Chapter 4

Lily flopped herself down on her bed, face first, using her pillow to soften a scream of frustration. This was the second night in a row that her mother insisted on discussing her upcoming date with Seth Macmillan. Several times she had considered revealing that she was actually, for all intents and purposed, seeing someone, but her mother would want proof for sure. Bringing home her mystery friend would not only complicate their rather fun and enjoyable situation, it would also reveal everything about her identity.

Thinking about him brought up a whole new field of questions and dilemmas. Would he be angry or upset if he knew she was going on dates with other people? Lily tried to block mental images of his soft hands sliding through a head of brown curls, his lips kissing those of another. Her cheeks reddened and she felt a stab of jealousy. They had never agreed to be exclusive during this little game of theirs. He could very well be in someone's bed right now, cries of pleasure echoing off of the walls, bed creaking under their frantic movements. He had never said anything about seeing someone else, but she couldn't eliminate the possibility that he could be. They were just all fun and games after all.

Lily shook her head. Her mother was right, her dating habits were a mess. She should give the arranged date a chance, out of politeness and out of the need to know what a real date felt like. It had been so long since she had been out with someone without her mental walls being put up. Well, technically she was with Storm, but that didn't count, they didn't count. She drew in a deep breath. He didn't need to know about the date she was going on, it shouldn't matter to him at all, she decided.

She needed someone sane to converse with, someone who would understand the unnecessary pressure provided by her mother. There was a knock at her door. Speak of the devil. "Maddie and I are looking at some more things for the wedding if you'd like to join us," her mother offered.

Lily smiled. "Oh, I was actually just about to go and see Al."

Her mother looked momentarily shocked. "Well make sure to bring him some food. Oh, and please tell your father and I who he is living with. He doesn't seem to want to tell us for whatever reason," her mother rambled.

Lily nodded and stood up from the bed. "First, I should probably make sure he's alive, right?" she joked.

Her mother smiled lightly. It had been a long time since they had heard from Al. She went to the kitchen, making sure to say hello to Maddie on the way, and grabbed the leftovers from their dinner to bring to her brother. She paused for a moment, trying to remember where her brother's flat was. She had only been there once, very briefly one night a few months ago. She shrugged and focused on a picture in her mind. Hopefully she wouldn't get herself splinched.

XxX

There was the unfamiliar ding in the living room, announcing the arrival of a guest. Scorpius looked over at his roommate questioningly, who sighed. "I'll check it out," he said, walking over to the muggle camera they had placed over their door step.

He sighed slightly, while Scorpius chuckled to himself. Obviously it was not company he was expecting. "Do you have any sisters?" his roommate asked.

Scorpius shook his head. "Only child."

"Okay, well before I open the door there is something I need to set straight," he said.

Scorpius nodded, looking up from his book slightly annoyed. He just wanted to read at the moment, was that really too much to ask? "You don't, under any circumstances, make a move on your roommate's younger sister," he said.

Scorpius nodded, turning his attention back to his book. "It'll be like I'm not even here."

"It bloody well better be," he said before he opened the door.

Scorpius turned his attention back to his book. A month and a half ago, he probably would have hit on Al's sister just for fun. If she was good looking, he probably would have even tried to pick her up for a date, or just for some fun to peeve his roommate. However, he felt unusually satisfied. Sure, he had not slept with his mystery beauty yet, but he was loving the intellectual connection they were having. Not to mention, she kissed like a dream, a very good dream... He drew in a deep breath and tried to focus on his book again, but his mind kept wandering back to their last date.

She volunteered to be a model for him to paint, and he had said yes! He didn't even know if he could hold a paint brush any more, but for some reason, he knew he had to paint her. He had to paint her face for sure, detailing her emerald eyes in such a way that they would pierce any admirer the way they did him. Then he needed to paint their situation. For this, half of her face would be covered in a mask. Perhaps he could paint her in only the mask...book, concentrate on the book!

It was impossible. Her face kept flashing in his head, and his ears were filled with the chatter of Al and his sister, Lily. Or at least that was what he thought he remembered her name to be. Scorpius stood up, intending on going back to his room. They were seated at the kitchen table, and he knew it would be extremely awkward to walk straight past them and into his room. Not to mention, completely rude. He made eye contact with Al, who paused his conversation.

"Er, Lily, this is my roommate," Al said, gesturing to Scorpius as he walked closer.

Scorpius watched her red curls bounce in her pony tail as she turned her head around. He saw her smirk lightly, a small tinge of pink coloring her cheeks. "You probably don't know him, he was my year at Hogwarts," Al explained as Scorpius drew nearer to take shake her hand.

"Scorpius Malfoy," he introduced himself.

Her green eyes opened a bit wider. "Lily Potter," she replied, shaking his hand.

She was very pretty. Scorpius glanced at Al quickly before deciding to have a bit of fun. He brought her hand up to his face and kissed it lightly. "Pleasure to meet you," he smiled.

He watched her cheeks burn even brighter. Al kicked him from under the table, and Scorpius dropped her hand. "Hey, my sister, remember?" he scowled.

"Your brother never mentioned that his sister was so pretty," Scorpius flirted, ignoring Al's protests.

"Oh he's very protective of me," she laughed.

"Well Lily it is time for you to go," Al said, standing up, glaring at Scorpius.

"Well then, it was nice meeting you," she said, standing up to leave.

He nodded and continued off to his room. He had just closed her door when he heard her softly say, "Wait until mum and dad hear your roommate is Malfoy!" He laughed lightly as he heard Al close the door in her face. If she wanted to see a good reaction to that news, she should seek out his parents and tell them. The history between their families had not been the best, although since the war had ended, they had certainly been on better terms. But, as Scorpius constantly reminded himself, correcting your family's past wrongs takes a lot of time, especially when those wrongs were done in favor of the Dark Lord.

His father had told him all about his family's role in the war, and it was not pleasant at all. The stories scared him, and would have even more if his father hadn't watered them down for his eleven year old ears. His father had said that he needed to know why some kids might treat him differently when they heard his name. His father had told him not to listen to them, to know that he was not at all part of his families past choices and situations. Scorpius Malfoy was the next generation, the change in the Malfoy family legacy. He was a boy raised with proper manners, a proper education, and a respect for all human life.

Surprisingly, there were relatively few of his classmates at Hogwarts that recognized his name. Either their parents had done a good thing by not listing specific names, or they had not divulged the entire history behind the war because the grief for them was still too near. Also surprisingly, the Potter children were among those who did not flinch at his name, and Scorpius knew it was not because they were oblivious. They, like him, were just trying to go through their lives as normally as possible. His friendship with Al had grown naturally this way, both desiring the normal life of the teenage wizard; one filled with food, Quidditch, friends, and of course, pretty girls.

Eventually, Scorpius had been the one to tell Al about the history between their families as a reason why a summer visit might be slightly awkward. It was the only time that the topic was ever discussed between them. Their friendship was not exactly a secret, there was no need for it to be. Both of their parents knew about it, acknowledged it, but they were never sure how they would deal with the pair living together as roommates.

Scorpius shook his head out of his reverie as he found himself standing in front of his old school trunk. He knelt down and pulled up the golden latches. He lifted the heavy lid, revealing his set of paint brushes and scrapped canvases. He put all thoughts of his family name and Al and his sister out of his mind. It was time to get to work.

XxX

Lily went over the contents in her bag of holding one last time, making sure that she had everything for her date with Storm that night. Their next two dates would not be split into two parts as the previous date had been. Their date tonight was going to be more of a social date. Based on their previous date, she figured she would learn about his past and any troubles or dark times it brought. She would probably be expected to share the same information, encompassing his questions about her past relationships (heart breaks, clinginess etc.). She was in charge of coordinating the first date, and was due to meet him at their usual aparation spot in Hogsmeade in a few short minutes.

She still hadn't decided if she wanted to tell him about her arranged date. Partially because she didn't want to offend his feelings, but mostly because she didn't want to know if he was seeing other girls. Her dreams that had previously been filled with images of red and blonde hair and his voice saying her name had recently been replaced by images of him sharing dates, kisses, and more with an unknown, very pretty brunette or blonde witch. She also did not want to know if the game he was playing with her was a game he played often. For the first few dates, she had convinced herself that this was his first time in this situation as well. However, now she was having second thoughts. Curse her stupid, over analyzing, emotional mind.

She fixed the satin bows on her lacy over top on last time before she disapparated from her room.

XxX

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Lily asked, swirling the remaining wine in her glass as she watched the sun set over the grassy hills of the countryside.

"The tough stuff," her date responded, conjuring a backrest cushion for them to lean back on.

Lily laid back into his open arms, careful not to disrupt the wine glass he was still holding. "I'm no good at talking about the tough stuff," she complained teasingly.

He smiled and rolled his eyes jokingly. "Come on, you are a pretty girl, we are on our 3rd date, and I've given you almost two glasses of wine. You should have been divulging your memories, both feared at treasured, about an hour ago."

She hit his shoulder lightly. "I'm not like that at all," she said.

"Normally, neither am I. But considering our accelerated dating situation…I guess you could say that if we have five total dates, consider each one to be a new year in our 'relationship.' Being three years in, I'm pretty sure we can tell each other just about anything," he joked again.

"Where do we even start?" she asked. "I mean how can we even say anything about our past and our family without giving away our identities?"

He shrugged. "Be careful, tell some general stories that could apply to anyone," he said.

Lily sighed. Maybe this would have been true for most families. Most families went through a similar experience in the war. They lost loved ones, went into hiding, fought in the front lines of battle. This was true for some of her family members, but she grew up with the hero as her father. She and her brothers had been treated differently by others their whole lives. No, there was no way that he'd understand her properly if she couldn't tell him this. So, she would have to settle for telling him about the rest of her family, and maybe hint that her parents played a more significant role.

She inhaled deeply, her nose flooded with the spiced smell of his cologne. Her body felt the warmth of his arms around her and suddenly she felt safe. She felt as if she could actually tell him the one genuine story about her family and past that she had grown up with her whole life, but never really dealt with. But how do you explain that the family member you love the most is one that you have never met?

She drew in another deep breath and opened her mouth before she lost her courage. "It's strange talking about the war sometimes. I mean, everyone understands it, everyone knows what everyone else is going through, yet everyone seems to have a different story."

She felt his chin nod against her forehead. "Different family, different story," he commented.

Lily noted the slight tension in his voice and could tell that he was going to have a hard time talking about this topic as well. "We're the next generation, born into broken families. Or at least that is how I've always felt," she began. "When I was young I had this immediate connection to one of my uncles. He would joke with me, give me supplies to play jokes on my brothers, give me candies that made my hair turn purple," she laughed lightly, remembering her younger days with her uncle George.

"One day when I just before I left for my first year at Hogwarts, we were celebrating the engagement between my uncle and his fiancée. I decided to give them a toast. It had everyone laughing. Afterward, my uncle and his fiancée came to give their thanks and she said, 'Fred would have been proud.' I saw my uncle's face harden slightly at her words. And, naturally, being eleven I blurted out, 'Who's Fred?' Everyone grew quite.

"My family was lucky enough to only lose one person, but it was someone important, almost the life of the family. I'm not really sure if everyone has gotten over it even today. It's almost like they've covered it up. I never knew my uncle, but I can still feel a hole in my grandmother's house where he should be."

She could feel a light burn in her eyes. "My mother talked to me that night, telling me all about her brother who had died in the war. She said that I had been the only one who had really been able to make my uncle smile after his twin had died, that everyone had felt a sense of comfort in my jokes."

She dew in another breath and let it out slowly. "But now, whenever my grandmum looks at me, I know that she sees her dead son. Her eyes will go blank for a few seconds before a smile forms on her lips. And that was when I became totally lost, totally obsessed with trying to become someone that wasn't my uncle, someone that didn't have my family and its troubles. I wanted to find my own self and my own place in my family and in life. I don't want to fill in the gap for someone that is gone," she said, feeling a tear fall down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly.

Xxx

Scorpius drew in a breath, realizing that it must have been very hard for her to talk about this memory from her past. From the rattled sounds of her breath, he guessed she was crying lightly, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. After a few moments of her silence, he decided that the appropriate thing to do was to share a story about his own past. "The woman in the painting was my grandmother," he started.

He felt her twitch slightly in his arms, realizing he must have stirred her from a continuing deep thought. "As I mentioned, my family was unfortunately dragged into the war on the side of evil. Well, my grandfather chose to join alongside of his friends from school. He never really had any backbone or will of his own; he depended way too much on the acceptance of his friends. When he married my grandmother, she was forced to join as well under threats and blackmail. Despite his love for her, my grandfather pushed her into joining the cause even more. She was much younger than he was, he was twenty-two when she had finished her last year at Hogwarts and insisted on marrying her that same summer. She told me her story the summer after my fourth year at school, or at least I think that is the year we learned about the war," he mused.

He felt her head nod against his chest. "Just before I entered Hogwarts, my father had told me about my family's role in the war, which obviously I cannot give you too many details," he said. "But at eleven, I didn't really understand what it meant to be on the 'evil' side. That year in school, after learning about all of the death and destruction caused, the number of lives lost, after hearing my classmates share stories like yours about their broken families, I felt ashamed about my past. I felt guilty in a way, almost if part of it was my fault."

"But it wasn't," she interrupted, sitting up on her elbow and looking him in the eyes.

"I know," he said, pulling her head back down to his chest. "My grandmother told me a more accurate account of my family's role, about the blackmail and how, in the end, she ended up doing something that directly ended the war."

"Did people at school ever treat you differently because of your name?" she asked suddenly.

Scorpius hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Sometimes, mostly by the parents of my classmates actually," he laughed lightly. "Actually, the person I grew up with that should resent me the most was the one who understood the most," he said thinking of Al. "I tried my hardest not to judge people based on their family's role in the war. It was a subject that rarely came up actually," he said.

He felt her nod again. "It's like it was the taboo topic, almost like you really didn't want to know."

Scorpius pulled her face level with his, staring into her glassy green eyes; they truly resembled emeralds at that moment. "We can heal each other, our generation," he said softly.

"Get rid of the lines between good and evil," she said, moving her face closer to his.

He slowly moved his hand to brush a red curl out of her face. "You're so beautiful," he whispered before kissing her lips softly.

XxX

Lily drew in a deep breath, his soft words echoing in her ears. She moved his lips lightly against his in return, tasting the remorse and guilt of his past which lingered on his lips. She kissed him harder this time, wanting to remove those hurtful feelings. She felt his other arm maneuver around her waist as the first hand played with her hair. He parted his lips, biting lightly at her bottom one, causing shivers to run up her spine. She parted her lips and their tongues met softly, needing the others touch. She pulled her hands through his silky hair, tugging lightly at it causing his breathing to pick up.

She felt him lean into her and allowed him roll his body lightly on top of hers without breaking the connection between their lips. He propped himself up slightly on his elbows, but kept a light amount of pressure on her body, one of his legs between her own. She kissed him more deeply, feeling a moan vibrate through his body. She slipped a hand underneath his dark green shirt, needing to know more of his body.

She slowly dragged her hand down his chest, feeling the outline of his muscles, loving the feeling of his warm skin against her cold hands. He shivered again as her hand traveled lower and lower to his hips. Her natural instincts at that moment propelled her hand to pull at his belt buckle. Her hand was immediately covered by his as he sighed huskily. "We shouldn't," he said. "Not tonight."

Lily nodded as she opened her eyes. He laid back down on his back, exhaling deeply. She rolled over, curling her arm on his chest and up to his opposite ear, fingers idly flicking his lobe. Her head settled on his chest where she could hear his heart beating erratically. He could heal her, she knew, and perhaps she could heal him as well.

A/N: Sorry this has taken forever! I had been writing bits and pieces whenever I got the chance between school and work, but I hope it was worth the wait! Good news: my finals are over on December 8th at 5:30 pm, which means I can dedicate a lot more time to all of my fics. This one has about two chapter remaining, and I know exactly what each one is; the plot and dialogue has been floating around in my head since I started this fic, slowly developing. The next chapter will be a good one, as long as I can write it properly. I hope you all continue to enjoy it! Thanks for reviewing, it keeps me motivated, even if it doesn't seem like it. Truly, thank you!

ALSO: I mentioned briefly in the first chapter that the enchantment used makes the person unrecognizable to everyone that sees them except for 1.) relatives and 2.) people who figure out who they are. I am going to try to explain more about this enchantment in the last few chapters. When the enchantment is not in place he sees her as Lily Potter and she sees him as Scorpius Malfoy. So in Scorpius's mind for example, Lily is not the same person as the Queen. The enchantment does not allow his mind to make the connection. Hopefully then it will make more sense in the final few chapters!