felt awkward and terrible, but they seemed really happy," James replied. "And I did feel better afterwards."
"That's good. And tomorrow you're going to talk to your old coach?" Lily reminded.
James nodded. "Yes, I am." He looked down suddenly, and Lily looked to see that Cecilia had crawled over to him, and was now trying to pull herself up by grabbing on to his pants. James reached down and picked her up, then placed her in his lap. "Hi there, pretty girl. You know, Lil, I'm glad you brought her over."
Lily raised an amused brow. "Really?"
"Really. I like kids, especially babies. They're cute, and at this stage they can't really cop an attitude," James joked.
Lily laughed. "Yeah, but I think sometimes they wish they could."
James just playfully tickled Cecilia's stomach, eliciting a small and adorable giggle from the baby. "They're still cute."
"So, when are you going to talk to Rose and Lorcan?" Lily asked.
James didn't look away from Cecilia. "I don't know. Maybe I'll go to the ministry and see Rose sometime when I get the chance."
"And Lorcan?" Lily pressed.
James sighed as he put Cecilia back down. "I'm not ready for that, Lil. I know it's not his fault, it was part of the game . . . but part of me still wants to blame him. And the last thing I want is for there to be an even bigger blow up between the two of us. So . . . not now."
"He's being such a child!" Lily commented to Hugo. The two had planned a day for them to have lunch together, since it'd been awhile since they'd done so. With Hugo working as a full-time hit wizard, and Lily either modeling or babysitting, both had been busy. Lily was now explaining her issues with Scorpius, which after days had yet to be resolved.
"Well, what's the main issue?" Hugo asked. "Is it James, or you modeling?"
"I don't even know anymore," Lily retorted. "One day it was about James, then it was me being a model."
"Well, he's always hated you being a model, and he's always hated James. And he always hoped that you'd find something better than modeling. So maybe he also thought that you'd never patch things up with James," Hugo thought out.
"Maybe I was dumb for thinking he knew me better than that," Lily mumbled.
"But at the same time, you know he hates modeling. So why do you let this get to you?" Hugo countered.
"Because I treat it like a career," Lily stated. "He treats it like it's childish or ridiculous."
"Why not try to talk it out with him? Isn't that what you two usually do?" Hugo questioned.
"We just end up arguing and screaming," Lily muttered. "So I just started taking more jobs, and he's taken to working late."
"Because that helps," Hugo scoffed.
"It stops the yelling though," Lily sighed. She decided to quickly change the subject while she could. "So, how have you and Stacy been?"
Hugo shrugged, obviously allowing the change. "We've been ok. Actually Stacy started working with this center that helps people. Like abused kids and girlfriends, and people with other troubles. She really likes working with those people, despite how horrible their problems sound."
Lily nodded. "She's brave, because I don't think I could handle that day after day. It was hard enough the few times I did it for others."
"I don't think I could handle hearing stories about what some of those kids go through," Hugo said with a small shudder.
"What about you? How do you like being a hit wizard?" Lily asked.
Hugo grinned. "I like it. It feels like I'm out doing something good every day."
"How much does Stacy worry about you though?" Lily teased.
Hugo chuckled a little. "Well she obviously worries, but she's been cool about it. She knows that this is what I want to do, and she knows that I can handle it. She supports it, which is all I ask for." He took a drink from his butterbeer. "So, have you talked to Lucy?"
Lily shook her head. "No, not lately. Why?"
"Well I guess her and Zack are going to give it another try as a couple," Hugo told her.
"Seriously?" Lily asked. While surprised, Lily was happy for both of them. Those two were a good balance for each other.
Hugo nodded. "Yeah, I ran into Zack a few days ago in Diagon Alley, and he was telling me about it."
"Well that's good. I'm happy for them," Lily said. "Did Zack say how Tyler was taking the news, or does Tyler not know?"
"I guess Lucy told him, because Zack wasn't sure. But he was guessing that he took it bad, because Tyler hasn't been over since. Not even to see Colin," Hugo answered.
"So Tyler got angry enough to refuse to see his own son? I'll admit that I'm surprised. I didn't think he'd be that much of a jerk," Lily sighed.
"Tyler's always been like this though," Hugo muttered. "He gets all angry and then drops all responsibility for things." Then he sighed. "So, I haven't asked, how has James been since you talked to him?"
Lily took a drink before answering. "He's been getting better. He was able to talk to his old coach, and now he gets to be an assistant coach for the Cannons."
Hugo looked surprised. "No shit?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah. I guess the coach thought that James's experience and insight to the sport would be a great help, plus he could really help train the other Chasers. So he made the job of an assistant coach, and gave it to James. I guess they haven't had an assistant coach for decades."
"Sounds like a job for James," Hugo commented. "How's he doing otherwise?"
"He still has to take all of his potions. He still has a bit of a limp, but the healers are saying that it might be permanent. He has occasional back pains, but the potions do help. And since I gave him ones that don't affect his mood, he's been in better spirits," Lily told him.
"And you're happy?" Hugo asked.
Lily nodded. "I am. I'm glad that I get to actually talk to him again, like we used to. I mean, we've obviously had a lot of catching up to do, but it's still nice. We've talked out some of the stuff that happened at Hogwarts between us, or things that we did. It's a work in progress, but still progressing."
"That's good, and a start," Hugo said with a smile. "See not all things with you are bad right now."
"Just the most important one," she mumbled softly.
Lily looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Tonight was the night of T.J.'s launch party for his new line, Dream Life. Lily had done the first photo shoot for the line, and she had to admit that the designs looked beautiful after coming to life. And since this would be its biggest starting night, Brandon had demanded she look her absolute best.
Lily wore a royal purple dress that had been made by T.J. himself, and Brandon had sent over a few accessories for her to wear, each to match the dress. Lily had to admit that they were beautiful. She pulled her hair up, but allowed her bangs to sweep to the right, the pink showing brightly. Deciding that she was finally ready, Lily moved away from the mirror. She checked on how much food Salazar had, and made sure the window was open for when Regal would be ready to hunt.
When Lily left the room, she could hear the sound of Scorpius's workout equipment in movement, signaling Scorpius's starting workout. She hadn't even known that he was home from work yet. Then again, lately he spent most of his time home working out, the time they didn't spend fighting that is.
Lily pushed open the door to his workout room to see him lifting what looked like a heavy amount of muggle weights. He had a fondness for muggle workouts that Lily never questioned. But it looked difficult. "Hey, Brandon and Ciara will be here soon, so I'm going to wait down in the lobby. I'll be home later tonight," she told him.
Scorpius set the weights down and sat up. He was sweaty, and she could hear light pants coming from his lips. His hair was practically spiked up, probably due to sweat and his habit of running his hands through it. There was what was becoming a permanent scowl on his face as he looked her over. "What time is it over?" he demanded.
Lily repressed the urge to roll her eyes. "I honestly don't know. Brandon didn't mention, and neither did T.J., not that I asked."
"Be home at ten," he muttered as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
Lily raised a challenging brow. "I'm sorry, are you my father? Because that didn't work when he said it either. And unlike with him, I can freely say, bite me!" she mocked. Then without allowing to say anything else, Lily turned and stormed out.
When Lily reached the lobby, she was just in time to see Brandon and his newly pregnant wife, Ciara, step into the building, both dressed fabulously. "Ah, Lily, what timing!" Brandon exclaimed with excitement.
Ciara was thankfully a little more calm. "Hi, Lily." Lily had to admit that Brandon married a classically beautiful woman. Her chestnut brown hair fell around her in waves, and her light grey eyes were soft with expression. Lily wondered how Brandon, excited and loud Brandon, could marry such a calm and quiet woman. It had to be the balance between them.
"Hey, Ciara. Can we go?" Lily inquired.
"Of course. So, Scorpius isn't coming?" Brandon questioned as they all stepped out into the cold, heading for the Apparation point.
Lily sighed, her breath showing in the air. "No. I wasn't stupid enough to invite him," she muttered to herself.
The party turned out bigger than Lily could have imagined. She recognized some other fashion designers, and there were other models, and dozens and dozens of reporters and photographers. And that was only part of to the party. She was immediately found by T.J., who brought her to another man.
"Lily Luna, this is Henry Morgan, my new business partner, and cofounder of the Dream Life line. Jeff, this is our lovely model, Lily Luna," T.J. introduced.
Lily looked over Henry Morgan. He was a decently handsome man himself. He had blonde hair that was swept and combed to the side, and dazzling green eyes. He was dressed in tones of grey and black, which looked good on him.
Henry took her hand, and much like T.J. always did, he placed a kiss on the back of it. "You are as beautiful as Tim raved about. Not that I think him a liar," he joked. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, Lily."
"The same to you," Lily said politely. "T.J. has talked quite a lot about you these past two weeks."
"All good I hope," Henry said with a laugh.
"Nothing but compliments," Lily assured with a laugh of her own.
Henry handed her a full wine glass. "I'm glad. You know, when Tim suggested you as the face of our line, he showed me a few of the shots you'd done for him. I must say they were splendid. And after seeing the pictures you just did for us, I'd have to say that you are perfect for this job."
"Thank you. I have to admit that when I did my first ever shoot, I never thought much about it as a career," Lily told him before taking a sip.
"Yes, Tim mentioned that you had started with Asterix. With how young you are now you must have been, what, fifteen? That's quite young," Henry commented.
"I was thirteen, actually," Lily mentioned. "I originally did it as a favor."
"Thirteen? Wow, that seems so young to start life as a model," he commented.
"Well I didn't do much modeling until the summer months came around, what with school," Lily replied.
"See, I told you she was a treat to be around," T.J. said with his charming smile.
"Yes, I wish that when it came to business, I wasn't always dealing with just Brandon," Henry joked.
Lily smiled. "Well I'll have to join you two sometime, although I'll warn you that I know nothing when it comes to that area. That's why I have Brandon."
"You know, Lily Luna, we have a few other people that are dying to meet you, if you would?" T.J. requested.
Lily shrugged. "Of course, why not?"
That was how Lily spent the evening. She met dozens of other people, greeted the few she knew, and even talked with a few people that claimed to be ardent fans of her work. She was surprisingly asked very few questions by reporters and interviewers, and their questions were all about the new line. And most of all, she had fun. It was a wonderful and relaxing evening for Lily. She never even noticed how late it got before she left.
"You have no idea how many job offers I got for you tonight," Brandon said happily as he walked inside the building with Lily. Ciara had left the party early, claiming to be tired, leaving it to be just the two of them.
"You have no idea how many agents offered to take your place," Lily teased playfully.
Brandon laughed. "Ha, ha. Anyways, Henry was very impressed with you."
"I was impressed with him. I don't think I've ever met someone so smart, yet so . . . personable," Lily said, thinking of her cousin Molly.
"Well he was wondering if you are interested in having lunch with him on the twenty-ninth," Brandon mentioned.
"When you talk to him next, tell him I'd love to," Lily replied as they stopped by her door.
Brandon gave a nod. "I'll tell him tomorrow. Have you two meet at the Leaky Cauldron at noon?"
"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you later," Lily said.
"I'll probably call you tomorrow to tell you if the lunch thing is good with him. Good night, Lily," Brandon said with a smile.
"Good night, Brandon," Lily responded before opening the door and walking inside. The lights were off, so she assumed that Scorpius had already gone to bed. She flipped on one of the lights as she kicked off her shoes and pulled off her coat. She looked at the time. It was nearly midnight. She flipped the light back off, and easily made her way through the flat in the dark. But when she opened the bedroom door, the light was on and she could hear noises from the bathroom.
Lily simply walked over to the closet to find a pair of pajamas for the night. She had just finished getting dressed when she heard the small creak of the closet door being pulled open further. "I thought I said ten," she heard Scorpius growl.
"Last time I knew, I was an adult and didn't have a curfew," Lily countered as she turned to look at him. "And excuse me for having fun. This flat has been seriously lacking that lately." She moved past him into the bedroom.
But Scorpius quickly whipped around, still glaring. "Must you be this difficult?"
Lily turned to glare at him. "Must you be a total ass?"
"I asked one thing!"
"You demanded it!" Lily interrupted. "Big difference. If you'd have asked with good reason, I'd have done it."
"You are impossible!" he exclaimed.
"What is this about, Scorpius?" Lily demanded. "First I thought it was about James, then it was about my job, and now it's about me coming home past ten. What is this about?"
"This is about the fact that you're changing, and I can't stop it," Scorpius stated firmly.
Lily looked at him incredulously. "I'm changing?"
"Yes. Now you're going off and talking to James, spending all night with some . . . guy at dinners, and off doing some shoot wearing Merlin knows what!" Scorpius listed.
Lily felt her gut tighten. Hugo had been right. "I've stated before that if I could fix things with James that I would. Excuse me for thinking you believed me. And you know what I wear at photo shoots, because you always see them in the end. And I told you it was one business dinner!"
"You use to tell me things," Scorpius stated with a tight jaw. "Who you were modeling for, what the clothing would probably be, what time you'd be back. You're starting to come back home later than me."
"I work, Scorpius. I have never made it seem like I would quit modeling," Lily retorted. "So I am talking and spending time with James, and I will continue to be a model."
"Yes, two things I absolutely hate! I'm so happy," Scorpius hissed sarcastically.
Lily repressed a scream, but not an irritated groan. "Merlin! Why am I marrying you?" she exclaimed in frustration.
Scorpius's glare reached a level of intensity that even Lily had not seen before. "You really have to ask that?"
"I never thought I would!" Lily cried. "But you're changing just as much as I am! You used to support me whenever I tried to patch things up with my family. You may have never liked my job, but you accepted it. You never pulled crap like this! And if you have this many problems with me, than maybe you should ask the same thing!"
"Maybe I should just get the fuck out of here, how about that?" he snarled.
"Maybe you should!" Lily snapped back.
"Fine!" Then without another word, he moved past her and stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Moments later, she could hear what was probably the front door slamming as well.
Lily kicked back all the emotions that wanted to rip apart her heart and explode. She checked on Salazar, who was sleeping on his little bed. Regal was perched in his cage, tearing apart what was probably a dead mouse. She closed the window, and then flipped off the light and climbed into bed. It wasn't until she finally laid her head on the pillow that her eyes began to burn with the telltale signs of tears.