A/N: Stay as safe as you can during this uncertain time everyone.
Chapter Four: Bottled Up
Severus took a seat beside Avery.
"Where were you last night?"
Severus grabbed some of the food that was left and put it on his plate. "I fell asleep working on some potions."
"Must have been good ones. You look happy."
"Happy?" He asked, confused. Did he look happy?
"You are smiling. Guess you took care of your problem yesterday? Or do you still feel madly in love?" Avery's last question dripped with mockery and he fluttered his eyes.
Severus grinned slightly. Oh, he took care of that problem all right.
"You shagged her, didn't you?"
Severus looked at Avery. "What?"
"You shagged her. The girl you were obsessed with yesterday. You go, Snape."
"What makes you think I shagged her?"
"The look in your eyes. Potions work my arse! That's where you were last night. Damn, Snape. All night?"
Severus swallowed his bite of food hard. "No-I mean, I didn't-"
"You did. Go, Snape." Avery gave a lewd gesture.
"What are you doing?"
"All night long." He laughed.
"That's disgusting."
Avery just laughed and punched Severus's arm. "Bet you didn't think it was disgusting while you had a leg over, did you?"
Severus ignored that question.
"Who was she? Come on, tell me. Was she good?"
"That's not your concern."
"Aw, come on. If you spent the night screwing her, I think I should know about the girl you were with. Was she good in bed?"
"I didn't say I slept with her or anyone."
"You did. You shagged her good too. I've never seen you so happy before or so content. If she's not yours for the taking, you ought to give me a shot with her. I could use a night like that." Avery nudged him again and cackled.
Severus rolled his eyes. He couldn't deny that he had been with a girl last night, but there was no way he would reveal just who she was to Avery. While Avery scrutinized the young ladies who had stayed at school, Severus let his eyes wander to Lily. She was not happy and looked nervous. She wasn't eating her food and her plate was still half full. For a brief moment, he thought she might have a stomach-ache, but then it hit him. She was watching Pettigrew and Severus noticed Pettigrew glaring daggers at Lily. Severus frowned and clinched his fist.
Suddenly, Severus did not feel so hungry either. He put his fork down and huffed to himself, running his hand through his hair. Lily was supposed to be with James. They were practically dating, and she had screwed him instead. The marauders would probably kill him for real this time. Not to mention that nobody would believe him or Lily about the potions and he knew they would think he had raped her even if she said otherwise. No one would want to think well of him at all. He was just a lowly, poor, nerdy Slytherin.
Severus slammed his butter knife against his plate. Avery turned in confusion and so did a couple others nearby.
"I'll prove it." He said and got up from the table.
"Prove what?"
"That I did not do it."
"Do what?"
Severus was already leaving the Great Hall though so he did not bother to answer Avery. He would prove it somehow. There had to be a way to prove he had not harmed Lily that way. He would start by checking if the trash had their butterbeers from yesterday.
Lily looked down to the end of the table at Severus. She saw him getting up and saw him saying something to Avery. It sounded like he said he would prove it. Was he talking about Death Eaters? Then it hit her. No, he was going to prove that someone had laced their drinks with potion. Lily bolted up at that. She had to know too. She wanted to know as much as he did what had really happened the day before.
"Where are you going?" James asked.
"I have to find something."
If Peter did do this, she would make him pay because if had done this to her, it would not have mattered if it had happened between her and James instead, it was his fault.
"Do you need any help?"
"No, but thanks." Lily looked at Peter for a moment before turning away and heading out of the room. Lily could see Peter continue to watch her and scrutinize her as she left the hall.
Lily hurried up into the room where they had the slug club meeting the morning before. She looked at the pile of bottles in the bin and sighed with relief. It had not been emptied yet. She grabbed the bottles and sorted through them until she could smell the scents on two of them. They still smelled like what attracted her. Smelling the remnants of the potions made her suddenly feel attracted to Severus again and he wasn't even in the room and she had not taken a drop. She realized then that it was very powerful and she suddenly understood why the desire had turned so passionately sexual and there was no way after they had drunk the whole bottle each that they would not have ended up lying together like they had. Not when a whiff caused her feel in love and made her pelvis ache a little.
"Sev-erus?" She paused. She was not sure if she should call him Sev again, though she had been already. The one night from not speaking to sexual partners had made her feel unsure about their relationship now. It was not how she had planned on her first time. She expected to be in love and work her way up to that moment. She did not expect to go from a kiss to making out to intimate touching to sexual intercourse to all forms of sexual activity in one day, but that was what happened. Not to mention doing all that with an old friend who had not been her friend for more than year and they were barely speaking and suddenly, all that together as each other's firsts. Were they really friends again? Could they just be friends now after what happened and knowing that he found her attractive without the potion?
He looked up and gave a small smile.
"I, I found the bottles of ours, that we drank from yesterday. I thought it would be good evidence."
It was silent excluding a few talking portraits. One of which Lily was sure was listening to them though pretending to be asleep. "You know if anyone finds out, we are both in a lot of trouble. I mean, what if they think one of us did this to each other? I am certain it was Peter, I know it. The way he was glaring at me, how angry he seemed for basically no reason, I know it was him. I just-I don't know how to prove it. I hope the bottles are enough."
"Just keep them safe. Put them in the cabinet hidden."
He knew too that when Potter found out what Severus had done with Lily, when anyone else found out what they had done, there would be hell to pay. If Peter was the one who caused this, Severus would find a way to get the bastard back.
Lily's stomach sank. None of this was supposed to have happened, but it did happen. It all happened, and she couldn't do anything about it. Lily looked into his eyes for a second and then looked at him. She sighed. She never ever imagined they would have been together that way, so intimately. They were friends once, but lovers? That was not something she ever really thought about. However, she could not deny that last night they were definitely lovers.
As upset as she was at what happened and what may happen, part of her was anything but upset. He had made her very happy last night and made her feel like she never had before. He had loved her entirely, made her feel worshipped by him. Flashbacks came to her mind of lying under him and him stroking her spine and of his lips on her neck. The feeling of him loving her and the feeling of his rough hands caressing her body and stroking her hair were all things that kept coming back to her mind. She could almost feel his lips on hers, over hers, his tongue on hers. He had been a good lover to her and that would be something that, no matter what happened between them, she would never forget, and she didn't want to by any means.
"Lily? Lily?"
Lily snapped out of it. "What?"
"Did you hear me?"
"No, sorry."
Severus huffed, but softened his expression. "Never mind. It wasn't important anyway."
"I'm sorry, I was just-thinking."
"Me too. I'm in a heap of trouble."
"Why is that?"
"I told you already. No one will believe I somehow got a potion and it made me sleep with you. No one. Everyone will think the worst."
"I know what happened too. You act like I can't remember what all happened. I have evidence of how it went down." She pointed to the bottles.
"And? You think they will believe you? You are forgetting who fucked you, Lily. You will be fine."
"We did what we did to each other and it was not your fault any more than it was mine."
"Does it matter? I am a Slytherin and therefore I would be the one to do something like that."
"You said it was untested and meant for lovers, right? So why would you drug yourself with it and how could you have known we would be the ones to give out the drinks. I mean, he usually asks" Lily paused and gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh merlin."
Severus looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"It was meant for us. James and I, it was meant for us. It had to be for us."
"You said that this morning."
"No, I mean, it had to be. Slughorn almost always asks James and I to do things for him. I don't know why he asked you, but he did and that's what changed it. I mean, there has to be a giver for a lust potion."
"So? How did my name get mixed up with Potter's?"
"The name tags just kind of hung there. When I was passing them out, a couple of them fell off. Professor Slughorn told me it didn't matter; the names were just there to make sure everyone got one anyway. He said" She stopped.
"What? He said what?"
"He knocked a few over that morning. I bet that's what happened."
"Why didn't yours get mixed up then?" Severus said then paused.
"Well, he said he knocked a few, so maybe mine didn't fall off." Lily sighed. "If yours hadn't gotten mixed up and James and I gave each other our drinks, it would have worked, but why would someone think we needed the potion?" Part of her wished it had been James. He was her boyfriend after all. She was not upset that it was with Severus. It was just perplexing. She put her hand to her forehead and huffed.
"Well, I mean-love potions can get you to bed, it just takes time."
"I know, but still. We were already, I mean we are already a couple, dating. Why would we need it? A love potion? Why rush it?"
Severus gave a curt nod, not liking the thought of that. Still, he had been the one to sleep with her first and part of him hid a smirk knowing he would have the one thing James didn't have but had wanted. It was not Severus's goal to take Lily's virginity or to even consider it really, but he knew how Potter would feel about that and if Severus could prove he had not done this on purpose; he would always have a one up on Potter even if Lily did end up with James.
Lily looked at him again. "I know it was Pettigrew. I never really liked him but knowing what he tried to do-I don't think I can even speak with him again."
"He is definitely the type."
"He was watching me at breakfast, scrutinizing me. It was weird. It was really awkward."
"So, find a way to make him pay."
Lily huffed. "How? I can't do it."
"Can't do what?" Someone asked.
Severus and Lily both turned to see Professor Slughorn standing there.
"Oh, um, we were just talking." Lily said.
"The two of you were talking?" He asked with surprise.
Lily shrugged. "Long story, but yes, we had something important to speak about."
"Why are you two up here anyway?"
"I think I left my notebook here yesterday and I need it for our assignment over the holidays. As for Severus, I asked him to meet me here. I-uh, had a question about the assignment. Knew he'd know."
"Did you find it? Your notebook?"
Lily nodded, "Yes, Professor. And my question was answered. Thanks, Severus. See you after the holidays or around" Lily exited the room and Severus followed.
Severus sighed and raised an eyebrow before he turned to her just as she turned to him. "I'm sorry this happened, Lily. I'm sure you would have enjoyed it better with Potter, your real lover." He knew that came out harsher than he wanted it to come out. "I ruined your relationship."
Lily looked at her hands. It was quiet for a moment. She glanced at him and opened her mouth as if to say something then closed it again silently. Lily gave a curt nod, her eyes saddened at his response. "But we are just going to forget it right-pretend none of this ever happened? I mean, to anyone else-pretend it never happened. I don't think we will forget it." She paused. "Maybe I should shut up."
"Yes, no one else will know."
"We can pretend nothing's changed between us-if you want."
"Something has changed. No one has to know why though."
"Yes, I just meant, a sudden reconciling may have people curious and may arouse suspicion."
"It might." He looked at her again. "We should go." They were both silent on their way down from the Slug Club room.
"You really can do better, you know." Lily said finally.
"Better than what?" He asked.
"Being a Death Eater."
"Lily-"
"No, I mean it. I just wish you would see it-that you are better than that."
"And what? Join Potter and his pals in the stupid Dumbledore club?"
Lily stopped on the stairs.
He turned to her and saw her standing there, looking at him. He could sense the frustration. "What?"
"No."
Severus stopped ahead of her on the staircase. "No what?"
"You don't have to join The Order."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"To stop hanging out with Avery and Mulciber. And other Death Eaters."
"What else will I do then?" He snapped. "You want me to hang out alone-have no friends at all."
"No."
"Well, they are all I've got!"
"Are they?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. "What about me?"
"Well, besides you. Asking me to stop being friends with them is like asking me to stick a metal pole in a thunderstorm-suicide!"
"It's not suicide. Don't even joke!" She started up the stairs again.
"I'm not joking! I go off by myself and that boyfriend of yours and his pals will start after me again! When they find what I did to you, regardless of fault, they will murder me!"
"They won't kill you."
"Wanna bet?"
Lily stopped as she neared the main floor. "James stopped doing that to people."
"You think so, huh?"
She looked at him confused.
"He still does it to me. Thought you should know that."
"Do you do it to him?"
Severus said nothing and the empty corridor was silent minus the murmurs from the portraits.
"I haven't seen him do it to anyone since last year."
"You think I'm lying to you?
"No. I believe you. I am just saying, I haven't seen him do it to anyone. For the most part, he changed."
"Not from what I see."
"You two have this deep-seated grudge that I will never understand. I wish you both would leave each other alone." She sighed. "Let's just go chill for the day. I think I will go work on some charms before lunch. What are you going to do?"
"Probably go see what Avery is up to."
"Just don't anything stupid and dangerous with him. He's not as bad as Mulciber, but I know his parents are Death Eaters." Lily started down the hallway.
"Same goes for you and Potter." Severus said quietly behind her.
She stopped and raised an eyebrow. "You think James and I will get frisky now?"
"Well, if you want to try and get your boyfriend to think he was the first one instead and pretend Pettigrew's prank worked-"
Lily looked at him in shocked disgust. "That is terrible. I wouldn't do that! How-"
"Sorry." He apologized. "I just thought that-you know-I mean-he-"
She sighed and folded her arms again. "I'm not doing anything like that. I don't even know-I don't know what the future holds right now."
"I think I'm going to go for a shower, Lily." Severus did not want to talk about Potter or Pettigrew anymore.
Lily nodded. "Yes." She gave him a smile. "I will see around, later?"
Severus smiled back. "Yes. Later-around. Enjoy your day. Maybe at lunch."
"You as well." She walked off in the opposite direction.
Severus watched her go with a heavy huff.
As she turned the corner, something hot ran up his back and he cringed in pain. He turned just as another spell flew at him. He ducked and whipped out his wand. Black!"