Harry Potter 1. Things have Changed

_Hi all! _

_Ok well I should start by saying that this story is a direct sequel to my other fanfic Seasons May Change and it might make more sense to read that one first just to know what's happened so far._

_Right well this is basically set roughly a year after the last chapter of SMC and will follow the lives of Lily, Scorpius and the others through life after Hogwarts and yet more trials that await them :)_

_I really hope you enjoy it and if you're a reader who has stuck by Lily and Scorpius from the last story then thank you, so very much :)_

_Just a quick disclaimer for this and every chapter that will follow, I don't own any of the characters or the world of Harry Potter, it all belongs to the brilliant mind of J.K._

Chapter one – Things have Changed

We didn't sit in our usual place at the Gryffindor table for the new school year meal, instead Emma, Hugo and I moved along to sit at the head of the table where all seventh years sat. We were the oldest students in school now, except for those who had returned to redo the year after failing, and to be honest it felt wrong. I didn't belong at this end of the table, I didn't deserve the greetings of my teachers who told me how proud they were to have witnessed me growing into a skilled and powerful witch, I shouldn't be getting attention off the new first years who were staring at me in awe. I wasn't ready to be here at the end of it all, I just wanted to go back a year and bring Al and Scorpius to Hogwarts again, things had changed and I didn't want them to.

I wasn't the only one who was suffering, beside me Emma was staring sadly into her plate and opposite us Hugo was eyeing his Quidditch captain badge glumly knowing who had worn it before him. Lucy was sat on the table across from us surrounded by her fellow Ravenclaw students but not involved in any of their conversations, she glanced up meeting my gaze and managed a small smile. I couldn't smile back.

I looked over my shoulder at the Slytherin table and couldn't help but glance at the end where Scorpius had sat last year, of course he wasn't there, a tall dark haired boy sat in his old seat laughing with his friends and I sighed. I felt Emma place a hand on my arm comfortingly and turned to face my best friend, her bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle and her smile was a ghost of what it used to be.

"It doesn't feel right, any of it." I mumbled sadly, she nodded and shifted a bit closer to me so that she could link her arm through mine.

"I know." She said simply, Professor Sprout, who was acting as headmistress until a permanent replacement was found, began giving her speech but I heard none of it.

"It's only for one year, the time will fly by." Hugo assured us trying his hardest to sound optimistic, somehow I managed a tiny smile and nodded.

"I hope so."

* * *

"Lily please stop it you're driving me insane." Emma grumbled miserably, I scowled and forced myself to stop tapping my feet anxiously as I mentally urged the train to go faster.

"Can you believe it's Christmas already?" Hugo mused as we watched the scenery whipping past the window.

"I know, it's crazy, it feels like it was only last week that we got back to Hogwarts and now it's December. Where did the months go?" it was Lucy who replied from behind the pages of her book, she was the only one of us who seemed entirely relaxed about returning home.

"I think it's all the N.E.W.T.s work myself, I've had so much to do I haven't even had chance to think about the date." She wasn't exaggerating either, since the start of the year Emma had actually spent ninety percent of her spare time in the library and the other ten percent with piles of parchment in her hands as she frantically tried to work whilst she walked, honestly the girl was insane when exams were concerned.

"I haven't started revising much yet, mum's going to kill me when she finds out." Hugo grumbled miserably, Lucy giggled and patted his knee sympathetically.

"Why aren't we there yet?" I groaned leaning against the window to see further ahead of us for any glimpse of the station, Emma rolled her eyes and shoved me back into my chair.

"Hey!" I complained scrambling back into an upright position.

"For heaven's sake calm down! Obsessively staring out of the window isn't going to make the train go any faster!" the three of us stared at her with raised eyebrows and she shrugged.

"Don't look at me like that, you two only have to put up with her in lessons and breaks, I'm stuck with her at night time too." She argued defensively, Hugo and Lucy laughed and I gave her a playful shove.

"I'm not that bad! Besides you're as guilty as I am."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded and I scoffed at her attempt at innocence.

"Come off it Em, all I hear is 'oh I wonder how Al is' and 'do you think Al's up to much?' and let's not forget your favourite 'you don't think he has a girlfriend do you Lily?'" I retorted mimicking her voice whenever she asked me those questions, she flushed bright red and slapped my arm.

"Stop it, I was only concerned!"

"Oh please, you're just as obsessed as I am so zip it." she opened her mouth to argue but failed to find any words and folded her arms across her chest instead huffing furiously, I giggled and glanced back out of the window at the exact second the train lurched to a stop at it's destination.

"Oh my god we're here!" I squealed leaping out of my seat and making a beeline for the door.

"Lily wait up!" Emma called after me as I shoved my way through the crowds of students and burst onto the platform, I thrust myself onto my tiptoes eagerly scanning the crowds until I spotted him waiting beside my family. I weaved my way through the many people running clumsily towards the familiar faces, I ran straight past James who up until now had always gotten the first hug and threw myself into Scorpius. His strong arms pinned me to his body and I felt myself relax now that I was back with him, pulling away from the hug slightly he brought our lips together and I kissed him back tenderly.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." He told me with a relieved sigh and I laughed lightly.

"I think I can guess." It was probably the same painful amount that I'd missed him, I remembered the rest of my family were waiting to greet me and managed to tear myself out of his arms reluctantly.

"Oh I see what's going on, first you snog the boyfriend and then you remember your brother, I think you got your priorities mixed up Lils." James announced wagging a disapproving finger in my direction, I scowled at him slapping his hand away and he grabbed me in a tight hug.

"Look how grown up my little sister is, she's a seventh year!" he crooned sarcastically, I laughed and slapped his back playfully.

"Good to have you back." He added more sincerely as he set me back down on my feet, I smiled at him gratefully and someone collided with me knocking me off balance, Scorpius grabbed my arm steadying me as Emma bent over clutching her stomach and panting breathlessly.

"Blimey Lily didn't you hear me shouting? I asked you to wait, then I lost you and went the wrong way, I had to run away from a swarm of muggle boys who kept asking for my number, whatever that means." She blurted out the words in a frantic rush trying to catch her breath, most of us just laughed at her except for one person. Al stepped forward from behind James and I felt Emma stiffen beside me, she stood up straight again all efforts to catch her breath forgotten, they stood silently staring at each other for a few seconds before she launched herself at him throwing her arms around his shoulders and locking him in a fierce hug.

"Whoa careful Em." He chuckled but she didn't relax her grip, I knew he was shy because of our presence and as if by cue everyone turned away and started talking amongst themselves, reassured by the small amount of privacy I saw him wrap his arms around her and return her hug.

"So what's up?" he asked casually with his usual lopsided grin, she stared at him incredulously and then pushed him.

"What the heck?" he exclaimed startled by the sudden outburst, Emma sighed so angrily it sounded more like a growl and Al look worried.

"Damn you Albus Potter, I haven't seen you in months and all you can say is what's up?" she spluttered in a strained voice, I could see her eyes glazed with unshed tears but didn't know if they were from anger or sadness.

"I just…" He started to defend himself but she cut him off.

"I missed you, you idiot. I missed your sarcastic remarks and your constant complaints about being hungry!" she shouted at him angrily, he looked at her apologetically and reached out for her hand.

"Emma…" he began softly but she snatched her hand away.

"Oh forget it, what's the point." She said sadly, I watched as she turned and walked away over to where her parents waited and Al met my gaze, his eyes sought some comfort in mine but I couldn't give him any, I was on Emma's side in all of this. It wasn't fair for him to keep holding her at a distance when they both wanted to be together just because of his stupid travelling plans.

"Come on let's get home." My dad suggested in an attempt to clear the tense atmosphere.

* * *

"You've actually got it then?" I sounded a bit more shocked than I should have after my brothers announced that they'd put down a deposit on the cottage over the hill.

"Well we haven't bought it but we'll be renting it as of next week." James clarified, looking rather proud of their decision. We were sat by the crackling fire discussing what I'd missed over the past months at Hogwarts, James and Al were sat on the floor leant back against the sofa with Scorpius opposite, his back to the armchair with me nestled between his legs and leaning back against his chest. It was getting late now and our parents had long since gone to bed but none of us felt tired.

"What's it like?" I asked curiously, I wasn't thrilled at their decision to leave home so soon but that was only because it meant more change and I just didn't want more things to be different.

"It's big actually, considering it's supposed to be a cottage." James began, looking to his younger brother for confirmation.

"Yeah there are two floors and then a third level but it only has one room so it doesn't really count as another floor." Al continued and I tried to visualize the building.

"How many bedrooms does it have?" I asked wondering if they would have to share or if there would be room for others to stay over.

"Well three officially but the room at the top is big enough to be a fourth I reckon."

"We were thinking of offering Hughie the spare one, after he leaves Hogwarts of course." James told me, it was nice that they considered Hugo a part of our circle of friends even though he was younger than them.

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out." I said with a sad smile.

"Pretty much, it'll need decorating but that wont take long unless aunt Hermione gets wind of it and makes us paint it by hand."

"Mmm." I mumbled unable to share their enthusiasm, I turned and gazed into the crackling flames in the fireplace and James let out a long yawn.

"Right well I'm going to hit the sack, the Auror training is getting harder now so I'm knackered." he trudged off up the stairs and Al moved to follow him.

"Tell Emma I'm sorry." He said gravely, I raised my eyebrows and resisted the urge to tell him to sod off.

"Tell her yourself." I replied icily, I wasn't going to try and mend the situation when he was being an idiot, he sighed and stomped off to bed muttering under his breath.

Scorpius and I were alone now that they'd left, he tightened his arms around me and pressed a couple of light kisses to my forehead, I swivelled in his arms until I was facing him and sighed.

"Why are you sad?" he asked lifting my chin and forcing my eyes to meet his.

"It's silly really…" I laughed anxiously but his serious expression did not falter, "I just feel like I'm being left behind." I shrugged at my own pathetic fears and he gave me a gentle smile.

"I can't go anywhere without you Lily, you're my future remember?"

"Yes but things are different now, you're not at Hogwarts anymore you're free to go off and…"

"Lily stop." I had no choice but to obey because his fingers sealed my lips closed, he waited for a few seconds staring at me imploringly until he was sure I wouldn't continue my rant and then he removed his hand freeing my mouth again.

"Come and live with me," he said bluntly, I stared at him bug eyed and completely stunned, "Well I suppose it's more like come and live with _us_ as it wont be just my house but still…" he trailed off letting his nervous eyes fall to the floor and I scrambled to regain my posture.

"I…I can't…" his eyes flew back to mine filled with hurt and confusion. "There isn't enough space, Hugo is getting the last bedroom." His expression quickly changed to one of intensity as he took my hand in his.

"I didn't mean for you to move into a separate room Lily," and I was back to being bug eyed. "Move in with _me_." I could hardly believe it, his words rang through my head echoing from ear to ear as I struggled to grasp what they meant.

"You're serious." I spluttered breathlessly and he nodded, deliberately slowly as if to make sure I fully understood.

Move in with him, into the same house as him and in the same room, sleep in the same bed as him every night! I started to feel dizzy with euphoria until more realization began to hit me, did I trust myself to be alone with him and in the same bed? My emotions had taken such a drastic turn recently whenever we found ourselves alone, such powerful urges and desires seemed to grip me and I was scared of where they might take us if we were together in such unrestricted circumstances.

Sex was a subject we'd always avoided, I used to shy away from it whenever it entered my mind and I knew that as much as I loved him I wasn't ready for things to go down that road yet. But now I wasn't so sure, the intensity of some of the moments we'd shared together recently had opened my eyes to a whole new range of feelings that I couldn't ignore and now I found myself wanting those things with Scorpius. That scared me more than anything.

"Ok," my lips seemed to utter the agreement without my permission, my overactive mind was still racing leaving me stunned but somehow the words slipped from my lips. His face transformed into a huge beaming smile and I couldn't help but grin back.

"Really?" he begged needing to hear me confirm it, I laughed anxiously and nodded.

"Yes." He drew me into his arms and kissed me fervently, the slow and rhythmic movement of his lips quickly silenced any doubts I had that moving in with him wasn't what I wanted. Of course it meant I would have to put up with my insufferable brothers for a few more years but I'd pay that price if it meant I got to see Scorpius every day and wake up beside him every morning. It was going to be fantastic!

I smiled against his lips as the joy began to set in and I could feel him grinning back refusing to break away from the kiss, it was one of the rare times we managed to kiss without any interruptions or complaints, but we'd be able to do it as much as we wanted to once we were living together – the thought of it had a fresh wave of euphoria blazing through my veins.

"Lily…" he whispered gazing deeply into my eyes and causing my body to tremble weakly under his intense stare.

"Mmm?" I hummed unsure of how to form actual words when he looked at me that way, he took my hands gently in his and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Um…" he paused for a moment and then laughed, it was a sound of disbelief.

"What?" I begged eagerly, he just gave me a small smile and shook his head.

"Nothing sweetheart." I would have argued but he pressed a gentle kiss to my mouth and my head was sent spinning out of control again taking all thoughts of disagreeing with it.

"What's life at Hogwarts like these days?" he asked lightly trying to steer the conversation down a more casual direction, I sighed heavily and slumped in his arms.

"Miserable." I said simply, he frowned and gave me a sympathetic look.

"Aw…"

"It's just not the same with you two gone, plus the workload is getting huge with the exams coming."

"Mmm I remember that part."

"Emma is driving me crazy too."

"Because of Al?" he guessed, but he wasn't entirely right so I shook my head.

"No, well yes but not just that, she's going completely mental trying to revise for the exams and is determined to drag us along with her. Honestly she fell asleep while she was writing a Charms essay the other night and woke up to find she'd drooled on the parchment and smudged all the ink, you should have seen how stressed out she got, I thought she was going to hyperventilate or something."

"Scary…" he mumbled with wide eyes.

"It was, then on top of all the revision craziness I have to put up with her never-ending prattling about Al, it's driving me insane!" I clutched at my hair in frustration and he chuckled, gently he tugged my hands away and smoothed down my now messy locks.

"Are you sure you don't drive her just as insane when we're apart?" he asked with one raised eyebrow, I squinted at him seriously for a moment until I couldn't fight the smile any longer.

"Yeah I do…" I admitted with a sigh, he laughed again and kissed my forehead. "I guess I shouldn't complain but it's so much more frustrating for me, I just wish Al would get a grip and ask her out already." I hung my head miserably and sighed, it was painful for me to listen to Emma frantically trying to figure out what she could possibly do to make my brother love her when all along I knew he already loved her but he was just being an idiot. I couldn't tell her that though, it wasn't my place to talk about Al's private decisions, he would have to tell her when he was ready and until then I just had to try and be the best friend I could.

"Anyway let's talk about something more cheerful, what's it like working with your dad?" since leaving Hogwarts Scorpius had gone on to work with his dad at Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, of course I had no doubt that he would be a natural because of his flair for potions.

"It's alright, a bit boring but I guess that's to be expected, it is a job after all."

"Why don't you try and find a position as a potioneer?" I suggested, hoping it might be a bit more interesting that working at the apothecary.

"I've been looking but there aren't many vacancies, I'm counting on my experience at Slug and Jiggers to give me a bit of an advantage if I eventually do find an opening."

"I bet its nice getting paid." I mused, he laughed lightly and patted his trouser pocket so I could hear the coins clatter together.

"I don't think I've ever had this much money before and I've only been paid a few times."

"Well it'll all be gone soon when you have rent and stuff to pay."

"Yeah but I don't mind really, I don't need the money for anything yet so it's fine." I knew he was right, when I eventually started getting paid I would have absolutely nothing to spend my wages on, I could buy a load of pointless things like clothes or books but I had enough of those already so I'd probably just end up saving it.

"I am saving up for something though so hopefully not all my money will be gone when we get this cottage." I looked at him curiously but his eyes were focussed on the crackling fire and his thoughts far away.

"What are you saving up for?" I asked unable to curb my curiosity for any longer, his attention snapped back and he gave me a small smile.

"Just something small, I might need it one day." I was utterly befuddled, so much so that I couldn't even ask more probing questions about this mysterious item before he got up lifting me to my feet with him.

"Come on it's late, we should get to bed." With a flick of his wand the fire went out and he led me upstairs while my mind reeled from what he'd said. What could he possibly be saving up for?


	2. Heated

_Hi! Well at the moment I am horrendously ill with some sort of vicious flu that has kept me in bed for two days with a fever, aching limbs and far too much used tissue for me to be bothered to clean up :( Being ill and unable to go out does however mean that I have more time to write and so I managed to get through a ton of new ideas and get them into three new chapters, the first of which you are about to read :D_

_Ok now things get a little bit hotter in this chapter than they have before, not much but it's still a bit of a hint to where things may be going in a future chapter so don't say I didn't warn you! After all there is no love without passion and Lily and Scorpius shall be finding that out very soon! (Don't worry I don't have a clue what I'm talking about either, I think it's the medication)_

_I hope you all enjoy it and I shall now return to dangerous amounts of sneezing while trying to type, it's not easy trust me._

_Oh! And a huge thank you for all the magnificent reviews, they cheered me up even though I was miserable and sick, so thanks!!_

Chapter two – Heated

The soft click of the door closing dragged me from my dreams but I didn't have the energy to open my eyes, I listened as the careful footsteps grew louder and the bed dipped on one side as more weight was applied. The familiar and comforting mint scent filled my senses and his body pressed against the back of mine. An arm wound around my waist firmly and I reclined into his chest moaning softly as his lips feathered kisses along my neck.

"Scorpius…" I whispered sleepily trying to force open my eyes.

"Shhh, go back to sleep." He said quietly into my ear scattering goosebumps across my skin, I snorted in a very unladylike fashion – as if I could sleep now with him here.

"What time is it?" I mumbled almost incoherently, he was dragging the tip of his nose along the length of my ear sending a light shiver rippling over me.

"Early, go to sleep." His voice was deliciously husky and I was having a hard time controlling my heart rate, his fingers were slowly stroking up the length of my arm making every little hair stand on end.

"I can't sleep if you keep doing that." I pointed out as he laid another kiss on the back of my neck, his lips lingering for a few seconds letting his hot breath caress my skin.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his deep voice driving my senses wild, it was increasingly hard to think straight when I could feel the length of his body pressed against my own.

"No…" all traces of tiredness had gone from me now and every inch of my body was buzzing with excitement and anticipation, his fingers wandered to my waist where my pyjama top had ridden up exposing a strip of skin. A small thrilled gasp fell from my lips as his touch found the area, his hands were icy cold but I hardly noticed through the blood burning beneath my skin.

"Why are you in here?" I asked struggling to keep my mind on a safe topic rather than let it run wild with sensations that his touch was causing.

"I couldn't sleep, I wanted to be near you." He whispered throatily, his lips were moving across the bare skin of my shoulder where my little strapped top had failed to conceal it, did he have any idea that he was driving me crazy? I rolled to face him my lips yearning hungrily for his but he did not grant me access right away, instead he eased me onto my back keeping his mouth just out of reach and moved to kneel over me. The intoxicating proximity of his body made it almost impossible to breathe and I gasped desperately for oxygen, the little I received was instantly cut off by the pressure of his lips.

I was surprised by how avidly I kissed him back but didn't try to calm my rapidly building lust, Scorpius didn't seem put off by my enthusiasm instead it spurred him on, his hands worked their way into my hair tangling it roughly which only seemed to thrill me more.

I had to break away for air but his lips refused to leave my skin instead he lifted my chin so that his mouth could work it's way down the curve of my neck sending shockwaves of pleasure ripping across me, I didn't know if it was the pressure of his body, the intoxicating smell of his skin or the blissful taste of his mouth that was now moving against mine again but something was taking over me and blurring my judgement, it gave me confidence I never would have found in it's absence. I wrapped my legs around his waist drawing him down and pressing him tight against me provoking a moan from his lips, that sound sent a shocking thrill ringing through my body and fuelled the already blazing arousal that was burning within me.

Without thinking my hands tore off his t-shirt tossing it to the floor and I was mesmerized by the beautiful contours of his chest, he paused letting me glide my fingers across his smooth skin tracing every line of muscle and every curve, I watched his eyes close and felt his shaky breath on my face as a result of my touch. When his eyes opened again they were burning with desire and I gasped as his lips crashed back onto mine, I wanted him and that knowledge governed my body and mind blinding me to all else.

Scorpius' hands pushed up my top and his cool hands glided across my belly making me tremble, he lowered himself gently down onto me and I inhaled sharply as his delicious torso met my exposed skin, he was kissing me again then letting his tongue trace the shape of my lips and provoking a low moan from my throat.

Abruptly a door out in the hallway opened and we both gasped breaking apart, footsteps were followed by another door and I realised it was someone going to the toilet. Now that my mind was able to function properly again I realised the intimacy of our position, we were lying tangled together flustered and out of breath, Scorpius was topless and my own pyjama shirt had been pushed up to my chest leaving my stomach bare where his hand now rested.

"You really should get some sleep." He whispered shakily, he gently pulled my top back down and rolled off me to retrieve his from the floor. I tossed a quick glance at my clock and groaned.

"God its 2 o'clock."

"I said it was early." He was lying beside me but kept a safe distance so no part of us was touching, I desperately craved the contact but I knew I couldn't be trusted while I was still feeling this way.

"I should go back to my room." He sat up on the edge of the bed and moved to stand up, startled by the thought of him leaving I bolted upright and seized his wrist firmly.

"Please don't go." Even I could hear the desperation in my voice betraying my pathetic addiction to him, he hesitated gazing down at me with uncertain grey eyes. "Stay, please." I whispered, at my words I saw his willpower fail and wordlessly he slipped back into the bed beside me.

"Now get some sleep ok." He pulled me against his chest and kissed my forehead softly as I forced my eyes shut willing sleep to take me away again.

It must've worked because the next time they opened sunlight was illuminating the room stinging my eyes and warming my skin. I groaned and rolled over, my elbow impacted with something squishy and I heard a deep moan.

"Oh I'm sorry." Scorpius was sitting up sleepily rubbing his cheek where I'd just hit him, I shielded my eyes from the light with my hand and tried to force my eyes to stay open.

"Are you ok?" I asked trying to see if his cheek was red or bruised, he squinted at me barely awake and nodded wordlessly. I moved his hand aside and kissed the spot lightly, as I pulled back he turned sharply and his lips met mine.

"Lily?" he murmured through kisses.

"Mm…"

"Do you always sleep talk?" I pulled back and stared at him horrified, he was just kidding right? I mean if I really did sleep talk wouldn't someone have told me by now?

"I don't." I argued with much less conviction than I'd planned, he grinned smugly and lifted my hand.

"Oh you do." He assured kissing each of my fingers individually, his actions threatened to scatter my already chaotic thoughts but I firmly kept my mind on the subject at hand.

"What did I say?" my voice quivered hesitantly and his kisses moved to my wrist.

"You whispered my name…" His eyes refused to leave mine as his lips worked their way up the inside of my arm making my skin tingle.

"You said that you loved me…" his lips reached my collar bone where he traced a line to my neck with his tongue, I closed my eyes letting my head fall back as his mouth worked up my skin.

"And…" his lips were at my ear now, his breath tickling my hair and exciting my nerves. "You said you wanted me…" the words made my eyes snap open and I stared at him mortified, had I really said that out loud? Please let it be a joke…it had to be a joke, the alternative was just too embarrassing to consider. But Scorpius wasn't laughing, it wasn't a joke at all, I'd actually said it.

"Oh no…" I breathed, the blood in my cheeks flaring up so deeply I could actually feel it burning, I couldn't bear to see his reaction and so instead I rolled onto my back and covered my face with my hands wishing I could just disappear.

"Don't be embarrassed." He said softly tugging at my wrists trying to move my hands but I kept them firmly over my face. I just couldn't stand to see his expression right now.

"Lily will you please listen to me?" this time he pulled harder and despite my best efforts he was much stronger than I was and he managed to prise me hands away easily pinning them down onto the bed above my head. His eyes were not mocking or cruel they were soft and comforting, he didn't speak right away instead he bent his head slowly and kissed my cheek soothing my frantic anxiety and relaxing my tense muscles.

"I want you too…" he whispered against my skin, for a second my heart faltered in my chest and then took off at twice its normal speed leaving me breathless and unsteady. I was suddenly painfully aware of how close he was to me, his sweet breath washing over my face and his hands pinning back my arms. His eyes carefully studied mine searching for any signs that he'd overstepped the line, seeing none he moved closer to me grazing his lips against mine but not quite kissing me, I whimpered pleadingly and a grin twitched at the corner of his mouth before he brought our lips together firmly.

A loud frantic banging on my door startled us both and broke the intense connection that had been gripping us drawing us once again into dangerous territory.

"Lily are you awake?" I'd never been more annoyed by Albus' voice and I sighed miserably as Scorpius released my wrists and sat up.

"Yeah I'm up." I called back not bothering to hide the air of disappointment that accompanied my voice.

"Mum wants you for something." I heard him stomp back down the stairs and turned shyly to Scorpius.

"Come on, we should go down." he suggested reluctantly and I nodded letting him take my hand and lead me downstairs. We weren't going to get chance to discuss what had happened anytime soon and I knew it was going to play on my mind endlessly

* * *

"Oh my god it's gorgeous!" Emma exclaimed dramatically as we reached the top of the hill and the cottage came into view, I had to say I was surprised, it didn't look anything like I'd expected. I had imagined something like Shell Cottage, a small and cramped building built of mismatched brick and topped with a traditional straw roof, but this was more like a small house. It had two floors with a rather unusual third section added to the rightmost corner of the roof, the windows were dirty and made of tiny square panes framed by old fashioned wood that was chipping. The brickwork was smooth and even painted white so that it looked oddly modern, a contrast to the withered oak door and rickety stone wall acting as a fence.

"Come and see." Al seized her hand and dragged her down the hill before she could be surprised, James strode calmly after them and Scorpius and I glanced at each other, he smirked at me to which I grinned back and then we darted off, running down the sloping ground like little kids laughing hysterically. He grabbed my hand pulling me towards him and throwing me off balance, I tripped over my own feet and fell dragging him with me still laughing as we rolled to a stop at the foot of the hill, he was lying atop me and his throaty chuckles shook my whole body. Our laughed was quickly forgotten as the tension of being so close gripped us both, his eyes blazed with passion as he gazed into my own, tired of waiting I lifted my head bringing our lips together and felt him inhale sharply against my kiss.

The wintry ground beneath me was creeping through my clothes and freezing my skin but I scarcely noticed as Scorpius' lips moulded themselves around my own opening and closing my mouth in a startlingly arousing motion that had my whole body throbbing.

"Bloody hell guys," Al's disgusted voice shocked us apart and I scrambled quickly to my feet. "We have rooms for that now you know." He rolled his eyes and disappeared back inside.

"He's right," Scorpius piped up taking my hand in his. "Do you want to see our room?" as he said it my heart leapt in my chest and I heard my own gasp.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, taking my face carefully in his hands and I laughed lightly.

"Nothing, just hearing you say it makes it all seem so real…" I turned my gaze to the house behind him and in my peripheral I saw his brow furrow into a frown.

"If you regret saying yes it's not too late to back out." My attention snapped back to his face and I smiled at him adoringly, he looked insanely gorgeous when he was worried.

"I don't regret it, come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.

There was no furniture inside at the moment, it was simply an empty shell desperately in need of some fresh decorating. The kitchen was quite small and almost all of the walls were lined with old fashioned cupboards which looked rather unstable and several doors were hanging off with missing hinges.

"It needs a bit of work…" Al mumbled seeing my startled expression as I eyed a large moulding patch of damp on one of the living room walls.

"We'll have it fixed up in no time, the garden is huge too!" James told me eagerly as he darted towards another door that I assumed led to the back of the house.

"Yup, we're going to convert it into a Quidditch pitch." Al confessed with a triumphant grin and Emma and I groaned.

"You have got to be kidding." I grumbled, James who had reappeared in the doorway gave me a fierce look.

"Listen here sis, just because we agreed you can move in doesn't mean you get a say in anything." He told me flatly, my eyebrows shot up and I whirled to look at my sheepish boyfriend.

"You told them already?" I pried, he rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably and hesitated before answering.

"You're moving in here with them?" Emma cried, her voice shooting through several octaves from her surprise, I ignored her question and kept my gaze firmly on Scorpius who had blushed slightly.

"Um…well…kind of…" he stuttered nervously.

"Don't look so surprised Lils we've known he was going to ask you for months." Al chimed in receiving a glare of confusion from both me and Emma.

"What? He asked us ages ago when we first had the idea, you didn't really expect him to just spring it on us on moving day did you?" that wasn't what I'd expected at all, I wasn't even shocked that they knew anymore, what had shocked me to silence now was that he'd been planning this for months.

"You'd better take her upstairs Scor, I don't wanna be around when she breaks out of this silence." Al said eyeing me warily, James voiced his agreement and backed away from us as I was led upstairs still speechless.

Scorpius took me along the hallway until we reached a small door that he opened to reveal more stairs, there weren't many and we quickly ascended them into a large bright room which I was surprised to see was in better condition than any other part of the cottage. No peeling wallpaper, no patches of damp and nothing was covered in cobwebs – thankfully.

"You've been planning this for months?" I managed to blurt out, he sighed and paced to the window leaning against the ledge and resting his forehead on the misty glass.

"I had to tell them, it's their house too Lily they had a right to say no."

"I'm guessing they didn't." I muttered trying to swallow in hopes of moistening my dry throat.

"No, they made some rather inappropriate jokes though not that I'd expect any less." He glanced over at me and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I didn't want you to think I was rushing you or pushing you too far too fast." I could see the raw panic in his eyes and slowly approached his side.

"Scorpius I would have said yes if you'd asked me the night you first kissed me." His eyes turned slightly unfocussed and I knew he was recalling the events of the night as I was. I probably wouldn't have been allowed to back then if he had asked but that's not to say I wouldn't have wanted to.

"Nothing is going too fast ok, just trust me." I said softly letting my finger purposely trace the silver band sitting on his left ring finger, I really had promised him my life even if he didn't fully realise that, wherever he led I would follow regardless of timing.

"So what do you think of our room?" he asked breaking the tension, I let my eyes wander around the large space taking in the polished floorboards and the little stone fireplace.

"I love it!" I admitted gazing up at the ceiling and gasping, "Oh a skylight! Wow!" I breathed excitedly, he laughed and walked out into the middle of the room.

"Where would you like our bed?" he asked cocking an eyebrow to gauge my reaction, despite my efforts a deep blush broke out onto my cheeks and I bit my lip nervously. _Our bed._ I repeated it to myself and felt as though I might faint from the rush of ecstasy that swept through me. He was still waiting for an answer I realised and so I forced myself not to linger on thoughts of the two of us in bed…in very little clothing…or more truthfully _no_ clothing…

"Um…" I mumbled dreamily, I had to concentrate, I couldn't let myself remember the beautiful contours of his perfectly chiselled torso…or the silky smooth feel of his skin as it pressed against mine…

"Lily?" my head snapped up and I realised I'd been silent for some time now.

"Oh…sorry," he didn't have to ask what I'd been thinking about, the ever deepening redness of my face made it perfectly clear and he looked away coyly. I forced myself to evaluate the room again and tried to imagine us in bed somewhere, I was of course only thinking about the bed, not at all about tearing off his clothes and dragging him onto it.

"How about here?" I picked a random spot in a desperate attempt to end the discussion and steer the subject down a safer route, he looked at where I was pointing and tilted his head as he considered it.

"Perfect, we'll be able to see the stars through the skylight with it there." He pointed out cheerfully, I realised he was right and laughed lightly at how well my random suggestion had worked out. He looked at me strangely apparently confused by my spontaneous giggle but I ignored him and knelt on the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously as I lay down on my back in the very spot we'd chosen for our bed.

"Just seeing how it feels." I replied gazing up out of the glass in the ceiling at the now darkening sky, it was late in the afternoon and the sun would be setting soon making way for the beautiful stars. He lowered himself to the floor beside me and lay back, I looked over at him and returned the smile he gave me.

"So?" he asked breaking the silence, I frowned at him confused.

"So…?"

"How does it feel?"

"Oh…" I paused for a moment considering it, my fingers edged closer to his hand and he took mine gently without having to think. "It's…perfect." I breathed softly barely louder than a whisper but I knew he'd heard when he squeezed my hand.

We lay on the floor together for who knows how long, just gazing up at the sky as the light grew less and the faint twinkling of the night's stars crept into view. A loud scuffling and a bang was the only warning we had before the door flew open and Al and Emma stumbled over the threshold.

"What are you doing?" he asked utterly bemused by our current position, I propped myself onto my elbows and glared at him furiously.

"What are _you_ doing?" I retorted icily and he narrowed his eyes looking from me to Scorpius and then back again several times.

"You guys are so weird." He muttered shaking his head, I ignored him and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Lily I tried to stop him but you know what he's like." Emma offered apologetically, I knew she meant his rude interruption and nodded.

"Mmm I do, ignorant." He scowled at me and then Emma who just shrugged innocently.

"Come on mum wants us back for dinner, with it being Christmas Eve and all." And he stomped out.


	3. A Christmas of Surprises

_A HUGE thank you to all of you that reviewed every single one makes me go all warm and fuzzy and want to hand out hugs! _

_I'm feeling much better now thankfully although that does mean I'm now back at work but that's not so bad. I actually had a good day today, several of my regulars (I work in a pub) insisted on buying me drinks, several others told me I had a lovely smile and one guy tipped me £10 so not a bad day at all, perhaps the looming new year is making people generous, who knows eh._

_Right back to business, here's chapter three, a couple of very important bits in here even if it might not seem very obvious. I hope you all enjoy, oh and Happy New Year!!_

Chapter three – A Christmas of Surprises

Much of Christmas morning passed in a blur like it always did, naturally I was woken up far too early for the Potter ritual of present opening followed by us eating our body weight in mum's dangerously tasty food. Scorpius wasn't coming round today like he usually did on Christmas day but strangely I was ok with that, I would get to see him the next day at the Burrow anyway, how curious it was to hear myself think that – after over a year of moping whenever he was away for just a few minutes I could finally stand to be separated from him for a day. I didn't entirely understand why, it wasn't because I loved him less or even missed him less because those emotions only seemed to increase by the minute but somehow knowing we'd soon be living together made separation bearable, for now at least.

Emma came at lunch time as usual, she flooed in gracefully – an ability I had always envied – and grabbed me in a hug that felt more like a death grip.

"Have you been hugging James recently or something?" I grumbled as she released me and the air flooded back into my lungs.

"Um…no why?" she looked rather confused by my question so I just rolled my eyes.

"Never mind." I started towards the living room with her hot on my heels.

"So come on then, what did he get you for Christmas this year?" she begged excitedly, I laughed and threw her a humoured glance over my shoulder.

"He told me it's a two part present so I don't entirely know myself." I admitted feeling a tad foolish though I didn't know why.

"Oh, well what's the first part?" I plonked down on the sofa and pointed to a red silky blindfold that lay across the arm of the chair, her eyes almost popped out of her head and she snatched it up.

"A blindfold? Oooh kinky, maybe the second part is handcuffs." She teased as I blushed so deeply I could have sworn it would end up permanent.

"Emma!" I gasped, so shocked by her response that I couldn't even think of a suitable reply, instead I just snatched the material from her hands while she laughed.

"Oh I'm sorry Lily but you should have seen your face." she dropped onto a chair opposite me still giggling and I hid the little gift from view hoping that there was some truth in the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind.'

"Ok but seriously what do you think it is?" she asked, managing to control her childish giggles.

"Honestly I don't have a clue, what could he possibly need to blindfold me for?" as I said it I immediately wished I hadn't.

"Well…" she got no further before dissolving into another wave of giddy laughter and I buried my face behind a pillow.

"Hi Emma." I hadn't heard Al enter but with the material pressed over my ear I could barely hear anything at all so that was no surprise, Emma's laughter was immediately forgotten and I saw her face turn hard.

"Hello." She said curtly, instead of being his usual cowardly self and backing away from what was clearly going to be a tricky situation Al shocked me by walking right over to her and thrusting a small wrapped gift into her lap.

"Um…Merry Christmas." He mumbled shyly, I watched with intrigue as her little fingers pried open my brother's poor attempt at wrapping to reveal a flat red velvet box. I shifted forward on my seat wanting a better look as she carefully opened the little container, she gasped dramatically in a truly Emma-like fashion and extracted the gold chain holding it delicately as if she feared it might fall apart in her hands. For a while she didn't move, she was frozen in place staring at the beautiful piece of jewellery with glassy eyes, then faster than I could register she was out of the seat and in Al's arms pressing her face into his chest and clutching at him fiercely. For once he didn't do something stupid or say anything to upset her, he hugged her back tenderly and when she pulled away he managed a genuine smile that she returned tenfold.

"Thank you," she breathed sincerely, her gratitude obvious in her voice. "It's so…beautiful…" she trailed off staring at the chain with teary eyes.

"Here, let me put it on." He gently took the necklace from her and she scooped her hair out of the way obligingly, I felt almost guilty for watching the moment like I was intruding on something private but I was so enthralled by this little development of their relationship that I couldn't bring myself to leave, he fastened the necklace letting the little locket settle comfortably on her chest and then lowered her hair back down. His hands lingered just a little smoothing the blonde strands gently and I saw her flush with pleasure at his touch, he seemed to realise what he was doing and cleared his throat abruptly taking a few steps back from her.

"I'm glad you like it, I'll um…I'll see you at dinner." And with that he left the room scratching anxiously at the back of his neck and shaking his head, for a long while Emma just stared after him with one hand gently clutching the locket at her chest until finally she sat back down with a sigh.

"Wow…" I spluttered still completely shocked by his actions, her blue eyes met mine and it was impossible not to notice just how brightly they sparkled.

"I can hardly believe it." she said with a little laugh, I had to laugh too just from sheer amazement and disbelief.

"I've never seen him do anything so…caring." I admitted feeling a bit guilty afterwards for sounding like I was calling my brother uncaring but she knew what I meant, I could tell by the way her eyes seemed to brighten even more if that was at all possible.

"Do you like it?" I asked, it seemed like a stupid question but she hadn't said anything in a while and I wanted to make sure she could still speak normally.

"I love it!" she exclaimed excitedly, then she flushed shyly and coughed. "I mean it's not a silky blindfold or handcuffs but still." She flashed me a mischievous grin and I groaned.

"Oh shut up." I retorted throwing a pillow at her that hit her right in the face, I knew she would normally put up a fight and throw it back but this time she was too busy laughing at me to manage it.

* * *

This year's Christmas meal at the Burrow was being held indoors because of the six inches of snow that had fallen overnight cloaking every surface in fluffy white and freezing all the roads into giant sheets of deadly ice. Though it should be said that fitting the entire extended Weasley family into the cramped wooden house was no easy feat and it took a lot of clever furniture rearranging on Gran's part and a bit of help from an undetectable extension charm. Somehow we all ended up seated around a rather unusually shaped table crammed closer together than we ever had been, eating was a major challenge because every time you tried to cut anything you elbowed the person beside you and vice versa, at one point James bumped me so hard I knocked a ton of peas and several roast potatoes into Scorpius' lap – gravy and all. Luckily he found it quite funny, along with most of the table's occupants but that didn't stop me blushing right to my hair.

After the meal when everyone was tidying our usual group headed outside into the snow, all of us were fully clad in scarves, gloves and thick coats to block out the unforgiving cold and I'd popped on a pair of ear muffs for good measure – much to the amusement of my brothers.

Al and James were being completely mental and making countless snow angels across the garden, Emma, Hugo and Lucy had decided to build a snowman and were currently rolling around an ever growing ball of snow for his body, meanwhile Scorpius and I made our way over to a tree so we could talk.

"So when do I get the next part of my present?" I asked eagerly, he chuckled and drew me against his body draping his arms lazily around my waist.

"Soon, just be patient." I pouted in reply and he raised an eyebrow.

"You really shouldn't pout like that." He told me, his eyes never leaving my lips.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me want to do this…" he swept down to press our lips together forcefully knocking me a little off balance so that I stumbled into the tree trunk, he didn't seem to care though and soon had he pressed against it anyway as his lips moved against mine.

"Hmm…maybe I should do that more often if it means you'll kiss me like that." I mumbled in a daze after he'd pulled back, his throaty laugh was like music to my ears.

"Maybe you should." I was about to launch into a kissing attack of my own as revenge when something cold, white and round collided with my face, I had less than a second to react before another one came zooming towards us, this time striking Scorpius. A roar of laughter drifted over to us from the two Potter boys who were almost rolling on the floor clutching at their sides in hysterics, I furiously wiped the remnants of snow off my face and scooped up a handful from the ground.

"Oh no, look out she's mad!" James warned but neither boy could stop laughing, I was patting the snow into a nice neat ball ready to launch at them when unexpectedly someone else beat me to it. Al looked absolutely horrified as he swiped the fluffy white flakes from his hair and turned to face his attacker – a very smug looking Emma.

"Oh I see how it is Emma Longbottom, this is war." He grabbed more snow but before he could throw it at her I sent my own ball flying and it smashed on his head, a wave of laughter passed around us all as a mass snowball fight broke out. With so many white balls zooming overhead it was impossible to tell who was aiming for whom anymore, not that it mattered, Al had zeroed in on Emma though seeking revenge for earlier and Hugo was chasing Lucy around the garden as she ducked to avoid his throws. James was entertaining himself by hiding behind a large tree and occasionally popping out to throw spontaneous winter missiles at Rose and Roxanne who I hadn't noticed until now.

I managed to aim a perfect one at Scorpius' forehead and almost collapsed with laughter when I saw the expression on his face.

"Oh you're going to regret that!" he warned grabbing another handful, I shrieked and ran off looking over my shoulder and laughing as he chased after me determined to get me back right in the face, of course he was much quicker than me and within minutes he managed to seize my wrist. I screamed playfully which sounded more like a hysterical giggle as he yanked me back towards him and I crashed into his chest, I cringed anticipating the impact that did not come and opened my eyes to find him staring at me curiously. I had meant to ask him what was wrong but his lips found mine eliminating the question, the forgotten snowball he'd been ready to squish into my hair rolled from his grip back to the ground and his arms locked around me lifting me off the floor and I giggled against his lips. I could have stayed like that all night kissing him in the snow but someone had other ideas and yet another sphere of icy flakes hit us both in the sides of our faces. Ok now I was definitely going to kill Albus Potter. That it is Scorpius didn't beat me to it – which he seemed to be.

* * *

It seemed to take hours to warm back up again after our little snowball war, everyone said their goodbyes at the Burrow and apparated home, I trudged upstairs stripping off my soaking wet clothes and sank into a nice steaming bubble bath in an attempt to thaw out. I was lying back lazily in the foamy water with my eyes closed not thinking about anything in particular when I heard voices downstairs, opening my eyes curiously I sat up a little straighter and tried to hear who it was or what they were saying.

After several minutes I resigned myself to the fact that it was no use, all I'd managed to figure out was that there were two speakers and they were both male, I literally didn't have a clue what they were talking about though. I really shouldn't be listening anyway, it clearly was none of my business and besides, it was probably just Al and James having another of their petty brotherly arguments.

Rising from the bath I tugged out the plug and towelled myself off dressing hastily in my pyjamas and wrapping myself in a fluffy dressing gown after realising I still felt cold. Damn the snow, it was so much fun to play in but I always regretted it afterwards. Deciding to grab a glass of water and then snuggle up under several duvets to read I set off downstairs, as I descended the male voices grew louder but remained indistinct so I gave up trying to eavesdrop until I reached the last step and one of the voices stopped me in my tracks.

"You really mean it?" Scorpius was here? But what could he possibly be doing here this late at night? And who was he talking to?

"Yes, I do." One of my questions was answered, he was talking to my dad, but that knowledge simply flooded my mind with a whole new wave of questions – the most predominant being what on earth could he be talking to my father about at this time of night?

"Thank you, honestly Mr Potter I can't tell you how much this means to me." How much what meant to him? What was going on?

"Just don't make me regret it." my father's tone sounded oddly serious for a moment and I frowned, my confusion deepening.

"I won't, you have my word."

"Good, now go home before your father comes looking, that's one thing I could do without this late at night." I heard Scorpius laugh lightly and then a muffled thump that sounded like they might have exchanged a brief hug, there was a loud pop which I took to be my boyfriend apparating home, normally I would have drilled him about the conversation but I knew he'd tell me nothing so I decided not to bother. I breezed into the kitchen pretending to have heard nothing.

"Oh hi dad, you're up late." I said airily as I busied myself getting a drink, he was seated at the dining room table wearing an odd expression, he looked troubled like he'd just realized something awful.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, his attention seeming elsewhere. "Oh, yes, I had some things to um…sort out." He added quickly realising I'd spoken to him, deciding it couldn't hurt to do a bit of prying I took a seat beside him and sipped my water.

"Oh? What sort of things?" his green eyes turned on me and I could tell that he knew I was being nosey.

"Private things." He replied simply to which I scowled sulkily.

"Fine be all secretive." I retorted poking my tongue out at him playfully, the action broke through his serious exterior and he managed a genuine smile.

"You used to do that a lot when you were a little girl, anytime someone did something you didn't like or said something bad you would just stick your tongue out at them like it was the strongest argument in the world." We both laughed at the memory and with a pang I realised how just long ago those times had happened. When had time started moving so quickly?

"So when were you going to tell me that you're planning on leaving?" his question came completely out of the blue and I almost choked on my drink.

"How did you find out about that?" I spluttered wiping off the water I'd accidentally spilt on the table.

"James let it slip the other day when he was talking about the cottage." I scowled angrily and made a mental note to hit my oldest brother for his carelessness next time I saw him.

"Bloody James…" I mumbled irritably but my dad just sighed.

"Never mind him, what I want to know is why you didn't think it fit to tell me that my only daughter had decided to leave home." I winced at the hurt in his eyes, I set down my glass on the table and stared at it miserably.

"I guess I was worried that you'd try and stop me or something."

"Why would I stop you from moving out Lily? You're growing up now, you need to start making your own decisions and live your own life, you're not a little girl anymore." I couldn't bear to meet his eyes for fear of the pain I might see in them so I just continued to stare at the glass in front of me.

"I know that but…well…I'll be moving in with Scorpius, I thought you might get mad about that." He sighed heavily and I glanced up shyly as he ran an anxious hand through his already messy hair.

"I'm not going to pretend that I'm not a bit…worried about that aspect of it because every father panics at the prospect of his daughter becoming serious with a boyfriend but Scorpius isn't a bad lad," I snorted at his choice of words and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Ok I'll admit that in the beginning I might have been a bit frosty towards him but what did you expect when he's a Malfoy?"

"Dad…"

"Don't get defensive Lily I'm trying to say that I like the kid." I stared at him with wide eyes for about a minute before he laughed.

"Is it really so surprising that I might like him?" Yes! Yes it bloody is, I wanted to reply but for some reason the words didn't come. He had every right not to like Scorpius, first of all like he'd said he was a Malfoy and if we were together it meant never being rid of Draco or their black reputation, and secondly this was the guy who'd basically taken his only daughter away from him. So yes it was surprising for me to hear that he liked Scorpius.

"Well…yes." I finally managed to blurt out, he laughed and then turned serious.

"Look Lily, you're my little girl, I wont say you're my favourite because no parent should ever rank one child above another but you are my only daughter and the love a father feels for his daughter is different to that of his sons." I understood what he meant and waited patiently while he paused, "So I'll admit that it's been hard for me since you and Scorpius started dating, every day I feel like you get further and further away from me, it's like you're slipping through my fingers and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"I'm not going anywhere dad." I tried to reassure him, he gave me a grim smile but ignored my comment.

"I always knew it would happen, your mother warned me when you were born that letting _you_ grow up would be the hardest for me and she was right."

"As usual." I threw him a smirk and he laughed.

"Yes she usually is, don't let her know I said that though." He winked at me.

"So you're ok with it then? Me living with the guys I mean." His face turned serious again and he let out a long sigh.

"Yes I am, I just wish I'd had a bit more warning so I could prepare."

"Well I only found out myself this week so you're not the only one who feels a bit swamped by it all." I admitted keeping my eyes on my hands as I fiddled nervously with my fingers.

"He'll look after you Lily." He laid his hand over mine and I was surprised by the sincerity and tenderness in his voice, maybe he really did like Scorpius.

"You really think so?"

"I do, and if he doesn't I'm sure your brothers will have something to say about it." he gave me a cheeky wink and I laughed.

"I'm going to miss having you around Lils." He squeezed my hand gently and I tried to fight the rising emotion choking me.

"I won't be far away so I'll come and visit all the time, Al will probably still be here for meal times anyway."

"Mmm I guessed as much, he has a bigger appetite than Ron, a scary thought that." We both laughed and I let out a big yawn.

"Time for bed Lils it's late." Before I could protest he'd lifted me out of the chair and handed me my glass, feeling a sudden surge of affection for him I gave him a tight hug.

"Goodnight dad, and thanks." he smiled and nodded.

"Goodnight my little girl." And for once I didn't complain about him calling me that.


	4. Playing with Paint

_My first chapter of 2010! I hope you all had a great New Years Eve night, judging by the amount of people crammed into the pub where I work most of my town had a great night :P I spent mine sleeping as if I was in coma and trying to recover from the insanely busy shift I had, crazy stuff._

_Anyway I'd like to thank all of you who were kind enough to review my last chapter and I hope you all like this one :D_

Chapter four – Painting Dangers

"I still think this is ridiculous." I said loudly as we trudged across the grass and towards the house.

"I second that." Emma agreed raising her hand deliberately.

"Oh stop complaining, it'll be fun!" James encouraged throwing an arm around both me and Emma and tugging us against his side as we walked.

"I thought you were dead against this idea in the beginning." Scorpius pointed out earning him a shove off Al.

"Don't side with them." he hissed, my boyfriend just rolled his eyes.

"Who said there were sides?" I'd almost forgotten Teddy was with us, he was walking much further behind and had been silent for quite a while.

"There's not, the girls are just moaning." James called over his shoulder, scowling I threw off his arm and hurried quickly back to Scorpius' side.

"Hey not all of us are!" Rose piped up as she stumbled on an uneven bit of grass almost falling into Teddy.

"Right here we are." Al shoved open the front door and we all piled in dumping our tins of coloured paint and unused paintbrushes down on the floor, the empty cottage was deathly silent and freezing cold, several of us were already shivering.

"We figured the best approach would be to divide and conquer." James announced.

"That way we can get more rooms done." Al continued, a violent shiver ripped through me and Scorpius wrapped me tightly in his arms letting his body heat flow onto me.

"So the girls are going to do here and the kitchen." he waved a hand indicating the living room which we were currently standing in and then the damp ridden kitchen that was adjoining, Emma and I exchanged a miserable look and Rose screwed up her nose.

"Scor and I are going to take care of my room," he jabbed a gloved finger in the direction of his best friend still wrapped around me.

"Teddy's going to give me a hand in another bedroom." James added receiving a nod of agreement from the older man.

"And that leaves Luce and Hughie to do the bathroom."

"Wait what about the other two bedrooms?" Rose questioned, James and Al exchanged a glance and then shrugged.

"Whoever finishes first can just start on any rooms that are left." I had a feeling this idea wasn't going to work very well.

"Right come on then, we can't stand around chatting all day when there's work to be done!" grabbing our brushes and paint tins people quickly dispersed into the many rooms leaving Emma, Rose and I in the living room.

"This is a disaster waiting to happen." Rose muttered as she cracked open a tin of canary yellow paint.

"Agreed." Emma mumbled as she dragged her long blonde hair into a ponytail out of the way, regardless of our reluctance we got started painting.

"So how's Drew?" I asked searching for any way to break the uncomfortable silence that had been hanging over us for the past half an hour.

"He's ok I think, I don't really know though." I stopped mid brush stroke and frowned at her, "We broke up." She added seeing the confusion in my expression.

"You did?"

"When?" Emma asked, looking over from her position painting around the window.

"Just after we left Hogwarts, he didn't really want to stay together outside of school so…" she trailed off staring at the strip of yellow that she was brushing on to the wall.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rose." I didn't know what else to say but she surprised me by smiling.

"It's fine, really, things weren't really going well anyway."

"What do you mean?" Emma pried, I shot her a look that told her to shut up but she ignored me.

"We were arguing a lot and things had gotten…weird after..." We both stared at her openly confused by her vagueness and but she looked away, Emma was quicker at picking up on her mood than I was and her sudden gasp startled us both.

"Oh my god, Rose did you two…you know…" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and my cousin blushed deeply.

"Oh my god you did!" she hissed, I stared at her with wide eyes.

"Shhh, I don't want the others finding out." Rose pleaded, we immediately scooted closer to her so that we could lower our voices, the painting all but forgotten about.

"When?" Emma urged.

"After my birthday last year, when we went back to his there was nobody home." Her cheeks deepened in colour and she fiddled shyly with the brush in her hands.

"So what happened? I mean did he have it all set up or was it just a spur of the moment kind of thing?"

"He hadn't laid out a trail of flower petals leading to the bed if that's what you mean, it was very simple, he asked me if I wanted to and I said yes…so we did." I couldn't help but cringe at how unromantic that sounded, I know it was their first time and so it wasn't going to be smooth and perfect like it was in those muggle romance books but I expected a bit more passion than him just asking her.

"Did it hurt?" Emma's next question snapped my attention back and I found myself surprisingly eager to hear her answer.

"Yes, I mean I knew it would but I suppose I just didn't expect it to hurt quite so much." Emma and I exchanged a fearful look and I forced myself not to think of Scorpius.

"Do you regret it?" it was the first question I'd asked her, lately I'd been thinking about my first time with Scorpius and one of my main concerns was that I would wish I hadn't done it if I did so I eagerly wanted to hear her answer.

"No, not really, I just wish it hadn't changed things like it did, it made everything…awkward."

"Oh." I breathed, my mind far off.

"You won't tell any of the others will you? I don't want my parents finding out." She hung her head as a light blush of embarrassment broke onto her cheeks again.

"Of course not." Emma assured her because I was still deep in thought, the three of us were silent for a long time as we reflected on the conversation and when the door from the stairs flew open we sprang apart.

"What are you three whispering about?" Al pried as he and Scorpius entered the room carrying their dirty paintbrushes.

"Nothing." I mumbled avoiding the grey eyes that I knew were upon me.

"Is that all you've done? Scor and I have finished our room already." Al was eyeing our partially painted wall with an unimpressed expression but I didn't care.

"We got distracted." Emma told him in a weak attempt to defend our lack of work.

"You stopped to gossip more like, bloody women." He dumped the brushes in the sink loudly and started spraying them with water, Scorpius came over to us and gently took my hand.

"Come on, how about I give you the other part of your present now?" he offered with a kind smile, try as I might I couldn't smile back, my mind was too full of worries about what would happen to our relationship if we did have sex. Would it become awkward between us like it had for Rose and Drew? Would he break up with me afterwards? I followed him upstairs in a daze and he paused outside the door to our soon-to-be bedroom.

"Did you bring the blindfold?" he asked, I nodded and withdrew the silky item from my pocket with trembling hands, he took it from me and gently slipped it over my eyes cloaking me in darkness.

"Just hold onto me ok." He whispered in my ear scattering goosebumps across my skin, I nodded weakly and let him take hold of my hand. Being robbed of my sight seemed to sharpen my other senses, I could clearly hear my own heart racing in my chest, I could smell the light trace of soap coming off his skin after a morning shower, his gentle touch on my arm had every hair on my body standing on end.

"Are you ready?" he asked after we'd stopped walking, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and then nodded unable to stop myself remembering Emma's comment. What if the other part of the present was handcuffs? I hoped he wouldn't notice the blush on my cheeks as he slipped off the blindfold and I slowly opened my eyes.

All thoughts of handcuffs and Rose's revelation were forgotten as soon as I laid eyes on the sight before me, instead of the empty white room I had expected I was standing in a fully decorated bedroom. Three of the walls were painted a dusty grey, the fourth was deep red against which was a massive silver bed frame with a curving headboard that made it look more like a sleigh than a bed. My hand crept up to my mouth to stifle a gasp that never came while my eyes roamed over the rest of the room, shelves held rows and stacks of the books from his bedroom and little photo frames and trinkets I recognised too. I noticed there weren't two wardrobes, instead there was one big one with more than enough space inside for both of our clothes.

"Do you like it?" his voice startled me and I jumped, the movement alerted me to the soft carpet beneath my feet.

"It's so…beautiful…" I failed to find a better word but his smile told me that was enough, I took a few unsteady steps towards an intricate table set beneath a mirror.

"I uh…I didn't know if you'd want a make-up table because I know you…um…prefer not to wear it so I got one that's a desk too…you can use it for work and stuff if you don't want it for you know…yeah." he stuttered nervously as I ran my hand along the polished wood surface.

"You did all this yourself?" I was still in state of mild shock, my wide eyes refused to stop scanning over every inch of the room.

"Well I used magic to do the painting, if you look at the room Al and I just did you'll see why but I picked out all the furniture myself," I opened my mouth to reply but he wasn't finished, "Well not all of it, the chair is from the library at the Manor, my mother insisted I take it because it's sort of my reading chair." A hint of pink showed on his cheeks as a result of the little confession and it brought a smile to my face.

"Thank you, for all of it…its perfect." I could visibly see the relief wash over his face and he let out a breath allowing his tense body to relax.

"I know it's not a great present, I mean I couldn't wrap it up but…" I cut him off with my lips but he didn't seem to mind.

"I love it." I assured him once I'd managed to stop kissing him, he grinned at me happily and gazed once again around the room that would soon be ours. Tearing myself from his arms I ran over to the bed and dived onto it with a giggle, I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the ceiling out of the skylight at the fluffy clouds hovering high above. Scorpius landed on the springy mattress beside me just seconds later.

"Is this what you were saving up for?" I asked curiously, he grinned but shook his head.

"Not quite." I narrowed my eyes and planned on drilling him more on the subject but the door opened and James and Teddy appeared.

"They're up here!" James yelled back to the others.

"Crikey this is a bit posh." Teddy remarked as he looked around the room, there was a loud clattering and then I spotted the familiar heads of Al, Hugo, Lucy and Emma closely followed by an out of breath Rose.

"Wow!"

"This is gorgeous!" the girls were just as glassy eyes as I had been as they gazed longingly around the room but the boys had other ideas.

"That looks like a pretty strong bed." Teddy declared eyeing the frame pointedly, I already knew what they were planning and sat up waving my hands in warning.

"No! Don't you dare!" I hissed trying to sound threatening but a familiar mischievous grin had already broken out on James' face.

"Charge!" he roared before running over to the bed and diving on us, I had less than a second to brace myself before Teddy and Al landed on top of him followed by Hugo and to my surprise Emma, Lucy and Rose. I couldn't breathe, though whether it was from the seven people currently piled on top of me or from the hysterical laughter we all seemed to be sharing I couldn't decide.

The painting plan went completely pear shaped after that, nobody bothered to stay in the rooms they'd been assigned to and we ended up with more paint on our bodies than on the walls. Somewhere in the hour that followed chaos broke out and the decorating was all but forgotten.

James was trying unsuccessfully to wrestle Teddy to the ground and pin him down for at least three seconds, they were grappling furiously on the hardwood floor while Hugo watched and acted as a referee. Al was chasing Emma around with a paint soaked brush trying to wipe it all over her while she wriggled free and fled laughing gleefully, Lucy and Rose were drawing little pictures on the wall with their brushes pretending to be sensible but occasionally dissolving into a fit of childish giggles every time one of them drew something silly, and Scorpius was trying to teach me how to make little animals out of paper in one of the other rooms.

"Ok watch what I do," he instructed, I fixed my eyes firmly on his hands as they lifted the edges of the strip of newspaper on the floor in front of us.

"Ok." I agreed, letting him know I was ready.

"Are you watching?"

"Yes."

"You fold this bit here, smooth it out, then bend this section over and fold the tip back on itself. Then you crease this edge and bring it down this way so it slips under here…" his hands moved over the paper so smoothly that it was no surprise that I soon found my attention wandering and imagining those hands sliding over my skin instead.

"Lily?" my head snapped up and a telltale blush speckled my cheeks.

"Hmm…what sorry I didn't hear that last bit…" he chuckled softly and pushed aside the paper.

"You didn't hear any of it."

"That's not true, I heard um…folding or something?" he laughed again and moved onto his knees crawling towards me until our faces were almost touching.

"Are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?" he asked in a teasing tone, my blush deepened but I couldn't tear my eyes away from his.

"If you're going to tell me what you're saving up for." Came my witty reply, he grinned wickedly and I already knew his answer.

"Then I'll just use my imagination." He whispered in a provocative tone as his lips captured mine, he kissed me teasingly, easing my lips apart and then pulling away only to press them back to mine again before I could argue. Somehow I found myself lying down on the cold floorboards, Scorpius took my wrists and stretched out to lie on top of me, the movement had my blouse riding up under his chest and he pinned my arms down above my head. His mouth was on my skin then, hunting along my neck until he found my lips, our chests were rising and falling rapidly pressing our bare skin together and thrilling me all the way to my toes, his hands still holding my wrists down moved up to twine our fingers together and his hips pressed firmly against my own. I could feel then how physically affected he was by our passion but instead of being embarrassed as I always thought I would be I was aroused, I moaned against his mouth and felt his body react, his hands clutched mine tighter as I wriggled a leg free wrapping it around his waist and pressing him harder against me. Suddenly I was angry that our clothes were in the way, I wasn't satisfied with the little amount of his skin I could feel – I wanted to feel more, it wasn't enough to feel him pressed against me I needed to feel our bodies together.

I was just contemplating asking him to apparate us both back to his house where I was sure we'd have more privacy when a shriek from Emma snapped us out of it, I could hear her running and laughing as Al was no doubt still chasing her, Scorpius met my eyes and I fought to see through the haze my lust had caused.

"This seems to be happening a lot lately." His voice was deep and rough, I could feel his heavy breathing and the trembling of his hands as he reluctantly slid his fingers away from mine.

"Yeah…" I mumbled still struggling to douse the raging fire of passion burning within me, he pushed off the floor and carefully rose to his feet moving swiftly to stand by the window, his back to me.

"I'm sorry, I should have stopped sooner." He whispered, hanging his head and leaning onto the window ledge.

"I didn't want you to stop at all…" I hadn't meant to say the actual words but somehow they slipped out, his efforts to hide the evidence of what our moment had done to him were forgotten and he whirled to face me with shock evident on his face. It took a lot of effort for me to firmly keep my gaze above his waist when my desire driven mind kept pleading with me to look below.

"Lily what are you saying?" he begged, keeping his voice low as we heard laughter and shouts drifting up from the room below us.

"Exactly what I just said…I don't want you to stop…" for a long while we gazed at each other until another playful shriek from below broke the connection, I rose to my feet unsteadily and straightened out my blouse.

"Wow we're lousy painters." I muttered as I looked at our paintjob properly for the first time, he glanced around and then pulled a face.

"I'd say Al will kill us when he sees the state of it but it doesn't sound like he's getting much more done anyway." As if on cue we heard Emma protesting as he no doubt smeared more paint over her, we both laughed and I felt the tense atmosphere lift.

"Come on let's go and see if they still expect us to do it by hand." I let him take my hand and lead me downstairs before one of them got suspicious and came searching for us anyway.

After realising what a terrible job we'd done with the painting Al and James finally agreed to revert back to the original plan and within the minute we'd decorated every room pristinely by magic. We all drifted off to our respective homes except for James and Teddy who opted to head to the pub for a while before Teddy had to return home and face more of the delights of fatherhood.

Al made himself comfortable at the kitchen table with dad after managing to sweet-talk mum into making him some food and I took Scorpius up to my room. I hadn't realised how late it was until I glanced at my clock.

"Ten o'clock, really?" I muttered in disbelief, he looked at it himself and seemed mildly surprised but I could tell there were other things on his mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked lowering myself on the edge of my bed and fighting the urge to yawn.

"I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff lately," he walked over to my bedside table and absentmindedly ran his fingers over the items on it. "It's nothing to worry about." But of course he knew I would be worried, no matter what he said. I planned to ask him more questions about it but his expression suddenly twisted into a confused frown and he lifted up a worn little book.

"Jane Eyre?" he questioned holding up the copy, I blushed and looked down at my duvet shyly.

"I read it after you mentioned you liked it," I admitted refusing to meet his eyes, I heard him laugh softly and set the book back down. He knelt down in front of me and took my hands.

"There are parts where I empathise with Jane, when she fights against her feelings for Mr Rochester, she knows it would be troublesome to love him but of course she can't help it." he gave me a sad little smile and I found myself grinning back.

"Just like I knew it would be troublesome to love you." I pointed out, he laughed and nodded letting his thumbs stroke the backs of my hands.

"I know as well as Jane that you can't fight against love." He told me, gazing up at me seriously and sending my heart into a flutter.

"A battle I'm glad you lost." I replied softly, his lips danced into a smile and he softly kissed the back of both my hands.

"Get some rest sweetheart." He placed a kiss on my forehead and then stood up.

"Will you be around tomorrow?"

"Of course." He winked at me and then slipped out of the room leaving me with just the memory of his lips and the faint smell of his body on my clothes.


	5. Just another Broken Heart

_Hi all! Sorry this one is a bit later than normal I've had some dreadful night shifts recently, it messes your whole body clock up and then I can't sleep and ughhh! But here's the next chapter anyway and I hope you all enjoy it :)_

_Oh and another huge thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, I loved every one of them! You're all fabulous!_

Chapter five – Just another Broken Heart

"Hurry up we're already late!" Hugo shouted over his shoulder as we shoved our way through the crowded platform.

"This is your fault Al!" I snapped shooting my raven haired brother the most evil look I could manage whilst trying not to trip up, Scorpius had a firm grip on my hand leading me along as we wove through the hundreds of people seeing off their relatives.

"Don't blame me." Came his irritated reply, I opened my mouth to remind him why I was right but Emma beat me to it.

"If you'd just left the last stupid bacon sandwich we would have got here on time." She said sharply and I caught the wounded expression on his face, finally we reached the train and began to slow to a walk.

"You could have just left without me." he retorted angrily but she just rounded on him scowling furiously, you'd think he would know better after so many years not to argue when she was mad, but apparently not – unless he just had a death wish.

"We shouldn't be forced to leave you behind Albus, you should want to come and say goodbye to your family and friends, aren't we more important than just another bloody bacon sandwich?!" she was yelling, this was never a good sign. His expression was fuming as he stared at her but hers was just as murderous, suddenly he reached out and seized her waist yanking her to his chest and bringing their lips together. For a few seconds she didn't move, frozen by the shock of his actions but then her body jerked into action, her arms flew around his neck and she kissed him back eagerly. I still couldn't believe what I was seeing, I looked up at Scorpius who was frozen as I was with the same blank expression of shock on his face, slowly he turned his head to gaze down at me and then we both broke into a huge grin.

"Finally." I breathed, so quietly that only Scorpius would hear, he laughed softly and nodded.

"That didn't take long." I laughed at his sarcasm and the train gave a piercing blow of its horn to warn us it would soon be departing. I turned to shout to Emma that we needed to go but she had already torn herself away from Al's kiss, she stumbled from his arms shyly and gave him a nervous little wave before hurrying over to me.

"I'll see you soon." Scorpius said sadly before giving me a long kiss and reluctantly loosing my hand, I forced myself to leave him and Emma and I hopped onto the train where Lucy and Hugo waited.

"Um…what just happened?" Hugo asked utterly confused by both of our expressions, from within the train's compartment the two had missed it all.

"What's wrong with Emma?" Lucy sounded mildly worried as she stared at our blonde friend who was currently gazing foggy eyed out of the window and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I think Al just found something that tastes better than his bacon sandwiches." I replied trying to stifle a giggle, Emma whirled to face me blushing furiously but still unable to keep the huge smile off her face.

"Wait…what?" Hugo blinked a few times in confusion and this time I did giggle.

"He didn't kiss you did he?" Lucy asked, wide eyed, when Emma blushed deeper and didn't reply she let out an excited gasp, "He did! Al kissed you!" she squealed clapping her hands together.

"You're kidding?" Hugo said, looking to me for confirmation.

"Nope, the idiot finally came to his senses." I told him with a satisfied nod, I was almost as happy as Emma about all of this, it had gone on for too long now and I knew they both wanted it. I wanted my brother and my best friend to be happy, but so would anyone else in my position. Plus this would also mean I wouldn't have to listen to any more of Emma's wining or her silly attempts to make it sound like she doesn't care if he likes her. Clearly she did care.

Three weeks later and the smile still hadn't faded from Emma's face, she spent most of her time daydreaming hopelessly or babbling on about how amazing the kiss felt. Hugo and Lucy found a string of ways to excuse themselves from the conversation leaving me to deal with it and I had to say that I now had a new found sympathy for my brothers – it was sickening to hear her going on about how gentle my brothers kisses were so it must be ten times worse watching it happen. No wonder Al always interrupted Scorpius and me kissing.

* * *

"Lily!" I looked back over my shoulder and saw Emery hurrying towards me, I was passing time during a free period so deciding I had time for a chat I slowed my pace letting him catch up.

"Emery, hi." I gave him a cheerful smile which he politely returned.

"How was your Christmas?" he asked as we started to cross the grass outside of the castle.

"Eventful, but then again they always are in my family." He laughed lightly and I found a spot to sit behind a large tree.

"It must be great having such a big family." He mused as he lowered himself onto the grass beside me.

"You don't have any siblings?" I asked cocking my head curiously.

"Nope, just me and my ma."

"What happened to your dad?"

"Oh he was a muggle, he got hit by a car on the way home from work one day, doctor's told ma there was nothing they could have done to save him." I was quite surprised to find out Emery was a half-blood, I always assumed Slytherin only accepted pureblood's because of their muggle hatred but I guess the amount of pureblood families had dwindled since the days of Salazar Slytherin so they had no choice but to accept half-blood students now. I'd definitely never heard of a muggle-born Slytherin.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I told him with a sympathetic smile, he just shrugged and reclined back against the large tree trunk.

"I don't remember him, I was only a baby when it happened. It's always just been me and ma."

"Is your mum a witch?" I asked hoping to steer the subject down a less depressing avenue.

"Yup, she was a Slytherin at Hogwarts too." He told me, and then as if he'd heard my earlier thoughts he added, "I think she was pretty surprised when I got in because of my dad being a muggle, but I suppose they don't have much choice these days, there aren't many pureblood families around since the war."

"No I guess not." I agreed because I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So how come you're wandering about the grounds alone?" his question caught me off guard and I shrugged trying to seem casual.

"No reason really, just passing time until Potions." He didn't believe me, I could tell, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously and I stared at the grass.

"Are you hiding from someone?" he suggested, damn how did he know me so well without even knowing me at all?

"Not exactly…" his eyebrows crept up and I sighed, "Ok fine I am, are you happy?" he laughed and I took that to mean yes.

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Emma."

"Emma Longbottom?" he clarified, I nodded.

"Right, um…your best friend, that Emma?" he repeated, needing to double check.

"Odd I know, I mean how often do people hide from their best friends?"

"So why are you hiding from her?" he looked utterly befuddled and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Um…did you know that she's had a crush on my brother since…well…ages."

"On Albus or…?" he asked, looking rather confused.

"Yeah that brother,"

"Oh, well I didn't know that but carry on anyway." That was a surprise, I'd though their mutual attraction had been obvious to anyone but maybe you had to be close to them to see it.

"They've been avoiding each other for lord knows how long because they're both too stupid to make a move, but finally he got a grip and kissed her before we came back to school." A look of knowing dawned on his face and he nodded.

"Oh I see and now she wont shut up about it, am I right?"

"One hundred percent."

"Fair enough then." We both laughed and he quickly checked his watch.

"Oh I'd better get going, I have three rolls of parchment due in for Ancient Runes and only half an hour to write it in." I cringed sympathetically and he stood up.

"Good luck and come talk to me again soon, don't be a stranger."

"Sure thing, see you later." He tossed me a grin before heading off towards the building, I watched him go with a happy smile and found myself wishing I'd made the effort to become friends with him years ago.

* * *

I was lazing in the dorm on my bed rereading a letter off Scorpius that had arrived at breakfast when the door flew open and crashed into the wall making me jump so violently that I slipped off the edge of the bed.

"Lily?" Emma's head appeared above my bed as I sat up, I rubbed a spot on my elbow that was sore from the fall.

"There you are! I've been over the whole bloody castle looking for you." She was out of breath and flushed.

"Why, what's so important?" I tugged myself back onto the mattress and she grabbed my t-shirt to pull me off the bed again, this time in the direction of the door.

"Hugo's taking Lucy on their first date." She said as if I should already know, she was now dragging me across the room and I tried to pry her fingers loose.

"Oh, so what?" it was no use, she had hold of my top like her life depended on it.

"So we need to go and spy on them! Come on Lily aren't you the least bit curious about what'll happen? Moments like this don't come around every day."

"Exactly so we should give them some privacy."

"Oh rubbish!"

"I really don't think we should be…for gods sake will you let go of me!" her eager tugging had made me stumble on the stairs and I had to grip the rail to stop myself crashing to the bottom, she sighed in frustration but finally let go.

"You're coming with me." she said firmly, hands on hips so I knew she wasn't going to budge. It was no surprise then that I soon found myself being dragged through the crowds in Hogsmeade by Emma as she searched for the couple, periodically she would stop to peer into a shop window or stretch onto her toes to scan the many heads surrounding us.

"Emma maybe we should just…" I was cut off by her excited gasp and she yanked me off in a new direction.

"There they are!" she exclaimed pointing ahead, I tried to see the couple ahead where she was indicating but it was no use.

"Oh they went inside, come on." It wasn't as if I had a choice on the matter anyway, seconds later I'd been dragged around to the window of the Three Broomsticks and then my lovely best friend had pushed me down onto the floor.

"Ouch, bloody hell Emma you could be a bit more gentle!" I hissed, she ignored me with a frantic wave of her hand.

"I didn't want them to see you." She was knelt down and peering through the corner of the filthy pub window.

"Don't you feel the least bit guilty about spying on them? I mean it's their first date, its important!" her reaction was the only answer I needed, she merely scoffed and gave me a look that said 'are you serious?' so I just rolled my eyes.

"No I don't feel guilty, now stop complaining."

"You're ruthless." I declared, she gave me a proud smile and then turned her eager eyes back to the window. After several moments of silence my curiosity began to prickle, Emma had kept her face unresponsive so I could guess nothing from her expression and in the end I gave in and nudged her over so there was room for me to look inside too.

"So what's happening?" I urged scanning the dimly lit room for the couple who I finally spotted sitting close together at a small table.

"I knew you'd come around eventually." She said with a satisfied grin, I scowled at her and aimed an elbow at her side to wipe the smug look off her face.

"I still don't think its right, but seeing as how I'm here one tiny little peek won't hurt anyone." I avoided her eyes and focused instead on seeing through the grime coating the window.

"That's the Lily I know and love." She giggled scooting closer to me so we could both see in properly. For a long time nothing happened, they sat talking and occasionally Lucy would laugh or tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Ok maybe you were right, spying wasn't a good idea." Emma grumbled, dropping down to sit on the gravelled floor miserably.

"I said it was a bad idea because it's rude not because it's boring." I retorted raising my eyebrows at her but she just waved a dismissive hand in my direction and sighed.

"Maybe I'm just tired of feeling like I'm away from life here, the most exciting thing that's happened since we came back to Hogwarts is the opportunity to spy on our friends' date, that's not good." She hung her head sadly and I knelt down beside her.

"I know what you mean Em, I feel so…held back whenever we come back to school, like I'm missing out." She nodded her agreement and then sighed again.

"I never thought I'd say it but I think I'm ready to leave Hogwarts, ready to start the next chapter of my life or however you want to describe it." I knew exactly what she meant, I'd been feeling the same since the very day we boarded the train at the beginning of the year, I'd had enough of school now and I just wanted to move on.

"Me too, but we can't yet." She looked up at me glumly and nodded.

"I know, only a few more months until the year ends I suppose."

"Exactly, just try not to let it get you down." I patted her shoulder comfortingly and she nodded, I glanced back up at the window and gasped sharply making her jump.

"What, what is it?"

"They're leaving, come on or they'll see us!" I seized her wrist and dragged her off as the door opened and Hugo and Lucy emerged. We pressed our backs flat against the wall of the building neither one daring to peer around the corner and check if we'd been spotted, eventually I couldn't bear it any longer and I chanced a look, there was no sign of either of our friends and I relaxed.

"I don't think they saw us." I assured her, she nodded and put her hand against her racing heart.

"Little detail to remember next time we go spying – don't get distracted."

"Definitely." I agreed, checking again to see if there was any sign of the couple.

"Let's stop off at Honeydukes before we head back, I fancy some chocolate to cheer me up." I laughed and linked arms with her as we set off into the crowds in search of some well needed pick-me-up snacks.

* * *

Once we'd stuffed our pockets full of far too many different sweets to count we set off back to the castle, it was a mostly silent journey due to the fact that we both had our mouths full for much of it.

"Quick before the staircase moves, I don't want to wait for it to come back." Emma instructed, not that I had much choice in the matter anyway because she'd already seized my sleeve and yanked me up the steps.

"Ok, ok I'm coming you can let go!" I grumbled as I stumbled up the steps after her tripping a few times in our haste.

"No way, you'll just start dawdling if I do."

"No I wont!" I argued, stung by her insult but she wasn't listening.

"Oh bugger…" we heard the well known creaking which alerted us that the staircase was about to unhinge and swing toward another location, the sound made Emma more determined and she pulled me fiercely towards the top, another creak and then a lurch followed as the stairs slowly started to pull away.  
"Jump!" she gave me a hard push and my foot slipped slightly as the floor began to move beneath us, somehow we both ended up sprawled on the floor of the landing and laughing hysterically.

"You're crazy, you do know that right?" I managed to say between giggles, she just rolled onto her back and carried on laughing. We heard footsteps and scrambled to our feet in time to see the heads of Lucy and Hugo appear on a nearby staircase, I was about to shout them and say hello when a hand wrapped around my wrist and I was dragged behind a suit of armour.

"What the hell…?"

"Shhh." Emma hissed, holding her finger to her lips and then peering carefully around the arm of the armour. After she said nothing my curiosity took over and I stooped down to see what she was looking at, Lucy and Hugo had reached the portrait hole and she stopped and turned to him.

"I had fun today, thanks." I could just about hear what she was saying and noticed her smiling.

"No need to thank me, it was great." I watched my cousin scuff the toe of his shoe on the floor shyly and Lucy smiled.

"Well I should get going."

"You're sure you don't want to come in for a bit?" he offered pointing towards the portrait and the common room beyond it.

"Oh no thanks, I promised Annabel Fishers that I'd help her with our Ancient Runes work." His face fell slightly but he quickly replaced his smile.

"Ok, well I'll see you at supper."

"Yeah, bye." She turned to leave but he quickly hurried after her.

"Lucy wait…" she stopped and turned to face him again looking rather confused, they were further away now and Emma and I had to creep out from our hiding place slightly to see them. Hugo hesitated for a moment as if he was struggling for something to say and then he nervously stepped forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, she blushed a deep crimson and her eyes flew to the ground shyly.

"Um…see you." He mumbled, she just nodded jerkily and then rushed off with a quick wave, I'd almost forgotten how far we'd moved into the hall until Hugo turned around and I realized he might see us, we both scurried back behind the metal suit for cover until we heard the portrait swing shut.

"Aw that was so cute!" Emma gushed, I rolled my eyes and tried to fight off the little part of me that agreed with her.

"No more spying now please." I told her as we started walking.

"But then we'll miss out on really sweet moments like that!"

"We're supposed to miss out on them Em, they're supposed to be private." She scoffed at my argument and angrily folded her arms across her chest.

"How would you like it if they went around spying on you and Al?" I asked, she immediately flushed and refused to meet my eyes.

"Oh shut up." I laughed at her lack of response as she gave the password to the fat lady and led the way into the common room. We went up to the dormitories to empty our stash of sweets and chocolate into a drawer and I spotted a letter lying on my bed.

"What's that?" Emma asked, seeing the item in my hands.

"I'm not sure, a letter I think." I turned it over and eyed the writing on the front.

"Where did that come from?" she pondered, I shrugged and started to break the seal.

"It's James' writing…"I mumbled, confused and worried about why my older brother would be writing to me now when I'd had a letter off him just days before filled with his usual update from home.

"It must have arrived while we were at Hogsmeade." She decided, I tugged the letter out and tossed aside the envelope, my fingers were trembling slightly as I unfolded the paper and started to read. After the first sentence I was already panicking.

"What does it say?" Emma begged, pushing herself onto her tiptoes to read over my shoulder.

"_Lily, I hate having to write this in a letter but I thought you should know,_" I read aloud trying to suppress the growing feeling of nausea rising within me, "_Things aren't going so well at home, Al's gone missing._"

"Missing…" Emma repeated in a strangled voice, I noticed the look of horror on her face and wrapped an arm around her as I read on.

"_After you guys went back to Hogwarts he was acting really weird, he wasn't the slightest bit excited on the day when we all moved in to the cottage and I came home the other night after a drink with Teddy and found him sitting in the dark alone. I was really worried and I was going to get mum over to check on him the next day but…_" I trailed off and stared at the page blankly, after a while Emma shuffled beside me and managed to find her voice.

"But what, what does it say Lily?" she'd long since stopped trying to read it herself and I flinched at the urgency in her tone.

"_But he'd gone, some of his stuff was missing and Scor found a note, all it said was that he was sorry but he needed to get away and that we shouldn't look for him…_" she gasped sharply and moved to lean on the bedpost for support, the letter was trembling in my hands as I got to the final sentences.

"_Me and Scor have been taking it in turns to go looking for him but it's like finding a needle in a haystack Lils, he could be anywhere in the world and we both have to go to work, we're not giving up though. I know its stupid saying this but try not to worry, we'll talk more when you come home."_ I let the paper slip from my fingers and land on the bed silently, for a while all I did was stare at it trying to make sense of the words now blurred from my unshed tears. Al was gone…gone where? And why, what did he hope to achieve? That was when I remembered our conversation at the Halloween ball all that time ago, when he'd told me of his plans to go travelling and to find himself, it'd been so long I just assumed he'd changed his mind but now…now it was obvious I was wrong. A weak whimper from beside me reminded me of Emma's presence and I turned to my upset friend.

"He's…he's…" she stammered unable to finish, I gently laid a hand on her arm and rubbed comfortingly trying to calm her growing hysteria.

"Don't panic Em."

"…gone…" The word came out as a strangled cry and the tears began to fall from her eyes.

"It's ok, they're looking for him, they'll find him…" but it was no use, her tears were pouring down her cheeks and her whole body was shaking with silent sobs, Al really had no idea how much this girl loved him or how much his actions would hurt her.

"I'm so sorry Emma…" I didn't know why I was apologising, I was stuck here so there was no way I could have stopped him from leaving but somehow I felt responsible, like I should have done a better job at trying to talk him out of it when he admitted it to me. Deep down I knew it would have been no use anyway, Al was like me in the fact that once he set his mind on something there was no swaying him.

"Why, why has he left? I thought we were…I thought he…" she didn't get to finish because a pained cry fell from her lips, her grip on the bedpost failed and she sank to her knees, I hurriedly knelt beside her and gave her an awkward hug.

"I thought he finally liked me…" she mumbled between sobs, I squeezed her tighter to me and stroked her hair as she cried.

"He's always liked you Em, he loves you…I know he does." She didn't seem to have heard me but it didn't matter anyway, no amount of words could soothe her misery. As I sat on the floor holding my weeping best friend all I could think about was my selfish brother, I wondered whether he truly realised what his actions would do to all of us especially Emma, did he really not know that leaving her would break her heart? He was a fool, a blind fool.


	6. Facing Reality

_Heeeellllllllooooo! How's everyone doing? I'm a bit annoyed that the snow still hasn't melted here, it makes walking to work so much more effort than it should be because of the ice :( _

_Okie dokie here it is, the next chapter! Pretty much a direct follow on from the previous one, I do hope you all like it. I got some super fabulous reviews for the last chapter so I want to give you all a huge thank you and a big hug!! _

_Enjoy :)_

Chapter six – Facing Reality

We didn't bother going down for supper and I was relieved when neither Hugo nor Lucy came looking for us, as the hours ticked by Emma's crying subsided and I managed to coax her into trying to sleep when night time crept around. I didn't want the other girls who shared our dorm to come back and see her in state she was currently in, they would ask far too many questions and fuss around her when all she needed was a little time to recover from the shock.

Morning brought with it a fresh bout of tears but she recovered much more quickly and managed to put on a brave face, despite my insistence that she should stay in the dorm Emma decided to accompany me to breakfast and we set off towards the great hall.

"Are you sure about this? If you don't want to we can always just go back up." It wasn't the first time I'd asked her since leaving the Gryffindor tower and she sighed clearly frustrated.

"I'm fine ok." I ignored her sharp tone, she was just hurt and worried she didn't mean to take it out on me. We took our usual seats opposite Hugo and I noticed Lucy was missing.

"Hey, where were you two last night?" he asked setting aside his goblet of pumpkin juice, I decided it would be best if I replied because Emma looked on the verge of tears again as she focussed much too hard on buttering a slice of toast.

"Oh sorry we were chatting upstairs, you know how girls get." I shrugged trying to make my comment seem convincingly casual and he snorted a laugh.

"I really don't get you girls, what can you possibly talk about for hours that'll make you forget about supper?" I tried to laugh it off but the sound came out more nervous than I intended, I saw his brow furrow and I knew he wasn't convinced by it all, my eyes shifted to Emma and she sighed sadly.

"Just tell him." Her tone was flat and emotionless, I gave her a slight nod and turned back to my confused cousin.

"What's going on?" he probed, growing more confused and worried by the second.

"It's Al, he's gone…missing…" I looked down at my empty breakfast plate and ignored the feeling of his eyes staring at me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, I chanced a look up at him and noticed the utter befuddlement on his face.

"Ok maybe missing isn't quite the right word…a while ago he told me he wanted to go travelling, I thought he'd changed his mind but he just up and left without telling anyone…"

"Wait, you knew about this?" there was a fury in Emma's eyes that terrified me and I immediately regretted admitting it.

"Well…yes, I suppose, but I didn't think he'd actually do it! I especially didn't think he'd leave without telling anyone."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, I avoided her eyes and prodded the rim of my plate with my fork.

"It's not really any of my business, if he wanted people to know he would have told them, I can't very well go around flaunting people's private plans can I?" she didn't look convinced, "And like I said, I didn't really think he'd go ahead with it." I added in a bid to subside her anger, she huffed and crossed her arms moodily.

"Oh Em…I'm really sorry, I didn't keep it from you on purpose, I just sort of…forgot." I pleaded, desperate for her to not be mad at me, she glanced across at me with narrowed eyes and then sighed.

"Fine I believe you, but next time you'd better tell me." I managed a small smile and chose not to point out that I sincerely hoped my brother would never disappear to lord knows where again.

"Hold on, so where exactly is Al?" Hugo was still extremely confused, bless him.

"No idea, James and Scor have been searching for him but he could be anywhere, he never told me where he planned to travel to." I told him with a sad little shrug, his brow furrowed and he massaged his temples.

"It just makes no sense, why would he just…leave?"

"I don't know I don't understand it myself." I admitted feeling entirely useless, I glanced across at Emma whose head hung low making her hair shield her face from view, I noticed a tear drip onto the table and understood why she was hiding. I hated seeing her so upset but I was utterly powerless to stop it.

* * *

It was an eerily quiet train ride home, we barely spoke and Emma didn't turn her gaze from the window until the train shuddered to a halt. She gave us a half-hearted goodbye and drifted off to where her mum was waiting for her, I watched her go with my chest tight from guilt before heading over to where Scorpius was stood slightly ahead of my dad. The absence of my mother and brothers added more weight to my already heavy heart.

Scorpius reached out for me immediately and pulled me into an embrace, he kissed me deeply and I knew he could tell I was upset, he was trying to comfort me but my joy at being reunited with him was overshadowed by my worry about my brothers and my mum.

"Are you ok?" he begged in a quiet voice so my dad wouldn't hear, I tried to keep my face void of emotion so not to betray my feelings and nodded, my eyes flickered back over his shoulder to the lone family member waiting to take me home.

"James is off looking for him," he told me knowing I'd noticed his absence, "It was my turn but he insisted on going so I could come here to meet you." I felt my eyebrows involuntarily creep up, James hadn't exactly been best friends with Scorpius especially not since we started dating so his act of kindness towards my boyfriend, however small, came as a bit of a surprise to me.

"That was oddly…nice of him."

"Mmm, well we've been getting on a lot better lately…" he trailed off and I knew he was worried that his words might've sounded heartless, admitting that he was getting along with James better in Al's absence.

"Why didn't my mum come?" I had to ask, it was eating away at me and feeding my growing worry, he sighed gently and took my hand tracing little circles on the back of it with his thumb.

"She went with James, since he left she's been really worried…of course…" he looked down at our hands sadly and I knew he was feeling as guilty as I was, he'd known about Al's plans too.

"Of course." I repeated, he gently tugged on my hand leading me towards my dad who looked as weary as I felt.

"Hi dad." I gave him a brief hug and the way he clutched me a little tighter than normal didn't go unnoticed.

"Glad to have you home flower." He managed a genuine smile but I could plainly see the strain in his green eyes.

"How is she?" he knew who I was talking about, his eyes closed for a moment and he sighed.

"Worried, stressed, scared…it's put a lot of strain on her, you know how she gets when it's you kids involved." I felt a pang of guilt and hung my head miserably, my mum would be exhausted from the stress over Al's unknown location. I was hoping, no wishing, that he would write to her just to let her know that he was alright to stop her fretting quite as much.

"Come on, she'll be back with James soon, they've missed you." I wanted to tell him that I missed them too but the words didn't come, it wasn't supposed to be this way, it was the holidays that I'd waited weeks for, I should be thrilled to be home not miserable. I let Scorpius take my hand and lead the way to the car park where dad drove us home.

"It doesn't look like they're back yet." Dad told us as he glanced at the clock, three hands that should point to _home_ didn't, I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.

"I'm going to take my stuff upstairs." I said quietly reaching down for the handle on my trunk.

"Let me carry that." It wasn't heavy but I let Scorpius take it from me nevertheless, truthfully I wasn't sure I even had the energy to drag it up the steps. My bedroom seemed eerily empty and everything had been tidied, I knew it must've been mum, whenever she was worried she would busy herself around the house.

"Thanks." I mumbled as Scorpius set the trunk down at the foot of my bed, he shook his head and moved to sit beside me on the freshly ironed duvet.

"How've things been?" I knew he meant before the news of Al reached me, I raised my eyebrows and shrugged.

"Fine I guess." He glanced across at me and frowned.

"That's it, just fine?"

"Well what do you expect? It's just school and I'm hardly loving it now that you and Al have gone." I regretted the sharpness of my tone but Scorpius was sweet enough to ignore it, he reached over and laced his fingers with mine in my lap and the touch of his skin instantly calmed me.

"I know, I'm sorry." He said soothingly but his understanding behaviour only added to the already building guilt weighing down on my chest.

"No I'm sorry, I shouldn't be snapping at you." I shifted on the bed so I was facing him and slid my hands around his neck just wanting to feel his silky smooth skin under my fingertips, his eyes closed under my touch and I leant forward to press our foreheads together.

"I've missed you, too much, I should have said it sooner." I whispered breathing in the soft mint scent coming off his skin.

"Don't worry, you have more important things happening at the moment, I can wait." I tightened my grip on his neck, clutching desperately at his skin and straining myself closer to his welcoming body.

"I don't want you to wait, I _can't_ wait, I'm so sick of being away from you now." his hands came up to hold my wrists, exciting the nerves beneath my skin and sparking my heart into an irregular rhythm.

"It won't be for much longer, when Hogwarts is over you can move in." he tried to reassure me but it was no use, the end of school was months away and I'd have to spend those months apart from him.

"I can't stand it!" I gasped angrily clutching at his jumper so tightly that my nails dug into my own skin through the material.

"I wish I could do something, anything, to make this easier…for both of us." He lowered his head sadly and I realised then that being apart was just as difficult on him as it was on me.

"You can." I told him, slowly his eyes rose to meet mine and I relaxed my grip on his jumper to slide my hands back up his neck.

"What?" he murmured, I felt him tremble from my caress.

"Kiss me…" for a few seconds he didn't move, he froze seemingly shocked by my demand but then his eyes flickered to my mouth, a slow quivering breath slipped out as he raised his hand and lightly traced the shape of my bottom lip with his thumb.

"Lily…" he whispered easing apart my lips with his fingers, I was breathing heavily without meaning to but I couldn't hear it over the pounding of the blood in my ears. His thumb slipped from my lip and was replaced by his mouth, I moaned against his kiss and thrust my hands into his hair, it had grown longer and swept across his face just luring me to slide my fingers into it. His hands moved to my waist sliding over the curve of my hips, the motion sent my mind spinning out of control and while I was still coping with that he lifted me suddenly and moved me onto his lap until I was straddling him.

My longing for him turned into blind need, unexpectedly his lips moved away leaving me disappointed and hungry for more, before I could complain his hand pushed my chin up almost roughly and his mouth moved to my neck. I let my head fall back and sighed blissfully, his kisses crept along my skin and he moved his hands into my hair letting the fiery red strands tangle around his fingers, he sharply pulled me towards him sealing our lips together again.

"God I'm going crazy." I groaned as we tore apart, I was still clinging to him panting breathlessly as desire coursed through my entire body making me tremble.

"That makes two of us." His voice was husky and thick with lust, it did nothing to calm my raging emotions.

"Will you take me to yours? I'd like to see what it looks like now you're all moved in." I requested. I gently stroked back his floppy white hair that was now somewhat messier as a result of our moment.

"Sure, we'll go after your mum and James get back." He slid his finger along my jaw and then lifted my chin so he could brush a quick kiss across my swollen lips.

"I'm hungry, let's go get some food." I scrambled off his lap and tugged him out of the door with me. My dad was sat at the kitchen table idly reading some paperwork, he looked up as we entered and gave me a brief smile.

"What are you reading dad?" I asked. Scorpius pulled up a chair while I rummaged in the fridge for something to snack on.

"Oh just some Ministry things, Kingsley's been away for a few weeks so I'm trying to keep on top of things for him."

"Why is he away?" Scorpius inquired curiously. I grabbed the butter and a plate of leftover chicken from the fridge and dumped them on the side.

"He's been a bit unwell lately, age is finally starting to catch up with him I think."

"James said there's been word that he's planning to retire soon." This news startled me and I looked up from buttering my bread to study my father's uncertain expression.

"A lot of people think so." Was all he said, Scorpius frowned and I was glad that his curiosity matched my own and kept me from butting into their conversation.

"Are you one of them?" he probed, my dad laughed lightly and leant back in his chair folding his arms across his chest.

"Honestly I'm not sure, Kingsley is a proud man, if he's been buckling under the pressure or from his age then he hasn't let it show." It was strange to hear my dad and Scorpius talking so casually, but then again I suppose a lot had changed while I'd been stuck at Hogwarts this year.

"What do you think will happen at the Ministry if he does retire?" Scorpius continued as I sliced my chicken sandwich in half and slid into the seat next to him.

"Not a lot I don't suppose, since he was appointed the Ministry has gotten a lot steadier and stronger."

"You mean it's not filled with corrupt employees anymore?" my dad laughed again and nodded.

"Exactly, it does the job it's supposed to now thanks to Kingsley. If he does retire he'll just be leaving behind a comfortable seat for the next Minister, he'll have an easy job – Kingsley's already laid out the groundwork."

"How's James' Auror training going?" I interjected.

"Surprisingly well, he did great in his last few training sessions, his final exam is in a few weeks time."

"I hope he passes." I mumbled inwardly worried that all the searching for Al would affect his performance and concentration, a moment of comfortable silence followed where the only sound was our breathing and my quiet chewing of my sandwich.

"They're back…" my dad mumbled rising from his chair.

"Huh?" I replied utterly confused, I hadn't heard anything or anybody talking so how on earth did he know they were home? He wasn't wrong, seconds later the back door opened and my mum and James walked inside looking exhausted and dejected.

"Lily!" My mother's face transformed into a welcoming smile and I rose to give her a hug.

"Hi mum."

"Oh it's good to have you back." She rubbed my back a few times and then let go to make way for a hug of my brother, it wasn't one of his usual rib cracking hugs instead he clutched me to him tenderly and buried his face in my hair.

"I'm sorry Lils." He whispered. Tears stung my eyes as I clutched at the back of his jacket.

"Me too." It was all I could think to say, I knew he felt as guilty as I did probably more so because he'd been around to try and stop it but hadn't been able to.

"Shall I make us all some dinner?" mum offered. She wanted something to do to take her mind off another failed attempt at finding Al.

"Sure mum." James replied giving me a sad smile, I patted his arm and then sank back into my chair beside Scorpius, he reached out and grasped my hand giving it a comforting squeeze, I let out a long breath and tried to relax my tense body. James joined us at the table and dad walked over to put an arm around mum's shoulder, comforting her as she started to slice up vegetables for the dinner. It was going to be an awkward meal I could already tell, somehow we were all going to have to sit round the table and try and pretend that we didn't notice the absence of the last member of our family.


	7. Surrender

_Righto, incoming author's rant, I'm going to start this one with an important __**warning**__; I have bumped up the rating to cover this chapter so please be aware of that._

_This chapter was indescribably difficult for me, I've had drafts of it lying around since before I'd even written the first chapter of Seasons May Change and now that it's come to the time to post it I just couldn't get the editing right. I was torn between two versions, one with less detail and more hinting at what would happen and this version which is very descriptive and a lot more intimate._

_Eventually (after many headaches) I decided on this one even at the cost of raising the rating and the main reason being that my aim when writing both these stories has been to let you experience things as Lily does, from her perspective, to let you see how she copes with things and what she thinks. So I've stayed true to that and I believe that something as important as this should follow suit._

_Ok rant over with, I'm insanely nervous about posting this so I'm going crazy hoping you all like it and don't hate me! _

_Enjoy :)_

Chapter seven – Surrender

I gathered up the plates still left on the table and walked over to the sink where my mother stood washing them by hand, she often resorted to doing things the muggle way when she had something on her mind.

"Oh, thank you dear." She smiled weakly and took the plates from my hands.

"I'm sure he's ok mum." It was a poor attempt to reassure her but it was all I could think to say.

"I just wish he'd write to us or something, anything so that we know he's not injured or…" she trailed off tearfully and her hands began scrubbing the plate more furiously, I reached out and gave her an awkward hug.

"He will mum; he just needs a bit of time." Al would know how worried we all were, especially mum, so I had no doubt that eventually he'd send word of how he was coping. He would be feeling as guilty about leaving as we were for letting him go.

"Cheers for dinner mum, I'm going to have another look." James rose from his seat and shrugged his jacket back on.

"Be careful, I can't stand having two sons go missing." Mum warned sadly, he crossed the little room to give her a long heartfelt hug and a quick kiss on her hair. I had to smile at his actions even during such a miserable time, it was rare to see James behave so lovingly but when he did it really touched me.

"Right I'll be seeing you, oh don't wait up Scor I'll just go straight to work from…well wherever I am."

"Ok."

"Wait a minute, don't think you're staying out all night James Potter…" but mum was too late, James disappeared with a loud pop before she could finish the sentence, she growled angrily and my dad chuckled from his seat, his humour quickly faded when her piercing gaze turned on him.

"Oh shut up Harry." She snapped whirling around and returning to violently scrubbing her plates while muttering something about Potter men being impossible.

"Want to go and see the cottage?" Scorpius offered, a cheerful smile lit up my face and I nodded.

"Yes please, I've been dying to see what it looks like now you're all moved in."

"Messier, that's about it." he summarised, I giggled and followed him over to the door.

"Well I'll be the judge of that."

"Suit yourself. Thanks for dinner Mrs Potter." My mum looked up from her scrubbing to give him a grateful smile.

"My pleasure Scorpius." He opened the door letting the icy cold breeze sweep into the warm room and I shivered involuntarily.

"Hold on let me grab a jacket." I told him before rushing off upstairs and flinging open my wardrobe, normally I would have known exactly where to reach for one but my mum's tidying spree hadn't been limited to the outside and everything in my wardrobe was now neatly hung up and sorted into categories.

"Oh bloody hell mum." I grumbled, a quick rifling through told me that all the cardigan's and jackets were hung together and I snatched out a random grey one. Shoving my arms into it I turned to hurry back downstairs and found my dad blocking the doorway.

"Dad!" I gasped, flinching from the surprise.

"Sorry, I should have knocked." He apologised, he couldn't keep the hint of a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips though and I scowled at him.

"Is there any reason you're sneaking around and scaring the life out of your only daughter or is it just for fun?"

"Listen Lily," he walked over to me and straightened my wonky cardigan, "I want you to try not to worry about your mum and Albus."

"Well…" I tried to reply but he held up a hand silencing me and fixed on a serious expression.

"I know what you're like, always worrying, but this is supposed to be your holiday so please just…try not to ok, just have fun."

"Enjoy being young right?" I shrugged half-heartedly and he managed a strained smile.

"Something like that."

"Ok dad, I'll try." I agreed if only to clear the desperation from his eyes.

"Good, now go on before Scorpius freezes to death." I grinned and hurried past him to leave but his hand caught my wrist.

"What?" I questioned, he hesitated for a moment and I could see a battle behind his eyes until he finally spoke.

"Don't feel like you have to come home tonight, as long as you're safe I'm happy…" he trailed off gazing over my head with a distant expression and I frowned at him. Where had this sudden wave of peculiar behaviour come from?

"Ok dad, um…thanks." I didn't quite know what to say. He nodded briefly and then released my arm letting me hurry back down to Scorpius.

"Mum, dad's acting weird." I told her as I drifted towards the back door.

"After so many years of knowing him that no longer surprises me." she replied lightly earning a giggle and a laugh off me and Scorpius.

"See you later." I waved goodbye and hurried out into the cold garden air.

"Bye dear." I heard her call before the door closed, Scorpius scooped my hand into his and gave me a quick glance.

"Ready?" he checked, I took a deep breath to prepare myself and then nodded.

"Yep." I gasped sharply as we were yanked violently through a haze of swirling colours and blurry shapes finally emerging on the doorstep of the cottage.

"I wonder if I'll ever get used to that." I grumbled clutching at my chest which ached heavily from the experience.

"I don't think anyone really gets used to it." Scorpius replied scrunching his face up at the unpleasant feelings lingering as a result of the apparition.

The cottage was pleasantly warm and already smelt distinctively like our childhood home, I walked slowly around the kitchen dragging my fingers over the little objects littering the table and counters, mugs from home that I knew were James' favourites and piles of Quidditch journals that had always been stuffed under Al's bed.

Scorpius remained silent and followed me as I moved around the living room, framed photos were scattered on uneven shelves or pinned crookedly to the walls and I was surprised that I didn't recognise them all. I paused by one in particular staring at it curiously.

"I like that one." Scorpius' voice made me jump and I looked across at him as he gazed up at the same photo.

"Where did this come from?" I asked watching the figures move around the scene.

"James had it." the picture showed my brothers, me and Scorpius sitting at a table together in the library back when James had still been at Hogwarts, we were all in our uniforms chatting animatedly over a sea of open textbooks. The person taking the photo shouted something and in the photo I looked up, smiled, and then waved. Noticing my attention my brothers promptly turned around and started pulling ridiculous faces making Scorpius and I shake with laughter.

"It's strange, remembering those times." I mumbled distantly. Beside me Scorpius sighed heavily.

"Feels like a whole other life."

"Mmm." I agreed forcing myself to turn away from the picture and the flood of old memories it was awakening.

"I want to see Al's room." I said rather abruptly, he didn't argue or tell me it wasn't a good idea he just nodded and led me upstairs. The room looked hardly lived in and yet somehow so characteristically Albus. His bed was made scruffily just like all the times mum had insisted he do it, toiletries and various knickknacks were littering every bit of space and his beloved Firebolt was propped up against the window.

"He left his broom." I mused moving to touch the glossy wooden handle, Scorpius nodded but didn't reply. Slowly my eyes found their way to his wardrobe, one door was ajar and a large section of hangers were empty. I absentmindedly ran my hand over the sleeve of a green jumper that he often wore and felt myself choking up.

"He loves this top, why didn't he take it?" I didn't know why I was asking, it was a silly question and I knew I would get no answer but the words fell from my lips regardless.

"I don't know." Scorpius replied in a hoarse voice, his face was tight and agonised from seeing my distress.

"Is this the note?" I managed to push back the tears that were burning behind my eyes and picked up the little strip of paper off the bed with trembling fingers.

"That's where I found it." he confirmed refusing to look at the imposing item. I read the hastily scribbled words in my brother's familiar writing and had to battle again to suppress the tears. _I had to do this, I had to get away, I'm sorry. Please don't look for me. I'll write soon._

"He'll write." I said, more to myself than to him but Scorpius nodded his agreement regardless.

"Come on." Seeing that it was getting a bit too much for me he put the note back down and took my hand. Our room – it still felt strange to think of it as that – looked much like I remembered except the bed had been slept in and a few items of Scorpius' clothing littered the floor.

"Oh…um, sorry I'm not very neat." He flustered snatching up a t-shirt he'd caught me eying off the floor and tucking it behind a pillow on his reading chair. I smiled at his adorable embarrassment and wandered over to the window. The sky had darkened as night slowly crept in paving the way for the glittering stars that I loved to gaze at so much.

I was doing just that when a pair of strong arms slipped around my waist bringing me back against his body, he nuzzled my hair feathering a few light kisses over the red strands and I let my head fall back onto his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he whispered, his lips brushed my ear sending a light shiver over me.

"Yes." I decided with a sigh, despite everything that was going on at the moment I had to admit, and a little guiltily might I add, that standing there back in his arms I felt more alive and happier than I had in weeks.

"I've been counting the days until you came home." He told me quietly tracing the shape of my ear with his nose, I twisted in his arms to face him and arched one eyebrow.

"Only the days? I've been counting the minutes." I countered grinning playfully, he laughed a deep rumbling chuckle that was more attractive that it should have been.

"Clearly this isn't a fight either of us are going to win." He pointed out with a clear air of confidence. I shifted closer to him until my lips grazed his chin and the light layer of unshaven stubble that lay there.

"Then why are you still talking and not kissing me?" I murmured against his skin, I caught the slight grin that twitched at his mouth until his lips were suddenly too busy moving against my own.

As with all our kisses it didn't take long for the innocence to melt away and be replaced by the passion. For once my whole body was calm, lulled by the sweet and sensuous rhythm of his lips as they opened and closed my own. He held me gently, tenderly, almost as if I was made of porcelain and he feared I might break at any moment. My soft moan sounded more like a hum and was quickly lost in the stir of uneven breathing and the whisper of our lips.

His hands moved slowly down my back stroking the shape of my body through my clothes, all the urgency of our previous embraces was gone now that we were free and unrestricted. Now that we were unequivocally alone there was no need to rush, the want and desire was still present but it was no longer so urgent.

My fingers shyly inched under the hem of his t-shirt and crept over the skin of his waist, I could feel his muscles tense under my touch and a slow and shaking breath shuddered from his lips. His forehead fell against mine breaking our kiss, his eyes remained closed as my touch rose higher and I let my palms lie flat against his skin. My hands slid up the rise of his chest pushing up his t-shirt as they went. Seeing his eyes still closed I took the opportunity to let my own brown irises drink in the delicious lines and curves of muscle illustrating his skin. He was so beautiful.

His eyes opened snapping him out of his trance and the burning look he gave me stopped my breath in my throat. He moved towards me backing me into the window ledge and then reaching down to lift me onto it, he moved between my legs taking my hands from under his shirt and pressing them back against the window. His lips pressed teasingly light kisses to my own and when I strained forward to deepen one he pressed me back against the window grinning wickedly.

"I hate you." I moaned childishly without an ounce of conviction and he laughed.

"No you don't." his mouth was making its way down my neck biting at the skin and making me gasp.

"Oh god I know I don't…" he laughed again and my head fell back against the glass of the window.

"Giving up already?" he teased raising a provoking eyebrow and something clicked inside of me. In one sharp movement my legs wrapped around his hips snatching him against me and my hands flew into his hair forcing his mouth back onto mine – not that he put up much of a fight.

The urgency was back. My fingers were knotted in his pearly white hair keeping him from pulling away while my lips wordlessly demanded more off him. He was more than happy to oblige sliding his cool hands under my chiffon blouse and bringing his touch to rest on the small of my back, his fingers moved daringly under the waistband of my jeans to trace the elastic of my underwear.

Abruptly he withdrew his hands and broke our kiss, gripping my shoulders he held me at arms length and took a deep breath.  
"Ok…I should take you home before I can't stop myself." He told me swallowing deliberately in an attempt to calm himself down.

"No…I don't want to go home." I pleaded and he hesitated frowning at me unsurely, "I want to stay here…with you."

"I want you to but your parents…"  
"My dad said it was ok!" I interrupted excitedly, his frown deepened and I could tell he wasn't sure whether to believe me.

"Are you sure?"

"When I was getting my jacket he said I didn't have to go home tonight, he just wants me to be safe." He frowned for a moment reflecting on my words and then slowly his expression relaxed.

"I really don't want you to go." He admitted. He reached for my hand and pulled me gently towards him, I couldn't keep the thrilled smile off my face as I draped my arms over his shoulders.

"Good because you're stuck with me." I pressed a brief kiss to his delicious lips and he hummed thoughtfully when I pulled away.

"What?" I asked curiously feeling a bit self-conscious as he gazed intently at my mouth.

"It might be wise for me to sleep on the sofa tonight." He finally tore his eyes away and met my worried gaze. "I don't think my willpower will survive if we share a bed…" a light blush tinged his cheeks and he ran a hand through his hair shyly.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" I said with a nervous giggle, his widened eyes flew to meet mine and I immediately looked away.

"Lily…" he lifted my chin and turned my face back to his, "You know there's no rush, I've waited over two years and I can easily wait longer." As he said the words I suddenly remembered that a few weeks ago it had been our two year anniversary.

"We missed our anniversary…" I muttered miserably. He gave me a kind smile and cupped my face tenderly.

"I'll make it up to you soon, I promise. Just think of this year as being a late anniversary." I shifted closer to him and gazed up at him from beneath my lashes.

"Why don't you make it up to me tonight?" I had the pleasure of seeing his eyes bulge for a moment before he regained his composure.

"When did you start being so seductive?" he asked playfully, stooping down to kiss me so deeply that my head whirled.

"Is that a yes?" I probed, swayed dreamily in his arms as a result of his kiss. He pretended to think about it seriously for a few seconds before breaking into a dazzling grin.

"I guess so…" I muttered blushing, he smiled down at me for a moment and then pulled me flush against his body.

"Stop talking…" he whispered holding my gaze intently, I nodded weakly unable to form any more words under that stare anyway and his lips captured mine.

The tender and adoring way he kissed me was indescribable, it seemed to flood through my body weakening every inch of me until I was sure I would melt or at the very least lose the ability to stand. I knew what was happening, I knew where the road we were on was leading to and that both thrilled and terrified me.

The fear didn't stop me from finding my way underneath his t-shirt again and this time I didn't hesitate, his lips left mine long enough for me to lift the material over his head and toss it aside. My body was so charged that I was almost too scared to touch his bare chest for fear of the effect it would have on my already unstable emotions. He seemed to feel the same because even though his fingers were shakily unzipping my blouse at the back there was a noticeable gap between us. The chiffon garment was eased off and fell into a heap at my feet, his grey eyes swept over the new sight of me in the absence of the top before he gently brought his lips back onto mine.

Slowly, almost timidly, I lifted my hands to stroke the smooth skin of his chest not missing the way his kiss faltered when my fingers came to rest on his belt. He watched frozen as I unlatched the buckle and slid the leather from the loopholes, I met his nervous gaze searching for any signs of objection in case this wasn't what he wanted, when I found none I proceeded to unfasten his black trousers and after a gentle push they landed around his ankles.

Scorpius stepped away from the discarded item of clothing leaving his shoes behind and moved me to sit on the edge of the bed, I couldn't tear my eyes from his as he knelt down in front of me and unfastened my shoes tugging them off gently. He moved between my legs and brought his hands up to frame my face, deep in his eyes I could see the pure love he felt for me and it erased any sense of doubt I might have held onto.

I met his lips halfway sliding my hands into his luxurious hair and sighing against his mouth. Holding my wrists he lifted me off the bed and back to standing without breaking our kiss, trembling hands moved down to unbutton my jeans and I quickly stepped out of them. Scorpius' cool hands curved around my neck and he stared into my eyes fervidly, he held my gaze deliberately as his hands slid down my neck to my shoulders where he slid the straps of my bra off judging my reaction.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, it was the first time he'd spoken in quite a while and his voice was deep and croaky.

"Yes." I managed to murmur, I knew that this was it, this was the moment when everything was about to go hurtling in a new direction. This was where everything changed. His hand stroked down my back painfully slowly and came to rest on the strap lying there, after a seconds hesitation his fingers eased open the little clasp and my bra sprang loose. I felt my own breath catch in my throat in an involuntary gasp and his panicked eyes flew to mine worried he'd pushed me too far.

"No…don't stop…" I whispered. My heart was beating so wildly it made me light-headed and my throat had tightened to the point where I was almost choking. Scorpius nodded and slowly slid the straps down until I lowered my arms letting the little piece of underwear fall to the floor. I had never felt more exposed or more petrified than I did in that moment, he'd never seen me in such little clothing before and I was utterly terrified that he would be disappointed or worse – repulsed by what he saw.

He looked me over but was polite enough not to stare, he raised his hand tentatively and for a moment I froze thinking he was about to touch my breast but his palm came to rest just above on the slight curve of skin covering my pounding heart. I let out the breath I'd been holding in as his lips came into contact with my forehead.

"Your heart is racing." He observed feeling the throbbing beneath his fingertips. I lifted my hand to mirror his action and felt the same thing under my own palm.

"So is yours." I replied quietly. It should have seemed strange for us to be talking about something so insignificant at such an important moment and yet it didn't, it felt oddly right. I completely forgot that we were stood almost completely nude aside from the modest items covering our lower bodies.

"You're beautiful…" he breathed intensely as he brushed aside my hair that had tumbled across my face. The little compliment had euphoria spreading through my veins and a dreamy smile crept onto my lips. His words gave me a new found confidence and I crept closer to him draping my arms over his shoulders and brining our bare chests together. The feel of his satin skin against my own was glorious and I hungrily brought our mouths together.

For a moment my anxiety slipped away letting me relish in the blazing desire that was flaring within me. Scorpius relaxed too, his stiff hands moved suddenly from my back and roamed over the curves of my body memorising every detail and thrilling me to my core. There was a new eagerness in the way he kissed me, his lips were suddenly speaking a different language and mine quickly started speaking it too.

We were moving, backing up, and then I was falling. My back landed on the springy mattress of the bed and Scorpius fell on top of me catching himself on his hands to hover above me. I coiled a leg around one of his and moaned softly into his kiss. He shifted his weight onto one hand so that he could reach down with the other and I inhaled sharply when his fingers hooked around the waistband of my knickers.

He broke away from my lips to study my face, worried again in case he'd gone too far but I just nodded once and raised my hips slightly allowing him to gingerly slide off my last remaining item of clothing. This time he dared not look and honestly I was grateful, I would have been far too embarrassed if he'd lingered to look at me there. In an uncharacteristic act of boldness I reached out and tugged down Scorpius' hindering boxer shorts and lay back down but not before my wayward gaze caught a glimpse of what they concealed and I felt the blood burn in my cheeks. If he noticed then he didn't show it, carefully he moved me until I was laid back on the pillows and came to kneel over me.

"Are you cold?" he asked tenderly noticing a break out of goosebumps on my skin. Honestly they had nothing at all to do with the temperature but it was less embarrassing to say they did.

"A little." I lied, he drew the duvet up over us but the action had him now pressed against my entire body and that did little to help me control my spiralling lust. Nor did the presence of a very distinct pressure against my inner thigh – suddenly my temperature soared and I felt like my skin was burning from the inside out. He felt it too, I could tell by the way his body stiffened and the guarded look shadowing his shimmering grey eyes.

The atmosphere was so thick I could hardly breathe, his gaze transfixed on my lips and he moved in to kiss me. A desperate whimper escaped me as soon as our mouths met and suddenly I could wait no longer. I wanted him too badly it was painful and the irrevocable need consumed me. I shifted to bring my legs either side of him and pulled him down onto my body, I don't know if he was just following my lead or if he felt the same undeniable pull to me as I did to him but in one easy movement he aligned our hips and then paused.

I waited, expectant and inwardly bracing myself, as he came down to hold my lips in a heart stopping tender kiss. Cautiously he moved his hips forward bringing our bodies together and a sharp gasp left both of our mouths. His forehead pressed against mine and his hands clutched fiercely at the sheets as I gripped his arms firmly.

I'd expected it to hurt of course, especially after talking to Rose about her experience, but what I felt was nothing like what I had anticipated. The sudden searing pain had faded almost as quickly as it had come on and now all I felt was a slightly uncomfortable ache. The moment had seemed much worse in my mind and I almost felt like laughing at my stupidity, that was until Scorpius' grip on the covers relaxed and his lips sought out my own again.

His mouth tasted somehow more glorious than it ever had as he slowly moved his body against my own. The aching was quickly swallowed by a wave of unimaginable pleasure that caught me off guard, it was like a drug and I was already addicted. I curved my hips to match the rhythm of his gentle thrusts. His breathing was heavy and it took only seconds to realise that mine was too, he clutched me to his chest pressing his mouth to my neck and groaning against my skin. The startlingly arousing sound teamed with the rhythmic movement of his body was almost enough to push me over the edge but somehow I clung on. The sensations were incredible, never in my life had I imagined that pleasure like this could exist, it was blinding.

I didn't even realise that my nails were digging deeply into his back and nor did he seem to care. I could feel it gripping me again, that fierce euphoria that seemed to govern my entire body making me arch up in his arm and cry out. Scorpius clutched me to his chest and I let my head drop onto his shoulder as I panted heavily against his skin now damp from perspiration, another jolt had the electricity shooting through me again and I moaned desperately, it was almost too much to bear.

"I love you…" he panted kissing me deeply, I didn't know if I could even form words when I was feeling like this but I had to try.

"I love you too." I managed to splutter before another gasp left my lips and I bit hard onto my bottom lip to stop myself from crying out.

The blissful feeling that was engulfing me became too strong after that and everything turned into a haze. We could have stayed like that for minutes or hours – I didn't know. All I remembered was clinging to him desperately as every muscle in my body exploded with exaltation, and whispering his name against his skin as he said mine before our bodies calmed and we were dragged off into a blissful slumber.


	8. Canada

_Okie Dokie new chapter time! Woohoo! I'd like to start this (very brief) author's note with a __**HUGE**__ thank you to every single person who reviewed my later chapter, I was absolutely amazed by all of your kind words and priceless comments so thank you all so very much :) _

_A while ago I received a review mentioning that it would be quite funny for Harry, Ron or Teddy to walk in on the pair heavily kissing and I did promise that reviewer that I would include it and so I have, enjoy!_

Chapter eight – Canada

I groaned drowsily and rolled over, a sharp chill ran over me and I realised with a jolt that I was naked. Clutching the duvet to my chest I sat up and blinked a few times trying to force open my tired eyes to look around. My brown irises drank in the sunlight lit room, the clothes scattered across the floor and the heartbreakingly handsome sleeping form beside me.

Scorpius was lying on his back with an arm flung across his eyes. My wandering gaze drifted from his face over his bare chest and down to his waist where the duvet concealed the rest. A flush of pleasure ran over me and I looked away blushing with embarrassment. Flashes of what had happened flooded my mind and I gasped as the blood burnt deeper in my cheeks. Despite my shyness I couldn't keep the huge smile off my face.

I slid to the edge of the bed carefully so not to wake Scorpius and fumbled for something to put on. I managed to scoop up my knickers and quickly tug them on, I cast an unhappy glance at my chiffon blouse lying on the ground – it was far too fancy to wear for lounging around in. I sighed and looked around for something else to wear, perhaps Scorpius' t-shirt was nearby and I could borrow that. My eyes fell upon a pair of tartan pyjamas strewn across the back of the chair and I grinned.

"Perfect." I muttered sliding out from under the covers and snatching up the top, I slipped it on and hastily buttoned it up over my bare chest, it was much to big for me – the bottom fell past my bum and the sleeves were so long I couldn't see my fingers but I didn't care. It smelt deliciously of Scorpius and I couldn't help but inhale the wonderful scent.

I threw Scorpius one last affectionate look before hurrying silently from the room. The rest of the cottage was deadly silent and all I could hear was the patter of my feet on the kitchen tiles, I flicked on the kettle and it obediently started to boil.

Now that I was stood still I started to feel the effects of the night's events creeping over me. Telltale little aches began to make their presence known. My legs felt oddly wobbly beneath me and soft little twinges appeared in my thighs when I moved. My roguish mind quickly flickered back to my memories of the night with Scorpius and I lost a battle to keep the huge beaming smile from my lips.

I felt…fantastic, utterly terrific. I hummed cheerfully tapping my fingers on the counter and dancing in tune with the beat. Somehow I managed to pour boiling water into my coffee cup while keeping up my boogying and in a sudden outburst I started to sing along too. I was mid-spin when I noticed I was no longer alone and abruptly stopped my singing and dancing display.

"Oh don't stop, I was enjoying the view." Scorpius said smoothly, unable to stop himself grinning. His eyes drifted up from my hips which until moments ago had been swaying rather seductively, I blushed of course.

Peering out at him shyly from beneath my lashes I felt my heart skip a beat snatching the breath from me, he was leaning casually against the doorframe in nothing but the tartan trousers to match my borrowed top and they hung dangerously low on his hips. He walked slowly towards me and I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from the shockingly gorgeous grooves on his hips that his low waistband had revealed.

"So this is where my top disappeared to." He mused tugging playfully at the hemline and making me break into a wave of goosebumps where his hand brushed my thigh.

"Oh sorry…I…um…borrowed it." While I spoke he moved closer to me pressing me back against the cupboards and making me stutter.

"It looks much better on you." He complimented ducking down to trail light kisses up my neck. I would have replied with something witty, but unfortunately the way he was currently kissing my throat eliminated any hopes I had of speaking. I stood limp like a rag doll, frozen by anticipation as his hands found their way to my thighs and he teasingly slid his fingers up over my hips and underneath the pyjama top.

"So, any regrets?" he asked in a seductively deep voice, his question brought the memories back to the front of my mind and a sudden surge of desire pierced through me.

"No…you?" I managed to splutter, his hands followed the contour of my waist and then swept around to the curve of my back drawing me flush against his bare chest.

"Only that it had to end…" he whispered in my ear letting his lips drag across my skin. My weak heart was pounding against my ribs from the proximity and my body ached for him longing to feed its hopeless addiction.

"Yeah I'm not thrilled about that part either…" I tried to keep my voice steady but it was increasingly difficult when his fingers were caressing their way down my back and the cupboard was keeping me pinned against him.

"Have I told you how much I love you today…?" he trailed off lifting his hand to trace the shape of my collar bone softly with his fingertip.

"Not yet." I replied with a cheeky smile, he grinned at me and brushed a brief kiss across my lips.

"I love you." Sincerity rang thick in his voice and he pulled me into a deep and sublimely passionate kiss. This time he didn't pull away when I expected, his lips sought to exert their power over me and naturally my all too willing body allowed it. I leaned into him pushing myself against his chest and enjoying the feel of his soft moan against my mouth. His impossibly delicious breath had my head whirling and when he pulled away I had to reach back and grip the counter to steady myself.

"I love you Scorpius Malfoy." I told him in a dreamy voice, his kisses had such an overwhelming effect on me it was almost scary.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked cheerfully, I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and I sighed thoughtfully. My mind was completely blank, I wasn't used to having so much time on my hands nor the freedom to do whatever I wanted.

"Um…I have no idea." I admitted with a little giggle, he laughed and took a turn to think about it for a moment.

"Well recently I've been going for a run every morning, now that I don't have Quidditch practice I have to do something to keep in shape you know." He winked at me and I cast an evaluative glance over his toned chest, he looked in perfect shape from where I was stood and he'd definitely looked in good shape last night…

"It's rude to stare you know." Scorpius' voice snapped me out of my daydream and I glanced up startled.

"Oh god…sorry…." I looked away blushing furiously. He laughed softly and lifted my chin back up so that my gaze met his.

"Don't be, I like it." it was impossible not to catch the teasing glint in his grey eyes as he quickly glanced down at his pyjama top that I was still wearing.

"But you know, it's only fair that I get to do a bit of staring myself." He stated with a mischievous grin, I eyed him suspiciously trying to decipher what he was planning but it was no use.

"Oh?" I prompted, eager and nervous to know what he was getting at.

"Uh-huh, but you see there seems to be a pyjama top in the way so I'm going to have to do something about that." To illustrate his point he reached up and slowly began unfastening the top button, I heard my own sharp intake of breath but it quickly melted into a blissful sigh as he bent and pressed a kiss to the little patch of skin beneath my neck no longer hidden beneath the button.

"You're not going to do that for every button are you?" I joked, but he was already pushing the next one through the hole and moving to trail his lips over the newly exposed skin.

"Oh I am." He mumbled through another kiss, I giggled giddily and he pried open the next one, instead of bending down this time he slipped his hands around my legs and hoisted me onto the counter bringing me to the perfect height for him to start trailing kisses down the valley of my chest. I couldn't resist it any longer, I let my arms coil around his neck and I brought his mouth up to mine.

"Aw but I wasn't done staring." He complained, I giggled again and pulled him in for another wild kiss.

"I know something that's better than staring." I said bluntly, luring him into dangerous territory.

"Oh? And what might that be?" I knew by his wide grin and the way in which he slid his hands confidently to my hips that he already knew exactly what I meant. I opened my mouth to reply but stopped short when the door swung open suddenly and a windswept Teddy came striding through it.

"Teddy!" I gasped in shock. It took about half a second for Scorpius and I to realise the position we were in, he lifted me swiftly off the counter and I clutched the front of the half-open pyjama top together but it was a little too late. Teddy had already caught a glimpse of our intimate position and he seemed to be frozen on the spot.

"What…um, what are you doing here?" I spluttered desperately trying to salvage the situation. His face was bright red and I hoped it was from embarrassment and not anger. With a jolt I remembered his attack on Scorpius at the burrow after finding out we were dating and a flurry of panic erupted inside of me. This was much worse than him knowing we were simply dating, he wasn't an idiot; he would know that our relationship wasn't as innocent as it once has been. The panic started to multiply and my mind was flooded with irrational fears. Would he hit Scorpius? Would he force me to go home? Would he tell my dad what he'd seen? Would my dad hit Scorpius? Would they try and stop me from seeing him? Oh god.

"I er…I just…I mean I was…" I'd never seen Teddy stumble over his words before, he was always so confident and at ease when he spoke. He was clearly quite shaken. None of us quite knew what to do. I was frozen from the fear of what might happen, Scorpius was standing behind me hiding his half-dressed body from view and keeping safely quiet, and Teddy was clenching and unclenching his hands whilst his eyes darted around the room desperate for something to look at other than us.

"James," he said suddenly, staring at one of my brother's mugs as if it had jogged his memory. "I came to er…to see James."

"Oh." It was all I could think to say. I didn't know whether to be happy that he wasn't yelling or beating up Scorpius or if I should be embarrassed because of what he'd seen.

"Is he…um…here?" he prompted, taking an eager step towards the living room.

"No." I blurted out stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh."

"He didn't come back last night, he was out looking for Al and today he had more training." I'd found my voice at last and managed more than just a one word answer. Teddy's brow furrowed and he seemed to be deliberating what to do next.

"Right well if you could let him know I came by, I'll just wait until he's back." He didn't bother waiting for an answer and strode hastily towards the door.

"Yep, sure, will do." I muttered in a rush, I still couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety that maybe he was going to do something irrational. To my horror he paused before leaving and looked back at us with fury blazing in his eyes.

"You might want to lock the door." He snapped bitterly, and with that he stormed out yanking the door closed behind him with a vicious thud.

For a few seconds neither of us moved, I could feel Scorpius' chest rising and falling rapidly against my shoulders and I knew he'd been just as tense as I had. When Teddy didn't return I slowly let out the breath I'd been holding in and shot Scorpius a shy glance.

"I thought he was going to kill me for a second there." He admitted with a sheepish smile, a hysterical little giggle fell from my lips and I leant against the counter.

"Yeah, that definitely could have gone worse." I agreed with a relived sigh, I realised I was still clutching the opening of the pyjama shirt together and gently relaxed my grip to let my fingers recover.

"Are you ok?" he asked and I could hear the hint of worry in his tone.

"I'm fine," I assured him with the steadiest smile I could muster. "I think I definitely need a run to relax after that." I added hastily, patting the spot above my heart which was now beginning to slow. Scorpius laughed and started to lead me off to the stairs.

"Wait, what am I going to wear? I can't go running in jeans…" I remembered miserably. I definitely needed to get my stuff moved in already; it was rubbish not having access to any clean clothes.

"You can borrow something of mine, it'll only be a bit loose."

Ten minutes later I stepped out of the door in a pair of Scorpius' shorts and grey jumper than hung off one of my shoulders, the sleeves of which completely covered my hands.

"I look ridiculous." I stated casting a dubious look over my attire and trying to hide the fact that I actually loved wearing his clothes. Scorpius stood back from me and frowned as he studied my appearance seriously.

"I think you look sexy." I felt my eyebrows shoot up and I stared at him incredulously.

"Sexy?" I repeated making sure I'd heard right. He nodded and took two large strides towards me closing the gap between us.

"Mmm, too sexy for your own good really." I giggled at his teasing tone as he ducked to press a kiss to my exposed shoulder.

"Come on before I can't control myself." He flashed me a wicked grin and grabbed my hand as we started to jog.

It really had been ages since I'd been for a run and I'd almost forgotten how amazing it felt, that indescribable feeling of jubilation that rang through every muscle and bone thrilling you right through. We ran mostly in silence, occasionally Scorpius nudged with his hip sending me stumbling off course to which I quickly retaliated with a well aimed shove leaving us both laughing and trying to dodge each other's lunges. A few times he caught my wrist and yanked me into his arms so that he could kiss me.

"Ugh Scorpius don't, I'm all sweaty!" I complained trying to wriggle free of his arms, despite my resistance he seemed intent on pinning me in a tight hug. We'd finished our laps and arrived back in the garden.

"So am I, does that mean you don't want to kiss me?" he countered arching his eyebrows questionably.

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed, shocked that he could even think something so scandalous was possible.

"Exactly, so stop arguing." He demanded chuckling lightly, I dodged his lips as he moved to kiss me and tried to wriggle free again.

"This is different; you're allowed to be sweaty. I'm the girl! I need to be all nice and pretty not sticky and smelly!" to my horror he burst out laughing and still refused to release me.

"Oh Lily, you're so cute." His teasing compliment temporarily stunned me and I scowled at him trying to decide if he was just being sarcastic. He took advantage of my distraction and moved in again to kiss me.

"Scorpius stop it, I need to shower!" I scolded furiously. This time I managed to escape his grip and ran towards the house.

"All right, all right I'll stop. Lily come back!" I could hear him shouting as he ran after me, I bounded up the stairs two at a time with him hot on my heels and couldn't help but laugh as I burst through the bathroom door and slammed it shut behind me.

"Oh come on Lily, let me in." he pleaded from the other side as I slid the lock into place.

"Nope." I said simply. I perched on the side of the bath and popped the plug in, I'd originally planned to have a shower but baths were so much more relaxing and my limbs were aching dreadfully as a result of the night's events and our run.

"I promise I won't hug you or anything until you're all cleaned up, just let me in." I bit down on my lip to stop a giggle from falling out and turned on the hot tap.

"Nope." I replied bluntly as I poured a healthy amount of bubble bath under the running water.

"But I miss you…" my resolve crumbled for a moment until I realised that he was just playing tactfully and trying to guilt me into opening the door.

"I'm still not letting you in." I called back hoping to sound more determined than I felt. I heard a thud that sounded like his head hitting the door and then a frustrated sigh.

"Damn, I was so sure that would work." He grumbled, this time I didn't bother to stifle the laugh and he chuckled lightly in reply.

As soon as the bath was full and bubbly I took off my borrowed clothes and slid down into the relaxingly hot water sighing contentedly as it soothed my aching body. Lying back I let my head rest against the tiles and closed my eyes, the lavender scent of the water was making me drowsy but I didn't mind. For a while I lay still just enjoying the slow feeling of recuperation that the bath granted me, but a stirring outside the door grabbed my attention and I sat up.

"Scorpius?" I said it quiet enough so that he would only hear if he was nearby, I was checking to see if the noise had been made by him.

"Mm?" came the muffled reply, I frowned at the closed door and listened as more movement made itself known.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Sitting down." He replied plainly, I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to laugh.

"No, I mean what are you doing out there still?"

"I'm keeping you company." He told me as if it was the most normal thing in the world, my frown was back and I nibbled on my bottom lip as I considered this.

"You don't have to stay out there, I wont be long." I felt guilty leaving him sat out in the hallway.

"I know I don't have to; I want to." He said honestly, I smiled to myself and lay back down in the hot water. The silence did little to stop my thoughts from wandering and I soon found them settled on someone who had dominated them recently but for all the wrong reasons.

"Where do you suppose he is?" I asked abruptly, I heard Scorpius' deep sigh through the wood and knew he'd been asking himself the very same question since he found Al's note.

"I really don't have a clue, I've been going over every conversation I've had with him just trying to remember any time he spoke of wanting to go somewhere or even just mentioned an interest in another place but there's nothing." I'd been doing exactly the same thing since I found out, wracking my brain and combing through my memories relentlessly hoping for the slightest clue as to where he could be but it was all futile.

"Do you think he's alright?" my voice quivered slightly from pent up emotion but I strained to keep it reined in, now wasn't the time for crying.

"Yes, without a doubt." His confidence caught me off guard and I sat back up in the water.

"How can you be so sure?" I urged, perhaps if I knew then I could share his view and maybe ease some of my own worry – and Emma's.

"I know Al; I know how his mind works. He's ran away for a reason, to get away from something and that means he'll be hiding away somewhere away from towns and people in some scabby tent trying to convince himself that it's the best way to solve his problems."

"But it's not!" I exclaimed throwing my hands up in frustration and splashing water everywhere as a result.

"We know that, even he knows that deep down but he's far too stubborn to admit it, because admitting it means he'll have to come back and face whatever it is and that's much harder than hiding away."

"He's taking the easy option." I mumbled, half angry and half upset.

"Yup but that doesn't mean it's the right option. He'll realise it eventually, or so I'm hoping." We slipped back into silence and I made a decision. I climbed out of the bath carefully making sure I didn't slip – which happens often – and made my way over to the door, without saying a word I slid the lock back and then hurried back to the water.

"Lily?" Scorpius' voice was quiet and tentative.

"Yes?"

"Did you unlock the door?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I thought about this for a moment deciding the best thing to reply with and then settled on a request instead.

"Will you come and sit with me?" I was greatly hoping he didn't think I meant sit in the bath with me – that could be rather awkward and also quite uncomfortable because the bath was rather small. He didn't reply straight away but then there was a soft click as the door opened, I hastily scooped up the bubbles to cover my body and drew my knees up to my chest. He walked over cautiously and avoiding looking, no doubt worried that I might catch him staring like he'd done to me – god that was embarrassing. He knelt down beside the bath and met my eyes for the first time, smiling warmly.

"Thank you." I whispered reaching for his hand, he locked our fingers together and gently pressed a kiss to the back of mine.

"So, how's work going?" I realised I hadn't even bothered to ask and felt immediately guilty.

"Pretty well, I wish I had something more interesting to report but it's not a very interesting job." He laughed and shrugged.

"Mm I know what you mean, even Hogwarts isn't interesting anymore. Emma's been feeling it too, we all have. We're ready to leave now."

"There's not long left now though, just a few more months." He reached up and stroked some of my hair back where the water had made it stick to my shoulders.

"But I don't want to go back for a few months, I don't want to go back at all." I grumbled hanging my head miserably.

"Hey," he hooked a finger underneath my chin lifting it back up. "Don't be sad, you'll miss it when it's gone. Trust me, I know."

"Yeah probably." I admitted unwillingly, he smiled and pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

"I'll still be here waiting for you." He whispered reassuringly. I never voiced my fears that Scorpius would find someone else while I was still away, someone better, but he could sense my worries and his heartfelt words helped to ease my panic. I carefully leant over the rim of the bath and kissed him, his free hand came up to cup my face gently but a bang from downstairs interrupted us.

"Scorpius?" a familiar male voice called, my boyfriend looked over his shoulder at the door and frowned.

"James?" he said quietly, obviously confused. He stood up releasing my hand and headed out into the hallway, footsteps on the stairs told me that my brother was running up them.

"What is it, what's happened?" I heard Scorpius saying, James didn't reply straight away, he was out of breath.

"Scor we know where he is." He finally replied, my heart leapt into my throat and I jumped out of the bath, I grabbed a nearby towel and threw it around my dripping body.

"What, how?" Scorpius spluttered.

"Where is he?" I demanded rushing to his side still gripping my towel, James gave me an odd look and then scowled at Scorpius but thankfully the situation deflected any questions about what Scor had been doing in the bathroom while I was clearly in the bath.

"He's in Canada."


	9. A Glimmer of Hope

_Hello! Sorry this chapter is a bit late being posted, work kindly made me do a night shift and then threw me on an early morning one back to back so I'm officially knackered! _

_Anyway enough of that nonsense here's the next instalment in the lives of Lily, Scorpius and Co. This one is a bit of an odd chapter because I decided to brave the subject of contraception. (dramatic gasp!) I couldn't find any official information about whether wizards use different things to muggles so I chose to take a slightly different approach. It is quite a detailed description but I felt like it stayed true to real life that way, any poor girl who's had to venture into a clinic or any boy who's gone with his girlfriend will appreciate how awkward and embarrassing it all is and I wanted you to be able to empathise with poor Lily. _

_Lastly I wanted to say a super big thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, you're all fabulous and I love you all to bits! _

Chapter nine – A Glimmer of Hope

"Canada?" Scorpius repeated looking absolutely befuddled. My oldest brother nodded.

"How do you know?" I asked eagerly.

"He wrote to mum." James told us.

"Wait here, I want to read it." I ordered before rushing back into the bathroom. I threw on my borrowed clothes again not caring that I'd just bathed and they were dirty. The boys were still waiting for me in the hallway, James apparated away and Scorpius took my hand and followed suit.

We arrived in the kitchen where mum and dad were both sat at the table staring at a piece of paper lying in front of them. They looked up when we appeared but greetings were lost as I reached out and snatched up the paper. I read it silently and Scorpius stood behind me doing the same.

_Hi everyone,_

_I know you're all worried sick and probably really angry with me, but I had to just get away so I'm sorry. _

_I'm doing alright, I'm not hurt so you can stop panicking mum and yes I promise I am eating. _

_I've been spending a bit of time in Canada but I'll move on soon, it's so beautiful here but there's so much I want to see. I know you all want to know when I'll be coming back but I honestly don't know, I really am sorry and I hope you'll be able to forgive me._

_Lily, I know you're probably reading this, look after Emma for me – I don't want her to think this was her fault. I miss her. I miss you, all of you._

_I'll write again soon._

_Albus._

"It came this morning." Mum told me with a grim smile, I dropped the page back onto the table and scowled at it.

"Well I'm glad he's enjoying the sights." I muttered bitterly, I knew being angry wasn't going to help things but I couldn't stop it.

"At least we know where he is now; we stand a better chance of finding him." James pointed out trying to soothe my annoyance.

"I thought you were training today." I reminded him.

"I was. My session finished an hour ago."

"Oh, so are you going back to searching?" I had expected my brother to agree straight away but instead he hesitated and glanced over at Scorpius.

"Uh…no not today, Scor and I have something to do in town." He replied vaguely, eyeing Scorpius in an odd way. I glanced up at my boyfriend questioning him with my gaze but he just smiled.

"Yes we do, I wont be long I promise." He bent to brush a quick kiss over my lips and then walked over to James.

"You should get changed first." My brother suggested pointing to Scorpius' slightly sweaty running clothes.

"Oh, right yeah, better stop off at the house."

"You got it." the two headed towards the door and paused to say goodbye.

"You might want to change too sis, I'm not sure the baggy men's clothes look really works for you." I shot my smartass brother a piercing scowl but he just laughed.

"Lily why is your hair wet?" my mum asked.

"Oh I just had a bath." I replied simply, turning my attention back to James who deserved a sarcastic comment for his insult.

"Ah yes, I want a word with you about that." He said threateningly prodding a finger into Scorpius' chest.

"Um excuse me, it's none of your business!" I snapped, walking over to them so I could slap his hand away.

"It is when it happens in my house." James retorted, squaring his shoulders and straightening his back so that he towered over me. I ignored his intimidation attempt and took another step towards him.

"It's Scor's house too and pretty soon I'll be living there anyway."

"That's not…"

"Will you two please stop arguing!" our mother's shout made us both jump and we immediately snapped our mouths closed. Al was still gone and she didn't need her remaining children jumping down each other's throats.

"Sorry mum." We mumbled in unison, I shot dad a scowl because he was smirking and he quickly wiped it off his face.

"Right come on Scor." James flung open the back door and strolled out into the brisk air, Scorpius gave me a soft kiss and hurried out after him leaving me behind feeling rather confused.

"Since when did those two go shopping together?" I asked as I slid into a chair at the table.

"Never mind that, just when did you plan on coming home today?" I felt like there was a spotlight on me as my mother turned her interrogating gaze upon me. She didn't seem mad that I'd stayed out for the night and I guessed dad had told her that he'd given me permission.

"Well we went for a run so I needed to wash up before coming back and then James came bursting in about this letter!" I exclaimed defensively, she just sighed and took the note back to fold it up.

"At least we know he's ok." She said quietly, dad reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. Suddenly I missed Scorpius.

"I'm going to change." I mumbled before drifting up to my room.

After having a quick shower and tugging on a clean pair of clothes I went back downstairs in time to see my parents putting on their coats and shoes.

"Where are you going?" I asked them, though I guessed I probably already knew the answer.

"We're off to look for Al, we won't be gone long."

"Why don't you go and see Emma, Neville said she's been a bit down lately and she'd probably like to know that Al's ok." My mum suggested.

"Brilliant idea mum!" I scolded myself for not thinking of it earlier and rushed to shove my feet into the red pumps my best friend had brought me for my birthday a few years ago.

"Good luck in Canada." I had to grin at how strange that sounded, how often did your parents spent an afternoon wandering around Canada? Stepping into the fireplace I gathered a handful of floo powder and tossed it to my feet.

"Leaky Cauldron." I said clearly and seconds later I was engulfed in green flames.

I stumbled out of the fireplace at my destination coughing and waving away a cloud of soot, the dimly lit pub was buzzing with custom as usual but none of the occupants paid me much attention as I made my way to the bar. The blonde landlady stood behind it noticed me immediately and a bright smile lit up her kind face.

"Lily!" she greeted cheerfully, she hurried around the bar to give me a squeezing hug.

"Hi Mrs Longbottom, how are you?"

"Oh I'm doing just fine, I expect you're here to see Emma?" she expected right.

"Yeah, is she ok?" I asked tentatively, her smile faltered a bit and she sighed.

"She's been a bit quieter than normal but that's to be expected I suppose." I knew Emma's parents would have heard about Al from mine and a mother always knew when their child felt more than friendship for someone, she no doubt knew of Emma's hidden love for my stupid brother.

"She's in her room love, go on up I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you." I smiled at her gratefully and made my way to the stairs.

I could see Emma from the landing, her bedroom door was ajar leaving enough room to show her sat on the floor cross-legged and surrounded by a circle of open books and parchment. Her usually bouncy blonde hair had been tamed back into a French braid and she looked tired, dark circles faintly framed her eyes.

"Hi." I sounded much more nervous than I'd planned but hopefully she wouldn't notice. Her head shot up from whatever she was doing and a bright smile quickly replaced the serious frown she'd previously been wearing.

"Lily! What are you doing here?" she sprang up and grabbed me in an uncommonly tight hug – this was fast becoming a habit of hers.

"I'm here to see you silly." We sat back down onto the floor and I eyed the numerous books lying around us.

"God Emma, are you doing N.E.W.T.s work at home?"

"No!" she exclaimed snatching the back the book I'd picked up. I cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly and she hung her head.

"Ok fine I was!"

"You do realise we have months before the exams right?"

"Only two! I still have a ton of stuff to memorise. I'm starting to think I'll run out of time." She gazed worriedly at the many textbooks she was now stacking up and I rolled my eyes.

"You are scarily like Rose sometimes." I declared, earning myself an unhappy glare.

"Well you're scarily like Albus sometimes!" her comeback was more impressive than I expected and I gasped dramatically, she gave me a playful shove as I pretended to stab myself in the heart. We fell into an uncomfortable silence until Emma gave me a knowing smile.

"You're surprised I mentioned him." It wasn't a question but I felt the need to answer anyway.

"A bit…" I admitted sheepishly, she stared down at the rug beneath us and twiddled idly with one of the tassels.

"It's getting easier to think about him, it hurts less you know?" she glanced over at me and I could see the pain in her brown eyes.

"This helps," she motioned to the stack of textbooks. "It takes my mind off it all, plus I really do need to study for the exams. Just think of it as multitasking." She laughed lightly but it quickly faded into a sad frown. I wanted to do something, anything, to comfort her but I didn't know what would help.

"We know where he is Em, he wrote to mum today." She spun around on the carpet to face me, her eyes wide with fear and another emotion, was it…relief?

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Where is he? Is he hurt?" I threw up my hands as protection as if her questions were material objects flying at me and not merely words.

"Whoa slow down Em, way too many questions at once!" she grabbed my wrists and tugged on them eagerly.

"Is he hurt Lily?" she demanded in a fiercely worried tone.

"No, he's fine. He's in Canada but he said he'll be moving on soon to somewhere else." Slowly her grip loosened on my arms and her shoulder slumped miserably.

"At least he's ok…" she whispered with a far off gaze. I sighed and gently rested my hand over hers; she flinched from the contact as it broke her thoughts but smiled at me gratefully.

"We're going to get him back, they're looking for him every day." I told her, hoping in vain that it might ease her worry if only a little.

"He'll come back when he's ready." She said simply, shrugging in a way that was too casual for me to believe.

"That doesn't sound like you." I declared, folding my arms across my chest and eyeing her suspiciously.

"I know. I realised something as soon as I got home, I guess you could say it changed my perspective."

"What was it?" I asked curiously, she sighed and hugged her knees to her chest so that she could rest her chin on them.

"Heaven knows how long I've liked your brother and for a while I've even loved him, for too long really," she paused to swallow and I waited patiently. "But then I was lying in bed upset again because he'd left and wishing so much that he would just come back, back to me, then I heard myself and I heard how stupid I sounded."

"That's not stupid." I told her bluntly but she just laughed.

"Yes it is Lily, do you want to know why?" she didn't wait for an answer and had already started talking again before I nodded. "Because he doesn't love me back, now I know you're going to insist that he does but he's never said it, not even to you."

"That's because he's Albus! He only ever talks about his feelings if he's held at wandpoint!" I exclaimed trying to defend my absent brother.

"The point is I can't sit around hoping that he'll come back to me because he was never with me to begin with, a kiss doesn't initiate a relationship Lily, on paper we were just as we'd always been."

"I wish you wouldn't say that." I said miserably, why couldn't she see what a huge statement it was for my brother to have kissed her? Surely she had to have noticed that he never paid girls any attention, sure a few had caught his eye and he'd had a couple of girlfriends when he was younger but all that had stopped years ago. If only she knew him like I did, maybe then she'd realise just how much that little kiss screamed that he cared for her.

"Al can come home whenever he wants, it's his choice. I don't want to sit around pining for him if he doesn't want me, and clearly he doesn't." I opened my mouth to argue but the look she shot me silenced me before the words had formed. After a long drawn out silence I finally decided on what I wanted to say.

"If you want to tell yourself that you're not going to be pining for him every second then that's fine but you won't get me to believe the lie. I know you miss him, I can see it in your eyes and I know that no matter what you say you'll still wait for him." For a moment I thought she was going to slap me, she looked utterly wounded by what I'd said and I worried that maybe I'd gone a step too far, but then her eyes welled with tears and she threw herself at me sobbing into my shoulder like a helpless child. It broke my heart.

"Why can't I stop caring Lily? Why can't he just love me too?" she cried miserably, her frail hands clutched at my cardigan and hugged her as tight as I could.

"I don't know. I don't understand him." It was a pathetic reply but I was lost for anything better to say.

"You know what the worst part is?" her sobs subsided for a moment and she stilled to take a slow and steady breath.  
"What?" I asked, hardly daring to hear the answer.

"He's shattered my heart and yet I still love him with all the broken pieces." Suddenly her body was shaking again and she cried relentlessly into my shoulder leaving me feel more helpless than I ever thought possible.

"That's it." she stopped crying as suddenly as she'd started and pulled back from my sisterly embrace to furiously swipe away any remaining tears.

"Emma?" her eyes blazed with a determination I'd never seen there before and she straightened up defiantly.

"That is the last time I will cry over Albus Potter." She declared with firm conviction. I was stunned, speechless.

"Right, let's do something, it's time I stopped moping." I stared at her still dumbfounded and she sighed impatiently.

"Hello, earth to Lily!" she sang waving a hand in front of my widened eyes and I forced myself to snap out of it.

"Yeah, sorry, daydreaming…uh what do you want to do?" I tried my best to sound normal but I was still reeling from her rapid mood change.

"Why don't we plan for your birthday?" the suggestion had me scowling at her in a mix of confusion and concern. What on earth was she babbling about? Why would we plan for my birthday when it wasn't for another…? Wait a minute today was…oh.

"It's my birthday tomorrow!" I exclaimed suddenly, she looked at me like I'd lost my mind and then nodded in an exaggeratedly slow movement.

"Yes Lily, the same date as it's been for the last seventeen years." I ignored her sarcastic comment and stared at her, my eyes widened even more if that were possible and she started to look scared.

"God I'm eighteen…" I breathed hardly believing the words to be true, relief washed over her face that I wasn't slipping into insanity and she flashed me a grin.

"Yep, you're all old and stuff." She teased prodding me playfully, I didn't want to laugh but her pokes were tickling me and I couldn't stop myself.

"Stop it!" I complained swatting her hand away and shoving her when she kept giggling.

"I can't believe I forgot my own birthday!" I slapped my hand to my forehead and she patted the top of my head in a pitying manner.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Um…" I didn't get a chance to suggest anything because she cut me off.

"Oh! We could have a party!" the excitement erupted inside of her and she clapped her hands together grinning wildly.

"Ugh I don't know Em. A party might be a bit too crazy…"

"Oh come on, it's your eighteenth! It's an important birthday, a milestone, we have to do something!" I couldn't bring myself to admit that a party wouldn't feel right without Al, I didn't want to drag down her good mood or be the cause of another outburst.

"Ok, ok how about we just all spend a night together at the cottage? Things have been so stressful lately that I just want a nice quiet night with all of us together, it seems like we're never all together anymore…" I trailed off sadly and she gave me a gentle smile.

"That sounds perfect." I could tell by the shadow in her eyes that she too was choosing not to admit that we still wouldn't all be together, one person would be missing.

"Come on then, let's get planning, we're going to need a theme to spice it up a bit." I winked at her wickedly and a huge smile lit up her tired face.

"Brilliant idea, I'll get some parchment so we can write some ideas down!" I laughed at her as she scrambled to her feet and hurried over to her desk drawer, she might be a bit odd sometimes but I wouldn't have her any other way.

* * *

When I flooed home from Emma's I was relieved to find the house still empty and quickly hurried out towards town. Ever since Scorpius and I had slept together I couldn't shake the nagging worry at the back of my mind that kept reminding me of how we didn't use any sort of protection against pregnancy. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry I speedily made my way into the muggle town near our house and sought out a clinic I'd caught a glimpse of one time when Emma and I had come shopping. I didn't want anyone – especially my mum and dad – knowing about any of this and so I decided that a muggle doctor would be safer than a healer who might know me.

The clinic was a large building with tinted windows to stop people seeing in and a small sign on the door told passers by that it offered free contraceptive advice and products to those who needed it.

Taking a deep breath I swallowed my nerves and pushed open the door. Inside was deathly quiet except for a few people whispered in hushed tones in the waiting area, I cautiously approached the desk and the lady behind met me with a bright smile.

"Hello dear, what can I do for you?" her overly cheerful tone made me wince slightly and I took another deep breath.

"I saw the sign on the door and I was wondering if I could possibly get some advice on some um…products." I cringed at how awful that sentence sounded but I suspected the receptionist was more than used to it.

"Of course you can love, now I'm going to need you to fill out this little form here and then we'll arrange for one of our doctors to meet with you, ok?" she handed me a little clipboard holding a pen and a sheet of questions.

"Ok. Um…will I get to speak to someone today?"

"Oh yes, the sooner we get the form the sooner you can go through." She tapped the clipboard in my hands encouragingly and I retreated to the waiting chairs to fill it in. I didn't have to look up to know that the area's other occupants were staring at me. I chanced a quick glance around pretending to be looking at the many posters adorning the walls.

There were four people in total, five if you counted me, all of whom looked incredibly nervous. Opposite me sat a young girl, she looked barely fourteen and was chewing violently on her bottom lip, I couldn't help but think how tragic it was that someone so young was in a place like this. The next girl looked noticeably older, she was sitting with a boy of a similar age and they were holding hands. Lastly there was a third person waiting, another girl who I guessed to be older than the first, she looked utterly distraught and her mascara stained cheeks told me she'd been crying. The clinic was already starting to depress me.

I hastily filled out the form pinned to the clipboard and handed it back to the cheerful receptionist. The questions were just basic inquiries about my name, age and address. I returned to my seat and resumed my reading of the posters, after making my way through one about the stages of pregnancy I shuddered and decided I'd rather just look at the floor.

"Miss Potter?" I glanced up and the lady waved me over.

"Dr Mason will see you now." she told me, I cast a quick glance around searching for some sort of door or corridor that told me where Dr Mason was but found nothing.

"Um where do I go?" I asked stupidly.

"Oh it's just round here and down the hall, you'll see the nameplate." I turned the corner where she indicated and made my way down the corridor glancing at each door as I went. Finally I reached one signed as Dr Mason and knocked lightly on the wood.

"Come in." I did as he said and sank into the chair that he indicated with his pen. For several minutes he didn't say anything, I watched as he hastily wrote some details down in a book and then finally peered up at me over the rim of his glasses.

"So," he said bluntly reclining back against the stiff leather of his chair. "What can I do for you Miss…Potter?" he had to check my name on the screen and I couldn't help but think it would have been polite to do that prior to me arriving.

"Um well…my boyfriend and I have um…we…" I stumbled over my words flushing with embarrassment and he arched an eyebrow.

"You had sex?" he offered, I winced a little at his casual tone but nodded.

"But we didn't use anything and now I'm a bit worried." I sensed that I needn't have bothered telling him that part. He was already nodding and typing away on his keyboard.

"How long ago did you have sex Miss Potter?" I winced again but forced myself to ignore my embarrassment to answer his question.

"Um…well it was last night." He was nodding again, tapping this information into his computer.

"I can give you an emergency contraceptive pill and since you are taking it within twenty-four hours of having sex it will be around ninety-five percent effective in preventing a pregnancy." I listened intently and decided that ninety-five percent was better than zero percent which is what I was at currently.

"Ok." I agreed, he nodded and started typing more things.

"I need to ask you a few questions first."

"Ok." More questions, what was it with this place and asking questions? He ran over several personal questions about allergies and family illnesses and then several more inquiring about my alcohol consumption and whether or not I smoked. Seemingly satisfied with my responses he unlocked a drawer and extracted a small square of foil; passing it to me he quickly poured some water into a plastic cup and set it down on the table.

"Do I take it now?" I asked dumbly, ever since I gotten to this clinic all I seemed to have done was feel stupid.

"Yes, you have to take it in here. We cannot risk you leaving to give it to someone else." It seemed like a very odd thing to try and do but I just shrugged and scooped up the little pill, pushing it out of the foil covering I popped the little thing into my mouth and took a gulp of water.

"Thank you." I told him gratefully. All those times I'd heard of and criticized girls for foolishly having sex without using protection and ending up pregnant because they'd 'forgot' and yet here I was having done the exact same thing. I hated to admit it but they really were right, in the fray of it all your mind simply forgot about that part.

"Now would you like me to provide you with some contraception for future situations?" his offer caught me off guard and I stopped to consider it. I'd been so blind sighted by my panic over last night that I'd completely forgotten to consider the future.

"Oh, well yes please." He nodded and extracted several leaflets from his desk, he spent a few minutes briefly explaining each method and I tried hard not to blush.

"Are you looking for a temporary method or a more long term one?" he asked when I couldn't decide.

"Um…a long term one I think." It seemed like the wisest choice to me, he nodded and selected two of the leaflets from the pile.

"Then I would advise either of these, they are the two most common choices and also the two most effective for long term use." I glanced down at the pages and considered my choices: the first was a pill to be taken every morning for three weeks and then I would have seven days without it to allow for a period, and the second option looked much more intimidating, it was an implant that would be put under my skin for three years.

"I appreciate that the implant looks a bit scarier but it is by far the most convenient and possibly the most reliable as many girls tend to forget to take the pill some days." I guessed he'd seen the horrified look on my face as I eyed the pictures related to the implant but his words did little to soothe my fear. I had to admit that he was right though, I wasn't known for my reliable memory and plus it was less likely that anyone would find out about that. I was just going to have to suck it up and deal with it.

"I'd like to go with the implant please." He looked satisfied with my choice and I fleetingly wondered how many girls he'd had to give emergency contraception to because they'd forgotten one of their pills. It was easy to become bias to something when you were faced with a situation like that.

"Excellent, I can fit it here for you now unless you'd rather come back another time?" I blanched and my throat seized up. He was going to do it now, right this second, in this very room. Oh my god. I had to force myself to remember to breathe and then realised he was waiting for an answer.

"Today." I said the word without wanting to and he sprang into action. I watched in horror as he moved over to a small worktop near a raised bed and started arranging things on a tray. My eyes caught a glimpse of a needle and I paled even more.

"I'm going to need to take your blood pressure first. Roll up your sleeve please." My hands did as he asked while the rest of my body stayed frozen. God how I wished Scorpius was here with me now, no matter how embarrassing it might be. Dr Mason slipped a strange black strip of material around my arm and fastened the Velcro edges, he pushed a button on a machine connected to it and the material started inflating against my skin. I stiffened as it got tighter and tighter until everything below my elbow was numb; I had to grit my teeth to stop myself from ripping it off. I started to feel light-headed and sick, the machine beeped and he whipped the horrid thing off me relieving me of the uncomfortable feeling it caused.

"That's fine, right if you could just lie back on the bed." I did as he asked averting my eyes from the scary tray of items he was now choosing from.

"Will it hurt?" I felt like I was five years old again asking my mum if having my hair cut would hurt, I used to be so naïve. The doctor shook his head and produced a needle quickly draining my body of any warmth.

"No, I'm going to inject some local anaesthesia into your arm to numb the area and then I'll insert the little implant under your skin ok?" I barely heard his words over the pounding of blood in my ears, my voice failed me and I was forced to nod my reply unable to take my eyes off the needle in his hands. He moved to inject my upper arm and I squeezed my eyes shut, the sharp prick of the needle piercing my skin made me jump and I whimpered weakly, to my horror Dr Mason chuckled.

"Don't worry, we get a lot of people who are afraid of needles." He told me with a sympathetic smile. I kept my eyes trained firmly on the white wall as he did the rest, after confirming that I could feel nothing in my arm I felt an odd tugging sensation that brought on a fresh wave of nausea and then something wrapped tightly around my arm.

"Ok all done. You'll need to keep this bandage on for a few hours and try not to bump your arm on anything while the anaesthetic wears off."

"Ok." I managed to mumble, I didn't need a mirror to know I was pale and quite shaken up.

"It'll be a bit sore for a few days and may bruise but overall it should heal quickly."

"Ok, thanks." I struggled to slide down off the bed and when I swayed dizzily Dr Mason placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"In three years time you will need a replacement but should you wish to have it removed prior to then just pop in and we'll sort that out for you."

"Got it, no problem." Feeling steadier I tugged my sleeve back down over the little bandage.

"Right, well, thanks." I said rather awkwardly, he smiled and nodded before returning to his leather chair. I didn't bother to say goodbye, he was already back to scribbling on his paperwork and so I hurried out of the clinic as fast as I could and decided to head back to the cottage. I sincerely hoped I never had to go through anything like that again.


	10. Brotherly Love

_Hi everyone! How are you all doing? Good I hope. I'm peachy at the moment, despite the fact that I haven't had a day off work in twelve days even though I'm supposed to have one every four or five days – bloody charming! Roll on Thursday, that's all I can say!_

_Had my first day in the kitchens today, it was hilarious to say the least. I had no idea what any of the ovens/equipment did or how to use them, no idea where the food was stored (there's about eight different fridges) and not a flipping clue how to cook any of it. On the bright side my chef's uniform looks amazing! (Except for the hat but we'll pretend that isn't there – if you can't see it doesn't exist right? :P) Anyway I shall shut up; nobody needs to know this boring rubbish._

_Next chapter, a bit of a filler to show some more of the relationships – mainly James/Scorpius, Lily/James and a bit of Lily/Harry again (I do love those father-daughter moments) and I promise Albus will be back soon, I just have a couple of things I want to get out the way first._

_Lastly, thank you so very much (as always) for your wonderful and supportive reviews, you rock! Right off to bed, I have to be at work at 6am, fun!_

Chapter ten – Brotherly Love

I walked back to the cottage in a bit of a daze and didn't even realise that other people were in until I heard voices from behind the door. Unable to resist the opportunity for a bit of eavesdropping I scooted up to the open door and listened intently through the little crack.

"Blimey that was stressful." The voice belonged to James, he sighed heavily and I peered in to see him collapse into a chair at the dining table.

"Yeah no kidding…" Scorpius was with him, it looked like they were back from doing whatever it was they went to town to do. It was quiet for a while and I started to think that neither would speak again but my boyfriend's smooth voice broke the silence.

"Hey, um…thanks, for coming with me, I know you probably didn't want to." I frowned and scooted closer to the gap in the door, what was he talking about?

"Listen mate, I know we haven't exactly been close friends or whatever and I'll admit I acted way out of line when you and Lily first got together…"

"Hardly, I would probably have done the same thing in your shoes." I saw my oldest brother raise a sceptical eyebrow and Scorpius laughed.

"Ok, ok maybe not exactly the same, but I would have been just as…protective." He corrected, James sighed and ran a hand through his messy red hair.

"I shouldn't have hit you Scor, end of discussion."  
"Forget it. I have." The older boy gave him a grateful smile and then shrugged.

"The point is things are different now, I'm different now. I was an arrogant prat back then and I didn't want to accept that a Malfoy could be good enough for my little sister…but I was wrong." There was a rather tense silence where my brother's compliment hung in the air until he finally spoke again.

"This doesn't mean I wont break every bone in your body if you hurt her though." He flashed Scorpius a wicked grin and the pair laughed.

"You'd have to get in line, I'm pretty sure Teddy would be at the front." The comment brought back the memory of that day at the Burrow and I cringed, the sickening crack of my fist colliding with Teddy's nose reverberated through my head.

"Seriously though, cheers for asking me to come today." My brother's sincere thanks fuelled my eagerness to know what they were talking about and I inched closer to the door gripping the handle for support.

"Nah I'm the one who's grateful."

"It's a shame Al couldn't be here too." James mused, he gazed sadly at the table and Scorpius nodded.

"I know, I've tried to wait for him but it's been too long already, I can't keep putting it off."

"I understand. It's his own fault he's missing out."

"That doesn't make me feel any less guilty though." James gave him what I guessed was supposed to be a comforting slap on the back and rose to his feet.

"So do you know when you're gonna…you know…" he asked curiously as he wiped out a mug with the sponge from the sink.

"Well I was thinking about…" I would never get to hear when Scorpius was going to do whatever it was he was planning because my eager grip on the handle slipped and I stumbled clumsily into the kitchen effectively ending their conversation. Straightening up I met their confused stares and blushed.

"Sorry, apparently it's possible to trip over your own feet." I said jokingly trying to make my laugh sound authentic.

"Now, now Lily, you wouldn't happen to have been eavesdropping would you?" James teased wagging an accusing finger in my direction. I tried my best to plaster an overly false look of horror onto my face and my brother rolled his eyes.

"Me, eavesdrop? Never! I'm a little angel." I drew a halo above my head with my finger and he snorted. I dodged the sponge that he threw in my direction.

"Yes well you just watch that halo of yours doesn't slip and choke you my darling sister."

"Oh ha, ha." I retorted sarcastically, he pulled a face and then turned his back to me to make himself a drink. I glanced over at Scorpius for the first time since entering and hoped he wouldn't detect any guilt in my eyes.

"Did you two have fun in town?" I asked casually as I slid into the chair beside him.

"You could say that." He replied as my brother laughed at his choice of words, I scowled at them both suspiciously but neither showed any signs of explaining.

"You're up to something." I accused pointing at them both in turn, James grinned at me in a way that I knew all to well and it confirmed my suspicions.

"Don't worry your pretty little head Lils." He teased reaching over to ruffle my hair, I shoved him off growling angrily and scrambled to try and pat it back down. Scorpius noticed my failed attempts and pulled me out of my chair and onto his lap; he gently ran his fingers through my long locks and stroked them back down for me.

"We were just buying you a present." He told me attempting to soothe my annoyance.

"What kind of present?" I pried, Scorpius opened his mouth to reply but James beat him to it.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday sis?" he joked. I felt myself blush faintly and hoped neither of them would notice. If only he knew how truthful that sentence was. At least my frantic curiosity about what they'd been doing in town had been curbed.

"So what's this present then?" I asked cheekily, snuggling closer to Scorpius' chest. He grinned at me but started shaking his head.

"There's not a chance I'm telling you." He declared looking rather satisfied. I glared at James until he stopped laughing and then turned my gaze back to my handsome boyfriend.

"Aw please? Just give me a tiny clue." I begged but he just shook his head again.

"Nope." He said flatly, I growled angrily and slid off his lap. He reached to pull me back but I was already stalking moodily from the room.

"You'd better go after her man, she's evil if she's left to stew." I heard James warning. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh and hurried up to Scorpius' – no – _our_ bedroom. Of course I wasn't actually angry with him, I loved surprises but I just liked teasing him sometimes.

"Lily?" he said tentatively closing the bedroom door behind him. I kept my gaze firmly on the garden outside the window and tried my best not to smile.

"Please don't be mad at me." his desperate tone tugged at my heart and I almost gave in. His hand came up to brush my hair over one shoulder and he bent to press his lips onto my neck.

"I missed you." He whispered against my skin. That did it, my willpower shattered and I whirled to face him. In the space of a few seconds I'd flung my arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. I felt him smile and clutch me tightly against his body.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked grinning down at me triumphantly.

"What do you think?" I retorted cutting off any reply he might have had with my lips. I placed my hands firmly on his chest and pushed him back until he fell onto the bed where I climbed on top of him and resumed my hungry kissing.

It didn't take long for him to want to be in control and in one swift movement I found myself rolled onto my back and Scorpius lying atop me. I wasn't about to complain of course, an overwhelming thrill rang through me and I moaned softly.

"God I love it when you do that." Scorpius murmured against my lips causing me to blush crimson but his lips were too busy making their way down my throat for him to notice. I was just starting to give in to his persuasive lips when his hand touched my arm where the implant had been inserted, the anaesthetic was wearing off now and I gasped from the sharp stab of pain.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Scorpius asked, he pulled away from me quickly and I could see the worry darkening his eyes.

"No, I just have a bit of a bruise on my arm. I must have bumped it or something." I felt immediately guilty for the lie and hoped he wouldn't see through it. Luckily his panic over my wellbeing distracted him from my poor lying skills.

"Where does it hurt? Let me see." He started to push up my sleeve but I hastily tugged my arm from his grip.

"Don't worry about it, it's just a little bruise, it'll heal in a day or two." I assured him in an attempt to deter his want to see it. I couldn't risk him catching a glimpse of the bandage I still wore because it would provoke a ton of worry and numerous unwanted questions. I was going to tell him about the implant eventually but I needed the right time and the right words first. I just didn't know how to approach the subject at the moment, I just needed a while to think about it some more.

"Lily…" he said slowly, giving me a look that told me how worried he was and added to my already fast building guilt.

"I'm fine, I promise." I laid my hand against his cheek and he smiled reluctantly.

"Ok, but if it doesn't heal soon you're letting me take a look." He told me firmly and I couldn't help but smile at his concern.

"Deal." I agreed as he brought our lips back together. I could only hope that it did heal quickly and I wouldn't have to explain. There was a quick knock on the door before it flung open less than a second later.

"Hey have you seen…Oh bloody hell!" James hastily turned his back to us as Scorpius extracted his hand from underneath my top where it had sneakily crept up to rest on the smooth skin of my stomach. We both leapt up off the bed blushing as deeply as each other and I straightened out my t-shirt.

"Ok you can turn around now." I told him but James stayed riveted firmly to the spot.

"There should be some kind of defence mechanism in the brain, that immediately makes you blind if you ever walk in on your mate groping your little sister, because trust me, that was scarring." I rolled my eyes at his overdramatic comment and noticed the guilty expression on Scorpius' face.

"Get a grip James he wasn't groping me." finally my brother turned around to give me a very disbelieving look.

"Come off it Lils I'm twenty-one, I know what groping looks like, his hand was up your bloody top!" he exclaimed waving his arms wildly and I scowled at him furiously.

"I don't want to know what you do on your dates James, thank you very much." I retorted haughtily and his face quickly transformed into a wide-eyed look of shock.

"I didn't say I grope women on my dates I was just saying I'm not stupid, or blind!" I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest.

"Did you want something? Because if not can you get out, in case you hadn't noticed we were a bit busy before you came bursting in!"

"Well I wanted to know…wait a minute, what do you mean by busy? It had better not be what I think it is Lily Potter!" his authoritative tone simply flared up my temper and I marched over to him.

"And what if it is?" I shot back angrily thrusting my hands onto my hips and fixing him with a determined gaze. Shock flitted across his face momentarily before being replaced with a smug grin.

"You don't want mum and dad finding out what you two are up to do you?" he countered with a satisfied wiggle of his eyebrows.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would Lilykins." Ok now I wasn't just mad, I was livid. If he wanted to play dirty then I was just going to have do the same.

"Fine go ahead and tell them, but the second you do I might just tell mum that the red top you got her three Christmases ago, that she loves so much, was actually something your ex-girlfriend left behind after a date." He gasped and I had the satisfaction of watching the horror sweep across his features.

"What about the time you wanted a pair of high heels and she wouldn't buy you any so you borrowed her black boots and snapped off the heel?" now it was my turn to gasp but his threat just fuelled my determination.

"Oh I remember dad was saving a bottle of cured mead for their anniversary but it mysteriously disappeared."

"How do you know about that?" he demanded and I laughed.

"I found you and Teddy passed out in the garden with the bottle lying next to you."

"Bugger, I knew that bush wasn't big enough to hide us." We both heard Scorpius laughing and looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh hey, don't drag me into this!" he said holding his hands up defensively, James and I both rolled our eyes and turned our gaze back on each other.

"Play all the cards you want sis, none of them will rival finding out that their only daughter isn't a virgin anymore." He looked a little surprised when his comment didn't ruffle me and slowly a huge grin crept onto my face striking fear in his eyes.

"Oh really, are you sure about that James? Because I'm certain that finding out their oldest son lost his virginity at fifteen to a woman twice his age would rival that." He staggered back a few steps and I started to worry that his eyes might actually pop out of their sockets.

"How do you know about Mandy?" he snapped and I couldn't help but laugh.

"She was thirty James, what were you thinking?"

"Hey! She was a very young looking thirty and she was very attractive." I snorted and planted my hands back on my hips.

"You mean she had a huge chest and pretty sizable hips." My brother flushed crimson and started stuttering provoking another giggle off me and even a chuckle of Scorpius.

"She's got you there man." He said to James sympathetically.

"I am furious beyond words right now," he told us with a defiant nod of his head. "But I'm also proud to call you my sister." He broke into a massive grin and scooped me up into a bear hug ruffling my hair manically.

"Ah! Get off!" I shoved him away from me and tried to pat down my frizzy hair, when he proceeded to keep laughing at me I pushed him out into the hall and shot a well aimed kick at one of his shins so he buckled over clutching at his injured leg. Taking advantage of his position I quickly slammed the door shut hitting him on the forehead and receiving a string of angry insults in reply through the wood.

"Do you think he'll actually tell them?" Scorpius whispered after a long silence, I bit my lip nervously but shook my head.

"No, or at least I hope not." His face crumpled with misery and he dropped down onto the bed.

"I wish everything didn't have to be so…difficult for us." He mumbled sadly and I moved to sit beside him.

"I know, it must be hard for you…always being scared of what my family will do or say to you." His head snapped up and he looked at me seriously.

"I don't care about what they do to me Lily, I just…I hate feeling like I make your life harder because of who I am." His words tugged on my heart and I reached out for his hand.

"You don't, nobody even cares that you're a Malfoy anymore – well maybe Teddy does but he's trying. It's just because you're my boyfriend, they're a bit…overprotective that's all."

"I fully expected James to try and strangle me just then, he was strangely calm about…you know, us doing…that…" his cheeks turned pink and had it not been such a tense moment I would have giggled.

"James is just…prone to overreacting, underneath all that he's really a good guy. He's more…understanding than he seems, trust me." I winked at him and was glad to see the traces of a smile appear on his face.

"I do."

"Good! Um…do you mind if I just go and talk to him for a minute, I feel like I should apologise…" I trailed off glancing sadly at the door and he gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"You don't have to ask." He replied, laughing lightly and giving me a shove so that I slipped off the bed.

"Ok, ok I'm going!" I could still hear him chuckling as I rushed down the stairs.

I found James in the living room using a knife to dig the mud out of the soles of his boots, he looked up when I entered and I gave him a shy smile.

"I know that look, it means there's a serious conversation incoming."

"You could be psychic you know." I commented as I moved to sit opposite him on a rather worn yet comfy armchair, he set aside the items he was holding and wiped his muddy hands on his equally muddy jeans.

"Alright, hit me with it." he rested his elbows on his knees and waited patiently.

"Um, well…it's just…" I sighed in frustration and raked back my hair, he eyed me curiously for a few seconds before smiling.

"I'm not really going to tell mum and dad Lils, I was just winding you up." My surprised eyes met his and he gave me a look that said '_duh._'

"You're not mad?" I questioned, deciding that his mood was safe enough for me to be a bit nosy. He thought about this seriously for a while, rubbing his forehead and frowning so deeply that I could almost feel his headache.

"He didn't…force you did he?" he asked finally breaking his reverie and I felt my expression morph into shock.

"No! God no!" I exclaimed, a bit more eagerly than necessary but I wanted to banish any such thoughts from his mind permanently.

"Oh ok, well, good…" he answered hastily.

"If anything I talked him into it…" I continued, unaware of what I was actually saying.

"Ok Lils I don't need the details."

"Not that he didn't want to. I mean I didn't force him, it was a mutual decision…"

"LILY! Stop talking!" his shout jolted me back to my senses and I quickly snapped my mouth shut.

"Sorry." I mumbled blushing furiously.

"I'm not mad," he said slowly, fixing me with a serious gaze. "You're old enough to…you know, um…do this stuff." He cleared his throat and looked uncomfortably at the floor. This conversation was much more uncomfortable than I'd anticipated.

"Right." I said simply, nodding and not daring to raise my eyes from my feet.

"That doesn't mean I'm happy about it, you're my little sister…it's just wrong."

"Hey! That's not very fair!" I complained trying to mask the genuine hurt his comment had caused.

"Ok that wasn't the best choice of words." He mumbled followed by a frustrated sigh.

"I know what you meant." I assured him.

"You're not a kid anymore Lils so I need to stop treating you like one, we all do. Besides, I know Scor will look after you so I guess I'm glad all of this happened with him and not some idiot." He shrugged trying to appear nonchalant and I hung my head to hide my smile. Being affectionate wasn't something James handled well and I wasn't going to make it harder for him by getting all emotional and soppy. So I ignored the little part of me that wanted to hug him and tried to throw on a neutral expression.

"I'll er…let you get back to cleaning your boots." I rose from the chair and he gave me a brief nod.

"Hey Lily…" his voice stopped me as my hand touched the doorknob. I turned back around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"When you were in the bath…you two weren't…um…" his cheeks turned beetroot red and I shook my head violently.

"No!"

"Oh."

"I asked him to sit with me – on the floor!" I added the last part hastily after seeing his horrified expression and it quickly warded off his panic.

"Phew, ok." He broke into a relieved grin and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm gonna…" I pointed to the stairs to indicate that I was leaving and he nodded.

"Yeah, um…sorry, it's none of my business really."

"Don't worry about it…oh and um…thanks, for not saying anything to mum and dad."

"Ditto…about Mandy I mean." He gave me a sheepish smile and I turned and hurried back upstairs.

Scorpius was waiting for me where I'd left him sitting on the bed, he opened his arms to me and I let him scoop me onto his lap. For a moment neither of us spoke, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and buried my face in the crook of his neck breathing in his homely smell.

"Well I didn't hear any yelling so I'm guessing it went well." He said finally, breaking the silence.

"I told you, he's more understanding than you think." I grinned up at him triumphantly and he finally allowed himself to smile back leaving all traces of worry behind.

"Are you staying here tonight?" he didn't bother hiding the hope in his voice and I sighed glumly.

"No, I think I'd better go back home. My mum, she already has to deal with one son moving out and another one missing, I can't leave her too." Thankfully he didn't look hurt or rejected, he smiled kindly and hugged me a bit tighter.

"I understand."

"So, I'm eighteen tomorrow…" I mused. He broke into another wide grin.

"Oh so you haven't forgot." He said laughing lightly. I felt an involuntary blush creep up on my cheeks and hung my head shamefully.

"Actually I did, Emma reminded me earlier." I could tell he was trying not to laugh at me to spare my feelings but a rogue chuckle slipped out and I groaned.

"Don't laugh! A lot has happened lately, I haven't been paying attention to the date." I cried in a desperate attempt to defend myself. He gave me a sympathetic look and squeezed me tighter to his chest.

"Have you got anything planned? It's not too late for a party you know." I groaned and let my head drop onto his shoulder.

"Why does everyone keep telling me to have a party, I don't even like parties that much!" he seemed rather shocked by my outburst and I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you, I'm just…I dunno, frustrated I guess." I mumbled, my voice somewhat muffled by the position of my head. I felt him gently stroke my hair in an attempt to calm me down.

"I know parties aren't your thing Lily, I just don't want you to miss out on having fun on your birthday because of everything that's been happening lately." I sat up straight again so that I could look him in the eye and sighed.

"I don't want a party or anything big like that, I want us all to spend a day together again like we used to before school split us up and Al went missing." He listened to my little request and then smiled warmly placing a hand tenderly against my cheek.

"Then we'll do that, I'll round everyone up."

"No you won't have to, Emma's already on it." his expression dropped and he looked a bit disappointed.

"Oh, ok."

"Sorry love, she's been really depressed lately because of…well you know and she got so excited about planning it all that I just couldn't say no." his smile returned and I felt relief wash over me.

"No you're right, she needs something to take her mind off recent happenings." I was nodding my agreement when a huge yawn took over and Scorpius chuckled softly.

"Come on sleeping beauty, it's time you got some rest." He stood up setting me back on my feet and apparated from the room before I could argue. We appeared seconds later in my parent's front garden and I gazed up at my childhood home sadly.

"It feels so empty these days." I mumbled, not really meaning to say it aloud.

"I can imagine." I turned to him and our gazes locked. A brief memory flashed through my mind of the day when I first met him, here at this very house. I owed so much to that day and to him.

"Thanks, for bringing me home." I told him gratefully. He gave me that dazzling smile that was reserved only for me and bent to brush a sweet kiss across my lips leaving me wishing with every inch of my body that he was coming inside too.

"I'll see you tomorrow birthday girl." There was that smile again, making my knees quiver and my heart pound. Somehow I managed a steady smile of my own and trudged off into the house.

It was dark inside and there didn't appear to be anyone in, I shrugged and stomped sleepily up the stairs trying to ignore the spooky sensation my echoing footsteps caused. My bedroom door was already open and the room looked like it'd been attacked by a fresh wave of mum's cleaning, rolling my eyes I plopped down on the mattress trying to decide if I had enough energy to get undressed.

"You didn't have to come home Lils." My dad's deep voice literally almost scared me to death and I leapt off the bed.

"Bloody hell dad!" I exclaimed not bothering to keep the anger from my voice. I watched him struggle against a smile and eventually succeed – luckily for him or else I might've thrown something at him.

"Sorry, I should've knocked."

"You think?" I retorted irritably returning to my sitting position.

"I don't mind you staying at the cottage you know." I studied his emerald eyes for a few seconds searching for traces that he was lying but all I found was sadness and sincerity, two emotions not often seen together.

"Thanks but I wanted to come home, you know mum hates an empty house." He smiled grimly and walked across the room to sit beside me.

"Yes she does, but she'll have to get used to it soon. You'll be gone in a few months too don't forget." I knew he was right but I couldn't bring myself to think about it. Somehow I felt guilty for leaving home, like it was all my fault she wouldn't have any children left in the house, I felt like it was my responsibility to stay when my brothers had left.

"It sucks to be the youngest. I feel so…guilty, like I'm deserting her." I hung my head miserably and felt him drape a heavy arm around my shoulders.

"You can't think like that Lily, you're not a child anymore it's time you found your own way and lived your own life."

"I know but mum…"

"Your mum will be fine, it'll take some getting used to but she'll still have me so she won't be completely alone."

"I wish it was as easy to do it as it is to think it." I mumbled. Beside me my dad let out a long sigh and withdrew his arm.

"Yes well nothing ever is, trust me there's been far too many times when I've wished for similar things." I glanced across at him and saw the shadows in his eyes, memories of all the dreadful things he'd had to face and overcome when he was younger than I am, few people really realised the effect it all had on him or scars it left behind.

"No luck in Canada then?" I asked trying to steer the conversation down a new road.

"Nope, no sign of him, its better now that we know what country he is in but it's still no easy task finding him. It's not a small country and he could be using charms to hide himself and keep people away."

"Do you think we have any chance of bringing him home?"

"In time yes but that's the problem, we don't know exactly how much time we have left before he moves elsewhere." He put his head in his hands and sighed in defeat, I reached out to snake an arm around his shoulders and rested my head on his arm.

"You'll find him, I know you will." I told him, trying my best to sound confident. He gave me a little smile and kiss on the forehead before rising to leave.

"It's strange to think that my little girl is eighteen tomorrow, my youngest child is about to become an adult – ok now I feel old." He scowled in distaste and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Aw you're not that old dad!"

"No Lily, the right answer is '_you're not old at all dad_'" I snorted with laughter and he shook his head.

"Oh I give up." He threw up his hands in defeat and marched out of the room muttering under his breath. A couple more rogue giggles fell from my lips as I got changed and slipped under the covers. I simply refused to let myself dwell on how empty my bed felt without Scorpius beside me. It took seconds for my tired body to relax and then sleep gripped me and dragged me off into a world of dreams.


	11. A Milestone

_Ok I know this chapter is late and I'm super sorry but I've had a rough few days and just couldn't get it finished yesterday. I've been trained to open up the kitchen where I work and my god is it hard work. I have to start at 7am and it's basically two hours of heaving heavy machinery and equipment around to clean it and behind/under it, cleaning the ceilings and walls and then putting the ovens and such back together. It might not sound that hard to some of you healthy people but I avoid anything exercise like a vampire avoids sunlight. (Unless you count rushing out to buy cakes as exercise, hmm.) _

_Okie Dokie, next chapter, now this one ran way longer than I anticipated but I didn't want to split it into two because I want to get Al back asap and I'd planned for that to come after this chapter. So instead of delaying that super important event I've left this one twice as long as normal chapters. Anyway I hope you all enjoy it!_

_Oh and just to let you know my proof-reader is currently in Newport so this chapter will probably be full of spelling and grammar mistakes but fear not! For when he has returned I shall have them all corrected. Just pretend you don't see them for now ok? :P_

Chapter eleven – A Milestone

You can imagine my surprise when I wasn't woken up ridiculously early the next day by a crazy member of my family as I had been for every other birthday. I rolled over drowsily and lifted a hand to my mouth to stifle a lazy yawn, ok I could definitely get used to this – a nice relaxing wake up on my birthday.

I sighed contentedly and opened my eyes to a sight so horrifying a high pitched scream flew from my lips and I scrambled into a sitting position. With wide scared eyes I looked at the faces of the nine people stood around my bed and who were all now shaking with laughter.

"You ok Lily? You look a bit surprised." James mumbled between chuckles making my anger flare up within me.

"What the HELL are you all doing?" I demanded. My heart sank a little when my eyes landed on Scorpius and I groaned. Great, even my boyfriend thought it was funny.

"We thought we'd give you a special wake up on your eighteenth birthday." Teddy informed me, flashing me his all too familiar amused grin.

"By standing around my bed like a herd of silent stalkers…are you all mad?" my frustration only seemed to make the whole situation funnier for them and I growled angrily as a new wave of laughter passed around the crowd. Ignoring their attempts to apologise – which were marred somewhat by the snorts of giggling that accompanied their words.

Throwing back the covers I shoved my way past the crowd and stormed down the stairs and into the living room. As soon as I stepped over the threshold a shower of confetti rained down on my head and I found my feet cushioned by a smooth and luxurious red rug leading the way to the kitchen.

"Oh my god…" my hand climbed back to my mouth stifling my little gasp as I gazed at the scene around me. My familiar kitchen had been transformed into a haven of sparkling gold and deep crimson. Everything was adorned by extravagant decorations and charmed to make the quaint room look like a magical wonderland.

"What do you think then sis?" I hadn't heard my friends and family join me downstairs and James' question snapped me out of my trance, he nudged me roughly and my scowl melted away when I saw the excited grin on his face.

"It's so beautiful…" I breathed gazing once again around the magnificent room.

"Told you she'd like it." James announced proudly but I didn't notice who he said it to; I was walking towards the table fixated on a peculiar little box decorated only by a small red ribbon. Without thinking my hand came up and my fingers gently tugged it loose, the lid sprang open and a burst of sparkling fireworks shot out making me jump back in surprise, instead of fading after their explosions the twinkling little lights rearranged to spell out 'Happy 18th Birthday Lily' and foolishly my eyes filled with tears.

"Aw you guys!" I gushed turning to gaze affectionately at the people responsible for it all. There was of course my mum and dad heading off the crowd flanked by James and Teddy who were both grinning wildly. Emma and Lucy were bouncing excitedly on the spot and tugging on the sleeves of a calm Rose trying to force her to share their giddy mood. Hugo was peering out from behind James' back and smiling shyly from beneath his hair, and then there was Scorpius, my angel. Normally I would have scolded myself for thinking something so soppy but I was far too happy to care at the moment.

"You didn't think we were going to let you have a boring eighteenth now did you?" Emma asked with a wink, a happy little giggle tumbled from my lips and I ran to hug them all gratefully.

"Come on stop stalling, there's presents to be opened and food to be eaten!" James steered me towards a chair at the table that had been charmed to look like a throne. An extravagantly wrapped box was thrust into my hands by a beaming Rose.

"You'll love it, I just know it!" she said excitedly. I felt their eyes on me as I tore off the wrapping and many layers of ribbons and bows to reveal a large mahogany box trimmed by red velvet and adorned with intricate patterns of gold and ivory. I gasped softly and let my fingers trace the delicate edges of the clasp holding it closed, carefully I gave it a little tug and the lid sprang open revealing an interior of velvet sections and pouches.

"It's a jewellery box." Rose told me in case I hadn't worked it out for myself. I smiled up at her gratefully and set the gift aside so that I could tug her into a hug.

"It's wonderful, thank you so much!"

"Oh mine next!" Lucy squealed handing me a tiny silver box, inside was a collection of colourful bracelets and my face lit up.

"They're so colourful!" I exclaimed happily and she giggled.

"Yup, that way you have one for every outfit." We girls laughed as the males in the room all rolled their eyes or groaned.

I'd barely sat back down from hugging her when another present was handed to me, this time off a shy looking Hugo.

"Happy birthday Lils." He said kindly with a little smile. I unwrapped the little rectangular package and found a thin white box inside, lifting up the lid cautiously my eyes fell upon a sparkling silver necklace with a diamond pendant encased in pearlescent petals.

"Wow…" I breathed tracing the delicate shape with my fingertip.

"Mum wanted me to buy one with rubies on but I said you'd prefer the flower." He told me sheepishly. He was right.

"I'm glad you know me so well, thanks Hughie." He grinned triumphantly and gave me a quick hug before I was moving onto the next present – this time off my parents. I eyed the peculiar shaped item curiously and then gave up trying to guess what it could be and tore off the paper, inside was the last thing I expected to see, it was a clock. Just like the one over our fireplace and the one at Gran's except there were only two magical hands on this one, Scorpius' and my own.

"With you moving out soon we thought it was time you had your own clock." Dad said softly as I gazed down at it with teary eyes.

"There's space on it for more hands, in case you ever need to add some." Mum added. Space for more hands…my children's hands. I couldn't stop the little tears trickling down my cheeks, it wasn't just a present, it was my parents acknowledging that I was growing up now and it was almost as if they were giving their permission – not just approval of Scorpius but of my choice to let things happen as fast as they were.

"Thank you." Sincerity rang thick in my voice and after a rather tearful hug between me and mum I sank back into my 'throne' and dad draped a comforting arm around her waist.

"Oh I'm next!" I looked over to see Emma trying to squeeze past James whilst balancing a large present in her hands, when he didn't move she growled angrily and gave him a rough shove with her hip. A wave of laughter passed through us as James stumbled and had to grip the back of a chair to stop himself falling over.

"I didn't really know what to get you so I sort of made you something instead." She looked rather nervous as she passed me the large box in her hands and I was surprised at how heavy it felt. My shaky fingers removed the pretty yellow paper and I tugged off the lid, inside lay what looked like a large amount of folded up material but I couldn't see it properly. She helped me lift it out of the container and open it up a bit so that I could see it was a patchwork blanket, but then something caught my eye, something moved and I realised that it was a photo. I tugged the section closer so that I could get a better look and saw that somehow she'd managed to transfer photographs onto the material, the one I was staring at was of us years ago when we were just little girls all dressed up for Halloween and dancing like maniacs around my front room. I laughed aloud and beside me Emma giggled, eager to see if there were more I moved to another section of the blanket and found another picture. This time it was our first day of Hogwarts and the two of us were stood on the platform already fully dressed in our robes because we were so excited, our arms were linked together and we were waving excitedly at Emma's dad who was taking the photo.

"Oh my god I can't believe we actually went in our robes!" I exclaimed shaking my head in a mix of embarrassment and disbelief.

"I know, we looked so silly." Emma agreed, giggling fondly at the memory. There were countless little photographs scattered all across the blanket, each of them was a memory from our lifelong friendship and some of them I'd forgotten about.

"Do you like it?" she asked, giving me a worried glance.

"It's amazing, I can't believe you made this!" I broke into a huge smile and grabbed her in an awkward hug because the blanket stopped me from getting up.

"Where did you find all these pictures?"

"Mum had most of them in an old drawer but I had to get a couple off your dad." I tossed my father a grateful smile and returned to admiring the blanket.

"I was so worried that you'd think it was a rubbish present." She admitted sheepishly.

"Of course not, it's brilliant!" my words had her breaking into a huge grin and she clapped excitedly.

"Yay, I'm so glad! Oh I'd better let you open the rest of your presents." She scooted aside to make way for Teddy who shyly thrust a black gift bag into my lap.

"Vic picked it out. I was dead set against it but she just ignored me." he shrugged at his inability to win an argument with his wife and retreated back to his place beside James wearing an odd expression I couldn't decipher.

I peered inside the gift bag still a bit confused by his reaction and moved aside the tissue paper to reveal a bundle of silky white material. Curiously I lifted it out of its container and let it unfold in my hands, my eyes widened as I found myself holding a shockingly short silk nightdress; it had a tapered empire line bust and was trimmed with delicate white lace. It really was a beautiful piece of lingerie.

My reaction kicked in about a second later when I realised Vic had intended for me to wear the alluring item and also that the very person I would wear it for was in fact standing in the same room, my eyes shot open and after a startled gasp I shoved the garment back into it's bag blushing like a beetroot. After a moment of tense silence someone cleared their throat snapping me out of my embarrassed trance.

"Um…" I was lost for words and stared at the table dumbstruck.

"I told her not to buy it." Teddy mumbled in a disgruntled tone, I immediately noticed his unease and the occasional hostile glares he was sending Scorpius. That explained his odd expression after giving me the bag, he wasn't keen on the idea of my boyfriend seeing me in such clothing, after all there was only one reason a woman wore something like that and it definitely wasn't something Teddy would want to think about Scorpius and I doing – he was practically a third brother to me!

"No I like it…I mean it's, um…it's very pretty. Thanks." I somehow managed to give him a smile but only got a nod in reply.

"Ok awkward situation, let's move on quickly. Here you go sis." James spoke up loudly and proceeded to toss his present into my lap. Glad for the distraction from the previous one I hastily ripped open the paper and pulled out the contents, the first item was a set of six books tied together by a blue ribbon.

"I saw that battered little muggle book you're always reading and asked the woman in the bookshop if she had any similar, she told me you might like this author." My brother informed me. He scratched at his hair shyly and I tilted the stack of books so that I could read the author's name, it was Jane Austen.

"She said they're all romances so I figured you'd be interested." I tried to scowl at him for the teasing edge in his tone but I was too happy to manage it. I set the books aside on the table and picked up the other item that had tumbled out of the packaging with them, it was a little card gift box and opening it up I found a silver charm in the shape of a rounded leaf with four sections.

"Oh James it's beautiful." I breathed as I carefully attached it to my charm bracelet. I hadn't stopped wearing the bracelet since Scorpius gave it to me for Christmas.

"What is it?" Emma asked curiously, she leant over the back of my chair to get a better look and I held my wrist up to the light to aid her.

"It's called a four-leaf clover, it's supposed to by a symbol for luck." James told us knowledgably and I guessed the sales assistant in the shop had told him that.

"Ooh maybe you'll be really lucky from now on! You know, like finding money on the floor and never getting caught out in the rain!" I wasn't the only one eyeing Emma like she was a bit loopy, she rolled her eyes dramatically and retreated back to her place between Rose and Lucy.

"Thank you James. The books and the charm, they're wonderful." He flashed me an overjoyed grin and ducked to give me a quick peck on the cheek. My heart swelled with affection for my redheaded brother and his infectious happiness had me smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. Scorpius was the last person in the room to come forward with his present, it was a large flat box wrapped in luxurious plum paper and tied up with an extravagant black ribbon. I noticed Emma, Lucy and Rose eyeing it with the same wowed expression and James let out a low whistle.

"Holy broomsticks Scor, just go right ahead and make our humble wrapping look rubbish."

"Hey I didn't do any of it, my mum said my attempt was too shabby and insisted on redoing it. Blame her, not me!" Scorpius retorted defensively. My brother eyed him up and down sceptically.

"Uh-huh, a likely story." He muttered, clearly not convinced.

"Oh sod off." Those of us watching the exchange laughed and the annoyed look on Scorpius' face was adorable.

"Come on then, let's see what his highness has buried under all this fancy packing." I listened to James' instruction and hastily yanked off the pretty covering revealing a large white box bearing a woman's name in gold writing. I guessed it was the name of a designer and so I was also guessing that inside was some sort of clothing.

I was right, pushing up the lid I snatched aside a sheet of protective tissue paper and my eyes fell upon the most beautiful coat I'd ever seen. It was made from rich woven wool in the most striking shade of turquoise. The shoulders were ruched so that they puffed up stylishly and the waist was cinched in making the bottom bubble out like a tulip. I eagerly lifted it out of its box and held it up so that I could see it better, I heard the girls gasp behind me but I was too transfixed to register their reactions. I laid the coat down on the table so that my fingers could delicately touch the pearl and gold buttons fastening the double-breasted front closed.

"I think she likes it." James muttered snapping me out of my silent staring.

"It's…it's…incredible." I managed to splutter as I stroked the wide lapels.

"Where on earth did you find something like that?" Emma asked abruptly, still staring at it in awe.

"It's vintage, my mother knows a lady who runs a private shop in Versailles. She was the one who got hold of my mother's wedding dress from an auction of rare designs, there was only one of each in the world." My widened eyes quickly turned on him and I would've gasped if I wasn't so shocked.

"Scorpius, how expensive was this? It must have cost you a fortune!" I cried hugging the exquisite item to my chest. My words earned me a sharp slap on the back of my head from James and a scolding glance off Rose.

"Lily, you're not supposed to ask how much people spent on your presents! It's rude." She hissed disapprovingly.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry! I just didn't want him to have spent too much on it." I apologised rubbing my sore head angrily.

"Do you like it?" Scorpius asked softly, I gazed up at his mystifying grey eyes and nodded.

"I love it, I can't even tell you how much." I told him sincerely and he smiled.

"Then it was worth every galleon." I longed to kiss him with every inch of my body but I had a feeling that if I did I wouldn't be able to keep it as chaste as my parents would like and so I decided to wait until later to express my thanks.

"Thank you, it's…amazing." Our eyes locked for a long and intense moment, I knew he wanted to kiss me too and I could see the battle in his eyes as he fought against the desire.

"Alright she's opened all the mains ones, now can we eat?" James said to mum, staring at her with a pleading expression.

"Not yet, there's one more." Dad interrupted earning him an unhappy groan off his oldest son.

"Here you go flower, happy birthday." After a quick kiss on my cheek he pressed an unusual golden key into my hand. I stared at it blankly for a few minutes until the shock dissipated and then my eyes slowly widened.

"Now don't get too excited, I don't want you running off and spending it all." My mother warned but I could see a twinkle of humour in her eyes and knew she was just joking.

"The key to my Gringotts vault!" I squealed excitedly, the rooms occupants all let out a dry laugh clearly assuming my mum's warning about spending it all hadn't sank in at all. They were wrong of course, I had no desire to rush off and spend all my money nor did I have anything to spend it on but I felt so trusted to be given the key finally. Both of my brothers had received their keys on their eighteenth birthday's too so I suppose I should have seen it coming but somehow over the years I'd simply forgotten all about it.

"Just remember what your mother said." Dad said in a firm tone. I tried my best to put on a pleading wide-eyed look.

"Aw but I was going to buy myself a chocolate factory so that I could have my own little sugary heaven!" I replied in the whiniest voice I could summon, a wave of laughter passed around the room and my dad just shook his head.

"Ok, she got her key and we're all happy blah, blah, _now_ can I eat?" the look my mum sent James should have made his blood run cold but in true James Sirius Potter style he paid no attention and dropped to his knees dramatically, clutching his hands at his chest in silent prayer.

"Come on mum, some of us missed dinner yesterday." He fluttered his eyelashes at her in a very unflattering way and I heard a little giggle from Emma's direction.

"Then that was your own stupid fault, nobody eats until Lily has opened _all_ of her presents." She replied firmly before reaching over his head to hand me one of the parcels off my remaining family. James groaned miserably and heaved himself onto a dining chair to wait impatiently for breakfast time.

Luckily for my brother I was in a very good mood and rushed the opening of the last lot of presents so that he could get a meal quicker. He wasn't the only one that was hungry though and as soon as mum passed the plates around we'd all heaped them full and began shovelling in the tasty food.

After breakfast we all spent a couple of fun filled hours lounging in the living room – mostly taken up by reliving memories of James and Al's eventful eighteenth's and cruel jokes about my childhood when Emma and I used to be shamefully un-cool.

When afternoon crept in I retreated to my room to get changed out of my pyjamas and into something a bit prettier for my special birthday gathering at the cottage.

Scowling at my reflection I lowered the purple dress and held up the red one that was in my other hand, no matter how many times I switched between the two I couldn't decide which one I wanted to wear. The purple one was one of my old favourites, it had a cute little bow around the waist and was patterned with little yellow flowers, but the red one had a flattering v-cut neckline and the short sleeves puffed up at the shoulders, it was covered by a thin layer of silky netting where shapes of snowflakes had been punched out. Tilting my head thoughtfully I dropped the red one down and held up the purple one again, I eyed it seriously for a few seconds but it was no use. I sighed heavily and both dresses hung limp in my hands.

"I vote for the red one." The handsome voice made me jump and I turned to see Scorpius leant casually against the doorframe. His arms were folded across his chest forcing the lines of his hidden muscle to show through the thin material of his t-shirt. I flushed as a memory flashed through my mind of that very same toned chest pressing down on my own bare skin.

"But I suppose I am a little bias." He added, pushing himself off the wall and walking over to me.

"Oh, and why is that?" I asked raising a provoking eyebrow, his mouth tugged up at the side in a delicious crooked grin and his eyes roamed over my body.

"Well I'm known to have a bit of a weakness for red." To illustrate his point he reached up and twirled a section of my fiery red hair around his finger, we both watched as he slid the long strands through his hand until it fell back against my chest.

"Ok, I'll wear the red. For you." The last two words prompted him to raise his eyes to my own and he held my gaze easily. I hadn't realised how close we were stood until that moment, he noticed it too, I could tell by the way his breathing hitched and his body tensed. He looked like he was about to say something until he thought better of it, instead his hand came to caress my cheek curving around the back of my neck and then pulling my face towards his so that he could bring our lips together.

In the years we'd been dating Scorpius had kissed me more times than I could count and yet somehow every new kiss felt like it was our first. Electricity flowed through my body leaving my lips tingling and my skin buzzing, his feather light touch seemed to reach right to my bones and with every tiny movement of his mouth I could feel myself falling deeper under his spell. He might not know it but times like this he could tell me to do whatever he wanted and I would be powerless to argue.

"You should get changed, the others are waiting downstairs." I smiled at how unsteady his voice sounded and felt oddly triumphant that my kiss had an equally stirring effect on him as his did on me.

"Ok." I hung the purple dress back up without another look and laid the red one down on my bed. I was about to tug my pyjama top off when I heard the door close, glancing back intending to gaze longingly at the spot where my boyfriend had just been stood I was startled to find he still occupied it.

"What are you doing?" I blurted rather bluntly, he shrugged casually as if his actions were completely natural.

"I was closing the door; you can't get changed with it open. What if James had walked past?" I scowled at him, was he being serious?

"No Scor, I mean what are you doing on this side of the door?" now it was his turn to look confused.

"What?"

"Are you going to watch me get undressed?" I said sarcastically. He arched one perfect eyebrow and a playful grin crept onto his face.

"Are you going to let me watch?" he retorted. He was teasing me, intentionally trying to provoke me and get a rise out of me. Well I wouldn't give him the satisfaction, deciding to play along I shot him a sweet smile and then turned my back on him. In one swift movement I took off my pyjama top and dropped it casually to the floor, I heard his soft gasp behind me and stifled a giggle. Now I had the upper hand. I glanced over my shoulder at him and raised my eyebrows in false confusion.

"What's wrong Scor? I though you wanted to watch." I said innocently. While his eyes stared at the skin of my bare back I daringly slid my shorts off and let them land on the floor at my feet. His smouldering grey eyes drifted to my newly exposed bottom covered only by a scanty pair of black knickers. I almost laughed at the star struck expression on his face but bit down on my bottom lip hard to stop myself.

He said nothing but I heard the quiet thud of his footsteps as he neared me. I lifted my arm to cover my bare chest and forced myself to keep looking forward – even when his fingers came to rest on the warm skin of my back. He slowly moved his hand lower tracing the curve of my spine all the way down to elastic waistband of my underwear where his stroking halted.

"You're such a tease Lily Potter." He whispered against my hair, I worried that he was angry but I could hear the humour lacing his voice.

"No. You said you wanted to watch, I'm just giving you what you want." I felt his deep chuckle as he pressed his chest against my back.

"True, but you're trying to seduce me when you know we can't…not now, so you see, you are a tease." I flushed at his accusation but a part of me liked to think it was true, it wasn't possible of course, I really didn't have the faintest idea about how to behave seductively. Acting on impulse I just decided to go along with whatever came to mind and hope it would come across as alluring.

"We should be alone later…" I trailed off as his hand crept back onto my skin, this time on the curve of my hip.

"Mmm." He hummed in agreement. I had planned on saying more, something witty and confident but my mind was wiped blank as his touch moved and stroked up the shape of my body. As his hand came to rest under the curve of my breast I could feel how aroused he was and suddenly all traces of playfulness slipped away. I could feel my own body throbbing longingly for his and had to fight the overwhelming urge to drag him to the bed right there and then.

Thankfully he didn't do anything that might test my willpower; instead he withdrew his hand and quickly moved away from my body. I saw his hand tremble as he picked up my red dress and lifted it above my head, keeping my back to him I moved my arms up into the sleeves and he lowered it down over my body. He straightened it out for me and then carefully zipped up the back.

"I'm sorry." He said rather abruptly, I turned to face him frowning in confusion.

"For what?" he avoided my gaze and shifted uncomfortably. "Scorpius what's wrong?" he could hear the worry in my tone and his face scrunched up in unexplained agony.

"I can't believe how irresponsible I've been, I shouldn't have let things get that far." I didn't understand what he was saying, what had he done that was so wrong?

"What do you mean? All you did was touch me, what's so bad about that?" I asked, utterly bemused by his current behaviour.

"Nothing is wrong with it, not technically, but I still shouldn't have. It's not fair for me to touch you like that, to make you think something could happen when it can't."

"Why can't it? It's not like we haven't done it before, we're not underage, I don't understand what you're saying Scorpius." My question came out a bit angrier than I intended and I saw him wince slightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just…I'm freaking out a bit."

"Why? Just tell me what's going on." He sighed heavily and paced back and forth for a moment before stopping in front of me and fixing me with a serious gaze.

"The other night when we…" he broke off and struggled for the right words.

"I remember, what about it?" panic was building inside of me now.

"Lily we didn't…um…we didn't use anything." The relief that swept through me was breathtaking and I smiled – an action which seemed to confuse him greatly.

"Is that all that's worrying you? God Scor, you scared me half to death!" I let out a nervous little laugh and he continued to frown at me.

"Is that all? How can you laugh about this, Lily you could be pregnant! Oh god what have I done…" he covered his face with his hands and clutched furiously at his hair. I felt a stab of guilt for my flippant reaction, I could plainly see how torn up he was about all of this.

"Scorpius I'm not pregnant." I assured him as I tried to tug his hands away, reluctantly he let me and my eyes met his agonized grey ones.

"How can you be sure?" he asked and I could see the fear in his eyes. Oh well I suppose how was as good a time as any to tell him about the clinic.

"Um…well I was worried about that too, so I went to a muggle clinic in town…" his eyes widened and I swallowed my nerves, I had to tell him the rest, I couldn't turn back now.

"What?"

"The doctor there gave me a pill to stop me getting pregnant."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know what you'd say."

"Oh Lily, you know you don't have to hide things from me." I felt myself grow pale and decided it was time to test how truthful that sentence was.

"I hope you're telling the truth because there's more." He frowned at me, worried and confused.

"More?" he prompted and I nodded, I swallowed the lump in my throat and took the plunge.

"While I was there the doctor offered me some other things, to stop me getting pregnant when we slept together again and I said yes." Now his confusion was replaced by panic but I decided it was best not to stop talking or I'd lose my nerve.

"He gave me this thing, an implant in my arm." I saw a flicker of realisation as he put the pieces together.

"That's why your arm was bruised." He stated. I nodded and glanced down at my upper arm where I'd removed the bandage and just a faint yellowish mark remained. Carefully so not to hurt me he reached out and lifted my wrist to get a better look at it, there was a very slight bump beneath my skin that betrayed the presence of the implant and horror swept across his features.

"Jesus Lily, what is that thing?"

"It's just a little stick. He said it will release a hormone into my body that stops me getting pregnant."

"How do you know it isn't dangerous? Who knows what kind of harm it could be causing you!" his irate temper flared up from the worry over my wellbeing and I scrambled to soothe him.

"You don't think I checked the side effects before I said yes? I'm not stupid you know!" his expression softened immediately and he took my hands in his own.

"I know you're not stupid sweetheart. I'm sorry, it's just…why didn't you come and talk to me first or at least ask me to go with you?" my shoulder slumped miserably and I sighed.

"I don't know, it was a bit of a split second decision and I was worried that you'd be mad."

"You shouldn't have had to do this alone, I would never have suggested you get something implanted under your skin Lily, you should have let me take care of all this." I knew he wanted to take care of me and that involved being the one in charge of contraception but this seemed like much less hassle than the other methods, especially the ones for men.

"I know you wouldn't have suggested it but I've got it anyway and it's really not as bad as you think. It hurt a bit when I had it put in," he cringed at the knowledge I was in pain and had to suffer it alone but that was my decision so I carried on. "But now I can't even feel it and the doctor said that if I have any problems all I have to do is go back and he'll take it right out."

"How long does it stay in for, I mean is it permanent?" he probed, I shook my head vigorously and felt a glimmer of hope that he would accept it.

"No, it lasts three years unless I choose to have it taken out earlier and then if I want to I can have a fresh one put in." he paused to let this sink in and I watched his beautiful face crease with thought.

"But what about if you want to get pregnant in the future, will this thing cause problems for you? Will it affect your um…you know chances?"

"My fertility?" I offered, knowing he would be uncomfortable saying it and he nodded.

"No, not at all, if I do want a baby at some point I just have to get this taken out and then it'll be possible for me to conceive again." This information seemed to please him.

"Ok good because I'm not letting you keep it in if it's going to do you any harm."

"It wont, trust me." I pleaded giving his hands a gentle squeeze.

"I do."

"I'm sorry I went behind your back, it was wrong and I should have told you." I hung my head shamefully and he sighed. I felt him press a kiss to my hair and draw me against his chest in a hug.

"Well I'm sorry for being so stupid, if I'd just had the sense to think about all this before we slept together then you wouldn't have had to go through any of it."

"It's just as much my fault as it is yours, mum always drilled into me the importance of being safe but I just forgot when the time came." He pulled back to kiss my forehead and I managed a weak smile.

"Shall we call it even?" he suggested and my smile grew wider.

"I'd like that." His gaze then dropped back to my arm and he lightly slid the back of his finger over my bruised skin.

"Thank you, for being brave enough to do something like this for us." His gratitude was unexpected and I didn't quite know what to say. I could see the haunted look in his eyes and knew he felt guilty.

"You haven't failed me you know, I just took charge for once." A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips and raised my spirits.

"I guess I'm just not used to you taking charge yet."

"Well get used to it Mr Malfoy, I am my mother's daughter after all." He laughed and I drank in the glorious sound, feeling relieved that everything was going to be ok between us and that he wasn't angry with me.

"Ok I'll try. Now come on birthday girl, people are waiting." Giggling like a silly little girl I let him pull me from the room and down to celebrate.

My quiet birthday at the cottage didn't quite go as planned because as we were leaving I suddenly felt too energetic and happy to spend the night sitting around and talking, so instead I decided I wanted to go dancing and the eight of us went off in search of a bar in town that wasn't too overcrowded.

I don't know how long we stayed out but it was completely dark when Scorpius and I slipped out of the bar unnoticed to sneak back to cottage alone. We left the others at Scarlet, the bar, where they were all happily boogying the night away and laughing at everything and anything.

We stumbled through the front door clumsily kissing like mad teenagers who couldn't keep their hands off each other, I bumped into a table on our way through the living room knocking its contents to the floor and smashing a photo frame but I didn't care. I didn't want to have to go all the way up to our bedroom and Scorpius seemed to be of the same opinion so we collapsed onto the sofa wrapped in each other's arms and kissing so wildly that my lips were throbbing.

Our eagerness quickly started to cause us problems though and before either of us could realise it was happening we found ourselves toppling off the sofa and landing with a thud on the floor. We both burst into hysterics and the impact seemed to bring about a calmer atmosphere. I gazed up at Scorpius as he lay on top of me and this time when he bent to kiss me it was filled with tenderness. We may have been calmer but our passion hadn't ebbed and my all too eager hands were quickly yanking off his t-shirt. Oh I had missed his chest – no, that wasn't right – what I meant was oh I had missed his body.

He stood up lifting me with him and eased open the zip at the back of my dress, slowly he pushed it off my shoulders and it slipped down. What he hadn't remembered was that when he'd helped me into the dress earlier today I hadn't bothered to put on a bra and so his wide grey eyes hungrily drank in the sight of my nude chest and strangely I didn't feel self-conscious. The rest of our clothes quickly joined the discarded items on the floor and Scorpius took a blanket from the back of the sofa and spread it onto the carpet. With a flick of his wand he locked the front door.

I lay back on the tartan blanket, my red hair fanning around me like a burning halo. Scorpius paused for a moment to gaze down at me and then slowly came down to lie beside me. His entrancing eyes held mine and I could see my own desire mirrored within them.

"Touch me." I whispered, my voice quivering from nerves and anticipation. He reached out a shaky hand and slowly stroked my hip, his finger traced a little circle around my belly button making me giggle and he grinned down at me. The sweet action relaxed me immensely and I closed my eyes as his fingertips moved across my belly, up the centre of my chest and across to follow the line of my collarbone. He bent to press his lips to that spot and I sighed blissfully, slowly he started to retrace his steps moving his touch to the base of my neck and leaning to pop a kiss there too. Next he reached the valley of my chest, right between my breasts and my breath caught in my throat as his lips touched the skin. More kisses followed, down my belly and then back up.

My eyes were still closed. It was sort of exciting not being able to see what he was doing, it thrilled me. Then something unexpected, there was a long pause and I started to worry something was wrong until I felt his thumb brush very intentionally across my nipple. I gasped and my eyes flew open, our gazes locked and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. When I didn't protest he repeated the action, harder this time and I arched off the floor slightly as a result of the pleasure it stirred. His hand moved aside to be replaced with his mouth and I moaned from the startling emotions it awakened, he didn't pull away like I expected, his mouth stayed locked on my skin kissing and nibbling teasingly and driving me to within an inch of my sanity.

"Scorpius please," I begged breathlessly after I could bear it no longer. "I can't take it!" I felt him chuckle lightly but he didn't stop. Keeping his mouth busy he moved between my legs and caught me as I arched up yet again. If he wouldn't give me what I wanted then I would just take it, if he thought he was going to get away with teasing me cruelly then he was wrong.

I pushed him back until we were upright and then moved so that I was in his lap, startled by my sudden dominance he forgot about his teasing and watched as I locked him between my thighs. I could see the surprise in his eyes but also the enjoyment, he liked that I was being bossy and stealing the control. I had no idea where the sudden surge of confidence had come from, I knew I should feel embarrassed but I didn't.

I lifted up enough so that I could bring our bodies together and now it was his turn to moan. His head fell back and he clutched me to his chest as the desire throbbed around his body. I moved slowly, deliberately so and revelled in seeing how it drove him crazy. He tried to speed things up but every time he did I just shook my head and dragged his hands away from my hips leaving him powerless. I almost laughed at how sweet revenge felt but my triumph was short-lived as Scorpius caught me off guard and quickly moved forward slamming me back onto the floor and pinning me down.

"My turn." He breathed in my ear with a wicked grin and my own smile faded. My boyfriend was utterly cruel, he was absolutely merciless. Over the next hour he teased and pushed me until I was right on the edge and then he would stop leaving me practically begging in desperation, but his resolve never wavered and he just flashed me an annoyingly handsome grin and shook his head. Finally when I was panting breathlessly and clutching furiously at the blanket beneath us he gave me what I wanted and we climaxed together before collapsing in exhaustion.

"God you are so cruel." I grumbled later when my breathing had calmed enough for me to speak.

"Oh that's rich, you're the one who started it you know." I laughed in disbelief and rolled over onto my stomach to look up at him with raised eyebrows.

"I did not! You started it with your bloody teasing kissing, I told you I couldn't take anymore and you just ignored me!" he grinned from ear to ear remembering it and I rolled my eyes.

"Ok, you're right, I started it but I ended it too."

"Eventually yeah, you waited until I was practically begging you." My frustration just egged him on more and he laughed triumphantly.

"Lily you did beg me, quite a lot actually." He told me with a sly grin, I gasped and scowled at him defiantly.

"I did not!" I insisted, I didn't sound as certain as I would have liked but truth be told I couldn't actually remember.

"Oh you did, don't you remember? You kept saying 'oh please Scorpius, please'" I gasped again sharply at his shocking impression of me and blushed despite myself.

"I do not sound like that." I retorted angrily aiming a hard slap at his arm. He rubbed the spot where I'd hit him and wouldn't stop laughing.

"Well if you don't believe me…" he stopped talking to roll on top of me and pin back my arms. "Why don't I just make you do it again so you can hear for yourself?" he was grinning again, that same wicked grin he'd used while torturing me.

"I wont beg this time." I told him defiantly.

"We'll see." He ducked to kiss me and I didn't care whether I did or not anymore because he was giving me the best birthday present ever – him. Twice.

Sometime afterwards we must've fallen asleep because I was woken up by someone frantically trying to open the front door. I considered getting up to help them but decided against it, I was warm beneath the blanket with Scorpius curled against my back and clutching me to his chest. So I just closed my eyes again and waited for sleep to reclaim me.

"It wont open!" the frustrated voice belonged to James but he sounded different, he was whinier.

"Move out of the way, it's probably locked genius." Emma was with him, I heard a scuffle that was probably her shoving him.

"Alohomora." Her charm had the lock spring loose and the door opened.

"You did it! You're brilliant!" James exclaimed enthusiastically and the way he slurred his words explained his odd behaviour – he was drunk.

"Thank you James, now come on let's get you inside." I guessed Emma was supporting him as he stumbled into the house and the door closed behind them.

"This table isn't the right way up, how would you put stuff on it?" I opened my eye a crack to see him trying to pick up the frame I'd cracked earlier. His swipes kept missing though so he gave up.

"Did I knock this over?" he asked, looking rather confused as he tried to remember. Emma came to his side and took hold of his arm trying to steer him away.

"No you didn't, now come on you need something to sober you up." She tried to tug him towards the kitchen but his eyes landed on me and Scorpius.

"Is that Lily?" he asked squinting to see more clearly. I closed my eyes almost completely until I was peering through my lashes so that neither of them noticed I was awake.

"Oh my gosh!" Emma had noticed us now too, except her sober eyes had also noticed our discarded clothing and the bare skin of our shoulders peeking out from under the blanket.

"Yes that's Lily but she's asleep so let's leave her alone ok." She tried to tug him away again but he resisted.

"Scorpius is there too, why are they asleep down here? There's no bed here." he tried to take a step towards us and a look of horror swept across Emma's face.

"They probably had the fire on and dozed off. Now come on." This time she succeeded in tugging him back into the kitchen. Luckily because of the cottage's open plan build I could still see them. James collapsed into a chair at the table and buried his head in his hands.

"Ugh I feel awful." He complained, to which Emma just laughed.

"That's probably because you just drank your weight in alcohol." She stated ignoring his groans of protest. She rummaged around in the cupboard until she found what she was looking for – a small bottle of murky green potion made to cure hangovers.

"Here you go, drink this." He eyed the potion with disgust but after catching a glimpse of her expression he quickly downed the bottle gagging a bit afterwards.

"Should I feel like I'm gonna throw up?" he asked looking rather ill.

"After how much you drank, yes." His hand flew to his mouth and he raced to the sink. After a few seconds of vomiting violently into the basin he hobbled back to the chair and sprawled across the table. Without saying a word Emma busied herself cleaning up the mess and then poured him a glass of water.

"Thanks." he mumbled before taking a little sip. She sat down at the table and sighed. For a long time they were silent and James started to look less ill as the potion got to work, it was my brother who broke the silence.

"I can see why he likes you." Her head snapped up and she turned her questioning gaze on him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Albus." He clarified, though they both knew who he meant. She looked back at her hands resting on the table and sighed.

"He doesn't like me." James snorted earning him a piercing glare but after a lifetime of enduring mum's similar looks he paid no attention to it.

"Think what you like. All I know is the day you started seeing Peter what's-his-name in your fourth year Al broke down in the library and admitted he liked you. He almost got us thrown out, started yelling about how stupid he was for not seeing it sooner and stuff." She stared at him, the shock apparent on her face and looked almost frozen to the spot.

"If that's true then why have three years passed since then and he still hasn't asked me out." James just shrugged.

"You'll have to ask him, he'll never tell any of us if we ask and believe me we've tried."

"I'm tired of trying to figure him out now." she admitted sadly and James gave her an apologetic smile.

"Al's always been the difficult one of us. He's too much like dad; mum's always saying that he was just as awkward and secretive when he was your age." It was true, I'd heard her make the comparison tons of times.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

"Better, thanks. Oh and thanks for helping me home." He turned faintly pink from embarrassment and Emma smiled.

"You're welcome, I'd best be getting home too." She moved to the door but James stopped her.

"Why don't you stay here tonight Em, Al's room is empty so you can sleep there." I could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she considered his suggestion but eventually her want to be close to Al again, even if it was just his room, won over.

"Ok, thanks." she moved back into the house with James in tow but he stopped dead when he saw me and Scorpius with sober eyes.

"Oh bloody hell." His hand flew up to shield his eyes and Emma giggled.

"You're so overdramatic, you do realise they're covered by a blanket don't you?"

"I don't care. I don't want to think about what they've been doing."

"Aw give her a break James, it's her birthday after all." He sighed heavily and shoved her towards the door to the stairs.

"Fine I'll pretend I saw nothing, but _only_ because it's her birthday." They disappeared up the stairs and sat up. It would probably be a good idea to head upstairs soon too before the others came home and found us. I waited until I could hear James' snores before waking Scorpius, he stirred sleepily and I coaxed him into coming up to bed.


	12. Return of the Great Idiot

_Here's a useful bit of advice for y'all: Don't try and strategically step over your cat when he's sat on the stairs because chances are he'll move anyway and you'll end up stepping on him and then falling down to earn yourself a bruised back and a sprained wrist :( I had to go to bloody work with a Frickin bandage on and my god is it sore now :(_

_I was having a bit of a trip down memory lane the other night (which involved cleaning up some of my old music folders, good god it was horrific.) and I came across some real gems. Do any of you remember the boy band Five? (Who sang Let's dance and did that really funky cover of Queen's We Will Rock You) My god I loved them! I wrote this chapter whilst listening to all their old songs so I'd like to thank them for their inspiration, ha, ha!_

_Anyway on with the show, enjoy the chapter! _

Chapter twelve – Return of the Great Idiot

Blinding sunlight seared into my eyes when I woke up the next morning and I groaned angrily. Shoving my hair off my face clumsily I propped myself onto my elbows and squinted around the bright room. As my sight adjusted to the light I noticed how startlingly tidy the room was, none of Scorpius' usual dirty clothes littered the floor or the furniture and everything was stacked neatly and in its place. I raised my eyebrows and realised he must've cleaned up in preparation for my birthday gathering here.

I glanced across at the man in question sleeping soundly beside me and couldn't help the soppy look that came across my face. He looked more like he was carved out of marble than simply human. My roaming eyes moved across his face admiring the perfectly smooth curves of his features, I lingered longer on his mouth thinking about the effect that those wonderfully full lips had on me.

Carefully so not to wake him I reached out and lightly traced the shape of his chiselled cheekbones letting my finger trail down to follow the line of his defined jaw, he stirred slightly from my touch and I withdrew my hand swiftly.

When I was sure he wouldn't wake up I slid out from under the covers and reached up to stretch, stopping immediately as I became aware of the overwhelming aching all over my body. I hissed in response and started to gently massage my shoulder as I went hunting for some clothes. Putting my red dress back on was out of the question so I decided to cheekily borrow some of Scorpius' clothes again. After a quick rummage through one of the drawers, which were crammed full of the dirty clothes he'd tried to hide from view, I managed find some grey shorts and a green t-shirt.

Out on the landing I passed James' room and noticed the door was slightly ajar, peeking inside my eyes landed on the hilarious sight of him and Teddy huddled up together on his bed with their arms around each other. I snorted back a burst of laughter and walked off wishing I had a camera.

The next room I passed was the spare one, soon to become Hugo's once Hogwarts was over with, and it seemed like he'd already made himself comfortable snoozing happily, face down, on the old sofa James had stashed in there. Mum had insisted that he take it with him when he moved and I remember him passionately refusing do any such thing before I left to go back to school; well it looked like mum won as usual.

I walked right by Al's room without even stopping, a habit that had developed from knowing the room was empty, but a quick reflection of the night before reminded me that Emma had agreed to stay there last night. I backed up a few paces and quietly opened the door a crack to peer inside. My blonde best friend was curled up on Al's bed in one of his old t-shirts, I felt a tug on my heart and left her to sleep before I rushed over and suffocated her with a big bear hug.

The living room and kitchen had been completely tidied up and the frame Scorpius and I accidentally cracked had been repaired, apparently Rose had left a while earlier after doing a spot of housework. It had to be her, nobody else was mad enough to do it this early in the morning. There was no sign of Lucy anywhere either so she must've left too, or hadn't spent the night here at all.

* * *

I don't know how long I'd been up when I heard movement, I was sat at the dining table staring blankly into my mug of tea and Emma came down the stairs fully dressed again.

"Morning." She greeted quietly.

"Hi Em." No sooner had I finished speaking did I break into a huge yawn and she laughed.

"I see you go a lot of sleep."

"I had plenty actually, I don't know why I'm so tired." The sentence was followed by another yawn. She sat down beside me wearing a very disbelieving expression.

"Perhaps it's because you and Scorpius were at it for god knows how many hours last night." Her blunt reply had my eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Emma!" I cried, still horrified by the frankness of her words.

"Why didn't you tell me that you two were…you know, sleeping together now. Best friends are supposed to tell each other these things." The hurt was visible in her eyes and I sighed.

"Things have been so horrible for you lately and I just didn't want you to think I was a heartless cow for enjoying myself while my best friend is miserable and my brother is missing."

"The world doesn't stop turning just because Al's decided to be an idiot, you shouldn't feel guilty for being happy." Her words did little to soothe my guilt and I ran a hand through my hair.

"I dunno, I guess I just felt like it was cruel for me to come bragging to you about how well things were going for me and Scorpius when you're hurting because of Al."

"Telling me that things have gotten more serious for you guys isn't bragging Lily." She looked at me seriously for a few seconds before I gave up the argument and hung my head.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I mumbled shyly.

"I suppose I can forgive you, but only if you give me all the details!" my head snapped up and she flashed me a wicked smile.

"There really aren't any juicy details Em, it's not that interesting." But she just scoffed in disbelief and scooted her chair closer to mine.

"Stop lying. Now come tell me how long this has been going on."

"Not very long, in fact last night was only the second time we've um…you know, done it." I felt myself blushing but Emma ignored it.

"When was the first time?"

"The day we got back from Hogwarts. James was out looking for Al so we were alone and I dunno…it just felt right."

"Aw, I am so totally jealous." She whined, letting out a wistful sigh.

"It wasn't some perfect fairytale night like it is in the books." I informed her, hoping to stop her feeling like she was missing out.

"Oh, was it really awful then? Melinda Rhys said that, wait you know Melinda don't you? She's that blonde girl from Hufflepuff, the really busty one who was dating Lee Connors." I nodded, I knew Melinda, girlfriend of the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain and also renown for her rather large bust. "Well she was telling people that when she and Lee first slept together it was mortifying! Apparently she was in tons of pain and there was blood everywhere, she was really embarrassed about it."

"Oh my god that's terrible!"

"I know, she was so upset." We paused for a moment to share a sympathetic thought for Melinda and then Emma squinted at me curiously.

"So was it like that for you then?" I detected a hint of fear in her voice; she was scared just like I'd been. I quickly shook my head.

"No, I didn't mean it was bad, it just wasn't perfect. I mean I was scared half to death for starters, especially about him seeing me naked but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought."

"Was it awkward?" she asked shyly.

"A bit, my heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to short-circuit." We both laughed lightly and then the atmosphere turned serious again. "I'll admit I was nervous, really nervous, but I was still pretty relaxed…it all just felt right. Am I making any sense?"

"Yeah, you are." She assured me with a kind smile.

"It did hurt, but only for a second and then it just felt wonderful." I was now grinning like a fool but I didn't care.

"And was there a lot of blood?" she asked, in a hushed voice almost as if she was scared of asking.

"No, there wasn't any. There was just a bit of aching."

"That doesn't sound so bad." She admitted, sounding as surprised as I'd felt.

"I know. I was thinking about it afterwards and I felt so silly for worrying so much, it was all completely unnecessary in the end."

"You hear these horror stories though and you can't help being scared." She said in a timid voice.

"Yeah but that's the problem though isn't it? Things like this are different for each person so there's no sense in getting worked up about it when it might end up being pointless. I think you should just wait and see what happens, you might be surprised. I was." She considered this for a while, gazing intently at her hands sat on the table and then nodded firmly.

"You're right. What use is worrying about it, it'll just make it more awkward when the time comes."

"Exactly." I agreed.

"Can I ask you a really weird question?" she said after a short silence.

"Of course you can."

"What does it feel like to…orgasm?" she flushed deeply and avoided my gaze. I chewed on my lip for a moment trying to find the right words but it wasn't an easy question to answer.

"Um…it's tricky to explain. It's sort of like every muscle in your body comes alive and your mind starts spinning out of control. You can feel this…electricity sweeping through your body making you tremble. You want to laugh and cry and scream, it's completely crazy but completely wonderful." She dared to meet my gaze and frowned at me thoughtfully.

"I guess I'll have to get back to you with my thoughts on that one." A playful smile crept onto her face and I giggled.

"Why don't we go out later? We only have a few more days until we go back to Hogwarts and I heard that Firkins bakery have started making a new doughnut, it's got caramel on the top and custard inside! We have got to try one before we go back." It was great to see her back to her bubbly self. Her eyes had almost got their sparkle back.

"Oooh, that sounds yummy!"

"I know I can't wait to get one! We could go down town this afternoon, I need to get changed first and my mum wants me to help with some cleaning but I can come back after that."

"Sounds perfect." I agreed enthusiastically, she clapped her hands together and bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Great, well I'll see you later on then!" she sprang up and gave me a fleeting hug before disappearing out of the door. I let out another long yawn and took a sip of my tea, to my horror it was stone cold and I spat it back into the mug groaning in disgust.

"Oh that was attractive." Teddy's sarcastic voice drifted over from the staircase doorway. "I can see why Scorpius can't keep his hands off of you now." I scowled at him moodily and he plonked himself down onto one of the empty chairs.

"Yes well you'd know all about being attractive wouldn't you, I saw you and James cuddled up together this morning, I've got to say it Ted you made a cute couple." His cheeks flared up with colour and now it was him who was scowling.

"Tell anyone and I will hang you from the chimney by your knickers." I stifled a laugh and forced myself to keep a straight face. "I drank a bit more than usual." He admitted in a small voice.

"I'd guessed that much, there's no sober reason you'd want to be that close to James, especially in such little clothing as his boxers." A shudder ripped through Teddy's body and he scrunched up his face in distaste.

"God don't remind me, that was the most shocking wake up ever." I giggled quietly and the action quickly morphed into another yawn. What number was that now, four? This was getting ridiculous.

"Why are you so tired?" he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Dunno, rough nights sleep I suppose." I replied trying my hardest to look innocent.

"Right, a rough nights sleep, I see. So that basically translates to you and Scorpius were at it all night?" I rolled my eyes and dropped my hands down onto the table with a loud thud.

"Why the hell does everyone keep saying that today?" I complained, not caring that I should be denying it to keep up my innocent façade.

"We're not stupid that's why. It's written all over your face Lils." I scowled at him angrily whilst mentally trying to figure out how my expression was betraying me.

"It is not." I argued flatly, still frantically trying to smooth out whatever it was that showed my guilt.

"Ok it's not but I saw the broken table and your clothes scattered everywhere when I got back, you don't need to be a detective to figure it out." He gave me a sly glance. The look warned me that even though he wasn't getting angry he was far from happy about it all.

"It was a photo that was broken not the table." I mumbled as I kept my eyes locked firmly on the mug in front of me.

"I hope you're being careful Lily, I don't want you getting hurt or…into trouble." I knew he didn't have the heart to say the word 'pregnant' and cautiously met his worried gaze.

"I'm being careful." I confirmed, he looked as if he was about to say more but shook his head and looked away again.

"I think I liked it better when you were little, I worried less." He said dryly sending me a sideward glance. I could see his lips twitching as he resisted a grin.

"I've got to grow up sometime." I replied with a little smile, he sighed heavily and nodded.

"Yeah, doesn't make it any easier on us though." By 'us' I assumed he was referring to him, James, Al and dad. They were the ones who were taking it the hardest.

"You've all just got too used to having it easy, that's the real problem. I've always been a good girl, did my homework and came back before it was dark, never had serious boyfriends or paraded around in sexy clothes. Now I've got no more homework to do, I can come home whenever I like, I'm in love with a Malfoy and just to top it off I'm being given silky lingerie to wear." He cringed at the last part and dragged his hand through his hair.

"As much as it kills me to admit it, you're right. It's all hit us at once. James, Al and me have been tearing our hair out worrying about you. I can only imagine how your dad feels."

"You're all overreacting, as per usual. I'm still the same person, yes I wont be at school anymore but I'll have a job instead, I'll still live close by, you're making a fuss over nothing." He looked at me seriously for a few seconds and then smiled.

"You've always been so sensible Lils, just like your mum." I smiled back at him gratefully and he checked his watch for the time.

"Bugger, best be off or Vic will be furious." He stood up and smoothed down his crumbled jeans.

"How's Annalise doing? I haven't seen her in a while."

"She's brilliant, started saying a few words now."

"Oh that's fantastic! What can she say?" his cheeks turned a bit pink and he hesitated.

"Uh, well her favourite saying is 'bloody hell'" I burst out laughing and he shook his head shamefully.

"How on earth did she learn that?"

"Well I've been trying to do a bit of work around the house, you know fixing broken floorboards and wonky shelves, and well…I slipped a few times with the hammer. I completely forgot that kids are like sponges and by the end of the day she wouldn't stop saying it. Vic was fuming." I couldn't help it, I laughed again.

"You're such a good role model Teddy." I managed to splutter between giggles and even he couldn't fight the grin tugging at his mouth.

"Oh shut up, I'm not staying here to be laughed at." He stormed off out of the back door and I was still laughing a few minutes later.

Silence fell back over the room and I sighed lightly, only three more people to wake up now unless Lucy was asleep in a cupboard somewhere. I raised my cup to take a sip of the tea forgetting that it was in fact cold, as soon as the liquid touched my tongue I gagged and spat it back out.

"Bloody hell, why do I keep doing that?!" I said angrily, deciding it would be best to get rid of the drink to stop it happening again I tipped it down the sink and returned to my seat.

"What do you keep doing?" my newest company was Hugo, sleepily rubbing his eyes and trying in vain to smooth down his messy long hair.

"Drinking cold tea." I replied, he scrunched up his face in disgust and sat down in the chair both Emma and Teddy had previously occupied.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, not bothering to try and make out what the clock said.

"Just after twenty past nine." I told him, earning myself an unhappy groan.

"I need to go back to sleep." He complained, resting his head on the table.

"Then why don't you?" he opened one eye to look up at me.

"Mum's been going mad at me to revise for the exams, she said if I don't do it by the end of the week she's going to write to Sprout and have her revoke my captaincy." Hugo wouldn't do anything that might risk his position as Gryffindor's Quidditch captain; he loved to play too much.

"Surely she wouldn't really do that though, it sounds a bit harsh." Aunt Hermione could be strict but she was never mean, not really.

"Nah she probably wouldn't but I don't want to risk it." I smiled at him sympathetically as he heaved himself up out of the chair and staggered drowsily.

"Well, good luck revising." I tried to sound cheerful but failed miserably.

"Cheers, see you later Lils." After he'd left I made my way back upstairs and stopped outside James' bedroom. I stood in the doorway frowning and utterly confused as I stared at his empty bed.

"Where the heck did he go?" I said aloud to no one. A few minutes later I'd poked my head into every other room but there was still no sign of him, I gave up with a shrug and wandered into the bathroom.

I started to run a hot bath hoping the water might wake me up properly. I dragged my hair into a bun and secured it with a stray elastic band that was lying on the windowsill, shedding my borrowed clothes I sank into the water with a blissful sigh. My eyes closed off their accord and I reclined back, the hot water quickly got to work soothing my aching body and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

"I hope you're not picking up James' bad habits." The voice startled me out of my dozing state and I bolted up in the water clutching my knees to my chest. Scorpius was leaning against the door grinning.

"You scared me!" I gasped letting myself relax a bit.

"It's annoying enough having to put up with him falling asleep in the bath, I can't handle two of you doing it." he continued, I rolled my eyes and lay back.

"You really should knock or something when you come into a room."

"And you really should lock the door, or at least close it, if you plan on taking a bath." He retorted smugly. I turned my face away so he couldn't see my furious expression, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd won.

I heard movement nearby and turned back around to see him kneel down beside me. He was wearing just the trousers of his pyjamas; it seemed to be a bit of a habit of his, not that I was complaining after all it meant I got a better view. He dropped an arm into the water and stroked the back of his fingertips along my thigh making goosebumps prickle on my skin despite the temperature of the water.

"How come you're up so early?" he asked softly. I sighed and let my head fall back against the rim of the bath.

"I have no idea, I'm still so tired." I did seem to have stopped yawning though and that was definite progress.

"Hey Scor," I mumbled breaking the silence that had claimed us.

"Mmm?" his hand was still sweetly stroking my skin, he'd propped his other arm on the side of the bath and was resting his chin on it.

"Let's not do it on the floor again, my back is killing me." I grumbled and he started laughing.

"Yeah, I somehow got a carpet burn on my knee." He admitted. I lifted my head so that I could raise an eyebrow at him.

"Really?" I questioned, he nodded and adjusted his position so that he could hike up his trouser leg and show me.

"Ouch." I said sympathetically eyeing the rather nasty red graze.

He reached out and scooped up the soap off the side, I watched curiously as he dipped a sponge in the water and smothered it with the soap. He lifted my arm out of the water and gently rubbed circles on my skin with the lathered sponge, I said nothing but watched intently as he moved on to the next arm, his hands stroking over my wet skin as he worked.

With both arms done he rinsed the sponge and applied a new layer of soap before reaching into the deep water and skilfully lifting up one of my legs. He scrubbed each one clean while I watched, giggling when he playfully rubbed my toes making my ticklish body wriggle uncontrollably. When he moved to wipe the soap across my neck he faltered for a moment, the sponge forgotten about as his fingers glided softly across my skin until his lips came down onto mine in a lingering kiss that had my heart fluttering.

He stayed leaning over me as his hand reclaimed the sponge and resumed it's cleaning across my shoulders, his smouldering grey eyes never left mine as he slid the sponge lower and began to tease the soap across my chest. I wanted to look away, to blush with embarrassment and scoop the bubbles back to cover my modesty but I simply couldn't tear my eyes away, he held me trapped in his gaze.

He leant closer but his lips stayed out of kissing range, my breathing picked up and my chest rose and fell rapidly in anticipation, noticing the change his eyes dropped to my mouth freeing me of his hold but I no longer wanted to be free.

Painfully slowly he closed the tiny gap between us but still refused to kiss me, instead he dragged his lips across mine and eased my mouth open, his fingers slid back up to my neck leaving the sponge once again. My head fell back into his palm and then his lips roughly seized mine sweeping me into a deep frantic kiss, we were both panting breathlessly and when he broke away I had to clutch the rim of the bath to steady myself.

"I really should close the door." His voice was husky and seriously sexy.

"We're the only ones in." I managed to reply, he frowned thoughtfully for a few seconds and then a playful grin spread across his face.

"Then we should take full advantage of that." He stood up and offered me his hands, I let him pull me up out of the water and wrap a towel around me before scooping me up into his arms and marching me off towards the bedroom while I giggled wildly.

He tossed me down on the bed and dived on top of me making me shriek with laughter, his lips started to devour the skin of my neck, biting teasingly and tickling me like mad. I wrapped my legs around him as our lips met in a full kiss, my hair was falling out of its bun and sticking to my damp skin but I hardly noticed. Scorpius' hand moved to tug my towel loose but a peculiar stirring sound snapped our attention to the doorway and we both froze as a silver spaniel bounded into the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. Suddenly it spoke and Al's voice rang out breaking the silence.

"Scorpius, mate, I need help. Come to Chetwood, look for the signal." The patronus faded once its message was delivered but Scorpius and I continued to stare at the spot where it'd stood. We were both shocked beyond belief. Slowly we looked back at each other and the situation started to sink in. Scorpius leapt off me and I scrambled off the bed.

"What the hell has he gotten himself into?" he hissed angrily as he snatched some random clothes out of his drawer. I was still reeling from it all and didn't even notice as he shed his only piece of clothing and dragged on the jeans and jumper.

"How will you find him? I mean this Chetwood place could be huge!" finally my voice worked again, Scorpius rushed past me to the dresser where his wand sat.

"He'll send up the signal, it'll be easy to see." He told me as he shoved the weapon into his pocket and moved towards the door.

"What the hell is this signal?" I demanded feeling like I was missing something important. He sighed heavily and turned to face me.

"When we were younger me and Al used to go wandering about the forbidden forest at night, we agreed that if we ever got separated we'd just use the Periculum spell to find each other again." I stared at him for a few seconds, my eyes wide with shock and horror.

"You two used to sneak into the forbidden forest? Scorpius are you crazy, you could have been killed!"

"Look you can get mad at me later ok, right now I need to go find your brother." I snapped my mouth closed and scowled.

"Fine, give me a second to find some clothes." I made to walk past him to retrieve my discarded clothing from the bathroom but he caught my arm stopping me.

"No Lily, you need to stay here."

"You can't be serious? I'm not letting you go alone, what if something happens to you!"

"I'll be fine, you need to stay here and get some stuff ready in case he's injured, even just some clean clothes would help." I sighed knowing no matter how hard I argued he wouldn't budge on this.

"Should I tell the others?" I asked but he shook his head.

"No, not yet, let's see what's happened first. You wouldn't want your whole family waiting for you if you'd messed something up like this."

"Fine, but he's got to face them sometime. They won't be happy."

"I know, but let's just get him home first ok."

"Please be careful." I begged in little more than a whisper. I couldn't help my eyes from tearing up and looked down to hide it. His hand came up to lift my chin so that he could place a tender kiss on my lips.

"I'll be back soon ok. I love you." I managed a weak nod and quickly gave him another kiss.

"I love you too. Please hurry, I'll be worried sick."

"I will." He released me and apparated from the room with a loud pop leaving me behind feeling empty and scared.

* * *

Remembering what he'd said to me I kicked into action and hurriedly dressed back into Scorpius' shorts and t-shirt. I raced around the house gathering up anything I thought might be useful for when they returned and set it all out in Al's room ready. I lined up a row of potions for illnesses and infections, some bandages and Dittany sat next to a bowl of hot water and beside them was a small book where we'd written down all our known healing charms.

When they still weren't back I started to bring more things up, I piled some sandwiches onto a plate next to a glass of water in case he hadn't eaten and laid out some fresh clothes on the chair. Over an hour later and there was still no sign of them. I started pacing back and forth furiously biting my lip and worrying myself to within an inch of my sanity. God what if Scorpius was hurt? I was seriously considering going after him just in case when a loud sound in the hallway followed by a thud had me flying from the room.

"Oh my god!" I cried as my eyes landed on the two men sprawled on the floor. It was the first time I'd seen my brother in over a month but my selfish eyes flew straight to the man I loved and I almost wept when I saw him. His normally pearl white skin was filthy and caked in mud and blood, his face and arms were scratched and deeply cut and he was soaking wet.

"Scorpius…" his name came out as a strangled little whisper and I rushed to his side.

"Help me get him to the bed." He instructed. I turned my attention to the other male, my stupid older brother who was currently clinging to Scorpius for support. We exchanged no greetings or smiles as I flung his free arm around my shoulders and we struggled to support him as he walked. Moments later we reached his bedside and he collapsed onto the mattress with an agonised groan.

Now that he was lying down I could see him better, his hair was longer and looked unwashed and matted. His face was sunken like he hadn't been eating properly and he was as filthy as Scorpius. Thick unshaven stubble darkened his cheeks and jaw, dark circles shadowed his eyes from lack of sleep and his familiar clothes were torn and muddied.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded. Al winced from my tone and looked over at Scorpius who was leaning on a cupboard for support and trying to catch his breath.

"You tell her, it's your mess." He said breathlessly, Al groaned and tried to heave himself into a sitting position.

"This morning I saw James looking for me, he walked right past the tent I was staying in but luckily my charms kept it hidden. It scared me though, I was worried he would sense something or detect the spells and so I took off." He paused to take a steadying breath. That explained James' disappearance this morning, he probably felt guilty that nobody went to look for him yesterday because of my birthday and decided to make up for lost time.

"I ended up on some private property but I didn't realise until it was too late, it belonged to some locals, tough looking guys. They thought I was trying to steal stuff and wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain, next thing I know I'm being chased by these two maniacs armed with rifles." I gasped sharply and he nodded grimly.

"God they didn't shoot you did they?"

"No, came damn close though." To prove his point he pulled up his left trouser leg enough to show me a bleeding gash where a bullet had clearly clipped the skin.

"I managed to lose them and tried to apparate away but another shot distracted me and I didn't concentrate enough, I landed badly and managed to splinch myself." He pointed to his left ear where a strip was missing from top to bottom. I cringed away and stared at him completely horrified.

"It gets worse." He warned me. "Somehow the gits managed to find me, they started chasing me through the forest but I'd done my ankle in from the bad landing. I stepped a bit close to top of the riverbank and it gave way, sent me flying towards the river."

"That's where I found him clinging to an overhanging branch to stop the current dragging him off." Scorpius interjected, he'd managed to catch his breath now. That explained why they were both dripping wet but it didn't explain the cuts and mud.

"Then what happened?" I prompted, they exchanged a nervous glance and I sighed impatiently.

"They spotted us, down in the water, started shooting at us again. We took off into the forest but I could hardly walk let alone run, even with Scor helping me."

"Why didn't you just apparate away?" I asked, interrupting their story.

"I left a ton of money back in the tent; I had to go back for it." I rolled my eyes at my forgetful brother and nodded signalling for them to carry on.

"As soon as I had it we got the hell out of there." He told me, drawing his dramatic tale to an end. For a long while we were silent, I didn't have a clue what to say or do, it all seemed so surreal having him back. I sighed heavily and surveyed the damage, the branches in the forest must be what had caused the many scrapes and cuts littering his skin and the riverbank was definitely the source of the thick mud.

"I'd better get you cleaned up." I mumbled, taking a few necessary items from what I'd laid out and getting to work. Most of his cuts, the splinched ear and the wound from the stray bullet were healed by the Dittany but I needed some charms to repair a few broken toes, a sprained ankle and a rib he cracked from falling down the riverbank. After I cleaned off the last of the blood and wrapped a thick bandage around his ankle to support it I stood up and pointed to the clean clothes.

"You should get washed and changed, you look like you could use a bit of decent rest." He frowned at my vacant tone but nodded obediently.

"There's a bit of food there too in case you're hungry, I'll get you something bigger later." His gaze moved to the plate of sandwiches and I gathered up the last of the first-aid items off the bed.

"Try and rest your ankle, it'll heal faster then. I can't do anything about the bruising or the missing piece of ear but at least I stopped the bleeding." I turned to leave but he caught my arm and pulled me back. Scorpius had left a while ago to get washed and changed so we were alone.

"Lily I'm so sorry, I can tell you're mad at me." his pleading green eyes pierced right through to my heart but I ignored the dull ache it caused.

"We'll talk about this later, I need to tend to Scor." But he didn't release his grip on my arm.

"Please, forgive me." he said quietly, I was already fighting back the tears and his agonised voice weighed down on me like the weight of the earth. Setting aside my anger about what he'd done to us all by leaving I reached out and gave him a hug. His arms locked around my waist instantly and he clutched me to his chest, I felt another stab at my heart as he let out a pained sob burying his head in my hair. He might've been a great idiot for leaving like he did but it'd obviously had an effect on him, he was a wreck.

"Thank you, for looking after me." his voice was somewhat muffled by my hair.

"Just don't leave again ok." I replied firmly, I felt him nod.

"I missed you Lils." He said tearfully as he pulled back from my embrace to look me in the eye.

"Me too, now get some rest, you'll have to face the others soon." He hung his head miserably but nodded. I left the room closing the door behind me and rushed to find Scorpius.

My boyfriend was sitting on the edge of the bed, leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He lifted his head slightly as I entered and I knelt in front of him. He'd showered and changed into a fresh pair of jeans but left his top off giving me access to the grazes and cuts dotting his muscular chest. Wordlessly I started to apply the Dittany, dabbing it gently and trying not to hurt him, I saw his face scrunch up as the stinging crept on but he didn't make a sound.

I cleaned up the last cut wiping the little trickle of blood from his cheek, I withdrew my hand but he caught it in his own, our eyes met as I looked up at him curiously. He pulled on my arm until I stood up and then he drew me onto his lap cupping my face in his hands and looking at me with the oddest expression. Before I could ask what was wrong he was kissing me, a slow and serious kiss that told me how scared he'd been that he might lose me if one of those bullets had hit.

* * *

Al slept for hours without stirring, I popped my head around the door occasionally to check on him but he barely moved. He must've been utterly exhausted. I wanted to tell my parents that he was back but I knew he needed to rest first and so I waited.

"Stop worrying, he's ok." Scorpius said softly, he came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist. I nodded and gave the curry I was making another stir, it hissed appreciatively and started bubbling gently.

"Next time you're not leaving me behind." I told him.

"There wont be a next time Lils." He assured me, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.

"Is that food I smell?" Al's voice came drifting down the stairs and I laughed despite myself.

"I see he hasn't changed." I muttered shaking my head.

"Did you really think he would?" Scorpius asked sceptically, I laughed and piled some curry and rice onto a plate for my hungry brother. We found him sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing his tired eyes.

"Crikey I am starving." I handed him the plate and a fork, within seconds he was shovelling the food into his mouth not even flinching at how searing hot it was.

"What have you been eating out there? You're so skinny now." his usually tight t-shirt hung loosely off his shoulders and it was impossible not to notice how his collarbone jutted out more. He gave me an apologetic look, silently pleading with me to forgive him and I sighed.

"Mum is going to kill you." I said flatly. I perched on the edge of the bed beside him while he ate and Scorpius took up his favourite position leant on the doorframe.

"Do you think there's any chance she'll just be happy to see me and forget to be mad?" my outburst of laughter sounded a bit harsh and he cringed.

"No, not even a tiny chance Al." he sighed and set his empty plate down on the bed.

"Why did you do it?" I asked bluntly. Cautiously his green eyes rose to meet my brown ones and he frowned.

"You'll think it's stupid." He mumbled, looking rather embarrassed.

"I already think it was stupid, whatever the reason." I replied hollowly. He sighed and hung his head.

"It's just that, well things started to drag me down, like…" he broke off as we heard movement downstairs. All three of us turned our gaze to the door and footsteps sounded from the stairs.

"Lily?" the instant I heard that voice my heart sank and I saw the horror wash over Al's face.

"Oh no." I whispered frantically trying to think of a way to hide him or anything that might delay this situation but it was no use, there wasn't enough time. Scorpius moved to block Emma's path as she reached the doorway but it wouldn't keep her out for long.

"There you are, it's three o'clock, you didn't forget about Firkins did you?" she called, trying to see past Scorpius or move him out of the way.

"Uh no I didn't, why don't you head downstairs. I'll be ready in a sec." in my mind I was begging her to do it, to just ignore the rising sense of curiosity she would feel.

"Why are you in here? What's going on?" Damn, she wasn't going to. Al was frozen to the spot looking as if he'd forgotten how to breathe, or blink. Within seconds Emma had shoved past Scorpius and stumbled into the room, her eyes flew instantly to the third occupant and I heard her sharp gasp.

"You." She blurted out. Cautiously, almost fearfully, Al raised his eyes to look at her. The tension was so thick it felt like I was suffocating. Shakily Al rose to his feet and turned to face her, I could see her watery eyes taking in his gaunt appearance and the dark rings around his eyes.

I don't know why he did it or why he thought it would be a good idea but my stupid brother walked towards her, his strides were wobbly and deliberate giving her plenty of time to stop him or back away but she was frozen. He stopped right in front of her and waited, a long shuddering breath ripped through her lips that she'd been holding in.

I heard the sharp crack of her hand impacting with his skin before I saw it happen. Scorpius and I both flinched as the sound of the slap echoed around the room. Al bore the pain bravely and turned his face back to look at her, a burning red mark in the shape of Emma's hand was beginning to show up on his cheek and it looked shockingly painful. She was trembling, her chest quivering with each shaky breath.

"You…idiot." She managed to splutter, gasping tearfully and bringing up her fist to pound on his chest angrily.

"You stupid…great…big idiot…" Each word was punctuated by another smack on his chest but Al didn't back away, he didn't try to stop her or argue. He just stood still and calmly wrapped his arms around her, shockingly she didn't protest or shove him off, she melted against his body and clung to him as she fought against her tears. I remembered her saying that she wouldn't cry over him again and that was the only thing keeping her from sobbing helplessly into his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other until she calmed down and her anger subsided. I felt like I should leave, that Scorpius and I should give them some privacy but I was afraid that any movement might ruin their moment. He was stroking her hair tenderly, lifting up strands in his fingers to admire the golden colour.

"I'm so sorry Emma." He whispered. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with big sad blue eyes.

"Sorry isn't enough." Her voice trembled weakly and she moved to pull away but his arms tightened around her locking her against his chest.

"Then how about I love you?" his tone was deadly serious and she froze again.

"What?"

"I, Albus Potter, love you Emma Longbottom." I saw the flush of pleasure that shot through her but she pushed it away quickly and shook her head.

"No you don't, you just feel guilty." She tried to push away from his arms but he just dragged her back.

"I do feel guilty but that doesn't mean I don't love you." He told her firmly, she tried to wriggle free again shaking her head violently.

"Stop saying that, it's not true." This time he grabbed her wrists and pulled her right up to his face.

"Yes it is. I was too scared to say it before but I'm not now." she stared at him for five long and painful seconds and then finally found what she wanted to say.

"You broke my heart." I saw the regret and the sadness flicker behind his eyes before it was replaced by determination.

"I know, but I'll fix it if you let me. I promise." Another tense silence dragged on until her eyes fell on the red palm mark on his cheek.

"I'm sorry I hit you." She whispered. His hands which had been tightly holding her wrists up suddenly released.

"I'm sorry I left you." He replied quietly. Their eyes locked in an intense moment and then he was kissing her. A wild and desperate kiss as they both poured in the weeks of missing each other and years of wanting each other. I don't know why my eyes were brimming with tears but I knew they were happy ones. I smiled at the sweet sight of them together and slipped by to leave them alone. Scorpius followed me and gently took my hand as we walked back to our room.

"Do you think she'll forgive him?" he asked as we both collapsed back onto the springy mattress.

"She already has." I told him with a little smile. He grinned back at me and shifted so he could pull me against his side. I let my head rest on his chest and sighed.

"This is way too much drama for me." I grumbled, his chest shook as he laughed and he comfortingly stroked my hair.

"Well be prepared, the worst is yet to come." His warning prompted a miserable groan from me and he laughed again.

"God you're right, we've got to deal with mum next." This was not going to be easy.


	13. Fear makes people Crazy

_[I did a quick edit on this chapter after posting it to add a little more to Ginny's reaction, some people have commented that it was a bit short and so I've extended it a little more.]_

_I know this chapter is late and I'm horrible for making you wait longer but in my defence it was my pub manager's fault! She gave me a stupid combination of shifts over the past few days. I had one that ran into the early hours and I got home at 2am, then I had to be back in at midday the next day until late at night and afterwards I had a 6am start…seriously I hardly had enough time to eat and sleep! Crazy woman!_

_Okies back to business, here is the next chapter. Thank you all so much for you fantastic reviews, I hope you like it!_

Chapter thirteen – Fear makes people Crazy

The trip to Firkins bakery was entirely forgotten about and truthfully I was quite relieved, today had been overly stressful and I was glad of the prospect of a nice quiet night. On my return from the bathroom I happened to glance into Al's room and saw the pair lying on the bed together, he had his arm around her lovingly and she was idly playing with the hem of his t-shirt. Occasionally he leant over to press a kiss to her forehead.

I rejoined Scorpius on our own bed and he quickly retook my hand lacing our fingers together tightly. We both gazed up through the skylight at the darkening sky above, night was creeping in and you could just see the stars starting to twinkle. I've always loved the stars. I thought back to that night years ago when Scorpius and I had childishly wished upon these same stars, turning my head to look at him I could already feel the belief building inside of me that they did grant wishes after all. I had wished for him to never stop loving me and now, two years on, he still did. I could only continue to hope that he wouldn't stop. Feeling my gaze he turned his head to lock eyes with me, for a long moment he just gazed at me affectionately.

"Do you remember our wishes?" he murmured quietly. If the moment hadn't been so serious I might've laughed and accused him of reading my mind.

"I was just thinking about that." I admitted, feeling myself blush.

"Has yours come true yet?" I pursed my lips thoughtfully and finally shook my head.

"Not entirely, it's not really a wish that can come true in such little time." His brow furrowed thoughtfully for a few seconds before smoothing out again and I decided to return the question.

"What about yours? Have they granted your wish yet?" he gave me the oddest smile, it was beautiful, as all of his smiles were, but it was one I'd never seen before.

"Not yet, but I won't have to wait long to find out." He replied vaguely, I frowned at him in bewilderment but decided it was best not to pry. I doubted he would tell me more anyway even if I did ask. We both turned back to gazing up at the sky.

"You know when we get our own house I think I'd like a balcony, just a little one so that I can sit outside and watch the sunset and the stars." I mused thoughtfully. Scorpius turned his head back to face me and raised his smooth blonde eyebrows.

"Oh we're getting our own house are we?" he repeated questionably. I scowled at his playful aloofness.

"Well I'm not living with my brothers for the rest of my life." I said rather huffily. He hummed thoughtfully.

"Think of how much time alone we'd have…" he muttered slyly, I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all you think about Scorpius Malfoy?"

"It's hard not to when you look so bloody sexy all the time." I snorted in disbelief earning myself a scowl off him.

"I do not look sexy." I argued flatly. I wasn't seeking compliments or just trying to get him to say it again; I genuinely believed he was mad – or just blind. Ok so I wasn't what you'd call ugly but there was no way I was anywhere near sexy.

"No you're right; sexy is far too bland to describe how you look. You're…exquisite." I stared at him in shock but his steady gaze never faltered, there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

"You don't realise how beautiful you are Lily." He said softly, reaching out with the hand not currently holding mine to brush his fingertips across my cheek.

"Wait here." He instructed before releasing my hand and rolling off the bed. I watched him as he cleared off his reading chair and dragged it over to the large window, after positioning it specially he nodded and hurried back to my bedside. I didn't say a word as he took my hands and pulled me off the bed. He led me to the chair and sat down drawing me onto his lap.

"What are we…?" I started to ask what he was doing but he interrupted me by pointing up at the window and my voice trailed off as I saw the view. From where he'd sat the chair we could see the vast sky stretching out to the horizon and glittering like it was strewn with fairy lights, I gasped softly and stared out with wide admiring eyes.

"I know it's not a balcony but I'll need a bit more time for that one." I turned to him smiling broadly and snuggled down more in his lap.

"Who needs a balcony when I can sit here with you?" I nestled my head into the crook of his neck and gazed out of the window silently. The sound of our rhythmic breathing was the most calming sound I'd ever heard, hours could have been passing us by and I wouldn't even notice. Scorpius' touch on my palm startled me out of my daydreaming state. His fingers slid across my skin and came to rest on the silver promise ring sat firmly on my ring finger. His expression was unreadable as he stroked the little piece of jewellery.

"What are you thinking?" I whispered. A small smile tugged at his lips but he shook his head.

"Nothing." I knew he was lying but pressing the subject would only ruin the mood and I was far too content at the moment to risk that, so I clamped my mouth shut and put it to the back of my mind for another time.

"Lily?" Emma's voice drifted over to us from the doorway and I sat up straighter to look over at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She said quickly, turning a bit pink from embarrassment.

"Oh no, you didn't. What's up?"

"Um, Al asked me to come and get you, he has a late birthday present for you." My eyebrows arched up at her words. That was the last thing I was expecting.

"Oh…right, um, yeah I'll be right there." I scrambled off Scorpius' lap still feeling a bit confused.

"I'm going to pop back home to see if it's ok for me to stay here tonight." She blushed again and shuffled her feet shyly. I couldn't help but smile, I was thrilled beyond words that she and Al were finally a couple and despite her embarrassment about being in the spotlight I could see the happiness burning within her shining blue eyes.

"Ok, you might want to bring some fresh clothes for tomorrow, I always seem to forget." I deliberately pointed down at my attire to prove the point and she giggled. I had to admit though that Scorpius' clothes were much more comfortable than most of my own and I did secretly like to wear them.

"I'll be back in a bit." I told Scorpius, he nodded and pressed a quick kiss to the back of my hand. I caught Emma smiling at the gesture but decided not to say anything.

Al was still lounging lazily on his bed when we entered, except this time there was also a wrapped gift with him. He sat up when he saw us and shot Emma a ridiculously big smile refreshing the blush on her cheeks.

"What's this about a late birthday present then?" I said jokingly trying to break the silence.

"Well you didn't think I'd forgot just because I was out of the country did you?" he flashed me one of his all too familiar cheeky grins and tossed me the present, which I only just about managed to catch thanks to my complete lack of coordination.

"Um, I'm gonna leave you to it. I should be back soon." Emma announced shyly from the doorway. Al climbed off the bed and walked over to her limping slightly on his bad ankle, he took her face in his hands and gave her a quick kiss making her blush deepen.

"Bye." He breathed, unable to keep the huge smile off his face.

"Bye." She replied dreamily, and she too couldn't seem to stop grinning. It was so sickeningly sweet that I just wanted to grab them both in a hug.

When Emma had left, my brother hobbled back to sit on the bed wearing a distant expression and his now permanent soppy smile, I eyed him with raised eyebrows until he met my gaze and straightened out his face.

"What? You looked worse when you and Scor first got together." He snapped defensively and I just giggled.

"I'm so happy for you both, and so relieved! This is way overdue, you do realise that don't you?" he rolled his eyes and reclined back to get more comfortable.

"Stop talking and open the present or I'll take it back." I scowled and stuck my tongue out at him childishly, to which he just rolled his eyes yet again. I did as he asked though and ripped off the wrapping to uncover a large glass paperweight, inside was a beautiful red lily.

"Oh Al, its beautiful…"

"I know you probably won't use it but I thought you might like it anyway. It reminded me of you." I gave him a tearful smile of thanks.

"I love it! Thanks." he gave me a rather awkward hug and I perched down on the bed beside him.

"Will you tell me why you did it? Please." I asked cautiously, he sighed and raked his hands through his hair.

"I suppose I have to tell people eventually, can't avoid the question forever." He mumbled miserably and I gave him a sympathetic look.

"Nope, time to face the music."

"It's going to sound stupid." He warned. I shrugged.

"I don't care."

"Ok, uh…well I guess it kind of started when I left Hogwarts. I didn't really know what to do with myself, with my life. Scor went off to work with his dad and James was busy with his Auror training but I had nothing."

"But that's normal, not everyone knows what to do as soon as they leave school."

"I know and I told myself that every time I felt down about it, but then it changed, I wasn't just out of school anymore. Months were ticking by and I still had no direction, not even an inclination of where I was going. We'd just taken on this place and I started worrying about where I was going to get the rent from."

"But James and Scor would've helped until you got on your feet."

"Yeah they offered to and they did for a while but I hated it Lils, I hated depending on them like I had to depend on mum and dad. I wanted to be like them, grown up and independent, I wanted to feel like an adult and not like a child still."

"So you left?" it didn't make any sense to me, how would taking off to Canada solve any of that? He shook his head vigorously and dragged a hand over his tired face.

"No, I decided to go looking for some temporary work; you know anything that paid, just until I got my head straight. But then I went and screwed it all up didn't I?"

"I don't understand…"

"The day you guys went back to Hogwarts, I kissed Emma…" I was frowning so hard that my forehead was aching. I just didn't see what the big problem was.

"So? You've liked her for years and she clearly like you too, I don't see a problem there." He was getting frustrated, I could see it.

"Of course there's a problem, I bloody love her!" he practically shouted.

"Then what the hell is wrong with kissing her?"

"Don't you see? I don't want to be some casual boyfriend who she dates for a few months, or a year, and then breaks up with to move on. I wanted to be permanent. I wanted us to have what you and Scor have." The way his voice quietened for the last part tugged at my heart and I reached out to touch his knee soothingly.

"I didn't have anything to offer her Lily. No job, living in a house paid for by my brother and my best mate, no prospects for the future. What kind of life could I give her?" his emerald eyes were filled with agony as his gaze turned on me and I longed to comfort him.

"You don't have to worry about any of that yet Al, you're still young, you've got years to get things sorted for your future."

"Maybe, but I wanted her to know that I was serious, that I wasn't just planning on dating her for a while until I got my life on track."

"You could've just told her that, Emma's the most understanding person I know, she would've believed you. Besides, she's waited years for you to make a move; you don't really think she'd break up with you a few months down the line do you?"

"I dunno my head was messed up at the time. It all just got too much for me, the panic about finding a career and getting some sort of foundation for my future down and then all the worrying about being a crap boyfriend for Emma, I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to get away from it all." We both sighed in unison and he buried his face in his hands.

"You're right, that did sound stupid." I said finally, his head snapped up and he gave me a sly grin.

"We're all scared of the future Al, you can sit there and think that I have all mine worked out but you're wrong. I don't have a clue what I'm going to do after Hogwarts and I have the constant fear eating away at me that Scorpius might wake up one day and realise he could do so much better than me." Al cast me a very disbelieving look and then shook his head.

"Lils the guy worships the ground you walk on, he's not about to snap out of that and walk away."

"You can't say for sure!" I cried trying to defend my fears.

"Yes I can. Look at the hell he went through just to be with you and now, years later, he still stares at you like you're made of gold." A tiny smile crept onto my face and he nudged me playfully.

"Trust me, I know guys, and that one is completely hooked on you – permanently."

"Yes well I know girls, and Emma won't care if you never get a job and you live with James for the rest of your life, as long as you love her." His cheeks turned faintly pink and he looked away to hide it.

"I'm going to get myself sorted, not just for her but for me too."

"Just promise me one thing please." He looked back at me frowning curiously.

"What?"

"Don't leave her again, you practically broke her heart." I could see his agony from knowing he caused her pain but he nodded firmly.

"I promise." We smiled at each other and Scorpius appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, hi, how long have you been stood there?" oddly he didn't meet my gaze as I asked my question, his looked right at Al who was looking back with the same odd expression.

"Not long, can I have a word with Al please?" I looked from him to my brother and back again curiously eyeing their equally bizarre expression. They were both deadly serious and looked as if they were having some kind of unspoken conversation.

"As in, a private word?" I already knew the answer but I asked anyway in the hopes that it might break their unusual stare. It didn't. Scorpius nodded simply without glancing my way, frowning I got up and left. I waited for the door to close and then tiptoed back to press my ear to the door, just in time to hear Scorpius cast a Muffliato charm. My ears were quickly filled with an unidentifiable and highly annoying buzzing putting a stop to any hopes I had of overhearing their private conversation.

* * *

I was sat on the bed impatiently tapping my foot when Scorpius returned, I raised my head all prepared to release a powerful interrogation on him but fell short when I saw his expression. He was smiling wider than I'd ever seen. His whole face seemed to radiate happiness like a strange aura. When he lifted his grey eyes to meet my gaze I was startled by how brightly they shone. What the hell had they been talking about to cause this kind of reaction?

"What's made you so happy?" I asked in a rather confused tone. He ignored my question and walked straight over to me, only stopping his radiant smiling when he pulled me up off the bed and into a deep and passionate kiss. I was completely caught off guard and also entirely confused.

"What's going on?" I stammered breathlessly once his hold on my lips had released. He grinned down at me looking intently at my hair as he wrapped a strand around his finger.

"Nothing, don't worry sweetheart." He told me with a vague and uncharacteristically dreamy expression. I wasn't worried; I was bloody confused beyond belief!

"Scorpius I don't understand what…" my sentence was cut short by the distinct sound of someone apparating downstairs. Panic flurried in my stomach and we exchanged a worried glance.

"And it begins." Scorpius murmured seconds before my oldest brothers' voice drifted up the stairs.

"What the hell Lily, you made food and didn't save me any? Bloody charming that is." His words were accompanied by the sound of his feet hitting the stairs. I hurried out into the hall to meet him with Scorpius hot on my heels.

"Why do you look so flustered?" he questioned suspiciously while surveying us both through narrowed eyes.

"I don't!" I blurted hastily and he screwed up his face.  
"Ugh you two weren't frolicking again were you?" I gaped at him in a mix of shock and fury.

"No we weren't smartass, and who seriously uses the word frolicking these days?" he raised his eyebrows and let out a low whistle.

"Oooh ok Lils, calm down. Someone's a bit snappy today."

"I am not snappy."

"Oh I get it, it's that time of the month again right?" I growled angrily and hit him on the arm as hard as I could. He recoiled frantically rubbing his sore arm and muttering about how abusive I was.

"You're a right moody cow, you know that?" he snapped childishly. I let out a cackle of a laugh and cocked an eyebrow.

"You're a right prat, did you know that?" hands on hips I leant towards him aggressively and he reached up to jab a finger into my shoulder. His mouth opened to mutter a smartass reply but someone beat him to it.

"You two are worse than a pair of bickering kids." Al was stood casually in the door, arms folded and a completely relaxed expression on his face.

"You stay out of this." James told his brother sharply. He quickly turned his gaze back to me and I raised my eyebrows, did he realise who he'd just spoken to?

"Lily Potter, may I remind you that…" he broke off abruptly and whirled to face Al. I rolled my eyes at his delayed reaction and waited for the shock to wear off. He looked utterly gob smacked. He stood with bulging eyes and a gaping mouth which kept opening and closing like a fish unable to form actual words.

"Do you think he's ok?" Al muttered out the side of his mouth, casting me a quick glance and I shrugged.

"Give him a minute, his brain works slower than ours." That snapped him out of it. After sending me a furious glare he titled his head and eyed his brother strangely.

"Bloody hell you're really back." He finally managed to blurt out. Al took a moment to look down at his own body questionably and then nodded.

"I don't look like an illusion so I'd say so, yes." His lips twitched into a sarcastic grin and James' mirrored the action. They looked at each other seriously for a moment and then, in an action so startling it made me jump back into Scorpius, James let out a loud cheer and the two launched at each other into a violent hug. Laughing like a pair of fools they slapped each other on the back and James roughly ruffled Al's hair.

"About bloody time too, if I had to spend another night clambering through Canadian forests I think I might've just declared myself insane and gotten admitted to St Mungo's." James announced dramatically. Al winced apologetically and scratched at his neck anxiously.

"It was that bad huh?"

"Bad doesn't even come close mate, mum has been going crazy and I mean completely off her rocker."

"She's going to kill me." Al grumbled, hanging his head miserably. James gave him a not-so-reassuring pat on the back.

"It'll be more like a massacre." He corrected with an evil grin and Al groaned again.

"How long do you think I can go before I actually have to tell her?" Now was definitely the time for me to interrupt.

"You've left it long enough Al. She's been worried sick for over a month; don't you think she at least deserves to know you're not lying in a river somewhere?" I said hotly, immediately regretting my harsh tone. He sighed and slumped against the doorframe.

"You're right Lils, it's not fair on her or dad."

"I'm going to go and tell them before they leave to look for you again." I told him quietly. His scared green eyes looked up at me and I felt a pang of guilt, it had to be done though.

"Yeah, ok." He agreed reluctantly.

"Uh, I'm gonna head back to my room and stay out of the battle zone." Scorpius piped up.

"You don't have to leave mate, you're basically family too, feel free to hang around and watch Al being reduced to his five year old self again." Mum always had a way of making you feel like that, she rarely yelled but she would scold you in this tone that just made you revert back to being a little kid, making you hang your head in shame and mumble inaudible apologies while fighting back tears. It was the guilt that did it, you felt so completely awful for behaving in a way that was shocking enough to warrant her using 'the tone.'

"Nah really, I've had enough drama lately. I've got some stuff to do for work anyway." Scorpius continued, politely declining James' offer.

"Oh yeah, why aren't you at work?" Al interrupted rudely. I shot him a scolding glare but he ignored me, as usual.

"Oh they gave me the week off, on account of Lily being home." This news shocked me. Of course I'd noticed that he hadn't been at work but I hadn't really bothered to put much thought into why.

"That was nice, your boss must be a pushover."

"Hardly, he's just sick of me talking about her."

"Still, a week off is pretty sweet."

"I'm not getting paid for it."

"Ok not so sweet then." We all laughed and then as expected the atmosphere quickly turned serious again.

"Right I'll catch up with you guys later." Scorpius gave me a quick kiss and then left the hallway.

"Come on bro, I want to know what the hell dragged your skinny ass back home." James flung an arm around his younger brother's shoulder and steered him towards his bedroom.

"Talk quickly, I'd wager you have about thirty seconds after I leave." I warned them before making my way downstairs and to the fireplace to floo home.

* * *

I arrived just in time. My parents were already in their coats and preparing to leave on another searching trip. Mum looked surprised to see me but as soon as she saw my expression the surprise melted away into worry.

"Lily, what is it? What's wrong?" she urged frantically. I took a deep breath to brace myself and then broke the news.

"Al's back mum. He got into a bit of trouble and sent a patronus to Scorpius for help. He's back at the cottage." Her face drained of every drop of colour. She glanced quickly at dad who looked equally as shocked and then suddenly swept into action. She rushed over to me and seized my arm, the next second we were apparating and, as I expected, arrived in the cottage kitchen. Dad appeared with a loud pop not long after us but mum was already marching up the stairs.

She burst into Al's bedroom with such force that the door crashed into the wall with a sickening bang, the laughter my brothers had been sharing quickly faded and they both sprang off the bed. Seeing mum's furious expression James quickly backed away.

"Mum, uh…please, just let me explain before you…" but Al's argument was too little, too late. Our mother had already marched across the room and given him a sharp smack around the head silencing his plea and leaving him rubbing the sore spot.

"Do you have ANY idea what you've put me through this past month?" she shouted shrilly. Al cringed back, scared by her anger and worried about what else was to come.

"Mum I'm…"

"I have been worried to death! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ALBUS!" Having heard the commotion Scorpius appeared in the doorway beside me and his eyes quickly doubled in size as he witnessed my mother's outrage.

"One letter – that is all you bothered to send us, one! We were left without a clue as to where the hell you were. Do you realise that we have been scouring every inch of that bloody country for you?"

"I'm sorry." He mumbled pathetically, his head was bowed and his voice wobbled as a result of his unshed tears.

"Of all the ridiculous things you and James have done growing up this HAS to be the worst! Did you even stop to think about how dangerous it could be?" her tone was growing more and more furious by the second.

"I know I was stupid mum." He didn't even bother replying to her question but she knew what the answer was anyway.

"Stupid doesn't even come close Albus, I know you and your brother have always had a tendency to do idiotic things but I thought we'd at least managed to drill in some common sense."

"You did." He said quickly, not wanting her to blame herself or dad for his actions.

"Then where the hell was it when you decided to up and leave?"

"I don't know." He mumbled almost inaudibly. She sighed angrily and raked back her hair.

"I just cannot believe you did it, all those years I thought you were the responsible one of my sons…"

"Hey!" James piped up looking rather insulted. Mum shot him a glare that silenced any further argument he had.

"But then you go and do this, how could you be so irresponsible? You had me worried sick thinking that my son could have been killed lord knows where in the world and I would never even find out!" she was shouting again now, her face red from anger and frustration.

"What am I supposed to say mum? There's nothing that I can tell you to make it better." I could tell he was getting annoyed but she had every right to be mad at him.

"I don't want you to make it better; I wish you'd never caused the problem in the first place! You have no idea what impact it had on our lives, we spent every spare second searching high and low for you, your father had to have time off work and James has missed training sessions that he has to retake if he wants to qualify as an Auror."

"I'm sorry, ok, I know I messed up big time but I can't do anything about it now so shouting at me all night isn't going to help!"

"If you ever do anything like that again Albus Potter I swear I'll…" but she couldn't seem to think of anything terrible enough, she just let out a frustrated growl and threw her hands into her hair pushing it back off her face roughly.

"I won't, I promise. Please forgive me mum." Al assured her, keeping his head down still from the shame. I saw her expression visibly soften as the realisation that her son was home safe started to sink in. Mum had always been a tough cookie, I could count the amount of times I'd seen her cry on my hand. She was always so strong, but I suppose fearing for your sons life was enough to break down even the strongest walls and I could see the cracks beginning to show in hers.

Her eyes suddenly welled with tears and she let out huge breath of relief. His head lifted slightly, hopeful that the sound meant her anger had passed and she scooped him into a bone crushing hug. Her shaking hands clutched at him needing proof that he was solid and real, that all of this wasn't some cruel illusion. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks but she didn't seem to care, she pulled back and looked at him properly for the first time since his return.

"You're practically skin and bone! You told me you'd been eating properly." Her words were thick with disappointment and concern. Al hung his head again guiltily and tugged the jacket he was wearing tighter around him.

"I know, I lied, but I only did it because I knew you'd be panicking and I didn't want you to." Luckily for him mum was still too relieved to be angry again. She turned her serious gaze to James who was lurking in the corner and keeping quiet.

"Make sure he starts eating well." She said sternly. My red-haired brother nodded obediently and her attention shifted back to Al. Unable to think of what to say she just looked at him sadly.

"I should have written more than once." He mumbled guiltily, still refusing to raise his head.

"Yes, you should have." My dad, who'd been silent up until now, spoke up. His interjection prompted Al to look up.

"I didn't know what to write." He said flatly. Dad's severe expression did not relax as he walked over to his son.

"Just the words 'I'm ok' would have been enough Albus, we weren't expecting pages of in-depth description. We had no word from you for weeks, do you have any idea what you put us through, not just your mother and I but the rest of the family and your friends too?" he glanced pointedly at James, Scorpius and I before rounding back on the guilty party.

"I was scared! I knew you'd all be mad at me." It wasn't a very good defence but you had to give him credit for trying.

"Of course we were mad. Why the hell would you do something so stupid? What was so important that you had to just up and leave to another country without saying a word?" Al shrank back from his piercing tone and locked his eyes on the floor. Mum laid a hand on dad's arm silently telling him to calm down and he let out a ragged sigh.

"Just explain." He barked. Al ran a nervous hand through his hair and nodded.

"Um, well it was several things really, they all sort of chained together and I panicked." He perched on the edge of his bed and mum sank down beside him. I exchanged glances with James and Scorpius who both seemed to be of the same opinion, we quietly slipped out of the room leaving Al to tell them his tale.

"That didn't go too bad." I whispered once we were out in the hall.

"Yeah she only hit him once." James agreed, ushering us further away from the door so we weren't heard.

"What are you doing now?" I questioned him. He thought about it for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"I'm gonna pop over to Teddy's and let him know Canada boy is back." I nodded and giggled at the silly nickname.

"Alright, have fun!"

"I will!" he called as he strode off down the hallway and apparated out. Scorpius took my hand and started leading me towards the bedroom but I had other ideas.

"So, are you going to tell me what you and Al were discussing that was so private?" I probed, tugging back against his hand as he tried to pull me.

"No." he replied bluntly. I scowled and stubbornly resisted another of his attempts to draw me away.

"Lily…"

"Why won't you tell me? It's not very nice to keep secrets from your girlfriend." My words visibly stung him and his grip on my hand slackened.

"Don't say that, I don't ask what you and Emma talk about." I knew he was right and his pleading expression was filling me with guilt.

"You're hiding something from me." I accused, pouting unhappily. His expression softened and a small smirk crept onto his lips.

"Lily…don't pout." He reached up and dragged his finger along my cheek.

"Why not?" he took a step towards me and I started to smile despite my best efforts not to.

"Because it makes me want to kiss you." he was dangerously close now, I could feel his cool breath against my lips.

"It does?" I encouraged, my hand reaching out of its own accord to rest on his chest.

"Mmm." Naturally I didn't protest as he closed the gap between us and proved what effect my pouting had on him. His hand delved into my hair locking me against him, it was strange what a profound effect that little action had on me. The feel of his fingers brushing through my hair was just divine.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" I asked when he freed my lips again. He kept me held against his body, our foreheads touching.

"Will you just trust me please? I promise that when the time comes I will tell you." I sighed dejectedly and pecked him lightly on the lips.

"Ok, I'll wait."

"Thank you." This time when he tried to lead me away I let him.

"Are you staying here tonight?" he asked as he collapsed back into our stargazing chair and scooped me back onto his lap.

"As if you even need to ask." I started to press little kisses down his neck enjoying the taste of his skin under my lips.

"Do you want some fresh clothes fetching?" he murmured, his voice a bit more dreamy than usual as a result of the path my mouth was making along his throat.

"Mm that would be a good idea." I said against his skin. His head lolled to the side and I shifted on his lap so that I was knelt over him. I bent to kiss the little patch of his chest that was showing from the v-neck on his t-shirt.

"Lily." The word came out more as a sigh. His hands went to my hips pulling me closer and his lips claimed mine. My zeal led me to unintentionally grind against him and he broke away to moan deeply.

"What's wrong Scorpius?" I asked playfully. His usually pale eyes had been darkened to charcoal by desire.

"Lily…don't…" I could see the warning in his eyes but it was impossible to ignore the tiny glimmer that told me he wanted me to. Acting on impulse I shifted deliberately and watched as he tried to take a slow deep breath to remain calm.

"Don't you like it?" I pouted and curved my hips into his again. His head fell back against the chair and he bit down on his bottom lip.

"No, I mean I do…It's just that I…I…" I pressed against him firmly and he gasped. His hands flew to my waist and he clutched at the thin cloth of the shorts I was still wearing. Ignoring his obvious battle for control over both his emotions and his bodily reactions I rotated my hips and he let out a low agonised groan.

In that second when his eyes locked with mine I knew he'd given up the battle. I'd never seen his eyes so dark before, the lust and passion had them burning like small spheres of shimmering marble. He gave me a look that said 'you asked for it' and then pushed against me with his own hips lifting us both off the chair for a second and forcing me to inhale sharply.

"Two can play at that game." His voice was wonderfully husky and a seductive smirk etched onto his handsome face. Using his grip on my waist he pulled me tightly against him and rolled his hips letting me know just what effect my teasing had on him.

"Do _you_ like it?" he hissed in my ear, repeating my earlier question to me.

"Yes!" I gasped against his mouth as he repeated the action silencing my moan with his kiss. His hands slipped from my waist and found their way under my top to stroke my bare back. Suddenly the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra both worried and thrilled me. My parents were still in the house and I didn't know how I could manage to stop him if his hands took advantage of the absence of said underwear, I definitely wouldn't want to stop him.

"Scorpius." I mumbled, though my words were muffled somewhat by our passionate kissing.

"Mmm?" it took all of my strength to place my hands on his chest and push firmly. Our lips broke apart and I struggled to focus on his face through my hazy vision.

"My parents…" I didn't need to say more, he already knew. He nodded regretfully.

"I know."

"Sorry, that was my fault." I said, smiling sheepishly. He flashed me an attractive smile and started to withdraw his hand from my top, but he did something I wasn't expecting. Instead of just sliding his hand out he moved it around so that his fingers grazed very deliberately across my chest on their way. My breath hitched in my throat and I stiffened in his lap. I saw his smile morph into a devilish grin and shook my head at him.

"You're pure evil." He laughed and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek.

"Not really, it doesn't count if my victim enjoys it." he replied wittily, I narrowed my eyes and he laughed again. I heard footsteps on the stairs and then the sound of greetings from a nearby room.

"I think Emma's back." I told him, to which he nodded.

"We should get you some clothes from your house." He stood up lifting me with him and set me carefully back onto my feet.

"Come on then, let's get this over with." I held out my hand to him and scowled at the prospect of the apparating. He looked at me curiously for a moment and then laughed.

"When are your apparition lessons?"

"God don't remind me, they start when we go back." I grumbled miserably.

"Oh that'll be fun for you." he said sarcastically. I scowled at him and grabbed his hand.

"Just shut up and apparate." I heard him laugh again before I felt myself snatched into the void.


	14. Even the thickest ice can thaw

_Oh my gosh, I know this chapter is late and I am so very sorry! I am begging for your forgiveness wonderful readers! There is no excuse for such shocking behaviour but I am going to complain about work again and blame that because I have been given 45 hours this week when I normally don't do that many and they're all massive shifts during the busy times. Honestly my manager is trying to kill me, I am sure of it! _

_Also on a completely unrelated note I am making plans to go to the midnight launch for Final Fantasy XIII! I don't know if any of you are fans of the games but I am a completely addicted nut! I watched the trailer for Final Fantasy versus XIII and almost died from not breathing, it was AWESOME! I can't believe how close the release date is for XIII, oh my gosh dizzy from excitement! _

_Right enough pointless babbling, I had originally planned to have this as two separate chapters but since I was so mean and made you all wait an extra day I decided to give you an extra long chapter as a treat, so enjoy!_

Chapter fourteen – Even the thickest ice can thaw

My childhood home was eerily silent when Scorpius and I arrived. All the lights were off plunging us into darkness and adding to the creepy atmosphere. It was after all the house I'd grown up in so I easily started to make my way across the room in search of the light.

"Lily?" Scorpius' usually calm voice was tainted by panic.

"Yeah?" I replied, moving carefully around a trolley that held our pots and pans.

"Where are you?" I heard a sharp bump that told me he'd walked into the table and then the low hiss of him cursing under his breath.

"Are you ok?" I called into the darkness.

"Lumos." A bright beam of light shone from the tip of Scorpius' wand illuminating the room and I could see him clutching his thigh where he'd bashed it.

"Sorry, I don't have my wand." I told him, explaining why I hadn't thought to use the charm.

"I guessed as much." He mumbled while still rubbing his sore leg. I flicked on the light switch and the bulbs sprang to life.

"There we go." I said sounding rather satisfied.

"Nox." His counter-spell extinguished the light from his wand and he shoved it back into his pocket.

"It's strange seeing your house so empty." He mused as we made our way upstairs.

"I know, it's always been so busy and noisy here." I pushed open the door to my room and turned on the light.

"Hey it's AJ," Scorpius said suddenly, noticing the little cat curled up on my bed. "I haven't seen him in ages!" he hurried over to the bed and sat down beside the animal.

"Yeah he's never around these days, mum says he's a real outdoors lover." It was amazing how little I'd seen my pet since getting him for Christmas two years ago, sometimes I'd catch a glimpse of him rolling around in the grass or leaping out of a tree trying to catch a bird.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Scorpius scratching the little cat behind his ears, he was purring like mad and clearly enjoyed the fuss. I giggled and turned back to my wardrobe. I grabbed a few things out, not really caring what they were, and stuffed them into a bag.

"Are you going to bring him with you when you move in?" Scorpius asked from behind me. I glanced back at him and thought about it for a moment.

"Yes I think so. There are a lot of fields surrounding the cottage; I think he'll like it there."

"Yeah he will." AJ rolled over playfully and scrambled onto Scorpius' lap demanding more fuss. I laughed and grabbed a pair of pyjamas from a drawer adding them to my bag too.

"Right." I quickly ran through a checklist in my head to make sure I had everything and then nodded.

"Ready to go?"

"I think so." I told him. He nodded and stood up setting AJ back onto the bed where he resumed his lazy lounging on my duvet. We started to walk down the stairs again and his hand found mine.

"Will you miss it here?" he asked, tracing little circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"I suppose I will a bit, but I can come back and visit any time so it won't be that bad."

"Hmm." He hummed thoughtfully. I glanced up at him in the dim light of the living room.

"What about you, do you miss the manor?"

"No. There's no need to look so surprised, I told you that I never really liked it there." He shrugged and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. We heard voices outside and then the back door opened for my parents to walk through.

"Lily, what brings you home?" dad asked. I could see mum's eyes were red and puffy, she must've done more crying after we left.

"Oh I just popped back for some clean clothes." I held up the bag in my hands and he nodded. An awkward silence followed where none of us knew quite how to approach the topic that we all wanted to. Mum took off her coat and then silently left to go upstairs. I guessed she was going to wash her face to get rid of the dried tears.

"How is she?" I asked dad quietly. He sighed and sank into a chair at the dining table.

"A bit shaken up but she's relieved he's home."

"Did he tell you what happened?" I wanted to know if Al had told them the truth about the trespassing misunderstanding or if he'd lied instead.

"Yes, I think your mother stopped breathing for a while when he mentioned the guns." I winced and he dragged a hand through his messy hair.

"Did she get mad again?"

"For a while yes but I think it all just got a bit much for her, having him back home and safe again. She got a bit upset." He looked at his hands sadly and I exchanged glances with Scorpius.

"I need to get to bed, I have an early start at the Ministry tomorrow." He stood up and pushed in his chair.

"Is Kingsley still away?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, I think he's going to be off for a few weeks more at least."

"He's not ill is he?"

"No, he's just fatigued I think. The workload can get heavy at times and he's not getting any younger."

"Hmm." I thought about what he was saying as he moved past us towards the stairs.

"Oh Lily," I turned to face him and he frowned. "Do me a favour will you, keep an eye on Al for a while in case things start to get to him again. We don't want a repeat of recent events."

"Sure dad." I nodded and he walked over to press a quick kiss to my forehead.

"Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight." Scorpius and I replied in unison as my father left.

"Come on." He took my hand and apparated back to the cottage.

"Bloody hell!" Al exclaimed as we appeared in the kitchen. He staggered back a few steps and bumped into the cupboards. I giggled at his horrified expression and heard Scorpius snigger behind me.

"Are you ok there Al?" I asked, struggling to keep a straight face. He scowled at us both and tried to regain his composure.

"No I'm not ok. Here I am peacefully making a sandwich and then you two appear and scare the bloody hell out of me!" he bent down and angrily snatched up a mayonnaise stained knife that he must've dropped. Scorpius was still struggling not to laugh aloud.

"Sorry." I tried to sound as sincere as possible but I knew he didn't buy it. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his giant sandwich. It was at least five layers tall, I could just about make out several different types of cold meat and some slices of cheese that he was now smothering in mayonnaise and brown sauce. I wrinkled my nose and made a gagging sound.

"You plan on eating that?" I sneered. He turned around to glare at me and then slapped some bacon on top of his mounded sandwich.

"Just because you eat child's portions doesn't mean the rest of us have to starve." I scowled at his offensive remark and thrust my hands onto my hips.

"I do not eat child's portions I just don't eat like a pig, unlike some." He shrugged and then pushed up the tip of his nose with his finger and grunted like a pig. Scorpius almost choked on a burst of laughter and I rolled my eyes.

"Funny." I said sarcastically. Al winked at me and tossed his gigantic sandwich onto a plate.

"If you'll excuse me I'm going to return to my bedroom and eat my meal, in peace."

"Do you want a shovel for that?" I shouted after him. He made a rude gesture at me over his shoulder and disappeared up the stairs.

"It's good to have him back." Scorpius chuckled.

"Mmm, debatable." I wasn't serious of course. I was thrilled to have my brother back but I hadn't missed his smartass remarks.

"I've missed watching the two of you argue, it's great entertainment." He said, coiling his arms around my waist and drawing me to him.

"Oh well I'm glad you find it so funny." I replied bitterly. I shoved him away feeling a bit stung but he just pulled me back and tightened his grip.

"Aw don't be like that Lils." He bent his head to nuzzle my neck and I groaned glumly.

"I hate that I can't stay mad at you." I complained. My arms couldn't resist the urge to snake around his neck and he laughed against my skin as his lips started to kiss my neck tenderly. I could feel myself beginning to melt in his arms and forced my hands to push him away gently.

"Come on before this gets out of control." He grinned at me devilishly. It was that look he always got when he and Al were doing something they shouldn't be. I felt panic flurry in my stomach and took a step back.

"I know that look, what are you planning?" my question only widened his grin and then suddenly he bent down and knocked me off my feet. He flung me over his shoulder while I squealed my heart out.

"Scorpius put me down!" I screeched. He just laughed and marched towards the stairs.

"Oh no, not the stairs, don't you dare!" he ignored my warning and plonked his foot firmly on the bottom step heaving us both up onto the raised section. I squealed again and clutched at the back of his t-shirt.

"Oh my god, Scorpius put me down!" again he ignored me and climbed another step. Another strangled scream fell from my lips.

"Stop!" but it was no use, he was already nearing the top of the stairs. I was holding onto his top so tightly that my knuckles were white. From my position dangling over his shoulder I could see right down the height of the staircase and it made my stomach churn.

"You do remember I'm afraid of heights right?" I managed to choke out as my throat seized up.

"Oh crap, I forgot." He quickly set me the right way up and held me tightly as I tried to steady my spinning head.

"I'm so sorry Lily." I opened my eyes and saw him frowning guiltily.

"I got you to put me down didn't I?" I pointed out with a satisfied grin. His expression morphed into shock and I laughed.

"Oh, now you're in for it." he reached out to grab me again but I turned and ran off shrieking playfully.

"No! Ok I'm sorry!"

"Too late Lils." He told me, grinning wickedly. We both stopped running as I reached the end of the hallway. He took a small step towards me and I pressed my back into the wall.

"Where are you going to run now?" I looked to my left and then my right weighing up my options. I could either go left and hide in Hugo's future bedroom or go right and seal myself in the bathroom. Hugo's room had no lock so I opted for the bathroom. He must've followed my train of thought though because as soon as I made for the door his arm shot out and claimed my waist. I screamed girlishly and he yanked me into his body locking me there with his arms.

"Now you can't run away." He was slightly out of breath and flushed, the trace of colour on his usually pale cheeks only made him look sexier.

"You really think I want to?" I breathed, unable to stop my eyes from staring longing at his lips. They twitched slightly as a smile threatened to break out. A door in the hallway flew open crashing against the wall and a furious Al appeared in the doorway.

"Will you please shut up? There are other people in the building you know." He pointed to Emma inside the room and I smiled apologetically.

"Oh lighten up." I replied with a cheerful giggle. I took hold of Scorpius' hand and tugged him towards the few stairs leading to our bedroom. Al's only reply was a few inaudibly muttered words before his door slammed shut. Scorpius and I burst into the room laughing like naughty children and he quickly closed the door.

"He's turned into such a grouch since he got back." I complained. He laughed and withdrew his wand, turning his attention back to the door.

"Colloportus." He muttered. His charm sealed the door with an odd squelching noise.

"You do realise they can unlock that with Alohomora." I reminded him, pointing out the flaw in his attempt to give us some privacy.

"I'm aware of that but the three of us had a little chat when we first moved in. We agreed that unless it was an emergency we wouldn't use magic to unlock our doors, it gives us each a bit of privacy." I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"Don't sound too surprised, we're not completely useless." I laughed and shook my head.

"No I didn't say you were. I just didn't think my brothers would come up with something so…logical."

"Neither did I actually but don't go giving them too much credit just yet. I have my suspicions about their motives."

"Oh, and what are they?" he scratched his hair and hesitated before telling me.

"Well James is between women at the moment but a while back he was seeing that girl from the ministry, you remember the one he brought to my birthday party a few years back?"

"Daphne?" I struggled to recall the face of my brother's date. Scorpius clicked his fingers and nodded.

"Yes, Daphne, that's her. He had a few more dates with her and I spotted her sneaking out one morning." A look of understanding washed over my face.

"Oh I see. He liked the idea of the rule because nobody would walk in on him and his dates then." Scorpius grinned at me and nodded.

"You got it."

"But what about Al, he can't have the same reason because he wasn't with Emma back then."

"No he wasn't. I think Al's reason was a bit less…serious."

"What do you mean?"

"I was in his room a while back looking for a t-shirt that had gone missing, he swore he hadn't took it but I saw him wearing it a few days before, anyway while I was searching I came across a massive stash of sweets from Honeydukes." I could help but laugh and he nodded.

"So you're telling me that Al agreed to this rule to protect his stash?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh come on, this is Al we're talking about. Is it really so hard to believe he'd do something like that for food?" I arched my eyebrows and realised how right he was.

"I see your point." He nodded proudly and I narrowed my eyes.

"What?" he sounded worried about my scrutiny.

"What was your motive then Mr Malfoy?" I asked, taking a seductive step towards him and hooking my hand around his belt. He raised an eyebrow and I tugged him towards me.

"Why don't you take a wild guess." He suggested. He lifted his hand and traced the shape of my t-shirt's neckline with his fingertip. I feigned ignorance and pretending to think about it seriously for a few seconds.

"Do _you_ have a secret stash of something I don't know about?" While I spoke my hands that were still on his belt slowly unbuckled it. My action didn't slip past his attention and I noticed his eyes briefly flicker down before rising to meet mine again.

"I er…no, no secret stash." He stuttered a bit, thrown off by my touch as I pushed the button of his trousers undone and slowly slid down the zip.

"Oh, then perhaps your reason was the same as James'." He sucked in a mouthful of air as I pushed his trousers down.

"Perhaps…" his voice shook and it fuelled my wicked impulse. I pushed my hands up his t-shirt dragging my fingernails across his skin. He trembled under my touch.

"Then you agreed to the rule to stop people walking in on you with women." I continued, sliding my hands higher. I could feel his muscles tensing beneath my fingertips as he fought to maintain control.

"Just one woman." He corrected. A delighted smile lit up my face and I tore off the t-shirt.

"Oh?" he stepped out of his trousers and towards me, backing me up until the back of my legs hit the bed.

"It's only ever been you Lily." I sighed happily and he ducked to kiss the base of my neck. His hands cradled my back as he knelt down before me. I watched curiously as he nudged the hem of my t-shirt up with his nose and pressed his lips to the flat skin of my stomach. His hands moved to my sides and slowly pushed the top higher following its rise with his lips. He gazed at me with a powerful intensity as he rose slightly to lift the top over my head and toss it aside.

With the garment removed he sank back to his knees and let his hands trace the curve of my chest and then my hips. My hands shook as I raised them and knotted my fingers into his hair, his hands were inching my shorts down as his lips moved to kiss the newly exposed skin. A fluttering was awakened deep within my stomach and I felt my legs starting to quiver.

My shorts were tugged down gently and fell forgotten to the floor. Scorpius stood up again and pushed me back onto the bed landing on top of me and pressing our bare chests together. The touch of his overheated skin was unbearable and I squirmed beneath him. He was yet to kiss me on the lips, a fact that hadn't escaped my notice and I knew he was doing it on purpose to tease me.

"You really don't feel guilty about doing this while people are in?" I whispered uncertainly. He propped himself up on his hands so that he could meet my gaze.

"Do you?" I considered this for a moment.

"Not really…" I admitted feeling a tad guilty. He grinned at me and lowered back down onto my chest to resume his nibbling at my neck. His hand crept to my last remaining item of clothing and I lifted my hips obligingly letting him slide off the little piece of underwear.

He got up off the bed suddenly, lifting me with him until we were standing and making it easy for me to ease down his boxers. As soon as they were gone he shoved me back onto the bed collapsing on top of me and leaning back so that he could look deep into my eyes.

"Are you going to kiss me at all?" I demanded, cringing at how bossy I sounded. Scorpius just smirked and pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth.

"Be patient." I groaned unhappily and felt the rumble of his chest as he chuckled. He was lying on top of me completely naked, teasing me with his feather light touches and well placed kisses and he expected me to be patient? How can you be patient when your whole body is throbbing with desire?

Either he sensed my desperation and decided to take mercy on me or his incessant teasing had gotten too much for him too, because he lifted his head and looked at me briefly with lust filled eyes before crushing my lips with his own. I moaned into his mouth writhing beneath him and returning his frantic yet passionate kiss.

My head was spinning denying me of any hope of rational thought. My legs locked around his waist pinning him to me and my teeth pulled at his bottom lip. The little nibble spurred an immediate reaction; his hands locked my wrists to the bed above my head with a gentle yet firm move of his hips he pushed into me.

I broke away from his kiss to release a whispered gasp. His hands gripped my wrists harder as he moved with me and I moaned softly as he bit at skin of my neck. It was hard to focus on being quiet when such overpowering feelings were dominating not only my body but my mind too. Struggling to stifle his moans too Scorpius hastily brought our mouths back together muffling any sounds that escaped either of our lips.

It was impossible to describe how I felt when Scorpius made love to me. There were too many emotions and sensations to label and most of them I couldn't put names too. The feeling that welled inside of me as he inched me closer and closer to the edge was the most incredible and yet the most unbearable feeling I'd ever experienced. It was harder to bear than the most excruciating pain but my body thrived off it as if it fed my muscles with pure oxygen. It was a little piece of heaven, my own personal heaven.

* * *

It was strange waking up in my own pyjamas again after spending so many nights in Scorpius' shorts and t-shirt. I found the other side of the bed empty and set off in search of my missing Malfoy.

James' bed was empty and had been hastily made; I guessed he'd left early for more of his Auror training. Al's room was empty too but I had no idea where he or Emma would have gone. I idly wondered if she'd spent the night in his bed with him, they were dating now so it's not as if it would be inappropriate. After a quick peek into the living room and the kitchen, which were both empty, I set off to check the last place left.

The bathroom door was closed but that wasn't uncommon. I tried the handle but surprisingly it didn't open. I raised my hand and knocked twice.

"Yes?" it was Scorpius' voice.

"It's me, can I come in?" I replied. I heard sloshing water and the squeak of skin against the bathtub.

"Yeah just unlock it." he instructed. I extracted my wand from my pyjama pocket and pointed it at the handle.

"Alohomora." The charm did the trick and the door unlocked with a soft click. I pushed it open and went inside, remembering to lock it again and put away my wand.

Scorpius was lounging in the bath surrounded by foamy bubbles. Ordinarily it was he who walked in on me bathing so it felt strange to have the roles reversed. His long white hair was sopping wet and slicked back in a way that only he could make look so effortlessly stylish.

"Morning." He said softly, giving me a wide grin. I blushed, feeling suddenly embarrassed about our situation.

"How long have you been up?" I asked. I walked over to the sink and pretended to be washing my hands, they weren't at all dirty but I just couldn't look him in the face right now.

"Not long, I had a coffee with Al and then decided to have a bit of a soak." He told me as I took far too much time drying my hands on the towel.

"Oh, what time did he leave?" I continued my casual questioning as I focused my gaze on the mirror and started to brush my hair one strand at a time.

"Around eight I think, he took Emma to town for breakfast."

"Aw that's quite sweet." I was still brushing.

"I thought so too, until I realised it was probably because he still fails to cook anything without burning it to a crisp." The sound of water splashing made my hand freeze mid brushstroke, a flurry of panic erupted in my stomach, was he getting out of the bath? I know I probably shouldn't be so shy about seeing him in the bath, after all I had seen him naked several times now, but that had always been in those whirlwind moments right before sex. I'd never properly looked at him naked and just the thought of it made me blush again.

"Lily?" his voice startled me out of my thoughts and I jumped slightly.

"Um…yes?" I resumed my brushing.

"You've been brushing that same bit of hair for five minutes now." I froze, silently cursing myself for being so careless.

"Oh, yes, well it was a bit knotted." It was a weak lie, even I could tell.

"It didn't look knotted." I couldn't think of anything to say to that so I kept silent. I gathered my hair into a loose ponytail and secured it with an elastic hair band I spotted lying on the windowsill. Did I keep leaving these there?

"Lily, what's wrong?" Bugger, now I was out of things to do. I frantically looked around the room searching for something to distract myself with and settled for picking up his discarded pyjamas and folding them neatly.

"Nothing's wrong." Ok these lies were getting worse now.

"You haven't looked at me since you first came in and you want to tell me there's nothing wrong?" Oh sod it. I wasn't exactly doing a good job of concealing my embarrassment anyway so why bother trying to keep up the charade.

"It's just…well I'm not used to seeing…I mean, normally I'm the one who's in the bath so it's a bit…I feel a bit…shy, I guess." I was blushing so badly that my cheeks were burning and kept my eyes riveted to the floor.

"Lily." He said softly. He wanted me to look at him, his tone told me so. Cautiously I raised my eyes being sure to sweep hastily over his body and meet his gaze as quickly as I could.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about seeing me naked; it's nothing you haven't seen before." His kind words only had me blushing more and I fiddled shyly with my fingers.

"Yeah I know but that's different, I haven't really…looked." If it was possible I blushed even deeper and forced my eyes back to the floor.

"Would you like to? If it'll make things more comfortable for you I can get out of the bath and give you a twirl." A hysterical little giggle fell from my lips and I dared to look at him. He gave me a warm smile and I felt myself relax a bit.

"Want me to?" he prompted, his smile turning into a wicked grin. My blush returned as I fought against the image.

"No!" I gasped. He laughed and reached out his hand to me. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how I might handle seeing more of his body but eventually my worries caved in and I walked over. I took his hand but stood a safe distance from the bath, keeping my eyes on his face and nowhere else. He laughed gently and gave my fingers a tug, pulling me right over to the rim of the bath.

"Stop being so nervous, it's just me." he told me in a soft voice. It really was silly how uptight this little detail had gotten me. I shook my shoulders in an attempt to brush away some of the rigidity in them.

"Why don't you come in too? The water is still hot." My eyes widened to about three times their usual size and the stiffness returned to my body.

"What?" I spluttered, unsure if I'd heard him right. He chuckled lightly and then stood up. My misbehaving eyes immediately slipped down below his waist, I gasped sharply and forced myself to turn away. Oh god did I really just look at him there? Naturally my cheeks were on fire with the worst blush yet.

Scorpius' wet hands came up to cup my face making me flinch from shock. He shushed me soothingly and I tried to focus on breathing steadily. When he was sure I wasn't going to pass out he lifted my chin so our eyes locked.

"Would you like to relax in the bath with me?" he asked the question deliberately slowly letting me absorb every word. I decided to set aside my silly embarrassment and take the plunge. I nodded. Scorpius smiled at me happily and his hands started to remove my pyjamas. I kept my eyes above shoulder level the entire time which resulted in me almost tripping up as I tried to step into the bath – it's surprisingly hard to do when you can't look to see where the rim is. He sank back down into the water and I shakily knelt down in front of him. I was so nervous that I didn't even notice the searing hot temperature of the water that was now turning my skin an unattractive shade of pink.

He reached out and gently steered me so that I was settled between his legs and reclined back against his chest. His body was wonderfully smooth and soft against my back and I soon found myself relaxing. My head fell back onto his shoulder and he pressed a gentle kiss onto my neck.

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" his words vibrated against my throat as he kissed me again. I sighed blissfully and wondered why I'd been so scared in the first place.

"Not bad at all." I mumbled in reply. I felt him smile and move his mouth to kiss my jaw. His arms wrapped loosely around my waist keeping me held against him. We were silent for a while, content to just enjoy this moment together.

"There's been something I've been meaning to tell you." he admitted, laying another kiss onto my skin – this time just below my ear.

"What is it?" I tried not to sound worried.

"My parents invited us round for dinner before you go back to Hogwarts." I turned my head so that I could meet his eyes.

"They did?" Despite Astoria's genuine friendliness to me I found it hard to believe that Draco would want me in his home. I found myself wondering what the reason behind their invitation was, surely it couldn't just be a social call, there had to be a motive.

"I was as shocked as you are, especially since my grandmother is staying with them at the moment." An involuntary shiver ripped through me as I recalled my last encounter with Narcissa Malfoy. Scorpius felt it and tightened his arms around me.

"Don't worry, she won't hurt you. My father told me she wouldn't be attending the meal anyway."

"Why do they want us round? I mean this invitation is rather out of the blue."

"It is yeah, my father didn't mention any reason when we spoke. He just said he hoped we could make it." I frowned and sank back into his chest mulling over the odd occurrence. Was Draco Malfoy really attempting to mend our rocky relationship by inviting me around for a civilised dinner?

"Would you like to go?" Scorpius asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to glance at his face and then forced a smile.

"Of course I'll go, when will it be?"

"Well you only have a few days left at home so what do you think about going tonight? I can apparate over and let them know." I stumbled over my reply for a moment; shocked by the suddenness of it all but I quickly regained my composure.

"Tonight sounds fine." He nodded and caught my lips in a tender kiss.

"Thank you, I know you're probably not thrilled about going."

"It's not that Scor, I'm just worried. You know your dad hates me." he gave me a comforting smile and squeezed me a bit closer to his chest.

"He doesn't hate you Lily, he's just…paranoid about who your family are. I think he's worried that you'll judge him because of what happened."

"I can understand that, but I don't." I assured him. Our fathers had a massive history together and they had once been enemies, standing against each other on different sides of a war. But that was in the past, before Scorpius and I were even born. I didn't care about any of it, I just cared about Scorpius, regardless of what his family had or hadn't done.

"I know that sweetheart, and he'll see it eventually too." He kissed me softly and I nestled my head back into the crook of his neck. My thoughts were quickly dominated by the imminent meal at Malfoy manor.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting, you look amazing." Scorpius instructed. He caught my wrist as I reached up to adjust my dress again. Despite his reassuring words I still wasn't convinced.

"I should have worn the red one, you always say I look nice in red." My voice was thick with worry and he tugged roughly on my arm bringing me to a halt. We were crossing the field that led to his childhood home; in fact I could just see the giant gates peeking over the hill ahead.

"Lily, stop panicking. You look beautiful in every colour."

"Yes but you always say that red…"  
"I know I always say I love red on you but that's just because it's my favourite, I'm sure you have a favourite colour on me." I tilted my head and considered this for a moment.

"I like you in green." I admitted, blushing faintly. He smiled and reached to stroke his fingertips across the flurry of colour.

"But I'm sure you like me in every other colour too, am I right?"

"Of course, you look gorgeous in everything." He grinned broadly at me and took hold of my hands.

"Exactly, so please stop fussing. The white looks stunning." I cast an evaluative glance at my white dress for the millionth time since I put it on. I'd spent almost the entire day combing through my clothes at home trying to decide what would look best and eventually I trekked to town and bought a new one. It was a simple knee length white dress with a delicate black laced section on the chest. I nibbled my lip and resigned myself to the fact that it was too late to change now so I might as well just relax.

"Sorry." I mumbled. Scorpius hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my face so I met his gaze.

"I love you." he said softly, moving his hand to cup my cheek. I smiled serenely and leant into his palm.

"I love you too." I replied, sighing contentedly. He brushed a brief kiss across my lips filling me with confidence. No matter how badly tonight went he would still love me.

"Ok, I'm ready, let's go." I clutched his hand firmly and marched off towards the house with him at my side.

I tried my hardest to fight the feeling of intimidation as we drew up to the imposing metal gates. Scorpius' parents must've seen us arrive because the gears kicked into action with a painful screech and the entrance opened. I clutched Scorpius' hand a little tighter and he cast me a reassuring smile.

The walk up the driveway seemed to take forever and every step made my feet feel heavier. When we finally drew up to the glossy black doors my legs felt stiffer than stone and my short shallow breaths were making me dizzy.

"Calm down." Scorpius whispered. He kissed my temple gently and then reached up to bang the brass knocker. The loud sound echoed around my head and my knees trembled.

We waited all of thirty seconds before one of the large wooden doors clicked and swung open and a beaming Astoria stepped into view. Her bright white teeth practically sparkled as she scooped us both into a welcoming hug.

"Scorpius, Lily, it's so wonderful to see you both." Once again I found myself completely taken aback by her genuine friendliness. Somehow I managed a steady smile which it only seemed to widen hers.

"It's lovely to see you too Mrs Malfoy." I didn't have to try and sound truthful because I honestly was. Scorpius' mother was so polite and kind that you couldn't help but like her. It had me thinking again about how much she contrasted to Draco and the other Malfoys but perhaps that was what had drawn him to her in the first place.

"Oh don't be silly dear, call me Astoria. Now come on in out of the cold." She ushered us inside and closed the door quietly.

"I'm glad that you decided to accept the invitation, the house feels so empty since you moved out Scorpius." I caught the trace of sadness in her cheerful tone but she hid it well. We followed her as she led us along the vast corridor.

"Maybe you should think about getting a smaller house." Her son suggested. I slapped him on the arm and shot him a scolding look.

"Oh I know, I've suggested it several times but you know what your father is like. He loves this house." Unlike me, Astoria seemed to be completely unfazed by Scorpius' slightly rude suggestion.

"You'd think he'd jump at the chance to leave, what with all the bad things that have happened here." I shuddered involuntarily and Scorpius hastily snaked an arm around my shoulders hugging me close to his body.

"Very true, but evidently he doesn't share your opinion Scorpius." We reached a large foyer and Astoria's red heels clicked loudly on the polished marble floor as we crossed into a cosy sitting room. Waiting for us in a high backed velvet chair wearing a sombre expression was Draco Malfoy. He rose as we entered and Scorpius and I stopped in front of him. My heart felt like it was beating in my throat and not my chest as his piercing grey eyes fell upon me.

"I am pleased you both decided to come." He said in a toneless voice. My fingers bore into the back of Scorpius' hand as my grip tightened. I focussed all of my efforts on keeping a relaxed expression.

"I was just saying how quiet the house seems these days." Astoria told him. A strange look shot through his eyes but was lost as quick as it came on. The smallest of smiles played on his lips.

"Yes, well quiet isn't always a bad thing." His eyes fell upon me again and I tried to smile.

"I understand it was your birthday recently Lily."

"Um, yes it was." My voice accidentally trembled and I cleared my throat in an attempt to banish it.

"And did you have a nice day?" I frowned at his question, was he seriously trying to make small talk with me? How odd.

"Yes thank you, it was the best birthday I've had. I know that sounds really clichéd but I mean it." a ghost of a smile flickered at his lips and he nodded.

"I don't doubt that. I'm afraid we haven't gotten you a present, I hope you'll forgive us."

"Oh no, don't worry about it. You don't have to buy my anything." He gave me a thoughtful look and then glanced over at his son.

"Perhaps we can make it up to you sometime." He said lightly, never tearing his eyes away from Scorpius. I didn't know how to reply to that so I clamped my mouth shut.

"Why don't we go through to the dining room, I expect dinner will be ready soon." Astoria suggested brightly. I smiled at her gratefully and let Scorpius take my hand and lead me out.

The dining room was the very same one we'd eaten in years ago when Draco had invited my parents along. The memories of their heated conversation filled my head and I forcefully shook them away. This was no time to be dwelling on the past. I took my seat opposite Scorpius and focussed on not slouching.

"I expect you'll be sad to say goodbye to Hogwarts soon Lily." Astoria broke the uncomfortable silence.

"A little, but I think I'm ready to leave now." she smiled at me and nodded.

"I know what you mean. When I was in my last year I felt the same. I got so annoyed because I had to keep going back when I wanted to stay at home." She laughed at the memory and Scorpius raised his eyebrows at me, I rolled my eyes and smiled. I was just like that, getting annoyed at the prospect of going back.

"Oh, I'll go and check on the dinner." She rose from her seat and gracefully left the room. An awkward silence followed and I fiddled idly with the silverware in front of me.

"Scorpius would you give me a hand for a moment please?" at the sound of his mother's voice, Scorpius cast me an apologetic look and left me alone with Draco. I took a steady breath and focussed my gaze on the table.

"Lily." I was startled by how normal my name sounded on his lips. There was no animosity or sharpness; he said it as he said his son's name. I looked at him expectantly and was surprised by his torn expression.

"I feel I should…apologise." The last word seemed difficult for him to say and he swallowed hard afterwards. His usually cold grey eyes met my brown ones and I saw a flicker of another emotion there, it looked like regret.

"There's no need, Mr Malfoy." I said politely. He shook his head stiffly and pressed his hands together on the table.

"There is every need. I have not treated you very well, nor have I had a legitimate reason not to." I opened my mouth to argue but found no response. He sighed and looked at me seriously again.

"You have been good for Scorpius. Your whole family have. His friendship with your brother encouraged him out of his shell, so to speak." I briefly recalled my first meeting with young Scorpius and remembered how shy and subdued he had been. True enough Al had helped him overcome that, mostly by being loud and mischievous but it helped Scorpius come into his own.

"Friendship can do that, sometimes you just need someone who likes you no questions asked." I replied carefully. He nodded.

"His friendship with Albus made him confident despite the obstacles set ahead of him no thanks to myself." I knew he meant the many problems the Malfoy name had caused Scorpius.

"You shouldn't feel responsible." I replied with what I hoped was a kind smile. My father had explained Draco's situation, bullied and scared into doing things he didn't want nor was he ready for. A sad example of the power behind family influence and pressure, I didn't blame him and neither did my parents, not really. They were angry, yes, but they didn't blame him.

"You're very kind Lily. Your father was always kind. He has helped me on occasions when most would have turned their back on me. I did not deserve his kindness."

"You shouldn't be kind to someone solely because they deserve it. Kindness should be unconditional." I declared confidently. For the first time since I'd met him, Draco Malfoy smiled. Not a hint of one or just a twitch of the lips, he gave me an actual smile. It was startling, I had always imagined his smile would be cruel and sarcastic but it wasn't at all. It transformed his whole face and gave it a light it didn't have before.

"You are a remarkable girl Lily, and thus I am apologising." I was still reeling from the presence of his smile and didn't manage to form a response.

"Your family and mine have a past that I would wish forgotten, but such things aren't likely to happen, are they? I should not have said what I did when I spoke with your father, it's always been a habit of mine, speaking rashly without thought to the consequences." He gave a low humourless laugh and scratched his chin.

"I owe an awful lot to your family, not just from the past. Your brother has been a good and loyal friend; he helped my son to break out of the restrictive mould that being a Malfoy had placed on him. Your parents welcomed him into their home as if he was their own son and you, Lily, you have made him smile like I never would have thought possible. I never expected to see him so happy and it's all because you love him."

"You make it sound like I did something amazing when really I haven't done anything." I said, looking shyly at the table.

"You've done more than you think and for that I am thankful. So you see there is need to apologise. I should have behaved many times better than I have towards you." I chanced a look at him and was startled to see the softness of his eyes.

"Why don't we start again?" I offered. He gave me another of those transforming smiles.

"I'd like that very much." I nodded and stuck out my hand.

"I'm Lily Potter, I've been dating Scorpius for a few years now, it's lovely to finally meet you." I grinned at him in a playful way that I'd picked up off Albus as a child; it was the same grin he used when he was trying to lie his way out of trouble with mum. Draco's eyes twinkled with what looked like humour and he shook my hand.

"It's a pleasure to put a face to your name, Scorpius talks about you a lot." I titled my head curiously.

"Does he?" I asked, feeling a bit silly afterwards. Draco raised his eyebrows and released my hand.

"What do you think?" he replied with a hint of sarcasm. I laughed; this new side of him was so bizarre after seeing the cold, unresponsive Draco. Just then Scorpius and Astoria returned carrying our meals and I couldn't help but notice the coincidental perfection of their timing. I had a sneaky feeling the elder Malfoy's had planned this prior to our arrival. Perhaps this was the motive behind the invitation.

* * *

The meal went surprisingly smoothly and was filled with pleasant conversation. Draco even joined in from time to time. It was a complete contrast to the last visit I'd had at the manor.

Afterwards we retired to a small sitting room where Draco took Scorpius off for a father-son moment of some sorts. He didn't really explain and I didn't want to pry. It left me alone with Astoria, which I didn't mind in the slightest.

She was laughing merrily as I told her stories of the trouble James and Al used to get into before school started.

"Oh your brother's sound so mischievous!" she declared, laughing lightly again.

"You have no idea."

"I always wanted a brother. It's not that I didn't love my sister, I think every girl wishes for a big brother to protect them and sisters always have that awful rivalry." When I was younger I had often wished for a sister, when Al and James had cut me out of their games because girls weren't allowed or when they'd reduced me to tears once again with their cruel jokes. But now, honestly, I was perfectly happy to be the only girl.

"Brothers are a hassle in their own way but I'm glad I have mine." I told her. She gave me a warm smile and then rose from her seat.

"I'm just going to make a trip to the bathroom, I shan't be long." She left me alone in the room and I decided to have a bit of a look around. The sitting room was elegantly decorated with cream walls and beautiful silver stencilling. I crossed to the fireplace to look at the framed photos mounted there. They were various photographs of Draco and Astoria together. Draco was smiling broadly in every one.

I looked at the various scenes of them on holiday or at fancy parties together, one was of which looked like her sister's wedding. The two girls didn't look at all alike; Astoria was slender with delicate and almost angelic features, whereas her sister was curvaceous with large full lips and a bulging bust. Her husband was a tall and very thin man; he had neatly combed brown hair and stood proudly.

"Ah, that's my sister, Daphne." Astoria's voice startled me and I almost dropped the frame. She came to stand beside me and took the photo from my hands to look at it herself.

"She's very pretty." I commented, choosing not to mention that I thought Astoria herself was much more attractive than her sister.

"Yes, that was her best quality at school. She was rather renown for her many boyfriends." She cast me a look that said her sister's relationships with those boys had not been as innocent as she would have liked.

"When did she get married?" I asked, choosing to steer the conversation down a safer direction.

"Oh it must be eleven years ago now. This is Theodore Nott; he was friendly with Draco at school."

"Were they in love?" I don't know why I asked it but the question sprang into my mind. She set the frame back on the mantle and sighed.

"I can't say for sure but my instincts tell me no. Daphne was always very ambitious; she longed to have a powerful husband with good connections, so that she might live a luxurious life. She tried for many years to gain Draco's interest but as you can tell, that was a lost cause." She gave me a little smile and I could see within her eyes a burning sense of pride that her husband had preferred her over her sister. I didn't know Astoria very well but I could easily tell that she had grown up in Daphne's shadow. Draco had obviously been one of the few people to notice her and not her sister.

I picked up another photo off the mantle and found myself looking at a very different wedding. Gone were the drunken guests laughing wildly and this bride wore no low-cut dress. This picture showed a wedding of classy quality.

"Gosh, it seems so long ago now." Astoria said quietly as she gazed with me at the picture. I looked at the photo of her and her husband together outside of a magnificent cathedral. Draco looked ecstatic as he wrapped his arm around her small waist and hugged her against him, they both waved excitedly at the camera and I could see tears in Astoria's eyes. They were tears of joy.

"He looks so happy." I mumbled. I didn't realise Draco could smile as broadly as he was in the photo.

"Yes, it's the happiest I've ever seen him, except for the day Scorpius was born of course." I looked closer at Astoria's beautiful wedding gown.

It had a magnificent lace section covering her shoulders and stretching right up the curve of her neck where it branched off like petals under her chin. The bodice was a rich ivory silk, gathered stylishly at the chest and then flowing down into a flattering floor length skirt.

"Your dress was…incredible." I breathed, sounding as amazed as I felt. She looked at me with twinkling eyes.

"Would you like to see it?" she offered. My eyes widened for a moment before I nodded enthusiastically. She took the frame from me and set it back down before leading me off towards a grand staircase. We eventually entered what looked like a dressing room, the walls were lined with various rails, shelves and drawers, and in the centre were four cushioned stools.

Astoria walked over to one of the sections and took a large white box down off the top shelf. She set it onto the stools and took off the lid. I moved closer, eager to see the contents and she moved aside motioning that I should look inside.

My nervous fingers carefully folded aside the protective tissue paper and I gasped softly. The photo didn't do the dress any justice, the top section wasn't just lace, it was also embroidered in incredible detail and pearls were affixed in an intricate flower design. The expensive silk shimmered in the room's lighting revealing the thin silver thread that had been woven through it.

Gingerly I lifted the dress from the box and was surprised at how heavy it was. I touched it as if it was sacred and couldn't resist holding it up against my body.

"It's the only one of its kind; a lady I know in Versailles made it especially for me." Astoria told me as she reached out to touch the material affectionately. I vaguely recalled Scorpius mentioning that to me before.

"Its incredible." I breathed, sounding astounded. She smiled at me brightly and nodded.

"It is. I felt like a princess wearing it."

"I can imagine." I gushed, glancing at my reflection in the mirror as I held the dress against me.

"Why don't you try it on?" she suggested. My head snapped around and she laughed softly.

"I'm not implying anything Lily; I just remember what it was like to be young and to want to feel like a princess in dresses like this. Besides, it seems a shame to leave it in this box forever." I nibbled on my lip unsure if I should try it on but eventually my girlish side won over.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" her face lit up into a radiant smile and she was already ushering me over to a small changing area concealed by a heavy curtain.

"Go ahead, I'll fasten the back for you." she drew the curtain and I burst into action. I tore off my own white dress and carefully slipped on the luxurious wedding gown. It was extremely heavy and I struggled to keep my shoulders squared under the weight of the expensive material but I couldn't help but think it was worth it. I felt like I was wearing a piece of art and not merely a dress.

Astoria gasped as I emerged and became glassy eyed as she admired me wearing her old wedding dress. She steered me over to a full-length mirror and then it was my turn to gasp. I wasn't a very vain person but in that moment I couldn't deny that I looked beautiful. A dress like that could make anyone look beautiful, or so it seemed. While I stood mesmerized by my reflection, Astoria fastened up the many little buttons along the back.

"It's a perfect fit. You're the exact size that I was all those years ago." She said softly, reaching down to flare out the skirt of the dress. We stood for a moment, gazing into the mirror and then I sighed wistfully. It was almost painful to stand there in such a magnificent dress knowing that I wouldn't be wearing it properly. I couldn't ignore the part of me inside that longed for it to be my wedding dress and that longed for me to be engaged to Scorpius. I wanted this to be real.

"Thank you for letting me try it on." I said politely as I returned to the little changing area. The experience, however touching, had left me feeling quite sad.

"It was my pleasure dear; it was nice to see it again." I folded the dress back into its box and pushed the lid back on feeling like I was leaving behind a very small piece of my heart too.

_Ps. Sorry for having two characters names Daphne. I promised a friend of mine that I would name a character after her and completely forgot that eventually I would include Astoria's sister! Darn._


	15. Oddities

_Hi everybody! I honestly have no idea why I'm so cheerful, I've had nine hours of hellish work with the most lazy, useless manager in the entire pub so I've had to do twice my usual workload to pick up his slack, and yet I am still smiling. _

_I was so thrilled and encouraged by all of you magnificent reviews for the last chapter that I spent my day off writing another two chapters to make sure I can post them on time. (Because I still have like a zillion hours of work this week and it gets so insanely busy over the weekend *groans miserably* why can't people eat in their own homes and not in my pub!)_

_Ok, end pointless author's rant, cue more interesting reading!_

Chapter fifteen – Oddities

"Are you ok Lily?" Astoria's gentle tone startled me out of my reverie and I tried to force a smile.

"Oh, yes I'm fine." She didn't seem very convinced. I ducked my head hoping she wouldn't question me more.

We reached the sitting room again and found it occupied by the two male Malfoys. Scorpius' eyes flew straight to me but I refused to meet his gaze, I didn't want to risk him seeing the sadness I was trying so hard to hide.

"We were starting to wonder where you two had gotten to." It was Draco who spoke. He took his wife's hand tenderly as she sat down on the sofa beside him.

"Lily and I were just discussing our wedding; I was showing her my dress." Astoria's comment brought on another of Draco's uncharacteristically warm smiles. It was impossible to miss the adoration in his eyes as he gazed at her.

"You showed her your wedding dress?" Scorpius asked, his voice sounding strangely high. I looked up at him, frowning curiously but his eyes were fixed on his mother.

"Yes, she tried it on, didn't you Lily?" I nodded my agreement but couldn't voice an actual reply. The strange glimmer in my boyfriend's eyes had startled me into silence.

"She tried on your wedding dress?" he repeated, sounding oddly strangled. My frown returned and now I found I wasn't the only one with such an expression. Astoria eyed her son confusedly.

"Are you alright Scorpius? You seem to repeating everything I say." He shook his head as if to fend off whatever it was that had made him act so bizarrely.

"How long will you be staying?" I sensed Draco asked us as more of a way of breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, um, we should be heading back soon. It's getting late." Scorpius' mind still seemed to be on far away thoughts as he stood up and took my hand. He started to lead me towards the door with his parents in tow.

"It's been simply wonderful having you both round. I do hope you'll come and visit us more often from now on." Strangely I found myself sharing Astoria's hopes. How odd that I found myself wanting to visit the Malfoy's more often, if someone had told me two years ago that this would happen I would have laughed in their face.

"We will, I'll make sure of it." I assured her as we stepped out into the brisk evening air. Astoria smiled at me brightly before embracing me kindly.

"Think about what I said son." Draco said sternly as he gave Scorpius a quick hug. My curiosity prickled but I pushed it aside for now and bid them both a final goodbye.

My boyfriend didn't say as word as we walked down the long driveway and the gates closed behind us. He took my hand and promptly apparated back into the deserted kitchen at the cottage.

"What did your father mean? What did you two talk about?" I asked quietly as we started to climb the stairs to the bedroom.

"Oh it was just some stuff to do with work." He replied vaguely. We entered the warm bedroom and he proceeded to lock the door.

"What sort of stuff?" I continued to pry. He kicked off his shoes and collapsed into his reading chair with a heavy sigh.

"It's nothing important Lily." I resigned myself to the fact that he wasn't going to tell me anymore. He seemed to be weighed down by something, stressed and worried.

"Something is wrong, something you're not telling me about." I said flatly, unable to stop myself sounding annoyed. He raised his head and met my brown eyes with his own saddened grey ones.

"Why was my mother showing you her wedding dress?" he asked. I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. Suddenly it all made sense to me. His distracted demeanour, the worry and panic that had dominated him since that moment in his parent's sitting room. The moment when his mother mentioned that she'd shown me her wedding dress.

"I saw the photo on the fireplace and mentioned how pretty it seemed; she just wanted to show it to me up close." I tried to sound as detached as possible.

Perhaps if I feigned disinterest then he wouldn't worry as he was. I knew he was afraid, afraid that I was wishing for my own wedding dress and for my own wedding. And in truth I was. But I wouldn't admit that, I wouldn't do anything to risk losing him and I would surely scare him away with silly pressure like that.

"Did you like it?" the question wasn't what I'd expected and for a moment I stumbled for a reply.

"Uh…yes, it was beautiful." Despite my best efforts I couldn't keep the sheer admiration from my tone. He met my gaze and startled me by smiling.

"I bet it looked even more beautiful on you." I frowned at him, utterly confused by his strange change in mood. Why was he so relaxed about all of this when just seconds ago he'd looked terrified? I was still pondering this when he reached out and took my hand, pulling me over to him. I sank happily onto his lap and let my head fall onto his shoulder.

"Thanks for coming tonight, I know it was a bit…awkward." He said softly. His hand came up to twirl one of my red curls around his fingers.

"It wasn't that bad." I replied honestly. He snorted in disbelief and I slapped his arm playfully.

"I'm serious! Your father apologised to me…" at my words he nudged me off his shoulder so that he could look me in the eye seriously.

"He apologised?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Yep, while you went to help your mum he started talking to me."

"What did he say?" he pressed.

"Um, well, he said sorry for being so…cold towards me and then he was saying how good my family have been to you."

"You're kidding." I could tell by his expression that he definitely did not believe me.

"I'm not, honestly."

"Well I'll be damned. He actually said sorry to you." he laughed and dropped his head back against the chair.

"Why is that so shocking? You've told me yourself that he's not as mean as he seems."

"I know, he's not, but I just…I never expected him to actually do it." he started to laugh again, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's really not funny Scor." I said, keeping my tone deadpan. He hastily stopped his chuckling and fixed me with an apologetic stare.

"No, it's not. Sorry." It was quite clear that he wasn't at all sorry and he looked like he was on the verge of laughing yet again. I shook my head at him and he broke into a huge grin.

"I really don't know why I'm laughing. I think tonight has just been too stressful for me, it's having an odd effect." He told me as he scratched at his hair. His eyes were far off reflecting on the night's events and I let out a long sigh.

"I need to sleep." I mumbled drowsily. It was dark outside and I noticed that the time had crept past midnight. The blanket of stars was twinkling overhead as they did every night and I felt strangely comforted by their presence. I hopped off Scorpius' lap to change into my pyjamas and then slid happily under the heavy duvet.

As soon as my head hit the pillows it seemed to weigh more than my whole body and I knew I wouldn't be lifting it up again any time soon. Scorpius stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed beside me. He hooked an arm around my waist to draw me against his body and we lay facing each other, our noses mere centimetres apart. His warm breath tickled my skin but it was a pleasant feeling.

"I like your hair like this." He said softly. His hand lightly stroked one of the large curls tumbling over my shoulders. Earlier today I'd styled it into wide barrel curls reminiscent of the styles that had been all the rage in the 1940's. I remembered seeing a woman with a similar hairstyle on the cover of a muggle magazine, she looked so elegant that the style stuck in my head and it'd suited my new vintage dress perfectly.

"Thank you." I mumbled sleepily. My eyes were already closed and I could feel myself growing more distant by the second.

"Goodnight Lily." I felt him press a lingering kiss to my forehead.

"Goodnight…" I murmured. It came out so quietly I wondered whether he'd heard me at all but I was too tired to check.

"My Lily." He whispered after a while. I sensed I wasn't supposed to hear it, he probably thought I was already asleep.

"Yes, I am yours." I replied without opening my eyes. I heard his muffled gasp and felt him stiffen beside me. No, he hadn't meant for me to hear that. I felt the bed move as he did and then he kissed me gently on the lips. When he pulled away I was relieved that his arm stayed around me and I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Emma was sitting at the dining table when I went down the following morning. It was eight o'clock and yet she looked perfectly groomed. Her long blonde hair was braided neatly down her back and she was dressed smartly in a floaty pink summer dress. I, on the other hand, looked awful. My hair was sticking up wildly despite my best attempts to flatten it down and I was dressed scruffily in my grey pyjama bottoms and a worn out old Holyhead Harpies t-shirt.

"Lily!" she greeted me with a bright smile that I was unable to return this early in the morning.

"Mornin' Em." My words were muffled by a big yawn and she giggled.

"Why is that you're always tired?" she asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. I knew exactly what she was implying but this time she was wrong.

"Don't even bother saying it because that's not why." I told her before she could make the joke I knew was coming. One day I would get my revenge on her for all these sly comments about mine and Scorpius' sex life. She'd better hope I never find out when she and Al cross that line because she will never hear the end of it.

"Oh, alright then." She replied, pouting in disappointment. I plopped down onto one of the vacant chairs and shoved my wild hair behind my ears.

"So, what's the real reason you're tired?"

"I had dinner at Malfoy Manor last night and we didn't get back home until late." Her eyebrows rose so high they almost touched her hairline.

"Blimey, I bet that was fun." She said sarcastically. I laughed and shook my head.

"It was quite fun actually. Astoria showed me some old photos and Draco actually looked genuinely happy in them." she let out a low whistle.

"Who would've guessed it, I didn't even think the bloke could smile." We both laughed and I had to stifle another yawn.

"Well it turns out he can, I saw it myself." I told her. She blinked at me in shock for a moment and then leant eagerly on the table.

"No way, he actually smiled at you?" I nodded. "But I thought he hated you, what with you being a Potter and all." She added quickly.

"So did I, but apparently he doesn't. He even apologised for not being nice to me." Emma stared at me blankly and then started to slowly shake her head.

"No freaking way. Draco Malfoy gave you an honest to god apology?" I giggled at her astonishment and then nodded.

"He did. He was really friendly to me afterwards too."

"This is the most shocking news since that time Hufflepuff beat Gryffindor in fourth year."

"Hey it doesn't really count as a fair win if our seeker's broom was set on fire by the lightning." I retorted hotly. I might not play Quidditch myself but I was a very loyal supporter.

"I suppose not, no. But still, this is huge!"

"Calm down Em, it's not that exciting. It was only an apology."

"I didn't even think 'sorry' was in Draco's vocabulary."

"Oh now that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" I stalled for a second, listening to how strange it sounded to hear myself defending Draco Malfoy.

"Since when did you like him so much?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and scrutinising me. I let out a rather large yawn and shook my head.

"I'm not saying that I like him, but he was nice to me and so I was nice back. Simple."

"Hmm if you say so." I rolled my eyes at her and shifted in the chair so that I could swing my legs up and rest my feet on the edge of the table.

"Do you fancy doing something today? It's been ages since we hung out together." She said sadly.

"That's because you've been preoccupied with your _boyfriend_." I sang the last word at her, giggling when she blushed as dark as a beetroot.

"Stop that! He's not my…" she stopped abruptly and stared at the table. I frowned at her.

"He's not your what? Not your boyfriend? Then what would you call him?" she looked up at me with hazy eyes and then frowned.

"I don't know…I suppose he is my boyfriend." Her eyes suddenly sparkled like big round sapphires and a dazzling smile broke out across her face.

"Oh my gosh, Albus Potter is my boyfriend!" she squealed. I laughed as she leapt out of her seat and jumped up and down excitedly. This girl was almost eighteen and here she was bouncing around because of a boy.

"Get a grip Em." I instructed, still smirking at her. She pirouetted giggling happily and then perched back on the edge of the chair.

"I've wanted to say that for so long." She said, sighing happily. I felt a little squeeze on my heart from seeing her so happy. She was still smiling.

"Oh right, we were making plans, sorry." She added quickly, noticing me watching her and mistaking my expression for impatience.

"It's great to see you happy again." I told her. She gave me a kind smile and then cleared her throat indicating a subject change.

"Oh I know. Why don't we go to the park? It's going to be really sunny today." I felt my spirits lift at her suggestion, a day out at the park sounded like loads of fun.

"Yeah, that sounds great! Oh, we should invite Lucy too." Her face lit up and she clapped excitedly.

"Yes we should! I haven't seen her since your birthday."

"No, neither have I. Do you think she's ok?" How could I have been so absorbed in my own life to not realise we hadn't heard from Lucy for days? I felt shamefully guilty but it was overridden by the fast growing sense of worry that was building within me.

"I don't know. It's not like her not to write." Emma was right, even when we didn't see each other Lucy always wrote us regular letters and sent them with her snowy white owl, Lucas. But we hadn't had any letters at all.

"Maybe we should pop round there today and check on her." I suggested. Emma nodded quickly and I could tell she was as worried as I was.

"Yeah let's do that. We can head over there before we go to the park."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just go and shower up and then we can get going." Since she was already dressed we could leave as soon as I was ready. I slid my feet off the edge of the table and sprang up; throwing her a quick wave I rushed back up to the bedroom.

Scorpius was lying awake when I returned and he looked relieved to see me. He smiled at me sleepily and it made him look heartbreakingly handsome.

"There you are." He said softly, his voice still thick from sleep. I ran across the room and dived on top of him giggling like a hyperactive little girl. He laughed and his arms locked me to his chest.

"Morning beautiful." He said smoothly, flashing me a smile that made my heart skip a beat.

"Good morning." I replied cheerfully, unable to keep the huge grin off my face.

"I like this windswept look on you, it's very glamorous." He eyed my wild hair pointedly and I blushed. I reached up to smack his head in protest.

"Shut up, you're so mean!" he just laughed at me and the sound was so contagious that I found myself giggling along. He rolled over until our positions were reversed and he was lying atop me and pinning me to the mattress.

"I was being serious, I like it." he told me. His eyes shone with humour and I shook my head.

"You're so silly."

"Honestly, it's sexy! In fact, how about I mess it up some more for you?" I arched an eyebrow. Then, unable to resist the glimmer in his eyes that urged me to take the bait, I asked the obvious question.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" a wicked look flitted across his face before it was replaced with a devilish grin. His hands moved down my sides, over my hips and around the back of my knees. He tugged roughly, hitching my legs up over his hips and pressing onto me.

"I have a few ideas." He murmured in my ear before placing his lips onto my hot skin. My willpower all but crumbled to dust in that second where his soft and oh so delicious lips moved against my neck. My hands roamed eagerly across his bare back, as his teeth nibbled teasingly at my skin my nails dug into his and he groaned. What the heck was wrong with me? I couldn't seem to get through a day without craving his body with every inch of my being. Why was he so irresistible to me and why didn't my insatiable lust for him ever get quenched?

"Scor." His name came out sounding more like gasp.

"Mmm?" his voice vibrated against my neck and I giggled.

"We don't have time for this, I'm supposed to be going out with Emma." I told him reluctantly. He thrust his hands underneath my baggy top, stroking his silky palms over the curve of my waist.

"Then we'd better not take too long." He replied cheekily. I laughed but he silenced me with a deep kiss.

"We seem to be doing this a lot lately." I murmured as his lips moved across my cheek. I felt him grin against my skin.

"Well you're going back to Hogwarts soon and I won't see you for weeks, I need to make the most of it while I can." I laughed gleefully and his hands eagerly started to tear off my clothes. Well I suppose there was no harm in having a bit of fun while we could.

* * *

It'd been almost an hour by the time I stumbled into the kitchen and over to an impatient Emma. She was still sat at the table tapping her fingers irritably. Her piercing blue eyes landed straight on me as I rushed over panting breathlessly.

"You took your time." She said curtly. I winced at her tone and blushed guiltily.

"Yeah…um, sorry." She rolled her eyes and stood up to take her empty coffee mug over to the sink.

"You two are out of control, you do realise that? What's that now then, once a day?" she raised an eyebrow and I blushed deeper.

"No, I mean that's not what….we weren't…um…" my argument was so weak that she just scoffed.

"Oh come off it Lily, that is exactly what you were doing. You're late, flushed, and I heard some unexplained banging coming from upstairs. It's not hard to figure out." I looked away guiltily and gnawed on my bottom lip. In my defence, the banging noises weren't what she thought they'd been. In truth we'd just gotten a bit carried away and fallen off the bed. In the moment we'd both found it hilarious but under Emma's judging gaze I felt quite ashamed.

"Sorry." I mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Oh don't look so guilty, you're in love, it's to be expected. It will be less nauseating when this can't-keep-your-hands-off-each-other phase ends though." I giggled and she shook her head again, smiling this time though.

"Come on you saucy little minx." She marched over to the door leaving me to trail after her laughing hysterically.

It took us a forty minute journey to get to Lucy's town on a muggle bus. The quaint little area was eerily deserted as we made our way through the streets. Occasionally a car would drive past or we would catch a glimpse of a cat bounding through a garden but otherwise it was deserted.

"It's so freaky when it's this quiet." Emma whispered, linking her arm through mine and huddling closer.

It must've made her feel safer if we walked close together, like I was her protection. The idea almost made me laugh until I gave it some real thought. In truth, if Emma and I were ever in a battle against other wizards, we probably would make an excellent team. She was a very defensive witch whereas I chose a more offensive approach, so technically we'd work well together. I silently hoped I would never get to find out for certain.

"Oh there it is!" she pointed excitedly at the Carmichael's house that was now in view. We hurried through the cute little gate and up to the front door. Emma rang the doorbell and we waited patiently. Much to our surprise neither of Lucy's parents answered the door; instead it was her brother Dean. He'd changed a lot since the last time Emma and I had seen him over two years ago. His long brown hair had been trimmed short and was styled messily as though he'd just ruffled some hair wax through it and given up.

"Oh, hi!" it was Emma who managed to break the uncomfortable silence. Dean looked surprised to see us standing on his doorstep.

"You probably don't remember us but we're friends of Lucy's, from Hogwarts. Is she around by any chance?" my best friend continued. He stared at us blankly for a few seconds and then reached up to slowly tug two thin black wires dangling down his chest. Following the action, two round plugs fell out of his ears and he caught them in his hand. I frowned at them curiously and noticed that very quiet music seemed to be coming out of them.

"What?" he said bluntly. Emma and I scowled at his impolite tone but he didn't seem to notice or care.

"I said, is Lucy around?" he looked from Emma to me and then back again before turning deliberately slowly to shout up the stairs behind him.

"Luce, there's some people at the door for you."

"Who is it?" I recognised Lucy's familiar female tone as she called her reply.

"Some of your school mates." There was a scuttle of footsteps and then our raven haired friend came into view at the top of the stairs. She didn't wave at us or even smile.

It was then that I noticed something was amiss. Her beautiful shiny hair had been dragged back into a scruffy ponytail and she wasn't wearing her usual pick of fitted jeans and stylish coloured sweaters. Instead she was dressed drearily in baggy cloth trousers and a tattered grey jumper that was at least five sizes too big for her, it practically drowned her.

She walked slowly down the stairs, wobbling a bit on a few steps and never raising her head to look at us. She lost her footing on the last step and fell forwards with a startled gasp. Emma and I lurched forwards to steady her but Dean's arms flew out immediately and she landed softly in his grip.

He held her against his chest for a moment and their eyes locked, there was a strange shadow in Lucy's as she stared up at her older brother and I saw the muscles in his jaw clench. When he was certain she was steady on her feet he gently released her and retreated hastily into the adjoining sitting room.

Lucy stared after him for a few seconds, a distant and pained expression on her face before she swallowed hard and turned to face us. I saw her visibly force herself to smile but it did little to mask the other emotions haunting her pretty face. She looked tired and withdrawn. Something wasn't right.

"What brings you guys here?" she asked, her voice didn't have its usual spunk. Emma and I exchanged a look and I knew she was noticing everything that I was.

"Well we're going to the park for the day and we came to see if you fancied a day out, you know, just us girls for a change." While Emma spoke I watched Lucy's smile falter and her eyes flickered towards the sitting room for a second, it would have gone completely unnoticed if I hadn't been looking so intently.

"Oh, um…the thing is, I'm really not feeling up to it today. I've not been sleeping well lately so I'm a bit tired and plus I have a ton of stuff to get through before we go back to school, you know, revision and stuff." I narrowed my eyes at her and she shied away from my questioning glare.

"Can't you just take a tiny break, just for a few hours? If you're too tired then we'll carry you, won't we Lil?"

"Absolutely, I used to give Al piggybacks all the time so I think I can carry you easily." But Lucy shook her head and took a step backwards retreating further into her house.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate the offer but I think I'd just like to stay in today." I could feel myself growing more worried by the second. Something wasn't right with her and I had a nasty feeling that it was to do with Dean. Was he being horrible to her?

"Ok then, well we'll see you on Monday then, to get the train." Emma continued, sounding noticeably dismayed.

"Yeah I'll definitely be there." Lucy promised. She took another step back and twisted the hem of the baggy jumper she wore in her hands.

"If you need us, or need to tell us anything then just send an owl or floo over ok?" I said it deliberately slowly because I wanted her to see that I knew something was wrong. I wanted her to know that she had us to turn to if something bad was going on.

"Ok, have fun at the park."

"We will, wish you were coming though." We both gave her a gentle hug and then stepped back outside. The door closed behind us with a loud thud and we both jumped slightly.

"That was weird; she didn't look like herself at all." Emma hissed. I nodded and glanced back at the house, something in the window caught my eye and I tugged on Emma's arm.

"Look!" I instructed, pointing at the source of my interest. Dean had risen from the sofa having heard the door closed and rushed quickly across the room and in the direction of the stairs where we'd left Lucy.

"You don't think he's hurting her or anything, do you?" Emma asked in a fearful voice. I considered it for a moment but shook my head.

"No I don't think that's it. Did you see the way he caught her when she tripped? He almost looked scared."

"Yeah that was odd, the whole thing was odd though to be frank." We stood there for a moment longer staring at the door as if it might melt away and show us what was going on behind it but of course it did not. Sighing in defeat we turned around, linked arms again, and made our way back to the bus stop.

"Oh that looks like a good spot!" Emma said suddenly. She pointed ahead of us where there was a nice plush section of grass dotted with cheerful little daisies.

"Perfect." I agreed. We dropped down onto the springy ground and I lay back with a gentle sigh. The warm sun was pouring down onto me and heating my skin.

"I still can't stop thinking about Lucy." Emma said after a moment of comfortable silence. She was sat up fiddling with the grass.

"Me either, but if she doesn't want to tell us what's going on then we can't force her to."

"I know that but it's just so frustrating!" she hit the ground angrily and then lay back beside me with an irritated growl.

"I'm sure if it was something bad then she'd tell us. I mean she didn't look hurt or anything so…"

"No but she didn't look like her usual self either. She never dresses so grungy and I don't think I've ever seen her hair so…messy. It just doesn't add up."

"Stop getting stressed Em." I turned my head to look across at her and she gave me a small smile.

"I'll try, but there had better not be anything bad going on. If it's that horrible brother of hers then I swear I'll hex him into next week."

"Emma you're useless at hexes." I pointed out. She pouted angrily and I giggled.

"Fine, then I'll get you to do it. You're brilliant at hexes."

"Maybe, but I'm not your personal hit woman." She laughed and turned to gaze up at the bright blue sky.

"Let's talk about something less depressing." She decided.

"I agree. Oh, how are things going between you and Al?" I caught the light blush that coloured her cheeks before she turned her head away.

"Things are ok." She said quietly, still refusing to look at me. I raised an eyebrow and prodded her in her side.

"Hey!" she objected, turning to glare at me angrily and batting away my hand as I tried to poke her again.

"You have to tell me more than that!" I demanded. She looked back at the sky, shyly avoiding my eyes.

"There's not much to tell really. We just sort of sit and talk most of the time."

"Uh-huh, talking eh? So you're trying to tell me that you don't spend most of your time snogging?" her cheeks flamed and she failed to fight the smile that tugged at her lips.

"Oh shut up." She retorted, confirming my thoughts. I laughed and nudged her playfully.

"You're happy, admit it." she turned her head to look at me and her bright sapphire eyes sparkled.

"Oh Lily, you have no idea. I didn't think I could feel this happy, sometimes it gets so bad I feel like my heart is going to burst right out of my chest!" she told me excitedly.

"You're such a romantic." I accused, rolling my eyes at her words. Secretly I agreed with her though, Scorpius made me feel exactly the same but I wouldn't admit that to her.

"He's so sweet to me. When we're together he'll just hold my hand or touch my hair, I didn't expect him to be so…tender."

"You didn't?" I asked curiously. She shook her head.

"No, I mean he's always joking and playing around with James and Scor, I didn't know he had this whole other side to him."

"Well he only let's you see that side of him."

"Yeah, I suppose he won't behave like that in front of you guys." Her brow furrowed gently and I looked over at her.

"Does that bother you?" I asked, sensing the change in her mood.

"I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I never expected him to be like Scor is with you but…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, Scorpius is always so…affectionate to you. He doesn't care who's around or who can see, he does it anyway. He absolutely adores you."

"But you don't think that Al adores you?" I guessed. She frowned deeply for a moment before shaking her head; the action caused the grass to pull some of her blonde hair out of its braid.

"No, that's not what I mean. It's just that Al's a lot more…shy than Scor is."

"Oh right, well yeah, that's true." My brother, however caring, had never been one to flaunt it openly. That was probably one of the reasons that it took Emma so long to realise that he really did like her. He hardly made it very obvious.

"You know what, I don't care. I don't care if he never kisses me in public or if he never holds my hand or anything." She announced in a determined tone. I propped myself up onto my elbows and peered down at her.

"As long as he loves you?" I offered. A bright smile lit up her pretty face and she nodded.

"Exactly, as long as he loves me then I don't care about any of that stuff." My mind briefly flickered to Draco and Astoria Malfoy.

They were in a similar situation, it was clear that Draco adored his wife and that he would do anything she asked him to but he wasn't overly affectionate in the company of others. He held her hand and sat near her whenever he could but he didn't go much further, yet it was still obvious that he loved her, you could tell by the look that appeared in his eyes whenever he gazed at her. It was a look of complete adoration and devotion. He worshipped his wife in his own way just as I imagined Al would with Emma.

"I still can't believe we're really together." My best friends' voice brought me out of my thoughts and she laughed. "I am Albus Potter's girlfriend!" she laughed again even I had to giggle at her excitement.

"Does this mean you'll be moving into the cottage too then?" I asked her. I took my weight off my elbows and collapsed back onto the grass.

"I hadn't thought about that. There aren't any more spare rooms and it might be a bit early for us to be sharing a bedroom and stuff."

"I don't think it's that big of a deal Em. You don't have to start having sex just because you're sleeping in the same bed. I remember when I used to stay over at Scor's house; I used to love sharing a bed with him. I still do." She hummed thoughtfully beside me and glanced across to see her frowning.

"I know what you mean, I've only spent a few night's there now and I can't imagine waking up without him again, I know that sounds so silly."

"No it doesn't, I used to think the exact same thing." She seemed reassured by this.

"Look Em, I'm not trying to force you into this but I don't want you to avoid it just because you think it'll mean you two have to start going further. In fact it might do you good, it might help you relax around each other a bit more." My mind briefly flickered to the awkward moments Scorpius and I had shared because of how little time we'd had to get used to each other in certain circumstances, such as being naked. The bathroom incident swam into my mind and I shuddered. God that had been so embarrassing, I pushed it from my mind furiously.

"I suppose we do have two months of school left before then, so it won't be happening yet." She reasoned.

"Yup, and if it's still too soon then you can always just wait a few months more, we're not likely to be moving out any time soon."

"Yeah, you're right. It would be pretty awesome to have us all living together, wouldn't it?" she turned to grin at me and I laughed.

"It would rock, it's a shame Lucy won't be there though." I pointed out and her smile faded.

"Oh no, Lucy would be missing. It won't be same without her!" she wined. We slipped into a thoughtful silence and I guessed she was trying to think of a way to rectify the problem too.

"Well we could always add another room." I suggested. We did have the use of magic after all.

"Yeah, or we could convert that little outhouse thing around the back."

"That's a brilliant idea! I'd totally forgotten that thing was there." I agreed enthusiastically.

"What actually is it anyway?" she asked, frowning deeply.

"Um…I think it used to be a sort of storage thing. Maybe it was for a car or something." Truthfully I didn't know for sure.

The little stone building was just outside the cottage, it had a rickety wooden door that was currently hanging off its hinges and several badly broken windows. Inside it wasn't much to write home about, just a small square space about the size of two small rooms. It could easily be converted into a comfortable bedroom for one of us. It was literally just outside of the actual cottage so whoever lived in it could share our kitchen and bathroom easily.

"You're a genius Em, you do realise that right?" I complimented, feeling a huge smile spread across my face.

"I have been told, yes." She replied with mock arrogance. We both dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"We'll have to tell the guys when we get back; I think they'd really go for it."

"Who do you think would live in there though? I'm not sure Lucy would like to be alone, it'd be a bit creepy and she does scare easily." She had a point there; Lucy had always expressed a dislike of being in scary places or even just dark places.

"I don't know." Then I remembered what Scorpius had said, about James' reason for agreeing to the door locking idea. "Oh, actually I think James might like to." He was sure to love the extra privacy and secrecy that it would give him.

"Ah yes." She agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"I'll tell Scorpius about it later."

"And I'll mention it to Al."

"He'll probably want to renovate it himself, you know for something to do while we're at school."

"That's brilliant Lily, he's been complaining about how bored he'll be so this would be perfect!" I gave her a satisfied nod and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"This is going to be so awesome, I just know it." she said confidently. I nodded my agreement and we fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying basking in the sun's hot rays.

It really would be fantastic if we could all live together or at least nearby, then we could hang out together just like we used to at school. Yes, Emma was right; this _was_ going to be awesome.


	16. A Meeting with the Minister

_Greetings my wonderful readers! Ok this is a super important chapter, those of you who reviewed the previous one will probably already have been told this in my replies but I'll just write it here too for those who didn't review. _

_The plot I've introduced regarding Lucy is a bit close to my heart because it actually happened to one of my best friends at school. The usually bubbly and carefree girl was reduced to a weepy and frightened wreck before our very eyes and it was all because something we are told so often to place our trust into but it failed her. She got a happy ending of sorts though and so will Lucy, I promise!_

_Now, who's ready for some drama?_

Chapter sixteen – A Meeting with the Minister

"I don't want to go to bed." I whispered, hiding my face against Scorpius' shoulder. We were huddled up on the chair by the window star gazing; it was fast becoming one of our favourite pastimes. He hugged me a little closer and sighed.

"Me either." He replied quietly. The house had fallen into an eerie silence over the past hour following James' departure on his date with a pretty brunette called Amy and Al and Emma's retirement to bed. I knew that tomorrow would be equally as difficult for my best friend as it would for me; both of us were being forced to leave behind someone we loved for two more months of school.

"Two months is a really long time." I murmured against his jumper. My voice quivered as a result of my unshed tears that I was battling against.

"I know sweetheart, but I'll come to meet you every Hogsmeade trip, so at least we'll see each other." His hand came up to gently stroke my cheek and I smiled reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess that's better than nothing." He smiled at me proudly and then moved his hands to my waist. He tugged me round so that I was straddling him and his hands moved to cup my face.

"And I'll think about you all the time." He told me, fixing me with his intense grey eyes. I felt my body beginning to melt under his gaze and he moved his mouth slowly closer to mine. He paused for just a flicker of a second before his soft lips captured my own in a gentle and tender kiss. His hands slid across my cheeks and into my hair, he tilted my head to the side and deepened the kiss making me moan softly into his mouth.

His touch was so gentle and his kiss so loving that my emotions came crashing down on me. I was suddenly hit by the full force of the realisation that we were going to be separated for months as of tomorrow. My eyes pooled with tears again and this time I did not have the strength to stop them, little salty drops trickled down my cheeks. Feeling the dampness of a tear land on his lip, Scorpius pulled away and looked at me sadly.

"Don't cry Lily." He whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut unable to stop them flowing. I felt the caress of his soft lips against my skin, kissing away the tears.

"I hate it, it hurts too much." I mumbled miserably.

"We'll never be apart like this again, I promise." He told me quietly. My eyes opened and I met his loving gaze. For a while we just stared at each other and then I leant in and kissed him gently. All I had to do was get through these few months without him and then I would be moving in and we'd never be kept apart. I was desperately clinging to the hope that my N.E.W.T.s work would keep me busy and help me to not keep track of the time.

~*~

"There she is!" Emma squealed, pointing in the direction of where Lucy was stood waiting.

"She looks a bit better." I remarked, noticing that her hair was neater, albeit still tied back, and she was wearing her usual dark jeans and a red beaded sweater.

"Her clothes might do but look at her face." Emma hissed back. I glanced up at our Ravenclaw friend again and saw the noticeable weariness visible on her face. She had tired circles around her eyes and she looked dreadfully solemn.

"Oh dear." I mumbled glumly. Emma nodded and I knew she was as worried as I was. Scorpius tugged slightly on my hand so that we fell back behind the others. He leant closer to me to whisper in my ear.

"What's going on with Lucy?" he asked, having overheard my exchange with Emma and noticed the changes in her appearance.

"We don't know, she hasn't said anything about it." I whispered, not wanting people to overhear. He frowned thoughtfully as we drew up to where our friend was waiting.

"Hi Lucy!" there was a chorus of hello's from the six of us and the various parents accompanying us on our final trip to platform 9 ¾.

"Hi guys." She replied with a weak smile. There was none of the usual twinkle in her eyes.

"Right come on, there's only a few minutes until the train leaves and you don't want to be scrambling for a seat." My mum shouted above the noise of our chatter. A series of hugs were passed around and I waved goodbye to James who looked rather sad that we were all leaving again. Hugo and Lucy climbed aboard and went hunting for an empty compartment leaving Emma and I to say a tearful goodbye to our boyfriends.

While Scorpius scooped me into his arms right where he stood and drew me into a deep kiss, Al took Emma's hand and pulled her aside so that they were partially hidden by a stone pillar. I didn't hear what he was saying to her and nor did I care in that moment, all I had eyes for was the man standing in front of me.

"I'll write to you every day, I promise." He told me with a cheerful grin. I laughed tearfully and he locked me in another tight hug. I could feel his hands grasping the back of my cardigan, desperate to never have to let go.

"I'll miss you." I managed to mumble against his shoulder, my voice wobbling because of my trickling tears.

"I know, I miss you already and you haven't left yet." I giggled but the sound quickly changed into a small sob and he silenced any more with another soft kiss. Leaving him had always been hard, you'd think it would get easier the more you had to do it but in truth it just got worse, and it seemed to have gotten a million times harder since our relationship had gotten more intimate.

A piercing hoot of the train's horn and a blast of steam forced Scorpius to relinquish his hold on me and he freed my lips. I gasped breathlessly and tried to wipe away my tears. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and then the back of my hand.

"Try not to think about it ok, it'll go quicker that way." He advised. I nodded and sniffed back another wave of tears.

"I'll see you soon, at Hogsmeade." I managed a shaky smile and he grinned back.

"Yep, just try and enjoy it. You'll miss it all when you leave."

"I'll try; keep an eye on these two." I nodded towards James and then Al, who was embracing Emma tightly.

"I will." I tore myself from his arms and took a step towards the train but his hand caught my wrist stopping me.

"Lily…" I turned around and he seized my face giving me one final long kiss.

"I love you." he whispered, gently rubbing my cheek with his nose.

"I love you too. Goodbye." With fresh tears in my eyes I turned from his grasp and climbed onto the train. I looked back to give him and the rest of my family a farewell wave, I spotted Al giving Emma a sweet kiss on the lips and then she turned and rushed over to jump on board beside me.

With the train doors all locked up and the engine roaring to life, Emma and I gave our loved ones one last wave and shouted our goodbyes out of the open window. It was impossible to miss the heartbroken expressions on Scorpius and Al's faces as they watched us ride away.

"Are you ok?" I asked, gently putting a hand on Emma's arm. Her eyes were red and puffy where she'd tried in vain to clear away the tears.

"No." she blurted with a weepy sniffle. I quickly scooped her into a comforting hug.

"Is it always this hard?" she asked, her voice muffled by my cardigan. I wanted so badly to lie, to tell her than it got easier in time but I didn't have the heart to actually do it.

"No, it gets harder." I admitted, having to fight off the tears myself. She pulled away and gave me a smile filled with sympathy.

"I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time when you used to get upset about leaving Scorpius. I couldn't appreciate how much it hurt you back then." Her eyes pooled with guilt and I offered her a kind smile.

"Don't worry about it Em. Come on, let's go and find Hugo and Lucy." We linked arms and started bustling through the crowds of students littering the narrow corridor.

~*~

My uniform felt stiff and uncomfortable, my robes irritated me by dragging on the floor and I was sick of getting paper cuts off the pages of my million books. Six weeks had dragged by as if it was sixty hours to every minute and not merely sixty seconds. The Hogsmeade trip came and went but it only fuelled my already unbearable longing for Scorpius.

On top of it all my N.E.W.T.s work was mounting up and there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get through my revision.

Remind me again why I thought it would be a wise idea to take potions? Ah yes, I took it because my smartass boyfriend tricked me into it by dazzling me with his godly smile and those flawless silvery grey eyes. I gave myself a mental slap for thinking something so nauseating and then focussed my attention back on my potions book, none of which was making any sense at all. It might well be telling me how to cook Thestrals but I wouldn't know because I wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention.

"You know, it helps if you have the book the right way up when you're revising." I gasped sharply and wheeled around in my chair. Emery stood behind me, peering over my shoulder at my potions book.

"What?" I blurted stupidly.

"Or is this a new approach to memorizing the content, both upside down and the right way up? That's very thorough of you Lily." He continued, eyeing me playfully. I rolled my eyes and hastily flipped the book the right way up.

"Oh ha, ha, very funny Emery, well aren't you just a modern comedian." He chuckled lightly and slid into the chair beside me.

"So I'm guessing that the revision isn't going too well, unless you really are trying a new memorizing technique." He eyed the many books and strips of parchment scattered around me.

"Uh, no…I'm failing miserably." I grumbled sadly. He cocked an eyebrow and I noticed the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"So this is a sinking ship then?" he asked pointing to the mess hiding the table from view.

"Oh it's not just a sinking ship, I've driven it into a cliff, smashed it on the rocks and then set fire to it." he winced and let out a low whistle.

"Ouch, that sounds painful." He said sympathetically. I nodded dramatically.

"It is. I am crashing and burning, badly." I flung myself onto the desk burying my head in my hands miserably. He reached out to pat me on the back.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." He tried to sound optimistic but I sat up and gave him a murderous glare.

"Emery, I have been sat in this library since ten o'clock this morning and the only thing I could tell you about what I've been studying is that it was all written in black ink." He burst out laughing and I soon found myself giggling along.

"Ok, well that is pretty bad." He admitted.

"Precisely." I threw my head back onto the table and my red hair splayed around me cloaking me in darkness.

"Lily?" a streak of light leaked into my blackout and I opened one eye to see Emery holding up a clump of my hair and peering in at me through the gap.

"Yeah?" I mumbled sadly.

"How would you like a tutor? Potions isn't my strongest subject but I remember a little more than the colour of the ink, so that's a pretty decent start wouldn't you say?" a humoured smirk broke out onto his face and I giggled.

"You're offering to tutor me?" I asked, sitting back up straight and yanking the clump of hair from his hands.

"I am." He agreed simply. I eyed him suspiciously and then broke into a brilliant smile.

"You are a life saver!" I flung my arms around his shoulders and gave him a suffocating hug. He laughed lightly and patted me on the back.

"I'll do this on one condition." He said sounding rather breathless.

"What's that?" I asked, still refusing to release him from my hug.

"I must be able to breathe." He spluttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I snatched myself back and he sucked in a welcoming gulp of air.

"No problem, so, what subject shall we start with?" he turned his attention to the loads of books piled around us and I grinned at him joyously.

~*~

After three hours of Emery's tutoring I was certain that I would at least get an Acceptable on my Transfiguration N.E.W.T. The studying had actually turned out to be a lot of fun, Emery was fantastic conversation and we found out that we had more in common than we thought. By the time I left to walk back to the common room my stomach was hurting from laughing.

I took a detour on my return and went for a short walk outside, the sun was just starting to set and I loved the colour the sky went when it happened.

As I passed a tree I heard a little cry and stopped in my tracks. I was quite far from the castle now, right over on the other side of the grounds, so whoever was crying had obviously come here hoping not to be found.

I walked over to the tree slowly, being careful not to make too much noise, and peered around the large trunk. To my horror I recognised the black hair dragged roughly into a bun and the dark Ravenclaw robes.

"Lucy!" I gasped, rushing to her side and dropping down onto my knees. She jumped at the sound of my voice; I'd obviously startled her, and began to hastily wipe away her tears.

"I'm fine." She said quickly, turning away so that I couldn't see how sore her eyes looked.

"You're not fine at all, you're crying!" I argued boldly. She shook her head and moved to stand but my hand flew out and stopped her.

"I'm not letting you leave when you're upset! What kind of friend would that make me?" she nervously met my eyes and I was saddened by the sheer misery in hers. No, she definitely was not fine. Suddenly her eyes welled with a thousand tears and she flung herself at me. Her frail little arms clutched me with every inch of strength they had and I hugged her in a way I hoped was comforting. I felt utterly speechless; her abrupt state of distress had both confused and scared me.

"Lucy, please, tell me what's upsetting you." I pleaded. Her heart wrenching sobs shook my body.

"I…I…can't…" she spluttered as a new wave of tears rushed on. I rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know something is wrong. You haven't been yourself since my birthday. You've been dressing differently, your hair is always tied up now and I haven't seen you laugh or smile in weeks!" she continued to cry into my shoulder but didn't reply.

"Please tell me what's going on. I can't stand seeing you so miserable, just let me help you!" I was begging now, my voice thick with desperation and my hands clutching at her robes.

"You….c-can't h-help." She replied weakly.

"Why not?" I demanded. I was angry with her for not letting me try and help, it was making me feel useless and afraid.

"Because I'm….pregnant!" the last word was followed by the loudest sob yet and I felt my whole body freeze. She was pregnant, but how? She hadn't being seeing anybody and she hadn't had a boyfriend in all the time I'd known her, in fact the only person I could remember her dating was…Hugo! Before I could stop it a sharp gasp left my lips.

"Oh god, is it Hugo's baby?" I blurted. Her sobs stopped abruptly and she pulled away from my embrace to look at me with bleary eyes.

"No."  
"But he's the only person you've ever dated!"

"We only went out that one time, he asked me again but I said no." my brow furrowed and I looked at her curiously.

"Why did you say no? I thought you liked Hugo."

"Oh I did, I mean I do, he's very sweet. It's just that…well, it's hard to explain." She sniffed tearfully and I reached out to pat her knee.

"It's just that you don't like him enough?" I ventured. She gave me an apologetic smile and nodded.

"Something like that yes." With that cleared up my mind zoomed straight back to her earlier revelation.

"Lucy, how can you be pregnant? I mean, I didn't even know you were seeing someone let alone sleeping with them!" I kept my voice low even though we were miles from the castle and there was nobody within earshot. She hung her head and I saw a few tears drip down onto her skirt.

"It only happened once." She mumbled timidly. I decided to stop asking who the father was, it was sure to distress her again and it scared me seeing cool and composed Lucy so hysterical, instead I opted for a somewhat safer question.

"Why didn't you use some sort of…protection against this?" I tried not to sound accusing or judgemental. After all, Scorpius and I had forgotten first time around too.

"We did, but…well, something must've gone wrong." I nodded understandingly and we slipped into a silence. Then I remembered something.

"Dean knows, doesn't he?" Her head snapped up and she stared at me with wide eyes.

"H-how did you know that?" her voice stuttered nervously and I gave her a little smile.

"He looked so afraid when you tripped on the stairs." His concern had been obvious and now I knew why.

"Oh." She mumbled, dropping her head again. I sighed softly; this was fast growing into a huge mess.

"How long have you known?" I asked. She didn't look up as she replied but I knew the answer anyway.

"I took a test the day after your birthday, I hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks and my period was a month late." I felt a pang of sympathy in my heart and shifted on the grass so that I could drape an arm around her shoulder. She leant into me for support and I heard her stifle another sob. She must've felt so alone through all of this, which must've been why she told Dean, for some support.

"What are you going to do?" I asked quietly. She glanced across at me and fresh tears flooded her eyes. I felt so overwhelmingly sorry for my friend in that moment, she was pregnant at barely eighteen and she was about to leave school.

"I have to keep it Lily, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't." I studied the agony buried deep within her eyes and then nodded. I would feel exactly the same in her position.

"What will your parents say?" I whispered, scared of what the answer might be. She let out a painful sob and shook her head violently.

"Don't ask me that Lily, please, I can't think about that right now." she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle more cries and I hugged her a bit closer to my side. Her parents could hardly blame her really, she had actually used protection and it was hardly her fault if it didn't work.

"And what about the father, does he know?" I asked the question cautiously and she slowly nodded her head.

"What did he say?" I continued. She removed her hand so that she could reply.

"He blames himself. He thinks he's ruined my life." I silenced the little part of my mind that agreed with him.

Of course her life wasn't ruined, it was true that the timing was far from perfect but she would have a child. Someone who she would love unconditionally and who would be a tiny but very special bit of her, you can hardly say a child would ruin her life. A child would just change her life, it would be hard at first, especially considering how young she was, but I could guarantee that the second she held her baby it would all seem worth it.

"Do you think that?" I asked. She furiously shook her head.

"It's no more his fault than it is mine."

"So, are you two together now…as a couple?" it felt strange asking that when I didn't even know who 'he' was. She shook her head again.

"No, he keeps saying that we can't be together."

"Why?" I asked, outraged and shocked.

"Well, I can't really explain, but it's…complicated." I could tell she didn't want to discuss it. She wasn't ready to tell me that part yet and that was ok, she'd shared so much with me already that I could hardly demand more.

Try as I might I just couldn't think of anything to say in that moment that would comfort her. Not only did she have to cope with being pregnant and the prospect of motherhood, but she was heartbroken as well, forced to go through it all without this man who she obviously cared a lot for.

"Do you love him?" It was the one question now dominating my mind. I heard her take a deep breath.

"Yes." I barely heard her but there was no mistaking it. Her body shook as she silently began to cry again.

"Oh Lucy, I'm so sorry." I scooped her into a tight hug and she clung to me gratefully. My robes soaked up her fresh flowing tears and muffled her hollow sobs.

"I f-feel so…a-alone." She whimpered. I tightened my grasp on her and set my face with determination.

"You're not alone Luce. You have me and Emma, and we'll be with you through everything." She pulled back from my grip suddenly but her weak hands kept hold of the front of my robes. Her dark eyes blazed with fear and desperation.

"No!" she gasped, tugging on my robes. "You can't tell Emma, I shouldn't have even told you!"

"But we're here to help you, to stop you being alone. We're your friends Lucy."

"No, please Lily, don't tell her. I don't want anybody else knowing yet, please." Her begging was almost breaking my heart and my resistance crumbled instantly. It was her secret, I couldn't force her to tell people – not even Emma.

"Ok." I agreed reluctantly. She gave my robes another tug.

"Promise me that you won't tell her, you have to promise me!" she cried desperately.

"Ok, I promise I won't tell anyone at all, not even Emma. Calm down Luce, this can't be healthy for the baby." Her grip immediately relaxed and her frantic expression faded.

"No, you're right. I shouldn't get so worked up." She took a few deep breaths to calm down and then wiped away the last of her tears.

"I know you must want to ask me a thousand things but I'm really not ready to talk about it yet. Please don't pressure me with this." I reached out for her hand and smiled kindly.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I just don't want you to think you have to go through everything alone ok?" she managed a wobbly smile in return and squeezed my hand.

"Thanks Lily. I was so worried that you wouldn't want to be my friend if I didn't carry on dating Hugo." She admitted shyly. My eyes popped open and then quickly fell into a frown.

"Why on earth would you think something so silly?"

"Well, that was the reason we started being friends anyway, so I thought that if that was gone then we wouldn't be anymore."

"I'll admit that in the beginning, the fact that Hugo liked you was mainly why we starting to hang around together but that didn't last very long. As soon as we started talking to you, Emma and I realised that we loved you!"

"So, we really are friends?" she asked in a tiny voice. I giggled softly and gave her a playful shove.

"Of course we are, you silly witch! We'll always be friends! Oh, well, unless our craziness drives you insane one day."

"It never will!" she replied defiantly. We both laughed and the mood quickly shifted back to serious.

"Come on, it's getting dark and people will be wondering where we are." I helped her to her feet and linked our arms together. She looked at them briefly before shooting me a bright smile, the first real smile I'd seen from her in weeks, and we set off towards the castle. My mind was still reeling from the massive revelation she'd just shared with me and the hundreds of questions it provoked, but I ignored all of that and focused on the most important thing right now, and that was that Lucy needed me to be a good friend to her.

~*~

I trooped down to breakfast oddly early that Saturday morning; I'd had a terrible night's sleep yet again and woken up long before I should have. It seemed to be a pattern that showed up whenever I had exams or other things stressing me out. So naturally I was getting little to no sleep at all at the moment, what with my mind being swamped by N.E.W.T.s worries, being separated from Scorpius and on top of it all there was Lucy's current state – which I was still keeping one hundred percent secret.

Hugo was already at the Gryffindor breakfast table when I arrived and I slipped into the seat opposite him. His greeting was temporarily postponed while he let out a long yawn.

"Morning Hughie." I said drowsily before his contagious yawn passed onto me.

"Hi Lils, is Emma not with you?" he returned to cutting the fat off the edges of his bacon and pushing it to the rim of his plate where a small pile was building up.

"Nah, she was still completely out of it so I left her to sleep." I told him as I started spooning hash browns and fried eggs onto my plate.

"Why are you up so early anyway?" he continued, eating his newly fat-free bacon.

"I had a bad night, I've been up since three this morning." He winced sympathetically and I turned my attention to adding beans onto my breakfast mound. Honestly some days I did worry I was turning into Al. I shook off such blasphemous thoughts and tucked into the fried goodness.

"I got up early too but nothing close to that. I was going to read the Daily Prophet to pass the time but mum hasn't sent me one." He pointed across the table where a second year student was deeply engrossed in a large newspaper. I gave him what I hoped was a sympathetic look whilst chewing on my large mouthful of food. Just then the student lifted the paper and I caught the main headline.

In big black letters it said: **Harry Potter, new Minister for Magic.** I almost choked on my food and forced myself to swallow it despite the fact that I'd barely chewed it.

"Lily?" Hugo's voice was lined with worry as he watched me spring up and rushed down the table to where the owner of the paper sat. I rudely snatched it from his hands and flipped it back to the first page.

"Hey, you can't just steal that!" he complained but I ignored him. Hugo appeared opposite me and I saw his eyes widen too as he spotted the headline.

"Oh my god!" he breathed, partly amazed and partly shocked.

"Ministry officials have today confirmed that Kingsley Shacklebolt has retired from his post after twenty six years as Minister." I read aloud. The boy I'd stolen the paper off had given up moaning at me and had turned instead to complain to his friend about it. Hugo turned the paper so that he could read it too and I went further into the article.

"Our sources have also confirmed that his replacement is to be none other than Harry Potter. Mr Potter, who is most famous for his valiant pursuit, and eventual defeat, of Lord Voldemort, has yet to comment on this matter though we expect to him to begin his work as the new Minister as soon as tomorrow." I stopped there; I couldn't bring myself to read on, the shock was too much. My dad was the new Minister for Magic. He was the bloody Minister for Magic! That had to be as huge as being the muggle Prime Minister!

"Oh my god!" I blurted out the words in a high pitched tone and heard some nearby fifth years whispering to each other. The general gist of what they were saying was that it was shocking that I'd found out from a newspaper. My own father hadn't thought to tell me something this groundbreaking and even Scorpius hadn't mentioned it in any of his daily letters so I assumed that he didn't know either.

"How is it possible that I didn't know about this?" I stammered. The shock still hadn't worn off. Hugo looked up from the newspaper and met my eyes with his equally wide ones.

"Do you think it's true?" he asked.

"Hugo, it's in the freaking Daily Prophet, of course it's true! You know that it has strong ties with the Ministry, they practically control what's printed for heaven's sake!" ok I was moving into full on hysteria mode, my voice screeching through far too many octaves and waving my hands about wildly.

"Calm down Lily!" he said softly, but I just let out a hysterical giggle.

"Calm down, you want me to calm down? Hugo, my dad is the Minister for Magic!" my voice reached a new peak and I saw several people wince. Then, as if by cue, Headmistress Sprout came sweeping into the hall and marched right down the Gryffindor table, her eyes locked on me the entire time she walked.

"Miss Potter, would you please accompany me to my office immediately." Despite the severity of her words her tone was gentle and kind. She even gave me a small smile, as if to reassure me that I wasn't in trouble. I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, still dazed from the shock, and then nodded. She turned around, her long green robes billowing about her, and led the way out of the hall. As I left I felt the eyes of every student on me.

We walked in silence to her office, she spoke the password to the gargoyle and he allowed us passage to the staircase. We hastily climbed the winding steps, Sprout holding up the hem of her robes as she did so. We swept into the office and I was startled to see how vastly it had changed since McGonagall had been headmistress.

Gone were the books and various little trinkets she had transfigured, in their place were numerous varieties of exotic plants. The billowing tartan curtains and cushions that our old headmistress had been so fond of had been recovered into rich velvety materials in shades of moss, ochre and beige. The changes gave the magnificent office a calmingly neutral feel.

As we drew up to the desk I saw something move and realised with a jolt that we were not the only people in the office. The man walked out from behind a rather boisterous sickle tree and I gasped.

"Dad!" my father gave me a weary smile and the headmistress cleared her throat.

"Right, well, I shall leave you both to discuss what you need to. I have some things to be taking care of in preparation for the exams anyway. We're having some plants brought in fresh and I can never trust those silly herbologists to do the job properly – last year one of them dropped a tray of young Mandrake pots, we had students dropping like flies all over the castle." She gave us a brisk nod and then swept from the room.

I turned back to face my dad and we locked eyes in an awkward silence. I rocked back on my heels and tapped my fingers against my legs. I wasn't going to make the first move; I wanted him to tell me why the hell I'd had to find out that my own father was the Minister for Magic from a newspaper. He turned on the spot gazing around the large office with a strange look in his green eyes.

"This office has changed a lot since my days at Hogwarts." He mused thoughtfully. I cast another glance around and nodded.

"It looks a lot different to when McGonagall had it." I agreed. I reached out to touch the leaves of a nearby plant and it giggled in response. I snatched my hand back looking rather startled.

"In Dumbledore's day it looked a lot like a library, all the walls were lined with thousands of books, most of them I'd never heard of." I nodded silently. I was growing more and more impatient by the second, how long did he plan on dragging this out?

"I think the décor must change with the changing of the head of school." He continued. I sighed loudly and folded my arms, this drew his attention and he met my eyes again.

"I take it you've seen this." He held up a folded up copy of the Daily Prophet and I nodded.

"Yup, I didn't even get sent my own copy, I had to read it off the front page of some random student's copy." I retorted bitterly. He sighed and leant against the rim of the Headmistress' desk.

"Am I too late to say I'm sorry?" he asked glumly. I gave him what I hoped was a scolding look and collapsed into a nearby brown leather armchair.

"I don't understand why you didn't just tell me, did Al and James have to find out this way too?" his eyes immediately dropped to the floor and his mouth opened but no words came out.

"I didn't think so." I added sharply. He reached up and dragged a hand through his scruffy dark hair.

"I know how bad this all sounds Lily but this isn't how I wanted you to find out. I had planned to come and tell you in person because I thought sending a letter was no better than you reading it in a newspaper. Unfortunately, as you can see, the vultures beat me to it anyway." He slammed the paper down on the desk and I jumped. The action was followed by an awkward pause and he ran his hand through his hair again.

"So it's true then, you really are the new Minister for Magic?" it felt so strange to say the words, I almost laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all.

"I am." He said simply. This time I did laugh, though the sound came out as more of a hysterical gasp.

"I can't believe this…" I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.

"I know how huge all of this seems but nothing should change for us, at home I mean." I snorted and then stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"It seems huge? Dad, you're the Minister for Magic for heaven's sake! This is way past huge." He laughed lightly and then shook his head.

"I don't think it's all sank in yet." He admitted. I felt my anger starting to dissipate to make way for a tinge of sympathy.

"When did you find out?" I asked. He sighed and rubbed at his unshaven chin.

"Kingsley announced he was leaving two days ago and came round to the house yesterday to ask me if I would succeed him." Wow, he really hadn't had much time to get used this either.

"Is he sad to be standing down?" over the years Kingsley had been a regular visitor at our house and I had to admit I was quite fond of him. He always wore such colourful robes.

"Yes, but since he became Minister he really had revolutionised the way the Ministry was run. It's finally free of all the corruption and does what it was designed to do; it governs the wizarding community and adapts to do what is best for it."

"He's done so much for us all." I murmured. My voice was thick with awe. It was incredible to think that one man had changed so much, of course it wasn't without the help of the other people working with him at the Ministry but in essence it was he who had initiated all the changes. My mind started reeling when I realised just how much impact my father, my uncle Ron and my Aunt Hermione had had on the wizarding world with the help of Kingsley.

"Yes, he has, and I think that's a big part of the reason he wants to retire now. It's an exhausting job at any time but Kingsley took it on when it was at its worst, he's had to cope with so much since he took the post. I think he deserves his rest now."

"So, when do you start?" I asked brightly. He let out an anxious laugh and ruffled his hair again.

"Tomorrow actually, I have a meeting with the heads of departments to discuss the state of things and where our focus should be." I cocked an eyebrow and let out a low whistle.

"Wow, important stuff."

"Yup, I'd better get used to it I suppose."

"True. So, who'll be taking your position as head of the Auror department?" this seemed to throw him a little and he rubbed at his furrowed brow.

"Uh…oh wow I hadn't thought of that. I suppose I'll have to choose a replacement." I laughed at his lack of organisation.

"If this is a show of what's to come then you should warn the Ministry." He shot me an unimpressed look and I giggled.

"Oh hilarious Lily, you definitely have your mother's sense of humour." I sniggered and even he couldn't fight a little smile.

"Am I forgiven then?" he asked in a small voice. I looked him up and down through narrowed eyes and sighed.

"Yes, you're forgiven." He broke into a massive grin and pushed off the table. He walked over to me and pulled me up out of the chair to hug me. My heart swelled with love to be near family again, especially my dad. I suppose I had always been a daddy's girl.

"I miss home dad." I mumbled timidly into his jacket. His hands rubbed my back soothingly and I felt him nod.

"I know you do flower, but you need to do this. Once it's over you'll be at home as much as you like." Tears swam in my eyes and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm trying dad, I really am."

"There's only a few weeks left now, just hang in there ok?" I pulled away from his embrace and gave him a weak smile.

"I will."

"Good girl." He touched my hair affectionately and I could see the sadness in his eyes as he saw how grown up I was now.

"How's mum doing?" I asked him.

"She's much better now that Al's home, she misses you of course but then, we all do."

"How long are you here for?"

"Not long, Pomona agreed to let me use her office to talk to you but you have to be back before the end of breakfast." My head dropped sadly when I realised I would soon have to say goodbye to him again. He rubbed my arm comfortingly but it had little effect.

"Scorpius, Is he…you know, is he um…ok and stuff?" I couldn't disguise the fact that my mind had been on the white haired former Slytherin much more than it should have been. I avoided my father's eyes knowing that they would be eyeing me teasingly.

"He's ok, yes; your mother has been inviting him round for dinner practically every day of the week. She doesn't like the idea of your brothers and him being alone at the cottage all the time, plus I think she misses having people around to fuss over." I laughed softly and made a mental note to myself to remember to give my mum a big hug next time I saw her.

"He misses you." he told me quietly. I lifted my head and locked eyes with him.

"He does?" it seems ridiculous asking but the words left my lips before I could stop them. My father nodded.

"It's written all over his face." he said simply. I couldn't help the little smile that crept onto my lips and I felt myself blush.

"I know its hard being away from him Lily. I remember how much it hurt when I was separated from your mother. It won't be forever, just remember that."

"I will, dad." He smiled and then scooped me into another tight hug.

"Right, well, I think I ought to be going. Your lessons will be starting soon." I grumbled and let my shoulders slump.

"Don't remind me." I said miserably and he chuckled.

"It's not that bad."

"How would you know, you didn't even sit your N.E.W.T.s!" I pointed out. He looked wounded for a few seconds before spluttering for a reply.

"Well that's not the point. I wasn't as smart as you are." I scoffed and gave him a playful shove.

"Oh don't try and throw me off with compliments." He laughed and ruffled my hair. I slapped his hand away furiously and tried to repair the damage to my hairdo.

"Go on, Mr Minister, bugger off home while I'm forced to suffer hours of Transfiguration." He chuckled and retrieved his copy of the Daily Prophet from the table.

"Ok, ok, I'm going. Here give his to Hugo, Hermione said she didn't get chance to send him one today." I took it from him and tucked it under my arm.

"I'll see you in a few weeks." I said, trying my hardest to sound cheerful. He gave me a gentle smile and then kissed me on the cheek.

"Bye flower, remember to study." Before I could argue he'd strode past me out of the door and I was left standing alone. I glanced up in time to see the occupants of the many previous heads' portraits turn away and pretend their attention had been elsewhere for the duration of our exchange. I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel to leave.

Not surprisingly I found Hugo, Emma and Lucy all waiting for me when I left the office. They rushed over to me as soon as I emerged, all their faces eager and expectant.

"What did the headmistress want; did she talk to you about the story?" Hugo asked.

"No, she just took me up to talk to my dad." Their eyes widened and three consecutive gasps left their lips.

"Your dad came to the school?" Lucy exclaimed, tugging eagerly on my robes. I nodded and the three exchanged a startled look.

"So it is true!"

"He came to tell you himself!"  
"He really is the new Minister." Their frantic replies all hit me at once and I held up my hands.

"Whoa, calm down." I instructed but they didn't look like they were going to listen. Emma grabbed my wrists and threw my hands back down so that they could fire more questions off at me.

"Come on Lily, is it true, is he really the Minister for Magic?" Emma begged. Her blue eyes were wide with curiosity. I sighed and nodded.

"Yes, yes he is. The article was true." Another wave of gasps passed around them and then their expressions transformed into excitement.

"This is so awesome!" Emma shrieked.

"My uncle is the Minister for Magic!" Hugo seemed to have been affected by her infectious hysteria and joined in with her wild cheering.

"Are you ok with all of this?" Lucy's quiet voice reached me over their loud celebration and she pulled me aside slightly. She was the first one to ask me how I actually felt about the news and I could see the concern in her eyes.

"I guess so, dad said that it shouldn't change things at home, which is good, and it's not like he's suddenly become famous because he's always been well known. To be honest, I don't quite know how I feel about it; I'm still a bit numb." I admitted with a long sigh. She smiled understandingly.

"That'll be the shock still, I had the same thing when I found about..." she trailed off and dropped her eyes to the floor. I glanced back at Emma and Hugo who were deep in conversation and agreeing enthusiastically about something. I took Lucy's arm and pulled her further away from them in the corridor.

"Luce, please will you tell me who it is?" I pleaded desperately. She looked over at the others and then met my eyes.

"I can't! You don't understand Lily." She replied quietly, her voice painfully sad.

"Then help me to understand. You can't keep this a secret forever, people will start to notice soon." I looked down at her belly deliberately and she instinctively closed her robes around herself.

"I know that, but I just can't talk about it yet, I'm not ready!" she hissed tearfully. I felt immediately guilty for pressuring her and decided now was definitely not the time for this.

"Ok, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." I said hastily, hoping to mend the situation. She turned her head away to brush away a few stray tears and then met my gaze again.

"I'll explain when I'm ready, ok?"

"Alright." I agreed. We took a few steps back towards the other two who were excitedly discussing the possibility of one day seeing inside the Ministry. Try as I might I just couldn't share their enthusiasm, I never had been very comfortable with stress and drama. Thankfully I wasn't the only one feeling weighed down by everything; Lucy had a head full of worries too, though hers were somewhat worse than mine.

_So there you have it, I hope you don't all hate me for this but I wanted to keep some realism to this story and not have it feel like they live in another world where everything seems so perfect. Sadly condoms don't work for some people no matter how high the percentage of success is. (Yes I did just use the forbidden 'C' word! I think with the rating I'm ok saying that although I did cringe a bit when I wrote it. lol.)_

_Ok, stopping talking now!_

_Thanks for reading._

_xx_


	17. Saying Goodbye

_Hello, my wonderful readers! Well it's that time again, I have a nice new chapter for you all that I am hoping you will enjoy. I'm not particularly fond of this one myself, there's nothing really happening in it to drive the plots forward but I needed to include it to bridge to the rest that will follow, so I do hope it isn't too boring._

_On a completely unrelated note, it snowed here again. Yup, it bloody snowed! I HATE the snow; I mean I used to love it until it meant that half of the population of my town poured into the pub where I work to avoid it, resulting in me and my boss being completely rushed off our feet for hours. There wasn't a single free table in the whole place, it was complete madness! Anyway, rant over, it's melting now! Woo!_

_I'm shutting up now, Happy Reading!_

_Ps. Have I told you all how fabulous you are for reviewing? You have my everlasting adoration, for what that's worth! Oh and a big thank you to my anonymous reviewers too, I'm sorry I can't send you personal replies like I do the others but I adore you just as much! :) _

Chapter seventeen – Saying Goodbye

"Come on Lily, focus." Emery's voice cut through my deep thoughts and I looked up at him blankly.

"What?" I mumbled. He shook his head and pointed to my textbook.

"You're supposed to be practising, remember?" he prompted. I pulled the copy of Guide to Advanced Transfiguration toward me and cast a brief glance over the page. It was describing in detail the art of transfiguring an object into a bird.

"Oh, right, yes." I said hastily. The information seemed vaguely familiar to me but I quickly scanned the instructions again to be sure.

"Ok, concentrate on what you want the bird to look like, imagine the curve of its feathers and the patterns on them. Think of its shape, the span of its wings and the colour of its eyes. You need to be able to visualise it perfectly if the spell is going to work." I listened carefully to his instructions and then turned my attention to the quill sitting in front of me. I pushed away the thoughts of Lucy that had been previously dominating my mind and focussed instead of my mental picture of this bird.

It really was rather odd to be sitting with my eyes closed in an empty classroom and trying to form a solid mental picture of a bird I'd never seen. But I suppose that was the beauty of Transfiguration, you could make an object into anything you wanted it to be. Heck I could have a green bird if I really wanted to.

"Now, speak the incantation and move your wand like we practised." Emery told me seriously. I opened my eyes to give him a determined look before I took a deep breath and raised my wand.

"Avifors." I said clearly with a graceful swish of my hand. The white quill grew in size and then magically transformed into a slender golden bird. I gasped and stared at it with wide eyes.

It looked exactly like I'd imagined it, though I suppose I should be less surprised by that. It stood tall and slim with long sweeping feathers, its hooked beak was the colour of the sun and it gazed at me with big silvery eyes. Emery interrupted me admiring the bird by clapping his hands and giving me a beaming smile.

"Wow…it's so beautiful." I breathed in amazement. I reached out my hand to stroke its silky feathers and the bird cooed gratefully.

"See, you can do it." He said proudly. We'd been sat in the deserted classroom for over two hours now while I tried over and over again to transfigure the quill but always failed. At one point I managed to get it to sprout wings but, as Emery pointed out, funny as it was it wouldn't get me an Outstanding in the exam.

"I can't believe it! I actually did it!" I squealed happily. I stood up and did an excited little dance on the spot earning me a laugh from my tutor.

"Right, I think that's enough for one night." He said as he returned the bird back to its original form. My smile faded sadly as my beautiful bird dropped back into a dull white quill but I suppose that was the nature of the spell. It wasn't meant to be permanent.

"I agree. I should quit while I'm ahead." I decided. We both laughed and loaded our many books and strips of parchment back into our bags.

"So," he said as we walked down the corridor. "If the papers are to be trusted, it seems your dad got a promotion recently." I groaned and rolled my eyes.  
"Ugh, not you too, I've literally had every student in the school come up to me and ask me if it's true." I complained miserably. He laughed and adjusted his bag strap.

"Hey I was just making polite conversation. I'm not going to be another crazed Potter fan if that's what you're thinking." I glanced over at him and laughed at his playful expression.

"Yes the papers are right; my dad is the new Minister for Magic. Now can we please change the subject?" I said quickly. He raised an eyebrow and then shrugged.

"Alright then, have you taken your apparition test yet?" I almost groaned aloud again but bit down on my lower lip to stop myself. I couldn't very well complain about every topic he chose.

"No, it's in two days time. I'm absolutely dreading it, honestly the lessons were horrible enough but it'll be worse if I fail and they were all for nothing."  
"Well if you do fail, which I highly doubt, then you can always retake the test." He pointed out. I gave him a grateful smile but shook my head.

"No thanks, once is bad enough. I think I'd rather walk everywhere." He laughed deeply and I gave him a shove.

"Shut up. Have you taken yours?" as soon as the question left my lips a smug smile spread onto his face.

"Yep, last week, passed first time." I groaned miserably and he laughed.

"Stop worrying, you'll fly through it. It's easy." He said, trying to reassure me. I snorted in a rather unladylike fashion and he laughed again.

"Oh, this is where I leave you." We'd reached the entrance to the great hall where supper was being served. He gave me a small smile and then moved to walk away in the direction of the Slytherin table.

"Wait!" I reached out and grasped his arm. He stopped and turned back to me looking confused.

"Why don't you…um, would you like to sit with us?" I asked him nervously. He frowned and hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Uh…I don't know. It's not that I don't want to, it's just…well I don't want to cause a stir by sitting at the Gryffindor table." Scorpius had done it without a second thought but then I suppose everyone was different. I pushed away such thoughts and focussed instead on the present.

"You won't cause a stir, you'll just be sitting with your friend, there's nothing wrong with that!"

"I'm not sure the others will see it that way." He replied, looking pointedly at the Slytherins.

"Then we won't sit at my table, let's go and sit at the Ravenclaw table and create a real stir." I suggested jokingly. We both laughed and he looked at me seriously for a few moments.

"Ok then, I don't get the chance to make a scene very often." I laughed again and grabbed his arm.

"Good, well now you can!" I called over my shoulder as I dragged him down the middle of the long tables and found an empty spot at the Ravenclaw table. We sat down and two plates appeared before us.

"I can't believe you've got me doing this." He said under his breath as I heaped my plate with pasta.

"We're not doing anything wrong, you can sit anywhere you like at mealtimes." I replied, giggling slightly when I saw his panicked expression. He glanced around nervously, paranoid that people would be gossiping but nobody had noticed a thing. Well three people noticed. Emma, Hugo and Lucy came rushing over and sat down near to us.

"What are you sitting over here for?" Emma was the first to speak. I opened my mouth to reply but Lucy cut me off.

"You should have said that you were going to sit at this table, I wouldn't have bothered going over to the Gryffindor one. I could have saved us better seats." She pointed down to the other end of the table where it was known to be much quieter; where we were sat we were surrounded by giggling first year girls who were chatting manically. I didn't mind though.

"I didn't plan it!" I said quickly in my defence.

"Why are you over here anyway? Oh, Hi Emery, sorry I didn't see you there." Hugo leant around us three girls to grin at my dark haired friend.

"Hello Emery." Emma added quickly.  
"Hi." Lucy gave him a little wave and a kind smile. He grinned back at them, leaning forward so that he could greet Hugo too.

"Hi guys."

"So, why are you sat at this table?" Emma continued.

"Well _somebody_ was worried about what his Slytherin buddies would say if he sat with us lowly Gryffindor's," I looked deliberately at Emery who blushed. "So I suggested that, as a compromise, we sit here instead."

"Oh, alright then, well I suppose a change of scenery is always nice." Emma said with a shrug as she started to fill her new plate with food. Hugo and Lucy laughed and started to do the same. Scorpius was right, I would miss this school when it was over, and it was moments like these that made me realise just how much.

~*~

The exams were right around the corner and my tutoring classes with Emery ended. When I stepped into the first one my knees almost buckled beneath me and I practically hyperventilated through the whole thing. Somehow I managed to survive it and the many others that followed. Lucy, Emma, Hugo and I barely spent any time together during those hectic two weeks of exams, most of our time was spent eating and cramming in more last minute practise and revision.

My last exam was my Transfiguration practical. It was the one I'd been dreading the most and I could hardly stop my hand from shaking involuntarily as I prepared to transform a pencil into a chair. The most nerve-wracking part of the exam came after, when I was required to duplicate a copy of a book that lay on my desk. I forced my hand to strop trembling and held my breath as I pointed my wand at the book.

"Geminio." At the sound of the incantation the book was cloaked in a cloud of misty steam. When I wafted it away I found that I was no longer looking at one book, but two and they were identical. Professor Henley came over to inspect the content, to be sure that it was indeed a duplicate throughout, when she was finished she gave me a curt nod and I broke into a massive smile.

"You may leave, Miss Potter." She said politely. I knew she couldn't betray any signs of how well I'd done but there was a gleam in her eyes that filled me with hope, she looked secretly thrilled. I sprang from the chair and walk as fast as I could without running until I burst into the corridor.

When the door closed behind me I dropped my bag and started jumping up and down and waving my arms excitedly. A cough interrupted my silly victory dance and I froze. Turning slowly I was relieved to see that it was Emery.

"I'm going to guess that it went well then?" he ventured, smiling slightly. I beamed back at him happily and nodded.

"I did it!" I squealed. He laughed and scooped me into a celebratory hug. When my feet landed firmly back on the ground I drew back from his embrace to look him in the eye seriously.

"Thank you, if you hadn't been there to help me I probably wouldn't have managed that." I told him sincerely. He smiled gratefully and shrugged.

"It was no problem, I actually enjoyed it quite a lot." I laughed and bent down to snatch up my bag. My body suddenly felt a thousand pounds lighter now that my last exam was over with.

"What are you going to do now, with all this spare time you have?" He asked as we began to walk away. I startled him by laughing.

"Sorry, it's just so strange to think that I have spare time now!" I told him as I fought past another giggle. He chuckled and eyed me with a curious expression.

"You're a strange girl Lily."

"I know." He just laughed and shook his head as we continued down the staircase.

"Well I had planned to wait for the others but Emma and Hugo are still in the Transfiguration exam and Lucy is sitting her Ancient Runes one, so I suppose I'll just loiter around the castle for a bit." I said with a little shrug.

"Do you fancy going for a walk then? It's sunny outside and that's got to be better than loitering in some dingy corridor, right?" he flashed me a cheerful grin and I smiled back.

"Oh, no contest there." He chuckled and we moved towards the front doors. Emery was right, it was sunny outside. I closed my eyes and leant my head back letting my face absorb the wonderful warm rays. I sighed blissfully and cracked open an eye to see Emery looking at me with an odd expression.

"What?" I asked bluntly. He just smiled and looked away.

"Nothing, come on." We started walking again and made our way towards the lake. It looked magnificent in the bright weather, the sunlight dancing off the surface of the water and making it shimmer a thousand different colours.

"I love coming down here, it's always so peaceful." I admitted smiling as the warm breeze blew through my long hair.

"I know. I've come here a lot since first year." I glanced across at him and frowned curiously.

"What did you do down here?" I asked, feeling a tad nosy. He didn't seem to mind my prying though and shrugged casually.

"Not much really, sometimes I came to read and others I just sat here thinking. It's actually a pretty good spot for completing work if it's not too busy."

"Or raining." I added, remembering a time when my four rolls of parchment for Defence against the Dark Arts had been washed into an illegible black blur at the hands of a spontaneous downpour. Needless to say I was not pleased.

"I bet you're excited to go home." Emery said randomly, breaking our silence. I dropped my bag onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Oh you have no idea, I am literally counting the minutes now." I admitted honestly with a little laugh. He grinned at me and I noticed a shadow in his eyes, I suddenly got the feeling that there was an ulterior motive behind this walk.

"Is something on your mind Emery?" I asked tentatively. He glanced across at me with a torn expression and I could see the battle raging behind his eyes, he was deciding whether to tell me.

"What is it?" I pressed, taking a slow step towards him. He looked so haunted. I'd never seem him look anything other than calm and collected, it was unnerving me a bit. He sighed roughly and then started to pace on the spot.

"Emery, you're worrying me." I told him, my voice quivering uncertainly. He stopped his movement and turned to face me. His brow was knitted into a tight frown and his eyes wore that same haunted look.

"There's something that I need to say. I know I probably shouldn't, in fact I know I definitely shouldn't, but I have to." Fear bubbled inside of me and I looked up at him uncertainly. A small part of me was warning the rest of me that what he was about to say was not going to be entirely platonic.

"Lily." as he said my name his eyes turned deeply tender and my fears were confirmed.

"Emery, don't, don't say what you're about to." I warned in a quiet voice. He frowned at me sadly but I could tell he wasn't backing down.

"I have to, I just need to say it out loud." I started to shake my head but it was no use, there was a fierce determination in his eyes.

"You'll regret it." I told him, silently urging him to stop before he said it.

"Probably, but it can't feel worse that this insufferable wondering that I have to endure day after day." I hung my head miserably and he took a small step towards me.

"Lily, Scorpius isn't the only Slytherin who has fallen in love with you." his words were quiet, barely louder than a whisper and almost carried away in the hiss of the breeze stirring around us, but his sincerity rang too loud to ignore. My heart felt heavy and tight in the silence that fell over us. I didn't know what to say, or what to do. What was proper etiquette when your friend told you he was in love with you?

"Emery…" I trailed off, unsure of what I had planned to say afterwards.

"It's ok Lily, you don't have to say anything. I know you love Scorpius and I never expected you to forget all about him and rush into my arms or whatever, but I just had to say it. Maybe now that I've admitted it I can finally start to move on." His voice was happier now, as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he sounded almost hopeful. Not hopeful that I would reciprocate his feelings but hopeful that his would subside in the future. I raised my head to tentatively meet his eyes and he gave me a sad little smile.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled softly. I didn't want him to apologise, or to feel guilty, he hadn't really done anything wrong. He was such a lovely guy and yet another person who I would never think deserved the Slytherin title.

"Emery." I said his name kindly and it prompted him to meet my gaze. I hoped he would see the admiration I had for him there. I walked closer to him and pushed myself onto my tiptoes so that I could press a brief kiss onto his cheek. He stiffened at the contact and I heard him breathe out shakily as I drew away.

"You're such a good guy and a wonderful friend. Maybe in another life if things had been different for me I would have been able to tell you what you want to hear, but I can't, I'm sorry." I felt unimaginably cruel in that second, like I'd conjured an icy stake and driven it through his heart mercilessly. But to my surprise he didn't turn on me with a hateful stare or throw any harsh words my way, instead he smiled – a genuine, content smile.

"I know that Lily, I never expected you to feel the same but, like I said, I think that by saying it I can start to move on. I won't be haunted by that little seed of doubt that would have left me wondering 'what if' for the rest of my life." I managed a little smile and nodded understandingly.

"I guess now is a good time to mention it, I mean it's not like you're going to see me again once we graduate." I said, hoping to sound less bothered by that fact than I actually was.

"Oh, right." He said, sounding saddened. I frowned at him curiously and his expression suddenly changed.

"Emery?"

"It's just that, I'd hoped we could stay in touch after school, on a purely friendship basis of course. But I understand that you don't want to, after what I said." He looked away over the shimmering surface of the lake and I frowned deeper at him.

"No, that's not what I meant. I thought that you wouldn't want to stay in touch, in case it, you know, made things harder for you." I felt myself blush and looked at the grass beneath my feet awkwardly. I heard him move and felt his gaze upon me.

"Of course I want to, I was just worried that I've ruined any sort of friendship we have." God this was such a mess, there were far too many assumptions flying around. I raised my head to meet his eyes and sighed.

"This is getting too confusing." I said flatly and he nodded.

"I agree."  
"Then let's simplify it, do you want to stay in touch after Hogwarts?" I asked him plainly. He answered without a glimmer of hesitation.

"Yes, but do you want to, after I just said that?" I could see the fear in his eyes but my smile quickly banished it.

"Yes."

"Ok, good."

"Ok, next question. Will this get in the way of us being friends?" I continued cautiously. He considered it for a moment but quickly shook his head.

"No, trust me, it won't."

"But how can you be sure, I'd hate for you to be hurting by being friends with me. That's so selfish." I whispered the last part and hung my head sadly as guilt started to rise in my chest.

"Lily, I would be hurting more if we weren't friends. I've felt like this for quite a while now and it hasn't made me any less willing to be around you so why would I stop now? I'm just worried it might make you…uncomfortable." He chose the word carefully and I knew immediately what he meant. I raised my eyes to meet his cautiously and saw the fear twinkling within them.

"I won't be uncomfortable." I assured him firmly. He nodded seriously and then after a brief pause a delighted smile lit up his solemn face.

"Then can we just pretend this conversation didn't happen?" he asked lightly. I laughed and found myself smiling back at him.

"What conversation?" I said with mock confusion. He laughed softly and then nodded.

"Thanks." I could sense his growing embarrassment over what he'd just admitted and decided to seize the situation before it got awkward.

"Come on, let's go and see if the others are finished yet."

"Yeah ok, it had been an awfully long time since they started." He mused as we began to walk back towards the castle.

"I know. I was out of there in a flash."

"They're obviously not as brilliant as you are." Emery commented sarcastically and I burst out laughing. He chuckled along with me and I threw a playful shove his way. He shoved me back and we entered the building still giggling like idiots, I smiled to myself feeling lightened by the knowledge that our friendship would easily survive this.

~*~

I dressed in my uniform for the last time. My eyes were brimming with tears I refused to shed and my fingers seemed stiff and unwilling to fasten the familiar clothes. Over on the bed opposite mine Emma was having the same battle, though she had long since surrendered to her tears and her cheeks glistened from the moisture. Our graduation from Hogwarts had fallen on a Sunday, so I hadn't even had the distraction of lessons to take my mind of the imminent finality that was hovering on the horizon.

"Lily, are you ready?" Emma's quiet voice brought me crashing back to the present and I looked up at her swollen red eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready." And I was. I was ready to leave the school which had always seemed like the second home. I was ready to commit all the memories and experiences the castle had granted me into the past and take that terrifying step out onto the tightrope of adulthood. I was ready to grow up.

"Let's go." She prompted with a small smile. I linked my arm through hers and tossed the dormitory one last farewell glance as we left. There was a graduation meal being held in the great hall for all the seventh year students and it would be a final meal at the school we loved.

Hugo was waiting for us in the Gryffindor common room. The room itself was a sorry sight to behold, filled with weeping friends embracing or couples saying their goodbyes because they lived too far apart outside of the school. My cousin smiled at us grimly and we both did our best to return the gesture. None of us spoke as he fell into step beside us and we made the short journey down to supper.

Guarding the doors to the great hall was the Headmistress herself, accompanied by Professor Higgs and Emma's dad, Professor Longbottom. I could see his eyes darken sadly when he saw his daughter's distraught expression and I guessed it took all of his willpower not to rush over and hug her. But he managed to restrain himself and kept his place beside his fellow professors.

"Ah. Miss Potter. Mr Weasley. Miss Longbottom. I trust you are all well this evening?" the headmistress greeted cheerfully. Despite her happy exterior, her eyes betrayed her inner sadness that she would soon be losing another year of students that she had come to know so well.

"Yes thank you." I answered for the three of us as both of my companions seemed too upset to speak. Emma was gazing tearfully at her father and he, in turn, was giving her a comforting smile.

"It is always a sad day when the school must say goodbye to another year of brilliant and gifted students." Headmistress Sprout muttered thoughtfully. Her gaze was far off and the smile had faded from her face. She snapped out of her reflective trance almost immediately and that bright smile returned.

"Go on through dears, I imagine it won't be long until we get started now. We're just waiting for a few more students to arrive." She motioned to the open doors beside us and the three of us cast a miserable glance at the magnificently decorated hall. Emma and Hugo started to enter and we spotted Lucy waiting patiently in the crowded room. She gave us a tiny wave and that was when I noticed that everyone who was currently seated had chosen tables with their fellow housemates.

"Headmistress?" I said suddenly, turning to rush back to the doors.

"Yes Miss Potter?" she replied politely, seeming quite surprised by my return.

"Are we required to sit with our houses tonight?" I asked desperately. Her eyes lifted to look over my shoulder where Emma and Hugo waited beside Lucy, I watched her take in the Ravenclaw colours on my friend's robes and then she smiled.

"No my dear, you may sit at any table you wish." For the first time all day a genuine smile spread across my face.

"Thank you!" I gushed gratefully. She nodded her head and I rushed back over to my friends.

"Let's find a table." I said cheerfully.

We soon settled on one of the beautifully decorated circular tables dotting the room. None of us had spoken a word since we sat down, struck into silence by the sheer magnitude of the situation we found ourselves in. For seven years we had gotten closer and closer to this moment and yet in all that time none of us had managed to prepare for it. Without warning a figure took the seat beside me and I looked up to find my gaze met by Emery's.

"Room for one more?" he asked politely, almost managing a smile.

"Yes, of course." Emma replied for me.

"It's a shame we never made friends with anyone from Hufflepuff, we could have had someone from every house then." Hugo commented, glancing around at our varying robes. A wave of light laughter passed around the table and it lifted my spirits, if only a little.

"Students," The headmistress' voice sliced through the buzz of conversation that had fallen and all eyes turned to her as she stood before the podium. She smiled gratefully around the room.

"Today Hogwarts will say goodbye to a year of its beloved students. All of you sitting before me have developed into able and gifted young witches and wizards, since you first came through those doors seven years ago you have all changed and grown so much." She paused to dab at a tear and then drew herself to her full height again proudly.

"It is with heavy hearts that we professors, and also your fellow students, say our goodbyes to each and every one of you. You have all given so much to this school and in turn received a great deal in return. I know that your time here will have yielded precious memories that shall be held dear for many years to come, and I sincerely hope that you will all look back on your time here at Hogwarts with a warm heart." I glanced around at the others who were all smiling sadly. Emma reached out to clasp my hand as she fought another wave of tears.

"And now, our Head boy and girl would like to say a few parting words." She stepped aside to make way for the two students. The Ravenclaw boy and Hufflepuff girl stepped up to the golden podium and spent a few minutes delivering their rehearsed, yet touching, speech. Once they were finished the cheerful headmistress stepped back up and waited for our applause to die down.

"Now then, shall we eat?" she announced. Her words earned her an enthusiastic cheer that I had to laugh at and our tables filled with delicious food that only Hogwarts could provide.

I had expected our meal to be filled with conversation and laughter as we all gathered together for our last time at Hogwarts, but I was mistaken. While the many other tables swirled with giddy giggling and the buzz of friendly chatter ours was almost entirely silent.

It was as if none of us quite knew what to say, we were vocally stunned by our overwhelming sadness of the moment we were currently sharing, but more than that, we were all lost in the beauty of the moment too. This meal would be forever special to each and every one of us, it would take up a comfortable spot in our hearts and the knowledge of that made words seem so unnecessary.

I glanced around the table, looking at each of it's occupants in turn and a silent exchange passed between us. We all smiled brightly and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes again. It was a sad day, true, but it was also a magical one. After tonight the five of us would step into a new stage of our lives and we would be doing it together.

For the first time I didn't feel scared and my sadness was replaced with gratitude. I was grateful for the four people sharing my table and for whatever higher power had brought us all together, especially here, now, at the end of this precious stage in life.

Yes, I was upset to be saying goodbye to Hogwarts but I wasn't leaving alone, and that knowledge lightened my heart and dried my tears. We didn't need school to bind us together, we would always be a part of each other's lives, and I truly believed that.

So I wasn't going to be sad and I wasn't going to cry. I was going to cling to the fond memories that this school had given me, board the train tomorrow, and take those memories with me to help me live this next stage of my life.

~*~

"Emma will you please stop that!" I snapped for the fourth or fifth time since King's Cross station had come into view. She ignored me, as she had previously, and continued to use me for support as she tried to lift herself up to see over the other student's heads and out of the window. Her grip on my shoulder slipped and she came crashing down on to Lucy and Emery.

"Oh!" she gasped as the collision winded her.

"Ow!"

"God, Emma!" her two victims complained as they struggled to wriggle out from underneath her.

"I'm sorry, I slipped." She said dizzily as she staggered to her feet. She swayed unsteadily and my hand shot out to grip her arm.

"Yeah, I think we knew that." I retorted sarcastically as I steadied her.

"Thanks." she mumbled, rubbing her sore elbow. She wasn't the only one injured by her clumsiness, Emery was nursing a aching back and Lucy was massaging her head.

"THERE THEY ARE!" she shrieked suddenly, causing the rest of the carriage to groan and cover their ears. She used their distraction to her advantage and shoved her way to the window so that she could strain to see our awaiting families.

"Oh my god, he brought me flowers!" she squealed, her voice raising several octaves. Sick of having their bodies shoved and their eardrums damaged, the rest of the students moved away from her leaving space for Hugo, Lucy, Emery and I to join her by the window.

I spotted them immediately; seven years of desperate searching whenever I returned had granted me a trained eye. Sure enough I saw my dark-haired older brother cradling a bunch of large daisies. He was glancing around shyly and the traces of a blush were yet to fade from his cheeks. I couldn't help it, I giggled, and my best friend shot me a look that could have killed me stone dead.

"Don't look at me like that, it's really sweet, I just didn't expect it." I said defensively and her gaze relaxed just a little. I turned my attention to looking for my white haired love. My heart sank heavily as my eyes made a second swoop of the crowd and found no sign of him. He wasn't there. He hadn't come. My brain swam frantically with upsetting and irrational thoughts but I had no time to dwell on them as the train ground to a halt.

Emma was back to her violent shoving as she rushed towards the door clearing a path through the students for the rest of us to follow.

"Lily." Emery caught up to me. "I have to hurry off but I'll write to you soon, ok?"

"Oh, ok. Yeah that sounds great, you'll have to come out with us sometime soon." He gave me a genuine smiled that I easily returned.

"I'd like that. Have fun moving house." He gave me an awkward hug as we continued to be shoved along by the crowd.

"I will, don't stay out of touch for too long, I'll miss you!" I told him sincerely, I felt myself getting a bit upset from the goodbye but quickly squashed it down. It's not like I'd never see him again.

"I'll miss you too, see you soon."

"Bye!" he was swallowed by the crowd and I found myself at the door finally. Of course Emma was the first out, running full speed towards Al but stopped abruptly as she reached him. Her jubilance faded and was quickly replaced with uncertainty and shyness. They stood gazing at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before my brother offered her the flowers. I watched her take them and a wide smile spread across her face, he grinned back and then, in a movement so swift I barely saw it, she hauled herself into his arms. He spun her around while she laughed and my heart suddenly ached for my own boyfriend.

Lucy appeared beside me and gave me a weary smile. I knew she'd been stressed a lot recently, having to bear such a heavy burden was taking its toll on her and she look positively exhausted. She opened her arms to me and I accepted her affectionate hug.

"Take care of yourself Luce. I'll be there for you, whenever you're ready." I whispered. I knew she would know what I was referring to.

"I know, thanks Lily. I'll come and visit you guys soon, I promise." She pulled away from me and I smiled at her with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. She glanced out at the platform, preparing to descend onto it but froze. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her grip on my arm tightened.

"Lucy?" I questioned, hearing the panic in my own voice. Her eyes suddenly flooded with tears and I strained to follow her gaze. As the crowd thinned my eyes fell upon a familiar male figure and I heard her let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"Dean!" she cried happily, her voice thick with tears. His head snapped up and a faint smile twitched at his lips. She lurched forward suddenly, leaping onto the platform and rushing at him as fast as her legs would carry her. He didn't hesitate as she flung her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, I was startled to see his own arms come up to clutch her tightly. I frowned curiously as I watched the display, he always seemed so cold and uncaring and yet none of that seemed present now as he cradled her sobbing form. There was a look in his eyes that was unmistakable, it was affection. In that moment I couldn't deny that he cared for her. Now I just wanted my turn to rush off into the arms of someone who cared for me. I wanted Scorpius.

I stood on the platform looking around for him eagerly but it was still no use. He wasn't there. The emptiness washed over me and numbed any pain I might've felt but it failed to disguise the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I dropped my head so that nobody would notice the wetness in my eyes that betrayed my emotions.

I was still gathering myself together when, quite unexpectedly, something touched my neck. I looked down and watched as the petals of a single white lily were dragged softly down the curve of my neck and onto the skin of my shoulder, left exposed by the straps of my pretty green dress. Then that all too familiar mint smell enveloped me as I felt his body touch my back.

"Giving up looking already?" his lips were at my ear, his hot breath stroking my skin and making it break out into goosebumps. His voice was deeper than I remembered and it rolled over me like a silky caress.

"You came." I breathed. My earlier feelings of emptiness and sadness were banished immediately to be replaced with an almost suffocating wave of euphoria. He was here, my Scorpius.

"Of course I did." his voice vibrated against my skin as he dragged his lips along the curve of my ear. I literally trembled. He started to move the flower again, its delicate petals brushing against the skin of my neck.

"Welcome home, my Lily." He whispered softly. My heart leapt in my chest and I felt as if I was about to burst into tears from sheer happiness.

I spun around to face him and almost gasped at the sight of him. It'd been so long since the last Hogsmeade trip and I'd spent every minute of every day longing to see his beautiful face again, and now here he was, finally. He took a moment to let his eyes drink in every detail of me before holding out the pretty flower with a sparkling grin.

"For you." he told me. I giggled softly and took it from him. I deliberately smelt it, welcoming the pretty floral fragrance.

"Thank you, I happen to quite like lilies you know." I said jokingly. He laughed and then stroked his fingers down the length of my arm, effectively silencing any more conversation from me. His hand closed gently around mine and he drew me against his body.

"I have the most beautiful lily of all." His hands plunged into my hair and his lips descended on mine in one swift motion. I gasped sharply from the sudden onrush of emotions that his kiss caused and strained myself closer to him. His hands slipped down to the curve of my back so that he could hold me firmly against his body as I passionately returned his kiss. I was starting to get dizzy but I hardly cared, I'd had to wait too long for this.

"Can't you two save that until we're home?" Al shouted, interrupting our fervent embrace. "At least then I won't have to watch." He added, scrunching his face up in disgust. I broke away from Scorpius' lips to throw a glare over my shoulder at my brother. He pulled a face at me in return and I rolled my eyes.

Scorpius reluctantly relinquished his hold on me but retained one of my hands as we walked over to where the rest of my family waited. Emma's parents had joined the large group and didn't seem to dislike the fact that their daughter was wrapped securely under my brother's arm.

"How does it feel sis?" James asked, before he grabbed me in a fierce hug without warning.

"How does what feel?" I replied, struggling for breath.

"Freedom!" he declared, loosing me to ruffle my hair annoyingly. I laughed and swatted his hand away.

"I'd hardly call it freedom, James." He just scoffed and shook his head. I shoved him out of the way and rushed to hug my mum.

"Oh, I missed you." she cried in to my hair.

"I missed you too, mum."

"Well I have to admit, I'm thoroughly relieved that I don't have to say goodbye to any of you on this platform ever again. I'm not sure how much more of this I could take." She admitted tearfully.

"Better get used to it mum, you'll have to say goodbye to your grandchildren soon." James commented, giving her a playful nudge.

"Something you're trying to tell me, James?" she replied with one of her piercing looks. My oldest brother blushed as bright as his hair and we all laughed.

"No! Of course not!" he blurted, flushing deeper from the embarrassment. Once the laughter had died down my dad budged James out of the way and swept me into a quick but tender hug.

"Crikey dad, they actually gave you a day off to come and meet your daughter from school?" I asked incredulously. He laughed and then puffed out his chest.

"I happen to be the Minister for Magic, you know, young lady. If I want a day off, I take one. I'm my own boss now." He replied arrogantly, I just rolled my eyes and arched and eyebrow.

"You have to be back in an hour don't you?" I guessed. He turned faintly pink and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"Two actually." He corrected and I burst out laughing again.

"I knew it! Don't even try and feed me that 'I'm my own boss' rubbish!" I did a pretty good job at imitating him saying that and he scowled at me.

"Oh hush. Now come on before I'm out of time."

"Yes dad, we don't want you missing your curfew do we?" I teased. His scowl sharpened and a wave of laughter passed around our group.

"I always knew your brothers were a bad influence on you." he muttered as we started to leave. And he was definitely right.

~*~

_Oh, on a parting note, I have recently discovered a bizarre love of Hermione/Snape FanFics. So, if you happen to know of any really good ones that you'd like to recommend please do throw me a review or a pm with it's title or ID, I would be exceedingly grateful! (I prefer not to read one-shots as they're always over far too quickly but if you say it's good, I'll happily read!) _


	18. Reunion

_Hello, oh so wonderful readers. You were all magnificent last chapter for giving me such fabulous reviews, so I shall thank you all again :) _

_Well you may (or most likely not) be pleased to know that the snow has melted and has not returned, so I am rather happy. Only a little happy though because my new pub manager had kindly given me some eight/nine days of shifts in a row without a day off, therefore I am utterly knackered – and I still have another three days to go, that cow. (Hmm, I seem to spend a lot of time complaining about work in these author's notes, but it's only because I spend so much of my bloody time there I have nothing else to talk about!)_

_Oh, last thing, I am going home (To the wonderful, sunny Birmingham *sarcasm*) to visit my family at the end of this week for a few days. I will be taking my laptop (duh!) but in the likely event that my mum distracts me with shopping and fast food, I shall apologise now if a chapter is a day late._

_Oh, just a late warning, this chapter is heavy on Lily/Scor action, and not all of it is innocent. Be prepared :P_

Chapter eighteen – Reunion

"Right, I really must be getting back before I have a lot of angry Ministry officials flooing in." my father announced and the mood dulled in response.

"Ok dear." Mum replied, giving him a gentle yet sad smile. He rose from the table and gave her a quick peck on the lips before turning to me.

"It's great to have you home flower." He gave me a brief hug and strode over to the back door. He opened it, inviting a gust of bitter cold air to swirl around the room's occupants.

"Bloody hell, hurry up and close the door dad, I'm freezing my ass off." James blurted as he rubbed his arms in the vain hope that the friction would warm him.

"Watch your language!" Al scolded, giving his older brother a sharp slap around the head. His action was followed immediately by another slap, this time to his own head, delivered by our mother.

"Don't hit you brother!" she snapped crossly.

"Aw mum." He grumbled sadly, rubbing his sore head. He sounded just like his eleven year old self, being told that his new Malfoy friend couldn't come around to visit. I had to laugh.

"Oh shut up Lily." Al's aim was horribly off and his kick hit Scorpius in the shin.

"Ow!" the blonde boy bent to rub furiously at his sore leg and Al blushed sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry Scor, I was aiming for Lily." He muttered, his words tainted by his irrepressible sniggering.

"As entertaining as it is to watch my family hit each other, I really do have to be off. Try and behave, just for a little while." Dad gave us each a beseeching look and then turned to step out into the brisk outdoors.

"Bye!" our voices chorused into the farewell and he snapped the door shut behind him.

James was still shivering like an old lady and Scorpius had hiked up his trouser leg to cast a minor healing charm on the rather sore looking cut that Al had caused. Mum rose from the table to clear away the last of our cups and I took mine over to the sink beside her. She draped an arm around me and hugged me to her side, I rested my head on her shoulder and she gave me a comforting squeeze.

"Do you want me to stay a while, so you're not alone?" I asked quietly so the others couldn't hear. The three boys occupying the table had sunk into a heated debate over something or other; I wasn't paying enough attention to hear what.

"No, don't be silly dear." She replied, shaking her head defiantly.

"Are you sure, Scorpius won't mind in the least and I'd hate you to be cooped up here on your own." She pulled back to affix me with a firm look.

"Lily, stop fussing, I'm a grown woman and I am perfectly able of coping in my own house alone. Now, go home with Scorpius, and enjoy yourself." I smiled up at her meekly and she pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before rejoining the table.

"Right, I'm going to pop over to Emma's for a while." Al announced as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his older brother. James gave him a high five and I scowled at him. I was about to aim a kick at his shin but mum swooped in and gripped her youngest son by his ear. Al cried out in pain and squirmed under her grip while James, Scorpius and I howled with laughter.

"Albus Potter, you will not make such improper hints about your girlfriend in this house, especially not about Emma." She squeezed his ear a bit tighter and Al whimpered miserably. My stomach literally hurt from laughing.

"Sorry mum." He managed to grumble, his face still scrunched up in discomfort. She released her grip and nodded sternly.

"Good, now clear off and make sure you thank the Longbottoms for having you over." her face transformed into an affectionate smile and he grinned back.

"I will mum." He rose and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before shrugging his jacket back on.

"See you guys later." He threw us a casual wave as he swept out of the door to apparate. James yawned loudly and stretched stiffly in his chair.

"Why are you so tired?" I questioned with narrowed eyes. The slight flush of colour on his cheeks didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh, I've had a lot of work lately, you know, in preparation for my Auror exam and that." He avoided our eyes and scratched uncomfortably at his scruffy hair. I rolled my eyes at his poor attempt at lying, apparently that was a trait that ran in the family. I'm sure his weariness had absolutely nothing to with his latest love interest, the pretty brunette called Amy. Sensing our disbelieving gazes he quickly cleared his throat.

"Hey mum, any chance I can crash in my old room for the night?" his eyes flickered briefly to me and then Scorpius before darting back to mum. I knew what he was planning, with Al out at Emma's and Hugo still not moved it, Scorpius and I would have the house to ourselves. He knew we'd been desperate to be reunited and was either opting to stay away out of kindness, or merely to avoid the uncomfortable knowledge that his little sister was likely up to no good a few rooms away. Either way, I didn't care; it meant I got to be alone with Scorpius.

"If you want to, you know it's always there anytime." She assured him. He rose and let out another yawn.

"Great, well then, I'll see you all later. I'm off for a nap." He sauntered out of the room and I let my gaze flicker to Scorpius. His grey eyes were fixed on me intently and I felt my skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Er, I think I'm going to get off too. I need to unpack and stuff." I winced at how false I sounded but mum didn't seem to mind.

"Of course dear, well it's nice to have you home, and for good this time." I smiled up at her gratefully and she stroked a piece of my hair.

"Go on, you need to sort things out for when you move in too." She added, giving my shoulder an encouraging nudge. Her words struck a chord and I gasped sharply as I realised I was moving in with Scorpius soon.

"Oh my god, I'm moving in!" I squeaked happily. My mother and boyfriend laughed at me but I was far too excited to care.

"Come on sweetheart; let's give your mum a bit of peace and quiet." Scorpius held out his hand to me, I took it without a second thought and tried to ignore the way my heart fluttered at his touch.

"I'll come by tomorrow, ok mum?" I said, glancing back over my shoulder at her.

"Ok, bye you two." She gave us both an affectionate smile and we slipped out into the bitter day.

"Time to go home, I think." Scorpius murmured as he bent to brush his lips across my cheek.

"Wait, I want to do it." I interrupted eagerly as he drew me close to apparate. He looked down at me and raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that." I retorted, pouting moodily. He eyed my lips with sparkling eyes and then seemed to bring himself out of his trance.

"Well you're always complaining about how much you hate to apparate." He explained. I sighed, he was right.

"I know, but I didn't take those bloody lessons for nothing." He laughed at my disgruntled tone and I scowled angrily.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised you got through them." my scowl deepened and I glared at him furiously.

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped. He held up his hands defensively.

"Whoa, don't get mad at me. I just meant that you seemed to hate them so much, every time you had one you wrote it in your letter insisting that you weren't going again and yet you still did." Ok he had me there; I did say that every time I had a lesson. But everyone says stupid things in the heat of the moment, for about fifteen minutes I was dead convinced that I was never going to another one, it's not my fault that I changed my mind after I'd cooled down. Maybe he just shouldn't have taken what I said so literally! Ok I was definitely clutching at straws now. I sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I might've said that at the time but I didn't mean it." I said begrudgingly. He chuckled softly and retook my hands in his.

"You didn't have to take them if you didn't want to, you know that right? I would've taken you anywhere you wanted, anytime." He held my gaze effortlessly as he raised my hands and kissed the back of each one. My heart gave an involuntary squeeze and I couldn't fight the soppy smile that erupted onto my face.

"I know, but I can't rely on you for the rest of my life." I replied glumly, my smile faltering. He tugged me closer to him, his eyes suddenly fierce.

"Yes you can. I will always be here." I was utterly breathless as I stared into his suddenly deep eyes. He stepped back releasing me from his powerful hold and I let out the breath I'd been holding in.

"Ok then Miss Potter, show me these top notch apparating skills." He requested with a teasing grin. I took a deep breath in order to steady my already shaking nerves and then fixed my mind on the cottage. I forced myself to remember the three D's of apparition: Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Once I was sure I could do nothing more than to take the plunge, I gripped Scorpius' hand tighter and then we were sucked into the vortex.

We emerged almost instantly and I stumbled clumsily. Two strong arms were around my waist instantly and Scorpius heaved me up straight, he held me flush against his body. My chest was rising and falling as I panted breathlessly. Despite the intoxicating feeling of nausea that lingered over me because of the method of travel, I was unable to stop myself grinning proudly.

"Not bad, now we just have to work on your balance." He teased. I giggled and draped my arms lazily around his neck.

"Why do I need balance when you'll always be here to stop me falling, right?" I asked playfully. I had meant it as a bit of a joke but his eyes turned deeply serious behind his smile.

"That's right." I was suddenly painfully aware of how close our bodies were. I was pressed firmly to his chest and I could feel his heart beating wildly beneath his light jumper. The mood shifted in the blink of an eye and I felt the little hairs on my body stand on end. Scorpius felt it too; I could tell by the way his eyes kept flickering to my lips.

One of my hands slipped up the curve of his neck and my fingers wound into the silky strands of his white hair. His eyes closed briefly, relishing the feel of my touch after so many weeks apart and then they opened again, and when they did I was struck by the shocking way that they smouldered. Despite the burning passion flickering in his grey irises, his movements were slow and careful as he closed the gap between our lips and stole the breath from me.

His lips moved in a smooth and tantalizing rhythm and I melted into the kiss like it was the most natural thing in the world for me. My hands delved deeper into his hair and the quaint kitchen faded around us. His strong hands held my waist, pressing me closer to his body and making my skin burn through my dress. How I had longed for his touch since my departure. I broke away for air and his mouth slipped to my neck.

"Scorpius…" His name slipped from my lips as a sigh.

"Yes?" he murmured as he landed a kiss to the hollow beneath my ear. His warm breath made me shiver with pleasure.

"Take me to bed." I whispered, too aroused to feel embarrassed by the bluntness of my words. He didn't seem to mind though; he bent down and knocked my legs out from under me, scooping me up into his arms and locking our lips together again. He carried me easily up the stairs as if I weighed nothing at all and swept through our bedroom door.

As soon as we were inside I dropped my feet back to the floor and moved past him to close the door. I turned around and he backed me up, crashing my back into the door and pressing his body firmly against my own. The impact hurt my shoulders but the pain was swallowed immediately by the eager press of his lips onto my own. My nails dug into his back as I tried to press him closer yet. He dug his hips into mine and I let out a throaty moan as I felt how much he wanted me.

My mind was reeling from the blinding passion he was stirring; my hands started to drag off his jumper and then moved across his chest hungrily. He pulled me away from the door so that he could tug at the zip holding my dress closed, it was tricky to unfasten and he growled in frustration, I vaguely registered the sound of material tearing before I was freed of the obstructive garment. He kicked it aside as my hands worked open the fastenings of his trousers and they followed suit quickly.

His body slammed into mine again, pinning me between him and the door. I dragged his mouth back to mine; all the tenderness of his kisses had faded away, now his lips were hard and desperate against mine. I kissed him back fiercely and moaned as his hands stroked over my body leaving my skin tingling in his wake.

I brought my hands to his chest and shoved as hard as I could, he stumbled away and I discarded the last piece of clothing he wore. I didn't even blush as my eyes raked over his naked body. He took the opportunity to tear off my remaining underwear and then threw me back against the wall. Our eyes locked in an intense and passionate gaze, his burning desire had darkened his eyes to charcoal and I briefly wondered what he could see in my own eyes.

He seized my wrists and brought my hands up above my head, pinning them against the wall and then bent to kiss my neck. I writhed restlessly against his body and cried out when he caught my skin between his teeth, it was an incredible feeling and I was almost swallowed by a wave of desire so powerful that my legs turned weak beneath me. Luckily his firm body still had me locked against the wall or else I might've fallen to my knees.

Suddenly his grip on my wrists tightened and he pushed me up, my back slid along the wall and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He rolled his hips against mine and I moaned again, why was he teasing me so? My god he was cruel. His hands dropped to my neck and he caressed my skin with silky fingers. I sighed blissfully as his lips captured mine in a kiss much less urgent. He executed the kiss in full, fluid movements that despite their tenderness were still deeply arousing.

He cradled my hips and gently shifted my position against the wall, my legs responsively tightened around his waist and I knew what was about to come before it happened. His hips thrust forward gently and he slid inside of me. I gasped and arched off the wall, my body felt like it was on fire, a slow burning fire of desire and lust. Should something be allowed to feel so heavenly? I relaxed in his arms again and he pulled back to look at me amorously.

Holding my gaze deliberately he moved from me and then thrust back firmly, his eyes sparkled as he watched my reaction and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. He repeated the action but this time much slower, I whimpered helplessly as he paused, teasing me cruelly before putting me out of my misery and driving our bodies together again. This time I couldn't stop it, I moaned lustfully and my back arched off the wall. When my eyes fell on his again they were burning with delight and desire.

He didn't tease me anymore, it became too much for both of us after being parted for so long. Our pace quickened more than it ever had before and I was surprised that he could hold my weight up so easily through it.

My back was hitting the wall mercilessly but I had no room for pain through the waves of pleasure and arousal sweeping my body. My nails were in his back again, his teeth nibbling at the skin of my neck. My legs tightened around him, drawing him closer, deeper. He groaned against my skin and the sound set my senses alight. I could feel it coming, that indescribable high where only he could send me, it was creeping over my body, slowly gaining momentum until it seized control entirely.

"Scorpius…" I mumbled breathlessly. He pressed me harder to the wall and I gasped.

"Say my name again." His voice was hoarse and deep. It rolled over me and thrilled me to my core. It tipped me over the edge that I had been teetering on carefully for so long.

"Scorpius!" I cried as I arched against him, my muscles locking and burning in delight. My blood seemed to scream in my veins and colours danced behind my closed eyelids. My reaction seemed to spark his and while I was still quivering in delight I felt him clutch me violently to his body and murmur a groan of release against my neck as his climax hit.

We stayed like that for some time, my body still pinned between his and the wall, and my legs wrapped lazily around his waist. Our chests rose and fell rhythmically as we waited for our bodies to recover and our breath to catch. I let my head fall back against the wall with a thud and let out a blissful sigh. My hair had been raked from it's ponytail in several places and strands stuck to the perspiration coating my skin. I must've looked god awful but in that moment I couldn't care less.

I felt Scorpius' lips feathering light kisses across my damp neck and smiled happily. He held me in place long enough to separate our bodies and then gently lowered me to the floor. Shockingly my legs immediately buckled beneath me and it was his quick reflexes that kept me from falling unceremoniously to the floor.

"Sorry, I guess they don't work so well after…well…that." I mumbled shyly, feeling my cheeks grow hot. He smiled down at me lazily and hugged me closer to his chest.

"It's ok, I prefer you this close anyway." I leaned in to kiss him softly and his arms tightened around me, the action sparked a painful response from my back and I winced.

"I'm sorry, I've hurt you." he said softly, his eyes swimming with worry and regret. I placed my palm against his cheek and forced him to meet my eyes.

"I don't mind, in fact I quite liked it." I blushed again and he grinned.

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry about all that. I don't know what came over me, I guess I was a bit…impatient." Now it was his turn to blush and I traced my fingers over the delicious colour.

"Stop apologising, like I said, I liked it." in truth I'd been pretty impatient myself. I didn't admit to him, but I'd been so eager that I'd almost dragged him over to the kitchen table instead of wasting time going upstairs.

"You're cold." He said as a shudder rippled through me. In the absence of our amorous lovemaking my skin had turned unwelcomingly icy.

He took my hand and pulled me over to his chair, he moved aside an open book that had been left behind and then snatched up the blanket that lay beneath. He wrapped it around himself and then sat down, opening his arms in an invitation for me to join him. I did so instantly, curling into his lap, and he folded the blanket around us tightly. I rested my head on his shoulder and inhaled the all too familiar scent of his skin that I had missed so much at Hogwarts. It was strange how natural it felt to be cuddled up so intimately with him while we were both still naked.

~*~

I stirred slightly and felt something hard under my temple. I cracked open an eye and was met with the sight of pearly white skin. I bolted upright and my head smacked into something. That something groaned unhappily and my eyes snapped open. Oh right, I'd had my head on Scorpius' shoulder and that thing I'd just head butted was actually his head.

"Oh I'm sorry." I mumbled sleepily. I shifted in his lap and the warm blanket slipped off my shoulders enveloping me in icy cold air. I was still naked, snuggled against him where we'd both apparently drifted off to sleep.

"Its ok." he replied through a yawn. I shivered violently against him and he hastily brought the blanket back around us both, locking me against his chest and I smiled.

"I missed you so much." I told him with a blissful sigh. He pressed his lips to my temple and I let my eyes flutter closed.

"Me too, it was the longest two months of my life." His lips were moving down my cheek and across my jaw, making me moan softly.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" I asked with a heavenly sigh. I felt him grin against my skin as his kisses reached the corner of my mouth.

"I'm loving you." he said softly before capturing my lips in a breathtakingly tender kiss. My heart doubled in pace and his touch left my skin tingling. What had I ever done to deserve him?

"It feels good to be home again." I laid my head back on his shoulder and he hugged me a bit closer to his chest. His silky skin was deliciously smooth against mine.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I doubt we can sit here all day." he pointed out and I grumbled sadly.

"Yeah, I suppose we ought to get dressed at least." I pushed open his arms and slipped off his lap, shuddering violently as the cold air gripped my bare skin.

"Oh my god, it's so cold!" I gasped. Scorpius laughed lightly as he stood up and then whipped the blanket from around him over my shoulders. However, now that I was the one covered by it, it left him completely naked and my wandering eyes soon found themselves raking over his heart stopping body.

"I thought it was rude to stare." He said flatly, though I could hear the humour in his voice. I didn't bother to lift my eyes from his chest as I replied.

"I don't care." His musical laugh filled the room and he left me to stare as he retrieved his clothes. I had the pleasure of admiring his bum as he walked away. He threw me a glance over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at my obvious gawking, I giggled wildly and he tugged on his black boxers.

"I seem to remember a time, not so long ago, when you couldn't look at me in the bath." He reminded me with a playful smile. I walked over to him and opened the blanket that was covering me, draping my arms over his shoulders and drawing him inside it with me.

"I guess I finally came to my senses." It really was a crime not to admire such a gorgeous body. He grinned at me and beneath the blanket his hands stroked over the curves of my body.

"Actually, maybe you shouldn't bother getting dressed. I much prefer you like this." He looked down at me pointedly and raised his eyebrows. I flushed slightly under his gaze but couldn't deny that it thrilled me to have him look at me so desirably.

"Be as that may, I don't think my brothers would appreciate me walking around in nothing but a blanket." I wondered if he was even listening anymore as he dipped his head and started to drag his lips across my neck.

"Who said anything about a blanket?" he purred. Before I could reply, his hand slipped off my hip and yanked the tartan material off me. It fell to the floor in a heap and his hands snatched me closer until I flush against his body. I didn't feel in the least bit uncomfortable as he held me naked against him; I really had changed since I left. Perhaps it was being separated from him for so long, while I was cooped up at Hogwarts I'd found myself craving these moments that not so long ago had made me too embarrassed to look at him. How foolish that seemed to me now.

"Scorpius?" my back responsively arched as his soft lips started to make a blazing path down my chest.

"Mm?" came his muffled reply. I had to pause for a moment to catch my breath as he caught a bit of my skin between his teeth.

"I need to drink before we…do anything again." My voice faltered as he nibbled another spot. And then he pulled away leaving me feeling disappointed, even though it was my fault.

"Yes, drinking would be a good idea." He agreed, reaching to touch his own parched throat. We bent to gather up the rest of our discarded clothing, I redressed into my simple white underwear and then scooped up my green dress. I slipped it on and reached back to zip it up only to feel a large tear running from the top to the waist.

"Oh no." I twisted to try and see the rip over my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked turning to see what had sparked my reaction. His eyes widened and a guilty flush spread across his milky cheeks.

"Oh shit, Lily I'm sorry." He winced and my mouth fell open.

"Scorpius did you just swear?!" I blurted out, my eyes widening so much I feared they might pop out of their sockets. In all the years I'd know him I had never heard him swear.

"Yes, have you seen what I've done to you? I think it entitles me to one little swear word, don't you think?" He replied frantically, he reached out his hands towards me but then thought better of it and withdrew them. I frowned at him, feeling more confused that I should.

"It's just a silly little tear, it's easily repaired. Don't get so worried." His eyes flew to mine and I saw the panic clouding them.

"I wasn't talking about the tear, Lily." He turned me around so that my back was facing the mirror and then pointed at the reflection. I strained to see over my shoulder and then gasped.

"Now do you see?" he asked, his voice pained. Oh yes, I saw. My shoulder blades and spine were scraped and glowing redraw, there were nasty little purple bruises starting to take shape in several places and I realised now that my back was aching badly.

"Oh." It was all I managed to say. Scorpius buried his head in his hands and sighed.

"I'm so sorry, I should have been more careful." His voice was muffled but I still heard his guilty apology.

"Honestly, it's really not that bad." I replied, trying to reassure him a little.

"Not that bad? Lily I've practically beaten you!" he cried, raking his hands frantically through his hair. I marched up to him and grabbed his wrists, forcing him to listen to me.

"Calm down, please. Look, you didn't do this on purpose, you didn't even realise it was happening so stop feeling so guilty ok."

"But…"

"No, just stop." I said firmly, interrupting his feeble argument. He gazed into my eyes sadly and I let go of his wrists to cup his face.

"I enjoyed it, and this is nothing, it's just a bit of bruising." He opened his mouth to argue but I silenced him with a kiss. He returned it but not as enthusiastically as normal. When I was certain he wouldn't try and speak again, I pulled away and withdrew his wand from his pocket.

"Could you fix my dress please? I happen to be quite fond of this one." I joked. He chuckled softly and took the wand from my hands. I turned around so that he could cast a repair spell on the tear and tried to ignore the sound of his teeth clenching as he saw my back again.

"Just one thing first." He told me and then I heard him whisper a minor healing spell. A soft warmth spread over my back, it wrapped around me and numbed any aching I felt. He raised his hand and gently caressed my back with his fingertips as the heat left my body. I could tell by the smoothness of his touch that the grazes and little cuts were gone.

"It won't get rid of the bruising but it shouldn't hurt you." he said softly. I glanced back at him and gave him a thankful smile. He turned his attention back to my ripped garment and raised his wand again.

"Reparo." He spoke clearly and with a spark of white light my dress was mended. He zipped it up for me carefully and I turned to face him.

"Thank you, for both." He smiled at me and I reached out to straighten his jumper slightly. The cashmere material was like butter under my hands and I couldn't resist dragging my palms over his chest.

"Let's get you something to drink before you get distracted again." He said, interrupting my stroking. I laughed and slapped his arm playfully.

"Well it's your fault, maybe if you weren't so sexy I wouldn't get distracted!" his eyes flared and then he caught me off guard by scooping me into a deep and wild kiss.

"What was that?" I asked breathlessly when he released his hold on my lips.

"You really shouldn't say things like that, it's distracts _me_." he told me darkly. I laughed gleefully and he dragged me from the room before either of us could get more ideas on how to distract the other.

~*~

"I'm so relieved that I don't have to go back again." I said, breaking the long silence that had enveloped us. Scorpius looked across at me and smiled.

"It is a bit scary though, to think that I have to start making all these really important decisions like what career to pursue and stuff, but at least I can be at home while I do it." I continued, swirling my apple juice around its glass absentmindedly.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do yet, job-wise I mean?" he asked.

"Um, I have a couple of things that I'm interested in but I want to wait for my exam results first, that'll sort of narrow it down for me."

"Oh, so some of these careers require good exam results, eh?" he teased. I raised my eyebrows and slapped his arm playfully.

"What did you think I was going to end up doing, polishing brooms?" he laughed and reached out to scoop up my hand.

"Of course not, we all know you're going to be brilliant, we just don't know what as yet." He pressed a kiss to my fingers and I shook my head. I wanted to argue with him and point out that, despite my ability to revise well for exams, I wasn't very intelligent. Well, ok that's not entirely true, I am intelligent but I'm not brilliant. My intelligence came from studying hard and taking thorough notes, I never really had a natural flair for subjects. But then again, that wasn't such a bad thing was it?

"So, did I miss any more famous Hogwarts drama while you were away?" he asked, steering the subject down a safer direction. Unbeknownst to him though, it wasn't a safer direction at all. Suddenly my head was flooded with thoughts about Lucy and I was painfully reminded of Emery's conversation. I definitely couldn't reveal Lucy's secret to him, I'd promised her that I wouldn't tell anybody and I wasn't the type of girl who broke promises.

So that left the conversation with Emery, should I tell Scorpius what he'd admitted? I mean, Emery hadn't tried to act on his feelings at all and I'd politely made it clear that there wasn't going to be anything between us, so everything was cleared up technically. Yet I still couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it was the best thing for me to tell him, what would happen if he found out a month down the line and felt like I'd lied to him? I tried to put myself in his position and decided, without a doubt, that if a female friend of his confessed her love for him; I would definitely like to know about it.

"Well, you didn't miss much, but…" I dropped my eyes to the table and started to trace the rim of my glass with my fingertip. He sensed my tense tone and shifted to face me on his chair.

"Yes?" his reply was neither pressing nor eager; he was being patient and giving me time. He was such a gentleman.

"There's um, something I need to tell you, on the subject of Hogwarts gossip."

"Ok." Again there was no urgency in his tone; he stayed perfectly calm even though I knew his curiosity and panic would be raging a battle within him.

"Um, it's just that, you see…I had sort of a chat with Emery before I left, and um…well he sort of said that…er…" I trailed off, fiddling frantically with my fingers in my lap. His hand came out to cover mine and stop my nervous movements, I timidly raised my head to meet his gaze and he smiled knowingly.

"He said that he loved you?" he offered, still calm. I nodded, afraid that if I opened my mouth I would blurt out a string of desperate pleas for him to not be mad or think that I led the Slytherin on.

"I know Lily, it's not hard to tell." He stroked the back of my hand softly and I struggled for a reply.

"You're not mad?" I managed to splutter.

"No, of course not, unless you plan on ditching me for a younger Slytherin." Even though I knew he was teasing I immediately threw up my defences.

"No! Not ever, I don't want anybody but you. When he said it I told him that I didn't feel that same, I can't even think of it because I love you too much and he knows that, honestly…" he cut off my frantic rant with a kiss. The words melted from my mind like ice-cream in the sun and I kissed him back.

"Calm down sweetheart, I was joking." He said softly when his lips were free. I took a long, deep breath and then nodded. He was still leaning towards me and it was hard to think straight when I could feel his hot breath caressing my face.

"Sorry." I mumbled incoherently. My god he smelt good, nobody should be allowed to smell so alluring. I subconsciously moved towards him a little and he didn't back away.

"You don't have to stop being friends with him." He told me, I noticed how his eyes flickered briefly to my lips.

"Are you sure?" I asked, inching closer yet. There was the flicker again, followed by a shuddering breath.

"Yes, as long as he doesn't try anything." He warned. I nodded and reached out to slide my fingers across his thighs.

"I'll tell you straight away if he does. But he won't, he said he wanted to get over it." I felt his leg muscles tightened as my hands moved higher.

"That's good." He managed to murmur. I could tell it was getting harder for him to ignore and I shifted a bit closer again. His breath visibly hitched in his throat and his eyes locked on my mouth.

"Lily?" he said softly.

"Yes?"

"Have you drank enough yet?" I might've laughed if the atmosphere hadn't been so tense, but it was, so instead I pushed my hands up further until I was no longer touching his thighs. His eyes shut and I saw the muscles in his jaw flex as he fought not to moan aloud.

"I think so, yes." I replied finally. His eyes snapped open again and he gave me a fierce look as if he were a predator about to catch his prey. And if we were being truthful, I was his prey, and I was very happy to be caught.

"Good." He uttered the word through clenched teeth and in one swift movement he scooped me off my chair and onto his lap. His mouth was on mine in an instant and I clutched at his hair as I returned his fervent kiss. As his hands began to stroke my body over the material of my dress I reached back and slid the zip down to prevent another ripping incident.

He tugged the garment over my head as I frantically yanked off his soft cashmere sweater, I might've missed the beautifully soft material if the skin beneath it hadn't felt so sensational itself. He stood up, dropping me to my feet and then in a whirl of wild kisses and desperate tugging, the rest of our clothes were discarded. I didn't even care that someone could walk through the door at any second and see us. He hoisted me off the floor and sat me down on the edge of the kitchen table, I drew him to me sliding my legs around him and dragging his lips back to mine. His hands roamed over my body and mine over his as our mouths crashed together in wild, messy kisses.

Then suddenly his hands were pushing my shoulders, shoving me back against the wood as he climbed to kneel over me. For a fleeting moment I worried that the table might not support our weight through all of this, but such thoughts were soon swallowed by my overwhelming pleasure as Scorpius started to make love to me right there in the kitchen as I'd thought of doing earlier.

~*~

"Where does it hurt?" Scorpius asked, leaning over me to cast a scrutinising glance over my arm.

"The elbow mostly, but I think I hit my shoulder a bit too." I told him, twisting to try and see my own wound too.

We were lying on the cold stone floor of the kitchen where we'd landed when the table leg had collapsed beneath us, sending us hurtling to the ground. In the heat of the moment neither of us had really cared out the pain it caused, we were a bit too caught up in other things, but after we'd cooled down the aches had started to set in. Apparently whoever designed this table didn't have passionate lovemaking in mind as one of its uses.

"I think it'll just bruise a bit." He told me as he finished his evaluation. There was an agonising pain in my hip, which had taken the brunt of the impact, but I ignored it. Scorpius had a graze on his palm and a rather sore looking cut across one of his knees. Our eyes met and in that moment we both replayed the moment in our heads, we erupted into hysterics that only made my body ache more.

"So today I've managed to bruise my girlfriend repeatedly and break our kitchen table." He summarised, still shaking with laughter.

"A pretty good day, I'd say." I replied before I was swallowed by another fit of giggles.

"I think we'd better get dressed before someone comes back." He managed to get a hold of himself and sat up. I reached out for my dress only to find it soaking wet.

"Aw." I grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, turning to look at my dress. His face fell when he saw the rather large wet patch.

"Oh crap, the drinks must've landed on it when the table broke." He guessed. Sure enough there was a pile of smashed glass lying near to where my dress had been.

"Bugger, I was using Al's favourite cup, I'd better repair that before he sees." I groped around for my wand but realised I must've left it upstairs.

"Here, put this on for now." he passed me his jumper and I threw it on over my underwear. Thankfully it was quite long on me and fell down my thighs, hiding anything that shouldn't be seen. The material felt just heavenly against my skin and I spent a few seconds just hugging it against me. Meanwhile Scorpius slipped his trousers back on but remained topless. It was a very distracting sight. God, what was wrong with me? We'd just broken our table because we'd been making love too roughly and yet I was getting aroused again just looking at his body. When had I become so insatiable? I put it down to the long absence we'd been forced to endure, it was just my body's way of making up for lost time.

"Reparo." Thankfully Scorpius had his wand on him. He hastily mended the two broken glasses and cleaned up the spilt juice. While he worked I did my best to smooth down my messy hair, but even after taking out the hair band and shaking it loose, it was still making me look obviously ravaged. I gave up and turned away from my reflection in the window in time to see the door open and Al stride through.

"Why are you both half dressed? You could at least put on the rest of your clothes before you come downstairs!" he complained. Scorpius and I exchanged a nervous glance and I saw his lips twitch a little as he fought a grin; it took all of my strength not to giggle. Al's gaze shifted to the broken table that we hadn't gotten around to mending and his eyes bulged. The shock melted almost instantly to be replaced with a look of utter disgust.

"Oh Jesus bloody Christ!" he exclaimed, clamping his hands over his eyes to no doubt try in vain to rid himself of the mental image he was now in possession of.

"We're sorry, we were about to repair it before you got back." I said hastily, but my brother started to shake his head.

"I cannot believe you two went at it on our kitchen table!" I tugged the hem of the jumper lower down my thighs and looked away shyly.

"Well…" Scorpius began, but his best friend cut him off.

"Not only that, but you went at it so much that you bloody broke the damn thing! How the hell am I supposed to eat off that again?"

"Well, I'll clean it." I replied, blushing profusely. He scrunched up his face again and groaned.

"God, I am scarred for life." I refused to look at Scorpius because I knew that if I did I would just burst out laughing. I know that it was a very serious situation and Al clearly wasn't happy about it all but I couldn't help but find it absolutely hilarious.

"Sorry, it was my fault." Scorpius told him, shifting uncomfortably on the spot and fighting a grin. Al just groaned again and fell back against the wall.

"I'm just glad that Emma asked me to stay ten minutes longer, imagine the scars I would've had if I'd come home earlier." At his words my gaze locked with Scorpius and we both flushed in embarrassment.

"God this is just too weird. I'm going back to Emma's." he yanked open the door again but paused before leaving.

"You're buying a new one, I'm not eating off that again, not after you…oh god." And with that he swung the door shut and we were plunged back into silence. It took about five seconds before Scorpius and I dissolved into fits of laughter.

"That was your fault." I spluttered, reminding him that it had been he who'd plonked me on the table with no intention of moving me until we were satisfied.

"I know, but it was so worth it." he replied, still laughing.

"We're going to pay for this one day when he and Emma start sleeping together, he'll probably make it his personal mission to make us catch him in revenge." I pointed out, finally managing to catch my breath from the outburst.

"Yeah, but we might as well have some fun until then." He replied, grinning wickedly, and then I started laughing again.

~*~

_Special thanks to my anonymous reviewer, Clara, for recommending the absolutely fabulous Hermoine/Snape Fanfic: The Godfather. It was as good as you said it would be so thank you!_


	19. Questions Answered

_Holla! Okie dokie, new chapter time, yay! I'm off on my travels at 9 o'clock tomorrow but luckily I won't be bored because today I got myself a new Blackberry! Oh my god *squeals with glee* it's so sleek and groovy, I just love it to bits. I spent 2 hours in the bloody shop getting it but luckily the three guys in there were really friendly so we had a laugh. They also gave me another free phone to apologise for not having mine on the network I wanted (Meaning the monthly cost went up by £15 too, ouch) so my boyfriend got himself a new phone today too, lucky him!_

_Ok, enough babbling, here's the next instalment. Some important stuff in this one, for the plot, though you may not see it yet. I'm going to let you all know now that I won't be putting another chapter up until Monday sometime because it turns out I can't take my laptop along on my travels. So I'm deeply sorry, but at least it's only one extra day :) _

_Happy reading!_

Chapter nineteen – Questions Answered

I hurried down the street as fast as my annoyingly short legs would carry me, occasionally casting paranoid glances over my shoulder. I felt guilty for slipping out of bed while Scorpius was still asleep and sneaking out of the house unheard, but really it was the only way I could get out, I couldn't tell him the truth. I rushed around another corner and the house came into sight. I know Lucy had said she would call on me when she was ready to talk but I just needed to make sure she was ok.

I threw open the garden gate and practically ran to the door, I banged the knocker as loud as I could and waited impatiently. Nobody answered; there wasn't even a sound from inside. I knocked again, this time for longer, and fidgeted anxiously on the spot. Still no answer, panic started to flourish inside of me, what if something had happened to Luce? What if she'd been taken to hospital, or worse, her parents might've found out and send her away to some awful unwed mother's clinic. I banged again, frantic and worried.

"Come on Lucy!" I cried at the door.

"She's not in." the deep voice startled me and I let out a little scream. Whirling around my eyes fell upon Dean, a few feet away leaning against the wall.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he added, not sounding in the least bit sincere. I scowled at him and turned back to the door, should I believe him or should I keep knocking? Well nobody had answered yet and I hadn't heard any movement, so my gut told me he was telling the truth.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" I asked, trying not to sound too desperate. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"She hasn't been gone long, so not anytime soon." I sighed in defeat and slumped back against the door. Then I remembered the conversation with Lucy, she'd confirmed that Dean knew about the baby. I turned back to him, my eyes glittering with hope.

"Is she ok? I mean, there hasn't been any…complications, has there?" I put deliberate emphasis on my words and his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean 'complications'?" he was testing the water, needing to check if we were both talking about the same thing before he let on that he knew.

"With the pregnancy." I said boldly. His eyes widened and for a moment his mouth opened but no words came out, he seemed to get a hold of himself then and walked towards me.

"She told you." he stated. I nodded and watched his frown deepen.

"What else did she tell you?" he pressed.

"Nothing, she said she wasn't ready to talk about it."

"So she didn't mention the father?"

"Not by name, she just said that he blamed himself and that they weren't together." He let out a deep sigh and raked a hand across his tired face.

"Do you know who it is?" I continued, feeling suddenly brave. He lowered himself to sit on the doorstep and stared out ahead blankly.

"Yes." He choked the word out as if the knowledge was a burden. I sat down beside him eagerly.

"Who is it?" I knew deep down that it was a futile attempt but I tried nonetheless. True to my fears he turned his head to look at me and raised a single eyebrow.

"You think I'd tell you?" he replied harshly. I scowled and felt anger flickering within my stomach.

"Why are you so horrible to us?" I blurted, my brain running loose with the agitated feelings it was now coping with. He frowned at me and then hesitated before replying.

"Who do you mean?"

"Me and my friends, is it because we're magical? Do you think that makes us freaks or something? Or are you just jealous?" I ploughed on without a care for the consequences and watched the pain flicker across his face.

"I'm not horrible to you." I scoffed at his utterly untrue remark.

"Yes you are, you never speak to us for longer than necessary and when you do, all we get is short snappy answers like we're taking up too much of your time. What did we ever do to you?"

"Nothing, you did nothing."

"Then I don't understand why you dislike us so much." he sighed, realising that I wasn't about to give up the argument.

"Look, I'm not jealous of you and I don't think that you're freaks."

"Then why?" I wasn't going to be deterred. He sighed again.

"It's complicated."

"That seems to be a favourite saying in your family." I retorted bitterly. I folded my arms across my chest and took my anger out on the gate by glaring at it menacingly.

"I can't really explain."

"Try." I commanded.

"Your magic, your world, it changed my whole life."

"What do you mean?" I turned to face him again and saw the sadness in his features.

"Well before Luce found out she was…a witch, everything was normal. But then it all changed, she had to be sent away to your school and I hardly saw her anymore. Tracy and Peter spent less time at home to try and take their mind off it and somewhere down the line I just felt forgotten about."

"Were you and Lucy close, growing up I mean?" my tone softened and so did his expression.

"Yeah, we were practically inseparable until she had to leave."

"It must've been hard, to say goodbye to her so much." I started to feel guilty for my aggressive behaviour towards him when all along it was because he had to cope with his sister being away and his parents being distant.

"You have no idea." He covered his face with his hands and sighed. He pulled them back and rubbed at the stubble colouring his chin. I remembered something for him previous sentence that prickled my curiosity.

"How come you don't call them mum and dad?" I asked bluntly. Dean glanced across at me.

"Because they're not my mum and dad." He replied simply. I scowled in confusion and he answered my next question before I had to ask it.

"Tracy and Peter had tried and failed for years to have children and so they visited a doctor. He ran all the necessary tests and the results came back that they couldn't conceive."

"Oh no." I breathed sadly.

"So instead they decided to foster."

"What's that?" I asked curiously. He eyed me strangely for a moment and then laughed.

"Um, foster care is sort of a Government scheme. It's where couples can look after children who've been separated from their biological parents for some reason."

"Oh, so it's sort of like adoption?" I remembered reading about adoption somewhere but I couldn't think where.

"Sort of, except adoption is permanent but children in foster care can be returned to their birth parents at any time." It vaguely made sense to me and so I nodded.

"So the Carmichaels fostered you?"

"Yeah, my mum died and her death sent my dad into a spiral of depression. He couldn't look after himself, much less a two year old." He smiled at me sadly and I felt my heart constrict with sympathy. I had no idea Dean had such a tormented past.

"But it was ok; Tracy and Peter took me in and looked after me as if I were their own son."

"You must really love them."

"I do, they've been the best parents I could've hoped for." He smiled at me for the first time and it made him look so much less severe. It suited him.

"So, Lucy's fostered too."

"No." Dean contradicted. I felt my frown return and waited for him to explain.

"Just a few months after they took me in, Tracy fell pregnant."

"But I thought they were told they couldn't conceive."

"They were, I guess doctor's can't be one hundred percent right all the time."

"So Lucy is their biological daughter?" I clarified. Dean nodded.

"Yup, she was born a few days after my third birthday."

"Were you worried, that it would change things for you if they had their own child?" I asked cautiously, I didn't want to risk ruining the mood and sending him plunging back into his harsh and unfriendly self.

"Not really, but I was too young to think about stuff like that. I think I was just glad to have someone to play with." He smiled again and I laughed softly. He paused to look down at his hands and then sighed.

"I grew up with Luce as a sister but it never really felt that way, it was as if we were best friends, not siblings. Which is why it was so hard for me when she found out she was magical, suddenly she was off into her own world and I was being left behind. I guess I was a bit harsh to you and your friends, but that was mostly because I felt like you'd taken my place."

"How could we possibly do that?"

"Well before she went off to Hogwarts it was always me and Luce, we used to go out or laze around the house together. But then suddenly she was gone all the time and when she did come back she just talked about the school, and then she made friends with you and spent all of her spare time out. It was like we never saw each other, I felt like you'd stolen her." We slipped into an uncomfortable silence and then an idea came to me.

"Hey listen," he turned towards me. "My family are having a bit of a party soon, to celebrate us getting our exams results and graduating and stuff, obviously Lucy will be coming but I want to invite you too." I saw his eyes flicker with interest for a moment before they darkened again and he turned away.

"I don't fit in, in your world."

"Sure you do, it doesn't matter if you're not magical." He paused and I could tell he was considering it, I decided to play the trump card.

"I know Lucy would want you there." His eyes closed and he sighed, I knew then that I'd already won.

"When is it?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes. I cheered silently.

"Saturday, I'll be there at about ten in the morning so you and Luce can come over anytime after then."

"And how am I supposed to get there?" he asked, turning to face me again. I grinned at him wickedly, oh he was going to be in for the shock of his life when he experienced apparition.

"Lucy will bring you, trust me." I saw his eyes narrow slightly before he sighed.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this for Lucy." Regardless of that I cheered happily and he rolled his eyes.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to cheer up a bit every now and then." I said playfully. He eyed for a moment as if to say 'are you serious' and then smirked.

"I'll look into it." I laughed lightly and rose to my feet.

"Ok well I'd best be heading back before people realise I'm gone."

"You snuck out?" he asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

"Not exactly, it's just that I'm the only one Lucy's told about…you know, so I can't really explain why I was so desperate to check on her." His eyes darkened and he looked at the floor.

"How was she, at school I mean?" he asked quietly. I felt my expression fall and I sighed.

"Not good, I found her crying outside and she just doesn't look like herself anymore. It's like she's too miserable to do any of the things she used to love."

"I guess that's what happens when you're forced into having a child." He muttered but I shook my head.

"No, she doesn't seem so upset about the baby. I think it's the father that she's upset about." He raised his head to look at me with prying eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I asked her if she was in love with him and she said yes, she seems completely distraught that he doesn't want to be with her."

"Maybe it's for the best." He said darkly, hanging his head again.

"I think he's a coward for abandoning her like this, fair enough if he doesn't love her but if that's the case then maybe he should be more selective about who he sleeps with. She shouldn't have to go through this alone."

"You don't know he doesn't love her." He replied quietly.

"He has a funny way of showing it." when he didn't reply I bit my lip and then asked a question that had been on my mind for a while now.

"Is he a good guy?"

"She could do a lot better." He replied flatly. I sighed and looked up at the house sadly.

"Well she loves him, that should be enough for us." He looked up at me strangely for a moment and then frowned.

"I've never thought of it that way." He admitted.

"You can't choose who you fall in love with, and everyone else should just accept that person because they make you happy."

"You speak like you know a lot about it." he observed, I laughed bitterly and sighed.

"Oh I do. I fell in love with the son of a man who tried to kill my family once upon a time." His eyes widened and I nodded.

"Crikey…"

"Yeah, I know."

"Is this to do with that big war Lucy was telling me about? Where that boy had to fight against a Dark Lord or something?" I smiled at him humorously.

"Yeah, that boy was my dad."

"What? So your dad is like a celebrity?" I had no idea what a celebrity was so I decided to reword it.

"Uh, well my dad is sort of famous. He just got promoted to Minister of Magic; it's sort of like our version of the Prime Minister."

"Holy crap…" he breathed, clearly a bit amazed.

"It's not that big of a deal. But yes, it has a lot to do with the war. You see my boyfriends' father was sort of on the opposing side to my dad."

"So he was on the bad side, with this Dark Lord person?"

"Yeah, his whole family were loyal followers of the Dark Lord. So as you can imagine, it caused quite a bit of chaos when I ended up falling in love with his son."

"I can imagine. But his son isn't…like that is he?" I realised he must think Scorpius was some cruel, evil guy and laughed.

"No, no, his father isn't anymore either. He's sort of reformed since then." There was a long pause and then Dean let out a low whistle.

"Wow, it really is like a whole other world for you guys." He said, sounding rather daunted.

"I feel the same about you." I admitted. He met my eyes and we exchanged a friendly smile.

"I really should go, but please try and come to the party, it'd mean a lot."

"I'll come, don't worry." He assured me.

"That's excellent! Thanks. Right, well I'll see you then." I turned to leave but whirled back around again.

"Oh, I'm Lily by the way, Lily Potter." I told him, sticking out my hand. He took it and shook it firmly.

"Dean Aston."

"Nice to meet you properly Dean, I'll see you Saturday!" I called as I rushed down the path, I heard him shout a goodbye after me as I dashed into a nearby alley and apparated home.

~*~

"Are you taking this with you Lily?" my mum held up an ancient looking teddy bear that I hadn't seen for years.

"Where did you find that?" I asked, blinking stupidly in shock. As a child I'd taken the little tatty brown bear around with me everywhere, it was my version of a safety blanket.

"It was buried at the back of your wardrobe." I looked at the decrepit little toy with sad eyes and then shook my head.

"No, I think I'd like to leave him here." I took it from her hands and placed it down on my bed. After giving it one last glance I turned around to leave.

"Well, that's everything." I said to mum; she cast a sad look around the room and then nodded.

"My little girl is moving out." She said tearfully.

"Aw don't cry mum, I'm not going far." I reached out and gave her a tight hug.

"I know, it's just a bit sad." she sniffled slightly and I patted her back.

"Come on, before the boys start rifling through your stuff." James, Al and Scorpius had kindly levitated my trunks down the stairs and gone ahead to the cottage. With her arm around me, mum led me out of my room pausing just long enough for me to cast a farewell glance at the room I had grown up in, it looked so empty now. I tried not to be sad as the door closed and I walked away from my childhood.

We apparated to the cottage and were met by the sound of arguing followed by a loud bang.

"I can't leave them alone for five minutes." Mum muttered before stomping up the stairs in search of the culprits. Sure enough it was my misbehaving brothers. Al was sprawled on the floor completely swamped by my clothes, which had fallen out of the trunk I'd packed them into.

"What the hell are you doing?" I exclaimed, scrambling to uncover my brother.

"It was his fault!" Al cried, pointing up at James.

"What? No it wasn't, you're the one that shoved me!"

"I didn't shove you, I tripped."

"Oh sure, you tripped and the trunk just _happened_ to hit me in the head did it?" James retorted incredulously.

"Yes! So there was no bloody need for you to drop this one on me." Al jabbed an angry finger at the trunk lying beside him, it was now completely empty, its contents still strewn across the floor despite our attempts to scoop them up.

"Can you two shut up and help me pick up my clothes please? I don't want to have to wash them all again." I snapped. They shot each other equally menacing scowls before helping mum, Scorpius and I. James happened to grab a pair of my knickers and held them up curiously.

"What the heck is this?" he asked, staring at the scrunched up item.

"None of your business." I replied, jumping to snatch them off him but he moved them out of the way before I could.

"Obviously it's something you don't want me to see." He said smugly. I made another attempt at grabbing them but failed again. James started to fumble with the object, trying to straighten it out properly so he could see what it was. Finally he unfolded it and found himself holding up a pair of not-too-innocent black silk knickers with a lace trim. I blushed bright red and avoided both Scorpius' and my mother's eyes.

"Yuck…" Al grumbled, averting his eyes from the offensive item. James, however, eyed them from several different angles before shrugging.

"They're quite nice." He admitted. He noticed my horrified expression, one mirrored by the room's three other occupants, and immediately cleared his throat.

"I mean, if they weren't on my sister." He made a face of disgust and tossed the underwear to me. I caught it and quickly stuffed it away so that it was hidden by the mound of clothes.

"Well that's all of it anyway." Mum said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on us. She looked around at my baggage, at a life packed into trunks, and then sighed.

"I wish dad could have been here to help me move." I murmured sadly, not fully meaning to say it aloud. Mum walked over to me and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"I know, he wanted to be here but he couldn't get away from the Ministry."

"He's an important bloke these days." I joked. She smiled warmly and then nodded.

James had thrown one of my bras at Al and he threw it back as if it had burnt his fingers and looking utterly disgusted. James, however, thought it was hilarious and threw it back at his younger brother. He howled with laughter as it smacked him in the face. I briefly considered getting angry and snatching it back but I was still feeling a bit sad about dad's absence and so I left it.

"I think he really does enjoy this new job." Mum said quite suddenly. I looked up at her thoughtful face and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I've known your father he's always shied away from his fame and tried to do anything he could to blend in, of course he wasn't exactly successful, but he tried nonetheless. So for him to accept a job as the Minister, where he's forced into the limelight again, even more so because of whom he is and what he's done, it leads me to think that he really must want this job." I tilted my head curiously and reflected on her words.

"Hmm, I've never thought of it that way before, but you're right. This is a step in a new direction for him."

"It is."

"Do you think it's because Kingsley asked him personally? Dad's always looked up to him so maybe he felt like it would be an honour to continue his work, or something." I suggested.

"Perhaps, but I think it might be more than that. He's always wanted to do what's best and right things that were wrong but out of his power, but now those restrictions are lifted. As the Minister he's in a position to really make a difference and I think he knows that. This is his opportunity."

"You'd think he's done enough for the wizarding world, killing Voldemort and all." I replied flatly. She cast me a little smile and nodded.

"True, but really Voldemort was only the beginning. There were a lot more problems and injustices lurking around every corner and sadly some of them remain."

"But dad can change that now, he can carry on what Kingsley's been doing for years and get rid of all the stupid laws we have, to make the world fairer."

"Yes, and I believe that is precisely the reason he took this job. He's done it to help those who cannot help themselves."

"Like the Werewolves." I agreed. It had been over a decade now since the laws against Werewolves had been abolished and they had been granted a fair life, but it had been something close to dad's heart and I knew it wouldn't be the last thing either. There was still a lot he wanted to be changed; now he could be the one to do it.

"Yes." Mum agreed, looking down at me proudly. James and Al's fight had escalated and the former now had his younger brother pinned to the floor and was twisting his arm behind his back. Thankfully my bra was no longer involved and neither was any more of my underwear.

"James, get off him before you dislocate his shoulder again." Mum commanded with a wave of her hand. I was reminded of the time she was mentioning, when a fourteen year old James had pinned down his twelve year old brother so roughly that his shoulder had popped out of his socket, and we'd been exposed to his endless wining even after mum had fixed it. I laughed and shook my head as the two scrambled to their feet, James laughing and Al scowling. Apparently seven years hadn't changed them.

"Right, come on you two, let's leave Lily to unpack in peace without you two flaunting any more of her personal things." She steered the two Potter boys towards the door and threw me a wink over her shoulder. I laughed and watched the door close quietly.

"Those two are lethal when they're together; I'm surprised this house is still in one piece to be honest." Scorpius said with a chuckle.

"You've been awfully quiet." I commented, bending down to scoop my pile of clothes back into the empty trunk.

"I was clearing out some space for you." he pointed over his shoulder to the three now empty drawers and the half of our wardrobe that he'd kindly made space in. I smiled gratefully.

"Thanks." I started levitating things into their proper homes and was grateful for Scorpius' help in getting all of my clothes folded again. With the use of magic it didn't take long at all to unpack my trunks. We shoved them out of sight onto the top of the wardrobe and turned to admire our handiwork. I'd conveniently cast a few extra spells to give the room a general tidying up too.

"I don't think it's been this neat since I moved in." Scorpius stated with raised eyebrows. I laughed and slid my wand back into my pocket. I gave the room a satisfied nod.

"So, how does it feel to be living with your boyfriend?" Scorpius asked, encircling my waist with his arms.

"I'll let you know when it all sinks in." I replied with a slight giggle. He laughed and bent to brush a soft kiss across my lips. Our moment was interrupted when someone apparated into the room with an ear-splitting crack. We both looked up and I gasped.

"Lucy!" she stood a few feet from us wearing what could only be described as an utterly horrified expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately, stepping from Scorpius' arms to approach her. She spluttered for a few seconds, unable to find the right words in her apparent state of hysteria and then raked back her dark hair in frustration.

"You invited Dean to the burrow?" she blurted, thrusting her hands onto her hips. I blinked at her in shock for a few moments and then snapped out of it.

"Er, yes."

"I think I'll leave you to it, I'll be downstairs." Scorpius said quietly, before slipping through the door. I turned back to my Ravenclaw friend who was now frantically tucking her hair behind her ears.

"What the hell were you thinking Lily?" I couldn't tell if she was angry or confused, maybe it was a bit of both.

"I don't understand, I thought you'd be pleased." I replied, suddenly feeling worried. She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Why did you do it Lily?" her brown eyes pierced through me with a look I couldn't place.

"Um, well, we were talking and he mentioned that he felt a bit left out since you started Hogwarts. So I invited him." Shock flitted across her face and she spluttered again.

"Wait, you spoke to Dean, When?"

"Earlier today, I came round to see if you were ok but he said you'd gone out. Then we just started talking, well actually I got mad at him for being rude to me and he sort of explained it, and then we started to talk."

"What did he say? Did he tell you anything about the baby?" she demanded. I raised my eyebrows, a bit shocked from her sudden aggressiveness.

"Er, not really, he mentioned that he knew who the father was and said you could do better but that's about it." her face visibly relaxed and she let down her guarded posture.

"He didn't tell you who it was?"

"No." she breathed a sigh of relief and shoved her hair behind her ears again.

"I'm sorry; I wouldn't have invited him if I knew you'd be mad." I said timidly.

"I'm not mad Lily, I was just…worried."

"About what?" I watched her eyes blaze momentarily as if I'd caught her doing something she shouldn't and then she looked away.

"I thought you'd invited him because…well, for the wrong reasons." I squinted at her suspiciously and she shied away from my gaze.

"Lucy, what aren't you telling me?"

"Look, just forget it Lily, ok." The edge in her tone warned me to take her advice, so I did.

"If you don't want him to come then just tell him, he can't exactly get there unless you take him."

"No, I'd like him to come. I'm just worried he'll feel…" she trailed off and looked down at the floor.

"Like the odd one out?" I offered. Dean would be the only non-magical guest at the party but I'm sure he wouldn't really notice. We never used much magic at those things anyway. Except to clean up, but then, if you had a wand and you had the unfortunate task of clearing up after the males in my family, you'd use the wand.

"Yeah." She agreed sadly.

"Don't worry about it Luce, he won't even notice."

"It's just that, he's always felt like he doesn't fit in, in 'my world' or so he says."

"There shouldn't be a 'his world' and a 'your world' really, it should just be one world where two people just have slightly different lives."

"I wish he could see it that way." She mumbled miserably.

"Well, maybe he will after coming to the party, it might help him see that, when it comes down to it, we're not that different."

"I hope so; I feel like he's drifting further away from me every day and I can't stop it."

"Well we'll just have to drag him back, won't we?" I replied confidently. She looked up at my supportive smile and then laughed.

"You're always so positive Lily, like a little ray of sunshine."

"Not always, but sometimes it pays off to be positive."

"I wish I could feel like that, especially now." she looked down at her belly pointedly and I nibbled my lower lip.

"It's ok Luce, you have me, I'll be positive enough for the both of us." It was the best I could offer her. She smiled at me gratefully.

"Thank you, for not telling anyone and for being so patient." She didn't have to thank me really, I was just being a good friend and I could hardly force her to tell me who the father was.

"There's no need to thank me." I assured her. We stood silently for a moment and then, I opened my mouth to ask if she'd told her parents yet, when she inhaled sharply and clutched at her stomach. I watched as she hissed in pain and hunched over.

"Lucy! Are you ok, where does it hurt? Should I fetch my mum?" I rushed over to her and grabbed her shoulders but she shook her head.

"No, don't fetch anyone. I'm fine, I just had a bit of pain." She straightened up but her hands stayed on her stomach. I looked at her in panic as she took slow, deep breaths.

"Pain can't be good Luce."

"It's nothing, it's happened a few times lately but it always goes away."

"I don't think it's meant to hurt." I said quietly. I had zero experience with pregnancy but I was pretty certain that pain wasn't a good sign.

"Stop fussing Lily, I said I'm ok." She waved me away and I reluctantly released my hold on her. She stood up straight and pushed her hair back again. She did that a lot lately.

"I should be getting back, my mum might notice I'm gone and get worried."

"Ok, I'll see you at the party?"

"Yeah, see you then." I didn't ask again if she'd be bringing Dean and instead decided to wait and see how it unfolded. She apparated out of the room leaving me worried and confused. The whole visit had been unexpected and out of character, she seemed so flustered and panicked. I guessed that it was probably because she feared Dean had revealed the identity of the baby's father, but somehow that explanation still didn't feel right. My head was starting to hurt so I left it at that and drifted off in search of my family.


	20. This is it

_Hello wonderful readers! I have returned from my trip home and I literally have not left my laptop since I was reunited with it! It was rather cold back home and rained the whole time but I was so happy to spend time with my family again that I hardly cared._

_Aha, I promised you a chapter for Monday and I got it all finished yesterday, went onto fanfiction to upload it and then came face to face with an error. I tried for hours last night to get this up but every time I tried to do it I got the same error telling me to try again later. I did contact the support guys but they didn't get back to me so I am deeply sorry that you had to wait another day for this, I was so annoyed! After getting zero help from the so called support guys, I spent an hour searching forums for a fix and managed to find a temporary way to upload until it gets fixed. Ugh._

_I had a fantastic amount of reviews for the last one and I loved each and every one of them, I feel like giving you all big hugs for being so kind to me! Thanks a million :)_

_Oh, last thing, the title for this chapter is a slight dedication to one of my favourite music artists. The brilliant legend that is Michael Jackson, I adore his music so much and despite all the scandals surrounding him he is a truly gifted artist. I was terribly sad to learn of his death all those months ago but his music will live on forever. I wrote this chapter while listening to his songs so I should thank him for the inspiration! :D _

Chapter twenty – This is it

It arrived early Saturday morning while I was buttering my toast. I was the only person up in our little shared cottage. I set the scary little envelope down on the table and stared at it. I was still staring at it when Scorpius came down an hour later.

"Morning Angel." He greeted sleepily, bending to brush a kiss across my cheek. But I didn't reply, I didn't even move, I was frozen to the spot.

"Lily?" he noticed my odd body language and became immediately worried.

"What is it, what's wrong?" I didn't need to answer; his eyes followed the fierce path of my gaze and noticed the little white envelope. He sank into the chair beside me and sighed.

"Is that it?" he asked quietly. I nodded, not taking my eyes off it.

"Are you sure?" he continued, not daring to pick it up.

"It has the seal on the back." I replied, my voice feeling rough and forced. He sighed again and rubbed his tired eyes.

"You haven't opened it?" he clarified. I shook my head.

"Right, well, let's do it now." he reached out and scooped up the little item. He slid a finger under the seal but my hands flew out and grabbed his wrists, halting the action.

"No, don't do it. I don't want to know!" I cried desperately, his expression softened and he scooted his chair closer to mine.

"It's going to be ok Lily, you did brilliantly, I just know it." his soothing words did little to calm my frantic nerves and my hands trembled as he tugged his arms from my grip.

"Oh god, oh god…" I chanted in a panic as his elegant hands tore open the envelope and withdrew the contents. I clamped my hands over my mouth to stop from whimpering helplessly and watched his eyes scan the page's contents.

"Lily, I think you should see this." He said slowly.

"Oh god, what?" I snatched the paper from him and let my own eyes drink in its content. In my peripheral I saw his face break into a massive grin as my mouth fell open in shock. The letter from Hogwarts quivered in my hands as I looked at each exam result over and over again. No matter how many times I read them, they never changed. I stopped breathing.

I still hadn't snapped out of it when James came downstairs. He traipsed into the kitchen yawning loudly and rubbing violently at his tired eyes.

"Mornin' Scor." He slapped Scorpius on the back and then his eyes moved to me, still frozen in my chair.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, scowling at me.

"She just opened her N.E.W.T.s results." My boyfriend informed him. James groaned and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Oh crap, you didn't fail did you Lils? Because if you did, you do realise mum will kill you." the breath I'd been holding in came out in a rush and I gasped for more air.

"She didn't fail." Scorpius told him. James' brow furrowed and then he proceeded to snatch the paper out of my hands. My neck felt uncomfortably stiff as I moved to see his face. His eyes bulged and shook his head.

"Well I'll be damned, my sister is a bloody genius!" he announced triumphantly.

"We have another sister? Because you can't be talking about Lily..." I was still too shocked to even lash out at Al for his cruel comment as he joined the kitchen.

"What's that?" he asked, stretching to see over his older brother's shoulder. His light expression immediately morphed into a shocked one, similar to mine.

"Merlin's beard, these are all O's! They must've sent you someone else's results Lils." Al said with a little laugh.

"Shut it." James snapped, slapping his brother around the head.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he snapped back, rubbing at his head.

"Don't be so cruel; is it so hard for you to believe that your sister is smart?" I was breaking out of my trance now and frowned at James curiously. Usually he joined in with Al's silly jokes about me but this time he was annoyed by it.

"Of course not, I was just kidding." The younger boy replied, looking rather irritated by his scolding.

"Then stop being a smartass and congratulate her!" James shoved his little brother towards me. Al stumbled slightly and sighed.

"Sorry Lils, you did really well." He mumbled shyly. I swallowed to moisten my bone dry throat and shook my head.

"Don't worry about it; I'm as shocked as you are. Maybe they did send me the wrong results." It was a plausible explanation.

"Hogwarts don't make mistakes like that Lily." Scorpius pointed out.

"But…but they're all O's, I can't have gotten all O's!" I argued. Sure I'd revised a lot and paid more attention in classes but I wasn't smart enough to get those sorts of results, not even with Emery's tutoring help. There had to be a mistake.

"But you did, it says so right here." James held out the paper and pointed to the little list written quite clearly in black ink. I just shook my head.

"It's got to be wrong, there's been a mistake."

"Stop putting yourself down Lils, you're the smartest of us all and this just proves it." I loved my oldest brother dearly but he was really annoying me right now.

"James…"

"No, stop being negative, why is it so hard for you to just accept that you might have done well?" he walked over and crouched down beside my chair. I sighed and took the paper from him; I looked at the list of exam results again, willing myself to believe them.

"I dunno, I just never thought I could get these sorts of grades…" I mumbled. James planted his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him.

"Well you can. You're a brilliant witch, I've always known you were the smartest of us, and now I have proof." He smiled at me proudly and I couldn't resist smiling back. Growing up James had always been the one to comfort and reassure me, even though he did make jokes about me with Al. I felt so happy to see him looking at me with such pride.

"I really did it." I said finally, belief began to creep over me. I had done it, all that revising, all the tutoring sessions with Emery and all the practise had paid off. I'd aced my N.E.W.T.s. I felt like singing.

"You did." James confirmed, giving me another of those proud smiles.

"Oh my god, I did it!" I squealed happily and he scooped me out of the chair and into a bone crushing hug. I laughed gleefully as he spun me around. When my feet landed again I was grabbed by another Potter man.

"Well done sis." Al's hug was much gentler but his smile held just as much pride as James' had. When he released me I turned to face the last of the room's occupants. Scorpius' eyes shone with admiration as he looked at me. He had about a second to prepare himself before I threw myself at him and locked my arms around his neck in a vice grip. He showered my face and neck with soft, adoring kisses and I giggled.

"I always knew you were amazing." He whispered in my ear, sending a wave of goosebumps over my skin. I was so happy I felt like I might cry. A loud crack interrupted our celebrations; we all turned to its source and found ourselves looking at Emma. She was still in her pink pyjamas and had a piece of paper clutched to her chest. Her sapphire eyes were shining brighter than I'd ever seen them.

"Emma." Al shoved his way past us and rushed to his girlfriend's side.

"I got my results." She told us, releasing her hold on the paper to show Al. He looked it over and then grabbed her in a triumphant hug.

"You did fantastic!" he praised gleefully as she laughed. I took the paper from him to see her results for myself. She had an even mix of O's and E's. I smiled at her ecstatically.

"Al's right, fantastic!" I seized her in a hug as we both jumped up and down excitedly, laughing like silly little girls.

"How did you do, where's your paper?" Scorpius passed her my letter and I watched her face morph into the same shock we'd all shared after viewing it.

"Oh my gosh, Lily this is incredible!"

"I still can't believe it." I admitted, she shook her head and then smiled at me.

"I can, you're more brilliant that you give yourself credit for." I felt my eyes tear up and gave her another hug.

"Thanks Em."

"I wonder how Hugo and Luce did." Al piped up.

"Well you can ask them at the party later." James pointed out. I folded my arms huffily, I didn't want to wait that long, I was too impatient to know how they did.

"I'll explode from curiosity if I have to wait until then!" Emma exclaimed, apparently she shared my sentiments.

"Why don't we apparate over and ask them?" I suggested excitedly, her face lit up at the idea.

"Perfect!" she agreed.

"Uh, Hugo won't be awake yet." Al told us, Emma and I groaned in unison.

"You guys are so lazy." She scolded. Her boyfriend pouted moodily but she just giggled.

"Well Lucy will be up, let's go ask her." I held out my hand for Emma and she took it quickly.

"Anyone else coming?" I offered. The three boys shook their heads.

"Nah, we'll wait here." James answered for them. Emma and I shrugged.

"Suit yourselves." She said simply.

"We'll be back soon." I apparated out before they could reply and Emma and I stumbled into Lucy's bright blue bedroom. The friend in question was perched on the edge of her single bed, like Emma and I she was still clad in her pyjamas and in her hands was what we'd come to see her about. On our arrival her head snapped up and she looked surprised to see us.

"Hi!" I greeted cheerfully, she stood up shakily and we hurried over to her.

"You guys got yours then?" she asked nervously. We both nodded.

"How did you do?" I couldn't hold it in any longer, I had to ask. She nervously raised the paper and showed us both. She had a large collection of O's dotted with the odd E and one A.

"You did brilliant!"  
"That's awesome Lucy!" we complimented. She blushed lightly and managed a little smile.

"I am quite pleased, I got no bad results so that's good, I guess."

"Of course it's good! I knew you'd do well." I gave her a gentle hug and then moved aside so that Emma could do the same.

"Well how did you two do?" she asked eagerly. Emma and I handed over the pages we were still clutching and waited as she scanned them.

"All O's, that's amazing Emma." She said brightly. Emma and I exchanged a confused glance and then realised our mistake. We'd still had hold of each other's results from when we'd swapped to show the other.

"Oh no, that's Lily's." Emma told her, pointing to the top of the letter where my name was printed.

"Wow Lily, you did so well!" she complimented, giving me a thrilled smile. I grinned back triumphantly. Lucy flipped to Emma's results and smiled again.

"Brilliant as well, but then, I expected no less." She told my blonde friend. Emma laughed happily and did a little cheer.

"We all passed, I'm so happy!" she sang, twirling in a little pirouette.

"We definitely deserve the celebration party now." I declared. Emma and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Oh yes, definitely."

"Oh, how did Hugo do?" Lucy asked. Emma and I shrugged.

"We have no idea, he's not awake yet." I told her, she scoffed and shook her head.

"Lazy sod." She remarked and we all laughed.

"I'm so excited about the party, I just love the Burrow." Emma said happily. Lucy's smile wasn't quite as bright as it used to be but it'd improved since school.

"Me too, I should be getting ready soon." She agreed.

"Oh, is Dean coming?" I had to ask her. Her smile widened just a little bit but I noticed it.

"Yes, he's actually quite excited I think."

"Really?" I spluttered incredulously. She laughed and nodded.

"Yep, we've been getting along a lot better lately, I don't know what's changed him but I like it." my eyes glanced involuntarily at her belly and then flickered away again before she could notice. I saw that she wasn't showing yet.

"Is he downstairs? I want to go and say 'hi'" I told her happily but she shook her head.

"No he's still at home, he doesn't normally come around this early." Her words confused me and I frowned.

"What do you mean? I thought he lived here." I started to wonder if maybe he had his own house or a flat somewhere, he was about James' age I'd guess, so he was old enough to live alone. Now it was her turn to frown.

"Yeah I thought so too." Emma agreed. Lucy looked between us and then shook her head again.

"No, Dean hasn't lived here since he was ten."

"What?" Emma and I blurted in unison. Our dark haired friend frowned at us both in confusion.

"You really didn't know that?" she asked, we both shook our heads.

"Oh, I though I'd told you." she hummed thoughtfully as we waited patiently for an explanation.

"Well I don't know if you guys know but, Dean was fostered by my parents before I was born because they thought they couldn't have children of their own." This would have been news to us but Dean had already told me and I'd relayed it all to Emma, so truthfully we both already knew. We listened regardless.

"But fostering is usually only temporary and when Dean was ten his father came to get him." She looked quite sad about this and I felt like hugging her.

"His dad got better then?" Emma asked, remembering what I'd told her. Lucy nodded.

"Yes, he had a breakdown after his wife died and had to have a load of treatment, but he got better. He got a new job and a new house and stuff; he was really excited about getting his son back too."

"Did Dean want to leave?" I asked. She looked at me sadly and then shook her head.

"No, but he had no choice. He cried for hours while we waited for his dad to arrive, I've only ever seen him cry twice. It was horrible."

"It sounds horrible." Emma agreed.

"But Dean said that you two were inseparable until you had to go off to Hogwarts, how can that be true if you didn't even live together anymore?" I drilled; Lucy sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"We were inseparable. He used to come round a lot, my parents kept his room the same so that he could stay whenever he wanted, I think they were worried his dad might not be able to handle looking after him."

"But he managed it, right?" Emma urged, eager to hear more of Dean's sad story.

"Yeah, he coped alright. But it was hard for them to bond properly, after everything that happened. Dean always felt a bit angry about it, like his dad should have stayed strong after his mum died so that he could look after him."

"It's not always that simple though."

"I know, and he knows that now too."

"So where does he live now?" I asked nosily.

"Well he lived with his dad until a few years ago when he found his own flat in town." So I had been right, Dean did have his own place. He must've spent a lot of time around the Carmichael's house after being forced to leave, and I couldn't help but think that the reason behind that was the petite girl sitting in front of me. It was impossible not to notice how fond Dean was of Lucy, especially after hearing him talk about her. But was that just because she'd been like a sister to him? Hadn't he been the one to say they were more like best friends than siblings? So perhaps I was wrong.

"Does he get on with his dad better now?" Emma's question interrupted my mulling.

"A little bit, they talk over the phone and stuff but they're not close." I tried not to look too confused; I vaguely remembered being told what this phone thing was once but the information seemed to elude me now that I needed it. I was pretty sure that it was a sort of muggle equivalent to an owl but it wasn't alive. Or maybe it was, I couldn't remember.

"Oh my gosh, is that the time?" Emma cried in shock, I followed her gaze to the little round clock sitting on Lucy's beside table. It said it was nine o'clock. There was an hour left before the party.

"I still have to wash and do my hair, not to mention choose something to wear!" she screeched frantically, Lucy and I exchanged mutual raised eyebrow expressions and then laughed.

"It's not funny; I have practically no time to get ready! I have to go, I'll see you guys at the Burrow." And then she disappeared, leaving the two of us behind laughing.

"I'm glad you're both coming." I said finally, breaking the awkward silence. Lucy smiled gratefully.

"Thanks for inviting him, I know it doesn't seem like it but it meant a lot."

"To him or to you?"

"To both of us." We exchanged a smile and then I decided to ask the question that'd been on the tip of my tongue since I saw her.

"How are you?" I didn't need to mention the baby; she knew that's what I meant.

"I'm doing ok."

"Have you had anymore pain?" I asked. She looked away and sighed.

"It comes and goes."

"Lucy, you need to go and get yourself checked out, you're not supposed to be in pain!"

"How would you know, when was the last time you were pregnant?" she snapped. I stepped back, recoiling from her anger and her expression softened.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you. My hormones have been all over the place lately."

"It's ok, I understand."

"I'm just so stressed lately, I can hardly think without getting a headache."

"I know it's a lot to deal with but you really should think about getting a check up, just to make sure everything is going ok." I said tentatively, fearing another outburst, but she just hung her head.

"I can't risk my parents finding out; they know a lot of people in our area. I can't just go and visit a midwife; someone would see me and then tell them. I just know it." I understood how trapped she felt, I hadn't even dared to go to a healer for some contraception for fear of my family finding out somehow, so I could only imagine how scared she would feel about people knowing about her pregnancy.

"Just take it easy ok, try and relax a bit." I rubbed her arm comfortingly and she smiled.

"I'll try."

"Good, now I'd better get back. I'll see you at the party."

"Yup, see you in an hour." She gave me a cheerful smile and a wave as I apparated out of her room.

~*~

I was drunk with excitement when the time for the party arrived. I'd dressed in a new white dress with a navy blue bow on the breast. My hair was twisted into a stylish bun at the nape of my neck and I had on the charm bracelet Scorpius had given me, I was quite heavy now thanks to the many new charms I'd gained over the years. None of the charms were more treasured that the diamond heirloom though.

"Ok, I'm ready." I announced as I jumped the last step on the stairs and skipped into the living room.

Scorpius was waiting for me wearing a pair of smart grey trousers decorated with a black belt, and a black t-shirt with a buttoned neck which he'd left unfastened, showing a triangle of his milky skin. He was fiddling with his watch when I entered and stopped abruptly as he found himself staring at me. His eyes travelled over every inch of my body from my neatly pinned hair all the way down to my cork soled sandals.

"Do I look ok?" I asked, desperate for anything to break the tense silence. His eyes found mine finally and he broke into a breathtaking grin.

"You look beautiful, heartbreakingly so." I let out a breath of relief and he strode over to me. I expected him to kiss me but he didn't, instead he lifted his hands to cup my slender neck and then gazed into my eyes intensely.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, my voice little higher than a whisper. He smiled at me in a way that made me think he knew something I didn't know.

"I was thinking about how lucky I am, and about how much I love you." he spoke without faltering and without embarrassment. He wasn't shy about expressing his feelings to me.

"I bet I love you more than you love me." I replied jokingly, he arched an eyebrow and let his hands slide down to my waist so that he could pull me against him.

"Not a chance Lily." He argued confidently.

"I do, you're just in denial." He chucked softly and my arms found their way around his neck.

"I tell you what; I'll believe that you love me more than I love you if you can provide me with some proof." He countered, looking rather smug. I scowled and tried to frantically think of a way I could prove something like that, as far as I was aware there weren't even any spells or potions for that kind of thing. I surrendered with a disgruntled groan.

"See, you can't." he said with a light laugh. I scowled at him.

"This doesn't mean you love me more, you haven't won." I saw his eyes sparkle like he was about to say something but thought better of it, I suspected it was going to be a romantic but corny comment. A small part of me wished he'd said it. God when did I become such a sappy and hopeless romantic? That was totally his fault.

"Are you ready to leave now?" he asked me, steering the subject down a new direction.

"Yup, where's Al and James?" I couldn't hear them arguing or banging around anywhere.

"Al left to pick up Emma and James has gone ahead to the party."

"Oh, alright then, let's go." He flooed over first, at my insistence and then I clambered into the fireplace after him. I'd forgotten how much more pleasant flooing was compared to apparating, that was if you didn't mind choking on soot when you arrived.

I stumbled out of the Burrow fireplace coughing madly and was glad of Scorpius' hand to steady me. He whipped out his wand and cleared my clothes of their soot stains.

"Thanks." I said gratefully.

"Anytime, come on." We walked hand-in-hand into the garden which was already filled with my ever growing huge family. My dad was the first to notice me.

"There she is! My brilliant daughter!" he called over the crowd, drawing their attention straight to me. I groaned and beside me Scorpius chuckled.

"Hi dad." I mumbled, my cheeks growing hotter by the second. He gave me a quick hug and then stepped aside to allow my mum to do the same.

"Could you stop making such a fuss please." I hissed at him.

"Why should I Lils, your grades were fantastic and I'm proud, I want everyone to know how brilliant you are." His pride really was touching but I hated being shoved into a spotlight.

"Well thanks dad, but really, just tone it down a tad please. You know I don't like all this attention." I shifted uncomfortably even though everyone present was family.

"Oh alright then." I gave him a grateful smile.

"Is Lucy here yet?" I asked, craning my neck to scan the crowd for some sign of her.

"Lily!" Emma's shout cut off whatever reply my dad was about to give and she shoved her way over to us.

"Are you looking for Lucy?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"Yeah, is she here yet?"

"Yes, she and Dean got here just. They're over here, come on." She grabbed my wrist and dragged me off; Scorpius kept hold of my other hand and allowed himself to be tugged along too. As we weaved through the family I spotted the pair standing with Rose, Hugo and Al by a large tree.

"Hi guys." Rose was the first to spot us, waving excitedly until we were in range and then she scooped me and Scorpius into an awkward group hug.

"It seems like ages since I last saw you two, how've you been?" she pressed on excitedly.

"We're good thanks, not a lot has changed lately." I replied dully, it was hard to find a thrilling answer when nothing had really happened. Her smile never faltered, despite the anticlimactic reply.

"Well you finished school, which had to be exciting!" she reminded me.

"Oh, yeah, I'm so relieved it's all over with. I never thought I'd actually say that, but I am."

"I know just what you mean, it's so great to break away – it makes you feel free."

"Yeah, I guess so."  
"Have you thought about what you're going to do now, like job wise?" god the girl didn't stop talking. I swear she'd been listing these questions in her head before I arrived.

"Er, no, I haven't really thought about it yet. I wanted to wait for my results first."

"Oh yes, I understand completely. It was easy for me really, I always knew I wanted to be an editor, I mean it's just so exciting seeing all the new textbooks and manuals before they're published. I feel like a spy!" she laughed gleefully and I stifled a snort. Rose had always loved her school books though, so I suppose a job editing them and hundreds of other magical manuals and biographies was just the job for her.

"I heard about your exam results too, well done Lily, you got the exact same grades as I did but you took some different subjects of course. I still can't believe you didn't take Muggle Studies, it's an important area you know." I took a moment to absorb her slightly unorthodox congratulations and then the little dig about my lesson choice. Rose didn't think Defence against the Dark Arts was worth taking at N.E.W.T level, not these days anyway, but it was one of my favourite subjects so I didn't care.

"Oh I know, I thought about it but there were just too many things I wanted to take, I had to drop something."

"Oh well, no use worrying about it now is there?" she said with a little giggle. Scorpius was keeping very quiet next to me; I envied him for being able to avoid this conversation.

"I've just been talking to Lucy's friend, Dean, I had no idea he was a muggle!" she whispered the last part, casting a quick glance behind her at the man in question in case he'd heard. He hadn't, he was currently deep in conversation with Emma and Al. I was surprised that Rose had called him Lucy's friend and not her brother, perhaps that was what Lucy had introduced him as, after all he wasn't actually her brother.

"What do you think of him?" I asked, she whirled back around and her smile returned.

"Oh he's wonderful, he's been really chatty." I doubted that somehow, even though Dean had recently opened up to me more, I definitely couldn't see him ever being seen as chatty. I highly suspected that the truth was more like Rose had talked his head off and he'd politely listened.

"I'm going to go and say hi." I told her.

"Oh yes, of course. I'm going to see if gran needs any help with the food." She hurried off, her cardigan flapping behind her as she ran towards the house.

"Wow." Scorpius muttered, commenting on my cousin's enthusiastic string of questions and comments. She'd always been a bit of a chatterer.

"I know, come on." We crossed the little patch of grass to where the others were waiting.

"Hi." Lucy greeted us both with a warm smile, wider than I'd seen her manage in months.

"Hey guys." Hugo spoke up, flashing us both a cheerful grin.

"Dean, I'm so glad you decided to come!" I told him happily, he smiled and shrugged.

"It's no problem, I'm actually enjoying myself."

"Shocking, who knew you could have fun!" I joked and he laughed. I noticed his gaze flicker to Scorpius and immediately felt rude.

"Oh, sorry, this is Scorpius." I introduced hastily. Scorpius let go of my hand to shake Dean's and then quickly retook it. Dean noticed the action and a look of understanding washed across his expression.

"Oh is this the guy you were telling me about?" he asked, I remembered our conversation about love not always being easy and nodded.

"It is." He grinned at us both and I felt Scorpius' eyes on me.

"You've been telling people about me?" he questioned, sounding mildly amused. I blushed.

"I might've mentioned your name in conversation, yes." I lied. He could tell by Dean's raised eyebrows that I wasn't telling the truth but I was grateful he didn't make me confess.

"Come on then Hugo, tell me how you did in your exams." I said loudly, pushing past the awkward conversation. My cousin grinned happily and produced a square of paper from his trouser pocket. It was the letter folded up, it unfolded easily and I could tell by the softness of the folds that it had been opened and closed quite a lot. His results were as good as ours, O's, E's and a couple of A's.

"Congratulations, these are great!" I squeezed him into a hug and he took back the paper.

"I know, I'm so relived, I was so worried I'd fail." He admitted, blushing faintly.

"Nah, you're too smart to fail." I assured him.

"Well from what I hear, it's you who's the smart one." I groaned loudly and they all laughed.

"How many people has he told?" I asked, not wanting to hear how much my dad had been bragging about my results.

"All of us." Emma told me.

"At least twice." Al confirmed. I groaned again and hid my face in my hands.

"Aw cheer up Lils, he's just proud, that's all." Unfortunately Emma's efforts to cheer me up didn't manage to drive away the embarrassment I felt.

"Can't he be silently proud?" I asked glumly. They laughed at me and I found myself joining in.

"All right then people, time to eat." My Uncle Ron's shout disturbed our conversation and the garden's occupants all started to swarm around the row of tables already lined with food. Our little group made its way over and found a bunch of seats together. The last of the huge feast was set down on the tables by my mum and my Aunt Hermione, and then my gran rose to give a quick toast.

"Well we're having this little meal to congratulate another lot of Hogwarts graduations, and as usual you've all done us proud by getting such excellent grades. I feel so blessed to…Ronald put that spoon down this instant!" her piercing shout caused my Uncle to immediately drop the spoon of mashed potato he was holding back into it's bowl. A wave of sniggers and giggles passed around the table as he blushed sheepishly.

"You will wait until everyone else starts to eat." Gran scolded, Ron's cheeks reddened even more and I could see my Uncle George straining to keep his laughter bottled up.

"Sorry mum." Ron mumbled quietly, she nodded her head and then continued.

"Where was I? Ah yes, I feel so blessed to be able to watch my family grow around me, most people do not get this privilege and I am so proud of all of you. Let's just give one more congratulations to Lily, Hugo, Emma and Lucy for their impressive results."

"Congratulations!" the whole table announced together, I blushed profusely and glanced around to notice the other three were equally as red ad I was. Underneath the table Scorpius gripped my hand tightly and I gave him a little smile.

"And now, let's eat!" she added. Several cheers erupted around the table followed by a wave of laughter and we all started to heap our plates full of food.

~*~

After the meal there was a humongous explosion of WWW fireworks specially designed by George for our graduation. The display seemed to last forever and it was the most magical set of fireworks I'd ever seen. Once the cheers had died down and hugs of thanks were passed to the red-haired mastermind creator, the gathering of family and friends slipped into a buzz of quiet conversation.

Al tugged Emma off inside, no doubt to find a quiet room out of the way where they could spend some quality time kissing. He really was being naïve if he thought we didn't all know that's why they both disappeared.

Rose dragged Lucy and Dean off to introduce him to our many family members; she really was fascinated by having a muggle present for one of our parties. I personally didn't see what the big deal was but not many people did understand what was going on in that girls head.

Hugo, James and Teddy were battling it out at a game of exploding snap, and from the loud shouts of disapproval and the unrepeatable curses that were coming from their way; I guessed that Hugo was beating the pair.

The remaining women of our family were all crowded around Victoire and Annalise, cooing and giggling as she tried to speak new words. She was growing up so much now; already she was beautiful – just like her mother. She liked to sit on my lap and had spent a lot of time at dinner doing just that, whilst happily tugging at the bow on my dress.

The males were all still seated at the table, polishing off the last of the gargantuan meal as if it was nothing but a starter. It looked like George and Ron were arguing about an idea for a new product they were working on, how those two managed to produce anything sale worthy was beyond me, all they ever seemed to do was bicker and disagree. It was quite funny to watch though. My dad caught my eye as I watched them affectionately and gave me a tired smile, his work at the Ministry was weighing him down lately but I could tell he was happy in his new role. I smiled back at him and he returned to listening to something Bill was telling him.

"Lily?" Scorpius' voice made me jump and he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I was in a world of my own then." I said, realising I'd be basically ignoring him for the past few minutes.

"It's ok. Do you want to have a bit of a walk around, I feel like I've lost the blood supply to my feet after sitting down for so long." I laughed and hooked my arm through his.

"Tell me about it, my bum is completely numb." I grumbled. He laughed and raised a teasing eyebrow.

"Does this mean I can squeeze it as much as I like without you knowing?" I playfully slapped his arm and tried to hide the fact that I wouldn't mind that at all.

"I'd still know." I warned half-heartedly. He plastered a false look of disappointment onto his face and sighed.

"Blast, I was so hopeful." He said in a mock defeated tone. I laughed and shoved him as we walked further from the crowd.

"Pack it in." I told him, still unable to stop giggling.

"I guess I'll just have to face my punishment then, I just can't resist." He illustrated his point by loosing my arm and moving his hand to give my bum a hard squeeze. I gasped and scrambled away, unable to stop myself giggling.

"Scorpius, behave!" I stammered, still laughing. He just looked at me with sparkling eyes and chuckled.

"Or else what?" he provoked, taking a deliberate step towards me.

"Or else…er…stop that!" he'd taken another step towards me, I took one back. He didn't listen to me of course and repeated the action. I moved back again.

"Come on Lily, or else what?" he continued, then another step.

"Or else…I-I'll um…I'll hex you!" he laughed but took another step, undeterred. I moved back again and my back came into contact with a tree. Where had that come from? I could've sworn it hadn't been there before. Scorpius took another step, he was close now.

"With what Lily, you didn't bring your wand." He reminded me. He continued his advance.

"Even better, I'll just spring your punishment on you when you least expect it after we've gone home." I lifted my chin, feeling quite proud of my witty response, but Scorpius just laughed.

"I'll take my chances." He reached me then. The toes of our shoes touching and our chests barely a whisper apart, I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs and little beads of sweat were forming at the base of my neck. God, when had things gotten so heated? One minute we were laughing and joking, the next – this, just where had this passionate atmosphere come from?

His fingers brushed against the skin of my leg, just beneath the hem of my dress. I heard my own sharp intake of breath and we both watched, riveted, as his hand slid slowly up the skin of my leg and under my dress. My breath caught in my throat as his palm slid across my thigh and around to my hip. Surely someone could see us, we weren't very far from the house and we were in a very conspicuous position that would surely draw attention.

Suddenly his free hand gripped my waist and pulled me away from the tree, I thought he was going to kiss me because his lips were so close, but he didn't. The hand on my hip slid around and gave my lace covered bum another squeeze. I gasped and his hand withdrew from my skirt, he stood back from me with a triumphant smile.

"I win." He announced. He flashed me a wicked grin as my face contorted into the meanest scowl I could manage, I burst into a run towards him but he'd anticipated my advance and was already running away.

"Damn Quidditch players." I muttered irritably. I would've been able to catch him easily if he hadn't been in such good shape. He might be fit but I was a better runner, and sure enough, a minute or so later my hand closed on his t-shirt and I yanked him back.

"You know I'm faster than you." I reminded him as I pulled him to a stop. He laughed as he turned around and crashed into me, knocking us both to the floor and leaving me crushed beneath him.

"Did you ever think that maybe I wanted you to catch me?" he flashed me another of those wicked grins that quickened my pulse. We were both out of breath and flushed but he'd never looked more gorgeous. I was hard pressed to keep my thoughts intact.

"I've been waiting to kiss you all day." he said softly, letting his shining grey eyes admire every inch of my face.

"Then why aren't you?" I replied impatiently. The slight grin faded as fast as it formed and he closed the little gap between our faces to suck me into a deep and fervent kiss. My arms found their way around his neck and my legs hooked over his, pinning his body down onto me and refusing to let him escape. Although by the eagerness of his lips and the soft moan in his throat, I was fairly certain that escape was not very high up the list of priorities right now.

I don't know how long we lay there on the grass kissing but when his lips finally left mine I was dizzy and breathless. My heart felt like it had beat more times in the past however many minutes than it had in my entire lifetime. He looked down at me earnestly and then his expression turned serious.

"Can I talk to you about something, it's…important." He sounded uncertain, afraid even. Panic pricked in my mind despite my efforts not to let it.

"Of course you can." I assured him. He nodded and then helped me up until we were both standing. A light breeze circled around us, swirling a loose strand of my hair and moving my dress. Scorpius paused for a moment, he rubbed at his forehead and then swept his long hair aside before turning back to me with an expression I could only describe as determination.

"There's been something on my mind for a while now." he told me, I frowned in confusion but nodded.

"Ok, what is it?" there was that panic again, nagging me from within my mind. He sighed in what seemed like frustration and then pulled something from his pocket. I looked at his hand and felt the breath drain from my body. He was holding a small, white velvet box. I stared at it, unable to tear my eyes away.

"Lily, there's something I want to ask you." he said slowly. I couldn't see his face; I was still staring at the item in his hands as if my life depended on it. My heart, which had been racing with panic just seconds ago, had slowed almost to a stop as if it forgot how to beat. I swallowed but there was no moisture in my dry mouth to wet my throat.

"Oh my god…" I whispered, my hands trembling as he moved towards me. The hand not holding that tiny little box came up to cup my cheek and he turned my face up to his. My wide brown eyes fixed on him in shock and fear. Shocked that he was doing what I thought he was doing and shocked that it really was happening. And afraid that it was all just a misunderstanding, that the box really held earrings and I was just being too hopeful.

"Lily." his lips said my name as if it was the most beautiful word in the world and the sound relaxed me enough to remind my brain how to breathe.

"I'm no good at making speeches but I'll try," he swallowed hard and then took a breath. "I can't tell you how long I've been in love with you because truthfully I don't know when it happened myself. I'd always admired you and adored you from a distance but somewhere it became more than that, sometime in the years I've known you I fell in love with you." he paused to let me drink in his words and I listened intently. I watched his smooth lips form each word, let my ears hear the way his soft voice uttered every syllable, committing every second of this moment to memory.

"You're the only girl I've ever wanted and you have no idea how it feels to be with you. It's like I'm suffocating from happiness every time I touch you or kiss you, I can barely breathe!" he laughed gently and then his face turned serious again.

"You're all I think of Lily, you're all I've ever thought of, and I want to be with you, always." He opened the little velvet box, it creaked unhappily and the lid moved aside to reveal its contents. I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth.

Inside sat the most incredible ring I had ever laid eyes on. It had a large round central opal stone that glistened happily in the sunlight, either side lay pear shaped diamonds that looked far more expensive than I dared to think about. The platinum band was engraved with an intricate design I couldn't quite make out, but that looked utterly beautiful. The ring had a very vintage feel and I was suddenly certain that it was in fact a very valuable antique.

"I know we're young Lily, but I want to hold onto you for the rest of my life. I'm not asking you to marry me right away, or next month, or even next year! I just want it to happen someday, I want to know that it's what you want too." I lifted my gaze from the ring to meet his terrified grey eyes. I realised in that moment how much courage this had all taken him, not just getting the ring and planning to ask me, but trying to make this grand speech that was so difficult for him.

Movement nearby interrupted my thoughts and I glanced across to see my entire family lined up watching us, I hadn't even heard them approaching. I had no idea how they'd known what was going on, we were far from the house now and out of sight, but somehow they'd gotten wind of the moment between Scorpius and I and had all come to watch.

I felt immediately self-conscious and realised that he must be feeling a million times worse than I was right now. I could see his hands visibly shake as he held the ring box. Of course he would be afraid, last time they thought we were engaged they'd broken his nose and beaten him up, god knows what they'd do now that he was actually asking me for real. All of these thoughts melted into the background as his free hand slipped into mine. I watched as he pulled the thin silver promise ring off the finger that had held it for years.

"Lily, I love you. I can't offer you my heart, because you've had that ever since the day I stumbled into your bedroom whilst trying to find the bathroom, but I can offer you everything else. I can offer you me, all of me." I heard a few little laughs at his light comment but I was too shocked to laugh. He took the engagement ring out and slid the box back into his pocket with my old ring.

"So, at the risk of being mobbed by your family," to my horror and my delight he lowered himself down onto one knee. I heard several aw's from our audience but my attention was held completely by the man taking my left hand in his.

"Will you marry me?" he said the words with such ease that I guessed he'd practised it a hundred times before now, except this time they came out naturally. My heart came to a complete standstill the second he uttered them, it kicked back into action and took off at record speed as I struggled not to cry. Tears welled in my eyes and threatened to spill over at any moment but I wouldn't let them, I had something very important to say and I wanted to be able to see his face when I said it.

"Yes." I choked the word out as a few stray tears slipped down my cheeks. His face immediately transformed into the broadest smile I'd ever seen, it seemed to stretch from ear to ear and made his eyes gleam with happiness. He slid the ring onto my third finger where it was a perfect fit and the crowd watching us erupted into an ear-splitting cheer.

I didn't hear any of it though because Scorpius rose to his feet and scooped me into his arms, his lips were all over my face and my neck, kissing me and repeating the phrase 'I love you' over and over again. He lifted my feet off the floor and spun me around until I was laughing and crying, the happiness was too much to contain, I felt like I might explode at any second. Scorpius had asked me to marry him. I was going to marry Scorpius. He was my Fiancé!

I was kissing his lips then, a deep and slow kiss that shot through to my bones and made them tingle with the same happiness as every other inch of my body. I hadn't even noticed that my family had closed in around us, encasing us in a giant group hug as they passed on their tearful congratulations and their cries of happiness. I didn't even stop to realise that nobody was angry, nobody had torn Scorpius from my arms to hit him or curse him, they were all happy for us. But none of that sank in, because in that second, all I could think about was the man kissing me and the fact that one day I would be his wife.

Lily Malfoy. Lily Malfoy. Lily Malfoy! I repeated the name over and over again in my head as I kissed him, tears of joy still rolling down my cheeks. He wanted me to marry him. He really did love me as much as he said. He wanted to be with me forever. I felt like I was going to pass out from the happiness.

"I love you, my beautiful fiancée." He whispered in my ear. I barely heard it over the roaring celebration of my family still crowded around us.

"I love you too." I managed to reply before his lips were back on mine. I doubted anything could top the happiness I felt in that moment, anything except maybe the moment when I would kiss him as Lily Malfoy and not as Lily Potter.

~*~

_Hehe, funny little story about this chapter: I was browsing google for inspiration for Lily's ring when my boyfriend walked in and found me looking at these horrendously expensive engagement rings on Tiffany's. I don't think I've ever seen him so pale in my life, haha! Thankfully it was the price of the rings that horrified him and not the prospect of marring me, lol._


	21. Panic

_Oh my gosh, Hi everyone, I really hope you haven't given up on me or the story! I'm insanely sorry about the delay and for how long it took me to update this. I've had some technical problems with my laptop and haven't been able to get it written. Finally I have it fixed and wrote my fingers into a frenzy to get this finished._

_It's been a complete nightmare. What with the problems with my laptop, the work problems, my house breaking apart and having to get engineers out to fix stuff, I've been practically frantic for weeks._

_Anyway, I sincerely hope you can all forgive me for the shocking and appalling lateness, now that my laptop is all done up I will be able to get back in to regular updating. However, upon saying that, I do how have a new pub manager who has given me 50 hour weeks, so the updates may slip to around one a week until she leaves soon. I'm going to try my best though, so please bear with me._

_Thank you all so much for your utterly fantastic reviews, I honestly adored every single one of them, and I'm endlessly sorry for not replying to you all but I guessed you'd all want a new chapter before a little reply. I'll try my best to get around to it soon but I have a busy week ahead of me with shifts, trips and other time consuming stuff like my anniversary with my boyfriend._

_I hope you enjoy this chapter, and let's get back on track with things shall we! :D_

Chapter twenty-one – Panic

I stared at the ring sitting on my finger for the millionth time since Scorpius had put it there. I tilted my hand so that the light from the setting sun caught the stones and sent them glistening. I felt a familiar surge of excitement wash through me and smiled. I was engaged, to Scorpius Malfoy. He really did want me to be his wife. That little fact still seemed so unbelievable to me. He was intelligent, talented and insanely good looking and he wanted to marry _me_.

A soft knock at the door broke me out of my daydream and I looked up to see my mum peering around the door. We'd all returned to my old home after the celebrations at the burrow had finished. Scorpius and my brothers were downstairs talking with my dad; I could hear their loud laughter drifting up the stairs occasionally.

I was so glad that they were ok with Scorpius' proposal; a part of me had always been deathly worried that they would kick off again if he ever asked me, and that it would be a repeat of the burrow incident. But all of my family had been thrilled, a few – namely Teddy and Ron – had taken a little while to warm up to the idea and join in the cheerfulness, but they'd come around eventually.

My mum sat down on the bed beside me and cast a nostalgic glance around my old bedroom. I stopped admiring my ring for a while and smiled at her. My ears were still buzzing slightly from the noisy time at the Burrow and I hadn't fully recovered from all of the excitement.

"You've been up here a while, what are you thinking about?" Mum asked gently, giving me a reassuring smile that told me she wasn't drilling me.

"Nothing specific really, I just needed a quiet moment to let my head recover." I told her. The celebrations at the Burrow had been fantastic but it had all been so much in such a short space of time that I felt like I'd been in a whirlwind for most of it. I just needed to chill out a bit.

"It's a pretty big development, are you sure you're ok with it?" I glanced across at her and could tell that she was worried I might've felt pressured into it, because of how serious my relationship with Scorpius had been and not to mention my entire family had been watching at that moment. But I hadn't been forced at all. This was what I wanted.

"Yes, I mean I know I'm still really young and it's a serious commitment and all, but this is what I want for my future and you heard what Scor said, we don't have to get married right away. We have time." Her expression lightened a bit and she sighed softly. I knew it had been worrying her that I might rush off tomorrow and get married when I was barely eighteen. But I wasn't that reckless, I wanted to do this properly and not rush into it.

"I'm glad we raised you to be so level-headed." She said with an affectionate smile. That little comment brought back a bunch of earlier worries from way back when Scorpius and I had first started dating.

I remembered everyone talking about Rose's then boyfriend, Drew, and saying how Hermione was all set to have them married. Obviously I knew that was probably a major exaggeration but hearing my mum say that Rose wouldn't do something that silly when she was only young, because she was too level-headed, had got me thinking about what she'd say if it was me in Rose's position. Would she have considered me reckless? And now here she was telling me the very thing I'd worried so much about, she didn't think I was reckless at all. The relief was unimaginable.

"Thanks mum." I replied, though I knew she didn't know what I was thanking her for. She was polite enough not to pry and instead placed her hand over mine and gave it a little squeeze.

"It's a strange feeling, knowing one of your children is going to be married soon." She mused.

"It is?"

"Yes, it's not a bad feeling, just strange."

"Why do you think that is?" I asked, intrigued. She thought about it for a long moment and then sighed.

"I don't really know, I suppose it's because you're my child, you're a part of me and I've raised you from a baby and now I have to relinquish my role to someone else. When you're married I won't be the one who'll care for your needs or protect you, that will be Scorpius' role then, I'll just be the mother." I could hear the sadness in her voice, it tugged at my heart and made me long to hug her.

"A mother is a pretty important person you know, you'll always be the one I turn to for advice and the one who I'll emulate whenever I have to raise my own kids." She glanced across at me and smiled.

"Nobody can ever take your place mum." I added, rounding off my point. She draped her arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"You're a good kid Lily."

"I love you, mum." I hugged her a bit closer.

"I love you too honey." We shared a moment of silence, enjoying the closeness and the tenderness of the moment.

"Are you happy mum, about me marrying Scorpius?" I asked nervously. She withdrew slightly to give me a steady smile.

"I am. I know he'll look after you Lily, he loves you so much. Seeing you two together reminds me of your father and I when we were your age."

"I hope we can have what you guys do, you're so happy together." I replied longingly. She laughed softly and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"We are, but we've had our bad days just like anyone else. Lord knows your father and I haven't had the easiest of rides, relationship wise, but the fact that we got through it all just proves to me that we were meant to be together."

"Do you have any regrets?" she thought about this for a while and then shrugged.

"Nothing substantial, I regret some of the things I've said in silly arguments or embarrassing things I did in front of him because I was so nervous, but I don't regret any of the important stuff and I definitely don't regret choosing to spend my life with him." I took in what she was saying and nodded, my gaze drifting back to the glistening ring.

"Why, do you regret anything with Scorpius?" she asked me, sensing a motive behind my question.

"Oh no, it's just nice to hear more about you and dad." I'd always loved their story, to me it was like the perfect fairytale romance, and how bizarre it seemed that I now found myself in the same position, in love with my older brother's best friend from a young age. I had no doubt that in thirty years time we would still be married as my parents were, and I would still love Scorpius just as much as mum loved my dad.

"Wait here, I have something to show you." she told me with an excited smile.

"Ok." I watched as she hurried out of the room and tapped my feet as I waited impatiently for her to return. When she did, she was holding a large white box. She set it down on the bed between us and lifted the lid.

"I've been waiting for the time when I could show you this." She said as she moved aside the covering and revealed a luxurious white satin dress, folded neatly. I gasped and reached out to stroke the silky material.

"Your wedding dress." I stated. She nodded and touched the garment affectionately.

"Yep, I don't expect you to wear it of course; every woman deserves her own dream wedding dress. But I thought you might like to wear this." She pulled out a thin square velvet box from beneath the folds of material.

"What is it?" I asked excitedly. She laughed and held it out to me.

"Open it up and find out." I took it from her gently and prised open the lid. Inside sat a delicate silver headdress adorned with pearls, shining diamonds and strips of silky ribbon. I stared at it with shining eyes, it looked so much more beautiful up close than it did in the photos.

"Oh my god, it's incredible." I breathed, reaching out to trail my fingertips over the surface.

"It is. I was supposed to wear my Great-Aunt Muriel's goblin made tiara, it's been in our family for generations and it had become a bit of a tradition for the women to wear it on their wedding days, but I wanted something that was mine. I'd waited so long for your father to love me and then for us to properly be together, through the war and the aftermath, that I wanted our wedding to be perfect, like I always dreamt."

"Did you design this?" I asked, hardly believing it to be possible, it was just so magnificent. She nodded.

"It cost quite a bit to get it made but your father insisted. He said he wanted me to have whatever I wanted, whatever the cost."

"Wow, dad was really sweet when he was young." She laughed and looked down at the headdress affectionately.

"He's still sweet now, just only around me." now it was my turn to laugh.

"So that's where Al gets his shyness from then, Emma says he's really affectionate and treats her like a queen but we're yet to see it."

"Yes, well, Al had always been uncannily like your father." We both giggled and then looked back down at the headdress.

"I completely understand if you'd prefer to have your own, after all, I wanted the very same thing. But I thought I'd show it to you anyway, just in case." I looked up at her and smiled gratefully.

"I'd love to wear yours, maybe we can start a new tradition." I flashed her a cheeky grin and she laughed again.

"Maybe, but I think this one should be optional and not an obligation."

"Oh, I totally agree." I snapped the lid back down on the velvet box and hugged it to my chest.

"Thanks mum, this means a lot to me." I said sincerely. She smiled and slid the lid back onto the dress box.

"It's my pleasure, really. I'd better go check on them lot, they can't be trusted unsupervised for too long." She rolled her eyes and left with the box holding her headdress. I ran my hand over the soft velvet box again, unable to suppress a smile when I saw the light catch my new engagement ring again.

"You can stop staring at it you know, it's not going to disappear." The male voice startled me and I looked up to see my brothers hovering in my doorway, both wearing identical crooked grins. I rolled my eyes and lowered my hand.

"I hope you haven't been horrible to him." I reprimanded, they both adopted a false expression of shock and came to sit either side of me on the bed.

"As if we'd be horrible to him for wanting to marry our little sister, really Lily, give us some credit." James replied, in a mock hurt tone.

"Yeah, he'll be family soon, and we're never horrible to family." Al added. I snorted and gave each of them the same disbelieving look.

"That's a load of rubbish, you were always cruel to me and I'm family."

"You're an exception."

"We're allowed to be mean to you because you're our sister."

"Yeah, it's like the brother-sister rule." I looked back and forth between them as they spoke, feeling my neck starting to cramp and then sighed. Great, they were ganging up on me.

"There is no rule that says that. Now did you two come up here just to ruin my good mood or was there another reason?" they laughed in unison and I suppressed a groan. They were so annoying to handle when they were together.

"We just came to see how you were doing, things got a bit crazy back there and you started to look a bit overwhelmed." James said in a more serious tone, I smiled at him gratefully.

"I'm fine; I just needed a minute to calm my head a bit."

"This is what you want, isn't it sis?" Al asked, pointing to the ring on my finger. I sighed.

"Is everyone going to ask me this?" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"I was just checking! Can't blame a brother for being worried when his eighteen year old sister gets engaged." My irritation ebbed away and I nudged him gently.

"Sorry, I guess I just feel like everyone doubts me. I know what this means, I understand how serious it is, but it's what I want." He frowned at me and then sighed.

"Alright then, as long as it's what you want."

"There's no rush anyway, right?" James added, smiling hopefully. I laughed and then nodded.

"No James, I'm not going to run off tomorrow and marry him. We've got plenty of time."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." We fell silent and as expected I found my gaze drifting back to the ring. I hoped they wouldn't notice. Of course, it was a fool's hope.

"So you like it then?" James piped up, pointing at the little piece of jewellery. I glanced up at him and managed to resist a big smile.

"It's perfect." I declared. My voice was rich with adoration.

"It took us bloody hours to find that one." He told me, making my brow furrow into a frown.

"What do you mean 'us'?"

"Me and Scor, he asked me to help him pick out a ring for you." he looked at my confused expression and then laughed.

"Oh come on Lils, you didn't really believe we went shopping for your birthday present that day did you? He even told you himself that he got that coat brought over from France, didn't that click anywhere in your head?" suddenly I felt incredibly stupid and incredibly naïve. How could I have missed that? I blushed and looked away, embarrassed by my own lack of observation. James chuckled softly and roughly hugged me to his side.

"Don't look so wounded, isn't it better this way? At least now it was a surprise." God I was so blind sometimes. But he was right, I was glad for that blindness this time because I preferred his proposal being a surprise than me suspecting it.

"Are you guys ok with this then; I mean you're not mad are you?"

"Why would we be mad?" Al asked, looking perplexed. I raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Have you forgotten how you both behaved when I first started seeing Scorpius? If I remember correctly you both tried to beat him senseless, _you_ broke his nose!" I jabbed an accusing finger at James' chest and he flushed guiltily.

"Hey! Actually it was Teddy who broke his nose, I just bust his lip." He cried in his defence. I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh, like that's any better?" he hung his head shamefully and I heard a snigger from Al.

"I don't know what you find so funny, you tried to hex him!" I reminded him. His smile faded and he flushed the same shade of red as his brother.

"But I didn't, James actually hit him."  
"So did you, you threw him against a table! And it's much worse coming from you, you're his best friend!"

"I know, I know, I was an idiot. I don't need reminding." He grumbled. I huffed and crossed my arms across my chest moodily.

"Look, can we just forget all this and focus on what's happening now? We came up here to tell you that we don't object to you marrying Scor, and that if you want it, you have our blessing." James said softly, prying my arms from their furiously crossed state and looking at me seriously. I couldn't stay mad at them when they were being so nice to me.

"I really have your blessing?" I asked, glancing from one to the other. They both nodded.

"If you don't believe us then just go and ask Scor, he asked us if he could marry you way before he even got the ring."

"Well actually he asked me _after_ he got the ring." Al corrected. James shot him a murderous glare.

"Yes well you would have been asked _before_ if you hadn't been gallivanting off around the world Canada boy, you might've even been around to help us pick the ring." He snapped. Al leant around me to fix his older brother with an angry stare.

"Will you stop calling me that?! I already said sorry to Scor for not being around to help, it's not my fault that I needed some time away to sort my head out!" he shouted back angrily. James barked a laugh and shook his head.

"You didn't _need_ to go anywhere; you were just being a prat!"

"I was not being…"

"Will you both just SHUT UP!" I shouted, throwing up my hands to silence them both. They snapped their mouths closed and turned away from each other moodily.

"Did Scorpius really ask you both if it was ok for him to propose to me?" I asked softly, hoping to steer them away from their argument.

"Yup, said he'd do it even if we said no, but he wanted us to be ok with it." James told me, Al nodded his agreement. That little piece of information filled me with warmth and happiness. Scorpius had checked with my family before asking, he'd really done it all properly. That was so sweet.

"He asked dad too." Al continued. My head snapped around and I stared at him wide-eyed.

"He asked dad?" I repeated. They both nodded.

"Way back before he started saving up for the ring, I don't think he would've asked until he got dad's approval, it was a big thing for him." Suddenly my mind was flooded with memories. The first being months ago when Scorpius had admitted that he was saving up for something, all along it'd been an engagement ring for me. Then there was that night after the snowball fight, when I'd overheard a conversation between him and my dad in the kitchen, at the time I had no idea what Scorpius was thanking him for but now it all made perfect sense. Everything was crystal clear.

"Lils…?" Al said, sounding worried. He waved a hand in front of my hazy eyes and I snapped out of my trance.

"He's been planning this for ages." I realised. They both nodded.

"Yup, he was waiting for the right time." I blinked, waiting for it all to sink in properly.

"Is it so hard to believe?" Al asked incredulously.

"Even a blind man could see how much he loves you Lily." James added softly. I looked down at the ring and felt my eyes tear up. The full realisation of what his proposal meant was starting to sink in; I started to see just how much he really did care for me.

He'd withstood both our families objecting to our relationship, had to face violence and the almost-loss of his best friend, hell he'd even threatened to curse his own grandmother because she'd threatened me!

Yet still he'd never wavered in his affection, nor had he ever considered turning his back on what we had. Instead he'd saved up over months to buy me the perfect ring, been brave enough to seek my family's blessings and somehow managed to get the courage to propose to me with them all watching. Then there was the most hard hitting realisation of them all, the tiny but powerful fact that he did all of this because he wanted to be with me, always.

"Is she going into some sort of delayed state of shock or something?" Al whispered.

"I dunno, maybe we should chuck some water over her." I heard James reply. Al snorted.

"I'll let you do that, I'm not putting myself in the firing line for one of her hexes."

"I'm not going to hex anyone, and I'm not in a state of shock." I said finally, blinking my eyes to bring the room swimming back into focus.

"Are you sure? You actually didn't move for like five minutes there." Al told me, looking at me like I was a bomb and he expected me to explode at any second.

"Yes I'm sure, I was just…thinking." They both frowned at me warily and I sighed.

"Will you stop looking at me like that!" I snapped. They flinched and both looked deliberately in another direction. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks guys, for giving your blessing, and for helping pick out the ring." Al nodded and James gave me a proud smile.

"It'll be pretty cool having my best friend as my brother-in-law." The younger of the two mused.

"Yeah, I always wanted another brother." I turned to scowl at James and his expression turned defensive.

"I didn't mean in place of you Lils, I'd never trade in my darling sister." He pinched my cheek mockingly and I sharply slapped away his hand.

"Oh bugger off." I retorted, almost laughing as he rubbed his assaulted hand and pouted like a scolded child.

"Fine, I will." He got up and stomped out of the room. I laughed and turned to look at Al. His expression was serious and I frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry I wasn't around to help pick out your ring." He said quietly, looking sadly at his lap. My heart felt like led in my chest and I reached out to hug him.

"It doesn't bother me Al, as long as you're around for the wedding."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He replied with a sad smile.

"Good. Although it is a shame you weren't on that shopping trip, it would have been good practise for you, for when you have to buy Emma one." I nudged him playfully and his eyes widened.

"God, don't talk about that. I don't want to even think about how hard it'll be to find something she likes."

"Oh, so you're planning on proposing someday then?" I teased. He blushed and started stuttering adorably.

"No! Well, yes. Maybe…I dunno, it's too soon to be thinking about stuff like this."

"I tell you what, if it's ever the right time to think about it, I'll help you find a ring. Women are good at this sort of thing, and besides, I know Emma better than anyone." He looked up at me with hope filled eyes and I smiled.

"Deal." We shook on it and then laughed.

"I'm gonna head back down, mum said something about chocolate cake in the fridge and I don't want James eating it all." He looked suddenly panicked and I laughed.

"Go on, he's been gone for over five minutes already, any longer and it really will be too late."

"You're right, see you down there Lils." He sprang up off the mattress and darted from the room, leaving me behind, laughing.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" This time the voice belonged to my dad. He appeared in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder where his youngest son had just run by him.

"Is the whole house taking it in turns to come and talk to me or something?" I asked, frowning at him. He laughed and took up the place where the others had previously occupied, on the bed beside me.

"Well I can't speak for the others, but I just came up to see how you were."

"I'm fine, dad." I managed to give him a little smile but I was still feeling irritated by my family's insistence at seeing if I was fine. I'd just gotten engaged for crying out loud, not been told I only had a month to live, of course I was bloody fine! I was better than fine, I felt utterly fantastic, or at least I would do if they would stop fussing over nothing and ruining my mood.

"Listen Lils, I just want you to know that I'm ok with this, with you marrying Scorpius." He said. His voice was strained from awkwardness. Clearly this was a tricky conversation for him.

"Honestly?" I asked, raising my eyebrows sceptically.

"Yes. I'll admit that in the beginning I didn't like it, I didn't think that a Malfoy was good enough for you, but it turns out I was wrong."

"You, wrong? Never!" I joked. He laughed and gave me a playful shove.

"He came and asked me, months ago." I knew what he was talking about.

"I know, Al told me."

"My first reaction was to refuse, flat out; I considered throwing him out the house for even suggesting it…"

"Dad!" I cried in horror, but he held up a hand to silence me.

"But then I allowed myself to think about it, for longer than a few seconds, and I realised that it was what you would want. And strangely I found that I didn't hate the idea, I never thought the day would come when I would want a Malfoy to be part of my family, but hey, I guess I was wrong on that too." He shrugged lightly and I smiled up at him tearfully.

"Thanks dad, that means a lot." And it did mean a lot, for him to say he wanted Scorpius to be part of our family was a huge statement, and I treasured every word.

"I can't accept that anyone will ever be good enough for you, but that's not my choice to make. So as long as you think he's good enough…"

"More than, I don't deserve him." I confirmed.

"I can't agree on that flower, nobody can possibly deserve you."

"You're bound to say that dad, I'm your daughter!" I laughed; he just shrugged lightly and grinned.

"No father ever believes a man is good enough for his daughter, but we all have to accept that someday we'll have to put aside our own opinions in favour of yours."

"So this is just a long drawn out way of saying that you approve of me marrying Scorpius, right?" I clarified.

"Basically, yes. I'll admit, it sounded shorter in my head." I laughed and he hugged me close to his side.

"Thanks dad, I mean, I know I already said that but I just wanted to say it again."

"There's a thousand things I want to say to you right now but I can't seem to separate one from another. I've been planning for this moment pretty much from the day you were born, I had it all worked out in my head, what I would say to you and the advice I'd give you. But now that it's here, I'm lost." He sighed sadly and gazed off into space as his mind raced after its lost thoughts.

"I guess you can't plan some things dad." He looked down at me thoughtfully and nodded.

"I guess so. I might not know what to say now, but if you ever need any advice or just someone to talk to, even if its years down the line, I'm certain I could help then."

"I won't be getting married for a long while dad, so stop worrying about this ok? You have lots of time to think of what to say." He sighed again and then nodded. There was a loud crash from downstairs that sounded like something had smashed, we both flinched and then my dad groaned.

"What have they broken now? I'd better go and see what the heck is going on." He stalked out of the room furiously and I sighed. Well they'd all come up to talk to me now, so unless the rest of my family were flooing in to have a chat too, I could relax and stop being pestered. I exhaled in relief and flopped back onto my bed to stare up at my ceiling.

I don't know how long I'd been lying there silently, replaying every second of Scorpius' proposal in my head, when suddenly he was there. He dropped down on top of me on the bed, being careful to support most of his weight on his hands that lay either side of my head. I grinned up at him like a giddy little schoolgirl, and to my delight, he grinned back equally as happily.

"Hi." He said sweetly, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine. I giggled girlishly and felt myself blush.

"Hi." I replied, nibbling my lower lip.

"You've been up here a while, is everything ok?" he asked, sounding rather worried. My smile never faltered as I replied.

"Everything is perfect." And it was, truly.

"You're not regretting it?" he checked in a low voice, avoiding my eyes. I pushed up off the bed to give him a firm but loving kiss on the lips.

"Never." He smiled down at me and then kissed me again, for longer this time. Somehow his kisses seemed so much sweeter knowing he wanted me to be his wife.

"Let's go home." I whispered between kisses.

"Ok." He slid off me and gently helped me to my feet, and we set off downstairs to say our goodbyes.

~*~

"Do you like it?" Scorpius' soft voice broke our comfortable silence. He held up my left hand so that we could both admire the new ring that sat on the third finger.

"I love it. It's so beautiful." I replied, unable to wipe the broad smile off my face. He stroked the band with the tip of his finger and I let my head drop onto his shoulder. We were curled up together in the chair by the window, it had become a bit of a routine for us now.

"Good, it's not an easy task you know, buying the perfect ring. I think James would've killed me if I'd said no to another one." I laughed at the mental image that conjured and he lowered my hand back into my lap.

"I can't believe this is what you were saving up for." I admitted, laughing slightly. He twisted around to meet my eyes and frowned curiously.

"You must've suspected that I was planning this."

"Nope." I contradicted. He raised a sceptical eyebrow and I looked away as a blush coloured my cheeks.

"Really, you had no idea?"

"Not a clue. I actually thought you were scared by the thought of marrying me." this surprised him.

"How could you think that?" He asked, looking completely aghast.

"Because you were so horrified when your mum showed me her wedding dress. You looked absolutely terrified, so I just guessed it was because you were worried I'd want my own wedding dress then." Now it was my turn to be surprised, as he laughed.

"I wasn't terrified by the thought of marrying you Lily; I was terrified that she'd told you what I was planning!"

"What?" I spluttered dumbly. He shook his head and sighed.

"I told my parents months ago that I was planning on proposing. Then we went round for dinner and you said you'd tried on my mother's wedding dress, I was so sure that she'd told you." that made a lot of sense.

"Oh, is that why you panicked so much?"

"Yes! I thought she'd ruined all my plans to surprise you."

"Oh!" I said with a little giggle. I was so relieved to know his panic wasn't what I'd thought.

"You thought I was scared about marrying you?" he asked incredulously. I nodded, blushing guiltily. He laughed and kissed my cheek.

"Silly girl, as if that could scare me." I felt like I might cry from relief and happiness. Luckily a memory prevented me from such embarrassing actions.

"What did you and your dad go off to talk about that day?" I asked bluntly.

"The wedding, he offered to pay for it, or at least a substantial part. He said that if we wouldn't accept it, we could consider it a late birthday present for you."

"Oh, so that's what he meant, when he said he'd make it up to me for forgetting a present!" I felt like in the last day I'd managed to put in the final pieces of a jigsaw, and now, everything made perfect sense. Clarity, it was something so easily taken for granted.

"Yes." Scorpius confirmed. I laughed, out of relief and not humour. How had I missed all of this? I felt so blind in that moment. Scorpius chased away any miserable thoughts I might have over my own lack of perception with his lips. I melted into the kiss, feeling our lips mould together as if it was what they were always meant to do.

Moments later I was no longer seated in his lap, I was being hoisted into the air. One of his strong arms supported my weight as the other eased my legs around his waist, all the while his lips refused to relinquish their control over mine. He started moving but I couldn't tear myself away to see where to.

"What are you doing?" I mumbled against his lips.

"I'm going to make love to my new fiancée." My heart almost leapt out of my chest at his words. My back collided with the cushy mattress as he lay me down and then I was being carried away in a sea of pleasure. He touched me differently that night, it was almost in reverence, like he worshipped every inch of me. It was impossible to doubt that he loved me, and that little ounce of clarity made that night more blissful than anything I had ever imagined.

~*~

I stirred, feeling my consciousness shift as I slipped from one dream into another. I could vaguely feel Scorpius lying up against my back, his warm body pressed against the length of my own as his arm held me securely against his chest. I gave over to the tug of weariness and let myself be drawn into the folds of a new dream.

A loud crack echoed around the room, snapping me out of my dream limbo, a loud thud followed and I sat up alarmed. Squinting in the darkness I could see the blurry outline of something big now occupying my floor. That something was making noise, I shook my head, trying to snap out of my slumber and hear what it was. As my drowsiness wore off my ears were met by the sound of whimpering and panic flooded my body.

"Lily…?" a cracked voice whispered. I felt my blood turn cold. I threw aside the duvet and bolted from the bed, accidentally kicking Scorpius in process. I heard him groan objectively but ignored it as I flew to the person sprawled across my floor.

"Oh god, Lucy." She was knelt down, her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly and her face scrunched up in pain. As I knelt down beside her, her hand flew out and grasped my wrist agonisingly tightly.

"Lily, it…hurts." She gasped. I could feel the hysteria rising within me. This wasn't good.

"What hurts Lucy? Tell me where." I could only see her blurry outline in the darkness, but I didn't need light to know that she was crying.

"Stomach…my stomach." She spluttered, gasping in agony again. I started to peel her fingers off my wrist so that I could stand up.

"I'm just going to get my wand, ok Lucy? Don't move." She didn't reply, too pained to speak again, but released her hold on me. Immediately I leapt to my feet and darted to the bedside. I snatched my wand up off the little table and rushed back to her.

"Lumos." As soon as the light flooded the room I saw the state she was in. Keeled over, weeping in agony. She was biting down on her lip so hard it had drawn blood, in a desperate attempt not to cry out from the pain. I set my wand down and reached out to try and pry away her arms as they clutched her belly.

"Oh god, what happened?" I asked frantically. I tried to help her straighten up but she whimpered and waved me away. I heard Scorpius moan from the bed, the light from my spell had woken him.

"I woke up…in pain." She spoke through gritted teeth and my heart started racing in panic. What was I going to do? What could have caused all of this, and what about the baby? Oh god, what if the baby was hurt.

"What's going on?" Scorpius asked sleepily. I ignored him Lucy was far more important right now.  
"Do you think you can stand? We need to get you to a hospital." Her head snapped up in alarm and her eyes flooded with hysteria.

"No, no hospitals!" she exclaimed firmly.

"Lucy you're in agony, you need to be checked out!" I argued, trying again to tug her to her feet but still she resisted.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Scorpius was sitting up now, blinking through the light at us.

"No, please, they might tell my parents!" she cried, stumbling over the last word slightly as she gasped through more pain.

"Shit, what's happened?" Scorpius was out of the bed now; he appeared at my side with a frantic expression that matched my own. My attention stayed firmly on my friend.

"It doesn't matter if they tell them, this is serious Luce!" I urged, trying to pull her up again.

"No! I can't!" she snatched her hand away again and winced as more pain shook her.

"What's happened to her, why is she in so much pain?" Scorpius pleaded.

"Think about the baby Lucy, what if this is harming the baby!" I cried desperately. I knew I was betraying my promise not to tell anyone, because now Scorpius would know, but I needed some way to persuade her into going to hospital.

"Baby, what baby?" Again I ignored my clueless fiancé and watched the battle in my friends' eyes. She didn't want her parents knowing anything but the possibility that her baby could be in danger was much more important.

"I have no choice." She whispered sadly as she offered me her arm.

"Help me get her up." I instructed. Scorpius nodded obediently despite the many questions his expression held. We each took one of her arms and carefully lifted her up, she wobbled unsteadily and Scorpius threw an arm around her back to support her.

"Is anyone going to explain what the hell is going on?" he demanded, looking worried and annoyed.

"Explanations will have to wait; right now we need to get her checked out." I was surprised by the calmness of my own voice as I spoke; it reflected none of the spiralling panic and worry I was experiencing inside.

I bent down to scoop up my wand and something startling caught my eye. On the pale yellow cotton of Lucy's pyjama trousers was a very distinct patch of dark red. My eyes widened in alarm as I realised it was expanding by the second.

"Oh god, Lucy you're bleeding!" now I was really scared, my own eyes were welling with tears and I felt myself slipping into blind fear. Scorpius and Lucy both looked down at her pyjama bottoms at the same time and both made equal sounds of alarm as they too saw the puddle of blood.

"Oh no, no, please, not my baby…" she whimpered helplessly as tears poured down her cheeks.

"We need to get her to a hospital, now." Scorpius announced, but I was still too stunned to speak. Too many fears and questions were racing through my mind. Blood wasn't a good sign, especially not when you're pregnant. What if Lucy was loosing her baby? What was I supposed to do? How could I help her?

She cried out as a new stab of pain hit her and the weight of it all became too much and she fell limp in Scorpius' arms.

"She's passed out." He stated as he quickly scooped her up and started carrying her to the door. I watched him go numbly, still in shock.

"Lily!" Scorpius' shout snapped me out of my trance and I managed to get a grip. Lucy needed me, I couldn't just stand here helplessly while she was bleeding and in pain. I clutched my wand a bit tighter and rushed to his side.

"There's a muggle hospital in town, we can apparate into the alley behind it without being seen." I told him.

"Good girl, now take us." He gripped my hand tightly and I closed my eyes. I forced away all my worry and my fear to focus on apparating properly. The last thing we needed right now was to end up being splinched.


	22. Answers at Last

_Hello, Hello! Alrighty people, here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Everything is finally revealed! *dramatic music* I had a seriously hard time writing this chapter, mostly because of the tricky content and having to portray a lot of emotion in it, but also because my life is still in a state of upheaval. When I'm not working (which is most of the time lately because of my increase in hours) then I'm doing unavoidable life tasks like the ironing (fun I know) sleeping and eating, all while trying to cram in bits of writing, playing some Final Fantasy XIII and working on another project I have going. It's hard to find a balance, so I hope you won't all be cross with me for having to post less often._

_Anyway, back to the important stuff! I tried my best to make this chapter well written and hopefully realistic. To anyone who isn't happy with the outcome, I'm sorry but I promise things will work out. Don't hate me!!_

_Lastly, another huge thank you to you all for your simply wonderful and helpful reviews, every word from you is priceless :) _

Chapter twenty-two – Answers at last

Scorpius and I burst through the doors of the muggle hospital, he was still cradling Lucy's unconscious body and my face was badly stained by tears. We ran over to the counter, pushing past several people without a care, and the woman behind the desk leapt to her feet.

"You have to help her, please!" I cried desperately. She hastily pressed some buttons on a strange muggle contraption and then reached out to press an instrument to Lucy's chest.

"What happened to her?" she asked sternly.

"I don't know. She collapsed, and she's bleeding!" I told her in an anguished voice. A male doctor appeared at our side and immediately started evaluating Lucy. Scorpius and I stood by, silent and confused as they got to work.

"Can you tell me her name?" he asked us.

"Lucy Carmichael." Scorpius answered for me, as I was still struggling with my tears.

"And how long has she been like this?"

"I don't know for sure. She was in a lot of pain and then she collapsed, we didn't know she was bleeding until afterwards." Scorpius continued, somehow managing to keep calm despite having no idea what was going on. A third person approached, he was wearing the same plain blue clothes as the woman from behind the desk, and he was pushing a small narrow bed on wheels. The doctor scooped Lucy out of Scorpius' arms and set her down on the trolley.

"Where was the pain?" the doctor had opened one of Lucy's eyes and was shining a small light in it.

"Mostly in her stomach, from what I could tell." The doctor moved his hands to examine my friend's belly.

"Be careful, she'd pregnant!" I blurted in a panic. He looked at me in alarm and released her stomach.

"How far along is she?"

"I'm not sure, a few months I think." I could feel Scorpius' eyes on me but I avoided meeting them.

"And has she complained of any pain before tonight?"

"Yes, she's been having it for a few weeks, I tried to get her to be checked out but she wouldn't." his expression darkened and I suspected that my answer meant it wasn't good news for Luce.

"Right, get her into Trauma one, we need to stop this bleeding." The man who'd brought the bed nodded once before swiftly pushing Lucy's bed off towards a large examination room. I watched them go with frantic eyes before turning back to the doctor.

"We're going to do some tests, try and figure out what's causing the bleeding and how we can stop it." he told me, he spoke slowly, as if he expected my distress to cloud my hearing.

"Ok."  
"She's going to be in there for a while, you might want to contact her family." I felt myself pale visibly at that suggestion. Despite the severity of Lucy's condition I knew I couldn't tell her parents yet, I needed to see if she was going to wake up soon. She wouldn't want them to know unless it was completely necessary, and I felt like it should be her decision to tell them and not mine. But then another thought occurred to me, she did have another person I could contact – Dean.

"There's a waiting room down the hall, I'll inform you when we know more." He nodded and turned to leave.

"Look after her!" I cried desperately, new tears springing to my eyes. He glanced back and gave me a sad smile.

"I will." He assured me. I watched him enter the room where they'd taken Lucy and felt my heart twinge in a fresh wave of panic. I hardly noticed the fresh tears rolling down my cheeks freely. I felt Scorpius' arms coil around my shoulders and then I was sobbing into his chest.

"I'm scared." I whimpered. He stroked my hair soothingly.

"I know, it'll be ok, these guys know what they're doing." I sensed some doubt in his faith in the muggle doctors but his words helped to reassure me nonetheless.

"I-I need to tell Dean…Luce would want him here." I said, managing to push aside my tears.

"Do you want me to go and fetch him?" he offered. I pushed away from his chest and looked up at his face seriously.

"No, I want to go." I could see the argument flash in his eyes. He was worried about letting me go alone, especially when I was still upset. But he didn't attempt to voice his objection; he knew this was important to me.

"I'll stay with Lucy, in case the doctor's find something." He agreed reluctantly. I nodded and wiped away the rest of my tears.

"I'll be back soon." I turned to leave but his hand caught my wrist and he pulled me back. His lips caught mine in a tense kiss before he gave me a pained look.

"Be careful." He pleaded. I nodded and forced myself to leave him behind. It was freezing cold outside the hospital, I didn't have a clue what time it was but it was still dark so I knew it must be late or very early. I wrapped my arms around myself to try and block out some of the cold biting at my bare skin. Hurrying around the corner and into a little alley behind the building, I checked to see if any muggles were nearby and when I was sure the coast was clear I apparated to Lucy's room, hoping to god that I wouldn't wake her parents.

As soon as my feet hit her bedroom carpet, I froze. I stayed still for a few seconds, straining to hear any sounds that indicated that her parent's had awoken. After nothing broke the silence, I let out a relieved breath and crept over to Lucy's desk.

I needed to tell Dean what was happening, the only trouble was I didn't exactly know where his flat was. I definitely couldn't wake her parents up at this hour to ask them, it would be far too suspicious and they'd know immediately that something wasn't right. Luckily I knew that Lucy kept a diary with all her friends and family's addresses in. It was a rather smart idea really, if you had a lot of different ones to remember. It wasn't a problem for me, since most of the people I wrote to were family or friends I'd grown up with, so their addresses were firmly set in my mind. But I knew Lucy could be a tad forgetful, so it was an ingenious idea.

I rummaged through the drawers of her desk as quietly as I could until my hand fell on the familiar leather bound book. I opened it and flipped to the tab marked with a letter 'D' to find what I was looking for. Sure enough, the first address on the page was Dean's; to my everlasting relief there was also a small muggle photograph of the two of them stood outside the building. I lifted it a little closer to my face and risked a Lumos charm to see it better.

In the picture, Dean had his arm around her waist as she leant into him smiling happily. He wasn't looking at the camera; his eyes were firmly on the younger girl beside him, it was impossible to miss the adoration behind his gaze. I frowned curiously, it didn't look like the type of gaze Al or James gave me, it looked almost like the type of gaze I caught Scorpius holding when he thought I couldn't notice. Deciding that now really wasn't the time for thinking about such things, I grabbed one of her muggle pens and scrawled the address on the back of my hand. Then, taking one last look at the building in the photograph, I shoved the book back into the drawer and apparated out of the room.

I arrived in the silent muggle town near to her house. Dean's flat had to be here, the name on my hand sounded vaguely familiar and I was pretty sure that I'd heard Lucy mention it before. I started rushing through the streets, walking briskly and occasionally running a few steps, my eyes raking over every building as I passed them. Luckily Dean's building was quite unique; his flat was above a shop whose windows and doors were painted a very distinct lime green.

It took me barely ten minutes to find it. It was right in the centre of the quaint town. I rushed up to the shop window and peered inside, it was full of old dusty books crammed onto mismatched bookcases, but there was no sign of how to get to the flat above. I stepped back into the road and looked up at the windows above, the dark curtains were drawn and no lights were on. He must be asleep, of course he was asleep it was the middle of the night!

I considered throwing something at the window to get his attention, but after a closer inspection of the ground around me I realised there was nothing suitable. I could hardly lob a piece of pavement at his window. I sighed in frustration and shivered from the icy air around me. I looked back at the shop below hopefully and noticed a door I hadn't seen before. It was beside the store's windows, sandwiched between the bookshop and the building next door. On the front of the wooden entry was a sign that held Dean's door number. This had to be it.

I ran over to it and pushed, I was utterly amazed when it opened. Unfortunately the white door at the end of the little alley that it revealed was locked. I gnawed on my lip and shivered from the cold again. What should I do? Should I knock and hope he hears or should I just use magic to get inside? I decided that the first was the more polite option, despite the urgency of the situation. I raised my hand and hammered on the door as loud as I could. After a minute or so there was no reply, so I repeated the action but still got no reply.

"Fine." I muttered under my breath. I ripped my wand out of the waistband of my pyjama trousers and aimed it at the handle.

"Alohomora." I whispered. The door opened without the slightest protest, I laughed lightly, muggle doors were always a piece of cake to unlock. I burst through the door and found myself at the foot of a long staircase, sucking in a breath I bolted up them two at a time and rounded the corner to find myself at another door. Realising this might well be the door to Dean's flat I decided to revert back to the original, politer plan. I knocked so hard that my knuckles screamed in protest.

I didn't stop knocking for twenty seconds straight. Finally I heard movement from inside and a faint light glowed through the little glass panels on the door.

"Ok, I heard you!" Dean shouted angrily, just seconds before I heard the lock click and the door swung open.

"Dean." I said simply, feeling relief wash through me that I'd managed to find him. His sleepy eyes widened at the sight of me and his attention seemed to sharpen.

"Lily, what are you doing here? How did you even find this place?" I waved my hand to dismiss his questions.

"Never mind that, you have to come with me." his expression suddenly turned worried and he wiped the last of the sleep from his eyes.

"Why, what's happened?" I felt a lump rise in my throat but swallowed it down again.

"It's Lucy," the colour drained from his face. "She was in pain and she collapsed, she started bleeding so we had to take her to a hospital." There was fury and desperation in his eyes all at once.

"And the baby?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry Dean, I don't know. It's not looking good, but we won't know until the doctors finish their tests."

"But what's wrong with her?" he demanded urgently. I shook my head apologetically.

"I don't know. We only just got her to the hospital. The doctors are trying to find out what's causing it now." he kicked into action, grabbing a pair of shoes and shoving his feet into them. I noticed now that he was only dressed in a pair of black trousers. I looked away politely as he dragged a jumper over his head.

"Can you take us there, to the hospital?" he asked in a strained tone. I nodded.

"Yes." He reached out to a coat rack and grabbed a white cardigan from it.

"Here, put this on, it's freezing. Luce left it here a while back." I could see the worry in his eyes as he mentioned her name. I took the cardigan from him and smiled.

"Thanks." I slipped it over my arms and he started to lock his door. I waited until he was done, and his keys had been shoved into his pocket, before I grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Are you ready?" I asked, knowing it was nice to have a bit of warning before someone apparated.

"Go." He said urgently. I snapped my eyes shut and seconds later we were ripped into the void.

We emerged back in the alley behind the hospital. We stayed still for a moment while Dean arched over, resting his hands on his knees and trying to recover from the disturbing method of travel.

"Are you alright?" I inquired worriedly. He nodded and took a deep breath before straightening up.

"How you can travel like that all the time, I'll never understand. Its awful." I gave him a wry smile.

"It makes me feel ill too. It's the convenience that wins over the discomfort." He grunted, implying that he didn't agree, but I just smiled again. He'd agree if he had apparition at his disposal too, everyone tired of walking or driving everywhere when you could simply arrive there with a pop. We started walking towards the hospital entrance in silence. I led him towards the waiting room and as soon as I opened the door, Scorpius leapt to his feet and rushed over to hug me.

"Thank god." He whispered so only I heard. I clutched him tightly for a moment before we broke apart and he turned to Dean.

"They haven't told me anything yet, I think they're still working on her." He told us both glumly. I saw the hope drain from Dean's eyes and my heart sank.

"I don't understand. Why did any of this happen, the pain, the bleeding?"

"We don't know. She apparated into our room earlier and things just went from there, I don't think she even realised she was bleeding." I told him sadly. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"It just makes no sense. She's been so careful since she found out, making sure not to lift heavy stuff and eating properly. Why would she just lose the baby like this?" his expression was utterly agonised as he staggered over to a seat and dropped into it.

"She might not be losing the baby, we don't know anything yet." I replied softly, trying to reassure him. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed again.

"Yeah, well, pain and bleeding doesn't spell a happy outcome." He mumbled miserably. I moved to sit beside him and tugged on his wrist until he met my gaze.

"Don't start fearing the worst just yet, let the doctor's figure out what's going on first, and then you can worry."

"I know. I just can't help thinking that…" he trailed off and sighed again.

"Don't, don't think about it. I know it's hard but Lucy wouldn't want you sat in here driving yourself insane with worry. Even _if_ something has happened to the baby, it doesn't have to end so badly, they have ways of mending this sort of thing. Give them a chance." I pleaded with him through my eyes and he nodded stiffly.

"We should wait until we know more before jumping to drastic conclusions." Scorpius piped up, keeping his tone gentle so not to cause any anger or upset. Dean looked up at him, and then at me, before nodding his agreement.

"You're right, we should wait and see." He finally submitted.

"I'll go back and grab us some clothes, it looks like we're going to be here a while." Scorpius told us. He walked over and gave me a brief kiss on the lips.

"I'll leave the others a note too in case they wake up and we're still not back." I nodded and watched him walk over to the door.

"Be careful." I blurted as he was about to leave. He glanced back over his shoulder at me and gave me a small smile before letting the door close behind him.

For a long while Dean and I sat in silence, both running through the possibilities of what was happening to Lucy in our heads, both fretting about what the outcome would be. I found my eyes darting to the door every few seconds, seeking a glimpse of the doctor coming with news or Scorpius' return. I found neither.

"What have I done to her?" Dean's pained whispered dragged me out of my thoughts and I looked across at him, confused. His head was bowed, his cheeks damp from a few stray tears, and his hands balled into fists in his lap.

"Dean?" I prompted tentatively.

"This is all my fault, I never should have…if I'd just…" he growled in frustration and thrust his hands into his hair, clutching at it furiously.

"Stop blaming yourself, you didn't know she was having pains, you couldn't have done anything more than what we have." I said soothingly, hoping to calm his distress. But he just shook his head and shoved back his hair.

"You don't understand. If I'd just…been stronger, then she wouldn't even be in this situation." He didn't bother to meet my confused eyes as I stared at him.

"You're right, I don't understand." I agreed. He sighed and spread out his hands, looking down at them blankly.

"It's easy to suppress your feelings when you know the person doesn't love you back, but if you find out that they do love you…everything becomes unbearable." His cryptic words had my mind spinning as it desperately grasped for anything that might explain his sudden shift in mood.

"How do you say no to the thing you want, with every fibre of your being, when it's yours to take?"

"What did you want so badly?" I questioned, frowning at him curiously. He raised his head to meet my eyes and gave me a humourless smile.

"You don't know?" he said simply. Suddenly my mind was flooded with different memories. I remembered the tenderness in his eyes when he caught Lucy from tripping, the regret in his voice when we'd spoken of the baby's father, and finally the expression on his face in the photo beside his address.

"It's you!" I gasped in shock. He turned his gaze back to the floor and I saw the muscles in his jaw flex angrily.

"Oh my god…" I breathed, covering my mouth with my hand when it didn't want to close as a result of the shock. I stared at him in disbelief. The agony never drained from his face.

"I've loved her all my life. At first I thought it was because I saw her as a sister, for a long time I believed that. But the older I got, the easier it became to see how wrong I was. I mean, how often does a brother have dreams about kissing his sister?" he gave me a wry smile and I couldn't suppress the shudder that ripped through me from that thought.

"Exactly, so I started asking myself what it was that I loved so much about her. It wasn't just that she always laughed at the same parts of films as I did, or that she always complained at me for not combing my hair when we went out…" he laughed at the fond memory and I couldn't help but smile.

"It was the way I felt when she touched me, like I could take on the world with her at my side. It was the way her eyes seemed to sparkle in a special way, just for me, and the way that she says my name, like it's the only word in the world that matters. She was never my sister, but she was so much more to me."

"How long did you know you were in love with her?" I asked quietly, almost afraid to speak in case I angered or upset him.

"It's been years now, but I never acted on it and I never let her know how I felt."

"Because you thought she didn't feel the same?" he nodded in agreement and ran his hands through his hair again.

"So what changed?" I urged. He glanced across at me and frowned.

"It was just a slip; I told her that I thought she was beautiful."

"That's hardly much, Al and James tell me I look beautiful but I don't think they mean it in any way other than a brotherly one." I replied, shrugging casually.

"Oh I know. The slip up wasn't what I said, rather the tone I used. I betrayed too much affection in my voice, she sensed the change immediately but by then the damage was done."

"I still don't see how all of this led to the current situation." I admitted, shrugging again. Dean sighed and stood up. He started pacing around the room as he explained.

"Things started to get awkward, silences between us turned uncomfortable and all the easiness was gone. I couldn't hug her as casually as I used to be able to, or joke with her the same. It was like she knew." He paused and leant back against the door, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Then one day she confronted me about it, demanded to know why I hadn't been around much and why I'd been acting so odd. I tried to lie, to throw her off the truth but she wouldn't have any of it. Things got a bit out of hand, we started shouting at each other and I got angry and frustrated. I just blurted it out." He started to pace again, shaking his head violently.

"She said it was like I didn't want to be around her any more, like I'd gotten tired of her. I tried telling her that she was wrong but it did no good. She got upset and told me to leave if I didn't want to spend time with her anymore, said she didn't want me to stay out of sympathy. And I just lost it; I couldn't let her think that any of what she was saying was true. I got caught up in the argument and stupidly let my mouth get away from me." he stopped his pacing only to lean up against the nearby wall. His head fell back onto it with a loud thud and I flinched.

"But she must've felt the same." I interjected. My voice was unusually quiet, I was afraid I might anger him by siding with Lucy.

"For a while she didn't say anything, just stared at me like I was an alien or something. But then as I was about to leave, she panicked and told me that she loved me too." He rubbed his hands over his face and let his back slide down the wall until he was sat on the floor.

"I tried to convince her that she was mistaken, that she was just confused and didn't want to hurt me." his voice was muffled by his hands still covering his face.

"She didn't listen." I said with a small smile. Lucy could stand her ground amiably when it was something she was passionate about. He lowered his hands and looked across the room at me with miserable eyes.

"She kissed me." he admitted quietly. A long silence followed where neither of us spoke, me out of fear in case I made the situation worse and I suspected Dean was silent because of guilt. It was he who finally broke our lull.

"I could have prevented all this from happening if I'd just been stronger in that moment." He said in an agonised tone. I watched his face scrunch up and he pinched the bride of his nose between his thumb and finger.

"If I'd just stopped it, pushed her away, told her I didn't want it. She wouldn't be in this mess if I'd been strong enough to actually do it. But you have no idea how hard it is. How are you supposed to push away the very thing you've longed for, for years?"

"You can't." I whispered. I looked down at my hands clasped in my lap. He sighed painfully and raked his hands through his hair.

"It's all my fault, everything." His eyes filled with regretful tears and he hung his head to hide them.

"It's nobody's fault, you both wanted it to happen." I argued. His head snapped up and I was taken aback by the ferocity in his eyes.

"I never wanted her to end up pregnant at eighteen. She shouldn't have to go through this, look what I'd done to her! I've ruined her life!"

"Don't say that!" I snapped, leaping to my feet.

"Lucy's life is far from ruined by being pregnant. Sure she's young, probably too young, but that won't make her a bad mother. She won't love the baby any less." He got to his feet and met my fierce gaze.

"But…"

"No! No buts Dean! Have you even stopped to think about how much pain you've caused her by pushing her away?"

"Well…" I ploughed on, cutting off his reply.

"Can't you see how upset she's been, how withdrawn it's all made her?"

"Of course I've noticed. Being pregnant young is bound to affect her."

"Not the baby you idiot, I'm talking about you!" this stunned him. He took an abrupt step backwards and stared at me with wide eyes.

"What?" he spluttered dumbly. I rolled my eyes and threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Honestly, you haven't got a clue. Lucy wasn't in the state she's in because of the baby, she's distraught because you've deserted her!" I exclaimed hotly. He frowned deeply and I could almost see his thoughts racing behind his eyes.

"I didn't desert her…I just…left her alone. I thought it was for the best, she deserves so much better than me." he replied distantly. I rolled my eyes again.

"So you thought it was best to leave her to cope with being pregnant, and then to bring up a child, alone. How can you possibly think that's best for her? How is breaking her heart best for her Dean?" I was practically livid now, waving my arms around wildly and shouting at him. He cringed away from my anger and backed into the wall.

"I didn't think…"

"No, you're right, you didn't think. You didn't think about what's best for Lucy at all, you just thought about the easy way out for yourself." I retorted hotly. His eyes flew to mine furiously.

"Don't you dare say that!" He pushed off the wall and marched over to me until we were toe-to-toe. He towered over me but I refused to back down.

"Care to deny it?" I taunted. His teeth snapped together and he blew a breath out of his nose angrily.

"Everything I did, I did for her. Can't you see how it would look for her, pregnant by her foster brother? Imagine what people would say about her if they found out, she'd be taunted mercilessly!"

"You're not her foster brother anymore; she told me that your dad took you back. You're just two people who happen to know each other, more than you and I do, but you're nowhere near relatives. Strangers would never know you lived with her family once, they wouldn't say anything about her."

"Even if you're right, I'm not good for her. She deserved better."

"That's not your choice to make! What makes one person more suitable than another, eh? Why are you so terrible for her?" he couldn't answer right away, he stuttered stupidly for a few seconds before growling in frustration.

"It doesn't matter why."

"Yes it does, because there isn't really a reason. It's like I said, you're just being selfish."

"Stop saying that!" he snapped. I backed away from him to fold my arms across my chest.

"Well it's true. All these things that you've said are problems or that mean you two can't be together; they're all in _your_ opinion. Lucy doesn't care about any of it; she doesn't think her life is ruined because she's pregnant. She doesn't care if people say anything about her, whether it's about the baby or you, and she definitely doesn't think you're not good enough for her. She loves you, you idiot, and you're breaking her heart." He hung his head and staggered back to the wall.

"Do you remember when we spoke about this before? When I told you that it doesn't matter how good or bad you think someone is for another, as long as they're in love then we should accept it."

"I remember." He murmured quietly. I walked over to him and gently touched his arm.

"Then why can't you accept it?" I said softly. He looked up and met my eyes. I could see the agony clouding his.

"To Lucy, there's nobody better than you are. Who are you to tell her she's wrong? You can't go around making decisions for other people, it's her prerogative to be able to choose what happens in her life and she chose you. Are you going to deny her that which she wants so much, that you both want? What good can possibly come of you both being miserable? And what about the baby, doesn't your child deserve to grow up happy and knowing its father?" my bombardment of questions momentarily stunned him into silence and for a while neither of us spoke.

"I don't know what to do anymore." He whispered sadly.

"What do you want?"

"I want to be with her, to look after her…and our baby. But I'm scared, scared that I'll mess it up and then I'll lose her forever." I smiled at him kindly and patted his arm.

"Everyone gets scared of that. You don't think Scorpius and I felt the same when we first got together, at least your families don't hate each other. At least her family won't try and kill you!" I said with a dry laugh. He raised a questioning eyebrow but I shook my head, now wasn't the time to be discussing that.

"The point is you can't let a silly thing like fear keep you from happiness. Your fear is hurting Lucy, surely you don't want to hurt her."

"No." he said simply.

"Then stop worrying about irrelevant things like fear, you never get anything in life without taking some risks. Good things come at a cost. Lucy wants you Dean, she _needs_ you, and right now she needs you to be strong when she can't." his eyes sparkled with unshed tears again as he held my imploring gaze.

"I love her so much…" he whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

"And she loves you. You shouldn't regret what's happened between you, you're not related so you're free to feel like you do. And I understand you feel guilty about Lucy falling pregnant, but she said you two used protection and it didn't work, so you're hardly to blame for that. You need to let it go, think about your future, with Lucy." I gently shook his shoulder, urging him to heed my words.

"Please Dean, she's one of my best friends, I can't stand seeing her like this. She doesn't deserve it. She should be happy, you both should." There was a long pause and then his head rose. His eyes were clouded, like his mind was far away and then suddenly, it cleared.

"I've been so blind." He said numbly.

"I'm sorry?"

"All this time, since it happened, I've been a complete idiot. I thought that if I stayed away, then she'd move on. That she'd be happier without me ruining her life, she'd be free to find someone she loved. But…she loved me." his new found clarity seemed to stun him. He raised a hand and touched his forehead.

"Yes, and she still does." I reminded him, smiling at him proudly.

"I have to see her." He pushed up off the wall suddenly and tried to rush past me but I stopped him.

"Stop, you can't go rushing in there while the doctors are still treating her!" I said firmly, pulling him back again when he tried to leave.

"I need to know if she's ok." He argued, trying again to push me aside. I moved in front of him, placed my palms on his chest and shoved him back.

"Then you'll have to wait like the rest of us. Calm down." I fixed him with a serious glare and he sighed. His shoulders relaxed and I knew I'd gotten through to him.

"You're right, sorry." He collapsed into a nearby chair and I sat beside him.

"And now we wait." I said quietly. Beside me Dean nodded, and we slipped into a patient silence.

~*~

Having only had a few hours sleep, it didn't take long for my eyelids to start to droop as I sat in the dim lit waiting room. My mind was racing with far too many thoughts to organise and so I'd given up and blocked them all out.

The door to the waiting room opened and my eyes flew open in an instant. Dean practically leapt out of the chair, but it wasn't the doctor bringing news, it was Scorpius returning with my clothes. He gave Dean an apologetic look as the older boy sank back into his seat miserably, and then crossed the room to pass me the bundle of clothing he held. I noticed he'd changed out of his pyjamas too.

"Any news yet?" he asked quietly. I cast a nervous glance over at Dean before shaking my head.

"No." he sighed sadly and sat down beside me.

"James had just got home when I arrived back, so I told him what'd happened and he said he'd explain it to the others in the morning. It's a bit better than leaving a note." My oldest brother had been on another date with fellow Ministry worker, Amy. The two had been regularly seeing each other for over a month, yet he still refused to acknowledge that she was his girlfriend. I guessed they weren't serious enough for that yet.

"I'm going to go and change, I'll be back soon." The two males nodded as I rose to leave, clutching my clean clothes to my chest. Despite it being early in the morning, the hospital was buzzing with activity.

I passed several examination rooms, and rooms holding beds shielded by curtains, whilst on my way to the toilets. I followed the signs on the walls until I found the door I sought. The little cubicle was cramped and I hit my elbow while trying to tug on my blouse, but I managed to change my clothes quickly.

I felt much better once I was out of my pyjamas; it helped to wake me up and left me feeling fresher. My mind had calmed somewhat since its earlier state of scatter, and I'd managed to repel the onslaught of thoughts that had been swamping me since Lucy appeared in my room. I gave my face a quick wash in the sink and then combed my hair with my fingers. I still looked dreadfully tired but at least I was a bit smarter.

When I returned to the waiting room Scorpius and Dean ceased their conversation and looked up at me. They looked rather dumbstruck, as if I'd just interrupted something, so I paused in the doorway with my hand still resting on the handle, poised to leave again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…" I trailed off, feeling my cheeks redden.

"You didn't, we were just chatting." Scorpius replied casually. I glanced over at Dean who nodded in agreement. Despite their responses I could sense the tension in the air and I knew I had in fact walked in on something private. Regardless I went along with what they said and retook my seat beside Scorpius. He took my hand straight away and I gave him a small smile.

~*~

The hours seemed to tick by and the silence dragged painfully. It must've been getting earlier as light had begun to seep through the blinds shielding the window. My eyes were sore from lack of sleep and I was now yawning once every five minutes. Dean had fallen into a pattern of pacing around the room seven full times before sitting back down for five or ten minutes, and then repeating it over again.

Finally, after what seemed liked an entire day had passed, the waiting room door opened and the doctor slipped inside. All three of us leapt to our feet and suddenly I felt wide awake. He closed the door behind him and gave us all a serious look.

"We have managed to stabilise Lucy's condition and isolate the cause." He told us. I opened my mouth to ask what the cause had been but Dean beat me to it.

"What happened to her?" The doctor's expression darkened and he sighed. It wasn't good news, I could feel it. I clutched Scorpius' hand tighter as I braced myself for his next words.

"I wish I had good news for you. Lucy's pregnancy became unstable; this is what caused the pain and bleeding that she was suffering from. Unfortunately the level of her condition made it difficult for us to remedy the situation. We did everything we could, but sometimes these things cannot be prevented, I'm sorry." He hung his head sadly and I felt a wave of nausea rising within my stomach.

"What do you mean, what are you sorry for? What couldn't you prevent?" Dean demanded, rushing over to the doctor.

"I'm afraid Lucy has suffered a miscarriage." He told us calmly. Hearing the words drove the harsh truth home. I took a wobbly step back and felt Scorpius' arms come up to steady me. The sickness within my stomach was growing in strength and I started to feel numb. This couldn't be happening; she couldn't have lost her baby.

"She…she lost the baby?" Dean stammered. The shock was apparent on his face.

"Unfortunately, yes." The doctor confirmed. Dean sucked in a breath and staggered back, his legs hit a chair and he fell back into it. His eyes were wide and unresponsive as the tragic news sank in.

"How?" I croaked, swallowing down a wave of panic.

"I can't say for sure, it was very early on in the pregnancy, there are a number of things that may have caused it. It is possible that the baby had developed some form of chromosomal abnormality, pregnancies where embryos suffer from such have a very high probability of ending in a miscarriage. Like I said, I can't say for sure, but unfortunately it's not uncommon for early pregnancies to end this way." His words seemed to flow in through one ear and then leave through the other, I couldn't hold onto them long enough for them to make sense. The blood in my ears was pounding and I could feel a severe headache coming on.

"She…she can't have…" Dean mumbled frantically. He was shaking his head and repeatedly dragging his fingers through his hair.

"Is she alright?" Scorpius pressed. His questions reminded me that we'd all been too distracted with the fate of the baby to inquire after Lucy's health.

"She's doing just fine at the moment. She's lost some blood, so she's weaker than normal, but she'll make a full recovery." The doctor told us, offering a small smile that did little to ease our misery.

"Can we see her?" I asked quietly. I dared not look at Dean, I could hear his sobs muffled by his hands and the sound alone was breaking my heart.

"She was asking for Lily." My heart skipped a nervous beat in my chest and I swallowed.

"I'm Lily." I managed to croak out. He nodded at me once and then moved to open the door.

"I'll take you to her room; just remember that she's in a fragile state at the moment, not only physically but mentally. She needs you all to be supportive and help her through this." Scorpius and I nodded but Dean was still desperately trying to get a hold on his emotions.

As I followed the doctor out of the room, Scorpius moved to sit near the distraught older boy. I hoped he would be able to calm him down before Lucy wanted to see him. Seeing Dean in such a state would only make her feel worse.

Lucy's room wasn't far from the waiting room. We walked in total silence and I still felt numb from the news. We halted by a white door and the doctor waved me inside. Peering through the small glass section I could see my weary friend lying in the bed. Her eyes were red and sore from crying, her hair dragged back scruffily into a band and her skin was paler than ever.

"Thanks." I mumbled to the doctor. He nodded once more before I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Lucy's eyes found me immediately and fresh tears flooded them. She snapped them shut and I could practically see the battle she was facing to stop them from spilling over. She'd been changed into one of their flimsy white hospital gowns and a thin piece of white plastic was fastened around her thin wrist. I walked over nervously and sat on the edge of the chair beside her bed.

"Luce?" I said quietly, not wanting to startle her. She reached up with a quivering hand to swipe at the dampness beneath her eyes and then opened them to meet my worried gaze. The agony in her dark irises was heartbreaking and I almost broke down into tears with her. But she needed me to be strong.

"It's ok, I'm here." I said kindly. I reached out and took her hand in mine, trying to pretend she wasn't shaking. Her weak fingers clutched at me with all their strength and I tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"They said I lost my baby." Her voice trembled as she spoke and fresh tears sparkled in her eyes.

"I know, god Lucy…I'm so sorry." I felt guilt welling up inside of me. Perhaps if I'd managed to get her to the hospital quicker they might've been able to save the baby.

"Lost it, like it's still here somewhere and I just can't find it." she added with a tiny sniffle of a laugh. Then the pain shot through her expression, her eyes scrunched up as the water spilled over and her grip on my hand tightened.

"But it's not here Lily. It's gone, my baby's gone." A heart wrenching sob ripped through her chest and echoed around the room. I couldn't hold it in any longer, my own eyes filled with tears and I slipped off the chair onto my knees beside her bed.

"I'm so sorry Lucy." I cried, clutching her hand to my chest. She reached out with her other arm and pulled me closer, hugging me to her for comfort and support. I cradled her to my chest gently so not to hurt her, as violent sobs shook her frail frame.

"I wish I could make things better for you, I wish I could do _something_!" I cried in anguish. But there was nothing I could do other than be there for her, and be a good friend. It didn't feel like enough.

She continued to cry onto my shoulder for an immeasurable amount of time and then finally her eyes dried and her shaking subsided. I pulled away from her slowly and helped her lay back against the pillows.

"Try and get some rest Luce." I brushed a loose strand of hair off her face and pulled the duvet up over her a bit more to keep her warm. Her hand flew out and grasped my wrist; I raised my eyes to meet her worried ones.

"You'll stay?" she pleaded. I smiled and nodded.

"I won't leave you, just get some sleep." I gently pried her fingers away and tucked the hand beneath the covers. She waited until I was settled back in the chair beside the bed, and then her eyes fluttered closed. I stared at her while she drifted off to sleep, her tiny body rising and falling with every shallow breath, she didn't deserve any of this misery. I wiped away the few stray tears that had fallen and pulled my chair closer to the bedside. I'd help her get through this, no matter what it took.

~*~

Sometime later I must've fallen asleep myself. A creaking snapped me awake and I lifted my head up to see Dean slipping in through the door. The doctors must've shown him the way to her room, either that or he'd been walking around checking every single room until he found her. I didn't doubt that he'd go to such lengths if it was his only choice.

His face was utterly agonised as he gazed at the sleeping girl clutching my hand tightly. I saw his eyes sparkle with moisture and he took a deep breath before looking over at me.

"How is she?" he whispered, so not to wake her. With my spare hand I rubbed the tiredness from my eyes.

"Distraught, she didn't stop crying for ages. I convinced her to get some sleep." He walked around to the other side of her bed and sat on the edge carefully. His weight caused the mattress to dip slightly but Lucy continued to sleep.

"Where's Scorpius?" I asked selfishly. I missed him and really wished he was around to hug me, or just sit near me.

"He's gone home to tell your family what's happened. He said he'd come back for you soon." I nodded and we both looked back to Lucy. A short silence followed and I tried to clear my mind of the last of my tiredness.

"I can't believe its happening, it just doesn't feel real." He admitted sadly, gazing down at the sleeping girl.

"It's a shock for me, so it must be a million times worse for you both." I replied sympathetically. He nodded and I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

"I never wanted her to end up pregnant but I definitely never wanted this. Is this my punishment for being a coward?" he mused humourlessly.

"Don't even think that Dean, do you hear?" I snapped, working to keep my voice low still. He glanced across at my fierce expression and nodded stiffly.

"This is nobody's fault and it sure as hell isn't some freak punishment for the way things have turned out between you two. You heard the doctor, it's a common occurrence. Lucy just suffered unfortunate odds."

"She didn't deserve this, not once did she think about turning her back on the baby. She was determined to do the right thing and look after it." he murmured tearfully.

"Nobody deserves to lose their child." I added quietly. A long silence stretched out between us until Dean sniffed back another set of tears and glanced across at me.

"There's a small part of me that's…relieved. She's so young, and I couldn't have given either of them the life I wanted to, not at the moment. I can't help feeling like maybe she's got a second chance now…is that bad? Does that make me a terrible person?" he asked desperately. I reached across Lucy to rest my hand comfortingly on his arm.

"No Dean, it doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you human."

"I'm not saying I wouldn't have loved the baby, I just feel like I've been given another chance, we both have. I can do things properly this time." He reached out and softly brushed his fingers through a few loose strands of her dark hair. The tenderness in his action was touching and I smiled.

"You're a good guy Dean, don't let fear make you turn your back on things that you want." He looked across at me and titled his head.

"I'm sorry I was ever unfriendly to you. You're an unfailingly kind person, you've looked after Lucy when I didn't, and now you've helped to bring us back together. I owe you a lot." His compliment was flattering and I blushed. It was a heart-warming thing to think you'd helped change the life of someone, if only in a small way.

"You don't owe me anything, but you owe Lucy a hell of a lot. You've got a lot of making up to do, buster." I winked at him playfully and he laughed.

"You're right, I have. I won't let her down again." He leant forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to Lucy's forehead. The contact brought her out of her slumber and she stirred restlessly. We both stiffened as she started to come to. Slowly her eyes opened and they fell upon Dean.

"Dean…?" she whispered drowsily. He smiled down at her happily and reached out to stroke her hair.

"I'm here Luce." Both of their eyes shone with unshed tears as they gazed at each other. I felt like I should leave to award them some privacy, but Lucy still had hold of my hand.

"Dean, the baby…it's…" her voice broke and she couldn't finish. She closed her eyes to shut out the pain and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"I know." He whispered, bending his head to kiss her forehead again.

"It hurts so much…I want it back, I want my baby back." She said tearfully, her tiny voice shaking with emotion. Tears were staining Dean's cheeks too now and the whole scene was painful to watch.

"I do too Luce." He replied truthfully. A sob fell from her lips and she started to weep. Dean gathered her in his arms, being careful not to jostle her too much in case he hurt her. She released her hold on my hand to wrap her arms around his shoulders weakly.

"Shhh, it's going to be ok. I'll look after you." he reassured her as he stroked her hair. Her crying ceased as she pulled back to look up at him.

"You mean…?" she trailed off, as if she was afraid to say the actual words for fear of another rejection. But Dean nodded and fresh tears flooded her eyes.

"I'm never leaving your side again." His words prompted another sob from her lips and she threw herself back against his chest.

"I'm so sorry Lucy; I've been such an idiot. I should never have pushed you away and left you to go through all this alone. I was just so scared, scared about the baby and about wrecking your life. Can you ever forgive me?" his voice trembling as he laid his emotions bare and left himself open for rejection. She drew back to look at him seriously and I held my breath. Would she forgive him? Dean seemed to be mimicking my actions as his chest ceased its movement.

"As long as you tell me you love me every single day." she told him defiantly. He breathed out as I did, and then broke into a wide grin.

"For as long as you live angel." He agreed passionately. She smiled then, a genuine and happy smile, the first one I'd seen in months. Dean bent down and ever so gently pressed his lips to hers in a tentative yet sweet kiss. However brief it was, it was the most touching thing I'd ever seen.

"I love you Lucy, with every piece of my heart and soul." He told her in a soft and adoring tone. More tears trickled down her cheeks, but I suspected these were happier ones.

"I've waited so long to hear you say that." She whispered, closing her eyes. He brushed his lips over her cheek.

"You won't have to wait anymore, I'll tell you all the time until it drives you mad." She laughed quietly and opened her eyes to gaze up at him.

"It never will."

"We'll see."


End file.
