"And if this poisons me, what are you going to do?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him, but she was grinning. "Shove a bezoar down your throat."

Severus laughed outright.

They were about to try a 'Draught of Freedom', which seemed innocent enough, but the oddly un-specific description of the potion and it's affects was slightly troubling, albeit intriguing- usually, potions they copied from 'Moste Potente Potions' contained highly detailed, ultra-specialized descriptions of the affects of the potion itself.

This one, however, only stated that the potion produced "a feeling of euforia moste powerful, propensety for lafter at greate lengths and a feeling of greate freedom," and that it ought to be a "faire pink shade."

Lily had wanted to try it first (of course), but Severus had protested this idea. Though it seemed unlikely that they would poison themselves, the unusually glib description of the potion itself seemed curiously innocuous, even a bit suspicious.

"We don't know what it does." He told her, stubbornly.

Lily gestured towards the parchment on to which the potion had been copied. "Sure we do, Sev. It makes you euphoric."

"Lily, I couldn't forgive myself if.." He started over. "Let me try it first, and you can monitor my behavior.. and observe what it does to me. For the sake of academic research. As potioneers." He added, with a small smile.

"Fine," she huffed. "But if it doesn't kill you, I'm drinking it, too. I didn't slave away with you for two weeks so you could have all the fun."

She did have a point; They had worked hard on this one.

"Fine," he agreed, and looked down at the contents of the chipped teacup he held in his long-fingered hand. The potion was a lovely, pearlescent pink color, exactly as it ought to be, according to the description. More or less.

He smiled at her and put the cup to his lips, taking a deep drink. Afterwords, he licked his lips thoughtfully and a languid smile crept over his face.

"How is it?"

"Delicious," he said. He looked down in to his cup curiously, before draining the rest of it.

"How do you feel?" She asked. He thought about it. A feeling of keen lucidity was stealing over him, a sharpening of the senses that was both pleasant and unnerving. Tiny details leapt out at him, and his senses seemed to be heightened. Colors were brighter, and the room suddenly felt very warm.

"I feel good.. It seems subtle. I might have a bit more."

"Well, you aren't dead, so I guess I'll be having some, too." Lily said quickly, and reached for the glass Coca-Cola bottle that they had put it in.

"So much for observing the affects of the potion," He said wryly, watching as she poured a fair amount in to her own teacup. The potion itself looked like liquid moonstone, or pink molten metal. She smiled and raised her cup towards Severus, who wore a mystified look upon his thin face.

"You look amazed," Lily told him, before downing her dose of the potion. She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she set her cup down. "Wow, that is good, isn't it?"

"I think it must get stronger as time goes on," he told her, fiddling idly with his empty teacup. "I'm really feeling it, now." He leaned back against the drawers of her desk, watching her with dark, large pupil-ed eyes. Patterns revealed themselves to him, coming out from every surface, and the carpet crawled interestingly beneath his hands. Lily seemed to be enjoying herself, looking around at everything in a kind of undisguised fascination.

While Lily felt as though the restrictions of everyday life were melting away, as though everything in the world were right and pleasant, Severus found that the potion made him feel rather introspective and thoughtful.

He was suddenly thinking of Lily, lovely before him, and of how much he wanted to tell her the truth about how he felt for her. However, just thinking of the prospect of telling her, of merely mentioning anything in conversation that implied his thoughts on the subject, made his heart slam around in his ribs like a frightened creature in a cage.

Sometimes he found that the words were hanging dangerously on the end of his tongue, waiting to be said, despite the fact that he felt physically sick at the thought of speaking them. What could he possibly say to her to show her how he felt? What if she didn't feel the same as he did? What if she did? What would he do then? Would he kiss her and hold hands with her in the halls? Would he take her to the ball next year, and dance with her in a clumsy, shuffling way? They already sat together in the classes they shared, studied together, and saw each other over their free periods.

Lily was pouring more of the potion in to her teacup, and Severus handed her his cup for a second dose. When the cup was full, she handed it back to him, her fingertips brushing against his as she did so. His cheeks flushed with color and he hid behind his cup, sipping it so he wouldn't blurt out something that he might regret.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said, taking a drink of the pink potion.

Severus deliberated on how much he wanted to share. "I was just thinking of the potion," he lied. "I'm glad we decided to brew it, you were right."

Lily beamed at him and poked him in the ribs a little. His mind thrilled, she's touching you! "You were the one who suggested we brew something fun," she said, shifting in order to sit next to him. Boldly, she lifted his arm and draped it around her shoulders, settling in against him so that her head rested on his shoulder.

Suddenly he felt his earlier bout of melancholia fading away. Just as it was possible that she felt nothing for him beyond friendship, it was equally possible that she might feel something more for him, especially when she was keen to get close to him. Did people who were merely friends sit like this, touching, nestled against one another? He wanted to stroke her arm, to lean his chin against the top of her head, to smell her hair, but he did none of these things.

It had only been since the end of the school term that they had initiated this new kind of closeness- she had done this to him once before, and that had been when they had first gotten home from school. They had taken the Elixer of Euphoria and Lily had been keen to curl up against him and fall asleep while he read 'Unusual Potions for all Purposes'.

That afternoon, he had tried hard to concentrate on his book, and not on the straining erection that was hidden beneath the heavy tome in his lap. Silently, he prayed that he would not become so aroused that he couldn't hide it.

"Lily," he said, timidly. His breath quickened as he let first his fingertips rest against her bare arm, then, when she didn't shake him off, his whole hand.

She turned her head to look at him, smiling a tiny smile. He smiled back, uncertainly.

"I think the potion has gone to your head."

"Hardly," she whispered. She lifted a hand and pushed the hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear, giving him nothing to hide behind.

"Don't," he whispered helplessly, turning his head away, his cheeks burning.

"Sev," she said, so softly that he yielded, and turned to look at her again.

And just as he moved to kiss her, Petunia opened Lily's bedroom door.

"Lily, are you h-WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" Petunia cried.

Lily and Severus sprang apart and Lily made a mad dash for the door. "How many times have I told you to knock first!" She demanded, before slamming the door in her sister's face.

Severus shook his head and shifted uncomfortably. The moment was over.