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.”