Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter

Slytherin's Potter

Chapter Nine: A Slytherin Dinner

Lily had started to do anything she could to not have to be alone with her brothers in the house. But she was lucky. James had started working for their uncle George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley, so he was gone for most of the day. Albus was either going to his best friend, Tyler Creevey's house, or he was somewhere else. Lily barely paid attention. Louis did stay for practically a week, but then he and his sisters went with their parents to see their relatives in France. Then she was constantly writing to her friends, and Lola would visit every few days.

August turned out to be a dreadful month for Lily though. Not really dreadful, but she could see how it would lead to dreadful times at school. Midway through the month, all the Potters sat at the table for breakfast, when an elegant owl came in with three letters, each baring the Hogwarts seal. Harry had passed one to each of his children.

"Here you are. Looks like we'll have to go shopping soon," he commented to Ginny.

Lily opened her letter, and looked over her list. She had an owl and a broom, but she would need the books obviously, and her potion kit was running low.

"Now way!" James exclaimed from his seat at the table. Like the rest of her family, Lily looked over at her brother. He was reading his letter with a look of shock.

"What's up, bro?" Albus asked.

James dropped his letter and scrambled for his envelope. He pulled a badge out of it. There was a bold P on it. Lily stared in shock at the prefect's badge in her brother's hand. James looked at his parents happily and smugly. "I made prefect!"

Lily bit back a groan as her family congratulated him. James being a prefect would be a nightmare. She could easily see him cornering any Slytherin he could find. He'd give major punishments for minor things. She could already feel the dread that her second year could easily become.

"Your grandma will be very happy to hear about this," Ginny said happily. "She always got excited when one of us made it."

James didn't lose the smug smile for days. A few days later, the entire family met up at the Burrow, and Grandma Weasley had insisted on making a big deal about it. But for Lily it just got worse, because Molly had made prefect as well. Not that she wouldn't take advantage of it like James, but she would never shut up and be annoyingly superior about it. And Lily was right.

"I knew I'd be prefect," Molly said to the other girls, brushing her red curls off of her shoulder. They were all sitting in Ginny's old room. Their grandmother had stuck them in together, even though they didn't all get along, and Lily could see prospects of a fight breaking out, because Dominique had a bad attitude toward everyone in the family, and she would start arguments at the simplest things.

"I mean, out of my year of Gryffindor girls, who else would they choose?" Molly questioned snobbishly. "I mean, the other girls are so . . . childish sometimes. They probably wouldn't be able to handle the responsibilities."

"Perhaps," Dominique seethed, finally looking up from her magazine, "but they might at least shut up about it, and spare us from hearing it!"

Molly just gave Dominique a nasty look. Rose intervened, probably not wanting a fight. Lily was a bit disappointed. She was wanting to see who would have won that one. "I'm glad you and James made it, Molly. You two will do great."

Molly sniffed huffily. "Well, I know I will, but I worry about James." Lily rolled her eyes. So she wasn't alone? "I mean, he can be a child, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to take advantage of his new position. That would be just like him."

"Just shut your mouth, Molly!" Dominique snapped. "We don't freaking care!"

"Don't be such a brat, Dominique!" Molly retorted.

"Well you're being an annoying bitch!" Dominique hissed. Molly seemed affronted at her language. "No one here cares what you think of being a prefect, or about the other girls in your year, or about how stupid James is. We don't care about your opinions, and we didn't ask! So just shut up!"

"Amen," Lily said with a laugh. She looked at Dominique. She was only two years older, but Dominique had never really liked any of her cousins. But Lily couldn't help but think that she was the only girl cousin that Lily would ever really get along with.

"Thank you," Dominique said with a sigh, apparently happy to have someone openly on her side. Lily knew that even if they didn't say it, the other girls wanted Molly to shut up. Back when they all got along, they'd often talked about how Molly could be annoying.

Lily gave another laugh. "Well, before a hair pulling fight starts, I'm going to leave. I'd really rather not get sucked into it." Lily stood from her spot next to the bed, and she started for the door.

"Yeah, I'm gone too. I'd rather catch dragonpox then stay in a room with Molly," Dominique muttered, and she followed Lily out of the room. Lily stopped walked just outside the room, but Dominique continued down the hallway. Lily watched as her cousin's red locks shined as she left. Lily stared at the door that held the other girls. She couldn't go downstairs with the others, because the adults would ask why she wasn't with the other girls. And an honest answer would not help. So without any other options, Lily followed Dominique down the hall.

"Why are you following me?" Dominique asked, not turning to look at Lily.

Despite her not being able to see it, Lily shrugged. "I can't go downstairs, and I'm not staying in room with Molly. I'm just taking my only option."

"You can just stand in the hall?" Dominique grumbled.

Lily gave a small laugh. "No, I thought we could sit in a room and ignore each other."

Dominique stopped at the door to their uncle Charlie's old room. She looked at Lily. Her blue eyes were cold and untrusting, but Dominique gave a dry grin. "Sounds like fun," she replied. She pushed open the door, and both girls walked in, Lily closing the door behind them. Dominique went to lie on the bed, and she went back to her magazine. Lily went over the desk, and started rummaging for a piece of paper. When she found one, she began to write a letter to Lola.

"What are you doing?" Dominique asked her.

Lily didn't turn to look at her. "I'm writing a letter to a friend."

Dominique scoffed. "Why? You'll be seeing her in a few weeks anyway."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I know, but she wrote me a letter, and I haven't had a chance to write one back. You don't write back to your friends?"

Dominique scoffed again. "I tell them not to write me. It's pointless to just rant back and forth. I write if I want to hang out, but otherwise, no."

"Ah, so you write so that you can use them to get out of the house and pass time," Lily commented honestly.

"Pretty much," Dominique said back, just as honest.

"Hm," Lily hummed, but the girls said nothing more to each other.

For hours, the girls sat in silence. Dominique read her magazine, while Lily wrote letters to friends that she hadn't been able to reply back to. After writing one to Lola, she wrote for Jace, remembering that he had written to her a few days ago. She had planned to write back that day, but her family ended up going to Diagon Alley, and she forgot.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Leave!" Dominique yelled back.

But the door opened anyway, and Louis stepped in. Lily laughed, wondering what would have happened if it had been an adult behind the door. Louis ignored his sister. "Hey, Lil, you've got a letter."

Lily turned and raised a brow. "What?"

"Some owl came and dropped this off. It's got your name, so I offered to bring it up to you. And you're lucky I grabbed it first before one of the other cousins," he commented.

"Why is that?" Lily asked.

"Because it's from Scorpius Malfoy, and chances are they would have read it," Louis replied, handing the envelope to Lily.

Lily shook her head, but smiled at her cousin. "Thanks, Louis."

He patted her shoulder. "No problem, cuz."

Lily turned back in her chair and looked at the fancy looking envelope. Lily felt her insides shaking with excitement as she hoped that this was the letter of the date when she would go back to the Malfoys' manor. The envelope looked too official to be a casual letter. She opened it, and pulled out what oddly did look like a casual letter.

Dear Lily Lu,

Sorry about the envelope, but my mum thinks I sent you a fancy and unnecessary invitation to the dinner. Really, it would tell you the same thing I'm about to tell you. The dinner is on the 26th. You should probably come over at about . . . five o'clock maybe. The dinner is at six, but us 'kids' always hang around for an hour or so while the parents go off and be boring. Also, it's dumb formal dinner every year, so keep that in mind. But if you were to wear jeans and a shirt, you would be my hero. I've asked my friends to do that, but they all chicken out. I don't because my mum would kill me.

Here's hoping you have the guts,

Scorpius Malfoy

Lily rolled her eyes. He always tried to do what he wasn't supposed to. But it made her laugh. The idea of it being formal did suck, because she hated wearing dresses.

"What's with the disgusted look?" Dominique mocked.

"I'm going to a big dinner at Malfoy Manor, and I have to wear a dress," Lily replied.

Dominique laughed. Lily sent a small and halfhearted glare at her cousin. "You're going to wear a dress?" she asked, laughing even more.

Lily scowled. "Shove off. I have to. It's a formal dinner. And it's better than just sitting at home."

Dominique finally began to calm. "Well, you've got me there. But do you even have a dress? I can't imagine you having one."

Lily sighed. "I'm sure I've got one."

"I've probably got one you can borrow," Dominique offered.

Lily looked back at her cousin and raised a confused brow. Dominique was offering to lend her something? Dominique, who hated all of her cousins? The ice queen being nice? "What's in it for you?" Lily demanded.

Dominique rolled her eyes. "Nothing, just more room in my closet. If you don't want one, that's fine."

"But why are you offering to lend me anything?" Lily asked. "It's not like we're friends."

Dominique shrugged. "I know that. But out of all the cousins, I get alone best with you, even if that isn't say much. So do you want one?"

Lily stared at her cousin with surprised eyes. "Um . . . sure. Thank you, Dom."

Dominique looked back at her magazine. "It's fine. I'll send you a green one. I imagine you'd look good in that color."

Lily didn't reply, but instead turned back to the desk. She felt like a miracle had just happened. Dominique was being nice to someone in her family? That never happened. The only person that she was even remotely nice to in their family was her sister Victoire. Lily was quite surprised at the change. She and Dominique had gotten into fights often, yet she was offering her a dress to wear? It baffled Lily.

When it came time for everyone to gather at the enlarged dinner table, Lily couldn't help but to try and break her brother's proud and annoyingly smug grin.

"Mum, Dad, I got a letter from Scorpius today," Lily mentioned. She caught practically everyone's attention, even if they tried not to show it. But she had caught James's attention openly, and that smile left, and was replaced by a scowl.

"Really? Is that who that letter was from earlier?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, he wanted to tell me when that big dinner is. It's on the twenty-sixth. Can I go?" Lily asked nicely.

"Sounds fine to me," Harry told her with a smile.

James had sent glares at Lily for the rest of the night.


Two days before the dinner at the Malfoys', Lily received a box from Dominique.

"What's Dom sending you a box for?" Ginny asked casually, glancing with curiosity at the box on the table.

Lily hesitated. Her brothers were there, and she didn't want to hear any sarcastic remarks about it. But her mother and father were both looking curious as to what was in it. She didn't think they'd let her play it off. Everyone knew about Dominique's attitude toward her cousins.

"Um, that dinner I'm going to is a formal one, so she offered to lend me a dress. I'm assuming that's what it is," Lily mumbled.

Her mother looked at her in surprise. "Dominique is lending you a dress? And you're going to wear it?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am. Um . . . I'm going to take this upstairs." Lily picked up the box, and started toward her room. She ignored the confused and angry looks her brother threw at her. When she closed her door, she placed the box on her bed, and took off the lid. She picked up the dress, taking a look at it.

She had chosen a green one, and Lily laughed at it. It was what she and the others called a Slytherin green. The fabric was like silk, but Lily couldn't imagine that Dominique would lend her a silk one. The straps were thin, and it tightened around the middle, and the skirt flared out. Lily placed it carefully on her bed, and then noticed a pair of green shoes in the box as well. Lily pulled them out as well, and found a note in the box as well. Lily pulled it out, surprised to even get shoes with the dress, let alone a note.

Here's that dress. I'm sure you'll like it. Don't worry about sending it back, just keep it. I don't ever wear it, and I really don't want it back. I don't think I look good in green. So if you send it back then I'll kill you.

Dom

Lily rolled her eyes at the note. Only Dominique could be an ice queen while being nice. Lily carefully hung the dress up, and placed the shoes in her closet. She moved to her desk, and pulled out a piece of parchment. Then with hesitant fingers, she wrote back to Dominique.

Thanks for the dress. It's really pretty. I didn't think you were serious about the whole green thing. And since sending the dress back isn't worth dying over, I guess I'll keep it. I owe you, Dom, but don't think much of it.

Lily

Lily hated that last thought. She did owe Dominique after this. But then again school was almost here, and Dominique would probably go back to ignoring her and the rest of the cousins. And hopefully, she'd forget all about it by the time they saw each other again. So Lily gave the note to Regal to deliver, no longer thinking anything of it.


When the 26th came along, Lily felt nerves invade her veins again. She hated dresses, and she hated formal things. She had dreaded every formal dinner and parties the ministry had that her father had taken her to. They were always terribly boring, and once again, she hated dresses. She'd really rather wear jeans and a T-shirt or something. Lily blamed it on being around too many boys, not to mention that her mother wasn't very 'girly'. And it didn't help that some of her cousins had decided to visit. Lily was starting to wonder if James had asked them to come over because it bugged her, or if they were begging their parents to visit so they could bug her. Either way, Lily had the feeling it was just to make her uncomfortable.

There was a knock on her door, making Lily jump. It was only four, but she had been staring at the dress on her bed for the past ten minutes. "Who is it?" she demanded, fearful of one of her brothers barging in.

"Your mother. May I come in?" her mother's witty reply came back.

Lily almost laughed. "Yeah, go ahead." Her mother stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Sorry, I thought you were one of the boys."

"It's fine." She looked over the bed. "Is this the dress Dominique sent you?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. She thought green would be a good color for me."

Ginny moved to sit next to the dress. "It does. You're like your father in that way." Lily smiled, but rolled her eyes. "So, are you going to get dressed? You have a little less than an hour."

Lily raised a brow. "It doesn't take me that long to get ready, Mum," she assured.

Ginny chuckled. "I didn't think it would actually. What are you going to do with your hair?" she asked, brushing some of it away from her daughter's face.

Lily ran a hand through her hair as well. "Nothing. I thought I'd just leave it down."

Ginny hummed for a moment. "Well, you should find some way to keep it out of your face."

Lily smiled, trying not to laugh. That was something her mum told both her and her brothers. Albus got it the worse, mainly because his hair was so messy that it was almost impossible to get away from his eyes. "I'll try, Mum," Lily told her.

"Your cousins are downstairs. Are you going to come down and spend time with us before you go?" Ginny asked.

Lily hesitated. She knew her mum didn't like the fighting that was going on between her and her cousins, but Lily wasn't sure if she wanted to be glared at, or stared at distrustfully.

Ginny seemed to sense that, and she sighed. "Ok. But at least come down when the Scamanders get here. Aunt Luna loves talking with you." She started for the door.

"Wait! Aunt Luna's coming over?" Lily asked, excitement in her voice. She loved her godmother. She was so fun, and the twins were just as fun, if not overly energetic. And Uncle Rolf told the coolest stories.

Ginny smiled. "Yes, I invited them over. And I think the boys might be staying the night, along with the others. So please come down." Then Ginny stepped out of the room.

Lily couldn't stop smiling. Sure, the fact that Hugo and Rose were staying wasn't the greatest, but the fact that Lorcan and Lysander were was good. She loved the twins. They were so fun. But Lily did stay up in her room until she heard the arrival of the Scamanders. Then she was racing down the stairs. And luckily, she caught her godmother walking toward the kitchen.

"Aunt Luna!" Lily cheered, hugging her tightly. Sure, she wasn't really an aunt, but she might as well have been. All the cousins called her that.

Luna hugged her goddaughter back. "How are you, Lily?" she asked.

Lily smiled. "I'm ok, I guess." She was happy to hear that dreamlike quality to her aunt's voice. It was just an Aunt Luna thing that Lily liked.

Luna patted Lily's head. Normally, Lily would have been irritated, but not with Luna. "That's good. I was glad to hear about you being in a different House."

Lily raised a brow. "Really? Why?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Well, it makes you the most interesting, which really suits you," Luna replied honestly.

Lily couldn't help but laugh. Her aunt had some of the strangest logic. "Are the twins in the living room?" Lily hadn't talked to them in forever, since before the last year. She wanted to see them.

Luna nodded. "Yes, I believe that's where they ran off to."

Lily smiled. "Ok. I'll go find them."

"Good luck," Luna told her with a smile of her own.

Lily turned and walked toward the living room. All of the kids were in there, and they really paid no attention to Lily. Except one.

"Hello, Lily." Lily turned to see Lysander sitting on the arm of a chair. "How are you?"

Lily smiled. Lysander hadn't changed a bit. He was still really skinny, even though he was a Beater. His blonde hair was unruly, falling to his eyes. Those eyes were a light blue color, and always seemed as if he was daydreaming, even when he had all of his attention focused on you.

"Hey, Ly. I'm pretty good. You?" Lily asked.

He smiled, his teeth pearly white. "I'm doing good." Then he gave a sigh. "I feel like I haven't talk to you in forever."

Lily nodded. "Tell me about. I didn't really see you at all last year, except when my team whipped yours at Quidditch," she teased.

Lysander rolled his eyes, but still smiled. "Haha. Although I have to admit, you play very well. I was happy that you beat Al."

Lily almost laughed. "Really? Why?"

"Because he got a really big head after winning every game in our second year, and it was annoying. It was nice to see him be knocked down," Lysander replied.

Lily couldn't help but laugh. "So was I. It was a wonderful feeling."

"It was wonderful to watch," Lysander agreed. He tilted his head, cracking his neck. "So, what are you doing tonight? I hear you're going to Malfoy's?"

Lily nodded. "Yep. I'm going to . . . well, I guess you'd call it a Slytherin dinner at the Malfoys' manor. It's a big formal dinner with a bunch of Slytherin families."

"Is that how they put it on the invitation?" Lysander joked.

Lily giggled. "Not exactly, but that's how I've perceived it."

Lysander fell back, laying across the chair. "I hope you have fun. My brother and I are staying the night, so we can talk more when you get back."

Lily smiled at the idea. She was glad that at least one of the others was going to be happy when she got home. That one of them was going to want to be around her. Because inside she knew that once she left to the Malfoys', she would be a traitor. And once she got home, they would probably avoid being around her at all. That, or they'd throw remarks at her as soon as she walked in the house. Not to mentioned the possibility of both happening.

But apparently, the others could hear the conversation. "That's right, Lily. When are you leaving for the snake's house?" James sneered. "Also, try not to stink when you come home. After all, the snake you're hanging around with is dirty."

Lily ignored her brothers' comments, something she taken to doing lately. She didn't like fighting at home. It bothered their parents, and Lily wanted to avoid upsetting them.

"Of course she hangs out with a dirty snake. They're two of kind, they've got to stick together," Albus agreed.

Once again, Lily kept quiet. Not turning to look at her brothers, not even acknowledging that they had spoken. She kept her eyes on Lysander, who was looking back at her. Then he smiled. "You are something else, Lil," he told her.

Lily raised a brow. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you can let them ridicule you, and not say a thing back. You have got some willpower," he explained.

Lily just smirked, and looked back at Rose. "No, I'm just being the bigger person." Rose just gave her a disapproving look. Both she and Lily knew that her attitude would change once they were at school.

Lysander patted her shoulder. "Glad to hear it, but I hope it doesn't last. It's not as fun to watch," he teased.

Lily sighed, smiling at him. "Don't worry. It's not as fun for me either."

When it was almost five o'clock, Lily had left to go and get dressed. She slipped the green fabric over her body, and the looked at herself in the mirror. She guesses that she did look ok in green, but she still didn't really like wearing a dress. It didn't matter what the color was. She slipped on the shoes, and decided to wear the headband Scorpius had made. It did what her mother had asked, and helped keep her hair away from her face.

Lily watched herself in the mirror. She still had time before she had to Floo over to the Malfoys'. But she was the only one with that thought apparently.

"Lily, hurry up! Scorpius is waiting!" her mother called up.

Lily almost fell to the floor in shock. Her head whipped toward the door, even though there was no one there. Scorpius was here? In the house? With her brothers? Oh, Merlin! Lily hurried out of her room, quickly slamming her door shut behind her. She practically ran down the stairs, thankful Dominique had sent her flats to go with the dress. When she got to the livingroom, she found Scorpius standing by the fireplace, and everyone else was in there as well. Her brothers and Hugo were glaring at him, and her uncle Ron eyed him uneasily.

Scorpius looked very elegant as he stood quietly by the fireplace. He wore a black button-up shirt, with black pants and shoes. His hair wasn't slicked back, but instead his bangs were combed to the side, and away from his eyes. What made Lily's smile was that he was wearing the jacket she'd sent him for Christmas.

When Scorpius saw her, he grinned. "Hey, Lily Lu," he greeted, finally bringing it to everyone's attention that she was in the room.

Lily felt her cheeks heat up a little. "Hello, Scorpius. What are you doing here?"

His grin got bigger. "Well, I thought I would be a gentleman and come and get you. Plus, I quite like it here," he complimented.

Lily almost laughed. She knew why he 'like it'. It bugged her brothers that he was here. "I'm not surprised," she commented.

"When can I expect my daughter to be home, Scorpius?" Ginny asked with a smile.

Scorpius gave her a grin as well. "Well, dinner is at six, and I think the earliest anyone has ever left was . . . half past eight o'clock? But if there's a certain time that you want her home, I'll make sure she's here by then."

Lily rolled her eyes as she walked toward him. "Suck up," she muttered. Scorpius gave her a smirk.

Ginny shook her head. "Just have her home at a decent time."

Scorpius gave a nod. "I can do that. Have a good evening," he said with a grin.

Lily grabbed his arm. "Let's go," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Once they had Flooed over, Scorpius laughed. "So I'm a suck up for trying to make peace in the Potter household?"

Lily shook her head. "No, you're just trying to get my mum to like you, because you think it'll bug my brothers."

He snapped his finger. "Ah! My secret's out. So, I'm a suck up when I'm trying to get your mum to like me?"

"Yep," Lily said with a smile. "But I guess that's not a bad thing. She usually has the final word in our house, so that might get you places," she teased.

Scorpius grinned. "Alright! I'm glad to hear that."

Lily shook her head and laughed. But then she noticed that they were alone. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"Oh! The adults stick us kids in the upstairs study. That's where the others are. Come on," he told her.

"Who's all here?" Lily asked as they walked through the large house.

"Um . . . Lola and some of her siblings. Jace, Lana and Lars, Mitch and all of his siblings. My cousins, the Boles, the Flints, the Vaiseys and the Montagues."

Lily raised a brow. "That's a lot of people."

"A lot of kids. It's like . . . more than twenty at the least. Although the older ones are usually with adults, since they feel that they're too mature for us," Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Marty, Ginger, and Brandon are all with the adults now."

"Marty?" Lily questioned.

"Lola's oldest brother. The oldest Pritchard. He's a cool guy, not stuck up like Ginger. But he's working in my dad's department of the Ministry, so they're talking business. That's what most of the older men do at this dinner? Discuss business, our grades, and on the odd occasion, Quidditch teams," Scorpius explained.

"What do the kids talk about?" Lily asked with a grin.

"Quidditch, the opposite sex, school, and how dumb the older kids look trying to be adults," he listed. They stopped at a door, and Scorpius pushed it open, revealing a room that was packed with kids of all ages, each broken into groups around the room. Lily was surprised to see a bunch of kids she knew looked so elegant. Especially Mitch. She never thought she'd see him look so formal.

"Hey, Scorp's back!" Mitch announced.

"And Lily Luna's with him!" Raven Bole added with a grin. "It's nice to see our star player joining us!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you without dirt stains on your face," she retorted.

The other guys laughed, while Raven just chuckled. "Be careful, Lily Luna. I'm the new Quidditch Captain, so I'm your chance getting back on the team."

Lily raised a brow. "Congratulations, on becoming captain. But do you really think that you can get someone better than me?"

"Oh, arrogant are we?" he joked.

"Just right," Lily threw back with a grin.

Scorpius chuckled. "Face it, Rave, she's got ya beat on that one," he replied.

Raven picked up a glass from the table next to his seat on the couch. "True. It makes me wonder if I should even hold tryouts. I mean, I have to have a tryout for Aaron's old position, but I don't think any little second year is going to beat what we've already got."

"What if one of the fifth years or someone else tries out though?" Lily asked.

Raven shrugged. "They better be good. At least better than some of the pathetic tryouts we had last year."

"Don't be too hard on them. Besides, Tyson Derrick's not going to be trying out anymore, so we won't have a priss throwing a fit when he doesn't make it," Dante Montague laughed.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be as nice as Aaron when someone throws a fit," Raven replied.

"I was a captain for three years. You learn to keep your temper in check," Aaron told him.

"I'll be one for a year. They won't be that lucky," Raven reminded him. "I don't think I'll have Seeker tryouts. It's not like anyone's going to beat Lily here, so that'd be a waste of time. And I'll probably let Lars here keep his position. I'm too used to teaming with him as a Beater."

"Awesome!" Lars cheered happily.

"Well, Adrian, Dante, looks like we're going through tryouts," Scorpius joked.

"Oh, don't bitch," Raven told them. "I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to hold the tryouts for you guys."

"You should tryout, Mitch," Dante remarked.

Mitch shook his head. "Nah. I don't do Quidditch. I mean, it's fun to watch and cheer for, but I'm not a big fan of playing the actual game."

"Wuss," Lars jeered with a grin.

Mitch chuckled. "Quick survey. How many upcoming fourth years here with a girlfriend?" Mitch raised his hand, while Lars and Scorpius kept their hands down. "No, come on. Up high, I while I count."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Same guys, how many of us aren't whipped." Scorpius and Lars raised their hands. Mitch started to raise his, but Lars smacked it down. The rest of them laughed.

Mitch just gave Scorpius a mock glare. "Hey, hey . . . shut up." Then he too laughed.

"You boys giving Mitch a hard time again?" Lily turned to see that Lana had joined their group.

"It's too fun to pass up," Scorpius said with a laugh.

"What do you want, sis?" Lars asked.

Lana rolled her eyes. "I'm here to save Lil from this large group of stupidity." Lana grabbed her arm. "Come on. I'll help you save a few brain cells."

Lily laughed, but let herself be pulled away from the boys. Lana dragged her toward a smaller group of girls. Some of them were from Lily's year. Lola, Megan Montague, and Shannon Flint were all in Lily's year. There was Amanda Baddock, and the other girl was who Lily recognized as Miley Montague, a girl in Lana's year, and as she now knew, Mitch's girlfriend. But surprisingly, there were two other girls there too. But they were older, one was a sixth year, and another a seventh year. Lily vaguely knew them as Stacy West and Scarlet Glass. Why were they here?

"What are Scarlet and Stacy doing here?" Lily asked.

"They're Raven and Adrian's dates. They didn't want to be paired with one of the little ones," Lana explained.

Lily raised a confused brow. "What?"

But Lana didn't seem to hear her. "Hey, girls, I've saved her!" Lana joked as they approached the group.

Lola gave an excited squeal. "Lily, you came!" She pulled Lily in a tight hug. Lily had expected it. Lola seemed to hug every time they saw each other after a brief period apart. "And you look so pretty! I never thought you'd actually wear a dress," Lola replied.

"Neither did I, actually," Lana agreed teasingly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Shove off. It's not even mine. It's my cousin's."

"Which one?" Lola asked.

"The bitchy one," Lily teased.

"Oh, Dominique," Lana said with a nod. Lily laughed at the fact that Lana knew who she meant, but then again they were in the same year.

"I'm surprised you came, Lily," Shannon Flint told her. "From the stories Scorpius has told, his grandfather doesn't really like you."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Well if I was afraid of him, then that would be a different story. But I'm not, so I don't care."

Lana laughed. "Oh, wow. Scorpius found the perfect friend." Lily gave a laugh too. "How was meeting Lucius Malfoy for you?"

"Well, it was much like standing right outside the line of reach of the Whomping Willow. It tries to hit you, but it's just not close enough," Lily compared.

Lana laughed. "Well just wait, he'll probably try to take another shot at dinner tonight."

Lily sighed. "Oh, joy."

"Lily!" Before Lily could turn to see who had said her name, arms wrapped tightly around her from behind. She was lifted off her feet for a moment before being let go. She whipped around to see that it was Jace standing behind her. He was dressed formally as well, but the aristocrat look was ruined by his ears poking out of his hair.

Jace looked her over as well. "You look nice, Lil."

Lily grinned. "You look very handsome as well. Just one problem." She reached out and touched the tip of one ear. The other girls laughed, Lola laughing the loudest.

Jace rolled his eyes. "I thought they looked handsome as well. I did my best to groom them nicely," he joked.

Lily rolled her eyes, and ruffled his hair. Jace waved her hand off. "Don't worry. They look dashing," Lily assured with a smile.

Jace grinned. "Why thank you, my dear Lily."

"Way to say hi to the rest of us, big ears," Lola said with a roll of her eyes.

Jace looked over at her. "Sorry. I would have hugged you too, but I didn't want to take a chance of accidently touching your hair and getting my hands dirty," he apologized with a fake smile.

Stacy grinned at Lola. "Aren't you lucky? You two will spend the next six years together," she joked. Lola gave a small groan.

Jace groaned louder. "Man, don't remind me of school! We have very few days of freedom left!"

Lily laughed. "It's not that bad."

"For smart people," Jace disagreed. "For dumb people like me, it sucks."

Lola raised a brow. "Well, I can understand how you would hate it then."

Jace gave her a wry grin. "Coming from the girl who got just a little more than a seventy on one of her exams?"

"Better than you," Lola argued.

Lily turned to the other four girls. "I'd just ignore them. The fight's not going to end for another hour," she said with a grin.

Lana laughed. "Yeah, I've started to realize that."

"So, Lily, how's living with two Gryffindors?" Miley Flint asked.

Lily almost rolled her eyes. She was getting used to other Slytherins asking that question. "They're barely home anymore. James works, and Albus hangs around some other dumb Gryffindor," she answered.

"James Potter got a job?" Scarlet asked with a laugh. The others looked just as surprised and amused.

Lily grinned too. "Yeah, he's working for my uncle at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He and Fred work together. A deathtrap really."

"Wow, that makes me want to visit the store all the more," Jace joked.

"Oh, Lily," Megan addressed, "when are you leaving?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. My mum just wants me home sometime tonight. My cousins and the Scamander twins are staying over, so I have to be home tonight," she explained. It wasn't terrible, unless she had to interact with someone other than an adult of the twins when she got home.

"The Scamanders are staying at your house?" Lana giggled. "How's that going to turn out?"

"Well, I haven't personally talked to Lorcan, but Lysander seems ok with me. He actually congratulated me for beating down Albus during our match against Gryffindor," Lily laughed.

The others laughed too. "Isn't Lysander the one with the longer hair?" Miley asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, Lorcan's hair's shorter. It's really the only way to tell them apart just looking at them. But when you talk to them, Lysander is much more relaxed."

"I've only talked to Lysander, so what do you mean by Lorcan not being as relaxed?" Miley asked.

Lily chuckled. "He is much more intense. Like, Quidditch is his life! He has to win! But Lysander isn't really bothered if they don't win. Lorcan will fight back in an argument, and he'll get in your face. I've never seen Lysander yell before," Lily compared.

"Surely you're exaggerating," Shannon insisted.

But Lily shook her head. "No, I can never remember him yelling. He's always so calm."

"Hey, girls!" Raven yelled from across the room. "We gotta pair up soon. Scorp says that dinner will probably start soon. So get over here!"

The girls all started to walk toward them, but Lily looked at Lana in confusion. "What does he mean?" she asked.

Dawning reached Lana's eyes. "Oh! I forgot that this is your first time coming to this. Us older kids pair off, boy-girl. It's the adults' way of keeping the dinner dignified and classy." She rolled her eyes. "So we pair off, and we each go in with each other. It's why some of the older ones bring dates, that way they aren't stuck with one of the really young girls."

Lily looked back at the littler kids playing. "And them?"

"Too young. They'll join when they're older and are a bit more mature. Now they'd just make fun of each other," Lana explained.

"And the older boys won't?" Lily asked skeptically.

Lana smiled with her. "They will, but they will be much quieter about it."

The older kids all came together, and Raven seemed to be the leader. Lily couldn't see Aaron anywhere, and wondered where he had gone.

"Ok, now obviously if you have a date, then that's who you're pairing with. That means, me and Stacy, and Adrian and Scarlet. Ok, the next oldest guy is Dante . . . so how about you and Miley?"

"Miley's Mitch's date," Scorpius said as he shook his head.

"Oh! Right, I forgot. Ok, so Mitch and Miley," Raven amended. "So, Dante and . . . Lana?"

Lana shrugged. "Sounds fine with me."

Raven gave a nod. "Ok. By the way, remember this, guys. Because I won't. Ok, now . . . next is Lars, and you're with Amanda, right?"

Lars nodded. "Yep, that's the plan."

Lana looked toward Lily and whispered in her ear. "Last year he was stuck with Dante's younger sister, and he was really embarrassed since she's a lot younger than him." Both girls bit back a laugh.

"Ok, so next would be Scorpius," Raven listed.

"I call Lily Luna!" Scorpius announced.

Lily felt her cheeks flush a little, but she still rolled her eyes. "Lucky me," she teased. Scorpius only smirked.

Raven was trying not to laugh. "Ok, so we'll all get to see Lucius Malfoy explode. Awesome!" They all laughed at that. "But, anyway. Next is Tanner, and you and Lindsey are going together as you planned. So that brings us to Derek." Raven blew out a breath as he looked at the rest. "Um . . . how about Megan? That cool?"

Derek just gave a grunt and shrug. Megan rolled her eyes, but she nodded. "I guess so."

Raven gave a nod. "Ok. Um . . . I think Xavier is next."

"Me and Shannon," Xavier suggested. Shannon's cheeks turned a deep pink.

"Perfect," Raven told him. "Ok . . . Jace, you and Lola?"

Jace raised a brow and looked over at Lola, who looked disgusted. Lily could already see the disaster happening. "How about I go down with Emily? I don't care if she's a few years younger."

"You sure?" Raven asked.

Jace nodded quickly. "I'm sure. I'd rather light myself on fire then go in with her," he said with a nod toward Lola.

"Really, because I'd rather just die?" Lola mocked.

Raven cut in. "Ok, ok. So that means it's Christian and Lola. Everyone got that?"

There was a chorus of agreement and understanding.

"I'll tell Emily that she's in," Megan told them, and walked toward the younger kids.

Lily looked over at Jace and Lola. "You two are such children."

Jace just stuck out his tongue.

When Pitch had come to tell them that dinner was ready, and they were to head to the dining room, Lily had moved over to Scorpius. Scorpius grinned, and explained the process.

"Ok, so basically, we stop by just a bit away from the dining room. Then Raven and Stacy will interlink arms, and they will walk to the room, and then enter. Then they will take the two seats on the right. Then Adrian and Scarlet go, and they will take the two seats on the left. And it goes on and on," Scorpius explained.

"And what is the point to this?" Lily asked.

Scorpius shrugged. "I have no idea, really. They say it adds a bit of class to the dinner. I think it's just a bunch of old-fashioned Slytherin families trying to act like aristocrats and superiors."

Lily rolled her eyes. "What about the little kids?"

"They are at a separate table across the room. I don't know why they're brought," Scorpius muttered. "They can be a bit annoying."

"When do they join the 'big people'?" Lily joked.

"If the adults think they're mature. Usually when they're old enough to go to Hogwarts. Unless we're uneven on boys and girls, then like with Emily, we invite one to sit at the table with us," he answered.

When they had all reached the bottom floor, they stopped, and Raven and Stacy took the lead. Lily had to admit that they looked very much like aristocrats. Raven's dark hair was slicked back, with a very small fringe on his forehead, contrasting greatly with his pale skin. And his dark blue eyes fit his features very well. He wore dress robes of a silky green color, shouting what House he belonged to. And Stacy was very beautiful. Her long curls were a light blonde, her eyes a pretty green. She was so different from Raven in looks. Her hair and eyes, her small height, and her baby blue dress. But they fit together so well it seemed.

The two locked arms and walked toward the diningroom. As they entered, they could all hear the voices of the adults rise as they caught sight of the two teens. Once Raven and Stacy were out of sight, Adrian and Scarlet started. The procession was slow, but the others all treated it as an important tradition, so Lily didn't want to mock it. When she and Scorpius were up, she ignored the heat in her cheeks as they interlocked arms. Then they started walking toward the dining room. Lily was a bit nervous as they got closer. Once they reached the doors, the voices rose again, although much louder now that they were in the room. There were compliments and comments, but the one Lily was watching was Lucius Malfoy, just as she knew Scorpius was. His face was angry, furious really. Lily could practically see the disgust in his sneer. Lily couldn't hold back a smug smirk at irritating him. She glanced at Scorpius, and saw that he too looked pleased with himself.

They both took their seats, and watched as the others all came in, pair by pair. Lily and Scorpius tried not to laugh at Derek Bole and Megan Montague. Derek looked annoyed to have Megan on his arm, and Megan just looked disgusted. Lily didn't really understand Megan's annoyance. Lily didn't really talk to Derek, but he never really talked at all to anyone. He was always with the rest of the Slytherins in his year, but he never really talked. Apparently, he sometimes wouldn't even talk to teachers. Lily couldn't imagine being that quiet.

When everyone was there, and the dinner finally started, Lily laughed as Scorpius immediately jumped on Mitch and Miley.

"You two are just so adorable!" he teased. "So sugarcoated. Despite Mitch being an idiot, and you . . . well I'd better be quiet. This is a polite dinner."

Miley just gave him a snide look before it dropped. Mitch just shrugged. "At least I've got a girl. Unlike you," he mocked.

Scorpius shrugged. "Too much of a hassle. Plus it saves me from having to spend money on the useless things a lot of girls in our year want," he retorted.

"You're just not as devilishly handsome as I am," Mitch countered with a laugh.

"Oh, I am the hottest of our year," Scorpius bragged with a laugh as well. "And anyone would agree."

Mitch raised a brow at the challenge. "Is that so? Well, Lola," he called down to her, "who is the hottest guy in Scorp's and I's year?"

Lola looked confused at the question. "Um . . . Scorpius, I guess?"

Mitch snapped his fingers in defeat while Scorpius smiled smugly. "Drat," Mitch muttered.

"You two are such children," Miley said with a roll of her eyes.

Lily, Scorpius, and Mitch looked at her with a look of amusement.

"Coming from the girl dating one of the said 'children'?" Scorpius mocked.

Mitch grinned at her. "Does this mean you'll spoonfeed me?"

Again, Miley rolled her eyes, but Scorpius and Lily did their best to bite back their laughter.