How I feel like our lovable Potions Master would propose.
Disclaimer:Snape is not mine nor is the world where this story is set in; however, Lily is my character.
Snow fell lightly to the ground, occasionally sticking to the edges of the castle, sixth years threw snow at one another while waiting to go home for the winter holiday break, and Hogwarts's newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor waited for a certain dark haired, snarky man.
Lily Malfoy sat behind her mahogany desk covered in pieces of parchment. The scratch-scratch-scratch of her quill tip against parchment echoed off the stone walls. Leather bound books lined the walls on coffee colored shelves, and the newest ballad from The Trolls flowed softly from the hand held radio she had confiscated only hours earlier. The heat provided by the fire kept any of the cold from seeping through the marble walls. Lily placed her peacock feather quill in its sterling silver inkwell before glancing at the grandfather clock opposite her desk; it read 11:59.
Snape said he would arrive at noon and Lily had never known that man to be late in his life. Despite many protests and arguments on her behalf, Snape was definite that Lily was to remain at Hogwarts until he could escort her to their home. Getting Dumbledore to allow Snape on to Hogwarts grounds was more difficult than Lily had originally thought. Both of the Slytherins knew she was fully capable of defending herself if need be, there was a reason she had earned the coveted position of teaching DADA, but these were dark times. The Dark Lord's attacks had become more and more frequent, families were targeted, and the Death Eaters' arrogance increased every day.
Miss Malfoy contemplated continuing to do some last minute grading when the clock rang, signaling it was finally noon, and the door flew open to reveal a shallow faced, pale man with shoulder length black hair. Snape's boots scraped the wooden floor, reminding Lily of the brand new pair of dragon hide boots awaiting him at home. The man dressed in black seated himself in a leather chair normally reserved for students, not bothering to remove his wool overcoat, and held up a slender hand effectively stopping Lily from speaking.
"I have had time to think over some areas of concern, and I believe it prudent to discuss them before traveling."
His smooth voice instantly soothed away any worry Lily had about his strange behavior. Snape smoothed out his coat and rested his hands on the arms of the chair before speaking again.
"It has come to my attention that you are at many significant disadvantages due to your marital status," Lily's well kept eyebrows slowly rose, "With the new regulations at St. Mungo's, it will be difficult for you to make any decisions should something happen to me. Wizarding wills are often difficult to enforce in the muggle world, forcing you to jump through legal hoops to keep the house, and while you are not in my presence and a ring is not present on your finger you are susceptible to idiotic wizards flirting with you."
Lily leaned back into her chair, having subconsciously leaned forward when Snape mentioned marriage, and furrowed her brow. She was always an independent woman and marriage was never one of her goals; simply living and being with Snape had been enough for her. While she did love Snape, she was not about to discuss marriage with him for the first time like they were business partners.
"Both of us have put in a considerable amount of time and energy into this relationship. My mood is considerably better when you are around, and the house has a certain warmth to it when you are there," Snape reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box, "You mean a great deal to me, Lily. I no longer wish to spend my life alone, and I can't think of a better person to spend it with."
Lily's fingers brushed his as she reached across the desk to retrieve the box from his outstretched hand. Despite his matter of fact tone, Snape genuinely meant what he said. He was not a romantic man. He hadn't brought Lily's favorite flowers, no grand surprise awaited her for when they got home, even the words he prepared days in advance had fallen flat. He could only sit and hope that she understood that he was trying while sweating under the many layers of clothing he was wearing.
The corner of Lily's mouth perked up at the sight of what rested within in the velvet box. A single emerald greeted her, a silver serpent as the band, with an intertwined "L" and "S" engraved on the inside. The young professor could sense the amount of time Snape must have spent trying to find this ring, and she knew a subtle path would be engrained in the floor at home from his nervous pacing. The snake moved slightly after she placed the ring on her finger. Snape's shoulders relaxed when Lily leaned over her desk, giving him a pleasant view of what lay beneath her blouse, and placed her soft lips on his thin ones.
"I'll put up with your attitude, but you'll have to put up with mine," Lily whispered after pulling away.
Snape barely heard her words as he stood to retrieve her coat. Now that the source of his stress had been dealt with, they could move on to stress relieving activities, and the sooner they got home the sooner he would be able to get her out of her blouse, and she could set to work on the buttons on his clothing that she was so fascinated with. Wedding plans could be discussed later when they weren't…busy.
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