Kiss Me

xxx

"Kiss me," Scorpius demanded, his cold grey eyes wide with covetousness.

"Bite me," Lily growled in return, one hand clenched into a fist and the other on her wand. It wasn't that she wanted to hex him (though she'd often toyed with the idea of turning his robes pink for a laugh, but she doubted that was quitethe same thing).

"Isn't that technically the same thing? Unless, you know, I was secretly a vampire, which I'm not, thank god, and biting you meant death."

All Lily could do was glare at her counterpart, daring him to come closer than three steps away from her. If she wasn't friends with Scorpius Malfoy, he'd be one of the most arrogant bastards she'd ever met, but they were friends, and that made all the difference.

"Just because I'm a Hufflepuff, don't underestimate me, you ickle Slytherin." Her sarcasm was obvious as the words shot from her mouth like fireworks and her bright brown eyes blazed as she spoke.

"We're prefects," Scorpius reminded her, before laughing gently. "Well, no, I'm Head Boy. Judging you because you of your house when Professor McGonagall insists on interhouse unity would be somewhat hypocritical, don't you think?" He winked at Lily, who in turn blushed and buried her head in her hands.

It was rather commonplace, this flirting, the subtle grins and chaste winks, and yet it confused Lily. It wasn't because Slytherins were the enemy – that was a word with little weight these days anyway – it was just because …

Lily Potter had always prided herself on being rational, and yet she couldn't explain this. If she didn't get a grip on her emotions and on reality soon, she was doomed to become a spinster living in a Muggle shed with a lot of cats.

"We're prefects, that's the key word," Lily said, backing up against the wall as so not to be so conspicuous. "Would it not be hypocritical of us to snog in the corridors when we're reprimanding others for the same thing?"

"Just because we're prefects, I don't see why we have to uphold everyrule."

There it was again, that lethal wink, blush and stutter combination – its less attractive elements being Lily's traits, of course – and she was afraid of falling, although she knew the wall would hold her up.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you sound scarily like your father and my Uncle George when you say that, even if he wasn't a prefect."

"Now there's a comparison we ought to keep to ourselves," Scorpius laughed, his deep chuckle resonating and hitting Lily right in the heart, "we don't want any fist fights at our wedding."

"Of course – wedding?"

It was all of a blur fumbling fingers on a wand and bright red cheeks as Lily choked on her own words; they lodged themselves in her mouth, refusing to move. Flirting was one thing, but his words seemed to enjoy piercing her heart, and this … this was indescribable.

"Is that not the logical next step after a kiss?"

"Wha -"

A million excuses for his upfront – to say the least – behaviour tore through her mind, but none of them quite fitted. Rebellion? Lust? A dare?

She clung to the last suggestion as though it was a teddy bear, because this was all far too surreal for her liking. Lily was never going to be one to belittle her house, her family or anything else, but this really didn't make sense. He was Scorpius Malfoy,and while they'd decided long ago that family ties would be severed easily by their friendship, it really did not make sense.

"You've been dared to do this, haven't you?" she asked finally, her arms outstretched, ready to push him, hit him, curse him into oblivion if she really had found the jackpot and struck the truth.

"Dared to do what?" he asked, his eyebrow receding into his dark brown locks. "Ask you to kiss me? Ask you to marry me? Piss you off?"

He wasn't irritating her at all, although if she suddenly snapped, she could definitely blame it on these weird heart palpitations that insisted on plaguing her every time Scorpius opened his mouth … even looked at her, actually.

Was she going insane?

"No, idiot," Lily snapped, allowing her temper to best her. "Were you dared to strip off and swim with the giant squid?"

"I was once," Scorpius replied, seriousness etched into every crease of his face. "But I declined. I doubt Jack would appreciate me being naked in that close proximity." It was all so matter-of-fact, and yet Lily could feel her face heating up, it was betraying her every emotion.

"So a dare's off the list then," she muttered to herself, more to stop her mind from drawing up elaborate fantasies about Scorpius and the squid – why the hell was it called Jack, though, seriously – than any need for organisation. Finding her voice as she stepped away from the wall and began the long march down the corridor, Lily couldn't help but ask. "Why, Scorpius, why?"

The question was almost drowned out by the pitter-patter of her shoes against the ground and the thumping of her heart, but he still answered. His eyebrow peaked again, but a silent glare from Lily halted him, as he responded.

"I'm not the sort for romantic fanfare," he said quietly, "and this … this was the easiest way."

Lily let out a sudden laugh, it launched from her throat like a lone firework, livening the dark air in front of her. It was all so surreal, so like those hideous romance novels her grandmother read, minus the "Oh Peter, my heart burns for you! I must have you!"

Besides, just because her heart was thumping wildly, it didn't mean it was burning for Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

Did it?

Of course it didn't. Right?

"The easiest way to do what?" she asked, even though his intentions could not have been not have been clearer were they tattooed on his face.

"This!"

Scorpius leaned towards her, and she waited, with bated breath, for the "Oh my Merlin, I love you, Scorp – what a disgusting nickname, anyway – I love you," that usually accompanied this sort of declaration. The euphoria, the liberation, it all washed over her, bathing her in a potent mixture of confusion (why? why did he love her?),happiness (oh, so I'm not doomed to become a spinster with nineteen cats) and relief (finally, she'd figured out why her heart seemed to beat so fast at the mere mention of that always raised eyebrow).

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Potter," came a voice, right as their lips touched, and she felt that tingle in her spine … hell, she felt it everywhere, "may I ask what you're doing?"

And as both Scorpius and Lily gave Professor McGonagall sheepish smiles and listened to her explain their detentions, Lily couldn't help but whisper, "Maybe it was slightly hypocritical after all."

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(a/n: Call this an apology for my lack of Snapshots updates, will you? I'm struggling with a certain scene in the next chapter, but I hope to have it up soon. Anyway, moving on ... this is for the ever awesomecakey mustardgirl1128, who has recently reviewed a lot of my stories, so thanks, and you're awesome, ok. ;)