Chapter 12 - Learning
Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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When Lily woke the next morning, Severus had already left for his day at Hogwarts.
She frowned as she realized the great opportunity she had carelessly missed.
How lovely would it have been to have prepared Severus a nice breakfast before he had gone?
She frowned as she thought.
Perhaps if she took advantage of their new situation, she could convince Severus to see her as something more than a friend.
Lily was too eager to discover the limits of Voldemort’s demand.
Less than a quarter hour after waking, she stood from her bed to wash and dress before she hurriedly left the cottage to rush to Diagon Alley.
She laughed to herself when she realized she still had the ability to come and go.
Shopping would be necessary for the evening, how else would she cook a wonderful meal for Severus to enjoy when he returned home from work that evening?
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As Severus paced at the front of the Potions Classroom while he waited for the morning’s first group of pupils to enter, he scowled to himself.
He had spent the night lying next to his beloved and yet, it had meant nothing.
Voldemort had made an error, or at least, someone somewhere had been mistaken.
It was impossible for him and Lily to-
“Good morning, Professor Snape!” A Slytherin boy, constantly eager to make a good impression on his Head of House, chirped as he walked through the classroom’s door.
“Good Morning, Professor!” Another voice echoed.
To Severus’s dismay, his irritated musings were quickly forced on hold as his classroom filled with student after student.
A brief sigh escaped his lips before he dove into his work and began to give his first lesson of the day.
Couldn’t his students wait?
Couldn’t the entire world wait for just another few moments?
He absolutely hated being interrupted whenever his thoughts lingered on Lily.
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Later that night, once classes had finished and the castle’s many students had headed to their dormitories. Severus walked out of Hogwarts and journeyed to the small cottage he had been given.
For the time being, he decided it was wise for him and Lily to play along with Voldemort’s scheme, at least until a viable way out of the Dark Lord’s clutches could be discovered.
As Severus opened the door and walked inside the small dwelling, he found himself caught off guard by the aroma of freshly roasted meat and pleasantly spiced apples simmering on the stove.
“Hey, Sev!” Lily smiled as she looked up at him, “It’s good to have you back! Have a seat at the table, it’s just about ready.”
As Lily turned back to tend the stove, Severus furrowed his brow in disbelief.
He kept his dark eyes fixated on her back as he closed the cottage door and slowly approached.
“I beg your pardon, Lil-“
“-Sit down, Sev! Sit down!” Lily chuckled as she waved a hand in the air without looking up.
Flattered and enticed by the savory sweet scent of the food, Severus glided over and obeyed her command as he seated himself at the small, wooden dining table.
“May I help you with anything?” Severus asked as Lily walked to the table holding two plates heaped high with sizzling food; roasted sausage, cinnamon apples, and stewed carrots.
“Oh, no, Sev! This is all for you, I just thought I’d eat a bit as well so you don’t feel out of place. I had supper earlier.” She smiled as she placed one plate in front of Severus and one plate in front of herself.
Knives, forks, and napkins had already been thoughtfully placed but after Severus took his cutlery into his hand, he watched as Lily began to devour her food with a ravenous hunger.
“You should have had a larger portion…...It’s quite late, Lily. I would advise against waiting to share a meal with me, my hours at the castle can be unpredictable if the day or week is eventful enough.” Severus drawled.
Lily nodded as she swallowed and replied, “I’m hungrier than usual today, that’s all. Spent too much time running errands in Hogsmeade, that’s what’s done it.”
Severus’s black eyes watched her closely as she reached for a goblet of water that sat waiting on the table, opposite of the spot her napkin had rested on.
“........I see.” Severus replied.
He chose not to mention anything about the stark sweetness that permeated the air.
The smell came from the apples, nothing more, it would have been rude to ask his friend personal questions about her cycle, though that quiet fear bloomed in Severus’s heart as he began to eat his delicious dinner.
It wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be.
Voldemort’s plan would never be fulfilled.
He and Lily-
“Is it alright?”
Her question jarred him from his thoughts more than he would have ever expected.
“I beg your pardon?” Severus asked.
“The food?” Lily frowned, “Is it alright, Sev? I tried to season it to what I thought would be your liking.”
Severus glanced down at his plate.
While he had thought about the possibility of Lily going into heat, he had nearly forgotten he was in fact, enjoying her cooking.
“The food is delicious, Lily.” Severus nodded, “My mind is not easily steadied tonight, I’m afraid. Between the castle and our recent perils, my thoughts are somewhat scattered.”
“How unlike you, Sev.” Lily quipped as she flashed him a nervous grin, “You always have everything together. Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here somehow.”
Severus gave her a terse nod as he agreed, “Somehow…….yes.”
As Lily finished the last of her food, Severus’s brow wrinkled as he watched her in awe.
His perfect, beautiful Lily, the only woman he had ever, would ever, and could ever love sat right across from him.
She had cooked for him, just for him, for his enjoyment and pleasure.
They lived together, had shared a bed the previous night, would most likely share the same one again in a mere few hours.
Severus couldn’t help but marvel silently at the cruelty of their situation.
He had spent the majority of his young life wishing that he and Lily may live side by side one another.
Now that they found themselves in a domestic partnership of sorts at least, their only real present goal was to discover how they may escape and flee from one another as quickly as possible.