Months had passed. It seemed as if the hospital stay was just a bad memory. Scorpius had woken the next morning, stiff and a bit grumpy, but he had woken to a beautifully bright smile. Nothing else had mattered. All of a sudden, every ache and pain had disappeared and Lily was back.
He hadn't let her out of his sight for two whole weeks after that. She had finally threatened to hex him if he didn't back off. After that, they had gone back to their normal routine.
There was only a slight difference in this routine. After dinner, he would meet up with his now girlfriend, Melinda. It seemed like the year from hell had turned around completely. Mel was wonderful. They shared jokes and talked away the hours. Sometimes they worked on homework or griped about classes. Of course it didn't hurt that she was a great kisser.
It had been a bit of a shock that a Slytherin was dating a Ravenclaw. Amazingly, many still did not know that Scorpius was friends with Lily Potter. They did not talk together between classes or eat together. Even after the incident in the library, few really knew they were friends. When he was seen talking to the Gryfindors, it was assumed that he was talking to Blain.
His Slytherin friends all claimed he had gone off the deep end. Imagine dating a Ravenclaw, but one look at the beautiful girl and the boys seemed to forget. After all, it wasn't like he was dating a Gryfindor. The girls needed more convincing, so he was not yet bringing the new girlfriend to meet his Slytherin friends.
Of course, Mel had known Lily. She had not known how close Scor and Lily were, but she didn't seem to mind. His life seemed perfect. Lily was her usual, bubbly self. She had given him something extra special for his birthday. It was a small painting of the two of them and their tree. It was perfect in every detail. Right now, that little painting was sitting in his trunk. He looked at it every night, grateful for the amazing friend he had made. Life continued to improve.
He was still friends with Blain though they still didn't spend a ton of time together. Blain seemed to realize that he had been replaced in the best friend department, but that didn't seem to bother either of the two. They always found time to keep in touch, so their friendship was going strong. Of course it helped that their best friends were siblings. The four, Albus, Blain, Lily, and Scorpius, could often be found in empty classrooms, outside by the lake, or just relaxing.
He had even seen Harry Potter again. Harry had been brought in to give a lecture for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry was a pretty good teacher. Even the Slytherin class had been hanging on his every word. It had been a discussion on shield spells. It was amazing how effortless he seemed to make it. With barely a flick, he was able to produce shield against some pretty heavy duty curses. After the lecture, Harry had even pulled him aside to see how he was doing.
Scorpius would not say that he was star struck. It was more a respectful adoration. Ever since the talk the two had, Scorpius had found that a smile from Harry Potter was just as good as a smile from his own father. He found that he did not want to disappoint the great auror. He even found himself imagining what it would be like to become an auror himself. Scorpius was looking forward to possibly spending some time over the summer talking to Harry about the career, or just talking in general. Draco Malfoy did not exactly scream confidant when it came to teenage problems. Harry on the other hand, was very approachable. He had that confidence that made you want to talk about your problems because you were sure he could help you solve them. It was becoming an almost perfect year.
Not everything could be completely perfect however. Slytherin had played Gryfindor for the quidditch cup. It had been a close game. As was traditional, it was a nasty game. There was a huge rivalry between the two sides. This could very well determine the house cup. There had been a lot of tricks and snide comments in the days before the game.
Scorpius and Lily had taken it in stride. They had even taken to calling each other by surnames just to join the fun. They had joined the name calling, but more as a joke and tradition than anything else. Anyone who knew the two would have seen the humor in their eyes, but those just passing by saw only the heated rivalry of the two.
"Oy, Potter, You're not yourself today. I noticed the improvement immediately."
"Don't piss me off today, Malfoy. I'm running out of places to hide to bodies"
"You're not even trying Potter."
Scorpius could still see her face. She had been trying not to laugh. "Simple reason Malfoy. I refuse to have a battle of wits between you and me. I never pick on an unarmed man."
This had gone on for days. Every time they saw each other, they had new insults to try out. It was hard to keep a straight face in the halls. They had even started an insult war on paper.
"If ignorance is bliss Scorpius, you must be the happiest person alive."
"That was a good one Potter. A thought crossed my mind, they say opposites attract. I hope you meet someone who is good-looking, intelligent, and cultured."
"I see you're mind is wandering Scor."
"You could say that I guess."
"Don't let it. Your mind is way too small to be out by itself."
"Haha, you have some good ones today."
"Thanks."
"My Mom said never talk to strangers and well, since you're really strange... I guess that means I can't talk to you!"
"Ouch. Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but you abuse the privilege."
"OK, OK, truce. You will this round."
"Once again, thank you for bowing to my superiority. So excited for the game?"
"Very, but you know we are going to win."
"Oh I wouldn't bet on it."
"I would."
"Hmm, care to make that official?"
"Sure. What do I get when we win?"
"Hmmm, let me think on that."
And that was how he had landed in this situation. The game had been so close. Slytherin was behind, but not by much. They were pulling all the stops. There had been a dirty trick or two, but the rule was 'don't get caught' and Slytherins were masters of the rule.
He and Lily had been an even match the whole way. They had stuck to each other like glue, each looking for a sign of the snitch. Lily had gone into a sudden dive and he had followed. There were neck and neck, but he couldn't see the tiny golden ball. She pulled up at the last minute. Scorpius had almost hit the ground but his flying skills had saved him. He ended up tangled with a flag as he shot back up. Those few precious moments had been all Lily needed. She had found the snitch and the dive had been a ploy to get rid of him for a minute or two.
And now he was forced to face humiliation.
"Âne Nu, do I really have to do this?" He had taken to using the nickname again. It was something he only used on occasion, but he loved the spark she would get when he did.
"Yes, you really do. Besides you might even like it."
Scorpius crossed his arms and glared at her. "I doubt it. Come on, let's get this over with."
When he walked into the goodbye feast, the room went quiet. Lily was already in her seat, laughed out load. Albus and Blain were rolling on the floor. James looked shocked. He spotted Mel. She raised an eyebrow at him. He mouthed 'I lost a bet' and she started to giggle behind a hand. He saw the Slytherins. They were looking at him in horror. This was going to be a long night. Thanks to the quidditch cup, Gryfindor had pulled to the lead with the Slytherins a close second. Damn. He sighed and took his seat.
Persephone was staring, open mouthed. Grayson was smirking. Oz looked like he was facing some horrible monster, and Bernadette was rubbing her eyes. Persephone started. "What the hell is going on?"
"Have no idea what you are talking about." He was grumpy and didn't want to talk about it.
"Yes you do. What happened?"
He growled at Grayson, "I lost a bet."
"A bet with who?"
"I'll let you guess?"
Oz finally joined the conversation, "A Gryfindork?"
"Nice guess."
"Well that would explain the color."
"I really don't want to talk about it." He slumped back in his chair and proceeded to ignore the looks and comments all around him. Despite losing the house cup, and his unfortunate loss of a bet, it had been a great year. He even found himself smiling with his friends. Oh he was going to miss this place over the summer.
After the festivities, he headed towards his room. Everything was packed for tomorrow. He kissed Melinda and moved off in a state of happy bliss. By the time he was settled, the others were asleep. He looked to find a note on his bed.
He quietly opened it. It was from Lily. Just a little something to remember it by. I thought it was hilarious. It should wear off by tomorrow morning. I'll see you on the train tomorrow. Thanks for making my year.
Love Lily.
Inside was a picture, in full color. It was of Scorpius standing in front of a mirror with Lily, scowling at his reflection. She was laughing, an arm around his middle. It was a wonderful picture, except he looked wrong. Instead of his platinum blond locks, Scorpius was examining the new, bright red tendrils of hair Lily had given him for losing the bet. She had even gone so far as to give him freckles.
As he looked at the picture, he saw her happy look. She was laughing and her eyes were twinkling, and he couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him. She had truly made this a year to remember. He couldn't think of a better ending. He knew he had made a life long friendship in Lily Potter.
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A/N: Next Chapter- Year Two for Lily, Year Four for Scor. Couple more chapters for this story.
Then I start the sequel. That will focus on Lily's POV and it will go from Scorpius' final year with her until, well, who knows. Basically, I don't want to make this one so long that no one wants to start reading it.
Thanks to all the reviews. I will continue to update often, and if anyone has ideas for stories, I am looking for some new ideas. Thanks!