On one side of the table, Albus sat between Scorpius and Sarah, and across from them Lily sat with her new boyfriend, a man whom Scorpius had eventually been formally introduced to as Mark. Harry and Ginny sat at the ends of the table, both trying to think of a time the dinner table had been so tense, and both unable to do so. Though Sarah was able to keep up with, at least minimally, with Scorpius and Lily's shared past, it was clear from Mark's questions that Scorpius was nothing more than Albus' childhood friend, although Scorpius was willing to assume Mark now thought of him as insane after the confrontation between him, Lily, and Albus earlier.

"So, you're a nurse, Sarah?" Ginny asked sweetly, sounding as though it were any other night and not one filled with such mutual hostility.

"Yes," Sarah answered with a light laugh. She, too, had a knack to shine even when the air around her was far too tense for others to do so. Albus attributed it to her line of work, which required somebody to lighten the mood otherwise everyone might fall victim to their sometimes depressing work. "But I'm studying to be a Healer soon."

"And you look after the field agents?" Ginny asked.

"Yes." Sarah answered with a nod. "Whenever they get caught in cross fire or injured somehow, they just show up in the infirmary and there's always some Healers and a few nurses on call. There's rarely anybody who is seriously hurt, although Albus and Scorpius certainly have a talent for finding as much trouble as they physically can." Sarah laughed, and Albus smiled with her, but Scorpius' face remained straight.

"They get that from their fathers." Ginny commented simply, and under any other circumstances, Harry would've defended himself. Instead the comment went unanswered and only the sound of forks scrapping against the glass plates filled the space.

"So what do field agents for the Ministry do?" Mark asked curiously as he leaned over the table, looking to Albus. Though Albus looked up, Scorpius refused to.

"We help put things in order and every once in a while there's somebody who needs protection, or something has to be retrieved." Albus answered vaguely, and Mark nodded along as though his words were absolutely fascinating.

"Although, most of the time all they do is walk around and pretend their important, because really, they're very replaceable. I mean, every year Hogwarts lets out a fresh batch of equally trained witches and wizards." Lily commented and Scorpius peered up at her, his eyes somehow becoming just as cold as her, though neither Albus, nor Lily, had ever seen it happen prior to that moment.

"That's a little cold, don't you think?" Scorpius replied but Lily shrugged.

"I've seen the way you've treated some of your ex-girlfriends, so really that's nothing." Lily answered and Scorpius turned to Albus. As Sarah knew them for, the two seemed to have their own private conversation without the use of any words, earning them a rather confused stare from the man.

Finally after Albus shook his head, Scorpius drew in a deep breath as he turned back to face his food and the two continued to eat as though everyone at the table, save Sarah and Lily, hadn't stared at them, for only Sarah and Lily were used to their odd antics.

"Didn't you date Rose Weasley?" Mark asked and Scorpius ran his hand through his hair.

"Yes, he did." Lily answered and Scorpius sighed heavily, but kept his eyes on his food.

"Isn't she your cousin?"

"Yes, she certainly is." Lily answered as she nodded and reached for her glass. As she took a sip, Scorpius stared up at her, wondering where the Lily had had loved for so long had disappeared to. He had known Lily when she was angry, and even though he had done nothing to warrant her wrath, she currently was not acting as though she were angry. Obviously she was upset, but she was far colder than Scorpius had ever seen her, and he certainly did not find anything in this fuming Lily attractive, nor could he imagine what Mark saw in her in her current state.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Mark asked curiously.

"No, it doesn't." Albus answered before Lily.

"No, no. Let Lily answer this one, since she seems to know me better than I do, tonight." Scorpius commented as he stared at Lily, his eyes matching her stare and refusing to step back from her challenging stare. "I'm sure dear Mark would love to know all of our history, even if it is rather long to go over during the course of one meal."

"What makes you think I haven't already told him?" Lily asked.

"Because no sane man would come here if you'd told him the truth." Scorpius answered, his own words starting to match Lily's in coldness. "See, most guys don't take the fact that you've dated your brother's best friend as a good sign, because it mostly means you latch onto the first guy you meet. They also think that running to another country after a fight means you're not very stable. And as a point of clarification, purposely withholding information that makes a big difference in somebody's life is seen as being…" Scorpius trailed. "What's the word I'm looking for, Al?"

"I already called her a bitch." Albus answered and Harry and Ginny dropped their faces into their hands.

"Good, then we've covered this already." Scorpius commented, still holding Lily's gaze.

"And about men who date their best friend's sister, Scorpius? What does that say about them?"

"That they obviously should've gone looking elsewhere." Scorpius answered strongly and Lily's eyes narrowed at him.

"Like the cousin?" Lily asked but Scorpius stood from his seat and left the room before any more remarks could be made about him and Rose. Though Scorpius had spent the last several months less than happy knowing Lily sought more than the few nights a year he gave her, he found himself wondering why he'd spent so much time pining for her when she had grown so cold. She knew how close to the heart comments concerning Rose were taken, and yet she made them so easily that Scorpius could recognize Lily any longer.

He had fallen in love with a girl struggling to fit into the image Rose had left behind. He had reached out to her and let her see the beauty within herself which only he could see. He had loved her then, but left her behind to allow her time to mature and give him time with life. When he'd returned, he seemed to fall in love with her all over again, but she had become a woman by then. She was her own person, in her own right, and was quite accomplished in her career. She was confident and stunning, and Scorpius fell for the outward beauty she projected because he remembered a time that same beauty had been locked within her self-built walls.

The Lily he'd left at the table, beside another man, lacked the shinning beauty Scorpius had loved her so for. She was not elegant and graceful, nor was she warm and gentle. It seemed that Lily had long since departed and left a cold one in her place.

Scorpius was careful, however, not to allow the man beside her to be part of the reason he was so enraged with Lily. He knew that when they parted ways so many months ago, other romances would eventually take place. Though he hated the idea that another man was holding Lily the way he had, he took solace in the fact that Mark held a Lily much different than the one he had once loved so entirely.