Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

Author's Note: This pairing, Millicent/Lily II, is an M&MWP and so credit for it goes to mew-tsubaki and Morghen. Also, this is for the Mew and Mor's Weird Pairing Competition on the HPFC forum.

Thanks to MissingMommy for beta'ing!

This isn't the first Malfoy party that Millicent has been to and it won't be the last. She always gets an invitation; she was in Draco's year at school, after all, and she's friends with Astoria's sister. They're not the most fun events, but she goes almost all the time since she doesn't have anything else to do. She isn't married, she doesn't have children and her job as the receptionist at St. Mungo's has gotten tedious after fifteen years. It's a nice break, even though she's not much of a party person.

Millicent's been by the snack table almost the whole night, picking at the food. It's probably not the best idea, considering that she put effort into losing weight after Hogwarts, but she can't bring herself to mingle with everybody. At least here she can stay in one spot and, if anybody starts a conversation with her, so be it. It's easier than mingling with the crowd of people.

She's pouring herself a glass of punch when a young redheaded woman - perhaps about nineteen or twenty years old - comes over. "The punch is spiked, you know," the young woman says, surveying the selection of food. "Scorpius enjoys doing that - he likes seeing people get tipsy and make fools of themselves."

Wonderful. Millicent sets the punch down; she doesn't particularly want to get drunk. Spending too much time at St. Mungo's has made her notice what happens when people get drunk and attempt magic - it usually doesn't work very well. "Thanks for the warning," she replies.

"No problem. Scorpius told me not to tell anybody, but I don't really like him at the moment. I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Luna Potter. Harry Potter's daughter."

"Nice to meet you. Millicent Bulstrode." Millicent looks at the jug of water. "Is that safe?"

"Yeah. He didn't touch that, thankfully." Lily reaches for the water before Millicent can, pouring each of them a glass. "So, what's your connection to the Malfoys? I'm - well, I was - dating Scorpius, but seeing as he's all over Rose tonight, I'm pretty sure that's ended."

Millicent tuts sympathetically. "Sorry to hear that." She doesn't have too much experience with relationships herself - the only boy she dated at school was Gregory Goyle, and even that was more because they were expected to by the other Slytherins. She had realized soon after that she wasn't even interested in dating boys, but she had never actually dated a woman either. Nobody that she crushed on ever had romantic feelings for her. She was often quiet, and, due to her large build, many people thought her to be a bit thuggish.

Millicent's so lost in her thoughts she doesn't hear Lily's next words, and the younger girl repeats herself, chuckling slightly. "I said, it's all right. Scorpius and I are better off as friends, I think. Besides, I don't really have time for him." She takes a sip of water.

"Why not?"

"Auror training. It's pretty brutal, and Scorpius isn't the easiest bloke to be with. I don't have time for that - the senior Aurors work us pretty hard." Lily makes a face. "I can understand why, but still... I'll be happier when it's over. I'm exhausted pretty much all the time. What do you do for a job?"

The older woman decides, at this moment, that she enjoys Lily's company. The younger woman is very easy to hold a conversation with - she's very talkative, after all, which is nice for a quieter person like Millicent. She's not stuffy and boring, either, like many of the people in the Malfoys' circle of friends. "I'm a receptionist at St. Mungo's," she replies, shrugging. "It's kind of boring. I've been doing it for fifteen years."

"Seriously? Wow." Lily gapes at her. "I can't imagine doing something like that for fifteen years - no offense. I just need more excitement. Which is why I'm in Auror training."

Millicent smiles. "I could never be an Auror. Much too dangerous."

"That's why I like it!" The younger witch laughs, smiling. "I like the thrill of it. Or, I will, once I actually get to do something as opposed to just training in the Ministry. I'm almost done my second year of training - I'm nineteen." She frowns slightly. "Am I talking too much? James says I never shut up. But he's my brother, so he'd say that anyway."

"I like people who talk a lot."

"I like talking to you," Lily replies. "Maybe we could meet up sometime. I have to go, you see, because it's almost eleven o'clock, and Auror training starts ridiculously early in the morning so I need to go to bed. We should talk sometime - do you ever go to the Leaky Cauldron? I know the owner, so I get a discount."

"I've gone there a few times. I remember back when I was younger, and there was a different owner...Hannah Longbottom's really done a nice job with it. It's much nicer now."

"Cool," Lily says. "Hmm...are you busy the day after tomorrow? Around seven o'clock at night?"

"I don't think so." Millicent finishes her glass of water, setting it down on the table. "Should I meet you there?"

"Definitely." Lily grins, and promptly disappears into the crowd, leaving Millicent staring after her.

Millicent is strangely excited for her get-together with Lily. It's something different, something unusual to distract from her normal routine, and Lily herself is different. Millicent's never met anybody as talkative as the young Potter - after all, the Slytherins in her year were not generally talkative people. They would communicate, yes, but they weren't as easy to talk to as Lily. It also helps, she muses, that Lily doesn't have the preconceived notion that because Millicent is tall, built and not overly chatty, that she's dumb.

She fixes her robes as she steps into the Leaky Cauldron, looking around for a head of scarlet hair. She sees Lily then, already seated at a table in the corner. Hurrying over, she slides into the seat across from the younger witch. "Am I late?"

"Nope. I just got here early - I got out of training earlier than I expected, surprisingly. So, tell me about yourself. We didn't get too much of a chance to talk at the party, since I had to leave. Sorry about that, by the way."

"It's not a problem at all. Um...well, you already know I work as the St. Mungo's receptionist, and I think it's boring." She pauses, unused to talking about herself for an extended period of time. "I was a Slytherin at Hogwarts." She half-expects Lily to get up and leave, considering the Potter and Weasley prejudice against Slytherins, but Lily merely laughs.

"Remind me not to let you meet my brother James. He's the most Gryffindor person you'll ever meet, and he's absolutely crazy about it even though he graduated a while ago." She shakes her head. "He's ridiculous. Al - that's my other brother - is more normal. Do you have family?"

"I'm not married. My parents are alive, but we don't see each other much. I'm, also, an only child."

"The Weasley-Potters are crazy," Lily says matter-of-factly as Hannah Longbottom comes over to their table. "There's so many of us. Oh, Hannah - the usual for me, please, and whatever Millie's having."

Millicent only takes a second to wonder about her nickname. Scanning the menu, she orders a drink before turning back to Lily. "Millie? Why?"

"Because it sounds better than Millicent, of course. You don't look like a Millicent." She reaches across the table for a napkin, her hand briefly bumping against Millicent's, and there's the slightest tingle afterwards. If Lily felt anything, she doesn't say so. "Anyway, so I was saying that my family's very large. Plus it's constantly expanding, because apparently Victoire and Teddy - they're the oldest two in the family - don't know how to do a contraceptive charm. Either that, or they're just really bad at it." She smirks, running a hand through her scarlet hair.

It seems as though the minutes fly by; pretty soon it's nine o'clock and they're realizing they've been there for two hours, just talking, eatingand drinking. When they finally get up from the table, Lily smiles up at Millicent. "Same time next week?"

"Of course."

Meeting at the Leaky Cauldron becomes a weekly thing for the two witches. It's a welcome break for Millicent, spending time with Lily, who's young, fiery and talkative - nothing like Daphne and the circle of Slytherins that were, prior to Lily, her only real friends. She enjoys these weekly get-togethers and she always returns home in a happy mood.

Months pass, and the two witches spend more and more time together. Their weekly meetings at the Leaky Cauldron continue, but, in addition, they meet up with one another at different times and places - Millicent's house, Lily's flat, the Three Broomsticks, Diagon Alley and even Muggle London at one point. Millicent - still called Millie by Lily, and Lily only - opens up more and although she's no way near as chatty as Lily, she contributes more and more to the conversation.

She knows that Lily's about twenty-five years younger than she is, but the two of them seem to fit together even better than Millicent ever did with the other Slytherins. It's a pleasant, enjoyable, exciting friendship, and occasionally Millicent even catches herself wondering if Lily was older, or if she herself was younger, if they could date. Lily's very pretty and anybody with eyes would be able to notice that, and, in Millicent's eyes, her personality is enticing. Lily Luna Potter is talkative, funny, clever, daring...she's perfect.

It takes a while, but pretty soon Millicent is forced to admit to herself that she's fallen for the younger witch and she's fallen hard.

It's been about eight or nine months since the two witches met, and they're still getting together constantly. Millicent's, also, still harboring feelings for Lily but she hasn't acted on them; she doesn't want to lose the younger woman's friendship. She has a hunch that, if she ever told Lily about her secret feelings, their friendship would be over. Why would a young, beautiful woman like Lily, who could probably have anybody she wanted, fancy someone like Millicent?

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Millicent slips inside the upscale restaurant. It's in Muggle London and Millicent is glad that she's not going to be alone. She doesn't know Muggle things very well - she can't handle Muggle money at all; Lily always has to. It took her a while to figure out how to get to this place. It's very nice and she can see why Lily chose it.

The redhead is waiting and she rises to her feet as Millicent makes her way over. Lily's dressed in a dark purple dress that shows off her figure, and Millicent has to focus in order to keep her eyes on Lily's face. "You look nice," she says neutrally - that's something friends say, right?

"You too." Lily fidgets as they're shown to a table and she's unusually quiet until after they order. "I...I have something to tell you," she says, taking a deep breath. "I probably shouldn't. But I don't think I can keep it in any longer, and I was a Gryffindor, we're supposed to be brave..." She twists her hands together and gulps from the drink she ordered. "I really enjoy spending time with you, Millie. I've had a great time with you. You're...I think you're one of the people I'm closest to. And...I like you." She looks down at the table. "I fancy you. You're so different and I love it. I don't really know anyone like you, and I...I don't know. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Millicent replies. It takes a lot to muster up the courage she needs to say the next words. "I fancy you too, Lily. I've thought it for a while, but I never was able to say it. I thought you'd leave. That you'd never want somebody like me. You're so perfect, and I'm old and -"

"You're amazing," Lily says, her voice serious for once. "Don't ever say that you're not." She reaches across the table and takes Millicent's hand in her own. "I know there'll be obstacles. But to be honest, I don't really care."

In that moment - that perfect, perfect moment - Millicent doesn't really care either.