An Unplanned Encounter

It was a little after midnight when Lily finally left work. It was not raining but it had been. The evidence was still present with the numerous puddles on the ground. It was dark, but streetlamps made her path visible as she made her way towards the park.

Godric's Hollow was never silent no matter the hour of day or night. Even now, Lily could hear the laughter coming from the Red Lion back in the square. It would be open for many hours yet for any witch or wizard seeking company and a tipple or two of the finest ales in the country.

Lily on the other hand, just wanted to get back to her small cottage on the other side of the park, and into bed with a mug of hot chocolate. A feat which would not occur in that manner this night, but she didn't know that yet. Lily was peacefully unaware that her plans for tonight were going to change in little over a minute's time.

She entered the park and kept to the path so not to damage her new stiletto shoes. The last thing she wanted was for the heels to sink into the waterlogged lawn.

She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself to keep out the chill of the night. She was in the centre of the park when an unexpected encounter saw to the end of her plans.

A man sat under an old Oak tree, his back leaning against its trunk. Even in the darkness, Lily recognised the man. He was a wizard and had been two years above her at school. Although he was more brawny now than he had been, he was as pale as she remembered, from the colour of his hair to the tone of his skin. There was no mistaking him.

She wondered silently, why the Malfoy heir sat alone in the middle of the park in Godric's Hollow of all places, but then she noticed the bottle of liquor he was currently nursing. She knew his business was none of hers and she probably should continue home. However something about the sight of him looking so lost and lonely made her pause.

Their families had a history. Their fathers had been enemies at school and her brothers never got a long with the younger Malfoy. Lily on the other hand, had nothing against him or his family.

With her mind firmly made up and thoughts of a warm bed and mug of hot chocolate now forgotten, she kicked off her shoes and carried them with her. The ground squelched beneath her feet as muddy water stained her skin.

He didn't look up at her when she approached, but she knew that he heard her. He stiffens slightly as she untied her cloak and let it fall to the ground. Using her cloak and a blanket so that she didn't get mud on her clothes, she dropped down next to him and hugged her knees.

In the dim light she saw that he wore no cloak, nor had he used one as a blanket like she had. He wore only a shirt and jeans which she couldn't determine the colour of, only that they were dark. He was also soaking wet as he had done nothing to protect himself against the gloomy weather conditions. Lily wondered whether she should feel sorry for him, but then again, he wouldn't appreciate her pity.

His arms rested on the top of his knees and a bottle of some unknown alcohol hung loosely in the tips of his fingers. She took the bottle from him and took a swig of it before he could protest. It was strong and burned her throat as it went down. "Sickle for your thoughts." she said after a few seconds.

"If you don't give me my drink back, I'll curse you so that you won't be able to bug me anymore." He growled in a hostile manner.

Lily stifled a laugh knowing that it wasn't the best way to react to his threat. "No need to overreact, but I feel I should warn you, I have a mean bat bogey hex." she told him.

He huffed and snatched the bottle out of her offering hand. "I remember. Satine Zabini was never the same after you hexed her. What did she do to earn such an assault?" He asked, surprising Lily by recognising her only by the sound of her voice. She had half expected him to throw an insult at her and tell her to mind her own business.

Lily smirked in the darkness recalling how the Zabini girl always walked in the opposite direction whenever she noticed her, "She came on to my boyfriend at the time, Harrison Davies" Lily sighed reflecting on her reason at the time, "don't know why I even bothered really. He turned out to be a loser in the end." she admitted.

For the first time that night he looked at her. She was careful not to gasp when she saw his face. He'd always been strikingly handsome, even now that he looked confused in his semi-drunken state. "Didn't he marry your cousin Rose last month?"

"The only smart thing he's done all year." Lily said in response although it was clear that she disapproved of the match. Her cousin was way too good for the likes of Harrison Davies; she couldn't see their marriage lasting long, but she hoped she was wrong. Her cousin deserved to be happy even if she did have poor taste in men. "So what exactly has you sat under a tree, covered in mud and killing brain cells with that concoction?" Lily asked unable to keep her curiosity out of the tone of her voice.

He sighed and took a large swig from the bottle. "Just trying to escape for an hour or two." He said before the bitterness crept into his voice as he continued, "You wouldn't understand, you Potters never need to worry about escaping who you are."

Lily laughed as her own bitterness crept to the surface, "Are you kidding me? Have you read the papers lately? They're always saying how I'm Harry Potter's little disappointment. I'm not as smart as my brothers, not as talented. They are both Aurors like my dad and I was expected to do the same. Either that or become a professional Quidditch player like my mum. Or at least do something of note. Now Quidditch is fun, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to have to play for money. All I want to do is open up a restaurant, which I have done by the way, and definitely not hunt dark wizards like what most of my family do."

"Ha ha, very funny." He scoffed and Lily suddenly realised what she had said wrong.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm. Aware that he could pull away from her at any moment she continued gently, "You're not a dark wizard Malfoy and neither is your father. It's wrong that people hold you accountable for the mistakes your father made when he was young. You are not him, and he is not that person anymore." Her words were true; the Malfoys were poorly treated despite their help to bring other Voldemort followers to justice many years ago.

He looked at her again but this time with an expression showing his disbelief, "Why are you being nice to me. I thought it was law that the Potters and Weasleys hated us Malfoys."

She tilted her face into the light so that he could see her smile, "I don't hate you Malfoy," she told him honestly, "I never have. Even when we were at school together, I knew you were better than the person people portrayed you to be."

He frowned and offered his drink to her. "How did you come to that conclusion?" he asked.

Lily took the bottle and swallowed a mouthful of the honey flavoured liquid. It went down easier this time. Her eyes gazed off into the distance whilst recalling one of the memories which made her believe he was not the person people thought him to be. "Five years ago, when you were in your final year, Ian Higgs was bullying Jesika Fox because she was muggle born. You stuck up for her which caused all bullying to stop, even after you left. It was really impressive and honourable."

He hadn't pulled away yet and he brought the hand of his other arm up to cover hers. He looked her straight in the eye as he spoke, "You remember that? Not many people do."

Her mouth went dry under the intensity of his gaze. She feared she would do something foolish if she kept staring into those eyes, so looked away and continued in a hoarse voice, "People like to put others in boxes, it helps them predict their behaviour. They don't like it when you stray from the box they but you in. I guess they choose to ignore all the good you do."

"And you don't put people in boxes?" he asked smiling.

Lily returned his smile but avoided his gaze, "I try not to, I like things to be unpredictable. It makes life more interesting."

"You are an interesting witch Potter." He said after a few moments of thought.

Lily hoped it was a compliment, "Call me Lily"

There was a long pause before he spoke again, "Lily? I guess you can call me Scorpius then."

"Thanks" she said, "Scorpius," she began, emphasising the use of his name, "you don't need to try and escape who you are, people will come to their senses sooner or later." she said, her tone adding more confidence to the statement that she almost believed it.

He drank a few more gulps of the alcohol, "I'll think about that in the morning. For now I'm quite happy doing what I'm doing." he admitted.

"Do you want me to leave you to it?" Lily asked and made an effort to get up despite her reluctance to do so.

Before she reached full height, Scorpius' hand grabbed her and pulled her back down. His actions were a little more forceful than they would have been if he was sober. Lily didn't hold it against him though; she felt a sense of irrational happiness when he spoke his next words. "No, you can stay."

Lily didn't know how long they had been sat there, only that Scorpius was now beyond drunk with his head resting on her shoulder. The empty bottle lay discarded on the floor.

The hour of the night was forgotten but Lily didn't feel at all tired. She was content just to sit there as she listened to his heavy breathing as he slept.

Suddenly Scorpius jerked awake and tried to stumble to his feet. "Where are you going now?" Lily asked.

He staggered unsteadily and fell to the ground, "Apparate…home" he murmured as he glanced wildly into the darkness as if wondering why he found himself now sitting on the wet ground.

Lily climbed to her feet and walked to the spot where Scorpius had fallen again. "There is no way you are up to that in your state. You'll probably leave your foot behind and I'll be inclined to follow and fix you up." she told him. Lily thought it a little ridiculous that he even considered apparating home considering how intoxicated he was. Leaving a foot behind was probably the least of what would happen if he did so.

"W-who appointed you my knight? I-I'm not some damsel to be - ergh" he stammered and then cursed at another failed attempt to stand upright.

"Rescued?" Lily suggested helpfully which earned her a famous Malfoy glare. "No, that's quite clear. Look, I live nearby I guess you can crash there until you are sober enough to get yourself home." she suggested but he only grunted in response. "I'll take that as a yes, now let's get you up."

The act was more difficult than Lily expected. She had a short stature and was at least a foot shorter than him. Whilst she had curves in all the right places, she was also naturally skinny. She struggled to haul the taller and heavier man to his feet. When she managed it, she had to support most of his weight so that he wouldn't end up on the floor again. "Damn you're heavy," she complained, "don't make me cast Mobilicorpus on you."

As a reaction to her words, he straightened slightly and was suddenly capable of supporting more of his own weight, "Stop complaining, W-Where's your house?"

Lily chuckled despite herself, she couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked when he was at a loss as of what to do. "Just on the other side of the park, the one with the red door. See just there." she said and pointed towards the cottage ahead of them illuminated by the a streetlamp as they walked.

He laughed at her and needed her to steady him again, "Lily, I can't even see you properly, what makes you think I can see a red door." he admitted.

Lily chuckled again, "come on then."

It was a struggle, but Lily finally managed to get Scorpius through the threshold of her home and guided him into a chair in the kitchen. She then commenced pouring a large glass of water and handed it to him. "Trust me, you'll need to drink all of that." she insisted but he pulled a face of disgust.

"You will thank me for it in the morning when you feel like death." she pointed out and he reluctantly drained the glass dry.

Lily refilled the empty glass and went to put it on the bedside table in one of the spare rooms. She chose the one downstairs as the thought of dragging him up the stairs was too daunting. Of course she could always use magic to get him up there, but she expected that would have nasty consequences if he remembered it in the morning.

She then returned to Scorpius who still sat obediently where she left him. With his aid, she guided him to the bedroom. "You probably don't want to sleep in those." she said, referring to the soiled clothing he wore. He grunted again in response but without warning, started disrobing right in front of her.

She averted her hazel eyes at finding herself in a situation entirely new to her. She'd helped her friends and relatives undress for bed before when they were too drunk to do so themselves, however it was entirely different having Scorpius Malfoy undress in her presence. The act elicited a wide range of impure thoughts and she felt the blush creep to her cheeks.

She stared at the floor until he asked for her help. Raising her gaze, she understood he was having problems unbuttoning his shirt. She groaned at the thought of what she had to do but she couldn't refuse his request. With trembling fingers, she made quick work of the buttons and resumed to peel back the damp fabric which clung to him like a second skin.

The gasp caught in her throat at what she saw next. Scars covered his shoulders and upper torso in long thin lines. Lily didn't know much about magical scars, only what her father had told her. However these scars didn't appear to be magical. She traced the one above his heart and wondered why he hadn't had them removed. It would be so simple to get them to fade away.

He jerked at her touch and grabbed her wrist. At first he seemed angry by her actions but then it was as if his anger became internalised. She suddenly wanted to be far away from him as possible. Without fathoming the reasons why, she pulled away from him and collided with the bottom of the bed.

The action had them both tumbling backwards onto the bed. They lay there unmoving. He was on top of her, his head slightly raised so he could see her. As she watched him looking at her as if it was the first time he truly saw her, she felt incapable to breathe. All thoughts of getting away from him seemed folly.

"You're beautiful" he said simply.

"And you're drunk." She managed to respond with, too surprised to say anything more at that moment.

Before she managed to ask him to get off her, his body went limp as he passed out for the night. She struggled to free herself, but it was no use, she couldn't even reach her wand.

When she finally admitted to herself that she wouldn't he going anywhere until he rolled off her, she allowed herself to relax and succumb to sleep.

It was a little after midday when Lily awoke slightly disorientated in her spare room. It wasn't long before memories of the night came flooding back to her. The pressure of Scorpius' body on hers was absent but she could hear his light snores as he slept beside her.

Careful not to wake him, she rose off the bed and made her way out of the room only stopping to pick up Scorpius' abandoned clothing. She put them in the wash immediately and then went for a shower and prepared herself for what was left of the day.

She was in the kitchen when the door to the spare room opened once more. Scorpius stood in the doorframe wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and a worried expression when he gazed upon her.

" Did we- ?" he began but was unable to complete his question.

Lily knew immediately what he wanted to know and his expression turned to guilt. She knew his guilt was referring to the fact that he should have remembered that, if it had occurred, "Merlin, no! You passed out." she told him reassuringly.

He sighed with relief; "I didn't try to…" he began and flushed with embarrassment with having to ask these questions.

"You were the perfect gentleman." she grinned and he laughed at her words. His laughter was infectious and she couldn't help but grin at him. He walked towards her and the strong scent of alcohol almost knocked her out.

She grabbed a towel and threw it at him, "Here take a shower before you go. You smell like a brewery." she teased.

"Thanks, where -?" he asked.

"Just at the top of the stairs. I, er, thought you might not want to go home in clothes covered in mud so I washed them." It was Lily turn to be embarrassed as she passed him his clothes.

He nodded his thanks and threw his clothes and towel over his shoulder and went in search of the bathroom. Lily watched him leaved and then started making a full English fry up for the both of them.

Lily dished out the food onto two plates and was about to set them on the table when she laid eyes on Scorpius. "Oh" she gasped. He looked completely different from how he appeared last night, even though he wore the same clothing. He was clean for one and although he was paler than usual, he looked just as perfect as he had done at school. Every hair had its place as if afraid to disobey him. She was staring at him, but she couldn't stop herself from doing so.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you." he apologised immediately.

"That's ok," Lily reassured him, she was grateful that he showed no evidence that he had caught her staring at him. "Do you feel any better?"

"Still feel like ass if that's what you mean" he replied bluntly.

Lily blushed and placed the food she carried on the kitchen table and poured each of them a glass of orange juice. "Get this down you, it always helps James and Albus when they've spent a night on the liquor." she told him and he obediently did as she suggested. They sat there together making small talk as they ate.

After breakfast, Scorpius got to his feet and washed up their plates. It was his way of saying thank you for all she had done for him, whether or not he felt himself deserving of her kindness. "I better get going." he said a little awkwardly. "Will I see you again?"

The hopefulness in his tone was missed by neither of them. "I'd like that." Lily admitted, allowing another smile to creep onto her face.

He smiled back eagerly as they stared at each other for a few moments, he grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips. He kissed it gently and then apparated home.

When he left her that morning with nothing but the promise that he would see her again, neither of them knew that over the following months they would fall in love. They were currently unaware of all the problems it would cause when their relationship was made public. Neither of their parents would condone the pairing but they would wed regardless, forsaking the approval of their respective families. They were still both ignorant of the fact that it would be the birth of their first child, which would inevitably bring the family together again.

Today, they were just a boy and girl, saying goodbye after an unplanned encounter.