Lily's POV

As I sucked in and tried to flatten out my stomach my father knocked on the door. (I was at that awkward stage where I didn't look pregnant but something was off about the amount of fat in the stomach area.) Tears were in his green eyes and he shuffled his feet. This meant the world to him. He had told me all growing up that I was his little girl and always would be his, no matter who came along and tried to steal me away. He told me he was my first love and only felt a little slighted at not being enough for just a bit longer. He rushed in and held me to his chest as he cried openly. My arms were thrown over his shoulders and he shook softly under my chin, which rest upon his shoulder.

"Lily, look you stunning as ever. I can't believe you are married and a mother and not my little freckled girl anymore. Today all those memories of a little you keep flooding my mind."

My mother had warned me he felt this way a few weeks ago and suggested commemorating my childhood somehow for a Father's gift before the wedding. I had wanted to make gifts for both sets of parents and this was the perfect time to give him his gift.

As a child I would walk home from school with Albus and James but when I saw my dad waiting at the gate to our house I would run and he would catch me and lift me off the ground before setting me down. The day after my mother gave me the idea Scorpius and I went to visit them. Part way through the day I suggested Scorpius and I take a walk. When seen coming down the street, my mother suggested my father greet me like he used to "for ol' times sake". When I rounded the final corner with my hand in Scorpius' I saw him there smiling. He squat down, resting his weight on his toes, and opened his arms. I laughed and ran to him where he picked me up higher before setting me back down. My mother had snapped a moving photo of the event, thinking I might like it as a keepsake. I had duplicated it, located a copy of my father greeting me coming home as a child, and had both framed next to each other. It was this frame that I handed him as I whispered that I'd always be his little freckled girl.

As I had guessed he looked at it for a few seconds before we slid to the ground together, both holding each other and letting tears fly. He was the worlds greatest father. I knew Scorpius was a lot like him and would be just as good for our little babe.

It was into this scene when Astoria and my mother entered. We had ten minutes to pull ourselves together and look put together. Harry held up the gift and my mother understood, trying to contain herself. She hadn't expected me to find something so meaningful so quickly.

Once we were trying to dry eyes and look camera ready, the event was hardly going unnoticed by the magical community at large, I gave my mom her gift. I had done the same thing for her. As a girl I would stand on a stool and help her cook. She would cut veggies and I would scoop them into a bowl. Once I had the idea for my dad I had Scorpius snap a moving picture of my mom and I. While she cut I chattered away and the instant she reached for the bowl I grabbed it instead and got the veggies. She had smiled and pulled me in for a hug. She did the same thing now as her eyes began to glisten.

"It's time."

Astoria was wearing the necklace Scorpius had bought her. It had a huge blue diamond in the center with white diamond and pearl outlining it. We had found it and thought immediately of her. Everyone took their places and began to file slowly from Safe Haven to the orchard of vines and flowering trees that we had grown and prepared for this evening. Once it was only my dad and I left he lifted the veil and kissed my cheek.

"I'm proud of you Lily. You've amazed me from the day you were born and continue to do so every single time I see you. Scorpius made me uneasy the first moment I saw him lay eyes on you. It was over before you even made it to Hogwarts. You were destined to be and I can't wait to watch your future unfold."

He pulled out a hair pin with a pearly lily on it and said it was a family heirloom. His mother had worn it the day she wed and he had been given it to give to me when the time came. It had been in Gringotts with a note, along with other family heirlooms, when he first opened those doors. He pinned it into my hair and dropped the mesh over my face. With one final hug we took our first step towards the flowering grove where the rest of my life waited.

Scorpius caught my eyes the second we reached the delicate chairs and flowery breeze. He didn't look a bit nervous. In fact, he looked cheeky and smug. Smug as only a Malfoy could be. I suddenly felt the weight of my pearl and diamond decked dress as the train magically dropped and began to follow. It trailed five feet behind me and tousled the whole lily's and roses that had been dropped by my flower girls.

With a last look back, at the huge audience present I turned for a final goodbye with my daddy. His expression was starting to fall back into those tearrs we had recently recovered from and he needed to sit down before we found ourselves on the ground together again. I leaned in and whispered, "You will always be my first love, Daddy." With a shudder he hugged me and placed my hand in the understanding hand of Scorpius Malfoy. (Telling him to take care of me as only a Malfoy could.) How ever impossible this seemed to those watching I was so happy it had turned out this way. As Scorpius stroked my hand with his I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Scorpius Malfoy and Lily Potter. Romeo and Juliette. (Without the tragic deaths and family feuding, well, major family feuding.)

After a short welcoming speech by Neville Longbottom -who was our official for the event- Scorpius launched into his vows as he slid a platinum band on my finger to magically meld with my namesake's ring.

"Lily Potter, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one with whom I wanted to share my life. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you, and sharing my life with you. This is my solemn vow."

With shaking hands I slid the thicker platinum ring on to Scorpius' left ring finger and exhaled slowly as I said his name, jumping into my part of the ceremony.

"Scorpius Malfoy, today I become your wife and you become my husband. I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how - completely and forever. "

Astoria

As if the day couldn't get any better the dancing once the sun dropped below the horizon could have rivaled old courts of King Arthur. There were waltzes, pastries, champagne, bubbly juices, chocolates, and white cakes. I was quickly led to the floor by my husband (HUSBAND...AHHH! I love it!) and we danced our first song. From his arms I passed into my fathers. Again we whispered and cried and held each other. James and Albus got the next two dances then I found myself at the drink bar catching my breath.

"Lily, you've never looked better than you do tonight. Is this really what you wanted? I could've given you all this and more. Is it true you are pregnant?"

Before I spun around I knew that voice. Tom. That was one mistake I had wished never happened. Should I be nice or should I bother to talk to him at all? Luckily I was spared the decision by Scorpius arrival.

"Tom, you've forgotten your manners. Lily, dance again with me?"

We left and I told Scorpius what he had said. It earned a loud laugh and a bit more scoffing than he usually allowed himself. Tom wished he could rival a Malfoy in any situation. For another ten songs we danced and socialized and snacked on sugary sweets. Scorpius threw a spring of flowers from my hair as good luck for the one who caught it and I tossed Scorpius' handkerchief for good fortune to the one who caught that. We cut our cake, smashed it in each other's faces, and flew off on a broomstick as if we were going on a honeymoon.

We had both decided that amid all the craziness happening that a honeymoon was uncalled for. What better place to relax and enjoy each other than in our new house on the lake? As our families and friends cleaned up the area and put everything away downstairs we played games of exploding snap, sipped grapefruit juice, and laughed upstairs in the baby nursery. Wind blew in over the lake and made the whole room feel alive with energy and life. By spending all our happy moments here I hoped to infuse some joy in the walls for our little one to feel as they grew. That little basinet waited in the corner and Scorpius was often caught looking at it. I couldn't blame him. When it caught my eye a soft smile pulled at my lips and my hands found my now pudgy stomach. Today just about marked our halfway through pregnancy point. Our little one couldn't come fast enough.

Scorpius POV

It had been two weeks since Mrs. Lily Malfoy joined my life forever. It took almost two days to clean up after the dancing and party confetti exploders had run out of energy. That night we had danced until the sun came up, drank through 15 bowls of punch, snacks were replaced unmentionable time, and laughter could be heard more often than not. If I had a happier day of existence it had been long forgotten and toppled with that nights festivities. Lily and I had ran through the crowd of remaining people as they tossed flowers and blew bubbles or shot glitter and taken off in our little boat for a picnic breakfast in a nearby grove. Both our parents thanked guests and made sure the area was vacant when we came home to sleep.

Sometimes it surprised me to walk into the kitchen and find her, tousle-haired and ruffled, slurping down cream of wheat. Some days I woke up startled to find someone else in my bed before realizing it was Lily in a tangle of red hair and sleep. How I had gotten so lucky still evaded me. Lily Luna Malfoy was the sunshine in my days, as I seemed to be in hers.

Our two weeks off from all obligations ended today and as I dressed for work I couldn't help but think it was a bit shorter than I'd have liked. Was a month too much to ask for? Apparently it was. Back at Hogwarts the teams were anxious to play and life had gone on while we relaxed and enjoyed each other. It was after a ten hour day at Hogwarts, where I dealt with every team on new practice schedules, watched over all four houses practices, straightened my office, posted the match line up, and tidied the shed, rearranging or trimming brooms as I went that I finally arrived at the Healers office for a check up.

It started routinely enough as they checked on Lily's progress then the moment came to gender our little one. With a wave of a wand and giddy astonishment our Healer smiled and told us he hoped we had names on the mind. Twins! I guess it made sense. Lily was half Weasley and before Fred and George there had been the Prewitt twins and who know what other pair of ginger headed troublemakers before them. Twins! We had a few names rolling around in our minds and now we would need two: one boy and one girl. Lily's parents were unable to make it: Ginny couldn't take time off and Harry had an unexpected raid come up an hour before the appointment. Both my parents sat with us and looked as overjoyed as we were about the news. My father was the first to speak after the Healer's announcement.

"There has never been a pair of Malfoy twins before. If they are anything like Weasley twins you might want to invest in some safety precautions and grow an extra pair of eyes before their birth. Twins are enough work and with that mischievousness that comes from your side of the family you are going to have your hands full!"

With a smirk and a nod the Healer continued his inspections. Our usual check ups made Lily antsy before they were over but a few minutes into this one our medics face darkened and he waved his wand with fury and vigor as if double checking his findings. He didn't speak again for another minute and when his voice escaped him it was lower, business-like, and pained.

Words like 'usually turns out alright' and 'slower in developing vital organs' fell deaf on my ears. Malfoy's had a history of developing slower in the womb...since when? Malfoy's had trouble in conceiving children...since when? Why hadn't I been told these things before? How far behind were our little ones? Any unusual feelings or behaviors since being pregnant? No drinking or smoking or perception-altering potions since being pregnant? Why were there so many questions?

Lily looked horrified at the news. Our child was slower in developing lungs. We were told it wasn't a problem at this point but something about their faces screamed out the concern they wouldn't say. We had another appointment in a week to compare growth rates. It wasn't time to panic, not yet, just something to keep an eye on. Lily was proscribed a vitamin rich diet and banned from some things like candy and fizzy drinks (everything she loved and craved) and was told to relax and avoid stress. How could someone dish out news like that then turn around and say not to stress?

It was the lungs. Both baby's were behind in growth though their size was correct and their hearts were healthy. Hips, fingers, toes, and brains were fine. It's not like their news about all those other healthy organs lessened the tensions. Lungs are kind of important! For another hour we went over where things should be compared to our situation and the types of magic that could be used once they were born to better evaluate and possibly heal them. Apparently there had been a similar case about twenty years back but the research had lost its supporters and run out of funding.

Normally checkups left us getting ice cream as Lily complained about how long it took and how her whole body felt bubbly after the tests they ran but today when we walked out of the hospital my father said he had to get back to work and my mother said she hadn't been able to cancel with her ladies tea group today. They had wanted to go shopping with us after to help decorate in the gendered colors of our choosing, though Lily told them we were using neutral colors no matter the gender and especially now with one of each, though that had been last week. Things changed and got in the way as they always did. Plans never seemed to go as planned. Life didn't seem to go as planned either. We were going to wait for kids, now here we were with five months until we had two!

After commissioning another bassinet to match the first we went to the ice cream shop where Lily bough a single scoop of frozen yoghurt (instead of her usual triple scoop in a chocolate dipped, candy blasted cone) and I ate a peppermint toad and fudge ice cream. Next we shopped for soft blankets for nursing and extra protection from the wooden floors, color changing lights and toys, newborn outfits with gloves and hats for heir trip home from the hospital, and finally magical mobile with clouds, stars and a moon that could be tuned to any song of our choosing. Before we had finished it got cold and damp and uncomfortable. With the promise of another trip soon we used the Floo back to Safe Haven.

Lily dropped her weight into the newly installed garden swing dangling from the balcony over the water and it only seemed appropriate to sit in the quiet with her.

"Sweetie, it will be alright. If these babies have half your stubbornness they will pull through just fine. If they need some help it's not like we are hurting for money or time. They will be born healthy and beautiful."

"Your parents reaction really worried me. I want to get advice from your mom and let her know we are alright. She looked a bit sick when they left. Your dad was acting odd too. I'm just over reacting. All this time we've been expecting one baby and now to rethink and plan for two has my mind spinning. Another crib, another high chair, more toys, blankets, clothes, names, it's all smothering me. It will be alright. I just want to have tea and maybe cuddle up in the nursery with the babies for a while."

"Have you been thinking about names?"

"Is your hair blonde? I've been thinking of nothing but names. I still think the two we have work well. They sound great together too!

We had a boy's name picked out months ago but recently Lily decided we needed a girls name too, just in case, and yesterday we had settle on them. Now, with Lily all but concreting the names into existence I couldn't wait to hold and sing to and rock and watch our little ones. Phoenix James Malfoy and Aries Rose Malfoy were due January first. (Their first day as little people was their first joint prank. Being brought into existence on April Fools Day was just begging them to have the Weasley twin disposition. According to Lily they were born on April Fools Day!)

My thoughts went back to dwell on my parents reaction but when those delicate fingers played with my earlob and fingered the gages I still wore and that tinkling laugh fell on me it brought me back to reality.

"Remember when you showed back up with your eyeliner and these piercings? I know it wasn't the best day for either of us. You nearly broke my arm and got your face cursed off by Albus before you escaped the school to fall into your fathers wrath. Oddly, it was that night that I knew things would work out in the end. Work out for us, I mean. I obviously still cared about you and the only reason you would change your look and act out was because you were desperately hurt. In some sick way that night just made me sure we would find ourselves here; dipping our feet in a lake below our house after a day of shopping and life living."

She loved those gauges and often told me so with a smile. She hadn't told me why she loved them until now. After we got back together the eyeliner had slowly grown less used but the piercings stayed. I had thought about taking them out but her words had stopped me. One kind word from her could stop my worst moods and fits. Lily was my world. Lily and Phoenix and Aries. I would give anything to see my babies off to Hogwarts and Lily, old smile lines and white haired, sitting on a porch swing with grand babies. We would make it. With all the resources available to us we would thrive.