In the week that followed Eileen's second birthday, Lily found herself growing accustomed to the quiet around the house once again. She'd hosted her daughter's birthday, this time around, although Molly had come over bright and early to help with the food, with Hermione showing up shortly thereafter to assist with the decorations. The end result was Eileen being treated like quite the little princess—although what else was new, really?—and as Lily stepped into the living room, holding tightly to the plate which housed the cake Molly had especially baked for Eileen, she watched as her daughter's eyes filled with excitement.

The house was quiet on Monday evening, just after Lily had put Eileen to bed down the hallway and around the corner, and was taking the liberty of doing a quick tidying up of the living room, for Eileen had fallen asleep, her nose in a potion's book for beginners, from Severus, which she had gotten for her birthday, and had been too tired to pick up her things herself. As Lily finished spelling the books back into Eileen's little case by the window, and her toys in the box just below that, she was surprised when her Floo flared unexpectedly.

Pocketing her wand, she ventured towards the hearth and knelt before it. "Hello?" she asked, peering into the flames. "Aiden? That you?"

"Yeah," Aiden said with a chuckle. "Just got back from Austria tonight. The Graphorn is far more elusive a creature than we thought."

"You manage to find any horns?" Lily asked; as the daughter and older sister of a potioneer, she knew a thing or two about this subject, her Outstanding's in it on both her O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s notwithstanding.

"Yes, some of them were nearby the camp," Aiden replied. "I sent them via owl to St. Mungo's earlier this evening. Al's working the late shift and he got back to me, letting me know that he appreciated the donation."

"That's good," Lily said. "How's Mara doing?"

"She'll never forgive me for saying this, but the twins are exhausting her to no end," Aiden put in with a loving smile at the thought of his wife.

"They demanding to know the number of days until their birthday?" Lily asked, very aware of Eileen's words ringing in her mind in the weeks leading up to hers.

"Unfortunately, yes, and it's not until the end of March, unfortunately," Aiden replied. "Mara's already told me that these will be our only children."

Lily smirked. "You okay with that?"

"I'm okay with whatever she wants," Aiden said. "And you? Think you'll have any more children after Eileen?"

Lily sighed. "Well, I'm not planning on it, at this point. Have to find someone to settle down with eventually, if I ever want it to happen for me, I suppose."

"You're raising Eileen alone."

Lily nodded. "I know, and it's wonderful not having to share her, believe me. But I don't want to have to do it again."

Aiden sighed then, obviously wanting to get something off his chest. "Look, Mara's sleeping, and I need to talk about something important..."

Lily blinked. "Well, I obviously can't leave—Eileen is asleep in the next room," she said quietly to him. "Would you care to come through?"

Aiden nodded. "I think that's best," he replied. It took a moment, but once Aiden came through the Floo and got his bearings, Lily was standing expectantly opposite him. "Look, I know this is coming out of left field, given that there's a significant amount of time that's past. But I've got married soon after finding out that Mara and I were expecting, and then came the business opportunity for the department..."

"You're spiraling," Lily said, forcing a laugh through her lips so as she didn't sound completely like Severus. "It's all right, Aiden. Just tell me what's bothering you."

"It's not that I'm being accusatory to you, Lily, please understand that," Aiden went on. "But if Eileen's my daughter and you've been keeping it from me, I think I have a right to know. And, if she is mine, I'd like to see her, and sit her down eventually when she's old enough and possibly explain the situation. Obviously, Mara and I would be more than willing to open our home to her now and again, and money is no object, as I'm sure you can understand..."

Lily raised up her hands immediately then, which cut Aiden off. "Aiden, you honestly don't have anything to worry about, because Eileen isn't yours," she told him.

Aiden blinked. "But, she was born in February, and we were still together nine months before that, so unless you..."

Lily scoffed. "I didn't stray when we were together, Aiden, trust me. I was happy with you, and I was also so busy with those reports from Luna and Rolf, that I really wouldn't have had time to run off with someone else." She bent down then, for Isis had sensed her mistress's tense manner and had come at the run, prompting Lily to scoop her up into her arms, to which Isis meowed in a rather indulgent manner.

"So, what are you telling me here?" Aiden asked.

Lily smirked. "Eileen was born prematurely," Lily explained. "She was about a month early. As a matter of fact, my labor began at your house. I didn't tell Mara about it because I didn't want to worry her. I had her on my own, right where you're standing," she said, pointing to it, which directly caused Aiden to yelp and jump to the side.

"My reaction is hardly funny," Aiden said, shooting a glare at Lily, who laughed.

"Sorry," Lily said between snorts, "but it's incredibly funny."

"So, if Lily was born a month early, then you had to have had relations after you and I decided to end things?" Aiden wanted to know.

Lily nodded. "That's true. It was in Norway, when it happened, and you were back here in England by that time, with Mara," she said patiently. "So, to make a long story short and less complicated, Aiden, Eileen is not your child. And if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep the identity of her father a secret."

Aiden held up his hands. "It's none of my business, anyway," he assured her. "It would only be my business if she was my daughter, and she's not."

Lily shook her head at him. "She's not. Although, I'm sure if she was, you would have made her feel as loved and appreciated and valued at Asher and Louisa feel."

Aiden nodded at her. "I would have. Mara, too. I know she would. It's one of the reasons why I married her, because she's so kind."

Lily nodded back at him. "And because you love her."

Aiden grinned. "That, too." He reached out then and squeezed Lily's shoulder. "I know the love of your life is out there, Lily. You'll find them."

Lily smiled at him but shook her head. "Even if I don't, Aiden, it's quite all right. I have Eileen and Isis, my position at the ministry, my family... I live a full life, and I am content the way it is, and see no reason to change it."

"Life isn't about being content, Lily. It's about being happy."

"Don't they just mean the same thing?"

Aiden grinned. "Not the way I see it. I feel that content is on the same bar as 'fine'. You're all right with how things are, and, while you're welcome to change, you don't actively go about seeking it. As for happiness, it's a delirious feeling that you wish on other people you care about deeply, and if someone you care about isn't involved directly in this feeling, you want to make sure they make an effort to do so."

Lily laughed aloud again. "Well, perhaps I don't need delirium."

"Perhaps not at the moment," Aiden said, turning around and grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and tossing it into the grate, "because you've settled."

Lily blinked. "I've not settled!"

"Lily, my sweet friend, you've settled," Aiden told her, his tone gentle. "You've fallen into a routine that, while you're convinced is satisfying you, is, in fact, a wildly dull experience because you're without romantic fulfillment."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Perhaps you should become a poet."

"I intend to—and perhaps I shall specialize in the love sonnet!" Aiden proclaimed, stepping into the flames backwards, and disappearing.

. . .

Lily arrived at work at the ministry during the second week of March a bit more energized than she had previously been, now that some warmth was creeping its way into England now that spring was officially on the horizon. She hurried into her office and sipped at her morning cup of tea from the employee café a few floors below, and searched through the incoming mail that the owls had just delivered about a quarter of an hour ago, and brought to her desk promptly. As she sipped at her hot beverage, she mulled over the bits and bobs of mail, as well as her list of tasks for that day.

Hermione was already in her first morning meeting, and would have the undersecretary taking minutes and notes upon it, while Lily was tasked with the more 'higher-up' tasks, as her official title was 'chief of staff and assistants to the Minister of Magic'. Not that Lily minded the jobs put out for her; in fact, what Muggles called 'busy work' was something that Lily thrived off of, given that it provided ample distractions from her personal life for nine hours a day, five days a week, off weekends, two weeks for Christmas, and a few weeks every summer. It was also a marvelous payment plan that Hermione had set up for her on her behalf, and she was equally surprised when the board had approved of it so quickly.

After Lily had been working for a few hours, Hermione breezed into her office after her morning meeting and peered at Lily's progress. "Looks wonderful, dear," she complimented, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. "If you're not too busy, perhaps you'd like to join me for lunch in Diagon Alley. That posh bistro just decided to begin serving lunch last week, but with Ronald so busy with the task force alongside your father, I haven't had anyone to go with."

"Love to, I've managed about half the tasks already today, mostly fire-calls to various people to get them on our side. The other governments have been a bit standoffish of late," Lily put in, pulling on her sweater and following Hermione to her office, where they would use her Floo to get into the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.

Hermione sighed a little sigh then, shaking her head. "I don't doubt your ability to work with the system in place for a moment, Lily," she told her gently. "Sometimes other governments are a bit nervous to come out in support of a new regime right away. I've only held my position for six months, so perhaps things will go our way soon."

Lily nodded as Hermione said the password for the Floo and tossed in some powder. "I'm sure it'll happen, Aunt Hermione," she replied, as the pair of them stepped into the grate and were taken directly to Diagon Alley. Lily kept her head high, but not pompous, matching Hermione's walk and body language to a T as they traipsed through the pub and towards the back, ignoring the excited whispers around them, where the brick wall greeted them. Quickly, Lily too her wand from her pocket and tapped the series of bricks while Hermione stood back, proudly watching her niece's effortless magic as the bricks cleared the way and permitted them to pass.

"Just down the main road a bit, near Ollivander's," Hermione explained, and Lily nodded, moving after her, the brick wall moving back into place behind them, for the both of them had a schedule to keep, and Lily couldn't afford to keep her waiting.

When they finally reached the edge of the cobblestone lane, the infamous wand shop was just to their left, and Hermione continued until just around the corner, where an impressive, pale green sign with muted golden letters read Le Phénix Dansant, wrapped around the middle of the roof of the early French colonial style building, similar to the wand shop, except this one had diamond paned windows surrounding it in sets of three. The dark fir wood Dutch door spelled open automatically for the two witches, leading them into an expansive entryway, with a maitre d awaiting the pair of them, a spiral staircase just behind him, a formal dining room to the left, and a dark wood pub to the right, where some early drinkers, mostly men, were gruffly talking and clanging their bottles of Butterbeer.

"Minister, Miss Potter," said the maitre d, clearly starstruck by the two of them as he stepped forward, a pair of black, leather-bound menus in his immaculate hands. "This is truly an honor to have you here. Table for two, for lunch?"

"Yes, please," Hermione replied, smiling politely at the man, who looked as if he could faint due to the Minister of Magic speaking to him.

"Right this way, please, ladies," he replied, clearing his throat and leading them into the dining room, the highly-polished, white marble floor, which was off-set by miniature black tiles to create a constant diamond patter, positively gleaming beneath their feet. The man found them an intimate, round booth table, done up in Gryffindor colors, towards the back, a miniature chandelier with floating candles inside it just above the table, held on tightly to the menus as Lily and Hermione sat down, before he handed over a menu to Hermione and lastly to Lily, before he smiled at them both again. "Can I get either of you ladies anything at all while you're waiting for your drinks?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Hermione replied, once she'd caught Lily's slight shake of her head. "We'll be just fine, thank you."

"Of course," the man said, spelling goblets out of nowhere, with a quick Aguamenti spell under his breath to go into them, and bowed slightly to the pair of them, he flitted back off towards his station in the entryway.

"They have some elf-made champagne from Vieille," Hermione said, having already opened her menu and was admiring the drink section first. "Sound good, Lily?"

Lily nodded. "Lovely. Thank you," she said softly.

"Good," Hermione said. "Now, shall we go the whole nine yards?" At Lily's questioning expression from over her water goblet, went on, "Appetizers, starters, followed by respective entrees and desserts. That is, if you're hungry."

"Are you hungry, Aunt Hermione?"

"Absolutely famished," Hermione admitted with a small giggle. "This position, although I am thankful to have it, takes a lot out of me, and I love a pick-me-up now and again."

"Very well, then," Lily replied. "Eileen was hell-bent on making me late this morning, so unfortunately, there was only time for her to have a tuck-in."

Hermione gleamed in understanding at Lily's plight, and ordered a bottle of the champagne she'd suggested when the waiter arrived. After the bottle was presented and placed into the ice bucket, Hermione then proceeded to order cheese Gougères for them to share, before she decided on Niçoise salad, coq au vin, and a lemon tart to finish off the meal. She then looked to Lily, who effortlessly selected the tourin soup, pan-fried veal with Gratin Dauphinois, and crème brûlée for dessert.

"Go out much for meals while you were in Scandinavia?" Hermione asked, sipping her goblet of champagne after they'd ordered.

Lily nodded. "I did, yes. I tried pickled herring for the first time while I was in Sweden, as a matter of fact."

An amused smile played at Hermione's lips. "I never thought you were too terribly fond of sea creatures, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes as she too sampled her champagne. "I'm not. The herring itself did nothing for me, apart from some retching afterwards. Thankfully, it was Aiden who ordered the fish itself, not I. He merely bet me a sickle that I wouldn't try it."

"What did you do, then?"

Lily smirked, and Hermione was amazed at how much she resembled her former potion's professor in that moment. "Raised the stakes to a galleon, before sampling the dreaded creature and spending the next several hours in bed. Aiden just supposed it was a case of hypochondriasis, but, it turned out the fish had been undercooked."

Hermione looked shocked at the declaration. "I take it that you have decidedly stayed away from fish since then?"

Lily nodded. "People inform me that I'm missing out, but I don't much care. I like what I like, and eating fish isn't an obligation, whether you're a witch or Muggle."

Hermione smiled as their cheese Gougères arrived. "Very aptly put." She reached out, only taking one after Lily had done so, and gently pulled it apart, a scent of fresh bread and an assortment of cheese filling her nostrils. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to inform you of the true purpose of this lunch."

Lily set down her Gougère before even taking a bite. "Has that little rabbit undersecretary of yours made her play for my position again?"

Hermione laughed aloud and shook her head. "No. Mildred Beck has learned her lesson, dear, never fear."

Lily nodded, filled with relief. "Good."

"I actually wanted to come to a neutral setting to ask you to help me plan a ball," she said, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "A celebration, if you would, for the end of the Second Wizarding War, as its been nearly twenty-five years. I would put it on next year, but I really want to showcase a lovely get-together while I'm still considered 'fresh' in the eyes of the Wizengamot and the press, you see."

Lily nodded. "Sounds reasonable, I suppose. What would you need from me?"

"Lists of possibilities of places for us to have it—I'm thinking of a neutral location, not in Muggle territory, of course—places that can cater the event, and what you believe appropriate dress and music or entertainment would be for the evening. Once you and I come up with a decent amount of suggestions that I've approved, I'll go to the Wizengamot myself and they will have the final say, along with me."

"When did you think of having this?" Lily asked.

"The twenty-first of May," Hermione replied. "It is a Friday that night. In the Muggle world, most parties are held on a weekend day, so as the next day can be spent recovering, so to speak. I expect a great-many people indulging in Firewhiskey," she joked. "Of course, it gets plenty of people into trouble to say the least."

Lily laughed at the insinuation. "I suppose so, although I'm not sure I would have ever gotten the courage to lose my virginity without it," she quipped.

Hermione blinked. "How old were you?"

"Seventeen," Lily said unabashedly, continuing to sip her champagne.

"So, you and Teddy, you never...?"

Lily shook her head. "No, we didn't. I'm surprised Rose never mentioned that fact to you. We never got close, because I wasn't ready. I suppose that's why Teddy went for Victoire, not only because of her beauty, but her willingness to...be close." She hunched her shoulders then, and flushed at the memory.

"Who was it with, then?"

Lily blinked, staring owlishly at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head then. "Sorry, sorry, that was rude of me..."

"It was Scorpius," Lily confessed then, the word falling from her lips. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but we were both half-drunk on Firewhiskey, and I was hurting because Teddy had ended things with me, and I begged Scorpius to make me forget..."

"You were young," Hermione said simply with an understanding air about her. "No one is to blame, my dear. No one."

Lily swallowed then. "I suppose I wish I could take back my first time. You're lucky, about only being with Uncle Ron. You don't have anything to take back."

"Oh, but I do," Hermione said gently. "It was actually your Aunt Ginny that had the decency to inform your Uncle Ron that I snogged Viktor Krum when I was fourteen."

Lily felt as if her eyes were about to pop out of her head. "You did?"

"I did," Hermione told her with a small smile. "Caused quite a rift, too. In fact, it's what led Ron to date Aiden's mother, Lavender Brown, for a few months. Broke my heart, too. He did make up for it during his proposal, however, and we forgave one another. It just helps now that we don't discuss certain situations in the past that may cause pain."

"Do you wish you'd not snogged Krum?" Lily wanted to know.

Hermione sighed then, mulling it over as she tipped a bit more champagne down her throat. "In all honesty, not really. At the time, I really liked him, and I didn't see Ron as much more than an immature boy I was friends with. I didn't see Ron fully in a different light until the end of our fifth-year, because, over the summer, we spent time together at the Burrow before your dad arrived, and I believed that we were going to be a couple presently. Took another few months, though, and it was in the wake of Dumbledore's funeral that we found one another, almost as if it was for the first time," she mused, her eyes misty.

"Aiden tells me I'm settled," Lily said softly.

Hermione's brown brows knit together then. "How do you mean?"

"In my way of life, I suppose. He says that I've become used to the routine I've made for myself and for Eileen, and that it appears to be that I won't want a partner."

Hermione considered that. "And do you? Want a partner, I mean."

Lily sighed, shaking her head. "Do I? Yes. The problem is, I cannot have him," she said, downing what was left in her goblet before filling it again, and, by that time, the waiter had arrived again, and the topic was dropped, while all the while Lily stared out the diamond paned window at a raven, perched atop a branch, and wondered how long the black, inquisitive avian had been there.

. . .

Eloise nibbled at her bottom lip, staring at herself in her Venetian glass, floor-length mirror in the master bedroom suite of Longbottom Lodge. Upon her marriage to Scorpius, Neville and Draco had moved in to Malfoy Manor to care for aging Lucius and Narcissa, so the smaller of the two family homes was now under Eloise's control. It was a rare day off from the Pest Advisory Bureau at the ministry, and Eloise was in a state of perpetual panic, knowing full well that she couldn't go on like this.

"Why won't you give me what I want?" she whispered, clutching at her small stomach with a look of discouragement. "The goddamned potion was supposed to benefit me in more ways that one, and it failed utterly, while those less-deserving have children, I, the most deserving woman on the planet, have nothing to show for it."

She trembled slightly then; she'd known from reading the old texts of the Wizarding World, now regulated to the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library, that old Pure-Blood families needed an heir from the son, or eldest child, of the family. Since they were such old texts, they were truly considered outdated source material but, given the prevalence of the authors of such texts and their history connected directly to them, they had not yet been disposed of. Since she was sixteen-years-old, Eloise had been scouring the Pure-Blood Registry, looking for a suitable candidate to be her bonded partner, who could give her the life she'd always believed she deserved, from the bottom of her heart.

"Darling!" called Scorpius from the main hearth in the parlor downstairs. "I'm home! Where have you gotten to, love?"

"I'm up here! Be right down!" she called back, casting a quick spell on her hair, followed by the whispered words of, "Gravida Ventris," before she went downstairs.

"Hello, love!" Scorpius greeted as soon as Eloise came down the staircase and into the parlor with a pleasant smile on her face. "Feeling any better since this morning?" he wanted to know, as he cupped her now-swollen belly.

Eloise gleamed up at him. "I am, yes. Had a bit of a kip after breakfast, and felt well enough to run out to the shops. We're having your favorite tonight, darling."

Scorpius lifted his nose then, one arm around Eloise's waist and the other pressed gently to her stomach, and inhaled the air. "Roast chicken?" he asked, looking back down at his wife. "Merlin, what did I do to deserve you?"

Eloise let out a slight twitter then, putting her arms around Scorpius without answering him, but she could sense that there wasn't as much warmth as there could have been in the gesture, on his side of things, and it worried her to no end.

. . .

Lily felt a lump form in her throat as soon as Hermione finished speaking to her that morning, on the third day of April, and, as her mouth fell open, she found that English was truly failing her, for the moment. "Excuse me, could you repeat that, please, Aunt Hermione?" she asked, her tone slightly strangled.

"Of course," Hermione said, signing her name onto something before rolling up the piece of parchment, and handing it off to the waiting owl. "See that Minerva gets that quickly," she said softly to it, stroking its feathers before it flew out her open window. It was a beautiful early spring day, and Hermione liked the windows open to get at some of the fresh air. As the owl departed, she turned to look upon Lily for the first time, and let out a soft sigh, knowing full well that Lily had heard her, and the poor thing was now in a state of shock. "You and Scorpius are to go and look at some venues for the upcoming ball, as well as tour a handful of restaurants who have made the catering list."

"And how long do we have to do this?" Lily replied, her tone level; Lily truly didn't understand how she was managing to cope with all of this, and felt herself constantly forcing her body not to turn into a puddle of nerves.

"A week," Hermione replied. "Don't worry—both your jobs will be here when you return, and I've cleared it with the Improper Use of Magic Office," she went on, assuring her.

"I'll not leave Eileen," Lily said, her tone quick. "I must have time to return home to pack and collect her from nursery school. I must have my daughter with me at all times, Aunt Hermione; such a thing is nonnegotiable."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Yes, of course, my dear. Scorpius has been aware of this since last evening, and suspected you would be taking her with you. Thankfully, I managed to owl ahead to all the places and informed them, and they were utterly delighted to accommodate your little girl as well."

Lily sighed in relief, one hurdle passed. She bit her lip then, knowing that she had to ask one more question. "You've gotten my request?"

"For your transfer, yes," Hermione replied, nodding. "You've completed all the prerequisite work required for it last summer, and passed with flying colors, according to the high-education bureau, now all that remains is a sign-off by me."

Lily nodded. "You'll not give me your answer until after this assignment I'm forced to go on, I take it?" she asked.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed, utterly amused with Lily's biting attitude. "I came to a decision the moment after I read the report, and your request," she told her, a smile on her face. "I knew you couldn't be my Chief of Staff forever, Lily; you're meant for better things, far better than this. If working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries is truly what you want, I won't stand in your way."

Lily smiled, relief pouring through her. "Thank you," she said.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Have you told Harry, Severus, Al, and Alice yet?"

Lily shook her head. "Not yet, no."

"May I ask why?" Hermione asked. "Not about you not telling them, that's your business. I mean why would you elect to be an Unspeakable?"

Lily rolled her shoulders. "Well, a massive part of the job is keeping secrets. I've proven to be a master at that practice." She smiled at her aunt. "Why not bring myself into the world where I have to do it for a living?"

. . .

It was an exhausting week of somehow managing to appear civil towards Scorpius in public, but once the day was over, so was the obligation, and she would haul Eileen back into their separate hotel room, like clockwork. She never let her daughter be alone with Scorpius, for fear that he would discover the secret, and potentially mention it to Eloise, and she could never risk that woman getting her claws into her little girl. The only drawback was that their rooms were next door to one another in the hotel and, by some stupid architect's bright idea, the balconies were literally joined at the hip.

Swallowing her pride, Lily wandered out onto the balcony on the final night, sipping a glass of elf-made wine that Severus had given her before her departure. Her limbs were aching after a long day, and the wine seemed to numb them ever so slightly. Turning around, she smiled at the sight of Eileen, just in the next room, sleeping soundly; however, the quiet of the night did not continue, for the rolling door of Scorpius's room opened.

"Oh, sorry," he said, hesitating for a moment.

Lily sighed, and shook her head. "It's all right," she said, and levitated the bottle. "Would you like a glass?"

Scorpius read the bottle in the setting sun. "Severus give that to you?"

"Out of his generous stores," she replied, wandlessly summoning another glass for Scorpius, who caught it once it arrived.

"Eileen really is charming," Scorpius said, tipping some wine into his glass before banishing it back to the table in between them. "So polite, for one so young. She is a credit to you, Lily, I mean that."

Lily smiled; she had always been a sucker for anyone complimenting her daughter. "Well, I suppose teaching manners is beneficial once they can understand you," she replied, watching as Scorpius sipped from his glass.

"Teaching is a wonderful thing," Scorpius put in. "Ever think you'll go back to Hogwarts? You were President of the Charms Club. Ever fancy yourself taking over for Flitwick?"

Lily snorted into her wine glass, and Scorpius looked amused at the sound emoting from her. "I don't see myself teaching professionally," she replied, shaking her head.

"Too happy working for Hermione?"

"I actually gave my notice just a few days before we left," she replied, turning to look at Scorpius with the most genuine smile she'd given him in years.

"Your notice?" Scorpius asked, looking confused. "You're leaving?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. I am."

"Not going far, I hope?" he asked, lowering his eyes into his wine, obviously in an attempt to distract himself.

"I'm not leaving Britain, Scorp. Merely changing departments." She shrugged a little then when Scorpius looked back up at her. "I couldn't be a Chief of Staff forever—my heart just wasn't in the position and, to be honest with you, Hermione kind of sprung the opportunity on me when she was elected into office. To refuse a minister in a public setting like that..." She shook her head at him with a small smile. "One would think you were against the Wizengamot. After all my family has been through, I couldn't put them through shame like that. And the pay was decent enough, even though it wasn't my cup of tea on the whole. It served as a distraction, more than anything else."

"So, which department has inherited you, then?"

Lily chuckled. "The Department of Mysteries," she said quietly. "They've sent me a generous offer while we've been here, and I've already accepted it."

"An Unspeakable, then?" Scorpius asked.

Lily nodded. "Yes. Everyone assumed I'd be an Auror, like Dad, but this just seemed far more appealing to me. Dad was devastated, of course, but Papa was overjoyed that I'm finally on a path that I can be satisfied with."

"Satisfaction is a good thing within life," Scorpius put in.

Lily nodded. "I'm teaching Eileen that, about satisfaction and happiness going hand in hand, so to speak," she said quietly. "I like to see that she's happy, but I've taught her that being happy doesn't mean you trample others down to achieve it."

"Wise words," Scorpius said, looking truly moved because of them. "But I truly believe that one must practice what they preach, above all things."

Lily blinked, turning to look over at him. "Meaning?" she asked.

"Meaning that one must feel what they're teaching others is right," Scorpius replied. "In an essence, you must be happy before you encourage Eileen to be."

Lily sighed. "Why are people so suddenly convinced that I'm unhappy in my life? I'm perfectly happy," she muttered, taking a deep sip of wine.

"You're different, Lily," Scorpius observed quietly, and Lily felt her face flush. "You were so happy and carefree for years, but things changed during fifth-year, when you suspected that Teddy had feelings for Victoire."

Lily gritted her teeth. "Please, Scorpius. Don't mention him..."

"Lily, you need to get over the betrayal eventually," Scorpius said, his tone firm. "Yes, you were right about him falling for Victoire, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?!" Lily demanded, shooting immediately to her feet. "How can you say that to me, Scorpius?!"

"Because it was a teenage relationship which means nothing now."

"Nothing," Lily scoffed, staring at Scorpius as if she didn't even know him. "I don't care about the relationship aspect of it, Scorpius."

Scorpius blinked, utterly shocked at Lily's change of heart, given that she had seen so hung up on Teddy, for years now. "You're not?" he asked.

"I care that he lied to me, and attempted to convince me that I needed to see a goddamned mind healer," she growled through her teeth. "He told me that I had immature delusions and that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his loyalty to me as a partner. I think that, if you claim to love someone so strongly, you should never deceive them, or attempt to make them feel less than they're worth."

"Merlin, Lily, I didn't know," he whispered.

Lily sighed, her animosity floating off her in waves as her shoulders deflated. "No, you couldn't have known. I don't really talk about it much."

Scorpius shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Have I made a complete and total arse of myself?"

Lily smirked. "No more than usual, Scorp."

He lifted up his head then, staring openly at her, and Lily realized then that, the last time he'd looked at her that way, it had been in Norway. "Clear something up for me."

Lily swallowed. "If I can, I will, Scorpius."

"That night, in the astronomy tower, when you saved former Minister Shacklebolt's life from those dementors with your Patronus Charm," he replied, and Lily blinked, nearly trembling with fear at the memory. "Al, Rose, Teddy, and I all came running up there after Headmistress McGonagall and your parents..."

Lily nodded. "Yeah. I remember."

"You were still with Teddy, for the moment, at least."

Lily sighed. "I was."

"And yet, even with Harry, Severus, Al, and Rose there, in addition to Teddy, you chose to run to me, after the ordeal," Scorpius said quietly, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "I've always wondered..."

"Wondered what?" Lily whispered.

"Well, why you did that," he replied.

Lily shook her head at him then, her breath catching in her throat. "It doesn't matter," she said, far too quickly for it to be the truth as she attempted to turn away from him. "You yourself said that teenage relationships shouldn't mean anything..."

"Why are you hiding from this, from us?" Scorpius asked, walking up behind Lily, while all the while she trembled, and attempted to fight back tears. "Don't do this..."

Lily exhaled then, stifling a sob that threatened to escape her lips. "I have to do this, Scorpius; I have to do all of this. I mean, you've got Eloise with your family's ring on her finger, and your child in her belly..."

"Forget about Eloise and the baby for a minute," Scorpius begged, reaching out then and turning Lily around. "I don't want to walk away from you again, as I sure as shit don't want you to try to run from me. Not again, Lily."

Lily trembled beneath his fingers; not from fear, no, never from fear, not when it came to someone as captivating as Scorpius. "Please..."

"What, Lily? Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you, if I can."

Lily shuddered then, shutting her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. "Make it stop. Make all of it stop..."

"Make what stop, Lily?" Scorpius asked, reaching up then and gently cupping her face in his hand as he stared down at her.

Lily's eyes shot open then, her eyes never leaving her face. "The pain of my losing you," she whispered back to him.

Scorpius's eyes widened then, and even though the rational part of his mind told him to let Lily go, once and for all, his heart told him otherwise. Wandlessly and wordlessly banishing their wine glasses, Scorpius took Lily by the hand and dragged her into his room, just next door, and casted an abundance of wards and Silencing Charms as he began pulling Lily's clothes off, becoming encouraged as she did the same to him.

He took her by the waist then, bringing her up onto his bed, pressing his lips to hers, tasting her, and feeling himself growing larger in his loins as she moaned as his hands roamed everywhere around her. Scorpius soon came to the conclusion that Lily was sensitive everywhere to his touch, and the thought delighted him as he kissed every available surface afforded to him. As he felt himself grow too large to contain anymore, he put himself inside Lily then, and the delicious near-scream that escaped her beautiful lips set him on edge as he plunged deeper, as far as he could, into her core.

For the first time since they were together in Norway, Lily felt her toes curl. She felt whole for the first time in nearly three years, and positively wept at what she had lost. She knew full well that keeping Scorpius away from Eileen was not the best way to go about things, but since his marriage to Eloise, she was fearful for their daughter. And besides, she had no idea how he would react from being separated from her for so long. As Scorpius pumped in and out of her, however, sane thoughts escaped with the wind outside the balcony, and she gave way to the heady pleasure she'd denied herself for so long.

Once it had ended, Scorpius wrapped Lily in his arms, kissing her bare shoulder. "You are truly amazing, Lily," he whispered.

Lily sighed then, biting her lip; she may have not liked Eloise, feared her even, but she had literally just slept with another woman's husband. however, She could not deny it any longer that she could not stay away from Scorpius, as it was killing her. Rolling over then, Lily whispered to him, "Scorp, there's something I need to tell you."

Scorpius nodded. "All right, Lily. But I have to go first, otherwise I don't think I'll have the courage to tell you at all." He sighed then, and took a breath, before he spoke. "You tried to Obliviate me that night; you tried, and you failed," he stated simply, and Lily bolted upright in the bed then, and Scorpius copied her movements, and took her gently by the hand, stroking the back of it, and Lily immediately seemed to relax, somewhat. "You casted that spell because you were afraid; afraid of what Teddy perceived you to be; afraid of allowing yourself a little fun and happiness in your life. What I'm trying to tell you, here, Lily, is that the spell didn't work," he repeated, his tone always gentle, and Lily felt fresh tears in her eyes. "In that moment, your magic failed, because you knew you loved me, too, and you didn't want to leave me without the option of being with you. I left that day because you clearly didn't want me there, because you weren't ready, or because you were scared of me hurting you."

"Scorpius..." She tried.

Scorpius held up a hand. "I know what I did; me leaving hurt you. Me ignoring my feelings for you, just like you did with me, hurt you. Me marrying another woman clearly hurt you. One thing that I intend to do for the rest of my life is ensure that you'll never be hurt again. And do you know why I'm not going to hurt you anymore? It's because I'm in love with you, Lily Luna Potter," he declared then, and a soft gasp escaped Lily's lips. "I've loved you since we were kids, and it's something I tried to stop, but couldn't, because you are amazing, and courageous, and kind, and considerate, and thoughtful, and respectful, and responsible, and beautiful, and many more wonderful things. I would name them all, but I'd rather let you say what you want to say, and kiss you when you're done, if you actually want me to kiss you again, Lily..."

Lily sat there beside Scorpius then, positively trembling at his words, and knew, from the bottom of her heart, that, in this moment, this was not what she wanted. She couldn't want it... "I'm sorry, Scorpius," she whispered, shaking her head, knowing what Eloise could do to Eileen if she ever found out about this. "This... No. No, I can't do this," she said softly to him then, spelling her clothes back on herself and running out of the room.

"Lily, wait, please! LILY!" Scorpius screamed, going after her, only able to catch a glimpse of her summoning her clothes into her trunk, and gathering Eileen into her arms before she Disapparated from her room.

When Lily arrived back in Wales, she warded the house doubly, and locked her Floo. Clutching Eileen close against her, she promptly put her to bed, and stood motionless in the front hallway then, the tears suspended on her lashes. Isis didn't bother to come out of hiding, and Lily forgave her, as it was so late in the day, and the sun had set long ago. She trudged into the kitchen, not quite wanting to go to bed yet, and filled a glass of water, deep in thought, as she attempted to keep her sobs silent so as Eileen would stay asleep.

Finding she was too distressed to drink a simple glass of water, Lily emptied it into the sink, watching the droplets swirl briefly around before ultimately giving up and going down the drain at the center of the sink. Raising her eyes, she stared out at the darkness, the barely-there crescent moon surrounded by stars staring back at her. And, for a brief moment, she caught sight of a raven, suspended on a lone telephone wire, still there from before this had been a wizarding neighborhood, staring directly at her. However, a moment later, the black winged bird was gone, leaving Lily desperately alone and with her muddled thoughts.