Lily Potter and the Potions Professor
AN: I really like the reviews I've been getting lately. It's great to hear what everyone thinks is going to happen. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 27: Scorpius' Plan Fails
With Malfoy now gone, Lily was forced to face the reality of Scorpius once again. With Malfoy gone, she'd have to deal with him herself.
As she attempted to avoid it as much as possible, her efforts were thwarted by a chance encounter.
She was walking along a deserted corridor, on her way back to Gryffindor tower when she saw him approaching her from the other direction. They both glanced around trying to find a tapestry or statue that they knew was hiding a secret passage away. Alas, the particular stretch of corridor between them offered no such escape so they were forced to meet in the middle as their paths crossed.
Lily knew she had to say something; she couldn't just let this slide.
"Scorpius," she said quietly when he was within earshot.
"What?" he said defensively without looking at her.
"You left the Hand of Glory in the library the other night," she said as a peace offering.
"I know," he replied finally looking at her.
She saw the same hopeless look in his eyes that she sometimes saw in his father's.
"Can I talk to you about that?" she asked.
"About what?" he said.
"I saw what section you were in," she stated.
"You don't know what you're talking about," he said, getting defensive again.
"Is this about your mother?" Lily asked timidly. "Are you trying to bring her back?"
He was about to answer her when some other students appeared at the end of the corridor. Lily glanced at them and was not pleased to see Rose, Albus and a couple of other Gryffindors approaching them.
Rose and her couple of friends stopped when they got to where Lily and Scorpius stood. Albus, avoiding Lily's gaze, hurried off without pause. Before Lily could wonder about his strange behaviour Rose folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"Lily," she said, not even attempting to hide the scorn in her voice.
"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt other people's conversations Weasley?" said Scorpius before Lily could say anything. His tone held just as much contempt as Rose's had.
"Don't you know it's rude to exist when no one wants you to Malfoy?" replied Rose angrily.
"Rose," said Lily shocked at the brutality of Rose's remark.
"Oh so you're going to defend him?" said Rose rounding on Lily.
"It's not like..." began Lily but Rose cut in.
"It's not like that! That's what you told me before too. You know what Lily I think it is like that. I think it's exactly like that! I just can't believe you'd sink that low."
Rose's words cut Lily deep. They had never, ever, had an argument like this. Lily had heard Rose speak like this to other people but she'd never been on the receiving end before. Rose was glaring at her and it was bringing tears to Lily's eyes.
"Watch your mouth," said Scorpius dangerously, pulling out his wand.
Rose had drawn hers now too, while Lily and Rose's two friends watched on anxiously.
"Stop," said Lily. "Don't hurt each other."
"I can't believe you're still defending him," said Rose, her eyes fixed on Scorpius. The hatred in both their eyes burned intensely.
"I can't believe you think you're a match for me," taunted Scorpius as if he was urging Rose to hex him.
"What's going on here?" called the voice of Professor Naos.
Rose and Scorpius finally looked away from one another in the direction of Professor Naos.
Lily noted that Scorpius looked disappointed and Rose looked relieved.
"Not duelling I hope," said Naos eyeing them all with her stern gaze.
"Not at all Professor," replied Scorpius tucking his wand away.
"Well in that case, stop loitering and return to your dormitories please."
She stood there until they all started to move; Rose and her two friends in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and Scorpius and Lily in the opposite direction.
"Miss Potter, aren't you a Gryffindor?" asked Naos.
"Yes, Professor," replied Lily. She was desperate to continue her conversation with Scorpius. "I just need... to visit the library..."
"Very well, but be quick about it," said Naos in an irritated voice before marching off in the opposite direction.
Rose had stopped and was listening to them. Her gaze met Lily's and she huffed off again. Lily watched her go and then turned back around. Scorpius was gone.
Lily wasn't going to let him get away that easily so she started to sprint down the corridor and just as she rounded the corner she almost ran into him.
"Watch it," he said as she came to a halt only inches from him.
"Sorry," she said before adding. "Can we talk?"
"I thought we were," replied Scorpius as he rested his back on the wall and slid down to sit on the floor.
Lily sat down next to him. He wasn't looking at her.
"You can't do this," she said gently.
He didn't respond.
Lily reached out with a shaking hand to touch him but he pulled away. She retracted her hand and sat there in silence.
"It can't be done," Scorpius finally said.
"I'm sorry," said Lily quietly.
"I wanted to find the answer there. I'd looked everywhere else. I just wanted to see her again, even if it was only for a moment," said Scorpius.
His eyes were dry but there was unmistakable sorrow in his voice.
What could Lily say to this? She had no idea what it felt like to lose a parent. She thought for a moment about her father. He had lost both of his parents.
"You still have your dad," said Lily.
"For how much longer?" questioned Scorpius.
Lily felt a pang of guilt. It was her fault that her father had shown up and searched Malfoy's office. It was her fault he was arrested. It was because of her that he could be going to Azkaban.
"I don't think they have enough evidence to hold him for much longer," she said in an attempt to convince herself just as much as him.
They both sat in silence for a while, both deep in thought.
Scorpius reached into his bag that was sitting next to him and withdrew a shiny piece of material.
"Here, you can have that back," he said handing the Invisibility Cloak to her.
Lily took it and stared at it. Scorpius stood up, shouldering his bag.
"See you around Potter," he said as he turned and walked away.
Lily sat there for a long time after he'd left holding her Invisibility Cloak and thinking about Malfoy.
Would she ever see him again? Had her father finally figured out the truth or was he just trying to make one of them crack? She doubted that he knew. He had been too calm. He must have suspected but he had no evidence.
She wondered how powerful the magic in the Secret Message Parchment was. Taking it out of her pocket and extracting a quill from her bag she wrote; Where are you? on it and tapped it three times with her wand. She waited for a long time but no answer appeared. If he was being held at the Ministry it was unlikely that the charm on the paper would reach that far. She hadn't expected a reply but that didn't stop her from wanting one.
Finally she stood up and put on the Invisibility Cloak. She wore it to the portrait hole, through the common room and up to her dormitory. She still didn't even take it off when she reached her bed, falling asleep underneath it to the whispered conversation of her roommates.
"Did you hear about Lily and Scorpius Malfoy..."
AN: Thank you for reading. Please leave me a review. :D