Disclaimer: okays, I was going to have the first few lines of TGWSC at the bottom... but I couldn't find them... sooo... anyone who does know them, if you could message me... I'll make it worth your while... (lol... yes... that was a bribe)

Lemon Drops

Scorpius watched in amusement as Lily decorated the medium sized Christmas tree that now took up one corner of his flat. This Christmas was a special one for the pair. It wasn't their first Christmas together, but it was the first that they could spend alone together without anyone chaperoning. Lily hung each delicate ornament onto their branches; an angel made of spun glass and gold, a Santa Claus figure with red felt clothing, a trumpeter with its own miniature silver trumpet. Lily stood back to admire her work briefly with a small smile. She then grabbed the tinsel and wrapped it around the green plastic, the light from above causing the silver and gold to sparkle brightly. She then opened a small box that was lined with red velvet, pulling from it a glittering crystal star. Lily placed it securely onto the topmost branch and grinned.

Scorpius grinned too, knowing that she was happy about the tree being finished. He was about to call to her and ask if they could put out the presents yet, when Lily grabbed a small bowl from the floor besides her. She started to slowly attach whatever was in the bowl onto the tree with the other ornaments. She moved out of the way of the first few that she had placed up and Scorpius was perplexed by the tiny yellow objects.

'Lily?'

'Hmmm…?' she continued putting up the wrapped objects onto the tree.

'Why are you putting Lemon Drops onto the Christmas tree?'

Lily looked up at him and smiled.

'Strange story.'

'I can listen," he replied. Lily nodded and put up one final candy piece.

'Are you sure you want to? It is a bit of a weird tradition…'

'But tradition is tradition,' he replied as she sat down on the couch beside him, the glass bowl in her lap. She unwrapped one and placed it into her mouth.

'They're to keep the Grinch away,' she said seriously.

'The who?'

'The Grinch. Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Grinch?' Scorpius shook his head 'The Grinch is this monster guy who is really mean and has no heart. He stole Christmas.'

'What?' Scorpius let out a bark of surprised laughter.

'Yeah, It's a Muggle book, by this strange man who called himself Dr. Seuss. Anyway, Aunty Luna read it to us when I was two, Al was five and James was six. I didn't really understand it at the time, but the other two did and demanded that Mother do something to stop the Grinch from stealing their Christmas. Aunty Luna told us that the only way that you could ever truly stop the Grinch was to cover everything to do with Christmas with Lemon Drops, because they disguised the scent. We spent all Christmas Eve getting our hands on as many Lemon Drops as we possibly could and hanging them every where. I mean everywhere.' Lily grinned amusedly. 'Every year since then, we have always read the story on Christmas Eve, and we have always had Lemon Drops as extra decorations...' She sighed slightly to herself. 'It's just habit now.' Scorpius shook his head in personal amusement at Lily's family's strange Tradition.

'I guess this tradition isn't that bad,' he said as he picked out his own Lemon Drop and placed it into his mouth. 'Maybe we should continue it then...?' Lily smiled happily and embraced him tightly.

'You don't have to, Scor, I really don't mind.' Scorpius smiled back and pulled a Santa hat off the table beside him. He pulled it gently over the crown of her head so that it would stay in place.

'I don't have to, but I don't mind it either, Lil, as long as it makes you happy.' He pressed his lips gently to the tip of her nose. 'Now, can you tell me the story?' Lily looked at him, slightly confused,

'What story?' Scorpius smirked and pulled her against him.

'The story of the Grinch who stole Christmas, of course.' Lily smiled back and relaxed against his warm body.

'Well, okay, I guess.' She cleared her throat. '...'