Status: Finished :)
Taking Down the Sunrise
Nine
Severus checked his reflection quickly, smoothed down his hair and straightened his dress robes. He took a deep breath and thought of Lily. Lily would be waiting for him. Lily wanted to be with him.
For a brief second, Severus felt sick. He waited, his head spinning, for the feeling to pass. All his life he had been deprived of what he wanted. Now he finally had a chance to be with her. He had to pinch himself to assure that he wasn’t dreaming.
Steadying himself, Severus snuck out of the dorm and headed for the Slytherin common room. In the eerie green light that leaked down from the lake above firelight flickered in a most unusual way. Severus stopped and listened.
There was no sound in the room other than a soft click as the fire went on and off. Severus turned the corner and a sinister smile glinted in the firelight.
He froze and waited for the light to click back on. When it did, the cool metal of the lighter sparkled in the orange glow of the single flame. The light illuminated the worn hand that clutched the lighter.
“Howdy,” Sirius greeted him as he moved forward to allow the light from the fireplace to fill the room. His unsettling smile lingered upon his lips.
Severus licked his lips nervously, “What are you doing here?”
“So rude,” Sirius replied, flopping down into one of the emerald green armchairs, “No greeting? No ‘how are you doing’? Must come with being a Slytherin; no wonder I didn’t make the cut.”
“I’m serious, Black, what are you doing here?” Severus hissed, “And where’s the rest of your gang?”
“Normal people call them friends.”
Severus scoffed. As he took a step towards the door, he said, “Stay as long as you like, Black. Maybe some of Slytherin’s class will wear off on you and you’re family will finally approve of you. I really must be going though.”
All of a sudden, Sirius was between him and the door. He was clicking the infernal lighter again. His stance was casual and his smile was easy.
“I really can’t let you leave, Snivellus. If I did then the time I spent waiting for you really could’ve been used more productively.”
“Like you’re ever productive.”
The smile slid off of Sirius’s face like water off a slide. He shook his head as if he was disappointed and whispered, “Dear, dear Snivellus, is that all your Slytherin pansy ass can come up with?”
Severus shrugged off the insult, “Why are you doing this? If you keep me here I’ll just tell Lily what happened in the morning and she’ll hate you even more. So why don’t you leave and tell James you refuse to get your face beaten in for a useless cause?”
Sirius laughed, “Like you could ever beat me up.” He shook his head and went on calmly, “James didn’t send me. I’m helping him because that’s what friends do. But I guess you wouldn’t know that, being in a gang instead of having friends.”
“If you want to mess with me you’re welcome to try.”
Laughter bubbled from Sirius’s lips but he smothered it quickly, not wanting to wake the students upstairs. He clapped a hand on Severus’s shoulder and whispered, “Why don’t you give up? It’s a respectable thing to do seeing that you’re outmatched, that James is better for her and, well, Madam Pomfrey’s gonna ask a lot of questions.”
“I’m not that person,” Severus murmured, “You can’t push me around anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m done letting you.”
Severus shoved Sirius’s hand off of his shoulder and pushed him into a wall. Without looking back, he walked out of the Slytherin common room and headed for the Astronomy tower.
***
“I really hope you’re kidding by being down here,” Lily said softly as she leaped from the stairs to the floor of the common room.
James turned slowly, half smiling, half frowning, “I had to see it for myself. Part of me just... couldn’t believe that you were going on a date with him. I thought... I thought maybe it was a joke on me.”
Lily shook her head as she approached James. She ran a hand through his unruly hair, gently cupped his chin and whispered, “You’re wonderful. Some girl, somewhere, someday will want to be with you. It’s just not me.”
“Lil, please don’t go.”
“You don’t have any right to ask that of me,”
Tears sparkled in his eyes as he bit his lip. She was beautiful. He had never seen her dress up for anything and he had never seen her glow like she did now. “Aren’t you nervous?” James asked, “Aren’t you scared in the least?”
“Just the normal amount.”
“But he’s a Slytherin!”
“But he shouldn’t be!” Lily exclaimed, “He’s the nicest guy I have ever met and he doesn’t say dumb things or make inappropriate passes. I don’t know how he got there or what part of his mind he’s hiding from me, but I know this; I want to be with him.”
James nodded, not really understanding but pretending to the best he could. He took her hand and whispered, “Come back to me, Lily.”
“No,” She murmured, shaking her head, “It’s too late.”
He sighed, dragged his eyes from hers and focused on the ground. Dropping his hands, he replied softly, “I know.”
Lily smiled apologetically and brushed past him on the way to the portrait hole. James stood there, not daring to move a muscle as she turned back to stare at him. And then, she did something she had sworn she would never do again. She ran back and kissed him.
For a brief second, Severus felt sick. He waited, his head spinning, for the feeling to pass. All his life he had been deprived of what he wanted. Now he finally had a chance to be with her. He had to pinch himself to assure that he wasn’t dreaming.
Steadying himself, Severus snuck out of the dorm and headed for the Slytherin common room. In the eerie green light that leaked down from the lake above firelight flickered in a most unusual way. Severus stopped and listened.
There was no sound in the room other than a soft click as the fire went on and off. Severus turned the corner and a sinister smile glinted in the firelight.
He froze and waited for the light to click back on. When it did, the cool metal of the lighter sparkled in the orange glow of the single flame. The light illuminated the worn hand that clutched the lighter.
“Howdy,” Sirius greeted him as he moved forward to allow the light from the fireplace to fill the room. His unsettling smile lingered upon his lips.
Severus licked his lips nervously, “What are you doing here?”
“So rude,” Sirius replied, flopping down into one of the emerald green armchairs, “No greeting? No ‘how are you doing’? Must come with being a Slytherin; no wonder I didn’t make the cut.”
“I’m serious, Black, what are you doing here?” Severus hissed, “And where’s the rest of your gang?”
“Normal people call them friends.”
Severus scoffed. As he took a step towards the door, he said, “Stay as long as you like, Black. Maybe some of Slytherin’s class will wear off on you and you’re family will finally approve of you. I really must be going though.”
All of a sudden, Sirius was between him and the door. He was clicking the infernal lighter again. His stance was casual and his smile was easy.
“I really can’t let you leave, Snivellus. If I did then the time I spent waiting for you really could’ve been used more productively.”
“Like you’re ever productive.”
The smile slid off of Sirius’s face like water off a slide. He shook his head as if he was disappointed and whispered, “Dear, dear Snivellus, is that all your Slytherin pansy ass can come up with?”
Severus shrugged off the insult, “Why are you doing this? If you keep me here I’ll just tell Lily what happened in the morning and she’ll hate you even more. So why don’t you leave and tell James you refuse to get your face beaten in for a useless cause?”
Sirius laughed, “Like you could ever beat me up.” He shook his head and went on calmly, “James didn’t send me. I’m helping him because that’s what friends do. But I guess you wouldn’t know that, being in a gang instead of having friends.”
“If you want to mess with me you’re welcome to try.”
Laughter bubbled from Sirius’s lips but he smothered it quickly, not wanting to wake the students upstairs. He clapped a hand on Severus’s shoulder and whispered, “Why don’t you give up? It’s a respectable thing to do seeing that you’re outmatched, that James is better for her and, well, Madam Pomfrey’s gonna ask a lot of questions.”
“I’m not that person,” Severus murmured, “You can’t push me around anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m done letting you.”
Severus shoved Sirius’s hand off of his shoulder and pushed him into a wall. Without looking back, he walked out of the Slytherin common room and headed for the Astronomy tower.
***
“I really hope you’re kidding by being down here,” Lily said softly as she leaped from the stairs to the floor of the common room.
James turned slowly, half smiling, half frowning, “I had to see it for myself. Part of me just... couldn’t believe that you were going on a date with him. I thought... I thought maybe it was a joke on me.”
Lily shook her head as she approached James. She ran a hand through his unruly hair, gently cupped his chin and whispered, “You’re wonderful. Some girl, somewhere, someday will want to be with you. It’s just not me.”
“Lil, please don’t go.”
“You don’t have any right to ask that of me,”
Tears sparkled in his eyes as he bit his lip. She was beautiful. He had never seen her dress up for anything and he had never seen her glow like she did now. “Aren’t you nervous?” James asked, “Aren’t you scared in the least?”
“Just the normal amount.”
“But he’s a Slytherin!”
“But he shouldn’t be!” Lily exclaimed, “He’s the nicest guy I have ever met and he doesn’t say dumb things or make inappropriate passes. I don’t know how he got there or what part of his mind he’s hiding from me, but I know this; I want to be with him.”
James nodded, not really understanding but pretending to the best he could. He took her hand and whispered, “Come back to me, Lily.”
“No,” She murmured, shaking her head, “It’s too late.”
He sighed, dragged his eyes from hers and focused on the ground. Dropping his hands, he replied softly, “I know.”
Lily smiled apologetically and brushed past him on the way to the portrait hole. James stood there, not daring to move a muscle as she turned back to stare at him. And then, she did something she had sworn she would never do again. She ran back and kissed him.