House: Hufflepuff

Type: Short Story

Prompt: Hidden

Word Count: 916

Hidden Galleon

The cold air whipped around Lily, pulling her long fiery hair across her face as she ran towards Kings Cross Station with her brothers. Puffs of cold air rose in front of her as she ran, her petite fingers felt numb from the cold, and her face was flushed pink from exertion.

The busy haze of platforms nine and ten came into view and her stomach leapt with joy and excitement, she couldn't wait to get back too all the secrets and mystery that lurked inside the walls of Hogwarts. She was aware of a singular secret that sat snuggly in her pocket. A simple unassuming galleon that was nothing extraordinary, if anything the galleon seemed too normal and made it difficult to tell the difference of one to another.

But this simple galleon allowed the youngest Potter to keep a secret from her family, and it was this secret that made her so excited to go back to school. Her stomach fluttered and she wished time would speed up but this wasn't the reason she was running so fast towards platform 9 ¾, her stupid brother had overslept so her legs pushed her forward and her heavy breath sped up.

She grabbed at her hat just as it made an attempt to fly off her head and ran straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10 just as the a large elegant clock chimed 11 and the portal was sealed between the wizarding world and the muggle world. Lily turned back towards the now sealed portal and shook the closed gate behind her.

"Come on Lily, the train is going to leave without us," James called as he started making his way towards the Hogwarts express.

"But we didn't get to say goodbye to Mom and Dad," she called after him.

"It's okay Lils, we can send them an Owl when we get to Hogwarts," Albus told her.

Albus - always being the most caring of her brothers - stroked her head before turning and running off towards the train himself.

Lily nodded and accepted the fact that this was all they could do now. Following to an empty compartment she scowled at James' back annoyed that she couldn't say goodbye to her parents, this wasn't the first time her annoying older brother had made them late for something.

The door to the compartment suddenly slid open. A brawny male with platinum blonde hair and silver grey eyes stepped in, an owl's cage perched on his hip, trunk in tow behind him. He glanced around the compartment and a look of pure disdain washing across his face when he saw them.

"Sorry didn't realise this was where they kept the trash," he stated a smirk spreading across his chiselled face.

"Move along, Malfoy, no one wants a bratty snake stinking up the place," James stated, rising up out of his seat to gain full height in an attempt to tower over the Slytherin boy, although there wasn't much difference in height.

Hatred sparkled in his eyes; his hands balled up into fists at his sides, the skin over his knuckles turning white as his cheeks flushed matching his messy red hair.

"Gladly Potter, quite frankly all the red is making my eyes sore."

Lily watched as Malfoy turned to leave, the Charmed Galleon that never left her pocket burned, making her thigh, where it rested, flush pink from the heat, although it was concealed in her mind's eye Lily could picture the golden coin starting to shimmer, a luminous pink and gold overtaking it, the galleon whispered up to her, softly repeating in her mind:

Hi, I've missed you.

Lily looked down to hide the small smile that had crept onto her face her thigh tingling and stomach fluttering, she wanted nothing more but to speed up time until she could have Scorpius to herself. Her brother slumped into the seat next her muttering incoherent things and cursing under his breath about how much he hated the Malfoys. How he never understood why dad had tried to make them be friends with the ungrateful Slytherin, when in truth, James had never given him a chance in the first place.

She would never forget the day that their dad had tried to make them be friends, in all the chaos that was their first meeting it was her favourite. Scorpius was her hidden joy and nothing made her happier than him. Pushing her hand into the pocket of her robe she clutched the warm galleon tightly, her chest felt light. She freed her mind focusing her energy around the galleon, taking steady breaths she sent through a reply; I've missed you too.

The hidden galleon had helped the pair hide their relationship from the world, worried about the backlash of their family and the sordid articles of the media. James would never approve of the couple, his mind somehow ended up in line with the generation above him, holding a heavy hatred for all Slytherins. With a fierce instinct to keep any blood prejudices away from his family especially snakes. Albus however, Lily believed would be a bit more understanding after all Scorpius and him had almost become friends when they first arrived but James had spoiled that too. But this was the year where everything would change, this would be when the young couple would find away to step out of the darkness, after all Scorpius was her moon and she was his sun.