A.N. I'd written loads, and accidentally deleted it. I went to the recycle bin to get it back, but instead of 'restore' I clicked 'delete'. I am such an idiot sometimes. I don't even know why I did it. There were pages and pages…sobs. I almost gave up on the story I lost so much. (Cries)
Disclaimer: You really think the Goddess would write this crap? Shame on you!
Lily sighed contentedly and looked up at Severus. His black eyes were trained on her, his skinny arm around her shoulders. She smiled and rested her head on his chest. 'You know, I think I like this bit best' she said softly, trailing her fingertips along one of the many scars that crossed his torso. 'Hmm?' it was unusual for Severus to speak in such short sentences. It reflected how oddly peaceful he felt. He had never been as contented as when he held Lily.
'Yeah. When reality's drifting back in but I know as long as I don't get out of bed it's got to stay behind that door. I can pretend I can just lie here forever. You know?' she murmured. 'Not as such, but please do continue your girlish fantasies. Don't let my cynical realism dispel the fluffy pink clouds that generally occupy your mind' he teased. 'Don't worry' she reassured him 'I won't. The bunnies would get lonely without the clouds'. He stared at her. 'Please tell me you're joking' he stated.
She grinned. 'Nope. We both know it's happy pink bunny wabbit land in my head. There's candyfloss clouds and jelly hills. You can go skiing on ice-cream mountains or swimming in rivers of cherryade'. He laughed. 'And in mine ravens sit on barren hillsides, picking at the carcasses of said bunnies. If I weren't so…fond of you, you would seriously irritate me'. Lily giggled. 'Fond? Not many men would dare be so cold after that. You're lucky I know 'Fond' means 'Oh, Lily Evans, moon of my desire, flower of my delight, light of my life, my heart, life and soul are yours and yours alone, your radiant beauty shines brighter than any…'' Severus cut her off 'Lily, as true as it may be, I have no desire to hear it expressed so nauseatingly'. She poked him lightly, but fell silent. She always knew what he meant.
Eventually growing hungry, Lily reluctantly removed herself from Severus' arms and shuffled to the edge of the bed. She stepped off the bed and fell straight to the floor. 'Crap!' she muttered. 'Lily? Are you alright?' Severus asked, black eyes full of concern. She giggled. 'No. My bum hurts, and it's all your fault. My legs are too shaky to stand up'. Laughing good-naturedly (and, because he was male and as such couldn't help it, proudly), Severus slipped out of the bed and helped her to her feet. Clinging onto him, she began the hunt for her clothes.
'Oh, bugger. Second shirt I've lost in three days' she sighed, picking up the ripped item. Severus raised an eyebrow. 'Are you or are you not, Lily, a witch?' he asked, amused. Lily cringed. 'Oh yeah' she said, waving her wand at and muttering 'Reparo. Hmm. I'm sure I had a bra this morning'. It was eventually discovered underneath the bed. They dressed and though Severus reassured her it wasn't necessary, Lily insisted on making the bed before they left. 'Come on, Sev, I'm absolutely starving' she complained 'My stomach thinks my throat's been cut'. He hurried to her side, chastised.
They made their way down to the Great Hall, where dinner was already in progress. James Potter was looking furiously at them, muttering something to his mates bold as brass. Lily could barely contain her anger. She brushed his long black hair from his ear and whispered 'Ready to put on a show?'. Severus blinked, confused as to what she meant, but it became obvious when she grabbed the back of his head and kissed him in front of the entire hall. Which turned to stare at the pair, ranging from disgust to disbelief.
'Ahem' the noise resounded through the hall, which had been silent but for Lily's quiet moans. She let go of the Slytherin and turned to the head table where Dumbledore sat, expression unreadable. 'As pleased as I am to see such inter-house unity, might I suggest there is a time and a place, dinnertime and the Great Hall being neither?'. Lily blushed. 'Of course, sir' she mumbled, grinning when she received a friendly wink from her potions teacher 'See you later, Sev'. Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed them to their respective house tables. The redhead made sure to smirk at James Potter as she passed, causing his friends to grab him so as to prevent him murdering someone.
She sat down next to her friends, who immediately leaned in, demanding to know what she was doing. 'Not here' she hissed 'I'll tell you later'. Mary was chewing her plait, worried. 'Does it have to do with…?' she jerked her head in the direction of the Slytherin table. Lily nodded. 'Hey, Evans!' James called, leaning over to her. Lily turned, lips pursed. 'Potter, don't you dare even look at me. I know what you did' she fumed. James grinned easily at her. 'And just what would that be, Evans?' he said innocently. She couldn't believe it. Severus was right; he was going to get away with it.
'You almost killed him' she hissed, fingers curling around her wand. 'What, me?' he wore an expression like a kicked puppy 'Hurt someone? Never! I am a noble Gryffindor, protecting fair lady from greasy villains!'. 'I. Don't. Need. Protecting' she spat 'Certainly not from him. Don't you dare think you'll get away with this'. He looked at her slightly pityingly. 'I already have, Evans. No-one cares about that freak. Padfoot didn't even get detention last time. Ok, so I called him back, but that was for Moony's sake. He'd feel guilty if he ate him. Too soft, aren't you, Remus?' he grinned at the sandy-haired blond. Lupin grunted non-committally.
Lily was disgusted. 'I care about him, Potter' she spat 'All you care about is your money and your evil mates. I wish I'd never been sorted into Gryffindor. Why can't you leave me alone? I don't like you. I never will. Hurting Sev just makes me hate you more. You know he was coughing up blood when I got to him?' evidently she expected this, at least, to shame him into submission or even confession. She was to be disappointed. 'Really?' he seemed fascinated 'Who kicked him in the ribs?'. Sirius, next to him, beamed. 'Knew I'd heard a crack' he said delightedly.
Lily shook her head in sickened disbelief. 'What on Earth did you expect to achieve?' she whispered, feeling extremely ill. James sighed. 'Well, to be honest, Evans, I thought he'd be too much of a coward to go near you again. Or at least you'd have the decency to date me for his sake'. Lily's green eyes were wide. 'You seriously thought you could scare me into going out with you?' she asked in horror 'You wouldn't be ashamed I'd only be with you because I was afraid? You're worse than any Slytherin! Malfoy's better than you! Hell, you're only a step down from You-Know-Who!'.
James was clearly offended by this. 'Hey, lighten up, Evans. I'd treat you right once I had you. You'd be lucky to go out with a Quidditch star like me. And how is Malfoy better than me? I'd never call you a you know what!'. She rolled her eyes. 'So? It doesn't matter what you say. It matters what you think. And you, Potter, seem to think you can bully your way through life, having daddy pay for everything, accepted by everyone because you're pureblooded, adored by most because you can fly a broom. You're pathetic'.
Mulciber nudged Severus, and pointed to where Lily and James were having their whispered argument, heads close. 'Bit cosy, don't you think?' he smirked. To his surprise, Severus shrugged. 'No. I trust her'. Avery nodded uncertainly, as if this were particularly unwise 'Maybe. But they're Gryffindors. And he's popular, a Quidditch hero, smart, rich and good-looking, isn't he?'. Severus had a flashback from an hour before, of Lily writhing and panting beneath him, begging for his touch. 'You know, I'm not that worried, to be honest' he said calmly. His friends stared at him, frowning, as if working something out.
'You've shagged her!' Avery exclaimed, amazed. Severus raised an eyebrow. 'Problem?' he asked shortly. 'Fuck no!' Mulciber had a charming turn of phrase 'We're impressed! Muggleborn or not, she's gorgeous!'. Severus inclined his head slightly in agreement, though his black eyes narrowed. 'Hell yeah' Avery whistled 'She's a stunner. Probably the best-looking girl in the school. It's almost enough to make you forget her bloodline'. This was high praise indeed.
'Shut up about that, will you?' Severus said irritably. Avery held his hands up. 'Fine, fine. We're not judging you, mate. Faced with that, who could resist?'. 'Yeah. Isn't it strange how a mudblood is prettier than purer girls?' Mulciber pondered. 'Don't call her that'. Severus' friends looked at him suspiciously. 'Why not? She is. You're not going soft on us, are you mate? You don't actually give a crap about her, do you?'.
Severus thought quickly. 'Of course not' he sneered 'But I'm rather enjoying her…affections at the moment. I fear it may be a little difficult to continue in such a state of affairs if I refer to her as a Mudblood. You've seen her, you understand my reluctance. Unless of course your tastes lie with those of the purest blood, regardless of gender, as I have heard?' he smirked at Avery, who blushed, muttering something about cursing Bellatrix later.
'So is she a bit of an animal, then?' Mulciber sniggered. The black-haired boy turned to him, scowling. 'The scars' his friend explained. Severus calmed down a little 'Oh. No, these are Potter's ' he said, sighing. Avery raised his eyebrows. 'Merlin. All that just because you're screwing his girl?'. Avery prided himself on his quick reflexes. As such, he was very surprised to see Severus' wand poking into his throat. He had not even seen his friend move.
'Lily is not Potter's girl' he hissed 'And I'll thank you not to talk about her like that'. Avery raised his hands 'Ok, ok, Jeese. At least tell us what the plan is'. Severus frowned. 'What plan?'. Mulciber chuckled darkly. 'Your plan. What you're doing with the Evans girl. Not that it's much of a hardship, I'm sure' he sniggered 'But there's got to be a plan. How are you doing it, out of interest?'. 'Yeah' Avery agreed 'I'm the best in the house at the imperius, and she doesn't look like she's under it. So what is it? Love potion, or something?'. Severus shrugged.
'Fine, don't tell us. What're you going to do, then? Break up with her really cruelly, cheat on her with her friends, get her pregnant?' Mulciber suggested. Severus felt sick at the idea of doing any of these to Lily. The blood drained out of his already pale face. 'Oh my god' he whispered 'I forgot the contraceptive charm'. Avery grinned 'Well done, mate. You're going down in history for this. Getting the golden girl of Gryffindor in trouble…we haven't managed anything like that for centauries'. Severus ignored him, striding between the house tables towards the pretty redhead.
He stumbled, cursing, as he tripped over the leg James Potter stuck out in front of him. He blushed, trying to ignore the sniggers. Smirking briefly at the Gryffindor chaser, he hooked his long fingers around Lily's hair, pulling it away from her ear. She leaned into him, nuzzling her cheek in his palm. 'Meet me in our spot by the lake in an hour' he muttered 'I've been incredibly stupid'. She frowned, worried. 'Sure' she agreed, biting her lip nervously. He stalked away, leaving the Marauders irritated and confused.
'How can she even bear to let him touch her?' Sirius scowled, genuinely mystified. 'Because I love him' Lily shot at him 'As alien a concept as it may be to someone who has never had a relationship that needed more than a shower to get over. Don't pretend to understand'. Sirius pulled a face at his friends, making Peter snigger hysterically. Her friends were staring at her, open mouthed. 'You're serious, aren't you? We hoped you were winding us up last night'. The redhead scowled at her and stalked out. She was followed by an angry Jennifer.
'Why were you getting at James like that?' her friend demanded the second they were out of earshot of the Great Hall. Realisation struck the redhead. 'You told James Potter about Sev and I, didn't you?' she hissed dangerously 'You and Mary are the only ones that knew. And you have that pathetic crush on him, don't you? It had to be you'. Jennifer held her hands up in defence 'I might have mentioned it, but so what? Why are you so bothered? Embarrassed?' she asked slyly. Lily stuck her face close to her friend's and growled 'No. I'm livid. Sev nearly died last night. Potter got jealous and beat him half to death, and it's all your fault'.
'Don't be ridiculous' Jennifer said briskly 'James Potter would never do such a thing. Snape probably just got caught up in some in-house fight, you know what Slytherins are like…'. 'No' Lily cut her off, furious 'I don't. Everyone keeps saying that as if I ought to know, but I don't. So tell me: what's so bad about Slytherin house?'. Jennifer looked startled. She had obviously never thought this far before. 'Well' she groped for an answer 'They're different to us, aren't they?'. 'So are the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. No-one's ever warned me about them' Lily scowled.
'You're not going out with a Ravenclaw! You're trying to date the enemy' Jennifer protested. Lily glared at her. 'Excuse me, trying? I'm succeeding'. Jennifer rolled her eyes and grabbed Lily's hands. 'Lily, I did the right thing. I'm genuinely worried for you. He called you the M word, for Merlin's sake!'. The green-eyed witch wrenched them away. 'I don't care! It's not for you to decide what's right for me. You nearly got Sev killed last night. How is losing the best thing in my life good for me?'. Jennifer seethed in frustration as Lily broke down.
'Pull yourself together; you're making a scene' she said disdainfully 'Now look at it from my point of view. My friend starts sneaking off at nights to see a Slytherin. One who's famously deep in the Dark Arts, not that they aren't all. All I have to go on is your word, and the experience of tens of thousands of Gryffindors since Hogwarts began. Forgive me if I believe the second. They're bad news! Always out to get one over us, hurt our house, any way they can. Don't you see, screwing the Gryffindor golden girl would just be seen as a game to them. At least you haven't given them that satisfaction' she snorted contemptuously. Lily blushed, despite the circumstances.
Jennifer's jaw dropped open in horror. 'You haven't. Please, Lily, tell me you haven't…'. Lily stared daggers at her friend. 'So what if I have? At least I didn't lose it to Sirius Black whilst drunk'. Jennifer looked momentarily hurt, the glared back. 'I told you that in confidence. I can't believe you're throwing it back at me like this'. Lily laughed mirthlessly. 'And I didn't tell you about Sev and I in confidence? Besides, you're just jealous. My first time was incredible. Special, and sweet, and intense. And' she spat venomously 'At least Severus was still there in the morning'.
Jennifer's eyes widened. 'You bitch' she said furiously 'Fine! I don't care anymore. Go and become the whore of Slytherin. Because when he's bored of you, or decides he wants a proper, pureblooded witch, I won't be there to pick up the pieces'. She stomped out, her hair flying. Lily sighed. She knew she had really hurt her friend then. After all, it's an unwritten rule that you never use anything your friends trust you with to get back at them. Though, to be fair, you don't usually use their happiness to murder people you disapprove of, either.
A.N. Just a joiner chapter, to reassure you I haven't died. And I wanted to show the difference between Severus with Lily and Severus with his friends. Oh, and happy birthday to the one H/Hr shipper in the world I can even vaguely stand. Ha, listen to me being all soppy. Bet he's blushing at such a heartfelt compliment. ;-p