Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters.
"Teddy what are you doing here?" Lily's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't seen Teddy in a very long time, and their last encounter had been nothing short of disastrous. Trying to remember where she left her wand, Lily stood with the door only slightly ajar.
"I know you probably don't want to see me, but I need to say something. And if you tell me you are truly over everything that happened between us I will walk out of your life for good." His hair was Lily's favorite shade of blue, and he donned his usual leather jacket, despite the warmth of the evening.
"You understand why I wont let you in," Lily said before grabbing her wand from the side table where she remembered leaving it. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. "So talk." Both took a seat on the steps of the porch as Teddy took a deep breath before speaking his part.
"Lily I know things have been complicated between us, but you once said you loved me. How can those feelings just go away?"
Lily scoffed. "Time and rejection have dulled any sense of romantic love I thought I felt for you." She didn't apologize because she wasn't sorry at how things had turned out between them. "Teddy you have to let this go." She briefly remembered how impossible she once thought it would be to even stand in the same room as the man she loved after he rejected her. It almost seemed ironic.
'But we—"
"I'm engaged to Scorpius!" Lily blurted out in a frustrated blur. She took a breath, not looking Teddy in the eyes. "We are so happy."
"Then where is he?"
"Well I sent him home. I share this house with James, so Scorpius doesn't stay here often."
"But James isn't here?" Teddy eyed the small girl in front of him, debating how much trouble he was willing to involve himself in for her. And if she was even worth it.
"Yes he is," Lily lied smoothly. She moved to stand. "You should go."
"I'm not here to make trouble," Teddy said standing up and dusting himself off.
"Then you should probably leave," Scorpius said as he walked up. He moved to stand next to Lily and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist. "You ok?" he asked looking at her.
"Of course she is!" Teddy said outraged. "I would never hurt her."
"Well I wouldn't know it from our last encounter." Scorpius' voice was smooth and betrayed no hint of anger, though there certainly was some on his part.
"Look I didn't come for trouble," Teddy said.
"Then you shouldn't have come," Scorpius said. Lily was still staring at Scorpius, shocked at his sudden appearance. Teddy left without another word, only a long look at Lily.
"Are we going inside?" Scorpius asked after a long silence.
Lily nodded and opened the door. Scorpius gestured for her to enter first. "Well," she said letting out a sigh, "That was interesting."
"Not interesting," Scorpius commented.
"What are you doing back here?" Lily asked. "Not that I'm not happy that you showed up when you did," she added quickly.
"I just figured James wouldn't be back, and if he did show up I could just sleep on the couch. I hate being away from you, and it's not like I can go home with Al and Vera there."
"Well I'm so happy you came back," Lily said again, wrapping her arms around Scorpius. "Maybe we should find a place a little sooner than we planned. I know we wanted to wait, but after your family hears of the engagement then I don't see any reason to wait." Lily didn't take much time to think of her words before speaking them, but she knew they felt right.
"I suppose you're right," Scorpius agreed. He smiled playfully "we should just go over there now then and make the announcement. I am so ready to live with you and marry you and have lots of babies with you."
"Be reasonable, Scorpius." Lily moved to stand up, but Scorpius pulled her back down into the oversized chair they were sitting in.
"I am perfectly serious." He spoke softly into her ear before trailing kisses along her jaw, turning her face so he could reach her lips. "I have to work all day tomorrow, but perhaps we can do lunch?"
"Sure. I have a busy day tomorrow, though." Lily was finally submitting her NEWT scores to become a Healer. Her schedule would be rigorous for the first couple of months, during training.
"You can let me know how it goes at lunch then." Scorpius kissed her forehead lightly. "I know you'll be brilliant. You always are." Lily wasn't as confident as Scorpius, but took his words of encouragement for what they were.
"Let's go to bed," Lily said trying unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.
When Lily woke Scorpius was already showered and ready to leave. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss.
"You have no idea how much I wish I could just stay in bed with you all day." Lily's head felt a little fuzzy from drowsiness, as she tried to give him a smile. "I have to go," he said. "I'll see you at the office for lunch."
"Ok," Lily said in a scratchy voice.
Once Scorpius was gone Lily busied herself getting ready. She dressed in some of her best robes, though she knew it wasn't necessary for simply submitting her NEWT scores to the Healer department. Once there, Lily gave her scores to an older man, who smiled widely upon seeing her name. He didn't say anything else as he took her scores and simply informed her that she would hear a reply within 48 hours.
It was still a little early for lunch, so Lily decided to look around one of her favorite clothing stores owned by her cousins Molly and Dom.
"Lily!" Dom squealed upon seeing her youngest cousin. "Molly," she called over her shoulder, "Lily's here." Molly emerged only seconds later and the two girls immediately bombarded Lily with questions about the wedding.
"I haven't really thought about everything," Lily admitted, pink in the cheeks. "I just know I want to marry him."
"Awe" both girls cooed in unison.
"Well I think you should have the wedding outside," Dom said. "And I know you didn't say anything, but we have a little surprise for you." She turned to Molly, and without saying a word went into their small storage room. She was back quickly with a large bag draped over her arm.
"I know you didn't ask us," Molly started, "But we are family. If you hate it you don't have to wear it." Dom held up the bag and unzipped it revealing a beautiful wedding gown. Lily was speechless, and could hardly believe at the beautiful creation her cousins made for her.
"Molly's right," Dom said quickly. "We can design something else if you don't like this one. There's still plenty of time." The older girls eyed each other, hoping they hadn't overstepped a boundary.
"It's beautiful," Lily told her cousins with a large smile and watery eyes.
"Well try it on!" Molly ran her fingers through her short red hair anxious to see if her cousin truly liked the dress.
Lily slipped into the gown easily. Dom zipped her up and she turned to the two girls. Both were nodding in approval. Dom led Lily to a mirror so she could determine for herself. Lily admired the beautiful lace that the entire dress consisted of. It was subtle, but added a vintage look to the dress. Her waist was cinched with a silk ribbon that was held together with very intricate beading. The top was a sweatheart cut with small straps that were removable if she wanted. The dress clung to her, but flowed beautifully at the bottom, with a small, tasteful train. It was beautiful, and Lily ran her fingers along the fabric admiring the dress.
"It's so perfect," Lily said quietly.
"Well it was made just for you Lils," Dom said smiling widely. She was relieved that all the work put into the dress was truly appreciated.
"I cant thank you two enough," Lily said with all sincerity.
"You don't have to," Molly said while Dom nodded in agreement. "We wanted to give you something special. And you are our family."
By the time Lily took off her dress and thanked her cousins she was running late. She rushed back to the Ministry, but was still fifteen minutes late for her lunch with Scorpius. Scorpius looked relieved when she walked into his small office. He took one look at Lily and could see that she had been crying, and jumped up from his seat immediately.
"Is everything ok?" He asked stepping around his desk so he could reach her.
"Of course," Lily responded. "I was just visiting Dom and Molly, and well, I lost track of time."
"But you've been crying, love." Scorpius ran his index just below her eyes, tracing the small red blotches.
"Tears of joy," she said simply. "Lets get to lunch."
Scorpius nodded and let Harry know he was off for lunch. He took them to a small café not far from the Ministry. Lily enjoyed the muggle environment, and Scorpius liked the French cuisine that was offered. It was an intimate place, where you could enjoy lunch, but also share a special moment without the world watching.
"How is your day?" Lily asked while taking a sip of her cappuccino.
"I wish I would have stayed in bed with you," he smiled bringing his cup to his lips and imagining how the day could have been. Lily's cheeks tinged pink, though no one was around to hear the insinuation. "Actually," he continued, "it hasn't been bad. Though it is much better now that you're here and—" Scorpius froze. His face slowly transformed from carefree to deadly. Lily turned to see what had distracted Scorpius and nearly choked on her drink.
Across the room Teddy was pulling out a chair for a very beautiful, familiar blond. Victoire. Lily slowly turned back to Scorpius. "It's none of our business," she said trying to convince herself more than anything.
"You're right," Scorpius said. "We can leave, if you want."
Lily sat there quietly for a moment. Her mind was racing in a confused garble. "You know what," Lily said throwing her napkin on her plate. "It is my business. That is my MARRIED cousin." Lily stood, and looked expectantly at the handsome blond. He quickly stood with her and the two went over to where Teddy and Vic sat.
Teddy didn't seem surprised to see the couple, though Victoire turned a bright shade of red upon seeing them.
"Lily—" she said standing up in a rush.
"Vic what are you doing here?" Lily wanted to add "with Teddy", but refrained.
"It's not what it looks like," Vic said quickly with obvious desperation in her voice.
Scorpius held Lily's hand tightly. She wasn't paying Teddy any attention, but Scorpius noticed that casual smile he wore, and wanted nothing more than to curse that smile right off his face.
"What does it look like?" Lily asked.
Vic leaned toward the younger red head trying to speak quietly. "Pierre wants to move to France." She paused taking a deep breath, "And I don't want to leave my family." There was something sad in her tone and Lily pitied her cousin for the first time in her life. Vic's wide, anxious eyes made her look much older than Lily.
Lily took a breath before speaking, "I'm not going to judge you. We all make mistakes, but please think about what you are doing."
Just as Lily and Scorpius turned to leave Lily heard her cousin say, "I have, believe me I have."
Lily and Scorpius didn't speak of the events at lunch. He asked her if she was ok, but she only shrugged.
Vera and Albus were at the flat for dinner that night, but Scorpius was working late, and it wasn't until Lily was already asleep that he slipped into her room and fell asleep holding her tightly. He was gone before she woke, but he left a note.
My Lily,
I'm sorry I had to leave early to the Ministry. You looked too peaceful to wake. We have a lead on a case, but I can't say more. Dinner at the Manor tonight. It's time. I love you with everything I am.
Your Scor
Lily smiled at the note, trying to remember what time he came in the previous night. And why wasn't Albus working with Scorpius on this case? She brushed the thought aside. Her day went by slowly, and as the evening approached she began to feel her nerves come alive. She dressed in a simple yellow summer dress with white sandals for dinner at the Manor. Summer would be coming to an end soon, and she wanted to wear the dress before the weather became cold.
By the time Scorpius showed up, Lily's confidence had built up and been beaten back down. On one hand she felt ready for the entire world to know about the engagement, but on the other she was just not ready to face the elder Malfoys. The ones that hated her.
AN: So…it seems like my last chapter did not elicit a happy response. I guess what I was trying to do was show them bicker, because that is what real couples do. It is also really hard to keep this story going with so little conflict, so this story will be coming to an end within the next few chapters. I'm going to pick up with my other stories once this one is done though! Hope this chapter was a little better than the last, and as always R&R :)