Sleeping Beauty

The healers from St. Mungo's had come to review Lily's case but all involved agreed that what could be done had been done and due to her delicate state; it would be best not to move the girl. Her recovery was indeed tenuous; there had been a few moments when Lily seemed to teeter on the brink of life and death. Her breathing would slow and then stop and Severus would feel his entire body go numb. Each time though, after quick attention from the staff and tearful shouts of fear mingled with rage from Severus, Lily's body would violently jerk and she'd gasp for breath. She would then settle back into her pillow and breathe with the low, shallow rhythm that Severus was suddenly so grateful to hear.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans had of course been informed and brought to the castle to visit their daughter immediately. Once they'd been told what happened they were both quite convinced that Lily should withdraw from Hogwarts and return to the Muggle world for treatment, afraid for her to stay a moment longer in a world filled with dangers they didn't understand. A few calming draughts later and after much persuasion from Dumbledore and Severus, they agreed to allow her to stay under the conditions they be connected to the floo network and retrieved the minute there was any change.

It had now been five days since the attack. Severus continued to keep watch over Lily whenever he was free from classes. Madam Pomfrey felt the constant vigil was touching, but mainly allowed it due to the fact that thanks to a rogue outbreak of dragon pox, she could use the extra eyes and Severus was unobtrusive.

Severus closed his book and set it on the nightstand by Lily's bed as the familiar sound of Potter's voice rose in the corridor. He'd been reading to Lily but it was apparently time for another daily interruption of the bloody Gryffindor idiot.

"So how come Sniv...eh, Snape can see Lily but we're not allowed? We're just as worried as he is and for all we know, he's the one that did this to her!"

"Mister Potter, that is quite enough! If you care so much for Miss Evans, you might want to thank Severus Snape instead of accusing him. If not for his quick actions, it'd be a wake to which you'd be bringing those flowers."

"I'd rather choke on a snitch than thank that...that...Snivellus!"

"Well then, I suggest you head down to the pitch Mr. Potter! While we're at it, that'll be ten points from Gryffindor!" Madam Pomfrey yelled, her patience at an end. It was rare she truly lost her temper with a student but James Potter had pushed her to the edge. Every day, after every class, the story was the same. He and his group would show up and ask to be let into the infirmary to see Lily. She would inform them that the girl had yet to awake and would not be receiving visitors. The first few times the boys had quietly thanked her and left without argument but lately, they'd…well, Potter had grown rude and belligerent...and she was not about to pretend she was a woman who would be treated so indignantly.

"Fine…ma'am. Please give these to her," said James through angry, clenched teeth as he roughly shoved a bouquet of flowers at Madam Pomfrey.

"Of course Mister Potter. Now, I will alert you when the girl awakens, until then, unless you are injured...gravely injured, I think it would be best if you refrained from visiting the infirmary."

James narrowed his eyes at the medi-witch and turned away without speaking again, Sirius, Peter, and Remus followed him in awkward silence. Remus though, turned and cast a sorrowful glance at Pomfrey. She gave an exasperated sigh and headed back into the hospital ward.

Severus heard her quick agitated steps as he sat in his now all too familiar chair. Madam Pomfrey rounded the corner and he could see that her face was still flushed from her argument with the Marauders. It tickled him to no end that Potter was left in the hallways with his shorts in a twist. If such a black cloud could have a silver lining, that was surely it.

"Mister Snape, could you please put these in some water for Miss Evans? James Potter has dropped them off and I assured him I would deliver them." She made no attempt to hide the rolling of her eyes when she mentioned James.

"Of course Madam Pomfrey, I'll...take care of them." She quickly handed him the flowers and left to attend to a young Ravenclaw that couldn't seem to stop scratching at the itchy pox covering her skin. Severus stared at the flowers in his hand, a bouquet of delicate, white lilies. How...predictable, he thought with unmitigated distain. He stuck the flowers in one of the empty potion bottles on the bedside table and returned to his chair. He took out his wand and began slowly twirling it between his fingers. He casually brought the wand to rest towards the flowers and mumbled something low and unintelligible. A quick shot of magic leapt from the wand and the flowers burst into a fragrant cloud of tiny, fragmented petals. His eyebrows slowly lifted towards his forehead, "oops..." he said, as a sly, satisfied smile spread across his lips.

A few of the miniscule pieces landed on Lily's face. Severus leaned over and with a gentle breath, blew them away from her. As he retreated, he looked at her face, it was pale and beautiful, her lips and cheeks held less color than usual, but still, against her exsanguinated flesh, they reminded him of strawberries set in fresh cream. He remembered from his childhood the muggle fairytales of the various princesses, poisoned or enchanted, set into a deathly slumber until their handsome prince came to claim them from their curse.

His mind rolled over the word "handsome." He had no illusions; he wasn't what most girls would consider attractive, not with his skin's pallor, his dark, lank hair, his hooked nose, or black eyes, but he was a Prince...if only by half a measure. "Lily forgive me..." he whispered as he bowed his head to hers, his hair forming a dark curtain around their faces. He pressed his lips to her mouth with the trepidation one might use when taking a bird in the hand, afraid it might be crushed if grasped too hard. He lingered on her lips, tasting the slight bitterness of the potions she'd been forced to swallow, yet savoring in the softness of her flesh.

He withdrew from her, his eyes wide with both an aching hope and a bruising shame. It was not how he'd imagined his first kiss...stolen from the lips of the girl he loved while she lay in the shadows between worlds. He closed his eyes and sat back in his chair, allowing his head to fall backwards. He brought his hands up to his face and roughly rubbed his eyes. She hadn't moved, she hadn't done anything… and he felt like such a fool. "Oh yes Severus, fancy yourself a prince do you? You useless idiot...Merlin!" he said, his voice a mixture of exasperation, exhaustion, and disgust.

"If we had the bloody map we could get in to see her when Pomfrey's not around the ward. It's just not fair. It's not fair that that...slimy, greasy, snake gets to stay with her. He probably hexed her in the first place to make himself look like a hero...gods I hate him."

"Who's this really about James?" asked Remus. "I mean, every time you talk about Lily you end up going on about Snape...you sound more like a snake than he does, the way you're spitting venom."

"Prongs, listen, I don't like the git anymore than you do...and heaven forbid I say anything nice about him, but I really doubt he had anything to do with this other than the rescue. She seems to be the one person he actually gives a damn about."

"Rem, I've come to expect it from you, but et tu Sirius?"

"Don't be so dramatic mate," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"I figure the map's the only way he found her in ti..." Remus shut his mouth. A look of dread spread across his face as three pairs of eyes slowly turned towards his. One pair, grey and handsome was full of astonishment, another pair, beady and small, shown with discomfort and fear, and the last pair, a genial hazel, lodged behind thin, round spectacles sparkled with rage...

Severus brought his head back down and let his hands fall to his lap. With a heavy sigh, he brought his gaze back to Lily and was greeted with the weak stare of a pair of sleepy emerald eyes confronting his own...

AN: Sorry it's taken so long to update. My laptop was apparently kissed by a dementor and I lost everything relating to this story and half of another...which I'm also rewriting and will post in complete in a few days. I hope you like what I've put up...I'd love to get a review from you! Thanks for reading!