Pesky Proposals

He is looking, no, staring at her again. Potter had been staring at her all morning in the Great Hall and now, in class, he is staring at her again. Severus and Lily have taken their usual seat at the front of the class for potions, the only class they have together. Much to his annoyance, Potter and his irksome friends come and sit in the next row, on the bench diagonally across theirs'. Lily pays little heed to their proximity and goes about brewing her potion, unperturbed by their mischievous tendencies. Severus, however, isn't as frivolous as her, probably because, off late all of Potter's pranks have been directed only towards him. Of course Lily always stands up for him and supports him when he picks fights with the prat, but Potter laying off Lily is a recent phenomenon.

The Marauders prank her as much as they prank anyone else in the school, bullying toerags that they are, but there is nothing that causes her a trip to the Hospital Wing, or even anything more than a frown on her face. He decides on watching Potter like a hawk. Maybe he is bored of sparing her, and is now observing her habits to plot an elaborate and humiliating attack.

Something is odd though. Black is generally a part of the schematics; but he is guffawing at something Marlene McKinnon has whispered to him from the bench behind them. Moreover, it seems that Potter is unaware of what he is doing. From his seat, Snape can make out Lupin speaking to Potter, and it isn't until Lupin has repeated himself thrice, that he catches Potter's attention.

The lesson is rather uneventful, but its just the lull before the storm. At the end of the hour, Severus and Lily help Slughorn clear out all the unused ingredients and keep the apparatus back in place. By the time they've ended their discussion on the new research on the Wolf's Bane potion with the Professor, a considerable amount of time has passed.

When they walk out of the dungeons to the corridor leading to the stairwells, they find that a full fledged war is one the verge of breaking out.

Marlene McKinnon and Alice Fortescue are standing protectively in front of Mary MacDonald, who looks ready to explode. Avery, Nott, and Mulciber are standing across from them, maliciously sneering.

"What the ruddy hell is going on?" Lily exclaims. Her eyes are focused on the six people before her and she is rapidly charging towards them. She never realizes that Severus isn't following her.

Severus feels like his feet have been nailed on to the floor as he stands rigid on his spot. Lily is about to get involved, right in the thick of things, and if he does get involved, he would have to explicitly pick a side. The only way he can placate the boys, is by deriding Lily and her friends - something enough to give the boys the satisfaction of having proved the girls inferior to them. That isn't an option, not when Lily is present to hear every word.

It's a flight or fight decision. He can neither fight Lily, nor can he fight for Lily. So he choses to escape. He slips into the broom cupboard near him and hides. He leaves the doors slightly ajar, leaving him with a good enough view of the ensuing battle.

Nott is the first to see Lily approach them "Well, well, gentlemen," he frowns, We have been disgraced with the presence of yet another mascot of muggleborns."

"My eyes hurts every time I have to see your big head Nott, you don't hear me complaining," Lily shoots back.

"These bastards sent an owl to Mary's family that says Mary isn't allowed to study at Hogwarts anymore because she supposedly isn't good enough. Thankfully Mary's parents noticed that these nimbwits hadn't used the official Hogwarts seal on the letter, so the message wasn't really from Dumbledore or any of the staff" - Alice explains.

Lily's eyes widen in horror, and then narrow in fury. "Oh Merlin's messengers, why would you do something so deplorable as to write the letter?" She scathes at Nott, Avery and Mulciber. Severus had seen them write that letter, in fact he had even edited some parts to make the note sound like it was written by a teacher.

"Hate to break it to you Evans, but people in your position generally don't have the right to complain. Snape is a saint for taking pity on you." Mulciber's thin lips are pressed into a line.

Lily's eyes flicker for a moment, she is finally aware of Severus' sudden absence from the scene.

"I would think a devil is sitting on his shoulder, saints would never associate themselves with the likes of you." McKinnon spits out. Severus can only shake his head.

"You wish you could be associated with the likes of us." Avery retorts.

"Their witty remarks are always so endearing" Lily sarcastically smiles at the girls. "Really Avery, were you always this intelligent or have these two rubbed off on you?" Her sweet expression is dangerously deceiving.

"Don't think you can get clever with me, mudblood."

Lily rolls her eyes at the obvious and unimaginitive attempt Avery made to insult her. She is about to retort, when suddenly a jet of red light comes from behind her hitting Avery square in the chest.

"Wash your mouth with soap some day Avery, it would do some good to your vocabulary." Potter clucks his tongue against his cheek as he steps into view, his cronies right behind him.

Lily turns her head to face Potter so fast she may have snapped her neck. "Oh bloody baron's soul, who asked you to - "

She never does complete her sentence because from the corner of her eye she sees Nott fire a hex towards Potter and she deflects it swiftly but easily. Potter is stunned at her quick reaction, but he doesn't have much time to ponder upon it, because suddenly spells are flying everywhere.

MacDonald and Fortescue have taken on Mulciber, Nott is throwing hex after hex on Potter, and McKinnon and Avery have each other's necks. Lily deflects all spells she can, off herself and off the Gryffindors, but she isn't attacking anyone. As usual, Lupin and Pettigrew stay out, because Lupin never wants to fight and Pettigrew cannot fight.

Nott fires a bat-bogey hex at an unsuspecting McKinnon, but Black trips him from behind and the spell misfires to hit the wall. Black takes over from Potter and starts dueling Nott. Fortescue has managed to tie Mulciber down, while MacDonald is furiously scribbling a letter intended for his parents. Avery manages to distract McKinnon and Black long enough for Nott to set Mulciber free. A newly infuriated Mulciber is much more vigorous and formidable, but the girls hold their ground.

Fortescue gets hit by a horn-tongue hex and hurling hex simultaneously. Lily loses her temper. She asks MacDonald to take the distressed Fortescue to the Hospital Wing and then disarms Avery, Nott and Mulciber in three quick movements. She catches all their wands in one hand and Black smirks - "You'll make a good seeker, Red."

Lily doesn't bother to respond to him. Instead she turns to the Slytherins and waves their wands at them - "Let me make the math simpler for you berks. There are 6 wands here and none with you. Even on your best day you wouldn't stand a chance against us."

"Get your filthy hands off my wand, mudblood, or else you'll pay for it" Nott snarls.

"Do yourself and favour and run off to sulk in the dungeons and I will return your wands to - " Lily begins, but Potter has already hit all three of them with 'Engorgio' causing their heads to swell to double their size and then to continue growing. Wandless, they have no option but to get away from there.

Potter is bubbling with laughter at the sight of them, when Lily takes him by his shoulder and turns him to face her. Her petite frame against his tall and lanky one, makes her look half his size.

"Why did you pull your wand out, Potter?" Despite her small body, she has him cowering with the incandescent blaze in her green eyes.

"Why are you shouting at me? They're the ones-"

"Did we ask for your help?" She glares at him.

"Why should you have to ask-"

"Did it look like we needed help?" She's crossed her arms across her chest, and is tapping her foot impatiently.

"Evans, it's not about- "

"Or did you just assume that since there were two muggleborns on our side, we wouldn't-"

"Hey! That's uncalled for Evans." Potter too is yelling now. "I have no doubt that you alone can take all - "

"Don't cut me off Potter, I wasn't done talking."

Severus sniggers to himself. Lily can often be more commanding than she looks. He loves that she can squeeze and shrink Potter's big head with one hand. Potter can only stare at her in disbelief.

"How are you any better than them Potter? Why are you constantly trying to provoke-"

"I didn't provoke anyone! He called you a -"

"I said, don't cut me off." Lily is speaking through gritted teeth. Everyone else is oscillating their heads from her face to his, waiting for yet another explosive showdown. "Who cares if he called me a mudblood?" Potter visibly cringes when she blatantly says the word out loud. "Nott's slimy mind isn't in control of who I am. I know my worth very well. Moreover, you are nobody to jump into my fights. I was managing the situation, trying to resolve things amicably until - "

"Amicably?" Potter scoffs.

Lily's eyes are blazing with fury now, and she's clenching her fists. The fight is approaching its usual climax. "I swear on Agrippa, if you cut me off one more time, I will strangle you with my bare hands." She waits for him to dare to say something, but he remains silent, though he doesn't look even slightly ruffled. Lily takes three deep breaths before continuing -

"Every time you hex them for your amusement while there are disputes over blood purity, you simply trivialize the issue at hand. Maybe you don't understand how deeply this kind of racism effects some people, or maybe you do understand it and are generally tactless in fighting it. But Potter this isn't, first and foremost, your battle, and by unnecessarily intervening, you are just showing them, that muggleborns are in fact defenseless and inferior to pure bloods. Don't create more trouble than there already is. Some messes cannot be fixed, but don't tangle them more. Am I getting through your thick skull Potter?"

Everyone is silent, waiting for Potter to begin a barrage of arguments in his defense, pouring out a speech that would counter Lily's word for word, but he never does. Instead, Potter says seven words that no one in a million years could've predicted he would -

"Evans, go out with me to Hogsmeade?"

Severus almost falls out of the broom cupboard. His face pales and he needs to grip on the shelf for support. McKinnon claps a hand to her mouth, and the only other sound that is heard, is Black whispering to Lupin - "Did she, at some point, hit him and crack his head?"

Lily is blinking rapidly, staring at him, her jaw has literally, and considerably dropped. Potter too doesn't take his eyes off her. He is opening and closing his mouth like a fish - He hadn't expected himself to say these words either.

Lily's continued silence and stunned expression gives Potter time to recoup his swagger. He runs his fingers through his messy mop of black hair and cockily says "Don't stare at me like I'm standing starkers before you, Evans."

That's enough to snap Lily out of her reverie, she ignores him all together and looks at Lupin "Has he gone completely bonkers?"

"At least answer me before talking to other blokes, Evans" Potter steps into her line of vision again. Severus rolls his eyes at Potters's puerile lines, but inside he cannot bring his heartbeat to slowdown.

"No, Potter! Obviously, No!" Lily shrieks.

"No, you wouldn't answer me, or no, you wouldn't go with me to Hogsmeade?" Potter prods.

"Potter," Lily speaks as if she is trying to calm a hysterical child, "I wouldn't even let you walk me back to the common room."

"But will you go to Hogsmeade with me?" Potter presses, feigning impatience.

Lily is speechless. Over the years, she has learnt to deal with all of Potter's rubbish, but this time he's hit her with a whole new bleeding bludger.

This lunatic situation has gone on long enough already, and no one has had the good sense to put a stop to it. Severus steps out from the cupboard, and rushes to stand between them. "She'll never say yes to an arrogant bastard like you Potter. What are you trying to pull?" he spits out.

"Oh Sirius, look!" Potter finally looks away from Lily. "The Slyther-bins left one of their tails" He taunts.

Behind him, Severus hears McKinnon faintly mutter "I wonder where he came from."

"How is it Snivellus, that you look just as vapid even when Evans is radiating brilliance around you?" Potter grins at Lily. The compliment makes her grimace. Severus cannot help but notice that her expression is equally unkind towards both of them.

"Well we obviously don't fraternize as much as you and Black do, each making the other more unbearable."

"Thank heavens for that, we wouldn't want Lilykins to run out of hair products."

"Bugger off Potter!" Lily has finally found her voice. "I don't know what your true intentions are, but let me spell it out for you - No, I will not go out with you to Hogsmeade. Don't get this obtuse idea ever in your head again." Lily takes McKinnon by the hand and storms out without sparing any of them another glance.

"Red - 1, Jamesie - 0" Black announces.

Potter asks her out again that evening in the common room. Then again, the next day. Once more two days after that.

He never leaves her alone, he is always following her. Sometimes he charms her hair a shade of green, a green that suspiciously matches the exact colour of her eyes. Sometimes he leaves Lilies on her desk. Sometimes he mocks her for hanging out with Severus. Sometimes he can't speak when she's standing in front of him.

It's all just an inane attempt at pestering Lily. Potter knows his pickup lines rile her up more than anything ever has in the past.

"Evans, Did you survive Avada Kedavra? Because you are drop dead gorgeous."

"I'll crucio your arse Potter."

"The sorting house saw my destiny, and knew I was meant to be in your house."

"I'd pay Dumbledore all my family's money to have myself sorted in a different house."

"Evans, is your smile Expelliarmus, because it completely disarms me?"

"I tend to smile while I plan on mutilating someone."

"My love for you burns like a Phoenix Evans"

"When are you catching fire Potter?"

Severus feels his heart leap with every one of Lily's rejections. There have been twenty three so far. The whole school is aware of the figure as Black has been keeping score, and Lupin and Pettigrew have begun a betting pool. Potter is relentless and Lily puts up a fierce fight. Potter's new games are gauche and juvenile. Severus is unnerved by his persistence. He knows it's all meaningless. But there is something gnawing at his heart from the inside - Potter is always looking at her. Potter is always looking at her, sometimes just like Severus does.