A/N: Ok, so hopefully with my just releasing chapter 20, I will get some feedback to make sure this is still keeping your interests, otherwise I'm ditching this and heading off to prepare for my exam… Thanks to Point for Infamy's name (via IM)… Squint for always being quick with a review… um… to those of you who reviewed the chapters, especially SquintSquad03, Hisanachan, and Beauty Eclipsed for reviewing chapter 18. Chapter 22 is written, but I won't release it until I am done w/23… which I can't work on until Tues/Wed of next week (moving). Anyways… my issue, not yours… have fun reading this. Things are going to start picking up soon, but doing things for the sake of doing them… not doing it… be patient.

Disc.: All this is make-believe.

Conflict

Her mouth was perfectly formed, inviting as it pulled up in the corners in what would have been a spectacular smile. If only that smile met her eyes, the moment would have been perfect. Complete. Instead, she turned her head two seconds too late and Scorpius could see the pain reflecting in those bottomless pools of liquid sapphire. They had stopped for a brief moment, to check, their conversation halted, and her eyes had given her away. Still, he said nothing, thinking it was more kind of him to let Lily believe that she was truly happy.

'The rumors had to be true,' he thought sadly as he walked along with her. He felt her hand brush his and he thought of taking it in his. Instead they walked along in silence, as if they had never been talking in the first place.

Scorpius had heard his father talking in the other room, his voice barely louder than a hum, and he had known that something was up. He sleepily tried to grasp some of the words but sleep over came him, Lily tucked into his neck and her body curled against him. The warmth of her body, her sweet intoxicating scent drove his dreams straight into a place that was dangerous for him to go alone, much less with the source of temptation in his arms.

"Scorpius, wake up," Draco said in a hoarse voice, shaking his son gently. Scorpius looked up confused, still half asleep.

"We didn't do anything," Scorpius countered. He felt around for her in the bed with him but she was gone. In fact the night was gone, as well, and slivers of light breached the outermost parts of the curtains.

"You need to get up and get dressed," Draco said. "We're leaving."

"L-leaving?" Scorpius asked hesitantly. He looked over to Lily's perfectly made bed. "Where's Lily?"

"There was an accident back home," Draco said as his voice suddenly became thick sounding.

"An accident?" Scorpius said shooting upright.

"Yes," Draco said. "Lily left with Gran just before dawn. They both thought it was best to let us sleep. There was an accident of sorts down at the ministry. Lily's mother was… involved."

"The phone call," Scorpius said. Draco looked at him surprised.

"You heard my phone call?" he asked. Scorpius shook his head.

"No, but you seemed… upset," Scorpius said as he jerked his jeans over his boxer shorts. Heat rose to his face. He had slept next to Lily in his boxers, her in just a tee shirt. Draco paused as he looked at his son.

"What?" Draco asked.

"How long after that call before you woke her up?" Scorpius asked.

"It was a while, maybe three, four hours. I booked us all flights, which your Gran upped hers and Lily," Draco said.

"What happened? The accident," Scorpius asked. Draco hesitated.

"I'm not really sure," Draco said honestly. "Ginny didn't work in any department near mine and Harry's, so I've not really gotten the details. Hermione called me to let me know."

"It must be pretty bad if Harry didn't call," Scorpius commented as he jerked his shoes on his feet and tossed the rest of his clothes in his bag. "I'm ready."

"I… I'm not so sure I am," Draco admitted. "This feels too much like when Infamy died."

"W-when Mum died? How? Why?" Scorpius said in almost a panic. "Mum died from an accident."

"Your mother did die from an accident," Draco sighed. "She accidentally opened a cursed howler meant for me."

"Scorpius, are you ok?" Lily asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked at her, blinking his eyes slightly confused. He had forgotten that he had been walking aside her this whole time, the sudden train of thought blocking everything else from his mind.

"Yeah," he said in rebuff. He pulled his sleeve from her hand. "Why?"

"You just seemed… distracted… that's all," Lily mumbled as she shoved her hands deep into her pockets. He looked at her, his eyes narrow.

"Have you been sleeping?" he asked her, noticing that she was looking rather exhausted. She glanced at him and shrugged.

"Same as usual," she said. He made a face.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Scorpius said. Lily looked at him in shock.

"Do what?" She asked as she stopped walking, causing him to stop.

"The way you respond to everything," he said frustrated. "You play down everything. I'm not stupid. You look exhausted."

"Well, hell Malfoy," Lily said quietly. He cringed at his last name, the word sounding foreign on her lips. "Between class work, spell work, prefect duties, and Quidditch, not to mention O.W.L.s, I'm just coming up a little short in the sleep department."

"I see," he said.

"Plus I prefer it," Lily continued with a sigh, as if she didn't even hear him. "It easier to pass out from exhaustion night after night."

"Not sleeping well and not sleeping much," Scorpius said in a quiet way that made her look at him again. She leaned back against the wall.

"You can say that," Lily admitted as she crossed her arms.

"It's the nightmares, huh?" Scorpius asked quietly as he stood but just a foot away from her.

"The nightmares, I can live with those," Lily said quietly. "It's seeing her face, twisted in agony and knowing that there is nothing I can do." Lily looked up at him in shock, surprised that she had actually said that aloud.

"You know, if you want to talk about it," Scorpius offered. Lily looked back up at him, having let her gaze drop. Lily shook her head.

"I'm fine," she said. Scorpius stepped closer, pushing her arms aside and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his cheek against her head.

"You know, Lils," Scorpius said as he held her close. "I am one of those people you don't always have to keep up your strong front with, right?"

"It's not a front," Lily said as she pushed him away. She was angry, tears in her eyes and her fist clenched by her side. "There's nothing wrong."

"Your mother died, Lily," Scorpius said calmly as he kept his proximity. "No one is going to think badly of you for being upset at her passing."

"I'm not upset," Lily challenged through clenched teeth. Her voice shook and she blinked back the tears that threatened. Her fist shook.

"You're shaking," he commented quietly.

"It's anger," Lily promised. Scorpius laughed quietly and shook his head.

"I was really upset when my mother died," Scorpius said as he parted from Lily, turning his back on her as he peered out one of the windows. He looked out at the dark school grounds below. "I was angry and upset. I never cried because I thought that everyone would think of me as weak."

"Crying isn't weak, Score," Lily said as she stepped up behind him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. He looked at her, a smiled on his face. She had regained her composure, as if she hadn't been on the brink of losing it.

"I know that now, and the same goes for you," Scorpius told her as he touched Lily's hand. Lily rolled her eyes, a slight smile on her face.

"I don't need to cry," Lily said.

"Have you?" Scorpius said as he turned to face her slowly.

"Er…" Lily said as she glanced away from his piercing eyes.

"She was your mother," Scorpius said.

"Yes, she was," Lily said. She took a shaky breath. "That doesn't mean I need to cry."

"You cried when we watched movies," Scorpius smirked. "And they weren't even all sad movies."

"That's different," Lily said. She crossed her arms. "Plus you didn't cry. Why is it a big deal that I didn't either?"

"Because I lied," Scorpius said as he started to walk away. He turned and looked at her. "If you ever need someone to hold you, someone to be…"

"A friend?" Lily offered the words when he seemed to fail to form them.

"Sure, a friend," Scorpius said nodding. "I'm here for you Lily, no teasing and no judgment."

"I'm fine, Scorpius. Really," Lily promised as she started toward him.

"So… you and Zabini?" Scorpius said suggestively. Lily looked at him in horror.

"NO! Of course not!" Lily implored. "He and I are just friends."

"It's just, the way he's with you is… interesting," Scorpius said. He didn't want to put into her head what Shale Zabini really felt about her, lest she start to feel the same. He just didn't know if he'd be able to handle it. Lily grinned.

"He's just much attuned to my needs and wants, that's all," Lily said as she fell into step beside him on the way back to the common room. "Plus, he's not my type."

Scorpius laughed. "I guess you're not at an age where I can say you are too young for a type any more, can I?"

"No," Lily said.

"So, Lils," Scorpius said. "What is your type?"

"I'll say it again, like I said it in first year," Lily teased as she reached the portrait to the Slytherin common room. "I'm not telling you."

"You know, I'm going to figure it out," Scorpius challenged as she walk through first. She spun around to face him in a flash. He crashed into her and would have knocked her to the ground has his arms been slower. She flashed him the most bone melting smile, leaning against him.

"I hope you do," she whispered, her mouth near his ear as she stood on her very tip toes. She pulled away and skipped off to her dormitory for another night of restless sleep. Scorpius exhaled in a sharp gust, having seen that smile hit her eyes, causing the pools of azure to sparkle with laughter. His arms felt painfully empty the minute she left.

He could feel her before she moved into the booth with him. He looked up from his study materials, feeling quite put off that he was forced to study on his Hogsmead trip, but she had said that was her intentions. She was running late, having to help the third year student on their first trip to Hogsmead. He had accompanied her personally that first year, and could still remember how young she had looked compared to the woman who stood before him.

"You know you don't have to sit around and study with me," Lily said flashing him one of her stellar, heart breaking smiles.

"Nah, it's what I wanted to do," Scorpius said rolling his eyes as she pulled out a regular pen. He looked up at her surprised and she winked.

"Stupid quills kept leaking ink on everything," she said.

"So you use them in class?" Scorpius asked. Lily grinned. She leaned closer and whispered.

"Could you imagine the professors telling me no?" Lily asked rhetorically. She pulled back and flipped open one of her books, spreading her parchment out in front of her.

"You're taking double potions?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lily said without looking up.

"Why?" Scorpius asked.

"Because Muggle Studies was full," Lily said. She looked up to find him gaping at her. She laughed. "It's a joke, Score. I just am."

"Does it have to do with what you want to do after you finish Hogwarts?" Scorpius asked perceptively. Lily shrugged noncommittally and looked back down at her parchment.

"Maybe," she said after a minute. She looked back up at him to find his gaze almost penetrating as his eyes met her.

"You know, you're really hard to figure out," he said. Lily's eyes widen in genuine surprise.

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"Well, for one, everyone else is running around Hogsmead like dragons with their tails cut off," Scorpius said. Lily snickered.

"You know, you don't have to," Lily said as she waved her empty right hand over the books.

"For another, you won't tell me your type," he said. Lily grinned.

"Why do you want to know so badly, Score? Want to try and hook me up with someone?" Lily asked in a mocking tone. He frowned and shook his head.

"I just want to figure you out," he said. He laughed, his face brightening. "The longer you are single, the more time you can spend with me."

"Indeed," Lily murmured as she turned back to her books. Scorpius couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a slight blush warm her cheeks.

"So… let see," Scorpius said quietly though it was hardly necessary. The Hogs Head was void of people even with all the Hogwarts students running amuck. "Do you like them tall or short?"

"Than what?" Lily asked as she continued to take notes from her potions book.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked. Lily rolled the pen between her fingers in her left hand while she looked up at him.

"Well, height is relative," Lily said. "Completely subjective. I'm much shorter than you, so for me, you are tall. But to you, someone your height would be average, I'm short and Hagrid is tall."

"Hell, Lily, to everyone Hagrid's tall," Scorpius said. Lily laughed.

"Ok, I'll give you that one," Lily said. She bit the back of her pen a moment. "Taller than me."

"Ok, so most of the third year students are out," Scorpius teased.

"Yeah, or how about all of them," Lily laughed. "He has to be at least my age if not older."

"Screw it Lily, you should just date me," Scorpius said. Lily's head jerked up from her book to look at him, her eyes wide in surprise. He laughed, having misread her expression. "So… taller than you, your age or older. Not too hard. What about body type?"

"Really," Lily mumbled as she shook her head and returned her gaze to her book. She sighed and scratched out something on her parchment.

"You know, I still never managed to get you write something to me," Scorpius said. Lily looked at him, rolling her eyes.

"Fine," she said as she took his D.A.D.A. book he had been working out of. "Is this your personal copy of the Seventh Year D.A.D.A.?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said smiling confusedly at her. She grinned and snapped the book closed. She closed her eyes for a second and flipped open the book randomly. She held the book from his sight and looked at the page. She nearly laughed at the heading: Love Potions used in the Dark Arts. She loved cross over topics. She glanced at her potion book, to find that she was studying the very potion warned about for uses of dark nature.

"Ok, let see," Lily said dramatically as she clicked her pen on. She found a perfect spot, as if the book was demanding for her to write that next to the Amortentia potion section. She wrote in her perfect beautiful hand writing a quick little note, blowing on the ink to dry it. She smiled at it and looked at him.

"Done?" he asked curiously.

"Almost," Lily said grinning. She closed the book with a quick snap and handed it back to him. "Don't go looking for it. It'll find you."

"I bet," he said laughing as he let the pages flip quickly through his fingers. Lily turned back to her potion's book, her cheeks a stained a bit pink and warm. He watched for her moment, certain she was blushing. He knew he'd not wait. The minute he was alone, he'd go searching for whatever she wrote him.

"So, what about you, Score? Anyone caught your eye?" Lily asked with very little interest. She was back to working on her homework.

"Meh," Scorpius said shrugging. "There is this one girl."

"I knew it," Lily said with a slight smile, almost as if apologetic.

"Y-you knew?" he asked surprised. He couldn't believe how nervous he sounded.

"Yes, I saw the way that Maggie Bell was looking at you," Lily said as she looked back down at her papers.

"Maggie Bell?" Scorpius asked slightly confused.

"The cute little sixth year red head in Hufflepuff," Lily said.

"The the girl with the big breh… brains?" Scorpius said quickly covering. Lily looked up at him smirking.

"Is that really all that guys ever care about?" Lily said. Scorpius went to open his mouth and she laughed. "It's ok, really. Girls are superficial about things, too."

"No, really," Scorpius said sarcastically. Lily made a face at him and went back to work. "Merlin, Lily. This is dull."

"No one's keeping you here," Lily reminded.

"True," Scorpius said rolling his eyes. He frowned. "I just thought that maybe we could spend some time hanging out for fun, that's all."

"What? Is studying not fun?" Lily said with feigned innocents.

"Not really," Scorpius said scowling, missing the joke. Lily laughed.

"It was a joke Score," she said as she slid around to his side of the circular booth. She put her arm around his shoulder. "I'll make it up to you. I'll take one of your rotations and you can do whatever seventh boys do when they're not busy."

"Don't I have like two rotations with you already?" Scorpius asked making a face. Lily grinned.

"I'll pick up one of the ones we don't have together," Lily said. Scorpius looked at her, realizing how close she was to him. He traced the shape of her face and lips in his mind, his heart quickened. "What?"

"What?" Scorpius said blinking. Heat rose in his cheeks, a hint of color against the cream white flesh.

"You were… you looked like you were in a trance," Lily said as she smiled shyly at him. She averted her eyes and dropped her arm, sliding back to the other side of the booth. His cheeks were aflame with embarrassment.

"I… I think I'm going to go," Scorpius mumbled. "I promised Damon that I'd catch up with him."

"Ok," Lily said refusing to look up.

"See you rounding tonight?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure," she said as she finally looked up at him. She didn't quite meet his eyes before she glanced back down at the school work.

"Oh, and we have practice after dinner," Scorpius reminded her. She looked back up and nodded once.

"I remember," she said.

Lily stood in front of her locker, wearing the tight under shirt and shorts while she dug around looking for her practice uniform. She found the pants first, stepping into them quickly and tying them at her waist. Scorpius glanced back at her while she swore quietly her back to him. She looked around her locker, on the floor, and under the pile of school clothes she had carried into the locker room from where had changed into her under Quidditch garments. She had opted to get black ones this year.

"Problem?" Scorpius asked her. Lily spun around, her hands on her hips.

"I can't find my practice top," Lily grumbled. Scorpius' corner tugged with the tiniest hint of a smiled.

"You're still a bit cranky. Tired?" he asked as he strolled over to her. She looked at him, her chin tilted up, and she smiled sarcastically.

"Have you seen my top, Score?" Lily said with a sarcastically sweet voice.

"Ooh, sickly sweet Lils is awesome," Scorpius teased as he reached into his locker. He handed her a shirt. "Just use one of my spares and I'll check with the house elves to see if they've seen it."

"Splendid," Lily quipped as she jerked the shirt on over her head. It was too large for her, but not swimmingly so. "Thankfully you try to show off those defined muscles of yours in too tight for you shirts. For once, it benefits me."

"For once?" Scorpius smirked.

"Come on, Captain," Lily said rolling her eyes as she strapped her safety gear on. "Let's practice."

Lily glared at Scorpius as he barked commands in her general direction, or at least where she had been before he started yelling. She was everywhere all over the sky, protecting all three chases while the newest beater acted like a completely ignorant prick, a cocky sixth year that had only placed because of his size and strength.

"You have no aim, Hill!" Lily shouted at him, red faced and sweaty in the still unseasonably warm air. It was already October and yet there seemed to be a bout of a heat wave.

"Malfoy, tell you little half-beater to shut the hell up," Hill shouted. Lily flew up to face him, not protecting any of the chasers.

"You shut the hell up," Lily snapped at him. "You may be a hard hitter, but you have no skill!"

"Shut up, Potter," Hill yelled at her, his face turning a dark red. They were face to face, angry before Lily growled and flew off, smacking one of the bludgers just seconds before it knocked Damon upside the head. She tried to ignore Hill but he kept getting in her way, or in the tail drag, which slowed her down.

"Knock it off," Lily snapped at him.

"Mass over mind," He laughed at her and he hit a bludger straight at her. She ducked quickly, rounding on him.

"What do you think you are doing?" Lily demanded.

"Trying to be a beater and not a ballerina, Princess Potter," Hill laughed. Lily hauled off and punched him in the face. Hill jumped from his broom on to her, knocking the both of them to the ground; luckily the fall was only a few feet. It was undignified and very un-Slytherin of both of them, scrapping like a bunch of school boys in the school yard. Hill got a few good punches in; completely unfazed by the fact that Lily was a girl. She in like broke his nose. Scorpius jerked them apart, thankfully stronger than he looked as he held the two apart.

"Lily, locker room now and get cleaned up," Scorpius barked. "Aiden, back in the air now and for Merlin's sake pick up the damn pace."

Lily stormed off the field, jerking the door to the locker room open with such force that it echoed like a gun shot over the pitch. She threw herself on to the bench and began jerking off her gear, throwing it like fast balls into her locker. She jerked her pants off, throwing them in the large cart and practically ripping the shirt from her body. She scooped up her clothes and headed to the shower as Scorpius stormed in there.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Scorpius demanded.

"I told you that I would try, but I can't play opposite next to Aiden Hill," Lily snapped as she stormed away. He followed her, not caring that she was in the girls' shower.

"You are not the only person on the team," Scorpius reminded her as he stood. She glared at him over her shoulder as she snapped the shower on in one of the vestibules. She dumped her clothes on the small bench.

"No, I'm not and I have tried to be understanding that Hill's not used to playing with the rest of us, however his superiority and attitude leave something to be desired," Lily said coolly as she pulled the elastic band out of her hair, shaking out the waves. She slipped her hand to check and adjust the water.

"You could say the same thing about your attitude, Lily," Scorpius said harshly. He looked at her, seeing her drenched in sweat, blood, and dirt. He sighed and stepped forward. "Let me take a look to make sure that you're not hurt."

"I'm fine," she snapped at him. This was not the same playful, almost shy Lily that Scorpius had spent the better part of his Hogsmead trip studying with just hours before.

"Still, it's either me or you're benched until someone checks you out," Scorpius said. Lily glared at him. She rolled her eyes and gestured rudely.

"Hill may be stronger, but I'm quicker," Lily said as she jerked off her undershirt, standing there in front of him in just a tiny sports bra. He hesitated, uncertain. She looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he mumbled as he continued forward. Aside from a few minor scrapes and probably a few bruised ribs, she was fine.

"You can't honestly be that embarrassed by me standing her in a sports bra," Lily smirked. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. "My bikini was smaller than this."

"Yeah," he said swallowing nervously. Lily laughed, but her laughter didn't quite sound right, not to him. He looked at her curiously and found her blushing under his indolent gaze. "I… I should get back to practice. Take off tonight and try to get some sleep."

"Not a chance in hell," she laughed as she disappeared behind the curtain. She dropped her clothes to the floor before Scorpius had even moved out of the girls' shower. He swallowed nervously and fought the urge to join her. He ran, full speed out of the locker room, disappointed that it did nothing to work off the excitement that boiled under his flesh. He sighed audibly as he hit the sky. At least he had her handwriting to look for, somewhere lost in his D.A.D.A. book… a hidden treasure for him to find.