Scorpius sat in the drawing room of Longbottom Lodge; it was precisely one floor above the parlor on the ground floor, except this one was mainly just reserved for family and very close friends of the family. He was holding a tumbler of scotch in his fingers, swirling around the amber-colored liquid, not really caring about the outcome of the day. Yes, The Profit and The Quibbler had had many stories about him lately, since he'd graduated from Hogwarts, and especially since he'd gone out in public with one Eloise Chang.

Eloise was a Half-Blood, so suffice it to say all the older Pureblood witches and wizards, who may have been a bit too set in their old ways, were calling sacrilege for the company that Scorpius chose to keep. Eloise had been a year behind him, Lily, and Rose at Hogwarts, but had been sorted into Slytherin House as he had. She had taken on the surname of her mother, Cho, a Ravenclaw student and contemporary of Scorpius's own parents and friends, after her Muggleborn father had left the family, as soon as Eloise and her twin brother, Elliot, who had been sorted into Ravenclaw, showed signs of magic as infants.

Scorpius remembered when he had first encountered Eloise; of course, he had done so on a great many occasions growing up. At Malfoy Manor, which Scorpius was due to inherit one day, after his grandparents passed it to his fathers, and then to him, his Malfoy grandparents would hold grand parties to wizarding families. However, they had become much more tolerant of the various families around them, and were welcoming to all, since their son, and Scorpius's father, Draco, had joined the cause for Muggle rights within the Wizarding World. At one of these parties, Scorpius, in the wake of Lily running out after Rose of their final party at Longbottom Lodge which Scorpius had hosted, he himself had been nursing a goblet of Firewhiskey, when a tall drink of water with the most beautiful legs he'd ever seen walked over.

"Having a good time?" Eloise asked, the painted red smile on her pretty face reaching her dark eyes, fenced by full lashes. Her hair, long, dark, and curly, was pulled halfway up by an expensive-looking pin, and her nails were colored green. She was a perfect blend of Chinese and Scottish, and her pale skin reflected both sides of that same coin. She wore a green, silk dress, which had a close-fitting top, which emphasized her blossomed figure, and was cut down into a U-shape; the skirt portion of it, however, flared outwards, and came to rest just above her knees. She wore green heels to match the dress that evening, and a pear-shaped emerald, suspended on a platinum chain and surrounded by expertly-cut circular diamonds, hung from her throat.

Scorpius smirked; he could see right through Eloise, given that the Slytherin cunning seemed to be practically dripping from her pores. He could plainly see that her face was beautiful, and how lovely she would look on his arm, but, given that she was likely here to make a betrothal match before her final year at Hogwarts didn't faze him a bit. "I could say I was," he said levelly, with a small shrug of his shoulders, "but then I'd be lying."

Eloise took this information in stride as she stepped closer, conjuring some Firewhiskey into her own goblet. "Slytherins don't get into trouble for lying."

"How did your mother react?" he asked her then, and Eloise gave him a curious expression at that, so Scorpius knew that he had to give her more information. "When you were sorted into Slytherin, I mean. Was she all right with it?"

Eloise shrugged her white shoulders. "We never much talked about it, to be honest with you. I mean, after our wretch of a father left, Elliot clung to Mum, whereas I became independent, defiantly so..." She pursed her red lips. "I would stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, and no matter how many times Mum would attempt to reach out..."

"You just wanted some space?" Scorpius guessed.

Eloise smiled. "Admittedly, yes. I just didn't want to appear to be a burden. So then came the Prefect's badge fifth-year, and I'm assigned as Head Girl for next term..."

"Congratulations," Scorpius put in. "You seem to care about the rules."

"Or enforcing them," Eloise replied with a quick smile. "So, why is it you're not having a good time?" she wanted to know. "Lord and Lady Malfoy are lovely hosts, and you're fortunate enough to call them your grandparents."

"You don't have grandparents?" Scorpius guessed.

"The man I'm forced to name as my father cut us off entirely, and so we never really knew his family, unfortunately. They shared his feelings about labeling me and my brother freaks," she practically spat. "As for Mum's parents, her father died during the Second Wizarding War, and her mum died right before we were born."

"I'm not having a good time because I ruined a couple of friendships," Scorpius admitted, and Eloise raised her eyebrows at that. "I handled a situation poorly, and now I'm being ostracized from the entire group."

Eloise mulled that over for a moment. "Well, perhaps you should try a different approach," she said softly.

Scorpius blinked. "How?"

"Well, who is your closest friend? Start there. Do they have a connection with the other friends you've supposedly ruined things with?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes, there is a connection."

"Well, start there," Eloise encouraged him. "Your best friend can't keep silent with you forever, dear Scorpius," she told him.

Scorpius sighed, before the wizarding violin quartet began to play, and turned back to look at Eloise for a moment. "Would you care to dance?" he asked, offering his hand.

Playing the part perfectly, Eloise put her perfectly-manicured hand into Scorpius's. "I can think of nothing better," she replied.

Pulled back to the present, Scorpius looked up at the door of the drawing room, and saw his younger sister, Alice, standing there, worry in her dark eyes. "What is it, Adalheidis?" he asked her, hardly ever calling her the full name that their fathers had given to her.

Alice pursed her lips, never quite liking the full version of her name, as she shut the door behind her and crossed the room, removing her wand from her dress pocket, her thick, brown braid swinging about behind her head. She took in the tumbler in her brother's hand and hastily drew it out, vanishing both the scotch within and the portion left in the glass-cut bottle upon the alcoholic beverage tray beside the window. "You know there will be hell to pay with Eloise if she catches you drinking," she muttered. "Evanescunt Olfacies," she said breathlessly, vanishing the scent of the alcohol that clung to her brother.

Scorpius gave Alice a sour expression at the notion that she was essentially mothering him, and pulled away, getting to his feet and going towards the tray.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Alice said, pointing her wand at the tray. "Evanesco!" came her shout, and each liquid in the various holding containers disappeared.

Scorpius sighed. "I just needed a nip before the announcement..."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Silencio," she said, pointing her wand at the door behind them and biting at her bottom lip. "Scorp, really. If you need a nip for that, I can't imagine what it'll be like in eighteen weeks, when the biggest challenge happens," she muttered.

Scorpius turned around, facing his sister. "The biggest challenge?"

"Having to stand next to her!" she hissed, making a pained expression. "Thankfully, she hasn't banned Albus from these things, otherwise, I'd go mad..."

"She cannot ban him," Scorpius replied, his tone level. "He's to be standing next to me." His fair brow took in his younger sister then and, as he peered closer, he let out a sigh. "Why are you under a Disillusionment Charm, Alice?"

Alice swallowed, now wishing she could pour herself a drink. Instead, she pocketed her wand and turned away from her brother. "I'm not under any such thing, Scorpius. Now, we'd best head downstairs and get this whole day over with—"

"Offero," Scorpius said then, his wand falling into his hand, and the white light temporarily blinding Alice as she turned back around.

"Scorp!" she screamed as the light fell away. Alice quickly took down her plait, although that didn't really help matters, as her hair appeared lank and thin. Her dress hung off her dangerously thin figure, while the skin beneath her eyes appeared bruised from lack of sleep. Her lips were chapped and her cheek bones were deep and drawn, while her brown eyes showed a pain that Scorpius didn't think was possible from a carefree girl like his sister.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Scorpius demanded then, glaring at her. "Has Albus done this to you?!"

"No!" Alice yelled, narrowing her eyes. "He loves me, and I love him. He's never even touched me...in this way," she said, her face flushing.

Scorpius swallowed, pinching the bridge of his nose, not really wanting to consider his best mate and younger sister in the same bed, and pushed the thought aside. "Then, what is going on?" he asked, lowering his hand and staring at her.

Alice's eyes locked with her brother's then, and she was about to tell him as her mouth fell open, but, upon the notion that she could hear a distinct pair of high heels on the stairs outside the drawing room, her heart leapt to her throat. Just as the door was pushed open, Alice had finished stating, "Finite Incantatem," and returned to her previous state, with her braid, dress, and everything else in its place.

"How's everything going?" Eloise asked, breezing into the room and greeting Scorpius with a passionate kiss. "Alice, dear, Albus is awaiting you downstairs."

"Thank you, Eloise," Alice replied. "Just making sure that Scorpius didn't reek. I heard a rumor at the ministry that photographers are developing a way for the reader to actually smell what the pictured smell like."

Eloise's eyes widened. "Thank you, Alice, for thinking of that important matter," she said, gratitude in her tone. "Hurry along now. We must keep up appearances."

"Actually," Scorpius said as Alice attempted to head for the exit, "Alice and I were in the middle of a conversation."

"Were you?" Eloise asked, her eyes quickly trained back onto Alice. "Well, I'm sure whatever you had to say to Scorpius can be said in front of me."

Alice smiled quickly. "It was nothing, really," she replied sincerely. "Just wanted to wish my brother good luck."

Eloise smiled. "How kind of you, Alice. We'll see you down there."

Alice nodded. "Of course," she replied, escaping from the room at last, before Scorpius could attempt to call her back again.

. . .

Lily immediately floo-d over to Dagmar's place when she'd been called over that crisp, mid-February morning. There were icicles suspended from all the trees surrounding her home's windows, and, when she stepped through the Floo and into Dagmar and Aiden's beautiful cottage in Cornwall, already hearing the winter wind causing the waves of the nearby sea to crash upon the cliffs beyond. It was quite a feat to do so, and she'd been warned about traveling now that she was in her eighth month of pregnancy by Madam Pomfrey and Severus, for nobody wanted anything to happen to her unborn child.

"Dagmar?" she called out, casting a quick Cleaning Charm on her and around the area, not wanting to track ash everywhere. While she had not been as close to Gideon, Dagmar, or Tullia as she had to Rose and Hugo, she was still quite fond of the trio and had always been on good terms with the fellow Gryffindors. "You around?" she asked again, and let out a surprised laugh as Dagmar walked into the living room.

"You came," Dagmar said, pulling in Lily for a hug.

"Of course I did," Lily assured her, and they mutually sat on the couch, while Dagmar levitated a tea tray from the kitchen and onto the coffee table in front of them. "It's not often I get to see my dear cousin." She hesitated for a moment as Dagmar levitated the teapot, and gestured for it to pour into the two cups. "We weren't ever as close as Rose and I were, and I'm sorry for that, Mara, I really am."

Dagmar smiled slightly then, levitating Lily's teacup towards her. "Milk or sugar?" she asked her softly then, and Lily nibbled at her lip.

"Just sugar, thanks," she said softly, and summoned three lumps to plop themselves into her cup of tea. "Look, Mara, I'm not just trying to get on your good side or anything. We're family. If there's something I did..."

Dagmar sighed, shaking her head as she turned and stared at Lily, stirring some milk and sugar into her own teacup. "No, you haven't done anything, Lily," she told her, her voice soft. "It is merely that I had a question, but I was fearful of your reaction..."

Lily, who had sipped a bit of tea into her mouth, swallowed it a little too quickly. She cleared her throat to prevent the tickle from forming into a full-blown cough, and nodded, setting her cup back onto the table. "You wanted to ask if the baby was Aiden's?" she asked, and quickly smiled at Dagmar, letting her know she wasn't angry.

"I know it's silly of me," Dagmar said, pulling slightly at her red bun; while her father and siblings possessed the cocoa-colored skin of their father, Dagmar fully resembled to Weasley clan, and often felt out of place, something that she and Lily had in common. "I know that Aiden is a good and loyal husband to me. I'm not best pleased that he decided to go to Finland yesterday to do research on the Horklump," she went on, her tone slightly bitter.

Lily reached out then, taking Dagmar's hand. "Stress isn't good for the babies," she said gently to her, and smiled. "I know that Asher and Louisa are going to be quite a handful as it is—they have Weasley blood in them," she joked, and Dagmar smiled. "But I want to assure you, Mara, that Aiden is not the father of my child. I haven't told anyone who it is, but Madam Pomfrey gave me the dates of conception, and Aiden was already back in England, and likely, already with you by the time I got this in me."

Dagmar let out a sigh of relief, and dashed her tears from her eyes. "Like I said, I knew it was silly of me, Lily. I mean, I know that you don't have any designs on Aiden, and even if the child was his, I know that we would have worked something out."

Lily squeezed Dagmar's hand. "Even though he is not the father, I'm pleased to hear you say such a thing anyhow," she told her.

Dagmar looked as if she would say something more, but a screech of something from outside broke the witches apart and, turning, she saw the family owl, Mare—the Latin word for sea—appear upon the bottom half of the open door. "The sea air calms me," Dagmar explained, and Lily nodded, very aware of the warming charms in the living room. Dagmar crossed the room and fetched the post from Mara, and stroked her feathers. "There is a plate for you in the kitchen, my dear," she whispered, and the owl hooted before fluttering off. Dagmar returned to the couch and sat beside Lily, setting The Profit down before she looked through the mail.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Lily asked and, waiting for Dagmar's nod, which came, she quickly unwrapped it. "Thanks," she replied. Lily felt her mouth go dry and her hands shake as she took in the headline before her.

Longbottom-Malfoy Heir Makes it Official with Chang Girl by Announcing Engagement, the front page of The Profit declared to Lily. Lily took in the photograph, taken on the lawn of Longbottom Lodge, and saw how breathtaking the couple looked. Scorpius was wearing dress robes, and was smiling for the flashbulbs and answering questions. Eloise, meanwhile, was on Scorpius's arm and waving, positively beaming at the public before her; the left side of her hair was pinned back around her head, while the right was free, and wavy down her front.

"Lily."

Lily's eyes flashed to Dagmar's then, and felt the slight pressure of her cousin's hand gently gripping her arm. "Y...yes?"

"You're pale," Dagmar said, and reached up to feel Lily's forehead, and Lily shook from the contact bestowed upon her. "Are you all right?"

Lily swallowed, forcing a smile to her lips. "Sure I am," she said, casting a quick Tempus Charm and shaking her head. "Promised Aunt Hermione I'd write something up for her," she said lamely and got unsteadily to her feet.

"Well, all right," Dagmar said, following her as she moved towards the Floo. "Sure you're doing all right, Lily?"

Lily let out a laugh then, and knew it sounded harsh, but she was past caring. "I will be fine, Mara," she assured her, as she grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Potter Residence, London," she intoned, and tossed the powder inside, before the flames swallowed her up. She managed to reach her own living room without tumbling down, but her knees buckled then, and she crashed to the floor, a wail escaping from her lips before she could call it back. Looking down, she saw blood running down her legs and gathering onto the floor, and her eyes filled with tears. She shut her eyes then, recalling that spell book she'd gotten for Christmas, and pushed all negativity from her mind, and whispered, "Expecto Patronum," and three Scottish wildcats came darting out of the tip of her wand, and looked to her for further instructions. "You, go to Potter Park at once," she ordered the first one, "you to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and you to Hogwarts," she managed to get out to the second and third cat respectively. "Something is wrong with the baby. I need help," she said, and nodded for the cats to leave, and they did. Lily clutched her stomach, and gazed at the ceiling. "Someone come quick," she said softly, feeling her strength leaving her, but swallowed then and pushed herself upwards. "No, no, no," she said, calling for a Wiggenweld Potion, and unstopped it with her teeth, and dunked it down her throat. "Not you," she went on, and caressed her stomach as she tore off her jeans and underwear. "My darling, not you..." She shut her eyes then, feeling as if something wished to escape her, and went along with the movements that filled her, and felt something come out then, as she attempted to catch her breath. Her eyes flew open then, and she summoned a blanket immediately, when she laid eyes upon the screaming infant that lay between her legs. "Merlin," she whispered, casting a Cleaning Charm on the babe and on herself before she gathered it into her arms, pressing a kiss to the baby's white forehead.

There was long black hair growing out from the baby's head, and it seemed to calm itself instantly as Lily hushed its cries. It had a pink mouth and wide, light blue eyes, and stared at its mother with fierce intelligence. The baby had perfect, long fingers, just like Lily and Severus had had, and an elegant, straight nose. Lily felt her heart swell at the baby in her arms, who nuzzled itself closer, clearly hungry.

"Eileen," she whispered, the name coming to her lips as she managed to levitate herself to her feet, and charm her bloodied clothes into the laundry. She took care of the blood stain on the wood floor underneath her, and moved herself into her bedroom. She looked down at her daughter again, feeling that warmth again as she crawled into bed, and took another Wiggenweld Potion for the pain she anticipated would come. "Eileen Rose Potter... Allie. My little Allie. I promise," she told her daughter, "I will never allow anyone to take you from me, for not even your father knows that you are here," she told her.

. . .

"Lily!" came the collective shouts of Harry, Severus, Al, and Hermione as they all streamed into the various fireplaces of her town home in Chelsea, to the point where Lily had to put a bubble of Silencing Charm around Eileen's head, so that nobody would wake her. Lily had just given birth a quarter of an hour ago, unaided, and was quite shocked to see the four humans rush into her bedroom, and one house-elf, who seemed to push everyone back, and pull along a lace-covered cradle type bed, which he stationed just beside Lily's bed.

"Mistress Lily's own bed as a wee baby," Kreacher explained, his pale eyes filled with tears as he took in the sight of his mistress holding her first child. "Might Kreacher be permitted to know what Mistress Lily has named her little girl?"

"This is Eileen, Kreacher," Lily said gently, and took in the sharp intake of breath from Severus as she said the name, and looked up at him. "Eileen Rose Potter," she went on, and detected that Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the middle name.

"Are you all right, Lily?" Al asked, moving to sit beside Lily on the bed. "Alice and I were having brunch with Scorpius and Eloise when your Patronus found us."

Lily blinked. "I... I didn't send a Patronus to Longbottom Lodge, or Malfoy Manor," she said, doing her best to keep her tone casual, and not choked as she wanted to, at the mention of who her brother had been eating with.

Al shook his head, putting an arm around his sister's shoulders. "We were dining at Potter Park this morning, Lily," he went on. "Alice, Scorpius, and Eloise didn't have to get to the ministry until the afternoon."

"They're all working there now?" Lily practically squeaked.

"Yes, love," Harry said gently to his daughter. "Alice is in the Auror Department with me, while Scorpius is in the Improper Use of Magic Office, and Eloise is a worker within the Pest Advisory Bureau," he explained.

Makes sense that she'd work in something involving the word pest, Lily thought to herself as she lowered her eyes to her daughter. I've seen firsthand what someone like Eloise is capable of. If she much as knows that Eileen exists...

Careful there, came the voice of Severus in her mind. Is this something that you wish to share with the rest of us?

No, Lily yelled at her father internally. Stay out of my head!

As you wish, Severus replied.

"Well, glad to know that they're being productive members of Wizarding Society," Lily said softly, cradling her daughter closer to her.

"Are you feeling all right, Lily?"

Lily raised her eyes to Hermione, who had not yet spoken, save for crying out for Lily, as the others had done, upon arrival. "Fine, perfectly, Aunt Hermione," Lily told her, and forced a smile to her lips.

Severus stepped forward, pulling out his wand, and cast a Diagnostic Spell over the sleeping Eileen, and Lily glared up at him. "Preventative measures should be taken, dearest," he told his daughter softly, as the tip of the wand produced the piece of inked parchment, which Lily made an effort to grab, but Severus got to it much more quickly.

"Git," Harry muttered under his breath.

Severus cocked an eyebrow at his husband before he turned his attention back to the paper he now held. "Although Eileen was born prematurely and in less-than-favorable circumstances, it seems as if she is perfectly healthy at six pounds eleven ounces, and twenty inches long, and seems to be surrounded by love."

"It does not say that!" Al said, smirking up at his father.

Severus vanished the parchment and fixed his son with a look. "I am permitted to embellish a bit, I feel, Al." He sighed, turning back to his daughter. "You've fed her?"

"Before you arrived, yes. And I took a nutrient potion, plus some Wiggenweld, to stave off hunger and pain."

"Good," Severus replied, pleased that his daughter was taking care of herself. "We will leave you now to rest, if that is not objectionable to you."

Lily shook her head. "No, of course," she said, and caught Al's hand as he moved to leave. "I do hope you will tell Alice that she is welcome over at any time?"

Al blinked, and Severus caught the exchange before he left the room, trailing after Kreacher, Harry, and Hermione. "Why would she be welcome over...?"

Lily sighed; she couldn't tell him the full truth, she knew that. "Alice has been there for me," she told her brother gently. "You've been preoccupied with your N.E.W.T.'s just around the corner, and I do understand. But Dad has given Alice an easy schedule, and she stops by several times a week to check up on me." She raised her eyebrows. "She told you, didn't she? I mean, with Rose having all those matches and Dagmar so close to her time with the twins, plus Aunt Hermione's long-standing duties to the ministry..."

"She told me," Al said, nodding. "Just didn't think you'd become that close."

Lily blinked. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"

Al grinned and shook his head. "Course not. If I can't be with her, I know she's in safe hands while she's with you."

Lily forced a smile onto her face at the accuracy of the statement, and wondered just how much Al knew about his girlfriend, and what she had been hiding, and what Alice knew about her that she hadn't told anyone.

. . .

"Were you followed?" Lily asked, securing the wards again once Alice stepped into her house, and shut and locked the door behind her.

"No," Alice said, quickly putting her arms around Lily and holding her for a moment. "I know it's been a fortnight since Eileen's birth, but, I'm sorry. What with all the plans for the wedding, and me forced to stand as Maid of Honor, plus working for your dad..."

"It's all right," Lily assured her, squeezing Alice one final time before backing away from her, and spelled her coat to the hooks beside the front door. "Come along, then. Eileen should be waking up from her afternoon nap at any moment."

Alice smiled, taking off her gloves and scarf and putting them in her coat pocket and around the coat hook respectively. "Good," she said, following Lily down the hallway and into the nursery, which had been left open. Alice stepped towards the crib, standing beside Lily, and looked inside as the baby girl's eyes opened, smiling at the new face.

"Well, here she is," Lily said breathlessly, lifting up Eileen and showing her off to Alice. "Well, what do you think?"

Alice sighed. "I think I'm thankful for certain spells."

Lily nodded. "As am I," she replied, moving out into the living room, Alice at her heels, and the pair of witches sat down on the couch. Lily shifted Eileen's weight slightly, so that she was propped up against her back. "How are the preparations going?" she asked.

"I believe the Muggle term is bridezilla," Alice replied, wrinkling her nose. "However, Eloise has the appearance of being so simpering and cordial that nobody would ever tell her that she was being demanding."

Lily sighed. "I'm just glad that Rose hasn't fallen under her spell."

"If it weren't for her love of Quidditch, I'm pretty sure that Eloise would declare that Rose is public enemy number one."

"And me?"

Alice swallowed. "You never outwardly showed romantic affection for Scorp. Therefore, Eloise has nothing to fear." She reached across between them then, offering Eileen her finger, which the baby promptly grabbed onto. "Again, I'm thankful for certain spells."

"Certainly," Lily said, her tone soft. "I don't know what I'd do if Eloise did something, anything, to Eileen..."

Alice swallowed. "You'd kill her," she said simply. "If it's to you, however, and you can still stand at the end of it..." She shrugged. "Absolutely nothing."

Lily looked up at Alice slowly. "How many spells are you under now?" she asked.

"Several," Alice replied. "I know that Al wants to move in together as soon as he graduates in the summer, but I..."

"You haven't told him?" Lily guessed.

Alice shook her head. "No, of course I haven't. Al is powerful, but so is Eloise. I'm afraid of what would happen if he knew."

Lily swallowed. "The alternative is unacceptable, Alice," she told her, and Alice hunched her shoulders around her body. "You cannot live like this!"

Alice sighed. "At least I'll be moving back into my flat after the wedding," she muttered. "Eloise doesn't like me much to begin with, thankfully. Perhaps she won't make herself a frequent guest in my home."

"And until then?"

"Until then, I'll use as many spells and potions that I can get my hand on," she whispered. "It's only me she hates to this extreme, Lily. As far as I know, it's not happening to anyone else. If I keep my mouth shut until then..."

"What if they try for children?"

"Of course they will," Alice said, crossing her arms. "The Longbottom-Malfoys need an heir, and I'll likely take the name of my husband when the time comes for me to be married. It will fall to Eloise to provide the heir."

"What if their children do something to make her hate them?" Lily wanted to know, and Alice swallowed audibly. "What if they find themselves in the same boat as you are? What then? Will you speak out then?"

"Naturally," Alice replied. "But they are not me..."

"Alice..."

"...nor are they Eileen." Her eyes drifted back down to the baby then, shaking her head. "Who else knows?"

Lily sighed. "You know," she told her. "I suspect Madam Pomfrey suspects, as does my father Severus. As for Al..." She shrugged. "I could not say. But other than that..."

"So, it is only me who knows for sure?"

"Correct," Lily told her.

Alice sighed. "You did not wish for me to make an Unbreakable Vow, but I would be willing to do so, Lily."

Lily shook her head. "No, of course you don't. I trust you."

Alice slowly smiled then. "You're one of the few who do," she replied.

. . .

"Don't fuss now, baby," Lily whispered to Eileen, who was annoyed by the constant spells that her mother had to put upon her before taking her out in public. She would manipulate her eye color and the shape of her face, but, other than that, it all came down to the aim. Once that task was completed, Lily put Eileen into the beautiful dress that Molly Weasley had sent over for her on that day, and sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said quietly to her four-month-old daughter, as she stared down at her. "I really am. But, until it is safe, we cannot risk certain people finding out who you truly are."

Eileen stared up at her mother with her darkened eyes, and seemed to understand. She reached up for her mother then, and Lily smiled indulgently and scooped her into her arms. With a sudden crack, they were in the parlor at Longbottom Lodge, and Lily made their way towards the French doors, which opened up onto the terrace, where the ceremony was due to begin in the next twenty or so minutes. Lily swallowed then, holding Eileen close as reporters from The Profit and The Quibbler surrounded her, demanding a photo of her daughter, and asking Lily what she had been up to professionally.

Lily waved off the questions and walked towards the hedge maze that the lodge's back garden sported, and ambled along the exterior. She pressed a kiss to Eileen's forehead, and as she walked along, she heard familiar voice. She ceased in her loud steps and silenced them instantly as she pressed herself against the hedge and edged closer.

"I only agreed to tell you because you've been so moody lately!" Alice said then, as Lily peered around the hedge, and saw her speaking to Al. "What's been going on with you?"

"You promised to tell me today, Alice. Tell me what's happening."

"No," Alice said hotly, narrowing her brown eyes. "You go first."

Al sighed, conjuring a flask and drinking from it, which made Alice step back immediately from his perceived wobbly steps. "I failed the N.E.W.T.'s," he muttered and Lily, unseen by the hedge, clasped a hand over her mouth.

"You've done what?!" Alice cried out then, looking horrified. "Al, what on earth possessed you to do such a thing?! You know you can't graduate if you don't..."

"I know that," Al growled back, clearly frustrated at the situation and not with Alice. "It was a bitter pill to swallow, but McGonagall already told me I'll have to repeat my final year next term, and it was bloody embarrassing."

Alice swallowed, wringing her hands on the ugly pink Maid of Honor dress with puffed sleeves and an equally puffed skirt she'd been made to wear that day by Eloise, and shook her head. "I am sorry, Al, really," she said, her tone far more gentle this time, as she stepped forward, the tendrils of her hair deliberately detached from the bun upon the back of her head, curled for the special occasion, blew slowly in the summery breeze around then.

Al sighed, vanishing the flask and turning to look at Alice. "Look, I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, because of my failures..."

"You clearly failed because you were preoccupied with me," Alice replied. "I'll never forgive myself for that, Al. I won't."

Al shook his head. "I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have."

"You're frustrated," Alice said simply. "No harm done."

Al's brow puckered slightly then and, as he peered closer at Alice, a wave of understanding seemed to fly past him. "Wait... You're wearing a Disillusionment Charm, aren't you, Alice?" he asked her, his voice trembling.

Alice lowered her eyes. "Yes."

"But what...?" He cut himself off, shaking his head as he attempted to understand the situation handed to him. "Why would you...?"

Alice slowly took out her wand and turned it on herself, muttering, "Finite Incantatem," and the spell of broken, leaving Alice, standing before the love of her life, with lank hair, a frail body, and various cuts along her arms, neck, and face, which were the only bits of flesh currently exposed to the human eye.

"Alice!" Al cried out then, moving to grab her in his shock but, seeing her wince before him, thought better of it and stood back. "What...? What?!" he cried out then, tears escaping his eyes and going down his cheeks.

"I didn't want to tell you," Alice replied, her voice breaking. "I was afraid of what would happen if you knew what..."

"I bloody well want to know what," Al replied, his voice shaking. "Please... I mean, you didn't do this to yourself, did you?"

Alice shook her head. "No. It was done to me. Scorp thought you'd done it to me, but I was quick to set him straight."

"He knows?"

Alice sighed. "He knows about this," she said, gesturing to her body, "but not how I happened to have gotten this way."

"Tell me, then," Al ordered softly. "Please. Tell me what happened to you."

"E... Eloise did it," Alice replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Al's eyes blazed with anger then, and he took off in the direction where Lily stood, nearly stumbling over his older sister and niece as he stomped past. "Wait—Lily?!" Al demanded then as Alice rushed behind him.

"Al, don't—" Alice begged.

"She knows, too?!" Al demanded.

Lily swallowed. "I know," she told him, trying to calm him. "And I know it's going to take a bit of time, but what you've got to understand is—"

"What I've got to understand is that I've got murder on my mind," Al growled back, stomping past the three of them and going in a side door of Longbottom Lodge, with Lily and Alice doing their best to keep up with him.

"Al, no!" Alice begged again.

"Don't do this!" Lily shouted.

However, Al threw up a wandless Silencing Charm behind him, and stomped towards the door that Eloise was supposed to be getting ready behind. Al charmed the door open and went inside, before a scream could be heard, and then a blinding white light, which seemed to push Lily and Alice far backwards. They were able to watch from the room they had been blown in that Eloise stepped out of the room a moment later, looking mighty pleased with herself, and moved towards the outside to marry into the Longbottom-Malfoy clan. When Lily and Alice could move out of the room again, with Lily checking over Eileen as they ran into the room and finding no damage on her daughter, Lily and Alice let out silent screams as they caught sight of Al, who was bound by the Cruciatus Curse, a mask of pain in his black eyes, as he stared up at his sister, niece, and girlfriend looking at everything and seeing nothing.

. . .

Lily swallowed as she managed to excuse herself from the crowd of people and made her way into the witch's bathroom. She checked on Eileen and, finding that her one-year-old was clean and perfect, smiled down at her. She automatically pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, and the delicious laugh that Eileen let out was not lost on her.

"Mama all right?" Eileen asked.

Lily smiled then, feeling automatically secure as she looked down at her. "Mama all right," she assured her daughter, before raising her head again and staring off into space.

She recalled finding Al with Alice on the day that Scorpius and Eloise were married, and, once Al had woken up a week later at St. Mungo's, how he had no recollection of the day. Frightened, Lily and Alice reluctantly decided between them not to say anything, for fear that Eileen would be next on Eloise's to do list. Al had recovered quickly, thankfully, and had re-joined Slytherin House the following autumn, becoming Head Boy once more, and was finally graduating that hot June day, with a job at St. Mungo's to begin shortly.

Lily washed her hands and levitated Eileen in the air simultaneously, which was her daughter's favorite form of entertainment. Although her little girl hadn't exhibited outward signs of magic just yet, Lily was hopeful that that would change soon. Just as she dried her hands and moved to leave the room, the door swung open and Eloise stood on the threshold, just as Lily brought Eileen back into her arms.

"Well, what do we have here," Eloise said in that mocking tone of hers. "The girl who has a failure of a brother, and a bastard child of her own."

Automatically, Lily's grip tightened around Eileen as she narrowed her eyes. "You won't say such things about my family," she said levelly.

Eloise rolled her eyes. "Take a joke, Potter. It's not a big deal."

Lily scoffed. "We're not children anymore, Eloise," she replied, and moved to make a speedy exit from the room.

"Not last time I checked. You were right about something, Potter. Congratulations."

Lily rolled her eyes, still facing away from Eloise. "Please, leave me alone," she replied, and faced her once again. "I mean you no harm, so why come after me? You and I have hardly ever had a conversation, and yet you paint me as a villain who is supposedly out to ruin your life. I have never sought to deliberately do that to another person, so I cannot fathom why you would seek to do so with me."

Eloise smirked. "It seems as if we do not understand each other."

Lily shrugged. "Perhaps not. I don't wish to understand you anyway. Now, please, I'll ask you again. Leave me alone."

Eloise laughed. "I hardly think you're in a position to make demands."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

She laughed again. "Well, we're not in school anymore, so you can hardly tell me that your father can take house points from Slytherin."

An evil smile captured Lily's lips. "No, but I can certainly ask my other father to arrest you if you continue speaking in such a way," she replied without missing a beat. "And my other father taking house points is child's play. He could easily seek to poison you and make it look like an accident," she said.

Eloise looked frightened at such a declaration, but seemed to swallow her fear rather quickly as she narrowed her eyes at Lily. "I think you would stop."

Lily blinked. "And why should I? Clearly, you don't have to."

"I don't have to because I have everything and you have nothing," Eloise said simply.

Lily shook her head. "You have nothing I want."

"Not Scorpius?" Eloise asked then, and smirked as the flush came unbidden to Lily's cheeks, and nearly laughed aloud when her heartbeat increased. "Don't believe that you don't want anything of mine for a moment, Lily. I know very well what you desire."

Lily shook her head. "You know nothing about it."

"I know everything," Eloise countered, narrowing her dark eyes. "It would be better, for Salazar's sake, if you didn't attempt to screw up my life," she went on, lowering her eyes so that they rested upon Eileen. "I would hate for anything to happen to that precious little daughter of yours, Lily."

Lily narrowed her eyes then. "You will not threaten Eileen!" she said.

Eloise laughed once more. "Like I said, you are in no place to make demands of me, Lily," she told her simply, before moving past her to leave the bathroom, nearly knocking down Alice in the process, before she vanished into the crowd.

"What did she say this time?" Alice asked, looking nervously behind her for a moment before allowing the door to swing shut behind her.

"She threatened Eileen," Lily replied.

Alice shook her head. "For the love of Merlin, she needs to be stopped." She lowered her hands then so as they rested on her own swollen belly. "If I ever get wind that she hurt Eileen, or even dares to come near..."

"She won't come near your child," Lily said quickly. "Al scared her enough so she leaves you alone now, apart from the snide comment."

Alice sighed. "Let us hope to Merlin it stays that way..."

"As long as Eileen is safe from Eloise," Lily replied resolutely, pressing another kiss upon her daughter's forehead as she held her close. "That's the main thing that matters to me."