Disclaimer – I own nothing you recognise.

Beta'd by the Magnificent Michy :D

Written for the Divination Class at Hogwarts, using the prompts – Family/Determination

Also Written for the Disney Character Competition -Ariel/ Prompt-Letter

Word Count – 1463

No More A Secret

Lily sighed. She was so sick and tired of waiting for secret letters and messages. She was tired of not being able to speak to her friends and family about her boyfriend. She was tired of not being able to hold his hand in the corridors between classes. She was sick of not being able to kiss him good morning in the Great Hall. It was his last year at Hogwarts. Their last chance to be a couple here, to do teenage couple-y things. To get caught out after curfew. For him to walk her to her next class. To sit together at lunch or dinner.

Archimedes, his owl, flew through the window of her dorm and she sighed again. Another secret meeting atop the Astronomy Tower or in an unused classroom beckoned, she was sure. Taking the letter from the owl, she slit it open to reveal his customary cursive.

Lily,

Meet me in the classroom on the third floor. I have something for you.

Scorp.

Rolling her eyes at the short letter, she put it in her trunk and left the dorm. He was always getting her cute little presents and things, but she wanted, no, she needed, more than that now. They had been together for almost a year. Surely he understood that she couldn't be his little secret any longer?

She walked carefully through the corridors, checking around corners for any lurking teachers, ghosts or prefects as she did. She knew there wouldn't likely be anyone around yet, but it was always worth checking. She didn't fancy a detention. Again. She made it to the classroom to find him waiting for her.

There was a little box on the desk, and she inwardly rolled her eyes. Yet another trinket to keep her sweet.

"Hey," he whispered, holding out his hand for her to take, pulling her close to him so he could place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Hey, yourself," she whispered back, making an attempt at a smile.

"Here," he said, handing her the small box. She took it without opening it, setting it back on the table.

"We need to talk," she told him quietly. Her determination was forceful, and she knew she couldn't back down like she had previously. She deserved more than being a secret.

"About what?" he asked, frowning slightly at her lack of excitement about the present.

"About us. I can't do it any more, Scorp. I want a boyfriend, not a... I don't even know what we are. I can't consider us friends with benefits, because you don't even acknowledge me as a friend. A mere acquaintance to nod at in a corridor, maybe. I need more than this," she told him.

"I am your boyfriend," he replied, confused. "And I treat you well, don't I?"

"You treat me like a mistress, Scorpius," she snapped. "I don't want presents all the time, and secret rendezvous under the stars in the Astronomy Tower. It was romantic at first, but now it's just... It's just not enough."

"Lily, don't do this. I love you," he begged, and tears poured from her eyes and brimmed in his as she smiled sadly at him.

"I have to," she told him. "I love you too."

She looked at him for a moment longer, committing every detail of his face to memory, before she turned her back and walked from the room. She moved in a daze towards Gryffindor tower, not caring anymore if she got caught. Regret filled her mind, even though she knew she had done the right thing. She was just Lily now. A lone entity. Before she had been part of something, even if it was in secret. Even if she could only think it. She had been one half of Lily and Scorpius. And now she was just Lily. Alone.

xxxx

"Lily, is everything alright? You look tired," Rose asked her the following morning as they sat at the table in the Great Hall. Rose, a Ravenclaw, and head girl this year, was a regular fixture at the Gryffindor table.

"I'm fine," Lily said, pushing her breakfast around her plate with her fork. Her appetite was non-existent, but she knew she had to keep up appearances, if only to stop Al or Rose from writing home about her.

Rose looked concerned, but nodded. "Okay. You know where I am if you want to talk about anything," she told her, before turning her attention back to her own breakfast.

Lily kept her eyes trained on her plate, not wanting to look at the Slytherin table in case he was sitting there. She didn't want to see him having a laugh with his friends, or flirting with some random girl.

Rose finished her breakfast, and stood up, ready to go to her first class. She patted Lily on the shoulder, and said, "Oh, there's a prefect meeting after dinner, alright."

Lily held her groan inside until Rose left. A prefect meeting. With Rose. And Al. And Hugo. And bloody Scorpius. Fantastic.

Leaving her mangled breakfast on the table, she picked up her bag and walked to Potions alone, not wanting the company of her friends, who would all undoubtedly want to know why she looked so sad. She was thankful it was Potions, because it had always been her favourite class, and she knew she wouldn't need to concentrate too much on whatever bubbling concoction she made. It was a gift from her grandmother, or so her father told her, and right now, she was exceedingly grateful for it.

xxxx

Lily was one of the last to arrive at the meeting, though she had left dinner early. She got a few strange looks from her brother and her cousins, but she ignored them, taking a seat with empty seats either side of it. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Scorpius was the last to arrive, shortly after her, and he closed the door behind him. She happened to look up as he debated on his seat, and the spark in his eyes told her where he was going to sit before he even moved. He walked towards her slowly, and sat down in the empty seat on her left side.

"Jerk," she muttered under her breath.

"Alright, now we're all here, the meeting can begin..."

Lily tuned Rose out as she began a monologue that they all knew would run for ages. She would just ask Al or Hugo for the important points later. She could feel the warmth emanating from Scorpius, could feel his presence surrounding her. A gentle caress to her hand startled her, and she looked at Scorpius sharply.

"What are you doing," she whispered, glancing at Rose to see if she had noticed.

"Stroking your hand, what does it look like I'm doing?" he replied, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Stop it, you creep."

"I thought this was what you wanted?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice down, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room. Lily glared at him fiercely.

"Don't play games with me, Scorp," she said, though it sounded more like begging.

"I'm not playing games," he said, before pulling out his wand and casting a silencing bubble around them.

"You gave me a choice, Lils, and in the end, it was easy."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"You said you wouldn't be my secret any more. To me, that meant that I could either be open about our relationship and risk my Father's wrath, or I could lose you. The choice was simple. I can't be without you, Lily."

"You mean it?" She asked, hope welling in her chest. He took her hand in his squeezing it tight.

"I mean it. I love you."

"I love you," she replied, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.

Rose broke through the silencing spell as Lily moved her lips from Scorpius, and cleared her throat.

Lily jumped. She had forgotten where they were. As the blush spread across her cheeks, Scorpius laughed.

"Have you two quite finished?" Rose asked pointedly. "I'd like to finish the meeting sometime tonight."

Lily nodded. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Um, me and Scorp are together," she finished lamely.

"No, really?" Rose asked sarcastically. "That might have been news if you had told us when it happened."

"You knew?" Lily asked, frowning.

"Of course we knew," Rose replied, gesturing to herself and Al and Hugo. "We're your family, you dope."

"Oh."

"Now, as I was saying, the rounds will rotate on a weekly basis..."

"We're already old news," Scorpius muttered, a small smile on his face as he held Lily's hand.

"Apparently," Lily replied lightly. "Scorp?"

"What?"

"Can I have my present now?"