Yay, another chapter! This is another short one; sorry. :/ But on the bright side, at least it isn't taking me three months! Thanks for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting to the story. I greatly appreciate it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling reserves all rights to Harry Potter. Obviously.

Chapter 11

Lily twirled in front of the mirror, her dark green floor-length mermaid gown flowing around her legs. Her red hair was up in an intricate bun with a few curly tendrils hanging in her face.

"You look stunning, Lily!" Michaela exclaimed.

Lily faced her friend and smiled. "So do you!" Michaela donned a knee-length strapless purple dress which sparkled in the light. Tonight was the Halloween dance, and Lily was so excited because it was her first year to attend. Only fourth through seventh-years were allowed to go. The dance was actually more of a ball instead of a costume party, which explained her fancy attire. Over the summer, Lily had begged and pleaded with her mum to let her buy the gown for this occasion.

"Shall we go downstairs? I think Hugo and Eli are waiting," said Michaela.

Lily grinned. "I knew you two liked each other!" Her two best friends were finally realizing they had feelings for each other; Lily found it so adorable.

Michaela blushed, too bashful to say anything.

Downstairs, the commons was nearly empty except for a few first and second-years. The dance had started by now, and Lily and Michaela were fashionably late. Immediately, Lily spotted their dates. Eli looked incredibly handsome with his brown hair styled and dressed in modern dress robes, his green tie matching her dress.

"Wow Lily, you're beautiful," Eli said, giving her a soft kiss. Linking arms, the couple soon began making their way to the Great Hall with Hugo and Michaela.

"I've been waiting for this night for so long," Lily confided, her brown eyes twinkling up at her boyfriend. After what had happened last week, Lily was ready to put the attack behind her and enjoy what was sure to be an enchanting evening.

(

"You're keeping Melissa waiting," said an irritated Scorpius. "And your hair looks fine." He'd been leaning against the bathroom wall, waiting impatiently for Albus to perfect his hair, who had been at it for nearly 10 minutes.

"It still looks a mess!" Al cried out, deciding that no amount of magic could fix his unruly mop of hair.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Here, just comb your bangs to the side – yes, like that," he said, helping his poor friend. "There, much better."

Albus examined himself in the mirror for a minute longer, straightening his light green tie, before deciding he looked presentable enough for Melissa. "Okay, let's go!"

"Finally!" Scorpius sighed in relief as they headed out of the bathroom. The two Slytherins walked down the hall and hurried toward the Great Hall. Melissa was waiting just outside the entrance.

Scorpius watched as Albus and Melissa briefly embraced and shyly exchanged compliments. He tried not to get jealous, but it was weird not having a date to the dance this year. Loosening his black and silver tie, Scorpius frowned. He had made a promise both to Albus and himself (although Al hadn't taken it very seriously) not to get involved with any girls for a while. To be quite honest, Scorpius would have rather not gone to the dance. Watching all of the couples having fun would only remind him how lonely he felt.

As the three entered the Great Hall, Scorpius was blown away like he was every year from the transformation. None of the four tables were in sight. Instead, there was a stage with the hottest band right now, The Ghoul Brothers, playing rock songs and a massive dance floor filled with a mob of people in the middle of the room. Benches lined the walls and a big refreshments table was near the back. Twinkling fairy lights hung from the ceilings, casting an alluring bluish glow around the room.

Scorpius went to the refreshments table to pour himself a cup of pumpkin juice; oh, how we wished he had alcohol to spike the punch! Glancing around him, he was mildly irritated that Albus and Melissa were already on the dance floor. He figured Albus would at least try to keep him some company for a bit. But on the other hand, it was great that Albus finally had a date. The last thing Scorpius wanted to do was ruin his best friend's fun.

Scanning the sea of people dancing, Scorpius searched for others he knew. His eyes soon landed on the most beautiful girl in the room. Scorpius' breath hitched as he watched her dance in her tight-fitting dress which beautifully accentuated her curves. Lily Potter looked so much older – not like the young, blossoming girl he knew her to be. Scorpius got a fluttery feeling in his stomach and he felt an intense urge to dance with her and hold onto her forever.

Someone then touched his arm, causing him to wake from reality.

"Care to dance, handsome?" A pretty brunette with olive skin confidently asked.

He broke his gaze and looked at Sue Lin, a seventh-year Gryffindor, and gave a small smile. "Of course." He took Sue's hand and led her to the dance floor, relieved for the distraction. He did not need to be having these thoughts about Lily.

Scorpius playfully twirled Sue around a couple of times before taking her into his arms to sway to the upbeat music.

"Why haven't you got a date?" Sue asked.

"I was waiting for the right girl to come along," Scorpius said, winking.

"Well aren't I lucky," Sue batted her eyelashes at him.

The pair danced for a couple more songs before Sue stopped and sultrily whispered in his ear, "Come find me later. I'd like to explore more than your dancing skills."

Scorpius smirked in spite of himself, temporarily forgetting his "girl ban." As a slow song started, Scorpius spotted Albus and Melissa sitting on one of the benches with cups of pumpkin juice in their hands and went over to them.

"Having fun?" He asked the pair.

Albus and Melissa glanced at each other and nodded. "Best night ever!" Albus grinned.

Melissa giggled. "It's not over yet, Al!"

"So, Sue Lin, huh?" Albus implied, winking at his best friend.

Scorpius shrugged but gave a cheeky grin. "Yeah, maybe. We'll see how the rest of the night plays out." His gaze went back to the dance floor and he again spotted Lily slow-dancing with Eli. Lily eventually caught his eye and smiled shyly at him. Scorpius smiled back and gave a small wave.

"I hardly recognized Lily at first," Scorpius told Albus.

"Hm? Why?"

Scorpius had expected Albus to agree with him and make a comment about how she should cover up or something. "Er, well, she just looks very grown-up."

"Yes, your sister is very pretty, Albus," chimed Melissa.

Albus glanced at his sister and shrugged. "Eh, I guess." Then he looked up at Scorpius and half-joked, "You'd better not have a thing for her. Because otherwise, I'd have to kill you."

Scorpius nervously laughed, trying to fight off a blush. "Of course not! That's weird to even think about." He glanced back at Lily and wished he hadn't even said anything in the first place. "I didn't mean that at all."

Albus stood up and clapped a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "I know, mate. Don't worry." He grinned then turned to his date. "Well-rested yet?"

Melissa nodded and stood up as well so that they could catch the remainder of the slow song.

As the two walked back on the dance floor, Scorpius sat down and sighed. He needed to confront these feelings soon. They were starting to drive him mad!

Once the song ended, Scorpius had made up his mind. He would dance with Lily and find out for himself just what these feelings meant. So, Scorpius strode with fierce determination to where Lily and Eli stood. "Hello Lily, you look beautiful," he said, giving his famous cheeky grin.

Lily blushed, and mentally chided herself for doing so. "Thank you, Scorpius. You look very handsome, yourself."

Scorpius turned to Eli and asked, "Would you mind terribly if I stole her for a dance?"

Eli gave a questioning look to Lily. "Er, I suppose if it's okay with her."

Lily's heart seemed to skip a beat. "Maybe just one dance," she politely, but uneasily, said.

Scorpius confidently smiled, although he felt nervous inside, and took her hand. Meanwhile, Eli slunk off to get a glass of punch. Wrapping his arms around her waist, but keeping a safe, comfortable distance between them, Scorpius was able to look at Lily more closely. "You took my breath away tonight when I first locked eyes on you."

Lily gulped and cast her eyes to the floor as she cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck. She should have felt thrilled in this moment, but instead she was completely confused. "Why are you doing this?" She softly asked.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked, tipping her chin up so that she could look at him.

Lily stared into Scorpius' stormy grey eyes and took a moment to gather confidence. "This. Dancing with me and giving me compliments. Why are you doing that?"

Scorpius frowned as he dropped his flirtatious act. But he was silent, still not sure what she meant.

Lily huffed with mild annoyance. "Scorpius, I am in a relationship, partly because you told me I should be with Eli and not you." She bit her lip and more quietly said. "You know how much I liked you."

Shit. Dread filled Scorpius' stomach as her words came crashing down around him. What was he doing? "I'm such a shit person," he miserably said. Was he only starting to like Lily because she used to like him? He'd told her that he wasn't good for her, and that was still true. "I'm sorry. I really don't mean to mess things up with you and Eli."

Lily gave him a sympathetic smile. It was hard to be mad at him. Tightly hugging him, she said, "You're not a shit person, Scorpius. But my feelings are still...delicate around you." She glanced up at him and sincerely added, "It's been difficult to get over you."

Butterflies replaced the dread in his stomach. This was such a weird, strange situation to be in; his mood swings were up and down, leaving him so confused. Why am I feeling this way towards her? This can't be happening. "I don't deserve someone like you. But ever since I saw you in the hospital, I can't help –"

"Please don't say it," Lily interrupted. It was not fair for him to start having feelings for her right after she got in a relationship. "I'm with Eli and I really like him."

"I want you to be with Eli!" Scorpius quickly said. And he meant it. If he were with Lily, it would mess everything up. But perhaps that was the most appealing part – she was like a forbidden fruit. Fuck, why don't I know what I want?

Finally, the song ended and Lily was relieved. She released her arms and stepped back. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Scorpius." Then Lily walked away towards Eli and in that moment, she felt extremely powerful. She had spoken her mind to Scorpius instead of giving in to her heart, which said to bask in his newfound infatuation with her. But it wasn't right for Scorpius to try to make her feelings come back for him. She could see that Scorpius was confused, but she wouldn't let herself start liking him, no matter how much she might want to. She was with Eli, and she was happy. Scorpius was complicated; Lily didn't need or want "complicated."

"I'm sorry about that," Lily told Eli. She gave him a long kiss on the lips to reassure him – and on some level herself – that he was the only guy she wanted.

Eli grinned, definitely feeling reassured. "It's okay, Lily. It was just a dance."

Lily smiled and held hands with her boyfriend before pouring herself a drink. After just experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, she was parched!

The rest of the dance went much more smoothly. At some point, Scorpius and Sue left the dance together, but Lily didn't notice. She was too busy having the time of her life with Eli and her friends.

So yeah, that was pretty angsty. Heh. Poor Scorpius is so confused!

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