BitterSweet, Chapter 10:
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling; I do not own any of the characters etc. etc.
Severus POV:
"Mum, I am going out for a few hours." I yell into the lounge room as I run out of the house grabbing my jacket.
"Boy, you get your skin-" Tobias' voice is shut off as I slam the door. Tucking my wand into my pocket, I walk over to the meeting place.
"Sev!" Lily yells from the other side of the road, running over and wrapping her arms around me. Fighting the instinct to pull her arms away, I hug her lightly back. "It has been two weeks since I last saw you – and that was when we dropped you off at Spinner's End! Why haven't you owled me to meet up sooner?" She asks, slightly offended.
"Nice to see you too Lily." I reply, rolling my eyes. She just pokes her tongue at me, forgetting her anger. She grabs my hand as if it was normal and starts walking down the street.
"Where are we going?" I ask, my eyebrows knitting together. We were meant to just sit at the park, and now were walking the opposite way.
"I am taking you out for a drink. You've been jailed up for two weeks and need to get out." Lily reasons, looking at me from the corner of her eye. I feel my stomach knot up. I hate being amongst muggles; I feel awkward and uneasy. "And, we need a good place to talk."
"I'm not dressed for going out." I quickly retaliate, tugging her hand to go the other direction.
"Sev, you look great." She says in a soft tone, her cheeks slightly pink. "Quick! We're going to miss the bus!" She suddenly exclaims, as the muggle vehicle stops a few metres ahead of us. She pulls me into a run with her. We make it onto the bus and then I realize I don't have any muggle money with me. Of course.
"Don't worry, today is my treat." Lily says sweetly, noticing that my hands were searching my pockets for money. Handing me my ticket, she walks over to a spare couple of seats. I walk over and sit next to her, with my arms crossed across my chest and my hair covering my face so nobody else can see me clearly.
"I'll pay you back later." I say gruffly, embarrassed.
"No. Let me treat you for once; besides you're in my world now." Lily says simply, looking outside the window. As the minutes pass, I watch Lily in an amused way. Her facial expressions are so serene, so beautiful. With a beanie neatly on her beautiful red hair, she is dressed in a range of white and light pink clothing, everything colour coded. She looks angelic.
The bus suddenly jolts forward to a stop, and I jump up out of my seat ready to leave.
"This isn't our stop, the next one is." Lily explains quietly as she pulls me to sit down. I look at her face again I see her features are downcast.
"Lily, what's –" I begin to ask, before an elderly woman interrupts.
"Young man, may I sit there? These bones of mine are not what they used to be." An old lady asks. Ready to tell her to leave me alone, I meet Lily's expectant gaze and can't find it in my heart to disappoint her.
"Of course." I say in a kind voice as I move out of the seat.
"Why thank you dear. Sorry to disturb your time with your pretty sweetheart here! I remember when I was in love…" the lady comments. I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. I pretend to not have heard the comment, and I stare directly ahead of me, grabbing hold of the pole for support as the bus moves. Out of the corner of my eye I see Lily smile, and somehow it makes all the embarrassment feel worth it.
Sometime later, the bus stops again and Lily says goodbye to the lady as we exit the vehicle. After walking a dozen metres down the street, I hear a little voice call out.
"Mister! Mister! Mister with the red-headed Miss!" the person shouts, the voice getting nearer. I turn around curiously only to see a little child in front me holding my wand. "Mister! You dropped your stick! I saw it fall out of your pocket!" The little girl says, panting from the run from the bus stop. I look up at Lily with a surprised expression.
"Thank you. Could I please have it back?" I ask as kind as possible, bending down to the child's level. Not seeming phased by my closeness, she hands me over my wand, watching me intently.
"Mister, why do you carry a stick around?" She asks innocently. I chuckle at the question while tucking the wand into my pocket again.
"It's to keep away mean people." I say in a hushed voice for exaggeration. The little girl nods her head, believing every word. Her big green eyes and high ponytails remind me of when Lily was little.
"Isabella? Isabella! What are you doing talking to strangers?" A lady scolds, grabbing the little girl's hand.
"The man dropped his stick. I gave it back to him." Isabella responds proudly. The woman's face softens at her daughter's enthusiasm. Grabbing her daughter's hand, she stares at me with a judging look. One of those you-must-be-insane looks. Quickly, I begin to feel mildly awkward and uncomfortable.
"Thank you Isabella. We must get going now – have a good day." I thank, quickly grabbing Lily's hand and walking off. As Lily and I walk further down the street we can hear Isabella talk to her mother.
"The man carries a stick to keep away mean people. Can I get a stick mummy?" She asks her mother. I can't help but chuckle, and I see Lily giggle at the little girl's comment. We continue walking for some time, not saying anything. It is a pleasant silence; not awkward, and I am surprisingly comfortable as I observe a normal muggle day.
"In here!" She says suddenly, grabbing my hand and pulling me into a small confined room.
"What would you like to drink, Sev?" She asks me as she steps towards the counter.
"Uh…I don't know. What is there?" I reply, looking at my surroundings. This is the first time in 9 years I've fully been amongst muggles, I realize.
After ordering our drinks, Lily leads me over to a single table in the corner of the room. The room is small but modern and cozy. The walls are painted chocolate brown and there are lounges on one side of the room, the room filled with strange aromas and a little too warm temperature.
"That little girl was so cute. You know, you're pretty good with children, Sev." Lily compliments, smiling as she sits down. I feel myself begin to close up at the compliment, my arms itching to fold across my chest, my eyebrows itching to scowl.
"Uh, thanks." I say, fighting the urge to close up. Fortunately a waitress comes to our table and serves us our drinks, preventing Lily from noticing my reaction. I look at the brown substance wearily, and see Lily savouring the aroma before quickly taking a sip. She sees my expression and rolls her eyes.
"After 8 years of being your best friend, I would have thought you'd trust me by now! It's hot chocolate." She mocks, gulping the rest of hers down. I allow myself a little sip. The taste is better then any magical hot chocolate I've ever tasted; it's so smooth…so creamy. As I too gulp it down, I see Lily laughing at me. I start to frown.
"What's funny?" I ask.
"You." She laughs. Seeing her laugh makes me laugh, and before long we're both laughing hysterically; something I have not done for many years.
After finally calming down, the conversation becomes serious. "So, what's taken you so long to get out of Spinner's End?" Lily asks, trying not to seem nosey yet failing miserably. Gryffindors.
"You wouldn't believe me." I say, wanting to see her reaction. Her eyes light up with a defiance.
"I bet I would. Try me." She replies.
"I went to my grandparents' house and they have made me the heir of the Prince fortunes, pretty much." I say simply. Lily's eyes widen.
"You're kidding! I thought they didn't have anything to do with you because of…" Lily's voice trails off and she looks at me as if she was frightened I would be offended by her comment.
"Here's what's happened:" I say, leaning forward, ready to tell her all of the details. She leans forward as well - our heads are so close that my nose is practically grazing against hers. "My Prince grandparents sent a house elf to get me, and brought me to the mansion. After small talk with my grandfather Xavier, my grandmother Henrietta took me into a different room. She is a Legilimens, and she knows I am not going to be a Death-Eater. She is on our side, Lily. She told me what happened to her and Xavier, and why they haven't talked to me or my mother. Xavier doesn't know that she is on our side though; he thinks I will be a Death-Eater. Nonetheless both have named me as their heir. Since then, I have been going back every few days to learn Occumelency and to study all other forms of magic." I finish, leaning back. Lily stares at me for a while, gathering all of her thoughts.
"But how did they know you were going to be a Death-Eater in the first place?" She asks, confused.
"Lucius invited them over to the tea party in my place. I assume Lucius thought that my proud grandparents' offering of the mansion would tempt me to join. He never told them why I wasn't going to be a Death-Eater, either." I say. I feel my mouth go dry as I realize I have said too much, and Lily notices my slip up.
"What did make you change?" She asks as innocently as Isabella asked me why I carry a stick. I try to search for an answer to give her, but find nothing believable.
"I will tell you later. Any other questions?" I say quickly, my irritation showing. Understanding my discomfort with the conversation, she asks another question.
"What are your grandparents actually like?" She asks, folding the napkin in her hands continuously.
"Xavier is a pureblood Slytherin who hates everyone with a lower status. He is cruel. Henrietta is a pureblood Slytherin who actually has kind spirit; she is amazing. She is very funny, and she cares so much. You should meet her one day." I say. She chuckles.
"I doubt Xavier is that bad. I am sure he is just acting like that." She replies.
"You always see the best in people, remember?" I remind her. She just grins back at me. I sigh.
"So, does this mean life is going to get easier for you? Not having to worry about pretending anymore?" She asks hopefully.
"I wish. It means I have to pretend more; as if I have two lives. No one can know about my grandmother. My mother doesn't even know. And there is such a long road ahead, but I guess this means that I will have one more ally." I answer truthfully, thinking of all the possibilities.
"Well, at least you know, I will always be here for you." Lily says, covering my hand with hers. I look up into her eyes and see her green eyes staring back at me intently.
The whole walk home Lily has been quiet, playing with her hands as we walk back. I've noticed that today she hasn't been herself. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, I remain quiet. Once we get back to the original meeting spot, I turn to go home.
"I will see you soon, won't I Sev? You will make time between me and your grandmother?" She asks sceptically, finally speaking. I turn back to look at her standing there with her hands clasped, looking down at the ground. As I look at her, my heart swells, and I know in my heart I will have to tell her soon. I had a plan in mind; it could either make or break me. I just have to try.
"Hey Lily, I have an idea. How bout you meet me here in two days?" I ask, my heart beating loudly.
"Christmas Eve?" She asks. Seeing me nod mutely, she smiles. "Sure." She replies.
"Great. Uh…Thanks for the good day…Goodnight." I say, trying not to let my excitement show in my voice. Starting to feel awkward again, I turn around and start walking to my house.
"See you later, Sev." She says, grabbing my arm and stopping me, kissing my cheek. I feel my skin tingle from her touch, and I fight the instinctive reaction to claim her as my own. I turn to look at her, and nod my head in farewell, not trusting my voice this time. As I walk away, touching the spot where she kissed me for the second time, I could swear I could hear Lily giggling from further down the street.
There you have it, the next chapter. I am already in the midst of writing the next one and it should be up soon. I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and as per usual, I hope you excuse any mistakes in there that I've missed.
This chapter was a bit more difficult then usual to write because I had the whole thing planned out in my head, and it was a lot harder to get onto paper! I really wanted to show you guys Sev in a normal muggle environment. If you are confused at all, please don't hesitate to ask any questions!
And thank you guys SO much for all your reviews for the last chapter - they made me cry! I really, really appreciated them all!
Please read and review, all questions and comments appreciated, and I will reply to them promptly!
Missteque xx