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sanalaylaCont'd from previous post....
In the end, getting Albus's approval proved to be pointless and unnecessary. Even though she did end up dumping McCormick that day, it didn't mean that she decided to date me, either.
Lily, although very smart, was apparently not very big on confrontation. Because she avoided me for the rest of my seventh year. There were a few times I managed to catch her alone – either outside the library or the right outside the Ravenclaw common room - but she always managed to come up with some sort of breathless excuse and then run away. After a while, I noticed that she got into the habit of travelling with Jemma everywhere, so it would be impossible for me to get her alone. She was also constantly studying for her OWLs, which meant she spent a lot of time either in the library, which was full of fifth and seventh years students all the time.
After a week or so, I gave up and turned my attention to my own issues. NEWTs were around the corner and they were so hard they made the OWLs seem like a joke in comparison. On top of that, I had submitted my application for the Auror Academy and they'd given me a conditional acceptance in the program. Before formally accepting its students, the Academy required us to take a series of pre-exams to qualify, along with an interview. I was spending every waking minute either studying for the NEWTs or for the Academy exams, and I had no time to think about my love life (or lack thereof, as the case was).
By mid-summer, I had completed all my exams and interviews. The Academy immediately sent me a formal acceptance and training started a week after that. I barely had time to breathe.
From the first day, Auror training was brutal. It was harder than any classes I'd ever taken at Hogwarts. It wasn't just the studying; that was the easy part. It was the way they tested our emotional and psychological mettle. Aurors are constantly put in contact with Dark objects, so the training was designed to each us how to deal with the influence of the Dark Arts without getting corrupt. Secretly, I was glad that I'd taken extra lessons with Albus's father. It helped me get through some of the worst parts, and I was able to pick up things faster than the rest of my training class.
Unfortunately, this didn't endear me to them. They were already apathetic towards me because of the Malfoy name and my family history. But when I started to excel in the classes, their apathy turned to clear dislike. They'd go out after work to grab a pint at a local bar, but they never invited me. During partners' exercises, they'd avoid partnering up with me, and whoever ended up with me would talk to me as minimally as possible.
It brought up bad memories of my first year at Hogwarts. It had been so long since I'd had to deal with this sort of thing, I'd forgotten how bad it had been when I was younger. Bleakly, I wondered if this was destined to happen for the rest of my life. Everywhere I went, I'd have to prove to them that I was more than my last name. Was this how it had been for my father after he left Hogwarts? It must have been.
Eventually, things sorted themselves out. When I finished my training period, the department assigned us to teams of six and, within that team, we were each given a partner. I was assigned to a witch named Elaina Edison, who had been in a different training group than mine, so I didn't know her well. She was almost as tall as me, with gleaming blonde hair, tanned skin, and big blue eyes.
Our first assignment was to research and track down a Dark object that had been last seen at Knockturn Alley. The department was convinced that it was at Borgin and Burkes, and had just gotten a warrant to search the premises.
We apparated a short distance from Knockturn Alley, deciding to walk the rest of the way. We'd learned in the Academy that it was best not to apparate directly to dangerous locations, because people can sneak up on while you're trying to gather your bearings. As we walked towards Borgin and Burkes, I was quiet.
Finally, Elaina broke the silence. "You're Draco Malfoy's son, huh?" She was American and had that flat accent, with a slight drawl. I think she was from a state called Texas.
"Yes." I tensed, waiting for the usual attack that followed that comment.
My father and grandfather had actually been one of the topics we'd discussed in an Academy training class. Apparently, they'd both been involved with using Dark objects a couple of decades ago, so the Academy used them as examples. It had been mortifying sitting in those particular lessons. I had a feeling Elaina was now going to comment on it, since she hadn't gotten a chance during training.
"You know, Rose Weasley was in my training group," Elaina said, rather unexpectedly. She grinned at me. "She told me not to believe anything that people told me about you. And that you're supposed to be really smart and that I was lucky to be partnered with you."
I stared at her and smiled reluctantly. "Rose is a good friend."
"You know what I told her?" Elaina answered. "I told her I would never believe what a bunch Brits told me about a guy, anyway. I make my OWN judgments."
I started laughing. "That's… uh… smart of you. Although, since you're in Britain, you might not want to go around telling everyone that."
"Probably," Elaina nodded agreeably. She stopped walking and turned to face me with a serious look on her face. "Look, Malfoy, the point is: we're partners. We need to have each other's backs. Trust each other. It's the only way it'll work. If you're in, I'm in." She stuck out her hand, looking at me in a clear, straightforward way.
I took her hand and shook it firmly. "I'm in."
"Good." She released my hand, punched me in the arm lightly, and grinned. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership. Let's go hunt down that damn thing and get this assignment done."
As she walked off, her ponytail swinging, I almost had to physically restrain myself from saying, "Yes, ma'am."
As we continued towards Borgin and Burkes, Elaina kept up a steady stream of conversation.
"My parents are both Muggles, of course. Own a farm in Texas. We had no clue magic even existed until I got the letters on my eleventh birthday. I mean, weird things always happened when I was little, but we never really knew WHY. Although, my mom always figured she knew something, because of my name. I grew up surrounded by Cindys and Tiffanys… no one had a name like me. I think it was because she kind of sensed what I was, you know?" She turned to me with a grin. "Named my twin Eric, though. He got a normal name."
It seemed she'd paused long enough for me to talk, so I asked, "Er… is he… um… well, is he a wizard?"
"Yeah." She nodded and then turned back towards the front. "We went to Athenian Academy in California. I got a letter from Hogwarts, too, but leaving Texas was hard enough. I couldn't imagine coming all the way to England when I was eleven!"
"You came to England now," I pointed out.
"True," she conceded with a nod. At this point, we were at the shop, so she stopped. "I considered joining the Federal Auror Bureau. But, honestly? When I realized the world was so much bigger than I'd imagined, I decided it was time I explored more of it. And that's why I came here."
With a smile, I opened the door. "Lucky me." I found I meant it. Elaina was different, but interesting. And, more importantly, she was willing to give me a chance. So the least I could do was extend the same courtesy.
As these things happen, Elaina paved the way for me with my team. She was loud, brash, and loved a good joke. People naturally liked her (once they got used to her) and since I was her partner, I was considered to be part of the deal. It also helped that she threatened to curse anyone who even looked at me the wrong way. When I asked her about it once, she shrugged and said, "You remind me of my twin brother, actually. And I miss him."
Now, it wasn't exactly like I'd been pining after her myself. School and the Auror Academy had been keeping me rather busy and the last thing I had was time to focus on Lily and picking up where we left off. But still, the thought that she'd just gone along her merry way at Hogwarts and picked up yet another stupid prat was beyond galling. I had my pride, after all.
So, I managed to get her alone at some point, and attempted to point out to her that avoiding the situation was somewhat moronic. She then responded, rather calmly, with some sort of nonsense about how I was only interested in her because she was Albus's sister. At that moment, I realized that Lily might be the smartest person I knew, but the witch knew next to nothing about men and relationships.
My frustration welled up, until it resulted in me behaving like a perfect arse in front of the Potters. And then I had to have an uncomfortable conversation with Auror Potter about how I wasn't usually an arse, but it just came out every now and then. I had a feeling he knew (or at least suspected) that I harbored feelings of the carnal kind towards his daughter, but he's not the head of the Auror department for nothing. He just handed me a glass of firewhiskey, told me he'd be there if I ever needed to talk, and then sat in his study with me until I'd down the entire glass and then some.
It was that night I decided that Lily Luna Potter was too complicated. It was too difficult pinning her down. It was like trying to carry water in your hands; you could contain it for only so long and then it began seeping through the cracks until there was nothing left to hold. I decided I'd be nice and polite every time we met; we were, after all, old acquaintances and her brother was my best mate. And I also decided that I needed to start dating again, now that things were finally settling down at work.
What is it they say about best laid plans? One night, I went out to a club, Wicked, with friends and had just decided that I was going to ask out Sarah, one of my team members, on the date. And, of course, Lily strolled into the club with Jemma in tow. She looked stunning and, for a second, I had to laugh at the idea that my fifteen-year old self had been ashamed to be salivating over this girl. Now, at age eighteen, she looked perfectly legal in all the right ways and perfectly illegal in all the others.
Lily wore a tight, black dress that stopped right above her knees. The dress had spaghetti straps, with a low neckline, so it showed off her creamy and delicate shoulders. The dark color was a sharp contrast to her fair coloring, and she'd worn her long hair down so it flowed in waves down her back. She'd worn spiky high heels for the occasion and, with a start, I realized this was the first time I'd seen her dressed up since the Valentine's Day ball at Hogwarts years ago. She looked older than eighteen, and I realized that – much like back then – every male in her vicinity was openly taking stock of her, their gazes lingering on her chest. I worked very hard not to pull out my wand to cast a mass blinding spell on every bloke in the club. I had a feeling the Auror department would frown upon that kind of behavior.
At that moment, Jemma noticed me and called me over. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, Lily had joined my friends and was on her way to getting rip-roaring drunk. After about an hour of watching her toss back one bramble-apple martini after another, I started diluting her drinks.
When the club finally closed down for the night, I saw her get to her feet, tottering on her impossibly high heels. I grasped a hold of her; there was no way I was letting her attempt to apparate in that condition; not that I was even convinced she could if she wanted.
I managed to get her into her living room, which was no easy feat given that her father had installed every protection imaginable on her flat. What he hadn't considered was that Lily was her own worst enemy.
I handed her some tea, in hopes that it would sober her down and she took an experimental sip. Then, rather decisively, she put her mug down. And then she took the mug out of my hand and put it down on the other table.
Confused, I frowned. "What, is it not good? I have to admit, I don't usually drink tea, I -"
Then, out of the blue, Lily leaned forward and kissed me.
It took a second for my brain to catch up to my body and I broke away to finish, "…usually drink coffee. Lily, what are you -?"
She completely ignored me, and instead just moved until she was straddling my lap. Her tight dress rode up her thighs. My hands dropped to her hips to steady her, and that made her fit against me perfectly.
Before I could say anything, she leaned down and brushed her lips against mine tantalizingly. "I'm so sick of this," she whispered. "I want you, you want me. Let's do something about it."
She did? This was news to me. I reminded myself that I was a gentleman and she was completely drunk. "Lily, no, we…."
Again, she cut me off with her soft lips; her tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, urging me to respond. I groaned and then I couldn't resist anymore. I pressed against her and my tongue swept into her mouth, kissing her back hungrily.
Her hands worked their way up my shirt and she started to unbutton the top most button. There was a part of my brain that started to function and I felt it tell me that I needed to stop her. But her lips were heaven against mine, and her skin was soft under my hands.
Then, she broke way and exclaimed, "You have too many damn buttons!" She reached back and grabbed her wand and pointed it at my chest. "Accio buttons."
My buttons went flying past her and she moved out of the way, launching herself onto my chest. "Hhhmm… nice." She leaned back and gazed down at me, running her hands nimbly over my now bare chest.
Her delicate touch was actually what I needed to snap to my senses. It was like a bucket of cold water and, with horror, I realized how close I'd come to doing something dishonorable.
"Lily!" I grasped her around the waist and set her back on the sofa. Standing up, I moved several feet back and attempted to put my shirt back together, but it was futile. Instead, I focused on staring down at her. "What are you doing?"
"Good point." Lily nodded with a hint of a smile. Then, she sat up on her knees and then grasped the edge of her dress. "It's not fair for me to just get rid of your clothes."
Then, she pulled off her dress and tossed it off to the side. I lost my breath. I'd imagined the moment when I'd see what Lily Potter wore under her clothes, but imaginings could not compare to the reality. Her breasts were perfectly cupped by a sheer, black lace strapless bra, and she wore matching knickers. While I was an honorable person (most of the time), I did allow myself one glance down the length of her delicious body and then I closed my eyes.
In the end, it took several attempts before I was able to get her into her bedroom and back into some proper clothes. When I was satisfied that she was asleep, I left for the night and went back to my own London flat. And then spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, and telling myself that honor was immensely over-rated.
It may be that honor is over-rated, but it did pay off for me in the end. For whatever reason, Lily decided that the evening in her apartment was a turning point. I had already decided that I was going to adopt her standard 'avoid-the-subject-at-all-costs' policy regarding her strip tease, but she surprised me by hunting me down and thanking me. And then, she followed it up by asking me out on a date.
Never one to walk away from an intriguing prospect, I accepted and found myself, later that evening, sitting across from her at a nice Muggle restaurant in London.
It was a very enjoyable evening. We'd known each other for years, and had quite a few shared experiences, so finding topics to talk about wasn't difficult. She brought me up to speed on her job at the Daily Prophet, and regaled me with stories of her childhood. There were numerous stories about the Weasleys and weekends she'd spent at the Burrow surrounded by all sorts of cousins, aunts, and uncles.
She'd just finished telling me about a particularly amusing anecdote about Ted Lupin and the time James had caught him in bed Victoire, when she leaned back and said, "Enough about me." Lily picked up her wine glass and took a sip. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked across the table at me. The candlelight made her hair look like it was fire itself. "Your turn."
Running my hand along the rim of my own wineglass, I shrugged lightly. "Not much to say. You know what my job is like. You grew up with your father."
But, at her insistence, I went into some detail about some of the sorts things I'd been working on and how I didn't find the work as glamorous as I'd once thought it was going to be.
"I expect all new jobs are like that," Lily answered, with a slight grin. "At least, that's what my mum told me. She said that she spent her entire first year on the Harpies basically being a broom-girl. It was a year before they let her out of the reserves. I guess we just have to prove ourselves, then. Me to my editor and you to the Auror department."
"Let's drink to that." I tapped my glass against hers and took a swallow of the wine.
"So, what about growing up? I've bored you with stories upon stories of the Weasleys and Potters. It's only fair you bore me with Malfoy stories." Lily looked at me expectantly, while she took a bite of her fish.
With some hesitation, I answered, slowly, "Not much to tell, really. Your stories are infinitely more interesting."
"Still." Lily set down her fork and rested her hand on her cheek, her full attention on me. "I know there were at least a few Christmases you didn't spend with us," she said in a teasing tone. "So, what was your childhood like? Growing up a Malfoy?"
Avoiding her gaze, I focused on cutting into my steak. The fact was that I didn't talk to people about what it was like growing up as a Malfoy. From the day I joined Hogwarts, I realized that it was best not to bring up my family tree in polite society. People immediately became uncomfortable or they just flat out told you how they felt about your family being followers of Voldemort.
Invariably, it led to questions about what my father was thinking, attempting to kill Albus Dumbledore. People always asked me that question as though I knew the answer. I'm fairly certain my father didn't even know the answer, so how could I explain on his behalf? But I couldn't tell Lily that. At least, not on the first date. I told myself that it was a conversation better suited to a tenth or twentieth date.
In the end, I told her the only thing that I felt wouldn't mar the evening. "I was an only child. So, it was quiet."
Lily studied me for a moment and then said, thoughtfully, "Quiet. I'm not even sure I know what that word means. I'm green with envy right now." And, with that, she changed the subject and went back to complaining about being the youngest girl in the entire extended Weasley clan.
Slowly, the first date turned into many dates. It wasn't perfect or ideal; Lily had gotten it into her head that she wanted to hide the fact that we were dating from her family. She kept claiming it had something to do with how she didn't want her entire family to nose into her business, but I had a feeling that the Jemma and James situation had shaken her up quite a bit. Jemma had been her friend since first year, and it was hard not to see the parallels between her friendship with Jemma and my friendship with Albus. I considered telling her that Albus had given me his blessing years ago, but I decided against it. With Lily, there was no telling how she'd handle the idea that I'd talked to her brother about her.
Our relationship, both the physical side and the regular side, was the best one I'd ever been in. Not that I'd been in that many, but even I knew enough to know that Lily was the sort of witch I wanted to be with. She understood the demands of my job and didn't question me if I had to cancel plans at the last minute. She was fun to be around, with the ability to tell entertaining stories, but there were times where she just stayed still, content to allow for the moments of peaceful silence between two people. All in all, it was a happy time, with the only thing marring it that we couldn't see each other out in the open.
One weekend, I decided to go back to the Manor, since it had been awhile since I'd seen my parents. After a nice dinner, I went back up to my room. I'd had a few firewhiskeys and it was late, so I thought it would be better to just sleep at my parents' place, rather than try to apparate back to London. I looked around my old room and realized I'd never really cleaned it up that well after leaving Hogwarts and, for whatever reason, got it into my head that I should tidy up a bit .
I'd taken a few things with me to the London flat, but left all my school things behind. My desk was a mess; piles of books, old quills and random pieces of parchment strewn about. With a nostalgic smile, I started to go through the remnants of my time at Hogwarts. Under several pieces of parchment, I came across a stack of photographs from my time at Hogwarts. There were some pictures from parties we'd had in the Slytherin common room after Quidditch victories. And some pictures of a few girls that had been pressed on me over the years. I put them aside in the pile for the rubbish. Towards the bottom of the stack was one of the last pictures taken during my time at school. I remembered the day clearly.
The seventh years had finished up their NEWTs the day before and the fifth years had just finished their final OWLs. The day was sunny, with a warm breeze coming from off the lake. It seemed like every student at Hogwarts was out celebrating the end of exams.
I'd been sitting near the lake with a group of Slytherins, including Albus, and we'd been talking about our plans for post-Hogwarts. Albus, who'd always excelled in Arithmancy, was going to begin an apprenticeship at Gringotts in a few weeks. Several of our group was planning on taking a trip around the world before settling down somewhere. I was leaning back against a tree, joking around and completely relaxed, when a flash of orange-flamed hair caught my eye. Lily was walking by the edge of the lake with Jemma, and she was laughing at something Jemma was saying.
Without giving it much thought, I leapt to my feet and walked towards her purposefully. We were due to leave Hogwarts in a few weeks' time, and I knew that this might be one of the last times I'd get a chance to talk to her. To explain things to her.
When I approached them, Jemma paused and caught Lily's arm to stop her, too. Lily turned to face me and her eyes widened slightly. Then, she offered me a wary smile.
Glancing between the two of us, Jemma said, "Um… well. Hi, Scorp."
I nodded politely. "Hi, Jemma." Turning towards Lily, I added, "Hi, Lily."
"So…" Jemma cleared her throat and made a show of looking beyond me to a group of Ravenclaws. "You know, there's Cassie." She turned to Lily and explained, while walking away quickly, "I've been meaning to ask her what she put down for question five on the Potions exam. I could have sworn that adding an eye from a horned viper makes the Biting Potion blow up, but Thomas said that it actually turns it opaque and makes the teeth grow longer."
When she was gone, Lily turned to me and commented, "Subtle, that Jemma is, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Letting out a slight laugh, I stuck my hands in my robes and looked down at her uncomfortably. "Lily, I've wanted to -."
Before I could get the rest of the sentence out, we heard a loud pop! and a flash of light went off. I saw that Jackson, a seventh year from Hufflepuff, had just taken our picture.
With a grin, Jackson said, "Taking pictures for the year-end book. You want a copy of this one, Malfoy? You, Lily?"
Lily and I exchanged a look. It was clear from the expression on her face that she was thinking what I was thinking. Would it look odder to refuse the picture or accept it?
Lily started, "No, that's quite all right-." Just as I said, "Yes, that's fine."
We looked at each other again, and Lily shook her head in confusion. "Er… well… yes, all right." She looked towards the group of Ravenclaws, her eyes seeking an escape. "I have to go – I was also wondering whether the eye of a horned viper was supposed to go into the Biting Potion. I better check with Cassie, too."
As Lily hurried past me, I said, "It doesn't."
Lily paused and looked back towards me, with a raised brow. "What?"
"It's not the eye of a horned viper." I picked up a stone from the ground and then tossed it into the lake, watching it skip a few times. "For the Biting Potion, you want the eye of a two-horned adder. It's a common for wizards to confuse the two snakes."
Lily tilted her head to the side and studied me for a second. Then, she grinned, "I'll have to take your word for it. You are in Slytherin; you must know your snakes."
Letting out a laugh, I said drily, "Or I just know my potions."
Lily tucked her hair behind her ear, a little nervously, and looked back at Jackson, who had been listening in on every word with interest. "Bye, Jackson. See you around, Scorpius." And then she was off.
Tracing my finger over the paper lightly, I looked down at the younger versions of us and smiled. I was just about to put the picture in my wallet, when my mother entered the room.
"What are you doing, Scorpy?" She glanced down at the piles I'd put together of old books and quills. With a sigh, she sat down. "Ezke will do that, dear. That's why we have house elves, you know."
"It's fine. I'll have Ezke throw out everything, but she won't know how to sort it."
My mother glanced around and saw my wand on my bed, several metres away. "You're not doing it the Muggle way, are you?"
"Sometimes, it's satisfying to do it the Muggle way, Mum," I told her, with a smile.
My mother looked scandalized. "You get such odd ideas sometimes, dear." Then her eyes landed on the picture in my hand and, before I could stop her, she'd plucked it out of my fingers and she was studying it carefully. "Who is this?"
"Lily Potter," I told her truthfully. "Albus's sister." After some hesitation, I added, "And my girlfriend." It felt odd calling Lily that, but I guessed it was as apt of a description as any.
My mother's head shot up and she gave me a sharp look. "You've been seeing someone since Hogwarts and you didn't tell me? Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy – if this Auror business is going to make you secretive, then it's not going to work. You know how we feel about secrets in this house."
Holding up my hands, I said, hurriedly, "No, no, I haven't been seeing her since Hogwarts. That picture was taken well before we -." I stopped, trying to figure out the best way to give my mother an edited version of events. "We only started seeing each other a few weeks ago. Of course, I was going to tell you. That's why I came this weekend."
Appearing to be mollified by that, my mother glanced down at the picture with a thoughtful expression. "Lily Potter? Albus Potter's sister?" She looked back up at me and said, "She's Harry Potter's daughter!"
"Yes, mother," I responded, in mildly sarcastic tone, "It stands to reason that Albus Potter's sister would be Harry Potter's daughter."
My mother fixed me with a warning look. "Don't use that tone with me."
Letting out a sigh, I said, "Sorry."
"You know what this means, don't you?" My mother looked excited and… oddly… a little hopeful. "This is wonderful."
Thrown off, I asked, with a frown, "Uh… why is that?"
"Because… well, she's a Potter." My mother leaned forward a bit and said, crossly, "Don't look at me like that, Scorpy. You're not a child anymore and I know that you're fully aware of how things are for us."
I shook my head. "I know, but -."
"No, I want you to listen," my mother cut in, with a wince. "I don't like speaking of these things, but there are things that even you don't know. Our name, it's worthless now. The only reason we're even allowed to live in the Wizarding world is because of our wealth. That's all we have left." With a bitter twist of her lips, she added, "That's one thing the Malfoys have always been good at – getting more gold." Letting out a sigh, she took the small figurine of a dragon off my desk and began stroking it down its back. The dragon purred in contentment and cuddled up on her palm. "When we were first married, I thought I would be able to change that. I joined numerous charities and began to donate large sums to charities that were specifically related to Muggle problems. They took my gold, of course. They were quick to write to me to ask for another cheque, but never felt the need to send an owl with an invitation to dinner or tea."
I was silent, as I waited for her to finish.
She looked down at the dragon sadly. "It wasn't as terrible for me, I suppose, but I worried about you. The only people who would still have anything to do with us were the people who were part of Death Eater families themselves. And your father refused to let us have anything to do with them, so you grew up, essentially, friendless."
I forced a smile to my lips. "It's okay, Mum. It all worked out in the end."
With a troubled look in her eyes, she responded, "I know. But I also know what your first year at Hogwarts was like." She shook her head. "For years, I asked your father to reach out to the Potters. To try to get them to set aside the… the… silliness… that happened at Hogwarts all those years ago. I know they accepted you, but your father… he has his pride, though, and he wouldn't listen…."
"Silliness?" I stared at her blankly. "Mum, my grandfather helped Voldemort kill and torture people. Father almost murdered the Hogwarts headmaster at the time. The man people claim was the greatest wizard that ever lived. I think that's a little more serious than a mere school rivalry."
"But don't you see," she answered, fiercely, "That's not who your father is! He was merely a boy! Being used by an evil, sadistic bastard. Why can't people understand that he was just as much of a victim as everyone else?"
Nodding, I answered, slowly, "I know, Mum. But Voldemort's gone. And they need someone to blame. And the Malfoys are as good as anyone, I suppose."
"Well, I'm tired of it," my mother answered. And, indeed, she did look very tired. "I know this must sound terrible and calculating to you, Scorpy. But I only want what's best for you. And, some day, I want your children and their children to be able to walk through Diagon Alley with their heads held high. To not suffer what your father and I suffer, and what you've suffered."
Reaching out, I placed my hand on hers gently. "No, I don't think that's terrible." And I didn't. Wasn't this one of the very reasons I chose to be an Auror? To restore honor to the Malfoy name? "But, Mum, I don't think Lily is necessarily the answer. That's a lot of pressure to put on a girl barely out of school."
Sniffing a bit, my mother nodded. "Yes, of course." Then, she brightened and smiled at me. "I would love to meet her. You'll bring her around for dinner, of course?" She set the dragon back down on my desk decisively.
Leaning back in my chair, I cleared my throat. "Um… of course."
"Next Sunday, then?" My mother stood up, smoothing down the front of her dress and staring down at me with a firm look. "I'll let your father know to expect her."
"Of course."
The dinner wasn't exactly a disaster, nor was it a resounding success. Although my mother had assured me she'd keep her enthusiasm for the match to herself, it was clear she was unable to hold to her promise. She kept saying and doing things that made it clear she was already imagining the red-haired grandchildren she was going to have.
After a particularly uncomfortable moment, I escaped to my old room with Lily, letting out a sigh of relief as I did so.
Glancing around my room, curiously, Lily commented, "This is your room. It's about four times the size of mine at the Hollow."
"I've never been in your room at the Hollow so I'll take your word for it," I answered, leaning back against my bureau. Crossing my arms, I couldn't help but smile at her. She looked so small next to my huge bed. Which led to very inappropriate thoughts of what I could I do to her on that bed. Actually, considering the amount of times I'd pictured her in that very spot when I was teenager, I felt I almost owed it to my younger self to act on those fantasies.
Unfortunately, Lily's mind wasn't in the same place as mine. Lily looked towards me and asked, in rather annoyed tone, "Why does your mother seem to think we're about to get married?"
I uncrossed my arms and let out a resigned sigh. I couldn't very well tell her that my mother saw her as the savior of all the future Malfoy generations. She was so skittish when it came to commitment already. So, instead, I just said, "I knew you'd make a fuss about this. Look, my mother doesn't think we're about to get married. She thinks we will – eventually – get married, and she's a person who likes to plan. That's all."
Lily's not a moron, so her response was, "I'm not seeing much of a difference, Malfoy."
Avoiding her gaze, I responded, evenly, "There is, trust me."
Lily bit her lower lip anxiously. "Does she realize that I'm only eighteen? And you're twenty?"
I shrugged and pointed out, "Does that mean much in the Wizard world? Your parents married at twenty. My parents married when my father was twenty-one. Your brother, Albus, just proposed to his girlfriend. And Albus is my age." Not that this meant I was about to propose to Lily tomorrow, but I was starting to get a little annoyed that the idea was so outlandish to her. Most girls pressure a bloke to think about marriage; not the other way around.
Lily seemed to give that some thought. "Uh… well… true. But, still. I'm not ready and I really don't want to be thinking about it."
"I'll make a note of it," I answered, keeping my tone purposefully light-hearted. "I'll write it down: don't propose to Lily for at least a decade."
She let out a weak laugh, and then picked up the same dragon figurine my mother had been fiddling with a week earlier. My parents had given it to me for my fifth birthday, when I was going through a dragon phase. (Well, I suppose I never really grew out of the phase, because my Patronus takes the shape of a dragon.) Lily ran fingers along the sharp edge of its tail and the figurine snapped at her fingers in retaliation. She immediately put it back down on my desk. Then, rather abruptly, she asked, "What did she mean that you're set to inherit everything?" She settled down on my bed, tucking her feet under her.
Confused by the question, I responded, "It means exactly that. I'm the only child of an only child. I'm the last Malfoy, actually. So, I inherit everything. It's fairly obvious."
"What are you going to do with it?" Lily had an odd expression on her face. "I mean, based on the way your father was talking, it seems like there's a lot to this heir business. So, how do you plan to take over for your father when you're an Auror?"
She looked impossibly small, sitting on my humungous bed, almost child-like. I was starting to feel like I was dwarfing her, so I sat down in one of my arm-chairs. It was odd that she asked the very question that my parents had asked me before agreeing to support me in my decision to be an Auror. Letting out a slight laugh at the irony, I answered, "I'll figure it out." Then, I thought about my father and the idea of losing him filled me with a sense of terror. And, more in an effort to reassure myself than Lily, I stated, "Not that I'll have to worry about that for quite a while, yet. My father's health is in excellent condition."
Lily was silent for a few minutes and then, in a quiet voice, she asked, "Has it all been a lie, then? Being an Auror? Coming to my family's house all those times throughout the years? This entire time, I thought it was because you didn't want to be a Malfoy. Because you were unhappy here. But, instead, you were perfectly fine. Living in this mansion, with your house elves and your doting parents."
Completely perplexed at how she'd made that leap, I shot back, in irritation, "I don't even know what that means. I used to go to your family's house, because it was fun. Sure, my parents love me and I love them. But it's lonely being an only child. Your family… your house… there was always commotion about. So, in the beginning, I just liked having friends my own age around. Then," I paused, not knowing how she would take it, "Later, I liked going to your house, so I could see you. Not that you ever paid attention to me," I couldn't help but add, still somewhat smarting about that. "You were always in your own world."
Lily didn't respond. She just picked at a loose thread on my bedspread.
"I don't know what you expected, Lily." I let out a frustrated sigh. "My parents aren't like your parents, but I love them. Why would you think I didn't? Just because the name Malfoy makes people…." I stopped, not wanting to go into the details of what it was like to walk down Diagon Alley. There was a reason I lived in Muggle London. In a low tone, I finished, "I think my father has paid for the mistakes he made as a young boy. My grandfather died in Azkaban for his sins. My grandmother almost went mad, and died a shell of a woman. When I decided to become an Auror, I thought my parents would be against it and try to stop me. But, instead, they decided to support me and told me not to worry about the family business."
"That's because they're waiting you out," Lily burst out. "Your dad just spent over two hours talking to you about the family business. He's grooming you to be his replacement."
"Grooming me?" I snorted in derision. "Are you even listening to yourself? Do you know how mad that is? My father is not some nefarious schemer who…."
"Sure he is," Lily interrupted. "It's perfect. They're going along with your plans and then, eventually, they think you'll come to your senses."
"Lily." I shook my head, wondering how she could see my entire family like that based on one meeting. "Did the thought ever occur to you that they're supportive just because? If your parents can be that way, then why can't mine?"
"Because…." Lily started and then became silent, avoiding my gaze.
"Yes?" When she didn't say anything, I glared at her angrily. Now I knew what was going on. "Because we're Malfoys." I tried to gain control of my temper as a horrible thought occurred to me. "Is this why you won't tell your family we're dating? Because you're ashamed to be dating a Malfoy?"
"No, of course not!" Lily exclaimed, looking like she meant it. But then, she added, "I've never held you being a Malfoy against you. You know that."
I gave her a dirty look. "That's lovely. I've never held you being a Potter against you."
Lily took a deep breath. "That's not what I meant. It came out wrong. I told you my reasons for keeping it from my family. It has nothing to do with you."
"Actually, Lily, I think it came out exactly right." My voice was cold, but inside, my heart was breaking. Of all the people in the world, I never expected to hear this from Lily. I braced myself and didn't let her see how much her words hurt. After all, I had years of experience hiding the pain from the people around me. "You can't set aside the way people still look at us. You're afraid of what people will think when they know that Harry Potter's daughter is dating the Malfoy boy. Apparently, I'm good enough to be friends with, but romance is a whole other situation?"
Lily paled, making the freckles scattered across her nose more vivid. Her brown eyes were blazing as she leapt to her feet. "How dare you say that? I don't think like that. I could care less that I'm Harry Potter's daughter."
I assessed her coolly and shrugged. "Whatever you have to tell yourself, Lily." Then, I stood up, too. "I'll take you back to the broom storage. We should go."
I expected her argue but, instead, she just agreed in a flat tone. "All right. Let's go."
After I'd apparated back to my room, I pulled out my wallet and stared down at the picture I'd put there. And realized, with a sinking feeling, that I'd just broken up with a girl that I was hopelessly in love with. And I had no idea what to do about it.
In the end, getting Albus's approval proved to be pointless and unnecessary. Even though she did end up dumping McCormick that day, it didn't mean that she decided to date me, either.
Lily, although very smart, was apparently not very big on confrontation. Because she avoided me for the rest of my seventh year. There were a few times I managed to catch her alone – either outside the library or the right outside the Ravenclaw common room - but she always managed to come up with some sort of breathless excuse and then run away. After a while, I noticed that she got into the habit of travelling with Jemma everywhere, so it would be impossible for me to get her alone. She was also constantly studying for her OWLs, which meant she spent a lot of time either in the library, which was full of fifth and seventh years students all the time.
After a week or so, I gave up and turned my attention to my own issues. NEWTs were around the corner and they were so hard they made the OWLs seem like a joke in comparison. On top of that, I had submitted my application for the Auror Academy and they'd given me a conditional acceptance in the program. Before formally accepting its students, the Academy required us to take a series of pre-exams to qualify, along with an interview. I was spending every waking minute either studying for the NEWTs or for the Academy exams, and I had no time to think about my love life (or lack thereof, as the case was).
By mid-summer, I had completed all my exams and interviews. The Academy immediately sent me a formal acceptance and training started a week after that. I barely had time to breathe.
From the first day, Auror training was brutal. It was harder than any classes I'd ever taken at Hogwarts. It wasn't just the studying; that was the easy part. It was the way they tested our emotional and psychological mettle. Aurors are constantly put in contact with Dark objects, so the training was designed to each us how to deal with the influence of the Dark Arts without getting corrupt. Secretly, I was glad that I'd taken extra lessons with Albus's father. It helped me get through some of the worst parts, and I was able to pick up things faster than the rest of my training class.
Unfortunately, this didn't endear me to them. They were already apathetic towards me because of the Malfoy name and my family history. But when I started to excel in the classes, their apathy turned to clear dislike. They'd go out after work to grab a pint at a local bar, but they never invited me. During partners' exercises, they'd avoid partnering up with me, and whoever ended up with me would talk to me as minimally as possible.
It brought up bad memories of my first year at Hogwarts. It had been so long since I'd had to deal with this sort of thing, I'd forgotten how bad it had been when I was younger. Bleakly, I wondered if this was destined to happen for the rest of my life. Everywhere I went, I'd have to prove to them that I was more than my last name. Was this how it had been for my father after he left Hogwarts? It must have been.
Eventually, things sorted themselves out. When I finished my training period, the department assigned us to teams of six and, within that team, we were each given a partner. I was assigned to a witch named Elaina Edison, who had been in a different training group than mine, so I didn't know her well. She was almost as tall as me, with gleaming blonde hair, tanned skin, and big blue eyes.
Our first assignment was to research and track down a Dark object that had been last seen at Knockturn Alley. The department was convinced that it was at Borgin and Burkes, and had just gotten a warrant to search the premises.
We apparated a short distance from Knockturn Alley, deciding to walk the rest of the way. We'd learned in the Academy that it was best not to apparate directly to dangerous locations, because people can sneak up on while you're trying to gather your bearings. As we walked towards Borgin and Burkes, I was quiet.
Finally, Elaina broke the silence. "You're Draco Malfoy's son, huh?" She was American and had that flat accent, with a slight drawl. I think she was from a state called Texas.
"Yes." I tensed, waiting for the usual attack that followed that comment.
My father and grandfather had actually been one of the topics we'd discussed in an Academy training class. Apparently, they'd both been involved with using Dark objects a couple of decades ago, so the Academy used them as examples. It had been mortifying sitting in those particular lessons. I had a feeling Elaina was now going to comment on it, since she hadn't gotten a chance during training.
"You know, Rose Weasley was in my training group," Elaina said, rather unexpectedly. She grinned at me. "She told me not to believe anything that people told me about you. And that you're supposed to be really smart and that I was lucky to be partnered with you."
I stared at her and smiled reluctantly. "Rose is a good friend."
"You know what I told her?" Elaina answered. "I told her I would never believe what a bunch Brits told me about a guy, anyway. I make my OWN judgments."
I started laughing. "That's… uh… smart of you. Although, since you're in Britain, you might not want to go around telling everyone that."
"Probably," Elaina nodded agreeably. She stopped walking and turned to face me with a serious look on her face. "Look, Malfoy, the point is: we're partners. We need to have each other's backs. Trust each other. It's the only way it'll work. If you're in, I'm in." She stuck out her hand, looking at me in a clear, straightforward way.
I took her hand and shook it firmly. "I'm in."
"Good." She released my hand, punched me in the arm lightly, and grinned. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership. Let's go hunt down that damn thing and get this assignment done."
As she walked off, her ponytail swinging, I almost had to physically restrain myself from saying, "Yes, ma'am."
As we continued towards Borgin and Burkes, Elaina kept up a steady stream of conversation.
"My parents are both Muggles, of course. Own a farm in Texas. We had no clue magic even existed until I got the letters on my eleventh birthday. I mean, weird things always happened when I was little, but we never really knew WHY. Although, my mom always figured she knew something, because of my name. I grew up surrounded by Cindys and Tiffanys… no one had a name like me. I think it was because she kind of sensed what I was, you know?" She turned to me with a grin. "Named my twin Eric, though. He got a normal name."
It seemed she'd paused long enough for me to talk, so I asked, "Er… is he… um… well, is he a wizard?"
"Yeah." She nodded and then turned back towards the front. "We went to Athenian Academy in California. I got a letter from Hogwarts, too, but leaving Texas was hard enough. I couldn't imagine coming all the way to England when I was eleven!"
"You came to England now," I pointed out.
"True," she conceded with a nod. At this point, we were at the shop, so she stopped. "I considered joining the Federal Auror Bureau. But, honestly? When I realized the world was so much bigger than I'd imagined, I decided it was time I explored more of it. And that's why I came here."
With a smile, I opened the door. "Lucky me." I found I meant it. Elaina was different, but interesting. And, more importantly, she was willing to give me a chance. So the least I could do was extend the same courtesy.
As these things happen, Elaina paved the way for me with my team. She was loud, brash, and loved a good joke. People naturally liked her (once they got used to her) and since I was her partner, I was considered to be part of the deal. It also helped that she threatened to curse anyone who even looked at me the wrong way. When I asked her about it once, she shrugged and said, "You remind me of my twin brother, actually. And I miss him."
xxx
During my training, I saw Lily twice. The first time was at a disastrous dinner at her parents' house. She'd invited a bloke named Michael Wright; she was seeing him and, from what I could tell, they'd gotten fairly close. I honestly did not see what she saw in him. He seemed a nice enough fellow, but he has the spine of a flubberworm. Not only that, she had essentially decided that whatever had happened between us in my seventh year wasn't worth really thinking about. Now, it wasn't exactly like I'd been pining after her myself. School and the Auror Academy had been keeping me rather busy and the last thing I had was time to focus on Lily and picking up where we left off. But still, the thought that she'd just gone along her merry way at Hogwarts and picked up yet another stupid prat was beyond galling. I had my pride, after all.
So, I managed to get her alone at some point, and attempted to point out to her that avoiding the situation was somewhat moronic. She then responded, rather calmly, with some sort of nonsense about how I was only interested in her because she was Albus's sister. At that moment, I realized that Lily might be the smartest person I knew, but the witch knew next to nothing about men and relationships.
My frustration welled up, until it resulted in me behaving like a perfect arse in front of the Potters. And then I had to have an uncomfortable conversation with Auror Potter about how I wasn't usually an arse, but it just came out every now and then. I had a feeling he knew (or at least suspected) that I harbored feelings of the carnal kind towards his daughter, but he's not the head of the Auror department for nothing. He just handed me a glass of firewhiskey, told me he'd be there if I ever needed to talk, and then sat in his study with me until I'd down the entire glass and then some.
It was that night I decided that Lily Luna Potter was too complicated. It was too difficult pinning her down. It was like trying to carry water in your hands; you could contain it for only so long and then it began seeping through the cracks until there was nothing left to hold. I decided I'd be nice and polite every time we met; we were, after all, old acquaintances and her brother was my best mate. And I also decided that I needed to start dating again, now that things were finally settling down at work.
xxx
What is it they say about best laid plans? One night, I went out to a club, Wicked, with friends and had just decided that I was going to ask out Sarah, one of my team members, on the date. And, of course, Lily strolled into the club with Jemma in tow. She looked stunning and, for a second, I had to laugh at the idea that my fifteen-year old self had been ashamed to be salivating over this girl. Now, at age eighteen, she looked perfectly legal in all the right ways and perfectly illegal in all the others.
Lily wore a tight, black dress that stopped right above her knees. The dress had spaghetti straps, with a low neckline, so it showed off her creamy and delicate shoulders. The dark color was a sharp contrast to her fair coloring, and she'd worn her long hair down so it flowed in waves down her back. She'd worn spiky high heels for the occasion and, with a start, I realized this was the first time I'd seen her dressed up since the Valentine's Day ball at Hogwarts years ago. She looked older than eighteen, and I realized that – much like back then – every male in her vicinity was openly taking stock of her, their gazes lingering on her chest. I worked very hard not to pull out my wand to cast a mass blinding spell on every bloke in the club. I had a feeling the Auror department would frown upon that kind of behavior.
At that moment, Jemma noticed me and called me over. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, Lily had joined my friends and was on her way to getting rip-roaring drunk. After about an hour of watching her toss back one bramble-apple martini after another, I started diluting her drinks.
When the club finally closed down for the night, I saw her get to her feet, tottering on her impossibly high heels. I grasped a hold of her; there was no way I was letting her attempt to apparate in that condition; not that I was even convinced she could if she wanted.
I managed to get her into her living room, which was no easy feat given that her father had installed every protection imaginable on her flat. What he hadn't considered was that Lily was her own worst enemy.
I handed her some tea, in hopes that it would sober her down and she took an experimental sip. Then, rather decisively, she put her mug down. And then she took the mug out of my hand and put it down on the other table.
Confused, I frowned. "What, is it not good? I have to admit, I don't usually drink tea, I -"
Then, out of the blue, Lily leaned forward and kissed me.
It took a second for my brain to catch up to my body and I broke away to finish, "…usually drink coffee. Lily, what are you -?"
She completely ignored me, and instead just moved until she was straddling my lap. Her tight dress rode up her thighs. My hands dropped to her hips to steady her, and that made her fit against me perfectly.
Before I could say anything, she leaned down and brushed her lips against mine tantalizingly. "I'm so sick of this," she whispered. "I want you, you want me. Let's do something about it."
She did? This was news to me. I reminded myself that I was a gentleman and she was completely drunk. "Lily, no, we…."
Again, she cut me off with her soft lips; her tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, urging me to respond. I groaned and then I couldn't resist anymore. I pressed against her and my tongue swept into her mouth, kissing her back hungrily.
Her hands worked their way up my shirt and she started to unbutton the top most button. There was a part of my brain that started to function and I felt it tell me that I needed to stop her. But her lips were heaven against mine, and her skin was soft under my hands.
Then, she broke way and exclaimed, "You have too many damn buttons!" She reached back and grabbed her wand and pointed it at my chest. "Accio buttons."
My buttons went flying past her and she moved out of the way, launching herself onto my chest. "Hhhmm… nice." She leaned back and gazed down at me, running her hands nimbly over my now bare chest.
Her delicate touch was actually what I needed to snap to my senses. It was like a bucket of cold water and, with horror, I realized how close I'd come to doing something dishonorable.
"Lily!" I grasped her around the waist and set her back on the sofa. Standing up, I moved several feet back and attempted to put my shirt back together, but it was futile. Instead, I focused on staring down at her. "What are you doing?"
"Good point." Lily nodded with a hint of a smile. Then, she sat up on her knees and then grasped the edge of her dress. "It's not fair for me to just get rid of your clothes."
Then, she pulled off her dress and tossed it off to the side. I lost my breath. I'd imagined the moment when I'd see what Lily Potter wore under her clothes, but imaginings could not compare to the reality. Her breasts were perfectly cupped by a sheer, black lace strapless bra, and she wore matching knickers. While I was an honorable person (most of the time), I did allow myself one glance down the length of her delicious body and then I closed my eyes.
In the end, it took several attempts before I was able to get her into her bedroom and back into some proper clothes. When I was satisfied that she was asleep, I left for the night and went back to my own London flat. And then spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, and telling myself that honor was immensely over-rated.
xxx
It may be that honor is over-rated, but it did pay off for me in the end. For whatever reason, Lily decided that the evening in her apartment was a turning point. I had already decided that I was going to adopt her standard 'avoid-the-subject-at-all-costs' policy regarding her strip tease, but she surprised me by hunting me down and thanking me. And then, she followed it up by asking me out on a date.
Never one to walk away from an intriguing prospect, I accepted and found myself, later that evening, sitting across from her at a nice Muggle restaurant in London.
It was a very enjoyable evening. We'd known each other for years, and had quite a few shared experiences, so finding topics to talk about wasn't difficult. She brought me up to speed on her job at the Daily Prophet, and regaled me with stories of her childhood. There were numerous stories about the Weasleys and weekends she'd spent at the Burrow surrounded by all sorts of cousins, aunts, and uncles.
She'd just finished telling me about a particularly amusing anecdote about Ted Lupin and the time James had caught him in bed Victoire, when she leaned back and said, "Enough about me." Lily picked up her wine glass and took a sip. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked across the table at me. The candlelight made her hair look like it was fire itself. "Your turn."
Running my hand along the rim of my own wineglass, I shrugged lightly. "Not much to say. You know what my job is like. You grew up with your father."
But, at her insistence, I went into some detail about some of the sorts things I'd been working on and how I didn't find the work as glamorous as I'd once thought it was going to be.
"I expect all new jobs are like that," Lily answered, with a slight grin. "At least, that's what my mum told me. She said that she spent her entire first year on the Harpies basically being a broom-girl. It was a year before they let her out of the reserves. I guess we just have to prove ourselves, then. Me to my editor and you to the Auror department."
"Let's drink to that." I tapped my glass against hers and took a swallow of the wine.
"So, what about growing up? I've bored you with stories upon stories of the Weasleys and Potters. It's only fair you bore me with Malfoy stories." Lily looked at me expectantly, while she took a bite of her fish.
With some hesitation, I answered, slowly, "Not much to tell, really. Your stories are infinitely more interesting."
"Still." Lily set down her fork and rested her hand on her cheek, her full attention on me. "I know there were at least a few Christmases you didn't spend with us," she said in a teasing tone. "So, what was your childhood like? Growing up a Malfoy?"
Avoiding her gaze, I focused on cutting into my steak. The fact was that I didn't talk to people about what it was like growing up as a Malfoy. From the day I joined Hogwarts, I realized that it was best not to bring up my family tree in polite society. People immediately became uncomfortable or they just flat out told you how they felt about your family being followers of Voldemort.
Invariably, it led to questions about what my father was thinking, attempting to kill Albus Dumbledore. People always asked me that question as though I knew the answer. I'm fairly certain my father didn't even know the answer, so how could I explain on his behalf? But I couldn't tell Lily that. At least, not on the first date. I told myself that it was a conversation better suited to a tenth or twentieth date.
In the end, I told her the only thing that I felt wouldn't mar the evening. "I was an only child. So, it was quiet."
Lily studied me for a moment and then said, thoughtfully, "Quiet. I'm not even sure I know what that word means. I'm green with envy right now." And, with that, she changed the subject and went back to complaining about being the youngest girl in the entire extended Weasley clan.
xxx
Slowly, the first date turned into many dates. It wasn't perfect or ideal; Lily had gotten it into her head that she wanted to hide the fact that we were dating from her family. She kept claiming it had something to do with how she didn't want her entire family to nose into her business, but I had a feeling that the Jemma and James situation had shaken her up quite a bit. Jemma had been her friend since first year, and it was hard not to see the parallels between her friendship with Jemma and my friendship with Albus. I considered telling her that Albus had given me his blessing years ago, but I decided against it. With Lily, there was no telling how she'd handle the idea that I'd talked to her brother about her.
Our relationship, both the physical side and the regular side, was the best one I'd ever been in. Not that I'd been in that many, but even I knew enough to know that Lily was the sort of witch I wanted to be with. She understood the demands of my job and didn't question me if I had to cancel plans at the last minute. She was fun to be around, with the ability to tell entertaining stories, but there were times where she just stayed still, content to allow for the moments of peaceful silence between two people. All in all, it was a happy time, with the only thing marring it that we couldn't see each other out in the open.
One weekend, I decided to go back to the Manor, since it had been awhile since I'd seen my parents. After a nice dinner, I went back up to my room. I'd had a few firewhiskeys and it was late, so I thought it would be better to just sleep at my parents' place, rather than try to apparate back to London. I looked around my old room and realized I'd never really cleaned it up that well after leaving Hogwarts and, for whatever reason, got it into my head that I should tidy up a bit .
I'd taken a few things with me to the London flat, but left all my school things behind. My desk was a mess; piles of books, old quills and random pieces of parchment strewn about. With a nostalgic smile, I started to go through the remnants of my time at Hogwarts. Under several pieces of parchment, I came across a stack of photographs from my time at Hogwarts. There were some pictures from parties we'd had in the Slytherin common room after Quidditch victories. And some pictures of a few girls that had been pressed on me over the years. I put them aside in the pile for the rubbish. Towards the bottom of the stack was one of the last pictures taken during my time at school. I remembered the day clearly.
The seventh years had finished up their NEWTs the day before and the fifth years had just finished their final OWLs. The day was sunny, with a warm breeze coming from off the lake. It seemed like every student at Hogwarts was out celebrating the end of exams.
I'd been sitting near the lake with a group of Slytherins, including Albus, and we'd been talking about our plans for post-Hogwarts. Albus, who'd always excelled in Arithmancy, was going to begin an apprenticeship at Gringotts in a few weeks. Several of our group was planning on taking a trip around the world before settling down somewhere. I was leaning back against a tree, joking around and completely relaxed, when a flash of orange-flamed hair caught my eye. Lily was walking by the edge of the lake with Jemma, and she was laughing at something Jemma was saying.
Without giving it much thought, I leapt to my feet and walked towards her purposefully. We were due to leave Hogwarts in a few weeks' time, and I knew that this might be one of the last times I'd get a chance to talk to her. To explain things to her.
When I approached them, Jemma paused and caught Lily's arm to stop her, too. Lily turned to face me and her eyes widened slightly. Then, she offered me a wary smile.
Glancing between the two of us, Jemma said, "Um… well. Hi, Scorp."
I nodded politely. "Hi, Jemma." Turning towards Lily, I added, "Hi, Lily."
"So…" Jemma cleared her throat and made a show of looking beyond me to a group of Ravenclaws. "You know, there's Cassie." She turned to Lily and explained, while walking away quickly, "I've been meaning to ask her what she put down for question five on the Potions exam. I could have sworn that adding an eye from a horned viper makes the Biting Potion blow up, but Thomas said that it actually turns it opaque and makes the teeth grow longer."
When she was gone, Lily turned to me and commented, "Subtle, that Jemma is, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Letting out a slight laugh, I stuck my hands in my robes and looked down at her uncomfortably. "Lily, I've wanted to -."
Before I could get the rest of the sentence out, we heard a loud pop! and a flash of light went off. I saw that Jackson, a seventh year from Hufflepuff, had just taken our picture.
With a grin, Jackson said, "Taking pictures for the year-end book. You want a copy of this one, Malfoy? You, Lily?"
Lily and I exchanged a look. It was clear from the expression on her face that she was thinking what I was thinking. Would it look odder to refuse the picture or accept it?
Lily started, "No, that's quite all right-." Just as I said, "Yes, that's fine."
We looked at each other again, and Lily shook her head in confusion. "Er… well… yes, all right." She looked towards the group of Ravenclaws, her eyes seeking an escape. "I have to go – I was also wondering whether the eye of a horned viper was supposed to go into the Biting Potion. I better check with Cassie, too."
As Lily hurried past me, I said, "It doesn't."
Lily paused and looked back towards me, with a raised brow. "What?"
"It's not the eye of a horned viper." I picked up a stone from the ground and then tossed it into the lake, watching it skip a few times. "For the Biting Potion, you want the eye of a two-horned adder. It's a common for wizards to confuse the two snakes."
Lily tilted her head to the side and studied me for a second. Then, she grinned, "I'll have to take your word for it. You are in Slytherin; you must know your snakes."
Letting out a laugh, I said drily, "Or I just know my potions."
Lily tucked her hair behind her ear, a little nervously, and looked back at Jackson, who had been listening in on every word with interest. "Bye, Jackson. See you around, Scorpius." And then she was off.
Tracing my finger over the paper lightly, I looked down at the younger versions of us and smiled. I was just about to put the picture in my wallet, when my mother entered the room.
"What are you doing, Scorpy?" She glanced down at the piles I'd put together of old books and quills. With a sigh, she sat down. "Ezke will do that, dear. That's why we have house elves, you know."
"It's fine. I'll have Ezke throw out everything, but she won't know how to sort it."
My mother glanced around and saw my wand on my bed, several metres away. "You're not doing it the Muggle way, are you?"
"Sometimes, it's satisfying to do it the Muggle way, Mum," I told her, with a smile.
My mother looked scandalized. "You get such odd ideas sometimes, dear." Then her eyes landed on the picture in my hand and, before I could stop her, she'd plucked it out of my fingers and she was studying it carefully. "Who is this?"
"Lily Potter," I told her truthfully. "Albus's sister." After some hesitation, I added, "And my girlfriend." It felt odd calling Lily that, but I guessed it was as apt of a description as any.
My mother's head shot up and she gave me a sharp look. "You've been seeing someone since Hogwarts and you didn't tell me? Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy – if this Auror business is going to make you secretive, then it's not going to work. You know how we feel about secrets in this house."
Holding up my hands, I said, hurriedly, "No, no, I haven't been seeing her since Hogwarts. That picture was taken well before we -." I stopped, trying to figure out the best way to give my mother an edited version of events. "We only started seeing each other a few weeks ago. Of course, I was going to tell you. That's why I came this weekend."
Appearing to be mollified by that, my mother glanced down at the picture with a thoughtful expression. "Lily Potter? Albus Potter's sister?" She looked back up at me and said, "She's Harry Potter's daughter!"
"Yes, mother," I responded, in mildly sarcastic tone, "It stands to reason that Albus Potter's sister would be Harry Potter's daughter."
My mother fixed me with a warning look. "Don't use that tone with me."
Letting out a sigh, I said, "Sorry."
"You know what this means, don't you?" My mother looked excited and… oddly… a little hopeful. "This is wonderful."
Thrown off, I asked, with a frown, "Uh… why is that?"
"Because… well, she's a Potter." My mother leaned forward a bit and said, crossly, "Don't look at me like that, Scorpy. You're not a child anymore and I know that you're fully aware of how things are for us."
I shook my head. "I know, but -."
"No, I want you to listen," my mother cut in, with a wince. "I don't like speaking of these things, but there are things that even you don't know. Our name, it's worthless now. The only reason we're even allowed to live in the Wizarding world is because of our wealth. That's all we have left." With a bitter twist of her lips, she added, "That's one thing the Malfoys have always been good at – getting more gold." Letting out a sigh, she took the small figurine of a dragon off my desk and began stroking it down its back. The dragon purred in contentment and cuddled up on her palm. "When we were first married, I thought I would be able to change that. I joined numerous charities and began to donate large sums to charities that were specifically related to Muggle problems. They took my gold, of course. They were quick to write to me to ask for another cheque, but never felt the need to send an owl with an invitation to dinner or tea."
I was silent, as I waited for her to finish.
She looked down at the dragon sadly. "It wasn't as terrible for me, I suppose, but I worried about you. The only people who would still have anything to do with us were the people who were part of Death Eater families themselves. And your father refused to let us have anything to do with them, so you grew up, essentially, friendless."
I forced a smile to my lips. "It's okay, Mum. It all worked out in the end."
With a troubled look in her eyes, she responded, "I know. But I also know what your first year at Hogwarts was like." She shook her head. "For years, I asked your father to reach out to the Potters. To try to get them to set aside the… the… silliness… that happened at Hogwarts all those years ago. I know they accepted you, but your father… he has his pride, though, and he wouldn't listen…."
"Silliness?" I stared at her blankly. "Mum, my grandfather helped Voldemort kill and torture people. Father almost murdered the Hogwarts headmaster at the time. The man people claim was the greatest wizard that ever lived. I think that's a little more serious than a mere school rivalry."
"But don't you see," she answered, fiercely, "That's not who your father is! He was merely a boy! Being used by an evil, sadistic bastard. Why can't people understand that he was just as much of a victim as everyone else?"
Nodding, I answered, slowly, "I know, Mum. But Voldemort's gone. And they need someone to blame. And the Malfoys are as good as anyone, I suppose."
"Well, I'm tired of it," my mother answered. And, indeed, she did look very tired. "I know this must sound terrible and calculating to you, Scorpy. But I only want what's best for you. And, some day, I want your children and their children to be able to walk through Diagon Alley with their heads held high. To not suffer what your father and I suffer, and what you've suffered."
Reaching out, I placed my hand on hers gently. "No, I don't think that's terrible." And I didn't. Wasn't this one of the very reasons I chose to be an Auror? To restore honor to the Malfoy name? "But, Mum, I don't think Lily is necessarily the answer. That's a lot of pressure to put on a girl barely out of school."
Sniffing a bit, my mother nodded. "Yes, of course." Then, she brightened and smiled at me. "I would love to meet her. You'll bring her around for dinner, of course?" She set the dragon back down on my desk decisively.
Leaning back in my chair, I cleared my throat. "Um… of course."
"Next Sunday, then?" My mother stood up, smoothing down the front of her dress and staring down at me with a firm look. "I'll let your father know to expect her."
"Of course."
xxx
The dinner wasn't exactly a disaster, nor was it a resounding success. Although my mother had assured me she'd keep her enthusiasm for the match to herself, it was clear she was unable to hold to her promise. She kept saying and doing things that made it clear she was already imagining the red-haired grandchildren she was going to have.
After a particularly uncomfortable moment, I escaped to my old room with Lily, letting out a sigh of relief as I did so.
Glancing around my room, curiously, Lily commented, "This is your room. It's about four times the size of mine at the Hollow."
"I've never been in your room at the Hollow so I'll take your word for it," I answered, leaning back against my bureau. Crossing my arms, I couldn't help but smile at her. She looked so small next to my huge bed. Which led to very inappropriate thoughts of what I could I do to her on that bed. Actually, considering the amount of times I'd pictured her in that very spot when I was teenager, I felt I almost owed it to my younger self to act on those fantasies.
Unfortunately, Lily's mind wasn't in the same place as mine. Lily looked towards me and asked, in rather annoyed tone, "Why does your mother seem to think we're about to get married?"
I uncrossed my arms and let out a resigned sigh. I couldn't very well tell her that my mother saw her as the savior of all the future Malfoy generations. She was so skittish when it came to commitment already. So, instead, I just said, "I knew you'd make a fuss about this. Look, my mother doesn't think we're about to get married. She thinks we will – eventually – get married, and she's a person who likes to plan. That's all."
Lily's not a moron, so her response was, "I'm not seeing much of a difference, Malfoy."
Avoiding her gaze, I responded, evenly, "There is, trust me."
Lily bit her lower lip anxiously. "Does she realize that I'm only eighteen? And you're twenty?"
I shrugged and pointed out, "Does that mean much in the Wizard world? Your parents married at twenty. My parents married when my father was twenty-one. Your brother, Albus, just proposed to his girlfriend. And Albus is my age." Not that this meant I was about to propose to Lily tomorrow, but I was starting to get a little annoyed that the idea was so outlandish to her. Most girls pressure a bloke to think about marriage; not the other way around.
Lily seemed to give that some thought. "Uh… well… true. But, still. I'm not ready and I really don't want to be thinking about it."
"I'll make a note of it," I answered, keeping my tone purposefully light-hearted. "I'll write it down: don't propose to Lily for at least a decade."
She let out a weak laugh, and then picked up the same dragon figurine my mother had been fiddling with a week earlier. My parents had given it to me for my fifth birthday, when I was going through a dragon phase. (Well, I suppose I never really grew out of the phase, because my Patronus takes the shape of a dragon.) Lily ran fingers along the sharp edge of its tail and the figurine snapped at her fingers in retaliation. She immediately put it back down on my desk. Then, rather abruptly, she asked, "What did she mean that you're set to inherit everything?" She settled down on my bed, tucking her feet under her.
Confused by the question, I responded, "It means exactly that. I'm the only child of an only child. I'm the last Malfoy, actually. So, I inherit everything. It's fairly obvious."
"What are you going to do with it?" Lily had an odd expression on her face. "I mean, based on the way your father was talking, it seems like there's a lot to this heir business. So, how do you plan to take over for your father when you're an Auror?"
She looked impossibly small, sitting on my humungous bed, almost child-like. I was starting to feel like I was dwarfing her, so I sat down in one of my arm-chairs. It was odd that she asked the very question that my parents had asked me before agreeing to support me in my decision to be an Auror. Letting out a slight laugh at the irony, I answered, "I'll figure it out." Then, I thought about my father and the idea of losing him filled me with a sense of terror. And, more in an effort to reassure myself than Lily, I stated, "Not that I'll have to worry about that for quite a while, yet. My father's health is in excellent condition."
Lily was silent for a few minutes and then, in a quiet voice, she asked, "Has it all been a lie, then? Being an Auror? Coming to my family's house all those times throughout the years? This entire time, I thought it was because you didn't want to be a Malfoy. Because you were unhappy here. But, instead, you were perfectly fine. Living in this mansion, with your house elves and your doting parents."
Completely perplexed at how she'd made that leap, I shot back, in irritation, "I don't even know what that means. I used to go to your family's house, because it was fun. Sure, my parents love me and I love them. But it's lonely being an only child. Your family… your house… there was always commotion about. So, in the beginning, I just liked having friends my own age around. Then," I paused, not knowing how she would take it, "Later, I liked going to your house, so I could see you. Not that you ever paid attention to me," I couldn't help but add, still somewhat smarting about that. "You were always in your own world."
Lily didn't respond. She just picked at a loose thread on my bedspread.
"I don't know what you expected, Lily." I let out a frustrated sigh. "My parents aren't like your parents, but I love them. Why would you think I didn't? Just because the name Malfoy makes people…." I stopped, not wanting to go into the details of what it was like to walk down Diagon Alley. There was a reason I lived in Muggle London. In a low tone, I finished, "I think my father has paid for the mistakes he made as a young boy. My grandfather died in Azkaban for his sins. My grandmother almost went mad, and died a shell of a woman. When I decided to become an Auror, I thought my parents would be against it and try to stop me. But, instead, they decided to support me and told me not to worry about the family business."
"That's because they're waiting you out," Lily burst out. "Your dad just spent over two hours talking to you about the family business. He's grooming you to be his replacement."
"Grooming me?" I snorted in derision. "Are you even listening to yourself? Do you know how mad that is? My father is not some nefarious schemer who…."
"Sure he is," Lily interrupted. "It's perfect. They're going along with your plans and then, eventually, they think you'll come to your senses."
"Lily." I shook my head, wondering how she could see my entire family like that based on one meeting. "Did the thought ever occur to you that they're supportive just because? If your parents can be that way, then why can't mine?"
"Because…." Lily started and then became silent, avoiding my gaze.
"Yes?" When she didn't say anything, I glared at her angrily. Now I knew what was going on. "Because we're Malfoys." I tried to gain control of my temper as a horrible thought occurred to me. "Is this why you won't tell your family we're dating? Because you're ashamed to be dating a Malfoy?"
"No, of course not!" Lily exclaimed, looking like she meant it. But then, she added, "I've never held you being a Malfoy against you. You know that."
I gave her a dirty look. "That's lovely. I've never held you being a Potter against you."
Lily took a deep breath. "That's not what I meant. It came out wrong. I told you my reasons for keeping it from my family. It has nothing to do with you."
"Actually, Lily, I think it came out exactly right." My voice was cold, but inside, my heart was breaking. Of all the people in the world, I never expected to hear this from Lily. I braced myself and didn't let her see how much her words hurt. After all, I had years of experience hiding the pain from the people around me. "You can't set aside the way people still look at us. You're afraid of what people will think when they know that Harry Potter's daughter is dating the Malfoy boy. Apparently, I'm good enough to be friends with, but romance is a whole other situation?"
Lily paled, making the freckles scattered across her nose more vivid. Her brown eyes were blazing as she leapt to her feet. "How dare you say that? I don't think like that. I could care less that I'm Harry Potter's daughter."
I assessed her coolly and shrugged. "Whatever you have to tell yourself, Lily." Then, I stood up, too. "I'll take you back to the broom storage. We should go."
I expected her argue but, instead, she just agreed in a flat tone. "All right. Let's go."
After I'd apparated back to my room, I pulled out my wallet and stared down at the picture I'd put there. And realized, with a sinking feeling, that I'd just broken up with a girl that I was hopelessly in love with. And I had no idea what to do about it.
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Date: 2011-08-14 09:49 am (UTC)I really like this story too! I usually do not read any post hg era but this works- update soon pls!
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Date: 2011-08-15 01:35 am (UTC)Working on the next part now. Hope to have it up by Tuesday.
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Date: 2011-08-15 11:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-15 08:01 pm (UTC)