A Christmas Fic
This was written for a Secret Santa fic exchange on one of the fiction archives I'm a part of, but I can safely put it up here now.
Naughty vs. Nice
Rated Mature for sexual innuendos and mild sexual content
Characters: Snape, Lily, and a few Slytherins
For Moe, who asked for a fic where Lily cheats on James with Severus. It has an accompanying piece of artwork as well. Enjoy!
Naughty vs. Nice
She quickened her pace as she descended the staircase, sidling the wall just in case someone lingering in the dungeons decided to head up to dinner in the Great Hall. She was running dreadfully late, no thanks to a fourth year Ravenclaw who thought it would be amusing to give his roommate pointy elf ears for Christmas. It’d only taken a moment to fix, but as Head Girl, Lily felt it was her duty to hand out the proper ramifications. In this case, it was twenty points from Ravenclaw and a sardonic crack about making sure the boy’s name would be on Father Christmas’s naughty list next year.
As soon as her feet hit the stone dungeon floors, Lily whisked down the dimly lit hallway and to her left. She knew every dusty crevice by heart now, having spent more time in the dungeons than the typical Gryffindor. She’d like to attribute it to the fact that she spent a lot of time with Professor Slughorn, but that would only be a half-truth.
Spotting a familiar figure standing in the dim light down the corridor ahead of her, she smiled in spite of herself and slowed her gait, approaching him from behind.
Severus was standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe, staring up at with a very peculiar look upon his face; his brows were furrowed together and the sharp corners of his mouth were pulled down into a calculating frown. He seemed very concerned with the small plant, which amused Lily to no end. He was always investigating something.
Very quietly, she crept up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist.
Severus inhaled sharply and jerked his head around to see who’d managed to sneak up behind him. His dark eyes searched her for a moment, and she could feel his muscles begin to relax underneath her fingertips. Smiling, she rested her cheek against his back and whispered, “Happy Christmas.”
“Have you ever heard of Nargles?” he replied.
Lily pulled back in confusion. That wasn’t exactly the reply she’d been expecting. “Nargles?” she repeated. She dropped her arms from his waist and narrowed her eyes to examine the plant. “No,” she continued, blinking up at the mistletoe, “why do you ask?”
“It was something I heard-“ His eyes flickered over to where she was standing and he paused with a grimace. “Take off that infernal thing already, will you?”
In order to disguise herself from prying eyes, Lily had borrowed James’s invisibility cloak without permission. Snape reached out blindly and grasped the invisibility cloak that shrouded her, pulling it back from her face like a hood so that the creamy pale of her skin and her thick red hair were revealed. His eyes glimmered satisfactorily.
“He’s going to find out you’ve taken that one of these days and your ruse will be up,” he said in a low voice. Placing his fingers just under her right ear, he ran his thumb across her cheek, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Lily bit her bottom lip ruefully. “He won’t mind.”
Truthfully, she felt more than a little guilty nicking James’s cloak. After all, tonight was a special night for Gryffindor students.
Every year since she’d begun her schooling at Hogwarts, the Gryffindors who didn’t return home for break held an annual party to celebrate the holiday. This year James and Sirius had taken charge of hosting the event; James’s parents were on holiday in Tunisia, which left the boys with the perfect opportunity to plan the “party of the century” (or so they claimed). Lily had heard nothing but talk of decorations, favours, and refreshments for the past week, and to be perfectly honest, she was relieved to escape the hype for a little while.
The image of the boys decorating was still clear in her mind and she felt a bit weary for leaving them in the state that they were in. Sirius had been passing a very dubious looking bottle of eggnog to Peter, who was red faced and snickering like a madman. James was even worse, wearing reindeer antlers and singing a tuneless song about pulling a sleigh carrying Dumbledore. The only thing that managed to reduce her anxiety even minimally was the fact that Remus was there, but even he looked suspiciously glassy-eyed and relaxed. She hoped that Sirius hadn’t given him liquor-filled chocolates again.
Lily had most graciously offered to take on James’s rounds of the castle that evening so that he could celebrate one last time without interruption. At first he’d seemed disappointed; they’d just started dating and he was ever attentive. However, after a little insistence from Peter and Sirius, he decided that his presence at the party was more important than Christmas rounds, and that Lily was perfectly capable of handling herself. Besides, she’d promised him that she’d return as soon as she could.
James’s complete trust in her was one of the things she really liked about him, and she took advantage of it when she could. Tonight she’d even prepared an excuse in case he happened to notice his cloak was missing. Interpersonal relations were becoming quite strained in the castle lately, particularly with the Slytherins. If James asked her what she was doing with his cloak, she would simply tell him that she was using it to do a little undercover investigation. He’d understand; he’d even offered to let her use it before for such occasions.
It wasn’t exactly a lie, either, which made it all the better. She didn’t feel right blatantly lying to James. She respected him too much.
Severus shook his head. “Professor Slughorn is right, you do have a startlingly Slytherin aura about you.”
Lily wrinkled her nose and ignored him. “So what are these Nargles you’re talking about?”
“I’m not sure, to be perfectly honest,” he replied. “One of the boys I tutor in Potions mentioned something about mistletoe being infested with Nargles.” He glanced up, his hooked nose pointing directly at the plant in suspect. “He’s a strange boy,” he mused after a moment.
“Or very creative,” Lily said with a laugh. Severus shook his head and looped an arm around her, placing his hand at the base of her spine and pulling her towards him.
“I’m disappointed,” he murmured, leaning down so that his breath tickled her ear.
Lily raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“I’ve been standing under the Nargles with you for nearly five minutes and you haven’t so much as attempted to kiss me.”
“And why would I do that?”
His black eyes glittered. “You’re a tease.”
“You like a challenge,” replied Lily, unable to keep a smirk from twitching at the corners of her lips.
“Touché.”
Lily tilted her head up and grinned at him triumphantly. Severus rolled his eyes to the ceiling, shook his head once to indicate his annoyance at her unabashed pride, and then bent down and pressed his lips against hers.
Kissing Severus was much different than kissing James. Whereas James was careful and awkward and eager to please her, Severus’s kiss was more emphatic and demanding. He kissed her hungrily, as if she weren’t able to satiate him. She often thought it was ironic that a boy infamous for his icy, cool demeanour was capable of such a fiery, passionate kiss.
The girls would never believe it…not that she wanted a rumour like that to get out.
Lily sighed happily and pressed her body against him, running her fingers across his shoulder blades and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He made a satisfied sound in the back of his throat, and she couldn’t help but smile, quite certain that she was one of the privileged few ever to hear Severus utter a sound like that. It was well worth sneaking away from the Gryffindor celebrations.
Severus slid his hands around her waist until they rested on her hipbones, caressing the gentle curve beneath her abdomen with the soft pads of his thumbs. The feeling made her shiver with pleasure. It was almost frightening how well he knew her body and how she would react to even the simplest of movements.
Her fingers skimmed the material of his robes lightly and she rested her palm on his breastbone so that she could play with the top button of his robes.
Whatever Nargles were, she hoped that they were capable of covering their eyes.
Lily felt Severus’s hands give her a tight squeeze and fought back a giggle. The thought of mistletoe-infesting creatures scandalized by kissing was rather funny, and she wondered if the strange boy had mentioned something like that to Severus.
‘Lily, control yourself,’ she thought firmly, but it was too late. She was no longer concentrating on Severus’s physical demands and was instead imagining how he would react to her question. Unlike James, he wasn’t exactly the imaginative type. He would probably begin extensive research on Nargles tomorrow, while everyone else was having a lie in.
No, she thought, feeling Severus’s warm breath on her skin, it would be silly to ask him. Asking such an outrageous question would only elicit a dumbfounded response.
…Then again, she did find him rather attractive when nonplussed, which, of course, was very rare.
‘No Lily,’ she told herself, ‘don’t, oh don’t,’ but it was too late. No longer able to hold back her amusement, she’d giggled into his mouth. Hastily reaching her hand up in an attempt to stifle her laughter, she scolded herself inwardly. She always did have a thing about laughing in the most awkward of moments.
Severus pulled away and looked at her, raising his eyebrow. He appeared to be flummoxed by her sudden change of behaviour. Lily coughed into her hand, trying to cover her broadening grin.
Severus merely lifted his eyebrow a fraction of an inch. Lily, still trying to quell her fit of giggles, shook her head vigorously. He crossed his arms and continued staring at her, drumming his fingertips against his forearm expectantly.
She’d long since gotten over being stupefied by Severus’s caustic words, and now it was his gaze and body language that rendered her speechless. Every cell in his body possessed a certain dark charisma that she found alluring. Even his current state of impatience made her insides flutter.
She opened her mouth to offer an explanation, but almost instantly snapped it shut, feeling her cheeks burn. How could he possibly understand her giggling over the thought of peeping Nargles?
He wouldn’t, of course.
“Never mind,” she finally managed to sputter, dabbing at the tears in her eyes.
He finally spoke. “It’s the Nargles, isn’t it?”
“How on earth did you know?”
“They’ve migrated from the mistletoe to infest your brain, obviously,” he replied flatly.
She wrinkled her nose and cuffed him lightly. “Ha ha.”
Snape leant down and kissed the crown of her head. “Happy Christmas,” he told her. “I have something for you.” Reaching around her shoulders, he pulled the invisibility cloak over her head once more. “Follow me.”
“Where are you going?” she began to ask, but he was already striding down the corridor past the Potions classroom. With one last look at the camouflaged Nargles in the mistletoe, she took off after him.
He’d led her down two empty corridors before they encountered a group of half-pissed Slytherins who were singing raucously and taking up most of the hall. Lily carefully slipped into an alcove, leaving Severus standing there, looking uncomfortable and abrasive.
The group was comprised of a handful of older students who’d opted to stay at the castle over the holiday. She recognized Evan Rosier, who stood at the centre of the group. He had his arm slung around Florence Jenkins, who was the infamous sycophant of Slytherin house. Fulton Avery was right beside them, not even bothering to conceal a bottle of half-finished firewhiskey that he was clutching tightly. The other two members of the party were Julius Carrow and Helena Quinn. Julius and Helena were leaning against each other for balance and singing a Christmas carol with such dirty lyrics that even Peeves would blush.
“Snape!” Evan Rosier noticed his roommate and waved, a white-toothed smile plastered across his handsome face. He withdrew his arm from Florence and staggered over to Severus. “Happy Christmas, mate!”
“Happy Christmas,” Severus echoed coolly. His dark eyes flickered from one face to the next.
“Where’ve you been?” Rosier asked, narrowing his eyes. “We were looking for you.”
Snape shook his head. “Taking care of some private matters,” he responded.
“Oh, private matters, eh?” Rosier asked with a wink. “Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.”
Avery tipped his bottle up to his lips and took a couple swigs before exhaling loudly and wincing. “Leave him be, Rosier. Maybe he’s supposed t’keep it private, if you know what I mean.” He nodded at Snape, whose face was ambiguous. “Are you done?”
“No,” said Severus. “Not yet.”
Florence smiled brightly. “Well, whenever you’ve finished, come back to the common room.” Her brown eyes glittered. “We’re exchanging gifts.” Lily noticed that Helena and Julius were both smirking, and wondered what sort of gifts they were planning on exchanging. Something told her that they probably weren’t appropriate.
Severus didn’t look thrilled at the prospect either. “I’ll keep the invitation in mind,” he replied. He hadn’t moved since the Slytherins spotted him, frozen like a spider sensing imminent danger.
“Hey,” Rosier piped up suddenly. He jabbed a finger up towards the ceiling, where a small green plant was dangling precariously. “We’re under the mistletoe, Snape!”
Lily’s mouth dropped open and she nearly gasped in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed the mistletoe. Was it hanging everywhere?
Severus’s head snapped up at breakneck speed. “What?!” he exclaimed.
“The mistletoe,” Rosier repeated slowly, jabbing at the air again. “Look.”
“Oooh!” Florence squealed, narrowing her eyes to get a better look. “You know what that means!”
What little colour was in Snape’s face immediately drained away. He started to skirt around Rosier, but the tall Slytherin grabbed him and held him steady.
“No…but…there’re Nargles,” Snape said in a desperate, strangled voice, but it was too late. By the time he’d managed to protest, Rosier had pulled him tight and given him a fraternal kiss on the cheek.
Severus went paper-white, obviously traumatized.
Lily began to shake with laughter. The look on Severus’s face far surpassed any nonplussed look she’d ever managed to give him. She felt privileged to have witnessed such a tender moment. She’d never let him live it down. He’d probably curse her for it, but it was well worth it.
“You didn’t even hex me!” Rosier exclaimed in surprise, echoing Lily’s thoughts. He stepped back and slapped Severus on the shoulder. “I caught you off your guard!” He swirled around to face the other Slytherins, grinning like a mad man. “I caught him off his guard!”
“We’re proud of you,” Avery replied, clearly unimpressed. He held out the bottle of firewhiskey. “Cheers.”
Rosier took the bottle and, after downing a good portion of it, passed it to Severus. Severus, Lily noted, still looked stricken. “Cheers,” Rosier added genially.
Snape took the bottle, stared at it, and finally tipped it up to his lips to drink. When he finished, he curled his lip and shoved the bottle back into Rosier’s hands. “You,” he said slowly, “are a tosser.” The other Slytherins tittered in amusement.
Rosier shrugged a shoulder. “It’s tradition,” he replied in justification.
“If you try something like that again,” Severus added steadily, “I will curse the lips right off of your face, whether you are drunk or sober.”
“Once is enough, thank you,” Rosier answered.
“Everyone needs a kiss under the mistletoe at least once a year, Snape,” Helena teased. “Especially you. Loosen up.”
“Be thankful it wasn’t on the lips,” added Julius.
Severus muttered something indiscernible under his breath.
Florence arched an eyebrow. “Well,” she announced, linking arms with Rosier, “if you change your mind about celebrating, you know where to find us.”
“In the Common Room,” Rosier added unnecessarily.
Florence shook her head exasperatedly, sending her bouncy curls flying to and fro. “See you, Severus,” she purred. He barely nodded in return.
“Snape,” Avery bid farewell, nodding once before continuing down the hall. Julius and Helena waved goodbye and followed after him. Julius was already creating an admittedly decent set of lyrics about the debacle he’d just witnessed.
Florence was tugging on Rosier’s arm when he stopped her, turning back towards Snape. “Oi, Snape,” he hissed indiscreetly. “You smell like a girl. Thought you should know.” With that, he spun around and escorted Florence out of the corridor.
Now Lily really did have to try her best to keep from bursting out into hysterical laughter. Snape’s eyebrows had disappeared underneath his curtain of hair, and his fists were clenched tightly. After she was certain the Slytherins were out of hearing range, she bit her lip and approached him cautiously.
“Shut it,” he said in a tight voice.
Lily snickered quietly. “I didn’t even say anything yet.”
“Which is a miracle in itself. I should obliviate you.”
“Oh, please don’t. I want to savour the memory.” Lily closed her eyes, picturing Severus’s face. “It’s times like these that I wish I owned a pensieve.”
Severus twitched involuntarily. “The gods have it out for me tonight,” he sighed.
“Hm?” she murmured curiously. “What are you talking about?”
Severus’s eyes flickered to the origin of her voice. They focused on a spot just over her left shoulder and he gestured uselessly. “Come on.”
She trailed him once more, and was mildly surprised to end up in an old room that was rumoured to be one of the torture chambers Filch spoke so fondly of. Snape pulled out his wand and flicked it towards the door, which shut with a snap.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, shedding James’s invisibility cloak. It fell to a heap at her feet.
“You’re about to receive your gift,” he replied simply.
“Oh,” Lily blinked. She surveyed the room and noticed a small package lying on one of the tables. Lily reached into her own pocket and pulled out a very small wrapped parcel. “I have something for you, too.”
He picked up his gift for her and held it out. “You first,” he insisted. His dark eyes watched her intently as she placed her gift for him on the table and took the package from him.
Appearances were deceiving, and the gift in her hands was actually much heavier than it appeared. Lily ran her fingers along the folded edge of the green gift-wrap and undid it carefully. The coloured paper slowly floated to the floor, revealing a dazzling box covered in silver etchings and patterned in green stones that shimmered in the light.
Lily stared at it in awe. “Severus,” she murmured, “it’s…it’s…” Somehow, she couldn’t find the proper words to express her sentiments.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he replied, stepping forward and running his hand along the surface of the box. “It looks very Slytherin-“
“No,” she interjected, shaking her head, “it’s absolutely breathtaking, Severus, I-“
“--but it matches the colour of your eyes,” he finished.
Lily’s eyes widened and she flung her arms around him, still clutching the box in her hands. He must have spent his tutoring wages from the entire year on it, she thought guiltily. “Oh, thank you, Severus. It’s lovely, so lovely.”
He squeezed her tightly. “You haven’t even opened it.”
She pulled back and blinked at him in surprise. “You mean it’s not a jewellery box?”
He scoffed derisively. “Hardly.” Cupping her hands in his, he flipped the lid of the box open, revealing a hollow space lined with various symbols and runic messages.
Lily felt her mouth drop open. “A memory box?” she whispered.
“Surprise,” he answered in a sardonic tone.
“After I’d just mentioned a pensieve,” she said with a small smile. She looked up at his face and could tell he was pleased, despite her unintentional guesswork.
His shrugged a shoulder. “It’s hardly that elaborate,” he announced frankly, “but I forbid you to place what you just witnessed in this box.”
Lily kissed him on the cheek. “I promise,” she laughed, “but only because it’s Christmas.” He looked relieved, and she winked at him. “Besides, I doubt that I will ever forget that as long as I live.”
“I was afraid of that,” he replied with a sigh.
“Hold on, I’ve got your gift,” she said, reaching around him to grab the small parcel she’d set on the table.
Severus wrinkled his nose. “I told you that you weren’t to buy me anything.”
“Oh, really?” Lily chided, poking him squarely in the chest, “and who said that I purchased anything, hm?”
He glanced down at the package. “No part of it whatsoever?”
Lily grinned mischievously. “I refuse to incriminate myself.”
Severus snorted. “Of course you do.” His dark eyes flickered to her once before he began unwrapping the parcel in his hands. He pulled out a small glass jar containing a liquid the colour of molten gold. Its radiating shimmer reflected in his eyes like lights at the end of a tunnel.
His mouth quirked in surprise and he held the bottle up to inspect it closely. “Is this…?”
“Felix Felicis,” Lily finished, nodding. “Yes, it is.”
“How on earth did you manage it?”
“I had a little help, of course.” Lily took a step forward and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “From Father Christmas.”
Snape snaked his arm around her waist. “And does Father Christmas have a handlebar moustache and drink perilous amounts of mead?”
“Perhaps.”
“I thought so.”
“It wasn’t that much help, mind you.”
“I never said it was.” He twirled the bottle around in his fingers. “I’ve never tried this before,” he mused. “I’ve never even seen it in its true form.”
Lily watched the potion slosh back and forth in the bottle. “It takes a painstakingly long time to make,” she admitted, “and some of the steps were a bit complicated.”
“Not to mention the fact that a number of the ingredients are very rare.”
There was a subtle change in his voice that suggested he was impressed, even if he didn’t physically show it.
“That’s where Father Christmas offered his services,” Lily replied. Professor Slughorn had been more than willing to donate a few of his more precious stores to Lily; he was very eager to see if she could brew the difficult potion properly. …That and she’d promised him a small bottle in return. She’d expected as much when she’d proposed the idea to him several months ago.
She’d never admit it, but James was actually the one who’d given her the idea. He’d called Severus a “lucky bastard” after Severus had managed to skulk out of a potentially sticky situation unscathed. Lily thought the idea of Severus being lucky was ludicrous. She’d never met anyone who relied more upon precision and skill when handling whatever the fates had dealt him, and decided that liquid luck was the perfect solution. If anyone could use a break from being excruciatingly methodical in nearly every aspect of his life, it was Severus.
The small batch of Felix Felicis she’d managed to produce was well worth the time and effort put into it. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect gift. He collected books, but a book (no matter the value) seemed like a predictable gift, and Severus wasn’t really interested in material goods. He did, however, appreciate hard work, and he showed special interest in rare and complicated potions, which is why they’d started speaking to each other in the first place.
“Lily?” The sound of Severus’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Hm?”
His lips grazed the corner of her mouth where her cheek dimpled. “Thank you,” he said.
She turned her head and kissed him gently. “You’re welcome,” she whispered. He reached around her and placed the bottle of Felix Felicis and her memory box on the table, and she looked at him inquisitively. “You’re not going to try it?”
He shook his head. “It would be a waste. I’m feeling fortunate enough as it is.” A subtle smirk appeared on his face as he focused on her intently.
She blushed at his candidness. “Well,” she said, taking his hand (she’d always admired his hands) and interlocking her fingers with his, “at least you didn’t make any sexual innuendos. I was preparing myself for the worst.”
He sniffed disdainfully. “Miss Evans, you have obviously spent too much time with your most unfortunate housemates.”
“True enough,” she agreed. She opened her mouth to apologize but was silenced by a rapacious kiss. Severus pressed the small of her back into the table behind them and ran his fingers up from her waistline until she inhaled sharply. She squeezed his hand and exhaled slowly, leaning against him.
Severus continued to kiss her, straying from her lips and working downward until he reached the groove in her neck that was pulsating with her every heartbeat. He nipped her gently and murmured in a silky voice, “But now that you’ve mentioned it...”
Lily’s body tingled and she sighed softly. Severus always did make his own luck.
At least one of the gifts would be used later tonight…
{fin}
And there's a picture (a doodle really) to go along with it:
Naughty vs. Nice
Rated Mature for sexual innuendos and mild sexual content
Characters: Snape, Lily, and a few Slytherins
For Moe, who asked for a fic where Lily cheats on James with Severus. It has an accompanying piece of artwork as well. Enjoy!
Naughty vs. Nice
She quickened her pace as she descended the staircase, sidling the wall just in case someone lingering in the dungeons decided to head up to dinner in the Great Hall. She was running dreadfully late, no thanks to a fourth year Ravenclaw who thought it would be amusing to give his roommate pointy elf ears for Christmas. It’d only taken a moment to fix, but as Head Girl, Lily felt it was her duty to hand out the proper ramifications. In this case, it was twenty points from Ravenclaw and a sardonic crack about making sure the boy’s name would be on Father Christmas’s naughty list next year.
As soon as her feet hit the stone dungeon floors, Lily whisked down the dimly lit hallway and to her left. She knew every dusty crevice by heart now, having spent more time in the dungeons than the typical Gryffindor. She’d like to attribute it to the fact that she spent a lot of time with Professor Slughorn, but that would only be a half-truth.
Spotting a familiar figure standing in the dim light down the corridor ahead of her, she smiled in spite of herself and slowed her gait, approaching him from behind.
Severus was standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe, staring up at with a very peculiar look upon his face; his brows were furrowed together and the sharp corners of his mouth were pulled down into a calculating frown. He seemed very concerned with the small plant, which amused Lily to no end. He was always investigating something.
Very quietly, she crept up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist.
Severus inhaled sharply and jerked his head around to see who’d managed to sneak up behind him. His dark eyes searched her for a moment, and she could feel his muscles begin to relax underneath her fingertips. Smiling, she rested her cheek against his back and whispered, “Happy Christmas.”
“Have you ever heard of Nargles?” he replied.
Lily pulled back in confusion. That wasn’t exactly the reply she’d been expecting. “Nargles?” she repeated. She dropped her arms from his waist and narrowed her eyes to examine the plant. “No,” she continued, blinking up at the mistletoe, “why do you ask?”
“It was something I heard-“ His eyes flickered over to where she was standing and he paused with a grimace. “Take off that infernal thing already, will you?”
In order to disguise herself from prying eyes, Lily had borrowed James’s invisibility cloak without permission. Snape reached out blindly and grasped the invisibility cloak that shrouded her, pulling it back from her face like a hood so that the creamy pale of her skin and her thick red hair were revealed. His eyes glimmered satisfactorily.
“He’s going to find out you’ve taken that one of these days and your ruse will be up,” he said in a low voice. Placing his fingers just under her right ear, he ran his thumb across her cheek, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Lily bit her bottom lip ruefully. “He won’t mind.”
Truthfully, she felt more than a little guilty nicking James’s cloak. After all, tonight was a special night for Gryffindor students.
Every year since she’d begun her schooling at Hogwarts, the Gryffindors who didn’t return home for break held an annual party to celebrate the holiday. This year James and Sirius had taken charge of hosting the event; James’s parents were on holiday in Tunisia, which left the boys with the perfect opportunity to plan the “party of the century” (or so they claimed). Lily had heard nothing but talk of decorations, favours, and refreshments for the past week, and to be perfectly honest, she was relieved to escape the hype for a little while.
The image of the boys decorating was still clear in her mind and she felt a bit weary for leaving them in the state that they were in. Sirius had been passing a very dubious looking bottle of eggnog to Peter, who was red faced and snickering like a madman. James was even worse, wearing reindeer antlers and singing a tuneless song about pulling a sleigh carrying Dumbledore. The only thing that managed to reduce her anxiety even minimally was the fact that Remus was there, but even he looked suspiciously glassy-eyed and relaxed. She hoped that Sirius hadn’t given him liquor-filled chocolates again.
Lily had most graciously offered to take on James’s rounds of the castle that evening so that he could celebrate one last time without interruption. At first he’d seemed disappointed; they’d just started dating and he was ever attentive. However, after a little insistence from Peter and Sirius, he decided that his presence at the party was more important than Christmas rounds, and that Lily was perfectly capable of handling herself. Besides, she’d promised him that she’d return as soon as she could.
James’s complete trust in her was one of the things she really liked about him, and she took advantage of it when she could. Tonight she’d even prepared an excuse in case he happened to notice his cloak was missing. Interpersonal relations were becoming quite strained in the castle lately, particularly with the Slytherins. If James asked her what she was doing with his cloak, she would simply tell him that she was using it to do a little undercover investigation. He’d understand; he’d even offered to let her use it before for such occasions.
It wasn’t exactly a lie, either, which made it all the better. She didn’t feel right blatantly lying to James. She respected him too much.
Severus shook his head. “Professor Slughorn is right, you do have a startlingly Slytherin aura about you.”
Lily wrinkled her nose and ignored him. “So what are these Nargles you’re talking about?”
“I’m not sure, to be perfectly honest,” he replied. “One of the boys I tutor in Potions mentioned something about mistletoe being infested with Nargles.” He glanced up, his hooked nose pointing directly at the plant in suspect. “He’s a strange boy,” he mused after a moment.
“Or very creative,” Lily said with a laugh. Severus shook his head and looped an arm around her, placing his hand at the base of her spine and pulling her towards him.
“I’m disappointed,” he murmured, leaning down so that his breath tickled her ear.
Lily raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“I’ve been standing under the Nargles with you for nearly five minutes and you haven’t so much as attempted to kiss me.”
“And why would I do that?”
His black eyes glittered. “You’re a tease.”
“You like a challenge,” replied Lily, unable to keep a smirk from twitching at the corners of her lips.
“Touché.”
Lily tilted her head up and grinned at him triumphantly. Severus rolled his eyes to the ceiling, shook his head once to indicate his annoyance at her unabashed pride, and then bent down and pressed his lips against hers.
Kissing Severus was much different than kissing James. Whereas James was careful and awkward and eager to please her, Severus’s kiss was more emphatic and demanding. He kissed her hungrily, as if she weren’t able to satiate him. She often thought it was ironic that a boy infamous for his icy, cool demeanour was capable of such a fiery, passionate kiss.
The girls would never believe it…not that she wanted a rumour like that to get out.
Lily sighed happily and pressed her body against him, running her fingers across his shoulder blades and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He made a satisfied sound in the back of his throat, and she couldn’t help but smile, quite certain that she was one of the privileged few ever to hear Severus utter a sound like that. It was well worth sneaking away from the Gryffindor celebrations.
Severus slid his hands around her waist until they rested on her hipbones, caressing the gentle curve beneath her abdomen with the soft pads of his thumbs. The feeling made her shiver with pleasure. It was almost frightening how well he knew her body and how she would react to even the simplest of movements.
Her fingers skimmed the material of his robes lightly and she rested her palm on his breastbone so that she could play with the top button of his robes.
Whatever Nargles were, she hoped that they were capable of covering their eyes.
Lily felt Severus’s hands give her a tight squeeze and fought back a giggle. The thought of mistletoe-infesting creatures scandalized by kissing was rather funny, and she wondered if the strange boy had mentioned something like that to Severus.
‘Lily, control yourself,’ she thought firmly, but it was too late. She was no longer concentrating on Severus’s physical demands and was instead imagining how he would react to her question. Unlike James, he wasn’t exactly the imaginative type. He would probably begin extensive research on Nargles tomorrow, while everyone else was having a lie in.
No, she thought, feeling Severus’s warm breath on her skin, it would be silly to ask him. Asking such an outrageous question would only elicit a dumbfounded response.
…Then again, she did find him rather attractive when nonplussed, which, of course, was very rare.
‘No Lily,’ she told herself, ‘don’t, oh don’t,’ but it was too late. No longer able to hold back her amusement, she’d giggled into his mouth. Hastily reaching her hand up in an attempt to stifle her laughter, she scolded herself inwardly. She always did have a thing about laughing in the most awkward of moments.
Severus pulled away and looked at her, raising his eyebrow. He appeared to be flummoxed by her sudden change of behaviour. Lily coughed into her hand, trying to cover her broadening grin.
Severus merely lifted his eyebrow a fraction of an inch. Lily, still trying to quell her fit of giggles, shook her head vigorously. He crossed his arms and continued staring at her, drumming his fingertips against his forearm expectantly.
She’d long since gotten over being stupefied by Severus’s caustic words, and now it was his gaze and body language that rendered her speechless. Every cell in his body possessed a certain dark charisma that she found alluring. Even his current state of impatience made her insides flutter.
She opened her mouth to offer an explanation, but almost instantly snapped it shut, feeling her cheeks burn. How could he possibly understand her giggling over the thought of peeping Nargles?
He wouldn’t, of course.
“Never mind,” she finally managed to sputter, dabbing at the tears in her eyes.
He finally spoke. “It’s the Nargles, isn’t it?”
“How on earth did you know?”
“They’ve migrated from the mistletoe to infest your brain, obviously,” he replied flatly.
She wrinkled her nose and cuffed him lightly. “Ha ha.”
Snape leant down and kissed the crown of her head. “Happy Christmas,” he told her. “I have something for you.” Reaching around her shoulders, he pulled the invisibility cloak over her head once more. “Follow me.”
“Where are you going?” she began to ask, but he was already striding down the corridor past the Potions classroom. With one last look at the camouflaged Nargles in the mistletoe, she took off after him.
He’d led her down two empty corridors before they encountered a group of half-pissed Slytherins who were singing raucously and taking up most of the hall. Lily carefully slipped into an alcove, leaving Severus standing there, looking uncomfortable and abrasive.
The group was comprised of a handful of older students who’d opted to stay at the castle over the holiday. She recognized Evan Rosier, who stood at the centre of the group. He had his arm slung around Florence Jenkins, who was the infamous sycophant of Slytherin house. Fulton Avery was right beside them, not even bothering to conceal a bottle of half-finished firewhiskey that he was clutching tightly. The other two members of the party were Julius Carrow and Helena Quinn. Julius and Helena were leaning against each other for balance and singing a Christmas carol with such dirty lyrics that even Peeves would blush.
“Snape!” Evan Rosier noticed his roommate and waved, a white-toothed smile plastered across his handsome face. He withdrew his arm from Florence and staggered over to Severus. “Happy Christmas, mate!”
“Happy Christmas,” Severus echoed coolly. His dark eyes flickered from one face to the next.
“Where’ve you been?” Rosier asked, narrowing his eyes. “We were looking for you.”
Snape shook his head. “Taking care of some private matters,” he responded.
“Oh, private matters, eh?” Rosier asked with a wink. “Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.”
Avery tipped his bottle up to his lips and took a couple swigs before exhaling loudly and wincing. “Leave him be, Rosier. Maybe he’s supposed t’keep it private, if you know what I mean.” He nodded at Snape, whose face was ambiguous. “Are you done?”
“No,” said Severus. “Not yet.”
Florence smiled brightly. “Well, whenever you’ve finished, come back to the common room.” Her brown eyes glittered. “We’re exchanging gifts.” Lily noticed that Helena and Julius were both smirking, and wondered what sort of gifts they were planning on exchanging. Something told her that they probably weren’t appropriate.
Severus didn’t look thrilled at the prospect either. “I’ll keep the invitation in mind,” he replied. He hadn’t moved since the Slytherins spotted him, frozen like a spider sensing imminent danger.
“Hey,” Rosier piped up suddenly. He jabbed a finger up towards the ceiling, where a small green plant was dangling precariously. “We’re under the mistletoe, Snape!”
Lily’s mouth dropped open and she nearly gasped in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed the mistletoe. Was it hanging everywhere?
Severus’s head snapped up at breakneck speed. “What?!” he exclaimed.
“The mistletoe,” Rosier repeated slowly, jabbing at the air again. “Look.”
“Oooh!” Florence squealed, narrowing her eyes to get a better look. “You know what that means!”
What little colour was in Snape’s face immediately drained away. He started to skirt around Rosier, but the tall Slytherin grabbed him and held him steady.
“No…but…there’re Nargles,” Snape said in a desperate, strangled voice, but it was too late. By the time he’d managed to protest, Rosier had pulled him tight and given him a fraternal kiss on the cheek.
Severus went paper-white, obviously traumatized.
Lily began to shake with laughter. The look on Severus’s face far surpassed any nonplussed look she’d ever managed to give him. She felt privileged to have witnessed such a tender moment. She’d never let him live it down. He’d probably curse her for it, but it was well worth it.
“You didn’t even hex me!” Rosier exclaimed in surprise, echoing Lily’s thoughts. He stepped back and slapped Severus on the shoulder. “I caught you off your guard!” He swirled around to face the other Slytherins, grinning like a mad man. “I caught him off his guard!”
“We’re proud of you,” Avery replied, clearly unimpressed. He held out the bottle of firewhiskey. “Cheers.”
Rosier took the bottle and, after downing a good portion of it, passed it to Severus. Severus, Lily noted, still looked stricken. “Cheers,” Rosier added genially.
Snape took the bottle, stared at it, and finally tipped it up to his lips to drink. When he finished, he curled his lip and shoved the bottle back into Rosier’s hands. “You,” he said slowly, “are a tosser.” The other Slytherins tittered in amusement.
Rosier shrugged a shoulder. “It’s tradition,” he replied in justification.
“If you try something like that again,” Severus added steadily, “I will curse the lips right off of your face, whether you are drunk or sober.”
“Once is enough, thank you,” Rosier answered.
“Everyone needs a kiss under the mistletoe at least once a year, Snape,” Helena teased. “Especially you. Loosen up.”
“Be thankful it wasn’t on the lips,” added Julius.
Severus muttered something indiscernible under his breath.
Florence arched an eyebrow. “Well,” she announced, linking arms with Rosier, “if you change your mind about celebrating, you know where to find us.”
“In the Common Room,” Rosier added unnecessarily.
Florence shook her head exasperatedly, sending her bouncy curls flying to and fro. “See you, Severus,” she purred. He barely nodded in return.
“Snape,” Avery bid farewell, nodding once before continuing down the hall. Julius and Helena waved goodbye and followed after him. Julius was already creating an admittedly decent set of lyrics about the debacle he’d just witnessed.
Florence was tugging on Rosier’s arm when he stopped her, turning back towards Snape. “Oi, Snape,” he hissed indiscreetly. “You smell like a girl. Thought you should know.” With that, he spun around and escorted Florence out of the corridor.
Now Lily really did have to try her best to keep from bursting out into hysterical laughter. Snape’s eyebrows had disappeared underneath his curtain of hair, and his fists were clenched tightly. After she was certain the Slytherins were out of hearing range, she bit her lip and approached him cautiously.
“Shut it,” he said in a tight voice.
Lily snickered quietly. “I didn’t even say anything yet.”
“Which is a miracle in itself. I should obliviate you.”
“Oh, please don’t. I want to savour the memory.” Lily closed her eyes, picturing Severus’s face. “It’s times like these that I wish I owned a pensieve.”
Severus twitched involuntarily. “The gods have it out for me tonight,” he sighed.
“Hm?” she murmured curiously. “What are you talking about?”
Severus’s eyes flickered to the origin of her voice. They focused on a spot just over her left shoulder and he gestured uselessly. “Come on.”
She trailed him once more, and was mildly surprised to end up in an old room that was rumoured to be one of the torture chambers Filch spoke so fondly of. Snape pulled out his wand and flicked it towards the door, which shut with a snap.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, shedding James’s invisibility cloak. It fell to a heap at her feet.
“You’re about to receive your gift,” he replied simply.
“Oh,” Lily blinked. She surveyed the room and noticed a small package lying on one of the tables. Lily reached into her own pocket and pulled out a very small wrapped parcel. “I have something for you, too.”
He picked up his gift for her and held it out. “You first,” he insisted. His dark eyes watched her intently as she placed her gift for him on the table and took the package from him.
Appearances were deceiving, and the gift in her hands was actually much heavier than it appeared. Lily ran her fingers along the folded edge of the green gift-wrap and undid it carefully. The coloured paper slowly floated to the floor, revealing a dazzling box covered in silver etchings and patterned in green stones that shimmered in the light.
Lily stared at it in awe. “Severus,” she murmured, “it’s…it’s…” Somehow, she couldn’t find the proper words to express her sentiments.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he replied, stepping forward and running his hand along the surface of the box. “It looks very Slytherin-“
“No,” she interjected, shaking her head, “it’s absolutely breathtaking, Severus, I-“
“--but it matches the colour of your eyes,” he finished.
Lily’s eyes widened and she flung her arms around him, still clutching the box in her hands. He must have spent his tutoring wages from the entire year on it, she thought guiltily. “Oh, thank you, Severus. It’s lovely, so lovely.”
He squeezed her tightly. “You haven’t even opened it.”
She pulled back and blinked at him in surprise. “You mean it’s not a jewellery box?”
He scoffed derisively. “Hardly.” Cupping her hands in his, he flipped the lid of the box open, revealing a hollow space lined with various symbols and runic messages.
Lily felt her mouth drop open. “A memory box?” she whispered.
“Surprise,” he answered in a sardonic tone.
“After I’d just mentioned a pensieve,” she said with a small smile. She looked up at his face and could tell he was pleased, despite her unintentional guesswork.
His shrugged a shoulder. “It’s hardly that elaborate,” he announced frankly, “but I forbid you to place what you just witnessed in this box.”
Lily kissed him on the cheek. “I promise,” she laughed, “but only because it’s Christmas.” He looked relieved, and she winked at him. “Besides, I doubt that I will ever forget that as long as I live.”
“I was afraid of that,” he replied with a sigh.
“Hold on, I’ve got your gift,” she said, reaching around him to grab the small parcel she’d set on the table.
Severus wrinkled his nose. “I told you that you weren’t to buy me anything.”
“Oh, really?” Lily chided, poking him squarely in the chest, “and who said that I purchased anything, hm?”
He glanced down at the package. “No part of it whatsoever?”
Lily grinned mischievously. “I refuse to incriminate myself.”
Severus snorted. “Of course you do.” His dark eyes flickered to her once before he began unwrapping the parcel in his hands. He pulled out a small glass jar containing a liquid the colour of molten gold. Its radiating shimmer reflected in his eyes like lights at the end of a tunnel.
His mouth quirked in surprise and he held the bottle up to inspect it closely. “Is this…?”
“Felix Felicis,” Lily finished, nodding. “Yes, it is.”
“How on earth did you manage it?”
“I had a little help, of course.” Lily took a step forward and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “From Father Christmas.”
Snape snaked his arm around her waist. “And does Father Christmas have a handlebar moustache and drink perilous amounts of mead?”
“Perhaps.”
“I thought so.”
“It wasn’t that much help, mind you.”
“I never said it was.” He twirled the bottle around in his fingers. “I’ve never tried this before,” he mused. “I’ve never even seen it in its true form.”
Lily watched the potion slosh back and forth in the bottle. “It takes a painstakingly long time to make,” she admitted, “and some of the steps were a bit complicated.”
“Not to mention the fact that a number of the ingredients are very rare.”
There was a subtle change in his voice that suggested he was impressed, even if he didn’t physically show it.
“That’s where Father Christmas offered his services,” Lily replied. Professor Slughorn had been more than willing to donate a few of his more precious stores to Lily; he was very eager to see if she could brew the difficult potion properly. …That and she’d promised him a small bottle in return. She’d expected as much when she’d proposed the idea to him several months ago.
She’d never admit it, but James was actually the one who’d given her the idea. He’d called Severus a “lucky bastard” after Severus had managed to skulk out of a potentially sticky situation unscathed. Lily thought the idea of Severus being lucky was ludicrous. She’d never met anyone who relied more upon precision and skill when handling whatever the fates had dealt him, and decided that liquid luck was the perfect solution. If anyone could use a break from being excruciatingly methodical in nearly every aspect of his life, it was Severus.
The small batch of Felix Felicis she’d managed to produce was well worth the time and effort put into it. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect gift. He collected books, but a book (no matter the value) seemed like a predictable gift, and Severus wasn’t really interested in material goods. He did, however, appreciate hard work, and he showed special interest in rare and complicated potions, which is why they’d started speaking to each other in the first place.
“Lily?” The sound of Severus’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Hm?”
His lips grazed the corner of her mouth where her cheek dimpled. “Thank you,” he said.
She turned her head and kissed him gently. “You’re welcome,” she whispered. He reached around her and placed the bottle of Felix Felicis and her memory box on the table, and she looked at him inquisitively. “You’re not going to try it?”
He shook his head. “It would be a waste. I’m feeling fortunate enough as it is.” A subtle smirk appeared on his face as he focused on her intently.
She blushed at his candidness. “Well,” she said, taking his hand (she’d always admired his hands) and interlocking her fingers with his, “at least you didn’t make any sexual innuendos. I was preparing myself for the worst.”
He sniffed disdainfully. “Miss Evans, you have obviously spent too much time with your most unfortunate housemates.”
“True enough,” she agreed. She opened her mouth to apologize but was silenced by a rapacious kiss. Severus pressed the small of her back into the table behind them and ran his fingers up from her waistline until she inhaled sharply. She squeezed his hand and exhaled slowly, leaning against him.
Severus continued to kiss her, straying from her lips and working downward until he reached the groove in her neck that was pulsating with her every heartbeat. He nipped her gently and murmured in a silky voice, “But now that you’ve mentioned it...”
Lily’s body tingled and she sighed softly. Severus always did make his own luck.
At least one of the gifts would be used later tonight…
{fin}
And there's a picture (a doodle really) to go along with it: