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Chapter 4 – Just you and I
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Lily got up early the next morning. She dressed quickly, and hurried down to the Great Hall. Most of the students were still in bed and as she had hoped, James was one of them. She was sure he would ask her about quidditch again today, and she did not want to tell him (again) that she was tutoring Severus Snape.
She sat down at the practically empty Gryffindor table, and started buttering a piece of toast. Looking over at the Slytherin's table, she saw Severus sitting alone almost at the end. She tried to give him a slight smile, but he didn't even look up at her. A second later she realised why, as Lucius Malfoy joined the table, only a few seats away.
There weren't many people Lily would go as far as to say she hated, but Lucius Malfoy was definitely one of them. He was without doubt the most unpleasant human being there was, though he did not seem to be aware of it himself. He walked around like he owned the school (which he could have with the amount of money his father had), flirting with anything in a skirt. If his girlfriend, Narcissa, had not been equally unpleasant, Lily would have felt truly sorry for her.
Lucius was also deeply interested in the Dark Arts. Lily had often heard him complain about them not learning more dark magic, and how he wished his father had sent him to Durmstrang, another wizarding school. Lily wished his father had sent him there too.
Lily finished her breakfast faster than usual, and hurried back to her dorm to collect some books. Her roommates had started getting up now, but thankfully no one asked her where she was going with books this time of day on a Saturday. She made it through the common room without any inquiries about where she was going and as soon as she was out in the hallway she made for the library, using a less known path that Sirius had taught her.
It was only half past eight when she walked through the door, and Madam Pince gave her an astonished look. Lily just greeted her with a bright 'good morning'-smile, and hurried over to a table in the corner. Now all she had to do was wait.
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"Snape." Severus looked up. He was back in the Slytherin common room, waiting for it to be eleven o'clock. Lucius Malfoy was standing in front of him.
"Lucifer," Severus said. Malfoy smirked, as he always did. That was the trouble with him; you never knew if he had taken the joke, or if you were about to be badly hexed.
"Funny today," Lucius smiled, joining Severus at the table.
"Always," Severus muttered. "How may I help you today?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Lucius' smirk disappeared, and he leaned closer to Severus.
"I hear you've been disgracing our house," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on Severus, who tried to look genuinely surprised. Lucius didn't buy it, though.
"Keeping with a mudblood, Snape," he said, disgusted.
"Improving my grades, more like," Severus assured him. "Mudblood or not, she is top of the class." Lucius still looked suspicious.
"Oh c'mon. Do you really think I would stoop that low?" Severus asked, forcing a laugh. It sounded false.
"I hope not," Lucius whispered. He patted Severus' copy of 'Most potente Potions'. "You have a future there, Severus. I suggest you don't ruin it."
Severus was tempted to ask what he meant, but Lucius had already joined Adrian Goyle and Igor Crabbe who were practicing Crutio on a couple of spiders.
Severus glanced at his watch. He was meeting Lily in fifteen
minutes. Not feeling much like staying in the common room, where he felt
certain everyone could read his mind, he fetched his books and made for the
library.
'Mudblood,' he thought. He had grown up with that word. His family could be
traced back through generations of wizards, something his living relative took
great pride in.
"The worst thing you can do to this family, Severus," his uncle had told him once, "is marry a mudblood." Severus had been eight at the time.
He had grown up believing in all of it. Purebloods being better than muggle-borns, or even half-bloods. It was probably the only reason he had been put in Slytherin. He didn't feel like he possessed too many of Salazar's other favoured abilities. And he had quickly learned that how much of a pureblood you were, didn't matter much if you didn't fit in otherwise. He had still kept his pride, though. He has still managed to convince himself that he was better.
But Lily. She had changed it all so fast. In a matter of weeks, even days, he had found himself wondering why it all mattered. Just thinking about her, all the values he had grown up with seemed so unimportant. Lily was just as good a witch as any. Even better than some. Why should her blood matter?
He knew the answer, of course. He knew his family, and his housemates, would shun him. His mother, though seeming pleased, would be heartbroken. Her only son, ruining the family bloodline.
He reached the library, and forced himself to stop thinking about it. He didn't know why he was thinking this far ahead at all. It wouldn't last, he should know that.
He glanced nervously around him, half expecting to see Lucius behind him. But he was alone, and he relaxed a little before he pushed the doors open.
"You're late," Lily remarked. He was about to snap back at her when she looked up, smiling.
"Making up for yesterday," he said, smiling back.
"You should do that more often," Lily remarked.
"Make up?" he asked, teasing. Lily just rolled her eyes.
Severus sat down, looking suspiciously around.
"You can relax. We're alone," Lily assured him. "Pince is the only one here, and she's been in her office all morning." Just to make sure, he cast a glance in the direction of the librarian's office. The door was shut. Lily reached over and took his hand, and he pressed it.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"All morning," Lily sighed. "Since I left breakfast."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Severus muttered, but Lily just shook her head. "No need to apologise," she assured him.
The sound of the door opening made them both jump, and Severus quickly let go of her hand. Lily started ruffled through her book, pretending to be looking for a chapter. She cast a glance in the direction of the door, relaxing a little when she saw it wasn't anyone she knew, only a Ravenclaw third year called Rita Skeeter. She seated herself at a table not too far from them.
'Damn,' Lily thought.
"I need to get a book," she said, getting up. Severus needed no further hints.
"I'll help you look," he said, following her.
They found the corner from the night before, and Severus pulled her close to him.
"I've missed you," he whispered in between the kisses. Lily didn't reply, she was too busy savouring the feeling of being back in his arms.
"Lucius gave me a bit of a questioning this morning," he continued. "I think we have to watch out for him." Lily just nodded.
"I mean, he's always been out to get me," he whispered. Lily put a finger over his lips.
"Severus," she said quietly. "You talk to much." He smiled, taking the hint, and kissed her.
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It was nearly four when they left the library. They had spent the day changing between studying (that being passing each other notes) and "looking for books". But Pince had started eyeing them suspiciously after a while, and they had found it best to call it a day.
"Walk me back?" Lily asked.
"Does that sound like a good idea to you?" he asked.
"I know a less know path," Lily said. "Sirius showed me." Severus hesitated. He had been worried that name would come up. Lily looked at him.
"What is it?" she asked carefully.
"Sirius," he started, and Lily nodded.
"Ah. You think this is one of his schemes to make a fool of you."
"No," he tried to protest, but Lily just smiled.
"Yes you do." She glanced quickly around the hall, and pulled him behind a suit of armour.
"I assure you," she whispered, her face close to his. "I am in no way one of Sirius' little servants. I happen to like you, believe it or not." He kissed her.
"Promise?" he asked, and she smiled.
"Trust me, Severus," she whispered, kissing him back.
"Are we really supposed to be here?" Severus asked as they made their way down the narrow hallway that lead to Gryffindor tower. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. The suits of armour were slightly rusty, and creaked terribly as they turned their head to look at Lily and Severus.
"Probably not," Lily said, "but that won't matter to you. Aren't all Slytherins natural born rule breakers?" The question earned her a slight smile.
"It seems to be common knowledge that all Slytherins are evil," Severus said.
"You're not," Lily remarked, slipping her arm around his waist.
"You don't know that," he said quietly. "You haven't known me that long."
"Maybe not," she whispered, pulling him closer. "But I have a good feeling about you." He smiled, and kissed her.
Something hissed, and Lily and Severus broke quickly apart.
"Mrs. Norris," Lily whispered. "We need to hide." Severus took her hand, and dragged her behind a drape.
"Oh, good thinking. He won't find us here," Lily whispered, half desperate. She turned to the wall, and was amazed to see a door. Severus reached for the handle.
"Wait," Lily said, stopping him. "What if it's not a real door? Or one of those doors that shriek. Or maybe it bites." She didn't get any farther as Severus kissed her.
"You worry too much," he said, reaching for the handle again. The door slid open with a slight creak.
"After you," Severus smiled, gesturing for her to enter.
Lily walked into a tiny chamber with no windows. The only source of light was coming from Severus' wand. Lily took out her wand too, lighting it.
"This must be an old office or something," she said quietly to Severus. There was an old wooden desk in the corner, a thick layer of dust on it, and two armchairs. Their covers had probably been velvet once, but now they were old, worn and dusty. A bookshelf stood up against a wall, containing only a few old and battered books. An old fashioned chandelier hung from the ceiling. Severus pointed his wand at it, and muttered 'Incarnum inflamare.' All six candles lit up, giving the room a warm glow, and revealing markings on the walls where paintings once had hung.
"Look," Severus said, nodding towards a sofa and a fireplace in the corner of the room.
"Do you think Filch knows about this place?" Lily asked, looking nervously at the door. Severus had already lit the fire and was using a spell to remove the dust from the sofa.
"Maybe," he said, levitating one of the pillows and shaking the dust off it in mid air. "Maybe not. We'll know soon enough."
Lily walked over to the desk. The quill still stood in the inkwell, though there was no ink, and some parchment lay on the desktop. A key stood in one of the drawers. Lily turned it, and opened the drawer. She jumped as a large spider crawled out of it, making its way across the desktop. There wasn't much else in the drawer. More blank parchment, a half-burned wax stick and a seal. Lily picked it up. The pattern was hard to make out, but it seemed to form a G and a lion.
"Godric Gryffindor," she whispered, putting it back down.
Severus came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. She startled a little.
"Finding anything interesting?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I think this might be Godric Gryffindor's old office," Lily said, showing Severus the seal. He examined it, and put it back down.
"Probably," he said, kissing her neck. She turned, putting her arms around him.
"I think Filch is gone," he whispered. "We're safe here. You don't need to be getting back anytime soon, do you?"
"No," she smiled.
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"Marianne." She looked up from her book, startled.
"James, don't ever do that again," she sighed. "You scared the crap outta me."
"Sorry," James muttered. "You… you haven't seen Lily today, have you?" Marianne shook her head.
"Not since this morning. She rushed out with some books. My best guess is the library."
'Severus, again,' James thought, but kept it to himself. "Never mind, it wasn't important," he mumbled.
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"Do you think that watch is right?" Lily asked, pointing to a large grandfather clock in the corner.
"I hope not," Severus smiled. "It says 'Time to go to class.'" Lily looked at her own watch.
"Well, it is time to go," she said, trying to get up. Severus stopped her.
"Not yet," he whispered.
"I've been gone all day, people are probably worried," Lily said, getting up. "We can meet here again, can't we?"
"Assuming we're the only ones who know about this place, yeah" he nodded. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the fireplace, muttering some words Lily didn't recognise. The flames extinguished.
"How come you know all those spells?" Lily asked.
"I help out at home," he said, using the same spell to put out the chandelier. The room became pitch black, and Lily felt his arms slipping around her waist.
"I can't see you tomorrow," he whispered. "I've got an essay to do, and I don't think I'll get much work done around you." She found his lips, and kissed him.
"You know where to find me," she whispered, slipping out of his grip and feeling her way to the door. "I'll see you."
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Hmmm, does Lucius remind us of anyone we know… Like father, like son you know…Right, thank yous:
All my reviewers: Sorry to keep you waiting so long… Special thanks to It_Gurl for pointing out the eye thing. Will be fixed as soon as I get a chance, ta.