Lily is on her back, her hair splayed out around her in no particular order, but she's best that way. Unorganized, just herself. She doesn't move as I walk up, so I don't know if she's heard me, or if she's just too focused on the sky.
"Severus," she whispers, answering my question. I smile slightly.
"Lily."
"Nobody saw you?"
"I don't think so." I sit down beside her on the slightly damp grass, on the edge of the lake, and look up at the sky.
"Beautiful, isn't it," she whispers. Inwardly, I laugh. Because I never would have thought of it that way. It's just a sky. A normal, nighttime sky. But Lily sees the beauty in everything.
"It's…nice," I respond, though not nearly convincing enough, and she laughs.
"Oh, Severus, open up a little. I mean, look at it. Think about all the work that would go into a painting to make it that beautiful, and it's just up there every night for our enjoyment. We can just lie here, beneath the night sky, and feel like...I don't know. Like there's more to life."
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose it is quite…reasonable."
"Reasonable? Are you serious?"
"No, I'm Severus."
Lily breathes in sharply: "Did Severus Snape just make a joke? I didn't actually just hear that, did I?"
"Don't expect it to become a normality."
"I don't know that I could deal with it on a 'normal' basis. I just about had a heart attack." She laughs, and I find myself smiling. A real smile. The kind only Lily can bring about in me.
"It is…beautiful, Lily," I tell her, testing out the word. There hasn't been much cause for me to use it, in my life. Lily is about the only beautiful thing that exists in my world.
"Thank you, Severus," she responds, in a whisper.
"For what?"
"Oh, never mind. Maybe you'll figure it out one day." She smiles at me, though I can barely see it in the darkness.
I have no idea as to what she if referring to, but I just let it go. I've come to realize that with Lily, some things will remain a mystery.
"We'll be friends forever, right Sev?" she asks.
"Obviously," I state, as though this is the simplest thing in the world. I cannot imagine a life without Lily in it. She's the only thing that makes life worth living.
"Friends, always," She states, reaching out and gripping my hand. This was once uncomfortable, but now it sends warmth through me. I bring myself to give her hand a small squeeze.
"Always."