Chapter 8: Lily

Fuming, Lily stomped after Petunia, her heavy footsteps in hot pursuit of her older sister. She couldn't believe it! She would never in her life hurt someone else on purpose the way Severus did just then. She wanted to believe he was better than that! But to try and pull what he pulled-

A low groan resonated in the back of her throat from her irritation, sounding more like a growl than the audible release of frustration she intended it to be. Images of Severus being wrestled to the ground danced beneath her eyelids and she shoved them away angrily. It's not an excuse to harm others, she thought stubbornly, quickening her stride. Petunia had enough of a head start that she couldn't even see her anymore, but she was sure she had run straight home, she just needed to get there. She wanted to be sure that her older sister was okay.

"Tuney!" Lily called, slamming the door shut behind her. "Tunia, are you here?" Tearful sniffles wafted from the direction of the front room sofa, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief as she rushed towards them. Petunia was curled on the cushions, hugging the throw blanket tightly around herself, thick tears spilling quietly down her cheeks. "Tuney? Are you alright?" Lily asked gently.

Petunia said nothing. Lily sat down beside her, raising her sisters feet so she could sit down, and then resting them back against her lap. Petunia turned to face her as she did, but then returned to her initial position on the arm of the sofa, determined to ignore her. Lily inspected her sister's face in peaceful regard, waiting for her to say something. When several minutes passed without the two of them exchanging a word, Lily broke the silence.

"At least let me have a look at it then."

A little crease appeared between Petunia's eyes and her brow furrowed in annoyance. "No thank-you," she said stiffly. "I don't need you poking around at it." She gripped the blanket tighter as though to shield herself more effectively from her sister. Lily let out an exasperated sort of sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, if you want to be a baby about it. I just hope the infection doesn't spread or we may have to cut your arm off."

Petunia scoffed in disbelief, but loosened her grip on the blanket anyway, shrugging her arm out from beneath the blanket and thrusting it at Lily. The scrape was shallow. Several white lines marked the surface, some of them sporting raised pieces of deadened skin that were too superficial to break through completely. Others had leaked bubbles of blood and fluid where the rough crust of the tree branch had collided with Petunia's shoulder. One thing for certain, she was going to live. The cut didn't look bad, though it did need to be washed out.

"You'll want to clean that," Lily stated, returning the arm after her examination. Petunia snorted but didn't move. Lily sighed again dramatically. "No, no don't get up. I'll get it," she said sarcastically as she rose from her seat.

She returned with a clean, wet cloth, alcohol swab, and bandages. She settled herself on the floor in front of Petunia and arranged the items within easy grasp. Lily held out her hand expectantly for the offending appendage, fixing her sister with a stern look that told her she may as well be compliant and let her do this because there was no way she was getting out of it. Petunia relented and sunk down against the cushions so her shoulder was completely exposed, one arm tucked neatly beneath her while the other she let rest in Lily's outstretched palm.

Lily got to work, first wiping away the more obvious smears of dirt with the wet cloth. "Does it hurt?" She asked Petunia lightly while she scrubbed gently against some of the more stubborn marks.

"No, of course not. It feels fantastic, better than it did before the tree," Petunia said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry he did that to you," Lily replied softly, ignoring the acid in her sister's voice.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from him."

Lily continued with her work, setting aside the soiled cloth and then peeling away the wrapping of the alcohol swab. She was trying not to let her sister's words get to her too much, she knew that she was upset. "This will sting a bit," she informed Petunia as she pressed the swab against the scrape.

Petunia inhaled sharply between her teeth, her eyes squeezed shut tightly as she waited for the pain to cease. She let out a high pitched whimper and kicked her feet out in tight little fits. Lily shook her head, Petunia always had been a bit of a wimp. She picked up the bandages and unwrapped one in thoughtful silence. "Tuney... what were you doing at the river today?" she asked as casually as possible. Petunia stiffened visibly under Lily's touch, but said nothing. Lily finished applying the bandage and covered it over with Petunia's sleeve, watching her face expectantly. "Tunia-" Lily prompted dangerously.

"I was...I was just-"

"-Just spying on me," Lily finished for her.

"I was worried about you! Okay?!" Petunia burst out, straightening up. "I saw you grab your shoes this morning, I knew where you were going. I knew you were going to meet him. I don't trust him Lily, he's-"

"He's what?" Lily shot back, suddenly on the defensive. "Poor? Weird? A Wizard?" she emphasized hotly.

"You don't actually still believe that do you?" Petunia almost laughed. "Lily, he's lying to you! He just likes you, that's all. This is all just an excuse to get close to you! You never would have given him the time of day if he didn't make something up and give you a reason to."

"That's rather snooty of you," Lily retorted, her voice steady with forced control. "It's not unheard of to have boys and girls be just friends. Do you want to know what I think? I think you're afraid. You're afraid of me and you're afraid of him because he's like me. You think I don't notice the way you flip out when I do things? I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. You're jealous!"

"Jealous!?" Petunia screeched. "Jealous of what?! Being a freak?" Lily flinched from the ugliness of her sister's words but her face remained stoic. She refused to let Petunia see how much her words had hurt her. "Believe me, I am anything but 'jealous'."

"Then why were you following me?" Lily blurted angrily. "If you aren't jealous, then why spy on us?"

Petunia looked like she was doing everything in her power to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs. "I already told you-" she began slowly through clenched teeth, "I was worried about you! I heard you come home last night. Late! After curfew! You were Hysterical, I heard you crying! So help me Lily, if it was because of him-"

Lily looked uncomfortable. "What would you know about it anyway? It's really none of your business."

"Did he hurt you?" Petunia asked suddenly. Her face was more serious than Lily had ever seen it. Lily faltered from the unexpected nature of the question, and when she didn't answer right away Petunia repeated herself, forcefully enunciating each syllable. "Did. He. Hurt. You?"

"No," Lily stated bluntly. "No, he didn't hurt me."

"He will. Give him time." Petunia said ominously, her arms folded in front of her chest. She looked down her nose at Lily who was still sitting on the floor in front of her. She looked slightly intimidating from this angle, though Lily didn't want to admit it, but she would not allow herself to be deterred.

"You shouldn't talk about him like that," Lily muttered gloomily. "You don't know-"

"-I know enough," Petunia interrupted her. "I know that if you keep hanging around with him he's going to wind up hurting you. Maybe not right away, but eventually. He's already following you around like some stray."

"The same way you were following me around today?" Lily countered.

Petunia glared at Lily intently. "You're starting to sound like a broken record."

"At least I know what I'm talking about, which is more than I can say for you. You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand."

"Where has all the food gone Lily?" Petunia asked suddenly, a smug expression crossing her features.

"What? What are you going on about?" Lily asked in confused outrage.

Petunia waved a hand dismissively. "Don't pretend like you don't know. You think I haven't noticed how much more you've been 'eating' the last couple of days? Or does hanging out with weirdos make you hungrier? You're feeding him too, aren't you?" she asked smoothly.

"What does that have to do with- well- with anything!" Lily snapped.

"Nothing. Just that if you keep feeding the stray he's bound to turn around and bite you in the arse. It's what dogs do."

"I wouldn't bother explaining what dogs do, Petunia " Lily warned her in a low, and dangerous voice. "You're doing a pretty good job of it yourself." The both of them shot to their feet, their eyes locked. Both sets piercing the other intently in a profound showdown of fire and ice.

"Fine!" Petunia shouted furiously. "Do what you want then! That's what I get for caring." Petunia threw her up hands in defeat. If I had known this was the thanks I'd get, I wouldn't have bothered. I hope you enjoy your time together while it lasts. You and that- that MUTT!"

"Petunia!" Lily roared, scandalized by the offensive term. But Petunia wasn't listening, she had whirled herself around and stormed from the living room, hammering each step as hard as she could up the stairs with her stockinged feet, the thundering footfalls growing fainter with the distance she put between them. A loud bang shook the house. Evidently, Petunia made it to her room and had done a very thorough job of slamming the door shut behind her, leaving Lily quite alone.

Fuck.

This wasn't at all how she expected the scene to go. It wasn't how it was supposed to go. She didn't want to keep arguing with her sister. She was tired. Tired of the tension and of the fighting. She missed Petunia, she really did, and she was trying her darnedest to make amends. The added issue of Severus had made everything between them that much more complicated and strained, because of how much Petunia loathed him. She didn't know why she felt compelled to keep jumping to his defenses either, but...it just wasn't right. Petunia didn't understand. He was the only other person she could talk to. The only person that understood what she was going through. She also didn't understand about Severus. She hadn't seen what she saw. If she did, maybe she wouldn't be so quick to condemn him.

Lily took in a deep breath before she followed Petunia's example, albeit a lot more quietly, and retreated to her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest and stared at the headboard. She neglected to turn on the light, and the brightness in the room slowly diminished from the setting sun as she lay in deep reflection. Dad would be home soon, she thought distractedly, Mum too. It was one of those days where the girls were meant to spend the majority of the day on their own. Mr. Evans had been pulling a lot of over time lately with the hopes of getting that promotion, and Mrs. Evans had a Book Club Meeting to go to once she was done running errands. Lily didn't mind too much, but she hoped they would come home soon, the house was too quiet, and it felt empty without them.

As she brooded in her bedroom staring at the four walls, Lily's mind began to drift and wander. The most unwelcome being that of Severus being thrown to the ground on excruciating repeat. The more she was forced to re-watch the horrific display in her mind, the more eager she was to show that awful man a thing or two about karmic justice. She needed to hatch a plan to get back at him. Something that wouldn't tie her directly to the violation, but also had to ensure Severus wouldn't be blamed accidentally. As she thought deeper on the possibilities her brain eventually turned to the conversation she had with Severus that afternoon. About being caught doing magic outside school and the consequences of those actions. He said they would let you off before you had any training. If she was going to do something about this and get away with it, it had to be soon. Before school.

Very suddenly, an image imprinted itself vibrantly in her mind in an unexpected flash of color, causing her to gasp involuntarily at the intrusion, her heart thrumming loudly in her chest. It looked like...It looked like her house? But like she was seeing it from the outside. As though she were standing on her lawn and looking up at it.

That's weird.

Lily recognized the symptoms far too easily. This had happened to her a few times before, after all.

Severus.

It couldn't be though, could it? Taking a well educated gamble, Lily chanced a glance out her bedroom window, intuition guiding her reaction. She thought she had prepared herself, but she was surprised to find how totally unprepared she was for what she saw. Something a bright canary yellow was floating outside her window. Actually floating. Like no strings attached, supernatural, 'beam me up Scottie' kind of floating. Lily's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the mysterious object. She approached it warily, almost tip-toeing across the carpet, but as she drew nearer, she realized what it was, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

A flower. It's only a flower.

All at once, all the emotion she had felt earlier that afternoon from the 'Severus-and-Petunia' incident came flooding back to her and she closed the last few steps to the window in a fury. She was still livid with him for what he had done. She tore open her bedroom window and, ignoring the slight spark of admiration she felt at seeing a flower floating gracefully in mid-air, glared stony eyed into the yard.

A pale face stuck out drastically against the fading light of the evening, creating a sharp contrast between it and the rest of the immediate surroundings. From her vantage point he appeared much smaller than she remembered, but it was definitely him. Pale skinned, oddly clothed and though he was the one standing outside her window at this ungodly hour, readily avoiding her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" Lily hissed. "If my parents catch you-"

She hoped the empty threat would be enough, that he wouldn't catch her bluff. Severus cringed at her tone but didn't move an inch. Scoffing haughtily, Lily made to close the window.

"Wait!" Severus called at her, an edge of panic in his voice. "I just- I just want you to hear me out."

"I have nothing to say to you Severus," she replied coldly. "Go home."

"Okay," he muttered.

Lily closed the window on Severus and on the flower that was still hovering outside the glass, determined to ignore him and his apologies. She turned to go back to bed when she heard a bunch of loud scraping and banging sounds coming from the side of the house. Mortified, Lily quickly ran back and ripped the window open once more. What she saw might have been quite humorous if she hadn't been so angry. Severus had moved from his spot on the lawn, but instead of turning around and heading home, he began climbing the house.

"Sev! Stop! What on earth are you doing?!" Lily scolded as she watched his progress from the window, her eyes round with disbelief.

"I ain't-" he grunted "gotta answer- to you," he breathed as he struggled clumsily up the side of the house.

Severus was wearing a look of annoyed determination. His brow crumpled between black eyes, and he glared grumpily at his makeshift handholds. All the while his bottom lip protruded out slightly in a stubborn pout that was unexpectedly charming.

Lily stared flabbergasted, as Severus reached the part of the roof that would give him clear access to her bedroom window, one pale hand flung over the shingles with conviction. Damn her parents for buying a house with a divided roof! Sure, at first she thought it was cool, how she could sit on it so easily from simply stepping through the bedroom window, but not when she had a crazy juvenile wizard boy scaling the side of her house!

He was panting slightly, and she heard him cuss more than once as he continued to climb awkwardly up the wall. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the ludicrous scene he was making. Staggering to his feet he wiped his forehead on his sleeve and clutched at a stitch in his side, attempting to catch his breath. With one fluid movement, as though in an afterthought, he swept the flower into his hand and slumped down beside her window with a groan.

Lily quickly rearranged her features back to one of stern discontentment before Severus could catch her hiding a smile. She would lose her edge if he knew he had come close to making her laugh and she hadn't forgiven him just yet. She was actually surprised she hadn't already slammed the window in his face and simply walked away, but she supposed she owed him a moment to plead his case since he had put through such a solid effort to get her attention.

"Make it quick or bugger off, 'Snape,'" Lily said icily. The use of his surname seemed to affect him more than she thought. With the hurt look he gave her when she said it, she could almost say she was sorry about it. Almost.

"Give me a break, I just climbed a bloody wall," Severus choked out in disbelief. "God, Lily what does it take?" he growled moodily under his breath. He twirled the flower wildly between his fingertips, his arms resting absently against his knees as he did. "I just came to say that I didn't mean for it to happen." When she failed to respond he added, "your sister-"

"You hurt her," Lily interrupted. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"No!"

...

"Lily, I swear! I mean- I made it happen, but it wasn't on purpose! My magic- I was angry and I- I lost control," Severus stammered anxiously. "But I didn't- I didn't mean it."

Lily watched his face fall with defeat near the end of his blubbering. Why was he affecting her this way? When she was around him it was as though she helplessly turned into putty. She found it hard to stay angry with him, he was charming in a completely pathetic sort of way that she found impossible to resist. She just felt for him…plus she had had her share of magical accidents so realistically she couldn't judge him too harshly for that.

"Is that for me?" Lily asked suddenly, pointing at the whirling flower in her friend's hands. Severus flushed and nodded, holding it out to her in a stiff fist. Lily took the offered flower by the stem, at the same time crawling out of her window to settle next to Severus, mimicking his disposition. "Alright Sev, I think I may have found it in my heart to forgive you, BUT I don't ever want to catch you doing something like that again. Understood?" Even to her own ears she knew she sounded like her mum, but she meant every word she said. The idea of being friends with someone who could hurt another person intentionally was out of the question. Severus looked embarrassed and his shoulders slumped down further as he stared at his knees, but he was nodding again slowly. Lily grinned despite herself. "Hey, lighten up could you? If I have to see you feeling sorry for yourself much longer I might just have to leave you out here on your own."

"Y-you're not angry?" Severus asked quietly.

"Oh no, I am angry. But I think I can manage to restrain it," Lily winked. Severus smiled gently to himself, still refusing to meet her eye. "The flower is beautiful Sev," she said seriously, admiring it.

"Yellow is the color of friendship," he told her automatically.

"Is it?"

"I don't know, that's what the man in the apron told me." He shrugged lightly, turning a deeper shade of crimson. "And it's a-"

"Lily," she finished for him. "I know, they're my favorite," she smiled kindly at him, trying to put all the words she couldn't bring herself to say out loud into one meaningful look.

"I um- put an everlast charm on it…" Severus muttered softly, jabbing a finger in the direction of the lily. Lily's jaw dropped open in surprise at the overwhelming revelation about the gift in her hand.

"You did? You mean it- it won't ever die? It's forever?" she whispered in awe.

"You still need to keep it in water and stuff," Severus told her. "It still needs basic care, but as long as it has a consistent supply of water and occasional sunlight," he nodded "it won't ever wilt. It will always be in bloom."

"Severus...how did you even manage-?"

"It's not complicated," he explained hastily like it was no big deal. "It's easiest with non-magical plants because their chemical makeup isn't as complex. I'm still not sure I did it right, though. I guess if it dies, you'll know for sure." He looked up at her then and offered her a lopsided smirk.

Lily held the flower tenderly in her fingers and closed her eyes, bringing it in closer to her chest as though savoring it. She could feel the energy flowing steadily through the stem and she recognized it as Severus's own brand of magic. Like a fingerprint, totally personal and unique. She could feel it crackle and buzz as it flowed like liquid through the lily and into the sensitive pads of her fingertips.

It was an incredible feeling. She recognized his signature almost immediately. It were as though, on some level, she could always feel it when she was with him, but never realized it until just now. She felt the same waves of emotion crash and stir inside herself. Feelings she came to associate with seeing him. At first, she couldn't pinpoint what it was. But now, with the delicate gift in her hands, everything made sense and she gave up trying to put a label on it. It was just Severus.

Lily inhaled unsteadily as she opened her eyes again. "I really don't know what to say," she began. "Sev...thank you," she said, putting her hand against the crook of his arm for emphasis, her eyes shining. "For the best present anyone has ever given me."

"It's just a flower," he stated, but he looked pleased.

"You know, you should come over sometime," Lily stated thoughtfully. At the startled look on Severus's face she chuckled lightly and shoved him with the side with her knee. "Not now! But next time. It would be nice if you could do it properly and come inside at some point...and not have to climb up my house to do it." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Y-yeah, maybe-"

"Oh shit!" Lily interrupted him suddenly, too distracted to censor herself. "Sev, I just realized, aren't you going to get in trouble? The sun's already down!" Lily had got to her feet in a panic and was looking out at the horizon...towards Spinner's end.

Severus looked crestfallen, but it was only for a moment, before the mask of indifference was set stubbornly back in place. "It's alright. I probably won't be in that much trouble, besides it'll be worth it." He grinned reassuringly at her.

Lily wasn't convinced. She saw what happened the other night with his Dad. But she had to play along or else Severus would know she knew something she shouldn't. She wasn't ready to tell him she knew, she wanted him to tell her in his own time. When he was ready. Plus, she was pretty sure he would be furious with her if he found out she had done her own spying. She looked guiltily at the flower still cupped in her hands, still pulsating with the energy of his magic. She felt horrible.

If something happened to him tonight it would be her fault. Wouldn't it? She was the reason he was here right now. Because of the way she left things with him that afternoon. She didn't make him come though, that had been his decision. But if she hadn't been so angry with him he wouldn't have felt compelled to stop by and patch things up. He hurt Petunia. It was an accident. She wasn't totally blameless in that respect either. If she found out something horrible happened to him on her account, how could she ever forgive herself? How was she meant to live with that? Back and forth she argued, and it was wasting valuable time.

"You have to go," Lily said urgently, attempting to hoist him up by the elbow. "My parents." she invented wildly.

"Oh, yeah- right."

Lily pushed him carefully, one hand on his back to make him move faster as they approached the edge of the roof. Severus swung his legs back over and started his careful descent, but paused momentarily with his head still overlooking Lily's ankles.

"Tomorrow?" he asked breathlessly.

"Tomorrow," Lily agreed. "Now GO!"

She waited until he made it to the ground safely and started walking away from the house. He walked backwards until she came into view again. She plastered on a fake smile and waved him off, watching him turn around and disappear behind the bushes.

She breathed a sigh of relief, remaining on the shingled roof just a little longer before heading back inside with the yellow lily cradled gently in her hands. She grabbed the water-glass off of her nightstand, the water-glass that she and Petunia abandoned a long time ago, and took it with her to the bathroom, filling it with cool water. Stepping carefully back into her bedroom she arranged it beside her alarm clock, flipping over the water pitcher to create a protective glass dome over top of it. She fiddled with the handle until it was at a satisfactory angle. One that wouldn't corrupt the pleasing aesthetic of the flower beneath it. With that done she collapsed into bed, her arms wrapped securely around her pillow as she stared happily at the gift.

Clearly, this was a friendship that would last a lifetime.

A/N: Surprise! I bet you weren't expecting to see another update so soon. I couldn't wait to write this chapter! So many lil' Sev and Lily feels!

I know some of you may find Lily's character a little bit contradictory, but believe me I wrote her that way on purpose. Lily is first and foremost a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors are ruled by their heart and their passion and their sense of justice. I don't think Lily realizes that she's being a bit hypocritical when she says she couldn't be friends with someone who would intentionally harm another person while simultaneously plotting something wicked for Tobias Snape. All that and let's face it, she's 11.

Thank you to everyone sticking it out with me so far! I truly appreciate your loyalty and hope you are continuing to enjoy this fic. If you care to leave a review, Sev and I would be ever so grateful.

*Minor Re-editing*