"It's going to be great!" James exclaimed happily as he leaned his back against the counter of the kitchen in the Potter children's childhood home. They had all come to a family dinner, and now the three of them were alone in the kitchen, although Mitchell and Severus made a habit of running through the kitchen with their game.
Mitchell was now two, and was adorable in Lily's eyes. He and Severus were getting along great as cousins, and always played together during these dinners. He was walking and running, and although he was better with talking, he was still sometimes lazy, and wouldn't actually talk, but just do motions for what he wanted.
James and Elizabeth had gotten married about five or six months ago, and were now expecting their first child, which was what James was so excited about. Elizabeth had earlier gone from playing Quidditch to commentating, so it was perfect timing for them. It was all James talked about at times, which Lily and Albus both found a bit amusing, as new parents themselves.
"It's going to be great having a son of my own!" James said with a big smile. "I mean, you two love it, right?"
"I don't love it just because Mitchell turned out to be a boy," Lily retorted with a grin.
"No, I'm with you, James," Albus agreed. "It's nice having a son."
"I mean, all the things I'll get to teach him, and all the things we'll do!" James said with a wistful smile.
"What if it's a girl?" Lily pointed out.
James scoffed. "It won't. Remember, we're Weasleys. Boys are what our genes are famous for," he reminded. "That's why you always said Mitchell was going to be a boy."
"Yeah, but that's also because there's almost never been a female born into the Malfoy line," Lily countered. "So it was the combination of both of our families. There have been plenty of girls in Elizabeth's family."
James just waved her comment off. "It'll be a boy. I've got the gut feeling that it is, so it will be."
"Did your gut say that you would get hit in a match that crippled you for life?" Lily mocked.
James rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha. Make fun of the future father with a limp. That's mature."
It was then that Lily's muggle phone began to ring a bit loudly, startling all of them. Lily hurried to answer it. "Hello, Brandon," she greeted with a sigh.
"Lily!" Brandon greeted happily, although Lily could hear noise from the background on the other side. A few months ago, Lily had finally decided to go back to modeling again, much to Brandon's delight. "I set up that deal, so next Friday's plan is for sure going to happen," Brandon stated.
"Ok, that's fine," Lily said.
But then there was a loud rustle, and muted voices on Brandon's end. But then a new voice came over the phone. "Lily?" Lana's voice greeted.
"Oh, hey, Lana. What are you doing there?" Lily inquired.
"I'm working on the photo shoot that Brandon's at now," Lana mentioned dismissively. "Anyways, I have a question for you. What are you doing tomorrow?"
Lily thought about it. "Nothing. Why?"
"How about a play date? Ali has been asking about playing with Mitchell again," Lana asked.
Lily smiled. With them being born so close together in time, Mitchell and Lana's daughter, Alana, were probably the best of friends. Lily just hoped that they didn't turn out like their parents. After all, Scorpius and Lana still picked on each other. "Sure, that sounds fine. I'll have Cecilia there too, so I'm sure she'd love to have another girl there," she joked.
"Ok, good. Maybe the girl will finally calm down," Lana said with a laugh. Then there was that rustle again.
"I'm back," Brandon said with a huff. "Anyways, Friday, right?"
"Yes, Friday works," Lily assured with a grin. "I'll see you then."
"I'm glad they're getting along so well," Lana commented as she and Lily watched Mitchell and Alana playing together. Cecilia was drawing a picture, which painfully reminded Lily of Duncan and his talent.
"Yeah, I am too," Lily replied.
"Maybe we should just stick them together every weekend," Lana suggested.
"Just not Saturdays," Lily told her. "Scorpius takes that day off every week to spend time with Mitch."
Lana actually smiled a little. "Really? That's good."
There was a knock on the door, which Tiff was quick to answer. To no surprise, it was Megan who walked in, holding her and Hunter's almost one-year-old baby, Daniella Emilia Baddock.
"Hey, Megan, what's up?" Lily asked curiously.
Megan shrugged as she came to sit with the girls at the table. Daniella seemed to be looking around with interest in her mother's arms, as if she were trying to understand where she was. "My brother mentioned that Lana was coming over here today, so I thought I would too."
"You're getting bored with Hunter being at work, aren't you?" Lana mocked.
"Well when there wasn't a baby, I had a bit more freedom," Megan said with a roll of her eyes. "Sadly, I can't just do what I want anymore if he's not home."
"Well why not do what Hugo does?" Lana suggested. She looked at Lily. "I mean, aren't both him and Stacy still working?"
Hugo and Stacy had gotten married about a year or so ago now, and just months ago, Stacy had given birth to Lily's godson, Jason Scor Weasley. Hugo always brought him over whenever he came to visit Lily.
"Well there's a children's center at the building where Stacy works, so there's someone there that keeps an eye on him while she works," Lily explained. "And she can also drop in and see him when she's between counseling sessions."
"See. Why not stick Daniella in something like that? Or you know, your mother loves babysitting," Lana pointed out. "That's where Alana went yesterday morning."
"Because I don't trust my father," Megan said simply.
"I thought things between you and your parents had cooled down a bit?" Lily inquired.
"A little. My mum's only ecstatic because of Danny. My dad was happy at first, until he found that it was a girl. And the last thing I'll let happen is him being a sexist dick around her," Megan stated firmly.
"Seems like you're screwed then," Lily teased.
"Well I've known that since the test came out positive," Megan muttered.
Lana laughed as she took her niece from Megan. "I know you've never been one for things like this, but even you have to admit that being a mother has turned out to be a great thing."
Megan was obviously repressing a smile as she shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess."
"How long have we been here?" Scorpius whispered quietly.
"You've been here an hour. I've been here for three, almost four," Lily retorted with a roll of her eyes. Practically all of the family had come to the hospital at the news that Elizabeth's water had broke. Lily and Albus had been here for hours, and had only left the room when it was time for the delivery.
"Mommy," Mitchell yawned from Scorpius's lap, "I'm tired."
Lily brought a hand up to push some of Mitchell's deep red hair from his brow. "Do you want Daddy to take you home?"
But Mitchell shook his head and just buried his face into Scorpius's shirt, looking like he might fall asleep like that. Scorpius chuckled as he cradled their son. "Such a grown up," he joked, smirking at Lily.
It wasn't long until Victoire finally came out, telling the news of how James and Elizabeth were now the parents of a baby girl. Lily almost wanted to laugh at how, again, her brother's "gut instinct" wasn't the best. But with her parents and brother, along with Elizabeth's parents and siblings, Lily had gone into the room to see the couple and newborn. While the rest went to talk to Elizabeth and coo over the baby, who was quite beautiful, Lily and Albus went to where James sat by the door.
"Congratulations, big brother," Albus said, patting James on the shoulder.
"So you're the proud papa of a girl," Lily teased.
James groaned. "This is horrible," he moaned.
Lily and Albus now looked at their brother with worry. "What?" Lily questioned.
James sighed. "This is terrible! I don't know how to raise a girl?"
"What do you mean?" Albus asked.
"Boys are easy!" James insisted. "I mean, I'd understand a boy. I'd know what to teach him, what games to play, and what he'd like to do. Having a girl changes that!"
"In what way?" Lily demanded. "You did fine with me as a kid. And despite certain problems, I'd like to think that I turned out ok."
"Yeah, Lil played Quidditch and rode brooms," Albus said comfortingly. "She hung out and did the same stuff we did."
James ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, but look how it turned out once we got older?"
"Ask Dad, no father knows how to truly handle a teenage girl," Lily said as comforting as she could. "It's something you'll just have to let Elizabeth handle when the time comes. I mean, I'm not going to be able to understand Mitchell when he starts maturing and growing up. Those are things that Scorpius will have to take care of. I mean, I already wish that'd I'll be able to, but I know that I really won't."
"I don't want to mess up," James whispered. "I don't want to do something that will make her hate me. I want her to have the best life . . . but I don't think I can give that to her."
"All you can do is give it your all, James," Albus told him. "It's all you can really ever do when it comes to being a parent."
"Something doesn't make sense," Hugo stated as he walked into the Burrow's kitchen, where Lily and Lucy were helping their grandmother make some snacks, while the other women in the family sat around the table to talk.
"What is it, Hugo?" Rose asked with a sigh and a roll of her eyes.
"Vic is the one that sets this whole family day up, and then they're late," Hugo said simply as he handed his son, Jason, off to his grandmother.
"Hugo, she's pregnant again, and she has five kids to get ready and move around. Give her a break," Lily said with a laugh.
"Something's different," Hugo insisted. "Oh, and, Lucy, Zack said that he thinks Nattie might be hungry."
Lucy sighed now as she hurried off to the living room. Last year, Lucy and Zack had a baby that was truly their own. Natalie Mae Creevey was a doll of a little girl, who had Zack completely wrapped.
"Mommy!" Mitchell exclaimed as he ran into the kitchen.
"Aunt Lily!" Severus was right behind him.
Lily raised a brow at the two little boys. "What?" she asked.
"We wanted a cookie, and Daddy said to tell you," Mitchell said with a cute little smile. It looked too much like his father's.
Lily repressed rolling her eyes as she handed a cookie to each little boy. "Here. But that's it."
"Thank you!" the boys exclaimed as they ran from the room.
"Don't run!" Ginny scolded dismissively.
Lily sighed. "Boys," she mumbled.
"You know, despite having your hair and eyes, he's looking a lot like Scorpius," Audrey commented.
"And I don't know if that's good or bad yet," Lily commented easily.
Suddenly, Teddy's head poked into the room. "Hey, ladies. Mind coming out here? We've got something to show you."
Each of them curious, they all got up and left the kitchen. But there was nothing different or out of place in the living room. It was loud with all the sounds of children playing, but that was normal. And Victoire wasn't there.
"Hi, Aunt Lily," Theo greeted with a small smile. Having just turned ten, he'd be off to Hogwarts in just a year.
"Hey, Theo. How are you?" Lily asked with a smile.
"Surprised," Theodore said simply as he looked at the front door. "You'll see why."
Lily gave the boy a confused and curious look, but then the door opened and Victoire stepped inside. But it was who was behind her that shocked and sent a silence through all the adults in the family.
"Lily! Scor!" Mitch greeted happily as he stood next to Dominique. With his spiky blue hair, he looked no different, not to mention that smile. "I was told I got a nephew with a really cool name."
Lily looked at her cousin, who looked at no one, and not to mention awkward. Well, as awkward as Dominique could look. So Lily did the only thing she could think to do. She walked forward and smiled at her cousin. "For someone who hates big intros, you sure gave a big one," she mocked.
Dominique rolled her eyes, but Lily could see a grin. "I didn't even really want to come. Vic forced me."
"Dominique!" Fleur cried as she then ran and hugged her daughter tightly.
Lily looked over at Mitch. "Have you been taking care of my cousin?"
Mitch laughed as he hugged her. "I have missed you, Lily Lu! So, where's my nephew?"
Scorpius came over with Mitchell in his arms. "This is Mitchell. Mitchell, this is your uncle Mitch."
Mitchell smiled openly. "Hi!" he greeted in a friendly tone.
Mitch laughed. "Damn he looks like you, Scor! Beware, Lil."
"So what are you doing back?" Scorpius asked.
Mitch looked at the rest of the family, who was fussing and occupied with Dominique. So he leaned forward to whisper to the two of them. "You're about to get a nephew too."
Lily smiled. "Are you serious? I thought that was against Dominique's way?"
Mitch chuckled. "It just kind of happened. But yeah, in like seven months or something."
Scorpius smirked. "Excited?"
"Totally," Mitch said with a nod. "It's going to be great. But Dom wanted to come back to her sister, so we all moved back here."
"Yeah, because I think she'd kill you during the pregnancy if you were alone," Scorpius mocked.
"You know, there is a lot more Weasleys and Potters than I remember," Mitch commented as he looked around.
"I think at this rate, Molly is the only one to not have a child yet," Lily told him. "And some of the cousins have two, Vic has five, and so on."
"Wow, even little Huey?" Mitch asked.
Lily nodded. "Yeah. He has a little boy of his own."
Mitch shook his head. "Damn. We missed a lot."
Scorpius clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll catch you up. I promise."
Lily sighed as she set a bowl of food down for Padfoot, and looked around again to make sure that there wasn't anything she was forgetting.
"Mommy! Can Daddy teach me to tie my shoes?" Mitchell pleaded as he sat on the couch, waiting for Lily to come and tie his shoes for him.
Lily gave Mitchell a smile as she came to kneel in front of him. Coming so close to being four now, Mitchell really was looking like Scorpius. Astoria and Draco were always commenting on it, and Astoria always said that she thought it went well with having Lily's hair and eyes. And now that he was almost four, Mitchell was constantly trying to do things himself, and was always asking to learn how to do things.
Lily began to tie his shoes. "I'd bet if you asked him, Daddy would love to teach you," she told him. "But why do you want to learn? I'll always tie your shoes for you if you need it."
"Because Daddy says that boys have to do things themselves!" Mitchell insisted, his cute little voice messing up some of his words. "And I'm a boy! I'm a big boy!"
Lily shook her head, still smiling. "Yes, you are a big boy. Almost too big." She knew that with Scorpius always spending Saturdays with him, they were going to have a very . . . Malfoy, little boy.
Mitchell smiled. "Daddy says that's good!" He waited patiently as Lily tied the last shoe. "Mommy, where are we going?"
"We are going to the hospital so we can see great-grandpa Lucius," Lily told him. "He's sick, so we're going to meet Daddy there."
"Oh," Mitchell said as he got up from the couch, obviously not grasping the seriousness of the situation.
The Malfoy house elf, Pitch, had come over a few hours ago to tell Lily that Lucius Malfoy was now very ill at St. Mungo's, and that the family was there with him. Lily had sent Tiff to tell Scorpius, and to let him know that she and Mitchell would be there as soon as possible.
"Are you ready?" Lily asked Mitchell. Mitchell didn't really know Lucius. Due to Scorpius's deep-seated anger and dislike for Lucius, he never brought Mitchell around Lucius, at least not willingly. So Mitchell only really saw his great-grandfather during family dinners at the Malfoy Manor.
Mitchell nodded emphatically. "Yeah! I wanna see Grandpa and Grandma Malfoy."
When the two arrived at the hospital, they were led to the room, and Lily was surprised to not see Scorpius already there. She had thought for sure that he would have been able to get there sooner than her. But Astoria, Draco, and Narcissa were there. And Lucius lied on the bed, looking even older and more frail than usual.
"Lily, Mitchell," Draco greeted quietly.
Mitchell was now in Lily's arms, so Lily stepped next to the bed. "Say hi, Mitch," she whispered.
"Hi, great-grandpa," Mitchell greeted just as quietly as his grandfather had.
Lucius looked at the two of them, mainly Mitchell. Then he looked toward the ceiling. "There's an awful lot of Weasley and Potter in that boy," he mumbled.
Mitchell looked at Lily curiously. "Mommy, what's that mean?"
Lily just shook her head. "Nothing, sweetie." She set him down, and he immediately ran over to Astoria, who picked him up and fussed over him. Lily walked over to Draco. "How is he?"
Draco, who seemed to be doing well on repressing his own emotions, whatever they were, just sighed. "He's very ill. And . . . it will be more likely that he will not make it, then that he will. With his age, the illness could easily take him in a month or two."
Lily looked at Lucius sadly. "Has Scorpius been here yet?"
Draco shook his head. "No, he hasn't. I don't imagine that my son will come."
"Surely he would, if at least for a few minutes. I mean, I know they have issues, but that's still his grandfather, and he's deathly ill," Lily retorted.
"I honestly don't think being deathly ill will be enough for Scorpius to come and see him," Draco said honestly.
And it wasn't.
"I can't believe that you're making me do this," Scorpius muttered. Saturday had come around, and instead of letting Scorpius and Mitchell spend the day together, Lily sent Mitchell to her parents' house, and was dragging Scorpius to see Lucius. "I don't even like the man."
"I do not care. He is your grandfather, and you are going to see him," Lily stated.
"I bet he didn't even say anything about me not being there," Scorpius commented dryly. "I'd bet he'd rather I not be there."
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," Lily stopped where they were in the hospital hallway and looked at him firmly, "your grandfather is dying. Chances are that he won't make it two months, possibly not even one month. If this is the only and last time you go to see him, then fine. But you are going to see him."
Scorpius narrowed his eyes and scowled. "I'm not a child."
"Then don't act like one," Lily seethed quietly. "Mitchell was mature enough to go, and he's not even four!"
"Hey, it took two to make such a mature child," Scorpius mocked.
Lily closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, which was not at all calming. Then she looked at her husband again. "Look at it two ways. First off, the rest of your family, who you love, is mourning in there. The least you can do is be there with them and support them. And two, if you decide to turn around and not go see him, you're sleeping in Padfoot's bed on the floor!"
Lily turned and began walking down the hallway again, and she was silently proud when she heard the following footsteps of Scorpius behind her. When they walked in, the rest of the family was there already, and looked a bit surprised to see Scorpius there with her, although Astoria did give Lily a bit of a smile.
"Good afternoon, son," Draco greeted.
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. It was." He looked over at his grandfather, but then looked away without saying anything.
Lucius looked at him with narrow eyes. "It's so nice of you to finally show your face, Scorpius," he spat mildly, mockingly.
"Oh, I'm not a nice man, Lucius, I just married too kind of a woman," Scorpius muttered.
"Such a waste to what could have been a great heir to the Malfoy name," Lucius mumbled.
"No worse an heir than you ever were!" Scorpius hissed.
"Until you married a Weasley!" Lucius seethed.
Scorpius glared at him. "Say one more word about my wife and this illness will be the least of your worries!"
"Boys!" Astoria intervened. "This is not the situation to be arguing like children. Scorpius Malfoy, that is your grandfather."
Scorpius scoffed. "He's a pitiable excuse for a human being." He looked at Lily. "I came, and I'm done now." Then he walked out of the room.
Lily stayed with the family a bit longer, but then went back home, where she could hear Scorpius in his workout room already. She made her way down the hall to see him lifting a bunch of weights. Leaning against the doorframe, Lily sighed. "Would you just tell me why you dislike that man so much?"
Scorpius did one more rep before stopping. He sat up and looked at her. "It's not like you like the man either."
"I don't dislike him, I pity him," Lily said with a shrug. "I've grown up since I first met him. That doesn't explain your issue."
"I just hate him" Scorpius muttered.
"Why?" Lily demanded.
"Because he doesn't care!" Scorpius finally exclaimed. "He's never cared about me! All he cares about is his precious last name! I was getting my ass kicked all the time when I started school, and he didn't care. When I tried to defend myself, my friends, and my House, I was a mockery to the Malfoy name! And you know why? Because I was fighting like a muggle and not like a wizard! And then he was disappointed that I admitted to losing! Malfoy's don't lose, he said! But I know when I've lost! And I lost every damn day for the first year at school!" In his anger Scorpius glared and stood. "And I realized then that all the time we spent together when I was young, it was not because I was his grandson, and he was my grandfather. It was all about him bringing me up to be a proper heir to his name." His jaw tightened. "I hate that man, and I will always hate him!"
Lily stared at him for a moment. His anger radiated off of him in waves, and his eyes were like a storm. She turned to leave, but stopped to look back at him. "Just remember that the rest of your family doesn't hate him, so ease up a bit around them at least. We both know he'll hide it, but I'm sure that your father isn't taking it as calmly as it seems."
The news came in a little less than a month, just as they'd all feared. Pitch had Apparated in with a hurry, so Lily quickly took Mitchell to her parents' house, and had then gone back and quickly dragged Scorpius to St. Mungo's. The scene was a sad one. Narcissa was bent over where she sat, her hands covering her face as she cried, sobs wracking her body. Draco held Astoria, and silent tears ran down his cheeks. Lily went to comfort Narcissa, until someone spoke.
"He's dead?" Scorpius questioned. "Pitch didn't say he was dead."
Lily looked at him. "Why do you think Pitch was so urgent?"
"I just . . ." Scorpius gulped. "I just thought he was getting worse."
"He's gone, son," Draco whispered.
Scorpius stared at where Lucius had laid before, but was now gone. An empty bed. Lily personally could only imagine the sadness and horror the others had felt at watching him being carried away. But she still looked at Scorpius, who almost looked frozen with a blank expression. But then he turned and stormed out of the room. Lily followed after him.
"Scorpius! Scorpius, wait!"
But he didn't.
Lily stayed with the family for hours, especially comforting Narcissa, who was almost inconsolable. But part of her was irritated and angry at Scorpius for just leaving his family like that. It shouldn't have mattered how he felt about Lucius. His family was hurting for Merlin's sake!
So when she came home and found him standing by the counter, looking at the wall, Lily glared at his back in irritation. "Was it necessary to make me yell after you? Was it needed to run off like that?" she demanded.
Scorpius didn't turn to look at her. He kept his hands on the counter and glared at the wall.
Lily sighed, exasperated. "What was the point of running out like that?"
"I'm angry," he said through a tight jaw.
Lily came to stand by him. His eyes were glaring at the wall. "You're angry at him for dying now?"
"I'm angry that I'm not . . . ok," Scorpius hissed, and Lily finally noticed the small tremors running down his arms. It began to worry her. "I hated that man. This should not bother me."
"He was your grandfather. You're allowed to mourn him," Lily said gently, a bit surprised at first by his words.
"I hated him!" Scorpius glared, turning to look at her. He held her arms, his hands shaking. "I should still . . . !"
"Don't let old hate dictate how you feel now," she whispered softly.
Scorpius gulped tightly, and rested his head on her shoulder, his muscles so tight and tense that he was still shaking. "I can't do this!"
Lily did her best to keep from shaking as well. The raw emotion that was running and emitting from him, it struck her hard, and she felt so bad for him. "Scorpius . . ."
He kissed her then, and it was harsh. And while Lily knew that it was his way of distraction, his way to keep from letting it get to him, she let him. Because she didn't want him to hurt. She wouldn't let him tear himself apart.
When their lips parted, his breath was uneven and ragged, and his hold on her was still tight, but Lily didn't mind or pull away. "Why does . . . why does it hurt when someone you hate dies?"
Lily brought a hand up to gently run her fingers through his hair. "Maybe because part of you didn't stop loving him, and still cherished the old memories you had. Even if you think they meant nothing to him, they meant something to you. And it hurts to lose that."
"I hate this feeling," he whispered, a scowl on his brow.
"We could go get Mitch, and the three of us could go out and do something," Lily offered. "It's not much, but it might help a little to get your mind off of it, if that's what you really want."
Scorpius looked down to where he now held her hands in his own. Then almost hesitantly, he looked up at her. "Lily, what would you think about having another baby?"
While surprised initially by the question, Lily didn't let it show. "You mean within the year?"
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. Mitch is almost four now, and we did say that we'd have at least two."
Lily couldn't stop the small smile from coming to her lips. "So, this is your plan on how to distract yourself from mourning? Another baby?"
"Well when you lose one life, what better than to make another?" Scorpius whispered, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. "But, if you still want to wait, then we can just leave out the baby part."
Lily made a quick decision. And she knew that quick choices probably weren't the best decisions when it came to having another baby, but at this moment, it felt right. It felt like a good choice. "Sure. Maybe another baby will do you some good," she teased gently.
And although she could still feel the tension in his body, Scorpius finally smiled a little. "I hope it's a girl," he whispered just before pressing his lips against hers.
When the baby was born, it wasn't a girl like Scorpius had hoped. But instead it was a beautiful little boy with tiny wisps of blonde hair. And Lily was the only one that wasn't surprised when he agreed to the name Draco Lucius Malfoy.
"Do babies always cry?" Mitchell asked curiously as he and Lily watched Scorpius pace around the room, trying to get Draco to calm and stop crying.
"Yes, all babies cry," Lily told him as she stroked their oldest son's hair. "Some more than others."
"Did I cry?" Mitchell asked. He was just starting to learn that he was once the size of Draco.
"Not as much as your brother," Scorpius groaned. He looked at Lily. "He's not calming down, what's wrong? Mitch wasn't like this."
Lily held out her arms. "Here, let me see him."
Scorpius laid Draco into Lily's arms, and Lily softly whispered to the infant. Draco quickly began to quiet, and soon only small coos left his mouth. Scorpius almost glared. "I don't think he likes me."
Lily laughed. "Why do you say that?"
"Because he always cries, and he doesn't stop when I hold him. He only stops if you take him," Scorpius stated.
Lily smiled a little. "Your point?"
"That we've got a boy that loves his mother," Scorpius muttered.
Mitchell looked at his little brother curiously. "How long until he gets bigger?"
"Well how old are you?" Scorpius asked teasingly.
Mitchell smiled a cute four-year-old's smile. "Four!"
"Well then he'll be bigger when he's four," Scorpius told him with a small smile. Then he looked at Lily. "And when he gets bigger, we'll have to set up a room of his own."
Before Lily could speak, there was a knock at the door. And when Tiff answered it, it turned out to be a surprise. Jacob Brown, their old headmaster, walked into their flat.
"Jacob!" Lily exclaimed happily as she stood, careful not to jostle Draco, and thus upset him again.
Jacob smiled happily at his two former students. "Hello, you two. I'm sorry I hadn't visited before, but things have been busy."
"That's fine. This is a surprise," Scorpius commented as he stood up. He took Mitchell's hand, and had him stand up. "Mitch, this is Professor Jacob Brown."
Mitchell waved politely and smiled. "Hi, Mr. Brown."
Jacob kneeled down in front of him. "It's nice to meet you, Mitchell. You look a lot like your parents."
Mitchell smiled. "I know. But I don't have pink in my hair like Mommy."
Scorpius smirked. "When you're older, maybe."
Jacob chuckled as he stood up again, and then looked down at the bundle in Lily's arms. "And who is this little one?"
"This is Draco," Lily told him. "He's only a few months old now."
"Well I can already see that he's looking like his father," Jacob commented.
"He is," Lily said with a small laugh.
"So, not trying to sound like you're a bother, but what brings you about?" Scorpius asked as he walked over to the kitchen counter to grab an apple.
Jacob sat down, patting Padfoot on the head as he came to look at the newcomer personally. "Well, I was hoping that I could ask a favor of Lily, here."
Lily raised a brow as she sat down. "Really? What is it?"
"Well, I was wondering if you would like to come to Hogwarts next week," Jacob said in a simple and casual tone. "Maybe speak to a few classes."
Lily looked at him with confusion. "Speak about what?"
"Your experiences," Jacob replied. "About what you went through while in school, and what you attempted to achieve."
"I think he wants you to talk about House unity," Scorpius said from across the room.
"Is there a problem or something?" Lily asked.
"Not exactly," Jacob replied. "We just want to keep from having a problem. And I thought that you might be perfect for that. Plus, we have another person coming to speak with some classes, so I thought we could just make a day out of it."
"Could I go, Mommy?" Mitchell asked excitedly. "Can I?"
Lily thought about the whole thing. "Well . . . I don't know what I would say, but I guess I could come and talk to them."
"Perfect," Jacob said with a grin. "I'm sure there will be an excitement around the school once word gets around that you'll be around again."
"You plan on telling people?" Lily said with a laugh.
"No, but nothing is ever really a secret at Hogwarts," he said with a chuckle.
Stepping onto Hogwarts grounds again brought a smile to Lily's face. She hadn't been there since she graduated years ago, but it still felt like another home. With the end of the school year just a little more than a month away, the weather was beautiful. The grounds were quiet in the early morning, as most kids were probably eating breakfast. But Mitchell was eager for it being so early.
"This place is big!" Mitchell commented as he looked all around him, before letting his eyes come back to the castle once again.
"It's really big," Lily said with a smile and a nod. Draco had been left with Astoria for the morning, since Lily personally loved the break, and Astoria loved nothing more than babysitting her grandsons. But Mitchell had insisted on coming, so Lily had finally agreed.
"Will I go here?" Mitchell asked as they finally stepped inside the castle.
"Yep. I went here, and Daddy did, and so did Uncle James and Albus and Hugo. We all came here," Lily told him as she walked him through the castle and to the dungeons, where she knew someone was waiting for her. And of course, Slughorn was sitting at his desk, and looked so happy he could have burst in his old age.
"Lily! It's so good to see you!" Slughorn said happily. "And this must be little Mitchell that I've heard so much about."
"It is. Mitch, this is Professor Slughorn," Lily introduced.
Mitchell smiled. "Hi, Mr. Slughorn."
"You know, Mitchell, your mommy is one of the smartest girls I know," Slughorn commented.
"Daddy says that she's the smartest ever!" Mitchell exclaimed.
Slughorn chuckled. "I'll bet he does say that. And he's not wrong."
Lily rolled her eyes. "So I was told that I'm speaking to your potion classes today."
Slughorn nodded. "Yes, you are. And I have seventh years first this year."
"Well this should be interesting," Lily commented as she brought Mitchell over to a chair, and lifted him into it. "Can you sit here while I talk to the kids?"
Mitchell began to swing his feet. "Sure, Mommy."
"Such a polite and patient young man," Slughorn commented.
Lily nodded. "I know, it's surprising. I've been lucky on the toddler end. I mean, my goddaughter, Cecilia, was really calm too. She still is, even though she's almost seven."
"Lily?"
Lily and Slughorn turned to see Brady and Richard walking in, along with two girls. One girl had dark blonde hair and pretty green eyes. And the other girl was obviously at least a year younger. She too was blonde, although it was a much lighter shade. And from what Lily could see of their ties, the older girl was a Hufflepuff, and the younger a Gryffindor.
"Brady, Richie, you two are in Potions still?" Lily said with a smile.
Richard nodded. "Yeah."
"And what are you doing here, Miss Couldon?" Slughorn asked with a knowing look.
The younger girl blushed. "Oh, um . . . I thought I'd just walk with them."
"I'm surprised to see you here so early, Professor," Richard commented.
"I'm sure you are. I'm not a bit surprised to see you four here, even though you didn't expect to see me," Slughorn stated.
Brady just shrugged as he dropped his bag by a chair. "Eh, then why give that look if you knew?"
"So, what are you doing here, Lily?" Richard asked.
"I was asked to talk to some classes today," Lily said simply.
"So you really are talking to us today?" the young girl said, almost with excitement. "I just thought it was a rumor."
"See, I told you know I knew the celebrity model from Hogwarts," Brady told the girl in a cocky tone.
Lily walked toward them, and smiled at the younger girl. "What's your name?" she inquired.
The girl looked like she was containing excitement. "I'm Maddy Couldon. I'm only a sixth year. I'm a friend of Brady's."
The other girl scoffed. "Yeah, friend."
Brady rolled his eyes. "Shove off, Rosaline." He looked at Lily. "That's Richie's girlfriend."
Lily smiled at the other girl. "It's nice to meet you."
Rosaline smiled nicely. "Same here. The twins have talked about you before, and you're like a legend in fashion magazines."
"And ole' Slughorn never shuts up about you," Brady laughed.
"Mommy." Mitchell's voice was clear, catching Lily's attention immediately.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Lily asked.
"Woah! That's Mitchell?" Richard questioned.
"Damn, he got big fast!" Brady commented.
Lily laughed. "You haven't seen him in a few years. He's four."
"Merlin!" Richard whispered with surprise.
Lily shook her head and laughed as she walked back over to her son. "What is it, Mitch?"
"Is Grandpa really coming?" Mitchell asked. Scorpius had openly guessed that her father was going to be the other speaker, as it would probably be very exciting and motivational for students if two from the famous Potter family were to be there.
"Well I don't know yet, sweetie," Lily told him. "If he is here, we'll see him though."
When the class started to fill, and the twins' younger friend went off to her own class, Lily looked curiously at the class in front of her. While Lily vaguely recognized a few faces from the younger siblings of friends or classmates, the majority of the class was made of new faces. And it hit Lily just how long she'd been away from Hogwarts.
"Ok, class," Slughorn began, "we have a guest speaker. She's coming to speak to you today, although not about potions exactly. I just demanded that she be in my classroom, as she is one of my all-time favorite students." He chuckled. "So, without further ado, give your full attention to Lily P- . . . I mean Lily Malfoy."
Lily smiled at them as she stood forward a little, addressing them all. "Hello, guys. I'm really glad to see so many seventh years still in Potions, since it is my speciality. But like Slughorn said, I have other things to talk to you about. But first, why do you think I'm here?"
Hesitantly, one girl raised her hand. "I'll say it."
Lily looked at the girl. "Ok, and what's your name?"
"Ella Wimmer," the Gryffindor girl said.
Lily didn't even recognize that last name. "Ok, Ella. Why do you think I'm here."
"Because of the fight last week," Ella guessed.
Lily gave a nod. And although she didn't know what the fight was about, she knew how to play this game. After all, she was a Slytherin. "And why would the fight prompt my coming? Anyone?"
Now Richard raised his hand. "Because of two fourth years fighting about Houses. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor."
Lily sighed as she leaned against the front desk. Still? Those fights were coming back? She looked at the group. "All the Slytherins in here, raise your hands."
About four kids raised their hands.
"Ok, Ella, you're a Gryffindor right? So do you know Richard?" Lily asked. Ella nodded. "Ok, and do you think Richard is nice?"
Ella nodded again. "Yeah, he's nice."
"But he's a Slytherin," Lily stated. "Shouldn't Gryffindors hate Slytherins? After all, history says that they always have."
"But that shouldn't be a reason to hate someone," another girl spoke.
Lily smiled. "Good. Then you've already learned."
"Lily!" Candice squealed happily in greeting as the fourth year class walked in. And to no surprise to Lily, it was made up of Slytherins and Gryffindors.
Lily smiled at the young girl, still amazed that this girl, who she'd known since she was an inquisitive child, was now a fourth year, soon to be a fifth year in the coming year. "Hey, Candy."
"Hi, Candy," Mitchell greeted with a small smile.
When the class began to settle, even Lily could see the bit of tension around them. Lily looked at Slughorn. "Horace, would you mind taking Mitchell up to Jacob's office? I'm sure he'd have more fun up there."
Slughorn nodded. "Of course. Good luck," he whispered the last bit to her.
Lily waited until Slughorn had taken Mitchell from the room before looking at the class in front of her. "I'm hearing all about a fight between two of the kids in this room."
"Because Markum's a snake!" one boy hissed. His tie was that of a Gryffindor.
"I'm a snake? You jumped me!" a Slytherin boy yelled back.
"Shut it!" Lily interrupted them sternly. She took in a breath. "I'm supposed to talk to you kids today, but instead I have a story. One that took place years ago. And it starts off with how a girl hated her family, and was hated by her family in return, because she was a Slytherin, and they were Gryffindors. And the girl's brothers hated Slytherins, so she hated Gryffindors. The brothers together made all other Houses hate Slytherin even more. Slytherins would fight others from other Houses and vice versa. And for no reason other than the House they belonged. They would cheat in Quidditch, and bruise and break each other. The girl once was knocked from her broom. Her nose broke, her shoulders, legs, and so on. One brother once took a bat to the face, for no reason other than revenge. It cracked his skull open."
Lily paused to look around at the surprised, hesitant, and almost a bit scared, faces. "You think you kids hate each other? Well that girl and those brothers, were me and my brothers, and my family," she told them. "I hated every House, because I thought they hated me. I would attack them, and they would attack me. But you know what? It was all for nothing! Because our Houses didn't matter in the end! And in my last years of school, the kids in my year did all that we could to stop that from continuing. To stop the hatred flowing through Hogwarts. And pardon my language, but I'll be dammed if two little boys destroy that."
Almost hesitantly, Candice raised her hand. "What was the worst thing that happened?"
Lily sighed. "Because of that fight, that hatred, I lost my brothers, my best friend, my family, and in a way myself. I would hurt every day. Because I would maybe win a fight, or come out of one unscathed, but you know what, it was a hollow victory, and it hurt in the end."
A boy raised his hand. "Is it true that you were really the start of JB Study Group?"
Lily nodded. "In a way, yes. Things got bad and dark with hatred. Things had to change." She ran a hand through her hair. "We were all beginning to hate each other . . . but we didn't really know why. We didn't know each other. We had no reason to hate each other. And if you have no reason to hate, then you only hurt yourself. And not just yourself, but others."
"You mean the person you hate?" a girl guessed.
Lily shook her head. "No. You hurt people who aren't even involved. Through the years I fought with my brothers, we dragged others into our problems. My best friend, my cousin, was dragged back and forth. Our friends, acquaintances, other housemates. We pulled them into our problems, and they got hurt. All because we were angry with no real reason to hate."
"What is a reason to hate someone?" Candice asked a bit suddenly, being as curious as she always had been.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know. Personally, I'm not sure if there really is a real reason to ever hate anybody. And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is a reason. But if that's true, I'm not sure if the reason will ever be worth the consequences."