Hello all! Sorry for the delay! It's been quite the time since I last updated. In the process of getting a new laptop, Not-Such-A-Best Buy screwed up a few times… then when I was finally all set with that, Hurricane Irene decided that she was going to come for a visit, leaving me without power for almost 5 days. And then what with that happening, school was delayed and just turned to Hell. Sooo.. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 3
News of Severus making his house team, and of how he had practically outflown James Potter spread through the school like wildfire. Suddenly Severus was finding Slytherin House members who before had never even given him a passing glance wishing him luck in the upcoming game. And with all the attention, the three-times-a-week practices, and the piles of homework being given, the weeks leading up to the first Quidditch match seemed to fly by.
It was the last week before the match and an extremely beautiful Sunday, and while most students were outside enjoying the weather, Lily and Severus were hunched over an essay for Transfiguration in the library. After a moment of silent deliberation Severus looked to his friend, requesting a favor from her.
"Of course Severus...anything." she had not looked up from her essay, continuing to write. When he hesitated to respond she looked up to him, her green eyes studying his nervous face.
"Can you..helmcumair?" his face was hidden as he looked down, his hair forming a curtain around his face. He spoke so quietly he hardly moved his lips.
"Sorry? I don't think I caught that…"
"Can you…help me cut my hair? Please?" he turned his eyes up to her, looking through strands of hair. "It just gets in my way when I'm flying…I can't see a damn thing."
"Of course I can help you Sev. But where would we do this? It's not exactly like we can just hang out in one another's common rooms." She turned, gazing out the window of the library, eyes glazed over in thought before she suddenly jumped back to attention. "I've got it! Hagrid! He's been asking me to come to tea!"
"Would he want me there?"
"Of course he would. Hagrid likes you just fine!"
Severus shrugged, looking at Lily from behind his hair.
"If you insist.." he looked back down to his book, his nose practically touching the paper.
"Oh fine!" Lily huffed. "If it will make you feel any better I'll send Archimedes with a letter to him. Alright?" She gathered her things and stood, making her way to the owlry. He watched her as she walked away, her hair rippling behind her with every step. Slowly he turned back to his essay with a sigh, the words blurring as he stared at them, unblinking.
"Sev! Sev wake up!" his eyes fluttered open, the feel of a soft hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. He lifted his head from his essay, looking around the library before meeting Lily's gaze.
"I guess I fell asleep.."
"No kidding. Now come on! Hagrid said he'd be more than glad to have us stop by!" she hastily flicked her wand, sending all of his belongings neatly back into his bag before grabbing his arm and pulling him from the library.
"There yeh are! Glad yeh've finally stopped by Lily. And Severus!" he clapped the thin boy on his shoulders so hard that Severus stumbled forwards. "Lily told me all about yer project so, I've got a chair and what not all set up fer yeh. Then we can have some tea." Hagrid closed the door behind them as they entered the hut, seeing a chair set up in the middle of the room, a large cloth laid over the back of it. Severus nervously sat down, glad for the sheet laid around him so as to hide any shaking of his hands. Lily picked up the scissors Hagrid had laid out for her and turned to Severus, taking a piece of hair between her fingers.
"I think it works better if you keep your eyes open." Severus said, and her eyes snapped open quickly realized she had indeed closed them in fear.
"I still think I look like Potter." Severus said bitterly, running his fingers through his now shorter hair.
"Suits you better I think." Lily smiled to him, sipping from her tea.
Though Severus was entirely grateful to Lily for cutting his hair, and that his new cut made it that much easier to see, he felt naked without the curtains of hair to hide his face. He also resented in the fact that now his hair looked quite similar to that of James Potter's, and even with Lily's complement that he wore it better than Potter did not heighten his mood very much. He took a remorseful bite from one of the rock cakes Hagrid had made, resting his chin onto his arms which he had rested upon the table.
"Don't let an ol' bully like James Potter bother yeh Severus." Said Hagrid. Severus sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "That's the thing about bullies see, they only pick on yeh because their scared of yeh, or their jealous."
"Hagrid's right. I tell you that all the time. And you can show Potter just what a toerag he is when you beat Hufflepuff in the match this weekend!"
In the distance they could hear the bells signaling dinner was about to start.
"That's the dinner bell, we best be off. Thanks for the tea Hagrid."
Hagrid gave a grunt of a response as she leaned in, hugging his broad shoulders.
"You two just be sure to come back again, right? Yer both welcome anytime. And you Severus," Hagrid pointed his large finger at the boy who had just risen to his feet. "Don't give Potter, or any other bully, the satisfaction of getting to yeh, alrigh? And take some o these with yeh." Hagrid gave him a rough smile as he handed over a handkerchief filled with rock cakes and treacle fudge. "You'll blow straight off yer broom if yer not filled up enough."
The Quidditch stands erupted with cheers as streaks of yellow and green rushed into the sky. Three-quarters of the stands were adorned with some spot of yellow, Hufflepuff the most accented in support of their house. But Slytherin stood out just as brightly, being a smaller group of support than the rest of the school, their small group stood out with their streamers, flags and clothing of green. And there, in the middle of the Gryffindor stands, sat Lily Evans, a green and silver scarf wrapped around her neck. She watched the skies nervously as Severus took off at the whistle, circling the pitch in his search for the snitch. There was the shrill call of a whistle and the game began, streaks of color zooming around the air in dire battle for possession of the quaffle as the voice of Remus Lupin rang out as he commentated on the action.
Slytherin was up ninety to ten and tempers from Hufflepuff were growing tense. In a surprising, and uncharacteristic act, a bludger was sent straight for Severus' head. He narrowly avoided it in a barrel roll, but the unfortunate chaser behind him had caught it full in the face. Jeers rang out from all around as Madame Pomfrey rushed to meet the now heavily bleeding girl, as Madame Hooch began to yell loudly at the offending beater, who only glared at her with a look of contempt. It took all the strength of Wilkes and Avery to hold back Emma as she screamed out a long string of curses, intent on strangling the boy who had sent the beater into her best friend's, and teammate's face.
The game soon resumed after a series of whistle bursts from Madame Hooch and the threat to give a penalty to both houses for delaying the game. Severus won his chance at the snitch when, in another attempt to distract the emerald-clad team, Hufflepuff's chasers began to circle around Emma, chanting a slew of nasty words after her. Out of the corner of his eye Severus saw a flicker of gold and there, at the bottom of the Slytherin goalposts sat the snitch. He shot off like a bullet, gaining on the golden ball just before it zoomed off. By now his opponent realized his intent and took off herself, eyes narrowed in concentration. Her hand was outstretched for the snitch when, quick as a whip, Severus turned his broom over, and sitting there upside down, he zipped right over the top of her, his hand snatching the snitch from midair before uprighting himself, holding his hand up in triumph. The stands shook with the cheers that erupted from Slytherin house. It shocked the Slytherin team to see that most of Ravenclaw had also joined in on the cheering of his spectacular grab. His eyes searched the stands, finally finding a head of red hair; Lily was on her feet, jumping up and down as she cheered for her best friend. He felt his heart surge but his attention was quickly diverted as the entirety of Slytherin's team flew into him, a tangle of arms surrounded him, clapping him on the back, the girls all hugging him tightly. They finally made their way back to the ground, the rest of the school dispersing back towards the castle. Lily had fought her way through the crowd and down to the grass, set on congratulating her best friend herself. She felt herself disappointed however to see Severus being taken away, riding ontop of his team's shoulders as they carried him off the field and towards the castle.
"Ah well…let him go. He deserves it." She smiled to herself as she turned to head back towards the castle herself, looking back over her shoulder once more. And yet, as proud as she was for her friend, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness that she could not join in on the celebration with him.
I hope you all liked this one! I tried to make it full of excitement for you all! RxR!
