Dangling Conversations
The door creaked open as she walked in, looking so serene and unperturbed. Her hair was back in a graceful knot at the nape of her neck, a few wisps of ruby colored locks falling out and hanging in her field of vision. Reaching a slender hand upwards, she pushed it away from her dazzling eyes, capable of captivating any man. Indeed, at this very moment, these pools of liquid beauty were ensnaring the mind and emotions of one man. The young woman moved farther into the foyer, pulling off her traveling cloak, hanging it on the mahogany coat stand in the corner. It was rather chilly for an early September day.
With a sigh, she kicked off her shoes and padded down the hall towards the kitchen. She pulled open the cabinet above the sink, extracting a mug and placing a tea bag in it. Next she set to the task of heating the water. With a fluid movement of her wrist, she had the tea kettle boiling within minutes. Carefully taking the brass kettle off of the stove top, she poured the piping substance into the mug. Letting the tea steep, she rummaged through the other cupboards for the honey. Finally finding it, she added the sweet concoction to the tea. A weary smile plastered to her lips, Lily retired to the sitting room where she enjoyed her afternoon cup of tea. Upon finishing the drink, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
"A little nap won't hurt anyone," she mused as she looked at the clock.
She was expecting James for dinner at around six. It was now 3:10. Laying her head down on the pillow at the head of couch, she closed her eyes, falling fast asleep. Little did she know that she was not alone. From within the hidden niche in the hallway leading to the single bedroom, a figure emerged. The figure was dressed all in black to match his midnight colored locks. Normally the figure's hair would hang freely about his head, but today it was bound and out of his face. His shirt was impeccable as were his trousers. Letting out the breath he had been holding, he moved silently down the hall. He found her asleep on the couch. She looked so peaceful. Not wishing to disturb her, he settled himself in a chair by the bookshelf, out of the view of the large bay window. He could not risk anyone seeing him there.
An hour passed and Lily finally felt her body stir. She sighed, still half asleep and took a deep breath. She could feel the vertebrae in her back stretch and realign themselves after having been curled up. Her vision, still fogged by sleep showed a blackish blur standing in front her. She rubbed at her eyes and blinked several times to bring the image into focus. Finally she clearly saw what was in front of her, the tall, darkly clad form of Severus Snape. Before opening her mouth she instinctively reached for her wand. She came up empty.
"Looking for this?" he questioned in a dull monotone, holding up her wand.
"Give that back!" she snapped, jumping to her feet, her eyes alight with a mixture of fear and determination.
"Go ahead. Kill me. James will find you and when he does—"she added heatedly.
"Oh for Merlin's sake, who said anything about killing you," Severus drawled, taking a step back.
"What do you want then?" Lily seethed, taking a giant step over the table.
"I did not perceive you the type to hold a grudge Evans," he snipped ruefully, baiting her.
"Get the hell out of my house you bastard," she spat, advancing on him.
"Language Evans. Did you parents teach you nothing?" he snarled, enjoying his game.
"I'm warning you," she growled, darting her hand out and snatching her wand from him.
The two of them circled each other wands pointed directly at the other's chest. Out of nowhere, Severus began to laugh, tossing his head back as tears flowed down his cheeks as his entire body shook.
"What's so funny?" Lily hissed, taking a step closer to him, her wand hovering next to his throat.
"Well aren't we bold," he smirked, as he felt her wand tip press against his flesh.
"Answer the question," she spat, exerting more pressure on the slender piece of wood.
"You merely amuse me Lily," he replied, taking his chances using her first name.
"Since when do you call anyone by their first name?" she asked, feeling an odd sensation at hearing her name pass through his lips.
"When has it ever been a rule that I can't?" he countered, mirroring her gesture.
"You despicable little—" she began but was cut off as he pressed his lips to hers.
Her body was telling her to pull away, that it was unfaithful and just downright disgusting. But her brain was taking control of the situation, urging her to stay. It did feel good and it was so gentle. That was something she hadn't expected, not that she had expected her boyfriend's arch nemesis to kiss her. Her wand arm dropped to her side as did his. Before she knew what was happening, his wand was in his pocket and his hand moved to support her head. Subconsciously she let her wand go, allowing it to hit the floor as he snaked her arms around his neck. He pulled out of the gesture of affection and stared at her, a small smile on his angular face.
"Have you lost your dignity woman?" he questioned cruelly as he free hand slid down her back.
"I…what?' she mumbled at a loss for words.
To hide her confusion she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his feverishly. He did not fight her advances, he rather found it amusing that she would come on to him. He slid his hand along her neck and let it rest on the top button of her blouse. He lingered a moment before he deftly unbuttoned the top three buttons, slipping his hand beneath the soft fabric. A muffled sigh escaped her throat as he ran a slightly calloused finger over the tender flesh of her breast. He longed to go further, but he knew she would resist. He would not force her. Pulling his hand out, he pulled the bottom of her shirt out of her pants and approached her rotund breast from the bottom, massaging them as they kissed. Lily gasped in shock at the sensation that he was causing her.
'This doesn't make sense,' her mind shouted.
Sensing her uncertainty he backed off, breaking the kiss and collecting himself. He had not gone unaffected by that little foray over her body. He turned from her in order to calm himself. Upon turning back around, he saw her eyes radiating anger. Her hand swiftly came down upon his cheek with a loud 'smack'.
"You little whore," he seethed, pointing his wand at her throat.
"How dare you!" she shrieked making to grab her wand.
He intercepted her, grabbing her by the arm and tossing her onto the couch. He rounded on her, his wand only inches from her throat. She glared defiantly at him, trying to push him away but to no avail. His free hand grasped her shoulder and held her down. His lips brushed against her earlobe.
"You little slut. You enjoyed that," he snickered.
She shook her head in the negative.
"Don't lie to me. I know you liked it and you didn't even think of that prick Potter once," he continued.
"You sick little creep," she managed to spit out before his wand pressed firmly on her wind pipe.
"I beg to differ," he cooed, making her shiver.
"You…" she began but fell silent as the hand that was holding her shoulder came to rest on her lips.
"You can't stand the fact that being in another's arms excites you," he began, dishing out the cold truth.
"You feel loved, wanted instead of an object," he continued.
"You don't feel forced to love," he finished in a whispered as he drew away from her.
He stood and turned from her, beginning to walk away. She got up and grabbed his wrist turning him to face her. The expression she bore was one of heartbroken reality. Every word he'd said rang true in her heart of hearts. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips before releasing him. In a soft 'pop' he was gone and she was left alone. Trying to hold back the tears, she re-buttoned her blouse and tucked it in. This was going to be a conversation that no one would know about. She knew he was right but in that moment she resolved to make his statements false. She would love James with all her heart. She would never again allow herself to rest in another's arms.