Lilac walked slowly and thoughtfully up the narrow lane of Gypsy Bottom towards her house. Her mind was swirling with images of all that had taken place with her friends. Marcus and Jacob Belton were wizards, and Marcus' girlfriend Michaela was a witch! The Snape family had magical and non-magical relatives in England! Jacob said that she was harboring an obscurus. Dad said that those beings were dark and dangerous—the very magic that her mother wanted to destroy.
"Lilac!" she jumped with a yelp and turned to see Saheli jogging up the road. "Didn't mean to startle you. I was looking for you. Where'd you disappear to?" The dark-skinned girl caught up with Lilac and took her hand, lacing their fingers.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I—" she couldn't think of a plausible lie. "Albus and Scorpius showed up, and they'd never been to the reservoir before. They were asking about the trails and stuff. I guess I got a bit caught up, showing them around the park. By the time we got back, it was over." Half the truth was better than a complete lie, right?
"It's okay. I left early. My dad made me babysit my stupid brothers so he could drive my mom and sister to Wichita to be fitted for engagement outfits."
"What about you?" Lilac asked.
"Mom already had me measured for a sari. Yaay," she cheered flatly, rolling her eyes. Saheli pulled her through the open gate of an empty vacation house. They ran along the privacy fence that separated the property from the next house until they were hidden from passersby on the road, and Lilac pressed her against the wooden siding.
"Do you think we'll have a fancy wedding like Maya's?" Lilac asked. She brushed her lips over Saheli's.
"Yeah, right! Who'd be there? My family certainly wouldn't come!" Saheli scoffed.
"My dad might sneak away to be there," said Lilac.
"You're lucky. So you told him, then?"
"Um, no. Not yet." Lilac grimaced with embarrassment. "I want to—and I've come close a few times lately, but…I dunno. I'd like to believe Daddy would be okay about it. Not like Ma. I can't tell her anything without her finding some way to turn it into something shameful!"
"I'm just getting tired of sneaking around. I can't wait until we go to college."
"Same. I wish we didn't have to wait so long."
"What are you saying, Lilac?" Saheli gave her a look.
"I don't know. Forget it." She kissed the other girl. "I'd better go. Wanna meet before school to rehears for Solo and Ensemble? I can text Marcus and Scorpius."
"I guess."
Lilac walked with Saheli back to the main road, and the two shared a quick kiss before Saheli jogged back to the docks where she met her Uber driver, and the driver gave her a lift back to her house.
"What's going on here?" Saheli asked, noting the cars parked out front.
"I don't know, but I haven't got a very good feeling about it," Lilac scowled. She gave Saheli a quick peck. "See you tomorrow."
She heard the shouting the moment that she stepped onto the deck at the rear of the house.
"Just who the hell do you think you are?"
"The word and the law are very clear on such matters!"
"Dad?" Lilac slid open the glass door and stepped into the living room.
"Well, if you don't believe me then just ask her!" Eric yelled.
"Ask me what?"
"Harry—Harry, wait!" Draco leaned away from Harry and the mind-numbing kiss.
"I—what?" Harry looked at him in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"I was—we were kissing, weren't we?"
"Yes. Yes, we were. Why?"
"What do you mean, 'why?' I—we—" Harry stammered.
"Exactly." Draco turned away from him. "Harry, I know how I feel. I've known what I've been feeling for years. You…you're still sorting it out. You're still married—"
"Separated," Harry corrected.
"It doesn't matter!" Draco turned back to him. "I can't subject my heart to a careless whim!"
His voice was tremulous as he spoke. Draco's mind and body were at war. Reason told him that he mustn't proceed with haste. Lust was insisting that he immediately act with passion and succumb to the strong arms and warm, soft lips that he'd so hurriedly abandoned.
"I don't act on whims, Draco."
"Don't you?" Draco conjured a remembrall and tossed it to him.
"I believe you'll recall that my actions were in direct response to your instigation." Harry raised a brow, vanishing the delicate glass ball. He took a step forward. "Maybe I don't know what I'm feeling. Who really ever does? I just—you can't ask me to stuff the genie back into the bottle now that you've unleashed it!"
"My god, man! Why would I put a genie in a bottle? That's far too small!"
"What? It's a saying—never mind. Still, you can't argue the fact that the nature of our relationship has been altered yet again."
"I will concede that point." Draco replied with a nod.
"So…" Harry pursed his lips. "Perhaps we carefully explore what that means for us?" he suggested.
"I suppose I would be willing to consider the idea of initiating a liaison."
"Alright then. How do you propose we go about it?" Harry asked.
"We begin here." Draco took his hand and pulled him close, brushing his lips across his. "We begin now."
"What's going on?" Lilac looked from her father to the other men in the room.
"Lilac!" She spun around to see her mother charging into the room, followed by Melissa Parris and Harlowe Cain. "I know what's been going on!" she cried, pointing an accusing finger.
"What are you talking about?" Lilac stared at her mother, panic welling in her chest. "Did she know about the magic? Dad?" She turned back to Eric.
"Always indulging her whims!" Toviyah spat. "Allowing her to flout God's teachings! You think I didn't know about you luring her out into the night!"
"What?" Lilac blinked in disbelief.
"Toviyah." Harlowe wrapped an arm around her, and Melissa went to Lilac, gently taking her hands.
"Honey, no one blames you of course. You're just a child. We know you love your father—" Melissa gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Wait a minute!" Lilac recoiled from the woman's grasp. "You think Daddy was—eww! He would never! What's wrong with you people?"
"Lilac, you don't have to protect him," said Tarquin.
"I'm not protecting him, because I don't have to!" Lilac's voice was low and menacing. The lights began to flicker and a window blew open.
"Wha—oh, my Lord! What the devil! Father almighty!" the assembled adults exclaimed.
"Oh, no! Dad, I'm—I didn't mean to—" Lilac's skin prickled with goosebumps.
"Lilac!" Eric cut her off. "Go to your room, and stay there until I tell you otherwise!"
"I—"
"Go!" he hissed.
Lilac ran from the room and raced up the stairs, a cacophony of raised voices behind her. She caught a glimpse of bright red light as she closed her bedroom door.
"Oh, God! Oh, God!" she whimpered, hugging herself as she slid to the floor, her back against the door.
She wasn't certain if the yelling had ceased, or the roar of her pulse in her ears had drowned out the noise. All that Lilac could hear for several minutes was her father's muffled voice, punctuated by short moments of silence. After a time, the voices resumed, though much more subdued, and Lilac was startled to even hear laughter. Shortly thereafter, the voices grew louder, and Lilac could clearly hear her parents bidding the guests good night, the front door opening and closing. She continued to sit, chewing nervously on her lip, until she heard footsteps on the stairs, and finally a soft knock at the door.
"Lilac."
"Dad?" She scrambled to her feet, replying in an urgent whisper.
"It's alright, kiddo. Open the door." Lilac hastily complied, and when her father stepped into the room, tears began to stream down her face.
"I'm sorry, Daddy. I don't know what happened! They were just—and mom—and I didn't know what to—"
Eric took his daughter into his embrace, consoling her with a light kiss on the top of her head.
"It's alright, puddin'. I took care of it. No one will ever bring it up again." She looked up at him. He returned her gaze with a raised brow. "Where's your wand?"
"My wand? It-it's hidden, like you told me to—"
"I think I've made a mistake, Lilac." Eric took her hands. "I made you promise not to give yourself away, to hide your magic."
Lilac went to the closet and retrieved the battered flute case.
"You said it was the law," looked up at him in confusion.
"It is, but—I didn't think things through properly, hon. I realize now, that you have been repressing your magic, not concealing it. Holding back against your magical urges is dangerous, Lilac. The energy that you would normally expend through occasional accidental magic or simple incantations becomes intertwined with your emotions."
"Am I an obscurial, Dad?"
"No, honey! No, but after what happened today, I realize that I have fallen short in teaching you what you need to know, and it's clear that we haven't been as careful as we thought." Eric sighed. "Lilac, you must guard your wand and your magic as if it was your virtue, do you understand?" He gave his daughter a hard look.
"Yes, Daddy." She nodded enthusiastically.
"Good." He took the case from her and opened it. Lilac extended her hand, and the pine wand leapt into it. She sighed as a surge of energy coursed from her fingertips throughout her body.
Scorpius exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as Albus kissed a trail along the side of his neck. He twined his fingers in his dark hair.
"Merlin's wand!" he breathlessly exclaimed.
Albus rocked his hips down against his, his breath hitching at the sensation of Scorpius' manhood nudging against his own.
"I can—I can feel you!" Albus whispered. He looked down at Scorpius, who wore an awestruck expression, his eyelids heavy. His breath came out in short bursts. "Are you…are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," Scorpius breathed. He lifted his hips, rocking into him. Albus moaned softly, and responded in kind. Scorpius gasped. "Oh!" He clung tightly to him.
"Merlin!" Albus declared. "I—do you—do you l-like—" he stammered.
"I—I—oh! Yes! I—do—do—" Scorpius could barely manage the question.
"Yes, I—"
Scorpius rolled atop Albus, and the two young wizards held one another desperately, frotting and kissing on the large bed.
"Scorpius, I—ohmigod! I—I—" Albus panted. He shuddered with release, and shoved Scorpius away from him, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, his face etched with worry. Albus turned away from him.
"I—erm…" Albus stood, awkwardly pulling his shirttails down. He kept his back to Scorpius.
"What? You—ohh! Really?" Scorpius asked in wonder.
"What the hell? Do you have to say it like that?" Albus grumbled. He took a deep breath and quietly muttered a cleaning spell, sighing with relief when it worked.
"But…isn't that—I mean—you liked it didn't you?"
"Well…yeah…but you didn't—" Albus continued to grip the hem of his shirt as he turned tentatively towards Scorpius.
"It's not exactly as if you gave me the opportunity." Scorpius grimaced.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm er…I'm glad you…" At a loss for words, Scorpius let the thought linger.
They sat on opposite sides of the rumpled bed, avoiding one another's gaze.
"Erm…have you ever thought about—" Albus began.
"What it would be like to—" Scorpius cut him off.
"—Yeah." Albus finished. "I wouldn't even know how to—"
"Me either." They sat in contemplative silence for a few moments.
"Say, Scorpius, you weren't—I mean, did you want to—"
"No! I mean…I don't know. I—well, maybe not just yet." Scorpius felt his cheeks grow warm as they reddened.
"Yeah, me either." Silence. "D'you want something to eat?" Albus turned to him.
"I'm starving!" Scorpius replied with enthusiasm.