QUICK EDIT: Poll on the front because the characters are being a bit difficult at the moment. Should Scorpius return in time for the ball? Poll on my front page. I have an idea of what is going to happen, but I kind of need to know what you all think. Nothing else has changed on this chapter, so if you've already read it, you don't need to re-read it unless you just want to go "Awe" again.

A/N: The sizes of the paragraphs are a little longer in this one, especially in the beginning. I can't say whether they are in the end because I'm still working on the middle (and it's already several pages long). Still long… sorry folks… lol. Ok, I have to split up this into two chapters, but I have to say- WOW. I think this is the most beautiful chapter that I have ever written (and I have written many, many chapters). wipes away happy tears, seriously

Disc.: Anything you don't recall, it's mine (which would be everything but most of the characters).

Simply Christmas

Lily hugged Shale and Nina as she threw her bag's strap over her shoulder. She was barely able to balance Skye's basket as she did so, threatening to drop the whole ordeal. She already knew she had packed too much, but she wasn't sure that she was going to have time to do her laundry and other things once she hit Malfoy Manor. She headed to the street and caught the Knight Bus home.

The house was silent, and Lily found it slightly depressing. It was cold out, but there was no snow, not yet. I made her feel like there was no Christmas at all. Her father had decided not to decorate for Christmas since Albus was going to Kate's family's house for Christmas. She hoped to see them both on Christmas, depending on how Kate was feeling. Lily immediately set to work, dumping her dirty clothes straight into the washing machine, stripping off her jeans and tee shirt to add to the load she was washing. She giggled at the freedom of being able to stand in her panties and bra in the middle of the house. She couldn't remember the last time she had been able to.

Skye seemed thrilled to be free of her basket, taking off towards Lily's room. Lily unloaded the rest of her luggage on the kitchen table. She took her wand and flicked it at the radio, some obscure band's music blaring loudly through the house. Lily made a face and changed the CD to something a little more her. She pulled the ivory box from her bag and looked at it. She had stored Scorpius' last good bye in it, under the broken stone as a reminder that love was punishment to the heart. She pushed the box away and fiddled with her locket. She had not been able to take it off, instead she hid it under her clothes. She was thrilled to see that it was waterproof and hadn't been ruined by her swimming or showering.

She sat down and fiddled with the locket some more, thinking about Scorpius. It was nice to be able to remember him and think about him without worries of how her face betrayed her. A knock to the back door had her heart racing as she stood. She pulled a shirt on over her underwear and stepped into a pair of shorts as she flicked her wand to silence the music before answering the door. She saw his hair first and nearly wanted to snatch him up against her. Then he turned and her heart weakly groaned.

"Mr. Malfoy," Lily said in surprise.

"Draco, please, Lily. You're making me out to be so old," he teased as Lily stepped aside. He entered and looked around.

"I didn't know you'd be coming, and so soon," Lily explained sheepishly.

"You know, you could have had our house elves do your laundry he said as he walked to the table. He touched the small box.

"I didn't want to burden them," Lily explained as Draco picked up the box.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Where did you get this?"

"Scorpius gave it to me," Lily said as he cheeks flushed slightly. He looked at her quizzically as he opened the box. Lily felt a little nauseated at the thought that Draco was going to read Scorpius' last letter to her but the man picked up the pieces of rock.

"I wasn't aware you two were seeing each other. I wondered where it had gone to," Draco said. He grinned. "Did Scorpius tell you the symbolism behind this box?"

"No, we're not seeing each other at all." Lily said shaking her head. "He really didn't say anything about it at all."

"Well, while we wait for your laundry, why don't I tell you the story," Draco said as he smiled at her. Lily pushed some of her belonging off the table and Draco sat.

"Tea?"

"No thank you, that's ok," Draco said. Lily poured herself a cup and sat down across from him. She took a sip.

"So, there's a story behind the rock?" Lily asked. Draco nodded.

"And the box," he said. He looked at Lily. "I'm surprised Scorpius wouldn't have mentioned it. It's so important."

"He and I weren't exactly talking much, at the time," Lily said. Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing more on that.

"It is said that there was a witch many, many generations ago that was so hopelessly beautiful that all the single wizards, and a few who weren't single, wanted to court her. Some said it was for more than her beauty, but also her great wealth. She was picky, though, and she wanted nothing to do with the common wizards that brought her the usual fare of chocolates, flowers, and jewels. She decided to go on a safari, accompanied by a few wizard suitors and their pages," Draco said quietly. "While she was out watching the creatures of the savannah, a bull elephant pulled away from its pachyderm parade and charged right at her. A simple page, a mediocre wizard, brought it down single handedly, it resting dead at her feet. She was so thankful that she told him that she would consider him as a suitor if he could bring her a bit to remember this event for."

"He killed it with his bare hands?" Lily asked. Draco nodded.

"That night, the page sawed off the tusk of the dead bull elephant and carved with his bare hands this box. He would later add the metal works that he also fastened with his bare hands from melted buttons. He spent two days searching for the perfect item to go into it. He came across a rock roughly shaped like a heart and he began to sand and rubbed it until it shined with the luster of pure silver. It was made of Argentums, native silver. He placed the heart in the box and brought it to her. He loved her, always had, and when he presented her with the box, it was him presenting his heart to her," Draco said. Lily hung on his every word. "The other wizards, far wealthier and more powerful than the page, laughed and called his handmade gift an insult to her, but the witch silenced them at once and was so moved by his gift that she vowed to love him forever. They were married that very night."

"Wow, such love," Lily murmured. Draco nodded.

"There's more," he said. Lily nodded.

"Please, continue," Lily said as she watched Draco's fingers fiddle with one half of the heart.

"The witch was soon with child, this man's heir, but fever consumed her and she died within a month following the son's birth," Draco said quietly. "When she died, the page felt his heart was broken and was said to have snapped the heart into two pieces. He stored them in the box and raised his son to the best of his ability. When it came time to choose a mate, the son went to his father and the man told him the story of the love he shared with his dear wife. He put the heart back together and handed his son the box. The son presented the box to the woman he loved and they were married. From father to wife, and from wife to son, the box was passed down from generation to generation. If one parent was deceased, the other parent always told the son the story and kept up the tradition."

"How did Scorpius end up with it?" Lily asked. A smile spread across Draco's face, one of sweet remembering.

"The only time it has been passed from man to the woman he loved as a true token of their love and commitment was when the two were not bound by selection," Draco said. "My mother gave me the box when I told her that I loved Infamy. I was not bound by selection, so the box wasn't given to Infamy as an afterthought as it had been for my mother. My father had scoffed at the foolish idea because the box hadn't been used for its original purpose for many, many generations. My mother only knew the story because she had read the legend in the Malfoy family book. When I declared my love for Infamy, I handed her the box, the heart intact and with the legend. There was never any hope of resistance."

"Wow," Lily said as she looked at Draco.

"It's a powerful family legend, indeed," Draco said.

"So that page… he was a Malfoy?" Lily asked.

"Hard to believe that Malfoys were of a pure yet poor lineage, huh?" Draco said. Lily blushed slightly. "His name was Jean Malfoy, and he loved his beloved Simone with all his heart. Their son's name was Nicholas. They were of French decent, though France was nothing like it is today."

"That's a beautiful story," Lily murmured. Draco nodded as he looked at her.

"That's why I'm surprised that Scorpius didn't tell you," he said. "Though the last I saw of this heart, it wasn't broken. Even after Infamy died, I couldn't bring myself to break it. I was heartbroken, yes, but Infamy and I had a long history together, our love was so strong. I never felt like she left me to the point of a shattered heart."

"Well, I think I might be to blame," Lily said wincing. Draco raised an eyebrow at her, curious.

"How so?" Draco asked. Lily took a deep breath.

"Well, I kind of was dating him for a few months back a couple of years ago. I was afraid that he was giving up too much for me, delaying his trip to spend time with me so I broke up with him," Lily said wincing as if the words caused her physical pain. She didn't even register the thickness her voice took or the tears that spilled down her face. She didn't hold back. "He had some kid give it to me, as if to remind me that I broke his heart. I really hurt him. I made him believe that my love for him was less than his love for me. I was cruel, hurtful, without needing to be. I pushed him away, sharply. I wallowed in my own misery, thinking that he'd be happier if he lived his life. I guess secretly I held onto the fact that we had a date for the ball this year, which somehow that would make it all better, but then he slipped that darn little note that in to the invite you brought me and he all but said that he moved on. I have walked around for two years staring at that box, using it as a reminder that love hurts, but really all it did was keep the hurt fresh in my mind. I held onto this hope until the hope was dashed."

"Wow," Draco said after silence spanned between them for a few minutes. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. Lily wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry," Lily said. Draco laughed.

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't normally cry like this," she said. Draco shrugged.

"It's been years since a crying woman made me feel uncomfortable," he said. "You'd be surprised the techniques that criminals will try to get out of trouble. That includes crying."

"I just usually hold myself together better," Lily said.

"We're all allowed to cry sometimes, Lily," Draco said. He smiled at her and shook his head. "You don't have to be strong all of the time."

"I'm not," Lily said as she forced a smile and stood. "Only when anyone's looking."

"Have you tried to talk to him?" Draco asked. Lily shook her head as she repacked her clean clothes. "You know, you're a witch. You can make them pack themselves now."

"I know," Lily said biting her lip. "It makes me feel better when I am actually doing something."

"Ah," he said. "I can understand that."

"And anyways," Lily sighed. "It's not like he cares anymore."

"He told you so?" Draco asked.

"He told me that he's happy," she said. "That's enough for me to not go picking at old wounds. He's happy, and I can live with that. I can be happy for him, and I will be happy for him."

"Well, honey, if you think that's best," Draco said. He froze at the term of endearment he used and Lily grinned.

"Don't worry, my dad does that too," she said. "He forgets that I am not a little child needing consoling from time to time."

"That's where you are wrong Lily," Draco said as he gathered her packed bags. Skye emerged and headed straight into his basket.

"I'm wrong?" Lily asked as she grabbed the rest of the bags, taking the ivory box and storing it in her bag before grabbing Skye's basket handle.

"Everyone needs to be consoled from time to time," Draco said as he took her arm and apparated out of the Potter's kitchen.

Lily was thankful she was given a new room on the other side of the house, as far as possible from Scorpius' room, and the room Lily had stayed in the last time she was there. If she could help it, she was going to stay away from that whole wing of the manor, not needing to add salt to the fresh wounds that throbbed deep within. As much as she would like to ignore it, the hurt and the wounds felt as if they were freshly delivered versus nearly two years old. One of her many, many regrets: not savoring their last kiss. She had no idea it would be their very last, otherwise she would have made it last longer.

She frowned at her reflection. She wondered if it was appropriate to wear jeans to you apparation exam. She hoped so, and looked out the window in the reflection of the smooth glass. It was cold, painfully cold, but still there was no snow. She frowned. It wouldn't feel like Christmas until there were a few inches at the very least. It was always when it was this cold, or that wet, or that hot that Lily wondered how Scorpius was faring in the elements. James was fairly rugged having gone adventure camping throughout his youth, but Scorpius seemed more fragile.

"Silly," she murmured. She knew that he was beyond a child and would have the sense to take cover in a hostel if the weather was too uncomfortable or extreme.

"Lily, are you ready?" Narcissa asked as she knocked on the open door. Lily looked at her and nodded.

"This should be fun," Lily said grinning.

"You'll do fine," Narcissa said as the two women headed down to the front hall to apparate to the office.

Lily had done well, great even and walked out of there with the ability to apparate on her own. Narcissa had allowed Lily to head home for a quick lunch, leading the way before Lily planned to go out and start looking for her dress for the ball. The two women ate their lunch and Lily made her first unaccompanied trip alone to Diagon Ally. She had taken the floo network there plenty of times, but she had never apparated there. She grinned as she headed towards the dress shop that Narcissa had told her to go to.

"Do you have an appointment?" the witch asked as Lily greeted her.

"Narcissa Malfoy sent me," Lily said coolly. The woman's cold glare warmed immediately and Lily could practically see dollar signs in the woman's eyes.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy insisted that whatever you want, to give it to you, and to put it on her personal account," the woman said. Lily hesitated but didn't resist. She knew that there was no point in fighting it.

"Ok, so what do you recommend?" Lily asked as the clerk swept out from behind the counter and headed towards what would probably be the most expensive dress in the store. The woman pulled a dress out, the long dress shimmering silver with tiny shoulder straps. It had a slit on the side that went way up the side, and would land middle of her thigh. Lily immediately fell in love with it.

"This is just in from Paris," the clerk said. "Let's get it on you and see how it looks."

"Ok," Lily said as she took the dress to the changing room. She looked at her reflection all around her. Thirty different Lilys looked at her in thirty different positions. "What a room."

"It helps our clients get an idea of how they'd look from every single angle," the clerk said. "What look good from the front and back may not be flattering from the side."

"Good point," Lily said as she began to take off her clothes. The clerk shook her head and pulled a set of underwear for her.

"These are more proper for your frame," she said. Lily nodded and dressed in the dress and underwear. Even without her hair and makeup done, she knew that this was the dress for her. It fit perfectly, hugged her in all the right places.

"Wow," Lily said as she looked at her reflection from all the angles.

"It does look wonderful," the clerk said in surprise. Lily grinned.

"This is the one I want," Lily said. The clerk nodded and Lily undressed.

"You can keep the underwear on," the clerk said. "The other stuff has been burned. I'll send you more. These are made for your figure. The fit you better."

"Um, ok," Lily said. She pulled her jeans on over the panties and jerked her shirt and sweater on, and went to put her shoes on.

"Wait, try these on," the clerk said as she brought a box to Lily. Lily looked at the very fragile looking silver strappy shoes. They fit perfectly and the clerk took them and placed them back in their box. "I'll have them delivered up to the Manor."

"Thank you," Lily said hesitantly as she glimpsed the price tag for the first time and she cringed.

"Don't worry, Miss Potter," the clerk said. "This is pocket change for the Malfoys."

"Um, thanks," Lily said as she left the store. She head down the street, chilled but not quite frozen. She walked along until she stopped at a store, wondering if she should get anything for Draco and Narcissa. She knew that they already had the ability to own everything under the son. She touched the locket through her shirt and sweater. She thought about what she wanted to get them and then it hit her quite nearly literally. She made a wrong turn off of Diagon Ally and ended up a muggle supply store. There was a little witch with her mother, the child whining that she wanted to play the toy piano.

Lily headed in to the store and she talked with the store clerk. She purchased a few thing and apparated home. She was greeted by one of the house elves with a note. Lily read it quickly, Draco was working late at the ministry and Narcissa had gone to a planning dinner with one of the vendors. Lily was home alone for dinner that night, and somehow she felt even more alone. She sighed but figured that it was a good time for her to explore the manor more, while working on her gift for the Malfoys. She knew that she had seen a music room somewhere in the big, old manor.

Lily avoided the wing where Scorpius' room was. She and he had goofed off in all of those rooms, and she stayed out of the rooms with the brass name plates. Those were special rooms, she was sure. Rooms devoted to various activities, they held no interest for her. She headed through arch way after arch way until she came to a little wooden door at the end of a hall way. It was unlocked and was not descriptive of the room it held behind it. She pulled the door open, ducking down to fit through the low door way. She found a set of spiraling stairs and slowly crept up them, her wand casting shadows in the corners. At the top of the stairs, she found another similar door. This one she pushed open and hesitated in the door way.

The room was huge, larger than it ever should have been, with tall stained glass windows. Everywhere there were toys and books. Every single toy a child could have ever wanted, back when the toys were popular covered every shelf surface and corner. Lily walked carefully across the floor, leaving her foot prints in the thick dust. She smiled at the miniature table and chairs. Everything in this room was child sized and Lily couldn't help but wonder whose playroom this had been. She glanced at the chalk board and nearly laughed. Written on the board was- Scorpius was here, the letter "S" was reversed to look like it was heading in the opposite direction, "here" was missing it's last "e", and was had been spelled with a "z" instead of a "s".

She smiled as her fingers touched the chalk board. She wondered how old he had been when he last played here and guessed about five or six years old. It must have been about the time that he started his formal schooling down in the library under Lucius Malfoy and he started to lose his child-like innocence. The thought made Lily a bit sad, because she could picture the goofy grin of a six year old Scorpius, missing his front two teeth, playing on the tricycle and drawing funny doodles on the chalk board. For the first time in her entire life, she wondered if she decided to have kids, would they be forced to grow up so quickly.

Lily descended the stairs slowly, closing the doors behind her, and continued her search of the music room. She finally found it and was grateful that the coating of dust in there wasn't nearly as thick as the playroom. She pulled the sheet off the large piano and sneezed. She laughed in the silence and folded the sheet up before removing the one from the bench. She sat down at the instrument with her music sheets, quill, and ink in hand. She hoped the poor thing was in tune because she'd really prefer not to have to tune it.

She tested the keys, each one sounding out with brilliance and clarity. She smiled at the way the piano resonated in the room perfectly. She closed her eyes as she begun to play, memories and emotion flooding over her. She thought of the beautiful witch and the love expressed by the wizard page, and their child. The music poured from her finger tips, a perfect melody of love, loss, and healing. The music lived first in her heart, then her head, and finally in her ears. It came together with such divine power that it was, in Lily's opinion, the most beautiful composition she had ever created. Quickly, she took her blank sheet music, the quill, and the ink and furiously made her notes, wanting to preserve the song.

Lily yawned and stretched, her eyes hesitating to open and look at the bright light that streamed in through her window. She groaned and rolled her eyes, rolling onto her side and looked at the bright blue sky. She sighed, ignoring the door opening behind her. She knew what day it was, but still, it felt like just any old day. There wasn't a hint of snow, not a touch of the fluffy white stuff in the sky. Not any of the decorations could touch the darkness she felt. It just didn't feel like Christmas Day. Her family was scattered all over the world, doing heaven knew what and there wasn't even a speck of snow to brighten her mood.

"Stupid global warming," Lily grumbled.

"Ah, you are awake!" Narcissa said. Lily sat up to see the woman carrying a cup of hot tea while a house elf followed with a tray full of delectable breakfast treats.

"Good morning," Lily said smiling as she climbed out of bed.

"I wanted to bring you breakfast since the whole downstairs has been pretty much taken apart at this point and the dining room table is gone," Narcissa said. Lily grinned and she joined Narcissa at the small table by the window. "Pretty blue sky."

"I'd rather have snow," Lily laughed.

"I bet," Narcissa said. "Pip Pippin says that there's a good chance for snow this afternoon and evening, but you really can never trust those meteorologist."

"No," Lily laughed.

"I hope you don't mind, but I had a little spruce set up and decorated," Narcissa said nodding to the small Christmas tree tucked in the corner of the room. Lily hadn't even noticed the tree, cheerfully decorated and surrounded with presents. Lily's eyes couldn't help but brighten up at the sight. She was itching to open them. She may have been seventeen years old, but Christmas always brought the kid out of everyone.

"Thank you, Narcissa," Lily said brightening a bit.

"I have to say it's good to find someone enthusiastic about my thoughtfulness," Narcissa said grinning. Lily wondered what she meant by that but said nothing further.

"I got you something," Lily said suddenly. "Well, sort of. I made you and Draco a joint gift. I didn't really know what you could possibly want or need, and I figured this gift would be more meaningful."

"Whatever it is, I am sure we will both love it," Narcissa said as Lily jumped up and skipped to her bedside table. She pulled open the drawer and pulled out a carefully wrapped flat package. She carried it back over to Narcissa and handed it to the woman.

"It's a joint gift, but guys don't usually appreciate these kinds of gifts," Lily said quietly. She felt nervous as Narcissa tore the paper and pulled out a leather bound book, it was large but flat, only containing about twenty or thirty sheet.

"A book of sheet music?" Narcissa asked as she touched the gold embossed cover: L'amour, De perte, et Déplorant.

"Draco told me the story of Jean and Simone Malfoy, and I wrote the music to it, how I heard it and how I felt it while he told me the story," Lily said uncertainly. "The title reads: Love, Loss, and Lamenting in French, since they were native French people."

"Lily," Narcissa said as she opened the book. Lily bit her lip, suddenly feeling very foolish for having given someone as wealthy as Narcissa a silly little handmade gift.

"I'm sorry it's not…" Lily started. Narcissa put her hand up, silencing Lily. Lily looked at her in surprise as Narcissa wiped a tear from her eye and wrapped her arms around Lily.

"It's the most perfect gift that I could ever have hoped for," Narcissa said. "No one has ever put so much thought into a gift for me before. More love and thought went into this gift then all of the gifts that have ever been purchased for me."

"I'm glad you like it," Lily said as Narcissa continued to hug her. The woman released her.

"You have no idea how wonderful this is, Lily," Narcissa said. "It is the most perfect gift. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Lily said as she blushed. Narcissa beamed.

"You must play it for me, before you leave for school," Narcissa said. Lily grinned.

"It's a deal," Lily said as Narcissa smiled.

"Eat up, open your presents, and I'll see you later," Narcissa said. She hugged Lily one more time before heading out of the room, clutching the book in arms as if it really was a prized possession. Lily felt like a million dollars having given a gift that really meant something.

Lily quickly finished her breakfast, leaving the tray on the table for the house elf to retrieve. She walked over to the tree, thinking it looked spectacular. Still wearing her flannel pants and a tee shirt, she dipped down to a sitting position on the floor, sitting on a thick braided rug. She looked for a moment at the perfect little glass balls and twinkling lights, and though she was alone at the moment, she still felt loved. She picked up a horribly wrapped present and looked at the tag. She groaned.

"Gee, Aiden, you shouldn't have," she mumbled to herself as she removed the paper to see yet another team jersey. She had to admit, he was a pretty persistent bugger, but she wasn't interested in anything more than a friendship. She had tried that route before and it just didn't work well for them. She worked through the pile, various gifts from her dad and brothers, including some cool little Incan medicine man totems James had sent. He had carefully wrapped up the two inch tall totems and sent them along to her with his love. They were great, cast of brass and each doing something different. Kate and Albus had sent her a small leather bound book with metal fittings, a journal, and her name was embossed on the front. Lily wasn't one to keep a journal, but she was impressed by the thought that Kate had put into it.

Her cousins had sent her sweets, which she would eat all by herself probably, but she loved it, her aunt and uncle sent her a book called Magical Maladies of the Third Century. Shale had gone in with Nina on a gift, a brand new afghan throw that Lily was sure to love, and she did. It was so soft, Lily immediately wrapped it around her. Her grandmother had sent her a brand new scarf and hat, which was good because her old ones were getting a bit tattered. It was delicate looking, carefully knitted out of ivory colored wool. Lily immediately looked to the box and felt the familiar squeeze of her heart. She looked back to the tree to see just three gifts left.

The first one was from Narcissa. Lily opened the box to see two silver hair combs with ornate silver with blue and green butterflies. Lily looked carefully to see that the color of the butterfly wings were blue and green stones and Lily knew that the set was probably very expensive. Lily would wear them tonight with her shimmery silver dress with the dangerously strappy heels. She grinned and carefully stored them back in the box. The second one was from Draco. Lily felt even more uncomfortable at his extravagant gift. She picked up the card first, reading it with shaky hands: To the daughter I never had. A lump formed in Lily's throat as she opened the box. Delicate earrings with tiny dangling butterflies in blue and green stones hung down from a central post.

They matched perfectly with the hair combs Narcissa gave her and Lily knew that the two probably cost a small fortune. Lily distractedly fiddled with her locket while she reached apprehensively for the last package. It wasn't too heavy, though it did have a little weight on it. Lily looked for a card, but was unable to find out who it was from. She carefully peeled the tape off, exposing a card board box. She opened the box and pulled out the contents. She stared at the object for a long time before her eyes flickered to the ivory box on the vanity.

In her hand she held a box much the same dimension of the ivory box. It was a deep charcoal gray with intricate designs carved all over the sides and top. It's hinges and fasteners were silver, polished until they were mirror shiny. Lily slowly opened the box. Inside, there was just a square of folded parchment. She carefully set the box down on the floor and removed the parchment. She bit her lip, holding her breath, and read:

To commemorate our first kiss, though I know technically the astronomy tower railing is made of granite and not soapstone, but this was easier for me to carve for you out on my adventure. One day, I will explain to you the meaning behind the boxes, though knowing how smart you are, I bet you already know.

There was no signature, but Lily knew exactly who it was from. She reread the simple letter over and over, her heart swelling until she was certain it would displace her ribs and reside there on the outside. His words gave her hope, so much hope.

I will explain to you the meaning.

She would get to see him, one day… some day. She felt like she couldn't smile any larger, her face was sure to shatter like her ribs from all of the happiness she felt. Even if it was months from now, she could survive that because she would get to see him. She had hope, and that was all she needed to make her day. She scooped the presents up, dumping most on her bed, placing the Malfoy family gifts on her vanity. She set Scorpius' box next to the ivory, the contrast between the light and the dark. She smiled as she reached inside the box, pulling out the two pieces of metallic stone. She carried them to the window, to breathe in the icy air and to clear her head some.

Lily pushed the window open, sitting there in the window. She held the pieces in her left hand, steadying herself on the window sill as she looked up at the now gray sky. She squeezed the two pieces in her hand, her flesh warming them as she watched a single, solitary snow flake drift down from the graying sky. It floated slowly until it landed on Lily's nose, causing her to giggle. She hadn't giggled in a long time. She watched with increasing delight as the snow started to come down faster, sticking to everything like glue. She laughed and pulled herself back in the window.

Lily headed to her vanity, opening the ivory box. She went to put the pieces back in the ivory box. She stood there in her pajamas, staring at the stone in her hand with delight and confused excitement. She glanced up at her reflection, seeing how the happiness and joy went all the way to her eyes, a smile still playing on her lips. She looked back down at her hand and reached across the vanity, closing the ivory box. Her hand hesitated on the soapstone box before she opened it. She placed the stone in the box, peering at it one last time before closing the box.

Where once the stone was two pieces, a broken heart, it had seamlessly fused into one perfect, shiny heart. In that instant, Lily knew that she was completely healed.