Status: Finished :)
Taking Down the Sunrise
Twenty-Seven
“You need to add Wolfsbane to that,” Severus said calmly as he passed by Lily’s cauldron.
She looked up and shot him a curious glare, “That’s not on the ingredients list.”
“And yet it’s the only way to make the potion go the perfect shade of canary yellow,” he replied, unfazed by her icy tone, “It also stops that nasty little side effect that makes your head feel like it’s going to explode.”
“It’s not in the book, Sev,”
He smiled at her in the dim light of the potion’s room and shrugged, “Everything that’s written down isn’t necessarily right.”
“They wouldn’t have printed it if the potion didn’t work,”
“Never said it didn’t work, just that I could make it better.”
“Then go write your own potions book, Sev, and when it’s published I’ll do things your way, alright?” Lily snapped angrily.
Severus hesitated for only a moment before lightly touching her arm. She flinched slightly, causing a few drops to spill over the edge of her cauldron, and shifted away from him. “Lil, I know you’re not actually mad at me.”
“I never said I was mad at you,” Lily whispered, pressing herself against her bench so that she could get away from the heat of his body, “I just can’t stand being near you after what we did. I’m sorry... I just... can’t.”
“You’re fine with James,”
“He told you that?” Lily swore, “It wasn’t like...”
“I know it was different and that’s why you got scared. But there’s nothing to be scared about, because I love you. You know I love you,”
“I’m just... I’m not ready,”
Severus shrugged and said, “That’s alright. I don’t need that.”
“What do you need?”
“You.”
Lily decided to take that as insincere, rolled her eyes and turned back to her potion. It had turned a yellow that was too bright to be considered canary. She made no comment on this though and grabbed a vial of belladonna essence. Tipping it carefully over the lip of the cauldron, she let it drip once, twice...
“If you put in another drop it’s going to explode,”
“The instructions say three drops,” she hissed, “I am going to put in three drops.”
“It’s three drops if the potion was brewed correctly,” Severus replied calmly. He slipped the vial out from between her fingers and set it back down on the bench. “You’re forgetting about the bit that spilled out the side. There was probably some powdered moonstone in those drops and without that to counteract the belladonna... it’ll explode.”
“There are three drops. Three. I will put three drops in this potion and it will not explode because I have brewed this potion perfectly. Do you understand me?” she snapped angrily.
Severus backed up with his arms raised in surrender and quietly ushered the people surrounding them away. There were chills going down Lily’s spin as she picked up the vial again and let one drop fall into the cauldron.
“Ha,” she turned with a smug smile on her face, “What now, Sev?”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into him. “Sev, this isn’t-”
Severus put his hand on the back of her head and pulled it into his chest. She protested lightly, but not for long as the cauldron behind them blew up. The pieces flew around them and the potion flooded over the sides of the bench.
Slughorn looked up from the front of the room and sighed, “Alright, everyone please evacuate. Miss Evans, I’ll speak to you after your classes today.”
Slowly, Lily disentangled herself from Severus’ arms. He let his hand slip into hers as they left the classroom, neither of them quite sure what this meant for their relationship.
She looked up and shot him a curious glare, “That’s not on the ingredients list.”
“And yet it’s the only way to make the potion go the perfect shade of canary yellow,” he replied, unfazed by her icy tone, “It also stops that nasty little side effect that makes your head feel like it’s going to explode.”
“It’s not in the book, Sev,”
He smiled at her in the dim light of the potion’s room and shrugged, “Everything that’s written down isn’t necessarily right.”
“They wouldn’t have printed it if the potion didn’t work,”
“Never said it didn’t work, just that I could make it better.”
“Then go write your own potions book, Sev, and when it’s published I’ll do things your way, alright?” Lily snapped angrily.
Severus hesitated for only a moment before lightly touching her arm. She flinched slightly, causing a few drops to spill over the edge of her cauldron, and shifted away from him. “Lil, I know you’re not actually mad at me.”
“I never said I was mad at you,” Lily whispered, pressing herself against her bench so that she could get away from the heat of his body, “I just can’t stand being near you after what we did. I’m sorry... I just... can’t.”
“You’re fine with James,”
“He told you that?” Lily swore, “It wasn’t like...”
“I know it was different and that’s why you got scared. But there’s nothing to be scared about, because I love you. You know I love you,”
“I’m just... I’m not ready,”
Severus shrugged and said, “That’s alright. I don’t need that.”
“What do you need?”
“You.”
Lily decided to take that as insincere, rolled her eyes and turned back to her potion. It had turned a yellow that was too bright to be considered canary. She made no comment on this though and grabbed a vial of belladonna essence. Tipping it carefully over the lip of the cauldron, she let it drip once, twice...
“If you put in another drop it’s going to explode,”
“The instructions say three drops,” she hissed, “I am going to put in three drops.”
“It’s three drops if the potion was brewed correctly,” Severus replied calmly. He slipped the vial out from between her fingers and set it back down on the bench. “You’re forgetting about the bit that spilled out the side. There was probably some powdered moonstone in those drops and without that to counteract the belladonna... it’ll explode.”
“There are three drops. Three. I will put three drops in this potion and it will not explode because I have brewed this potion perfectly. Do you understand me?” she snapped angrily.
Severus backed up with his arms raised in surrender and quietly ushered the people surrounding them away. There were chills going down Lily’s spin as she picked up the vial again and let one drop fall into the cauldron.
“Ha,” she turned with a smug smile on her face, “What now, Sev?”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into him. “Sev, this isn’t-”
Severus put his hand on the back of her head and pulled it into his chest. She protested lightly, but not for long as the cauldron behind them blew up. The pieces flew around them and the potion flooded over the sides of the bench.
Slughorn looked up from the front of the room and sighed, “Alright, everyone please evacuate. Miss Evans, I’ll speak to you after your classes today.”
Slowly, Lily disentangled herself from Severus’ arms. He let his hand slip into hers as they left the classroom, neither of them quite sure what this meant for their relationship.