Lily sighed as she walked through a large hallway with Brandon by her side. They were meeting with T.J. and Henry to look over Lily's latest photos, which had been done specifically for Valentine's Day, and also to discuss their next idea and new designs.
"How does your wife feel about you spending Valentine's Day working?" Lily teased with a small yawn as they walked.
Brandon chuckled. "Considering we have a baby, she doesn't really care about sex and romance at the moment," he joked. "What about your husband?"
"He's working as well," Lily retorted with a smile. "So we're ok."
Brandon opened a door, and waved Lily in. "Well then, ladies first."
Lily walked into the moderately-sized office, used to the look. The large windows showing the city below. A desk with a comfortable-looking chair behind it. There were quite a few comfy armchairs around the room and two in front of the desk. Two bookshelves stood to the side, and magazines were everywhere, along with pictures from photo shoots.
T.J. sat behind the desk, with Henry standing behind him and looking at something with him. But at their entrance both men looked up and smiled. "Ah! Lily, Brandon! Come in, let's get started."
"You're awfully excited," Lily commented as she and Brandon sat down.
Henry turned what they were looking at, and pushed it toward them. "Well we thought that the spread turned out well."
On the desk was a magazine spread of two pages, decorated of a few different pictures of Lily, along with details of the new designs that she was wearing. There was one where she wore a pretty, business casual dress. She wore many shades of reds, whites, and pinks. Most of the outfits she'd done for the shoot were a tad more formal and elegant than some of their more casual designs.
"These look excellent," Brandon said in agreement.
Lily didn't say anything. She'd seen all the pictures before they'd been picked, as usual, and she really thought all of them turned out well. But apparently there was something that she always missed or didn't understand, because these three were always able to pick out the "best" ones from every shoot she did with them.
"Also, I am very excited about these," T.J. said as he handed over what Lily recognized as his portfolio, which was opened already.
Lily brought it forward for her and Brandon to look at. Together they flipped through the new designs, which Lily thought were great, casual, and perfect for the upcoming spring. There were light colors, whites, yellows, and even some blues. Clothes that were ready for the warming air and light rain.
"What do you think, Lily?" Henry asked. When it came to the designs, it was always Lily's opinion they asked for first.
"They're great," Lily complimented. "If you get these made and out by Easter, they'll be a hit."
"That's what we were thinking," Henry agreed. "We've estimated that it'll only take a few weeks to get the designs made and ready to be put out for the public, so we're thinking about a week and a half before we do the photo shoot for the magazines. Does that work for you?"
Lily nodded. "As far as I know. Brandon?"
Brandon nodded as well. "Yes, that works. We've got a few things books, but when the time comes, talk to me, and I'll give you the days we have open."
"Sounds great. We'll get on finding the perfect day," T.J. mentioned. "Also, there's something I want to discuss with you two, mainly Lily."
Henry cleared his throat, looking at T.J., "Tim?" he said obviously hesitant. "I'm still not sure about this."
But T.J. dismissed it. "I want to run it by Lily. If we're considering it, she should know. She's the face of the line."
Lily raised a brow, now curious. "What are you talking about?"
T.J. a bit of a hesitant look in his eyes too, looked back toward her and Brandon. "Well, an . . . a suggestion, you could say, was brought to us, by one of my sisters. And it's . . . it's a reasonable idea she had, but it does need to be discussed with you."
Now Brandon looked a bit skeptical. "What's the idea? Don't beat around. Say it." Lily sometimes wanted to laugh when Brandon got into total business-mode. It was so unlike the Brandon she was used to.
"Lily, what would you think about . . . modeling underwear?" T.J. inquired, his eyes still hesitant.
Due to shock, Lily just stared at him for a moment. T.J.'s hesitance was only in his eyes, and Henry was sighing and turning to look out the window. Finally she shook out of it. "Um, underwear?"
T.J. nodded. "Yeah. Henry and I have discussed it, and it wouldn't be a bad thing to add to the line. I mean we do everything else, why not add what we can to it. But when the talks about advertising came about, we knew we'd have to involve you in this decision. I know that some models are against doing so, but some don't mind. Where do you stand on this idea?"
Henry sighed. "At least show her what you have in mind if you're going to ask," he urged.
T.J. leaned forward, and flipped to a different page in his portfolio, which still sat in front of Lily and Brandon. He pointed at a page. "From here to the next four pages are some ideas and rough sketches if you'd like to flip through and get a good look at what we're thinking."
Moving a bit sluggishly, Lily looked over at what T.J. had drawn out. The designs were good as usual when it came to T.J.'s works. Some were very simple, while others were exotic or alluring. They were all things that Lily would have nothing against wearing . . . but modeling in them? And just them, with nothing over them?
Henry now pulled a few magazines out of a pile from the desk. "Look, if we went through with this, pictures like that would only be in these kinds of magazines." There were obvious fashion magazines. As Lily flipped through one, that's all it was. Just clothes. Nothing about news or celebrity gossip, not even normal advertisements you'd see in a magazine. Just fashion.
"They're generally bought by fashion-conscious witches and teen witches," Henry told her, showing off his business knowledge. "Not the usual gossipy old witches that swarm around Witch Weekly and other magazines."
Lily bit her lip. "I'm . . . I'm not sure."
"I'm not pressuring you into saying yes to this," T.J. assured. "If you're not comfortable with it, then don't worry yourself. We just want you to know about it, all the things concerning it, and etc."
Lily sighed as she looked at Brandon. "What do you think?"
Brandon shrugged. "On a business standpoint, it's great. It could be a great addition, more revenue for both parties, added attraction to the line. But it is still up to you if you want to do it, or if you aren't comfortable doing it."
Lily just sighed again. "Could I have a bit of time to think about it?"
"Of course," T.J. assured. "This isn't something that we're in a rush to do. Take your time, find your answer, and then let us know. No matter what it is, we're not going to worry or be upset."
Lily gave a nod. "Ok. Thanks." While she herself was a little unsure on how she felt about it, her main concern would be what Scorpius would think about her even considering it.
It was early evening when Lily finally found herself finally stepping into the building of her flat with Brandon. They stood in the lobby, Brandon with his hands in his pockets. A bit of snow was in his hair. "So, Lil, what's your plan with Tim and Henry's new idea?"
Lily sighed. After working for the rest of the day, Lily had been able to distract herself from the earlier proposal. "I'm not sure yet."
"Are you seriously thinking about discussing it with Scorpius?" Brandon inquired.
Lily shrugged. "I think I should. I mean, if I'm going to actually think about it, then he deserves to know."
Brandon nodded. "Point taken. Well, should I tell them it's not going to happen then?"
Lily sighed again as they walked toward the lift. "You seem so sure of how this will go."
"I may be older, and thus spent less time with him as a kid, but I still know Scorpius enough to know that he won't take well to this idea," Brandon replied as he pressed the button for the lift.
Lily knew he was right, but also knew that she still had to do it. "Either way, let me talk with him before you tell the boys anything."
The doors to the lift opened. "Ok," Brandon assured. "I'll give you a call tomorrow, and let me know if you've decided anything."
"I will," Lily promised as she stepped onto the lift. "Talk to you later, Brandon."
Brandon gave a wave. "Later, Lily."
The doors shut, and Lily rested against the wall and shut her eyes as it moved up. She was nervous about even bringing the topic up to Scorpius. She knew it would be a bit difficult to even be able to get the entire proposal and the facts out before he went into a rage and rant about it.
When Lily opened the door to the flat, she smiled when she saw Pad already waiting for her, having heard the sound of the doorknob. But she was really surprised when she saw Scorpius sitting on the couch. Why was he home so early?
She smiled regardless of her surprise as she shut the door. "You're home already?"
Scorpius smirked as he got up, and picked up a previously unseen bouquet of flowers from the table. He walked toward her, and held them out. "Well it is Valentine's Day," he stated with a shrug.
Lily took the flowers, her heart skipping a small beat. "You didn't have to skip part of work just for me."
Scorpius held out his hand, and when Lily took it, he pulled her closer to him, his chin resting on her hair. "Maybe. But I wanted to. After all, it was on this day that I proposed to you just a few short years ago."
"That's not all we've done on Valentine's Day," Lily mumbled into his shirt.
Scorpius chuckled. "So I'm not the only one that was thinking of that. Good. There'll be little need for tiptoeing around the subject then."
Lily felt a little blush on her cheeks, but she still smiled. "I haven't walked Padfoot yet."
"I already did," Scorpius quipped. "We only got back about fifteen minutes ago. And I pulled his bed out for him to sleep in here."
With her thoughts completely pulled away from any thoughts about her afternoon, Lily looked up at him, her heart beating a little faster. "Seems you thought of everything," she whispered.
Scorpius lowered his lips to hers, brushing softly as he murmured softly. "Just doing what I do best."
Lily laid next to Scorpius that night, her fingers tracing light patterns on his shoulder. "Scorpius," she whispered softly, her nerves a bit hesitant. "Can we talk about something?"
Scorpius rested his head on his arm, his eyes closed. A smirk came to his lips. "Is now the best time? Because I am personally quite relaxed."
"That's why it might be the best time," Lily admitted quietly.
Scorpius sighed, his eyes not opening. "That tells me that whatever it is, I won't like it."
Lily nodded. "Yeah. I know you won't . . . but I still need to tell you."
Scorpius finally opened his eyes, then rolled on his side, looking at her fully. "Ok. What is it?"
"Remember I told you that I was having a short meeting with T.J. and Henry today?" Lily reminded.
He nodded. "Yes. What about it?"
"Well, after they showed Brandon and I few new Spring sketches, they told me about an idea that had been brought to them that they were considering," Lily explained, taking her time and not rushing toward the result.
Scorpius closed his eyes momentarily, but then opened them again, now looking a bit wary. "What was the idea?"
Lily decided to tell him basically the same way they'd told her earlier. "How would you feel about me modeling underwear?"
Scorpius closed his eyes and buried his face into the pillow, and let out a groan. "Oh, what?" he demanded. Lily could practically see his scowl, despite his face being hidden.
"Well . . . adding underwear to the line was suggested, so they brought the idea to me and Brandon." When Scorpius didn't respond, Lily continued to trace patterns on his arm, not sure of what to say. "I saw the rough sketches he'd made out already. They're really cute."
Scorpius turned a little to show one glaring eye. "That in no way helped you get me to agree."
Lily sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I'm not trying to get you to agree. I'm just trying to let you know about it all. I . . . I don't even know what I think about it yet."
Scorpius flipped over and sat up. He rubbed his face with his hands, then ran them through his hair. "Why bring it up then?"
"Because I thought you should know!" Lily retorted, lying flat on her back. "I didn't want to come to a decision without talking to you first."
Scorpius looked at her. Then surprisingly, his eyes softened from their previous grey storm. He came down to lean his weight on his arm, then brought his free hand to her cheek. "What do you think about it?"
Lily closed her eyes now, her body still relaxed, and her mind a little eased at his new, calm attitude. "I've never done it before, and I hadn't considered it. I mean, I'd joked about it with you, and like with Hugo . . . but I never thought it'd be something that would be offered to me. The idea of posing in nothing but underwear . . . it's weird. But knowing what kind of magazines they're going to be in, I sometimes feel that it wouldn't be a big deal. The magazines are dignified and professional, and purely for fashion."
His hand trailed down to rest on her hip. "Do you want to do it?"
Lily shrugged as she opened her eyes. "I just don't know if I should or not."
"I didn't ask if you should. I asked if you wanted to," Scorpius pointed out.
"I still don't know. All day I've just debated it in my head." She turned to look at him. "Honestly, I've kind of been worried about what you would think."
"Personally, I hate the idea," Scorpius stated. "I don't like a single thing about the idea . . . But, if you're not sure what you want to do yet, then I am willing to meet with this T.J. and let him explain every single thing about the idea to me."
Lily leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Thank you. Your next day off?"
Scorpius nodded. "Sounds good to me."
It was only a few days later when Scorpius had a day where Lily could take him to meet T.J. to look over the designs and hear about the idea. And she hoped that Henry was busy, because personally, the last thing she wanted to for Scorpius to meet the man that had kissed her.
Brandon of course accompanied them, just incase a decision actually was made. T.J. had been more than happy and willing to have Scorpius come to hear about the deal, and listen to their plans. And when they walked into T.J.'s office, T.J.'s smile was as bright as normal as he came around the desk and held his hand out to Scorpius.
"Hello, you must be Scorpius. It's great to meet you. My name's Tim," T.J. greeted, completely professional. "Please, sit."
Scorpius was a bit tense as he took a seat next to Lily. Brandon stood behind them, looking through a magazine. "Ok, I'll say off the bat, I'm not happy about this idea. But I'm willing to hear you out."
T.J. gave a nod, not bothering to try and be charming. "I understand. Ok, first of all, we're not at all harping Lily about making a decision. I, too, want her to take her time in making a choice, and if she says no, then we'll understand. Second, here are a few of the sketches we have done already." He held the book out to Scorpius.
Scorpius took the book, and eyed the designs critically. Every now and then he'd look at Lily, a scowl on his face, or maybe glance at T.J. even. But he didn't talk until he'd looked at each one. "So if she did this, she'd wear things like this?"
T.J. nodded honestly. "Yes. And this is the type of magazine that such photos would be in." He handed Scorpius the magazine she'd seen herself. "The demographic of buyers of these magazines are teen girls, young adults, and more . . . well wealthier women. The occasional man who is very aware of how well-dressed he is flips through these, but even that's rare."
Scorpius just looked at the cover. "I know this magazine. My mother gets an issue every so often," he admitted.
"Look, I take a lot of pride in this specific fashion line," T.J. stated honestly. "I don't take it lightly. Also, I respect your wife. She's a great person, and I'm not going to take the idea of her doing this lightly."
"Good, because neither do I," Scorpius said, his voice a bit like steel. "And despite what I've learned, I'm still hesitant about letting it happen."
Brandon placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Have you decided yet, Lil?"
Lily bit her lip, the attention now all on her. "I just . . ." she still wasn't sure of what to say.
"Lily, I'll understand if you're not comfortable doing it. I mean, if you're taking this long to decide if you're ok with it . . ." T.J. said reassuringly.
Lily tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. "What would happen . . . if I said no?"
Now T.J. sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Well we have a few options. We could do picture-less ads for it. We could just not advertise it. Or . . . we could get another model, but I hesitate on that."
"Why so?" Lily inquired.
"Well from the start, we've made no secret that you are the face of this line. You are the it girl for the line. To bring in another model . . . well it would bring questions and hesitation. Plus . . . well again, no pressure, but there are young girls that buy certain clothes because a specific model wears it," T.J. admitted.
"That make sense," Brandon said with a sigh.
"Then explain it to me," Lily demanded calmly.
Brandon came around, pulling a chair up to sit at the side of the desk. "Ok, remember when you were telling me about the first time you signed an autograph?" Lily nodded. "How you were so shocked that you had fans so to speak? Well it's like that. There are girls who find a certain model to be like a hero or role model. And when they see that girl wearing a certain outfit, then they wear it because she does. It has nothing to do with the line with some people," he explained.
Lily thought about it, and it did make sense. But it hardly helped her decide if she wanted to do it. Looking at it purely from a business point of view, Lily could see the benefit from having it be her that modeled it. It would show off the addition the line, and it could keep . . . her fans buying from the line. But on a personal standpoint . . . it was just a surreal concept.
"Lil," Scorpius spoke suddenly, "do it."
Lily and Brandon both looked at Scorpius in surprise. "What?" Lily demanded.
Scorpius shifted in his seat. "I said to do it. Or at least give a try, see for sure if you're comfortable with it."
Lily raised a brow. "You really want me to do it?"
He sighed. "No, I don't. But . . . if you end up wanting to do it, then . . . I'll support it," he mumbled through a tight jaw. "So, you should see if you are comfortable doing it."
"We can do that," T.J. assured. "We can set up a shoot, and give it a try. Then you can see the photos, and you can be there for every step of the process, just in case you decide not to."
"If anything I will be," Brandon promised. "In fact, I want to know who would be taking the pictures."
"As do I," Scorpius now said firmly.
T.J. seemed to think about it. "Well . . . I could have Sandra do it. Does that sit well with you, Brandon?"
Brandon nodded immediately. "That works just fine actually."
T.J. now looked at Scorpius. "Do you want to be there when we do the shoot?"
"I want to see the photos when they're done," Scorpius stated. He ran a hand over his hair. "When will this photo shoot be?"
T.J. looked at Brandon. "What day fits into her schedule?"
Brandon immediately pulled a small book from his coat pocket, and flipped it open. He had obviously prepared for something similar to this moment. "Uh . . . how about in two weeks? It'll give you time to get the clothes made. And she likes to keep certain days open to look over her goddaughter," he suggested, knowing Lily's preferences and schedule well.
"Sure, that sounds perfect actually. We will need time to get them ready," T.J. agreed.
And before anyone could say something else, Lily's previous reason for hesitance walked in. Henry.
"Hey, Tim, I've got those estimates, along with a few messages from Kim," Henry said quickly, but then stopped when he saw everyone in the room. "Oh. I'm sorry for interrupting. Hi, Lily," he greeted. Then he noticed Scorpius, someone he didn't know. Henry held out hand. "You must be Lily's husband?"
Scorpius nodded as he stood up and shook Henry's hand. "Yes. Scorpius Malfoy. And you are?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Henry Morgan," Henry introduced himself.
It only took a moment before a bit of recognition appeared in Scorpius's eyes. Lily was glad that Henry had already let go of Scorpius's hand, and was moving around the desk to place a few things in front of T.J. for him to see. As Scorpius turned around to sit down again, there was now a look of repressed anger in his eyes as he looked over Henry.
Brandon seemed to recognize the possibility of a disastrous situation, and stood up. "Well, thanks for taking the time to explain it all again for us. We'll see you in two weeks?"
T.J. nodded as they all stood up. "Of course." He held his hand out to Scorpius again. "It was great meeting you, Scorpius. When the pictures are ready, I'll send word to Brandon, and first chance, you guys can come in and look them over before anything else happens."
Scorpius shook his hand, a little more cordial toward T.J. than he seemed to be to Henry. "Yeah, I'll be here. Thanks for taking the time to let me know about it." His voice was almost a bit begrudging.
Later that afternoon, Scorpius sat on the couch with Padfoot sitting on the floor next to him, his head resting on Scorpius's knee. Lily was making lunch, while Cecilia, who they'd picked up to babysit, was playing with a few of her toys on the floor.
"Lil," Scorpius addressed, his voice a bit tense.
Lily glanced back at him. "What's up?"
Scorpius focused on scratching behind Pad's ear. "That Henry Morgan . . . he's the one that kissed you?"
Lily bit her lip before sighing. "Yeah, that was him." She looked at him again. "Is there something wrong?"
"That Tim was a nice enough guy," Scorpius mentioned, avoiding her question.
Lily rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Yeah. But that doesn't answer my question."
Scorpius got up, and with Pad following behind him, he came to stand behind Lily. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "There's nothing wrong," he mumbled.
"You know, it's not like Henry stares leeringly at me. He's a perfect gentleman, especially since I talked with him after he kissed me. He's professional," Lily assured.
Scorpius pressed his lips against her neck in a chaste kiss. "He seemed that way. Like I said, nothing's wrong."
"It doesn't sound like it," Lily replied.
He sighed. "I just don't really know how I feel about all I've done today. I just agreed to let someone take pictures of you as an underwear model."
"Nothing's permanent yet," Lily pointed out. "I might be the one that says no to the whole thing."
"How hard do I have to pray for that to happen?" he muttered under his breath, making Lily have to strain just to hear it. "Can I demand one thing about all of this though?"
Lily nodded. "Of course. What is it?"
"Would you mind taking Hugo with you, if he has the time, when you go for the shoot?" Scorpius requested. "I know Brandon will be there, but I know for sure that Hugo won't bullshit me or downplay anything that happens if I ask him."
Lily nodded. "Of course. I'll talk to him about it." She turned in his arms, and brought his face back to look at her. "Are you sure you're ok with this?"
He smirked. "No, I'm not. But I don't want to be the reason you don't do something that you might end up wishing you had. If I deserved to know about it, you deserve to know if you want this or not."
Lily kissed him softly. "When did you become such a compromising man?"
"Well, I promised I'd do my best to be relaxed about your job. This is the best I can do," he admitted.
"Well it's better than I expected," Lily said gently before kissing him again.
"Thanks so much for agreeing to this, Huey," Lily told Hugo as she led him and Brandon through the building. The day of the photo shoot had come, and Hugo had easily agreed to do a favor for Scorpius.
Hugo shrugged. "I don't mind. In fact, I think this guy is really trying to get Scorpius on his side if he's sending the final sketches for him to see."
That was true. A few days ago, T.J. had sent over the final sketches of what Lily would be wearing today, all for Scorpius to see and approve of. Scorpius had looked over them, then pushed them toward Lily.
"If I look anymore than nothing good will happen," he had muttered.
"T.J. is trying," Lily agreed with Hugo as they walked into where T.J.'s crew was waiting for her. "And I think Scorpius appreciates it more than he says."
A woman quickly walked up to Lily then, with a friendly smile on her face. This woman had to be related to T.J., if not one of his sisters. They looked so much alike! She was a little taller than Lily, with straight brown hair. Her face even was similar to T.J.'s!
The woman held out her hand. "Hi, you must be Lily! I'm Sandra. I'm Timothy's sister, and I'll be running things today in place of him." Then she smiled at Brandon. "Hello, Brandon."
Brandon smiled. "Hello, Sandra. You're as lovely as always."
"Also, this is my cousin Hugo," Lily introduced.
"He's also watching over her today," Brandon joked lightly.
Sandra still smiled as she shook his hand. "Of course. I understand. Tim was very persistent that I make sure you were comfortable. So I brought my team to prep you today, and kicked him and Henry out of the building. No need for those two to fret like a bunch of old ladies around here."
Lily followed Sandra to where her team was, and as Lily sat down, Sandra continued to talk. "Now, I was told that you've seen the sketches of what you'll be wearing today, correct?"
Lily would have nodded, but she already had someone working on her hair. "Yes. I've seen them."
"Are there any problems or concerns?" Sandra inquired.
"No, they looked great," Lily said with a bit of a sigh. An uncertainty came to her lungs again.
"Ok. Now at any point, if you change your mind, let us know. And if you simply just don't feel comfortable in just one of the specific outfits, then that's fine. We'll skip over that," Sandra assured.
Lily spent the rest of the time silent as she was prepped. A bit of uncertainty was continuing to run through her. Was this a good idea? She knew Scorpius hated it. He'd been a bit quiet and gloomy all morning before he'd gone to work. But he was stepping back and allowing her to make the choice herself. But that still didn't help her.
When Lily found herself in a changing room, she stared at what was in front of her. An array of different outfits, each obviously consisting of nothing but underwear, laid before her. Hugo was waiting out the door, which on her side had a small black robe for her to wear as well.
"You dead in there?" Hugo called mockingly.
"Shut up, Huey!" Lily snapped back, her stomach shaking.
"Just get dressed and come out. What, are you embarrassed?" Hugo asked. It was almost as if he were trying to see if he could pick out what was making her hesitate, which could easily be his, or Scorpius's, plan.
So Lily thought about it. Was she embarrassed? She knew that, body-wise, she had no reason to be embarrassed. While not being arrogant, she knew and could say that she was pretty and had a fit body. So it wasn't that. Was it just a personal thing? After all, she'd be in a magazine in nothing but underwear, which was new for her. But at the same time, she knew that it was a professional thing. They wouldn't be going out to magazines that were . . . well common. And either way, it was a business thing. It was her job. And she could look at it as just what she did for her career.
"No, it's not that I'm embarrassed," Lily called back as she began to finally change. "It's just . . . Scorpius hates this." Maybe that was the only reason.
"But he wants you to make this choice," Hugo retorted. "He doesn't want to be the reason you do or don't do it."
"What about my parents? My dad?" Lily added as she slipped into the first outfit.
"Well they'll only know if you tell them. And either way, you think they won't support you?" Hugo asked.
"My dad would flip if he knew there were pictures of me in only my knickers."
"Which will be only in highly wealthy and dignified magazines. Boys going through puberty won't be seeing them, so why would it matter? Besides, you've never let your dad's opinion of your career change what you did," Hugo explained. "No one in the family is going to hate you for this. Hell I'd bet our friends would think it was awesome and be proud."
"What if they think differently of me," Lily mumbled as she loosely tied the sash of the robe she'd slipped on.
"What?" Hugo asked.
Lily slowly opened the door and stepped out. Hugo didn't even seem fazed by her clothing, or lack of. He was just curious as he looked at her. "I said what if they think differently of me?"
Hugo shrugged. "What would they think? Yeah, Uncle Percy or Uncle Bill, or even my dad, might gawk and be in disbelief that you did it, but so what? This is your career and life."
"But . . ."
"Lil," Hugo stood in front of her, looking straight into her eyes. "Look, I'd understand if you were just uncomfortable doing this, and that being why you don't do it. But if there's one thing I've always loved about you, especially as we've grown and matured, it's that you've never let someone else's opinion change you or what you wanted to do. You never let it affect you. So, has that changed?"
Lily sighed and let her shoulders sag. "No, it hasn't."
Hugo gave a nod. "Good. And are you embarrassed or uncomfortable about doing this?"
Lily took in a breath. "Well, no."
He patted her on the shoulder. "Good. Then get over there, drop the robe and do whatever it is you're supposed to do."
Although it had taken months, Lily, along with the help of Ashley and Elizabeth, had finally gotten Scorpius, Albus, and James to agree on a night for them all to have dinner. They all agreed for a dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, to keep things on neutral territory. Also, it lessened the chance of a fight if they were in public.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," Scorpius sighed as they walked into the Leaky Cauldron. He absentmindedly brought his hand up to shake snow from his hair. Now that March had come, the last bits of cold air and snow were falling now, and would hopefully soon be over and done with.
"It will be fine!" Lily insisted, pulling him over to the table where she could see Ashley and Albus already sitting, baby Severus in a highchair of his own.
Ashley smiled easily when she saw the two. "Hey, Lily, Scorpius."
Lily smiled as well. "Hey." Then she glanced at Scorpius.
Scorpius sighed, looking like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Hey," he greeted as they sat down.
Lily could hear the telltale "thud" of Ashley kicking Albus under the table, and she could see the hidden pain in how he sucked in a hiss of breath. "Hi," he mumbled.
"What do you two do when you both go and work together?" Ashley demanded with a roll of her eyes.
"We're not on the same team," Albus retorted.
"Yeah, so we're not really ever working together," Scorpius agreed.
"Hey, guys," James greeted suddenly as he and Elizabeth appeared, walking toward the table. James quickly pulled out a chair for Elizabeth before sitting in his own. "Did we miss anything?"
"No, we just got here ourselves," Lily mentioned.
When a new young waitress came to their table, they each made an order. And then all the girls looked at their respective man, and waited expectantly.
James was the first one to give in. "So, Al, . . . Scorpius, how's working for Dad treating you?"
"I used to think Dad had eyes all over the house as a kid, but it's worse in the department. He knows about every thing that happens in there," Albus mentioned.
"I'd bet he knows what kind of sandwich I had for lunch this afternoon," Scorpius agreed with a bit of a mutter.
But the three men were silent after that. Lily didn't know if they were avoiding talking to each other, or if they just didn't know how to keep a conversation with each other. Lily gave up on it. "So, Elizabeth, how does it feel being first-string for the Cannons?"
Elizabeth smiled with her usual enthusiasm. "I love it! But I just really love the atmosphere. I mean, once . . . things settle and all the travel starts to get a bit too much, you could say, I think I'll at least move to commentating, like I did at school."
"And when you say things?" Ashley said a bit teasingly.
A small blush came to Elizabeth's cheeks, but she didn't shy away. "I mean my life. All aspects of it."
Lily looked at her brother. "What do you think, James?"
James shrugged just as the waitress brought their food. But he didn't take the chance to hide either. "If that's what she wants, then so be it." He took his plate with a small smile and thanks, but then continued to speak. "Besides, I agree. The atmosphere of professional games is amazing. To be a part of it gives a fantastic feeling." He looked at his sister. "I still think that you should have joined the pros. You kicked ass for seven years at school, mine included. Any team would have made you first-string in a heartbeat."
Now Lily shrugged. "I couldn't handle the travel. I'm too lazy," she said with a grin.
"Oh, please, you loved playing," Scorpius now spoke. "You should have at least considered it."
Lily raised a brow. "You really would have wanted me to travel all the time? You do know that if I had, we wouldn't be married by now," she pointed out.
"I would have liked it better than I like your current job," Scorpius admitted easily. Despite the fact that they were both waiting for word that her recent shoot was done, he had been oddly relaxed when talk about her work came up.
And while her brothers had no knowledge of what Lily was currently working with, and didn't catch the undertone of Scorpius's meaning, they both still agreed. "Anything would be better than my sister posing in pictures that are free to the eyes of a bunch of sick weirdos," James agreed.
"I always thought that if I considered doing pro Quidditch that I'd try for the Kestrels," Albus commented almost thoughtfully.
"The Kestrels?" Scorpius retorted with a raised brow.
"Yeah, seriously, Al? Not that they're bad, but there so many better teams to try for!" James agreed, probably not even noticing that he'd just agreed with the man he'd considered a lifetime rival.
"I like the Kestrels!" Albus defended, and then soon it was an all out discussion about Quidditch teams, and which ones were obviously superior.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "For all the ways it took to get them to get along, it had to be Quidditch. Boys." She said with obvious sarcasm.
Lily just shook her head. "They're such children," she mentioned. It was even more amusing how the girls talked, and went unnoticed to the men next to them, completely wrapped in their own conversations.
"Honestly, I think it's just another way for them to be competitive with each other, but without any violence," Elizabeth stated. "I mean, all they're doing is basically arguing with each other about teams, games, and strategies."
"But yet they reach a level of friendship through the argument," Lily said with a sigh. "Again, they are so still boys at heart."
"What was that?" Scorpius asked with a smirk, as if having listened to the girls' conversation the whole time. Which was possible. Scorpius did seem to have a knack for never missing a thing, especially after become an Auror.
But Lily wasn't afraid of his subtle challenge. In fact Lily had been raised to always look a challenge in the face with total confidence. Whether it was a brother, a friend, an enemy, or even her husband. "You said you guys are such children," she stated.
Scorpius now scoffed. "We're children? I go out and save the world from evil people every day, princess. That's the job of a man. Not a child."
"And so what if we are?" James retorted. "That just means that you girls are into that."
Lily looked at her brother. "Meaning?"
James shrugged, faking a look of nonchalance. "Well, Lizzie and I've had sex, and Al and Ashley obviously have," he said, motioning toward Severus. "And . . . you're married," there he sounded a little uncomfortable, "so you girls must enjoy the little boy thing."
Elizabeth simply blushed, but now Ashley scoffed. "Oh please. It's because of the little boy thing that you three don't get laid more often," she quipped, easily fitting in with the Potter siblings with that attitude.
Scorpius smirked again as he looked at Lily. "I didn't know there was a possibility of more," he murmured lowly for only Lily and her resurfacing blush to hear.
And the rest, oblivious, resumed their quips, having never heard him.
Lily waiting quietly as Scorpius and Brandon looked over the pictures, each with her in nothing but the underwear that T.J. had designed himself. Lily herself had yet to see them. She was still hesitant and wondering if she was positive about doing this. So she let Scorpius and Brandon look them over first. Because it may be selfish of her, but if Scorpius didn't approve . . . then Lily would never really have to decide, even if she did or didn't see them.
Scorpius had a deep scowl on his face. Lily easily recognized it, along with all the emotions in his grey eyes, which had already become a storm. There was some discomfort, a bit of anger and frustration, a bit of a desire that Lily ignored, along with a bit of deep thoughtfulness. It was as if he were really looking at the pictures with a deep interest, and not just at her wearing very little clothing.
Brandon was a bit more verbal in his examination of the pictures. He would give comments about some. "This one is really good." "I think this could almost be cover material." "Do I want to know how you became so good at designing underwear, Tim?"
Lily did her best to ignore those comments, simply because she didn't want them to affect what her decision might be once she saw them, assuming Scorpius didn't just say no. T.J. was waiting in silence as well, just sketching something on a piece of paper. Probably another design.
Finally, Scorpius put the pictures back into their tiny pile, and handed them to Lily. "Here, you look them over," he muttered, the scowl and emotions still present on his face.
Lily took them, but her nerves shook. He wasn't going to say anything, and she should have expected it. After all, he too was a Slytherin, and was just as clever as she was. And instead of letting her skip her decision by letting him make one first, he backed her into a corner, forcing her to give one. Well played, she thought. Well played. A true Slytherin to the end.
But Lily would now admit to there still being some Gryffindor bravery that she'd gotten from her family of lions. And she gathered it now, and looked over the pictures.
It was a bit weird. Really, she'd thought it was a bit weird and surreal at first when she first started seeing herself in pictures and magazines. But this was another first for her, and it brought about that same feeling.
They were good of course. The pictures that had been chosen were well picked, and each were wonderful. The outfits were flawless really. Lily had thought so when she wore each one, and the pictures portrayed that flawlessness. And then there was her. Her hair had been tousled carefully for the pictures, which looked like a tamer version of a normal Potter hair mess. Little makeup had been done, except at her lips and eyes. And although she felt a bit of heat in her cheeks wanting to show, she repressed it. They were good pictures, and she'd like to say that she looked good. And she honestly felt . . . well a little pride in herself. She had done it. She'd gone through the shoot, and something good had come from it. After all, Hugo had been right. Her family would always support her, even if they didn't necessarily like what she did. Besides, as Hugo said, they might never know. But . . .
Scorpius.
Lily looked at Scorpius, curious, yet knowing in her heart what he would say if he were honest. "What do you think?" she asked.
But Scorpius just gave a small shrug with his tense shoulders. "It's not my decision, so it doesn't matter."
Lily sighed. "Don't do that. Just tell me what you think."
Scorpius just smoothed an invisible wrinkle on his pants. "You know what I think."
"Scorpius Malfoy," Lily groaned. "Just say it!"
"I don't like the idea," Scorpius stated, looking over at her again. "But, I don't think I would ever like it. So . . . it doesn't matter. What do you think?"
Lily looked at the picture on top of the rest. "I like them," she admitted. "But if it makes you unhappy, then . . ."
"A lot of things make me unhappy," Scorpius said dismissively. "So don't worry about that. Do it."
Lily looked at the pictures, her mind swirling a little. Then she looked at T.J., who was still waiting patiently in silence. "If I do this, could we do just one of the photos? No more than that?"
T.J. nodded. "Sure. We'll send out one photo to the magazine," he assured.
"Can we burn the others?" Scorpius muttered, scratching his jaw with his thumb.
T.J. chuckled. "We'll dispose of them, yes. You have my word. So, are we moving forward with this?"
Lily looked at Scorpius, who just sighed. So she nodded. "Yes, we are."
As more of the month of March passed, Scorpius came home a little later each day, claiming that his team's current case was coming close to a possible end. So when he was home, he was constantly in his workout room. During these times, she took time to study over her potion books, while Padfoot would choose to lay by her instead.
When they were sent a copy of the magazine, Lily wondered how Scorpius would react. So when he got home that night, it was the first thing she showed him. He was quiet while he looked at the advertisement, but then sighed. He said it was good, then immediately went to workout again. And when Lily peaked in, she was sure that he was lifting more of those muggle weights than usual, which was a normal sign of either determination, or frustration for him.
But if Lily had known what would soon be throwing her life off balance, then she would have never bothered worrying about something as simple as his reaction to that photo.
It was a normal morning for the both of them. Scorpius had a habit of either getting up super early, or sleeping in just a little bit longer. Today was a day where he slept a bit longer. Not that it bothered Lily at all. It gave her a chance to get a head start on her morning, breakfast included.
After feeding each pet in the house, Lily started up a simple breakfast, all the while going over her plan for the day. She was meeting Brandon for lunch, and Cecilia wouldn't be coming over today. She would also need to walk Padfoot. She glanced at the calendar on the wall. And when she noticed the date, another monthly reminder came to her.
"My potion," she mumbled. Leaving kitchen quickly for a moment, Lily made her way to her study to take it before she forgot. She sometimes wished that there was a contraceptive potion that she could take only once a year. Maybe she would look in to digging around and seeing she could come up with. It was an amusing thought that made her smile.
Lily walked over to her large cabinet of potions, and opened the doors. She ran her eyes over her collection until she found the box where kept them all, each labeled with a month, just as another reminder. She pulled it out, and ran her finger along it to find March. But she stopped short, her eyes widening and her breathing halted.
February's potion. It was still there!
Lily almost dropped the box. How could this happen? How could she have missed taking February's potion? Her mind began to rationalize. A lot had happened that month. She'd gotten involved in this underwear thing, and trying to get her brothers and husband to like each other! But . . . how? At this point in her life, Lily found herself taking it on the fourteenth . . . which was Valentine's Day in February. And . . .
Lily quickly put down the box before she dropped it in shock. "Shit!" she mumbled. Obviously, they had definitely had sex that night. It was Valentine's Day! And even so . . . they had multiple times since Valentine's day. She immediately thought of the chances. They were high. After all, she was a Weasley.
Lily slowly closed the door to the cabinet, and moved to sit in the desk chair. Ok . . . so she might be pregnant. Might being the important word here! Nothing was positive yet. So the only option was to go to St. Mungo's and find out for sure. Lily was sure that Victoire could get her in today. But Scorpius . . . how would he take it? She should probably just tell him, and ask if he'd come to the appointment with her. Yes. That was what she would do.
Slowly, and almost mindlessly, Lily returned to the kitchen. She finished breakfast in a bit of an eery calm. But her mind was spinning, and questions and thoughts kept bouncing around. A baby? She might . . . being having a baby! She was only nineteen! Not even twenty, and they had yet to be married for a year! But . . . she and Scorpius might be having a baby . . . She could be carrying Scorpius's baby at that very moment. And despite being young and newly married, a smile still came to her lips. Because just the thought of her having Scorpius's child made her heart flutter, and made a previously unexperienced happiness well in her soul.
Suddenly she heard pounding footsteps, and then Scorpius was rushing in, and immediately moving to put on his shoes. He was dressed already, and looked to be in an awful hurry. "Damn, damn," she heard him mutter.
"Scorpius," Lily spoke quickly, "I made breakfast."
"Sorry, babe, I have no time. I was wanting to get to work early. Captain said he would have important news for us today. So I've got to get going."
Lily felt her shoulders slump just a tad bit. "Oh. Ok. Well, I'm going to set up an appointment at St. Mungo's today. Could you come with me?"
Scorpius shrugged as he slipped on his jacket. "Sure, if you can schedule it during lunch. I'll meet you there."
And then with a quick "I love you" he was out the door, leaving Lily unable to say a thing. But she just sighed. She shouldn't be so upset. He would be there for the appointment of course. And besides, she didn't even know if she was pregnant yet. No need to go and get upset over nothing. But . . . her heart wouldn't stop telling her that it wasn't nothing.
Lily waited in St. Mungo's waiting room, her entire being anxious. She'd seen Victoire, who had smiled and assured her that she'd have time to see Lily at lunch. But the time was drawing near, and Lily had yet to see Scorpius. She knew his lunch break had already started, so what was keeping him?
As the morning had continued, Lily's mind and body soon brought themselves to a balance of nerves and excitement. For a while, all she would think about was that they were young, barely married, and that they really had no idea about how to be parents or raise a child. They hadn't even fully discussed it yet. But then sometimes all she would think of were different ideas of what the baby would look like, if it would be a boy or a girl, and of how happy Scorpius would be when he found out.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Malfoy?" a timid voice shook Lily from her debating thoughts. She turned to see a man standing by her. He was maybe a few years older than Scorpius, if even. Despite his quiet voice, it didn't seem that he was shy, but just that quiet suited him. He had dark blonde hair that curled around his brow, and dark blue eyes. He was a bit thin, but Lily could see a bit of muscle on his arms. But . . . who was he?
"Yes?" Lily asked curiously, not even slightly recognizing this man.
He cleared his throat. "Um, I'm Jordan William, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm on the same team as your husband in the department," he explained bluntly.
A small bit of worry set in her stomach. Why was he here? Had . . . had something happened? "Oh, it' nice to meet you," she mumbled politely. "Did you need to tell me something?"
He nodded. "Yes. Scorpius asked me to come and tell you that he won't be able to come here today," he stated.
He wasn't coming? But . . . why? "Why? What happened?" Lily demanded, still a bit worried.
Now Jordan looked uncomfortable, for reasons Lily couldn't tell, and wished she could. "Well, . . . he's gone out on a mission for the team."
That bit of worried . . . it turned into mild irritation that would easily grow. "What?"
"Yeah. This morning our captain had some news for us on a lead. So he wanted to send out four men on a capture mission, one that could take from two to four weeks. Scorpius volunteered to go, and since he's one of the best on the team, the captain of course said yes," Jordan explained.
Lily did her best to swallow her anger, not wanting to freak out on this innocent man. "He asked to go?"
"Yes. And from an Auror standpoint, I understand. This is a big case we're working on, one we all want solved. And also, speaking honestly, I'm sure that completing this mission could take Scorpius to bigger heights in the department," Jordan said.
"Lily Malfoy?" a healer called from the door.
Lily took in a deep breath as she stood, anger rolling around in her stomach. "Ok. Well thank you, Jordan, for taking the time to tell me."
Jordan gave a simple nod. "Of course, it wasn't a problem."
Without a word, Lily walked toward the healer, who immediately led her all the way to Victoire's office in silence. That was where Lily patiently waited, looking around her cousin's office. There were pictures on her walls, some of her kids, one of her and Teddy at their wedding, and a few of her parents, siblings, and cousins. She had a medium-sized bookcase that was full of books, and as Lily looked over she recognized a few as potion books, although all of them were completely about healing.
She heard the door open and turned around. Victoire walked in, closing the door behind her. And she smiled at Lily as she moved to sit down. "Good afternoon, Lily. How are you?"
Normally, Lily would have suspected a double meaning behind her question, but that wasn't Victoire. When Victoire asked something like that, it was all she really meant. So she sat down across from her. "Well . . . I've been ok. Right now . . . well I'm not so sure."
Victoire gave a serious nod, her expression one of concern and calm. "Ok. Well, you said that you really needed to see me, so can you tell me what you think is wrong?"
Lily gulped. Despite thinking about it all day . . . she hadn't said it out loud. And now she had to say it, and she had to say it to somebody. But it was Victoire, and Lily didn't need to ask if she would keep it a secret. Victoire knew when things needed to stay quiet, and she'd been there herself. "Well . . . I think that I'm . . ." Lily took in a deep breath. Just say it, she chanted in her head. Just say it and be done. "I think I'm pregnant," she blurted out. A weight felt like it'd left her shoulders.
Victoire was in complete healer mode, and kept looking calm, although Lily could see the happiness shining in her eyes. "Ok, have you been showing any symptoms that could signal that you're pregnant?"
"No, but I forgot to take my potion last month," Lily mumbled, a bit embarrassed. After all, it was Victoire who had been the one to tell her to remember each month.
But Victoire just nodded as she pulled out a few papers from her desk and then stood up. "Ok, we'll do a test then that will let us know if you are and for sure how far along you are. Just come with me."
Doing the test was easy, but it was the waiting that was nerve-racking. Victoire brought Lily back to her office so that she could wait privately, without someone trying to peek in and find out why the daughter of Harry Potter was in the hospital. Lily remembered waiting with Lola through her test, and she didn't remember it being this long. But then again, she'd had someone to talk to. Her previous anger at Scorpius welled up in her stomach again, making her heart beat a little harder. So instead, Lily found herself flipping through one of Victoire's books. It held nothing she didn't already know, but it gave her something to focus on.
When the door finally opened again, Lily closed the book and quickly sat up. Victoire walked in alone, and shut the door. She had papers in her hand again, and was looking over them carefully, not even looking away as she sat down. And she didn't say anything to Lily, but continued to look over the paper in her hand.
Lily had never been very patient. "So?" she demanded. "Am I, or not? Or do you even know?"
Victoire looked to her cousin, as if she'd been through from her thoughts this time. But then she looked back to the papers, then gave a nod. "Yes, I know," she said simply.
Lily felt like banging her head on the edge of the desk. "And?"
Victoire still didn't answer her right away, but then after a moment she put the papers down, and looked straight at Lily.