Lily POV
I smiled as an owl flew towards me with a dress box. I had wondered for a moment when the owls flew in if Scorpius had decided to let this tradition die; he bought me a Halloween/Anniversary gown every year. I was extremely happy to see his owl in the torrent of other birds. Everything felt warmer and my face felt hot as my friends begged me to open the box and show them the latest that Malfoy money could afford. They all seemed to forget that a few families had wealth to challenge them, one being the Potter's, my own. Putting aside my chagrined feelings my fingers grasp the top and removed the lid covering the best outfit yet.
From inside the box came a glow as if from the moon and light reflected on all of our faces as we peered into the box. Inside lay the most shimmery dress imaginable. It shone brilliant silver and had a satin burgundy trim on the one shoulder sleeve and collar. I assumed the bottom of the skirt would be lined similarly. A pair of heels with the same ribbon as the trim lay to one side of the dress. It looked as though the strappy shoes would be tightened onto my ankle with a ribbon then lace up my calf to my knee. No one would be able to see where the shoe ties ended as the dress stopped three inches below my knee. Scorpius had done his shopping with this one. It was exactly the kind of dress I would instantly fall in love with. As far as jewelry went he had sent a 4 carat tanzanite in a white gold circle connected to another circle with a smaller diamond in its center. He sent studded earrings along with it, one with diamond and one with tanzanite. It was apparently my choice, which ever I liked better for the occasion.
I was right to hesitate opening this here. No one else could afford such gifts or would be presented with such valuable items. I had recently been the focus of mockery. Little money bags with her moneybags husband and their perfect life waiting to start. It was annoying and this would only make it worse. The lid was replaced and quickly my feet carried me back to the dorm room where I quickly undressed and redressed in this outfit. A cloak of burgundy satin had been folded and set on my bed for me. This one had a love letter with it and a request to meet him at The Hogshead at 12:00 sharp. My excitement was palpable when I made it down into the common rooms. At the proper time my friends and I went down to the courtyard to check out on our way to the little frosty village by the train tracks a few minutes away.
"Hey Ms. Moneybags, is that wedding gown from your husband? Do you plan on eloping and breeding tonight? It's about time, don't you money-hags reproduce like rabbits?"
I continued to walk down the path and tuned the overweight boy out. My friends shot him a sneer as we passed him and his, boisterous and equally large as him. I often told my friends when they were angry the best thing to do was to repeat a little mantra to yourself. One like: I will not Avada Kedavra my classmates. Sometimes it was the hardest thing to listen to your own advice. I tried to follow my own advice as the pack of wolves behind us kept shouting and mocking. It was 11:00 and in one hour I would be safe with Scorpius again. One hour. It seemed so far away. We walked past the first house in Hogsmead before the boys, confident there were no teachers around yet, began getting cruder and more forceful. A snowball wizzed passed my head and I stopped. I had been attacked enough to know a few things, one being to never show my back. My hair whipped around with me in a perfect circle turn. Just as my face, with it snarl and dark shadowed eyes would have been facing them, a spell put me on my back and a huge snow ball slapped my cheek. Laughing ensued for a brief moment before a boy cursed and backpedalled a few feet. I was still recovering from the shock of being floored. Scorpius had been standing in front of the bar waiting for me and I had been attacked as my friends and the boys came in to view. A few more steps and the boys would have seen Scorpius talking to a professor but as it was they hadn't. Scorpius had seen me and taken a few steps forward before the snow ball flew by and had begun to run the second I hit the snow. He was ten feet away when I was hit with the last bit of frozen water. When the boy stepped back and cursed he saw Scorpius had jumped and now was prepared to plant his fist in the boys skull. Which he did before grabbing his collar and shook him as he yelled about remembering his manners.
The unfortunate boy's friends had split and he was alone now. My friends had helped me back to my feet and stood with wands ready at their sides. Scorpius thanked my friends, grabbed my hand and we started to walk away. A voice reached my ears and seemed to pierce through me before Scorpius had time to process it.
"That's it Moneybags, wait for your husband to save you!"
I dropped the shaking hand holding mine, pulled a pivot and with all my force balled my left fist and knocked my attacker to the ground. Scorpius and I walked off hand in hand while the boy got his vision straight. My friends veered off into the candy shop, promising to meet up later for a mug of butterbeer. This left the two of us alone to smile and talk and laugh. (The Professor had gone to scold my assailant and take him to McGonagall.) For weeks now I had been complaining to Scorpius about the herd of boys who followed me around and teased me. He didn't think they would be a problem any more. Scorpius had gone easy on him, hurting and whipping him about but not leaving a lasting mark. My bashing would be a black eye as the least, more if my ring made contact as much as I thought it had. I secretly prayed it left more of a permanent mark. A scar he had to get magically removed would do. Maybe one that looked like a square rock on a band would teach him!
Scorpius POV
Lily had learned not to put up with anyone's crap these past few months. I had never seen her attack or put down any one before. It was terrifying. Awe-inspiring, really. We walked with laced fingers back to the bar and went in through the back, through the employee entrance. Madame Lolita was sweeping to the left of us and Madeline gabbed as usual from the kitchen. She heard me enter and came whizzing around the corner, her glossy hair trailing behind her.
"Scorpius, my love! How was your morning stroll?"
She stopped immediately when she saw Scorpius' arm laced around my waist. Her mouth dropped once she took the customary-female-comparison glace. All girls seem to look each other up and down and compare themselves. I won this for sure. I knew she would not take this jab with grace and prepared for the hour long bout of ranting and (hopefully) the week long cold shoulder.
"That dress! Isn't it the one I was telling you about Scorpius, dear? The one I thought looked like something only royalty would properly wear? The one I told you I wanted more than anything in this world? The one I said was the most perfect dress ever?"
"Why yes, I believe you mentioned something about this dress. I heard the description blabbing out of you mouth and thought it would look amazing on Lily. As it turns out I was right; no one could pull it off as well as she can. Come on Lily, I'll show you to my room. You can put your things there for the evening."
Lily had a smug victorious look on her face and in her nicest but sharpest voice said it was lovely to meet Madeline before a quick, "Come on love, lets find a more private room to catch up. As we went up the stairs I heard Madeline mutter some nasty comment and her aunt laugh a boisterous laugh. She was right to hire me. I could resist all that harlot threw at me. Sure, she was great looking but I worried about where her hands and other extremities had been as well as he cleverness. Lily was a 10 out of 10 knock out. She was my special lady and I was the luckiest man alive.
We sat in my room with the door locked and charms at every entrance. No one would be able to hear an explosion from this room. We talked for a bit then Lily crawled into my lap and seductively smiled. I knew what she wanted and I'm sure, from the position she was lying, she knew I wanted it as well. We spoke in quiet words, despite the protected doors and soon were enthralled in the throes of love. I had missed this. I had missed her curves and her mischievous smile, the one she inherited from the Weasley side of the family, and her cherry red hair and her blue eyes and her hands. The way they traced my form was tantalizing and electric and I couldn't resist her whims.
An hour later we were dressing once more with smiles glued to our faces with such force that it hurt to smile but neither of us could force them away. She was all laughing and brightness and lustrous glow. After a quick brunch with her friends we walked the stores and bought endless amounts of candy and some new shoes and a mug of butterbeer to carry around with us.
Lily went to try on a few new dresses and between her changes I filled out an order form from Honeyduke's Sweetshop. From now on I would send Lily a candy a day counting down to our next visit. Right now I felt like a love sick puppy for doing this but I knew come mid-November I would miss her terribly and she would smile everyday while looking at the note with the countdown and candy placed there. She ate candy like no one I had ever seen and at least this way I knew she would smile once a day at the least.
Soon, too soon, it was growing cold and we made our way back to The Three Broomsticks for a warm drink. Madame Lolita handed me an envelope as I walked past her and while Lily ordered chocolate dipped strawberries from a dejected looking Madeline I peeked inside. My parents and the Potters had each bought us a one night stay at a hotel in Hogsmead as a Happy Anniversary gift. McGonagall had signed off on it too. This was going to be our best annual celebration yet! I passed them to Lily and told her it was the best gift and was not thanks to me. She opened it and took a minute to process the note and all the signatures.
"Really? They are allowing us two days alone together? This is the best gift yet!"
We finished our meal and proceeded to the expensive hotel up the tiny road outside of the village. We were greeted by name and taken to our room; a suite overlooking the lake and Hogwarts in the distance. There were drapes and fluffy pillows and huge bathing tubs and lush carpets. Surly they didn't expect us to behave ourselves in a place like this? I hoped not because Lily gave mea happy but smoldering look and I knew the itinerary for the next few days involved lounging and eating and seeing a lot of each other and very little sleep.
Our days were filled with wonder and pleasure and contentment like I had never had before. It came and stayed for those two days and went quickly around the time I was walking Lily back to the gate on Monday morning. Kidnapping her and running to some warm island for the next few years crossed my mind more than once during that frozen walk. With a smile, a lingering kiss, and a emotional goodbye Lily passed through the gates and summoned her book bag and her broomstick so she wouldn't have to walk to class.
I watched an angel fly away and slowly walked back to start the work shift at The Three broomsticks. Madeline immediately greeted me and asked if she could have the next get away, which I ignored and began to polish glasses and silverware. Madame Lolita set down perfect looking eggs and sausage in front of me and scolded Madeline for not starting in the kitchen earlier. Despite loosing Lily for tow more months I couldn't help but smile. We had what everyone was desperate to get, what Madeline so desperately wanted and wouldn't find in her current path of life, and what people died content having. Madame Lolita spared a half smile for me and said to eat up before it got cold and went to waste. I had to hand it to her: she was more clever than anyone would guess and kinder than most could ever imagine. She had to be the best boss ever.