Welcome back everyone!
The moment we have all been waiting for has arrived. Severus and Lily are back at Hogwarts (or they will be by the end of the chapter).
We can now look forward to hi-jinks, drama, intrigue and silliness. After all, put the Marauders and Severus under the same roof is bound to cause issues and Simone is her can of worms.
Thanks to my faithful readers and reviewers and I welcoming everyone who is just joining us. Every time I get a review from a new reader I do a little happy dance.
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Twenty-Six: Back Again
"I hardly see the point of this exercise," Severus griped.
"It's supposed to be fun, Severus," Nesme insisted, lightly stroking the backs of Severus's tightly clenched fingers, "We mess with the stimuli a bit and it causes a sensation at the end that gives you chills."
They were almost to Hogwarts now, and Severus's compartment was looking for all sorts of games to pass the time until they arrived. Not long after a round of Exploding Snap, Nesme had decided to test out some mind/body tricks she learned from her cousins over the holidays.
She unfolded Severus hand and ran her fingertip up each of Severus's fingers. Pinching her thumb and forefinger together, she mimed sewing something back and forth on either side of Severus's hand, poking on one side and pinching and pulling on the other. She moved into the center of his palm and pinched the middle, carefully pulling her fingers up and away, "Did you feel it?"
Severus shook his head, "What exactly am I supposed to be feeling?"
Nesme huffed, dropping Severus hand with a pout, "It's supposed to feel like a thread being pulled through your hand!"
"Ooh, do me!" Mary said excitedly, "Me next, me next!" She held her hand out for Nesme, the Hufflepuff girl gladly taking it and having Mary make a fist.
Severus frowned, "What's the point of doing this? You're just messing around with the nerves' sensitivity."
Nesme sighed, "You are too serious, sometimes."
Lily laughed, "See, that's Severus for you. He takes the fun out of everything. Just be glad you weren't telling a ghost story. 'If they were never seen again, how do you know their story?' A right downer, he is."
Severus scowled, "It was a fair question."
"It was a stupid made up story," Lily shot back, "It shouldn't have to be factual."
"At least you admit it was stupid," Severus muttered.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him and Severus hid his face behind a book, nonchalantly pretending to read.
Nesme chuckled, "See? This is why I'm friends with you, Severus. Your sarcasm and wit is too funny."
"You'll find that a terrible reason to hang out with me," Severus drawled.
"I chose to find out for myself," Nesme said boldly. She pinched her fingers together in the center of Mary's palm and pulled away slowly.
Mary shivered, "I felt it!" she exclaimed.
"Isn't it neat?" Nesme asked merrily.
"It is," Mary agreed.
Lily crossed over to Nesme and Mary, sitting down, "I might as well give it a go, too. Do you always do things like this, Nesme?"
The Hufflepuff nodded, "I like things that give you chills—in a good way, that is. That's why I took Divination. The quiet, the whispers, someone paying close attention to me, lightly touching my hand; it makes me all tingly and relaxed in the best way. I feel like I could fall asleep."
"I get that way when someone plays with my hair," Lily admitted, "And Severus does too."
"No I do not," Severus denied.
Lily nodded, "Yes you do. When I run my finger behind your ear repeatedly, tucking a strand of hair behind it, you look like your about to drift off."
Severus grumbled something unintelligible and ducked back behind his book, knees drawn up on the seat.
Davis chuckled, "Now you've done it, Lily. I don't think he'll ever emerge from behind that book again."
"Oh, I think he will," Lily said playfully. She reached out her leg and toed at Severus shin.
Severus kicked out weakly.
"Quit it," came a clipped demanded from behind the book.
Lily giggled.
"I've missed this," Nesme mused, "Riding the train, goofing off with friends, it all brings back the mystical adventure of Hogwarts. Too bad Simone and Thea don't ride with us."
"Simone did one year," Davis pointed out.
"What happened?" Lily asked.
"The conductor asked her to never come back," was Davis's vague reply.
Lily and Mary exchanged questioning, if not amused glances.
"That poor conductor," Nesme said with a sigh, "He never saw her coming."
"Okay, so Simone is clearly not the innocent lady she acts like," Mary surmised, "And you two are friends with her how, again?"
Davis shrugged, "We have a mutual appreciation of intellectual pursuits."
"I just like her sass," Nesme confessed, "She sticks up for us, lets us know we aren't just the eggheads," she pointed to Davis, "Or the throw away rejects of Hogwarts," she pointed to herself.
Davis nodded, "No offense to you guys, but Gryffindor and Slytherin are touted as the important Houses while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff get overlooked as the places you go if you're not 'good enough' for the first two."
"Simone sees the value in us that others don't," Nesme finished, "Her and Thea have always treated us like equals."
"How long have you two been friends with them?" Lily inquired.
"Since about second year, though some of our other friends from our houses had started doing study groups with Thea and Simone since first year," Nesme answered.
"When we were invited to join the study group, that's when we were first introduced to those two," Davis put in.
Nesme looked down, tapping her fingers together, "To be honest, I was one of the girls being bullied by that girl Cynthia during my first year. I always sort of admire Simone for standing up to her and as awful as it is to say this, I'm glad she chased that girl off."
"From the rumors, it doesn't sound like Cynthia was the sort of person who was going to change her ways," Mary pointed out, "She was a halfblood notoriously proud of her father's magical side and acted like she was a pureblood, picking on muggleborns and other halfbloods."
"She was a social climber," Severus stated, "Determined to rise to the top by acting better than she actually was and denying any shortcomings she may have had. I...I was sort of doing the same...I guess."
Lily smiled at Severus, patting him on the back, "It's very big of you to admit that."
Severus shifted awkwardly, pulling his book closer to hide his face.
"Wouldn't have hidden my muggle side if my father wasn't such a drunk ass," he muttered, only loud enough for Lily to hear.
"You know I heard that Umbridge woman from the ministry is the same way," Mary remarked, "the pretending to be pureblood thing, I mean. Alice told me all about it; Umbridge's own father works at the ministry and she pretends they aren't related, claims instead that she can trace her heritage back to some renowned pureblood line."
"She does realize the ministry has records on us all and our family lines, right?" Severus asked, bemused, "I mean, I could get away with it here at school to some degree because not everyone looked into it, but at the ministry you can just look up any file with ease."
"She must really be hoping no one would care enough to check," Lily said.
"If you ask me, it wouldn't matter what her bloodline was," Mary said with a smirk, "No one is going to want anything to do with her, looking like a little toad!"
Lily giggled while Severus and Davis smirked.
Nesme crossed her arms, "Hey now, let's not make fun of someone for how they look. We can't all be super models." She shifted in her seat, pulling her shirt down, the fabric riding up on her zaftig form.
"Nesme, you're adorable," Mary assured her, "You've got curves for days; who cares that you're plump. But that Umbridge woman..." she mocked gagged, "she's a muggle hating hag and her personality is as ugly as her appearance, making her look even worse. I know they say you shouldn't judge a person on their appearance, but let me tell you, there is nothing good about a person who looks like a slimy toad."
The compartment door opened.
"If you ask me its worse to look like a slimy snake," came a snide voice.
Sirius and James poked their heads into the compartment, twin grins on their faces. Behind them, Peter fidgeted off to the side.
"You'd know all about that wouldn't you Snivellous," Sirius said with a smirk.
"Don't start, Black," Mary said, more hostility in her voice than anyone had ever heard her use on Sirius, "We were having a good time here, don't ruin it."
Sirius blinked, taken aback by the anger behind Mary's words; he always thought Mary fancied him, "What's got your knickers in a twist, MacDonald?"
"Look, just go, Black," Lily jumped in, "We don't want to fight with you."
James's hand went to his hair.
"Hi there, Evans," he said, acting as if she hadn't spoken, "How was your summer."
"Wonderful, thank you," Lily said cordially, "and frankly, I'd like my last day of it to be peaceful so I don't want any trouble."
James leaned further into the compartment, "Well how about you make your last summer day even better and spend it with me?" he asked, "There's plenty of room in our compartment."
"I'd really rather not," Lily told him, not unkindly, "I'm having a lovely time right here, thank you. Besides, Severus and I were going to review our summer homework and Davis offered to proofread it."
"Who the bloody hell is Davis?" Sirius asked obnoxiously.
Davis waved his hand in the air, "Hey there."
Sirius squinted at Davis, scrutinizing him, "You're that Goldstein boy who got me kicked out of the library that one time, aren't you?"
Davis stared at Sirius blandly, "You were going to set off dungbombs in the potions section."
'I bet I have a feeling who that prank was meant for,' Severus thought sourly.
"It isn't my fault you were up to no good," Davis continued, "My study group needs the library, you stinking it up would have cut into our valuable revision time."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Oh great, another Einstein." He snickered, "Hey...Goldstein...Einstein, I wasn't far off."
"Truly your comedic genius knows no bounds," Severus drawled.
Sirius turned to Severus with a scowl, "You got something to say, Snivellous?"
"Still relying on infantile nicknames, Black?" Severus said with a sneer.
"Sev, don't," Lily said gently, placing a hand on his arm.
James watched the exchange suspiciously, eyeing Lily's hand on Severus's arm.
"Yeah, 'Sev'," Black mocked, "Better listen to the lady."
Severus had a scathing remarked on the tip of his tongue, but instead he held back, turning to look out the window.
Angry at having Severus turn his back on him, Sirius scowled, "I'm talking to you, Snape." He moved to step into the compartment.
"Sirius," came Remus voice.
Remus's head came into view over James's shoulder, "There you all are," he glanced into the compartment, "What are you guys doing now? School hasn't even started yet and you're already picking fights?"
"We weren't doing anything," James denied, face a mask of innocence.
"Yeah, we were just stopping by to pay our 'favorite' Slytherin a visit," Sirius added, smirking nastily at Severus.
Remus rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Cut it out you guys, let's just get back to our compartment."
"Hang on a sec," Sirius said.
"No, Sirius," Remus cut him off. He looked tired, concerned, "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about anyway." His eyes flitted over to Severus for a brief moment, so quick his friends missed it.
James frowned, "Just give me a minute, Remus," he said, "I was talking to Lily."
"Actually I believe we were done talking," Lily pointed out, "You go with Remus; I'm sure we'll see each other in class."
James looked at Lily affronted, not sure what to make of her casual dismissal, "But..."
"You heard her, James," Remus said, stepping forward to gently take James by the arm, "Let's go."
James cast one last glance at Lily, allowing Remus to pull him out of the compartment. Looking at Snape, his eyes hardened for a moment, his gaze lingering where Lily had touched the Slytherin.
"Come on, Sirius," Remus called, leading James and Peter down the train.
Sirius looked back into the compartment, glaring at Severus before withdrawing and walking off.
Nesme leaned over and shut the door.
"Well," she said, "That could have been worse, right?"
{page break}
The Welcome-Back Feast was as grand as ever. Candles floated in the air, mystifying the muggleborn first years standing in the center of the room before McGonagall. Fall well on its way but not yet arrived, mums of festive oranges, yellows, and cranberry sat in pots at every table and around the raised platform the professors' table was on. A peaceful moonlight sky was the image of chose to decorate the hall ceiling that night, creating a dazzling, welcoming, and enchanting feel for students new and old.
As the Sorting Ceremony was still going on, dinner had not yet made an appearance on the tables, but appetizers of bread and butter, as well as assorted nuts and plates of raw vegetables were dispensed evenly among the tables, courtesy of the house elves so that the students may have something to tide them over during the lengthy process.
Simone prodded Severus with the end of her celery stick.
"Why so glum, chum?" she asked teasingly, "Sad you were torn away from your Lily?"
She continued to poke him with her vegetable, prompting Severus to bat her hand away.
Severus looked across the hall to where Lily was seated, relieved to see her among a cluster of female friends and well away from Potter, whom he delighted in the frustration of as the messy haired boy kept sending hopeful yet ignored glances down the table at the redhead.
Potter and Black were seated with their usual friends, though there seemed to be a bit of a funk hanging over the pair. Pettigrew looked back and forth between them, unsure of himself as usual. Remus on the other hand was munching happily on a handful of cashews, offering a few to his gloomy companions, who took them without a fight and made a valiant effort to partake in his small talk. It would seem they were less than thrilled to hear about Remus's truce with Snape.
Not that Severus cared, he was just happy Lily was ignoring them.
"She's not my Lily," he said dourly, "She's just my friend."
"But you wish it were more than that," Simone sang.
"Anyway," Severus continued, ignoring that last statement, "That's not what's bothering me."
"Then what is?" Simone asked. She took a glance around the room, "Oh…"
From nearly every corner of the room, there were at least three sets of eyes staring at the Slytherin table. Students from every other house kept sneaking peeks over their shoulders at Severus, leaning in close to whisper to one another. The older years tended to keep the glances to a minimum, but the younger years gawked openly without shame, some even pointing Severus out to their friends. Few would look towards the Gryffindor table at Lily from time to time as well.
"Ah," Simone observed, "I'd say word spreads fast, but they have had nearly three months for this to get out."
"I don't see why what happened is any business of theirs," Severus said moodily.
"It's a big deal," Simone said, "In these dark times, a Slytherin openly taking a stand against suspected Death Eaters is nearly unheard of. Our house is the closest to the political tension and the most likely to have insiders for You-Know-Who that could retaliate on his behalf. That's why so many dissenters to his ideals have laid low in our dorms, so as not to wake up hexed black and blue." She pointed at Severus with a long, dainty finger, "You broke the status quo."
"They're acting like I killed You-Know-Who himself," Severus muttered.
Simone laughed, "They wish. Anyway, you can't blame them for taking an interest; you're like a legend to them now. I'm sure for many it was odd enough seeing a Gryffindor and Slytherin maintain a friendship all these years, but a Slytherin laying his life on the line for a muggleborn? Unheard of since You-Know-Who sprung up."
"The hype will die down soon, Severus," Thea offered helpfully, "New gossip comes along every day."
"Yes, I'm sure some idiot will splinch themselves off a foot during apparation lessons or get a broom stuck up their bum on the Quidditch pitch," Simone mused.
Thea frowned, glaring at Simone, "That's not a very nice thing to hope for."
Simone shrugged, "It's nice for me."
She chuckled, only for it to end in a squeak as Thea sharply pinched her side.
"Rude!" she gasped.
Thea just grinned cheekily, nibbling on the end of a slice of bread.
A smattering of polite and proper applause rose up from their table as the first new Slytherin of the night was sent their way from the sorting hat stool. A short girl in pigtails stood nervously by the table, warily eyeing the available seats with trepidation and a complete lack of confidence.
"Great," Muttered, Severus, "A student without a spine. She won't last a day."
Simone nodded solemnly.
"Over here!" Thea called out to the girl, waving her hand above her head, "This seat is available."
Relieved to see a friendly face, the little girl scrambled into the seat next to Thea.
"Hello there," Thea said kindly, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we didn't catch your name. What is it, dear?"
"T-Tiffany," the girl said, swinging her feet back and forth. She was so small her school robes practically swallowed her, "Tiffany Chesterfield." Obviously not a pureblood name.
Thea smiled warmly, "Now no need for last names. You'll find not all of Slytherin is as obsessed with lineage as you've probably heard."
Tiffany smiled, a look of relief and calm settling over her features, "That's good…I was worried."
"Slytherin is for the clever, the crafty," Thea went on, a hand on Tiffany's shoulder, "For the inventive and pioneering. Here, you hone your skills and explore new ways to make your dreams happen; unheard of ways, ground breaking ways. The other houses are lovely, full of the brave risk takers, the loyal and steadfast, the ever hardworking scholars, but here…here in Slytherin you must combine those strength and make something new and all your own to get what you want. We seek take the path less travel to achieve our goals and in doing so embrace a life of pride and ingenuity!"
Tiffany listened with rapt attention, awestricken by Thea's speech.
Severus looked at Simone questioningly.
Simone shrugged, "Thea's good with kids."
At least six more students were sorted into Slytherin that evening, several of which flocked to Thea's side or ended up changing seats to get closer to her the more they heard her talk. Severus never noticed before, but he realized this must happen every year new students joined their House, he himself too absorbed in his brooding to ever notice the crowd Thea managed to draw in.
Thea talked motherly to the first years, clucking over them like a hen. She asked them about their hobbies, if they had any siblings or pets, about if they were excited for classes to begin. She comforted the homesick, eased the anxious, and calmed the hyper with practiced ease. The first years all chattered happily at her, vying for her attention and being rewarded with a charming smile and affectionate pat on the head.
"I thought Thea was an only child like you," Severus whispered, "How did she get this good with kids?"
"She's this good because she's an only child," Simone whispered back, "She wants a big family someday."
There was a gentle tugging at Severus's robes.
"Are you a Ring Wraith?" asked a little boy with a gaped toothed smile.
Simone coughed into her pumpkin juice, struggling through the pain to withhold her laughter.
Severus scowled down at the boy.
"Because I read that they're all thin and bony looking," the little boy—Nicholas—Severus remembered Thea saying—continued, "and they look all mean and angry like you."
Simone was face down on the table, her hair spread out across the wood like a pool of ink as her shoulders quaked with barely suppressed laughter.
"Tolkien," she chortled under her breath, "Good old Tolkien."
Mistaking Simone's behavior for choking, Thea thumped Simone helpfully on the back, a fretful look on her face.
Severus glared down at Nicholas menacingly, feeling his lips curl back in a sneer.
Ready to unleash a volley of harsh words onto the unsuspecting child, the sensation of someone watching him caught his attention.
Lily sat on the other side of the room, her eyes alight with mirth as she watched him. Meeting his eyes, she waved happily at him, clearly glad to have caught his attention. Noticing the boy next to him, her smile widened and she gave Severus a thumbs up.
'Be nice,' she mouthed encouragingly.
Severus looked back down at Nicholas, the boy staring wide eyes and innocently up at him.
Pinching the bridge of his nose with a groaned, Severus bit back a growl and took a deep breath. Steeling himself, he turned to the boy with a strained smile.
"Why no, I'm not," Severus said through gritted teeth, a fake, sickly sweet tone to his voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, "I'm not a wraith of any kind, Tolkien or otherwise. I'm a wizard just like you…I'm just thin and moody. You should know that Ring Wraiths are just a story, you little…silly thing." He patted the boy on the head, resisting the urge to throttle him.
Nicholas blinked, taking in his words.
"Oh…okay," he said, sounding mildly disappointed. Nicholas turned back to his friends and got roped into a discussion about fairies.
Severus sat back with a sigh, hanging his head in frustration and defeat.
"That was kind of you," Simone said, having regained her composure.
"Shut it," Severus growled out of the side of his mouth, "It's just because he's a kid. Anyone over Third year will get a full taste of my wrath for such impertinence."
"Wouldn't want you any other way," Simone said sweetly.
"Annoying hag," Severus sneered.
"My little sunbeam," Simone said back, smiled mockingly.
"Pain in my ass."
"Light of my life."
"Shush, you two," Thea scolded, a finger to her lips, "The Headmaster is speaking."
Dumbledore had begun to talk, launching into his beginning of the year speech.
"I would like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to any students, failure to adhere to that will result in certain death." He paused for dramatic effect.
The older students rolled their eyes and snorted at that statement while the first years stared up at Dumbledore in horror.
"Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to inform you that the list of band items on school grounds has been edited to include the latest Zonko's products, including but not limited to: dungbombs, fizzing whizbees, and teleporting hand buzzers. For the complete list, please look to Mr. Filch's office door, where it has been so graciously posted."
A glance at the Gryffindor table showed James and Sirius looking to each other in excitement, mischief gleaming in their eyes.
"Now I'm sure you're all famished from your long trip, but first I would like to give you all a word of advice," Dumbledore stated.
"These are changing times we are in," he began, "sides are being chosen, some for good…and some for bad. Some enemies are becoming friends, some friends becoming enemies and some friendships are being tested to come out stronger on the other side. You'll find yourself tested in ways you never imagined in the following years as with darkness in their heart pit you against your greatest fears, but heed not…for in the darkness, there is always a light still burning, just as long as the fire still burns in you. Trust in yourselves, trust in each other, and trust in love."
Dumbledore clapped his hands, "And now…tuck in!"
Dinner appeared on the table, much to the oohs and ahs of the first years who had never seen a buffet so grand. Students instantly began piling their plates with various goodies.
"That was vague," Simone said quietly.
"But pointed," Added Severus, "We all know what he was talking about with friendships being made stronger."
Simone nodded, "Indeed. It would seem he wishes to tote you as an example of house unity."
"Brilliant," Severus drawled.
Thea wiped her mouth daintily, "On the bright side, he had the good grace to not publically mention last year's incident on the train. I doubt Lily or Mary would appreciate their ordeal being dragged out in the open so boldly like that."
"Neither would I," groused Severus.
Dinner was an overall pleasant affair, dessert following without much further ado. When the tables were yet again clear of plates and cutlery, Dumbledore stood yet again to give his closing speech.
"And so the first day of school and the end of summer closes on a peaceful note, bellies full and sleep lining our eyes. I trust you will all get right to bed now, in preparation for your first classes of the year tomorrow morning. We will see you all bright and early down here for breakfast. Goodnight and good tidings."
At the headmaster's dismissal, the prefects at each table stood up and began rounding up their first years. Most of the tables were loud and boisterous as they left the hall, but the Slytherin table stood up as a unified group, solemnly turning and marching out of the hall in neat straight lines, the very picture of poise and dignity.
"We must show respect and grace," Thea explained to the first years, shooing them off with a fond goodnight to go join their prefect.
Severus caught a glimpse of Potter and Black as he walked out, the two imitating the Slytherins' march in an exaggerated, constipated fashion while Remus's back was turned. Nearby, a few students craned their necks to see Severus over the crowd, some still being so bold as to point and whisper about him in plain sight.
"This is going to be a long year," Severus said wearily.
"I know," Simone chirped, "It's going to be great." She rubbed her hands together eagerly.
{page break}
"So how was your summer, Lily," asked Jessica, one of Lily's year mates.
Lily and her friends were gathered in their dorm room, spread out on their beds or unpacking their suitcases. The room was cozy enough, with elegant bed curtains hanging off of every bedframe, and ornate, red and gold rugs and wall hangings filling every blank space. The furniture was made of fine, solid mahogany, carved with lovely molds around the bottoms and tops, golden knobs in the center of each drawer on the dressers and nightstands.
"My summer was nice," Lily replied, putting away some of her clothing, "Uneventful for the most part, I suppose, but nice." It wasn't a complete lie, most of her summer days had been quiet and lacking in excitement, the trials and custody hearings notwithstanding.
"I imagine you and Mary would welcome some inactivity after the horrid end to your school year last year," Meldonna, a curly blonde said. Many of the other girls nodded in sympathy.
Lily winced, thankful her back was to them. It really was tactless to bring up what she and Mary went through.
"Well I for one am glad to be back," Mary said, flopping down on her bed with a huff, "I want things to go back to normal as possible."
"But can they really?" Jessica asked in what she probably thought was a considerate tone, "After all you went through—"
"Boy, I sure am tired," Mary said loudly, "What about you, Lils? Ready to catch some sleep?"
"Am I ever," Lily answered, shifting through her trunk, "Though I wonder how well I will sleep. It's the first night I'll be sleeping without—" she caught herself just in the nick of time, eyes going wide at what she almost let slip.
"Without what?" Meldonna asked curiously.
Abigail, a stubby brunette titled her head in wonder, "Yeah, what?"
Even Mary was looking at Lily expectantly.
"My…uh…my baby blanket!" Lily blurted out, her mind working fast, "It's sort of embarrassing to admit, but no need to hide it now, I guess. I've been sleeping with it since I got home, for…you know, security. I left it at home because I was worried you would all make fun of me."
"Oh, Lily," Jessica simpered, "We would never make fun of you for that. It's perfectly natural for you to want some sense of safety after what happened last year."
The other girls nodded.
"Yeah," said Abigail, "I would hate to be in yours or Mary position; it must have been terrifying. If Snape hadn't come along—"
"Who knew Snape would be a hero," Snorted Jessica.
"Hero to a Gryffindor no less," added Meldonna.
Abigail nodded, "Especially after he called you that nasty name."
"I think we've had quite enough of rehashing the past for one night," Mary cut in, giving an exaggerated yawn, "We should all probably get some sleep."
The others exchanged curious glances, not noticing the grateful look Lily shot Mary.
"Well…okay, I guess," Jessica said after a beat, "We do have class in the morning…"
"All the better reason to turn in now," Mary announced, climbing into bed and pulling her curtains shut, "Night, all."
"Night, Mary," the other girls chimed.
One by one, the girls bid each other goodnight, climbing into their respective bedding and turning down the lights.
Only Lily did not go to sleep right away. When all was quiet, she carefully crept over to her trunk. Opening, she rummaged inside until she found what she was looking for.
With a fond smile, Lily pulled out Severus's pillow. She doubted the dark haired boy knew she had swiped it from his bed at home before they left that morning, being quick to stuff it into her trunk before anyone had noticed.
Crawling into bed, she pulled the pillow close to her, holding it besides her the way she and Sev had slept side by side each night. The scent of the linen soothed her, every fiber embedded with the scent of cut grass, mint and cinnamon with just a touch of ink and sweat.
Lily smiled, if she closed her eyes it was almost as if he was right next to her. She knew she would have to learn to sleep without him for the year, but it was not a path she saw being easy. At least this way, she could ease her way into the separation. Maybe she could find a charm in her textbooks for making the smell last longer.
Clutching the pillow tightly to her, Lily closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, hopeful no nightmares would come to her that night.
Another chapter done and our heroes are finally back at school. I know you've all been dying for them to return to where the action is. And by actions, we mostly mean drama! (Aw to be a teenager and addled with hormones).
I did some fleshing out of a few of our ocs, since we want people, not blank sounding boards for Lily and Sev to just bounce words off of. If you noticed, Nesme may have a tiny thing for ASMR, though she doesn't know it's called that (I don't think they had labeled the phenomenon yet). I have to say Nesme may take after me. She's chubby, she's average looking, she's perky and bubbly and likes to crochet and gets ASMR tingles from soft words and pencil scratching on paper. The only true difference between us is that she's a Hufflepuff and I've always held myself as a proud Slytherin (I'm crafty and witty when I want to be).
Well I hope to see you all next chapter!
Read and review please :)