A/N: Hey, sorry it took so long to update. I hit a nasty bit of writer's block. The end of this chapter might sound a bit forced, and it's shorter than usual, but it's a chapter. Hope you like it.

Chapter Seven

Shannon's life for the next few years was different. She traveled around for awhile, seeing new places and meeting witches and wizards in the US. For awhile, she fell into a period of solitude, living amongst muggles on the West coast, then moved back East. She found a roommate, Gavyn Slater, and they shared an apartment in Chicago.

Gavyn was an outgoing girl who could only be described as badass. She had shiny black hair that she cut in an angular way, with the bangs trailing down to her chest while the back was short and spiky, and had died one streak blood red. She had many piercings in her ears, a belly-button ring, and a small blue stud in her nose. She wore tight micro-minis that accentuated her long legs and lots of silver jewelry, and she worked as a bartender. She was a witch as well.

Shannon had left her black hair long and straight, now hanging at her waist, but she was wearing a bit more make-up and different muggle clothes than she did while at the Burrow. Her emerald eyes looked huge and intense when lined in dark black liner, and she wore lipstick that made her lips look fuller and plumper. Shannon also wore mini-skirts and stiletto boots, but for work she wore black sequined flats and tight dark-wash jeans. Being a hairdresser in one of the only Chicago salons for witches and wizards kept her on her feet.

One morning, about four years after she had left London, she showed up at work and nearly had a heart attack. There, sitting in her salon, was Scorpius Malfoy.

Shannon strode to the desk in the lobby without looking at him and opened the appointment book. Sure enough, the name S. Malfoy was doodled in the loopy handwriting of Amy, the girl who worked as a part-time receptionist. Shannon sighed, and then turned to the man standing in front of her.

Scorpius was tall, with wiry muscles visible through his tight green shirt. His hair was longer than Shannon had ever seen it, hanging past his eyes in the front while brushing past his collar in the back. His blue-grey eyes were barely visible through the white-blonde curtain, and his jaw was still prominent and angular. He smiled easily, standing. The group of witches sitting on the plush black couches tittered excitedly, their eyes following him hungrily as he crossed the lobby.

"Hello, Potter, how are you?" he asked, as if they had planned this encounter mutually. Shannon put her hand on her hip, cocking her head and looking up at him. She had worn stiletto heels today, but she was still almost a foot shorter than him. After four years in the States, his British accent sounded too sexy to be real.

"Malfoy. Didn't expect to see you here today," Shannon replied, raising an eyebrow.

"What, I can't come to get my hair cut by a former classmate?" Scorpius quipped. Shannon, despite her fervent thoughts that she didn't still have feelings for him, found herself giggling flirtatiously. She showed him into another room, where the walls were lined with mirrors, chairs, and desks covered in styling tools. The center of the room had two rows of shampoo stations. Scorpius slipped languidly into the silk robes he was handed and sat down in the chair. Shannon positioned his head in the sink and waved her wand; the sink and shampoos whizzed into action, soap foaming and faucets running.

When his hair was clean, she wrapped it in a towel and guided him to her work station along the wall. The mirror was lined with pictures of friends, family, and places she had been. Shannon combed his hair out, finding the best style.

"Okay, Malfoy. Why did you really come here?" She asked, looking at him. Her wand was poised in midair as she waited for an answer.

"Maybe I wanted to see you?" he suggested. She snorted unceremoniously and began trimming the white-blonde sheet of hair. Her wand was a blur.

"I said the real reason. Not some ridiculous flattery answer," she said, her insides squirming in pleasure at his answer.

"Why do you assume I knew you worked here? Maybe I showed up today with no idea that you were going to be here," Scorpius looked her with his blue-grey eyes, and for a moment she forgot what she was doing. The clatter of her wand hitting the floor snapped her out of it, and she hastily bent to grab it. Scorpius was smirking a bit. She slashed her wand midair, a bit more violently than necessary, and another lock of hair was cut off. Scorpius laughed softly.

"So, you just happened to be in Chicago. And you just happened to decide you need a haircut. And you just happened to pick my salon out of all the salons in the city?" Shannon clarified sarcastically.

"Okay, so what if I did know you worked here? What if I just wanted to see you?" Scorpius retorted quietly.

"You…did you really just want to see me?" she asked, and then remembered something. "But your hair was so long. You obviously needed a cut…" Shannon's voice was doubting.

"It's amazing what a little hair-growth potion can do," Scorpius smirked. Shannon thought about this. With a wave of her wand, the hair snippings were swept up in a mini tornado and blown into a dustbin. She waved her wand again and his hair was instantly dry.

"You're done," she announced, inspecting her handiwork. His hair was now the perfect length, not too long but not too short. He ran a hand through it and smiled, giving the robes back.

"It looks great," he said, smiling.

"I'm glad you like it. You can pay up front," she pointed him to the lobby again, but he merely stood there, watching her.

"Do you want to grab some dinner later?" Scorpius asked, an eyebrow raised. Shannon's stomach was filled with butterflies. She wanted so much to say yes but…

"I'm busy," she answered, trying to keep the disappointment off her face.

"Oh."

"I have a date," she told him. His face froze, his eyes steely and his body tense.

"I see. Is he your boyfriend?" Scorpius asked stonily.

"No," Shannon replied calmly.

"Then cancel," Scorpius suggested, lightening up a bit.

"I can't do that!"

"C'mon, you know you want to. Just call him up and say you're sick. If he really likes you, he won't mind," Scorpius told her. Shannon really didn't like his tone. His British accent may be cute, but that didn't give him the right to talk to her like that.

"No! I am not going to stand him up just because you think you're better! And I have news for you: I wouldn't go out with you, even if I was free tonight!" Shannon cried. By now, they had attracted the attention of the other customers. "Now, either you apologize and we can make plans for another night, or you pay and get out!" Shannon told him. Scorpius stalked off, heading for the desk. As Shannon showed a young witch back, she caught sight of Scorpius smiling flirtatiously at Amy. Shannon scoffed and set off to cut the witch's hair, slashing violently at the air.

The next day, Scorpius was back, his hair even longer. Shannon allowed Andrew, the trainee, to go crazy with scissors, and when Scorpius left, he had a strange chunky cut. The day after that, Scorpius left with half his head shaved and the other half trailing to his shoulder. The fourth day, Shannon refused to let him in. His hair was infuriatingly long, tied back in a ponytail. They stood out in to street, arguing quietly.

"C'mon, Potter, just cut my hair!" Scorpius demanded, smiling evilly. Shannon glared at him.

"No, Malfoy! You can't keep coming back here. You can't make your hair grow every day just so you can get it cut the next day!"

"Well, you know how you can get rid of me?" Scorpius asked her. She sighed and shook her head. He smiled in a supposedly charming way and answered her. "All you have to do to keep me from your salon is go out with me."

"Go out with you? Like on a date? That's what you're after?" Shannon was dumbfounded. She considered it for a moment. "Yeah, okay. I'll go out with you. Pick me up here at seven. Dress nicely."

"Where are we going?" Scorpius asked her, smiling widely. Shannon winked and giggled.

"I've got a few ideas," she replied mysteriously before turning to the door. Before she entered the salon, she took her wand out and made a circling motion with her wand. Scorpius's over-long hair sliced off and dropped to the ground, leaving the rest of his hair the perfect length and style. Scorpius walked away laughing to himself, and Shannon found herself waiting anxiously for their date.

Shannon closed the salon at five, Apparated back to the apartment, and raced to her closet. She slipped on a dark green, low-cut tank top and a flowing black knee-length skirt with a pair of black sandals. She borrowed some of Gavyn's jewelry, put on fresh make-up, and brushed her hair until it shone. She then Disapparated back to the salon and was waiting when Scorpius arrived. He looked stunning in black dress pants and a green long-sleeved shirt. His pale skin looked like cream in the moonlight.

"Well, you clean up well," Shannon commented as she stepped out of the shadows and greeted her date.

"I could say the same to you. You realize you're dressed in Slytherin colors, right?" Scorpius laughed.

"Okay, let's go. I have somewhere I want to go, and we don't have all night," Shannon informed him, turning and walking back into the alley. She grabbed Scorpius's hand and turned on the spot. A moment later, they were standing on a secluded beach.

"Where are we?" Scorpius asked, sounding mildly interested.

"One of my favourite places to go," Shannon answered quietly, looking around. Scorpius studied the dark beach, the ocean waves breaking softly and the wind blowing gently.

"I can understand why. It's very calm," he smiled.

Scorpius reached over and caught her hand, pulling her further along the coast. Their fingers entwined, they walked slowly and admired the beautiful beach. Shannon slipped off her sandals, holding them in her free hand, and marveled in the feel of the sand between her toes. They reached the mouth of a shallow cave, and they stopped. Scorpius waved his wand. A blanket laid itself out, and champagne flutes floated in midair. A basket of food was nestled in the sand. Shannon laughed.

"Well, well, well. Someone's prepared," she teased. Scorpius merely smiled, sitting down. Shannon settled down next to him, taking one of the floating champagnes.

"Cheers," she said before downing half of the pale gold liquid. Scorpius chuckled a bit, sipping his own.

"So, how've you been since Hogwarts, Potter?" Scorpius asker after a moment.

"Good, I suppose…I've been living in the States, you know, with my roommate. Her name is Gavyn," Shannon added. Scorpius smiled, nodding. They talked for awhile, sharing stories about life since graduation. Shannon was surprised to find herself having a good time. After a long anecdote about a run-in with Albus at the store, Scorpius took a deep breath and looked at her.

"What?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. He blushed, looking at his glass.

"I was just thinking…well, would it be okay for me to call you by your first name? I mean, we're on a date. Calling you by your last name reminds me of all those fights we had when we were younger. Would…would that be okay?" Scorpius asked, his cheeks burning. Shannon thought about it, then nodded.

"You can call me Shannon if I can call you Scorpius," she told him. He beamed.

The evening passed quickly, with the two of them talking until the sun started rising behind them. They stood, walking back along the beach a bit. Then Shannon linked her fingers through his and Disapparated. They appeared at the front door of Shannon's shared apartment. Scorpius told her good-bye, swiftly kissed her lips, and Disapparated. Gavyn found Shannon standing in the same spot, fingers touching her lips, when she left for work ten minutes later.

Shannon went to work that day, barely noticing her exhaustion. She couldn't help but hope that Scorpius would come see her, but he didn't. All she could think about was the possibility of another date with Scorpius.

She couldn't wait.

BTW, if you have any ideas for the future, I'd love to hear them. Please tell me what you think about this chapter! Review, please! Hope you liked it!

-Ms. Bells Swan