thanks to you-know-who... my lovely betas of course
15 She sells Sanctuary
"Now, it would be a total waste of brainpower if you actually considered that option," an evenly sounding voice startled Severus. He had just made his way up to the Astronomy Tower and was leaning against the balustrade, looking down... Now he whirled around to see Raven sitting on the floor, her back to the wall; she was smoking a cigarette. He should have smelled the smoke but he had been distracted.
"Don't be absurd," he hissed. Yes, for the fraction of a second he had actually thought about ending his misery. Life seemed to be so hopeless now that Lily had severed ties with him. "Are you following me around, Lestrange?"
"Since I was here first, I guess that question is rather silly," she replied, glancing up at his face. He was very pale. "You alright, Sev?"
"I'm fine."
"Am I right to assume you tried to apologize to Lily but she decided not to talk to you?"
That witch was insufferable- she had a knack for knowing when he was lying and yet she smiled at him, although it was a sad little smile this time.
"Would you forgive me?" Severus snapped at her.
"Well, you behaved like a total prat towards me on countless occasions already, but I'm used to your barb."
He had the decency to look ashamed. "Listen... I..."
"Come here," Raven cut him off as she invitingly patted the stone floor next to her. With a weary sigh he sat down. There was no use to run from her and besides, it was good to still have a friend. Perhaps she could talk to Lily and try to mediate- he just had to find a way to pitch the idea to her.
She offered him a cigarette and he simply took it, although he usually didn't smoke. But there had been a time when he'd stolen a pack from his father to appear cool, so that the yobs hanging around at the playground wouldn't bother him while he waited for Lily... it hadn't quite turned out the way he had hoped. Lily had been scandalized and father had given him a good beating for stealing the fags. But Lily wasn't here now. Lily didn't want to talk to him anymore. She said she couldn't pretend anymore...
'You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine,' he remembered her words but not the crossroad where their ways had taken a totally different direction. Only yesterday they had still been friends- he couldn't believe that it was all over now just because of a slip of tongue.
"You know, Sev," Raven said quietly, placing a hand on his arm, "I'd be quite pissed off, too, had you ever called me names in public, and filthy Mudblood isn't really a compliment. Especially not for a Muggleborn witch who is so very eager to find her place in wizarding society and to prove herself worthy. Of course, she is hurt- on the other hand, Lily called you Snivellus, which is just as much a derogative term for you as Mudblood is for her. In my opinion, you're square. I would forgive you... well, probably after hexing you into oblivion or giving you crab lice, but in the end I'd forgive you. After all, the bloody Marauders pretty much provoked the situation."
"Damned Potter and his cronies," Severus whispered, full of spite, and he forcefully extinguished his cigarette on the stone floor as if he wanted to smash his enemies with that gesture. His head was full with fragments of ideas for innovative curses just to harm them, to make them suffer for what they had done to him and Lily. But at the very same time, he also wanted to bash himself, because in the end he had fucked it up himself. He had lashed out at his best friend, the only one he had ever loved, and it was solely his fault Lily had severed ties with him... Then he recalled something Raven just said. "Crab lice, eh? So it was you."
"I couldn't resist," she smirked slyly. "Alas, I can't use that one a second time or it gets boring. But perhaps dear Malodora Grymm knows another inspiring curse."
"The hag Maladora Grymm?"
"Yep. Her book, Confessions of a Hag, was an interesting read- for instance, she described a very ugly but highly effective testicles-shrinking curse. Unfortunately there was no incantation given."
Severus gulped, but he withstood the initial urge to protect his private parts. He had thought he was above such gestures, that he wasn't driven by physical needs, but in the end he was just human and male and therefore protective of his genitals. So he tried to remember that it wasn't wise to cross Raven Lestrange, although he had apparently done that often enough in the past. He also resolved to be a better friend to her in future since he didn't want to lose her, too, after he had failed Lily.
"How can you still stand to be around me?" He mused aloud.
Raven shot him a perplexed look. Because I love you, you bloody idiot, she wanted to yell at him, but she managed to bite her tongue before these silly words could slip.
"Oh Sev," she said instead, placing a gentle hand on his arm, "we're friends, aren't we?"
He nodded affirmative.
"Well, real friends should be able to forgive, to stand by each other through thick and thin. Now, concerning Lily- I'm certain she will come to her senses again. Perhaps she simply needs some time. After all, it's not the first time you're on no-speaking terms..."
"It's different now. I... I hurt her very badly and... she wouldn't listen. Said I had chosen my way and she had chosen hers, that she can't pretend anymore..."
"Pretend what?" Raven huffed, but she was angry at St Lily and her holier-than-thou attitude, at all her double standards while acting up as Hogwarts moral compass and not being able to forgive her presumably best friend a simple slip of tongue, despite the circumstances. Severus would have slept at the doorstep of the Gryffindor tower, had been willing to risk further humiliation by his tormentors of a mere hours ago- just to get a chance to talk to Lily. And she had the nerve to tell him she couldn't pretend anymore? Had her friendship to him been built on pretence all the time?
"Severus," she said tentatively, "have you ever considered the possibility that you and Lily have absolutely nothing in common?"
He gave her an odd glance and shook his head in denial. No, Lily would come to love him if only he managed to make himself a reputation, if only he became a powerful, famous and rich wizard. And that, he thought, he could only achieve by joining the ranks of the Dark Lord Voldemort.
"She said I can't wait to join You-know-who, and she's right! Why wait?"
"Don't haste things, Sev. Why don't you just wait for the results of your OWLs and see if there are other career prospects?"
"Like what?"
"Whatever- don't tell me there isn't anything else you want from life, except marrying Lily. What did you tell the dear old Sluggy when we had career advice?"
Nibbling at his lower lip, looking sullen, he shrugged. "Well... I like Potions, and he said I might become a good apothecary one day..."
"Bollocks! You're already a much better potioneer than that pompous old walrus, and I foresee for you a very promising career in experimental potions and research-"
"You foresee? Please, do tell me about your sudden interest in divination."
"Don't be such a git!" Raven elbowed him, but she did that with a chuckle."It really doesn't need the obscure art of divination to recognize a great talent in Potions- and you truly are very gifted, Sev. Slughorn is an idiot if he fails to realise that."
Severus risked a wry smile at her for that compliment; it warmed his heart and moreover, she wasn't just trying to flatter him. She really meant what she said, she believed in him- and she managed to take his thoughts off Lily for the time being. He'd been agitated to the core when he came here in the first place, had been upset to find out he wasn't alone on the Astronomy tower, but now he was feeling more relaxed, thanks to her presence.
The next morning came much too soon. Raven hadn't slept much, she was bleary-eyed, tired and slightly grumpy. And she would have to sit her Potions OWLs in a short time. She had to pass it or she could forget her Auror ambitions, but she didn't feel well prepared because she had spent almost the whole night comforting her friend without making the comforting too obvious. At least their friendship seemed to have improved.
Together they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. Spiteful laughter came from the Gryffindor table and reminded Severus of dangling upside down in the air. Someone made a snide remark about his legs, but Raven thought he had lovely legs and so she told him, blushing. Fortunately that distracted Severus enough to miss another insulting comment about his underwear and he also didn't hear Lily giggle like a stupid cow. Raven would have loved to hex the whole Gryffindor table but she couldn't decide where to start, and besides, it wasn't wise to hex the teachers' pets in front of their eyes.
In Slytherin house, however, Severus had gained some respect for having called his formerly best friend a filthy Mudblood. He had finally proven that he was one of them, and they even seemed to appreciate Raven a little bit more because she had stuck up for the ideals of her house- or so they believed. In fact, Raven didn't give a damn about that at all. She had merely wanted to help Severus, although didn't mind this new friendliness towards her either. Graciously she accepted a cup of tea that the little Black politely offered her.
Theory of Potions went surprisingly well, although that was not the part of the exam she had dreaded most. Raven was very nervous about the practical part. Her marks in brewing had improved since Severus had started tutoring her in Myrtle's bathroom, and yet she feared her cauldron might explode, or... there were so many things that could go wrong in Potions.
Of course, Severus was calmness personified. Probably he was even looking forward to his exam, but at least he didn't have to fear failure.
"Stop fretting, Lestrange," he hissed at her in his usual charming way when they entered the room that might become her personal Waterloo. "I know you can do it, so don't behave like a total dunderhead."
Now, that was almost a praise, coming from him. Happily she beamed at him and started to relax immediately. And when the examiners told the students that they had to brew a Draught of Peace, she knew she had worried in vain. Yes, she could do that. She knew the theory and she had already brewed it once with Severus, quite to his satisfaction.
Raven glanced in his direction and saw him nod at her, which was the best motivation. Then both of them focussed on the work at hand
One of the examiners, a tall wizard with bushy eyebrows, was keeping a sharp eye on Severus, watching him with interest as he cut, grounded or squashed his ingredients. The other kids here in this room were just doing their task without any passion- some of them showed a hint of talent while most of them were just mediocre at best- but that young man seemed to be a really dab hand in Potions.
"Arsenius Jigger did not mention that step in his textbook," the examiner said as he stood behind Severus, glancing over his shoulder.
Severus didn't bother to look up because he was busy and his potion was in a tricky phase of process; it required his full attention. So he merely mumbled, "Jigger is overrated."
The lips of the examiner twitched and his bushy brows shot up- he really looked like a puzzled owl now- but Severus couldn't see that. Instead he heard Slughorn's voice interfering in a jovial tone, "Ah, there you are, Tiberius. Don't pay too much attention to Mr Snape here- he never keeps to the instructions and always thinks he knows better than anyone else. Why don't you let me introduce you to my most promising students? I'd like you to meet Mr Potter- sure you remember Mr James Potter senior? He was a real big shot in the Ministry and I'm certain his son will follow in his footsteps..."
"I am not interested in politics, Horace."
"Yes, yes indeed. So perhaps you'd like to meet Miss Evans? She's a favourite of mine- shame she's not in my house- and one of the brightest I ever taught. Very exceptional for a Muggleborn witch..."
The examiner called Tiberius shot Professor Slughorn a bored glance, wondering why his dear esteemed colleague failed to notice a true talent when it was sitting right in front of him. He waited until the boy was done with his potion to ask him a couple of questions about his procedural method and was very satisfied with the answers given.
Raven was quite cheerful after the exam was done; it had gone well. Her cauldron didn't explode and her potion looked just like it was supposed to. Full of verve she hugged Severus, because she blamed her success on him.
"But now tell me- how did it go for you? What did he say? He seemed to be really interested in you."
Severus was clueless, that much was obvious.
"You don't know who that was, do you?"
He shook his head no and waited for her to fill him in.
"Sev, that was Professor Tiberius O'Flaherty-"
"Bugger!" He gaped at her with his mouth wide open but soon remembered to close it. Of course he had heard of Professor O'Flaherty, the head of St Mungo's Potions research team and one of the greatest potioneers of their time. And Severus had boldly told him that Jiggers was overrated- as if he was talking to just any apothecary. Alright, he had answered all his questions. But probably he would have answered differently- with more enthusiasm- had he known who that wizard was. Nevertheless, O'Flaherty was interested in him.
"See, I told you you'd make a career in research!" Raven chimed in.
"I'm still far from getting a job, though," Severus gave to consider but he couldn't help the small smile that proudly curled up his lips. Perhaps she was right and he could indeed work in Potions research one day; it was very tempting to believe in that. Then he glanced at her, "How come you know him?"
"Well, it's more that Mum knows him- you know, she worked as mediwitch at St Mungo's before she met Dad, and she was in the same year with O'Flaherty- anyway, he used to visit often when I was young. Then he got married and didn't come around anymore. I haven't seen him for ages, until today, but I will always remember his eyebrows. They're truly remarkable!"
Severus smirked. Now that was typically Raven, finding his eyebrows remarkable as if the man didn't stand out for more than that. But then again, she didn't devour every potions text she could lay hands on. It simply wasn't her passion like it was his, although she was not a hopeless case when it came to brewing.
Finally, the last day of the term came, the exams were over, and all students were glad to board the Hogwarts Express that would take them back home to their families.
Severus wasn't looking forward to spending two months in that Muggle dunghill he called his home, but he hoped there would be another chance to talk to Lily. After all, she was living in close neighbourhood to Spinner's End- it was almost inevitably that they'd run into each other sooner or later. And perhaps it would be easier there, at their spot by the river, without any Gryffindorks around.
The train ride to King's Cross station was just as unspectacular as it usually was. He was sharing a compartment with some of his fellow house mates, who kept on bragging about the fun they were going to have this summer, and they also whispered about the Dark Lord- some of them couldn't wait to come of age and join his ranks. Severus was still considering that option, but remained silent about it.
Then the train pulled into the station, and all the young witches and wizards disembarked it, happy to be reunited with their families. Lily ran to hug her parents and even her mulish sister, urging them to get to the car park and drive home. She didn't spare Severus a single glance.
It was only when the platform was emptying that Severus noticed his dilemma. Usually, the Evanses took him back home in their car since his own parents never bothered to pick him up. Now he was standing there all alone and he had no idea how to get home. He couldn't take the Knight Bus because he was broke- ironically, he had spent all of his money buying that birthday present for Lily. So he would have to get on a train, dodge the fare and hope to not get caught...
Suddenly, a heavy hand dropped on his shoulder. Severus whirled around- wand at the ready- to glance into the tanned face of a smiling blond-haired man. Raven's father. Immediately, he lowered his wand.
"Easy now!" Mr Lestrange laughed, before his face took on a more serious expression. "I noticed you were not with the Evanses and apparently nobody picked you up. No young wizard should be left alone in these dangerous times. May I invite you to come home with us? I'm certain my wife will find a way to contact your family, so they won't have to worry about your whereabouts."
Severus snorted contemptuously- as if his parents would worry about him. Then he shrugged. "Don't bother, sir. I'll be alright."
"Oh, but it would be so cool if you came home with us!" Raven chimed in enthusiastically after having popped up from behind her father. "We could listen to my records!"
Severus wasn't particularly keen on that but in the end her sparkling eyes undid him. Contrary to Lily, she still wanted to be his friend; she wanted to spend time with him. So he agreed- after glancing at her father. "You really don't mind?"
"Nonsense, boy. I offered an invitation and besides, you're Raven's friend so, of course, you are always welcome. Come on now, let's go to the car."
Severus used to believe that a marriage between a witch and a Muggle- actually any mixed partnership- could never work; his own parents were the living example. Magical and non-magical people were too different to get on with each other, he had always thought, and the ideology of Slytherin house seemed to confirm it, although he didn't quite share their belief that Muggles in general were of minor value. True, he despised his father, the useless drunkard, and also that cow of a sister Lily had, but at least Lily's parents had always treated him decently. And now Mr Lestrange had come and shattered all that Severus used to believe in, proving him that a relationship between a Muggle and a witch could work indeed. The Lestranges exchanged loving glances that spoke of great affection and respect, they laughed with each other and sometimes even at each other. Mrs Lestrange was well versed in everything that went on in the Muggle world, and Mr Lestrange knew a lot about the wizarding world.
"We can make a Floo call to let your parents know we abducted you," Mr Lestrange suggested, smiling at Severus through the rear-view mirror.
"We don't have a fireplace connected to the Floo network." Father would go berserk if the head of another freak appeared in the flames...
"Then we'll give them a phone call," Mrs Lestrange decided.
"Um..." Severus coughed.
"You do have a telephone, don't you?"
"Yeah..." but I don't know if it's cut off once more due to unpaid bills...
"Well, we'll find a way- even if I have to Apparate there. But first, I think, we shall have a nice dinner. What say you, kids? Are you hungry?"
"Oh yeah!" Raven cried since she had missed her mother's cooking almost as much as her record collection.
The Lestranges lived in a cosy little house with garden in the outskirts of London. Inside, the rooms were painted in warm, friendly colours, and the furniture was a tasteful mixture of old and new.
"Miss Raven!" Someone shrieked; the squeaky voice came from somewhere down his hips and it startled Severus until he recalled that the Lestranges had a house-elf. A very young house-elf, as it seemed to be, for it was a scrawny creature with spindly arms that stuck out of what appeared to be sort of a caftan with oriental-style patterns.
"Tweety misses Miss Raven so much!" The Elf chirped, hugging her legs. Then it almost started to purr when Raven bent to pat the house-elf's bald head.
"And I missed you, Tweety. You're wearing a really nice dress, my dear," Raven said, which made the creature's bat-like ears twitch with unconcealed joy.
"It's a caftan, Miss Raven!"
"Of course. Please forgive me my ignorance."
Severus had to suppress a chuckle- on the one hand it was so typically Raven how she cared about that house-elf, on the other hand it was totally unusual for wizards and witches in general to care about their house-elves at all. Usually, the only care these creatures ever received from their owners was the order to punish themselves.
"You brings guest, dear Miss Raven?" Tweety said, clutching to Raven's leg while risking a glance at Severus, who managed a wry smile. "Is young Master nice wizard?"
"He is a very nice wizard," Raven assured Tweety before introducing them properly. "Tweety, please meet my best friend, Severus Snape. Sev, this is Tweety."
Severus was strangely moved by her confession. Best friend... and she really meant it. Thus encouraged, he smiled at the elf and said, "Hello Tweety."
The house-elf beamed, tugging at Raven's shirt to get her full attention. "Young Master Snape is really nice wizard. How can Tweety serve Miss Raven and best friend?"
"Raven," Mrs Lestrange interjected, "I need Tweety in the kitchen, so please mind your manners, offer your friend some refreshment and take it to your room yourself."
Tweety pulled a sad face- she would have loved to serve the young miss, but Mistress Nigella was always very strict when it came to not spoiling her only child. Her instinct told her that this was wrong, that a house-elf was born to serve... but also, that she was to obey to any order given, even if that seemed to be wrong.
"Would you like something to drink?" Raven asked as she walked past Severus into the kitchen and opened the fridge to see what was there to offer. "Um, we have water, orange juice and Coke. Sorry, no pumpkin juice..."
Grimacing, she winked at him, knowing that both of them weren't overly fond of the wizarding youngsters' most favourite drink.
"A glass of water would be agreeable," Severus mumbled, not wanting to cause her any trouble, but Raven just shoved a bottle each of water and Coke into his arms, grabbed two glasses from a shelf, and pushed him resolutely in direction of the staircase leading to the upper floor, where her room was situated.
"Dinner is in approximately one hour!" Mrs Lestrange called after them.
Raven's room was totally different from Lily's! Why that thought was the first that came to his mind when Raven opened the door for him, Severus didn't know. Perhaps it was just because the difference was so… striking- as if their rooms reflected the different personalities of the two witches and he had never realized it until it hit him straight in the face now. Literally spoken.
Lily's room was bright, clean and tidy. Very functionally furnished in white, and yet with a somewhat girlish touch that showed in the flowers of the wallpaper and the poster of a unicorn. There were also some pictures of cute little animals. Apart from that, the predominant colours were white, powder pink and a soft green... the red and golden Gryffindor banner above the bed had always been out of place...
Raven's room gave proof of her very own style, which was as chequered as she was controversial, and yet one could see that a modern teenager lived there. Flokati rugs covered the dark wooden floor and- typical for the seventies- there were a lot of orange, yellow and brown hues in the furniture. The sofa looked inviting despite its offending pattern.
"Make yourself comfortable," Raven offered as she started to leaf through her record collection and Severus sat down (albeit a bit stiffly) on a plushy orange easy chair with a chrome frame, still looking around. Then he noticed a large bookshelf, reaching from floor to ceiling, which piqued his interest. So he got up again to take a closer look at it and was surprised, to put it mildly. Alright, he had already expected the Muggle fantasy novels- but not the old tomes about magic. And not all of them were exactly Ministry-approved...
Alright, he shouldn't be surprised about that. Raven had already made it quite clear what she thought about the Ministry of Magic, and that she didn't shy from using a hex which was probably not approved by a bunch of bureaucrats, if it suits the situation.
His thoughts were interrupted when the screeching sound of a guitar came from the speakers.
"That's my all time favourite," Raven said, holding up a record cover. It showed the black and white picture of a curly-haired bloke, wearing a top hat, and underneath the face bold red letters read .
Severus lifted his eyes from the record cover to a large poster on the wall, showing exactly the same curly-haired bloke, but this time he was standing on stage, strumming his guitar, singing into a microphone. So that was Marc Bolan, the lead singer of her favourite band. He knew that because Raven just loved to keep him informed... although he didn't really care about Muggle music. Or music in general.
A memory came to his mind and Severus suddenly recalled the cheap wireless they had at home. Father used to turned in on weekends, listening to football results... and there had been music once- but the only sound he could hear now, when thinking about home, was his father's shouting and his mother's sharp tongue, their constant fighting... the noises from the bedroom...
Involuntarily, he shuddered and tried to occlude his mind from those memories while continuing to take in his surroundings instead. And there was still a lot to discover in Raven's room- like the pictures of other Muggle musicians or music groups, all of them looking quite weird. They were wearing clothes that could even match Headmaster Dumbledore in flamboyance.
Nevertheless, the music wasn't really that bad, Severus had to admit as he caught his feet in the act of tapping to the rhythm. But he had absolutely no clue what they were singing about. The lyrics seemed to make no sense to him- they were about a Metal Guru and people called Baby Boomerang, Telegram Sam or Rabbit Fighter...
Tramp king of the city, he's my friend
Moondog's just a prophet to the end
Call me Rabbit Fighter you know it's true
'Cos babe I'll Rabbit Fight all over you
Still contemplating the meaning behind these lines, Severus was startled by Mr Lestrange, who stuck his head in the room.
"I missed you, darling," he said to Raven, "but please turn it down a little, will you?".
"'Kay, Dad." She flashed a smile at her father as she complied to his wish, and Mr Lestrange smiled in return before he closed the door to her room.
He had closed the door! Severus arched a perplexed brow at the closed door, because at Lily's place- whenever he had been allowed to go up to her room- it was sort of an unwritten rule that the door to her room was to be left open. Mr Evans insisted on it, probably fearing that the scrawny boy from Spinner's End might take advantage of his daughter. Of course, Severus would have never done anything like that... but he didn't want to think of Lily now. It still hurt too much, knowing she didn't want to talk to him anymore.
"Dinner is ready!" Mrs Lestrange called from downstairs, and it appeared to Severus she was using a Sonorus Charm for her voice to carry over Raven's music.
They headed downstairs, and although the Lestranges had a house-elf, Raven hurried to set the table. It was one of her chores, she told him as they all sat down at the large wooden table in the dining room and Mrs Lestrange served dinner with Tweety's help.
For a low-down, working-class boy from the industrial north the food looked almost exotic. At home, they ate potatoes or canned soup. At Hogwarts, they usually had a variety of traditional dishes like beef casserole, pork and lamb chops, different puddings and stews, peas, carrots and potatoes (boiled, mashed or roasted)- but they didn't have pasta. Also, he had never eaten prawns before and most certainly not with garlic. Severus recognized the smell, though the only use of garlic he knew was in vampire-repelling potions... and those were a joke.
"Tuck in!" Mrs Lestrange announced before she glanced at Severus. "Oh, and don't you worry, dear, I informed your mother about your whereabouts."
"Um... thanks." He didn't know what else to say. Most likely, his mother hadn't even noticed he wasn't there. Then he tried to not make a fool of himself and first watched how Raven handled her impossibly long spaghetti before he hesitantly began to eat himself. It was... delicious! And dinner with the Lestranges was a very pleasant, almost jolly affair in general. Raven's parents liked to talk and laugh, and they wanted to know everything about their daughter's time at Hogwarts.
"How are things with that awful Potter boy?" Mrs Lestrange inquired. "Is he still such a bully?"
"Yeah. But I gave him crab lice." Raven replied casually, and her father laughed out loud.
"That's my girl!"
Mrs Lestrange heaved a sigh. "You know I don't approve of students hexing each other- the teachers should be able to control the situations, but since they refuse to rein in Potter, you have my blessing."
Raven wished she could tell her mother about the headmaster's reaction after Severus nearly became the victim of a werewolf, but she wasn't even supposed to know so she couldn't talk about it.
Then the Lestranges asked how the OWLs went and they also showed great interest in Severus' academic career. It was as if they really cared for him- which was a totally new experience. They seemed to take him serious.
Later, Severus and Raven finally retreated to her room to listen to more records. He didn't mind. The sofa was really comfortable- despite its offending pattern and colours- and Raven seemed to be so happy he was there. She was already making plans for the next couple of days, apparently believing they would be spending the whole summer holidays together. But he very much doubted that. As friendly as her parents were towards him, they wouldn't be keen on feeding just another mouth and he didn't want that either. He would certainly not overtax their hospitality. He was not a charity case.
On the other hand, he really liked it here. It was a scandalising thought for a Slytherin to actually feel comfortable in a Muggle household with all these strange Muggle things- like the battery of lava lamps Raven had in her room. But the rising and falling of colourful bubbles in colourful water had a somewhat soothing effect on him. For the first time in days, ever since his breakup with Lily, warmth was not only an outward climate condition but something that came from within.
Raven fell silent when Severus didn't reply anymore. Alright, she had been babbling on for hours and he had merely grunted of snorted occasionally, probably thinking she was a right nag. Now she glanced over to the sofa and noticed he had fallen asleep. Oh great, her idle chatter was just as soporific as Professor Binns' drone.
But he looked so cute when he was sleeping. More relaxed and at ease than ever before, and there was even the ghost of a smile on his features. She could have watched him endlessly. Instead, she got up and fetched a blanket to tug him in and she had to withstand the urge to run gentle fingers along his cheek; Raven didn't want to wake him. Those last days at school had been tedious because of the exams and even more so for him due to emotional stress- she had no idea whether he'd slept at all lately.
There was something... wrong, Severus realized upon slowly waking from slumber. He was not in the Slytherin dormitory nor was he lying in his own bed at Spinner's End. Here, there was music and strange lights. Slowly he opened his eyes, still heavy with sleep, and then he smiled as he recalled where he was.
The stereo was still playing, the lava lamps were still bubbling in a mesmerizing way, but Raven had stopped talking. He lifted his head and saw her lying in her bed, sound asleep, a happy smile on her face. It dawned upon him that he had fallen asleep on her sofa, in her room, and that he should probably get up now and go to his guest room- but he couldn't bring himself to do that. It was so cosy, so warm here. He didn't want to move. For the first time in what seemed to be ages he had actually fallen asleep without protection wards to keep him safe, and yet he felt strangely sheltered.
So he fell asleep again, utterly at peace, while the lava bubbles kept on rising and falling, and a starman was waiting in the sky.
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile...