Chapter 10
A/N: Ok, I really don't have anything to say that I haven't said already, so I'll just get on with it, shall I?
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Since the news of Voldemort's death, the whole school had been in perpetual celebration. Dumbledore had immediately proclaimed an indefinite holiday. The exams had been cancelled, much to everyone's relief. Actual learning had been suspended until further notice. Even Professor Trelawney (who despite not being an actual Seer had still done nothing to lose her job at Hogwarts) was walking around with a smile on her face, beaming at everyone and for once not predicting someone's death. The whole wizarding world felt utterly invincible, and nothing could spoil their happiness.
Snape and Lily were the only ones with any reason not to be cheerful. It was now three weeks since Snape had told Lily that Voldemort was gone, and there had still been no word from Harry. As there were no lessons any more, Lily had nothing to do, and so she spent her days down in the Potions lab. Potion-making was the only thing that could take her mind off her father, and weaving her magic into the swirling liquid left her feeling too exhausted to think about him at night.
It was during this period that Lily was most grateful for Snape's presence. Over the last three years, he had become almost as much of a father as Harry, although there was something slightly different in their bond. He somehow knew exactly what she was feeling, and although he could not completely ease her mind, he always said the right things.
By now, Lily was making NEWT level potions, and knew at least three times as much as her classmates about ingredients and methods. She had joked once that she felt capable of passing her Potions NEWT there and then, and Snape had replied that she could without the slightest trace of humour or insincerity.
One day in the fun but admittedly similar weeks that now comprised Lily's existence, she came across a most interesting discovery. While waiting for one of her potions to ferment, she was browsing Snape's private library. He had an amazing number of books on Potions, more than Lily believed it would be possible to write. While she was running her fingers along the spines of the books, creating a thin line in the dust that coated their covers, Lily found the book Snape had written and quoted in his first Christmas present to her.
Mysteries of the Cauldron, by Severus Snape.
On an overwhelming compulsion Lily drew out the thick, heavy book from the shelves and opened it. She quickly found the section Snape had copied out into her handbook. After rereading it, she noticed that it continued, and so she read on:
One particular skill unique to the Aurora is the ability to read each other's minds. They are able to use telepathy to talk to each other silently and to implant thoughts mentally in their minds. As there have never been more than two known Aurora in the world at any one time, this talent has never been fully explored, and so the limits have not been found as regards range and various other factors. However, it is clear that with practice this could become an extremely useful skill to possess, and the entire 'good' wizarding world could benefit enormously from it.
Lily lifted her head from the pages. Could this be true? Could Snape in fact read her mind, could he know exactly what she was thinking? And more to the point, could she read his?
-Yes, I do know what you are thinking, and yes, with practice, you could read my mind.- Snape's voice sounded clearly in her head. -I've spoken to you several times this way before now. Haven't you noticed?-
Lily shook her head in disbelief, looking around for Snape. He appeared to have left, and so purposefully she set about projecting her reply back. She tried a few different states of mind before she found that a calm, still air was the easiest way. -Have you been reading my mind then, Professor?-
-A few times, yes. You haven't been guarding your thoughts; I could have picked them out of your head any time I wanted.-
-Teach me how to guard them, then. I don't want you to be able to tell what I'm thinking all the time!-
-Oh, I don't know, it might be quite useful,- he teased. Then, when she started to whine at him, he relented. –Oh, all right, Lily. Picture your mind as a mass of interwoven threads, glowing with coloured light. I don't know what colour it'll be,- he said before she could ask. –That depends on your personality.-
-What colour is your mind?- she asked.
-Green. Go on, picture your mind. Concentrate on it, don't think about anything else. You need to empty your mind.-
Lily tried to focus on her mind, and slowly an image appeared of entwined copper threads, expanding as more of her concentration flowed into it. As it grew, it started to glow, getting brighter and brighter as all other thoughts cleared from her mind.
-Copper,- Snape murmured. –Interesting. Now draw the threads in towards the centre of the mass, and imagine a very bright white line around them, protecting them.-
Lily did as she was told. It was very difficult to keep the concentration, and beads of perspiration began to stand out on her forehead. As she held the protective circle around her threads of her thoughts, she felt a tentative push against it by a single green thread. Determinedly she held the image in place as the thread probed the protective barrier, moving around it excruciatingly slowly as it searched for gaps and weak spots. When it was nearly halfway round and showed no signs of stopping, Lily projected another thought out to the green thread. –Go away.-
-Sorry.- Snape's voice sounded surprised. -I was just testing it. It is possible to break through the line if you know what you're doing, so it can't be weak or erratic.-
-I see,- Lily answered. –I suppose you'd better finish checking it, then.-
Snape did so, and then told her: -If your barrier was weak, Lily, I could break through into your thoughts and control them. If I wanted to, I could probably make you go mad. I could even switch off your thinking power so you wouldn't be able to do anything. There are some horrific things that can happen. Even if someone isn't an Aurora, they can still break through and mess up your head. So your barrier has to be strong. Yours seems fine, though,- he added as an afterthought. Then he emerged from his hiding place in his office, and spoke aloud. "I prefer talking this way, actually. It's much easier."
"Me too," she agreed quickly. "Oh – my potion's ready." She went over to the cauldron, her mind busy with thought even as she held the protective barrier in place. Could Snape know what she thought about? When had he been reading her mind? She had thought about everything under the sun in these dungeons: her friends, family, even Snape himself. Did he know how she felt about him? Not that you do feel anything for him, she told herself sternly. He's just like a … father, or a friend. But not anything like … that.
Still, it was pretty hard to stop thinking about him. She was at an age now where she was just starting to reach out into the world and experience real life with real relationships. Most girls her age had their family and friends to fall back on if things went wrong. But Lily's father wasn't there. She needed Snape more than ever now. And he needed her.
Lily's mind stopped abruptly at that last thought. He needed her. Something in his eyes when he looked at her, the way he had embraced her when she was weeping told her that this wasn't just a conceited hope. He really did need her.
And if things did happen, Lily thought, then that was just too bad.
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A/N: My humble apologies for this being so short! There is a longer chapter coming! Oh yeah, if there are any typos in the story please just ignore them. I'm sure most of you are intelligent to work out what it's supposed to say.