Students packed the huge, vast hall early in the morning, eating the scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns that crowded the four long wooden tables. The aroma crept around the hall, slipping into all the corners, making stomachs rumble. The buzz of talk eased the most reluctant of students into conversations about the coming Quidditch match, and wasn't Professor Ripley's test incredibly hard and unfair, and Camden Kornfeld's newest hair color and was that the eighth or ninth time this year?
A sullen faced boy walked into the hall, ducking his face that was already obscured by his shoulder-length black hair. He walked slowly, reading an obviously loved book with its many dog-eared pages, ripped binding and scuffed up cover. He weaved his way through the throngs of people with obvious precision and ability. He moved around a group of third year girls that were giggling and fawning over a glossy magazine with an unnaturally beautiful boy that was winking at them.
He dodged another boy that was rushing out of the hall in obvious distress before sitting down at an empty seat at the table with a large green banner with a silver snake over it. He set his bag down on the table, searching around for a second before pulling out a quill and inkbottle and he jotted something down in the margins of the book he was reading. The boy pushed his greasy hair out of his face; a long thin face emerged with a hook nose that was far too prominent for his face. "Severus." The boy looked up at the sound of his name and saw the face that made most boys in Hogwarts sigh after.
Tall, slender and lithe, the girl was a beauty in its most rare form. Long blonde hair ran down, ending right before the small of her back and it was glimmering palely in the morning light. It swayed silently as she sat down next to him and tsked briskly. She took her long fingers and grasped his jaw with effient hardness and made him look at her with dark piercing black eyes with the icy blues of hers. "Narcissa." He muttered, looking back down.
"Did you get in another fight?" Narcissa asked features softening slightly. She pulled back a curtain of black hair to get a closer look at the black, blue and yellow bruise that surrounded his right eye. "Was it that idiotic blood traitor again?" Severus' eyes snapped up in surprise. "Oh don't look so astonished. He's the only one in that group of Gryffindor scum that is left-handed. That's why you're never able to block him." She pulled out a small jar out of her own bag. "I assume you didn't go see Madame Leine?"
"No," was the only response she could rouse from him.
Narcissa nodded knowingly, twisting the lid of the jar and dipping her index and middle fingers into it and drawing out an off white colored paste that smelled vaguely of peppermint and lavender. "You proud bastard." She said. "Hold out your hand."
Severus did so, and Narcissa wiped the paste into it. "Put this on it, Severus. Andy made it. Should do the trick but if you need more…" She let the sentence linger. Narcissa wiped her hand on her neighbor's napkin, an unsuspecting 2nd year with reddish-blonde hair and a liking of French Toast.
"Andy?" Severus repeated, dabbing the paste on his black eye, the swelling going down almost immediately.
"Andy." Narcissa said again, looking pointedly at the Ravenclaw table. Severus looked over as well and saw a girl that had the same pair of icy eyes that was scanning a beat up paper back book that had the title, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. She was twirling a lock of dark brown hair as her eyes went back and forth across the page. Her high and narrow cheek bones also branded her as Narcissa's sister.
Narcissa shook her head. "I can't believe she reads that Muggle trash." She said disgustedly and she put the jar back in her shoulder bad. "But her Bruise Balm is better than most Healers." She stole a glance at Severus. All that was left was a purplish tinge that stood out from his sallow face.
Severus muttered his thanks and made another note in his poor book, which Narcissa looked down and saw scribbled notes all around the margins of a recipe for a Polyjuice Potion. Narcissa hid a smile and took a plate and started to fill it with a piece of toast and a scoop of fruit salad that had magically appeared from the kitchen below. Narcissa speared a cube of melon and took a dainty bite. She knew that Severus was far too proud to ever ask for help, in fact he had barely looked her in the eye when he had come back to the common room last night, sporting his newest black eye. He'd probably last until lunch without speaking to anyone since the black eye was gone. All she needed to do was respect that.
Amateurs.
The word bounced around Severus' head like an odd echo resounding off vast cave walls. He stirred his potion with a single hand while reading a line from Advanced Potion Making, drawing a finger along the page, reading the line through the haze of purple smoke that was clouding up the dungeon.
Black and Potter were talking in low whispers over their cauldron, chuckling every couple of seconds. Severus sneered. Their potion was a dark sluggish brown when it was supposed to be bright electric blue. Severus saw a corner of a magazine that was peeking out from their book, hidden covertly. Severus got out his knife and started chopping up some roots of sage that needed to be added in bunches next.
Looking up, he searched for Narcissa. He spotted her and saw she was already adding sage and stirring. It was hissing and emitting sparks. She was biting her lip and looking rather nervous. Severus looked around and saw Professor Slughorn was waddling over to Lupin and Pettigrew. It looked like Pettigrew had stuck his hand into their potion and it had now grown to three times its normal size. He then looked at his potion, determined that he could let it simmer for a couple minutes, he walked over to Narcissa's desk.
"It helps if you add some mustard seeds in between the bunches of sage." He said, holding out a vial.
Narcissa looked up in surprise and smiled. She took the vial and added a couple of seeds and the potion calmed down and started bubbling happily. "Thank you." She said softly.
"Helping out, Snivellus?" A proud airy voice said behind him. There stood Potter, looking arrogantly proud as always. Severus' lip curled. After six and a half years, he should. Potter had something up his sleeve. "What are you expecting in return?" Potter's hazel eyes sparkled as he pushed his hair back. "From what I hear, she'll be happy to oblige you, willing, which I expect would be a first for you."
There was a loud bang and Narcissa screamed as Severus punched Potter as hard as he could across the jaw and then pushed him up against the dungeon wall and sunk his forearm into Potter's larynx. Black tried to pull him off but Severus couldn't feel him, nor could he hear Slughorn calling him his name, taking points off Slytherin, all he could feel was the rage rushing through him, the blood pounding his ears and the sight of Potter squirming and gasping for air. "Apologize!" Severus growled, something that resonated throughout his entire body.
"I'm…I…" Potter said hoarsely, sounding like a sick donkey. Severus let a tiny amount of a pressure of Potter's throat. "I'm sorry."
"Not to me, Potter." Severus spat, letting Potter go reluctantly as Black pulled him off Potter. "To her!" He jabbed a finger in Narcissa's direction.
Potter looked repulsed but he said, "I'm sorry, Narcissa," anyways. As the class went to back to normal, unusually quiet as the people watched Severus warily.
Severus drew close to Potter and Potter flinched visibly. Severus poked Potter's chest with his forefinger. "She's ten times better than you'll ever be. Insult her ever again and I'll make sure that it's the last thing you do."
Narcissa wasn't at lunch and she wasn't at dinner either. Severus poked at his bread pudding, feeling sick to his stomach. She had refused to talk to anyone during the next few lessons for the rest of the day. She had drawn a cloak of cool collected calm around her after the incident in Potions class. Pushing away his plate, he got up and left the Great Hall, stares following him along with whispers that sifted through the crowd. Severus hunched over more as if that would hide him and he burst into the completely empty hallway. He walked quickly down the dungeons, winding his way down to the Slytherin common room. He came upon the blank wall and muttered, "Odysseus."
The wall opened and Severus walked into the common room. Upon walking into the room he saw a familiar figure sitting by the fire on a plushy sofa, casting dark shadows on her hair. "Cissa." Severus said, using the nickname he rarely called her unless he was deadly serious about something. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that…"
Narcissa turned and Severus was surprised to see tears streaming down her face. Narcissa never cried. "Cissa…" Severus hurried over to hear and saw she was clutching a letter that was written in an ornate hand. He sat down beside her and put a comforting arm on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"It's…it's n..not you." Narcissa hiccupped, her entire body shaking with her sobs. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and sniffed loudly. "My m…mother. She wrote t…to me." She was clutching at the letter, crumpling it underneath her grip. "I've been p..promised. Finally."
Severus' blood went cold. "Promised?"
"Promised." Narcissa said again, tears forming and then falling again. "To Lucius M…malfoy. Y..you know. That boy that left l…last year…the blonde one."
Severus remembered him too well. Arrogant and filthy rich, Lucius was the epitome of scorning pureblood. He had thought Severus had pure talent when it came to curses, hexes and jinxes and had offered him a friendship that would turn many rewards if he did favors such as sharing the newest jinxes he created only to Malfoy.
"You've been promised to him?" Severus said trying hard not to put too much disgust in the way he said the word, him.
"Y…yes." Narcissa sniffed. "Both of out p…parents are purebloods and want to keep it that way, s…so, there's really not much c…choice if you want to marry someone other than your cousins…." Severus saw that more tears were falling down. "I barely know him, Severus…I'm only s…seventeen. I'm not r…ready to get m…married."
Narcissa dissolved into tears again and Snape had never wished more than this moment that his father had not been a Muggle. He let Narccisa clutch at his robes and sob into his shirt while he patted her back and make reassuring noises. Wiping away her tears he said, "You never know, you could end up loving him."
Narcissa snorted, a very unlikely characteristic for her. "Love. Hah. Like my parents really care about love. That's a luxury for a Black. Or for any pureblood really." She looked up into Severus' dark eyes once more. "What I wouldn't give to marry for love."
It was something about her tone that made Severus freeze. He searched her eyes and saw something he had only seen glimpses of before this night; a deep longing and wishful eyes. Narccissa was even more guarded with her feelings the Severus was and a clever actress to boot. She hid any insecurity deep within her and kept her beauty and her charm out on the surface. It was how she was raised and how she would most likely be for the rest of her life. Severus felt like she had stripped off a gaudy layer of herself and was now showing him something precious and priceless. He kissed her forehead gently and hugged her warmly. Looking down at her, he saw a fire in her eyes that had not been there a second before. He saw her lean forward towards his face and without even thinking about it, he leaned forward as well and their lips met for the first time.
Contrary to popular belief, Severus had kissed some girls before this. A couple of times underneath the mistletoe during Christmas parties at home and one particularly memorable incident with Patricia Parkinson, but this kiss was different. It felt like his stomach had dropped out and all feeling had left his body except for the two pieces of flesh that was touching Narcissa's. Gently, he reached up and caressed her face and he heard and felt her sigh slightly into his mouth. It felt like his entire body was on fire and he didn't want it to ever stop.
As all things, though, it had to come to an end and they drew apart, Severus feeling his eyes wet but refusing to let any moisture pass that point. "I can't Severus." Narcissa said quietly, wringing her hands. "I'm as good as married now." She looked utterly and completely defeated, something Severus rarely saw in her.
Severus nodded., but still held onto her. "That doesn't mean we'll stop being friends, does it?"
Narcissa looked up at him. "Never." She said determinedly. "You will always be my best friend."