Hi guys!
I hope you had a nice Easter and managed to have some time for yourself :)
I've spent the holidays resting and writing, and now I feel bad about neglecting my school responsibilities, but it be like that sometimes, right? :D
Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope that you guys will like it. Here I wanted to focus more on Severus' and Lily's friendship, so let me know what you think.
I'm very grateful for all the feedback, even though I reply very late xD Sorry about that I'm just very busy, I swear.
I will try to post a new chapter next week because after that I will be very busy for the next couple of months. My teaching practice starts at the end of the month, so I will be extra busy with all the planning and teaching added to my other school work. It's going to be a nightmare, so God knows when I will be back because I will need a loooong break after that. Teaching 10-15 y.o. kids online is a fucking nightmare for experienced teachers so I have no idea how I will manage with my limited experience. RIP. Please send me good vibes from the 26th of April, because I will need them to get the children motivated to participate in the lessons. Thankfully, my laptop lives so I can prepare the materials I need for the lessons in peace and I don't have to use my parent's PC from the early 2000s.
That's all I wanted to tell you guys.
Have fun reading and take care :)
CHAPTER 18
Friends
After escorting Evelyn to the classroom, Severus continued on his journey to the Gryffindor common room, however, he found it hard to fight the smug smile that was persistently trying to form on his face.
What started as an utterly annoying day, now didn't seem to be as bad as before.
While he still didn't know what Evelyn's problem was, at least she wasn't angry anymore.
And Snape….
Well…
Not many people had the nerve to talk to purebloods in the way he talked to Evelyn, and even less lived to tell the tale. But here he was walking the halls as if nothing happened.
Hell, she even looked like she liked when he stood up and challenged her.
This made him think.
Was Evelyn one of those girls, who liked being manhandled?
It would be unexpected, but then again, he was no expert when it came to girls, so he just shrugged and decided not to think about it too much.
If things were different, it would have been like a dream come true.
You see, Severus Snape hated those rich brats with a burning passion. Even though their skills were not even a little impressive, they were still entitled, self-absorbed arses, who believed that just because they were born into money, they could do anything they wanted to. He couldn't even count the number of times that he wanted to punch one of them in the face for talking rubbish about working-class people.
It was a good thing that Lucius Malfoy took a liking to him, otherwise, his career in the wizarding world would have ended before it began. He learned a lot from the older boy and now he knew how to keep his emotions in check.
Somewhat.
Enough, so that he didn't do anything stupid.
He was sure that if it was anyone else, he would have gotten a kick out of belittling them. Just imagining it brought a smile to his face.
Hell, he would have made fun of them just upon presenting that ridiculous agreement.
But then again, he never paid any attention to Evelyn Williams. He hasn't had any strong feelings towards her, so he didn't think much about the agreement that she presented.
He didn't know what he was thinking when he accepted her proposal, but this was not it. Thankfully, it turned out that Evelyn was not as horrible as some people made her out to be. Usually, she was quite reasonable, and upon reading the agreement Snape had to say that she was even thoughtful.
Safe to say that she was not what he expected. While he kind of expected her to be a spoiled princess that always got what she wanted, he had to say that Evelyn was quite tolerable and even interesting. He enjoyed their conversations and the different view she presented.
Sometimes he almost forgot how different their backgrounds were.
'You are enjoying this too much,' said the irritating voice in his head, which always showed up when he started to have fun.
He looked down at his hand, which had been holding the girl's hand a couple of minutes ago. While his hands were always cold, hers were pleasantly warm.
'Don't get used to it. This is just temporary. She is only talking to you until she finds interest in someone else.'
'No. She is not interested in anyone. That was the whole point of the agreement…' he told himself.
She also said that he was probably the only male student that she could tolerate.
She called him the quiet, brooding type.
Was that the type of man she liked?
She said that she didn't care much about looks, which theoretically meant that they all started from the same point.
And so far, he has learned that she liked to spend time in the library and discuss things they learned in the class, which meant that Black was absolutely out of the competition.
She had a fear of heights and she didn't care much about sports, so she would probably not be swayed by Quidditch players.
Snape only realized what he was thinking about when he saw his friend waiting for him in front of the painting of the Fat Lady. Lily was smiling while she talked to the Fat Lady.
'What am I doing?! It's not like Evelyn's tastes are any of my concern,' he thought shaking his head, 'also the point of this agreement was to get rid of suitors, so it's unlikely that she will dump me for someone else.'
Not to say that he was not interested in Evelyn like that… Right?
He liked Lily.
Lily, who was like a ray of sunshine in his otherwise grey life. Just her presence was enough to lighten the room. In school, she was always kind and optimistic, but he also knew that she was always ready to talk shit about purebloods and wreak havoc in the town. While many people believed that Lily was just nice and innocuous, he knew better. Yes, Lily was like fire. Warm, but one bad move and she will burn you.
Compared to her Evelyn was like ice. No wonder, people called her the Ice Queen of Hogwarts. She was quiet, analytical, and intimidating. She always came off a little standoffish and reserved, while Lily was full of warmth and joy.
The only reason Evelyn ever spoke to him was either being polite or to complete an assignment. And now, she was only nice to him because she needed his help.
Yes, she will probably not speak to him again once she loses her interest in him.
But that was alright because he had no deeper interest in her either.
Not when there was Lily.
With this thought, he confidently walked up to her.
"Hi Sev, so, where should we go?"
"I don't care, just not to the library," he said and Lily laughed.
"That bad?"
Snape just facepalmed, "They are idiots. It's a wonder they are still in the school. If it wasn't for Rosier or Williams, they would be home-schooled,"
"Hmm, now that you mention it, I didn't know that you were friends with her,"
"I'm not," he said before he could have stopped himself.
"Then? A few days ago, you seemed to be surprisingly close in the library," teased the girl and Severus could feel his face heating up.
'She saw that!' he thought horrified, however, Lily's eyes went wide upon seeing her friend's reaction.
Usually, when he tutored someone in the library and she teased him about them for a laugh, he would just become annoyed and call the other person stupid.
Yet, here he was blushing and embarrassed! In all these years she has never seen him blush like that.
"You are blushing!" she exclaimed.
"What? No, I'm not!" argued Snape turning his face away in embarrassment.
"Yes, you are! Let me see!" said the girl as she tried to get his hair out of his face.
Snape was quick to grab her hands, but the girl was not about to give up.
Thankfully, Snape was saved by someone he never thought would save him.
"Hey, Snape!" called Sirius Black as he exited the Gryffindor common room, "What are you doing here? Where is Evelyn?"
The duo stopped in their act, Severus still tightly holding Lily's arms, however, the witch stopped struggling and only curiously listened to the conversation.
"Tough luck, Black. She has a class right now,"
"I trust that you have been keeping an eye on her just like we agreed," said Sirius darkly, glaring at Snape's hands which were still holding Lily's arms.
"I don't need you to tell me what to do," frowned Snape, as he let go of the girl and turned to leave.
"What was that about?" asked Lily confused, following her friend down the stairs.
"Nothing. Black just wants to feel important," Snape said, rolling his eyes annoyed.
"I guess he is keeping an eye on her, huh? No surprise, seeing what happened at the Quidditch field,"
Snape just nodded.
"How is she doing, by the way? She didn't get hurt, right?" asked Lily worriedly.
"No. I caught her," smirked Snape.
"Yeah, that was a surprise! I didn't know you had it in you!" laughed Lily, playfully punching Snape's arm, "You must be stronger than you look! Tell me, Sev, have you been working out with Mulciber, or something? Who knows, in a few years you might even grow some serious muscle,"
Snape just rolled his eyes at his friend's theatrics, "Yeah, right,"
While his father had a more muscular build, sadly he took after his mother, who was very slender. Therefore, he knew for a fact that he would never in his life 'grow some serious muscle'.
"So, what is going to happen now?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, they are probably looking for the 'culprit', aren't they?"
"I heard that the teachers are going to look into it… But we all know that means nothing,"
"You can't know that!" defended the teachers Lily.
Snape just gave her a disbelieving look.
"Alright, maybe sometimes they let people off easily, but they are trying their best! And she is not hurt, so it should be all right, right? Who knows, maybe it was just a prank," said Lily.
"Yeah, she said the same thing,"
"See? Nothing to worry about." smiled the girl.
"I wasn't worried about it," pointed out Snape simply.
"Aanyway, she is in class, huh? Do you know everyone's schedule or...?" teased Lily.
Snape just took a deep breath.
"She had Runes and I was coming to see you. Was I supposed to fly to the seventh floor and climb in through a window, or what?"
The girl just laughed, "I can see right through you, you know. We are best friends, you can tell me if you fancy her,"
Snape thought for a minute.
He couldn't tell her that he didn't fancy her, since they were supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend.
"I don't... dislike her," he said hesitantly.
And it was true. He really didn't dislike her, but he didn't fancy her either.
So technically it was not a lie.
Right?
"Riiight. So, the 'studying' in the library and you saving her, like a hero, was just you being a good classmate?"
"Exactly," nodded Snape.
There was a second of silence before Lily spoke again.
"You know… that time in the library, she seemed to be really interested in you… and later when we had a chat-"
"You what?" cut in Snape, turning around to face his best friend.
Evelyn and Lily had a chat?
About what?
How did that even happen?
Who started it?
Did Evelyn just walk up to Lily, trying to bully her because of her blood status? Was she trying to intimidate her? Maybe even get her to stop talking to him altogether?
"Don't look at me like that! I didn't tell her anything bad! I just wanted to know why she was suddenly interested in you!" held up her hands Lily in defence.
Snape let out a sigh of relief.
Good. It was Lily who initiated the conversation.
'Of course, Evelyn isn't exactly the type, who would just walk up to others to bully them…' he thought, almost feeling bad from jumping to conclusions.
"And what did she say?"
"Um, let's just say that she hinted that she might be interested in you… you know… romantically,"
Snape just nodded.
Alright, that just means that she played her role as his girlfriend.
Nothing to worry about.
"You don't look surprised," frowned Lily, before she shrugged and said, "I guess it was pretty evident in the library,"
"Evelyn can be very straightforward when she wants to be," agreed Snape.
"And? Are you just going to ignore her, or what?"
Snape just sighed.
"Why are we even talking about this?"
"Oh, come on, this is the most interesting thing that ever happened to you! Who would you talk about it, if not with your best friend?!"
"I don't know, maybe with one of my male roommates?"
"Yeah, right," scoffed Lily, "I can see you talking about girl troubles with the boys. I'm sure Mulciber or Avery are a great help. Both of them are so popular with the girls…"
Snape just rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
"So, how did it happen? Or exactly when did this happen?" asked Lily.
"A few weeks ago," muttered Snape.
"What? And how come I don't know anything about that?"
Snape just shrugged; he really didn't know what to say to that.
"How did it even happen? Did she ask to speak to you alone in an empty classroom, where she confessed to you?"
Hearing the question Snape just raised an eyebrow at his friend, while he smirked.
The girl just held up her hands in defence as she said, "Don't look at me. Mary really likes romance novels and she talks about them nonstop,"
Snape just shook his head, smiling.
"So, tell me, how did it happen?"
"Do you have to be this persistent?" groaned the boy.
Lily just shrugged as she said, "One day it will make a great story. The princess and the peasant. Star-crossed lovers. Will she run away with him, or will their ways part once and for all? Imagine how many people would buy a book like that,"
Snape just rolled his eyes and knowing that he cannot win this fight, he took a deep breath before he said, "I'm going to regret this… But you were right. She approached me and we talked in an empty classroom,"
Lily's eyes went wide in surprise and she laughed.
"What? You can't be serious!"
"Why? Is it that unbelievable that she might fancy me?!" shot back Snape.
"I mean… a little? Don't get me wrong Severus, but you two never even talked!"
"We talked here and there," muttered Snape.
"See? Only a few times. So, there is probably something she wants from you, because otherwise why would she go to such lengths?"
Snape thought for a moment.
Lily was too smart for her own good.
He knew that he couldn't fool her.
That was one of the reasons why he didn't say anything until now.
"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I know what is going on in that girl's head. All I know is that she doesn't think that I'm repulsive. She thinks that I'm smart and she is tolerable enough, so… yes," said Snape.
Lily thought for a minute before she sighed.
"We really need to work on your self-perception," she said, but Severus just ignored her and turned around to lead the way.
"So, let me get this straight; she came to you, told you that she thinks that you are smart and that you two should date, and you agreed just like that?"
Snape just nodded, "Pretty much,"
For the rest of the walk, Lily was quiet, seemingly deep in thought, however, Snape was getting anxious. All these years, he had never seen Lily quiet for this long.
Arriving in the courtyard the two of them sat down on a bench. There were a couple of people around; some were playing gobstones, some were chatting with their friends, but it was clear that autumn came since no one was sitting on the ground under the big tree in the middle of the courtyard.
Severus took out his essay from his bag, but seeing that Lily was still deep in thoughts he asked, "Aren't we going to compare our essays?"
The girl just blinked a couple of times, before she said, "Yeah. No. Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around it. She threw some compliments your way and you were like, okay, let's date? This doesn't sound like you at all!"
Snape just sighed.
Of course, she wasn't going to let it go.
"We have spent years laughing about how out of touch with reality these rich snobs are, so, what made you decide that you want to listen to one of them more than necessary? I mean, she is pretty, and sure she is smart, but why would you put up with all the rubbish they speak daily?"
Snape just shrugged.
He knew that Lily wouldn't appreciate hearing about his motives behind becoming Evelyn's 'boyfriend', so he chose to stay quiet.
"...There must be something that I'm missing…" mumbled the girl.
"Lily, if one of the richest and prettiest girls in school asks you to be her boyfriend, you don't ask questions," said Snape with a sigh, but hearing his answer Lily gave him the most unimpressed look he has ever seen.
"Oh, come on! I have known you for years, you are not greedy enough to become a spoiled rich girl's toy!"
Snape mentally groaned.
Of course, she wouldn't believe him.
She knew him too well.
"She is quite tolerable once you get to know her," he said offhandedly.
Lily was once again deep in thoughts, as she mumbled, "Well… you look like you are enjoying yourself with her, so maybe, she is actually not as bad as people make her out to be..."
Snape just nodded.
Yes, this was a good course. If only he could convince Lily to leave the topic at that.
"Alright, I've made my decision! I'm going to make friends with Evelyn!" announced the girl happily, making Snape freeze on his spot.
"What?"
"You said that she is not as bad, so maybe we just got it all wrong. I mean, we never really tried to see things from her perspective. And let's be honest, Marlene is kinda biased because of her crush on Sirius Black…"
"Um… sorry, but what the-?"
"Just think about it! Maybe we could all become good friends and she could show to other purebloods that we can be friends regardless of our blood status!"
Snape thought for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"This is a terrible idea…" he mumbled.
"Oh, shush you, this is a great idea!"
The boy just facepalmed.
Lily has already decided and she was now in her own world. He knew that it was useless to try and talk to her now.
'This is not going to end well…' he thought worriedly as he watched his friend getting all excited about abolishing the prejudice against the muggle-borns.
