A light breeze fluttered at Scorpius Malfoy’s robes as he strode out onto the Quidditch pitch with the Slytherin team. It was the first match of the season - against Gryffindor, as usual - and he was looking forward to a glorious game. Both teams were evenly matched, except for one difference �“ the Seekers. Scorpius smiled to himself, for he was by far the best Seeker at Hogwarts; his opposite number, from whichever team, knew it, and they usually lost confidence. With Scorpius Malfoy chasing down the Snitch, the opposing Seeker would gulp and doubt their ability. Scorpius had no such doubts �“ his dad had taught him well.

A girl with shining chestnut hair ran up and enveloped him in a hug. “Play well, darling,” she whispered as she nuzzled his ear.

Scorpius looked into her eyes and then kissed her soundly on the lips. “I always do, Ariadne; you know that.”

She pulled away reluctantly, but he caught her again by the waist and tweaked one of her soft curls. “I’ll see you after the match. We should ... uh ...celebrate.”

“I’d like that,” she murmured softly. “I’d like that a lot, Scorpy.”

He bit back the irritation that surged in him when she called him that ridiculous name. After all, he didwant to celebrate later. He kissed her again, ruffled her hair and then patted her on the bottom as she scurried off to the stands.

“Feeling good!” called Johnson Vaisey, the Slytherin captain.

“Yep, Potter’s mob has no chance,” Scorpius replied. “You heard he quit as Seeker �“ moved to Chaser?”

“Couldn’t compete with you or the Potter legend,” Vaisey guffawed. “Wonder who’ll replace him?”

“Probably some spotty second year that they think is brilliant! Won’t take me long to faze him out. Shame the Potters don’t have another kid,” Scorpius said. He turned around to laugh with Vaisey, but something else caught his eye. There walking alongside the Gryffindor captain, was their new Seeker.

She was short, slight of build, and, considering it was her first match (and that she was flying against him) didn’t look at all nervous. Instead, she stared rather insolently back, her red hair glinting in the autumn sun, chomping on an apple. Her mouth slowly turned up at the corners, and she laughed.

“Merlin, you are scraping the barrel, selecting your sister, Potter!” Vaisey catcalled. “I thought you’d realised, by now, that the famous Potter and Weasley Quidditch genes have skipped a generation. Must be such a disappointment to them both, eh, Scorpius?”

Scorpius didn’t reply. He watched as Albus gripped his broom tightly, a scowl marring his features. Lily placed a hand on his arm, as if to restrain him. Staring at both the Slytherins, she tossed her head back, took another bite of her apple, and then threw her core towards them. “See you on the pitch, Malfoy. I’ll be the one holding the Snitch.”

As quick as a cat, Scorpius snatched at the spinning core and caught it nonchalantly. “Thanks for the practice, baby Potter ... but I think you’ll find you need it more than me.”

Lily winked at her brother. “We’ll see ... Scorpy!” she simpered in a sickly sweet tone.

Albus laughed, and then they linked arms and walked back to the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Scorpius scowled. There was something in his hand; looking down, he saw with exasperation that he was still holding her apple core. Throwing it into the air, he pointed his wand and blasted it out of the sky. That’s what I’ll do to your team today, Lily Potter!

***

“Oh, not bad,” Scorpius muttered grudgingly under his breath, as Lily Potter took to the air. He hovered over the centre of the field, watching her soar into the sky and then flashily turn in front of him. Sitting upright, she lifted one hand above her head and punched the air in triumph. Scorpius raised one eyebrow sardonically, but then laughed as she wobbled precariously and nearly slipped off. Hurriedly, she replaced both hands on the broom and flew off.

“Not so sure now, are you, baby Potter?” he yelled after her and laughed again as, without looking back, she made a rude gesture to him before swooping down to talk to her brother.

The game was played at a furious pace, and Scorpius could see exactly why Albus had decided to switch to Chaser �“ he was quite brilliant. Charging into Slytherins, swerving away from Bludgers and swooping towards the hoops, he beat the Keeper time and time again. With a twinge of frustration, Scorpius realised that the teams were no longer evenly matched. Albus was tearing Slytherin apart. At one hundred and ten to twenty, Scorpius knew the match would be down to him. He needed to catch the Snitch, and catch it before Potter’s team got further ahead.

Vaisey was swearing at the Keeper down below, after he’d let another Quaffle through the centre hoop, but Scorpius shook his head. They’d been too bloody complacent �“ both him and his captain. They hadn’t even held try-outs this season, assuming that they had the best team possible.

“Hell! Flint’s sodding useless,” he cursed as he watched the Beater miss an easy chance to whack Albus.

“For fuck’s sake, he was practically static...you moron!” Scorpius yelled.

“Nice team spirit you have going there, Scorpy,” came her voice again, adding, “We always think encouragement is the best way forward in Gryffindor.”

The words sounded so patronisingly pompous coming from her lips that Scorpius wanted to hex her just to shut her up. But then something caught his eye �“ the Snitch. Turning quickly on his broom, he swooped down towards the Gryffindor hoops. With a yelp, Lily followed him, but she was too far behind. Scorpius could hear her on his tail, but knew she wouldn’t pass him. He stretched out his hand to make the catch, but, just at that moment, the Snitch flew off, and it was lost again. He landed lightly on the ground and heard a soft thud as she landed too. He looked around at Lily, who was grinning ruefully at him; to his surprise, he found he was grinning back.

“Lily!” bawled Albus. “You weren’t concentrating at all. He nearly had it. Now, get back into the air and start playing. I can’t do this all by myself!” He flew back to the other players, catching the Quaffle from Natalie Thomas, one of Lily’s dorm mates.”

“Yeah, that really was encouraging of your brother, eh, Lily?” Scorpius mocked. “Great team spirit!”

She nodded brusquely at him and tossed her head back defiantly, but Scorpius noticed she was biting her lip and wondered if it was an attempt to stop it trembling. “Your brother’s an arse,” he muttered as he flew alongside her.

Lily looked at him in surprise. He thought she had been about to smile, but instead she shook her head. “He just wants to win, that’s all. Isn’t that what we all want?”

Without waiting for his reply, she spun off again, the breeze billowing at her scarlet and gold robes, the sun picking out the myriad of colours in her hair. Despite the angry words from her brother, Lily was laughing as she wove around the pitch, enjoying the very feel of flying.

Scorpius envied her.

It had been a long, long time since he’d felt that thrill, that exuberance and sheer joy of being alive in the air. Now, the game was all-important, especially as it was against Gryffindor.

He was more than a little surprised at Lily Potter. Her game plan, which he assumed would be to follow him round until he spotted the Snitch and then hope to make a lucky catch, seemed, instead, to consist of her searching by herself. She spent more time keeping out of his way and scanning the horizon than watching him, although he caught her glancing at him once or twice, and Scorpius wondered about that.

He shook his head, wondering about a stupid Gryffindor fifth year was not going to help his game. Flying another circuit of the stadium, he sped past the Hufflepuff stand and slowed in front of his faithful Slytherins, who gave him a rousing cheer. Ariadne was beaming at him; he winked back at her, blowing a kiss. He heard the collective gasp of Gryffindors before he saw the flash of gold and red streaking past him.

“Fucking hell!” he cursed, jetting away desperately in pursuit. Was it a trick? he thought, but no, Lily Potter was not slowing down. Glancing behind her and catching sight of him now gaining on her, she sped up and up, higher in the sky. Scorpius roared his anger, but she would not be distracted. I can’t lose to a bloody new player, especially not a Gryffindor, however pret - He stopped that thought from forming in his brain and, gritting his teeth, he accelerated.

“You are not going to make that catch, Potter!” he yelled at her, but Lily laughed. In desperation, Scorpius inched further up his broom, and leant towards her. Lily dodged him.

“Your dad tried that one on mine, Malfoy. Grabbing the broomtail is a low trick, but what else should I expect?” she shouted scornfully.

“I wasn’t,” he shouted back, but Lily wasn’t listening. He could see her stretching out now, the Snitch tantalizingly close. His only chance was to...

She made the catch and he heard her shriek triumphantly just as he fell from his broom after taking both hands off and overreaching.

Plummeting to the ground, hitting the Slytherin goal as he fell, he sank into unconsciousness. He thought he heard someone screeching in horror, but it couldn’t have been her.

***

He could smell a mixture of freshly laundered sheets, lavender, and an overpowering scent that he’d never much cared for, so when Scorpius opened his eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see that he was in the hospital wing and Ariadne was sitting by his bedside.

“Oh, Scorpy,” she breathed, as her eyes welled with unshed tears. “You’re awake.”

State the bloody obvious, why don’t you? he thought irritably. “What happened?”

“You fell off your broom, and ... um ... didn’t catch the Snitch. But don’t worry, Vaisey’s put in a complaint about the Potter girl.”

“Why?” Scorpius jerked his head up and yelped as pain shuddered through his shoulder and head.

“She pushed you off, or hexed you, or something, Vaisey says,” Ariadne replied. “Don’t worry, we’ll get the match replayed ... She might even get a ban!”

“She didn’t push me off,” he insisted. “She got there first. Merlin, my head hurts. Ariadne, go and get Madame Bones, would you? I think I’m going to be sick.”

She looked at him in alarm; for a moment, he wondered if it was his injury worrying her or the fact that he was refuting Vaisey’s story. He sank his head back into the pillow, feeling a lot less nauseous now that she’d left.

***

By the third morning of his stay in the hospital wing, Scorpius was bored out of his skull. Madame Bones had told him that he had to stay until he was fully fit, for the fall had not only broken a lot of his bones but the bang to the head had left him unconscious for hours as well. He could, he know, have argued that he was fine (and in truth he felt a lot better) but apart from the boredom, he rather liked being in here away from everything. ‘Everything’ being Ariadne and Vaisey, who were annoyingly persistent in visiting him every spare moment they had. Vaisey had told him that the professors were only waiting for his testimony, and then the match would be awarded to them.

“She didn’t push me!” Scorpius kept saying, but Vaisey would only sigh and say his memory had been affected. Why can’t he just accept that Potter’s team was better? he thought, as he watched his disgruntled captain leave his bedside for the fourth time that day.

Ariadne, meanwhile, had brought him a huge bar of Honeydukes chocolate and a silver green ‘Get Well Soon’ card she’d had specially made and delivered from the card shop in Hogsmeade (Madam Carina’s Exclusive Wand-Crafted Cards for All Occasions). She had been a constant presence at his bedside �“ cosseting and clucking over him when he was awake. Scorpius had taken to feigning sleep when she turned up.

He heard someone steal into the ward; hastily, he closed his eyes. Whoever it was (the footsteps didn’t sound heavy, like Vaisey’s, or sharp, like Ariadne’s, and instead they were soft and hesitant) sat down in the chair by his bed and did not leave. He heard a sigh, and cautiously opened one eye.

“HA! I knew you weren’t asleep!”

Lily Potter was leaning back in the chair, eating another apple �“ one from his fruit basket, this time �“ and staring at him.

“What do you want, baby Potter?” he asked sarcastically. “Come to beg me not to tell how you pushed me off the broom?”

She whitened. “I ... I ... I didn’t do that,” she stuttered. “Please, you must-”

“Must tell the truth so you don’t get into trouble,” he finished her sentence for her. She swallowed a bite of the apple. “Forget about it. I haven’t said a word.”

“Oh,” she said, looking discomforted. “Um... Thank you. Actually, that’s not the only reason I came.” She took a deep breath and then placed her apple core on the bedside cabinet. “Everyone says you’ve lost your memory, and I wouldn’t want you to think that I had pushed you... and,” she hesitated, “... and ... I had to see if you were okay.”

Scorpius was momentarily lost for words. He usually had a smart reply to everything, but the trembling in Lily’s voice and the fact that she was now blushing had struck him dumb. “I’m fine,” he muttered at last, “and I know you didn’t push me, just as I didn’t try to grab your broom. I overreached and fell off; that’s what I’ve been telling Vaisey.”

She smiled impishly at him, and, after checking the clock on the opposite wall, stood up. “I should go. I know you didn’t try to grab my broom tail, by the way. I only said that to distract you.”

“You don’t have to go,” he blurted out, propping himself up on his elbow.

Lily stopped walking away and half turned her head. “My brother told me to stay away from you.”

He twisted his mouth into a sardonic smile. “You’d better do what he tells you then, hadn’t you, baby Potter.”

She turned her head around fully and stared at him, her hazel eyes locking intently on his. He thought she was about to turn back, but she appeared to change her mind because she walked determinedly to the door and out of the ward.

***

In a fury at not having the match awarded to Slytherin or at least replayed, Vaisey called for a practise session the weekend after Scorpius was released from hospital. It was scheduled for ten o’clock, but Scorpius lied to Ariadne and said it was an hour earlier because he needed time alone. The Slytherins were treating him with the utmost respect; they said nothing to his face, but he knew that, behind their calm demeanours, the team were blaming him for missing the catch. They’ve conveniently forgotten that Potter was playing out of his skin, he thought as he stomped towards the Quidditch pitch.

As he arrived, he cursed himself for not reading the practise schedule on the notice board. Potter was there, with the other Gryffindors, corralling them into incredible moves. He sat in the Slytherin stand and watched. They were slick, they were fast and �“ bloody hell �“ they looked like champions.

“Spying on us, Scorpy?” chirped a voice above. He looked up, not at all surprised to see Lily there.

“No, we have a practise session planned. I just wanted to arrive early,” he replied, hating that he sounded so defensive.

She swung down and perched herself on the ledge. “What do you think?”

Scorpius looked at her, sweaty and breathless from the session. Her eyes sparkled, and her red, slightly moist lips curved into a smile. “Sensational,” he murmured, as he looked straight at her.

“We are, aren’t we,” Lily agreed.

He leant back in the chair, stretched out his legs and propped them on the ledge next to her. “I wasn’t talking about the team,” he said slyly, liking the flush that appeared on her cheeks.

“Lily!” shouted Albus. “The session’s over.”

She rolled her eyes at Scorpius. “I have to go, or Albus will spend the rest of the weekend lecturing me. Honestly, I thought James was protective, but at least he could be fun.” She mounted her broom. “Have a good practise, Scorpy.”

“Don’t call me that!” he said abruptly. Lily hesitated and stared at him. He continued, “Please, I really hate it.”

“Oh!” Lily sounded a bit flustered. “I assumed you liked it. I’ve heard your girlfriend use it and ... um ... Well, sorry then. What shall I call you? Malfoy? Scor?” She giggled. “Pius?”

“I have a full name �“ Scorpius. What’s wrong with that? Or do you like being called Lil or Lils?”

She laughed. “Point taken.” They heard Albus bellowing again. “I have to go. I hope you have fun, Scorpius,” she said hesitantly, the name not quite rolling off her tongue.

He gazed as she flew off, lazily looping up and down in the sky, no care in the world, enjoying the feel of riding the wind. No fear of falli-

Scorpius closed his eyes tight and refused to let the fear emerge. He would be fine. He was fine, fully healed and raring to go.

The pitch was empty when he opened his eyes. Glancing at his watch, he saw there was still twenty minutes before the Slytherin team arrived -still twenty minutes for him to practise by himself. He walked down the solid wooden steps and onto the pitch. Mounting his broom, he kicked off, ignoring the lurch of fear that seemed to wave through his stomach. After a while, when his stomach had settled, he flew higher, circling the pitch slowly, breathing deeply, anything to stop the images he had flashing before his eyes of red and gold robes blurring, Quidditch hoops, and the muddy ground smacking him in the face.

“Oh, gods,” he gasped fearfully. He pointed his broom towards the ground and slowly descended. Slumped against the goalposts, he tried to compose himself before the Slytherin team arrived.

“You’re not okay, are you?”

“Go away, baby Potter.”

She ignored him and sat down on the grass. “You know something,” she said idly, “I have it much easier than Albus.”

“What?” he asked irritably, wondering why the hell she was still here and why she thought he’d be remotely interested in her brother.

“Albus looks very like Dad, you see, so people think he’s just like him, whereas I can just get on being me.” She stood up, and, to Scorpius’ surprise, she started to do cartwheels on the field.

“Is there a point to this touching family story?” he called to her.

Lily stopped cartwheeling and collapsed next to him. “Over the holidays, we play a lot of Quidditch, and, this summer, my brothers suddenly realised what Mum and Dad had been saying for years.”

“Which was?” he asked, intrigued despite himself. He edged closer to her, noticing that she’d closed her eyes against the bright October sun.

“That their sister was actually a bloody good flyer. Of course, until James left, there was no chance for me to get on the team �“ and,” she smiled ruefully, “I’m not like Mum. I don’t have Chaser instincts. I like flying, soaring into the sky and swooping to catch small golden objects.”

Scorpius lay down next to her. “I like the glory,” he admitted. “I like the feeling that I’ve won the game.”

Lily laughed. “Yeah, me too.” She stopped speaking. Scorpius propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her. Her red hair, wet after a shower, was plastered to the side of her face. Totally unlike the sleek and polished look of Ariadne, she was clearly not his type, yet ... He lowered his head towards hers, wondering what her lips would feel like against his, whether they’d taste as sweet as they looked.

“So what’s your problem now, then?” she asked, her eyes still closed. “Is it because you lost?”

He pulled back and sat up. “Mmm, I’m a bad loser, so I throw a tantrum. Isn’t that what you think?” he replied, and ran his hands through his hair. “I have lost games before, you know. I don’t like losing, but I can deal with it.”

“Then why were you flying so badly earlier?” she demanded, her eyes wide open, staring at him, forcing the truth from him.

He was about to deny anything, tell her he was flying fine, that he had no problems at all, but a noise from the changing rooms alerted him to the Slytherin team’s arrival. “Shit!” he muttered.

Lily looked at him oddly, and he wondered what expression showed on his face. She rummaged in her bag. “Here,” she said hurriedly, handing him a small wrapped packet.

He unwrapped the twist of paper to find a pink sweet. “What is it?”

“A Pustule Pip,” she muttered. “One of my Uncle George’s latest inventions. So new they’re not in the shops yet.” She giggled. “Fred is doing a roaring trade on the black market with them.”

“Why would I want it?” he asked, but wouldn’t look her in the eye.

Lily shrugged. “No idea, but perhaps if you’ve had enough of flying for one day, you might want an excuse ...” She glanced at Vaisey who was bearing down on them. “I’d better go. Look, the effects wear off in two hours, but you’ll look repulsive until then.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Scorpius asked her as she ran off.

Her laughter echoed around the stadium. “You don’t!”

His eyes followed her as she fled away, her red hair swinging like rats’ tails. He tried to imagine Ariadne ever looking quite so bedraggled, but the thought made him laugh. Ariadne never looked anything less than perfect; that was why he was seeing her.

“Was that the Potter girl?” queried Vaisey.

Scorpius nodded. “Yeah, I caught her sneaking around, probably wanted to spy on us.” Casually, he lifted the hand containing the Pustule Pip to his mouth and then took the sweet in his mouth. “I told her where to go.”

As Scorpius bit into the sweet and swallowed the liquid inside, he could feel something bubbling under his skin. “Oh, Merlin,” he cried and, crouching over on all fours, he was violently sick.

“Did she hex you again?” shouted Vaisey, a murderous look in his eyes.

“No,” Scorpius managed to reply before he retched again. He glanced at his hands noting with satisfaction that pustules were bursting through. “I’ve been feeling odd all day.” He clutched at his stomach, not acting the pain he was feeling. “I’m going to have to skip practise.”

Vaisey looked annoyed, and Scorpius noticed wryly as the rest of the team walked onto the pitch that none of them offered to walk him back to the castle.

As he staggered back to Hogwarts, Scorpius felt his stomach heaving again. He clutched at a tree and tried to breathe deeply.

“Oh, Merlin! I’m sorry,” breathed Lily. She was sitting on a tree stump eating yet another apple.

“Was this deliberate?” he said sourly.

“No, I promise,” she replied, her eyes widening in alarm. “Look, I sort of lied about the Weasley product. It’s so new that Uncle George hasn’t perfected it yet. It’s only supposed to cause a few pustules, nothing...” She trailed off, watching as he vomited again. “Er, shall I get you some water?”

Scorpius sank to the floor. “No, you’ve probably poisoned that, too.” He looked up irritably. “Go away, baby Potter.”

But she didn’t go away. Instead, Lily stayed with him. She wetted a cloth (he noticed it was a rather grubby handkerchief that she fished out of her pocket) and mopped his brow until the violent gripes in his stomach subsided. Then, she held out a silver flask to him. “Pumpkin juice?”

He nodded gratefully, and took a swig. As he drank, he caught sight of his reflection in the polished metal. His face was covered in pustules. “Gods, you didn’t lie about me looking repulsive,” he groaned.

Expecting her to laugh, he smiled and looked across at her. Lily wasn’t smiling back, but staring at him. He handed back the flask, and their fingers touched �“ a moment longer than necessary. Then she snatched her hand away.

“I... I should go,” she muttered.

“Hot date in Hogsmeade?” he inquired, trying to keep a note of irritation out of his voice.

“No... nothing like that. It’s just ...” She stopped and sighed. “My brother...”

“Has told you to stay away from me,” he said resignedly, finishing her sentence.

Lily looked at him and smiled sadly. She nodded slightly, and then getting up, she walked away. “Sorry about the Pustule Pips,” she called back over her shoulder. “I really didn’t know they’d make you so ill.”

He lifted a hand acknowledging her apology and watched as she walked towards Hogsmeade. He watched until he could see her no more, but she didn’t turn back. He lifted his hand in front of his face; the pustules were fading now. He felt relieved, not just because he hated looking hideous, but because it meant she hadn’t lied to him.

***
He didn’t run into Lily Potter much over the next few weeks. In different Houses and different years, they did not move in the same circles. Sometimes, he caught her glancing across at the Slytherin table, and once he thought she’d smiled at him, so he’d grinned back. But it was so fleeting that he could have been mistaken. Ariadne had asked who he was smiling at; when he’d denied it, she’d started arguing with him at lunch time. Shortly after that day, Scorpius had ended their relationship. He convinced himself that it was because he was sick of her nit-picking jealousy, but deep inside he knew that Ariadne had every right not to trust him.

Christmas came, and he saw the Potters and Weasleys getting onto the Hogwarts Express, as was he, to spend the holiday at home. He wondered what they’d do if he asked to share their carriage. Albus, he knew, would say no; Rose would refuse to believe there was no ulterior motive (smart girl, she’d be right); Hugo would scowl and side with Albus; Fred and Roxanne would just hex him painfully ... but Lily. Would she say yes? Would she talk to him or sit opposite munching her way through a bag of apples and not saying a word?

He sat instead in a carriage with Flint, talking about Quidditch and ignoring Vaisey and Ariadne, who were snogging the life out of each other. About an hour before they arrived at King’s Cross, Scorpius saw someone walking past his carriage. Spying red hair (and praying it wasn’t her cousin, Hugo, who’d started growing his hair long) he mumbled something to Flint and dashed out in pursuit. Catching up with her, he faltered slightly, unsure what to say, and then touched her lightly on the elbow.

“Lily,” he began. “I ... uh ... wanted to ... uh ...” He stopped, hating the fact that he sounded like a bloody stupid third year.

“Wanted to what?” she asked, slightly breathily, not looking him in the eye.

A gaggle of excited Hufflepuff first years walked past, giggling at the pair of them. Scorpius scowled at them, but instead of running off, they giggled louder.

“Oh... nothing,” he muttered. “Just ... just have a good Christmas.”

***

The week before Christmas, Scorpius went with his father to Diagon Alley on the pretext of buying Astoria a Christmas present. After they’d picked up the new set of dress robes from Twilfit and Tattings, and Scorpius had chosen a specially created perfume from Amber Amour’s Apothacary, Draco steered his son towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. As he gazed in at the window, Scorpius tried to stop the now familiar tide of nausea waving through his body. His father stood by his side, reminiscing about his old Quidditch playing days.

“I had a Nimbus two-thousand-and one,” he declared. “In those days, my father made sure I had the very best, so I shall do the same for you. What do you say to that?”

Scorpius bit his lip. He knew he was supposed to say ‘Thank you’ and declare how great it would be to walk back into Hogwarts with a Firebolt X, but ...

“Dad, I’m happy with the broomstick I’ve got, and besides, I might not make the team now.”

“Nonsense!” Draco murmured. “You only lost your place because of injury.”

I‘ve lost my nerve, thought Scorpius moodily, remembering the fall and the sound of a girl screeching ‘No!’

“Come on,” urged Draco, “let’s see what they’ve got.”

Hearing the enthusiasm in his father’s voice, Scorpius trudged behind him. By the counter, examining brooms and chatting away to George Chegwin, the Master Broom-maker, stood Albus and Lily with their father.

Draco hesitated, and then inclined his head a touch. Scorpius saw Harry nod back and then turn away. He knew his and Lily’s fathers tried to remain civilised towards each other in these enlightened days, but there were things in their past that could not be erased. They’d never be comfortable in each other’s presence.

Mr Potter looks as enthusiastic about brooms as Dad, he thought gloomily. Albus was glowering at him, so Scorpius turned away and studied broom-care kits. Lily, he noticed, had not looked at him at all.

When the Potters left the shop with two new brooms for Christmas, Draco stepped up to the counter. Scorpius gazed out of the window, unable to concentrate, hating the smell of Quaffle wax that was pervading his nostrils. “I need some air,” he called to his dad, and without waiting for an answer, he walked out of the shop.

Ducking into a side street, he slumped against a wall and took several deep breaths. He heard a munching before he saw her, but grinned to himself.

“Lily Potter, the apple queen,” he said, looking up at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, actually,” she replied firmly, then smiled. “I never wished you a Merry Christmas.” She looked around the dingy side street. “I didn’t expect to see you out here. Why aren’t you in the shop choosing a new broom?”

He shrugged, preparing to feign nonchalance, to tell her that he was bored with Quidditch and didn’t want a broom. But something in her eyes quenched his lie. “I,” he muttered at last, “have lost my nerve. I’m too bloody scared to sit on a broom, let alone play Quidditch.”

There was a silence broken only by Lily throwing her apple core into a nearby bin. “Do you know when I first decided I wanted to be a Seeker, rather than a Chaser like my mum?”

“When you heard about your dad’s famous matches at school, I should think,” Scorpius replied, wondering where she was leading with this conversation, but knowing she was going somewhere.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “Mum is the success story in our family. Dad didn’t talk much about Quidditch apart from telling us about his first ever match when he nearly swallowed the Snitch �“ gods, he can be so boring about thatd this.” She paused and turned her head on one side. “It was actually three years ago, when I was watching a match ... Ravenclaw against Slytherin.” She touched his arm. “You were brilliant that day, and I knew then that I didn’t want to play any other position. It was Seeker -- or nothing.”

She stepped closer to him, so he straightened up and looked down at her. “You will fly again, Scorpius. You’re too good not to,” she whispered fiercely.

Without thinking, he touched his lips to her cheek. It was soft, and he could still smell the apple she’d been eating. She caught her breath, and he knew then that he’d gone too far and she would pull away.

And then she tilted her face upwards and lifted one hand to his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair as she pulled him down towards her. His mouth found hers, and they kissed, tentatively at first, and then as his hands wrapped around her waist to draw her closer to him, it became more intense. Their lips parted; her tongue teased, as slowly, they explored the very intricacies of each other’s mouths. Pictures swirled in his mind of the pair of them, together, flying high, and he knew she was right.

He would fly again; he would fly with her.

Lily pulled back. “Wow!” she breathed.

“Wow back!” he murmured and then reached for her again, cupping her flushed face in his hands. “Didn’t your brother tell you to stay away from me?”

A delicious smile spread across her face as she stood on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “I don’t always do what my brother tells me.”

The tiny Scops owl with beige and white fluffy feathers didn’t so much soar gracefully through the bedroom window, as flutter in and land with a flump on the head of the bed’s occupant.

“What the hell!” groaned Scorpius, flustered out of his dream by a clutch of feathers in his mouth and up his nose. The irritating ball of fluff clicked its beak �“ whether in apology or amusement, Scorpius wasn’t sure �“ and then stuck its leg out.

Scorpius removed the letter and waved the owl away dismissively. It didn’t move.

“Go away,” he muttered irritably. “I don’t have any owl nuts here.”

The owl hopped onto Scorpius’ chest and eyed him reproachfully. “Oh, come on, then,” Scorpius said, sighing blearily. “I’ll take you to the kitchen; there’ll be something there.”

Picking up his pocket watch from the bedside cabinet, he sighed again. It was only five-thirty. Who the hell sent owls this early in the morning? Following Scorpius’ movement, the owl hopped onto the cabinet and began to peck at a discarded apple core he’d left by the lamp. Tweeting with delight, the owl gobbled up the rest of the apple and then flew up to the window and perched on the ledge.

Scorpius considered the owl thoughtfully and then unfurled the missive. He laughed. Of course, only Lily Potter’s owl would expect apples in payment.

‘I’m in Smithy’s Field. It’s a beautiful morning to fly.’

There was a space between these lines and the last, as if the writer were herself pausing.

‘Join me?
LLP x’

Scorpius closed his eyes, trying to repress a shudder. The thought of getting on a broom again made his insides ache, but to see her again made them squirm pleasurably. It was odd balancing fear with desire, and for a moment, he thought the fear had won, so he crumpled up the message, ready to shoo the owl out of the window. However, feeling the slightly sticky paper in his fingers, he instead lifted it to his face and inhaled.

Apples, he thought, and desire won out. Quickly dashing off a reply, he gave the owl a friendly cuff and sent it on its way. Then, quietly getting washed and dressed, he snatched up his broom and Apparated away.

Smithy’s Field was about thirty miles from Malfoy Manor and five miles from the Potter house. Scorpius had never been there, but he remembered James Potter mouthing off about it three years ago, proclaiming loudly in Scorpius’ presence that it was the reason his Gryffindor team were going to tear Slytherin apart. It was a field bought collectively by the Potters and the Weasleys, enchanted with Muggle repelling spells. James had apparently commandeered it for Quidditch practice and drilled his team throughout that summer.

Scorpius smirked. The Gryffindor team had been good. Fast, slick and uncannily accurate in front of the hoops, but they hadn’t had Scorpius Malfoy - and it had been Slytherin who’d taken the Quidditch and House Cups that year.

“You came!” Lily stood in front of him, beaming. She sounded surprised.

“I sent a reply,” he said smoothly and stepped towards her. It had been nearly two weeks since they’d kissed in Diagon Alley. As Scorpius bent his head down to hers, he was pleased that she instinctively tilted her face upwards and drew him down to her. It was the same as before, yet different, somehow. Her lips were still as soft, still as sweet �“ just as he remembered. But different because she was less tentative, more giving. In Diagon Alley, Lily had jerked her head away when she had heard her dad’s voice calling for her, and after whispering another hurried ‘Merry Christmas,’ she had run out from the gloom and him towards her dad, brother and the light.

Scorpius pulled away slightly, running one finger down her cheek. “I sent a reply,” he repeated.

“You’ve arrived before my owl.” She giggled. “He’s my Christmas present from Granny and Granddad, and he’s very sweet, but totally useless. Uncle Ron �“ that’s Hugo and Rose’s dad �“ thinks he’s Pig reincarnated.”

“A pig?”

Lily laughed again. “No, Uncle Ron had an owl called Pig �“ well Pigwidgeon really �“ but my uncle thought that name was soppy, so he shortened it to Pig and-” She paused for breath, and as she did so, Scorpius kissed her again, lingering on her lips and twining a strand of her long red hair between his finger and thumb.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I’m prattling on about my family. It must be boring for you.”

“Not at all,” he replied, and he meant it. He’d heard about her family �“ all of them �“ from his family. It hadn’t been complimentary. Granddad Lucius, in particular, chafed at the Weasley’s prominence at the Ministry. It was fascinating to hear warm, human stories about people his grandfather vilified. He leant forwards, intent on kissing her again when something fluffy flew down to her shoulder, its wings brushing his face. Scorpius sneezed.

“There you are, Pom,” Lily crooned and pulling away from Scorpius, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some dried apple slices.

“Pom? Like a pom-pom,” Scorpius mocked. “Isn’t that a bit soppy too?”

She gave him a withering look, as did Pom. “No, it’s French, Malfoy. ‘Pomme.’ My cousin, Louis, suggested it. It means �“”

“Apple?” he suggested. She giggled.

“Dad thinks it’s a dreadful name. He always researches his owl names. Gods, goddesses �“ that sort of thing, but, honestly, this little one is far too sweet to be called Thor.” She paused. “Al has called his Odysseus, after the Greek warrior, but I’ve started corrupting his owl ...” She giggled again. “Soon, he’ll only answer to Odie.”

He loved the way she lit up as she planned mischief. The yellow flecks in her hazel eyes seemed to dance in front of him. He found himself smiling, too, enjoying the joke against her brother.

Her brother.

“Er, Lily, where are your family now? I mean, how did you get here?”

“They’re probably still asleep, and I walked,” she replied carelessly.

“Walked? How far?”

“Not far. About a mile and a half.” Releasing Pomme from her hands and bidding him home, she leant into Scorpius. “Uncle George and Aunt Angelina’s house is over that hill. Smithy’s Field is at the end of their garden.”

“Uncle George...who makes Pustule Pips,” Scorpius stated, remembering how ill he’d felt.

Lily flushed. “Yes, except he doesn’t sell them. Apparently, they’re not quite right yet.” She looked up at him from beneath her long fringe. “Sorry.” She coughed. “Um ... do you want to �“” She trailed off and pointed to his broomstick.

“Fly?” he queried. No! His whole body revolted at the thought, and it must have shown. Lily touched him on the arm.

“You brought your broom,” she began hesitantly, “and there’s no one here except for us.”

“How do I know that?” he muttered, hating himself for doubting her, but unable to shake the suspicion that this was all an elaborate joke.

She stepped back and sweeping her fringe out of her eyes, glared at him. “You don’t, but if you knew how much trouble I’d be in for coming here with you, a Malfoy and a Slytherin, then you wouldn’t doubt me.”

His blue eyes met her frank gaze and he felt ashamed. “Trouble?” he asked. “From whom?”

Lily shrugged. “Various Weasleys. We’re a big family, but mainly my brothers and Uncle Ron.”

“What about your dad?” Scorpius asked. He sat on the grass; it was cold and wet with dew, so he spread out his cloak and gestured for her to join him. Lily walked back over and then sat by his side. She had none of Ariadne’s grace as she flopped down, gangling legs sprawling out in front of her. Ariadne would have sat on the cloak with her legs tucked neatly under and slightly to one side. She was like an elegant swan; Lily was like Pomme.

“Dad believes in second chances ... or at least, that’s what he says.” She screwed up her face as she thought. “I don’t know about Mum. She doesn’t like your granddad �“ I don’t know why �“ but she also knows that the surest way to get me to do something is to say that I mustn’t.” She looked at Scorpius slyly. “What about your family?”

“What about them?” he asked warily.

“Do they know you’re here with me?”

“’Course not!” he exclaimed. “Dad would be horrified.” He winced as he saw her flinch at the vehemence in his voice. “I’m not my dad, though, Lily.” A breath of wind rippled over them both, ruffling through her hair, blowing a tress across her face; Lily smoothed it behind her ear. “Can we stop talking about our families?” he asked at last. “We know they won’t like this, but we’re still here ... together.”

She smiled suddenly, her beaming smile of earlier. “Agreed. Let’s fly instead, Scorpy,” she gurgled, and standing up she tried �“ too late �“ to dodge his arm.

Scorpius pulled her back to the makeshift rug. “Don’t take the piss, baby Potter, or I’ll be forced to ask for compensation.” He leant over her. “On second thoughts, I’ll just take it anyway,” he muttered as he pressed his lips to hers.

Minutes later, Lily sat up, flushed with excitement. “That’s not the way to get me to stop using that name, Scor-” He tried to silence her with another kiss, but she pushed him away. “Scorpius Malfoy, stop distracting me.”

“From what?” he asked as he started to kiss her cheek, lips straying down to her neck. He wondered how it was possible for him to feel so much desire for this scruff �“ so unlike Ariadne.

“Flying,” she replied, pushing him away again.

He sat up, hugging his knees to his chest, all desire for her gone as his fears surfaced.

“Vaisey’s found another Seeker,” he said bleakly.

“Well, prove him wrong. Show everyone at Hogwarts what a prat he is to drop you.”

“He didn’t drop me! I quit!” Scorpius exclaimed haughtily. Then he grinned sheepishly.“I suppose that makes me the prat.”

“A bit.” Lily leant across and took his hand. “You brought your broom today. You must have wanted to try.” Examining his broom, she opened her mouth wide. “Wow! A Firebolt X. Someone got lucky this Christmas.”

He shrugged. “I’d have been ecstatic last year.” Picking it up, he handed it to Lily. “Want to try it �“ a test flight?”

“You mean you haven’t even ridden it!” she exclaimed. “Merlin, Scorpius, you must feel bad.” Planting a soft kiss on his cheek, she pulled him to standing. “Come on, let’s take this up together.”

“I can’t.” His face blanched at her suggestion.

“Yes,” Lily said softly but with determination, “you can. You’ll be with me, and this time I won’t let anything happen.”

Something in her voice made him start. He looked at her curiously. She smiled, but not quickly enough for him to miss a look of terror flitting across her face. “What’s the matter?” he asked her.

Lily gulped. “I froze, Scorpius. I saw everything, but couldn’t do anything. And it was my fault.”

He laughed openly at her. “Why?”

“Because if I hadn’t caught the Snitch, or taunted you, then you wouldn’t have fallen,” she declared stubbornly.

Taking her hands in his, Scorpius squeezed them gently. “Taunting is part of the game. I didn’t fall because of you; I fell because I misjudged things. You, Lily Potter, were better than me.” Swallowing his fear, he grinned at her and reached for his broom. “Come on, Professor. Show me how to fly.”

He was pleased he’d joked her out of the sudden solemn mood that had hit her, and, with a jolt, realised he hated to see her not smiling.

Taking the broom from him, Lily hitched up her skirt and sat astride it. She motioned for him to sit alongside, but Scorpius shook his head. “Maiden flight. You take her up, Lily.”

“Is this your way of avoiding getting into the air, Malfoy?” she taunted.

“No,” he replied, adding mischievously. “It’s my way of looking up your skirt, Potter.”

She giggled again, but instead of kicking off, she reached out and pulled him over. “Fly with me, Scorpius,” she whispered.

Smiling, he hoisted himself behind her and then slid his hands around her waist. Closing his eyes so he didn’t have to look at the ground below or the sky above, he gritted his teeth and commanded her to take off.

Lily kicked off gently from the grass, but such was the power of the Firebolt X that they soared rapidly into the air. He clutched her tightly.

“You okay?” she shouted. He nodded into her back, but his stomach lurched as they flew higher.

“Lily,” he muttered, “I can’t ...”

“Yes, you can,” she retorted. “Scorpius, you’re not going to fall. This is fun. It’s not a match, and there’s no Snitch.”

Cautiously, he opened his eyes and leant back slightly from her. He shuddered briefly, but Lily slid her hand onto his, and he immediately felt calmer. He could sense her exhilaration and the need she had to test the acceleration of the broom, but it was tempered with her fear for him. Scorpius squeezed her around the waist and then urged her, “Go faster, Lily.”

In glee, she kicked again and moved her body forwards, streamlined over the broom. Scorpius followed her lead and as the breeze whipped over them over them both, he heard himself laughing.

This was glorious. This was him and Lily alone. This was flying.

“How do you feel?” she shouted.

In reply, he leant further on top of her and then releasing his grip from her waist, he grasped the front of the broom and began to steer zigzag through the air currents.
“Sensational,” he purred in her ear. She gasped as he whipped them towards the ground, eddying down with speed and yet there was no danger. He was with her; he felt safe.

They landed clumsily, but that was only to be expected as both were laughing too ridiculously to concentrate. Falling onto the ground, Scorpius lay back on the grass, little caring that the dew was soaking through his clothes.

“Up!” Lily declared, standing over him. She held both brooms now.

Scorpius shook his head. “Come and join me down here.”

“Uh-uh,” she dissented and started to walk away. Sitting astride her broom, she threw the Firebolt X towards him.

“Come on, Scorpy,” she teased before kicking off.

Scorpius watched her hovering, skirting lightly through the air like her owl. “Stop calling me that,” he pleaded.

“Can’t hear you,” she replied insouciantly. “You’ll have to come up here, Scorpy. Tell me to my face.”

As she giggled, he determinedly mounted his broomstick. Roaring out loud, he rushed towards her. Lily shrieked and shot forwards, but the acceleration of the Firebolt X was far superior. Despite her weaves through the air, he caught up with her easily and then tugged on her broom tail.

“Malfoy, you cheat!” she yelled.

“Says who?” he replied as he pulled alongside her. Removing his hand from the brush, he lifted it and with a daring he hadn’t thought possible when he’d first got here, he reached across and kissed her on the lips before speeding ahead of her.

He reached into his pocket. “I bought this for you,” he called. “A lovely, crisp apple for my apple queen, But ...” He paused. “As you’ve been so cheeky, baby Potter. I think I’m going to keep it or ...” he grinned at her slyly, “... use it as a Snitch.”

“Nooooo!” she screamed as he tossed the apple into the air. As she dove down to catch it, Scorpius chuckled and followed her, marvelling at her single-mindedness.

“Ha!” she cried in triumph as she snatched her prize. “Mine, Malfoy!”

She landed on the ground, this time perfectly, and began to munch on it. Scorpius followed, landing neatly beside her. “Do you want some?” she said, holding it out to him.

Scorpius accepted and took a bite. The crisp, slightly acid tang refreshed him. He refused the second bite she offered him. Instead, he sat back leaning on his elbows, preferring to watch as she nibbled and chatted about her Christmas.

“Sounds better than mine,” he muttered at one point, when she was moaning about the noise and lack of privacy because she was sharing a room with Roxanne, Rose and Lucy. “At least you had fun.”

“Didn’t you then?” she asked in surprise.

“Not when it’s a Malfoy year, and we’re all staying at the Manor,” he answered, stifling a yawn. “It’s better when it’s a Greengrass year �“ they’re my mum’s side of the family.” He supplied the explanation when she shot him a puzzled glance. “My Aunt Daphne’s pretty fun. She was at school with Dad, so she comes out with new stories about him every year �“ always useful when he’s mouthing off about my marks.” He smiled at the sky. “I think Aunt Daphne was supposed to marry my dad.”

“Oh, what happened?” she asked, pulling herself alongside him.

“He saw her sister, Astoria �“ my mum �“ and fell in love,” Scorpius replied simply, then laughed slightly mockingly. “Well, that’s what I’ve been told. Might just be another Malfoy myth. We have a few, and it’s hard sifting through to find the truth.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “I know what that’s like.”

He peered across at her then said softly, “It must be hard being the daughter of the famous Harry Potter.”

Lily twisted her head around and gazed at him. “Not really ... or at least, not always. Dad doesn’t talk about it much, and until I went to Hogwarts, I didn’t realise how famous he was.” Scorpius edged closer to her and took her hand. She smiled at him. “Al has a harder time, I think.”

“Mmm.” Scorpius raised her hand to his lips and started to kiss each fingertip. “You said that before. Does James have the same problem?”

“No,” Lily replied. “James doesn’t give a rats for anyone’s reputation or opinion.” She pulled her hand away and placed it around his neck. “Why are we talking?”

“No idea,” he murmured and bent his head down towards her.

As her lips parted, he felt an anticipatory shiver run through him. Slowly, he ran his hand down her side and into the dip of her waist. After Ariadne’s curves, Lily’s slight frame thrilled him. Encountering the hem of her jumper, he slid his hand underneath and through a gap in her shirt. His fingers grazed across her smooth-as-silk skin and then travelled upwards.

Lily froze and he knew immediately that he’d gone too far. ”Sorry,” he whispered and withdrew his hand. She blushed and bit her lip but didn’t move away, so Scorpius, placing his hand firmly on the outside of her jumper, held her close to him. He could feel her heart beating wildly against his chest, matching his own. There was an awkward silence which Scorpius wasn’t sure how to bridge, but then his mind drifted to her brother.

“What’s James doing now?” he asked, knowing that her brother had left Hogwarts only scraping three N.E.W.T.s.

“He has a trial coming up for the Arrows,” she said, her voice quavering slightly.

Scorpius frowned. “I thought he was set on Puddlemere,” he replied, remembering James’ assertion that he would be taken up by his favourite team.

“They weren’t looking for Chasers,” she said bluntly, although she didn’t sound convinced.

“So he’s just sitting around doing bugger all,” Scorpius stated scornfully.

Lily laughed. “Merlin, no! Mum won’t let him do that. She got him a job at The Prophet .” She grinned at Scorpius and lifted her hand to trail her fingers through his thick blonde hair. “It was either that or being Dad’s tea boy, and I’m not sure either of them would have lasted a week.”

“They don’t get on?” Scorpius asked, thinking of his own relationship with his dad.

“Oh, they get on well, just not all day, every day - James hates taking orders from anyone. What about you?”

“Hmm?” he murmured, willing himself to concentrate on the conversation and not her hand, which had now slipped from his hair to the back of his neck.

“What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?”

“Oh, that.” Scorpius shrugged. “What I want to do and what I’ll end up doing are two very different things.”

Lily’s fingers stopped their circular movements on his shoulder blade. “Why?”

He sighed. “Before the fall, I wanted to play pro, but a professional Quidditch player is not a suitable career for a Malfoy, and Granddad would have a fit. The other thing ...” He trailed off and looked away from her. “Let’s just say that being a Malfoy would not go in my favour.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her looking at him curiously, but she didn’t press him further.

“You’re of age, Scorpius. You don’t need your dad’s permission �“ or your granddad’s.”

I do when they hold the purse strings, he thought moodily. He pulled out his pocket watch and sighed. “I should go,” he said regretfully, “before your brother sets Dugbogs on me.”

“Are you scared of Al?” she mocked.

“Not particularly,” he retorted, “but a whole mob of Potters and Weasleys with wands is a different matter.” Scorpius stood and pulled her to standing. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Teaching me to fly.”

Lily laughed. “You knew how to fly, Scorpius.”

He considered her words. “Teaching me to enjoy flying again,” he amended. Cupping her face in his hands, he gave her one last lingering kiss. “I want to see you again.”

“Tomorrow?” she said, so quickly that he knew she’d been thinking about it too. Then she faltered. “I mean, we’re staying here another day, so I can get here tomorrow morning, too.”

She looked up at him, enthusiasm radiating from her large hazel eyes.

“Same time,” he confirmed. “I’ll be here.”

“Wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

Both Scorpius and Lily sprang apart at the sound of a voice behind them. He heard Lily groan, but, as he gripped his wand to face what he assumed would be one of her brothers or a red-haired relation, he stopped short. It wasn’t anyone he recognised. The man standing before him was older than Scorpius �“ probably in his twenties, he surmised. He was tall with light brown hair and an impassive look on his face.

“Oh ... um ... hi,” squeaked Lily. “Um ... Teddy, this is ... um ... a friend of mine.”

Teddy, thought Scorpius, wondering where he’d heard the name before. He frowned as he concentrated, but it must have looked as if he were glowering because the man’s expression became a lot less friendly. Scorpius blinked and hurriedly assumed a smile on his face, all the while thinking, Teddy ... Teddy ... where have I heard that name before?

“Who’s this, Lily?” Teddy asked in a friendly tone, but never taking his dark eyes off Scorpius.

“Harry Cootes,” she replied, quick as a flash. “He’s a friend from school, a Beater on the Gryffindor team.”

Scorpius glared at her. Bloody Harry Cootes. Stupid dumb-as-fuck, Harry Cootes. Why couldn’t she have said ... oh, bloody hell, anyone except Harry-sodding-Cootes. He looked at Teddy who was slowly extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Harry.”

Was Scorpius imagining a sarcastic tone in the man’s voice? “You too, Teddy,” he replied and shook hands. As Teddy’s fingers gripped his, he tried not to wince, but stared into his dark eyes. Teddy let go and stepped back.

“Odd, I always thought Beaters had strong grips �“ all that practise with Bludger bats.” He looked Scorpius up and down. “You don’t have a Beater’s build either. They’re usually taller and broader.”

Scorpius spluttered. Harry Cootes wasn’t exactly tall, either. Beside him, he could see Lily twisting some strands of her hair nervously. “My aim is excellent,” Scorpius replied coldly.

“You’re in the sixth year, I think. Is that right, Harry?”

Scorpius swallowed. What year was Cootes in? Certainly not seven.

“Yes, he’s sixth year,” Lily replied firmly.

“So where do you live?” Teddy asked mildly.

“Uh...” Scorpius went blank. He knew exactly why this Teddy bloke was asking. Harry Cootes wasn’t old enough to Apparate, so had to live nearby. Shit, where was he again? Smithy’s Field ... Somerset, wasn’t it? Villages in Somerset ... “Cheddar�“on-the-Wye,” he declared.

Teddy pursed his lips and then turned to Lily. “Your mum’s looking for you, Tiger-Lily. I think you should go back to the house. I’ll make sure Harry gets back home.”

“Um,” she trilled, her eyes darting nervously from Teddy to Scorpius.

“I’ll see you on the train, Lily,” Scorpius said and reaching over, he squeezed her hand. Fastening his cloak around his neck and then picking up his broomstick, he turned to Teddy. “I can walk back from here; it’s fine.”

He started to walk off, raising his hand to Lily in a last salute. She flashed him a smile and then she too began to trudge off in the opposite direction, back to her Uncle George’s house. Scorpius smiled to himself; he could put up with being Harry Cootes for five more minutes, and that was quick thinking on her part. He’d carry on walking and then, once he was over the hillock, he’d Apparate.

“So,” Teddy called after him. Scorpius stopped as his interrogator loomed up behind him. Shit, he’d have to make conversation �“ be Cootes for a bit longer. He turned around, grunted in a ‘Cootes-ish’ way, but didn’t quite look Teddy in the eye.

“How’s that sister of yours?”

“Fine,” Scorpius replied warily. Cootes had a sister? That was news.

“Did she marry Cadwallader in the end?” Teddy grinned. “Very on/off relationship those two had, as you know. Used to cause a lot of hassle in the Gryffindor common room. Lot of trouble when I was a Prefect.”

Scorpius was silent, his brain whirring. What the hell was the right answer? “Uh ... they haven’t set the date yet.” His eyes flicked around as he tried to think how to change the subject. “Look, you really don’t have to walk with me, Teddy. I’m quite capable of ...” He stopped and took a sharp intake of breath. Teddy’s hair, which had been light brown and to his shoulders, was suddenly �“ unaccountably �“ very short and blonde, like his own.

“Merlin, you’re a Metamorphmagus !”

“Yep,” Teddy replied carelessly. He grinned. “I like to surprise people, Harry. A bit like you surprised me when I saw you in the air. Perhaps that’s something else we have in common.”

Starting to grin back, Scorpius suddenly faltered. “S-something else?” he stuttered.

“As well as the blood tie,” Teddy continued and then stared straight at him. Scorpius watched as Teddy slowly morphed his dark, twinkling eyes into pale-blue �“ Scorpius’ exact shade. “We could be brothers, Scorpius, not cousins.”

There was a long, long pause. Scorpius gripped his wand and thought about Apparating, but something kept him staring straight back. Of course, this was Teddy Lupin. His cousin ... or second cousin, to be precise.

“How did you know who I was?” he asked hollowly.

“Hmm, well, let’s see. The real Harry Cootes does have a sister, but she wasn’t a Gryffindor. She’s called Molly, by the way. Cootes Senior, you may be interested to know, decided to name his kids after Battle of Hogwarts heroes.” He laughed slightly bitterly and twisted his mouth. “It’s become pretty fashionable, you know. I’ve met five Molly’s, and even a Nymphadora ... but not a Remus.”

“Nymphadora?”

“My mum,” Teddy said very quietly. “Your dad’s cousin.”

Scorpius took a long shuddering breath, trying to take all of this in. He had heard of Nymphadora, his grandmother’s sister’s daughter. He hadn’t been told about her �“ not officially, but had picked up bits of information by listening carefully when the grown-ups hadn’t realised he was there. “So once you knew that I wasn’t Harry Cootes, how did you know I was Scorpius Malfoy?” he asked at last.

“Who else would Lily need to meet in secret?” Teddy snorted and then he smiled wistfully. “I’m teasing you. I knew who you were the minute I laid eyes on you. The resemblance to your dad is almost as striking as Al’s to Harry �“ Potter, that is, not Harry Cootes, Peake or Finch-Fletchly.” He laughed again, this time in genuine amusement, and Scorpius joined in. “You were pretty cool under questioning, Scorpius. Very non-committal.”

“What are you going to do now?” he asked Teddy, slightly nervously.

“You mean, am I going to drag you back to a seething hub of Weasleys and get them to hex you for corrupting Lily?”

“Er ... yeah, something like that.” Scorpius’ eyes flittered around him, wondering if Teddy was still alone, whether this was a set up and Albus or James would suddenly appear.

“Relax,” Teddy sighed. “Lily’s like my sister, and I’m protective of her.” He shrugged. “They all are. But I was a protected and cosseted kid, too, and I know how bloody infuriating that can be. I’m not going to say a word.”

“What so you’re not even going to warn me off?” Scorpius asked in disbelief. “Or threaten me ... or something?”

“Oh,” replied Teddy nonchalantly. “If you hurt her, then I’ll hurt you.” He waved away Scorpius’ protest. “I don’t mean normal boy-girl crap, either. I mean that if you use or manipulate her, then I’ll use violence.”

“I’m not using her!” Scorpius protested hotly.

“Good,” declared Teddy. “Then that’s the niceties out of the way. Why don’t we forget Lily and just chat for a while?”

“Why?” Scorpius asked in astonishment.

“Because apart from my grandmother, you’re the only blood relative I’ve ever spoken to. I’d quite like to get to know you.”

They were standing now at the very edge of the field; the sun was climbing and Scorpius, glancing at his watch, realised he had to get back because his mum would surely have noticed his empty bed by now. But something kept him here, staring at this newfound relative.

“Why would you want to get to know a Malfoy?” he asked suspiciously. “You lot despise us. I mean, I don’t blame you. I don’t particularly like Potter and his brother either. Or those bloody Weasleys.” He stopped and then backed away, suddenly remembering that Teddy Lupin was Harry Potter’s godson. “Sorry, that’s bloody rude of me. They’re practically your family, aren’t they?”

Teddy smiled down at him a touch sadly. “Prejudice saw my father shunned, my mother become a marked woman, my grandfather murdered, and my grandmother disowned by her family.” He paused and gazed back at the lonely house on the horizon. “You’re right, they are practically my family �“ and will be actual family when I marry, but I’m not blind to their faults. Prejudice exists on both sides, Scorpius, as I’m sure you are aware �“ being a Malfoy and a Slytherin.”

Scorpius stared at Teddy, wondering what this man knew, wondering if he was hinting at something or just taking a wild guess. “I should go,” he muttered.

“Yes,” Teddy agreed. “You should.” He held out his hand and Scorpius accepted it without any hesitation. This time, Teddy did not grip him firmly but shook lightly. “It’s been good to meet you properly at last, Cousin.” He let go of his hand and then lifted his wand to his mouth. “But if you’re using her, Malfoy...”

Scorpius looked away. He wanted to shout that he wasn’t using her, that he genuinely liked being with Lily because she ... she ... His thoughts tailed off. He didn’t know why he liked being with Lily and he didn’t see why he had to explain anything to this man even if they were related. He nodded brusquely, showing that he understood, and then, turning sharply on the spot, he Apparated back to Malfoy Manor.

The evening before Scorpius was due back at school found him alone in his bedroom. His mum had told him to use their house-elf, Truckle, to do his packing, but he’d become irritated with Truckle’s fussing and had ordered her to leave the room. Truckle, he’d been amused to see, had actually flounced out of the room. He’d never seen a house-elf in a huff before, but Truckle was unusual. She had accepted freedom under the new laws, but then asked her mistress if she could stay with the family.

Although he knew his dad had been reluctant, his mum had readily agreed. Scorpius strongly suspected that she employed Truckle because of the ructions it caused. There had certainly been a smile on her lips when she broke the news to her Malfoy in-laws on their last night at the Manor that she would now be paying her house-elf. His grandmother had nearly choked on her roast parsnip whilst his grandfather had gone a very strange shade of purple and started raving about the ‘stupidity of the new laws’ and how they were all the fault of that ‘meddling Mudblood woman.’ At that, Scorpius’ mother had glared at her father-in�“law, and he’d seen her kick his dad on the shin under the table. When Draco had not uttered a word, she’d spoken instead.

“I find that term offensive, Lucius,” she’d said crisply. “And, these days, it isn’t clever to throw insults around like that.”

“I will say whatever I please and about whomever I want in my own house, Astoria,” Lucius Malfoy had roared. “You speak like a blood-traitor!”

Scorpius hadn’t spoken but, like his dad, calmly carried on eating. He could, though, have cheerfully hexed his mum for bringing up the subject of house-elves when he’d planned to lob his own Bludger into the conversation by asking his grandparents about Teddy Lupin. However, after she’d successfully ended the evening on an all-time low (and there had been many, many lows concerning his mother and her in-laws), Scorpius did not have the nerve to ask any questions about his cousin just yet.

There was a knock at the door, and before he could say ‘enter,’ his mum walked in, carrying a pile of freshly laundered shirts. “Truckle told me you’d sent her away,” she said, a note of disapproval in her voice.

“She was trying to pack vests, for Merlin’s sake,” he replied in exasperation. “Honestly, she still thinks I’m five!”

“She looked after you for a long time, Scorpius, and loves her precious baby boy,” Astoria cooed, laughing as Scorpius scowled. She sat on the bed next to him. “She is crashing pots and pans around in the kitchen now. I swear she was never this noisy before we freed her.”

Scorpius glanced sideways at her. “Did you only free her to annoy Granddad?”

“Partly,” she replied and smirked. “It is the only way I can get through those interminable Malfoy Christmases, darling.” She paused and reached over to ruffle his hair. “Truckle was unhappy, though, and she helped me so much when you were born, and for years after.”

He pulled away, smoothing down his hair and faced her. He had heard the story from his aunt Daphne of how his mum nearly died giving birth to him. She’d been young �“ barely seventeen �“ when she’d gone into labour a month early, and abroad. To both sets of grandparents’ disgust, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had been born in a Muggle hospital, where they’d saved her life. It had changed his parents’ views forever, although only Astoria was forceful enough to say so. “Is that your subtle way of telling me I was rude to Truckle?” he asked at last.

“Make sure you say goodbye to her tomorrow,” she replied and stood up. “I shall leave you to it. You seem to have rather a lot of packing left to do.”

“You won’t help?” he asked hopefully, but she shook her head.

“Not a chance. You told Truckle to leave, so you can finish it yourself. What a shame you didn’t learn any of those useful household spells in Charms.”

As she stood, he remembered what he’d wanted to ask his grandparents the night before. His mum might not know anything about the Black family, but it would be a start.

“Uh, Mum,” he began nervously.

“Mmm,” she replied, and turned back to face him.

“What do you know about Grandma Cissa’s sister?”

Astoria raised one eyebrow and fixed him with a frosty glare. “The same as everyone else. She was a thoroughly evil woman. I never met her, but she terrorised your father. He still has nightmares about her. Do not mention her name to him.”

Scorpius stared in bewilderment then his face cleared. “No, no, I don’t mean Bellatrix. I mean the other one, Andromeda Black.”

Astoria stopped short. The look on her face was no longer hostile, merely curious. “Why are you asking about her?”

He looked away. “Uh... No real reason, but she’s family, isn’t she?”

“She was disowned for marrying a Muggle-born. In those days �“ and in that family �“ it was probably the worst thing she could have done,” Astoria said, and sat back down on the bed. Her pale blue eyes �“ so like his own �“ were alive with interest. “I’m intrigued, Scorpius. You’ve never been interested before. So, why now?”

Pretending not to hear her, he pressed on with his questions. “She had a daughter, didn’t she?”

“Yes,” she replied slowly and placing her fingers under his chin, she turned his face towards her. “Why are you asking about her?”

Scorpius knew how to lie. He was adept at lying and had lied to his professors, his friends, his girlfriends and even his dad. He could lie to everyone...except his mother. He swallowed. “I met my cousin,” he said quietly, trying to drag his eyes away from hers. She would not release him. “Teddy Lupin.”

“When?”

“Is that important?”

Astoria looked intently into his eyes and then sighed. “No, not if you don’t want to tell me, Scorpius.” Patting him on the cheek, a gesture she knew he found irritating, she smiled as she got to her feet. “I don’t know very much about that side of your family.”

Scorpius gnawed the side of his bottom lip. “Will Dad tell me, do you think?”

“If you pick the right moment, darling, your father will tell you anything,” she replied, smiling slyly as she left the room.

***

There had not been a right moment. His dad had returned from the Ministry in a foul mood and snapped whenever anyone spoke to him. Astoria had pursed her lips but largely ignored him, instead keeping up a stream of conversation with Scorpius about packing, studying hard, Quidditch (which was laughable, because she knew nothing about the game) and, in the end, asking him about his love life. Knowing she was only doing this to provoke a reaction out of him, he vowed not to respond, but after what seemed like the fortieth comment about how lovely Ariadne was, he took the bait.

“Mum, will you give it a rest!” he exclaimed hotly. “I’m not seeing her anymore, all right?”

“Really,” she replied, her eyes darting from his face to Draco’s. “Then who are you seeing?”

“No one,” he muttered quickly �“ too quickly, he realised, because now his dad looked up from his plate of food and stared at him through narrowed eyes.

“Scorpius Malfoy, you’ve spent the entire holiday moping around in either your bedroom here, or the one at your grandparents,” his mother declared. He flushed and looked away, praying she’d stop. “Then you disappeared one morning, returning long after breakfast with a smile on your face so wide I could have fed you a whole watermelon.” She laughed at his reddened face. “You are smitten with someone, so don’t try to tell me that was just from flying, darling.”

“It was,” he protested. “The broom Dad got me is brilliant.” He shot an imploring look at Draco. “You know what it’s like, don’t you, Dad?”

Draco helped himself to a freshly baked roll from the basket in the centre of the table. Very slowly and deliberately, he split it in two, but didn’t take his eyes off his son’s face. “Mmm, when you’re eleven or twelve and have a new broom, I agree it is very exciting. Not so much at eighteen.” He broke off a piece of the roll and dipped it in his gravy. “Who’s the girl, Scorpius?”

“There isn’t a girl!” Scorpius exclaimed. He gasped as he saw his parent’s expressions, mirrors of horror as they automatically jumped to the wrong conclusion. He laughed. “No, no, it’s not a boy, either.”

His dad smiled for the first time that evening, his shoulders relaxed. “Thank Merlin for that. I thought you were about to tell me you’d fallen for that obnoxious Weasley brat... What’s his name, Hugh, or something?”

Scorpius snorted. “Hugo, and no, Dad, he’s really not my type.”

Draco mopped up the remaining gravy on his plate. “Good. I’m not sure what would have been worse, you being with a Weasley or being a queer.”

Scorpius blinked but instantly fixed a smile on his face. He laughed along with his dad, but noticed his mum eyeing him with a very curious expression on her face.

The meal had ended cheerfully enough, but Scorpius’ nerve had failed, so he hadn’t asked his dad about Teddy Lupin. Instead, he busied himself with the rest of his packing and placating Truckle (who he was rather fond of) by asking if she’d make him some food for the journey back to Hogwarts.

“Your cakes are so much better than the ones on the train,” he said, adding a pleading touch to his voice.

Truckle stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “Truckle has already made Master Scorpius some cakes,” she said. “Truckle is not forgetting how much he likes her cooking. Would the young master like to choose a filling for the puffs? Truckle has pumpkin, or maybe blueberry.”

“How about apple?” he suggested, his mouth watering as he imagined biting into her light-as-air pastry. “Make two, will you, Truckle ... please?”

***

Astoria insisted on taking him to the station, even though he insisted he could get there by himself. For all her fragility, his mother possessed a steel spine and was unbending. He kept his eyes focused on the train and his fellow Slytherins, all the while aware that she was watching every conversation he had with any girl on the platform. He deliberately stopped himself from searching for any redheads, especially those who were whippet slim, with long tangled hair fluttering in the bitter wind that coursed across the platform.

“Hmm,” his mum whispered in his ear, “I do hope it’s not the Head Girl who’s caught your fancy, darling. Your father really would not be happy with that.”

“Huh?” Scorpius dragged his eyes away from Lily and her clutch of cousins. “Who, Rose Weasley?” He laughed in genuine amusement. “Merlin, Mother, give me some credit. She’s about as much my type as her brother.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Astoria purred. “She’s pretty enough.”

“She’s also incredibly bossy and boringly obsessed with rules. Bloody glad I wasn’t made Head Boy now.”

“If you say so,” Astoria replied, a small smile playing on her lips.

He bit his tongue, unwilling to respond to her needling because he knew she would wheedle the truth out of him if he said anymore. Instead, he started up a conversation with Vaisey, telling him he had a new broom and could return to the team. Vaisey, he noticed, did not quite look him in the eye when they were talking, and exclaimed only half-hearted congratulations over Scorpius’ Firebolt X. He wondered about that, wondered whether Vaisey was avoiding him because of Ariadne or because he didn’t want him back. Well, that was too bad. He had his broom and he had his nerve; Vaisey had no choice but to play him now.

Except you pulled out of the team, a voice nagged in his head. Vaisey doesn’t have to pick you at all.

“Scorpius, I’m flattered that you want to delay your departure so you can spend more time with me.” His mum’s voice brought him back to the present. “But you really should get on that train.” She ruffled his hair, grinning as he scowled and began to flatten it. “Look, that pretty Rose Weasley is summoning you. It must be love!”

“No, it’ll be a bloody rota for patrol duties,” he replied, through gritted teeth. “Weasley will have made sure it’s all very fair, but that somehow, I’m left to check on the first years.” His mum looked puzzled. “They’re always sick on the train, Mum. Stupid first years who never know when to stop shovelling food into their gobs. Hufflepuffs are the worst.”

As she laughed, he pecked her quickly on the cheek, and strode towards the train, dragging his trunk. He accepted his rota (all colour coded) and noted with a sardonic grin that he was indeed being asked to pay special attention to some of the first years, who she’d seen were seated in the third, fifth and ninth carriages down from the prefects.

“Yes, Head Girl,” he intoned. “No, Head Girl.” Three frigging moneybags full, Head Girl!

“You don’t have to look quite so irritable,” Rose retorted. “We’re all doing our bit, Malfoy, and I have given you a reasonable amount of free time on this journey.”

He glanced down at the rota. “Why have you paired me up with your brother? What possible reason do you have for that?”

“Feeling’s mutual, Malfoy,” Hugo said from further down the corridor. Scorpius turned to see the Gryffindor boy glaring at him, then stifled a smile as he saw Lily peeping out from behind him and pulling faces at her cousin.

“As I explained to you, Hugo,” Rose began, sounding flustered. “We are short-handed on this journey. A few of the prefects stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas, and you are the only spare. Malfoy is �“”

“Hold on!” Scorpius interrupted. “Why can’t I patrol with Flint?”

“He’s already paired up with Ariadne,” Rose replied as she studied the list, adding in an amused voice, “She didn’t want to be anywhere near you, she told me.”

“Thank Merlin for that,” Scorpius muttered. Seeing that Hugo was now poring over the list and arguing with his sister, he risked a wink in Lily’s direction. She blew him a kiss back, but the gesture caught Rose’s attention, who immediately looked up. Flicking her eyes over Scorpius, she looked puzzled, but then she glanced over her shoulder and gave a small, secret smile back at Lily.

Scorpius looked behind Rose and saw �“ to his horror �“ stupid bloody Harry Cootes waving excitedly at Lily.

“There’s space in our carriage, Lily,” Cootes called. “And I’ll take your trunk if it’s too heavy for you.”

“What a gentleman,” murmured Rose, teasingly. Lily, Scorpius was relieved to see, shot Rose a look of fury and started blushing.

“He’s a prat!” she whispered as she stared at the ground.

Cootes was a prat, but a stubborn one. Seemingly ignorant of Lily’s opinion of him, he barged his way through, stepping in front of Scorpius.

“Er...” Lily looked up at him and smiled nervously. “Hello, Harry, I’m ... um ... already sitting with my cousins, but ... um ... thank you very much for the offer-”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Harry replied. Was Scorpius imagining a leer in his voice? “I was hoping we could pick up where we left off, after that Quidditch practise on your field.”

There was a silence, broken only by a giggle from Rose and a furious fit of coughing from Lily. Scorpius stepped to the side of Cootes and, totally ignoring the now crimson- faced Lily Potter, he dragged his trunk over Cootes’ feet and down towards the Prefect’s carriage. “Well, it’s been wonderful chatting to you all,” he said sarcastically. “But I’m off. See you in four hours, Weasley.”

He thought he heard someone gasp and wondered if it was Lily, but he was too bloody furious to look back.

She’d made a date with Cootes. Not only had she had a date with Cootes, she’d taken him to the same frigging place! He felt a hot wave of anger rush through him when he thought about how much he’d enjoyed kissing her, especially as they flew, and to think she’d done all that with him and then called Cootes... or maybe Cootes had been the first ... the first of many.

“How fucking stupid am I?” he growled.

“Do you need an answer to that?” Ariadne asked coolly as she stepped out of the carriage with Flint.

He glowered at her, but said nothing, turning away so he didn’t have to hear her awful prattling laugh. The carriage was largely empty, apart from the Head Boy, who appeared to be studying, but on a closer look was in fact doodling all over Rose’s carefully constructed rota. Despite feeling like shit, Scorpius couldn’t help laughing, and the other boy looked up. Benedict MacMillan may have been a Hufflepuff, but Scorpius quite liked him and felt a grudging respect for him (even though he’d been appointed when Scorpius thought he should have got the badge). He was a large, blonde hunk of a boy, with a pleasant face and a smile for everyone. Usually, Scorpius felt an almost sadistic urge to hex him �“ simply because he was so bloody nice, and fair and full of Hufflepuff virtues, but today, after stowing his trunk, and dropping his bag onto an empty seat he just sat down heavily and sighed.

“What’s up, Scorpius?” Benedict asked, placing his quill on the small ledge by the window. That was the other thing about Benedict; he didn’t use surnames and asked everyone to call him by his first name, insisting that they couldn’t be friends unless they were on first-name terms.

“Nothing,” he replied moodily. “Just bloody Weasley... er ... Rose assigning me first years again. I hate those carriages �“ always stink of puke.”

“Mmm, I noticed she’d colour coded you green. At first, I thought it was to represent Slytherin, but perhaps she was being ironic.”

“Is she capable of making a joke?” Scorpius mused and studied his copy of the chart again. “Look, this is so bloody unfair. Potter has first shift. That’s always a doddle because everyone’s calmly getting their sugar fix or eating lunch.”

“Are you officially complaining to me?” Benedict asked in a reasonable sort of voice. “Or just sounding off because you’re in a strop?”

Scorpius glared at him then shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll get Hugo to clean up any sick. It’ll be good practise for him.” He paused. “Bit odd, that.”

“What’s odd?”

“Oh,” Scorpius looked up, aware that he’d spoken aloud, “Er, odd how all the Weasleys and Potters have been prefects, except for Lily Potter.” Moodily, he kicked the seat opposite him. “Must really rankle with her.”

Benedict raised his eyebrows but said nothing, so Scorpius went back to his lone musings. There was a tapping at the carriage door; Scorpius looked up to see Lily frantically trying to catch his eye. He ignored her. She tapped again, but he refused to look up. When she opened the door, he still refused to look at her; instead, he found his hands suddenly very fascinating.

“Lily, is there a problem?” Benedict asked in the sort of tone he’d used earlier with Scorpius.

“Er ... yes,” she said hesitantly. “Yes, there is a ... big problem. Rose asked me to come and find you because the problem was so very big that she couldn’t handle it ... at all. She’s right down the far end of the train... I think she said something about ... er ... Garrotting Gas.”

“Merlin, will these kids never learn?” Scorpius heard Benedict sigh. “Thanks, Lily. Scorpius, stay here while I deal with this.”

“I’ll come with you!” Scorpius replied immediately.

“No, I need someone here, in case there are more problems,” Benedict replied as he strode out of the carriage and down the corridor.

Scorpius glared at Lily. “Close the door on the way out, will you, Potter. I’m sure Cootes can’t wait for you to get back.”

“Oh, please,” she whispered. “Please, Scorpius, let me explain.”

“Explain what? How wonderful Cootes is? How you couldn’t wait to teach him all your fantastic flying skills? Merlin, Lily, I thought you’d have had the guts to tell me you were also snogging Cootes. No wonder you were quick off the mark with my alias. You had him on your mind all the time!”

“I didn’t!” she declared, with what sounded like outrage.

“He seems to think you have something to pick up from,” Scorpius snapped at her.

“He’s a prat, that’s why!” she snapped back. Lily took a deep breath and stepped further into the room. “I only invited him to the field because I had to.”

Something about her tone, her very ridiculousness at trying to explain, stopped him from speaking. He motioned to her to sit down, and she flopped into the seat next to him. He winced as she sat on his bag, but said nothing.

“Teddy was making comments about Harry Cootes for the rest of the day, so I had to invite him around to practise, in case Teddy said any more and Al quizzed Harry about it.” She swallowed and tentatively touched him on the arm. “We weren’t alone, Scorpius. There was a whole gang of Weasleys and Potters there.”

Slightly mollified, Scorpius looked at her, noticing that her hand on his arm was shaking. “And Cootes thinks there’s more to it, I suppose.”

“Mmm, well, once I’d invited him, the others started making remarks about him ... and me. Merlin, my mum is infuriating at times.”

Scorpius grinned at her. Infuriating mums, he could understand. He leant across and kissed her very softly on the lips. She responded, shifting her weight in the seat to get closer to him, and then pulled back. “Ughh! I felt something squelch!” she exclaimed, looking to see what she’d sat on. “Oh, gods, I’m sorry, what have I ruined?”

“Nothing much,” he replied, muffling his laugh. “I got our house-elf to bake some pastries. They were apple puffs especially for you.” He removed a small crumpled paper box from his bag, and showed her the flattened cakes with applesauce oozing from them. “They’re not very puffy now, but possibly still edible.”

Lily giggled and dipped her finger in the goo. “Mmm,” she said, licking her lips, “Delish!”

“Take them,” he offered.

“No, share them with me now,” she said as she leant towards him for another kiss.

“We’ll be seen in here,” he replied softly, regretfully. “The other prefects will turn up soon.”

Lily stood up, taking, he was amused to see, the box with the flattened apple puffs, with her. “Will I see you later? On the journey, I mean.”

“Yes,” he said. “There are half a dozen empty carriages on the train. We’ll lock ourselves into one.”

She nodded and smiled at him then, as she walked to the door, a thought occurred to him.

“Teddy Lupin,” he said. “Is he fond of jokes, Lily?”

She shrugged. “In my family everyone is fond of jokes.”

“And he’s family?”

“Teddy was brought up with us. He’s like the big brother I never had,” she replied, turning back towards the corridor.

“You have two big brothers, though,” he queried. Lily smiled at him, a quirky smile.

“Teddy is like the big brother I wish I’d had,” she modified. “Why are you asking about him?”

Scorpius stood up. Peering out into the corridor and spotting no one, he kissed her again on the lips, enjoying her response as she leant into him. After a while, he pulled away. “Your ‘big brother’ was playing you, Lily. He knew exactly who I was from the first moment he saw me.”

“WHAT!” She dropped her hand from his shoulder. “The filthy snake! That was a mean trick. I’ve been panicking like mad! Oh, he should have been a Sly-” She broke off and took a step back.

“A Slytherin,” he finished for her. “Mmm, perhaps he should have been.” Scorpius laughed at the blush appearing on her face. “I can take insults about my House, you know. And telling someone they should have been a Slytherin because they’re sneaky isn’t much of an insult.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, biting her lip. “A bad family joke, I suppose.”

‘Prejudice exists on both sides, Scorpius, as I’m sure you are aware �“ being a Malfoy and a Slytherin.’

Teddy’s words had never sounded so apt. “It’s okay,” he muttered. “My family have a whole stack of jokes about you lot, too.”

***

He had hours to kill before his patrol with Hugo, hours to do what he pleased. Except that he couldn’t, because what he wanted was to spend the remaining time on the train locked in a carriage with Lily Potter doing wildly inappropriate things, and that was impossible.

Instead, he stayed where he was, watching the other prefects come and go as they signed on or off for patrol. Benedict sat opposite him, reading a book or murmuring to Rose, who kept casting venomous glances at Scorpius.

He smiled, knowing it would annoy the hell out of her. If the rumours were true, the Head Boy and Girl shared a lot more than responsibility. Rose wanted him to leave, but he had no intention of going until he was ready. She cracked first.

“Don’t you have some friends you can sit with?”

“Aww, Rose, I thought you and Benedict were my friends,” he replied sarcastically. “Aren’t we one big happy prefect family?”

She gripped her wand, but he knew she wouldn’t dare use it, not with Mr Fair Play Hufflepuff next to her. Benedict looked at him in exasperation, so Scorpius relented.

“I’ll go for a walk,” he said, yawning. “Stretch my legs for a while and leave you lovebirds in peace.”

“We’re not lovebirds!” Rose exclaimed furiously.

“Really?” Scorpius smirked at them both. “Then why have you been running your hand up and down MacMillan’s thigh when you thought I wasn’t looking, Weasley?” He ducked to avoid the sudden hex she hurled at him. “Temper, temper!” he exclaimed and laughed as he dodged out of the carriage.

He was still laughing when he saw Lily walking towards him. She was strolling along arm in arm with her friend �“ the one who played Chaser on the Gryffindor team. Leaning casually against the wall, he stared at the floor, then slowly lifted his head sideways. Lily, he saw, was peeping at him through her curtain of straggly hair, a slow smile playing on her lips.

“I think I’ve dropped my moneybag,” he heard her say to her friend. “Natalie, you go back to the carriage, I’m going to walk back to the trolley.”

Nice work. As Natalie walked off, Scorpius stood up straight and walked past Lily, his arm by his side, his fingertips inching towards her, touching her lightly on the hand. “Follow me,” he muttered and staring straight ahead, he strolled away.

He heard the faint rustle of her robes as she turned, and her light tripping steps as she followed, not faltering, but not speeding to their destination. At carriage twenty-three, he paused. No one liked carriage twenty-three, the first carriage in the next section of the train. It was known to rattle and jolt with every bump of the track. Swiftly, he opened the door, saw it was empty, and stepped inside. As Lily approached, he reached out his hand, plucked her inside and kicked the door shut. Giggling, she collapsed in a seat as he hurried to pull down the blinds. Then, as the train jolted around a corner, Scorpius stumbled forwards propelling himself into the seat by her side.

Not the smoothest of moves, he thought, but as her arms reached around his neck, he realised that didn’t matter. Lily was here, not caring about his moves or his chat. She was here because she wanted to be with him, and he didn’t have to impress her.

His mouth sought hers, and as her sweet, red, petal-soft lips parted, Scorpius felt himself melt into her. One hand cupped her face, while the other explored her glorious long hair. It smelt fresh, like the crisp clear air of winter. He broke off, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her skin. Achingly slowly, he dropped faint kisses on her neck, leading up to her ear, delighting in the breathy moans escaping from her. His hand slid down to her waist, his fingers slipping under her robe. Lust coursed through him as she trembled under his touch, but then the carriage jolted loudly again, her eyes flew open, panicked, worried, concerned. It wrenched him back to his senses and he pulled away abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he soothed. “Just... uh ...” He stopped, not totally sure what to say. “It felt like that day in the field, that’s all, Lily. I don’t want to push you too far.”

“Oh,” she murmured, and he saw her blushing again, a smile wavering on her lips.

Adjusting his position so he was sitting upright, he pulled her towards him and dropped a light kiss on her brow. “I want to see you again. At school. Is that possible?”

“Difficult,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper, “but definitely possible.”

Stroking her hair, Scorpius started asking her about her timetable, knowing that her year would be at least as busy as his. To his surprise, she was taking fewer O.W.L.s than he expected. Albus, he remembered had taken nine subjects, Rose eleven; Lily, it appeared, was taking seven.

“I was struggling, so Professor Longbottom suggested I drop the electives so I could concentrate on the core subjects,” she said, sighing. “Shame, because I didn’t mind Muggle Studies or Care of Magical Creatures, but it’s a relief to have a freer timetable.”

She liked Charms best, she told him, but struggled most with Defence Against the Dark Arts. This fact was embarrassing because everyone expected her to be good at it.

“Vector never got over me being bad at Arithmancy,” he said idly. “Mum was her star pupil, as she never let me forget. She was bloody glad when I dropped the class before I took the O.W.L. Talked about being disappointed, but I could practically smell her relief.”

“Was your mum disappointed?” Lily asked in a quiet voice.

Scorpius stopped to consider. He shook his head slowly. “No, she didn’t mind.”

Lily was quiet in his arms. He peered down at her noticing a wistful expression on her face. “Hey, baby Potter,” he murmured in her ear. “I’m sure your dad will be fine, whatever you get.”

“Maybe,” she replied but didn’t elaborate.

He held her close for a few more precious minutes, knowing that soon he’d have to leave and start patrol with her cousin. But this sudden sadness of hers hit him forcefully. “I got an Outstanding for Defence,” he said at last, running one fingertip down her cheek.

“Bully for you!” she murmured, pulling back, a small, sad half-smile touching the corners of her mouth.

“I mean,” he said slowly and deliberately, “that I could help you.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up, alive with hope. “You’d do that for me”

“You got me flying again, Lily.”

Tilting her head up, she touched her lips to his and murmured, “There’s no debt, Scorpius.”

He pulled away, muttering regretfully that he had to leave or Rose would send out a search party. “Your cousin is a slave-driver. You’d think I was a house-elf,” he grumbled as he stood up and opened the door a crack. “Coast is clear, you can leave.”

“If you were a house-elf, she’d treat you far better,” Lily said, grinning as she slipped out of the door. “See you ... soon, I hope.”

“You will.”

As she walked up the corridor, away from their tryst, he felt an urge to drag her back inside. Instead, he contented himself with watching her leave, enjoying the way her hair swung past her shoulders, almost to her waist. She turned her face towards him at one point, and he smiled, thinking she was about to blow him a kiss, but instead she looked hurriedly away. Glancing over his shoulder, Scorpius saw some Ravenclaw girls approaching. One, he vaguely recognised, but couldn’t quite remember her name or where he knew her from. Catching him looking her way, she slowed her pace and smiled at him.

“Hi, there,” she called softly.

He muttered something non-committal back, not really looking at her, but she didn’t take the hint and stopped by his side.

“I’ve heard a rumour that you got really lucky at Christmas, Scorpius,” she said.

Casting his eyes up the corridor, and seeing Lily watching them, he smirked. “Very lucky.”

“A Firebolt X,” the Ravenclaw girl said clearly. “I wouldn’t mind having a ride sometime.”

Tearing his eyes away from Lily, who had disappeared amidst a crowd of other Gryffindors, he scowled at the girl. “What are you going on about?”

“I said I wouldn’t mind having a ride ... on your Firebolt,” she repeated, adding in a murmur. “Especially as I also heard you and Ariadne aren’t together anymore.”

Scorpius looked at her. She looked a bit like Ariadne, with her dark shining hair, perfectly coiffured, and she was tall, nearly his height. But as he stared at her, not even trying to remember her name (Helena, possibly?) he felt nothing, not even a glimmer of an attraction for her.

“Do I know you?” he asked, aware he sounded rude.

One of her friends tittered and she flushed slightly. “It’s Heloise Edgecombe. I’m a sixth year prefect.”

He remembered her now. He’d sat across from her once in one of the interminably dull prefect meetings that Rose Weasley had organised. Heloise had offered to take notes, and he’d joked with Flint that of course she would because that’s what Ravenclaws did �“ took copious notes on everything. He’d never been to another meeting, making sure Ariadne made his excuses. Bugger, he thought, I’ll have to start going to them now.

“Oh, right. You’ve patrolled now, have you?”

“Yes,” she replied with a simper and then leant slightly towards him. “I’m free now, Scorpius.”

He studied her face, the dark red lips curving lasciviously, and then he too leant forwards, whispering in her ear, “Well, Edgecombe, I have a hot date with Hugo Weasley and some puking first years, so why don’t you run along and find someone else who’ll give you a ride ... on their broomstick?”

“I was only being friendly, you arrogant bastard!” she spat.

“And I,” he replied starting to walk away down the corridor, “was just being honest. I thought that’s what you girls liked.”

Striding quickly back to find Hugo and start patrol duties, he wasn’t overly surprised to see Lily lurking in the corridor.

“What did she want?” she hissed.

“A ride on my Firebolt,” he muttered, not looking at her. He could practically see her irritation, but Hugo was standing just inside the carriage, so he didn’t dare risk even a smile.

“And?”

“She now thinks I’m an arrogant bastard. Good job I’m not a Gryffindor, or I’d have had to be far more chivalrous!””

Lily giggled. He felt her fingertips gently touch his, but the contact was all too brief. Hugo was backing into the corridor, still talking to his sister. Lily’s fresh delicate scent wafted in the air; but as it grew fainter and fainter, Scorpius knew she was gone.

The month of January, for the last five years, had always been characterised for Scorpius by the Slytherin match against Ravenclaw. It was a match they usually won, although he knew this year was different. The Slytherin team needed shaking up. The defeat against Gryffindor had only heightened their deficiencies, and Scorpius knew that Vaisey wanted the Cup in his last year at Hogwarts. It didn’t help that Ravenclaw were pretty good. They’d lost their opening game to Hufflepuff, but it was by a narrow margin. They, too, were out to make up ground.

Therefore, as he walked into the Slytherin common room, the day after the new try-outs, Scorpius’ eyes were immediately drawn to the notice board. Although Vaisey had said last term that he’d found a new Seeker, Scorpius was still sure that the combined power of himself and his Firebolt X would be too strong a combination for Vaisey to ignore. His eyes flicked to the team list, and there he stood open mouthed unable to believe what he could see.

“You’ve picked your brother? Are you mad?” shouted Scorpius, when he caught up to Vaisey in their dorm.

“Gerald's good,” Vaisey replied, but didn’t quite look him in the eye. He was struggling to put his robes on, and hearing an irritatingly familiar cackle from behind his bed curtains, Scorpius knew exactly why Vaisey was getting dressed so hurriedly.

“Are you seriously saying he’s better than me?” Scorpius laughed at the preposterousness of it all.

Then Vaisey straightened up. He was half a head taller than Scorpius and his bulk made him seem taller. Scorpius stared him out, unwilling to budge. “You said you wanted off the team, Malfoy. Complained about an injury. We think you’re past it. It’s time for some players with commitment and proper Slytherin team spirit.”

“Who’s ‘we?” Scorpius asked menacingly, as he inched forwards. Vaisey flinched and his eyes swivelled back towards his bed. “Ah, let me guess. You’ve been talking to Ariadne. For fuck’s sake, she knows as much about Quidditch as I do about bloody manicures.”

“It’s not Ariadne,” Vaisey said coolly. “It was a team decision. You missed the Snitch in the last match and because of that, Gryffindor won. You’ve also not turned up to any practise sessions ... apart from that one when you came out in boils.” He smirked. “Gerald will play to my game plan.”

“Dirty, you mean.”

Vaisey smiled nastily. “I prefer the word ‘competitive’, Malfoy. You never seemed to have a problem with that in the past.”

***

Lily, at least, was outraged at the decision.

“But you’re brilliant,” she said fiercely, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They were in the Astronomy Tower, during the day�”naturally-- because it was always busy at night. Scorpius had a free hour, whilst Lily had feigned illness to get out of Herbology. It had been hard to meet up since they got back, but by tweaking their timetables, they had usually managed to get together at least three times a week. Scorpius found that he looked forward to these sessions with increasing anticipation.

“I missed too many training sessions last term,” he muttered. “Vaisey, although an arse, has a point.” Moodily, he pulled away from her and kicked one of the telescope stands. “It’s just pissing me off that there might be scouts coming this year, and they won’t see me fly.”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t turn pro because your grandfather wouldn’t approve,” she said.

He shrugged. “I can probably get Dad on side and Mum won’t mind, so I thought ... well ... why not? Granddad won’t be happy, but in the end I’m his only grandchild and he’ll come round, as long as I do reasonably well in my N.E.W.T.s.” He smirked as he thought about Lucius. The old man gave the appearance of being overbearing and strict, but really he cared far more for Scorpius than he’d ever let on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lily watching him, a slightly sad expression on her face. “Still having problems with Defence?” he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek.

She nodded. “Amongst others. I probably shouldn’t have cut Herbology today,” she admitted. She closed her eyes as Scorpius began to kiss her. “But I wanted to see you.”

“Sorry,” he whispered. “I really shouldn’t ask you to bunk off. I’ll skip the next class. Just tell me when you’re next free time is, and in between ... uh ...this,” he touched his lips to her neck, “I’ll help you with Defence.”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” she murmured into his ear. “I’m free then.”

He could feel her warm breath against his skin, smell the warm honey scent of her hair, and almost taste the excitement waving through her as his lips travelled down her neck, then back up to her soft lips. He knew if he pushed things, she’d fall like an apple, ripe for the picking, probably before she knew what was happening. And it was tempting �“ so bloody tempting after all the shit from Vaisey-- to see how far she’d go. His hand moved down to her chest, slipping under her robe. This time she didn’t freeze, but he heard her catch her breath.

Scorpius stopped. “You’re not ready for this, are you?” he said.

Her eyes fluttered open. She bit her lip and buried her face in his chest. “No,” she whispered. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” he replied, stroking her hair. “Really, Lily, I’m not a total bastard, despite my reputation.”

Although she giggled, he could hear the trepidation in her voice. “I’m only fifteen,” she muttered, as if that explained everything. “And you’re my first ... well, not exactly my first boyfriend ... but the first one I’ve ... um ... thought about in that way.”

“Oh,” he replied inadequately. He felt absurdly pleased by her revelation, even though it increased the pressure on him to act more responsibly. Ariadne, after a few false protests about her reputation, had willingly succumbed. “Would it be easier for you if we were to stop meeting like this?”

She pulled back in alarm. “What finish altogether? No, no, of course not.”

He grinned at her. “No, I meant be a proper couple and not meet in secret anymore.”

“You’d do that?” she breathed, smiling up at him, and then her face fell. “But what about Albus?”

He snorted. “I can take your brother any day of the week,” he said defiantly, not betraying the uncertainty he really felt.

Lily raised an eyebrow and he knew she didn’t quite believe him. “It would be very awkward for me,” she said. “You can lock yourself away in your dungeon, but I have to live in the same Tower as them all. She shuddered. “One brother and four cousins all accusing me, not to mention Natalie.”

“Who?”

“Natalie Thomas, my friend.” He looked at her uncomprehendingly. “Gryffindor Chaser,” she explained.

A picture of the dark haired girl clicked in his mind. Her passing was superb �“ the perfect foil for Potter. “Oh, her. Well, what’s it got to do with her?”

“She has a thing for my brother. So she’ll back him all the way.” She paused and standing on tiptoes kissed him softly on the cheek. “It’s not that I don’t want to be a proper couple, but can we just leave it for a while?”

“Mmm, okay,” he said, nuzzling her neck again. “Shame though, ‘cause when Professor Vector made that announcement this morning, I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather take to the Valentine’s Ball.”

Her eyes lit up with happiness, sparkling flecks in her warm hazel eyes as she thought over his words. Then she sighed. “That would be wonderful, but probably not a good idea.”

“Lily, we can’t hide from your brother forever.” He was getting annoyed now. For Merlin’s sake, he thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave. If he was willing to face out Potter, then surely she could.

“It’s not Al,” she said coldly, as if she’d read his thoughts. “It’s the day of the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match.”

“So!”

“My mum will be there,” she replied, “with James. I found out yesterday that his trial for the Arrows didn’t go well, so Mum thought he should concentrate on writing instead. She’s decided to do some feature articles on school games.”

“Focusing on her kids,” Scorpius muttered bitterly.

“No,” she flashed angrily, “they’re starting with the Slytherin Ravenclaw game this weekend!” As Scorpius turned away from her, she gulped, suddenly remembering that he wouldn’t be playing.

“Sorry,” she breathed.

“It’s not your fault,” he muttered. “Just bloody bad timing.”

He noticed a blush stealing over her cheeks and she edged away from him. “Well, actually, it is sort of my fault. I ... um ...”

“Go on,” he said, sounding faintly menacing, as she appeared to be gearing herself up to announce something monumental. Merlin, perhaps she had hexed him in that game after all.

“It’s like this,” she said, clenching then unclenching her hands. “I sort of suggested to Mum that it would make an interesting article.”

That took him aback; he almost laughed in relief at the innocuousness of it all. “Why?” he asked, smiling.

“Because,” she admitted, and blushed an even darker red. “I wanted her to see what a brilliant flyer you were. I didn’t know, of course, that you wouldn’t be playing.”

“Oh.” He was nonplussed trying to gather his thoughts. He sat on one of the stools by the window, and reached out his hand to her. “Why is it important that she sees me fly?”

Lily walked over to him, but instead of sitting on his lap as he suggested, she pulled up another stool and took his hand. “My mum doesn’t like your family very much. Oh, Scorpius, you’ve seen how our dads act when they see each other. They’re polite, but that’s about it.”

He nodded, and squeezed her hand. “But your mum hates us, is that what you’re saying?” he asked bleakly.

“I’m not sure if it’s hate, exactly, but --” Lily lifted her hand and ran it through his hair, her eyes fixed intently on his own. “I thought if she could see how brilliant you were, she’d at least find something to like about you.”

“And that matters to you? Her liking me?”

“Yes,” she replied in a soft voice. “It matters, but not as much as this.” She moved towards him, hopping off her stool, and cupped his face in her hands. He kissed her back urgently, responding to her need as well as his own, reluctantly pulling away only when the bell went for the end of lessons.

“I’ll see you Thursday, then,” he muttered, looking down at her. “I’ll skip Defence.” He smiled at her worried expression. “It’s not important anyway, just some crusty old has-been giving us a lecture. I’ll make myself look really ill; he won’t know the difference.”

***

The ‘crusty old has-been’ was standing at the front of the class waiting, when Scorpius arrived. He’d deliberately turned up early, intending to appear eager so that his sudden puking attack wouldn’t be seen as suspicious. But as he stared at the guest lecturer, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get away with it.

The man’s eyes met his, staring back until Scorpius looked away, and then he heard the irritating voice of Rose Weasley as she entered the classroom.

“Uncle Harry!” she squealed. “What a surprise. Why didn’t we know you were the guest lecturer?”

Harry Potter smiled at her, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Professor Goldstein wanted it to be a surprise, Rose. I don’t think he wanted you to second guess what I’d be teaching today.”

“And what will that be?” she asked, adding hopefully, “Duelling?”

He laughed, but before he could answer, Albus Potter, looking rather shocked at his dad’s presence walked in the room. “D-Dad!” he stuttered.

“That’s Mr Potter, or sir, to you, Master Potter,” Harry replied. He smiled at the others, only faltering when his gaze reached Scorpius. “It’s a joke. You can call me Harry.”

Once all the stragglers had arrived, Harry turned to the blackboard. “Who can tell me what a Patronus is?”

Rose Weasley’s hand shot up, and Scorpius saw Harry’s lips twitch. He found himself smiling too. By now, he should have been making himself sick, the small purple sweet was in his bag ready, but instead he stuck his hand in the air.

“Mr Malfoy,” Harry said after a while. “Enlighten us.”

“It’s the only defence against Dementors and Lethifolds, sir. A conjured defence that takes the form of something that can protect you, or makes you feel safe.”

“Very good. Five points for Slytherin,” Harry said, now eyeing Scorpius with interest. “Do you know the incantation?”

“Expecto Patronum,” Scorpius replied promptly, before Rose could even raise her hand. “But you also need to summon up a happy thought to cast it.”

“True,” Harry said, and then turned back to the class. “A Patronus is like a guardian. As Mr Malfoy said, it will take the form of something we find refuge in. Mine, for instance, takes the same form as my father’s. Former Headmistress McGonagall’s Patronus is a cat, the same as her Animagus form.” He paused. “I’m going to teach you how to cast the Patronus. However, although you are a N.E.W.T. level class, not all of you will be able to master this.”

Did his eyes flicker over to me? Scorpius wondered.

“Why is that?” Ben MacMillan asked.

Harry considered the question. “That isn’t always clear. Apart from Severus Snape, none of the Death Eaters had a Patronus. Whether they could cast one, or whether they were unable to, is open to debate.” He smiled ruefully. “Although it is primarily a force for good, if you cannot cast one, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are evil.”

He wasn’t imagining it, this time Harry’s eyes looked directly at Scorpius. He stared back, knowing he probably looked insolent, but at that moment, he was annoyed with Harry’s assumption.

“Isn’t it also true, sir,” Scorpius stated clearly, “that Dolores Umbridge could cast a Patronus? I don’t think anyone would describe her as a ‘force for good.’”

“You are very well informed,” Harry replied softly.

“I am when it’s important, sir,” he said. “I have read Audrey Weasley’s books about the second war.”

Harry turned away from him, his eyes scanning the room until they rested on his son. “Al, will you come and help me to demonstrate?”

Albus stood up, not reluctantly exactly, but certainly not in a manner that exuded confidence. “What do you want me to do?”

Harry smiled at his son. “Think of something happy, something positive, focus hard on your aim and then say the incantation for the spell.”

Albus squared his shoulders, focused his eyes on a mystery place in front of him, and yelled, “Expecto Patronum!”

A wisp of silvery light appeared from his wand, not strong enough to have a form, but Scorpius grudgingly admitted that for a first attempt it was pretty good.

Evidently, Harry thought so too because he clapped his son on the back and was smiling. “Excellent. Tell me, what were you thinking about?”

“Winning our opening match against Slytherin, of course,” Al replied, and flicked a smirk at Scorpius.

“Wow, Potter, if you can get that happy after one result, just think how amazing my Patronus will be when I think about the number of times we’ve beaten you,” Scorpius said coolly from across the classroom.

A few of his classmates laughed, namely Flint and a Ravenclaw boy called Selwyn. Scorpius also noticed that Ben had been seized by a coughing fit.

“Go on, then,” Albus challenged. “Let’s see if you can do better. Dad, your Patronus is a stag, right, like Granddads. If Malfoy is able to make a Patronus, does that mean his will be a ferret?”

The Gryffindors laughed; they all knew the story of his dad’s humiliation at the hands of a maverick professor. It was the stuff of Hogwarts legend, after all, and the jokes had followed Scorpius around for years. Swiftly, Scorpius stood up, brandished his wand straight at Albus (who ducked) and yelled “Expecto Patronum!”

It did not have a corporeal form �“ not quite, but he’d known from before that he couldn’t quite summon that yet. However, the room was filled with a silver mist, as thick as dust, and far more impressive that Albus Potter’s faint wisp.

There was an awed silence and then Harry began to clap. “Very impressive, Malfoy. That’s not your first time, I take it.”

“Er, no,” he admitted. “I have read the theory and practised before.” He smiled, a genuine smile. “That’s the first time I’ve conjured so much, though, sir.”

“Call me Harry,” he murmured quietly, adding in a stronger voice, “Tell me, what was your positive thought, Scorpius?”

Scorpius glanced at Albus, and smirked. He knew he shouldn’t say this, but what the hell. Albus was an arrogant git at the best of times, and he had brought up the ferret incident - again. “Beating the old Gryffindor Seeker to the Snitch, four years in a row, Harry.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment . He turned to Albus and gestured for him to return to his seat, and then began to instruct the rest of the class. Soon he had them practising, focusing on positive thoughts and very soon the classroom was awash with silver mist.

“It might help,” Harry murmured to Scorpius as he walked around the room, “if you thought about one specific incident, rather than several.” He stopped behind him, and with his hand straightened Scorpius’ wand arm. “Try again, and remember, one single positive thought.”

Grateful for Harry’s help, Scorpius smiled briefly, and then with all his might focused. “Expecto Patronum!”he uttered, not the loud bellow of before, but a quiet, yet clear, incantation.

There was not as much mist as before, but Scorpius could see that this time it was different. It swirled in front of him, thicker than before, and he could see �“ surely, everyone could see �“ a shape emerging.

“What is it?” he demanded, excitement mounting. “I can’t make it out.”

Harry looked puzzled. “It looks like something canine �“ a fox perhaps �“ although ...” He stopped and peered forwards watching as the form disappeared into the ether. “A Patronus is unique to its holder. It isn’t something you can determine beforehand, and I already know someone with a fox Patronus.” He tilted his head sideways, considering. “Perhaps yours was a vixen. What did you think about?”

Kissing your daughter, he thought guiltily, and gulped. He was supposed to have met Lily an hour ago.

***

“You turned up then,” she said sulkily, as he sped into the Astronomy Tower. “I’m surprised you bothered.”

He grinned, amazingly pleased that she’d actually waited for this long. He knew he wouldn’t have bothered.

“The guest lecturer,” he gasped, “was your dad, Lily. I could hardly use a Weasley product to get me out of his class, could I?”

She looked at him in disbelief. “My dad? Well, how come I didn’t know he was here?”

“Surprise visit,” Scorpius panted. He took her hand and then sank down to the stone floor, exhausted because he’d run here as soon as the bell sounded. “Sorry, I couldn’t have got out of it, even if I’d wanted too.” She glared at him and aware he’d not said the most flattering thing, he continued, “Your dad was amazing, Lily. He taught us how to cast Patroni. Mine was brilliant!”

“Bully for you,” she said, still sounding sulky but not as sulky as before.

He pulled her closer to him and started to stroke her hair. “I’m here now. And I’ll help you, or hold you, or kiss you forever if that’s what you want.” He flipped her on the nose. “Stop sulking. If it had been anyone else, I would have skipped the class, but it was your dad, Lily, and I think I impressed him.”

She snuggled into him, mollified by his words, and he smiled as his hand strayed from her hair to her cheek. But, out of the corner of his eye, he could see a thick book, lying on the floor.

Squinting his eyes, he read the title and recognised the fifth year text for Defence Against the Dark Arts. “Come on,” he said, sighing as he relinquished his hold. “Tell me what you’re having the most problems with.”

Her eyes slid to the book, and with both hands, she picked it up. “Um, practically everything,” she admitted in a trembling voice. “I struggle with the theory in most subjects, but with Defence I can’t master the spells either. She held up her wand limply. “Perhaps it’s my grip, or something.”

“You’re good at Charms though?” Scorpius queried. He picked up her hand as it held her wand. “I doubt it would suddenly go haywire in Defence ...” He tailed off as another thought occurred to him. “You said ‘they’ expected you to be good at Defence, yes?” She nodded. “Who’s ‘they’?”

“Oh,” she sniffed. “My family, I suppose, and the teachers. Professor Goldstein can’t seem to believe I’m actually a Potter. And it’s not helped by the fact that every time there’s a family reunion, they always talk about their different Defence teachers. We’re supposedly lucky to have just had the one, but ...”

“You don’t get on with Goldstein,” Scorpius guessed.

“I don’t understand what he’s talking about half the time,” she complained. “He’s perfectly fair, but why does he use so many big words?”

Scorpius bit back a laugh, sensing now was not the time to make a joke. It was true that Professor Goldstein did waffle a bit. His teaching style seemed to be ‘why use one word, when he could think of seven variations?’ Scorpius didn’t have a problem with it; he was used to his grandfather pontificating and had long ago learned how to cut to the core of the professor’s lecture.

“I glaze over as soon as he starts talking,” she continued, pleating the skirt of her robe as she talked. “It’s like he casts a Confundus over me, or something.”

Scorpius picked up the book; it fell open at chapter five. He grinned as he read the title, ‘The Defeat of Dark Objects.’

“What’s so funny?” Lily asked.

Scorpius looked up from the page. “This came up in our exam. It’s one of the reasons I got an Outstanding in the O.W.L.” He laughed again as he remembered his relief when he’d been tested on this in the practical. “Sometimes it helps being connected to Dark Wizards,” he said enigmatically.

Lily looked up at him, a puzzled �“ almost worried �“ look crossing her face, but he didn’t elaborate. After the war, the Ministry had confiscated all Lucius Malfoy’s remaining Dark Artefacts, but they’d not destroyed the man’s mind and that, plus the Malfoy and Black journals spanning many decades before, had proved fascinating for a young Scorpius Malfoy, who’d spent long summer holidays at Malfoy Manor with no friends and only the library to occupy himself.

Scorpius read the opening paragraphs of the chapter. It detailed Charmed teapots, Muggle-baiting keys, and exploding toilets. All quite amusing unless you were on the receiving end.

“One of my ancestors,” he remarked idly, “invented a whistling kettle.”

“Sounds harmless,” Lily said.

“Mmm, well, it wouldn’t stop whistling. In the end it drove the owner mad.”

“So, your ancestor went mad. Why would they invent it?”

“Oh, Octavia Malfoy didn’t own the kettle. She gave it to her friend as a wedding present. Story goes that the groom, one William Bulstrode, was betrothed to Octavia, but made a more binding contract to her friend �“ Gertrude Crabbe. Octavia wasn’t happy and ... well, you can imagine the rest.”

“Why are you telling me this? How can it possibly help with my O.W.L.?”

Scorpius shrugged. “I think it’s interesting, but more importantly, baby Potter, if you understand the motive behind the invention, then you can understand the intent and the object.” He yawned slightly. “These Dark Wizards were also pretty clever. There was always a safety charm attached somewhere, just in case the curse backfired.”

“Oh!” Lily exclaimed, realising what Scorpius was telling her. “So, instead of just assuming that all the Dark objects were to bait or kill Muggles, I should be thinking more about the inventor.”

He nodded. “If you understand the inventor, then you can usually work out the Charms involved, and find the way to defeat the object.”

“How was the whistling kettle defeated, then?”

“Good question!” Closing the book, he pulled her into his arms. “Why do normal kettles stop whistling, Miss Potter?”

She screwed up her face, wrinkling her nose in disbelief, “Because they’re taken off the stove or else run out of water. It can’t have been that simple!”

“Not quite,” he agreed. “Octavia had enchanted the kettle so it would not run dry. Gertrude wasn’t quick enough on the uptake to realise what was going on, but her new husband was. He doused the stove flames and levitated the kettle out of the window. It was too late for Gertrude and she died a few months later ... totally insane. But William Bulstrode,” He smirked down at Lily. “William Bulstrode, after a decent length mourning his new bride, married again.”

“Who?” Lily asked suspiciously.

“Octavia Malfoy, of course,” he whispered. Then, bending his head down to hers, and slipping his hands around her waist, he began to kiss her languorously, delighting in her quick response as she parted her lips and slipped her tongue inside his mouth.

“Us Malfoys,” he murmured huskily, “are incredibly sneaky and determined to get what we want.”

Her eyelids fluttered open, but there was no fear in them. “And what do you want?”

The time wasn’t right, he thought, so after giving her another slow kiss on her mouth, gently sucking her lower lip, he answered her, “The Valentine’s Ball, Lily. Will you be my partner?”

“Er...” She sounded hesitant, but taking a deep breath and swallowing hard she looked up at him. “I -”

“What the hell are you doing with my daughter?”

Both Scorpius and Lily jumped and jerked their heads towards the voice. There in the doorway stood Harry Potter, and behind him, looking almost as angry, yet strangely pleased with himself, was Albus.

“Er, would you believe tutoring?” Lily squeaked. She pulled away from Scorpius and stood up, holding her book out towards Harry. “Honestly, Dad, Scorpius is really good at Defence, and you know how bad I am so ... uh...”

She was struggling now, but Scorpius couldn’t help but admire her quick thinking. Harry, however, still looked furious.

“I came here to find you, to join you for the feast, and find you drooling over an eighteen year old. What are you thinking? Your marks are poor, and yet I discover from Neville that you skipped Herbology the other day, and that’s not the only class, is it? I can only imagine it’s your influence, Malfoy!”

Scorpius stood up. Taking Lily’s hand, he stepped in front of her and faced her father. “Har---uh, Mr Potter, sir, I like your daughter, and ... yeah ... we’ve been meeting in secret, and it is my fault she’s skipped a class or two, but that won’t happen anymore, I promise you.”

Harry perused them both. He said nothing, but Scorpius didn’t think his fury had abated.

“How did you know we were here?” Lily asked suddenly, looking not at her dad but at Albus. Her brother flushed and wouldn’t look her in the eye.

Harry stared from Lily to Albus. “Al told me,” he replied quietly. “He said he could see you on-”

“The MAP!” Lily yelled, to Scorpius’ utter incomprehension. Letting go of his hand, she threw herself at her brother. “You knew I was here with Scorpius, didn’t you? You deliberately told Dad where I was, so we’d get caught. That’s mean, Al. Mean, sneaky and just ... just ... just MEAN!”

“What the bloody hell did you expect me to do? I’m your brother and he has a different girl every term!” Albus shouted back.

“I do NOT!” Scorpius protested hotly �“ Ariadne, after all, had been his girlfriend for nearly two terms -- if you counted the summer holiday.

Without warning, Lily suddenly giggled. Her temper had cooled as quickly as it had flared. She turned back to Scorpius and held his hand. “At least I get the term with my birthday,” she said sweetly. “You’ll be obliged to buy me a lovely present before it all ends badly. Just not a whistling kettle, I hope.”

“Uh, not helpful,” he muttered, but was pleased to see her smiling at him. Squeezing her hand, he turned to Harry. “We were planning on going to the Valentine’s Ball together, so we’ll just let people know a bit earlier. That way neither of us have to miss lessons or ...” He trailed off. Harry was still studying him with a weird look in his eye. It was a look of calculation, assessment and tempered fury.

“This concern for my daughter, Malfoy, is very, very touching. Just the right amount of old-fashioned politeness, that is supposed to appeal to me, I suppose. Get you in my good books.”

“Uh... I’m sorry?” Scorpius was bewildered at the other man’s venom, but then he realised. “Oh, no... honestly, sir. It has nothing to do with... I mean, Lily has nothing to do with that other matter.” He started fumbling, not looking at Lily, concentrating on convincing the glowering man in front of him. Albus, listening closely, stepped closer to his father.

“Al, take Lily to the feast, will you?” Harry said quietly.

Lily didn’t move. “Um, what’s going on here? Dad, Scorpius has explained and I’m sorry I skipped a class, but I won’t skip any more ... and he has been helping me.”

Harry’s eyes left Scorpius’ face and he turned to Lily. He gestured for her to come to him, but she stood resolute by Scorpius’ side.

“Perhaps you should go,” Scorpius said.

“N-no,” she stammered, sounding worried. “I’ll stay.”

“Mmm, interesting that you’d like her to leave now, Malfoy,” Harry murmured. “Don’t want her to discover the real reason you’ve been slavering after her.”

“Sir, it’s not like that.”

Harry ignored him. Striding towards Lily, he took her hand, and gently pulled her away from Scorpius. “Sweetheart, Scorpius is using you to get to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last week I received an application form for the Auror programme. I was intrigued because on the surface, the applicant was a strong one, and yet it was a very late application ... barely a month before the deadline of the fifteenth of February. Conveniently close to the Valentine’s Ball, Malfoy.

She tore her eyes away from Harry and looked in horror at Scorpius. “The job where your name would go against you...” she whispered.

Scorpius closed his eyes, feeling the colour drain from his face. “Lily, it’s not what you think.”

“What am I thinking?” she asked furiously. “That you thought the only way to get that job was to snog the Head Auror’s daughter.”

“It’s not connected,” he argued. “At least ... it wasn’t at first. But ... but ... Mr Potter, I never thought I’d stand a Squib’s chance at Hogwarts of making the Auror programme until I met Lily.”

“And decided I was the ideal way in!” she spat. Clutching her book firmly to her chest she ran out of the room and down the stairs.

“That was a low trick, even for a Malfoy,” Harry growled.

Scorpius gazed out of the door following the direction Lily had gone, hearing her sobs as they echoed back to him. He started to go after her, but Albus had whipped out his wand and was pointing it directly at his chest. Instead, Scorpius turned to Harry.

“Your daughter, sir, told me you always gave people second chances. That’s why I sent the application form in.” He laughed bitterly, knowing his hopes were screwed. “I’d like to know what the fuck I’ve done wrong, that you won’t even give me one chance.”

Sitting in his house master’s office, Scorpius waited. Although he knew he was here for a ‘serious’ talk, and probably detention, he wasn’t the least perturbed. In his mind, Vaisey bloody well deserved it, and Scorpius was not going to apologise. He wasn’t even bothered about losing house points (except it could put Gryffindor ahead of them, and the look on Albus Potter’s smug face would be almost unbearable) ; all he was cared about was that Lily was refusing to speak to him.

He wanted to explain, that was all, and take whatever hex she felt like dishing out, and then maybe things could get back to normal. Now that the whole of Hogwarts was aware they’d been sneaking around (courtesy of two first years who’d followed Harry, hoping for his autograph), Scorpius wanted them both to face everyone down. However, Lily had surrounded herself with her cousins at every opportunity and hadn’t ventured beyond Gryffindor Tower unless it was to eat, attend lessons, or practise Quidditch.

In an attempt to force her to speak to him, Scorpius had been on his way to the Quidditch pitch when Vaisey had stopped him. And that’s when the ‘incident’ had happened.

“No doubt you’ll be thrilled to know that Mr Vaisey is not seriously hurt and is now back in your dorm, Malfoy!”

Scorpius looked up at the sound of his house master’s face and attempted a smile. It was not a good idea as his head of house stared coldly back.

Professor Zabini had been at school with his dad, and over the years, he’d visited Malfoy Manor for various occasions. He’d been Scorpius’ Potions master for three years, but had only been appointed the Slytherin head of house in September. “Precisely what possessed you to hex him a day before the match?” he asked Scorpius. “Were you so annoyed at being dropped that you didn’t care about jeopardising our chances in the Cup?”

“Didn’t think you were that bothered about Quidditch,” Scorpius muttered.

“I’m not!” the professor snapped. “Personally, the game has always bored me, but I would like Slytherin to retain the Cup if we have a chance. So, Malfoy, I would like you to explain exactly why you considered it necessary to punch our captain. You can hardly play his position, after all.”

“It had nothing to do with the bloody match!” Scorpius exclaimed. He bit his lip, aware he really shouldn’t be speaking like this. “Sorry, sir, Vaisey just ... got to me, that’s all.”

There was a long silence. Scorpius gazed gloomily at the floor awaiting his fate. What the hell did it matter? He’d lost his place on the team, and Lily wasn’t speaking to him. He might as well end up in detention for a week; it wasn’t going to change a thing.

Professor Zabini sighed and walked around to his side of the desk where he lowered himself into his plush leather chair. “In all the years I’ve known you, Scorpius, I’ve never seen you lose your temper quite like that �“ and certainly not with a Slytherin.” He paused. “What did Vaisey say to you exactly?”

“Nothing,” Scorpius mumbled.

“So it was just a fit of petulance, then?” Professor Zabini raised one eyebrow. “Come on, Mr Malfoy, you’re not talking to an idiot. I am perfectly aware of what happened yesterday between you and Potter’s daughter. Was Vaisey ragging you about that?”

Scorpius gaped at his house master. Merlin, if he knew, it would only be a matter of time before someone told his dad.

“He wanted to borrow my broom,” he replied, thinking quickly. It wasn’t exactly a lie. Vaisey had been dropping hints about the Firebolt X, and it was only when Scorpius had told him where to go that the insults about consorting with ‘red-haired Gryffindor sluts’had come flying through the air.

Anger had rippled through Scorpius, and before he’d known exactly what he was doing, he’d punched Vaisey in the face �“ hard. He rubbed his knuckles morosely. They still hurt, but the pleasure he’d got when he’d heard Vaisey’s nose crunch made it all worthwhile.

“All this over a broom,” the professor drawled, and Scorpius knew he didn’t believe him.

“Sir,” he began, then swallowed. Professor Zabini inclined his head, so he continued, “What exactly did you hear about me and ... er ... Mr Potter’s daughter?”

“That you were caught in a compromising position with her,” Professor Zabini replied. A whisper of a smile appeared on his face, but the next second he looked impassive again. “Mr Potter wanted to hex you into next week - or at least deduct house points - but was reminded that he was only a guest lecturer. So whilst he can award or deduct points in his lesson, discovering his daughter in the Astronomy Tower with a Slytherin �“ however unsavoury �“ was beyond his remit.”

The professor leant back in his chair and, this time, the gleam in his eyes was unmistakeable. Scorpius had no doubt that his house master had been the one raising objections on Slytherin’s behalf.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Vaisey is going out with Miss Bletchley, isn’t he?” Professor Zabini enquired mildly. “Your ex-girlfriend, I believe.”

“Uh huh,” Scorpius replied, not totally sure where this conversation was going.

“So, in any case, a lover’s quarrel really isn’t any concern of mine,” the professor stated in a bored tone. He waved his hand at him dismissively. “You may go, Scorpius, but I don’t want to have to talk to you again. If you and Vaisey cannot get along, then perhaps you should move into another dorm. I know the fifth years have a spare bed.”

Scorpius glowered. “That won’t be necessary, sir. I’ll stay out of Vaisey’s way.” He stood up and moved towards the door, but as he did, there was a large whoosh from the fireplace. Scorpius stayed where he was as a figure emerged from the hearth, coughing and swearing as the Floo dust caught in her throat.

“Merlin, Zabini, aren’t the Slytherin fireplaces ever swept properly?”

Scorpius hid a smirk as he saw his house master looking extremely discomforted as a familiar-looking witch stepped across the floor. “Scorpius, you are dismissed,” he called.

The witch looked over and stared at him. “Hello, Scorpius,” she said with a smile, looking him up and down. “Are you in trouble again?”

“Not exactly, but he doesn’t have time to chat ... do you?” Professor Zabini said, sounding ever so slightly flustered now. “Scorpius, stay away from the girl as well.”

“Ariadne?” Scorpius queried. “Sure. I don’t want to be anywhere near her.”

“I mean Lily Potter, of course.”

Scorpius nodded meekly and opened the office door, but couldn’t resist a small grin at the witch who was staring at him in bemusement. He liked Professor Zabini’s wife. Under her maiden name of Brown, she was a journalist for the Daily Prophet, and although she wasn’t often at Hogwarts, her visits always coincided with the Potions Master being in a far more lenient mood.

On closing the door, he heard her gasp. “Blaise, you’re not seriously suggesting that Draco Malfoy’s son is seeing Harry’s daughter.”

“They were,” he heard Professor Zabini reply, “but I rather think it’s over now.”

Lavender laughed. “That is a shame. I do like a good romance, especially when it concerns a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. All that reckless abandonment...”

Scorpius didn’t move but pressed his ear to the door, intent on hearing everything they had to say.

“I’ll have Draco on my case if I allow it to continue,” his professor replied, sounding amused.

“I think Draco is the least of your problems,” Lavender replied. “Just wait until Ginny finds out. That’s when the Howlers will fly.”

Scorpius stayed a minute or so more, but it appeared they had no more to add on the subject, and when he heard the sound of giggling, he assumed his professor had other things on his mind and left hastily.

As he walked back to the common room, he pondered Lavender’s remark about Lily’s mum. Why would Mrs Potter be angrier than his dad?

Then he scowled. It hardly mattered now - Lily didn’t want anything to do with him anyway.

He genuinely did not know why it bothered him so much. She was not in the same league �“ looks-wise �“ as Ariadne, or even that awful Ravenclaw who’d flirted so blatantly with him on the train, but Lily Potter had something and it kept her niggling in his thoughts.

Muttering the password ‘Boomslang’, he strode into the common room where he was assailed by silence.

Johnson Vaisey was sitting in the armchair nearest the fire with Ariadne sitting on his lap. His brother, Gerald, stood by the hearth, warming his hands, and Scorpius could see the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team dotted around the common room. All of them were glaring at him.

“Aww, Vaisey, how sweet,” Scorpius drawled. “Not only do you have your own special nurse, but a whole host of bodyguards, too.” He smirked as Flint stepped closer to Vaisey’s chair. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hit you again.”

“How many did you lose?” Flint asked coldly.

“How many what?” Scorpius replied. “Dragons? Nargles? Sorry, Flint, I have absolutely no idea what you’re on about.”

“Points, you jerk,” Flint snarled. “How many effing points did you lose us for punching Vaisey?”

Scorpius smirked. “Nice to see where your priorities lie.” He walked towards the staircase leading to his dormitory. With any luck, the others would stay in the common room, and he could try to work out in peace what the hell he was going to do about Lily.

“How many?” Flint’s voice echoed around the room.

“Go and check the sodding hourglasses if you’re so bloody bothered,” Scorpius muttered. He knew they were itching to hex him. He probably deserved it from Vaisey, at least, but he had thought Flint might have kept out of it. He gripped his wand as he heard footsteps following him down the stairs.

“What’s your plan, Malfoy?” Flint shouted. “Hand the Cup to Gryffindor so you can get into her knickers?”

Furiously, Scorpius turned around to face Flint only to find a wand aimed directly at him. “Of course not,” he replied, through gritted teeth, wondering if he could disarm Flint before the other boy realised.

“Then why did you whack Johnson, and why won’t you lend his brother your broom?” demanded Flint.

“Gerald can barely handle a Cleansweep Eight,” Scorpius retorted. “There’s no bloody way I’m letting him on my Firebolt.”

“And punching Johnson?”

“Run along and check the hourglasses, and you’ll see that Professor Zabini didn’t deduct anything.”

Looking puzzled, Flint lowered his wand. “I thought ...” he began, but at that moment, Scorpius cast a Disarming Spell and neatly caught Flint’s wand. Flint stepped back, eyeing Scorpius warily. “S �“ sorry,” he stuttered.

Scorpius leant in closer and pointed both wands in Flint’s face. They’d always got on reasonably well, but Scorpius was not going to be pushed around by a sixth year. “Don’t ever threaten me again, you twat, or next time I’ll hex your bollocks off.”

He could see sweat beading on the younger boy’s face as he prodded the wands under Flint’s chin.

“I-I-It’s just that you’ve changed recently, “Flint replied, his voice shaking. “You dropped Quidditch, and some of us thought that ... er ...”

“Go on,” Scorpius insisted.

“We ... er wondered if that Potter girl had hexed you, or fed you a Love Potion, or something,” Flint murmured darkly.

Astonished, Scorpius gulped and stepped back. He lowered both wands and handed one back to Flint. “You seriously think Lily Potter has drugged me?”

“It’s crossed my mind,” Flint replied. He looked straight at Scorpius. “You’ve not been around much recently, and Johnson said you were a right suck-arse ... er ... he said you were really polite to Harry Potter in the lesson.”

“Because he’s a good teacher!” Scorpius exclaimed. “Why, in the name of Merlin, wouldn’t I want to get on his good side? I cast a Patronus in that lesson, Flint. I did it before Potter’s frigging son. It’s got sod all to do with his daughter, or bloody Slytherin loyalties, and everything to do with the fact that I want a decent career when I leave this place.”

“Oh...” Flint’s face broke into a smile and he started to guffaw. “That makes sense. Career move and all that. Merlin, you must be so pissed off at being discovered.”

Scorpius closed his eyes. That wasn’t what he meant. Seeing Lily Potter had nothing to do with who her father was ... at least ... he didn’t think it did.

“I’m going back to my room,” he mumbled, walking away from the grinning Flint.

“Your Firebolt X,” Flint said, placing his hand on Scorpius’ shoulder. “Can Gerald use it tomorrow?”

“I ...” Scorpius paused. He was about to explain again that it wasn’t because he was bitter about being dropped, but had everything to do with the fact that the Firebolt X needed a classy rider, and Gerald Vaisey could not be called classy in any sense. But he stopped. He didn’t owe any of this lot a thing. Gerald wanted to try the broom, then why bloody not? “Sure,” he amended, and smiled at Flint. “I’ll fetch it now. Perhaps Vaisey would like to practise first.”


Half an hour later, with downcast eyes and a sigh, Scorpius walked back into the common room and handed his broom over. Gerald’s eyes widened appreciatively, and he started to mutter his thanks before a look from Johnson silenced him.

“Glad you’ve seen sense,” Johnson said to Scorpius. “Or did Professor Zabini tell you to give it to us?”

Scorpius shrugged, neither confirming or denying the assumption and sat down on the armchair opposite Vaisey and Ariadne. He was careful to keep his face straight as he heard Gerald boasting that he’d catch the Snitch in record time.

Only if you no longer fly like a constipated pig, Scorpius thought.

***

Because he was an arrogant tosser as well as a bad flyer, Gerald had not practised on Scorpius’ broom at all. As the Slytherin team strode onto the pitch and stared out the Ravenclaws, Scorpius leant forward in his seat. The Ravenclaws made a good team. They’d lost to Hufflepuff by the merest of margins and would be after a good result to keep them in with a chance of winning. In the past, Scorpius had always enjoyed playing the Claws. It was just as competitive as against Gryffindor, but with less of the intense rivalry. A pang of regret gnawed at him when he saw Gerald Vaisey mount his Firebolt. Bloody hell, I should be playing, he thought. This is so sodding unfair.

He scanned the Gryffindor stand, trying to get a glimpse Lily, hoping against hope that she’d shoot him a sympathetic glance. But the only redhead was her cousin, Rose, and Scorpius doubted she’d be remotely friendly.

A gale of laughter ran through the stadium, interrupting his miserable thoughts. Looking down, he saw Gerald flying about a foot off the ground, the broom twisting and turning fiercely. As Gerald gripped harder and tried to pull the Firebolt into line, it began to buck.

“Interesting technique from the new Slytherin Seeker,” Scorpius heard the commentator say. He groaned when he recognised the smug tones of Hugo Weasley. On glancing upwards, he groaned again, for alongside Hugo sat Lily’s mum and her brother, James.


“We have the Prophet’s Quidditch correspondent here, folks,” Hugo announced to the crowd. “It looks like she could be in for a helluva match.” Back on the pitch, there was a yelp from Gerald, who finally loosed his hold and was sent soaring through the air, landing with a thump onto the cold ground. “Or at least, we hope there’s a match,” Hugo continued. “The new Seeker looks as jumpy as an Erkling hit with a Tarantallegra. ”

Scorpius snorted; Hugo was himself sounding like he’d been hexed with a Colloquialism Curse, the way he kept throwing in random phrases. Trying to impress those who mattered obviously wasn’t just confined to Slytherins.

“What the hell have you done to the broom?” Vaisey shouted as he flew straight towards Scorpius. “My brother can’t fly on that.”

“I warned you,” Scorpius replied, injecting a bored tone in his voice. “He isn’t good enough. You should Summon him a Cleansweep Five, or ...” he paused and examined his fingernails, “you haven’t officiallystarted the match yet, Vaisey. You could play me.”

Vaisey stared at him, appearing to consider his offer. But then he looked to Scorpius’ right and shook his head. Following his gaze, Scorpius found he was looking straight at Ariadne.

“I thought you were the captain, not her,” Scorpius murmured.

“I am. Gerald plays. I’ll cast an Anti-Bucking Jinx on the broom.”

“Over my dead body!” Scorpius yelled. “That broom has been specifically crafted for me. You’re not going anywhere near it!” He drew his wand and, loud enough for everyone to hear, he Summoned his Firebolt X.

“Oh, and now the ex-Slytherin Seeker, Scorpius Malfoy, is taking away his toy,” Hugo drawled to the laughing crowd. “The Firebolt X is renowned for its unpredictability. That could explain why Malfoy isn’t flying today, either. It takes a flyer of courage to even mount it.”

Catching his broom with one hand, Scorpius glared at Vaisey and then at the commentary box. Without another thought, he mounted the broom and soared high above the seats. Flying directly towards Hugo, he started to shout across at him. The pent-up fury of the past two days spewing out with every word.

“You better hope I’m a good flyer, Weasley. Otherwise you’ll end up Thestral bait!”

He grinned as he saw Hugo’s frozen face and laughed when he saw fear flick into James’ eyes. “Where’s your famous Gryffindor bravery now?”Scorpius demanded, accelerating towards them.

Then, just as he was about to hit the box, he caught sight of Professor Zabini watching him intently. With a sly wink, Scorpius swerved upwards, skimming Hugo’s head with his shoe.

“Scorpius, get back to the dungeons,” his professor ordered calmly. “But apologise to Mrs Potter first.”


“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Lavender said placatingly, smiling as she leant forwards to touch Mrs Potter on the arm. “I remember another flyer crashing into this box when she was annoyed with the commentator.”

Ginny smiled at Lavender, but when she turned back to Scorpius, the smile had gone. “You’re not a bad flyer, Malfoy. But I don’t think you know a thing about team spirit.”

“I’m not on the team, Mrs Potter,” Scorpius said politely. “And I do apologize if I scared you as much as I seemed to scare your nephew and son, but I don’t like being called a coward.”

She didn’t reply, but merely raised her eyebrows, so deciding he really should go now, Scorpius flew down to the edge of the pitch and walked away. He was pleased his head of house had confined him to the dungeons, because he had no wish to watch Slytherin get hammered into the ground today.

About halfway back to the castle, Scorpius heard a roar from the stadium and knew the match had started. Resisting the urge to look back, he instead mounted his broom again, deciding to fly the rest of the way despite knowing that if he were caught he’d be in even more trouble.

Sod it, he thought. He had so few opportunities these days, and no one was around. They were all at the match. He kicked off, felt the rush as the cold air hit his face and began to laugh. This was flying. This was glorious. How the hell did he think he could have given this up?

He flew towards the lake, swooping low and feeling the spray as the surface rippled in his slipstream. Swerving from side-to-side, he delighted in the acceleration of his broom and the utter joy he felt when it reacted to his every command.

“Hugo Weasley, you’re an ARSE!” he screamed at the top of his voice and then started to laugh as he drove the broom ever faster.

He didn’t see the Giant Squid until it was too late. Zooming along the length of the lake, his body streamlined against the handle, he missed the tentacle as it broke through the water’s surface, slapped him hard and swept him onto the bank. He landed on his arse, in the mud, and the Firebolt crashed onto his head.

“Nice flying, Scorpy,” mocked someone. “At least the broom had a soft landing.”

He looked up, not surprised in the least to see Lily Potter standing over him, apple in hand.

“I was doing well until that bastard Squid got me,” he muttered. There was a pause as he looked at her. He knew he had to say something; he needed the chance to explain, and he’d been waiting for time alone with her for two days. But now he was tongue-tied. The apologies sounded trite on his lips, and she didn’t look in the least like she wanted to forgive him.

“Lily,” he began, “can we talk?”

“About Auror applications?” she asked, scorn rippling through her voice. “Why didn’t you just ask me for a reference?”

“I sh-should have told you,” he stuttered.

“Yes,” she replied coldly, turning away from him. “I don’t like being used, Malfoy.”

“I wasn’t,” he protested. “At least �“”

“At least what?” she asked, still not looking at him but not walking away either.

“I didn’t mean to,” he admitted.

“Oh, well, that’s all right then,” Lily said, the tone in her voice making it perfectly clear that it was far from all right. That things couldn’t be less all right than if he’d screwed her senseless and left without a word.

“Lily, please listen.”

“No,” she said. “All I’ve done for the past two days is listen. I had Rose lecturing me, Al having a go, Hugo is furious and Dad...” She sighed. “Dad is being very sweet, but horribly patronising. I’m done with listening, and there’s nothing you can say that will make any of this better.”

“I’ll withdraw my application,” he blurted out.

“Dad’s hardly likely to accept it anyway,” she replied, adding, “and your Daddy would never agree to you becoming an Auror.”

“I don’t need his permission,” Scorpius growled. “I’m of age.”

“Auror training won’t keep you in flashy brooms,” Lily retorted.

He was still sitting on the bank; the waves from the lake were soaking into his robes. Cold, wet and sore from where he’d landed, he knew he cut a pathetic figure. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

Lily sighed but started walking again. “Teddy warned me about you,” she called over her shoulder. “He’s the one person I should have listened to.”

“I want to keep seeing you,” he said. “We could be a proper couple, Lily.”

She faltered, and taking that as a sign, Scorpius stood up and jogged towards her. Standing behind her, he placed one hand on her shoulder and another round her waist, drawing her back to him and dropping a soft kiss in her hair. He felt her relax into him and smiled. It would be okay now, he thought.

“Come to the Valentine’s Ball with me,” he whispered in her ear. “We can show everyone that none of this house stuff matters.”

“You must think I’m so naive,” she replied softly. “One small kiss and an apology, and you think I’ll come back to you.”

“Huh?” he asked, puzzled.

“Valentine’s Ball, Malfoy. You’ll take me to that, and then when Dad realises you’re not such a bastard, he’ll accept your application. Isn’t that what your plan is?”

“NO!” he protested. “Lily, there’s no plan!”

Freeing herself from his grasp, she turned to face him. “I don’t believe you. You always have a plan.” She took a step back and raised her hand when he tried to move towards her. “Besides, I already have a partner.”

“Already?” he said, and laughed, knowing she was bluffing.

“Harry Cootes asked me this morning,” she replied acidly.

That shocked him. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time,” he muttered. “After all, he’s such a prat, it must be like being with your brothers and cousins. How fabulous.”

“Shut up about my family!”

“Why the fuck should I?” he demanded, raising his voice now. “Your family can’t keep quiet about me, can they? Ah, forget it, baby Potter. I should have realised that you’re far too young and can no more go against your sodding brother and cousins than I can hex without a wand. Not sure why I was so bothered�“ your novelty is rapidly wearing off.”

He knew he’d gone too far when she turned her face away from him to hide what looked like tears welling in her eyes. But as he reached out his hand, to apologise and try to make amends, she jerked away.

“Is this novel enough for you, Scorpy?” she hissed as she hurled a Bat-Bogey Hex at him.

Sinking to the ground, he clutched his face. The hex had hit him squarely in the face, and his eyes were watering so much he could barely see.

He wanted to scream after her. Rail at her for being a little bitch, but he knew he deserved it. If he wanted her back, it would take far more than a mumbled apology.

***



“You wanted to see me, Malfoy.”

Scorpius looked up from the Firewhisky he was nursing in his hands and into the cold, dark eyes of his cousin.

“Call me Scorpius,” he replied, gesturing for Teddy to join him at his table. “After all, we are related.”

“Doesn’t make us friends,” Teddy stated, but he sat down anyway. “What do you want?”

“Someone to listen to me.”

“I’m not sure you deserve that, not after the way you treated Lily.”

“I was stupid,” Scorpius admitted. “I made a mistake not telling her about the application, but me seeing Lily had sod all to do with that Auror application.”

“Yeah, right,” Teddy replied. He stood up, and Scorpius thought he was going to leave, but instead he approached the bar and signalled to Aberforth that he wanted a drink.

“I filled in the application form long before I was ever seeing Lily,” Scorpius explained when Teddy rejoined him. “I looked through everything over the summer holiday, and when I got back to Hogwarts, I decided to apply.”

“So why did you send the application form in four months later?” Teddy asked in disbelief.

“Because I knew I didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of being accepted. Not with my background.”

“Yet you still sent it in. That doesn’t add up, Malfoy,” Teddy said, picking up his drink and taking a long, slow sip.

“Because Lily told me what a great bloke her dad was �“ that’s why!” Scorpius exclaimed. “She said he gave people chances, and I believed her.”

Teddy studied him thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair as he perused Scorpius’ face. “If I offered to talk to either Lily or Harry, which one would you choose, Scorpius?”

Scorpius licked his lips. “Li ...” he trailed off. He knew he should answer Lily, but if he were honest ...

“Okay, I want to get back with Lily. I want her to understand that I wasn’t using her, although, yeah, I admit that I did think seeing her wouldn’t exactly harm my chances with her dad. But...”

“But what?” Teddy’s voice took on an interrogatory tone.

“But, I’m realistic enough to realise that Lily isn’t my whole world,” Scorpius said quickly. “I know the easiest way to get you onside is to tell you that I love her and I want to marry her �“ or some rubbish like that �“ but we’ve been together for less than a month, and how many relationships last outside Hogwarts?”

Teddy smiled slightly. “Well, Lily’s parents, for one thing, Rose and Hugo’s, Fred and Roxanne’s, too. I’ve known Victoire more or less all my life,” he added.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “What a joyously happy family you must be,” he said, trying to keep the scorn out of his voice.

“Yep, we’re a bundle of laughs,” Teddy muttered darkly. He drained his drink. “Look, I appreciate your honesty. If you’d said Lily, I wouldn’t have believed you, anyway.”

“So you’ll help me?” Scorpius asked hopefully. “You’re on my side.”

“I’ll tell Harry exactly what you’ve told me,” Teddy replied, “but I’m not on your side, Scorpius. And I won’t speak to Lily. You want her back �“ you earn her back. Given the grief she’s getting from her family, she’s better off out of it.”

“You’ll be pleased to know she’s seeing Cootes, then,” Scorpius said gloomily. “I’m sure the family will love him.”

He took a slug of his drink, feeling the Firewhisky sear his throat, and slunk into the back of his chair. “I had a fall during the match against Gryffindor �“ totally lost my nerve �“ but your ... er ... I don’t know what the relationship is, but she says you’re like a brother.”

“I think of her as my sister,” Teddy said quietly. “Go on, tell me what Lily did.”

“She got me flying again.”

“James told me you’d been dropped,” Teddy said neutrally.

“I quit, and didn’t get reinstated when I changed my mind,” Scorpius replied, hoping that Teddy would recognise that there was a difference. “We’d lost to Gryffindor and I got the blame.” He shrugged. “Slytherin lost to Ravenclaw last week, and the new Seeker’s crap, so perhaps they’ll ask me to come back.”

“And you’d return to the team? You can’t win the Cup now.”

Scorpius’ eyes gleamed. “One last chance to fly at Hogwarts �“ to catch the Snitch. You bet I would.”

There was a silence, yet it wasn’t uncomfortable. Scorpius finished his drink, and after a while, Teddy offered to buy him another.

“Victoire dumped me once for this prat called Chester McLaggan,” Teddy said when he returned with the drinks. “Didn’t last long. She was just incredibly hurt and angry with me.”

“You think Lily will forgive me?”

Teddy grimaced. “She’s stubborn �“ all the Weasleys are �“ but has a heart as big as a lion’s, so I think she will.” He paused and raised the glass to his lips. “Be careful, though, Scorpius.”

“Careful of what?”

“Well, cousin, you might not think Lily means that much to you, but those Weasley witches are a bloody hard habit to shake.”

Earn her back, Teddy had told him. Scorpius pondered his cousin’s words frequently over the next week yet came to no real conclusion about how he could get Lily back. In the past, if he’d been bothered, flowers and chocolates had won round his latest witch. However, Lily had sent back the flowers he’d stolen from Longbottom’s private garden. She’d decapitated the daffodils, and Banished them from the breakfast table, making sure they slapped him around the face before landing square in his cereal bowl, splashing the milk on his robes.

Her wandwork is improving, he thought darkly, deciding against pelting her with chocolates right at this moment. There was a shout of laughter emanating from the top table, not a nasty laugh, but one of genuine amusement, and looking up, he caught Mrs Zabini biting her lip in a desperate attempt not to laugh.

Still giggling, she nonetheless wafted a napkin towards him before turning her face towards her husband to whisper something in his ear. Professor Zabini sighed, gave her a brief nod, and then Lavender Zabini stood up and approached Scorpius.

“Flowers,” she whispered in his ear as she slid into the space next to him, “are not going to work. Well, not if she’s anything like her mum.”

“You were a Gryffindor, right?” he asked, remembering, and also glad for once that his housemates were still shunning him, and that he was far away from Ariadne’s inquisitive ears. “So how did the professor win you round?”

Lavender smirked. “I really don’t think that’s a subject for discussion at the breakfast table ... or any table. Let’s just say that Hogwarts was vastly different in my seventh year and Professor Zabini was ... er ... gallant enough to ride to my rescue on several occasions.”

Scorpius caught her smiling again at her husband; it was a sly, secret smile, and he could see Professor Zabini giving her a ghost of a wink back. “I can’t exactly resurrect the Carrows to show my devotion,” he said scornfully, remembering the stories he’d read about that particular Hogwarts regime.

Lavender scowled at him. “You could try thinking about Lily Potter instead of assuming that all girls are the same and will fall for a hastily picked bunch of rotten daffodils!” she replied sharply. “If you tell me that your next plan is to send her chocolates, I might very well roll my eyes and give up on you entirely!”

She stood up, touching him lightly on the shoulder. “Think about her, Scorpius, and not your past girlfriends.”

Moodily, he pushed his cereal away and reached under his seat. Mrs Zabini was probably right, he thought as he pulled out the box of Honeydukes chocolates. Lily Potter was not a normal girl and would no doubt throw these straight back to him if he attempted to present them to her. Peering across at the Gryffindor table, he saw a flash of red hair, as if she was rapidly turning her face away from his direction. He stared at her, willing Lily to look back at him. Then a stocky, blond boy sat heavily down next to her, and Scorpius heard a wretched tinkling laugh emerge from her mouth.

Merlin, now she sounds like Ariadne, he thought irritably. When she placed her hand on Cootes’ arm, and he bent his head towards hers, his lips hovering near her mouth, Scorpius scowled. He took a brief vindictive pleasure in watching Lily jerk away so that Cootes’ lips brushed her cheek.

“Oh, baby Potter,” he muttered. “You really shouldn’t play games, not with a Malfoy, but if you insist ...”

Glancing towards the door, he smirked on seeing a couple of Ravenclaw girls tripping in late for breakfast. He picked up the box of chocolates, straightened his robes, and then sauntered, ever so casually, to where the taller of the girls had sat down.

“Heloise,” he said, bending towards her. “These are for you.”

“Er, why?” she demanded, her eyes opening wide.

“Because,” he replied as he perched on the edge of the bench. “I realised just how rude I was to you on the train, and I ...” He chewed his lip, hoping he looked vulnerable.

“You want to ask me to the Valentine’s Ball?” Heloise asked hopefully.

Hell no! Scorpius thought, yet as he peeped over shoulder, he could see Lily staring at him and then turning her attention back to Harry, giggling girlishly. His insides churned. “You’ve read my mind, Heloise. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with,” he lied. Lifting her hand, he slowly raised it to his lips, all the while watching the delight in her eyes. “Until the ball, Miss Edgecombe.”

“Oh, we could meet before then, if you’d like,” she said, a little too eagerly. “I’m free this afternoon.”

Scorpius had always liked girls when they were this forward; it certainly saved him the effort of chasing them, but there was something far too cloying about Heloise’s interest. He licked his lips wondering why his mouth felt so dry. “I’m not, unfortunately. Curse of N.E.W.T. year is that I’m up to my eyes,” he said, sighing and rolling them dramatically to emphasize the point, “in parchment and ink. I just hope I can get everything done in time for the Ball. You’re far too distracting for me to meet before then.”

She giggled and ran her immaculately manicured hand through her immaculate shining hair. The gesture turned heads, and he snuck a quick look to the Gryffindor table. Lily had her back very definitely towards him, yet as he squinted, he could see that friend of hers, the Chaser, Thomas, staring across and muttering. Standing, he kissed Heloise faintly on the cheek, and strolled back to the Slytherin table.

“I suppose she’s an improvement on the last one,” Ariadne called waspishly.

Scorpius resisted the urge to hex the stupid smile off her face; instead, he helped himself to a piece of toast and gathered up his things. It was Sunday, and contrary to what he’d just told Heloise, he had no homework to finish. He thought he might as well grab his Firebolt and take it for a spin.

“Ugh, the jealousy card,” Lavender said, shaking her head as he walked past him in the Entrance Hall. “Never wise!”

Scorpius ignored her. Snapping at his House Master’s wife was a one-way ticket to detention, and he was itching to fly.

***

After objections from both teams (because the Valentine’s Ball was being held on Saturday evening and they wanted some time to recover), the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match had been rescheduled for Friday. And so, with a rare weekday afternoon off, Scorpius meandered down to the pitch carefully avoiding both the Slytherins and Heloise Edgecombe.

He shuddered as he thought about her. Despite confining himself to the common room during his spare time, Heloise had managed to find him with a regularity so alarming he wondered if she’d got a copy of his timetable. He was sincerely regretting his decision to ask her to the Ball, especially as it hadn’t had the desired effect, for Lily was still linking her arm with Cootes at every opportunity.

He gnawed the side of his mouth. Cootes was a reasonably good player �“ and a Gryffindor �“ perhaps she really did like him. Perhaps he really had been on her mind when Teddy had surprised them in Smithy’s Field.

And Cootes had not yet had the chance to let her down.

He heard a giggle and then a pair of hands slipped over his eyes. “Guess who?”

For an enticingly brief moment, he hoped it was Lily, but the perfume sprayed on the wrists was not hers. “Heloise?” he replied wearily.

“Yes,” she trilled, smiling as she turned him around to face her. She wasn’t alone; she was standing with three other girls, all Ravenclaws and all staring at him with identical intense expressions on their faces. “I’m so looking forward to tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Uh ...” He really hadn’t thought this through. Going with Heloise meant he’d have to socialise with her boring friends, especially as the other Slytherins seemed intent on ignoring him.

I could say I feel ill, he thought, his mind drifting to the day Lily had handed him the Pustule Pip. Perhaps if he spoke very fast he could cry off tomorrow night. “Heloise, obviously I’m ... er ... dev-” He had intended to say ‘devastated that he couldn’t now go’, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose walking down to the Quidditch field with Ben. She scowled and made a move towards him, until Ben tugged on her arm.

What, Scorpius thought, is the point in me staying away? I might as well go and get blind drunk.

“You were saying, Scorpius,” Heloise murmured and he noticed that her smile was fading slightly, as if she knew exactly what was going through his mind.

What was I saying? Oh yeah ... “I’ll be devoted to you all night long, Heloise,” he promised.

She laughed in what she probably thought was a delicate girlish tinkle and then lifted her face expectantly, waiting for the kiss on her lips. Aware that Rose was watching him, Scorpius crooked his head down and very softly kissed Heloise on the side of her mouth, just skimming her top lip with his. It was a kiss calculated to look good, yet promising nothing �“ he’d learnt that much from his last few days with Ariadne.

“You could sit with the Ravenclaws if you’d like,” Heloise offered. “It’s not an important match, after all.”

Merlin, does she know anything about Quidditch?

He heard someone laughing and knew it was Rose Weasley.

***

Sitting in the back row of the Slytherin stand meant Scorpius wasn’t afforded the best views of the action, but because he’d arrived late it was the only seat free. Although there were seats at the front, it would have meant sitting with both Vaiseys, Ariadne and Flint. Instead he settled into the back row, forcing some snot nosed second-year to shift along the bench so he could at least have an aisle seat.

He stretched out his legs, trying his best to look nonchalant, as if he couldn’t care less about the outcome of the game, yet inside he could feel his gut churning. He wanted Gryffindor to lose �“ badly. He wanted their defeat to be so heavy that Albus Potter’s big, arrogant head would implode with shame. He wanted that smug git Cootes to mis-hit the Bludger so woefully that it would hit his fat head and also knock sodding Hugo Weasley out in the commentary box. He wanted Thomas’ fingers to turn to jelly so she’d drop the Quaffle every single time it came her way. He wanted Lily Potter ...

Just then, she flew past. She’d tied her long hair underneath her helmet, only a few strands had escaped and were whipping around in the breeze. He remembered the smell of it as he’d held her close, fresh and so unlike Heloise.

He wanted Lily Potter to catch the Snitch.

A groan escaped from his lips, causing the boy next to him to ask tentatively if Scorpius was all right.

“Fine,” he muttered, knowing he wasn’t.

Teddy had been right. Lily had seeped stealthily into his conscious and he wasn’t sure he could cope with her not being with him anymore.

Mrs Zabini had been right. He should be focussing on Lily and not the games other people played. Making her jealous had been a stupid idea, playing on her insecurities had only made her latch onto Cootes harder.

And Harry Potter had been right. Deep down, Scorpius had hoped that knowing Lily would help him onto the Auror Training programme. If he’d admitted that to himself sooner, then maybe he could have been honest with her.

From the commentary box, he heard Hugo proclaim a goal for Hufflepuff and he craned his neck in an attempt to see the score. Eighty Twenty to Hufflepuff. That sparked his interest fleetingly away from the Gryffindor Seeker. Were Potter’s side about to lose? Hufflepuff were better than he’d thought, putting together some great plays and as he watched the game, he noticed a lack of fluidity about the Gryffindor side and wondered what had happened. As much as he hated to admit it, Albus was a great Chaser. In the last game, he’d torn through the Slytherin defences like a pro, yet now he looked nervous.

A shout from Hugo snapped Scorpius away from watching Albus, and then he realised. Mrs Potter was again in the commentary box. It looked as if Albus was struggling to live up to her legacy.

Perhaps drawn by his gaze, Mrs Potter appeared to look his way, her eyes scanning the Slytherin stand, until �“ at last �“ she found him. He wondered whether to raise his hand, or smile (although she wouldn’t see his expression from where she was), but as he debated, she turned her head away and returned to the game.

He switched back to the action, watching as Lily looped through the sky, alert for any sign of the Snitch. With nothing to do to help her team, except search for a small golden ball with delicate wings, Scorpius could feel her frustration. He’d been in her boots many times. All too often, it had been he that had saved the Slytherin team from annihilation, and while he’d affected an arrogantly casual air, knowing he could not fly well if he panicked, his nerves had jangled within him.

Lily did not have enough experience. It was only her second match, and that was obvious by the way she expended her energy on fruitless searches through the sky, swooping down desperately in an attempt to win the game. In contrast to her first game when she’d flown away from Scorpius, she was concentrating far too much on the other Seeker (a short, sharp featured girl called Sarah Jones).

He groaned as he watched Lily wobbling. Her lack of confidence gave the other Seeker heart and she started to swerve through the sky, playing tricks with Lily as if she’d seen the Snitch.

“Relax!” Scorpius shouted, the words unbidden from his lips as she flew close to him. “She’s tying you in knots.”

Lily glared with fresh fury in her eyes, so he slunk back in his seat ignoring the odd looks from the second years around him. She said nothing to him, so he took satisfaction from the fact that she did calm down and eased up on her obsessive tailing activities. Instead she returned to scanning the horizon for the Snitch.

A shriek alerted him to the action; Natalie Thomas had not only dropped the Quaffle (were her fingers really jelly?) but it had been caught by the strongest Hufflepuff Chaser, Neville Cadwallader . (Scorpius smirked as he remembered Teddy’s speech about children named after Battle heroes and wondered if Cadwallader’s parents had hoped he’d be a Gryffindor like his namesake.)

“Ninety-Twenty to Hufflepuff,” Hugo announced in a very unenthusiastic tone. “Come on Gryffindor ... Sorry ... Professor Goldstein has just reminded me that I need to ‘remain impartial’ ”. He hesitated, and then said, “Oh, come on, Lions. Make a game of this!”

Emboldened by his cousin’s rebuke, Albus Potter started to lift his game. Scorpius could see, very clearly, how the captain began to direct the action, exhorting his fellow Chasers to take the catches, encouraging his Beaters to aim harder, urging his Keeper to try for every save. Then Scorpius watched as Albus flew up to his sister. There was a short conversation where he saw Albus clearly mouth that she needed to mark Jones carefully. Lily was biting her lip, shaking her head and Scorpius realised she was attempting to explain her tactics. Albus frowned at her, clearly disagreeing. When he saw Lily’s shoulders slump, Scorpius knew she was listening to her brother and not her own instincts.

He kicked the seat in front of him and scowled when the fourth year turned round to protest. “Lily,” he muttered under his breath, “your brother is an arse and has the Seeking instincts of a Pygmy Puff!” He stared at her, trying to will his thoughts across the sky. Don’t listen to him.

He was no Legilimens, and Lily wasn’t looking at him anymore, so it was hardly a surprise when he watched her circle the pitch after Jones again.

Meanwhile the Gryffindor team appeared to be back in the game. After a goal from Potter and another from Thomas, Scorpius could see the rest of the team attacking the game with renewed confidence. Cootes, in particular, was swinging his bat with aplomb, howling to the sky as he connected with the bat, making his fellow Beater laugh.

“Oh, you arrogant tosser!” Scorpius yelled, and then laughed wholeheartedly as the over-confident Cootes lashed out. The Bludger missed Cadwallader by miles, instead hitting, with a sickening thud, Thomas in the face. Even the Slytherins winced. Thomas may have been a Gryffindor, but the sight of blood streaming down her face was enough to make them gasp.

And now, despite rallying his team again, there was little Albus could do. With Thomas on a stretcher bound for Madam Bones in the hospital wing, he was a player down. Against a strong Hufflepuff team, who began to rack up the goals, Gryffindor’s only chance lay with their Seeker.

“Go on, Lily,” he found himself muttering over and over.

Seeing Lily jerk her broom around, Scorpius’ eyes swivelled her way. Glinting in the distance was a flash of gold. She gasped, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice, and in that moment, Jones swerved too. They tore through the air, both streaking towards the tantalising prize.

“No!” Scorpius heard Albus call, and looking down he saw the reason why. Hufflepuff had just scored, and were one hundred and sixty points ahead. Hearing her brother, Lily hesitated a fraction, which gave Sarah Jones the chance she’d been waiting for. The Hufflepuff Seeker stretched out her hand, now sure that she’d won her house the match. Lily shrieked, her voice echoing through the sky and in a last desperate attempt to thwart her opponent, she leapt forwards on her broom, her hand towards the Snitch.

Scorpius felt his heart pounding in his chest. Up there, her slight frame looked even more vulnerable. Feeling nauseous, he remembered his fall, the ground flashing under his eyes. “Don’t!” he yelled. “It’s not worth it.”

She didn’t or wouldn’t listen. Her fingers inched in front of Jones’ as the stadium roared at both Seekers. Unable to look, Scorpius heard her shriek of triumph and peeped through his fingers, expecting to see the Snitch once more elusive.

“Lily Potter has caught the Snitch,” announced Hugo mournfully. “Hufflepuff win by a margin of ten points.”

***

“I said I’m sorry!”

Scorpius crept closer to the changing room, although it was hardly necessary because Lily’s raised voice could be heard from much further back. Albus Potter, however, wasn’t shouting. As he reached the changing room wall, Scorpius couldn’t even hear her brother speaking at all.

“Al, for Merlin’s sake. Will you say something?”

Peeping through the crack in the door, Scorpius watched Albus turn his back on his sister as he bundled his muddy robes into a bag and pulled on a clean shirt. His fingers were trembling as he fastened the buttons and Scorpius knew he was fighting the urge to shout back at Lily.

“Leave it, Lily,” Albus said at last. “It was my mistake.”

“What?”

They were alone in the changing room. The other team members must have cleared off before Scorpius got there, no doubt realising that the siblings needed to thrash this out between them.

“You’re too inexperienced,” Albus replied. “I should never have picked you for the team.”

“You’re dropping me?” Lily’s shock was palpable.

“You didn’t follow my instructions,” Albus said darkly. “I told you to stick on Jones’ tail.”

“Your instructions stank!” Lily shouted. “If I’d stayed playing follow-the-leader, then she’d have caught the Snitch and we’d have lost by more.”

“No,” he muttered. “If you’d been following her, then you could have knocked her hand away, or barged in front of her �“ anything to stop her making the catch.”

“I DID stop her making the catch,” she interrupted.

“Yeah, by catching it yourself.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m not making a decision about this now. Just leave me alone for a bit, yeah.”

“You blame me, though, don’t you?” Lily replied, her voice trembling. “Why not just come out and say it, Al?”

“They were one hundred and sixty points ahead, Lily,” he retorted, suddenly shouting. “Merlin, even a bloody first year could have told you that was not the time to make the catch.”

“Wow, Potter, for someone with a world-famous Quidditch player for a mother you really do know sod all about the game, don’t you?” Scorpius drawled as he pushed open the door.

Albus turned sharply, and projected his anger directly onto Scorpius. “Piss off, Malfoy. What the hell has this got to do with you, or have you just come to gloat?”

“Gloating because you narrowly lost a match,” Scorpius replied, examining his fingernails in what he hoped was an infuriating manner. “I don’t think so. From my point of view, it would have been better if your sister had followed your instructions. Hufflepuff winning by three-hundred and ten points would have been far more satisfactory. Not even you, with your famous name, could have got Gryffindor out of that hole!”

Albus strode over to him. “Just why are you here? No one’s interested in your opinion.”

Scorpius glowered at Albus, only feeling slightly intimidated by the other boy’s heavier build. His hand tightened on his wand, just in case things got nasty, but he did not step away. “I was watching the Seekers,” he said, quietly yet clearly. “Your sister had no choice. If she hadn’t caught the Snitch, then Jones would have done. There was no time to bat it away, especially as she was leaning so far forward to prevent a Hufflepuff catch that she nearly fell off her broom.” He grinned nastily. “And as for your tactics, if you’d been any good as a Seeker, Potter, you’d have realised that following the other Seeker never works. It was how I beat you. Every. Single. Time.”

As quick as a hex, Albus pulled out his wand and held it against Scorpius’ chest. “Don’t tempt me, Malfoy.”

“Al, leave it!” Lily cried. “He’s trying to wind you up. You know that! It’s just a tactic to get you in detention or thrown off the team.”

Albus glanced sideways at his sister and slowly, with shuddering breaths, lowered his wand. “You’re not worth it,” he spat.

“Thank you,” Scorpius muttered to Lily. He swallowed and tried to catch his breath. That had been too close; Potter had reacted far quicker than he’d imagined possible.

“Don’t thank me,” she said fiercely. “In fact don’t come near me again. I don’t need you poking your nose into something that’s between my brother and me. Just ... just ... oh, bog off, Malfoy!”

Albus smiled at Lily and took her hand. “He’s not worth getting het up over, Lily. He’s an arrogant shit,” Albus mocked. “So frigging up himself, yet poor old Scorpy can’t even get on a third-rate team with his flashy broom.”

“I’m better than you ever were, Potter, and you know it,” Scorpius retorted, struggling to keep a lid on his temper. He turned to the door, regretting his intervention as Lily clearly didn’t want him here, but then something made him falter. He turned back. “Your sister’s pretty good. She has an instinct you never had.”

“Don’t tell me how to run my team, you tosser.”

Scorpius raised his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Albie. I think you’re doing badly enough without my help. You keep going like this, and you’ll soon have your own bit of Potter fame. I can see the Prophet headlines now. Albus Potter �“ The Boy Who Lost!”

This time he was ready. This time as Albus brandished his wand, Scorpius was there, his own wand pointing straight at his foe. He saw Lily fumble for hers, desperation on her face, but nothing was going to stop him now. There was no way he’d let bloody Potter hex him without putting up a fight. He didn’t care about detention. In fact, it could even work to his advantage if it meant he’d miss the sodding Valentine’s Ball.

He ducked as Albus let fly a Stinging Jinx but wasn’t quite quick enough as it caught his shoulder. He hexed back with a Jelly-Legs jinx, laughing as Potter’s knees buckled beneath him.

“STOP IT!” Lily shrieked, and then with a deftness that surprised Scorpius and also, it seemed, her brother, she cast a protective wall between the pair of them.

“Go away, Malfoy,” she said coldly.

“I was trying to help,” he pleaded. “Lily, please. Can we just talk?”

“Not in this lifetime,” she said vehemently,. “You’re a Slytherin, a Malfoy and you’ve just hexed my brother. Loyalty may not mean anything to you, but in the Potter family and in Gryffindor, we stick together.”

He stared at her, taking in her words, yet barely believing them. It sounded like a mantra she’d had drummed into her from all around her. ‘The Malfoys only have each other,’ his grandfather would proclaim. He’d long become bored with the refrain, although now ... perhaps the old man was right.

“Sorry,” he muttered, not looking at her, staring instead at his feet. “I won’t bother you again.”

“Good,” she whispered, then turned away and performed the counter-curse to release Albus from the jinx.

Scorpius backed out of the changing room, unwilling to trust either Potter not to hex him when his back was turned, although neither of them looked his way again.

***

“You planning on pulling tonight?” Vaisey asked him in the dorm.

It was early Saturday evening, and Scorpius had just emerged from the bathroom, a black towel around his waist and rubbing his hair with a smaller one.

“Why are you interested?” Scorpius muttered. “You want a go at Edgecombe now.”

Vaisey pulled a face. “I was making conversation, Malfoy. Being pleasant �“ you should try it sometime.” He stopped talking and Summoned his dark green dress robes from his wardrobe, picking off some lint from the lapel before pulling them on. “If you do pull, can you make sure you go elsewhere? I plan on making a night of it with Ariadne.”

“As I can’t actually think of anything worse that listening to you get your rocks off with that b ... er ... witch, I’ll gladly sleep elsewhere,” Scorpius replied as he bent down to pick up the dark blue robes that he’d laid out on the bed.

Unlike Vaisey, Scorpius hadn’t bothered to buy new for tonight. There had been little point when he hadn’t had a partner, and hooking up with Heloise had made no difference. These robes might be two years old, yet they were good quality. Heloise could have no complaints.

“Well, don’t you look dashing,” she squealed, when she saw him waiting at the bottom of the staircase. “And Ravenclaw blue, I’m honoured, Scorpius.”

Scorpius smiled stiffly and tugged at his collar. His old robes were a touch uncomfortable because he’d filled out since his mother had ordered them. He looked Heloise up and down, admitting grudgingly that she looked good. Wearing shimmering dark red robes that emphasized her curvaceous figure and brought lustre to her cheek, Scorpius knew there would be many tonight who would envy him his partner. Heloise was beautiful, and probably willing, but when she entwined her hand in his, Scorpius felt a chill descend upon him.

His gloom deepened on entering the Great Hall. Headmistress Vector, usually the most logical and undemonstrative of professors, had seen fit to turn the Ball into a larger version of Madam Puddifoot’s, complete with lurid pink heart-shaped lanterns, golden cupid-like fairies zooming through the air, and dark red rose petals scattered on the tables. Scorpius groaned inwardly when Heloise dragged him towards her friends’ table and sat him in a love seat, carefully constructed to only seat a couple.

“I’ll get us both a drink,” he offered, standing up quickly and evading her hand as it strayed to his thigh.

“He’s so gallant,” one of her friends said and started giggling.

Gritting his teeth, Scorpius walked slowly to the bar. Perhaps he could plead illness after a few drinks and return to the dungeons.

“Going well is it, Scorpius?”

“Mrs Zabini, how lovely to see you,” Scorpius muttered, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“You managed to get yourself a very glamorous-looking date for tonight, I see,” she said, peering over his shoulder at where Heloise was holding court.

He stifled a sigh. Looking away from Heloise, his attention was caught by another girl, equally glamorous, wearing robes of apple-green, hair swept up in a sophisticated style and expertly applied make-up. She turned her head, perhaps aware he was staring, and Scorpius looked away, not liking the image in front of his eyes.

Lily Potter looked beautiful but brittle. Clutching Cootes’ arm, and laughing at his every remark, she resembled one of Madam Malkin’s mannequins. Alongside her, at a table stuffed with Gryffindors, sat her brother, and alongside him, smiling shyly, was a battered and bruised Natalie Thomas. Albus held her hand, solicitously filling her glass, and fussing over a napkin as he laid it on her lap.

“I told you the jealousy card was bad idea,” Lavender murmured.

“I know that now,” he admitted. “Sorry, I’m out of ideas ... and cards. Perhaps I should just admit defeat.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” she replied. “That would ruin all my fun.”

Her tone was teasing, but the look in her eyes belied her words.

“Why do you care?” he muttered.

Lavender tilted her head to one side as she perused him. “Because you obviously do,” she whispered back.

He danced with Heloise - really, he was duty bound to have at least one trot around the floor. And she was a wonderful dancer. Elegant, graceful, she looked very sexy as she moved. Having sunk a few drinks, Scorpius decided Heloise was beautiful and perhaps worth a punt especially as Lily seemed intent on cuddling up to the idiot Cootes all night.

The band started playing a slow number, and stuck in the middle of the dance floor, Scorpius found he was trapped as Heloise wound her arms around his neck, and slowly pulled his mouth down to hers. Their lips touched, she was responsive, moulding her body to his, and he knew this would be easy. Heloise was here, she was eager, and she was really very pretty. He nuzzled up to her, breathing in the scent of her hair, and then felt suddenly nauseous. Her scent was cloying, stifling his senses.

“Sorry, I really need some air ... alone,” he added as she clung onto him. “Bit of a headache.”

He lurched off the dance floor, careening off snogging couples and headed for a side door, desperate for air.

As the cold night hit him, Scorpius’ head span. He was drunker than he realised, and knew if he didn’t walk this off, he’d end up doing something he regretted with Heloise. And he would regret it, he knew that now, for Heloise was a carbon-copy of Ariadne who had got on his nerves after two weeks, and he’d only stayed with because she was good for a shag.

He wandered down to the lake, wondering if he could brave the cold and clear his head totally by diving in. He liked the lake, liked the solitude it afforded him at night, and never felt lonely when he was here, just incredibly at peace with the world. He approached the bank at the very place he’d last been alone with Lily when the Giant Squid had batted him towards the shore. Seeing the old beech tree, its bare branches silhouetted against the starlit sky, he meandered towards it, intending to sit against the trunk and think of nothing.

He heard the girl gasp before he saw her. She wasn’t alone, and was in the arms of a boy. Cursing under his breath, Scorpius turned to leave the courting couple, but something made him halt.

“Please ... no,” she cried. “Harry ... stop.”

Scorpius backtracked. There, up against the tree, was Lily with Cootes. One of his hands roved over her body, the other was holding her wrists as he forced his mouth onto hers. Even from here, Scorpius could see that Cootes was drunk, far drunker than he was, slurring his words as he exhorted Lily to stop being such a ‘fucking tease’.

Hearing her sob, hearing Lily �“ his Lily �“ sound utterly broken, he reacted instinctively.

“Impedimenta!” he roared, aiming right at Cootes’ head.

The force was enough to blow Cootes off his feet, and even left Scorpius shaking; he’d never felt such rage.

“You okay?” he managed to gasp, as he looked at Lily.

She nodded mutely, tears streaking the carefully applied make-up across her face. Her hair was falling from its elaborate top-knot, half-framing her dishevelled face in its disarray.

Scorpius held out his hand and walked slowly towards her. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to the Hall.”

“No,” she said, her voice shaking. “I can’t go back there. I don’t want to see anyone. I’m too ....” He saw the colour drain from her face as the realisation of what could have happened hit her. “I thought he was harmless.”

“Because he’s a Gryffindor?” Scorpius suggested, raising one eyebrow sardonically.

“No, because he’s a prat, and a boring prat, too,” she retorted. She stared back at Cootes who was still lying on the grass, groaning as he held his face in his hands, then accepted Scorpius’ hand, interlacing her fingers in his. “Thank you.”

“Shall I walk you back to Gryffindor Tower, then?” he offered, hardly daring to believe that she was this close and not hexing him.

“Yes ... thank you. I think that would be for the best,” she replied. Scorpius felt his heart sink, until she added, with a smile, “Can we take the long route, though, around the lake?” Then, standing on tiptoes, she very softly brushed his cheek with her lips. “I’d like to talk.”

“I am sorry, you know,” Scorpius began tentatively. He had rehearsed this speech so many times in his head, hoping for the chance to put his side of things to Lily. In his head, he’d sounded contrite, but also amusing, hoping to win her round with a smile, to gain her forgiveness because she liked being with him. However, now that he was actually with Lily Potter, alone and on the side of the lake far away from any prying eyes, he forgot his pretty speech and clever words.

Lily lowered herself onto the grass, and let go of his hand as she huddled into her cloak. “Sorry you lied to me, or sorry you were caught out?” she asked.

He lowered his gaze, but peeped at her through his lashes. She was calm now, no longer the girl frightened by a boy trying to kiss her, and he wondered if she were regretting the fact that it had been Scorpius who had saved her from an overly amorous boyfriend.

“Both,” he admitted, and then looked her directly in the eye. “I should have told you about my application.”

“Yes,” she murmured. “You should have. Why didn’t you?”

He sighed, knowing that lies would not get him anywhere, but truth could cost him dear, too. “Because if you’d found out I wanted to be an Auror, you would have assumed that was the only reason I wanted to see you.”

She shrugged. “You could be right.”

Scorpius leant forward and tried to hold her hand, but she remained unresponsive. “Lily, I filled in the application form months ago �“ over the summer in fact �“ but I didn’t send it in. Please believe that.”

Lily looked at him then stared across the lake. “Doesn’t that make it worse? You sent the application form in after we were together, didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t going to. I’d put it in my desk drawer and forgotten about it but ...” He sighed. This was hopeless. He tipped his head back and started scouring the sky, searching for Merlin-knew �“what in order to find some way of getting through to her.

“But what?” Lily persisted. “Scorpius, talk to me.”

“That day in the field,” he mumbled. “You told me your dad gave people chances, and I realised that maybe -- just maybe -- I did have a chance at getting on the Auror programme.”

“And me?”

He ran his hands though his hair, sweeping it off his face, trying again to put his thoughts into words and only hoping she would give him time to explain. “I didn’t think it would hurt my chances if I was also your boyfriend,” he said brutally.

“Rose was right. You were just using me,” Lily cried and flinched away from him, but he grabbed her wrist.

“I’m being honest here,” he implored her. “I’m finally telling you the whole truth, even though I’ve only just realised half of it myself.” He paused and took a deep breath, heartened slightly that she hadn’t snatched her hand away. “Lily, I started seeing you because I wanted to. It had nothing to do with your dad until later. I didn’t think of it as using you because I genuinely wanted to be with you, and you liked seeing me, didn’t you?”

She was silent as she studied him, her eyes never leaving his face, searching in the shadows for some sign that he was lying or was sincere.

“Yes,” she said at last, her voice as soft as the ripples on the water. “I did like being with you.”

Somewhere inside, he felt a warm spark flaring. It was faint, but perhaps there was some hope now that she’d listened and not hexed him. “Then ... can we ...?”

“So you can get back in with Dad?” she asked coolly, and snatched her hand away. “Closing date is tomorrow. Are you expecting me to send him an owl telling him how wonderful you are?” She snorted. “What on earth makes you think he’d listen to me, anyway?”

“NO!” he shouted. “Lily, look, being an Auror is important to me, I admit it, but I know I’ve screwed things up with your dad. He’s not going to consider me, not even with Teddy on side.” He raised his hand to hush her as she opened her mouth to speak. “I saw Teddy in Hogsmeade and told him my side of the story. He said he’d explain to Harry, but as I’ve heard nothing from either of them, I suspect Teddy either changed his mind, or your dad isn’t as forgiving as you think.”

“He’s protective, that’s all,” she replied sulkily. Then she smiled faintly. “They all are. Al keeps telling me you were only after one thing �“ I don’t think he meant a place on the training programme, either - and you’d have dumped me as soon as you’d had your ‘wicked way.’”

“Ouch!” he complained. “That is rich coming from someone whose brother is James �“ I-shag-anything-with-a-pulse - Potter.”

Lily glared, and then giggled. “I was going to defend James there, but you could be right.”

He grinned at her, and slowly edged closer, shuffling forwards until their knees touched. “They don’t have a very high opinion of me, do they?”

“Roxanne thinks you’re cool,” she replied, referring to her younger cousin currently in the third year. “But ... um ... well, no one else does, sorry.”

Very slowly, Scorpius reached out with his hand and touched her cheek with his fingertip. She didn’t move away but kept her eyes trained on his. Seeing her lips part, he leant forwards and very softly kissed her on the mouth. Her lips were still as soft as he remembered, still as warm and just as sweet.

“I don’t care about them,” he whispered. “The only person who counts is you.”

“But I care about them,” she replied gently, leaning her forehead against his. “Al’s my brother. Rose and Hugo are closer to me than anyone, Scorpius, and they’ll be furious with me.”

“Then don’t tell them,” he said. “We can keep this secret, just like you wanted.”

She was shivering now; he hoped it was with cold and not fear, so he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. When she didn’t pull away but rested her cheek on his shoulder, he felt a lump in his throat. He hadn’t been aware quite how much he’d missed her until this moment, had not known she was so important to him. How could he have known? They’d barely been together a month.

“If Dad accepts you onto the programme,” she said after a while, “but tells you that you can’t see me, what will you do?”

He frowned as he thought about it. What would he do? “Honestly?” he asked. Lily nodded and scowled back at him, shifting away from his arms. He laughed and pulled her back. “I would tell your father that I have no intention of seeing his daughter then continue to see you anyway.”

“You’re very sneaky.”

“I know what I want,” he murmured as he brushed his lips against her neck. “So what do you say, Lily Potter, am I your boyfriend again?”

Turning, she lifted her hands and twisted them around his neck, entangling her fingers in his hair and pulling his mouth towards hers. He moved his hands around her waist, delighting in the feel of her against him, the warmth of her body radiating through him.

“What about Heloise?” she asked, sounding sly as she nipped his ear lobe.

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” he gasped when her lips strayed to his neck.

“That’s not very nice,” she said. “She looked as if she was really into you.”

Scorpius pulled away, cupped her face in his hands and started at her. “I’m not nice and she’s not you,” he murmured, adding, “I could ask the same about Cootes.”

“I was trying to make you jealous.”

He chuckled, feeling relieved. “It worked.”

Lily shuddered. “I was stupid, but I really didn’t think he’d try anything like that. If you hadn’t come along ...”

Scorpius kissed her again then held both her hands in his. “You’d have got him with a Bat-Bogey hex, or a knee in the bollocks,” he said, and raised one eyebrow. “Besides, I doubt he’d have tried much beyond a kiss and ...” He dropped a gentle kiss on her brow. “You do look beautiful. I can’t really blame him.” He saw her glaring at him and added quickly, “Not that that’s any excuse ... he ... uh ... should have stopped as soon as you said no, but ...” He groaned at his fumbling words. “You look bloody hot, okay, and sometimes that’s hard to resist.”

She snorted, and pulled at the hair that was straggling down her face. “I look a mess,” she stated.

In the starlight, with her hair awry, and her make-up smeared across her face, she looked anything but soignée. Yet Scorpius didn’t care. She was here, in his arms, and willing to give him another chance. He felt a wave of longing shudder through him, but knew this was not the right time. “Come on,” he said, reluctantly getting to his feet. “I’ll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower.”

“I’d much rather stay here,” she complained, but she stood up, brushing the grass off her robes.

“Me too, but you’re looking almost too good to resist and I don’t want to end up like Cootes.” He took her hand as they started walking back. “You don’t need another excuse for your brother to shout at you. He was a bastard having a go at you after the match.”

“Who? Al?” Lily laughed, tilting her head back in utter enjoyment. “We always argue. It’s a Weasley thing �“ our way of communicating. Poor old Dad shuts himself away in his study when we get going.”

“So he hasn’t dropped you from the team?”

She shook her head. “Course not. He was worried about Natalie, that’s all. When he calmed down and realised she was fine, he said sorry. Then I bullied him into asking her out.” She began giggling again. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to admit that I’d misread the score and thought Hufflepuff were only one-hundred and forty ahead.”

“How in the name of Merlin’s most pointed hat can you misread the score?” He started laughing. A mistake like that would have cost him his place on the Slytherin team, and he admired her ability to bluff her way out.

Removing her hand from his, Lily crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “I was distracted by this jerk in the crowd who kept giving me advice.”

Scorpius grinned at her, and edged closer until there was a hair’s breadth between them. He watched as the stubborn expression in her eyes melted into one of amusement. He kissed her.

This time, it was different. This time when his lips touched hers, he felt his senses drowning under her touch. His hands cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, and then she moved closer. He could feel her slight frame against his body as she wound her arms around him and trailed her fingers up his back. His head span, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the booze he’d been drinking. When her mouth strayed to his jaw line, and he could feel her hot breath on his neck, he moaned and wrenched himself away.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, horrified.

“Nothing, nothing,” he muttered as he released his hold and clutched his arms around his chest. “It’s ... too ...” He faltered, wondering how he could explain. If she’d been Ariadne or Heloise, even, he’d have carried on without a thought, but this was Lily, and ... sweet Merlin it was different.

“Too what?” A worried frown appeared on her face, so Scorpius carefully smoothed a tress of her hair behind her ear.

“I don’t want to end up like Cootes,” Scorpius replied and laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “Let’s get you back to your tower.”

“I like kissing you, and besides there isn’t anyone else around here willing to ride to my rescue,” she said, but accepted his hand nonetheless. She stopped abruptly, her eyes wide. “Merlin, what if he tells Al and the others who I went off with?”

Scorpius pondered the conundrum. Personally, he didn’t care who knew about him and Lily, but it mattered to her and he had promised her he’d keep it a secret. “He was pretty drunk, and I hexed him straight in the face, so I doubt he recognised me,” he said at last. “Besides if he splits on us, then he’ll have to admit he was mauling you ... and he’s not going to want to admit that to a bunch of maddened Potters and Weasleys, is he?”

“Hope not,” she murmured, and squeezing his hand, she started the walk back to the castle.

Scorpius looked back to where they’d been sitting then at the lake. The wind was picking up now, rippling the water’s surface and causing small waves to lap against the bank. He could hear music from the Great Hall �“ a slow dance �“ and he wondered if Heloise had found someone to console her, or if Vaisey had managed to smuggle Ariadne back to the dormitory. His eyes drifted to the opposite bank where only a week before, she’d hurled a Bat-Bogey hex at his face, incandescent with rage.

“Come here,” he whispered, and pulled her back to him. She looked faintly amused, but complied and tilted her head up, waiting for another kiss. “I want a dance with my apple-queen.”

Lily rested her cheek on his chest and moved with him slowly, in time to the music. He felt a surge of longing whip through him, and for an infinitesimal moment, he wanted to take this further, to slip the straps of the dress off her shoulders and caress every part of her. Scorpius took a deep breath as Lily continued moving, seemingly oblivious to the pent up desire raging within him.

He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead and carried on dancing.

He’d be sleeping alone tonight, no doubt in the common room, but he didn’t care. He had his girl back and they had a chance.

***

It wasn’t daffodils but a newspaper that landed in his breakfast the following Tuesday. Puzzled, because he could never be bothered reading The Prophet, he looked up to the ceiling of the Great Hall (currently showing grey clouds scurrying across a blustery sky) to see a small owl flying swiftly away amongst the other owls, yet not resisting the chance to twirl in the air.

Perhaps the paper has a note in it, Scorpius thought, deliberately not looking across to the Gryffindor table. He’d not seen Lily alone since the Ball, but had hung around the Entrance Hall yesterday lunchtime, on the pretext of doing up his shoe lace before meal times and had caught her smiling secretly from under her long flowing hair.

Cootes had not surfaced until Sunday evening. The effects of Firewhisky and a hex to the head had obviously left him with a Grawp-sized hangover. Lily had looked at him coldly when he’d appeared and not made any space for him. Cootes, despite looking sorrowful, had not protested.

Scorpius turned back to the newspaper, rifling through the pages, but there was nothing there. Why on earth would she send him a newspaper, especially one dated from Sunday? He frowned, but turned the paper over - and then he understood.

A TALE OF TWO MATCHES �“ By Ginny Potter and James S. Potter

Scorpius snorted when he saw the initial James had added, trying to make himself more impressive, no doubt. He chuckled at the photograph of Gerald being chucked off the Firebolt X then smiled when he saw Lily swooping through air having just caught the Snitch. She looked gloriously happy, sure she’d won the match for her team and he sorely hoped she’d be smiling like that again soon and for the right reasons. They had Ravenclaw next term ... and that would be tough.

Halfway down the report of the first game, he noticed Lily had marked a passage:

Gerald Vaisey’s inexperience as a Seeker could have been foreseen by even the most disaffected Divination student, when he sat upon a borrowed broom and was promptly bucked off. Despite the option of calling on his regular Seeker, the Slytherin captain (Johnson Vaisey) showed great loyalty to his brother and did not change his team. This proved to be a costly mistake as Scorpius Malfoy proved he could tame the recalcitrant Firebolt X in a flashy piece of flying that left some spectators fearing for their hats.

“Flashy piece of flying!” Scorpius exclaimed indignantly, but he didn’t feel angry. Lily’s mum had not thought too badly of him, and maybe James S. Potter (he grimaced at the chance he’d missed of calling James,‘Spotter’) had appreciated his style.

A loud laugh stopped him reading and, peering over the top of the paper, he saw Lily walking out of the Hall arm in arm with Rose. She glanced back over her shoulder, seeking his eyes, and he winked at her.

“Very interesting, Scorpius,” whispered a voice in his ear. He groaned when he realised it was Mrs Zabini. “It’s back on then, I take it?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he murmured. Then, despite the fact that he was still hungry and had two hours to kill before his first lesson, he stood up intending to leave. He knew she wasn’t fooled by his display of disinterest, yet he also knew that she wouldn’t tell anyone. But it struck him that if she’d noticed something, then so could someone else and that made him nervous.

Guiltily, his thoughts strayed to his Auror application. The closing date had passed, yet he’d heard nothing and didn’t even know if Teddy had spoken to Harry.

This was all too bloody much. He needed to clear his head. He needed to fly.

***

“Scorpius, where are you going?”

“Thought I’d go for a fly, sir. I don’t get much opportunity, and I have a couple of hours free this morning,” Scorpius replied smoothly. He tried a smile on Professor Goldstein, but wasn’t actually worried. Goldstein may have been a stickler for rules, but Scorpius got on well with his Defence teacher.

“You’re free, then, are you?”

“Yes,” Scorpius replied a touch warily. He didn’t altogether trust Goldstein, who could be very crafty when he wanted to be.

“Excellent,” he said, beaming, and placed an arm around Scorpius’ shoulders. “It won’t take long, but I could really do with your help in this morning’s class.” He raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Duelling. I thought it would give them a bit of light relief before I start-”

“Sir, it’s not that I don’t ...” Scorpius interrupted. He did not want to spend his free time tutoring some sodding first years, who couldn’t even hold their wands properly.

“... seriously grilling them for their O.W.L.s,” finished the professor.

“Oh ... the fifth years?”

“Yes, yes,” the professor fussed. Then he grinned. “If I’m honest with you, Scorpius, I saw the impact Harry Potter had on your lessons recently, and thought I should lighten up a touch. My O.W.L. students are looking a bit frazzled.”

“Which house?” Scorpius asked innocently.

“Gryffindor,” the professor replied. Then he sighed. “I suppose you’re going to tell me that you can’t help because you know it’s the ‘enemy.’ Really, I would have thought twenty-odd years would have made a difference by now, but it does seem as if I’m wrong ... well, run along, then, I won’t keep you from your �“” He grimaced at the broom before turning his back on Scorpius and walking away.

“Sir, sir,” Scorpius called as he strode after him, “I’ll help ... no problem.”

The professor beamed. “Thank you. It won’t be much. I need someone to show them the rudiments of duelling on.” He winked. “And knowing you as I do, you won’t hold back when you’re aiming at me. Some of these Gryffindors seem far too intimidated by my presence. Wouldn’t say they were at all brave ... or reckless!”

Scorpius grinned and followed Professor Goldstein. Lily’s O.W.L. class, that could be interesting.

“Gryffindors, wands out and books away!” rapped the professor as he walked to his desk. The class looked at him in astonishment, and Scorpius knew why for usually his Defence teacher was a stickler for learning the theory first. “We’re going to do something different today, but first ...” he paused and glared at them as he Summoned a stack of parchment from the other side of the room, “... your homework. Miss Potter, will you distribute them to the class?”

Scorpius lounged in the doorway, casting one brief look at Lily and noticing that she was trying not to smile or catch his eye, as she walked towards the front of the class. He watched the rest of the Gryffindors, most of whom seemed to be staring at him with resentment. Smirking at Hugo, he turned away.

“Excellent homework, Miss Potter,” the professor was saying. “Great improvement. I’ve awarded you ten house points. I particularly enjoyed the detail surrounding the whistling kettle.”

Catching her eye and raising his eyebrows, Scorpius laughed to himself when he saw Lily redden. With an absurd surge of pleasure, he realised that Lily hadn’t completely disregarded him after they’d split up. He pursed his lips together and began to whistle tunelessly then gave her a sly wink. Flustered, she dropped the sheaves of parchment and one floated to his feet. He bent down to retrieve it, and under its cover, blew her a kiss.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered as, with trembling fingers, she gathered up the rest of the essays.

“Goldstein wants someone to hurl hexes at,” he murmured back. Glancing sideways, he surveyed Hugo who was staring at him with utter antipathy. “I think your cousin would like a turn, as well.”

“Perhaps you should stop speaking to me,” she hissed. “He’ll get suspicious.”

“The more you scowl at me the less suspicious he’ll be,” Scorpius continued, as he scrabbled around on the floor, picking up more of the essays. “Tell me when we can meet up again. Then I won’t have to speak to you.”

“Erm...” Her eyes darted from left to right as she snatched the papers out of his hands.


“Miss Potter, those essays need to be given out this morning,” the professor called. “Scorpius, you seem to be hindering rather than helping.” Professor Goldstein turned to the class and smiled somewhat grimly. “You may wonder why I’ve asked Mr Malfoy into your class today. It’s because he’s a good dueller. I put some of that down to his Quidditch reflexes, but also because he is excellent at anticipating his opponent’s moves.”

Straightening up, Scorpius flushed at the praise. “Thank you, sir.”

“And do you know why?” Professor Goldstein continued, ignoring Scorpius as he looked around the room.

“Probably uses Legilimency and reads our minds,” Hugo shouted. “Typical sneaky Slytherin trick.”

“Possibly,” the professor replied and he turned to Scorpius. “Are you a Legilimens?”

“Nope, but er ... from what I’ve read that great Gryffindor, and former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was a pretty good Legilimens, too.”

Although the professor frowned at his sarcastic tone, Scorpius thought he caught a glimmer of a smile.

“Right, Gryffindors, line up along the back of the classroom. I want you to watch our little demonstration and then find yourselves a partner.” He stopped speaking and indicated for Scorpius to walk over to the opposite side of the classroom then he started to clear a passageway between the desks.

“First we bow,” he began, giving Scorpius a stiff nod.

Grinning, Scorpius bowed low to the ground with a flourish. He heard someone giggle (Lily), someone make a rude noise (Hugo), and some of the others catcall.

“Yes, yes, Scorpius, you can stop showing off. Let’s duel!”

As quick as a cat, the professor cast his first spell. Instinctively, Scorpius blocked the spell and then hurled a Tickling Jinx at his opponent. Goldstein swerved sideways, and threw another hex, which Scorpius �“ again �“ blocked. Then, with increasing determination, Scorpius aimed a Tarrantallegra at the professor, noting with satisfaction that his aim was true. Professor Goldstein began to tap dance across the classroom, and seemed incapable of continuing the duel. He took a small bow, tip-tapped across the floor towards Scorpius, whilst his class laughed, then aimed his wand at his feet.

“Finite Incantatem!” he said breathlessly. His feet stopped moving and he held his hand out to Scorpius. “Well done.”

“I think you let me win, sir,” Scorpius replied, not altogether politely. The professor’s hexes had been easy to block.

“Perhaps, but then again, you anticipated well,” he replied and studied his line up of Gryffindors. “Miss Thomas, you still look rather battered after your valiant match. Would you like to sit this out?”

Looking wistful, Natalie sighed and nodded. She squeezed Lily’s hand apologetically then took a seat by the window. Her face was still swollen, and Scorpius didn’t blame her for not wanting to duel.

Meanwhile Goldstein was dividing them up into pairs, until at last he was left with Hugo and Lily. “Ah! Cousins, not a duelling pairing I’m fond of,” he muttered and began chewing the side of his lip as he looked across at the serried ranks of Gryffindors no doubt wondering who he could swap around.

“What’s wrong with cousins duelling?” Lily asked.

“Because,” the professor explained, “family members have a tendency to bring up family issues. It could lead to a very nasty and protracted duel. Miss Potter, you can partner me. Weasley, take Scorpius as your partner.”

“And that won’t be at all nasty?” one of the Gryffindors piped up. There was a ripple of laughter across the room.

“Not with me watching,” the Professor replied grimly. He sounded as if he were regretting asking Scorpius to help him, and Scorpius was still unsure why he’d been so persistent. All he knew was that Goldstein never did anything without thinking about it, and always had a plan.

They lined up and soon the room was awhirl with the sound of spells firing, and yelled hexes. Hugo bowed his head, Scorpius again bowed low, but instead of looking at the floor, he kept his eyes trained on Hugo’s face. In a real duel, this was necessary; for a friendly demonstration, Scorpius knew that his inability to trust Hugo was a breach of etiquette. The professor frowned but did not comment.

“Expell -” Hugo shouted, but his shot was blocked and he stumbled backwards.

Lazily, Scorpius waited for him, then seeing Hugo raise his wand again, he flicked his own. “Serpensortia!” he hissed, his eyes glinting wickedly.

For a second Hugo looked startled, but then he Stunned the snake and kicked it to the side. Mildly impressed, Scorpius blocked another Disarming Spell before casting his own. He hit Hugo directly on the arm, and the wand went spinning through the air. Pirouetting, Scorpius snatched the wand out of the air. “You need to do better than that, Weasley!” he mocked and tossed the wand back.

“Now, now, Scorpius,” reproved Goldstein. “He doesn’t have your experience or knowledge.”

Scorpius turned away from Hugo, intending to make another smart remark, when something caught the side of his face. “OW! That’s not a Disarming Spell, you sly git,” he yelled, as he watched his snake from earlier slither across the floor.

“No it was a ‘Slap-your-opponent-across-the-face-with �“a-conjured- snake’ Spell,” replied Natalie Thomas. She was standing up and glaring at him. “Sorry, Professor, but Malfoy is an arrogant pig at times.”

“Agreed,” the professor replied. “Hugo, sit down. Miss Potter, take your turn with me.”

Lily shuffled nervously across the classroom floor. From his vantage point, Scorpius could see her hands were shaking. Stealthily, he inched behind her and coughed. She turned her head slightly, not fully acknowledging his presence. “Cootes,” he mouthed.

Smiling slightly, Lily proceeded to make the class laugh as she curtseyed instead of bowing, then quick as a flash, she yelled, “Impedimenta!”

Professor Goldstein dropped his wand and fell backwards. “Well done, Miss Potter,” he gasped, as he got to his feet. “This really does seem to be your day. Take another ten house points.”

Scorpius watched as the class congratulated her; he wanted to join in, but from across the room he was aware of Hugo’s eyes trailing him, so he turned away and assumed an expression of acute boredom.

“Okay, Scorpius, we won’t keep you much longer,” the professor said. “I know you’re itching to take your broom out for a spin. But before you go ...” He smiled at the class. “I told you earlier that Scorpius was very good at anticipating his opponents’ moves. Apart from a flying snake, he managed to block every spell. Anyone care to hazard a guess why?”

It was Hugo who raised his hand, albeit reluctantly. “I know you said he wasn’t a Legilimens, sir,” he began, “but Malfoy did seem to know exactly what spell I was going to use, and I can’t see how he did that unless he was reading my mind.” He paused, smiling ruefully. “My reflexes aren’t that bad.”

“They’re very good, Weasley,” agreed Professor Goldstein. “So maybe it’s down to something else.”

Scorpius watched the students �“ none of them seemed to have a clue. There was certainly no one as forthcoming as Rose Weasley in this class.

Professor Goldstein sighed. With a wave of his wand, he started to levitate the desks back into their places. “Miss Potter, would you tell the class why you chose that particular spell to disarm me?”

“Uh-uh �“uh,” she stuttered. “It ... um ... just came into my head, I suppose. I saw it used on someone recently and ...” she trailed off, finishing with a feeble smile at her teacher.

“And if that spell hadn’t popped into your head, what do you think you’d have used?”

“Expelliarmus,” she replied promptly then her face broke into a smile. “OH! I see. You were expecting me to disarm you using that spell, weren’t you, sir?”

Professor Goldstein smiled at her then gestured to Scorpius. “Care to expand?”

“It’s become a popular, almost default, spell,” Scorpius drawled. “Since Mr Potter defeated the Dark Lord, everyone tries it.” He shrugged. “There’s no element of surprise.”

“And you’re saying it’s a bad spell, then are you?” declared Hugo.

Scorpius smiled nastily. “I said everyone tries it, but hardly anyone has mastered it. I very much doubt I could have blocked your uncle, but you were easy, Weasley.” He bowed to his professor. “May I go, sir?”

“Can I persuade you to stay for one last duel?”

Laughing now, Scorpius walked towards the door. “Not a chance, sir. I don’t think you’ll let me win this time.”

“You’re being modest, not your usual quality, Scorpius. Yes, Miss Potter, what is it?”

“This fell out of Malfoy’s pocket,” she replied, giving Scorpius a scornful look. “When he was screaming at the snake.”

The class laughed and Scorpius glowered, but as Lily approached, he understood. She handed him a wedge of paper and winked. Turning sharply on his heel, Scorpius strode down the corridor, but once round the corner, he stopped and opened the paper. Whilst everyone else had been duelling, Lily had been drawing �“ a map to be precise. ‘Kitchens’ she’d scrawled. ‘Seven p.m. tonight.’

An assignation amid hundreds of scurrying house-elves - not exactly what he had in mind, but a few days ago, all he had to look forward to was a date with the hideous Heloise Edgecombe. Now he had his girl back, and had showed Weasley up to be an arse. If he could only get accepted onto the Auror programme, then life could not get any sweeter.

Whistling as he ran and slid along the corridors as skittishly as any first year, Scorpius launched himself down the staircases and towards the dungeons and past Zabini’s living quarters (ducking low in case Mrs Zabini dragged him inside for interrogation.)

“Scorpius, a word, please.”

Scorpius stopped abruptly at the sound of his house master’s voice. It was the tone that worried him. Professor Zabini never spoke gently. Scorpius stared into his liquid dark eyes that had also never seemed to look this serious before.

“Sir?” he queried, trying to sound nonchalant, but he felt his insides plummet.

“Come into my office. I need to talk to you.”

Mutely he followed the professor and sat on the hard chair usually reserved for recalcitrant pupils. “Is it my mum?” he asked croakily, a lump scratching at the back of his throat.

“No,” Professor Zabini replied softly. “Your parents are absolutely fine.” He paused and licked his lips. “It’s your grandfather, Scorpius. Lucius Malfoy has had a stroke.”

He was an old man in a bed. That was all. An old man with white hair �“ not the platinum blonde sported by his son and grandson -- but white hair fanning messily on the pillow.

Scorpius’ grandmother fussed over her husband’s hair, continually brushing it so it didn’t tangle, whilst the old man resisted her ministrations.

Lucius Malfoy was still in St. Mungo’s. Scorpius had taken the Floo to his parent’s home shortly after Professor Zabini had told him the news, and together with his dad had arrived at the hospital. Draco had looked pale and drawn, terrified by what might await them, and had only been pacified at the news that the stroke, although serious, was not life threatening.

“He will recover,” the Healer informed the family in solemn tones, “but his quality of life will be impaired.”

Narcissa had stifled a sob and then returned to her husband’s bedside, once again reaching for the hairbrush to tease out the knots in his silken hair.

Scorpius watched in fascination. His grandparents, although doting towards him, had always seemed a distant couple. He rarely saw anything he’d term affection between the pair of them. He had imagined them cold, bound together by a past and convention, not at all like his parents whom, to Scorpius’ disgust, frequently kissed in front of him.

“Is Mum coming?” he asked in a whisper.

Draco shook his head. “Not today. We didn’t know how bad things were and her presence ...” He gave Scorpius a lopsided grin. “Put it this way, if your granddad needs to be kept calm, having your mother in the room is not going to facilitate that.”

“Might pull him back,” Scorpius replied. “Granddad loves crossing wands with her.”

Draco started to chuckle. “Very true. I’ll bring her with me tomorrow.” Then he stopped smiling, watching his mother as she continued to stare at her husband. “Thank you for coming, Scorpius. It has helped your grandma, at least, even if he didn’t remember your name.”

Scorpius shrugged. “I think he was trying to say ‘Draco’.”

“Perhaps.” He sighed and then with his left hand steered Scorpius to the side of the room. “I’m going to stay here tonight, but I think you’d be better off returning to school. You can see he’s in no immediate danger.”

Scorpius nodded, pleased he was being given the chance to escape the cloying atmosphere of the private hospital room. “You will let me know if anything changes.”

“Of course. Now, go and say goodbye to your granddad and give your grandma a kiss. She needs you, Scorpius, far more than he.”

***


He was pleased to be a Slytherin that night. As he sat in the common room, it struck him how much he loved the normality there. No one was overly sympathetic, instead keeping a respectful distance. Flint had inquired after his grandfather, and Scorpius had replied that he was expected to recover. Not another word was spoken about Lucius Malfoy, but he knew from the way they attempted to engage him in small talk, that they were trying to make him feel better.

He wondered what it would be like in the other Houses. Would the Ravenclaws start suggesting medical cures? If he’d been a Hufflepuff, he was sure they’d have smothered him with sickly sympathy. And Gryffindor ... Would they have felt awkward like the Slytherins in the face of near-death, or would they have tried to jolly him out of his brooding?

Shit, I was supposed to meet Lily, he thought, wondering if he should try to seek her out now. But, glancing at his pocket watch, he saw it was gone ten and she would not still be in the kitchens. He would have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe he could corner her after breakfast and explain. Surely, she wouldn’t be angry if he could explain.

It was, he knew, a relationship that seemed to thrive on misunderstandings, and he wondered if he’d tire of the twists and turns. Earlier today, he’d been high on the delicious deceit of a secret assignation, now he was downcast. He wanted to see her, to feel her lips against his, and let her brand of sunshine lift the dark clouds from his mind, but it was late and he needed sleep.

“Scorpius,” Ariadne murmured, and squeezed his hand. “I am sorry about your grandfather. If there’s anything I can do.”

Touched by her words, Scorpius accepted the kiss she dropped on his cheek, and muttered his thanks. But he was puzzled. Why would Ariadne be so sympathetic? His eyes scanned the room. They were the only two left here; he must have been brooding for longer than he thought.

“Where’s Vaisey?” he asked warily, not liking the predatory gleam in her eyes.

“Went up ages ago,” she replied, rolling her eyes. She sat on the arm of his chair and leant in towards him. “I mean it. If there’s anything I can do to make this better for you.”

Feeling her hand tracing patterns on his thigh, he closed his eyes. Merlin, it felt good. Ariadne knew exactly how to get him going. And this would be so easy except ...

He caught a whiff of her perfume, clogging up his senses and opened his eyes, the spell broken. She was staring down at him, a small secret smile on her face.

Scorpius removed her hand from his thigh and stood up. “I don’t think your boyfriend would be that pleased with you,” he drawled, pleased his voice sounded so steady.

“Johnson is boring,” she said, pouting. “And we were good together, Scorpy.”

He shuddered. “Ancient history, Ariadne, and I don’t want a repeat.”

Then, striding towards the door, he walked down the stone steps to his dormitory, Ariadne’s indignant squawks ringing in his ears. Despite his apparent nonchalance, her come-on bothered him. Ariadne was a calculating witch, it was one of the reasons he’d originally hooked up with her, and she would not have made a move unless it was part of a wider plan.

***

He did not have to seek out Lily the next morning. She was dawdling by the entrance to the dungeons, apparently examining a suit of armour when he appeared for breakfast. The others from his dormitory had let him sleep in (probably from awkwardness rather than compassion), so he was alone as he loped up the steps to the Entrance Hall. He faltered when he saw her, rehearsing his story in his head.

“Lily ... about last night -” he began.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Mrs Zabini told me. I’m so sorry.”

“Mrs Zabini?” He frowned slightly and then, taking her hand, pulled her behind the suit of armour.

“She saw me in the kitchens,” Lily whispered, “but it’s all right; she isn’t going to tell anyone. We shared some cheesecake and then she told me about your granddad.” She bit her lower lip and squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”

She’d asked after him, but not his granddad. Should he have been surprised or annoyed? She didn’t know the man, after all, but probably towed the same line as the rest of her family. Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater who’d never served time. The wizarding world had long memories for injustice.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, adding, “Granddad’s in St.Mungo’s. Look, Lily, we can’t talk here, and I’m really hungry so ...”

She smiled up at him. “Kitchens?” she suggested.

“Yeah,” he agreed, and smiled back. “Except ... I know where they are, but not how to get in.”

“Tickle the pear,” she whispered as she slipped away from him. “I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

He had no idea what she was talking about, until he saw the painting on the wall. Glancing around, still wondering if this was some elaborate practical joke, he tentatively tickled the pear with his fingertips. He heard a creak, and then the chatter of busy house-elves as a door swung open.

The ones nearest the door, looked at him, and then bowed their heads respectfully before carrying on with their work. He grinned. This was like being surrounded by lots of Truckles, except she would be far more likely to scold him if he pinched any food. Skirting around them, he sauntered towards a small trestle table in the corner, where he could see toast racks filled with slices of hot buttered toast, waiting to be magicked upstairs to the Great Hall.

“Merlin, Scorpius, what are you doing here?”

He looked over to the other side of the table to see Lavender sitting on a stool, a large plate of food in front of her.

“Uhm, I could ask you the same thing, Mrs Zabini. Shouldn’t you be eating in the Great Hall with the professor?”

She snorted. “He ate early because he needs to prepare for his lessons, and I’m not the most popular dining companion at the moment.”

Bemused, he looked at her plate, and then understood why she was grinning.

“Pickled onions for breakfast ... that’s ... um ... unusual.”

“Especially with maple syrup,” she said, and sighed dreamily. “Anyway, why are you here? Breakfast is still going on, isn’t it? Or ... Oh, sorry, do you not want to be with other people at the moment?”

Her face had fallen and she shifted awkwardly in her chair, then, taking a deep breath, continued, “If you need to talk to anyone about ... um ... things, Scorpius, then you can talk to me.”

He studied her for a moment while he tried to think what to say. “You don’t have to offer just because you’re married to the Slytherin Head of House, Mrs Zabini,” he muttered, aware he probably sounded both rude and ungrateful.

“Oh ... I’m ... uh ... not,” she replied flushing. Then she grinned sheepishly. “Okay, perhaps I am, but I am here if you need anything. I’m not planning on rushing off anytime soon.”

Pulling up a stool, he sat opposite her, and started to eat some toast. A house-elf came scurrying up to him carrying a plate and a selection of jams. He waved her away, preferring his toast plain today. “Have you even met my granddad, Mrs Zabini?”

“Mmm,” she replied. “I tried to interview him after his trial. I was a rookie reporter.” She smiled sardonically. “He had me thrown out of Malfoy Manor when I dared to ask your grandmother questions. He’d agreed to speak to me, but I wasn’t supposed to ‘harass’ his wife.” She paused. “Not that your grandmother was saying anything anyway. She is a very tough lady.”

“Granddad’s tough, too,” he replied. “Oh, and he’s okay, by the way. The Healers think he’ll make a reasonable recovery.”

Perhaps hearing his rebuke, Lavender took a sip from a steaming mug of liquid and then bit into another pickled onion. “That’s good to know,” she murmured, but wouldn’t look at him.

“You don’t have to pretend for my sake, Mrs Zabini. I know he’s still hated, although I don’t really understand why. He didn’t fight at the Battle, and Mr Potter gave evidence for him at his trial, so why can’t people forgive him?”

She laughed bitterly. “The innocence of youth! Really, Scorpius, I would have thought even a Malfoy would understand that some things cannot be forgiven by merely donating money to good causes.” Then, pushing her plate to one side, she stood up. “I’ve lost my appetite, and I think you have a visitor.”

He looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Lily hovering by the doorway. Turning back to Lavender, he touched her on the wrist as she walked past. “It’s not fair to judge me by my family, Mrs Zabini,” he hissed.

Lavender smiled, a touch sadly, “I know that, Scorpius, and I don’t, but you might find some other people do.”

“Like Mrs Potter?” he guessed, remembering the conversation he’d overheard.

“Precisely,” she muttered. She touched him on the arm, and gave it a squeeze. “Just don’t be surprised if this causes ructions. I think you’ll be able to handle it, but Lily ...” She stopped speaking and with a bright smile fixed on her face, headed towards the door. “I haven’t seen either of you,” she called back. “I just hope you’re not bunking off Potions.”

Lily smiled as she sat down in Lavender’s vacated chair, then pulled a face when she saw the plate of pickled onions. “Urgh, she was eating cheesecake with gherkins last night. Must be such an odd feeling, wanting to eat that type of thing.”

“Huh?” Scorpius stared at the plate, and then at the kitchen door still swinging on its hinges. “What are you on about?”

“Mrs Zabini,” Lily said incredulously. “She’s having a baby. Don’t you know?”

“Uh, no.” Scorpius raised his eyebrows. “Professor Zabini doesn’t exactly share details about his private life. Explains why she’s moved in, though. How did you know?”

Lily giggled and helped herself to some of his toast. “She told me last night. Or rather I guessed when I saw the gherkins.” She took a bite and munched for a while. “I remember when my godmother was pregnant. She couldn’t stop eating cockroach clusters dipped in sour cream. Of course, everyone thought it was just her �“ she is a bit odd, you see �“ but then she announced she was pregnant with twins and so it all made sense.”

“Who’s your godmother?” he asked idly, enjoying the chitchat and the way her eyes sparkled when she remembered something amusing.

“Luna Scamander,” she replied. “The naturalist. I’m named after her �“ well, I’m middle-named after her, to be exact.”

He grinned. “Your middle name’s Luna?”

“Yes. What’s so funny about that?” she huffed.

“Nothing,” he reassured her. “Only my middle name is Hyperion. We must be destined to fly high.”

“Mmm, but not together,” she said, sighing dramatically. “The sun and moon are destined to be enemies.”

“Bollocks,” he replied. “They have a lot in common.”

Lily finished her piece of toast and reached for a water jug. He could see her pausing as she poured herself a goblet, as if she was trying to think what to say next. Then she licked her lips and took a breath. “How’s your granddad?”

“Fine,” Scorpius replied abruptly, then seeing her bite her lip, he softened his tone. “Thank you for asking. He’s had a stroke, but is expected to live.”

“Good,” she replied, and smiled tentatively.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re pleased. I know no one likes him.”

Slowly she reached across the table and touched his hand. “He’s your granddad. I know how awful I’d feel if it were mine.”

It was the simplicity that affected him. She wasn’t pretending to be upset for Lucius, her concern was all for him and it was heartfelt.

“Thank you,” he muttered, and edging round on his stool to her side of the table, he leant across and kissed her. She responded instantly, raising both hands to his shoulders, warm and keeping her eyes closed �“ so unlike the calculation shown by Ariadne.

“Have you got any free time today?” she asked when they finally broke apart. “Only, since I gave up Care of Magical Creatures, I have the afternoon off.”

He thought about the Transfiguration essay that needed finishing, and the Potions revision he should be starting for that test next week, but she was more enticing than spending an afternoon with his books.

“What do you have in mind?” he murmured, pulling her off her stool towards him.

She smiled her delicious smile as she leant in close. “Well, I suppose flying’s out of the question, but we could always go back to the Astronomy Tower?”

He pulled a face and tried to wrench her back for another snog. “Last time we went there, your bloody brother discovered us, and I still don’t know how he managed that.”

“Don’t worry about Al,” she replied as she stepped away from him. “He won’t be able to find us this time.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s not the only one who knows how to use a certain map,” she replied, and then laughing at Scorpius’ utter incomprehension, she scuttled out of the door.



***

“This map is brilliant,” he gasped, later that afternoon. “Pure gold! Merlin, Lily, how on earth did you get hold of this?”

Lily giggled and draped her hands around him. Scorpius spread the map out on the desk in front of them and studied it carefully. Astounded, he watched as tiny dots moved around the castle, groups walking together then stopping as they reached their classrooms. “What is Vaisey doing there?” he muttered as he watched Johnson approach the Divination classroom on the ground floor. Another dot, moving swiftly, joined his Quidditch captain. Scorpius grinned. “Naughty-naughty, Ariadne. Bunking off Arithmancy just for a shag.”

“How do you know?” Lily asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, he felt her body stiffen when she realised exactly how he knew what Ariadne and Vaisey were doing.

He folded the map up, and turned around, holding her close but doing nothing more. After a momentary pause, she kissed him on the cheek and then smiled.

“It’s called the Marauder’s Map,” she said, her voice slightly shaky. “My granddad and his friends created it when they were at Hogwarts.” Then she beamed at him, her eyes bright. “It’s brilliant, isn’t it? They must have been so clever.”

“Who were they?”

She reached for the map and turned it over, pointing out the names. “Moony �“ that was Remus Lupin �“”

“Teddy’s dad, yeah?”

She nodded. “Wormtail �“ Urgh Peter Pettigrew! He’s the one we never talk about.” She pulled a face. “Padfoot �“ that was Sirius Black, James has his middle name. He was Dad’s godfather, and was locked up in Azkaban for �“”

Scorpius laughed. “I do know who Sirius Black is. He’s one of my relations, too. My Grandma’s cousin. I’m his ... um...” He thought over the relationships, trying to remember the Black family tree he’d found one day in the study at Malfoy Manor. “Cousin twice-removed, I think. So Prongs was James Potter.”

Lily nodded. “This only works for Hogwarts. Which is a shame because I’d love one to work at home. That way I could see exactly what my brothers are up to.”

He heard the waspishness in her voice, and pulled her very close. “Why don’t you, then?”

“Because I’m thicker than Thestral dung!” she retorted.

“Rubbish,” he soothed, and began to kiss her.

Lily ducked her head. “Is Ariadne clever?” she mumbled.

“Reasonably,” he replied, trying to get to her neck. She didn’t exactly flinch, but didn’t snuggle closer. Scorpius frowned. “Why are we talking about her?”

She shrugged and said nothing, but was half-hearted in her kisses. Sighing, Scorpius pulled away. “What’s up? Come on, tell me, Lily.”

She sniffled a little bit and then walked to the window, brushing past one of the telescopes as she sat on the ledge. Scorpius stayed where he was, sensing that she needed time to gather her thoughts.

“She’s very beautiful,” she said dully. “And clever, and �“” She swallowed and shook her head, no longer able to speak.

At that small movement, he crossed the floor and cupping her face softly in her hands, he kissed her very softly on the lips. “I’m not with her. I was, but I’m not now. She might look good, but she’s bloody annoying.” As she looked away, he tried to catch her eye. “Lily, she means bugger all to me,” he protested. “I didn’t even like her that much when we were together. It was only because she was a reasonably good shag �“”

He could have hexed his tongue off as soon as he’d blurted out the words. Lily flinched and wrenched herself away, this time knocking the telescope over and sending it crashing to the ground.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” he insisted. “I’m not going to go back out with her. She tried it on last night, for Merlin’s sake, and I told her to get lost.”

“Did you?” Lily knelt on the floor and picked up the telescope, letting her hair fall forward over her face.

Bending down, Scorpius helped her with the telescope, casting a quick Repairing Charm on the shattered lens. “You can’t be jealous of her, Lily. If I’d had to hear her call me ‘Scorpy’ one more time, I’d have hexed her gob shut. She’s ... vile.”

She started giggling. “That’s not very gentlemanly.”

He raised his hand to her face and swept back her hair. “I’m not a bloody Hufflepuff. I don’t feel as if I have to be nice to everyone.” Then he shuffled across the floor to her. “You know I finished with her. So why are you bothered? It’s the past and I can’t change that.”

There was still something worrying her, but he didn’t want to prolong this conversation, not when they didn’t have much longer together.

“Hogsmeade weekend in a fortnight,” he murmured as he pulled her onto his lap. “Can I take you ... or at least meet you for part of it?”

“Um, very difficult,” she replied, sounding awkward.

“Not even for an hour?” he persisted. “Look, Lily, I know you don’t want people to know about us. I understand, but it’s a bit annoying if you can’t even sneak away for a while. I mean, will they be watching you all the time?”

“Uh ... no ... not normally. It’s just that it’s my ... uh ... birthday.” She smiled apologetically and tousled his hair. “I’d love to spend it with you, but I’m sort of expected to be at my own party.” She sighed and cuddled up to him. “Rose has been planning it for ages. Lunch at Madam Puddifoot’s, in her back room, and then drinks at the Three Broomsticks. Sorry, I really can’t sneak away.”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied tetchily. Lily pouted at him, exaggerating her expression and looking sorrowful, until he started laughing. “How about I meet up with you on the Sunday?” She looked indecisive. “Friday evening, then? Come on. Lily, I do have to give you your present.”

“You’ve got me something?”

“Of course,” he lied, and kissed her before she could ask any more questions. He had two weeks, he was sure to think of something.

***

A week later, having gone through list after list of possible presents, Scorpius was at his wit’s end. Chocolates were unoriginal, as were flowers. He had no idea what books she liked, but had a feeling she would not be into the same stuff as him (complex thrillers set in the underbelly of Auror life). Perfume ...possibly? Then he remembered his mum complaining about a bottle his dad had given her for Christmas.

“Never ever buy a girl perfume,” she’d muttered in an aside, “unless you know what they like.”

Scorpius grinned. His mum had professed herself delighted with the perfume and sprayed it on liberally until everyone’s eyes had watered. His dad had not made the same mistake again.

Earrings? But did she have pierced ears, and what did she like? Ariadne liked expensive, but classy jewellery. It didn’t have to be the biggest bauble, but it had to be noticeable. Would Lily want that? Wouldn’t it be awkward if she had to explain who had given her the gift?

Something not noticeable, then. A gift that she could hide or dispose of.

Oh bugger, he was back to chocolates again.

He needed help.

“Uhm, Mrs Zabini ...”

Lavender looked up when she saw Scorpius waiting by the door. “The Professor’s in class, but shouldn’t be long,” she said absently and returned to the magazine she was reading. “You can wait if you want.”

Now that he looked at her properly, he could see Lavender was pregnant, her stomach softly rounded against the fabric of her dress. Aware he was staring, and that had caught her attention, he snapped his eyes away.

“Yes, it’s a baby, Scorpius,” she said and started giggling at his discomfort. “I thought you’d find out soon.”

“Er ... yes ... Lily did mention it.” He paused, wondering if now was a good time. “Um, Mrs Zabini, can I talk to you? It’s about Lily, actually.”

“Oh good Godric, you haven’t knocked her up, have you?”

“No, NO!” he yelped, then scowled because Lavender was laughing openly now.

“I’m teasing!” she called out as he stepped back out of the professor’s study. “Scorpius, come back.”

He hesitated. Part of him did not want to speak to her �“ she was so infuriating at times �“ but he had to get some advice, or Lily would end up with flowers. Remembering how she’d slapped him round the face with the daffodils, he turned back.

“It’s Lily’s birthday next week,” he mumbled. “I don’t know what to get her.”

“OOH, interesting,” Lavender replied. She put down her magazine, and with a flick of her wand, pulled a chair further towards her. “I love buying presents.”

“Good,” he said, relieved. “Because I have no bloody idea. Everything I think of sounds naff, or dull.”

“Jewellery,” she replied. “You really can’t go wrong with that ... unless,” she shuddered, “you make the mistake of buying something that spells out ‘My Sweetheart’.”

“Mrs Zabini, I maybe clueless, but I’m not dumb.” He groaned. “I thought of jewellery, but someone will ask her where she got it from.”

“Make it subtle,” she whispered. “A fine chain with a small pendant. Something she can slip under her robe without anyone seeing. And make the pendant something special, something that means something to the pair of you.”

He sat back in the chair, thinking hard. An idea was sparking in his brain.

***

“Where are we going?” Lily whispered.

Hearing heavy footsteps plodding up the path, Scorpius took her hand and tugged her to one side. Hiding behind one of the stone pillars in the courtyard, he held her close as both watched Hagrid on his way to the Great Hall. He could feel Lily’s heart beating fast against his, then, just as he thought she was going to flee back into the castle, she started to giggle.

“Hush,” he whispered as he began to shake with laughter, too. Then, once he was sure Hagrid had gone, he grabbed her hand again and ran across the courtyard.

“Where are we going?” she asked again, her voice excited.

“Wait and see,” he replied and grinned at her.

On they ran, slowing only slightly when he heard her gasping for breath. “Nearly there,” he whispered. “I just know we haven’t got long.”

“The Quidditch pitch!” she exclaimed. “We can’t fly in the dark, and if we use torches they’ll see us from the castle.”

“Lily,” he groaned, “not everything is about Quidditch. I’m more interested in somewhere undercover, so we don’t freeze our arses off.”

It took a matter of minutes for them to reach the changing rooms and seconds for Scorpius to break into one of them, but then he had spent the afternoon there.

“Oh wow!” Lily sighed as she looked around the room.

Scorpius smiled at her obvious enjoyment. Unlocking the locker doors, he’d pulled out some Slytherin colours and draped them on the robe hooks so they hung to the floor like curtains. On the floor, he’d spread a large Gryffindor flag and placed a small parcel on the lion’s paw.

“Happy Birthday,” he muttered, now nervous in case she thought his gift was naff.

Ariadne would have been disappointed and probably shown her feelings, but Lily, when she pulled the gold ribbon and tore at the green wrapping paper, turned her face towards him and gasped in pleasure.

“It’s a Snitch!”

“Um, sort of,” he said, adoring the way her eyes sparkled when she was happy. Pulling her down to the floor, he took it from her. “It’s not a real Snitch, but, if you press it here,” he fiddled along the seam of the golden ball, until it burst open.

“What’s this?” she asked, in awe, as she pulled out a thin, gold chain.

“I know you might not want to wear it, but I thought you could tuck it inside your robe, or keep it in the Snitch.” He took the chain from her, undid the delicate clasp and slipped it around her neck.

She stared down at the two charms. “The sun and the moon,” she whispered, and as she turned around, he saw her eyes were wet with tears. “This is so beautiful. No one’s ever got me anything quite so pretty.”

“Really? What do you usually get?” he asked as he wound his arms around her.

“Um, Quidditch things from Mum and Dad, books from Aunt Hermione, James and Al buy sweets, or Weasley products, Grandma knits me hats ... the usual stuff,” she stopped speaking and gazed at the necklace again, seemingly overcome. “I’ve never ...”

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him to her. Soon they were lying on the makeshift rug, limbs entwined. Earlier he’d felt her heart beat, fast and fluttering; now he could feel it thudding under his hand. She didn’t resist when he slipped his hand under her robe, and then under the shirt, to encounter first her smooth skin and then the scratchy lace of her bra. His mouth left hers, beginning its journey downwards, slowly mazing across her neck until, as he slipped down her bra strap, his tongue found her breast.

She didn’t stiffen, pull away, or show any sign of resistance; she was pliant with his hands, sighing softly as his hand slipped further down. He shifted his weight to his side, wondering if this was really about to happen. She’d never let him get this far before, always stopped him, but there was something almost resolute in the way she was letting him carry on.

But when his fingers brushed against the soft smooth skin of her thigh, her eyes flew open. They locked looks. He saw something flicker across her face, something like nerves or fear or maybe indecision, but then with a small moan, she closed her eyes, the permission tacit.

He continued, delighting in the minute reactions of her body as his mouth explored further. But as his chin grazed against the hollow of her stomach, she froze.

“Lily,” he whispered, “are you sure about this?”

She nodded, saying nothing.

Deciding it was just nerves, Scorpius kissed her on the mouth. She responded ardently, her hands in his hair. She seemed as eager as he, and yet ...

Unsure he could continue but unwilling to stop, with trepidation, Scorpius returned to nuzzling her stomach, his tongue slipping downwards. She gasped, but then, her hands moved downwards, pushing him off.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, a sob catching in her throat. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t.”

Thwarted, he jerked away and lay on his back staring at the drapes of silver and green, the snake on the flag mocking him. He heard a rustling and knew without looking, that she’d pulled her clothes straight and was sitting up.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “Are you angry with me?”

“ Yes ... No. I mean ... not really. Just ...” He groaned. “For fuck’s sake, Lily. Just tell me you’re not ready.”

He heard a stifled sob; feeling guilty, he stretched out his hand and touched her lightly in the arm. “I was bloody close to not being able to stop, okay.”

“Sorry,” she said again. “I thought it was what you wanted. Natalie said �“ ” She broke off, biting her lip.

“Natalie said what?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

“Er ... well, she knows about us, you see,” Lily replied as she let her long hair curtain her face. “I needed to talk to someone, and she’s promised not to tell anyone and �“”

“Yes, fine,” he snapped. “You needed to talk to her. But what did she say?”

“Er ...” She turned slightly towards him, not meeting his eyes. He didn’t speak, unrelenting in his wish for her to continue. “Natalie said that you’d lose interest if I didn’t ... um ... well, you know.” She took a deep breath and then looked at him directly. “She also said that she didn’t think you’d stick around once you’d got your way, so ... uhm, well, that’s it really.”

“Well, that’s great, bloody great, Lily,” he retorted. “Basically, I’m such a fucking shit that I’m going to dump you if you don’t shag me and dump you if you do.” Angrily, he shrugged her hand away. “Great opinion you have of me.”

“I wanted to prove her wrong,” Lily said forlornly. “Please, Scorpius, I’m sorry.”

He let her put her arms around him, and when she tilted his chin up, he allowed her to kiss him. He planned to remain unyielding, but the scent of her skin, and the sweetness of her lips led to his capitulation.

“If we finish, Lily,” he said at last, smoothing her hair back from her brow, “it’s not going to be because we do or don’t have sex, okay? And while I fancy you rotten and can’t think of anyone I’d rather be shagging, I’m not so much of a bastard that I’m going to force you into it.”

“I don’t think you’re a bastard,” she whispered. “And I love your gift.”

“Do you want to go back?” he murmured as he gathered her close to him.

“Not yet,” she said, glancing around their makeshift room. “I like being here. It’s our own world.”

The large tawny owl flew straight to its destination. Not for this officious looking bird, the pirouetting of Pomme. It flew steadily, head down, and landed softly at Scorpius’ side. Although puzzled, because it wasn’t a Malfoy owl, his bewilderment faded when a thought struck him �“ perhaps it was a message from St.Mungo’s. The bird dropped the envelope into his lap, waited patiently for a treat (Scorpius hurriedly offered him some cereal), and then flew off.

Turning the letter over, heart in mouth, his eyes opened wide when he saw the seal.

It was not from St Mungo’s; there was no need to be quite so frightened. However, his anxiety had not lessened, just changed to something else, a kind of nervous sick feeling bubbling in his stomach. He glanced across the room, over the other tables, trying to catch Lily’s eye, but she wasn’t looking his way whenever he was. Short of staring at her obsessively for the next half an hour, or jumping up and down like a Kneazle on catnip, he could not attract her attention. He could hang around and wait for her to leave, but the letter was glaring at him.

“Scorpius.”

He looked up to see Benedict hovering behind him. “Yep,” he replied, hiding the envelope under his hand.

“Prefects’ meeting at midday, okay?”

“Uh, sure. Usual place?”

Benedict grinned. “The last time you came to a meeting was over a year ago, I doubt you can remember where the usual place is.” He clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. “Would be nice to have your company, for a change. We’re going to meet in Professor Goldstein’s classroom. See you there.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Scorpius replied, but his mind wasn’t on the prefects’ meeting. It had drifted back to his letter. He stood up, trying again to catch Lily’s attention, but then it occurred to him that if this were bad news, he would need to be by himself.

He fingered the wax seal on the envelope, feeling the emblem from the Auror department under his thumb. It wouldn’t necessarily be bad news, of course. Although the envelope felt thin, it could well be everything he’d hoped for. Lily had said her dad gave second chances. She had said he was a fair man. Teddy, on his part, had assured him he’d speak to his godfather.

Buoyed up with hope, he strode out of the Great Hall and sped back to the dungeons. “Zabaglione,” he intoned, waiting for the door to open and trying not to laugh. Since Mrs Zabini had moved in the passwords had become more and more ridiculous. This month, she seemed to be under the influence of Italian food.

He barged past the first years scurrying away to a late breakfast and looked round the common room. It was busy, so he turned down the passage leading to his dormitory. Hopefully it would be empty; he didn’t want to open this in front of Vaisey, although he’d bloody enjoy shoving it in his and Ariadne’s faces once he’d read it through.

Hearing voices from his room, he ducked into the bathroom. Ah well, not the most auspicious place to find out the news but ... He ripped open the envelope and pulled out the hand-written letter.

Harry Potter had really bad writing. Scorpius screwed up his eyes, trying to read the scrawl, then faltered.

Dear Mr Malfoy,
It is with regret that the Auror Department cannot offer you a place on the training programme. Although your application was strong-

He didn’t read anymore. Screwing the paper up, he chucked it straight into the toilet bowl, and flushed the chain. As the paper swirled, he felt his stomach churn. Resting his head against the stone cubicle wall, he stayed there for Merlin knew how long, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm his stomach. He was vaguely surprised at his reaction; he certainly hadn’t expected to feel quite this bad, but neither had he thought he’d fail.

Stupidly, he’d believed Harry Potter would look beyond his name, and give him a chance. He had no back-up plan, unless following his dad into a boring desk job at the Ministry counted. It was only now he’d lost his chance that Scorpius realised how much he’d wanted this opportunity to break from the stigma of his family’s past. Shaking, he got to his feet and stepped out of the cubicle. Then, after splashing his face with water, he stared at his reflection. He didn’t look any different, a touch paler, perhaps, but not like someone whose life had just been forced to take a different path.

“I will get through this,” he muttered. “I’ll find something else. This isn’t the end of everything.”

Then, checking the mirror again, he smoothed back his hair, straightened his robes, and walked away.

Feeling unfocussed, he wasn’t sure how he got through Herbology. Professor Longbottom was nauseatingly enthusiastic about Mandrakes today, and had started telling them �“ yet again �“ how the plants had restored the lives of people he knew.

“Your mum,” he said, looking directly at Rose Weasley, “was one of the ones affected.”

Rose, Scorpius was surprised to see, stifled a yawn, and rolled her eyes at Albus who was also hiding a grin.

“And your father, Potter, was the one who killed the Basilisk that had been Petrifying all the Muggle-borns.”

“For Merlin’s sake, not this again,” Scorpius hissed under his breath, but not soft enough because Potter looked straight at him.

“Your dad probably set the thing free, Malfoy, or hid in his dungeon.”

“Potter!” Professor Longbottom rapped, sounding uncharacteristically snappish.

Albus raised his eyebrows, but muttered an apology. Then he turned back to Rose and whispered something. She started to laugh. At that, Scorpius felt his hackles rise. Always the same. Never going to let him forget something that he had no part in. He wanted to hex them both where they sat. Fucking smug bastards.

“Don’t,” someone murmured beside him. Scorpius looked to his right to see Ben Macmillan shaking his head.

Surprised at Benedict’s intervention, Scorpius unclasped his wand, and watched his fingers turn from white back to pink as the urge to hex the pair of them ebbed. The rest of the lesson passed in relative silence. Professor Longbottom made no further comments on the past, except to warn them �“ again �“ that he’d once been careless with his earmuffs and had fainted when hearing the cry of the baby Mandrake.

Scorpius sank back into gloom for the rest of the lesson. Once or twice, he caught Professor Longbottom giving him a thoughtful look, but Scorpius didn’t show any reaction and prayed the professor wouldn’t start trying to talk to him.

“Scorpius, hold up,” called Benedict once the bell had gone. Scorpius had already packed up, anxious to avoid Longbottom who looked as if he wanted ‘a chat’. He ducked out the door, not really wanting to talk to Benedict either. All he wanted was his Firebolt. He didn’t want to think, or talk; he wanted to fly.

“What?” he said insolently, staring up into the bluff friendly face of the Head Boy.

“Prefects’ meeting, remember.”

“Benedict ... look, I’m really not in the mood for that crap. Just assign me whatever you want, okay,” he replied and tried to walk off.

Benedict caught his arm, tugging on his sleeve. “We’re four prefects down and I need to match up patrol partners. Please ... make this easy on me; come along and we can all thrash it out.”

Scorpius closed his eyes. “Just put me with anyone. I really don’t give a toss.”

“Uh, so you and Ariadne?” Benedict asked. Was Scorpius imagining the mockery? “Or ... Heloise Edgecombe, perhaps?”

“Don’t you bloody dare!” Scorpius growled.

Benedict laughed and clapped him on the back. “Come on, then. Look, it won’t last long. You can still catch lunch.”

“Don’t you want to wait for Weas ... uh ... Rose?” Scorpius asked, surprised at Benedict’s presence alongside him.

Looking back into the classroom, Benedict shrugged. “She’s talking to Professor Longbottom. She and Al will be a while, yet.”

Scorpius bit back the sarcastic retort about the three of them discussing the ‘Potter Years’ and walked along with Benedict, listening half-heartedly to the other boy’s idle chat. It was oddly calming listening to Benedict’s voice as he prattled on, and Scorpius could feel some of the knotted tension leaving his shoulders. I’ll be okay. I can get another job, he chanted internally, his thoughts keeping pace with his steps.

Nearly all the prefects were already in the classroom when they arrived. Ariadne, sitting next to Flint, was eyeing up Heloise, who was staring stonily at the door. She raised one eyebrow and turned away when Scorpius walked through the door. Having not spoken to her since the Valentine’s Ball, he had the grace to feel embarrassed. He supposed he should have apologised to her before now, but he’d been so caught up with work, or rather Lily, he’d not even thought about Heloise.

“We’re just waiting for Rose and Al,” Benedict started, as he levitated two chairs for himself and Scorpius, “but as they’re caught up with Professor Longbottom’s reminiscences, they might be delayed.” He removed some blank roster sheets from his bag, and glanced across the circle. “Hugo, can I start with you? Your usual patrol partner is ...”

“Cherylanne Downsby,” Hugo replied. “She’s got dragon pox, so she’ll be away for at least a month.”

Benedict nodded. “Heloise?”

“Davey Fisher was hit by a Bludger in practise yesterday and is in the hospital wing. He’ll probably be out for a week.”

“Scorpius, any absentees from Slytherin?”

No bloody idea, he thought, but glancing across at the Slytherin contingent, he saw they were all there. “No problems,” Scorpius replied.

“Good,” murmured Benedict, still puzzling over his roster and talking more to himself than anyone else. “And we have two away from Hufflepuff. Okay, if one of the Slytherins could move to there, for a while...”

“Why should we move?” Ariadne complained. “None of us are ill.”

“It’s called being helpful,” Hugo muttered. He cast a venomous look at Scorpius and then the other Slytherins. “Ben, it’s okay, I can double up with Rose or Al, or perhaps Professor Longbottom will make someone up to prefect while Cherylanne’s ill.”

Benedict shook his head, slowly. “No, I’d rather like to try something else.” He put the roster down and raised his hands as if in supplication.

Scorpius groaned and exchanged looks with Flint; Benedict was about to be all deep and sincere, he was sure of it.

“Guys,” Benedict began, “I think we should grasp this opportunity to cement our inter-house relationships into something friendlier.”

Slumping into his seat, Scorpius tried not to laugh, his gloom over his rejection almost forgotten as he listened to Benedict’s rather obvious attempts to patch things up between the houses.

“You’re already doing you bit for inter house unity, aren’t you, Benedict? With the Head Girl, I mean,” Ariadne purred. She smirked at Scorpius. “Personally, I prefer keeping things in-house.”

Merlin, how the hell did I ever fancy her? Scorpius thought and edged away. He’d thought that having given her the brush-off last month she’d have taken the hint, but Ariadne seemed determined to insinuate herself back into his life.

Benedict was looking around for volunteers, but no one was offering to move. Realising that if he didn’t offer soon, Benedict might stick him with Heloise or even worse keep him with Ariadne, Scorpius started to say that he’d volunteer for a shift in Hufflepuff when Rose and Albus walked in.

“Yeah, so Dad basically said, that if I wanted to give it a try, then I should go to the office with him,” Albus was saying. “I’m not sure, but I suppose it can’t do any harm, and it’s a family thing, after all �“” He grinned at Benedict, “Sorry, Professor Longbottom wouldn’t stop talking about sharing a dorm with our dads.” He cast his eyes around the room, the grin turning to what looked suspiciously like a smirk when he saw Scorpius.

Benedict waved dismissively at Albus, but smiled at Rose and pulled a chair up for her to sit in. “Scorpius, what were you about to say?”

“Nothing!” Scorpius snapped. He glared venomously at Albus. “I can’t be arsed to stay any longer. I’ve given up enough time waiting for Potter.”

“I need to get this sorted out,” Benedict protested. “Come on, ten more minutes.”

“Let him go, Ben,” Rose said. “I can’t see Malfoy offering to help out, anyway.” Scorpius gritted his teeth as he watched her take Benedict’s roster. “Look, I’ll work with you. We can double up in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and Ariadne can patrol with Heloise.”

“No!” both girls yelped.

“Scorpius, then?” Rose suggested, but making it sound much more like an order.

Heloise cast a despairing look at Scorpius, but he wasn’t feeling that apologetic.

“I’ll help,” Albus offered. “Do my bit for House unity. Great idea, Ben, Rose was telling me all about it on the way here. Would be good if all houses were as committed as others, but ...” His eyes met Scorpius’ glare.

“What will it actually prove?” Scorpius demanded.

“Nothing, the way your acting!” Albus retorted. “But the other houses think it’s a good thing. Might have known you lot would object.”

“You see!” Scorpius turned back to Benedict, feeling a rising tide of anger inside him. “It always comes back to this, doesn’t it? We’re in Slytherin, so it has to be our fault.”

“You’re the one flouncing out of here, Malfoy,” Albus yelled. “What is it now? Daddy cut your pocket money. Granddad stopped sending you �“” He stopped abruptly.

“Shut up about my family,” Scorpius shouted. “I’m sick of it, Potter. You think you’re so bloody cool because of your dad, but you’re just living off his sodding name. Just ‘cause you look like him, you think you’ve got it made. But, you know, deep down you’re nothing.”

“SCORPIUS!” Benedict warned. “Cool it.”

“No, no,” Albus said softly. “Come on, Malfoy. This is interesting. What’s your gripe against me now? Just ‘cause I stopped you with my sister, you think that gives you the right to have a go at me, do you?” Albus stood up and took a step towards him, whispering, “You’re a bastard, Malfoy. Using my sister to get a job. Won’t work; my dad’s got your number.”

At that, Scorpius lost all reason. The rage that swirled inside of him erupted into white-hot fury. Barely realising what he was doing, he whipped out his wand, holding it directly to Potter’s throat. “I didn’t use her, you shit, but you had to interfere didn’t you? Had to lose me whatever chance I could have had with her and with your dad. What is it? Jealous of me, or something?”

“MALFOY!”

He heard a voice shouting at him, but he was too far gone now for reason. Everything this term: getting dropped from the team, his granddad’s stroke and now not getting the one chance he gave a damn about, reared its ugly head. Right at this moment, he didn’t care if he hurt Potter. Hell, he didn’t care if he killed ...

Her brother.

He closed his eyes and dropped his wand just before a pair of strong arms wrenched him away from a shocked Potter.

“What the hell is going on here?” Professor Zabini demanded. As he thrust Scorpius to one side, he stepped between the two boys, towering over them both, and glared at Benedict. “This is supposed to be a prefects’ meeting, MacMillan and not an excuse for a brawl.”

“Sorry sir,” Benedict mumbled. “It got a bit out of hand.”

“So I can see,” the professor replied, his voice returning to its normal level, but not losing any of the fire. “Malfoy, Potter, are you going to explain?”

Scorpius glowered at Potter, neither of them saying a thing.

“It was Potter, sir,” piped up Ariadne. “He insulted Scorpius’ family, and mentioned his granddad.”

“Hold on!” Hugo butted in. “Malfoy had a go at Al first. He started ranting about Uncle Harry.”

“Only because Potter decided to slag off Slytherin,” snarled Flint.

“Because Malfoy was in a strop and wouldn’t help!” Rose protested.

“Merlin! Will you lot ever learn?” Zabini growled. “Malfoy, have you anything to say?”

“Nothing,” he replied sourly. Then, ripping off his prefect’s badge, he chucked it across to Benedict. “What the hell’s the point?”

***

He didn’t bother with lunch, couldn’t give a toss about eating anything, he told himself, but in truth, he didn’t want to see Lily. He was sure that the story of his spat would have got back to her now. Probably not the full story; he had no doubt that Potter would embellish it to his advantage. Throwing his bag in the corner of his room, he flung himself on his bed and stared at the wall.

He was already regretting ripping off the badge. Although he’d moaned about the meetings and patrolling, he’d liked being a prefect. It wasn’t just the status, more his dad’s pride. He should write to him, get his side of the story in before Zabini got there first. Trouble was, he couldn’t be sure what his side of the story was now. All he remembered was his rage. There was something said about his granddad ... what had it been? No, Potter had stopped. Scorpius frowned as he tried to recall exactly what had happened.

Dad basically said, that if I wanted to give it a try, then I should go to the office with him .... I suppose it can’t do any harm ... it’s a family thing, after all.

So much for giving people chances. The only person Harry Potter gave a chance to was his own sodding son.

“You’re in here, Malfoy.”

Scorpius looked up to see Vaisey entering the room carrying his broom.

“Your observation skills never cease to amaze me,” Scorpius drawled.

“Zabini’s looking for you. Looks pretty pissed off. What have you done?”

“Fight with Potter,” Scorpius replied, not wanting to elaborate. “Good practise?”

“So-so. Didn’t have Flint because of your meeting and Gerald’s �“” he stopped and smiled ruefully. “My brother is a pretty shite Seeker. I ...er ... don’t suppose you want to come back, do you?”

“Vaisey.” Scorpius sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “I’m not sure I’ll even be at Hogwarts next term.”

“You’re leaving!” Vaisey laughed, not mockingly, but rather as if he were in shock. “But what about your NEWTs?”

“Dad didn’t take them,” Scorpius muttered. “He did all right. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve got a lot of choice. Zabini’s just caught me trying to kill Potter. He’ll have to tell Vector; she doesn’t like me much, so I can’t see her letting me off lightly.”

Levering himself off his bed, he smoothed down his hair and checked the mirror. After satisfying himself with the knowledge that there were no visible signs of the turmoil inside, Scorpius left the dorm in search of his Head of House.

“Sir, you were looking for me.”

Professor Zabini looked up through narrowed eyes as Scorpius stood in the doorway of his study. “Close the door,” he barked and gestured to the wooden seat in front of him.

Scorpius sat down, resisting the urge to wriggle awkwardly on the uncomfortable chair.

“I shouldn’t have to be having this conversation with you, Malfoy,” the professor said in cold measured tones. “Raising your wand to someone who irritates you is one thing, but holding it against Potter’s throat is something completely different. What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t got there?”

“I don’t know,” Scorpius muttered miserably, as he tried to remember. Would he have gone through with it? Would he have maimed Potter? He remembered the anger bubbling inside of him, and then ... He took a gasping breath in relief. “I stopped, sir. I dropped my wand.”

Zabini studied him closely. “I know,” he said softly. “And that is what I have told Professor Vector. It was lucky you did, because otherwise the reprisals would be far worse than lost house points. Miss Bletchley and Flint have said Potter insulted your granddad. Is that true?”

Scorpius searched his brain for the memory. “He was about to, I think, but he stopped.”

“Both Weasleys said you started it by ‘having a go’ at Potter’s dad. Is that true?”

“Er ... yeah, I ‘spose,” he muttered, not looking the professor in the eye. “Potter was annoying me, rattling on about joining the Auror department and I got pissed �“ er �“ annoyed and lashed out.” He swallowed and then looked directly at Professor Zabini. “I got a rejection letter from the Auror Department today.”

“Ah,” Zabini leant across the desk, “that explains rather a lot. I expect you think your life’s over.”

“Nothing that dramatic,” Scorpius replied, realising that he meant it. There would be other jobs, just not anything he wanted to do. “I would have been good, sir, I know it. And it pisses me off that Mr Potter couldn’t see beyond my surname. No one can see beyond my family’s past in this place, can they?”

“What do you mean?” Zabini asked curiously.

“Potter, Weasley, all of them. They look at me and see my dad, right. Okay, I expect that and I know my dad made mistakes. But-” He faltered, wondering now about a lot of things that were starting to fall into place. “It’s the teachers, as well. Not all of them, but Professor Longbottom and Professor Goldstein �“”

“I can’t believe they don’t treat you with anything less than fairness.”

“They don’t treat me the same as the others. Goldstein can be so patronising but isn’t with me.”

“Probably because you’re his star pupil,” Professor Zabini said reasonably.

“And Professor Longbottom is just ... well ... Look, this is stupid, but both of them call me by my first name. Potter is always ‘Potter’, Weasley is Miss Weasley, to him. Benedict is Macmillan. I’ve always been ‘Scorpius’.”

“And that bothers you, does it?”

Scorpius shrugged. “It’s just a difference, that’s all.”

Professor Zabini sat back in his chair. Placing his hands together, he raised them to his chin as he thought. “I think I know why,” he said after a while. “I was at school with both of those professors. The three of us were the same year as your father and Harry Potter, but of course, we were in different houses. Now, to me, anyone I wasn’t particularly friendly with, I called by their surname.” He gave a small, tight smile. “It is only recently, for instance, that I called your dad, Draco.”

“So?”

“So, Scorpius, Professors Longbottom and Goldstein were not on friendly terms with your father. To them, he is and always was ‘Malfoy’. I think that in their heads they are deliberately trying to make a distinction between you and your father, which is disconcertingly difficult because, apart from the fact that you have blue eyes, you could be twins.”

“Really?” Scorpius felt somewhat heartened by the professor’s revelation.

“It’s a decent enough hypothesis,” Zabini replied dryly. “Tell me, did Harry Potter give you a reason for turning you down?”

Scorpius shrugged. “Didn’t read it all, but I don’t think he could write, ‘we’re not giving you a chance because you’re a Malfoy and I caught you snogging my daughter,’ can he?”

“I suppose not.” There was a faint glimmer of a smile on his professor’s face. “What will you do now?”

“No idea. But when I end up with six Outstanding NEWTs, I’m sure everyone will be queuing up to employ me. Even St Harry-bloody-Potter.”

Professor Zabini raised his eyebrows; with a wave of his wand, he opened the study door, signalling that the interview was over and pushed a small metal badge across the desk. “Scorpius, before you leave, MacMillan wanted you to have this back.”

***

There were only two things left to do. Apologise to Benedict, and then find Lily. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, no doubt Albus had got in there with his own highly exaggerated story, backed by both Weasleys.

Deciding that apologising to Benedict was the easiest hurdle, Scorpius headed towards the entrance to Hufflepuff. If he loitered there for long enough, he’d be bound to catch Benedict.

He hadn’t expected to see Lily there as well.

“Please, Ben, tell me what happened. Rose and Hugo are telling me he was attacked, but Al’s saying nothing. Did Sco �“ er - Malfoy hex him?”

“No, but I wanted to,” Scorpius called as he walked with deliberation down the stone steps towards them. He approached Benedict holding out his hand. “I wanted to apologise to you, I was out of order in your meeting. And ... uhm ... pair me up with whoever you want. I don’t mind pulling a double shift or two.”

“Even with Heloise Edgecombe?”

Scorpius rolled his eyes, hoping Lily was taking note. “I suppose so.”

“Forget it. I’ve paired you this week with Jarvis Madley, fifth year Hufflepuff.” Benedict laughed when Scorpius looked puzzled. “Plays Chaser.”

“Oh him, fine.”

There was an awkward silence. Benedict was obviously expecting Scorpius to leave now, but he wasn’t going to go without speaking to Lily. For her part, Lily was staring at wall, her expression unreadable.

“Uhm, Benedict, I ... uh ... need to talk to...” Hell, what could he say he needed to talk about to her?

“Oh ... uh ... yeah, sure,” Benedict replied, a slow smile creasing his face. “Is this ... uh ... what I think it is?”

“I have no idea what you’re thinking,” Scorpius replied smoothly.

“Ben,” Lily murmured. “Just go, please.”

With a last smile, and a wave, Ben sauntered away leaving Scorpius and Lily alone. Pushing his hands in his robe pockets, Scorpius peeped at her. “I was coming to find you. I wanted to explain.”

“Not here,” she said, and plucking his sleeve, she pulled him along the corridor until she found a dark alcove. “Rose said you were going to hurt Albus. She said you looked furious and she was terrified you’d go too far.”

“I nearly did,” he admitted.

“Why? What did Al do?”

Scorpius leant against the wall, lifting his eyes to the ceiling. It was cold here, and there were cobwebs stringing down from the cornices. “Nothing, not really. We had an argument; he mentioned Dad and Granddad. I lost it.”

“But what did he say? Please Scorpius. Albus won’t say a word, except to say it’s not important, and Hugo’s story gets worse with every telling.”

“It wasn’t what he said, okay,” Scorpius clutched his fists to his temples. “Look, it really was my fault, but sometimes your brother just winds me up, and today was not a good day, okay?”

“Has something happened to your granddad?” she asked, and carefully took a step closer to him, touching him lightly on the arm.

“No, it’s not that.” He could feel his left temple throbbing, the tension of the morning starting to reverberate through his body. “I heard from the Auror Department.” Suddenly he didn’t want to mention her dad’s name. “I was turned down.”

“Oh Merlin, I’m sorry,” she soothed and wrapped her arms around him. “Does Al know? Was he taking the piss?”

“No idea,” he said, shrugging. “But it didn’t help that he came swanning into the meeting late, having enjoyed a cosy chat with Longbottom, and was telling your cousin that he’d be joining Daddy in the office if he wanted to.” He broke off and pulled away from her. “Doesn’t he bloody realise what an amazing chance this is? He was so blasé about it, Lily.”

“Auror Department?” she queried. “Are you sure?”

“That’s what he said, well, he said something about going into the office with your dad and trying it out. Why do you look so surprised?”

“Because Al would rather get hit by a Bludger than become an Auror,” she replied, and smiled. “I told you once before that he has a hard time looking so much like dad.”

“But he said something about it being ‘in the family’,” Scorpius insisted.

“We have a large family,” she said. “He could be going anywhere. I doubt he’ll follow Granddad into Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, but there are loads of other departments.” Standing on tiptoes, she gave Scorpius a quick peck on the cheek and then stared into his eyes. “My dad might not like you much, Scorpius, but he wouldn’t have turned you down without a good reason. I promise you, he’s not biased.”

“I doubt he caught any of the other candidates in a clinch with his daughter though, did he?” Scorpius mused, starting now to feel brighter than he had all day, especially as her fingers were now twining in his hair. “The one bright side to this is that we can now be a proper couple. No more sneaking around.”

That stopped her. He could sense the trepidation even before she pulled away.

“You don’t want to though, do you,” he stated simply.

“I do, really I do. It’s just ... Oh, I know this sounds silly, but I like having this secret, and I can’t help feeling that once everyone knows, things will change.”

“Are you ashamed of me?” he muttered, staring at her.

“No!” she protested vehemently. “But you can’t seriously tell me that your parents are going to be happy about me.”

“Mum would be all right ... probably relish the drama, but-” he sighed “- yeah, you’re right. The Head Boy knows, though; he’s bound to tell your cousin.”

“Ben won’t tell; he likes the quiet life,” she said. “He’s also very good at untwisting Rose’s kickers.” She blushed as Scorpius laughed and whacked him on the arm. “That’s NOT what I meant, Malfoy. He’s good at calming her down, so it will help if he knows about us beforehand.”

“Beforehand?”

“I don’t want everyone knowing about us yet,Scorpius,” she whispered and started to kiss him again, her lips against his neck. “I’ll only get more hassle especially because it’s OWL year.”

“After the exams, then,” he muttered. “We’ll both have a lot more free time, and I’m going to show you off to everyone.”

He watched as she nervously chewed her lip. Then tilting her face up to his, she smiled beatifically, and pulled away.

“After the exams,” she agreed, “but until then ...”

He grabbed her back to him, not letting her elude his grasp and kissed her again. “We’ll carry on sneaking around.” He chuckled softly as he twisted a tress of her hair in his fingers. “You are becoming very Slytherin like, Lily Potter.”

She giggled up at him. “From what I’ve heard about my granddad and grandma, sneaking around is very much a Gryffindor thing.”

Dear Scorpius,
Thank you so much for the wonderful chocolate apple you sent me. I haven’t eaten any of it yet because I’m waiting to share it with you when you get back to Hogwarts.
I’ve been very busy here. Rose has decided to help me revise which is very kind of her, but I’d rather it was you. She’s very patient but doesn’t reward me like you do.

Scorpius chuckled. His idea of a reward was another kiss �“ not exactly a hardship. He looked back at the letter, ignoring Pomme who was hopping up and down on the windowsill.

I’m glad your granddad is better. I expect coming out of St. Mungo’s helped. You grandma must be pleased to have you there, so I hope it’s not too horrible for you.

Scorpius frowned slightly over the last sentence. He hadn’t realised he’d complained about being at Malfoy Manor for Easter. He didn’t mind being here �“ not really �“ it was just a bit dull. Sometimes he read to his granddad, but most of the time the old man slept. He’d sit with him and read his textbooks, or complete his homework, but he was very bored. When his parents had decamped back to London, Scorpius felt obliged by the look of loneliness on his grandma’s face to stay for the whole holiday, but Merlin he missed Hogwarts.

It wasn’t just his sneaking around with Lily, either. Vaisey had asked again if Scorpius would return as Seeker but now couldn’t practise with the team. He’d taken to flying in the Manor grounds using acorns as Snitches, soaring high in the sky, then swooping down to claim his prize. Sometime his grandma would seat his granddad outside, and the old man would watch him for a while, before dozing off again.

Pomme’s soft squawk reminded him of the letter in his hand and he carried on reading.

Al has been holding practise session after practise session, so I’m exhausted. I crawl into bed, absolutely shattered, only to be woken up by Natalie wanting to talk about Al. Urgh! You can’t imagine how horrible it is to hear her going on about how she loves kissing him. For Merlin’s sake, he’s my brother �“ the whole thing is gross.
Anyway, I should go as Rose wants me to go through a Charms book with her, and I want to get this sent to you tonight. Merlin, I wish you were here. I’m missing you loads. Hope you like the present.

Love �“L.L.P.
xxxxxxxxx

Re-reading the letter, and smiling over her slapdash writing, Scorpius reached out his hand for the small package Pomme had left on his desk. He opened the box and grinned, for inside were tiny chocolate and honeycomb Snitches that had been Charmed to fly into his mouth as soon as he unwrapped one. Tearing the paper off, he watched one rise into the air, but before he could open his mouth, Pomme swooped across and caught it neatly in his beak.

“OI!” Scorpius complained. “She sent them to me.” Then as Pomme began to choke, he smirked. “That serves you right, you greedy git.”

Unsticking Pomme’s beak, Scorpius picked up his quill and parchment. “If you want to stay and have another one, then you can,” he said, “but I want you to take a letter back, okay?”

Pomme nodded, satisfied with the deal.

Apple-Queen.

The Snitches are wonderful. I had to give Pomme two of them because he was so exhausted from the flight, but I shall save the rest for when I see you.
Thanks for asking about Granddad. You’re right, he is better now he’s at home and Grandma is pleased I’m here, too. It’s been very dull, though, and I can’t wait to get back. Still, at least I’ve managed to do some revision without much distraction. Tomorrow, Grandma has invited some guests for lunch, which should keep them both busy. I think I’ll scoot off to Diagon Alley to stock up my Servicing kit. My Firebolt is incredible. I’ve been skimming through the fields every day; its acceleration just gets better and better.

He loved being able to write to her about things like this. In the past, his girlfriends had been interested in Quidditch only because they were interested in him. Talking to Ariadne about broomstick specifications had set her yawning.

The only thing missing is you flying alongside.
I’m bored here, Lily, and miss you, too.
Love
S.H.M.
xxx

Did that sound too sappy? He wasn’t sure, but ... he did miss her. He missed Lily in his arms, on his lap, kissing him soundly. He couldn’t wait to slide his hands around her waist, slip his fingers under the gap in her shirt, caress her smooth skin with his lips, and watch as she quivered under his touch.

Merlin, he’d never wanted a shag quite so badly.

***

“The porridge will be quite cold, now!” he heard his grandma say as he sidled down the stairs for breakfast. “Why can’t the boy ever be on time?”

Because I was in the middle of a particularly luscious dream about my girlfriend, Scorpius thought, smiling as the image of a half-dressed Lily flitted back into his mind.

“Sorry, Grandma,” he said breezily. “Mmm, porridge, lovely.” Picking up his wand and ignoring her look of disapproval, - his grandma didn’t approve of magic at the dinner table - he cast a quick Warming Charm on the porridge and helped himself to cream and sugar. “Who’s coming over today?”

“Don’t speak with your mouthful,” she admonished, but smiled at him so he knew she wasn’t cross. “A few old friends, that’s all.”

There was something about the way she glanced across at her husband that made Scorpius pause. A tacit understanding passed between the pair of them, making him wary.

“Which old friends?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

“People we knew from school, darling,” she prevaricated. “Now, once you’ve finished your breakfast, why don’t you go flying? Your grandfather needs to rest and I have a few things to sort out before our guests arrive.” Patting Scorpius on the cheek, she clapped her hands for the house-elf and instructed her to clear the table.

“Are Mum and Dad coming over?”

Narcissa shook her head. “They’ve gone away for a few days. Oh, and do make sure you wear your smartest robes.”

Scorpius stirred his porridge and thought furiously. His Grandma seemed almost too eager for him to attend. “I was planning to go to Diagon Alley today,” he said. “I need some things for school.”

“You can go tomorrow,” she said, but her suggestion sounded very much like an order.

“No,” he replied coolly. “I need to go to the Quidditch Supplies shop, and they’re not open tomorrow. Owner is taking a holiday.”

“Quidditch,” she scoffed. “Scorpius, that is hardly important.”

“I’m sure I’ll only get in the way here, Grandma.”

He was not imagining it. There was something going on. He could see from the way she looked at his granddad, and the way the old man was staring back that these visitors were important. However, he was pretty sure that if he asked straight out, they would fudge the issue and deny everything. He took a spoonful of porridge. “Thing is, Grandma, I said I’d meet a friend there, and it would be pretty rude to -” He stopped suddenly, shocked because his grandfather had grabbed his arm. It didn’t hurt because his grip was weak, but his granddad was remarkably tenacious.

“Scorpius,” he said, his voice slurring. “Stay.”

“Uh ... sure,” Scorpius replied, feeling uncomfortable under the old man’s stare. “I just thought you ... uh ... wouldn’t want me getting in the way.”

“That’s settled then.” His grandma’s words had an air of finality about it. “Enjoy your flying, Scorpius, but make sure you’re back in time to change for lunch.”

He stared at his porridge after that and watched it congeal in the bowl, his appetite gone.

***

He did fly, tried his hardest to shake of the air of despondency that was threatening to engulf him, but nothing could quite rid him of the gloom pervading his mind. Having missed several acorns in a row, and not feeling the usual ecstasy he felt in the air, Scorpius cut short his usual practise, and trudged back to the house.

He could hear the first guests arrive, his grandmother’s voice echoing through the hallway as she welcomed them and the rather loud felicitations from her guests as they greeted Lucius.

He’s had a stroke, Scorpius thought irritably. He can still hear properly!

Listlessly, he helped himself to another chocolate Snitch, hoping it would cheer him up, and smiled when it flew perfectly into his mouth. To keep his grandma happy, Scorpius dressed in his best robes of slate grey, and took care to smooth down his hair.

It’s just a few more days, he thought. I’ll be back at Hogwarts next week. It’s just a boring old lunch, with their boring old friends.

Not all the friends were old. Some he vaguely recognised from past parties at the Manor when he’d been paraded around as the eight-year-old heir-in-waiting, others he knew well �“ one in particular was smirking as he walked through the double doors and into the drawing room.

“Scorpy, how lovely to see you,” Ariadne cooed from the hearthside where she was seated. She held out her hand, obviously expecting him to walk towards her, but he stuck firm to his spot until he felt a hand on his back.

“Ariadne is our guest, Scorpius, greet her properly,” his grandmother hissed.

“Why is she here?” he muttered back.

“She came with her grandparents who are very dear friends of ours,” she murmured and pushed him forwards again.

Scorpius cast a nervous glance around the room. Standing with another couple was someone else he recognised, but only because of her extraordinary close resemblance to her brother. “That’s Claudine Vaisey, why is she here? And who the hell is that?” he demanded when he noticed a tall, wispy-haired blonde sitting on the chaise-longue with a cocktail glass in her hand.

“Genister Avery,” his grandmother murmured. “Her father is a very influential journalist. You must know her; she’s at school with you.”

“Really?” He wracked his brain. “Uh ... possibly. Not a Slytherin, though.”

“No, a Ravenclaw, but it’s all right, darling. She is of good blood.”

Oh Merlin, what is she getting at?

“Grandma, I want a word with you,” he muttered.

“Later, darling,” she insisted as she smiled and walked with him towards Ariadne.

He shook off her arm. “What is going on?”

“I just want you to be sociable,” she said with a smile firmly attached to her face.

It was a smile he’d seen before, usually when she was persuading his dad to do something; the smile his mum called a siren’s grimace, luring people to their deaths. His dad, Scorpius knew, would surrender to his mother’s will, his only act of rebellion had been marrying a girl not of their choosing. Astoria, though, could not be persuaded into a course not of her own making and would dig her heels in, even if she agreed with the outcome. With contrasting thoughts in his mind, Scorpius allowed his grandmother to lead him towards Ariadne and Claudine.

“No kiss, Scorpy,” Ariadne trilled, and pouted when he ignored her proffered cheek.

“Get lost,” he muttered, and shrugging off her hand as it tried to link with his, he turned to the other girl.

Vaisey’s sister was older than he was. Scorpius couldn’t remember her from school, but had a feeling she was a sixth year when he’d first arrived. Standing next to Ariadne, with a drink in her hand, she suffered from comparison with the younger girl. Where Ariadne was perfectly coiffured, with a curvaceous figure and delicate features, Claudine was �“ there was no other word for it �“ masculine. With broad shoulders, and a square chin, she looked more suited to playing Beater than attending a soiree. Not that she looked uncomfortable here, merely bored.

“Scorpius, this is Genister Avery,” said his grandmother, leading the last girl up to him. “Her uncle is an old friend of ours. Now, why don’t you give these three girls a tour of the Manor?”

“Er... sure” he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “What would you like to see?”

“Too cold for outside,” complained Ariadne. She leant forwards, whispering, “I’d rather stay inside. Why don’t you show me your bedroom?”

“I’d rather hex my bollocks off,” he murmured, smiling all the while. He turned to Genister, deciding she was the least obnoxious of the three. “Genister... anything you’d like to see?”

“I hear Malfoy Manor has a good library,” she murmured. “I’d love to see that.”

“Library it is then,” Scorpius replied, and smiled properly for the first time that afternoon. “Do you two want to come along?”

Claudine shook her head, despite the nudge from her mother. “I’ll talk to you later, perhaps,” she said, sounding bored.

He didn’t ask Ariadne’s opinion, but knew from her familiar scent, that she was following them. “Library,” he said, opening both doors. He hadn’t lied to Lily about liking the library, for he’d spent many a day in here with the books when he’d been staying with his grandparents and bad weather had stopped him from flying.

“Yes, yes, wonderful,” Ariadne drawled as Genister went into raptures over the towering bookshelves stacked high with tomes barely touched in the years Scorpius had been around. “Why don’t you leave her here, and show me something more interesting?”

“Why are you so interested in being alone with me?” Scorpius retorted.

Genister burst out laughing. “Ariadne obviously thinks you’re about to choose her.”

“Choose her?” He creased his brow, puzzled at Genister’s words. “For what?”

“Sweet Rowena, do you really not know?” Genister mocked. She stopped speaking and pulled down a book, blowing the dust off the pages as she opened it. She started to read but at a cough from Scorpius, she lifted up her head and smiled. “Why do you think your grandmother has invited three witches from pure-blood families for lunch at Malfoy Manor, Scorpius?”

“Uh ... family friends to see Granddad?” he suggested, but in the pit of his stomach he could feel something churn.

Genister looked across at Ariadne, highly amused. “You obviously keep your brains in your Quidditch shorts. Let me rephrase that: three witches from pure-blood families �“ of a marriageable age.”

“WHAT!”

“Ah, the Knut drops,” Genister replied, and turned back to the book. “Don’t worry, Ariadne, I’m not interested. You can duel with Claudine.”

“Sorry,” Scorpius spluttered, wondering if by any chance he’d misunderstood her. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re here as ... uh ...?”

“Prospective brides, yes,” Genister said, ignoring Ariadne’s glare. “I thought arranged marriages had gone out with my grandparents, but apparently yours still think it’s worth a shot.” She flapped her hand at him. “Shoo, I’m perfectly happy here. You two can ... um ... disappear if you want. I won’t tell.”

“Not bloody likely,” Scorpius growled and headed out of the library barging past Ariadne, as he raced up the stairs.

In his room, he started packing, throwing the few books he’d brought with him into a bag, then rummaging on the floor for his homework. His grandparents would be furious, but he wasn’t staying for this.

***

“I think you’ve had enough.”

Scorpius squinted up at the buxom witch standing over his corner table. Nursing a glass of Firewhisky (his fourth or fifth, he couldn’t quite remember), he was inclined to agree with her.

“Yer right, Missus ‘Slongbottom. I really should stop now, but ...” He trailed off, looking around the Leaky Cauldron and wondering why the man at the next table with black hair looked so blurry. “Thing is ... I don’t know where to go. Do you have any rooms? I have money.” He peered into his moneybag. “Ah, sorry, I don’t, but I’m good for it. My family is very, very rich, you know.”

“Yes, Scorpius,” Hannah said, sighing. “I know all about your family. Shall I get them to collect you?”

He started to shake his head, stopping when the room began to spin even more. “My parents are away, an’ I can’t possibly see my gramp-grapp- gram ... uh... grandma at the moment. I sort of ran away.”

“I would give you a room, but I’m full at this time of year,” she said. Sitting down at his table, Hannah removed the glass from his hand. “Shall I call my husband? He could take you back to Hogwarts.”

“No, no, no,” Scorpius protested. “Thing is, Mishis Longbottom, I think I’m a bit pissed, so if I go back to Hogwarts, your husband will have to put me in detention. Couldn’t you jus’ let me sleep here at the table? I’ll be very, very quiet.”

“I can’t,” she replied. “The Ministry will be after my licence for a lock-in. Scorpius, you need to leave.”

“I have nowhere to go,” he said mournfully. “My gramma wants me to get married... at least ... I think that’s what she wants. There was this girl called Gen-something, and she said so. And another girl was there, ‘cept she looks like a man, and Ariadne who is,” he shuddered and flopped across the table, “just horrible.”

“Scorpius,” Hannah said gently but firmly, “you need to go home. Perhaps you misunderstood your grandmother.”

He stared at her open and kind face, wondering what she’d say if he told her why he’d run off. Would she tell him to return? Would she sympathise but call his grandma anyway?

“Nooooo, I didn’t. She said something about ‘good blood’, and with my family that can only mean one thing,” he said, trying to prop himself up on his elbow. Slipping off, he laid his head back on the table and scowled at the black-haired man who was watching the whole scene. “Thing is Mrs Blong... uh... Longblottom, I have this girlfriend, and I think it’s just possible that I like her a lot, which is lovely ‘cause she’s so bloody lovely, but difficult ‘cause everyone hates me. And that’s why I don’t have anywhere to go. No one likes me Mrs Loblott... uh... do you have a less complicated name?”

“Hannah,” she supplied.

“Soooo, can I call you Anna?”

“If you must,” she said, sighing. “Sorry, Scorpius, but you’ll have to leave when I close up.”

He tried to sit up. “Please,” he moaned. “I really have nowhere else to go.”

“Yes, you do,” said a voice from behind her. Looking up blearily, Scorpius watched as the man from the next table sat in the seat next to Hannah. “You can come back to mine and sober up, if you want.”

“Do you mean that?” he asked, blinking as he tried to clear his head, unsure the offer or the person in front of him was real.

“I’ve been sitting over there watching you for the past half an hour. You look like you need some help,” replied Teddy, who was now morphing his hair from black to light brown. “And you’re family.”

“I bloody love you,” Scorpius slurred and then passed out.

***

He vaguely remembered the journey home. Teddy had wrapped an arm around him, levered him out of his chair, and dragged him out of the pub. Scorpius remembered saying goodbye to Hannah, and he hoped he’d said thank you, but most of the journey back to Teddy Lupin’s was a blur.

“Your fireplace is bloody tiny,” he complained as he tripped over the hearthstone. “I could have Apparated. I passed first time.”

“Not when you’d had a skinful,” Teddy muttered and thrust him to the side and into an armchair. “And I’m not Side-Along Apparating with a drunk and risking getting Splinched.”

Scorpius looked around him as the room slowly came into focus. It was small, untidy, but there was a kind of homeliness about it, and also the sign of a female presence as evidenced by two coffee cups, one stained with lipstick.

“Victoire doesn’t live with me,” Teddy said, reading his thoughts. “We’re alone �“ at least, we are for tonight. She’s out with the girls.”

“You really getting married?” Scorpius asked, his brain starting to clear. Teddy nodded and smiled. “Why?”

“Because I love her and she loves me,” Teddy replied simply.

“And no one minds,” Scorpius said and plumped himself into a cushion. “You’re allowed to marry who you want? That is so bloody nice.”

“Think I’ll leave you to sleep this off, Scorpius,” he heard Teddy mutter. “We can talk tomorrow.”

“You’re bloody nice as well, Teddy, you know that?” Scorpius replied and closed his eyes, hoping that the room would soon stop spinning.

***

It was a jet of ice-cold water that woke him up. Still clutching the cushion to his chest, he curled up and covered his head with his hands. Then, as he heard the sound of china touching the glass table, and smelt bacon, he opened one eye.

Teddy was sitting opposite him, tucking into a toasted sandwich and looking disgustingly healthy.

“How’s the head?” he asked in an unnecessarily loud voice.

“Uh...” Scorpius paused and sat up slowly. “Not too bad, actually.”

“Probably still drunk,” Teddy replied cheerily. “Anyway, there’s tea and a bacon sarnie. Have that and then you can fill me in on why I had to peel you away from The Leaky Cauldron.”

Scorpius took a sip of the tea, relishing the piping hot liquid as it soothed his dry mouth. With a rumbling stomach, he started on the sandwich, remembering that he hadn’t eaten a thing since the bowl of porridge yesterday morning.

“I should tell my grandma where I am,” he groaned. “I know she’ll be pissed off with me, but she’ll worry.”

“It’s taken care of,” Teddy replied. “Hannah Longbottom sent your grandmother an owl.” He grinned at the shock on Scorpius’ face. “Don’t worry, she didn’t tell them you were with me, she said you’d gone back to Hogwarts.”

“Wow, I owe her and you, as well. Thanks so much for this.”

Teddy shrugged. “As I said, you’re family even though we barely know each other. And you were saying a lot of very interesting things last night in the pub.”

“Was I?” Scorpius frowned, trying to recall exactly what he’d been talking about. He could remember buying his first drink. Sitting alone in the Leaky Cauldron, he’d stared wistfully at the glass wishing he wasn’t by himself but had someone he could talk to, or even just drink with. His friendships had always been made out of necessity and although he had enjoyed Vaisey and Flint’s company in the past, it was very much based on them being in the Quidditch team and �“ more importantly �“ being Slytherins.

“You mentioned a girlfriend,” Teddy said casually, but the look in his eyes belied his relaxed tone. “One that you liked a lot, but it was ‘difficult’. I take it you’re back with Lily.”

“Uh, yeah,” Scorpius muttered. “But, look, she wants it kept secret, so please don’t tell anyone.”

“She wants it kept secret.” Teddy raised one eyebrow. “But you don’t mind people knowing?”

“Uh, well, put it this way. Before the holidays, I wanted us to come clean. Lily wants to wait till after the exams.” He smiled ruefully, and took a gulp of tea before continuing. “I knew I’d get it in the neck from my family, but thought it would blow over.”

“And now?”

Scorpius drained the tea then slumped back on the sofa. “Grandma introduced me to three girls yesterday, all of ‘good blood’ as she put it. I remember Dad telling me she did the same for him, except he was older.”

“Your parents seem to be happy, though,” Teddy replied mildly. “At least that’s what Witch Weekly says whenever they write those interminable articles about them.”

Laughing, Scorpius leant back to the table, and started to eat the second sandwich. “They are happy, but my mum wasn’t one of the girls he was introduced to. He was supposed to marry her sister ... or so I’ve been told.”

“So maybe your family won’t mind at all about Lily?”

Scorpius shook his head and swallowed the rest of the sandwich. “Mum was still a pure-blood.”

“Is this your way of telling me you’re about to dump Lily?”

Hearing the implicit soft threat in Teddy’s voice, Scorpius hastily shook his head. “Just that I need to keep things secret, too ... at least for a while.”

Through narrowed eyes, Teddy studied him. Then in a move that Scorpius suspected was unconscious, his hair changed from the black he’d been sporting to a pale blue. “My grandma has told me a lot about the old times and the pressure she was under to marry properly. It takes guts, Scorpius, even in this age, to go against your family. Are you sure you can?”

Scorpius grinned at the seriousness in Teddy’s tone. “I’ll get my NEWTs, get a great job even if it’s not in the Auror Department, and then when I’m twenty-one, I come into part of my inheritance. It’s been set up since I was born; Grandma and Granddad can’t do a thing about it.”

At the mention of the Auror Department, Teddy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yeah, sorry about the Auror thing falling through.”

Scorpius pulled a face. He wanted to ask Teddy if he knew why he’d been rejected: if it really was his name, or being caught with Harry Potter’s daughter, but right at this moment, he wasn’t sure he could face hearing the truth. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll find something else,” he said nonchalantly.

And although Teddy looked as if he didn’t believe him, he nodded in agreement then changed the subject.

***

Because Victoire was due round at Teddy’s for lunch, Scorpius decided his best course of action was to leave way before then. Gathering up his possessions, (including the Quidditch supplies he’d bought in Diagon Alley and a small extra something for Lily) he wondered where to go. His parents were still away and would have set up anti-Apparition spells to guard against intruders at their London home. There was no way he was going to go back to the Manor, which left only one place: Hogwarts.

He arrived in Hogsmeade shortly after midday, and trudged up to the castle. He could see groups of children milling into the Great Hall; amongst the rabble, he caught sight of a swirl of red hair, so, with a loud clatter, he dropped his bag.

It worked. Lily turned her head and in an instant, she smiled when she saw him. He knew then that he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and snog the life out of her, but she was walking with her brother and quickly straightened her face.

Deciding not to go directly to the dungeons to drop off his things, Scorpius followed them into lunch, ruefully aware that there was no way he could sit with her, but would have to content himself staring across the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables to catch her eye.

He was in the middle of his chicken pie, and engaged in an amusing conversation with Flint when the owl arrived. He recognised it, and his heart sunk a little. Kronos was his father’s owl, a sleek tawny who stared disparagingly at the other owls as he swooped down to Scorpius. Landing perfectly (so unlike Pomme), he dropped his missive and then took to the air. There was no need to wait for a reply; his Dad obviously did not expect one.

“Merlin, what the hell have you done?” Flint gasped. “That’s a Howler; take it now and run, at least you might stop everyone hearing.”

“Can’t be arsed,” Scorpius replied, sounding a lot more laid back than he felt. His Dad had never sent him a Howler; he guessed his little escapade had not gone down well.

“HOW DARE YOU UPSET YOUR GRANDMOTHER LIKE THAT!” he heard his dad shout, the full force of his ire directed at Scorpius. “YOU KNOW WHAT SHE’S BEEN THROUGH RECENTLY. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS BE PLEASANT, SCORPIUS. IT’S NOT A HARDSHIP. YOU WILL RETURN TO MALFOY MANOR IMMEDIATELY, OR ... OR ...”

The sound of his father spluttering made Scorpius smile. He could imagine his mum giggling in the background, and his mood lightened.

“I WILL PERSONALLY DRAG YOU OVER THERE BY YOUR EAR AND HEX YOU SO BADLY YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO SIT ON A BROOMSTICK AGAIN!”

He looked up to see the whole Hall staring at him, most of them openly laughing at his embarrassment.

Well, screw you all, he thought. Then, with a smirk, and using his best drawl, he stood up on his seat, and bowed to the entire room. “Glad to have provided you with some amusement. As you can hear, I’m not a popular boy at the moment.” He turned back to the Howler, which was still raging at him, and crossed his arms. “Merlin, doesn’t he go on!”

The pupil’s laughter continued, but this time it wasn’t all aimed at Scorpius. He glanced across to the teacher’s table and noting Professor Vector’s look of disdain, he took a last sweeping bow, and sat down when his dad finished ranting and the Howler burst into flames, covering him in a dusting of ash. Finishing his lunch in a much cheerier manner than he’d begun it, he gave Lily a quick wink when he caught her looking at him. She smiled back as she stood up to leave, but she was walking out with her brother and some other members of the Gryffindor team, so there was no chance of sneaking off with her now. Unless ...

Swiftly he downed his juice, and then picked up his bag. Rummaging surreptitiously through it, he found a tin of broomstick wax, and rolled it across the floor to her feet, just as he stood up to leave.

Before she’d spotted it, though, Potter had picked it up. Wondering what he was going to do, Scorpius gripped his wand tightly but took a step towards him.

Detaching himself from the other Gryffindors, Albus approached him. “This yours?” he muttered, holding it out to Scorpius.

“Yeah,” he replied, feeling uncomfortable. This was the first time he’d said anything to Potter since the incident in the prefects’ meeting. They’d been studiously ignoring each other in every one of their shared lessons.

“You back on the team, then?” Potter asked gruffly.

“Uh, yeah.” Merlin, making small talk with Potter was unbelievably hard. “Vaisey agreed with The Prophet that his brother was shite.”

Albus gave a stiff sort of smile. “Bad news for Hufflepuff if you’re really back in form.”

Ah, that’s why he’s being pleasant. Manipulative git. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’m not going to throw a game, Potter, not even if it does help you lose the Cup,” he replied icily.

“That’s not what I ...” Albus said and faltered. “Okay, perhaps it was, but ... uh ... thanks.”

As he handed the tin over, their fingers touched and for a moment, Scorpius had an absurd feeling that Potter was going to shake his hand. He pulled back. “Thanks for this,” he muttered, turning away.

“It’s cool ... and uh ... Malfoy ...”

“Yeah.”

Albus smiled again and raised his hand, showing the Howler ash on his fingers that must have transferred during their brief contact. “Parents can be so bloody embarrassing at times.”

“What have you told Johnson about me?” Ariadne screeched.

Scorpius looked up from the Quidditch magazine he was reading and into her furious puce face. “What are you on about?”

“Don’t act as if you know nothing,” she shouted, sending the remaining pupils scuttling down the stairs to their dormitories. “You’re back in the team.”

Scorpius laughed. “I haven’t said a thing.” He smirked and taking his feet off the table, he closed the magazine and stood up.

“You’re lying!” she spat. “I bet you told him all about Easter, didn’t you? He kept asking what I was doing over the holidays and why I couldn’t meet him. We had an awful row.”

Scorpius stared at Ariadne, wondering for a brief moment if she was actually upset. “Vaisey asked me back on the team before Easter, sweetheart. Maybe Claudine told him; she was there as well, remember? Oh, come on, you’re not that into him anyway, are you?”

Ariadne sniffed, and her lip wobbled tremulously. “No, not really. Oh, Scorpy, I only started going out with him to make you jealous.” Reaching out, Ariadne tucked her arm into his and snuggled her head on his chest.

“Really, well, um, how annoying for you, then,” Scorpius replied, disentangling himself from her clutches. Tilting his head down, he looked at her face, the still intact mascara not at all dislodged by her artful crying.

“What do you mean?”

“It didn’t work,” he murmured. “I wasn’t at all jealous of Vaisey. I was just pissed off because he dropped me from the team.”

“You’re a bastard, Malfoy. A complete and utter bastard!”

“Yup,” he agreed, “which rather begs the question: why are you so desperate to get back into my pants, Ariadne?”

“Get knotted!” she yelled.

Laughing, he sauntered away from her intending to leave for his room, but she latched onto his arm and yanked him back towards her, her fingers plucking at something on his robe. “Get off me, Ariadne. The match is tomorrow, and I want an early night.”

She was smiling, not at him, but to herself, a smile of triumph. “Oh, Scorpy, I don’t think that’s a very nice thing to say to me at all. Not when I could land you in serious trouble with your Daddy.”

He frowned. He was still in trouble with his dad, who hadn’t been placated by Scorpius’ apology to his grandparents. “You’re babbling.”

Ariadne ran her fingers up his arm; he shivered under her calculating touch. Then she stopped and held something up in front of him between her thumb and forefinger

“What have we here, Scorpy? A long ... red ... hair,” she said slowly, enjoying her moment. “You may have been able to persuade your grandma it was nerves that made you run away, but if she knew the truth-”

“What truth?” His eyes flicked from her face to the hair she was now twisting around her finger.

“Not many red-heads in the school,” she replied, smiling nastily. “I hate to think what your family would do if they knew you were screwing Lily Potter.”

Scorpius licked his lips, thinking quickly. He knew if he betrayed any hesitation now, she’d pounce. “Wrong red-head,” he replied, his mouth dry. “I’ve been patrolling with Weasley all week. That boy really needs a haircut. It’s hardly my fault he moults, Ariadne.”

***

He hadn’t suffered from pre-match nerves for years. In fact, the last time had been his third ever game. It had been against Hufflepuff, and Slytherin needed to win to stand any chance of winning the Cup. His captain, a seventh year called Dave Morgan, had not stopped impressing upon him the importance of the match, and as a result, Scorpius hadn’t slept well. Exhausted, he’d flown sluggishly for the first half an hour until a Bludger, narrowly missing his head, had woken him up. He’d caught the Snitch soon after, but the victory meant nothing when the following week, Ravenclaw thrashed Gryffindor out of sight to capture the Quidditch Cup. After that, Scorpius had willed himself to sleep before matches. He couldn’t control the entire outcome, but he could control himself.

Well, he always had been able to. Tonight as he lay in bed, trying not to think of tomorrow, his head pounded with a myriad of conflicting thoughts. The last time he’d played, he’d failed. Lily had caught the Snitch ahead of him �“ not because she was better, but because he’d arrogantly assumed that he’d get there first. It had been his first miss for over three years, and his first ever against Gryffindor. What if ... what if ...? He turned in his bed, desperate to find a cool place on the pillow. What if he failed?

“You okay, Malfoy?” Vaisey muttered from his bed.

Scorpius shifted onto his side. About to snap that he was fine, he caught Vaisey’s tense expression. “Er ... bit nervous about tomorrow, that’s all.”

“Me too,” Vaisey admitted. “Last game in green and silver.”

Sitting up, Scorpius pulled his pyjama top straight, and hugged his knees to his chest. “Be nice to go out with a bang,” Scorpius muttered.

“Ariadne doesn’t think I should have brought you back,” Vaisey replied slowly. “We ... uh ... argued about it. She thinks you’ll try too hard to win.”

Scorpius frowned, not quite understanding the implication of Vaisey’s words. “We want to win, don’t we?”

Vaisey didn’t say anything. Shifting down to his trunk, he pulled out a nearly empty bottle of Firewhisky and took a gulp. “If we don’t win,” he murmured, “then Hufflepuff are unbeaten.”

Scorpius stared at his captain. Did Vaisey really hate Gryffindor that much? Accepting the bottle, Scorpius took a small sip, not gasping as the drink seared the back of his throat. “You don’t want to be known as the Slytherin captain whose team came last, though.”

“I don’t want Potter to win!” Vaisey exclaimed. His voice caused the others in their dorm to stir, but no one else woke up. He paused. “Do you?”

“I tried to kill him before Easter,” Scorpius retorted.

“You were seeing his sister, Malfoy. Everyone knows you were caught snogging her.”

“And he caught us out, making sure his dad was there,” Scorpius said. He went to take another glug of whisky, but something out of the window caught his eye. Instead, he replaced the cap, and handed the bottle back to Vaisey. “Johnson, this could be my last ever game. It’s certainly going to be our last game for Slytherin.” He smiled ruefully and watched the small sliver of a moon as it hovered in the sky. Lily Luna. “I’m going to catch that Snitch tomorrow,” he said at last, “and end my season on a high.”

***

In the changing room, the atmosphere wasn’t as tense as usual. For Scorpius who thrived on the buzz of other peoples’ nerves, it was disconcerting that this Slytherin team seemed so relaxed. He studied them closely. Flint, who usually paced around, was lounging on the bench, barely bothering to listen to the team talk. And Vaisey’s team talk was lacklustre. None of the ‘Let’s show them what Salazar’s crew are made of’ type speech that Vaisey usually hammered home (and Scorpius usually rolled his eyes at.)

This was boring. Droning on about team positions, and how they were all tired at the end of the season, he completely missed the point of raising morale.

“Oi!” Scorpius exclaimed, from across the room. “I thought you were joking last night.”

“What about, Malfoy?”

“Uh, losing to Hufflepuff,” Scorpius reminded him.

The other members of the team shuffled uncomfortably, and none of them, except the new Chaser �“ a third year called Chloe Nott �“ would look at him.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” muttered Vaisey, and started speaking to Flint about his new boots.

“Stop this!” Scorpius yelled. “Stop talking about sodding shoelaces when we’ve got a match to play.” He rounded on Vaisey. “You selected me instead of your brother because I was better. I can’t believe you really want to throw the match.”

“I don’t,” muttered Vaisey. He glanced up at Scorpius, shame in his eyes. “It’s just ...” He broke off and looked across at Flint, who coughed and stepped forward to confront Scorpius.

“We’re just not sure what the point is, when we have no chance winning the Cup.”

“THE POINT!” Scorpius exclaimed. Clenching his fists in an attempt to calm himself, he stared at the Slytherin banner screwed up in the corner. The last time he’d seen it displayed was on Lily’s birthday when he’d draped it on the wall, next to the Gryffindor flag. He took a breath; Chloe Nott was gazing up at him, smiling tentatively.

“The point, or points,” he repeated softly, “are that we’re Slytherins, it’s our final game, and I don’t want to leave Hogwarts being part of a team that lost all their games. Look, we were slack at the beginning of the season. I lost that sodding catch against Gryffindor because I was convinced I couldn’t be beaten.” He grinned at Chloe. “I bet Hufflepuff are feeling really confident about their chances. They had it easy against Gryffindor �“ Potter lost his nerve - we should show them what it’s like to be in a real match!”

“Yes,” she breathed, her eyes shining.

“What do you say, Johnson?”

For an infinitesimal moment, Scorpius thought Vaisey was going to hex him. He knew why. The speech he’d just given should have come from Vaisey’s mouth, and everyone in the room knew that. Then Johnson Vaisey inclined his head a touch and smiled. Summoning the Slytherin flag from the corner, he floated it towards Chloe. “Carry that out for us, Nott. Let’s show Hufflepuff what Salazar’s crew are made of!”

***

It was a very different Slytherin team from the one at the beginning of the season. Against Gryffindor, they’d been complacent, and Potter had torn them apart. Against Ravenclaw, from what Scorpius had heard, the new Slytherin team hadn’t gelled at all. Vaisey’s brother, Gerald, had not been able to save them from a humiliating defeat. This team were raw but had a flicker of passion about them. Watching from above, Scorpius felt a pang. He envied Nott, screeching through the sky, enjoying her game.

If only I had one more year.

He flew past the Gryffindor stand, and smiled, remembering the reception that had greeted them. In the normal run of things, loud boos emanated from the stand decked in red and gold, but for this game, it was different. There were no catcalls �“ there were no cheers either �“ but there was a rippling of applause when Scorpius and Vaisey’s names were announced.

Hugo Weasley had asked for respect and acknowledgement of the seventh year players making their final appearances at Hogwarts. Vaisey had raised his eyebrows, the gesture saying he wasn’t fooled. Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw needed Slytherin to win, if they were to stand any chance at claiming the Cup.

“You’re slow today, Malfoy!” Sarah Jones called as she flew past him. “Afraid you’ll fall.”

“Don’t worry about me, Jones,” he yelled as she flew in circles near the Gryffindors. “You won’t see me when I get moving.”

“Think you stand a chance?” she mocked.

He scowled. At the end of last year, all the Seekers had feared him. Falling off his broom had showed he was human.

A shot from below alerted them both to the action. Flint had fired a Bludger at Cadwallader, earning Hufflepuff a penalty for the unprovoked attack. Scorpius groaned as the Quaffle flew through the left hoop, their new Keeper having dived to the right.

“Nooo,” he heard someone yelp, above the groans from the Gryffindors, and glancing sideways, he spied Lily.

He’d been scanning the stand surreptitiously since the game began, but hadn’t seen her. Unsurprising, since she’d scraped her hair back under a green beret and was sitting right at the back. Around her neck, he saw something glinting, and he grinned. Lily was wearing his necklace, fingering the sun charm between her fingers and holding it against her lips.

‘Good luck,’ she mouthed.

Risking a small grin, he sped away, lilting along on the air, still searching for the Snitch. Jones tailed him. He was getting rather sick of her persistence. Whilst he knew he could out-fly her, she would not stop talking and it was doing his head in.

“You got a boyfriend, Jones?” he asked.

“No,” she replied. “Are you asking?”

“Merlin no. Just that it really doesn’t surprise me. Your mouth doesn’t stop moving. Are you hoping to swallow the Snitch and impress Mrs Potter?”

“Is she here?”

He nodded, and started to point her out, then faltered. It rarely happened so early in a game. In his memory, he could only remember once being in a match where the Snitch had appeared in the first fifteen minutes, but just above Mrs Longbottom’s head, he could see something golden hovering in her birds’ nest of a hairstyle. Jones hadn’t noticed; she was too busy gawping at James Potter, who was lounging in his seat, chatting to his mum.

No one had noticed, not even Mrs Longbottom, who seemed to think the Snitch wings were some sort of buzzing bee, for she flapped her hand at it.

Don’t move, you silly witch, he thought desperately. He needed to get there �“ fast.

Scorpius kicked back and accelerated with all the force he could muster. They were close to the stand, too close for safety’s sake, and if he carried on flying like this he’d hit Mrs Longbottom in the face.

Jones had realised now, and was following full pelt behind him, but her broom wasn’t a good one, and her technique was slowing her down.

The game was in full flow; Scorpius could hear cheers but didn’t know who’d scored. The Snitch was still there, and he was still flying towards it.

“Merlin, Malfoy’s gone mad again. Obviously doesn’t like the fact that Hufflepuff have scored,” Hugo announced, adding in a nervous voice, “Uh, is he trying to take me out, again?”

“No, you twat,” Scorpius muttered. He didn’t want to hurt anyone�“ not even Weasley �“ so, rising slightly in the air, he lifted his legs and twined them around the broom shaft, streamlining his body. Then, as he skimmed over the teachers, ignoring Professor Vector’s furious cry, he reached down with his hand and plucked the Snitch out of Mrs Longbottom’s hair, just as Jones ploughed into the box, landing on James Potter’s lap.

“YES!” Scorpius shouted to the air, his face breaking into a huge smile.

“Slytherin WIN!” Hugo declared to the crowd, and for once he didn’t sound annoyed.

***

Scorpius stayed in the changing room after the others had left. Luxuriating in the unusually hot showers, he closed his eyes as he let the water cascade over him and relived the game. He laughed when he remembered Lily jumping up from her seat and losing her hat before being pulled down by her giggling cousin, Roxanne.

His last game. He’d wanted it to go on forever, but in the end it had been his quickest, lasting a mere thirteen minutes. As he stepped out of the shower and wrapped his green and silver towel around him, he heard the door open.

“Your broom’s by the door, Johnson,” he muttered, not looking up.

“It felt good, didn’t it?”

“Lily, what are you doing here?” He smiled nervously, delighted to see her, but also acutely aware that he was sopping wet and naked apart from the towel around his waist.

“I wanted to congratulate you, of course.” She stepped towards him, shaking her hair free from the beret. “You were brilliant. I thought you were going to decapitate Mrs Longbottom, but, wow, you moved so quickly.”

She was giggling, sounding nervous, perhaps regretting her decision to come in now she’d seen his state of undress, so he reached across for his shirt and put it on over his still-damp skin.

“You saw it, then?” He was surprised, because most people, including the teachers had been watching the game.

“I’m like you,” she replied, sitting next to him. “I watch the Seekers, especially when I fancy them.” Reaching across, she kissed him softly on the lips. “You’re very wet. Your hair’s dripping all over me.”

“Sorry,” he whispered. “Shall I dry off first? I could meet you outside in ten minutes.”

She shook her head but resumed kissing him. “I don’t have much time. Professor Longbottom’s invited us for tea and cakes in his room with Mum and James. I said I’d lost my scarf and doubled back to find it.”

“Shame,” he murmured, trailing his lips down to her neck. “I was hoping we could pretend it was your birthday again. And I’m sure we can think of something more interesting to do than eat cake.”

Shifting her onto his lap, his hands slid around her waist, drawing her close to him, kissing her all the while. It was crazy, reckless and anyone could walk in, but when he heard her breathy sighs, he didn’t want to stop. He’d always enjoyed this part of the match, celebrating a win with a girl.

Except this really wasn’t the time, or the place, not when she should be somewhere else, and wasn’t aware of the effect she had on him.

“You’re driving me crazy, Lily Potter,” he groaned, and then with a monumental effort he pulled away. Heaving a sigh, he willed his body to calm down, before kissing her gently on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“What for?” she asked, giggling as she nibbled his ear lobe.

“Coming to see me,” he said, nuzzling her neck. He grinned at her. “And also for trusting me not to ... er ... go too far.”

She stared back at him, no flicker of fear in her eyes, not this time. “I should go,” she said, sounding reluctant and started to push her hair up into her hat.

He smiled at her and twisted a stray lock of her hair through his fingers. “Your hair is incriminating, you know that?”

“Hmm?”

“You left a strand on my robe yesterday and Ariadne found it, I had to tell her it was Hugo’s,” he replied. “Perhaps you should wear that hat all the time.”

Lily pulled away from him, looking grumpy. “How did Ariadne find one of my hairs? How close was she to you?”

Scorpius flipped her nose. “You sound almost jealous.”

“Because she’s your ex-girlfriend and gets to see you more than I do,” Lily complained.

“I don’t want to see her,” he said. “She’s just there. And it’s not my fault I see her more than I see you.”

“Meaning what?”

Pulling off her hat, Scorpius ran his fingers through her hair. Several strands fell loose in his hand and he held them up to her. “I don’t care if people know about us. My family are going to be furious, but then, they’re not happy with me anyway. I don’t give a toss and will happily drape myself all over you in public. You’re the one who’s scared, baby Potter.”

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped, pulling away from him. “And you know why. After the exams, Scorpius. I just don’t need the added hassle.”

“Sorry, I hadn’t realised I was such a hassle,” he muttered. He stood up and turned away from her wondering why this mattered so much to him. Keeping it a secret was far easier, so why did he want it out in the open? “You’d better go.”

He heard her sigh and then listened to her light footsteps as she walked away. Over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of her as she hovered by the door, crestfallen.

“You’re not a hassle,” she muttered. “You’re the only thing at the moment that isn’t.”

He knew he should stop her before she left. It was never good to leave things on a down note, especially as he knew he wasn’t going to get to see her this week what with all the practise sessions her brother had called, but before he could speak, Lily had gone.

“Shit shit shit. Scorpius Malfoy, you really are a prize prick,” he berated himself.

***

It had been impossible to catch her and talk. He needed to say sorry, but Lily was never around. He didn’t think she was avoiding him, exactly. There had been one moment �“ on the Monday - when she’d been hanging around the suits of armour by the entrance to the Dungeons, but he’d been clattering up the stairs and bawling out the first years, who were being annoyingly boisterous, so hadn’t had a chance to stop. Then on the Wednesday, which she usually had free, he waited in the Entrance Hall after lunch, but she’d started moaning loudly to Hugo about Rose tutoring her in the afternoon when she’d much rather be flying. Taking the hint, Scorpius was about to stomp off to the Dungeons, when he had a better idea. Striding purposefully up the stairs, and twisting his way through the corridors, he didn’t stop until he reached the West Tower. Not having an owl, Scorpius didn’t often bother with the Owlery unless he needed to send a school owl, but he knew who would be in here.

True to form, Pomme was pirouetting in the air when he walked in. The other, far more formal owls, were clicking their beaks at him in a most disapproving manner. Scorpius chuckled, and hearing the noise, Pomme stopped his twirling and chirruped. He flopped down to Scorpius’ outstretched hand and gently pecked his finger. Touched that he was being treated with something approaching affection, Scorpius reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather manky chocolate frog, and from the other pocket a large red apple.

“Right, Pomme,” he said sternly. “You are not to eat this apple. This is for your mistress. I will, however, give you the chocolate. Is that a deal?”

Then, reaching for a square of parchment, Scorpius started to write.

‘Lily Luna, the Sun is sorry,’ Merlin, how lame was he?

The trouble, he knew, was that he so very rarely apologised for anything, that he found it difficult to sound sincere.

‘Lily, I was a prat and I’m sorry �“ ‘

He sighed as he dipped the quill back in the small pot of ink. Thinking back to the start of this very strange relationship, he remembered her worries about her brother’s opinion, her shame at not being clever enough and her fierce protectiveness for them all. She loved them, and they, he was beginning to realise, loved her just as fiercely back.

‘I’ll take this as slow and as secretly as you want, Apple-Queen.
Love S.H.M. xxx’

He was about to fold it up and insert it into the apple when he thought of something else.

‘PS: Good luck on Saturday and watch out for Belby �“ he’s an utter git. No style, just a dirty bastard.’


The weekend brought a change in the weather. For the Slytherin game, the crowd had been huddled in cloaks and scarves to protect them against the wind, but now the April gusts had given way to sunshine. Spring had arrived and the crowds were happy.

Scorpius, sitting at the front of the Slytherin stand, scanned the sky. It was cloudless, the sun shining brightly which would be murder for someone trying to spot a glistening golden ball. Across the field, he saw Hugo Weasley take his seat next to Professor Goldstein, and behind him, again, sat Lily’s mum and brother.

“Eyeing up your boyfriend, Scorpy,” Ariadne remarked, panting slightly as she squeezed past him to get to her seat.

“After you, Ariadne, even Weasley would be a step up,” he replied. “What have you done with Vaisey? Shagged him to death?”

“He ran back to get my hat,” she said, adding waspishly. “So considerate, not at all like you.”

“Is that supposed to shame me?” he asked, and yawned. “Won’t work, Ariadne.”

A cheer rang out before she could splutter a reply. Scorpius leant forwards, spying the teams entering the stadium. Potter led out the Gryffindors, standing proud as Hugo introduced the team. Scorpius’ eyes were only on one player, though. He caught his breath; she looked so slight as she walked out behind Cootes.

His eyes flicked to the Ravenclaws. The arithmetic was complicated, but if Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor by more than ninety points, then they were champions. Gryffindor, due to their good result over Slytherin and their narrow loss by Hufflepuff, only needed to win by fifty. They had the advantage, but Ravenclaw were a tough team.

Vaisey appeared, apologising to Scorpius for walking in front, and sat next to Ariadne. “Think Ravenclaw can do it?” he mused.

Scorpius pulled a face. “Depends if Potter gets stage fright in front of his mummy. I hate to say it, but they were bloody good against us.”

“Only because you fell off,” Ariadne put in. She entwined her arm in Vaisey’s and pulled him towards her, deliberately breaking up the camaraderie between the pair of them.

The whistle blew and the teams mounted their brooms. Lily was flying her Nimbus, the broom her dad had bought her for Christmas. Ultra reliable, it suited her flying style �“ agile and nippy in the air. He watched her take off, trying to hide the broad grin on his face as she swerved flashily in front of the Gryffindor stand.

Then her broom bucked.

At first, it wasn’t much. At least, no one who gave her a cursory glance would have commented because Lily was still an inexperienced player and a small jerk on the broom when the player was unbalanced was nothing. But Scorpius was watching her face; he saw the alarm and felt uneasy.

It bucked again. This time she gave a small yelp and gripped the broom tighter, turning it sharply around in the air. The Gryffindors cheered, thinking she was grandstanding, but Scorpius knew she was trying to tame the errant broom, hoping that by jerking it around any glitch would be ironed out.

“Lily, stop messing about,” Albus yelled. “Game’s about to start.”

“I’m not!” she shouted. “The broom’s twitching.”

“Merlin, she’s showing off in front of her mummy, isn’t she?” Ariadne drawled. “I remember Dad telling me stories about the famous Harry Potter. Always claimed to have problems with his broom.”

There was something odd going on. Scorpius knew that Lily wasn’t as experienced a game player as he was, but she could fly. She had years of experience, half of it long before she came to Hogwarts. And that was her broom; she knew it as intimately as he knew his Firebolt X.

He stared at Lily again. She was circling the sky, the broom no longer twitching as she shot him a quick glance. Perhaps it was just inexperience. Scorpius stopped gripping the rail quite so tightly and took a small breath. She’d be okay; this was just another game and no one was going to fall.

Just as the whistle blew for the start, her broom bucked again. Lily shrieked as it tossed her into the air. One hand stayed on the broom handle, but she was struggling �“ almost comically �“ to get back on. Alongside her, Belby was laughing. He leant across to help her back, but as he did, the broom lurched away, spiralling downwards.

Scorpius’ heart was thumping in his chest. He shouted out, a dry rasping cry, as he fumbled for his wand. Lily was still hanging on, but he could see the anxiety etched on her face, the fear she’d fall now giving way to the worst possible feeling �“ panic.

“Dear oh, dear, she’s not very good, is she?” whispered Ariadne.

The broom continued twirling, and Lily was being shaken like a rag doll. The harder she tried to get a better grip, the more the broom reacted.

Scorpius extracted his wand, desperately trying to think of a spell that could slow her down or at least right the broom. “Hold on!” he shouted, but his words were lost amongst the shrieks of the crowd who had finally woken up to what was going on.

Then, just as he could see her fingers slipping, and heard her shriek, Albus raced through the air, not even stopping when a Bludger powered into his shoulder. Just at the point where Scorpius could see Lily had given up, he brother caught her by the arm and heaved her onto his broom.

“Oh, thank Merlin,” Scorpius gasped, his hands shaking, his knuckles white and his heart still pounding. He ached to race down to her, but she was now on the ground, surrounded by her teammates. Alongside him, even Ariadne looked relieved. She was clutching Vaisey’s arm, looking more disturbed than Scorpius thought possible.

It seemed like a lifetime, but was only a matter of minutes before Lily stood up, wobbling slightly, but with a smile on her face. Her gestures to the referee implied that the broom had suddenly become uncontrollable, and Scorpius saw her searching the sky as she tried to explain. But the broom wasn’t there. Once she had lost her grip, it had flown, higher and higher, the wind currents whisking it away.

Scorpius leapt up from his seat. It was a new broom, and should not have reacted that way, but without the tangible evidence, Lily would be held at fault. There would be no time to get a decent replacement; the referee would let her fly, but on a school broom.

Pushing past the stragglers who were late to their seats, Scorpius ran down the wooden steps and towards the broom shed. Sighting her loping towards the shed, he lifted his wand. “Accio, Firebolt X!”

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, breathless from the run, although it was only a short way to the pitch.

“Getting you a decent broom,” he muttered, scanning the sky. “Are you okay?”

Lily shuffled her feet, as she caught her breath back. “I feel stupid, but I’m not hurt. Merlin, my flying is getting as bad as my school marks.”

“Your broom was hexed,” he said abruptly. “Lily, I was watching and no one could have stayed on.”

“Hexed?” She laughed. “Don’t be so silly. Who is going to do that? It’s not like Dad when people wanted to kill him. It’s only Quidditch.”

“It was hexed,” he insisted. “If that was a normal broom, and a bit of bad flying, then it would have fallen to the ground with you, and not taken off again �“ not in this weather.”

She started to speak, perhaps to stutter a denial, but the sudden arrival of his broom scorching through the air, silenced her.

“Take it,” he muttered, thrusting it into her arms. “Use my broom and show them all what a brilliant flyer you are.”

“Your Firebolt X,” she said in awe. “Scorpius, I can’t.”

“Why? Because you want to keep us secret?” he asked, trying not to sound bitter. “Look, I’ll scratch the name off, or change the colour or something, rough it up a bit.”

“No, silly,” she whispered. “I’m not good enough for this broom. It bucked Vaisey off.”

“Gerald Vaisey can’t fly for toffee,” he said, laughing. “Plus he didn’t practise. You’ve been on this.” Pulling her close he tilted her chin up with his fingers and kissed her hard on the mouth, leaving her breathless. “Get on my broom and go and win that bloody game and the Cup, baby Potter.”

From the ground, they could hear shouts, the game had resumed without her and she had to get back. Wasting one last precious second, she kissed him again and then grabbed his broom.

“If we win, you’re not to call me baby Potter, ever again,” she cried as she ran back to the match.

“It’s a deal,” he replied. “One thing, though.”

“What?” She faltered.

“You need to be fifty points clear, baby Potter. Don’t make the catch till then.”

She laughed as she ran, her red hair lilting in the gentle breeze, and Scorpius laughed with her. His girl on his broom. It was going to be a cracking match.

Albus Potter was in barnstorming form. No longer hampered by the nerves that had obviously gripped him in the last match, he was putting together a series of throws with his Chasers that left the crowd gasping in awe. Scorpius allowed himself a few brief glimpses away from Lily, to watch Potter sear through the Ravenclaw defence and marvelled at the difference a change in position could do. As a Seeker, Potter had been distracted by the action, unable to focus unless it was to follow the other Seeker, or make a try for the catch. He belonged in the thick of the action, just as Scorpius and Lily belonged apart from it.

Lily and Belby had very little to do. The Snitch had made one very brief appearance, which Lily had reached for, but almost as quickly, it had disappeared before she was close. She’d smiled ruefully then swung the broom around and started scanning the horizon again.

“Bugger!” exclaimed Vaisey, as Thomas intercepted a pass and threw it straight to Potter. “We’re going to have to give up our cup to the smug git.”

“Maybe Ravenclaw will pull something out of the bag,” Ariadne replied, but her voice sounded dull, no longer interested in the outcome.

Something clicked in Scorpius’ brain, but before he could say a thing, there was a shout from Hugo.

“He’s seen the Snitch. Belby is flying towards it with Potter hard on his tail. Wow, for an old school broom, she is getting some acceleration out of that. It’s almost as if ...” He stopped, perhaps unable to believe his eyes, as Lily, who’d been two lengths behind, gathered speed. Streamlining herself across the broom, she shot forwards, doing her level best to stop Belby from batting the Snitch away.

“Don’t get too close to him!” Scorpius yelled, unable to stop himself. “He’ll foul you!”

So intent on capturing her prize, she didn’t heed his warning, but flew alongside Belby. He stuck his hand out to grab at her, but she was ready, and with a swift kick, knocked his hand away. Scorpius leant forwards in his seat, watching her swerve under Belby. Living every move with her, Scorpius stretched at his hand, grabbing at air, just as she made the catch.

“GRY... GRY... GRY ...” Hugo stammered into the megaphone. The crowd started to laugh. “LILY POTTER MAKES THE CATCH. WE WIN!” he screeched, his voice thick with emotion.

Scorpius sat back down, utterly relieved and strangely triumphant at his bitterest rival’s victory. Lily was surrounded by her teammates, accepting their hugs and sloppy kisses (Scorpius growled when he saw Cootes grab her around the waist, then smirked when she pushed him away). Flying as a team, they approached the teachers’ stand, accepting the applause from a thoroughly overexcited Professor Longbottom and Lavender Zabini, who was whooping and laughing as they flew past. Ginny Potter was standing up, her face split into a grin as she cheered her children and her former team.

And alongside her, grinning broadly, was her husband.

“Where the hell did Harry Potter come from?” Vaisey yelled over the cheers. “He wasn’t there before, was he?”

Scorpius shook his head but didn’t comment. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he remembered a story about the Battle, how Harry had disappeared when the snake had been killed, and reappeared in the thick of the fight. His Invisibility Cloak was part of the legend, now.

Despite her dad’s sudden appearance, it was Lily’s moment. Scorpius watched the tears fall down her cheeks, as she hugged her brother, and he wondered whether he’d ever felt that high after a victory. Twisting around, she freed herself and then hovered in the air, staring only at Scorpius. He stared back, unable to look away.

She flew towards the Slytherin stand. The gesture could have been seen as provocative, and some of the Slytherins began catcalling her. But he knew better and stood up to applaud.

Landing on the ledge, Lily wrapped her arms around him.

“You did it. You’re amazing. You’re brilliant. You’re beautiful, Lily Potter, and boy oh boy you can fly.” He gulped, aware he was babbling now, and heard the deathly silence around him. “And you’re ... uh ... kissing me. In front of everyone. In front of your parents.”

“I know,” she said and started to giggle. “You helped us win and no one is going to take that away from us.”

“I thought you wanted to wait until after your OWLs.”

“I don’t care anymore,” she replied. “And after lending me your broom, Dad’s going to love you.” She pulled herself off him, and smiled at the Slytherins who were gaping at them both then sat back on the broom. “Get on, I think it’s time I introduced you properly.”

He complied with a grin, but as they approached the teacher’s stand, it wasn’t Harry who caused his heart to thump with trepidation. If looks were Avada Kedavras, then he’d be dead under the glare of Ginny Potter.

“Uh, Lily, is this a good idea?”
Scorpius knew he sounded hesitant, scared even, but as they whooshed through the air on his Firebolt, he did not feel at all confident. Even Hugo couldn’t think of anything to say as they hurtled towards him. In the presence of the Potters, none of the teachers �“ even Professor Vector �“ seemed to know what to do. With Ginny Potter looking furious, Harry staring glassily ahead and James holding his head in his hands, Scorpius was starting to wish he could Apparate out of Hogwarts.

“Too late,” Lily said, giggling as they lilted through the air, and through the rest of the players who were staring in amazement at them. “Apart from Al, who won’t notice a thing with Natalie snogging him, everyone’s seen us now.” Twisting her head around, she grinned at him. “You did say you wanted everyone to know, Scorpy. I �“” She yelped when he tweaked her hair.

“Stop taking the piss, baby Potter!”

“You said you wouldn’t call me that,” she retorted. “We had a deal.”

“Don’t call me ‘Scorpy’, then,” he grumbled. Removing his hands from her waist, he pulled on the broom, slowing it up. “You mum looks like she’s going to hex me.”

“You can hide behind me,” she whispered, and placing her hands over his, she leant forwards and urged the broom on, laughing. “She won’t do anything here, not with all these witnesses.” Raising her voice, she swerved to the side, and steadily steered the broom towards her parents.

“Hi Mum, this is Scorpius. He leant me his broom. It’s good isn’t it? Not sure I could have made the catch if I hadn’t had such a fast one. Did you see the catch, Dad? James, I hope you got a good picture.”

“Lily, stop babbling,” Harry sighed. “Why don’t you return Scorpius to the stand now you’ve thanked him, and join the team?”

“That was one hell of a ‘thank you’,” murmured James, trying and failing to straighten his face.

“It’s Scorpius’ broom,” Lily repeated, not looking at anyone except her mother. “He lent it to me. He helped Gryffindor win.”

Ginny Potter had said nothing. Not by one word had she intimated her feelings, but Scorpius could tell by the way Harry was eyeing her warily, that she was far from happy with her daughter. She switched her attention to Scorpius, staring into his eyes, the scorn �“ and something else he couldn’t quite make out �“ evident. “Al is waiting for you, Lily. James and I want to interview the winning team,” she murmured.

It was a snub, a very obvious one, but said in such a mild way that Lily started to turn the broom around. Then she stopped and instead landed on the ledge, deliberately moving Scorpius’ arm around her waist. “I’d like you to meet Scorpius, Mum. He’s my boyfriend. It’s thanks to him that Gryffindor won the Cup.”

“I have a job to do,” Ginny murmured, and without giving Lily a second glance, she rose from her chair and stumbled towards the steps.

Tentatively Harry plucked at her sleeve. “Lily wanted to introduce us, love.”

She turned on him. “I don’t need an introduction,” she said stonily. “I’m well aware who this is.” Then, without looking back, she walked away.

A ghastly silence descended. Beside him, Scorpius could see Lily biting her lip. Without moving closer, he reached out and touched her fingers. Her hand closed on his, squeezing tight.

“Might be better if I go,” Scorpius whispered, picking up the broom. “She’s obviously not happy. I’ll let you get back to your celebrating.”

“No,” she said fiercely. “You helped us win, and I’m not having her ignore that. MUM, COME BACK!”

But Ginny didn’t look around.

“Lily, fabulous win!” Lavender Zabini called out quickly. “And Scorpius, that was magnanimous of you. Professor Zabini will be very proud, despite losing the cup to us.” Standing up, she inched her way down the wooden steps and towards the front of the stand, where she embraced Lily, whispering, “Don’t worry about your Mum. It’s just a bit of a shock.”

“It’s not fair!” Lily exclaimed. “She won’t even let me explain.”

Standing up, Harry stepped towards his daughter and ruffled her hair. “Bad timing, Lily, that’s all. I’ll talk to her.” He smiled awkwardly at Scorpius. “That was good of you to lend her your broom. Thank you.”

Staring back at Harry, and trying hard to stop the resentment erupting from within, Scorpius nodded to him. He wanted to shout, wanted to rave at the man that just because he was a Slytherin and a Malfoy, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do something good, but instead he looked away. Harry Potter had made his mind up about Scorpius a long time ago �“ probably before he was even born �“ and there wasn’t much he could do about that. “She needed a decent broom,” he muttered. “The school ones are crap.”

“But you didn’t have to lend her yours,” Harry persisted. “So thank you.”

Wrongfooted by Harry’s seeming gratitude, Scorpius flushed. He caught James studying him with a flash of amusement in his eyes. “I should go, Lily. Leave you with your family, yeah?”

Lily smiled up at him. “I’m going to get changed. Will you wait for me?”

“Is that what you want?” She nodded, so smiling back at her, Scorpius mounted the broomstick. “C’mon, Apple Queen. One more lap of honour and I’ll drop you off at the changing rooms.”


Sitting outside, enjoying the sun on his face, Scorpius ignored the curious glances and catcalls from the Ravenclaw team as they stomped out of their changing room, not wishing to linger. Their Seeker, Belby, cast him a furious glare, which Scorpius returned by grinning nastily. He wasn’t going to be popular for lending Lily his broom, but then he wasn’t popular anyway, and whatever Belby did was nothing compared to his own House. Inside the other changing room, the Gryffindors were still singing. He wondered whether to leave Lily to it, but she’d asked him to wait and he had no doubt she’d be out when she could.

“My mum won’t be pleased to see you here,” James said.

Scorpius looked up to see James standing over him. “Lily asked me to wait,” he replied stubbornly. “And I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“Why did you lend her your Firebolt X?” James asked, his voice neutral.

“Told you,” Scorpius replied. “School brooms are crap.”

James stretched out on the grass. “Was it just because you’re seeing her?”

Scorpius shrugged. “I wouldn’t have lent it to Belby or Jones if that’s what you’re asking.”

“So it was just because you’re seeing my sister, then.”

Scorpius looked at him coolly. “I didn’t particularly want Gryffindor to win, you know. I don’t exactly get on with your mob. But Lily is a good Seeker, and she didn’t deserve to be lumbered with a crap broom when it wasn’t her fault she lost her Nimbus.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think her broom was jinxed,” Scorpius replied.

“Really?” James looked interested now. “How could you tell?”

“It didn’t respond to her commands, and didn’t fall with her,” Scorpius replied shrugging. “It’s a new broom and shouldn’t be that uncontrollable.”

“My sister isn’t experienced,” James scoffed. “She lost control.”

“Your sister is a bloody good flyer,” Scorpius retorted. “She’s got more sodding talent than you ever had, Potter. It’s instinct with her and not brute force.” He turned away, not wanting to talk anymore.

“You waited!” Lily called from the door as she dashed out, not faltering even though she could see Scorpius was flanked by her brother.

“Of course,” he replied smoothly, and stood up to give her an awkward hug. “Look, you can go off with them, you know. I don’t mind.”

“I do,” she said clearly, directing her voice as much to her brother as to Scorpius. “They’re going on about the Gryffindor party tonight. Al’s said that Rose is inviting Ben. He’s a Hufflepuff and Rose isn’t even on the team, so you should come along.”

“She’s head girl, Lil, obviously Rosy gets her own way, even if MacMillan’s so bloody boring, he’ll send everyone to sleep.” James said, pulling a face. “I take it Mum’s not in there.”

“Well, if she is, she’s wearing Dad’s cloak,” Lily replied waspishly. “I’ve not seen her.” She pulled on Scorpius’ arm and pecked him on the cheek. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“Oi, Seeker. I want a quote from you,” James yelled as they walked off.

“I made the catch thanks to Scorpius Malfoy!” she yelled back.

“You made the catch because you were the better Seeker,” Scorpius demurred. “It wasn’t the broom, Lily, it was you.”

“You’re too kind,” she said, giggling, and then wound her arm around him. “This party tonight in the common room, I’d like you to be there, but if you don’t want to come along, then I’ll skip it.”

It was artfully done. She must have known he wouldn’t want her to miss the celebrations. “Maybe for a short while,” he muttered, “but I think me being there’s going to put a downer on the thing. I’m not exactly popular �“ with anyone.” He smiled sardonically. “Haven’t faced the Slytherins, yet.”

“Are you worried?” Lily asked anxiously.

Feigning a nonchalance he didn’t quite feel, Scorpius grinned at her. “I can take them. Wandless and tied up, I’ll still kick their arses.” She lifted her face up to him, merriment lighting the yellow flecks in her eyes. Merlin, she’s so beautiful when she’s happy. He stopped talking, and pulled her to the side of the path and behind a tree. Cupping her face in his hands, he lowered his lips to hers, delighting in her immediate response. She smelt fresh, her hair still damp from the shower, her skin clean. As his lips strayed to her neck, he heard small moans escape from her lips and emboldened by the sound, his hand moved to the front of her shirt, slipping inside until he found her breast. She didn’t flinch away, not this time, instead she melted into him, allowing him to duck his head down further until his tongue teased her nipple.

He knew this was crazy. They weren’t that far off the path and although the grass was longer here by the trees, it wouldn’t hide them entirely. She was only just sixteen. This would be her first time, and he’d imagined it happening somewhere a bloody sight more comfortable than on the ground. But with Lily’s fingernails trailing up and down his back, Scorpius felt himself losing whatever remnants of control and morality he’d managed to hold onto.

“Shall I stop?” he muttered.

“No,” she whispered, and gasped as his hand slid, inching under her skirt and up her thigh until he encountered the scratchy lace of her pants. “What are you... oh ...”

“Enjoy,” he murmured. With her breath hot on his neck, and excited by her arousal, Scorpius foggily tried to scheme his next move. He needed to get horizontal. In his admittedly limited experience of outside screwing, he should be the one to lie on his back, but with this being her first time ... Damn it! Why here? he thought.

Just as Lily cried out, Scorpius heard another voice from the path.

“I’m going to have to let her bring him, aren’t I?”

“Yes, Al, you are,” Natalie Thomas, the Gryffindor Chaser was saying. “He did lend her his broom, and �“”

“Bollocks, it’s your brother!” Scorpius hissed. The spell broken, he stopped her cries with a kiss, rapidly adjusted his clothes, and as Lily was incoherent, did up the buttons on her top. “Bloody awful timing. I’d hex him, but I don’t think that’ll help get me on your mum’s good side.”

Lily didn’t reply, but buried her face into his chest. He could feel her heart pulsing in her chest and held her close until her breath returned to normal. “That was --” she began to say.

“Good, yeah?” he muttered, touching his mouth to her brow. “But a bit crazy.”

“Reckless,” she whispered, and smiled at him. “You’re becoming a Gryffindor.”

He snorted. “Must be your influence,” he said, smoothing a loose tress of her hair behind her ear. “Shall we go back before your mum sends a troll after me?”

She sighed as she stepped away from the tree, pulling him with her. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t think she’d be like that.”

“Compared to what my family’s reaction will be, that was a picnic, Lily,” he muttered.

She looked concerned, so he grinned at her hoping his smile belied the anxiety gnawing at him. But there was nothing he could do now. And there was nothing they could do to him �“ not here, not at this moment �“ so winding his arm around Lily’s waist, he kissed her again, as they meandered back to school.

Several pupils stopped speaking as they walked past. Scorpius knew very few of them, as they weren’t Slytherins, prefects or seventh years, but Lily from the way she was nodding, or waving appeared to know the vast majority.

“Shall we give them something to really gossip about?” he whispered, as he very slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

“Ouch!”

“Huh?”

Lily pushed him away. “Your broom’s sticking into me.”

“Bastard thing,” he murmured, letting it clatter to the ground.

Looking amused, Lily bent down to pick it up. “This broom made Gryffindor the champions for the first time in five years. If you can’t treat it properly, then I’ll have to take it.”

“Uh �“uh!” he replied, trying to wrench it away from her. “It’s not like wand-lore. This is my broom, bab -”

“You promised!” she shrieked, and with a huge smile on her face, span away from him and sprinted across the lawns towards the entrance hall.

“I was going to say ‘babe’,” he laughed as he chased after her.

He caught her easily, and together they tumbled on the grass. “I don’t like ‘babe’ either,” she said.

“How about I stop thinking up rubbish nicknames and just kiss you?” he murmured.

Lily smiled, but whatever she’d been about to say was stopped by a sudden jet of water squirting Scorpius in the face. Spluttering, he looked up. Standing over the pair of them were Lily’s parents, James (who couldn’t stop laughing), and Lavender Zabini, looking exasperated.

“Scorpius, leave the poor girl alone,” she said, “or I’ll squirt you again.” She glanced at James. “In my day, Professor Snape used far worse punishments. Merlin, I remember being caught with ... um ... no, perhaps I won’t go there.”

Her idle chit-chat gave Scorpius time to wipe his face. He grinned sheepishly and helped Lily to her feet. Then, taking a deep breath, he faced her mum. “Sorry, Mrs Potter, I know this must be a bit awkward, but it’s �“”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Ginny muttered, yanking Lily towards her. “No wonder you’re doing so badly with your school work - too distracted by - ”

“Ginny!” Harry interrupted. “That isn’t fair.”

She rounded on him. “You don’t seem at all surprised,” she spat. “None of you seem the slightest bit shocked that my daughter is seeing Malfoy’s son. Why is that?”

James shrugged. “I didn’t know, Mum. You’ve got to admit, though, if you’re going to snog a Slytherin, make sure it’s one with a decent broom.”

“Not helping, James,” muttered Harry. He stepped towards his wife, and gently removed her hand from Lily’s arm. “I should have told you, but I thought it had ended and I didn’t want you getting in a state.”

“A state!” she exclaimed. “Merlin, Harry, this isn’t the bloody dinner getting burnt or me trying to make a deadline. This is our daughter with a Malfoy. Have you ANY idea what this is doing to me?”

Scorpius stared at his feet. Inside he could feel anger raging inside of him, but knew if he was to stand any chance of being accepted by Lily’s family, he had to keep a lid on his temper.

He hadn’t reckoned on Lily, though. Tearing herself away from her dad, she stepped back to Scorpius. “This is my boyfriend,” she screamed. “If you don’t like it, then tough!”

“You’re behaving like a three year old,” Ginny retorted. “And kissing him in front of everyone looks cheap!”

“I didn’t see you shouting at Al,” Lily yelled back. “He was positively eating Natalie on that Quidditch pitch, but no! Golden boy Albus can’t do anything wrong. It’s just me. Stupid, pathetic Lily who can’t have a boyfriend because she’s too thick and has to study.” A sob caught at her throat, and she stopped speaking, turning her face away from them all.

But Scorpius had seen the tears. With one hand, he pulled her towards him. “Mrs Potter. It’s my fault we were kissing and I’m sorry if it upset you, but please, I like your daughter and I don’t want to hurt her.”

Ginny twisted to face him and in that moment he realised that something else was going on. This wasn’t just about the fact that they were in different houses. He wasn’t even sure it had anything to do with Lily’s exams. Ginny was looking at him with hatred in her eyes. “You don’t want to hurt her, and yet you will. You won’t be able to help yourself. It’s in your blood, Malfoy.”

“I think we should take this somewhere else,” Lavender murmured.

“This is a private matter and has nothing to do with you,” Ginny objected. “Harry and I can sort out our own daughter.”

“It’s a very public argument taking place at school,” Lavender replied archly. “While Professor Zabini’s away, I’m in charge of the Slytherins. Ginny, if you’re going to abuse Scorpius, then I think you need a better reason than ‘he’s a Malfoy.’” She exchanged a look with Harry who nodded. “Blaise’s study is two doors along from Professor Slughorn’s old room, password’s ‘biscotti’. The door at the back leads to our private quarters. Take Ginny there and I’ll be along in a minute.”

Although she looked very reluctant to leave, Ginny allowed Harry to lead her away. From where he stood, Scorpius could see her still arguing with her husband and wondered exactly what was going on.

“Come on,” Lavender sighed. “Let’s see if we can sort this out. No, James, I don’t think we need your input. Why don’t you take yourself off and interview the Ravenclaws? Balance is very important, whatever your personal opinion.”

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, James nonetheless listened to Lavender (who was, after all, a journalist of considerable standing) and wandered off towards a group of Ravenclaws, who’d been watching the scene with glee.

“Lily,” Lavender said gently, “you’re a brave girl, but not necessarily a wise one. Don’t shout at your mum, it will only make her worse.” She caught Scorpius’ eye and grimaced. “You’re very lucky Professor Zabini wasn’t here. He’d have hexed the pair of you apart with no warning. Having a snog after an exhilarating match is one thing, but on the lawn? Good Godric, can’t you be the slightest bit discreet?”


Ginny Potter had calmed down somewhat by the time they reached the study. No longer flushed, she had sat herself on one of the armchairs by the coffee table and was fiddling distractedly with her wand. “Sorry for yelling, Lavender.”

“Get comfortable whilst I make some tea,” Lavender replied, waving away Ginny’s apology. “I need to put my feet up for one thing. I don’t know about you, Ginny, but this baby is playing havoc with my ankles.”

“I had the same problem with the boys,” Ginny remarked, and glanced at Lily. “You weren’t nearly as problematic ... not then.”

“Shame I was born, isn’t it?” Lily muttered, stopping when her father shook his head.

Scorpius held her hand squeezing it despite knowing Mrs Potter was watching and frowning as they sat together on a rather squashy brown leather sofa.

“Tea and biscuits,” Lavender announced a few minutes later when a house-elf walked in laden with a tray, “and gherkins for me. Gods, you won’t believe how many of these I’m getting through. I never believed all those pregnancy stories, but I cannot stop eating these even though I get the most awful heartburn.”

“How long has this been going on, Lily?” Ginny asked, ignoring Lavender.

“Um ...” Lily sounded unsure. “Well, Scorpius fell off his broom in the first match of the season, and I visited him in hospital, but nothing happened then. I suppose ... um ...”

“The Christmas holiday,” Scorpius stated plainly. “We bumped into each other at the broom shop then started meeting up when we got back to Hogwarts. We broke up for a while, but got back together in February.”

“And you knew all this time?” Ginny’s glare took in Lavender as well as Harry.

He sighed. “Ginny, I found out that day I gave the Defence lecture. I was as angry as you are because I believed Scorpius was using our daughter. They split up, so I didn’t think it was worth telling you about something that was over.”

“You didn’t know it had started up again, then?” she asked, sounding suspicious.

Harry Potter could be an adept liar. He’d certainly have to be able to think on his feet as Head Auror, but under the interrogation of his wife, he folded. “Teddy mentioned that they were back together,” he mumbled.

“Teddy knows all about this!” she cried out. “He’s part of our family and yet he couldn’t tell me either!”

“I told him not to,” Harry admitted.

“Why? Don’t you think I have the right to know about something that affects our daughter?”

“Because I knew you’d react like this!” exclaimed Harry. He took a breath, calming down in an instant and when he spoke again his voice was much softer. “You’ve always told me the way to get our daughter to do something is to tell her to do the opposite. I thought this would fizzle out.”

Ginny looked away from him and stared straight at Lavender. “You’ve obviously have been encouraging this. Typical! Lavender Brown always loved a good drama.”

“I don’t think we should be having the same old arguments twenty-five years later, if that’s what you mean,” Lavender replied caustically.

The two women locked looks like cats, neither wanting to be the first to blink.

“Ginny, Scorpius is not Draco,” continued Lavender. “I know he looks like him, but it’s a different time and he’s a different boy. It would be like saying Albus is Harry because of the resemblance.”

Ginny closed her eyes. She looked utterly drained as she slumped back in the chair. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re happy with this, Harry?” she asked, her voice now weary. “You think Malfoy’s son is good enough for our daughter?”

Harry lifted his eyes from his wife, and searched Scorpius’ face as if unsure who was really in front of him. Scorpius tried a smile, but got nothing in return.

“Merlin wouldn’t be good enough for my daughter, you know that,” Harry murmured, after a while. “But Lily has to make her own decisions.”

“She’s barely sixteen!”

“And you were fifteen when you started seeing Dad!” Lily protested.

“That was completely different.”

“Why?”

“Because your father was a good person,” Ginny shouted. “He wouldn’t have taken advantage of me, or used me, or ANYTHING else that a Malfoy will do to you.”

“I won’t!” Scorpius protested. The anger and resentment he’d been struggling to keep a lid on started to bubble furiously inside of him. “Mrs Potter, I know you hate my dad. That’s fine because I don’t think he’s overly fond of you, but I’m not him. And I’m not about to split up with your daughter because you can’t see beyond my bloody surname or the colour of my hair!”

A sudden crash stopped him saying more. Tearing his eyes away from Ginny, Scorpius saw Mrs Zabini bent double, her jar of gherkins smashed on the wooden floor. “Bloody hell, this heartburn is not going away. I have to stop eating ... AH!”

“Are you sure this is heartburn?” Ginny’s attention flipped away from Scorpius and straight to Lavender.

“Yes, yes,” Lavender gasped. “It’s been on and off all afternoon. Ah ... Merlin, that’s bad.”

“She’s in labour,” Ginny declared. “Lavender, the baby’s coming.”

“No, it can’t be. I’m not due for six weeks,” groaned Lavender.

“Babies don’t always follow timetables,” Ginny replied. Turning swiftly to Lily, she ordered her away. “Find Madam Bones.”

A white-faced Lily stared at Lavender, unable to look away.

“Lily!” shouted her mum in exasperation. “Listen to me. I need Madam Bones.” As Lily stood up, still glassy-eyed, Ginny turned to Scorpius. “Go with her.”

“No,” Lavender gasped. “Scorpius, find the professor. If you’re right, Ginny, I can’t do this without Blaise.”

“Where is he, Mrs Zabini?” Scorpius shouted in desperation. “Where did he go?”

Taking a breath, she seemed to recover slightly. “Diagon Alley and his mother’s, I think,” she replied. “Just find him for me, please.”

Taking his lead from his wife, Harry led both Lily and Scorpius out of the lounge and through to the study. Without saying a word, Lily ran off in the direction of the stairs to find Madam Bones.

“I don’t know where Professor Zabini’s mother lives,” Scorpius whispered. “And an owl will be too late, won’t it?”

“Leave it to me,” Harry replied. He smiled slightly. “You might like this, Scorpius.” Then with a wave of his wand, he produced his Patronus. The stag stood shimmering in front of them, not bounding around the study, but proud and still. Staring at it, Harry whispered a message to the creature and sent it on its way. It vanished through the wall leaving only the faintest traces of gleaming silver in its wake.

“That was seriously cool,” Scorpius said, awestruck despite the seriousness of the situation.

“Something Dumbledore taught the Order members. A lifesaver,” Harry replied, sounding solemn. Then he grinned. “Yeah, it’s ‘seriously cool,’ though.”

“I told Madam Bones. She’ll be here soon, she’s just talking to a Healer at St Mungo’s,” Lily yelped as she bounded back into the study. They all heard a yell from the other room. “Is she okay?”

“Childbirth hurts, Lily,” Harry murmured. “Your mum has never let me forget that. Look, there’s nothing you can do, now, so why don’t the pair of you scamper off. Just ...” he shook his head, “... just don’t get into anymore trouble, or your mum will hex me.”

“I want to stay here,” Lily whispered. “Please, I don’t think I can concentrate on anything not when I know this is my fault.”

Scorpius reached out for her hand and squeezed tight. He knew exactly what she was feeling. However illogical it might be, he couldn’t help feeling responsible for all of this. It was his actions that had upset Lily’s mum, and without that, Lavender wouldn’t have felt the need to intervene. “I’m staying,” he mumbled. “It’s my fault.”

“It’s not either of your faults,” Harry insisted. “Lavender was complaining about tummy ache all afternoon. It was obviously labour �“ she just didn’t realise.”

“But the baby’s early!” Lily wailed. “That’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

“You were early,” Harry replied. “Very eager to get into the world, Lily Luna.” He smiled warmly at her. “No wonder you were Sorted into Gryffindor.”

Appearing in the doorway, Madam Bones, bag in hand, nodded briefly at the three of them, and strode into the lounge. Scorpius could hear her rapping out orders to Ginny, and questioning Lavender. Lavender’s replies were incomprehensible, mingled with cries and swear words.

“Did you find Zabini?” Ginny demanded of Scorpius, poking her head around the door.

“I sent a Patronus,” Harry replied.

“Good. If Lavender has to go through this without him...” She faltered, and swallowed before continuing. “Madam Bones doesn’t want to move her. She thinks taking the Floo to St Mungo’s at this late stage is ... er ... unwise.”

“Can’t they send a Healer?” Scorpius asked.

“Apparently not,” Ginny replied, chewing her lip anxiously. “There’s been some sort of incident at the Arrows game and it’s all hands on deck.” Sweeping her hair out of her eyes, Ginny looked strained and weary. “Hell, I was supposed to have been covering that match.” A cry from the neighbouring room wrenched her attention back to Lavender.

“Is she going to be okay?” Lily asked, her voice trembling.

In an instant, Ginny had crossed the floor and wrapped her arms around her. “Sweetheart, she’s going to be fine. The baby’s just impatient to be here, that’s all. You were early, and look at you now �“ utterly beautiful.” Over Lily’s shoulder, she caught Scorpius’ eye. “Take her away from this. She doesn’t have to be here. None of you do.”

Before Scorpius had time to register this change in Lily’s mum’s attitude towards him, a whoosh from the hearth disrupted his thoughts. Coughing and spluttering, Professor Zabini stepped out of the fire, looking far from his usual suave self.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t Lavender at St. Mungo’s?” he demanded of Harry. Then he looked at the people assembled in his study. “And what the bloody hell are you all doing here?”

“Lavender went into labour this afternoon,” Ginny explained. “We were having tea in the lounge and �“”

“She invited you for a cosy tea ... all of you!” Blaise snapped. “Highly unlikely!”

“She was trying to sort out an argument,” Harry replied. He stood up and approached Blaise, touching him on the shoulder. “You’re in time, Zabini, don’t worry.”

Pushing Harry away, Professor Zabini shot him a furious look as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “DON’T WORRY?” he roared, his eyes wide and nostrils flaring.

Scorpius flinched; he’d never seen the professor lose his temper in such a spectacular fashion.

“My wife,” raged the professor, “no doubt had to deal with some adolescent crap to do with your daughter and Malfoy’s son, and now she’s gone into labour. This is too early, Potter! Anything could happen.”

“ZABINI!” Lavender’s screech from the next room startled them all. “IF YOU DON’T GET INTO THIS BLOODY ROOM IN THE NEXT TEN SECONDS, I’LL HEX YOUR BOLLOCKS OFF!”

Deciding that the chairs really were too uncomfortable, even with the cushions Scorpius appropriated from the Slytherin common room, the three of them migrated to the floor. Harry had made a sortie to the kitchens and come back with bread, cheese and some delicious looking cakes. He grinned as he told them about a previous visit when he’d seen a drunk house-elf covered up by tea-towels, and didn’t seem to mind that Lily was now sitting slumped against Scorpius, his arms around her.

It was the waiting that proved hard. Conversation whilst Lily was there proved far easier than when she wasn’t, mainly because both Scorpius and Harry had reached a tacit understanding to distract her as much as possible �“ to keep her spirits up.

Lavender’s cries were muffled now, no doubt because they’d managed to move her to the bedroom, but still her screams could be heard punctuating the silence in the study. It was during one of these silences, when Lily had left the study in search of her last Defence essay to show her dad (she’d received an E), that Harry started to speak.

“I’m surprised not to have heard from you after my letter.”

Scorpius stared warily at him, trying to smooth the scowl from his face. “I didn’t think there was any point. You’ve made your mind up so why would me sending a Howler make a difference?”

“Howler?” It was Harry’s turn to look puzzled. “Why would you send me a Howler? It’s hardly my fault �“ OH!” He paused and then he started to smile. “Er ... Scorpius, have you read my letter? Properly, I mean.”

“You rejected me. What was there to read?” Scorpius muttered. Bloody hell, did the man have to rub it in? Just because he hadn’t shouted at him for seeing his daughter, Scorpius didn’t see why he had to be pathetically grateful for the rest of his life ... “Uh, what are you doing?”

Harry, chuckling slightly, had removed something from his inner pocket. “I was planning to catch you after the match because I wondered why I hadn’t heard. Obviously, if you’ve changed your mind, then there’s nothing I can do, but ...”

Stretching out his hand, he handed Scorpius a sheet of parchment �“ a duplicate of the rejection letter.

Dear Mr Malfoy,
It is with regret that the Auror Department cannot offer you a place on the training programme. Although your application was strong,

Scorpius swallowed. It was at this point he’d screwed the letter up, refusing to read anymore, but under Harry’s gaze, he read on.

we are in the unfortunate position of not being able to run the Auror Training Programme due to budget cuts enforced on us by the new Ministry budget.

“Oh!” Scorpius glanced up from the letter and offered Harry a tentative smile.

“Read on,” Harry murmured.

However, we would like to offer you the chance to either wait for the next training programme to start, or else come and work in the Auror office as a clerk.

“Clerk?” Scorpius hoped he didn’t sound ungrateful, but sitting in an office all day was not what he wanted to do.

“A lot of Auror work is boring,” Harry explained. “It’s not all fighting Dark Wizards. I can’t promise that working in the office would be as rewarding, but it would give you a foothold into the department.”

“Could I still become an Auror?”

“You could work your way up, but that might take a few years,” replied Harry, shuffling across the floor to him. He turned the page and let Scorpius read the back of the letter. “Or you could clerk for us until the Auror Training Programme starts up again.”

“But I have a place on the next programme, anyway?”

Harry nodded. “Trouble is, I’m not totally sure when we’ll be running it again. We’re not short staffed and no one is approaching retirement age.” He grinned at Scorpius. “The bad guys just aren’t as bad these days, so no one gets killed or injured beyond use for active service. It could be three years down the line, although I’m hoping it’ll be two.”

“Do you mean this? Only �“ it’s just that �“ Shit, I’ve been imagining all this -- just amazed.” Scorpius gulped at the air, hardly able to believe the opportunity in front of him. To his horror, he could feel a lump in his throat. It wouldn’t do any good to cry in front of Harry �“ not now.

“I’ve got it, Dad,” Lily said as she walked back into the room. She took in the scene; there must have been an odd expression wrought on Scorpius’ face because she blanched and stepped back. “What’s happened? Is Mrs Zabini okay?”

There was another cry from the bedroom, followed by a very loud curse. Harry laughed softly. “She’s fine, although I doubt your Potions Master is. I’ll let Scorpius explain,” he said and rose to his feet. “I’m going to stretch my legs and read through this essay.”

“Mr Potter,” Scorpius called after him. Harry turned in the doorway as Scorpius hurriedly stood up. “Er ... has your son accepted a clerk’s position?”

“Who Al?” Harry gave Scorpius an odd crooked sort of smile. “My son is a lot like you, Scorpius. He doesn’t want to be like his dad in anything, even when, because of his looks, he can’t escape it.” He started walking again, then stopped and swivelled around. “Why do you ask?”

Scorpius blinked as he thought back to the conversation he’d heard. “Potter ... uh ... Albus said he had a job offer if he wanted it. And said something about being a family thing, so I ... um ...”

“Al’s thinking about the Department of Mysteries.” Harry sighed and looked suddenly wistful. “My mum was training to be an Unspeakable before she had me.” He shrugged and as he walked away, his voice drifted back towards Scorpius and a puzzled looking Lily. “Perhaps these things do run in the blood.”

“What were you and Dad getting cosy about?” Lily asked, as she sat back down on the cushions and snuggled up to him.

Scorpius smiled, and after explaining what a twat he was for not reading things properly and always assuming the worst, he started to kiss her. Pushing him off, she scanned the letter, reading avidly. “What will you do? Take the clerk position, or wait for the training programme to restart?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” he said and started to laugh. “Merlin, this hasn’t sunk in yet. Your dad’s just given me back that chance. I can’t believe it.”


“How are things going?” Mrs Longbottom appeared at the door, about an hour later carrying a basket and a rather large flowering pot plant.

“Not sure, Hannah,” replied Harry. “We’ve been here just over two hours now. First labours are long, though, aren’t they?”

“Usually,” Hannah agreed. She smiled down at Lily. “The Gryffindor team are getting ready to celebrate the win. You might want to join them. You as well, Scorpius,” she added, her eyes flickering to his. “Professor Longbottom has said it’s only fair that you’re allowed to attend.”

“Thank you,” Scorpius muttered, “but I think we’re staying here for a while. At least until we’ve got some news.”

A long, loud shriek, a deathly silence, and then a cry rippled towards them, Scorpius stiffened as Lily sat up straight, neither daring to think what that sound could mean.

Then a beaming Blaise burst into the room closely followed by Ginny who was also smiling. “It’s a �“ a �“ a -” he stammered, “baby!”

“A boy to be precise,” Ginny said, laughing at his uncharacteristic incomprehension. “Both mother and son are doing wonderfully.”

“But he was too early!” Lily called out. “Mrs Zabini said she wasn’t due for six weeks, and you told me that I had to spend a week at St. Mungo’s after I was born because I was so little.”

Ginny started snorting, as did Blaise, his face split in two by the biggest smile Scorpius had ever seen. “Turns out my wife got her dates wrong,” he laughed. “Madam Bones is pretty sure the baby is full term, give or take a week or two.”

Scorpius exhaled. The knot of tension he’d barely been aware of in his shoulders, dissolved into nothing. He could feel Lily shaking in his arms, relief bubbling through her. And even though Ginny Potter was watching them like a hawk, she made no attempt to pull her daughter away.

“Can we see them?” Lily asked, sounding hopeful.

“Maybe another day,” Ginny replied, and sat on the floor next to Harry. She stretched out as he put his arm around her. “Madam Bones has ordered us away because Lavender is really tired.” Giggling, she continued, “I can’t believe the matron is Susan’s cousin. They’re not at all alike. I thought she was going to hex Blaise when he turned up.”

Professor Zabini grinned. Crouching down on the floor next to Scorpius, he picked up one of the honey cakes Harry had acquired, and bit into it. “I’m just pleased you removed Lavender’s wand from her reach. Apparently, it was all my fault for getting her pregnant in the first place.”

“Tell me about it,” Harry stage-whispered, shooting the professor a sly smile and avoiding Ginny’s glare of mock-annoyance. “I still have the scars. And I’m sure Nev’s been at the receiving end, too.”

It was odd, Scorpius mused, seeing the four of them laughing like this. Professor Zabini looked years younger than when he’d arrived, and he was smiling widely, which wasn’t something Scorpius associated with the man. As Ginny Potter joked with the two men, he glimpsed the teenage girl she must have been and was instantly reminded of Lily’s own effervescence.

“Do you have a name for the baby, sir?” Lily was asking eagerly.

The professor rolled his eyes. “We now have a problem, Miss Potter. My wife was so convinced this baby was a girl that she refused to even think of boys’ names.”

“There are always Battle hero names,” Hannah suggested.

Professor Zabini raised one eyebrow and smirked at Scorpius. “Sorry, Hannah, I think we have far too many Harrys and Nevilles at this school, as it is.”

“You may go back in now,” Madam Bones called from the door. “Mrs Zabini has specifically requested that you come and see her �“ all of you.” There was a faint note of disapproval in the matron’s voice as she eyed Scorpius and Lily, but she said nothing.

Trooping towards the bedroom, they found Lavender, now dressed in a clean nightdress, sitting up in bed and cradling her baby.

“Hello,” she said, looking exhausted yet still smiling at them all as she accepted a kiss from Hannah. “Sorry if I worried you, Lily, but as you can see, Baby Zabini is doing very well.” In her arms, the baby opened his mouth and let out a wail.

“Lungs like his mother,” Blaise murmured fondly. He sat on the bed, and stroked the baby’s soft black hair. “We can’t call him Baby Zabini forever, Lavender.”

“What do you suggest, then?” she asked. “Any of you?”

“A decent Slytherin name,” Blaise replied, grinning at Scorpius. “Salazar Zabini, perhaps.”

Ginny snorted but stifled any other response.

“Hmm, that’s the problem isn’t it,” Lavender stated, and glared as she studied them all. “Now, as I’ve just done something rather miraculous, you have to listen to me. Indulge me, if you want to call it that, but I want you to really take note.” She patted the space next to her, and gestured for Lily to sit down. “Being pregnant is quite worrying, you know, Lily. You’re continually told what you can and can’t do, and then there’s this constant niggling fear that something will go wrong.” The professor stopped stroking his son’s hair and kissed Lavender faintly on the cheek. “What I didn’t realise is that the worry really starts now he’s here. And do you know what I’m most concerned about?”

Scorpius stared at her, wondering where this was going. Mrs Zabini rambled infuriatingly, but she always had a point.

“If things carry on the way they are, then my son is, in all probability, going to hate one of his parents.” She raised her head and stared across at Ginny and Harry. “If he follows me into Gryffindor, I don’t want him being taught that all Slytherins are evil. And, Blaise, if he’s a Slytherin like you, then I don’t want him learning that he has to hate Gryffindors.” She paused and returned to gazing at the baby snuffling in her arms. “Am I going to have to pray that you’ll be a Hufflepuff, instead?”

“Not such a bad thing,” Mrs Longbottom murmured. “And there are some fine Hufflepuff names to choose from.”

“No,” Lavender replied, firmly. “He’s not having a name that sets him in any house. I am not having him looking back the whole time and having to live up to something from years before he was born. Sorry, Harry, I know you meant well with your children, but Albus Severus �“ that’s one heck of a legacy.”

Harry looked as if he were about to protest, but a nudge from Ginny quenched whatever he’d been about to say. “We should go,” she murmured, “and leave this pair with their baby. Lavender, Blaise, your son is gorgeous and whatever name you decide on, and wherever he’s Sorted, he is going to make you proud.”

“Thank you for everything, Ginny,” Lavender called as they left the bedroom, “but think on what I said, yes?”

In silence, Scorpius trailed behind the three Potters and Mrs Longbottom as they left the room and walked out through the study. He stalled to pick up his Firebolt from the floor, wondering whether he was still welcome in their company. Despite Mrs Longbottom telling him he was allowed to join the Gryffindor party, he didn’t want to push things �“ not now.

“Thank you,” Ginny Potter was standing in the doorway, waiting for him whilst Lily walked ahead with the others.

“For what?” he asked, puzzled yet also relieved she’d lost the anger from her eyes when she looked at him.

“Staying with Lily. I could see you clearly didn’t want to be there, yet you stayed and you calmed her down.”

Scorpius shrugged, unsure what to say. Lily’s mum, he realised, was very perceptive because he hadn’t wanted to be there at all. The spectre of his own birth, he knew still haunted his dad, and he hadn’t wanted to go through that with the Zabini’s. “Lily needed to stay,” he mumbled.

“I can’t imagine your father acting like that,” she replied.

“I’m not him,” he said, feeling a spark of annoyance that they’d so quickly fallen back to their entrenched positions. “Obviously it will surprise you to know that my dad would have acted exactly the same way.”

Her raised eyebrows said it all; Ginny Potter plainly thought he was lying.

“My mum nearly died when she had me,” Scorpius muttered. “They were abroad; she was eight months pregnant, and Dad couldn’t find a Healer so had to take her to a Muggle hospital.” He stopped speaking, waiting for her to say something, but she remained silent. “My dad, Mrs Potter, says the worst moment of his life was not living in terror of the Dark Lord, or nearly dying in battle, but watching as a Muggle cut into my mum’s stomach and pulled me out.”

“I didn’t know,” she replied, her voice soft.

He snorted. “It’s not something they spread around. My grandparents �“ both sets �“ don’t like the idea that they’re in debt to something so Muggle. But Mum and Dad have never forgotten. There’s a small hospital in Provence that never lacks for funds.” He glanced along the corridor; Lily had stopped walking and was peering back towards him. “He’s not the same person you hated at Hogwarts.”

She smiled ruefully. “Despite what you think, Scorpius, I don’t hate your dad. I don’t like him much, admittedly, but that’s a long way from hate.”

“Then what is your problem with me?” he asked, desperate to know.

“It’s a long story, Scorpius,” she replied wearily, “and after today’s events, I am not up to the telling.” Touching his arm, she lowered her voice. “Some things are better left buried in the past.”

“I’m not him, Mrs Potter.”

“You don’t have his eyes,” she said faintly. “Perhaps I should just concentrate on them when I look at you.”

Turning away, she walked along the corridor towards the stairs leading to the Entrance Hall. Lily was still at the steps, talking with her dad, but stopped and beckoned to Scorpius. After a moment’s pause, he followed.

“You will come to the party, won’t you?” Lily asked, sounding anxious as she glanced from her mum to Scorpius.

“Uh ...”He broke off, looking across to where her parents were listening in. Ginny gave a small shrug, signalling if not her approval at least not her active antipathy. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go and get changed and meet you ...” He laughed. “I have no idea how to get to Gryffindor Tower. Stupid, isn’t it?”

“Be in the Entrance Hall in ... um ...” she squinted at her dad’s very battered pocket watch, “thirty minutes.”

“Cool,” he replied, grinning. Then, after giving her a small peck on the cheek (still very aware that Ginny Potter wasn’t entirely happy), he raised his hand in a wave to her parents, and then scooted back towards the Slytherin dungeon.

It had to be said he was incredibly relieved not to see Vaisey or any of the other Slytherin team in the Common room when he got there. Although a few fourth years gave him baleful looks when he arrived, most of the younger Slytherins barely glanced at him �“ obviously not the slightest bit perturbed that he’d been snogging a Gryffindor. He sauntered along the corridor to his room, praying his luck would hold because he had no wish to run into Vaisey or Ariadne just yet. Then a sound from the bathroom made him smile. On hearing Ariadne’s shriek and Vaisey’s guttural grunt, he was left in no doubt as to what type of water activity they were getting up to. Smirking, he sped into the thankfully empty bedroom to get ready.



“Sorry, am I late?” Lily trilled as she pelted down the staircase towards him.

Scorpius beamed at her. Dressed in a gold and red shirt and a black skirt, with her red hair flying behind her, she looked the very epitome of a feisty Gryffindor girl �“ everything he’d previously claimed to despise. And she’s mine, he thought proudly.

“I’ve only just got here,” he replied, and laughed when she practically leapt into his open arms. “You look beautiful.”

“Hmm,” she replied as he started nuzzling her neck. “I think I should take you to the party before you get squirted again.”

However, when they climbed the seven flights of stairs to her tower, and meandered along the corridor (it took a long time because Scorpius kept stopping to kiss her), there was no one there to let them in.

“Don’t you have a password?” he asked, wondering why Lily was staring at intently at a rather dull picture of a chair. Perhaps she was supposed to Charm the chair, or something.

“Yes, we do, but I need to say it to The Fat Lady, and she’s gone wandering again. Urgh! This is so annoying. We’ll have to wait until she either comes back, or someone else appears from the common room to let us in.”

Scorpius smirked. This was ideal because the less time he had to spend with a whole bunch of Gryffindors meant he had more time alone with Lily. The memory of this afternoon and how hot things had got were driving any sentient thought from his head. “Let’s wait,” he murmured, pulling a tapestry curtain to the side. “I wouldn’t mind picking up where we left off this afternoon.”

Her eyes widened, but not with shock. Instead, a kind of nervous excitement sparked inside her, and she acquiesced willingly when he pulled her up close and started running his fingers up and down her back. Tilting his head down, his mouth found hers with a kiss that signified his intentions were far from honourable. Lily responded, matching his passion and gasping when his lips reached her neck. With no one to stop them now, Scorpius began to fumble with the buttons of her shirt, and then groaned when her hand tentatively touched his thigh. She splayed her hand out on the same spot, and as her fingers crept up, he gasped. Unbidden, a picture of water suddenly squirting into his face reared into his mind. Lavender Zabini screaming. Professor Zabini’s horrified face. The pair of them cooing over a...

“Merlin.” He wrenched himself away, his breath heavy and heart thumping nineteen-to-the-dozen in his chest.

“What’s the matter?” she whispered, and tried to pull him back towards her.

“Baby Zabini,” he replied ruefully. “More effective than a bloody cauldron of icy water, Lily. I just ...” He groaned as he pulled further back and leant on the wall, desperately trying to recover his sang-froid.

She blushed, so he took her hand and sat on the floor with her. “When we do this, I don’t want to be worrying about knocking you up,” he mumbled, feeling awkward.

“I’m not totally clueless, you know,” she murmured, staring at her hands. “I saw Madam Bones last week and ... um ... she gave me this long embarrassing lecture about boys and their ‘base urges’.” Unable to help herself, Lily started giggling. “Then she gave me a potion. Tastes foul, but um ... well ... there you go.”

Scorpius chuckled. “That explains why she was glaring at me.” Pressing her hand to his lips, he waited until she lifted her face to his. “You didn’t have to. I could have taken care of it.”

“Um, well, it was just that after my birthday and then last week when I saw you after the Slytherin match, I thought ... uh ... well, I don’t want to get pregnant, either.” She stopped speaking, her face now flushing furiously, yet still she held his gaze.

Reaching across, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I wouldn’t mind giving in to my ‘base urges’�“”

“Violet, stop that!” A raucous voice echoed through the corridor.

“What the hell is that?” Scorpius sprang back from Lily, scared witless by the sound of two matronly voices.

Lily grinned. “It’s the Fat Lady. She must have been celebrating with Violet, again. She’s a very loyal Gryffindor who thinks it’s her duty to have a few glasses of wine whenever we win something.”

Scorpius snorted and began to stand up. “She doesn’t get to drink much, then.”

Lily scowled and punched him on the arm, then stretched out her arms. “She drinks when we lose as well. Says she needs to drown her sorrows!”

“I know it’s not every day Hogwarts celebrates the birth of a baby, but I should have been here ages ago,” the portrait complained. “Harry’s daughter is bringing the Malfoy boy to the party. Wouldn’t do to keep him waiting. No telling what he might do.”

“She’s an old gossip, so don’t get angry with her,” Lily whispered. Scorpius smiled back at her, not at all annoyed especially as the Bloody Baron was known for his highly incorrect opinions about anything Gryffindor.

“The Malfoy boy!” exclaimed another shriller voice. “I never thought I’d see the day. Mrs Potter won’t be at all pleased, not after the incident.”

“Between you and me, this younger generation get away with far too much. Ginny Potter should have put her foot down. Blood runs through, after all,” The Fat Lady replied, starting to hiccup. “I think I’m a little bit tipsy, Violet.”

Scorpius sat up straight; Lily’s fingers, which had been tracing circles on his thigh, stopped moving.

“What ‘incident’?” he asked her in a low voice.

“I don’t know,” she replied, her eyes wide. “Seriously, Scorpius, I have absolutely no idea. Look, let’s go to the party. They’ll stop talking as soon as we appear �““

“Exactly” he clasped her to him. “I want to know what they’re talking about.”

“Mind you, I’m still surprised Professor Dumbledore let the man walk away. I was there.” Violet’s voice rose as she expanded on her tale. “It was obvious he was guilty and little Ginny Weasley nearly died.”

Scorpius barely registered Lily’s faint gasp, so caught up with his own shock at this revelation. What had his dad done?

The Fat Lady sighed. “No proof; that was always the problem with Lucius Malfoy. He is a very clever man and a sly one, never a good combination. I hope the grandson isn’t cut from the same cloth. My poor Lily doesn’t deserve a cad!”

“Scorpius, where are you going?”

He stared down at her, barely aware that he’d released her. “Granddad,” he mumbled, shaking off her arm. “Need to talk ...”

“You can’t leave... Scorpius ...” Her voice followed him as he pulled the tapestry aside, so hard that it wrenched away from its rail, and strode away from her and Gryffindor Tower.

He could hear her running, her faint breaths sounding in his ears mixing with the embarrassed squawks of the two portraits.

“Please, Scorpius, talk to me,” Lily cried.

“Go to your party,” he mumbled, not looking at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No!” She wrenched him towards her, her brown eyes full of fire and compassion as she faced him. “Scorpius, you can’t leave Hogwarts. You’ll get caught.”

“I don’t bloody care! I need to speak to him, Lily. If that stupid bint is going around telling everyone my granddad tried to kill your mum, then don’t you think he deserves a chance to deny it?”

Wavering, Lily released his arm. “Perhaps it was at the Battle,” she murmured. “I mean, lots of people were fighting, weren’t they, and your granddad was a Death Eater, wasn’t he? So it’s sort of ... um ... not unlikely that they were fighting against each other and ...”

“NO!” Scorpius said vehemently, causing the other portraits to stare balefully at them. “Granddad didn’t fight at the Battle. Your dad swore to the Wizengamot that neither he nor Grandma raised their wands. And that painting, Violet, she mentioned Dumbledore and ‘little Ginny Weasley’. She’s telling everyone that my granddad tried to kill a child.”

“But you can’t go now,” she pleaded. “Scorpius, listen to me.”

Thwarted by a staircase moving just as he was about to step on it, Scorpius faltered and in that time, Lily pulled him down to the floor, sitting with her legs dangling over the stair edge. She touched him gently on the cheek, her smooth palm soothing away his anger. “You need time to think about this, and maybe to find out what could have happened before you ask him anything.”

He knew her words made sense. He had nothing but the story of two drunk portraits to go on, and they were probably confused. “He wouldn’t have hurt her,” he mumbled.

“They probably got it wrong,” she agreed and slipped her hand around his waist. “Do you want to skip the party? We could go out for a walk instead?”

He nodded, knowing he was unable to deal with anything Rose or Albus would throw at him at the moment. “You can’t miss your victory party, Lily. Just give me half an hour to cool down, then I’ll meet you back up here.”

“I’m coming with you,” she insisted, and as the staircase slid back into place, she started to walk down.

“I don’t have a say here, I suppose,” he said, in a resigned tone.

“None at all,” she replied stubbornly.

There were still plenty of pupils barging up and down the stairs as they made their way to the Entrance Hall. Draping his arm across her shoulders, he slowed their pace as he felt himself calming down. Whatever that Violet person had thought she’d heard, it couldn’t be true. His granddad wouldn’t have attacked Ginny Weasley. He wouldn’t have been able to get away with it, for one thing. The Weasleys were an important family and Scorpius had no doubt that Ginny’s parents would not have let the matter drop.

Except...

Fragments of a long ago conversation filtered through his thoughts. His granddad begrudging the Weasleys the respect they held in the Wizarding World.

“Wasn’t always that way, Scorpius, my boy,” Lucius said, throwing down his copy of the newspaper, which had a picture on the front page of a grinning Arthur Weasley accepting a long-service award from the Ministry. Picking up his grandson from the floor, Lucius started to swing him around by his arms, laughing at Scorpius’ delight.

Scorpius giggled excitedly, loving the attention from his granddad. “What did the Weezies do, Ganda?”

“Told a lot of lies,” Lucius replied. “Stupid Muggle-loving family. No proper respect for Wizarding ways, Scorpius. Not like us. The Malfoys and Blacks have always had proper pride. We never consorted with Mudbloods and the like.”

“Stop that!” Astoria strode across the room and snatched Scorpius away from Lucius’ arms.

“I’m swinging him around,” Lucius remarked coldly. “My grandson is perfectly safe.”

“Not from your opinions!” Astoria hissed.

A small glimmer of doubt began to seep though Scorpius mind. His granddad hadn’t liked Arthur Weasley �“ at all. It was evident by the sneer whenever he read something about him in The Prophet, yet dislike was a long way from wishing someone dead.

A loud laugh ahead shook him from his thoughts and he stumbled on the stairs. Lily hadn’t noticed, but a little further away, by the doors to the Defence classroom, stood Ginny Potter with Harry and Professor Goldstein.

He couldn’t see his granddad, but here was the other half of the story, living, breathing and laughing uproariously.

“Mrs Potter!” Lily tugged on his arm, but he shook himself free of her and ran towards her mum. “Did Granddad try to kill you?” he blurted out, hoping the only way to stop her prevaricating was to come straight out with the question. “Is that why you hate him?”

Blanching, Ginny stepped into Harry’s arms.

“Now isn’t the time, Scorpius,” he said firmly, protecting her in his embrace. “My wife and I are about to leave, and you’re supposed to be at a �“”

“Scorpius!” rapped Professor Goldstein, at the same time as Harry. “Are you Confunded? What on earth makes you think you can run up to a guest of Hogwarts and-”

“I need to know!” Scorpius raged. “I overheard two portraits gossiping about how my granddad tried to kill you, Mrs Potter.”

“Not now!” Harry reiterated. “We’re all tired and over-excited after the match and the Zabinis’ new baby. And if that’s the Fat Lady and her friend Violet talking, then it’ll be gossip.”

“Dad, they said Mum nearly died,” Lily murmured, staring from him to Ginny. “Was it about the Chamber?”

The Chamber? Scorpius shook his head. Something was coming back to him from the history books he’d read. The Chamber of Secrets and a girl dragged there to die.

“Harry,” Ginny whispered. “I ... I ... can’t do this, not now.”

“Please, Mrs Potter, I need �“” Looking at her face, Scorpius broke off, unsure what to say. Whenever he’d seen Ginny Potter before, she’d been a confident woman, staring him down and not scared to show her disapproval of him. But now, as he loomed before her, she suddenly seemed smaller in Harry’s arms. He stepped away, mumbling an apology.

But at that gesture, his move away from her and decision not to interrogate further, Ginny began to speak, “I was eleven years old,” she mumbled, then looked around at the children still scurrying around the place. “I can’t speak to you here, Scorpius. Let’s go somewhere private.”

Scorpius nodded, hardly daring to breathe in case even that slight sound made her change his mind. Beside him, Lily slipped her hand in his, and followed when Professor Goldstein waved them all into his empty classroom, then closed the door behind him.

“Ginny, you don’t have to do this,” Harry said, his eyes flicking from his wife and back to Scorpius. “And Lily, you shouldn’t be here.”

Scorpius squeezed Lily’s hand. “Go, I’m okay.”

“No,” Ginny uttered. “If I’m telling my story to him, then my daughter needs to know as well. I’m not letting anyone twist things.”

“Meaning me,” Scorpius stated, holding her gaze.

“Meaning you,” agreed Ginny. She took a breath, whilst Harry Summoned four chairs, and settled herself in one opposite Scorpius. “Lily and all my children know that I was the girl in the Chamber. You have heard about that, I take it?”

Scorpius nodded. “I didn’t know it was you, Mrs Potter. But I still don’t know what this has to do with my granddad. He wasn’t at Hogwarts then.”

She smiled bitterly. “He didn’t have to be. I was lured into the Chamber by Voldemort, or rather the memories of Tom Riddle, encapsulated in a diary where I’d been writing all my deepest thoughts.” She leant across and touched Lily on the knee. “That’s why I always tell you never to trust something if you �“”

“Can’t see where it keeps its brain,” Lily finished in a low voice. “Mum, what does this have to do with Scorpius’ granddad? It wasn’t his diary.”

Ginny licked her lips and looked across at Harry. He smiled tenderly at her then faced Scorpius. “I destroyed the diary with a Basilisk fang, and managed to get out with Ginny. She was close to death, but when the diary ‘died’ she came back to life,” Swallowing hard, he looked away, staring at the empty blackboard. “I was in Albus Dumbledore’s office explaining everything when Lucius Malfoy turned up. He’d tried to get the Headmaster removed from the school, but it hadn’t worked, at least not for long.”

“Are you telling me he dragged an eleven year old girl into the Chamber and tried to kill her? That’s ridiculous! He wouldn’t do that!” Scorpius got up, pushing his chair back so violently it sped across the room. “This is a bloody pack of lies and I’m not staying here to listen to any more shit. It’s laughable! You’ve already said it was Riddle’s diary, so what the fuck does that have to do with Lucius Malfoy?”

“He gave me the diary!” Ginny exclaimed, her eyes spitting fire. “Your grandfather wanted to ruin my dad. He wanted to make our lives even more difficult. Merlin knows we were bloody poor throughout my childhood, yet that wasn’t enough for your wonderful granddad, so he slipped the diary in one of my cauldrons. He wouldn’t rest until the Weasleys were utterly discredited, Scorpius. And you know why?”

He watched, unable to move as she crept up to him. There was something he feared about her now. It wasn’t because she was shouting, and she didn’t have her wand out, but Scorpius was scared because ... because ... What if she’s telling the truth?

“Why?”he mumbled, still staring her in the eye.

“Because my dad never believed your grandfather’s story about being Imperiused during the first war. Lucius Malfoy hated his disapproval, so decided to let him suffer the disgrace of a daughter possessed by Voldemort and unleashing a terrifying creature on the Muggle-borns.” She took a couple of breaths, her white face slowly regaining some colour.

“It’s not true,” Scorpius said, but even to his ears, the denial sounded flat.

“He tried to deny it,” Harry replied wearily as he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And there wasn’t any proof, not with the diary destroyed. But, Scorpius, I knew the truth.”

“Lies,” Scorpius whispered. “Why say all this now? Why not accuse the man to his face? Or what? You can only do this because now he’s ill, he can’t defend himself.”

“The truth would kill my dad, that’s why!” Ginny called as he stormed away.

Scorpius faltered, his hand on the door handle, but he didn’t turn around. “What do you mean?”

“If he knew that I’d nearly died because of his feud with Lucius Malfoy, he’d have killed him where he stood,” she replied, not cowed but in a much gentler voice. “To this day it eats into him that his daughter was possessed. He feels guilty that he couldn’t stop it. I still have nightmares �“ and so does he.”

“I don’t believe you,” Scorpius retorted. Still not looking at any of them, he grasped the door handle firmly and walked away.

“Scorpius, wait!” Lily cried out.

He kept on walking, desperate not to see her, yet feeling relieved when he heard her remonstrating with her parents. Her light footsteps tapped quickly up the corridor towards him, then stopped.

“You should go to your party,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere. Nowhere . I ... have no bloody idea, Lily. I just know I can’t face any of your family �“ not tonight.”

“Mum and Dad could be wrong,” she whispered as she crept closer. “Maybe the diary got into her cauldron by accident.”

He closed his eyes, relishing the contact as she wound her hands around his waist, but when he turned around, she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“You don’t really believe that, though, do you?” he said bitterly and pushed her away.

“I ... er ...” she stumbled on her words, then took a step closer. “I don’t think my parents are lying, Scorpius. But ...” She paused. “You’re not him. Mum knows that and she doesn’t blame you �“ not for anything. I think it was just a shock to her.”

It would have been so easy to stay here, her arms entwined about his neck, drawing him down to her lips and kissing him soundly. He let himself drift for the moment, longing for this to never cease, but the past hung between them like a shroud.

“I need to speak to Dad,” he said, pushing her away but far less forcefully this time.

“You can’t. It’s nine o’clock and you won’t be able to get permission to leave, not for this,” she protested.

He laughed humourlessly and stepped towards her. Bending down he placed a very soft, very gentle kiss on her cheek and whispered, “I don’t need permission, baby Potter. Zabini’s hearth is connected to my dad’s place, and the professor’s far too preoccupied at the moment to concern himself with a missing handful of Floo powder.” Pulling away from her, Scorpius broke into a run, taking the steps two at a time in his desperation to get to his Housemaster’s office.

“Funis!” Lily cried. Taken by surprise, he saw a silken rope wrap around his wrist before he had a chance to block the spell, and was yanked back towards her.

The third years hovering on the stairs started cheering and crowding round, but Lily pushed them out of the way and sat on the stair next to him.

“One bloody rope won’t stop me, Lily,” he muttered. “I will speak to him.”

“I’m not trying to stop you,” she said fiercely. “I know you’ll go whatever I do, but I won’t let you go alone.”

Cupping her face in his hands, Scorpius touched his lips to hers. “You don’t have to do this. If we get discovered outside the castle ...”

“That’s why I’m coming,” she replied in a whisper. “Getting out is the easy part, but you need me to break back in.”

Scorpius stared at Lily. The utter belief in her parents and yet the promise to be there for him made his heart thump almost painfully.

“If we get caught-”

“We could be expelled,” she muttered. “Yes, I know that, but if you’re set on going now and not waiting, then �“”

“I can’t wait!” Scorpius exclaimed. The crowd of third years started giggling again and one of them pointed in the direction of the toilets. With a malevolent glare, Scorpius raised his wand towards them; they scarpered.

“We could go in the morning,” Lily continued. “It will be much easier to get out and back in because the doors won’t be locked.”

“No,” Scorpius replied decisively. “I need to speak to dad tonight.” Gently he twisted a lock of her hair between his fingers. “Tomorrow, your brother’s report will be on the back pages of The Sunday Prophet and that is not going to go down well.”

“They’re not going to like me at all, are they?” she said, and sighed sadly.

“Mum will be fine and Dad will get over it,” he muttered. “But if I want him to talk to me, I need to pick my moment.”

“Will he know what happened? He would only have been a second year.”

He wasn’t sure. His dad often spoke of his school days, usually with fondness, but there were gaps about which he said very little. His sixth year, he spoke of only in terms of the subjects he took and learning Apparition. “I don’t know,” he replied, “but he’s the only person I can think of to ask. Granddad’s still not fully recovered, and if I storm in there telling him what people are accusing him of, then it could make him worse.” Feeling drained he held his head in his hands. “Sorry, I know he’s hated, but �“”

“He’s your granddad,” she insisted. “Of course you love him.”

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, both turned their heads, then Scorpius looked away. Ginny Potter gently picked her way towards them and then crouched next to Lily.

“Scorpius,” she murmured. “I haven’t been very fair on you.” She tried a smile, but Scorpius didn’t look at her, just carried on staring at a space in front of him. “Harry’s just reminded me that his godfather was judged by his family connections far too often. And whatever my feelings are about your granddad, it really is something that belongs in the past.”

She was apologising; he could hear the words and knew he should be grateful, but the only thought in his mind was that she was wrong. His grandfather may have been allied to the Dark Lord, but it had been a desire to protect his family, he’d always been told. Fear had played a huge part in his father’s decision to become a Death Eater and he knew his grandfather was the same. However, now was not the time for debate. Slowly and deliberately, he faced her. He didn’t smile �“ that would be too much �“ but when he spoke, it was in calm, measured tones.

“Thank you, Mrs Potter. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

Next to him, he could feel Lily stiffen. She patently didn’t believe his tone, but Ginny, after studying him for a moment, nodded and then stood up. Ruffling Lily’s hair, and then catching Harry’s hand, she smiled. “I need to find James if he’s ever going to file this report on time. Enjoy the party. I expect it will go on into the early hours.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Lily replied when Scorpius said nothing. “We’re might take a walk first before Filch locks the doors.”

Harry was watching them both. His eyes switched from Lily to Scorpius, who stared blankly back. “Let me know about the clerk position, Scorpius,” he said mildly. “I’ll let you get over your N.E.W.T.s and then send me an owl, okay?”

“Sure,” Scorpius replied politely. He felt numb, unable to think properly and the earlier excitement he’d felt because he hadn’t been rejected had long disappeared.

Letting go of Ginny’s hand, Harry beckoned to Scorpius. He stood up and stepped across to him, knowing that their exchange was being watched by both mother and daughter.

“Scorpius, I don’t blame you for not wanting to believe me,” Harry murmured. “I would defend my family to the death.”

“I ... don’t want to talk about this,” Scorpius replied, desperately wanting Harry to leave so he could get to Zabini’s study. “I’m fine.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Harry said. He sighed. “Look, I just wanted to remind you that your application success was based on you and your strengths. As Lavender so eloquently reminded us all, the past should not be a legacy that drags us down.”

“Yep,” Scorpius replied, feigning nonchalance, but inside he could feel a lump forming in his throat. “Mr Potter �“”

“Harry.”

“Uh, right, Harry, I will think very carefully about it. I promise.”

“That’s all I ask,” he replied, and then stepping back towards Ginny, he took her hand and they started to walk away.

Scorpius leant against the wall watching them both leave. He could sneak off now, whilst Lily was saying goodbye. That way he wouldn’t have to involve her. However, Ginny Potter’s words came back to haunt him. She’d wanted Lily in the room, so he couldn’t twist her words. Scorpius needed Lily to believe him. She had to hear the truth herself.

“Ready,” he muttered, when she came back to him.

She nodded. “I’m surprised you waited.”

Scorpius shrugged and with her hand in his started to walk towards the dungeons. “I wouldn’t dare stop you,” he replied, allowing himself a grin. Gnawing his lower lip, he slowed his pace as they approached the study. “Is he in there?”

Lily pulled out the Map, tapped it with her wand and muttered something. Instantly, it came alive and a myriad of dots started moving around the castle. “He’s not there,” she murmured. “It’s empty.”

“Good. Then let’s get going.” He muttered the password, smiling in pleasure when the door swung open and then strode towards the fireplace, reaching for the Floo powder jar.

“Scorpius, wait,” Lily whispered.

“What?” He turned his head, a shade irritably because if she were going to try to dissuade him then he’d go without her whatever the consequences.

“I can’t go like this,” she hissed. “You dad knows what I look like and you said you needed to catch him at the right moment.”

“Oh ...” Scorpius paused. “I could Disillusion you, but Dad might still realise you’re there. He has a pretty good sixth sense about that sort of thing. Means I can’t get away with much.”

“Transfigure me, then,” she whispered. “Change my hair colour, at least. Your dad won’t be suspicious if you introduce me as someone else, like ... um ... I don’t know, Edith Bulstrode.”

Scorpius snorted. “I’d have to change you into a pig to resemble her. Besides, Dad knows her. Um ... I’ll make you some random Hufflepuff. Doesn’t Ben have a sister?”

“Felicity, yes. She’s in my Herbology class.”

Tapping her on the head, Scorpius changed her hair to a dark blonde, as close to Ben’s as he could imagine. She looked strange, her face washed out by the lack of vibrancy in her hair, and he didn’t have time to do anything else because somewhere from the Zabinis’ quarters he could hear his professor and Madam Bones talking.

“Quick,” he muttered, fumbling with the lid of the jar. Throwing the powder onto the dying flames of the fire, Scorpius grabbed Lily and jumped into the grate.

It was a tight squeeze, but Lily was slight and he held her close as they whooshed from the Zabinis’ study and towards his parents’ house. He was sure they’d be up, sitting together in their lounge, perhaps having a drink. He’d have to think of an excuse for visiting, maybe he could say he was missing them ... No that wouldn’t work. His dad would smell a rat and his mum would burst out laughing. Baby Zabini, he thought, I could tell them the news.

Together they landed, cramped in his parents’ hearth. Scorpius sidestepped out, holding his hand out to her, not yet wishing to turn and face his parents. But as she landed in his arms, blonde hair covered in dust, he was struck by the silence in the room.

“Master Scorpius!” exclaimed the squeaking voice of Truckle. “What is you doing here? Truckle is not sending the owl to Hogwarts yet.”

“What owl? And where are my parents?” he asked, confused. By his side, Lily began to cough; Truckle bustled forwards. “Master Scorpius’ young lady is not well. Truckle will fetch her a drink.”

“Truckle!” He tried to stop her, but to no avail as she’d already trotted out of the room. “Mum freed her,” he muttered to Lily, “so she does what she wants now. Uhm ... take a seat. Mum and Dad must be out.” He glanced nervously at the door, wondering what impulse had led him here with her tonight. “Perhaps we should go. Dad’s not here.”

“Truckle is bakin’ today,” the house elf said, wheezing slightly as she tottered back into the room carrying a tray with biscuits and two glasses of juice. “Now, Master Scorpius. You needs to take a seat and wait for -”

“Where is my dad?” he asked, in a less friendly tone.

Unperturbed, Truckle set the tray onto the table and handed Lily her juice. “Truckle is thinkin’ you is the young lady that likes apples. The young master is always askin’ for apple puffs to be sent to Hogwarts. Master Scorpius has never been fond of them before.”

“Er.” Lily started to giggle. “I am, yes, thank you.”

“Where is the Mistress?” Scorpius pleaded, hoping this change of tack would stop her fussing.

“The Master and Mistress is visitin’ the Master’s father,” Truckle said, pursing her lips into a thin line. “Truckle has been told to send an owl to Hogwarts in the morning. The Mistress is most insistent that Master Scorpius is not bothered by this tonight.”

“Bothered by what?” he said softly, although he felt like screaming at her evasion. “Truckle, you’re a free elf. You can tell me whatever you want.”

She took a breath and straightened the hem of her apron. “Master Scorpius’ grandfather is ill. The Master and Mistress is staying there.”

His stomach, which had been churning at the thought of facing his dad, lurched with fear. “How ill?”

“The Mistress isn’t tellin’ Truckle, but the Master is lookin’ sad,” she mumbled.

“What were you supposed to tell me in the message, Truckle?” he asked softly.

“To come home,” she said, and stretching out her thin arm, she patted him awkwardly on the hand.

Scorpius sank back into the sofa, his eyes unseeing as images of his grandfather in his hospital bed crowded his brain. “He was getting better. He even sent me a letter last week,” he whispered, remembering guiltily that he hadn’t replied to the old man’s good wishes for the Quidditch match.

“You should go to him,” Lily murmured, placing her drink down on the table. “I’ll ... um ... go back to Hogwarts. I’ll tell the professor you got a message.” Pulling the Map out of her pocket, she walked across to the hearth, then stopped. “I’ll wait for a bit.”

“Why?” asked Scorpius, wondering what the problem was.

“Professor Zabini’s in his study with the Headmistress,” she explained, and walked back to the sofa. “Look, it doesn’t matter, I can wait until they’ve gone, or until you get back.”

Scorpius ran his hand through his hair trying to work out what to do. She could stay here, but he had no idea how long he’d be, and he could hardly keep dashing back to check on her. “I’ll Apparate you to Hogsmeade,” he said at last, “and then we’ll walk back.”

“You should be at Malfoy Manor,” she urged. “Really, Scorpius, I can get back by myself.”

“I can’t...” He trailed off. “I know I should be there, but I’m not supposed to know, am I?” Wearily he rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. It had been so simple. Floo to his dad’s, ask him about the Chamber, get Lily to understand the truth, then get back. His dad wouldn’t have got him into trouble and might even have helped him get back. But now ... it didn’t seem important.

“Come on,” he muttered, taking her hand. “I’ll get us back to Hogsmeade.”

But as he grasped her waist and prepared to turn, there was a loud whoosh from the fire.

“Scorpius!”What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?” Draco shouted, turning furiously on the house-elf. “Truckle, did you disobey your mistress? We told you he was not to be disturbed!”

“No, it wasn’t Truckle,” Scorpius yelled, standing in front of Truckle. He took a breath. “I ... er ... thing is, Dad. Professor Zabini has had his baby and ... I ... uh ... thought Mum’d like to know so I was trying to contact you. Truckle was in the room and told me about Granddad, so I came straight here.”

Draco’s eyes narrowed as his attention flicked from his son to the girl by his side. “Who is this?” he asked suspiciously.

“Felicity Macmillan,” Lily said, and held out her hand. “I’m ... um ...”

“My girlfriend,” Scorpius said clearly, praying that his dad was still vain enough to refuse to put his glasses on when a pretty girl was in the room. “Sorry, Dad, but Felicity was with me when I heard the news and ... uh ... came along. I’ll get her back to Hogwarts and then join you at the Manor.”

Crinkling his eyes as he tried to get a better look at her, Draco held out his hand to her. “Macmillan, eh? There was an Ernie Macmillan at school in my day. Any relation?”

“Yes, he’s my dad,” Lily replied coolly. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to get Scorpius into any trouble. I jumped into the fire after him because he seemed so upset.”

“Reckless behaviour for a Hufflepuff,” Draco replied quietly. “That is if you are a Hufflepuff like your father.”

“Oh yes, she declared stoutly, holding his gaze. “I’m a Hufflepuff, all right. We’re fiercely loyal, Mr Malfoy.”

Draco made a noise that sounded very much like a snort, but he stopped studying Lily. Instead, he rubbed at his eyes and swept his thinning hair from his brow. “Your granddad isn’t at all well, Scorpius. He’s had another stroke and you should come and see him,” he said gently. “Grandma needs support.” He swallowed, and then glanced at Lily. “Miss Macmillan, would you come along? I think she’d like to meet you.”

“Uh, Dad, is that a good idea? It’s sort of awkward.”

Draco lowered his voice and with one arm behind Scorpius’ back guided him to the other side of the room. “Your grandmother still doesn’t like the fact that you ran away from her party. Show her this girl, who despite being a Hufflepuff,” he grimaced, “is still a pureblood and it will at least give her some comfort.”

“Comfort.”

“Yes, Scorpius, comfort, which is what she needs right now,” Draco muttered through gritted teeth. “Your girlfriend will provide a distraction.”

“Dad, it’s really not fair on Li �“ uh �“ Lissy.”

But as he finished, he felt he small hand slip into his. “I don’t mind coming along,” she said, “if you think it would help, sir.”

Draco smiled slightly at her. “As long as you can put up with Scorpius’ mother giving you the third degree, Miss Macmillan, then you would be a great help.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Scorpius hissed as his dad left the room, saying he needed to collect some things. “I’ll take you back.”

Lily touched him softly on the cheek with her hand, and then kissed him. He could smell the sweet perfume of her hair, and instantly felt calmer. “You stayed with me this afternoon,” she murmured. “Let me help now.”

“Ready,” Draco ordered as he strode back into the room, carrying a bag. He stood by the fire, about to leap in, then paused adding in a gentler voice, “Despite everything, your granddad is a survivor, so don’t give up hope. I want you to walk in there, with your head held high and a smile on your face, just as he’d expect.”

***

It had been hard to force a smile. Desperately difficult in fact, when confronted with his grandfather’s weakened frame prone in the bed. Lucius was sleeping when they’d arrived and Narcissa had not wanted him woken.

Scorpius stood in the doorway with his dad, watching as she carefully tucked in his sheets. “Why isn’t he in St. Mungo’s?” he whispered.

Draco smiled sadly. “This is his home, Scorpius.” He nudged him forwards. “Go and see him and remember: you’re a Malfoy, so keep your �“”

“Head held high, yeah,” Scorpius mumbled. He stepped towards his grandmother and kissed her proffered cheek.

“You’re a good boy to come,” she whispered, clasping his hand in her dry, bony one. “Your mother didn’t want you informed but I knew Draco would see sense.”

“He’ll be okay,” Scorpius started to say, but as he gazed at the old man, he faltered. Lucius Malfoy had always looked so strong; even in old age, his face had character. But there, with paper-thin skin emphasizing the haughty cheekbones, he looked increasingly close to death.

“What is that noise?” Narcissa fussed and frowned as she heard Astoria’s voice and then Lily’s. “Who else is here?”

“Oh, sorry, Grandma, that’s Felicity,” Scorpius mumbled. “She’s my girlfriend. Dad thought you might like to meet her, but we won’t stay if we’re intruding.”

She arched one eyebrow, not looking entirely displeased, and removed her hand from her husband’s brow. “Lucius,” she murmured. “I’m going to let you get some rest. Draco is here and he’ll sit with you. Then Scorpius is going to come back.”

As she rose, she tucked her arm in his, and walked with him to the door, pausing only to gesture Draco towards the bed. “This girlfriend,” she murmured as they left the room, “what is her name?”

“Felicity,” Scorpius replied.

“I meant surname,” she said, some of her snappishness returning.

“Macmillan,” Scorpius replied. “Dad was at school with her dad,” he added �“ well, at least that wasn’t a lie.

Narcissa pushed her lips together in a thin line, obviously not quite willing to show any sign of approval. “Introduce me,” she said imperiously. “We shall take some tea in the lounge.”

He swallowed, but did not dare disagree. It had been a bloody stupid idea bringing Lily here. His grandmother was sharp, his mother sharper still, and although he didn’t think that even his mum would want to upset the situation at the moment, he didn’t know how Lily would bear up under interrogation.

“Felicity,” he rasped as they entered the lounge where his mum was talking with Lily whilst skimming through an old copy of Witches Weekly, “this is my grandmother. Grandma, this is Felicity.”

Narcissa stared at her with disapproval, which faded when Lily leapt to her feet and darted forwards. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Malfoy. Scorpius has told me such a lot about you, and I’m desperately sorry to hear about his granddad,” she said, enunciating clearly.

“Thank you,” Narcissa replied, carefully lowering herself into an ornate, but comfortable, armchair. “Scorpius tells me you’re a Macmillan. They’re a very old family. Who is your mother?”

Shit, we didn’t think of that. Scorpius started to sweat and wondered how he could change the subject, but to his surprise, Lily smiled.

“Amanda Brocklehurst,” she lied glibly.

Narcissa allowed a smile to play on her lips as she glanced at Scorpius. “Is this young lady the reason you ran away from my tea party?” she teased. “Really Scorpius, if you’d informed me, then I could have invited Miss Macmillan and her parents, instead of that ghastly Vaisey girl. Why have you been keeping her a secret?”

“Yes, Scorpius, do tell us,” Astoria chimed in. “This certainly explains why he was so secretive over Christmas, locking himself in his room. Tell me, Felicity, was he writing you poetry?”

“Li �“ uh �“ Lissy’s a Hufflepuff -” Scorpius interrupted before his mother could get any more embarrassing. “I didn’t think you’d approve. And no, I don’t write poetry, Mum.”

“Just notes hidden in apples,” Lily said, giggling. She stopped suddenly, unsure she should be laughing, perhaps.

“How sweet,” drawled Astoria, and resumed flicking through the magazine. “Merlin, I’m not old enough for knitting patterns. Did your dad bring me anything reasonable to read?”

“Hufflepuff,” Narcissa mused as she sipped at her tea. “How ... interesting.”

Scorpius groaned inwardly; he wanted to sit on the sofa next to Lily, but his mum was sprawled over two cushions and would only make an embarrassing comment if he asked her to move over. To his relief and pride, Lily looked totally unfazed as she answered his grandmother’s questions, telling her all about the subjects she was taking and embroidering fanciful family tales.

Perhaps it will be all right, he thought, watching her from the arm of his grandmother’s chair. Lily’s natural effervescence was certainly charming her, and maybe it wouldn’t matter if they discovered her blood wasn’t quite pure. Yes, it would be an adjustment, but his grandmother seemed genuinely interested in Lily.

“Mother,” Draco called from the doorway. “Father’s awake and restless.”

Narcissa swallowed and rose immediately. “I shall tell him you’re here, Scorpius, and I’m sure he will wish to meet you, Miss Macmillan.”

As Narcissa swept from the room, taking Draco with her, Astoria very slowly closed her magazine and placed it on the table. Reaching over, she poured another cup of tea, and handed it to Scorpius, then settled ack on the sofa. “Well done, Felicity. You have managed to get the Malfoy seal of approval after half an hour.” She smiled sourly. “I’m still waiting after eighteen years.”

Lily’s eyes flickered uncertainly from Astoria to Scorpius. He smiled reassuringly, and gestured for her to sit in the chair his grandma had just vacated. With a slight grin, she shook her head, instead sitting where she was. “My mum hates knitting patterns as well,” she offered.

“Does she?” Astoria replied, sounding bored.

As Lily flushed, Scorpius frowned. His mum wasn’t usually this rude �“ well she was to her in-laws -- and Lily hadn’t done anything wrong except make a good impression.

“Mum,” he said through gritted teeth. “You could at least be polite. Felicity doesn’t have to be here.”

Astoria gave him a withering look. “That’s the thing, Scorpius, darling. Felicity Macmillan doesn’t have to be here at all. In fact �“” she paused and placed her cup carefully on the table, “- she isn’t, is she?”

“Whaaaat?”

“Don’t act innocent, you stupid boy. I’m friends with Eliza Brocklehurst, Mandy’s sister-in-law. She’s Felicity’s godmother, so I know the girl. I have no idea who the hell you are, but you are not Felicity Macmillan.” She leant forwards, fixing Lily with a scathing glare. “Care to tell me who you are, or do I have to start guessing?”

“I ... I ... I...”stuttered Lily, the tea cup shaking against the saucer in her hands. She cast a despairing look at Scorpius, and, in a flash, he was by her side.

“Leave her alone,” he protested. “Mum, you’re being unfair. This isn’t her fault.”

“No, I can see the blame lies squarely with you,” she retorted, switching her glare to his face. “I take it from the outfit,” she gestured to the red and gold shirt Lily was wearing, “that she’s a Gryffindor and what ... Muggle-born, perhaps?”

“So what?” Scorpius demanded. Pulling Lily to standing he wrapped his arms around her, and glared at Astoria who stared back, wholly unperturbed. “You told me blood status didn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t,” she snapped. “Not to me �“ not now. So don’t you dare pull that trick. I don’t care if you’re doing all this to keep your grandparents sweet, but now is a dreadful time for your father, and I don’t want him upset anymore than he has to be.” She sighed and her face lost some of its waspishness, looking resigned instead. “I never thought you’d have to lie to me, that’s all.”

“Mum, there was no time to say anything. I wanted to speak to dad about something, and then he dragged us both here,” he implored her. “Please don’t say anything.”

“I don’t mean tonight,” Astoria replied wearily, unfurling her legs and standing up. “You’ve been seeing each other for a while, haven’t you?”

“Since Christmas,” Scorpius admitted. “And I didn’t lie.”

“You’re more like your father than you think,” she said, a wry smile playing on her lips as she walked across to them. “Prevarication was always his strongest hand.” Then, stopping in front of Lily, she placed her hand under her chin, and tilted Lily’s face towards her. “Not a bad job with the hair, I’ll give you that, but Felicity has blue eyes.”

Lily jerked away, and Scorpius could see her nervousness had been replaced by irritation. “Scorpius didn’t tell you,” she muttered, “because I asked him not to. I didn’t want my parents to find out, either.”

“Oh, you do bite back, then?” Astoria laughed and stepped back, cooling assessing Lily. “The way you were sucking up to Narcissa, I seriously doubted my son’s sanity. And you say your parents wouldn’t like you going out with a Malfoy. That narrows the -- well, actually, that still leaves rather a large cohort of girls. We’re not a popular family, at all.” Then she burst into peals of laughter. “Oh, Oh, Oh! Please tell me you’re Rose Weasley. That would just be the icing on the cake, especially after Scorpius swore blind he had no interest in her.”

“No, she’s not!” Scorpius howled, then noticed Lily’s shoulders shaking as she too began to giggle. Repressing the urge to break into nervous hysteria, he only stopped when he heard Draco approaching. “This is serious, both of you. Mum, I’ll tell you later, just ... calm down, please!”

“Scorpius,” Draco called from the hallway. “Granddad would like to see you.” He tried to smile, but Scorpius could see the worry lines etched on his father’s face. “And bring Felicity.”

“Perhaps she should stay here,” Astoria put in hurriedly. “She’s never met Lucius, after all.”

Draco’s attention flickered to his wife, a puzzled expression on his face, but Astoria met his gaze and then, deliberately linked her arm into Lily’s. “We’re getting on well, darling, and I really don’t think Felicity needs that type of introduction to us all. Perhaps when Lucius is better, then your mother can hold another party, but you’re not being very fair -- ”

“My mother has asked if Miss Macmillan will accompany Scorpius,” Draco murmured.

Scorpius swallowed. His dad so very rarely put his foot down regarding his mum’s wishes that he knew this had to be important. He’d said Lucius was a survivor, but even the most tenacious of fighters had to let go. Feeling tears well behind his eyes, he sniffed and glanced across at Lily. She smiled sadly, wriggled free of Astoria’s arm, and slipped her hand in his.

“Come on,” she whispered. “Introduce me to your granddad.”

The walk up the stairs was one he’d never forget. The plodding feet kept pace with his heart thumping in his chest. He wanted to be anywhere else but here, even �“ he half smiled to himself �“ at the birth of another Zabini, but this was where his duty lay. His granddad had been good to him. They loved each other, and just because the world couldn’t see that side of Lucius Malfoy �“ the side that took such delight in his grandson’s exploits �“ that didn’t mean Scorpius should feel no sorrow at the old man’s passing.

“You okay?” Lily whispered, squeezing his hand.

“Not sure,” he whispered back, uncaring that his voice was trembling. “Uh, just come in and say hello, and then you can leave with mum. She’s close to Vector, so she’ll wangle you back in somehow. I’ll stay here until it’s �“” He broke off, unable to finish his unthinkable sentence.

He stepped over the threshold with his dad and approached the bed. Lucius eyes flickered with recognition and he smiled weakly. “Scorpius,” he muttered, his breath faint and patchy. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hi, Ganda,” Scorpius whispered, reverting again to the name he’d given him in his childhood. “It’s good to see you, too.”

“How was the match?”

“Uh ... oh, my match. Yeah, Slytherin won. I caught the Snitch early on. You’d have laughed, Ganda, it was in Mrs Longbottom’s hair.”

“And the Cup?” Lucius’ words were laboured now, and there was an underlying sense of regret in his tone.

“Sorry. Gryffindor won this year.”

“Bloody Gryffindor!”

Scorpius laughed, hoping Lily wasn’t taking offence and his dad joined in. “Yeah, Granddad, bloody Gryffindor. They played well, though.”

Lifting his hand feebly, Lucius gestured to the doorway. “You have a young lady.”

Scorpius turned around, seeing Lily’s silhouette and beckoned her to come in. With the light from the landing behind her, she was in shadow, her expression unreadable, but she stepped forwards willingly enough. He turned back to his granddad. “This is Felicity Macmillan, Ganda. Sorry, I should have told you about her before and not embarrassed you and Grandma at the party.”

“Hufflepuff?” Lucius asked, his voice rasping now.

“Yeah �“ sorry,” Scorpius replied, smiling ruefully. Lucius smiled back and patted his hand.

As Draco moved back, Lily moved in the space behind Scorpius’ chair. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, and felt strangely calm, despite the certain knowledge that this was his grandfather’s deathbed he was sitting at. Scorpius lifted his other hand to cover hers murmuring ‘thank you’ as he turned his head slightly.

A gasp jerked his attention back to his granddad.

“No!” Lucius croaked. “No, that can’t be you!”

“Lucius,” soothed Narcissa from the other side of the bed. “What’s the matter? Calm yourself, this isn’t helping.”

“Look!” Lucius groaned, and snatching his hand away from Scorpius’ he raised it towards Lily. “It’s her, Weasley’s daughter!”

In shock, Scorpius stared from his grandfather and then to Lily. Her hair, which had been a dull, dirty blonde, thanks to his Transfiguration spell, was now shimmering red, back to its normal vibrancy.

“Get her OUT!” screamed Narcissa. “Draco, remove this girl, immediately. And keep your son away.”

“G -Grandma, D- Dad” Scorpius stuttered as Draco grabbed his arm and pulled him to standing. “It’s not th-that bad. Please listen.”

But Draco was pushing them both towards the door, refusing to listen, mindful only of Narcissa’s distress. In the light on the landing, he took hold of Lily’s arm and held her close to him, studying her face. “Potter’s daughter!” he spat. “You couldn’t have picked a better way to hurt them if you’d tried!”

Lucius started to cough, the rattling noise of his lungs sending a shiver down Scorpius’ spine. “Please, Dad, I only wanted to say goodbye,” he pleaded, and now the tears which he’d held in for so long, ran in rivers down his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen.”

With a coldness he’d never seen directed towards him, Draco shoved Scorpius back to the room. “Say your goodbyes. Assure him she means nothing, then leave.”

Gulping, Scorpius hardly daring to look at Lily, stepped back over the threshold.

“Sorry,” he muttered to his grandma, but she wouldn’t look at him. Crouching down by the bed, he lent forwards, intending to brush his lips on his Grandfather’s cheek, but Lucius raised his hand. “She should have died!” he hissed malevolently. “Then the Dark Lord would have been returned to power.”

As if he’d been hexed, Scorpius staggered back on the floor, a sick feeling curdling at his stomach as his world caved around him. “No,” he whispered. “Granddad, you don’t mean that. Please ...”

But his grandfather was not looking at him anymore. Instead, his grey eyes searched only for his wife’s. He smiled fleetingly as she pressed her lips to his brow, murmuring soothing words about their life together.

“No regrets, Lucius,” she whispered. “You are a fine man, a great man and you can hold your head up high.”

A last crackling wheeze from the old man’s chest sounded through the room and then there was silence.

“You will leave my house,” Narcissa said icily, “and take the blood-traitor’s brat with you.”

Still shaking, Scorpius got to his feet and backed out of the room unable to tear his eyes away from his grandmother’s accusatory look. He didn’t know if she expected him to protest, or stammer more apologies, but he couldn’t say another word. Then his grandmother started to cry, dry racking sobs filling the air as her grief found its outlet after months of staying strong.

Feeling the bile rise inside of him, he turned to his mum, “Take care of Lily,” he muttered, then breaking into a run he hurtled towards the bathroom. Retching and retching, he brought up not only the hastily gathered snacks Harry had foraged from the Hogwarts kitchens, but his lunch and breakfast, too. His head swam, and still feeling clammy. He staggered to the sink and splashed his face with water. In the mirror, a gaunt face stared back at him.

He was so like them both. His grandfather’s brow, his father’s nose, their face shape. The only difference was that Scorpius had no tattoo seared into his arm. Choking back a sob, he splashed more water onto his face and swilled out his mouth. He could no more escape his connection to the past, than Albus could his. No wonder he was disliked, when his whole being screamed ‘Malfoy’.

“You don’t have his eyes,” Ginny Potter had said that afternoon. “Perhaps I should just concentrate on them when I look at you.”

“Thank you,” he muttered to the air. “But I don’t think that’s enough, Mrs Potter.”

Hearing a faint tapping at the door, he listlessly let himself out to find Lily hunched against the wall, tears in her eyes and his mum by her side. “Let’s get you back to Hogwarts,” she murmured. “I’ll speak to Septima. I’m sure she’ll understand under the circumstances.”

Scorpius nodded, a lump in his throat, and allowed her to ruffle his hair. But as they traipsed down the stairs and into the hallway, a voice assailed them.

“No, Astoria. You won’t be having a word with anyone,” Draco growled. “Scorpius and Potter’s daughter got here unaided; they can make their own way back.”

“But, if they get caught-” Astoria interjected. “Draco, be reasonable. This is your son, and it will only take me a minute to contact Septima. She’ll understand given the circumstances.”

“What circumstances?” Draco demanded, adding viciously, “You mean the one where my son brought a girl into this house and it killed his grandfather?”

“Dad!”

“GET OUT!”

“Dad, listen to me,” Scorpius implored. Draco stopped turning away and fixed his attention on him. “I’m sorry I brought Lily here. I didn’t want to. We were about to go back to Hogwarts when you turned up. You insisted she come along.”

“Because I thought she was someone else!” Draco roared. “Someone your grandmother would approve of. You should not have tried to trick me, Scorpius.” He took a deep shuddering breath and let his gaze drift towards Lily. “You look very much like your mother, Miss Potter. I should have guessed even with the blonde hair.”

“Draco, I’m going to contact Septima,” Astoria said firmly, breaching the silence and the dangerous froideur that had sprung up between them all.

“No, Astoria,” Draco repeated. “You are not. Scorpius is on his own. If he gets caught, then that’s his problem and he can’t come crying to his ‘mummy’ anymore.”

Astoria blanched. Taking a step towards Draco, still with her hand on Scorpius’ arm, she opened her mouth to protest but Scorpius forestalled her. “It’s fine, Mum. Lily and I can get back in even if Dad does decide to report that we’re out of school.”

His dad’s eyes flickered, and Scorpius knew he’d hit home. Feeling anger replace the gut wrenching nausea, he faced him. “Want to know why I really came home tonight, Dad?”

“That stupid elf sent you a message, I presume.”

“No, she didn’t,” Scorpius flared. “I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to know the truth about the Chamber of Secrets because I’d heard this weird version where Granddad was responsible and that Ginny Weasley was the girl who nearly died. I brought Lily with me because I wanted her to hear it from your lips that it was a pack of lies �“ all bloody lies told by Mr and Mrs Potter.”

Pulling Lily towards him, he looked away from his father and then with a brief, sad smile to his mum, walked to the door. “Tell Vector, tell Zabini. If you really want me expelled, then do it, Dad, but you brought us here,” he shouted as he wrenched open the door. Then, as a parting gesture, because he knew it would infuriate his dad, Scorpius lowered his mouth to Lily’s and kissed her.

“Ready,” he whispered, his voice unsteady.

Brushing away his tears with her thumb, Lily nodded. Scorpius span on the spot, looking only at her, concentrated on Hogsmeade, and Disapparated.

He heard her gasp then cry out as they turned through the air, subsumed by the crushing sensations infiltrating their lungs. Belatedly, Scorpius wondered if she’d ever travelled this way. He’d passed his test the year before at the first attempt and had travelled like this many times now, even taking Ariadne by Side-Along-Apparition once or twice. Yet, he still remembered that feeling of shock the first time, and how his head had spun as it tried to keep up with the twisting sensations coursing through his body. He held Lily closer, worried in case she suffered a Splinching, and concentrated anew on Hogsmeade.

â€�“You okay?” he whispered as they landed.

Lily lay on the ground, her eyes wide open, gasping for breath. â€�“Not sure.”

â€�“Sorry, I should have warned you,” he muttered, and bending down he reached out to pull her up.

â€�“OWW!” she yelped. â€�“Merlin, that hurts!”

In alarm, Scorpius laid her back on the ground and crouched next to her. â€�“Are you Splinched?”

â€�“I landed badly.” Her face lost its colour as she tried to flex her leg. â€�“My ankle turned over. Ow!”

â€�“Don’t move,” said Scorpius, hoping he sounded as if he knew what he was doing. â€�“I’ll ... um ...” He looked around, trying to find his bearings and realised that they were in an alleyway, behind a row of shops, one of which he recognised as Honeydukes. It was quiet here, the only sounds heard were a few carousers heading from pub-to-pub and he doubted they’d come here. Dropping to her side, Scorpius gingerly removed her shoe. Even in the dull light, he could see her ankle beginning to swell. She winced under his touch, biting her lip to stop her cries.

â€�“It might be broken,” he said.

â€�“Can you fix it? Madam Bones uses that Episkey Charm to mend bones. She fixed Al’s nose in the fifth year.”

â€�“Yeah,” he muttered, remembering the Quidditch match when Albus and he had collided mid-air. Scorpius had ended up with barely a bruise; Albus’ nose had split. â€�“Sorry, I can’t risk it, not on an ankle. I’ll splint it. Perhaps you’ll be able to take some weight.”

He cast a Ferula. As small bandages emerged from his wand, Scorpius glanced at his pocket watch.

â€�“Lily, it’s past ten-thirty and we need get back. Can you walk?”

â€�“I think so,” she muttered, and using his arm as support, she levered herself to standing. She smiled up at him, and for a brief moment, he thought things would be okay, but as she placed her foot on the ground, she gave an involuntary cry and sank into his arms.

â€�“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she cried and grasped his arm.”I don’t think I can walk.”

Biting back his frustration, Scorpius cast his eyes around the alleyway, searching for something - anything - that was going to give him a clue as to how to get back to the castle. Although the Slytherins would assume he was keeping a low profile, he’d have to be back in the dungeons by midnight. â€�“Lily,” he whispered, â€�“you said you could get us back in the Castle. What was the plan?”

She stared glassily at him, the pain in her ankle rendering her incoherent. â€�“Lily,” he urged. â€�“Come on, focus.”

â€�“Marauder’s Map,” she muttered, gesturing to her pocket. She took a breath and swallowed before continuing, â€�“There are two secret tunnels back into the Castle. One goes from Honeydukes, the other from The Shrieking Shack, but I’m not sure I can walk far.”

Looking down, he saw her balling her fists as she tried to ignore the pain. â€�“Come on,” he said grimly as he scooped her up in his arms. â€�“I’ll carry you.”

Lily shook her head. â€�“You can’t carry me in the tunnels. They’re not big and you’d have to stoop.” She moaned as another wave of pain hit her. â€�“I’m so sorry. I was clumsy.”

â€�“Not your fault,” he mumbled.

Setting her on the back steps of Honeydukes, Scorpius began to pace around, almost grateful for the immediacy of this problem that stopped him having to think about others. Even though he’d said he’d carry her, he knew it would be a long trek back, and it would be way beyond midnight before they got to the Castle. If only he had his Firebolt ...

â€�“Where are you going?” she called, and he heard a note of fear in her voice.

â€�“Broomstick. I’m going to try to find one. If I get to The Three Broomsticks, someone’s bound to have left one there.”

â€�“You can’t,” she protested.

â€�“Any other ideas?” he snapped. â€�“Come on, Lily, we’re desperate here. And I’ll send it straight back. It’s not stealing if I return it.”

â€�“No,” she said, struggling to get to her feet. â€�“I don’t mean that. It’s Saturday, and you know the professors are bound to be out.” Stoically, she got to her feet and limped towards the cellar door. â€�“Let’s get into the tunnel, and I’ll crawl through.”

â€�“No,” he ordered, and strode to the end of the alley to peek around the corner. The Three Broomsticks was just across the street, and the noise of people singing reaching his ears, songs of happy times, of laughter. Hagrid’s voice, always loud, could be heard toasting the birth of the Zabini baby. Scorpius gulped; life and death all in one day. Then he shook his head. Now was not the time to brood.

â€�“I’m sorry.” Her voice called him back, and he half turned towards her, still scanning the front of the pub as he searched for a broom.

â€�“What for?”

â€�“Tagging along. I shouldn’t have insisted. I could have just given you the Map.”

â€�“It’s not your fault,” he muttered, and returned to watching the pub front door. As it opened, he could see a collection of broomsticks. If he snuck across now, he could grab a broomstick easily. Edging around the corner, he crept closer keeping as flat against the wall as possible. He turned his head back towards her, flashing a reassuring smile, then stopped when he saw how wan she was looking.

â€�“Lily, I wanted you there, okay,” he said, â€�“and it had nothing to do with you getting me back into the castle.”

â€�“But after everything that’s happened,” she persisted. â€�“If I hadn’t been there, Scorpius. If I hadn’t insisted, then none of this would have -”

â€�“Shut up!” He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, hoping he could quell the rage surging within him. â€�“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said fiercely. Then, hearing an indrawn breath - from either pain or dismay he didn’t know - he added in a more restrained tone, â€�“We need to get back, Lily. Let’s concentrate on that, yeah?”

She nodded glumly, not quite meeting his eyes, and slumped against the door. With a sigh, Scorpius turned back to watching the pub. Edging around the corner, flat against the wall, he reached the road. There were a couple on their way to the pub. Sprinting across the road, he stayed close to them, his head bowed. But, as they reached The Three Broomsticks, the door flew open and a large figure loomed out into the night.

Scorpius darted behind the porch pillar, praying that Hagrid was going the other way, but the groundskeeper stayed where he was, swaying slightly.

â€�“Fergot my cloak,” he heard Hagrid say as he stumbled back into the pub, leaving the door open.

â€�“Hell, hell, hell!” Scorpius cursed. If he ran back to Lily, he might be seen, and he was pretty sure that Hagrid wasn’t the only Hogwarts professor out on the town tonight. In despair, he looked across to the alleyway then groaned.

There was a figure standing in the shadows. Small and cloaked, Scorpius could not make out who it was, but with utter dread he realised it could be old Professor Flitwick, who despite being retired, still retained a room at Hogwarts in honour of his service to the school. He also knew every single pupil at the school, his memory faultless.

Knowing he couldn’t let Lily suffer punishment alone, Scorpius dashed straight back to her. â€�“It’s my fault!” he called out. â€�“Don’t blame her, Prof- Oh!” He stopped suddenly, astonished at the sight before him. â€�“Uh ... Truckle what are you doing here?”

â€�“The Mistress is sendin’ me to help you,” Truckle whispered, barely able to keep the conspiratorial excitement out of her voice. â€�“She is sayin’ that Master Scorpius is needin’ help to get back into school, so Truckle decided to find the young Master.”

â€�“Um ... well ... that’s very good of you, Truckle,” Scorpius said in bemusement, wondering how on earth Truckle bringing him pastries could possibly help.

â€�“That’s brilliant!” exclaimed Lily and beamed at Truckle. â€�“She can Apparate us into Hogwarts.”

â€�“No,” he replied, trying not to sound sarcastic. â€�“Apparating into Hogwarts is impossible, or I’d already have done that.”

â€�“We can’t,” Lily agreed, â€�“but Truckle is a house-elf and her magic is different from ours. It was how my dad escaped from Malfoy Man-” She stopped immediately and started to cough.

He ignored her embarrassment and instead strode across to her, scooping her up, muttering, â€�“Yeah, so I heard. Probably a different version from yours, but ... yeah ...” He tried a smile and looked at Truckle. â€�“Can you get us to the kitchens?”

â€�“Truckle can do that as easily as makin’ apple pie,” she replied, slightly haughtily as she trotted towards them. She grasped his leg, and then with a snap of her fingers, they left Hogsmeade, just as Hagrid staggered out of the pub.

The Hogwarts house-elves barely turned a hair when they landed in the middle of the kitchen floor, despite Scorpius staggering backwards and upsetting a mop bucket. With the suspicion of a grin, Truckle steadied him, then after patting him on his hand, she prepared to leave.

â€�“Thank you,” Scorpius murmured, staying her arm.

â€�“‘Tis nothing, Master Scorpius,” she whispered, â€�“but Truckle is needin’ to leave now.” She chuckled as she looked at the other house elves studiously ignoring her. â€�“Truckle is upsettin’ the house-elves by wearin’ clothes and the Mistress needs to know Master Scorpius is safe.” She squeezed his arm and after giving Lily a friendly wave, she Disapparated.

â€�“Come on,” Scorpius muttered after staring at the space where Truckle had been. â€�“We were bloody lucky there, but it’s nearly eleven and I should get you to the hospital wing.”

â€�“In a moment,” Lily whispered. â€�“Scorpius, put me down and let’s catch our breath.”

â€�“We shouldn’t be in here,” he warned.

â€�“That’s not stopped us before,” she said and sighed. â€�“Please, I’m parched and need a drink.”

He frowned, not quite believing her, but Summoned a chair and accepted two goblets of pumpkin juice that one of the house-elves bustled forwards with.

She drank thirstily, her eyes never leaving his face. Feeling uncomfortable, he picked up his wand, polishing it on his sleeve.

â€�“Are you okay?” she murmured, then flushed. â€�“Sorry, that’s a silly thing to say. Of course, you’re not okay. Your granddad’s –”

â€�“We should go,” he interrupted, and as he fiddled with his wand a series of sparks shot put from the tip.

â€�“Talk to me,” she repeated, and this time removed his wand, placing it firmly on the table. â€�“Your granddad’s just died and I know you were close.”

â€�“Don’t.” He flinched as she stretched out her hand towards his cheek. â€�“Come on, you need to see Madam Bones.”

â€�“I’m fine,” she said. â€�“The splint is working and a few more minutes won’t make any difference.”

Standing, he took back his wand, and removed the goblet from her hand. â€�“Let’s go.”

â€�“Scorpius-” she began, reproach in her voice.

â€�“No,” he said firmly. â€�“I’m not talking about this.”

â€�“He’s dead.”

â€�“I KNOW THAT,” he shouted, sending a house-elf scuttling. â€�“I WAS IN THE BLOODY ROOM, OR HAD YOU FORGOTTEN?”

He stared at her then looked away, not wanting to see the way she bit her lip, or the tears welling in her eyes. When he heard a stifled cry, he stepped further back. This was not Lily’s concern. It wasn’t his, either; his dad and grandmother had made that perfectly clear. He didn’t want her sympathy; he didn’t want anything from anyone, just his bed and a bottle of Firewhisky.

He heard her cry out again, and this time turned his head. Lily was hobbling towards him, but at the look on his face, she stopped and instead moved towards the door. As she limped, he could see the pain etched on her face, even though she was balling her fists again in an attempt to stop sobbing.

She swayed at the door, and in that instant he dashed across to her, his arm clasping her around the waist. â€�“Hospital wing – NOW!” he ordered, this time brooking no disagreement.

Lily didn’t demur, and allowed him to pick her up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Scorpius could feel her shivering against his chest, yet she said nothing.

â€�“Sorry,” he muttered. â€�“I just ...” He trailed off. What could he say? There was nothing he could tell her. His whole being him was telling him he should be reacting, should be crying, should be raging, should be at the very least talking, yet all he felt was a dull ache in his temples as if he’d been studying too hard, or reading in poor light.

â€�“I’m sorry, too,” she replied quietly. â€�“I never know when to shut up.”

â€�“I can’t talk, Lily,” he sighed as they stepped out into the corridor. â€�“Not yet, okay? It’s just not ...” He shook his head, unable to explain, and carried on walking, his footsteps thudding along the stone corridor and towards the staircase.

***

â€�“Merlin, not another Gryffindor!” Madam Bones cried when Scorpius staggered through the door with Lily. â€�“What was it – the spiked punch, or the charmed biscuits? If it’s the punch, then go over to that corner. If it’s the biscuits then the only solution is a purging draught. Unpleasant, but what do you expect when –”

â€�“She’s hurt her ankle!” Scorpius interrupted, and barging past her, he gently lowered Lily onto an empty bed. â€�“I think it’s broken.”

He looked around the hospital wing, faintly amused to see the place awash with Gryffindors. Albus was lying on a bed in the charmed biscuits section, clutching his stomach, his hair very red and his face shimmering gold. On the other side, he could see Rose vomiting into a bucket, Ben sitting next to her, rubbing her back. â€�“Your lot know how to party,” he muttered to Lily. â€�“What happened to just getting very drunk and snogging the wrong girl?”

Catching his eye, Ben, after whispering something to Rose, meandered across to them. â€�“You missed all the fun,” he murmured.

â€�“What’s happened?” Lily whispered.

â€�“Not sure, but there’s a strong suspicion that Roxanne was so outraged when Rose sent everyone below fifth year to bed, that she used a few Weasley products.” He grinned at Scorpius. â€�“Although Hugo seems to think it was you, Scorpius, as neither of you turned up.”

Scorpius snorted. â€�“I wouldn’t have turned Potter red and gold, but Slytherin green!”

Ben laughed. â€�“True, true. What happened to you, then?”

â€�“I tripped on the trick step,” Lily lied blithely.

Ben raised his eyebrows. â€�“Muddy, was it? Only your shoes and skirt are covered in dirt,” he remarked, and his eyes flicked to Scorpius’ feet.

They locked looks and, for a moment, Scorpius wondered if the Head Boy would slap a detention on them. Then Ben slowly pointed his wand at Lily’s feet. â€�“Tergeo,” he muttered. â€�“The trick step doesn’t explain why it’s bandaged, either. You could have come straight here.”

â€�“Thanks,” mumbled Scorpius and started to clean his shoes.

â€�“Right, what have we here, Miss Potter?” Madam Bones asked as she bustled over to the bed. She looked rather pleased with Lily, probably relieved she wasn’t dealing with vomit or the consequences of the Purging Draught. And after a glare from the matron, Ben scuttled back to Rose.

â€�“My ankle,” Lily explained. â€�“I tripped and thought I was okay, so Scorpius bandaged it for me, but ....” She yelped as Madam Bones started to unravel the bandage.

â€�“Not a bad job, Mr Malfoy,” she pronounced, examining the bruised and swollen ankle, â€�“but you should have come here straight away. By putting weight on this, you’ve made it worse. It’s not broken, but you’ve torn the ligaments, which is why it’s so painful.” She frowned slightly at them both. â€�“Overnight stay, Miss Potter.”

Lily slumped back on the pillows, smiling wanly. She looked shattered, with reddened eyes and a grey pallor to her skin. Scorpius pulled the curtains around the bed, and sat beside her, stroking the hair out of her eyes. â€�“Sorry,” he muttered, kissing her softly on the brow.

â€�“What for?”

â€�“Um, let me see,” he began, ticking off points on his fingers. â€�“Dragging you to my parents house, not sending you back when I should have done, allowing my mum to be bloody rude –”

â€�“You mum was okay,” she interrupted. â€�“And my mum wasn’t exactly pleasant to you.”

â€�“Your mum had good reason,” he muttered, then stopped speaking. He wasn’t going to talk about this – not now. â€�“I should let you sleep.”

Lily smiled ruefully as a series of groans from her brother’s bed echoed through the hospital wing. â€�“Busted ankle is nothing,” she whispered. â€�“Poor Al sounds as if he’s close to death –” She blushed. â€�“Sorry.”

Feigning deafness, Scorpius got off the bed, and after a last kiss and a promise to drop in the next morning, he left.

The first floor corridor was deserted now, the torches dimming as the night dragged on. Scorpius plodded slowly back, exhausted but longing for his bed, praying that his dorm mates would leave him alone and not start arguing about his role in Gryffindor’s victory.

He laughed bitterly. Barely nine hours before, he’d been riding a broomstick with Lily, swooping through the air, afraid only of the disapproval of her parents. It hadn’t mattered then. He’d known who he was and that they couldn’t reproach him for anything. Lily was his girlfriend and the world would have to get used to it. But then ...

â€�“Well, well, well, look who’s out of bed long after curfew,” cooed Ariadne, appearing from an alcove, her wand raised. â€�“I could put you in detention for that, Scorpy.”

â€�“I have permission,” he replied shortly. â€�“Professor Longbottom said I could attend the Gryffindor party, so as long as I’m back by twelve, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Her lips thinned. â€�“I could get you into real trouble, Malfoy, do you know that?”

â€�“Really?” he said, and laughing openly he walked past her.

â€�“I saw you,” she hissed. â€�“You and your girlfriend went into Professor Zabini’s study. I heard you using his Floo, so I know you both left Hogwarts.” He froze, waiting for her to continue, knowing she was smiling at his discomfort. â€�“Question is, Scorpy, what will you promise me if I hold my tongue and don’t report you and Little Miss Seeker?”

He turned slowly, smiling as a disjointed memory from this afternoon clicked in his head. Ariadne breathless as she entered the stand. Her look of scorn when he’d pretended the long red hair on his robes belonged to Hugo. â€�“You say anything about me, Bletchley, and I’ll have to tell everyone why I lent Lily my broom.”

The smirk left her face. â€�“What do you mean?” Her eyes darted to the alcove; Scorpius peered closer and started to laugh.

â€�“Vaisey, what are you doing out of Slytherin? Or have you been made up to prefect now?”

Stepping out, Vaisey grimaced and gripped his wand tight. â€�“Flint’s ill, I offered to help Ariadne patrol. That’s not the same as leaving the Castle, Malfoy.”

â€�“And leaving the Castle,” muttered Scorpius, lacing his voice with as much menace as he could muster, â€�“is not the same as hexing a broom, eh, Ariadne?”

â€�“Hexed?” Vaisey scoffed. â€�“What do you mean?”

â€�“Ariadne knows, don’t you?” Scorpius replied. He stopped smiling and walking towards her, he stared straight into her eyes, his face inches from hers. â€�“You could have killed her, you stupid bitch!”

â€�“I-I-I- don’t know what you’re –” she stuttered, but Scorpius remembered her ashen face from the match and wasn’t fooled.

â€�“You were scared shitless when she fell off,” he said icily. â€�“Not for her, though, but for you. Just admit it, Ariadne.”

â€�“Th-This is ridiculous,” Vaisey stuttered. â€�“We were with her in the stand, Malfoy. Ariadne didn’t raise her wand once.”

â€�“The broom was hexed before the match, probably as the teams walked to the stadium,” Scorpius replied. â€�“Ariadne was late getting to the stand. She arrived only moments before you did, Vaisey, and you’d had to go all the way back to our common room to get her hat.”

â€�“You can’t prove any of this,” she hissed. â€�“Not even if you use Priori Incantatem on my wand. I’ve cast a lot of hexes recently. Shame I didn’t aim them at you, Malfoy!”

â€�“That’s as good as a confession,” replied Scorpius. He stepped back from the pair of them. â€�“Put that away, Vaisey. You know I could beat you wandless and with both hands tied behind my back.”

â€�“I’ll deny everything,” Ariadne declared, clutching Vaisey’s arm. â€�“When you tell Zabini, I’ll –”

â€�“You’ll what?” Scorpius called scornfully as he walked away. â€�“Burst into tears? Zabini’s not a fool, and he’ll see through you. He might forgive you, the mood he’s in, but he’ll want to know why.” He paused and looked back over his shoulder. â€�“Don’t you want to know why, Vaisey?”

â€�“I did it for Johnson,” Ariadne shrieked. â€�“I knew how much it would hurt having to give the Cup to Potter.”

Scorpius shrugged. â€�“You believe that if you want.”

â€�“What are you insinuating, Malfoy?”

Scorpius took a breath as he gave Vaisey his full attention. â€�“If she’d hexed someone else’s broom, then, not only would I not have noticed, I wouldn’t have given a toss. I only lent Lily my broom because, as probably even you’ve worked out, she’s my girlfriend.” He licked his lips, wondering how far he should push this, but Vaisey was a friend -- of sorts. â€�“Ariadne knew I was seeing Lily. You work it out.”

â€�“What are you suggesting?” Vaisey’s voice was rising now, the fury carrying all the way down the dimly lit corridor and he could hear him striding towards him.

Scorpius half-turned and gripped his wand, but instead of a hex, Vaisey pulled on his arm. â€�“Tell me, Malfoy.”

Roughly shaking off Vaisey’s hand, Scorpius resisted the urge to push him away; instead he stared looked into his dark, almost black, eyes working out how to phrase his next words.

â€�“Are you saying something has happened between you?” Vaisey asked.

â€�“Just ... um ... enjoy the ride, Johnson,” Scorpius said quietly, â€�“but don’t get too close. She tried to pull me over Easter.”

Vaisey stepped back, in shock, his face pale. â€�“You’re lying!” he rasped and twisted towards Ariadne. â€�“Tell me he’s lying.”

â€�“Of course he is!” she spat. â€�“I wouldn’t have anything to do with Malfoy. In fact, only last week, I had to hex him when he tried it on.”

â€�“You lying bitch,” Scorpius murmured, and then started to laugh. Ariadne could spin whatever lies she wanted to Vaisey. He didn’t care, not about them, not about anything. â€�“Ariadne’s been desperate for a decent shag since Christmas. Apparently you’re boring, mate. Wouldn’t surprise me if Flint’s been up her, too. Your brother’s probably next on her list, or maybe she’ll make it to the Raven-”

Prepared for a hex, Scorpius was totally blindsided as Vaisey leapt at him. Wrestling him to the ground, Vaisey lashed out, his face puce as he punched and pummelled, crashing Scorpius head into the floor. Instinct made Scorpius raise his hands, trying to shield himself from further attack, or to push his dorm mate off, but as Vaisey’s fist crashed again onto his nose, and he tasted blood, he let his hands fall.

â€�“Take that back, you bastard!” Vaisey yelled, and dragged Scorpius up by his shirt.

â€�“Make me,” Scorpius slurred, deliberately smirking. â€�“Won’t change the fact that your girlfriend’s ridden more dicks than I’ve ridden broomsticks.”

Somewhere along the corridor, he could hear someone shrieking for help. It wasn’t Ariadne, who was urging Vaisey on, but a girl with wispy blonde hair, screaming at them to stop. Undeterred, Vaisey launched another attack, but this time Scorpius reacted and brought his knee up sharply, connecting, he hoped, with Vaisey’s balls. Bent double, Vaisey, with his last vestiges of strength, shoved Scorpius away.

He felt the banister in the small of his back, heard the crack, and then heard a rush of air past his ears as he plunged down to the stone floor. He stirred, briefly, trying to lift his head, but someone had pounded down the stairs and was ordering him not to move.

â€�“Get Madam Bones,” a familiar voice ordered. â€�“And you, Vaisey, don’t bloody go anyway!”

â€�“Ben?” Scorpius couldn’t be sure, the voice sounded fuzzy, disconnected, but before he could focus, he blacked out.

He was floating in the air. Words swirled around him, some soft, some loud, some measured, some panicked, all voices familiar and yet he couldn’t make out who was there, or where he was.

‘Stay with us, Mr Malfoy.’

‘I didn’t mean ... I just ... Oh Merlin, Professor, I just ...’

‘Malfoy! Don’t move!’

‘He was goading Johnson. It was Malfoy’s fault, Professor. He started it.’

‘I saw them fighting. Then Malfoy just ... stopped.’

‘Scorpius, no, NO.’

‘Miss Potter, listen, he’ll be all right.’

‘Broken nose and collarbone, split lip and concussion.’

‘I’ll owl his parents straight away’.

â€�“No!” Scorpius groaned.

â€�“He’s back.”

Through a haze of pain, Scorpius saw three figures by his bedside. â€�“Not my parents,” he rasped, licking his dry lips.

â€�“Scorpius, they need to know. They’ll come at once,” Professor Zabini murmured.

â€�“I’m of age, you need my consent,” he replied. â€�“And I’m saying no.” He studied the other two figures, Madam Bones was checking his pulse, and Ben was standing further back, a look of concern on his face. â€�“Lily?” he muttered.

â€�“Here,” she whispered from his other side, sliding her hand over his.

â€�“Make sure they don’t call my parents,” he muttered, then sank once more into oblivion.

***

He remembered very little of the next twenty-four hours as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Madam Bones continued her bustling ministrations, tending to his broken bones, and feeding him a revolting potion she told him was necessary.

Professor Zabini visited, first to beg him to reconsider so he could inform his father (Scorpius closed his eyes and muttered a resounding, ‘No’), then to ask what actually happened between him and Vaisey (Scorpius turned his head away). Finally, his Head of House returned on Monday with The Prophet in his hand.

â€�“You’ve made the paper, Scorpius,” he murmured, settling himself into a chair.

â€�“James Potter mentioned me, did he?” Scorpius replied, but the professor shook his head.

â€�“That was yesterday’s news. Today you’re mentioned in an obituary.” He paused, studying Scorpius carefully. â€�“You don’t seem surprised, and yet I’m not aware of any owls being sent to you since Saturday.”

â€�“Lucius Malfoy is dead,” Scorpius stated. â€�“I don’t need an owl to tell me that.”

â€�“How do you know?”

Scorpius tried to shrug, but the pain in his shoulder stopped him. â€�“I used your Floo on Saturday night for a face-to-face message. Wanted to tell Mum about your baby, and uh ... well, that’s when it happened.”

â€�“Is that why you won’t let us call them?” Professor Zabini asked gently. â€�“They’d want to be here, Scorpius. You’re badly hurt.”

â€�“She has enough to deal with,” he replied shortly, adding, â€�“and my dad ... will be too busy.”

â€�“Will you tell me about the fight with Vaisey?” the professor asked again.

â€�“Argument over Ariadne. I had a go at her. He ... replied,” Scorpius finished lamely.

Professor Zabini sighed. â€�“As you wish, Malfoy. Johnson Vaisey is currently confined to the Dungeons between lessons and will remain there until the end of NEWTs. I will have to move one of you to a different dorm when you’re discharged, though.”

â€�“Fine,” Scorpius replied. â€�“Move me in with the fifth years, if you want. As long as they ignore me, I couldn’t give a toss.”

â€�“I’ll leave you to rest.” The Professor stifled a yawn and, belatedly, Scorpius remembered his news.

â€�“How’s Mrs Zabini, sir, and your son?”

â€�“He has his mother’s lungs,” the Professor replied sardonically, then grinned, â€�“but both of them are doing very well. Thank you, Scorpius.”

â€�“Good,” he murmured, then closed his eyes hoping the professor would take the hint.

Had his dad ever felt that much pride when he was born? Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have doubted it, but after Saturday the only memory that remained was his father’s ... there was no other word for it ... disgust.

â€�“Lily Potter’s outside. She wants to know if she can visit.”

â€�“Can you tell her I’m tired?” Scorpius said, and it wasn’t quite a lie. He was exhausted but knew he wouldn’t sleep.

â€�“You said that yesterday, Malfoy,” Professor Zabini reproved. â€�“And I don’t think she’s going to give up that quickly.”

***

â€�“Hello.”

It was Thursday. Scorpius kept his eyes closed. If Lily thought he was asleep, she’d leave as she had yesterday, and the day before, and on Monday.

â€�“I know you’re not asleep,” she continued. â€�“I saw you drinking some water about a minute before I walked in.”

â€�“You should be in lessons,” he replied, still not opening his eyes.

â€�“Thursday afternoon,” she replied. â€�“I don’t have anything, remember? We usually meet up.”

â€�“You should be revising.”

â€�“I would, but my best tutor has decided to stay in bed.”

â€�“Tough, you’ll have to study by yourself.”

He opened his eyes; Lily was sitting there watching him as she helped herself to an apple. â€�“I’m not leaving,” she said.

â€�“You can watch me sleep, then,” he muttered, and with a wince, he turned away from her.

â€�“Why are you being like this?”

â€�“It’s in my blood,” he said moodily.

â€�“Liar!” she whispered.

He turned over in his bed. â€�“Leave me alone, baby Potter.”

â€�“You said that last time, you know,” she murmured, sounding sad. â€�“Do you remember?”

He sighed; the memory of Lily visiting him when he’d fallen off his broom had not been far from his mind these past days. If she’d never visited, would any of this happened? He might still be with Ariadne, keeping his grandparents happy ...

â€�“Lily, just go.”

He heard the chair legs scraping back on the floor, and turned only when he was sure she’d left.

***

â€�“Oh Merlin, what the hell are you doing here?” Scorpius demanded, as a figure in robes sat heavily down in the seat. â€�“Have you come to have a go for being mean to your sister?”

â€�“Not exactly,” Albus replied, and grinned.

â€�“Uhm, well, what are you doing here, then?” Scorpius asked, feeling uncomfortable. In the seven years they’d known each other, Potter had barely said a word to him unless they were arguing. The thought that he was paying him a visit because he was concerned was – not just odd – but downright creepy.

â€�“I mean, not exactly my sister,” whispered Albus, and with a wink, turned the front of his hair blue.

â€�“Teddy!”

â€�“Shhh!” Teddy warned. â€�“If Madam Bones or Professor Vector discover I’m at Hogwarts, I’ll be in serious trouble, and so will Lily and Al.”

â€�“They know?”

Teddy chuckled and leant back on the chair, relaxing in a most un-Potter like way, with his hands behind his head. â€�“Of course they know. Lily’s worried about you, and Al agreed to keep out of everyone’s way so they don’t twig who I am.” He pulled his chair further forwards. â€�“How are you?”

â€�“Brilliant, as you can see,” Scorpius replied. He tried to scowl but it hurt too much, so he sighed instead. Teddy pulled a face at him. â€�“Sorry. My collarbone isn’t mending as quickly as Madam Bones would like. Apparently, I twisted as I fell, so a simple spell won’t work. She’s giving me a potion instead.”

â€�“And your nose? She could fix that easily.”

Scorpius looked away. â€�“It’s not important. It doesn’t hurt much.”

â€�“Looks very painful, and very crooked,” Teddy remarked mildly. â€�“And you look different.”

â€�“The pain will go.” Scorpius looked around the ward, searching for a something to say, something that would change the subject that was veering close to topics he didn’t want to touch on.

â€�“Do you like that?” Teddy asked. â€�“Looking different, I mean.”

â€�“I’m not a Metamorphmagus. I don’t often get the opportunity and the last time I used a Transfiguration spell, it failed rather badly.” He turned away, not wanting to think about Lily’s hair returning to its vibrant shade of red.

â€�“She told me what happened at Malfoy Manor,” Teddy murmured. He edged even closer, lowering his head until he could whisper. â€�“Lily thinks it’s her fault.”

â€�“That’s rubbish!” Scorpius jerked, suddenly causing the pain in his shoulder to ricochet through his body. â€�“Fuck it!” he yelped, tears starting in his eyes. He gasped for air, willing the pain to subside. â€�“None of this is her fault.”

â€�“Then let her come and visit,” Teddy said gently. â€�“She’s in bits, Scorpius, convinced you blame her for everything.”

â€�“Ginny Potter was right,” Scorpius muttered.

â€�“What about?”

â€�“I’m a Malfoy. I can’t stop myself hurting her.”

Teddy stood up, knocking his chair over in apparent anger. As Scorpius stared at him, he saw Albus Potter’s features changing back, the nose becoming much sharper, smaller, and more ...

â€�“Don’t do that,” Scorpius said, shuddering.

â€�“Sorry,” Teddy muttered, and took a breath. Slowly, he resumed Albus’ visage again. â€�“When I’m angry or frustrated, I can’t always control the morphing. Grandma says I have the Black family temper, which doesn’t help.” Picking up the chair, he turned it around and sat with its back against his chest, leaning towards Scorpius as if he were interrogating him. â€�“Ginny told me that you kept telling her that you weren’t the same as your granddad or your dad. It impressed her, you know.” He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. â€�“What’s changed?”

â€�“We can’t escape our pasts, Teddy,” Scorpius said wearily.

â€�“You’re right,” Teddy replied. â€�“We can’t run from our own pasts. My grandma says that’s what shapes us. But your dad’s past and your granddad’s – those will break you if you let it. It would be like me being denied a career because my dad was a werewolf. It’s prejudice, Scorpius. Don’t let it dictate your life.”

â€�“Is Lily really upset?” Scorpius asked, trying to reconcile the girl insouciantly chewing on an apple, with Teddy’s description of her being ‘in bits’.

â€�“I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Teddy replied and smiled as he beckoned to a figure by the door. â€�“I’m going to tell Al he can come out now. You take care, cousin.”

Scorpius smiled gratefully, feeling some of his life gently sliding back into place after the shattering revelation of a few nights before. Pushing himself up to sitting position, he smiled tentatively as Lily approached. â€�“Sorry, I was such a git,” he mumbled.

â€�“Doesn’t matter,” she whispered, giving him a kiss.

Gingerly shifting onto his side, he gestured for her to sit on the bed, overwhelmed with relief when she acquiesced and allowed him to run his fingers though her soft, shining hair. And as he lowered his lips to hers, luxuriating in the sweetness of her response, he felt another fragment inside of him heal.

â€�“How do you feel today?” she asked as she snuggled into his chest.

â€�“Bloody awful,” he admitted wryly. â€�“But much better now you’re here."

He could feel her shaking against him, her shoulders jiggling up and down against his chest, which sent a nagging jolt through his shoulder. Shifting position on the grass, he pushed her forwards slightly. â€�“What are you laughing at?” he asked. â€�“I didn’t think History of Magic could ever be amusing.”

â€�“Nothing,” she said, her voice bubbling with merriment. â€�“Just um ...”

â€�“Are you actually revising?” he interrupted, his eyes narrowing. He stopped looking at his Charms textbook and peered over her shoulder to see Lily hastily stuffing some parchment into her pocket.

â€�“Oi! Is that the Map?”

â€�“Uh ...” Lily blushed, but the smile didn’t leave her face. â€�“It’s nothing,” she said, then started giggling again. â€�“Sorry, I needed a break. I have been at this all afternoon.”

â€�“No, you’ve been here for precisely forty-five minutes,” Scorpius retorted, then as his collarbone protested at the sudden movement, he relented. Putting his book down, he pulled her closer to him. â€�“Who were you spying on? Not your brother, I hope.”

â€�“Ughh, no,” she replied. â€�“Besides, he’s in the library.” She grinned. â€�“I was looking at Mrs Zabini and the baby.”

â€�“And that’s funny, why?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

She started to laugh again, but instead of answering the question, handed him the map.

â€�“What am I looking for?” he said, scanning it until at last he located Mrs Zabini, who wasn’t in the Slytherin Dungeons but was talking to the old Divination professor in her rooms. There were three dots there: Lavender Zabini, Sybil Trelawney, and one marked ‘Baby Zabini’. He stared at the map for a few more seconds, still wondering what was so funny, when the writing became fuzzy.

â€�“Oh, the baby has a name!” he exclaimed as the name Zacharias appeared then rapidly vanished. He frowned. â€�“Uh, no, my mistake, he doesn’t.”

â€�“Exactly,” Lily said giggling again. â€�“Mrs Zabini has been trying to fix on a name for ages, but keeps changing her mind. Yesterday she seemed very keen on Irish names; he was Seamus for a good half an hour, but then Professor Zabini walked in, and that name never appeared again.”

â€�“Zacharias Zabini sounds awful!” Scorpius declared, now amused and studying the map more intently. â€�“Oh, she’s thinking of Tiresias, now...”

â€�“Tiresias?” Lily grabbed the map back from him. â€�“She can’t do that to the poor little baby. What sort of a name is that, anyway?”

â€�“He was a Seer, I think,” Scorpius replied. â€�“Perhaps dear old Sybil is giving her ideas.”

They watched for a few more minutes as the name Tiresias dissolved into the paper to be replaced by Baby, again.

â€�“Damn!” Lily muttered. â€�“I think she’s given up for now, and she’s leaving Professor Trelawney’s rooms.”

â€�“Study!” Scorpius ordered. â€�“Come on, you don’t have much more to read.”

â€�“History of Magic is boring!” she said, making a moue.

â€�“Yup, but easy to pass. There’s one exam, and as long as you cram a few goblin names and dates in your head, you’ll get an Acceptable very easily.”

â€�“Dad didn’t,” she muttered. â€�“He got a Troll and Mum failed, too.”

Scorpius scowled at her then stopped because it made his nose throb. He grinned instead, held her closer and whispered, â€�“Then you can show them how thick they are, and what a clever daughter they have.”

She grumbled a bit longer yet still picked up her book, rolling away from him and onto her front so she could read more easily. Scorpius shifted against the tree. With his arm immobilised to help the collarbone heal, he was struggling to find a comfortable position. He knew it would have been better to go to the library, but the appeal of the early May sunshine and Lily’s company had proved irresistible.

â€�“You haven’t taken your potion,” Lily reminded him, when she’d finally finished the book. â€�“Madam Bones only agreed to let you out, if you drank it on the hour.”

â€�“Don’t nag,” he grumbled, but reached into his bag and pulled out a flask full of purple liquid. â€�“It tastes foul. I’m not sure I don’t prefer the pain.”

â€�“You don’t want it getting worse,” she warned. â€�“Not today.”

In the silence that followed, he swigged down the potion and resisted the urge to spit it out. Then he lowered himself down onto his good side and tried to pull her towards him.

â€�“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” she asked gently.

â€�“S’pose so,” he muttered.

Lily stood up, and in that moment, he felt darkness descend, gloom blanketing him like an ill-fitting shroud. â€�“Come on. I’ll walk back with you.” She bent down and picked up his bag as well as her own, and hoisted them both over her shoulder.

â€�“I’m not totally useless,” he muttered, trying to take the bag from her.

â€�“You don’t want to make it worse, and Madam Bones did say -”

â€�“That I shouldn’t carry anything, not even on my good shoulder,” he finished gloomily. â€�“At least the Quidditch season’s over.”

â€�“And you should be recovered in time for the exams,” she said, and took his hand in hers. â€�“How are the fifth years today?”

Scorpius shrugged. â€�“They’re okay. Rokeby snores and Harper keeps having wet dreams about some girl in Ravenclaw, but they’re reasonably friendly.”

â€�“And Vaisey hasn’t tried anything else?”

â€�“He’s avoiding me,” Scorpius replied and didn’t tell her that the rest of the Quidditch team, even Chloe Nott – whom he suspected had a crush on him – had also stopped talking to him. It wasn’t as if he minded that much; he’d always known their only commonality was the game. Even the fact that they were housemates didn’t automatically make them friends. As they meandered back to the castle, Scorpius caught sight of Hugo and a bunch of boys from his year, larking around in the lake and teasing a blonde-haired girl who was sitting on the bank reading a book.

He stared at them, envying the innocent fun; then his eyes switched to the girl. Every so often, she’d look up, scowl, yet made no attempt to move.

â€�“That’s Genister Avery, isn’t it?”

Lily put down the bags and looked across to the girl. â€�“Mmm, Hugo’s got a bit of a thing for her. How do you know her?”

â€�“Uh ... she was at that lunch my grandma held.” He stopped, not wanting to think about the other time he’d disappointed his family.

â€�“Hugo has no chance, then,” Lily said, snorting. â€�“Is she only after a pure-blood?”

Hearing the spark of jealousy in her voice, Scorpius smirked. â€�“She’s all right, actually. But I think she’d prefer Hugo to read a book than piss about.” He studied her again, watching as Genister smoothed a wispy lock of hair behind her ear, and a stray memory flitted into his head. â€�“I think ...” He trailed off.

â€�“What?”

â€�“Is Hugo seeing her?”

â€�“Not that I know of,” Lily replied. â€�“Why do you ask?”

He didn’t answer, but resumed walking, changing direction so they reached Genister.

â€�“Hello,” she said, smiling as she lifted her head from the book. â€�“I heard about your injury. Are you feeling better?”

â€�“Mmm,” Scorpius replied vaguely. Squeezing Lily’s hand, he pulled her down to the ground with him. Both girls looked surprised but neither said a thing. â€�“I need to thank you, don’t I? Sorry, I’ve only just realised.”

â€�“Thank me for what?” Genister asked.

â€�“You were there, weren’t you? The night Vaisey and I were fighting. I heard someone screaming for help, but wasn’t sure who it was,” he explained.

She smiled lopsidedly and resumed reading her book. â€�“I wasn’t out that night, Malfoy. I was tucked up in my dorm way before lights out.” Then she looked at him, her sharp blue eyes taking in his intense gaze before switching to where Hugo was still playing with his friends. â€�“I certainly wasn’t waiting for a certain Gryffindor who had promised to meet me but failed to turn up.”

He smiled at her, then painfully got to his feet, stretching his hand down to help Lily. â€�“Understood, Miss Avery. Thanks anyway.”

â€�“It was the least I could do,” she whispered. â€�“If you hadn’t run away from that lunch, my parents wouldn’t have stopped nagging me about you.”

He laughed as he and Lily walked away, pleased to have done something right by someone on that horrible occasion, but as he entered the castle and headed towards the dungeons he felt the earlier gloom descending.

â€�“Wish you were coming with me,” he muttered, knowing he was being selfish, for why on earth would anyone voluntarily want to go to a funeral.

Standing on tiptoes, Lily raised one hand and ruffled the hair on the nape of his neck. â€�“Wish I was, too,” she whispered. She started to kiss him, her lips softly prising his apart. â€�“You’ll be okay.”

â€�“Will I?”

â€�“Yes, Professor Zabini will look after you, and your mum will be there.”

â€�“Dad and Grandma are still angry.”

â€�“I know,” she said, â€�“but he’ll come round. It’s obvious he loves you, Scorpius. It was just shock, and he did send you a letter.”

Scorpius sighed. The letter from his dad had been thin. It wasn’t that his dad usually wrote much to him, but his letters when they came were witty, always asking what was going on. The last letter had been a bald note informing him of the funeral arrangements and the part he was required to play.

â€�“He could have asked your mum to send the details,” she said, her mind keeping pace with his thoughts.

â€�“He wanted to make sure I knew, Lily,” Scorpius said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. â€�“He was ordering me to attend.”

He walked slowly back to his new dorm. Although he’d protested earlier in the year about moving out, now that he’d left, he really didn’t care. The fifth year boys didn’t speak much to him, but all had helped him unpack his stuff, Rokeby gazing at the Firebolt X with something approaching awe.

He had new black robes hanging in his wardrobe. Arriving two days ago, the morning after his dad’s note, they would have fitted perfectly, but for the strapping on his arm. The stiff black fabric rubbed awkwardly on his collarbone, but he had nothing else suitable.

â€�“You all right, Malfoy?” Aaron Harper asked.

â€�“Mmm, shoulder’s a bit sore, that’s all,” he replied, touched that the younger boy had noticed. â€�“What’s that you’re revising?”

â€�“Astronomy,” Harper said mournfully. â€�“Bloody useless subject. Can’t see the point at all.”

â€�“Good when you study Potions,” Scorpius said. â€�“Knowing that moon phases increase the potency of certain ingredients.” He grinned. â€�“Sorry, I sound like Sinistra.”

â€�“Makes sense, I s’pose,” Harper replied, sitting up on his bed and closing the book. â€�“Good luck with this afternoon. Hope it’s not too awful.”

For a moment, Scorpius didn’t know what to say. He fiddled a bit with his lapel, and swallowed. â€�“Thanks,” he muttered, then reached down into his trunk and pulled out a folder from the bottom. â€�“I’ve got some old Astronomy essays in here. Might be useful, if you want to look through.”

Harper smiled, genuinely pleased, and accepted the cache of parchment. Felling slightly happier, Scorpius left the dorm, making his way to Professor Zabini’s study.

â€�“It means ‘Bringer of Light’, Blaise,” Mrs Zabini was saying. â€�“Luca Zabini – it suits him.”

Scorpius grinned and lurked outside the door, wondering what else he’d hear.

â€�“Lavender, think about it, just for a second,” Professor Zabini replied. â€�“Luca .... What sort of a name is that?”

â€�“Italian!” she exclaimed. â€�“I thought you’d approve.”

â€�“I would – normally,” he protested, â€�“but what does it remind you of?”

â€�“No idea,” she replied. â€�“I like the name and the meaning.”

The professor sighed. â€�“Given where I’m going this afternoon, don’t you think it’s a bit odd that we give our son a name so reminiscent of the deceased? People might think it’s a tribute. Now, I didn’t mind the old bastard, but I’m pretty sure -”

â€�“Merlin, no!” Lavender gasped. â€�“I hadn’t thought of that.”

Having heard enough, Scorpius knocked on the door, fixed a half smile rather than a scowl on his face, and waited.

â€�“Good, good, you’re here early,” Professor Zabini said on seeing him. â€�“Take a seat, Scorpius. I have to go and change this set of robes. My son decided to spit up all over them.”

Scorpius sat and watched as Mrs Zabini hoisted the baby onto her shoulder and began to walk around the room, jiggling the baby and whispering in a sing-song fashion.

â€�“Any luck with a name yet, Mrs Zabini?” he asked politely.

â€�“Not yet,” she muttered. The baby started to gurgle, so she stopped walking and turned to look at Scorpius. â€�“How did your parents choose your name?”

â€�“Um, I was born late October, in Scorpio, and ... well ... stars and constellations are a Black family tradition.” He shrugged.

â€�“That’s interesting,” Professor Zabini said, refastening his robes as he walked back in. â€�“Aries Zabini. I like that.”

â€�“Except he was born on April the twenty-second, which makes him a Taurean,” Lavender interrupted, rolling her eyes. â€�“And I’m not calling him after a bull! Ughh! Why is this so difficult?”

â€�“We’ll think of something, eventually. We might even agree, Lavender, just ... not Angellus, okay?” Bending down, the professor kissed his wife on the cheek, stroked his son’s hair and then straightened up to Scorpius. â€�“Professor Vector has an authorised Portkey in her office. It will take us straight to the Manor. I thought that would be the least jarring way to travel for you.”

â€�“Fine,” Scorpius muttered, slowly getting to his feet. The pain in his shoulder was dull but ever present; it must have shown on his face because Mrs Zabini was looking at him with utmost concern.

â€�“If you’re not up to this, Scorpius, then I’m sure your family will understand. It will be a long day and you’re only just out of hospital.”

He exchanged looks with the professor. His wife might not understand, but he was sure Zabini understood about the duty he owed to his family. â€�“I’m okay. The potion I’m taking works very well.” He smiled at her, seeking to deflect her mild inquisition. â€�“Good luck thinking of a name.”

She sighed. â€�“At this rate his Hogwart’s letter will be addressed to Baby Zabini.”


If the Portkey was supposed to be the gentlest way of travelling, Scorpius hated to think what the other methods would have been like. He stumbled on landing, saved from falling only by Professor Vector grabbing the front of his robe, but the action still made him cry out with pain.

â€�“Have you brought your potion?” she asked sharply. Having only been given an abridged version of Vaisey’s attack, the headmistress wasn’t entirely sympathetic towards Scorpius. The fact that he still hadn’t told his parents sat oddly with Professor Vector, but despite her fondness for Astoria, she abided by Scorpius’ wishes and did not inform them.

â€�“Yes,” he replied, panting slightly. â€�“I’ll take some before I go in.” He caught his breath and ignored the increasing pain, assuming a bland expression.

The grounds of Malfoy Manor were at their finest. The peacocks, much beloved by his grandfather, strutted across the lawns, the display of ivory plumage fanning around them, opulently setting the scene. Scorpius had never cared for the birds, their mean eyes belying their beauty. As manicured as the estate, and yet, without their tail feathers, they were just white squawking birds.

â€�“It’s this way,” he muttered to both professors and led them across the main lawn towards the family cemetery, picking his way through the winding cobbled path. One of his ancestors, a century or more before, had built a folly in the grounds. The strange building, now covered in ivy, had been the setting for many a Malfoy funeral, its ugliness lending a certain solemnity to the proceedings. As a child, Scorpius had played here, running through the folly, darting behind gravestones, not appreciating the grandeur or the history of the place.

He faltered at the arched doorway. There were more people here than he’d thought would attend. Even now, the Malfoys weren’t a popular family, but they were still rich. Sardonically, he wondered if the respect these people paid to his grandfather was more to catch his father’s eye, now that Draco was the head of the family.

â€�“Your mother is there,” murmured Professor Vector, and with a gentle shove in the small of his back propelled him forwards. â€�“You should sit with her.”

Scorpius swallowed and shook his head. â€�“I’m expected to be at the front. I’m supposed to say something.”

â€�“You don’t have to,” muttered Professor Zabini. â€�“You’re clearly not well, Scorpius, and no one will expect-”

â€�“I’m a Malfoy,” he muttered back. â€�“Sorry, sir, but I know what’s expected.”

His mum, in the row behind, touched him on the shoulder when he slid into place. He didn’t turn around, preferring to keep his eyes focussed on the ebony coffin on top of a marble plinth. He muttered something to her, wondering if his words made sense, all the while aware that his father sat stiffly next to him.

â€�“How is Grandma?” he asked, hoping to bridge the chasm between them.

Draco shrugged. â€�“How do you think?” he muttered sarcastically. He let his eyes drift to Scorpius then started. â€�“What the hell has happened to you?”

â€�“Nothing,” Scorpius mumbled. â€�“Accident at school. I’m fine.”

In alarm, Astoria pulled on his robe, inadvertently setting the nerve endings in his shoulder screeching. â€�“What sort of accident?” she hissed. â€�“And why weren’t we told?”

â€�“Not now, Mum,” he whispered. â€�“It’s not important.”

â€�“It is if you’re-”

â€�“Astoria!” Draco rapped, raising his voice slightly. â€�“Now is not the time. The boy is here. He’s clearly fine.”

Astoria slumped back in the pew, unused to the rebuke from her husband, so Scorpius turned around and smiled reassuringly, but as he did, he caught his grandmother’s frosty expression and hurriedly straightened his face.

A venerable looking wizard approached the front, climbed up to a lectern, and produced a scroll from his robe. Scorpius didn’t look at him, but let the celebrant’s words wash over him. He was a dull speaker; there was nothing behind his words apart from a recital of the deeds of the deceased’s life. He spoke of Lucius Malfoy’s pride in his name, in his charitable zeal, his generosity to his friends, and finally the love for his family.

Scorpius could only remember the malevolent glare and final words his grandfather spat at him.

His father stood to deliver his eulogy. More impassioned, more personal, he grabbed the attention of those who had come to pay their respects, telling them all of Lucius Malfoy’s integrity to his own beliefs and the burning need to do right by his family.

Scorpius stared at his dad, and had to admit it was nicely done. The speech skirted around unpalatable truths but told no lies.

â€�“And now my son, Scorpius, wishes to pay his respects.”

Scorpius froze.

â€�“Scorpius,” his mum whispered. â€�“It’s your turn.”

â€�“I can’t,” he mumbled.

â€�“Yes you can, darling,” she replied.

He stood warily, heartened by her support, yet still unsure and shuffled to the end of the pew. His dad strode back and waited for Scorpius to edge out, so he could return to his rightful place beside his mother.

She should have died!

Stumbling up to the lectern, his heart thumping so hard he could feel his body pulsing. Scorpius started to breathe heavily, his hands clammy.

She should have died!

â€�“No, Granddad, you didn’t mean that,” he whispered.

A faint murmuring reached his ears; he stared out at the assembled mourners, half looking at him and the others looking away embarrassed at his impotence. In his pocket were words, a jumble of lines on parchment. He brought it out and heard the audible sigh of relief from his parents.

â€�“My Granddad,” he began, placing the speech in front of him, â€�“was a wonder-”

She should have died!

He gasped, a knot in his throat rendering him temporarily silent. The murmuring started up again, an uncomfortable mixture of whispers and rustled paper. Scorpius licked his dry lips and wondered if he could Summon himself a shot of Firewhisky - anything to get him through this tortuous event. His grandmother stared stonily ahead; his father glared at him. He looked away, scanning the room at the familiar faces. Then a movement at the back of the room caught his attention. It was slight, but he could not look away from a woman leaning forwards and gripping the pew in front of her. She was old, he thought, and probably a friend of his grandmother’s, but not one he’d seen before. Unlike his grandmother, and the majority of the witches here, she wore her hair loose past her shoulders, yet she retained a look of haughty grandeur. Beside her sat a younger man, black hair and nondescript features. He too was staring at Scorpius, as if willing him on. His heart slowed to a steadier beat, and his lips were far less dry.

â€�“Sorry,” he muttered, and with great deliberation, he screwed up the parchment, even managing a whimsical smile as he assessed his audience. â€�“These words here don’t really capture what I want to say about Granddad, so forgive me if I sound unpractised.



â€�“When I was younger, I spent a great deal of time here,” he said steadily. â€�“My parents were away a fair amount, so I used to spend my days with my grandparents. I remember those days with great fondness.” He grinned, happy that some memories remained unsullied by life. â€�“Granddad bought me my first broom. I wasn’t supposed to tell Mum and Dad, but he bought me one when I was five and set me loose on the lawn. He even laughed when I scared the peacocks. Yeah, Granddad taught me many things, but the one thing I remember above all else is his mantra: ‘to hold my head high’.” He glanced across at the front row; his grandmother was looking at him with something approaching approval, his father as yet unsure.

â€�“As Dad told you, Lucius Malfoy was a man who lived by certain ideals and he instilled those ideals in his son, as fathers are wont to do, and as my father has tried to do with me.”

She should have died!

Scorpius closed his eyes. His collarbone was throbbing now, the thick robes pressing on the nerves and sharpening the dull ache to a stabbing pain.

â€�“Sorry, Ganda. Your shoes are too big to fill. I’m sure to be a disappointment,” he finished, his murmuring voice rendering the room silent as they craned forwards to catch his words.

It was over. He’d paid his tribute, couching his words in the same mixture of half-truths his father had done and hoping it would be acceptable. And somewhere along the way in that improvised speech, an earlier image of his granddad taking pleasure in Scorpius’ flying, slipped into place.

Turning, he walked back to his pew, not daring to look to the side.


â€�“Now, darling,” his mother said, linking her arm into his and thus preventing him from walking off, â€�“you are going to tell your dad and me what happened to you at school.”

â€�“It’s nothing,” he said, trying to shrug her off. On the far side of the lawn, he could see the lady from earlier. She was tall, elegant looking, and not out of place in this gathering, yet she didn’t belong. Or perhaps, he mused, she doesn’t want to belong. The man who’d accompanied her was nowhere to be seen, but she seemed to know people there, at least she was on nodding acquaintance with some of them.

â€�“Who’s that, Mum?” He asked, hoping to distract her as she steered him towards his dad and Professor Zabini.

â€�“Don’t change the subject,” she said. He glanced at her, noticing she’d fixed her widest smile on her face as she approached the professor. â€�“Blaise, darling. Scorpius is being very reticent about his injuries.”

He met Professor Zabini’s eyes and knew he couldn’t get away with saying nothing. For although his Head of House would prevaricate, Professor Vector was itching to tell his mother what had happened. â€�“I got in a fight, that’s all,” he explained.

â€�“And no one bothered to contact us,” Astoria stated. â€�“Honestly Blaise, I am his mother and have the right to know.”

â€�“Your son didn’t want you worried,” the professor replied calmly. â€�“He is of age, and thus we have to take his wishes into account.”

Looking not in the slightest bit mollified, Astoria turned to Scorpius. â€�“Your nose is crooked. Doesn’t Madam Bones perform simple spells anymore?” she asked as she raised her wand.

â€�“Leave it!” Scorpius said abruptly, and turned his head away, sharply wrenching his collarbone and bringing tears to his eyes.

â€�“Scorpius has been adamant about his treatment,” Professor Zabini murmured. â€�“I’m not altogether sure why.”

â€�“What has happened to the boy who did this?” Astoria demanded as she lowered her wand. â€�“Expulsion, I hope.”

â€�“Confined to his house between lessons.”

â€�“Is that all?” Draco sounded outraged, and Scorpius wondered why until he muttered his next words. â€�“Oh, let me guess, it was Potter’s son, or one of those interminable Weasley children being given preferential -”

â€�“Dad, it was Johnson Vaisey,” Scorpius interrupted. â€�“I provoked him. He lashed out. It’s fine.”

â€�“Johnson Vaisey!” Astoria exclaimed. â€�“But his parents are here. How dare -”

â€�“Mum, just stop,” Scorpius hissed. â€�“I’ve told you that it’s fine. We had a fight, with fists instead of wands, and I ended up the worse for it. Just forget about it.”

Draco studied him carefully, his grey eyes, so like his grandfather’s, assessing his injuries, lingering on the crooked nose. â€�“Perhaps he knocked some sense into you,” he said at last.

â€�“Perhaps,” Scorpius mumbled in reply.

Professor Zabini coughed and stepped away. â€�“Draco, as I was saying, I can’t stay too long, I’m afraid, not with Lavender and the baby.”

â€�“Congratulations, by the way,” Astoria put in. â€�“You must give Lavender our best, mustn’t he, Draco?”

â€�“I will,” Professor Zabini replied, addressing her when Draco didn’t answer. â€�“Lavender is fretting over names, but our son seems supremely unconcerned.”

â€�“Enjoy it whilst it lasts,” Draco remarked sourly, his eyes boring into Scorpius. â€�“They’re far more trouble when they’re older.”

The Professor raised his eyebrows, but continued, â€�“My mother wished me to pass on her deepest condolences. She has been ill recently, or she would have attended.”

â€�“She likes a funeral,” Astoria muttered under her breath, winking at Scorpius.

He didn’t smile back. Despite his mother’s attempt at levity, the unsaid words between himself and his dad were threatening to engulf him. He needed to talk - to properly talk - but knew he needed to pick his time.

â€�“Scorpius can show you the best place to Apparate,” Draco was saying. â€�“He needs to show his face anyway.”

â€�“Uh ... I was going to return with -”

â€�“You will make yourself agreeable to our guests,” reprimanded Draco. â€�“It is what your grandmother wants and what your grandfather would expect.”

Swallowing, Scorpius nodded and then stepped away with his professor. He felt like a fraud being here, unsure if he should be mourning when his feelings were so conflicted.

But then, he thought, most of these people never liked Granddad, so one more fraud shouldn’t matter.

â€�“If you wish to come back with me, Scorpius,” Professor Zabini murmured, when they arrived at the field where the Anti-Apparition spells had been lifted, â€�“then I will take full responsibility.”

â€�“It’s okay, sir, I’ll return with Professor Vector as planned,” he replied. â€�“I should show my face. It’s expected.”

For a moment, the professor looked exasperated, but then his features resumed their normal blasé expression. He started to turn, then paused. â€�“I take it your parents know about Miss Potter.”

â€�“Uh ... yeah, you could say that,” Scorpius muttered, uncomfortable discussing this with his Head of House. â€�“Dad’s not very happy.”

â€�“Well, you could hardly expect him to be rolling out the red carpet,” the professor replied dryly. â€�“And finding out from The Prophet, the day after your grandfather died, probably didn’t help. Give him a few weeks, and he’ll be calmer.”

â€�“Yeah, sure,” Scorpius murmured, forcing a smile as he watched Professor Zabini leave. Inside he felt something tug. The last time he’d been at Malfoy Manor, Lily had been with him. Nothing could get rid of the sparse fact that she’d not been welcome and now, he didn’t think he was either.


His grandmother was holding court in her lounge, and his father outside, when he returned. He wondered where the best place was to start ‘showing his face’ but after his father jerked his head towards the Manor, Scorpius knew he was expected at his grandmother’s side.

She hadn’t talked to him since the service. When they’d buried Lucius Malfoy, his wife had stood erect by the graveside, unrelenting in her stillness, until that last moment when the coffin had been lowered to the ground. He’d watched her flinch away from the action, and her hand had stretched towards her son, touching his briefly, before she composed herself. A small gesture - brief yet telling - Narcissa Malfoy would carry on, her head held high.

â€�“An excellent speech,” one of the guests called as Scorpius entered through the French windows.

Narcissa looked up, and, for a moment, she smiled up at him, and then her face clouded over. â€�“My grandson spent much of his childhood here; it is a shame he could only remember the flying.”

â€�“Dad had already delivered a glowing eulogy, Grandma,” Scorpius replied, walking towards her. â€�“Anything else would have been repetition.”

He bent down to her, touching his lips to her cheek, knowing with certain satisfaction that she would not demur because she needed to keep up appearances. She accepted the kiss; there was no warmth, and the hand she raised was not to draw him nearer but to push him away.

â€�“I did not expect the modesty,” she whispered. â€�“But you are quite right, Scorpius, you cannot fill his shoes - not now, not ever.”

â€�“I know,” he replied, holding her gaze. I wouldn’t want to - not now, not ever - not now I know.

She flinched. Belatedly he remembered that his grandmother had learnt the rudiments of Legilimency when she was a girl.

â€�“You dared to bring that girl here,” she whispered, drawing him back to her, anxious that no one would hear. â€�“It killed him.”

He staggered back, repelled by her venom and her utter conviction. â€�“I-I-I didn’t mean to,” he stuttered. â€�“Grandma, please. I didn’t want that to happen.”

There was a ghastly silence as the guests in the room stopped their conversations. Narcissa smiled at them all. â€�“You may have read about my grandson’s unfortunate act of generosity in The Sunday Prophet. Needless to say the journalists involved, exaggerated the incident, no doubt to cause mischief and embarrassment to a grieving family.” She dabbed her eyes with a white lace handkerchief, although Scorpius could see no tears. â€�“Scorpius, you really must pursue getting a retraction or our friends will assume you really are ‘involved’ with the Potter girl.”

He licked his lips and tried to speak, but his mouth was so dry the words stuck in his throat. And all the while he was aware that every single person in the room was waiting on his next utterance. She was his grandmother and for all Lucius Malfoy’s stature, she was the mainstay of the family. Her word was final and even his mum was loathe to cross her.

â€�“Retraction?” he started to splutter, then something caught his eye outside the window. A man and a woman, unmatched in age, watching the scene as it unfolded. The man smiled a faint ghost of a smile, and in that instant Scorpius knew.

Narcissa was still staring at him, one eyebrow raised as she mockingly dared him to defy her. â€�“Yes, Scorpius - a retraction.” She sighed. â€�“I can see I’ll have to get your father to sort this out.”

â€�“No,” Scorpius replied and at last found his voice. â€�“You can’t retract something that’s true, Grandma. I am seeing Lily Potter and have been since Christmas. I’m sorry if this upsets or offends you, but - AH!” He yelped and jerked away as she hit him around the face, using not her hand but her wand, striking him with all the force she could muster.

â€�“Leave my sight,” she hissed.

The welt on his cheek had split his lip again, adding to the pain already throbbing though his body, but he didn’t care. For the second time in two weeks, he’d provoked someone to an action they wouldn’t normally consider. He’d deserved Vaisey’s attack. Whatever his opinion of Ariadne, he should not have voiced it quite so volubly. He’d wanted the other boy’s fists to pound away at him; so desperate was he to feel something other than horror.

He deserved this, too, for the pain he was causing his grandma. But he was not a child any longer, and not her child, ever. The separation, which should have been by degrees, would be better like this. Backing away, he watched as she took another deep breath and sipped at her sherry not sparing him another glance, frighteningly calm after the brief storm.

â€�“Are you all right?” someone murmured when he reached the folly.

â€�“I will be,” Scorpius replied and removed his potion flask again as he faced the nondescript man from earlier. â€�“Thank you for asking, Teddy.”

The man chuckled. â€�“You knew it was me. My morphing must be getting stale.”

Scorpius smiled lopsidedly as he faced him. â€�“Actually it’s the lady you’re with. That’s your grandmother, right?”

Teddy nodded. â€�“She wanted to come. Not sure why as she hasn’t had any contact with her sister for decades.” He shrugged. â€�“She said something about family ties, but personally I think she was curious about you.”

â€�“Me?”

â€�“Uh-huh. My fault entirely. I’ve mentioned you a few times.”

â€�“Teddy, I thought you were getting me a drink?” Teddy’s grandmother, appearing alongside her grandson, stopped speaking when she saw Scorpius, eyeing him with a degree of mistrust, he thought.

â€�“Mrs Tonks,” he said, putting away the flask, and holding out his hand to her. â€�“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

â€�“Scorpius Malfoy, I presume,” she murmured, and then held out her hand. â€�“Teddy, I would still like a drink before we leave. Would you be so kind?”

â€�“Sure, Gran,” Teddy replied, and smirked at Scorpius. â€�“I’ll ... er ... leave you to your interrogation.”

â€�“My grandson talks about you,” she said when Teddy was out of earshot. â€�“He’s curious about my side of the family.”

â€�“Me too,” Scorpius replied. â€�“Er ... well, I mean his side of the family. Uhm .... you, really, I suppose.”

She smiled slightly at him. â€�“I suspect you know very little about me, Scorpius. I cannot imagine your grandmother mentioning my name.”

â€�“Nope,” he replied lightly. â€�“I don’t think she ever has.” He paused, wondering how to phrase his question. â€�“Why are you here, Mrs Tonks?”

She smiled serenely on some point in the distance and following her gaze, Scorpius saw her focus was on the summerhouse. â€�“I used to come here as a child,” she remarked, matter-of-factly. â€�“There was a stream we used to play in.”

â€�“It’s been dry for years,” he replied, â€�“but I remember it.”

â€�“I have returned too late,” she murmured, more to herself that to him, he thought. Then she shook her head, and turned to face him. A small sad smile curved her lips and he caught a glimpse of the beautiful girl she must have once been before life took its toll. â€�“I’m not sure why I came here today, Scorpius. I told Teddy it was a matter of family ties. I told myself that I missed my sister and wanted the chance to put things right between us.”

â€�“But ...” He sensed the hesitancy in her voice.

â€�“I could have made things right before. I could have contacted her after the battle, but I didn’t. I was grieving for a daughter our sister had killed. Narcissa’s son lived, and I resented that. And despite Teddy being the most wonderful grandson I could ever hope to have - he is not my Dora.”

â€�“Mrs Tonks, why are you telling me this?”

She looked back to the summerhouse and smiled serenely. â€�“Family is the strongest bond you’ll ever have, Scorpius, but that doesn’t mean it has to bind you for life.” Raising her hand, she waved in the air, and Scorpius watched as Teddy strode casually towards them.

â€�“Good chat?” he asked innocently.

â€�“Informative, I think you’ll find,” Mrs Tonks replied. â€�“Although I believe your cousin has learnt more about me than I have of him.” She drained the juice Teddy had brought her and held out her arm. â€�“I would like to leave now.”

As Teddy took her arm, he looked across at Scorpius. â€�“Fancy busting out early? I can get you back to Hogsmeade.”

Scorpius grinned. The offer was tempting. He could leave all of this behind and meet up somewhere with Lily, but then he sighed. â€�“Mum’ll kill me,” he replied. â€�“And Vector’s got an authorised Portkey especially for me, so thanks, but I’d better stay here.”

â€�“Don’t let Cissa bully you!” Andromeda called over her shoulder as they started to walk towards the field.

â€�“I’m fine,” he called back and started to laugh. Teddy Lupin, a perfect stranger five months before, had turned up again to offer support just when he needed him. He watched as they turned, watched as they both waved goodbye and Disapparated.

The ties of one family may have been unravelling, but others with a looser hold were tugging at him.

From where Scorpius sat in the Great Hall, he could see Mrs Zabini studying him. Refusing to catch her eye, he looked across the Hall, over Harper’s head, and straight at Lily. She, however, wasn’t looking his way, but seemed to be staring at the teachers’ table.

Lily had been loitering in the Entrance Hall when he’d emerged from the dungeons that morning. His initial pleasure at seeing her had turned to a vague disquiet when she’d nervously asked if she could meet up with him after breakfast. Puzzled by her attitude, he’d murmured ‘of course’, but hadn’t been able to rid himself of the suspicion that something was going on.

He frowned slightly when he saw her exchange looks with Mrs Zabini; there was certainly some sort of collusion going on between the pair of them. Perhaps aware of his scrutiny, Lily turned to face him and after a moment’s hesitation, smiled. He smiled back, not showing the irritation he was feeling, and returned to chewing on his toast. They meant to ambush him, he was sure of it, and however well intentioned their motives, he wasn’t going to let that happen.

He nudged Harper with his foot. “Stand up, will you?”

“Huh?”

Merlin, couldn’t he understand a simple instruction? “Can you stand up,” he muttered, “and get your friend to stand up as well? I want to leave the table and not be seen.”

“Oh.” Harper grinned and pulling his friend up by his elbow, stood to form a partial barricade. Just then, the still unnamed Baby Zabini let out a wail from the sling Mrs Zabini was carrying him in. Her distraction proved a big enough incentive for Scorpius to duck down and flee the Hall.”

“Scorpius,” he heard Ben shout after him, “I need a word...”

“No time,” he called back. “Sorry, got to run.” Grinning, he sprinted towards the steps leading down to the dungeons. The trouble was that as Mrs Zabini had full access to everywhere in Slytherin, he would not be able to hide for long, but maybe long enough for her to get distracted by the baby. Lily would be harder to put off, but then Lily he could deal with in a far more beneficial way. Deciding not to head for the common room, or his dorm, he ducked into a disused classroom along the corridor.

A sound from the corner alerted him to the knowledge that he wasn’t alone. “Who’s there?” he called and lit his wand.

“I’m not doing anything,” replied an unfamiliar voice, sounding sulky.

Scorpius stepped toward the source. It was a boy, he thought, but one with a reasonably deep voice. In the gloom, he saw the boy’s frame; he was taller and broader than Scorpius, but his arms were raised in a non- threatening manner. Holding his wand light up to the boy’s face and noting the dark eyes staring warily back at him; he smirked and lowered his wand. “You’re one of Lily’s cousins, aren’t you?” The boy nodded. “Uh ... Fred, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Fred replied, adding belligerently, “You going to report me for being here?”

“Should I?” Scorpius asked. “You said you weren’t doing anything wrong.”

“I’m not!” Fred exclaimed indignantly. “It’s just that ... well, I’m not supposed to be here and every time I go somewhere I shouldn’t strictly be, everyone assumes the worst and I get landed with a detention.”

“You did make half the baths in Hufflepuff explode last September,” Scorpius replied mildly, remembering the chaos when the corridors near the kitchen had been filled with pink frothing liquid. The food that day had smelt perfumed and tasted slightly soapy. “You can’t really blame the teachers for suspecting you, Weasley.”

“That,” Fred said witheringly, “was an experiment. I was merely trying to locate an underwater tunnel that Moaning Myrtle had told me about.” He frowned. “Still not found it, I’m not sure she was telling me the whole truth.” He sighed and then shook his head. “Anyway, I’m not doing anything wrong, so will you let me off?”

“Only if you tell me why you’re here,” Scorpius said, folding his arms across his chest. “I am a prefect, after all.”

“It’s nothing,” Fred muttered. “I just needed to get away and ... Hold on, you might be a prefect and a seventh year, but I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed here either. You entered bloody quietly and you haven’t put the lights on.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Oh Merlin, you’re not meeting my cousin here, are you?”

Scorpius grinned. “Actually I’m avoiding her ... and Mrs Zabini,” he added when Fred’s look of disgust turned to annoyance.

“Why are you avoiding Lily?” Fred asked suspicion creeping into his voice. He fingered his wand and started to square up to Scorpius. “You’re not two-timing her, are you?”

“No, no, no,” Scorpius hastily reassured him, taking in Fred’s superior height and bulk. “She ... uh ... well, she and Mrs Zabini keep trying to get me to talk.” He pulled a face. “Why do women always do that?”

A smile flashed across Fred’s face revealing crooked white teeth. He started to laugh. “I don’t know, but it’s always over a cup of tea, isn’t it? My dad knows he’s in trouble when Mum and Granny Weasley sit him down and get out the best china.”

Scorpius grinned back, grateful that Fred seemed to understand, and hadn’t asked why he was being harangued into talking. He’d tried to explain to Lily that nothing was wrong; he’d told Mrs Zabini that really he was fine and that his Granddad’s death and funeral weren’t affecting him at all. But neither of them seemed prepared to give up.

“So are you going to tell me why you’re in here?” Scorpius asked. Fred considered, his eyes flickering from Scorpius and to the door; Scorpius stepped aside. “You can go if you want. I won’t say anything. Just don’t tell Lily where I am, yeah?”

Fred nodded as he stepped past him, but halfway towards the door, he stopped and turned around. “I’m running a book on the baby’s name,” he explained softly. “I thought if I could find a place to hide near the Zabini’s quarters, then I might hear them discussing baby names. Kind of helps me set the odds.”

Scorpius started to laugh. “Brilliant, but can’t you just borrow the map from Lily?”

Fred scuffed the floor with his shoe, then obviously feeling that wasn’t adequate enough to reflect his irritation, kicked an upturned chair across the floor. “I made the mistake of asking her, and she said no. It’s not bloody fair, you know. Just because she doesn’t approve, there’s no reason for her to act like Rose all of a sudden.”

Raising his eyebrows at this show of ‘disunity’ from a Weasley clan member, Scorpius tried to remonstrate. “It is her dad’s map. You can’t blame her for not wanting to share it.”

“It was my dad’s as well! He and Uncle Fred used it all the time.” Fred protested. “They found it in Filch’s office and stupidly gave it away to Harry.”

“And Lily won’t let you look at it?” Scorpius asked. “Um, can’t you ask Potter ... I mean Albus? It’s his as well.”

“We take it in turns,” Fred admitted. “Only after the bathroom thing, Mum told Albus I wasn’t allowed it for the rest of the year.” He picked up the chair, and levitated it towards the side of the room. “All I want to do is find out which names they’re considering, or what they’ve ruled out.” He snorted. “I’m hoping Lavender will call it Ron.”

Not understanding the reason Fred found it so funny that Lavender would call her baby after a Battle hero (it was the third most popular behind Harry and Neville), Scorpius considered Fred and his ‘book.’

“If I tell you that I know for a fact certain names won’t be used, will you cut me in on the profits?”

Fred frowned. “Depends how useful your information is,” he replied. “I’m not going to hand out money just because you tell me the baby isn’t going to be called Zach, or something pathetic like that.”

“Zacharias?” Scorpius asked. He Summoned two chairs, sat on one and gestured for Fred to join him. “Yeah, I know that’s not going to be used. I ... uh ... saw her dismissing that. No idea why, though.”

Fred rolled his eyes. “Battle day coward,” he said scathingly. “Did a runner just as they were evacuating the underage kids. It would be like Lavender calling the baby Rodolphus, or Drac ... uh, sorry, no offence.”

“None taken,” Scorpius replied blandly. There was a silence as he wondered whether to pursue this. He didn’t particularly need the money, but he realised he rather liked Fred despite the boy being three years younger than him. He took a breath. “Okay, I have seen the map, and saw some names coming up for discussion, and then dismissed. I don’t know what they’re going to call the baby, but I can tell you that they are not going to give it a Battle name.” He licked his lips, waiting for Fred’s response.

“Are you serious? But they’re both from the Battle. Isn’t it like the done thing? Honouring the dead and all that malarkey.”

Shrugging, and ignoring the dull ache in his shoulder, Scorpius continued. “Mrs Zabini wants to look to the future. And can you really see Professor Zabini wanting to name his son after a famous Gryffindor?”

“Scorpius, where are you?” Lily’s voice from the corridor drifted towards the both making them jump.

“Hell, hell. If she’s with Mrs Zabini, then I’m dead meat!” Fred whispered anxiously. “Can you distract them while I hide?”

But he’d only just stood up, when the door handle started to open. As quick as a flash, and without really knowing why, Scorpius tapped Fred on the head with his wand and cast a Disillusion spell. “Don’t move too much, or they’ll see you,” he hissed. “I’ll lead them away, and then come back for you, okay?”

“Why are you in here?” Lily asked as she strode into the room, looking around curiously. “I wanted to speak to you. Oh �“” she held her hand to her mouth “�“ are you meeting someone?”

“No!” Scorpius yelped, as she turned on her heel. “Lily, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Well, why are you hiding here when I specifically asked if I could see you?” She stood there, hands on her hips, looking furious, and then her face crumpled. “Are you avoiding me?”

“Yes ... no ... not really,” he spluttered, and catching her by the arm, he drew Lily towards him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she muttered, not quite giving in to him as his hands began to wind around her waist, but not yet pulling away.

“You and Mrs Zabini keep following me around,” he murmured in her ear. “I just didn’t want to get trapped by you both.”

“We only want to help,” she grumbled. “Mrs Zabini thinks you need to talk to someone.”

He sighed and pushed his hair off his face. “Lily, I’m fine. I don’t want to talk over a cup of tea. I just want to get on with revising for these sodding exams.”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” she asked, now looking directly into his eyes.

“Yes,” he replied, touching his lips to hers.

“No, no, no,” cried the Disillusioned Fred. “I’m not hanging around watching this.”

“What the...?” Lily pulled away and looked around the room panicking. “Fred, what are you doing down here? And where are you?”

Grinning, Scorpius pulled out his wand and quickly returned Fred to visibility. “We were having a chat, that’s all,” he assured Lily. “You interrupted us, and Fred thought he might end up in detention if he was discovered in here.”

“What were you chatting about?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she studied her cousin.

“Lily, come on,” Fred said grinning at them both. “You keep telling us that Malfoy’s an okay bloke and we should make an effort, so I’m just �“”

“You never do anything nice like that,” Lily said waspishly. “Only if there’s something in it for you, Fred Weasley.”

“I’m hurt!” he said, sounding outraged and slapping his hand across his heart. “Lily Potter, how can you possibly think that I’m not here to genuinely make friends with your boyfriend?” He winked at Scorpius. “The fact that your boyfriend has given me some pretty decent inside knowledge has nothing to do with �“”

“UGHHH!” she screamed. “Fred, how dare you trick Scorpius like that? Running a book on the baby’s name is ... is ... immoral and using Scorpius to make money is disgusting.”

“Oi!” Scorpius protested and then started laughing. “He’s not using me. Freddy-boy is going to cut me in on the profits �“ aren’t you?”

“Sure,” Fred said, grinning at him. “Ten percent, Malfoy.”

“Twenty!” Scorpius bartered, and ducked to avoid Lily’s punch on his arm. “I haven’t told you everything.”

Fred started laughing and sprinted to the door. “Fifteen,” he called back. “We’ll renegotiate if you get any more information, but if I get a flood of bets from Slytherins on one name, then all deals are off.”

“Agreed!” Scorpius grinned at Fred, watching as he ran up the corridor. Then he turned back to Lily. “He should have been a Slytherin.”

“He’s a con artist,” she said dismissively, but he could hear real affection in her voice.

“I like him,” Scorpius declared, but didn’t add that Fred Weasley was the first of her relations willing to give him a chance. “He’s not like the rest of you, though, is he?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“He doesn’t play Quidditch. I mean I get that Rose would be bloody useless �“ I still remember the first flying lesson we all had �“ and Hugo doesn’t fly but he’s still obsessed with the game.”

Tucking her arm in his, Lily led Scorpius out into the corridor. They ignored the murmurs of the Slytherins returning after breakfast, and walked up towards the main door. “Pressure,” she said at last.

“Pressure? From whom?”

“His dad played Beater with his twin brother �“ that’s who Fred’s named after, and his mum was Angelina Johnson.”

“The Arrows’ Chaser?” Scorpius opened his eyes wider, wondering why he’d never connected the famous Chaser, who’d been injured on her England debut and never made a comeback, with the Weasley family. Although it had been before he was born, Angelina Johnson was still a legend with the Appleby Arrows.

Lily nodded. “Mmm. Fred doesn’t think he can live up to either of them.” She pulled Scorpius closer to her as they walked outside and towards the Greenhouses.

“Where are we going?”

“Well,” she said, sounding sly. “I still have half an hour before my Herbology class, and as you’ve explained that you’re not avoiding me, I was hoping we could ... um ... make up for lost time.” She giggled and squeezed his arm tighter. “I promise not to make you talk.”

***

The last weeks leading up to the exams were both satisfactory and unsatisfactory for Scorpius. Satisfactory because he managed to spend most of his revision time with Lily, either in the library or out in the grounds, but unsatisfactory because some strange sense of morality stopped him from pushing things with her. It was when she’d mucked up a simple Banishing Charm three times in a row, whilst they were practising in an empty classroom, that he stopped her.

“Lily,” he said exasperated. “This is your best subject, what’s the matter with you today?”

“Nothing,” she muttered, her voice quavering. “I’m thick, you know that.”

“Bollocks!” He snatched the wand away from her angrily. “Will you stop putting yourself down? You’re good at Charms. At least Exceeds Expectations, so you either tell me what the problem is, or �“”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” she mumbled.

“What?”

Hands on hips she faced him. “You won’t talk to me about your granddad and the funeral, yet I’m supposed to spill my guts out about my problems.”

“Because I have nothing to say and am not affected by it,” he exclaimed, resisting the urge to shout. “Lily �“ there’s clearly something putting you off. Have your family had another go at you?” She shook her head; he took a breath. “Okay, is it me, then? Do you not want to practise with me anymore?”

“Of course I do,” she said, but wouldn’t quite meet his eye.

“Lily,” he complained. “I don’t mind if you’d rather practise with your friends. I just thought it was a good way for us to spend time together, and I thought I could help you. But it’s not a problem. I can carry on by myself.”

“No,” she interrupted, and took a breath. “Really, it’s not that I want to be with them more than you. It’s just that ... um ... well...” She stopped speaking and gnawed at the side of her mouth before taking another breath. “You’re a bit distracting, that’s all. We’re here and alone, and I’m trying to concentrate on casting all these spells, or cramming theory in my head, but all I can think about is kissing you and ... uh ... well, you know. I’m waiting for you to make a move ...” Her face reddened. “If the Fat Lady hadn’t appeared when she did, then ... um ... I think we would have ... um ...”

Scorpius touched her cheek with his fingertips, tracing the curve of her face, but made no other move towards her. “Very probably,” he agreed. “But it’s a bit different now.”

“Because of your granddad?” she asked sounding tentative.

“No.” He wasn’t exactly lying. The knowledge that his grandmother and probably his dad would be horrified if he was actually having sex with Lily had crossed his mind, and in a way made him more determined, but that had also made him realise that revenge sex was not what he wanted with her. “I want to do well in the exams, Lily, that’s all. And the trouble is, you’re so bloody gorgeous, I’m pretty sure that once I start things with you, I’m not going to want to do anything else for at least a month.” He grinned at her, and then pulled her close, tweaking a tress of her hair. “I don’t want to muck things up with you, okay? So after the exams, yeah, that is if you still want to.”

She smiled, obviously hearing the slight edge of insecurity in his voice that he’d unsuccessfully tried to hide. “I still want to,” she whispered. “But staying in bed for a whole month would be embarrassing to explain to the examiners.”

He snorted, and then cheered when she snatched her wand back and successfully Banished the apples they’d been using to the fruit bowl on the other side of the classroom, landing each apple softly so they wouldn’t bruise.

***

Five different delivery owls at one sitting wasn’t quite a record at Hogwarts, but at the Slytherin table, it was something of an unusual occurrence. Scorpius creased his brow, puzzled not by the owls but by one heavily embossed envelope delivered by a very stiff beaked tawny. The owl delivered its missive, accepted some plump grapes in payment, and then flew off not waiting for a reply. In contrast, his parents’ owl hung around, obviously after more than fruit, and eyed the other four owls warily. Scorpius grimaced; his father’s owl, Kronos, was a notorious bully, always jostling owls it thought inferior, but a rough looking, tufty-eared owl, was watching Kronos with what could only be called dislike. Scorpius ripped open the tufty-eared owl’s letter and started to laugh.

‘Good luck with your N.E.W.T.s and don’t let yourself get distracted by a certain Weasley or rather Potter witch �“ you’ll come to no good!’

Love Teddy

And underneath, in far neater handwriting, a simpler message,

‘Good Luck, Scorpius, for your N.E.W.T.s. ~ Andromeda Tonks~’

Still grinning, Scorpius flung some bacon at the owl, hastily scrawled a thank you on the discarded envelope and watched as the bird took to the air. Then he opened the other cards. His Greengrass grandparents had sent a particularly hideous good-luck card, complete with snakes in the shape of a lucky horseshoe, but also tucked some Galleons in the envelope. His aunt Daphne had sent him a card of monument in Mexico where she was currently researching Mayan wizards. He was touched she’d remembered, and even more touched when a small bottle of the local brew fell out with a note attached saying this was very strong, but just the thing to help him celebrate when it was all over. Finally he opened his parents’ card �“ or more pertinently his mum’s card, since she’d written the long good luck message, and his dad’s signature with his terse ‘good luck’, appeared to have been tagged on at the last minute.

He supposed that at least it was something. Since the funeral and his grandmother’s refusal to speak to him, his dad had treated Scorpius with cold indifference. The only time he’d engaged Scorpius in any conversation at the funeral had been to warn him that any relationship with Lily Potter would end in disaster. Scorpius had stared his father in the eyes, blue meeting grey, and muttered that at least this disaster wouldn’t kill them all. It was hardly like allying himself to the Dark Lord. If Professor Vector had not been there, he was pretty sure his dad would have hexed him, and he’d left with his headmistress shortly after that.

When the cards were read, all owls duly treated, Scorpius slid his finger under the seal of the fifth envelope.

“Oh!”

“What a sparkling conversationalist you are,” Ariadne called from the other side of the table where she was sitting with both Vaisey brothers and her gaggle of friends.

Scorpius looked across, coolly perused her, but said nothing. He was confused by the letter, not just the contents, but the writer as well. Chewing his bottom lip, he scanned the Gryffindor table, briefly registering that Lily was there giggling with Natalie and Albus, but not one of the two people who could help him with this.

Then he saw one of them walking out of the Hall arm in arm with Ben. On balance, he’d rather have asked Hugo, as Rose had a much sharper tongue, but then again Hugo was less likely to show off his knowledge and Rose wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Rose,” he called as he caught up with the pair of them. “Can I ask you something?”

“No, I’m not switching rosters again,” she snapped. “Really, Malfoy, if you can’t even get on with your fellow Slytherins, then why should you get to pick and choose your patrolling partners? You’ll patrol with Edge-“

“It’s nothing to do with that!” he exclaimed, biting back a sudden surge of irritation. He needed her co-operation. “I’ll ... um ... patrol with whomever you want. Just Bletchley probably isn’t a good idea”

“Agreed,” Ben interrupted, then nudged Rose’s arm. “I think Scorpius wants to ask you about something very different. He’s got an official looking letter in his hand.”

Rose peered closer, so Scorpius held out the letter.

“It’s from the Law Department,” she said, adding scornfully, “Are you trying to get a job there, now? Sorry, I doubt my mum would take a recommendation from me.”

“No,” Scorpius replied, willing himself not to snap at her. “Look, it’s nothing much, but I wanted to check if this is her writing or whether it was a standard letter that she’d just signed. She’s pretty high up, isn’t she?”

“Heads the department,” Rose explained sarcastically. “Can’t get much higher than that.” Then she stopped being rude, cast her eyes over the first page of the letter, and stared at him curiously. “That isher writing. Why is she writing to you?”

“Uh, my granddad’s will,” Scorpius explained hurriedly, ignoring Rose’s embarrassed flush. “It’s been over a month since he died, and she’s apologising for the length of time it’s taken for probate to come through.”

“Uh, Malf �“ Scorpius, what are you after?” Rose asked, this time not sounding at all rude, merely interested. “I can’t talk to my mum about this.”

“Yeah, I know,” Scorpius replied, now feeling awkward. “It’s just ... Is it usual for your mum to write to people about wills?”

She considered his question, pursing her lips and for once not looking disagreeable. “It’s the sort of thing she used to do when she first joined the department. So ... well ... I suppose it is unusual, now.”

“Thanks.” Thoughtfully, Scorpius turned away, still ruminating on the delayed probate and Mrs Weasley’s involvement. He knew the Ministry could confiscate dangerous items bequeathed by the deceased, but his granddad’s most dangerous artefacts had been seized long ago.

“You were popular this morning,” Ben remarked. “Five owls, I noticed. And that tufty-eared one delivered a card to Rose, as well.”

“Teddy and Andromeda,” Scorpius replied. “They must have spent a fortune on cards.”

Rose raised her eyebrows. “Andromeda signed your card?”

“Sure,” Scorpius replied, wondering why she looked so surprised. “We met recently. Why are you so astonished she’d wish me luck?”

But instead of replying, Rose started to laugh, calling over his shoulder, “Lily, Al, guess what? Malfoy got good luck wishes from Teddy’s gran.”

“Really?”

Merlin, even Lily sounds surprised, Scorpius thought irritably. “Excuse me,” he snapped, turning round to face Lily and her brother, “but what is the problem with that? She’s my great-aunt. I met her at the funeral. We talked and got on. Why is it such a surprise that someone actually likes me enough to want me to do well?”

“Ouch, prickly!” Rose exclaimed and laughed again.

“It’s not you!” Lily soothed, tucking her arm into his and ignoring the half-resigned glare that Albus was shooting their way. “It’s only that Andromeda Tonks scares the daylights out of us all. I think she finds us all too noisy, or silly, or just plain rude.”

“She likes Victoire,” Albus pointed out.

“She likes Victoire, now,” countered Rose. “But that’s only because Victoire has a proper career and Teddy is determined to marry her.” She smiled slightly at Scorpius. “You must have impressed her. The only people she usually talks to in the family are my grandparents, my mother and Uncle Harry. The rest of us are all treated with a certain amount of disdain.”

“Must be my Slytherin blood,” Scorpius remarked, and smirked as they all �“ Ben included �“ flushed, betraying the fact that they’d all been thinking that. He squeezed Lily around the waist, and then kissed her, partly to annoy Albus, but mostly to reassure her he wasn’t annoyed anymore. “See, being a Slyth has its advantages.”

Grumpily, Albus started muttering about getting back to the common room and walked towards the stairs. With a reluctant sigh, Lily pulled away from Scorpius, but squeezed his hand. “Good luck today,” she whispered. “You’ve got Charms first, haven’t you?”

“Mmm,” he agreed, and racked his brains to think what her first exam was. How the hell did girls always seem to remember everything? “Sorry, is it Herbology for you?”

Lily nodded her head. “Theory first, practical this afternoon.”

“You’ll be okay!” he called after her as she mounted the stairs with Rose. “Just keep calm.”

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Ben murmured.

“Huh?”

Ben grinned, a teasing note in his eyes. “Scorpius Malfoy concerned about someone else. Merlin, mate, you have got it bad.”

“Nonsense,” Scorpius scoffed, but inside he could feel his insides squirming. He’d prepared for the N.E.W.T.s and knew, without being bigheaded, that he’d do well. His nerves were all for Lily.

***


Although he didn’t coast through the week (Transfiguration under the eagle eye of the former Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, who had been coaxed out of retirement to become an examiner, had been particularly hard), Scorpius did feel as if he’d mostly done himself justice. It hadn’t been easy, but he had put the effort in and was proud of the Potions practical. Fleetingly, he wondered whether to write to his dad, who’d always looked for the Potions result first on Scorpius’ reports. He’d probably had the most difficulty with the Charms practical because his shoulder was still stiff, but after flexing his wand arm, he had performed the complex Flavorous Charm, which changes the taste of certain ingredients without altering their makeup, on a chocolate cupcake and had presented it to the genteel witch in front of him.

Bending her nose towards the plate, she had taken a tentative sniff and then nibbled at the icing before smiling beatifically at him and declaring that the switch from chocolate to apple was perfect!

So it was with increasing confidence that Scorpius stood outside the Great Hall waiting for his Defence Against the Dark Arts theory paper. He mused over the past week. Lily had approached every exam with trepidation, but had emerged from each one with a smile on her face and gasping with relief. She’d spent most of last evening hugging him with delight because a question about vampires had come up in her Defence paper, which she’d only read up on because Scorpius had threatened to bite her neck if she didn’t get down to it.

“I know I won’t get an Outstanding,” she’d said. “But then Aunt Hermione didn’t, so that’s not a big deal. I think I’ve passed, and the practical was much easier than I thought it would be.”

Scorpius had pulled her closer for a cuddle, delighting in her newfound confidence. “This time tomorrow, it will all be over, and we can celebrate,” he’d murmured.

“Mmm,” she’d said dreamily. “I’d like that.”


The thought of how they’d be celebrating idly distracted him as he waited for his next exam. Because only twenty students were taking Defence at N.E.W.T. level, Professor Vector had decided they should sit the exam in an old classroom on the ground floor. They were not sat alphabetically, or in houses, but rather randomly. Scorpius assumed it was random because no one would have thought to deliberately place him right next to Albus Potter, given their history. He glanced at Albus, noticing that he looked rather pale and was staring ahead, his lips moving as if he were trying to memorise something. In the past, Scorpius would have thrown a mocking remark at him, enjoying Albus’ flash of temper, but today he leant across the aisle and touched him on the shoulder.

“Good luck,” he murmured.

“What?” Albus looked annoyed at being disturbed, and even more annoyed when he saw who’d spoken to him.

“I said ‘good luck’,” Scorpius retorted. “Sorry I bothered.”

Albus flushed, and then smiled apologetically. “I didn’t hear you,” he replied. “But ... uh ... good luck to you, too.”

As the invigilators walked down to the front of the Hall, their eyes swooping from side to side to check no illegal quills were being used, the head examiner stood at the front of the Hall, her hands placed together as if in prayer and announced, “You may begin.”

Letting out a sigh, Scorpius read the first question. ‘Describe the effects a Dementor has on the Muggle world?’

“Piece of cake,” Scorpius muttered under his breath as he remembered stories of frost and fog settling over Britain even in summer contributing to an atmosphere of gloom in pockets of the country. Beside him, he noticed Albus scribbling furiously and somewhere ahead Ben was sucking his quill.

He was two thirds of the way through the paper, with half the time remaining when he turned the page for the final question. Scorpius knew this would be a harder question. Professor Goldstein had impressed on his class the need to spend time on the appropriate questions. The last one, he’d told them, is worth more than the others. It will be an essay, a reasoned discussion and it is the one to concentrate on.

Scorpius wasn’t bothered. He’d sped through the others and now had half the time left to devote to this question. He smiled as he bent his head towards the question, reading slowly so he didn’t misinterpret a word.

‘The use of Unforgiveables has been authorised in certain circumstances. Discuss the circumstances and whether this, in your opinion, has ever been justified.’

Scorpius stared at the question. It should be easy. He was a reasonable debater in class, often playing Devil’s advocate �“ mainly to wind Rose up �“ but also because he knew how to argue even if he didn’t agree.

Unforgiveables, he thought, trying to formulate an argument in his brain. Imperius Curse, Avada Kedavra and ... He gulped.

He was five years old.

“Cruciatus Curse, Scorpius,” whispered his granddad, a glint in his eye. “The most terrifying weapon in the Dark Lord’s armoury. Death would be a release by the time he’d finished with his victim. His power was astonishing, my boy.”

Scorpius stood with a stick in his hand trying out the spell on a mouse.

“What are you doing?” his mum shouted as he screeched at the terrified creature.

“Ganda told me,” he sobbed, frightened by her rage.


He was eight years old, the incident with the mouse long forgotten when he woke in the night.

“No, stop, no, no, no! I’m SORRY,” screamed his dad.

He hurried to his parents’ bedroom, anxious to help, but faltered at the door. His mum was cradling his dad in her arms. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “Bellatrix is dead, Draco. She can’t hurt you now. No one can harm you. You’re safe.”

“It still burns me,” his dad moaned, clutching his arm. “She’s never gone.”

“Oh Merlin, no,” cried Scorpius in the exam room. He could feel bile rising in his stomach, and his head was pounding as cold beads of sweat ran down his forehead. Only vaguely aware of Albus looking up, Scorpius clutched his palm to his mouth and ran out of the Hall.

“Mr Malfoy,” he heard someone call. “You have to finish the paper.”

“I can’t,” he shouted back as he tried not to retch. “I’m done.”

It was Professor Longbottom who found him. Scorpius had taken refuge behind Greenhouse Two and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Unable to do anything but gulp for air, he’d had allowed the professor to take him to his study at the back of the greenhouses, where Professor Longbottom made him tea and offered him biscuits.

“Do you want to talk?” the professor asked, sounding both caring and a touch uncomfortable.

Scorpius shook his head.

“They’ll want to know why you left the exam early, Scorpius.”

“Couldn’t handle it,” he replied. “Pressure and all that crap.”

Professor Longbottom eyed him sceptically. “If you say so.”

“Lots of pupils run out mid-exam,” Scorpius muttered.

“Yes,” the professor agreed. “I remember it happening when I took my O.W.L.s, but not to someone like you.”

Scorpius shrugged. “Why not?”

Professor Longbottom leant forwards and snapped a biscuit in half. “Because, Scorpius, you’re a cocky pupil who knows he’s good at everything. I’ve taught you for seven years and also watched you rip apart the Gryffindor Quidditch team with both calculation and recklessness. I’ve never seen you lose your head like that.”

“First time for everything,” Scorpius muttered. He stared at the cup of tea now getting cold. “Can I go now, sir?”

“No,” Professor Longbottom replied. “At least, not until Mrs Zabini is here.”

Scorpius closed his eyes and slumped further in his seat. He wanted to protest. He wanted to just storm off and avoid the circling storm, but out of the study window, he could see not only Mrs Zabini but Madam Bones, too.

Shit, he thought, I’m screwed.

“Thank you, Neville,” Mrs Zabini murmured as she walked into the room directly towards Scorpius. “I think it’s for the best if I take him back to Slytherin, now.”

“Not St. Mungo’s,” Scorpius muttered, gesturing towards Madam Bones. “Isn’t that why she’s here?”

“Madam Bones is here to check you’re not ill,” Professor Longbottom said. “We were told you looked pale and as if you were about to be sick.”

“I’m always pale,” Scorpius replied sullenly. “I’m not ill.”

“So you have no excuse for running out mid-paper,” Madam Bones said sternly. She placed her hand on his forehead, and assessed his face with shrewd eyes. “No sign of fever or any other malaise. If it wasn’t this particular student, I’d be prepared to swear it’s merely exam nerves.”

With a sigh, Lavender touched Scorpius on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get you back to Slytherin before the others finish the exam. You can explain to me and Professor Zabini exactly what the problem is.”

“Do I have to?” he asked, sounding weary.

For a moment, he thought he saw a glimmer of a smile on her face before she replied. “Yes, Scorpius, this time you’re going to talk to me, even if I have to Spellotape you to the chair.”

He trudged back to the dungeons with her, not in the least bit surprised when she walked him through the Professor’s study and into their private quarters at the back.

“You found him, then?” Professor Zabini remarked, barely lifting his head from the book he was reading. Scorpius could tell his Head of House was unamused; he wondered if he’d informed his parents yet of their son’s latest disgrace.

“Neville found him,” Mrs Zabini replied. “Scorpius, take a seat and I’ll fetch some tea.”

“Not for me, really,” Scorpius muttered, trying a grin. “Professor Longbottom has already made me two cups, and added at least three spoonfuls of sugar. I’m not suffering from shock or anything. I just cocked up an exam.”

“You heard him, Lavender,” Professor Zabini said, at last looking up from his book and giving Scorpius a cool glance. “He’s fine and should go back to his dorm to pull himself together.”

“No,” she replied firmly. “If I hadn’t listened to you, Zabini, then this could all have been sorted out by now. I knew he needed to talk, but you kept telling me he was dealing with it. Well, this isn’t dealing with it and I �“” She broke off as a baby’s cry could be heard from another room.

“I’ll go,” the professor said smoothly, and although he sounded calm, Scorpius was pretty sure he was pleased his son had interrupted Mrs Zabini’s rant. “I’ll leave it to you then, darling,” he finished sweetly.

“Git,” Mrs Zabini muttered under her breath, and then turned back to Scorpius. “Are you going to tell me what happened in the exam?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged, but knew she wasn’t going to be satisfied with that answer. The baby had stopped crying but his Head of House showed no sign of coming back. “There was a question on the paper about Unforgiveable Curses and I couldn’t answer it. That’s all.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged again. “Dunno. Just hadn’t revised properly, I suppose.”

“Or perhaps it reminded you too much of recent events,” Mrs Zabini stated succinctly.

“Boll �“ er �“ rubbish,” he retorted.

“What happened the night Lucius Malfoy died?”

“How should I know?” he asked, feigning astonishment. “I found out from our house-elf.”

“Oh for Merlin’s sake, Scorpius. Stop thinking you can bullshit me,” she snapped. “I’m a journalist. I can spot a story and a lie from a mile away.” She paused, and glanced at the door leading to the bedrooms. “Look, I haven’t said anything to my husband, and I won’t, I promise, but I do know you were at Malfoy Manor when your granddad died.”

“How do �“”

“How do you think?” she replied angrily. “Scorpius, I found Lily in the kitchens one evening when you were still in the hospital wing. She didn’t want to tell me anything because she was too scared you’d both be expelled, but she was finding it hard to cope, especially as you wouldn’t see her.”

Scorpius gritted his teeth, trying to quell the irritation churning inside of him. “She had no right to say anything.”

“She saw someone die, Scorpius! And was told she’d caused it. How the hell did you think she was going to react?”

Instantly the irritation ceased and shock took hold. “I didn’t think -”

“No, you didn’t think,” Lavender agreed, but not in the harsh tone of earlier. “I didn’t expect you to, if I’m honest, and Lily is okay. She’s a tough kid. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’m f-”

“No,” she said calmly and with infinite patience, “you’re not ‘fine’. You’ve lost your granddad, were there when he died and had to endure Draco’s accusations. You returned to Hogwarts, provoked poor Johnson into beating you up, spent a week in hospital and then attended the funeral. And this past month, all you’ve done is surround yourself with books. You’ve not given yourself time to breathe, let alone grieve.”

“I can’t grieve for him!” Scorpius mumbled.

“Why not?” she asked softly. “Scorpius, whatever else Lucius Malfoy was, he was also your granddad, and he loved you.”

He could feel a well of tears behind his eyes, waiting to burst through, but he couldn’t cry, didn’t want to break down in front of her. Not here, not like this.

“He was evil,” Scorpius hissed. “For years I believed all this crap about how he only did what he did to protect his family, or because he was Imperiused, but it’s not true, is it?”

“That Lucius was Imperiused?” she asked, and shook her head sadly. “He knew what he was doing at all times, Scorpius, but the wish to protect his family is probably true. I remember your dad at school; no child was ever more doted on by both his parents.” Reaching out her hand, she ruffled his hair. “He chose the wrong side, but then he wasn’t alone in that.”

“Thank you,” Scorpius muttered, feeling the tears inside of him subside. He closed his eyes and slumped back into the sofa. “Merlin, I’ve cocked things up, haven’t I?”

“You’re not as strong as you thought you were,” she remarked, and squeezed his arm. “I’m sure the examiners will understand if you can’t face the practical this afternoon.”

The practical, he thought and groaned. Before this morning, it had been the one exam he’d really been looking forward to. The chance to show where he excelled, and why he’d make an excellent Auror. Yet now the thought of casting any sort of defensive spell left him trembling. “Do you think I could just retake the whole thing in August?” he asked hesitantly.

“I think it would be best if you showed a bit of Slytherin spirit and faced them all down, Malfoy,” said Professor Zabini from the door where he was holding his son. “Lavender, he wants feeding and that’s the one thing I can’t do for him.”

“Xander, Xander, what a greedy little boy you are,” Mrs Zabini said, sighing as she collected her son from the professor. She paused in the doorway that led away from the lounge. “Be nice, Zabini! And don’t force him to do anything.”

“I don’t think I could force Scorpius to do anything,” the professor remarked ironically. “I’m merely suggesting he shows the examiners how good he really is. You never know, you might just drag your theory paper grade up to a pass.”

Scorpius got to his feet and allowed the professor to escort him to the door. “You have a name, sir, for the baby, I mean.”

Professor Zabini smiled crookedly. “We do indeed, Scorpius. Alexander Thaddeus Blaise Zabini is our final decision.”

“Good name, sir.”

“It beats Angellus or Ronald,” the professor muttered darkly. But as he ushered Scorpius out into the corridor, he smiled again. “I wonder what odds Fred Weasley has on that particular combination.”

“You know about his book?” Scorpius asked in amazement.

“Of course I know. His father was exactly the same,” the professor remarked and closed the door leaving Scorpius alone, but smiling.


Pretty sure that the story of his hasty exit would be all the way around the school now, Scorpius considered skipping lunch. But knowing the worst of the scorn was likely to come from Ariadne and Vaisey, he decided the best way to deal with any mockery was head on. So although he approached the Great Hall with trepidation, he still walked in, his head held high. It was an exam he’d cocked up, that was all.

Lily was loitering by the door, obviously waiting for him, so he slipped his hand into hers and smiled.

“I take it you’ve heard, then,” he murmured.

“Al told me,” she admitted. “What happened? Are you ill?”

“Question on the paper. Sort of freaked me out, but I’m okay, now.”

“You look pale. Are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”

Scorpius smiled at her. “I’m always pale. Lily, I’m fine. I need some lunch so I don’t faint in the middle of the practical.”

“You’re doing the exam this afternoon. Is that a good idea?”

Not caring that they were in full view of everyone, Scorpius circled his hands around her waist and dropped a kiss on her lips. “You, baby Potter, were the one who told me how important it was to get back on the broom after falling off.”

She grinned, and forgot to scold him for using that obnoxious nickname, obviously liking the determined tone in his voice. “Would you like to join me for lunch?”

“At the Gryffindor table?”

She nodded. “Ben’s there trying to cheer up Rose, who is convinced she’s failed everything, and Hugo’s managed to persuade Genister to talk to him again. It’s quite sickening, actually. He’s feeding her grapes.”

“You’ve not finished yet.” Scorpius frowned, puzzled by her light-hearted attitude. “Why are you all in celebratory mode?”

“Just us taking O.W.L.s,” she replied. “We only have History of Magic left, and as I can remember every goblin from Boddle the Badbreath to Sligo the Slinky �““

“Sligo the Slimy,” Scorpius corrected.

She pulled a face. “Okay, Sligo the Slimy. My point is that as there’s very little left for us to revise and History of Magic is incredibly dull, we’re having some fun.” She snorted. “Rose is trying to act appalled, of course, but her heart’s not really in it.” Tilting her head to one side, she quirked a smile at him. “Will you join me?”

“Mmm, why not,” he replied, and casually slinging his arm over her shoulders, he crossed the floor to the Gryffindor table, aware that once again they were the focus of attention.

It wasn’t exactly a rapturous welcome when he sat at their table, and he wondered if the teachers would object, but Professor Longbottom, after catching his eye, merely nodded and returned to his lunch. And whilst Albus raised one eyebrow, he still shifted along the bench and closer to Ben, who was still reassuring Rose that missing out one of the seventeen towns affected by Dementors in recent history probably wouldn’t consign her to Troll level.

“Seventeen!” he was exclaiming. “I could only remember fourteen.”

“I don’t think they were looking for a list, anyway,” Albus added as he cut into his pork chop. “You worry too much, Rose.”

“At least you didn’t run out screaming,” Scorpius said, staring straight at her. “If anyone is going to get a Troll grade, it’ll be me.”

There was an awkward silence whilst they all thought what to say. Scorpius could hear Natalie stifling a nervous laugh, unsure whether he was joking or not. Then Albus put down his knife and fork.

“I very nearly followed you,” he muttered. “Thinking up counter-curses to question seven was making my brain hurt. I spent far too long on that one and left myself very little time for the essay.”

Touched and surprised at the gesture, Scorpius was unable to mutter anything more than a whispered thanks. Albus, himself, seemed vaguely embarrassed at their rapprochement, but managed a small grin before returning to his food. Feeling awkward, but not quite as awkward as before, Scorpius helped himself to a pork chop and some potatoes, and let the general conversation at the Gryffindor table wash over him.

“Shall we take a walk?” Lily asked when he’d finished.

He nodded and rose from the table. Lily sounded light-hearted, casual even, but there was a knowing look in her eye and he was pretty sure she was going to question him further about the exam. Sure enough, as they reached the willow tree by the lake and she pushed the green curtain of leaves aside, she started to speak.

“I know you don’t want to talk,” she began.

Scorpius placed a fingertip on her lips, and pulled her down to the ground. Leaning against the tree trunk, he sat facing her. “It was a question about Unforgiveables,” he said frankly. “I was supposed to discuss their use and possible justification. It ... uh ... brought back some memories, that’s all.” To his horror, he could feel a hot scratchy lump catching at his throat, and looked away from her.

“What memories?” she persisted gently.

He closed his eyes tight, willing the tears away but the picture of his granddad’s glee mingled with his dad’s terror kept pushing into his mind.

“What memories?” she asked again, and this time her felt her hand on his face wiping away the stubborn tears now leaking from his eyes.

“Granddad taught me the Cruciatus Curse,” he replied, now shaking. “It was before I had a wand. Merlin, I was only five, but he kept on about its power. I used to pick up sticks and practise. He found it funny and encouraged me.”

“Oh Scorpius,” Lily breathed, not sounding at all disgusted or horrified or any of the things he thought she’d be. “It’s okay, really it is.”

“What, you used the Cruciatus when you were five, did you?” he asked bitterly. “You wanted to make things writhe in pain.”

“Um, well,” she said, a slight quaver in her tone. “I used to want to hex Al and James all the time. And James invented this game once where we had to Imperio each other. I mean it didn’t work �“ we were just kids �“ but it used to keep us amused.”

He opened his eyes, staring at her sweet face. “And your parents didn’t mind? My mum went ballistic when she found out what Granddad had done.”

Lily snorted then hurriedly straightened her face. “Well, Dad gave us this huge lecture about the Imperius Curse, but Mum started laughing and said it was obvious he hadn’t grown up with Fred and George.” She shrugged. “We were little kids messing around. My magic hadn’t even come in.” She edged closer and cupped his face in her hands. “You were only five, Scorpius, and doing something to make your granddad happy.”

She held him, running her fingers through his hair and allowing him to rest his head on her chest. He knew his tears were soaking her robes, but she didn’t seem to care. “How come you always make me feel better, Lily?”


***

Whether it was the lunch, or the talk under the willow tree, or Lily’s presence as he walked back to the Great Hall where his last practical was to be held, Scorpius wasn’t sure, but he felt reasonably calm as he waited for his name to be called. Lily’s last exam, held in the draughty History of Magic classroom, wasn’t due to start for an hour, so she stayed, despite his protestations that he was fine now.

“Macmillan, Malfoy, Potter and Selwyn,” intoned the witch conducting the roll call.

Scorpius stood up, feeling his palms start to sweat as he gripped his wand. What if he mucked this up as well? What if he dropped his wand? Or didn’t hear the instructions properly? He swallowed, aware he was shaking, but just then, a friendly hand slipped into his. “I’ve got to go,” Lily whispered, “but you’re going to be brilliant. Just imagine it’s another Quidditch match, and you’re about to get the Snitch.”

He couldn’t quite manage a smile, but he muttered a thank you as he entered the Hall.

It was a duelling competition, each facing an examiner as an opponent. Scorpius started off shakily, by firing an easily repelled Jelly-legs Jinx, but was aware that no one else was performing well. Selwyn, a weedy-looking wizard from Ravenclaw, completely failed to remember the counter-curse to the Body-bind Spell and was left struggling for several minutes before he released himself. Ben had thrown off a hex, but his left foot was tapping uncontrollably, and Albus had doggedly fired Disarming Spells at the examiner only to see them blocked.

Swallowing, Scorpius doubled his efforts, realising that if he was distracted by the others, then he’d never finish off his opponent.

“Confundo!” he heard the examiner shout.

Spinning to avoid the spell and grasping his wand, Scorpius cried, “Rictusempra!” and beamed when he saw the hex hit the examiner square on the chest. His opponent’s wand flew through the air towards him, and he snatched at it as if it were the Snitch then strolled over to the examiner to hand it back.

“Very good, Mr Malfoy,” wheezed the man. “Now I’d like you to go behind that screen and identify the footprints of dark creatures, whilst I recover my breath.”

Scorpius grinned. He was the first of his four to finish his duel, and was pleased the dark creatures had come up in the practical, having read this book in his grandfather’s library every summer ...

Granddad...

No, he wouldn’t think of him.

“Well done!” the examiner called when he left the table having successfully identified every animal and then answered several quick fire questions on the best defence against each one. “That almost completes your practical, Mr Malfoy. However ...” He smiled in a condescending manner. “I have been told that the esteemed Harry Potter visited your class to teach the Patronus Charm. Of course, hardly anyone can cast one �“ even at N.E.W.T. level �“ but are you able to demonstrate any sort of ability in that direction?”

Smoothing a blank expression on his face, Scorpius stepped forwards and focused his attention on a happy thought. Then, quickly, he thrust his wand forwards, thought of catching the Snitch, and cried ‘Expecto Patronum!’ Silver dust erupted from his wand tip and swirled about him, but there was nothing corporeal.

“Not bad, Mr Malfoy,” said the examiner, turning his back and filling something in on a clipboard.

“No, wait!” Scorpius called, and then, without waiting for the go ahead, he cleared his mind of everything except the feel of Lily’s lips as he kissed her, and shouted again, “Expecto Patronum!”

This time the air was thick with silver. This time a very real form emerged triumphant from his wand. It leapt across the hall, circling the examiner, until finally returning to Scorpius. He crouched down, petting the vixen even as it disappeared under his hand.

The examiner started to clap. “Excellent,” he declared, smacking his lips together.

Scorpius heaved a sigh of relief as he left the Hall from the side entrance. If the mark was only dependent on the practical, he reckoned he’d just earned at least an Exceeds Expectations.

Without Lily as a buttress, Scorpius was unsure whether to hang around for the others. He saw a waft of silver mist in the Hall, and thought it had been Albus who’d attempted a Patronus, but wasn’t sure a form had emerged. He sat on the ground outside the Hall, slightly apart from the other N.E.W.T. students who’d finished and wondered whether to stay and wait, or go back to Slytherin.

“Glad that’s over,” Ben called out to him as he sauntered over to him. “Aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Scorpius agreed, although somewhere inside he was feeling flat. “We can celebrate now. End of school and everything.”

“Merlin, we’re grown-ups!” Ben said.

“Do you know what you’re doing after Hogwarts, Ben?” Scorpius asked, realising he didn’t actually know much about the Head Boy despite being at school with him for seven years.

“Good question,” Ben murmured. “I applied to the Auror department, but didn’t get accepted, and am waiting to hear about International Affairs.” He shrugged. “It’s all dependent on my N.E.W.T. results, but if that fails I can always follow dad into the family business.”

“What’s that, then?”

“Antiques and book restoration,” Ben replied. “Bit dull, really, but Dad likes it.”

“What about you, Potter?” Scorpius asked, when Albus joined them.

“Uh ... well, it’s early days and I don’t know if I’ll be accepted, but I’d like to be an Unspeakable.”

Ben winked at Scorpius, then turned to Albus. “What do they do, exactly? It’s a bit of a mystery to me.”

“It’s in the Department of Mysteries,” Albus explained patiently. “They investigate unexplained phenomena. It’s all very complex and I can’t really speak about it.”

“Probably because it’s unspeakable,” agreed Scorpius, then grinned as Ben started to laugh.

Albus screwed up a sheet of parchment from his pocket and threw it at Scorpius. “Stop taking the piss,” he protested. “It’s a good job.”

“Only if you can keep your mouth shut,” Scorpius retorted and started to laugh again. “Shit, I’m sorry, but the thought of you not yelling is making me cry.”

“It’s only you I yell at!” Albus shouted.

“And your sister. And the Gryffindor team after Hufflepuff beat you!” Ben put in.

“They deserved it!” Albus exclaimed, but started to laugh. He lay on the grass watching the clouds scud across the sky. “Are you going to work for my dad, Malfoy?”

“Probably.” Scorpius hunched his knees up to his chest as he thought about his options. “My parents will be moving into the Manor soon, so I’ll need a wage if I want to find somewhere to live.”

Albus sat up and stared at him. “Are they kicking you out because you’re seeing my sister?”

Scorpius shook his head. “My grandma will still be living there. She doesn’t want to see me, so it’s probably best I make the break now.”

“But is this because of Lily?”Albus persisted.

Scorpius shrugged. “It’s more the fact that I don’t want to live that way. Grandma wants me to marry.” He smirked. “I’m eighteen and don’t particularly want to marry anyone, but especially not the girls my Grandma approves of.” He stretched his hands above his head and yawned. “I think I’ll go back to Slytherin. I promised the Zabinis I’d let them know when I was finished.”

“You celebrating tonight?” Albus called.

“There’s a few fifth-years in Slytherin that need corrupting,” Scorpius replied, not adding that he hoped to slope off somewhere with Lily first. Albus Potter may have been treating him as a normal person, but he was still her brother and Scorpius had no idea how he’d react if he knew exactly what thoughts Scorpius harboured for his sister.


The common room was empty when he got back, so Scorpius kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the sofa, trying to work out where to take Lily tonight. He couldn’t risk Hogsmeade, and the Greenhouses were only really conducive to having a snog. Because it was the end of the exams, he imagined most fifth and seventh years would be busting into disused classrooms. He needed somewhere private ...

The door opened, and he opened his eyes to find himself staring straight at Johnson Vaisey. He wondered whether to get up and return to his dormitory because if Johnson was with Ariadne, it would only be a matter of time before he wanted to hex the pair of them. But Johnson was alone and looked hesitant as he stepped through the door.

“How was your last exam?” he muttered.

“Fine,” Scorpius replied, and turned his head away.

“Good.”

A silence descended on the room. It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly, and Scorpius didn’t feel as if Vaisey were about to hex him again, but it was awkward.

“How was your last exam?” he asked politely. “Arithmancy, wasn’t it?”

“Cocked it up,” Vaisey said, his voice sounding hollow. “Had other things on my mind.”

Scorpius frowned. In all the years he’d known Vaisey, he’d never seen him look quite so despairing. “You all right, Johnson?”

“Uh ...” Vaisey cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology, Scorpius.”

“For half killing me?” Scorpius replied smoothly. “Yeah, I reckon you do.”

“You provoked me!” Vaisey snapped, some of his old fire returning. Then he stepped forwards and sat in the armchair opposite. “I meant for believing Ariadne. I got a letter from Claudine yesterday and she told me what happened at your grandparents over Easter. I confronted Ariadne and we ... uh ... split up last night.”

“Sorry,” Scorpius muttered. “I know you liked her.”

“Yeah well, I think I knew she was only trying to make you jealous, so you’d get back with her.” He smiled grimly. “That’s why she hexed that broom, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think she really meant Lily any harm,” Scorpius replied. “She probably thought the broom would buck her off at low-level. But Lily’s a good flyer and could handle it until she flew higher.”

“Are you going to tell Zabini?” Vaisey asked.

Scorpius shook his head. “Lily’s broom hasn’t been found, so I can’t prove anything.”

He could hear footsteps and laughter outside and stood up, not really wanting to make conversation with the rest of his house.

“If I square it with Zabini, do you want to move back in with us?” Vaisey asked, catching his arm as he walked past.

“Uhm, well, I promised the fifth years I’d share some of Aunt Daphne’s Mexican hooch with them, but maybe Sunday,” Scorpius said and grinned at Vaisey. “Be nice to remember all the stuff we’ve got up to in that dorm.”

“We should have a joint celebration,” Vaisey yawned. “I was going to take Ariadne to the Prefect’s Bathroom and screw her senseless �“ booked it ages ago �“ but now...” he sighed, “... I think I’d just like to get completely hammered.”

***

“How did you manage to swing this?” Lily asked in awe. “I thought you had a rota for the Prefect’s Bathroom.”

“There is.” Scorpius smirked. “But I happen to know that the person who reserved it isn’t going to make it, so ....” He trailed off and pushed open the door. “Why don’t we have some fun?”

She giggled. “When you said to bring a swimming costume, I thought you meant the lake. I know it’s June, but it’s still cold at night, I didn’t know what you were planning.”

“Have you got one?” She nodded. “Good, then you can get changed over there,” Scorpius replied and pointed to a hastily arranged curtained off area.

Once she was behind the screen, he set to work turning on the taps, adding scented bath foam, and arranging floating candles along the walls. He was just festooning the surface of the water with rose-petals, when she emerged, looking absolutely gorgeous in a flowery bikini but also nervous.

“Wow,” she breathed. “This looks lovely.”

“Water is glorious,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “Fancy a dip?”

She smiled shyly, took his hand and together they entered the large steaming bath. “It’s deep?” she exclaimed. “I can barely touch the bottom.”

He started to chuckle. “Haven’t you ever been here before? I would have thought one of your cousins would have given you the password.”

“Why would I want to go with them?” she said and laughed as she swam out of his grasp.

In the soft candle light, he could see her skin glistening and her eyes shining as she took in the sight and smell of the place. “The bubbles smell of apple,” she said, in delight.

“Of course,” he murmured, swimming slowly towards her. “What else would I use for my Apple-Queen?”

She allowed him to glide towards her, let him put his arms around her, and then she wound her legs around his waist as he started to kiss her. His senses reeled as her lips strayed to his neck, and with one hand, he slowly pulled down her bikini strap, pressing his lips to her shoulder, and cupping her breast in his hand. “You okay with this?” he muttered, kissing her breast.

“Yes,” she whispered, and moaned when one of his hands began tracing small circles across her stomach, whilst the other removed her bikini top entirely.

In a movement he hoped was smooth, Scorpius lifted Lily into his arms, carried her out of the bath and across to a large pile of soft towels in the corner. “I’ll take this slowly,” he whispered, “or I can stop now.”

“You don’t have to stop,” she said, her voice as soft as the lapping water. His hand strayed downwards, fingers slipping underneath her bikini bottom and she began to moan, caught up in her moment as he teased her.

He couldn’t remember much more. His mind and senses melded together and all he was aware of was her mouth parting as she gasped, her legs twined around him, and the slippery scent of her excited body as he lost himself totally in this act with her.

Afterwards he held her close, his hand splaying on her belly, and waited for his heart to stop thudding. “Sorry,” he murmured.

“What for?”

“Hurting you,” he whispered, remembering the shock that had flickered in her eyes. “I tried to be gentle.”

“It was nothing. You forget how many times I’ve been hit with Bludgers.” She laughed slightly and snuggled up to him, trailing her fingers up and down his side.

“Merlin, I’ve never been compared to a Bludger before,” he said, feeling slightly disgruntled.

She kissed him fiercely on the lips. “Shut up, Malfoy. I wanted this to happen.”

“I love you,” he mumbled, burying his face in her neck and wondering if she’d heard.

Lily stopped moving her hand and stared into his eyes. “Do you mean that?”

He smiled down at her, not embarrassed anymore. The last person he’d said that to had been his mum when he was eleven and about to go to Hogwarts. “I love you, Lily Luna Potter, because you’re sweet and good and make everything right.”

“And I love you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy because ... ” She paused and then a wicked smile lit up her face “... because you have a fantastic broom.” She giggled, then shrieked when he nipped her earlobe. She lifted her hand and with one fingertip, traced the shape of his face, lingering on the small bump on his nose. “I love you, Scorpius, because, despite what you say, you are good and brave and you make me feel amazing.”

His Aunt Daphne had not been lying about the strength of the Mexican Tequila she’d sent him, and it was a still bleary-eyed and heavily hungover Scorpius that sat at the breakfast table on Monday morning �“ a good two days after he’d first cracked it open and shared it with his fellow Slytherins. Opposite him, grinning ruefully, sat Vaisey who, although looking rather green, was tucking into a huge cooked breakfast.

“How the hell can you eat, Johnson? You must have shipped down far more of that stuff than me.”

“Stone-lined stomach,” Vaisey muttered and belched.

“Merlin, you’re repulsive! I’m starting to regret moving back in with you.”

Vaisey grinned. “Where are the fifth years this morning?”

“No idea, but Rokeby’s still trying to get the smell of puke out of his trunk,” Scorpius replied. He started to laugh, but stopped because it made his head hurt. “Do you think Madam Bones will give me something to help?”

“Nope,” Vaisey replied cheerily, adding in a voice reminiscent of the matron. “Self-inflicted, Mr Malfoy.”

“I bet she’d dish something out if one of the girls asked her,” Scorpius grumbled and glanced across to the Gryffindor table where Rose was looking remarkably perky. “She was as out of it as a Flobberworm last night. I saw her sharing wine with Macmillan.”

“Probably magicked up a potion,” Vaisey said and yawned. “You know what the Head Girl’s like �“ everything prepared in advance.” He carried on eating, mopping up his egg yolk with a slice of fried bread; Scorpius felt his insides churn and reached for some orange juice. “Anyway, why are you up so early, Malfoy? You could have stayed in bed.”

“My granddad’s will is being read and I’m ‘required to attend’,” he muttered, quoting the official letter he’d received on Saturday morning.

“Will he have left you a lot?” Vaisey asked bluntly.

Scorpius shrugged. “No idea. There’s some crap associated with the estate. I should be getting a wedge when I’m twenty-one, or if I marry, but that doesn’t have anything to do with Granddad’s personal will. Dad’s the heir, I expect it will all go to him on the proviso he looks after Grandma.”

He spoke casually, hoping Vaisey didn’t realise quite how nervous he was feeling about today’s meeting. He was required to go to the Ministry of Magic at eleven o’clock, and as Professor Zabini would be teaching at that time, Scorpius was going alone. Mrs Zabini had offered to accompany him, but he’d politely declined knowing that her presence as both a half-blood �“ who had tainted a pure-blood line �“ and a journalist was likely to set his grandmother into paroxysms of rage before they even made it to Mrs Weasley’s office.

He frowned as he thought about the location of the meeting. When asked, Rose had looked puzzled and told him that as far as she knew wills were normally read out at the convenience of the heirs and at their home. A reading at the Ministry and by Madam Weasley, no less, seemed to indicate that this was an important matter.

“Good morning!” called a chirpy voice in his ear.

Scorpius groaned and slowly turned his head to see Lily grinning at him as she stood with her friends. “Have we got a bad head this morning?”

“I have no idea about the state of yours,” he complained, “but I feel as if I’ve been clubbed on the head by a Troll.”

She laughed. “You had a good time then?”

“So-so. And you?” he asked, hoping her girls’ night only in her dormitory had been just that.

“Lots of fun with make-up and face packs,” she declared airily. “And apart from Cherylanne insisting on singing that awful cover of the Weird Sisters song over and over, it was good.”

“I only sang that to stop you talking about your boyfriend,” Cherylanne replied waspishly and started to walk towards the Gryffindor table. “Lily, come on, you can mess around with Malfoy later.”

But as Lily began to follow, Scorpius caught her hand and drew her down to his lap, despite the fact that Vaisey and the other Slytherins were looking boot-faced at her presence there. “I’ve got the will reading today,” he murmured, “so not sure what time I’ll be back, but maybe we could meet up later.”

“Mmm, I’d like that. What do you suggest?”

He grinned at her, knowing she was thinking he was about to suggest a deserted classroom for a quick bunk-up, or another sortee into the Prefect’s Bathroom �“ and, yes, he would have liked that, but on the other hand ...

“How about we take my Firebolt out?”

“Perfect!” she exclaimed, and in a move he knew was partly to annoy the Slytherins, and especially Ariadne who was glowering at them, she kissed him thoroughly before sliding off his lap and darting to her table.

“That girl is going to get you into a lot of trouble,” muttered Vaisey. “And I don’t mean with the teachers.”

Leaning over the table, Scorpius helped himself to a slice of toast, and smirked as he remembered Saturday afternoon and a very satisfactory meeting in the changing rooms. “She already has, Johnson. But it’s worth it.”

***

The room at the Ministry set aside for their meeting was obviously Madam Weasley’s private office. That much could be evinced by the set of photographs on her desk featuring not just Rose and Hugo, but a large beaming man that Scorpius recognised as her husband. It was a tidy desk, and the shelves behind were arranged neatly. It wasn’t alphabetical, he realised, but he was pretty sure there was a method attached to Madam Weasley’s filing system.

He’d arrived ten minutes ahead of time, hoping he could take his seat and act nonchalant when he saw his family, but when he’d entered the office, both his parents and his grandmother were already seated.

“Nice of you to turn up,” his father said curtly. Then he did a double take, looking him up and down. “You look bloody awful. Have you been fighting again?”

“Only with a bottle of Aunt Daphne’s tequila,” Scorpius replied smoothly. “I’m afraid it won.”

“Drinking,” his grandmother said archly. “I might have known.”

“I was celebrating the end of my exams, Grandma,” he snapped back. “I did particularly well in my Defence against the Dark Arts practical and managed to conjure a corporeal Patronus. Would you like to know the form it took?”

“I presume you’re going to tell us whether we ask or not,” Draco said, sounding on edge. Beside him, Astoria removed her hand from his and gestured for Scorpius to sit in the chair next to her. He did so, but pulled it further away.

“I’d like to know, darling,” she said. “That’s quite an achievement even at N.E.W.T. level.”

“It’s a vixen,” Scorpius replied, loading his voice with irony. “They have a lot of red fur. Funny that, isn’t it?”

Before his father could answer, or his grandma do anything other than fix an icy glare on him, the door opened and Madam Weasley entered the room.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said, not sounding in the least remorseful as she sat behind her desk. “I had a few last minute issues with another case �“ fortunately not as complex as this one, but distracting all the same.”

“Yes, yes, Granger, we get that you’re important and you’re deigning to see us,” Draco said sarcastically.

“It’s Weasley, now,” she remarked placidly. “Although you, Malfoy, may call me Madam, if you’d rather.”

A small sound like a giggle appeared to emanate from his mum, and as Scorpius looked at her, he could see her covering her mouth with her fist.

Unperturbed by his grandmother’s expression of disgust that her son was being treated in this manner, Hermione Weasley withdrew two large scrolls from her briefcase, and set them on the desk in front of here.

“I apologise, also, for the delay in reading the will of the deceased,” she said calmly. “As you probably know, all wills are studied by the Ministry for twenty-eight days, and then the probate begins. However, there were certain irregularities that we needed to investig-”

“My father had no more Dark Artefacts,” Draco interrupted. “The whole of Malfoy Manor was thoroughly searched as a condition of us not being sent to Azkaban. You know this, Granger, so what is the irregularity? Unless it’s just a desire to hack me off.”

She smiled wintrily at him, and then her eyes flickered towards Narcissa before settling back on Draco. “I have no desire to annoy you, Malfoy. You are quite right that the ‘irregularities’ had nothing to do with the personal possessions in the will, but rather to do with an amendment, which required the department to search for the Malfoy Estate documents.”

She turned to Narcissa. “Madam Malfoy, I believe you were present when the deceased added a codicil to his will.”

“That is correct,” she replied stiffly. “It was shortly after Easter. My husband wished to change something.” She glared at Scorpius, who felt his heart start to thump.

“Yes, I can see that,” Madam Weasley replied, and turned to Scorpius. “Your grandfather added a clause in his will concerning your entitlement from the estate. I understand you’re entitled to a legacy amounting to fifty thousand Galleons when you turn twenty-one, or if you marry.” Scorpius nodded. “Your grandfather wished to change this. He couldn’t alter the amount or remove you from the Malfoy legacy, but he did add a clause saying that in the event of you marrying a non pure-blood, then all monies would be returned to the estate.”

“WHAT!” Scorpius stood up, suddenly roused to anger, his hangover forgotten as he faced his dad. “You knew this, didn’t you? That’s why you kept telling me to call it off with Lily. What the hell!”

“Sit down!” Draco ordered. “I had no idea about this, Scorpius, although it seems logical given my understanding of the inheritance of our ancestral home.”

His mother touched his hand, and slowly Scorpius sat back down again. Fifty thousand Galleons �“ Merlin, it was a lot to give up.

“Ah yes,” Madam Weasley continued, and smiled again, this time taking in Scorpius. “That brings me to the second irregularity. On reading Lucius Malfoy’s last will and testament, I dug out the estate documents which detail the line of succession and the inheritance of the Manor.” She licked her lips and took a sip of water before continuing. “Malfoy Manor can only be inherited by pure-bloods. Anyone who marries out or has a child with a non pure-blood is automatically disinherited.”

“And where is the irregularity in that?” Narcissa questioned. “It has been a requirement for generations, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Madam Weasley raised one eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, she turned to Draco. “The irregularity is that this document was tampered with fairly recently. None of the wording has been altered. We’ve run stringent tests on it, which is why this has taken so long, but someone certainly broke the seal on the scroll and read the details.”

“What difference does it make if nothing has been altered?” Draco demanded.

“Are you telling me that if I marry out or have a kid with a half-blood then I can’t inherit anything?” Scorpius interjected, trying to make sense of these revelations. She nodded at him, a small sympathetic smile on her face. “That’s outrageous!”

“It makes a difference because it is irregular, Malfoy, and that type of thing always puzzles me,” Madam Weasley replied. She turned her attention back to Scorpius. “Sorry, it is an odd quirk of mine to always look much deeper than strictly necessary. Besides, I haven’t said you can’t inherit anything. It was merely your grandfather’s intention.”

He saw his grandmother’s look of bewilderment and wondered if it mirrored his own. “My husband had a perfect right to dispose of his money in any way he thought fit. He was the head of the Malfoy family, after all.”

“Oh yes, I know that, Madam Malfoy,” Hermione said softly. “The thing is, that under 2010 Equality in Blood-Status Act, wills are no longer allowed to exempt someone from an entitlement based on their blood status. You, Scorpius , could marry a ... a ... Thestral, and you would still be entitled to the money because you are a legitimate Malfoy heir. Your grandfather was badly advised when he added the codicil.” She smiled again, and this time he saw a hint of mischief in her eyes. “If the deceased hadn’t added the part about marrying a pure-blood, but had delayed the legacy until you were thirty, citing your irresponsibility �“ or something, then it could well have escaped my notice and would have got through, but he didn’t.”

“What about Malfoy Manor?” Astoria asked, speaking for the first time. “Is Scorpius still the heir?”

Madam Weasley took a breath and twisted a smile at Astoria. “At the moment, yes, he is, but unfortunately, I cannot apply the law retrospectively. Scorpius, if you do marry a non pure-blood, then as it stands, I’m afraid you lose all claim to Malfoy Manor.”

“The old bastard,” Scorpius murmured and slumped back in his chair.

His grandmother smiled triumphantly. “My husband had proper pride. The Malfoys always did.” She stood up, her head held high, and turned to her son. “Draco, I wish to return to the Manor now that this sordid business has ended. As your examinations are finished, Scorpius, I expect you to leave Hogwarts early and join us.” She smiled at him, mockingly. “Fifty thousand Galleons is nothing compared to the Manor. You’ll soon see sense.”

“You can go bollocks!” Scorpius exclaimed. “There’s no way I’m putting up with your matchmaking attempts.”

“Scorpius, perhaps it’s best you do as your grandmother �“” his mum whispered.

“You as well! ” he shouted, outraged and hurt that his only ally was turning against him. “Thanks, Mum, I thought you were on my side.”

“It’s a stupid infatuation,” she said. “You’ll have broken up with her in weeks. She’s only sixteen.”

“Like you were when Dad knocked you up,” he replied rudely.

“Don’t you DARE speak to your mother like that!” Draco roared, reaching across and grabbing Scorpius by his robe lapels.

“Enough!” Madam Weasley ordered, rapping her hand hard on the desk, and brandishing her wand. “Malfoy, you will not start anything in my office, unless you want me to finish it.” His father’s hand twitched on his robe as he glanced across to her. “Do not tempt me, Draco, you know what I can do!”

Draco stared at Scorpius, his grey eyes flickering coldly. Then he released him and, taking his mother’s arm, stormed out of the office. After shooting him an exasperated look, but saying nothing, Astoria followed, leaving Scorpius alone with Madam Weasley.

“Thanks,” he muttered, “but I could have handled Dad.”

“Mmm, no doubt,” she replied, “but I didn’t want my files caught in the crossfire.”

“Is it true about the money? It’s still mine?”

She nodded, then took another sip of her water. “How much difference would it make if you had been left disinherited?”

“Uh ...” He thought carefully, knowing he could probably lie his way out of this and Lily’s aunt would think he was a decent human being, but something about her stare unnerved him. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s a lot of money to lose, especially if Lily and I might not make it past a year.”

“Indeed.”

“But -” He leant forward, hoping she’d believe he was sincere. “I don’t want them telling me how I’m supposed to live. It was what turned my father into a Death Eater. If I do what they tell me now, then I won’t have any sort of life of my own, Madam Weasley.”

“Good for you,” she replied, “and you can call me Hermione. Now how about some tea?”

He nodded, and waited whilst she called on one of her clerks to fetch a pot and two cups. “I could ask Bletchley for some of his hangover potion, if you’d like,” she teased. “You look rather like my husband after a night out with the boys.”

“End of exam celebra ... uh ...” He stopped speaking as something slid into place. “Sorry, who did you say?”

“Miles Bletchley. He’s the senior clerk in my office. Been here for years. Do you know him?”

“No, but I know his niece,” Scorpius replied grimly. “Madam ... uh ... Hermione, Ariadne Bletchley was my girlfriend. I finished with her when I started seeing Lily, but for the past few months she’s been trying to get back with me.” He smiled sheepishly. “I had thought it was my dynamic personality, but um ... if he was the one that tampered with the estate document ...”

“You think he told his brother?” Hermione asked.

“Well, it would explain why she’s been running after me,” he finished lamely, unsure she believed him.

“It would indeed, although I believe my niece is enamoured of your ‘dynamic personality’,” she said, with a warm smile that made her seem a lot less intimidating. “Thank you, Scorpius. That has been very helpful. Tell me, are you going to take the clerk position with Harry?”

“Well, it looks like my best option,” he muttered. “I’ve not given him an answer yet, though.”

“His office is the next floor up,” she replied. “You could give him the news now. I never really saw the appeal of the Auror Department, but I think it will suit you very well.”

***

It was nearly the end of the year and the June sunshine shone down on the grounds of Hogwarts giving those students who had no lessons, plenty of time to idle away the hours together. Scorpius and Lily were lying on the grass, staring at the largely cloudless sky and simply enjoying being in each other’s company.

“Scorpius,” Lily murmured.

“Mmm,” he replied, turning his face towards hers and noticing she had rather a serious expression on her face. “What’s up?”

“This business with Malfoy Manor...”

“I told you, Lily. It doesn’t concern you. I could easily just refuse to get married and not have any children. That way I could inherit the Manor and then burn the bloody place down.”

“No, it’s not that,” she said. “I just wondered what would happen if you were disinherited. I mean, who would inherit?”

Scorpius shrugged. “Nearest pure-blood Malfoy relations. Dad’s an only child, though, and Granddad’s brother died without having any children. I think there’s a dotty aunt somewhere, but she was never talked about. Probably married a Muggleborn like Andromeda.”

“So if there’s no pure-blood relative, what happens next?”

Scorpius yawned. “Not really sure. Your aunt seemed to think it would go to the Ministry and they’d sell it off.” He propped himself up on one elbow and grinned down at her. “Are you going to start saving up, baby Potter?” he teased, and started to kiss her.

“Don’t call me that, Scorpy,” she murmured, but kissed him back.

Sliding his hands to her waist, Scorpius pulled her close until he was half lying on top of her and nuzzled her neck. “Are you going off me now I’m not necessarily the heir to a huge manor?”

“Yes,” she breathed, sliding her hand onto his thigh and laughing when he groaned. “Can’t you tell?”

“If you don’t stop doing that,” he muttered, “then it’s going to take more than Mrs Zabini and her water jet to break us up.”

Lily laughed and pushed him off. “We could swim in the lake. That will cool you down.”

“I don’t want to cool down,” he called after her, as she wandered down to lakeshore stripping off her t-shirt and shorts to reveal her flowery bikini. “And you wearing that particular outfit doesn’t help at all!”

She waved to him from the waters’ edge, then broached the lake, swimming with bold strokes. Steadily he got to his feet and stripped to his shorts. “I forgot to tell you,” he said, wading out to her. “I got an invitation to Teddy’s wedding in the post this morning. He even said I could bring a guest.”

“Are you going to?” she asked as she floated on her back her long red hair splayed out like a mermaid’s.

“Nah,” he replied, and grinned. “Thought I’d try my luck with the bridesmaid.”

“Dominique is choosy,” Lily said. “And I don’t think she goes for blonds.”

“Well it’s a bloody good job that it’s the gobby redhead I fancy, isn’t it?” he mocked, and diving under the water he swam underneath her, surfacing on her other side.

“Bloody good job,” she agreed, treading water in front of him.

He reached across and smoothed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “I wish you weren’t going away,” he muttered. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too,” she sighed. “But it’s only for two weeks, and you’ll be busy looking for a place to live.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, thinking of the task ahead. Since accepting the clerk’s position and informing his mum that he would be starting his job in August, the complete lack of reaction from her, or the rest of his family, had irritated Scorpius. Their London house had been sold and his belongings were currently boxed up at Malfoy Manor, where his parents had taken over residence. Astoria had written to him, moaning about the colour scheme and her plans to landscape the garden, but she had not asked after Lily or congratulated him on the job. Instead, she seemed to be sticking her head in the sand and ignoring anything remotely disagreeable. As this was his mum, who had never been backwards at poking the proverbial rattlesnake, he wondered if something was wrong, or whether this was just part of a greater plan.

“This time tomorrow, we’ll be on the train,” Lily said, interrupting his thoughts. “It will be your last trip. Are you going to miss it?”

“It’s been part of my life for seven years, Lily. Of course I will,” he replied, then grinned at her. “I thought I might break with tradition and sit with the Gryffindors. Do you think that will be okay?”

“Wonderful,” she said. “You can rescue me from Harry Cootes.”

***

“Lily Luna Potter, when you’ve quite finished, I’d like to get home!” Ginny Potter’s voice rang out across platform nine-and-three-quarters.

“Mum,” Lily wailed as Scorpius reluctantly released her. “We’re not going to see each other for ages.”

“Two weeks, Lily,” Ginny replied scornfully, taking her arm. She smiled at Scorpius. “We’re only in France, so I’m sure my daughter will send you a postcard, and we’ll see you at the wedding, if not before.”

“Thanks, Mrs Potter,” he replied, relinquishing his hold on Lily’s other arm, but quickly giving her another kiss and ignoring her mother’s rolled eyes. “Have fun,” he whispered, “and I’ll see you in two weeks.”

As Lily sighed and walked off with her mum, brother and cousins, Scorpius stared after her, watching until at last she’d disappeared through the barrier. Then, dragging his trunk across to the side of the platform, he dug out a list of addresses given to him by the Ministry.

“Sorry I’m late, darling. I was hideously delayed in Twilfit and Tattings. You would not believe the mess they’ve made of the new curtains I ordered. Have you been waiting long?”

He looked up to see his mum standing in front of him. “Uh, hello. I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Scorpius replied and awkwardly bent his head to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I want to meet the train. And your father would have as well, only he’s stuck with some extremely tedious estate business.”

“Why are you here, though?” Scorpius asked. “I thought I’d told you that I’m moving into a flat.”

“Did you?” she said vaguely and took the list from his hand. “You don’t appear to have actually found anything yet, darling. And some of these addresses are in the worst possible places.”

“They’re Ministry approved,” he said, trying to get the list back from her, but she tucked it away in her pocket. “Mum, I want to take a look at some of them.”

“It’s six o’clock in the evening, Scorpius. I don’t think anyone’s going to let you look around now.”

“Well, I was going to book into the Leaky Cauldron for a night or two.”

Astoria raised her eyebrows. “You have money to burn then, darling? Only I’m sure you haven’t been paid before you start your little job, have you?”

“I have money,” he said haughtily, jingling the Galleons in his pocket that Fred had given him for the information. “And it’s in the Auror department, so that’s hardly a ‘little job’, is it?”

Astoria sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just don’t want it to be like this with you and your father not talking. Living at Malfoy Manor with your grandmother in situ is a nightmare and I could really do with your support.”

“Mum,” he complained, “I can’t live at the Manor. You know what she’ll be like.”

“Just for a few days,” Astoria pleaded. “Come on, Scorpius, I’ll even help you look for a place to live.”

He closed his eyes, knowing when he was beaten. “Sure, lead the way.”


It was, he discovered as soon as he’d Apparated to the Manor, a monumental error on his part to have trusted his mother. He landed perfectly, in the drawing room, along with his trunk, to see his dad and grandmother sat at the table, obviously waiting for him. His grandmother clapped her hands for the house-elf, and ordered that Scorpius’ trunk should be taken to his room and unpacked. Then she commanded Scorpius to sit down.

“Why?”

“Because I say so, and we would like a chat.”

“Perhaps I don’t want to chat,” Scorpius replied and started to yawn. “It’s been a long day and you know how tiring travelling can be.”

“Sit down, Scorpius,” thundered his dad.

Scorpius sat.

“That’s better,” his grandma said smiling. “Now then, Scorpius, here are the ground rules. While you are staying in my house �“ ”

“Your house?” Scorpius said and raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, I thought Dad was head of the household.”

“As I was saying,” Narcissa continued, completely ignoring him. “Whilst you are living here, you will not invite anyone without my express approval, and you will make yourself agreeable to my guests.”

“Like the Bletchleys?” Scorpius snorted. “No chance, Grandma.” He stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll tell the house-elf to stop unpacking. I’m not staying for this.”

“Oh no, Scorpius,” he heard her say in a voice that made his insides curdle. “You cannot leave here. I forbid it.”

“How are you going to stop me?” he said, then started laughing. “I can Apparate out of here with or without my trunk!” To prove his point, he turned sharply on the spot and thought of Diagon Alley ... but nothing happened.

Narcissa laughed. “There is an Anti-Apparition jinx surrounding the house, Scorpius. You cannot leave.”

“I’ll take the Floo.”

“It’s been disconnected,” she rapped.

“Then I’ll fly.”

“The house elf has already disposed of your broom, Scorpius. You will not be flying anywhere for a long time.” She turned to Draco. “Ridiculous sport, I still don’t understand why your father encouraged him.”

“You’ve destroyed my Firebolt!” Scorpius shouted, rage at this infraction burning at his gut. “How dare you! That was mine. You can’t bloody do this!”

“Yes, Scorpius,” his dad said, sounding weary and not at all triumphant. “We can do this because we think it’s in your best interests.”

“But I’m starting a job in six weeks!” Scorpius protested. “You have to let me leave for that.”

“I’ll tell Potter you’ve changed your mind,” Draco replied. “A clerk’s job isn’t good enough for a Malfoy, anyway.”

“You knew all about this, didn’t you?” Scorpius accused, turning to his mum. “All that crap at the station about helping me find a place to live. It was a lie, wasn’t it?”

She nodded, looking shamefaced, then faced him with a earnest plea in her eyes. “I want what’s best for you, Scorpius. Giving up all of this for an adolescent fling is stupid. You’re not thinking properly.”

“I’m older than you were!” he yelled. “Merlin’s fucking pants, I’m eighteen.”

“Don’t swear at your mother!” shouted his dad.

“Stop treating me like a fucking eight year old, then!” Scorpius shouted back and withdrew his wand. “You can’t keep me a prisoner like this. I’m of age!”

“Don’t be silly, Scorpius,” his grandmother said calmly, barely raising an eyebrow when he faced her. “You may go anywhere you please, as long as you stay in the confines of the Manor.”

He took a breath and stared at them all. His mum wouldn’t look at him, but his father stared back, his face implacable in the face of Scorpius’ rage.

“What would you have done, Dad, if Mum had been a half-blood or a Muggle-born?” he asked in a softer tone.

“That is immaterial,” Draco replied. “I love your mother.”

“Yeah, but would you have loved her if she’d been a ‘Mudblood’?” Scorpius spat, using the reviled term and watching as his mum flinched. “Or would you have forced her to abort me?”

“I wouldn’t have got involved with her in the first place,” Draco replied brutally. He reached out to hold Astoria’s hand, but she’d already turned away.

There was a long silence, and then Scorpius turned and left the room.

“Dinner is at eight o’clock. Don’t be late.”

“Eat without me. I won’t be there,” he retorted, and then stomped up to his bedroom.



He didn’t join them for dinner, despite being extremely hungry and smelling the tortuous scents of his favourite foods wafting up the stairs. But at eleven, when the hunger pangs were threatening to devour him, he crept downstairs to the kitchen.

“Any food available?” he asked the house-elf, who was scurrying about tidying up the kitchen.

He averted his eyes from Scorpius. “The mistress has said the young master is not to be given food if he doesn’t eat with the family. Biffy is not wanting the young master to go hungry,” he squeaked, but broke off and started to hammer his hand with a rolling pin.

“It’s okay, Biffy,” Scorpius said wearily. “You can stop that. I’m not going to eat anything.”

He trudged back to his room, and tried not to think of the stash of chocolate frogs he’d bought for Lily that afternoon when she’d been bemoaning the fact that French chocolate wasn’t as good as English.

“I thought one missed meal would bring you to your senses,” his grandmother remarked the next morning.

“Mmm,” Scorpius replied, piling his plate high with toast and rashers of bacon. “Obviously starving me into submission is the way to go, Grandma.” He looked round the table. “Where’s Mum?”

“Migraine,” Draco replied shortly. “You upset her last night.”

“I upset her,” Scorpius said, raising his eyebrows. “Sorry, Dad, I think the realisation that you wouldn’t have gone near her if she’d not been a pure-blood was more upsetting.” He rose from his seat. “Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m going to my room.”

“You will sit down and indulge in civilised conversation!”

“What are you going to do? Banish my food?”

As soon as he said it, the toast pile on his plate began to vanish. Hastily, he grabbed what he could in his hands and stuffed some in his mouth, then laughing, he loped away from them both and ran to his room. It wasn’t much that he’d manage to salvage, but at least he knew the score. He was supposed to attend meals with them to get enough food. This would stave off the hunger pangs for a while, but he’d have to face them both at lunch.


“We are planning a party, Scorpius. Tell me who you would like me to invite?”

“Let me think, Grandma,” he replied courteously as he started on the chicken pie. “Mmm, this is delicious. Biffy’s pie is always so good.”

“I was thinking the Bletchley girl. You like her well enough.”

He didn’t speak as he loaded his fork with food and began to eat.

“There’s also the Avery girl, from last time, and I believe the Flints have a daughter.”

“Yeah, she’s twelve, Grandma. That shouldn’t bother you, though. I expect you have a book in the library sanctioning pure-blood marriage at that age,” Scorpius murmured under his breath, stuffing more food into his mouth.

“Anyone else?” she asked, not quite hearing him

He paused, pretending to think, yet still loading his fork with food and smuggling a couple of bread rolls under his robes. “There’s the real Felicity Macmillan. She’s not bad for a Hufflepuff.” His grandma nodded approvingly. “And then there’s Lily Potter, Rose Weasley, Roxanne Weasley and ... uh ... well, why not invite Albus Potter? I’m sure you’ll get on just fine.”

Laughing, he ran out of the house and into the garden, heading for the orchard. His grandma may have been able to keep the house-elf from feeding him, but here there were fruit trees, and in July, the early apples were sweet and juicy. He plucked one from a low bough, and examined it. Green on one side, red on the other, the colours mingling in the centre, perfectly complimenting each other. He bit into it, letting the juice trickle down his chin.

“They won’t break me, Lily!” he screamed to the sky.


It was on the seventh day of his incarceration that Scorpius’ confidence started to flag. He’d managed to get enough food by raiding the orchard or answering his grandmother’s questions with just the right amount of interest, but in the afternoon of that day, he was staring out of his bedroom window when something caught his eye. It was Pomme, flying towards him, a message in his claws. Gleefully, he opened his window and prepared to write a note in response, but then something happened. He watched as Pomme tried to fly towards him, but seemed to hit something in the air. He tried flapping his wings higher, or swooping lower, but it was as if there was a barrier between Pomme and Scorpius that stopped him delivering his letter.

“Tell her it’s not my fault!” Scorpius yelled in despair, but Pomme was only an owl and couldn’t speak. He would return to her, having not delivered his message, and Lily would have no clue what was going on. He imagined her biting her lip and wondering whether to send another message. She’d said she’d write every day. What if this was not the first message, but the seventh? How long would she continue to write before giving up?

There was a knock at the door. “GO AWAY!” he yelled.

“Scorpius, it’s me,” his mum said. “Please open the door.”

“What, so you can persuade me to marry a bitch like Ariadne!”

“No,” she replied. “Because your father is overseeing something on the estate and Narcissa is having an afternoon nap. But I can’t guarantee she’ll be asleep for long.”

He shuffled over and opened the door. “What do you want?”

“To apologise, above everything,” she replied, her voice regretful.

“You helped them,” he retorted. “Merlin, I thought you of all people would understand.”

She entered the bedroom and sat on the bed, no doubt taking in the fact that Scorpius hadn’t unpacked anything. The walls of his new bedroom remained freshly painted but without posters. Clothes hung in his wardrobe, but they were new and not the ones he particularly liked wearing. His books, unpacked by Biffy, had been thrown back in his trunk. Scorpius refused to make this his home and he hoped his mum could see that.

“I didn’t want you to lose out,” she muttered. “I want everything for you, Scorpius.”

“So me being imprisoned here and forced to marry someone is okay because Malfoy Manor’s attached.”

She sighed and very slowly leant forwards to smooth his hair from his face. “No, it’s not. I realise that now. Malfoy Manor is your father’s dream and mine, but it doesn’t have to be yours.”

“It’s too late though, isn’t it?” he said bitterly. “Grandma and Dad have stopped me from going anywhere and even Lily’s owl can’t get through. I can’t escape from this. It’s no good.”

She smiled lopsidedly at him, and then took a breath. “You can with help,” she whispered.

“What sort of help?”

“Truckle is in the kitchen,” she replied. “Narcissa and your dad don’t know she’s here.”

His eyes widened, and a smile �“ the first proper one for days �“ lilted on his lips. “She can get me out of here, can’t she?”

“Yes, she can,” Astoria replied. “You can go wherever you want, but don’t send her back. The old bat will hex her to bits if she finds out.”

“What about you? Do you want to come with me?”

Astoria smiled at him and held him close. “Your father takes careful managing, darling. I’ve learnt that much after eighteen years. I will be fine because when it comes down to it, he loves me. And he also loves you �“ very much.”

“Really?”

“He just can’t show it right now,” she said as she squeezed his hand, adding briskly, “Right, I suggest you only pack the basics and then go and find Truckle.”


Truckle Apparated him exactly where he needed to go. After stuffing a bag with some clothes and a few books (and cursing the fact that he couldn’t find his Firebolt), he’d given her an address and they’d turned up on the porch, hammering on the door.

“Okay, okay, where’s the fire!” yelled a voice from inside.

Scorpius stood there, relieved when the door opened and Teddy answered, naked except for a towel around his waist. “Merlin, great timing, cousin,” he grumbled, but all the same let him and Truckle in.

“Sorry, I needed somewhere to run to and didn’t know who else I could trust,” Scorpius muttered.

“Sounds serious,” Teddy replied thoughtfully.

“Yeah, it is,” Scorpius said. He was about to tell him the whole story when a female entered the room.

“Teddy,” said the witch, wearing a matching towel. “Are you coming back to �“” She stopped and blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t realise we had company.”

“Victoire, this is Scorpius. Scorpius this is Victoire,” replied Teddy, making the introductions. “I have no idea who the house-elf is, but she seems to have disappeared anyway.”

A clatter from the area of the flat that Scorpius remembered as the kitchen, made him grin. “That’s Truckle. I think you’ll find she’s tidying up.”

“Fantastic!” Victoire exclaimed. “Scorpius, I like you already.”

To Scorpius’ relief, living with Teddy Lupin was easy. Obviously, there were the occasional awkward moments, usually concerning Victoire, who although she hadn’t officially moved in seemed to be very much a fixture. As a newly-qualified Healer, she worked strange shifts and Scorpius was never totally sure when she was around. It was after he’d walked in the bathroom and hastily backed out on discovering she was having a shower, that he learned to knock. And when she turned up at five in the morning, by the Floo in the lounge where he was sleeping, he realised he’d have to start wearing more than pants in bed. She’d laughed at his embarrassment, assuring him that she’d seen it all before, but that day, he’d visited Diagon Alley and bought new pyjamas to replace the ones he’d left behind.

But there was, also, the unfortunate fact that he couldn’t stay here forever. Although Teddy and Victoire said there was no rush (he suspected they were becoming very attached to Truckle), he knew he’d have to find his own place once they were back from their honeymoon. Starting married life with a fugitive cousin under your roof was not ideal, and although Teddy assured him he was welcome to stay, Scorpius did not want to infringe on them much more than he had to.

So it was with great determination, that after visiting Diagon Alley, he walked into the Ministry and asked for the list of approved addresses again. It was a much shorter list, and with a pang, he realised that most of the places had been taken. New Ministry recruits, probably fresh out of Hogwarts like himself, had got there ahead of him.

“Scorpius, is that you?” a woman’s voice called from across the atrium. He looked up to see a witch with dark hair, scrabbling for her glasses as she approached.

“Mrs Tonks,” he said, smiling at her. “Do you work here?”

“Research,” she said, patting a leather bag she was holding. “I was making use of the Ministry library.”

“What sort of research?” he asked politely.

“I write papers for academic magazines,” she replied, and laughed at his obvious surprise. “Before I got married, Scorpius, I was a keen Herbologist and Potioneer. I’m currently investigating the early versions of Wolfsbane. I think our ancestors may have had some good ideas, which could lead to better treatment for those afflicted with lycanthropy.” She paused for breath. “Sorry, I can be ridiculously boring on the subject.”

“Not at all,” he said, and stuck out his hand. “Shall I carry that for you, Mrs Tonks?”

“That is very kind of you. The books I’ve checked out from the library are all rather heavy,” she replied, handing over the bag. “May I buy you a cup of coffee? We could talk, perhaps.”

“Yes,” he said. “I’d like that.”

In the end, Andromeda Tonks bought them both lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. They sat at one of the tables by the window, watching the world go by, while Scorpius regaled her with the story of his incarceration and escape from Malfoy Manor. She didn’t laugh, despite the light spin he put on it, and even frowned when he talked about his grandma.

“Hmm, she sounds quite obsessed with the idea,” Andromeda remarked. “Blood purity was always important in the Black family �“ and to the Malfoys �“ but I don’t remember Cissa being quite as fanatical as the rest of them.”

He considered her words and nodded. “I’d not heard about the pure-blood stipulation in the will before. I knew Grandma and Granddad wanted me to marry someone ‘of good stock’ as they’d put it, but I’d never realised it was vital for the heir to the estate.”

“One of those outdated notions from the past that never got changed, I’m afraid,” Andromeda replied, looking thoughtful. “They blasted me off the family tree for marrying out, and my cousin, Sirius, for daring to think differently. But ...” As Hannah Longbottom approached with their food, Andromeda stopped speaking and waited for her to leave before continuing. “My aunt and uncle had another son to carry their legacy on. And my parents had two dutiful daughters who both married ‘well.’” She sounded bitter; the ghosts of the past flitting in her eyes and Scorpius could see how much she still mourned her lost family.

“So if I wasn’t an only child there wouldn’t be this problem, is that what you’re saying?”

About to start eating, Andromeda hesitated and put her fork down. “Your mother is still young. I expect Cissa will let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that she should have another child.”

Scorpius shook his head. “She can’t have anymore. Something happened when I was born and it’s too dangerous for her now.”

“Well, then, one of you is going to come under extreme pressure to conform,” she warned. “As you’ve fled that particular vipers’ nest, then your father will be next in line.”

“But he married a pure-blood!” Scorpius exclaimed. “She can’t complain about that.”

Andromeda swallowed a forkful of her food. “He married a pure-blood who gave birth to a rebellious child. I suspect my sister will be poisoning your father’s ear and suggesting he finds a more ‘fertile’ wife.”

“No.” His shock was palpable. “That won’t happen. Dad loves Mum. He always has.”

“But Narcissa could make things very awkward for your mother. She might turn tail and flee like you did.”

“I don’t think so,” Scorpius said slowly. He reached across to the breadbasket and started to butter a roll. “She’s tenacious.”

Andromeda returned to her food. “She’ll have to be.”

“Are you saying I should go back?” he asked, dreading the answer but unsure he could risk his mum’s happiness for his own.

She touched his hand softly with her own and smiled gently. “Scorpius, you cannot live a lie. I tried for years and it damn near broke me. Just be prepared for the consequences of your actions.” Tilting her head to one side, Andromeda looked thoughtful. “Be grateful you’re a Slytherin. We have a knack for selfishness which always stops us doing anything foolishly noble.”

They parted at the door of the pub, but before she Apparated away, Andromeda thrust a couple of the old books into his hands. “If you’re at a loose end, why don’t you help me out?”

Surprised, but pleased, Scorpius accepted. “What do I need to do?”

“Just read through these books and see if you can find any references to lycanthropy, werewolves or Wolfsbane.” She smiled ruefully. “The writing is miniscule and my eyesight isn’t as good as it once was. I’ll pay you, of course.”

“Thanks,” he said, pleased because the few Galleons he had in his purse were all he had left.

***

“If you keep looking at your watch, you’ll wear it out,” Teddy teased. “She’ll be here soon enough.”

They were sitting in a cafe just off Diagon Alley, waiting for Lily, Victoire, Dominique and their mother, Fleur, who had taken them all to Madam Malkin’s for the final fitting of their outfits for the wedding. For Scorpius, this last hour had been like torture, and he’d already drunk more than his body weight in coffee as he waited. Self-conscious in the clothes borrowed from Teddy, he was beginning to wish he’d brought some of his better robes with him. Teddy dressed mainly in Muggle clothes because his job in Muggle liaison required him to work in their world as inconspicuously as possible. As Teddy was taller and broader than Scorpius, the robes he’d first tried to borrow had swamped him.

“Jeans,” Teddy said, “are fine turned up, and a belt will keep them from hanging too far down your arse, although there’s plenty of Muggles wear them that way.”

“I’m not completely clueless,” Scorpius grumbled. “I don’t always wear robes, you know.”

“But, Scorpius,” mocked Teddy, “I bet you have no idea how to make them look good.” He stood back, admiring his handiwork. “That looks much better on you than it does me. You can keep it, if you want.”

“Really?” Scorpius smiled. The dark green shirt with a dragon emblazoned across his chest was the only thing of Teddy’s he really liked.

“Mmm, it was a present from Lily’s Uncle Charlie, but I doubt he’ll mind. He sends me loads.”

“They’re late,” Scorpius said as he fidgeted with his belt buckle. “What if something’s happened?”

“They’re women shopping,” Teddy said, laughing. “Something will have happened and that is that Victoire will have seen something she just has to have.”

“Lily’s not like that,” Scorpius said remembering the utter surprise and delight when he’d presented her with the necklace. “She’s quite unmaterialistic.”

Teddy snorted. “She doesn’t have a part-Veela for a mother,” he muttered. Then he grinned. “Victoire’s not that bad, actually. She works bloody hard, and at odd hours, so it’s not surprising she goes a bit loopy when she sees an accessory. You see, to me, one pair of shoes is much like another, but to Victoire, co-ordinating it with her robes, or dress, or even her handbag is really important.” He yawned. “Witches have no real sense of perspective.”

“Whereas a Metamorphmagus who spends longer on his hair than I do, certainly has his priorities right,” cried a voice from behind them.

“Victoire!” spluttered Teddy, knocking his coffee over. “Didn’t see you there. Uh ... have a seat. All of you take a seat and I’ll ... um ... order some more drinks and ... uh mop this up.”

“Allow me,” Mrs Weasley murmured, using her wand to siphon up the coffee. She smiled charmingly at Scorpius. “You must be Lily’s boyfriend. Scorpius, I theenk? I am Fleur Weasley, ‘er aunt . She ‘as been talking about you non-stop and scolding us for taking so long wiz our shopping.”

“Aunt Fleur,” wailed Lily. “Stop it.”

Scorpius grinned and took her hand as she flopped down in the seat next to him, smiling shyly. She looked gloriously the same, except her hair had been gold-kissed by the French sunshine.

“It’s so good to see you,” he whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

“”You, too,” she said. “I was getting worried when Pomme kept returning my messages. Poor thing couldn’t understand why he couldn’t deliver anything to you. Then when Dad said someone in the office had got a message from you telling them you weren’t going to accept the job, I didn’t know what to think.”

“He does know that wasn’t me,” Scorpius said, panicked in case his job had gone.

“He wasn’t sure, but when I told him about Pomme, he wondered if something fishy was going on.” As the waitress walked over to them, taking their order and clearing the table, Lily, under cover of the menu, leant across and kissed him properly on the mouth. “I missed you so much, and if Teddy hadn’t sent that message last Saturday, I was going to risk Splinching, and a letter about underage magic, to come and find you.”

“I was afraid you’d think I’d finished with you,” he muttered. “It was so bloody frustrating not being able to get out of the Manor, and seeing Pomme try to get through to me.”

“Victoire says you’re crashing on Teddy’s couch at the moment,” Dominique said from Lily’s other side. “Can’t be all that comfortable.”

“It’s better than the alternative,” he replied and turned to face her, slightly irritated at her interruption.

Dominique had been in the sixth year when he’d first started at Hogwarts and he only remembered her at all because she’d been a reserve Chaser for Gryffindor. Looking at her now, he saw she had inherited more of the Weasley genes than her Veela mother’s. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t attractive �“ on the contrary, with her darker blonde hair and aquamarine eyes, she was beautiful, but in a less ethereal, more solid way than her mother and sister. She was also far less friendly than Victoire.

“You can’t stay there forever, though, can you?” she said bluntly. “The newlyweds will want their space.”

“Dominique, don’t be so rude!” Victoire protested. “Scorpius is welcome for as long as it takes him to find somewhere. If that’s after the honeymoon, then please don’t think we’re going to throw you out on the street.”

Scorpius swallowed, really unsure what to say in the face of so much generosity. “You’re very kind.”

“You’re Teddy’s cousin,” she said, and leaning across her sister and Lily, she gave his knee a squeeze and grinned at him “Besides we’d miss Truckle too much.”

After lunch, when Fleur was fussing over their purchases, and Dominique was rolling her eyes, Scorpius pulled Lily to one side. “Can we slip away for a while?” he asked. “You could come back to the flat ... or if that’s a bad idea, we could go for a walk through London.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, sounding wistful, “but I’ve been instructed by mum to return as soon as we’re finished.”

He couldn’t deny feeling incredibly disappointed and annoyed that after he’d defied his family, Lily felt unable to disobey her mum. He was about to voice his irritation when she ruffled his hair. “You’re invited, too. My grandparents are visiting and I think they want to check you out.”

And when she smiled up at him like that, delighted that he was getting the Weasley seal of approval, his irritation and disappointment melted away.

***

The story his grandfather had always told him about Arthur Weasley was that the man was ‘a meddling fool’, a ‘blood traitor’ and a wizard with no ‘proper pride.’ Depending on the viewpoint, all of these accusations could be seen as points in his favour, but to Lucius Malfoy, the mere existence of Arthur Weasley had stuck in his craw.

Lily spoke of him with great affection and love. To her, he was the one that had read her fantastical stories about Muggles when her parents were too busy, and had been her refuge when her brothers had teased her beyond angry tears.

To Scorpius, the white haired man sitting in an armchair in the Potters’ sitting room was neither a fool, nor a hero. He was a wizard, who despite his years, was as sharp as a Venomous Tentacula and would not suffer his granddaughter being taken for a ride. Arthur Weasley regarded Scorpius with suspicion, but still held out his hand to him.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he rasped.

“Not all of it good, I should think,” Scorpius replied, trying a joke.

Arthur chuckled. “Over the years, most of it has been downright slanderous. My grandchildren have blamed you for Gryffindor not winning the Quidditch Cup. James, at one point, was convinced you’d taken Felix Felicis.”

“I wish I’d had some the day your granddaughter beat me,” Scorpius said, grinning. “First miss I’d had in years. Although, if I’d made that catch, then we probably wouldn’t have started seeing each other, so I guess I was lucky after all.”

Arthur didn’t answer, but his eyes slid from Scorpius’ face to Lily, who was bringing in a tea tray. She’d changed out of the robes she’d been wearing for shopping and into a yellow sundress. Lowering the tray down to the table, she kissed her granddad on the cheek before pouring out three cups. “What are you talking about?”

“Fate and Quidditch,” Arthur replied. “Wasn’t it after Gryffindor won the Cup that your parents first got together, Lily? Amazing how it leads to the start of so many romances.”

“Or nearly ruins others,” Hermione Weasley said wryly, as she entered the lounge bearing a plate piled high with cupcakes. “Hello Scorpius, it’s good to see you again and under better circumstances.”

“Hermione, my dear,” Arthur said, helping himself to a chocolate cake and nibbling the frosting. “Remind me that I must send an owl to your father. He sent me the most fascinating book on car maintenance. It’s quite got me in the mood to find another Ford Anglia.” He lowered his voice. “Not a word to Molly, eh?”

“You should go and visit him,” Hermione replied. “Since his retirement he’s become obsessed with vintage cars. It drives Mum nuts.”

“You should have invited them over,” Arthur declared, excited, it seemed, at the prospect of conversing with a Muggle.

“Dad managed to get some tickets for a cricket match, Arthur,” she replied. “He’s taken Hugo and Albus with him. You know what Hugo’s like �“ totally obsessed with any sort of sport.”

Scorpius let the conversation flow over him, fascinated at the to and fro between Hermione and Arthur, helped along by the occasional interruption from Lily and Rose when she joined them. He recognised a gentle teasing note in Hermione’s voice when she talked to her father-in-law, but the main undercurrent was a real and genuine affection for the old man. So unlike his mother and granddad. So unlike his father when faced with his Greengrass relations, who Draco had never really got on with, considering them pompous and boring.

“You okay,” mouthed Lily, and he nodded smiling back at her and when she moved to sit on the arm of his chair, he placed his hand in hers, enjoying the contact and just the fact of them being together.

“Arthur Weasley, I can hear you rabbiting on about cars from the kitchen,” announced Molly Weasley as she joined them.

Aware that he was sitting in one of the better chairs, Scorpius leapt to his feet and offered her his seat. Making a noise that sounded very much like a ‘harumph’, Lily’s grandma accepted the seat and poured herself a cup of tea.

Although the same age as her husband, Molly Weasley’s hair retained some of its vibrancy with only a smattering of grey peppering her curls. There was a determined look about her as she assessed Scorpius, a look, which seemed to say that she wasn’t sure of him yet, but she’d give him a chance.

“You’re going to work for Harry, I’ve been told,” she said.

“Er, yes, Mrs Weasley. I start mid-August.”

“And what are you doing in the meantime?”

“Annoying Teddy, mostly,” he replied. “Or having lunch with Aunt Andromeda. She’s got me doing some bits of research for her.”

“Wow!” interjected Rose. “I didn’t think she ever accepted help. She really does like you.”

“Kindred spirits,” Arthur said sagely. Everyone stared at him. “You’ve both defied your families and that takes courage. Andromeda respects that.”

And at that remark, he exchanged a look with his wife and her attitude softened. It wasn’t much, but when she offered him another cup of tea, and pushed the plate of cakes his way, Scorpius felt it was a definite start.


“You have a great garden,” Scorpius said later as he walked around with Lily in the dying afternoon light.

“I like it,” she agreed. “There are lots of places to hide, and we used to have a lot of fun here when we were kids.” She pointed out a plane tree in the far corner. “I used to climb that one to escape my brothers. Gods, they were annoying. Then one day, James saw where I was, and he climbed up after me. I was shrieking at him to stop, but he pulled on my ankle �“” She broke off as she saw him smiling at her. “�“ Sorry, am I boring you?”

“Never,” he reassured her. “Carry on with the story. Did you escape him?”

“No, I lost my grip and fell to the ground.” She grinned when she saw his look of horror. “Or rather I floated. My magic came in at just the right time.” Clutching Scorpius’ hand tighter, she started to run across the lawn, pulling him with her.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Another hiding place,” she said, giggling. “I thought you’d like a bit of time without my family badgering you.” Then, pulling him to the side of the garden, she led him across a stone rockery, ending up behind a rickety looking summerhouse.

“Thank you for today?” she murmured.

“What for? I didn’t do anything.”

“For not complaining. I know you wanted me to come back to the flat with you, but I really couldn’t, not when Mum had made the effort to invite you.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered into her hair as he drew her close. “We’re alone now.” His hands started to slide over her, his fingers slipping under the straps. “You have no idea what this dress is doing to me?”

“Good,” she whispered, and slid her hands under his waistband. “I like these jeans, by the way. You look good in them.”

He tried to reply that they were Teddy’s because most of his clothes were still at the Manor, but the way she was pressing against him made him think she wasn’t that interested in conversation. As his mouth sought hers, his hand found her thigh, whilst she tugged again at his belt.

“Lily, I’ve been sent to �“ whoa-” Hugo broke off as he rounded the corner and clapped his hand over his eyes. “Sorry �“ bad timing.”

Laughing, despite his frustration, Scorpius pulled Lily’s dress straight and tucked his shirt back in, whilst she assured Hugo that they were decent.

Red in the face, Hugo mumbled something about them being back now, adding, “Uh, well, we ... uh ... wondered if Scorpius would like to play cricket with us. But I could easily just turn around and say I can’t find you.”

“We’ll have to go back,” she said regretfully. “Or Grandma will be after you with a bucket of cold water and a Stinging Jinx.”

“It’s cool,” he replied, squeezing her around the waist because actually it was ‘cool’. Hugo and Albus were inviting him to share something, and that hadn’t happened before. “One thing, though, Weasley, what the bloody hell is cricket?”

***

It was the start of something between the three of them, a tentative friendship springing out of a shared enjoyment of a Muggle sport, and not merely because Lily wanted them all to get on. During the dying days of July, Scorpius wiled away much of his time relaxing with Lily, or messing around with the boys, despite the fact that he’d soon discovered cricket was not his game.

“Out again, Malfoy,” whooped Hugo as he bowled out his middle stump. “You just couldn’t hit a ball the size of a dragon!”

“No ball!” shouted Scorpius, protesting to Arthur, who’d been designated as umpire, despite being utterly clueless about the rules.

“Um, ‘fraid not, Scorpius,” Arthur decreed from his deck chair in the garden. “Why don’t you let Freddie have a go now?”

Scorpius left the crease and walked behind the wicket. He wasn’t that annoyed, having soon discovered that his strength was as a fielder where he could catch the Bludger-like ball far easier than he could hit it with a bat. It gave him a grudging respect for Cootes, who, despite being a prat, wasn’t a bad Beater.

When he thought about it, this was a new sensation for him, being a part of something that wasn’t based on his house or family name, and he knew Andromeda had been right. He could not live a lie, not now he’d been shown all of this.

“What’s the matter?” Lily asked him, late one afternoon, when they’d called it quits for the day.

“Nothing,” he reassured her, and holding out his hand, he pulled her down on the grass next to him.

“You look ...” She frowned as she studied his face. “Preoccupied.”

“Exam results next week,” he lied.

“Pfft, you know you’ll be all right,” she retorted, then grinned. “Come on, tell me what the problem is or I’ll send for Mrs Zabini.”

“You would as well,” he said darkly, then started snorting. “It’s nothing. I just realised that I start my job soon, and I still haven’t found anywhere to live. I went to one place yesterday that looked promising but it had just been taken.” He didn’t add that the owner had seemed quite willing to take him in until he told him his name. Then he’d become evasive, his eyes shifty as he told him that the room was unavailable.

“Is that all?”

He tilted his head back, perusing the cloudless sky as he tried to phrase his next words. Next to him, Lily waited, holding her breath as if fearing his revelation. “It’s Mum,” he admitted at last and started to fill her in on the conversation he’d had with Andromeda.

“You think your dad will marry someone else?” Lily asked, amazed. “That’s awful!”

Scorpius shivered. A few months ago, he’d have waged his Firebolt on his parents’ marriage being strong. Beneath the sarcasm and bickering, there was a real genuine affection and �“ embarrassingly �“ passion between his mum and dad. But since his granddad had died, he’d seen his dad pull further and further away from him and his mum. It was as if the past had a stronger hold than the present. If Scorpius had stayed, then things would have been okay. But he’d gone. Too caught up in his own needs, he hadn’t thought about anyone else.

“It’s not your fault,” Lily whispered.

He smiled lopsidedly. “It is, Lily. I just have to live with the consequences.”



***

Charms .............................................. Exceeds Expectations
Defence Against the Dark Arts .............. Acceptable
Herbology................................................ Exceeds Expectations
Potions ...................................................Outstanding
Transfiguration ................................ .....Exceeds Expectations
Astronomy ...................................... .....Outstanding

“Fantastic!” Lily screamed, hugging him so enthusiastically she almost knocked him over.

“Yours are great, too,” he said, littering kisses on her upturned face. “Exceeds Expectations for Defence and Charms. Brilliant!”

“I know. I know,” she exclaimed and started to twirl around. “Dad is so pleased. He says it’s his best birthday present ever, although I think he’s in shock over the History of Magic result. I’m the first in our family to ever pass. Acceptable �“ ha ha �“ I’m a disgrace to the Potter name!”

“How did Al do?” Scorpius asked.

“Exceeds Expectations in everything except Potions, which was Acceptable. He can’t stop grinning either. We haven’t heard about Rose and Hugo, yet. I should have waited, I suppose, but I was so desperate to tell you.” She giggled again. “I hope you and Teddy don’t mind me dropping in like this.”

“Teddy’s not here,” Scorpius replied, gathering her close for an extra long snog, and manoeuvring her to his makeshift bed. “He’s gone in early so he can take the afternoon off.”

“That’s ... um ... fortunate,” she said, her eyes widening in anticipation.

“And I’m not expecting Victoire for another two hours, so ....”

“The perfect way to celebrate,” she agreed in a whisper.


“I forgot to tell you,” he murmured afterwards as she lay in his arms. “I got another letter from my mum.”

Lily lifted her head from his chest and stroked his face. “Is she okay?”

“Not sure. She’s visiting her sister. Daphne’s in Mexico,” he added when Lily looked confused.

“Is that a problem?” Lily repeated, obviously not taken in by his casual air.

“Andromeda was right; my grandma keeps dropping hints about a new baby and Mum says she needs breathing space.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“As long as Dad misses her, then yeah, I suppose so. It’s just ...” he stopped speaking not wanting to voice the thoughts running around his mind, a constant nagging pressure that maybe this was ...

“Scorpius Malfoy, don’t you dare blame yourself!”

“I’m not!” he retorted.

“Yes, you are. I can tell,” she said angrily. “And you’re thinking about going back, aren’t you?”

“NO!” he said firmly. “There’s no way I’m going back, not now, but ... I do feel guilty. If Mum and Dad split up, then it’s my fault.”

“Or the fault of your dad for being a prejudiced git!” she replied in a tone so vehement that Scorpius started to laugh.

“When did you get so clever?” he said, cupping her face in his hands and indulging in another very pleasurable kiss before breaking away.

“Since getting seven O.W.L.s,” she replied and started to giggle. “I really think I should be getting back now, though.”

Sitting up, the thin sheet slipped away from her shoulders. He could see a smattering of freckles at the top of her arm and pressed his lips to them.

“Spend the morning with me. Just the two of us.”

“Here?”

He shook his head, although as he slipped his hands around her and started to caress her breasts, he seriously considered dragging her back to bed. “I was thinking more of Diagon Alley. Andromeda has paid me and I need to buy Teddy and Victoire a wedding present ... your dad, too, as he’s invited me to his party.”

“I thought you’d want to play cricket again,” she said, sounding mischievous. “You seem to love the game so much.”

“Not,” he murmured, kissing her shoulder and this time he did drag her back to bed, “as much as I love you.”

***

Flush with some cash from Andromeda, Scorpius had bought Teddy and Victoire a set of matching bath towels (and smirked as he remembered his first meeting with Victoire), and had then, on advice from Lily, bought Harry some Chocolate Frogs and a bottle of wine.

“Yes, he does like Chocolate Frogs,” she said, looking pained when he hinted that she was more likely to enjoy them than Harry. “He still collects the cards and has never found Agrippa.”

“And no one’s going to be bothered about me not wearing robes?” he asked, fretting because in his family birthday parties were formal events, where he’d been required to look his best. “Thing is, I only have two sets and one are too wintry and the grey ones are a bit tatty.”

“Stop fussing!” Lily replied, laughing now. “Dad was brought up by Muggles and honestly won’t give a rat’s what you’re wearing ... as long as you put something on.”

“Okay, are we ready?” Teddy asked, walking towards the hearth. “Because after the week I’ve had, I am bloody gagging for a drink.”


Because the whole family plus other guests were expected, Ginny Potter had set out three trestle tables in the back garden for Harry’s birthday meal. She raised her eyebrows in exasperation when Lily appeared through the Floo and handed her a knife. “Potatoes won’t peel themselves,” she snapped and pointed to a bag on the floor. “I need potato salad for twenty-eight people.”

“Ugh!” Lily muttered, taking the knife and sitting at the table. “And she won’t let me do magic.”

Scorpius grinned and sat down next to her. “She can’t stop me, though. What do I need to do?”

“Peel the potato, of course,” Lily replied.

How hard can that be? Scorpius thought as he lifted his wand.

Fifteen minutes later, he found out.

“Scorpius, there needs to be some potato left after you’ve peeled it,” Ginny complained as she picked up an exceedingly thick piece of potato peel from the floor. She sighed. “Look, you’re a guest. Go outside with Teddy, and let us get on with it.”

“Okay,” he said quickly, pleased to get out of the kitchen.

“Leaving me here,” Lily grumbled. “It’s not fair, Mum. Why aren’t James and Al helping?”

“Because James is still at work and Al set up the tables and is now checking we have enough brooms.”

“Brooms?” Scorpius stopped walking towards the door.

“We always have a Quidditch match on Dad’s birthday,” Lily said and winked. “Didn’t I mention it?” She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Only, if I don’t get these potatoes finished, I won’t be able to play.”

He walked back to the table, scowling at her. “Have you got another knife, Mrs Potter? I’d hate your daughter to miss out on the chance of watching me catch the Snitch ahead of her.”

“In your dreams, Scorpy,” she said, laughing as she lobbed a potato his way.

He caught it and then ducked his head towards her. “I don’t dream of Quidditch anymore, but I do dream about a certain Seeker,” he whispered, and smirked when she blushed.

In the end, it was Molly Weasley who took pity on the hapless potato peelers and co-opted Rose, when she arrived, to help out. Giggling at Scorpius’ efforts, Rose set three knives peeling, sat with her feet up, reading a book, and waved both Lily and Scorpius away. “Go and find Al before he allocates you a Cleansweep Zero, or whatever that awful broom of Granddad’s is.”

“Cleansweep Two,” Lily said as she slipped away from the table and squeezed Scorpius’ hand. “You should go back to Teddy’s and get your Firebolt X.”

“Uh ... no, that’s okay. I’ll ... um ... stick with what I get. It’s not really fair if I have such a big advantage.”

Ginny, at the stove, turned to look at him. “Don’t be silly, Scorpius. We don’t mind and I’d love to have a go, unless you don’t want to share.”

“Uh...” Under the stare of not only Ginny and Lily, but Molly and Rose, who must have heard the hesitation in his voice, he felt as if he’d been frozen to the spot. He swallowed. “I don’t have it anymore,” he mumbled. “My grandma had it destroyed.”

“Oh Merlin, I’m sorry,” Ginny started to say, the shock on her face evident for them all to see.

He shrugged. “She thinks the sport’s stupid and ... well ... thought she could make me toe the line.” He smiled slightly, and shot a sideways glance at Lily. “It’s okay. I can borrow a broom �“ even on the Cleansweep, I’ll still thrash the pants off you, baby Potter.”

Unaccountably, she burst into tears, and then turned on her heel and ran out of the kitchen and right down the garden lawn.

“What the ...?” he demanded out loud, gaping at the space where Lily had been and then at her family. “I didn’t mean it. She’s good ... really good... bloody amazing Seeker. Lily, come back!”

Rose rolled her eyes. “It’s the desecration of a broomstick, Malfoy. That’s akin to an Unforgiveable �“ ask any Weasley,” she said, sounding slightly scornful. She paused, adding in a softer voice, “Perhaps you should have told her before.”

“I didn’t think,” he replied, staring out of the window. He turned back to Ginny and Molly who were both watching him. “Sorry, I don’t really understand why she’s so upset. It’s my broom and yeah, I was upset, but I’m out of there and-”

“Stop waffling to us and explain all that to my granddaughter!” Molly barked at him. Then, in a move that totally blindsided him, she bustled forwards, gave him a fierce hug, before patting down her apron and returning to the sink, where she started to top and tail a pail full of gooseberries.

Needing no further urging and ignoring Rose’s giggle, he dashed away in search of Lily. It didn’t take long; Lily was where he thought she’d be, behind the old summerhouse, slumped on the ground.

“Hey, Apple-Queen,” he murmured, and sat down next to her, only their knees touching. “What’s up?”

“Your Firebolt X,” she wept, her face was in her knees. “You didn’t tell me and I don’t understand why.”

He reached across, and twisted a tress of her hair between his fingers. “It’s not important, Lily, that’s why. She’s a twisted old witch who took it away because she thought it would stop me leaving. But the broom’s not important.”

“It’s not just the broom,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You’re giving up everything, and what if we ... I mean ... what if you ... um...” He heard her take a breath and then she sat up straight and stared into his eyes. “You can’t do this for me, Scorpius.”

He smiled at her and, moving closer, cupped her face in his hands. “Lily, I love you, you know that, but it’s not about us �“ not now. Going out with you just made me see things clearly. Or rather, it made me see things were wrong earlier than I would have done.”

“Do you mean that?” she whispered.

“That I’m not doing this for you, but because I’m a selfish git that wants to lead my own life, and doesn’t care if he upsets his family or splits up his parents �“” He laughed, only slightly bitterly, and wiped away the tearstains on her face. “Yeah, I mean it, but then I’ll say anything to get a shag.”

Lily giggled, and lifted her arms to his shoulders. “You’re lovely.”

“I know,” he teased. “I’m also anxious to get to that broom shed before your brother gives me a broom from the Founders’ days. And I don’t want to get beaten up by your family for upsetting you.”

“My family loves you,” she scolded. “Well ... they do now.”

He gathered her into his arms, and smiled at her. “Your grandma just gave me a hug.”

“Oh dear,” Lily said, sighing melodramatically. “You’ll be getting a Weasley jumper next. And she always makes the best ones for people she’s not actually related to.”

He smirked, stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Your family is cool, Lily Potter.” Then he frowned. “Except for Dominique, who seems to think I’m evil. What is her problem with me?”

“You’re male,” Lily replied succinctly, “and her boyfriend just dumped her, so she’s very cynical.”

“In that case,” he said, holding Lily very close and letting his lips stray to her neck. “I must make sure I snog you a lot and annoy her even more.”