Rated T for underage drinking.
Lily Potter was a big fan of the Muggle phenomenon called mathematics. It was, as far as she was concerned, more reliable than humans. It didn't lie, or change its mind, or mix up its theorems every so often because it fancied something different.
More importantly, math didn't bail on Hogsmeade plans for a date with Pollux Fawley. Lily had taken care to (loudly) inform Melissa of that as the latter rifled through possible outfits for the day, but she doubted her friend had been as jealous as she'd hoped.
So there she was, sitting and having a butterbeer with her most dependable of friends in the corner of the Three Broomsticks. It was a nice little date, really—just her and an ancient algebra textbook she'd taken from her aunt Hermione's library, cozied up on the magically-heated booth—and she was quite enjoying it.
As engrossed as she was, however, it was very difficult not to notice the distinctive rumble of adolescent male voices carrying perfectly loudly through the gentle din of the shop. Lily looked up and saw the unmistakable blond head of Scorpius Malfoy among the gaggle of sixth-year boys.
She didn't know what she'd expected.
Malfoy was a Ravenclaw, so Lily knew him by default from common-room parties and activities, but their difference in year meant that they had never had much interaction. So besides the occasional taunt or two and what little she'd heard from her parents, the majority of Lily's Scorpius knowledge came from observation.
For one, he was decently smart. She knew he excelled in Potions by Professor Dervish's stern comparison of her class's work to that of "the Malfoy boy" (and, on a similar note, by how Dervish actually remembered Scorpius's name). She was nearly certain he was in the top of his class, if Al's gripes were to be believed.
She could also tell he took a particular pride in confusing the first years with advanced magical terms. "Sorry, I'm busy," he would say lightly. "I've got to finish up my essay on the germination of Abyssinian Shrivelfigs for Herbology, you know, and then I'll have to study the chelidonium miniscula for the exam Friday…" It was a bit annoying, really, especially when not even she could understand what he was talking about.
And then there was his voice. No one would expect it by his stature, but Scorpius Malfoy's voice could startle a group of sleeping Erumpents; it was so brash sometimes that Lily wondered if he magically enhanced it somehow, though she couldn't see why he would.
It was funny, too; she could swear it was getting louder by the second, almost as if he were—
"Hello, Lily."
—moving closer.
She made a small eep of surprise and hugged her book to her chest. "Hi, Scorpius."
"What're you doing over here all by yourself?" he asked, slipping into the seat across from her.
"Reading." She motioned to her book.
"Algebra Studies for Enjoyment and Challenge. Right." He smirked. "Lovely way to spend the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year."
"Yes, it is." She nodded unconcernedly and took a sip of butterbeer. "The question is, what are you doing over here?"
Scorpius pretended to be hurt. "Can't I chat with you without needing a reason?"
I suppose you could, but we barely know each other, do we? "Sure, but why would you leave your friends to do that right now?" She peered over at the table, and saw two of them looking in her direction.
He held up his hands in defeat. "You got me. We need another player for Super Exploding Snap, so c'mon!" He slid out of the booth and waited.
Lily sighed; card games did sound appealing at the moment. She set her book on the table and joined him.
"So how's Super Exploding Snap different from regular Exploding Snap?" she asked.
"You use two decks, so there's double the people and double the explosion." He grinned. "And instead of taking—well, we'll teach you. I found our sixth player!" He aimed the last part toward his table, who cheered appreciatively.
Lily pulled up a seat next to Scorpius and took in her surroundings. Two decks of cards hovered maybe half an inch above the table (which was presumably protected with an Anti-Scorching Spell to prevent complaints from Madam Rosmerta). Around them sat four other sixth-year boys, two of whom she didn't recognize—but to her right was Adonis Selwyn, Slytherin's Seeker, and farther down sat Jack Mellor, who she thought might've dated her cousin Rose at some point.
"Alright, it's Jack's deal," Scorpius announced, and Jack aimed his wand at the decks, which began to shuffle themselves.
"So you know how to play regular Exploding Snap, right?" Scorpius asked her, and she nodded. "Well, in this version, you've got to watch out for the sevens instead. And if you turn up a joker before the explosion, you win, no catches involved."
"Right." She looked at her hand and grinned.
.x.y.z.
"Yeah, Lily!" cheered Scorpius as she slapped a nine on the table seconds before the cards could detonate. She held up her hands in a victory pose.
"You're pretty good at this," said Adonis, gathering up the smoking cards and repairing them as per the instructions on the back of the deck. "This your first time playing Super?"
"Yeah. Beginner's luck, I guess," she said casually, but it wasn't. See, the cards weren't set to explode at any random moment: if you counted the values of each card placed in the centre, subtracting face cards and adding number cards, and plugged them into a parabolic—
Scorpius returned to her side (when had he left?) and set a glass of merrily-bubbling liquid in front of her. "New rule—loser buys winner a drink," he said, clinking the glass against his finger.
Lily raised the glass to her lips and discovered it was firewhiskey. She'd had some before, at Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey's wedding, but this was different: it seemed to spark in her a renewed energy, something fantastical and whimsical, and as she set the empty glass down she heard herself say something along the lines of "I dare you all to try and beat me!"
.x.y.z.
Lily won many more times that night.
Everything seemed to pass by in a blur. She recalled some things, like staring down that boy (what was his name?) as he set down a queen and ensured his defeat; she didn't recall other things, like how her head had ended up on Scorpius's shoulder after her first loss. And before she knew it, she was waking up in her dormitory with a pounding headache and her shoes still on.
Melissa stood next to her bed, radiating disapproval. "Someone had fun last night, didn't she?"
"Go away," Lily moaned. "Turn out the lights…"
Her friend shook her head. "Honestly, I have no idea how you went and got yourself drunk on a date with a math book. You never cease to amaze me."
Lily aimed her wand at the lights and they went out with a bang. "That's better," she mumbled. She pulled herself up and felt for the floor with her feet, but stepped on something else instead—a book. She realized in panic that she'd left her book at the Three Broomsticks last night, and cursed herself for being an idiot.
But when she picked it up off the floor, she found that it was, in fact, her forgotten math book. She breathed a sigh of relief and held it tight to her chest. "I'll never forget you again," she whispered, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from Melissa.
.x.y.z.
(When she would open the book again, she'd find a small scrap of parchment tucked inside the front cover. On it would be written two words: You're welcome.
She'd confront Scorpius about it, of course, and thank him, and tease him about his lack of knowledge of mathematics. And he'd tell her, Well, you should teach me, then, and she'd try.
And maybe Scorpius would never be good at math, but at least she'd have a fair opponent in Super Exploding Snap from now on.
And maybe someday that opponent would choose to stay by her side instead.
But for now, in the throes of a hangover, Lily Potter was blissfully oblivious to what the future might bring.
And so she clutched her math book tightly and swore that she would never, ever drink again.)
A/N: For the lovely Legend of Chocolate, who is a beautiful soul and may have converted me to Scily.
(Edited heavily on 7-30-13)