Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.
Note – Sorry these updates are taking so long. I've had some serious medical issues going on, on top of school and working multiple jobs. But things are slowing down for me, and I'm finding more time to work on this for you guys. So here it is. Read and enjoy.
Rebel Malfoy
Chapter Thirty-Seven: By Your Side
Scorpius made a quick toss of the Quaffle to Bobby Pritchard, who immediately took the shot. Hugo caught it almost too easily. Scorpius groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was instruct Lars and Tanner to start blasting Bludgers at their friend, but if they didn't do something soon Gryffindor really could out score them!
The entire team was energized and ready for a long and brutal match. They all wanted to destroy this team, shut Potter up, and make them regret for every messing with them in the first place. And while Scorpius was confident in the team, he was a little worried about Bobby Pritchard. His confidence was lacking, and it made him hesitate, which made it easy to miss a shot or get the Quaffle stolen.
Hugo threw the Quaffle to Rose Weasley, who easily swerved past Bobby. She made a pass that Lance barely missed, and Lucy Weasley swerved around to make the catch. Scorpius was quick to follow her, though, and easily popped it out of her hands. Lance sped by, snagging the Quaffle from the air as he went. He dodged the other Gryffindor Chaser, and made a quick shot at the left goal. But again, Hugo was too fast, and kicked it away. Lucy Weasley caught it easily, and began to make her way down the pitch.
Scorpius was on her tail immediately. He signaled for Lance and Bobby to flank her on both sides. Their team's brooms were faster, and it made it easy for them to catch up to her. Scorpius flew just behind her, and when Bobby swerved in front of her, Lance was able to make the steal, and Scorpius caught the quick pass.
"And Albus Potter takes a nasty hit!" Scorpius couldn't help but glance up in that moment, just in time to see Potter holding his shoulder, his arm looking limp. And before he could blink, another Bludger slammed into the same arm. Scorpius focused back on his task, but smirked. Potter wasn't a good Seeker with two hands, and now he was stuck with only using one.
Scorpius made a pass to Bobby, who caught it, but it was quickly stolen by Rose Weasley, who dodged Lance, and began to move swiftly across the pitch. Lance and Bobby chased after her, but Scorpius signaled to Lars and motioned toward the Gryffindor goals. Lars gave a firm nod, and began to move.
"And Albus Potter takes another hit! This time by Tanner Zabini. Looks like Slytherin wants Potter out of the game!" Peakes commented.
Scorpius smirked. Well, more like they wanted to destroy him, but taking him out of the game would be good too. Suddenly Lance was zooming back down the pitch, the Quaffle tucked carefully in his arms. Scorpius flanked his left side, knocking away Lucy Weasley when she attempted the steal. Just as they got to the goals, a Bludger streaked through the air, and slammed into Hugo's chest, making him hunch over and begin to cough painfully.
Lance took the opportunity, and made the goal. Scorpius gave Lars a nod. While Hugo was staying on his broom, he looked noticeably slower to move.
Scorpius knew that this wouldn't necessarily be a high-scoring match, but a brutal one. During a timeout, Scorpius called over Lars and Tanner. He huddled them in close.
"I know we slowed down Hugo, which was a great hit, by the way," Scorpius complimented.
Lars gave a grin. "Why thank you."
"But he's still on his broom, and the game is still too close. We need to start taking out some of their Chasers too. Continue to take hits at Potter, but start to pick them off," Scorpius instructed.
"We'll start with that Jordan kid. She's too small. We could take her out easy," Tanner suggested.
"Perfect. Remember, I want to fill the Hospital Wing with broken kittens today. So get out there and do it!" Scorpius encouraged.
They flew back into their positions, and the game started again. Lance stole the Quaffle out from Rose Weasley's hands, and hurried to pass it off to Scorpius. Scorpuis held it tight, but could see Miley Jordan coming in from his right, so he passed it back. Scorpius sped up to flank Lance, but he soon heard a sickening impact. He turned his head just in time to see Jordan fly off her broom. Lucy Weasley was quick to catch her, and slowly bring her to the ground. Even he winced at the amount of blood he could already see on the girl.
It wasn't long after that the Gryffindor Beaters finally seemed to pick it up. And Lance was their first victim. A Bludger clipped the side of his head, and Scorpius gave the kid credit for being able to stay on his broom.
Scorpius quickly called a time out, and the team rushed over to Lance. "Shit, that was a hard hit. Are you ok to continue?" Scorpius asked him. A black eye was already starting show on Lance's face.
But Lance scowled. "What did you say?"
Scorpius raised a brow and looked at the others. Tanner gave Lance a concerned look. "Are you ok to play?"
Lance looked to Tanner. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. I just . . ." He rubbed at his left ear. "I think I kind of lost a bit of hearing. But it's not a big deal. I'll get it fixed after the game," Lance assured.
As the match continued, it was more of a game for Beaters than anything else, and they didn't spare each other either. Tanner had attempted to make a dirty play, and "accidentally" cross bats with Roxanne Weasley, but she'd easily caught on, and it ended up hurting them both, Tanner ending up with a few broken fingers.
Precious Rose Weasley had taken a hard hit to the shoulder, forcing her to play with the other hand, and making it easier to make steals off her or intercept passes. But then Lucy Weasley had slammed the Quaffle into Bobby's stomach, efficiently knocking the wind out of him. Scorpius was proud of the kid for not only waiting until he reached the ground to throw up, but for getting back into the game.
Scorpius glanced up at where Lily was pacing above the pitch, as he made his way to the goals, the Quaffle in his hands. "Come on, babe, end the match," he whispered. He faked Hugo at the right goal, and made a shot for the left. The Quaffle easily sailed through the hoop.
Hugo grabbed the Quaffle, and threw it Lucy Weasley. She and Rose Weasley began to move down the pitch, and she tossed the Quaffle to her. After dodging Bobby, she attempted to pass it back to Lucy, but it was such a shaky pass that Scorpius easily picked it out of the air. He flew ahead of them, his path open. At least it was, until a Bludger came streaking in before Scorpius could move. It slammed into his chest, and Scorpius immediately dropped the Quaffle as he curled into himself, wrapping one arm around his chest, the other quickly holding onto his broom to keep him steady. The pain was immense, especially in his ribcage. It hurt just to breathe.
"And Madam Hooch is calling a timeout as she heads over to Malfoy."
Scorpius had to admit, he was grateful for the timeout. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Madam Hooch. She guided him down to the ground, and pulled him up straight. As she began to feel around his ribs, he groaned and flinched.
The team was just seconds behind her, and Lily immediately rushed to him, worry in her eyes. "Are you ok?"
Scorpius hissed at Madam Hooch pressed on his side. "I'm fine," he spat out, his body tense at the pain.
"I'm feeling at least three broken and cracked ribs. You can't play with this. We need to get you to the Hospital Wing."
"No!" Scorpius said quickly as he pulled away from her. He took his broom from Lance. "I'm fine, let's play," he insisted.
"Malfoy, I'm warning you, it's only going to get worse if you play with those ribs like that!" Madam Hooch warned.
"Don't care," Scorpius mumbled, scowling at the pain he felt.
Lily cut in front of him though, still looking concerned. "Are you sure about this?" she murmured.
Scorpius nodded. "I'll be fine," he assured. "I'll make it through the game, I promise. I'll go to the Hospital Wing straight after."
She looked hesitant, but nodded. "Ok. I'll go with you," she promised.
He smirked. "It's a date." He leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Let's finish this game."
Once they were on their brooms, Scorpius did all he could to ignore the pain, and continue to just fly. Lance received a pass from Bobby, and quickly tossed it over to Scorpius. He caught it, but he flinched when the ball grazed his ribs. He swerved past both Weasley girls, and made it to the goals, but Hugo easily caught it. But Lance intercepted his pass to Rose, and made a quick goal.
"And Lily Luna is zooming across the field. I think she's seen the Snitch!" Everyone looked up at Peakes's announcement. And sure enough, Lily was streaking across the sky, her hand outstretched. Scorpius brought his focus back to the Quaffle, and once Hugo passed it off to Lucy, he quickly chased after her. He tried to reach out and steal the Quaffle from her, but he flinched as a pain shot through his ribs.
"And Lily Luna has caught the Snitch!"
Scorpius immediately stopped, laying a hand on his ribs. He looked up at his girlfriend, who was steadily making her way down, the Snitch in her hands. He smiled as the other Slytherins cheered around them. But then his heart stopped. A Bludger was speeding through the air, right toward Lily.
"Lil, move!" he yelled in his panic.
But she couldn't even see it coming. The Bludger smashed into the back of her head, and the entire pitch was deadly quiet and still as she fell from the air, landing with a sick thump before anyone could even react.
But a second later his heart was racing. "Lily!" he screamed, and then he and the entire team was racing down to her. The crowd was yelling about illegal and foul play, but at the moment, Scorpius hardly cared. He jumped off his broom once he was close enough to the ground, and ran toward Lily. She was out cold. He kneeled next to her, and felt his fear rise when he saw the amount of blood staining her uniform and the surrounding grass.
"Oh fuck!" Lars exclaimed.
"That's a lot of blood," Lance said with worry.
"Who that fuck hit that Bludger? The match was over!" Tanner growled.
Scorpius ignored them as he gingerly placed his arms under her, and stood up, cradling her to his chest and ignoring the pain it ignited in his ribs. The headmaster and professors reached him as he and the team began to hurry out of the pitch.
"How's her condition, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Brown questioned as they all practically jogged to the castle, all the while being careful not to jostle Lily.
Scorpius didn't answer, too focused on getting her to the Hospital Wing. "There's way too much blood," Hank commented. "It's not looking good."
"Professor Longbottom, go back to the pitch. I know that Madam Hooch is probably already giving the Gryffindor team a long lecture, but I want you to talk to each of them. Especially Mr. Thomas," Professor Brown instructed.
Scorpius grit his teeth at the name. That dumb kid hit the Bludger? He made the mental note to kill that kid later. But right now, Lily was the top priority.
As soon as they reached the Hospital Wing, Scorpius hurried to the first empty bed. Madam Pomfrey met him there, and immediately began to sense the danger. "Move aside, Mr. Malfoy," she commanded as she pulled out her wand.
Scorpius obeyed, but didn't leave her bedside. A hand fell on his shoulder. "Mr. Malfoy, why don't we fix your ribs? There's nothing you can do by staring at her. Let's let Madam Pomfrey work," Professor Slughorn urged.
Scorpius let himself be led away to the next bed, but he kept his eyes on Lily. Blood was already staining the bed sheets. Madam Pomfrey's back was to him, and she seemed to be checking Lily's head for injuries.
"She'll be fine, Mr. Malfoy." Scorpius blinked as he finally turned away, and saw that Professor Brown was standing in front of him now. He was giving him a gentle, but equally concerned look. "Lily's strong. Once she's healed up, she'll be back to her old self." He pulled out his wand then, and began to work on Scorpius's ribs.
Scorpius winced as they began to fix under his spellwork, but he couldn't stop worrying. He knew that the headmaster was right. Madam Pomfrey would fix her up, and eventually she'd be back on her feet. But . . . all he could think about was how horrible of a hit she took, and the landing, and the blood . . .
Once his injuries were healed, Scorpius instructed the others to get theirs fixed as well. He quickly moved back to the foot of Lily's bed, trying to stay out of Madam Pomfrey's way, but unwilling to leave. And the others were the same. Once they'd been healed and fixed up, they surrounded Lily's bed as well, watching with worry and concerned expressions.
But then Professor Brown was ushering them out. "There's nothing you boys can do here. And I think your housemates would like to be updated on her condition."
Scorpius shook his head. "I'm not leaving her," he stated.
Professor Slughorn sighed sadly. "Mr. Malfoy…"
"I'm not leaving her!" Scorpius snarled. "I'm not leaving until she wakes up!"
Professor Brown just looked at him for a moment, before summoning a chair over. "If you insist, Mr. Malfoy. The rest of you, go on to your common room. I'm sure you could all use a refreshing shower and time to relax. You had a hard match today."
Scorpius sat down as the rest of the team began to leave, all patting him on the shoulder as they walked by. "Let us know if she wakes up," Lance commented before they left. Scorpius only nodded.
He watched as Madam Pomfrey worked over Lily for the next hour. She fixed a few broken fingers and her wrist. She was able to get potions in her, which when Scorpius asked, she said were for the bruising, and one was also to move some of her bones back into place. Her words made him cringe.
When she finally finished, she'd moved Lily to a clean bed, and heavily bandaged her arm, and around her forehead as well. There were bruises already forming under Lily's eyes due to her nose being broken. Scorpius moved his chair closer, and carefully took a gentle hold of her uninjured hand. He was glad to feel that her hand was warm.
He wasn't sure how long he sat beside her, but finally Madam Pomfrey was giving him a stern look. "Mr. Malfoy, it's going to be curfew soon. You need to get to your common room."
Scorpius shook his head. "She hasn't woken up. She hasn't even moved," he mumbled, his eyes never leaving Lily's motionless form.
"And she might not until tomorrow. Her body has gone through a serious trauma, Mr. Malfoy. She needs the rest, and so do you. Sitting here and worrying yourself sick by her bedside will accomplish nothing. You can come in after classes tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey insisted. "Now go. Don't make me actually kick out you."
Scorpius sighed, and gave her hand a small squeeze. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to be here, with her, for her. But he stood up, and with one last look at his girlfriend, he turned and left the Hospital Wing.
The halls were silent and dim as he walked down to the dungeons. Upon coming to the common room, the victory party was still going strong, but there was still a bit of a somber air. And once his arrival was noticed, Lola and Hugo were running to him.
"How's Lily?" Lola asked immediately, her eye shining with concern.
Scorpius gulped, staring down at his shoes. "She hasn't woken up yet. Madam Pomfrey says she might not until tomorrow."
"But she's ok?" Hugo insisted, his worry staining his voice.
Scorpius scratched the back of his neck. "Madam Pomfrey got some potions into her, and fixed up some of the cuts and bigger injuries to her head. But there was so much damage that . . . that it'll take some time before she's completely healed," he explained as he finally looked up.
But he was surprised at the amount of fury in Hugo's eyes and expression. His hands curled into fists. "I'm going to kill Albus Potter!" he spat through gritted teeth.
Scorpius scowled. "What are you talking about?"
"Who do you think told Cody to hit her with a Bludger?" Hugo snarled. "I saw them! He was right next to Cody when Cody suddenly moved to hit the Bludger toward her! He did it on purpose!"
Scorpius felt a cold fury run through his veins. Was Potter really so low? This was something he'd have expected out of James Potter, but the baby of the family? Albus Potter had always been such a coward . . .
"While I agree with you," Lola interrupted quickly, "that's not what we need to focus on right now. We need to focus on Lily, and making sure that we're there for her."
And Scorpius agreed, but he still had questions. "What did Madam Hooch and Professor Longbottom say to you and the team?" he asked Hugo.
Hugo didn't look ready to calm down either. "Madam Hooch just lectured us about playing fair, and how embarrassed she was that our House would do such a horrific and illegal move like that. Albus and Cody just kept insisting that it was an accident. I don't think Hooch actually got a look at the two of them when it happened."
"And Longbottom?" Scorpius insisted.
"Well I don't know what happened with the others on the team, because he talked to us one at a time," Hugo replied. "But I told him exactly what I saw. Albus flew by Cody, and said something to him. Then Cody was suddenly moving, and hitting the Bludger, which aimed directly at Lily. Then I stated that he should expel both of them, and they disgrace our House. Sadly, I don't think he'll take my advice."
Scorpius ran a hand over his face, then through his hair. "You guys have fun, but I'm exhausted. I'm off to bed."
Hugo nodded in understanding. "Go ahead. It's your victory we're celebrating. Do what you want."
Scorpius gave a grateful nod, and began to drag himself up the stairs, and into bed.
Scorpius sighed as he gazed down at Lily. She was still asleep, and probably hadn't moved an inch. She had fresh, clean bandages around her head and arm. The bruises looked to already be fading from her skin.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Scorpius jumped at the sound of another voice. He turned to see Madam Pomfrey striding toward him, looking just as surprised to see him as he was her. "What are you doing here this early?"
Scorpius shrugged sheepishly as he turned back to Lily. "I wanted to see if she'd woken up yet, or if she was getting better."
Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "You should be eating breakfast," she quipped as she moved to Lily's other side. "But if you must, you can stay until classes begin, but no longer. As for her condition, I'm about to take the bandages around her head off. Her skull should be completely healed by now."
Scorpius watched intently as she stripped off the bandages. There was obvious, dried blood on the bottoms, but as Madam Pomfrey checked her over, parting her hair, there was no longer any blood or injury.
Madam Pomfrey even gave a sigh of relief. "That's good. That was the most pressing damage. Now that it's fixed, the rest will come with time. She'll have some more potions to take later today. It'll be a process, but she'll be just fine, Mr. Malfoy."
It was probably halfway through breakfast when he was joined by Hugo, who handed him two pieces of toast and an orange. "No update?" he guessed as he pulled up his own chair.
"Well her head's ok now, which means the potions she took can start to work on the other injuries. But it'll take time," Scorpius told him as he took a bite of toast. "Where's Lola?"
"She really wanted to come, but she also hasn't finished her essay for her second class. I told her we could just come see her together during first break," Hugo replied "But I didn't want to sit through breakfast and listen to all the rumors."
Scorpius gave a nod of understanding. "You know . . . I don't know why I'm so worried. I mean . . . Madam Pomfrey's right. Lily will be fine. It'll take time, but she'll make a full recovery. But . . ."
"Logic never matters when you care about someone," Hugo retorted. "When someone you really care about hurts . . . so do you. Human nature, perhaps."
Scorpius could hardly focus on Transfiguration. He was still annoyed that Madam Pomfrey had kicked him out to force him to go to classes, and that she'd locked the Hospital Wing, keeping worried or curious students out. That meant he was stuck on the outside! What if she woke up?
"Mr. Malfoy, can you tell me what I just said?" Professor Bell demanded with a raised brow.
Scorpius looked at her. "No, I can't, Professor. May I be excused?"
Professor Bell rolled her eyes. "Let me make this clear, not just to you, but to all students, so that we save Madam Pomfrey some stress. She has locked the Hospital Wing to keep prying eyes away from Lily. While we know that some of you are concerned about her condition, she needs her rest, and Madam Pomfrey needs to continue to do her work. It's difficult when you have a dozen students sitting around the same bed."
"I'm not a dozen students!" Scorpius argued.
Professor Bell held up her hand. "So she's making no exceptions. The only way you're getting in, is if you're sick, and Mr. Malfoy, she's not stupid. She knows you're not sick, and that you have not come down with an illness in the last few hours."
Scorpius just groaned under his breath. It was just difficult to focus on something so . . . boring like class, when all he could picture was that Bludger slamming into his girlfriend. The sickening fall, the amount of blood on the grass…
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the image. That was probably the worst injury he'd seen from their team since he'd joined. It was probably one of the worst injuries to ever happen in a Hogwarts Quidditch match.
As soon as class was over, Scorpius immediately grabbed his things, and rushed out of the room. He wasn't alone, as Mitch was quick to catch up. "Going to attempt to see Lily?"
"I'm not giving up on that. At the least, I want to know if she's awake yet," Scorpius muttered.
"How many times have you tried this?" Mitch inquired.
"I've lost count," Scorpius quipped.
Once they reached the Hospital Wing, Scorpius pounded on the door. He paced a little as he waited for Madam Pomfrey to open the door. And when she did, she didn't look surprised to see him. "Mr. Malfoy, I've told you that I'm not letting visitors in until later today," she reminded.
Scorpius just crossed his arms. "How is she? Has she woken up yet?"
"Not yet. And she's doing fine. More of the bruises are starting to fade, and some cuts are disappearing. But she hasn't woken up. I promise that you will be the first to know when she wakes up. Now please, go about your day, go to classes, eat lunch, and don't worry about her."
Scorpius groaned as the door closed. Apparently she didn't understand how impossible that seemed!
"Scorpius, have you heard the rumors?" Lana demanded as she sat next to him before class began.
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "If you're talking about the rumors surrounding Lily and her injuries, then just know that I've been doing my best to ignore them."
"No, I mean the rumors that people have seen your parents here at school," Lana replied.
Scorpius looked at her, completely confused. "What?"
"I heard whispers while I was in the library that someone saw Draco Malfoy and a blonde woman walking through the halls," Lana told him. "I'm assuming the woman is your mum."
Scorpius scowled. His parents. "Mum and Dad . . .? Why the hell would they . . . Lily!" It hit, suddenly. Lily! They were there for Lily, someone had informed them about Lily's condition! So . . . she must be awake!
He quickly began to stand from his seat, but Lana quickly pulled him back down. "Woah there! Where do you think you're going? Class starts in like a minute!"
"Lily's awake!" he stated.
Lana raised a brow. "How would you suddenly know that?"
"Think about it! The only reason my parents would be here is because they were told about Lily's condition. And they would only tell my parents if Lily asked them to. She has to be awake!" Scorpius insisted.
Lana still held onto his arm. "Maybe you're right, but I get the feeling Pomfrey's not going to let you in while you're skipping a class. Plus, I don't think Flitwick is about to give you a note to leave, either," she pointed out as Flitwick began to climb the books behind his podium, giving himself some added height.
Scorpius slumped into his chair. "I know, I know, you're right," he grumbled, not really happy about it.
Lana gave him a sympathetic smile. "Also, remember that Charms is easy, and a little fun. The class usually goes quick," she reminded.
As soon as Charms was over, Scorpius raced out of the classroom, the others following behind him. When he caught sight of Lance walking down the corridor, he waved him over. "Go and find the rest of the team. Lily's up," he instructed.
Lance perked up immediately. "You got it! We'll meet you there!" Then he was running off, and Scorpius was back on his mission to get to the Hospital Wing. But when they reached the hall, Scorpius stopped when he saw one of the school governors, Mrs. Brunt, walking away from the Hospital Wing door.
When she noticed their approach, she gave them a fake smile. "Hello, students! Here to visit Miss Potter?"
Scorpius nodded.
"Well they're not letting any visitors in at the moment," Brunt told them.
Scorpius still looked at her with mistrust. "Were you here to visit her too?"
"Yes, yes. I just thought I'd see how she's doing and wish her well on behalf of the Board of Governors. Everyone around this castle seems so worried about her," Brunt commented. Then she gave a sigh, and Scorpius could tell that the idea of Lily being a popular student didn't make her happy. "Well, I have a meeting to get to. I'll be off."
Scorpius turned and watch as Brunt left the hall, her shoes clicking loudly against the floor. That woman . . . something about her put Scorpius on edge. When he knocked on the door this time, it wasn't Madam Pomfrey that opened.
"Dad!" Scorpius said with a little surprise. While he knew his father was here, he didn't expect him to open the door. "How's Lily? Is she awake?"
Draco checked his watch. "Well she was up a little over an hour ago. But she's getting a little rest." His father eyed him for a brief second. "But why don't you kids come in anyways. She might wake up."
Scorpius didn't need to be told twice. He moved past his father, and hurried over to Lily's bed, where his mother was adjusting her pillows and the blankets. "Hello, Mum," he greeted quickly as he pulled a seat over to the side of the bed, and sat down.
"Merlin," Lana whispered as she looked at Lily. "I know you said it didn't look good, but . . . Damn that looks awful."
"She looks a lot better than she did yesterday," Lars replied.
"I can't imagine her looking worse," Draco admitted quietly.
"Lily? Is she awake?"
Scorpius turned his head to see that not only had Lance told the team, but Lola, Hugo, and even Jace was entering the room.
"She was a little while ago, apparently," Mitch told them. He looked to Scorpius. "I should let Dom know. She was worried last night."
Hugo raised a skeptical brow. "Dominique? Worried about someone?"
Mitch grinned. "Well, as worried as she knows how to be." He gave a wave to Draco and Astoria. "I'll be back in a bit."
Hugo came to stand by Lily's other side, taking his first look at how bad her condition was. Scorpius could see the tension in his jaw, and his hands curled into fists. "Now I really don't regret punching Cody in the nose this morning," he mumbled.
"I'm amazed you waited until the morning," Lars replied.
Hugo shrugged. "He was asleep by the time I made it back after the party. And I wanted him to be awake and see it coming."
"I don't know why," Lana mumbled. "It's not like he gave Lily that luxury."
Scorpius looked to his parents. "Any update on her condition?"
Draco sighed. "Well it's still going to be a slow process, but Lily's already eager to get up and on her feet. Madam Pomfrey said once her legs are less sore, then maybe, but certain precautions will have to be taken before she can leave here."
"Precautions?" Lola inquired.
"Being careful with her shoulder. Wearing a plastic face mask to protect her nose until it heals," Draco listed. "Things like that."
They all waited around with small conversation passing through them. Mostly it was his mother asking everyone how their year has gone, and about classes. Jace was still obviously trying to avoid being around Lola, leaving a bit of a chilly tension in the air.
"You think Lil would mind if I took a Chocolate Frog?" Tanner wondered.
Scorpius, who had taken to pacing, stopped to look at the large amount of candies and cards that people had left for Lily since last night.
He was about to shrug, but his mother was quickly. "Tanner Blaise Zabini, don't you dare! Wait until she wakes up and ask!"
Tanner shrunk, while the others all chuckled or grinned. "Yes, Aunt Astoria," he mumbled.
"Lily!" Lola suddenly exclaimed.
Scorpius whirled around, and quickly moved to stand beside Lily's bed. And sure enough, she'd woken up. He gently ran his fingers through her hair. "Hey, beautiful. How do you feel?" he asked softly.
"Fine," she whispered.
"Don't worry, cuz. I punched Cody in the nose for this," Hugo told her.
She smiled slightly. "Really, I'm fine," she reassured. She looked at Draco and Astoria. "How long have I been sleeping?"
Draco checked his watch. "Oh, a few hours. Not too long. But these kids wanted in, and I thought you'd like to see them," he replied.
"You were right," Lily murmured.
"Mind if I have a Chocolate Frog, Lil?" Tanner asked tentatively, glancing over at his aunt sheepishly.
"Go ahead," Lily replied, her voice still quiet. Scorpius could tell that it hurt her just to talk or smile.
"Good thing you're up," Lars commented, trying to lighten the air. "Scor was going crazy."
"Sod off," Scorpius quipped. He kept his eyes on Lily, who was looking softly at him. "We were updated on the extent of the damage. I'm going to kill Potter and Thomas," he growled.
"Leave Cody alone," she mumbled. "I doubt it was his fault or idea. Besides, I'll get better."
"We heard you might have to wear a face guard though. That sounds horrid," Lola mentioned sympathetically.
"I'll deal with it," Lily said with a small laugh.
"Brunt tried to come in to see you," Scorpius whispered. He looked at his father. Had he denied the woman entrance? Perhaps he'd sensed that fake smile too.
Lily looked at him sharply. "For what?"
He shrugged a little. "Wanted to wish you well on behalf of the governors. And I think she wanted to talk more with you," he replied. There was no way that the woman came to wish Lily well. She and Lily didn't ever see eye-to-eye.
Hugo scoffed. "Probably to leak another story out to Rita Skeeter." But he sighed as he sat on the bed, taking hold of Lola's hand. "So, do Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry know what happened?"
"Probably not," Lily admitted. "Professor Brown didn't say that he wrote to them, and I didn't ask him to." Scorpius gave her a small smile. Why was he not surprised?
"Do you want one of us to?" Lola offered.
"No," Lily whispered, "don't bother. I'm sure that Uncle Neville will eventually write to them. I just want it to be quiet for as long as I can keep it that way."
"We can leave and let you sleep," Lana mentioned. Scorpius kept his hand in Lily's. They could leave, but he wasn't moving.
"No," Lily replied quickly. "Stay. I don't think I'll sleep again for a while, and being alone would be boring."
Scorpius smirked. "I didn't plan on leaving anyways."
She smiled at him in return, and squeezed his hand gently. "Good," she said softly.
Scorpius kept his promise, and didn't leave until he'd been kicked out to go and eat. Although this time, it had been his own mother that kicked him out. But he was back right after dinner, and was a little glad that his parents were nowhere to be seen.
"Did Mum and Dad leave?" he asked Lily as he moved to sit beside her bed.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, but they promised they'd be back tomorrow morning to check on me." She smiled softly. "I told them they didn't have to, but they insisted."
Scorpius smirked as he took a gentle hold of her hand. "They love you," he replied. "And they're probably just as concerned about you as I am."
"I'm fine," she reassured, her thumb brushing patterns into his skin.
"Doesn't mean I'm not worried," he replied. He scowled a little. "Or still seriously pissed off at Potter for this."
Lily just sighed. "Truthfully . . . I just wouldn't even bother with him at this point."
Scorpius raised a brow in disbelief. "You want me to just let this slide? I'm not supposed to do something when he attacks my girlfriend?"
"My life is easier when it doesn't intersect with Albus's," she commented softly. "And no offense, but you doing something to him will just somehow make our paths cross again. And that's when it gets ugly, and personal, and just . . . tiring. So unless he takes the initiative to say or do something, just don't waste your time with him."
Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. Not act? Not kill Potter for what he did to the girl he loves . . .? "On one condition," he replied. "I'll leave Potter alone if you answer my next question honestly."
Lily looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
Scorpius locked eyes with her. "Are you really ok?"
She closed her eyes briefly, and he wasn't sure if that was because she was avoiding him, or trying to gather her thoughts. But after a moment, she finally answered. "Physically . . . It hurts. It hurts like a bitch, but it's nothing I can't handle. And it really is getting better, and I'm less sore every hour," she assured.
"Emotionally?" Scorpius urged.
A small sigh left her lips. "I guess . . . well I'm not surprised. And I can't really say I'm angry. I mean, it does piss me off that Albus is trying to lie and say it was an accident, but . . . I'm not surprised that he did this. I'm not hurt, in an emotional sense, either. I just . . . I don't know…" She trailed off, her thoughts seeming to distract her.
Scorpius ran his fingers across her knuckles. "You know, it's ok if you feel hurt or upset. You don't have to hold that back," he stated.
"I know," she whispered. "But, that's the thing . . . I'm not hurt. Maybe I should be, but . . . Albus and I have always had a weird and strained relationship. This just . . . it's not surprising to me. Maybe I'm just not capable of feeling hurt by their actions anymore. Maybe I reached my limit with that over the years."
Scorpius wanted to prod a little more on how she felt, but he understood. He understood that sometimes you just had to stop caring, as hard as it was. And sometimes . . . you just don't want to talk about it with anyone. So he relented. "Ok. I'll leave Potter alone. But just so you know, if you say the word, I'll hex that prick so bad he'll look like Voldemort's son instead of the Chosen One's," he muttered.
She turned to look at him, a small smile on her lips again. She slowly brought her hands up to stroke her fingers along his cheek. "I love you," she murmured.
Scorpius felt his heart beat a little harder, his body feeling light. "I love you too."
Lily was kept in the Hospital Wing the next day as well. Scorpius tried to see her with each break, and he would eat quickly so that he could visit her during meals. But she had seemed to spend most of her time sleeping.
When Scorpius left breakfast in order to see Lily before classes, he came into see that his parents had indeed returned once more, but Lily was fast asleep again.
When his father noticed his arrival, he gave a small nod. "Morning, Scorpius. Sleep well?"
Scorpius shrugged. "I guess." Actually, he hadn't slept as well as he usually did. His bed always felt unusually big when Lily wasn't there. And it just wasn't as warm or comfortable. But he couldn't tell his dad that. Not without being scolded for sharing his bed with his girlfriend. He nodded toward Lily. "Has she woken up at all this morning?"
Draco shook his head. "No. And your mother insists that she be allowed to get all the rest she can. Madam Pomfrey believes that Lily might be able to get up and move around today, so she might return to classes."
Scorpius perked up at that. "Really?"
Draco nodded once. "Yes, and I get the feeling that Lily will be very excited for that." He looked at his son again. "Why don't you go and get breakfast and get through your classes. No need to starve yourself just to wait around here."
Scorpius hesitated. He'd rather wait here than go to classes, even if it was his N.E.W.T year… He sighed. "Ok. I guess I can go and let the others know that she should be released soon."
Draco gave a small smile. "Also, before your mother comes over here, I should warn you of something."
Scorpius almost groaned. "What now?"
"She's expecting you to invite Lily to the dinner on Christmas," Draco explained. "She's been wanting you to invite her for years, but now that Lily is your girlfriend, she's not going to let you out of it this time. So, I wouldn't try and fight it."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "It would be a futile attempt anyways. If I didn't invite her, she would instead."
Draco smirked. "Any reason you don't seem to want to invite your girlfriend to dinner?"
Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "It's not that I don't want to invite her to have dinner with all of us . . . but the last thing I want to have ruining Christmas is Lucius," he muttered. "Not that his appearance in general doesn't make it annoying, but if Lily's there with me, I guarantee that he starts some sort of trouble."
Now Draco sighed. But he didn't argue or defend his father. "You should invite her anyways. I think Lily can easily handle Father. She has bigger things to worry about than a couple of immature and bigoted comments."
Scorpius looked at his father curiously, and almost most a little suspiciously. "Did something happen?" He could now see it in his father's face. The small glimmer of concern resting in his eyes, and the slightly uneasy look in the way he shifted from foot to foot.
Draco kept his eyes on Lily's sleeping form. "Her parents came by yesterday after finally being told of the incident."
Scorpius looked at him sharply now. "What? How have I not heard of this?" he demanded. Surely word and gossip would have spread about the Chosen One being in the school! And if Scorpius had known, he would have skipped all his classes to stay by her side.
"They came during class hours," Draco mentioned. "And . . . I'm sure you can guess that it didn't go well. That's why Lily slept through the rest of the day. She took a sleeping potion to help her sleep."
Scorpius felt his body tense, but his worry and concern rose. "What happened?"
"You can ask her yourself," Draco replied. "She'll talk about it when she's ready and wants to. I will say, they didn't stay long after she took the potion. They were gone before you came back to check in on her."
Scorpius clenched his hands into fists. "Everyone tells me that I don't need to be by her side all the time, and then this happens," he mumbled in annoyance.
Draco chuckled lightly as he patted his son on the shoulder. "Go say goodbye to your mother, and go to class. I promise, she will be fine."
Scorpius sighed, but relented. "Ok. I'll see you at Christmas." He then went to his mother, who was fluffing Lily's pillow as she slept. "Mother?"
Astoria turned, and smiled brightly. "Scorpius! What are you doing here this early?"
Scorpius gave her a small smile. "I'm about to go to breakfast, but I just wanted to check on her, and say goodbye."
Astoria's smile brightened as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You better behave!"
Scorpius hugged her in return. "Of course, Mother," he promised.
She pulled away to look up at him. "Also, I want you to invite Lily to Christmas dinner this year! She's part of the family, she should be there!"
Scorpius nodded. "Ok, I will. Just let her get better first before I spring invitations on her," he teased lightly.
She began to reach up on her tiptoes, so he leaned down so his mother could kiss him on the cheek. "Take care, sweetheart. And don't forget to write, but make sure you study for your N.E.W.T.s. And you should write to your grandmother, she would love to hear from you. And make sure you eat every meal…"
"Mum," Scorpius interrupted. "You give me this speech every year. You gave it to me before I left for school a few months ago. I've got it," he said with a chuckle.
Astoria continued to smile. "I know. I just want you to remember. Be good."
Scorpius reluctantly left Lily's side, and finally went off to catch the end of breakfast. He told the others on her condition, and that she may be leaving the Hospital Wing soon. He left out the fact that her parents had come. His father was right. If Lily wanted to talk about it, she would.
Scorpius stared at the back of Lily's head. They were sitting together in the common room, both attempting to study for their exams. He sat on the couch, while Lily sat on the floor between his legs. Since she'd been released from the Hospital Wing that afternoon, she seemed to be in her normal good spirits. Even after a run-in with Potter. But . . . she also hadn't really talked about her parents either.
"I can feel you staring."
Scorpius jumped, focusing back on the present. "What?"
Lily didn't even turn to look at him. "I said I can feel you staring at the back of my head," she replied.
Scorpius cleared his throat. "Sorry. But all this studying is starting to make my head spin," he said, trying to play it off.
Lily shifted and turned so that she could look at him fully. "Something on your mind? It's not the first time today that I've caught you just staring at me."
Scorpius raised a challenging brow. "Oh, so I can't just stare lovingly at my beautiful girlfriend?" he joked.
Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I'm not falling for it, as flattering at the comment was. What's on your mind? Is it the mask?"
Scorpius sighed as he focused more on the face guard that she had been forced to wear to protect her nose from getting worse. While he would admit that it wasn't the most attractive thing, and looked bloody uncomfortable, he hardly paid any attention to it. "I think you look just as beautiful with that on as you do off," he replied.
She closed her textbook. "Then what is it?"
Scorpius just shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just . . . thinking, I guess."
She placed a hand on his knee, giving it a small squeeze. "You don't need to worry about me," she assured. "I'm fine."
Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Well . . . you've been a little . . . quiet at times."
Lily looked at him curiously. "Quiet?"
"Well . . . I thought you went to the library to be alone and copy some notes. But after like an hour or two you came back here and wanted to study. It's just not like you," he mentioned.
Lily sighed as she moved to sit next to him on the couch. "I had a small little run-in with Rose up there, and I just thought that maybe I could get more done down here," she explained casually.
Scorpius scowled. "What the hell did she want?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "She just wanted to complain about the change Hugo's going through. It's not my problem to cater to her, so I don't really care what her problems are."
Scorpius paused for a moment, but then decided he might as well bring it up. She wasn't going to let it go until he told her. "I know about your parents coming by yesterday."
Lily was silent for a moment as she brushed her bangs away from the plastic face guard. "Oh," she mumbled. "Well, what about it?"
Scorpius carefully took a strand of her hair to twirl around his finger. "My dad said it didn't go that well."
"It never goes well," Lily retorted calmly. "Did you think it would?"
Gently, he placed an arm around her, being careful with her bad arm and shoulder. "I just want to make sure that you're ok. I know fights with your parents can get to you."
She leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. "The fact that they want to believe it was an accident just pisses me off," she admitted. "I'm tired of them viewing Albus's mistakes like they're no big deal, but throwing a fit whenever I screw up once."
"I wish I could do something to help," Scorpius whispered.
"I just . . . I just wish I could stop feeling this guilty about it," Lily muttered.
"Is there anything I can do?" Scorpius inquired.
Her warm breath fanned across his neck as she sighed softly. "Honestly, I'm not even sure yet what I can do to fix everything between us. For now . . . I'm not sure there's anything any of us can do."
"Do really think the governors will cancel Quidditch matches for the year?" Tanner questioned with obvious concern.
"I doubt it," Lily assured as she ate her breakfast. "Banning Quidditch would make them highly unpopular, and Brunt needs student support to kick out Professor Brown."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Scorpius agreed.
"You know what I worry about?" Hugo stated casually as he chewed on a piece of bacon.
Lola looked at him with a little concern. "What do you worry about?"
Hugo grinned at Lily. "That I'll never look as hot as Lil does in that mask."
Lily grinned. "Very funny," she replied.
Scorpius smirked. "I think you look sexy with it on," he complimented playfully.
Before Lily could respond, the sound of hundreds of owls reached their ears, and soon they appeared with the post. One dropped off a letter to Lola, and Lars received a small box from his mum.
Then the Malfoy family owl stopped in front of Scorpius with a thick envelope. He opened it, and found a letter from his mother, along with what he recognized as the standard formal invitation to the Malfoy Christmas Dinner.
"Dear Scorpius,
Here is an invitation for you to give to Lily to invite her to have dinner with us on Christmas. And remember, if I find out that you haven't invited her, not only will I do it myself, but you will never live it down.
Love,
Mum"
Scorpius rolled his eyes, but quickly slipped the invitation into his bag. He still wasn't sure he wanted to expose Lily to a night full of Lucius Malfoy once again. She had enough on her plate.
"Dammit!"
Scorpius jumped at the sound of his girlfriend's groan of pain. He looked to her, his heart racing on instinct, and saw that she was hunched over, holding her bad shoulder.
"Lily, are you ok?" Lola asked immediately.
She groaned again. "Yeah," she said through gritted teeth. "Just . . . give me a moment."
Scorpius placed a tentative hand on her lower back, trying to be comforting but unsure of what to do. Finally she sat up straight after a minute, and Scorpius was surprised to see that her eyes were a little watery with unshed tears. She blinked them away quickly, and began to eat her breakfast again.
Hugo looked at her with wide eyes. "What the hell was that about?"
Lily took in a deep breath, and her voice sounded a little shaky from the pain. "My shoulder just moved back into place, that's all," she dismissed.
Tanner hissed in sympathy. "Damn that sounds painful!"
Lily took in a gulp. "Yeah . . . Yeah that's one way to put it."
Scorpius took a gentle hold on her hand. "Are you sure you're ok? Because that sounded gruesomely painful."
She gave a small and tentative smile. "I'm fine, really. A little sore, but it'll probably pass."
He brushed a bit of hair off of her shoulder. "If you're sure."
She just nodded. "Really. I'm fine. I'll probably be in perfect condition for practice tonight, too," she insisted.
Scorpius looked at her in surprise. "Practice? What are you talking about?"
Lily raised a brow. "We have Quidditch practice tonight, right?"
Scorpius scoffed. "You're not practicing," he retorted.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Scorpius, all I do is fly around and catch a Snitch during practice. Nothing will happen."
"All you did was fly around and catch a Snitch during the last game and look what happened," Tanner pointed out jokingly.
Lily weakly glared at him. "Very funny," she mumbled dryly. "So what do you expect me to do? Just stand around while you guys practice?"
"I expect you to stay back here and get some rest," Scorpius replied. "You can return to practice once you've healed up, but not before."
She looked ready to argue, but surprisingly just sighed. "Fine," she replied. "You win. But once I'm better, I'm getting back on my broom."
"Once you're better," Scorpius said with a nod.