AN: Thanks for the reviews and that no one took issue to skipping ahead a bit. This chapter is shorter, just seven pages. I am glad that so many people seem to really like this story as much as I do. I'll keep it up if you do, too! Thanks for reading. I am glad that no one had a hard time keeping up with the year and a half skip and that everyone kept up. I think I did a decent job making it clear and smooth, the transition was ease. I am surprised, myself, how far I am already in this story and didn't want to over load with too many releases, but here's the next chapter (even though I just released chapter seven yesterday). Enjoy. Read. Review.

Disc.: I owe so much to so many.

Quidditch and Potions

"Can you believe I didn't make the cut?" Darla shrieked as she slammed the door to the third year girls' common room. Lily didn't make a sound, hoping to avoid Darla on her little tirade. Darla jerked back the curtains around the bed and jerked back the covers to the bed. Lily groaned in protest.

"Darla, it's Sunday," Lily protested.

"Can you believe that git Flint decided to go another way with the whole team?" Darla asked jabbing Lily with her finger.

"So he's decided?" Lily asked.

"No, he's having second trials this afternoon, then by next Saturday everyone has practice," Darla said rolling her eyes. "Guess it's good for me, doesn't keep me from Hogsmead."

"Mhmm," Lily yawned. "Have you seen Asher?"

"Yeah, he's off in the common room being disgusting," Darla said making a face. "He's caught himself a mouse and is playing with it, the poor disgusting thing. Anyways, aren't you a bit curious to know how you did?"

"Not really," Lily lied as she tried to cover her head with the pillow. Darla snatched it away from her.

"Lucky witch, you made the call backs," Darla said. "Stupid Quidditch."

"I did?" Lily said bounding out of her bed. She ran out of her dormitory, still in her pajamas, her socks slipping on the stone. She nearly took down three people as she tried to regain her footing in front of the message board. She failed, taking down Scorpius and two sixth years that were reading the list.

"Honestly, Lily," Scorpius laughed as he pulled her arms from around his neck. She turned bright red. "If you wanted a hug, I would have been more than thrilled to comply."

"I wasn't hugging you," Lily said as she stood back up. "I was coming out here to see if I had really been put on the call back list."

"You have," Scorpius said grinning at her. Lily felt her stomach knot slightly and she turned to the list for proof. Right under Malfoy, Scorpius was Potter, Lily all in Malvo Flint's chicken scratch writing. She laughed, cheering, and was tempted to actually embrace Scorpius. He must have sensed it because he seemed to have prepared for it. Lily surprised them both by hugging the sixth year before running back to her dormitory to get dressed. She wasn't on the team yet, but this was closer.

Dressed, she bolted down to the Great Hall. Instead of sitting at Slytherin, she forced her way into the middle of her cousins and brothers. They seemed a bit surprised that Lily had joined them but happy none the less. Lily ate breakfast with them, telling them that she had made it to the second round of tryouts.

"Hey, that's really great," James said laughing at her excitement. She squeezed him tightly.

"I owe it to you," Lily said releasing him. James blushed slightly.

"How so?" James asked. Lily grinned.

"You never went easy on me this summer," Lily said. James laughed as he nodded. He had been a pretty rough Quidditch player against her when they'd all go to Grandmother Weasley's. He'd pit himself against her each time they'd play with all the cousins and the adults, and never once did he go easy on her. More than once he had made her bleed or sent her careening to the ground. Some had thought he was being too rough on her, but Lily had asked him to treat her like the enemy. She knew that she'd need to toughen up if she wanted to make it on the Quidditch team.

Lily stood on the field that afternoon with broom in hand as Flint assigned them different positions. He looked at her and smirked, looking at the positions on his roster before him. Lily stood there, unflinching in her Quidditch robes, which were the smallest spares they had on hand and yet were still too large.

"Potter, suit up for beater," he said. Lily nodded and immediately began pulling on the wrist guards and shin guards. They were a bit too loose, but they'd make due. Lily was playing opposite Flint and Malfoy, with a few Slytherins she had seen around the common room and at the tables. At Professor Wood's whistle, the teams took to the air. Lily held her bat in her left hand, her dominant hand and felt a surge of excitement as the bludger was hit her way. The sound of bludger to bat was an intense, echoing crack and Lily had great control, sending it at Malfoy who had the Quaffle in his hand. His team mates weren't able to get there to defend him and Malfoy dropped the Quaffle to dodge the bludger, just to be picked up by Lily's team.

She learned really quickly that they were all out to test her, to prove that a child her size couldn't be an effective beater. She was sweating heavily, thirsty, but her speed outmatched the other side's beaters, and Lily was able to defend her chasers and nearly annihilate the other sides' players in the process. She pressed through the ache in her arm from launching the bludger away from her chasers and back at the other team's chaser. She never felt more relief than when the snitch was caught. Her team had lost, but it wasn't for a lack of giving it their all. Still, as Lily landed, she couldn't help but be disappointed. She wanted to win.

"Good game, good game," Malvo said as he looked over the rosters. He glanced at them. "This hasn't been an easy decision, certainly, and I know we all ultimately want what's best for Slytherin. So, I've made the choices that I believe will be best for our house. I will post the team roster by tonight. All right men, hit the showers."

Lily felt the over whelming feeling of dread. She hadn't been chosen. She sat on the bench in the locker room, listening to the guys being loud as they stripped off their gear and left it lying in the loaner bins. Lily removed the guards, one piece at a time. She looked up across to the other side where Scorpius was sitting, removing his own gear. He looked up at her, expressionless. Lily looked away and stood to drop her gear and head for the girls' showers.

"Potter," Flint said loudly. "I want to see you outside now."

"Ok," Lily said as she glanced uncertainly at Scorpius. He looked away quickly and Lily followed the giant seventh year outside of the Slytherin locker room. She shielded her eyes as she looked up at him.

"You need work, kid," he said quickly as he set the clip board down on a bench. "You're wicked fast and you hit like it hurts. I remember you knocked out those two players in your first year. Your aim is good, and you definitely have some power behind you. Your size, though, could be seen as a disadvantage. So, I need you to tell me why you'd be the best choice for beater on our team."

"Well, I may be small," Lily said after thinking a moment. "But being small means that I am more likely over looked and more likely taken for granted by the other team, you know, not seen as a threat. It also means I can fly faster, even with the bat, because of less surface resistance. Also, I have a hunger to prove that just because I am a Potter, I'm a cutthroat Slytherin beater. I embody all that is Slytherin."

"And should it come to it, could you take out your brother or cousin? Would you hesitate to hurt them to win?" Flint asked. Lily looked at him.

"I'm no one's family when I am on that pitch," Lily said without batting an eye. Malvo Flint grinned.

"I think you need to head to Hogsmead next weekend and get professionally fitted for beater gear," he said. "It'll just go on the Slytherin House Tab. Is that your broom or the schools?"

"The schools," Lily said.

"I'll owl ahead to make sure that you are fitted for a speedy little number," Malvo said. "The perks of being a Slytherin abound."

"So… I made the team?" Lily asked. Flint nodded.

"Welcome beater number two to the Slytherin Quidditch team," he said extending his hand. Lily shook it, ignoring the intensity of his grip.

"Thank you, Flint, for giving me a chance," Lily said. He nodded.

"Now, don't get all girly on me, Potter, and don't make me move you to seeker," he said. "I hate being made out wrong."

Lily headed back into the locker room grabbed her stuff and skipped off to the showers, a giant grin on her face. She fought the urge to sing and hum in the shower. Instead she soaped up, rinsed down and redressed in her school uniform. She exited the showers area, back in the main locker area to see Scorpius standing there. He was leaning against a set of lockers, his arms crossed. Lily hesitated, looking at him with his still wet hair and that smirk on his face that he always had. She bit her lip slightly and turned to her locker, pulling out her bag.

"Congrats on making the team," he said as she slammed her locker and walked towards the exit doors. She looked at him.

"Thank you," she said as she went to continue out the doors.

"Are you going to stay mad at me forever? Even though I don't know what I did?" Scorpius asked. Lily looked at him.

"I'm not mad at you," she said. "Just disappointed in you, that's all. I'm disappointed." Lily exited the locker room without another word. She heard the door shut behind her and knew that Scorpius was following her.

"Lily, wait up," he called.

"Baby! There you are!" Darla called out shrilly over the grounds, heading straight past Lily. Lily didn't turn around. She didn't care to see Darla's greeting. Instead she went straight inside, determined to find her brothers. She found them reluctantly hanging out in the library. Rose had turned into her mother when it came to her and James studying for the O.W.L.s.

"I made the Slytherin team," Lily said as she slipped into one of the free chairs. James looked up, grinning.

"Chaser like your big brother? Like Mum? Or a seeker like Dad?" James asked thrilled to have a legitimate reason to ignore Rose's studying.

"Neither, I'm a beater," Lily said grinning. James laughed, thinking it was a joke, but stopped when he saw that she was serious.

"Merlin, Lily," James said. "That's a dangerous position."

"It's no more dangerous than any other position," Lily said. "And I hit hard."

"I don't doubt that, but promise me you'll be safe," James said. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"I'll be as safe as can be," Lily said. "I'm going for gear fitting on Saturday in Hogsmead. The standard gear is too big."

"Our diminutive sister," Albus mumbled as he flipped a page. He looked up to see his siblings and cousins looking at him.

"I didn't know you knew any big words," Rose said in quiet awe.

"When did you learn smartness?" Hugo teased.

"Very funny," Lily said sticking her tongue out at Albus. She paused. "Hey, do you think I can borrow the map?"

"Sorry, Lily, no," Albus said shaking his head. "It's official Gryffindor property."

"C'mon," Lily said. "I need it."

"It's not going to happen," Albus said. "I can't. I have a duty to uphold as a New Marauder to keep it out of Slytherin hands, even if those hands are those of my baby sister."

"You're a wanker, you know?" Lily said frowning. James looked up at her, shock on his face.

"You're not supposed to use that kind of language," James said. Lily laughed.

"A word is just a bunch of letters until someone gives it meaning," Lily said. She looked at her watch and groaned. "I'm supposed to go help Darla and Kate with potions."

"Have fun," the rest called as they waved her off. Lily headed to the dungeon class room and waited, sitting on the counter closest to the small barred windows. Professor Perkins nodded at her once as he headed through to his office. Lily had a list of things that Darla and Kate needed help with and she pulled out the supplies, readied them on the table.

"Hey Lily," Scorpius said as he saw her lighting a fire under one of the cauldrons she had drug out for the tutoring lesson.

"Hey," Lily said in almost a grunt unbefitting a lady of Slytherin. She didn't care and turned back to her work. She heard him move to the interior of the room.

"Flint wants me to take you down to the Quidditch shop on Saturday to make sure that you get the right fit," Scorpius said. Lily looked up, surprised he had moved so close. He was maybe a foot away. She could smell his smell, a hint of grass and dirt among the soap and aftershave. She breathed in a trembling breath, slightly confused about the feelings that were swirling inside her. She knew what she wanted, she thought. She liked Taryn, but she couldn't deny it. She loved Scorpius.

"Oh, okay," Lily said finally after what seemed like the longest delay in the world. The words came out a bit constrained and Scorpius smiled, nodding.

"Good then, it's a date," Scorpius said. Lily looked up at him surprised, raising an eyebrow. "Well, not a date, you know. Not a date-date. It's just uh… two of us doing something for Quidditch."

"Okay," Lily said as the door opened to both the classroom and Professor Perkins office. Lily glanced up to see Darla practically jump on Scorpius, her mouth all over his face. Kate and Lily both made a face, disgusted by the display.

"Mr. Malfoy, shall we leave these three to their work?" Professor Perkins suggested. Scorpius looked relieved to be able to release Darla and run like the dickens out of the hot little classroom.

The three spent the better part of an hour properly cutting up roots for a simple potion. Kate and Lily were silent while Darla went on and on about how far she had already gotten with Scorpius and her plan and timetable for future actions.

"I can't believe Mr. Malfoy chose me," Darla said. Lily looked up, surprised.

"C-chose you?" Lily asked hesitantly. Darla nodded and then a look of understand and realization.

"Of course you wouldn't know the whole thing," Darla said. "Your family isn't Slytherin. The way it works is our grandfathers are responsible for choosing our spouses. Mr. Malfoy opted to choose me over my sister. I was thrilled because I was certain with Elena being the same age as Scorpius, she'd be picked, but he said that he had big plans for Scorpius and that I would be the ideal woman by his side."

"That's… kind of sad," Lily said suddenly. "To be forced to marry someone out of tradition and not love."

"It's not sad. I do love him," Darla said frowning. "And I know he will too."

"Mhmm," Lily murmured. "Well, it's nearly dinner time, let's wrap this up. What's the next step?"

"Add the Dandelion Root?" Kate asked. Lily nodded. She knocked her knife to the ground.

"Just a bit," Lily said. She turned to pick up the knife as Darla added all of the dandelion roots. The potion turned bright pink, like bubble gum, and exploded. The three girls stood there in shock, covered in pink goo as Professor Perkins walked in. He looked at them, laughter in his eyes.

"Too much dandelion root," he said simply. He pulled out his wand and siphoned off the pink goo and refilled the cauldron. "Perhaps an intelligence booster potion might be of some help, ladies."

Lily was still a bit sticky feeling when she and the others headed to the Great Hall for dinner. Lily was hungry but found her stomach twisted in knots when she saw Scorpius laughing with Damon. She let him make eye contact as she took a seat a ways down from him. Darla practically sat on his lap. Scorpius easily pushed her aside, without as much as a hurtful word or action.

"It was the funniest thing," Damon said laughing. Darla perked up.

"What was?" Darla asked.

"Professor Perkins had us identify some very difficult potions," Scorpius said quickly. Darla looked at him quizzically.

"I don't see how that is funny," Darla said as she looked to Lily. Lily shrugged and continued eating her food.

"No, that wasn't the funny part," Damon said. "What was funny was Scorpius' reaction to one of the potions."

"Yeah?" Lily piped up. "What was his reaction?"

"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 Scorpius. "What potion was it?" Scorpius blushed, his cheeks turning bright red.

"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 bit her lip and looked away. She could taste her cherry lip balm; grass still clung to her shoes from earlier. Her shampoo was honey-suckle and cotton blossoms scented. Her clothes always smelled clean, like freshly washed linens. She blushed hard ducking down to pick up her fork she purposely knocked to the ground. It confused her. He was with Darla, but his love potion-smell… it was her. She wondered what that meant, but knew she couldn't ask. What would it benefit her to know he loved her yet remained with Darla?

Lily couldn't sleep that night, the thoughts of the week previous taunting her. She was too worked up, excited about making the team, confused about Scorpius, envious of Darla, and generally worked up in many ways. She knew she had an early class but she just couldn't will herself to sleep. Instead of tossing and turning, she pulled her robe on over her tee shirt and shorts, slipped her feet sockless into her tennis shoes, and headed out of the dormitory, walking silently. She knew it had to be close to eleven, even though the room was void of people.

She knew she'd get in trouble if she was caught out of bed, and she doubted that she could pull off a claim of sleepwalking like her dad had once pulled, but she risked it anyways, knowing that she just needed to be vigilant. She crept silently out the portrait hole and along the corridors with an ear out for anyone that could come along. She held the letter she had penned earlier in the day to Taryn and headed towards the Owlery. She knew he'd be excited about her making the team.

Lily climbed the stairs silently, listening for sounds that anyone else had heard her ascend the stairs. She found one of the school owls, the beast not too keen on being used for post at the moment but took the letter anyways and flew out into the night. Lily looked around, not surprised to find that most of the owls were gone. They were naturally nocturnal. Lily headed down the stairs, pausing when she swore she heard a sound. Heart pounding, she pushed herself into the shadows and waited. The sound passed and Lily waited a moment more before she headed back towards the Slytherin common room.

Three times, Lily had to hide in the shadows or behind a suit of armor to avoid being seen by the prefects that were patrolling and taking points. Lily barely hid in time to keep from being seen by James and Rose, who were luckily deep in discussion. Lily couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but for a moment she felt lonely. She had friends in her fellow Slytherins, but she missed out on that closeness that Rose and James had, even that Hugo and Albus shared. She felt momentarily cheated. The pair turned the corner and Lily slipped out from her hiding place and headed down the corridor, nearly back at the Slytherin portrait hole.

Lily could hear someone coming behind her and her stomach clenched as she realized that the Snotty Woman was not in her frame. Lily began to panic, trying to pull the frame open with her bare hands. She glanced towards the way the sounds were coming, shadows appearing around the corner. Lily darted from the entrance at the last possible moment and slipped behind a statue of Salazar Slytherin. She crouched down to be covered by the base.

"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," Scorpius said quietly as a clicking sound echoed down the seemingly empty hall way. The portrait creaked open and Lily held her breath.

"Are you coming?" Celeste asked.

"Yeah, be right there," Scorpius said. Lily shrunk down a bit as she heard footsteps coming closer. She held her breath but still nearly screamed as a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Oh, hello Scorpius," Lily said quietly as she looked up at him, forcing a smile. "Lovely night for a stroll."

"You're out of bed after hours," he said sternly. Lily stood and faced him.

"Just walking of the excitement of the day," Lily said truthfully. "How'd you know I was out of bed and hiding here?"

"I, er, just did," Scorpius said. She saw him turn a bit pink.

"You're blushing," Lily accused laughing.

"No I'm not," Scorpius said shaking his head.

"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," Scorpius said. Lily grinned and stepped toward him.

"But you aren't, are you?" Lily asked. She knew she was treading on thin ice, being a bit too forward. He laughed.

"No," Scorpius admitted. "I'm not going to."

"Good," she said grinning.

"Are you still mad at me?" Scorpius asked.

"No," Lily said. She looked away.

"It's Darla, isn't it?" He asked. Lily looked at him frowning.

"You told me that I was too young and Darla's not that much older than me," Lily challenged.

"You don't understand," Scorpius said, "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.

"Get over your lineage being Gryffindor, Lily," Scorpius said rolling his 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 turning away from him fighting the sudden feeling of tears. Scorpius grabbed her arm, making her look at him.

"Lils, please, you have to understand," Scorpius said. He bit his lip slightly, his hands shook. "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. They looked away from each other.

"I know," Scorpius said frowning. "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," Scorpius said. "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. "I guess I'll head back inside and off to bed. Think you could open the portrait?"

"Sure," Scorpius said as the two of them headed to the empty portrait. Without meaning to, he pulled her to him, her face against his chest while he released the latch. "Sorry, just couldn't have you peeking."

"Mhmm," Lily said as her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she walked to her dormitory, her stomach in knots. She knew if anyone asked what she smelled when she sniffed the Amortentia, she'd answer without skipping a beat. She'd only be able to describe it as one person: Scorpius Malfoy.