A/N: I've been really inspired lately. Here's another chapter!

"Never disregard good advice just because of who it's coming from." – Danielle Juarez

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, get used to it, I have.

Chapter Thirty One

From the Mouth of a Muggle

Lily glanced around the living room. Perched on Scorpius' lap she could see all around her, down the hall to the kitchen and up the stairs to the landing. Since the family had rapidly expanded as of late it had been decided that the holidays would be spent at the much larger Potter house this year to relieve some of the stress on Grand Molly (she still insisted on cooking and decorating, but at least she didn't have to clean her house after Hurricane All the Damn Grandchildren came through). With Scorpius and Kira as long time staples at every family gathering other cousins had begun inviting their friends and significant others. The Potter house was filled to bursting with friends and family. Parents intermingled with older children, the younger set upstairs running around and riding kiddy brooms they were too big for.

Across the room Hugo was dogging Ruby's every step as she wondered around the room looking at the moving pictures. Now that her brother was discovered to be a wizard she was a regular around the Weasley house and had been invited for Christmas as a sign of good will. Lily overheard Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione talking to her Mum and Dad about the whole situation. They were worried that Hugo was still upset about how they'd reacted when they found out about her. They wanted her to feel welcome. Harry had suggested inviting her for Christmas and thankfully Ruby's parents had allowed it. The rumor around the family tree was that her parents wanted to get in good with the only wizarding family they knew so that their son would be prepared when he had to face that world on his own.

The white blonde blue eyed beauty captured the hearts of many of the male cousins with her effervescent smiles and happy disposition. Lily couldn't imagine how she was so calm and relaxed. She would have called it an act but no one could that good an actress under the mountain of stress her family dropped on anyone who dared fall in love with one of their own. After watching Ruby interact with Hugo for half an hour, Lily decided something about the pair and moved off of Scorpius lap. Ruby was madly in love with her cousin. While she smiled at Fred and Chucky and their halfhearted flirting, it was nothing to the look that overcame her face when her gaze caught on Hugo. Her eyes went wide first, a slow smile overtook her lips before joy rule over her features. It was truly lovely to behold. Lily imagined that was what she looked like when she gazed on Scorpius.

Rose was curled in a chair by the fire with a book tucked in her lap. Whenever anyone got close she snapped it close. She's hiding something, Lily decided. Lily played absent mindedly with Scorpius' hair while she watched her cousin. They hadn't been close since Teddy and Victoire's wedding when Lily bungled everything up. But as Lily watched her cousin, making googly eyes at a book, she began to formulate a thought. Rose began stroking the page lovingly. Lily climbed back onto Scorpius' lap and sat up very straight. It looked like Rose was hiding a picture between the pages of her book. Lily leaned forward to get a better look when—

"Whoo there, love!" Scorpius gripped Lily's hips and pulled her back towards his chest to keep her from toppling to the floor. He wrapped her in his arms and laughed. "I gotcha, love," he whispered.

Lily blushed, recognizing the look in his eyes and the small, arrogant smile on his lips. Lily brought her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. Slowly both moved to kiss. They stayed locked in their loving embrace until someone cleared their throat. Lily looked up at her Uncle Ron. He raised an eyebrow at her. She matched his gaze, shamelessly. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Dinner's ready. Could you sit next to Ruby? Make her feel welcome?"

"Sure, Uncle Ron."

Both Lily and Scorpius got up. She watched Rose tuck her thin book into her pocket. An odd way to treat reading material. As she passed Lily took hold of Ruby's arm. "Come sit by me. I want to hear all about your Muggle school." They sat down next to each other, Hugo by Ruby and Scorpius to Lily's left. Ruby happily chatted while Lily watched Rose.

The older girl kept to herself throughout the meal, ignoring the happy couples around her. Very pointedly ignoring them. Kira and James were right next to her "feeding" (i.e. throwing food at) each other. On Rose's other side was four month old Nymphadora covered in food fighting off her mother who was trying in vain to wipe her face clean. Teddy sat happy by his wife laughing as Dora pressed her tiny dirty hands to her mother's cheek. The parents were talking and laughing all around them. Grand Molly sat at the head of the table next to Grandpa Arthur pestering her parents about James and Kira. Apparently Grand Molly thought it was past time they were married and meant to start planning the wedding. For their part Kira and James didn't seem to notice or else didn't care. Even cousins without a boyfriend or girlfriend had a mate with them. All except Rose.

Lily screwed up her face in thought. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all. She might have wrecked things between Rose and Wood but that didn't mean she couldn't try to make things at least a little better. She returned her attention to Ruby.

"… we have these things called lockers in public school. It's where you keep your books and things between classes. Hugo tells me you just lug your books around to all your classes. That doesn't sound terribly nice."

"Yeah, it's a real pain in the back," Lily said. "Hey, do you know a guy who might be into Rose?" she whispered. "Like a Muggle bloke?"

Ruby blinked. "Most of the guys I know are idiots," she said.

"Oh, they're all idiots but if they're nice maybe we could set Rose up."

"Hugo told me about what happened with her ex-"

"I know. I was upset and lashed out and now she's all alone and I feel ruddy terrible because I'm so happy with Scorpius and she's got no one. I just want to make it better. We used to be close I'd just like to make it better somehow. We probably won't ever be as close as we used to be, but if I could get her to forgive me…"

Ruby looked at Rose. "She's alone, but not lonely I don't think. Maybe we should just try talking to her."

"I was wondering about what was in her book," Lily said.

"What do you mean?"

"Before dinner she was stroking the page. It looked like she was hiding a picture between the pages. Scorpius distracted me before I could see what it was. I love my cousin, I want to help her, but I don't know how."

"I always tell Hugo that it's best to listen when you don't understand someone. If you really want to help Rose or get close to her, I think the best possible thing to do is listen."

Lily blinked. "I think I get why Hugo's in love with you."

Ruby blushed and smiled. After dinner everyone went back to their former amusements. Lily dragged Ruby away from Hugo over to Rose. Kira was sitting next to her whispering. "Time for some girl talk," she said. "Let's go over to Scorpius' flat so we won't be disturbed."

The four girls abandoned the family and rushed to the garage through the cold. Kira lit a fire in the hearth and they sat on the floor around it to warm up. For awhile they sat in silence. "This doesn't work, does it?" Lily asked. "I'm the only one here who can talk about her boyfriend. I don't want to hear about my brother," she said to Kira, "and I'm sure Rose doesn't want to hear about her brother. So… who wants to hear about Scorpius?" she laughed humorlessly.

"Ohh! How's he in bed?" Kira asked.

"Kira!" Rose exclaimed. "I'm sure they haven't done… that." Lily blushed bright red. The color leached from Rose's face. "Oh."

"It's just been since summer… since he told me he loves me," Lily said.

"How nice."

Lily grimaced at the tortured look on Rose's face. Guilt speared her. "Rose, I… I don't know how to say this-"

"You need to tell her, Rose," Kira said.

"Tell me what?" Lily demanded.

"You have to understand, Lily. I'm not upset that you're with Scorpius. I'm upset that he's… been with you like that and Stephen's been holding out on me," Rose said.

Lily stared at her cousin in disbelief. Nothing about what Rose just said made any sense. But in another way everything made sense. The googly eyes at the picture in the book. The picture must have been of Stephen. That was why Ruby felt Rose was alone but not lonely.

"For how long?" she asked.

"We got back together the summer after we broke up. We've been dating in secret every since and you cannot tell anyone! Least of all my parents. They would be upset."

"They'll be devastated!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We're going to 'make up' during graduation." The other three girls were quiet.

"When is anything that simplistic with our family?" Lily asked.

"It'll work out. We'll tell my parents that we worked things out and that we'll be moving in together. I'll begin my work as a Quidditch reporter and everything will work out. Because it's got to."

"You're mad if you think Uncle Ron will let you move in with a bloke you just got back together with!" Lily said.

"Well he won't be able to stop me! I'm an adult, by that time I'll be able to do what I want without asking his permission or worrying about him paying the cousins to stalk me. It may be mad but it's all I've got. I'm dying of frustration over here. I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it to graduation."

"I can't blame you," Kira said. "Shagging is pretty awesome."

"No specifics! If we're going to talk about this, there can be no details!" Lily insisted.

Kira rolled her eyes. "So we all know that Scorpius is shagging Lily's brains out regularly, it's no secret that James rocks my world and Wood isn't giving it to Rosie- care to tell us how Hugo's seeing to your needs, Ruby?" Kira wiggled her eyebrows.

Ruby turned… well ruby and Rose groaned. "We decided to wait until we can be together properly."

"Did you both actually decide or did Hugo insist?" Rose asked, grumpily.

"I explained how I always wanted it to be special. We need to treat it like it's something special for it to be special. We both need to graduate, we both need to have proper jobs and we need to be living together. That way when the moment comes, it comes naturally. An extension of our love… so I suppose if anyone insisted it was me," Ruby said.

"I said something like that to James about five minutes before I jumped him." Kira scratched her head. "To his credit he stopped me and asked if I was sure. I Silenced the door and he stopped asking questions… you know I've never been able to find the knickers I wore that day. I wonder if James-"

"We're wondering into the realm of too much information!" Lily snapped.

"Well fine! Why don't you start talking then? And since no one here is related to Scorpius you can provide us with all the juicy details." Kira rubbed her hands together, evilly. "Start with the size, shape and length of his-"

"Kira!" Lily exclaimed.

"You're the one who wanted some girl talk."

"I wanted to talk to Rose because I was feeling guilty about breaking her and Stephen up, which apparently didn't stick." Lily crossed her arms.

"I almost hate to say so but… I actually think it's better this way," Rose admitted. "Before, when everyone knew, I couldn't so much as kiss my boyfriend without being interrupted by one relative or another. This way we can actually get used to each other… you know, physically, without worrying about some family member sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. If anything breaking up was the best possible thing for our relationship. He's more my boyfriend now than he ever was before."

"So I helped!" Lily smiled and Rose snorted.

Kira laughed. "Now that that's all sorted out I have a question for you Lily dearest… how often are you in Scorpius' room without him around?"

"Probably never, why?"

"Well it means you've never gotten the chance to snoop through his stuff. And you do now."

"Scorpius doesn't keep things from me," Lily said, a bit uncertain.

"Course he does," Kira insisted. "He's his own man. Those sorts of blokes always have secrets. James doesn't tell me loads of stuff. I find out via snooping." Kira got up and went into Scorpius' room with the others following.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Ruby said.

"I agree," Lily said. "It makes it seem like I don't trust him."

Kira pulled open a drawer from his writing desk. "Well do you trust him?"

"Of course!"

She flipped through a few letters, paused on one and cursed.

"What is it?" Lily exclaimed, snatching the letter from Kira's hand. Ruby and Rose read over Lily's shoulder. Their eyes went wide all at the same time.

Grandson,

You will have to forgive the lengths I've had to go to get your attention. I fear you will not. I know you are well aware of all that went on during the war but I think you are forgetting the role your father and I played. I know that if you did you wouldn't be acting so foolishly. Malfoy's marry purebloods. You are not going to ruin that noble tradition by marrying and procreating with that Potter Weasley trash. It's only a matter of time before I find some way of convincing you of the error in your ways. Every day your mother wears down more of your father's resistance. Soon all he will care about is getting his son back. Don't let this sentiment warm you. The only way you will be allowed back into this house is when you come hands red with the filthy blood of that whore. It is long past time you proved you are a Malfoy. Because you are a Malfoy Scorpius. It's in you. Lurking behind your misguided affections. Waiting for the right moment to strike. When that moment comes you'll be welcomed home like a hero.

Your Grandfather,

Lucius Malfoy

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Lily chanted.

"Okay, this looks really bad but not on Scorpius or his parents even," Kira said.

"Oh my God!"

"Am I reading this right?" Rose asked. "Did he serious say that the only way Scorpius will be allowed home is if he kills Lily?"

"That's certainly the way it sounds," Kira mumbled.

"Oh my God!"

"Okay, Lily," Ruby said, getting in Lily's face and snatching the letter from her hand. "I want you to look at the date on this letter. Lucius wrote this three months ago. Has Scorpius done anything to make you worried?" Lily took a few deep breaths and shook her head 'no.'

"You have to remember that when his father made him choose he chose you. He didn't do that lightly or thinking that his family would just let him go. He obviously kept this from you for a reason. To my thinking it was because he doesn't know how to deal with it and that he will tell you when the time is right." Ruby stuffed the letter back into the drawer and closed it. "When he does tell you, you have to tell him that you found a letter, read it and decided to wait until he told you about it to bring it up. Secrets aren't healthy in any relationship." The last bit was directed towards Lily and Rose.

Lily let out a breath and fell to the clothes covered floor. Her knee hit something hard and she cursed. She rooted around until she found what she fell on. It was a hideous ring that had been tucked into the pocket of a pair of Scorpius' trousers. Before she could get a good look at it the door to the flat opened, she heard her boyfriend's voice and in a panic stuffed the ring into her pocket.

"Hey!" Scorpius called. "What're you girls doing in my bedroom?"

"You better not be digging through his underthings, Kira!" James yelled.

"Only want her pocking through your underthings, James?" Scorpius asked, laughter in his voice. Lily's heart wrench in her chest. She rushed to her boyfriend and threw her arms around his neck. "You all right, love?"

Lily's eyes began to water. She pushed back her tears, put on a smile, kissed the man of her dreams and silently thanked Ruby. "Oh, yes."