Archive of Our Own

Author: icicle33
Title: Never Trust a Half Naked Bloke (No Matter How Fit He Is)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~11 K
Pairing(s): Lily/Scorpius , Lily/OMC, Albus Severus/Scorpius
Warnings: under 18 and ridiculously awkward sex (character is 16), matchmaker Slytherin Lily with Rose as her accomplice
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Lily never meant to break Scorpius’ heart. He was the nicest bloke she knew and loved him dearly. If only, there was some way to make it up to him. Luckily, with Rose's help Lily decides to set up Albus with Scorpius.
A/N: Written for the hpnextgen fest on lj. I decided to take a break from writing angst and went with humour instead for this fest. An extra special thanks to my beta, ashiiblack, who I tortured with six different versions of this fic until I finally decided on this idea. Thank you for putting up with my craziness.

Enjoy.

Dear Lily,

I hope you are having a fantastic time in Paris. I miss you lots. Everyone misses you, and I suppose I do too. Things are definitely less exciting without my little sister here causing trouble, especially since James is being a prat difficult again. Mum is away as usual, on one of her coaching retreats, which is a good thing since she’s been fighting with James almost daily about him going out and looking for a job rather than just bumming around the house and going out drinking with his friends. Good old JWood is practically living at our house, and I caught him trying to sneak into your room the other day. I really hate that prick. I was going to hex him myself, but those Slime Hexes you set on your door were brilliant. I laughed all day and Jonathon couldn’t remove the Green Slime from his hair for days! You’ll have to show me how you did that. You really are wicked at cursing people. I would hate to get on your bad side.

Last week, I went to Quidditch Camp, which was pretty fun since the entire Gryffindor and Slytherin teams were there. We picked up lots of strategies for next year’s team, and you would be proud of me because I behaved myself with the Slytherins and left Anton Zabini completely alone. Dad was thrilled that he didn’t receive any angry letters from the Camp Director this year even if I did turn Nigel Nott into a slug the first night.

Dad is working himself into an early grave since he misses Mum on a case with, surprisingly enough, Mr Malfoy (asking him about some Potions consult). So far, he has come home every night in once piece except for that one time when he came home with a black eye, so I think that means they are getting along or at least not killing each other. Mr Malfoy even stayed for dinner the other night, which turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant evening—other than the fact that Dad burnt the chicken again. I know that Mr Malfoy is dreadfully lonely. I think that Mr Malfoy misses Scorpius because he didn’t complain or insult Dad once during dinner— not even when Dad spilt wine all over his shirt. It’s probably hard being all alone in that huge Manor even if they do have a pool and a Quidditch Pitch! Speaking of Scorpius, how is he? I hope he’s having fun too and that you aren’t driving him mental. Anyway, that’s all for now and I can’t wait to see you next week. Make sure you tell me exactly when you’re coming home and we’ll plan something fun. Take care of yourself and say hi to Scorpius.

Your favourite and most awesome brother,

Al

p.s. I heard a rumour that you’re dating Scorpius. I told everyone it isn’t true because he’s been your best friend for years. It’s a complete lie, right? Not that I care.

Dearest Albus,

Paris is amazing. The food is wonderful, the wine is wonderful (don’t tell Dad), and the shopping is life changing. All the girls are going to die when I return home with the latest fashions that haven’t hit London yet! Unfortunately, I think Dad is probably going to have a heart attack when he sees the charges I have racked up on his Black Card. Thank Merlin, I won’t be there when he gets the bill, but I mean it’s not my fault. He gave me the card for emergencies and Scorpius and I were invited to a Ministry Gala, so a new dress, purse, and heels were a necessity! If that doesn’t count as an emergency, I don’t know what does.

The actual Young Ambassadors Programme is dreadfully kind of boring. From 8-12 we have guest lecturers every morning, and then unless we have pressing internship business, the rest of the day is free. We spent a couple of days with Scorpius’ mother, and since Astoria knows everybody, we are pretty much invited to a different social function every night. Actually, it’s quite exhausting, and I’ve skived off lectures once or twice practically every morning. Of course, Scorpius is enjoying the programme immensely and hanging on every word of the OLD Ambassadors. You should see him smiling like a bloody idiot at all the old codgers and bending to their every whim. It’s disgusting. And the others are worse!

Woe is my life, dear Albus! It appears that this entire programme is filled with a bunch of bloody swots. Who knew? I assumed that most people signed up for this programme to spend two months in Paris, not to actually WORK. Le sigh.

No matter, I have made the best of it and have made a few friends of my own, including the French Minister’s daughter, Renée. She’s a darling and very French. She has even invited me to stay during the winter hols, and if you’re nice to me, I’ll bring you too.

As for dating Scorpius, don’t be preposterous. Scorpius has been my friend for ages, we are most certainly NOT dating. I mean we might have gotten a little closer (I snogged him silly) than usual this summer since all the boys in the programme are stuck up little virgins anoraks, but it’s not a big deal.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see you! Unlike you, I can admit that I miss you lots, so you’d better be waiting for me. I’ll be home next Thursday around dinner time.

All my love,

Lily

Lily lugged her bag up the stairs and sighed. She was home again and not particularly happy about it. Paris had been amazing, a completely different world, and now that she was back in their large, albeit incredibly untidy home, she longed for the sophisticated and luxurious rooms that she had complained about in Paris. Thank Merlin, she would be returning in the winter, which couldn’t come soon enough.

Once she climbed up both flights of stairs, (Mum and Dad had insisted that all the ‘terrors’ room on the third floor), she cursed loudly as she almost tripped over one of James’ old trainers and what looked like a rank pair of gym shorts. Clearly, since Mum was out of town again, James was no longer even pretending to clean up his shit. Shaking her head, Lily kicked the trainers and foul shorts out of her path and towards James’ room. Later, she would be having words with her darling brother. Even if she had missed her family terribly, even James, she wasn’t looking forward to spending the next couple of weeks cooped up in this house with them. Oh well, at least she had Al to entertain her. Carefully, she avoided any more of James’ potential clothing hazards and made her way to her room, placing her bag outside the door (the trunks could wait until later).

The Parisian International Floo and Portkey Network had been a nightmare. Even though she wasn’t supposed to come home until this evening, she had managed to change her Portkey for an earlier departure. It was barely two in the afternoon, and she figured that James was still sleeping and Dad was at work. Lily wasn’t sure where Albus was though; she had assumed that he would be home, but when no one opened the front door after she knocked for five minutes, it was obvious that he had gone out. Perhaps she would take a little nap until Albus came home. Blimey, would he be surprised!

When Lily opened her door, her jaw dropped. Before leaving for France, she had placed a string of complicated hexes on her room to make sure that James, Albus, and her mother stayed out of it. She assumed that it would be a little dusty when she came back, but the last thing she expected to find was a half naked Jonathon Wood sprawled out on her bed.

“Jonathon...what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.

“Hiya Lily,” Jonathon said, a wide grin spread on his handsome face. “I’m so glad you’re home.” He got up from the bed, clad only in a pair of tight jeans, and hugged her. “I didn’t think you would be home ‘til later.”

“Right.” Lily frowned deeply as he embraced her. “What are you even doing here? This is MY room if you hadn’t noticed.”

“I know,” he replied, shrugging. “I was waiting for you. I missed you.”

“Uh huh.” Lily eyed him warily and crossed her arms. “How did you even get in here? All my locks and hexes are still in place.”

“Funny story,” Jonathon said, wriggling his eyebrows at her. “Come here and I’ll tell you.” He patted the corner of the bed next to him and smiled. It was odd having someone invite her to sit on her own bed, but she decided to humour him since she needed to know how he got past her hexes.

“Go on.”

“Well—” Jonathon shifted closer to her on the bed. Clearly, he didn’t take the hint that she had chosen to sit farther away from him on purpose. “I noticed that you placed a bunch of wicked hexes on your door. I tried disarming them, but I kind of failed epically,” he explained, and then held up his left arm where he still had a few welts that were most likely from her pointed Stinging Hexes.

“Ahh.” Lily shrugged. She wasn’t going to apologise for his injuries; it was his own fault for being dim-witted enough to try and break into her room.

“Anyway, I knew that I wasn’t going to get through the door, so I came up with another brilliant idea.” Lily arched an eyebrow at him but didn’t comment. “I decided to come in through your window.”

“My window? Are you insane?”

“Probably.” Jonathan chuckled. “It took five tries, but I flew up to your window and on the fifth try I was able to not fall off my broomstick and jerk open your window.”

“Wow,” Lily said, running a hand through her hair, “I never thought of that. I guess next time, I’ll have to lock my windows too.”

“Then I’ll just find another way to find you...Fair Lily.”

“Right.” Lily frowned again. It’s not that she disliked Jonathon because she didn’t; it was just that Jonathon had been friends with James for years, and he hardly ever talked to her. Back in fourth year, she used to fancy him like mad, but he never even noticed her. Why was he sitting in her bedroom all of a sudden?

“Why are you even here? What’s so important that you risked death to get into my room?”

Jonathon bowed his head and his cheeks flushed. Actually, it was kind of adorable. “I didn’t want James to see me,” he said. “And I wanted to surprise you. I’ve been thinking about you all summer.”

“Really?” Lily asked, her eyes still narrowed. “That’s funny because I don’t remember us ever being that close.”

“That’s not true,” Jonathon insisted, now shifting closer to her and grabbing her hand. “Lily,” he said, his voice serious and his eyes oh-so blue and clear that it was almost dizzying, “I’ve always liked you, but you were off limits since you were James’ sister.” He paused for a moment and smiled. “But now that you’re sixteen, it’s fair game. And—I just couldn’t keep away anymore. Besides, James doesn’t have to know.”

Lily tilted her head back and sighed. Boys were so frustrating sometimes. Or perhaps always.

“That’s bullshit Jonathon. You’ve never looked twice at me. And you don’t give a fuck about James. Tell me the truth before I kick you out and tell James that you tried to hit on me.”

Jonathon scowled and bit his lip, looking remarkably adorable again, which caused Lily to narrow her eyes. He really was lucky that he was attractive; if not, he would always be in trouble.

“Fine, you caught me,” he said through gritted teeth. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you wore that little red dress during James’ graduation party.”

Lily snorted and shook her head. That had been a fabulous dress. She had worn it to showcase her wonderful new breasts that had finally decided to make an appearance.

“At least you’re honest,” she replied. “However, even if I am flattered, I think I’m going to pass. James really will kill you—” She tried to give him her most stern look, channelling her grandmother. “And me.”

“Come on, Lil!” He tilted his head to the side and smiled shyly at her, his eyes twinkling and bottom lip protruding. “How’s he going to find out? It can just be a quickie.” He reached out for her and pulled her closer. “I doubt those Frogs kept you satisfied in France. Let me make it up to you,” he whispered in her ear, his voice deep and husky.

Lily’s breath hitched and she felt a shudder down her spine. It was true; she’d had a rather unfulfilling summer in the romance department, which was why she had finally turned to Scorpius. And even so, they hadn’t gone much further than a few messy snog sessions. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. If they were going to do this, it was going to be on her terms. Besides, secretly she had always wanted to bang Jonathon Wood.

“Alright, Jonathon, but you listen to everything I say. And no one, especially not James, Albus, and my father...ever find out about this. Are we clear?” Her tone was much harsher than she had intended, but Jonathon had the intellectual capacity of a baby troll and that was being kind. The poor bloke needed explicit instructions or he would be completely lost.

“Deal.” He grinned at her widely, showing off his white, perfect teeth. “Now, get rid of all those clothes and let JWood rock your world.”

Kissing Jonathon was nowhere near as amazing as Lily had imagined. Several times, she had fantasised about kissing and fucking him, especially since Jonathon was undeniably gorgeous and the son of Hall of Fame Quidditch Star, Oliver Wood; however, he was nowhere near the sex god that his reputation claimed he was back at school. He kissed like a big slobbery mutt and was pinning her to the mattress. She hoped that he would be better in bed.

“Erm, that’s enough,” Lily said, pushing Jonathon off her. “Let’s just get right to it. I don’t want James or Albus walking in.”

“Alright,” Jonathon said, his handsome face screwed up in confusion. “That’s cool, but don’t you want some foreplay or something? Girls usually love that shit.”

“No!” Lily cried, much louder than she had intended. “Please, I just want you to fuck me. Screw the foreplay...and no more kissing.” She pulled him closer again and sucked on his neck. “It’s been so long. Can’t you just rock my world like you promised?”

“JWood doesn’t have to be asked twice, love.” He pulled himself on top of her again and rubbed his cock against her crotch. Lily sighed but didn’t comment; she hated when boys rubbed up against her as if she were their own personal sex toy.

“Jonathon?” she said after several minutes. “I’m waiting.”

“Right.” The other boy shook out his hair and reached for a condom that he had placed on her nightstand earlier. “I’m ready now,” he said as he rolled the condom onto his fully erect penis. Unfortunately, Jonathon’s cock was nowhere near as big as she had imagined. Actually, it was much, much smaller. Lily prayed that he knew how to use it at least.

She smiled at him and nodded as she positioned a pillow against the headboard. “Do your worst.”

Jonathon propped himself on his arms and pushed his less than ideal cock inside of Lily. Bloody hell, it didn’t even fill the condom when he was fully hard. How is that possible?

“Are you okay?” he asked, before he continued moving.

Lily frowned and wrapped her legs around his waist. She barely even felt anything. Why wouldn’t she be okay? It’s not like he actually had a monstrous dick. “Perfect. Now move!” she instructed as she started grinding her hips up towards him.

And so he did.

Before she knew it, Jonathon was ramming inside of her rapidly and violently as if he were a jackrabbit trying to win a race. He kept jerking his hips up and grinding against her without even bothering to push in deeper.

“Jonathon...” She winced as the boy continued shaking her around as if she were a bag of popcorn rather than his lover. “Why don’t you slow down a bit? And deeper...please!”

“Don’t worry,” he panted, his face red and scrunched tightly in concentration, “just you wait. I’m almost there.”

“Right,” she said, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. Of course, she had bad lovers before, especially her first time, but this was Jonathon Wood. He had slept with half of Hogwarts. Surely, he would have to be more impressive than this.

He continued thrusting into her, faster than before, and now his entire face was scarlet. His breathing was so heavy that she thought he was going to pass out. “Are you alright?” she asked, pretending to be concerned. Perhaps if he passed out, this awful excuse for sex would finally be over.

“Fine,” he groaned, “just a little tired.” He plopped all his weight on top of her, no longer being able to hold his own weight and Lily moaned in frustration. Unfortunately, he mistook it for a moan of pleasure and said, “Yeah, baby, you like that don’t you? JWood is rocking your world!”

Before she could reply though, her door flew open and in walked Scorpius Malfoy. He was carrying a single rose in his left hand, and as soon as he saw her, his jaw dropped to the floor, his pale face turning as white as her sheets.

“Scorpius!” She tried to shove Jonathon off her, yet he seemed oblivious to the entire scene.

“Lily! I-I...how could you?” Scorpius shrieked, and without another word, he dropped the rose to the floor and ran out the door, slamming it firmly behind him.

“Scorpius!” she cried again, her chest constricting at the sight of Scorpius’ tearful eyes.

Jonathon finally rolled off her and flashed her a smug grin. “That was awesome, love,” he said, “but it’s JWood remember? Not Scorpius.”

“Bloody hell!” Lily banged her head against the headboard. “How daft are you? Just get out, okay. OUT!”

Jonathon ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up further, and then shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll be in touch, yeah?”

“Ahhhhhh!” Lily screamed and tried to suffocate herself with a pillow.

Lily hid in her room for what felt like hours. She had wanted to chase after Scorpius and make him understand, but he was already gone and could have been anywhere by now. How could she have been so stupid? It’s not that she had feelings for Scorpius because she didn’t. She didn’t want to be his girlfriend or have any type of romantic relationship with him, but he was her friend, her best friend. And the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

Why was he even here? And why had he brought her a rose? She had tried to salvage the beautiful blue rose, but as soon as she picked it up, it wilted beneath her fingertips. It was as if the enchanted rose knew that she was a bitch and had just broken Scorpius’ heart.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the hell was she going to do now? She needed Scorpius to forgive her and had to make sure that he didn’t tell anyone. Under no circumstances could this get back to James and Dad. Her father would kill Jonathon if he found out—not that she cared about what happened to that arrogant prick. However, she did not want her father knowing that his little girl was having sex. It might actually kill him.

Finally, she pulled herself together, crawled out of bed, and got dressed. Later, she would have to take a long, long bath to wash off all of Jonathon’s sweat and slobber. Gross. Time to face the music, she thought, as she pulled her hair back and walked out of her room. She needed to talk to Albus. Even though he was her brother, he wasn’t barmy and crazy protective like James and Dad were. If anyone would understand, he would. Besides, he never had been that fond of Scorpius, so perhaps he wouldn’t judge her too badly.

“Al?” Lily called as she knocked on his door. She heard music in the background, so when he didn’t answer, she decided to let herself in. “Al?” she said again; this time, she walked in and found Al sitting on his bed. He was curled up with his knees to his chest and his black hair sticking up wildly in all directions. His eyes were red and blotchy, and in that moment, he looked remarkably like Dad did on all those nights that Lily had sat with him when he waited up for Mum to come home. Seeing him like this, looking so helpless and dejected, sent a sharp pang to her chest.

“Lily,” he said, his voice even and expressionless. “Lily,” he repeated, staring at the wall instead of making eye contact with her. “How could you? Tell me it’s not true.” Finally, he turned his head and met her eyes. “Please, tell me it’s not true. And with that bastard—”

“Al...I-I” Lily stammered. Apparently, Albus already knew. But why was he taking it so hard? Was he really that disappointed in her? “I-I” she tried again, but for once her voice failed her. Albus always had her back. He always defended her no matter what she did, but this time even Albus was disgusted with her. There was nothing she could do except stand there blinking stupidly at her brother and fighting to hold back her tears.

“He loves you, you know?” Albus said after a long beat. “Really loves you.”

“Al-bus,” she said slowly, finally regaining her voice, “what are you talking about?”

“Scorpius,” he said, his eyes dark and wistful as if it were painful just to mention Scorpius’ name. “He told me. He came over yesterday and told me that he wanted to surprise you today. I went to find him. That’s where we were before...well...you know—”

“Al,” she croaked, “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know. I never meant to hurt him.” Her hands were trembling now and her bottom lip quivering. She closed her eyes and bit her tongue, trying to regain her composure. “You read my letters. I thought we were just having fun. We didn’t even do anything besides snog a few times. It didn’t mean anything!”

Albus’ face blanched noticeably when she mentioned kissing Scorpius; his skin was tinting a sallow green and he looked as if he were going to be ill. “Well, it meant something to him!” His eyes were blazing now, like two emerald flames, and he was huffing much louder than Lily had ever heard him. The Weasley-Potter clan were known for their fiery tempers, but Albus had always been the exception. Albus was so laid back and cool about everything that most people thought it was impossible to get him angry. Lily knew that wasn’t the case; that once in awhile he would get livid, particularly with James, but he had never lost his temper with her.

“Al, please!” She stepped closer to him and placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her off and continued glaring. “No, Lily! You listen for once. Not everything is ALWAYS about you! You can’t just play with people’s feelings whenever you feel like it. It isn’t fair.” He closed his eyes for a moment and bowed his head. “Scorpius,” he said, his voice much calmer now, “of all people, does not deserve that. He deserves...and I—”

Lily just blinked incredulously at her brother. She had never seen him like this before and over Scorpius. It just didn’t seem right; something was missing. “Albus,” she said, her voice faint and a knot forming in the back of her throat, “you are completely right and I was wrong. But why do you care so much? I thought you hated Scorpius.”

Albus’ eyes widened and now he was blinking at her. He looked so lost and frightened; she just wanted to scoop him into her arms and hold him tightly.

“Al?”

“I-I don’t hate Scorpius!” he squeaked. “Not at all. Does he think that I do? I like him a lot,” he explained, biting on his bottom lip. “It’s just that he’s a Slytherin and I’m a Gryffindor, so you know how that goes.”

Lily sighed and regarded her brother closely. Albus was so bloody smart, a million times smarter than James, and even smarter than she was, but sometimes he was an idiot and stubborn as hell.

“But I’m a Slytherin,” she said in her sweetest voice, giving him her most timid look.

“That’s different, Lil. You’re my sister. And Scorpius doesn’t like me either.” Albus shrugged casually, even though Lily could see that his eyes were still pained.

“It’s not different,” she insisted. “Besides, Scorpius doesn’t hate you. He thinks you’re wicked smart and funny...when you aren’t tormenting the Slytherins that is.”

“He does?” Albus’ eyes grew wide again. “Merlin’s beard!”

Lily smiled at her brother and shook her head. “Well, I’m going to try and fix things with Scorpius, but you should try to be friends with him too. I didn’t know you liked him.”

“I DON’T LIKE SCORPIUS MALFOY!”

“Alright,” Lily said, sending her brother a questioning gaze, “there’s no need to shout about it. Just don’t hate me, okay? I love you, Al.”

“I love you, too, Lil,” Albus said, his tone serious and his eyes piercing her again, “but this time...you went too far. You need to fix this.”

“I know.” She bowed her head and attempted to hide behind her hair, finally releasing the tears she had been swallowing back all day.

“I know.”

The last few weeks of summer had dragged on, painfully so, and thank Merlin, they were finally coming to an end. Lily had been miserable the entire time. Originally, she had planned on lounging around with Albus and visiting Scorpius at the Manor, so she could work on her suntan. But her plans had been ruined. Albus was giving her the cold shoulder, and Dad was wrapped up in work as usual, or spending his evenings working late with Mr Malfoy, which was beyond weird. Lily didn’t want to know how that partnership was working out, and she felt bad for Scorpius, who was probably dealing with their bickering like an old married couple on a daily basis. She also avoided James as much as possible—one because he wasn’t very good company—and two because she didn’t want to run into Jonathon. She was already embarrassed and traumatised enough by what had happened. The last thing she needed was to come face to face with that twat.

And Scorpius, well, she must have written him a dozen letters, but she hadn’t received a response to a single one. Every day, she sat by her window and hoped to hear her owl, Rupert, tapping on her window with a letter. But the letters never came, and now today was the first day of classes. Last night, Scorpius hadn’t been at the Start-of-Term-Feast or in the common room when she had returned afterwards. This morning at breakfast was going to be the first time she would see him since that awful day. Bloody hell. Her heart was racing and her knees felt wobbly. One way or another, she had to get Scorpius to listen to her, to understand how sorry she was. She couldn’t bear to lose him as a friend.

It’s not that she didn’t have other friends, because she had plenty, but she didn’t relate well with most of the other Slytherin girls. She would much rather spend her time with Scorpius, and this was the last year that she would have him around. Next year was going to be hard enough without him and Albus. There was no way that she could survive this year without him too. She absolutely refused, so with her head held high and shoulders back, she marched into the Great Hall and straight towards the end of the Slytherin table.

Unfortunately, Scorpius was not sitting in his usual seat and was already flanked right in the middle of the table with Zabini and Nott on either side. Bollocks. It was going to be impossible to try to speak with Scorpius during breakfast. She was just going to have to wait until he was finished and leaving the table. Then, she would track him down and follow him until he agreed to listen to her. At this point, there was no other choice. Sitting down in her usual spot, she sighed and blew her fringe out of her face, trying to get Scorpius’ attention. When he finally looked at her, she greeted him with a wide smile, but rather than returning her grin, he just scowled and looked down at his breakfast.

Fuck, this was going to be harder than she thought. She started stabbing at her eggs and plotting violent ways to remove Zabini and Nott from Scorpius’ side when an annoying and all too familiar voice buzzed in her ear.

“Hello, Lily Luna,” Rose said, her voice high-pitched and much too cheerful. “It’s been too long, dear cousin.”

“Oh, hi,” Lily responded drily, not even bothering to look up from her eggs. Rose might be her cousin, but the girl was so bossy and annoying that she avoided her as often as possible.

“Where’s your other half?” Rose asked, pushing up her glasses that were always sliding down her nose.

“We’re not attached at the hip,” she snapped. Really, she didn’t mean to be so snotty with her cousin, but the last thing she wanted to talk about was Scorpius.

“Okay then, as long as everything is alright.” Rose smiled and scooted closer to Lily. Rose Weasley was possibly the brightest student in all of Hogwarts, even brighter than Albus, much to his dismay; however, when it came to social cues she was utterly clueless.

“Just fabulous.” Lily stabbed a piece of a toast and pretended that it was Jonathon Wood. This was all his fault. Him and his bloody tight jeans. Why didn’t she just remember to lock her window? If she had, then she wouldn’t be in this mess. Rose was prattling on about something, most likely about classes, and Lily just nodded every couple of minutes pretending to be interested. She really couldn’t be bothered with Rose’s enthusiasm this early in the morning. Lily didn’t do perky.

“Lily? Lily?” Rose was shaking her shoulder now.

“Huh?” She looked over at her cousin and frowned. She had no idea what Rose had just asked her.

“Do you agree?” Rose asked again, her eyes wide and head tilted at an angle.

“Erm...” Lily wasn’t sure how to respond. She had gotten herself in trouble several times by agreeing with Rose, especially because later it turned out that she had agreed to volunteer to hand out flyers to prevent cruelty against garden gnomes or some other ridiculous cause. She furrowed her brow and was about to ask Rose to repeat the question when she saw Scorpius get up from the table.

“Yeah, of course, I agree,” Lily blurted out, “but I have to run. See you later, love.”

She jumped up from her seat and scurried after Scorpius. Scorpius was fast, but there was no way he was going to get away from her now. He couldn’t avoid her forever.

“Scorpius,” Lily called and tried to catch her breath. “Please stop!” She had been chasing after him for what felt like hours, even though it was probably only minutes; the heels that she was wearing were not conducive to running marathons around the castle. Perhaps it was because he finally took pity on her, watching her run around clutching her sides and her hair frizzing up worse than Rose’s—or perhaps it was because he was completely oblivious, like most boys were, but he finally turned around and faced her.

“Lily?” He ran a hand through his hair, and she noticed that his usually manicured nails were bitten down to small nubs. “What are you doing?”

“I-I” She gasped, still getting her rapid breath under control. “I needed to talk to you, please. I beg of you, Scorp. I’m actually begging!”

Scorpius frowned, deeply, creasing his eyebrows together and pressing his lips into a sideways scowl. He had dark bags under his eyes that almost looked like bruises, and his hair was much longer than usual. Lily thought that it suited him—that the long fringe framed his face and softened his angular features; still, it wasn’t like Scorpius and that worried her—deeply.

“Scorp?” she tried again. She hadn’t called him Scorp since she was eleven and met him for the first time in the Slytherin Common Room. She had been so nervous meeting the handsome older boy that she had stuttered on his name and wound up calling him Scorp instead. Everyone else had laughed, but Scorpius had smiled at her and said that only a pretty girl like her could get away with calling him Scorp. She had been enamoured with him immediately. However, by the end of the year, she had gotten over her crush, and he fell into the role of best friend instead. He had stayed there ever since, and now as she stood here, with shaky knees and butterflies in her stomach, she felt as if she were that same eleven-year-old girl wanting desperately for the older boy to notice her. The nickname Scorp had stuck, but only on specific occasions since he really did hate it; she hoped that this was one of them—that he would understand just how much he meant to her.

Scorpius continued staring at her, his grey eyes much more clear than she remembered, and finally he nodded at her and groaned. “Fine,” he said. “Just make it quick, Lily. I, unlike you, care about going to class.”

“I care about class,” she protested, but then stopped herself when she noticed him frown again. “Look, Scorpius,” she said in what she hoped was her softest and sweetest voice, “you have no idea how truly sorry I am about this summer. I love you so much and I never meant to hurt you. I don’t know if you got my letters, but sleeping with Jonathon was the biggest mistake I have ever made.” She paused for a second and took in his reaction. He was still scowling, but at least he didn’t look as angry anymore. “And with how much I fuck up, you know that’s saying a lot,” she added, trying to lighten the mood. Or at least get a grin out of Scorpius. Lily despised his scowl when it was directed at her. She waited and just pouted at Scorpius, hoping that if she looked pathetic enough, he would at least consider forgiving her.

“That’s true,” he said, after a long beat. “Trouble does seem to follow you, Lil.” He smirked at her and Lily felt as if a lead weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was making progress. Thank Merlin.

“Scorp,” she said seriously, stepping closer to the boy and reaching out for his arm, “you mean the world to me, I’m swear. I was stupid and I never should have risked our friendship just because we were both bored and horny...and in Paris.” She squeezed his arm and then smiled at him brightly, her most dazzling and bewitching smile. “Please, give me another chance. I know that you might not be able to forgive me now...but I can’t lose you. I had no idea that you had real feelings for me or I never would have agreed to fool around with you. You have to believe me!” She bowed her head and could no longer prevent the tears she had been fighting from escaping her eyes. “I’m a horrible person. And I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t hate me...”

Scorpius pulled Lily into his arms and starting stroking her hair. “Shhh,” he cooed, “it’s okay, Lil. I could never hate you. Never.” He held her tighter now and started placing kisses on her forehead. Lily wasn’t the type of girl who cried over little things; honestly, before this summer she hadn’t cried in ages, but Scorpius Malfoy was one of the few people that she would cry over. He was family to her, and she had come so close to losing him forever.

“Scorp, I—”

“I know.” He rested his head on top of hers and just continued holding her. “And I did read your letters,” he admitted, his voice cracking slightly.

“You did?”

“I did.” Scorpius sighed. “I was just too angry to respond to them, but I believe you. I know you’re sorry.”

Lily pulled away from Scorpius’ embrace and studied him cautiously. “So you forgive me? We’re friends again?”

Scorpius bowed his head again and looked at the floor; he was shuffling his feet and Lily knew that was a bad sign. “Lil,” he said, his voice still cracking, “we’ll always be friends. And this whole thing was partly my fault too because I didn’t tell you how I felt. And—we never did discuss an actual relationship. I just assumed that you wanted one since most girls do.” He stopped shuffling his feet and looked up at her, peering through his long fringe and smiling timidly. “But you’re not like other girls. Not even a little bit. That’s why I like you...but Lil, even if I forgive you, I’m still in love with you.”

“I love you too, Scorp—”

“I know you do.” Scorp smiled at her again. This time, a real smile that showed his perfect teeth and dimpled cheeks. Unfortunately, it didn’t go up to his eyes though; his beautiful grey eyes were still pained and stormy. “But it’s not the same,” he said. “And until I get over that, Lil. I just can’t be around you all the time. It hurts too much...so just give me some time, yeah?”

Lily’s jaw dropped, her lips pursed in a wide ‘O’. She hadn’t been expecting that. Not at all. She needed Scorpius to forgive her. And now. She couldn’t wait until he got over her. How long would that take? What if he never got over her?

“But—”

“No buts, Lily. Please...just do this for me.” He scrunched his lips into a tight line and narrowed his eyes. “You owe me this, Lil. I don’t think I’m asking for too much.”

Lily was still stunned, but she knew that Scorpius was right. “I know,” she said quickly. “You are absolutely right, Scorp. Whatever you need. It’s just—”

“Just what?” Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her.

“Just that...if you find someone else to love. If you’re happy...then we can be friends again?”

Scorpius furrowed his forehead and stared. He was looking up at the ceiling and raising one eyebrow. Lily knew that was his ‘I’m giving it serious consideration face’, so she let him be. After several minutes and Lily biting off half her nail polish, he finally answered. “Yes,” he said, “if I find someone else that makes me happy, then we can go back to being best friends. But for now,” he added, “I need some space. Do you understand?”

“Of course!” Lily shrieked and then sent him a fierce smile. She hadn’t smiled so widely in months, not since she found out that she passed all her OWLs and had been accepted into the Young Ambassador Programme. She threw her arms around Scorpius’ neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t you worry, love. I’m going to help you find love.”

“Lily—”

“Indirectly, dear. Indirectly.”

Scorpius looked at her warily but didn’t say anything. “Let’s get to class, you slacker,” she quipped. And with a ridiculous grin still on her face, she pulled Scorpius by the arm and led him down the corridors—just like old times.

“Lily?” Rose asked. “Is that you?”

Lily was hiding in the girls’ bathroom, slumped against the wall, and feeling sorry for herself. It had been more than a week since her conversation with Scorpius, and she had already failed miserably seven different times in finding a suitable girl for Scorpius. She had tried to set him up with every suitable girl in Slytherin and even a couple in Ravenclaw. Clearly, he would never settle for a Hufflepuff, and although most of the Gryffindor girls were on the prettier side, Lily hated most of their guts, so she wasn’t going to ask them for any favours. Besides, Scorpius needed a girlfriend; everyone knew that most of the Gryffindor girls were just easy tarts.

“No, it’s not,” Lily said, her voice screechy and sounding more like a petulant child than ever. “Go away, Rose!”

Rose scowled but sat down next to her anyway. “If it’s not you, dear, then how did you know it was me?”

“Ugh.” Lily banged her head against the tile wall. “Somebody AK me please! I can’t deal with this now.”

Rose blinked at her furiously, her blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses. “Why would you want someone to AK you? That’s not very nice.” She tilted her head at an angle again and gave Lily her sternest look. Lily swore that Rose was part owl. “And that’s against the law, Lily. Mother says one should never go against the law. That rules are there for a reason.”

“Oh sweet Salazar!” Lily banged her head against the wall again. “Rose, darling,” she said coldly, “do you always do what your mother tells you?”

“Of course! Don’t you?”

“No!” Lily sighed and closed her eyes. Be patient with your cousin—be patient with your cousin, she scolded herself. Sometimes, she felt like that should be her mantra.

“Lily?” Rose asked, her pale face etched in concern. “Are you okay? How can I help?”

Lily opened her eyes and faced her cousin. Most people wouldn’t say that Rose Weasley was classically pretty—not with her frizzy mop of hair and wide framed glasses—but still, there was something about her that was appealing. She had striking blue eyes, so pale they almost looked violet, and eyelashes so long that they curled at the ends. Her pale face was dusted with freckles, and even though she had a few blemishes and spots, they weren’t anything that a little concealer couldn’t fix. Lily would kill for those dark, beautiful eyelashes. Hers were so pale that she had to wear coats and coats of mascara just to make them visible. Perhaps one day she could convince her cousin to allow her to give her a makeover.

“No. I’m not okay, Rose. I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?”

Lily ran a hand through her hair and stared at Rose. Should she tell her? Could she trust Rose? Finally, she shrugged and figured what the hell? It’s not like Rose was a reliable source anyway. She would only share certain details with her and just deny everything, if it somehow got out that she had slept with Jonathon.

“It’s Scorpius,” she said, “I messed up, Rose. I hurt him badly. And now I need to find him a girlfriend...for him to forgive me.”

“Oh.” Rose pursed her lips. “That is a problem. A serious problem.”

Lily arched an eyebrow at her. “Why is that?”

“Because Scorpius is clearly gay. Why would he want a girlfriend?”

“WHAT?” Lily stared at Rose as if she had three heads. “Are you insane? Scorpius is not gay.”

Rose shrugged. “Sure he is. He’s never had a girlfriend—even though all the girls fancy him, he dresses better than most of the girls at Hogwarts, and he’s always making moon eyes at your brother.”

“What are you talking about?” Lily rubbed her eyes with her hands, for once not caring that she would smear her mascara. “Scorpius does not make moon eyes at my brother. They’re not even friends. Albus hates him. They’re practically rivals.”

“Are they?” Rose asked. “I hadn’t noticed that. What I did notice is that Albus always stares at Scorpius. Besides, he talked about him all summer.”

“He did?” Lily was shocked. Why didn’t Albus tell her any of this? He was her brother. Why had he confided in Rose?

“He did,” Rose said. “He kept asking me if I thought house rivalries were important. Or if I thought the rest of the Gryffindors would kill him if he dated or was friends with a Slytherin.”

“Bloody hell, Rose!” Lily grabbed the other girl by the shoulders and shook her. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Rose shrugged. “You never asked.”

“Whatever.” Lily rolled her eyes. “But I think you’re right. Albus was really upset when he found out I had hurt Scorpius. And I did find all these crumpled letters in his room that were all addressed to Scorpius.” She frowned. “I thought that he just wanted to be friends with Scorpius for my sake. I never thought that he might fancy him. I mean...Albus doesn’t have a queer bone in his body. He’s captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He eats, sleeps, and breathes Quidditch.”

“And Scorpius?”

“Scorpius...I always wondered about. I really did think he was gay until this summer.”

Rose tilted her head again and blinked at her. “What happened this summer?”

“NOTHING!” Lily squeaked. “Absolutely nothing!”

“That’s nice,” Rose replied, still blinking. “You don’t have to raise your voice. I can hear you perfectly. You’re right next to me, Lily. Inside voice, please.”

Lily shook her head and laughed. Perhaps Rose wasn’t so bad after all. “Sorry Rose, I must’ve forgotten. Now, let’s start plotting on how to get those two together.”

It was the middle of October now, and Lily and Rose were no closer to getting Albus and Scorpius together then they had been that day in the bathroom. They had been working on setting them up for weeks now, but each time they pushed them together, all their plans seemed to blow up in their faces, spectacularly so. At first, they had decided that since both boys loved Quidditch, playing a friendly pickup game would bring the boys closer together. Well, that plan failed miserably, and instead of bringing the boys together, they wound up rolling around on the floor and pounding each other into a pulp. Albus called Scorpius a ‘bloody cheater’, and then, Scorpius called Albus ‘a pompous bastard.’ After that, insults against their mothers and their respective fathers were exchanged, and things went pear-shaped quickly. Lily and Rose had to wrestle the boys away from each other before they each lost Gryffindor and Slytherin 100 points respectively.

After the Quidditch failure, Rose’s bright idea was to get the boys to work together in class. Originally, Lily thought it was an absurd idea, and Rose always wanted to include school in everything, but eventually Lily came around and convinced Professor Slughorn that it was in Slytherin’s best interest to pair Albus and Scorpius together. She told him that if the boys didn’t learn to get along, their fighting would cost Slytherin the House Cup. Obviously, Professor Slughorn wanted to win, so he agreed and paired the boys together as Potions partners. Unfortunately, that plan failed miserably as well, and Albus wound up putting Scorpius in the hospital wing when he accidentally erupted and imploded their cauldron.

Lily had almost killed Rose after that plan, but she decided against it because Scorpius allowed her to sit with him when he was in the hospital wing. It was the only time she had spent with him since Paris, and even though she felt guilty that he was injured, she was thrilled to have her friend back. For a while, it felt like old times again, but as soon as he was released, he went back to avoiding her. Watching Scorpius purposely avoid her broke her heart, and if she had to spend another Friday night listening to Amelia and Elizabeth whinge about boys, she would probably kill herself. Or both of them.

Finally, she became desperate and resorted to a rather juvenile plan. She snuck into Scorpius’ dormitory and stole a couple of his textbooks. Instead of returning them, however, she dumped them in Albus’ rucksack in hopes that once he noticed they were Scorpius’, he would return them to the other boy, and then they would be forced to make nice with each other. Of course, that plan failed, just like the others, and instead of returning the books to Scorpius himself, Albus threatened a first year Slytherin into returning them.

Lily was getting desperate now; other than locking the two boys together in a closet and never letting them out again, Lily was completely out of ideas. She was sitting at the library, of all places, and pretending to flip through one of her textbooks. Albus and Scorpius had to get together and soon before she became a swot like Rose.

“Rose,” she whinged, “can we leave now? It’s almost dinner time and I’m soooo bored.”

“Not yet, Lily.” Rose was scribbling furiously on a scroll and had the table covered in colour-coded notes. “Don’t worry. You’ll thank me in a minute.”

“I doubt it,” Lily muttered under her breath. “What are you doing anyway?” She peered at Rose’s scribbles and realised that she was writing a letter.

“I’m writing a letter.”

“I can see that.” Lily rolled her eyes. “But who are you writing to?”

“Oh, it’s just brilliant,” Rose said with a huge smile. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I’m writing to Scorpius!”

Lily quirked an eyebrow at Rose. Rose might be a genius, but sometimes her plans were a little peculiar. There was that one time that she wanted to handcuff herself and Lily too, onto the Whomping Willow until Scorpius and Albus admitted their feelings for each other.

“Why are you writing to Scorpius?” Lily didn’t think that Scorpius had ever even spoken more than two words to Rose in all their years at school.

“I’m not,” Rose explained, “Albus is. And then Scorpius is going to write to Albus.”

Lily’s eyes widened and she turned her most dazzling and wicked smile on Rose. “Rose Weasley,” she said, smirking, “that is rather Slytherin of you...and absolutely brilliant. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.”

“Thank you!” Rose tilted her head again and laughed. Apparently, that was her reaction to everything. “I’m sure you would have thought of it eventually, Lily Luna. I got the idea from those letters you said that Albus had tried to write to Scorpius. Obviously—both boys have problems expressing themselves face to face. Perhaps if we arrange a secret face to face meeting, they’ll be able to relax and admit their feelings.”

Lily shook her head and smiled again. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing come out of your mouth, darling. I think you’re joining the dark side.” She ruffled Rose’s already frizzy hair, still smiling stupidly. “Clearly, I must be having a good influence on you. Now, get cracking on that letter. I’m starving.”

Dear Scorpius,

I have been trying to write to you for ages, but I’m just rubbish with words. I needed to tell you that I think you are rather impressive, and I’m so glad you take care of my sister. Honestly, Lily gets herself into trouble all the time, and if it weren’t for you, I’m pretty sure that she would be failing all her classes and possibly expelled. Thank you for that. And it’s not just that. I’m sorry if I’ve been a right shit to you at times, but I didn’t mean it. I don’t mean it. At all. In fact, I think about you. A LOT. You’re smart Scorpius and clever too. And quite fit. I really want to get to know you better, but I’ve just been too shy to tell you. I was afraid that you would laugh in my face. However, I can’t keep my feelings hidden anymore. If you want to put all the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry rubbish aside and give a bloke a chance, then meet me in the Room of Requirement on Friday night. I’ll be there at nine. And I promise if you go out on a limb and take a chance, you won’t regret it.

Faithfully yours,

ASP

Dear Albus,

I cannot convey to you how deeply embarrassed I am with my actions towards you. I never should have treated you the way I have, or worse yet, insulted your family. Your family has been amazing to me. They have welcomed me with open arms and were so supportive of me during my parents’ divorce. Well, expect for your brother, but that isn’t your fault. I know that I have never gone out of my way to befriend you, and I cannot tell you how much I regret this. I have always wanted to be your friend, more than a friend if I’m honest with myself, but I was a coward and afraid of your rejection. You’re Albus Potter. Your father hated my father, and your mother and uncle despise my family with a passion. I never thought in a million years that you would accept my friendship, so I figured it would be better if I never asked for it. Now, I regret it, and I can no longer ignore my feelings for you, Albus Severus. You fascinate me, really fascinate me, and I want nothing more than to get to know to you better and be your friend. Perhaps even something more...if you are up for it. If you accept my sincerest apologies and want to get to know me, please meet me at the Room of Requirement on Friday evening at precisely nine. I will be waiting for you anxiously.

Faithfully yours,

SAM

“All done,” Rose said as she waved her letter in Lily’s face. “Are you finished with Albus’ letter?”

“Indeed,” Lily replied smugly. “Now trade.”

The girls traded letters and Lily quickly perused Rose’s letter to Scorpius. “It’s good and sounds like Al,” she said, “but did you really have to mention the part about me failing out of school without Scorpius? That’s so not true. I’m not failing any of my classes right now.”

Rose shook her head. “That’s because I’m helping you. And you’re letter is good too. Nice job on the details. If we don’t include details that are only known by Albus and Scorpius, then the boys will know the letters are fakes.”

Lily scowled. “I suppose, you’re right.” She crossed her arms and pretended to be affronted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. This better bleeding work.”

“It will,” Rose chirped. “I’m sure of it.”

Friday night finally came, and Lily swore that she was more nervous than Albus was. Yesterday, Albus had come to her and confessed that Scorpius had written him a letter and asked to meet him for a date. Al was too adorable for his own good. He had been afraid that Lily would be angry or think that he was trying to steal Scorpius from her; he needed to make sure that she was okay with it. Lily had hugged her brother tightly and assured him that she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy with Scorpius. She loved them both more than life itself and couldn’t think of two boys that deserved each other more. Albus had left with a huge, besotted grin on his face, and Lily knew that she had done the right thing. Certainly, she was setting the boys up in order to regain her best friend, but it was also for them to be happy. Lily loved watching her brother grin stupidly like that, and she assumed that Scorpius would have a similar grin. Of course, she would never admit that aloud. She had her Slytherin reputation to uphold after all.

As usual, Rose was a big help, and Lily decided that she was much too hard on her quirky cousin. Even if Rose was a little peculiar and too much of a goody two-shoes, she was still her cousin and quite brilliant in her own right. Lily had watched eagerly as Rose charmed the Room of Requirement to provide a romantic picnic spread for Albus and Scorpius. Everything was perfect, and now all they had to do was wait for Albus and Scorpius to arrive. Naturally, Lily and Rose were going to spy on the boys, and while Rose finished setting up the picnic and romantic atmosphere, Lily set up a two-way mirror. That way, they would have front row seats to Albus and Scorpius’ date, yet the boys would be none the wiser.

Nine o’ clock came and went, and just as Lily predicted, Scorpius had been the first to arrive. Albus was always late to everything, but since Scorpius hated tardiness, Lily hoped that Al would make an effort to be on time or at least almost on time. Scorpius’ face had lit up in a fierce smile upon seeing the picnic, but since it was now almost quarter after nine, he was pacing frantically and had already started drinking the champagne.

“Albus,” Scorpius gasped, when her brother finally decided to make an appearance.

“You came.”

“I did.” Albus was staring at his feet rather than looking at Scorpius and Lily wanted to hit him. However, he had changed into a nice pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. Thank Merlin that he hadn’t shown up in one of his various Quidditch jerseys that he usually sported.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Albus said, finally looking up at Scorpius and chewing on his bottom lip.

“Well, I did.” Scorpius just stood there blinking at Albus and playing with his silver tie.

“You look nice,” Albus said, after a long beat.

“Thank you.” Scorpius smiled at him and blushed. Merlin’s beard Scorpius was blushing like a besotted schoolgirl. What kind of Slytherin was he? “You do too,” he added, eyeing the other boy appreciatively.

*

That’s better, Lily thought. “Make the first move, Scorp,” she urged. “Clearly, my brother is the worst Gryffindor ever and has no bollocks whatsoever.” Rose snorted. Up until now, she had been so quiet that Lily had forgotten that she was here watching with her.

“You know they can’t hear you, right?”

“Shut up, you,” Lily snapped, without any malice in her voice. “I’m trying to listen.”

*

“I see you’re drinking champagne,” Albus said, motioning to the open bottle of champagne on the floor.

“Erm...yes.” Scorpius frowned. “I hope you don’t mind that I started without you.”

“Not at all.”

“I was kind of afraid that you weren’t coming, so I figured I needed to get a head start on getting pissed.” Scorpius stared down at the floor and tried to hide behind his long fringe. What the hell? Both these boys were being so ridiculous that Lily just wanted to punch them.

Albus snorted. Obviously, he thought that Scorpius had been joking, and now Scorpius was blushing even darker than before. He slumped down on the floor and put his head in his hands.

“This was foolish,” he mumbled. “I’m such an idiot. Why did I—”

“Wait what?” Albus asked, his faced scrunched in concern. When Scorpius didn’t answer and just pulled his knees further into his chest, Albus slumped down on the floor next to him. “Scorpius,” he said slowly, “what’s wrong? What did I say?”

“You’re laughing at me.” Scorpius’ voice was so soft and pitiful that it hurt Lily’s heart. Oh Albus, if you fuck this up, I will kill you, she mused.

“What? No!” Albus’ eyes were wide now. He scooted closer to Scorpius and placed a hand on his back. “I-I didn’t mean to. I thought you were joking.”

Scorpius picked up his head and looked at Al; his eyes were bright and glassy. “I wasn’t.”

“Then I’m sorry,” Albus said, his hand now awkwardly patting Scorpius’ back. “Why wouldn’t I come? I’ve been dying all week.”

“Really?” Scorpius’ face lit up in a brilliant smile and Lily thought that she heard Albus gulp. The blond boy didn’t smile often, but when he did, his smile could light up an entire room.

“Really.” Albus reached out to Scorpius and grabbed his hand. Scorpius gave it to him readily and pulled him closer, now resting his head on Al’s shoulder.

“This is nice,” Albus said.

“Mmmm, it is,” Scorpius agreed. “You’re rather comfy.”

“Thanks, I think.” Albus continued to stroke Scorpius’ hand and Lily heard Rose aww behind her. She rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.

“Scorpius?” Albus asked after a long pause. “Not that I’m not happy you’re here, but why me? Why now?” He bit down on his bottom lip and looked sad. “I-I thought you were in love with Lily...not me.”

Scorpius sighed and picked his head off Albus’ shoulder. He turned around and faced the other boy, making sure to lock eyes with him. “Albus,” he said, in his most serious tone, “I want you, okay. I-I thought I wanted Lily. She’s been my best friend for years and I’ve never had feelings for any girls,” he explained. “I knew that wasn’t normal, so I asked myself what kind of girl I would want. I couldn’t find a single girl that didn’t drive me mental. And then, I was in Paris with Lily...the city of love.” He ran a trembling hand through his hair and his breaths were much too shallow.

“It’s okay, Scorpius,” Albus said. “You can tell me.”

Scorpius nodded and continued speaking. “It was so beautiful and romantic and with Lily on my arm...I thought that maybe we could be happy together. She was the only girl that I could be around at all times. And I mistook our close friendship for love. I was an idiot. I mean—I do love her...but not like that.”

“Scorp—”

“No, please let me finish,” he insisted. “You might not like this, but I need to tell you. I snogged your sister. Several times.”

“I figured.”

“Lily...is a beautiful girl. And she’s funny, smart. She’s everything a bloke could want. But we were in Paris...the most romantic city in the world...and sharing adjoining rooms. Any other bloke in the world would have been ecstatic,” he continued. “But I wasn’t. I wanted to want her and convinced myself I loved her. But...when we tried to do anything beside kiss...I-I just couldn’t.” Scorpius blanched and averted his eyes from Albus. “I knew then that if I couldn’t want Lily, then I would never want any girl. But I was so embarrassed and scared that I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I figured that since I already loved Lily that I could learn to fancy her too.” He sighed deeply, his entire face falling. “You must think I’m disgusting, huh? Basically using your sister.”

“Scorpius,” Albus rasped. He put both hands on Scorpius’ shoulders and stared at him intently. “You’ll never disgust me. And trust me, I understand. I tried dating girls, and every time I kissed them I kept thinking about you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Albus smiled, that same large, besotted smile he had greeted Lily with the day before. “I almost died when I heard that you were seeing Lily. I’ve always wanted you for myself.”

Scorpius broke into his own wide grin and then raised both eyebrows at Albus. “What are you going to do about it then, Potter?”

“I think I have an idea,” Albus quipped back, leering at Scorpius. He wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ neck and pulled him closer. They were inches apart and Lily couldn’t help but hold her breath. It was finally going to happen.

“Scorpius,” Albus gasped, and then before the other boy could respond, Albus closed the distance between them, firmly pressing his lips against Scorpius’.

*

Lily let out the deep breath she had been holding. “Finally. It took them long enough.”

“Hmmm.” Rose sighed. “They are so sweet together.”

“I suppose,” Lily agreed, as she continued to watch the two boys, who had now broken their kiss and were resting their foreheads against each other. “But why are they just staring at each other? They’re blokes for Salazar’s sake. Shouldn’t they be naked and fucking already?”

Rose chuckled, her high-pitched nasally chuckle that Lily used to find grating, but was now getting used to.

“Oh, Lily,” she said fondly. “you crack me up. They’re mad about each other. Anybody can see that.”

“But still—look at them. Now, they’re feeding each other strawberries. They’re moving at the pace of a feral slug. At this rate, they’ll be fifty before they actually fuck!”

Rose chuckled again and shrugged. “So what if they are? They say that sex is always better with someone you love. That it’ll change your life.”

Lily scoffed. “I doubt that.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Lily said. “I’m sure you’re right. But that’s my brother and my best friend. And they are nauseating.”

“They’re sweet.”

“No, they look like a couple of besotted Hufflepuffs, and I will be having words with both of them.” She paused for a second. “Tomorrow. They can have one night of sappiness before I start teasing them.”

Rose pushed her glasses up on her nose and smirked. “That’s rather kind of you, Lil. They really are quite smitten with each other.”

“I know,” Lily said. “We did a good job, Rose. And I think I might have found my calling in life.” She turned and sent her cousin a wicked smile. “Screw school...I think I’m going to skive off 7th year and become a professional matchmaker. I’m so brilliant at it.”

“Erm...I’m not sure if that’s the best idea.”

“Sure it is!” Lily insisted. “And you’re going to be my assistant, Rose.” Lily had a mischievous glint in her eye and Rose gulped. “Now who can we set up next? There are a lot of lonely people out there. And I’m...no we’re going to change their lives.”

Rose groaned and put her head in her hands. “Bugger...I’ve created a monster!”

Lily tilted her back and laughed, a real laugh from deep within her chest, as she hadn’t done in ages. Finally, everything was falling into place again. Just last week she had thought that this entire year would be a total disaster. Now, she was on the verge of regaining her best friend and had found a new hobby. Watch out world, Lily Luna Potter was back and better than ever.

~Fin

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I adore matchmakers Lily and Rose and hope to write an H/D sequel to this story with Lily and Rose setting them up. Would anyone be interested in reading that?

~Icicle