A/N: Okay - I KNOW sooooo late. I really wanted this up by Valentine's, but my week got crazy, and this chapter got WAY out of hand. haha. I changed it so many times, AND it's not finished. I wanted to get something up and if I waited until the chapter was finished it would be double this size. It's already one of my longest updates, so anyway. Here's the first part. Second part to come soon! It's *almost* finished. This chapter will give you some fun Lily/Scorpius time. I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think!
Chapter 13: Valentine's Day
In the days that followed Lily's attack, she found herself reinvigorated to focus on her lessons. She devoted herself to class and homework with more intention than ever before, while simultaneously withdrawing slightly from her friends. Though Julianne had pestered her about why she had been so quiet, and seemed confused about all the new time Lily was spending with Scorpius, Lily did not choose to tell her friend about what had happened, and eventually Julianne stopped asking questions. Though Payne was skeptical and angry when Lily told him she had to sit out from practice for a couple weeks because she had injured herself, after one practice of trying to force her to give him a better explanation, he gave up and told her to sit in the stands, take notes, and write up new plays if she thought of any.
In the days that followed her attack, Lily found herself walking more quickly to and from classes, avoiding any areas after dark, and glancing over her shoulder continuously throughout the day, even though she also made certain to never be alone. On Wednesday she sent a note to Professor Willoughby, telling him she felt unwell and could not make it to her private lesson that night. She wanted to avoid walking around the dungeons alone at night and facing Willoughby after Scorpius had talked with him. Even though Scorpius assured her that he had said nothing regarding her identity, Lily felt certain that Willoughby would be able to know as soon as saw her.
On Thursday night, after dinner, Julianne had met with Leona in the library to work on an assignment, while Lily had gone to Quidditch practice. Julianne had planned to meet Lily that night on the Astronomy tower for class, which was their standard plan when Lily had Thursday evening practice.
After practice, Lily came down from the stands, where she had been half-watching practice, and half-studying for her potions exam the next morning, and beckoned to Kenny and Kale.
"Ready for Astronomy?" Lily asked.
Kenny was discussing something with Kale and they started laughing. Lily repeated her question to them.
I'm going to shower first," Kenny said. "I'll meet you up there." She left for the showers.
Lily glanced at Kale. "Just us then?"
"I'm meeting up with Ian first. I'll see you later," Kale said, completely unconcerned or unaware of the panic that had flittered across Lily's face. He broke off into a run, leaving Lily standing alone on the darkening field.
Until this moment, Lily had carefully avoided being alone at all, particularly after dark. She stared at the shadows stretching across the field as the sun dropped low behind the treeline of the Dark Forest; the shadows lengthened and stretched out to her like long, dark arms. Lily shivered, though it was a particularly warm evening for February.
Payne, Geoff, and Leo had finished putting away the brooms and balls and were now walking as a herd up towards the castle, away from the pitch and Lily. Her instincts told her to follow them, but her feet didn't move. Her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't make herself move.
Stop it Lily, she scolded herself silently. Get a grip. It's just a quick walk up to Astronomy. She clenched her bottom lip between her teeth hard. Just start walking. Move. She closed her eyes and counted to three, trying to calm herself enough to start the walk up to the Astronomy Tower. Her feet still didn't move.
"Shall we go then?"
Lily's body jumped at the sound of Scorpius's voice beside her.
"Go?" She asked.
"You've got Astronomy now, yeah?" He said. She nodded. "Let's get on then." He started walking towards the castle and she walked with him.
She didn't speak for a moment, just walked beside him in complete silence. They entered the castle, and when they reached the main staircase that split up towards the higher floors and down towards the dungeon, she prepared herself to say "goodbye" to him, but he started up the steps without a word.
"Where are you going?" She asked, following behind him.
"To the Astronomy tower," he said.
"But…" she started to question him, but then stopped. "Thank you," she said instead.
"I noticed you skipped your potions lessons with Willoughby last night," he said after another few moments of them climbing the stairs in silence.
"I did," she said. Though she was surprised he had noticed.
"Is it because I told him?" He asked.
Lily hesitated.
"I am sorry that upset you," he said. "Though again, still not sorry I did it, and I still think you should talk to him about it yourself." He sighed "I'm sorry, again. I said I wasn't going to push you again."
"It's okay," she said. "I know you mean well." She took in a deep breath. "I know I should tell someone. I'm just not ready for all the questions, and having to think about it all and discuss it…I don't want my brothers to know…"
"I understand, Lily, really," he said. "You don't have to explain it to me. It's completely your choice."
They approached the final staircase up to the tower and walked up together in silence. Lily briefly wondered how she would explain arriving with Scorpius to Julianne, but also realized that at the moment she didn't really care what Julianne thought. He opened the door to the tower for her and she stepped through, seeing her classmates gathered across the way.
"Thank you," she said again, giving Scorpius a slight smile.
"Anytime," he said. He nodded at her and turned to descend the steps.
"Lily!" Julianne waved her over. "Was that Scorpius with you?"
Lily nodded.
"What was he doing up here?" She asked.
"Oh, he walked me to class…" Lily said in what she thought was a calm sounding tone.
"He walked you to class?" Julianne asked.
"We had some stuff to discuss after practice," Lily said. "So he walked me."
"Okay…" Julianne said, though she frowned quizzically at her friend.
Lily offered Julianne a smile and then turned her attention to Professor Smithers.
The next morning when the girls had dressed and entered the common room, Scorpius was waiting near the door. He waved when the girls approached and exited with them, as though it were the most natural thing. Julianne lifted an eyebrow at his company, but Lily fell into step beside him, without a second thought.
"Lily, want to revise together during your afternoon break today?" Scorpius said.
"Sure," Lily said. "I'll meet you at the library."
"I'll come and pick you up at class. You'll be in Potions, right?" He said.
Lily nodded.
As the three of them entered the Hall for breakfast, Julianne observed the two of them quietly.
"Do you want to sit with us?" Julianne asked Scorpius suddenly.
It was only then that Lily realized they were at breakfast and Julianne was still in fact with them. She didn't know why or how, but lately when she was with Scorpius, everything else seemed to fade into the background.
"Umm, that's okay," Scorpius said, glancing at Lily who was frowning slightly.
Lily hesitated. "You can if you like," she said, doing her best to smooth out the frown in her face.
He smiled at her offer, and nodded. "Yeah, alright then."
Julianne seemed pleased that her suggestion had turned out and the three sat together towards the middle of the table. Lily fought the instinctive urge to feel awkward eating with Scorpius; she had become determined the be his friend now, and eating together publicly was a good first step. She avoided any glances towards the Gryffindor table, even though she didn't think she'd be able to see any of them from this far away, she knew Scorpius' blonde hair stood out almost as much as her red and they'd likely be easily distinguishable by any of her family members, sitting there side by side on the bench. She tried not to notice how other students eyed them as they filtered in for breakfast, particularly Cassie and Nicolette who approached the table slowly, scowled briefly at Lily, and then sat together toward the end of the table with Ian and William. Kenny joined Lily and Julianne, sitting beside Julianne across from Lily and Scorpius, without a second glance at Scorpius, and instantly started loading her plate, chattering away about how starved she was.
"Hey if you have time tomorrow, want to go visit Little Flower?" Scorpius asked as Lily ate her eggs and bacon in silence.
She smiled towards him. "I would like that," she said. "I've been missing her this week."
"Good, we'll go after breakfast tomorrow," he said, but before he finished his thought Delia slid onto the bench on his open side, placed her hand on his arm and drew his attention away from Lily.
"Scorpy, I was waiting for you in the common room!" She said, staring hard into his eyes.
"Oh…yeah, sorry," Scorpius said. "I came up early.
Delia kept a smile on her face, but Lily thought it looked a little forced.
"You said you would wait for me," she said.
"Yeah, well, I forgot," he said. "I came up with Lily."
Lily looked away from Delia, not interested in seeing the scornful way Delia stared at her.
Scorpius looked back to Lily, prepared to continue their conversation, but Delia pulled his attention back to her again. "You didn't forget our plans for tomorrow, did you?" She asked.
Scorpius hesitated.
"Scorpy…" Delia pouted.
"Please stop calling me that," he said.
She ignored him with an eye roll. "Hogsmead," she said, reminding him.
"Oh, yeah, that's tomorrow?" He asked.
Delia let out a soft giggle, but Lily could tell she was irritated. "Yes, Scorpy, tomorrow is Valentine's Day."
"Right. You said a bunch of us were going to hang out?" He said.
Delia seemed to hesitate briefly, but then her wide smile returned and she giggled again. Lily thought she giggled too much. "That's right, a bunch of us are going together."
"Yeah…umm I was thinking about maybe staying around here tomorrow," Scorpius said.
Lily quickly looked down at her plate, but not before she caught the glare from Delia cast in her direction. Lily wasn't sure why Delia should be so angry with her; she certainly hadn't done anything to encourage Scorpius to cancel whatever plans he had supposedly made with Delia for Hogsmead the next day. She couldn't care less where Scorpius spent his Valentine's Day or with whom.
Silence fell heavy after Delia finished speaking to Scorpius, and Lily felt a need to finish breakfast quickly. Julianne ate with the same speed as Lily and the two were soon standing ready to depart for their first class. As Lily adjusted her book bag over her shoulder, she noticed Scorpius begin to stand as though to join her in departing from breakfast. She stopped him quickly.
"I'll see you later, yeah?" She said.
He hesitated, halfway between sitting and standing. "Oh, yeah, see you later then."
Lily gave him a small smile, again avoided Delia's gaze, and linked her arm with Julianne to hurry her out of the hall.
"What is going on between you two?" Julianne asked as the girls exited the hall and headed toward class.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"You've been weird lately," Julianne said. "He's been hanging around us a lot more than usual."
"We're friends," Lily said.
"You didn't use to be," Julianne said. "In fact, you came back from Christmas and specifically told me that you were not under any circumstances going to be friends with Scorpius Malfoy."
Lily could tell Julianne was mocking the way she spoke, and she rolled her eyes in frustration. "Things change, okay?" Lily said. "That's all. Things changed."
"And now you're friends?"
"Yes. Is that okay with you?"
"Wow, touchy," Julianne said, raising her hands in mock surrender. "I won't mention it again, okay?"
Lily didn't talk much to Julianne throughout class or for the rest of the morning. Julianne likewise didn't try to start conversation with Lily. The two friends had never had a true fight in their friendship, and Lily didn't mean to make a fight out of their discussion now, but she didn't know how to explain her newfound friendship with Scorpius to Julianne without coming clean about everything that had happened to her that night almost a week ago now. She had carefully avoided any conversations that drifted towards that day or night with Julianne and she wasn't prepared to discuss it now. She realized that as her best friend, Julianne deserved the truth. Lily knew that if something similar had happened to Julianne, Lily would absolutely want to know everything, but despite the hypocrisy she knew she also was not ready to have that discussion with her best friend.
At lunch, Lily sat at the end of the table nearest the front of the hall, intentionally avoiding Scorpius who was seated at the other end. He had looked when she entered, and Lily could tell he had saved a seat beside himself, but Lily also noticed that after she sat with Julianne, Delia was quick to fill the empty seat by Scorpius.
At the end of Potions, Lily shoved her books back into her bag, wondering if she really should go with Scorpius to the library or make up an excuse to return to her room and have alone time, but while she was distracted in her thoughts, Professor Willoughby stepped up beside desk.
"Mis Potter…" he said, speaking slowly. "Could we speak for a moment?"
Lily felt a blush rising to her cheeks. She hadn't yet seen Professor Willoughby since bailing on lessons Wednesday, and she had hoped for more time to figure out exactly what she would say to him about her absence.
"Hi Professor," Lily said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and edging he way out from behind her desk.
"You missed lessons on Wednesday," he said.
"Yes," she said. "I sent you a note. Didn't you get it?"
"I did, yes," he said, "but it wasn't very informative. I was hoping perhaps you could give me a bit more of an explanation. Are you feeling well?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said.
His eyes stared at her hard. Julianne was standing directly beside Lily and Lily could tell her friend was staring at her too.
"I'm fine," she repeated. "I'm sorry. I had extra homework and just…" she hesitated. She hated lying to Professor Willoughby. "It won't happen again. I promise."
"If you need a night off, I understand," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were truly okay…there's nothing you needed to discuss…"
"I'm fine," Lily answered quickly, avoiding eye contact with him. She had edged her way all the way to the door of the classroom now, Julianne still directly beside her, and Willoughby had walked with them.
"If you're sure there's nothing going on…"
"I'm sure," Lily said. She was at the open door now, halfway out in the hall, nudging Julianne forward.
Before Willoughby had another chance to ask her, Scorpius spoke up from beside the door.
"Hey Lily, ready to study?" Scorpius said.
Lily glanced at him and nodded.
"Mr. Malfoy," Professor Willoughby nodded at Scorpius.
"Hello, Professor," Scorpius said. He kept his eyes on the ground and Lily started feeling nervous.
"Okay, we're going to the library now, Professor," Lily said. "See you later." She hurried away from the classroom, shoving Scorpius ahead of her.
Julianne followed behind. "Why did you miss Potions this week, Lily? You had been so excited to discuss the results of your Veritaserum session. We didn't have extra homework…"
"I just didn't feel like going this week," Lily said. She hated lying to Julianne even more than Willoughby.
"You love going to potions!" Julianne said.
"Just drop it, okay?" Lily snapped, finally unable to keep her patience anymore. "I don't want to talk about it."
Julianne stopped following them. She frowned at Lily's tone and turned around. "I'm going to the room. I'll see you later."
"Jules…" Lily called after her friend as she retreated down the stone passageway. She sighed, feeling horrible, but also lacking the motivation to follow her.
"You should talk to her," Scorpius said.
"This is all your fault," Lily snapped, still feeling frustrated and needing to vent her frustrations on somebody.
"My fault?" Scorpius asked.
"If you hadn't told Willoughby then I wouldn't have had to avoid lessons and none of this would have happened." She said. Lily knew she was being more than a bit ridiculous at the moment, but she couldn't control her stress anymore. She wanted to yell and scream at somebody. She wanted to hit something. She wanted to hex something.
"Lily," Scorpius spoke quietly. "Talk to me."
"No," she said, her teeth clenching together to try and control her anger.
"Please," he said. "Let's go somewhere we can talk."
"I don't want to talk!" She said, her voice rising. "Talking doesn't help anything."
"Fine, no talking," he said. He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Let's go to the pitch."
"The pitch?" She asked, quieting only slightly.
"We'll fly. No talking required." He said.
After a moment, she finally nodded and the two made their way to the pitch silently to spend the next hour flying silently.
…
Before bed that evening, after Lily had finished her shower and was brushing her teeth at the sink in the bathroom, Julianne joined her in front of the sink, staring at Lily's reflection intentionally.
"We need to talk," Julianne said.
Lily's pale eyes connected with her friend's in the mirrored reflection and she nodded slightly. Lily finished with her teeth and moved into the closet to retrieve her pajamas. She dressed quickly while Julianne waited, then picked up Styx and led Julianne out to the common room. There were still a few students finishing late night conversations or homework, but the couches by the fireplace were empty, and Lily knew they'd have more privacy talking there then in their room where Cassie and Nicolette were painting their nails on Cassie's bed.
"What has been going on with you this week?" Julianne asked directly as the girls took a seat in their usual spot on the couch across from the fireplace.
Lily tucked her feet up beneath herself while Styx made himself comfortable on the couch between the girls. "Jules, I don't want to tell you because I don't want you to feel like you need to do anything about it."
Julianne frowned.
Lily sighed, knowing the time had come to be fully honest with her best friend, as much as she didn't want to discuss it at all. "Last Saturday night when I was coming back to the rooms after visiting with Louis and everyone, I was…umm…these guys were…" she bit her lip and felt the familiar heat rushing through her body, her eyes burning with unwanted tears, her skin prickling with fear and panic. "I don't…" she shook her head and her throat felt dry.
Julianne's forehead creased. "Lils, what's going on?" She reached out and grasped Lily's hands in her own. "You know you can tell me anything. You can trust me completely."
"I know I can, I do," Lily said. "Of course I do. It's not that, I just don't know how to say it…"
"Lils, you're making me nervous. Just say it!" Julianne said.
Lily took a deep breath, feeling her body begin to tremble as memories of last week flooded her mind. She squeezed her eyes tight for a moment, trying to block the images out. Before she opened her eyes, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and opened her eyes.
"You okay?" Scorpius was kneeling beside her, his hand on her arm now. "I saw you over here…you looked…" he hesitated. "Afraid."
Without hesitation or explanation, Lily threw herself against him. He held her securely while Julianne watched in shock and confusion.
"What is going on?" Julianne asked, her voice slightly hushed, but also alarmed.
"Are you trying to tell her?" Scorpius asked Lily after a moment.
She nodded against his shoulder.
"Do you want me to tell her?" He asked.
She nodded again, tears springing to her eyes but dissolving instantly into Scorpius' shirt.
Scorpius looked at Julianne over the top of Lily's red head. He made sure he had her attention, and also glanced around briefly to make certain no one else could overhear.
"Last Saturday, Lily was attacked by three guys wearing masks."
Julianne gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.
"I found her in the corridors outside, and managed to stop them before…" he hesitated, feeling Lily shudder in his arms. "Well, I stopped them." He said simply. "They ran off, and I brought Lily back to her room."
"Lily…" Julianne, who did not share Lily's ability to suppress her emotions completely, had tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. "Lily why didn't you tell me?"
"She refuses to tell anyone," Scorpius said. "I tried to get her to tell Professor Willoughby or McGonagall, but she doesn't want to discuss it. She doesn't want anyone to know."
"But Lily, we have to do something…" Julianne said.
"No," Lily muttered, her mouth still muffled against Scorpius' shoulder. She lifted her head and pushed away from him slightly. "No." She repeated to Julianne.
"I convinced her to visit Madam Rougal. She's been treated for her injuries, but beyond that…"
"Injuries?" Julianne repeated. Her face contorting from an expression of sadness to horror.
"Nothing serious," Lily said.
"That's why you've been sitting out at practices. You told me you tripped down the stairs!" Julianne said.
"I'm sorry I lied to you," Lily said. "I just…I don't want anyone to know…"
Julianne looked prepared to argue, but Scorpius shook his head. "Who were they?" Julianne asked instead.
"They were wearing masks," Scorpius said. "She says she has no idea who they were."
"I'm so sorry, Lily," Julianne said.
Lily took Julianne's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"It's fine, I understand," she said. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"I think we should turn in," Lily said. "Thank you," she said to Scorpius.
"Anytime," he said. He noted that her body was still trembling slightly. "Want me to walk you to your room?"
"No, that's okay," she said. "I'll be fine." She stood and picked up her cat. Julianne stood and grasped Lily's hand quickly. "Goodnight, Scorpius."
"Goodnight," he said, waving to the girls as they headed down the girls' corridor.
Lily returned the wave, noticing his smile, and the way his eyes reflected the flickering flames from the fireplace, but she did not notice the way Delia Thorne had been watching them silently from a corner of the common room.
"So that's why the two of you have been acting like someone put a sticking spell on you all week?" Julianne asked as the girls approached their bedroom door.
"We have not," Lily said.
"He's been walking you to classes, and mealtimes, and he's with you almost always in the evenings in the common room," Julianne said. "You're together constantly."
Lily thought about it for a moment and realized she hadn't even consciously noticed how much time she and Scorpius had been spending together. He did seem to show up outside a lot of her classes though lately to walk her to the next one, or accompany her to meals, or back to the common room after meals. And in the evenings they were often sitting together to study, even though Julianne was usually with them as well. Lily realized Scorpius had been with her almost constantly this week.
"He's just trying to be supportive," Lily said. "The first couple days after it happened it was hard for me to leave the common room without panicking. His being with me kind of just gave me strength I guess."
"That makes complete sense, Lils. You don't have to explain anything else to me," Julianne said. "I'm sorry I pried so much, though I am glad you finally told me. Promise you'll be honest with me in the future? If there's anything you need or anything I can do to help with this?" Lily nodded.
Cassie and Nicolette were still sitting together on Cassie's bed when the girls entered the room so they stopped talking about the entire situation and instead chose to go to sleep. As Lily drew the heavy curtains around her bed she considered Scorpius' attentions to her that week. She knew she was relying on him more than she probably should, but she also didn't know how she would have made it through the week without him. Julianne suddenly peeked her head through Lily's curtains.
"Just one more thing," she said. "As your best friend, I feel it's my responsibility to ask…"
"What's up?" Lily asked.
"You would tell me if there was something more going on between you and him, right? I'm your best friend," she repeated. "You'd tell me if you…well, you know…liked him. Right?"
"Jules, stop," Lily said. "It's not like that. He's just a friend. That's all. He's been a super helpful and supportive friend this week. I don't think of him like that, and he definitely doesn't think of me like that."
Julianne rolled her eyes but withdrew her head and returned to her own bed.
Lily snuggled further beneath her blankets, Styx curling up next to her head on the pillow. She felt completely convinced of her own words when she said them. She did not think of Scorpius in that way at all She didn't think of anyone like that. She was too young to worry about things like crushes or boyfriends. Maybe in third year she'd be more ready for something like that. Even though she was almost thirteen, she told herself, and she knew quite a few thirteen year olds at the school who were already beginning to date. Even still, Lily knew that when she was old enough to date, she would not date Scorpius Malfoy. That was one thing that was never going to happen.
Early the next morning before sunrise, Lily woke suddenly from a bad dream. She lay still in bed for a moment, breathing heavy and fighting to grasp reality and let go of her nightmare world. Styx still purred peacefully near her head and she smiled at the comforting sound. Knowing that any more sleep wasn't going to happen, Lily decided to take a shower. Sitting up in bed, she noticed a collection of Valentine's Day gifts at the end of her bed. Using her wand for light, Lily sorted through the various sweets and small tokens of love from her family. Her parents had sent a box of her favorite sugary cookies, Aunt Hermione had sent her a box of rose scented parchment for letter writing, Uncle Charlie had sent her a note with a picture of himself with the girlfriend he had told her about at Christmas. Lily smiled down at the photograph, noting the way Charlie was winking and his girlfriend laughing, her deep brown eyes sparkling. Teddy had sent chocolates, and Victoire had sent a bottle of perfume fragranced with Lilies and Verbena. Her brothers and cousins had given her notes and favorite candies. Julianne gave her three new nail varnishes and Leona had given Lily a book of poetry.
Taking one of the chocolates, Lily headed into the bathroom to dress for the day. Though she had no plans set for the day as she and Julianne were not yet old enough to join the older students in Hogsmead, Lily wanted to look nice for Valentine's so took extra time with a hair curling charm and applying her makeup in a way she knew would make Victoire proud. She dressed in white jeans and a pale pink shirt that had short ruffled sleeves and tiny white flowers embroidered around the hemline and neckline.
Feeling satisfied with her appearance for the day, Lily took her new book of poetry and a sugar quill from Albus and moved into the common room for some pre-dawn quiet time in front of the fireplace. She had only been reading for a few moments when a shuffling sound alerted her to someone's approach. She hated the way her heart skipped a beat and her muscles tightened at the sound of unknown footsteps, but she found herself struggling to calm her breathing. She considered fleeing back to her room, but before she had a chance, she saw Scorpius' blonde head emerge from the boys' corridor and felt her body relaxing.
"You're up early," Lily said in greeting. She noted his sleepy appearance. Though he was dressed in jeans and a black tee shirt, his hair was mussed, and he was yawning. In one hand he held his shoes, and in the other a package of caramels.
"I couldn't sleep," he said.
"Me either," she said.
Scorpius sat on the couch and started putting on his shoes.
"Are you looking forward to Hogsmead today?" Lily asked.
He shrugged.
"I wish I could go," Lily said. "I can't wait until next year."
"Yeah, it's good fun. You'll enjoy the shops and the Three Broomsticks," he said.
"So why don't you seem all that excited to go?" Lily asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I'm just not particularly interested for this day," he said.
"Because it's Valentine's?" She asked.
He laughed a little. "Yeah, that has something to do with it. I'm just afraid everyone's going to be trying to make it all romantic and date like, you know?"
Lily blushed a little, though she couldn't explain to herself why. "What's so bad about all that?"
"Well, nothing I guess, if you've got someone you want to date," he said.
"And you don't?" She asked.
He shrugged.
"Delia seemed pretty excited to go with you," Lily said.
Scorpius laughed again. "Yeah. She's like that."
"She really seems pretty excited to be around you most of the time," Lily said. "I thought you two were…well, you know."
"A couple?" He asked. "You know better than that. You don't honestly think I'm interested in Delia Thorne."
"Well, last year you mentioned you might stay the summer with her…" Lily stopped herself abruptly, wishing she had kept silent.
"You remember that?" He asked.
Lily blushed and shook her head.
"I didn't," he said.
"Hmm?" She tried hard to sound nonchalant.
"I didn't stay with her over the summer," he said.
"It's none of my business," Lily said.
"Delia's family have been friends with mine for years. I've known her since I was a kid and I think she has this idea that we're, I don't know, meant to be together or something," he said. "I just don't feel that way about her. She's nice and all, but not my type."
"Yeah, I'm not sure she much cares what you think about it all," Lily said.
Scorpius laughed. "No, I don't think she does either."
"Well, maybe you'll have fun in town anyway," she said.
He shrugged. "Caramel?" He offered, holding out the small package of sweets.
Lily shook her head. "No thank you." She held up her sugar quill. "I got plenty of sweets this morning of my own."
He popped a caramel in his mouth. "Yeah? Lots of secret admirers sending you chocolates and roses?" He grinned.
Lily shook her head. "Not even a one." She laughed a little. "Just lots of family."
"No admirers? I find that hard to believe," he said.
She laughed again. "Do I strike you as someone who has a string of admirers following me about?"
"Well yeah, you're gorgeous," he said bluntly.
She stared at him.
"Sorry," he said, frowning slightly. "Not sure why I said that. I mean, you are, but I didn't really mean to say it…" He quickly shoved another caramel in his mouth as though to silence himself.
"Well, thank you," she said. "Even if you didn't mean to say it."
He stared at her for a moment, and Lily thought there was something odd about his eyes.
"Your hair alone is worth admiring," he said suddenly.
Lily tried to laugh, but felt herself looking away from him, suddenly embarrassed. "Thanks…"
He didn't apologize this time. "And your eyes are the most unique and stunning I have ever seen."
"Umm, Scorpius…" She said, feeling herself blushing.
"Seriously. There's no other color like them in the world. They're like some rare jewel…" he was staring into her eyes so intensely, she felt herself needing to look away.
"Scorpius this is getting weird," she said.
"And your lips are like rose petals…" he continued as though she hadn't said anything.
Lily stood suddenly. "Okay, please stop. If this is some sort of joke, I don't find it a bit funny."
"Wait!" He reached out and grasped her hand tightly. "Don't go. Please. I just want to be near you."
Lily scowled. "Scorpius, what the hell is wrong with you?" She tried tugging her hand away, but he held it tightly.
"Your skin is so soft," he said.
"Stop this! You're being ridiculous." Lily said.
"I've never been more serious in my whole life," he said. "You are absolute perfection, Lily Potter." He stood and grasped both her hands in his now. When he stood the now-empty package of caramels slipped onto the floor.
Lily pulled her hands away from him and lifted the package. She sniffed at it and frowned. "Where did you get these?" She asked.
"They were on my bed this morning," he said. Then his eyes widened. "I didn't get you anything for Valentine's Day. Oh I'm horrible. I should have gotten you something. A rose…a dozen roses…do you even like roses? Oh Merlin, I don't even know your favorite flower!" He moaned in distress.
"Oh would you shut up, please?" Lily said. She flipped the package all around, searching for a tag or name, and finally spotted a heart shaped piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the package. It read: Happy Valentine's Scorpy. Lily rolled her eyes. "Scorpius you've been given a love potion."
He barely seemed to hear her.
"Are you listening to me?" She asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"Always," he said, staring at her again with eyes that seemed more glassy than usual, but now she understood that it was from the effects of the potion.
"You have been given a potion," she said, speaking slowly and clearly. He reached out and took a strand of her long hair, running it through his fingers slowly. "Seriously, couldn't you smell the Essence of Rose? It's overpowering." She pulled her hair away from him, still glaring, and muttering to herself. "And since it came from Delia, I assume she used something pre-made and didn't concoct it herself, which means it wouldn't be targeted towards her in particular but instead would work on the first person you see when you take it…" She sighed. "Just great."
"Lily, what's your favorite color?" Scorpius asked, coming closer to her and trying to take her hand again.
"Stop it," she snapped. "I do not have the energy to deal with this right now."
He started sniffing her hair. "You smell like happiness."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I have half a mind to just leave you here," she said. "It's definitely what you deserve after being daft enough to consume a love potion!"
Scorpius picked up the book of poetry Lily had left on the couch and started flipping through the pages. "Is this the sort of stuff you like?" He asked. "I'm going to write you a poem! A whole book of poems!"
"Oh please don't," Lily said.
"What rhymes with Lily?" He sat down to think.
"Oh bother," Lily sighed. She knew leaving him there would never work. She couldn't risk anyone else seeing him this way. "What am I going to do with you?" She heard footsteps and suddenly Delia Thorne emerged from the girls' corridor. "You!" Lily hissed.
"You!" Delia responded. Her brown eyes shifted between Lily and Scorpius. "What are you two doing here together?"
"This is all your fault!" Lily said. "How dare you trick someone into taking love potion!"
"What? I…I didn't…" She said. Her eyes drifted to the empty package of caramels on the couch. "Did you eat all of them, Scorpy?"
Lily glared at the third year girl. "Yes, he did."
"Oh, but I wasn't here…he was supposed to see me first…" She gasped. "You! You ruined everything didn't you?"
"Me?" Lily laughed. "This wasn't my idea! I certainly had no interest in becoming the object of some bloody love potion!"
"You ruin everything!" Delia accused. "This day was supposed to be perfect, and now it's just destroyed."
"Where did you get the love potion, Delia?" Lily asked. "What kind is it? I need to know how to reverse it."
"Why in the world would I help you?" Delia asked.
"I could have you reported for this!" Lily said. "Love potions are prohibited at school."
"It's from your family's stupid shop, so this is just as much your responsibility as it is mine," Delia said.
Lily shook her head. "How do you figure that? I'm not responsible for what Uncle George makes and sells in his shop, and I'm certainly not responsible for you buying something and using it on Scorpius."
At the sound of his name, Scorpius glanced up from where he had been dutifully studying the poetry book and reached out for Lily's hands. "Yes, my love?" He said. "You said my name, did you want me for something?"
Lily sighed, but Delia glared harder.
"I'll never forgive you for ruining this for me, Lily Potter." Delia said, turning on her heel and returning down the corridor.
"Great," Lily said. "Just great." She tried to withdraw her hand from Scorpius' grasp but he held tightly. "This is absolutely ridiculous."
"I'm sorry," He said, suddenly very contrite. "Are you upset with me? Did I do something wrong?" His bright gray eyes, though still glassy, looked truly sad, and Lily couldn't feel anything but pity for him.
"No," she said, trying to be gentle. "You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault." As annoyed as she was, she knew it was true. He hadn't done anything wrong, except perhaps being friends with that awful girl. "Come on, we'll put this right." She considered her options. "I have to get a couple things from my room. I need you to stay here and I'll be right back."
"What? You're leaving me?" He said, sounding pathetically desperate. "Can't I come with you?" He squeezed her hand slightly.
Lily fought the urge to roll her eyes again. "No, Scorpius. You cannot come to my room," she said. She understood the effects of the potion made his mind so focused on her that his mind had no space for logical thought, so she tried to be clear and careful with her words. "My roommates are still sleeping and we don't want to wake them up. I will come right back," she said. "I promise." She glanced down at the couch where Styx was somehow still sleeping soundly. "I need you to watch my cat for me. Can you do that for me, please?"
"Of course!" He said quickly, seemingly delighted to receive a request from her. "I'll take care of him." Scorpius sat down beside the cat dutifully, finally releasing her hand. "Hurry back!"
She promised once again and headed back to her room. Grateful that her roommates were sleeping in, Lily quietly found her bag, filled it with blank parchment and a quill, her wand, a sweater, and at the last moment her invisibility cloak just in case. She scribbled out a quick note to tell Julianne she was practicing at the pitch and would meet her at lunch, then left.
Scorpius was waiting on the couch, staring at Styx as though it was the only thing that mattered at that moment. Lily resisted the desire to laugh.
"Ready to go?" Lily asked.
"Anywhere with you," he answered instantly, standing and coming to her side, so close that she felt the need to take a step back.
Lily woke up her cat, kissed the top of his head and then slipped him into her open bag, where he promptly snuggled into her sweater and fell back asleep. "Come on," she said to Scorpius, and the two left the common room.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"To send a letter," she said.
"Okay," he said. "And then where?"
"I'm not sure yet," Lily said.
"That's okay," he said. "As long as I'm with you."
Lily nodded and gave him a quick reassuring smile as they walked together up the stairs and out of the dungeons. They walked silently for a short while until they had exited the castle, heading across the grounds towards the Owlery tower.
"Hey Lily," Scorpius said, quietly.
"Yeah?" She asked, somewhat distracted by her own thoughts of what she would say in the letter.
"Can I hold your hand?" He asked.
Lily was somewhat surprised by the question. Her instincts were to refuse, but she glanced at him, saw the desperate look in his eyes, and felt bad at the thought of hurting his feelings, so she nodded. He smiled genuinely and took her hand.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Lily tried to ignore how nice it felt holding his hand as they walked together. She and Scorpius had become close this past week, mostly due to his being the only one who knew her terrible secret, but their relationship had still been strictly platonic. He was always very respectful of her personal space. She knew under normal circumstances, he would never try to hold her hand.
"This is nice," he said after a while. They were near the steps to the Owlery now.
Lily smiled at him and nodded.
"Yeah?" He said. "This is nice for you too?" He squeezed her hand tightly. "Oh I'm so glad. All I want is for you to be happy."
Lily had to momentarily remind herself that this was all due to the potion and was not real. "Okay, let's go up." She pulled her hand away from his to hold the rail that ran along the wall up the steps to the top half of the tower. Scorpius walked up close behind her.
At the top, Lily pulled the blank parchment and quill from her bag and used one of the open windows to write the note to her Uncle George. She wrote it quickly, trying to be as direct as possible without giving away information she didn't need him to have.
"What are you writing?" Scorpius asked, suddenly directly behind her, looking over her shoulder.
"Umm, a letter to my uncle to ask for his help," she said.
"Help with what? Can I help you instead?" He asked. "I'd love to be helpful to you."
Lily shook her head. "This is specific," she said. She finished the note and rolled it, securing it with the string she had brought. "Arturo!" She called out to the owls. She waited a moment then called again. When he still didn't respond, she frowned. "Arturo, please come help me." Still no response. "Stupid bird."
"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked.
"My brother's owl…" she said. "He doesn't like me much, and usually only helps when James makes him."
"Use mine then," Scorpius said. He whistled once, low and long, and a large silvery white owl soared towards them. It was larger than Arturo and the most beautiful color Lily had ever seen. Scorpius stuck out his arm and the owl gracefully landed on his forearm, pecking once at Scorpius' ear. "Hey girl," he said. "Sorry I don't have treats for you today."
Lily dug in her bag and brought out the treats she had packed intending to give to Arturo. She held her palm up flat to Scorpius' owl and she pecked at the treats.
"This is Starlight," he said. Then paused. "Yes, I know it's not the most creative name, but I was eight, okay?"
Lily smiled. "She's gorgeous," she said.
The owl finished the treats, then nuzzled her head against Lily's palm.
"She likes you," Scorpius said. "Usually she bites." He smiled. "She has good taste."
"Will you take a message for me, Starlight?" Lily asked, holding up the rolled up parchment. The owl glanced at Scorpius, then bowed her head. Lily fastened the parchment to the owl's foot and scratched behind her neck. "Thank you, girl."
Scorpius took her to one of the open windows. "Where's she going?"
"Take this to George Weasley at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley, and please wait for a response," Lily said.
The owl flew off through the window.
"Now what?" Scorpius asked. He reached out and took her hand again, this time enmeshing his fingers with hers.
"Oh, umm…" Lily hadn't thought much farther in the day. She was so focused on getting an answer from her uncle about how to reverse the potion, she didn't know what to do with him now.
"Want to go get some breakfast?" He asked.
Lily considered being seen with him around other people. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing the way he was behaving with her. She was hungry though. "Fine, we'll get some breakfast," she said. "I need you to promise me something though, okay?"
"Anything," he said, taking both her hands in his. Without hesitation he pressed her knuckles to his lips. Lily gasped. "Sorry," he said, "I just want to be close to you." He held her hands to his cheek.
"Yeah…umm…no," she pulled her hands away. "Listen to me. If we go to breakfast, you can't do that stuff."
"What stuff, my darling?"
"That! Any of it. No cutesy nicknames, no hand hand holding…" she paused as he leaned in close and sniffed her hair. "No hair sniffing!" She said.
"I can't help it," he said.
"Try," she said.
His eyes looked sad again.
"At least until after breakfast," she said. "Please, for me?"
He nodded. "For you."
"Okay, then let's go eat."
They left the Owlery and headed back to the castle. Lily hoped that at this early hour the Great Hall still wouldn't be very full, but she had forgotten it was a Hogsmead day and everyone was up early, eager to get started with their village trip, so by time she and Scorpius entered the Great Hall it was nearly full. Lily spotted Julianne and Kenny sitting with Kale, Maxwell, and Blake, the other second years who occasionally spent time with Julianne and Lily as opposed to Ian and William who chose to exclusively spend time with Cassie and Nicolette.
"Do you maybe want to sit with Geoff and Leo?" Lily asked as Scorpius started following her towards her friends.
"No, why would I want to do that?" He asked.
"Because they're your friends," she said. "And that's who you normally eat with."
"But I want to be with you," he said.
Lily shushed him, hoping no one had heard, but they were close to the table now and there were ears everywhere. "Fine, but just remember what we talked about…"
"I won't smell your hair," he said.
Lily hoped he remembered everything else he wasn't supposed to do as well, but she didn't have anymore time to remind him because Julianne had spotted her and was waving them over.
"Hey! I thought you wouldn't make it to breakfast," Julianne said.
"I wasn't sure," Lily said. She mentally applauded her friend for not drawing attention to the fact that Lily and Scorpius had shown up together. "Got hungry though."
Julianne scooted down on the bench enough to give Lily space between herself and Kale. There hadn't been much space left; it was clear she hadn't expected to see Lily and therefore had not saved her a spot. Scorpius, however, wasn't bothered by the limited space and quickly squeezed onto the bench between Lily and Kale. Julianne and Kale both seemed momentarily surprised by Scorpius' choice to sit with them, but no one said anything.
"Are you going in to town today, Scorpius?" Julianne asked. Lily knew her friend well enough to hear the forced casual curiosity in her tone.
"No," he said simply. "I'm staying with Lily."
Julianne flicked her eyes towards her best friend.
"We're practicing today," Lily quickly tried to cover for Scorpius' statement.
"Practice?" Kale repeated. "I didn't know we had practice today? Did I miss an announcement?"
"No, we're just practicing a bit," Lily said, quickly trying to create a story as she spoke. "Scorpius asked for some extra help with his goal blocking." She smiled at Kale, hoping she sounded convincing, and silently hoped Scorpius wouldn't speak.
"Oh, good, yeah, okay," Kale said, returning to his food.
"Leona and I were going to work on our charms later. Remember? Were you still planning to join us?" Julianne asked.
Lily hesitated. She truly needed to work on her Charms. It was her weakest subject and Julianne and Leona both excelled at it, so any help they offered she knew she should accept. "Yeah, I might. What time are you doing that?"
"She said around eleven," Julianne said. "She was doing something with her brothers this morning."
Lily wondered when she'd hear back from her uncle with a solution for Scorpius. Then she wondered if she could maybe leave him alone for a while, but when she glanced sideways towards him and realized he was staring at her, not even touching his food, she knew he was not allowed to be alone.
"Aren't you hungry?" She asked him.
He shook his head.
"Stop staring at me," she whispered to him, hoping Julianne wouldn't overhear.
He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Your lips are so perfect."
"Stop it," she whispered back, trying to control the blush rising up her neck.
"I want to kiss you," he said suddenly.
"Stop it!" She whispered more harshly.
"Did you say something?" Julianne asked.
Lily shook her head. "No, you know what, I think we're actually going to get started on practice so I can try and make it in time to study with you later," Lily said. She stood quickly and tugged on Scorpius' sleeve.
"You barely ate," Julianne said.
Lily quickly picked up a bagel and slathered it in cream cheese. "I'm good," she said. She spied a plate of lox and slipped some into her satchel for Styx. Then pocketed a small handful of sugar cubes. "I'll try to catch up with you in the library, alright?"
"Alright," Julianne said, though she was eyeing Lily suspiciously.
"Come on," Lily said to Scorpius. He followed her without a word, but as soon as they passed through the doors into the main hall, he reached out and grasped her hand. "Scorpius!" She looked around quickly, hoping no one had seen.
"I was good, right? I did what you asked?" He said. "Are you happy with me?"
Lily again felt that tug of sympathy for his pathetically desperate behavior. "Yes, Scorpius," she said. "You did what I asked." She let him continue to hold her hand, but she also realized they would need to move away from any potential of running into people. "Let's go visit Little Flower."
Scorpius agreed easily and they headed outside again. She split the bagel in half and gave half to him, knowing he hadn't had any breakfast. As they walked and ate he continued holding her free hand with his, and she continued to try and ignore how comforting it felt. Lily had never held hands with a boy before, other than Louis or Teddy when she was little at least, but that was hardly the same.
"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"You're tense," he said. "Your hand's tense, and your jaw is clenched all tight, and you keep licking your lips like that…"
"Would you stop staring at me so much?" She said. "It's weird." She hadn't realized how tense she was.
"You're just so beautiful, I can't help myself," he said.
Even though she knew it was just the potion talking, she blushed.
They reached Little Flower's pen, found the young unicorn resting as she had been the previous time they visited, and entered it slowly. Little Flower lifted her head when they entered and let out a soft whinny.
"Hi girl," Lily crooned, approaching slowly. She released Scorpius' hand and held hers out towards the unicorn. Little Flower pressed her soft nose against Lily's palm and Lily took it as her acceptance. She stroked Little Flower's head softly and gave her a kiss on the flat part between her eyes. "I've missed you sweetheart." Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the sugar cubes. Little Flower took it eagerly and Lily sat down beside her, settling in on the mound of hay, setting her bag with Styx still snuggly inside, on the hay beside herself.
Scorpius only waited a moment before sitting beside Lily, so close their legs were touching. They sat for a moment quietly as Little Flower readjusted her position with their intrusion, then finally settled down with her nose resting on Lily's leg.
"You're so good with her," Scorpius said. "You're so gentle, and kind, and…" he let out a deep sigh and didn't say anything else, but suddenly he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her even more tightly against his body. "You're just perfect."
"Scorpius…" Lily's body tensed against his.
His hand now resting on her arm, hugged her gently and his nose nuzzled against her hair. "You smell like flowers," he said.
"It's my perfume," she said, trying to ignore the way heart was beating faster. "It was a gift from my cousin Victoire."
"The one that's dating your brother, yeah?" Scorpius said.
Lily nodded. "You remember that?"
"I remember everything you say," he said.
She paused and stared at him, not entirely sure it was just the potion talking now. "Well, umm, yeah, Vic is very into that whole fashion, makeup, world…she took me shopping over holiday for some new clothes and makeup and things." Lily didn't know why she was saying all this to Scorpius. She wasn't on a potion. She didn't need to be honest with him.
"You look really good," he said. "You always look good though."
"Thank you," Lily said.
"Like really good," he said again, his mouth now so close to her face she could feel his breath against her skin. He took a long strand of her hair and wound it around his finger, pulling it up against his lips. "Your hair is like rubies."
She felt her breath catching in her throat and wasn't sure if she could respond.
"I've never seen hair like yours. Not ever," he said.
"My brothers say it looks like blood," Lily said. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to tell him that, but she just needed to say something.
He rolled his eyes. "Your brothers are idiots."
Lily laughed suddenly.
"Oh!" He said. "Do that again!"
"Do what again?" Lily asked, her eyes wide and her lips turned up in a smile.
"Laugh," he said. "Your laugh is incredible."
She rolled her eyes. "This is getting ridiculous."
"Did I make you mad?" He asked, pulling away from her slightly. "I didn't mean to. I never want to make you mad, not ever." His voice started rising and she felt his hand tensing on her shoulder.
"It's okay," she said quickly. "You didn't make me mad." She placed her hand on his leg in what she hoped was a calming matter. "It's okay."
He grasped her hand with his free one. "I never want to see you upset or hurting," he said.
Lily smiled at his sincerity. "Thank you," she said.
Suddenly Scorpius released her hand and moved his hand to stroke her cheek. He brushed a piece of hair away from her forehead. "You are the most beautiful person in this world," he said. He leaned towards her suddenly and she turned her head away.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.
"I want to kiss you," he said.
"Umm, no!" Lily said. She stood up quickly, shaking his arm away from her shoulders and putting distance between herself and Scorpius. "You are not allowed to kiss me."
"But I want to! I need to," Scorpius said. "It's all I can think about. Please!"
"Absolutely not," she said, firmly. She decided that she had indulged him too much, and very likely given him the wrong idea. "No more hand holding either," she said. "You need boundaries."
For a moment, his face contorted into such an extreme expression of pain, she thought he might cry. He stood up and moved towards her, then fell to his knees directly in front of her, grasped both her hands in his, and dropped his head onto her hands. "Please don't be mad with me," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "Please! I couldn't bare it if you were mad at me."
"I'm…I'm not mad at you," she said slowly. "I just don't want you to kiss me!"
"But, I'm in love with you Lily! Please!" He pressed his lips to her hands and she rolled her eyes.
"This is pathetic," she muttered. "Get up," she said, pulling her hands away from him. "We're going to the pitch." She decided that if they were flying, he at least wouldn't be able to try and kiss her again.
"Whatever you say, my precious ruby," he said.
She stopped momentarily at the sound of his new nickname for her, but decided not to comment on it. She returned to Little Flower briefly, gave her the last of the sugar cubes and kissed her on the top of her head, just in front of her golden horn.
"I'll come back and visit later, dear one," she said. Little Flower acknowledged her with a soft whinny and Lily left with Scorpius following closely behind her.
They were almost to the pitch when Lily spotted Scorpius' large white owl flying towards them. She pointed her out to Scorpius and they waited for the owl to arrive. She landed gracefully on Scorpius' outstretched arm. Lily retrieved the note the owl carried.
"Thank you, Starlight," Lily said. She stroked the owl's feathers gently.
Starlight pecked the top of Scorpius' head in a farewell and then flew off towards the Owlery.
Lily opened the letter eagerly and read through her Uncle George's short note. Then she frowned.
"You're unhappy," Scorpius said. "Why are you unhappy?"
Lily sighed. "I didn't get the answer I was hoping for," she said. "Uncle George says I just have to wait out the potion. He says it can take anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours to wear off by itself. It depends on how much she used on you and…" she frowned. "How attractive the object of desire is."
"Object of desire," he repeated. "That's you. You're what I desire." He leaned towards her again for a kiss and she again moved away.
"Yes, that's me," she said, sighing deeply.
"Well you're the most beautiful witch in the world," he said.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay. Plan B," she said. "Come on."
"I thought we were going to fly?" He said.
"Nope, new plan," she said. "We're going to make a potion."