Title/Link: Vanilla Promises
Team: Tutshill Tornadoes
Position: Chaser 3
A/N: Welcome to the first round of The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition! My prompts are:
friendship, Purple,
"imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia" – John Green in Looking for Alaska anddialogue of "We can't do that!"
I hope you guys like the direction I took!
Details: 1000 – 3000 WORDS. Rated K+
(1620 words)
It was all he was good at really. It was all he could think to do in reaction to their latest antics. This was supposed to be their last year at Hogwarts, this was to be the year they finally got over his presence. Unfortunately for Severus it was not the case. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, James Potter and his gang of pompous Gryffindor anarchists were the bane of his existence. Lately Sirius had upped the ante and was making the last few weeks a living hell yet the other moronic marauders stood by and watched. They did nothing to stop the banished Black from stepping on his toes, sometimes literally even after the treacherous werewolf incident. Severus shivered, remembering the ordeal rather vividly. He had to remember to put that in a pensive or something. He was tired of letting their childish foolery go by unpunished, before they exited this school he would take matters into his own hands the only way he knew how; by brewing a potion.
He couldn't help but grin in the gloom. Severus had been using this classroom deep in the dungeons since he could remember. He just needed an escape, a safe haven and brewing potions was what granted him solace from the troublesome quartet. The little candles set disfigured shadows dancing against the eroded stone wall and he couldn't help but grin. They'd never bother him after this. He could enjoy the next two weeks peacefully, preparing to follow in the Dark Lord's path. He hoped the future was just as promising as the moment his plans for the potion in front of him came to fruition. He just needed one more ingredient. One more factor to make his life complete…
"Severus?" A worried echo blew in with the draft and he stopped in his ministration to look at his closed wooden door. "Sev are you down here?" He looked back down to his potion making, the baby teeth of an already aged bat ready to be crushed. He had been saving these teeth until he found use for them and what better moment then revenge? If there was one virtue Severus possessed it was patience, waiting for the bat to age a century really took no less than three years. Patience, without it, he would have never been granted an apprenticeship in potions. Without patience, he would have already destroyed Potter and his band of rusted nails. He had been patient and as Lily walked through the door, his breath hitched, he had been patiently waiting for this moment. The question bubbling in his chest, anxious, nervous, his hands became clammy and sweaty as she pushed a crooked stool in front of his work table and sat down, blasting her brilliant bright smile. "I've been looking for you."
"Duly noted." He murmured staring at the white powder and carefully dropping his efforts into the simmering dark blue potion. He looked up and the worried expression was ever so present.
"They're a bunch of idiots. They're pretty childish, don't take them so seriously." She heeded, staring at him with the same expression, her vivid green eyes lulling him away from his potion.
"I need your help." His voice wavered, he was pretty nervous. This was what he had been waiting for, Lily was that missing ingredient and all she had to do was say yes. She stood up, placing her delicate hand on his shoulder.
"Anything Severus." Her confident and assured words gave Severus Snape the courage to turn to her and ask a question that he had been working up the nerve to ask.
"Can you help me get them back?" Lily's face turned white and Severus frowned, wondering if he had heard her or misinterpreted the logic behind his question. "Since you are in close quarters with them it will be easy to administer the potion on to their beds." He was serious, completely tenacious about this particular situation. The look on his dear friend's face made him shrivel back, away from her and his potion and out of her reach. Her fingers twitched and Severus had seen this look many times, she had given it to James and Sirius often enough when they're pranks were out of hand. Severus glanced at his potion as he backed away, Lily was too angry to continue, he needed to stir it six times alternating between clockwise and counter clockwise but his red headed friend was in his way. His only friend in fact. She had moved to place both hands and both sides of his cauldron, glaring at him. Should he cover his ears? Should he simply hide underneath the table?
"SEVERUS SNAPE! HOW DARE YOU STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL!" It was too late, his anxiety and nerves were all shot, she did not want to help him in the slightest. "WE CAN'T DO THAT. WE'RE BETTER THEN THIS!" She rambled on and Severus tuned her out, his eyes wide in shock. He couldn't help but glance at his dark blue potion noticing it was turning purple, a nice deep purple. It was too late, the potion was ruined, Lily was still yelling about the importance of being the bigger person and Severus slumped onto the stool. He wanted to sigh but he knew it would set Lily off all over again and she wasn't even finished chewing him out for an idea. A simple idea.
He stared at her, the way she moved from around his brewing station and paced back and forth, wagging a finger at him. Her cheeks were red and her mouth had yet to close. Seeing her so adamant about keeping himself in check he couldn't help but be grateful they were friends. On some level it bothered him to have the only person he trusted so close to James, but he had nothing to worry about, Lily would never forget him, Lily wouldn't abandon him. She'd find him and chew him out as she was doing in front of him. He couldn't help but laugh under his breath. Lily stopped pacing to peer down at him, glaring with all her might. The smile unable to break off from Severus' face.
"Do you think I'm joking?" Severus shook his head, the bubbling laughter returned and Lily stood up, folding her arms across his chest. "What's so funny?" She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. He could do nothing but wipe the corners of his eyes, he hadn't laughed like that in ages.
"Nostalgia." He muttered. Lily gave him a funny look as he walked over to his potion. He stared down at it, the purple glowed and brightened the dim room and he merely sighed.
"What's wrong now?" She moved to stand beside him and stared down at the cauldron.
"The potions ruined…" He spoke distractedly, as if it were the last thing on his mind. "Our retaliation plan must be aborted." Snape said dipping his finger in the potion and tasting it.
"First of all, we already decided not to do anything! There are only a few weeks of school left and I want them of peace." Her Head Girl voice was being used on him, an equal. He couldn't help but admire his friend for her spirit. It was like a burning flame, though it flicked and twisted it still burned brightly. Her spirit was the source of their friendship and as long as she maintained the things that made Lily Evans Lily, she would be fine and their friendship would prosper. Perhaps the flame would be glowing brighter with time and age. He'd listen to her rant and rave and she'd stop him from making stupid mistakes, retaliating, it was what they did best together. "Secondly, why would you taste a spoiled potion?" She was right but this was not an ordinary one. Severus reached for the wooden spoon and dipped it in the cauldron. Only to take it out filled and offered it to Lily.
"Taste it." She gave him a look and he sighed, taking her hand and folding her fingers firmly on the wooden utensil. She hesitantly but surely brought the spoon into her mouth, humming in delight.
"Vanilla!"
"The potion was supposed to make their skin glow but leaving it to simmer too long without being stirred turned soured the ingredients leaving it to taste like vanilla." Severus drawled absently. Lily had already sat down across from Severus, repeatedly dipping the wooden spoon in the cauldron.
"What are the effects of this one?" She asked in between sips.
"It makes your waste glow." Severus said as he helped himself, conjuring a glass while he and Lily shared a spoiled cauldron. She smiled and he couldn't help but smile back, enjoying the comfortable silence as they polished his work off. He couldn't fathom a life without Lily Evans in it. She grounded him, made him see to reason. Without his only friend Severus would seldom find purpose to do much of anything but brew by his lonesome. As Severus thought of the different directions they'd both end up, he silently promised himself that if Lily would ever leave him, he would make sure to look after anything having to do with her, maybe even leave his home on occasion. Better yet, this was the castle where they're friendship began. He vowed to guard this place with his life, even watch over everyone the same way Lily watched over him. He may not be warm and fuzzy but his sincerity and straight forwardness was what made him who he was. He'd cherish these moments and memories and guard the school his way. The only way he knew how.