Malfoy and Potter [Harry Potter](Scorily Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lily walked around Hogwarts aimlessly. She felt numb. Nothing seemed real to her. All the voices around her, the laughing, chattering voices, sounded as if they were underwater. Everything was a blur, nothing seemed normal. Or, maybe, everything was normal. She kept reminding herself over and over again that this is the way things used to be. This is the way things normally are. She ought to be used to this by now.

Rose kept her head up as her heart hung heavy. She acted like everything was alright when her world was crashing down around her. She knew that it didn't always seem like it, but she loved Lily with all her heart.

The cold bit at both of their faces as leaves from the Whomping Willow blew across the plains and littered the river illuminated by the night autumn sky. Lily sat at the edge of the river and dipped the tips of her fingers into the cold river. Rose stood at the edge of a balcony closest to the river and gazed up longingly at the moon and the stars.

Rose looked down over the balcony and saw Lily. A pang of guilt hang at her heart. It was all she could do not to go down as fast as possible and apologize. Rose turned away from the river and slowly started to walk towards the Ravenclaw dormitories.

A light, airy laughter filled the room around Rose, and her heart yearned for it to be Lily's friendly laughter that always seemed to be in her life. She turned around to flickering lights and Alex emerging from the shadows. Rose's heart sunk, but she kept appearances and acted as though she was expecting her.

Just as she was about to step forward for Alex to see her, she sunk into the darkness when Scorpius' familiar face rounded the corner only a few steps behind Alex. Rose watched the two of them walking together and listened in on their conversation.

"I think it's silly that you follow Lily's orders like an obedient puppy," Alex sighed. "You're far more fun than she makes you seem to be."

"How does she make me seem," Scorpius inquired slightly curious, but protective at the same time.

"Don't get defensive," she giggled, "but she just kind of makes you seem kind of...stuck up."

"Stuck up?"

"Well, not stuck up, exactly, but kind of closed off. Alone. Like you only want her friendship and absolutely no one else's."

"That's not true."

"How would I have known that had you not talked to me in the hall yesterday?"

Scorpius fell silent. After a minute of being quiet, he grabbed Alex's hand and dragged her to the balcony. Rose shrunk herself back farther into the shadows and tried to make herself seem invisible. She watched the scene before her with a mix of pain, horror, and curiosity.

"What are you doing," Alex laughed.

"It's just really lovely out," Scorpius quietly replied and looked at her.

Alex glanced over the balcony and up into the sky, "Yeah. I guess you're right Scorpius."

They both fell silent and the only sound filling the silence was a light breeze and the water rushing below them.

"Is that," Alex's voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Is that Lily?" She leaned over the balcony and looked down. She watched Lily walk back to the castle slowly.

Scorpius leaned over and looked, "Yeah. I think so."

Alex turned to look at Scorpius, "Why do you let her tell you what to do?"

Scorpius looked at Alex shocked, "W-What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Why?"

Scorpius shrugged, "I don't know. She's my friend. I guess I didn't really mind at first but..."

They stood there under the moonlight looking at each other. The breeze lifted Alex's hair and moved it slightly. They watched each other looking at the other.

Rose's stomach churned at the sight. She knew this wasn't right. She knew what her best friend was like. She knew none of this would turn out okay. She wanted to scream and run out of the shadows, but, in truth, she was scared.

She didn't move a muscle-even when she heard footsteps and feared the worst. She watched Lilly come up the stairs and see Scorpius kiss Alex.