Chapter Text
Lily walked briskly towards the castle, the crisp September air soothing her heated cheeks.
“Lily, wait!” She’d hoped that, after a summer of ignored apologies, Severus would give up, but he’d tried talking to her on the train and now, on the first day of term, he was still bothering her. She turned, aggravation shining clear in her eyes, but he wasn’t deterred. “I’m sorr-”
“Have you finally realized your fascist ideology hurts innocent people?”
“You don’t understand-”
“Goodbye.”
“I can’t believe you are taking Potter’s side.”
She’d started to turn, but this made her freeze, startled. She spun back towards him even if she knew it was exactly what he wanted, but she couldn’t help herself. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I saw you talking to him.”
She narrowed her eyes, not liking to be reminded of how much he’d been watching her every move. It was true, she’d stopped Potter after Potions to clarify that she didn’t care if he’d been made Quidditch captain, that wasn’t reason enough to throw a party so early in the year, but Severus didn’t need to know that. “We are in love.”
She’d meant to tell him it was none of his business, but that wasn’t what’d come out of her mouth. It was ludicrous of course, but it didn’t stop her from savouring the look of pure shock on his face.
“I- you-”
“Yes, I love him. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and he wouldn’t be happy to hear that you are stalking me.”
“I really wouldn’t.” She froze and hoped against hope that she’d heard wrong or that the voice behind her was a very vivid hallucination, a dream, a boggart, anything- “You heard my darling girlfriend, Snivellus, run along.”
She didn’t react and watched Snape’s expression of bewilderment crumble, betrayal shining in his dark eyes and she thought she ought to feel bad for him, but hadn’t him betrayed her first? She sighed as he turned away and once he was out of earshot she shrugged the arm Potter had casually draped on her shoulder off and looked at him, bristling when she saw his wide grin.
“Listen-”
“Yes, dear?”
She closed her eyes, silently cursing both him and herself. “This never happened.” She waited for him to shrug before resuming her path towards the castle, but stopped once again when she heard him call her name.
“I forgot to tell you something.” Potter had to raise his voice to be heard and he was starting to gain quite the audience, students peering curiously at them, perhaps hoping to witness another row. “I love you too!”
She froze and her eyes widened in horror as she saw a group of girls start to furiously whisper amongst them, their smiles barely concealed behind their hands. She knew the rumour about James Potter and Lily Evans being in love was about to spread like wildfire inside the castle, but she couldn’t deny it now, not when she’d finally gotten Severus to back off. Oh, Potter was going to pay for that. He thought it was funny to make her his new girlfriend? Well, they say to be careful what you wish for and she was going to make sure James Potter understood the true meaning of that sentence. She smiled sweetly and waved, smirking when she saw his cocky grin falter. When she was done with him he would beg her to leave him alone.