Excuse me as I BEG FOR FORGIVENESS! It has been months and I didn't intend for it to take this long for me to update, but lots of life got in the way and I found myself losing motivation. But I have come back from the dead and I hope you lot enjoy! :)
When the NEWT results came in, Lily was more than pleased. It was assured she would have no trouble getting into the Auror program. Hugo decided upon his results, he would be seeking to join the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Alice had chosen to be a welcome-witch at St. Mungo's, and Avery had chosen to work for the office of the Minister of Magic. Elliot's scores were less than satisfactory and he thought it best to take the next year to travel and figure out what he wanted with his life.
The next piece of good news for the Potter-Weasley family came when Victoire announced she was three months pregnant. The entire family had been absolutely ecstatic at the news and half of the women immediately broke down into tears. Teddy announced that he would be leaving active duty as an Auror and instead be working in Auror training, which meant he would be overseeing Lily for the next three years. He figured this would be the best course of action so he could still do the job he loved without putting himself in high-risk situations now that he was a family man.
Lily had been stealthily avoiding Jackson for weeks once James told her he was definitely trying to ask her out. She begged and pleaded with James to tell him politely to "back the hell away." He did, but Lily had a feeling he was itching to deliver that message to his friend. That summer, Lily also discovered she would be the only one living at home. Albus, much to Lily's chagrin, had now taken a flat with Scorpius. The boys still came around for dinner though, sometimes alone and sometimes with their flatmates. Lily preferred when it was just her brothers. Teddy and Victoire spent a lot of time at the Potter house as well. Fleur, Ginny, and Victoire were making all sorts of plans for the baby and the nursery and other things Lily really didn't care to know about.
As Lily entered her first year of training and Albus his final year, James finished and started on assignments with his division. He had been assigned directly under Ron and they both found it highly amusing. Harry had to remind them that they were indeed there to work and not cause havoc in the office by unleashing pranks (no matter how boring paperwork was). Lily found training to be exhausting mentally and physically. It was like she graduated from school, only to be put right back into school. She spent hours outside of work studying and preparing for going back to work. As tired as she was, she wouldn't change it for the world. Another surprise came when Victoire went to a Healer and they told her she was expecting not just one child, but two. Teddy had nearly passed out when he heard the news, but was very excited when he came to.
About four months into training, Thomas Thropp, a Hufflepuff from Lily's year, poorly executed a spell and ended up sending himself and six others to St. Mungo's. Lily happened to be one of the unfortunate victims standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Honestly, Thropp. What spell were you even trying to do?" Agnus Frey demanded as she clutched her wrist to her chest. The seven inflicted Aurors-in-training, were walking through the entrance of the hospital with a very disgruntled Teddy at the lead.
"I-I-I'm not sure," he muttered back. Every single person who had been hit was experiencing different symptoms. No one was even quite sure what had happened and Teddy ordered Thomas to get his wand checked right after he received medical attention.
"Next time, just try to follow instructions," Marcy Dunn nagged.
"I don't know what any of you are talking about. That went perfectly fine." Five pairs of eyes turned to glare at Peter Gates. Now was not a time that his incessant sarcasm was appreciated.
"Shove off, Gates," Angus spat at him. Teddy marched them straight over to a couple of Healers. They were waiting for their arrival as Teddy had sent his patronus ahead of the group to warn of their coming. Lily was one of the first to be put back in order and wandered off afterwards so she didn't have to keep listen to the squabbling of the group.
"Lily!"
"Alice!" Lily was pleased to find her friend working behind the welcome desk that afternoon.
"What are you doing here?"
"We had an incident during training and had to come here to get a spell reversed. Or at least we think it was a spell..." Lily trailed off, crinkling her nose in confusion.
"Merlin, are you alright?" Alice asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lily assured her. "Just annoyed," she added with an eye-roll. Alice giggled. "Listen if you're free this weekend, I think we should all go out. I know Avery is tired of being cooped up in an office and Grayson has a few days off. I'm sure we could convince Hugo to join us."
"That sounds wonderful. I was actually thinking of sending you an ow-" Alice abruptly stopped and a small frown formed on her face when she spotted something across the room.
"What is it?" Lily asked. "Alice?"
"Oh. Well it's just...uhm..." Lily turned around to see what caught Alice's attention. It seemed as if she was staring at Scorpius Malfoy who had just strode through the lobby and was making his way to the elevators, his mouth in a firm line.
"What?" Lily was still confused. Alice pulled her focus back on Lily, a frown still on her face.
"That's a third time I've seen him come in this week," Alice whispered. "The last few months, he's been in here a couple times a week and he seems to know several Healers pretty well. You know I don't have a tendency to gossip or eavesdrop or care about knowing why people are places, but it seems rather odd. Don't you think?"
"Wouldn't know." Lily shrugged the question off. "I'm not familiar with how often people visit St. Mungo's in a given week."
"Not often. In fact, the only reason people come as often as he does is if they have a family or friend in an extended care situation."
"So maybe he has a friend who's sick," Lily reasoned. She didn't want to think about this subject anymore as flashes of her last conversation with a certain painting were coming back to her.
"Maybe...I hope it's not too serious. I mean it'd be awful if-"
"Hey, I gotta go," Lily interrupted. "It looks like everybody is all sorted out. I'll owl you later today so we can figure out what's happening this weekend. Alright?"
"Okay. Stay safe," Alice told her friend.
"Yes, mum." Lily smirked. "Bye." Alice waved at her friend's retreating form before glancing back over at the elevators. It wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help wondering who Scorpius was visiting all the time.
• • • • •
"Lily!" A chorus of voices shouted with joy as the Potter girl entered the Leaky Cauldron. She made her way to a booth in the corner where her five friends from school were all waiting.
"Sorry I'm late!" She squeezed Avery's hand in greeting and kissed Grayson's cheek as she slid into the seat next to him. "I went ahead and finished Teddy's paperwork so he could get home to Victoire."
"That's alright. We only all just got here anyway," Hugo told her from the other end of the table.
"How is Auror training?" Elliot asked. The six of them spent the next few hours exchanging stories about their careers or in Elliot's case, his travels. They all seemed to be relatively happy with where they all were in their lives at that point. Lily even noticed Hugo and Avery seemed to be sitting awfully close to each other. She mentioned it to Grayson when they went to the counter to get another round of Butterbeers from the group.
"Are Hugo and Avery together finally?"
"Merlin," Grayson moaned with a roll of his eyes. "Not yet."
"Are you kidding me? They're still not? It was only what...7 years of them dancing around the subject of dating in school?"
"You're telling me. They keep going out just to 'hang out' and then when he comes back, he just complains about how much he likes her but she'll never feel the same way."
"That's a load of crap," Lily snorted. "Avery had been eyeing him since day 1."
"Exactly what I told him! But does Hugo ever listen to anybody? No."
"I'll talk to Avery. Maybe she'll make the first move."
"Wouldn't surprise me if that's how it ended up working out." Grayson turned to give Lily a good once over. "How are you doing really? You seem a little worn down."
"I am," Lily admitted reluctantly. "Training hours are just so long and there never seems to be a break."
"How about this: you come watch my practice next weekend," Grayson proposed, leaning up against the bar.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Your coach won't mind?"
"Course not. Friends and family come all the time to watch. Besides, having a Potter around is like having royalty visit." Grayson received a punch in the arm for his last remark which he laughed off as they carried the drinks back to their table. It was nearing one in the morning by the time they all went their separate ways. As Avery was leaving, Lily pulled her aside.
"You need to ask my cousin out."
"E-excuse me?!" Avery spluttered.
"Don't play dumb with me. We all know the two of you have been suppressing extreme romantic and sexual tension since the first day you met."
"Lily!" Avery flushed pink at her friend's insinuations.
"Am I wrong?" Lily challenged.
"Well...no," she admitted.
"Hugo won't make the first move because he's a useless git. If you ever want things to work out between the two of you, you need to ask him out." Lily watched as Avery processed through the information.
"You're right. I guess I just was waiting to see if he ever would do anything about it. Seems silly that I haven't done anything about it yet."
"So you'll do it?"
"Merlin...yeah alright," Avery relented. Lily squealed.
"I can't wait to have you in the family,"
• • • • •
Christmas Day was a mess of excitement because that morning, Victoire went into labor. The entire family put the celebrations on hold and went to St. Mungo's. Lily was pacing in the waiting area eyeing the clock every few seconds. She knew it was going to take a while because it was twins, but Lily was very impatient. It was when she sighed for the ninth time in twenty minutes that James grabbed ahold of her arm and dragged her into the seat next to his. She then took up nervously tapping her fingers against her knee until James laid his hand over hers, never taking his eyes from his paper. Lily flipped her hand over and laced their fingers together. James reciprocated the squeeze she gave him and glanced over to offer a small smile. It was only when Hugo plopped in the seat on her other side, that she found a way to distract herself.
"Has Avery asked you out yet?"
"Bloody hell, Lily!" Hermione shot her son a glare across the room and he lowered his tone. "What are you asking that for?"
"Well she's my friend and you're my friend. We all want you two to finally make it a thing. Also you're my cousin so you have to confide these things in me."
"I do not!" Hugo tried to protest, even though he knew his arguments were worthless. He caved when Lily jutted out her lower lip and batted her lashes. "Merlin, alright. Just stop giving me that look; you know I hate it." He let out a long sigh. "Yes, we are officially dating."
"Took you bloody well long enough, you prat." Hugo chuckled and shoved Lily into James. Before she could fight him back, Fleur floated into the room. She informed them all Victoire had successfully delivered two healthy little girls named Dora and Dromeda. Lily spent her allotted five minutes in the room with the new parents before returning to the lobby and waited for the rest of her family to finish upstairs. She was discussing which Quidditch teams had chances this season with Louis and Ron when she noticed a familiar head of white-blonde hair. Scorpius was off to the side of the spacious room talking in low tones with Albus, who had a grim look on his face. Tucked under the Malfoy boy's arm were various parcels wrapped in festive colors. She watched Albus give his friend and flatmate and reassuring smile before the somber looking Slytherin headed towards the lifts. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Lily suddenly had the string urge to find out why Scorpius made so many visits to St. Mungo's. For the time being, she didn't have the opportunity to dwell on those thoughts as the rest of her family rejoined the group downstairs. They finished up unwrapping presents and had a late Christmas dinner before leaving the Burrow for their own homes.
• • • • •
The rest of year one training for Lily went rather well. The hours were long and the job itself was strenuous, but she felt as if it was all worth it. She was just happy that she was continuing to do so well because she watched as the group of 107 slowly dwindled throughout the year until only 63 were left. Even more would drop off before they all finished their third year. Only about 45 would finish the training and only 20 would be offered positions in the Auror department. Lily was determined she would be one of them. One Sunday afternoon in the summer, Lily and Albus both found they had the day off and lounged lazily in the backyard of their childhood home. They were both stretched out on their back underneath a tree, arms propped up behind their heads.
"Albus?"
"Hmm?" He let his head roll to the side and peeked one eye open to look at his sister.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You just did." He smirked. "Ow!" he cried as his sister kicked him in the knee. "Alright go on then." There was a long stretch of silence and Albus opened his eyes when his sister made no attempt to ask her question. He was about to say something when Lily finally spoke.
"Is everything...alright...with Malfoy?"
"I'm sorry?!" Albus couldn't even attempt to hide his shock at the question his sister had just voiced. "What the hell did you just say to me?" He sat up and turned his torso to look down at Lily. She sat up next to him and he saw tinges of pink on her cheeks.
"Nothing! Forget it," she muttered.
"Uhm no, young lady. You are going to tell me why on earth you have suddenly developed an interest in the guy you haven't spoken more than four words to in ten years."
"Okay here's the thing, Alice works at St. Mungo's ya know as a Welcome Witch at the front desk and around 6 months ago she mentioned that she'd seen Malfoy coming in a lot. Then at Christmas I saw him coming in again. Alice told me that she's continued to see him off and on ever since then. I was just curious to why he keeps visiting. I mean I know it's none of my business really, I just thought I'd ask. You don't have to answer my question I guess, it just seems odd," Lily rambled at a rapid-fire pace.
"Woah! Lily, slow down." Albus placed a hand on the side of her face and turned her towards him.
"Sorry." Lily dropped her head and stared at her fidgeting hands in her lap. They sat together in an extended silence. Lily shifted her gaze from her lap to the trees in the distance. Albus kept his searching eyes on his sister trying to figure out what had brought this on. After a few minutes, Lily looked back at her brother who sighed deeply.
"Merlin, I don't even know why I'm telling you this...but honestly he wouldn't care if you found out," Albus murmured. "Scor's mum is really sick. She has been for a long time now. She stays in St. Mungo's when it gets really bad. That's why he's there so often; he's visiting her." There was another long stretch of silence as Lily processed this new information.
"Gosh, that's...awful. I had no idea."
"Yeah...things haven't been all roses and sunshine for him all his life." Lily knew this comment was partially directed towards her.
"Al, did I ever tell you about who I made friends with in the dungeons?"
"What?"
"I took alchemy lessons with Professor Williams one-on-one in his office. He's got a portrait in his office of Professor Snape and I used to hang out down there with them."
"I'm sorry?"
"It happened after you left school and I didn't really tell anyone about it.
"I had no idea."
"I thought people might think it was weird I was friends with a painting."
"Was?" Albus questioned.
"We got into sort of a fight about my opinions about...things."
"About Slytherins specifically?"
"Uh..." Lily's inability to commit to a response for this questions was answer enough for Albus.
"When are you going to let all of that go, Lils? Hasn't all that silly prejudice for no reason stuff gone on for long enough? You've never had any reason to hate him because you've never given him a chance. I'm not being harsh, I'm being honest with you."
"Merlin, I know. I've been such an ass. I know it's no excuse, but the hatred just feels so ingrained into me. I've always thought I was supposed to hate him, but no one ever told me why. And all those years Ron and George encouraged me and then James and Hugo felt the same way."
"He's never had anything against you, you know?" Albus offered.
"That doesn't make me feel any better. In fact...it sort of makes me feel a lot worse," she groaned and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Especially now I know about his mum! God, I could just curse myself." Albus put an arm around her and pulled her close into his side.
"I love ya, bug. It'll be fine. And one day when you apologize, which you will because you were an absolute jerk, Scorpius will understand.
"Ya think?"
"I promise," he assured her. Lily had a feeling there was more to Albus' words than he was letting on, but she just snuggled up to him and they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together.
• • • • •
Lily spent a lot of her free time at the Chudley Cannon team's practices. She enjoyed watching Grayson play, and the coach enjoyed having her around because she was a skilled player herself. He often repeated his offer for her to join the team which she always laughed off with a wave of her hand. It was a cool October morning when Lily found herself watching another practice. The coach blew the whistle to dismiss the team and Grayson landed next to Lily.
"How was that?" he asked, rubbing his wind-chapped nose.
"Better than last week. You're left handed so your weakness is obviously the hoop on your right and the Chasers pick up on that easily."
"Think you can help me practice with that later this week?"
"Well I'm no Chaser, but sure," she said with a smile. "Lunch?"
"Yes, please!"
After Grayson cleaned himself up, the two headed to the Leaky Cauldron to eat. They chatted and laughed through the meal before he wrapped her in a tight hug and promised to pop by later in the week to visit the family for dinner. He had become quite close with a lot of her family and often came by for meals or just to hang out. Ginny had taken a liking to him because he played Quidditch professional like she had. The two of them could talk strategies for hours, even after Lily had left to go entertain herself with someone else. Lily and Grayson thought nothing of hanging out so much until one Daily Prophet article seemed to take an interest in them once again.
"Lily!" Teddy scolded as his basically sister swore loudly and profusely once she read the article people had been making offhanded remarks about all day.
"They've gone and done it again! Not minding their own business and writing nonsense about me and Grayson. We're not even dating this time! He's just the only friend who's schedule is compatible enough with mine to hang out!" Lily ranted, tossing the paper onto her desk. Teddy glanced over and saw the picture was one of Grayson hugging Lily outside of the Leaky Cauldron. He knew first-hand that the picture was depicting what he would call a sibling hug and not a lover's hug. But he supposed no one really cared about to truth, just gossip that would sell.
"It doesn't matter. It's not true anyway."
"It matters because why does everyone care so much about me?" Lily fumed. There was a tense moment of silence before Lily said, "And how am I supposed to get a date if everyone thinks I'm already taken!" Teddy threw his head back in laughter and Lily couldn't help but let her frown turn into a small smirk.
• • • • •
Teddy and Victoire's twins were nearly a year old before they let them out of their sight for a full day. Harry and Ginny had finally convinced the two to go out for a date for an entire day as they watched the girls. Lily was thrilled because this meant she got to babysit the girls too, one of her favourite things. Rose came over around noon to spend time with them. Ginny prepared a picnic for everyone as Harry, Rose, and Lily took them out into the yard to crawl around in the grass. Neither were walking yet, but they took experimental steps here and there and liked to stand up with help. Ginny and Harry went back into the house to take a nap after eating leaving the two girls to chat and watch the toddling babies.
"How's work" Lily asked.
"Fine. How's training?"
"Alright I guess. Pretty hard."
"Don't tell him I said this, but sometimes I really didn't know if Albus was going to make it through training. He complained all the time about how tired he was and how hard the work was."
"You're kidding!" Lily exclaimed with a laugh.
"He really did! I swear the only thing that kept him motivated was Scorpius training alongside him."
"What a git. He always bragged about how easy it was for him."
"Maybe he didn't want to scare you away from the job. You can't tell him I said this either, but he was ecstatic when he found out you made the grade and were going to be in Auror training. He won't ever admit it, but he's excited to work with you."
"Us Potter kids gotta stick together," Lily teased and she helped Dora stand. "So what's this rumor I hear about you hanging about with a Muggle?" Rose flushed at Lily's question and nearly let Dromeda fall to the ground.
"What?" she squeaked.
"Come off it, Rose. I'm not stupid." Rose eyed her cousin warily before sighing.
"His name is Mason and he's really sweet. He's a veterinarian in the Muggle world."
"A what?"
"Kind of like a Healer for animals," Rose explained.
"Are the two of you dating? Because if I'm going to be honest, I kinda really want it to happen."
"We're...taking things slow. He knows about the Wizarding World and everything because his younger brother is a Wizard. But there are no labels on anything and I don't want to scare him off."
"Ohhhhh," Lily squealed. "That's adorable. Rose and Mason sitting in a tree."
"Lily."
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."
"Lily, are you seven years old?"
"First comes love."
"I do not believe what I'm hearing."
"Then comes marriage."
"I will hit you."
"Then comes a- ROSE I WAS ONLY KIDDING," Lily screeched as Rose tackled Lily to the ground. The twins watched in minor confusion as Rose and Lily wrestled in the grass. Lily was definitely stronger than her older cousin, but was laughing for too hard to be able to exercise that power.
"Merlin, what's gone on here? I thought I'd find the children making a ruckus like this, but certainly not the two of you." The girls stopped and looked up at the backdoor of the Potter home where Albus and Scorpius were standing. Rose quickly hopped up off of her cousin who was still in a fit of giggles on the grass.
"I was just teaching Lily a lesson," Rose explained to her cousin, embarrassed to be caught playing around like that at her age.
"Well clearly she's learned nothing." Albus gestured to his sister who was struggling to regain her composure. Her laughs elicited giggles from the twins which only made Lily laugh harder. "I think I should intervene." Rose and Scorpius watched as Albus grabbed his sister and flung her over his shoulder. Her squeals echoed across the backyard. They smiled as the siblings roughhoused and it was clear Albus let Lily have the upper hand even though he was stronger. It wasn't long before they were out of breath and flopped onto the blanket in the grass. The twins crawled over on top of them, seeking attention.
"What are the two of you doing here?" Lily asked as she sat up. She pulled Dromeda into her lap and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Thought we'd stop by during lunch and say hi to our two favourite girls," Albus said sweetly, as he picked up Dora. "Oh and I guess say hi to you and Rose too."
"Hey!"
"Can't hit me! I have a baby!" Albus shouted as Lily scowled in his direction.
"Prat." Albus only laughed at his sister's pout.
"How's the boyfriend?"
"Pardon?" Lily asked as she tried to pull a strand of her bright hair out of Dromeda's chubby hand.
"Grayson. I saw a picture of the two of you in the Prophet along with an article about your scandalous on again off again romance."
"Oh, gross. Grayson and I haven't dated since sixth year, Al, thank you very much! I just go to his Quidditch practices a lot because he's on my favourite team and I gotta make sure they win this year." Albus noticed Lily kept nervously glancing over at where Rose and Scorpius were chatting amicably. Lily did not see the wicked smirk that graced his face.
"Rose, would you mind helping me change Dora's outfit? I'm afraid she's got grass stains all over this one."
"Why do you need me for that?"
"Because I'm rubbish at matching her clothes. Victoire tells me that all the time."
"Then give her to me and I'll do it."
"No I want to go with you!" Albus said as he went into the house. "Come on then!" Rose rolled her eyes, but followed him. Lily watched them leave with a confused frown, but all was made clear when she remembered Scorpius was still out here. She made eye contact with the tall man before standing and making her way over with Dromeda in her arms.
"Hi," she said awkwardly, cursing herself inwardly for being so weird.
"Hi," he responded much warmer than her. "Which one is this? I'm afraid I can't keep the two of them straight?" he asked, pointing at the child.
"This one's Dromeda. You can tell because...well...I'm not really sure how you're supposed to tel them apart. I've just picked up on it after spending so much time with them I guess." Dromeda was rubbing her hands all over Lily's face as she spoke and Lily tried her best to dodge the haphazard touches.
"They certainly are cute."
"Mhmm," Lily hummed in agreement and smiled proudly at Dromeda who gave her a slobbery smile back. Lily was stalling as she worked up to courage to talk to the Malfoy heir about a more serious subject.
"I thought I heard your voice!" Lily cursed under her breath and her father joined the three of them in the backyard. "Good to see you, Scorpius."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter! Enjoying your day off?"
Lily excused herself and went into the house. Her Gryffindor pride was going to make any conversation with Malfoy awkward and she knew a change of heart and mind would benefit both of them.
• • • • •
Christmas was a bigger affair than normal now that the little twins' birthday was on the same day. Combined with every member of the family plus a handful of close friends wanting to spend Christmas at the Burrow and the number of guests reached nearly 50 that year. Lily lasted all day watching presents being opened and the twins eat their first cake, but about 20 minutes into dinner, she had to excuse herself. She grabbed her coat and scarf before slipping out the back door into the garden. It was a chilly night and a light snow fell making it a perfect Christmas Day. She tightly wrapped her scarf around her neck and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coat before sitting in one of the many chairs that sat in the yard. Lily hummed a tune to herself as she watched the snow fall.
"Next year, we need to cap off the guest list at 30." Lily didn't even need to turn in her chair to now that grumpy voice and door slam both belonged to her favourite cousin.
"That wouldn't even cover the family at this point, Hugo."
"I don't care. We'll make it an RSVP event. First to say they're coming get to attend." He slumped down in the chair next to hers, pulling on gloves. "Merlin, it's cold out tonight."
"Well it's better than being in there." Hugo snorted.
"You got that right." The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. The Potter-Weasley family was incredibly loud and rambunctious so a quiet moment was a precious commodity. Hugo and Lily had spent a lot of time over the years enjoying each other's silent companionship.
"Your hair is getting long," Hugo commented as Lily push d a strand behind her ear.
"I guess. I usually tried to keep it a reasonable length while playing Quidditch so it didn't get caught in anything, but I haven't thought much about it for a few years now."
"Years. Wow...that's crazy to say. It's been that long since we were in school."
"Mmmm," Lily hummed in agreement.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss it. A lot. I miss Quidditch and meals in the Great Hall and trips to Hogsmede...I even miss classes!"
"That's a load of hogwash!" Lily laughed. "You never stopped complaining about classes and homework in the seven years we were in school. Constantly moaning about essays and revisions."
"Shove off! It wasn't all the time," Hugo defended himself.
"It bloody well was all the time. Honestly I was convinced sometimes you'd just pull an Uncle Fred and George and leave."
"Lily, get real. You think that was even an option with who my mum is?"
"That's true," she mused. "Can you imagine what her reaction would have been though? Had you dropped out and ran away?" Lily threw her head back in laughter. "I would've paid a lot of money to be there when she got that owl," Lily said through giggles. Hugo tried to scowl at Lily, but couldn't help but laugh with her at the thought of his mother receiving the news that he had run away from all his responsibilities.
As their laughter died down, they heard a less familiar voice. "Mind if I join the two of you?" They turned and saw a sheepish looking Scorpius standing by the back door, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. Hugo immediately turned to Lily with a furrowed brow.
"Yeah, sure." If looks could kill, Hugo would be guilty of murdering his used-to-be favourite cousin. She returned his glare with a stern look that told him to behave. Scorpius pulled over a chair and plopped down onto it with a sigh. "You alright?"
"I think so," he chuckled. "I've never been to a Christmas with this many people before."
"To be fair, neither have we," Hugo muttered.
"Usually it's just me and my parents. And we never really do much celebrating, just a meal together and exchanging a few gifts."
"Then you must hate this," Lily commented.
"Are you kidding? This is the best Christmas I've ever been to," Scorpius insisted with a broad grin on his face. "Sure I'm a little overwhelmed right now, but can you blame me?"
"There you are!" Albus joined the three wearing a coat as well. "I thought you'd gone and run off."
"Just needed a breather," Scorpius explained. "Seems as if Lily and Hugo felt the same way."
"Tell me about it," Albus sighed, sitting and tightening his coat. "Next year, we spend Christmas at your parents."
"No bloody way!" The group laughed together; it was the first time the four of them shared a moment since they had had become acquainted. It was a pleasant feeling and Albus couldn't be happier at the effort Lily and Hugo were putting forth to get along with his best friend. Lily felt her teeth chatter slightly and knew they wouldn't be able to stay put here much longer without source of warmth. She rubbed her hands together and extended them in the middle of the circle the four of them had formed. A flick of the wrist, and a small fire materialized in the palm of her hand.
"Show off," Albus grumbled.
"Bloody hell!" Scorpius uttered in amazement. "You can do nonverbal and wandless magic?"
"Not very well. Just tricks and useless spells here and there. Enough to impress a small audience, but not enough to actually use it for anything spectacular."
"But you still have a knack for it. I know plenty of people who would give an arm and a leg to do what you just did," Scorpius continued, making Lily's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. Hugo chuckled at this and Lily sent a little flame to lap at his coat sleeve.
"Come off it, mate. She doesn't need you to stroke her ego. The professors have her enough of that at Hogwarts," Albus told his friend with a roll of his eyes.
"Don't let him sell you short," Scorpius said earnestly, locking eyes with the Potter girl. "That's a gift you can go far with." Lily couldn't keep eye contact and let her gaze fall into her lap.
"Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed at the attention, but touched by the sincerity of his words. Albus gave Scorpius a side-eye glance and the blonde awkwardly cleared his throat. The four of them spent the next hour sitting in the backyard just chatting amicably and enjoying the evening. Later that night, as everyone was heading up to bed, Albus pulled his sister aside.
"I love you, you know that right?" he asked her, pulling her into a hug.
"Uhm...yeah? What's gotten into you?"
"I'm just happy that you're making progress with Scorpius, that's all."
"Alright, don't make a big deal about it. I'm just...trying to make up for things. Little by little. Now let me go to sleep, I'm exhausted."
"Night, bug," Albus called after Lily as climbed up the stairs to sleep. Scorpius came up beside Albus and offered a goodnight up the stairs at the various Potter-Weasley family members heading to bed. Albus stared at his friend until he had Scorpius' attention.
"What?"
"I know what you were doing out there?"
"Doing what out where?"
"Just keep the awkward flirting to a minimum around me, okay?" Albus requested as he headed up the stairs himself.
"Thats not...I wasn't...Albus, you prat!"