Chapter ten: Tear
Although Lily didn't yet know enough to agree with James and Sirius' rule of not talking to Severus, she was not the type of girl to approach near strangers anyway. She wasn't about to just go up and talk to Severus. Months went by and she had no trouble conveniently not talking to her mysterious Slytherin. It was true that once in a while she'd notice that her gaze unconsciously rested on the handsome raven hair colored boy during potions, but an occasional gaze never killed anyone right? December came around and Lily was one of the few Gryffindors who had decided to stay for the break. Ganelle was the only other in the houses tower. So together they waved off their friends a couple days before Christmas than began walking back up to the castle.
"Oh... Blast." Ganelle said sounding quite irritated when they had reached the great hall.
"You all right?" Lily asked as Her friend stopped an looked around her.
"I've dropped one of my gloves." Ganelle answered. "You continue on, I'll just go back and have a look around to see if I can find it."
"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Lily asked gazing around at the ground near them in an effort to help.
"No that's fine. Go on ahead. I'll catch up later." She said running back off towards the gates. Lily shook her head, shrugged than began strolling towards the Gryffindor tower. She was nearly there, when a hand reach out from somewhere to her left and pulled her quite unexpectedly into an empty classroom. After quickly regaining her footing she looked to see the face of her captor and relaxed, smiling.
"What was that for?" She asked, not the least bit of irritation in her tone. Severus smiled back at her and answered in a teasing tone.
"Well, Lily Evans, It's just that the last time we spoke I seem to remember catching you quite off guard. I thought it only suitable that I live up to the same greeting." Lily smiled "Oh really?" She asked matching his toying tone. She wished that she could stop smiling and at least fake a strait face. But any attempt to do this was found hopeless. She simply couldn't help it. She was thrilled to talk to him again.
"So are you ready to tell me what was on your mind the last time we talked?" He asked "You expect me to remember?" She asked, poking him flirtatiously. "That was in September. If you wanted an accurate account you should had made an attempt to talk to me sooner." She faked at a move to leave but was blocked by Severus arm. He leaned down to meet her eyes and asked,
"And for not doing so I'm sorry. Will you ever forgive me?" They stared at each other seriously for a moment, then Severus broke in to a smile. With this smile Lily too followed suit and answered,
"That might be arranged." Severus stared admirably at her for a moment than said.
"Good. You just think about that for awhile then. I should definitely be off, and your friend will be looking for you. I hope to see you again Lily Evans. Happy Christmas." He said this and walked through the door leaving Lily leaning against the wall of the empty Defense Against the Dark arts classroom, grinning from ear to ear. She whispered after him, though he was a long way out of ear shot,
"And you too. Severus Snape."
"Lily. Explain how it's possible that I got to the common room before you and I had to go all the way back out side."
Lily smiled at her friend not really listening, "Did you find your glove?" She asked.
Ganelle sighed, "Yes. Now please wake up. You're not very easy to talk to like this."
"I'm not asleep." Lily muttered Now Ganelle laughed. "OK. Who is he?" Lily looked surprised at her comment, "He who?"
"The guy. It's obvious there is one. I know it can't be Sirius, he's not here. Who is it?"
"There is no guy! I swear." Lily defended herself.
"Is it a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Oh! Or is it a Slytherin? Lily do you like a Slytherin?"
"There is no guy!" "Yeah well it doesn't matter if you tell me now. I'll find out eventually."
"There's nothing to find out." Lily said sitting down. Ganelle sat next to her and smiled a knowing smile when Lily again whispered. "There's nothing to find out."
"I'm going to the Library." Lily told Ganelle a day or so after Christmas. Ganelle nodded to show she had heard her and so Lily left the room. Mind wandering, Lily didn't notice nor care when she took a wrong turn and began going in the opposite direction of the library. She moved up quite a few stair cases, through some mysterious hallways and though many doors. Finally she stopped and gazed curiously at the wall ten or so feet away from her. It looked as if it was reflecting quite a bright golden light. She slowly and quietly stepped around the corner. The thing which met her gaze was far from anything she had expected to run into. Before her lay a portrait of a golden stag surrounded by dark thick woods. She stepped closed, entranced by the noble things beauty. She still couldn't believe her eyes five steps away from the picture, not two steps away and not one step away. In fact the closer she got the more amazing it got until she could go no further and she was traveling... She was traveling inside the picture... Back... Back further and further into time itself.
When she sensed that she had stopped moving, she was in her room at her parents house. Rose, Petunia and herself were in their own beds and chatting with each other. Lily remembered this day. She looked expectedly at her face. She was seven years old. She remembered it well. A tear streamed over her cheek.
"Why are you crying Lily?" Rose asked her.
"Because I think we might not always be friends." She replied. Petunia sat up in shock at that statement and said "We'll always be best friends. Forever and ever!" She cried. Rose went over to Petunia and hugged her. She waved Lily over too and the three of them were hugging on the bed. "Oh course we'll always be friends." Rose whispered to Petunia rocking her back and forth. "Promise?" Petunia asked. "I promise" Rose said.
"Lily?" Petunia begged for confirmation.
"I promise too. We'll always be friends. Forever and ever."
The scene transformed to a dark wood. Lily looked around. She didn't remember this ever happening and though maybe this would be happening in the future but she didn't have time to think about that because just then the same golden stag walked slowly out of the wood. "Don't be frightened." It said in a deep but feminine voice. Lily stared at it. "I'm not." She replied as if in a dream. Now before her eyes, the stag was changing. It seconds later, in it's place was a woman. A middle height beautiful woman with a shimmering full length formfitting golden gown. She had a clear complexion and strait dark brown hair to her waist. "My name is Tear." The woman told her in the deep voice. "Mine is Lily." Lily whispered. "Why am I here?"
"Because you want to be here." "How do you know?" Lily asked.
"Because if you didn't want to be here. You wouldn't be."
"But I don't even know where here is." Lily said.
"Yes you do. But it's time for you to go back. You should be at the library." Tear transformed back into a golden stag and walked off into the woods. When she was out of sight Lily began to feel the sensation of moving again. As colors flew by her she heard an echo it said 'I promise too. We'll always be friends. Forever and ever.' She was now back in the library and she noticed Ganelle walking towards her.
"We should go eat." She told Lily. Lily nodded and stood, following her out slowly, a golden tear running down her cheek.
"You all right?" Lily asked as Her friend stopped an looked around her.
"I've dropped one of my gloves." Ganelle answered. "You continue on, I'll just go back and have a look around to see if I can find it."
"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Lily asked gazing around at the ground near them in an effort to help.
"No that's fine. Go on ahead. I'll catch up later." She said running back off towards the gates. Lily shook her head, shrugged than began strolling towards the Gryffindor tower. She was nearly there, when a hand reach out from somewhere to her left and pulled her quite unexpectedly into an empty classroom. After quickly regaining her footing she looked to see the face of her captor and relaxed, smiling.
"What was that for?" She asked, not the least bit of irritation in her tone. Severus smiled back at her and answered in a teasing tone.
"Well, Lily Evans, It's just that the last time we spoke I seem to remember catching you quite off guard. I thought it only suitable that I live up to the same greeting." Lily smiled "Oh really?" She asked matching his toying tone. She wished that she could stop smiling and at least fake a strait face. But any attempt to do this was found hopeless. She simply couldn't help it. She was thrilled to talk to him again.
"So are you ready to tell me what was on your mind the last time we talked?" He asked "You expect me to remember?" She asked, poking him flirtatiously. "That was in September. If you wanted an accurate account you should had made an attempt to talk to me sooner." She faked at a move to leave but was blocked by Severus arm. He leaned down to meet her eyes and asked,
"And for not doing so I'm sorry. Will you ever forgive me?" They stared at each other seriously for a moment, then Severus broke in to a smile. With this smile Lily too followed suit and answered,
"That might be arranged." Severus stared admirably at her for a moment than said.
"Good. You just think about that for awhile then. I should definitely be off, and your friend will be looking for you. I hope to see you again Lily Evans. Happy Christmas." He said this and walked through the door leaving Lily leaning against the wall of the empty Defense Against the Dark arts classroom, grinning from ear to ear. She whispered after him, though he was a long way out of ear shot,
"And you too. Severus Snape."
"Lily. Explain how it's possible that I got to the common room before you and I had to go all the way back out side."
Lily smiled at her friend not really listening, "Did you find your glove?" She asked.
Ganelle sighed, "Yes. Now please wake up. You're not very easy to talk to like this."
"I'm not asleep." Lily muttered Now Ganelle laughed. "OK. Who is he?" Lily looked surprised at her comment, "He who?"
"The guy. It's obvious there is one. I know it can't be Sirius, he's not here. Who is it?"
"There is no guy! I swear." Lily defended herself.
"Is it a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Oh! Or is it a Slytherin? Lily do you like a Slytherin?"
"There is no guy!" "Yeah well it doesn't matter if you tell me now. I'll find out eventually."
"There's nothing to find out." Lily said sitting down. Ganelle sat next to her and smiled a knowing smile when Lily again whispered. "There's nothing to find out."
"I'm going to the Library." Lily told Ganelle a day or so after Christmas. Ganelle nodded to show she had heard her and so Lily left the room. Mind wandering, Lily didn't notice nor care when she took a wrong turn and began going in the opposite direction of the library. She moved up quite a few stair cases, through some mysterious hallways and though many doors. Finally she stopped and gazed curiously at the wall ten or so feet away from her. It looked as if it was reflecting quite a bright golden light. She slowly and quietly stepped around the corner. The thing which met her gaze was far from anything she had expected to run into. Before her lay a portrait of a golden stag surrounded by dark thick woods. She stepped closed, entranced by the noble things beauty. She still couldn't believe her eyes five steps away from the picture, not two steps away and not one step away. In fact the closer she got the more amazing it got until she could go no further and she was traveling... She was traveling inside the picture... Back... Back further and further into time itself.
When she sensed that she had stopped moving, she was in her room at her parents house. Rose, Petunia and herself were in their own beds and chatting with each other. Lily remembered this day. She looked expectedly at her face. She was seven years old. She remembered it well. A tear streamed over her cheek.
"Why are you crying Lily?" Rose asked her.
"Because I think we might not always be friends." She replied. Petunia sat up in shock at that statement and said "We'll always be best friends. Forever and ever!" She cried. Rose went over to Petunia and hugged her. She waved Lily over too and the three of them were hugging on the bed. "Oh course we'll always be friends." Rose whispered to Petunia rocking her back and forth. "Promise?" Petunia asked. "I promise" Rose said.
"Lily?" Petunia begged for confirmation.
"I promise too. We'll always be friends. Forever and ever."
The scene transformed to a dark wood. Lily looked around. She didn't remember this ever happening and though maybe this would be happening in the future but she didn't have time to think about that because just then the same golden stag walked slowly out of the wood. "Don't be frightened." It said in a deep but feminine voice. Lily stared at it. "I'm not." She replied as if in a dream. Now before her eyes, the stag was changing. It seconds later, in it's place was a woman. A middle height beautiful woman with a shimmering full length formfitting golden gown. She had a clear complexion and strait dark brown hair to her waist. "My name is Tear." The woman told her in the deep voice. "Mine is Lily." Lily whispered. "Why am I here?"
"Because you want to be here." "How do you know?" Lily asked.
"Because if you didn't want to be here. You wouldn't be."
"But I don't even know where here is." Lily said.
"Yes you do. But it's time for you to go back. You should be at the library." Tear transformed back into a golden stag and walked off into the woods. When she was out of sight Lily began to feel the sensation of moving again. As colors flew by her she heard an echo it said 'I promise too. We'll always be friends. Forever and ever.' She was now back in the library and she noticed Ganelle walking towards her.
"We should go eat." She told Lily. Lily nodded and stood, following her out slowly, a golden tear running down her cheek.