Snape's Guilty Pleasure

Severus glanced at the grandfather clock time to time as the programme ran; all four of the children were spending the Christmas holiday at the castle, and Lily was spending the day with Mary, Marlene (the older Marlene) and Petunia, which meant that he wasn't in any danger of being walked in on anytime soon. If they knew about what sort of programme he was watching, they would never let him forget, especially after his comments on his opinion on Tom Cruise and the film industry in general.

Severus had told Snarky to tape every episode of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when it first aired back in '88, as well as the subsequent series Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair (he didn't care for them), and it had become a sort of ritual for him to watch it during the Christmas holiday when Lily and the children were out. It still bothered him that Susan and Lucy didn't look similar to the descriptions given to them in the books (Susan was supposed to have black hair, and Lucy should have been blonde), but there wasn't much he could do. So far this year, he had managed to knock out four full episodes over the course of a week, and the fifth episode had just reached the part where the White Witch had learned of Maugrim's death and was summoning a variety of evil spirits. She was just about to murder Edmund (Severus's personal favorite character), but winged creatures sent by Aslan had come in to rescue him.

As the griffin lifted Edmund into the air by his shoulders, Severus heard a clicking sound by the front door. He quickly grabbed the remote to pause it and shut off the TV, but it slipped out of his hand. He caught it just before it hit the ground and pressed the wrong button too hard so that it got stuck, causing the volume to turn up all the way. Severus cursed under his breath and reached out at the cable to the VCR; just as he unplugged it and switched off the TV, Lily walked in.

"I forgot the catalogue-"

"Lily, you're back so soon!" Severus said, stuffing the remote behind his back.

"... like I said, I forgot the... Severus, what were you watching?"

"What on Earth are you talking about? I don't watch things."

"Then explain why the VCR is unplugged and the remote is behind your back, as well as why I heard the TV on full-blast." Lily had crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised in accusation. "Severus Snape, what were you watching?"

Severus felt his face burn as he tried to think of an explanation. "A nature documentary," Severus lied. "On... lions."

"Lions."

"Yes, and how they..."

"Severus, give me the remote."

"I don't have it."

"It's behind your back." A silence filled the room before Lily pounced on Severus, wrestling him down onto the couch. "Give me the remote!"

"I'm not-" Severus felt it slip out of his hand as Lily waved a finger at the VCR, causing it to plug back in as she hit the power button. The programme continued, and Edmund was now flying on the back of the pegasus that had helped rescue him. Well... now she knew. She'd just found out that her 36-year-old husband watched a children's programme for fun. He crossed his arms and drew in on himself as his secret was out.

"... Sev, why didn't you tell me you watched this?"

"I don't- give me that!" Severus snatched the remote from Lily and turned off the TV. This was it; now, he had to destroy his entire Chronicles of Narnia collection. If Lily ever told anyone about it, he could just call her a liar, and if that didn't work, he figured he could start a new life in Wales or New Zealand, perhaps live as a shepherd for the rest of his days.

Lily drew closer and wrapped an arm around him. "What's the matter?"

"I didn't want you to think I watched this sort of thing."

"I was worried you were watching something obscene," Lily mused, kissing his shoulder. "You don't have to hide something like this, do you?"

"What would the children think of me? My reputation at Hogwarts would be-"

"I doubt they would mock you." Lily kissed Severus on the cheek and said, "Marley's waiting for me outside. I'll be back in an hour."

Severus nodded quietly as Lily left. As he heard the front door shut and lock, he turned the TV back on and watched his programme rather numbly.

"Happy Christmas," Lily said with a grin, shoving a box into Severus's hands. The two of them were spending the afternoon at the castle and had just come back from lunch.

Severus looked at the box and tried to guess what was in it. It felt hard and box-shaped... perhaps some sort of ingredient box? He could do with one dedicated to fungi. He unwrapped it carefully, setting the paper and ribbon aside before his breath became tight. Sitting on his lap was a box set of The Chronicles of Narnia. "... Lily..."

"I thought you ought to have a proper viewing experience," Lily said with a small smile. "Mary spotted it at the shops, and I bought it the day after."

Severus gingerly raised it out of his lap and looked it over. "I didn't think they still had this," he said quietly.

"You weren't looking hard enough," Lily said. "And this is our little secret, alright? Just you and me."

Severus felt a smile spread on his face as he looked at Lily. "Right."