They Didn't Know We Were Seeds

Lily's hands are heavy on his shoulder as she forces him to focus on her. "Are you sure you want to spend the holidays here alone?" she asks. "I can write home right now and say I've caught some awful wizard illness and need to stay at Hogwarts."

Severus would actually very much prefer for Lily to stay at Hogwarts with him, but he's not going to ask her. She has a loving if imperfect family and to keep her from them seems a terribly selfish thing to do. Besides that, Severus has spent most of his Christmases alone. He can withstand another.

Feigning a reassuring smile, he puts one of his hands on top of Lily's and gives it a squeeze. "I'll be fine," he promises.

Lily puckers her lips. "Do you remember the password to the Gryffindor dorms?"

He sighs in exasperation. "Lily–"

"Do you?" she demands, cutting him off.

He stares at her for a moment. Then, quietly, he mutters, "Pukwudgie." Why she thinks the Gryffindors staying at Hogwarts will protect him should he need to run away from his housemates, he doesn't know, but if it comforts her… He'll play along.

Some of the tension in Lily's frame bleeds away. "Good," she says. Abruptly, she cants forward and wraps him in a floral-scented hug. "Stay safe, Severus."

He pats her back. "Most of the Slytherin upper years are going home for Christmas."

She pulls back and says, "Only a couple would need to be here to catch you off guard."

Severus doesn't reply. He knows there's no way to prove to Lily that he's going to be fine. The only proof she's going to accept is seeing him in one piece when she comes back from Christmas holidays. He looks away from Lily when the sound of laughter echoes down to them from the adjoining corridor. "You better go," he tells her, "You wouldn't want to miss the train."

Lily steps back. "I'll see you soon," she says before she begins to hurry away with the rest of the leaving students. However, just before she joins the exodus, she turns back and yells, "Sirius is staying for hols, too! If you run into him, don't be an arse, okay? I think he's down about it!"

Severus nods to satisfy Lily, but mentally thinks 'As long as he's not an arse, I won't be either.'

-o-O-o-

"Pukwudgie!"

In the next breath, Severus is falling to his knees on the other side of the Fat Lady's portrait. He runs a shaking hand through his hair and thinks, 'That was too close.'

"How'd you get in here?"

Severus looks up from his spot on the floor to see Black staring at him over the back of a crimson red upholstered armchair. "It's rather obvious, wouldn't you say?"

The corners of the mutt's mouth turn downward. "Does Evans have no house loyalty at all?"

He snorts. "Friendship drives one to do many questionable things."

"Yeah, what's with that, anyway? You're so… and she's…" he trails off while making a complex set of motions with his hands and fingers. Severus only blinks. He has no interest in trying to decipher any of that.

He gets to his feet and considers just leaving. In the end, Severus decides against it. Yaxley and the goons he rounded up to hunt for Severus are probably still prowling nearby, looking for him. "She was the first witch my age I met," he says. That's the truth, too. After that, she became his first true friend and all the little differences between them hadn't seemed to matter – until they did, anyhow.

"So, uh, why are you here?" Black asks after a moment of quiet.

He looks sharply at the boy. "You can't guess?" he snaps.

"I was being polite! Merlin, who raised you? A Mug–" Black slaps a hand over his mouth, obviously horrified by what he was about to say.

Baring his teeth, Severus approaches. "Yes, I was raised by a Muggle," he hisses. "But that has nothing to do with my behavior toward you." Pushing up against the soft structure of the armchair, he tells Black, "I don't bother with manners because I do not respect you. You are a spoiled prick who wants to pretend he's above Pureblood sensibilities, but, really, you're just like the rest! You look down on anyone who doesn't meet your personal standards and treat them like complete rubbish!"

Black's pupils dilate. Then, before Severus can step out of the way, Black leaps over the back of the chair and takes him to the ground. Severus gives as good as he gets. Eventually, the two wear themselves out and end up sprawled out side by side, panting and bleeding.

"I think you chipped one of my teeth," Sirius complains.

Severus turns his head. "Yes, well, you knocked out one of mine." And to prove it, he opens his mouth wide, showing the boy the empty spot where an upper incisor should be.

Sirius winces at the sight. "We should go to see Madam Pomfrey, shouldn't we?"

Severus scoffs. "And get a detention? I think not." Sitting up, he says, "I'll sort myself out."

"How?" demands the boy. He starts to sneer at Severus, but stops and cringes instead, having stretched a new tender cut on his lip. "You're not a healer," he grumbles.

He glares at the boy and waits, hoping Sirius will realize exactly how stupid he sounds. He doesn't, of course. He just begins to scowl back at Severus, starting a challenge of who will break and look away first. Severus decides it will not be him. To ensure his win, he decides to call out the Gryffindor.

"What an idiotic thing to say," he jeers, not breaking eye-contact for even a second. "When in Merlin's name did it become being a healer or not decides whether one has a few salves and potions on hand?" I've got a small store in my trunk."

Sirius's scowl disappears and he perks up with excitement. "You have stuff that can fix us?"

"That can fix me," replies Severus, cursing internally at himself for the mistake of giving away too much information.

The other boy's lips pull into a pout. "Can't you bring some to for me to borrow? I don't want a detention either."

Severus does not want to give Sirius any of his stores. However, he knows saying it so plainly is unlikely to end well and it may very well take this feud they have going on to the next level. Which isn't something Severus is interested in dealing with nor will Lily be pleased when she comes back from hols. He sighs. "No," he answers. He then puts up a hand to stem the protests building in Sirius's throat and says, "Though, you may come back with me to my dorm and I will let you borrow some there."

Sirius wrinkles his nose. "Uh, no. Your housemates will murder me the moment I step into your common room."

Severus rolls his eyes at Sirius. No, his housemates will not. Sirius is still a Black, no matter where he's been sorted, which affords him certain privileges. While Severus on the other hand has absolutely none. At least not yet. Perhaps someday if he plays his cards right this time.

"They will not," he tells Sirius. "But that's no matter. If they aren't still hunting for me, I'm sure they've gone back to the library to study for their NEWTs and OWLs." He looks pointedly around the empty Gryffindor common room. "That's where all of your upper years are, aren't they?"

"Or in their dorm rooms," Sirius replies.

He nods. "Not that different, are we?"

The boy barks an abrupt laugh. "No!"

-O-

"Sweet Salazar, what are you doing!" Sage Montague cries from his bed as Severus walks into their dorm with Sirius following close behind.

Severus points his wand in the direction of his dormmate. "It does not concern you. If you speak to anyone about this, you will be a mute for the rest of the holidays. Is that clear?"

The dark-haired boy's face turns red, but he grudgingly turns away from Severus and Sirius and back to the book he has laid out on his bed.

Sirius leans in close, whispering, "You didn't say one of your dormmates stayed for hols!"

"I didn't know he was," he bites back.

Silently, however, Severus berates himself for forgetting that Montague had stayed at Hogwarts during their first year. Almost twenty years ago or no, he should remember, and if not, at least heard the boy mention his plans at some point over the past few weeks. Sighing, Severus opens his trunk. While pulling out the necessary potions to clean up his and Sirius's bumps and scrapes, he silently hopes that this doesn't add more complications to his already overcomplicated life.

That's a wrap on chapter four. Thoughts on the scene with Lily? Sirius?

Thanks for reading! As always, it's greatly appreciated.

EDITED: 6/22/20