Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.
Note – Here's another update. Not as long as I would have liked, but I thought this would be the perfect place to end it, and a perfect birthday gift to myself! So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. There are some important moments in this chapter, ones that you've probably been waiting for, some unexpected but fun. So read and enjoy.
Rebel Malfoy
Chapter Twenty-Six: Too Hard to Standby
Scorpius scowled a bit as he read the letter in his hands. It was from Lily, but it wasn't exactly filled with good news.
"Dear Scor,
I hope the rest of your summer has gone better than mine has. My dad saw the magazines your mum put my photos in, and surprise, he flipped out. I'm staying with my grandparents until we both cool off . . . Well, actually, I technically ran away to my grandparents. Thankfully, it worked out, and I'm allowed to stay with them for a bit.
But brighter topics; Has Mitch gotten to see your hair? You said he was the one that sent the dye to you. I can only imagine his excitement, haha.
Please write something back. I'm dying with boredom lately.
Your friend,
Lily"
Scorpius desperately wanted to go see her, and make sure she was really ok. But he knew that if he did that, she'd think he worried too much and then she'd just poke fun at him. Besides, she apparently had it handled.
"She's fine, Scor," Mitch mentioned from where he sat on Scorpius's bed. He had been excited at how Scorpius's hair had turned out. "Stop worrying about her."
"Hard not to," he mumbled.
Mitch grinned. "Well then why don't you go see her, sweep her off her feet with your kind heart and concern, and go out with the girl already?"
Scorpius gave his friend a dry look and raised a brow. "Sweep Lily off her feet?"
"Point taken, but you should be active!" Mitch insisted. "If I'd stayed put, I'd have never gotten Dom. Weak hearts don't win fair ladies . . . or something like that."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "That is not how that goes."
"Hey, it's some muggle saying that I barely remember from class, give me a break," Mitch joked. "But seriously, if you don't make a move, someone will. Remember what happened with my brother?"
"And if she doesn't feel the same way?" Scorpius argued calmly.
"You should never live without trying. Xavier just gave it a shot not knowing, and look how it turned out for him. They dated a few months before they decided they were better as friends. If he can do it, then you can," Mitch said with certainty.
But for the first time . . . Scorpius just wasn't so sure.
"Scorpius, dear, you've been so quiet since we've been back. I'd have expected you to be out with your friends day after day," Astoria commented lightly at dinner. "Instead you've been quietly brooding around the manor."
Scorpius scowled. "I'm not brooding," he mumbled. "Just a lot on my mind is all."
"Like what?" Astoria inquired.
"Astoria, let the boy have his thoughts," Draco mentioned, giving his son a knowing look.
Scorpius almost groaned. How did his father know what was going through his mind? "Yes, it's nothing, Mother."
"If you're sure," Astoria sniffed. "By the way, I'll be inviting Lily over to do a photo shoot soon. Will you be around? Perhaps you could spend some time together?"
Scorpius looked down to his plate, not wanting his mother to see through him and his excitement at the news. "Maybe," he said with a shrug.
"She's such a sweet girl. And already so popular around the fashion magazines! I have so many asking for me to do another shoot with her. The first ones sold so well!" Astoria said happily.
"Probably to a lot of Slytherins," Scorpius mentioned casually. "She's popular in the House."
"I'm sure that's something Potter would love to hear about his daughter," Draco chuckled.
Scorpius scowled in mild confusion at first before his father's words, and his own, dawned on him. Sold well. Bought by Slytherins. How many of the guys had bought or looked at those magazine spreads of her? The idea sent a burning anger through his chest, and his fist clenched around his fork.
"Scorpius, dear, something wrong?" Astoria asked with true concern as she looked at him.
Scorpius continued to scowl, his jaw tense. "Nothing," he grumbled.
But he groaned with his mother's face brightened. "You do like her!" Scorpius dropped his head onto the table. "I knew it! Oh, you two will be so cute!"
"Mum!" Scorpius stopped her quickly. "Please, don't say anything about it to her. Let me handle my life."
But his mother was still smiling happily. "Of course, dear. But it's so exciting!"
Needless to say, Scorpius decided to go out with Mitch the day his mother brought Lily over for a photo shoot. The last thing he needed was for her to have a chance and play matchmaker.
Scorpius smirked at the ring resting in the palm of his hand. It was a ring that looked so similar. Many of the Slytherins had a ring with the House crest on it, and Scorpius figured that he'd be the one to give Lily hers. He even made sure that her name was engraved in it. He carefully set it in a tiny box, and took the time to carefully and beautifully wrap it. He planned to give to her at Christmas. Sure, it was a long ways away, but thought Christmas would be the best time for something so intricate and personal for the members of their House.
"Young Master? You've got a letter."
Scorpius turned his head to see a house elf waiting by his open door. He gave an assuring smile. "Thank you, Yip. Who's it from?"
The elf brightened a little as he hurried over to him. "It's from a Miss Lily Potter," he informed as he gave it to Scorpius.
Now Scorpius brightened. "Perfect! Thank you again!" Scorpius quickly opened it up. For some reason, it'd been a few weeks since Lily had written him a letter. He'd begun to worry a little at first, but had pushed it aside. Considering what she'd been going through with her father, she was probably distracted and busy.
"Dear Scorpius,
Sorry I took so long to write back. I've been a little busy lately. But I'm just as eager to go back to school as you are. I may not have to deal with Lucius, but I have two brothers in the house.
I've been doing my best to spend time outside the house instead. So I've been hanging out with others. I went to Lola's and got to meet her other siblings. I've also begun to date Lysander again, honestly. We've talked things out, and we're going to give it another go…
Scorpius stopped reading at that, and felt his chest tightened and his heart squeeze. Scamander, again? Was this fate's way of playing a sick joke on him? His jaw tightened. What was so damn special about that boy? He was weak, couldn't even stand up and defend her from her brothers, and not the greatest looking either!
Scorpius scowled as he looked back to the gift he got her. He may not be the best guy in the world, but he was a much better choice! He was smart, handsome, charming, brave and strong enough to defend her physically and verbally, not to mention they already got along so well! They . . . well they were perfect for each other!
Scorpius smirked as he went ahead to finish wrapping the gift. It was simple, in his mind. He'd just have to prove that he was the better choice! He'd just have to get Lily to realize what they could be together, kick Scamander to the lake, and then they'd get together.
"Simple," he whispered as he finished the bow. "So simple."
"And you are refusing to let me go find Lily because?" Scorpius demanded as Lana dragged him through the Hogwarts Express. It was now the beginning of the new school year, and the prefect meeting had just ended. He'd wanted to go find Lily and begin his plan, but Lana seemed determined to do otherwise.
"Because you are so not ready for this!" Lana disagreed as she dragged him by the wrist. Dante walked beside him, not helping and risking Lana biting his head off.
"Not ready for what?" Scorpius retorted dryly.
"To play charming," Lana quipped. "If you go in there, I know what will happen. You will come on too strong and too obvious. You're not ready for subtle yet!"
"And when will I be ready?" Scorpius mocked.
Lana looked back at him and grinned. "I plan to have you ready by the end of the train ride."
Now Scorpius raised a brow. "So, you're ok with my trying to break them up?"
"That kid is no good," Lana stated. "I mean . . . he's probably a good guy, but not for Lily. She needs someone that can stand beside her when faced with all her problems and the hatred thrown at her. That kid, he'll just step aside or stand behind her like a coward. And my friend deserves better. Like you."
Scorpius smirked. "Well thank you, sister."
"No problem, brother," Lana replied.
But Scorpius felt like he'd walked into a trap when he saw that the compartment Lana pulled him into was filled with girls. Tamara Nott, Miley Flint and Amanda Baddock. Dante whistled. "And this is where I depart. Later!" He was gone before Scorpius could say a word.
Lana didn't seem to care. She just dragged Scorpius in and sat him down between her and Amanda. "Ok, let's get started."
"Oh, boy," Scorpius mumbled.
"Ok, first rule," Amanda started, "don't take every opportunity to be around her."
Scorpius scowled. "What? But . . . why?"
"Because you don't always spend every minute of the day with her," Amanda replied. "You have to seem normal. So spend just a little less time around her. And when you are around her, that's when you bring on the charm."
"But don't be overpowering and overdo it," Miley added. "Then it becomes obvious and potentially awkward at first. You don't want too much charm until a bit later in the game, after her and the Scamander kid start to dissolve."
"That moment is key," Tamara told him. "Once their relationship weakens, she'll start to notice and pay attention to other boys that catch her interest."
"Hearing this makes me feel a bit like a dick toward Scamander," Scorpius muttered.
"Too bad, all's fair in love and war," Lana dismissed. "Besides, it's not like you're planning to seduce her or anything. Just trying to get her to see that you are better than him."
Scorpius sighed. "Ok, so how do I know when they're relationship is weakening?"
"Is Lily ever subtle?" Amanda pointed out.
"And you two are very good friends. She'll talk to you about those things," Lana commented. "So you have the edge here. You will know when they fight, what he did that made her mad, and when she's starting to lose interest. You also have a chance of sharing a few classes with Scamander, which will enable you to watch him and basically spy on him. That way when Lily does talk to you about fights, you can sneakily present what you've seen."
Scorpius nodded. These were all good things, but . . . "How is it that girls can make something so simple sound like a high-risk mission for a hit wizard?" he mocked with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.
"Because we take everything seriously," Tamara stated.
"Unlike boys, who are clumsy and impulsive," Miley said firmly.
"We're smarter," Amanda said simply.
"Which is why you're getting advice from us," Lana added.
Scorpius was starting to fear what he was getting himself into.
Scorpius did as the girls had said, but by the lunch the next day, he wished he hadn't. At breakfast, he'd sat with the guys, and oddly didn't see Lily at all during breakfast. But he saw her at lunch, with bruises on one side of her face.
"What the hell happened to her!" he hissed, ready to stand up and ask her himself.
"I heard from Dante that some Gryffindor girls attacked her this morning," Will told him quickly. "He didn't say who, but he did say that she apparently already has a plan for revenge."
"Gryffindor girls?" Scorpius muttered through a tense jaw.
Will hesitated, but then sighed. "He also said that James Potter was behind it."
Scorpius went hunting for the pompous twit directly after lunch. It wasn't hard to find him, flanked on either side by his cronies. Scorpius quickly pulled out his wand. "Everte Statum!" Potter went flying meters ahead of himself, spinning in the air before landing with a crash and tumbling over himself. The few other students in the corridor stopped in shock, and Potter's kittens looked at him in surprise. Potter . . . well Potter was just furious.
But Scorpius quicker. "You think you're a big man, Potter?" he sneered. "Think it's wise to mess with Slytherins? Who knew you could be stupider than you were last year!"
Potter was quickly standing up, his own wand coming out. "You'll pay for that, Malfoy!"
"Oh, shut it!" Scorpius snapped, stopping the other Gryffindors in their tracks. "I'm not interested in hearing you talk a big game! I'm here for one thing only!"
"Which is to get to class."
Now everyone froze, Scorpius included. He turned to see Professor Bell approaching them, looking at the scene with a raised brow. Scorpius lowered his wand immediately, but didn't bother looking humbled or apologetic. He was none of those things at the moment.
Professor Bell didn't seem amused. "I don't know how it started or why, but this little argument has ended. Everyone continue on to class. Mr. Malfoy, do I have to escort you?"
Scorpius sighed. "No, professor, you don't."
"Good," Professor Bell retorted as she walked past him. "Then move along. All of you."
But Scorpius glared at Potter one last time. "This isn't over, Potter. You'll get what's coming to you."
Scorpius tried to talk to Lily later that day, but it was like he couldn't find her. A Gryffindor girl, Jessica Alexander, had been found hanging upside down in a corridor that evening, her skirt around her waist with her knickers visible to all. And he had a feeling in his gut that Lily was behind it.
He didn't get the chance to talk to her until the afternoon break the second day of class. But she didn't talk. She just sat there, doing homework. But Scorpius finally couldn't take it anymore!
"So, are you going to tell me who jumped you?" he demanded with a scowl.
Lily didn't even look up from her homework. "When you're old enough," she quipped.
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to beat someone up if you don't tell me who?" he pointed out.
"I can't see you hitting a girl," she pointed out.
True. "But Lana and the other girls would do it in a heartbeat," Scorpius argued. Looks like he'd only have Potter to deal with himself.
"I know that," Lily assured. "But I want to show James that I can take care of myself." Translated: "Don't get involved with it."
Scorpius crossed his arms. He hated waiting on the sidelines and not helping. "Ridiculous," he mumbled. Normally her stubborn attitude was charming, but now . . . ok well it was still charming, but not what he needed!
"Um, Lily?" Scorpius jumped, and looked up from the table to see that a little first year, Marley Bella had approached their table. In a way, Scorpius was a bit worried about this girl, simply because, like Lily, she came from a family of Gryffindors. And while she never seemed upset or scared after being Sorted into Slytherin the other night, Scorpius wondered what her family would do.
Lily gave the younger girl a soft smile. "Yeah?"
She held out two magazines, and Scorpius immediately noticed the covers. Lily was featured on them, smiling and batting her eyelashes teasingly. Scorpius had seen those pictures many times . . . partially because he had copies of the magazine himself.
"Well, I was wondering if you would sign these two magazines for me?" Marley asked in a shy voice.
Lily continued to smile as she took the magazines and picked up her quill. "Of course," she assured.
"Isn't one enough," Scorpius commented lightly.
"Oh, one is for my older sister. She asked me to get one for her," Marley replied. Scorpius felt a bit of surprise at that. Her siblings were Gryffindors. And if he remembered correctly, her sister was in Lily's year even. . .
Lily didn't question it though, and just handed them back to her. "So, how are you liking Slytherin house so far?" she inquired.
Scorpius couldn't help but smile a little himself when he saw Marley's confident and happy smile. "I like it. It's better than I had expected."
"Now that you know we don't bite. Despite popular belief," he joked.
Marley giggled. "Yeah. I just thought that my brother would be mad. He's never really spoken fondly of Slytherin."
"I bet not," Scorpius muttered. Roddy Bella was a total bigot toward Slytherins and one of the Potter boys' cronies. Scorpius had dealt with him a few times before.
He bit back a groan when Lily stomped on his foot, obviously telling him to be nice. "You haven't talked to him yet?" Lily guessed.
"Oh, I talked to him," Marley replied, surprisingly still happy. "Him and my other siblings. They said that it was shocking, but they accepted it. I'm still their little sister."
Scorpius was a bit shocked himself. He'd never imagined that a Bella would accept anyone in Slytherin. Then again, Roddy Bella would probably still hate Slytherins, just not his sister.
But Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts when Lily quickly stood up. "I'll be back. I have to grab something from my dorm. Excuse me," she said quickly, leaving her things. Scorpius felt his heart drop as she practically ran up the stairs.
Lily. How hard was it to hear Marley's words? How hard was it to hear that Marley had been so easily accepted by a Gryffindor family, when she was almost completely outcasted herself? Marley herself looked a bit worried.
"Did I say something wrong?" she questioned quietly.
Scorpius sighed as he stood up and grabbed Lily's things. He gave the girl a small pat on the shoulder. "No, you're fine. She's just having a rough day is all. She'll be fine, so don't worry."
But Scorpius wasn't completely convinced himself.
Scorpius had thought that bringing up the issue with her brothers would be a bad idea, and that she would wallow in her feelings and shut people out. But, she did that anyways. Scorpius watched for a few days as she went about, brooding really, and being unusually quiet. It was obvious that others noticed, but they said nothing and let her be.
But Scorpius hated seeing her like. And he couldn't let it continue. And his luck was on his side while on prefect patrols one night. He could hear footsteps around the corner in the other hall. Scorpius sighed as he walked to catch whoever it was and send them to their common rooms, but stopped when he entered the next corridor, and caught a sight of deep red hair turning into another hall at the corner.
Lily? What was she doing wandering the dungeons? Scorpius hurried to try and catch up to her, but when he turned the corner, she was already gone. So he began to search, but found her nowhere in the dungeons. What was she doing out at eleven at night? Could she be trying to continue her plan to get back at her brother and his cronies for attacking her? No, no one else was up either.
Scorpius continued to walk around, scowling as he tried to think of what the girl could be up to in her current mood. But he stopped when he passed by the entrance to the basement. The kitchens! Scorpius quickly moved down the stairs, and hurried to the pear portrait.
Sure enough, he found Lily sitting at a table, swirling around a spoon in a bowl of ice cream that had almost melted by now. She was in a tattered night shirt, shorts, and her hair had been messily pulled up. To Scorpius, she looked just as beautiful as ever.
"I thought I'd find you here," he mentioned, catching her attention as he walked toward her. He slid into the seat across from her.
Lily didn't respond for a moment, as she took a spoonful of the melted treat. "What are you talking about?" she mumbled, her mood still down.
He almost scoffed. "Don't play dumb, Lily, it's not a good look for you," he retorted, a bit annoyed that she wouldn't just talk to him. "You've been brooding and pouting ever since you heard about Roddy Bella accepting Marley."
By her own small scowl, Scorpius could tell that the thought hurt her. And he hated that. "I'm not pouting," she whispered.
"Call it what you want. I call it pouting and brooding," he replied.
Now she rolled her eyes, getting a bit annoyed herself. She stabbed through her ice cream. "What's your point?" she demanded.
Scorpius sighed. He could see that this was getting to her. "No point. I guess I'm just curious as to what's going through your mind." Why was she so bothered now? Why was she letting it get to her?
Her scowl softened, but she still looked conflicted. She finally shook her head. "Nothing."
Scorpius almost growled. "Bullshit!" he quipped. "I'm not stupid either, Lily Luna! Now what the fuck is up?"
She sighed heavily, and buried her face into her hands. "I'm pissed off!" she claimed. "I mean, what the hell? Marley can be the Slytherin in a Gryffindor family but I can't? Her brother is friends with Albus, and they're both complete dicks! But yet he's ok with his sister being a Slytherin? What the hell did I do wrong for me to be labeled as a bad person at eleven?" she ranted.
Scorpius felt his heart squeeze at the sight of her now. She was so hurt, so upset. Not angry. But hurt. Scorpius ran his hands through his hair. He hated seeing her hurt. It made him furious at those who caused it. But right now, she needed him to be comforting, not angry. So he pushed side her bowl, and reached forward to pull one of her hands away from her face. "Lily, there's nothing wrong with you. There's just something majorly wrong with your brothers," he said softly.
She dropped both of her hands, but wouldn't look at him. "That doesn't make it hurt any less," she whispered.
"I know it doesn't," he agreed, thinking of how if first was for him. "But keeping it all inside doesn't either."
She closed her eyes, her body relaxing a little. "I just never want to see them again. I'm tired of feeling this way."
Scorpius shifted a bit closer to the edge of his seat. "So what are you going to do now, princess?"
She watched her take a deep breath. "I'm going to finish what I started," she said, hinting at her revenge plan against the girls that attacked her, "and then I am severing all ties I have to James and Albus Potter. Hatred, anger, a longing for happiness, fond memories . . . it will all burn in the ash heap of a past I will soon forget."
Lily seemed back to her normal self after their late night talk. She was no longer oddly quiet or quietly brooding. But she was cheerful, energetic, and laughing and smiling again, for which Scorpius was happy to see.
When Quidditch tryouts came, Scorpius decided to bring in Lance Higgs as Adrian's replacement after talking about it with Lily. It worked well for him, considering the best choices were Ted West and Lance, but Ted West . . . well Scorpius didn't really want to give him a chance to stare at Lily in the locker room. Lance was at least too shy to do that.
But the tryouts . . . well the day wasn't as perfect as he'd wished. Not only did idiotic and annoying Gryffindors come to check out the competition, but Scamander showed up on the pitch as well. Scorpius's instincts were at war with each other every time he saw them kiss, no matter how little or chaste it was. Part of him wanted to rip Scamander in half, the other part felt like his own heart was tearing apart.
"It's getting difficult to keep seeing them together and not say something," Scorpius mumbled as he walked to breakfast with Lars.
Lars clapped him on the shoulder. "I know, but remember what Lana and the girls told you, and it'll work out. Besides, you really think Lily's going to stick to that kid for long? He's . . . well a coward, and that's not Lily's thing," he reminded.
"I remember what the girls said," Scorpius retorted. "And I've been mainly focusing on those signs Lana said would appear, but so far, I haven't noticed anything!"
"Just give it some time," Lars insisted as they entered the Great Hall. "Now come on. I see Lily, and sitting with her will cheer you up."
Scorpius still grumbled as they walked, but then stopped and felt curious at a familiar owl flying around the Slytherin table. "What's my parents' owl doing flying down here?" he wondered as they came upon the fourth years. When Hunter Baddock moved, Scorpius eagerly took the now open seat next to Lily.
Megan was holding up a magazine. "These," she mentioned. Scorpius took the magazine from her and looked at the cover. She was dressed in a silvery, strapless dress, her hair tantalizingly curled loosely at the ends. Her shoulders and arms were bare, and the dress flared out to fall to her knees.
He vaguely heard Lars mention something about her being popular. And while he didn't like the idea of any of the boys at the table looking at the over covers, he was too entrapped by the one in his hands.
"Mum says that she'd never had a model more in demand in magazines," he commented as he looked the picture over again. But he pulled his eyes away, and set the magazine face down on the table.
But Megan caught his eye, and gave him a knowing smirk. Scorpius kept his face neutral, but panicked a bit on the inside. Did Megan know, or just suspect? And would she tell Lily, if she did know?
His luck with girls was never going to get better, was it?
"Why are we studying?" Rex groaned as he walked slowly behind Scorpius, Justin, and Lana headed for the library.
"Because you didn't understand Charms, and it was the easiest lesson," Lana mocked.
Scorpius smirked at his friends as they continued. They were really just going to pick up a few books from the library. Curfew for the older students started in ten minutes, so they had to be quick about it.
"Guys!"
They stopped at the sound of Mitch's voice, and turned to see him running toward them. Lana looked confused. "Where the hell did you come from?"
Mitch stopped in front of them, grinning. "I just got back from walking Dom to the kitten kennel, before which we were-"
"Stop!" Lana stopped him quickly. "I do not want to hear the rest of that."
Mitch rolled his eyes. "Anyways, while being the sarcastic darling she is, she gave me an idea for what we can all do tonight!"
"Which would be? And don't leave out her sarcasm," Lana mocked.
Scorpius chuckled. While Dominique could be a bit too much at times, he had to admit that her quick wits could be entertaining . . . if not aimed at you.
Mitch laughed too. "Well she told me to go jump in the lake, and it hit me! Late night swimming! Who's in?"
"I'm in! Fuck the library, let's go tell some of the others!" Rex exclaimed.
Scorpius nodded too. "I agree. Let's do it."
"Forget something, Scor? We have to patrol the dungeons tonight," Lana reminded.
"That's perfect!" Mitch exclaimed, practically bouncing. "Then you two skip and we don't get caught!"
Lana groaned. "Ugh, you're lucky it sounds fun. Let's go get ready then."
So the five of them quickly headed back to the dungeons. They were half way there when the flames lighting the corridors began to dim before going out completely. "Curfew's kicked in," Rex muttered as he lit his wand first.
They were quiet now as they hurried, but soon made it to the common room. Lana split away from them and headed for the girls' stairs, and Mitch hurried to where Dante and a few others sat.
But Scorpius headed for where he saw Lily sitting with the other fourth years. He blinked as the flash of a camera blinded him for a moment. They'd been taking pictures all day, apparently for Lily's friend Duncan.
Scorpius smirked as he, Rex, and Justin approached them. "Need a handsome man for your camera?" he teased as he leaned on the back of the couch. Rex moved to sit next to Lola, wrapping his arm around her, while Justin moved to sit on the arm of the couch.
Lily turned to look at him and grinned. "Do you know one?" she mocked.
"Ha, ha," he replied, still smirking. He was really glad to see her acting normal. "Moving on, we've got more important business to discuss."
Lily raised a brow. "Such as?"
"Some of us are sneaking out to go swimming. Wanna join?" Justin offered.
"I'm game," Lily agreed easily, much to Scorpius's delight.
"Sounds awesome," Jace said with a laugh. All of the fourth years looked excited about the idea . . . except for one.
"I'm out," Lola stated. "I plan on actually doing the History of Magic paper."
"Aw, come on, babe," Rex insisted. "Do it later. Come swimming with us."
"I don't have a swim suit," Lola replied.
"You've got underwear," Megan quipped.
"Not happening," Lola said firmly. The guys tried not to chuckle at Rex's disappointed expression.
"I have a couple of bathing suits. You could use one," Lily told her.
But Lola still didn't look interested. "I don't think the top would fit me. You're quite a bit bigger than me in the chest department," Lola argued calmly.
Scorpius couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes run up and down Lily's body. He couldn't deny that she was well endowed, and . . . well she had a much more mature body than the other girls her age.
"They have ties." Lily's voice snapped Scorpius out of his daze, and he quickly looked away, trying not to blush himself. "You can adjust it."
"Yeah, come on!" Rex begged. "It won't be as fun without my girl with me." His attempt at a pout was almost comical.
But it actually worked on Lola, somehow. She sighed heavily. "Ok, ok. I'll go."
Rex pumped his fist in the air, almost falling from his seat. "Yes! Let's do this!"
Scorpius chuckled at his friend, but looked to the others. "Get changed, and put clothes over your suits. We've got everything else covered," he promised.
They all went to their dorms after that, each to change out of their uniforms. Scorpius slipped on the same swimming trunks he'd had during the summer trip, and a black shirt on. Mitch was listing the people he'd gotten to go with, and it looked like the entire Quidditch team, Lars, and Derek Bole were going too.
While the guys were used to being the first ones changed and waiting, Scorpius was a bit curious as to why it seemed to take the fourth year girls so long. Even Lana, Tamara, and Amanda had made it down already.
"I bet Lola backed out, and they're trying to convince her," Rex guessed with a sigh.
But the five girls soon trailed down the stairs. Scorpius couldn't stop his eyes from wandering up Lily's bare legs, to the shorts and thin black shirt she wore. Lately, he was finding it so hard to look away from how she looked. She was just so . . . well, beautiful and attractive. Lately it had become difficult not to stare.
But a clap to the shoulder from Mitch struck him from his thoughts. "Point is that we can go. So let's go. We're meetin' someone at the door soon anyways."
Lily, who was now walking beside Scorpius, gave him a curious look. "Dominique," he mumbled. He could see that she wanted to roll her eyes, but she said nothing about it.
The group of them was silent as they walked through the dungeons, the only light coming from their wands. "Which prefects are patrolling tonight?" Jace whispered.
Scorpius laughed quietly. "Me and Lana are supposed to be patrolling the lower floors," he told them.
Lily sent him a teasing grin. "How devious of you to sneak out instead."
When they began their ascent up the stairs to the Entrance Hall, they could see one, bright light by the door. It was obvious who it was, especially when they spoke. "About damn time," Dominique hissed.
"Shove it, Weasley," Lana snipped back.
"Ladies," Mitch intervened. "Let's at least get to the lake before we argue."
Thankfully the two of them stayed quiet as the guys pushed open the door. "Lars, how does your dad manage to forget to lock this door most of the week?" Dante mocked as they pushed.
"As much as I love him, it's because he's an idiot," Lars laughed as they finally got it open.
They all stepped outside, while Lars shut the door almost completely shut behind him. Then they were practically running to the lake, the moonlight bouncing off the black waters. It was perfect outside, even the breeze felt good. As soon as they made it to the lake, the guys began to strip to their trunks. Scorpius himself was quick to throw off his shirt.
"Thanks for the warning," he heard Megan mutter, reminding him of a fun little promise he'd made this summer.
"Oh, yeah," he whispered. He looked to Lily with a smirk. "Hey, I'm stripping now, princess."
She laughed at him as she pulled her own shirt of, revealing the same bathing suit from the summer. "Shove off," she said. Then she threw her shirt at him.
Scorpius caught it easily, but was surprised at the flirtatious tone and smile. "Did you just throw your shirt at me?" The others whistled and laughed.
Lily just gave him a challenging look. "Yeah. I did. What are you gunna do about it?" she teased playfully.
Scorpius smirked and dropped the shirt. "Oh, you are so paying for that!" He ran at her, and before she could evade him, he had his hands on her waist, and lifted her on to his shoulder.
"Scorpius Malfoy! Put me down!" she laughed.
Scorpius laughed too. "Nope. I think it's time we went for a swim," he said as he walked toward the water, where others were already swimming and messing around.
"Scorpius Malfoy, I still have my shorts on!" she argued, kicking at his stomach, which didn't really hurt.
Scorpius sighed as he moved his hands to her hips. "Then quit struggling, and I'll get 'em," he replied, but then blushed at the thought of slipping off Lily's shorts. But . . . she didn't argue or make a joke. She actually did what he said and stopped moving. So, he carefully let his hand slip beneath the waistband, and tug on her shorts. His knuckle brushed against the bare skin above her hip, and it was like his hand was burning. She shivered under his hand, which made his heart pound. Did . . . did she enjoy this? Was this . . . was this one of those signs?
Scorpius easily slipped the shorts to her ankles, and Lily promptly kicked them off. "Scorpius?" she whispered. Scorpius barely heard her, his heart pounding in his ears and his body growing hot.
He slowly put her on the ground, but didn't let go of her. He kept his hands on her waist, her bare skin still making his hands burn in the most pleasurable way. He didn't want to let go. "Yeah?" he whispered. Instead of letting his eyes wander over her like usual, he forced himself to lock eyes with her. But that seemed just as dangerous. That intense look was in the depths of them, along with the fiery passion he'd seen before, but never directed at him. Eye contact, how comfortable she was with him touching her, and never protested or played it off, and the flirty jokes . . . could it be . . . could it be possible?
"Hey, Scor," the moment was broken by the sound of Dante's voice, "Scamander might be pissed if he finds out you manhandled his girl!"
Scorpius pulled his hands from her quickly, and swiftly ran to the water, fully intending on dragging Dante under the water for interrupting, and keeping him under for a bit. "Hey, I let you manhandle my sister," he mocked as he tackled him under.
"Shut up, Scorpius!" Lana exclaimed.
But while Scorpius did want to tackle Dante again for the interruption, he couldn't help but let it go, for he was now in the best mood ever! She liked him! That had to be it! Lily at least held some kind of feeling for him, something beyond friendship! And he could work with that, and he would fight Scamander for that!
Vibrant red hair brushed against his arm, making his muscles twitch instinctively. A soft kiss was pressed against the column of his throat, another just a bit lower than the first. Scorpius groaned as his body felt weightless, completely relaxed, yet completely alive. Fingers danced across his shoulders before running down and across the muscles of his chest and stomach.
Scorpius groaned again, but it was swallowed as a passionate and hard kiss was pressed to his lips this time. He kissed back with just as much passion and urgency. When they parted reluctantly, he opened his eyes, only to see a pair of intense honey-colored eyes looking back to him.
Scorpius shot up in his bed, panting heavily, his body hot and sweating. And to his embarrassment, wet boxers. He groaned in annoyance. He hated dreams and nights like this but . . . did it have to be about Lily? It was just going to make it more difficult! He grumbled to himself as he kicked off the blankets and got off his bed. He was happy that he was the first to wake up. He quickly showered and changed, and folded his blankets, not in the mood to hear the others' jokes.
By the time he was ready to leave for breakfast, the other guys were just getting up and awake. But he didn't care, and he left the room, hoping to clear his head on the walk to breakfast. But he stopped when a hand gently caught his sleeve. He turned to see Lily, and wasn't sure if he was excited or hesitant about it.
But her smile made him more excited than anything. "Hey, speedy. In a hurry?"
Scorpius smirked. "Starving is all," he quipped. But as they began to walk together, Scorpius couldn't help let himself gaze at her. Her lips shone in the morning light with lip gloss. He idly wondered what flavor it was, and if her kiss would be as soft as his dream. He trailed down to her hands. Would their touch be as gentle, yet burn his skin with desire?
Scorpius tore his eyes away, his heart beating a bit louder. This was getting out of hand . . .
. . . and much more difficult to standby and do nothing.
