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FIC: Shadowing (L/J, Severus Snape)
Title: Shadowing
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Lily Evans/James Potter (mild), Severus Snape, hints of unrequited Snape/Lily
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 898
Summary: On a date with James, Lily finds that they're being tailed.
Notes: My first post-DH compliant L/J! Somehow the angsty Snape/Lily involving PG-13-ish voyeurism prompt msmoocow gave me managed to somehow morph into this. But hey, I have 17 more days to give it another go, right?
She hadn’t been sure at first - the Three Broomsticks was packed full of students, after all, and Honeydukes was likewise popular - but when Severus happened to turn up as well in Hogsmeade Quidditch Haven, a place she knew he detested (and thus she had suggested to James that they drop by), Lily was certain that it was no coincidence.
Her stomach twisted uneasily. If James saw him - if he noticed Severus lurking just behind a shelf of broom polish … well, she thought James might refrain from rising to any bait Severus threw at him if she were there. But even so, it wouldn’t be very pleasant for the two of them to run into each other.
To her horror, she saw that Severus had his hand half-hidden in his robes; she could well imagine his pose: half-crouched, his fingers curled around his wand, ready to strike at any provocation.
Annoyance stabbed at her. This was ridiculous. He was the one tailing them now, skulking around corners, looking as though he had something nasty up his sleeve. He had no right now to take that self-righteous ‘Potter-started-it’ stance.
Lily bit her lip as the thought crept into her head - had it been like this all along? Sure, she knew for a fact that there had been times James had simply picked a fight for no reason. But it hadn’t always been that one-sided. She had certainly been part of the prank war they’d waged against the Marauders years ago. And they hadn’t needed specific incidents to justify their ‘getting back’ at ‘that horrid Potter and Black’, had they?
In fact, she could no longer remember how their feud had started. James had admitted that he had been an ass (‘I know I was a bit of an arse,’ he had said repentantly; ‘A bit?’ she’d teased.) - at least he’d apologised and promised to keep out of Severus’s way now.
Of course, if Severus was going to provoke the fight, she hardly thought it would be fair to hold it against James. Still, if she could, she would avert disaster before it could happen.
Checking that James was sufficiently engrossed in the broomstick model he was discussing with the shop owner - Lily estimated affectionately that his attention would be occupied for the next fifteen minutes at least - she ducked behind a cabinet as soon as she saw Severus withdraw his head behind his hiding place. Along the aisles she crept, slowly making her way up behind him.
He was still craning his head around the shelf, attempting to spot her, so he never noticed her approach until her Disillusionment Charm cracked down upon his head.
Severus spun round with a yelp and would have poked his wand right into her nose if she hadn’t stepped back in time.
‘Shut up,’ Lily hissed, and prodded at him with her wand. ‘Let’s go.’
He simply looked at her blankly - the fact that his face now blended in with the dull brown of the shelf behind him rather exaggerated this. Lily gave a soft snort of impatience and proceeded to hustle him out of the shop. She then repealed the charm and stood and surveyed him, hands on her hips.
He stared back at her, waiting, with an expression halfway between annoyance and keen anticipation. It made her feel quite disconcerted.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she said at last.
Severus raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘I didn’t just drag you out of the store at wand-point.’
‘Oh, for heaven’s … look, I know you’re … just … stop following us, okay?’
‘I’m not following you,’ he said loftily. ‘I don’t know where in the world you got the idea that I’d want to watch you go out with Potter.’ He spat out the name like it was a disgusting mouthful of potion.
‘You don’t fool me. Hogsmeade Quidditch Haven? You forget that I know you too w--’
‘You thought you knew me,’ he cut in, and his voice was icy, though it shook a bit. ‘Don’t - don’t presume too much, Lily.’ He turned to go, but seemed not to be able to help throwing back a look at her over his shoulder. His gaze was unfathomable - Lily thought there might be a bit of regret - or was it longing? - in his eyes. He quickly covered up with a snappish, ‘And you can’t tell me what to do.’
Feeling completely wrong-footed, Lily tried to take a step forward, towards Severus. Someone caught her arm and she halted, looking up to see James, who was glaring at Severus. She saw the latter’s lip curl before his head turned away from both of them; walking away without a further word.
‘What did he do to you?’ demanded James.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing.’ But she couldn’t hold back the soft sigh that escaped her lips. ‘I don’t know why I bother,’ she said, half to herself.
‘You’re a saint, Lily,’ said James, half-joking, half-admiring. ‘Come on, then. Didn’t you want to pay a visit to Scrivenshafts?’ He offered her his arm in a rather old-fashioned show of gallantry that made her smile.
Pushing Severus out of her mind, she laughed as James eyes widened in delighted surprise when instead of batting at his proffered arm or even simply allowing him to take her elbow, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Lily Evans/James Potter (mild), Severus Snape, hints of unrequited Snape/Lily
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 898
Summary: On a date with James, Lily finds that they're being tailed.
Notes: My first post-DH compliant L/J! Somehow the angsty Snape/Lily involving PG-13-ish voyeurism prompt msmoocow gave me managed to somehow morph into this. But hey, I have 17 more days to give it another go, right?
She hadn’t been sure at first - the Three Broomsticks was packed full of students, after all, and Honeydukes was likewise popular - but when Severus happened to turn up as well in Hogsmeade Quidditch Haven, a place she knew he detested (and thus she had suggested to James that they drop by), Lily was certain that it was no coincidence.
Her stomach twisted uneasily. If James saw him - if he noticed Severus lurking just behind a shelf of broom polish … well, she thought James might refrain from rising to any bait Severus threw at him if she were there. But even so, it wouldn’t be very pleasant for the two of them to run into each other.
To her horror, she saw that Severus had his hand half-hidden in his robes; she could well imagine his pose: half-crouched, his fingers curled around his wand, ready to strike at any provocation.
Annoyance stabbed at her. This was ridiculous. He was the one tailing them now, skulking around corners, looking as though he had something nasty up his sleeve. He had no right now to take that self-righteous ‘Potter-started-it’ stance.
Lily bit her lip as the thought crept into her head - had it been like this all along? Sure, she knew for a fact that there had been times James had simply picked a fight for no reason. But it hadn’t always been that one-sided. She had certainly been part of the prank war they’d waged against the Marauders years ago. And they hadn’t needed specific incidents to justify their ‘getting back’ at ‘that horrid Potter and Black’, had they?
In fact, she could no longer remember how their feud had started. James had admitted that he had been an ass (‘I know I was a bit of an arse,’ he had said repentantly; ‘A bit?’ she’d teased.) - at least he’d apologised and promised to keep out of Severus’s way now.
Of course, if Severus was going to provoke the fight, she hardly thought it would be fair to hold it against James. Still, if she could, she would avert disaster before it could happen.
Checking that James was sufficiently engrossed in the broomstick model he was discussing with the shop owner - Lily estimated affectionately that his attention would be occupied for the next fifteen minutes at least - she ducked behind a cabinet as soon as she saw Severus withdraw his head behind his hiding place. Along the aisles she crept, slowly making her way up behind him.
He was still craning his head around the shelf, attempting to spot her, so he never noticed her approach until her Disillusionment Charm cracked down upon his head.
Severus spun round with a yelp and would have poked his wand right into her nose if she hadn’t stepped back in time.
‘Shut up,’ Lily hissed, and prodded at him with her wand. ‘Let’s go.’
He simply looked at her blankly - the fact that his face now blended in with the dull brown of the shelf behind him rather exaggerated this. Lily gave a soft snort of impatience and proceeded to hustle him out of the shop. She then repealed the charm and stood and surveyed him, hands on her hips.
He stared back at her, waiting, with an expression halfway between annoyance and keen anticipation. It made her feel quite disconcerted.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she said at last.
Severus raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘I didn’t just drag you out of the store at wand-point.’
‘Oh, for heaven’s … look, I know you’re … just … stop following us, okay?’
‘I’m not following you,’ he said loftily. ‘I don’t know where in the world you got the idea that I’d want to watch you go out with Potter.’ He spat out the name like it was a disgusting mouthful of potion.
‘You don’t fool me. Hogsmeade Quidditch Haven? You forget that I know you too w--’
‘You thought you knew me,’ he cut in, and his voice was icy, though it shook a bit. ‘Don’t - don’t presume too much, Lily.’ He turned to go, but seemed not to be able to help throwing back a look at her over his shoulder. His gaze was unfathomable - Lily thought there might be a bit of regret - or was it longing? - in his eyes. He quickly covered up with a snappish, ‘And you can’t tell me what to do.’
Feeling completely wrong-footed, Lily tried to take a step forward, towards Severus. Someone caught her arm and she halted, looking up to see James, who was glaring at Severus. She saw the latter’s lip curl before his head turned away from both of them; walking away without a further word.
‘What did he do to you?’ demanded James.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing.’ But she couldn’t hold back the soft sigh that escaped her lips. ‘I don’t know why I bother,’ she said, half to herself.
‘You’re a saint, Lily,’ said James, half-joking, half-admiring. ‘Come on, then. Didn’t you want to pay a visit to Scrivenshafts?’ He offered her his arm in a rather old-fashioned show of gallantry that made her smile.
Pushing Severus out of her mind, she laughed as James eyes widened in delighted surprise when instead of batting at his proffered arm or even simply allowing him to take her elbow, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.