Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Summary: Scorpius hated the snow, but Lily Luna Potter did look rather lovely in his Slytherin scarf along with a few snowflakes in her fiery hair. ScorpiusLily, oneshot

This is something new for me! I haven't written anything for the NextGen before, but after reading so many fics about the kids, I just wanted to write one of my own. And ScorpiusLily is one of my favorite pairings of NextGen anyway. Not sure why. They just fit nicely to me - and everyone writes ScorpiusRose and I have always been one for different pairings. Anyway, enough of my rambling and here's the story!

The Necessity of Green

Scorpius Malfoy, while having the cool exterior that reminded people of snow, hated the stuff.

He hated feeling cold, hated the shivers that unvoluntarily shook his body, hated everything about winter and the things associated with winter. It was ridiculous to him that people could actually like being out in the stuff - that they would willingly go out of their cozy little rooms and play in the slush. Maybe he was being a wimp. He didn't care. The fact remained that he hated cold weather, hated snow, hated everything involved with it.

And so, he hated today. In which he was dragged out to play in the stuff by the Slytherins who were just so excited.

Unlike his father, he rather enjoyed socializing with people. He was friendly in comparison to Mr. Malfoy, and that was something that some of the Slytherins took advantage of. Especially now.

Sure, he would want to go out in the fresh air usually during a free period spent not studying, but not while it was snowing.

He hugged his arms tightly to his body, trying to blot out the chatter of everyone else around him as they trudged up to a space of clear ground, thick with a white covering of winter. All of the other children were outside already - Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors... all of them were very happy to have a break and to be outside. He should be, but then again, he was a spoil-sport when it came to this weather.

But...he also had his own covert reasons on coming outside.

He would never tell anyone this, though. It would be enough cause for a riot, or something less extreme. People would talk, and Scorpius hated when people had the nerve to spread gossip about him. That was when he used what had gotten him into Slytherin house in the first place and...well, that's another story.

Scorpius could never tell anyone about this strange little weakness he had.

He had allowed himself to be dragged outside because of one, Lily Luna Potter.

See? Girlish.

The whole thing was mad, the way he felt so strongly for this girl with the fiery red hair and the bright hazel eyes. She was everything that enticed and enraptured him, plus loads more. He was silly for even thinking about all of this, but he couldn't help it.

So he did the only natural thing.

He teased her relentlessly.

Every chance he got, he picked on her. No matter what the topic, anything and everything was a handhold for him to make fun of her. He was sure she hated him, but at least he was talking - okay, not so much - to her when he teased her.

Even now, he was thinking of a way to get her attention. Possibly picking up a snowball and chucking it her way. But no, Scorpius didn't want to resort to that. Didn't want to have to touch any of the snow around him. He shivered even more and wrapped his arms around himself.

She was sitting just ahead of him, hanging out with the gaggle of Weasleys that were sorted into Gryffindor, as well as her elder brother James.

Al Potter, however, walked alongside Scorpius himself, dressed in Slytherin green. He was certain that he was teased for being the only one in a different House - other than Lucy and Molly Weasley, who were in Ravenclaw - but he didn't care. He and Al were actually good friends. Al was a quiet, thoughtful person, and always seemed to know just what and what not to say around Scorpius.

Except for now, he found out.

"What are you staring at, Scor?"

"Nothing," came the abrupt reply.

Al seemed to get the hint; he went back to avoiding snowballs thrown in his direction while Scorpius stopped dead in his tracks. He was just looking at the way that the snow fluttered around Lily's lovely red hair when he noticed it. A slight shudder - however, she was so slight that even the smallest of shivers caused her to quake like a tree - rippled through her body. He noted her bare neck, her thin jacket, and before he knew it, he called out, "All right, Potter?"

He felt three pairs of eyes on him and let out an exasperated sigh, "The girl Potter."

He heard Al sigh next to him, saw James's fiery eyes narrow in a threat. He opened his mouth to say something when Lily placed a thin hand on his chest, "Oh, come off it."

She steeled herself, set her chin defiantly, and rose from the snow, brushing herself off as she did so. Lily then made the journey over to where he stood. Brave Gryffindor. Even knowing she might get embarrassed by him, she was facing up to it. Scorpius almost rolled his eyes at the predictability of it all.

The other Gryffindors were eyeing them curiously, while the kids from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had gotten into an all-out snowball war just a bit away from them. Al went over to hang out with his Aunt Daphne's boy, knowing exactly what was going on before Scorpius had to shoo him away. Al was perceptive that way.

He examined Lily for a moment. Her cheeks were bright red from cold, red hair in an unmanageable wave from the snow that had melted on her scalp; bright eyes stared at him with curiosity and he could see her guard firmly in place. However put-together she was trying to appear, she was failing because of the shivers that racked her body every now and then.

She looked to him like a rabbit in the face of a wolf, but she didn't back down.

Scorpius reached up and unwound his green-and-silver Slytherin scarf from his neck. Lily just stared at him, all pretense dropped, her lips slightly parted, mist forming in front of her from where her warm breath touched the air.

He wasn't sure what had come over him, but he knew this seemed to be the right thing to do. He swung the scarf around her shoulders and wrapped it tightly. It seemed to help, but her face was shocked the whole while.

"There now," he said. "Can't have little Princess Potter freezing, now can we?"

"I don't need your scarf," she spat, moving to unwind the thing from her neck.

"I haven't cursed it, you know."

"Never know with you."

Scorpius's face moved into a handsome smile. Lily looked taken aback by the kindness of his expression - like her brother, she was rather observant - but the unspoken accusation still was buried within her eyes. "I'm trying to do something nice for you."

"And you can't see why I'm wary about this?"

The smile turned into an outright grin, showing a pair of straight teeth, "Nothing to be wary about. I'm just keeping you from freezing."

Lily scoffed.

"Seriously," he insisted. "At least I offered. No one else had, I see."

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment before shaking her head, "You're just...just..."

"A thank you would be nice."

"Stupid Slytherin."

"Grievous Gryffindor."

Lily's lips twitched in a smirk that she couldn't quite keep from her face. Scorpius noticed this, too, because he soon was wearing one to match.

"I suppose a thank you would be appropriate..." Lily mused, placing a finger to her chin in thought, but something mischevious glinted in her eyes then that caused Scorpius's chest to tighten. She looked to be contemplating something over and over in that pretty head of hers before she finally said. "Doesn't mean it'll happen, though."

And she winked - winked - at him before turning gracefully on a heel, the telltale green-and-silver scarf trailing behind her gracefully. She looked back once, as if to make sure he knew she was joking, and her smile was so wide that Scorpius thought it would split her face in half if she kept it up.

However, he didn't say anything, only smiled back. This twist of his lips was kind, something that rarely graced his features.

The snow was fluttering around her, some of it matting in her fiery mane as she continued her walk up to the stunned Gryffindors who took in the scarf around her neck as if it were a poisonous viper.

Scorpius found that he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

Lily Luna Potter did look rather lovely in his Slytherin scarf.

End.