Prompt: "Growth"

EDIT: Jesus, you guys could have told me how many errors there were in here.

It was mid February, Lily remembered it was during Charms class in particular, because Hugo's Cheering Charm made her face ache from grinning so hard, when Professor Longbottom called her out into the hall to find both of her brothers waiting. "Dad's here," James announced before she even opened her mouth.

"And he wants to talk to us," Albus added. Neville snorted in amusement as the boys did his job of filling their little sister in.

"He's waiting for you at Hagrid's hut," Neville explained. "I'll walk you down there."

"That's okay, Uncle Neville," James tried to tell him.

"We know the way," Lily added, rubbing her cheeks, trying to relieve some of the pain. Her own joy to see her father was added to the charm, although Lily had been certain a few minutes before that her smile couldn't stretch any wider, but the charm seemed determined to prove her wrong.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked.

She shook her head. "Cheering Charms; hurts to smile so much."

"Oh, is that your problem?" Neville asked. "It'll wear off in awhile."

"Uncle Ne—Professor Longbottom, do you know what our dad wants?" James asked as they exited the castle.

"Not sure," Neville answered honestly, holding the door open for the other two. Together, they walked out to Hagrid's hut. As they drew closer, Lily saw her father sitting next to Hagrid inside the hut, chatting with his old friend.

"Dad!" James shouted, running ahead. Lily and Albus followed closely after, hugging their father tightly as he got up to greet them. Neville quietly closed the door after them, and accepted a cup of warm tea from Hagrid.

"Hello," Harry beamed, like he had never been more pleased to see anyone in his whole life. "You've been on good behavior since the last I saw you, right?"

James and Albus were pointedly quiet, but Lily was happy to cover for them. "We've been good, daddy."

Neville and Hagrid both made noises of disbelief, but Harry ignored them, and rubbed an affectionate hand over the crown of her head. "I suppose that means you lot will just have to try harder, eh?"

"Harry," Neville began dryly. "Please, don't encourage them—we still haven't been able to clean the scorch marks off the floors on the third floor since their last prank."

Harry chuckled, and clapped James on the back. "Try not to make such a hassle for Neville next time, will you?"

"Yes, dad," he answered dutifully.

"Daddy?" Lily began, tugging on his coat. "What are you doing here?"

Lily wondered if someone had put a Cheering Charm on her father; he seemed to brighten up even more, then quickly gestured them to sit. "I have some very important news—now, you know your mother and I always wanted to have a big family-"

James jumped to his feet excitedly. "You're adopting Teddy?"

Harry paused, amused. "Actually, no. But you are getting another sibling." Realization dawned upon all his children. "Your mother's pregnant."

"Congratulations, Harry," Neville grinned.

"Wonderful!" Hagrid boomed, clapping Harry on the back so hard, he nearly pitched face first into the table.

"Mum's having another baby?" James asked eyes wide.

"I thought she was too old," Albus said, head cocked to the side.

Harry looked bemused at them. "And here I hoped you'd be excited."

Both his sons' faces changed instantly into grins. "It's not that-"

"Just surprised us, that's all," James finished. "Will it be a boy?"

"When's mum due?" Albus added.

Harry smiled again. "In October, and we aren't sure which it will be yet." He turned to look at Lily curiously. "Lily? Are you okay?"

Lily was suddenly glad for the Cheering Charm—her face was still alight with laughter, making the lie much easier. "Of course!"

Harry frowned thoughtfully at her, but didn't comment as Hagrid, Neville, and the boys began to talk to him. If Lily could have frowned, she would have.

"And that's what happened," she finished, distractedly rolling a pebble across the stones. Lily paused to glance up at Scorpius, who had stopped looking through his telescope to politely listen to her. "Am I…a bad person for not wanting my parents to have more children?"

Scorpius scoffed gently and looked into his telescope. "No, you're not," he answered, as he distractedly wrote something onto his spiral bound notebook.

Lily frowned when he didn't go on; she sat up, letting his cloak that he lent her fall to her lap. "But it isn't normal, is it?" she insisted.

Scorpius pulled back from the eye piece to frown blandly at her. "You sound almost as if you wished it was."

Her jaw dropped to his apparent amusement, and she staggered to her feet. "I do NOT wish it was! How could you insinuate that?"

He turned to jot something down on his notebook. "I wasn't the one insinuating it, Lily, you did when you refused to let it drop."

She growled in frustration, kicked his cloak at her feet, then pointedly huffed as she let her lower body hit with a thud against the wall next to him. He didn't say anything as she pouted, and she pondered kicking his ankle too, just so he would realize how upset she was.

"Listen, you've been the youngest for thirteen years—you've been your parent's baby since you were born, it's normal not want your parents to have more kids…" he began, before he turned back to her. "That's what everyone's told you, huh?"

She blushed, and scoffed her shoes against the stones. "Maybe," she admitted.

He snorted quietly; he reached out to softly snatch her wrist. "That's what everyone told me too, when Lyra was born," he admittedly, tenderly running a thumb across the web of blue veins on her bony wrist. "It's not untrue. It just sounds too simple, too pretty to be right."

She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. "What did you think when she was born?"

Scorpius sighed, letting out a hiss through his teeth. "Me? Well, mum and dad first told me when I was four that I was going to have a new little brother or sister, so I got used to the idea."

Lily frowned. "But Lyra's only-"

"Seven, yes," he nodded, pulling out the rumpled pack of cigarettes he'd smuggled in earlier in the year. He offered her one, and she was too honored to be offered one of his prized cigarettes to refuse. She leaned in so he could light it with his wand, then gently blew out the smoke as they both settled back against the wall. "The baby—mum lost it really late. They kept trying and trying. By the time I was eight, I was more than willing to have her finally come. When I saw my parents trying so hard for those years in between, I really couldn't bring myself to be upset to not be their only child. In fact, I enjoyed it when she finally came."

Lily paused then turned her head away from him to consider her cigarette before she took a long drag. She couldn't help but chuckle as the smoke drifted away. "I guess you aren't the best person to ask then, huh?"

He smirked, letting her entwine her fingers with his. "No, not really. I'd probably try Weasley—Rose—or James even…well, not James."

She rolled her eyes. "You two will have to make peace eventually."

"Or," he suggested, eyes glinting. "We could run off, and elope before he can find us."

She laughed. "We're too young!"

"Well, not now obviously," he amended, smirking still. "Later."

She smiled softly, and leaned against his shoulder. "Thanks, Scorp."

He squeezed her hand before he finally let go. "I've got to finish catching up on my astronomy homework still—you should head to bed," he reminded her, adjusting his telescope.

She crushed the used up cigarette into the balcony's floor. "Night, Scorpius," she called to him. Then she paused at the entrance way, before slowly turning back to him. "When I am older, I expect a better proposal than that one. Just so you know."

"Damn," he cursed playfully. "That'll take a while to think up."

She grinned at him, and walked back to give him a kiss good night. "Don't catch cold," she warned him.

"Sweet dreams, Lily."