The Princess

A new week started and Lily noticed that Sev was no longer looking at her in the Hall, but she didn't care, for now a triple stream of communication had been established between them. The seeming indifference they showed to other people, the furtive help in Potions without direct contact, and last and best, the meetings in the Secret Haven.

But none of them fulfilled Lily's illusions, and ever since she discovered the book on endemisms, she brought it out of its hiding place at least twice a week, checking right there, at the end of the Herbology aisle, that her note was still unanswered.

She spent time looking for the air purifying spell, finding it in a manual called 'The Magical Home. Useful Household Spells' in the Charms section.

On Wednesday in Potions class they tested the new information transmission system. Now Lily left the backpack at the height of Remus's bench, as he already knew the ruse, nothing would happen if he found out.

But she no longer had any way of knowing when Sev sent her the notes, so she had to take even longer to brew the potion and check the backpack every ten minutes to see if any had arrived.

She quickly realized that this system was also suspicious, but since she was the one most at risk now, she settled for the moment and decided to get on Arithmancy as soon as possible.

The third time she looked there was a small ball of parchment in the backpack. On one side came the instruction for the potion just in time for the stage of preparation she was in, and on the other it said:

I have the t., if you have the s. place the knife on the edge of the table.

'Good!' she thought, they certainly made a good team. She did as he asked immediately. Half an hour later she got another note. On one side a new modification, and on the other:

Cool!

They were the usual accomplices again, but with more emotion.

She had already gotten the Arithmancy book from the Library and read the first topic carefully. It was about how to consult complicated numerical tables that for her had no head or tail. Sev was right when he said it was going to be difficult, so she decided to ask Remus for help. Although they had hardly spoken since Sev had told her that she shouldn't tell anyone what they were doing, the little wolf was pleased to lend a hand.

"It's for Potions, right?" he asked her.

"Yes, to learn how to modify them."

"I don't go that far, but I can teach you to read the tables that are used. We will do an exchange, when you know how to apply them, you teach me. You know, with my hairy problem, I have to do a lot of Medimagic."

They spent an evening after dinner in the Common Room on the subject, he didn't ask her anything about Sev.

Sunday arrived and it was raining. There were many more people inside the castle or in the Library and there was no excuse to go out for a walk. She came up with the pretext of going to see Hagrid, she hadn't visited him since the term started, so she went up to the Common Room to put on her cloak, hoping that none of her housemates wanted to join her, but Potter was there and offered to accompany her.

"I'm coming with you, Evans, you could consider it our first date."

She feigned more anger than she felt when she replied, "I'd rather stay than go anywhere with you. If you come, I'll escape down the first corridor I find."

But Remus had already moved closer to Potter and was holding him by the arm from behind. "Leave her alone, James, you're always weighing her down."

Lily exited through the Fat Lady's portrait, hurrying down the stairs. She didn't find out until a time later that as soon as he was sure Potter wouldn't follow her, the little wolf went up to the fifth-year boys' dorm to hide the Map.

When Lily reached the middle of the flight of stairs between the sixth and fifth floors, she waited a while to make sure Potter hadn't come out after her, then leisurely walked down past some students and onto her floor, which was empty.

She reached the corridor of armor but didn't see Sev where they agreed to meet. She hadn't time to think that he had stood her up because he immediately appeared around the corner. He asked her for silence with a gesture and he did not speak to her until they reached the classroom.

"Why did you take so long? I had to conjure a Disillusioner to wait for you, we're risking the secret."

Lily explained what had happened.

"Damn Potter, it seems that he has nothing to do but make our lives bitter, he will end up discovering us," said Sev. "If you had come directly from the Great Hall, this would not have happened. You have too many people around controlling you, and few or none are worth it. You must learn to defend your space, to make yourself respected, to be left alone without having to explain to anyone. Now all that's left is for that idiot to go to Hagrid to look for you and not see you there. If they ask you later, say that you wanted to be alone and you have gone into an empty classroom to study, there are dozens in the castle."

Ugh, they started well today.

"Well, let's not waste any more time, we'll continue talking when night falls."

They began the second Dueling class reviewing what they had seen in the first. She had a hard time getting the hang of it, but whenever she got something, Sev congratulated her, and when she didn't, he encouraged her not to get discouraged. In truth, he was very patient with her.

Then they continued with new spells, some unknown to Lily and more dangerous, so they increased the size of the cushions to use as mattresses to fall on the floor. Still, she hurt her elbow and he healed her with a spell.

"I must also teach you to fall and get up."

And she was excited because that might involve some kind of physical contact. Soon they were in gloom, twilight coming early due to the overcast sky.

"Do you have the purification spell?" Sev asked her.

"Yes, I bring the book," taking it out of the backpack.

"Did you say you were going to see Hagrid with the backpack?" facing her, raising an eyebrow, with an ironic smile and shaking the head. "I imagine you haven't had the chance to try it," lighting one of the torches with his wand. "We'll do it now."

The torches were perfectly placed at a certain height on the wall in front of the windows. They waited for some smoke to collect and Lily conjured it on the first try, then Sev did the same. "Perfect," he said.

"How did you get the torches?"

"I'll tell you later, when we have to stop to remove the smoke," lighting the second. "Now we're going to continue."

And they continued with more new spells. After half an hour they had to stop to purify the air, Sev explained how he got the torches.

"I had to go out two nights. I had planned to steal them from the second floor and go up the passageway, but when I got there I ran into Mrs. Norris, which meant Filch was close by. I hid in the Transfiguration classroom because the damn cat still detects you if you get Disillusioned, she's the real watcher and not Filch. I waited a long time, luckily I hadn't done anything yet and apparently they left without realizing I was there." Again Sev risking much more than her. "The next day I had more luck, I shrunk them and detached them from the wall with a Diffindo. It took me several tries because what I broke was the stone and not the support. Then I brought them here through the passageway, it's risky to use it at night because Filch knows it, but no problem. That was on Monday, then I came another afternoon to put them up."

"I feel bad because it cost you so much work."

"Bah!" sarcastic. "It was nothing."

Although they both were conjuring up the smoke, it took a long time, because they had to go around the entire classroom to do it, and at the same time the torches continued to burn and more accumulated.

"This doesn't work, that book should be called 'Useless Spells'," he said, laughing. "We'd end up ventilating the classroom sooner even if we're a little cold. But today it is impossible, with this storm we cannot open. By the way…" looking at her with an expression of disbelief. "How did you think to say that you were going to see Hagrid in this weather? For Merlin…" he whispered, raising his hand to his forehead and shaking the head. "Definitely, you don't know how to pretend."

It didn't pass him.

"Today we won't be able to do anything else," going to the closet for the candles.

"I have an idea, maybe not for today, but it can be useful," Lily proposed.

"Oh really? Tell me," as he lit two candles and left them on the edge of the dais.

"In the book of useless household spells," sarcastically, "there is also a heating enchantment, it's like a Disillusioner, you can draw it around you. We could practice with the windows open conjuring it up to the whole classroom."

"Wow… what a good idea, Lily. It's not worth it today, of course, with this wind the torches would burn badly," while he put them out. "But it'll do when there's no storm." He paused, turning to look at her. "We can try it now."

"Okay," Lily said, and she looked for the spell in the book. "You can regulate the temperature."

"Seventy degrees will be fine."

And going up and down the dais, Lily conjured a wide circle around the candles and Sev, who had already taken a seat beside them.

"Well, at least this one works, I can already feel the heat. You should be doing Charms and not Potions, you're even better at it. Well done, Lily, you are phenomenal."

As she positioned herself on the other side of the candlesticks resigning herself to being apart again, Sev asked looking directly at her. "Well, it was short, but… did you like the class? Do you think you have taken advantage of it?"

"You should tell me that."

"I already tell you every time you do something right. I would like to know if I do it too…" with a certain insecurity in his eyes and in his voice.

What an idiot she felt! They had two classes and she hadn't even thanked him.

"Of course, Sev, you're the best teacher I've ever had, by far, too."

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled shyly. "Thanks Lily, it's the first time I've done this, but I've been imagining what it would be like for years. It reassures me a lot to know that I am capable of teaching, and I am glad that you are my first student. It means a lot to me."

By Merlin! How he had changed. Since he revealed the Haven to her, he was so open, hopeful, talkative, he was unknown. Hopefully it was also due to what happened in the Forest.

"And your housemates? Have you never taught them?" she asked.

"Those?" with contempt. "And that any day they turn against me? I already have enough with yours, I'm surprised that this year I haven't run into them yet." He made a disdainful gesture and paused. "Well, changing the subject, today I'll show you the passageway that leads to the second floor, it's faster and more secure at daytime as long as no one sees you enter or leave. And I've come up with a code to communicate in case we have an emergency and need to meet up here. We will use it in the Great Hall as soon as the last of us sits down, at breakfast if we want to meet in the morning, at lunch in the afternoon or at dinner in the evening. Listen, this without further ado," he showed his index finger raised at shoulder height, "immediately after leaving the Great Hall. In that case, wait me to go out first. Now the hours, for school days. Do you see my hands on the table from where you are?"

"Not always."

"I don't do yours either, we'll do it at chest height." He brought his hand closed to his torso and opened his fingers one by one, counting. "That's easy. But the most important is this one, five," clenched fist, "plus one," a single finger," time to leave class. The others with the fist and more fingers until you reach ten," fist and palm. "Eleven and twelve, you add one or two fingers. You've understood? Will I repeat?"

"It's not necessary, Sev, it's very easy."

"Okay, then do it."

Lily repeated all the gestures while saying what they meant.

"Perfect. If you have understood me and you can come, repeat what I have done and no longer look at me throughout the meal in case someone has seen us. If you can't, just shake your head. And if you haven't seen correctly, don't do anything, but don't stare at me all the time, just from time to time, I'll catch you. And if you are the one who wants to make an appointment, the same, I will answer you."

Woah! He was never going to stop surprising her.

"Well, there's still a long time for dinner…" he said leaning back with his palms behind him. "Do you want to go now? Or do we do something else…?" with a certain suggestive tone.

'Like to throw myself on you and eat you with kisses?' Lily thought.

"Maybe they already miss you at home… Hagrid's hut…" smiling at her tenderly and shaking his head.

God! When he got like that he was charming… Let those of her house go to get a fresh wind, of course she wanted to stay. She smiled back at him. "I don't care, now you've given me a good excuse to make."

"Yeah… At first they won't believe you, the same thing happened to me, but then they'll get used to it, as long as they don't catch us together, of course."

They sit looking at each other for a few long seconds separated by the candles. Sev turned to her open backpack beside her. "I see that you bring something else… can I?" He looked at her, leaning his body towards her rucksack and extending his arm.

"Yes of course."

"Oh!" taking out the Arithmancy book. "Have you been able to do something? Did they help you at home?"

"Yes, to understand the tables of the first topic, but nothing more for the moment."

"Very well, at least there are some worthwhile Gryffindors. Did you make problems? Did you have any doubts?"

"No, I did not do any exercise."

"Then you can't know if you've understood it, let's check it, I'll give you a little test." He stood up. "Shall we put the table in another place?" pointing at it with his wand, it was on the dais against the wall, with the two chairs arranged.

"I don't know, it's not necessary…"

"Yeah… Today it's not worth putting it in front of the window, it's covered and you can't see the sky. If it were daytime, yes, for the views, but of course, if it were daytime... we would be practicing Dueling." He laughed at himself. "Come on, let's get to it, have you brought material?"

Lily had everything. "Yes of course."

"By Merlin! You said you were going to see Hagrid with the backpack, two books and writing utensils, and they still believed it," amused. "Gryffindor, lots of brawn and little brain."

It was a typical phrase of his, this time Lily laughed.

Sev walked over to the table with the book, setting it down, and made a wide pass around the chairs. Lily understood that he was conjuring the heater, which he had listened to her, not verbally.

She stepped onto the dais, and as she approached the table, Sev pulled out the chair on the right, offering it to her. "Miss…" Lily sat down. "Do you feel the heat? Have I done it well?"

"Yes, Sev, you have done it very well."

"Thank you, but the merit is yours, you are the expert."

Lily unpacked her things while Sev went for the candles, which he placed on the table before her, and then for his quill in the cupboard. He sat down next to her and flipped through the book, which she had already opened for the first lesson.

"Let's see… Let's start with something of medium difficulty, if it doesn't work out for you we'll go for the easy one. This one," pointing to a table. "Leave me parchment."

He hurriedly wrote three problem statements in his neat, angular handwriting, leaving enough space between them for Lily to work them out.

As she worked, he watched each figure she wrote. She was uncomfortable at first, but she soon got over it, because he caught her every mistake on the fly and corrected it by explaining in detail what she had done wrong. Much more instructive than solving the problem alone and turning it in later. Also, being so close, their arms brushed sometimes. In the first she had three or four mistakes, in the second only one, and the third came out the first time.

"Bravo! I see that you have found a good teacher," he told her when she finished.

Lily thought that the truth was that Sev explained much better than Remus.

"It was you, you've already seen that in the first one I failed a lot."

"No way!" with a gesture of disdain. "I thought you were going to do it much worse," nodding appreciatively. "Do you dare with a more difficult one?" excited. "Did you see the whole topic?"

"Yes."

Sev turned to the last page of the section. This time he wrote only one exercise on the back of the scroll. "If you do this one right, I'll give you Outstanding."

This time she was wrong a couple of times.

"Well, a Exceeds Expectations, it's not bad at all. How much time did you spend on it?"

"A couple of hours."

"Only?" very surprised.

"But I've learned more in this time with you."

"Don't throw flowers at me, Lily," shaking his head. "You're very good at it," nodding. "You should have taken it in third grade…" shaking again, as if resigned. "We still have a while left…" leafing through the book. "Do you want us to start with the next one?"

Lily hesitated as he continued to search for the page. For one thing, she'd get further with the subject with Sev, and she'd make sure they squandered what time they had left. But she didn't just want classes, she wanted to be with him in another way, although she suspected that he would stop her and the thing could end like the rosary of the dawn.

"Well, what do you say?" Sev had found the page and was facing her.

As a good Gryffindor, she decided to take risks, but also to be prudent, to respect his pace. "I love that you give me classes and I thank you very much…" she began to say timidly. "But we could also chat for a while."

She felt him tense almost imperceptibly and he stopped looking at her closing the book, but he changed his position, opening a leg towards her and resting one arm on the back of the chair and the other on the table. "Tell me Lily, what do you want to tell me?" his tone was sweet.

"I don't know... how are you…?"

"You see me, I'm perfectly fine, busier than ever, but I organize myself."

"How are you doing in Transfiguration?"

Sev sighed, still not looking at her. "Well, I'm struggling more than I thought, really. And you?"

Lily wanted so much for her to be good at it that she could offer him help… "The same, but of course, I don't need it for my OWLs."

"Yeah… Anyway, I'm getting used to the idea of giving up Defense. That thing about going through the Auror Academy…" with a back and forth motion with his head. "They're like the Muggle police but in a wizard version, it doesn't suit me. Also, I don't believe what Slughorn told me either, that you have to be an Auror to teach, I think most of the teachers we've had weren't and that he did it just to dissuade me. I'll get Potions, so we'll take the same NEWT." He looked at her smiling. "And I could always give private Dueling classes, don't you think? You're helping me learn how to do it."

Lily was very sorry that Sev was giving up on his dream of years, but she was also glad that he confided in her and seemed excited to study the NEWT together, he was even grateful to her for being his student.

She stopped looking at him because she almost had tears in her eyes, but she stopped herself, took a deep breath, and for once her courage won. She turned in the chair with her legs toward him, facing him.

He didn't change his position, but now he was looking at her seriously, expectantly.

"Sev, I would like to do more things with you."

A flash of illusion crossed his eyes, and he smiled almost imperceptibly. "Like what, Lily?" His deep voice sounded intimate and silky.

This encouraged her to take a chance, yanking it free. "Like going back to the Forbidden Forest for those berries, you promised me we'd go for more…"

Sev looked puzzled for a second, then smiled slightly for another moment, but then it was gone. He sighed and spoke to her, looking down, sweetly but monotonously, tapping his fingers on the table. "Now the time is over, there are only a couple of months a year."

Lily felt a stab at the thought that he was speaking to her in code, so typical of him, wanting to tell her that she had missed the chance. Still, she insisted, "Well, let's go for a walk, you seem to know it very well, show me more things."

Sev sighed again and looked a little sad when he replied, "It's not a good time, it gets dark very early and we could get lost."

Lily felt hope rise again. "Well, in the morning!"

This time he snorted and faced her. "Mornings are for Dueling, you've seen what happened today. Take it seriously, Lily, I'm doing this for your sake, for both of us."

There was a 'both' for him, and she understood everything, he was holding back while he taught her to defend herself. Being together was a serious risk, and just in case he failed, he didn't want to give her hope, as she had done so unconsciously when he loved her and she was just her friend.

"You're right, Sev, I'll do my best. We will get it."

He smiled at her tenderly but his eyes were sad, like at a girl who was trying hard to get something but she couldn't reach it. She understood that he had always felt inferior to her and now it was the opposite, he was the one who set the pace. "I trust it," he agreed at last.

They were saying so much to each other without doing it directly. Of course she was getting the Slytherin style, Sev's language, she really understood him now. Who knows how many things he had told her all these years and not even she had found out. But she needed something else, a little gasoline for the trip, perhaps a long one, that awaited them.

"Until then, can I ask you something?"

He looked at her slightly puzzled but very attentively. "Sure, ask," very sweetly.

"Will you give me a hug?"

Now both his open smile and his gaze were tender, and she had to make an enormous effort to hold back tears of emotion when he replied, "Of course… Princess," remarking very silkily the last word.

He got up and held out his hand for her to do as well, but he immediately released her to put his arms around her as she did too. At first just touching, but little by little, they clung tighter to each other, until she almost ached, such a sweet ache…

She buried her face in the base of his neck breathing in his scent, the taste of the berry, and he in her fiery hair, by the light of two candles, in the Prince's Haven.

It was the first time he had called her… Princess.