Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: Thank you to imdefinitelynotaserialkiller for reviewing the last chapter.

Lily listened to her shoes tapping against the flagstones of the corridor, the heartbeat in her ears running even faster. She knew she ought to slow down- she was in danger of collapsing if she did not- but she could not stand to wait any longer. She had to see Scorpius now.

When she finally caught sight of a blonde boy in Slytherin robes making his way down the corridor, it was all she could do not to run at him and tackle him to the ground. The irony of the thought had not escaped her; just a day earlier, she had wanted to do the same, but for a very different reason. Instead, she called out his name, but it got lost in the sea of voices from the dining hall. She ran a bit faster, yelled a bit louder, until she was almost right behind him. It was only then that he turned around.

"Come to yell at me again?" Scorpius wondered, once she had finally caught her breath. His voice was not unkind, neither were his eyes, but Lily still found herself staring at her feet.

"I shouldn't have shouted at you like that." she admitted, blushing furiously. "I just… I got a bit frustrated and I took it out on you, because… well, because you were the first person I saw, I guess."

Scorpius nodded, smirking, but he did not speak again. Instead, he took Lily by the hand, walking her down the corridor until they reached a quiet hallway. The two perched on the windowsill, staring at their feet as they swung off the ground between them. The blonde boy had still not let go of her hand; just as well, given Lily did not want him to.

"Have you seen Albus lately?" the redhead asked, trying to find a subtle way to introduce the subject without seeming too eager.

Scorpius smirked knowingly. "He just saw me then, told me you really wanted to speak to me. I was just trying to find you when you started yelling at me again."

Lily could not help but giggle. It was a familiar situation; she had set off at a run, leaving her brother in the dust behind her, and yet Albus had still managed to find Scorpius before she did.

"He's the one that convinced me I needed to speak to you." Lily admitted, shrugging her shoulders lightly. She did not like to give her brothers a great deal of credit- a dislike that had largely come from James' intense competitive spirit- but she had to acknowledge that Albus knew her very well. "He knew that I would regret it if I didn't, and he's right. I needed to tell you while I've still got the chance."

"Tell me what?" Scorpius asked. His smile faltered a little, as if he did not want to get his hopes up.

Lily took a deep breath, trying to summon the bravery to speak. True, she was a Hufflepuff, but she had lion's blood in her veins, and her parents had faced far worse challenges than this. She looked up, her green eyes meeting his grey. "I think I might love you."

A silence fell between them, though it was not as uncomfortable as she had expected. Instead, it was a safe silence, the kind that fell when actions were enough to speak their feelings. Eventually, it was Scorpius who broke the silence, with a beaming smile brighter than any she had seen before. "Well, at least you didn't shout it down the corridor!"

The two burst out laughing, a joyful sound that rang through the hallways beyond. For a conversation she had dreaded so much, it was actually going quite well.

"So…" Lily began, a little afraid of the answer. They were so happy together, lost in the moment. She did not want to risk ruining that. But it was no good, she had to know. "Is it just me that feels like that? I'm not going to be upset if you say no, it's just that you didn't say yes. You acknowledged how I felt, but you didn't tell me how you felt. So I'm kind of wondering-"

"Lily, you can stop now." Scorpius cut in. The girl giggled nervously. In that moment, she supposed they were each quite like their fathers. She was talking endlessly, trying to find a way to solve the problem, while Scorpius sat on the sidelines, watching for the right moment to intervene. It was not the best comparison, really- their fathers had hated each other since the moment they met.

Lily blinked, trying to bring herself out of her head. She always did this, got lost in her thoughts and forgot about the reality around her. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment as she looked up at Scorpius, who was watching her intently, a gentle smile on his face. "Sorry, Scorpius, I was thinking. I didn't really hear you."

Scorpius chuckled, shaking his head as he rested the palm of his hand against it. "I can't believe, after all you've gone through to say that to me, you weren't even listening when I said it back."

The jibe was good natured enough for Lily to smile in return, but that smile quickly faded as she realised the significance of the words. "Hang on a second. Are you saying…?"

"Yes." Scorpius answered, not wanting to give her a chance to say it for him. "I'm saying that I love you too, Lily."

The redhead had never felt more childish as she began to giggle, the glee too overwhelming to keep within herself. Scorpius did not join in her laughter, too busy watching her smile. She was not the only one who had waited for this moment for what seemed like forever. True, it had not gone quite as Scorpius had planned it, but that was not to be helped. Lily was so impatient, she would always get the upper hand when it came to their 'firsts'. Scorpius smirked a little. Perhaps just this one time…

Lily swallowed her gasp as Scorpius' lips pressed gently to hers, moulding in a way she would never have imagined possible. When she closed her eyes she could see fireworks exploding in a thousand different colours, beautiful sparks illuminating her subconscious. It was certainly a feeling that she could get used to.

When they broke apart, both had a smile on their face. It was not a great beaming grin, the likes of which they had had earlier, but a comfortable smile, the smile of two people who enjoyed being together, however recently that development had come along.

"Was that enough to convince you?" Scorpius asked, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. Lily had forgotten their hands were still clasped together; it was already so familiar to her.

She smiled, leaning forward to press their lips together again. It was a brief kiss this time, a promise of many kisses to come. "Well, I guess it's a good start."

A/N: It finally happened! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!