Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.

Note - I decided to show a bit more of Professor Brown, so I brought him in. Also, a few appearances of some Gryffindors, the favorable ones at least. And I brought in a lot of Lily and Scorpius action, and a few things that will lead to future incidents and problems. So read away, and excuse any mistakes I made (I'm terrible at editing sometimes), and let me know what you think.

Slytherin's Potter

Chapter Fifty-Three: Front Page Material

October came with a chilly wind and more Quidditch practices. And more often than not, Lily found herself exhausted at the end of the night. Lessons each day, each teacher giving them homework. Teaching Potions got to be a hassle, mainly because Paige Wilde was always attempting to cause trouble. The governors were still questioning and observing each class, which was getting annoying. Marigold Brunt still seemed to flit around Lily, talking to others about her. And now she was receiving many glares from the others in her family, especially when Hugo was around with her. She had a good idea that Wilde had spun a fantastical story to them all about how because of Lily, Hugo had changed and crushed her little heart. And after seeing Hugo's new friends and looks, it probably only backed her story up. But there was always a bright side to each day for Lily.

Scorpius.


"Scorpius, I have class in five minutes!" Lily giggled as Scorpius's lips trailed across her neck once he'd removed her tie. She had History of Magic next, and although she wouldn't hate to miss the class, she still needed the notes. And since she had been dragged into Scorpius's dorm room, she would need five minutes to get there on time.

"Well I have a free period," Scorpius mumbled against her skin. "It's only History of Magic. Skip."

Lily gasped as his lips sucked at her pulse. "It's my O.W.L. year, Scor. I might need the notes," she said between short breaths.

"Get them from Lola," he retorted, not giving up. His hands trailed up her shirt, unbuttoning the top one. "Why'd you button the top one? That's unusual for you."

"It's a bit colder this month," Lily whispered. Basically giving up, she trailed her hands up his arms, tracing patterns along his skin.

"I'll warm you," he murmured, his lips reconnecting with hers. He walked her forward, and Lily could feel his bed bumping against her back. With strong hands, he lifted her onto the bed, and was following her. Lily moaned against his lips as she found herself on her back, Scorpius above her. As their lips and tongues meshed, she could feel his hand trailing up her shirt, lightly rubbing her sides as he moved up. She eventually felt his hand come to her bra, and rest over her pounding heart and breast. She could feel him trying to move his arm a little, but she could tell that her shirt hindered his progress.

Wanting air and to tease him, Lily pulled away from his lips. "Trouble?" she asked between pants.

Scorpius kissed her cheek, trailing down her jaw, and returning to her throat. "Slightly," he mumbled, groaning when her fingers squeezed his shoulder lightly.

Lily moved her lips to nibble and then suck on his earlobe, running her tongue along the three piercings. "Want a little help?" she whispered.

She could almost feel the scowl coming over his face, but his lips didn't miss an inch of skin. "What?" he asked lowly.

Lily took her hands off of his shoulders, and then brought them to the buttons of her shirt. The blush that was already apparent on her cheeks got hotter and brighter, but she didn't back down. She slowly undid the second button of her shirt. Gaining confidence with that one action, she began to unbutton the others.

Scorpius seemed to freeze against her neck. "Lily?" he mumbled.

"Shh," Lily hushed softly. She undid the very last button, letting the white blouse fall open a little, revealing the soft pink bra she wore underneath it.

Slowly, Scorpius moved away from her neck, and reared back to sit on his knees, hovering over her. With dark eyes filled with an obvious desire, he scanned the newly exposed skin. Lily felt her skin flush under his gaze, but she didn't look away from him. With slow movements and sure hands, Scorpius moved her shirt aside a little, fully exposing her tummy and bra. Then his hand curled around her side, and a heat rushed over her. Her eyes fluttered, wanting to close and to just submerge herself in this feeling.

"Damn," she heard him whisper. His eyes locked with hers, and Lily felt another surge of heat at the look in his eyes. The desire, the amazement, and the passion. She didn't need to hear if he thought she was pretty or beautiful. She could tell that he thought so by the way he looked at her. Just another layer of warmth to wrap around her.

Scorpius moved to lean over her again, his lips kissing hers roughly. His hands kneaded her exposed skin firmly, sending a rush through her each time. She moaned against his lips, and he groaned in response. She felt one of his hands move down to her knee, pulling it so that it bent slightly. Then his fingers began to trail down her skin, moving under the fabric of her skirt.

Lily dropped her fingers to the buttons of his own shirt, and hastily began to undo each one. Once she finished, she moved her hands to push aside the fabric. But Scorpius was quicker, and pulled his hands away from her to slip the shirt off completely, tossing it aside. And then his hands were back. One on her thigh, the other stroking its fingers along the skin just below her bra.

Lily ran her fingers along the expanse of muscles on his back and shoulders. His skin was hot, and his muscles firm under her fingers. She moaned when his lips moved to her collarbone, just above her breast. It made her heart miss a beat, and she wondered if he'd felt it. But she did feel his hand move higher up her thigh, dancing along the hem of her panties.

She gasped and moaned all at once. "Scorpius," she whispered like a prayer.

Scorpius groaned against her skin. "Too fast?" he asked, his voice muffled.

Lily shook her head vigorously. "No, no. It's fine . . . it's . . . perfect," she got out through pants. Scorpius groaned, moving his lips a little farther down, bumping against the fabric of her bra. Lily dragged her hands up, one tightly held his shoulder while the other curled through his hair.

Scorpius pulled his lips away from her skin, and moved so that she could see his face fully. She dropped her hand from his hair to his other shoulder. He raised a brow, and that irritating yet arousing smirk graced his lips. "Still want to go to class?"

Lily felt her cheeks burn slightly as she rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she muttered, and then she arched slightly so that the skin of her stomach pressed firmly against his abs. She reached forward to press her lips against his chest, biting and sucking. Scorpius groaned, and his arms moved to wrap around her middle, pulling her tight against him as he laid her back onto the mattress, his weight warm on her, and his breath fanning in her hair. It was then that Lily noticed that one of his legs was between her own. Mainly she noticed because she felt his knee brushed against her panties lightly. Now she was moaning into his skin. Scorpius shifted so that he was level with her again, his lips kissing her again. Lily let her hands wander and roam over his chest again, and Scorpius's hands moved up her back slowly, teasing the edges of her bra carefully.

Something brushed against her hip, and Lily brushed to realize that it was him that she had felt. She gasped lightly against his lips, which then began to move lower again, this time taking a different path. His lips skipped over her bra completely, and soon began to kiss the area of her stomach and sides. Then playfully, he nipped at the skin of her side. At her squeal, he sucked at the skin and lapped at the small mark of teeth.

Lily felt her head spin happily and her heart pound beneath her ribs. "Scorpius?" she murmured.

Scorpius kissed his way back up to her ear. "Yeah?" he whispered, his tongue teasingly playing with one of the hoops on the side of her ear.

"I-I-I," Lily trailed off momentarily as his hand caressed her hip lightly. She brought in a gulp of air. "I . . . I don't think we should go much farther than this," she admitted with a guilty blush.

She felt his hair brush against her skin as his lips moved to her cheek. "That's fine, baby. We can take this as slow or fast as you want to," he assured.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She could still feel the bulge in his jeans pressing against her hip.

Now Scorpius chuckled. "Don't be. I don't mind waiting for you to be ready," he told her, kissing her jaw.

"Really?" Lily asked softly.

"We've got all the time in the world, babe. I'm in no rush. Besides, I don't wanna push you," Scorpius replied, still pressing kisses on her skin.

"So you're ok with not going any farther than this?" Lily asked.

She could feel the smirk on his lips. "As long as we don't have to stop, I don't care at all."

Lily giggled lightly, running her fingers through his hair and along his shoulders again. "I can agree to that."


"Ok, so we've waited all day. Now where were you when you skipped History of Magic?" Shannon asked eagerly and quietly. The five girls were in the library, working the homework they'd received today. And since Lily's luck was so great, they'd been given an essay for History of Magic. Luckily, Lola promised to help her if Lily helped her get an O on the Potions essay.

Lily grinned at the memory of early that afternoon. "I'm sure you know," she teased as she studied Lola's History of Magic notes.

Megan playfully and lightly kicked Lily's leg under the table. "Details!" she hissed softly.

Lily glanced behind her at Madam Pince. The woman didn't seem to notice or hear the girls, and the other students in the library paid them no mind either. She turned back around, grinning slyly at her friends.

"I spent the hour with Scorpius," Lily whispered.

"Can we expect to see your underwear on the dorm room floor?" Lola teased, making the other three laughed quietly.

Lily smacked her friend's shoulder. "No!" she said, finally giggling with them. And so being quiet enough so that no one around would hear, Lily filled them in on what had happened with Scorpius. The other girls giggled, slightly too loud, as they listened. They were glared at angrily by Madam Pince at least four times.

"So, how hot is his upper body now?" Megan questioned. "Because he looks huge with a shirt on."

"Bigger than you'd believe," Lily answered with a grin.

"Miss Luna!"

The girls all tensed at the sound of Marigold Brunt's voice. Slowly, Lily turned her head to see the woman walking toward them. Madam Pince was glaring at this woman too. Probably because she'd made no attempt to sound quiet.

"Yes?" Lily said through gritted teeth.

"You need to button up your blouse completely. Even if it is only one button," Brunt instructed.

Lily turned her back. "Well, go tell one of the teachers and have them come and yell at me," she muttered. Lily would admit that since finding out what some of the governors thought about Professor Brown, she'd become a bit frosty toward them.

"Miss Luna, I'm a bit tired of this increasing attitude problem," Brunt said in a steely voice.

Lily grinned humorlessly at the woman. "That line didn't work when my father said it, and it sure doesn't work when you say it."

"You know, Miss Luna, I think you and I need to talk and fix the problems between us," Brunt commented.

"You mean you want to suck up and get me on your side?" Lily mocked.

"And just what does that mean?" Brunt demanded.

"It means that I know why you guys are here. I know that you don't like how Professor Brown runs our school. And I happen to like Professor Brown and how he runs things. We all do. And don't even attempt to suck up to Potter, because my father happens to like Professor Brown, as do all of the parents in my family. So why don't you go suck up to someone who cares," Lily hissed.

Brunt narrowed her eyes at Lily, glaring. Lily glared right back. The woman practically sneered. "You know, I've noticed that there are days when I just can't seem to find you anywhere around this school. Where do you go?"

Lily grinned. "I go and visit a sick child in the hospital," she responded.

"I'm not buying the little lies that you spread to teachers. Where do you go?" Brunt demanded.

"I already told you. It's up to you to decide if you believe me or not. And really, I don't care if you do or don't. Just don't blame me if you look stupid after finding out it's true," Lily sighed, looking back toward the girls' essays.

"I promise you, Lily Luna, that this attitude of yours will change!" Brunt sneered.

"And I promise you that your time here will be hell," Lily commented breezily. "So, I guess you could say, the game is on."

The only response she got from Brunt was fading footsteps.

Lola rolled her eyes. "Must you always cause trouble with authority figures?" she mocked.

"Must they always cause trouble with me?" Lily quipped.

"Brunt's a bitch and was asking for it," Megan agreed. "She's been on Lily's case since they got here."

"You've got to remember though, they're still going to try and get her on their side. It's common knowledge now that Lily's probably one of the more popular students in our school. More so than Potter or Virgin Weasley," Shannon pointed out.

"It would look better if a student who was popular with others yet still very involved with the staff of the school had their backs," Izzy commented.

"Still, you can't politely refuse them?" Lola laughed.

"Where's the fun in that?" Lily asked with a smile.


"I never thought I'd hate to be a Gryffindor," Hugo muttered as he dropped down onto a chair at the Slytherin table. Despite it being a Tuesday, he didn't look ready for classes. His piercings were still in, and he wore his black beanie. You could see dark red and black hair poking out under it. His collar was popped up, and two buttons were undone. His wrists were adorned with bracelets, some with studs, some leather. His cross necklace hung around his neck, and his skull ring adorned his middle finger.

"Potter and Virgin Weasley make it unbearable," Hugo mumbled as he began to make a plate. No one at the Slytherin table was really surprised to see Hugo, a Gryffindor, eating with them. They'd all become accustomed to having him around, and they embraced having Hugo as a part of their "family."

"I'm telling you, I will hit your sister for you," Megan assured.

Hugo chuckled. "I might take you up on that," he replied.

"What'd they do this time?" Lily asked as she took a piece of bacon off of Scorpius's plate. He retaliated by taking a bite of her toast.

"Threw another fit about my looks. They do it every spare moment they've got," he groaned. "I feel like I never have a moment of peace."

"You should come and stay down in our common room until curfew. Gives them less time to bother you," Lola suggested.

Hugo grinned. "That might be a good idea."

"It might give them more ammo, though," Jace pointed out in a quick tone.

"They won't have time to give it though," Scorpius replied.

The sounds of owls screeching filled the room as the post owls began to fly in. Surprisingly enough, Teddy's owl dropped down in front of Lily, dropping a letter into her hand, and then taking off again.

"Was that Ted's?" Hugo asked.

Lily nodded as she opened the letter. "Wonder what he wants," she mumbled.

"Dear Lil,

Great news! Vic and I are having another baby! She's about two months now. I'm hoping for a girl this time. We told the family a couple days ago, so I thought I'd write to you and let you know.

On another note, your mum wants me to tell you that you need to write home more. She's not exactly happy with only getting one short letter from you last month. You might want to write to her soon. I guess Albus, though, has written more letters than usual. Surprise, huh?

And tell Hugo to ignore his sister. If he's got a new look that he likes, he should stick with it. I'm glad that the kid's coming out of his shell. He seemed like such a robot these last few years. Anyways, I'll see you when you guys come back for the holidays. Tell Scorpius hi for me.

Love,

Teddy"

Lily smiled at the letter. "Victoire's pregnant again," she told the others.

Hugo looked at her with surprise as the others, mostly the girls, gave sounds of happiness and excitement. "Really?"

"Yeah, two months through. Teddy's hoping for a girl this time," Lily told him as she threw the letter in her bag. "Oh, and he says to ignore your sister. Keep the new look."

Hugo chuckled. "I'm glad someone at home is on my side. Now I really can tell Rose to shove it."

"And he says 'hi', Scorpius," Lily said with a smile.

Scorpius smirked. "Well if you write back, tell him hello for me," he joked lightly.

"I probably will. And I guess my mum is wanting me to write to her more. I just never see the point. What's there to write about?" Lily muttered. "Lately, she's just been weird whenever I say that I'm going off to have fun."

"Can't blame you for not writing then. I don't write to my parents either," Hugo sighed.

"We'd better get to class soon. Defense Against the Dark Arts will be starting soon," Lola mentioned as she began to push away her plate.

"Yeah, and we've got Herbology," Justin mentioned to Rex and Scorpius.

"Let's go," Lily sighed as she stood up. "What do you got first today, Hugh?"

"Charms. Start it off easy," he said with a chuckle.

"Want me to walk with ya, babe?" Scorpius asked.

Lily shook her head as she picked up her bag. "No, you go on. No point in having you go up three floors just to go back down them and then outside."

"If you're sure. See ya around, baby." Scorpius kissed her quickly before following Rex and Justin out of the Great Hall.

"Anyone else get the feeling that it's going to be a hellish day?" Jace sighed as they all began to leave the table.

"Sure does feel like it," Hugo agreed with a yawn.


Lily yawned as she sat on Slughorn's desk. The other fifth years of Gryffindor and Slytherin were all working on today's potion assignment. Lily had taken over today, explaining the dos and don'ts, and the process of making the potion. Slughorn had just beamed proudly as she taught. But it was a simple potion, and so far, no one needed any help. That left Lily sitting around, bored. She was tempted to leave and see what Scorpius was doing, but she didn't want to leave Slughorn alone, especially when she had taught the entire lesson today.

A knock sounded on the classroom door before it opened, and Lily internally cringed. Marigold Brunt was walking inside the room. She glanced at each of the tables as she came closer to the desk where Lily sat, and where Slughorn sat behind.

"Ah, Mrs. Brunt, what a pleasure. What can I do for you?" Slughorn asked politely.

Brunt smiled, but Lily knew it was fake. The way her eyes kept glancing back at Lily was a sign of hesitancy and confusion. "Yes, well according to my notes, I have yet to observe this class during this day and period. So I thought I would drop by," she said with a sickly sweet voice.

"Well, by all means," Slughorn said with a wave of his hand. "Oh! I'm sure you've meet Hogwarts's own Lily Luna. She's my assistant teacher this period."

Brunt looked at me in surprise and shock. "Excuse me? A fifth year is teaching fifth years?"

"Oh yes. Once she has some free periods next year, I hope to have her teaching some of my younger and older students," Slughorn said with a proud smile.

"Well, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but how can a fifth year be a teacher? Especially when it comes to the complex making of potions," Marigold all but hissed.

Lily bit back a smug grin as Slughorn spoke. "Oh, Lily is a prodigy when it comes to potions. She took her O.W.L. her third year, got and O. Took her N.E.W.T. last year and got an O as well. I've never had a better student," he bragged.

Marigold recoiled with a withering look that hid in her eyes. "Really? This wasn't something that I had heard about," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"Well, when rumors go around they do get distorted," Slughorn replied. "But this girl is an angel and a genius."

Lily smiled at her professor. "You flatter me, Horace," she teased. He had insisted she call him that when she taught with him.

"You seem to be awfully popular around this school, Miss Luna," Marigold said.

Lily finally let a grin show. "I'm quite the influence around here I guess," she said with a shrug.

Practically glowering now, Brunt turned away from her to look at the class. She began to move around the room. "Mr. Weasley, please remove your hat," she requested.

Hugo gave a look of annoyance and minor disgust as he pulled his hat off. His black and blood-red hair stuck up at a few odd ends.

"Is odd colored hair allowed in this school?" Brunt questioned in a polite and fake tone.

"Black and red are normal hair colors," Lily pointed out. "But if the question is 'may kids dye their hair another color,' then yes, it is allowed."

Brunt shot her a sharp glance, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She turned around to begin looking around again. She would whisper something to a student every couple of minutes, and the student would whisper something back. Lily observed how she avoided the Slytherins.

"Um, Lily?" Stacey Finnigan raised a timid hand.

Lily raised a brow. "Yes, what is it?"

"Um, I think I got off track, could you help me?" she asked.

Lily dropped off the desk and began to approach her. She noticed how Brunt was now closely watching her. Lily came to Stacey's table, which also sat Hannah and Connie Wood. She leaned over to look at the color of the potion, along with the smell. Both were off, but if she was correct, it could be fixed. The color was still murky and light.

"Ok, now what did you just do?" Lily questioned.

"Well, I think I added three extra rat tails. Can it be fixed?" Stacey asked with a bit of worry.

Lily smiled reassuringly at her. "Of course. What you're going to have to do is balance it out. Now, the way to do that is to add more knotgrass. And to keep from putting to much of that in, just multiply the normal about by three, and put that much in," she explained. "Got that?"

Stacey nodded and gave Lily a grateful smile. "Thanks, Lily."

Lily shrugged as she straightened. "No problem. Just ask if you need help," Lily told her. Not wanting to go back to sitting and doing nothing, she began to check that each of the fifth years were on the right track.

"Hunter, if you put all those beetle eyes in there, it'll over flow," Lily commented as she passed. Hunter looked at her in alarm. "Only twelve," she instructed.

"Thanks, Lil," Hunter sighed with relief.

"Since you're over here, Lil, is this the right color?" Christian asked.

Lily glanced over his cauldron. "It's close, but once you add the knotgrass, it should be darker."

"Ok, cool," Christian said with a grin. Lily continued to move around and check the potions. But when it seemed everything was ok, she made her way back to Slughorn's desk.

"You know, Lily, I think our next potion will be Draught of Peace. Normally, it's one of the first potions I teach, but I wanted to get a few lectures in on the harder studies," Slughorn commented.

"It'll be difficult, but they should learn how to make it," Lily agreed. "But unless we want to fail them, we might want to be a bit easy on the grading. Honestly, I'm not sure how well they'll all do with something that hard."

"I think you should grade them as always," Brunt retorted as she came to the desk. "These kids need to know what they actually get for their work."

Lily raised a brow, and now she wasn't going to try and be quiet. "So, you want me to fail all of these kids because, like most fifth years, the potion is too advanced? You want them to fail and possibly dash their hopes and send them into panic attacks about their O.W.L.s?" she snapped.

"Well . . . students must–,"

"And I should fail a student who accidently makes one mistake? Because making one mistake on a potion that difficult could ruin the whole thing. I should fail someone for one simple mistake? I shouldn't grade them on what they did right?" Lily continued.

Brunt fidgeted where she stood, and glanced around at the people around her. Quite a few of the other students looked either hostile or uncertain. Slughorn just observed the two that stood in front of him. Lily didn't move her eyes from Brunt.

"Well?" Lily demanded. "Should I do that?"

Brunt pursed her lips as she glared weakly at Lily. But then she quickly turned to Slughorn. "Professor, was Miss Luna teaching approved by the headmaster?" she asked swiftly.

Lily tensed and looked at the woman with new suspicion. But Slughorn nodded his head. "Yes, it was. He believed that Lily would be a fantastic assistant teacher, and that if she agreed, it was ok. After all, why make her take a subject that she passed easily years ago," he reasoned.

Brunt began to write on her little clipboard. "And this is the only class she teachers?"

"Yes just this one class. Like I said, I'm eager for when she can help teach other years next year," Slughorn told her.

Brunt kept on scribbling words down. "Well, I think that we'll have to take another day to observe this class, and we'll have to begin asking students on her teaching too," she stated.

Lily sighed as she leaned against the desk. "Cool. I like hearing how good I teach," Lily mocked.


The next morning, Lily had practically forgotten about the incident in Potions class. Until breakfast that is.

"Ugh! I hate Wednesdays!" Jace groaned as they sat at breakfast. "Why, oh why, must there be Wednesdays?"

"Oh, why must you whine?" Lola mocked.

"Why must you be a bitch?" Jace retorted.

"How lovely it is to hear an argument so early in the morning," Scorpius sighed as he sat next to Lily.

Owls began to fill the hall as they arrived with the post. A Daily Prophet owl dropped down in front of Scorpius, who paid it before unfolding the paper. "Oh, shit. Um, babe?"

Lily looked at Scorpius with a bit of worry. "What is it, Scor?"

Scorpius was scowling at the paper. "You've made the front page."

Now she looked surprised. "What?" she demanded.

Scorpius put the paper down for them all to see.

"POTTER PRODIGY: by Rita Skeeter

Hogwarts's own Lily Potter, daughter of the Chosen One, has not only become a famous model among the fashion world, but also a prodigy among academics. According to one of the governors of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily Potter completed her Potions O.W.L. in her third year, receiving an O for her perfect score. And it seems that last year, she took her N.E.W.T., which she also received a perfect score on. But that's not all. Apparently with the permission of the headmaster, Jacob D. Brown, she has begun to assist the teaching of Potions to some of the fifth years. But I think the real question is: is it wise for a fifth year to be teaching other fifth years, even if they have completed their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. already?

But is this all there is to know about the mysterious Lily Luna Potter. According to my sources, she has completely renounced the Potter name, now being known to all as 'Lily Luna' and no more. Anyone who calls her 'Potter' is immediately corrected. What could have happened? What family tragedy could have caused this young girl to completely renounce her family name? I promise to have the story for you all, my loyal readers."

Lily felt her anger rise and her nerves shaking. How . . . ? Lily gnashed her teeth. Brunt!

"She's a dead woman!" Lily hissed.

"She gave this story to Skeeter?" Lola said in horror.

"You never renounced your name," Jace argued. "Just your brothers. But this makes it sound like you hate your entire family."

"I'll kill her," Lily whispered.

Scorpius wrapped his arm around her. "Just take a deep breath, babe. Be calm."

"Kill her when she comes to observe Potions today," Jace told her.

"Either way, you have a whole period before that. So just stay calm," Scorpius instructed.

But Lily ended up having difficulty with being calm. Even as she walked with the others to Care of Magical Creatures.

"You do know what she's trying to do, right? She's trying to discredit you. If she can put you in a bad, dramatic, or suspicious light, it dwindles the influence you have. Adults will be a little less trustful of you," Lola pointed out.

"I got that, and really, I don't care. I just want her dead now," Lily muttered.

"Lily!" Hagrid called as they got closer to his hut. Lily tensed a little as they neared him.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked.

Hagrid looked at her friends. "You kids go on with the others. She'll join ya in a moment." Lily tried to ignore her dread, and Hagrid seemed content to wait until the others had all left. Then he looked at Lily. "I reckon ya saw that paper?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I saw it. And?"

"How did all this happen?" Hagrid asked.

Lily sighed. "Look, most of that article was total crap. The only truth was about my O.W.L. and N.E.W.T., and that I'm helping to teach the class. Nothing more," she replied. Then she bit her lip before adding, "Well, I don't really prefer to be called 'Potter' but not because I've denounced it or anything. I just like being known as myself."

"Do your parents know about all of this?" Hagrid questioned as he led Lily over to the rest of the class.

Lily ran a hand through her hair. "They do now," she mumbled.


Lily hadn't thought much of how her parents would react to all of this, but after Hagrid mentioned them, the thought plagued her. How were they going to react? But when she got to Potions, the reminder of Brunt coming to observe brought her back to 'anger and murder' mode.

"Kill her, Lil," Jace whispered as she walked up to the front.

But Lily did her best to look calm while she and Slughorn set up for the class lesson for the day. And just before they were ready to begin the start of class, the door opened. Lily felt her anger begin to rise . . . until she noticed that it wasn't Brunt who walked in. It was a man. He was tall, his height almost imposing. But as Lily looked at him, she decided that it was the only imposing thing about him. His face seemed just plain curious. Nor hostile or friendly. He had short cropped sandy hair. He was dressed in teal colored robes. He walked to the front of the classroom, and he held his hand out to Lily.

"Hello, Miss Luna. We haven't properly met. I'm Benjamin Williams. I'm one of your school's governors. I'll be the one observing your assistant teaching," the man introduced.

Lily shook his hand, a bit surprised at how polite he was. She was so used to the governors being fake friendly or overly superior. "Um, it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Williams. Would you like to start by asking questions?"

"Oh, no! Go on and teach. I'll just be watching for now. I'd hate to interrupt the lesson," Williams insisted.

Lily nodded, and watched from her peripheral as Williams moved to stand by the wall. She was aware of Williams the entire time she taught. He didn't interrupt once. And when he wrote something down, it was quiet. No loud scratching. When Lily had them all begin their practical portion of the class, Williams finally moved from the wall. And while the students worked, he quietly talked to one student, and then went to another. He didn't skip Slytherins or Hugo, but talked to any random one. Lily watched, just as curious about this guy as this guy seemed to be about this class.

"Such a polite young man, isn't he?" Slughorn asked as he too watched Williams.

"I've never actually met him before today," Lily replied.

"Oh, he's a great man. Very polite, very fair. I taught him. That man could have been a wonderful potioneer. His curiosity is his greatest asset. He could discover the most amazing things if he tried," Slughorn said with a sigh. "He could be so much greater than a governor."

Lily grinned at her mentor. "Some people are happy settling with a simple career," she teased.

Slughorn chuckled. "Oh, I know. I just like to see students using the best of their abilities in the world. Plus, it does have its benefits for me."

Lily laughed lightly. "I'll remember to have you invited to a model shoot sometime," she mocked.

Slughorn smiled. "I'm still hoping to light a fire under you about starting a career regarding potions," he joked.

Lily nodded. "Well, I look forward to your attempts with that."


"That Benjamin dude was kinda cool," Hugo commented as they all left the potions classroom.

"He was much nicer than Brunt," Lola agreed.

"He was nicer," Lily murmured, her mind still thinking over the differences between Williams and Brunt.

"Hey, Hugo! Wait up!" a voice called. The four stopped and were surprised to see who was trying to catch up. It was Cody Thomas. Like the others in her family, Lily had grown up knowing the Thomas family, and she used to play with Cody when they were younger. But after her Sorting that had drifted away, although lately, she'd had no real problems with Cody.

He finally caught up to them, and Lily looked him over. He had changed quite a bit. He was pretty tall, although Hugo was taller than him. His hair was black and thick, although straight. He smiled as he looked at them.

"Hey, Cody. What's up?" Hugo asked as he slipped his hat on.

"Oh, I just thought I'd walk with you guys, if that's ok?" Cody asked.

Lily shrugged. "I don't care."

"Sure, come on," Hugo told him. They all began to walk again. "So, what's up, C?" Hugo asked.

"Nothing really. It's kinda been boring," Cody said with a small laugh.

"You should get out and do more then," Lily suggested.

Cody's cheeks turned a little pink. "Yeah, but my friends don't really get into that kind of stuff."

"What, having fun?" Lola quipped. "I mean, what do you think we go out and do?"

Cody shrugged. "I don't know. You guys just seem a bit more . . . free than other kids."

Hugo and Jace laughed. "Give the guy a break," Hugo defended. "He's kind of right. Most of the other Gryffindors are only fun at Gryffindor parties. Otherwise, they can be tight asses."

"Tell 'em to get a life," Jace joked.

"Cody! What are you doing?" Lily almost rolled her eyes at the sound of Wilde's voice. They all looked ahead to see Wilde standing with McLaggen and two other boys.

Cody cleared his throat. "Oh, I thought they'd already gone ahead. Well, I'll just go catch up with them. I'll see you guys around," he said with a quick wave. Then he was jogging away.

"Whipped bitch?" Jace asked Hugo.

Hugo nodded. "Yeah. Money says that he and Paige start dating soon."

"Why do you say that?" Lily asked curiously.

"He's easily whipped, and because he likes you," Hugo teased.

Lily looked at him with a bit of surprise. "What?"

"Lil, I think all the guys in our year in Gryffindor have boners for you. I've seen quite a few of your magazines around our dorm room," Hugo laughed.

Lily rolled her eyes, trying not to blush at the idea of that. "Don't let Scorpius know about that," Lola giggled. "The boys in your dorm would be in the Hospital Wing within one night."

Hugo raised a brow. "Really? Because I would love if Logan Murdock got his ass kicked," he mentioned.

Lola smacked his shoulder. "Be nice," she scolded playfully.

Hugo grinned. "I'm serious. That dude's been a real dick lately. Think Scor would kick his ass if I told him that he wanked off to pictures of you, Lil?"

Lily closed her eyes. "I don't know, but thank you for telling me," she muttered.

Hugo and Jace just laughed all over again.

"Lily!" Again, the four stopped, but this time it was to the voice of Professor Slughorn.

"Yes, sir?" Lily asked curiously.

"I just got a note from Professor Brown. He wanted me to tell you to go to his office before your next class," Slughorn told her.

Lily nodded. "Ok. I'll go now." She looked toward the others. "I'll see you guys later." And with a wave, she excused herself, making her way out of the dungeons and to the headmaster's office.

Once she was finally at his door, she knocked once and then stepped in. Professor Brown was sitting at his desk. Hades was on his perch next to the desk. Professor Brown looked up at her entrance. "Ah! Lily, come in, come in," he urged.

Lily closed the door, and moved to sit in the chair across from him. "Hello, Jacob. What did you need to see me about?" she asked.

In answer, he dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet onto the desk between them. Lily immediately tried not to groan. "Now, it's not that you're in trouble or anything, but there is something that you should know," he told her.

"What is it?" Lily questioned hesitantly.

Professor Brown leaned back in his chair. "Well, I was sent a letter from your parents early this afternoon."

Lily did groan this time. "About what?" she asked.

"They were concerned about some of the things in this article, and they were hoping that I would allow for them to come and speak with you tomorrow after you finish classes. I told them 'yes,' but I thought that you should be prepared," Brown explained.

Lily ran a hand through her hair. "Was there anything else in the letter?"

"Well, that was basically it. They seemed quite shocked by the things in the article," he replied.

"Because most of it was lies, and what was true they had no clue about," Lily admitted.

"So, you haven't told them about how advanced you really are in potion making?" he concluded.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't."

He didn't press on it more, which was something Lily really appreciated. But she couldn't stop herself from continuing. "I just knew that if I said something about it that James or Albus would say something and ruin it. And I'm proud of what I've done." She sighed heavily. "And I feel guilty about it."

Professor Brown raised a curious brow. "You feel guilty about achieving?"

"No, I feel guilty that I don't feel comfortable telling them! That I can tell Astoria and Draco about it easier than them. That I feel like I'm a part of the Malfoy family more than I am of my blood family!" Lily exclaimed. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. "It's just really taxing."

"I can only imagine. Feeling slightly obligated to your blood family yet becoming more happy and comfortable with another family that you consider your own," he mused.

"Does that make me a terrible daughter?" Lily muttered softly.

"No, it doesn't. You, Lily, I have always believed that family isn't about blood. It's about who loves you. Who supports you, takes care of you, and loves you no matter what happens," Professor Brown told her.

"I feel like the Malfoys are more my family," Lily whispered. "Even if I mess up, they never explode or seem disappointed in me. And if I fail, they're happy that I at least tried. I just . . ." She trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore.

"No one can really help how they feel about things," Professor Brown told her. "Certain things are in our nature as an individual. But just because you feel more at home with the Malfoys, doesn't mean that you don't love your blood relatives."

"I know. Just . . . sometimes I wish that I lived with Astoria and Draco, and just visited my actual family," Lily murmured.

"I believe that things will work themselves out. Don't fret too much over it. It is your O.W.L. year," he told her with a smile.

Lily almost scoffed. "So, you think that the governors wanting to kick you out will work itself out?"

Professor Brown grinned wryly. "You know about that?" he stated.

"Yeah, I do. Why do you let this happen?" Lily demanded.

He sighed. "I can't stop their opinions, Lily. Some of them don't like me and my style of work. But, some of them do. So the ones that don't have simply come here to find a reason to persuade the others to their side, and to find a reason to request a vote. They think that if there are enough students and parents that don't like me that other governors will agree with them. That's why they're here," Professor Brown explained.

"I'd tell them to eat my shorts," Lily grumbled.

Professor Brown laughed. "From what I've heard. You've basically been telling some, especially one woman in particular, that very thing, although different wording."

Lily laughed a little too. "Yeah, I guess I have. But you're great at your job," she defended.

Professor Brown smiled a little. "Thank you, Lily. It's always nice to hear that."


"You know, it's not that I don't like to hang out with you guys, but why is it that all we do is revise for O.W.L.s?" Lily demanded as she and the other four girls walked back to the common room. "I mean, we could be doing something much more fun," she pointed out.

"You just want to spend more time with Scorpius rather than study," Shannon argued with a giggle.

"Oh please! Like Megan and Izzy wouldn't rather be with their boyfriends," Lily retorted. "Or like Lola wouldn't rather be with Hugo."

"I may like Hugo, but I still care about my grades," Lola quipped.

"You still know what I mean," Lily replied as they walked inside the common room.

"Um, I think I see trouble stomping toward us," Shannon commented.

"What do you mean?" Lola asked.

Shannon nodded to their left. "Look," she told them.

They all looked to see Scorpius marching toward them, his normal scowl looking very angry.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen him look that pissed off," Megan stated.

"This cannot be good," Lily muttered.

Scorpius stopped in front of the girls, his eyes locked on Lily. That wasn't strange, but the intense and enraged look in them was. "I need to talk to you," he said through a clenched jaw.

Lily nodded and, with one last hesitant look at her friends, followed her furious boyfriend upstairs to the boys' dorm. When she stepped into the room, Scorpius kicked the door shut, and she could hear it lock.

She dropped her books onto his bed. "What's up with you?" she questioned.

Scorpius glared, although Lily could tell that it wasn't actually her that he was angry with. But it was obvious that it had something to do with her. "You're not modeling anymore," he hissed.

Lily raised a brow. "Um, I didn't know that," she said dryly.

"Well now you do! You're not being a model anymore!" he snapped.

"And since when did you get to decide that?" Lily demanded.

"When I became your boyfriend! That's when!" Scorpius growled.

"So, that means that you get to control what I do?" Lily retorted.

"No, but I get to put a stop to you showing your body for fucking any little boy to see!" Scorpius argued hotly.

Lily straightened where she stood. "What did Hugo tell you?" she questioned, her anger staining her voice.

"The truth! And really, I should have known. I knew what little boys thought!" Scorpius ranted.

"You know, you make it sound like I'm naked in those pictures, or like they're actually doing something to me," Lily mocked.

"They would if they could! And you don't have to be naked for them to get ideas!" Scorpius snapped. "And I'll be dammed if I'm letting a bunch of prepubescent boys run around with pictures of my girlfriend!"

"And you're going to tell me that I won't find one of my pictures in your trunk?" Lily retorted.

"I'm allowed to have them!" Scorpius argued.

"What makes you different?" Lily demanded.

"Because I'm your boyfriend, so that means your body's mine to look at!" he replied.

Lily raised a challenging brow. "Really?"

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "You know what I mean," he growled lowly.

"No, why don't you elaborate!" Lily hissed.

"It means that as your boyfriend . . . it means I get to make sure that little boys aren't going around and fantasizing about you!" he raved, his face getting angrier and more flustered.

"They're going to fantasize whether they have pictures or not!" Lily argued. "They don't need one of my magazines for that!"

"I still don't want them wanking off to pictures, real or mental, of my girlfriend!"

"Yet you can?"

"Damn right!"

"Why can you?"

"Because . . . because . . . why are you defending them?" Scorpius spluttered, his body seemingly getting tenser as the argument continued.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm not defending them. I'm just trying to get you to realize that you're no better. Can you really look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't do that while I was still dating Lysander?"

Scorpius looked away from her with an even more pronounced scowl. "Ok, fine. I did. But if Lysander had ever had the balls to try and kick my ass for it, I'd have understood it. It's not my fault he was a pansy. But I am damn sure going to kick some little boy's ass if he even thinks about my girlfriend like that," he growled.

Lily sighed as she moved to sit on his bed. "Lana was right, huh? You really are a primitive ass," she mocked lightly. Her anger was subsiding into minor annoyance and amusement.

"Is that a bad thing?" Scorpius mocked back as he approached the bed. He towered over her, so she simply fell onto her back.

"Well not entirely. I'm sure it'll have some uses that I can take advantage of in the future. Plus, as I'm sure I've mentioned, that scowl of yours is quite attractive," Lily stated, placing her fingers on his stomach, and letting them walk along his shirt.

He twitched slightly under her touch, but then began to relax. "Good, because you're stuck with me," he joked dryly.

Lily grinned and raised a brow at him again. "This whole situation really bugs you, doesn't it?" she teased.

He scowled again. "Yes. Call me selfish, but you're mine. My girlfriend, however you want to word it. It just irritates me. Especially when I know that even though I'm demanding it, you won't stop modeling," he muttered.

She smiled. "I'm glad you understand that." Scorpius rolled his eyes, his scowl deepening. She giggled. "Hey," she grabbed his hand and tugged, pulling him to sit next to her on the bed. She sat up and moved so that she was straddling his lap. "You should focus more on the fact that you actually get to touch me. Not getting angry over a bunch of boys that wish they could," she teased lightly, bringing her lips close to his.

His breath was warm and heavy across her face, and his forehead pressed against hers, his lips hovering just near hers still. "You might have a point," he whispered.

Lily smirked, although she was sure that it was nowhere near as impressive or as cocky as a Malfoy smirk could be, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just focus on what's yours," she murmured.

His lips smashed onto hers.