Make a Mistake with Me

(Inspired by Inspired by Brad Paisley's Make A Mistake With Me. To watch the music video copy and paste watch?v=qs0VMty7pic after / on Youtube.)

I lifted the mask out of the water and held it to my chest as I cried. Scorpius Malfoy. Was that really him? Could it have been anyone else? No. As much as I would like to believe this was all a misunderstanding I knew it was him. He had said I was his new dream...To the empty air where he vanished I whispered.

"And you were mine..."

How was it possible that the cocky and rude boy I went to school with had turned into that kind, soft spoken, and considerate man. Could four years change someone so much? All those weeks he had been genuine and the kind of suitor that would melt every girls heart. Now he was gone and I was confused and lost. Scorpius Malfoy couldn't have been luring me in only to break my heart. He walked away the moment he realized who I was. That first kiss and the second was so breathtaking and simple and enchanting yet he was disturbed enough to let it all go in an instant. He hadn't just been being nice. It was too consistent and the things he spoke about in his writing and day to day life proved that he had more heart and soul than most other humans I had met.

Both of my parents stood by until I had calmed and my tears stopped falling into the fountain. When I looked at them they both wore knowing looks. Heartbreak wasn't new to my generation. Both of them had been through it as well both with each other and with a few others as well. (My mother had been through more than a few according to what I heard.) My eyes met my dads and the first words that came to mind spilled out.

"What do I do now? He's a Malfoy."

"You know I've worked with his father on many missions and projects. His father turned out surprisingly well. Perhaps all Malfoy's are pricks until they grow up. Scorpius seemed very nice and very honest to me. I know where his workshop and his display shop is if you wanted to find him again. "

All I could do was stare at the holes in the mask that had been filled with those bright gray eyes minutes earlier, the material was still warm, and nod. I still had one more question left and I intended to get it answered. Though which one I would ask was up in the air now. It bothered me all night as I'd torn my mask off, stormed around screaming and punching walls, half finished a few different snacks before something mentally connected them to Malfoy, and ran out of steam once I made it to the mirror in my room. How could I use this one question to get the most information from a boy, no man, I hadn't meant to grow close to?

With breakfast the Daily Prophet was delivered and came with an insert covered with pictures of the European Nobility Holiday Ball. In the center was a picture of Cashmere and Pearl mid-waltz. It felt like ice in the soul and burned around the edges. Cashmere had been the perfect disguise and yet kept so much of the actual person with him. Scorpius would mock me at school using terms like 'Paisley clad' 'Basque waisted' 'Outrè' and I should have caught on. Most men don't know fashion terms. Both Scorpius and Cashmere did and loved that world. Scorpius obviously knew more than most; I had to research what Outrè meant after he said it! I had known of a Malfoy operated handmade decor shop near Diagon Alley but refused to visit on principle. If I had, his cover would have been blown the instant he gave me the lily I still wore around my neck. His actual initials were carved on the back as discretely as he could make them. A large swirled S connecting to a equally curled M. I hadn't given it much thought before now.

After moping around the house for a couple of days my father pushed me from the house with some money and told me not to come back until I had spent it on something for myself. He often played on my indecisiveness to distract me. He also used it to get alone time and avoid shopping with my mother and I. This was obviously one of those times he used it to help and heal. If wandering around for a few hours could encourage enough distraction than maybe it would clear the thoughts a bit and let me see what I wanted to do next. Harry Potter was not one to let angst rule his loved ones lives. He had apparently ruined enough of his own in that manner and refused to tolerate it more than he had to. The moon hung in the sky like some demigod's discarded toenail clipping by the time I felt remotely better. Being away from home had in fact helped me see straighter though I wasn't done exploring and thinking things through.

Shining a bit down the street was the Knightsbridge hotel. It looked warm and welcoming and safe. That was where I would be spending the evening. Thanks to a recent change at Gringotts I could swipe a card and have funds transferred into Muggle money then into a Muggle account without having to do the actual exchange. Before now there hadn't been an opportunity to use the feature. Safe inside my studio suite I wrote to my father and let him know where my night had ended. He undoubtedly would have waited up for me otherwise. Tomorrow I was going to visit Scorpius. It took a few days of angry tears and hurt to realize why this situation bothered me the way it did. He mattered to me! Cashmere had become someone who captivated and left an impression on my being. He had haunted my days and charmed my nights for months now. In the past few days his presence as Scorpius was even more potent. Often times my eyes only caught that exact shade of grey that shaded his eyes or the single bright blonde in a crowd drew my gaze. Even now as I started to drift off in the downy feather pillows and blankets he teased my mind.

I walked through the doors of the shop announced by the tinkling of a bell and admired a few of the pieces. They were all exquisite and each of them unlike the last! It had been four days since the ball. There was a New Years Masquerade in four days and I knew Scorpius/Cashmere would be there; I didn't know if he was interested in seeing me again and didn't want to look stupid when I was disappointed. Without lifting his head from the glass piece he was working the blonde man called out.

"I'll be with you in one moment!"

His signature, a wide-bent S connecting to the top right of a curl on an M marked every piece and was frosted onto the window separating him from the rest of the shop. It was on the back of the lily I still wore daily as well. After looking at a few more pieces I picked up a bowl that looked as though it was inspired by peacocks. Either this man liked the birds or he had made this after our first ball. It had the same hues as my dress and mask had. It was selling for 100£. It grew quiet and without moving my head up I looked toward the artist. I knew my angles would look sharp and my eyes would look larger and darker than usual. He actually wore a similar expression. It looked as though he had meant to glance up quickly from his work but got stuck.

"How can I help you Miss Potter?"

"I came looking for my friend, Cashmere. I heard he can often be found here making art and feeding birds outside the window. He left his wig and mask at the last ball and they are here with me, if he wants them back."

"Cashmere has died, I'm afraid. Something about that last ball unsteadied him then the stress of explaining it to his parents and dwelling on things of the past did him in shortly after. I can collect his things though, if that's alright with you."

He came around the corner and offered his callused hands in my direction. I had noticed their texture and roughness as we danced but had never thought it was related to the hard work he preformed with them. I passed along the mask and wig then a pastry, Cashmere's favorite, lastly. His hands had glossed over mine just a touch longer than two unknown peoples would normally linger. I returned to the door and he set down the reacquainted ball things and returned to the bellows to keep the glass heating. Once my hand brushed the doorknob, a custom ice blue piece, I stopped and turned to him again.

"Scorpius, you remember the last thing you said to me? I don't think you heard my response."

"No I left before you could reply."

"Well, you were my new dream too."

Behind me the door closed on the silent workshop. Nothing moved in there, not the bellows, not the curtains, not the eyes of the man I had come to care for. It all depended on him now. Would he follow me or show up at my workplace? Perhaps I would get an owl from him?

I sat in the potions shop an extra hour, staring at the luggage I had to bring with me since I didn't have time to send it home, hoping he would stop by or send something my way. Being so vulnerable was rare and now it stung. I had thrown everything out in front of him, shown up in his shop, told him that I felt the same way he did, and got no response. Did he take it wrong? He had said, "You were my new dream" and I had said the same thing back but did he take that as a past tense thing? Finally at six o'clock I Apparated home and rushed past my parents to check for Aphrodite in my window sill. She was not there. All around my room were signs of my masked gentleman. There were pictures from both dances, a wall of masks with a fabric sampler hung next to the corresponding piece, all the notes pinned in various orders, and the card he had sent with the lunch. Should these things be taken down now or after the disappointment hit?

Two more days past before a certain shadow crept over the desk where I had been brewing an anti-aging potion. Without confirming suspicions a smile crept onto my lips and he chuckled.

"You didn't even look! I hope that potion isn't for you, if so, it's hardly necessary."

"I'd know your...oh!"

It was Draco Malfoy. His son looked so like him I hadn't thought to look up and check. Now he was the one smirking at my eagerness.

"Anywhere? I was asked to find you and ask of your outfit to the ball. Cashmere is gone and if Scorpius Malfoy is going in person he has to be impeccable and cunning and sharp and perfectly matched."

"That's a direct quote, isn't it? It sounds just like him. Tell him if Lily Potter is going 'in person' she has to be sexy, sleek, coy, and utterly stunning, particularly if she is going to be seen with a Malfoy. It is a Greek style dress. White. Pleated. Pearled. Form-fitting. Expensive. The mask is made of white gold. A friend of mine saw it after the first dance and bought it for me. It is one of his pieces, actually. Hopefully he remembers the one."

His smile was warm and he seemed to understand my mockery quite well. I said it as Scorpius-ish as I could. Sharp and precise; that was how he spoke about things like fashion or art. He apologized for the delay but after an unsettling evening of dealing with Scorpius trying to decode my farewell phrase, then his indecision about what to do, and finally finding out where I worked (which Draco had asked my father about discreetly) he had come.

After he left I ruined the potion not once or twice but four times before calling it quits and going home early. Now that I had talked myself up I had to make sure it was accurate. It took the next day to perfect the look but once I had I knew it would blow every other outfit away. This was exactly as a Potter should show up, looking like a lily and exuding confidence and charm in every step. Now, it was time for bed and make-up and hair in the morning. I was thinking of ringlets, tons of them, with lots of volume and shine!

"Name please."

"Lily Potter, sir."

As it was announced I walked to the edge of the stairs and began the slow decent to the floor where I felt eyes on me. Both my parents stood in the balcony above, as they always did during entrances, and nodded once we made eyes contact. Once my feet made contact with the floor I was approached by three boys, all of whom I politely turned down. The blonde man I had dressed to match had not approached me, he sheepishly looked at the floor as though second guessing his decision, but when our eyes met and the expectation was clearly in my expression he took long strides towards me. A foot in front of me he bowed and I curtsied before falling into his arms once more.

This time is was tense. We knew each other plain. We knew our families past interactions. We knew every eye now watched and judged one way or the other. After a few steps into the dance a coy smile escaped his lips along with the kind words I had grown so used to hearing from him.

"Miss Potter, you look more stunning than ever this evening."

"Thank you Scorpius, you are too kind-as always."

"You flatter me, Miss Potter. I am just giving the respect and praise due."

"All the same, Mr. Malfoy."

He was reserved and quiet and rigid for the first few dances. If I was under the guise of Pearl and he had been Scorpius these first dances might have gone differently. Would he had been more relaxed or was this the Scorpius he let the public see? I found myself acting differently than Pearl would have. Lily Potter had social standings to uphold and proper alliances to maintain between other members. Pearl could dance with who ever but I felt uncomfortable going below a certain invisible social line. Could Scorpius see me as right in the grey line with his parents standards? Certainly the Potters were as well thought of as Malfoys, if not higher. While we spun and floated around the floor the look of concentration on both our faces must have looked odd. He was oddly harder to read with the disguising mask off. Both our masks were metal frames and did nothing to hide features, unlike the others. Suddenly the orchestra grew quiet and a tap on my shoulder alerted me to another presence.

"Miss Potter, might I share a dance with you?"

To turn down Lysander Scamander would be to throw the past away. His mother was one of the oldest and closest friends of my parents, thus my middle name, and we were thought to be perfectly matched. I promised a dance and watched as a stormy expression grew in the silver grey eyes of my dance partner as he made his way to a small table to anxiously await the next dance. Lysander put an arm around my waist and led me a bit further away before dragging his hand across the small of my back to start the next dance's position.

"So, care to tell the rest of us what you're playing at? You've kept this secret quiet long enough. Your brother told me of some mystery man and I've been trying to discover you at the past few dances and ask about him. You've been dancing with him every song at every dance in the past three months? Did it ever cross your mind that since you didn't know him he shouldn't have been given the attention? This is the furthest direction from proper mingling and should never have happened. It wouldn't have if you hadn't been possessed to play along with his games. He's a Malfoy and seems to have tricks up his sleeves that even you can't avoid. Call off this madness, I beg you, and stick to the right crowds."

"I didn't come to this dance to hear you unload on me Ly. I came to this dance because Scorpius Malfoy invited me in the proper old manner."

"Seriously! He sent his father to do the dirty work?"

"Oh please, don't act so shocked. You know how opposite circles are supposed to interact. Seeing as we normally wouldn't have met at a ball he requested that the head of his house personally invite me on behalf of his heir. That is the proper etiquette and isn't frowned upon. If we all courted in the same circles generation after generation we would be limiting our magic and eventually would have to marry cousins to cousins."

"Surely you can see that the Malfoys and Potters are the leaders of two different worlds? I get courting outside of the 'normal circle' but jumping to the opposite circle is unheard of!"

"If you weren't my close friend and I didn't see you every few weeks or dinner or outings I would have turned you down as I did those other men. Lysander, who I fancy is none of your interest nor are you able to judge my choices."

"I am though."

Al had stepped in took over as Lysander stomped off through the front doors. One look at my brothers face said more than words ever could. He had found my parents on the balcony and after locating me via hair color he realized who I danced with. My parents hadn't seemed irritated so he assumed Cashmere's cover had been blown without him being informed. He saw Lysander take me away and decided to speak with me himself after the discussion heated up. Now he was livid and gave the blonde, who stood when the song shifted, a glare that could melt the polar ice caps. Through the next song he didn't say a word out loud, though I felt a conversation passing between us none the less. He would look towards a nervous (now sitting) Scorpius and I would look right back at him as if to question him before he would shift his expression and I'd follow suit. His eyes spoke the message clear enough. I would not so much as see Scorpius for the rest of my life if he had anything to say about it. Unfortunately for him, I had something to say and my message was just as clear. YOU DO NOT GET TO CHOOSE WHO I ASSOCIATE WITH. As if sensing the tension, and desperately wanting to avoid the catastrophe that occurred when people in my family had a disagreement, my father stepped in. A third song had started only moments before he reached us, crossing the floor opposite a fuming-but-obviously-trying-to-hide-it Scorpius.

His reassuring smile and graceful movements served as the anchor I needed. Even now, thirty years after the defeat of Voldemort, only a crazy person would openly go against his will. Lysander had reentered during the last dance and now whispered to Albus who seemed to be ranting at his loss of power at my fathers intrusion. The gentleman I danced with smiled a recalcitrant smirk as if knowing what he had done and couldn't have planned it better. Halfway through the song I realized we hand moved subtly across the floor and now waltz in front of Scorpius again. Without more than a moment of eye contact my father spun me out from his body and into Scorpius' arms again. He had personally returned me and made it apparent that he had no problem with the two of us mingling.

I knew Scamander had a thing for Lily. Everyone at school had expected them to marry after graduating. They had certainly dated long enough, four years if I remembered correctly. Oddly, it was Lily who called it off just before Christmas break of my final year. Scamander was devastated and told everyone who would listen or could hear that they were taking a small break so he could focus on N.E.W.T.'s and Lily could practice Quidditch more regularly. That fell through fast though when his supposed 'girlfriend' was caught snogging Curtis Champaign, a 7th year and the Slytherin House Seeker, a week later in the corner of the Quidditch pitch. Lily had walked into the Great Hall that night with her head high despite the face they were obviously discovered. By the next evening Curtis arrived with his fingers laced in hers and had the audacity to kiss her goodbye, in front of the whole school, as he dropped her off at the Gryffindor table before returning to Slytherin for dinner. It had been the talk of the month. Lily Potter dating not only supposedly cheating on her long time boyfriend but with a Slytherin too! Perhaps that was when she first caught my eye as well.

Now watching her visibly fight with Scamander both set my heart on fire because she fought for me and filled my veins with a battery acid feeling because of his inability to be discrete. Watching Albus and her silently feud was almost as painful. From across the hall the tension was rolling off me. As far as I could tell not a word was spoken aloud though some hefty fighting occurred. Dialogue in my head sounded something like: "Lily, you are stupid and foolish and completely mental. Scorpius has nothing to offer you either socially or economically. Stop being a rebellious child and remember who you're dealing with. Everyone is watching and you are throwing everything we stand for out the window over some masked asshole." With Lily replying: "What makes you think you get a say in this? Go mess up your own life and let me deal with mine. Stop lording over me, getting in my way, and trying to make me feel small. You are out of line and I really don't want to make you look like a fool putting you back where you belong." It was only when Harry stepped in, green eyes sparkling and diffusing the situation when I let out a breath I hadn't realized was held in. He didn't say anything either, though it was obvious he'd been conniving and plotting this smooth transfer. I had seen him come down from the balcony after Albus moved to step in and waiting in the sidelines. He seemed to give Albus until the song switched and when he didn't let Lily go intervened. Wondering how long it would take to find myself back with that must sought after girl only just crossed my mind before her own father was swinging her out to my arms.

"Sorry about that. I hate when family business interferes with dancing!"

A smile was the only way I could respond. She had gone from almost relaxing around me to being completely uptight with Scamander to livid with Albus to curious and pleased with her father to finally feeling at ease with me. It was this easy smile and joking manner she returned in that dropped my walls. Cashmere and Scorpius merged and became my actual self in that moment and the last bit of tension fell from my shoulders with the realization that had I not given the balls another chance that Halloween night I would have missed the solution the complaint that made me stop attending in the first place: I'd never met anyone worth pursuing at the ball.

It was almost three when the last song was announced as we danced slowly, lost in each other's presence until the last violin/cello faded. This was goodbye. There was no dance until Valentine's day and until then I planned on taking it slow, testing the waters, getting to know where Lily and Pearl met and overlapped. We were both out. I could show up at the potions shop she brewed for with flowers and lunch and she could come sit on the counter and mock me in that teasing manner she had mastered while I played with glass and stone and what ever else I fancied for the day. There were no more secrets as far as identity went and hopefully nothing else barring us from enjoying each other.

"Lily, may I kiss you?"

"I'd like nothing more at the moment."

She laughed as she realized it was the same line I had used on Pearl a week ago. It was how we ended the evening. A brief, happy, fulfilling, yet fairly chaste kiss in front of her ex and overprotective brother. I escorted her to her parents in the balcony and handed her off to her father before bidding them a good night and safe travels. Knowing they'd head out across the lawn as always I returned to the balcony and watched them go. Before Apparating Lily turned and waved her wand shooting off a bright flash and silver sparks. I had no clue what spell it was but I assumed it was her little way of saying goodbye.

Someone had come up behind me and when I turned it made my stomach leap into my throat. My own parents had been here under masks and watched what had taken place. Apparently my mother had worried about my safety now that the secret was out and had surprised my father with tickets to the gala in case he had to prevent Albus Potter or myself from landing in court after a brawl. After a joke about still being in one piece we made our way home to Malfoy Manor.

With the sun coming through the window a silhouette of an owl filled the room. I noticed the heavy paper on my desk and realized I'd had a delivery. After handing the owl some bacon off the breakfast tray that had been set out for me I sat with the parchment.

Scorpius,

I love writing your name on the top of the paper! (Scorpius looks more elegant in print than Cashmere.) Last night was more than I ever imagined a ball could be, minus the unnecessary intrusion of family and friends. If someone had told me during my last year at Hogwarts, while I was all decked out in crimson and gold, that three years later I would be happy and flirty in your presence I would have threatened to knock their teeth out. Now, though I'd deny it if anyone but you asked, life has been more...fulfilling? Meaningful? Enjoyable? I don't know the proper word. It's been lovely none the less.

Albus keeps warning me not to fall into the false truth that every woman needs a man to live a meaningful and wonderful life. Don't worry about that. I will not be controlled or bossed around. I'm both a Potter and a Weasley. (According to my father I got the stubbornness and determination of both as well as the spitfire temper. Thought you should be warned what you're getting into if you keep reading and respond to this letter.) Due to social standings I believe it would only be proper for you to ask me out. I'd refuse.

Lily

How was I supposed to respond to that? It came with a picture she took last night (explaining the sparks from her wand as she left) of me standing on the balcony. She obviously enjoyed our time together and then this note comes. Would Albus have the balls to send me something like this? I didn't think he would. Perhaps I should just respond by asking what she meant. My mother had come in to lay fresh sheet on my bed when she noticed my face. Without speaking I handed her the note and got the dirty sheet replaced. By the time my eyes found hers an adorable smile graced her features and the words, "Your date sure knows how to play the game." were all I got before she left to finish remaking other beds around the manse. WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! The longer I thought the more irritated I got and by dinner I ate in silence. Fuming. Who was she to play with my emotions like this? As I sat there a owl dropped a package in my lap before shooting back out the window.

Scorpius,

I saw these gloves and thought you might like them for your costume during the Valentine's Day Ball in a few months. Also, You mentioned wearing green to it and I thought this might be a stunning piece to pair with it.

I held up the brooch. It was a green tourmaline surrounded by a ring of diamonds set in bright yellow gold. A sword with an elaborate handle was removable from the bronze sheath and presumably was used to hold the piece in place. A little golden chain hung between the sword and sheath to give it a connected feel. This design looked commissioned or antique. A fortune had gone into the making of my newest treasure. I had mentioned an outfit in passing and she had caught and stored that information. Now I had to tie in this stone and the black, soft gloves.

My parents were watching and after an odd chocking noise came from my mother I lay down my gifts off to the side and realized something was off. My father was trying to chew his food and had to keep stopping and regaining control, lest he smile or laugh and loose his composure. I think if it had been just the two of us he would have ejected food across the table. Though I didn't know why.

"What?"

He lost it. With a clatter of silverware and a shocked expression he chuckled and the smallest amount of food escaped his lips. Beside him my mother was in such a fit of giggles she couldn't pick up her fork. Irritated and waiting for them to settle down I picked at my food. Was it my expression they found funny or had they been in on some secret I was unaware of. My father spoke first.

"Perhaps I should clean the house a bit dear, I think we may be seeing Mrs. Potter shortly here. I will have to order some pastries and have water on to boil ready for the tea service."

"Of course love, should I be in the study waiting for her arrival?"

They both broke into boisterous laughter and clutched at each other. When I still didn't get it my mother mentioned the first time she got gloves and a giant gemstone from my father. Again they laughed and hooted and a few minutes later, with red faces and cunning glances towards each other, returned to their squash soup. I mirrored their actions, still lost. Before we had finished eating Mitzy, our house elf, came in with an assortment of pastries and teas to choose from as well as some wine for good measure. She had set them up on the golden tea service cart off to one side and looked as confused as I felt before asking if there was anything else needed.

An explanation was never given for the odd dinner behavior nor was I given a reason after the doorbell rang and my father told me to go wash and dress nicely before coming back down. My mother rushed to the study and my father awkwardly stood to get the door. As my footsteps reached the middle of the staircase I heard Harry Potter talking to my father, though his wife had rushed toward my father's study.

"This certainly is weird. I went over the dialogue with Ginny before we came over. Talking to Lily about this has done nothing to calm her down or make her second guess herself. She is going all in with this one.

"It is humorous in a way. I never thought I'd be stuck out in the hall while my wife stood by the fireplace with a glass of brandy. Scorpius is so confused right now. I can't wait until it clicks in his mind. We formally dismissed him from the table, which despite being a family or tradition never do, and told him those words 'go wash and dress nicely before you come down' and he just looked at me like I was being stupid before complying. He's probably up there now all kinds of puzzled."

I hadn't thought twice about being formally dismissed but now as I showered their rigidness did seem really peculiar after the laugh they had just shared over some reversed role thing. Why would my father 'tidy up' or set the cart for tea? Why would my mother be in the study with brandy waiting for another lady? Today was all sorts of backwards. Tonight I couldn't get the shower to work though the bath seemed to function. (It insisted on using some rose perfume despite every charm I'd tried.) While I soaked a house elf had popped into the dressing room and laid out my silver silk shirt and paired it with black dress pants and a silver ribbon to tie back my hair.

With the towel drying my blonde hair, absorbing the last bits of water, it hit me. Lily sent me an owl before I woke up, probably as soon as she thought I'd be asleep, had sent me a large jewelry piece and some expensive gloves around dinner time, and had sent her parents for dessert and drinks after. Lily was courting me. Courting me in the proper way a gentleman would court a lady. Usually the couple would meet at a dance or ball and have escorts to keep any frivolity from occurring. After a few dances and the gentleman keeping an eye on the family and determining if the lady would make a good edition to the family he would send notes to see if she'd reply. Usually a few months passed before he would send her a fancy piece of jewelry, showing his status and ability to care financially for a lady, and some piece of an outfit for their next meeting. That evening the gentleman's parents would come over for light refreshments, desserts, and drinks. Generally the father of the lady in question would be in his study or most distinguished room awaiting the gentleman's father. Both mothers would be present as well but would sit in the dining room and drink tea or wine while the men talked. Lily was courting me. We had met at a dance or two or three. She was there with her parents and returned to them after we finished dancing. (Though we hadn't stuck to the old tradition of no more than three dances with a single person.) We had sent letter mixed in between dances and meetings. (She had come to my shop alone, which never would have happened in a formal courting. Then again Malfoy's and Potter's were on opposite ends of the Wizarding world and, while they got along as adults, would never pair their children together.) Now she had sent a masculine brooch and handsome riding/ball gloves. Her mother sat in the study and I assumed both fathers would be in the dining room. If this situation hadn't been so weird I would have loved to walk in on our father sipping tea and eating flaky treats together.

That was exactly what I found when I returned to the dining room.

"So, you've figured it out. Come sit down while your mother laughs some more in my study. Apparently Lily doesn't want to loose her freedom like most women do once married. This seemed to be the best route for her, though it kind of seems like a blow to your status and masculinity."

"Hopefully you know Lily enough to realize this is some game, a mask of sorts, to make all this work. Her brother came over and they had an explosive fight over courting and her role in society last night before she sent off the owl. We only heard what she had done around lunch today and had to start figuring out how to deal with all this. Scorpius, she is a pile of nerves and hated telling you she would turn down an offer from you. She wanted to be in charge for once. Albus is furious with her. He had just taken a sip on firewhiskey when she announced her plans for the day. I think she sent that letter first to force herself to follow through, and to prevent Albus from stopping her."

With a shrug I sat in the chair and listened to the faint sounds of laughter and shrill talking coming from my fathers study. Both women seemed to be having a good time. With a smirk, and a horrifying voice to hear from one's father, I was offered a 'pastry to settle my anxious stomach' while we waited. If looks could kill the one I sent in return to that question would have caused a funeral. A few minutes later Mitzy offered us some brandy, saying the missus was on to a second bottle of wine with her guest. Convention had been thrown out the window as far a drinks went and the tea sat untouched in front of my father. (He was particular as to when he preferred it.) Tweny minutes later my mother came in, flushed from her drinking, and invited us to the study to join the conversation. Ginny Potter was sitting primly on a couch and laughed at the expression on my face.

"Scorpius, it's good to see you again and so soon! As I'm sure you've guessed Lily has decided to throw tradition out the window and do things her way. We were asked to attend a dessert tonight at her request and set up a shorter-than-usual courtship. She didn't want to undermine your role in society but refuses to commit and submit like most girls tend to do. According to her you wouldn't want that anyway. As far as announcing this goes she requests that it be announced declaring her as the one who began this process. After that though she wants you to take the lead. I'm guessing this is her slam at Albus for thinking she'd allow anyone to control her life, even after she's married. Albus is looking for the kind of woman Lily despises and could never be. They've been fighting about her behaviors and social role for years now and it has come to this. It would've eventually reached something like this anyway."

Mrs. Potter, it's a pleasure to see you again as well. Despite how this is all happening I would love to court and be courted by Lily. She's right about me not wanting her any other way. It's one of the reasons I haven't started this process with somebody else by now. Since it seems this is following a pattern, if only in opposite roles, it would be a privilege and honor to offer my hand, err allow my father...um mother, to offer my hand to Lily Luna Potter in a formal courtship."

After another hour of random conversations and discussing things like Quidditch scores, recent Ministry developments, and how we would proceed from here on out the Potters offered to Floo me to their house for a few minutes. Normally when something like this happened it was inserted into a special page in the Daily Prophet. I knew despite best efforts to keep this fairly discreet it would be all over tomorrow morning when I wok. It was almost exciting to see what would be made of this. Technically this form of relationship was a bit out of style to all but the purebloods or oldest of houses. Then again, both the Malfoy and Potter's were old houses.

I woke to find the Daily Prophet waiting with my breakfast set up. In big bold letter read the words, "Lily Potter Formally Requests Courtship with Scorpius Malfoy: Mothers Met Last Night to Discuss Details of Arrangement over Brandy and Pastries." There were other owls dropping howlers, letters from well-wishers, and confused friends. Once all this cooled off I knew we would be very happy and comfortable, both knowing what the other would give or require to make. This was a semi-arranged marriage but one that, unlike most arranged ones, would grow and become love with time. I was already well on my way to being head over heels for this hot-headed, strong-willed, cunning, and beautiful lady.