Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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That day at the beach changed little besides Severus's suspicions.
Once the new school year began, he and Lily returned to Hogwarts and spent most of their free time together again as usual.
However, whenever Lily was busy with her girlfriends, Severus went to the library and combed through every available volume he could find for more information on how Lily could have possibly survived the storm.
Without a wand or Gillyweed, Severus didn't understand how it had been possible.
Only in their second year at Hogwarts, they could hardly complete wandless magic well enough to conjure an oxygen supply for an hour.
He sat one afternoon and narrowed his dark eyes in concentration as he leafed through the crinkled pages of an ancient book that lay open on the library desk.
The book's title read: Terrors of the Sea and Other Such Creatures.
Severus's heart clenched in nervous dread when an evil chuckle rang out.
He heard their voices before he saw them as they swaggered through the library…..James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
The Marauder's targeting of Severus had seemed to worsen with time.
Fearful of another unpleasant interaction, he quickly slipped his wand out of his pocket.
Severus gripped his magical object tightly in his hand underneath the desk and tried to focus on his book while the Marauders approached.
"Hello, Snivelly!" James called out.
Severus refused to turn around.
He kept his expression calm although he really wanted to scream.
"Class not enough for you? Come to worm through the books like the insect you are?" James taunted.
He crossed his arms while his three friends snickered and leered at Severus.
Severus closed his eyes for a brief second as he gathered his courage while he listened to the Marauder's laughter chorus behind James.
Mercifully, a voice purred out beside Severus and cut through the tension like a knife, "Perhaps, Mr. Potter, you and your friends would be kind enough to follow the library rules of quiet speech? It's not my wish to give anyone detention, but it does make me quite disappointed to see such a blatant disregard….for order and decency."
Severus hurriedly glanced in the direction of the voice.
He felt his dismay lighten when he saw that Lucius Malfoy stood beside his desk.
The Slytherin prefect confidently regarded James and his entourage.
Lucius challenged the Marauders with a coldness in his eyes that made him seem like a large, pale snake as James scowled and quieted down.
Behind him, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all fell silent as frowns formed on their faces.
It was no secret that Lucius Malfoy intended to become a Dark Wizard and as a school prefect, the Marauders were well aware that he could assign punishments in a manner similar to teachers.
"I'll find you later, Snivelly." James called loudly enough for Severus to hear before he turned away.
The Marauders eagerly followed James out of the library.
Severus heard them mumble to each other as the sound of their footsteps slowly faded away.
Once he knew they had gone, he looked up at Lucius with a grateful sigh.
"Thank you….." Severus breathed in a hushed whisper.
"You'll have to stand against them one day, Severus." Lucius replied as he stared down at his friend, "I'll graduate soon…...then where will you be?"
"I've already stood up to them." Severus scowled, "They won't come after me unless they find me alone. I've battled my way out of four on one conflicts before, but it's…..it's difficult!...You wouldn't understand!"
"Perhaps I wouldn't, but I know who would….." Lucius trailed off.
Severus frowned.
"Severus," Lucius whispered as he leaned down close to ensure no one would overhear, "Don't be a fool…….I realize you're still quite young, but even now, if you pledge your loyalty to the Dark Lord, he can give you power unlike any you've ever dreamed…..You'll never have to be frightened again…..Women will throw themselves into your arms…...You don't understand what you're giving up to not seek his favor!"
"...Women?" Severus asked with a frown of disapproval.
He had no interest in women.
His only interest lay in a girl with red hair, green eyes, and an odd ability to breathe underwater
Lucius had noticed his friend's affinity for Lily.
He pouted down at the book in front of Severus as he asked, "Are you still looking for information about the mudblood girl?"
"Don't call her that!" Severus snapped.
"Well, that's what she is, Severus. The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be." Lucius said very matter-of-factly while he swept the book off of Severus's desk and into his own hands, "There are dozens of other witches, much more deserving of you than her……..I can't quite wrap my mind around why you waste your time in her company."
Severus's frown turned into a scowl as he stared up at Lucius.
Although the offer had seemed seductive at first, Lucius had lost Severus's interest the moment he had spoken a word against Lily.
Severus felt grateful for Lucius's help with the Marauders, but he didn't appreciate anyone saying such dreadful things about his beloved flower.
Lucius had failed to understand that degrading Lily Evans would not make Severus Snape want to join his dark master's ranks, in fact, that only drove Severus further away.
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A year passed without many changes.
While Hogwarts' inhabitants always enjoyed visits to Hogsmeade, field trips were rare, celebrated occasions that sparked intrigue for weeks before and after.
The third year students buzzed with excitement once springtime arrived and Professor McGonagall prepared to take them all from Hogwarts to tour the wizarding village of Dersdunsen.
Located on a patch of black, rocky land, close to the Atlantic ocean, the village itself had become famous for having been transfigured entirely into an axe centuries ago, when the magical members of the nearest Anglo-Saxon tribe had sought to protect their way of life from the invasion of Roman soldiers.
By Severus and Lily's lifetime, Dersdunsen consisted of modern-day, British witches and wizards who enjoyed their peaceful life by the sea.
McGongagall had arranged to transport her students by Portkey to the village that morning.
As the third years prepared to grab onto the large, metal ring that Dumbledore had enchanted for the trip, Lily grabbed Severus's hand and gave it a squeeze.
He looked over at her and frowned at the look of disturbing distress he saw on her face as she confessed, "I'm frightened, Sev…..I've heard Portkey journeys are very quick…..and rough…..I…..I don't know if I-"
"-Lily." Severus said very seriously as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return, "Hold onto me, alright? You've already had your parents sign your permission slip…...You don't really want to miss the trip, do you?...Hold onto me and it'll be over in a moment."
Lily stared at Severus.
She still hesitated inwardly but the solemn look of seriousness on his pale face made her courage rise as she eventually nodded and said, "...Alright, Sev."
"Hold onto me." Severus repeated as they stepped forward with their classmates, clutched each other's hands, and prepared to grab onto the metal ring.
"On the count of three, everyone!" McGonagall shrilly cried as she stood at the front of the crowd with her hand outstretched to grab the ring.
"One!"
The students all chattered with each other in nervous whisperings of eager anticipation.
"Two!"
Severus heard Lily suck in a breath as she squeezed his hand again.
"Three!"
Severus returned her grip as he, Lily, McGonagall, and their classmates all grabbed onto the ring.
Thrilled screams erupted from the group of traveling students.
They were immediately sent hurtling through the air as the Portkey speedily took them to their destination.
"Hold on tightly, everyone!" McGonagall shouted.
In the swirling rush of their travels, Severus gripped the metal ring in one hand and Lily's in his other as he glanced over at her worriedly.
While they whirled along, he frowned when he saw her face held in a tight grimace and her eyes squinted shut.
It pained Severus to know that his flower struggled.
"LILY!" He shouted at her over the noise of their journey, "IT'S ALRIGHT! I'VE GOT YOU!"
"DON'T LET GO, SEV!" Lily shrieked in response without opening her eyes.
"I WON'T!" Severus called, "I PROMISE! I HAVE YOU, DON'T WORRY!"
"DON'T LET ME GO, SEV!" Lily wailed desperately.
Severus fretted over how much longer their trip would take, profoundly bothered that their travel terrified Lily until McGonagall shouted, "LET GO, EVERYONE!"
Nervous smiles were exchanged before the students obeyed and fell with happy screams down to land safely at their destination.
Severus was ready to release his own grip, but Lily seemed to be too frightened to follow their professor's instructions.
"MISS EVANS!" McGonagall called, "LET GO! WE'VE ARRIVED!"
"I CAN'T!" Lily shouted back.
The idea of releasing the metal ring and tumbling blindly to the ground below was more than she could bear.
Severus saw McGonagall look at him for a brief second before he shouted to Lily, "LET GO, LILY!"
"I CAN'T!" She shouted back in incoherent terror, "I'LL FALL!"
"THEN FALL ONTO ME!" Severus called.
Their window of time began to vanish rapidly.
McGonagall was quick to remind them of that as she shouted, "MISS EVANS, YOU MUST LET GO….NOW!"
When Severus saw tears rolling down Lily's cheeks, he wrenched his hand free from the metal ring and in one swipe, caught Lily by her shoulder to take her with him.
McGonagall released the metal ring and floated away.
Severus and Lily fell while she shrieked, "AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"
Her screech was wild and long, but Severus held her close as she clung to him while they tumbled through the air.
Lily's scream of terror ended abruptly as they collided with the ground.
In the seconds before they reached the earth, Severus turned and took the brunt of the impact to let Lily land in his arms, protected.
She opened her eyes at last when she felt their movement come to a sudden stop.
Her heart filled with worry as she looked down at Severus and exclaimed, "Oh, Sev! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, Lily." He reassured her as he struggled to sit up.
Coos and whistles sounded from their peers around them.
Lily looked down and blushed at the unfortunate position in which they had landed.
Severus laid flat on his back with her seated directly over his groin.
Lily's legs straddled him as her uniform skirt rippled around her thighs.
They both felt a rush of embarrassment as their classmates snickered while Lily climbed off of Severus as gracefully and hastily as she could.
"Sorry, Sev……..Sorry about that…." Lily mumbled in mortification while she reached down and offered him her hand to help him up.
"Dont worry about it, it's fine….." Severus said quickly as he brushed himself off, took Lily's hand, and stood, "I didn't mean for us to end up like that."
"Neither did I, but thanks for not letting me go." Lily smiled brightly as the others became bored by the couple once they had separated back to socially acceptable positions.
"I'll never let you go, Lily." Severus promised as they faced each other.
A bright smile danced across Lily's face.
Severus returned her pleased expression with the slightest of grins, but behind them, as the Marauders watched, James Potter wore a hateful sneer of deep envy.
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After everyone had straightened their clothes and gathered their wits, McGonagall ceased the excited murmurings of her students as she began to lead the tour.
While they walked through the village of Dersdunsen, she recounted its history to her pupils and pointed out each noteable sight.
The day was grey, but the visage of Dersdunsen was greyer.
The old buildings were made of heavy bricks, which appeared to have been darkened by time and shifted as if the ocean itself had disrupted the village's foundations.
While they walked and listened, Severus and Lily continued to hold hands.
Dersdunsen largely relied on fishing and aquatic enchantments for economical survival.
As a result, the majority of the village's inhabitants were quite familiar with the ocean.
A good portion of its citizens had spent years of their lives at sea.
That didn't help Severus or Lily understand why every home and shop promptly closed the shutters as they walked past.
Severus frowned at the faces that glared at them as he and Lily moved through the village.
…...Was the entire magical world against their friendship?
Severus found his answer once the lunch hour arrived.
McGonagall herded her students into the village's tavern for their afternoon meal.
The aged, wooden sign hung outside the establishment, weathered by the passage of years and the erosion that salt water air brought:
Tide's Respite
Est. 700 A.D.
The tavern keeper stood and chatted with Professor McGonagall while the students all filed inside his place of business.
Severus went ahead of Lily as he stepped past the two adults.
He had Lily's hand in his as he led her forward until the tavern keeper shouted, "Halt!"
Severus and Lily stopped.
McGonagall pursed her lips.
"What's the meaning of this, Minerva?!" The tavern keeper shouted as he pointed a crooked finger at Lily, "Bringing…..one of them…..into my pub?!"
"Thaddeus," McGonagall frowned as she implored the tavern keeper, "The girl's merely thirteen…...she only wants a meal."
"My wife and sons are upstairs!" The tavern keeper spat as he glared ominously at Lily, who blinked at his gruffness.
Severus took a protective step in front of her as they both shivered under the disgust conveyed by the angry wizard's distrustful gaze.
"She hasn't come into her inheritance yet!" McGonagall pleaded, "Can you not grant her entry under those circumstances?! Albus Dumbledore assured me that she'd be allowed inside!"
"Albus Dumbledore knows little of the sea!" The tavern keeper shot back. He eyed Lily and Severus for a moment before he nodded and declared, "The boy can come in, that's no trouble…..but the girl…..the girl stays outside!"
"Thaddeus…" McGonagall started to say, but Thaddeus, the tavern keeper, held up his hand and insisted with a huff, "I'll bring her a sack of food and a horn of water….but I'm not foolish enough to offer a plate of silver or a goblet of brass to one such as her."
One such as her…..
Severus's mouth fell open as he started to protest.
McGonagall ushered him inside too quickly for him to speak as she nodded at Lily and tried to whisper discreetly, "Miss Evans, if you'll go and wait over there…...Someone will be out in a moment with your lunch."
Severus had barely stepped inside the tavern before he watched rain start to fall from the sky as Lily huddled under a sparse line of roofing across the street that barely shielded her head from wetness.
Thunder crackled as McGonagall turned around and blinked at Severus, who frowned up at her while he asked, "Professor, may I go and stand outside with Lily?"
"Mr. Snape, a terrible storm is coming!" McGonagall remarked.
"That's why I need to be with her." Severus frowned.
McGonagall sighed for a moment before she took pity on Severus, nodded, and said, "Very well, Mr. Snape. Go on, I'll cast a safety charm around you both."
Through the windows of the tavern, Severus's Slytherin friends watched with the Marauders while Lily and Severus ate their lunch together, side by side, in the middle of the violent tempest, shielded against the lightning by the thin ledge of roofing and McGonagall's enchantment.
They chatted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but the afternoon's events inspired more questions in Severus's mind as he looked into Lily's bright, green eyes.
"Thanks for being out here with me, Sev." She smiled through the darkness of the pouring rain, "It's really sweet of you."
"We'll always be us, Lily." Severus answered in a reference to his own loyalty as he took another bite of his food.
Severus's meal had been served on a silver plate.
Lily had her lunch delivered to her in a cloth sack along with a horn full of water.
As she raised the horn to her mouth, Severus tried to focus on how plush and pink her lips seemed.
While Severus stared at Lily, inquiries gnawed at his brain while a fiery, passionate yearning ignited in his heart.