I woke up to a loud clattering downstairs, already knowing what it was. James had insisted on cooking breakfast at least three times a week this summer. Ever since he and Nadia had gotten engaged, he wanted to prove that he was good husband material (like that could ever happen!). I sat up groggily. My bed was a total mess. It almost looked like someone else slept in it with me last night. I laughed at myself. That wouldn't have happened.
I got out of bed and laughed at my reflection. My makeup was all over, making me look like a red haired raccoon. Wiping most of it off, I made my way towards the kitchen. "Good morning sleeping beauty!" James said with a chuckle, "You realize what time it is, right?"
"Yes I know what time it is. So what? Sleep is the best thing ever!" I snapped. Plopping myself into my chair, which has my name carved in it since I was six, I asked for a coffee. "I may or may not have the absolute worst hangover ever." I moaned. "So you did end up at Knight's house?" James asked. I nodded slowly. "Funny, I didn't see you at all."
"Nadia and I didn't stay very long. She doesn't like parties too much." James answered. I raised my eyebrow in surprise. "Nadia doesn't like parties? Is she aware that she is marrying the uncrowned king of parties at Hogwarts? Wait, didn't you two meet at a party?" I laughed. James just glared at me and handed me a coffee. "I've grown, dear Lillian. I'm mature now!" He whined. I couldn't help but laugh at my big brother. "And someone else is growing up too, I believe. Isn't Dom's birthday tomorrow? Then yours is while we're all in Cabo! I can't believe my little babies are turning 16! God I feel old." James pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.
"This birthday isn't even that big a deal. Not like next year's birthday will be! This is just a filler birthday." I pouted. "And what are you getting Nikki for her filler birthday?" Al joined the conversation when he came into the kitchen. Totally ignoring whatever it was James was making, he grabbed an apple and bit into it. "I've had her birthday present ready since last summer. What about you?" I bragged. Both my brothers rolled their eyes. "I just got her some new Quidditch gloves." James said with a shrug. "I got her new wrist protectors. I can't have a candidate for captain breaking her wrist! Last year she probably got hers mended after every game!" Al said. "Well that's very thoughtful of you both! But do you think she'll get captain? I was kinda maybe hoping that I would get it?" I looked at them both with hopeful eyes.
"Obviously it's going to be between you and Dommy. But it isn't up to us Lils. McGonagall will make the final decision. I wish I could help more." Al said. Both my brothers had been Captain, along with both my parents. Mum took over for Dad when he left school, Al was Captain of the Slytherin team since his fifth year, and James was Captain of Gryffindor since his sixth year. If I didn't get it, I would practically be disowned. Okay maybe that's a little dramatic. I wouldn't be disowned but I know everyone would be super disappointed in me.
I joined the team when I was a first year, which was unheard of until Dad did it too. It was me and Dom, naturally. She was a Beater, I was the Seeker, James was a Chaser, and Freddie was the Keeper. We won every Cup until James graduated. Last year, it was Slytherin versus Gryffindor. I totally let Al win since it was his last Cup. But being a Captain was in my blood. "Will you be okay if Dominique gets it?" James asked, obviously getting concerned. "I don't know. I'd be disappointed but happy for her at the same time."
"Don't worry Red, you have it in the bag." Said a slick voice from the living room. My eyes bulged as I glanced at my brothers. Al looked sheepishly at me. "Scor slept on the couch last night. Said he meant to Apparate home but came here instead. Hope you don't mind, little miss raccoon." Al whispered with a grin. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity. "Don't be jealous that I'm a prettier raccoon than you are a human boy." I teased.
Scor eyed me as he entered the kitchen with his empty cereal bowl. "Quite ferocious this morning aren't we?" he chuckled. He passed by me and brushed his elbow against mine. There was a glint in his eye that I didn't quite understand. He was acting almost like we had a secret or something. "It would help if I remembered what the hell happened last night. Damian got me pissed drunk and the next thing I remember is waking up to Mary Poppins over there banging around in here." I laughed. "I take offense to that. Now try this raspberry muffin and tell me if it's any good please." He shoved a pink muffin into my hands.
I took a tentative bite. James' concoctions never ended very well. During Easter break, he sent Al to the hospital after trying a Treacle Tart. The muffin was sweet and fluffy, and was actually quite tasty. Deciding to play a prank on dear Jamie, I gasped and slumped into my chair. They all surrounded me instantly. "Lily! Oh crap, are you okay? I knew I should have gone easy on adding my own ingredients. Now I've gone and killed my own sister." James fretted. I chuckled, revealing I was totally fine.
"The muffin is perfect James! I really like it!" I smiled. James' face regained some color as he took a deep breath. "You aren't dead? My muffin is good? MY MUFFIN IS GOOD!" he exclaimed. Scooping me up into his arms, he paraded through the entire house chanting, "The muffin was good!"
"Well good morning children. Glad you all finally woke up!" Dad laughed as he and Mum came into the house. They had a lot of bags in their hands, so it was pretty clear they had gone shopping. "Woah! Buy me anything? Preferably something cute?" I asked, trying to sneak a glance into the bags. "Maybe, maybe not. Your birthday is in two weeks after all. And since you won't be home for the affair, we had to start planning now!" Mum smiled. "So all of that is for me?!" I asked excitedly. James set me down in front of our parents.
"It's certainly possible Lillian. But you won't find out until this weekend. We're all going to the Burrow to celebrate graduation, along with yours and Dom's birthdays on Friday. And yes Scorpius, before you ask, you may come!" Mum said, eyeing the kitchen. Half a second later, Scor emerged smiling. "Why thank you Mrs. Potter." He winked. Mum, my Mum, rolled her eyes at his cheeky grin.
"Lily, all the girls are invited, plus their families. James, you can bring Nadia because I'm sure Roxanne will be bringing her new boyfriend too." Dad said, winking at his oldest son. "Ted and Vic will be there, right?" I asked eagerly. I absolutely considered Teddy my biggest brother. He may have lived with his grandmother most of his life, he spent summers between his time at Hogwarts here. He's about ten years older, but he acts like a teenager so we get along perfectly. "They have to check. Nolan caught the flu, but they're hoping he's feeling better by then." Mum said sadly. "Maybe I'll go over to visit them tomorrow. I'm sure they have their hands full with Gabe running around too." I said, "Plus Dom will probably be there."
"That's a lovely idea sweetheart." Mum smiled. She and Dad headed upstairs to hide my gifts while the boys and I went into the living room to talk. "So what should we do today?" Al asked. "I have work soon, so I've got to go." James said, stretching. James had just started working as an intern at Saint Mungo's. He totally shocked the family when he announced what he was doing after graduation. Everyone expected him to be an Auror or play Quidditch.
Just before he Apparated out, some thought got into his head. His eyes flashed and he grabbed my hand, pulling me into the kitchen. "Muffliato." He said before glancing at me. "What?" I asked suspiciously. "Want to know where Malfoy actually slept last night?" James asked. "Uh, I'm guessing the couch because that's what Al said." I snipped. He just shook his head. "Oh man. Did he and Al finally figure out that they're gay and love each other?!" I gasped. That got a little smile out of my big brother.
"You really have no idea. Merlin, what did you drink last night Lily?" James asked. "I have no idea. Damian got it for me. His house-elf made it." I said. "Can you remember anything from last night? Coming home?" James continued pushing me for information. "No, I just kind of assumed Damian brought me back." I said quietly. "No Lily. Scor did. And he slept in your bed. I saw him this morning because I got up early to start on the muffins. Mum and Dad had already left to go shopping. Do you have any idea how lucky you two are that it wasn't our parents that caught you?" James began his lecture. My face paled and my vision grew fuzzy.
"First of all, why the hell were you in my room to begin with? That's weird. Second of all, don't you think I would remember if Scor slept in my bed? And even if by some magic he really did, absolutely nothing happened. He's like my brother. No way would something like what you're thinking happen." I snapped. "This is you, acting like an annoying prick. God, get a life. You're engaged, why are you not living with Nadia yet? She's alone in her flat in London while you're here, baking raspberry muffins!" I exclaimed. I knew I was hitting a low blow, but at that moment I didn't care. He's absolutely ridiculous to be spying on me and making up lies. James started to say something, but I huffed and walked out of the kitchen, breaking the spell.
See, the thing is, James has never been fond of Scor. While we were growing up, Uncle Ron used to tell us horror stories about everything the Malfoys did. We were aware that Draco had a son around our age. Uncle Ron gave us strict instructions not to associate ourselves with him. Obviously Al didn't care and now they're best friends. Its really been the best thing for all of us. The world has been able to move on now that two annoying teenagers are friends. They're kind of like a gay Romeo and Juliet!
The two boys in question were still in the living room, rubbing their ears. "I hate when you two do that!" Al complained. "Sorry, James wanted to know if he should add anything to those muffins. Like a secret ingredient." I said. Scor raised his eyebrow at me. He could tell I was upset, I know I don't hide things very well. Even though I'm positive nothing happened between us, his look brought a blush to my cheeks. "I'm going to get ready then head over to Lissa's. Oh, Al! I meant to tell you last night but I didn't see you. She wants to say thank you for defending her. It meant a lot." I smile, knowing this would make his day. Now it was Al's turn to blush.
"I was just doing what was right." Al said nobly. I smiled then made my way upstairs, still avoiding Malfoy's eyes. There was no way James was right. Scor is just Scor. If he did bring me home, it was just because we're best friends. No strings attached. Had things changed recently? I wasn't sure I would notice. As far as I could tell, we acted like ourselves, just like we always have. I'll have to ask Lissa if she's noticed anything.
After my much needed shower, I quick put on my favorite pair of jeans and a grey camisole. There was no need for makeup, since the chances of Lissa being able to leave the house were very slim, so I just braided my hair into a French braid down my back and skipped down the stairs.
The boys were still sitting the same way they were when I left. Thankfully, James had apparently left. "It would do you two some good to bathe and brush your teeth at some point in the near future. I smell you both from over here." I teased. "Oh we smell, do we Albus?" Scor asked his best friend. Oh crap, there was that glint in his grey eyes again. "Apparently so Scorpius. What shall we do about this?" Al replied with a cheeky grin. Double crap. They're planning something. They both stood up and stared at me deviously.
"Do not come near me. Don't even think about it!" I warned, stepping back. They just laughed and ran towards me. I shrieked as they both hugged me and breathed on me. "God it's worse than I thought!" I laughed. I felt Scor's arm wrap around my waist while Al tugged at my hair.
"Say that we're gorgeous hunky men that smell like perfection, or else you're being thrown in the pool!" Al threatened. Scor tossed me over his shoulder and made his way to the backyard. I screamed and shrieked the entire way. "No, please please please please do not do this!" I screamed. "Say it or you're going in!" The boys threatened. "Fine, you are both gorgeous hunky men that smell like perfection! Even though one of you is my brother and that sentence makes it look like we're incest or something!" I screeched. Scor set me down gently on the ground, right next to the pool. "Why thank you Red. You aren't that bad yourself." He grinned cheekily. I smirked at him.
Just as I started walking away, the freaks were giggling and high-fiving each other. So while their backs were turned, I snuck behind them and pushed them into the pool. They screamed and hugged each other mid-air as they were falling. When their heads popped up, I had tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard. "Told you two you needed to shower!" I giggled before Apparating out of there.
I was still laughing when I arrived at Lissa's house. I had Apparated to her backyard, next to their porch. Avoiding the dog poop in the yard, I hopped up the deck stairs and knocked on the front door. Lissa's older brother Jude answered the door. He grinned and hugged me. "Wotcher Lily. Lissa is up in her room. Serena just brought her lunch up." He said. "Thanks Jude!" I said before bouncing around the house and running up the stairs. "Hi Mr. Whitlock!" I called, spying him in his study. He chuckled and greeted me.
When I got to Lissa's door, it was firmly shut. I began to rethink me coming over unannounced. Well, technically it wasn't totally unannounced. Every year we got together to figure out what we were going to do special for Dom's birthday. Usually Kate and Arden would join us, but they had gone to visit Kate's grandparents in Greece for a few days. "Come in Lily, I know you're out there." Lissa called from inside. Taking a deep breath, I entered a room almost as familiar as my own.
"Good morning! How are you today?" Lissa asked with a huge smile on her face. Well damn, that was unexpected. "For someone cursed yesterday, you sure seem awfully chipper." I laughed. Lissa smiled serenely. "I don't know. I feel…calm? God I sound crazy. But besides the whole passing out immediately thing right after, there haven't been any other side effects; just this weird sense of calm." Lissa explained.
"Huh, weird. At least you're okay. And a calm Lissa is always a good Lissa. Oh gosh, you wouldn't believe the night I had." I started. I flopped myself onto her bed and flipped my head over the side. "I went to Damian's for the party. I really had no intention of drinking but he kinda made me. He gave me this crazy pink drink that got me so drunk!" I continued telling her about my night. Her eyes bulged a little when I told her about the drink, but it honestly wasn't my fault! Some house-elf obviously got confused with what Damian had asked for.
When I told her what James had said this morning, she blushed delicately. "What? Do you think he was telling the truth?" I demanded. "It's just that, well, I think Scorpius definitely has feelings for you. You don't see how you two act together. I get that you're just friends and everything, but you're different with him than with say, Frankie. And why on earth would James lie?" Lissa's question instantly made me think. She was right; James had no reason to lie to me. "I think you're more upset that he was spying on you than the actual fact the Scorpius could have slept in your bed." Lissa pointed out.
"Maybe, I guess. I don't know. What if Scor really did sleep in my bed last night? Does it mean anything?" I thought aloud. "That depends on how the both of you handle yourselves." Lissa said wisely. I looked at my best friend in respect. When did she get so smart? She's always been clever, but she has totally sucked at advice.
I threw a pillow at her, laughing. "Okay sensei, we came here for a reason." I giggled. She waggled her eyebrows at me. "Wow, I got a giggle out of Lillian Luna Potter. Someone call the press!" Lissa giggled. I rolled my eyes but smiled. As we talked about our plans for Dom tomorrow, we wrote a few letters to Kate and Arden so they weren't left out.
"I think this is going to be the best surprise for Dom we've ever done!" Lissa squealed. I totally agreed. "I should probably get outta here. I'm going to need a lot of sleep to be ready for tomorrow." I hugged my blonde best friend goodbye then Apparated home. Hopefully Dom liked what we have planned for her tomorrow.
Hope you're enjoying! I have a beta now so these chapters may change and stuff.
Feel free to review! It helps so much!