A/N:I don't own Harry Potter
Good morning to all my readers and reviewers! Please enjoy this extra long chapter!
"Lily, thank Merlin!"
"Mum, before you start yelling at me, please, let me explain."
"I know you overheard your father and I arguing. That doesn't excuse you running off like that. We had no idea where you were, what had happened to you, but I realize you were upset and not thinking clearly."
"Yes. I'm not breaking up with Draco. I love him. He loves me."
"I know you feel that way, and I'm not saying you don't love him or that he doesn't love you, Lily. You're seventeen."
"We've been writing for six months, at school. We got to know each other, he helped me figure out I wanted to teach. He won't...let me do anything stupid." Ginny smiled having a pretty good idea what stupid thing Lily was talking about.
"I'm glad he's responsible, but he is an adult and he should be."
"I'm an adult too!" Lily argued.
"You've been seventeen for a month and half, Lily."
"Does Dad even want me to come back? I know he didn't send you, if he had, you'd be telling me to break up with Draco. Saying he's taking advantage of me, or something. He's not, by the way. I'm the one who suggested the hotel." Ginny's eyes widened.
"Lily Luna Potter!"
Lily laughed softly, a smirk crossing her freckled face.
"He doesn't want me back, unless I leave Draco."
"He's upset, you're our little girl. Yes, I know you're seventeen now, but he doesn't think about you being of age. To him, you're still the little princess he tucked into bed at night. Give him some time to wrap his head around the fact that you are an adult, and that Draco isn't the same person he was when they were in school together. Give me some time to talk to him, or if he doesn't listen to me, Hermione might be able to help him see reason."
"Everyone listens to Hermione. She's the one who I asked for advice about Draco. She told me not to be an idiot and wait until I was of age," Lily admitted. Ginny nodded, she'd had the feeling someone had known about Lily and Draco before hand.
"Lily, I wish I could say you can come home with me tonight, but I think your father needs a chance to calm down and come to terms with you having a boyfriend, and that boyfriend being Draco Malfoy."
"I figured. Aunt Hermione said I can stay here, Draco offered me his couch..." Lily commented with a smirk.
"Lily Luna Potter!"
Lily only laughed again. She had a feeling she'd be hearing her name yelled in exasperation more and more.
"I'm staying here, Mum, don't worry. I might write Professor McGonagall and see if I can come back early, get some advice from the teachers. I know Professor Longbottom is there over the summer caring for the green houses."
"That might be a good idea, he can chaperon you and Draco."
"Mum! We're not doing anything... Even if we were... I'm dating the potions' professor, I'm sure he knows how to brew... you know," Lily whined causing Ginny to laugh.
"I'm just glad you're alright, Lily. I was worried you'd done something stupid, with the resurgence of the Death Eaters..."
"Don't worry, mum. I'll be alright. Dad can't stay mad forever... If he could, Rose and Albus would never have gotten married. Remember how much he complained about them?"
Ginny nodded giving Lily a sad smile before stepping into the fireplace and flooing home. Lily stared at the fireplace for a moment before breaking down in tears. A few moments later she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Lily? Are you alright?"
"Yes, no, maybe? Dad's still... being... a git. Mum's going to try and talk to him. Draco, why does this have to be so hard?"
"Because the universe hates us?" he suggested. Lily coughed back a laugh before pulling Draco onto the couch with her. She curled up against him, her fingers intertwined with his. Draco could tell she was still crying a little on and off. He gently stroked her hair. Soon, her sobs turned to soft little sleep noises.
"I thought Uncle Severus and Aunt Hermione said we had to sleep in separate rooms," he whispered in her ear. She just snuggled against him tighter. Draco smiled wrapping an arm around her.
"We'll get through this, my Lily. We'll get through this, and this coming school year, and then..." he watched her sleeping.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked poking her head into the room. Draco nodded down to Lily.
"She's asleep. I think the day finally caught up with her. I'm afraid if I move, she'll wake." Hermione nodded slightly.
"Want something to drink? I've got tea, cocoa, Severus' fire whiskey he hid somewhere..."
"No, I'm good for now, thank you. Do you really think Potter will stop hating me?"
"No. I don't. Will he shut up about it and just grind his teeth every time he looks at you, yes. He might eventually get over things, but you were..."
"I was a stuck up, little, bigoted tosser, I know."
Hermione laughed.
"At least I didn't use cat hair in a polyjuice potion," Draco added after a moment.
"How..."
"Lily thought I would find it amusing. She was, as usual, correct. She's so bright. I'm going to miss her in potions, but I understand why she's not continuing the class." Lily let out a snort in her sleep causing Draco to laugh softly.
"Do you think we did the right thing?"
"Running away from her parents' house without telling them? Or falling in love?" Hermione asked.
"Yes."
"You can't choose who you love, Draco. I certainly never dreamed I'd end up with someone like Severus. You can't help the way you feel about Lily. As for running away, at least you didn't end up eloping or something." Draco blinked. Why hadn't he thought of that? Hermione caught the thoughtful look in his eyes.
"No, it's a bad idea, Lily will want a wedding and you know it."
"We haven't even talked about that, we haven't even talked about this coming year."
"Sounds like something to work on tomorrow. Here, if you shift that way, put the pillow there, you should be able to leave Lily on the couch while you get some sleep in the guest room, or your chamber back at Hogwarts."
"I'll take the guest room. Thank you, Hermione." Draco shifted putting Lily on the pillows. She mumbled something that sounded like his name. He kissed her forehead.
"Good night, Lily, I love you. I'll see you in the morning." He stretched and allowed Hermione to lead him to the guest room. He'd stayed there once before when he and Severus had been working on time sensitive research in the lab.
"Night, Draco," Hermione said leaving him in the guest room and retiring to her own room. Draco sighed laying down the bed. The whole day had been a mess. First being discovered by Ginny's teammate, the horrible dinner with decent food, the running, Lily. He smiled. Lily made it all worth it.
It was that moment when he realized it, that he didn't want to spend another day apart from her. He didn't want to spend his life apart from her. He smiled picturing Lily in a white dress, his ring on her finger. He fell asleep with that image in his mind and a smile on his face.