Lily Potter and the Potions Professor

AN: Chapter Alert! Chapter Alert! Oh, I also have some news. I finished writing this on the weekend so it's all done. I was thinking that I'd still only update once or twice a week but if you want it more frequently let me know in a review. I kind of think that it's good to have time to reflect after a chapter rather than reading them all in a row. I'll now be working on Draco Malfoy and the Potions Pupil and start posting it once this one's all up. Anyway enough from me, enjoy.

Chapter 23: Birthday Wishes

Lily had bundled her now complete Invisibility Cloak into a small package surrounded by brown paper and tied with string. It was in her bag and although she had not stolen this the usually lightweight item now felt heavy as though it was another stolen piece of property.

She felt ashamed that her reluctance to give Scorpius her cloak was greater than it had been for giving him his father's Hand of Glory. Once again she told herself that she'd done it to protect Malfoy.

She was walking down the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall on her way to give the cloak to Scorpius when she saw him standing at the bottom of them, waiting for her. She frowned, how had he known that she would be coming now?

"Morning Potter," he said when she stopped on the last step.

"Hi," she said watching him, still wondering how he knew what she was doing.

"You have the cloak?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "But can we do this somewhere else?"

"You're not ashamed of me are you?" he asked grinning.

"Oh shut up and come on," said Lily irritably brushing past him and heading towards a more secluded area. She was growing tired of his constant amusement at her expense.

She dumped her bag on the stone floor and began to rummage through it. Finally locating the parcel containing her Invisibility Cloak she pulled it out and straightened.

She shivered involuntarily when Scorpius' eyes lit up at the sight of it. He once again reached out to take it before she offered but she gave it to him all the same, glancing over her shoulder as she did so.

"No need to be so nervous," said Scorpius noticing Lily's behaviour. "You've wrapped it so nicely people will just think that you're giving me a gift."

She looked at him incredulously. This was even farfetched for him.

"It is my birthday after all," he added smirking and throwing her a sideways glance.

"What?" said Lily taken aback. "Your birthday?"

"Yes," confirmed Scorpius. "My eighteenth birthday."

Lily looked at him. Why was he telling her this? Did he want her to wish him a happy one?

A few people passed them and a sixth year Slytherin girl called out; "Happy Birthday" to him before shooting Lily a seething glare.

Lily blinked. It really was his birthday. She turned back to him.

"Happy birthday," she said awkwardly.

"Thank you," beamed Scorpius and for once she didn't hear sarcasm in his tone.

"Will you hide that," Lily hissed, a little angry although she didn't know why.

Scorpius tucked the cloak into his own bag and held out his hand.

Lily eyed it for a moment as though she thought it might've been poisoned. He did not lower it so she took it and shook his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said pulling her closer to him.

Lily went a little rigid, wondering why he had done that.

"How did you get this from your father so quickly?" he whispered dangerously.

"Al- Albus had it," she said uncertainly but rather quickly. It was as though she had been preparing the lie without realising it.

Scorpius frowned and studied her face for a moment; trying to find the lie in her eyes.

Lily's eyes were watering now as she stared back into his face knowing that he'd be able to tell for sure that she wasn't telling the truth.

At length, however, he seemed happy with her answer and let her go; turning his back on her he retreated to the dungeons.

Lily let out a breath that she didn't even know she'd been holding. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she suddenly realised that she was hungry so she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She found Rose who was eating a bowl of cereal distractedly while pouring over a book. She didn't have long before she'd be sitting her NEWT exams and had taken to reading her text books at every chance she got.

"Hi Rose," said Lily as she sat down opposite her cousin.

Rose grunted an incomprehensible reply and didn't look up from her reading.

Lily thought this a little strange but went about helping herself to some bacon and eggs anyway. She was half way through her breakfast before Rose finally pulled her eyes from the book and looked across the table at her. Rose's expression was serious. Lily ventured a smile but it wasn't returned.

"What's with you and Malfoy?" Rose asked directly.

Lily choked on her bacon and started spluttering like mad. Rose pushed a glass of pumpkin juice in Lily's direction and continued to glare at her.

Lily took a large swig of the juice and after a few more coughs and splutters managed to regain her composure.

"Well, what're you playing at?" demanded Rose.

"What?" asked Lily timidly. Her mind was racing. How had Rose found out about Malfoy? How much did she know? Had she told anyone?

"You know what," said Rose. "I knew you were in love Lily but I never dreamed it'd be with him. What do you think you're doing?"

"I...," began Lily but she couldn't think of a single explanation.

"I mean really Lily how could you sink to the level of Scorpius Malfoy?" Rose's aggressiveness seemed to have subsided and now she was just disappointed.

"Scorpius..." said Lily as relief swept over her. It only lasted for a moment though before panic reclaimed her .

So Rose didn't know about Malfoy but she thought that Lily was seeing Scorpius. For some reason this seemed worse.

"I'm not in love with Scorpius," said Lily finally.

"Don't lie to me," said Rose, burring up again. "I saw you two go into that broom cupboard the other day and he came out looking rather pleased with himself and then I saw you just now getting a little too cosy by the door to the dungeons."

Lily just stared at Rose in shock. First Malfoy and now Rose, how many others had been watching her and Scorpius's interactions?

"That's not what it looked like," said Lily reflecting on how it must have seemed to an outsider.

"Really?" huffed Rose. "Well what was it then?"

Lily could not say what it really was; she couldn't tell Rose about Malfoy. If she'd gotten this upset at the thought of Lily with Scorpius how would she react to the revelation that it was actually his father?

"That's what I thought," said Rose, bitterly triumphant, when Lily supplied no answer.

"I...it was," started Lily but she didn't go on.

Rose glared at her cousin and got up from the table leaving Lily behind with, once again, no appetite whatsoever.

AN: Thanks for reading and please review. :)