* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART FOUR

Brave New World

An English Pureblood in Paris

A/N: The chapter title is a play on the title of the song:

An Englishman in New York by Sting.

"Lilly! There's a visitor in the common room for you!"

Lilly frowned and stepped out of her dorm room, "A visitor?" she asked as she walked towards the room, "But Neville is injured…."

When she stepped in, she was faced with the blonde bombshell that was Daphne Greengrass. She was wearing skinny black jeans, a white blouse and skyscraper heels. She raised an eyebrow at her friend and pouted her rouge lips, "Not good enough for you, huh? I mean, I know I haven't killed any snakes, but who had your back in the final battle?"

Lilly grinned and hugged her, "I've missed you."

"You saw me last week," Daphne chuckled as she drew back and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I know," Lilly laughed, "And for the record, I saved your arse in the final battle with my wand arrows. You just used glacius on everyone that you saw."

"I'm the ice queen; it's my signature spell," Daphne said with a smirk, "And for one weekend only, I am your replacement Neville while the real Neville lies in bed feeling sorry for himself back in London."

Lilly smiled, "Thank you."

Daphne grinned, "Oh, don't thank me yet. I have got the best weekend planned for us. You are going to have a ball."

"And who are you, beautiful lady?"

Lilly rolled her eyes as Marcel walked forward and took Daphne's hand.

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "My name's Daphne. Yours doesn't happen to be Marcel, by any chance?"

"Yes, you have heard of me?" Marcel asked with eager eyes, "Lillian does talk about me?"

"Oh, she talks about you alright," Daphne said slyly, "How good are you at your job, Marcel?"

"I am the best."

Lilly snorted.

"Ah. Are you good at fixing broken bones then?" Daphne asked curiously.

"Of course."

Daphne smirked, "Fantastic because you are going to need to do just that."

She twisted his wrist, and he cried out in pain as a soft 'pop' sounded. Daphne took a step back and smiled sweetly, "Little tip for you, Marcel. When a girl tells you she has a boyfriend, take note."

Lilly was trying very hard to stifle her laughter as Daphne hooked her arm through Lilly's, "Come on, Lilly, we are going shopping!"

As they exited the common room, Marcel cried, "Who was she?"

"Harry Potter's fiancé," Lucille replied with a smirk.

"You idiot, Marcel!"

Lilly grinned at her friend, "You enjoyed that far too much."

"Yeah, he's a creep," Daphne agreed, "And I learned after my own experiences not to give creeps an inch because if you do, they take a mile."

"Is that how you knew to break his wrist like that?" Lilly asked curiously.

Daphne nodded, "I took a couple of self-defence classes after Fawley," she said with a shrug.

Lilly tightened her grip on her arm, "Thanks."

Daphne smiled, "He was French. I kind of enjoyed it."

"I thought you liked French guys?"

"Says who?"

"Theo," Lilly replied.

Daphne scoffed, "No, I went to the Yule Ball with a French guy to piss Draco off, and he didn't even notice because he was too busy staring at Hermione and telling Theo how beautiful she had become."

Lilly snorted, "So the saga began, huh?"

"Yeah, and I was still stupid enough to date him for two years after that," Daphne said with a shake of her head as they emerged in the cool sunlight outside the centre.

"Well, we can't be perfect all the time," Lilly said with a grin, "Are you staying with me all weekend?"

"Yep," Daphne replied, "And look what I have…."

Lilly frowned at the pink keys, "A set of keys?"

"A set of keys to my mother's penthouse apartment in Paris," Daphne said in a sing-song voice.

Lilly raised an eyebrow at her, "And does she know that you have those keys?"

"No, but Astoria owed me a favour, so I asked her to borrow them for me," Daphne replied cheerfully, "You're going to love it, come on."

Lilly just shook her head in amusement and let Daphne side apparate her into Paris. Daphne grabbed her hand and led her into the building.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Greengrass (Hello, Miss Greengrass)," A footman said with a smile.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Val Jean (Hello, Mister Val Jean)," Daphne said cheerfully, "Voici mon amie Lilly. Nous resterons dans l'appartement ce soi (This is my friend Lilly, we will be staying in the apartment)."

"Et ta mère est au courant (And your Mother knows)? " The footman asked.

Daphne batted her eyelids at the footman, "Non mais tu ne sa diras pas, hein (No, but you won't tell her, will you)?"

He smiled and shook his head, "Bon week-end, Mademoiselle (Have a nice weekend, Miss)."

Daphne beamed and dragged Lilly into the lift.

"Did you just flirt and bargain with the footman?" Lilly asked with an amused smile.

Daphne grinned, "Yes, I did. I kissed him one summer, and let me put it this way; one of us wasn't legal. So trust me, he won't tell my mother that we're here."

"Daphne Greengrass," Lilly tutted, "That's scandalous."

"Only a little bit," Daphne teased. The lift came to a stop, and Daphne pulled Lilly into the penthouse apartment. Lilly stood in the doorway for a moment as she stared at the grandeur. This was an old building, and the apartment was beautiful with its ornate fireplaces and artistic furniture.

"Daphné, ma petite fille (Daphne, my little girl)!" A portrait of a beautiful, blonde woman above the fireplace said.

Daphne beamed at the portrait, "Bonjour Grand-mère. Ca fait tellement longtemps (Hello Grandmother. It has been so long)!"

Lilly shook her head in disbelief, "Of course, your grandmother was French. I mean, no wonder you're so flawless."

Daphne chuckled, "I'm not flawless. Lilly, this is my Grandmother, Aphrodite. She's a Cornfoot, and the family lived in France for a long time until Aphrodite came back to England to marry Hyperion Crouch, my Grandfather."

"Cornfoot," Lilly frowned, "I had a friend called Stephen; he was a Cornfoot."

Aphrodite smiled, "Parlez-vous français, ma chère (Do you speak French, my dear)?"

Lilly nodded, "Oui, mais pas si bien (Yes, but not so well)."

Aphrodite's smile widened, "Ah, then English is best. My brother, Atlas, is Stephen's Grandfather."

Daphne smiled at Lilly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad. We are going to have a great weekend, I promise. But I need to do something first…."

"Ma mère est-elle venue avec Phineas récemment, grand-mère (Has my mother been here with Uncle Phineas recently, Grandmother?" Daphne asked the portrait.

"Oui, ils étaient là le week-end dernier ma chère (Yes, they were here last weekend my dear)."

Daphne made a face, "Scourgify Maxima!"

"I know enough French to gather that your mother was here with a guy called Phineas?" Lilly asked with a raised eyebrow, "So how does that constitute to you deep cleaning every surface in the apartment?"

"Phineas is my father's brother, and my mother has been screwing him since before I was born," Daphne said distastefully, "And he lives in Paris. That's why I didn't take you to the chateau because he'll be there, but this is a Crouch property."

"Right, that sounds awkward," Lilly agreed.

Daphne shrugged, "Anyway, we have a busy day, so we should get moving," she said as she dumped her bag on the floor, "What were you planning on doing with Neville this weekend?"

"We were going to go to a magical botanical garden and then a cathedral-"

"Okay, we're not going to do any of that," Daphne cut in, "But we are going to go to the wizarding quarter of Paris because I have an errand I need to run there anyway, and also shopping!"

"I hate shopping, Daph," Lilly complained.

"Oh, come on, Lilly, there's more than clothes shops in the wizarding quarter," Daphne said with a smile, "You'll love it, I promise."

"Will I really, though?"

Daphne smiled at her, "I'll take you to a bookshop."

"Fine," Lilly agreed reluctantly.

"Ah, here we are," Daphne said. They stopped in front of a large old-fashioned bookshop, and Lilly looked up in awe.

If Daphne noticed she didn't say anything, she just opened the door and led Lilly inside. There were books stacked from the floor to the ceiling, and in the centre of the room, there was a circular desk.

"Ah Mademoiselle Greengrass! Ca fait tellement longtemps! Êtes-vous ici pour recueillir votre robe de mariée (Ah Miss Greengrass! It's been so long! Are you here to collect your wedding dress)?"

Daphne smiled, "Oui Monsieur vergne (Yes, Mister Vergne)."

"Magnifique! Vous ressemblerez à un ange, j'en suis sûr (Magnificent! You will look just like an angel, I am sure)."

Daphne laughed and looked over at Lilly. The Ravenclaw smirked at her, "So if you're here to pick up your wedding dress, that means you've set a date, and it's sometime soon."

"This is why I love you, Lilly," Daphne chirped, "I don't have to spend ages explaining anything to you. You are perfectly right, but I'll tell you more when we get to the boutique."

"Okay," Lilly chuckled

"This is Monsieur Vergne; he guards the entrance to the wizarding quarter here. Sort of like Tom the Innkeeper is supposed to guard Diagon Alley. Only Monsieur Vergne isn't a drunkard. He's a very well-educated man. He just doesn't speak any English."

Lilly smiled and said, "Ravi de vous rencontrer, monsieur Vergne (Pleasure to meet you, Mister Vergne)."

"Et toi (And you)!"

He took a step back, and one of the bookcases behind him slid aside to reveal a stone spiral staircase. Daphne waved to Monsieur Vergne and pulled Lilly onto the staircase. It only led downwards.

"You speak French so well," Lilly said in surprise, "I can only make out some of what you say."

"I spent a large chunk of my childhood in France," Daphne admitted, "After my father set fire to the house, my mother came out here to get away from him. It also wasn't a coincidence that my Uncle Phineas lived here, but I didn't work that one out until much later."

"Well, you wouldn't as a kid," Lilly mused, "I didn't notice that my mum's boyfriend changed every other day until I was about…seven…."

Lilly stopped and stared in awe. She was reminded of the first time she had set foot in Diagon Alley. It had been like going back in time and seeing a little piece of history, and entering the Parisian wizarding quarter was no different. The narrow street was full of life, and it looked like it hadn't changed since the renaissance. The white brick buildings stood high and proud, with their feature window frames and traditional slate roofs. Every shopfront had a covered stone porch with impressive archways opening it up to the street. The shop signs were all bright and colourful, each with the shop title in pretty italicised writing.

"Wow," Lilly whispered.

Daphne smiled at her friend, "That was what I said when I first saw it too. I think this is probably my favourite place in Europe, Lil. Let me show you some of the best bits."

She pulled Lilly along the cobbled street and pointed out individual buildings like the very grand looking post office and the bank, which was more impressive than even Gringotts. Lilly found herself standing in front of the huge black and gold structure, staring up in awe.

"I always wanted to work there, you know," Daphne said conversationally, "When I decided that I was going to be a Curse Breaker, I had my heart set on that bank; it's called Banque Parisienne."

"What made you change your mind?" Lilly asked.

"Harry," Daphne answered honestly, "I met Harry, and I wasn't so sure that I wanted to spend my training years in France when he would be in England. Then Teddy came into our lives, and I knew I couldn't go that far afield."

Lilly frowned, "Don't you regret that? Or do you worry you're going to resent Harry and Teddy for it later?"

Daphne shook her head, "For a start, I could never resent Teddy for anything. As for regretting it? Harry and Teddy are my family; I could never regret choosing them over some swanky French bank. Then there's Bill, he's becoming one of my best friends, and he's an incredible mentor, so no, I don't regret anything. I try to live by Tracey's life motto these days, to honour her, you know?"

Lilly's frown deepened, but she nodded, "What's meant for you won't pass you by, or something like that, right?"

"Exactly," Daphne said, grabbing Lilly's hand and dragging her into some sort of café.

"Lilly, I know you don't want to get married or have kids because you think you will regret it," Daphne said, "But not everybody feels that way. I'm happy with what I have, I love my job, and I love my family. It isn't all about ambition or career for me; I know other people don't feel that way. Look at Hermione; she wants to get further in her career before she even marries Draco, let alone has kids."

"So what you are saying is, it's okay not to want any of that yet?"

Daphne nodded and ordered two coffees in French. She turned back to Lilly and said, "It's okay not to want that yet. But before you do marry Neville, if that's what you want to do, you need to work out if you are ever going to want kids. A good friend once told me that every couple should have that chat before getting married because you can love someone, but what you want out of life might not be the same as what they want."

"Right," Lilly said with a nod.

"So, do you know what you want yet?" Daphne asked curiously.

Lilly sighed and shook her head, "No."

Daphne smiled encouragingly at her friend and handed her a cup of iced coffee, "I think you want to watch me try my wedding dress on."

"Do you?" Lilly snorted.

Daphne shot a grin over her shoulder, "Continuez, shorty (Keep up, shorty)!"

Lilly shook her head in amusement, "Va te faire foutre, Daphné (Fuck you, Daphne)!"

"Grossière (Rude)!"

Lilly laughed and followed her across the narrow street into a beautiful boutique. Lilly hung back while Daphne spoke animatedly in French with the woman who owned the shop. They were led into the back room, and Daphne pushed Lilly into a comfortable armchair as she disappeared to be fitted for her dress.

"So when is the wedding then?" Lilly asked.

From behind the curtain, Daphne replied, "The 31st of December."

"New Year?" Lilly asked in surprise.

"I did promise Harry that I would be by his side to ring it in with style," Daphne's voice said, "And I think a surprise wedding fits the bill. Don't you?"

"Yes, I think so," Lilly agreed with an amused smile, "Where are you having it?"

"Just at Potter Manor," Daphne replied, "We don't want anything too big or fancy. It will be better for Teddy if it's somewhere that he knows as well."

The curtain was drawn back, and Daphne stepped out, "What do you think?"

Lilly smiled genuinely, "I think you look every bit the perfect, flawless, pureblood bride."

"I'm sure there was a compliment in there somewhere," Daphne laughed as she did a swivel.

"You look beautiful," Lilly said as she admired the dress that Daphne had chosen. It was floor-length and slim-fitting, so it flattered Daphne's figure perfectly. The satin bodice was low-cut and decorated with diamantes, but the sleeves were made from lace. The dress was pulled in around her waist with a rose gold 'S' shaped clip, and the satin skirt clung to every one of her curves.

"That clip is real gold, isn't it?"

Daphne scoffed, "Of course it is. Would I settle for anything less?"

"No," Lilly said with an amused shake of her head, "No, I don't think you would."

Daphne smiled and turned around, "Tracey always told me that I was perfect apart from my arse. Does it look fat in this?"

"No, your arse definitely doesn't look fat," Lilly snorted.

"In which case, as long as I do not gain any weight at Christmas, this will fit perfectly!" Daphne chirped.

"So Sadie will be doing last-minute adjustments on the morning of the wedding then," Lilly said with a smirk, "Because I know what you're like when Christmas pudding is on the table."

"Okay, that is just bitchy," Daphne remarked, "Oh, Madam Hugo? Pouvez-vous faire ressortir la robe de la demoiselle d'honneur?"

"Oui, Mademoiselle!"

"How are you with clothing adjustment charms?" Daphne asked Lilly curiously.

Lilly shrugged, "Fine, it's just a branch of Transfiguration, and that was my best subject."

"Of course it was, little miss smarty-pants," Daphne remarked as a beautiful dress was hung up, "This is the Maid of Honours dress. What do you think?"

The dress was knee-length and pastel blue. It was adorned with diamontes, "It's lovely. Sadie will look beautiful in it, even with the baby bump."

"Hmm," Daphne hummed, "She won't. Do you want to try it on?"

"What?" Lilly frowned.

Daphne laughed, "Haven't you worked it out yet, Lil? Sadie and I talked last week, and we both agreed that it would be better if she wasn't my maid of honour. Partly because we're drifting apart and partly because of her being pregnant. But I'm glad that it turned out the way it did because I want you to be my maid of honour."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you short-arse," Daphne said with a grin, "If you want to, of course. You do want to, don't you?"

"Of course I want to," Lilly said a little tearfully, "I just…I've never had a close female friend before. I've always been a bit like Neville. I've had lots of friends from different walks of life but never a friend who would ask me to be her maid of honour or come to Paris to cheer me up."

"Well, you have now," Daphne said with a genuine smile, "So will you try the dress on?"

"Yeah, I'll try the dress on."

"I even made it short for you because a long dress would just emphasis how tiny you are, and you are so incompetent in high heels-"

"Stop being mean to me just because you feel awkward for showing emotion," Lilly said, shooting her a knowing look as she disappeared behind the curtain.

After the dress fitting, Daphne fulfilled her promise and took Lilly to the oldest wizarding bookshop in Europe. They spent an hour browsing and a further two hours under a blanket in the snug at the back of the shop as they argued about French history over a dusty old book.

"Come on. We need to get back to the apartment and get changed before we go out tonight," Daphne said when she noticed the time.

Lilly asked where they were going, but Daphne refused to tell her. They got back to the apartment, and Daphne said, "It's only a one-bedroom, but we can just share, that's okay, isn't it?"

"Considering the size of that bed, yeah, that's fine," Lilly said as her eyes were drawn to the window.

"It's only a king. You should see the size of Harry and I's bed in the manor," Daphne remarked as she began to pull clothes out of shopping bags.

"Why do you need anything bigger than that?" Lilly asked. She opened the window and leant on the ledge as she looked at the view over Paris, "And can I just say, I love you? I mean, you can see the freaking Eiffel Tower from this window! Will this place be yours when you get married?"

"It will be fair game when my mother dies, but I'll have to fight Astoria for it," Daphne said with an amused smile, "She loves it here too, and in answer to your question, we have a huge bed because Harry has nightmares all the time, ever since he stopped drinking."

"Of course," Lilly said with a nod, "And he flails, I guess?"

"Like a fish," Daphne said with a roll of her eyes, "Hurry and get changed, or we'll be late for dinner."

"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" Lilly asked as she turned away from the window.

"It's fine for shopping but not for where we're going," Daphne said simply.

Lilly looked at the outfit on the bed, "No way."

"I know, beautiful, right?"

"No, I mean, there is no way that I am wearing that," Lilly said in disbelief.

"Why?" Daphne exclaimed.

"Because it's so sexy, and I am not."

"Yes, you are," Daphne scoffed, "You just hide it behind baggy jeans and jumpers. You are going to look stunning in this, so get dressed."

"I won't be able to walk in those heels," Lilly argued.

"I know you won't. I'll hold you up," Daphne promised.

The outfit in question was a simple black dress, but it was short and low-cut, two things that Lilly didn't often look for in clothing. The heels were black, sparkly, and at least two inches higher than the only heels she could comfortably walk in.

"Just put it on. You'll look great!" Daphne said as she disappeared into the bathroom.

When Daphne emerged from the bathroom, entirely made up and ready to go, she stared at Lilly in disbelief.

"It looks awful, doesn't it?"

"Sweet Salazar girl, have some confidence!" Daphne exclaimed, "I swear, you have never looked hotter. Neville will be devastated that he missed this weekend."

Lilly smiled sheepishly, "You're just saying that because you're my friend."

"No, I'm not. You really ought to dress for your assets more often," Daphne remarked.

Lilly snorted, "So you're eyeing me up now? Great. Also, your outfit is just…wow."

"I know, right?"

"Does Harry know you're wearing that?" Lilly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but Harry loves this outfit."

"I can see why," Lilly stated. The dress was a silver sequinned bodysuit with a floor-length white lace skirt that was almost completely see-through, "How does he feel about you wearing that around other guys?"

"He doesn't care. I think he kind of likes it actually because he's the one who gets to take me home at the end of the night," Daphne said suggestively.

Lilly shook her head in amusement, "It's a miracle you aren't the pregnant one with the amount of sex you two have."

"Oh, like you can talk, half of your course-mates heard you screaming Neville's name on your first night in France," Daphne chimed in with a smirk.

"I wasn't screaming," Lilly muttered.

"Moaning very loudly?"

"Yeah, we'll go with that," Lilly said evasively, "Where are we going tonight?"

"Only the most prestigious place in Paris."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at Daphne, "Where?"

"The Moulin Rouge," Daphne replied, "Come here and let me put some red lipstick on you and then you'll be perfect enough to be my date."

When Daphne and Lilly stumbled through the door of the apartment late that night, they were both very tipsy.

"Well, that was certainly an experience; you were right about that," Lilly laughed.

"I told you that you would love it!" Daphne said, she kicked her heels off, "But good Godric, I need to get out of this dress!"

"Good Godric?" Lilly snorted, "Holy fuck, you've been with a Gryffindor for too long!"

"It's a sin," Daphne grinned, "What do you lot say anyway?"

"Us lot?"

"Ravenclaws," Daphne said as she picked up her wand, "I mean, there's good Godric, Sweet Salazar and Holy Helga."

"We don't have a phrase," Lilly said, "And you are so not transfiguring your clothes right now; you're way too drunk. Just get changed like a normal human."

"Why don't you have a phrase?" Daphne asked, "Accio pyjamas," she said, then she dropped her wand.

Two pairs of pyjamas flew out of the bag, and Daphne threw the blue set at Lilly.

"Because we don't believe in taking our founder's name in vain," Lilly replied.

Daphne laughed out loud, "Don't you? That's cute."

Lilly looked at the pyjamas, "What is this?"

"Pyjamas. I knew you wouldn't have time to pack, so I packed some for you. They're blue for your house, and they also match your eyes," Daphne said cheerfully.

"Why does it matter if they match my eyes?" Lilly muttered, "Do you expect me to wear these?"

"I'll be offended if you don't!" Daphne retorted. She disappeared into the bedroom, and Lilly shook her head, "She's going to be the death of me," she muttered as she nipped into the bathroom to change.

When she came out, dressed in what Daphne called pyjamas, she could hear her friend clattering about in the kitchen. The pyjamas were very short silk shorts with a lace hem, and the top was a lacy crop-top that only covered up what needed to be covered. Daphne was wearing the same set, but hers were emerald green.

"See? You look great in everything," Daphne said, putting a glass of wine in Lilly's hand.

"Who worries about looking great in pyjamas?" Lilly asked. She felt incredibly self-conscious.

"I do," Daphne shrugged.

"Why? Nobody sees you!"

"Harry does."

"And Harry would shag you if you were wearing rags," Lilly pointed out, "I just wander around wearing Neville's t-shirts."

"That doesn't surprise me, and also, guys love that," Daphne said as she flopped on the sofa and patted the spot next to her, "But it's a lot easier for you than me."

"What do you mean?" Lilly chuckled.

"Look at the size difference between you and Neville; one of his t-shirts would be like a nightdress for you. Harry's t-shirts barely cover anything when I wear them," Daphne snorted.

"No wonder he likes it then," Lilly sniggered.

Lilly sat down and grabbed a blanket that was hanging on the back of the sofa. She threw it over them, and Daphne sighed happily, "I have had such a great day. I love Paris, and I'm so excited about the wedding now that I've seen my dress on properly. I still can't quite believe I'm actually marrying boy wonder. Actually, I can't believe I'm getting married at all."

"Uh, why?"

"Oh, you know, the way my life was going," Daphne said with a shrug, "I just wasn't expecting to get married. I probably would have become a lesbian. Girls are so much less shallow…."

"What are you on about?" Lilly laughed.

"Well," Daphne said with a frown, "With everything that happened with Draco and Blaise, I was starting to give up on guys. With Draco and me, there were feelings, but there was also a marriage contract. I think he thought he could do whatever he wanted, and I would just sit there like a wallflower and let him because I was lucky enough to have a marriage contract with a Malfoy," she rolled her eyes, "But then he took the dark mark, and I stood up for myself."

Lilly nodded.

"Then during the war, there was Blaise who doesn't even remember our thing because we obliviated him," Daphne said with a wave of her hand, "You know the story, right?"

"He tried to kill your sister because he was under the imperius curse, so you had Draco obliviate him, and then you sent him away," Lilly said with a nod.

"Exactly, but even with Blaise, I knew he wanted a relationship, but I was never sure if it was because he wanted me or if he wanted a trophy wife," Daphne said with a sigh, "I know guys think I'm hot and I was starting to think that all they wanted me for was my body. I kind of started to feel like that was all that I was worth to them."

"I can kind of understand that," Lilly said honestly, "Are you saying it's a curse to be so hot?"

"I'm not like this all the time," Daphne laughed, "This is me all made up. When you see me with a hangover in the morning, you'll realise that I'm pretty plain underneath it all."

"I've seen you first thing in the morning with a hangover before," Lilly reminded her, "And you are still naturally beautiful, unlike me."

"Oh, stop putting yourself down," Daphne scoffed, "You don't make yourself up every single day, which means on a night like tonight, everyone looks at you and goes woah, Lilly is hot as fuck!"

"People don't think that," Lilly sniggered.

"They do," Daphne sang, "It's too much effort to keep up my level of beauty all the time."

"You don't even need to," Lilly said as she sipped her wine.

"Anyway, that was why it took so long for Harry to break me down and convince me to be in a relationship with him, you know? It took me a long time to realise that he was different," Daphne admitted.

"I get that," Lilly agreed, "I mean, I kind of thought I was gonna be a spinster."

"A spinster?" Daphne scoffed, "Lil, you're only 19 now!"

"I know, but it was just the way my life was going," Lilly shrugged, "I'm from a rough part of London, and my dad left my mum when I was a kid. He was in and out of my life, but they were screaming at each other every time he was at the flat. It was like…my mum lost all of her self-worth because her husband left her for another man. She dated loser after loser, and I swear, I started to lose track. In September, I would go away to school and say goodbye to Steve; then when I got back for Christmas, she was shagging David."

Daphne snorted, "My mother was kind of like that. There were a few guys, one of them was her own brother, which was just the worst. I mean, my Uncle Julian is a freak. That's pretty much why we don't see him. That and he's in and out of Azkaban."

"You've gone so far off-topic," Lilly said through her laugher, "Can you even find your way back to the point?"

"Shh, of course I can," Daphne hushed her friend, "The point was that the one she kept going back to was my Uncle Phineas. The thing is, I don't like to admit that I'm like my mother, but I am. I fall hard, and I hate it because I see what falling hard did to her."

"Harry isn't an abusive bastard like your father was," Lilly reminded her.

"I know. That's why I finally stopped being stupid and said yes when he asked me out," Daphne said with a smile, "But carry on with your story about your mum."

Lilly chuckled, "The point I was making was that I figured I was doomed to be like my mum. I thought I'd just date losers, and if that was the case, I'd probably be happier on my own, you know?"

Daphne nodded.

"I mean, I dated Michael Corner in sixth year and then had this on/off thing with him in the war," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes, "But I just feel like he was beneath me, you know?"

"And was he beneath you?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He was more behind me, to be honest," Lilly said, shooting Daphne an amused grin.

"And to think you insulted me for all my broom closet sex?" Daphne tutted, "Lillian Moon, your true colours are coming out!"

Lilly just laughed, "You get the point, though, right? There was Michael then Ron-"

"Ron treated you like shit, and you are so much better than him," Daphne agreed quickly, "Let's just not go into that in any more detail."

"Deal," Lilly agreed, "So I thought I'd end up alone with a bunch of cats."

"You hate cats."

"Exactly!" Lilly said with an amused grin.

Daphne laughed, "So what we're saying is that if I hadn't started dating Harry, and you hadn't fallen head over heels for Nev, we'd both be lesbians?"

Lilly remarked, "I didn't say that, you said that. Why did you jump straight into being a lesbian?"

"Because I've always been on the fence, to be honest," Daphne said with a shrug, "I don't really care about gender, just if I like the person and find them attractive. You know the girls and I were talking about our ratios a few weeks ago while you were still over here, and mine is definitely 50:50."

"You could just say you're bisexual," Lilly pointed out.

"My way was more dramatic," Daphne grinned, "What's your ratio?"

"I don't know," Lilly admitted.

"Oh, come on, you must know," Daphne said, "Even Sadie and Hermione know their ratio. They are both 70:30. The 30 is for each other."

"Sadie and Hermione?" Lilly asked in disbelief.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that then?" Daphne asked, "They had a foursome after graduation."

"What?"

"Yep," Daphne smirked, "That's why they are so close these days."

"Holy shit."

"So, what's your ratio?"

"I genuinely don't know," Lilly admitted, "There's not any hot lesbians in the estate I grew up, so I can't say I thought about it much. I mean, I've never even kissed a girl so-"

"You've never even kissed a girl?" Daphne echoed, "How boring is the Ravenclaw common room?"

"How interesting is the Slytherin one?" Lilly countered.

"I don't think you'll find a single girl in Slytherin whose ratio is anything less than 70:30," Daphne sniggered, "I mean, how can you have gone through eight years at Hogwarts without kissing a girl?"

"Because there wasn't much choice in Ravenclaw," Lilly snorted, "I mean, the only decent looking girl I spoke to was Luna."

"Oh, so into blondes are you, Lilly?" Daphne joked.

Lilly shook her head in amusement, "Shut up," she retorted.

"I would offer to kiss you so you could work out what your ratio is," Daphne said with a grin, "But the last time I did that, I turned the girl gay."

"Who the hell did you turn gay?" Lilly asked through her laughter.

"Ginny Weasley," Daphne said proudly, "Her ratio is 90:10 because she wants to shag Blaise's sister. I don't even blame her; Blanche Zabini is stunning. I mean, I would so go there if I was single."

"How many girls have you kissed, exactly?" Lilly asked in amusement.

"A few…" Daphne remarked, "Tracey was the first, then there was Sadie. More recently, Susan and Ginny."

"Susan and Ginny?" Lilly snorted, "Got a thing for redheads, have you?"

"Maybe I do. Watch yourself, Lil," Daphne joked.

"Oh, come on then," Lilly said, putting down her wine glass.

"What?" Daphne asked.

"If it's such a tragedy that I've never kissed a girl before, then come on," Lilly teased.

"Oh no, I mean I wasn't trying to pressure you into anything," Daphne cut in, "I was just winding you up."

Lilly sniggered, "So you're a typical Slytherin then? You talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk."

"Oh no, no, you're not getting away with that one."

"Well, come on then," Lilly joked.

Daphne put her glass of wine down and leant across to close the distance between them. She held Lilly's face with both hands and tentatively pressed her lips against Lilly's. She was expecting Lilly to laugh and pull away after a peck, just to say that she had done it.

Lilly surprised Daphne by shuffling closer to her on the sofa, putting her arms around Daphne and deepening the kiss. She parted her lips slightly, and Daphne took this as encouragement. She ran her tongue along Lilly's upper lip and smirked involuntarily when Lilly gasped, almost inaudibly.

When Daphne's tongue slipped into Lilly's mouth, it became a heated battle for dominance with both their tongues tangling together. Daphne eventually won the battle and then decided to end the kiss before she became too tempted to take things any further. When they broke apart, Lilly's cheeks were a bit pink, and they were both breathing heavily.

"Please tell me I didn't turn you gay because I think Neville will kill me if I did."

Lilly laughed and took a deep drink from her wine glass which broke the tension in the air. She shook her head and said, "No, as great as that was, I have no desire to run off with another woman."

"But your ratio definitely isn't 100:0. Is it?" Daphne grinned as she sipped her own wine.

"No," Lilly admitted, "70:30."

"Am I the 30?" Daphne asked smugly.

"Is my best friend, who made me cry by asking me to be her maid of honour then snogged the life out of me, the 30% of me that's into women? Yeah, I think she probably is," Lilly replied with an amused chuckle.

Daphne laughed and wrapped her arms around Lilly, "Thank you."

"For kissing you?" Lilly snorted.

"No, you pain in the arse," Daphne said. She whacked Lilly with a pillow, "For being my friend. I just want you to know that you're not like a backup Sadie or anything. It's just been hard for me to let you in because you really remind me of Tracey."

"I know I do," Lilly admitted as she leant into Daphne's embrace.

"I love Sadie, but she doesn't stand up to me. Tracey always did, and you do as well. When I'm being a bitch, you tell me," Daphne admitted, "And I need that because I can be a right foul bitch."

"You can be," Lilly chuckled.

"And you tell it to me how it is," Daphne said quietly, "You're blunt and straightforward and funny, and sometimes you'll say something, and it's just what she would have said and that…hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry for being yourself," Daphne murmured, "I'm just sorry that I kept you at arm's length for so long. You're brilliant, and I love you."

"You're drunk, aren't you?"

"No, I'm totally sober."

"Bullshit," Lilly snorted.

* ~ TBC ~ *