The Platform was filled with people rushing around, Families bidding their Children goodbye, Students all greeting each other after the long summer holidays, Animals calling from their cages as they were knocked around roughly as everybody tried to get the best spot on the train as Possible. Young Lily Potter wasn't fussed by all of this though, she had arrived early to put her things away for her final arrival to Hogwarts, her parents had already said their goodbyes to her and were now talking animatedly to her Aunty Hermione and Uncle Ron, who were there to see Hugo off. Her elder brothers had left earlier, James having to be at a meeting at the Ministry and Albus leaving for France as part of his Job as assistant to the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Lily stood to the side of her family and scanned the crowd desperately for any sight of him. She chewed at her bottom lip worriedly and unknowingly started to fidget with her fingers. Would he turn up? He had promised her, last week when he had visited the house. He had promised that he would come. Promised. Would he break it? Lily was starting to doubt him. What if he forgot? She wondered, furrowing her brow. What if- what if he doesn't want to come? What if he found someone else? Lily put a hand up to her brilliant auburn hair, cut short and messily, her fringe covering her eyes with a stylish unevenness. She twisted a single lock in her long white fingers and blew impatiently at a piece that had started to tickle at her nose. Her eyes flashed with annoyance, but also with fear as her over imaginative mind ran through different scenarios as to why he could be late.
Unbeknownst to Lily, Hugo had seen her fidgeting and had nudged his Uncle Harry, both of them grinned at each other and Harry whispered something in his ear. Hugo nodded.
'Oi! Lils!' Lily turned around in a huff.
'What!' she demanded, glaring heavily at her persistently annoying younger cousin. Hugo just grinned.
'Uncle Harry and I have a bet going.' Lily's jaw dropped. Her father never gambled.
'What…?' she asked cautiously, narrowing her eyes at the two men who stood in front of her, trying their best to look innocent. Harry nodded in agreement to Hugo's previous statement.
'Yes, we do.' Lily rolled her eyes.
'And…? What is it?' Harry shrugged, acting as if he was completely un aware of his daughter's distress. 'Ugghhh… You are so childish!' the two of them shrugged in unison and turned away, joining in on the second conversation as if nothing had happened. Lily rolled her eyes again. They were so mean to her sometimes! How could they tease her when they knew she was stressed? She crossed her arms across her robed chest and pouted heavily, sulking at his lateness. Lily glanced down at her watch, a Birthday present from him, and felt her eyes go wide at the time. Surely it wasn't that late. She looked up to the brass clock that hung from the side of the platform and frowned again, sighing sadly when she realized that she, or more accurately he, only had ten minutes before the train left.
'What's wrong?' a soft voice whispered into her ear as a large warm hand wrapped around her thin waist. Lily jumped slightly, but smiled with relief as she leaned into his embrace. He cuddled her from behind and gently kissed the top of her head.
'Nothing,' she whispered. 'Everything's perfect.' He chuckled into her ear, the feeling of his warm breath upon her skin sending shivers down her spine.
'Sorry I'm late.' He whispered, Lily closed her eyes and slipped into the peaceful world of his hold. 'I had to do something.'
'Mmm….' Lily smiled as he took one of her hands in his and gently stroked along the side of it. 'It's okay. You came at least.' He turned her around and Lily looked up into the dazzling blue eyes of Scorpius Malfoy. He frowned at her.
'You didn't think I'd come?' Lily looked away, ashamed at his accusative voice. Scorpius took her chin gently in his large, long fingered hand and forced her to look at him. 'Did you?' Lily bit her lip. 'Lily?'
'No…' she whispered and felt guilty at the look of hurt that flashed through his eyes. Scorpius let her go and went to turn away, but Lily grabbed him on the shoulder to keep him in place. 'Scor… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you.' Scorpius closed his eyes.
'It just hurts to know that you think that of me.' He whispered in a voice barely heard by Lily. She had really upset him.
'I'm sorry!' she pleaded 'I just thought that you had realized that you could do better than me.' Scorpius' eyes flashed open in amazement as he looked down at her, he ran a hand through his short cropped blonde hair.
'Lil… I could never do better than you. I don't want to do better than you. I want you. Okay? No one else but you.' he had grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them in comfort. Lily nodded and smiled at him.
'I'm going to miss you, Scor.' She studied his face and watched as it softened at the realization that there was only a few minutes before the train would leave. He moved his hands down her body and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. Lily's hands slid around his neck and she buried her head into his collar bone, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Scorpius; musky and light at the same time, with a faint scent of the cologne she had given him in her fifth year and a trace of sweat. Scorpius whispered something into her hair as he nuzzled her neck. Lily pulled back slightly, a questioning look on her face. 'What?' Scorpius smiled and shook his head at her, his arms resting lightly on her hips.
'I'll miss you too Lily-love.' Lily smiled lovingly up at him. She was about to ask him what he had said again but her father's voice interrupted her.
'Lil! C'mon! The train's going to leave in a minute!' Lily waved her hand at him and then turned to face Scorpius once more. She bit her lip and then stood on her tip-toes, pulling his head down with her hands. They met halfway in a kiss and Lily gripped at his robes desperately. Lily felt Scorpius' hand leave her waist and then return a second later, shoving something into her robe pocket.
'Lily!' Harry called once more and the two of them broke apart reluctantly. And Lily started towards the train, Scorpius staying where he had been. She got into the compartment she had saved earlier with Hugo and some of their friends, but turned at the door and smiled at her boyfriend of two years.
'I'll see you at Christmas!' she yelled over the noise. Scorpius nodded at her and then motioned at his pocket. Lily was confused for a moment before remembering that he had put something in there. She nodded and went back in, sitting on one of the seat as she waited for the train to leave. Out of her pocket she pulled a shiny glod box, which looked like a birthday gift, she smiled and frowned at the same time; Scorpius had given her a birthday present, and it was too early for Christmas. She lifted the small lid and peaked inside, her eyes greeted by the sight of a folded piece of parchment. She removed it and her eyes widened at the glinting gold and emerald ring inside. Still confused, she opened the note as the train started to move and marveled at the simple two word question. Ignoring Hugo's suspicious glance, she ran to the window and threw it open, seeing Scorpius still standing there, she grinned and yelled above the noise of the train.
'Yes!!!' Scorpius smiled, lifted his hand, and waved goodbye.
In the background, Hugo swore.
'Damn… I owe him ten Galleons now.'