A.N. Please don't hate me for what I do to him in this chapter. Slytherin/Gryffindor relationships are always hard, and anyone who tries to have one gets stick from both houses. Lily's turn is coming up in a few chapters, I'm afraid. Poor pair!
Disclaimer: Mine! All mine!
Lily returned to her dormitory jubilantly, an unshiftable grin gracing her lips. She flopped onto her four-poster bed backwards, and smiled indulgently at her maroon canopy. Mary and Jennifer laughed. When Lily was happy, it was infectious to all around her. 'Somebody's in a good mood' Mary commented, her eyebrows raised. Lily turned onto her side to grin at her friend. 'I have good reason'. 'Oh?' the other girls joined her on her bed 'And just what would that be?'.
Lily suddenly became shy. 'Not telling'. Jennifer and Mary glanced at each other. 'You don't honestly think we'll let it rest, do you?' Jennifer snorted. Lily's eyes widened then shut immediately, tears escaping the closed lids. She thrashed around uncontrollably. Stoppit!' she squealed 'Haha…no…ok, ok, I'll tell you!' her roommates stopped tickling her, and she sat up, gasping for breath through her dying laugh. They waited impatiently. 'Well?' they demanded. Lily smiled a private smile, and when she spoke the girls barely heard it, for she sighed happily as she did 'I'm in love'.
They exploded in squeals. 'Lily! No! Ooh, I'm so glad for you! He's such a dish…' Mary giggled. Jennifer was laughing 'About time! I'm so jealous, but I suppose you had to cave some time, he's been after you for years now'. Lily looked surprised. 'You knew? Hell, I barely know what he's thinking half the time, and I know him better than anyone'. The three girls looked between each other uncertainly. Mary was the first to speak. 'Just who are we talking about here?' she asked, glancing between her friends. 'Sev, of course' Lily said dreamily 'Who else could it be?'. They gaped at her. 'Severus Snape' Jennifer said disbelievingly 'Severus Snape. The Slytherin. You've got to be kidding us!'.
Lily looked bewildered. 'Why? Seriously, who did you think?'. Mary and Jennifer stared at her as if she had grown tentacles. 'We thought you were talking about James Potter. I mean, you came in late from that date you went on with him last night, he seemed really happy this morning…'. Mary had to stop speaking when she was drowned out by the volume of Lily's laughter. Her chest hurt as she gulped in lungfuls of air, collapsing back and kicking her legs in sheer amusement. 'James Potter' she wheezed 'Oh, Merlin, that's funny. James daddy-pays-my-way-through-life popular, pureblooded, poncy Potter. He doesn't even know me. I'm a pair of tits and a challenge to him, that's all. And you thought I was in love with him!' she seemed to find the notion absolutely hilarious, bursting into a fresh gale of laughter.
Jennifer bristled. 'Well, he's better than Snape' she snapped 'You said yourself he's popular, and there's a reason for that. He's handsome and loyal, clever and a great athlete, romantic and'. Lily scowled 'I think that's quite enough of singing his praises, Jen' her smile finally slipping 'He's also insensitive and arrogant. He only wants me because I'm unavailable. Well, tough. Poor little rich boy, wants what he can't damn well have. I'm taken and I'm happy, and I'd expect you to be happy for me. You're supposed to be my friends'.
Mary looked vaguely ashamed. 'We are, Lily' she assured the redhead 'We're just surprised. And confused. But happy' she said unconvincingly. Lily scoffed 'As if. I'm more blissful than I've ever been in my entire life, and all the pair of you can do is tell me I should be with someone else'. Mary made a noise of protest, but apparently Jennifer found Lily's sentiments to be true. 'Of course! Snape's weird! He's dark, and dangerous, and you know what Slytherins are like. You're being stupid. You've got a perfectly good Gryffindor gagging for you, and what do you do? You go off with some future Death Eater, who'd sell you to You Know Who the second he got the chance…'. Lily whipped out her wand and said, her voice low and menacing, 'Enough'.
Her friends gawped at her. She had never drawn her wand in anger at them before. She had always preferred sweetly poisonous replies, like sugar-coated arsenic. Lily's eyes were flashing in fury. 'I know full well what I'm doing. It's YOU that hasn't got a clue. You've never even talked to him, yet just because he got sorted into Slytherin, you've decided he's evil. Well, I've spent basically every day with him since I was ten years old and I can tell you he's the most passionate, gentle, intelligent man I've ever met. I love him and he'd give his life for me if I asked it. If you ever dare make unfounded, baseless accusations about him in my presence again I'll curse you. He is dark, I grant you, and I've picked things up over the years. Watch yourself'.
She snapped her curtains closed around her bed and silently fumed. She just heard Jennifer snort 'Man? He's sixteen!'. Lily smirked. 'Yes, man' she announced through the velvet, startling her roommates 'I can vouch for that, trust me'. Her mind drifting back to the night before, her smile was restored and she gradually fell asleep, her heart lighter than it had ever been before.
Severus yawned as he made his way along the dark corridor, the torches on the walls casting more shadows than light. He had the uncomfortable feeling of being followed, but when he glanced over his shoulder there was nothing but cold stone. Cursing himself for being paranoid, he turned back and continued to make his way along the passage. Wrapping his cloak around himself from the unseasonal cold, he ferverently wished he had left for his common room earlier. Bloody Lily. Why was she so impossible to leave?
A feral growl made him stop in his tracks. His black eyes swept the darkness, backing instinctively into the wall. His heart began to race as he felt for his wand. His gaze fell on a shadow that seemed just a little deeper than the others. 'Alright, Snivellus?' came a manically cheerful voice as James Potter emerged from the darkness, his wand fixed at Severus' throat. He was closely followed by Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin watching warily for teachers behind them.
Severus gulped and lowered his wand, outnumbered four to one. It was unlike the Marauders to follow him, preferring to have an audience. He knew this was not going to be the usual ritual humiliation. 'Well, Snivellus, I'm afraid I've been hearing some rather upsetting rumours about you and my Lily' said Potter, closing around the Slytherin 'And I'm just going to have to put a stop to it. Now, there's two ways we can do this: The easy way' he smiled paternally at Severus 'Or the hard way' he glowered.
Severus looked at the brown eyes, which gleamed with malice. 'The easy way being…?' he asked futilely, knowing it would be anything but. 'Why, you just stop seeing Evans' Potter said happily, as if it ought to have been obvious. Severus groaned, having expected something like this. 'And the hard way?' he said tiredly. All traces of human warmth left Potter's face, which lit up instead with righteous and brutal glee 'We thrash you until you agree to the easy way'.
Severus paused as James waited patiently. Raising his wand quickly, he shot a stunner at the group of boys surrounding him and started to run, but was hit by the leg locker curse. As he fell and hit his head on the floor, he was mildly surprised to see Lupin lower his wand and look away, as if embarrassed or ashamed. 'Nice one, Moony' Sirius laughed as he snatched Snape's wand and revived Peter 'Help me up with him, Prongs'. The pair of black-haired boys righted the Slytherin, a bruise already forming on his forehead from the fall.
Sirius was grinning widely at Severus. 'I'm going to enjoy this' he said conversationally 'And not just for James' sake. All you bloody Slytherins deserve this'. Severus's eyes widened in fear as the larger lad drove his fist into his stomach. He doubled up, winded. 'Here, Prongs, try it. It's your girl he's been messing around' Sirius invited. His girl? Severus thought, amazed at his delusion and chauvinism Messing around?! James smiled at his friend. 'Why thank you, Padfoot. I do believe I shall'. James swung his fist into Severus' face, looking immensely pleased with himself upon hearing a crack. 'Aw, you broke his nose' Sirius pouted 'I wanted to do that'. Severus tried to stem the flow of blood now seeping from his nostrils, only to be put in a full-body bind.
'Not getting away that easily, Snivelly' Pettigrew giggled hysterically from behind the safety of his friends. Severus mentally cursed the smaller man as 'Wormtail' was clapped on the back by his fellow Marauders. James freed his head so he could nod or shake. 'Come on, Snivellus, you know I'll get her eventually' he said reasonably 'Just agree to leave her alone'. Severus simply glared back. 'Fine' Potter sighed, as if Severus were being purposely troublesome, and began roughly twenty minutes' worth of kicking, punching and cursing before stepping back to admire his handiwork. 'Feeling ready to give her up yet Snape?' he asked. Severus spat blood and a tooth onto the floor at Potter's feet.
Potter rolled his eyes and grinned at his friends. 'Stubborn bastard, isn't he?' he laughed 'Maybe this will do the trick'. Severus saw the glint of metal on Potter's knuckles before they collided with his face, which exploded in agony. Sirius whistled, impressed 'Wow. Good shot, Prongs. Cheekbones are hard to do'. Severus' high cheekbone was indeed poking at an odd angle from his face. 'I know, right?' James said, pleased 'Knuckleduster. Genius or what?'. Remus frowned. 'That's hardly sporting, James' he said in reprimand. Severus personally considered four against one wandless, frozen opponent to be quite a bit more than just unsporting. He wondered vaguely through the haze of pain if he was going to die.
'Come on, Prongs' whined Sirius 'You've done two now. Leave me something'. James stepped back reluctantly, allowing Sirius to drive a steel-capped boot into Snape's shin, which splintered. 'Had enough?' James asked hopefully. Severus slowly, with much effort, raised his head from his chest and deliberately shook it. 'No' he breathed, that one word requiring all his energy. Potter grinned. 'How about now?' he enquired, landing a fist on Severus' eye, which began to swell. In very little time, Severus could no longer see from it. 'You're asking me to give up the one good thing in my life' he groaned 'I won't'. James smiled and clicked his fingers as if Severus had just said something extraordinarily insightful. 'That's just it, Snivellus' he said patronizingly 'She's too good for you. You're spoiling something perfect. If you love her, you'll leave her to me'.
To Severus' horror, a tear slipped from his good eye and down his bloody cheek, washing a clean trail of white skin. Those few words had hurt more than the past hour's events. Maybe Potter was right. He wasn't rich, he was merely somewhat better than average at Quidditch, he had no idea what a stable home was supposed to be like. He couldn't offer Lily anything. Nevertheless, he could not, under any circumstance, leave her to a sadistic bully like Potter. He raised his head in a sudden rush of defiance and snarled 'Never'.
'For the love of Merlin, Snape!' James roared, suddenly angry 'If you keep this up we're going to have to kill you' he moved his head close to the Slytherin's and hissed vindictively 'Don't think I don't want to. Don't think I wouldn't get away with it, either. Who would miss you? Apart from Lily, of course' his lips curved into a spiteful grin 'And I'd be on hand to comfort her, don't you worry'. Severus' pale face drained, though he continued to bleed from numerous points on his head. 'I am going to win her' James continued confidently 'You're just slowing my progress. She's going to be mine within the year, I swear. And I'm going to take such pleasure in spreading her legs, making her mine. Oh, and there's no way I'm taking precautions either' his face was lit by the flickering torchlight, a wild grin taking over it 'She'll have to marry me then. She's mine'. With that he gave a final crack to Severus' forehead, he slid the knuckleduster from his fingers and slipped it into his pocket, removing the bindings that held Snape upright during his attack.
Severus collapsed. The Marauders strode off into the gloom, not even glancing back at the fallen boy. Despite being free of the curse, Severus could not move. A tiny circle of consciousness in the centre of great waves of pain, he lay where he had fallen until the effect of the blows his head had received took force. Blackness seeped into his vision, and he knew no more.
A.N. Got Potter as bad as I could this time. Just to be clear, Lily's roommates had let him know she slept in Severus' shirt and had come in late after their date. He strongly suspects they're dating, but he has no idea they've slept together. He would refuse to believe it if he knew. Oh, and as ridiculous as it sounds, I've only just realised the significance of Severus remaining in his house in Spinner's End even after his parents died. He couldn't bear to leave the place he and Lily grew up, and probably just wanted to be near her. All together now: AWW!