"I just don't understand why we are here," Narcissa hisses into Lucius's ear. Lucius fixes her with a glazed smile and puts an arm around her thin waist to comfort her.
"Because, my dear, there are still many undecided witches and wizards to recruit and this is the, uhm, perfect place to find them," Behind him his fellows chuckle over the whoops and yelling of the otherwise noisy party. Lucius turns and flicks his hands so that most of them disband, off to scout anyone sitting alone, looking miserable or seemingly in need of a lifestyle change. Only a few remain, Severus among them, and they sit themselves on a couch of questionable quality (Narcissa touches the springy fabric in horror and then looks around in distress which only makes Lucius smile).
"Severus, you look like you're enjoying yourself," Lucius croons with the same silky smile. Severus repsonds by smiling weakly and the girl hanging off of him repsonds by licking his neck and sliding her hand along his thigh and he wonders, briefly, if it would be an insult to Malfoys apparent kindness in having found this gem if he pushed her backwards by the face to get her bloody off him.
"What about your classmates, who is here that we should be interested in?" Lucius continues, scanning the packed, smokey room.
Severus tries to sit up but the girl hangs her weight on him so he has to, as politely as he can, take her hands and put them back on her own person before he clears his throat and tries to speak over the noise.
"Notts, I think Notts is interested. That's him over by stairs," Severus points.
"Well go and get him, man," Lucius says incredulously, shooing Severus on like a dog. He complies happily, pulling his limbs out of the medusa's grip and striding through the familiar faces of his yearmates who give him queer expressions. He could sympathize with Narcissa - this was hardly where he wanted to be himself - his sixth year had avoided these people as much as possible and, instead, found refuge in correspondence with Malfoy and in the assurance that there was a place for him outside of Hogwarts.
Notts is pleasant enough and toddles off to join their little group eagerly. Severus gives him a moment to make his own introductions, looking around the room unhappily, when he sees her. He knew he'd see her. This was her kind of thing, wasn't it? She is leaning against the far wall with flanks of her insufferable Gryffindor trooped around her and in the middle with her, leaning into her and talking softly an inch from her mouth, James Potter. Severus hasn't spoken to her since the previous summer but had heard the rumors like everyone else, James Potter. He doesn't know why it bothers him now, he had seen them slagging around together all year, had watched them passing notes in tranfiguration, had felt the icy shift of her eyes anytime she found Severus watching her. He had responded with advanced curses on anyone who touched him - anyone who looked at him wrong. He'd gone from the quiet butt of jokes to a hot, angry teenager who begged for an excuse. Most of the loyal old Gryffindor left him alone, now, the rumors of his holiday break retreats and exploits drifting through the halls as hot and heavy as James Potter and Lily Evans getting caught snogging.
James leans in and Lily laughs and their lips brush. Severus swallows, he can hear it in his ears. Lily closes her eyes, a soft doe-like picture of compliance. He will look back, unable to explain why or how, but his feet carry him through the throngs. Severus has never thought much of physical altercations - both because they seemed poorly muggle and inadequate for any self respecting wizard - and because he wasn't overly athletic or capable. But an alarming ringing is growing in his ears and the edges of his vision threaten to blur with tunneling as he pushes into their circle and Black is saying something immediatly and James turns to look at Severus with a nonchalant grin and Severus wants to feel James Potter's face break under his own hand.
It's his glasses that break in the blow, the glass cuts both the dip between his own eyes and Severus's knuckles and immediatly Severus knows it is stupid because James has him in a headlock before Severus even realizes what he's done and Black is yelling something close to his face. Just like old times, Severus thinks. And now..
"Stop it right this minute!" Lily screams next to them and to Severus's surprise he feels James arm go slack immediatly. He pulls away and looks at her softly, his face bleeding, and Severus grinds his teeth and goes for his wand. Then it is Black, Black's fist in Severus face and immediatly he tastes blood. Lily Almost throws herself on Black's back, grabbing his arm as it cocks for a second punch and she is saying something that Severus can't hear for the ringing in his ears. Blacks elbow catches Lily in the nose, and in the slow motion of his immense regrets Severus watches her stumble backwards, blood pouring out of her nose as her hands come up immediatly. Then it is Potter grabbing Black, screaming at him and throwing him against a wall and all Severus can do is watch in horror as several of Lily's friends produce tissues and crowd around her and James breathes ragged, staring at Severus with all the hatred in the world. Severus's wand hangs limp in his hand.
"Haven't you made her miserable enough?" Potter asks him, Black's shirt still balled in his fists, and Black stares at him in disgust as well. Everyone begins to stare at him, Lily being led away towards the kitchen. Severus reels. He hadn't elbowed her in the face.
"Oh baby, you're bleeding," a girls voice says silkily and her hands are back on Severus and she fixes the group of sneering Gryffindor with a dirty look as she turns Severus away from them and starts crooning in his ear. "You're shaking.." she whispers in surprise, taking his wand out of his slack hand and tucking it into the top of her lowcut shirt. Everyone is looking at him and his date tries to comfort him, still shooting nasty looks. "Come on, Lucius thinks it's time you met him."
Severus makes a great effort to turn his head back - Black and Potter are talking together, their attention off him, but behind them Lily is in the open kitchen doorway, staring after Severus while holding a damp cloth to her nose.