A/N: Just a reminder, Snape is reminiscing.
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*
"There you are, Sev," said Lily as she approached Severus' refuge. The sun shone on her long dark-red hair and made it shimmer. Severus smiled as he looked up into her emerald-green eyes. "I think you've been avoiding me." Lily sat on the grass next to him. Severus sat with is back against a small old tree in a little nook of shrubbery that the other students usually ignored. His satchel lay next to him, and he was scribbling feverishly on a bit of parchment.
"I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been busy."
Lily leaned over him to look at what he was writing. "You have to stop doing that, Sev. You'll be expelled if you get caught."
"I haven't got a choice. It's the only way I can afford school supplies."
"But doing other people's work for them, it isn't right, Sev."
"Easy for you to say, your mum and dad buy your things. There—done!" said Severus as he laid down his quill. He stretched his hand a few times and rubbed his sore fingers. He rolled up the parchment and put his things in the satchel.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Winter Formal," said Lily. "Do you still want to go with me?"
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you haven't mentioned it since term started. I've had a few people ask me to go with them, but I've been holding out for you. I was afraid I might get stuck going alone."
"I just needed a few more galleons to buy formalwear. I should have enough after I deliver those essays," said Severus as he patted his satchel.
Lily beamed and made Severus smile too. He loved making her happy. "We can go to Gladrags on the next Hogsmeade trip! I'll help you pick something out, and then we have to get some parchment and ink, and you need a new quill and..."
"One thing at a time, Lily. I can't afford all that."
"I've got some money too—"
"No, your parents gave you that money to buy your own supplies, not mine."
"I've got my own money too. I did some odd jobs over the summer so there's plenty for both of us."
"I said n—"
"Don't argue with me, Sev." Lily's tone was sharp indicating that her Gryffindor temper was on the verge of eruption, so Severus let the matter rest. He didn't see any point in fighting over parchment.
Severus yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Would you mind hanging around while a take a nap?"
"Not at all."
"Wake me in an hour." Severus stretched out his legs and Lily caught sight of the state of his shoes.
"Why are you wearing those shoes? They're much too small, and they'll likely fall apart if I charm them again."
"Potter and Black burned my good ones," replied Severus.
"Those monsters!" spat Lily. She lifted his robes a little and saw scratches and bruises on his calves and ankles. "You need to see Madame Pomfrey. I can only imagine the state your feet are in."
"If I went to the hospital wing every time the Dynamic Duo hexed or cursed me, I'd never leave."
"But they've left marks this time."
"Please, Lily, I really need some sleep."
"Alright then," relented Lily. She thumbed through his Potions notes while Severus leaned his head back on the tree. He was asleep within minutes. The combination of exhaustion and the knowledge that very few students would dare challenge Lily, and that included some of the more antagonistic Slytherins, made sleep come quickly.
Lily looked through his Potions notes and marveled at the changes he'd made. Lily excelled in all of her classes and Potions was one of her best, but Severus outclassed her in every way. The only class that she could consistently best him in was Charms and the difference in their abilities wasn't very great. She often tried to get Professor Slughorn to notice Sev's abilities in class, but she was the apple of Slughorn's eye and Severus was just an afterthought. She encouraged Severus to be more aggressive and get the teachers to notice him more, but while Lily was lauded for her assertiveness, Severus was punished for it. There was just something about him that most people didn't take to. It's not that the teachers singled him out for punishment; they just didn't seem to appreciate him or his talents. Severus always seemed to be hidden in shadow, out of everyone's view, even when he was standing right in front of them.
She flipped through a few more pages, taking note of the numerous original spells that Severus had been working on. One spell in particular caught her eye. She read it a few times before concentrating on sounding it out in her mind. Sev's ankle jerked, and he was hoisted into the air upside-down.
*
"It's too nice a day to be bored stiff. Where's Snivellus when you need him?" groaned Sirius Black.
"Shh, Padfoot," said James Potter as he peered through the shrubbery. "I've found him."
Sirius crept up behind James and looked through the vegetation. He whispered to James, "What's he doing in the air?"
*
"Oh, Sev, I'm so sorry," said Lily as she leapt to her feet, dropping Severus' textbook. "I read the Levicorpus spell. I didn't expect it to work because I didn't say it out loud. Just a minute, I'll get you down." Lily pulled her wand out and leafed through the textbook until she found the counter curse. She pointed her wand and said, "Liberacorpus," and Severus fell to the ground in a heap.
"That's a hell of a way to wake me up, Lily," puffed Severus looking a little dazed.
"I'm so sorry, Sev."
"It's okay. I'm not hurt."
*
Sirius pulled his wand out and pointed it at Severus. "Shall we give it a go?"
James pulled his wand-hand down. "No, you might hit Evans."
"Ugh!" groaned Sirius as he turned around to look for a fresh victim. "Fine, um, let's see. Look, there's Maggie Owen. Let's try her."
"No," said James again.
"Why not?" Sirius was getting aggravated.
"She's wearing a skirt, you dolt."
"Oh, right, let's go inside then. There's bound to be someone we can get."
It was such a pleasant sunny day that most of the student body was outside enjoying the sunshine. James and Sirius wanted to practice their new spell before showing it off in front of a large crowd. They prowled about the interior of the castle looking for a lone victim to practice on. It didn't take them long to find one. An awkward and bookish third year named Dominic Fahey came stumbling their way. He was struggling with a stack of books that obscured his vision.
"Showtime," said James. He pointed his wand at the unsuspecting Dominic and shouted, "Levicorpus." Dominic was jerked in to the air. His pile of books scattered and tumbled, and his schoolbag slammed to the floor. James moved the boy up and down in the air like he was dunking a teabag. Sirius was beside himself with laughter. James held Fahey about two feet off of the floor and said the counter curse. Fahey plopped to the ground, but didn't get up. His arms were wrapped tightly around his ribs.
"Oh, come on, Fahey," said James. "You didn't fall that hard." When Fahey didn't respond, James walked over to him, kicking a couple of books out of the way. Fahey's lips were blue and he was gasping for air. James' face blanched.
Sirius, who'd been doubled over laughing, saw the change in James' expression and joined him. "What's wrong, Fahey?"
"Peeves...knocked me...down...stairs..."
"We're sorry," said James as he holstered his wand and reached to help the boy up. "We didn't know you were hurt. We'll take you to Madame Pomfrey; she'll fix you up."
"Sorry, mate," said Sirius. "I'll get your books and things."
Potter and Black's little stunt earned them a tongue lashing from Madame Pomfrey and a week's worth of detentions from Professor McGonagall. Their reward for having invented a new spell with its own counter curse was a pass to Hogsmeade, despite being on punishment, and fifty points each to Gryffindor. Lily was livid.
*
"Those are your spells, Sev!" growled Lily as they walked to Hogsmeade.
"It's not worth fighting over," said Severus, but inside he was seething with rage and plotting his revenge. "Nobody would believe I invented them anyway."
"Show them your notes; they're proof that the spells are yours." But Lily hadn't seen another of Severus' spells; one that she would disapprove of and would likely get him expelled from Hogwarts— sectumsempra. He couldn't risk that spell getting found out, so he hid his textbook in a cupboard in the Potions classroom. No one ever looked in there, and he didn't need the textbook anymore. He could brew each potion from memory.
"Nobody will believe me over Potter and Black—Hogwarts golden boys."
"I can't believe you're willing to just sit back and let those toe rags get all the glory!" ranted Lily. "You need to stand up for yourself, Sev!"
"You keep telling me that, Lily!" snarled Severus. "And what happens when I follow your advice? The last time I stood up for myself, I was made to scrub bedpans by hand!"
Lily's temper cooled. "I'm sorry, Sev. It's just that it always works for me."
"I know," replied Severus. "You're vivacious, and I'm impudent."
"Well, here we are," said Lily quietly as they approached Gladrags Wizardwear. Severus held the door for her. Lily's mood brightened immediately at the thought of clothes shopping for Severus. She was excited to see him wearing something nice for a change. "Mind if I look around?" Severus shook his head and went straight for the second-hand section. Lily disappeared into the back of the shop.
Severus found a set of black dress robes that weren't exactly stylish, but were in decent enough condition. He'd also spied a slightly more expensive set of dark-green dress robes that he thought would show his Slytherin pride. He didn't actually care what color the robes were as long as they were dark. He wasn't fond of bright colors and had no intention of competing with Professor Dumbledore for the liveliest ensemble. A tap on his shoulder turned him around.
"What do you think, Sev?" said Lily excitedly. She showed him a set of burgundy dress robes, and held them up to his face. "It's such a good color for you."
Severus looked at the price tag. The robes cost a bit more than he wanted to spend, but he could afford them. Lily was so excited about them that he couldn't possibly deny her. He could live with the Slytherins taunting him about the color. It's not like he'd be wearing Gryffindor red. "Are you sure they won't clash with your dress?"
"My gown is gold so the burgundy robes would look lovely with it."
"I like them."
"You do?" said Lily beaming, and Severus felt a rush of warmth in his cheeks. He bought the robes and the least expensive pair of dress boots he could find. He had the entire package sent to school. He wasn't stupid enough to carry packages with him and risk Potter and company ruining them. Their next stop was Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop for parchment and ink. There was a quill there from a pink flamingo that Lily wanted, but they had to divide their money so they both could get the supplies they needed, and Lily had to settle for a less expensive quill. She said it didn't matter, but Severus hated that he couldn't give her what she wanted. Lily should never have to settle for anything. They had just enough money left over for Lily to get an ice-cream float and a butterbeer for Severus.
The Three Broomsticks was jammed with patrons, most of them Hogwarts students. Lily grabbed a seat and Severus went to the bar to place an order rather than wait for Madame Rosmerta to get to them. On his return trip, with an ice cream float in one hand and a buttterbeer in the other, he heard the voice of James Potter ring out above the din of voices. He was hoisted into the air upside-down and both the butterbeer and the ice cream float were dumped onto his face. The butterbeer mug smashed into his nose and it bled profusely. By mere chance, Hagrid managed to loop an arm around Severus and prevent his robes from falling below his knees. The resulting laughter from the students was deafening.
Severus would later attend the Winter Formal with a swollen nose and two black eyes. He'd waited outside the Gryffindor common room because he wanted to escort Lily to the Great Hall. He took a great chance in doing so, but he'd managed to avoid all four of the Marauders. He was speechless when Lily emerged from behind the Fat Lady's portrait. She wore a full-length, form-fitting, satin evening gown, and she looked stunning. The gold fabric made her green eyes so prominent that they practically sparkled.
Lily was perfect, even a Veela couldn't compare to her; vain ill-tempered creatures obsessed with their own splendor. Lily was utterly oblivious to her own beauty, and therefore equally unaware that she was far too good for one Severus Snape, but he was willing to continue that small deception. All that mattered was Lily became his in the end.
Severus cleared his throat and tried to speak, but Lily beat him to it, telling him how handsome he looked and running her hand down his sleeve in admiration of his dress robes. He held out his arm, she took it, and they were unmolested for the entire evening.