Excuses, Excuses

"What the hell was that Potter?" Scorpius asked as they turned on the dance floor.

"I was improvising!" Lily said hurriedly.

"Yeah I got that, but why?" he hissed back, tightening his grip on her waist.

"Do you know who that was?"

"You mean the bloke that watched two of Hogwarts' greatest rivals kiss?" he growled. "He's probably dead from shock now."

"Not until I have my answers," he scolded as she tried to pull herself from his grasp.

Lily glared at him. "That was Ben McClaggen, son of a chaser from the Winborne Wasps, she started. "My mother has been trying to set us up for ages."

He was silent for a moment as he automatically twirled her to the music. "I think the polite thing to do would have been to give an honest answer," he said, bringing her roughly to his chest again.

"I just couldn't turn him down alright?"

"And why is that? You've never had a problem ruining the days of young boys before," he spat at her after pulling her up from a dangerously deep dip.

"That was quite uncalled for! I could feel the cold of the stone on my head!" she retorted, moving one of her hands to fix her hair.

"My question Potter!"

"I can't just tell him I don't like him! Mum says he's been pining after me for years. How heartless would I sound?" she said finally.

"Again, since when have you been concerned with having a heart Potter?"

She glared at him. "Just stop it okay? I'll leave after this and you can be on your merry way," she snapped.

To her surprise, he chuckled lightly. "You know neither of us wants that to happen."

"What are you on about?"

"Do you want to know what I think?" he asked suddenly, moving his nose to touch hers.

"Not really," she responded.

"I think you've been looking for an excuse to kiss me for a while now."

"Fat chance!" she laughed, trying to pull away from him.

"Oh really?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows and pulled her closer to him again. "So the other week when you tried to hold my hand - "

"That owl was about to bite you!"

"When you threw yourself at me the week before that," he cut in.

"T-t-tripped over Mrs. Finnegan's rug!"

"You always have to be in the same bloody elevator as me!"

"We go to the same meetings! Honestly Malfoy-"

"The blush that rises to your face whenever I catch you staring at me during department meetings?"

Lily stammered.

"Don't worry," he responded, nibbling on her ear lobe lightly. "I've been looking for an excuse to kiss you too."

He heard her gasp as his mouth covered hers in a heated passion. She responded exactly as he had always imagined she would. Her hands curled around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him. She had given him the shock of his life when she had kissed him earlier that evening, and he was desperate to prove that she needed him, that she really did want him as he wanted her.

He gathered the will to end the kiss, although it was much sooner than he would have liked. Scorpius reminded himself that this was not the appropriate place for such displays, especially in their current company. Her father was probably already testing the punch bowls for amortentia.

He opened his eyes and was relieved to see that she was not angry. It was a start, he mused. He just had to make sure it also wasn't the end.

"Maybe you can think of a clever excuse for us to have dinner sometime, Lily," Scorpius he whispered after a moment.

"Mum makes a terrible french omelette," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He laughed at her casual action. Definitely a good sign. "Last time I checked, omelettes were breakfast cuisine."

"Well then maybe you can come up with an excuse to make me breakfast sometime," she said suggestively.

Scorpius was left, lips slightly parted in shock as he watched her walk away from him.

A/N: In this blurb, Lily and Scorpius are both out of Hogwarts and working for the Ministry of Magic, in the same department. This takes place at a Ministry Christmas Gala. Hope you enjoyed it! I have another one in progress. Just trying to iron out a few things, and I promise it is more substantial than this one! Thanks for reading, and I am glad you all have been enjoying so far. Thanks for the reviews, I love reading what you all think!