A/N: School's back in session for Severus, Lily and all their friends. In this chapter, Severus and Lily get the chance to showcase their prowess as Potioneers; and Severus' increased popularity at Ilvermorny leads to some of Lily's fears and insecurities being made more apparent thanks to the increased interest in him from a certain segment of the student body.

Chapter 20 Potions Kings

The Winter Hols had passed by in a blur, the three weeks barely seemed like one, and before they knew it, Lily and Severus were hurtling across the Atlantic at sub-light speeds back to Boston, and from there, to Ilvermorny. For the most part, their holiday was relatively stress free, and they used it mainly as an opportunity to relax and enjoy some down time away from the stresses of school-life and all their assignments. That was just fine by Severus, he was never one to turn down a little bit of peace and quiet, relaxation was one of his favorite things after all; Lily on the other hand…hoped for just a little bit more excitement, with Severus in particular, but the boy had stubbornly refused her advances for…greater intimacy beyond cuddling and kissing throughout the holidays, she'd eventually thrown in the towel on that front. She didn't blame him for it, for his reservations were borne out of terrible horrors no child should ever have to face down, but she was still saddened by it all the same.

New Years, like Christmas, was a fairly quiet affair, and the remaining week of the holidays following the commencement of 1975 passed by in the blink of an eye—at least it seemed that way to Severus and Lily. By the end of the first week of January, they were headed back to Ilvermorny and back to their home away from home.

Upon arriving at their home away from home, they were granted no reprieve or time whatsoever to get back in the groove as the teachers heaped loads of coursework on them from the first day of term. Severus and Lily—like their Horned Serpent brothers in arms—were barely able to keep their heads above water after the onslaught of homework they were assigned during their first week back. But with persistent trips to the library, and through working late into the night, they were able to complete all their assignments to a good, if not strong, standard. As the weeks wound on however and the two fifteen year olds settled into the mundanity of their school lives, their focus shifted to the upcoming potions competition later in the year. There was an bi-annual potions brewing championship held every odd year. The defending champion of their year group was none other than Nicole Goodman, and despite losing out to the two overseas potions prodigies for the seat in Rosier's advanced class, she had every intention of defending her title.

So as the weeks soldiered on and the cool, New England Winter began to thaw and abate, all the Potions enthusiasts of the castle had turned their attention to the upcoming competition. Exams were still a ways off and there wasn't much else of interest to Severus and Lily in regard to extracurricular activities. One fine Spring day, about a month before the competition, Severus and Lily were wandering the grounds in search of a small clearing at the edge of the forest, they'd gathered some books from the library—as well as Severus' own personal collection inherited from his mother, and were brainstorming ideas for the competition.

Severus peered at Lily curiously through his long curtain of hair as the pair trudged out of the courtyard towards the sloping tree-line beyond. "Don't you think we should've invited Nicole for this? She's been—"

"She's meeting with Thomas," Lily said flippantly, seemingly not caring for the absence of their fellow potions protege. "And besides…it's not like we want her listening in on our secrets, do we?"

"Oh I'm not sure that that's all," Severus smirked, they were now traipsing across the dew-laden grass towards the tree line, the base of an old oak their destination, it marked the edge of a meadow just within the forest. "I think…that may be part of the reason, but are you sure you're not jealous dear Lilian?"

Lily huffed angrily and her entire body seemed to tense up slightly. She threw a withering look Severus' way and said; "I am not jealous, Severus, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't throw around unfounded accusations."

"Yeah," Severus snorted disbelievingly. "I don't buy that for one second Lily. Come on, you can tell me what's bothering you, yeah?"

"Well what do you want me to say, that I'm jealous? Is that it Severus?" Lily asked, whirling about on the spot to face him.

"And what are you jealous about, Lily?" Severus asked coolly, keeping his tone even. He stared down his long nose at Lily, taking in her flustered features—and silently wondering what had caused her to reach such a state, but he had a sinking suspicion that the answer to that question would not be pretty.

"I've seen the way…some people look at you Sev, Nicole too…despite being with Thomas," Lily grumbled, "I don't like it. And frankly…it pisses me off that people are literally ogling you at times when they know that we are together!"

"I mean honestly! We may not be the…uh, the most…'out there' couple, if you know what I mean—" Severus nodded "—but everyone knows we're together and these…girls just stare at you."

"How did you think I felt when Potter stared at you? How did you think I felt when you were being flirted with and gushed on by a third of the boys in our year?" Severus asked, using her silence, he pressed on. "You're the only girl for me, Lily, please know this above all else. I don't even think I could love anyone more than I love you now." He stepped closer to her, his fingers reached for her palm, and then placing it on his beating heart. "There's only room for you, Lily. You're the only one for me, for now, and forever," he said earnestly, a small smile forming on his face.

A slight smile bloomed on Lily's face in return. Unable to help herself—and still wearing that goofy smile, she leaned up on her toes, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him eagerly. Her toes curled, and she breathed a heady sigh at Severus' eager response—they were far enough from the castle for their lack of discretion to not be an issue, so neither held back as Severus backed her into a tree, their lips locked all the while. Severus' hands wandered lower, landing on her hips, and gripping her through the fabric of her robes, whilst her own left his cheeks, and wound around his neck, prolonging that delicious friction on her lips. Severus made short work of untucking her jumper, and his palms found the smooth skin of her abdomen beneath the garment, but when Lily's hands wandered southwards from their twining about his neck to do the same, he abruptly stilled—a faint shudder passing through him, as he pulled away from their lip-lock. Her hands had just worked their way beneath his jumper, and he could tell, her finger tips had just ghosted a ridged scar—one his father had given him.

Lily peered up at him through long lashes—concern in her eyes. "Is something wrong Sev?" she asked faintly.

"I don't think I'm ready…for that," he admitted through clenched teeth, his forehead leaned forward to come to rest on her's.

"That's fine Sev," Lily murmured, planting a brief, sweet kiss on his lips, then pulling away. Her green eyes reflected her contentedness with the state of their relationship, as did her smile. Her smile quickly faded however as she said; "And I…I'm sorry about earlier. I know that…well, I know that you're an honorable guy, you wouldn't cheat and neither would I, of course…it's just that…well the way they look at you…"

"Be that as it may, rest assured I will never act on their…stares, I have the most amazing girl in the world, standing right in front of me—" Lily blushed heavily, and her lips quivered upwards into a small smile "—and I feel like I've lucked out enough for a thousand lifetimes. There's no one I want to be with more than you, Lily, in the entire world." He spoke with sincerity that Lily could feel as clear as day, she believed him, and how could she not? He'd made no secret of the fact that his heart laid in her palm, and while the same wasn't true for her at first; her heart now only had room for him, and beat solely for him. It was that sense of vulnerability and trust they shared with each other that made their relationship so much more worthwhile. Despite the fact that their hearts beat as one, and their relationship grew stronger and more resilient by the day; it wasn't easy for Lily to see all those girls looking at Severus that way. Her jealous-streak couldn't quite but help rear its ugly head in the face of Severus' newfound popularity amongst the female populace of their year.

"You say you only love me," Lily muttered, staring deeply into his eyes. "But if you had the chance to date anyone, even Lynda Day George—" in reference to Severus' celebrity crush, "—would you still choose me?"

"The answer is you. Always you," Severus murmured, punctuating his words with a kiss on her cheek—she sighed happily at the sensation.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Severus offered, pulling away from her and gesturing to the base of the tree for them both to sit.

Lily paced around for a moment, several micro-emotions forming on her face, then dissipating even faster than they'd come on. "Will you let this go if I ask nicely?"

Severus' lips thinned, and he shook his head.

"How about if I ask nicely, and I give you the best snog of your life as well?"

If it were at all possible, his lips pursed even closer. "No. Your pathetic swindling won't work on me, Lily," Severus drawled sarcastically.

"Well what do you want me to say then?" Lily blurted out, her words coming out in a jumbled, conjoined mess. "That I'm jealous? That I'm…that I don't like the way you're getting so much attention?"

"I can't do anything about that, so why get mad for it? Isn't it more important that I don't act on this supposed, attention I've been getting?" Severus pointed out, his voice seemed challenging, almost as if he were daring Lily to disagree with him.

"Yes I suppose so," Lily responded glumly, "but it doesn't change that I don't like how some girls stare at you like you're a piece of meat, like I'm not even there."

"Look at me." He spoke harshly, his words cutting through the gloom she'd built around herself like spears and piercing her skin. Like his speech, his fingers on her jaw weren't gentle either, as they forced her chin up to meet his gaze. "There isn't another girl for me, Lily; not a person in the world I'd rather be with too…so they can stare all they want, I don't give a rat's arse about it, all I need is you," he muttered—his voice radiating conviction of the highest order.

"And all I need…is you as well, Sev," Lily said assuredly, her eyes locking onto his, and boring holes through his gruff exterior. She licked her lips—a swift dart of her tongue outwards, then inwards again, her eyes on his all the while with such earnestness and desire it warmed his innards beyond compare. Again, they kissed, and again, it felt nothing short of blissful and euphoric. Severus repeated his assurances to her, murmuring against her lips, her neck, her cheeks, that she was his all—his love on every plane of existence; his mind, body and soul, all belonged to her, and only her. It worked wonders with Lily's insecurities, having the truth laid bare before her—her concerns being cast into the wind and blown far, far away. All Lily could focus on, all she could feel, was the heavenly feeling of Severus' lips pressing against her's; her insecurities…and her doubts paled in comparison, his kiss was proof enough of his ever-burning flame for her. He was her's for now, and forever—and if that was what he set out to prove, he deserved a gold star for his efforts, or better yet, the same assurance that she was his for all time. Opening her lips, she emptied her heart to him, giving him all that he needed to feel just as she had. She was his, as he was hers; 'til the end of time.

Her hands wandered southwards, seeking the hem of his jumper and reaching for it, tugging it upwards, and hoping to find his…hands on her wrists? She glanced up into his eyes—and they were dark, cold, stern…but past his stone-faced facade, she found a hint of pleading—all of it screaming no.

"Sev?" Lily asked softly, easing her hands away and rising slowly to cup his cheeks. "It's alright, I won't think of you any differently for it," she coaxed, speaking not dissimilar to how she'd address a wounded and frightened animal.

"I can't," Severus whispered, his head hung low—and hiding behind his hair so he couldn't see her concern-filled orbs; his face of ice was cracking, pushing his inner thoughts to the fore.

"Please Sev? I love you no matter what, and your scars…they won't change that…or if they do, it'll only make me love you more."

When Severus looked into her gentle, green eyes, he seemed as if he was at war with himself. "Love me more?" he whispered—and it sounded as if he didn't believe her, he thought she was delusional, if not outright lying. He didn't want to believe her, he couldn't believe her. How can she love me more after seeing those hideous scars? Severus thought.

"They're marks of your bravery, Sev," Lily said, her fingers twining with his and grasping them tightly. "They're marks…of all you've been through, all you've experienced, and yet here you are, standing taller than ever before. You're here Sev…and the marks you bear…to me they symbolize all you've survived, please don't be…ashamed—" he winced slightly, but Lily soldiered on, pleading with the boy who held her heart in his grasp, to feel her sincerity, "—don't be ashamed, Sev, because all I see is a mark of strength, resilience, and persistence; you've got all of those things in spades."

"If I were stronger…my mother would still be here today," Severus murmured. "I was too weak, I need to be stronger, Lily…you don't understand. So I…I can't. Not now. And please, just…don't ask again. I don't want you seeing…" He visibly shuddered, like he'd just been struck by a cold blast of air.

"Alright Sev," Lily said. "How about we get started on our potions, yeah?"

That suggestion seemed to perk Severus right up from his dour mood, they sank down to the base of the tree and sat against the bark, their books propped in their lap, and began brainstorming ideas for the competition. There were seven groups within the tournament, one per year, Nicole was the defending champion of their year back when their cohort were second years. Severus had decided for his entry, he would brew an adaptation of the Draught of Peace, whilst Lily opted to brew a variation of a standard Nutrient Potion. She'd been to the hospital wing many times back at Hogwarts, for Severus not herself, and had chatted for many hours with Madam Pomfrey whenever the elder witch was free whilst watching over Severus as he recovered. She was very well versed with healing potions, as was Severus to a degree, but Lily more so owing to the 'private tuition' she'd received from one of Britain's finest Healers.

When the sun began to set, Lily and Severus packed up their notes, that had been strewn around the pair of them in a messy semi-circle, and stuffed them haphazardly into their backpack. When their things were packed, they headed back up the hill towards the courtyard and the castle beyond. As they entered the courtyard Lily and Severus came across a peculiar sight, that upon seeing—immediately brought a smile to Lily's face, and a gag and sneer combo to Severus'. Under the shade of a statue, one depicting none other than Isolt Sayre, one of the four founders of Ilvermorny, and the founder of their own house, Horned Serpent; Thomas and Nicole were locked at the lips, and from the looks of things, Thomas' hand was hiked quite high up under Nicole's skirt. The pair of them seemed entirely oblivious to the presence of their friends, and remained thoroughly engrossed with deepening their snog.

Although Lily was smiling broadly at her two friends snogging the living daylights out of one another, it wasn't entirely for reasons one might expect. Of course Lily was happy for her fellow redhead that she'd found a boy that she got along with and cared for, but beyond that, she was also happy that Nicole seemed to be getting over her fleeting crush on the object of her affections, her boyfriend of over one year. Once Severus' gagging had reached its crescendo however, the two sprang apart and whirled around to face the witnesses catching in on their act.

"Lily!" Nicole exclaimed, scrambling apart from Thomas, her eyes wide.

"Yes, that's her name," Severus said dryly, giving the two of them a sardonic look. "Are you two quite done by any chance, or shall we leave you to your…business."

Thomas unruffled his outer robe and stood tall to glare at his roommate. "Really man? You had to interrupt us now of all times?"

Severus shrugged. "We just so happened to be passing by, as you do, on our way to the Meal Hall, consider it a happy coincidence," he drawled.

Nicole glanced down to check her watch, and sure enough, it was quite nearly time for dinner. She turned to Thomas and said; "We should probably get going, dinner should be starting in a few minutes."

The two couples marched into the entrance hall, then veered right into the rapidly-filling Meal Hall. Sandra had been slapped with a detention earlier that day by Professor Wainwright, she'd gotten into a bit of an argument with a classmate, an argument that eventually descended into hurling hexes at each other—this landed Sandra with a week's worth of detention starting today. As they neared their usual table by the far wall, they spotted Scott and Caroline already seated, looking through the throngs of students for them. She hadn't found them just yet amongst their fellow students, but they made for the table at a swift pace regardless. Caroline eventually found them amidst the sea of students and waved them over.

"Hey you four. Did you guys have fun studying just now?" Caroline teased, smirking at the two couples, her smirk morphing into a grin, as she spied two blushes creeping up Nicole's and Severus' cheeks.

"Just so you know, we did spend most of our time studying," Lily said flippantly, as she plopped herself down into a chair next to Caroline.

"Yes, emphasis on most," Severus added, now sitting on Lily's other side.

"Yeah, of course," Caroline said, smirking disbelievingly. "And what about you two? Had your fun making out in an alcove?" she added, glancing over at Nicole and Thomas, who had taken their seats on the opposite, vacant end of the table.

Nicole's eyes—narrowed into slits, found the teasing gaze of her friend as her lips pursed together in annoyance. "For your information, Caroline—" Nicole sneered her best friend's name with such vehemence, it even made Severus proud, "—we were making out in the courtyard, and we were having a pretty good time until these bozos interrupted us," she jerked her head towards Severus and Lily.

"Well would you rather it have been us, your friends? Or other students…better yet, how about a teacher?" Severus said, exasperation lacing his tone.

Nicole muttered something under her breath, then turned back to Thomas.

"So you guys heard about what happened to Sandra right?" Caroline asked, glancing between the pair of them.

"Sort of," Lily replied, frowning slightly, she's had uh…well she hexed…who was it again?"

"Jacobson," Scott said softly. "He insulted her…blood heritage, I was there with her, and I was about to stun the ingrate when Sandra whipped out her wand and hexed Jacobson to vomit slugs. Not a pleasant hex to be struck with."

"And Healer Blythe couldn't cancel the spell either, so he was stuck hurling slugs for an hour," Caroline added.

"But didn't Sandra go to the hospital wing as well?" Severus inquired curiously.

"Mhmm," Caroline nodded. "Before Scott took Jacobson down, he hit Sandra back with this…weird hex I've never heard of, it set her hair on fire—eyebrows too, but didn't burn anything else. Weird. But she's alright, she wasn't burned but she's lost all her hair, I think Blythe gave her something to grow it back though. And now she and Jacobson are in detention, together."

"Yeah but Jacobson's got detention for twice as long, two weeks for calling her a mudblood, and also for the hexing bit, Sandra's just got the one," Scott pointed out.

"Whatever the case, it's a shame she hexed first, she might've been able to get off without a detention had she not started it," Caroline said miserably.

"Yeah well, since when has Sandra not been hex happy?" Nicole said, sporting a dry look.

When dinner appeared in the middle of the table, they all wasted no time piling their plates high with food, some more than others. Much of the meal was spent discussing recent developments in the Muggle world, as well as some in the magical as well. Over in South East Asia, the North Vietnamese Army had invaded South Vietnam in violation of the peace treaty set up two years prior in 1973, and were rapidly advancing on the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon. Thomas had an uncle stationed in Saigon, a combat engineer for the US Marine Corps. Thomas had been exchanging letters with his parents, who in turn, were in contact with his uncle, needless to say they were all concerned that the fall of Saigon and with it—all of South Vietnam, was imminent. Severus in particular had followed developments in Vietnam over the past decade or so, as was John, but that came of no surprise as the boy was the resident history buff of their year. John's view on the matter was that the loss was inevitable, simply put, the US lacked the resolve to push forward into the north and eliminate the problem at its roots, their unwillingness to fight as hard as the north meant losing South Vietnam was inevitable in his opinion, Severus shared the same view.

Lily couldn't help but wonder if the same applied to the warring halves of Magical Britain back home. Was it simply the case that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were, at their core, more willing to fight, and to win than the ministry was? Was it inevitable that their willingness to fight harder, to commit farther than her side, would enable their victory? She shuddered at the mere thought of it. As John blabbered on to Thomas, Severus and Scott on his expansive views of the conflict in South East Asia, Lily found herself listening in, and taking mental notes throughout on the things John spoke of, she'd have to write dad and ask just what the boy was referring to. It may be of some use after all. Eventually, Sandra joined them for dinner once her late-afternoon detention had finished. The girl had been run ragged by Ed Sawyer, with the groundskeeper/caretaker of the school having her polish trophies and medals the entire afternoon. Given her muggleborn heritage however, Sandra took to the task with relish, and she fared much better than the pureblooded Lucas Jacobson—owing to the fact that she'd had far more experience doing chores by hand, rather than with magic.

In the following weeks, time seemed to pass more slowly as the competition neared. Severus, Lily and Nicole would be taking part in the competition, and thus spent more and more time apart from one another, undoubtedly trying to protect their individual innovations that they intended to create in the competition. Severus in particular was the most secretive, this in large part to his inner-Slytherin tendencies. Amongst all the fourth years participating in the competition, there were six students representing Horned Serpent House, Severus, Lily and Nicole—being the aforementioned three, in addition to Rebecca, Michael and Billy; there were also three Thunderbirds, five Pukwudgies, and two Wampus'. The sixteen students represented the best brewers in their year, although going into the competition, it was pretty much judged to be a three horse race between the trio of potions prodigies in Horned Serpent, and the three close friends.

After many weeks of boring schoolwork during which nothing of significance occurred to the group, the competition was finally upon them. The competition was being held over the course of a week, running from Monday through to Sunday, all years competing on one day each. Given that they were fourth years, Severus, Lily, Nicole and their thirteen rivals would all be competing on the Thursday, and that meant the sixteen entrants would all be excused from classes that day. They'd have to find their own time to catch up on the work they missed, but the school was kind enough to grant them a whole day to complete their projects.

Some entrants had decided to submit strictly theoretical calculations about projected improvements in potion efficacy or yield based on changes to existing recipes, they wouldn't actually be brewing anything. Severus and Lily along with numerous other entrants would actually be producing the potion, demonstrating their ability to brew and put into practice, their improvements. To be frank, a lot of the students had entered the competition to skive off classes for a day, because all but Nicole knew they had an ice cube's chance in hell of actually beating both Severus and Lily. The legend of the their prowess as potioneers had spread far and wide, and almost everyone in the castle knew of their reputation as brewers of the highest caliber.

It was a pleasantly balmy, mid-March day when Severus woke bright and early from his dorm to get ready for the brewing contest, Billy had awoken early as well—rather uncharacteristic for the boy who usually slept in late like his pal John. When Severus pulled back the blinds on his four poster, he spotted the bed's across from his shut—John's, and the bed-to-his-right's also shut—Thomas', although he'd be waking soon. Billy's however, was wide open, and the black-haired boy had his back facing Severus and was busy stacking books on his sheets, ready to pile into his bag. Billy seemed to hear Severus waking, for he turned around—his bleary eyes hazily finding his, and gave a slight nod.

"Mornin' Sev'rus," he greeted, pausing to yawn, then continuing to speak, "seems as if…as if I've woken earlier than you t'day."

"So it would seem," Severus agreed, pulling back the blinds fully and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. "Have you had your turn in the shower yet? Or are you—"

"Shower's all yours pal, I'm all ready to go. Just gotta pack my stuff, run through some more of my notes, and then it's off to breakfast for me," Billy said.

"Alright then," Severus nodded. He pried open the Walnut doors of his wardrobe and fetched a change of robes and underwear, draped them over his arm, and headed for the bathroom. After showering and getting ready for the day, Severus left the bathroom in his smart, blue/cranberry robes, with his PJs and towel slung over his arm. After dumping his PJs and towel in the hamper—the house elves would take care of that later—Severus slipped on his socks and sneakers, shouldered his backpack, and walked over to the desk Billy currently occupied. His roommate appeared to be scribbling away furiously in his notebook, his messy scrawl almost filling the page he currently wrote upon, an awful lot of it appeared to be crossed out too.

"Ready?" Severus asked. Billy's eyes snapped up from the parchment towards him, he was so engrossed in his work, he hadn't heard Severus approaching until he'd spoken. Severus inclined his head towards the door, but Billy shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine Severus. Just need to make a few adjustments to my instructions first and then I'll be along. You don't have to wait for me if you don't want to, this'll probably take another five minutes or so."

Severus' eyes flickered to his notebook, then back to the brown eyes of his roommate. He shrugged. "Suit yourself then," Severus muttered, hoisting the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder, then turning around and leaving the room.

As soon as he shut the door, the sound of a furious quill scribbling away on parchment met his ears again, but it quickly faded as he walked down the narrow hall towards the common room. When he entered the common room, it was still dark out, and so the only light supplied to the cavernous room came from the high-hanging chandeliers above as well as a row of torches along the wall. Beneath one of the chandeliers, sat Lily, Nicole was opposite to her, and from the looks of things they were in deep conversation. Judging from the total lack of any noise coming his way from their location, he assumed a silencing charm was in use and that whatever Lily and Nicole were discussing, was a private matter. Severus was surprised to see a pinched look on Lily's face, before his girlfriend nodded in satisfaction at Nicole, and drew her wand . As Severus neared the two redheads, Lily got to her feet, bade Nicole goodbye, and crossed the room towards Severus where they met halfway.

"Ready?" Severus asked, grinning excitedly.

"You bet I am," Lily replied, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek.

Hand in hand, the two left the common room for the Meal Hall. They'd take their early breakfast there, and were soon joined by Billy, Nicole, Michael and Rebecca, the six Fourth Year Serpents partaking in the competition. The group of six Fourth Year Horned Serpents all ate together for their early meal, with Rebecca, Michael and Billy joining the three friends, they briefly discussed their thoughts on the competition, and now that it was quite literally the eleventh hour and then some, they had no qualms about holding back what their projects would be. Severus was still a little secretive as to what his modified recipe would brew, but the other five were quite open with theirs. Billy's project for the competition was strictly theoretical, he wouldn't be brewing today and instead would be relying on his Arithmancy/Mathematical talent to calculate the change in yield certain alterations to a standard bone-regrowing potion would make. Nicole was brewing an altered Wit-Sharpening potion, a brand new brew they'd all learned just this year, she hoped her alterations would increase the duration of the potion's effects on the user. Rebecca's project, like Billy's, was also theoretical, she would be calculating the change in yield/potency that would arise from alternate preparation methods of various potion ingredients. Michael's project was a variation on the standard strength potion—made from a modified recipe of his design. As for Severus and Lily, they would be brewing brand new recipes they'd both come up with that would increased the potency of a standard Draught of Peace, and a Nutrient Potion respectively.

When they had finished their breakfast and as other students began filing into the hall, the group of six made their way back to the South wing of the castle and towards Lab No. 4, a Potions classroom that was able to fit all sixteen Fourth Years comfortably. Billy sat with Michael, while Nicole and Rebecca sat together, Severus and Lily took their seats at the front of the class. All the fourth years that took advanced potions used Lab No. 4 and so they were well-versed with the layout of the dank classroom. Severus, Lily and the rest of their housemates then began preparing their work stations.

For Rebecca and Billy, it simply involved bringing out an array of writing tools, for their projects strictly involved making calculations and predictions, not actually brewing anything. As for Severus, Lily, Nicole and Michael, they had to collect their ingredients from the ingredient cupboard, as well as set up their cauldrons, burners, stirrers, ladles and anything else they would require over the course of their brew. Their fellow competitors from the other three houses soon began filing in, with the ten of them taking up their positions at the remaining free desks of Lab No. 4. When the last entrant, a Pukwudgie boy by the name of Callum McLoughlin took his seat, the door swung open again, and in walked Professor Rosier in a storm of sea-green robes.

Despite her short stature, she strode with purpose to the front of the class—making a dramatic show of it while doing it, and then turned to face sixteen pairs of eyes staring up at her in anticipation. She met the six gazes of her own Serpents first, then the remaining ten belonging to Birds, 'Wudgies, and the Wamps'.

"I see you're all on time then, good," Rosier remarked, staring out over the class. "My, my…it seems even a few of you have already collected your brewing items as well, well done," she added, her gaze and tone turning fond as she spotted that her six were all ready to go.

"As for the rest of you, you have five minutes to collect what you may need, then we shall commence. Is that understood?"

'Yes ma'am's' and 'yes Professor's' rang out from across the class, enough to satiate the professor. She nodded curtly, and the students that had yet to collect their equipment sprang into action. The six Horned Serpents merely sat back on their stools, organizing their workstations just a little bit more as they waited for their rival competitors to collect their things. Once the five minutes they'd been allotted to collect their equipment had elapsed, all sixteen of the fourth year contestants began their tasks in earnest.

Severus worked diligently and tirelessly to ensure his new recipe was brewed to perfection. With a deft touch, he stirred the mixture precisely how he prescribed, altered the heat at the exact moment his own calculations dictated, prepared—then added a multitude of ingredients all with finally honed skill and concentration. He was in his element, and when he was on the ball, no one, not even Lily, could match him. Lily too, moved about her workspace with a well-practiced grace and sense of purpose only Severus could match or exceed, brewing her very own variation of the Nutrient Potion she'd grown so familiar with. By the time the clock struck noon, Severus and Lily had already finished their brews and were submitting their finished products to Professor Rosier. All they had to do now was tidy up their workspaces, dispose of any left over ingredients they had, and clean the equipment they used. While Severus and Lily tidied up their workbench, Nicole finished her brew a few moments later, and submitted her own project to Professor Rosier.

"So how'd it go?" Lily asked, scarcely above a whisper in volume.

Severus shot her a brief look, then turned his gaze back to the task at hand, rinsing out the residual gunk and muck from his cauldron. "I think it went alright," Severus said, as he tilted the pewter cauldron he'd just been using upside down, and watched a sludge of murky water pour out of it.

"Alright huh?" Lily asked sarcastically, smirking. "Well…in that case, I think I just might have a chance then. As long as it didn't go 'obscenely good' then I think I've got a fair shot," the redhead teased, her eyes twinkling.

"Let's save our discussion for when we're out of here," Severus said quickly. Lily's last statement which came out as a little louder than a whisper had attracted a handful of angry glares from their fellow contestants who were all hard at work at varying stages of completion with their individual brews.

Lily's mouth opened, and it looked as if she wanted to protest his statement, but she thought better of it and turned her attention back to her workstation to finish tidying up. Within five minutes, all of their brewing apparatus had been washed and now sat on a drying rack; which meant they were both free to go. With the exception of Nicole—who was just presenting her recently-finished product to Professor Rosier, the majority of the other contestants were still hard at work on their brews, so Severus and Lily gave their Head of House a friendly, but silent wave goodbye and then left the classroom. No sooner had the door shut, had Lily rounding on the boy and eagerly grasping his hand to lead him down the corridor towards the Meal Hall.

As they neared the Meal Hall, and the crowds of students they made their way through got progressively larger and larger, they spotted a familiar head of honey-blonde hair rushing towards them.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Caroline shouted, the crowd of first and second years parting before her like the red sea. "Come with me, quickly!" she barked, grabbing Severus' wrist, then Lily's, and tugging on them harshly away from the Meal Hall and down another corridor that lead to the Courtyard.

"In case it has escaped your notice, Caroline, Lily and I have yet to eat so kindly explain what it is you want with us," Severus muttered, yanking his bony wrist out of the furious blonde girl's grasp.

"Yeah yeah, you'll get to eat in a moment," the girl said flippantly, whilst reaching for his hand again. "You have got to see this," she insisted.

Lily and Severus exchanged a look, one of curiosity, before the former shrugged and gestured for Caroline to lead the way. Although Caroline was the shortest of the trio, standing in at 5'5", she walked at a furiously brisk pace that Severus and Lily struggled to match, the latter especially. They weaved their way through crowds of students of all year groups leaving the meal hall after having finished their lunch and made their way to the courtyard. When they stepped out, they were greeted with oppressive sunlight beaming down on them. Muttering to herself, Caroline shepherded her two friends over to the shade of one statue depicting Silas Burke.

"Look over there!" Caroline hissed, jabbing her finger past them at a nearby bench ten odd meters away.

Severus and Lily craned their necks over to follow Caroline's arm, and sure enough, at the end of it, there sat Scott and Sandra on a bench. While that in and of itself wasn't special in the grand scheme of things, what did ensnare Severus' and Lily's attention was the fact that Scott was actually laughing—laughing, at something Sandra had told him. Neither Severus or Lily missed the subtle glances or the brief touches either that their two good friends were exchanging. Lily swore she even saw a blush rise on Scott's freckled cheeks as Sandra placed a hand on his thigh. Scott even cracked a joke that caused the outgoing, extroverted girl to explode into peals of laughter that reverberated across the courtyard. Scott was smirking deviously as Sandra had keeled over and simply laughed without restraint at one of his dry quips.

"See? I fucking knew it! My brother's got the hots for Sandra, look at them!" Caroline hissed, her tone nearly manic in nature.

Wearing an expression of abject glee, Lily looked away from them to Caroline—who still gazed upon her brother and her best friend through narrowed, dark blue eyes.

"What's the problem Caroline? Are you upset that your brother's making advances on your best friend?" Lily teased.

"More importantly, you don't have your eye set on any boys yourself, do you?" Severus chimed in, wearing a slight smirk.

At this, Caroline flushed a dull shade of red and turned to face her two friends, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Can you keep a secret?" Caroline whispered, her gaze flittering between the suspicious eyes of Severus, and the curious ones of Lily. They both nodded assuredly, and that act alone seemed to give Caroline the confidence she needed. "I'm not interested in boys," Caroline breathed, as quiet as a mouse. "I…I've known for some time, I…um, well…"

"You like girls," Lily said evenly, wearing a small smile. "Well…if you do, that's your choice, and I won't think any differently of you for it."

"Neither will I," Severus said softly. "One of my roommates was gay after all, back in Hogwarts that is, it was—"

"Really?" Lily all but shouted, "who was it? Was it Avery? He seemed—"

"No, it wasn't Samuel," Severus said irritably, cutting Lily off before she could espouse any more nonsense. "It was Rosier, Evan Rosier, Marlene's Mum's and Professor Rosier's nephew."

"I wouldn't envy him then," Caroline said miserably, her expression downtrodden. "Y'see…that sort of thing is mostly frowned upon in the pureblood community. My parents have already been trying to matchmake me with other 'acceptable boys'—" she used air quotes as she spoke. "—And I'd been on two dates over the winter break, both with pureblood boys I had to feign some semblance of interest in."

"Oh Carrie, I'm sorry," Lily whispered, moving to hug her friend.

Caroline shrugged out of Lily's attempted envelopment and gave her a wan smile. "It's alright. If…well, if what we're seeing with Scott is true, then it seems we'll both be disappointments. Mom and Dad won't be too pleased seeing Scott with a Muggleborn either."

"Have you considered telling your parents about your…preference?" Severus asked, cocking his head sideways.

"No," Caroline muttered, shaking her head. Her gaze travelled back to her twin, and to Sandra, the girl had laid her head on his shoulder and was laughing some more at something he'd said. It was full, hearty, resounding laughter that filled her with jealousy. "I dunno to be honest, I guess…if the right guy came along I could grow to like them, and it's not as if I'm not…attracted to them, some of them, physically speaking that is…so it's just—it's weird, I mean…I do get attracted to guys as well as girls, but…I haven't really liked them yet, y'know?"

Lily nodded understandingly, grasping her friend's hand. "Have you had lunch yet?"

Caroline shook her head.

"Well let's head inside then, I don't know about you, but Lily and I are starved," Severus said.

With a resigned sigh, Caroline and her two friends trudged back into the castle, but little did they know that Scott's and Sandra's eyes were on their backs all the while.

A/N2: Thank you all for reading!