Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters

Lily sat across from Astoria Malfoy, who was easily one of the most beautiful witches she'd ever met. She had clearly aged gracefully, and her kind demeanor only added to her beauty. When Lily and Scorpius emerged from his room, she had felt self-conscious, but Astoria made up for Lily's awkwardness with her easy personality. She was surprised to see Lily there, but didn't seem fazed in any other way.

"Scorpius," she smiled as they entered the dining area. "I didn't know you were here." She seemed pleased that her son was there, and when she saw Lily her eyes widened only slightly. "Lily, it's so lovely to see you. I didn't know Scorpius was here, let alone that he had company."

"Yes," Draco agreed. "This is a first, Scorpius." He didn't seem angry, but his cool voice wasn't exactly friendly.

"Well, Lily needed a night away from her family, so I thought I would bring her here." Scorpius was casual as he spoke to his parents.

"Of course." Astoria nodded. "Lily, you're always welcome here." She reached for the younger girls hand, squeezing it gently as a reassurance.

"Thank you," Lily said.

"I suppose I could see that," Draco spoke to Lily. "Having a large family must be overwhelming." Though his words could be interpreted as a slight at her family, his tone was light, and Lily decided not to take offense.

"They are quite a bit to handle at times." Lily pushed her hair out of her face nervously.

Draco seemed happy with her response, turning back to his son. "Have a seat, breakfast should be ready shortly."

Scorpius led Lily to a seat at the table, and took the one next to her. Once they sat down he reached for her hand under the table.

"Do you kids have any plans for the day?" Astoria asked as Draco turned his attention to the wizard newspaper.

Scorpius looked at Lily as he spoke. "Lily has some family things to deal with, and I figured I would tag along."

Lily felt a large sense of relief at Scorpius' words. She didn't want to face her family alone, and the knowledge that Scorpius would be there with her comforted her more than he knew.

"That is," he added on, "If you don't mind," he said to Lily.

"Of course." Lily gazed at Scorpius, forgetting his parents were at the table, and when the two looked up, they realized both Draco and Astoria were watching them, Astoria with a knowing smile, and Draco with a peculiar look on his face.

"You must join us on a trip to our beach house this weekend. Since Scorpius has some time off from work we thought we 'd spend some time with him while we could."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude," Lily said just as the house elves brought out the food.

"Don't be silly! You must come, mustn't she, dear" Astoria said, bringing her husband into the conversation.

"Hmm?" He said finally looking up from his paper. "Of course, you must join us."

Astoria eyed her husband, promising him retribution if he wasn't kind to the girl that had captivated their son.

The rest of breakfast went by fairly smoothly. Astoria maintained the conversation, something she did quite well. Her soft voice coaxed Lily into the conversations. Scorpius seemed pleased with their interaction, and kept his arm around Lily's chair, or holding her hand throughout breakfast. When Draco finally got up and excused himself, Astoria followed shortly after, making Lily promise she would join them that weekend.

Lily and Scorpius lingered at the table after the two left. She was looking at him, trying to think of the right way to phrase her words.

"Scorpius, I know you feel the need to protect me, though I'm not entirely sure why, but I really think I need to face my family alone." She watched, waiting for Scorpius to react. She didn't want to hurt or offend him, but she felt like dealing with her family was something she needed to do on her own. She began fiddling with her hands, watching them instead of the man next to her.

"I understand, where you're coming from." He finally spoke, and his voice was soft and understanding. "But I also think you might regret it if I don't go with you. I know you are strong, Lily, but I want to be there for you." He grabbed her hands, stopping her nervous fidgeting, and pressed them between his own hands. "I want you to have me, if need be. I want to face this with you." He spoke in a persuasive tone that Lily thought would have worked well if he had chosen to work in the family business rather than the ministry. Without another word they went back to his room. She needed to change back into her clothes from the previous day. As soon as they reached the room Lily thrust herself into his arms.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

"For what?" Scorpius wrapped his arms tightly around her, wishing he could protect her from the world. As an Auror he knew the dangers and evil in the world. He'd dealt first hand with dark magic, and hoped he would never have to protect Lily from such evils.

"For offering to come with me today. I do want you there." She was sure she could face her family alone, but realized she didn't need to.

Scorpius knew Lily would need him, and was more than happy to be there by her side when she faced her family. "I was worried I stepped over a line," he said honestly. Scorpius had a tendency to be overprotective, and not just with Lily. He was that way with anyone he truly cared for.

"You were right," she said. "I need you there with me. I'm just not used to having someone there for me like you are."

They stood there for a long time, wrapped in the warmth of each other until Lily reluctantly pulled back to change back into her own clothes. She figured showing up in Scorpius' clothes would set the wrong tone with her family. Once Lily came out, back in her wedding clothes, Scorpius smiled.

"My mother thought you might like a fresh set of clothes. You're a bit shorter than her, but she thought these would fit you well enough." He held out a pile of neatly folded clothes. They were simple, something Lily might choose herself depending on the impression she was trying to make. Lily felt a sudden rush of gratefulness fill her.

"Will you tell her I said thank you?"

"Of course. You can shower in my bathroom. Everything you need should be in there. I'll get ready in the guest bathroom."

"I don't mind using the guest restroom." Lily felt as if she were putting them out, and didn't mean for it.

"Don't be silly." Scorpius grabbed his own set of clothes, and left Lily to it.

She took her time in the shower, letting the warm water run down her and sooth her nerves. She felt as though the water washed away all of the negativity from the previous day. When she finally forced herself out of the shower she felt a great deal better. She put on the crisp clean clothes, and although they were a little large on her, she was quite pleased. Her hair was no longer in a frizzy mess, and she felt as ready as possible to face her family. When she returned to Scorpius' room, he was waiting there, lying on his bed with his eyes closed. Lily went and laid next to him. Scorpius wrapped his arms around her, without opening his eyes and pulled her to him. She inhaled the scent of him as she rested against him. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but Lily couldn't deny how amazingly handsome he looked.

"Mmm. I wish we could just stay like this," he said. He rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"Me too." In the moments they lay there together, Lily felt like she could forget the world. There was so much that should have been on her mind, but in Scorpius' arms it all seemed to fade away, at least for the moment.

She pulled back to look up at him. His stormy grey eyes were open, and admiring her. "You look…kind of like my mom." Lily quirked an eyebrow as he let out a loud laugh. "That's not what I meant. I just meant, those clothes are not really your style." He kissed the top of her head. "You look beautiful, love."

Lily sat up. "With that note, we should probably get going."

Scorpius apparated himself and Lily just outside of her parent's home. She figured everyone would be there, rather than at the burrow, waiting for her. The feeling of dread weighed her down like a ton of bricks, and as they approached the modest home Lily froze.

"I can't do this." Her breathing had suddenly accelerated along with her heartbeat, and the more she thought of entering the home, the worse it got. "I can't go in there Scorpius, I just—I can't!" Lily felt strong arms encircle her just as the tears began falling.

"It's ok, Lily," Scorpius mumbled into her hair. "We don't have to go in there, and you don't have to face this today." His voice was soft and now next to her ear. "You go, I go, ok?" He pulled back to look at her. She was no longer hyperventilating, but wasn't at ease either. "But," he said brushing away her tears, "if we do this, we do it right. You don't need to be ashamed, just tell them the truth. Tell them about us."

Lily nodded, feeling comforted by his words. "Let's do this now," she said. "I just need a moment." She took a seat on the step where Scorpius had first found out about her and Teddy, so long ago. He sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her and resting his chin atop her head. They sat in silence, Lily still trying to calm herself.

"Have I told you I love you, lately?" Scorpius smiled into her hair.

"Yes," Lily said cracking a smile. "But thank you."

Lily's heart jumped at the sound of the front door opening. She didn't turn to see who it was right away, and heard the door shut again. She finally turned to see her oldest brother, James. He looked at her, smiled slightly crooked, then took a seat in the empty space next to her. He didn't say a word, and the three sat there quietly. They could hear the sound of people inside the house, and knew someone would be coming for James at any moment. James took Lily's free hand, squeezing it tightly in his.

"You know I'm on your side, Lils." James finally spoke. Lily felt a sudden need to hug her brother. She looked at her brother, really looked at him for the first time since he had lived at home, and was still at Hogwarts. She noticed that his face had aged. He was beginning to develop subtle lines, no doubt from the stress of work. Like Scorpius and Albus, James was an Auror, but James had always suffered more stress than her other brother for no particular reason. Lily guessed it was because he felt the need to protect his whole family. Lily could see why James couldn't deny the fact that he and Scorpius were alike in that aspect, and why James felt Scorpius was a good fit for Lily.

When the door finally opened it was Albus this time, and the three rose to enter the house. Albus wasn't looking at Lily, but clearly had something to say to her. Instead he led them into the family room, where Lily wasn't surprised to see many of her cousins, aunts, and uncles. She knew right away that Teddy hadn't made another appearance since she had, and couldn't make out the atmosphere in the room. Lily finally found her mother's face in the small crowd. She didn't look angry, or even disappointed, which comforted Lily. As she saw her brother take a seat next to their cousin Rose, Lily briefly wondered where Vera was, and whether things had worked out between them.

"Lily," Harry said after a moment. "We aren't angry with you." He paused, looking at her uncle Ron for a moment before turning back to Lily. "I want you to explain what's going on before anyone in this family jumps to any conclusions." It seemed that he was no longer speaking to Lily, but the entire family.

Lily sighed heavily. "There isn't much to explain in all honesty. Teddy and I had a fling, not unlike most, last summer. I was sixteen at the time, and he realized the age difference and broke it off. It didn't get far, and we weren't serious." Lily spoke with more confidence than she was feeling at the moment and turned toward Scorpius, who gave her an encouraging nod of the head. James was on the other side of her and patted her shoulder. "Well when he broke it off I was upset, but Scorpius eventually helped me to overcome that. But then Teddy said he was coming to Hogwarts and things seemed to go back to normal for us. Scorpius and I couldn't get into a rhythm for our relationship, mostly due to my being away at school." Both Lily and Scorpius knew there was more to it than that, but it wasn't the time or place to discuss that.

"Last night, I had been drinking and Teddy pulled me onto the dance floor, despite my objections. He had been drinking too, and I think it all got a little fuzzy after that." Lily could feel her cheeks heat up as she continued. "Teddy and I haven't been romantic in quite some time, and frankly I am an adult now, and what I do is my own business." She finished, knowing she would be bombarded with questions, but it surprised her who spoke.

"I'm not mad at you, Lily," Victoire's smooth voice drifted across the room to Lily. "But I think you need to stay away from Teddy. He may think he feels something for you, but he doesn't."

Lily didn't want her family to tell her what to do. She was seventeen, a grown witch, and shouldn't have to answer to her family. But the sensible part of her that didn't want to argue, won out. "Of course, Vic. I don't plan to be going anywhere near Teddy." Lily glanced at Scorpius, seeing a small smile creep onto his lips.

"Good," Victoire looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't.

Ron spoke next, which Lily figured would happen soon, seeing as he didn't seem to have a filter in his mind for the words he spoke. "Bloody hell, Lily you go from Teddy to a Malfoy?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but her aunt stepped in.

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed.

'Don't be such a git," Ginny looked at her brother, embarrassed by his rudeness.

"I'm just saying, Lily, a Malfoy!"

"Ron," Harry said sternly, signaling the end of the conversation about the Slytherin holding Lily's hand, though Lily was sure it wasn't the end of the controversy.

"I just want to make something clear," Lily spoke as she turned toward Scorpius. "Scorpius has been here for me through everything, and he's made me smile where others have made me cry. He healed my heart when it felt broken. He may be a Slytherin and carry the last name Malfoy, but those are just part of what I love about him."

Before Ron could protest Harry silence him with a firm look that the topic was closed.

"Lily," the eldest Molly finally addressed her youngest granddaughter. "It is over with Teddy?"

"Of course. It has been for some time. You can ask Scorpius if you don't believe me."

Most of the family turned their attention toward the blond next to Lily, who confirmed her story.

Fleur looked ready to explode when she finally spoke. "I don't zee ow everyone can be fine wiz this!" Victoire looked embarrassed at her mother's outburst.

"Now isn't the time," Victoire hissed at her mother.

"But it eez! Teddy vouldn't commit to you, and zen you find out he vas seeing her." She pointed her finger directly at Lily. Lily looked horrified at Fleur's accusation.

"Aunt Fleur!" Lily protested. "I would never do that to my own cousin."

"Of course you wouldn't, Lily." Victoire grabbed her mother's arm, attempting to pull her out of the room.

"No!" Fleur said pulling free of her daughter. "She ruined your—"

"He never loved me!" Victoire screamed, finally losing it. The room went quiet, and Victoire felt ashamed at her own outburst. Taking one last look at Lily she ran out of the room.

Bill finally convinced his wife that they should leave before any more damage was done, taking Louis with them. Dom apologized and left shortly after in search of her sister.

Though most of her family had accepted what happened, Lily knew the subject wasn't closed yet.

Albus had kept a close eye on his sister since he found her on the steps outside the house, and finally made his move to speak with her. Scorpius and James had been discussing work with Harry and Hermione, when Al grabbed his sister. Ron was still sulking over his niece dating a Malfoy.

"Can we talk?" He asked. Scorpius turned quickly, watching the two. He didn't want to intrude, so he released her hand and let her go.

Lily nodded and followed her brother as he led them outside the house. The weather was clear, but still cool and Lily wished she would have grabbed a sweater on her way out. They walked for several minutes, getting farther and farther from the house.

He finally stopped, not looking back at Lily. "Did everyone know?"

"What?" Lily wasn't sure what her brother was getting at. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, preparing for an explosion from him at any moment. When there was only silence she looked around, admiring the affect spring was having on the land. Flowers were beginning to blossom, and the trees were sprouting new leaves. Albus finally broke the silence.

"Was I the only one that had no clue what was really going on this whole time?"

"Al," Lily said, taking a cautious step toward her brother. "James found out. You know how he keeps an eye on everyone. And Scorpius is kind of the same. I could only keep it from Vera for so long…" Lily trailed off.

"I'm a bloody awful brother, aren't I?" Albus looked slightly ashamed, not wanting to meet Lily's eyes.

It wasn't what Lily had expected to hear, and she didn't really know what to say to that. She tried to give herself a bit of time to recover, asking her brother, "What?"

"Everyone saw it, Lils. Everyone but me." Lily understood then. Albus, the one she felt she could relate to easiest because of their many similarities felt bad because he hadn't paid enough attention to what was going on in her life "I should have been the one there for you, the one protecting you. Not Scor." Albus finally looked at Lily showing his shame. "Not that I mind Scor hanging around you, but I should have been the one to see it." Lily didn't correct her brother for saying Scorpius was only hanging around Lily, because something quite different was going on.

"You don't have to always protect me, Al." Lily reached for her brother, and grabbed his hand. "Believe it or not I'm a big girl. And it drives me insane when the others act like I need protecting. That's why I love being around you, because you don't make me feel helpless."

Albus seemed slightly encouraged at her words, but still held reservations. It wasn't that he didn't want to protect his sister, he would die for her, but he just didn't see her as a little girl. He figured she could date who she wanted, even his best friend. Despite the age difference with Teddy, Lily was a big girl and must have felt something for him. She wasn't one to be tricked into doing something she didn't want to.

"I'm sorry I lost it." Lily knew he was referring to Victoire's wedding. "I just kind of let everything out, and he is too old for you."

"I know things have been kind of weird lately, especially since the night you and Vera broke up, but I think things can go back to the way they were."

"No, Lils, they cant. You're kind of dating my best friend."

Lily rolled her eyes, and nudged her brother. "I'm not kind of dating anyone. Scorpius and I are in a relationship." She didn't sound apologetic, and she wasn't.

"Just don't hurt him. Scor's a good guy, and he's liked you for a while."

"I know."

The two were silent for a while before Lily finally spoke.

"I saw you dancing with Vera last night." She couldn't believe it was only the previous night when everything seemed to be flipped on its head.

"Yeah," he smiled crookedly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I think I really messed it up."

"Don't give up on her." It was all Lily could think to say. She knew her friend's feelings, and didn't want to see them both miss out on something.

"I don't know, Lils." He sighed and stood, reaching his hand for Lily's, pulling her up. "Some things just end."

It was true, like her and Teddy, but Lily didn't see why it had to be that way for Al and Vera. She didn't say it, but figured in her mind that she would work to bring the two back together.

"Let's go home," Albus said. "Scor's probably waiting for you."

"You're right, he's probably ready to run for the hills!" The two laughed as they made their way back to the house.

A/N: I'm so sorry I meant to have this chapter out days ago, but I got sick. I'm on the mend now though. What did you guys think of their reactions? Did they seem reasonable or was it too easy? Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear you're thoughts on what you would like to see more of. More to come soon!

I almost forgot I put a link on my profile to what I envisioned Scorpius might look like. I'm still searching for Lily though.