A/N: Thanks to all the readers and to the reviewers. I do appreciate it. Aren't you glad these are getting out that much quicker? Me too! And so ends chapter 8 of SLP…
Disc.: I am the puppet master, not the puppeteer... no... that doesn't make much sense... you know what I mean.
Nightcrawler
Damon and I were playing a game of exploding snaps when Professor Perkins came in, holding a vial. He headed towards us, a smile on his face. It was quite frightening, the intensity in which he looked at us. Damon and I shared a quick glance as he stopped in front of us.
"I need you two to come with me to my office," he said. Damon and I nodded at once, abandoning our game. Professor Perkins office was rather stuffy and cramped, and it smelled funny, but neither of us said anything.
"What can we do for you, professor?" Damon asked uncertainly as he looked at three small cauldrons balanced on his desk. Professor Perkins grinned.
"I am planning on introducing these three potions to my fourth years, and I wanted to make sure that it's not going to be too challenging," Professor Perkins said as he waved his hand towards the three. "I was wondering if you two could identify them for me."
"Sure," Damon and I both said at the same time. We peered into the first small cauldron to see a clear potion resting still despite the fact that the flame below it was on full. I looked to Damon who poked it with his wand.
"I'd say Vertiserum," Damon said as he looked towards Professor Perkins for confirmation.
"Good, good," the professor told him. I glanced into the second potion, a gold color that seemed to jump from its surface without ever spilling a drop.
"Felix Felicis," I said recognizing it at once from my text book. I had always wanted to get my hands on some of that to do really well in Quidditch, but that wasn't allowed. I pondered maybe nicking some to get things back together with Lily.
"Fantastic," Professor Perkins said excitedly. He gestured to the third potion. "How about that one?" Damon and I leaned over the pearly potion, ignoring the spiral steam that seemed to rise from its surface.
"I… I don't know," Damon admitted as he shook his head.
"Perhaps you should take a deep breath of it," Professor Perkins suggested. I inhaled deeply through my nose, surprised.
"I smell… fresh cut grass… hmm… and honey-suckle… cherry, a hint of cotton blossoms, and I think, linen," I said in a slight daze as the potion invaded my senses. I took another deep breath through my nose, eager to let the assault continue and fill my head and lungs.
"I know!" Damon said laughing as he looked at me.
"What?" I said as I breathed deeply again.
"It's Amortentia! A love potion!" Damon snickered. Professor Perkins laughed along with Damon and placed the lid over the cauldron as I went to take another smell. One it was capped and the door was opened, fresh air wafted in and cleared the fog from my head.
"Ah," I said warily. My mind racked over the possibilities. Those scents were not Darla. Darla always smelled like strong perfume, something I had grown used to but really didn't enjoy.
"Thank you boys," Professor Perkins said. "I'm glad to have had your help. This will be fun to do with my fourth year student. You should probably head to dinner."
"So, fresh cut grass?" Damon teased as the two of us walked toward the Slytherin table. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and I shrugged.
"I don't know," I admitted.
"Could it be a Quidditch player?" Damon laughed. "Though there are only two girls on our team, isn't there? Elena and… Lily." Damon's smile turned wicked as he took his seat. I sat and laughed at him.
"You are deluded," I mumbled as we began to fill our plates. Damon snickered.
"Sure," he said. He looked up and nodded towards the three girls that were heading our way. Lily and I made eye contact for a brief moment before Darla sat in my lap. I shuffled her effortlessly toward the bench next to me and glanced back down at Lily again who had opted to sit a few seats down from us.
"It was the funniest thing," Damon said laughing. I shot him a dirty look but it was too late and Darla perked up.
"What was?" Darla asked as she leaned forward on her elbows.
"Professor Perkins had us identify some very difficult potions," I said quickly trying to write it off as a mundane chore. Darla looked at me quizzically.
"I don't see how that is funny," Darla said as she looked to Lily. Lily shrugged and continued eating her food. I cheered silently; neither girl thought it was note worthy.
"No, that wasn't the funny part," Damon said. I nearly reached across the table and shoved a jacket potato down his throat. He was ignoring every dirty look I was shooting his way, and on purpose on that. "What was funny was Scorpius' reaction to one of the potions."
"Yeah?" Lily piped up. My heart kicked into high gear, the thudding almost audible. "What was his reaction?" She looked at me, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth before she focused back on Damon.
"We were asked to describe what we smelled when we sniffed it," Damon said. "Scorpius almost got all trance like and was going on how it smelled like fresh cut grass, honey-suckle, cherry, cotton blossoms, and clean linen."
"Yeah?" Lily said looking at me with an almost malicious grin hiding below the surface. "What potion was it?" I couldn't help it; the color flooded my face bright red and my palms turned sweaty. I couldn't look away from her to give Damon any more dirty looks.
"Amortentia, the most powerful love potion allowed by the ministry," Damon said. "Highly potent and highly regulated. I'm just curious who smells like that?"
"Ugh, not me," Darla said. "I'd never let myself smell like stinky old grass." Lily looked at me, biting her lip, probably tasting her cherry chap stick. My stomach twisted behind my navel, the craving to taste it again purring deep within. The beast, the beast I had kept at bay for so long, roared deep within me, warning me that soon he'd break out of the cage I had buried him in. I wiped my palms on my pants, wanting nothing more than to break the eye contact that Lily and I seemed to be stuck in. Thankfully, she was stronger than I was and she pulled her gaze away, her cheeks aflame as she reached down to pick up the fork she'd knocked to the ground. I pulled my gaze away from her, the eye contact broken and I glared at Damon, drawing my finger across my throat. He laughed, and began to eat his steak and kidney pie.
I ate the rest of my dinner in silence, thankful that I had the excuse of patrol later to excuse me from having to be in the common room. I headed up to my dorm, throwing myself onto my bed with my homework, eager to block out everyone from my mind. Damon came in snickering and I threw my shoe at the back of his head. He rubbed where the shoe deflected off of him, picking up the offending shoe.
"Hey, what was that for?" Damon said scowling.
"You might as well as came right out and told Lily that I am in love with her," I hissed at him. Damon laughed.
"I knew I had smelled those scents to some degree before," Damon said as he tossed my shoe onto the end of my bed. "She does smell good. Nice and subtle, versus Darla's heavy handedness with her perfume."
"You know Lily knows now, right?" I snapped at him.
"So?" Damon said.
"How is that fair to her? She knows I love her, and yet I'm with Darla?" I explained. Realization flooded Damon's face.
"Hey, man, I wasn't trying to torture her," Damon said. "As it is, I heard Lily's friend, Kate, telling Shale that Lily didn't even know that you had no choice in this whole thing. Apparently Darla clued her in earlier."
"Yeah?" I said raising my eyebrow. I shook my head. "It doesn't change anything."
"No," Damon admitted. He laughed a second. "Maybe you'll get lucky and your grandfather will die before he forces you down the aisle to marry Darla."
"Real nice," I said scowling.
"Sorry," Damon apologized. "You'd better get to patrolling. I think Celeste's taking over for Elena, or was Elena taking over for Celeste?"
"Dunno," I said as I pulled my shoe back on and headed out the dormitory. I glanced across the common room to see Lily, Kate, and Shale together by one of the fireplaces, working on their homework. I wanted Lily to look up at me, to smile at me, but she remained bent over her parchment. I sighed and joined Celeste out in the main corridor, readying to spend the next couple of hours passing out detentions left and right to non Slytherins who were out after hours.
"Ready?" Celeste asked.
"Um, sure," I said dejectedly and the two of us headed off to patrol.
Celeste and I walked around for a while, silently, occasionally encountering students who were out of bed. We passed out half a dozen detentions, most of them being lost Gryffindors. Celeste laughed as the last one ran off crying towards the Gryffindor tower. I checked my watch, glad to see that it was time to head back to the common room. It was late enough and we were free to quit patrolling. Celeste reached the portrait first.
"That cow's not in her portrait again," Celeste said angrily. "And I'm tired as all get out."
"That's why they installed the prefect releases," I reminded her gently as I reached up and caught the hidden latch on the frame. The portrait swung open with a deafening creak. I held it open for Celeste to walk through when I caught a whiff of cherry and grass, among other things. I paused, glancing around. My eyes landed on the statue of Salazar Slytherin.
"Are you coming?" Celeste asked.
"Yeah, be right there," I told her as I closed the portrait behind her. I walked towards the statue slowly, my shoes undeniably loud on the stone floor. Crouched down in a ball, hiding, was Lily. I raised an eyebrow as I rested my hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, hello Scorpius," Lily said quietly as she looked up at me, forcing a smile. "Lovely night for a stroll."
"You're out of bed after hours," I said trying to sound stern. Lily stood and faced me, her head barely reaching my shoulder. She tilted her head up to look at my face, her bottom lip seized between her teeth.
"Just walking of the excitement of the day," Lily said truthfully. She smiled at me almost sheepishly. "How'd you know I was out of bed and hiding here?"
"I, er, just did," I said as heat rose to my cheeks. I was not about to admit that I had caught the scent of her, the scent of my Amortentia potion.
"You're blushing," Lily accused laughing.
"No I'm not," I denied shaking my head as my cheeks heated up a bit more.
"Uh-huh, yeah," Lily laughed. "Anyways, fine, live in denial. So, do I get points off or something for being out of bed after lights out?"
"I could give you a punishment," I reminded her almost tauntingly. Lily seemed to see through my empty threat and she called my bluff, stepping even closer to me until I could practically feel the heat radiating off of her. My breath caught in my throat, my heart began to race.
"But you aren't, are you?" Lily challenged in a low, almost sultry voice. It surprised and stunned me more than any spell could have.
"No," I admitted almost dazed. "I'm not going to."
"Good," she said grinning.
"Are you still mad at me?" I asked as I cleared my head slightly by shaking it.
"No," Lily said. She looked away.
"It's Darla, isn't it?" I asked her gently. Lily looked at me, frowning. She hesitated and I was tempted to nudge her chin with my hand, but I was a little afraid to touch her. Afraid of my reaction.
"You told me that I was too young and Darla's not that much older than me," Lily challenged not quite meeting my eyes. Her face was blazing hot, her cheeks red with embarrassment and disappointment. I really hoped that she wouldn't cry.
"You don't understand," I explained gently. I kept my voice quiet. "This is how it works for Slytherins. Your grandparents pair you up. To ensure strong lineage, my grandfather was required to select my future spouse. I don't have a say in the matter. Do you think I would really choose Darla over you?"
"No one seems to think I am a 'real' Slytherin, so it wouldn't surprise me," Lily said simply as she looked away from my face without meeting my eyes.
"Get over your lineage being Gryffindor, Lily," I said with authority, unable to keep from rolling my eyes. "You're a Slytherin, through and true. I would have chosen you. I would have, but it wasn't my choice to make. While my grandfather is alive, he will continue to hold me to this arrangement. He won't let me make the 'mistake' he says my father made."
"Fine," Lily said in a thick voice. She turned away from me completely and I grabbed her arm, making her look at me. I could see the glint of tears in her eyes and I felt a desire to wipe them away from her cheek. I turned her face with my thumb and fore finger, making her looked up at me.
"Lils, please, you have to understand," I breathed slightly, my hands began to shake. "I begged him. I begged my grandmother to talk to him. Lucius Malfoy is not an easily swayed man. It's just how it is. My father only dodged it because his grandfather died before he could force them down the aisle. I would give up everything if it wasn't Darla, Lils. I would. I don't care for her like I care for you."
"I… you…" Lily said. I released her and we quickly looked away from each other, almost as if we were embarrassed.
"I know," I agreed sadly. "I know that we can't be anything more than friends, but Lily, if there was any way that you and I could be more, I'd jump on it faster than you could say 'Bethesda Boggles Black Beanies'. You know that, right?"
"I figured as much," Lily said. "But being friends is it for us."
"I never meant to hurt you," I vowed. "I did think that eleven was too young, still do. Thirteen, not so much, but we're where we're supposed to be."
"Well," Lily said after a moment of silence. She glanced back up at my face, sadness on her face and I wanted to wipe that look right off her face. "I guess I'll head back inside and off to bed. Think you could open the portrait?"
"Sure," I agreed as the two of us headed back towards the empty portrait. The lady had yet returned. I suddenly grabbed Lily, pulling her into a one-armed hug, her face pressed against my chest. I could feel my heart racing and I wondered if she noticed it, too. I reached up with my free hand and released the latch. "Sorry, just couldn't have you peeking."
"Mhmm," Lily said into my chest, the warmth radiating through out me. I opened the portrait as I released her, holding it open for her. Lily glanced back at me hesitantly as she headed toward her dormitory, and then she was gone. I headed toward my own dormitory, knowing damn well I'd not sleep tonight. Not with the feel of her body against mine, even for that brief moment. Her scent was invading of my clothes and person. I inhaled deeply, like I had the potion, not wanting the pleasure of the scent to evade me. I stared up at my green and silver draperies, thinking. I had pretty much confessed to Lily that I was unequivocally in love with her, and there was no a damn thing I could do about it.