Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy!
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Severus Snape loved Lily Evans.
No one knew that, of course, except for Severus himself.
When Lily ended her friendship with Severus during their fifth year at Hogwarts, he thought that would be the worst day of his life.
He was wrong.
The worst day of Severus Snape's life came when he learned that his beloved Lily had started dating his nemesis, James Potter.
The best day of Severus's life was yet to come, and after that initial low point, his dark world gradually brightened.
Lily and James parted ways two months before graduation.
Not long after, Lily dropped her books in the stone hallway one afternoon.
Severus watched them fall from her arms and he rushed forward to help her collect them.
When their eyes connected, Severus spoke first, "Lily…... I am profoundly and truly sorry for what I said and what happened between us."
"I'm sorry too, Sev." Lily replied with a wry smile, "What you said was terrible, but I've thought about it more…...I've thought about it a lot, actually...I was cruel to you too. Can you ever forgive me?"
Severus responded with a nod and Lily flashed him that soft smile of hers that he had missed so much.
Together, they walked the rest of the way to class.
Two years had passed since Severus's worst memory and in that time, he had examined himself thoroughly.
Severus Snape had faced a critical decision….what was more important to him, Lily or his love for the dark arts?
He had chosen Lily.
Severus had refused Lord Voldemort's invitation to join the ranks of the Death Eaters.
Instead, Severus had aligned himself with Dumbledore and worked towards the greater good, all without any certainty that Lily would ever speak to him again.
On that afternoon before graduation, after Severus had helped Lily pick up her books, he watched her shimmering, crimson hair swing as she walked into the dungeon classroom and sat down at the table.
Severus sucked in a breath and clutched the books in his arms closer to his chest when Lily looked back at him and smiled again.
Severus knew that he had made the right choice.
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Graduation day came.
Severus and Lily talked while James Potter sulked as he wallowed in bitter defeat that Lily had terminated their relationship.
Lily's smile was as bright as ever, but Severus had practically no experience with women.
She sat close to him, just as she had when they were children, but did that mean anything?
Did Lily feel what he felt?
……...Could she possibly?
Severus didn't know but he was determined to find out, one day, however long that took.
He wouldn't rush anything, though.
Severus Snape was not a pushy man.
He wouldn't dare reveal his heart to Lily, either, that would be too risky.
Suppose his love disgusted her?
Severus didn't think that he could continue to live knowing that, if it were true.
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That same year, Hogwarts offered a summer course in potions for all recent graduates who were looking to further their skills and add to their resume before they headed into the adult world to join the workforce.
Severus had signed up as soon as he watched Lily pen her name on the enrollment sheet.
His incredible skills at potions left little need for supplementary education in the subject, but he was eager to spend any extra time with Lily that was available.
Lily didn't realize it yet, that Severus lived and breathed for her.
Severus lived for Lily when he saw her again, a month after graduation, on the day that they met back at Hogwarts to attend their summer graduate course in potions.
Severus lived for Lily as they chatted in the Great Hall over a lovely lunch of fresh salad and crisp sandwiches that afternoon.
Severus lived for Lily as he quickly ushered her outside when the castle was suddenly evacuated due to an unforeseen explosion from a spell gone wrong by a third year who had come for tutoring.
"Do you think everyone's alright?" Lily worriedly asked Severus while thick smoke billowed out of the broken rubble of Hogwarts' nearly destroyed tower.
"Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey will tend to them if they aren't." Severus reassured her as he squinted through the black smoke.
Severus's heart leapt when Lily clutched onto his arm as they anxiously stood outside and waited for news.
He had to ball his free hand into a fist to fight off the temptation to touch her shoulder comfortingly.
Severus Snape was not a pushy man.
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Everyone who stood and waited outside the castle was relieved to learn that no one had been hurt in the blast.
The ominous swirls of smoke were eventually eradicated, but the unfortunate damage to the castle was surprisingly extensive and would take some time to repair.
The accident had rendered the Slytherin dormitories uninhabitable.
Students who were at the castle for summer classes were shuffled into Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's wings for housing.
The usual, annual maintenance was being performed on a large portion of Gryffindor's section.
As a result, there were very few available rooms left.
There were a total of fifteen graduate students who had returned to Hogwarts for the supplementary potions course.
Thirteen graduates were given their new room assignments later that evening by Professor McGonagall.
Severus and Lily were the last two students in line.
McGonagall frowned at them both as they stepped forward.
"Miss Evans, Mr. Snape." McGonagall addressed them with a look of serious concern, "I'm afraid that we have quite a predicament."
"What's the matter, Professor?" Lily frowned.
"There's only one room left." McGonagall nodded, "A single bed within, and of course, although you are both adults now, the school cannot allow you both to occupy it simultaneously."
Lily shifted nervously on her feet but Severus spoke without any hesitation, "Give the bed to Lily."
"But what about you, Mr. Snape?" McGonagall asked him with a worried frown, "You can't sleep standing up! We'll have to find accommodations for you somewhere! Professor Flitwick did say that he may be able to rig up a cot in his classroom…..That should suffice for the night, anyway. Hopefully by tomorrow, the elves will have the maintenance complete on at least one more room."
Severus nodded in agreement.
Lily looked over at him with her lips pursed together.
The solemn expression on his pale face made her heart ache as she thought of her old friend spending the night alone in a dark classroom, huddled up on the cold, hard floor.
Lily silently decided that for that evening at least, she would live for Severus.
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Professor Flitwick was indeed kind enough to offer Severus a cot, made on the floor of his classroom for the night with a single blanket and pillow.
Severus was grateful for the gesture, but that didn't ease his struggle.
His thin frame lacked any real sort of cushioning and he writhed painfully on the stone floor while he battled to get comfortable.
He frowned as the bony portions of his slender body scraped along his unforgiving, makeshift mattress.
Severus ended up on his side as he tried to ignore the pressure on his elbows and knees.
He sighed as he stared at the wall, wide awake and miserable.
Severus genuinely hoped that Lily was sleeping well in her soft, warm bed.
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While Severus lay on the floor, Lily's bed lay empty.
She had to use a fair bit of stealth to make it out of her room and pad across the castle barefoot, but with the decreased student population, the amount of eyes that monitored Hogwarts at night had decreased as well.
While Lily hid in a doorway beside a corner and waited for Filch to pass by, she let out a silent breath as she thought.
Lily was by all legal and academic measures, a grown woman.
She would be lying if she said that she felt like it wasn't ridiculous that she, along with the other graduate students, had to continue to obey Hogwarts' bedtime rules.
What difference did it make if she or the other graduate students wanted to roam around?
Lily smirked as she contemplated the idea that Hogwarts was probably trying to avoid becoming the location for illicit pregnancies.
She was certain that a few of her classmates would most likely pursue some form of debauchery before the summer potions program concluded.
Once Filch had gone and the glow from his lantern was no longer visible, Lily scurried along until she arrived at Professor Flitwick's classroom.
She was deathly quiet as she slowly opened the door.
It took her by surprise when she found Severus pointing his wand at her from where he sat on the floor, with his blanket clutched in his hand and his pillow behind him.
"Sev, it's me!" Lily called out in a loud whisper.
"...Lily?" Severus murmured in response.
Lily could hear the question in his voice.
She carefully walked closer towards him.
When Severus saw his darling's fair face come into view through the moonlight that streamed into the window, he stared up at her with an incredulous frown.
"...What are you doing here?" Severus asked in a low drawl.
"I've come to take you to bed!" Lily chirped with a happy smile.
She remained as innocent as Severus, but he couldn't help the thickness that suddenly seemed to clog his throat as he swallowed dryly and asked, "W…..What?"
"I've come to take you to bed, Sev! Come on! Hurry up before we're seen!" Lily urged him as she reached out, grasped his hand in hers, and pulled him to his feet.
As Severus escaped out of the classroom with Lily, his heart raced so quickly in his chest that its frantic pace was nearly painful.
Severus was touched by Lily's sentiment and thoughtfulness.
He understood that she had spoken without any lascivious intent, but…….
Regardless, how many nights had Severus Snape spent dreaming that Lily Evans would come and invite him to share her bed?
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Lily and Severus were careful not to be spotted as they hurriedly made their way back across the castle to the Gryffindor tower.
After Lily bribed the Fat Lady with a few, overly generous compliments, the enchanted portrait allowed her and Severus to pass through unquestioned.
Silently, the couple darted through the Gryffindor common room, climbed the stairs, and found the single dormitory at the very top of the tower that Lily had been given for the night.
It was small but welcoming because Lily was there.
Forget blankets, pillows, or soft surfaces to lie on, she was all that Severus needed.
"I can sleep on the floor." Severus offered as Lily closed the door and removed her night robe.
The moonlight streamed through the window once more and its brightness revealed intimate details about Lily's figure to Severus.
As he watched her stretch unashamedly, he couldn't help but wonder if she purposefully teased him.
"Of course you can't sleep on the floor, Sev!" Lily laughed, "I just rescued you from sleeping on the floor. Go on, get on the bed and make yourself comfortable, I won't take up much room."
Severus trembled as he obediently crawled onto the bed while Lily laid her robe on the chair next to the desk.
One desk.
One bed.
The room was simple, which made it seem even cozier as Lily slipped into bed next to Severus.
"McGonagall will know." Severus said as they both stared up at the ceiling, "Dumbledore will find out…."
"Not if we have you back before breakfast." Lily said confidently.
"...We should probably get some sleep." Severus replied as he cleared his throat.
"Probably." Lily concurred.
The covers rustled and the bed creaked while they both rummaged around to find a comfortable position.
Severus turned onto his left side.
Lily rolled onto her right.
"Sorry!" She said quickly when her bottom accidentally brushed against Severus's.
"That's alright, don't worry about it." He replied as he turned his head towards her.
Lily let out a sigh that went straight to Severus's groin while she settled her head against her pillow and he was grateful that his dignity had been spared by his bottom being the only thing that she had brushed against.
The moonlight slowly faded as a gray cloud floated over the sky above the castle.
The dark room dimmed further as a gentle summer rain began to beat down on the window that Severus faced.
"...Sev?" Lily asked quietly in the stillness of the night.
Her voice startled Severus.
He had assumed that she had already fallen asleep.
Severus hadn't even attempted to drift off because he was certain that he would get no rest at all lying that close to Lily with his heart pounding.
"Yes……..?" He replied.
A silence fell between them.
There was a strange weight that seemed to develop in the air as they laid there staring at opposite walls and listening to the rain as they both waited for each other to speak.
Severus Snape was not a pushy man.
"...Sev?" Lily asked again after a moment.
"Yes…….?" He answered.
That tension in the air increased to an unbearable level until Lily let out a quiet giggle.
"Help me, won't you?!" She laughed.
With a frown on his face, Severus rolled over and asked her, "What's the matter?"
Lily scooted back towards him in the sheets.
His dark eyes widened when the roundness of her bottom settled against his prominent arousal.
Lily grinned to herself.
That was what she had been waiting for, a sign, some sort of a hint that she could proceed and not make a tart out of herself.
Her head snapped towards Severus and she stared at him with her deep, emerald eyes as his pale face became paler from mortification while he stammered, "L-Lily, please, I-"
It was then that Severus experienced the event that would forever mark that day as the best day of his life.
In one swift rush, his precious Lily boldly pressed her lips against his.
Severus was so caught off guard that he nearly fell back against the window.
For a moment, he didn't believe it was real.
It wasn't happening, he wasn't sharing a bed or a kiss with Lily.
There was no summer potions course for graduate students at Hogwarts.
Severus knew that Lily's kiss was real though when she nipped his lips sharply.
He pulled away for a moment and looked into her green eyes as she gazed back at him.
Instinctively, Severus raised one of his pale hands and tenderly tucked a stray strand of Lily's soft, crimson hair behind her ear.
Severus considered speaking, but Lily didn't seem interested in conversation.
She laid back in bed and pulled Severus down over top of her.
While the deluge pounded down on the window beside them, Severus held Lily close in his arms as they kissed over and over, sweetly, meaningfully, intensely.
"I want to be with you, Sev……" Lily whispered against his lips.
Her words were sustenance to his soul.
Severus and Lily were both too shy to go any further on that first night they spent as bedmates, but they laid in each other's arms, kissing and cuddling until the sun threatened to rise.
Someday, someday sooner than Severus thought, Lily would be his.
They would walk together and live together and love together.
They would marry and keep a small house with a small garden and a warm fireplace.
They would hold their babies and teach the grandchildren who would arrive after the years had melted into decades.
However grand their future seemed, on that rainy, summer night, Severus Snape was content with the delightful taste that he had of his sweet, beloved Lily.