The next few weeks were the happiest Scorpius could remember. He had spent countless hours with Lily and Blain, and occasionally Albus or James Potter. He had also made great efforts to spend time with his other friends, and now they were closer than ever. Well, Persephone, Oswald and he were closer than ever. Grayson and Bernadette still floated in and out of their little group whenever they felt like it. They weren't as close as Lily and her friends, but they were not looking for that closeness. They had a strong friendship, and they were happy with that.

The first quidditch matches had come and gone. Gryfindor had played Hufflepuff. They had swept that match easily. Scorpius had to admit that Lily was really good and she had deserved her spot on the team.

She had handled the broom with ease. At one point, she had stood up, balancing precariously on the end, trying to reach the snitch. Scorpius had been very close to jumping down on the field to wring her neck. Days after getting out of the hospital, here she is trying to get back in.

After the game, he found her, but before he could start telling her what he thought of her little escapades, the team had swooped in, clapping her on the back and telling her what a wonderful catch it was. Of course, the team consisted entirely of her family, so of course they would cheer her on. They had grown up seeing her pull these stunts before.

He began to smile at their antics, and even slapped her on the back, telling her what a spectacular flyer she was. She turned and gave him a huge smile and had launched into a hug.

Scorpius was not used to physical affection, at least not full force, and the hug threw him off balance. His arms tightened around her, but before he could regain his balance, they found themselves on the ground. Lily was laughing along with her family, and Scorpius couldn't help but join in. Willing hands helped pull the two up.

Around the corner came two more family members. Harry and Ginny Potter each hugged their youngest. Ginny smiled down as she straightened wind swept hair.

"You were wonderful Lily. It was amazing to see you fly."

"Lily Bean, that was spectacular! I loved the final catch."

Ginny playfully slapped his arm, "Only because you had a similar catch your first game. I swear to you Harry Potter, if your daughter takes after you in quidditch playing, she is going to be in the infirmary more than you were."

Harry rubbed his arm and grinned at his wife. Lily looked at her dad, "You did the same thing your first match?"

Albus leaned close and whispered to Scorpius, "She wants to be just like Dad. She's already started to plan her auror training." Scorpius smiled at Al and looked back at Harry, who was slightly red in the face.

"Well, not exactly."

"Well come on Dad, tell us the story then." James was looking just as interested. Harry and Ginny told them all about the first snitch and how Harry had almost swallowed it. By the end the group was laughing at the thought of the greatest wizard to date almost choking on a tiny snitch. James spoke again.

"Is that the snitch up on the fireplace?"

"The one and the same."

Scorpius smiled at the group. They were full of life and laughter and he enjoyed every minute he spent with them. He had not told his Slytherin friends about his new acquaintances, so he kept these meetings brief. One more congratulatory hug, and he ran off to join his friends for supper.

The next match had been his own against Ravenclaw. He could remember the butterflies in his stomach before taking flight. The team was not exhausted, but they were definitely tired and sluggish after all the grueling practices. The Ravenclaw team had managed to get in a few goals before the Slytherins had rallied in defense.

Scorpius had circled a few times, hoping to catch sight of the glittering snitch. He saw no sign of it and the frustration mounted. The game was close. For every point they managed to get on the board, Ravenclaw matched it. They just couldn't seem to pull ahead and fatigue was starting to set in.

Scorpius needed to find that snitch. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted Lily. She was smiling. He could see her hands moving under her scarf. When she saw him looking, she pulled a small green flag out from under the scarf and began waving it madly. He saw her mouth the words, 'You can do it.' And he seemed to find new strength.

He began to scan again, moving faster and faster. Soon he was a blur in the sky and suddenly he had dropped. There, near the ground, was a tiny speck of gold. He dove. He felt the wind whistling past him and he felt a total sense of freedom. Inches from the ground, he had pulled up, holding the tiny golden ball aloft. The crowd had gone wild and he soaked in every second.

It was not a sweeping victory, but it was a victory. He could remember seeing Lily afterwards and, for the first time, Scorpius ran to her and swept her into a bear hug. She laughed and hung on as he swung her around. She had told him how wonderful she thought he was and had left him to enjoy the party in his common room.

The greatest thing to come from the game though was the fact that Patricia finally realized she was pushing them too hard. She had finally cut down on the practices and the team was feeling refreshed. Yes it had been a truly wonderful few weeks. Never once had he noticed the dark eyes tracking his every move.

XXXXXXXXXXX

They were two weeks from the Christmas break. Lily and Scorpius met everyday at their tree. He told his friends that he was using the time in the morning to catch up on homework and sleep. Since they were seeing more of him, they didn't ever argue.

It was the most peaceful time of his day, and probably his favorite. The snow was thick on the ground, but he and Lily were plenty warm. Everyday, Lily brought her bag, filled with wonderful food and drink. Scorpius brought a thick warm blanket.

Today was the last Hogsmeade trip before the break. Scorpius was going down later with Blain and he was meeting the other Slytherins after lunch. Lily was still too young to go, but she tried to hide her jealousy.

"Âne Nu, it's only two years and then you'll be coming. Besides, I promise to bring you something special. And I think I heard Al say that your uncle had something for you at his shop."

Lily pouted under her cloak. "It's still two years away! I want to go now. And what is with that stupid nickname? You've been calling me it for weeks!"

Scorpius smiled. She could be a real bear in the mornings. "Admit it, you like it. It's growing on you."

"Fine, but I still want to know what it means."

"And I told you, you have to figure it out for yourself." He smirked at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. Scorpius laughed.

"You know, I don't think I have laughed this much my entire life."

Lily was still slightly miffed at not getting to go. She frowned at him "Yeah, well, it's good for you."

It was a little cold out for drawing, but they spent the time talking, or just sitting enjoying each others company. Today had been extremely cold, so Lily had brought another blanket. They sat on one and spread the other over their laps.

Lily had brought a thermos of hot chocolate and a batch of warm muffins and hot cereal. It had been wonderful. Just the thing to warm them up. Bludger sat on Lily's shoulder, but he was getting used to Scorpius. That morning, he had flown ahead of Lily and had landed right on Scorpius and given him a brief nip.

"That means he likes you." Lily had said. Scorpius had been absurdly pleased at the thought of the falcon liking him.

The food was long gone, and Lily leaned her head back against the tree. Turning her head, she looked at Scorpius. "I love the snow. It makes it all so peaceful."

Scorpius just nodded and leaned his head back as well. He was feeling warm and contented. He smiled at the picture they must make. There was no sign of any other person around them. The snow was unmarked except for two sets of tracks leading to the castle. There the two sat, snuggled in cloaks, hats, scarves, mittens, and thick boots. All you could see were two red faces peeking out of the dark cloaks. The white snow blanketed everything else. He closed his eyes and relaxed even more. He heard Lily speak.

"You know what else I love about the snow?"

"What?"

"This!" Scorpius' eyes shot open as he felt the cold, compacted snow hit his head and slid down the back of his shirt. He jumped up with a yell and turned to see Lily running for cover behind the tree.

"So it is war then!" Lily screamed as she dodged his first onslaught. She was quick to recover and was soon throwing with amazing accuracy. Within minutes they were both covered from head to toe in snow. Both were breathing heave, and as Lily stooped to make another snowball, he made his move.

Scorpius ran as fast as he could and tackled Lily into a huge bank of snow. She sputtered and coughed but was still laughing. He leaned close.

"Never take your eyes off a Slytherin. We always know when to take advantage."

Lily laughed with glee. "OK OK OK!"

"So you give?"

Lily gave him a mischievous grin, "Never!" and he found a handful of snow crammed down the back of his neck. Lily took the opportunity to roll away and the game began again.

Soon they were both collapsed on the blankets, panting. Lily looked over.

"Truce?"

"Yeah, truce. Besides, I need to go meet Blain." They helped each other up and made their way to the castle. They separated just before they reached the courtyard.

"See you tomorrow Âne Nu."

"I will figure it out you know." Scorpius laughed and he went to change.

He was waiting outside the portrait hole for Blain. It opened and Blain came rushing out. Scorpius could hear Lily in the common room, "It means WHAT????!!!"

"Uh Oh." Scorpius grabbed Blain and they ran. They ducked behind the first tapestry they could find. Blain looked at him, "What the heck..?" but Scorpius covered his mouth. They could hear footsteps.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you show yourself right now! Do you hear me? When I find you I am going to string you up your ears! Don't think I won't! When I get done with you, you will pray I used my bat-boogy hex on you. That is nothing compared to what I am planning!"

Scorpius was trying not to laugh. When the footsteps were gone, Blain looked at him. "Oh you are in trouble. What did you do?"

Scorpius was laughing outright now. "You know that nickname I gave her?"

"You mean Âne Nu?" Scorpius nodded.

"She figured out what it means."

They left their hiding spot and began to sneak off towards the entrance hall. Scorpius paused. He was listening for footsteps. Blain gave an irritated huff. "Well don't leave me hanging."

Satisfied that Lily was now long gone Scorpius again spoke. "It means Bare Ass in French!"

Laughing, the two boys ran off to join their friends in Hogsmeade.