A big thanks to murp-o for boosting my confidence in this story. And another big thanks to Michal (at the moment with the pen-name Flying Bottle Gnomes), the Tutshill Tornadoes Beater 2, because if her OTP wasn't Scorily I wouldn't have written this, and I wouldn't have realized what a sweet pairing it was. I'm quite fond of Scorily now, despite wholeheartedly shipping Scorose.

Written for Round 1 of the QLFC. May the Tutshill Tornadoes win! (Prompts are detailed at the bottom.)

She had been there when Rose Weasley had rejected him.

"You have about as much charm as a flobberworm." Rose Weasley had snarkily told him, and with a flick of her hair, she'd turned and called over her shoulder, "Why would I want to date you?"

Lily Potter was among the crowd that day, a wide-eyed first year amidst the crowd of snickering and outright mocking third years. Scorpius remembered her, a sharp contrast from the others in the crowded hallway; so much shorter than the people around her, and with such vivid red hair – so different and yet so similar to Rose Weasley's mass of untameable curls. He couldn't have been more mortified than he was then, but the knowledge that Lily Luna Potter had witnessed the entire event somehow made his embarrassment worse.

It was Scorpius's earliest memory of Lily, highlighted by his humiliation. And since then, he'd begun to subconsciously seek her out – in the Library, in the Great Hall, even in the Quidditch stands. He wasn't sure why, he didn't know if he could stop – didn't want to – and every time he remembered her and her luscious red hair and her shy smile, he forgot why he'd wanted to stop thinking about her in the first place.

At some point in his fifth year – her third year – he mustered up the courage to speak to her. There she was, all alone at a table in the Library. He walked to her table and sat down, hoping she wouldn't scream and run away.

She hadn't noticed him at first, immersed in whatever book she was reading – The Complete Creature Collection, Fifth Edition, he discovered as he leaned in to read the cover.

Then, with a suddenness that had him blinking in surprise, she looked up and gave him one of her shy smiles. There was a hint of wariness in her eyes, and Scorpius was reminded of her family's aversion to him. He cautiously set his books down on the table, not breaking their impromptu staring contest.

Finally, Lily stuck out her hand. "Lily Potter," she said warmly. Scorpius grasped her hand in his and shook, trying not to make an idiot of himself while performing the simple act of shaking her hand.

He was so caught up in the handshake that he forgot to introduce himself. However, Lily seemed to find the introduction pointless anyway and instead continued on with the conversation.

"So what brings you to my coveted table of dusty glory?" She spread her arms, displaying the table's supposed grandeur.

Scorpius coughed. Now that he thought about it, he had absolutely no reason, other than 'I think I fancy you. Possibly.'

No one in their right minds would say that during their first meeting with a person, however, so he kept his mouth shut.

Lily seemed to think his silence was perhaps something to be concerned about. She cocked her head and asked, "Are you mute? Sworn to silence? Silenced to silence?"

"Er – no," Scorpius said hastily.

"Oh, good," she said, leaning back in her seat with a relieved sigh. "I'm not very good at functioning in medical emergencies."

"Not a Healer then," he concluded. Lily blinked.

"Yes, but my potential future isn't really something I worry about, as a third year," she stared curiously at him. "Do you have a job in mind?"

"Yes. Well, no, but I'd like to – "

"Let's hear it then," Lily prodded.

"I'm thinking about becoming an Auror," he finally admitted.

He expected her to laugh, but not in this way – rather than mocking and derisive, her laugh was hearty and gleeful.

"Wow, big dreams, eh?" she said as her laughs subsided.

"Yeah, especially for a Malfoy," he mumbled.

"Definitely," she gazed at him for a moment, before a smile broke out. A bigger smile than the shy ones she usually gave. He decided he liked this particular smile, more than the ones before it. "I like you. You've got some real guts."

They were out on Hogwarts grounds, enjoying their last couple of days before term ended and they returned home.

They'd played a spontaneous game of tag with the other Houses, and now they were resting by the Great Lake, feet dangling in the water.

Lily was still short of breath from the game of tag, despite it ending five minutes ago. Somehow she managed to complain about it, despite still being out of breath.

"It's because I'm so bloody short," she pouted, splashing around water with her feet.

"I'm not exactly tall either," Scorpius pointed out to her.

"Yes, but you're at least average height, I'm the shortest in my year."

"That's what happens when you have short parents."

Lily grinned. "Wow, I've never heard anyone say a single bad thing about my parents to my face. Well done, Malphonious."

Scorpius stifled a laugh at the nickname. "What?"

"Malphonious." She blinked at him, as if the answer was obvious.

"Malfoy…and phonious?" he was utterly confused. "I didn't even know that was a word."

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's Malfoy, plus phony, plus Scorpius."

"But why?"

"Because you're so bad at being a Malfoy," she said matter-of-factly.

"I don't know, I did a pretty good job of insulting the Potters."

"Pfft, come on, that was nothing," Lily said, just as they heard voices from across the lake. They both squinted, hoping to see what was transpiring.

Scorpius could just make out the bushy hair of the girl. It could only be Rose Weasley. No one else in the school had hair quite that bushy.

She was shouting at some boy in their year – he couldn't figure out who it was exactly – and it seemed to be really bad. A crowd was gathering, and Rose Weasley's screaming sounded anguished and heartbroken.

"Abrahams." Lily nodded towards the crowd on the other side of the lake. "Him and Rose have been together for, what, three months now? Can't imagine what the problem is now. They were doing so well just yesterday…"

Scorpius nodded, already uninterested.

What Rose Weasley did now did not concern him, nor did he care enough to know what was happening across the lake. They'd gone their separate paths, and he personally thought he'd gotten the most out of it. Lily Potter, by far, was a better person than Rose Weasley could ever be. And he was just fine with that.

"Hey," Lily nudged him, grinning mischievously. "Remember when you tried to ask Rose out?"

Scorpius felt his face burn. Yes, he remembered that very well.

Lily cocked her head, much like the day they first spoke to each other. As innocently as she could – which was quite innocently, he had to admit – she asked, "That was three – no, almost four – terms ago, right Scorpius?"

Scorpius stared at her, wondering how to respond. Lily gazed back, expectant. For a long moment, they sat there.

Then, finding his words, Scorpius told her, "People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't."

Lily laughed. "They do, don't they?"

Team: Tutshill Tornadoes

Position: Beater 1

Round Prompt: Beater 2's favorite pairing or character - Scorily or Sirius Black

Word Count: 1,214 words (excluding Author's Notes)

Prompts Used:

Prompt 1: (dialogue) "You have about as much charm as a flobberworm."

Prompt 6: (word) luscious

Prompt 14: (quote) "People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't." - Christopher Paolini, Eragon