By the way, this chapter is set before Chapter 1. This did not turn out exactly how I had originally planned it, but here is the second chapter of Gambling man. There will only be one more – Scorpius' POV.
Gambling Man
Chapter Two: Domi, Lily, Lucy and Rose
"What is the emergency Lucy and why did you want me to bring this dress?" Dominique Weasley demanded to know as she carried the cobalt blue ball gown through the front door. Her cousin had contacted her at the shop and demanded that Dominique bring herself and the dress to their Uncle Harry's home. From the sound of her tone, you could tell that Dominique was more than a little irritated. Only her Slytherin cousin would dare to demand Dominique Weasley do anything; the strawberry-blonde did not make a habit of taking orders.
Lucy was lucky it was New Years Eve and Dominique had a romantic evening with her fiancé to look forward to; she wanted to look her best and fighting with Lucy was not worth a broken nail. Besides, Lucy had also mentioned that this was a favour for Lily; though why her cousin would suddenly need a ball gown was beyond her. Lily did not wear dresses and she certainly did not wear ball gowns.
Lucy skipped over to her part veela cousin; her chestnut curls bouncing against her shoulders. There was no element of concern on her face as her aquamarine eyes zeroed in on the dress. "The emergency is that our Lily will be going to the Ministry Ball tonight to catch her man; and the dress – when I saw it in your shop window this morning I knew it was ideal. She will look gorgeous in it; do you not think? The colour matches her eyes perfectly."
Dominique almost bent over with laughter. "I'm sorry Lucy, but our Lily - in a dress!" Rose exclaimed in disbelief as she too walked through the front entrance of her Uncle's home. "The last time Lily wore a dress she was two and it was for my fourth birthday. Aunt Ginny had to wrestle her into it and Lily kicked and screamed until Mum leant her some of Hugo's clothes."
"Rose was in the shop and just had to see what this was about." Dominique quickly explained after catching her breath.
Lucy nodded thinking the more the merrier; they needed a miracle to transform their cousin into something presentable. "Well, she cannot exactly dress up in Al's old shorts and James' hand-me-down t-shirts to the Ball; can she? She will look a little out of place." Lucy replied with amusement as the thought of their tomboy cousin who preferred to be playing Quidditch or climbing trees, attend the Ministry event in her normal attire. She'd make headline news but Lucy wanted her cousin making the news for an entirely different reason. She was going to be the most beautiful person there, not an embarrassment.
"So where is Lily and who is the guy she has her eye on?" Dominique asked. As long as she was here, she might as well gather some juicy gossip; their little Lily interested in a boy was definitely big news. The family had been speculating that Lily was secretly involved with her best friend Andie Goyle. It looked like Lily had not been lying after all, when she had said the girls were just friends.
"Lily is still in the shower but she has not said who the lucky guy is. Maybe Rosie will be able to get it out of her. You do have a way at getting people to open up." Lucy acknowledged and Rose blushed at the compliment. "Come upstairs you two, I dumped all my make-up and jewellery in Lily's room. She didn't even have any concealer." Lucy mused, her disapproval evident as she led the girls up the stairs and into Lily's room.
Dominique hung the gown up as the girls sorted through the accessories and make-up Lucy had brought along. They did not want to overdo it since their cousin was bound to freak out when she saw the dress. Rose picked out a necklace with a heart-shaped sapphire pendant, while Dominique chose the shoes and Lucy the makeup.
They did not have to wait long for Lily to enter her room wearing only a towel. Lily blinked in surprise when she saw three of her cousins there - not one. "Domi! Rosie! What are you two doing here?" Lily asked, tightening the towel around her in embarrassment. It was bad enough that Lucy had decided to take charge and boss her about; making her use floral and spice scented soap. Lily didn't need any more of them to bark orders at her.
"My reinforcements have arrived!" Lucy smirked.
"We're here to help Lucy do the impossible and turn you into a lady." Dominique explained and Rose nodded.
Lily glared accusingly at Lucy who grinned triumphantly back at her. When Lily had confided with Lucy that she was going to try and win back her man, she never dreamed she would have got others involved. It was only because that Lucy had caught her off guard during Beaters practice that Lily had confided her problems. Lily had almost smashed her cousin's face with a bludger and Lucy had demanded to know what had her so distracted. Lily was already regretting saying anything. Over Lucy's shoulder, she spotted the cobalt blue ball gown hanging on her wardrobe. She blanched, her sapphire eyes widened in horror, "What on earth is that?"
"It's a dress Lily." The blonde explained, one silvery brow arching while she crossed her arms in front of her.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I know that Domi" Lily snapped at her cousin's scornful comment. "What is it doing here?"
"You are going to be wearing it at the party tonight." Lucy explained mischievously.
Lily would have laughed at how ridiculous the suggestion was if she didn't think her cousin was being serious; Lucy was looking too smug for this to me a joke, all three of them were. The idea of wearing a dress horrified her. "What?" Lily exclaimed in a high-pitched scream that had the three girls wincing and rubbing their ears. "I said you could dress me up but not in that! I thought you were going to put me in a trouser suit."
"Don't be absurd Lily; it's a Ball for Merlin's sake." Lucy scoffed.
"It is a beautiful dress Lily." Rose added in a soothing voice, hoping she could calm her cousin. "You will certainly wow whoever you are after in that."
"I will look like a clown flouncing around in that; and don't get me started on those shoes!" She exclaimed when she spotted the heels. "I won't be able to walk in them, never mind dance in them. Isn't it enough that I am going to something as disturbing as a Ball! If you make me wear that I'll be laughed at – everyone knows I'd never wear such a thing. So how can you suggest it?" Lily inquired in a panicked tone. She turned on her red-haired cousin. "Besides Rosie, Scorpius Malfoy likes me just the way I am! So I don't need to dress up in that to prove it." She screeched; although his actions of late contradicted what she knew in her heart to be true. He'd told her he didn't love her enough to be with her; she didn't believe him, she knew there had to be another reason, and she wanted him back. She didn't know how wearing that dress would do anything to help.
Her three cousins stared at her in shock "Scorpius Malfoy?"
"Lily I don't think that is a good idea." Rose started; Lucy and Dominique agreed.
Lily was hurt. "Why? Why is it not a good idea to go after the one person I want, when it is my heart on the line? I did not stop you from going after Devlin Zabini when you decided you loved him! Instead, I helped you. And Domi! I helped you get your Gabriel and don't even get me started on you and Christian." Lily warned as she glared at Lucy.
"I didn't mean it like that Lily." Rose assured her cousin. "I work with Scorpius – I like him. I just don't think it is a good idea because he is already in love with someone."
Lily was struck dumb by Rose's words and blinked rapidly. "He – he said that to you?"
Rose stepped forward and took her cousin's hands in hers as she gazed at her softly. "He doesn't have to. I can see it in his eyes that he is in love. At work, his eyes get this faraway look and a goofy smile crosses his face. He already has someone and she has him completely besotted."
The girls were ready to comfort Lily after Rose made that revelation, but Lily had something else in mind; something that shocked the hell out of them. Lily wrapped her arms around Rose, picked her up and span her around. All Rose could do was release a high-pitched squeal as Lily started laughing joyfully. "I knew it! I knew he loves me to distraction! It's just his stupid inferiority complex that is stopping him from telling me so." Lily exclaimed and let go of Rose to hug her other cousins, careful not to allow the towel unravel.
"You're the one who has had Scorpius so distracted?" Rose asked aghast. "How long has that been going on?" Rose's mind felt like it would explode with the revelation – she needed to sit down. Lucy and Dominique were not quite sure how to react either; both knew about the childish rivalry that existed between Lily's brothers and the Slytherin. They never dreamed that Scorpius would be brave enough to fall in love with a Potter. Malfoys' had never been known for their bravery and were still considered a spineless lot. Scorpius had always been quiet and shy at school; he had never done anything to change people's opinion of his family. His family would no doubt have something to say about the match – Lucius especially. Lucy and Dominique would give anything to be a fly on the wall when Lucius Malfoy found out that his heir was in love with a Potter.
Lily laughed at her cousins' reactions but her smile began to wane when she realized she still had a lot of work ahead of her. She still needed to get Scorpius to admit to her that he loved her. It was not enough for Rose to believe it was true. She needed her Slytherin to see how great he truly was and fight for her. She sighed and sat on her bed next to Rose. "I've loved him since I was fourteen and we started dating in his last year at Hogwarts. Only last week he decided we should take some time apart. He didn't give me a chance to change his mind."
"Fool" Rose muttered under her breath.
Dominique shook her magnificent head in disbelief and muttered the word 'Malfoy' as if it was explanation enough for his behaviour.
They sat in silence reflecting on the news, until Lucy clapped her hands together loudly and caught their attention. "Right then. That's all the more reason for us to get you all dressed up. You need to make a statement. You can't just be another face in the crowd tonight, you have to attract attention – the good kind before you even dare to suggest that going in shorts and a t-shirt will attract attention." Lucy added as Lily opened her mouth to speak. Lily smirked, her cousin having anticipated what she had been about to say.
Dominique, Rose and Lucy moved to stand in front of their younger cousin as the ganged up on her. Lily winced at the determination in each of their faces. "You're really going to bully me into this aren't you?"
"Yes" the three chorused and Lily grimace. If it had been just Lucy then she may have been able to talk them out of making her wear such an outrageously feminine item of clothing. There was no way she could talk her way around the three of them. Besides, they had a lot more experience in dating guys than Lily. Lily tended to be their friend rather than girlfriend until Scorpius came along. Lily shrugged thinking that she might as well try it her cousins' way first. They saw Lily give in and made a victory cry.
"Now let's make you beautiful." Dominique stated and shoved the dress into Lily's arms. She made a small sound of protest but allowed her cousins' to dress her up and experiment with her hair and makeup. They did so with such enthusiasm that Lily figured they had been waiting a long time to get their hands on her. To prevent her from having a panic attack about what they were doing to her, Lily had to remind herself that it was for one night only.
"This is not me! This is so not me!" Lily repeated in shock as she stared at her reflection. All traces of dirt and foliage had been removed from her red-wine-coloured hair, which had been twisted into an elegant up-do. Lily hardly recognized her own face although only small touches of makeup had been applied. The blue ball gown was uncomfortable, but not unbearably so. It was the shoes that may cause a problem; her cousins had refused to allow her to wear her trainers as the apparently did not match the dress. It was a little scary but Lily could not say that she did not like what she saw.
"You look so grown up." Dominique cried as she appraised her handiwork. She decided that Lily was one of her greatest masterpieces. She needed to get a photo to add to her portfolio; it would also do some good to have photographic evidence of Lily dressed like this. Her siblings would not believe her when she told them about this. Dominique grabbed a camera and took a photo while Lucy and Rose continued to admire their work.
"I can't believe it. You actually look like a girl." Lucy teased and span out of the way in case her cousin decided to punch her; it would not be the first time Lily had reacted to one of her comments like that.
Lily's mouth twitched, amused by Lucy's behaviour but she could not take her eyes off her reflection. "I – I – Thank you." She stammered and pursed her lips unable to form any more words. Lily had never considered herself beautiful like her cousin Domi who had Veela blood running through her veins. Nor had she considered herself pretty like Rosie, Lucy or any of her female cousins. Her lips were too full, her eyes a little too large and her appearance too wild to be pretty. However, the vision in front of her could rival any of them. Made up the way she was, you did not notice that her features were too oddly proportioned to be considered pretty in the conventional way. She looked incredible.
"So how are you getting there?" Rose asked as Lily continued admiring her reflection. Rose had to repeat her question to gain Lily's attention.
Lily flushed, at being caught admiring her reflection; it was such a girly thing to do. "Albus is taking me."
Dominique and Rose laughed at the fact Albus had agreed to take her. "How did you get him to agree to that? Albus hates large crowds." Rose managed to ask once the laughter subsided.
"She used her super power on him." Lucy inputted proudly and the two girls started another round of laughter.
"Don't be daft. I don't have any super powers." Lily scoffed defensively.
Lucy snorted. "Sure whatever you say. You just need to look at them and do that wounded puppy thing you do and you have them wrapped around you little finger. They agree to anything."
"Oh that!" Lily exclaimed, rolling her eyes. Lily had lived with that ability all her life but she never thought of it as a super power. She rarely used it since she thought it good not to get her own way all the time. However, her ability came in handy on some occasions. She had used it to stop a number of family arguments and to keep her brothers from behaving too outrageously.
"Why don't you just use your super power on Scorpius. I'm sure he'll fall in line just like the men of our family." Dominique asked, not seeing a problem with manipulating men; she had gotten that down to an art form; her Gabriel managed to resist her charms every now and then, but that was because he was too stubborn to let her have her way all the time.
"Scorpius is immune." Lucy giggled and jumped on the bed.
"He really is perfect for you. It will do you some good; dating a guy who you can't manipulate." Rose rejoiced.
Dominique gave an unladylike snort as she looked over her youngest cousin once more. Who would have guessed that under her baggy clothes, Lily would have such a great body? She was a little envious of it herself. "I can see two things more powerful than her pout. Where have you been hiding those?" Dominique asked and indicated to Lily's breasts.
"She's been binding them with this!" Lucy informed them and raised a scrap of material that had been discarded on the floor until that moment.
Lily flushed crimson with embarrassment. She yanked the fabric off Lucy and stuffed it into a draw. "What? They get in the way when I'm playing Quidditch." Lily said defensively when she saw her cousins' stunned expression. She wrapped her arms around herself; the action gave her breasts a natural lift and they almost popped out of the dress. Her gaze slid downwards and detected the error. She flung her arms out in frustration. "This neckline is outrageous. I can't go out like this." Lily declared as she began having second thoughts.
"Yes you can and you will. You look stunning." The girls assured her came out with comments that countered her insecurities.
"Are you ready Lily?" Albus Potter called from downstairs. Dressed in his finery, he was still shaking head about being tricked into escorting Lily to the Ball.
"She's ready." Lucy called down to her cousin before Lily could talk herself out of it.
"I'm really doing this then?" Lily asked as he stomach began to flutter nervously.
"Go get your man." Dominique told her encouragingly.
"If he doesn't come to you straight away, dance with a few guys. That will be a sure way to get his attention." Rosie advised.
"You may want to flirt with them a little but do not overdo it or you'll have them falling at your feet. Oh and even if you aren't enjoying yourself, at least try and make him think that you are having a good time." Lucy suggested before the three herded Lily down the stairs.
At first Albus stared blankly at the female walking down the stairs escorted by three of his cousins. He thought her a stranger but her laughter when she saw his expression made him recognize. He looked her over in utter disbelief. There was no way the stunning young woman in front of his was his tomboy sister. His gaze drifted approvingly over her appearance until he spotted the plunging neckline. "You are not going out like that. Go back upstairs and change into something else." Albus insisted.
His tone had her forgetting about her own issues with the fact she was wearing a dress. Albus demanding that she change, only made her more determined to wear the blasted thing. "It's a present from Domi. She'll be hurt if I don't wear it." Lily bit back peered pleadingly at her brother to take her while Domi backed her up.
Of all his cousins, Dominique was not one he wanted to go against. He grunted and raked his hand through his dishevelled raven-black hair. "Fine. Let's go." He conceded and helped his sister into the passenger seat of the car once they were outside. Lily sat there anxiously as Albus drove her to the Ministry Ball; she fidgeted every time he stole a sideways glance at her. As if she was not nervous enough, she now had her brother looking as if she'd been replaced by an alien being.
"If I haven't said so already - You look beautiful." Albus admitted when they walked into the ballroom.
"You didn't and thanks." Lily smirked back. She really hoped she would be able to get through tonight. The Ball was like nothing Lily had ever attended before; she didn't do parties or dances as they weren't really her thing. She preferred to be outdoors or in her potion lab. It was only under her Aunt Fleur's insistence that Lily had learnt how to dance. Dominique's mother could be really scary at times; she was horrified that Lily refused to act like a girl. Lily was never happy about attending ballroom dancing classes; however, her brothers had also attended the classes so she didn't complain much.
Dozens of eyes were on them; some surprised that Albus attended, as others speculated on who the beauty was at his arm. It was only when they realized it was his sister, that guys started to approach and asked her to dance. Feeling the gaze of a particular Slytherin on her, but hurt and frustrated that he didn't approach, Lily took Rosie's advice and danced. Once she lost count of the number of dances and the Slytherin still had not approached her, she got a little disheartened but continued to dance all the same. She really hoped the sore feet would be worth it, or else there would be hell to pay.