It was one of those days when Lily Potter was wandering through half-empty hallways of Hogwart Castle. It was her favorite way of spending afternoons since she was eleven. Corridors were less crowded then during lessons and seemed almost peaceful, as opposite to her mind. She wasn't able to find her place, even after four years in this school. She always was kind of outsider, she had to admit, but in her family everyone had odds. She didn't manage to find a friend, so she was watching over people, especially her family and people who were like family to her (in this category was Pearl, her cousin' girlfriend, even if she was all so girlish and cute and oh, how Lily sometimes wanted to hex her). Lily wasn't sure if she's doing this because of boredom, curiosity or something else.

He didn't know it either. Sometimes he wondered, what made her stay away from Common Room. Maybe she had a fight with someone from her class? She seemed like she was this type of girl, never fitting anywhere, never really getting on with others.

First time Scorpius noticed Lily was on qudditch pitch. One aggressive player she was. Her eyes sparkled witch joy, innocent green eyes, when she nearly throw him off his broomstick with bludger. It was hard to not look at her every now and then, while she was trying to literally kill other Slytherin players.

No, Lily wasn't like other girls. She was tough and brave (well, some may say "sadistic") yet she seemed to be very fragile with her big eyes and long black ponytail. Younger than she actually was.

Without actually thinking about that, Scorpius walked after her to the library, and then, keeping his distance as if he was following her by coincidence, between shelves. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice when Lily sat on a wooden table, sighing. He stopped rapidly, hiding behind a bookshelf, so that he could still watch her.

She seemed annoyed by something. It made him wonder what happened. He wanted to ask her very badly, but he knew how would it sound if a total stranger asked about her private life. On the other hand- he could ask if she's alright because of pure concern, couldn't he? He was a prefect after all, so it was part of his job...

Not thinking about other excuses, Scorpius walked toward Lily as casually as he could manage to. She looked at him, rapidly stiffening.

"What?", she asked when he stopped right in front of her, leaning against the wall.

"That wasn't nice", Scorpius pointed out. "I just wanted to make sure you are not going to pass out here. You look pale".

She crossed her arms on her chest, ready to defence herself.

"Prefects", she said as if it was a curse. "Always sticking their noses... And I hoped it's just this Little Miss Perfection".

He chuckled softly, not feeling offended by what she just said about him.

"I believe you mean Rose Weasley?", he asked rhetorically. He could bet by now that she was angry at her cousin for some reason. And now she was also angry at him, but it only made her look cuter then ever. Her chicks were flushed and green eyes sparkled in a way that he liked so much.

"Yeah", she said, giving him a look that clearly said that he should mind his own business. "And why do you care so much?".

For a moment they just looked at each other, then Scorpius spoke, his voice silent and deep, full of emotion none of them couldn't quite name.

"I do, because... Somehow I can't stop myself from watching over you. Following you around became my addiction."

"Oh, great. You are stalking me". Lily rolled her eyes.

Scorpius shook his head. "It's not like that, really. You sometimes watch over people, especially your family, because you care. And the way you care about others makes me care about you. Your moods become mine, so I want to know what is wrong, so that I could fix it for you."

So it was it. He said it to her, he made a fool of himself, now he can die happy.

Lily simply looked at him with raised eyebrows. Scorpius would probably found it funny in any other situation, but not now. Now he was nervous like a kid and he didn't have any idea what was happening to him.

"Well", said Lily slowly, "at least now I'm damn sure you are a stalker, right?".

To his surprise, she was flashing again, but now she turned her head away. Was she embarrassed? Why would she- he was the one who just became a stalker in her eyes. Scorpius decided to wait for her to speak again. This time it took her a while longer to collect her thoughts.

"Don't you ever dare to tell anyone what I will tell you now, understood? I'm going to share it with you just 'cause your brain may explode if you'll wonder too much. Ok, so it was kind of... Well, kind of my fault. I helped James with one prank and Rose gave us a hell, yelling about how irresponsible we are and stuff right in the middle of Common Room, so I get pissed off and told her that she's jealous that we at least have some fun and she's nothing more than a bookworm. It was quite stupid actually, but she run away to her dormitory and haven't spoken a word to me ever since, even when I apologized."

"I see", was Scorpius' simple answer. "You should talk with her honestly. It probably hurt her".

Lily nodded. "But still, if you tell anyone, I will tell every living and dead person that you stalked me!", she warned.

"It's a deal", he promised.

Her eyes started to sparkle again as she spoke and Scorpius couldn't resist their power. He made a step forward and leaned down in one quick movement.

He was amazed how soft her lips were when he kissed her. She tasted sweetly and that taste reminded him of something long lost, but he couldn't think of that, not now, when her lips were on his, kissing him back gently, experimentally, as if she was still hesitating.

And then Lily broke the kiss, her eyes wide with shock. She slapped Scorpius in the face, hard and he was sure that she left there red mark.

"Stalker and pervert", she said in a trembling voice. She gave him one last look and run out of library.

Scorpius smiled to himself, touching his burning chick. She had temperament, that girl.

But he didn't regret. He always wast a type that prefers to touch than just to admire from distance, to make sure if it's real. And it was. It was worth having to explain what happened to his face to his friends and it was worth becoming a stalker. And so were her shining, innocent yet irritated green eyes. How can a man resist such eyes?