A/N: Continuing.

Disc.: I am only borrowing the characters for pleasure, not profit.

Easter

With Lily and her family coming for Easter dinner, I felt more of a push to complete the locket by the time they arrived. It was as if in my mind, I drew a line in time. If I could complete it before the line, then Lily and I would eventually be ok. If I couldn't, well, I didn't want to think about it. I just kept bent over the table until my muscles screamed in protest as they began to ache and burn. I continued to push forward. I would not accept anything less than completion.

My mood became a bit touchy come late Saturday night. I was running out of time and I still had a more pieces than places to put them. I was panicked. Whatever my dad or Gran said to me on their way to bed fell on deaf ears. I even ignored the cups of tea that the house elf brought me. My food went stone cold and untouched in my quest to complete the locket. At two in the morning, I sat back. All the pieces were inside where they ought to be. A sense of accomplishment washed over me and I cheered silently, weary. I ran my finger along the open seam of the locket and it sprung open. There was nothing but silence.

"No!" I gasped in surprise. It had never occurred to me that putting it back together wouldn't fix it. There was nothing but silence. "No! No! No! This can not be happening!"

In spite of my frantic whispers at the locket, it lay silent and I swore several four letter words at it. As if the inanimate object would decide that swearing would bring it back to the music and glory, my words were dripping with anger and hate. It couldn't do this to me. I felt the bitter sting of tears burning my eyes, and I fought them. Tears, even angry ones, wouldn't make the locket work. I went over it with a fine toothed comb, for three more hours, I worked on it. Frustration was like wildfire, and it burned and consumed.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I moaned at it. I clenched my fist over it and shook it hard, like an etch-a-sketch that needed a good erasing. "Why?"

I tossed it on the table in frustration and buried my face into my hands. I was so tired and time was up. I could hear the morning larks starting to sing and I knew that I had breached the line between repairing my relationship chances with Lily. I let out a shuddering breath, releasing my control and letting my emotions take over as they pleased. I pulled my hands away from my face and stared at the locket. I couldn't even bring myself to glare at it. It took too much energy to glare. I sighed in defeat and picked up the locket.

"Are you still up?" Gran asked as she entered the room, startling me. I jumped though her voice was barely louder than a whisper. The locket slid from my hand, my finger running over the opening before it thudded to the top of the table. Before I could answer Gran, the room filled with the most beautiful music, the song of the locket. I stared at it in disbelief and scooped it up in my hand, laughing and crying all in the same.

"I fixed it," I gasped between the tears as I hugged my Gran. She looked at me in concern and hugged me back.

"Scorpius, why don't you go up stairs and try to at least get a few hours of sleep before company arrives," Gran said. I grinned sleepily and ran up the stairs, locket in my hand. I latched it around my neck, the weight a firm pressure as I climbed into my bed.

"I fixed it," I breathed as sleep quickly consumed me. I immediately began to dream about Lily, and how much she'd be thrilled when I gave her the locket back, repaired. I dreamed about the kiss that would grow to be so much more. In my dream, I was reaching for the buttons on her shirt when a voice in the land of the waking intruded. I fought it.

"Mr. Malfoy, wake up," a tiny voice said shaking my shoulders. It was the stupid house elf! Didn't he know I was about to undress Lily in my dream? Didn't he know how much I wanted it?

"Go away," I grumbled as he kicked my foot out in the house elf's general direction. I missed completely but the dream became increasingly real for me. I could smell Lily and wanted to help her out of that shirt. A pair of hands touched my shoulders, the skin familiar and enticing.

"You should be nicer to your house elves," Lily whispered in my ear, her hands on his shoulders. I opened my eyes as I grabbed her wrists and flipped her up on the bed. It wasn't something I had planned, just instincts took over. Lucius had been convinced that my magical training was all that mattered but my mother had taken me for self defense lessons when I was little. She told me that some day the magic might not be enough. Grandfather Lucius had laughed at her, saying that magic beat all, but here I was, without my wand, pinning Lily to my bed.

I looked down at her, pinned under my body. My eyes went wide with surprise, first that I had automatically pinned her, then second as I thought about the fact that I was hard and it was pinned against her. That part of me didn't mind too much, but I worried that she knew and it bothered her. Her wrists were pinned by my hands above her head and she was breathing a little harder than normal, whether from fear or some other reason, I didn't know.

"Lily?" I asked uncertainly. The room was pretty dark, though my drapes were drawn tight against the windows causing the darkness. I felt silly for asking but I wasn't sure if maybe my dream had taken some new twist, or if she was really pressed between my body and my bed.

"Good morning to you, too, er, afternoon, really," Lily said. Her breathing was still coming a little hard and I frowned.

"Are you ok?" I asked. She was staring up at me with some expression that I didn't quite understand.

"You kind of startled me," Lily admitted. "I didn't expect to be pinned between your bed and you with my hands restrained above my head like this when I agreed to wake you since your house elf has been trying since we got her two hours ago. It's nearly dinner time."

"What time is it?" I asked. Lily turned her head, laughing.

"Ugh, time for you to go brush your teeth," Lily teased. I groaned, slightly embarrassed and let her up immediately.

"Oh, sorry about the morning breath thing," I said. I climbed off the bed, suddenly aware that I had pinned Lily between me and the bed clad only in my boxer shorts. I turned away from her quickly, so that she wouldn't see my morning condition. "Stay there, I'll be right back."

"Is… is that my locket?" Lily asked. I grinned at her over my shoulder.

"I'll be right back," I said skipping off to my bathroom. I closed the door, leaning against it for a second before I turned on the shower and climbed in, naked. The idea of Lily being just a few steps away, and how easily it would have been to step out naked did nothing to help my condition. I hurried, not wanting Lily to decide to go back downstairs. I think leaving the bathroom and her not being there would have been worse than if I went out there naked and she left. I shaved carefully, not wanting to mar myself, brushed my teeth extra well, just in case Lily and I kissed. The thought caused my heart to pick up the tempo. I jerked my clean boxers and pants on before I put one of the white tank underwear shirts, a wife beater, on and stepped from the bathroom. I stood just outside the bathroom door, blinking at the bright light.

My eyes scanned my room once my vision had normalized. My bed was made, though not to that strict way that the house elves did it, and the previously drawn curtains had all been open, the room spilling with the bright spring light. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew that it had to be much later than morning, possible late afternoon. By the window stood Lily with her back to me, as she looked out over my garden.

I stopped and looked at her for a moment, taking her in. She was wearing a blue dress that went just past her knees, black Mary Jane shoes with white socks that reminded me of a little girl, and her hair was pinned away from her face. She was kneeling on the window seat, her face practically pressed against the window. She glanced over at me, smiling. I took it as her welcoming me closer and my shoes were silent as I crossed the plush carpet of the floor. I pulled my arms through the sleeves of my shirt, rolling them up and ignoring the buttons.

"You have the prettiest garden," Lily told me as she pushed the window open. The air was warm, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair. It sent an almost overwhelming dose of her glorious scent crashing over me, threatening to knock me down. She rested her hands on the window sill, leaning a little out to let the sun warm her face.

"You like it?" I asked coming up behind her.

"Yeah," she said. She leaned a little further out the window and my heart started to panic. I reached for her and ended up resting my hands on her hips, afraid that she'd lose her balance and tumble to her death out my bedroom window.

"You're making me nervous," I admitted before she could ask why I was holding on to her like that.

"Afraid I might fall out the window?" Lily smirked as she looked back at me. She was totally teasing the hell out of me, but it was true. I was terrified that she was going to fall.

"Kind of," I admitted nodding. Lily rolled her eyes at me and pulled back from the open window.

"I'm a witch," Lily said. "You'd think I'd just fly or something."

"You need a broom," I reminded her. She laughed and it caused my heart to spasm. I hadn't heard her laugh, not like that, not directed at me, in ages. I missed it. She turned so that her back was to the window. She was still kneeling on the window seat.

"Very true," Lily said. Her fingers went to the lump under my shirt so un-expectantly that blood rushed eagerly south, to have her fingers against my flesh. My heart was throbbing with a sundry of emotion and desire, and her finger tips burned my skin everywhere she touched pleasurably. "So, did you just get another one to torment me?"

"No," I said in what came out a little breathily voice. It should have bothered me, but it didn't. Instead, I pulled the locket free from her hands under my shirt and let it rest against my shirt. It was then that I realized that my hand was still firmly on her waist. I dropped them almost as if she burned me. "I wouldn't do anything just to torment you. This is yours."

"It can't be," Lily said as I moved to take it off. The chain dangled the locket in a solid pendulum, her eyes following it. I held it out to Lily. She reached forward, her fingers caressing the front of the locket. She didn't move to take it from me. "I saw it after… that night. It was in like a million pieces."

"More like a billion," I said with a grin. She made a face.

"I guess money can fix anything," Lily grumbled. I felt my body stiffen and took a step back from her. I couldn't recall the last time I had heard an unkind thought as that spill from her lips.

"Hey, that's not very nice, Lily Potter," I snapped without meaning to as I clenched the locket in my hand. I couldn't help but be defensive. I was over tired and busted my ass for what? For her to say judgmental things? I think not. "I worked for five days nonstop. I just finished it this morning before dawn."

"I'm sorry," Lily said as she looked up from where she was looking, her eyes meeting mine. I made a face and resisted the urge to cross my arms. I could feel the tension ease out of me.

"You shouldn't just assume that because my family is affluent that we don't know the value of hard work," I chastised lightly.

"Really, it was rude of me," Lily mumbled as her cheeks flashed pink. I couldn't help but grin at her obvious discomfort. I poised the chain in my hands, ready to put it on her.

"Turn around," I said to Lily.

"Going to shove me out the window?" She asked unexpectedly and I laughed, unable to fight it. It was just an unexpected question and I couldn't help it. There was a lot of that going around, my not being able to help myself when Lily was nearby.

"If I was going to do that, I wouldn't need your back to me now would I?" I joked. She stuck her tongue out at me, and for a second, I wanted to touch my own tongue against hers, to slip it between her lips and part the seas. She stood, turning her back to me.

"Does it work?" she asked me as my fingers brushed the skin of her throat. I swept her hair to the side, exposing the back of her neck and put the chain over her head.

"Mhmm," I murmured as I securely clasped the clasp. With her standing there, her neck and skin so close, her scent removing all sense from my head, I was tempted, oh so tempted. I could imagine myself lowering my lips to the side of her neck, kissing and nibbling to her throat until her gasping breath was stolen when I pressed my lips to hers and invaded her mouth. I stepped back half an inch. I was tempted, but one kiss wasn't worth it and I wouldn't push it.

"How does it look?" Lily asked as she turned to look at me. I couldn't meet her face, just glanced at the locket before I put more attention on button up my shirt than was really called for.

"It looks great," I said, not needing to look at her to know it was the truth. I hesitated as I carefully picked up the locket from the front of her dress, sliding my finger along the crease. It spring open and played the song as clear as before. She grinned and threw her arms around my waist, her face pressing up against my chest. I wondered if she could hear the rapid thudding of my pulse, the stir of my blood in close contact.

"Thank you," Lily whispered. I groaned internally, knowing that whispery tone she used when she didn't want to let on that she was crying.

"Please tell me you not crying," I begged. She laughed, the sound was shaky, and she pulled away. She strolled over to my mirror, her fingers on the locket. I watched her carefully, confirming what I had finally put together. Every time I had seen her fiddling with her collar, it was because she missed the locket. Her fingers instinctively sought it out.

"I'm not," she lied as she grinned at me in the reflection and wiped her eyes. She was a terrible liar. "I'd better go back downstairs before someone thinks I've lost some of my virtues to you."

"Good point," I said as I laughed. She left me in the room and I fought the increasing urge to case her down and drag her back to my bed. I could smell her still in my room, so warm and sweet. My chest ached and I shook my head. I was truly doomed if I kept thinking about her.

Lily was sitting between her mother and Gran, sipping tea, when I exited the house into the garden. Lily looked up at me, a smile playing on her lips as I ambled over to where Dad, Harry, James, and Albus were sitting. They were a little more relaxed looking.

"You grace us with your presence," Dad said laughing in a teasing manner.

"Meh, I was up late," I said reflectively as I shrugged. I was careful to not make a big deal about it. The last thing I wanted was to go into it with an audience. James would never let me live it down, if we didn't throw punches right there and then.

"He's been working on a little project," Dad explained. I fought and for once won against the heat that always threatened to burn my cheeks. I was terrified that my father would continue, but Merlin bless Albus for changing the subject. I took my seat.

"So, didn't you two not get along in school?" Albus asked curiously. "What changed?" I had obviously walked in on a conversation, and was grateful that Albus Potter would not be swayed. I sipped my water and listened curiously. It had always interested me to know that before the second Wizarding War, Dad and Harry Potter hated each other.

"Well," Harry said looking at my father. "A lot. For one we both grew up."

"I still think it was the war," Dad said. Harry laughed.

"I wasn't going to go for the spectacular reasons," Harry said.

"Yeah, but those are a hell of a lot more interesting than the whole we grew up and matured reasons," Dad said rolling his eyes.

"Plus, once Lily was sorted Slytherin, it was kind of inevitable that we'd at least be cordial," Harry said. "That was the last thing that bridged us."

"Hey, we work together, too," Dad reminded him.

"Yeah, but I try not to think of that place when I'm not there," Harry said groaning. Our fathers laughed but the four of us just rolled our eyes. Adults can be so weird sometimes, and their little joke or whatever it was wasn't funny.

"So, Lily, have you thought more on my offer?" Dad asked after the first course arrived for Easter dinner. Lily choked slightly on the ham. Ginny patted Lily's back. I fought a laugh, not because of Lily choking but because my dad was always so blunt.

"Offer?" Lily replied as she dipped her bite of ham in her potatoes. I caught her eye, grinning. I loved to tease her about it, but I don't think anyone caught on the private joke. She grinned at me back for a flash of a second before she turned her attention back to my father.

"I have investment properties that I check up on in the islands, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along with us this summer. Scorpius is usually bored to tears," Dad explained. "So, are you in? Two weeks of sun and surf?" I hadn't really heard much about it, past the initial offer because I hadn't really been home. Plus, I didn't want to get my hopes up just to have her say no.

"S-sure, if it's ok with my parents," Lily said as she looked at her father and mother.

"Fine with us," Harry said. Lily smiled.

"Granted, he'll have to do well on his O.W.L.s," Ginny added. Dad laughed. Yeah, damn those stupid O.W.L.S. and their scores.

"I think Hermione is wearing off on you," Dad said to Ginny Potter. She smiled at him slightly, and the adults continued to talk about random boring stuff. We kids mainly stayed silent, neither listening nor participating in the conversation. I watched Lily for a while. She looked at me and made a point of dipping her ham in her potatoes. I grinned and glanced at Albus and James, who were both chewing up food and showing each other. Not to be out done, I did the same and when the parents weren't looking I showed them my chewed up food. James fought his laughter to keep from drawing attention to us. After desert, we abandoned the adults and headed down to the interior set gardens.

"You know, I don't know if I like the idea of you spending that long of time with my sister," James said casually to me as he and I walked next to each other. Lily was a little bit ahead of us, next to Albus, and she laughed at James' comment. I did my best to not stare at her posterior covered by the swishy blue fabric of her dress.

"Please, you'd have to know that it really is the most boring place in the world," I said rolling my eyes. "I have more fun at your place than traipsing all over the Earth with my father, looking in on his business expenses." It was true. I hated these trips, even if it was the reason we lived posh lifestyles.

"Just mind your manners around our baby sister," Albus piped up. James and I laughed.

"Well, you know I'll be respectful," I said truthfully.

"Plus who knows," Lily called from the end of the path. "I may annoy the hell out of him he that he ditches me on the first day and I run off with an island local." I snickered, turning away for a moment. The idea of me ditching her was laughable. James' expression was priceless.

"Yeah," James said raising an eyebrow. "I don't think I like that idea."

"Anyways," Lily laughed as she prodded a statue. She looked up at us walking closer. "Scorpius and I are just friends, right?"

"Right," we three boys said in unison. Lily laughed and ran off to the right out of sight.

"Can't find me!" She challenged playfully as she disappeared around another corner.

"That sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one," James laughed.

"Losers buy the winner drinks at the Hogs Head," I anted. James and I shook on it and we headed off into the garden to find her. I had the upper hand since I knew the mazes and gardens like the back of my hand. I had spent my entire childhood playing in the gardens, learning their secrets. James, though had the upper hand on Lily's habits, so we were fairly evenly matched.

"Damn," I said to James as the two of them approached. "Your mum's going to kill them, isn't she?" Albus had found her and apparently they decided to try and drown each other in the nasty swampy pond. Albus was cheering at his victory while Lily had popped up out of the mud and slime coughing and sputtering. She dove at him and they both went under. We stared at the two of them wrestling around in the pond, mud and scum sticking and clinging to them.

"Yes, probably," James said sighing as he shook his head. "MUM! LILY AND ALBUS ARE FIGHTING!" James and I didn't move towards them, just watched as they dried to drown each other in the mud.

"Oh, for MERLIN'S SAKE!" Ginny cried out as she and the other adults joined us at the pond's edge. "Lily Potter, do not drown your brother."

"He pushed me into the pond!" Lily said as she shoved Albus' head under the water. "Scratch that, he tackled me down the hill into the pond." I laughed at the same time James laughed, both of us trying to cover it up with fake coughs.

"Lily, let him up," Harry said. Lily reluctantly let her older brother surface, sputtering. Dad covered his laughter in a false cough.

"I swear, we can't take you anywhere," Ginny snapped.

"I'm sure we can scrounge up some changes of clothes," Gran said with a cool calmness and I saw her smirk. "Follow me."

"Really, Mrs. Malfoy… er, Narcissa, it's not necessary," Ginny said apologetically. "I can just apparate them home. Merlin knows they don't deserve to remain."

"It's no problem. I can't tell you how many times I'd catch Draco or Scorpius down here, stark naked in the pond catching tad poles," Gran said. Lily busted into laughter at the thought, causing everyone of us to look at her curiously. She shook her head, still laughing. She caught her breath.

"I… just couldn't imagine Scorpius getting… anyways," Lily mumbled, her face red with embarrassment. "Never mind." She was so cute, covered in mud and slime, fire engine red underneath it all.

Lily went into my bathroom at Gran's insistence and my heart began to race as Gran sent one of the house elves up to the attic to retrieve an outfit of mine that I had out grown. My thoughts spun from the silly 'she's going to be wearing my old clothes' to the sexual 'she's going to be naked in my bathroom'. The more I thought about it, the more other thoughts ran through my head, like the fact that Lily was so young, so small. I'd be a monster if I took advantage of it.

"Hope you don't mind wearing boys' clothes," I said as I entered the bathroom holding a stack of clothes. "I tried to go with the most ambiguous of the choices, black tee shirt, blue jeans. Figured you'd have less of an issue with the whole girly garment thing."

"Um, yeah," Lily said as I piled the clothes on the long marble counter. I walked over to the showers and turned them on, turning the various knobs and levers.

"Take your time, enjoy," I mumbled. I pointed to the hamper. "Just dump all the dirty clothes in there and the house elves clean them up."

"Oh, ok," Lily said. She looked at me expectantly and I laughed slightly. God, she looked so young standing in the muddy blue dress, much younger than she was.

"I can't believe you fell in the pond," I said shaking my head as I headed out, closing the door firmly behind me. I went to my bed, Ash rubbing my legs until I picked her up and put her on my lap. I laid back against my bed and let the cat walk up and down me, kneading me as she saw fit. I waited, my eyes closed as I tried and failed to picture Lily undressing and tossing her dirty clothes in my hamper. I couldn't picture her properly naked.

She was three years younger than me, nearly. I felt like a pervert for even thinking that way about her. I felt worse for pinning her to my bed, for giving her hope where hope should not have been. I would have sworn, but the water turned off and I became hyper aware that at that moment, at that very moment, I could have walked through that bathroom door and she would have been standing there, naked. I ignored the pressure in my pants. I kept my eyes mostly closed, focused on petting Ash and tried to keep the thoughts of Lily out of my head. I wanted to kiss her, but at what cost? The door opened quietly and I looked over.

"I thought you drowned in there," I commented lazily as I allowed my fingers to caress Ash's fur. "I was going to give you like three more minutes before I went in after you."

"Yeah?" Lily said. I glanced up to catch her blushing as she sat on the edge of my bed, the farthest from me. She glanced at the wide open bedroom door and I didn't try to play it off. I had left it open for a reason. I wouldn't risk tarnishing her reputation, even in the slightest. I could see the question in her eyes, her eyes trained on the door.

"Yeah," I replied as the cat purred. It was a double edged response, meant to span the spoken and unspoken questions.

"How come you don't bring Ash to school with you anymore?" Lily asked.

"She's old and needs a quiet life to rest," I said simply as my fingers still brushed Ash's soft fur. "Plus with Gran being here alone, it's nice to know that they can keep each other company."

"That's very sweet of you," Lily said as she folded the towel she had been using to dry her hair. I shrugged and pushed myself off the bed. I took the towel from her, heading back to the bathroom. Despite the smells of warm and my soaps, I could still smell the very essence of her being lingering damply in the air. Muscles in my stomach twisted as I tried to ignore them.

"What can I say?" I said grinning as I rejoined her on the bed, keeping my distance. I didn't want to give her the wrong idea. "So, we're you serious when you said you'd run off with a local?"

"You mean on our trip? Only if I annoy the hell out of you," Lily teased. I rolled my eyes at her. I may have disliked the fact that I wanted her so much, but I couldn't imagine her ever doing anything that would send me running, or wanting to send her packing. "I mainly mentioned it to bother and worry James because he acts like I am some child that can't be trusted to make the right decisions for me. He so acts as if I'm too young. Like I can't possibly know what I want out of life, who I'd want to be with."

"Your brother does bring up a really good point," I said quietly. I had thought about it, but not enough to get my mouth to stop running. Inside I was screaming at myself to keep my mouth shut, yet the words continued to spill. "You and I aren't a great idea. Not right now, not yet."

"I never said we were," Lily said frowning. Her fingers toyed with the necklace.

"Oh, don't even think about giving it back," I said firmly as I reached across and stopped Lily's hand from traveling to the clasp. Her fingers felt like heaven under my hands, and I refused to let her give me back that locket. "I gave it to you for Christmas as a friend, and yeah, I blame myself for blurring those lines, but that it my fault, not yours."

"Oh, Merlin," Lily sighed. She looked at my exasperated and defeated. I didn't understand.

"What?" I asked.

"I know what you're doing," Lily said anxiously.

"What am I doing?" I asked uncertainly because I hadn't been aware of doing anything. I mean, I fought my urges to kiss her and to crush her beneath my body. I was behaving myself. If I was doing something, I wasn't aware of it.

"You're about to pull the age card, aren't you," Lily mumbled. "I knew it. You got to thinking about how you'll be sixteen soon, and I won't be fourteen until the end of summer and how you feel that three years is such a big difference."

"Well, it is," I said. Inside I was kicking myself.

"Not really," Lily grumbled.

"Look, we don't have to talk about it," I promised with a forced smile. "I'm content being friends."

"No you're not," Lily said pushing up off the bed and heading to the door. "You're as delusional as the rest of them."

"Lils, wait," I said in a panic. I didn't want her to leave, and suddenly our conversation had gone to shit. I didn't know what I had done. I was being good!

"I don't really feel like it, Scorpius," Lily said shaking her head. "I should have known when you had plenty of opportunity to kiss me on multiple occasions and you didn't take it. Granted, I did just break up with Malvo, but still… I would have thought you'd of all people want to scoop me up."

"I do like you, Lily," I promised. I cringed at the almost pathetic tone my voice took on. Lily laughed and forced a pained smile.

"Don't worry about it, Score," Lily said lightly. "You won't always feel the struggle between liking me and my being too young."

"I hope not," I said suddenly, and I watched her walk away from me. I watched her leave and inside I was kicking myself. I didn't even mean any of that, not really. Hell, I had subconsciously been thinking of ways to kiss her all day and to get her alone, yet I found myself acting noble and rather mature about it. I really didn't want to be mature about it, but something inside of me was holding me back. Guilt, maybe, for hurting her last time although she was just as guilty for that hurt.

I tried to make myself fell better because I knew I'd have a chance to talk to her at school on Monday evening when we all floo-ed back, so I forced myself not to stress about it when Lily and her family left. I remained cheerful and light as we all said our good-byes. She hugged me quickly, one of those we're just girlfriends kinds of hug; I would have loved to have held her a bit longer. She hugged me as if I were nothing more than a friend and parted without the hesitation that I sometimes felt on their partings.

"See you at school," I said hopefully. Lily nodded but she didn't look pleased.

"Yeah," Lily said as she parted with her family. She glanced back at me as if she wanted to say something to me, but didn't.
"Please tell me you didn't screw things up with her," Gran said out of the corner of her mouth as she waved at them.

"What, Gran?" I asked as I turned to look at her.

"That girl is crazy about you," Gran said as she patted my shoulder and led me back into the house.

"She's thirteen," I reminded her. "We're just friends."
"Those two statements are completely unrelated," Gran said as the two of us sat in the drawing room.

"What's unrelated?" Dad queried as he entered and stoked the small fire.

"Lily Potter's age and Lily Potter being Scorpius' friend," Gran said smirking at Dad, as if they both knew some great secret to life that I had yet to learn. I groaned, knowing that there was some story or lesson I was about to be shared.

"You know, your mother was nearly six years younger than me," Dad said casually. "Lily's what thirteen, fourteen?"

"Thirteen," I mumbled as I tried to scoot down into my chair. I would have been content if the chair had just eaten me. I did NOT want to have this conversation with either of them.

"Don't mumble," Gran chastised as she took a book from her personal house elf. Merlin, I hoped she wasn't going to start reading to me about youthful love. I couldn't stand it, and the very though embarrassed me.

"She's thirteen," I said a little louder and clearer.

"And you're fifteen," Dad reminded me, as if I could forget.

"I'll be sixteen in a bit," I reminded him. Dad grinned and nodded.

"But then she'll be fourteen," Dad said. Merlin, we probably could have done the age thing all night, but thankfully he continued with another thread of discussion, though not a better one. "I'm not saying you have to do anything you don't want to do, or that she doesn't want to do, but I think age is a poor excuse for why you can't be friends."

"Draco, this isn't about friends," Gran reminded my father in her gentle voice.

"I know, but the idea of anything more is unnerving…" Dad mumbled. I was about to say something about Dad mumbling but Gran beat me to it.

"Don't you start mumbling too," Gran said.

"Sorry Mum," Dad said. I snickered and Dad shot me a dirty look.

"What are you reading, Gran?" I asked quickly, effectively changing the subject.

"A book Lily recommended," Gran said holding up the book. "Day Walkers. So far, it's very good."

"Isn't that the muggle book Lily was reading?" Dad asked. "You know, that day of the ice skating incident?" I quickly flashed back to the van ride to the pond. She had been reading a book. Was it Day Walkers? Yeah, I think it had been.

"Yeah," I said nodding slightly.

"She mentioned it over tea and I sent Niue out to get it for me," Gran said. "She's right, it's quite amusing; a great diversion."

"I've not read them, but James says their kind of girly," I said and Gran laughed. I looked at her, uncertain about what I had said that had been so funny.

"You know, before I became your Gran, and Draco's mum, I was a girl," Gran reminded me, she looked at Dad and I, as if comparing and contrasting us for a moment, then smiled. "Shouldn't you be packing your stuff up for your departure tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes, yes, of course," I said. I jumped up, eager to get the heck out of there, and effectively left my father and grandmother chatting. I entered my room and looked around. It looked the same as always but it felt different to me. I can't really explain it. It was as if I could feel Lily all around me, here in the room. I could picture her at the window, leaning too far out of it and looking at the ground below. I turned and headed into the bathroom, glancing at the hamper, knowing that her clothes were in there, mingling with mine. I grinned, thinking about our clothes touching intimately, first with them on our bodies, and later in the hamper. Ok, so I might have issues.

She had stood in my bathroom, stood naked in my shower, and yes, she was too young for me to have these thoughts about her, but I did none the less. I headed out of the bathroom, lying across the poorly made bed, knowing she had made it for me instead of the house elf. The imperfection of the duvet placement evident, and I knew that the house elves made the bed military style with exacting perfection. I rested my head on my pillow, staring up at nothing in particular, and thinking. Maybe, just maybe everyone was right. Maybe three years wasn't that big of an age difference.