"Are you sure your parents don't mind me coming?" asked Scorpius as they sat on the train making their way home for Christmas.

"For the thousandth time, they said it's fine – even that it's a good idea!" replied Albus.

"You can help us decorate the house tomorrow," added Lily. "That's always one of my favourite things. We get a big massive tree and then go mad with decorations all round the house."

"Yeah Lils really goes all out."

"It's my favourite time of the year," she smiled.

"Then there's the meal at The Burrow on Christmas day," smiled Hugo.

"All of you?"

"Yeah. Grandma puts some spells on the house so we all fit – you'll see."

"I don't think I've ever had a proper Christmas, apart from the ones at Hogwarts."

"In comparison to Hogwarts, ours is much better," Lily assured Scorpius.

"Are you really alright about not seeing your parents again?" Lily asked Scorpius as they hung tinsel round the staircase. When Scorpius had turned 17 the month before he had sent a letter to his parents saying that he didn't want to live with them anymore and that in the summer he would stay with his gran the whole time. In the past his gran had never allowed this but now he was an adult she had agreed.

"It's not like I have much to miss," he explained. "Even when I was home I didn't see them much. Dad was always in his study and mum was doing her own thing or bossing people around. Not that I actually wanted to spend time with them."

"But still … they're your parents."

"You don't understand because your parents love you unconditionally no matter what. Look at the relationship you have with your dad – he thinks the world of you."

"He has motivation to – he wants to be the father he never had."

"It gives me the motivation that one day I can be like that."

"You will be. Now hand me that red tinsel, I think we're nearly done here."

"You weren't kidding when you said you go all out," laughed Scorpius. The house was slowly being turned into a Christmas wonderland.

"Like I said, it's my favourite time of the year. Everyone's happy."

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Lily as she opened the door to Albus' bedroom.

"What time is it?" mumbled Albus from the bed.

"Umm … it's 8 o'clock," said Lily. Albus reluctantly reached a hand out from under the covers and turned the lamp on.

"Liar. It's half 6, go back to sleep."

"It's Christmas."

"I don't care – it's too early."

"What going on?" mumbled Scorpius from the camp bed.

"Merry Christmas," Lily repeated.

"What time is it?"

"You guys spend too much time together – it's half 6."

"James will kill you if you wake him up at this hour," pointed out Albus.

"Well I can't go back to sleep now, I'm too awake," reasoned Lily.

"Me too," stated Scorpius sitting up. "There's not much point in going back to sleep."

"There's every point," moaned Albus.

"Don't you want to open your presents?" asked Lily, pointing at the pile of neatly wrapped presents at the end of the bed.

"They'll still be there later."

"Scorpius what about you?"

"They're all mine?" asked Scorpius, looking in amazement at the end of the bed. His pile was slightly smaller than Albus' but still reasonably sized.

When they arrived at The Burrow there was another round of present opening. Lily stopped what she was doing when she noticed Scorpius picking up the present wrapped in red and caught her dads eye.

"Your first Weasley jumper," she smiled as Scorpius opened it and pulled out the jumper. Lily, along with most of the family, was already wearing one.

"Thank you … I didn't … you didn't …" he stammered.

"You're welcome dear," smiled Molly. "I knit them for everyone, as you can see."

"Yes and we all wear them for a day and then never again," joked Charlie who was visiting from Romania.

"So, when do I get to be the most beautiful bridesmaid there ever was?" Lily sat next to Teddy. The whole family were round at the Potters to celebrate new years.

"Gees Lily, you don't think much of yourself do you," smiled Teddy. "And for your information, we're going to set a date once I'm a fully trained Auror.

"You've been training for aaaages!"

"It's a very responsible job. So … got your eye on anyone?"

"No," she replied with a moments hesitation that did not go unnoticed by Teddy.

"Let me guess, he's blonde, blue eyed, name begins with S and is currently sat talking to your dad," Teddy teased.

"Shut up, we're just friends!"

"Vic and I were just friends … until we weren't," he pointed out.

"It's not like that."

"Really? Lils I've known you your whole life …"

"Yeah you're like my brother. I've always though it a little weird that you're more or less a Potter but your marrying our cousin."

"You can't help who you fall for. And at the end of the day, I'm not a Potter, I'm a Lupin."

"Scorp said he had a great time with you the other day – it's really weird that you're actually related."

"That's purebloods for you – it's a small world and all that. I said he should speak to your dad about Sirius Black, I guess that's what they're doing now. So do you like him? And remember I can tell when you're lying – your nose goes red." Lily immediately reached up and covered her nose with her hand.

"Fine … maybe … I don't know … I guess …"

"But let me guess, you're going to wait until he makes a move?"

"He doesn't like me like that … I'm just a friend."

"Once again I would like to point out that most couples are friends first. You've changed his life Lils, given him a substitute family, he'd be crazy not to like you."

Lily ran out of the castle doors and raced down the stairs.

"I'm free, I'm free, I'm free!" she twirled around shouting as loud as she could.

"People are looking," said Scorpius, following after her.

"I don't care. After months of worrying and stressing and revising, the OWLs are over!" It was near the end of term and Scorpius had been waiting outside the Great Hall for Lily to finish her Arithmancy Exam. Hugo, who didn't do that subject, had finished the previous day and was up in the common room with Rosie and Albus, who along with Scorpius had also finished their end of year exams.

"Lily, can we talk? Maybe go down to the lake?"

"Sure," replied Lily nervously.

"I … I got a letter from my gran this morning. She's got dragon pox and has been taken to St Mungos."

"Oh Scorpius … is she going to be okay?"

"Apparently the Healers are hopeful that she'll make a full recovery but she might be there for a little while. But … what if she's just saying that? What if she …"

"She'll be fine. You'll see."

"You don't' know that."

"You have to have faith that the Healers will look after her and she'll be fine. Have you told anyone else?"

"Professor Longbottom knows – and McGonagall, they both got letters too, I was called in to see them whilst you were in your exam. They said the same as you, not to worry. But other than that I haven't told anyone."

They'd reached the lake and sat down under a beech tree near the edge. The sun was high in the sky and the tree created a nice bit of shade for them. They chatted about mundane things for a while whilst they lay and relaxed, happy that exams were over but both a little concerned about Narcissa.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Lily, lifting her head slightly to look over at Scorpius.

"Of course."

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to … but it's something that I've been wondering ever since I saw you that time in the Quidditch changing rooms."

"What?"

"How … how did you get those scars on your back? When I walked in you had your back to me and I saw them … and I've noticed that you're really careful that no one sees them …"

"I knew you'd seen them … I just … wished that you hadn't."

"I'm sorry," Lily replied quietly.

"It's not your fault and to be honest I'm surprised it's taken this long for you to ask about them," he took a big breath. "They're … a present … from my father."

"He did that to you?" gasped Lily.

"It was how it expressed that he wasn't happy with me. He said that it was … family tradition … and that it had happened to him and that I should be grateful it was coming from him and not Voldemort."

"That's child abuse."

"The first time it happened I had entered his study without permission and was sat in his chair pretending I was him and knocked some ink over … I was 5. The worst time it happened was when I first returned home after being sorted. He said I should have insisted to the Sorting Hat that I was in Slytherin."

"He can't be serious."

"He was deadly serious. The Sorting Hat actually asked me what House I wanted to be in."

"What did you say?"

"That I should be placed wherever it thought I should be."

"You didn't want to be in Slytherin? To please your dad? A lot of 11 year olds would."

"I'm not a Slytherin Lils, the Hat told me that I didn't have what it takes to be one."

"I'm glad you're not. Can't you … isn't there something to get rid of the scars?"

"No. I didn't tell my gran about them but she walked into my room one day a couple of years ago and saw them … she immediately tried everything she could think of but the scars are too deep … the magic is too powerful."

"When I'm a Healer I'll invent something to get rid of them," smiled Lily.

"I don't want to."

"You want to keep them?"

"They remind me what not to be … they're part of me."

"That's what my dad says. He says that every scar has a story behind it. Like the lightning bolt is how he survived, the one on his heart is how he sacrificed himself in the Battle of Hogwarts … the I must not tell lies on his hand reminds him to always stand up to what he believes in."

"Like it or not my father and my childhood is part of me and always will be."

"I can't believe what you've been through …" sighed Lily. He reached out and took her hand in his.

"You changed my life and I can never thank you enough."

"You don't need to."

"Lils, I …" he trailed off.

"I like you," Lily blurted out and immediately turned a bright shade of red. Scorpius sat up and slowly staring at her.

"You …" he hesitated, looking into her eyes until she moved away and went to stand up.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, just forget it, it's nothing," she starting walking quickly back towards the castle.

"I like you too," he yelled after her, thankful they were the only ones around. She stopped but didn't turn around. "As more than a friend," he added for good measure. She slowly turned back to him. They were five feet from each other but neither was moving.

"A Potter and a Malfoy, who would have thought it?" joked Scorpius. Lily ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him, he lowered his head and looked into her green eyes, ones she had inherited from her grandmother of the same name. "I've wanted to say that for a while," he smiled before kissing her.