So this is my first snily story. I hope you like it! Remember to review?
Chapter One: The Meeting
It was a Tuesday afternoon at four o'clock when Severus saw Lily in the Diagon Alley Apothecary.
It was a surprise, to say in the least. He hadn't seen her once since they had graduated from Hogwarts, and that had been over a year ago, and hadn't been close with her for three years.
She never turned up to the college of potions, where she had won a scholarship to become a healer. Severus attended the college, and worked so quickly that he was already halfway through his potions master course.
He hadn't so much as passed her on the street in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, which was strange, because the wizarding community was small, and people were always bumping into old friends.
Of course, she was still with James Potter, though Severus wondered why she would stay with that git at all.
In fact, the very week before, James had announced his engagement to Lily and Severus had read about it in the Daily Prophet.
So yes, it was a Tuesday afternoon at four o'clock. Severus had just finished his last lecture of the day, and was stopping by the apothecary to get some root of evergort, which he needed in order to make a burn-healing potion for an assignment.
The apothecary in Diagon Alley is a small shop, with the potions ingredients on shelves in alphabetical order, quite like a library. Severus made his way over to the E's to find his Evergort.
He scanned the shelves for the root, and finally spotted it, just below his eye level. He took out the box of Evergort root, and put a few into a paper bag, when he noticed a pair of green eyes looking at him from the other side of the shelves. He could recognise those beautiful eyes in a second. They were Lily's eyes.
Their eyes met for but a fraction of a second, until Lily's eyes quickly darted downwards and she moved down the shop.
Severus walked around the shop to the side where she was. He'd thought that perhaps Lily wouldn't mind seeing him again, but even if she did, Severus wasn't giving up any opportunity he had to see her, with or without Potter.
And there she was: with her head down getting some bicorn horn, useful for pain relieving potion.
"Lily...?" He said tentatively.
She looked up, and again they locked eyes.
"Sev. It's been ages." She said as she stood up.
Severus looked at her face. She was beautiful, as ever, but her face looked skinnier, paler and more worn out. She had what looked like a cut that was healing over on her cheek. She looked exhausted, like she'd been through a war (though, the way the wizarding world was at the time wasn't far off from a war). Of course, her eyes were still gorgeous, but even the emeralds weren't sparkling like they used to. Severus hoped she hadn't been unwell.
"How have you been?" Severus asked her. "You didn't come to the college to become a healer."
"I'm alright, Sev." She smiled, but it didn't light up her eyes. Severus knew it was false. "I would have liked to have gone, but you know, things change."
"You can always go for late admittance, they would take you." Severus replied.
"Maybe..." She said apprehensively. "But how are you? You've changed, you do look handsome."
"I'm doing a degree in potions mastery. Apart from that, same old." He said. "And you look beautiful, Lily."
Lily laughed. "Don't lie to me, Severus Snape."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Severus smiled at her. "So what have you been up to? Oh, and I heard about your engagement... Congratulations."
Lily looked down nervously.
"Nothing really. Nothing at all." She replied quietly. "I do wish I was at the college though."
"And thanks, by the way. We got engaged last week." She added quickly.
Severus thought it most unusual that Lily, who had been the brightest girl in their year, hadn't found a job or done some training. However, he decided not to press her on the subject right there, on the shop floor as she looked a little emotional about it.
"Do you want to catch up? Go to the Leaky Cauldron or something?" Severus asked.
Lily bit her lip. She'd always done it, and Severus thought it was adorable.
"I would love to Sev.. but I'd better not...I mean, I don't have much time." She said sadly. "In fact, I couldn't." She looked at her watch.
"Oh no, I understand." Severus said.
Although, he didn't understand. Perhaps she didn't want to be his friend again. Perhaps she had heard a rumour that he was a Death Eater. Or perhaps she simply hadn't forgiven him for that awful word he called her in fifth year. In fact, he hadn't quite forgiven himself for calling her that.
Lily looked out the window of the apothecary.
She let out a deep sigh and put her hand over Severus'.
"It was so great to see you, Sev. It's been way too long."
And with that she pulled her bag over her shoulder and walked quickly around the corner of the shelves and towards the door of the shop.
Severus looked at the window to see who Lily had seen to make her run off so fast, but he didn't need to. Because standing just inside of the shop, looking most impatient, was James Potter.
Severus groaned inwardly. That was who she was in such a hurry to see. He moved closer down the shop to, well, spy on them, to put it how it really was. Severus knew that it was immature and weird, but what did James have that he didn't? Apart from money, of course. But once he was a potions master, Severus would make a decent living. What did she see in Potter?
Lily walked over to James quickly, and the two exchanged a few words, James looking annoyed.
James was nothing but a bully when they were at school, and what Severus saw proved that he had only deteriorated in the past year.
James had raised his voice so that Severus too could hear what he was saying to Lily.
"Where were you? When I tell you to meet me in five minutes, you have to meet me in five minutes." He said aggressively. "I can't even fucking trust you to keep time. You can't do anything."
"I just lost track of time." Lily said so quietly, looking down.
"Lost track of time?" James repeated her. "I won't let you lose track of time again, you useless thing. We're leaving."
James grabbed Lily by the wrist far too tightly, digging his nails into her skin and dragged her out of the shop.
Severus could hardly believe his eyes or his ears. Yes, he knew that Potter had always been an arrogant toerag, as Lily used to put it, teasing and mean, but he had never thought of him as abusive.
Almost reflexively, Severus dropped his root of evergort back on to the shelf and ran out of the shop after them.
He looked over the heads of the busy crowd in diagon alley when he spotted the back of Potter's ridiculously messy hair. He pushed through the people until he was quite close by. James still held Lily tightly by the wrist, and walked down the street, dragging her behind him.
They were making their way to the Leaky Cauldron, Severus guessed. That was where the nearest floo was, and Severus was sure that Potter's house was connected to the floo network.
He followed them for a short time until finally, and just as Severus had expected, they went into the leaky cauldron.
As always, it was packed with people going to and arriving from Muggle London and standing around chatting. The floo had a sizeable queue formed beside it, what with it coming up to five o'clock, plenty of people wanted to get home. James joined the back of the queue, Lily in tow. Severus kept hidden in the crowds of people, keeping an eye on who was going into the floo.
When he saw Potter and Lily step into the big fireplace, he darted forwards, and as the green flames arose, he closed his eyes, stuck his hand into the fire on Lily's side, and hoped for the best.
He concentrated on his home, Spinner's End and felt the familiar jolt in his stomach that one gets when apparating.
….
So that was the first chapter.. I hope you liked it. Please review, and tell me what you think. Also feel free to criticise!
I'll try to update twice a week.