Hugo threw himself back on Kaleb's bed and let out a long breath, rolling over to snuggle up to his boyfriend. "That was the last box. I've officially moved in," he murmured, reaching up to find Kaleb's lips and plant a small kiss on the corner of them.

"I can't believe you had so much stuff," Kaleb's exclaimed, his hand thrown carelessly across Hugo's stomach. "Did you really need twenty different types of candles?"

Hugo moved so he could look his boyfriend in the eye and let him see the frown on his face. "I work best in candlelight," he explained with a pout, which he knew was Kaleb's weakness.

Their kiss started off slowly, building until they had moved into each other's arms, fighting for control. In the end, Hugo won out, straddling Kaleb's hips and pulling back to dot kisses wherever a little bit of skin was left exposed. As he kissed the spot below his collarbone, nipping at the skin, he heard Kaleb let out a low growl, bringing Hugo back to his lips.

They continued their make out session for quite some time, only to be distracted by the delicious scents filling up the house. "Oh my Merlin, what is that smell?" Kaleb moaned as he nuzzled further into the crook of Hugo's neck. Then the room was filled with the sounds of his stomach growling loudly.

"How about we go and find out?" Hugo asked, rolling to face Kaleb who was smirking brightly at him.

Together they got up off the bed and ran their hands through their hair, trying to control their almost-sex hair. Then Hugo followed Kaleb out of their bedroom and down the stairs, all the while admiring the view of Kaleb's rear from the back.

It had been two weeks since Hugo had returned from Hogwarts, two weeks since the attack on the Burrow. The Aurors were sure that Lestrange and whatever followers he had managed to dig out were behind the fire on the tent. What they weren't sure of was where they were hiding, that was the mystery. Until then, the family was under strike orders not to go wandering and to always stay in crowded areas.

Meanwhile Hugo was trying his hardest to not let the attack affect his plans. Once his mother was released from hospital, he began packing up his things and was ready to move out within a week. He also was looking for a retail space to open up a shop with Ariana. Her dad was happy to pay for the first year, they just had to find the perfect space.

In the living room, Scorpius was lounging on the sofa with a bottle of Butterbeer poised between his lips while Franklin moved around the kitchen setting the table and Albus hovered over the stove like he had done ever night wince Hugo had arrived. Falling beside Kaleb, Hugo propped his legs up on the coffee table and frowned at the tv, trying to make sense of the Muggle news.

"What's potentially on the menu for today then?" Kaleb asked, wrapping an arm around Hugo's shoulder and pulling him closer into his side.

After his year travelling, Albus had decided on becoming chef, having learnt so much from so many different countries and finding a new love in food. He had finalised his restaurant in London, in an area that was frequented by both wizards and Muggles, so while the builders refurbished the place, Albus was experimenting with what to put on the menu, using his housemates as the judges.

"Tonight I am trying maple glazed lamb on a cauliflower puree with dauphinoise potatoes, spinach and my homemade bordelaise sauce," Albus explained, and Hugo actually had to scoop his mouth back up before a little bit of dribble escaped.

"Sounds like a beaut," Kaleb cried, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"And it's nearly done if you want to sit your fat asses down," Albus finished, shuffling pans around on the stove.

Heaving Kaleb up with him, Hugo happily dragged his boyfriend to the table and began pouring everyone glasses of water while Albus plated everything up.

"How was work today mate?" Franklin asked Scorpius, taking the glass Hugo offered him.

Judging by the grimace on his face, work didn't go well for Scorpius. He finished his bottle off and then sipped his water. "I'm so fed up of staying in the office, it's driving me insane not being able to join the search for Lestrange," he explained in a low growl, his hands clenching by his cutlery as he fought off the anger he felt. "Harry isn't able to go out into the field since he's still recovering - I mean technically he shouldn't even be in the office at all but try telling him that!"

"Why can't you go out with the other Aurors? Surely they would appreciate the help, especially seeing as you've faced him in the past," Kaleb reasoned, his arm resting on the back of Hugo's chair.

Scorpius blew out a long breath and Hugo had a feeling Lily was somehow involved. "Technically I can't join because I'm not a qualified Auror. However some of the other trainees have joined with the permission of their mentors. But Harry's my mentor and he seems to think because I'm too involved, I'll do something reckless."

"I'm sure the Aurors who are searching are doing their best," Albus said softly as he dumped an empty pan in the sink and returned to the stove quickly. The smells coming off his food were absolutely fantastic, Hugo could barely sit still.

Scorpius ran a hand through his messy hair. With the hair pulled away from his face, Hugo could clearly see how much this was affecting him. Dark circles clouded his eyes, his pale skin tight and grey like he was ill.

"Why don't you take the Auror finishing exam? Pay the early admission fee and take the test," Hugo spoke softly, sipping his water slowly. "Then you'll be an Auror yourself and could join the search." Hugo was familiar with Auror protocols and knew people did sometimes take the test early, however if Scorpius chose to take it, he would be one of the youngest to do so.

"Maybe," Scorpius simply murmured, looking into his water glass. Evidently they had lost him to his thoughts.

Then the distraction of plates being placed in front of them diffused all tension and stole all of the focus. "Wow!" everyone sighed in unison.

"This looks amazing," Franklin quickly said, scrambling to pick his knife and fork up so he could delve into his meal.

Kaleb had beaten him to it, moaning in a way Hugo thought only he could make him do so. "I know I've only had a bite but this is fucking amazing," he moaned, throwing his hands out for emphasis. "This is better than bloody sex!"

All eyes narrowed to Hugo who as happily devouring his lamb.

"Especially sex with you," he simply replied, dipping a chunk of lamb into the sauce. The whole table fell about laughing and Kaleb nudged Hugo in the ribs jokingly.

Things were good.

###

Lily was trying her best to keep busy. Her whole life was now all about Quidditch in an effort to help distract herself from all thoughts of Scorpius. It had been four weeks since the attack and she was so thankful that she hadn't bumped into him.

Not that she would have had the chance. She only left the house to go to training, the Burrow or Shell Cottage and she knew her dad was keeping Scorpius out of the search because he seemed too involved. This Lily was glad of. She didn't want to see Scorpius get hurt doing something stupid because his head was stuck on her.

Running down the stairs, the house was oddly loud as Lily headed down for breakfast. Since Teddy, James and Albus had all moved out, being at home made Lily feel like she was an only child. The smell of sweet pancakes struck Lily first before her brother's voice hit her. "Thanks for taking Nadene. I'm taking Alicia to her hospital appointment."

"How is she doing?" Lily asked as she walked into the kitchen, moving to kiss her mum's cheek and stroke Nadene's cheek as she slept in her grandmother's arms.

After a week in hospital and several operations to help heal the burnt areas on Alicia's body, she was released under strict instructions not to exert herself. They had managed to heal the majority of her burns but they didn't leave her body without marks, especially the one on her cheek that served as a constant reminder for James that he didn't save her in time. Lily knew it pained her brother to look at his girlfriend and see how he had failed her, despite the whole family telling him he wasn't to blame at all.

"She's doing ok. I think she's just dying to get back on her feet," James explained, unloading Nadene's nappy bag on the table. "After the hospital appointment, I'm going to take her out for lunch and a little bit of shopping."

Ginny laughed as she moved the kettle onto the stove and began heating the water up. "A little bit of retail therapy is probably just what she needs. You make sure you spoil her James!" she warned him, wagging a finger in his direction.

"Of course," he told her, moving around the kitchen table to give both his mother and daughter a kiss each. Then he gave Lily a side hug as she moved to get her mug ready for a cup of tea. "I'll see you later," and with a little wave, he ducked into the fireplace and vanished among green flames.

While her mother took Nadene into the living room where she usually napped, having taken a shining to Harry's armchair, Lily got the milk out from the fridge and was looking for the sugar. "Did you want a cup?" Lily asked when she heard her mother's footsteps behind her.

"Oh yes please darling," Ginny replied, sitting herself down at the table. "What are your plans for today then?"

Moving to bring the kettle off the stove, Lily began pouring the hot water into the mugs, swirling around the tea bags. "I've got a short training session this morning, then I'm going to see Hugo and Ariana at their new store. We're going out for dinner with Rosie and Max this weekend and I want a new dress for it. Hugh said it's a really fancy restaurant," she explained, placing a mug in front of her mother and taking up the seat opposite her. "What about you?"

"Teddy is dropping Dora and Theo off at lunchtime. We'll probably pop in and see your dad at the office," Ginny replied, sipping her tea slowly. "Will you be back for dinner this evening? Albus is coming over to cook for us."

Lily laughed and gulped down half her tea, ignoring the burning sensation in her throat as she realised the time. "As much as I would love to get food poisoning like the rest of you, I have a meeting with Jorgie about potentially playing a friendly," she answered, getting to her feet and dunking her mug into the bubbly water in the sink. Jorgie was her coach and had really taken to Lily as soon as she arrived at training.

"Let me know how it goes honey," her mother said, blowing her a kiss as Lily headed for the fireplace and off to a hard day of intense training and then intense shopping.

###

Pulling the floppy black hat lower over her face, Lily tried to weave her way through the summer crowds of Diagon Alley without being spotted or stopped by random people. Her contract signing to the Harpies had made the front cover of the Prophet and since then, attention seemed to follow Lily like a moth to a flame. Therefore as she made her way to Hugo and Ariana's new shop just round the corner from Gringotts, she did her best not to be noticed, holding her bag close to her body and hiding her face under her hat.

She came up to the shop to which was yet to be named and banged hard on the bordered up door, trying to be heard over the radio that was clearly blaring inside. Just as she was about to bang again louder, the door swung open and revealed a dishevelled Ariana who had pens sticking out of her high bun and still managed to look beautiful in a simple tank top and shorts along with her worker boots. "Oh Lily!" she exclaimed brightly, dragging Lily inside before she could reply. "Grab an tub and get tagging," she said before hurrying out of the back door.

"Hi Lils," Hugo added awkwardly from the ladder he was on, hanging up lines of clothes. "How was training?"

Lily threw down her bag in the corner of the room and popped her hat on top of the nearest mannequin, just as Ariana came in with a grey tub and dropped it right in front of her. "Really good actually," she replied, sitting on on a nearby stool and opening up the tub. "There's talk that I'll be debuting soon which is really exciting."

Like she did every time she came to visit, Lily began cutting off strips of ribbon and threading them through the labels and attaching tags. Then she passed them to Ariana who would write the size and the price on the tag and then passed them to Hugo who arranged them around the shop. Whilst they worked, they chatted and laughed like nothing had changed. For the first time since sixth year, Lily started to feel normal. The only thing that would have made the afternoon even better was if Dominique was there, but she was on holiday with her mum and dad. "Oh this is gorgeous," Lily exclaimed brightly, pulling out a creamy dress with an inch of lace at the hem so that it reached the knee roughly. As Lily unwrapped it further, she noticed the long lace sleeves and sighed. "This is beautiful."

"Oh yes, you have to wear it to Rose's meal this weekend!" Hugo cried, hopping down off the ladder and taking the dress out of Lily's hand. "With some sandals and a little cardigan, you would look smoking."

Lily rolled her eyes and pushed the hair from her eyes, taking a sip of her water. "Hugh, you are trying to start a business! Surely it's best you don't start by handing your stock out to family members, even though I know I'm your favourite."

"Don't be silly Lils. You wearing a dress and having your picture taken in it will totally boost sales," Ariana stated, looking up from her pile of clothes. She nibbled on the end of her pen and then slipped it behind her ear. "It's a win-win situstion: you get to wear the dress and we get some publicity. I doubt members of the most famous Wizarding family and one of the richest upcoming businessmen wouldn't gain any media attention. Just make sure you slip our name out and we'll call it even."

Lily smiled ear to ear, feeling such warmth from the generosity of her cousin and best friend. "Aw thank you guys. I knew there was a reason I let you sit next to me on our first train journey, " she replied, leaning over her tub to give Ariana a big hug.

There was a swoop above Lily's head that had her pulling away from Ariana. On the table with a single red rose held in its beak perched AJ, Albus' owl. "Must be 5 o'clock," Ariana sighed wearily, getting to her feet and moving over to AJ. Gently she took the rose from the bird and then watched as it sailed back out of the open window. "Bloody Albus!" Ariana murmured, throwing the rose back on the table and sitting back down to finish her tags, pulling the pen back out from behind her hair.

"Albus is still sending you roses?" Hugo asked, his expression clearly stunned. Ariana nodded and Hugo immediately softened his face, his romantic side taking over. "Just agree to the date and get this all over with."

"And give him the chance to break my heart again, not bloody happening," Ariana scoffed, looking intently at the tags she was writing on.

Lily weaved the ribbon through the label and knotted a tag in place. "Why don't you just say yes to the idiot? He'll stop bothering you and you'll probably get a free meal out of it," she reasoned, shrugging her shoulders and adding the last dress of the tub to her pile.

"Because I refuse to fall for him again and I know that if I agree to this date, I'll slip back in love with him and then he'll break me again!" Ariana sighed in exasperation, throwing the pen down on the floor. "He'll just hurt me again."

"And what if he's changed?" Lily countered. She may have been out of the picture for the last year but she knew her best friend enough to know that she still loved Albus and deep down, she wanted to be with him for than anything else. "He's been travelling for over a year, think of all the things he's seen. All those experiences are bound to have had an effect on him."

"I'm sorry, but my head is ruling my heart this time," Ariana said stubbornly, her lips turned out in a little pout.

Laughing lightly at her best friend, Lily got up from the floor and scooped her bag up from the corner of the room. "Hugh, keep pressing her on this. She'll cave eventually!" she told her cousin, reaching up to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she went to Ariana and kissed the top of your head. "I'm off to get changed for my meeting with Jorgie." With a little wave, she took her hat off the mannequin, placing it firmly on her head, and then Apparated home.

###

Hugo was right, the dress did look beautiful with sandals and a cardigan. However Maxy then told her the restaurant he'd made reservations to and that threw Lily and left her scrambling for ideas on how to upgrade her outfit. In the end, she settled for dusty pink chunky heels that had a straps around the ankles, along with a long blazer in the same colour. Her makeup was minimal; just a nude lip and a slight golden shimmer on the eyes. Meanwhile her hair was set in loose curls and pinned out of her face.

Throwing everything in her cream clutch bag, she switched off her light and headed down the stairs, testing how she felt in her heels.

Having made it to the bottom of the stairs, she popped her head into the living room where her mum and dad were snuggled up on the sofa watching the Muggle news. "I'm off to go and get Hugo. Don't wait up," she said, sending her parents a quick smile.

"Are you Flooing?" her dad immediately asked, causing Lily to roll her eyes as a reflex. Since the attack, he had been really strict about security, especially at night. She knew he was just being cautious because there was a crazy Death Eater on the loose who had it out for his family, but it could be annoying.

Smiling sweetly, Lily looked at her dad. "I'm Apparating to their doorstep. I don't really want to simply Floo into my ex-boyfriend's house," she explained, hanging off the door frame as she waited impatiently.

"Right on the doorstep!" Harry warned, raising his eyebrows and looking pointedly at her.

"Yes dad," she dragged out, flashing a smile before pushing off the door frame and Apparating onto the doorstep of a Brighton house she used to love. Now it just brought back uncomfortable memories.

Please don't let him answer the door, she pleaded internally as she stepped up to knock on the door. Once she had, she backed up and nervously nibbled on her bottom lip.

The door swung open and light poured out, revealing the familiar silhouette of her former boyfriend. Mentally cursing, she tightened her grip on her bag and focused on the top of his hair, avoiding his eyes. "Is Hugo ready yet?" she asked a little bit too abruptly. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh and immediately she regretted it and worried if she had hurt him.

"He'll just be a minute," Scorpius replied softly, his long fingers running through his unkempt hair. "Did you wanna come in? The sea air can get quite cold at night, even in the summer."

"I'd rather wait out here thank you," she told him, forcing her legs to move so she could sit on the bench outside the house. Looking down at her shoes, she heard the door close and relaxed slightly knowing he was gone.

"Your dad would kill me if I left you outside by yourself," his voice spoke, making Lily jump in surprise. Scorpius perched himself next to her, not leaving much space between the pair of them. "Can we please just talk Lil?"

Letting out a long breath, Lily leaned back on the bench in despair. She couldn't get away, couldn't pretend she needed to be somewhere else. The only escape route was into the house and that wasn't possible because he would simply follow. Her head fell into her hands and she focused on her breathing, taking one breath in and then pushing it out.

"Lil, I love you," he murmured weakly, his voice small. He slid off the bench and crouched in front of her, forcing her to look at him as he placed a hand on her lacy knee. "Not a day has gone by that I haven't loved you," he spoke softly, his thumb slowly moving back and forth. "I'm sorry for whatever I did at the party last year. I got far too drunk, to the point where I don't remember anything and was probably a complete asshole. You had every right to end it with me."

Lily bit her bottom lip, feeling extremely guilty as she sat and listened to Scorpius constantly blame himself, over and over. It wasn't his fault they broke up. It was Lily's. She was the reason they couldn't be together. Nothing was wrong with him, he was perfect: it was Lily who was to blame.

She opened her mouth to argue, to plead him not to blame himself, but he continued talking despite her protests. "I don't care if I have to give up alcohol or tell the boys no more parties, or even shave my bloody head bald, " he proclaimed, his bottom lip jutting out innocently in an almost pout. "I just want you back, more than anything else in this universe. Please just give me another chance."

She sighed softly, feeling her walls start to crumble down into a pile of rubble at her feet. "Please don't shave your hair off," she said quietly, her hand running itself through his hair without really realising it.

"I can't keep going without you Lily. It's driving me insane," he declared, his hand snapping up to grip hers as she went to pull away. "I need you more than I need oxygen. Since I read your letter that morning, it's felt like I've just been holding my breath, waiting for you to come back to me. To come home." His beautiful grey eyes glistened with built up tears, shimmering as they threatened to fall. She saw his gulp hard and imagined a lump emerging in his throat.

Reality crashed back down and Lily kicked herself for allowing herself to believe the delusion that she could be happy with Scorpius again. She didn't deserve happiness, not after everything she did, everyone she hurt. "Scorpius, there are things you just don't know, things you won't understand and even if you did, you would hate me like I hate myself," she told him weakly.

"Then explain it to me Lily," he insisted, his grey eyes wide with pleading. The sight broke her heart all over again and he just kept on going. "I promise you that I'll listen. I'll make myself understand. I will do anything, just please don't walk away and never come back. I love you Lil." The last sentence was said like it was reason enough.

And it was.

Or it would have been had Hugo not interrupted the pair of them by shouting back to Kaleb. "I'll see you later babe," he called back, stepping out of the door and coming up short when he saw Scorpius kneeled in front of Lily. "I'll just come back," he muttered awkwardly, beginning to head back inside.

"Don't!" Lily called out, jumping to her feet, her hand still locked with Scorpius' as he stood up with her. "We're going to be late for our reservation."

Scorpius tugged on her hand, tipping her attention back to him. "Just stay Lily. Sit here and we can talk this all out," he murmured, his voice clenching round her heart and squeezing it hard.

"I'll come back," she replied, knowing that the truth had to come out sooner or later. She was trying so hard to move on but first she had to actually confess why she had to move on, explain what had happened to her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer and kissed his cheek softly. "I'll be back tonight," she promised before joining Hugo and nodding to him, welcoming the pull of the Apparation as Scorpius vanished from her vision.


Author's Note: Apologies for leaving you on such a cliffhanger but I seem to do it every Christmas so why break tradition. I hope you are still engaged in the story. I hope you love the characters still.

I'm sorry for future late chapters. I have exams coming up plus my laptop isn't working properly so I don't know when the next chapter will be up but I will definitely have it up before January ends.

As always I love to hear what you think so leave a review :)