Chapter 3: Project I

x

"We should decide who will do what…" Evans, the little voice of questionable reason, suggested after half an hour of stony silence. Severus set Aconite and Antidotes on the desk, and detachedly looked at her. Quite obviously, neither of the three was happy with the outcome, and Slughorn refused to listen to his pet Mudblood's plea to divide them into two teams.

"Very well," Severus replied frostily. "I'll brew the potion, Evans can do research and trivia and Potter… can carry your books."

"Our books."

"Your books. I'm not letting Potter anywhere near my books."

"I can take good care of books!" Potter protested. It was a small wonder he wasn't screaming his head off by this time – almost as though he admitted that when it came to potions, he was totally inept. Like that would happen in this millenium.

"Yes, Potter. Naturally. Evans will be happy that you take good care of her books."

x

"This is boring! Why do I have to sit here?" Potter whined to the corner of the library.

"It's also your project," Evans mumbled back, never lookig away from the text.

"But I'm not doing anything!"

"You should be glad that someone is doing something."

"But my being here here is totally pointless!"

"Then do your homework for other classes or something, just stop bothering me!"

"Shut up!" Severus all but yelled, glad that he had had the presence of mind to cast a Silencing Spell around their table. Their table. Just the combination of words threatened him with headache.

"Evans, do your work. Potter, vanish."

He ignored their glares and turned back to Belladona in Brews. He knew the five potions they had assigned by heart – there was nothing for him to do in the library. But, as opposed to the brainless twit, he could keep himself occupied while Evans indulged her bibliophilia.

x

"Where's the ass?"

Severus glanced up from Concoctions with Chinese Chomping Cabbage. Evans looked more tired than usually. She had red-rimmed eyes – he noticed the effect clashed with the colour of her irises. Weird. Not many people – statistically speaking – had that colour.

"Which ass?" Severus responded, feeling above pointing out that a Prefect and the hottest candidate for Head Girl should not use such degrading address for her classmate.

"Potter's ass," she clarified calmly. Severus couldn't stop the corner of his mouth quirking.

"I thought the silence was suspicious."

"He better not be on the Quidditch Pitch…" the girl growled and glanced out of the window.

"Who better not be on the Quidditch Pitch?" inquired a voice about three feet from Severus's ear. He almost jumped, but caught himself just in time.

"Your ass…" Severus mumbled. Potter didn't hear it, bt Evans chuckled. It was rather surprising – he had always thought that girls were giggling, not chuckling.

"Where were you?" she asked, with a perfect mask of strictness. If there were contests in imitating teachers in the Gryffindor tower like there were in the Slytherin common room, Evans must have won with McGonagall.

"Well, I wasn't doing anything useful here, so I thought I'd sneak down to the kitchens and bring you a snack." He deposited a tray with three glasses, a jug of blackberry juice and a self-filling plate of tuna sandwiches on the table, and gracelessly plopped down on the carpet.

"Have I grown another head?" he asked, and Severus realised he was staring. He tore his eyes of the Gryffindor and buried his nose in his book.

"I didn't poison it…" Evans was finally persuaded to risk and take one. It turned out to be perfectly safe, and judging by the look of appreciation on her face also rather tasty.

"Of course not. You wouldn't know how," Severus muttered, but, despite himself, took one. It had been hours since he last ate. Thanks Merlin for house elves.

x

"We've been working together for two weeks. We could-"

"Next to each other," Severus clarified.

"Sorry?" Potter apparently didn't understand. What a surprise.

"We – that is Evans and I – have been working next to each other for weeks. You, Potter, did not work."

There was a while of silence as the Gryffindor tried to come to terms with that statement. Evans went as far as to lower her book to watch the outcome of the conversation.

Potter took his sweet time, but in the end nodded and grinned.

"Alright. Still, we've been sharing the same breathing space-" Severus's stomach lurched. "- for two weeks, and have a prospect of another four. We could at least call each other by their given names."

"No way," Severus declared and turned back to Draughts and Derivatives.

"We could, you know…" spoke Evans.

"No, we could not."

"Come on, Severus." The shock made him look up again. He rarely hears his first name spoken without ridicule or contempt. It felt strange. Unfamiliar.

"No."

"Please?"

Potter was staring at him with anticipation, biting his lower lip, which actually made him look stupider than he was. Severus glanced over at Evans. She practically radiated hopefulness.

"Lily," she said and reached out. Severus cursed all Gryffindors to the deepest levels of Hell and shook his head.