Aberration

Their friendship was an aberration but when their lives are threatened, there is nothing they wouldn't do to save the other. LLPxSHM

Chapter one

Lily Luna Potter sat at the bar of the Leaky Cauldron nursing a tumbler of firewhiskey on the rocks. She was in one foul mood which unfortunately wasn't a rare occurrence. She was well known to have an unpredictable and explosive temper; much like the other redheads in her family. However she could be far less tolerant and forgiving than a number of her cousins. This was why many a man who dared to offer her unwanted attention, ended up unconscious at her feet. Lily wasn't one to suffer fools, take her neighbour for example.

Satine Zabini was one of three reasons Lily was having such an awful day. The bitch had the audacity to call the authorities because a potions mishap accidently damaged one measly branch of her bloody pear tree. Never mind the fact that half Lily's lab had been blown to smithereens costing her hundreds of galleons of damage. The building needed to be rebuilt and her stock of ingredients needed to be replaced. Half the stuff had to be ordered in especially from other continents. Even if Lily pulled the Potter card it would be weeks or maybe months before her supply would be replenished, and that would be a waste of valuable time.

The fact that the potion which exploded was one she'd been working on for months was the other reason Lily was so pissed off. So Lily wasn't in the best frame of mind when her former classmate came to berate her. Admittedly Lily could have been politer but the way Satine had been going on about it; you'd expect the bloody pear tree to be solid gold. Lily had tried to be reasonable and had offered to pay for the damage by replacing the damn thing, but the vindictive bitch was having none of it. Frankly Lily thought Satine should be grateful that she still had her limbs intact; Lily was sorely tempted to rectify that but alas, it would be traced back to her and she'd have to deal with her father's disappointment- not something she enjoyed. But the temptation to maim her neighbour only grew when Satine ranted on about how Lily and her potions were a danger to the community, and how she should be forced to move away from the neighbourhood.

Lily, not liking the other woman to begin with, felt no guilt when she proudly played the Potter card. Since no one at the Ministry of Magic was willing to go against the Chosen One's only daughter. All they'd done was ask her to be more careful in future and reinforce the walls of her potions lab. Since Lily planned to do that anyway, she didn't mind the request. The last thing she needed was for her lap to blow up again. The expense and interruption of her schedule was an inconvenience. When the authorities left they hadn't even asked her to replace the damaged property. Lily's victory over her neighbour was bitter sweet since she still had to repair the damage her potion had done to her property.

Lily took a large swig of her drink as she tried to take her mind off the fact she would be joining her parents for a pub lunch in a half hours time. That was the third reason she was in such a foul mood. After she'd dealt with her neighbour a stag patronus appeared and spoke in her father's voice, asking her to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Being a dutiful daughter, Lily turned up even though she knew her housemates wouldn't thank her for it later. Her day better pick up soon or she'd be driving them all to murder later; especially since she didn't have her potion's lab to retreat to.

Her relationship with her mother was particularly strained at present. They both had different ideas about what Lily should be doing with her life. Ginny Potter was in no way impressed by Lily's choices in life. She didn't like that she'd chosen to be sorted into Slytherin over Gryffindor, nor did she particularly like Lily's choice in friends, Lysander Scamander being the exception.

Ginny even had something to say about Lily's career in potion mastery. The occupation was too isolated; there was no way she'd find someone half decent to settle down with. As if Lily wanted to settle down just yet. She was twenty-six years old for Merlin's sake. However, she was also the only one of Molly and Arthur Weasley's grandchildren, who was not married with children.

Lily was happy to keep it that way for a few years yet. She loved children, as long as they were related her and she got to hand them back at the end of the day, but she wasn't ready to settle down just yet as she wanted to concentrate on her career. That and she hadn't dated a man she could tolerate being in the same room with for long. Considering Lily was happy with her situation in life but her mother wasn't, whenever the two red-haired women got together it tended to end in disaster, hence the firewhiskey Lily was gulping like fruit punch. Lily placed her empty glass on the bar and massaged her temples. Thinking about her mother made her head hurt.

"This one is on the house." The barmaid informed Lily as she placed another drink in front of her without being asked. Lily glanced up at the blonde-haired woman and tipped her head in thanks. The woman paused as she regarded the redhead, as if contemplating whether daring to speak, was worth the verbal tongue lashing Lily was capable of. Lily really wished the woman wouldn't bother trying to talk to her; Lily was in the mood for drinking, not talking. It was decent of the other woman to give her the drink, but that didn't make her want to spill her guts out.

To Lily's dismay, family loyalties won out and she voiced her opinion. "Look I know we've never been close and that hasn't changed much since I married your cousin, but if you need to talk about anything I'm here to listen. And you don't need to worry about whatever you say getting back to any of your family. Listening to people's problems and keeping their trust is sort of in the job description."

Lily arched a crimson brow. She respected the girl's courage as she knew not many people were brave enough or foolish enough to approach her in her present state. There was no doubt in Lily's mind that many a stressed or depressed witch and wizard had taken her up on the offer, but Lily wasn't going to be one of them. It was rule number one; don't talk about your feelings, they make you appear weak. "Thanks for the drink but I'll pass." Lily replied and watched the blonde sigh.

Cordelia chose not to take offense and turned to another customer. She, Lily and Lily's cousin Hugo had been childhood playmates before they'd attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then they had been sorted into different Houses, Cordelia had joined Hufflepuff, Hugo had been chosen for Gryffindor and Lily had been made a Slytherin like her elder cousins Molly and Lucy. Even before then, the girls had never really bonded despite their fathers' efforts. They were just too different. Cordelia thought the redhead too volatile with a tendency to frown too much, while Lily found the blonde annoyingly happy, bustling about on her never ending supply of energy.

Their relationship hadn't changed much after Cordelia had married Hugo, although Lily seemed to tolerate being around her when family gatherings forced them together. In fact, the Slytherin only started to warm to her after the birth of her twin sons Russell and Robbie. Hugo assured her that it was just Lily being Lily, but Cordelia couldn't help but feel the redhead was a little strange and distant for a Potter/Weasley. Nevertheless, she seemed genuinely fond of the boys and was always willing to babysit at a moment's notice. Cordelia couldn't complain with that.

From the corner of her eye Cordelia saw a man approach Lily. Only a fool would try and hit on her in her present mood. Considering the leer the man wore as he approached his target, Cordelia cringed and prepared for the worse.

X

Lily took a sip of her drink and crossed her legs. At the action, the large split in her dress scissored revealing the bare skin of her legs. Lily blamed the fashion of today. Although apart from the slit her dress featured, her fashion of dress would be deemed positively medieval by Muggle standards and was similar to those worn in Muggle fairytale films- it was considered the height of fashion by modern witches. Besides, it was a damn sight better than the robes her parent's wore at her age. Lily found the slit to be a nuisance, although it did allow her easy access to her wand that was holstered to her thigh. If it kept falling that way though, Lily was going to start shocking the hell out of her family and friends by wearing Muggle clothing.

With a sigh Lily began to correct her dress. From behind her, Lily heard the heavy footsteps of a man purposefully heading in her direction. Instantly on her guard, her hand hovered over the position of her wand while her back straightened. She didn't expect too much trouble since the bar was full of families, but one could never be too careful. She'd been known to hex a few of her would be admirers in the past, since that was common knowledge, it wouldn't shock the other customers if the approaching male didn't remain on his feet long. Considering this, she wondered why they continued to bother.

"What a great pair of legs you have there! What time do they open?" A raspy male voice sounded from behind her in a sickeningly seductive tone.

Normally the sleazebag would already be sporting a bloody nose or would be on all fours having fallen under the weight of his inflating tongue; however Lily recognised the man's voice. It was that reason alone that she held back the spell.

Her insides went cold. Lily drained her glass empty and swivelled lazily in her chair to regard him coldly. "What the hell do you want Avery?" she demanded, her hazel eyes narrowing as she came face to face with the gaunt former Slytherin leering at her. Gilbert Avery was not a threat by himself, but where he went, Pollux Montague and Mikhail Dolohov weren't far. Montague was a brainless oaf just like Avery, but Dolohov was a real threat. Although Lily hadn't had a run in with the older Slytherin since she was thirteen, it didn't quell the need for caution whenever she ran into one of his stooges. To say Mikhail Dolohov wasn't one of her favourite people was a drastic understatement- she despised the sadistic bastard. Her eyes scanned to room carefully and only returned to the man in front of her once she knew Dolohov was nowhere to be seen. Lily was able to relax.

Avery stepped forward seeming unconcerned that Lily was reaching for the nine-inch ebony wand holstered to her thigh. A second passed and Avery was still standing. Lily found herself hesitating and was embarrassed and shocked to realise her reason for staying her wand. Any mess resulting from the aftermath of a confrontation would have to be cleaned up by Cordelia, who wouldn't appreciate the task. Lily didn't know how the perky blonde had done it, but Lily was fighting her instinct to attack because she knew she would feel guilty about adding to the other woman's workload. When the hell had that happened? It must be because the woman was a blonde; Lily thought ruefully. She had a real weakness for blondes. Not that she would admit it to anyone other than herself.

Lily was still in a state of shock when Avery spoke again. "I have a few suggestions in mind." He hinted and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Lily felt her stomach churn unpleasantly when she realised he wasn't trying to creep her out, but was actually hitting on her.

The git's claw-like hand reaching to feel her up snapped her out of it. "Touch me Avery and I will snap off your fingers and force them down your throat." Lily threatened. It wouldn't be too difficult; the man was built like a skeleton and probably had less upper body strength than her nieces and nephews.

"You haven't changed much have you?" Avery retorted, not bothering to hide his smirk. "You've always been one to overestimate your capabilities."

Lily snorted as her eyes flashed dangerously. He was one to talk about overestimating his capabilities. He was useless without Dolohov and Montague by his side. He was very much a follower and had no creative bone in his body. The man couldn't even muster up a decent Cruciatus curse for Merlin's sake. She knew that from firsthand experience from when she was a first year and he a fifth. Although that was fifteen years ago, she doubted his skill had improved much.

"Just try it and you'll see exactly what I am and am not capable of." Lily dared, her tone becoming dark and dangerous.

Avery disregarded her warning. He was under the false impression that because she hadn't struck out yet, she wouldn't. He was incorrectly confident that his audience was keeping him safe. He met the startled gaze of the barmaid who quickly looked away. "Perhaps some other time Potter. I have something more pleasant in mind. How about I take this empty seat and share a few of the things I'd like to do to you."

Lily was finding her temper less easy to control. She flexed her fingers to keep them from her wand. If she wasn't careful her efforts to keep the place clean would be for naught. "I'd rather be locked in a room with Gilderoy Lockhart. Even he would contribute to a more intelligent conversation than you."

Avery's cat-like cackle escaped his lips and the sound made Lily cringe. "Play nice now. How about you stop being difficult and ask me out. I know you want to."

Lily fought the urge to gape at the man for the insinuation. How dare he come and make an already bad day even worse? With it in the back of her mind not to spill his blood, Lily's sarcastic nature came to light. "How did you know? I always thought I managed to keep my desire for you secret. I never dreamed that I was so transparent; if I had known that you knew, then I would have quit playing hard to get years ago. I would have told you then what I'm telling you now… get out!"

Avery who had begun to look very pleased with himself, suddenly realised he was being made fun of. "That's not very nice of you." He pointed out thickly.

Lily rolled her eyes. She was seriously growing tired of this playing nice malarkey. It didn't seem worth the hassle. Hell, she would even clean up the mess herself if it came to it. "That was me being nice," she corrected cattily, "but I guess I could say: get out… please!" she forced out even though it went against her nature to exchange pleasantries with the fool.

"Lily-"

Lily's vision turned red. She was suddenly on her feet, her three inch heels making her almost equal height with the male. Survival instincts finally kicking in, Avery took several steps backwards. "Don't call me Lily. We're not friends. Never have been and never will be so don't even try it. If you have to talk, think or dare I say… dream about me. Then you refer to me as Potter. Do you understand?"

Avery held his hands up in front of him. He began stammering his response but Lily had lost all patience with him. Wands were reached for and Lily sent the man to the floor with a powerful knock-out jinx. It was the first spell Lily could think of that would cause as little disruption to the pub as possible. Lily stared down at the man with smug satisfaction before returning to her spot at the bar as if nothing had happened. If people stared and gawked at her, she didn't notice, nor did she care.

This time a Butterbeer waited for her. It wasn't exactly her drink of choice but it wouldn't do for her to be half-cut when she met up with her parents; especially since it was so early in the day.

Cordelia motioned for her younger brother Frankie to take out the trash; the trash being Avery's limp body, and then offered Lily a appreciative smile; it was her turn to offer her thanks. She knew what the redhead was capable of and although she was unaware of the reason Lily kept her temper reigned in, she was grateful for it.

Lily sipped her offered drink without further comment. There was no way she was going to admit to the woman that she'd grown fond of her somewhere along the line. It would do some serious damage to her reputation.

X

Mikhail Dolohov leant against the wall outside the Leaky cauldron, getting increasingly frustrated when Gil didn't turn up. He wasn't the sort of man who was kept waiting and his impatience increased with every second that ticked by. His mind swam with images of what he'll like to do to the worthless excuse of a wizard when he finally got his hands on him; even Pollux would have a hard time talking him out of it.

Moments later the back door to the pub swung open; Frankie Longbottom walked out levitating Avery from the premises and lowered him onto a bench. Scowling since the reason the man was supposed to be meeting him was so that they could work out some finer points to their plan; he wondered if the fool had let something slip that had gotten him into trouble.

Once Frankie re-entered the pub without as much as glancing their way, he stepped forward, knowing that his companion would follow him without instruction. Approaching the bench, Mikhail fisted the fabric of Avery's tunic with one hand and cast a revival spell which wasn't as effective as Mikhail would have liked. "I swear if that big mouth of yours has compromised our plans Gil, death will be too good for you." He promised shaking the man while Pollux looked on uncertainly.

Although hardly conscious, Avery realised the danger he was in. He tried to tell the man that he wouldn't betray him like that, but his brain refused to function properly. The only word that escaped his thin lips was 'Potter'.

Releasing the man so he fell back with a thud, his sallow eyes rolling back in his head as unconsciousness claimed him once more. Mikhail's lips fashioned a smirk. There was only one Potter that would have prevented Avery from joining them at the assigned time, and he couldn't blame the man because he would probably have done the same. Lily Potter always did offer good sport. Since Gil's unconscious state robbed him of taking out his anger on him, Mikhail quickly decided their plans could wait a while longer. Besides, Gil was useless at the present moment in time. "Avery will be out for a while. It's been years since I had the pleasure of talking to Lily Potter, let's go and reacquaint ourselves."

Author's note: So here is the first chapter of another Lily and Scorpius fanfiction and again it is a different portrayal of the characters. You should recognise a few characters from my other stories. Yes that was Delia from Snake Charmer but her relationship with Lily is far from that in Snake Charmer. What do you guys think of it so far?