Author's Note: Okay, so chapter 10 is working properly again from my computer... I emailed support so I think they fixed it for me, yay. If not, contact me and I'll try again. Anyway, here's chapter 11 as a consolation for the blank-ness.

By the time they arrived at Hogwarts, it was clear that every single student knew about Lily and Scorpius. Students that hadn't seen them at the dinner before Christmas Eve or Diagon Alley had heard about it through their friends. That much was clear as they traipsed down the corridors, accompanied by whispering and gossiping whether they happened to be holding hands or not, together or alone. Lily had heard a conversation between some of the fourth years, in which a Hufflepuff boy declared how disgusting it was to think of their Professors in a relationship, to which another loudly announced, "Well I think we should support it. They give out less homework when they're happy." Note to self, deduct five points from Hufflepuff at next available opportunity, Lily thought to herself as she rounded the corner, resisting the urge to glare at them.

Scorpius' experience was much the same as hers. He didn't mind, though, because being with Lily was worth it; somehow he guessed they'd be chaperoning many Hogsmeade trips to come. He only wished that he could take her out for dinner or something, like most witches and wizards their age; that was a drawback to being a Hogwarts teacher. Though it was a cushy job, they had to be there all day and night, and holidays were their only respite, while Aurors and Healers could simply go home at the end of the day and meet each other anywhere they pleased. He'd never thought of that before, but then again he had never dreamed he would meet someone like Lily, either.

Another irritating thing about being back at Hogwarts was Tristan Saunders. After a serious bout of spattergoit, Madam Hooch had decided to hang up her broom and retire, so he was now a permanent fixture on the staff. First of all, Saunders didn't like Scorpius in the slightest bit, and had the nasty habit of appearing any time he and Lily were alone. Scorpius figured this was a consequence of him being best friends with James Potter, who had probably asked him to keep an eye on Lily. And unlike her, Scorpius hadn't forgotten that Tristan had asked her out earlier. She continued to insist that he had probably only done it because of James, that he had nothing to worry about. Scorpius knew it was irrational of him to feel threatened, but he still couldn't help but feel pangs of envy when he saw the two walk into the Great Hall together, Lily laughing brightly.

"Hey," she said to him wearily, pecking him on the cheek before she sat down next to him. She was so relieved that it was Friday and she would have a couple of days to relax; she knew the holidays had just passed, but she already couldn't wait until the next ones.

"What were you doing walking here with Tristan?" asked Scorpius immediately; he was attempting to be nonchalant, but he knew he'd blown it by asking her the minute she had sat down.

"You're not still on about that, are you? He happened to be walking my way so he decided to join me. Perfectly innocent." she replied with a roll of the eyes.

"Happened to be walking your way? Think about it, Lily. His last class was with the first years, outside. Your class was where exactly? In the dungeons, halfway across the castle. Strange detour for him to take when all he has to do is walk through the Entrance Hall, don't you think?"

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped to think; he really had her on that one. She sighed. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry, it just didn't cross my mind-"

"See, I'm not paranoid at all, I-"

"-but," Lily continued, pretending he hadn't interrupted. "it still doesn't mean anything. If he's keeping an eye on me, if he likes me, it doesn't matter, because you're the one I like. Okay? You don't have to watch his every movement around me."

"But that's the thing, Lily. I do have to watch his movements so I can point out when he's being sneaky, because you're too good-natured to see it." he countered.

"Fine. Can we just have dinner without arguing?" she questioned with a sigh.

Scorpius nodded, because he didn't want to make her anymore frustrated than she already was. "How was your day?" he questioned softly.

Lily sighed. "Apparently Silas Zabini and Isaac Valentine have taken it upon themselves to become the next Weasley twins," she began, silently cursing her uncles, "because yesterday they were trading some kind of novelty item, which caused a huge racket. I confiscated it, but from the noises I've been hearing from my office I assume they have more. Aurora will neither visit the Slytherin common room nor allow me to sort out the problem, because she seems to think I'm challenging her authority. Or so she said to me when I confronted her about it earlier. Rather than actually listening to the fact that I got no sleep last night, she thought it pertinent to tell me that she's been here for 35 years. All in all a productive day, wouldn't you say?"

Scorpius stared blankly at her in response to the biting sarcasm in her tone. He felt even guiltier for arguing with her now, as obviously her day had been less than enjoyable. Furthermore he had absolutely no idea what to say to her. "Wow, that's… uh…" he began, then sighed, preparing to do what he knew he must. "I'm sorry if I made it worse Lily, I just – look, I'll stop going on about Saunders, alright? I didn't mean to make it seem like I don't trust you or anything. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you. But I told you that you have nothing to worry about, really. Tristan is nice and everything, but come on. He's dull – and he's going grey."

They both looked at Tristan, who was talking to Professor Sinistra, and shared a private laugh. Grinning, they both went back to their meals, a silent accord reached between them.

Later that night Lily heard a knock on her door. Scorpius was supposed to be dropping in so they could hang out and talk to each other without the scrutiny of the students and their fellow Professors. Not that that weren't getting used to it after this tedious week, but it would be nice for them to sit around and just be themselves. Flipping her dark red hair over her shoulder (Scorpius had convinced her to keep it her natural colour), she bounded to open the door.

Her face fell infinitesimally. "Oh, hello Professor Saunders… um, can I help you?"

"Yes Lily, thankyou," said Tristan, apparently taking this as an invitation to come into her office. Biting her lip, Lily closed the door and hoped he'd be gone before Scorpius came. She didn't have reason to feel guilty, but she knew he'd be somewhat suspicious to see the two of them in her office together when the flying Professor had no business there.

"What's this about?" Lily questioned him, eager to get whatever this was over with so she could talk to Scorpius.

"I have a little sister in training to be a Healer, you see, and she has to write about the properties of a certain Potions ingredient. She's having a difficult time finding sources to help her, so I thought who better to ask than the Hogwarts Potions Master? Do you think you can help me?"

Lily nodded. "I'll try. What ingredient is it?"

"I don't know how to pronounce it, it's this…" he walked toward her, staring down at what appeared to be a small passage from a book, including a picture, common name and scientific name of the plant. She frowned slightly, wondering why he hadn't gone to the Herbology teacher first. This particular ingredient was uncommon, yes, but not all that difficult to find information on if you were willing to put in the work.

"Yes, I can help, what exactly do you need to know about it?"

"Just… just," Tristan paused, looking from the parchment to her eyes. "You know, James told me what you said."

"Sorry? Said about what?"

"It's alright, you don't have to say anything. I completely understand, and… I feel the same way." He stepped toward her, cupping one cheek with his large hands, and kissed her. Lily was so shocked that she was temporarily rooted to the spot. In her peripheral vision, she saw the door open and a tall, platinum blonde figure freeze immediately.

Lily pushed Tristan away and turned toward the door, "Scorpius, I-" she began, but he'd closed the door on her before she could say anything. She could hear his footfalls echoing down the stone corridor. Lily fiddled with the doorknob as she went to chase after him, hoping upon hope that he would listen to reason. "Scorpius, wait! I know what it looks like, but it isn't, and-"

"I'm not stupid, I know what I saw!" he seethed, turning around to tower over her angrily. "Actually, I take that back, I am stupid. Stupid for believing anything you ever said about how you felt about me, about him, and thinking that you were different from all the other liars… well I was wrong. I apologise for my stupidity." He spat, departing at a brisk pace away from the dungeons. Lily was quaking as she watched him go.

"Lily, I-" came a gentle voice, but she cut Saunders off. That ruddy bastard was going to get it when all her energy wasn't going into preventing the angry tears that threatened to flow freely down her rosy cheeks.

"Leave."

"I saw you two arguing tonight at dinner, and James told me that… I thought you'd"

"Leave,"she hissed."Now."

Throwing a concerned glance back at her, she glared him off. Thought we'd broken up? Yeah right… but clearly we're not together now, I'll be surprised if Scorpius ever speaks to meagain… and he was just beginning to open up to me…after this disaster who says he'll ever open up to anybody, ever again?

Lily retreated into her office in shock. Sitting at her desk, she frowned at a picture of her, Scorpius, her parents and brothers on Christmas Day. Seeing the smug look on mini-James' face, she turned it face down.

On Saturday night, Lily was assigned to patrol duty. This was enough of a pain in the arse in the first place, but making matters worse, tonight her partner was Scorpius. Usually she would have relished the opportunity to spend hours walking around deserted, winding corridors with him, but she knew that tonight was going to be awkward. Chances are he would be refusing to talk to her, but maybe if she persisted enough he'd listen to her. After all, they were in the same place 24/7, he couldn't possibly ignore her for the rest of their teaching careers.

But for now, she dreaded talking to him. She was the first person he'd ever opened up to, instilled his trust in, and she'd betrayed him. Even if she hadn't done it on purpose, Scorpius didn't believe that yet, and she could completely understand that he was feeling humiliated and hurt. Lily knew that if she had been in his position, not knowing what she knew, she would feel the same. Lily would give Scorpius space until he recovered a little bit, then she would explain exactly what happened when he wasn't in a mood to fight.

His ramrod straight posture as she approached him was an indication that this was not the right moment.

"So you've finally decided to join me," he said icily. "Let's just get this patrol over with, alright."

Lily nodded and they set off down the hallway. She sighed at the realisation that it was going to be impossible not to talk to him when he was right there, not to fight for him to believe her as long as she was capable. "You kn-"

"I don't believe talking is part of our duty, just in case my implication was not overt enough for you."

"Look, just listen to me! I-"

Scorpius raised his voice to talk over her. "No thankyou, I think I've heard enough of your meaningless drabble to last me an eterni-"

"JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME, WILL YOU! I-"

"Professors! What is going on here? I step out of my office to find you having a screaming match in the corridor! You are Professors! You are both mature adults and as such, I expect you to keep your private lives separate from your duties! You're lucky you haven't woken the whole castle," Vector berated them, her face pale and livid. "This is a warning to both of you; if I catch you at it again, you will be out of my school." Turning on her heel, Vector strode down the corridor and back toward her office.

"This is entirely your fault! If you would only listen to me, talk to me so we can sort this out, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Lily snapped, though much more quietly.

"My fault? Don't blame this on me, you created this mess by lying, cheating, and - have I missed anything out?" Scorpius retorted in a dangerously low voice. "But don't worry. By tomorrow none of it will matter. Look, you patrol the eastern side of the castle and I'll patrol the west. That way we won't tear each others' heads off. Goodnight, Professor."

With that, Scorpius strode off down the corridor, leaving Lily wide-eyed in his wake. "What did he mean by that?" Lily asked herself anxiously. 'By tomorrow none of it will matter'? I don't like the sound of that, not at all, she thought to herself, biting her lip.

Now a seemingly impossible task had fallen into her lap. How was she ever going to convince him that she wasn't interested in Saunders, that he had practically forced himself upon her? What if Scorpius wouldn't see reason, wouldn't take her back?

She imagined the scene in her head; she would chase after him, and he would tell her to leave him alone, but she would persist. Lily would hex his mouth shut if she had to, to make him understand. She'd explain everything, tell him he was right about Tristan and that she should have seen it coming, and he would take pity on her naïveté and see that she really was sorry, and take her back.

But for now she felt too feeble for this. Powerless to follow him, she had no choice but to watch Scorpius walk down that corridor, every stride taking him a small eternity away from her until he disappeared into the darkness. She was going to have to soldier on weakly, alone until bedtime, when she could pretend this day had never happened, and they could be together again in her dreams.

When Lily arrived in the Great Hall the next morning she was more than slightly concerned to find that Scorpius wasn't at his seat like usual. His last words had played on her mind all night, invading her dreams and keeping her from a slumber in which nothing had changed and they were just a happy couple again, sitting in front of the fire on Christmas Eve.

She paused momentarily, glancing wildly around the Hall for a glimpse of his platinum blonde hair; she didn't care if he didn't talk to her, she just wanted to see that he was okay. Realising that he was nowhere to be found, her gaze returned to the teachers' table, where the entire staff appeared to staring at her. Immediately they went back to their breakfast conversations, but Lily saw the sideways looks they were throwing her occasionally. They're probably just staring because they heard about the fight, Lily thought to herself, though she wasn't entirely convinced.

Holding her head as high as possible, she walked toward the staff table, relieved to see that Professor Saunders, too, was absent. Prick, she thought to herself with fury. Must be afraid to show his face in case I hex him… wise man. As she neared the table, she was surprised to see the Headmistress walking toward her, a grave look on her stony face. This was not good at all.

"Professor Potter, I'd like to have a word with you before you begin your breakfast, if you don't mind."

Lily nodded numbly at her, throwing an anxious glance at Scorpius' chair before following her toward her office. All the way Lily was silent, miserable and confused, afraid of what she was about to hear. Where on earth was Scorpius?

They had reached her office, a place that made her feel like a misbehaved student, though James had been there many more times than her during his school career. James, who she was going to curse at the next opportunity for starting the whole fiasco. She could accept the fact that he didn't like Scorpius, but he hadn't even tried to talk to him, or to understand her feelings for him; not only that, but he'd gotten his friend to help break them up. Sure they'd had their disagreements in the past, but this felt like a betrayal.

"Sit down, if you please, Lily," said Septime. Professor Vector sat at her chair and Lily followed suit. "I'm certain you've already noticed, conspicuous by his absence, that Professor Malfoy is not among us today. I'm unsure of what happened between the two of you, but at some time this morning he came to my office to inform me that he would be leaving Hogwarts."

Lily's jaw dropped open. What? What?! Leaving Hogwarts? But he lives for teaching, for Transfiguration, how could he… how could this… her brain slowed down as she tried to digest this information. This couldn't be happening. First he'd broken up with her because of a misunderstanding, and now he had left the school forever? All in the space of a day? She simply couldn't believe this. "I'm sorry?" she blurted, now tempted to believe that this whole thing was a ruse, a practical joke, because this could not truly be happening.

"I was as shocked as you when he informed me, I must say. He told me that at Christmas a relative of yours had spoken to him about a Ministry position where his skills would be put to good use. Earlier yesterday he sent an owl to see if the position was still open, and he was accepted," she continued. Teddy, Lily cursed, gaping. So that's what they finished talking about when Vic and I came back... I didn't even think to ask him! And neither of them even bothered to tell me, not even a mention of it!

"Of course I regret the loss of a great educator, but naturally I cannot hold him here against his wishes. I thought I should inform you before you heard it from another member of staff. We're going to tell the students tonight at dinner and I'll be spending the day searching for a suitable replacement. If you would like any time off in the next couple of days, I would more than understand."

Lily suddenly felt sick to the stomach. He had left Hogwarts because of her, and it was her own bloody relative that had given him a means of leaving. She had been planning to wear him down over time, but how was she to do this when the only time she could leave Hogwarts was in the holidays? Not only that, but she would be forced to work side by side with Tristan Saunders, knowing that he was the reason Scorpius wasn't there to brighten her day anymore. It was remarkable how things had spiralled so quickly from bad to worse. "No, that's alright. I'll be fine," said Lily finally, her mouth very dry. It was a thinly-veiled lie, and Vector saw right through it, pursing her thin lips in concern.

"If you feel the need to talk to me at any time, I will be in my office. I hope you understand this. Now, I mustn't keep you from your breakfast any longer."

"Of course… thank you Professor." she replied with a nod, standing up awkwardly and making her way not to the Great Hall for breakfast, but to her chamber where she collapsed on her bed and gave into a fit of tears.

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"Teddy, can you answer this question for me, honestly? If you were in his situation, would you forgive me? If this was you and Victoire, would there be any way to make things between you right?"

XX

"I'm about three seconds away from hexing your bloody nose off, so unless you fancy the idea of Poppy refashioning the remains of your face I suggest you back off."

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters, that privilege belongs to JKR.

Author's Note: Hmm, misleading chapter title maybe? :p Please don't hate me too much! I hope it wasn't too angsty for you guys. But I wouldn't stress, because things can't really get much worse, right? :p