Hello everyone! So it's been about 27 years since I updated, sorry about that. I have no excuses other than a total lack of both inspiration and motivation. Nonetheless, I managed to scrape up this chapter. I did make sure that it was at least nice and long because there's a good chance there may be another bit of a wait for the next installment. This chapter includes some laughs, some drama and a lemon! Hope you enjoy and thanks so much for continuing to read my story!

Inspiration for the outrageous Mary Macdonald and ugly gifts comes from my bud and beta, iphooqui!

Chapter 10— Lotus

Lily, Mary and Alice each sat in their own comfy chair near the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room.

"Mary," Lily began, "where is everyone? I haven't seen the common room this empty on a Friday night in a long time."

Mary guffawed, "Hufflepuff party somewhere. Sure it won't be long before it's busted. Bound to be lame. A bunch of second years planned it. Most of the first-years were too scared to go."

"Surely they didn't just go to bed instead?" Lily prodded.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Mary growled at them a few times, literally. They won't be back down."

"Yes. Nevermind that. Don't try and get me off topic, Evans. We have important matters to discuss," Mary said giving her short dirty blonde waves a toss.

Lily stared at Alice for help but she refused to make eye contact.

"Oh no, love," Mary started in a suspiciously sweet voice, "she can't help you. She has some divulging to do herself."

Lily sighed and relaxed into her chair. "What do you want to know, Mary?"

"Oh, come now, Lily. Why do you say it like that? We're your best girl friends and you've been keeping momentous things from us. I'm hurt, to tell you the truth. Luckily I'm easily pacified, so why don't you just begin by talking about where you were this evening," she said with a wicked grin, her hazel eyes sparkling eerily in the firelight.

"I was with Severus."

Mary stared at her, face unchanged, obviously expecting her to provide more information.

"And… well, we'd had a row actually."

"Oh Lily," Alice started, sounding concerned.

"No, hold on Alice," Mary cut in, "I feel one hundred percent certain that this row was resolved considering the I-just-got-fucked-and-enjoyed-the-hell-out-of-it-grin Lily had on her face when she climbed through that portrait hole so you two can discuss the sentimental details of that argument later because Merlin only knows I need to live vicariously through Lily's vagina— it. Has. Been. Too. Long," Mary said closing her eyes and shaking her head sadly.

"I thought you shagged Sirius in the broom closet on the 4th floor on Sunday, drama queen."

"Exactly. Alice. That is exactly my point. I wish I didn't love his dick so much because he is an absolute dick. Alas, we are not gathered here tonight to lament my sex life. We are here to celebrate yours! Speak my friend!" She shouted, pumping a hand to the heavens.

Lily bit her bottom lip before grinning and deciding to throw caution to the wind. After all, she had been wanting a girl to talk to about things and Petunia was out of the question. Besides these girls were her best friends for a reason. She could really trust them. "Well, we met in the room of requirement."

"Classic," Mary mumbled evilly, looking pleased.

"Well a few days ago I started telling him about this dream I had. You know, like a… sexual dream," she said, reddening.

"Yes, I believe we comprehend," Mary said with a slight smile.

"I never got a chance to tell him the whole thing though."

"Why not? You'll have blue-balled him for sure. I purposefully do it to Sirius all the time."

"Well, well actually it was because of you."

Mary gasped and gripped the armrests of her chair, "Bouillabaisse! There is a short list of things on this planet that I find immoral but let me tell you, cockblocking to any degree is near the top of that list! I'd never! Can't believe you'd accuse…" Mary trailed off angrily while Alice sniggered.

"No Mary, you couldn't have known. It was the morning I'd accidentally taken your textbook. It had your class schedule in it."

"Lily, you need to learn how to politely tell people to fuck off. I'd understand… especially if it was so you could fuck. Or talk about fucking…" she ended pensively.

"No. It was fine and Severus thought you seemed sweet."

"He lied. He was pissed," she said bluntly, picking at her fingernail.

"Oh no matter. Sev only knowing half the story made tonight a lot more exciting. He can be impossibly sexy. I wish we didn't have to leave. He is so awesome you guys, I just—"

"Lily I see you becoming giddier by the second. I need you to close your pretty little eyes and take yourself back to the room of requirement. Seriously. Go on. Do it… close your eyes," she ended with a whisper.

Lily shot Alice a nervous glance before doing as she was told.

"Good girl. Now relax, I just have a few minor questions for you. What was he wearing?"

"Uh… His school clothes."

"What did he smell like?"

Lily furrowed her brow, "He smelled good. He always does, like clean—"

"Uh huh. Okay and how big would you say his dick is?"

Lily opened her eyes and gaped at her friend whose expression remained unchanged.

"Oh, do you need clarification? I'm looking for length and circumference."

Alice hit Mary over the head with a pillow. "You are absolutely obscene!" she said trying to sound offended but failing. Mary looked shocked. It was quiet for a moment before all three girls began to laugh hysterically.

They ended up lounging on the floor by the fire. Mary put her head in Lily's lap and her had her long legs sprawled over Alice's.

"I really am happy for you, Lils. You too Alice, Frank is just as wonderful as ever. Why don't you two see if either of them has a friend that'd be willing to go out with me. I really am sick of Sirius's shit."

"Be willing to go out with you, Mary? C'mon, you're so gorgeous and funny, not to mention the best female athlete on our quidditch team," Alice provided.

"Well then why don't people ask me out?"

"They're probably just intimidated. On top of that, Sirius is kind of gorgeous and funny too. People think you two will go back and forth forever." Lily noted.

Mary sighed. "Merlin, I hope not. Really though. What about Severus's friends? What's that short guy's name? Stanford? Shoot, even that smart, doe-eyed Ravenclaw— Natalie," she laughed but it didn't reach her eyes.

Lily brushed back Mary's hair and rested her head against the side of a couch. The girls ended up dozing off only to be startled awake by a rowdy group of Gryffindors returning from the party.

"Let's go up to bed you guys, before Potter and the gang comes back," Alice suggested.

"Surely Remus didn't go to the party?" Lily asked, stretching.

"No. He's sick again," Mary yawned, lazily scratching her stomach.

The next several weeks passed impossibly fast. Most of the time Severus and Lily spent together was strictly planned around their busy schedules but Lily soon found that her boyfriend had a flair for spontaneity and she enjoyed his ways of randomly spicing things up. It was now an ongoing challenge between them to be the one to initiate an uninterrupted encounter in the astronomy tower… something that every other couple in the school seemed set on doing.

The first Hogsmeade trip was planned for the coming weekend. Severus usually went with Sampson and Natalie while Lily hung out with her Gryffindor friends but they would be mixing things up this year. Mary had declared herself an addict and was still weaning her way off of Sirius so she'd asked Lily if she could hang out with Severus and his "crew." Of course, that was only after she had confirmed that she would not be disrupting any sneaky dirty plans the couple may have scheduled.

"You're absolutely sure it's alright then, Lily?"

"Of course, Mary. Stop making such a fuss. Severus actually misses spending time with Sampson and Natalie, which I'm pretty pleased to hear because I wasn't sure if he considered them friends or what. It's hard to tell how he feels about people unless he really doesn't like them."

Mary laughed. "Excluding you. I'm more than happy to rub in your face, yet again, that Severus's undying love for you is nothing new to me."

Lily chose a spot in the middle of the long Gryffindor table as they sat down for dinner. She usually sat near the end of the table close to the door because she had a clear view of Severus from there. She liked meeting his eyes across the crowded room. There would be no googly eyes tonight though. Severus was now officially a potions tutor and Thursday evenings were always busy as Professor Slughorn often gave practical exams on Fridays. Severus had only enough time to grab a quick bite right at the start of dinner before rushing up to the library.

Not long after Mary and Lily filled their plates, James and Sirius entered the Great Hall. Sirius straddled the long bench, scooted very close to Mary and stared at the side of her face while James stood awkwardly on the other side of the table.

"Mary?" Sirius said sounding pure-hearted as ever. Lily felt for her friend. It was times like these that she found it most difficult to resist him.

"Come now, love, just look at me. I just want to see your face," He said with a timid smile, showing off his deep dimples. Mary held her ground, refusing to look at him.

"C'mon, Mary. Please. What— I don't know what you want. Slap me. Cuss me out. Jinx me. Whatever. Do something!"

"Forget her, Sirius. Come on," James said with an attitude.

"Fuck off, James," Sirius said under his breath as he rose from the table and exited the Great Hall.

James's eyes looked watery when he shouted at Mary, "Look what you did!"

"Shut the fuck up, James. Nasty ass git," Mary said not even bothering to look at him.

Lily looked at James kindly, hoping she could convey through her expression that neither Sirius nor Mary meant any real harm. They were just upset. James seemed to misinterpret her silent communication though, because he put on a smug grin and winked at her before walking away. Lily shook her head and focused on consoling Mary.

The next morning Lily woke up early and rushed to meet Severus.

"Hey!" she said eagerly, kissing him on the mouth and hugging him.

"Good morning," he said with a smile, his calm demeanor contrasting Lily's energetic one.

"I have something for you," she said rocking back and forth mischievously.

"Really? After the wonderful present you gave me yesterday morning?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.

Lily blushed. "Not that kind of something. A physical kind of something— not that kind of physical. Guess what it is." she said laughing.

"Another quill?"

"Nope."

"Is it at least hidden in your underwear like the quill was?" he asked placing a hand on her outer thigh, which was covered with the thick wool tights that girls had the option of wearing with their uniform in cold weather. He tugged on the stretchy fabric with a slight grimace. Lily smiled.

"No. It's not," she said digging into her bag and pulling out a ball of fuzzy lime green fabric. "Surprise!"

Severus was speechless.

"Do you love it? I made it!"

He smiled awkwardly, "Ohh, what it is?"

"A hat, of course. For winter," she said handing it to him.

"Ah, oh yea. Look at that. Wow, Lily you made this?"

She nodded eagerly. "Do you love it!"

Severus thought the hat was atrocious but he really didn't want to lie to her so he opted to avoid giving his opinion. "Mm. Thank you, Lily."

"Try it on!"

Severus took a deep breath and hoped Lily would think he looked awful in it and take it back. He put it on. "Well?"

Lily stared at the hat for a couple of seconds, examining the sharp corners and fuzzy mini cauldron that sat right on top of his head.

"I think it is a bit small, honestly," Severus said pointing out that the hat didn't come anywhere near his ears.

Lily burst out laughing, whipped a muggle Polaroid camera from her bag and snapped a picture. "I'm sorry, Sev," she started, still laughing, "I know its awful. My mother sent it. I couldn't help myself."

He tried to put on a serious face as he pulled off the hat, "give me the picture, Lily."

"No," She said putting her bag on the floor, picture still in her hand.

"Lily…"

"I bet you won't come get it."

"If I get the picture, you wear the hat."

"Deal," Lily agreed, spinning on her heels and sprinting down the corridor.

Severus was dumbfounded. He'd figured he'd pull a couple seductive moves and he'd have the picture. Apparently Lily had no intentions, at all, to wear that hat. He didn't blame her.

Lily stopped running halfway down the hall and shouted at him. "We both know I'll win but you can at least put up a fight!"

At that, Severus dropped all of his awkward inhibitions and chased after her. He followed the flashes of red hair weaving through sleepy students heading for breakfast. Someone told them to stop running as Lily bounded out onto the grounds. She paused for a moment before deciding to go in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Unfortunately, as she began to start running, her feet got tangled with each other and she landed in a heap on the ground. Severus was next to her in seconds.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied, catching her breath.

"You sure?" he prodded, pulling a leaf out of her hair.

"Absolutely," she smiled to reassure him.

"That's good because I win." Severus waved the Polaroid picture in his hand. "You're a sexy loser though."

"What! Oh that's not fair! That doesn't count!"

"You did not provide any rules before you took off running. Not that I would have agreed that you succumbing to your natural clumsiness would mean a pause in the challenge."

"I am not clumsy," she said giving him a shove as she clambered back to her feet.

"Yes. Yes you are. A clumsy girl with an ugly hat," he said putting it on her head.

She pouted.

"And somehow you manage to make it look cute."

"What can I say?" she laughed.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get me to do things so… out of character… like abandoning all of my books and homework to chase you around the school?"

She smiled. "Maybe it wasn't out of character at all. No one is as one-dimensional as everyone likes to believe they are, you know. I think it's good to remind people of that sometimes."

"Well. I think we were successful in that this morning. People are still looking at us."

"Good," she said putting a palm on his cheek and kissing him. "We should go get our stuff though because now that I think about it, I really wouldn't put it past someone to try to steal your homework."

Sampson and Severus ate breakfast together Saturday morning. Sampson usually slept through breakfast so he raved over the variety of delicious dishes as he stuffed his face… in the most gentlemanly way possible. The food was old news to Severus though so he just picked at some bacon and waited for his friend to eat his fill.

"Well, Severus, I must say, I am just thrilled to spend time with you and Lily today." He smacked one of his hands on the table for emphasis. "I look forward to meeting her friend Mary as well. That girl has some style on the quidditch pitch! I just have to remember to compliment the exquisite customization of her broomstick— I wonder if she did it herself. I really can't help but feel like I'm meeting somewhat of a celebrity. Is she very humble, Severus?"

Severus had developed a habit of zoning out Sampson's fashion and popularity related rants but he did manage to catch his question. "Um…" he laughed, "she's nice, Sampson. I'm absolutely positive she doesn't think of herself as a celebrity though."

"Hmph! Well she should." He rose from the table dramatically and put on his hat. "I think Natalie is finished eating. Let's go meet the others. Oh and I've been meaning to ask— have you changed your conditioner because MY! Your hair is just shimmering, my friend!"

"No, I haven't changed anything but uh, thank you," Severus responded. He knew it'd been too long since he spent time with Sampson because he actually felt aware of his flamboyant personality.

"Must be love then— Natalie! Natalie! Over here!— Would you look at her Severus. She just doesn't know how gorgeous she is. I mean, I must say… If I'm being perfectly honest, I rather fancy her. Practically polar opposites, we are, but I don't know…"

Severus wasn't so surprised by Sampson's declaration. He figured Sampson either liked Natalie or he was gay. He could understand why people would find his little group of friends strange but what Severus really liked about Natalie and Sampson was their honesty. They both carried distinctive personalities, which often brought Severus some laughs, but what he liked most was that they were just truly kind people. He was attracted to Lily for many of the same reasons.

"Hello Severus," Natalie said quietly, wrapping her arms around her waist. Severus and Natalie had Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Transfiguration together so they saw each other every day but pretty much all of their conversations were school-related. "Hey. Ready to go?"

"Yes," she replied, rapidly nodding her head.

The three set off to meet the others. Lily had an early morning patrol duty and said she and Mary would meet them out in front of the school.

They didn't have to wait long. Mary and Lily came rushing out of the castle less than five minutes later. "What's the hurry?" Severus asked.

"I'd like to get a Butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks before they are out of it on tap. Bottled kind has an aftertaste like Pepperup potion." Mary provided. "And Hello! You must be Sampson!"

"How do you do, Mary! How do you do!" Sampson said with such astonishing enthusiasm that his hat fell off as he shook her hand.

"I like this guy," Mary said to Lily with a laugh.

Natalie seemed to be making an attempt to hide behind Sampson but it was rather pointless considering how much shorter he was than her.

"Mary, have you met Natalie?" Lily asked.

"Yes. We have Advanced Muggle Studies together. How's it going?" Mary directed at the tall blonde.

Natalie smiled timidly but said nothing.

"Speaking of Muggle Studies, Natalie, do you have a partner for the project yet?"

She shook her head no.

"Great! Will you partner with me?"

"Okay," she said. Natalie always grew more confident when talking about schoolwork. That's how she and Severus managed to become friends.

"What's the project on?" Severus inquired as they all began moving in the direction of Hogsmeade.

"Muggle weaponry!" Natalie provided. "I've already started doing research. It's fascinating… gruesome really," she ended quietly.

"Ah, yes. Natalie, this is a subject I am quite knowledgeable on. One of the most common weapons humans use to inflict injury is the gum. Now, there are several different kinds of gums but—"

"I think you mean gun, Sampson," Lily suggested kindly.

"Oh. Right. Well, I've been caught. Truth be told, I'm rather clueless on the subject but I eagerly await the day that I know more about something than these two," he said referencing Natalie and Severus. "If you and Severus hadn't been here I might've gotten away with it."

"Except, well— excpect I've already started researching it," Natalie said gently.

"Oh hell!" Sampson shouted. "Well I know one place I've got all of you beat."

"Fashion," Natalie murmured with a slight eye roll. She'd heard this many times before.

Sampson pretended not to hear her, "My eye for fashion is impeccable. Learn from me, dear friends! Learn!" He shouted giving his cloak a flip to reveal the emerald lining. "To Hogsmeade!"

Sampson led the way into the busy little town giving his best, purposefully dramatic, diva walk, which provided great entertainment for the people following behind him. Mary caught up with him and threw an arm around his shoulder. Together they busted into The Three Broomsticks.

"We're here!" Mary shouted and struck a pose.

"Ohh, good to see you again, Mary," Madam Rosmerta said waving hello from behind the bar.

"Round of butterbeers for us please, Madam Rosmerta!" Sampson said giving her a bow.

Mary spontaneously grabbed Sampson's hand and engaged him in some kind of freestyle ballroom dance.

"Rethinking the idea of introducing these two to each other?" Severus asked Lily quietly before taking her hand and pulling her into a booth.

"No," she laughed, "I am thoroughly entertained. I'm really happy they get along so well. I mean, why didn't we try this years ago?"

Severus shrugged and Natalie scooted into the seat across from them.

"M-Mary is really nice, Lily. She's funny" Natalie started "… and smart too!" She added with a blush.

"Yea. We should all hang out more."

Natalie nodded eagerly and shoved her shiny blonde hair behind her ears. "Well— I— um, Sampson and Mary… they get along." She said, her big brown eyes downcast.

Severus nudged Lily with his knee and they met eyes for a moment.

"Oh— yea almost everyone gets along with Mary. She has one of those personalities."

Severus looked at Lily like she was no help.

"Sampson was telling me about that charm you came up with. You know… the one that can make a textbook stand on end and rap its contents?"

Natalie perked up slightly and he continued. "Yea. He was really impressed. He was trying to practice it so he could use it to help him memorize his next star chart for astronomy."

"Did he figure it out?" she asked.

"Don't think so."

"It's not so hard. Neither are the star charts," she said with a grin. "I'll teach him later."

There was a slight commotion across the room. Sampson had attempted to direct Mary into a certain stance and she stumbled over a chair causing a huge crash.

"Huh! What is it!" someone shouted.

Sampson and Mary had apparently startled awake an old, bald, obese witch that was sitting in the corner by the bar. She twisted her thick neck around in a twitchy angry way for a couple of seconds before her beady eyes landed on the two teens and knocked over chair. Her eyes bulged before shouting at them. "What's all that noise!"

"I apologize ma'am, we just got a bit carried a—" Sampson began.

"Shut your mouth!"

"My word!" Sampson said, taken aback.

"What's that stink! … Nasty children. Ya stink! Wash ya feet! Wash ya feet!" she hollered.

"That stink is the inside of your mouth you—" Madam Rosmerta gave Mary such a desperately pleading look that she opted to drop her coming onslaught of insults. The landlady slowly approached the woman who was shaking with such anger that her jowls jiggled. "Now Merrill…" Rosmerta spoke soothingly.

Mary gave the witch the side eye as she slid into a booth next to Natalie.

"Safe to say she is absolutely nutters," Sampson said nonchalantly, pulling a chair up to the booth. Everyone had a good laugh as Mary impersonated the woman.

A few minutes later Rosmerta brought over their order of butterbeers. Severus casually spooned the butterscotchy cream from his drink into Lily's. It was her favorite part but he thought it was too sweet.

"Well aren't you two just adorable," Mary said in a playful, disgusted sounding voice.

Lily smiled, stuck a finger in the cream and sucked it off her finger. Severus wondered if she was intentionally teasing him or if she, for some odd reason, didn't realize the effect slowly sliding her fingers in and out of her mouth might have on him. He watched her do it a few times more while the others were preoccupied by the rush of Hogwarts students entering the building. Just as he began to turn his attention away from her he caught her grin and shake her head. Of course— she knew exactly what she was doing to him. He leaned over to whisper something in her ear but stopped when he noticed that Mary staring at them with a sly grin on her face.

"Would you two like some alone time? I would be more than happy to provide it. In fact, I know a spot you can go around here." Mary looked at Sampson and Natalie before adding, "I'm not being sarcastic, by the way. I don't joke about these things, you'll learn this about me soon enough."

"You just can't help yourself can you, Mary?" Lily asked.

"Hm. No… no I think it is you two that can't help yourselves… to each other… because you're too modest to do so in front of all these people. That's understandable though, which would be why I offered to tell you about the perfect spot—"

"Oh so this is Mary." Severus said to Lily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mary asked only partially interested. The rest of her attention was stuck on Natalie. "Is your hair naturally this blonde?" she asked, voluntarily rubbing a bit between her fingers.

"It means I've told Severus about Marilyn."

"Ha!" Mary let go of Natalie's hair and explained for the whole table. "Well, I've been told I'm a bit of a riot. It might be hard to believe but some have said I come on too strong. Whatever. For this reason I created my lovely alter-ego, Marilyn. She's very sweet and polite and I generally whip her out when I'm trying to make a neutral first impression or speaking with adults… although one time Sirius and I were role-playing if ya know what I mean and I— well speak of the damn devil!"

All four marauders had just walked in. Lily turned around to look and regretted it the moment she did it.

"Hey Evans!" Potter shouted across the room. This caused Sirius to look up and then they were all walking over. Severus sighed and let the back of his head hit the wooden booth with a thud. Lily squeezed his elbow, "they aren't going to ruin our day, Sev. Sirius probably just wants to make another attempt to get Mary back."

Remus was the first to make it to them. James and Sirius were intercepted by friends on the way and Peter was waiting for them.

"Lily, Mary, Hi! Hello Severus, Natalie and… I don't believe I've met you…"

"Sampson Rhew! How do you do?" He asked, offering a hand.

"Remus Lupin. I'm well, thanks. What are you all getting into today?"

"No set plans," Lily supplied.

"Other than avoiding them," Mary said coldly.

Remus looked back at his approaching friends. "Oh…"

Sirius appeared genuinely disheartened. James looked as if he was waiting for him to speak but when he realized it'd be unlikely to happen he opened his own mouth. "So Evans, how about going over to Madam Pudifoot's with me?"

"Do you not see me sitting here?" Severus asked feeling grossly impatient.

"I do, unfortunately, but I don't see what it has to do with anything. Lily is free to do what she wants and she made it pretty obvious at dinner the other day that what she wants is me."

Severus laughed a little and pushed the wand that Lily was sliding out of her cloak back in. "I'm not sure if you are stupid or just absolutely delusional, Potter."

James rolled his eyes and looked around the table. "Fuck it. If this is really what you're into, I don't even know why I'm wasting my time. That girl doesn't even speak for crying out loud," he said pointing a dirty finger in Natalie's face.

"I-I do, actually. And if you've seen the light and given up on Lily, James, I think Madam Rosmerta knows an eligible bachelorette. She seems more your type. We met her just a little while ago. Her name is Merill…"

After a couple seconds of shocked silence, Severus, Lily, and Sampson burst into hysterics.

"See what I mean? See what I mean?" Sampson said jabbing Severus with his elbow in between laughs. "She's great."

"Whatever. So she speaks. Look what else you are surrounded by… a dark wizard, a homo—"

"Pot calling the kettle black," Mary said under her breath.

"And a slut," Potter finished, cutting his eyes at Mary.

It seemed only to take half a second for Sirius to tackle his friend to ground. Severus didn't even think about what he was doing when he tore out of his seat to pull Sirius off of Potter. The curly haired boy strained against him but Severus was confident in his grip— he had experience physically holding back the rage of a much larger man.

Madam Rosmerta kicked out everyone that appeared to be part of the incident. The girls and Sampson followed them out. Mary looked near to tears when she grabbed Sirius's hand and stormed off with him. Remus already had James, who was nursing a bloody nose, halfway down the road back to Hogwarts.

"I honestly think something is wrong with him," Lily said. "Something is different about him."

Severus sighed, "I actually agree."

"Well hopefully Remus is taking him to Madam Pomfrey. Seems they may need to stage an intervention."

Lily stuck a hand in her hair and jutted out her bottom lip. "Well that put a damper on our fun, relaxing day."

Sampson checked his pocket watch. "It was a lovely 42 minutes."

"Do you think Mary is okay?" Natalie asked.

"She'll be fine. I'll talk to her tonight. I think I'm going to go back to school you guys. All that has given me a headache."

"I'll go with you," Severus said.

"No, no. Stay, Sev. Have fun. I'll meet up with you after dinner."

Severus ignored her. "Sorry, guys. Maybe we can all meet up to do our homework tomorrow?"

"Shh. Yes, of course. That's fine." Sampson said shooing them along. "I'll see you this evening, Severus."

Lily felt her mood lighten just a touch when she noticed Natalie's tight grip on Sampson's hand as she waved goodbye.

Severus and Lily were walking quietly for a couple of minutes before he spoke. "You realize this isn't the way back to Hogwarts, right?"

"I do. I just really don't want to be bothered by anyone."

"Oh." He followed her onto a narrow, worn cobblestone road. "So where are we going?"

"There's a tiny Inn just down the way—"

"An Inn… just how long are you looking to avoid people?"

"Just a few hours. I'm sure it's the place Mary was going to recommend we sneak off to earlier. Guess she forgot she'd told me about it already. Anyway, we can just check it out. Mary said the owner would be likely to cut us a break if we mentioned her name."

"What kind of Inn is going let two underage wizards rent a room for few hours?"

"I had the same question. Mary said she won't take anyone under sixteen and you can expect her to force a whole bunch of contraceptives our way which we are to take without complaint. Apparently she used to teach a sexual education class at a muggle school before she retired."

"Retired and decided to cash on hormonal teenagers unable to abstain from sex?"

Lily laughed. "Well I don't know. I don't think it's like that. Most people don't even know the place exists. It's just to bring in a little extra money now and then. I get the impression she's really nice. Mary usually drops by to see her every Hogsmeade weekend, even if she isn't planning to stay."

The conversation had Severus wondering if Lily still had a headache. He shuddered a bit at the thought of staying in a bedroom with her for several hours and not taking full advantage of the alone time.

"Here we are," Lily said as they stopped in front of a perfectly average looking home with a tiny handmade sign in the window that read: "The Sleeping Flame Inn. Vacancies Available."

Severus shrugged his assent. "I see why hardly anyone knows it exists."

Upon entering they were greeted by a tall older woman with a sweet smile. She was tying her hair into a messy bun as she motioned for the two to step over the age line. They stepped over it successfully and waited

"Wonderful. She said scooting behind an antique looking desk. Are you here to rent a room?" she asked kindly.

"Yes," Lily replied in a quieter voice than usual. "We'd rather avoid the crowds today."

The woman smiled. "May I ask how you discovered The Sleeping Flame?"

"Well my friend Mary Macdonald—"

"Ohh Mary!" she said clasping her hands together. "How is she? I haven't seen her since the end of last term. Is she still seeing Sirius?"

"Um, well… she and Sirius have been on the rocks but she is doing well."

"Oh tut tut," she said with a frown. "Tell them to come back and see me. I assume you two are only planning to stay for the rest of your Hogsmeade day then?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay. Well you two sweet things can just go on up to room number three. No charge."

"Oh please I—" Lily began to object.

"I wont hear it! This place is booked all next week. I do insist you take this, however," she spoke seriously handing Lily a pretty sac that was undoubtedly full of contraceptives.

"Thank you," Severus said.

"Yes, thank you so much."

"No problem, loves. Tell me your names…"

"I'm Lily Evans."

"Severus Snape."

She smiled. "Mary has mentioned both of you plenty. I'll knock on your door if I don't see you come down by dusk. Wouldn't want you to be late getting back to school! Please help yourselves to the snacks in the room. I'll have to replace them in a couple of days anyway. My name is Greta Swicegood, by the way. Off with you now," she said waving them away.

Lily opened the door to room number three. It was small, cozy and clean with dark wooden walls, large windows and cream-colored linens. There was an astonishingly tiny bathroom attached as well. "This is quaint," she said slipping out of her shoes. "I like it."

"Certainly nicer than the rooms at The Three Broomsticks," Severus added.

"When have you been in one of those?" Lily asked, surprised.

"A couple of years back. When my cousin died… on my mother's side, obviously."

"I remember that. I didn't realize they lived in Hogsmeade though."

"They don't. They live about twenty miles south of here in a town with a bunch of other wealthy wizards in over sized houses. There was room for us to stay with them but you know, my mother is pretty much no longer considered family."

"What about you?"

Severus gave a stiff chuckle. "Well I'm half blood so I pretty much don't exist."

Lily looked angry.

He smiled and ran his thumb across her wrinkled brow. "Do you want to rest?"

"No," she sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. She grabbed the drawstring sac Greta gave them and peered inside. "Hm. Muggle and magical contraceptives," she said pulling out a condom. "There's a ton of stuff in here. Bet Mary would have a better time writing her Muggle Studies paper on this."

Severus laughed. "Not sure why a wizard would use one of these," he said taking the condom from her. "Hear they aren't so reliable. My father blames my conception on a faulty one, actually."

"Well thank you faulty condom." Lily examined a pamphlet that was also inside of the bag and began to read aloud. "Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy. Get into the habit of asking your partner everyday: Have you taken your contraceptive potion today?"

"Yes." Severus answered, "and you?"

"Yes. Look at us. All smart and safe," she said tossing aside the pouch, spilling little bottles of lubricant, papers and various birth control items on the floor.

"Soo…" Severus scratched the back of his neck. He still wasn't sure about Lily's mood.

"Soo… We have yet to have sex on a bed. I mean you went down on me on your bed but we haven't—"

This was confirmation enough. Severus leaned over and kissed her. Their position was awkward as he was still standing and she was sitting. He kicked off his shoes and worked his way onto the bed, laying her on her back and never breaking contact with her mouth. Lily had her hands under his shirt in no time. She explored his torso with her fingertips. There was so much for her to take in… The feel of each of his abs, the dip of his belly button, the fine hairs on his stomach, the textured skin of his scars the rise and fall of his chest. All of that combined with the feel of his tongue on her neck and the heat from their bodies and clothing had Lily experiencing major sensory overload. "Take off your clothes," she said, immediately beginning to help him. Once the clothes on his upper body were removed he rose up onto his knees and allowed Lily to handle the lower half. She giggled at the way his erect penis sprung forward as she slid his pants down. "Sit," she told him so she could continue to remove the pants. "Now watch," she commanded, lightly pushing him back into a mound of pillows. Lily stood up on the firm mattress, her feet on either side of Severus's knees. In no rush, she pulled her shirt over her head, messing up her hair and revealing a lacy pale pink bra. She couldn't help but laugh a little at the look on Severus's face. He was rarely so visually expressive. Lily blushed as she continued to undress. She slipped off her skirt, clumsily removed her socks and unclasped her bra. It turned her on to see that Severus was lightly stroking himself. "You can take these off," she said referencing her underwear.

Severus quickly ran his hands from either of her ankles up to her hips. He placed a kiss on her navel and each hipbone before sliding down her last article of clothing. After that, things moved quickly. Severus pulled Lily back down onto the bed and she began kissing her way down his body. Her long red hair was sprawled all over and tickled his skin as she moved. Lily wasted no time with teasing or playing around. She took his member in her mouth and went on to try out some of Mary's tips. Lily loved how vulnerable he felt beneath her, how close her usually put together boyfriend was to totally losing composure. She sucked him until he all but begged her to stop, insisting that he didn't want to cum just yet. She was wet and ready for him but he stopped her before she could lower herself onto him.

"What is it?" she asked, a hint of frustration in her voice, which made him smile.

"Well I figured since we were going all traditional and using a bed for the first time, we could also try a traditional position."

Lily looked at him, her mouth slightly curved into a smile.

"I mean I want to be on top of you," he added when she failed to respond.

"Okay," she said kissing him and rolling on to her back.

Severus positioned himself on top of her. He took one of her nipples into his mouth as he inserted two fingers into her opening, which elicited a sharp intake of breath from her. After a few moments of this, Lily pushed away his hand, gripped his penis and directed him into her. He supported himself on his forearms as he began to move inside her. The new position felt different in more ways than just physically. It was extremely intimate. Severus shamelessly stared into Lily's green eyes. They could kiss and feel so much of each other's bodies. His pelvis grinded against hers in the most deliciously perfect way as she explored his mouth with her tongue. He soon began to move at a pace to jostling for kissing so she just linked her ankles behind his back and kept pace with him, losing herself in all of the sensations. After a few minutes he lowered his body closer to hers so that their chests made contact. He enjoyed the feel of her breasts against his chest and Lily knew he was close as he'd occasionally fall out of rhythm. This is where Severus was talented though. He always knew how, and made sure to, bring Lily to her climax before he reached his. So when he was very close, he lifted her hips just a couple of inches off the bed. The new angle was absolute bliss and had Lily's walls fluttering around him in less than a minute. He followed with his release moments later.

Severus and Lily relaxed for a while before going for round two. After that the two just munched on the large variety of snacks in the room and talked. "I like this little room," Lily said beginning to remove the linens from the bed and put them in a bin labeled "dirty." "I wish I'd have brought my camera."

"You're a witch, aren't you?" Severus asked with a grin just big enough to expose his dimple.

"Right," Lily laughed. She opened the bedroom window and took out her wand. "Accio camera!" It was several seconds before her bulky Polaroid came flying into the room. Lily tidied what was left on the bed and together they took six pictures. She scanned through them once they developed. "Sev!" She said spreading them out on the dresser. "You look exactly the same in every single one of these." It was true. Their position in the room changed and Lily made various silly faces, but Severus kept the same blank expression throughout. He took and folded it so only Lily was showing. "You look pretty."

"Guess I'll just have to get a candid shot of you," she said more to herself than to Severus.

The two finished straightening up the room and headed back down the stairs. "Madam Swicegood?" Lily called out.

"Call me Greta! Call me Greta! I was just about to go up and get you two. Probably about time to head back to school."

"Yes. Thank you again…" Lily said feeling awkward for essentially thanking the woman for giving them a place to have sex.

"Oh no problem lovies. Bring this back for Mary, will you? It just a book she was asking about and some sweets."

"Sure! Of course." Lily said accepting the parcel.

"Okay well you two be safe! Bye now!"

"Bye. Have a good evening," Severus said as Lily waved her goodbye.

There was a distinct chill in the air when they exited The Sleeping Flame Inn. The setting sun was casting a pretty orange glow over the town and children were being called inside their homes for dinner.

"Interesting day," Severus said reaching for her hand.

"Definitely. It was nice to escape for a while. I hope Mary is in the common room when I get back…"

"Yea. You know, it feels so wrong for me to say this but I think Black honestly cares about her— and I don't only think that because he punched Potter in the head when he called her a name. He had that coming either way. Anyway, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Black any less but I do think his feelings are genuine."

Lily just starred at him.

"Give me a piggyback ride?" She asked after a moment.

Severus smiled. "A-Alright. C'mon."

"Really?" she asked and without waiting for a response, she hopped on to his back. Her hair flung in front of his face and he stumbled just a bit but once she adjusted herself, he felt comfortable enough to start walking.

"I love you," she said into his ear.

When Lily returned to the Gryffindor common room she saw no sign of her friends. She waited around for a little while before deciding to check her dormitory. There she found Alice and Mary sitting on a mound of blankets on the floor, surrounded by Honeydukes sweets. "I don't know what to do," Mary said looking at Lily with tears in her eyes. Lily gave her friend a sympathetic look and found a cozy spot to settle into. "What happened?" Alice asked. "After you left pub?"

Mary stifled a sob. "I was awful. I'm scared I've ruined everything…"

Thanks so much for reading! You're lovely! :o)