Written for imdeadsothere 's Thunderstorm Romance challenge. I'm not sure if it's the kind of romance they had in mind, but it's what I thought of!
I always enjoy (even though it makes me sad) writing about Snape and Lily
All characters belong to JKR. I hope you enjoy!
Lily Evans lay on the small patch of dry summer grass with her eyes closed. She was listening intently to the sound of the last days of summer. Cars rolled down some distant busy road. A child was laughing in a distant yard. A mother was calling her children in for supper.
This was the time of year when she was happiest. It's not that she didn't enjoy school. In fact, she loved learning and was one of the top in her year. The fact was that Lily had been having a hard time finding where her loyalties fell. On one hand, she had the boy who she considered to be her best friend in the whole world, Severus Snape. Severus had been her friend since before she had gotten her letter to Hogwarts. He had helped her get accustom to the new and exciting wizarding world. He had been the best friend any girl could have asked for. Or at least he had been up until the end of the past school year.
The pair had ended their fourth year at Hogwarts on somewhat sour terms. It was nothing that stopped them from enjoying their summer together, but Lily couldn't help but wonder what troubles their fifth year would bring to their semi-rocky friendship. She couldn't bear to think of what their friendship would be like if Severus continued to hang out with the sullen and sinister looking Slytherins that he'd chosen to hang out with recently.
Her other friends, her loyal Gryffindors, could never understand why Lily allied herself with him. That's where Lily felt a tug of confusion. There was the ever present dilemma that was James Potter.
James Potter was, for lack of any better words, an arrogant, pig-headed, obnoxious git. And yet, Lily couldn't help but feel her stomach turn over when she saw him. At first, she thought this was part of the hatred that Severus showed so adamantly for James. He was always showing off and picking on anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Lily also knew that James was one of the most loyal friends anyone could ask for and he was incredibly intelligent.
As Lily sat mulling over the differences between the two boys in her life, the soundtrack of the lazy August day was broken by the sound of footsteps on gravel. Lily snapped her eyes open propped herself onto her elbows so that she could look around the previously deserted playground.
Just a few yards away, a sullen boy with much-too-long hair and ill-fitting clothes was approaching slowly. Lily smiled at the boy and nearly giggled as she thought of the way Petunia would tut at Severus's unruly appearance.
"Hello, Sev!" She called across the playground. Severus smiled and closed the distance between them in just a few short skips. Then he sat down next to Lily on the small patch of dried grass.
"Hello, Lily," he grinned happily, "What're you doing out here all alone?" Lily was the kind of person who although she didn't rely on other's company, liked to be around people most of the time.
"I was just trying to enjoy the last few days of peace and quiet without the sound of Petunia whining about every little thing. Besides, I have to deal with enough of a commotion when I get back to Gryffindor tower," Lily tried to sound unenthusiastic about the last bit. Severus sulked slightly.
"I can't wait for summer to end," he said darkly. Lily frowned. She always felt uncomfortable when the subject of Sev's home life came up. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there for him and help him, but it was the one thing that he really didn't ever want to talk about. The pair fell into an uneasy silence that was only interrupted by the sound of a nearby cicada.
Lily let her thoughts wander to James Potter again. He certainly was attractive. She tried to shake that idea from her head by reminding herself of how stupid his hair looked. But then again, he looked quite good with his hair all messed up. These conflicting thoughts made her frown.
"What are you thinking about?" Severus asked suddenly. Lily jumped. She hadn't realized that while she was thinking, Severus had been watching her quite intently.
"Honestly?" Lily sighed, "I was thinking about James Potter." Something vile flashed across Severus's face for a millisecond.
"James Potter," the name fell off his tongue like acid, "Don't let that git ruin the last few days of your summer." Lily forced a laugh.
"Oh, I won't," She tried to sound cheerful, "I was just thinking about all the people I haven't seen all summer and what it'll be like to see them again." Severus looked thoughtful for a minute and Lily wondered if he was thinking about his new Slytherin gang.
"I suppose it will be interesting to see everyone again," he muttered. Lily frowned.
"You're not still planning on hanging out with those kids, are you?" She could almost feel the acid burning in her stomach as she thought of all the vile Slytherins.
"Oh, come on, Lily," he scoffed, "It's no different than when you hang out with James Potter." His face darkened again.
"It is different," Lily said defiantly, "Although James Potter is an arrogant git, he doesn't need to occupy his time with the dark arts." Severus laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound.
"He might as well dabble in the dark arts for all the trouble he gives anyone he considers to be beneath him," Severus tried not to shout, "I can't believe you're defending him after everything he's done to you! After everything he's done to me!"
"A few practical jokes are nothing in the long run compared to dark magic. That stuff can really hurt someone! On the inside and the outside!" Lily was surprised at how even her voice was. She really couldn't believe she was defending Potter either. If this was a year ago, she would have thought she was in some kooky dream.
Suddenly there was a great clap of thunder that caused both Severus and Lily to jump in surprise. Neither of them had noticed the dark clouds of a summer storm rolling in quickly just behind them. Lily could already smell the rain.
"Oh, no!" She cried out, "Do you think we can run to my house before the rain starts." Severus's beetle black eyes darted around the playground quickly.
"No, let's take shelter under there," he said pointing to a small jungle gym on the far side of the playground. The two sprinted quickly across and just as they dove inside, the sky illuminated eerily and was followed by another clap of thunder. Suddenly, rain began to pummel the earth.
The pair watched the rain in silence each trying to sort out the mess of thoughts in their heads. They both watched the cool summer rain wash everything anew and had nearly identical thoughts reach their minds.
"People can change, Lily," Severus said, finally voicing their thoughts. Lily nodded as she watched the rain fall. "Sometimes, people hurt others, but they don't mean it. They're just misplacing their love." Lily felt something very tiny in her heart begin to swell.
"What do you mean, Sev?" she asked trying to stop the growing feeling in her chest.
"I think that sometimes people are overcome with emotions, and they don't always know how to cope with what they feel. So, everyone takes it out in different ways. That's how they cope. I think that sometimes, people end up hurting the ones they love because of this," Severus said thoughtfully. "But it's never on purpose," he added quickly.
The swelling didn't stop. Instead it continued to grow until it silently filled Lily with a knowing that she could no longer ignore. It felt like a fly buzzing in her ears, making her feel almost angry. Something between self-satisfaction, guilt, and self-loathing came to rest in her chest. The pair stood in silence as they both mulled over what Severus had just said. Lily watched the rain fall heavily to the ground and Severus watched Lily watch the rain.
Just as suddenly as it started, the rain stopped and the sun reappeared. Severus opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to decide what to say next.
"Well, I think that I should run home. You know, to help my mum make dinner," Lily said suddenly, "I'll see you later, Sev." And like lightning, she was gone down the street. Severus sat dumbstruck for a moment and wondered if Lily had understood what he was trying to convey to her, what he was always trying to show her.
What he didn't know was that his message which he had tried to convey had backfired. Every fiber of his being ached for her to love him, but instead he had ignited, as quickly as fire from lightning, her love for another.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed! Please R&R, I always appreciate criticism if it will help me improve!
To answer a few questions, I'm under the impression that Lily has no idea (as of yet) that the Marauders are trying to become animagi, but I think that Severus might have some ideas (both that they're up to something and that Lupin's a werewolf). Being as the marauders' era is a bit hazy time wise, I may have taken certain liberties without realizing it.
Also, please note that this is before the incident where Sirius nearly killed Snape. Therefore, their practical jokes haven't reached an all time low. And I'm going to guess that Lily may have never known this even happened if she and Snape weren't friends anymore by that point in time.