Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.

Note – I am so sorry that it takes me so long to update! I know I've said this before, but I just always feel so bad when I make you guys wait. To make up for how long it took me, I made sure to give you guys a longer chapter. This one will have some run-ins with Lucius, some in-depth thinking for Scorpius, and of course him trying to control his hormones. So read and enjoy.

Rebel Malfoy

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Different Kinds of Love

After taking Lily back to Godric's Hollow so that she could sneak back into her house, Scorpius hesitated as he walked back to the Apparation point. Should he go back to the manor? Lucius had stated that he wanted to have a talk, but Scorpius wasn't sure he wanted to deal with his crap today. He was more concerned about his girlfriend.

She'd looked so unsure of herself, which wasn't normal. Lily was always confident in herself. But . . . she had looked so defeated before going into the house. As if she felt nothing good could happen, and there was nothing she could do about it. And . . . maybe that was true, but it didn't change the fact that Scorpius hated that he could do nothing to help.

He sighed. Well, he might as well get it over with. If he avoided Lucius, then he would just be cornered the next time he went to the manor. So he returned the Malfoy Manor, and in no particular rush, began to wander around, looking for where Lucius was hiding.

He found him, to no surprise, in his personal study. "Lucius," he greeted coldly. "You said you wanted to have a chat. So spit it out."

Lucius motioned for the chair. "You might as well sit, boy. I doubt this will go as quickly as you wish."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but sat down. He had to agree, for once. Both of them were way too stubborn, and if this was about Lily, then Scorpius was never going to back down. "What the hell do you want?"

For the first time, Lucius didn't correct his language, or even try to scold him for disrespect. Instead, he gave him a steely look. "I want to know what kind of game you're playing."

Scorpius raised a brow. "Game? What are you talking about?"

"With the Potter girl. What are you thinking, having a relationship with her?" Lucius demanded.

Scorpius felt himself tense a little, but wasn't surprised by the topic. "I'm not playing any game, Lucius. And what am I thinking? I'm thinking that I couldn't ask for a better witch to be my girlfriend."

"She's a Weasley!" Lucius said with disgust.

Scorpius just shrugged. "So what? Weasley, Potter, a muggle, I don't care! She's the girl I want to be with. The girl I love. Nothing you say, no tantrum you throw is going to change that."

"She is not capable of being tied to the heir of the Malfoy family!" Lucius argued. "Throwing family histories aside, she's not even a pureblood! She's even named after a filthy mudblood!"

Scorpius flinched at the word. "Do not say that word around me," he said through gritted teeth. "You call me vulgar? That word is absolutely disgusting!"

"Doesn't change what she is!"

"I don't care who her family is!" Scorpius snapped. "I don't care about her bloodline or family history. I love her. Not her family, not her blood, not her public image. Her! So get that through your thick and stubborn skull!"

Lucius scoffed, almost bitterly. It made Scorpius's skin crawl. "Love?" he said mockingly. "In your young age, you think you know what love truly is? How naïve can you be, boy?" Scorpius didn't respond, but tightened his grip on the arms of the chair he sat in.

"Love. That's laughable," Lucius said dryly. "True love is nothing but a hope. A dream. And you think that just because you've reached adulthood that you know what love is? I pity you, Scorpius. Because young people that fall into that trap find themselves struggling with what real love is in the future. And not many of them make it out of that trap intact."

Scorpius took in a deep breath through his nose. "You don't know me," he said lowly, his body tense and practically trembling.

Lucius just shook his head. "There's a difference between young love and mature love. And by the time you realize the difference. . . I'd bet that it's too late for you and this so called relationship."


"You're taking your anger out on me again."

Scorpius scowled as he caught the Quaffle Lars threw to him. After Lucius's chilling words, Scorpius had stormed out of the manor. After pacing around his flat, trying to occupy his mind, he finally decided to visit the Goyles. And Lars had suggested they toss a Quaffle around. So they stood outside in the Goyles' yard, throwing the ball to each other. They couldn't fly today, since there were too many muggles out and about.

He sighed. "Sorry."

Lars grinned. "It's fine, mate. My gloves just aren't padded enough to handle the wrath you're putting into every throw," he joked.

Scorpius tried to relax a little as he pulled back, and tossed the Quaffle again, trying to keep from putting so much force into it.

Lars caught it with ease, but Scorpius could seem him flexing his fingers a bit, as if to shake off a stinging pain. "So, not that you have to tell me, but as your brother, I'm going to ask. What's got your wand in such a tight knot today?"

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "I had a . . . run-in with Lucius."

Lars gave a nod of understanding. "What about this time?"

"About me and Lily. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised he waited as long as he did to say something," Scorpius admitted.

"What'd he do to make you so mad? He call her some horrendous name, or mock her bloodline, or what?" Lars guessed as he threw the Quaffle.

Scorpius caught it easily. "It's not that I'm mad . . . well I am mad, but . . . that's not what's got me so tense this time."

Lars raised a brow. "What is it then?"

Scorpius threw the Quaffle, which he caught. "He said that . . . true love was something to laugh at. That my believing I was in love at my age would just lead to disaster. That . . . that once I realized the difference between young and mature love, it would be too late."

Lars walked closer, so that they stood closer in the cold. He dropped the Quaffle into the snow, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "So what? Why are you letting him bother you?"

"Because what if he's actually right this time?" Scorpius said, his worry staining his voice. "I mean . . . Lily and I are young. I can admit that. But . . . what if something changes as we get older? What if I can't fix whatever happens before our relationship is damaged forever? What if he's right?"

"What would that old creep know about love?" Lars scoffed. "It's not like he's madly in love with your grandmother. They had an arranged marriage. Yeah, they may have eventually come to love one another, but it's nothing like you and Lil. Your grandparents came to love each other because of their shared love for their son, wealth, and social status. You and Lil . . . you two were made for each other. You can always tell how she's feeling, and she always knows how to calm you down when start getting all tense and angry. The list goes on. So don't let him bring you down, when he knows nothing about the love you and Lily share."

Scorpius sighed, his breath visible in the cold air. "You're right. I know you are, and I know that I shouldn't let anything that bigot says bother me. It's just . . . I can't shake the feeling that . . . for once he's actually right about something."


Scorpius sat on his couch, reading a muggle book that had been on a supply list for Muggle Studies back in fourth year. The one he was reading was one of the few that they hadn't been able to get to by the end of the term, but Scorpius still picked it up, along with the other ones the class hadn't had time for.

This one was written in a strange form. It was an old book called The Divine Comedy. He found himself wrapped in this idea of different circles of Hell, and the journey that this Dante character was trapped in.

A knock sounded at his door. Without taking his eyes from the page, he got up and walked to the door. He opened it, his eyes still moving across the words. "Yeah?" he mumbled.

It was a soft and familiar giggle that made him finally pull his eyes away from the page of his book. Lily stood in his doorway, dressed in a white sweater that hugged her body, tight jeans, and ending with a pair of black heeled boots. "Good book?" she asked.

He quickly dog-eared the page, so as not to lose his place, then quickly closed the book. "Lily? What are you doing here?" Not that he wasn't happy to see her, but he hadn't expected to see her so soon. It'd only been a day since he'd dropped her off to sneak back into her house, and he was sure that there'd been another tense conversation with her parents.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "You sound so surprised," she teased.

Scorpius set his book down on a nearby shelf. "Well . . . I am. I mean, I figured after the blow up with your dad that you might be on another house arrest," he admitted. "How'd it go?"

He watched as she bit her lip, obviously hesitating. That could only mean that it hadn't gone well. But her answer stunned him. "I'm temporarily living with your parents now."

Scorpius stared at her for a moment, blinking a few times as he took in what she'd said, and what that meant. "You're . . . you're living with my parents? What . . . what the hell happened?"

Lily sighed as she moved to sit down on the couch. "I found out that my parents have been fighting . . . because of me. And, all they want is for the fighting with me and my brothers to stop. But . . . I'm not sure it'll be as easy as they try to make it out. I can't just forgive them for what they've done, and I sure as hell can't forget it."

"So you moved out?" Scorpius questioned as he sat next to her.

"I'm not mature enough to stop fighting with them," Lily replied. "When they start it, I don't walk away. I retaliate even harder. And that's tearing my parents apart. So . . . I just thought that putting some space between us would help things. I could take some time to figure things out, work on the problems, and they could be away from all the problems I cause, and maybe they'll stop fighting with each other."

Scorpius wanted to argue. Wanted to tell her that she's not the problem, that it takes two to fight and argue. But he knew that's not what was important, nor what she needed to hear. So he just leaned back into the cushions, and placed an arm around her. "Are you ok?"

She sighed softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "My dad didn't say a word to me after they said I could stay with your parents. It was like they both thought I was leaving permanently or something. I couldn't get them to understand that it's not forever."

"I think that's all parents," Scorpius said, trying to be reassuring. "You should have seen my mum when I asked to move out."

Lily laughed. "She said the same thing. And I know that, but . . . at least my mum talked to me before I left. Dad didn't even say a word."

Scorpius gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, unsure of what to say. He couldn't imagine how it felt. Because he too had grown up looking at his father like he was a personal hero. To him, as a child and still to this day, his father was someone to look up to. A man that had taken the choices he had, made mistakes, and bounced back to make the most of it. He couldn't begin to imagine how he would feel if that man he saw as a hero were to stop speaking to him. To ignore him, and want nothing to do with him. How much that must hurt.

"He'll come around, Lil," Scorpius stated, despite how uncertain he was of that. But what else could he say?

"I really hope so," she mumbled.


Scorpius lounged on the couch in the Derricks' basement, listening as Mitch and the band ran through a new song, working on chords, and lyrics, and whatever else musicians worked with new songs. He and Lars were more into the card house they were making out of Exploding Snap cards. After all, if they lost focus, the chance of one of them blowing up increased.

"I just think we could make the chorus smoother," Justin said carefully.

"I think you can just worry about playing the guitar, and not my lyrics," Dominque snapped.

"I think," Mitch interrupted immediately, "that we should take a break from this song, and move on to something different."

"Agreed!" Rex replied.

As they began another song, the door to the basement opened, and Lars and Scorpius looked up to see Date coming down the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Scorpius asked with a smirk. "Haven't seen you since the summer!"

Dante grinned as he gave a nod to the band, then came to sit down on a nearby chair. "Rex invited me, and I thought it'd be a better way to spend my time away from work than with my parents," he joked lightly.

"Oh, but you and Megan could be spending so much time together," Scorpius mocked.

Dante chuckled. "Or I could just step on a nail, it'd hurt less."

"So tell us, how is the graduated life?" Lars asked as he delicately balanced another card. "Is being an adult as bad as it sounds?"

"It's so much worse," Dante muttered. "Between work, bills, and dealing with a mother that is constantly trying to set you up on dinner dates, being an adult was a terrible decision."

"So glad I'm not single anymore," Scorpius commented as he set down another card.

"I thought your dad wasn't going to arrange your marriage," Lars mentioned.

"Oh, they're not arranging a marriage," Dante replied. "My mum is just trying to set me up so that I'll choose to get married." He scratched the back of his neck. "I regret becoming single."

Scorpius glanced over at Justin, but they were still in the middle of a song, obviously not able to hear what they were talking about. Then he looked back to Dante. Did he know that Lana was dating again? If he did, did he know it's Justin she's dating?

"Well why don't you just say that you're dating someone? Then your mum will stop trying to set you up," Lars suggested.

"Yeah, but she'd just want to meet the girl," Dante pointed out.

"Then it looks like someone needs to get back in the game," Lars joked.

Dante rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well I don't see you tearing up the dating scene," he mumbled.

"Hey, I have a girlfriend!" Lars defended as he balanced two cards.

"He just doesn't get any," Scorpius laughed.

Lars threw an elbow his way, but Scorpius easily dodged it. "Shove off," Lars quipped. "That's coming from the virgin of the group."

Scorpius smirked. "My witch is hotter than yours," he retorted.

"Hey," Lars said, a card in his hand, "that's not fair. Not everyone can have a model for a girlfriend."

"You know," Rex spoke loudly as soon as the song ended, "this damn school year needs to end!"

Scorpius, Lars, and Dante looked over to their friends, who were putting down their guitars, standing up from their seat, or in Dominique's case, moving to grab a piece of candy from a nearby table, before sitting in a comfy armchair.

Justin raised a brow. "What brought this on?"

Rex just groaned. "Aren't you tired of pretending to care about lessons when all you want to do is just rock out for the rest of our lives?" He threw his hands up dramatically. "I just want to party, and play awesome music at awesome venues, and stop listening to Professor Bell drone on about a bunch of spells I don't care about!"

"I can't believe that I'm saying this," Dominque commented, "but I actually agree with Rex for once. I'm so sick of being in school."

Mitch came over to stand behind her chair, and rubbed her shoulders. "Just a few months left, guys. Then we're out of there, and ready to start roaming the world."

"You know where I want to go first?" Rex said as he came to sit by Scorpius, being careful not to nudge the table holding their explosive card house.

"Where?" Justin asked as he poured himself a glass of water. Rex's parents were some of the most generous hosts when it came to their kids' friends. They'd converted their basement into a hangout area years ago. It was now basically a place for the band to practice, but it was still stocked with snacks and drinks, cozy places to sit, things to do, and was silenced so that no noise escaped upstairs.

"The United States," Rex stated firmly.

They all looked at him curiously. "Why America?" Scorpius inquired.

"Because that's where you become famous," Rex said with a grin. "Their music industry is huge! There are bands and artists that are known globally, but got their start in America. Why not follow in the footsteps of the greats?"

"That's not a terrible idea," Mitch mentioned as he rested his chin on Dominique's head. "I mean, taking the chance to travel to another country and see new places. Not be tied down by family."

"I like the idea of just being away from my family," Dominique muttered.

"Well, maybe lightning struck twice and Rex is right again," Justin said. "Maybe we should take a trip to America once we graduate and have the money to go."

A thought came to Scorpius as they spoke, and it made him chuckle, catching Mitch's attention. "What's so funny, Scor?"

Scorpius smirked. "I was just wondering how strangely quiet it would be without you around to liven up our days," he joked.

Mitch grinned too. "Well no matter what, I'll always be here in spirit," he laughed.

"Because that's what we need in life," Dominique mumbled.


Scorpius walked to the second floor of the manor, making his way to his father's study. After taking days to consider all his options, Scorpius had finally decided on the place he wanted to take Lily for their date. . . But he needed his father's permission first.

Scorpius knocked on his father's study door, and waited. He looked down the hall, to the door to his mother's workroom. He'd heard voices from inside when he'd walked by, and would bet his entire inheritance that it was his mother and Lily. Today was supposed to be the day of some photo shoot, and he thought it'd be a good time to talk to his father without either of them overhearing his plans.

"Come in," his father called.

Scorpius opened the door to find his father signing something. "Good afternoon, Father. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Draco moved his papers aside. "Not at all. I was just about to take a break. What is it, son?"

Scorpius closed the door and came to stand by his desk. "Well I wanted to ask you something, and it has to do with my Christmas gift to Lily. I thought I'd wait until a time where Lily and mum were occupied," he explained.

Draco smirked. "Really? Well why don't we discuss it over lunch then? I was getting hungry anyways. And this way, there's no chance either of them will find out your plans," he suggested.

Scorpius gave a shrug. "Um, sure. Why not. How about the Leaky Cauldron?"

Draco nodded as he stood from his chair. "Sounds find to me. Let me talk to your mother quick. I'll meet you downstairs."

When the two Malfoys entered the Leaky Cauldron, they received the usual looks of distrust, the glares, and they heard the whispers. Scorpius was always a little awed by his father's ability to ignore it all. He would admit that he himself tensed at least a little. But not Draco. Draco's head was still held high, as if he didn't care what others thought of him. It didn't bother him a bit.

They sat down at a table, and it was Mrs. Longbottom herself that came to take the order. Scorpius looked around for Hugo as his father conversed politely with Mrs. Longbottom, but saw no sign of him.

When she left them, Scorpius looked to his father. "When did you become friends with Mrs. Longbottom?" he asked.

Draco smirked. "Never, really. But we know how to be polite and friendly."

"Did you ever . . . mend things between you and Neville Longbottom?" Scorpius questioned.

He nodded. "Sort of. Like with Potter, we let the battles and grudges drop. Knew that they were no longer relevant. But, I don't believe that's what you wanted to discuss."

Scorpius shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well . . . I'm taking Lily out on a date on the day before Christmas Eve, and I've been trying to think of somewhere special that I could take her," he mentioned.

Draco raised a brow. "And what about this requires me?"

Scorpius sighed. "More like your permission." Draco looked even more curious, but waited. "I want to take her to that summer home in Ireland. The one she went to with us two summers ago."

"Oh," Draco murmured.

"She really liked it there and . . . well it's kind of important to us, you could say," Scorpius mumbled, his cheeks feeling warm. "And I want to get her away from all her worries and everything, so . . . I thought maybe it'd be a good place."

"It would be," Draco agreed casually. "You're less likely to be bothered."

Scorpius looked at his father carefully. "So . . . may I?"

Draco didn't answer, but instead smiled when Mrs. Longbottom suddenly reappeared with their food. When she left them alone again, he looked at Scorpius with a very serious expression. "I'll give you my answer if you answer a few of my own questions."

Scorpius felt a bit hesitant. What did his father want to know what would influence his decision? "Um, of course," he agreed before taking a bite of his food.

"First, I know the answer, I just want you to confirm it. You're very serious about your relationship with Lily, yes?" Draco asked before taking a smaller bite from his own plate.

Scorpius nodded fervently. "Of course!"

"How long have the two of you been dating now?" Draco inquired.

Scorpius stopped to think about that. How long had it been? "Um . . . we started dating in the middle of the summer. So maybe six or seven months?"

"Half a year. That's a long time," Draco commented casually.

"I guess so," Scorpius replied. "I mean, why should how long we've been together matter when I plan on spending my whole life with her?"

Draco chuckled. "I guess you have a point, there."

Scorpius watched his father, waiting for him to speak . . . but he said nothing. "So . . . may I take her to the summer house?"

Draco held up his hand as he chewed his food. Then he spoke. "One more question, if you don't mind. It's the important one, and one I doubt you'll want to answer easily."

Scorpius scowled. "Um . . . ok. What is it?"

"Have you two had sex, or planning on it in the near future?"

Scorpius immediately choked on his drink. He beat on his chest a few times as he coughed. His father held out a napkin to him, which he took thankfully to wipe his mouth. "What?" he gasped.

Draco continued to look at him blankly. "I ask this because you are asking me if I'll allow the two of you to be alone for who knows how long, with a house all to yourselves. Naturally, I want to know if I need to be worried about my son, and his girlfriend who I already see as a daughter-in-law."

Scorpius felt his face grow terrible hot, and was sure that it was a bright red color. "I promise that's not my intention for wanting to use the summer house," he promised quietly, staring at his plate.

"It's not about your intentions."

Scorpius's head snapped up to look at his father, surprise written on his face. But Draco still looked calm. "You don't need good or bad intentions for something to happen the way it does. Good intentions can lead to bad things. Bad intentions can still have good outcomes. So, son, you don't have to intend for sex to happen. It can still happen. So tell me, do I need to be worried?" Draco asked again.

Scorpius scratched the back of his neck. "We haven't," he mumbled. "I mean . . . I can't say it'll never happen, because eventually it will, right? I mean, it comes with the territory of a lifelong relationship. And . . . I personally don't know when it'll happen. I'm more focused on going at Lily's pace, and making her comfortable, rather than my own needs."

Now Draco chuckled, and Scorpius was sure that his father had never confused him more than he had today. "You know, I like to think that I raised a man with good morals and manners. Again, I never questioned if you would do right by Lily. I can see how much she means to you."

"Then what you are you asking?" Scorpius demanded, thoroughly confused.

Draco smirked. "What I'm asking you is, if it happens . . . are you ready? And I don't mean emotionally or physically. And I don't mean to ask if she would be ready. I doubt Lily would do something she didn't want to. I'm asking if you have thought about it. Have you thought about safe sex, have you thought about what it'll mean for your relationship? Have you thought how it may change things for you and her?"

Scorpius began to pick at his food as he thought about it. "I doubt it would change us in any dramatic way."

Draco shook his head. "Son, you are talking about an act that leaves the two of you completely vulnerable to one another. There is no more intimate act. All your walls are down, and there are no secrets. Making love to someone . . . you are giving that person not just your heart, but your entire being. You're laying it on the table for them to take and care for. And you are taking the same from them, and are now in control of caring for them on a whole new level. Can you say that you are truly ready for that responsibility?"


Later in the night, after having dinner with his parents and his girlfriend, Scorpius found himself sitting outside with Lily, enjoying the night, and also the heating charms that kept the cold from them.

His mind still whirled around what his father had said earlier. He'd been given permission to take Lily to the beach house, and Lily had loved the idea when he presented it to her . . . but what was it about his answer to his father that made him agree?

"I would do anything for her. I will always care for her, and do whatever she asked me to. And . . . well she's had my heart for a long time now, even if I never noticed."

Between his father's words on love, and then Lucius's . . . Scorpius felt almost confused.

"Hey!"

Scorpius jumped, and turned to look at Lily, who was looking at him curiously. He gave her a small smile. "What?"

She smiled a little too, but still raised a brow. "What's making you space out?"

He gave a small chuckle, but turned to look out at the snow. "I'm just thinking about our date. That's all."

"You're a horrible liar."

Scorpius turned to look at her again. "I'm a terrible liar?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Yup. Horrific."

He scoffed, nudging her a little. "You're worse than I am! You're like an open book!"

"I am not!" she protested with a laugh.

"You are to me!" he said dodging her playful hit.

"That's just because . . ." she trailed off, as if she didn't have an end to her sentence.

He leaned closer to her, their noses almost touching. "Because I love you? That's what gives me the special privilege into the beautiful Lily Luna's mind and feelings?"

To his surprise, she tilted her head to kiss him briefly. Then she pulled way, sitting up straight. "Yup!" she agreed. Then she took his hand, which was resting on her knee. "Really though, is something wrong?"

He sighed as he sat up straight too. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking."

She tilted her head a little, curious. "Thinking? About what?"

He bit the inside of his cheek a bit, hesitating. But finally, he answered. "About love."

Lily looked a bit surprise. "Love?"

He nodded. "Love."

She turned to look out at the sky for a moment, thinking too. But then she looked back to him. "Ok. What about love?"

"Do you think that . . . that there's a difference between young love and . . . mature love?" he asked.

Scorpius expected her to pause, hesitate, to look surprised, anything similar to those. But instead, she immediately nodded. "Yeah, of course there is. Young love is new. It's exciting and fresh, and everything about it makes you almost nervous."

Scorpius looked at her intently, his curiosity peaked. "And mature love?"

She smiled. "I think that mature love is comfortable. There's nothing nervous about it. You know it without even blinking. It's warm and fantastic. At least, that's what it seems like to me."

He chuckled. "Sounds like two completely different things."

"In certain ways, but ultimately, you can't have one without the other," she mentioned. He gave her a curious look, so she continued. "Love is the same, no matter what. It makes your heart miss beats, makes you feel safe, almost invincible. You want nothing more than that person to be happy, to see them smile. You want to help them when they're down or upset. But," she said, almost importantly, "it starts with young love. And that young love, if cultivated with patience, care, trust, and understanding, will eventually grow to be mature love."

He smiled sheepishly, a bit awed by her answer. "How is it that you sound so sure about that?"

Lily smiled brightened. "I pay attention," she teased. Then she sighed. "It's what I've observed, watching my mum and dad, and even seeing your parents tonight. They always seems so comfortable with each other. Like they could say or do anything around each other, and they love each other enough that it would never matter. But at the same time, you can see in their eyes that they are still so in love with one another. I guess I just imagine that's what mature love is. As for young love," she locked eyes with him, and felt himself being sucked into the love he saw there, "well I know that one personally."

Scorpius smirked. "Hmm. I like the idea."

"May I ask why you're thinking about it?" Lily requested as she shifted to lean her head against his shoulder.

He couldn't help but smile at the feeling of her leaning on him. It was oddly a comforting weight. "I don't know," he said vaguely. "It just seems that everyone's talking to me about it lately. You hear so many different things, you start to wander who's right and who's wrong."

"Well what do you think?" she asked.

He glanced down at her. "I'm honestly still working on it, but . . ." He couldn't help but smile as he gave her hand a squeeze. "What I do know is that I love you. And that's not going to change."


Scorpius waited patiently in the parlor for Lily to appear. The day of their date had arrive, and Scorpius couldn't help but be eager to spend the entire day with her, with no one around to bother them. Not that he didn't like their friends, or that his parents got on so well with his girlfriend, but he craved time for just the two of them.

"Ready to leave already?"

Scorpius turned to see his mother standing in the doorway. He stood up and gave her a smile. "Yeah. Dad already gave me the key," he said, patting his pocket. Astoria gave a nod, but she didn't say anything. That made Scorpius a bit wary. "Um . . . do you know if Lily's almost ready?"

"Just about," Astoria assured as she walked further in. "Sit down, dear."

Scorpius sighed as he did as she instructed. This couldn't be good. He looked at her as she sat next to him. "What is it, Mother?"

She gave him a neutral expression. "You know, it's a little obvious, to me at least, that Lily's a little nervous about spending a whole day alone with you."

Scorpius would have rolled his eyes. What was it with both his parents wanting to talk with him about sex lately? But he was more worried about this idea of Lily being nervous. "Why should she be nervous? The day is all about her, it's whatever she wants to do."

"You'll still be alone, and your relationship is quite serious," Astoria reminded.

He sighed. "Look, Mum, before you get too deep into this, I have no . . . intentions or expectations about today, except that she's happy and we do whatever she wants."

Astoria smiled. "I know, sweetheart, I know. I just wanted to let you know something."

Scorpius raised a brow. "What's that?" Then without warning, she reached up and forcefully tugged his ear, making him pull away and wince. "Ow!"

"If you do anything to ruin my chances of having that girl as my daughter-in-law one day I will unleash such a hex on you, and I don't care if you are my son!" she warned with a stern look.

Scorpius scowled as he placed a hand over his ear. "No worries, Mum. If I did something stupid, I doubt you'd have time to get to me before she did," he mumbled.

Astoria then smiled brightly. "I'm just making sure you know."

Not much later, both he and Lily were walking up to the door of the beach house. When he stopped at the door, he couldn't help but look at her. She looked lovely as usual, even if he couldn't understand how she could wear a skirt and tights in the winter. "Before we walk inside," he commented, "you look beautiful, Lily." He brought her hand to his lips, placing a small kiss there.

A smile spread across her lips, and it made him smile in return. "Thank you," she murmured, before reaching up to kiss him softly on the lips.

He gave her hand a squeeze before unlocking the door and holding it open for her. He closed it behind them, and moved to stand beside her, placing an arm around her. "Well, we've both had breakfast. We're here. So, what shall we do first?" he inquired.

She just shrugged. "I doesn't matter to me," she replied.

"Ah, but this is your Christmas gift, so you get to choose what we do," he quipped. "So, what would you like to do? We could swim, visit the circle, or we could go and visit the small town not far from here. Anything you want to do."

She bit her lip softly, pulling his attention. He couldn't stop himself from noticing how her teeth gently scraped over her lip, before her tongue would brush against the same spot, as if soothing it. "Well," she spoke suddenly, breaking him from his trance, "how about we swim for a while?"

He smirked as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Whatever you like, princess."

"Then I'll go change, and meet you outside?" Lily suggested.

He nodded. "Sounds good."

Obviously it took him hardly any time to change. He was out floating in the water within minutes, enjoying the warmth, and thankful for the spells that kept water within a certain radius warm. He dunked his head under the water, and then shook his head a bit once he resurfaced. But when he blinked a few times, and his vision cleared, he felt his jaw almost drop.

Lily was standing at the edge of the water, two towels by her feet. Her bikini was a dark and deep green color. It covered everything it needed to, but made his imagination race and his body feel even warmer than the water.

Trying to seem casual, and not at all affected, he swam closer. When his feet hit the ground, he walked toward her, and she met him part way, stopping once the water reached her waist. He couldn't help but smirk. "Are you ever going to come out further than that?" he teased.

She smiled a little. "Only if you're out there with me," she teased in return.

He leaned down so that their foreheads touched. "Always," he promised as he took her hand. Then he slowly began to lead her out.


"It's a cute little town," Lily commented as they walked along the sidewalk. They had decided to take a look around the nearby town. It was a small muggle community, but quite quaint and almost comfortable.

"It's not bad," Scorpius agreed. He stopped outside what looked to be a small shop with an assortment of things. He looked at her. "Want to look around?"

She nodded with a smile. "Sure."

They stepped inside, and Scorpius was a bit thankful for the warmth of the shop after walking around in the cold. As they walked around, Scorpius was generally the one asking Lily questions, mostly about all the muggle items on the shelves. She seemed to have a general idea about most of them, but there were some items that even had Lily looking at them curiously.

They found a shelf of books near the back, and Scorpius looked over the titles, wondering if he'd find something from that list of muggle books he'd been given. Sadly, he found nothing that he recognized.

But Lily ran finger over one of the spines. "I know this title."

Scorpius looked at it. Macbeth. "Macbeth? What is it?"

"Well my aunt told me that it's an old play that was written by a man named Shakespeare. It's about a man that murders his king for power, and all the revenge, death, and madness that ensues because of his actions," she explained.

"Shakespeare? Isn't he the man that wrote Romeo & Juliet?" Scorpius asked. That was one of the books he'd had to read in Muggle Studies in his fourth year.

She nodded. "Yup. Same man. According to my aunt, he wrote a lot of famous plays. She's says that Macbeth is another one of his best."

Scorpius took the book into his hands. "Hmm. Maybe I'll read it then." He pulled some money from his pocket. His father had always told him that it never hurt to have muggle money on hand, and Scorpius found it did come in handy when he went on little trips like these. But he had to admit that he wasn't very good at knowing if he had the right amount. That had been one area in Muggle Studies where he'd struggled a little.

Lily laughed at his little scowl, and took the money from him. Then she placed a little of it back into his hands. "You have more than enough for this book," she assured. "Is there a reason you carry this much around?"

Scorpius shrugged. "You never know . . . Plus I'm rubbish at exchanging and doing the math, so I try to carry more than I think I'll need."

She smiled at him. "Sometime I'll show you how," she promised as they began to walk to the counter.

"How is it that you know how to?" he asked. "I mean, your dad may have been raised by muggles, but you weren't."

She shrugged. "Dad always thought that it'd be a good thing for us to know. Plus, since he was raised by muggles, he sometimes took us to muggle London and brought us to different stores and places to eat. My aunt Hermione thinks the same way, so Hugo and Rose know how to as well," she mentioned.

Scorpius nodded as he placed the book on the counter, but then something caught his eye. He picked up a little hair clip. It had a small, fake, flower attached to it. A pink rose. He looked at Lily. "Do I have enough for this too?"

Lily rolled her eyes, but nodded, and handed him a bit more. "Again, way more than enough," she teased.

Scorpius handed the gangly teen behind the counter the money, and took the small bag with his things. They headed for the door, but Scorpius stopped her. He dug the clip from the bag, and held it out to her. He smirked. "It's not as pretty a flower as you, but I don't think there's a flower that is."

A giggle escaped her lips, but she rolled her eyes at him as she took it. "And just when I thought you couldn't get more cheesy, you prove me wrong," she laughed.

He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her. "As Mitch puts it, I should always aim to do better than I did before," he teased.


That night Scorpius took her to another restaurant that his father owned, this one in Paris. He knew it'd be a place she'd like, and it was one of the fancier establishments his father had bought.

As they sat across from each other, eating their meal, he couldn't help but admire how lovely she looked. She was dressed in a soft silver dress. The small flower clip he'd bought her earlier was in her hair, keeping it from her face.

They had been talking about career plans, but it just made Scorpius keep thinking about how he would soon be graduating. "So, how is your fifth year treating you? Everything you expected?" Scorpius asked, wanting to divert the topic from him.

Lily raised a brow, but shrugged. "I guess. I mean, people always made O.W.L. year sound like the most stressful year of your life, but personally it hasn't been that bad for me," she commented casually.

Scorpius smirked. "No surprise, Miss Prodigy," he mocked. "Sadly not everyone has your intelligence."

She smiled. "I'm not a genius in anything but Potions. I just have the ability to remember things that I'll never need to know later in life," she joked.

He laughed with her. "I wish I had that talent. It would probably have made my fifth year a lot easier."

She gave him a skeptical look. "You're like, what, third or something in your class? It's not like you're an idiot."

"That's because I study though," he pointed out. "How often do you open a book, miss know-it-all?"

She giggled. "But you're a natural at Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is really important for being an Auror," she mentioned. "And you have a knack for Transfiguration, and I don't see you studying for that one very often."

He leaned forward a little. "Are you trying to overinflate my ego?" he teased.

Lily leaned forward a little in return. "Perhaps. How am I doing?" A smile was on her lips, and he could practically see her urge to laugh.

Scorpius leaned back and smirked. "Close. Now tell me I'm beautiful."

Now she did laugh fully, sitting back against her seat. "I would, but I'd hate for your head to explode from so much hot air," she mocked.

He smiled. "Well that's probably for the best. I wouldn't look pretty without this face in one piece." She continued to giggle lightly, while he continued to smile. "So, anything you would like to do once we finish eating?"

With her laughter finally dying down, a smile lingered on her lips as she seemed to think. "Hmm. Well . . . how about a walk?"

Scorpius looked at her with a little surprise. "Around Paris?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just a walk around the city, enjoy the sights. I haven't actually explored Paris in a long time."

"Then I guess we're going for a walk after dinner," he promised.


Scorpius sighed as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. After a small walk around Paris, he'd brought Lily back to the beach house, and now they were both taking a moment to get comfortable after being in such nice clothes for so long.

He slipped off his tie, and undid a few buttons of his shirt. While he didn't mind looking nice, he kind of hated wearing ties. It felt so constricting around his neck. He rolled up his sleeves, his mind distracted.

Should he take Lily back to the manor now? He'd never actually given his father a time on when they would return, but what if his father had his own idea on when they should be back? But he still had one last gift to give her before returning, and he'd really rather take a moment to just sit around without his parents being able to join them.

As he left the bathroom, he paused before going to his father's wine cabinet. His father would never notice one missing. He made sure to grab two glasses, before closing the cabinet again. Scorpius walked back to where Lily was sitting in the living room. He swallowed harshly. She looked so beautiful, especially in the slightly dimmer lighting of the room at night.

"Relaxed?" he asked softly.

She turned to look at him, a small pink blush on her cheeks. "Um, yeah," she said lightly.

He smirked as he stepped further in the room. "Good. I thought that you would like to try one of the best elf wines ever," he commented as he sat next to her. He began to pour her a drink. "Any kind of elf wine you've had before will pale compared to this," he said as he held a glass out to her. "My father won't notice it's gone, so I thought I'd treat you to something even better than what we drank at dinner."

Scorpius filled his own glass as she took a sip. "That is good," she agreed.

He gave a nod, taking a drink from his own as he leaned back into his seat. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting his fingers brush through her hair. She leaned into him, and he relaxed more.

"I love your hair like this," he complimented, letting his fingers tangle softly into the soft curls.

"Scorpius, why do you love my hair like this?" she asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever asked."

He smiled. "I just think that it fits your style. It's full of life, fiery. It's just like you," he mentioned.

"Thank you," she murmured before taking another drink.

Scorpius paused for a moment, but then spoke again. "Hey, babe, I got you another gift for tonight," he admitted.

She pulled away from him, and he could see the amusement in her eyes. "Another one?" she teased.

He smirked. "I couldn't help it," he said. He set down his glass, and stood up. With a simple flick of his wand, and the murmur of "Accio," the present flew from where he'd hid it in the other room, and into his hands. He turned back to her, and gave it to her.

Lily put down her own glass before taking it, and carefully opened the gift. But all her amusement turned to astonishment and subtle glee as she pulled the leather jacket out from the box.

He returned to his seat next to her. "I remember you talking about how the one you have now was getting smaller on you. I saw this one, so I grabbed it. And, I understand if you'd rather wear your old one, but this is just in case it ever gets to where you can't wear it," he explained.

She smiled happily as she looked at him. "No, I love it! It's great."

He gave a chuckled before placing a kiss on her temple. "I'm glad."

She moved her things to the table before kissing him. He grinned as he began to pull away, but then she kissed him again to his surprise. This kiss was wet and hot, and it made him tense as desire coursed through him. He pulled her closer to him, letting one hand bury itself in her hair again. He moved his tongue past her lips, his hormones getting caught up in the rush, controlling him before he could even think.

He moved her to his lap as she moaned. It was one of the sweetest sounds to enter his ears. But then she moved to straddle him, and he groaned as she rested on his growing erection. He moved his lips from hers and down to her throat. He'd hoped pulling away from their heated kiss would help him think straight, but at the sound of another moan, thinking straight became more difficult.

Scorpius brought his hands to her thighs, exploring the skin that was bared to him now that her dress had ridden up a little. His muscles instinctively flinched when her fingers brushed the bare skin of his chest that was revealed near the top of his shirt. But his skin began to feel hotter as she undid button after button of his shirt. When the last button was undone, she was pulling it out from his pants and pushing it off his shoulders.

He let go of her to let the shirt fall away. After throwing if from the couch, he wrapped his arms around her again, moving to kiss her again, her lips moving against his own just as passionately. He groaned quietly at the feel of her fingers roughly combing through his hair. He gripped her dress, and desperately wanted to feel her skin under his palm. He slipped a hand up to the zipper of her dress, and pull it down to the small of her back. Just before he could pull her closer, she moved her hands from his hair, and he could feel the dress falling to his lap.

Immediately, Scorpius gripped her sides, her skin hot under his own. He pulled her closer, the skin-to-skin contact making him shiver. Her hands moved across his shoulders and his chest before coming back to his hair. He broke their kiss, moving his lips to press fleeting kiss across her cheek, her jaw, before biting at her earlobe and trailing down her neck.

It was when she began to move on his lap, pressing harder into him, that a reminder of their situation shot into his mind. He groaned. He didn't want to stop. He really, really didn't want to stop! But . . . was it a good idea to continue? Was it really the best moment? When she was going to have to go and deal with her family tomorrow? Maybe. Maybe it would be a way to take her mind off of it.

Scorpius scowled, shaking that thought from his head. Now was not the time to be arrogant, or such a, well a guy! "Lily . . ." he pulled his lips away from her completely, looking at her fully. She looked as disheveled as he felt. Her hair was a thick mess, her lips a dark red and a little swollen, and her cheeks were pink. "Lily, we gotta stop," he mumbled. His body screamed at him, berated him for stopping. He couldn't be selfish. He couldn't push her.

"No," she whispered, sending a spark to his heart, "no it's ok."

She kissed him again, but Scorpius quickly pulled away before he could let himself get addicted again. "No, Lily, if we don't stop now, I don't think I will later," he warned, trying to get her to understand.

But she shrugged, and his body screamed for him to take the opportunity she was giving him. "That's fine."

He took hold of her arms, before she could move to kiss him again. He ran his hands up and down her arms, unable to stop himself, but still trying to be respectful. "Lily, I didn't bring you here with expectations. I just thought that you would like it," he assured.

"I know, and I do. But it's ok. I'm ready for this." Scorpius could hear his heart in his ears. "I won't lie and say that I'm not nervous, because I am. But I am ready to take the next step. I've thought about it, and I know that I am."

Well if she thought it through. . . Scorpius almost shook his head. No! He knew that it wouldn't be the best idea, nor was it the right kind of moment. He couldn't be impulsive. "Lily," he sighed, "I . . . I just don't think that this is the right time for it."

She looked at him seriously, and almost like she was surprised. "Why not?"

He moved his hands to her sides, squeezing lightly. "There's a lot going on now, Lily." His hormones were furious, hating him for being rational. But he continued. "You've got to return to your family for two days tomorrow, and you have to face everything that happened. Things are going to happen, and I don't think that we need to take this step in the midst of it."

She deserved better than that. She deserved something she could continue to be happy about without the fear that one of her brothers would do something to ruin that happiness. He didn't want it to just be a momentary distraction from the problems that waited for them. She deserved better, and he wouldn't give her anything less.

She sighed before resting her head on his shoulder. "You're right," she mumbled.

He smirked, trying not to regret his decision to be the good guy. "I always am." She giggled as he hit a ticklish spot on her side, and retaliated by biting gently at his neck. It made him groan, his body still feeling hot. She did it again, and he pulled back. "Ok, ok," he told himself, pulling himself back to reality.

She sat up straight and ran a hand through her messy hair. "When are you taking me back?"

"Soon," he said immediately. Being alone for much longer would most likely break his resolve, "so we should probably get cleaned up."

She nodded as she slowly stood up. He missed her warmth as soon as she was away from him. He couldn't help but let his eyes roam up the expanse of her flat and soft stomach, across her bra, which made him taking in a hiss of breath, and back to her eyes. She pulled her dress back up, slipping her arms through the straps. She looked at him then. "Zip me up?"

He nodded as he stood up. He turned her around, and brought his hand up, brushing his knuckle over her skin. She was hot under his hand. He shook away the urge to continue, and pulled the zipper up. Once he had, she moved away from him to look in a nearby mirror. He picked up his own shirt, and began to put it back on. He grimaced at how tight his pants still felt. Hopefully he'd be able to drop her off at the manor without his parents stopping him and keeping him there for an hour. He had something that he really needed to take care of…


"You are an idiot!" Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friends' overreactions. But then he was taking hits from Rex with a pillow. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, Scor!"

Scorpius finally grabbed the pillow from him. "Shove off, Derrick!" he snapped in annoyance.

"Don't fuck up his hair, I'm about to cut it!" Lana called from his bathroom.

The group was at Scorpius's flat, where they'd all agreed to hang out for the night. He'd dropped Lily off to her family earlier, and didn't feel like hanging out by himself. Plus, he told Lily he'd have Lana cut his hair, since it was getting a little long and into his eyes.

He'd just finished telling the guys about his date last night. He knew he should have kept the last part to himself.

"How could tell her that having sex wouldn't be a good idea?" Rex demanded. "It would have been a wonderful idea!"

Scorpius gave him a small glare. "Really? Then ship her off to her family? I'm not that much of a selfish prick."

"You have to admire his restraint. Because I never would have been able to say no," Mitch commented.

Lana finally reentered the room, a bottle of something in her hands. "Yeah, don't belittle him for being a good boyfriend. Something you know nothing about," she told Rex before sitting behind Scorpius. He flinched when something cold touched his scalp, but relaxed as Lana began to smooth down his hair.

"She deserves better," Scorpius agreed.

Rex just shook his head. "Well, at least you've made some progress."

Scorpius raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Well she said she's ready, didn't she?" Rex inquired. "That means you're that much closer. You play your cards right, she's in your bed before break is up."

"She's already in his bed most nights," Lana quipped with a teasing grin.

"Fine. You'll be in her knickers before break ends, happy?" Rex retorted.

"That's not a bad goal to have," Lars agreed.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but didn't move now that Lana was cutting his hair. "Well it's not my goal. I'm not in any rush."

"How can you not be in a rush?" Rex exclaimed. "Seriously, how do you do it? I would have exploded by now."

"He's in better control of his hormones," Lana mocked.

Scorpius sighed. "I'm not saying that I'm not eager. But I'm also not a jackass. I'm not going to rush into it. Besides, I'm confident that I'm spending the rest of my life with her. We have all the time in the world."

"I have to say, that confidence amazes me," Lars stated. "I mean, I'm not confident that Ashley and I will make it to the end of the school year. How can you be sure that you two will spend your lives together?"

"You just know," Mitch said suddenly. "It's kind of a weird feeling, if you think about it. But, it's almost like it's just the way it is. You can't answer it when people ask how you know. You just know."

"He's right," Scorpius agreed, repressing the urge to nod his head. "I just . . . I just know. I have no doubts."

"That's no surprise with you and Lil," Mitch joked. "It's like you two were made for each other."

"Besides Lily, who else would put up with you," Lana teased as she moved to cut the hair that laid across his brow.

Scorpius scowled. "Wow, thanks," he grumbled.

"Don't worry. We know it's equal. You've got to be the only guy willing to put up with her family," Rex laughed.

"I'm sure seeing James Potter's face whenever they snog makes up for it, though," Mitch said, laughing as well.

Scorpius smirked. "It's a nice bonus."

"So, Lily's coming to the Christmas dinner, right?" Lana questioned.

"Yeah, of course."

"Wait until the day you spend a Christmas Eve with the Weasley family," Mitch commented. "It's so much fun."

Scorpius scoffed. "I doubt I'm likely to be invited any time soon."

"You think I was ever officially invited?" Mitch laughed.

Scorpius chuckled. "Maybe once I'm sure her father won't have me killed," he joked.


"Scorpius dear, it's perfect! Thank you so much!" Astoria squealed as she looked over the new sketch book he'd gotten her for Christmas.

Scorpius smiled. "Well your old one looks like it's ready to burst, you keep adding new pages to it. I thought I'd get you a new one so you could start fresh."

"Well I love it!" Astoria said as she smiled brightly, and Scorpius knew that if he had been sitting on the couch with her, she'd have hugged him until he couldn't breathe.

"Here you are, Young Master," Pitch said as he held a present out to Scorpius.

Scorpius gave him a small smile and a nod as he took the smaller gift. He tore off the wrapping paper, and found a book with a title he didn't recognize. "What's this?" he mumbled.

"I noticed you'd been reading a lot more," Draco said suddenly. Scorpius looked at his father. "Every time you came to visit Lily, you always had a book. I thought I'd pick up one of my favorites for you. I thought you might also enjoy it."

Scorpius smiled as he opened the book and skimmed the pages. He was sure that this wasn't a muggle book like the ones he'd been reading lately, but he appreciated it all the same. "I'll have to read this one next," he promised.

"Here's another one for you," Pitch said, handing him a much thinner, but longer box.

Scorpius sighed. Being the only son and grandson, he still received dozens of presents at Christmas. The last few years, he'd been trying to tell his parents and his grandmother that he didn't need so many presents for Christmas, but they would never listen.

He began to unwrap this one. "I can't even guess what this is," he commented.

"Isn't that the point of a gift?" Scorpius tensed at the sound of Lucius's voice. "To be surprised?"

Now Scorpius felt hesitant about opening the box at all. A present from Lucius? Since he'd started fighting with the man, he'd only received a single gift every year from the old man, and it was always something ridiculous. A history book about pureblood supremacy, expensive and stuffy dress robes, and even a book on spells and curses that were considered dark arts. All things he'd tossed aside as soon he got them.

He opened the thin box to find a smooth and delicately crafted cane. It was just like the one Lucius limped around on, and like the one that rested in his father's study. It was made of smooth, black-painted wood. At the top was a silver snake head with emeralds for eyes.

Scorpius desperately wanted to say something mocking and scathing, but it was Christmas, and his mother would be furious with him all night if he were to start the fight. So he said nothing, but set the cane aside, away from the other presents, the ones he enjoyed.

"Something you can take to school," Lucius stated.

Scorpius couldn't help but scoff. "I am not walking around Hogwarts with that," he retorted. "I'll leave it here, thanks." Truthfully, he'd throw it away later.

"So, son," Draco spoke quickly, obviously wanted to stop any argument before it could happen, "how are N.E.W.T. studies going?"

"They're fine," Scorpius assured. "I mean, it's not easy, of course. It's hard topics, plus trying to balance studying with Quidditch, and spending time with my girlfriend, it's not easy, but I'm doing well, I think."

"Of course you'd let some girl distract you from important exams," he heard Lucius mumbled quietly.

Scorpius turned to look at the old man, but his mother was quick to speak. "Scorpius, dear, would you mind helping me set up for the dinner tonight?"

Scorpius looked at his mother. "Of course, Mother." He followed her out of the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. But he was surprised when his mother whirled around to look firmly at him. "Um . . . that was a trap, wasn't it? You have something else to talk about?" he guessed.

Astoria crossed her arms, giving him an expectant look. "I never got to ask Lily about your date. I can say she looked preoccupied and worried yesterday before she left to join her family. But I wasn't sure if that was due to having to spend time with her family after the awkward way they parted, or if something happened on your date. Please tell me you didn't do something stupid?"

Scorpius groaned as his shoulders sagged. "Mum, I swear, you worry more about her than you do your own son," he mocked dryly.

"Because Lily needs someone to worry about her," Astoria countered. "I know this isn't something she's talking to her mother about. She needs the support from an older woman when it comes to her relationship. And she's not accepting it from her mother at the moment, and I refuse to let her go through it alone. So, did you?"

He sighed. "No, Mum, I did nothing stupid. Nothing happened. She's just anxious about spending time with her family. Like you said, it was an awkward parting."

Astoria relaxed at his words. "Good."

They stood there for a moment, and Scorpius wasn't sure if her needing help was all ruse, or if she did need help. "So . . . still need help with setting up?" he inquired. His mother sighed heavily, as if she was disappointed. "Something wrong?"

But Astoria shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just had my hopes up. Now, come along."

Scorpius scowled in confusion, but quickly caught up with her as they walked to the large dining room. "Your hopes? What about?"

"Whenever we talk about you and Lily, I can't stop getting my hopes up that you'll actually talk to me about your relationship," Astoria admitted. "Your feelings and what you think."

Scorpius fidgeted in discomfort, unsure what to say. "Oh," he muttered, feeling his face turn red.

"I always expect you to stay quiet about it. You're so much like your father that you've become predictable to me," Astoria commented. "But, I can't help but wish you'd talk with me more about it."

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. Talk about his relationship? What about it did she want to know? Besides, what did she not know? He was sure that she and Lily talked about it. "Well . . . what do you want to know?"

They stopped at the dining room door, and Astoria looked at him with a bit of surprise. "What?"

Scorpius looked away from her, sheepishly staring at the paintings on the walls. "We can talk about it, if you want. I mean, I don't know what you want to know, but . . . we can talk." He felt dumb, like his words weren't making sense to anyone but him.

But she smiled. "I just want to know how you are. Lily and I may talk about where you take her on dates, or what you buy her, and she may tell me how she feels. But only you can tell me how my son feels."

Scorpius glanced at her before looking away again. "I'm fine. Happy."

She sighed again, and he looked at her fully this time. "See? Just like your father," she teased. "I wish you'd actually talk to me." She opened the door to the dining room, and stepped inside.

Scorpius followed. "I mean . . . I'm happy. I've got a wonderful girl in my life, and one that I plan on spending the rest of my life with. I'm happy. Simple as that."

Astoria's smile grew a little. "So, you aren't worried about her having deal with how awkward it probably is with her family?"

He scoffed. "Oh, please. Lana says I worry too much," he grumbled. "How could I not worry about her?"

"It's hard not to worry about the one you love," Astoria agreed. "Still to this day, I worry about your father."

Scorpius looked at his mother. "Father? What's there to worry about?" It wasn't like his father had a dangerous job or anything that kept him away long. What could his mother worry about?

She smiled softly. "There's a lot for me to worry about," she said gently. "I sometimes find myself worrying about the stress and tension between him and his father. I know inside that it tears him apart to fight with his father. I worry about him when he hears people whispering in public, or sees them staring openly and with hatred."

A heavy air hung over them. "I've never seen it get to Dad," Scorpius whispered.

"I've seen what's behind the mask he wears to the public, and even to you," Astoria murmured. "He always hopes that if he makes it seem like it doesn't bother him, then maybe one day you'll learn to not let it bother you."

"One day, you won't have to worry about that anymore," Scorpius promised firmly. Astoria looked at him curiously. "Because one day, I'm going to make the Malfoy name something that people praise. Eventually, there won't be anyone whispering about our family. I promise."