Chapter 003

Scorpius' stormy grey eyes pleaded with Albus to go easy on Lily, but the resolve on Albus Potter's face told him that it wouldn't happen. "Lily I think you should go back to the castle and join your friends." Albus Potter said in a tone of authority. Despite this he stood by the door blocking their exit.

"But you are my friends." Lily said thickly as her mind tried to clear the haze and focus on her brother. A lump was forming quickly in her throat. She glanced towards Scorpius but he didn't look her way. He hadn't since he kissed her gently that last time.

"You have other friends Lily. You should be in the castle saying goodbye to your classmates." Albus informed her and she tore her gaze away from Scorpius.

Lily sat up but remained on the bed; her legs still too unsteady to support her weight. "But I want to stay here." She protested quietly.

"Go back to the castle, you're not wanted here." He warned; his tone almost cruel as he stood sentinel by the door.

She flinched; her brother's words were like an icing spell to Lily's heart. Never before had her brother uttered the words that suggested she shouldn't be with them. She'd been joining them for their weekly meeting since the age of eleven. That was five long years, so she couldn't fully understand why it had suddenly changed.

But then she remembered what had happened downstairs and how she had destroyed their sanctuary with her potion. She bowed her head ashamed. She deserved her brother's anger but sending her away was excessive. "I know I shouldn't have set up my potion downstairs. I didn't realise that it would make such a mess. It wasn't supposed to blow up like that. I know I should have set it up back at the castle dungeons but I really wanted to work on it with Goyle, it's for him that I'm making the potion anyway. Please let me stay, I'll fix everything downstairs, I promise. I just needed to catch my breath. But I'm ok now, it was my mistake and I'll make it right." Lily pleaded, her voice croaking with emotion.

Albus crossed his arms in front of his chest and gazed at his sister in a condescending manner. "This has nothing to do with the potion Lily."

Her mind was a whirl of confusion. The matter of fact comment had Lily puzzling over what had made him so angry. And he was angry. He may not be ranting and raving like her brother James would be doing, but then Albus was never one for theatrics. The question was, why? "Then why should I have to go? Why now? I haven't done anything else wrong." She scrambled off the bed, holding her tattered robes together with one hand. She didn't deserve the feeling that her world was crashing down around her. And she definitely didn't deserve being sent away by her brother.

She didn't understand how everything had gone so wrong. Only minutes ago she had been blissfully happy; she'd experienced the most exhilarating kiss in her life. It didn't matter that it was her first kiss and she had nothing to compare it to. She couldn't imagine a kiss ever getting better than that. As she thought about the kiss, Lily's eyes drifted over to the blonde. He hadn't said anything since he'd suggested that her brother would kill him. That Albus would do such a thing didn't make sense. They were best friends and never did anything to hurt the other; they were the only two out of the seven who hadn't come to fists at one point or another.

Scorpius could almost feel Lily's gaze bear into the back of his head; pleading with him to come to her defence. He couldn't; it would only make things worse for Lily and he wanted to protect her, even if protecting her meant losing her. Scorpius had seen the fury in his friend's emerald green eyes and knew there was a lot more to his anger than today's events. This was about protecting Lily, because to Albus there was nothing more important than his sister.

The blonde moved to the sidelines knowing that it would be best for Lily if he didn't get involved. He leant against the wall and made sure he kept his back to the redhead. If he saw the anguish in her eyes he would be stammering like an idiot in an instant. His efforts would only make the situation worse for Lily, even his presence didn't help. He would have tried to speak to Albus privately, to calm him down and persuade him to be rational. He knew the day Albus would drive his sister away was looming but he wished he could delay it a little longer. He didn't want Lily to be blasted by the force of Albus' anger which was focused inwardly as much as it was directed at Lily and Scorpius. However, the Ravenclaw had ordered Scorpius to stay there and the Slytherin obeyed.

Albus was glaring at him, as if trying to goad a response from him. Scorpius wouldn't oblige. To try and talk to Albus now would result in a trip to Hospital wing. Not that the Ravenclaw was guaranteed to win the fight if both opponents participated, but Scorpius had no inclination to fight back or defend himself. If Lily hadn't been in the room to witness it, then he would probably have provoked Albus into laying into him. It was less than what he deserved for giving in to his urges where Lily Potter was concerned. He'd even feel a lot better about himself if Albus landed a few punches in his gut; it would help distract him from the guilt that was welling up inside him. Guilt that stemmed from the fact that Lily wasn't aware of what was truly going on. There was nothing that could change Albus' mind. He was protecting his sister and Scorpius had given Albus one more reason to drive the redhead away. He was such a bloody fool.

From her vantage point, Lily tore her gaze from the silent Slytherin and studied her brother as his furious gaze was directed not at her, but the spot where Scorpius leant against the wall. Suddenly it clicked into place. Lily stomped forward to stand directly in front of her brother, demanding his full attention. She even shoved him with both hands so he looked into her furious hazel stare.

"Are you kidding me? This is about the kiss isn't it? You are banishing me because of a bloody kiss?" Lily screamed, her voice reaching a decibel that had the two men wincing.

To his credit, Albus didn't back away under the redhead's burst of temper. "Banished? Be serious Lily. And that was more than a bloody kiss!"

Lily's cheeks flushed red; not with embarrassment but with anger. She'd just had her first kiss and her brother was ruining it by sending her back to the castle like a naughty child. "But that is basically what you are doing. You've never asked me to leave before so it has to be because of the kiss; or else why now?"

Albus uncrossed his arms and gave his sister's chin an affectionate nip. She turned away from the gesture. The motion hurt Albus but it didn't sway him from the path he was on. He was only doing what any half decent big brother would do- protect his little sister; she just didn't know it. "You need to repair your friendships that you've let decline since spending time with us. We won't be coming back here next year, none of us will." He cast a questioning stare in Scorpius' direction as if daring him to come to Lily's defence. He didn't, but that wasn't what had Lily's blood running cold.

"Wha- What do you mean?"

Trying not to be affected by the anguish in her voice, Albus continued. "Our meetings won't be held here in the shack anymore, Lily. It's no longer practical. The seven of us have bought a night club in London; we'll be spending our time there so there's no need for us to come to Hogsmeade."

Lily backed away from her brother as she processed his words. They weren't coming back; it was no longer practical. But it was practical enough when he and Scorpius were finishing their education. Lily thought bitterly. She knew they wouldn't be coming back to Hogwarts, but she expected them to keep coming to the shack to see her, but that clearly wasn't the case. She held back the sudden onslaught of tears that welled up. She wasn't a part of the group and that couldn't be made clearer.

Drawing from the techniques Jeremy had given her, Lily transformed her expression to a stoic mask. It was difficult considering her heightened emotions, but not impossible. The pain of betrayal was almost unbearable but she kept herself together. She wasn't going to receive any comfort or reassurances from her brother. He obviously didn't care about her, but surely Scorpius did. He wouldn't have kissed her otherwise.

She stalked towards the platinum blonde finding his silence irritating. "What do you have to say on the matter?" she demanded.

Scorpius' gaze faltered a moment. He wanted to put some distance between Lily and himself, not cut her out of his life completely. He didn't want his actions to be something that could not be forgiven. He struggled with the words to explain to Lily what was going on. Her eyes narrowed when he didn't respond immediately.

Scorpius stole a quick glance at Albus, pleading with him to go about this differently. Albus' sadness and regret was evident now his sister had her back to him, but he was resolved in his decision. Scorpius fought the pain building in his chest as he met Lily's hopeful gaze. He shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and promise her everything would be alright, but that would be a lie. He knew what he had to do. "Your brother is right. We have everything we need in London; we don't have a reason to come this far north." Scorpius said straightening and Albus seemed to approve.

Lily flinched from his words and stepped away from him. She wasn't reason enough for him either. "You agree with him?" Lily asked weakly.

Scorpius' adam's apple bobbed a few times; the only sign of how much he struggled. He despised himself for what he was doing but he had to remind himself that his actions were protecting Lily in the long run. People had already started to talk about how much time Lily spent with the group; speculating about what interest Lily was to them. People could be particularly malicious when they were jealous and attempts to quell the rumours had fallen on deaf ears. That the guys were guilty of half the things they were rumoured to be part of, was not an issue; they could deal with it. But Lily, who was so sweet to all of them and never judged them for their faults; she didn't deserve to be the victim of gossip's serpent tongues. So with Lily's interest in mind, Scorpius nodded. "I agree that you should be hanging around girls your own age. You should go back to the castle now." At least she hadn't asked him how he felt about her.

Lily blanched at what she saw as a betrayal. She cared deeply for Scorpius but his words told her that the sentiments weren't returned. Was she that much of a fool that she'd imagined Scorpius wanted her? Was she that much of a fool to believe that any of them had actually enjoyed having her around? Had the last five years meant nothing? The unanswered questions taunted her. Summoning the strength to speak she approached him so only he could hear. "What about the kiss? Did that mean nothing? Why would you do that?"

What could he say? The kiss meant everything to him; he almost felt whole again. It was the truth but he wasn't about to admit that. "I was curious and things just got carried away." Scorpius said quietly but the emotion blazing in his eyes didn't mirror his words. Lily didn't know what to believe. Scorpius couldn't stand being in the room any longer. He left Lily and shoved passed Albus and left the room. He couldn't look at her; he was too ashamed of himself. Lily didn't know it, but she had saved him from a downward spiral of destruction and how did he repay her? He very well might have just broken her heart. Scorpius felt as if a knife had pierced his gut and he would slowly bleed out. It was the hardest thing he'd done up until then- to make Lily believe he didn't want her; that he didn't love her in his way. It just wasn't enough – he would never be enough; he was poison. So it was better that she hate him.

Lily watched him leave. She really was a damn fool to think he cared- to think that either of them cared about her. She battled to hide the hurt and betrayal the two had caused her. If they didn't want her around then she shouldn't waste any more time on them. "Fine" she said, surprised by the strength of resolve behind her words. She stomped towards Albus with her back straight and head held high. "Fine" she said again as she slipped by her brother and stormed down the passage way.

She saw Christian, Goyle and Jeremy watching her warily, neither Christian nor Goyle would look her directly in the eye, nor did they fight for her to stay. They were focused something behind her. Jeremy watched her with his perfect poker face in place. They'd heard the argument upstairs and now they stood by and watched her be driven away from them; to think Lily considered them family. Lily resisted the urge to slap each of them. She couldn't believe they were doing this to her. She paused, noting that her brother had followed her. She turned on him, her voice cold, distant and completely alien to them. Never before had they seen the little redhead in such a blaze of fury, not that they didn't deserve it. "I understand you don't want your little sister cramping your style. I understand that none of you want that." She added with a scathing glance at each of them. For now she knew they didn't want her around. They just wanted to leave her behind as they had their fill of the world. "Have your fun. I hope you indulge yourselves so much that you catch something and your nobs fall off."

They all flinched at her words but she was past caring. They had hurt her more than anyone else had ever done in the past. She was so furious that she wouldn't even consider there were reasons for their behaviour. She noted Scorpius hadn't made another appearance and instinctively that he'd remained in one of the upstairs room. "Coward" she screamed at the ceiling before she tossed aside the grate and entered the dark passageway.

Icy tears fell leaving mucky trail marks down her cheeks. Six, no, seven members of her family had been ripped away from her leaving a gaping hole in her heart. She'd never forgive Albus for this. As Lily trudged back to the castle she felt a presence follow her. She didn't look over her shoulder to see which one of the seven was there, she didn't care.

Reaching the common room, Lily's appearance caused a stir. Her tattered robes covered in soot and her temper being so enraged, she would snap at anyone who got in her way. Everyone scrambled out of her way as the redhead made a beeline to the empty armchair by the fire. She didn't care that people were staring; all she did was glower at the flames.

From the corner of the room a group of girls, three blondes and a brunette watched the redhead leave a trail of destruction in her path. Lily Potter was furious to an extent that no one had ever witnessed. She had people scrambling away from the fire and heading through the secret passageway or towards the dormitories.

"What do you think that is about?" Mika Nott; the smallest of the girls asked curiously. "Scor will be furious with whoever got her so riled up. I wouldn't like to be them when he finds out." She added with a shudder.

"Actually she was supposed to spend this evening with your cousin and her brother." Stephanie Davis explained quietly. "It looks like something didn't go to plan. I hope your cousin didn't do anything stupid."

"Malfoy has more sense than to anger the Potters." Another girl added confidently as she sat back casually in her chair surveying the redhead. She noted the layer of soot on her charred robes and recalled the girl looking that way several times before. "I'm guessing she and my brother have been playing at potion master again."

"I wouldn't let her hear you say it like that Andie. Lily is all about potions and takes her experiments very seriously." Lucy Weasley warned. Andrea Goyle who liked to be known as Andie, shrugged casually. Lily had barely noticed her in the five years they shared a dormitory, she doubted it would change because she had said one comment about her potions.

"Do you think we should check on her Lucy?" Mika asked.

Lucy Weasley raked a hand through her chestnut locks as she contemplated whether or not they should approach her cousin. On the one hand Lily looked as if she needed someone to talk to, on the other; she looked ready to blast anyone who dared to speak to her into smithereens. "I'll go sit with her." Lucy decided much to the other girls' relief.

Everyone watched with bated breath as Lucy sat in the chair opposite her cousin. Lucy was smart enough not to say anything to interrupt the younger girl's thoughts. However, Lily did spare her cousin a glance to acknowledge her presence and confirm that she appreciated the company. Once the other Slytherins realised a fight wasn't going to explode around them, they continued celebrating the fact that the school year had come to an end.

Back at the Shrieking Shack, Albus sat alone on the floor of one of the bedrooms nursing a sore hand. He'd punched a hole through one of the walls not long after his sister had run out of there as if a horn of enraged Graphorn were at her heals. He hadn't planned on breaking the news to Lily like that, but he'd lost his senses when he saw his best friend with his hands all over his sister. It wasn't the first time Albus had walked in on Scorpius with a girl and it wouldn't be the last. However seeing the girl was Lily had him seeing red. "You couldn't have left her alone; you just had to kiss her." Albus stated in a blank tone as he sensed Scorpius standing in the doorway. "Isn't it enough that rumours are spreading like fiendfyre? They're not limited to the school you know? James sent me a howler and blasted my ears when word reached him about what people were saying. He's been living in Paris, Scorpius. Paris!" Albus shouted; he was horrified that he spending time with Lily had dragged her into the mist of lies that surrounded him and his friends. It didn't matter that the malicious accusations were false; no one believed the truth any more. "And then you had to go and use my sister as a rebound! That's low even for one of us."

Stormy grey eyes flashed dangerously at the direction Albus' conversation was heading; Matilda Warrington was a forbidden topic of conversation. "I would not do that to Lily. I love her."

The declaration fuelled Albus' anger. "You're not good enough for her; none of us are. Everything around us turns to Dragon dung. It was selfish of us to believe that with Lily it would be different because she's my sister."

"Don't you think I know that? Of course she deserves better than what I can give her." Scorpius said resentfully.

"Then why did you kiss her?" Albus demanded.

"It wasn't my wisest decision." Scorpius admitted but didn't apologise. To apologise grated against his very being. He was a Malfoy and whatever trouble a Malfoy got himself into- they didn't apologise. The words 'I'm sorry' didn't hold any weight. He had learnt that anyone could say them and not mean them. The truth was, Scorpius wasn't at all sorry that he had kissed Lily, but nor was he sorry about what followed. He loved her as much as he was capable of loving anyone, but that wasn't enough. Albus was right, she deserved someone better than him and it was selfish of him to give in to his desire. How was he to know his reaction to her would be unlike anything he'd ever experienced? No doubt he would be thinking about how quick his blood was to burn for a long time to come.

Albus brushed his hand through his tousled black hair and allowed his head to drop back against the wall. Lily had been too angry to realise how hard Albus had found letting her feel like she wasn't wanted. Since Scorpius knew Albus better than most, he guessed what his friend was putting himself through. It hadn't supposed to end like this. They had planned to tell her as a group of seven. However it may turn out better this way. It was something like ripping off a plaster; better to do it quickly. It may be painful at first but at least it didn't drag on.

Lily made friends easily so she'd soon forget them. Scorpius hated the idea of her forgetting about him and he had to remind himself that it would be best for Lily. If he saw her getting on with her life he was sure he'd be able to be happy for her; if she began dating someone; to see someone else he loved in the arms of another – then he'd deal with that when the time came.

"How long do you recon it will take her to forgive me?"

Days, weeks, months, years. Maybe even longer.

Truth was Scorpius wasn't sure Lily would forgive either of them. "She doesn't fully understand why you did this. If she knew…" He let his voice trail away. If Lily knew it was for her own benefit, for the sake of her reputation and her happiness, she'd think more kindly of them. But Lily couldn't know. They needed to protect her from public scrutiny before it got any worse. It was enough to see Albus being shunned for his involvement in the group. They couldn't have that tarnishing Lily any more than it had already. It was regretful they hadn't realised it earlier, but who would have predicted that malicious gossip would name Lily their whore. She didn't deserve that. Scorpius took the spot on the floor next to his friend. He knew better than to offer him any more comfort. Instead they sat there stewing on what had transpired. As the two sat in silence the door creaked open. Christian, Goyle and Jeremy entered the room carrying glasses of firewhiskey. They offered them to the younger lads before taking up residence on the floor around them; except for Christian who conjured a chair to sit on.

"I made sure she got back to the castle ok." Christian told them breaking the silence.

"You did more than we had the strength to do." Jeremy said. "Letting her go was the right thing to do."

"She's the best part of us and always will be." Goyle agreed.

Albus' only reaction was a brief nod of his head before draining his glass in one. Jeremy refilled Al's glass as conversations broke out around them. All stuck to topics that avoided thinking about the angry redhead in the Slytherin common room.

Lily sat staring at the fire for hours. Lucy remained with her quietly as she acknowledged her cousin's anger was unlikely to wane any time soon. At least Lily had allowed Lucy to cast a few discreet spells to tidy up her appearance. Lily no longer looked as if she'd been dragged through the Forbidden Forrest by her hair.

The common room was far from empty but students still kept a wide birth from the fire. Mika, Stephanie and Andie continued to chat, occasionally sparing a glance at the two cousins. A beautiful girl with caramel skin, raven hair and amber eyes stalked towards them. Stephanie tensed as she always did when her half sister was nearby. Satine Zabini was a malicious bitch who thrived on the misery of others. You could almost hear her crowing over Lily's distress. "It looks like the rumours are true. The Seven have got tired of their whore."

Andie Goyle moved lightening fast and connected her fist with the girls' perfect nose. Satine may relish in the absurd rumours her brother and his friend's attracted, but Andie didn't. She also knew that half the crap that was whispered about the seven lads was precisely that – crap.

"Muggle Fucker!" Satine screamed and continued to make gurgled curses as she tried to stunt the blood gushing from her broken nose. People rushed to help the Zabini girl to the hospital wing; the girl batting them away since she could get herself there without the aid of inferior surf-lings.

Andie sat back down with a smug smile on her lips. "She'll be after you for that." Mika warned.

"That was amazing. You can't imagine how long I've wanted to do that." Stephanie said, impressed with the other girl's nerve.

"At least we won't need to deal with the aftermath tonight Stephanie. You and Lucy are the ones who have to share a dorm with her." Mika chucked and Stephanie sent her a withering look. Stephanie was one of eight of Blaise Zabini's children and the only one born of a woman other than his wife. The news was even more scandalous considering Stephanie was only a few months younger than Satine but older than three of her half siblings. Stephanie always thought the fates were cruel making her share a room with the only half- sibling who hated her guts.

Andie was unconcerned and shrugged to show how little she cared about what Satine would do to her if they ever found themselves alone together. Across the room she met the captivating gaze of Lily Potter, the girl's face thoughtful. Andie's gut tensed, she raked a hand through her short blonde hair and winked at the redhead. Lily's lips twitched into a brief smile as Andie wondered what was going through the girl's mind. It didn't matter much. She'd finally caught the attention of her roommate; it had only taken five years. It was definitely worth whatever Satine decided to dish out. Mika saw the gesture and her honey coloured eyes rolled. Her friend was hopeless, completely hopeless.

Lily Potter returned her gaze to the hearth. For the past few hours she'd been cursing the seven guys at the Shrieking Shack for abandoning her, but she'd also been absorbing the conversations around her. She'd heard the outlandish things people had been saying about her. It would have made her furious if her temper wasn't already at an all time high.

Her first thought was to make sure the rumours didn't get back to her brother; he'd go mental if he heard what they were saying.

Her second thought focused on the fact she hated her brother right then; reminding her that she no longer cared about what Albus thought.

Her third thought brought doubt into her mind; if Albus already knew the rumours it could account for him driving her away.

Her fourth thought was that the lads would all want to distance her from them if their friendship tainted her in any way; plus they wouldn't have invested so much time with her over the years if they didn't care about her.

Her fifth thought was an acknowledgment of the fact nothing she could say would change their mind any time soon.

Her sixth thought being that if she wanted back in on the group, she'd have to change how they were perceived by others. It was something that was not going to be easy.

Her final thought on the matter came to her when she climbed into her four-poster bed that night. Her notebook lay on her pillow with a note from Goyle reading; Keep brewing Little Lily. Simple words but it made her certain that they all still cared about her and were trying to protect her. She could forgive them for that; how could she not when she loved them all so much. She was determined to get her family back; even if planning such a feat took her years. So as she gathered her duvet tightly around her, she promised herself that for now she would abide by the rules they set. She wouldn't kick up a fuss about not being able to spend time with them, but she would write. That way, once she was older, she'd get her family back.

UPDATED 26/07/14