1. Round One by Kerichi
2. Round Two by Kerichi
3. Round Three by Kerichi
Lily had been home less than a week, and already she was bored and restless. She'd slept until noon every day, eaten strawberry crepes in bed, and taken long bubble baths. As she painted her nails with rainbow-hued Fire Crab varnish, she admitted that the idea of a summer spent lazing around didn't appeal the way it had when she was at Hogwarts revising for end of year exams. She wanted to do something—something bold like Rose, who ran off with Scorpius Malfoy on a romantic holiday. Lily didn't envy Rose her boyfriend. She wasn't ready for a true love, together- forever kind of relationship. It was her cousin's determination she envied, the self-confidence to do what made her happy despite what anyone else might say.
In a drawer beneath the ebony-framed mirror of Lily's dressing table was a business card representing the man who had asked the question she couldn't get out of her mind: Have you ever considered modelling?
She hadn't, until Easter holiday, when she had wandered into Siren's Secret to try a new perfume and browse through the spring items in the Hot Pink collection. While she tried to decide between a solid pink bra and a white bra with pink zebra stripes, a sales associate approached to tell her a company executive would like to speak with her in the manager's office. The executive was Blaise Zabini.
Tall, dark, and elegant in business robes, he introduced himself and said he'd seen her through the shop window. "Customers with red hair don't usually gravitate to pink."
"I can wear anything."
Blaise smiled, and Lily could see why he stayed on the Witch Weekly Most Eligible Bachelor list even though he was as old as her dad. "I believe you," he said. "Have you ever considered modelling?"
"No." She wasn't ultra-thin and tall.
He handed her his card. "I think you’d be perfect to represent our Hot Pink line."
Pictures of her in knickers splashed across magazines and shop walls? Her parents would have kittens, and she didn't even want to imagine what the rest of the family would say. "Why?” she asked. “Because I'm Lily Potter?" Photographers sold her picture to the newspapers on a regular basis, and the captions always read "Harry Potter's daughter.” She couldn’t blame them. Her dad’s name sold copies.
"No,” Blaise said, “and I’d drop ‘Potter’, actually. It lacks style. We'd promote you as Lily Luna."
He knew her middle name. She shouldn’t be surprised, but she was. He didn’t seem the type to read the social column. “I don’t know.”
"Think it over. We'd schedule shoots around your holidays for the next year." His gaze had fallen on the item she carried. "Excellent choice."
Lily had blushed then, and her cheeks warmed again as she took off her robe and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. The pink zebra striped bra supported her curves and looked amazing next to her skin. If other women agreed and went out and bought zebra striped bras of their own, would that be so awful? And if she made loads of Galleons, enough to be independent, would that make her a terrible person and an ungrateful daughter?
She pulled the dresser drawer open and took out Blaise Zabini’s business card. Three months had passed. He’d probably found someone else.
But she hadn’t seen any new ads.
And Mum always said it never hurt to ask.
Lily flung open her wardrobe doors. There was a sheath dress that would do once she used a spell to change the colour, and the nude court pumps she’d worn to Aunt Muriel’s funeral should help her appear mature and business-like. She checked the time: one-thirty. Mum was probably still working on a Quidditch article. Lily dressed and went downstairs.
“Hello, sweetheart. You’re pretty in pink today,” Mum said when Lily walked into the first-floor office. Her tone was distracted and her eyes strayed to the Self-Writing Quill hovering over the parchment on the desk. “Are you going out to lunch?”
“I’m going to apply for a job.”
Her mum stared.
Lily said quickly, “Every time I ask for Galleons you and Dad tell me I wouldn’t spend so much if I appreciated the value of money.”
“What kind of job?” her mum asked.
“With Siren’s Secret,” Lily said. “Part-time, during holidays. The job . . . opening . . . was months ago. I’m not even sure I’ll get an interview. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to ask about the position, and if it’s available, I’m going to take it.”
“Without discussing it with your father?”
“I’m of age.” When her mum arched an eyebrow, Lily said, “I’ll tell him later if I get the job.”
“When you get the job,” Mum said. “You’re a Gryffindor. Be bold.”
"Right." Lily didn’t think her Mum would give the same advice if she knew her daughter wanted to be a model, not a sales assistant. “Bye."
Siren Corporation headquarters were located down the street from St. Mungo’s, a disturbing proximity that had Lily wondering about cosmetics testing accidents. Panels of sea glass-green fabric hung in windows etched with an S logo. Lily’s fingers tingled as she pushed open the door and a Security ward or a Muggle Aversion Charm activated. Inside the marble tiled lobby, the receptionist at the centre desk was intimidatingly elegant with perfect makeup and sleek, cropped hair. “Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.
Lily handed her the card. “I can wait.”
The receptionist picked up a quill and wrote in the enormous book that lay open on the desk. Lily sidled close enough to read: Miss Potter to see you, Mr. Zabini.
Soon afterward, an opening in the back wall appeared. Blaise Zabini strolled into the lobby. “Thank you, Iridescka. I’ll be out of the office until tomorrow.” He held the door open for Lily and followed her outside.
What’s happening? Where are we going? Of all the questions Lily wanted to ask, the one that tumbled off her lips was, “You’re not wearing wizard robes.”
Blaise touched one of the narrow lapels on his trim-fitting charcoal suit. “They wouldn’t blend in. This will.”
“Blend in where?”
“Pimlico Road. I’ve owled one of our photographers to set up a natural beauty test in his studio.” When she didn’t take the arm he extended in order to Side-Along Apparate, he said, “Natural isn’t a euphemism for nudity. It means no makeup. No special wardrobe. You aren’t expected to know how to pose. All you have to do is take direction.”
“I’ve heard of beauty tests. That isn’t—” Everything was happening so fast, even her thoughts were racing. She took a breath. “You're hiring me without an interview or anything?”
Blaise appeared caught off guard: almost boyishly flustered. He quickly regained poise. “We will discuss your contract after the shoot.”
“So it’s like try-outs.” That made sense. She slipped her arm through his.
~*~
A/N: Lily in my Scorpius/Rose stories was so much fun to write, I couldn’t help wanting to give her the chance to take centre stage. This fic started as a response to a drabble challenge to write a story without any romance, turned into a one-shot, and then insisted on becoming a three part story, even though I’ve just started what will be a longer, more complex short story, Lily Go Lightly , which further develops elements of this fic. Such is writing. :D
Anyone noticing the resemblance between Siren's Secret Hot Pink line and Victoria's Secret Pink Line can pat themselves on the back and say like Peter Pan, “Oh, the cleverness of me.” I hope it made you smile. Lily's dressing table looks exactly like the one in the Moulin Noir collection of French style furniture. Those Muggle designers have some nerve, using wizards for inspiration. ;)
Four hours later, Lily returned home. She kicked off her shoes next to the endearingly hideous troll leg umbrella stand and cast a Sonorous Charm. "Mum, where are you?"
"In the kitchen."
Lily went down to the basement. Before her oldest brother, James, was born, before Kreacher came back from Hogwarts to help her parents transform the grim old place, the kitchen had resembled a torch lit cave. Now, an enchanted skylight, along with creamy paint and pine floorboards brightened the room. Mum and Kreacher sat at the far end of the long table, trimming asparagus and then cutting them in half. Between them was a pile of mushrooms and a roasting tin. Lily peered into the tin. "Potatoes with herbs and shallots. Yummy."
"We thought we'd have beef fillets and oven roasted vegetables for dinner," Mum said.
Lily was all for sharing her news after one of Dad's favourite meals. "What can I do to help?" She glanced at the Victorian-era cooker. "Have you made Hollandaise sauce yet?"
A twinkle gleamed in Kreacher's watery blue eyes. "Setting the table is helping." He waved his hand and a porcelain centrepiece bowl large enough to double as a soup tureen appeared. "Arranging flowers is helping."
Mum said, "You do it so well."
Lily conjured orange roses, hot pink carnations, and salmon coloured Asiatic lilies. "You're both afraid I'll turn the sauce into scrambled eggs." She couldn't blame them. She never whisked properly and let the eggs overheat. Lily picked up a rose and sighed. "It's tragic, my lack of talent for cooking." She pretended not to hear Mum murmur, "Lack of interest," and said, "When I move out I'll have live on takeaway or hire a personal chef." She asked Kreacher, "Ever considered a job change?"
"Funny," Mum said.
"Who's joking? I love him more than anyone else, and I wouldn't ask him to do any cleaning." Lily winked at Kreacher. "Except maybe after a wild party."
He gave a raspy chuckle.
Lily grinned. "Or you could just supervise."
"That's enough." Mum's tone was amused, but firm.
Lily arranged flowers and waited until her mum carried the roasting tin over to the cooker to whisper to Kreacher, "How about part-time? Next summer. Think about it."
"You is joking again?" he whispered back.
"I'm serious." Mum had shut the oven door and started to turn toward them. Lily added a few more roses to the centrepiece.
"Sweetheart, your face is flushed. Do I need to adjust the cooling charms?" Mum asked.
My secret's burning to get out. Lily gathered up Chrysanthemums. "I'm all right." A cool draft ruffled her hair. She glanced at Kreacher and smiled her thanks.
Kreacher ended up making the Hollandaise sauce while Mum fried the beef fillets in a griddle pan. Lily was setting the table when her dad walked in. He'd changed out of Auror robes and wore a faded grey World's Greatest Dad t-shirt with jeans. She tried to imagine Blaise Zabini in a similar outfit and couldn't. Blaise wasn't fatherly.
Dad looked from Lily to centrepiece on the table. "Did I forget a birthday or anniversary?"
"We're celebrating something," Lily said.
"It must be good. Dinner smells amazing. I'm starved. Are we ready to eat?"
Mum transferred beef fillets onto a serving platter. "Did you skip lunch again?"
"I had a sandwich."
"A few bites during a meeting, I suppose. You're the Head of the Auror department. You deserve to eat a proper meal."
"I'd rather leave work on time and spend the evening with my wife."
Mum and Dad exchanged the kind of look that used to make Lily and her brothers mime gagging when they were younger. Lily didn't think her parents' love for each other was gross anymore, but after a few seconds she was ready for them to turn their attention somewhere else. She cleared her throat.
"And family," Dad said. "Which reminds me—" He pulled a note out of his pocket. "Albus owled that he has a date and won't be home for dinner."
"That's every night this week." Mum asked Lily, "Are he and Merry serious?"
Lily picked up the plate and cutlery she'd set for Albus. "They're not going to run off like Rose and Scorpius, if that's what you mean."
Mum seemed relieved to hear it. She dished up the vegetables and Dad carried the platter to the table. Lily sat next to Kreacher. Compliments to the cooks about the food were the only conversation for several minutes. Then her dad finished his meal. The barely audible sound of his fork clinking against china was the same as the clang of a gong to Lily: an alarm signal reverberating in her ear.
"So," Dad said. "What are we celebrating?"
Lily tried to swallow her nervousness along with a bite of asparagus. "My job."
Her dad's wide eyes, along with his round glasses and strong eyebrows, gave him an owlish appearance. Lily hoped he wouldn't say, "Who?" because if he did, she would giggle hysterically.
Mum told Dad, "She wasn't sure she'd get an interview. That's why she didn't discuss it with us."
"I only told Mum on my way out the door," Lily said.
Her dad smiled a little. "I'm surprised, not upset. You've never shown interest in getting a job before. Where will you be working?"
"It's only on holidays. I won't let it interfere with school."
"That's nice to know." When she didn't say anything else, he asked, "Who's your employer?"
Lily burst into giggles.
"She's too nervous to tell you," Mum said, "although I think she should give you more credit. Siren's Secret is a tasteful shop. She won't embarrass the family by selling high-priced knickers."
"Of—of course not," Dad said.
Lily caught the hesitation. "They sell clothing too."
"Some of it can actually be worn in public," Mum said jokingly.
Lily's blush scalded her cheeks. "I was hired to represent Siren's Secret's Hot Pink line."
Dad's brow creased. "What does that mean?"
"She'll wear the clothes when she's assisting customers in the shop," Mum said.
"Is that right?" Dad asked.
She had to tell them the truth. "No. I'm not working in the shop." Lily straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. "I'm modelling."
Silence. Mum and Dad looked like they'd been hit with Stunning Spells.
Lily said. "I'd rather be gorgeous in real life, but if the camera likes my bone structure, why not take advantage of it?"
"I'm concerned about people trying to take advantage of you," Dad replied. "Who offered you this job?"
"Blaise Zabini."
Her dad's jaw clenched in a way Lily hadn't seen since she was eight and tattled on James for saying the only way to prove she wasn't a Squib was to jump out of a window and see if she bounced. She said, "Blaise isn't trying to take advantage of me. He's a businessman. This is a business proposition."
"Is it?"
"Harry," Mum said. "We went to school with Blaise Zabini. I'm not keen on Lily being objectified to sell product, but I doubt he has ulterior motives."
"He thought you were pretty," Dad told Mum. "I heard Pansy taunt him about it sixth year."
"My fifth year," Mum said. "I'm sure he's thought hundreds of girls were pretty since then."
Lily said, "He works with models, for Merlin's sake, and Mum and I don't even look alike."
"You have her hair." Dad's gaze stayed on Mum. "And her eyes."
Mum caressed his cheek with the backs of her fingers. "Zabini isn't Snape, love. We weren't even friends."
"I'm still going to have a talk with him."
Lily watched in horror as her dad stood up. "Daddy, no. I'm of age."
"I'm still your father. " He headed for the stairs.
"The office is closed," Lily called after him. "You don't know where he lives—I don't, either," she added hastily.
"I'll find him," Dad said.
The Auror Office probably kept the address of every wizard and witch on file. "Mummy, do something," Lily cried.
"I'll go with him," Mum said. She Apparated.
"Shit. Shit!" Lily glanced sideways. "Excuse my language."
"Kreacher has heard worse."
"Nobody cursed like the Blacks?" She bit her lip the instant after the words left her mouth. Walburga Black had been an evil old hag, but Kreacher had loved her.
He didn't act offended. Kreacher said, "And no one hexed like them."
"I'll bet." Lily sighed. "How am I going to work with Blaise after Mum and Dad interrogate him?"
"Miss Lily will find a way."
Yes, she would. Somehow. "Thanks." She picked up her plate. "I'll do the washing up." The plate vanished from her hand. She snatched up a fork. It disappeared. "Fine. I'll put away the leftovers."
"Miss Lily is most helpful." He patted her hand, a gesture of high affection. He'd been mistreated in the past and didn't like to be touched. Lily had cried when her parents explained why she shouldn't hug Kreacher, and had glared at the soundproof canvas that immured Mrs. Black's portrait ever since.
It didn't take long to tidy the kitchen. Kreacher said, "Good night, Miss Lily," and made his way toward the pantry and the cupboard entrance to his rooms.
"Have you made any new finds lately?" she asked. "I'd love to see them." She didn't want to sit in her room and brood about what her parents were saying to Blaise.
Kreacher opened the pantry door. "Miss Lily is welcome."
She entered and opened the cupboard door that held a water tank and the stairs to Kreacher's rooms. Before the house renovation, the space was so small people called it a den. Afterward, he had rooms to store the collection of odds and ends he'd amassed over the years. James hadn't gone down to what he called the "junk caves" since they were young, and neither had Albus, but Lily never stopped visiting the rooms filled with Kreacher's treasures. Everything had a story.
The main room—originally meant to be a lounge—was ringed with piled boxes and storage trunks. In the centre area, two child-sized chairs and a low table clustered together. Next to the table was a tall clay jar with a curious rope design. Lily examined what looked like writing. "Is this Greek? I wonder what it says."
"Pandora."
"Like the box?"
"Never a box. Pithos. Elf made for elf wine."
"But used to hold the evils of the world?"
Kreacher sat in a chair. "Wizard foolishness passed to Muggles."
Lily looked into the Pithos. "So all that's left—"
"—is hope."
Something sparkled gold at the bottom. Her breath caught. It was only a story, wasn't it? Make-believe. She tried to convince herself, but the longer she gazed into the Pithos, the brighter the sparkles gleamed.
Lily reached into the jar.
~*~
A/N: I went and changed the first author note. Apparently, this was meant to be a three-part story. :D Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I hope the expanded story is a happy surprise.
Lily expected the sparkles to be gold dust enhanced with a feather-light spell to wring extra Galleons out of a collector of the unusual, but when she rubbed her thumb across her fingers all she felt was skin. She cupped sparkles in her hand and pressed against the side of the jar: nothing but clay.
And a tickling sensation.
Could it be pixie dust? She swirled her fingers around. Instead of dissipating, glittery sparkles covered her hand and forearm like an opera glove. Too bad she didn't like opera, unless Phantom of the Opera counted.
"Why is Miss Lily laughing?"
"Because I'm silly." She lifted her hand to display her sparkly glove, but it had vanished. Our work here is done. For some reason, that thought was funny too.
Kreacher peered into the jar. "What was you seeing, miss?"
"Gold sparkles."
His brow furled. "They is not there anymore."
"Maybe they're shy. I'll stir them up."
Kreacher pulled the jar out of reach. "Miss Lily has stirred enough."
"You're cutting me off?" They sounded like a barman and a drunk. Hilarious.
"And Kreacher is telling your parents."
Lily's giggles stopped. "Yes! Do that. Take me to them right now."
He blinked. "Kreacher was not told - -"
"Doesn't matter. House-elves can always find their masters because they're bound by magic. You told me that when I was little and afraid Dark wizards would kidnap my daddy and take him someplace Unplottable." She beamed. "Aren't you impressed I remembered?"
"Miss Lily always has good memory when it suits her." Kreacher sighed. "Master Harry will not approve."
"I'll make him understand."
"Is not the same." Kreacher sighed again and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he held out his hand. The instant her fingers clasped his, he tightened his grip and they Disapparated.
.
Lily's stomach dropped like she was on a Muggle carnival ride- -a delight compared to the toothpaste squeezed through a tube experience of wizard Apparation. The ride through darkness lasted a few breathless heartbeats, and then they were standing on a penthouse terrace.
She took in the view of the London Eye in the distance and the glittering lights below. "You couldn't Apparate inside the flat?"
"Security wards might have hurt Miss Lily." Kreacher cleared his throat. "And they know we is here."
"How?" Lily discovered the answer as she turned from the panorama of London to the wall of glass and the three people striding across the lounge toward them.
The wall slid apart.
"Hello, what a gorgeous place you have," Lily told Blaise. "May we come in?"
"Lily," her mum said sharply.
"Oh, right, beg pardon. Blaise, this is our dear friend, Kreacher. Kreacher, this is my boss, Blaise Zabini."
"Pleased to meet sir," Kreacher said, sounding the opposite.
"Likewise." Blaise's smile was a flash of white that matched his crisply pressed shirt. "Do come in."
Kreacher tugged his hand free. "Kreacher cannot, Miss Lily," he whispered. "This is a Slytherin place." He shuddered. "Kreacher must return home."
"But Blaise is a nice . . . ." Lily's voice trailed away. She was talking to air. She looked at her dad. "What's going on?"
He said, "You shouldn't have come here."
Lily's bubbly, everything-will-work-out-if-I-just-tell-them-how-much-this-means-to-me feeling had vanished with Kreacher. She crossed her arms. "Why not?"
Her mum said, "Kreacher promised long ago not to associate with Slytherins. He did it to show us he could be trusted."
"Promised or vowed?" The vows of house-elves were as binding and painful to break as wizard handshakes - -more painful if an elf felt compelled to inflict additional self-punishment.
"Promised," her dad said.
"Forever?" she asked.
Her parents didn't answer.
Lily said, "I have Slytherin friends. Does that mean when I move out Kreacher can't visit me? That's unfair."
"We'll discuss it later," her dad said firmly. "This isn't the time or place."
"Funny, you talked about me when I wasn't around."
"Lily Luna!" Her mum's quelling tone was a reminder that Potters didn't argue in public.
Lily didn't care about breaking a family rule. She was worried about Kreacher. "I'm sorry," she told Blaise, who seemed unruffled by the drama. "I have to go."
.
The house was dark and silent when she stepped into the entry. Lily said, "Lumos" and used wand light to make her way downstairs. The kitchen was empty; the door to Kreacher's den locked.
"It's Lily. Let me in."
She heard a faint click and turned the handle.
Kreacher sat hunched in a chair, staring at the floor covered with clay shards.
Lily cast a mending charm. The jar remained in pieces. "Did you block my spell?" she asked.
"Kreacher must punish himself for taking Miss Lily to a Slytherin place."
"Tosh." She flicked her wand in a Verrocharm tosweep the shards into a pile and then knelt beside Kreacher. "The building isn't Slytherins-only, and even if it is, Blaise isn't the kind of Slytherin my parents meant. He didn't fight in the war. He never tried to hurt anyone."
Kreacher slumped further into his chair. "A promise is a promise."
"Not if it's stupid. They'll release you."
"Miss Lily has too much hope."
"From the jar, you mean? That left when you did. I'm as sober as Uncle Percy, I swear." She silently chanted a spell to make the room's illumination orbs glow. "I don't need false hope to believe things won't stay bleak and dark. I know they'll change- -I'll make them change."
Kreacher's eyes shimmered. "Master Regulus said such things."
"And he was right."
"At terrible cost."
Lily knew the story well. Once, she'd even held the counterfeit locket Kreacher had exchanged for Voldemort's Horcrux. It had felt like holding a sacred relic.
"This is different," she said. "You'll see."
Kreacher turned his gaze to the pile of shards. They reassembled into a jar.
Lily took that as a positive sign. "How long do you think we'll have to wait before my parents come home?"
Kreacher tilted his head as if listening. "Not long."
She heard a faint buzzing sound.
"They is on the front stoop," Kreacher said.
That explained how he always knew they were home when family never used the doorbell. She'd told James and Albus they were all psychically connected.
Lily heard the creaks of footsteps. Mum and Dad would be downstairs soon. She asked, "How fast can you make tea?"
Kreacher Disapparated.
Lily followed.
.
They were perched on a bench at the table, glass teapot between them, when her mum and dad stepped into the kitchen.
"Red Flower Celebration Tea," her mum said, looking at the rose with green tea leaves "blooming" in the teapot. "What are you two celebrating?"
Lily lifted her cup so her parents could see that it was empty. "Nothing yet."
Her dad walked around the table and sat next to her. "I can't celebrate my daughter working for Blaise Zabini."
He wasn't ordering her not to. "Okay."
"Okay?" Her dad's eyebrows shot upward. "You're giving up modelling?"
"No."
"She's okay about you not celebrating, Harry," Mum said.
Lily poured herself a cup of tea and added lemon.
"Is that right?" her dad asked. "You don't care what I think?"
She hesitated to answer.
"That isn't what Lily meant," Mum said. "It's obvious that we talked to Blaise and your . . . suspicions . . . were unfounded." She smiled a little. "He showed no sign of fancying me."
"It was a reasonable concern," Dad muttered. He cleared his throat. "Still. Blaise Zabini associates with members of the Knights of Walpurgis."
Lily said, "Scorpius Malfoy is related to one. You told Uncle Ron not to hold it against him."
Her dad's face reddened. "It's easier to be objective with a niece than a daughter."
"Oh, Harry," Mum said softly.
Lily said, "You have to try. Not just for me, but for Kreacher."
"Sweetheart, that isn't the issue we're discussing." Mum's tone had firmed.
"Yes, it is." Lily looked at her dad. "You have to stop being prejudiced against Slytherins."
"It isn't prejudice. It's caution," Dad said. "Based on reason and experience."
"Kreacher betrayed his master. Kreacher lied," Kreacher hung his head. "Only with the promise can Kreacher be trusted."
"That isn't true," Lily said.
Her parents looked stricken, yet didn't deny it.
Lily cried, "I can't believe you! After everything he's done for us." She Disapparated.
.
Her room was a haven, decorated in black and white with splashes of hot pink. When her door was shut, she could block out the world-or at least pretend it was possible. Not today. Lily sat on the window seat and picked at the faux fur of a hot pink throw pillow. A short while later she heard a knock. "Door's open."
The faint click-click of heels striking the mahogany floor identified her visitor. Lily continued to stare out the window. "Where's Dad?"
"With Kreacher." Her mum sat on the window seat.
Lily tried to give her the silent treatment. She didn't last long. "Is Dad going to release Kreacher from the promise?"
"Not entirely." Mum lifted a hand when Lily opened her mouth. "Given the chance, the Knights of Walpurgis would use Kreacher against our family. The promise protects him from becoming a target, protects us all."
Lily focused on what was important. "Knights of Walpurgis. Not every Slytherin."
"Not Blaise Zabini," Mum said dryly.
"Or my schoolmates." Lily didn't have many Slytherin friends, but she had a few, and might even go to Hogsmeade with a certain Slytherin Chaser next term if he asked nicely. "Thanks."
"When you thank your father, consider adding an apology. He's always tried to be kind and respectful to Kreacher."
So had her mother. "Sorry, Mum."
Her mum's expression remained solemn. "Don't apologise to me. I'm the one who insisted Kreacher make the original promise. It was the only way I could live with him after what happened to Sirius . . . and my brother."
Lily's Uncle Fred died in the Battle of Hogwarts. No one knew for certain whose spell caused the wall to collapse, but almost everyone in the family believed it was Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death Eater who had murdered the "master" Kreacher betrayed: Sirius Black.
"Kreacher minded us while you were working," Lily said. "You trusted him to keep us safe."
"Yes."
Because of the promise.
"I don't need any promises to trust him," Lily said.
"I know, and I'm glad."
Glad somebody trusted Kreacher unconditionally? That made two of them. Lily waited for her mum to leave. Finally, she said, "I'd like to be alone, please."
"We still have things to talk about."
"Later," Lily said.
"All right." Her mum stood. "But while you're sitting there, consider this. Your choices don't just affect you. They impact everyone. Family. Friends. People who see your image in a shop or magazines." She walked to the door and paused. "Your father and I will support whatever decision you make. All we ask is that you be sure it's the right one."
.
Lily hurled the fuzzy pillow at the back of the door. How could anyone be completely sure a decision was the right one? And how was sitting on her arse considering going to help anything? She Apparated to Kreacher's room.
He stood by the Pandora jar, tilting it to peer into the depths.
"See any sparkles?" Lily asked.
Kreacher righted the jar. "They has not returned."
"We don't need them," Lily said. "You don't have to avoid Slytherins anymore- -the majority, anyway."
"Miss Lily is good to Kreacher."
"You're kind to me." Lily smoothed the wrinkled skirt of her dress. "I almost hate to ask for another favour."
Kreacher gave a raspy chuckle. He knew her too well.
"I need to talk to Blaise Zabini," she said. "Will you take me? I'd try to Apparate, but I was under the influence earlier, and I'm not sure where I'd end up." She looked down and grimaced. "Probably the same place I lost my shoes."
"Shoes is not lost." Court pumps appeared on the floorboards. "Miss Lily left shoes by the umbrella stand."
When she'd come home from the Beauty Test. Merlin, she'd run around barefoot ever since! The soles of her feet were dusty.
Suddenly, the dust disappeared.
She slipped on the pumps. "Thank you."
Kreacher held out his arm. "Kreacher will always help."
.
Lily found Blaise reclining in an elegantly curved lounge chair on his terrace. The muted glow of enchanted lanterns cast enough light for visibility without lessening the impact of the dazzling city view.
"I had a feeling you'd return," Blaise said.
"I have questions."
"Of course." He rose and gestured to a pitcher on a side table. "Sugar cane juice with lime and ginger from my mother's village in Zanzibar. Very refreshing. May I interest either of you in a drink?"
Lily looked at Kreacher. "Why don't you try some while Blaise and I talk inside?"
Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher will wait."
The glass wall doors slid apart. She entered the flat, admiring the modern furnishings. "I apologise for intruding- - "
"No need."
Lily declined Blaise's offer to have a seat on the intimidatingly white sofa. "I'd rather stand."
"With your back to the terrace?"
"Yes." She wanted Kreacher to be able to tell her parents that he didn't see or hear anything.
Blaise said, "Ask your questions."
Lily took a deep breath. "All right. Here goes. Mum asked me to consider how my decision will affect others, so I need to know- -has anyone ever died of shame because a model was photographed wearing knickers?"
Blaise blinked. She wondered if he was more surprised by the question or her sarcasm.
"Anyone?" Lily asked. "Family members, friends, old schoolmates . . . ?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
She pretended shock. "Are you sure? No Granny ever opened up Witch Weekly, saw her granddaughter in an advert, and dropped dead?"
"I'm certain," Blaise said. A glint of humour lit his eyes. "I would have sent flowers."
That's what she thought. Her modelling might embarrass some people, but it wouldn't put Granny Weasley in an early grave.
"Anything else?" Blaise asked.
Lily drew in another calming breath. "One last question. Can you deal with my family?"
"The publicity? A model with established name recognition will only benefit the company."
"Deal with them personally."
Blaise shrugged. "Your parents- -"
"Are open minded compared to Uncle Ron . . .or Uncle Percy . . . or my cousin Hugo . . . ." Not to mention her brothers, who whistled over Siren's Secret models; they wouldn't like blokes whistling over their sister. And her aunts made disparaging comments about models promoting negative body image.
"If your family has concerns, I'll address them," Blaise said. "As I hope I've addressed yours."
Enough of them. "Yes, thanks. Have a good night," she said. "What's left of it."
Blaise smiled. "Good night."
.
A breeze drifted across the terrace, pleasantly cool against the warmth of Lily's skin.
"Miss Lily is ready to go home?" Kreacher asked.
She looked at the city lights twinkling in the distance.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "Let's go home."
.
A/N: Sing a happy, happy, happy, happy, happy posting song (Sung to the classic Rugrats tune, which sounds a lot like the Sponge Bob C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song-at least it does after staying up all night :P ). It's taken so much longer to finish this chapter than I'd hoped, and I'm thankful to everyone who's waited and encouraged me though a fugly case of writer's block. I do still plan to write a sequel, Lily Go Lightly, which will be a oneshot, however long it takes, so I don't leave anyone wondering what happens next.
Off to sleep, perchance to dream. :)