JKR owns HP. This is not my longest chapter but I hope the Lily/Scorpius interaction makes up for it. Please review and tell me what you think :)

Scorpius

Scorpius was having one of those nights where he just couldn't sleep. Every time he managed to drift to sleep one of his dormmates would snore, or he'd have a dream about a bludger coming at his face and he'd jerk awake again. He checked his watch for the thousandth time. 6:26. Ugh.

Deciding that sleeping was a lost cause, he got up and dressed. He had finished a letter to his parents last night and figured that now was as good as any time to send it.

Scorpius was wandering up the stairs to the owlery when he heard a woman laughing. He paused, and heard the woman say "Hello, how are you? I've sent you out with a lot of letters recently. You aren't too tired are you?"

Scorpius heard an offended hoot in reply. Ah. She was talking to her owl. Whoever she was, she spoke with incredible tenderness and real affection for her owl. Something about her voice seemed to draw Scorpius in. He crept up the stairs as the woman laughed again.

"I'm glad," came the voice again. "I knew you could, but I was just making sure. I don't have a letter for you today though. I do, however, have some owl treats for you."

Scorpius reached the top of the stairs as the owl hooted happily. To Scorpius's surprise, he saw the back of a woman with flaming red hair that fell slightly below her shoulders. It was Lily Potter. The baby Potter. He recognised her instantly. There were many girls at Hogwarts with red hair, but Scorpius knew it was her. He had seen the back of her enough during the quidditch final to know what she looked like. She was also the only one Scorpius could imagine speaking in even half as gentle of a tone. Her cousins were all so arrogant.

Feeling intrigued, Scorpius vanished the owl droppings on a section of wall next to him and leaned against it. He watched as Baby Potter fed her sooty owl two different types of treats, asking which one he preferred. Scorpius was fascinated. He had never seen such behaviour between an owl and human. Of course, he knew owls understood people, and had their own personalities, but he'd never seen such a conversation before.

He shuffled his feet to adjust his position and Potter whirled around. Scorpius instantly re-arranged his features into a cold, neutral mask. This was how he had been raised to appear. If no one could read your thoughts and feelings on your face, you were safer, more in control of the situation.

"Malfoy?"

Scorpius was again surprised by her tone. There was no accusation in her tone. It was just surprise.

"Have you been watching me?"

Scorpius felt his cheeks colour a little at being caught out.

"I've never seen an owl act like that to anyone before."

He couldn't deny it. He had been watching her. To save himself from his own embarrassment he tried to redirect the conversation instead. It worked. Potter gave her owl a soft smile and stroked his head.

"I'll bet you've never seen someone act that way towards an owl though, have you?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "I haven't."

Potter smiled at him. Scorpius felt strangely breathless.

"Exactly. Owls are just like people. If you treat them with proper love, they'll love you back."

As if agreeing with her, her owl hooted and then jumped into the air, soaring once around her before flying off somewhere higher up, presumably to sleep.

Scorpius couldn't think of a proper reply to that so instead he asked, "what's your owl's name?"

Potter smiled fondly again.

"Loki."

"Loki, like the ancient norse god?"

"Well yes, technically. But I named him after a muggle movie character I like."

Scorpius was confused. "What's a movie?"

Baby Potter frowned. She paused for a few seconds before answering.

"Well you know how when you take a picture, you see those few seconds over and over, just how they were at the time?"

"Yes," Scorpius replied, still confused.

"Well a movie is like that, but sometimes hours long. And you can hear what people say too. It's like a bunch of pictures one after the other, because they film in different places too."

"Muggles," Scorpius replied in disbelief, "came up with that without using magic, yet we don't have anything like that?"

Potter grinned at him.

"You bet. Muggles have done some pretty amazing things without magic."

"No way. How could they create something like that?"

Scorpius didn't really believe her, if he was being honest. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he just couldn't imagine muggles coming up with such a thing.

Potter grinned slyly at him.

"A galleon says they have."

Scorpius looked into Baby Potter's face. He took in her sly grin, the cheeky sparkle in her eyes, and without even meaning to, grinned back.

"You're on."

Potter held out her hand. He shook it.

"Come to my place during the holidays next month. Make sure to bring a galleon for me."

They both seemed to realise at the same time just what she had said, and who she had said it to. Scorpius felt his cheeks burn. Potter's cheeks were rosy too, and she refused to meet his gaze. He stepped back from her. He hadn't even realised how close he had gotten to her.

"Look, Malfoy," Potter began, speaking urgently and much less relaxed than before. "I'm sorry about Rose and Al taunting you about me catching the snitch during the match. It's nasty, and I'm trying to get them to stop. You were so far ahead of me. It was just sheer luck that I caught the snitch instead. I didn't want -"

"It's ok Potter," Scorpius interrupted.

She paused, and actually met his eyes again. They were a very unusual brown, he noticed. The sun, which had begun to bathe the owlery in soft, dawn light, caught her eyes. It made the ring around her pupils light up compared to the rest of her iris. The effect was like looking into a total solar eclipse in her eyes. Scorpius mentally slapped himself. What was wrong with him?

"Anyone who had seen the look on your face when you saw the snitch in your hand would know how surprised you were. I've seen you trying to avoid me when you're with Weaslette and your brother, and I've heard you telling them to knock it off when they are being arseholes. If anything I should be thanking you. A Potter, defending a Malfoy? Very brave of you."

She smiled hesitantly at him.

"You better make sure you have a galleon for me when I come over."

Scorpius realised what he said after he said it. What, in Merlin's name, was wrong with him? This was a Potter in front of him. And yet, here she was in front of him, smiling dazzlingly at his words.

"It's a good thing you're not a sore loser, Malfoy. Prepare to have your mind blown."

Her sly grin was back. Just as before, that smile drew one from him without him even realising.

"As long as you aren't setting me up to be jumped by your family then I think I can handle it."

She laughed, and Scorpius tried to ignore the strange little jump in his stomach.

"I'm not evil, Malfoy. I'll send you a letter when I know when I'll be the only one home. Then we can watch the greatest movies of our time."

"You might not be evil, but you're definitely more Slytherin than I thought."

"Excuse me," she said, suddenly indignant. "I'm a Gryffindor through and through."

Scorpius laughed at her offended expression.

"You're definitely a little bit Slytherin."

"I am NOT!"

"A Potter as a Slytherin. How scandalous."

She shoved him, grumbling at him to shut up.

"Oh come on," he said to her, laughing at her response. "You're definitely a little bit sneaky."

Baby Potter glared up at him. He stared down at her, grinning. They stared at each other for a few moments. Scorpius stared again into her eyes that looked like solar eclipses. He'd heard a phrase that you could see an entire universe in someone's eyes. He definitely felt like he was staring at something otherworldly right now.

"Ok fine," she conceded, jolting Scorpius back to reality. "I'm a little bit sneaky. A little bit. But I'm a Gryffindor through and through."

Scorpius laughed again.

"Agreed. You are very brave to be all alone up here with an evil Slytherin like me."

"Oh come on Malfoy," she scoffed. "There's nothing dangerous about you."

"Really? How can you be so sure? Your whole family would disagree." Scorpius was very intrigued by not only what she said, but the flippant way she'd said it.

"I've watched the way you are with Rose and Albus. They antagonise you more than you do to them. And you've never done anything to me, even after I won the cup for Gryffindor." She said everything so matter-of-factly, even shrugging as she finished speaking.

Potter was clearly very observant. Scorpius was surprised. He didn't really know how to reply to her.

He was prevented from replying, because at that moment they both heard footsteps echoing up the staircase. Once again, they both stepped back from each other.

"I guess I'll see you during the holidays, Baby Potter."

She gave him that sly grin again. "Make sure you bring a galleon for me."

She turned to leave. At the top of the stairs she turned back to him.

"By the way Malfoy, it's Lily."

He smiled back at her.

"Nice to meet you Lily, I'm Scorpius."

She smiled back at him, before turning and walking down the staircase, leaving Scorpius feeling somewhat dazed.