Malfoy and Potter [Harry Potter](Scorily Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Time suddenly stood still. Lilly stood emotionless in the stairwell. She looked empty—the way snake's skin does when the snake sheds. Rose stayed hidden in the shadows and held back her fury. Scorpius and Alex stood on the balcony gazing at each other. The only thing that moved was the air around them and the flames flickering casting shadows on the stone walls around them. 

"I'm sorry," Scorpius withdrew, "I shouldn't have done that."

"Why not," Alex gave him a confused gaze and looked down.

"I just shouldn't have." He turned to walk away and saw Lilly standing there. A blend of guilt, desperation, pity, and sorrow crossed over his normally neutral face. Lilly gave him a sarcastic smile and backed away.

Scorpius looked as if he were leaving to go after her but stopped. He sighed and shifted his attention back to Alex.

"Don't think there's anything between her and me," he shook his head, "We're just friends. I don't know why she's acting like that."

"Then why shouldn't you have kissed me?"

"We're just too young for this sort of thing, you know? It's rushing it a bit, I think."

"Oh, yeah. I get you mean. The way you said you shouldn't have done that just hurt. It was like you were saying you didn't mean for it to happen."

Scorpius looked at her, "I didn't mean for it to happen. It was a heat of the moment thing. I wasn't thinking."

"Your heart still wanted it then, didn't it?" Alex stared up at him and was trying too hard to look pretty in the moonlight. She leaned against the railing and looked out at the water.

"I guess."

"I feel sort of bad," she paused, "for Lilly seeing and all."

"Why?"

Alex turned back to face him, "You guys are friends, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but it's not like her noticing me kiss someone means anything."

"So," Alex smirked, "you're telling me she means nothing to you?"

Scorpius paused and crossed his arms, "She means something, but nothing incredibly important."

"Okay, well, I better head off to bed. Goodnight, Scorpius."

"Goodnight." 

Alex started walking away, but paused on the stairs, "Thanks for that mistake, by the way. It wasn't half bad."

Scorpius looked down at the stone floor as Alex walked down the stairs leaving him and Rose, who was still in the shadows, alone. Scorpius shook his head and walked in the opposite direction.

Rose was paralyzed by the scene that just played out before her. For the first time in her life, she was seeing how venomous Alex has been in her life. She started to remember all the things Alex said to her and how she's treated her cousin all these years.

Guilt crushed the air out of her body and left her breathless. She felt blind and deaf to the horrible things in life. She realized how she tried to pretend Alex's disgusting threats and menacing words were just jokes. Jokes that should have never seen daylight. Jokes that made her cousin say she wanted to die by her own hands.

Realization crushed her and killed her with every step she took back to the Ravenclaw dormitories. She saw Lilly sitting in the window gazing at the stars with eyes that seemed like they just came out of a donut shop.

Rose quietly sat beside her and stretched an arm around her, "You've been crying."

Lilly shrugged, and Rose glanced at her, "Why have you been crying, Lilly?"

"I heard he said after he kissed her. I'm not hurt so much about the kiss. He can kiss whoever he bloody pleases."

"Lilly, I understand why you don't like Alex now. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you all those years."

"I don't care anymore, Rose. You can go skip around with whoever you please, but don't bring me into it. I'm done being manipulated by your friends." Lilly got up and sat on her bed.

"As if yours were any better." 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you think it's funny that the first friend you tried making on your own kissed one of my best friends and then said you didn't matter?"

Lilly knit her eyebrows and looked at Rose, "He said I didn't matter to him?"

"I thought you said you heard him."

Lilly pulled a pillow to her chest, "I heard him say we were just friends. I thought we were closer than just friends. I considered him my best friend," Lilly paused, "He said I didn't matter."

"Lilly."

"I'm so glad Hogwarts is turning out so much better than muggle school." Lilly lied down and pulled the blankets over her face.