By request.
"When I first heard I had thought…I had hoped that it was just a rumor."
She shook her head her long red hair whipping from side to side as she did.
She was feeling quite brave in the moment. She intended to enjoy it too. She knew it wouldn't last. She knew that if there was one person in the world whose opinion mattered the most to her it was his. She knew that if he yelled she would likely end up crying before the night was over. She knew that her bravery and confidence would be short lived. She was almost amazed that she could feel such a way when she knew exactly where this was going. At the same time she wouldn't back down though. She knew that she was right and she wouldn't just sit down and close her mouth like a good little girl.
He made a disgusted face. "How can you be doing this?"
"It's really not a big deal," she replied in a nonchalant voice.
"Not a big deal?" He nearly shrieked. "You know who he is. You know who his father is! What do you think daddy would say about this?"
Lily forced out an exaggerated laugh. "He isn't his father, you of all people should understand that James."
Although James adored his father, he absolutely hated when people expected him to be someone or something simply because he was Harry Potter's son. He wanted to be himself, not a disappointment because he could never live up to something he wasn't.
"He is a Slytherin," James replied angrily.
"So is our brother," Lily retorted. "Or have you forgotten that?"
James chose to ignore her words and instead decided to take a different approach. "I absolutely refuse to allow this."
"Allow this?" Lily laughed for real this time. "You have no power over who I choose to date."
"Like hell I don't, you are my little sister!"
Lily could see the anger and frustration rising in him. He was well past upset. She could feel the fear in her stomach. She wasn't afraid of her brother in the sense that he would ever hurt her. She knew he wouldn't. For as much as they could rough house or play around dueling she knew that he would never in a million years intentionally hurt her. Her fear when it came to James was always the same. She feared disappointing him, more so than she did with her parents. She feared knowing that he was angry with her. Her cousin Dominique had once made the comment that if they really wanted to punish Lily all they had to do was have James be cross with her; the statement couldn't have been more accurate.
"And I will date who I damn well please!"
"Daddy will forbid it," James promised.
"He won't," Lily argued. "And even if he did, daddy can't tell me who to date either."
"Lily Luna!" James nearly stamped his foot in frustration. "You cannot date a Malfoy! The family history is –"
"Is not Scorpius' fault! You don't even know him, he is nothing like his father was and-"
"Oh I know enough," James cut her off angrily. "I know that he is a Malfoy!"
"You sound like the most small-minded, prejudiced person that I have ever-"
"Prejudice?"
James was yelling now. The sound of it nearly made Lily jump but she held her ground. She wasn't going to back down on this and that was final.
"Yes prejudice," Lily nodded. "And what would daddy say about that?"
James threw her a disgusted look but remained silent.
"Look I know that you are concerned but if you would just give him a chance you would see that he isn't that bad," Lily tried to reason in a calm voice.
James shook his head forcefully. "No and I'm not covering for you the next time you are sneaking around with him. If you get caught you are on your own."
"Fine," Lily replied fervently. "I don't need your help!"
"You don't need his help with what?" Albus asked as he walked into the room. "Is my Herbology book in here?"
Lily opened her mouth to reply but James beat her to it. "Our baby sister is dating Scorpius Malfoy."
"I haven't seen your book," Lily answered his question in a soft voice.
A shocked expression overtook Albus' face. He was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat softly, "just be careful Lil."
Lily nodded in reply as James made a horrified face. "That's all you are going to say?"
Albus considered these words for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, be careful. Don't get too caught up in it and do something dumb." His eyes scanned the room before a small smile appeared on his lips. He walked across the room and picked up his Herbology book from a small table. "Found it!"
His siblings watched as he tucked the book under his arm, turned, and walked out of the room.
"This conversation isn't over!" James promised before following Albus.
He shut the door tightly behind him before calling out to his brother, "Al!"
Albus stopped in his tracks turning around. "Huh?"
"What was that? You were supposed to back me up in there! She shouldn't be dating anyone seriously, let alone a Malfoy!"
Albus made a disapproving face at his brother's words. "First of all, daddy would kill you for talking like that and you know it. Secondly, if you want Lily to stop dating him then you have to just let her."
A wave of confusion swept over James' face.
"You know how she is," Albus continued. "She loves us but if you tell her not to do something she is just going to do it more to prove she can."
James thought this over before he smiled at his brother. "You know you're smarter than I give you credit for Al."
Albus smiled back. "Oh, I know it."