Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter franchise. I am making no money from this venture; it's just fun as hell.
Chapter Two: Friendship
Lily bit back a smile. The boy had just stuck up for her, the most unpopular girl in school-and the neighborhood likely- and she didn't want to mess things up by offending him immediately.
"I know, it's a bit weird," he said, shrugging.
Damn it! He'd seen it anyway!
"O-oh, no, it's not-I didn't mean it like that," she stammered. "I really like it-honest, I do!" she sputtered as he smiled again. "It's unique. Like you."
He chuckled again. "You don't even know me, though," he replied, though his voice was warm and inviting-not like it had been when he spoke to the other boys.
"No, I don't," she admitted, and although she was usually more than happy to spend her life on the outskirts of other kids' lives, she genuinely felt sad about that.
"I mean-you could, though," he said quickly. "Like, we could be friends. If you want."
She nodded. "I'd like that."
"What's your name?"
"Lily."
"That's pretty. You're pretty too."
She blushed, both at his compliment and at his forwardness. He was blushing too, and she wondered if maybe he'd surprised himself too.
"Thanks." She paused. She didn't believe him; she was the furthest thing from pretty with too many freckles and hand-me-down clothes and giant rabbit-like front teeth and hair she knew she'd forgotten to wash for a few days now. But she didn't want to offend the boy who wanted to be her friend so much that he'd lie to her and decided not to say these things out loud. "You want to swing too?"
His smile widened-she wouldn't have guessed it could have gotten any bigger until it happened. "Sure."
He stepped to the side and plopped down on the swing next to her, pushing himself idly. She did the same.
"So... uhm... I don't want to be rude or anything-you don't have to if you don't want to, but, I, well, I heard the other boys asking you about...tricks?"
Severus looked around, as if he wasn't sure he should be talking to her about it, but then finally nodded.
"Can I see one?"
He hesitated, looking around, over his shoulder and out ahead, craning his neck. Hope lept in her chest; if he was being so secretive about his tricks, maybe that meant they were the same kinds of tricks she could do? She had never met anyone else who could do them and was beginning to think she was the only one who could. Although she knew it wasn't likely the case, she spun around so she was facing him, the chains above her crisscrossed just above her head. He did the same, then leaned in close-and she leaned in close too.
"You promise not to tell anyone-ever?" he whispered. Dark eyes locked with emerald and both were hard and focused.
"I promise," she replied, nearly vibrating with excitement.
He reached down and grabbed a handful of woodchips. She watched him with bald confusion and a little apprehension, but it quickly became clear he wasn't going to throw them at her like some kids had in the past when he turned his hand and then opened it flat so the woodchips lay on it as though it was a little table. He stared at them and she stared at him until the woodchips began to move on their own, first stirring a little and then rising into the air in a tiny vortex.
Lily let out a little gasp and clapped her hand over her mouth. The woodchips fell instantly and she unspun her swing and lept away, running to a patch of flowers near the edge of the swingset. She heard the boy call out for her to wait-that he was sorry, he didn't mean to scare her-but she was already back in her swing, grinning wildly at him.
He looked like he'd about had a heart attack while she was gone and she felt a pang of guilt for causing him that pain. But it would be fine, and he'd understand soon enough. She turned her swing back so she was facing him again and he followed suit. It was his turn to watch her curiously now as she held out a flower, crumpled and dead, in the space between them. As they both stared at it, the flower began to change, like it was wilting in reverse, first uncrumpling in the places it had been bent and broken, then regaining its color and beauty.
She finally looked up when the little wildflower was as fresh as if it had just been picked from a bush. Severus's eyes were as big as saucers, and he looked almost happy enough to cry.
"You-you can do it too? You're like me?"
She nodded mutely, and she felt tears stinging her eyes, threatening to fall. She blinked them back because being happy was a stupid thing to cry about.
"That-that means you're a witch."
She tilted her head curiously at him; it wasn't a very nice thing to call someone, but she'd been called far worse before, and it wasn't like he'd been mean to her at all. So why did he suddenly decide to call her that?
He must have realized he'd perhaps chosen the wrong thing to say and shook his head. "Ugh-sorry, that was stupid. I mean, there are other people like us, you know. That's what we're called. Well, the girls are, and boys are called wizards. I don't know why, it's just what people say."
Lily blinked. "What if I want to be a wizard too?"
"I mean, I don't think it really matters. You can call yourself whatever you want."
She shrugged. "Witch is fine. I was just curious."
He smiled again and she smiled back. "Is anyone else in your family like us?"
She shook her head.
"My mother is."
"Is your dad?"
"No."
"Does it bother him?"
Severus shrugged. "I guess it did because he left a little while back. I think I was five or something." He knew the exact date and time and what they had eaten that night for dinner and what he and his mother and his father had all been wearing and the way the air smelled when it came in as the door opened and the way the house felt hollow and empty when it shut behind his father who was gone forever-
but it was easier to pretend he didn't really remember at all.
Lily saw it in his eyes that he wasn't exactly telling her the truth, but she figured it was because it hurt too much to talk about. She wondered what it was like and how things may have changed if her mother had simply walked out the front door and never come back instead of staying and becoming a monster.
"Wanna talk about something else?" he offered.
She nodded vigorously, her hair dropping into her face. She pushed it back behind her ear.
"Well, there's a school to learn how to hone our skill. It's called Hogwarts, and the students all get sorted into a House, either Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor."
Lily laughed. "Hogwarts? Hufflepuff?"
Severus laughed too. "Yeah, they sound pretty funny when you think about it, especially Hufflepuff."
"That sounds so cool, though! How do you know which House you'll get put in?"
"Well, it's all about what kind of person you are. People who are ambitious and resourceful go to Slytherin, really smart people go to Ravenclaw, people who are really nice and hard-working go to Hufflepuff and people who are thick-headed idiots who don't use their brain go to Gryffindor."
Lily burst into laughter at the last part. "Wow! That's cool. Which House do you think you'll get put in?"
"Slytherin I hope. That's where my mother was when she went to Hogwarts."
"That sounds like it would suit you. Or Ravenclaw; you seem really smart."
"You too."
"Thanks."
They smiled coyly at each other again. A harsh growl, like a bear or a lion, cut into their conversation and Lily grabbed her stomach to silence it, though he'd already noticed.
"You know, it's probably close to lunchtime. Do you want to come to my house for lunch? Mum won't mind, promise," he added as soon as Lily's face turned skeptical.
The corner of her mouth quirked up like it always did when she couldn't make up her mind. She didn't want to impose, but she was really hungry. Slowly she finally nodded. "That would be nice," she finally admitted as her stomach gave another low growl.
Severus looked genuinely happy to hear this and he swung his swing round and stood up. When she did the same she was surprised to see his hand outstretched to her.
She looked from the hand to his face and back, then cautiously put hers in his, and they wrapped together as if they'd already been friends for years.
"Can we be...friends?" Lily asked, a little redundantly.
"Yeah."
"Best friends?"
"Best friends."
