Severus/Lily
Happy Birthday Beka!
3 Speira
When she was sorted into Gryffindor, I thought it wouldn't matter. I thought we'd be friends no matter what houses we wound up in at school.
When she met James Potter, that all changed.
I hated him from the first moment we met, and we were enemies ever since that first encounter. Like the naïve child I was back then, I thought Lily would stay by me and continue to be my friend even though her new friends didn't get along with me.
I wish I'd known then how very wrong I was.
Not that there's anything I could have done about it anyway...
I stop dead in the corridor, watching as she rushes past me. She's going back toward her common room, so I'm positive she's forgotten something. "Lily! Hey!" I call after her, getting her attention before she makes it too far.
"Severus, what? I don't have time to talk right now… I'm going to be late as it is…" Shaking her head slightly, Lily tries her best to rearrange her face into a smile. Once settled, she watches me, waiting for a reply even though she doesn't have time.
"You forgot your book, right? Which one? I might have mine… You could borrow it?" It sounds lame coming out of my mouth, but I see her face soften as I speak.
"Really Severus? It's the Transfiguration book; do you have it with you?"
"Yeah." Shuffling things over in my bag, I pull out the requested book, earning me the brightest smile from the red-head facing me.
"You're a life-saver!" Smiling broadly, she reaches for the book.
"No problem, Lily." I hand it over without a second thought. I trust Lily Evans more than well, really, anyone else here.
"Really, thank you so much! I'll give it back at dinner, okay?" Smiling brightly, she hugs me before running off to her transfiguration class, leaving me standing there, half stunned.
After a few moments, I recollect my thoughts and head off in the opposite direction, arriving nearly late for my own class, charms.
At dinner, I find Lily waiting for me at the Slytherin table. Smiling, I sit down next to her and wait for her to speak first. "Thanks again, Severus." She says, giving my transfiguration book back to me.
I laugh again, filling my plate with food. "It's really not a big deal. I wasn't using it then anyway."
"Anyway, thank you."
Smiling again, I watch her fill her own plate. "You're staying here?"
"Why not? I'm already sitting here, after all."
"Won't your friends miss you?"
"They'll get over it for one day. Besides, you're my friend too."
I don't argue any more, not wanting her to leave. We spend the rest of dinner eating and chatting, getting up at the end and heading outside.
"You know, I really hate having to go home every summer…" she says, and I can't say I blame her.
"Nothing's stopping you from staying with me, you know…" I suggest, half-hoping that she says she will.
"I know, but I have to go home once in a while…"
"For your parents?"
"Yeah." Even though I know she loves her parents a lot, I can't help but hear the sadness in her voice. I wonder if her sister is really that bad, but then I remember when Lily first showed her sister the magic.
Petunia looked at her, wide-eyed, before calling her a freak and running away. It was an awful scene, even if I am glad that I was there to cheer Lily up after.
"Fine, but don't hesitate to come over whenever you want. No one at my place cares how long you stay, so it won't be any problem."
"I know… Thank you." Ahead, we see James and his group of annoyances. Lily smiles at them and tells me goodbye, running to catch them before waving at me. Even though I don't want her to leave, I smile back at her and wave. Then I turn around and walk glumly back into the castle, intending to go right to bed.
This sucks.
James Potter. The arrogant bastard who seems to always ruin my time with Lily. I hope something horrible happens to him.
"Who wants to see me remove Snively's trousers!" Potter shouts joyously to the rest of the hall, where many students are gathered to laugh as I hang upside-down in mid-air.
I hate him.
Of course, Lily isn't anywhere near to see what her beloved boyfriend is doing to her best friend. I stare down at the floor, embarrassed beyond anything else. It only escalates when I feel my pants indeed slide away from my waist, revealing my underwear to everyone watching.
A few more torturous minutes of this and they get bored, dropping me in a crumpled heap on the floor. I scramble to my feet and pull my pants back up before turning to face the place he'd been only seconds before. The only person I find in the hall now is Remus Lupin, the only one with any sense in that group.
"Are you alright?" he asks. I sigh heavily.
"Not really, but I'm used to it… What was that for, though? What did I do this time?"
"He saw you with Lily last night."
"That's it?" I stare at Lupin incredulously. If that's the only reason, I'm going to be very angry.
"Pretty much, yeah. From what I could tell, anyway." I like Remus. He's honest, and never laughs when James does his worst to me.
In light of the information I was just given, I don't even answer Lupin, turning to walk away instead. I go back to the Slytherin common room and head right to my dorm, wanting nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep. As I lay there in my bed though, a thought occurs to me.
Maybe I can do something about this…
Immediately, I sit back up. Standing, I head for the Great Hall, hoping dinner is still going on. When I get there, I see her sitting in my usual spot at the Slytherin table, not looking very happy. I sit down next to her and smile. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"James is such an idiot sometimes!" she replies, looking over at me. She looks me over a few times as though she's making sure I'm not hurt and it finally hits me. She knows what happened.
"It's okay. Nothing I'm not used to already."
"What!"
"Look, don't worry about it…"
"No, Severus. Don't. Does he do this to you a lot?"
Sighing lightly, I stand back up. "Come on then… I'll tell you, but not here." I say, starting toward the entrance hall. Turning to look, I see her follow me, and I know what has to happen now.
When we get there, she grabs my arm and stops me. I turn around, expecting her to look angry. Instead, she looks hurt. "Why would you not tell me about something like this, Severus?" she asks.
I flinch. "You really liked him… I didn't want to make you upset…" I say, realising it's a horrible excuse.
"That's no excuse for keeping this from me! You could have really been hurt, and I don't care what you think, it's true!"
"I know… I'm sorry."
"Sorry just doesn't cut it. Don't you dare hide something like this from me again! Got it?"
"Yes… Actually… I wanted to tell you that and something else…"
"Well? What is it?"
"Well…" I swallow hard, willing myself to just say it. "I… I really like you, Lily." I say finally, looking at the ground as I speak.
"You… what?"
"I really like you. I know we're friends and all, and I don't want to ruin that, but I like you more than that." I can hardly believe what I'm saying, and I have to look up at her to make sure she heard me right.
Staring back at me, an odd look on her face, she says "I know." It's not the response I expected, but it's also not a bad response… I don't think.
A few days later, I'm starting to wonder where she went. She doesn't come to Potions anymore, and I don't see her at meal times or in the hall. It's like she's started avoiding me. The only bright side to this is that I haven't seen her with that Potter jerk either.
So, naturally, when I see a streak of red hair go around a corner in front of me, I hope it's her and I follow, careful not to lose her. A few more turns later, I find out where Lily Evans has been hiding during potions lessons.
Upon entering the room, I see many of her things spread about and guess that she hasn't even been sleeping in her dormitory for the last few days. What I am curious about, however, is how she managed to get a bed in here.
"Severus?" she turns around and sees me standing there. I smile softly and she lowers her head. "You found me…"
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know… I just… I'm confused right now, Severus."
"…" I sigh softly. "You really like him, don't you?"
"Yeah… I do…"
"But you don't like that he's an arrogant ass-hole to me?"
"No… I don't…"
I see the wheels turning in her head, and I have to stop myself from smiling too broadly as I add the last piece of the puzzle. "And you also know how much I care about you?"
"Yes… I said that. What's this got to do with anything?"
"Well, I suppose you just need to figure out which one you'd rather have. An arrogant ass-hole who's horrible to your best friend who really likes you, or someone who really knows you, and won't be like said arrogant ass-hole. Ever." I watch her face carefully for a reaction, and am not surprised to see one forming.
"You make him sound like such a terrible person, Severus, but he's not always like that." She says, not surprising me at all.
"I know he's not when you're around, but any time you're away, he's horrible."
"Severus…"
"Please, don't make me out to be a liar, Lily. When have I ever lied to you?"
"Never…" Lily looks down, seeing very quickly that she's backed herself into a corner.
"Then why can't you just believe me?"
"…" She doesn't have an answer for that, I know, so I smile again and turn to leave.
"When you figure this out, let me know, okay? And remember, no matter what happens, I'll still be your best friend." I say, walking out the door and turning toward the Great Hall.
I didn't expect it to be so fast, but Lily comes to find me only a few hours later. "Know what?" she says, coming up behind me on the grounds.
"What?"
"I think I might rather have someone who knows me better and isn't an ass-hole to anyone, anywhere."
I smile brightly and stop to let her catch up. "Really?"
It takes her just a moment more thought before she finally smiles back at me. "Yes, really."