Rating: K
Disclaimer: Characters and settings ©J.K. Rowling.
The Evans' Mistletoe
K. Marie
Grasping the doorknob, Lily laughed; she had stopped suddenly and Severus, who had been chasing her from the playground to her front yard, crashed into her. Their combined weight pressed into the door, throwing it open noisily. Lily stumbled forwards onto the threshold of their entranceway; Severus grabbed hold of her waist to keep her from falling to the floor.
"Sev!" she gasped, righting herself and pushing him off her playfully.
"Children!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed, a reproachful glare fixed on the pair.
She was standing atop a stepladder, her arms raised above her head; she was securing a small bunch of mistletoe to the archway above her. After she finished her task, she fisted her hands against her hips, her piercing emerald eyes narrowed as she stared at the two children that just barged clamorously into her home. The puddles that formed around their snow boots soaked into the carpet below them, and her eyes hardened in disapproval.
Lily and Severus exchanged a concerned glance before turning their eyes to Lily's mother. "Sorry, Mrs. Evans."
"Sorry, Mum."
"Lily, change your clothes. Severus, have you any spare clothes here?" Mrs. Evans asked, stepping down onto the floor and crossing to her daughter. She slid the woolen hat over Lily's head, smoothing her hands over the halo of frizz that frayed at the crown of her hair.
Severus shook his head. "No, Mrs. Evans."
"Very well. Put your boots on the steps," Mrs. Evans said, turning on her heel. "Come, Lily."
"Yes, Mummy," Lily bounced after her mother, soaked wet socks leaving small footprints along the grey carpet.
Severus turned towards the door, slipping the boots over his feet to reveal wet, musty, holey socks. Frowning, he wiggled his toes and tried to tuck the hole through which his biggest toe peeked through between his toes.
A moment later, Lily and her mother appeared through the stairwell. Mrs. Evans had neatly-folded clothes lying over her arm. With a kind smile, she extended them to Severus, her hand smoothing over his cheek affectionately before sending him off to the bathroom to change.
"These are Mr. Evans from very long ago," she said with a quiet laugh. "And I mean very long ago!"
Nodding, Severus released a quiet laugh as well. He hurried off to the bathroom, cringing as his soaking socks left footprints along his path; if he could only do magic outside of Hogwarts! Closing the door quietly behind him, the first piece of clothing he peeled off of him were the holey socks. Mrs. Evans had given him a pair of socks to draw over his cold feet, and graciously, he pulled them on.
After he finished changing, Severus folded his clothes into a tidy pile, leaving them by the door. Looking around, he spotted Lily beside her mother in the hallway. Severus crossed over to stand beside them.
"Thank you, Mrs. Evans," Severus said cheerfully, glancing between her and Lily.
"Of course, Severus," Mrs. Evans replied. "Do they fit alright?"
Severus lifted his shirt high enough so she could see the waistline of his trousers. They sagged a little; the frayed hem of his graying underwear peeked out below his navel. "Almost perfect. And they're much warmer than what I was wearing!"
"I'm glad, Severus," Mrs. Evans said, patting her daughter on the head gently. "I'm going to leave you two kids alone for a bit. I've got to start dinner."
"Oh, but Mummy, can't we have some hot chocolate?" Lily asked, grasping onto her mother's hand and dragging her back into the hallway.
"Now, Lily. You know that will spoil your appetite. Come now. Go play. I'll call you two when it's ready." With a knowing glance upwards, Mrs. Evans smiled subtly before disappearing into the kitchen.
Lily looked up to where her mother's eyes had glanced, and a pink blush stained her cheeks. Severus mimicked her, looking upwards; a similar flush rose in his cheeks. Above them hung the mistletoe that Mrs. Evans had been placing when the children burst in. After a moment, Severus lowered his gaze to Lily, willing his flush to fade but knowing full-well it wouldn't.
"Sev…"
"Lily, if you—"
"We've got to, Sev," Lily said with a smile, turning her green eyes onto her best friend. "We're standing under mistletoe! It's tradition!"
"We don't have to if you don't want to, that's all I'm saying," Severus stammered, a cold sweat creeping through the skin of his palms.
"Don't be silly, Severus. And anyway, if we don't – who knows what will happen! Dementors might come to take us to Azkaban! Or worse!"
With a small smile, Severus encouraged her. "Or worse what, Lily?"
"We'll be expelled from Hogwarts for violating a golden rule!" she exclaimed, her warm hands wrapping tightly around his upper arms.
"Lily, we won't be expelled for tha—"
She interrupted him with a quick press of her lips to his, soft pink petals – still cold from the winter air – molding to his thin lips like they were destined to meet his in some life, somewhere. Severus froze beneath her touch, his black eyes widened as he stared at the pretty lids, long eyelashes brushing against her blushing cheeks.
He knew his own face must have been radiating heat; he felt a small film of sweat squeeze through the pores of his forehead. Gently, his eyes closed, and he simply enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his; a rush of happiness coursed through him, his heart seeming to swell beneath his breastbone.
When Lily broke the kiss, Severus couldn't help but continue reveling in the magic that seemed to surround them both. His eyes remained closed for a minute longer as he drank in the scent of her that lingered between them, the taste of her lips – and the cherry lip balm she used – clinging to his own.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Lily asked, a small giggle erupting from her. "It's not so bad to kiss me under the mistletoe."
With a small smile, Severus brought his fingers to his lips. He smoothed his lips together, smearing the thin layer of balm she had deposited there. Shaking his head slowly, his dark eyes locked onto hers.
"No, Lily. It wasn't bad at all," Severus conceded, his lips parted in a genuine smile.