I feel… good. Real good.
"Hullo beautiful," Scorpius pulled me out of fireplace, dusting off the soot from my shoulders and back. He made to snake his arms around my stomach but I twirled backwards before you could.
"Ah, ah, ah," I scolded, tapping his nose with my index finger. "James and Al will be here any second, and any physical contact between the two of us will not go unnoticed."
"Of course, m'lady," he smiled, bringing my hand to his lips. Unfortunately, Al had to floo in at the second his lips were against my skin.
"Ahem!" he cleared his throat, loudly and obnoxiously, stepping out of the hearth as James popped in, his eyes automatically drawn to my hand. "Care to explain yourselves?"
"Al don't be a prick," I rolled my eyes.
"Then don't let him kiss your hand!"
"He has a name and is standing right there!"
"Lily, please," Scorpius whispered. "It's fine, I shouldn't have. Al, James, I was just joking around. Your sister deserves to be treated like a princess every now and then."
James smiled softly at Scorpius, but Al's expression remained hard. In a way, it was as if James was giving me support. I think James knew there was something up, and I also think James would've rather I date Scorpius than a lot of other guys out there. Come to think of it, all I'd really have to do is tell him about what happened with Lorcan to get him completely on my side.
"Why don't we go now?" I hastily changed the subject, dragging the three of them to the back and entering Diagon Alley through the archway. "So what exactly are we doing here?"
"Well, Albus and I haven't exactly finished our Christmas shopping. So we'll go do that, and you and Scor can go wherever, doesn't matter to me," James said.
"Hold up!" Al interjected. "Why doesn't Scor come with us?"
"Because I don't want Lily wandering around Diagon Alley alone."
"I can go with her, it's fine Al," Scor said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Sounds good!" James intervened before Al could protest again. I was amazed at his trust in me, but I let him lead Al down the other end, towards some of the newer shops, leaving Scorpius and me to watch them be lost in the crowd of Christmas shoppers.
"So, what are we to do while they're gone?" Scorpius asked, slipping my mittened hand into his.
"Well, I need to pick up some clothes from the tailor. And you're going to come with me." Pulling him down the street, we set off at a brisk pace, trying to keep warm as we made our way down to the side of Diagon Alley that had survived the war, where Madam Malkin's Robes still was.
Upon entering the shop a wave of warmth washed over us. Madam Malkin was an older woman, her graying hair always loose down to her shoulders. She was plump in the waist, and required glasses to see anything, but she could still command a needle and thread as well as Granma Weasley, which was impressive. Her niece, Daphne, smiled from where she was bent over a table, carefully plucking out some strands of thread with her fingers rather than using magic. Part of what made Madam Malkin so exceptional was her desire to use her hands rather than magic to do everything.
"Oh Lily darling! How wonderful to see you!" Madam Malkin made her way around mannequins and flying tape measures to come and give me a hug, my hand still holding tight to Scorpius's. "And you've brought a friend!" she gave Scorpius a warm look, smiling at him. I chuckled as he smiled uncertainly back.
"Yes, this is Scorpius Malfoy, my b-, Albus's friend. He spends much of the holidays with us, and we came to pick up some of my clothes and hopefully pick out a few nice dresses for the trip."
"Of course of course!" Madam Malkin smiled. "Daphne, you take Lily to the back and help her get fitted, Scorpius can I get you anything to drink dear? Let's see, we have tea, Butterbeer, water, coffee…"
"Tea is fine thank you," Scorpius smiled, relaxing on a plush couch and making himself comfortable. I followed Daphne into the back towards a rack with my jeans, skirts, shirts, and dresses Mum had sent in to be fit for me.
"Here you go," Daphne handed me a blue flowing dress, which I slipped on over my underwear. Cinching the fabric tight around my curves, she stuck it with a couple pins and let the rest fall down to my ankles.
"You've done a lovely job!" I twirled, letting it flare out. "Thanks so much Daphne!"
"Of course," she helped me take it off and made a few marks and set the needle to sewing it. Tossing me a yellow sundress with a beaded neckline. "So you and Scorpius Malfoy huh? I remember him from my days at Hogwarts. Well, last year really. You two always sort of had a thing right?"
"Oh no, we're not dating," I grinned. "Yet. We will be soon, as log as Al doesn't throw a fit. James let us come here together though, so I don't think things will be too bad. And we've never really had a thing until I dated Lorcan Scamander this year." She belted the shorts and spun me around, checking lengths and measurements.
"Go on out and show him this one, dress to impress," she winked and pulled another dress off the hanger. I made my way through the mannequins and cluttered mess, stopping and twirling in front of Scorpius.
"You look stunning," he grinned, twirling me around so the skirt flared out a little bit. I smiled at it, swishing back and forth.
"Unfortunately, it's freezing outside. I'm going to go change now," I went back to the back to try on a few more things and make sure they fit before the trip. After Daphne had made all of the necessary adjustments to the clothes, she folded them and set them all nice. Handing her the money, I smiled and left the store with Scorpius.
"Where to now?" he asked.
"Up to you," he lead me off in the other direction, towards the Leaky Cauldron. Auntie Hannah, as we called her, had whipped the Leaky Cauldron back into shape. Every surface gleamed, the food was often called the best in London, and people flocked to Diagon Alley for it. Bypassing it though, Scorpius continued on past Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and turned into a small coffee shop, with Christmas ornaments and paper snowflakes hanging on the ceiling.
"It's new, but I've heard good things about it."
He ordered us a couple of coffees and we sat at a table by the window, drinking them slowly and savoring the taste.
"Never had coffee before," I grinned. "It's good!"
"Shit…" Scorpius smacked his face.
"What?"
"I've just given you caffeine."
"Hah!"
Slamming his head on the table, he laughed to himself as he thought about what he'd done.
"Better me than Roxy!" I grinned. He just shook his head, still laughing. Suddenly, sitting up, he grabbed my hands off the table between his and leaned forward. Without really knowing what I was doing, I instinctively leaned in towards him across the table and our coffees.
Closer… closer… closer… our noses were almost touching, I could feel his breath on my cheek, my heart was pounding. And I forgot everything in an instant when his lips met mine. We stayed there, just in that moment of time, like a picture perfect memory, captured in the heat of the moment. It was pure bliss.
Roxy's POV
HAH! I knew it! I knew they had something going on, but would never admit it to themselves or anybody else! Sure is a lucky thing dad chose to forget his lunch today, and that I had a floo mishap and landed in Knockturn Alley…
I stood there fore a couple of minutes, watching them kiss and smiling to myself before walking to the shop. Hell, if Al and James weren't okay with this relationship, then I would make them be okay with it.