The next morning Lucy woke up in his arms, both of them still dressed except for their shoes on the floor. They kissed goodbye and she promised to meet him at lunch.
She entered the room behind the fireplace and found Alexa and Lily waiting for her. Both looked angry and tired.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"How'd it go?!" Alexa snapped. "It went great, considering you ditched us!"
"Pretty smooth, breaking the cardinal rule of friendship and picking a guy over the girls." Lily added.
"What are you talking about?"
"Draco got into the Hufflepuff common room. He Petrified six Muggle-borns." Lily explained.
"I-I thought he'd go to you, Lils..."
"Well, you were supposed to follow him and find out, remember?" Alexa reminded her.
Lucy gulped. "Uh...uh..."
"Excuse me, ladies." Dumbledore stepped in. "Lucy, stay here."
As her friends left, muttering, through the fireplace, he looked gravely upon her.
"I-I-I'm really sorry, so it's not his fault, please don't get angry with him..."
"I'm not angry, Lucy. Actually, I'm quite pleased." His smile reappeared.
Lucy half-smiled. "What? What do you-"
"I was hoping you could take him back."
Both of their smiles widened.
~*~
"I don't get it." James hopped out of the old oak tree.
"What?" Lily asked.
"What in Merlin is Snivellus doing with your gorgeous, sexy best friend?"
"They were together three years before we were."
"Do they know how WRONG it looks when they snog?!"
"It's the thought that counts, though, isn't it?" Alexa answered, smiling as she walked toward them from the lake, hand in hand with Blaze.
"I still think she would have done well with Sirius." James shot back.
"Sirius-" Lily broke in. "...is selfish, and arrogant, and gets in TROUBLE..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." James muttered.
"...so I just tell him that I couldn't attend the last meeting because people would become suspicious at Hogwarts." Severus finished, looking at Lucy.
Lucy looked at the others across the lake. "Y'know, Lily told me she's pregnant."
"Really?" He smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Yeah. They're thinking boy." She smiled too.
"You should be his godmother."
"Yeah, that's perfect." She scoffed.
"I thought you'd be happy."
"Oh, I would, but his godfather..."
"Sirius." He sighed.
"Naturally." She did, too, wondering why they didn't pick someone less of a troublemaker, like Remus Lupin. Then again, there was the werewolf thing he once told her about... "Seems like I can never outrun him."
"You don't have to. I'm here." He pressed his lips gently to her soft, smooth cheek.
She smiled again. In the distance Alexa and Blaze were back over by the lake, their arms around one another as they walked. Meanwhile, Lily was smiling as James patted her still small tummy.
"You know I've always loved you." Lucy said gently.
"But you said I changed."
"You did." Her voice was sad. "But if it weren't me...I couldn't tell. Not by what you are...again."
"I don't want you to feel like we were ever apart."
"Did it hurt?" She asked gently.
He nodded. "More than any physical mark could have hurt." He paused. "But I can still see it in your eyes. It hurt you, too."
She smiled sadly. "Well, now I haven't got to hurt either of us anymore." Her voice broke and she shed a tear.
"Good." He said softly, and pulled her into a strangely warm, familiar embrace. "Good."
She entered the room behind the fireplace and found Alexa and Lily waiting for her. Both looked angry and tired.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"How'd it go?!" Alexa snapped. "It went great, considering you ditched us!"
"Pretty smooth, breaking the cardinal rule of friendship and picking a guy over the girls." Lily added.
"What are you talking about?"
"Draco got into the Hufflepuff common room. He Petrified six Muggle-borns." Lily explained.
"I-I thought he'd go to you, Lils..."
"Well, you were supposed to follow him and find out, remember?" Alexa reminded her.
Lucy gulped. "Uh...uh..."
"Excuse me, ladies." Dumbledore stepped in. "Lucy, stay here."
As her friends left, muttering, through the fireplace, he looked gravely upon her.
"I-I-I'm really sorry, so it's not his fault, please don't get angry with him..."
"I'm not angry, Lucy. Actually, I'm quite pleased." His smile reappeared.
Lucy half-smiled. "What? What do you-"
"I was hoping you could take him back."
Both of their smiles widened.
~*~
"I don't get it." James hopped out of the old oak tree.
"What?" Lily asked.
"What in Merlin is Snivellus doing with your gorgeous, sexy best friend?"
"They were together three years before we were."
"Do they know how WRONG it looks when they snog?!"
"It's the thought that counts, though, isn't it?" Alexa answered, smiling as she walked toward them from the lake, hand in hand with Blaze.
"I still think she would have done well with Sirius." James shot back.
"Sirius-" Lily broke in. "...is selfish, and arrogant, and gets in TROUBLE..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." James muttered.
"...so I just tell him that I couldn't attend the last meeting because people would become suspicious at Hogwarts." Severus finished, looking at Lucy.
Lucy looked at the others across the lake. "Y'know, Lily told me she's pregnant."
"Really?" He smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Yeah. They're thinking boy." She smiled too.
"You should be his godmother."
"Yeah, that's perfect." She scoffed.
"I thought you'd be happy."
"Oh, I would, but his godfather..."
"Sirius." He sighed.
"Naturally." She did, too, wondering why they didn't pick someone less of a troublemaker, like Remus Lupin. Then again, there was the werewolf thing he once told her about... "Seems like I can never outrun him."
"You don't have to. I'm here." He pressed his lips gently to her soft, smooth cheek.
She smiled again. In the distance Alexa and Blaze were back over by the lake, their arms around one another as they walked. Meanwhile, Lily was smiling as James patted her still small tummy.
"You know I've always loved you." Lucy said gently.
"But you said I changed."
"You did." Her voice was sad. "But if it weren't me...I couldn't tell. Not by what you are...again."
"I don't want you to feel like we were ever apart."
"Did it hurt?" She asked gently.
He nodded. "More than any physical mark could have hurt." He paused. "But I can still see it in your eyes. It hurt you, too."
She smiled sadly. "Well, now I haven't got to hurt either of us anymore." Her voice broke and she shed a tear.
"Good." He said softly, and pulled her into a strangely warm, familiar embrace. "Good."
