This Is for some thing I stumbled across on the world wide web whilst surfing, its called the 100 theme challenge, and it's a really clever idea, especially if your some one like me who gets writers block easily. Basically it's a forum here on fanfiction that lists 100 different themes for you to write things for. Here is my first entry for the challenge starting at the beginning; there is no better place after all. So this is theme number 1: Love.
Title: Hogsmeade valentine
The lights of Hogsmeade brightened the dark evening sky, bringing out the twinkling stars overhead in their own little world. The people wandered amongst the few buildings, their arms weighed down with brown paper parcels and things all shades of pink, Their clothes following some unwritten colour scheme of pure snow drop white and claret wine red. The secret smiles upon their faces, and the blushes on their cheeks showed them as happier than usual. Some thing was going on.
But no one would have guess that of the thin figure trudging through the snow up on the ground, wrapped in a velvet green cloak that matched his eyes, so dark no one ever saw the forest green in them, although they always noticed them in some way, because they stood out so from the sharp pale face behind, long black hair dripping with melted snow, pushed behind his ears messily to keep it out of the way.
His step got faster, as he fled as quickly as he could through the falling snow to the three broom sticks, lifting the heavy oak door and letting it fall shut behind him as he wandered in seeking warmth and the safety of an inside sanctuary.
Turning to the elderly lady behind the counter, he spoke softly "one butter beer please," then some thing caught his eye. Not a some thing as such, but a some one. The hand he had been leaning on flopped on to the counter as he moved his elbow. "On second thoughts, make that two please," the woman nodded, and pulled another cup down from the shelf above her head.
When the drinks were in front of him, caramel and pumpkin like in colour with creamy foam atop of them, he pushed some coins across the table telling her she could "Keep the change" as he headed over to a small seat in the corner, where another silhouette sat reading a potions book. When he was a few steps from the darker table, he looked around at every one laughing at the tales, nearly all of them couple, candles in the middle, the only things keeping the people apart was the fire. Fire can not possibly be passed. Nor erased forever, it is the ultimate power some would argue.
Taking a deep breath, he took the last few steps forward, softly, agile like the cat, but still he did not surprise her. He never did. His long fingers pushed one of the cups across the polished table towards her, and her hand sprung up from one half of the book, catching it before it could fall over the edge. "Hello Severus," her voice mocked him as he slid on to the bench seat beside her. He nodded in her direction before taking a sip of his drink, "Lily," was his response, mirth present in his voice, though their eyes did not meet.
For a few moments more they sat in silence, as she continued to read towards the end of the chapter. During this time, the boy pulled down his hood and turned to the girl, taking in her brilliant appearance. Ivory skin, with a splattering of chestnut coloured freckles over her nose, her eye brows furrowed as she frowned in concentration. Her hair was left loose in its wild main, a brilliant red, so rare it was almost more dangerous than the common known fire.
She too was dressed in red, a dress that came up to her knee, in the same wine colour as the red, but on her it looked better, the white lace collar seemed dark against her neck. Her coat was long and green, the same velvet as his cloak, her feet in black lace ups with tights behind them to match. Lastly the boy's eyes flickered up to her lips, which were smiling at him. His time was up for just observing, as she put her book down on the table. "You must have wanted to talk about some thing important," she beamed, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she leaned over to him, her breath warming his frozen nose. "I-important?" he stammered, lost in her eyes, his own wide and startled.
"Yes" she went on "For those from different houses can never mix. What on earth would James think, if he heard that his closest friend were socialising with a Slytherin!" she gaped, before she noticed the steel and ice setting in Severus' eyes. "Seriously though" she sighed tapping the side of her glass with her nails as she watched him, "what did you want, you haven't spoken to me since the first day with the sorting hat and that was three years ago Sev" He could hear the hurt in her voice, but he knew every thing would soon be alright again.
"Well, its just… some times I wonder if the world see's things the way I do. In my eyes there is no barrier between the houses, every one could talk to who they want when they wanted, but I don't know if any one else agrees with that, or if they just like the idea because its modern or some thing" Lily blinked at him, and he knew she wouldn't speak until he had finished, yet she surprised him with her interruption.
"Not that I want to butt in or any thing, but you have just spoken my exact opinion and you haven't seemed to believe that for very long, hence my wondering why you have been ignoring me for the past three years!" her voice was a whispered shout, but it cut in to him more than any hex or charm could. But he let her yell, he knew anger was the only thing that would make him brave enough to say what he needed to.
"What happened Severus, we were best friends, every day since we were seven we would practice spells because we had the fact that we might not have known about magic at that point in our favour. We talked about every thing every one, we were each other and then you just disappeared." Her emerald eyes were brimming with silver tears, her smile dropping in to a grimace, but her brilliant eyes burned with anger and hatred.
"My sister turned against me and then you were there to make me feel normal, to be a rock in my world when I needed one and I told you every thing you wanted to know. I though I knew you too" she choked a laugh "that's the worst part. I though being who I was could be fun with you, but you turned out to be just as arrogant a toe rag as Potter. You let me hate him, just so that I wouldn't have any one when you decided to go and rehearse dark magic in your dungeon with your precious pure blood friend" she bit at him, her tongue sharp in its word, and Severus could feel himself simmering quickly, his anger pushing his heart beat faster.
"Because no one could ever want to be friends with me in your opinion, all you see me as is broken, your toy, some one you can leave and destroy and jeer at, but you are no better you know? I may be part human, I may be average, You can even call me a mudblo-" But she never finished her sentence because Severus pushed her elbow that she was leaning on meaning she stumbled and fell in to his arms as he pulled her close and kissed her. Kissed her as her wide eyes closed and her frozen arms went around his neck and threaded through his hair. Kissed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and until he had no air left in his lungs.
Only then did he pull back and lean his fore head against hers as she looked at him in awe, a small smile upon her lips as his face lit up. "Lily I have loved you since that first day on the field, I have been on your side ever since you defended me from Potter and his gang, I have been yours since the day we went to Hogwarts together, and I have been lonely since that first evening I went out of your life because I thought it was for your own good, but every day it killed me, and now I have to make things right"
Lily watched as from his pocket he took a small scrap book, made from deep brown bark, an enchantment cast to keep a frame of ivy dotted with lilys in both corners alive. On the cover her name was written in his elegant golden script. He handed it to her and showed her each page, the photographs showing their memories, the last being them on the train eating Bertie Botts every flavour beans, his face a mask of horror at the awful taste whilst she was pointing at him and giggling with flushed cheeks from a chilli flavoured one.
"Sev there isn't any thing on the first page," she whispered as she stroked the blank canvas. He smirked and placed his wand on to it. "Lily" he whispered and the light from the wand coloured the page in a pale wild prim rose pink, with "for Lily, be my valentine?" written in red ink with a heart drawn next to it.
"Forgive me" she wept as his heart sank, only to soar again when she whispered in his ear "of course I will be your valentine" Their lips met again, the butter beer cold and long forgotten, as they wrapped up in their cloaks and walked back to the station to get the train back to Hogwarts.
On the train, as they watched the world swirl past, they told each other jokes, caught up, and threw honeydukes fizzing whizzbees in to the air for the other to catch. They laughed as they levitated for a few seconds before falling back in to their seats, and ended up in each others arms, Severus stroking her hair softly.
"I love you Lily, will you please, please be mine?" she smiled sleepily and snuggled closer to him. "Of course" she murmured, her hand on his chest keeping track of his heart beat before she spoke:
"I love you more than the moon loves its stars, I love you more than a stampede of horses, and the worst part is, I think I knew that from the beginning of time, but I never have had the guts to tell you"
19 years later
"And that darlings, is how I met your father," Lily beamed at her two eight year olds, the twins were identical, Harry and Casper, the only difference being a small scar on the top of Harrys fore head.
Lily tucked them in to bed, kissing the tip of their noses as she said good night making them giggle, before she flickered her wand and turned of the light, closing the door before she lay back in her own bed besides the sleeping Severus, stroking the inside of his arm, so glad there was no mark there. Their feelings had been just in time to keep the other. Although he couldn't hear in his sleeping state, she still whispered to him "I love you more every day" before blowing out the candle, and curling up next to her husband, smiling as her wedding ring shined in the dark.