Chapter 12
Lily waited at the main doors for Severus. Nervous and excited, pacing back and forth, trying to calm down before he arrived. She kept telling herself she had no reason to be nervous, she was alone with him most days, held his hand most days. Today wasn't that different. Only it was. Today had a label. A date.
"Hi, Lily" Mary greeted. Mary, Alice and three other girls were already on their way out, to make the walk down to Hogsmeade
"Hi" Lily replied brightly
"Are you coming down to Hogsmeade with us?" Alice asked. Lily hadn't confirmed any plans with the girls, and they had assumed that her and Severus had been putting on a display yesterday, purely to annoy Potter.
"No, I'm waiting for Severus" she told them
"Really?" Mary asked
"Yes, really"
"Like a date?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow. It was little more than a week ago that she'd denied any sort of romantic attraction between herself and Severus. Of course, she'd been lying to them at the time. And the girls seemed, well, amused. They questioned her with raised eyebrows, sly smirks, and silly giggles. And she hated it. Lily tried to answer with as little information as possible, tried to keep any trace of emotion from her face. But the blush that kept creeping over her cheeks gave her away every time. And she hated herself for that.
"Yes, like a date" she finally answered
"Do you want us to wait with you for him?" Mary asked. God no! What would Severus think to see a whole group of girls waiting for him?
"No thanks. You all go on ahead" she answered, hoping they would take the hint
"Alright then, maybe we'll see you down there later" Alice said. Lily nodded, and thankfully the group headed out the main doors, leaving her to wait.
A minute later, a tap on her shoulder grabbed her attention. Lily spun around quickly to find Severus standing there, an amused expression on his face.
"Good morning, Lily" he greeted warmly
"Good morning, Sev" she smiled "Did you sleep well?"
"Actually, I did" he replied. Maybe that was why he seemed in such a good mood
"Good. You just missed Mary and the girls"
"I know" he grinned
"You were watching? Why didn't you come over?" Severus' eyebrows disappeared up his forehead. Silly question. "Alright, fair enough" she said rolling her eyes
"You know me too well" he laughed
"What! You're such a people person" she joked
"Absolutely" he smirked "Now, how about we get this show on the road. Hogsmeade is waiting"
"Sounds good to me" she smiled. Severus nodded and reached for her hand, leading her out the doors to make their way down the hill to the main gates.
The two of them walked in silence out the gates, hands clasped tightly together, fingers woven carefully, smiles on their faces. In their own world as other students passed them by, some sparing them glances, some ignoring them as they were lost in their own conversations. And it felt wonderful.
"So, where to first, Sev?" she finally asked as they approached the village
"How about the bookshop?" he suggested. Should have known.
"'Tomes and Scrolls' here we come" she nodded, and the two made their way quickly over. Not many Hogwarts students were in the bookshop, most of them were in Honeydukes, or Zonko's checking out the jokes, seeing if there was anything new in that they could sneak passed Filch.
Lily and Severus wandered up and down the aisles, pulling down random books that looked or sounded interesting. Every so often they would stop and compare their findings, just like they used to do when they visited Hogsmeade together in previous years; enjoying the peace and quiet of their surroundings, losing themselves in the books.
After they'd exhausted the books on the ground floor, they headed upstairs. The books upstairs were a rather more obscure collection. Some were dark, some were light, and some that just didn't seem to fit in any of the sections downstairs.
Lily ran her fingers along the row, scanning the titles, unsure what she would find, unsure what she was looking for, when a small, slim book caught her attention. Frowning, she withdrew it from the shelf, reading the title 'Tortam tempore - twists of time'. Curious. She glanced through the book quickly, looking at the chapter titles - time travel, time loops, time twists...She didn't want to get her hopes up. Maybe the book was purely theoretical, discussions about time travel and whether it was possible. Maybe it would give them a clue to Severus' dreams.
"Sev" she called to him softly "Look at this." Severus placed the book he held back on the shelf and joined her to look at the small book
"Time travel?" he questioned "I don't think I've been time travelling, Lily"
"I didn't say you had been, but there's something strange going on. This discusses different kinds of time travel. Maybe it will give us some clues, or at least a starting point to work with, with Dumbledore" she explained quietly. Severus flicked through the book, before meeting her eyes with a smile
"That, is a brilliant idea" he agreed
"Let's see if there's anything else" she said as they both turned their attention to the small section the book had come from
"Hmm, The Circle of Time, interesting" she heard Severus say to her
"Circle?"
"Yes, this one is a theory, time is circular, rather than linear"
"Meaning we could see the future?"
"Theoretically. It says that humans aren't capable of perceiving time as anything other than a straight line, so we ignore it when we see a future event"
"Like déjà vu?"
"Yes, on a small, short term scale"
"So, what about Seers? Does that mean they're real?"
"I suppose some must be. But Seers just view themselves as messengers. They want to pass on what lies ahead"
"But, then that would mean we can't change the future. Wouldn't it?"
"Yes, but we've already proven that wrong. We've already changed two visions already"
"I think the books are probably good starting points, and there's nothing like these in the library back at Hogwarts"
"Good point. Let's get these and go and get some lunch" he suggested. Lily nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her back down the stairs. Maybe between these books and Dumbledore, Severus would finally start getting some answers.
...
It was already getting crowded in the Three Broomsticks by the time Severus and Lily had made their way over. They had spent two hours wandering through the bookshop. Two hours that had been most productive, thanks to Lily. A small book about Time and its various intricacies. A small book which would hopefully prove itself useful when he brought it up with Dumbledore tomorrow.
For now, he was sat with Lily, crammed at a small table in the corner, with her sat close by his side rather than opposite him. Lunch had been quickly eaten, now all that was left was to finish their butterbeers.
Today had, so far, been good. Another trouble free night had put him in a rather upbeat mood, her bright smile greeting him in entrance this morning had only added to that. He grinned inwardly at the turn of events. Only two weeks ago he could never have guessed how this Hogsmeade trip would go. But then again, two weeks ago he never would have expected a few nightmares to turn his life upside down. He supposed this was one of the positive changes that had occurred.
With a contented sigh, he slipped his arm around Lily's shoulder, feeling emboldened by his own thoughts. Lily glanced up at him, smiling warmly before leaning her head back against his shoulder. Yes, today was definitely a good day.
"So, do you think those books will help?" Lily asked him quietly
"I don't know, but I think it's the best clue we've got so far"
"Maybe Dumbledore will know more"
"I hope so. I guess I'll find out tomorrow"
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, looking up at him again
"I think I should try and go alone. I just get the feeling that Dumbledore wants it that way. Though I can't deny, I'd feel happier if you were with me" he admitted. Lily gave him a small smile "But I can tell you all about it afterwards" he added as she made herself comfortable against him again.
Severus leaned his cheek against her head, letting the scent of her hair tickle his nose. He wanted nothing more than to stroke her hair aside, place a kiss gently on her cheek, see what her reaction would be. But his confidence wouldn't let him, especially in a pub full of their fellow students. He felt himself brave for sitting with his arm around her, Lily snuggled close against him. For now, he was content, running his fingers lightly over her arm as they finished their drinks.
"Where next, Sev?" she asked as they made their way outside again
"I don't know, do you need to restock any of your potion supplies?" Severus asked
"I don't think so. Do you want to have a browse around Pippins anyway?"
"I've got a better idea" he grinned
"A better idea than hanging your nose over potions supplies?" she asked, looking amused "And what might that be?"
"I say we head over to Honeydukes and get some sweets, then we take a walk" he suggested as he slipped his arm around her shoulder again.
"I'm not going to say no to chocolate" she laughed. Relief flooding through him as he felt her arm wrap around his waist.
Honeydukes was as busy as ever, pretty much all the students found themselves in there at least once during a Hogsmeade visit. Drawn in by the baffling extent of chocolates and sweets. It wasn't unusual for students to eat their purchases during the trip, and have to return for more before heading back to the Castle. Severus had no intention of making multiple visits, and just hoped they could make this visit quick so they could get back outside into the fresh air. It was such a beautiful day, it didn't feel right being cooped up in various shops, browsing for the sake of it. He would rather be walking with Lily, somewhere quiet, where they could talk, relax.
Besides, if they were outside, they weren't in close proximity to their class mates. Although the Marauders were not an issue today - three of them being stuck in detention for their night time wanderings, and Lupin recovering in the Hospital Wing, Lily's dorm mates would be around somewhere. And he didn't know what they thought of him, he suspected they didn't trust him. Though, when he had seen them with Lily earlier, they hadn't looked upset, or disgusted, by the fact that Lily was going on a date with him. If anything, they had looked, amused. Like they had known this would happen sooner or later. And they would probably be on the lookout for them, to see if there was any gossip to catch up on. Or to spread. Or to report back to Potter.
Not that he cared what Potter thought of him. The worst that would happen there is they would have another reason to torment him. He could handle that.
Now, his dorm mates were another story entirely. They would also be lurking in Hogsmeade somewhere, though he'd seen no sign of them so far - but then they weren't likely to be browsing for books, or drinking in the Three Broomsticks. No, they'd be in the Hogs Head. Hopefully, they could be left in peace for the day, to enjoy the sunshine. To enjoy each other's company.
Lily paid for her assortments of treats, smiling as Severus held the door open for her, taking her hand again once they were outside, leading her away from the main road through a small wooded area.
"This is beautiful" Lily exclaimed as the trees thinned out, overlooking wide, rolling fields and hills, stunning shades of green speckled with splashes of colour where wildflowers grew, contrasted against the clear, blue sky.
"Very beautiful" he replied, keeping his eyes firmly on her, not that she knew that.
The two of them sat with their backs against a large tree, as they often did back at Hogwarts, taking in the view. The only sound they could hear was the singing from various birds. He could almost forget his nightmares sitting like this. How could his life possibly go wrong when he could feel so content? So peaceful.
Lily opened one of the bags of chocolates, popping one of the little chocolate balls in her mouth, before feeding one to him too. Sighing contentedly, he draped his arm around her again, fingers trailing gently on her upper arm, definitely feeling more at ease as the day went on. Lily leaned against him, keeping herself close as they continued to share the chocolates in comfortable silence. Severus let his eyes close as he revelled in the experience.
A soft giggle from Lily, drew his attention, forcing Severus to look at her. She'd turned herself slightly to face him, and looked amused
"What?" he asked, worried about what she could possible find funny
"Chocolate" she giggled, reaching with her thumb to gently brush the chocolate smudge from his lip
"You had me worried there for a minute" he laughed, looking away.
When he looked back, neither of them were laughing, she was searching his face for...something. Their faces were so close sat like this, he didn't think he'd ever looked at her face so closely before, bright green eyes staring at him so earnestly, pale skin, freckles. Lips.
Before he could help himself he was leaning in, brushing his lips against hers gently, just for a second. Unsure what her reaction would be as he pulled away.
"I wondered when you were going to do that" she smiled. Oh really? he thought, raising an eyebrow. He could feel himself blushing as she rested her hand on his chest, could feel his heart racing. Without thinking, he moved his free hand to her face, thumb brushing her cheek gently as he leaned in to kiss her again, a little more certain this time that his attentions were welcome.
Thoughts of everything else left him as he felt her kissing him in return, her soft lips moving against his. Nothing mattered any more. Nothing except her. Nothing except this moment.
