Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters
In the rush of things Lily hadn't thought to tell her parents that she would be spending the weekend with the Malfoys. She wasn't sure how they would take that, but she knew they would have a problem with the fact that she would be alone with Scorpius. It had only been a day since Lily was confronted by her family, but it seemed as though the issue was behind them for the time being. Vera was still staying with the Potters, and Lily had a strange feeling there was something bothering her. She hadn't paid much attention to her friend the past few days, but now she realized that she was no longer meeting Lily's eyes when they talked, and she seemed distant or nervous in some way. Lily decided that she would confront her friend over breakfast, and perhaps sneak in an attempt to reconcile her with her brother.
Lily was up first, and used the time to consider how she would approach her friend. Lily had the distinct feeling that if she weren't careful she would scare her friend off from revealing anything. Lily didn't want to seem too overbearing, so she took a morning stroll, rather than wait for her friend to wake up. On the walk Lily found herself smiling while thinking of Scorpius. The two had come along way in only two days it seemed. They seemed more secure in their relationship, and Lily attributed the previous attempt's failure to the fact that she was still at Hogwarts. He was so sweet the previous day, taking the insults from her uncle with poise and dignity. Later he didn't bring it up or seem to let it affect him, and when Lily finally decided to ask him if it bothered him, he said he cared what her family thought, but not nearly as much as what she thought of him. Lily agreed with that, and though she hadn't met the eldest Malfoys, Lily was certain they would not be happy their only grandson was dating a Potter.
Scorpius didn't want to leave the Lily that night, but Lily's parents wanted to talk to her in private, probably about her spending the night with Scorpius. He respected their request, and promised Lily he would come by for lunch the next day. Even though she knew he would be there that afternoon, Lily couldn't help but miss him and was wishing it were lunchtime already.
Lily rubbed her hands together. The morning was surprisingly cool for May. She knew it was time to go back to her house when her lungs hurt from breathing in the cold air. She hadn't realized how far she had gone from the house, and wasn't looking forward to the walk back, though she could use the alone time. She'd only just turned around when she realized someone was following her. She didn't turn to see who it was, figuring they were probably just going in the same direction as her, but then there wasn't really anywhere to go. She wasn't near the small town of Godric's Hollow that her parent's house lay not too far from. Lily stopped walking, knowing there were only a number of people that it could be, all of them wizards. She placed her hand in her pocket, gripping her wand. She wasn't much for defensive spells, but she did have a mean bat bogey hex, which she inherited from her mother. Though she didn't give herself enough credit, Lily was actually very good with her wand, and would have made an excellent Auror like her father and brothers. Lily turned slowly, wand in hand. She lowered her wand slightly at the sight of Teddy, but not completely.
"What are you doing?" Lily's voice was harsher than she meant it to be as she took in the tall, intrusive man. She hadn't realized how close he was. "Are you following me?" Lily wasn't afraid, but she wasn't exactly comfortable either.
"I needed to speak with you. I had to leave in a hurry the other night, so we didn't have a chance to finish." Teddy didn't really look as Lily remembered him. That night she was drinking so things were a bit hazy, but she distinctly remembered how carefree Teddy looked, and his blue hair, that was now brown, and the large smile he wore most of the evening. Those images of him seemed long gone as he stood in front of her, somber.
"There isn't really anything to talk about, Teddy. The family knows what happened between us. I told them everything." Lily was paying close attention to Teddy's movements, which didn't seem threatening. She lowered her wand, despite her gut telling her not to.
"I suppose they needed to find out anyways. How angry were they?" He seemed genuinely curious at what Lily had to tell him.
'Well, they aren't really angry with me. I don't think they're feeling particularly loving towards you at the moment." Lily watched as his eyes lowered for a moment, and when he looked back to her he seemed like a different person. He was looking up and down her body in a way he never had, and she didn't like it. He took a large step toward her, and Lily's breath hitched. She still had her hand on her wand, but didn't feel the conviction she needed to use it.
"Who cares what they think, anyways. You're of age now."
"Teddy…" Lily started, but couldn't continue. She didn't know what he might do at the moment, and wasn't entirely sure she could fully defend herself against Teddy. He was older, and much more experienced. She turned her face away as he took one last large step bringing himself even closer. His body was pressed against hers, and he brushed his lips against her skin. "Teddy," she finally said, more forcefully. "You know that we are just friends now. Nothing can happen between us."
He didn't seem to even notice Lily speaking as his hot breath spilled over her skin. Lily pushed lightly against his chest, trying to break free of the grasp he had around her waist. She was careful with her movements, not wanting to trigger Teddy in any way. She pulled her wand up slowly, but he grabbed it before she had a chance to cast any kind of spell. He pulled her wand out of her hand, though it took him a great deal of effort and he had to release her waist in order to get the wand from her. Lily back away as he dropped her wand to the ground, and pulled his own out. She finally allowed herself to panic, and it showed on her face. She thought about running, but knew he would just bind her, or stop her in some way.
"Let's make it easy on both of us?" His voice was soft, almost trying to comfort her in a way. Lily didn't know what else to do, so she just nodded reluctantly, without meeting his eyes. She could feel his gaze, and then his hand as he pulled her face up gently by her chin.
"You are beautiful," he whispered as he stroked her cheek. His eyes were hard, though his voice seemed soft. "I cant believe I almost let you go."
"You did let me go," Lily struggled to find the courage to fight against the man holding her there. There was a reason she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. She wasn't brave, and didn't have the same fight in her that James, her father and mother had. "I think you know that," Lily said as she observed his mousy brown hair.
Teddy seemed suddenly distracted tearing his gaze away from Lily and instead looking over her head. Lily didn't take her eyes off Teddy, though she sensed someone else was there.
"Don't touch her," Lily recognized the male's voice right away, and felt great relief at the thought of him there. She wanted desperately to turn and see his face, to feel the sense of comfort he always brought her, but didn't.
Teddy seemed to gain some sense, after a moment. "She wants it." He hissed.
"Like hell she does. Let go of my sister or I'll Avada your ass." At his words Lily finally turned to see Albus. His face was serious, and Lily knew it wasn't an empty threat, though it could cost him his job, or even worse—Azkaban.
"Al," Lily spoke softly to her brother. "Please, don't do anything stupid."
Albus didn't take his eyes of the older male in front of him as he spoke to his sister. "If he hurts you…" but Al couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. Teddy pulled Lily closer to him, provoking her brother further. Al's eyes were a blazing fury, but he held steady. His wand was gripped firmly, and Lily admired her brother as he stood before her. He was clearly angry, but it was well masked through his years of practicing self-control.
"Lupin," Al spoke with less intensity. "You don't stand a chance." It wasn't exactly a threat, more of a warning. In that moment Lily realized that Al didn't like hurting people, even the bad guys, but he did what was necessary to protect those that needed it.
Albus's emerald eyes held no sign of weakness, except perhaps for his own sister. His hair was a mess, but that didn't mean anything, it was always a mess, just like their fathers. As Lily was studying her brother she hadn't realized that Teddy had changed his stance, and was holding his wand to her waist. Lily hardly had time to register the feel of his wand poking her before she saw Al send a silent curse toward them. His eyes were like stone, and didn't hold the slightest hint of remorse as Teddy flew backwards. Lily waited to feel the impact of the curse, but felt nothing. She let out an audible sigh and ran toward her brother, grabbing her wand from the ground.
Al whispered something and sent a protronus, probably toward their house or their dad. Albus, studied his sister momentarily, checking her for any sign of injury.
"You ok, Lils?" He finally let his Auror image drop for a moment and Lily saw the true worry on his face.
"I'm fine," she said quickly. "How did you know?" She hadn't had a chance to give the situation much thought, but that was the first thing that came into her mind.
"Scor and I went to the house, and Vera said you weren't there when she woke up. I just figured I'd go for a walk, see if maybe you'd decided to do the same."
Lily laughed a little at the similarity between the two. When they were younger they often took walks to cool off from a fight, or just talk about troubles at school. Just as Lily was feeling comfortable again Teddy stirred. Albus quickly pushed Lily behind him. Lily had her wand, and felt that she could help if they got into a duel. Just then Lily heard three pops, one after another. She quickly glanced around and saw three new arrivals, Scorpius, James, and to Lily's surprise Victoire.
James and Scorpius were in Auror mode before they even arrived, and were set to fight, though it no longer seemed necessary. Victoire on the other hand looked slightly shaken at the sight of her old boyfriend. She looked back and forth between him and Lily before running toward the younger girl.
Teddy could clearly see he was outnumbered, and unable to do anything else seemed to just give up. James took the lead, being the most experienced of the three Aurors and took Teddy to their father who would deal with him. Al, Scorpius, and the two girls began to make their way back to the house. The two men walked behind Lily and her cousin, giving them a bit of space, though they kept a watchful eye on them.
"I was at you house when the potronus arrived," Victoire began. "When I heard Teddy was there, well, I was worried about you." She took a deep breath, pushing her silky blonde locks behind her shoulder. Victoire was only slightly taller than Lily, but walked with an air of elegance that made Lily feel like a troll. "First I want to apologize for what my mum said the other day." Her cheeks turned slightly pink at the memory, which was a shock to Lily. She didn't think Victoire ever felt embarrassed. "She doesn't know what really happened with me and Teddy, which is actually not that complicated. It's not so different from what happened between you and him," she paused, unconsciously flinching at the thought of Lily and Teddy.
"Vic, I am so sorry about that—" Lily started, but wasn't able to finish.
"Please," Victoire waved her hand nonchalantly. "You've nothing to be sorry for. I have been over Teddy for some time. I was more worried because I know the way he is. He's handsome, charming, and has a way of making you smile, believe me, I know. But I didn't want to see you hurt. Teddy has a way of doing that. Whether he knows it or not—I don't know. But I didn't want to see what happen to me happen to you."
Lily had never heard the whole story of Teddy and Victoire's breakup, and wasn't even sure she had told anyone.
"What happened between you two?" Lily said the words without thinking and worried that she shouldn't have pushed.
Victoire seemed unfazed and continued speaking softly. "Teddy and I were dating for several years, as I am sure you know, and I was ready to move forward. I wanted to get married, have children and settle down. He didn't want the same, but he strung me along for a very long time. He made promises of someday, but when the time came he broke it off. I was devastated and rejected. That never happened to me. Before him, at Hogwarts, I was always the one turning boys down."
"I'm so sorry Vic," Lily said.
"Now I have Pierre, and he wants all the things I want. He's so good to me." Victoire looked straight ahead as she continued. "But it still hurts thinking of Teddy," she admitted.
"You don't still love him?" Lily gasped. She could hardly believe that her cousin still harbored those feelings after all this time.
"Of course not." Lily wasn't entirely convinced and it didn't seem Victoire was either. "But I'll always wonder."
"Wonder?" Lily asked.
"I'll always wonder what would have been if it had been Teddy at the alter instead of Pierre. Wonder what our children would have looked like. I sound like a fool, don't I?"
Lily didn't respond, and could hardly believe that her cousin revealed so much to her. She wasn't sure that Victoire should have even married Pierre if she was still unsure of how she felt about Teddy. Lily was saved from trying to think of something appropriate to say, by the guys catching up to them.
Scorpius wrapped his arms around Lily, pulling her close to his side. "Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yes, I am. I promise." Lily relished in the warmth of him next to her. "I missed you," she said honestly.
"I missed you too. So much so that I showed up extra early for lunch. It wasn't even nine when we got there." He looked a but sheepish as he admitted that.
"I'm really glad you did." Lily didn't want to think what would have happened if Albus hadn't shown up. "I love you."
"And I you, darling."
Once they arrived at the house Lily and Albus began making a very late breakfast for everyone. Vera was awake, and had been very worried about her friend after the patronus had show up. She stood in the kitchen with Lily and her brother as they cooked. Albus was watching the food on the stove as Lily mixed ingredients to make pancakes.
I think I'm going to go home," Victoire stood to leave. Lily excused herself, leaving Vera and Al in the kitchen to say goodbye to her cousin.
"I was worried about you." The beautiful blond buttoned up her blue coat and placed her matching hat neatly on her head. "But I see now that wasn't necessary." The older girl stroked Lily's cheek softly. "He seems to really care for you."
Lily knew she was talking about Scorpius. "He does."
Lily went back into the kitchen and saw that her friend and brother hadn't seemed to move in her absence. As they finished cooking and set breakfast on the table the four sat down to eat. James still hadn't shown back up, but did send an owl that he took Teddy to their father.
Lily sat next to her friend and Scorpius.
"Lily," Vera spoke timidly, and the same strange emotion was on Vera's face that Lily had worried about before.
'What is it, Vera?" Lily didn't want her friend to keep things from her, and she was growing more and more stressed over it.
"I wanted to ask you a favor," she said almost reluctantly. Lily waited impatiently for her friend to continue. "You know my relationship with my family is rocky at best."
"Yes," Lily nodded, scooping a bite of pancakes in her mouth.
"Well," Vera looked at her food as she stirred her untouched eggs around on her plate. "They want me out. They don't want me going back."
Lily dropped her fork on her plate, and reached for her friend, pulling her into a hug. "Vera, why didn't you tell me? How long have you known?"
"They told me just after school finished," Vera said. "I'm sorry I just didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going to go."
"You know you can stay here as long as you want or need." Albus was looking at Vera as well, his mouth slightly open. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but didn't.
"Well I was thinking, more like hoping, you might want to move out and get a place with me. I've saved a bit, and we're going to start working once we get our NEWTS results."
"That's brilliant, Vera." Lily exclaimed. Scorpius and Albus looked at each other, not quite as sure as the two girls.
The two girls continued talking avidly about their plans for the future and what kind of place they wanted, while both Albus and Scorpius looked as though they weren't sure what to make of it.
"Well," Al started, "As lovely as it's been little sis, I think I better get going." Scorpius didn't move to leave, which Lily was glad for.
"Why don't you come with us. I didn't ask Scorpius, yet, but Vera and I thought we might go looking at places today, and then grab some lunch." Lily was hoping to bring Albus and Vera back together by just starting with spending a little group time together.
"Already?" Al looked slightly shocked. "Don't you think it's a little premature, Lils?"
"It's not like we're going to buy the first place we see!" She laughed.
A/N: So more Teddy drama! Hope you all liked this chapter. So I think next chapter Lily will tell her parents about the trip and then meet the eldest Malfoys (Lucius and Narcissa). What do you think their reactions will be? Reviews are appreciated!
