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Chapter Twenty-Six- Langlock
1973
There was nothing more enthralling than watching Lily Evans brew potions. Her graceful motions as she slipped essence of belladonna into her cauldron, her narrowed eyes sweeping across her Potions book, her determined frown playing with her full lips as her forehead creased ever so slightly, all transfixed Severus. Noting her natural skill and delicate precision, he wondered how anyone could doubt her magic. She may have returned from holiday a few days ago, but Severus still felt immensely glad to see her. She didn't belong in the Muggle world. She belonged at Hogwarts with him.
Lily's lips quirked into a smile once she noticed he was watching her. She tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear rather distractedly, stealing an anxious peek at her Swelling Solution before granting him her full attention. "Do I have frosting on my face again?"
"No," Severus said quickly, feeling his face heat. He quickly busied himself by returning to his own potion even though there was nothing else to be done. Slughorn had already approved it in his customary jovial manner, awarding him with irksome praise and ten points to Slytherin. "I was just lost in thought."
"Some of us can afford to be lost in thought. Your Swelling Solution is already cerulean," Lily said with a wistful glance at his cauldron. "Mine is still turquoise."
"Stir clockwise instead," Severus instructed, eying the frothy aquamarine liquid. He was pleased to see that she trusted him without hesitation despite the instructions on the board. Her furrowed brow relaxed as her potion simmered with revived energy. The bubbling foam gradually cleared into a clear azure, not unlike the sky on a cloudless day. There was not a hint of unwanted green to be seen.
"Thanks, Sev!" Lily beamed at him as she inspected her cauldron, which now contained a Swelling Solution just as flawless as Severus's. "Sometimes I think I like Potions even better than Charms. It's sort of like a puzzle."
"It does require intelligence. Something most people lack," Severus said with a disdainful glance at Avery, whose cauldron was sprouting out giant puffs of vermillion smoke. "You can bottle fame-"
"Brew glory?" Lily suggested, her emerald eyes twinkling.
Severus nodded solemnly. "And even stop death."
Lily laughed softly, but her eyes grew serious, despite the smile that remained on her lips, small and sincere. "I missed you, Sev. I think I'll stay here next Christmas."
Severus half-smiled, but he was barely containing his elation. He couldn't imagine anything better than Christmas with Lily, especially since it meant she wouldn't be with those Muggles. "Petunia still hasn't written back?"
"I didn't even send the letter," Lily confessed quietly, referring to the roll of parchment, full of blots and crossed out words, that she had spent an entire afternoon and evening working on. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me being a witch."
There was a sadness lingering in her eyes, a sadness that Severus longed to erase, regardless of his resentment toward Petunia. He still couldn't understand why Lily was so upset over her. She was only a Muggle, and a particularly horrible one at that. Why did she need that Muggle as a sister so badly when she already had a best friend?
"I have a surprise for you," Severus said abruptly, having a sudden need to change the subject. "I've been working on it for a while. I haven't tested it out yet."
"What?"
Severus just barely tilted his head toward Potter. Lily's gaze trailed after his, the cloudiness in her green eyes clearing, only to be replaced with sparkling excitement.
"Not that I need a better broomstick," Potter was saying quite loudly. "But still, a professional flier needs a professional broomstick and nothing is more professional than…"
Severus and Lily exchanged irritated glances as Potter droned on. Severus held a finger to his lips, his dark eyes flickering around the room to ensure that no one was watching them. Students were either panicking over their cauldrons or drooling over Potter with sickeningly worshipful eyes. The only exception was Black, who was lurking suspiciously by Avery's still smoking cauldron.
"The Nimbus is the very best broom there is. You can't even compare a Nimbus to a Cleansweep. That's just-"
"Langlock," Severus hissed under his breath, wand aimed discreetly toward Potter. Instantly, he tucked it away, turning back to Lily, careful to keep his expression inscrutable.
Abruptly, Potter stopped talking. Lily covered her mouth to keep giggles from escaping as everyone looked up at the unusual sound of Potter's silence. There was only a faint muffled sound coming from his direction.
"What did you do?" Lily whispered in awe.
"Stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth."
This time, Lily giggled aloud. She was not alone. Other students, mainly Slytherins, were more than slightly amused at the Quidditch hero's predicament. In a few minutes, even Severus was having difficulty in suppressing a snicker as Professor Slughorn inspected Potter.
"Very unusual. I don't think this has ever happened before…" Slughorn sounded baffled, his mustache twitching. "You can't talk at all?"
There was a smothered sputtering sound from Potter. It sounded furious. Severus started to laugh, but quickly covered it with a loud cough. He was not sorry to see that Potter had caught him, rewarding him with a fiery glare.
To Severus and Lily's delight, Potter was sent to the hospital wing.
"I can't believe you invented a spell," Lily said once Potions had ended. They hadn't dared speak to each other until they had left the dungeons in fear of bursting out in laughter. "Isn't that difficult?"
"A little," Severus didn't tell her that it had taken him over a year to learn. He didn't want anything to dull the admiration in those brilliant green eyes.
"You know what we should do?" Lily said suddenly.
"Hmm?"
The admiration transformed into a wicked gleam as Lily gestured toward the window. A thick layer of snow still covered the grounds, pristine and glittering. "Revenge. For last year."
Severus grinned back, his spirits soaring. He knew exactly what she had in mind.
Two days later, Severus and Lily found the Marauders on the grounds, boisterous and oblivious. Lily had looked up a clever little charm that would work perfectly. With Severus silently snickering beside her, she murmured the incantation.
Almost immediately, Lily ducked back behind the snowy beech tree. She and Severus didn't need to peek to know that the charm was effective. The Marauders' noisy chatter had been replaced by bewildered shouts and Pettigrew's whimpers.
"BLOODY HELL!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO, SIRIUS?"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"STOP SNIVELLING, PETER. IT'S JUST A FEW SNOWB- OUCH!"
"I have to say," Severus managed between laughs. "I have a new respect for Charms." He felt lighter than he had in days. Lucius Malfoy's words had weighed him down in an almost constant contemplation, but something about Lily's presence made him almost carefree.
"They deserved it," Lily said once she had recovered enough to speak, looking quite pleased with herself. "Especially after this morning."
The laughter died on Severus's lips as the memory of that morning came flooding back to him. The Marauders' had tampered with his pumpkin juice, causing a new boil to appear with every sip. It had taken a number of sips for Severus to discover what had happened. The heavy weight on his shoulders returned, even more burdensome than before. "Let's go inside. It's cold."
If Lily noticed his sudden change in mood, she didn't acknowledge it. As they skulked past the Marauders, she couldn't resist a peek. "Look at their faces!" She quickly covered her mouth, choking back fresh laughter.
Severus did so, amusement twitching on his lips. His sobriety faded somewhat, but was never far away, threatening to bury him along with an avalanche of hostility for the Marauders and everything they had done to him. He was tired of being made the fool. It was their turn now.
"Sev? Are you coming?"
Severus tore his eyes away from Potter and the rest, his grim expression softening as he saw Lily. As long as he had Lily, he knew it would never completely overwhelm him.
1973
Lily frowned slightly at her quill. Her hand was beginning to hurt and she was tired of copying notes. It seemed as if Defense Against the Dark Arts was nothing but copying notes.
"Is something the matter, Miss Evans?" Professor Caldwell asked pleasantly. The sound of quills scratching never diminished, but Lily knew that every student's ears' were pricked.
"No, Professor."
"Then I suggest you return to your work."
The cheery smile was nearly as bad as the notes. Lily sighed and picked up her quill once more. Severus shot her a sympathetic look.
Cornish pixies can be found in Cornwall…
Lily stopped writing and stared at the board in confusion. She could have sworn it had said Cornwall moments ago. Annoyed with herself, she scratched out the last line and began again.
Cornish pixies can be found in the dark depths of Professor Caldwell's enormous nostrils…
Lily's quill fell to the desk as she read what she had just absentmindedly copied off the board. For a good half minute, her eyes darted from her parchment to the board. Every word was accurate. Her gaze then flickered down the rest of the notes and she let out a strange choking noise of muffled laughter. Nearly every other sentence had been edited.
There was a stir in the classroom. There were giggles and whispers, but it was Lily's strangled laugh that drew Caldwell's attention.
"Again, is something the matter, Miss Evans?"
From the corner of her eye, Lily could see the Marauders were watching her. Everyone was watching her. Potter's hazel eyes sparkled wickedly, almost daring her to turn him in. For one second, Lily was sorely tempted to. Anything to obliterate that infuriating cockiness. But as much as she hated Potter, it was only a small prank and she was not a tattletale.
"No, Professor," Lily answered, fighting back an urge to laugh. Quickly lowering her head, she focused on the parchment in front of her. She didn't have to turn around to know that Potter was still watching her, along with Severus.
"Good. Now let's take a short break so we can review what you've copied so far," Professor Caldwell said much too brightly, clasping her hands together expectantly. "Mr. Avery?"
There were more sniggers and the sound of shuffling papers as Avery studied his notes. He read slowly, stumbling over more than the occasional word. "They may not be dark, but they are arguably the most mischievous of creatures. Cornish pixies can be found in the dark depths of Professor Caldwell's enormous nostrils-"
"Excuse me?" Professor Caldwell demanded sharply, her bright smile dissolving as the room crumbled into laughter.
Avery didn't seem to hear her. He kept on reading, raising his voice louder and louder with each word, determined to rise above the commotion. "They fear nothing except the old bat's oversized-"
"Enough!" Caldwell exclaimed with dismay Lily would never have guessed she was capable of, a dull red tinge overcoming her already rosy cheeks. She stormed over to Avery, roughly snatching the notes from his hands, and began reading, her grip tightening on the parchment until it crumpled.
"Does that mean it's wrong?" Avery asked in bewilderment. "I wrote what you said to."
Black shot Avery a look of pure disbelief. "How thick are you?"
Professor Caldwell ignored them. Her eyes automatically flashed to the board. For the first time, she scowled, her voice decidedly higher. "Who changed the notes?"
No one spoke. Everyone was watching her in awe, fascinated by the drastic change of temper. It was an intriguing change from the dull lectures and constant cheeriness.
"Either the one who changed the notes receives detention or you all do," Caldwell warned. Her voice may have been threatening, but Lily detected a note of fear. She felt the tiniest twinge of pity for the professor.
"Fine. You will all have detention tomorrow night. Lines."
There was a chorus of grumbles, but no one dared disagree. For once, Gryffindors and Slytherins were in silent agreement. At last something had livened up the class.
The uneasy accord shattered once class was dismissed. As the black robed students filtered out of the room, there were furious mutters, Slytherins blaming Gryffindors and Gryffindors blaming Slytherins, even though it had been the Marauders' doing.
"Thanks, Evans!" Potter said gleefully as he and his three partners in crime swept by. "I'll dedicate our next prank to you."
Lily grimaced. "Don't you dare!"
She turned to Severus to make a face, but he was watching her with a strange expression, his black eyes cold and unfathomable. Lily frowned slightly at him, not used to him eyeing her that way, as if they were strangers. "What is it?"
"Why didn't you turn them in?"
"Because I'm not Bertha Jorkins."
Severus wasn't amused. "I just thought you were starting to like them." There was a hint of a question in his voice, a question that she thought she would never have to answer.
"Do you really think I would be friends with them? With the way they treat you?" Lily couldn't help but feel stung. "Even if they apologized, you know I can't stand Potter."
There was a sudden light in Severus's eyes, a glitter that seemed reserved just for her. In a blink, he was her best friend again. "Sorry, Lily. I didn't mean to…" His voice trailed off and he suddenly seemed very uncomfortable.
"I know," Lily took his hand, feeling relieved that he believed her. "Let's go outside. Who knows how long we'll be doing lines tomorrow."
As they started for the grounds, Lily watched Severus from the corner of her eye. She was glad to see that he was Sev again, the boy who had told her all about magic and Hogwarts, the boy who had played hide and seek in the castle with her, and the boy who had promised they would be best friends forever.
In the one hideous moment when he had demanded why she hadn't turned the Marauders in, she hadn't known who he was at all.