Summary: Non-magical AU. She grabbed his hand and pulled the trigger to her temple, daring him to shoot. He's never been so surprised by a girl. Political Rivalry. Revenge. Scorpius X Lily.

Pairing: Scorpius Malfoy X Lily Luna Potter

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Very loosely based upon Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Very Loosely. I do not own Romeo and Juliet nor do I own any of the Harry Potter characters featured in this story.

In Fair Verona

Chapter One: Two Households

The doors to the Minister's chambers slammed open as Minister Shacklebolt pushed past them, his temper aflame with frustration as he ranted at the two men who trailed behind him. "How hard, my lords, is it to understand that bringing your blood feud out in the streets of this city is no longer permissible and the days when you and your kin split blood in the streets are to become completely a thing of the past?"

He stood at the curving wall covered with a sheet of glass. The Minister's office was situated high in the castle that over looked the entire city. Standing there at his window, the Minister could see all the way down to the river.

"I had hoped that after the last few instances, you would have emphasized the need for peace to your kin. I cannot have you sullying this hard won peace for your petty squabbles." He turned fiercely, eyes flashing.

The elegant man standing closer to the door scoffed at this remark. He lifted his silver topped cane and strode forward. "Forgive my intrusion, Minister, however, you seem to have forgotten, that those petty squabbles have cost me the lives of two of my nephews at the hands of James Sirius Potter and justice, as you had promised, is still not forthcoming."

At this, the other man in the room bristled and retorted, "Perhaps Lord Malfoy has forgotten. My son was acquitted of any involvement in those deaths. He was nowhere near the scene of the crime; he had nothing to do with it. I will not tolerate Lord Malfoy's slander upon my family."

Kingsley Shacklebolt drew himself to his full height and stared down at the Patriarch of one of the most powerful, most influential families of England. "Lord Malfoy, I assure you, everything that can be done to find the killer is being done."

"Everything?" Malfoy sneered. "It is a poor day indeed when the Minister himself must lie to save face."

"Lord Malfoy! I sympathise with you over the deaths of your kin however, do not make the mistake of assuming that I am weak because of it. Do not tempt my wrath." He sat down.

"I must warn you both. This city has seen enough bloodshed caused in the name of family honor and vengeance and it will take no more. If you do not wish to settle your differences, fine, I will not force you however, if there is another instance of violence and murder in this city arising from your hatred for each other, I will become a punisher. If you are found guilty of violence, you will be exiled, for life."

The silence in the room was broken by Lucius Malfoy's furious stride out of the door.

The Minister sighed. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the man standing before him. "Harry, you know how important this is."

"I know." He replied quietly.

X

"You are going to get us both in such trouble Lil! We're not supposed to be here, you know we're not supposed to be here." Molly whispered furiously. She surreptitiously picked up the hem of the window curtain and cautiously peeked out the window, hoping against hope that her uncle's hired bodyguards hadn't noticed that their young charges had snuck out of the boutique they were supposed to be in and were now ensconced in a gun shop.

"This is bad," Molly murmured to herself, "This is very, very bad." She turned and felt her jaw drop as she spotted her petite cousin hefting a shotgun that looked like it probably weighed more than half her body weight.

Lily let her arm hang, feeling the weight of the beefed up shotgun; it was a very powerful piece but it wasn't for her. The weight would drag her response time down by minutes. She put it back on the counter and glanced at the wiry man leaning against the display case. "Not for me."

The man chuckled loudly. "I should think so. Pretty girl like you needs something sleek, something subtle." Lily controlled the urge to roll her eyes at the 'pretty girl' comment but kept her mouth shut. This was the only place that would sell her a gun. The others took one look at the bodyguards and coat of arms embossed on her car and told her she wasn't of age yet and they couldn't be seen flouting the laws for the Councillor's daughter. The shop owner straightened and placed a wooden box on the glass counter top. He glanced at her, and dramatically flicked a switch that flipped the lid back to reveal a gleaming gun lying on a bed of red velvet. "Behold, the Sabre." Lily's eyes grew wide. She gently curled her fingers around the gun and picked it up. The handle felt snug and safe in her hands, felt right. She held it up and took aim.

The gunsmith chuckled. "Well now, looks like you like it." Lily nodded. She shook her bangs out of her eyes.

"How much do you want for it?" She leaned on the counter casually.

"That's a limited edition handgun. Handcrafted and sterling silver used in the muzzle and barrel…." Lily waved her hand in his face.

"Yeah, yeah I know all about that, I'll read the manual. How much do you want for it?" She flipped her hair back.

The gunsmith folded his arms across his chest and grinned, revealing the line of gold fillings on the teeth. "Two hundred and fifty galleons."

Lily guffawed. "Two hundred and fifty galleons? What, does it have diamonds encrusted in the butt or something?"

The gunsmith merely tilted his head and sniffed. "It's a fair price."

"Fair price, my ass. I'll give you a hundred, not a sickle more."

The gunsmith looked at her down his nose and snootily picked the handgun and placed it back in the wooden box. Lily watched warily before stopping him from taking the box away from the counter. "Stop. Hundred galleons is a good price."

"I won't accept anything less than Two Hundred and Fifty. Final price." He scowled back. Lily growled softly under her breath.

Molly backed away from the window as she spotted the bodyguards searching the boutique. "Errr Lily, I hate to break it to you but we have to leave. Now."

Lily nodded. "Just a minute."

"Two hundred and fifty."

"One hundred."

"Good day, glad to be rid of you." The gunsmith made to sweep the box under the counter and sneered as a hand shot out and stopped him.

"Have you any idea what my father will do if he hears of this blatant robbery?" Lily retorted aggressively. Actually, she knew that her father would probably skin her alive if he knew what she was attempting to do. But hey, life was all about taking risks wasn't it?

The gunsmith smirked. He leaned over the counter and sneered. "Why don't we find out?" He slammed the telephone down hard on the counter, sending vibrations thrumming through the glass. "Fancy giving your old man a call, princess?"

Molly blanched behind her. Lily pursed her lips and exchanged a look with Molly, who shook her head slowly and gestured towards the door. Lily bit her lip. She fished around for something in her bag and smiled in satisfaction when she found a small red box tied with a ribbon. She grinned and placed the box on the glass counter even as Molly gasped when she saw the box.

"Lily! No, you can't…."

Lily stepped on her foot and gave her a look. "Of course I can. Here we go." She pushed the box and the hundred galleons towards the gunsmith and smiled winningly. "Let's consider us settled, yeah?"

Grabbing Molly's hand, she swiped the gun from the box and raced out of the gun shop. They ran head first into the bodyguards outside. The girls smiled charmingly and convinced them they had just been around the corner, looking at lace designs. The bodyguards stared at them suspiciously but said nothing.

Inside the car, Molly stared at Lily with wide eyes. "I can't believe you traded the earrings Lorcan gave you for a gun."

Lily shrugged. "They were ugly. And it's not like he'll notice."

Molly frowned at her madcap cousin. "He wanted you to wear them tonight."

Lily smiled craftily. "Well then, I'll just have to give him something else to think about, won't I?"

Molly rolled her eyes.

X

Mean while, in a shop across town, an old man wearily ran a wet rag over the linoleum counter and watched the door with trepidation. He sighed in defeat as the loud, whirring noise of several engines began to echo louder and louder until the entire street was thrumming with the sound of thunder. The shop owner shook his head and settled down in his chair, waiting.

He didn't have long to wait. The door opened with the tinkle of a small bell poised over the door. A tall young man sauntered in like he owned the place. His silver-blonde hair was mussed and in disarray. He had a scarf tied around his neck like a cravat and wore dark jeans and a black leather jacket. Spotting the man behind the counter, he smirked and made his way over.

"Beautiful day, Finn."

The man stood straight, even as his eyes flickered nervously towards the window. The rest of the young man's coterie waited outside. He felt his pulse quicken. It could mean anyone of two things – one, that the Malfoy heir wanted to spare him the harassment of his peers or the second, and far more likely outcome, he didn't want anybody to interrupt what was to follow. He swallowed dryly.

"How may I be of service, young master?" He asked wearily.

The young man glanced up at him, his lip curling in amusement. "What's this? Surely you haven't forgotten my request?"

Connors mopped his brow with a large handkerchief. "Circumstances, young master, circumstances of the past year…my business is not what it used to be. Too much damage and loss…I haven't recovered last year's damages yet, I simply couldn't manage to procure all that you asked for…"

The young man let out a breath. "Are you refusing me?"

"Please try and understand! Business is slow and I no longer have the pull at the depot. There are new licenses and permits required and I simply don't have the means to furnish them anymore. But, I have managed to procure a little…"

"A little? Don't make me laugh Finn." He sneered. "This is no tea party for peasants. This is a gala held in honour of my grandfather. Do you mean to tell me that what I asked for weeks ago, is not within your means to provide?" His voice lowered to a whisper.

"I am extremely, extremely sorry, young master but…well…"

"What?"

"The Potters were here, before you and they hold the licenses and the permits, and they would not leave without buying all my stock and I tried to dissuade them but they found my warehouse and ….well, they've taken everything."

Finn felt his chest constrict as the Malfoy heir curled his fingers into a fist and stared back at him murderously. "Do you mean to tell me that you allowed those Potters to take the shipment I ordered? And now you have the gall to stand here and mumble excuses for your incompetence?" Connors shivered.

The door opened and a mountain of a man strode forward. His face was round and beefy. He glanced at the lean man standing at the counter, coiled in tension. "What's going on Scorpius?"

Scorpius straightened and calmly stuck a wad of chewing gum in his mouth. "Finn's shifted his loyalty to the Potters, Goyle. What should we do about it?" He asked conversationally.

Goyle smirked and grabbed the shopkeeper's collar. Still smiling, he lifted him over the counter and threw him across the shop. He fell through a partition window. Glass shattered and scattered everywhere. The man moaned as he bumped against the door but Goyle was coming for him again. Once again he found himself suspended in the air for a few, short terrifying moments before he was flung again, out of the shop and into the street. Goyle stomped up to him and kicked him violently in the gut. The man groaned in pain. Goyle was about to kick him once more.

"That's enough, Goyle. Anymore and he'll kick the bucket. It's not worth it." Scorpius stepped out of the liquor store. He looked around. There was nobody in the street, no windows open. He was about to turn to the man when something caught his eyes. He looked back to see a girl standing in one of the tiny balconies overlooking the street.

He shook his bangs out of his eyes and smiled charmingly at her. "Need something darlin'," She wavered before shaking her head and quickly retreating, shutting the balcony doors behind her. He bent his head and stuck his hand into his jeans pocket for a lighter. Flicking it expertly, he held it open. Removing the gum from his mouth, he stuck it on the flip-switch of the lighter and carelessly, tossed it into the store. Waving his hand at his companions, he mounted his bike and rode down the street.

The fire spread behind them and the shop owner gingerly began to move. Sensing the extreme heat from the shop, he began to crawl away from the store as fast as possible in his injured state. He just managed to make it to the curb when an explosion threw him out in the middle of the road. He groaned in pain. The last thing he remembered was smell of burning plastic and wood.

"Cursed Malfoy…."

X