Title: The Rejected Proposal
Author: Hazelmist
Pairing: Lily/Severus and minor Lily/James
Summary: PreDH His limbs flailed helplessly as his lungs were quickly deprived of oxygen.He looked wildly about, fighting to reach the surface. Lily Evans attempts to save Severus Snape, but even she cannot save him from drowning in his own greed.SSLE
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This was written before HBP and DH.
A/N: Once again I was cleaning out my files and found this one shot, another response to a Writing Challenge.
CRACK.
The noise shattered the serenity of the ancient forest, dispelling the fragile calm that had descended if for only a moment. A young man stood in the midst of the trees, his wand lifted, his glittering black eyes darting left and right. He stood perfectly still listening, but only silence greeted his waiting ears. Relieved he lowered his wand and moved through the dark obscure forest with ease.
He walked like one who knew the path well, stepping over half hidden logs without looking down at his feet, and throwing up a hand to stop an unseen branch without giving it a second glance. The trail was well worn, and he had taken this path many times as a child, but his childhood days had ended years before and so it was with surprise that he encountered the pond. He heard the splash as his feet hit the water and immediately stopped in his tracks, regarding the mist covered pool stretching out before him.
He only remembered one thing before he went under, he couldn't see the bottom. The surface of the Hogwarts lake had glittered and winked reflecting the moon and the majestic castle but masking the mysteries that lay beneath. Now as his limbs flailed helplessly, and his lungs were quickly deprived of oxygen, he looked wildly about, fighting to get back to the distorted sky above. It was a fruitless effort, an invisible weight seemed to be pulling him down to the dark unknown, misted and veiled by swaying kelp and murky unclear shapes swimming before his eyes. His lungs were bursting prepared to explode.
"Help! I can't swim!" He choked on his words, swallowing the water. A hand grabbed him, a human hand. He remembered vaguely, admiring the pearly delicate arms that glowed eerily as they wound around his body, and the long mane of red hair that danced around her head like a halo. They broke the surface coughing and gasping for air, and the girl and the other two first years who hadn't fallen out of the tipped boat, scrambled to help them back inside.
He bent over the side of the boat and threw up. Gradually his senses returned, first he felt the girl supporting him, her breath on his cheek as she whispered soothing words, and then he heard the laughter and snide comments coming from a boat behind theirs. He lifted his head, tossing back his wet hair and scowling hatefully at the messy haired arrogant boy that was laughing the loudest. He recognized him as one of the Potters, a pureblooded, rich, popular family well known for their "playfulness" and foolish quidditch and Gryffindor tendencies. His upper lip curled, as he sent Potter a look of pure loathing.
"Are you alright?" A voice brought him back. He turned and looked at the girl that had rescued him from the deep waters. Her snow white skin glowed in the moonlight, her wet curling red hair settling around her shoulders but it was the beautiful emerald eyes that convinced him that she was in fact an angel.
"Fine," he answered, spitting out a mouthful of water.
When their eyes met again, the angelic girl smiled shyly.
"Lily Evans," she said, sticking out a hand.
"Severus Snap." He gingerly took her pure hand in his, fearing that he would dirty it if he held onto it for too long.
"Evans, I haven't heard that name before…" one of the other occupants in the boat remarked, as he introduced himself as Wilkes, a born and bred Slytherin.
"Your parents were wizards right?" the blonde haired girl asked turning his pig like nose up in the air.
"No, I'm…muggleborn," Lily admitted with a nervous laugh.
Severus instantly let go, feeling as if his hand had been burned.
"You're one of them?" he croaked.
Lily's face fell upon seeing Severus's reaction. An embarrassed blush spread across her angelic face and tears sparkled in her enchanting eyes but she forced herself to hold her head high.
"Another mudblood, just what we need," Wilkes sneered.
As one, the three prejudiced purebloods moved away and turned their back on the muggleborn. Severus felt something twist inside of him, but focused instead on where he belonged, the pureblooded house of Slytherin.
Severus blinked, coming to himself as he realized that his shoes were embedded in the mud and water was swirling around his ankles. Disgusted, he pulled his feet free, and banished both mud and water with a flick of his wand. He hurried across the sunken basin of the shallow pond, reaching the opposite side a mere second before the water filled back in. He looked over his shoulder, his wavering reflection catching his attention. His hood slipped off, revealing the greasy black hair that was quickly approaching his shoulders.
Severus stared down at his cauldron watching as the image of himself looked gloomily up at him. The potion would take ten minutes before it would start to simmer. He waited impatiently, the ticking of the timer growing louder and longer with every tick. Time dragged, N.E.W.T.s it seemed couldn't come fast enough. All Severus wanted to do was get out of this wretched school and get his hands on the proper ingredients, the kind that you would never find in Hogwarts. He had been studying the dark arts for years now, and knew more about them than even the Dark Lord himself. He knew about the power of potions and how valuable they could be in the enhancement of dark magic and he was fully aware of what an asset or challenge he could be to the rising wizard. Slytherin had fostered his ambition and helped him discover what he wanted and more importantly the means to get it.
Now the only thing that stood in his way was time.
Or so he thought.
A pair of green eyes appeared in the cauldron. Severus didn't know how long they had been there, but suddenly he choked and whipped around. The green eyed girl jumped in surprise, backing into the desk behind her and knocking over an empty cauldron.
"What are you doing here?" he growled, recovering from his initial shock.
"The same thing you are," she said simply, replacing the cauldron back on the desk.
Severus scowled, as she brushed back a lock of her red hair and coolly began setting up her cauldron and ingredients beside him.
"I'm going to ask you again, what do you think you're doing here?" he asked.
This was Slytherin territory, Gryffindors like Lily Evans weren't allowed here after class was over. Lily turned to him, her almond shaped eyes sweeping over his face. He had once mistaken her for an angel and even years later, even after he knew exactly what she was, he still found it hard to shake that image when she looked at him with those emerald eyes.
"You're bored, Severus," she stated matter-of-factly. "I've been watching you and I know that you're just itching to put your energy into something to speed up these past few months."
He gaped at her and she held up a hand to stop his words before he could form them.
"Before you start trying to deny it, I have a proposal to make. Over the past two years I've been doing some extensive research on the uses of Phoenix tears and unicorn blood, and I think that I might be onto something. Unfortunately my skills as far as the actual making of the potion are atrocious in comparison to yours. I'd be willing to share my work with you if you agree to help me." When she had finished, she perched herself on the desk and watched him.
Severus was speechless. How could she just come in here and…and… just blow him away like that?
Lily realizing that she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, got up and collected her things. Before she left the room though, she stepped up to him, grabbing his arm.
"Severus, you have a brilliant mind, and your work with potions is beyond even my comprehension. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how much I can contribute to this project from my years of researching and Charm abilities. Think it over, Severus, together we could accomplish great things. Just think about it." Her eyes locked with his and Severus was the one who had to look away from those penetrating emerald orbs.
"Oh and by the way, your cauldron's overflowing."
She gave him a smile that lit up the entire room and walked out.
Severus tore his eyes away from his reflection, and started walking again. The path wound up the hill, leaving the pond and the thicker woods behind. When he reached the top of the hill, he stopped sitting down on a rock to catch his breath. He closed his eyes leaning against the tree behind him, allowing himself to dip back into his memories.
He leaned back against the wall watching her. A week, that was how long it took him to make up his mind to accept her proposal. As much as he hated sharing in any form, he was well aware of the fact that Lily Evans was at the top of her class, and her proposal had been clearly and cleverly well thought out. When he saw the work she had composed, he was stunned at how much effort she had put into it and the extent of her knowledge.
Lily Evans had been right about everything, he was pleasantly surprised, but not just with her brains and Charm abilities.
"Severus, I, why are you staring at me like that again?" she asked hopping off the desk and striding over to where he stood against the wall.
Severus shrugged. Lily was still talking, but he'd stopped listening a long time ago. All he saw was her lips silently moving, drawing him to her. He took her in his arms and she was still nervously talking when he kissed her. The talking ceased at last. Her arms wound around him as she deepened the kiss.
"Snape." The cold voice awoke him, as a rough hand shook his shoulder.
"Black," he said, surveying the beautiful woman before him. You couldn't ignore Bellatrix Black's fine figure, eyes and hair, even with the maniac gleam in her eyes and the intense training in the dark arts that had recently started to take its toll on her.
"I didn't think you were coming," she said, her face contorting with an evil smile. "Wilkes said that you were still shagging the mudblo-"
"Well Wilkes is wrong, I'm here aren't I?" Snape pointed out irritably.
Bellatrix laughed, slapping the young man on the back and hauling him to his feet.
"Well, what are we sitting here for?"
Severus wasn't sure.
"I'm not sure." Severus said letting go of her hands. He watched as they dropped lifelessly to the table.
"But Severus, I don't care what they think about us! You even said it yourself, you'd love to rub it in Potter's face!" Lily pleaded, looking imploringly up at him.
"I know Lily, but think of what people would say-"
"We're a Gryffindor and a Slytherin Severus, that doesn't mean we can't date. You didn't have a problem seeing me in secret for the past six months, nor did you have any qualms about this." She unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, pulling out the glittering silver chain that held a small ring on it with a single emerald.
Severus moved toward her, his fingers brushing her neck as he reached for the ring he had given her only a few weeks ago. The emerald caught the light from the fire, just like her angelic eyes. Severus looked up at her, noticing how her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
"I meant what I said about the ring," he whispered, kissing her softly and reassuringly and drawing her toward him. He stroked her soft hair and she leaned her forehead against his. He could feel her ragged breath on his face.
"No, I don't think you did," she said suddenly.
"What?"
Lily pulled away from him, turning her back on him abruptly. He touched her shoulder but she shrugged him off.
"Tell me Severus, have you thought about the Professor Dumbledore's proposal?"
"Lily what does this have to do with-"
"Just answer me Severus, are you or are you not going to join the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Lily we talked about this-" Lily whipped around, her emerald eyes blazing.
"We have, over and over again but never once have you given me an answer."
"That's because I haven't made up my mind yet!" Severus burst out.
"Then why don't you want to be seen with me in public?" Lily asked again. "If you meant everything that you said, if you bought me a ring, then why Severus do you shun me when everyone else is around and why won't you make up your mind?"
"You know why we can't be seen in public," Severus hissed. "You're a Gryffindor, a mudblood-" He stopped immediately, realizing the mistake he had just made. Lily's eyes filled with tears, and she jumped down off the table, slipping back into her shoes and reaching for her robe.
"Lily-" Severus ran to stop her, but Lily wrenched her arm free.
"You never were planning on accepting Dumbledore's proposal were you? All along you knew where you were going. You're going to the dark side Severus Snape, aren't you?"
"That doesn't mean we can't- I never said-"
"I'm a mudblood Severus, Voldemort murders mudbloods!"
"I would keep you safe! He'd never lay a hand on you! You know I would protect you Lily!" he promised.
Lily paused, the fire rising in her eyes again. Her cheeks were damp with tears.
"I know you would save me Severus, but you wouldn't save the others. I can't live, let alone love someone who's so…greedy."
Severus then watched as Lily Evans broke down before his very eyes. She tore off the necklace and threw it at him. Then she walked out the door sobbing and never looked back.
"Snape? You're not afraid are you?" Bellatrix's cackle brought him back to the present.
"No," Snape snarled.
He saw Lily one last time, bold, beautiful, with her head bent, and tears falling from her eyes. He recalled what love had shone in her face, love for him, Severus Snape. She had begged and pleaded with him, but in the end it was his own greed that had gotten in the way of their relationship. He couldn't overcome the cursed avarice and now he was about to become a Death Eater.
Still he clung to the memory of Lily, a mudblood, that had touched his heart and taught him what love would've been like if he had allowed her to help him. But he wouldn't. And now…
Lily Evans would become Mrs. Lily Potter in less than 24 hours. His chance had come and gone, it was too late. He slipped his hand into his pocket drawing out the silver chain, watching as the emerald glittered one last time in the moonlight. Then he hurled it into the lake. It fell far away, without a sound, and Severus knew that it sank to the bottom, never to be resurrected.
"Coming?" Bellatrix asked.
Severus nodded and together they headed for the Death Eater initiation ceremony.