A/N: Sorry this update took so long. A mixture of things happened. Real Life got very busy and also Hurricane Irene went through my state (we're all okay). And then I had to focus on things at work, etc. so even though the Muse was there, I didn't have time. And then, when I could sit down to write, I couldn't find the Muse. *grrr* Now, I was able to finally pull it together to get this down and my computer just wouldn't work at home! So… after about 6 tries… here it is. I know this probably shorter than you guys would want, but it is supposed to be the third part of "Knew", so I couldn't make it too long.

UPDATE (JUNE 30,2016): I originally planned to do an epilogue, but ultimately decided against it. I felt the story really ended here and there wasn't much more to add. So, I'm finally stating it's "complete" and ending it. If I ever write a follow up, I'll post it as a one-shot later and not part of this story.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this over the past few years. This was a lot of fun to write and I really enjoyed reading all of your reactions. I don't come onto much anymore (Real Life is incredibly busy for me at the moment) but I do hop on from time to time to see what readers are thinking.

I'm hoping to write a companion fic to this one that tells the story of James Potter (and the girl he ends up with). If you're interested in reading that story, please let me know in the comments section.

The third time…

I knew I was in love with Scorpius Malfoy was a day before Al and Sabena's wedding.

My three year assignment was coming to a close. Rina was pressuring me to take on another three years. But I was done. I'd enjoyed traveling the world and getting to expand my horizons, but now I was ready to settle down. The past year, I'd realized that it was hard for me to connect with anyone if I didn't stop moving. Blokes would ask me out and express interest, but the connection was so fleeting that it didn't matter. It never went anywhere.

I was ready to come back to London. To find someone to be with and to put down roots. I wanted to finally begin the rest of my life and create a home. And, if I were honest with myself, the person I kept thinking of was Scorpius when I thought of that home.

I knew there was a possibility that he was still with Cassandra, but what if he wasn't? What if he was single - like me - and still searching for that elusive thing with someone? Would he be willing to try again? Maybe he wouldn't, but I couldn't help but look forward to Albus and Sabena's wedding, because I knew it would give me an opportunity to get the answers to my questions. In fact, I felt I needed it, because I had a feeling that I subconciously compared every man to Scorpius and I didn't know if I'd ever get over that.

So, it was with much happiness and relief that I entered my editor's office, prepared to hand in my final travel column to her in person. For a second, I stood watching her silently, waiting for her to acknowledge me. As usual, her office was a mess and I could smell the familiar scent of quills, inks, and fresh parchment paper. It was a good scent; one that reminded me of hours spent studying at Hogwarts and all those times I would be lost in my journal at the Hollow as a young girl. Now, as an adult, I associated the smell with my job and with my editor. But those were also good memories.

She must have heard me come in, because Rina looked up at me with a slight frown and no hint of surprise to see me standing in her doorway. She took off her glasses and tossed them onto her cluttered desk. I knew her well enough to know that it was a sure sign that I wasn't going to like what she had to say. I braced myself.

"Here's the final column," I told her, walking into her room and handing the parchments to her. I settled down on one of the chairs she kept on other side of her desk, facing her, and smiled. "All finished. I am so ready for a vacation. In London." If fact, I had an appointment with a real estate agent to see some flats that afternoon, although I didn't share that piece of information with Rina.

She didn't even glance down at the column. Instead, she looked over at me. "Are you sure you won't change your mind? Your predecessor did this for -."

"Twenty years," I cut in, with an eye roll. "I know, you've told me. Repeatedly. But he died alone and friendless, didn't he?"

"No, of course not. He led a very happy life," Rina answered, crossly. Then, she pursed her lips. "What if I only make you take it on for one year at a time? No three year contract?"

I was a little surprised she was willing to do that. The reason the Prophetmade their staff take on three year commitments was because there was too much turnover for this column. It used to be that no one made it past the first year, due to burn-out. So, about a century ago, the Prophet began to force their reporters to sign a three year commitment to make life easier on the editors.

I wasn't tempted by the offer. "No, Rina." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I'm ready to come back to London." Letting out a wistful sigh, I leaned back in my chair. "I'm so sick and tired of living out of hotel rooms or staying with friends. I want my own flat. I want to choose the style of rug on the floor and color on the walls. I want to make my own food, dismal as my cooking is, and unpack permanently."

I also added - to myself, but not out loud - that I was ready to go out on a second date, instead of going on an endless round of first dates that never led anywhere.

Rina fiddled with her glasses as she appeared to give that some thought. "All right," she finally said, in an abrupt tone. "That's fine. But you do have more one travel column to write for me." She stood up and handed me a file that she plucked from a leaning stack of papers that teetered on the corner of her desk.

I took the file, but was annoyed. "I submitted my final one, Rina. What is this?"

"We're devoting a whole issue to the Quidditch World Cup and its being hosted by Spain this year," she explained, as she sat back down on her chair. "I want you to go there and write about it."

Now I was even more confused and irritated. "Quidditch? That's not exactly my best subject. Send Robertson. He's the sports reporter."

Now, she looked annoyed and when my editor is annoyed, it's not a good thing. There was a gleam in her eye that was telling me I needed to shut up. "Obviously, I have already sent Robertson, Potter. I'm not asking you to write about the bloody sport. Your assignment is to write about the country and the people. The air of excitement and anticipation. Spain won the Cup last year, so how do the people feel about that? How are they handling the extra restrictions placed on them by the Ministry to ensure that Muggles don't get wind of everything? It's a travel piece, Potter. And you're the bloody best person for the job. And I always assign my best reporters to articles. Unless you, in fact, feel that you are better suited to giving out the assignments here?"

I knew better than argue with Rina when her voice hit that particular octave. "All right." I glanced down at the file in my hands. "As long as I don't have to watch Quidditch. And I have to be back by Saturday. It's my brother's wedding this weekend."

"Then what are you still doing in my office? Go." With that dismissal, she put her glasses back on and started reading through my column as though I wasn't even there.

And so, with a sigh, I went back to the Hollow to pack up my bag again and to arrange for a Floo connection to Spain. My mother, who was swept up in the last minute arrangements for Albus's wedding, was not going to be happy about this last minute trip.

xxx

Rifling through my notes, I sat at the hotel lobby's bar and took another pull from my bottle of butterbeer. Realizing that it was empty, I turned to the young wizard behind the bar and asked for another in my accented Spanish. With an irritated scowl, I glanced down at my watch.

Twenty minutes late. Typical. Trust a professional Quidditch player to think that a mere reporter wasn't worth being on time for. Not for the first time since I'd arrived in Spain, I cursed Rina for giving me this assignment. Although, if I were honest with myself, it hadn't been that bad. The excitement of hosting the Wizarding world's most famous sporting match had swept across the entire country. Witches and wizards from all classes and all ages were equally excited, and the fact they had won last year's Cup had united the entire nation in a way that nothing had done before. Business was booming, local economy was looking up, and I couldn't help but feel enthused on their behalf, because their joy and excitement was almost infectious.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean that their Quidditch players were any more reliable. And the wait was starting to chafe, since this interview was the final piece I needed for my article. After that, I was hopping into the first Floo connection to head over to inn where my brother's wedding was being held.

The wizard behind the bar handed me a new bottle of butterbeer with a sympathetic smile. In Spanish, he asked if I'd been stood up. I responded, with complete honesty, that I had no idea. But that I'd give the bloke ten more minutes before I'd leave.

Perhaps because he felt sorry for me or because he felt I needed something to do, he came back with the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. Since I hadn't had a chance to read the day's newspaper, I took it from him and began flipping through it curiously. Quite a few of the main headlines were talking about major changes at the Ministry and how there were new advances in the struggle for magical creatures' rights. I saw a picture of my Aunt Hermione walking out of a meeting, the current Minister for Magic by her side, and she looked very angry. They both turned, seeming to be caught by surprise by the camera flashing, and then the Minister hurried off the photo.

That was odd. Normally, I was a bit behind on England's current events, since it wasn't always a given that I'd be able to find the most current edition of the Daily Prophet. (When you don't have a permanent address, it's hard to get a subscription.) But I would have thought that I would have heard of something involving my aunt if she was making head way into this project of hers. I made a mental note to ask her about it at the wedding (and to see if she'd give me an exclusive interview) and started to scan the article to get a sense of what was going on.

I was interrupted by a voice behind me saying, with much amusement, "Butterbeer this time? No martini or cherry? What a pity."

Startled, I snapped the paper shut and turned around. Sure enough, there was Domingo Reyes. Staring at me with those dark, dark eyes.

I blanched. "What… I thought I was meeting with Alberto Cirino?"

Domingo shrugged. "Alberto is in training. I have the weekend off, so our coach sent me."

I had utterly forgotten that Domingo played for Spain. I mean, I probably had a vague recollection, but I'd buried it deep down, since I really didn't like thinking about that night.

Seemingly unaware of my discomfort, Domingo gestured to the stool next to mine and asked, "May I?"

I wanted to refuse. To grab my things and make a hasty exit. After all, was it really necessary to get a Quidditch player's point of view for my article? But then I scolded myself for being a coward and gave myself a lecture. Pull it together, Lily. You're a professional and this interview is all you need to finish your bloody damn article and then you're off to Al's wedding.

"Yes, of course," I forced out, with a semblance of a smile. "Go ahead."

Frantically, I looked down at my notes and tried to sort out my jumbled thoughts. Then, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and paled even more. There, on the society page of the Daily Prophet, was a picture of Scorpius with his arm around Cassie Pembroke's waist as they exited a posh jewelry store on Diagon Alley. Both seemed unaware that they'd been caught on camera.

The blurb under the picture read: "Shopping for an engagement ring? Power couple Scorpius Malfoy and Cassandra Pembroke emerged from a jewelry store… are wedding plans in the air? Malfoy and Pembroke both belong to two of the oldest pureblood families in England's Wizarding world. A marriage between the two would create a super-dynasty to rival…."

Tearing my gaze away from the paper, I stopped reading. My heart twisted; my stomach churned.

"Are you all right?" Domingo cast a sharp look over me and then his eyes traveled to the paper.

"I'm fine." If I wasn't fine, it didn't matter. I had no intention of pouring my heart to this man. Instead, I forced myself to focus and grabbed my notes. In a brisk tone, I said, "Well, we should get on with it, then. Tell me, how do you feel about your country hosting…."

After about an hour, the interview was finally over and I was worn out from pretending that everything was perfectly lovely in my universe. While I asked Domingo nonsensical questions about Spain and his team, a part of my brain was still stuck on the picture in the Daily Prophet. I knew my family avoided talking to me about Scorpius (sometimes to my detriment, as I'd found out when I had stopped by the hospital a year ago), but surely they would have told me if he was ENGAGED. Wouldn't they have?

"Lily?" Domingo said my name with a little exasperation, as though he'd been trying to get my attention for a while now. "Are we done? Do you need any more?"

Blinking slightly, I focused on him. "What? Oh, yes. We're done." I snapped my notebook shut and put my quills and things back in my attaché. "I have enough. Thank you for meeting with me, Domingo."

"So, then, are we going to pretend that we never slept together?" Domingo was assessing me with a bold, measuring look and his finger circled around the rim of his firewhiskey glass lazily.

Taken aback by the blunt question, my eyes flicked towards him warily. "I would prefer it that way, yes. That wasn't exactly my finest hour." I smiled a bit, to show him it wasn't personal.

"It was much longer than an hour," Domingo reminded me, with an answering grin of his own. "Now you wound my ego."

Surveying him for a moment, I admitted, "Look, it was nice. But… I'm afraid I may have given you the wrong impression. I'm not normally like that."

Nodding slowly, he looked down at his half empty glass. "That makes me happy." Then, rather abruptly, he said, "I'd like to take you out to dinner and do it right this time."

"To be honest, I'm not looking for that, Domingo," I told him truthfully. "Over the years, I've learned that long distance relationships don't work. So, I'm not interested in dating someone where I already know I have no future."

Also, I had no clue why, but I couldn't stop myself from staring down at Scorpius's picture and wondering how hard it would be to break up his engagement. And then I hated myself for having that terrible thought.

Domingo grinned at me and waved a hand, dismissive of my concerns. "I'm retiring after this season. Moving back to England." He leaned forward and said, "And I'm not saying we have to have a relationship. Let's go out to dinner and we'll see where it goes from there."

I was sorely tempted. I'd spent the past year attempting to get Scorpius out of my system and had arrived at the conclusion that it was impossible until I'd settled down somewhere long enough to date someone properly. And now, I had photographic evidence that he was still with that Pembroke twat, while I wasn't any closer to moving on. Domingo Reyes was handing me a solution in a gift-wrapped package.

What were my options? Go back to England, single and quite pathetic, while I stood by and watched the Malfoys and Pembrokes plan the wedding of the century? Or go home with a professional Quidditch sex god on my arm? It was clear as day what the proper course of action was.

So, I opened my mouth and said, "No, I'm really flattered. But you're not my type."

He looked a bit taken aback, but then he glanced down at the discarded newspaper and one brow rose. "Clearly," he said, in a dry tone.

"No, it's not that." I turned the paper over and shoved it aside. "I mean, yes, he is someone I still have feelings for, but this goes deeper than that." Leaning in, I touched his sleeve to get him to understand. Peering up at him, earnestness in my tone, I explained, "I don't want to use you. I already know we won't suit and if I were to take you up on your offer I would only be doing it to assuage my wounded pride or some nonsense like that. And that's just not right."

Domingo ran one hand over his mouth and gazed down at me thoughtfully. "Well, that's rather… kind of you." It was clear he wasn't used to being turned down and was rather at a loss on how to proceed. Finally, he said, with a slight smile, "I suppose this is the point where I should ask you if you have a sister?"

At that, I couldn't help but laugh. "Actually, I'm related to several women who would qualify." Tilting my head to side, I pondered him for a moment. "Did you, by any chance, go to Hogwarts? I don't recall seeing you there during my time."

Clearly perplexed, he shook his head. "No, I went to Durmstrang."

"Right." I nodded. Then, I leaned in and asked, "So… you have this weekend off, you say? How do you feel about weddings? And blind dates?"

xxx

Domingo tugged at the collar of his robes a little uncomfortably. "I cannot believe I allowed you to talk me into this. I normally have no problems finding my own dates. And I hate weddings."

With absolutely no guilt, I shrugged and then brushed off a bit of the cinder that still clung to my travel robes. We'd just arrived at the inn where the wedding was taking place.

"I wasn't the one who talked you into it. The picture I showed you of Rose winning the Hogwarts House Cup in her seventh year is what talked you into it," I reminded him. "And you get to attend Harry Potter's son's wedding. Added bonus, I would say, for any wizard."

"Speaking of…" Domingo looked around, appearing to be quite bewildered by the homey and simple surroundings. "I would have thought your family would have chosen a more… modern… setting for a wedding?"

"Our cousin, Victoire, got married here several years ago and apparently, it holds some special memory for Al and Sabena or something," I explained with an eye roll. Actually, this inn had hosted four Weasley weddings leading up to this one. It was ridiculous. At this rate, we might as well have bought the inn ages ago.

"Oh, there you are, Lily!" My mother interrupted our conversation as she came hurrying towards me. "I was afraid you'd miss the dinner!"

"Of course not. Wouldn't dream of it."

It was Friday night and we were all to gather around for a traditional family dinner, followed by what had now become a Weasley wedding tradition: a game of Quidditch. Tomorrow would be the day of the wedding and then, on Sunday, everyone would apparate or Floo back to their respective homes.

Mum looked at Domingo with a strange light in her eyes.

"Oh, where are my manners?" I turned to Domingo and started to make introductions. "Mum, this is Domingo Reyes. He's my guest for the wedding. Domingo, this is my mum. Also known as Ginny Weasley-Potter."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Potter," Domingo said, with his patented charming smile.

"Of course." My mum nodded and then looked him over critically. "You cost me a considerable sum of gold last year. I was betting on Ireland taking the Cup."

Domingo laughed, as though this wasn't first time he'd heard that complaint. "I would apologize, but I find that I'm not sorry."

At that, she grinned, her brown eyes lighting up mischievously. I had a sense that she was remembering her own professional playing days. "No, you shouldn't be." Then she turned to me and said, in a brisk tone, "Lily, you need to go up to Sabena's rooms. The bridesmaids are having one final fitting; I'll need to make sure your dress still fits properly. I'll see to Domingo and make sure he gets a room." With an apologetic look towards Domingo, she added, "You'll have to share, I'm afraid. Most likely with Hugo and James."

As she walked away with Domingo, I stood still for a moment and looked around searchingly. I knew that I'd have to deal with Scorpius at some point since he was Al's best man. But he was more than likely off doing best man duties, because he was nowhere to be found as I made my way to the bride's rooms.

And I told myself, again and again, that the hollow feeling that I felt in the region of my chest was relief and not sadness.

xxx

I managed to sneak into the inn's kitchen at a time when no one was there. Thankfully. It was the only place not crawling with members of my family. I'd only just managed to escape the fitting in Sabena's room, where Sabena was having a hysterical fit because she was convinced her wedding dress looked hideous and that she was too fat. Her sisters, all three of them, were anxiously trying to soothe her and I slipped out. I hadn't had a chance to eat anything all day and I was hungry.

I'd just taken a bit out of a pumpkin pasty I'd stolen from the counter when I heard Rose say from behind me.

"You look like a squash. Or… wait… a lemon? If you were taller, I'd say you looked like a banana."

Turning to my cousin, I popped the last of the pasty in mouth and glanced down at the pale yellow, ruffled dress I wore. "It is terrible, isn't it?"

Rose stepped back and surveyed me frankly. "It's revolting. What was Sabena thinking?"

"It's a summer wedding. And her sisters have brunette hair and that wonderful English rose complexion," I told her, wrinkling my nose. "She didn't realize how bad it would look with my freckles and orange hair until it was too late. I missed the first four fittings because I was travelling."

Rose nodded. "Oh, so it's your fault then?"

"Utterly." I crammed another pasty in my mouth and started looking about for something to wash it down with. Finding a butterbeer, I immediately popped it open and drank down half of it. "Ugh, I am starving. When's dinner?"

"Seven. On the dot."

I glanced down at my watch and let out a despondent sigh as my stomach growled in protest. "Only five hours to go, then."

My cousin, who is fully aware of our genetic need to eat at regular intervals, flicked her wand and door opened to reveal a full pantry of food. A package of crisps came soaring out and I caught it gratefully.

"Thanks." I ripped it open and began shoveling them into my mouth.

"No problem," Rose said, dryly. "Hugo already figured out where the food was the last five times we were here." Then she looked at me with an odd expression. "Speaking of Hugo… Uh… Lily… please tell me that wasn't Domingo Reyes out there on the lawn with him? Please tell me I'm losing my eyesight in my old age?"

"No, you're not. It was Reyes." I started to tell that I had brought him to meet HER, actually, when she cut me off.

"Lily!" Rose looked aghast. "I can't believe I actually have to point out to you that bringing your one-night stand as a date to a family wedding is not a good idea."

Before I could respond, I heard something behind me and I whirled around, right as someone said, "Excuse me, I didn't realize you were in here."

It was Scorpius. My cheeks flamed a bright red and I shot Rose a dirty look.

Rose shrugged helplessly, her own face flushed a bit. With a groan, she announced, "I'm going to find a spell that filters everything I say. Honestly, this is becoming a little ridiculous." With an apologetic look cast my way, she started to edge past me and Scorpius to leave the two of us alone. "I'm just going to let you two…. Catch up."

After she'd left, a silence descended in the kitchen and I focused my eyes on anything but him. The gleaming copper pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. The large, old-fashioned sink along one side. The fresh batch of pumpkin pasties still cooling on one counter.

Scorpius broke the silence. "So, Reyes is your date then?"

"No. He's not my date." Finally, I looked his way. He was still standing near the doorway, his hands shoved into his slacks' pockets. He wore a grey shirt, which made his eyes take on a smoky hue. "He's here as my guest."

"There's a difference?" There appeared to be slight edge to the question, but it was so slight I couldn't tell if I'd imagined it.

"Yes, there is," I answered, in all honesty. Then, I took a deep breath, deciding to tackle the situation head on. Kind of like tearing off a bandage after one's been hurt. "So, I see that congratulations are in order?"

Looking mystified, he asked, "For what?"

"Your engagement?" I thought back to the article. I supposed it had just ventured a guess that Scorpius was getting engaged. Not that he had. "You and Cassie?"

"Cassie and I broke up," Scorpius responded, in a flat tone. "About four months ago."

"Oh." Confused, I said, a bit awkwardly, "But I saw a picture of the two of you in the -."

"Prophet?" Scorpius cut in. With a grimace, he raked an agitated hand through his hair. "That was an old picture. We were getting a necklace for my mum... her birthday. For whatever reason, the Prophetdecided to run it as a recent news item." With a sardonic look towards me, "They should really invest in better reporters."

A rush of a relief went through me and I decided not to be offended. Instead, I just said, "That's the gossip column for you. They never fact check." Inwardly, I was doing a little dance and feeling a lot better about the entire world. I could have sworn that a bird starting chirping outside the window and the sun was suddenly shining more brightly than before. Outwardly, I plastered a sympathetic smile on my lips and said, "I'm so sorry… I hope you're all right."

Scorpius's lips twitched, as though he were trying to hold back laughter. "I think I'm holding up all right. It was touch and go there for a while, but I persevered."

My eyes narrowed on him and I was about to respond to his sarcasm when my brother came rushing into the room.

"Scorpius, there you are!" James looked a little frazzled. "For the love of Gryfindor, man, you cannot leave me with him. He's gone mental."

Scorpius looked a little alarmed. "Albus? What do you mean? He was fine when he sent me down here to find him some firewhiskey."

"Well, take it up to him already! He needs it. Going on and on about cufflinks." James shook his head in disgust. "And the ring. I swear, if he makes me take it out and show it to him ONE more time, I will not be held accountable for my actions."

This time, Scorpius didn't hold back his laughter. "He's convinced you're going to lose it."

Rolling his eyes, James shot back, "Then you bloody well keep it. If I'd known that being a groomsmen was going to be such a pain in the arse -." At that moment he broke off and realized I was in the room. "Ah, Lily. Good, you can go deal with him." Then he looked me over critically. "You look terrible. What are you supposed to be? A lemon drop?"

With a grimace, I looked down at my dress. "You have to wear dress robes this color, so I wouldn't talk if I were you."

"No, Sabena changed it," Scorpius told me. "We're wearing black robes with yellow vests."

"Ah, so you'll look like bumblebees, then?" I pointed out, with a falsely sweet smile. "Such an improvement."

Both James and Scorpius exchanged a confused look, as though they hadn't made that connection until I'd pointed it out.

"Anyway, I better go back up," I said to James. "I can't deal with Albus. I have to go deal with the bride having a meltdown about her dress."

James shuddered. "This. This is why I never plan on getting married. Sane people go utterly mental during weddings."

"Yes," Scorpius answered, in a dry tone. "That's the reason why. It's not because you're a commitment-phobe."

With an unapologetic smile, James shrugged. "All right, it's one of the reasons."

"Anyway, you go deal with our brother, while I go check on our future sister-in-law." As I started to move past Scorpius to get to the exit, I murmured in a low voice, "I'll catch up with you later?"

There was an odd expression on his face, but Scorpius nodded silently.

As I left the kitchen, I heard James say to Scorpius, "Any mead here, mate? I need a drink."

xxx

As it happened, Scorpius and I weren't able to catch up with each other until much later. That evening, I was surrounded by my entire family in the busy and bustling dining room. It seemed as though my already quite large clan had grown by leaps and bounds since the last I'd seen them. Victoire and Teddy had just had baby, a boy who joined his energetic two year old sister.

Dominique, who'd gotten married a little over a year ago, had a one month old baby girl who I hadn't had a chance to meet. Molly and Lucy had both married within months of each other a couple of years ago, and Molly was pregnant; Lucy has twin boys who were about six months old. Fred was engaged and had brought his fiancé to the wedding; it was the first time I was meeting her, as well. And I wasn't surprised to see that Scorpius had brought Elaina to Al's wedding, since I had heard she'd gotten quite close to Albus and Sabena.

I spent so much time trying to catch up with everyone and meet new people that I didn't have a second to myself. I also found myself in great demand, because people kept wanting me to tell them stories about all the places I'd been and for me to tell them things I didn't include in my articles. I was enjoying myself, jumping from table to table; cooing over my new nieces and nephews, listening to my uncles tease me, and getting coddled by my grandparents and aunts.

There was something wonderfully relaxing and soothing about being with my family; surrounded by people who loved me and cherished me because I belonged to them and they belonged to me. Even though I was miles away from the Hollow and I hadn't yet found a flat to call my own, I still felt like I was home.

After everyone had stuffed themselves to the gills and repeatedly declared that they couldn't eat another bite, it was time to adjourn outside to play the traditional game of family Quidditch. As usual, my parents were team captains.

Victoire, who was sitting on a comfy chair that Teddy had conjured up for her with the baby in her lap, immediately announced, "I'm going to have to sit this one out."

Teddy, as though in solidarity, added, "Same here."

Uncle George rolled his eyes, "You're both too young to be acting so old." Then he grimaced and made a show of rubbing his back. "Although, I might be getting too old for this myself."

That set Uncle Bill and Uncle Charlie off and, before we knew it, half of the original players were backing down. I had just started to think that we might have to cancel the match (not that this filled me with pain, after all I had no interest in the game itself) when Albus pushed Scorpius forward. "Scorp can play. He was a fairly decent Beater at Hogwarts."

Scorpius very much looked like he was going to argue, but my father immediately clapped him on the back and said, "Brilliant. You're on our team."

James brows rose at that. He turned to Domingo, who was standing off to the side and next to Rose, looking very amused at the entire proceedings. "Reyes. You're on our team."

"Oi, I think that's cheating," Uncle Ron protested. "That's not right."

"Why not?" Mum retorted. "If Malfoy can join in, then Reyes can join in. They're both guests at the wedding."

Uncle Ron looked at my father uncertainly. "Because he's a professional player, that's why."

"So was I," my mother shot back.

"Was being the operative word, Ginny," Uncle Ron answered.

"You are not suggesting I'm old, are you?" My mother's voice was dangerously high.

Aunt Hermione chose that moment to interject. "I think it's fine, Ron. Nothing in the rules against non-Potter and non-Weasley's playing. So both Scorpius and Domingo are welcome to join in." My aunt was using that no-nonsense voice she uses in only two instances: when she's arguing a legal argument or when she's dealing with a Weasley dispute.

After a little more back and forth, the final teams were decided and everyone took their places on the field. Letting out a sigh, I conjured up a small chair and settled down next to Victoire, where she was nursing her baby. Her daughter, Genevieve, came toddling over to me. I caught her up in my arms and put her on my lap, holding her chubby little body close as she drifted off to sleep. As I snuggled her closer, I breathed in her special baby scent and placed a light kiss on her blonde head.

Victoire said to me, in a quiet undertone, "You're looking rather comfortable with Gen there. Since when did you become a kid person?"

Startled a bit out of my reverie, I looked over at her. "I'm not. I mean… what do you mean? I always liked kids. There just weren't many about, since I was one of the youngest."

Pursing her lips thoughtfully, she disengaged from her son and then put him over her shoulder to burp him. "Anyone special in your life? If you do the math, then you and Rose are next, you know."

I looked over at the field, where Scorpius had just hit a Bludger and knocked it towards Rose, who had to quickly zoom out of the way and she lost a scoring goal because of it. With a slight smile, I said, "No pressure or anything."

But I said it without the usual bite. For some reason, her words didn't make me seize up in panic like they would have a year or so back.

"No, no pressure or anything," Victoire answered, with a grin of her own. Her grin reminded me that she may look exactly like Aunt Fleur, but she's always had Uncle Bill's personality. She's always taken her position as oldest cousin in our generation very seriously. "We've missed you, Lily. You coming back anytime soon to settle down? I don't want my kids growing up not knowing their Aunt Lil."

"I don't want that, either." Gazing down at Genevieve, I smiled. She burrowed in closer to me as a warm breeze ruffled her silky hair and I conjured up a small blanket to place over her tiny body. "Yeah, I'm coming back. Meeting with a real estate agent on Monday, in fact. To find a new flat."

"Oh, you know who you should talk to? Roxanne. Ever since she moved to Albania to be with her boyfriend, she's been having difficulty finding a good tenant for her London flat. I'm sure she'd be happy to sub-let it for you."

I looked over at the field again, this time making out the graceful figure of my cousin Roxanne as she swooped around, making one goal after another. She was playing Chaser on my mother's team, her long, dark hair flying out behind her. "So Uncle George finally came to terms with it? Her vampire?"

"Well," Victoire appeared to give it some thought. "It helps that she stopped boycotting all the family events he wasn't invited to. She was acting like an absolutely twit for a while there."

I nodded. I had noticed that she hadn't brought him to the wedding, but hadn't want to ask her about it, for fear of it hurting her feelings.

"But, yes, I think Uncle George and Aunt Angie came around. He'll still have to avoid the Veela part of the family, of course," Victoire added, in an absentminded way, "So I've never met him, but Teddy went out for a pint with him and seemed to think he was a decent enough bloke. And Roxie's happy, so that's all that matters."

"That's good."

We both fell silent then and focused on watching the game. My mother's team was – rather unsurprisingly – winning. But my father's team was only behind by forty points. And there were only five minutes left of the two hour time limit. In spite myself, I started to get caught up in the excitement and tension in the air as we watched James and my father both try to find the Snitch. It was obvious that it was the only way my father's team would beat my mother's. I was holding my breath and then let out a loud groan of disappointment when Domingo knocked a Bludger towards Hugo, causing Hugo to miss a near certain goal.

Victoire turned her attention away from the game long enough to say, "You're rooting for your father's team? Didn't you bring Domingo as your date?"

"No, he's not my date," I answered crossly. "He's here for Rose."

She looked a little perplexed, but didn't answer. Because, right at the moment, two things happened. One: Uncle Neville commented that there were only thirty seconds left of the game. And two: my father caught the Snitch.

A roar of happiness went through Team Gold and then his teammates caught my dad up on their shoulders. He looked triumphant and even my mum was laughing. After all, it was first time his team had beat hers since we'd started the tradition.

Everyone got up and was mingling around the field, in good spirits and clearly not in the mood to go inside to bed. Teddy grabbed Gen from me, letting me get up to go give my dad a congratulatory hug. There was a lot of good natured ribbing towards Domingo, who appeared to be taking it in stride.

At one point, Rose took me aside to whisper in my ear, "Thank you. Domingo told me why you brought him."

I pulled back to shoot her a grin. "Don't mention it. After all those years of getting asked out by blokes who went to you first? I figured I was due."

Rose made a face, but also laughed. Then she joined in the melee, leaving me standing alone and at the edge of the crowd. Suddenly, I felt a light touch on my arm. Turning, I saw Scorpius standing behind me.

"Scorp." I smiled up at him, squinting a little. His face was partially shrouded in darkness, because he was closer to the edges of the field and the lights didn't all reach there. "Congratulations on the win."

"Well, I'm not sure I had much to do with it," Scorpius answered, a bit stiffly. "I haven't played in a while."

"Don't be modest." Then, I added, rather honestly, "Or maybe you're not being modest and you did play horribly. You know I have no clue how this Quidditch thing works."

His looked past my shoulder, out into the crowd. The inflection in his voice didn't change. "Is that why you're not bothered that your boyfriend is getting rather friendly with Rose right now?"

Blinking a bit at the change of subject, I didn't bother to turn around. "No. I'm not bothered by that, because he's not my boyfriend. And that was the plan all along."

"I see."

But it was clear he didn't see. Mustering up every shred of courage I possessed (and some I didn't possess), I reached out to take his hand. He stiffened in reaction to my touch, but he didn't pull away. I figured that was a good sign.

I peered up at him, thinking I should pull out my wand and get some more light so I could see his face properly. "Scorp? Can we go somewhere to talk?"

Scorpius nodded and then he pulled me away, through some underbrush that led out to gardens surrounding the large field where the wedding would be taking place. We were separated from the rest of the wedding party by a tall hedge; the voices and laugher of my relatives was still coming through the thick green wall, but the sound was muted.

I glanced about, my nerves so fraught that I barely registered the beauty of the flowers around me and the warm summer breeze making the leaves and petals flutter and sway.

The moonlight cast a pale light on him and I was able to look at him clearly. He looked… expectant. Like he was waiting, patiently, for me to begin the conversation. But I found that once I had his full attention, I was frozen and unsure about how to proceed. I had a feeling this was going to be one of the most important conversations of my life and the weight of that settled heavily on my shoulders.

It was absurd, but I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So, how is the Auror business going, then?"

Scorpius shot me an amused and perplexed glance, as though he wanted to ask why I'd brought him out here for such an inane conversation. Instead of commenting on it, though, he just answered, "I'm sure it's going well. You'd have to ask your father or Elaina, though. I turned in my resignation about two months ago."

That caught me by surprise. "You quit the Ministry? Why?"

Scorpius hesitated and glanced away from me. Then, perhaps in an effort to keep himself occupied, he pulled out his wand and conjured up a thick red blanket. With a flick of his hand, it unfurled and spread out on the ground next to us. Scorpius gestured towards the blanket and I accepted his silent invitation, settling down on the soft surface, my legs crossed Indian style. He lowered himself down next to me, one leg out and the other pulled towards him. Negligently, he braced his arm on his knee and looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"I'm managing Malfoy Industries now." Then, he cleared his throat and added, "My father… he fell ill a few months ago. At first it was just temporary, but now it just seems to make the most sense."

I was utterly confused. "But you loved the Auror department. It was your dream your entire life."

Looking down at the blanket, Scorpius was quiet for a moment. Then, he lifted his head and looked at me, his lips curving up into a half-grin. "Yes, I suppose. But thing is, Lily, I realized that the reasons I wanted to be an Auror weren't enough to make me continue to be one."

My brows furrowed as I processed that. Slowly, I said, "You wanted to be an Auror to change the world. To make it a better place. To make the Wizarding world look at the name Malfoy differently."

"Yes, that's it exactly." Leaning back, he contemplated the stars before he added, "And you know what I realized? I can actually do that by being the head of my family's company. In fact, I can do even more good than when I was an Auror."

"How?" I asked him, genuinely curious as to why he'd had such a change of heart.

"Like, for example, I'm working with your Aunt Hermione to have a law passed to free all enslaved magical creatures." Scorpius's gaze slanted towards me, as though to gauge my reaction. In a low voice, he explained, "I freed the Malfoy house elves, Lily. And with the financial success of that decision, I've managed to put together some preliminary reports and figures that are helping your aunt make some headway with the Minister. There were some factories where the production and subsequent profits increased drastically after I freed the elves."

My brain was whirling with this information. I had managed to glance through the article about my aunt and the meeting she'd had with the Minister, but I hadn't realized that Scorpius was part of it. The Daily Prophet must not have gotten wind of his involvement, yet. "What made you do that? Change your mind?"

With a wry smile, he straightened. "Such a tone of surprise." Gently, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of behind my ear, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin in a tantalizing way. I had to physically hold back a sigh of disappointment when his hand dropped. "I had been wanting to do it all along, you know that. It was just never possible until I was actually in a capacity that allowed me to make decisions. It takes more than just being the heir."

"Wait, how does your father feeling about this?" I asked, in a worried tone. I knew how much Scorpius hated disappointing his family.

"Well, he was against it, initially." Scorpius shrugged, gazing off into the distance. "But I think that he was so happy that I decided to work with him that he was willing to accept any decision I made."

Feeling a surge of pride and happiness threaten to overwhelm me, I almost had to sit on my hands to keep myself from launching towards him and giving him a big hug. With some difficulty, I managed to keep my tone even and said, "I'm glad it worked out. And that you're happy." Then, a little anxiously, I confirmed, "You are happy, right? I mean, you like working at your family's company and all that?"

"Yes." His grey eyes met mine and he stated, "I'm good at it. Like I was born to do it."

When I gazed at him searchingly, I saw the truth in his statement. And I nodded. "I know. I always saw that in you. You were always so happy when you used to talk to your dad about business things. You never lit up like that over your Auror work."

Scorpius considered that for a moment and then continued, his voice soft and hesitant, "Lily, I spent a lot of time being angry at you. For leaving."

I flushed and looked down, picking at the blanket nervously.

"But I was wrong."

At that, I glanced back up at him, a faint grain of hope starting to expand in my chest.

"You were right." Scorpius's lips twisted a bit as he said this, as though he knew how much I would love hearing him say those words. "You need to go out, live life… figure out who you are. And the thing is – I think I needed that, too. All these years, I fought against the role assigned to me in my family. And I didn't even know I was doing that. I wanted to become an Auror for the wrong reasons, but I'm glad I had that time in my life to arrive at the conclusion myself that I was meant to be the head of family's… dynasty, for want of a better word. Now, I may have ended up where I was supposed to be all along, but I have no regrets about it."

My throat was tight, my heart beating rapidly. I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept silent.

Scorpius looked at me intently. "That's what you were doing, I suppose. You wanted to not have regrets, Lils. And I think – for the first time – I understand that. What if you'd stayed? Given up that column for me? We might have stayed together. We might even have ended up married. But… I think… or, no, I guess I know… you would have regretted it. For the rest of your life, you would have thought you missed out on a life that I kept you from."

Blinking back the moisture in my eyes at his words, I smiled at him. "Yes. I think so. But there's more than one type of regret, Scorp. Not a day went by where I didn't wonder…." I stopped and fixed my eyes on a rose bush that was in bloom right behind. "Let's just say that there were moments where I thought I made the wrong decision."

"There were a lot of moments where I thought you made the wrong decision, too, Lily," Scorpius responded, in a quiet voice.

Swallowing a bit, my throat dry, I managed to get out, "Why did you end things with Cassie Pembroke?" I hadn't realized I was going to ask that question until I'd said it.

Scorpius, for his part, didn't seem surprised. Instead, he appeared to give it some thought. And then said, in a rather thoughtful tone, "She's a good friend. But I think we realized that some friendships aren't meant to be more." His gaze settled on mine and he added, in a frank tone, "When I look back on it, I think I was with her for the wrong reasons."

Meeting his eyes, I asked him, curiously, "What were those wrong reasons?"

Scorpius shrugged. "It was easy with her. At least, I thought it was. But – over time – I realized that easy isn't always good." With an almost teasing note, he looked towards me and added, "Let's just say that she didn't really care whether I freed our house elves. And, unlike some people I know, wouldn't have harped on it for a year. In fact, we barely fought at all."

In a light voice, I answered, "So she was a doormat, eh? Explains why you were with her for so long."

Rolling his eyes slightly, Scorpius responded, "No. She wasn't a doormat. She was… just there."

I gave that some thought. And then, instead of going down that path, I decided it was time to stop dwelling on the past and to move forward to the future. Taking a deep breath, I looked across at him and confessed, "I still love you, Scorp. I don't think I ever stopped loving you, if I'm honest with myself."

Seemingly caught unaware, Scorpius froze at my words, the widening of his eyes the only indication that he'd heard me.

Before he could speak, I put my hand out and touched him on the shoulder to stop him. A bit desperately, I stated, "No, wait… let me… let me finish. I want to… just let me finish, all right?"

A bit cautiously, he acquiesced with a slight nod.

"See, the thing is…" I was nervous and my voice trailed off as I glanced around. I saw fireflies all around us, buzzing in the air and creating a symphony of light. For some reason, the beauty of it soothed me and smoothed out the rough edges of my discomfort. "You were right, too," I blurted out, my eyes going back to land on his face. "I was scared of becoming my mother. Becoming just another girl in a long line of Weasleys and Potters that ends their life at age twenty to settle down and just add to an already gigantic clan. And it scared me. Because… I didn't know who I was, Scorp. I always had this vague notion that I wanted to be a writer and I wanted to work at the Daily Prophet, but I didn't know what that MEANT."

I took a deep breath and risked a glance at him. He was still, appearing to be arrested by my words.

"My mum… she stopped being anybody when she had James. Even now, the entire world knows her as Harry Potter's wife. That's her whole identity. And then when I fell in love with you, I was so scared. What if that's who I was for the rest of my life? That my entire collection of memories and events for one hundred years would have nothing to do with me – it would be about you, or my father, or my mother, my brothers, my cousins – what did I have that was only mine? My mum - she at least had the Quidditch thing. No matter what else she does for the rest of her life, she knows she had that, you know? I wanted something like that, too."

I stared at him anxiously, trying to get the words out in a way that made sense. At that point, Scorpius nodded a bit encouragingly.

"And when we were together, I wasn't an idiot. I knew where things were going and I was… it was scary. Because I thought I was running out of time. That I'd end up becoming Lily Malfoy even before Lily Potter had a chance to live." With a slightly tremulous smile, I reached out and caught his hand in mine. "But I never stopped loving you, Scorp. I don't know if you'll believe that. But I… I've been all over the world. And I've never met anyone like you. And no one makes me feel the way you do."

I ran out of breath and steam, falling silent as I waited for his response.

After a moment of silence, he smiled a bit. "Is it my turn now? Am I allowed to speak?"

Swallowing a bit, I nodded nervously. I braced myself for what I was convinced was going to come – a gentle letdown where he informed me that he was flattered, but he was quite ready to be in a relationship with a witch who wasn't mental enough to walk away from him to go travel all over the world.

"It's always been you, Lily."

A tremor of shock went through me at his words. I could barely breathe, scared that even the slightest movement would make him change his mind.

Scorpius shifted until he was facing me on the blanket and there was merely a whisper of distance between us. He gazed down at me, his face serious but still warm. His voice low, he repeated, "It's always been you. Even when I didn't want it to be."

Again, he brushed my hair back from my cheek, but this time, his hand lingered, his fingers trailing down to my shoulder, idly tracing the line of my collarbone. I shivered again, but this time it was in reaction to his light touch. His other hand came up to cup my cheek and he ran this thumb along my lips, brushing back and forth.

"I love you," he said, with a sort of stark honesty, the words coming out in a sigh. "But if we do this, we have to do it right this time. I don't know if I can survive another break up if you suddenly have a burning desire to go live in Timbuktu for a few years."

I smiled and covered his hand, pulling it down. "I'm moving back to London. I turned down the renewal for my travel column. In fact, I'm meeting with a real estate agent on Monday to find a new place." I felt giddy at the thought, the idea of starting fresh and beginning the next phase of my life. A phase that was now going to include Scorpius.

Scorpius frowned slightly. "Why don't you just move in with me?"

Pulling back a bit, I considered him for a moment. "Scorp, when you say that we should do this right, it means more than just me not leaving. I think that means that we also have to give ourselves time." When he opened his mouth to protest, I shook my head. "No, I'm not saying this because I'm having committment issues or whatever. I'm saying… you have a lot on your plate with your family and new job. I have to figure things out at my job now that my column is finished. Why don't we just spend some time being who we are, who also happen to be together, as opposed to trying to merge our lives into one?" Gazing up at him earnestly, I added, "The pieces of puzzle will fit, Scorp. We don't need to force them together."

Scorpius gave that some thought. He didn't appear completely convinced, but he shrugged. "What is it the Muggles say? Third time's the charm? Let's see if that holds true for wizards, as well."

"It will," I promised him.

And then I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around him and captured his lips with my own, kissing him hard. It took a second for him to catch up, but he quickly grasped my waist and he was kissing me back, his tongue tracing the line of my lips. My mouth opened under his, letting him in and then I was falling back onto the soft blanket. His hands were wandering all over, touching and stroking the edge of my jeans, right under my t-shirt. I was lost in a swirling feeling of endless want and need, as though my body was trying to make up for years of not having him like this; feeling his weight on me as I wrapped my legs around him, dying to get as close to him as our clothes would allow.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of laughter and it seemed very close by. And then, I heard someone say, "For love of Merlin's baggy y-fronts, I knew we shouldn't have come looking for them."

Scorpius broke away from me and we both sat up. My jaw dropped in horror as I saw that most of extended family had come out into the surrounding gardens to look for us. Right there - in a cluster - were James, Albus, Sabena, Rose, a few of my aunts and uncles, along with a few other cousins, and my parents. They were all kind of laughing and making comments to each other.

Letting out a squeak of embarrassment, I clasped my hand to my mouth and closed my eyes.

Amazingly enough, I heard my mum say, with a hint of laughter in her voice, "What is it you lot always say to us? Get a room? I think that's apt advice in this case."

"Let's not give them ideas, Gin," my father hastily responded, but I could hear the smile in his words.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that Scorpius was already standing and he helped me to my feet. Then he looked out at my entire family and seemed to arrive at the conclusion that it was best to meet this head on. "Ah… this isn't what it looks like."

"Really?" James looked like he was having the time of his life. "Then you're not really doing it right, mate."

"James Sirius Potter!" My dad didn't look happy. He shook his head at James and cleared his throat, casting a glance at all my relatives. "Come on everyone. We have a lot to do tomorrow." Then he sent a sharp look towards me. "You too, Lily. I'm glad you and Scorpius sorted things out, but it's late."

I felt a flicker of annoyance go through me. I was twenty-three years old, for crying out loud. I should be able to decide when my own bedtime was going to be. I opened my mouth to tell my father so, when Aunt Hermione jumped in, unexpectedly.

"Come on, Harry," she said, with a hint of an indulgent smile. "Why not let the kids catch up? Lily's been travelling all year and this is the first chance they've had to have a good talk." She shot a meaningful look at my mother and added, "I think you know what that's like."

My father flushed a bit and my mother let out another laugh.

"Harry's right, everyone, let's go." With a final grin in my direction, my mother started to move everyone back towards the field and through the hedge, my aunt Hermione, Rose, and Sabena helping push everyone along.

When we were finally alone again, Scorpius and I exchanged a bemused look and then both burst out laughing.

When we'd gotten control of ourselves, Scorpius said, "Why do I get the feeling that I need to get used to that?"

"Because you've known us your entire life and with experience comes wisdom?" I suggested.

"Your family gatherings are a little overwhelming. You know that, right?"

I thought about my family –from my Gran and Granddad all the way down to my littlest new nieces and nephews – and my heart twisted with love and peace. I couldn't help but grin. "Yeah. But they're brilliant."

Scorpius nodded and, right before he pulled me back into his arms, he agreed. "Yes, they are. And so are you."

~ The End ~

Chapter Ten Reviews:

bellibella: LOL... yeah, I think that if I had Lily go out and find a sex god that this fic would be WAY too long.

CatAnne78: Thank you! Scorp was being annoying by being with Cassie, wasn't he? But he had his reasons... I could see why he'd want to move on.

OhMyJonasHP: Thank you! I suppose she could have had an affair with Domingo Reyes, but then - again - this story would have been a lot longer than I'd have liked. LOL

Sweetshortkakes: Thank you! I do think they needed to grow up a bit and - now - they're supposed to be there.

Potter1126: Wow... that was a lot of emotion! Thank you! I love that the chapter evoked that feeling in you. Are you still pissed at Scorp?

Bucky5: Aw, poor Lily. Damned if she does; damned if she doesn't. I have mixed feelings about what Lily decided to do with Reyes. On the one hand, I'm glad she got some from a hot guy. But - on the other hand - I think she tried to fill a hole in a way that wasn't very mature. Scorp tried to have another long term relationship, but Lily didn't. BUT - she never really sowed any wild oats like HE did at Hogwarts. It was part of life... she needed to experience things to grow.

bia 13: Wow, I made you cry? Thank you... what a high compliment.

teddyandlilyforever: Thank you! Rated T? Yeah... it may be Rated Mature - you'll just have to check out at my LJ if it is. LOL

LilyLunafan622: Thank you! He was still in love with her... he just didn't want to be. And Lily wasn't sleeping with Reyes as revenge as much as she was trying to move on... didn't work for her, though.

hushpuppy22: Thank you for your detailed thoughts! I think that Scorp does love himself... but it took him awhile to figure out WHO he was, too... that wasn't just a Lily thing. They both needed to grow in their own ways before their relationship could work.

: Thank you!

CatieLee: Thank you!

sassymagpie: Thank you SO much for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

SSJJ92: I know, I felt bad for her in this chapter. But she HAS put Scorp through the ringer, so I guess she needs a little angst, too.

cacata: Her family decided not to tell her, because they didn't want to get in the middle of all that. James didn't mention it, because he has the maturity level of a ten year old. The picture in the paper didn't make him move on, so much as it made him feel like, "Same old Lily. I keep wanting more and she can't give it." When he moved on with Cassie, it wasn't a reaction to Lily... he kind of fell into it.

Huntress3419: Thank you!

TwilightObSeSiVe: It's funny how some folks thought she was the mature one & Scorp was the immature one & others thought the opposite. One of the things - I don't know if you noticed - was that Lily was no longer jealous of Rose. She was confident in her beauty and sexuality. She knew that Reyes was hitting on her - not Rose. She's grown into a more confident person. Rose knows that Lily was jealous of her, but never really cared. She's kind of an insensitive person.

Somerlia: Thank you for such a detailed review! I think - for Scorp - he just couldn't wait anymore. Because he had no reason to believe that Lily would EVER be on the same page with him. Even Lily didn't know that.

x8xdanix6x: Oh, I'm so sorry I broke your heart! I hope you like how it all works out!

Chapter 11:

LilyLunafan622: He did free the elves, but he didn't do it for Lily. :) He did because it was the right thing to do & he realized that it was better for everyone if he did it. The fact that Lily was happy about it was just an added bonus. And thank you for your kind words!

Somerlia: Thank you! Yeah, he broke up with her... she wasn't right for him. But I actually didn't think she was all that bad & I expect that she and Scorp will end up good friends.

CatAnne78: LOL! He didn't do it for Lily... I thought about it, but I felt that Scorp should do this for himself... it's about his growth. It would be bad if he thought elves' should only have freedom to make an ex-girlfriend love him. ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Huntress3419: Thank you!

Amanuet: Thank you for your kind words! How sweet! Let me think about the translation...

OhMyJonasHP: Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad Scorp's POV helped clear things up.

Nymphadora: Funnily enough, I considered hooking Cassie up with James. But then I wondered if it would be too icky if James slept with a girl who once slept with Scorp. And James also has a never-ending crush on Elaina.

bia 13: The epilogue should cover a lot of what you're looking for. Thank you for your kind words!

storm2011: Thank you! I hope you liked the latest update.

LilyScorpius: Um... if I went "there" then this would be a WAY longer fanfic than I wanted. The idea of the fanfic was that it was snippets of their life together at key points in their relationship. (It grew into a longer piece, unfortunately.) The epilogue should give you more closure, hopefully. And maybe my next Lily/Scorp fic will go into more intense detail. LOL

SpencerReidFan89: No huge gestures, I'm afraid. This Lily/Scorp don't have a huge gesture type relationship... However, there will be some epic moments covered in the epilogue.

Jessica682: Thank you! :)

kana117: Thank you! :)

Stargazer2000: Wow, the best one ever? That's high praise! Thank you so much!