a/n: I think is will be my last snape/lily story, at least for a while. Their relationship may not be strictly canon, but I still find it to be a very intriguing one. I feel the idea of 'toying' with another couple would be interesting and look forward to what my imagination will create.
Enjoy the last of Sev and Lily for now. Happy reading!
Seventh Year
Lily kept her head down as she walked through the crowd of Hogwarts students. She wanted to just get away, be alone with her thoughts. She and Severus may have made up, but that didn't stop her from knowing that there were other students, especially Slytherin's still thought of her as a…Mudblood. She shuddered at just the thought of the word and almost ran into a tall boy with long blonde hair. He sneered down at her and her heart sped up.
"I'm sorry." She apologized and swerved around him. Lucius was not someone she was in the mood for dealing with right now, and definitely not alone.
With a glance over her shoulder she looked for Potter or Black. Normally one of them was never far behind her, but she couldn't see either of their handsome faces in the crowd. No doubt there would be girls swooning around her, shoving each other aside to get a glance at them, perhaps the chance to talk to them and be asked to the Christmas dance that was just a few weeks away. Lily had already turned down twelve invitations from James.
He still was not getting the idea that no meant no.
"Did you hear about the Mauraders' latest prank?" a boy she didn't know, but who's robes declared him a Huffelpuff caught her attention.
"No? What did I miss?" another boy asked intrigued and Lily had to dodge a few oncoming students to keep up with them.
"Apparently they chased Snivellus Snape up a tree. Then set some kind of snake after him and he ran. I ask you, what kind of Slytherin is afraid of a snake?" the Hufflepuff boy chuckled and turned out of the hall onto the grounds.
Lily lifted her collar against the cold and kept a safe distance from them, no need to make it obvious that she was eavesdropping. "So what happened?" the other boy asked.
"Well apparently he fell out of the tree. I heard he almost broke his neck. Could be paralyzed. Alice heard that he definitely sprained his wrist."
Lily had heard how fast, and how distorted rumors could get going through a school as big as Hogwarts, but there was no doubt in her mind that the part of him falling out of the tree was true. And he was most definitely injured. Not wanting to waste anymore time listening to false accounts she turned and raced for the Hospital Wing. If Severus's condition was severe she wanted to know right away. If it was as bad as some thought, she would have to come clean about her feelings for him now, before it was too late.
By the time she reached the large double oak doors the entire student population was buzzing about James and Sirius latest conquest. She could have killed them both, and she would have gone to find them if she hadn't been so worried about Severus. With a careful knock on the closed door, she waited and held her breath. Normally the door was open, unless something was going on inside that passersby wouldn't want to see.
The door opened with a creek and Lily stepped through, her eyes darting the beds for Severus's body. He was on the right side, farthest from her with Madame Pomprey leaning over him. He was unconscious, his mouth slightly open but from what Lily could see his neck was not broken, and he was definitely alive. The head nurse looked up, a smile on her face. She knew that Lily and Severus had gone through a falling out, as most of the teachers and staff did.
"Hello Miss Evans. Have you come to visit Mr. Snape or did you need something from me?"
Lily shook her head. "I came to check on Severus. The students are saying all kinds of things and I was worried."
Madame Pomprey shook her head. "Teenagers." She turned from the bed and capped a small vial of purple liquid. "Not to worry dear, he is just fine. A few broken bones and few sprained ribs, but otherwise fine. I do believe that he is a bit shaken up after what he was put through."
"Do you know just what that was?" Lily asked, not wanting to believe anything until she heard it from Severus's mouth. "I heard one of the boys say it was a snake."
"That is what I heard as well. Mr. Snape is going to be out for a while, I gave him a sleeping draught for the pain, but when he awakens you can ask himself. You're welcome to stay." She smiled warmly and collected her instruments and a roll of gauze. "I must go fill out an incident report. Damn ministry is making me file every time a student comes in with a hang nail nowadays."
She walked off, shaking her head and muttering about paperwork. Lily looked around the room, it was completely deserted. No other students had taken it upon themselves to injure each other, so at least Severus would get some rest. She slid a chair over to his bed and sat down, looking at his face intently for the first time in a long while. They'd gone from inseparable best friends to enemies and occasional acquaintances in little under a year.
The fight had created a large void in their relationship and it had taken a lot of time for her to get over what he said, and for him to forgive himself. She reached out for his hand and stroked her thumb over his knuckles. She wished he would wake up so they could talk, but it was nice being with him and not seeing the apologies and regret in his eyes. She wondered if he really was over it yet, if he would ever just let go of the anger and trust himself with her again.
There was a long scratch over his cheek that was crusted with dried blood. There were a few cuts on his hand and his left arm was wrapped. A sheet was pulled up over his chest and she wondered if she could move it enough to look at his ribs. Madame Pomprey had probably wrapped those as well, but she felt the need to look. Gently, Lily released his hand and lifted his arm so she could peer under the sheet, her lips cracking into a small smile for a moment.
His skin was almost as white as the sheet and the bandages around his ribs. The poor boy really needed to get in the sunlight. His breathing was fairly even and she was glad that he was asleep so he could have some peace. No one could bother him or tease him while he was dreaming. Her eyes looked over his stone chest, past the bandages and to a trail of hair that she'd never really noticed before. It led down into his pants and disappeared.
She found herself wondering where it went, what it meant and then the realization dawned on her. As a blush flushed across her cheeks she lowered the sheet and tucked it around his body tighter than it was before, as if that would stop her from looking again. He turned his head to the side, facing her- his lips still slightly parted. She watched them move, along with his tongue and heard his voice faintly form her name. She grasped his hand again and squeezed.
"I'm here Sev. I'm right here."
The lights in the Great Hall were dimmed, the tables gone and the floor waxed until it shone. The ceiling was clear black, the stars clearer than he had ever seen them. A band at the far side of the room played a melody he didn't recognize, but he danced anyway. There was no song that could make him release the beautiful girl in his arms. He glanced down and saw her smiling up at him, red hair on fire and green eyes glistening. The bodies around them seemed to disappear and he leaned down to kiss her, his breath moving the hair back from her face.
"Lily." He whispered.
"I'm here Sev. I'm right here." Her voice seemed far away, and not at all breathless as he imagined it would be. His eyes opened and he found his arms empty, the room completely dark.
He turned frantically, his hands out searching for her, for anything to tell him where he was. There was nothing, just darkness and silence. He stumbled forward, finding nothing to hold him up but air. He collapsed on the cold stone floor, and then suddenly began falling, as if there hadn't been a floor there at all. He remembered a Muggle story Lily had told him about once of a girl that fell down a rabbit hole. He imagined this is what it must have felt like.
Grasping at air he was soon met with a sickening thud, his bones grunting against the impact on the ground. At first he was afraid to move, perhaps this floor would disappear as well, but after a moment and nothing happened, he gingerly pushed himself to his feet. He reached into his robes for his wand, but found nothing. The darkness was blinding and he took a step forward. Suddenly, the room roared to life, torches on the walls lighting.
He blinked against the change, looking for something to focus on. There, standing in front of him was Lily, but she was not alone. James arms were around her like vises, holding her tightly to him as they kissed. Severus felt sick, his stomach fell and he clenched his fists. Where was his damn wand when he needed it? He found himself unable to move, his feet glued to the ground, and all he could do was watch as Lily clung to Potter.
Severus felt a curse growing inside him, felt his jealousy magnify and then as if by magic his wand materialized in his hand. This was getting ridiculous. Without thinking, he raised the wand and pointed at James, the curse on the tip of his tongue. The couple pulled apart, as if noticing him for the first time. James had the same smug smile as always, but the look on Lily's face was unexpected. She grinned like a satisfied cat, and then she saw the wand.
He didn't wait for either of them to say anything, he lifted the wand and sent the curse at James, but Lily jumped in front of it and he watched the girl he loved crumple to the floor in a mess of red hair and skirts. He couldn't believe it, he'd just killed her. Lily was dead, and it was all his fault, nothing could fix this mess, and he knew that better than anyone. James disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, leaving only Lily's body.
Severus dropped his wand and ran to her, cradling her in his arms and weeping as he'd never done before. "Lily, oh Lily I'm so sorry. Please wake up, please."
"I am awake Sev." He heard her voice, but the body made no sound or movement. "I'm right here. Open your eyes."
"What are you talking about?" he looked more intently at the body, not understanding what was going on.
"Severus, open your eyes. Come back to me." She sounded desperate and he shook her lifeless body. "Please Sev, I'm here." As more tears fell from his eyes he closed them, not able to bare the sight of her any longer.
"Please Sev, I'm here." Lily shook his hand violently, willing him to wake up. His mumbles had become more clear.
She watched, with worry as his eyes slowly opened. They fluttered for a minute, then he looked around taking in his surroundings. His eyes settled on her and relief flushed his face. "It was just a dream." He said and sat up, a hiss slipping through his teeth when he moved.
"Shhh." She whispered and smoothed back his hair with her hand. "It's alright. I'm here. Just breath." She smiled down at him and he felt his heart slow.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, lacing her fingers between his. "How did you know I was here?" he looked around again.
"The whole school is talking about it, or rather telling their own versions of it. What did James do to you?"
"Actually, it was more Sirius than James to be honest. James kinda just stood there."
That shocked Lily, but standing by and doing nothing was almost as guilty as committing the actual crime. "What did Sirius do?"
Severus shook his head."I'd prefer not to talk about it right now if that's alright." He shifted again and winced. "What happened to me?"
"You fell out of the tree. Madame Pomprey says it's not serious. You should be healed completely by tomorrow night."
"Thank Merlin for magic." He said and sunk back into the pillows. "Will you stay with me?"
"Of course." She smiled and scooted the chair closer to the bed.
When Severus awoke a few hours later he found a sleeping Lily next to him. Her head was on her arms, her eyes closed but her face turned as if she was watching him. He reached out his hand and gently brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen over her cheeks. He pressed himself into a seated position, noticing that whatever the nurse had give him was working. It still hurt like hell, but at least he could move easier now.
"Lily." He whispered, wanting to wake her up, but was afraid she would go up to her dorm now that it was nighttime. "Lily, are you awake?"
"Yes." She said, her voice groggy, but awake enough. "How long have you been watching me?"
"Not very long, I just woke up." He watched as her eyes slowly opened and she smiled.
"What time is it?" she asked and looked down at his wrist. It wasn't common for wizards to wear watches, but Severus did. It was the same one that Lily had bought him for Christmas a few years ago and he treasured it. A few Slytherins had teased him about the muggle contraption, but he hadn't cared enough to take it off.
"A little past eleven."
"Oh wow." She sat up and he feared she was going to leave. "I can't believe I slept for that long." She bent down and pulled something out of her bag.
"What's that?" he tried to peer over the bed, but the movement jolted his ribs and he cringed, cradling his bones.
"Are you alright?" she grasped his hand, checking his face for any signs of serious pain.
"Just moved the wrong way." He chuckled and settled against the pillows. "Guess I'm not as tough as I look."
Lily forced the smile to stay away. Right now, Severus looked the farthest thing from tough, wrapped up in bandages and sheets. She knew that saying so would kill whatever ego he had left, so she kept her mouth shut and brought the apple out that she'd been about to grab. "I thought you might be hungry." She said and set it on the bed between them.
"That's not enough for both of us. And I'm certainly not going to sit here and eat your apple."
"What makes you think I would let you do that?" she grinned and pulled out her wand.
She muttered a quick spell and waved her wand over the apple three times. It shone brightly and then with a faint pop, it turned into a large platter of fruits and cheeses. He loved watching her spells and was always amazed at how talented she was. It just went to prove, it didn't matter whether you were full blood or Muggle born. He wished everyone else could just understand that. She lifted a slice of cheese toward his lips, smiling. He could smell the perfume on her wrist and had to hold back a sigh. It was intoxicating.
"Your magiked food always tastes so good." He said once he'd swallowed the cheese.
She laughed and turned the platter so he could eat more. "No doubt you're hungry after missing lunch and dinner."
"A bit." He nodded and they ate in silence for a few minutes.
He had time to think about the dream he'd had before and wonder about it. Certainly things had changed between them, but did she really know how he felt enough to ward off any advances from James. The Christmas Ball was just around the corner and he knew that James must have asked her already at least a dozen times. Of course, Severus would kill to go with her, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for that. If she would reject him or laugh, but he knew that he was going to have to ask or he would end up regretting it for the rest of his life. She looked up with a smile when he cleared his throat.
"Are you finished eating?" she asked and when he nodded she disapperated the plate and the little food that remained. "There is something on your mind." She offered when he seemed unable to speak. "You can tell me anything Sev."
"Can I ask you anything?" he said, his voice quiet and worried.
"Of course, that's the great thing about being best friends." She paused. "I know we may not be exactly back to best friends, but I'm sure we will be very soon."
His heart fell and the courage he managed to build up crumbled to the ground. That was all she was ever going to want from him, to be best friends. With a sigh he settled back into the pillows and closed his eyes, her scent drifting into his nose and muddling his brain. He didn't want her to be close to him anymore. It was too painful to have her this near and not be able to touch her, not be able to kiss her. He balled his hands into fists under the sheet and prepared what he was going to say carefully.
"Would you mind leaving so I can get some rest?" even as he said the words, it pained him. "I fear that I will not be recovered enough if I keep walking up and finding you here."
He was glad that his eyes were shut so he couldn't see the pained look in her eyes, but he did hear the little choke in her throat and then the scrap of her chair against the floor. "Of course Severus. Good night."
He didn't open his eyes until the Hospital Wing door closed and he heard her footsteps fading away. Then he rolled over and winced at the pain in his ribs and his heart.
