(no subject)
Title: Hot temper
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James/Lily, Severus Snape
Word Count: 694
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 1 - pureblood. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: After an argument with James, Lily finds herself in Diagon Alley.
Author's notes: I don't write Snape, because I can't. His dialogue ... well, I'll let you read it and see.
Hot temper
“Evans.”
Lily stalled for the shortest moment at the familiar bitter sounding use of her name. As if a bad day couldn’t get any worse.
“Potter abandoned you has he Evans?”
She continued to walk purposefully. Purposefully where, she had no idea. She’d not actually come to Diagon Alley with the intention of going anywhere, she was here because it was the first place she’d thought of.
She and James didn’t often argue. They bickered a bit, but then that was par for the course, but not proper arguments. When they did they were usually solved pretty quickly, the heat from her temper and his stubbornness channelled into an afternoon closeted away, curtains pulled and a very large “do not disturb” sign at least mentally placed on the door.
Usually.
Occasionally her hot temper and James’s stubbornness refused to be channelled and anyway she didn't feel like it right now, what with the recently swollen baby bump she was getting used to carrying in front of her.
“Did you not hear me, Evans?”
Lily continued to ignore him, marching forwards but aware of the quiet of his whining, wheedling voice very close to her.
“My name is Potter,” she spat equally quietly, not turning her face from looking directly forwards, “not Evans. If you want to speak to me then use it.”
“Potter abandoned you now he’s had his way with you has he, Evans?”
Lily looked momentarily towards the sky.
“Left you when he realised your child was more mud-blood than -“
That was it. The anger she’d felt over the stupid argument with James that wasn’t about anything important, or even anything in particular, hadn’t gone away.
“My child, Snape, has a wizard father and a witch mother. I think that makes him a pure blood. Whereas you …” She’d stopped in her tracks, turned to face him eyes blazing her fury, “will always be a half blood. No matter what you try to do to change it. Friends can’t alter that, Snape.”
“Pure blood?” Snape fired at her, his own eyes blazing and his hand on his wand. “How can a mud-blood produce a pure blood?”
As Lily pulled her own wand, she felt a hand slip around her waist. “Are you going to take both of us on Snivellus? Or is a pregnant woman on her own in the darkest end of Diagon Alley as brave as you get?”
Snape looked at them - hatred pouring from his features. It wasn’t obvious that he’d stepped back, neither James or Lily noticed, but the gap between them was definitely larger now. Lily had felt like his long hooked nose was close enough to touch her, his breath from between those yellowed teeth invading her space and turning her stomach.
“Oh I’m much braver than that, Potter. Ask your so-called wife about my friends. She seems to be well up on the matter. Take it as a warning.” With a crack he had gone.
“What were you doing up by Knockturn, Lil?” James asked, pulling her to him and brushing her hair back from her face to look properly into her eyes.
Lily shrugged. She’d not realised that was where she was. “It wasn’t deliberate.”
“Come home?” James asked, brushing his lips on her forehead.
With her lip between her teeth Lily nodded. “You don’t suppose Snape -“
“No!” James stopped her. “Of course not. He’s just being his usual bullying self. Ignore him.”
She wished she was able. “I don’t know, he thought you’d left me because the baby -“
“Ssssh,” James comforted his wife. “I heard all of that.”
“You followed me?” Lily asked, her head tipping to one side.
“I love you Lil. Even when we are fighting that doesn’t change. And as much as you think you don’t need protecting, I want to do it.”
“Shall we go?” Lily asked, moved by his actions. She’d not thought twice about leaving their flat, putting some distance between them and she was equally to blame for the situation that made her do it.
“And …” James asked, lifting one eyebrow suggestively at the memory of how they usually settled their differences.
“That works so much better. Why not.”
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James/Lily, Severus Snape
Word Count: 694
Rating: G
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 1 - pureblood. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: After an argument with James, Lily finds herself in Diagon Alley.
Author's notes: I don't write Snape, because I can't. His dialogue ... well, I'll let you read it and see.
Hot temper
“Evans.”
Lily stalled for the shortest moment at the familiar bitter sounding use of her name. As if a bad day couldn’t get any worse.
“Potter abandoned you has he Evans?”
She continued to walk purposefully. Purposefully where, she had no idea. She’d not actually come to Diagon Alley with the intention of going anywhere, she was here because it was the first place she’d thought of.
She and James didn’t often argue. They bickered a bit, but then that was par for the course, but not proper arguments. When they did they were usually solved pretty quickly, the heat from her temper and his stubbornness channelled into an afternoon closeted away, curtains pulled and a very large “do not disturb” sign at least mentally placed on the door.
Usually.
Occasionally her hot temper and James’s stubbornness refused to be channelled and anyway she didn't feel like it right now, what with the recently swollen baby bump she was getting used to carrying in front of her.
“Did you not hear me, Evans?”
Lily continued to ignore him, marching forwards but aware of the quiet of his whining, wheedling voice very close to her.
“My name is Potter,” she spat equally quietly, not turning her face from looking directly forwards, “not Evans. If you want to speak to me then use it.”
“Potter abandoned you now he’s had his way with you has he, Evans?”
Lily looked momentarily towards the sky.
“Left you when he realised your child was more mud-blood than -“
That was it. The anger she’d felt over the stupid argument with James that wasn’t about anything important, or even anything in particular, hadn’t gone away.
“My child, Snape, has a wizard father and a witch mother. I think that makes him a pure blood. Whereas you …” She’d stopped in her tracks, turned to face him eyes blazing her fury, “will always be a half blood. No matter what you try to do to change it. Friends can’t alter that, Snape.”
“Pure blood?” Snape fired at her, his own eyes blazing and his hand on his wand. “How can a mud-blood produce a pure blood?”
As Lily pulled her own wand, she felt a hand slip around her waist. “Are you going to take both of us on Snivellus? Or is a pregnant woman on her own in the darkest end of Diagon Alley as brave as you get?”
Snape looked at them - hatred pouring from his features. It wasn’t obvious that he’d stepped back, neither James or Lily noticed, but the gap between them was definitely larger now. Lily had felt like his long hooked nose was close enough to touch her, his breath from between those yellowed teeth invading her space and turning her stomach.
“Oh I’m much braver than that, Potter. Ask your so-called wife about my friends. She seems to be well up on the matter. Take it as a warning.” With a crack he had gone.
“What were you doing up by Knockturn, Lil?” James asked, pulling her to him and brushing her hair back from her face to look properly into her eyes.
Lily shrugged. She’d not realised that was where she was. “It wasn’t deliberate.”
“Come home?” James asked, brushing his lips on her forehead.
With her lip between her teeth Lily nodded. “You don’t suppose Snape -“
“No!” James stopped her. “Of course not. He’s just being his usual bullying self. Ignore him.”
She wished she was able. “I don’t know, he thought you’d left me because the baby -“
“Ssssh,” James comforted his wife. “I heard all of that.”
“You followed me?” Lily asked, her head tipping to one side.
“I love you Lil. Even when we are fighting that doesn’t change. And as much as you think you don’t need protecting, I want to do it.”
“Shall we go?” Lily asked, moved by his actions. She’d not thought twice about leaving their flat, putting some distance between them and she was equally to blame for the situation that made her do it.
“And …” James asked, lifting one eyebrow suggestively at the memory of how they usually settled their differences.
“That works so much better. Why not.”