I felt Lorcan put his arm around me as I pulled my sweater down that was riding up. We were on our first trip to Hogsmeade for the year. Hugo and Shania were already down in the village and Lysander was talking up a sixth year Hufflepuff. We had just found our way into the Three Broomsticks and Lorcan went to get us some drinks when Zabini walked over and sat in his chair. I blinked a few times looking at him, as he smiled. That was one thing I wasn't going to miss when I leave, stupid Slytherins. "Can I help you find a different table?" I asked, or rather demanded.

He flashed his smile at me and leaned on the table. "Quidditch was good to you this summer Potter," He smiled picking up a lock of my hair. I slapped his hand away.

"You have two seconds to tell me why you are here before I blast you back to the dungeons."

"I'm only a messenger Potter, although," he smirked. I knew that smirk, or rather who he learned it from. That didn't help his case any.

"What message," I demanded rolling my eyes.

"It is more than a message, more like you need to follow me."

I let out a laugh, "In your dreams."

"I'm not playing games, follow." He stood up, pushing the chair in Lorcan's way.

"I'll be right back; I need to slaughter a snake real fast." I followed him out of the shop and down an ally; I pulled out my wand and turned the corner and lost Zabini, but saw someone else.

I shook my head and turned back around. "Lily, wait," I felt Malfoy's hand on my arm. I yanked it loose.

"No, it's still Potter to you Malfoy," I snarled at him. He looked away from me then back up with his stormy grey eyes. "What do you want?"

"To see you," he told me, his gaze still pulling that part of my soul that he has a way to capture.

"You could have seen me in the month after your birthday, or at one of my games, before or after practices. Or I don't know, after your Dad left your apartment!"

"What do you think we did when you left? Made a pot of tea and talked about how happy he was to find out about us? That I could just come over to your parents' house, oh, wait, they don't know about us either."

"Didn't," I snapped back. "They didn't know about us and they don't have to ever know."

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't write, you didn't even talk, and you think we are still in a relationship!" I snapped I didn't know this moment would ever come, but here it is and I am not holding back.

"It wasn't exactly like you opened up the line of communication Potter."

"You weren't the one who had to wait!"

"And you aren't the one who had to explain to your parents why you had been hiding a relationship with someone whose parents they hated when they were at school!" I could feel my chest falling up and down. "You didn't have to read in a newspaper article that the person you care for tell the whole world they were single."

"What was I supposed to say?" I cried out. "We hadn't spoken in weeks and she was pressuring me for an answer."

"Then you should have told her!"

"Told her what? What should I have said Malfoy? That I was seeing someone and he blew me off!"

"I didn't blow you off! I wrote at least ten letters to you before you told the world we weren't together."

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded. "I didn't get any letters, or a note, or anything!"

"I wrote you ten letters until the article came out!" He let out a frustrated sigh and I shook my head.

"No, I didn't get any letters!" I snapped back.

"What do you mean you never got any of my letters," He huffed.

"Well, then we have nothing to worry about, have a nice life," I told him turning around to walk down the alley. I am trying to keep my cool. I really am. I want to go back up to the Castle and sit in the Common Room and be alone.

I felt Malfoy come in front of me, stopping me on my way to the Castle. "In my letters," he started catching his breath. "I said—I don't want to lose you." I felt his fingers on my cheek. "I can't stop thinking about you."

"Then why wait this long?" I said looking away from him. I am a Gryffindor, I do not show weakness. "Why wait to see me?"

"When could I?" He pleaded. "I want to move on, I want to move forward. I don't want to hide this anymore." He had my hands in his now, shaking our hands together in the cool breeze. "I love you and I'm not letting you walk away from me, or let anyone tell me that I can't be with you."

He loved me. Did I hear that right? Did Malfoy just tell me he loved me because he loved me? Or to end our fight? I looked away from him and felt his long fingers back on my chin. "You love me?" I managed to get out a small squeak.

"I think I always have. I love you and I'm not just saying it because everything got messed up. I am saying it because I want to spend every day, someday waking up to see you next to me. There is no one else I would rather spend my time with, and I'm not letting a stupid last name stand in the way of that."

"I think your Dad already said that was impossible." I said shaking his amazing words out of my head.

"I don't care, my Father will come around, and so will everyone else. Lily please, stop arguing with me, because I know you feel the same."

"How would you know that?" I mustered up the courage to say.

He let out a small laugh, "Because I know you. Because I know you and your wall that you put up. I love you."

I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, and it was like when we hated one another, when I would rather have a toad with warts this close to me. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest when he is this close to me. I feel that feeling in the pit of my stomach that I used to have when I played Quidditch; when it was the most important thing in the world to me.

I looked up to see his cheeks rosy from the cold, the tenderness back into his grey eyes. "I love you too," I told him. "But that doesn't change things. It doesn't change everyone else."

"Potter, I don't care if I have to fight off the whole Auror department, the whole Weasley clan, and your three brothers, nothing like that will ever keep me away from you again."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but I felt his lips on mine. The intoxicating feeling of having him close to me consumed me. Just like our first kiss, the electric pulse that made my whole body come to life at his touch. I pulled him closer using the loops on his loose jeans. I felt his cold fingers on the back of my neck, holding me in the moment.

I felt my feet moving backwards as Malfoy pushed me against the wall, his hands pulling my legs around his strong body holding me against it and himself. The cold stone felt nice on my now hot skin. I had my legs wrapped around him, kissing him like…well, like I hadn't kissed him in months. I felt his lips on my neck as I pulled off his jacket as he brought his lips back to mine. I could feel our chest moving against one another, as if nothing had ever happened.

"I love you," I heard him say as I bit down on his bottom lip; that made him push me harder onto the wall, his knees bend.

I put my feet back on the ground pulling away from him, our foreheads touching; my eyes closed remembering what it felt like to be near him, to feel his breathing next to mine perfectly in sync. "Christmas," I whispered. "We tell everyone before Christmas."

"What a great present for them," He teased.

"Or for me," I said kissing him quickly again. "I should go meet everyone; they will think I left Zabini."

"You should or," he told me, looking into my eyes, his voice light, "come with me."

"They will know if I leave," I said lacing our fingers together as he leaned down and kissed me again.

"We won't leave the village, where is your sense of adventure?" I could hear the teasing in his voice as I pushed against him away from the wall, kissing him.

"Let me go tell everyone I'm leaving then," I said in between kisses. Finally, I pulled away and taking his hand lead him out of the alley stopping randomly to kiss one another.

I reached the side of The Three Broomsticks to see Shania, Hugo, and Lorcan sitting down at the table all talking. I let go of Malfoy's hand and walked in and ordered two Butterbeers to go before I went to the table. Shania gave me a funny look. Maybe it was because my ponytail was not as tight on my head as it was when I left this morning. "Hey," I said with a little too much excitement in my voice.

"Hey yourself," Hugo said holding onto Shania's hand while they all stared at me with different expressions.

"Where have you been for the last ten minutes? You left with Zabini," Lorcan informed me. I bit my swollen lip.

"I-urm, well, I have to go, something came up and—"

"We are your best mates, stop lying," Hugo said bitterly.

I closed my eyes, I should tell them the truth, and it would be a small baby step. Shania already knows, "Malfoy's here."

They all stared.

"We have been-well, we were dating, and then his Dad caught us and now we're back together. I am going to go see him, see you later!" I told them spinning on my heel, taking my Butterbeers out the door and around the corner running into Malfoy.

He gave me a strange look as I drank half of my drink. "Lily?" I heard Hugo's voice as he looked between Malfoy and me in slight disbelief.

I looked over to them. Shania was smiling brightly, Hugo looked confused and Lorcan looked like I had smashed his new baby owl with my Quidditch boots. "Hello," Malfoy said as Hugo blinked a few times.

"Lil," Hugo started rubbing his eyes. "I thought I saw, but I thought I was seeing things."

"When?" Shania and I ask at the same time.

"James' wedding," Hugo said taking a step forward poking Malfoy in the arm, then pulling his finger back. "In your room, I thought I saw you with someone, bloody hell, Uncle Harry is going to lose it. Who else knows?"

I looked to Malfoy who sighed, "My parents, now you lot."

"Quinn and Teddy know."

"Teddy!" Hugo said shaking his head. "Like our cousin who is your brother Teddy?"

"Yes, look, we are going, I'll be back later, and if I'm not back in time for curfew cover for me?" I pleaded looking at Lorcan. A.K.A Head Boy.

He let out a sigh and nodded, "Don't push it."

I went over and gave him a hug, feeling his body stiffen. I pulled away and left my friends whispering as we headed away from the village and to the open fields. The leaves were changing their colors and we were surrounded by the wonderful shades of yellow, red, and green. We had our hands laced together as we made our way.

"When should we tell my parents?" I asked as we walked under a tree and sat under it. I put my head on his chest feeling his steady heartbeat.

"Before they have to speak to mine I bet." He told me wrapping his arms around me, kissing my head. "I don't know how many more times I can dodge your Father and James at work."

"Then the party at your parents' house?" I sighed, closing my eyes as he kissed my head. "We are going to need a plan."

"Alright I can just barge in on your family dinner and pull you out of your chair and kiss you senseless." I could feel the smirk on his face before I looked up to see it. I kissed him gently before shaking my head.

"I want you alive not dead."

"Then what is your idea?"

"Simple, appeal to their senses," I told him as he gave me a look. I nuzzled my head back on his chest. "Let's not worry about it now."