Well, here we are. Finally. Sorry to keep you in suspense, but this story is, now complete. :) Thank you for reading, reviewing, favourite-ing and alert-ing, it means a lot to me. And since I did promise to make a graphic for my best reviewer, it's turned out to be UnexpectedInspiration, again. It seems you are officially my favourite reviewer lol. I've given up on putting the banner in here, so if you want to see it, the link is in my profile, which doesn't mind html code, unlike this story.

So, enjoy, and thanks for sticking with me everyone!

Last Train Home.

So, I had reached the end. NEWTs were done, Hufflepuff had won both the House and Quidditch cups yet again, and it was my final hours as a student at Hogwarts. It hadn't been a pleasant last year. I hadn't understood just how much I depended on Lily to be my little light; the one person who could brighten up a dark day. For a couple of weeks after we broke up she attempted to talk to me, but I was still do angry that I refused to respond. It culminated in her getting so furious back at me that I ended up with a black eye. That girl sure could pack one hell of a punch. After that, she avoided me as much as I ignored her. It was only a few months later that I finally calmed down completely and realised that I might have just made the worst mistake of my life so far. But, she had instigated the break-up. It would have happened anyway even if I hadn't flown off the handle.

I started going out with another girl; Bianca Borgin. She was a 7th year Slytherin with a rich, important family. Exactly as was expected of me. Supposedly, she was perfect; courteous, good-looking, well-mannered and pureblood. But, there was never really a spark. None of the banter I had been able to exchange with Lily. She was just too... to be brutally honest, and I'd never say this to her face... too boring. Prim, proper, I didn't want any of that. What I wanted was someone exciting, with a mind of their own and unafraid to show it. Someone who wouldn't conform for the sake of fitting in, someone... Someone like Lily. Or at least, the Lily I thought I knew. Anyway, I split up with Biana about half way through this year, for a very vague set of reasons that she wasn't really too thrilled about. About the same time, Lily had hooked up with a Ravenclaw boy in the same year as her, but they didn't last long either. A couple of months. 2 months, 14 days... Yeah. I just wanted to see how long she could last with someone else, and found a certain amount of pride in the fact that we lasted longer than she and the Ravenclaw.

But since then, nothing much had happened. In the corridors we walked straight past each other, not saying a word. I beat her in the quidditch match last year between Gryffindor and Slytherin, she beat me this year. Both of us were thrashed by Hufflepuff seeker Mark Dessen, as usual. Genius at quidditch, and he's only a 4th year.

The train was due to arrive soon, and I was wandering the grounds without a lot of purpose in me. I had secured a job working for St Mungo's as a potion maker, assuming I got the grades I was predicted, which would begin a few weeks after my NEWT results arrived. I wasn't particularly worried about them – Herbology might be a bit iffy on getting an O as I was supposed to according to Professor Longbottom, but other than that I should be fine.

"S-Scorpius?" a quiet voice said from behind me – I nearly jumped a mile but managed to retain some dignity and only flinched a little, turning and viewing the girl there in surprise. Lily Luna Potter. I hadn't spoken to her in over a year, and that was to shout out at her for giving him a broken nose.

"Lily? What – " My voice turned harsher as I remembered that I couldn't allow myself to speak to her civilly. The simple question I had been about to ask turned into a demand for an answer. "What do you want, Potter?"

Her own expression hardened at my response and her chin upped stubbornly. Had I been a touch more perceptive I might have seen the hurt in her eyes, but I wasn't the most charming guy when annoyed with someone. "All I wanted to do was say good luck. In whatever you're doing next. It was 

nice knowing you for those few years, before you became such a git." The last phrase was spoken faster, and kind of ruined the good luck wish she had said beforehand. I had been privately amazed that she could bring herself to speak to me, but if all she wanted was to throw a last few insults then I really couldn't be bothered.

"Thank you. How about next time you don't want someone to be a git, don't break up with them because of what other people think," I sneered, pinpricks of anger resurfacing even now. I hadn't realised quite how bitter I was.

"What?!" Lily demanded incredulously. "I didn't break up with you, you broke up with me!"

"Yeah, but you were about to. What was it you said – 'we can't keep doing this'?" he mimicked snidely.

"You idiot, Scorpius. You utter idiot! Is that why you broke up with me? Because you thought I was going to anyway?"

"Yes... but... you were. Weren't you?" I questioned, suddenly unsure. Had I been as much of an idiot as Lily was convinced I was?

"No! I wanted us to tell people, stop keeping it a secret!"

I stopped moving as the consequences of that one sentence dawned on me. She hadn't been about to break up with me. She wanted to cement our relationship. And I had been the one to destroy the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Lily – I –" My voice broke and I tried again, meeting her gaze squarely, a hint of desperation visible. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry, if I had known – I thought... I was stupid. An utter idiot, you're right. And a git, and I totally deserved that broken nose." If there was even the slightest chance that I could mend what I'd so casually broken with my temper and pride, I would take it without a second thought.

"You thought I was like the rest of my family. How hard can it be to convince a person one tiny fact? I am not like my family, I am different. Can you honestly see anyone else forgiving a Slytherin, and a Malfoy at that, for putting her through hell because they made a stupid mistake?"

If I had heard and interpreted that correctly, I was in luck. A lot of luck. Much more than I deserved.

"Miss Potter, would you care to accompany me on my last train home?" I asked, waiting with baited breath for her reply. This was the ultimatum – what she had wanted before. If she agreed, then it would be obvious to the world (including both our families) that we were together, and serious about it. But if she said no... then it really would be the end.

One tiny flicker of a smile appeared on her face, the blame and hurt I had been oblivious to before melting away to reveal unreserved contentedness. "Of course I will, Mr Malfoy." She linked arms with me, and I saw that finally we were at the same height. Everything was equal. Everything was right.

And that was the first time I knew that I loved her.

Thanks for reading, and don't be afraid to hit that review button one last time... ;)