"So, Lily, I hear you have a boyfriend," Aunt Hermione said, passing her the potatoes. Lily put some on her plate and passed it on.
"Really?" Vicky asked.
Lily couldn't help but cringe. She knew what was coming. Rose had gotten one when it was first known she was dating Greg. Molly got one along with her first boyfriend. Now she was getting one. Despite all her efforts to curtail the event, nothing could prevent them from knowing about Scorpius.
"So who is it?" Hermione asked, passing the squash. Lily gave it straight to Vicky.
"Scorpius," Lily said.
"Scorpius? Malfoy?" Vicky asked, almost dropping the plate of squash.
"Mhmmm," Lily replied, shoving potatoes in her mouth. Maybe they'd leave her alone if her mouth was full.
"I hope your keeping your hands to yourself?" Hermione asked.
"Mhmmm."
"Oh, come on, Lily!" Albus said from down the table. "You two are all anyone in any house can talk about! There's more debate over whether you two sleep together than if the house elves are overworked."
"Of course the house elves are overworked," Hermione said suddenly. "They have to run that whole castle; how could they not be?"
"Are you sleeping with him?" Vicky asked, her eyes narrowed.
And so it came.
"You know what happens when you sleep with someone," she said, her voice low.
"I know what can happen," Lily replied sharply. "I know that you got pregnant, and that you wished you could have waited, but that you still love Flora anyway but that's not the point, that you hope I'll learn from your mistakes instead of making them myself, and that I'll wait until I'm married to have sex. I know this. I've heard it multiple times before. I'm not sleeping with him, ok?"
"Are you going to?"
"No," Lily said, unconvinced. She knew she sounded unconvincing, too.
"Just use adequate protection," Vicky murmured. "I'm not going to fool myself into thinking a Slytherin can keep their hands to themselves. Especially when the Slytherin is dating a Malfoy."
Lily glanced at her cousin, surprised. She wasn't sure if that was meant to be insulting or…or not. And did she compliment Malfoy? Lily couldn't figure it out. It was probably for the better.
3
Lily woke up annoyingly early the first day of summer vacation. The sun was barely over the horizon and she was down in the kitchen, sitting across from her father and sipping a cup of orange juice. He was silent, reading the Prophet.
He didn't look good. His eyes were ringed by dark circles, exhaustion written on his face. His hair looked greyer, his shoulders more slumped. He was torturing himself over finding the rest of Teddy's body.
"You aren't going to find it," Lily said softly. "It's lost."
Her father looked up at her, a bemused grin on his face.
"What is?"
"The rest of his body."
Her father folded the prophet and stood up without a word. He put his cup in the sink and left Lily sitting at the table, alone.
3
Scorpius was really nice looking, Lily supposed, trying to ignore the rousing conversation of cauldrons Hugo and Al were having in the kitchen. She stretched out on the couch, relishing in its worn, warm surface. And she missed him already. It had only been two days, and already she longed for his presence, his protection, his insight, his discussion, his body. And she had to wait until Friday to see him. They had already decided to meet at the Leaky Cauldron then and later spend sometime in Diagon Alley.
She hoped he didn't want to take her back to Godric's Hollow. She didn't want to go there again. Ever. It was bad enough Jim had moved there, but she didn't want to. At all. She didn't want to visit. She wanted nothing to do with the place. Not now, not ever. She wasn't…she wasn't strong enough for it. Maybe she wasn't brave enough for it, either.
She gritted her teeth. The idea that she wasn't brave enough annoyed her. Is that why she wasn't in Gryffindor? Because she didn't posses their bravery? Or was it just because she had the Slytherin shrewdness and cunning? There was no way for her to really tell. It angered her. Did she really know herself?
Maybe she should go fly her broom, take her mind off this depressing train of thought. Maybe it would just clear up her head a bit. Leaving the comfort of the familiar couch, she slipped out back.
3
Not for the first time, and hopefully not for the last, Lily wished she didn't have to breathe, that she could just stay like that, locked with Scorpius by the mouth, for an eternity.
"I missed you so much," Scorpius murmured, pinning her against the brick wall in the alleyway.
"Me too." Lily gasped for air, her heart pounding against her chest for Scorpius.
Scorpius bowed down again, his hands sliding up the back of her shirt, running over her skin.
"What are you doing?" she asked. He had never done that before.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
Lily longed for him to continue again, to claim her as his own.
"I didn't tell you to stop," she said, bridging the distance between them.
Scorpius grinned, his dimples sending shivers down her spine, and resumed.
3
The dinner table was silent. Lily wasn't sure if she enjoyed it or not. Jim wasn't there, messing around with his food, cracking jokes and trying to be funny. Teddy wasn't around, either, to cause a ruckus. Her mum and dad never really talked at dinner, instead enjoying sitting in silence. Al never talked to her anyway, instead saving his voice for arguments with Hugo. Lily wasn't sure if she liked it or not. It was nice not having to argue, but the silence was almost deafening.
"I'm going on an assignment," her father said, putting his napkin on his plate. "Al, I expect you to look after your mother and sister. Lily, you have your first day working at the joke shop tomorrow. I fully expect both of you to obey your mother. Listen to her, do what she asks. Jim should be coming later to outfit you, Lily, in a shop uniform."
"Do you know what I'll be doing?" she asked innocently, stabbing her carrots with her fork.
"Probably the desk for Godric's Hollow," her father said.
Lily groaned.
"Why do I have to work at Godric's Hollow?" she asked.
"Because Fred and Jim will be working on new product. Someone needs to watch the store. I imagine you'll be reimbursed nicely."
"Can't I switch with Molly or Lucy?"
Both of them were working in shops; one in Diagon Alley and one in Hogsmeade. From what she overheard on the car ride back to the Burrow from Jim, their father was not happy with their choice, instead wanting them to get involved at the ministry. They hadn't been persuaded, though, and still held their positions.
"You'll have to discuss logistics with James," her father said. "I need to get ready. Excuse me."
Her father stood up and left, and again they fell into silence.
3
"Alright, Lil," James said, crossing his arms and staring at his little sister. "I suppose we should outfit you. The Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is taking a stance of fusionalism, so we switched out the uniforms from the adorable neon robes I know you were so excited to wear."
"Thank Merlin," Lily said.
"Here." He thrust a black polo shirt with the company logo emblazoned on the left breast. "It'll change color and the specials will show up on the back when Fred gets to writing them on the page."
"Who came up with this?" Lily asked, turning the light material in her hands. It definitely looked like it would be more comfortable than the heavy robes they used to have to wear.
"Me and Fred. Put it on; I need to see if it fits. It was our smallest size, so I don't know if I'll need to adjust it or not. I probably will; we didn't order shirts to fit children."
"Thanks, Jim, I really appreciate the confidence."
She slid it over her white tee-shirt, and sure enough it was too big. Jim waved his wand and the shirt constricted to fit her small figure.
"Just wear a pair of shorts or jeans or something; we really don't care. By the end of the summer, we probably will, but right now it's a free for all. Any questions?"
"Is there any way I can switch with Lucy or Molly?"
"Uh…we set up a rotation. Every week you switch out. So one week you'll be in the Hollow, the next at the Alley, then at Hogsmeade, and back again."
"Is there anyway I can avoid the Hollow?"
"Nope; why would you want to avoid it, anyway? All the witches and wizards there'll know you for who you are immediately. They tend to go easier on us than they do in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, when all is said and done. It's not bad at all. Be at the shop tomorrow by nine to help set up and go through a quick check."
"Fine," Lily muttered, taking off her shirt.
"I'll see you then," he said, giving her a brief hug. He disapparated quickly, probably to go talk with Molly and Lucy and give them their shirts, as well.
