A/N: For the Forbidden Love Challenge at the HPFC. I hope you like it.
Oh, and please visit my new forum, it's all explained here: .net/forum/The_Harry_Potter_Fanfiction_Oscars/59365/
Just because...
"Stop looking at me like that," Lily snapped, looking up from the book she was reading with a scowl. She had been in the library with Scorpius for about two hours now; he had asked if he could accompany her that morning at break and had followed her to the library despite her declining his offer. It wasn't that she didn't like his company- in fact, it was the opposite, really- she enjoyed being with him too much; it was distracting when she needed to study and the fact that he had just eaten an apple at breakfast and his cool, apple-centred breath kept washing over her didn't help too much, either.
Scorpius smirked at her from across the table as Madam Pince screeched over a warning that if Lily didn't shut up, she'd throw her out and never let her back in. "I'd watch your back, Potter," he muttered. "She has cabbage in her teeth and if she comes any closer it'll spray all over you."
Lily reddened and kicked Scorpius under the table, mumbling under her breath about how much she would love to kill him.
Scorpius was used to death threats, especially from Lily, and laughed. "Now, now, Lily, let's not lose our tempers," he chuckled, picking up his own book and disappearing behind it.
Lily glared at him, or rather at the book he was reading, and after a second tried to get back to her own. She managed to get halfway down the page before realising that, again, Scorpius was staring at her rather intently.
"What is it now?" she asked, frowning at him.
He gazed at her, his grey eyes boring deep into her own, chocolate-coloured ones, melting her almost to nothing. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to have these thoughts again; Scorpius wasn't interested in her so there was no point even having these silly, childish feelings towards him.
Scorpius smiled, showing a set of even, perfect white teeth. Lily almost rolled her eyes. It would be Scorpius that was completely perfect in her eyes, wouldn't it? Her brother's best friend, the son of her parent's old enemy- the one guy she couldn't have…
"Well?" she said, her voice coming out shakily even now that she was avoiding his penetrating gaze.
"I was just noticing how attractive you are when you're angry- that's all," he said, his silky voice low and charming.
Lily stifled a gasp, annoyed at herself for being so immature. It was just Scorpius… so why was her heart suddenly thudding at twice its normal pace?
"How could I be attractive to an idiot?" she asked cuttingly, finally coming to her senses. She met his gaze, confidence almost restored.
Scorpius frowned. "You'd be attractive to anyone, Lily."
Lily blinked, shocked. She didn't want to say another word, didn't want anything to ruin what he'd just said…
"…Not just us idiots," he said quietly, closing his book and putting it away in his bag. He lifted the strap of his bag over his head to rest on his shoulder and stood up, pushing his chair in.
"Scorpius? Where are you going?" she asked, confused.
"Away. I'm sure you don't want to keep company with idiots."
"I didn't mean it like- Scorpius!" He'd turned and walked away, his head only just visible over a bookcase near the entrance of the library. If he wasn't so tall, she wouldn't have seen him at all.
Lily frowned and threw her books haphazardly into her bag, ready to follow him and explain. She was in the corridor and craning her neck to try and find him when she realised that really, she hadn't done anything wrong. All she'd done was call him an idiot, and that was hardly a crime. It was actually true- as he was acting like an idiot now, so maybe he should be the one to apologise for acting like an idiot in the first place.
She slowed down and drifted towards one of the windows looking out towards the Quidditch pitch. A team were practising in royal blue robes- she faltered suddenly, thinking of Scorpius. Wasn't he on the Ravenclaw team? He was- he played seeker- he'd often played opposite her in matches. Only to lose- a little voice in her head added maliciously; she shook that thought away. Why wasn't he out there? Why had he just spent two hours reading a book in the library with her when he should have been practising Quidditch? She peered intently at the players and couldn't pick out Scorpius' blonde head in case it had just started and he was late- that would at least explain why he ran so quickly from the library- but he wasn't there. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming desire to find him- she wanted to end this, to tell him how she felt; she'd wanted to for ages.
She thought quickly about where he might have gone and settled for waiting outside the Ravenclaw common room until he came by, reasoning that he'd have to go in or come out at some point. Also, Lorcan, Lysander, Molly or Roxy might let her in to find him, so that really was her best option.
Lorcan was just coming out of Ravenclaw Tower when she got there and he grinned widely at her. "Finished studying? I was just coming to-"
"Have you seen Scorpius?" she asked breathlessly, running a hand through her long red hair to shake it out of her eyes.
"Scorpius?" Lorcan frowned. "I don't think I have actually, sorry. Would you like me to help you find him?" She was thankful that Lorcan didn't ask why she wanted to find Scorpius; any other person would have.
Lily sighed. "No, it's okay, I'll catch up with him later. Thanks, anyway- I'll go and find him, he must be somewhere."
Lorcan grinned suddenly. "I don't think you have far to look."
"Huh?" She didn't have time for games; didn't want to have to decipher Lorcan's riddles today. Lorcan pointed behind her, and she turned quickly to see Scorpius standing beside her, his face emotionless, his eyes avoiding her.
"H-hi," she said softly. Scorpius didn't look up, and she heard Lorcan go back inside the common room. She felt a rush of gratitude to Lorcan- he always knew just what to say or do to make her feel better.
Scorpius nodded at her and coughed, looking at the ceiling as if bored.
"I'm sorry," she said loudly, "about… what I said. I didn't mean- I'm sorry." She looked at him from under her hair, gauging his reaction.
"You did mean it, Lily. I can tell- I've been able to tell, for a long time, that I annoy you, but I don't know why. I don't know what it is about me that you hate so much, and I'm sorry for that. I wish it was different, but I don't know how to solve it. If you'd just tell me-"
"Hate you?" she said incredulously. "Scorpius, I don't hate you. Just because sometimes I act a bit annoyed doesn't mean I don't like you." She paused, watching him again. "In fact- that's the thing. I like you, a lot, and that's why I was annoyed; it seemed like you'd never like me back, like I was just a game to you- just your best friend's little sister who you can flirt with whenever you want but it'll never lead to anything. I just- I just wanted you to know how I felt, and I was annoyed because you never seemed to care enough to want to listen." Lily finished, breathless, with tears in her eyes. She couldn't look at him anymore- didn't want to see the disgust in his eyes when he knew that he liked her.
Scorpius watched her for a second, and a slow smile came to his lips. He walked forward quickly and cupped Lily's face in his hands. For a moment they stared at each other, and then he kissed her.
Lily pulled away, a confused expression on her face. "What-?"
Scorpius smiled down at her and rested his forehead against hers. "Just because I never said 'I love you', doesn't mean I don't," he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb, wiping away a stray tear.
Lily smiled, warmth spreading through her as his words sank in. She leaned into him, lifting her mouth once again to his.
Scorpius pulled back slightly. "Just for the record, in case you still don't understand..." he grinned. "...I love you, Lily."
She kissed him, and this time he succumbed. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that."
Scorpius grinned. "You don't know how long it's took me to find the guts to say it."
Lily kissed him again and he lifted her into the air, spinning her round and round, not once thinking to let her go; not once thinking that eventually his knees would go weak and they'd both crash to the floor; not once thinking that this was silly, that this was immature and no one would approve.
All, just because he loved her.