Author's Notes: Thank you all very much! Here's the next chapter. It's quite a filler chapter so enjoy the fluff as next chapter brings a big event that will definitely end the happiness. One question for everyone though… Did anyone pick up on who Olivia's mother is? Or what book Al gave Lily? Also, everyone should read my response to Namaste234, as it has some information about what's happening when this story ends that you might like to know!
Namaste234: I'm sorry, but this is a Lily/Scorpius fic, and that's where it will end up eventually. But in the mean time, you'll just have to wait and see whom Lily dates. =X I do love Lorcan though, and I plan on writing companion pieces to this story once I'm done to explore all the relationships and how they come about: Lorcan and his eventual girl, James and his girl, Emily and her boy, etc., etc. So keep an eye out of for Lorcan's story and I may also write a Lorcan/Lily fanfic as well! (They really are just so cute together, aren't they?)
Loumia: No gift from Scorpius… yet!
ISNAS: I'm very glad you love Newt; he's my favorite character! I was hoping everyone else would love him too. He's just so damn loveable.
PassionatelyFeline: First off, thank you very much for always leaving such detailed and great reviews. Second, in regards to Scorpius' beliefs, I believe things really changed for Draco after the war. He was a parrot, repeating his family's beliefs and he suffered the consequences for that. Draco was always just proud, never really an actual racist. Being a Death Eater showed him what it really meant to hate. His change plus his wife would make their household more open minded but still very proud. Also, Narcissa's main focus was always on her family, not the war, so he really respects that. The two ideals of being a Malfoy are pride and family. I hope you see how proud Scorpius is already (always well dressed, even when dressed down, declaring that they never apologize) and later on, you will see the family aspect come into play as Scorpius really loves his father, mother, and grandmother. Of course, Scorpius can't see Narcissa as often as he likes because that means he has to tolerate Lucius, who is still a big ass. =P
Also thanks to cutelilbunnyfufu4ever, juliagoolia, kikomimo727, Violet Strawberri, mangotango101, and merdarkandtwisty!
Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Happy Birthday, Lily!
Lily's spring term settled itself back into some realm on normalcy. Hugo seemed to have learned his lesson and kept his mouth shut about Lorcan. The girls and boys didn't spend nearly as much time together as they did in the fall but the time they had together saw Lorcan and Lily acting completely normal between each other, as if the kiss had never happened. Although there were still a few times where Lily caught Lorcan staring at her, causing both parties to blush.
Things changed as Hogwarts moved into February. Ravenclaw won the match versus Hufflepuff, leaving Slytherin in first place, Gryffindor in second, Ravenclaw in third, and Hufflepuff in fourth. The first Hogsmeade weekend landed on Valentines Day, causing many of the Hogwarts girls to run amuck in corridors in crowds, giggling loudly. The weather on the 14th was mild. Lily expected no Valentines, although looking back on the day, she should have realized what would happen.
After breakfast, the third years and above left for Hogsmeade, the boys looking nervous as they met up with their dates. All of the first years ate breakfast together and as Lily was exiting the Great Hall, Lorcan tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey, Lils. Care to go for a walk around the lake? It's really nice out," he said. Lily nodded and followed him out the door and down the steps. The pair walked in a comfortable silence at the side of the lake, occasionally chatting for a moment about school or Quidditch. Lily was very glad that their relationship had gone back to normal.
"Lily?" Lorcan asked, stopping in midstep. Lily stopped and suddenly she felt again as if something had changed or shifted in between them.
"Yes?"
"I think you're really pretty," he said, barely blushing.
"Oh, thanks," Lily shifted uncomfortable.
"And really smart, and funny, too," he continued, despite Lily's silent wish that he would stop.
"I know I'm dorky but I would be really happy if you would—if you could—" he paused and pulled out his wand.
"Rosadea—No, I mean, Rosoida—Rosoideae!" Roses popped out of the end of his wand.
"Lily Potter, would you be my girlfriend?" He asked, holding out the bouquet of roses. Lily stared at him for so long, mouth open, mind black, that Lorcan started to falter.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry if you don't like roses, it's what McGonagall taught me… and Hugo said girls love flowers…"
"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, mortified.
"What for? OH. Oh. Okay, um," Lorcan turned bright red. "Bye."
He dropped the roses and ran back to the castle. Tears pricked Lily's eyes as she bent down to pick up the roses and moved to sit under a tree. She stayed out there all afternoon, as she couldn't bear to go inside and see Lorcan.
---
Lily's rejection of Lorcan was the final straw for the already fragile links of the first years. It was now silently agreed that the boys had each other, and the girls had each other, and the two groups should never mingle. At meals, Lily, Emily and Olivia sat separated from the first year boys by not only James and his friends, Rose and her friends, and Albus, but also a handful of fourth and fifth years. In class, the girls took the center front seat (something Olivia constantly whined about) while Lorcan, Lysander and Hugo took the very last seat in the back (something Lorcan constantly whined about). Every shared space had its boundaries: the library, where the girls sat in a corner while the boys sat a front table, separated by dozens of bookshelves; the common room, where the girls stayed by the fire, while the boys took by the staircases; and even outside, where certain trees were marked as boy territory or girl territory.
It was a sad time for Lily. Every time she passed the boys, Lorcan turned red and stared at his feet, frowning. Lysander glared at her and Hugo grimaced, giving a noncommittally shrug of his shoulders. While she wasn't very close to Lysander and she missed Lorcan, nothing was like Hugo not choosing Lily's side. It shocked her as it was a move she could have never predicted. He had been against them making any friends outside the family, and yet he chose his new friends over his family.
It even affected her relationship with her brothers: James was always with Rose, who Hugo had a claim on, leaving Lily just Albus left of her family to spend time with (she would hardly go spend time with the Ravenclaws to see Louis or Dominique). She wasn't used to not being surrounded by a large loving group of family and friends.
This was not the way she would have liked her spring term to go.
As February turned into March, the weather seemed to reflect Lily's mood. Valentine's Day was the only warm day in a terrible and cold winter. Snow swirled down the sky violently, causing the students to wrap all themselves in scarves and gloves and coats to avoid the bitter attack on their skin. Lily had no gloves; she had lost hers back in the beginning of the school year and she adamantly refused to wear Lorcan's. He wouldn't take them back when Emily, playing messenger, tried to give them to him. Even now, early Saturday afternoon, as Lily hurried to Hagrid's hut for tea with Olivia and Emily, she kept her bare, raw hands shoved into her pockets for some protection against the brutal wind.
Pulling her hand out of its warm home, she knocked on Hagrid's door, pain shooting from her raw and cracked knuckles as they made contact with the wood. Joining Olivia in jumping up and down to remain warm, they impatiently waited as Hagrid came to the door.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'," He pulled the door open and the three immediately dashed inside. "Oh, well come in, then,"
He smiled at the three girls. " So, Lily, I see ye got my letter?"
"Hagrid," Lily scolded pleasantly. "You saw that prefect give it to me, you know I got the letter."
He waved his hand, as big as a dustbin, carelessly through the air, causing Olivia to duck as he nearly knocked her head off. "I know, I know. You or Hugo just haven' been to see me since before Christmas!
"I know, I'm sorry," Lily apologized sincerely.
"An' your dad is gettin' worried,"
"My dad?" Hagrid chuckled.
"Yeah. We are still friends." His chest puffed up importantly. "After all, I was the one who got 'im from the rubble of Godric's Hollow after You-Know-Who got 'im,"
"Yes, Hagrid, we know," the three girls chorused with smiles.
"So, Lily, how are ya?" Lily hesitated, considering lying to her father's close friend but in the end, she spilled her guts, talking for nearly ten minutes straight.
"… and now none of the boys are even talking to me, including Hugo! My own flesh and blood!" She finished dramatically, sighing and slouching down in the chair.
"Don' worry about them, Lily," Hagrid said shaking his head. "Lorcan is jus' embarrassed, he'll get over it. And as for Hugo… you have other friends, so why can' he?"
"That's exactly what I said," Emily commented in a singsong voice. Olivia merely nodded as she could not speak; her mouth was glued shut by Hagrid's fudge on the table.
"Well, Emily, is it? Ye got a good head on yer shoulders," Hagrid pointed at Lily. "And ye could do some good listenin' to her,"
Lily mumbled under her breath as Emily sat there looking smug. The three girls enjoyed their day with Hagrid as he told them stories of wild creatures like dragons and giant spiders, running back to the castle in time for dinner through the freezing rain storm that had started, their pockets stuffed with Hagrid's rock solid fudge they couldn't refused.
As February became March, rain seemed to be the constant weather. The students squelched through the mud to go Herbology and the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had been a messy affair; luckily, Luke Plympton caught the snitch within ten minutes (Olivia made Lily grudgingly admit that Luke had done a good job). The boys continued to ignore the girls, and it became much easier to do so as their work became harder.
The one positive thing in Lily's spring term was her new friend. Even if Hugo, Lorcan and Lysander didn't talk to her, she had a new friend in the form of Newt Flint. He excitedly exclaimed hello anytime they passed in the hallway, occasionally visited her for a few moments during meals (something James was always nasty about, confronting Lily or Newt or shooting them dirty looks), and once, they went flying together on a Saturday. Being Newt's friend meant that Lily was now seeing more of Scorpius. While Newt was his energetic self in the hallway, Malfoy merely nodded, an occasionally, "Potter," added to his hello. He never came over during meals (Newt said Scorpius didn't want to fight with James, something Lily greatly appreciated) and the day they went flying, Scorpius had detention for giving James canary wings.
Lily quite enjoyed Newt's company, but she also tried to be quite sneaky by asking side questions about Scorpius, trying to learn as much as she could about them. Newt seemed to realize what she was doing, though, and he always politely side stepped answering them without Lily even realizing, a smirk on his face. Although, Lily wasn't the only one asking these questions. Newt asked her some strange questions that Lily figured Newt wasn't the one really asking. One day, Newt badgered her for ten minutes about Lorcan after she made the mistake of talking about her first kiss. It wasn't until she specifically stated that she wasn't interested in him did he leave her be.
---
Lily awoke on her birthday to a terrible, dark thunderstorm raging outside. The entire castle seemed to be dark, despite all the candles, occasionally lighting up with a flash of lightening, thunder rumbling through the corridors, echoing.
"Happy Birthday, Lily!" She heard someone squeal before two bodies dove onto Lily in bed, causing a small pileup in the Gryffindor first year dorm room. Olivia and Emily had stolen the pillows right from under her head and were whacking her with them, over and over again.
"Guys," Lily laughed. "That's not fair! You're using my own pillows against me!"
Laughing, the girls stopped. "Happy Birthday,"
"Thanks,"
The three girls headed down to breakfast together, still giggling, causing other students to look at them strangely. When she reached the table, James conducted a small group of friends and her family to sing Happy Birthday to her, loudly, off-key, and obnoxiously. By the end of the song, almost the entire Gryffindor table (and Louis, she could hear him from the Ravenclaw table) had joined in. At the end of the last note, James and Rose put their wands together in the air over Lily's head and out burst copious amounts of glitter, confetti and sparkles. Two doves from Rose's wand flew over to her, wrapping a blue ribbon saying Happy Birthday in her hair. Lily watched as the doves flew up into the enchanted ceiling and got lost in the thunderous storm.
Grinning largely and slightly blushing, she sat down with Albus and James for breakfast, picking the confetti out of her hair. Owls swooped down on her bearing cards and gifts from her family members, which she tore off the paper happily. Midway through her birthday festivities, Newt came skipping over. James scowled, but kept his comments to himself for Lily's sake.
"Happy birthday, my fair lady!" He said, bowing deeply and offering her a beautifully wrapped, thin, square package.
"Wow, thanks, Newt!" She said, hugging him. "You didn't have to get me anything,"
"It was my pleasure. Open it," Lily eagerly tore off the paper, feeling guilty for ruining something so beautifully wrapped. She gasped in delight when she saw what he got her. "Tada! It's a muggle fairy tale! Completely with a redhead princess, and a tall, dark and handsome knight! It's our future together, Lily love,"
Lily laughed, and playful shoved him away. Emily laughed with her as she had no problems with Newt. Olivia, however, refused to talk to him because he was a Slytherin. She sat at the table, arms crossed tightly over her chest, scowling deeply, and throwing dark, furtive glances at the fairytale as if it had somehow personally offended her. James scowled in Newt's direction. Rose on James' other side, seemed to be warming up to Newt, as she smiled at him, until James elbowed her sharply and she rearranged her face into an acceptable grimace.
As Lily walked through the hall of Hogwarts that day, she noticed a lot of people saying happy birthday to her. A lot. A lot more than Lily had expected.
"Who was that?" Emily murmured as a gangly and pimply Hufflepuff seventh year wished Lily a good birthday, and continued on her way.
"I have no idea," Lily said, wide eyed, as a pair of second year Ravenclaws passed her and wished her a happy birthday as well.
"It's because you're a Potter," Albus said, appearing out of nowhere. Emily and Olivia jumped, looking scared, but Lily paid no notice; she was used to Albus' quiet nature.
"Because I'm a Potter? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Think about it, Lily. Everyone—well, almost everyone," he amended as a group of Slytherins hissed and booed at them as they passed. "wants to know you. Dad is the most famous guy around and you're his daughter. It's bragging rights. Everyone's going to go tell their friends and family they talked to Lily Potter, Harry Potter's daughter."
"Did you and James get this?" Lily asked as Al snorted.
"Oh yeah. James gets it a lot, but it's also cause he's natural popular. All the girls love him,"
"Yeah," Emily added. "His eyes are so dreamy,"
Olivia stared at Emily, who seemed to realize what she just said, and turned red.
"They love you, too," Lily frowned, feigning deafness when it came to her brother and him being dreamy.
"I guess. But it's just cause I look like Dad," He shrugged. Lily frowned deeper, opening her mouth to protest that Al was special, too, but he said goodbye, and turned into the nearest classroom. As she walked, she continued to wonder just how hard things might be for Al to live up to Harry when Olivia interrupted.
"Lily, did you hear Emily? James is dreeeeamy," She teased in a lofty voice, guffawing loudly as Emily turned even redder. Lily clapped her hands over her ears.
"La, la, la! I can't hear you!" She cried as she took of running to class, her hands still over her heads. Olivia followed, shouting, "Dreamy! Dreamy!"
---
Later that evening, Lily penned a thank you letter to her parents for their gifts, and left, alone, to go to the Owlery to mail it. She had written in the letter details of her week at school, how someone had managed to glue all the desks to the ceiling (Lily had a strong suspicion that it was James and Jesse), how she was still doing very well in Charms and Astronomy, but still having trouble with Transfiguration without the help of Lorcan. Quaffles was sitting on top of the highest banister, his back to Lily, and his feathers ruffled up.
"Quaffles, come here. I need you to take a letter to Mum and Dad."
The owl hooted, glancing over his shoulder at her, before shuffling his feet away from her, back still to her.
"Quaffles," she growled at him. The owl hooted again. "Come on," she whined. "It's cold up here and it's my birthday!" She stomped her foot childishly, causing a few owls to glare at her reproachfully.
"Is it now? And how old are you turning? Four?" A voice drawled from behind her. Lily jumped and Scorpius' smirked widened.
"Excuse me? I'm twelve, thank you very much!"
"Really? With the foot stomping, it seemed like you were so much younger," Lily glared and squashed the urged to stomp her foot and tell him indignantly that she wasn't a child. Scorpius seemed to know what she wanted to do because he laughed loudly, crossing the room to the far side and coaxed down a large, eagle owl and mailed his own letter in the silence.
"I'm just pulling your chains, Potter. Don't get your knickers in a bunch," Lily rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "So what are you doing here?"
"What do you think? I'm mailing a letter," an uncharacteristic smirk, reminiscent of Scorpius, graced Lily's face. Scorpius smiled at the gesture. "But my owl won't come down."
"Which one is he?" Lily pointed up at Quaffles, who had his head peeking out from under his wing to watch them.
"Beautiful owl," He commented, walking underneath him. Quaffles hooted pleasantly. Lily muttered something sounding like "suck-up".
"Come here, Quaffles, is it?" He held out his arm and Quaffles flew down and landed upon Scorpius' arm gracefully. Lily stared at him.
"How--? How did you do that?" She asked, shocked. Scorpius chuckled.
"It's just a matter of being nice to him, Potter. Now, where's your letter?" He pulled the letter out of Lily's freezing hands and tied it to the owl's leg. Crossing over to the window, Quaffles took off as well. Scorpius' eagle owl was just a small blemish on the horizon. "Safe flight,"
"Who was the letter to?" He asked, leaning against the window frame. A cold breeze blew in the window as the freezing rain continue to pelt down, and Lily rubbed her gloveless hands together, blowing hot air against them.
"My p-parents," she stuttered through chattering teeth. Scorpius shook his head at her. "Thanking t-them for my p-p-present,"
"Come here," he gestured for her to walk closer and he reached forward to grab her cold hands, and started rubbing them between his own gloved hands, occasionally blowing down on them to try and warm them up. Lily's ears turned red.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, still rubbing her hands. "Everyone seemed to get you something. Even Newt. I'm afraid I didn't think of it,"
"It's a-alright," She shook her head at him and shivered, an idea suddenly hitting him. He pulled his hands away and began pulling off his green gloves.
"Here," He reached out, grabbed Lily's hand and slid the gloves on to them.
"Thanks," she whispered. The gloves were smooth and green on the outside, but on the inside they were filled with warm white wool. She felt warmth instantly flood her stomach and knew it wasn't from the gloves, but from the fact that he still had her hands in his.
"Happy Birthday, Potter," He said, his voice low and quiet. Lily knew as they stood there in silence, her looking up at him, that the change in the atmosphere was because of them, and she couldn't have welcomed it more.
Was it her imagination or was Scorpius leaning closer? He was definitely leaning down towards her and she responded by standing up on tiptoe. They were merely inches from each other when they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and the door was pushed open, slamming into the wall with a loud bang that caused both Scorpius and Lily to jump away from each other, as if they were electrified.
"Malfoy, what's this?" Lily didn't know the boy personally; he was a fifth year Slytherin whose nasty reputation preceded him.
"None of your business, Nott," Scorpius said coolly. Lily saw him put his hand in his pocket. She had a feeling he was holding on to his wand. "I'll see you later, Potter,"
"Yeah," Lily said, backing away to the door. Nott was watching her and Malfoy was watching him. "Bye,"
She hurried down the stairs and ran all the way back to Gryffindor common room, glancing back over her shoulder once or twice. As she entered the common room, sitting down to do her homework with Emily and Olivia, a smile graced her lips that didn't disappear until long after she fell asleep.
Author's Notes: D'aww. As I said earlier, enjoy that cute scene. It's gonna be the last for a while. Next chapter is mostly written, it is going to be a short chapter, but I'm hoping to get it up before I move back into college. As always, review please!