Status: Finished :)
Taking Down the Sunrise
Twenty-One
Severus stared up at the castle from his spot in the courtyard, a smug smile spreading across his lips. The spring sun was beating down relentlessly from the bright blue sky and he knew that in the evening it would be cool but still warm enough to be outside. He could only hope the weather held for the next two days.
Turning away from the imposing building, he saw Lily hurrying along one of the open hallways. He smiled and took off after her calling, “Lily!”
She slowed and turned but when she saw his face she went right back to her original pace. Confused and hurt, Severus put on a burst of speed to catch up to her and asked, “Lil, what’s wrong?”
“I think you know,”
“No, I really don’t.”
“Then I’m not going to tell you,”
Severus glanced around furtively, then grabbed her arm and gently pushed her to the side of the hallway. She glared at him darkly but he did not let go as he said, “If you don’t tell me what’s going on then how do you expect me to fix it?”
“Magic,”
He rolled his eyes, not amused, and pressed, “What’s going on, Lil?”
Lily just shook her head disapprovingly and kept her lips tightly shut. A bell went off above them and reverberated through the stone walls. “Can I go?” She asked, bored, “I have class.”
“No you don’t,”
“Well, I have to study. O.W.Ls are coming up,”
“Are we still on for tomorrow night?”
“I don’t know,” She replied. She wrenched her arm out of his grip and started down the hall again.
Severus bit back a groan and hurried after her, a hundred questions on the tip of his tongue. He went over the events of the past few days but could not think of anything that he could have done to her. In fact, he had barely spoken to her since Monday and she had seemed perfectly fine in class on Thursday.
“Is this about the bet?” He asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not that I know of,”
“Is it because I haven’t talked to you? I mean, it’s not like you’ve exactly been around and I’ve talked to you when I can,” He sighed, “Come on, Lil. I have the perfect date ready for you. I’ve been doing nothing but preparing and you’re just going to throw it away?”
“Preparing?” She scoffed, “Is that what you call it, Sev?”
He was taken aback by her suddenly hostile tone and it took her a couple of minutes before he managed to nod his head, “Yes, Kallie and I-”
Lily snorted derisively.
“Kallie?” Severus repeated questioningly, “Is this about her?”
“Yes,”
“She’s just some Slytherin girl that’s been helping me out with planning your date. She said she talked to you, I assumed that-”
“Oh, she talked to me alright. The girl was obsessed with you, wondering what you liked in a girl and how she could steal you away from me. And the nerve of her to come straight up to me and basically say, hi, I’m going to steal your boyfriend, hope you’re okay with that! She disgusts me,” Lily snapped.
Severus almost laughed but he managed to hold it back, “Lil, she was just screwing with you to get information. There’s nothing going on-”
“So she didn’t steal you away from Trina? Didn’t say she was more important than her and that the two of you should go somewhere to be alone?”
“She needed to give me the information she got on you, Lil,” He insisted, “She was helping me to figure out the perfect date and she did. I’m sorry that her antics upset you, but that’s just the kind of person Kallie is. She’s not that worried about what others think.”
“Because she’s a Slytherin,”
“So am I,”
Lily glanced towards him and caught his eye for the first time in what seemed like hours. With a begrudging gentleness, she replied, “You shouldn’t be.”
He smiled and pecked her on the lips, “Don’t worry about Kallie, she means nothing to me.”
“She better,”
“She used to date Mulciber, that makes her officially off limits. You know that none of them would ever date you if we ever break up,” He explained.
“That’s because I’m a muggle-born.”
Severus shrugged, unable to deny that that would probably be his friends’ main reason for not dating her after him. Kissing her again, he said, “It’s still a valid point. I’ll see you tomorrow at six?”
Lily nodded, allowing herself a small smile and said, “Stay away from Kallie.”
“I’ll try,” He said as she disappeared around the corner. Shaking his head at the stupidity of their fight, he glanced up at a clock and swore quietly. McGonagall would not be happy that he was late.
Turning away from the imposing building, he saw Lily hurrying along one of the open hallways. He smiled and took off after her calling, “Lily!”
She slowed and turned but when she saw his face she went right back to her original pace. Confused and hurt, Severus put on a burst of speed to catch up to her and asked, “Lil, what’s wrong?”
“I think you know,”
“No, I really don’t.”
“Then I’m not going to tell you,”
Severus glanced around furtively, then grabbed her arm and gently pushed her to the side of the hallway. She glared at him darkly but he did not let go as he said, “If you don’t tell me what’s going on then how do you expect me to fix it?”
“Magic,”
He rolled his eyes, not amused, and pressed, “What’s going on, Lil?”
Lily just shook her head disapprovingly and kept her lips tightly shut. A bell went off above them and reverberated through the stone walls. “Can I go?” She asked, bored, “I have class.”
“No you don’t,”
“Well, I have to study. O.W.Ls are coming up,”
“Are we still on for tomorrow night?”
“I don’t know,” She replied. She wrenched her arm out of his grip and started down the hall again.
Severus bit back a groan and hurried after her, a hundred questions on the tip of his tongue. He went over the events of the past few days but could not think of anything that he could have done to her. In fact, he had barely spoken to her since Monday and she had seemed perfectly fine in class on Thursday.
“Is this about the bet?” He asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not that I know of,”
“Is it because I haven’t talked to you? I mean, it’s not like you’ve exactly been around and I’ve talked to you when I can,” He sighed, “Come on, Lil. I have the perfect date ready for you. I’ve been doing nothing but preparing and you’re just going to throw it away?”
“Preparing?” She scoffed, “Is that what you call it, Sev?”
He was taken aback by her suddenly hostile tone and it took her a couple of minutes before he managed to nod his head, “Yes, Kallie and I-”
Lily snorted derisively.
“Kallie?” Severus repeated questioningly, “Is this about her?”
“Yes,”
“She’s just some Slytherin girl that’s been helping me out with planning your date. She said she talked to you, I assumed that-”
“Oh, she talked to me alright. The girl was obsessed with you, wondering what you liked in a girl and how she could steal you away from me. And the nerve of her to come straight up to me and basically say, hi, I’m going to steal your boyfriend, hope you’re okay with that! She disgusts me,” Lily snapped.
Severus almost laughed but he managed to hold it back, “Lil, she was just screwing with you to get information. There’s nothing going on-”
“So she didn’t steal you away from Trina? Didn’t say she was more important than her and that the two of you should go somewhere to be alone?”
“She needed to give me the information she got on you, Lil,” He insisted, “She was helping me to figure out the perfect date and she did. I’m sorry that her antics upset you, but that’s just the kind of person Kallie is. She’s not that worried about what others think.”
“Because she’s a Slytherin,”
“So am I,”
Lily glanced towards him and caught his eye for the first time in what seemed like hours. With a begrudging gentleness, she replied, “You shouldn’t be.”
He smiled and pecked her on the lips, “Don’t worry about Kallie, she means nothing to me.”
“She better,”
“She used to date Mulciber, that makes her officially off limits. You know that none of them would ever date you if we ever break up,” He explained.
“That’s because I’m a muggle-born.”
Severus shrugged, unable to deny that that would probably be his friends’ main reason for not dating her after him. Kissing her again, he said, “It’s still a valid point. I’ll see you tomorrow at six?”
Lily nodded, allowing herself a small smile and said, “Stay away from Kallie.”
“I’ll try,” He said as she disappeared around the corner. Shaking his head at the stupidity of their fight, he glanced up at a clock and swore quietly. McGonagall would not be happy that he was late.