Chapter Text
Lilac Love Potion
Chapter 1: Lilac
Something was wrong, very wrong. Lilac felt it deep in her stomach, curdling her being.
“He should be here by now,” she whispered to herself, glancing around the Hogwarts Library.
She sat alone at a table in the Arithmancy section. It was a quiet place where few students ventured to because it was a difficult elective. Lilac happily dropped Arithmancy during her fifth year at Hogwarts. Screw her fellow Ravenclaw with their peer pressures into taking challenging educational pursuits.
Lilac shook her head. Now was not the time to think about academic regrets. She needed to focus.
Lilac gathered her things and quickly left the library and into the busy hallways. She weaved around her fellow students, ignoring the lingering glances and the occasional stares. She should be used to it by now since it happened all her life, but they still made her uncomfortable.
Some students were loitering in groups, laughing at whatever was so funny. Lilac noticed few Houses intermingled. Hufflepuffs stuck to Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors with Gryffindors. Lilac always wondered why that was. A house was like a family, but why not explore? Make friends?
It’s not about the house, but the person themselves that matters. Lilac thought.
Her mind wandered to the Slytherin boy she was looking for. The love of her life. It all started in fourth year Potions. He was the only one in the class who worked alone, but that did not hinder him. Instead, he displayed a certain grace when he managed his potion ingredients, his finesse unmatched as he diced and combined them into the cauldron. Lilac would find herself distracted, watching his every move. Unsurprisingly, her attention on her crush led to many ruined potions, even some explosions. Lilac rather liked it when her potions exploded. The chaos that ensued would make her crush turn to her because of the commotion. Their eyes even met once, amethyst against obsidian. Lilac’s heart ached to get to know him. Despite her hopes, he never came her way, being one of the first to leave once class was over. Lilac would look for him after class, but he was always long gone once she was out the door. Not only was he elusive, but Hogwarts was also a big place; hundreds of students walked about. All that she really knew about him was his name, Severus Snape.
Fourth year ended in a flash, then fifth, and now sixth. Her dad was raised Catholic, so Lilac developed the habit of praying before bed as a way to feel closer to him. She prayed so hard to have another class with him, but it never came into fruition. Now a sixth year, still no classes.
Lilac was about to become an atheist until a miracle happened. Her prayers might not have been answered, but her wish must have been granted by another force, Lady Magic. There Severus was, sitting alone in the Arithmancy section of the library. It took a massive amount of restraint to not run over. Lilac remembered it clearly. How she hesitantly walked up to him and asked if any of the seats were taken. He replied with a smooth no. Lilac almost swooned when she heard his silky bass voice. She hastily seated herself across from him. And that was where she stayed for the past month. Lilac sat quietly while she studied, sneaking glances for hours on end. They barely spoke, but the minimal contact mattered little. She was in heaven, filled with patronus forming memories.
Lilac opened the creaky double doors that led to the courtyard. The sun was warm against her round face, and a cool breeze kissed her chubby cheeks. A wonderful autumn day.
Maybe he is outside. Lilac wondered.
She noticed a crowd had gathered, Houses finally intermingling. Lilac would have been overjoyed by the sight if not for the reason. It was the Potter group. Despite Lilac mostly keeping to herself, she knew about the most popular boys in school. Her good friend, Mary Macdonald, gushed about how hot James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin was every chance she got and would drag Lilac to watch all Gryffindor quidditch games. Honestly, Lilac found the games boring and didn’t get what the hubbub was about. Now she knew who they really were, a bunch of bullies. They were tormenting Severus!
James pointed his wand at Severus, making him float upside down. He would lift Severus up high into the air before dropping him to the group. James did this repeatedly, laughing at every impact.
Lilac winced as Severus fell and was lifted up again by the ankle, his nose bleeding and face bruised. Many onlookers laughed along with the friend group.
Lilac took out her wand from her holster and pointed it at James.
“Expelliarmus!” she shouted, the spell shooting James’ wand out of his hand.
It caused Severus to fall to the ground one last time, landing on his head. Now that was going to leave a knot.
Lilac ran between James and Severus, pointing her wand at the group, ready to duel. James glared at her.
“What was that for?” he demanded.
Lilac put her hand on her hip. She couldn’t understand why people enjoyed seeing others in pain.
Standing before the boys, she realized that she was quite outnumbered; there being four instead of three. She was shorter than their shortest member, Peter Pettigrew, she believed his name was. All were giving her their undivided attention like a pack of hungry wolves. She might have taken Krav Maga lessons since she was young, but she doubted she could take on all four of them. She wondered if she was going to come out of this unscathed.
“What in the world are you doing?!” she demanded, her soft voice trembling. “Don’t you see you’re hurting him?”
“We’re having just a bit of fun and you ruined it,” Sirius scowled. “Who are you anyway, Snivellus’ girlfriend?”
Lilac would have blushed at the sentiment if she wasn’t boiling with rage.
“It doesn’t matter who I am. Just let him go. Or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” James asked, crossing his arms.
“I’ll tell a professor!”
The boys all looked at each other before Sirius, James, and Peter snickered. Remus looked away, guiltily.
“And they’ll do what? Give us detention?” Sirius said through his laughter. “You’re wasting your time on Snivellus. Not even his house cares for him!”
Lilac glanced around at the crowd, noticing a few Slytherins. No one dared to come to Severus’ rescue. Just her. Lilac bit her lip and turned to Severus. She saw that he had recovered and was pointing his wand at James. Before Severus could cast a spell, Sirius was faster.
“Immobulus!”
“Protego!” Lilac replied.
Her protective shield was too small, only covering her. A blue light shot out of Sirius’ wand, passing Lilac’s protective field before hitting Severus square in the chest. Severus froze in place, only his eyes frantically moving as he collapsed to the ground like a statue.
“Nice one, Padfoot,” James said, high fiving Sirius.
“No!” Lilac shouted.
James wandlessly accio his wand back and casted expelliarmus at Lilac, causing an invisible force to snatch her wand out of her hands and into his.
“You’re lucky that you’re a girl or I would hex you to next week,” he threatened before flinging her wand to the ground and stepping on it.
Lilac could only watch as her olive wood wand sunk into the mud. James smirked as he rubbed it into the ground, making her gulp. Her wand could snap under such pressure!
“Come on, gang. This is getting boring,” James scoffed, beckoning his friends to follow him.
Potter’s group left and the crowd began to disperse.
Lilac dropped to her knees and picked up her wand. Cradling it in her arms, she checked for damage. Thankfully, it was only dirty. She rushed over to Severus and unfroze him.
“Are you okay?”
“Obviously, not,”
Severus glared at her as he wiped his bloody nose. Lilac tried to help him up, but he waved her away before getting up himself.
“Leave me alone,” he snapped before limping away.
Lilac sighed as she watched him leave. She understood his agitation and couldn’t blame him. Having a girl like her, the size of a second year, coming to the rescue. She was hardly a knight in shining armor. Not only did she arrive too late to stop them, but she also hardly made any difference against those bullies. Who knows when the bullying started and how long it had been going on. Those bullies were clearly having a power trip, genuinely believing that they were above school rules. Not only that, could she be a target now that she tried to stand up to them?
The thought made Lilac hug herself.
There were ways to hurt others other than hexes and James and his gang were well-known pranksters. A recipe for disaster. At the end of the day, she couldn’t just mind her own business. She just wanted to help the man she loved. Doing nothing would be a disgrace!
Lilac looked toward where Severus left, him long gone. A part of her wanted to give Severus the space that he needed, but a bigger part of her wanted to follow him and check if he is okay.
Lilac got up and wiped the dirt off of her robes.
“I can’t let things end like this,” she said, gathering her resolve.
With newfound confidence, Lilac followed after Severus.
Lilac was right in her assumption that Severus would go to the Hospital Wing. As she entered, Madam Pomfrey was tending to his bruises and corrected his broken nose with an audible crack. Lilac cringed.
Madam Pomfrey perked up as Lilac came closer as if she had eyes in the back of her head.
“Ms. Underwood, dear. I wasn’t expecting— Oh my word, you’re filthy!”
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to Lilac, tutting as she used a cleaning charm to get all the dirt off to better assess her for injuries.
“No cuts. No bruises,” she mumbled under her breath.
“I’m fine! Besides, I know Episkey for those. Taught by the best Healer there is,” Lilac said, motioning to Madam Pomfrey. “Besides, I had no time to clean up,”
Lilac glanced at Severus, noting his sneer.
“I just had to see if Severus was okay. I saw him get beat up by a bunch of bullies!”
“Mr. Snape getting bullied?!” Madam Pomfrey huffed before turning to him. “Why didn’t you tell me, young man?”
Severus’ sharp expression shifted to one of confusion.
Lilac stepped forward, his confused expression fueling her confidence. Confusion was much better than anger.
“I know their names too. There was James Potter,”
Madam Pomfrey’s concerned expression shifted to one of relief which made Lilac falter.
“Mr. Potter and his friends are not bullying Snape. Others have come to me with their concerns in the past, but Potter and Snape were just roughhousing and took things too far again. Too old to be doing that in my opinion. However, they’ve been going at it since they were first years. No matter how much I and other professors scolded them about their rivalry, they just do not listen,”
Madam Pomfrey put a hand on Lilac’s shoulder, giving her an understanding smile.
“I’m glad you came to me about your concerns, dear. But you know the saying “boys will be boys.” There are many more pressing matters to be concerned with. You’ll understand once you become a Healer,”
“Madam Pomfrey, we got a problem!”
A little Hufflepuff girl came running in, guiding another girl into the Hospital Wing, her brunette hair covering her body. If she wore a top hat and sunglasses, she would look just like Cousin Itt.
“Like this for example,” Madam Pomfrey grumbled before motioning the pair in. “Will you still be shadowing me tomorrow? Your assistance is always welcome,”
“Of course,” Lilac said hesitantly.
“Great,” Madam Pomfrey said as she speedwalked over to her new patient.
Lilac was left with Severus. She shifted her gaze to him and noticed him looking out the open window, seeming to have tuned out of Lilac’s conversation with Madam Pomfrey.
Lilac couldn’t help but marvel at his beauty. Severus’ black hair glistened from the rays coming from the window, a cool breeze gently moving his hair out of his face. He was slender and skin milky. His hooked nose and pimples that littered his face gave him character. How she dreamed of caressing his face, but her conscience stopped her. Instead, Lilac walked in front of him and held her hand out.
“Hi. I’m Lilac Underwood,”
Severus lazily glanced between Lilac and her hand; brows furrowed. He seemed surprised she came over, albeit annoyed. He made no move to take it. The silence between them stretched too far.
Lilac cleared her throat.
“Uh, I noticed you weren’t in the library as usual and I got worried. Some rivalry. They’re damn bullies, I tell you. Why can’t they leave you alone?”
“Those rat bastards possess a singular talent for making my life miserable. Your interference was…gratuitous. You accomplished nothing but further disruption. Should you persist in such meddling, a sullied wand will be the least of your worries. Best to simply turn a blind eye and leave me be,” Severus griped.
This panged Lilac. She certainly was not going to do any of that. Especially with how lackadaisical the faculty was about the matter. She had to figure out something.
“At least they backed off eventually,” she mumbled, twiddling her thumbs.
Another moment of silence widened between them, much longer than the previous. Lilac decided to sit on the chair next to the hospital bed.
“Why are you still here?” Severus asked.
“Oh,” Lilac awkwardly chuckled. “Can’t a girl be worried about her study buddy?”
“Study…buddy?” Severus asked, his deep voice sounding it out as if it was a foreign language.
“Yeah, a study buddy. You know, someone to study with. It’s kind of in the name,” Lilac said, nervously twirling one of her braided pigtails. “What else were we doing this past month?”
“Certainly nothing with you,” Severus said coldly.
Lilac faltered.
“I guess it was all in my head, huh,”
“Yes, it was,”
Lilac was then struck with an idea, making her perk up.
“Then why don’t we make it official! I rather liked sitting with you in the library. We can continue doing what we were doing. How about it?”
Lilac clasped her hands together and put on the biggest puppy dog eyes. Severus grumbled to himself, taking all the time in the world to think about it.
“Fine,” he muttered.
Lilac was so filled with joy that she jumped from her seat and took his hand to start feverishly shaking it.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret this, I promise. I will be the best study buddy you ever had!”
Lilac was about to hug him but stopped herself when he forced his hand out of her grasp and recoiled.
“Oh. Um, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Hehe,”
Lilac backed away with an excited wave before skipping out of the hospital wing.