Scorpius didn't come home the next day, or the day after that for that matter. And it was only thanks to Lana that Lily even knew that he was staying with her and Dante for the time being. Lily took the time alone to sit and think about the question she had asked before he left. Why were they getting married? Why so soon? Were they rushing it? It was obvious that they were young and would still grow and change a little . . . but did these changes make a difference? Was it too much for both of them to handle?
Lily wouldn't quit being a model just because she was getting married. Despite how much she worried about Scorpius being an Auror, she would never ask him to quit. She should at least be able to expect the same from him. And she would also not stop talking to James. James was her big brother, and right now he was going through a rough patch. She would not abandon him now.
And Scorpius . . . it's like he was being a child about all of this! Or had he really put so little into what she said? Did he really just dismiss her claims of sticking with modeling and making up with James as just words?
Lana had told Lily that maybe they just need a little time apart. Time to figure out what they both wanted and needed. But Lily had to admit, to herself, that she missed waking up next to him. She missed him as a whole. And it just brought up a whole other question. One that hurt to think about.
What if they couldn't fix this?
Could she really live without Scorpius in her life? It seemed impossible for him to be replaced by someone else. Lily hadn't imagined herself with another guy . . . since even before she started dating Scorpius. But if their problems were deal breakers . . ., could she get past it? Could she go on with life as if everything was normal?
These were the questions that plagued Lily every minute of the day, even in her nightmares.
"Honestly, the idea of you and Scorpius not together . . . it seems impossible," Hugo admitted. He and Lily had gone to Lucy and Zack's flat, to see both Lucy and little Colin. After continuous prodding and coaxing, Lily had finally spilled everything that had happened days ago.
"That's what I always thought," Lily mumbled as she watched Lucy change Colin. "But . . . here I am, asking myself this question. I mean, they say marriage is hard, but it's starting to seem like getting to the wedding is the hardest part."
"Well ever since you started at Hogwarts, Scorpius was always an important part of your life, romantically or not. That's seven years of memories and love. I can understand why it'd be hard," Lucy sympathized as she pulled Colin back into her arms.
"I honestly never thought I'd be asking questions like this though," Lily murmured. "I had never before questioned if spending rest of my life with Scorpius was the right thing."
"Maybe you've just been together too long," Hugo said. "Let things cool down, and then it'll be easier to talk calmly."
"It's still scary that I'm questioning it," Lily whispered.
Hugo scoffed. "Face it. You two are meant to be stuck with each other. All couples fight, remember?"
"It's not the fact that we're fighting," Lily countered. "It's the questions, and how we're changing. We're both young, we still have maturing to do. What if it's pulling us in different directions?"
Hugo sighed as he pulled his hat off of his head. "Man, what is it about women? You make these things so difficult!" He moved so that he was looking straight at Lily. "Lil, do you want to know why you're marrying Scorpius? I'll tell you why. It's because you love him, and he loves you. That's why you two are getting married."
"Yeah, but . . ."
Hugo interrupted her. "Lily Luna Potter, soon to be Malfoy, can you look me in the eye and honestly say that you don't love that man with all of your heart?"
Lily bit her lip momentarily. "I know that I love him. That's not what I'm questioning. But . . . is it enough?" Or are we just growing apart and becoming too different? Or is what he wants something that I just can't accept? Or can he not accept how I'm changing?"
Hugo grabbed both of her arms. "Lily, you are just stressing yourself out on this whole thing. You just need to take some time, relax, let yourself calm down, and you will see that things are not as bad as your stressed out little mind is making them out to be. Ok?"
There was a knock at the front door, so Lucy passed Colin off to Hugo and made her way to the door. Hugo awkwardly tried to adjust the baby's position in his arms. Lily just took a deep breath and tried to do as Hugo said. Relax and calm down. But with her heart aching every moment, and her mind spinning in terrifying circles, it wasn't easy.
"Oh, Aunt Ginny, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked when she opened the door, catching the attention of both Lily and Hugo.
Ginny smiled as she walked in. "Well Hermione mentioned that both our kids were coming here today, and I needed to talk with my daughter."
"What's up, Mum?" Lily asked as Ginny took a seat next to Hugo, smiling even softer at Colin.
"Well, I wanted to tell you that we're going to have a little family dinner on the second. To celebrate James getting back on his feet, and of course the mending of your relationship with him. Can you be there by six? In case I need a little help?" Ginny asked.
Lily sighed. She honestly was not in the mood for a happy family moment. Not with the way her life was going at this precise moment. But she still nodded. "Sure, Mum. Six o'clock on the second. I'll be there."
"Good. Now, there's something I want to talk with you about privately. Is there a place we can do that, Lucy?" Ginny asked, looking toward her niece.
Lucy looked a little surprised. "Oh. Well, I was about ready to put Colin down for a nap, so Hugo can come help me, and you two can just talk here," she offered.
Ginny smiled as Hugo got up to follow Lucy down the hall. "Thank you, dear. This will only take a minute." But once she heard the closing of a door, her cheery smile fell a bit, and she gave her daughter a look of sympathy. "What happened between you and Scorpius to make Ron question on whether or not you two are getting married?"
Lily tried not to smack her head against the coffee table. Uncle Ron and his big mouth! And had Scorpius really said something like that to him? It made that hurt and fear squeeze Lily's heart even harder. "We had a fight is all," she mumbled.
"From what I hear, he's been staying at his sister's house for days now," Ginny stated.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell me everything he told Uncle Ron, then I'll fill in the blanks?" she snapped dryly.
Ginny gave a small sigh. "I'm not trying to poke at fresh wounds, sweetheart. But something is very obviously wrong if the two of you are questioning why you're getting married."
"Mum," Lily paused and sighed. How could she try to explain what was wrong when she herself hardly knew? She still had a hundred questions that she was asking herself, each with no answer. And she knew they weren't anything that her mother could answer. "Look, Mum, . . . we just need to spend a little time apart, ok? We'll be fine, really. Just keep planning wedding, and don't worry about us."
Lily wished that she believed that herself.
While winter was coming toward its end, and spring would soon arrive, that fact did nothing change the bitter cold in the air. Even if the snow had already disappeared, the chilly wind was there to remind you of the season, and made you wish you were warm and indoors.
Lily felt this exact way as she looked out the window of the Leaky Cauldron. It was the day that she and Henry had planned to have lunch together. She had arrived a little early, wanting to be away from the silence of her flat. It seemed more empty each day.
Despite the weather, she was still not a winter clothing-type of girl. She wore a thin and silk long sleeve shirt that fell slightly off one shoulder. And she wore a black skirt with leggings underneath. Her hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail. After all these formal occasions, she was happy to just dress casually for one.
It was three days now. Three days since Scorpius had left their flat in a fury. Her entire world had seemingly started to crumble in those three days. She had tried to do what Hugo said. She tried to just relax . . . but it was impossible for her.
"Ah, Lily," Henry said with a smile as he approached the table. He was dressed more for the winter. He had only black slacks and what looked to be a very warm maroon sweater. His blonde hair was still swept and combed to the side, allowing his green eyes to really shine. "I'm glad you agreed to this. I needed the break from all the work with the new line," he mentioned as he sat down.
Lily smiled. "Well I needed the distraction as well, so I was glad to agree. I got us both a butterbeer, I hope that works for you?"
"Works perfectly. I actually haven't eaten here in years," Henry commented.
"Well how about I order for the both of us? I come here all the time, so I know what's the perfect thing to get," Lily offered.
Henry gave a nod as he pulled off the cap to his butterbeer. "Sure, I trust your judgement."
Lily ordered for the both of them when Hannah's new waitress came to their table, and then looked toward her lunch companion. "So, how do you know T.J.?"
"Tim? Oh, he's an old friend. We were neighbors as kids, and so we've just kind of grown up together," Henry told her.
"Did you go to Hogwarts then?" Lily asked curiously.
"No, actually I went to Durmstrang," he answered. "It was where my dad went to school, so that's where he always wanted his son to go."
"Did you like it there?" Lily inquired.
"Well I had always wished that it was a little more relaxed, but I guess I might not have ended up as smart without such a rigorous education," he said with a chuckle. "Did you like Hogwarts?"
A smile easily came to Lily's lips. "I loved it. I really couldn't imagine going to any other school."
"I always thought Hogwarts sounded fun. A few of Tim and I's neighborhood friends had gone there," Henry commented.
"Well it obviously had its share of drama, and then some, but it was worth the life experiences and all the memories," Lily replied.
"Memories are precious," Henry agreed. "So, because I'm just an average citizen, I have to ask, how is being the daughter of such a famous hero?"
Lily sighed, but still gave a wry smile. This wasn't a new question to her. She'd heard it plenty of times at the launch party alone. "Tiring, I guess. It can put a lot of expectations on your shoulders. And if you can't find ways to ignore them, then I'd imagine that it can be stressful."
"You've never felt that stress?" Henry asked.
"I've found ways to go around expectations," Lily replied. "I can't speak for my brothers, but I've done my best to just have fun and ignore expectations."
"You have two brothers?" he asked. "I knew of the one that plays Quidditch, but I didn't know you had another."
"Well his job doesn't place him in the media as much," Lily mentioned. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I have a brother and two sisters," he told her. "My brother is older, as is one of my sisters. But the other sister is three years younger than I am. I'm kind of the middle child."
"I'm the youngest actually, and that includes among the rest of my extended family . . . of my generation," Lily explained. "One of my cousins just had a baby, and my other cousin has three kids now. The oldest will be turning five soon."
"I have a few nephews and nieces myself," Henry admitted. "My brother has two daughters and a son, my older sister has two sons, and my younger sister has a daughter. Each of them are adorable, so I try to babysit them when I can. I'm a fan of kids."
"I am too, but I babysit a lot, so I'm used to them," Lily joked.
"I once babysat all of them in one day. That's six. How many have you watched in one day?" he challenged playfully.
Lily thought about that. "Seven. I had to babysit my friend's little siblings once, and she has quite a lot of them," she said, thinking of when she watched over the younger Pritchard kids.
Lunch with Henry turned out to be a nice time. Lily found that Henry really was a sweet man. He was very fond of not just his nieces and nephews, but of all little kids. He spent a lot of time working, but always took time off if it concerned his family. He liked to travel, and had a wonderful sense of humor.
"You know, I don't know when I've had such a nice afternoon," Henry commented as they walked out the backdoor of the Leaky Cauldron. The wall to Diagon Alley was closed, waiting for Henry to hit the correct bricks. He apparently lived along Diagon Alley, and Lily would simply Apparate home from where they were.
Lily smiled and nodded. "I agree. With how . . . hectic things have been with work and life, it was nice to simply have some time to distract myself."
Henry chuckled. "Glad I could be of help. I'll have to send you a message next time I get overloaded with work. Perhaps we could do this again?"
Lily shrugged with a friendly smile. "Maybe. We'll see how schedules go."
Henry's smile was charming and a bit gentle in appearance, but also friendly. So Lily was honestly surprised when Henry began to lean closer, and she wasn't completely sure what to do when Henry placed his lips against hers. It was a nice kiss. It was soft and held no pressure or expectation. His lips were warm, and while the kiss was gentle, his lips were still sure and certain. As if he held no hesitance about it.
When Henry pulled away, Lily simply blinked a few times, her mind still processing what happened. She hadn't been kissed by a man other than Scorpius since before they had started dating years ago. And it was a nice kiss, and from a very nice and handsome man. And . . .
Henry gave Lily a bashful smile. "Was that the wrong thing to do?"
This time Lily couldn't have repressed the smile that came to her lips if she tried.
Lily didn't bother knocking on her parents' door, but instead just walked into the house. She could smell food cooking down the hall from the kitchen. "Mum? Dad? I'm here!" Lily called as she slipped off her shoes.
Ginny came out from the kitchen, and smiled at her daughter. "Hello, sweetheart. I'm glad you came early."
Lily hung up her coat. "Well you asked me to. Do you need help?"
"Well why don't you go into the living room and say hi to your father. I think he's in there," Ginny said as she returned to the kitchen.
Lily raised a brow, but didn't question her mother's weird behavior. Instead she just headed for the living room. She stopped when she saw who was really sitting on the couch. Scorpius. His hair was in its usual styled mess, and it looked like he hadn't shaven in a few days. He was dressed in a black long sleeve shirt with grey pants. A scowl was on his face as his eyes locked onto her. It all made her heart beat faster.
"Scorpius, hi," she greeted a bit quietly. She'd been wanting to talk to him since her lunch with Henry the day before, but hadn't had the chance. And she hadn't thought he'd be here. She immediately sensed a setup by her mother, but didn't mind. This actually worked out to her benefit.
Scorpius looked away from her. "Hey," he mumbled.
"Can we talk upstairs?" Lily requested.
Scorpius ran a hand over his face. "Lil, now is not the time to start this. I just want to get through this dinner."
"Tonight is the perfect time," Lily argued. "We have to talk. This is really important."
Scorpius groaned as he got up. "Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with then," she heard him mutter.
Lily ignored his tone and led him upstairs. She pulled him into her old bedroom and immediately locked the door. And on the very possible chance that yelling resulted from what she had to say, she pulled out her wand and silenced the room. When she turned back to Scorpius, he was sitting on the bed, looking like he really didn't want to be there.
"Ok, what do you want to say?" he asked with a heavy sigh.
"Something happened to me yesterday. Something wonderful, something that helped me figure out everything that's been bothering me since our big blow up."
Scorpius tapped his fingers on his knee as he looked at his lap. "What?"
"I had lunch with Henry Morgan . . . and he kissed me," Lily stated.
Scorpius's head immediately shot up to look at her, and he was on his feet in a second. His expression was one of complete fury. "What?" he demanded.
Lily stepped forward and placed her hands on his arms. "Just wait!" she insisted. "Him kissing me was the perfect thing to happen."
"And I'm supposed to be happy about that?" Scorpius exclaimed. "My fiancee gets kissed by another man, and I'm not supposed to be angry?"
"I realized the answer to the question that I stupidly asked that night!" Lily said quickly. Scorpius didn't say anything, but she could feel his arms tense. "I know why I'm marrying you."
Scorpius's scowl deepened. "What do you mean?"
Lily brought in a deep breath. "It's the way you kiss me."
He now looked confused, although he was still scowling. "You're marrying me because of how I kiss you?"
Lily nodded. "Yes. Because . . . no one has ever made me feel the way you do when we kiss. Lysander didn't when I was a teenager, and Henry didn't last night. As a woman, I can admit that it was a nice kiss, and I can tell that he was a good kisser. But I felt absolutely nothing when he kissed me. But with you, I get shivers when you just hold my hand. I love you, and it's not a love that can be replaced. You are irreplaceable. Anyone can make me laugh, anyone could support me financially, and anyone could make me smile. But no one can make me feel the way you do. No one makes my heart beat harder just by looking at me, but you."
Scorpius's arms relaxed a little bit under her fingers, and his scowl softened just a tad. "I can't live without you in my life. I can't live without you being mine," he whispered.
Lily moved her hands down to intertwine her fingers with his. "And I'm sorry for every thing that's happened this month. But you hate my job, and you hate my brother . . . and those are things that I can live with. But . . . do you think you can live with my being a model, and my getting along with James?"
"Can you live with me tagging along to those fashion parties and glaring at every man that approaches you? And that I'll probably be unbearable whenever you mention working for that Manning guy?" he asked in return.
"If you can live with my being a bit flighty and forgetful. And with the fact that I sometimes don't notice other men's intentions when I think it's just a simple lunch?" Lily added.
"If you can live with my demanding that you no longer go on lunches like that without Brandon or me," Scorpius finished.
Lily nodded. "After the last few days, I think I could live with anything, as long as it includes you," she murmured.
Scorpius looked down at her hands, then a bit of a scowl came back to his face when he looked at her. "Another man kissed you?"
Lily bit back a laugh, and gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah. Nothing we can do about it now."
"I beg to differ," he growled lowly. Then his hands left hers in a flash and came to her cheeks. Then he pulled her closer and placed his lips on hers in a searing and passionate kiss. Lily's heart sped up erratically, and a warmth spread through her body. His tongue swept across her bottom lip with a pleasant pressure. Lily parted her lips for him. She didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but every second burned through her body, and when their lips parted her breath was short with harsh pants. Longing coursed through her veins, along with a familiar desire. And with a look at the intensity of his eyes, a known heat pooled in her stomach.
"I missed you," she whispered. "And I'm so sorry."
Scorpius shook his head, and brought his hands to her hips in order to pull her closer. He then rested his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry too. I was just thinking of me, and I promise that it won't happen again," he murmured.
"Same here," Lily panted lightly. "And whenever you want to be involved in my job, just say so. I'll do my best, I promise."
Scorpius's hands tightened on her hips as he pulled her even closer to him. He tilted his head and pressed another kiss on her lips. This one was much rougher, with a thick undertone of desire. Lily parted her lips for him immediately, and his tongue swept along her lips, then into her mouth and brushed along her own tongue. One of his hands came around to rest his palm on the small of her back, his skin burning through her shirt and into her own skin.
Lily wove her fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp, while the other hands came to his shoulder, where her hand fisted in his shirt. Repeated waves of heat were lapping over her body, urging her to press even closer to him.
Scorpius pulled his lips from hers, and trailed his down to her neck. "How much time do we have?"
"I don't know when James will be here, but probably thirty minutes at the most," she gasped as his teeth nipped a bit of skin near her pulse.
"Perfect," he mumbled as he brought his hands lower, and lifted her off of her feet. Lily wrapped her legs around him and let out a moan as his lips finally came to suck at her pulse point. Lily began to tug at his sweater, dying for it to disappear, and to feel the warm heat that his skin radiated.
Scorpius stumbled a little, and they both fell to the bed behind them. Normally, Lily might have laughed, but she was too caught up in the quick pace and passion of the moment. Scorpius pulled away for only a second to pull the sweater over his head. He threw it over his shoulder as he came back to kiss her again. Lily ran her hands across the expanse of his back, shivering at the warm muscle she felt. Scorpius's own hands pulled her shirt up along her skin, the hem coming to stop just above her chest. Pulling it up anymore would mean that their lips would have to part, and he didn't seem about to do so.
Lily shivered again when his hands roamed from her sides, to her stomach, her breasts, and back to her sides again. She pulled her lips from his in order to catch her breath, but then brought her lips to his ear, where she nipped at his earlobe. Scorpius groaned, and in return brought his lips to her pulse point again, only to trail further down. She felt his hands tugging at her jeans, and she soon heard the familiar sound of the button unsnapping, and the zipper being undone. He ripped her jeans down her legs, dropping the pants to the floor.
Lily's short-lived gasp turned into a small cry of pleasure when his hand roughly brushed against her. In her mind's hazy and rushed state, Lily could hear the sound of clinking metal, and then the sound of a zipper. She brought hand down to the taunt muscles of his stomach, but then his hand caught hers, and a comfortable warmth spread all the way up her arm, and down to her heart.
Scorpius's lips moved to be place on the swell of her breast, and Lily was sure that he could probably feel the rapid beat of her heart under his lips. "You love me?" he mumbled against her skin. Lily nodded, not trusting her voice. But then he nipped a bit roughly at her skin, pulling a small and needy whimper from her throat. "Say it." His voice was a hoarse whisper that was low with desire and obvious arousal.
Lily took in the best breath that her erratic body could handle. "I love you," she murmured softly, her fingers digging into his shoulders at the feel of his fingers tugging her underwear aside.
He thrust into her immediately and quickly. Lily let out a moan, and Scorpius groaned into her skin. He wasted not time in starting a fast and uneven pace, one that Lily was luckily able to keep up with. With every thrust she could feel a slight scratch from what she assumed was his belt, but it didn't stop her from pulling him even closer as they moved. Scorpius's hands had a tight grip on her hips, and his lips seemed to be every where. After one particularly hard thrust, Lily moaned and dragged her fingers up his back.
Her head was spinning at the urgency of their pace, and a familiar and sorely missed pressure was tightening in her body, ready to snap at a moment's notice. Her body felt as if it were on fire, and her nerves were snapping under her skin.
Scorpius's lips came back up to connect harshly with her own. Suddenly his pace increased, not only making it impossible for Lily to keep up, her mind already in a whirlwind, but it also snapped that pressure in her body into a million pieces. Bursts of ecstasy popped in her veins. "Scorpius!" she moaned quietly against his lips.
Lily felt her body finally fall to exhaustion, and her breath came in quick and needy pants. She hadn't noticed that Scorpius had come as well, but he now rested his forehead on her shoulder, his chest and shoulders heaving as he tried to catch his own breath. They both laid there, trying to settle their breaths and bodies.
"Lily?"
Both of them froze at the sound of James's voice in the hallway. Then they both snapped into action. Scorpius pulled away from her completely and began to pull his boxers and pants back up, and Lily quickly reached for her jeans on the floor.
"Lily?" There was a knock on the door. "You in there?"
Lily hurried to have her jeans in place, and then began to fix her shirt. Scorpius quickly moved to the door, where his sweater had been thrown, and started to pull it over his head.
"James?" That was her mother. They both froze again, Lily with her shirt wrinkled and a little lopsided, and Scorpius with his sweater only over his head.
"Is Lily in there, Mum?" they heard James asked.
"Yes, she and Scorpius are talking a few things out. Leave them be, they need to talk," Ginny replied.
"Well if he makes her cry than I reserve the right to kick the crap out of him," they heard James's voice fade as he stepped away from the door.
Lily and Scorpius both refrained from moving for a minute or so. Then with a heavy sigh, he finally slipped his arms into the sweater, while Lily fixed her shirt completely. Then she walked over to her old and small vanity mirror. Her hair was a mess, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on her skin. She was flushed, and she still felt as if her body was on fire.
Scorpius came up behind her, hid hand holding out her wand. "Here," he mumbled, his breath still a little heavy.
Lily took it from him. "Thanks," she whispered. With a few short spells, she got rid of the sweat on her skin, but she knew that her hair would be a problem. Taming Potter hair without a brush was practically impossible, and she had obviously taken her brush with her when she moved. She quickly started to open the drawers, hoping that maybe she could find a spare hair tie that she'd left.
Scorpius simply ran his hand over his hair, trying to make it look more like the styled mess from before, instead of the real mess she had made it. "You might have to search the bathroom for a brush to fix that," he commented, his fingers coming up to run through her hair. But then his hands fell to wrap around her, and pulled her back into him, his cheek resting against her hair.
Lily relaxed into his hold, having dearly missed this in the last month. She waited for a moment for her heart to slow a little, but then she smiled when she remembered: her heart never beat normally around Scorpius. She turned in his embrace, and leaned up to place a kiss on his jaw. "Go and distract my parents while I run to the bathroom?"
Scorpius nodded. "No problem," he whispered. He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry for my attitude this last month."
"Me too," she murmured. "But we'll talk more about it at home, ok?"
After Lily undid the silencing charm around her room, they left to the hallway, thankful to find that her brother was no longer lurking around. While Scorpius went downstairs, Lily hurried to the hall's bathroom. She was so thankful to find one of the boys' old combs. She looked herself over in the mirror as she ran the comb through her hair. And she groaned. Slowly, she could see little hickeys appearing on her neck. She finished combing her hair quickly, then did a few simple concealment charms to hide the marks on her neck.
Her face was still a little flush, and her body still felt a little hot, but Lily knew that her appearance probably wouldn't get any better for a little bit. She put down the comb and left the bathroom, pleased that her hair no longer looked like an absolute mess. She went down the stairs just in time for her mother to catch her in the hallway with an expectant look that made Lily nervous.
"Well?" Ginny demanded.
Lily gulped quietly. "Well what?" she asked innocently, praying that her mother wouldn't figure out what she and Scorpius had just done.
"Do Astoria and I need to worry about the wedding?" Ginny explained.
Relief rushed through Lily. "Oh, no. We're ok . . . or on the road to ok. We're fine," she rambled. "I promise."
Ginny smiled. "Good, because I'd hate to see you two unhappy, which I'm sure you would be without each other."
Lily nodded. "Yeah. Me too."
"Help me set the table? Dinner's almost done," Ginny said as she walked into the kitchen.
Lily followed her. "Yeah sure," she said vaguely. Because she just had this really bad feeling . . . that her mum just knew.
When they all sat down to dinner, Albus was surprisingly missing. "He's on a short scouting mission," Harry had told them when James asked.
The dinner itself was a little different. James sat in front of Lily, while Scorpius obvious sat by her side. The two didn't look at each other, and didn't acknowledge each other either. Lily felt like a wall in-between the two, making her want to roll her eyes.
"So, James, how's being the assistant coach treating you?" Lily asked curiously.
An obvious smile tugged at James's lips. "It's a pretty cool job. I mean, it still sucks that I can't play, but it's not bad."
"Have they figured out who's taking the new Chaser spot?" Ginny inquired.
"Yeah, a girl named Elizabeth Peakes," James answered, with what Lily detected to be a bit of a blush on his cheeks. "I guess we went to Hogwarts together, but I don't really remember her honestly. She's a year younger than me, according to her."
"I remember her," Lily commented. "She commentated on the Quidditch matches for a few years."
"Yeah, that's what she said, but I still can't really remember," James mentioned. "I felt like a jerk since she remembered me."
"So, Scorpius, how's your team doing on the case?" Harry questioned.
"We're waiting for the interrogation team to come back with results from the last guy we picked up. If we can get something, then we might be able to wrap it up," Scorpius said. It was vague, but Lily was sure that her father understood exactly what that meant for the department.
"So, Lily," Ginny addressed now that the two were talking about work, "have you decided on a dress yet?"
Lily gave her mother a sheepish look. "Well . . . not exactly."
"Well it's not like the wedding's next month or something . . . right?" James asked quickly.
"But it is only three months away," Ginny pointed out. "Have you been looking?"
"Twice a week at least," Lily assured with a sigh. "I just haven't committed to picking one yet. Because like you said, it's still three months away."
"Time can move faster than you think sometimes," Ginny teased.
"Oh, Scorpius, James, Lily, I almost forgot," Harry said suddenly. "Ron had an idea that he spread around parts of the family. He was thinking this April that when we all meet at the Burrow that we'd have a family Quidditch match. And it's not going to be anything intense or dangerous, so you should be fine, James. Are you in?"
Lily shrugged. "Sure."
"Totally!" James said quickly.
"Seems like a fun plan," Scorpius said with a polite smile.
Lily and Scorpius had been quiet all the way home that night. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Lily knew that there were still things that needed to be said. Their passionate apologies weren't going to be enough, and their situation wasn't something they could ignore. Not with three months until their wedding.
When they both sat on the couch, Lily decided to be the first to speak. "So, you've seen James in a relaxed situation," she mentioned.
"I still hate him," Scorpius stated. "For years and years he made other Houses hate Slytherin. Slytherins got tortured, and picked on, and harassed all because of him. I can't forgive that. And I can't forgive all that he's done to you."
"But can you tolerate him?" Lily questioned.
Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe. For you."
Lily reached up and fixed his hair. "Scorpius, can I ask something, and you not assume the worse? But really think about it?"
Scorpius took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'll try."
Lily kept a comforting grip on his hand. "Do you think we should get married?"
Scorpius looked at her with a raised brow. "What do you mean?" His hand tightened on hers.
"We're young, and we're still having fights like this? You're trying to accept things about my job, and I'm still trying to get into the habit of telling you everything I do instead of going off and just doing it. Do you really think we're ready for marriage?" Lily questioned. "I don't think we can just look at this simply because we're in love."
Scorpius stared at their hands. "You're right. When it comes to marriage, love isn't always enough of a reason," he admitted lowly. He moved his eyes up to lock with her. "Do you think we should?"
Lily took in a comforting breath. "I don't know. I want to, I really, really want to. I want to marry you, have your last name, and be your wife for the rest of my life. But I honestly don't know if the time is right. I don't know how you tell."
He shrugged. "I don't either. I just know what I want, and I want to marry you. And maybe it's just my desire clouding my judgement, but I don't really care if it's right or not."
"But how do we tell?" Lily mumbled.
"This is how we tell," Scorpius said quickly as he got up from his seat. Then he was kneeling in front of her, their eyes locking. "You love me?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course I do."
"Do you really care that we're young?" Scorpius asked.
"Well not personally, but . . ."
"Do you care that we fight?" Scorpius fired off.
"Well all couples fight."
"And do you want to marry me?" Scorpius demanded.
"Well yes!" Lily exclaimed with a bit of exasperation.
"Then do it, woman!" Scorpius countered. "Don't over think it, don't stress about it, just do it! Meet me down the aisle this summer, let your dad give me your hand, and promise with me that we'll be together for the rest of our lives." His voice ended in a soft tone, and it brought an immediate comfort to Lily's heart.
After a moment, Lily finally nodded. "Ok," she murmured.
Scorpius smiled wholeheartedly, making Lily smile as well. "Good. Now tell me you love me," he teased.
Lily laughed. "I love you," she stated.
He shook his head. "Nah, you can do better than that! Say it again."
Lily pushed him onto his heels. "Nope, only once."
Scorpius reached forward and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto the floor with him. "Well then I'm not letting you go until you do!" he mocked with a familiar smirk.
"If that's my punishment, then maybe I'll never say it again," Lily teased softly.
He leaned his forehead against hers. "Good answer." Then his lips were on hers.
"Lil, can I ask you a question?" James inquired as he sat at her kitchen table. He'd come over to have lunch with her, and of course to see baby Cecilia, who she was babysitting for the afternoon.
Lily nodded as she fed Cecilia a bit of food. "Sure, what is it?"
"What's the most romantic way that a guy could ask a girl out?" James asked.
"Depends on the girl," Lily replied.
"Say a girl who's really into romance," James said vaguely.
"Just explain your situation, James. I'll do much better at helping if I know details," Lily told him.
"I'm trying to get Elizabeth Peakes to go out with me," he admitted.
Lily looked at her brother with a raised brow. "The girl who just joined your team? The one you couldn't remember? You want to ask her out?"
"She's really cool!" James said defensively. "She's pretty, she's a great player, she's funny, and she's pretty smart!"
Lily held up a hand in surrender. "Ok, ok. So, you're having trouble asking her out?"
"Yes, I can't think of a romantic way to do it, which is what she wants," James muttered.
"What?" Lily questioned.
James sighed, looking a little embarrassed. "I asked her out a couple of days ago, and she said no."
"Ouch, rejection," Lily mocked lightly.
"Ha, ha, but it wasn't a total rejection. She said that she wants me to ask her in a more romantic way," James clarified.
"How did you ask her before?" Lily inquired.
"I just asked," James said.
Lily gave a short nod. "Ok. Well first off, she'd probably like it if you didn't get your romantic idea from someone else, but if it came from your own heart and mind."
"But I only know what I've done before, and I don't want to use some used up line on her," James retorted. "I need something new."
Lily sighed. "Well, I only know what I know, and I never personally asked someone out, let alone romantically."
"Well you've been asked out, was one of those romantic? And be vague on details!" James said quickly.
Lily repressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Well . . . Xavier just asked me . . . Lysander just asked me . . . and Scorpius . . . he kind of just stated it. So, no. None of them were romantic."
"And you're marrying that guy?" James muttered.
"Absolutely," Lily stated. After their make up a few weeks ago, Lily and Scorpius had started working on mending things immediately. Lily always let him know which job was which day, and she never accepted a lunch or dinner meeting unless Brandon would absolutely be there. Scorpius had taken to laying off her choice of career, and even took time to listen about the details of certain photo shoots, trying to understand what she did most days. And with their firm decision that getting married was right for them, they both never doubted or questioned it, not even to themselves.
James just shook his head. "Anyways, you don't even have an idea?"
"Well what does she like?" Lily asked. When James didn't answer, Lily sighed. "You have no idea, do you?"
"Well that's the point of the first date! To get to know her!" James defended.
"Ok, point taken," Lily agreed. "But there has to be something about her that you know besides vague things like pretty, smart, and athletic."
James tapped his fingers on the table as he thought. "Um . . . well she likes fashion magazines!" he said proudly, as if he'd accomplished something great.
Lily again raised a brow. "What?"
"Well she's always telling me that she saw you in the latest issue of all these different magazines," James said. "I noticed."
Lily just shook her head, trying to ignore how dense her brother could be. "Ok, forget that I asked. Just . . . do something that'll sweep her off her feet. Something that'll surprise her."
"Well help me, what would surprise you?" James inquired idly.
"At this rate, you coming up with your own brilliant plan," Lily mumbled.
"I still don't get why your parents are suddenly throwing this big dinner," Lily mentioned as they approached the manor. "I mean, wasn't that always the point of the Slytherin dinner in the summer?"
Scorpius shrugged. "I don't either. I'm just glad it's casual, and I don't have to dress up for it after a long work day," he mentioned.
"It still doesn't seem like them," Lily said as they stepped inside.
Pitch the house elf was waiting for them at the door. "Welcome home, Master Scorpius, Mistress Lily. I'm supposed to urge you to the sitting room."
"Thank you, Pitch," Scorpius said vaguely as they walked down the hall. They walked into the sitting room just to see a good portion of their friends sitting around and talking.
"Ah, our favorite people, who might be able to tell us why we were gathered here today," Dante mocked.
Lily looked around as Scorpius spoke. Dante and Lana were here, along with Shannon and Adrian, Aaron and Tanner were talking with Will, Derek, and Raven, and Stacy sat near Miley Flint and Tamara Nott, all of them cooing over Roland. Jace sat with Christian and Xavier, and most shocking of all, Megan and Hunter were talking with Beth and Wade Macnair.
"Hey, Jace, where's Lola?" Lily asked curiously.
"Oh, she's in a room upstairs feeding Mel," Jace said vaguely.
"We haven't all been friends long enough for her to do it in front of us," Xavier joked.
Jace playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, that's my wife you're talking about!" It was true. Jace and Lola had gotten married earlier in the month in a very simple and quick ceremony. While Lily had been ecstatic for them, she had still teased Lola, saying that she'd expected some big and romantic ceremony for the two of them. Lola had just smiled and shrugged, saying that she had too, but a baby changed everything for her.
"So, no clue as to why we're here?" Dante groaned. "Man, I could be doing something so much better."
"I can't believe Lars got out of it," Lana muttered.
"How'd he do it?" Scorpius questioned.
"Took a late shift at work," Lana said with a roll of her eyes. "Which for him is basically no work at all."
Scorpius chuckled as he pulled Lily to sit next to him. "Wish I'd have thought of that."
"Ah, how nice it is to see you all again!" Lucius Malfoy's voice made everyone go quiet, and turn toward the door. Lily froze, and had a good feeling why this dinner had been called. The girl that Lucius had been trying to set Scorpius up with stood next to him. "This is Rosaline Bellefleur. I hope you can make her feel welcome."
Lily looked at Scorpius. "I hate your grandfather," she muttered under her breath.
Scorpius placed a kiss on the ring on her finger. "So do I," he assured.
The girl, Rosaline, walked over to where they sat with Lana and Dante as Lucius left the room. She sent an annoying smile Scorpius's way. "Hello again, Scorpius," she greeted coyly.
Scorpius gave a weak smile. "Hello, Rosaline," he said politely.
Rosaline's eyes came to look distastefully at Lily's own narrowed eyes. "Oh, hello, . . . Lily, was it?"
Lily resisted the urge to answer with something spiteful, so she didn't answer at all. And she was luckily saved by a familiarly loud voice. "Ah, Lily! Pitch told us that you and Scorpius had arrived!" Brandon said happily as he walked into the room. He came to stand by Rosaline, not at all noticing the tension in the room. He looked down at her. "Oh, hello, I'm Brandon Avery," he greeted, holding out his hand.
Rosaline shook his hand delicately. "I'm Rosaline Bellefleur," she introduced.
Brandon gave a nod. "Ah, Mr. Bellefleur's granddaughter! Well, nice to meet you." Then he moved in front of her to sit on the arm of the couch, practically blocking her view of the four of them. "Anyways, Lily, I have been given the command by Astoria to try and convince you to pick which wedding dress you want to wear soon."
Lily rolled her eyes, her own tension a little eased at Brandon's carefree attitude. "There's still time!" she complained.
"I have to admit, I'm a little eager to see what you pick too," Scorpius teased.
Lily pinched his arm. "And who says you'll even get to see it before the day of?"
Scorpius fake a look of disappointment. "You mean I don't get to go with you to pick? How unfair."
Brandon chuckled. "Well, I've set up one last day to look at a different designer's dresses. Then Astoria and I are giving you two weeks max to decide which designer you want to go with," he stated
"Go with what?" Lola asked as she finally entered the room. She looked at Rosaline a bit curiously, but then moved past her as well, making Rosaline look even more annoyed.
"What dress I wear at the wedding," Lily stated, trying to not take too much pleasure in Rosaline's anger. "And where's Melody?"
"Sleeping. One of the house elves is going to let me know when she wakes up," Lola said as she sat in one of the armchairs.
"Lily?" Draco addressed from the doorway, catching everyone's attention once again. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"
Lily, curious herself, shrugged as she stood up. "Of course," she assured. She followed Draco out into the hall, and they walked a bit down the hallway, obviously out of earshot. Then Draco turned to look at her with an apologetic look.
"I'm very sorry for the appearance of the Bellefleur family," he apologized. "I had no idea that my father intended to invite them. I assumed that this dinner was all my mother's doing, but it seems he had other ideas."
Lily sighed, happy they were being open and honest about it. "It's not your fault. But does your father really hate me that much?"
Draco looked uncertain of how to put his answer into words. "Well . . . he doesn't like the thought of you and Scorpius getting married."
"So he doesn't like me?" Lily said bluntly.
Draco nodded. "No, he doesn't. But don't be offended, he doesn't like many others as well."
Lily ran a hand through her hair. "I'm more annoyed than offended," she muttered.
"But I will promise you that it will be the last time you'll have to deal with something like this," Draco promised suddenly.
Lily looked at Draco curiously. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that my parents will no longer be living here, so my father will no longer be able to eavesdrop and plan against the wedding," Draco assured.
Shock ran through Lily and settled in her eyes. "I never intended or meant for you to kick your parents out for me! You really don't have to do that!"
Draco chuckled. "I know that you didn't intend for it. But it's necessary for me to protect my son and my daughter-in-law against his old-fashioned views and ideals."
"But we're hardly ever here anyways!" Lily insisted.
Draco gave her a kind smile. "Lily, it has to be done. He can't treat me like a child, and I will not let him try to push his ideals on my son. Not anymore. Besides, my mother has been fantasizing about going and spending the rest of their years together in a quaint house with just the two of them. This will give her the chance."
"But, Draco,"
"Lily," he interrupted, "you are a part of this family. And if he can't accept that, then I no longer welcome him into my home. It's time my father understood that times have changed, that my son is a grown man, and that you are a permanent fixture in our lives and family. So don't argue," he teased.
Before Lily could speak, voices got louder, they turned to see all the guys coming from the sitting room. "What are you guys doing?" Lily questioned.
Scorpius smirked as he came to stand next to her. "We're going to go and be guys in a different room, if you don't mind?"
Lily knew that statement meant possible trouble, but she still smiled. "Just don't hurt yourselves," she mocked.
Scorpius brought her hand to his lips. "Well I don't know about them, but I've got an angel that takes very good care of me when I'm hurt," he murmured.
"Come on, Scor, attempt to get laid later. Let's go!" Aaron mocked as the guys walked past them.
Scorpius raised a brow as he looked at Aaron. "Unlike you, Aaron, I don't have to attempt."
Lily rolled her eyes as the other guys all laughed or whistled. "Ok, I'm going back with the girls. Behave."
"I will if you will," Scorpius said as she made her way back down the hall. She stepped into the sitting room, and immediately felt the tension in the room, especially as Lana glared at Rosaline, who no longer tried to seem sweet, but had a look annoyance bluntly on her face.
Lily sighed as she came to sit next to Lana. "Have I missed anything?"
Lana glanced at Rosaline again before looking at Lily. "Nothing important," she assured. "So, do you have any idea of what designer you want for your dress?"
While Lily knew that Lana was simply trying to annoy Rosaline, the topic was still something Lily would rather avoid. "Not really, no. I guess I just don't find the dress all that important. Not that I'm a fan of weddings anyways."
"But it's your wedding, Lily," Shannon pointed out.
Lily shrugged. "At this point, the wedding is just to please our mothers, who practically demand one from us. I wouldn't mind doing what Dom and Mitch did."
"I found it was much easier doing so," Lana agreed. "I just pointed out to my mother that she had two other kids who she could plan a wedding for later in life."
"Yeah, but Scorpius couldn't tell Astoria that," Lily replied. "Otherwise that's not a bad idea."
"Well I was glad that I at least had a short ceremony. I think it's nice to be able to celebrate something like that with family," Lola mentioned.
"Not to mention your child," Megan joked with a grin.
"So, Lily," when Rosaline spoke, not only did she gather all of their attention, but the tension rose at who she addressed, "I hear that you're a model."
Lily looked at her with distrust. "Yes. What do you do?"
"I sometimes help my father when he needs it," she said vaguely.
"How sweet," Lana muttered sarcastically.
"So you do nothing with your life, and plan to just marry and live a worthless life in the end?" Megan commented dryly.
An offended look came over Rosaline's face. "Excuse me?"
Megan shrugged. "That's what it sounded like to me."
"There's nothing wrong with settling down in life," Rosaline retorted crossly.
"Well when you target a rich man in doing so, it's called being a gold digger," Megan countered. "And really, it sets women back by centuries. How about joining us in times?"
"I'd like it better if you realized that my brother is not marrying you, not matter what your daddy tells you," Lana snapped dryly.
"What would you know about that?" Rosaline hissed.
"I know that my brother's marrying a better woman," Lana stated simply.
Rosaline looked over at Lily with glaring eyes, and Lily did her best to stay and calm and not glare back. "Really? She looks like a child to me," she said snidely.
Lily bit her tongue. She was not going to fight in her future in-laws' house. She was an adult. She would not attack her. She was calm.
"Coming from a girl who looks as developed as a twelve-year-old boy?" Megan mocked immediately. "Not to mention brainless."
"Megan, chill," Lily urged. She was still calm. She herself was relaxed. She felt no urge at all to jump the girl not far from her. She just needed to repeat these things in her head, until she believed them.
"No, this little bitch annoys me," Megan stated bluntly.
Rosaline. "Me? Personally, coming from your filthy mouth, that means very little," she sneered. Lily felt a bubble form in her chest, and it was pressing close, ready to pop. But she was calm. Tense, but calm. She wanted to jump the girl, but she wouldn't. She had control of herself.
"I have a filthy mouth? I'd bet if you'd have been able to drop to your knees in front of Scorpius, you would have, you whore," Megan retorted with disdain.
"Not until him and I are married," Rosaline said firmly.
The bubble was reaching her throat. It was coming closer and closer to bursting. But it wouldn't. She was calm. She would not attack the girl, verbally or physically.
"He's not marrying you!" Lola snapped. "He doesn't even like you!"
"Really? Because at our lunch together, it just seemed like he was stuck with something he didn't want anymore," Rosaline said, each word distinct, so that Lily couldn't mistake it. But she was still calm, even if that bubble was so close to popping with an explosion in its wake.
"Personally, coming from your idiotic mouth, that means little to us," Lana mocked.
"Well you tell me which a Malfoy is more likely to pick. A beautiful pureblood, or a little girl with filthy blood and a filthy family?" Rosaline stated smugly.
The bubble popped.
With the rush and adrenaline running through her, Lily didn't know how she tackled Rosaline Bellefleur out of her chair so quickly. All Lily could really focus on was the rapid pounding of her heart, the adrenaline coursing through her blood, and the tension in her nerves. Her head felt almost hazy and dizzy, and she couldn't catch anything around her. Like a buzzing silence, and a blurry whirlwind. But soon she felt the adrenaline start to evaporate, her heart slowed, and her body started to feel heavy. The hazy began to lift, and the blur started to become clear.
Rosaline was laying beneath her, her nose bleeding, and her lip and cheek starting to swell. There were a few scratches along her brow and tops of her cheekbones. Tears were at the corners of her eyes, and she was holding her head, small whimpers coming from her swollen lips.
Lily froze, her eyes widening at the sight. She'd lost her cool. She wasn't calm. She'd just jumped the girl. "Shit," she mumbled.
Lana came and pulled her up and away from Rosaline. "I have to admit, that was awesome," she whispered to Lily's ear.
"I just attacked her," Lily muttered. "I'm an adult, and I just jumped her."
"Well deserved though," Megan said. She looked at Lana. "Stacy should be back with one of the house elves any minute."
Lily still felt her insides shake. "Um . . . I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said quickly before hurrying to leave the room. Wanting to be as far from the scene as possible, she walked all the way to the second floor bathroom. She locked the door and turned on the faucet. She splashed a little water from her face, letting it drip light down her neck, cooling her skin a little. She turned off the flow of water, then just stood there, panting a little.
Lily didn't know how long she stood there, but there was soon the sound of a lock, and then the door was opening. She glanced at the mirror to see Scorpius behind her, shutting the door. Then Lily took in her own disheveled state. Her hair was a little wild now, and her cheeks were a little flushed.
Scorpius came to rest his hands on the sink, trapping her. "I heard you laid out Rosaline Bellefleur," he murmured near her ear.
Lily closed her eyes. "Who told you?"
"Lola came and told me, although the guys overheard," Scorpius admitted. "Are you upset? Angry?"
"At myself, yes," she sighed. "I tried. I tried so hard to stay calm and not do anything."
"Trust me, sometimes people just pick and pick until you do something. Then they can play the victim," Scorpius mentioned. "Don't let it bother you."
Lily leaned back into his chest. "I still can't believe I did it."
"Do you want to leave? We can go home," Scorpius offered.
"Sort of, but I also don't want to be rude to your grandmother or parents," Lily said.
"I'll blame it on myself and say that I wanted to leave," Scorpius replied. "I don't want to stay if you're uncomfortable anyways."
"It's up to you," Lily mumbled indecisively, unsure of what she should and wanted to do.
Scorpius's hands came to grip her around the waist, and he spun her around to face her. His expression was gentle and soft, his eyes full of understanding. He brought a thumb up to stroke her jaw and cheek. "Personally, if someone pushes you in a corner like that, I'd rather you fight instead of just laying back. I don't care if it's not proper or mature. You sometimes do what you have to," he said comfortingly.
"I still shouldn't have done it," Lily sighed.
"Lil, you've always been feisty," Scorpius said with a fond chuckle. "You've been brave, loyal, and willing to fight and stand up for yourself and those you care about. I've always loved that about you, and it's something that I never want to change."