Chapter Text
Fuming, Lily stomped after Petunia, her heavy footfalls hot on her sister’s trail like a bloodhound.
She couldn’t believe it! The nerve! She would never in her life hurt someone the way Severus had just done. She wanted to believe he was better than all that, just like she’d told Petunia every time she stood up for him.
But, to try and pull what he’d just pulled-
A low groan escaped from the back of her throat, sounding more like a growl than the irritated venting of frustration she’d intended. Images of Severus being wrestled to the ground danced beneath her eyelids, but she shoved them away angrily. It wasn’t an excuse for what he did, she thought stubbornly, quickening her stride.
Petunia had enough of a head start once fleeing the scene that she couldn’t even see her silhouette ahead of her anymore, but Lily was certain that she would run straight home. She just needed to get there. She wanted to make sure that her older sister was okay and hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.
“Tuney!” Lily called, slamming the door shut behind her. “Tunia, are you here?”
Tearful sniffles came from the direction of the front room sofa, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief as she rushed towards them. Petunia was curled on the cushions, hugging the throw blanket tightly around herself, thick tears spilling quietly down her cheeks.
“Tuney? Are you alright?” Lily asked her gently.
Petunia said nothing.
Lily sat down beside her, raising her sister’s feet so she could sit down, and then resting them back across her lap. Petunia turned grumpily to face her as she did this, but immediately returned to her initial position against the arm of the sofa once Lily had sat down, still determined to ignore her. Lily assessed her sister’s face, waiting for her to say something. When several minutes passed by without the two of them exchanging a single word, Lily finally gave in and broke the silence.
“At least let me have a look at it then”-
A little crease appeared between Petunia’s eyes as her brow furrowed in annoyance.
“No. Thank-you,” she replied stiffly. “I don’t need you poking around at it.” She gripped the blanket even tighter as though shielding herself against her sister. Lily let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes.
“Fine, if you want to be a baby about it- I just hope the infection doesn’t spread or we might have to cut your arm off.”
Petunia scoffed in disbelief, but loosened her hold on the blanket anyway, shrugging her arm out from beneath the blanket and thrusting it towards Lily.
The scrape was shallow. Several white marks lined the surface, some of them sporting raised pieces of deadened skin that were too superficial to break through and begin bleeding. Others had leaked small bubbles of blood and fluid where the rough crust of the branch had collided with Petunia’s shoulder. One thing was for certain, she was going to live. The cut didn’t look that bad, though it would need to be washed out.
“You’ll want to clean that,” Lily stated, returning her sister’s arm after her examination.
Petunia snorted but didn’t move. Lily sighed again dramatically.
“No, no, don't get up. I’ll get it,” she said sarcastically as she rose up from her seat.
She returned promptly with a clean, wet cloth, alcohol swabs, and bandages. She settled herself on the floor in front of Petunia and arranged the items in front of her within easy grasp. Lily held out her hand expectantly for the offending appendage, fixing her sister with a stern look that told her she may as well be compliant and let her do this, because there was no way she was going to get out of it. Petunia relented and sunk down against the sofa cushions exposing her shoulder completely, one arm tucked neatly beneath her while the other rested in Lily’s outstretched palm.
Lily got to work, wiping away the smears of dirt with the wet cloth.
“Does it hurt?” She asked Petunia lightly as she scrubbed gently against some of the more stubborn areas.
“No, of course not. It feels fantastic. Better than before the tree,” Petunia said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
“I’m sorry he did that to you,” Lily replied softly, ignoring the acid in her sister’s tone.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything less from him.”
Ignoring Petunia’s snide comment, Lily continued on with her work, setting aside the soiled cloth and peeling away the wrapping of one of the alcohol swabs. She was trying not to let her sister’s words get to her too much.
She knew how upset she was-
“This will sting a bit,” she informed Petunia as she pressed the swab against the worst of the scrape.
Petunia inhaled sharply between her teeth, her eyes squeezed shut tight against the pain of the alcohol. She let out a high pitched squeal, kicking her feet out in tight little fits.
Lily shook her head in exasperation. Petunia had always been a bit of a wimp. She picked up the bandages and began to unwrap one in thoughtful silence.
“Tuney... What were you doing at the river today?” she asked her as casually as possible.
Petunia stiffened under Lily’s touch, but said nothing. Lily finished applying the bandage and covered it over with Petunia’s sleeve, watching her face curiously.
“Tunia-” Lily prompted again dangerously.
“I was...I was just-”
“-Just spying on me,” Lily finished for her.
“I was worried about you! Okay?!” Petunia burst out, straightening herself up against the cushions. “When I saw you grab your shoes this morning, I knew where you were going. I knew you were going to meet him. I don’t trust him Lily, he’s-”
“He’s what?” Lily shot back, suddenly defensive. “Poor? Weird? A Wizard?” she emphasized hotly.
“You don’t actually still believe that, do you?” Petunia almost laughed. “Lily, he’s lying to you! He just likes you, that’s all. This is all just an excuse to get close to you! You never would have given him the time of day if he hadn't made something up and given you a reason to.”
“That’s rather snooty of you,” Lily retorted, trying to keep her voice steady through forced control. “It’s not unheard of to have boys and girls be just friends. Do you want to know what I think? I think you’re afraid. You’re afraid of me, and you’re afraid of him because he’s like me. You think I don’t notice the way you flip out whenever I do things? I’m not blind Petunia, and I’m not stupid. You’re jealous!”
“Jealous!?” Petunia screeched. “Jealous of what?! Being a freak?”
Lily flinched at the ugliness of her sister’s words, but her face remained stoic. She refused to let Petunia see how much her words hurt her.
“Believe me, I am anything but ‘jealous’.”
“Then why were you following me?” Lily blurted out angrily. “If you aren’t jealous, then why spy on us?”
Petunia looked like she was doing everything in her power to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs.
“I already told you-” she began slowly through clenched teeth, “I was worried about you! I heard you come home last night. Late! After curfew! You were Hysterical, I heard you crying! It was like you were having a total nervous breakdown! So help me Lily, if it was because of him-”
Lily looked uncomfortable.
“What would you know about it anyway? It’s really none of your business.”
“Did he hurt you?” Petunia asked her suddenly.
Her face was more serious than Lily had ever seen it. Lily faltered from the unexpected nature of her sister’s question. When she didn’t answer her right away, Petunia repeated herself, forcefully enunciating every syllable.
“Did. He. Hurt. You?”
“No,” Lily stated bluntly. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”
“He will. Give him time.” Petunia said ominously, her arms folded stubbornly across her chest.
She looked down her nose at Lily who was still sitting on the floor in front of her. She looked slightly intimidating from this angle, though Lily didn’t want to admit it, but she would not allow herself to be deterred.
“You shouldn’t talk about him like that,” Lily muttered darkly. “You don’t know-”
“-I know enough,” Petunia interrupted her. “I know that if you keep hanging around with him he’s going to wind up hurting you. Maybe not right away, but eventually. He’s already following you around like some stray.”
“The same way you were following me around today?” Lily countered.
Petunia glared at Lily intently.
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”
“At least I know what I’m talking about, which is more than I can say for you. You shouldn’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
“Where have all the snacks gone Lily?” Petunia asked her suddenly, a smug expression crossing her face.
“What? What are you on about?” Lily asked in confused outrage.
Petunia waved a hand dismissively.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know. You think I haven’t noticed how much more you’ve been ‘eating’ these last couple of days? Or does hanging out with weirdos make you hungrier? You’re feeding him too, aren’t you?” she asked smoothly.
“What does that have to do with- with anything!” Lily snapped.
“Nothing. Just that if you keep feeding the stray he’s bound to turn around and bite you in the arse. It’s what dogs do,” she stated matter of factly.
“I wouldn’t bother explaining what dogs do, Petunia, ” Lily warned her in a low and dangerous voice. “You’re doing a pretty good job of it yourself”-
The both of them shot to their feet, their eyes locked. Both sets of eyes pierced the other in an intense showdown of ice and fire.
“Fine!” Petunia shouted at her furiously. “Have it your way then! Do what you want! That’s what I get for caring .” Petunia threw her hands up in defeat. “ If I had known this was the thanks I’d get, I wouldn’t have bothered. I hope you enjoy your time together while it lasts. You and that- that MUTT!”
“Petunia!” Lily roared, scandalized by her sister’s offensive term.
But Petunia wasn’t listening, she whirled around and stormed out of the living room, hammering every step as hard as she could as she pounded her way up the stairs with her stockinged feet. Lily sat completely still, tracking her sister’s fading footfalls above her until she heard a loud bang that nearly shook the entire house. Lily sighed, evidently, Petunia had retreated to her bedroom and had done a very thorough job of slamming the door shut behind her.
‘Fuck.’
This wasn’t at all how she expected it to go. It wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She didn’t want to keep arguing with Petunia. She was tired. Tired of the tension and the fighting. She missed Petunia, she really did, and she was trying her darndest to make it work. The added issue of Severus only made everything that much more complicated between them, because of how much Petunia loathed him.
She didn’t know why she felt so compelled to keep jumping to his defenses, but...it just wasn’t right. Petunia didn’t understand. He was the only other person she could talk to. The only other person who understood what she was going through. She also didn’t understand everything there was to know about Severus, either. She hadn’t seen what she saw. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t be so quick to condemn him.
Lily took a deep breath before she got up and followed Petunia’s example (albeit a lot more quietly) and retreated to her room. She collapsed into bed, hugging her pillow tightly to her chest as she stared at the back of the headboard. She’d neglected to turn on the light when she came in, and the brightness began slowly diminishing from the setting sun while she lay there in deep reflection.
‘Dad should be home soon,’ she thought distractedly, ‘ Mum, too.’
It was one of those days where the girls were meant to spend the majority of the day at home, alone. Mr. Evans had been pulling in a lot of over-time lately with the hopes of landing that promotion, and Mrs. Evans had a Book Club Meeting once she was finished running errands. Lily didn’t mind too much, but she hoped they would be home soon. The house was too quiet, and it felt terribly empty without them there.
As she brooded alone in her bedroom, staring blankly at her four walls, Lily’s mind eventually began to wander. The most unwelcome being that of Severus suffocating against the ground on excruciating repeat. The more she was forced to rewatch this horrific image playing itself over and over again in her mind, the more eager she was to show that awful man a thing or two about karmic justice. She needed to hatch a plan to get back at him. Something that wouldn’t tie her to the crime directly, but also ensured that Severus wouldn’t be blamed for it accidentally.
As she thought deeper on her options, her brain eventually turned to the conversation she had with Severus that afternoon. He’d said they would let you off before you went away for any formal education or training. If she was going to actually do something about this, and get away with it, it would have to be soon. Before school started-
Very suddenly, an image flashed unexpectedly into her brain in vivid detail, causing her to gasp involuntarily.
It looked like...her house? But as though she were seeing it from the outside. As though she were standing outside in the yard gazing up at it. The effect was bizarre and disorienting, as though she had momentarily left her body even though she could tell she was still firmly rooted to her mattress.
‘That’s weird.’
Lily suddenly recognized the symptoms. This had happened to her a few times before, after all.
‘Severus-’
It couldn’t be though, could it? What would he be doing here?
Taking a well educated guess, Lily got up and chanced a glance outside her bedroom window. She thought she had prepared herself for what she would possibly find there, but was stunned to discover how totally un prepared she actually was.
Something bright canary yellow was floating just outside of her window. Actually floating. Like, no strings attached, supernatural, ‘beam me up Scottie’ kind of floating. Lily’s heart skipped a beat as she gawked at the mysterious object.
Lily approached the window warily, almost tip-toeing across the carpet, but as she drew nearer, she suddenly realized what it was, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
‘A flower. It’s only a flower.’
All at once, all the emotions she’d felt from earlier that same afternoon after the whole ‘Severus-Petunia’ incident came flooding back to her, and she closed the last few steps to her window in a fury. She was still livid with him for what he had done to Petunia. If he thought he could just come over here and-
She tore open her bedroom window and, ignoring the slight spark of admiration she felt at seeing a flower floating gracefully in mid-air, glared stony eyed out into the yard.
A pale face stuck out dramatically against the fading light of the evening sky, creating a sharp contrast between it and the rest of its surroundings. From her vantage point on the second floor, he appeared much smaller than she remembered, but it was definitely him. Pale skinned, oddly clothed, and despite the fact that he was the one standing outside of her bedroom window at such an ungodly hour, still consciously avoiding her gaze.
“What are you doing here?” Lily hissed. “If my parents catch you-”
She hoped the empty threat would be enough to deter him- that he wouldn't catch her bluff. Severus flinched, but he didn’t move an inch. Scoffing haughtily, Lily made to close her bedroom window.
“Wait!” Severus called, an edge of panic in his voice. “I just- I just want you to hear me out.”
“I have nothing to say to you, Severus,” she replied coolly. “Go home.”
“Okay,” he muttered.
Lily closed the window on Severus and the yellow flower still hovering outside, determined to ignore both him and his apologies. She turned to fall back into bed when she heard a loud scraping noise and some loud bangs coming off the side of the house.
Mortified, Lily quickly ran back and ripped the window open. What she saw may have been quite humorous if not for the fact that she was already fuming. Severus was no longer standing outside in the yard, but instead of turning around and heading back like she’d expected, he swiftly began to climb the side of her house!
“Sev! Stop! What on earth are you doing?!” Lily scolded watching him scale the trellis in mortified disbelief.
“I ain't,” he grunted…”Gotta answer…to you-” he wheezed, as he continued struggling clumsily up the side of the house.
Severus was wearing a look of annoyed determination.
His brow had crumpled between black eyes, and he glared grumpily at the makeshift handholds he was now forced to improvise. All the while, his bottom lip protruded out slightly in a stubborn pout that was unexpectedly charming.
Lily stared at him flabbergasted, as Severus finally reached the spit of roof that would give him clear access to her bedroom window. One pale hand appeared suddenly, flinging overtop of the shingles with conviction.
Damn her parents for buying a house with a divided roof! Sure, at first she thought it had been cool- How she could just step out through her bedroom window and sit on it like a private balcony, but not when she had some crazy juvenile wizard boy scaling the side of her house!
He was panting heavily, and she heard him cuss quietly to himself more than once as he continued making his way awkwardly up the side. She had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud at the ludicrous scene he was making.
Staggering to his feet, he wiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of his sleeve and clutched at a stitch in his side as he tried to catch his breath. With one fluid movement, as though in an afterthought, he swept the flower into one hand and slumped down beside her window with a groan.
Remembering her supposed rage, Lily quickly rearranged her features back to one of stern discontentment, before Severus had the chance to catch her hiding a smile. She would lose her edge if he knew he had come this close to making her laugh, and she wasn’t ready to forgive him just yet. She was actually surprised she hadn’t already slammed the window in his face and simply walked away. But, she supposed she owed him a moment to plead his case since he had gone through so much trouble to get her attention.
“Make it quick or bugger off, ‘Snape,’ ” Lily said icily.
The use of his surname seemed to affect him more than she thought it would, judging by the hurt look he gave her after she’d said it. She almost felt sorry about it-
Almost.
“Give me a break, I just climbed the bloody wall,” Severus choked out in disbelief. “God, Lily, what does it take?” he growled moodily under his breath.
He twirled the flower absentmindedly between his fingertips, his arms resting against his bent knees as he did so.
“I just came to say that I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
When she failed to respond he added,
“Your sister-”
“You hurt her,” Lily interrupted him. “Did you do that on purpose?”
“No!”
...
“Lily, I swear! I mean- I made it happen, yes, but it wasn’t on purpose! My magic- I was angry and I- I lost control,” Severus stammered anxiously. “But I didn’t- I didn’t mean it.”
Lily watched his face fall in defeat near the end of his frantic blubbering.
Why was he affecting her this way? When she was around him, it was as though she couldn’t help but be turned to putty. She found it hard to stay angry with him. He was charming in a completely pathetic sort of way that she found impossible to resist. Gods, it was annoying! Her heart just went to him…plus she had her share of magical accidents in the past, so realistically, she couldn’t judge him too harshly for that.
“Is that for me?” Lily asked suddenly, pointing at the flower whirling around in his hands.
Severus flushed and nodded, holding it out to her with a stiff fist. Lily took the offered flower by the stem, crawling out of her window at the same time so she could settle next to Severus, mimicking his casual disposition.
“Alright Sev, I think I may have found it in my heart to forgive you- BUT I don’t ever want to catch you doing something like that again. Understood?”
She was embarrassed to notice just how much she’d wound up sounding like her Mum at that moment, but she meant every word she said. The idea of being friends with someone who could hurt another person intentionally was simply out of the question. Especially someone she cared about.
Now it was Severus’s turn to look embarrassed and his shoulders slumped forward as he stared down at his knees, but he was nodding his agreement in solemn silence. Lily grinned despite herself.
“Hey, lighten up, would you? If I have to see you feeling sorry for yourself much longer I might just have to leave you out here by yourself.”
“Y-you’re not angry?” Severus stammered quietly.
“Oh no, I am angry. But I think I can manage to restrain it,” Lily winked at him.
Severus smiled softly to himself, still refusing to meet her eye.
“The flower is beautiful Sev,” she said seriously, admiring it.
“Yellow is the color of friendship,” he said automatically.
“Is it?”
“I don’t know, that’s what the man in the apron told me.”
He shrugged lightly, turning a deeper shade of crimson.
“And it’s a-”
“Lily,” she finished for him. “I know, they’re my favorite,” she smiled kindly at him, trying to put all the words she couldn't say out loud into one meaningful look.
“I um- put an Everlast Charm on it…” Severus muttered softly, jabbing a finger in the direction of the lily.
Lily’s jaw dropped open in surprise as she looked down at the gift in her hands.
“You did? You mean it- it won’t ever die? It’s forever?” she whispered in bewildered astonishment.
“You still need to keep it in water and stuff,” Severus told her. “It still needs basic care, but as long as it has a consistent supply of water and sunlight,” he nodded, “it won’t ever wilt. It will always be in bloom.”
“Severus...how did you even manage-?”
“It’s not complicated,” he explained hastily, as though it were no big deal. “It’s easiest with non-magical plants because their biological makeup isn't as complex. I’m still not even sure I did it right. I guess if it dies, you’ll know for sure.”
He looked up at her and offered her one of his signature lopsided smirks.
Lily held the flower tenderly between her fingertips and closed her eyes, bringing it in closer against her chest as though savoring it. She could feel the energy pulsating steadily through its stem, and she recognized it as Severus's unique brand of magic. Like a fingerprint, totally personal to the individual who’d conjured it. She swore she could feel it crackle and buzz as it flowed like liquid honey through the lily’s stem and into the sensitive pads of her fingers.
It was an incredible feeling.
She realized then that she’d recognized his signature almost immediately, though she hadn’t known it at the time. It was as though, on some level, she could always feel it when she was close to him, but had never come to realize it until just now. She felt the same familiar waves of emotion beginning to kick up and stir inside of her. Feelings she’d come to associate with him. At first, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. But now, with the delicate gift blooming vibrantly in her hands, everything seemed to make sense, and she gave up trying to put a label on it.
‘It was just Severus.’
Lily inhaled a little unsteadily as she opened her eyes again.
“I really don’t know what to say,” she began uncertainly. “Sev... thank you,” she said earnestly, putting her hand against the crook of his arm for emphasis, her eyes shining over with joyful tears. “For the best present anyone has ever given me.”
“It’s just a flower,” he shrugged, but he looked pleased.
“You know, you should come over sometime,” Lily stated thoughtfully.
At the startled look on Severus’s face she chuckled and shoved him lightly with the side of her knee.
“Not now! But next time. It would be nice for you to do the whole ‘visiting’ thing properly and actually come inside at some point...and to not have to climb up the side of my house to do it.” She said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.
“Y-yeah, maybe-”
“Oh shit!” Lily interrupted suddenly, too distracted to bother censoring herself. “Sev, I just realized, aren’t you going to get in trouble? The sun’s already down!”
Lily had got to her feet in a panic and was looking out at the horizon...towards Spinner’s end.
Severus looked crestfallen, but it was only for a moment, and then the mask of stoic indifference was set stubbornly back in its place.
“It’s alright. I probably won’t be in that much trouble. Besides, it'll be worth it.” He grinned reassuringly at her.
Lily however, wasn’t convinced.
She saw what had happened to him the other night with his Dad. But she had to play along, or else Severus would know something was up. Lily wasn’t ready to tell him she knew, she wanted him to tell her in his own time. When he was ready. Plus, she was pretty sure he would be furious with her if he ever found out that she had done her own spying, judging by how he’d reacted once he discovered Petunia earlier that same day.
She looked down guiltily at the radiant flower still cupped in her hands, pulsing steadily with the flow of his magic.
She felt horrible.
If something happened to him tonight it would be all her fault, wouldn’t it? She was the reason he was here right now. Because of the way she’d left things with him that afternoon.
She hadn’t made him come here though, that had been his decision.
But, if she hadn’t been so angry with him, then he never would have felt so compelled to stop by and patch things up with her.
He hurt Petunia-
It was an accident-
She wasn’t totally blameless in that regard, either-
If she found out something horrible happened to him on her account, how could she ever forgive herself? How was she meant to live with something like that?
Back and forth she argued, and it was wasting valuable time.
“You have to go,” Lily said urgently, attempting to hoist him up by his elbow. “My parents.” she invented wildly.
“Oh, yeah- right.”
Lily guided him carefully across the shingles, one hand placed strategically against his back gently to encourage him to move faster, as they approached the edge of the roof. Severus swung his legs back over the edge and began his descent, but he paused momentarily with his head still level at Lily’s ankles.
“Tomorrow?” he asked breathlessly.
“Tomorrow,” Lily agreed.
He grinned.
“Now GO!”
She waited anxiously until he’d made it to the ground safely and began walking away from the house. He walked backwards, until she had come back into his view. She plastered on a fake smile and waved him off, watching him finally turn around and disappear behind the bushes.
She breathed an intense sigh of relief, remaining outside on the roof for just a little while longer, before she finally crawled back in through her window, the yellow lily still cradled gently in her hands. She grabbed the waterglass off of her nightstand, the same waterglass that she and Petunia had abandoned long ago, and took it with her to the bathroom, filling it about a third of the way full of cool water.
Stepping carefully back inside her bedroom, she arranged the flower beside her alarm clock, flipping over the water pitcher in order to create a protective glass dome overtop of it. She fiddled with the handle until it was at a satisfactory angle. One that wouldn’t corrupt the pleasing aesthetic of the flower underneath it. With that finished, she collapsed onto her bed, her arms wrapped securely around her pillow as she stared happily at the gift beaming away on her nightstand.
Clearly, this was a friendship that would last a lifetime.