Chapter Thirty Three

A/N: No reviewers.

As joyful as she was to have patched up her relationship with Scorpius, the blissful haze in Lily's mind did not last for long. After the couple of hours they spent wandering the streets, staring at the lights and buying little trinkets from shop windows- though how Scorpius had procured Muggle currency she had no idea- it was finally time for them to part, the boy making himself scarce before Harry and Ginny arrived to collect their daughter. Once she was left alone, one half of a newly formed whole, it was so much harder to think everything would be alright.

To his credit, her father stayed silent on the matter, not even asking how the meeting had gone, but she could feel the disapproval radiating from him. Scorpius' voice echoed inside her head- "The only people who get to decide if we're together, Lil, are you and me"- but it was not enough to drown out her fears.

Lily spent the next week or so trying to work out how to broach the subject, until a perfect opportunity appeared on the horizon. Since the first year Molly Weasley had held her New Year's gathering, she had decided to make the party an annual tradition, for the sake of bringing together a group of family and friends who otherwise had little chance to meet. It was especially important to her now that her grandchildren were almost all grown and going out to make their own way in the world, and she would not hear any negativity on the topic from anyone.

That was probably the main reason why Lily had asked her grandmother to invite Scorpius to the party without actually discussing it with her parents. And even a couple of days before the party, while helping to hang the Burrow in about a thousand square feet of paper chains, they still had no idea. If only it could have stayed that way.

One thing Lily knew about her father was that he was not a huge fan of surprises. Everything around him was organised and planned, likely because his youth had been filled with surprises, the majority of which were not very pleasant. So, as much as she would have liked to avoid the topic a little longer and let him find out at the party, she did not. After all, she wanted to give Scorpius a chance, which meant giving her father time. Whether two days would be enough, she would just have to wait and see.

"Dad, I need to talk to you." she began as she strode in the living room, each action carefully chosen to make her seem more confident than she actually was. "It's about the party. I've invited Scorpius."

It was a lot easier to get the words out than she would have thought, but watching her father's reaction was not quite as straightforward. His face went from angry to hurt to guilty in the blink of an eye, and Lily could feel her head swirling with dizziness as she tried to keep up.

"I thought you would." Harry answered eventually, his tone of voice unreadable. "Does Al know?"

"He probably does by now." Lily conceded. After all, her brother and boyfriend were inseparable, they had never kept secrets from each other; except, perhaps, if they were about her. "Anyway, if I hadn't invited him, then Al probably would, so it doesn't make that much of a difference, really."

Harry shook his head, though he did not seem too irritated. "Trust me, Lily, there's a huge difference between 'Scorpius Malfoy, Albus' best friend' and 'Scorpius Malfoy, Lily's boyfriend'- you'll figure that out when you've got children of your own. They turn into a whole different person in your eyes, even if no one else can see it."

"No one can see it because it isn't there, Dad." Lily protested, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. It was times like this that she felt like the adult and her father the child. "He's not 'Albus' best friend' or 'Lily's boyfriend', he's just Scorpius… Dad, you don't really know him. But if you did, I think you'd like him. So, can you just try? For me?"

Harry sighed. Lily's pleading eyes, her mouth already edged with a triumphant smirk; she looked just like her mother. How could he say no? "Alright, I'll try."

"Thank you!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around her father's neck and planting a series of kisses on his cheeks. Then she set off in search of her owl, eager to tell Scorpius the wonderful news.

The party was in full swing, the drinks flowing and a small mountain of food covering the Weasleys' kitchen table, which never seemed to diminish no matter how many platefuls of scotch eggs Lily's grandfather managed to sneak into the living room. The clock showed a quarter to midnight, each gentle tick of the smallest hand bringing them closer to the next chapter of their lives. And as Lily looked at Scorpius, seemingly comfortable at her side, she knew it was going to be a good one.

Harry had been true to his word, and had begun to make conversation with Scorpius almost as soon as he arrived. It had not been very difficult, as Lily had thought, because her father and boyfriend did actually have quite a lot in common, including their passionate following of the British and Irish Quidditch League. Slowly throughout the evening, Harry's voice became more animated and Scorpius' stance less guarded, until the two were conversing as if they had always been the best of friends. If she was honest, Lily had not thought their meeting would go that well, but she certainly was not complaining.

The first strike of midnight came and dozens of glasses raised in the air, the sound of cheering and laughter all around. Molly and Arthur kissed first, as was tradition, and then everyone else. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Victoire and Teddy and countless other couples.

Lily and Scorpius waited until last, savouring the moment until the last strike of the bell. And when the two finally broke apart, they felt warm inside, knowing that something wonderful had just begun.

A/N: Soppy ending for you, but hey, it's Christmas! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!