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The Leaky Cauldron was empty, save for a pudgy middle-aged blonde (the owner) and a younger, slimmer red-haired woman.
"Are you sure I can't get you something to drink, Rose?" the older woman asked.
The former Ravenclaw shook her head. "I'm fine, Mrs. Longbottom. Thanks for the offer, though."
The Hufflepuff chuckled. "Please, sweetheart, call me Hannah. I've told you that before."
Rose swallowed. "Right, sorry, just-"
"-old habits, yes, I know. " Hannah glanced at the clock on the wall. "Your cousin is supposed to meet you here soon, right?"
Rose nodded. "Of course. It isn't like Lily to be this late; something must've happened to her on her way here."
0-0-0
Rose had only just woken up when she heard the unmistakable taps of an owl's beak on the window of her studio flat. She'd quickly slid into her pale blue dressing robe before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Sure enough, an owl was flapping around outside. But it wasn't just any owl; it was Lily's owl.
"Oh my Godric." The nineteen-year-old blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things; nobody'd heard from or seen her younger cousin in almost a week.
And yet, here was Moonflower, Lily's ancient old snow-white bird, waiting expectantly as though nothing had happened.
Rose took the sheet of flowered Muggle stationary and opened it carefully as though expecting it to shatter into a million little pieces.
Rosie,
I'm sorry I haven't tried to contact the family as of late. I've been in Greece having quite a fun time.
Don't you dare worry about me; I'll explain what I've been up to if you meet me at The Leaky Cauldron in an hour.
Love,
Your cousin,
Most sincerely,
Lily L. Potter
P.S. Don't tell a soul where you're going or who you're meeting.
0-0-0
It was almost an hour after Lily was supposed to show, and her older cousin was growing anxious. While Lily was often "fashionably late," that rarely meant any thing longer than fifteen minutes.
Just as Rose was about to leave, figuring that her little cousin was a no-show, the door opened to the sound of tinkling bells.
Rose looked up, and the sight before her sent her nearly flying from the table and crying tears of a relieved happiness as she embraced her youngest cousin.
"You're here," she sobbed as Lily patted the older girl on the back. "Thank Godric, you're really here."
As Rose let go, the Gryffindor remarked. "I, er, brought a visitor with me. Is that all right?" Only then did Rose notice that Lily's beau of two years, Lorcan, standing behind her.
Rose bit her lip. "Yes, of course."
The three slid into a booth along the back wall and only had to wait a moment before Hannah came over to ask for their orders.
"Three butterbeers, please." Lily pulled a few coins out of her purse. Rose opened her mouth to protest, but Lily's perfected Weasley glare shut her up instantly.
One Accio later, the butterbeers had arrived and Rose took a long swig of hers before setting the bottle down. "So what the hell have you kids been up to? You scared the shit out of everyone when you went missing, you know."
Lily grimaced. "I know, and I regret it. But I'm not sorry I went."
The three each drained the remainder of their butterbeers before Rose decided it was all right to press on. "What exactly did you two do on this trip?"
Lorcan, being the son of two of the wizarding world's most famous naturalists, immediately began chattering on about some creature Rose had never heard of until Lily leaned over and began snogging him.
Several moments later, Rose coughed and the couple finally pulled apart. Lily opened her purse and dug around for her lipstick while Lorcan flattened his flaxen hair and tried not to turn any more red than he already was. "S-sorry about that. We may have gotten a bit carried away right then..."
Rose smiled and waved his concerns away. "It's fine. Honestly, the way you're acting reminds me of Teddy and Vic right after they tied the knot."
Across the table, Lily stopped rummaging and Lorcan blinked before the two exchanged a quick glance.
"Oh my Godric, please tell me that look doesn't mean what I think it does." Rose said.
Silence. And then, the elder Weasley started to shout. "You mean to say that the two of you eloped while you families were worried sick about you?"
Lily spoke up. "Please, Rosie, it's not what you th-"
"IT IS DAMN WELL WHAT I THINK IT IS!" Lily winced. While her cousin may have got her mum's brains, she'd definitely inherited the infamous Weasley hair-trigger temper from her dad's side of the family.
Rose turned to face Lorcan before continuing. "You, I'm not surprised to see involved in this, what with being a cunning little snake and all."
The blond snorted. "Not surprising, seeing you stereotype a whole Hogwarts house based off familial prejudices and your experiences with exactly one member of our group. I s'pose that's what you get for dating your cousin's best friend, though."
Rose scowled and pretended to ignore his remark as she turned on Lily. "But you, Lily, I honestly didn't expect this from you. You're a Gryffindor, yes, but for Godric's sake you're seventeen. What the bloody hell were you thinking?"
"I honestly don't see what's so wrong with this whole situation. Grandmum and Granddad got married almost straight out of Hogwarts-"
"And that's the problem, Lily. They'd already finished their schooling; you've still got another year."
"Yeah, but Lorcan's done."
"But he only just graduated. It wasn't even five weeks ago, Lils." The younger redhead let out an impatient huff as Rose prattled on. "And anyways, Grandmum had Uncle Bill six months later."
"And what about Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey? They eloped, and no one gave them a hard time."
"Yes, but they both had decent jobs and cousin Molly came along eight months later. See the pattern, Lils? Marry quick, a baby comes along-" Rose stops herself, her eyes wide. "Oh my Godric, you aren't pregnant, are you?"
"WHAT?! NO!" Lily's outburst echoed across the empty room. "My Godric, Rose. You're acting like I've never heard of birth control potions and Contraception Charms. And don't bother telling me they're not 100% effective; I know that. Besides, I think I'd know if I was expecting."
Rose shrugged. "Not necessarily."
Lily ignored her. "Besides, does there need to be a reason for marrying young? I love Lorcan, and you just don't like the fact his brother is your ex."
"THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO!" Rose screamed, obviously hurt her cousin would dare to remind her of those days.
Lily glowered. "But can't you see, Rosie? Can't you see that for once in my damn life, I'm happy? Or are you too narrow-minded to accept that I've found someone who's got my back when nobody else can be there?"
"I just think you're rushing into this decision, Lils. And besides, how're you going to explain this to Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, let alone the Hogwarts staff and the rest of the family?"
Lily shrugged. "I'll think of something when the time comes."
"Well, you better hurry up, because that time is now, Lils."
"No, it is not." Lily's voice is firm. "I wanted to elope because I couldn't deal with the thought of Mum making my wedding day into something I didn't want it to be. If I tell her now, she's going to make me go through with some over-the-top party I don't want, and you know how Mum can get when something she plans falls through."
Rose shuddered in remembrance from the last incident, then went on. "But you're still a child."
"Not in the wizarding world."
"But to the rest of the world, you are."
Lily threw her hands in the ear. "My Godric, you're impossible."
"Takes one to know one."
Lily bit her lip. "Look, I came to you for support so I'd feel a bit more at ease when I told the rest of the family. Are you going to help me out or not?"
Rose hesitated, a mistake. Lily stood up. "You know what? Forget it. I can do this without you."
She grabbed her boyfriend- no, husband, Rose reminded herself- and tried to drag him out of the booth.
But Lorcan wouldn't budge.
Lily grew angrier, and opened her mouth to protest when Lorcan cut her off.
"Lils, hon, hear me out. You may not agree with some of the stuff your cousin has said, and quite frankly I don't either, but for Christ's sake she's the closest thing you have to a sister. Don't wreck your relationship with her now, when you need her support more than ever. That's just stupid, because family is supposed to be there for each other."
"How very...un-Slytherin of you." Rose said.
Lorcan shrugged. "I was s'posed to be a Hufflepuff, but I didn't want to follow my dad precisely, so the hat put me in the next best fit. Anyways, what is your family if you can't lean on them when you need it most desperately?"
Silence. Then Lily cleared her throat before sticking her hand out to her cousin. "All right, let's try this again. Rose, will you be willing to support me when Lorcan and I tell the rest of the family?"
Rose swallowed. "I'm sorry, Lils, but I can't. You know I-"
"No, no, it's fine." Lily retracted her hand and stood up, motioning for Lorcan to follow.
The last Rose saw or heard from the young couple was the tinkling of bells as the door closed behind them.
Written for HPFC's "We're in a Relationship" Competiton, Option 3: Lily/Lorcan as the pairing having to tell Rose.