A/N - I'm warning you now, this one may contain a few facets that may bother people. There is a cross-gen scene, but everyone is of legal age. There ia also M/M slash. It's not graphic, more lemonade made from frozen concentrate than lemons. It's nowhere near as graphic or as triggering as The Prisoner.
Okay, you've been warned. Now on with the story.
The first time she remembered talking to Draco, she couldn't have been more than four years old. Mum's boss at The Daily Prophet had called, telling her that Marty Belden, the top ranked Quidditch player in the world, had called a press conference in one hour, reportedly to announce his retirement. Dad was off on a mission, the boys were off with Uncle George, Aunt Hermione was at work, Grandma was sick with the flu, and Mum couldn't reach Aunt Fleur or Aunt Audrey. Left with no other options, Mum had taken Lily along with her to the press conference.
He was the first person they had seen off the elevator.
"Malfoy," her mother paled. "I'm sorry, I was called on short notice and couldn't find a sitter. I promise she won't be any bother."
"Why don't you take her up to my office?" the man offered. "Scorpius is there, coloring. Astoria is at St Mungo's. Her sister just had a baby. My secretary can keep an eye on the both of them."
"You are a life saver." Mum gushed, tugging Lily toward the lift, taking her to the owner's office.
Lily was taken to a plush office with thick carpets and heavy mahogany furniture. A boy about Al's age was drawing pictures of Quidditch players.
"What kind of broom is that supposed to be?" she asked the boy.
Thus began an odd friendship between the two families. Al and Scorpius got on well. James and Scorpius got on better, both being Quidditch fanatics. Scorp and Lily were best friends. And Lily, for whatever reason, over the years, became closer to Scorp's dad than she was her own parents. Astoria was polite but distant. Ginny and Draco had a cordial working relationship. Harry and Draco never exchanged anything but curt nods and barked out last names.
All three Potter children were guests at Malfoy Manor on a regular basis, but Lily far more than her brothers. Scorp was always welcome at the Potter household. Scorpius, James, and Draco tried to teach Al and Lily to play Quidditch. Al just wasn't interested. Lily, for as much as she loved to watch the game, was hopeless as a player. Fortunately she was perfectly content to watch Falcons games from the owner's box with Scorp and Draco, and later at Hogwarts watch James as the Gryffindor chaser and Scorp as the Slytherin seeker.
When Lily was sorted into Slytherin, Draco was the first person she wrote too. He wrote back, telling her how proud he was of her, and sending her a box filled with Slytherin everything. Quills, journals, penants, tee shirts, a book bag, and a tie pin that she was sure had once been his.
Lily's parents never batted an eye about her apparent adoption into the Malfoy family until the day Harry had proudly informed Scorp of the fact one of Lily's articles was being published in The Daily Prophet, and Scorp told them that the Malfoys had known for days.
Even so, the Potters could find no real reason to object to Scorp and Lily's relationship. He always treated her well, never pressured her into situations she wasn't ready for, and would have protected her with his life. Harry grudgingly admitted that Scorp was a good kid, even if he was a Malfoy, and wouldn't make a bad son in law, if things ever came to that point.
Al and Scorp graduated first and second in their class at Hogwarts. Both families cheered them proudly, and Lily didn't notice until she looked at the pictures later that her dad and Draco stood on opposite sides of the stage, both gazing at the two boys with the exact same sadness in their eyes.
Al went on to auror training, while Scorp signed on as the seeker for the Falcons.