AN: For The Cinder Crown for the Monthly One-Shot Exchange.
Thanks to Web for looking over it :)
I Wish I Could Go the the Ball
Scorpius sinks into his desk chair and pulls the stack of cards towards him. He picks one up and reads the familiar words, shaking his head. How has he let his mother talk him into this?
Dear household,
As we're sure you're aware, Prince Scorpius is coming of age this year. The palace will be hosting a ball in his honour, and any eligible females between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two are invited to attend as we will be aiming to find him a future bride.
Alongside finding a partner for Prince Scorpius, we will also be seeking a husband for his younger sister, Princess Cassiopeia, and all eligible males within the sixteen to twenty-two bracket are also welcome in attendance, as are any parents and guardians of the invitees.
If you plan to attend, please arrive at the palace no later than 20:00 on Friday 15th December.
Kindest regards,
The Royal Family.
There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of cards in boxes all around the room. Scorpius pulls out a pen and begins signing the cards on his desk. He had tried to convince his mother to digitally add his signature to the card, but his mother insisted that both he and Cassie sign each card by hand.
There's a knock on the door, and Scorpius looks up to see Cassie walking into the room, massaging her hand.
"How many have you done?" she asks, gesturing at the cards in front of him as she takes a seat next to the bookcase.
"Not many. Fifty, perhaps," Scorpius says, groaning. "You?"
"I just finished my first box." There's a smug grin on Cassie's face as she gloats about her achievement.
"I still don't see why Mother made us do it all by hand."
"Because it's more authentic," Cassie says. There's a wistful tone in her voice that gives away the fact that she's secretly pleased.
Scorpius just shakes his head and turns back to the cards.
"Mother!" Elias Greengrass yells, running into the kitchen, a letter held high above his head. "Look what came. It has the royal seal!"
Daphne snatches the letter out of his hand, rips it open, and skims the card inside, a sly smile cutting across her face. "Penelope," she calls.
A moment later a plump girl trudges into the kitchen. "What?" she asks, her face full of annoyance at being disturbed.
"You've been invited to a ball, both you and Elias." She holds the card out in front of her and reads aloud, "'any eligible females between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two are invited to attend… and all eligible males within the sixteen to twenty-two age bracket are also welcome in attendance.' They're looking for a future bride and groom for the prince and princess!"
Penelope's mouth drops open in shock before her face lights up, all traces of irritation disappearing. Elias also looks pleased, although he's trying to hide it.
Lily looks up from the plate she's currently washing. "Does… does that mean I can go, too, Daph– Mother?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Daphne snaps.
"But I'm sixteen," Lily argues, albeit rather timidly. "I'm the right age."
"But you have nothing to wear, silly girl! And the prince wouldn't want to marry someone as lowly as you. You'd only make a fool out of yourself." A sneer spreads across Daphne's face. Lily's used to seeing it; it seems to be permanently attached any time Daphne so much as looks Lily's way. "Now, get back to those dishes—they aren't going to clean themselves."
Daphne turns to the table and drops the card onto it, missing—or, more likely, ignoring—the smug look Penelope sends Lily's way.
Lily sighs as the three Greengrasses exit the room, wishing for the day to come when she's eighteen and able to escape this hellhole like James and Albus did. As soon as James turned eighteen, he left, offering to take Albus and Lily with him. Daphne wouldn't allow it, however, saying that he wasn't fit to be a guardian. Really, she just wanted to keep them around so somebody other than her could do the chores—the pool of money she had once had to pay for help dried up when her first husband passed.
Wandering over to the table, Lily picks up the card. It has been hand signed by both the prince and princess; she can feel the indents the pen has made.
They must be incredibly dedicated, she thinks, realising they must have sent thousands of these cards out to homes across the country.
Returning to the sink, Lily picks up a bowl and continues washing. She finds herself staring out the window as she methodically wipes the sponge back and forth, wishing for a miracle to help her get to the ball.
For Lily, the days leading up to the ball are a blur of wishes and envy. Any time she sees a stray eyelash, a shooting star, or a drifting ball of dandelion fluff, only one thing goes through her mind.
I wish I could go to the ball.
She spends her free time, what little she has of it, hauled up in her room, searching through her belongings for something, anything she could wear that Daphne might find acceptable. She isn't naive, she knows that even if she finds something, Daphne won't let her go, but there's a glimmer of hope within Lily that she won't let die.
Then, at the bottom of an old trunk, Lily finds the dress she had unconsciously been searching for. It was an old dress of her mother's, deep red with gold woven throughout to make it shimmer. There was even a pair of gold shoes that would match perfectly.
"Mother," Lily starts at dinner that night, trying her best to hide the grimace as she calls Daphne her mother. "I know you said I couldn't go to the ball because I have nothing to wear, but if I do manage to find something, is there any chance I could go? Please."
"Well," she replied, a sly smile spreading across her face. Lily knows this expression all too well; there's no way she'll be able to go to the ball. "If you happen to find something I deem acceptable for royal company, and if you complete all of your chores then I suppose you may attend the ball."
"Thank you," Lily replies.
"What?" Penelope screams. "You can't mean that, Mother! She can't come with us."
"My dear," Daphne replies, her voice calm and the smile spreading wider, "I never said she would be coming with us."
Lily feels her heart plummet as she realises what that means. Even so, the glimmer of hope remains and she refuses to give up. She will complete her chores and present herself to Daphne, and she will find a way to get to the ball.
Scorpius watches himself smoothing down his jacket in the mirror, his hand stopping when it comes to a loose bit of thread and picking at it, hoping to ease his nerves. He isn't sure when he started getting nervous for the ball, but suddenly the date was coming far too quickly and the daunting task of finding himself a future wife is all that he's been able to think about for the last two weeks.
He hears the bedroom door open and his gaze rises, watching his sister in the mirror as she enters the room.
"Mother has really outdone herself this time," he tells her as he takes in the ensemble Cassie is wearing.
The dress she's wearing is long and emerald green, elegant silver stonework covers the majority of the bust in patterns that make it look as though snakes are slithering down towards her stomach. Her hair has been transformed from the usual limp waves that frame her face into a magnificent up-do. The jewellery she is adorned with perfectly matches the stonework on her dress. She looks more regal than Scorpius has ever seen her look before, and he knows there will be plenty of boys making a fool of themselves for her attention tonight.
The day is long and arduous, everywhere Lily turns there's a new mess to clean. She has to clean the kitchen four times and the lounge twice because Penelope and Elias keep doing everything they can to ensure Lily won't have time to find a dress and get ready before the ball.
As the time draws near, Lily makes her way upstairs to help Penelope and Daphne get ready; combing their hair, lacing their gowns, and fixing their jewellery in place.
Lily rushes out of the room as soon as she's free to leave, tearing up the stairs to her own room and slamming the door behind her, ripping her clothes off as she crosses the room to where her dress is hanging from her wardrobe. She pulls it over her head, slips on the shoes and rushes to her door again, pausing briefly at her mirror to comb her hair into something that looks respectable. She wishes she had time to shower, but Lily knows that you can't have everything.
"Daphne, erm, Mother!" Lily calls as she reaches the bottom of the stairs.
Daphne enters the hall from the lounge and takes in Lily's appearance. Lily thinks she gasps a little, but she can't be sure.
"Well, that won't do!" Daphne snaps. "Your hair is a mess, and you haven't even showered." She sniffs and wrinkles her nose. Lily knows she can't smell that bad so it must be for dramatic effect. "There is no way you can attend the ball like that."
At that moment, Lily hears footsteps behind her. She turns to see who was coming down the stairs just as Penelope trips on the last step, dropping a jug of red wine that covers Lily from head to toe.
Daphne lets out a mocking laugh. "There's no time for you to change now. Make sure that's cleaned up before we return."
Elias joins them and the three turn their backs on Lily, march out of the front door, and climb into their carriage. As the door swings shut behind them, Lily sees a shooting star.
"I wish I could go to the ball."
"And so you shall!" a sing-song voice says behind her.
Lily jumps. As she turns around, she sees a plump old lady who seems to be floating in the air.
"Who are you?" she asks abruptly, annoyance seeping into her voice.
"I'm you fairy godmother, dear," she says, a warm smile on her face that does nothing to make Lily feel any better.
"Well, you took your time," she snaps. "I've been wishing for a way to the ball for weeks!"
"Even miracles take a little time, my dear."
The words finally sink in and Lily understands what's going on.
"You mean… I'm going to the ball?" she asks hopefully.
"Of course, dear."
Lily's chest grows warm with excitement before she remembers the state of her dress.
"But what will I wear? My dress is ruined."
"Oh, I can sort that out no problem!"
The fairy godmother flicks her wand above Lily's head. Lily feels a warmth spread through her as the damp gown transforms. Looking down, she sees it has become a light blue, so light it appears almost silver, and is more beautiful than anything she's worn in her life.
"It's so pretty!" Lily gushes. "Thank you so much."
"Hold still, dear," the fairy godmother replies as Lily tries to rush off. "You can't keep wearing those shoes, and your hair is still covered in wine."
"Oh, of course…"
The fairy godmother flicks her wand once more and Lily feels her hair rise into an up-do. Looking down, she sees the shoes which were once golden are now much more delicate and made of glass, perfectly matching her new dress.
"Now, dear, how to get there…" The fairy godmother stops to think for a moment. "Ah, yes, just a moment."
She flies out of the door, wings that Lily hadn't noticed before fluttering fiercely. Lily slips out of the door behind her and watches as a pumpkin is transformed into a carriage and several garden animals are transformed into horses and a coachman. Her face drops open in shock as she sees the magic going on before her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think going to the ball would come along with such grandeur.
"Come along, dear. We don't have all night. I wish I could give you longer, but all magic ends at midnight."
"No, that's okay. This is awesome. Thank you!"
Lily climbs into the carriage and it immediately starts moving.
"Remember, you must be home by midnight!" the fairy godmother calls after her.
Lily can't stop the grin that spreads across her face, and she doesn't want to. She's finally going to the ball she's been dreaming about for the last few weeks.
Scorpius is amazed when he enters the ballroom. There are more decorations and more people than he's ever seen at the palace before. The room is a bright, sparkling silver filled with bright splashes of colour as people walk and dance their way across the floor.
Despite all the colour in the room, his eyes are drawn to one spot in particular. In the corner of the room, standing alone, is a girl. Her dress is a similar colour to the surroundings which makes her blend in, but she her hair is a vibrant orange, piled up in a way that makes it look as though flames are coming from her head.
He descends the grand staircase and attempts to make his way over to her. His path is blocked, however, by the constant barrage of female guests flinging themselves at him.
"Hi, I'm Daisy Goyle."
"I'm Amelia Fawcett."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."
"I'm Suzanne Connor."
"Thank you for inviting us, Your Highness."
"Penelope Greengrass."
The last girl forcefully shoves a hand into Scorpius' face instead of curtseying as the others had. He looks her over; a slightly plump girl in a violently pink dress that assaults his eyes.
By the time he reaches the corner where the red-headed girl was standing, she has disappeared into the night. Scorpius decides that his night's mission will be to find this girl once more.
But first, he has princely obligations. It wouldn't be right for him to shrug off the advances of the girls gathered here for him, and so he makes his way into the crowd and asks a girl to dance, switching partners every song, all the time making sure he avoids the girl in the pink dress who is following his every move.
A glance across the room tells Scorpius that his sister is enjoying the party much more than he is. She's surrounded by a ring of boys and seems to be glowing. She catches his eye and flashes him a grin before turning her attention back to those around her.
Scorpius hears the clock in the hall chime eleven o'clock and pulls himself away from the crowd. The girl with the fiery red hair hasn't been anywhere near him all night, at least not that he's seen anyway. He decides it's time to search for her. Scorpius has danced with enough girls to please his parents, and none of them held his gaze or his interest as much as the girl from before.
He makes his way into the garden. There are fewer people outside and Scorpius feels much more at ease as soon as he leaves the ballroom. As he wanders through the rose garden, he sees a flash of orange at the other end and heads towards it.
It's her, the girl from before. Scorpius takes a deep breath.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness." The girl drops into a curtsey. "If I'm in the way I can leave."
"Nonsense," Scorpius says with a laugh. ""If the garden pleases you then you should remain. How are you finding it here?"
"It's all a bit much, if I'm to be perfectly honest." She gives a small giggle. "All I've been dreaming about is coming here, and as soon as I do I get overwhelmed."
"I understand that," Scorpius admits, taking a seat on a nearby bench and gesturing for her to join him. She does.
"You, really?"
"Honestly, I'm not one for all this grandeur. It was my mother's idea to have this ball. It seemed like a good idea, but there's too much pressure for me to find someone."
"And have you? Found someone, I mean."
Scorpius isn't sure, but he thinks he can detect a slight blush spreading across the girl's cheeks.
"I'm not sure. It's hard to get to know someone in just one dance."
He laughed, and was pleased to hear the girl joining in.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your—"
He was cut off as the girl gasped.
"Was that… what time is it?" she asks, her voice sounds almost frantic.
"Around quarter to twelve, I think."
"I have to leave!" she announces suddenly.
She stands up and practically runs away from him.
"Wait," he calls. "I didn't get your name!"
The girl is too far away to hear, however, so Scorpius starts running after her. Nobody in the palace was as lovely as her, or as genuine, and he knows he has to see this girl again.
Lily runs. Lily runs faster than she's ever run before. She can hear Prince Scorpius calling after her, but she doesn't stop. She wants to turn back and continue their conversation more than anything, but she doesn't dare. He said he wasn't one for grandeur, but if he saw her, really saw her, Lily isn't sure he'd like her. It's better, she thinks, to let him keep this memory of me than learn the unflattering truth.
She races through the palace without incident and is running down the steps to the driveway when she stumbles and one of her shoes falls off. Deciding it isn't worth retrieving, she pulls the other shoe off and sprints to her carriage. She can faintly hear calls of "Wait" and "Stop that girl" from behind her, but she doesn't turn back, instead, diving into the carriage which takes off immediately.
She lets out a sigh of relief as they leave the palace grounds and the horses race as fast as they can so she can return home in time. Unfortunately, they only get two-thirds of the way before the carriage starts to slow down and shrink around her. She scrambles for the door and dives out before it's too small to escape from. The horses and coachmen return to garden animals, and her dress falls away revealing the limp, stained dress from before.
Shoe in hand, Lily makes the rest of the way home by foot.
"Search for her," Astoria says. "Visit all the girls in the kingdom and have them try the shoe on."
"But I know what she looks like, Mother. Can we not just call the girls back that fit her description?"
"No," she snaps, "you must visit all the girls. It will be romantic, and if you can't find her, it will give you a chance to meet some of the others."
Scorpius sighs as he thinks back to the conversation with his mother. He hadn't wanted to do this, but here he was, visiting every household in the kingdom looking for the girl from the ball. Most houses he can tell instantly that it isn't the girl—there are very few red-headed girls—but still, he has to go through the formalities of trying the shoe on each girl. Surprisingly, it fits nobody. He finds it very hard to believe that the girl the shoe belonged to would have vastly different sized feet to the rest of the kingdom, but that's what his search is currently telling him.
A boy opens the door of the next house he visits. He looks around the same age as Scorpius, and Scorpius wonders if the boy was one of the group surrounding Cassie.
"Your Highness, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Mr…?"
"Greengrass," he supplies.
"Mr Greengrass, I'm looking for a girl who was in attendance at the ball last night. I believe you have sisters?"
"Just one sister," he corrects. "Please, come in. I'll fetch my mother and sister for you."
The boy shows Scorpius into the lounge, and then disappears again. Calls of "Mother!" and "Penelope!" can be heard as the boy looks for his family.
Scorpius walks over to a bookcase in the far corner with an abundance of photos in frames littering the shelves. There's one in the far back of a couple and their three children. None of them are the boy who answered the door, so Scorpius wonders who they could be. The mother and daughter both have red hair, and Scorpius feels his heart swell as he recognises the girl as a much younger version of the one he met at the ball.
"Your Highness," a voice says behind him.
He turns and sees the girl from the ball that shoved her hand in his face. Scorpius has to fight the urge to shudder.
"Miss Greengrass, I presume?"
"That's me," she confirms.
"Please, take a seat. I'm looking for a girl who this shoe belongs to. I'd like to see if it fits."
The girl sits, and Scorpius bends to slip the shoe on her foot. Luckily for Scorpius, the shoe doesn't fit and he lets out a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but if the shoe doesn't fit, then you are not to be my bride."
The girl's face glows red. Scorpius isn't sure whether she's about to cry or shout at him.
Just then, her mother enters the room.
"Your Highness, it is a pleasure to welcome you into my home."
"The pleasure is all mine," he replies. "Might I ask a favour?"
"Anything, Your Highness."
"This photo," he says, pointing to the photo of the family. "Who is the girl?"
"That is my stepdaughter."
"Would I be able to meet her?" Scorpius asks. "This glass slipper was left at the ball as the girl I wished to dance with left. I would like to see if it fits her foot."
"Oh, there's no need to call for her," the woman replies. "She wasn't feeling at all well last night so did not attend the ball."
"That is a shame, I do hope she's feeling better."
"She is a little."
"Then, if it's not too much bother, would I be able to meet her?"
The woman's face grows stern, and Scorpius can see from the set of her jaw that it is taking a lot of effort for her to keep her voice calm.
"I really wouldn't want to bother her. It would be a wasted effort on your part, Your Highness, and she should be resting to regain her strength."
"It is a shame. Thank you anyway," Scorpius says.
The warm feeling in his heart disappears as he is shown from the house. He really thought he was about to meet her again.
"Your Highness," Scorpius' coachman greets him as he reaches his carriage. "I have a message from the young girl from this house."
"Oh?" Scorpius can't hide the surprise as he says this.
"She says her stepmother wouldn't allow her to meet you, but she was listening at the door and says she has the other shoe as proof it is her."
The warm feeling returns more forcefully than before.
"Where is she?" he demands.
"She said she'd be waiting next to the woods; she didn't want to be anywhere her step mother could find her."
Scorpius takes off immediately. He runs faster than he knew he could as he races to meet the girl that has been on his mind for almost twenty-four hours.
"It's you."
The words spill from his lips as soon as he lays eyes on her. He doesn't need the shoe to confirm it, this is the girl he met the night before.
"Your Highness," she greets.
"You're the girl from last night," he says, the words coming out in a rush. "Come back to the palace with me. Be my bride, please."
"So forward," she says, a smile spreading across her face. "You haven't even asked my name."
"I… Of course. May I ask your—"
"I'm Lily," she says. "Lily Potter."
The two share a brief smile before heading back to Scorpius' carriage, hand in hand.
Word Count: 4,109.
This is for:
The Monthly One-Shot Exchange — The Cinder Crown;
Scorpius/Lily, Cinderella!AU, 'Even miracles take a little time', Romance
The FRIENDS Competition;
S6 TOW Could Have Been (Parts One and Two) — Write an AU fic.