Chapter Six

The summer holidays held hope for Lily, and they certainly started off well. Lily's mother was absolutely furious with Rose when she saw what she'd done to her hair. Rose begged with Lily to fix it, but Lily flat out refused. Oh, she had every intention of fixing it before they returned to school, but, for now, Rose could squirm. A taste of her own medicine might taste foul, but it would hopefully do the trick. Not to mention, that with Lily holding the cards with regards to Rose's hair, her sister would say nothing against her to either of their parents.

Petunia, now eighteen, had gone away for the holidays with her new boyfriend. Lily got the distinct impression that her mother was none too pleased with this Dursley boy, but nothing was ever said. And in some ways, Petunia's absence was a relief. There would be no tiptoeing around the oldest Evans sister this year.

And Severus had been over every day since the holidays began. Lily felt so light, she practically floated around the house.

And, true to his word, he hadn't mentioned Potter all holidays, and he hadn't pushed her any further than she'd let him, though they had spent a fair amount of time tentatively exploring each other in the confines of Lily's tiny bedroom when her parents weren't around.

"I think I've got the answer to the Rose problem," Severus announced one day as they sat in the shadows under the same patch of trees they had years ago.

"Oh?" Lily asked, arching an inquisitive brow at him.

"It's a jinx. Mother's invention, actually," he replied, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket. To all appearances, it was simply blank. Taking it from him, she turned it over in her hands. No, there was nothing on it.

"But..." she began, looking up at him, then stopped as she saw him reach into his cloak for something else.

He pulled out a quill and ink, handing them to Lily with great flourish. "How's your dictation?"

Lily gave him an odd look, but pulled the cork out of the ink bottle.

"I, Rose Evans," Severus began, leaning over her shoulder to watch as she placed quill to parchment.

"Wait, this isn't magic, is it?" Lily asked quickly, her eyes flicking back round to him, frowning.

"What? Afraid the Dementors will come and get poor little Lily?" Severus teased, running his fingers through her hair, a grin on his face.

Lily blushed.

"No, it's not magic," he reassured her. "At least, you writing on it isn't. I managed to get mother to do that."

"How...?" Lily couldn't imagine Severus getting his mother to do anything for him.

"Never mind that. I, Rose Evans," Severus repeated, and after a little pause, Lily wrote as he said.

"Promise never to pretend to be," he continued, "my stunningly beautiful...." His fingers brushed her hair from her face, his lips flitting over the skin of her neck and making her shiver.

"Severus!" Lily protested lightly, her writing shaking as he touched her.

"Highly intelligent," he moved further up her neck, teasing the sensitive skin behind her ear. Lily quivered, nearly dropping her quill. "Superior sister ever again."

"I'll just put sister," Lily said with a giggle. She finished up writing, and waited expectantly for the rest. When he said no more, simply continued to accost her neck, she asked, "That's it?"

"Hardly," he whispered against her skin, his fingers stroking the bare skin of her shoulder that showed around the straps of her dress. "I'm far from finished with you, Lily Evans."

"I meant the writing," Lily replied with a laugh, swatting at his arm.

"Oh, yes," Severus agreed, plucking the parchment and quill from her hand and placing it on the ground. "Quite enough of that."

He lowered her to the grass, pinning her under his weight. "Now to check you really are Lily, not her idiotic sister playing games again," he told her with a sly smile, his dark hair framing his face.

He lowered his head. His mouth closed over hers, stealing her breath away. Lily kissed him back, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue gliding over hers. She shifted a little beneath him, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground beneath her back. Severus groaned, his hips rolling, pressing into hers, his arousal pressing through their clothes into her pelvis.

Lily pulled away. She didn't want him getting too carried away, she wasn't ready for this yet, ready to take their relationship any further, and certainly not here where everyone and their house elves could see them. Quickly she spoke, trying to distract him, "So, now what? I need to get her to sign it?"

Severus drew a deep breath, sighed, then propped himself up on his elbows. "Yes. Should be easy enough – she knows you can't do magic outside of school and she wants her hair to grow back."

"And what will happen to her?"

"Absolutely nothing. Assuming she stays true to her word," Severus replied with a grin.

*****

"Sign it," Lily demanded, dropping the parchment in front of Rose.

Rose looked up from her lunch. "Excuse me?"

"Sign it," Lily repeated, shoving her quill at her sister. "If you want your hair back, you are going to have to give me your word that you're not going to pretend to be me ever again."

Rose read through the short note, picked the page up and tentatively turned it over like she expected it to bite her. Finally, she took the quill from Lily and wrote her name on the bottom of it. "Happy?" Rose snapped, raising one eyebrow.

Lily nodded.

"Well, get on with it then!" Rose demanded, tugging at the inch long hair on her scalp.

"No, you'll have to wait until we get back to school. You know I can't do magic...." Lily's words caught in her throat though, as she saw the short red hairs on her sister's head extending, rapidly growing down past her ears. Lily held her breath, worried about what sort of enchantments Mrs Snape had placed on the parchment, but when Rose's hair stopped midway down her back and Rose appeared unharmed, Lily felt herself breathe again.

"Nice one, sis," Rose commented, tugging at her hair as if to check it were real. "Well, I've got some things to do. Catch you in school, Rose. I mean, Lily!" Rose tossed her sister a smirk, and sauntered from the kitchen.

Lily shook her head, some things would never change.

"So, you got her to sign it?"

Lily turned to find Severus standing in the doorway, a grin on his face.

"Yes," Lily replied, smiling back. "But what is going to happen to her if she doesn't keep her word?"

"You'll see."

Lily eyed him suspiciously.

"Oh, it's nothing bad. Well, nothing that'll scar her for life," Severus replied, looking thoroughly amused, but something in his eyes put her at ease.

"Alright then, I'll let you have your fun," she answered, looking over at the doorway her sister had just left through. "I'm sure I won't have to wait long."

"Not long at all." Severus closed the space between them in two strides of his long legs. He bent down and kissed her lips softly. "I don't believe I saw dear mother and father Evans' car in the driveway?"

"They're out antique hunting for the day," Lily replied, amused by the hopeful look in Severus' eyes.

"Well then, there's a few things I must discuss with you upstairs."

Severus sat down on the edge of her bed, grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her, giggling, down on to the bed beside him. He looked so oddly out of place in her pink flowery room, his ivory complexion and ebony hair starkly contrasted against the pastel hues.

"So," Lily said, running a finger across his chest, and looking cheekily up at him, "what was it you wanted to discuss, Severus?"

"Well, not discuss so much as orate." And he kissed her, drawing out all those thrilling emotions once more.

"And perhaps just a little practical," Severus muttered against her lips, his hands sliding over the exposed skin of her stomach where her top had ridden up. Lily drew a sharp breath; his skin was cool against hers.

He pulled back, looking at her, his dark eyes delving into her mind, or so it seemed. And with a curl of his lips, obviously satisfied at what he saw, he slid down her body, kissing her bare stomach. He took his time, kissing his way back up, until he had her T-shirt off over her head. Lily flushed a little in embarrassment. Even wearing her bra, she'd never exposed this much of herself to him before.

"It's okay, Lil," he whispered, kissing her lips again. And he was right. It really was okay. More than.

He shifted again, his fingers tracing the top edge of her plain white bra, teasing her skin. "May I?" he asked, reaching around behind her, his hands on the clasp at the back.

She pondered for a moment. She wanted to, she really did, but Rose was home and she didn't want to lead him on. She still didn't feel ready for sex, heck, she wasn't even of age yet. And though Severus had taught her breaking the rules was sometimes fun, she had this niggling doubt in the back of her head there was a good reason why she should wait until she was seventeen.

"Just your bra, Lily, I promise," Severus said, soothingly. "You know you can tell me to stop the moment you don't like it."

Lily smiled, and found herself nodding.

He struggled for a while with the clasp, but eventually she felt it pop free, the fabric on her chest loosening. Severus was watching her intently, his gaze intimidating and intimate all at once. Slowly, he slid the straps down her shoulders, off over her wrists, never once leaving her eyes. Severus kissed her lightly once more, before sliding his body and his gaze down her torso.

He reached out, his fingers feather-light as he touched her. She looked down to see his pale fingers against her own pale skin. A perfect match. He circled her breasts, experimenting with his touch, sometimes light, sometimes a little firmer, never touching her nipples. Lily found need growing inside of her, her hips bucking slightly under him. His eyes met hers, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Please," she whimpered.

"Anything you want, Lily. Anything." And his thumbs brushed over the hardened nubs of her nipples, sending a delightful jolt through her.

His mouth soon followed, kissing her breasts, gliding his silky tongue over her skin. Finally, he drew one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently.

The fingers of one hand trailed down her side, down her leg, sliding under the hem of her skirt. For a while he stilled, his warm hand simply resting on her smooth skin, his mouth still teasing her nipple, his lips tugging harder on it. She whimpered.

Severus' hand began to slide up her leg, up the inside of her knee, to her thigh, creeping ever closer to her damp knickers. It would be so easy to just let him continue, to let him do as he wished. But no, not yet.

Lily grasped his arm and pulling it away.

He looked up at her. "Sorry, Lil. I'm so sorry."

Why was he always apologising to her?

"It's okay, Sev," Lily replied, but the moment was broken. He kissed her gently once more and slid off her.

They sat there awkwardly for a moment, before Lily retrieved her clothes, feeling embarrassed sitting there with her upper half bare. It reminded her too much of Severus being hung upside down by Potter.

Wait. That was something she'd wanted to find out more about.

"Can I see it?" Lily asked suddenly.

"See what?" Severus asked, looking confused.

"Your tattoo!" Lily exclaimed.

Severus blushed furiously. "What tattoo?"

"Severus Snape, you are a terrible liar! You know what tattoo!"

Lily watched as he rubbed at his hip, then, as he saw her looking, quickly pulled his hand away. "No."

"Oh, go on! Please?"

"No!"

Lily turned on him, knocking him flat on his back on the bed. "You just said anything I wanted, Severus."

"Did I? Well, that was silly, wasn't it?" he replied, but he made no move to stop her as she reached for his belt. She tugged at it, trying to free it from the buckle. As she moved, her wrist brushed the front of his trousers.

Severus moaned. "Careful, Lil. I'm balancing on the edge of control, here."

She blushed, quickly lifting her hands from him, using her just her precise fingers. Finally, she pulled it free, followed by the top button of his trousers. As she worked her way down, she was all too aware of the firm bulge beneath the fabric. Furiously, she tried to ignore it as her reddened cheeks gave her away.

He gasped, grasped her wrists and pulled her hands away.

"Let me see it!" she demanded.

"No."

"Go on!"

He looked at her, deliberating for a moment before undoing the rest of the buttons himself.

She grinned at him as she pulled down the band of his trousers. Underneath, she didn't find the greying underwear she expected, instead he had on black. A feeling of guilt washed over her as she remembered what she'd said to him, but she pushed it aside. There was no point dwelling on what had been said, they'd both been at fault.

She found her eyes drawn to the front of the underwear though, wondering at the length she could see beneath, before she averted her eyes. And there it was, on his hip, the tiny tattoo, though it wasn't so small up-close. About the size of her palm. And it was pretty, intricate. A vivid purple, tipped in black, everything was there, the brush strokes, the stamen with their bright yellow pollen, and even several emerald green leaves.

"It's beautiful. And not as small as I remember."

She looked up at him, expecting to find him watching her. Instead, he had a look of horror on his face, his eyes fixed on her door.

Lily felt her gut wrenching as she paused, not wanting to look. But she had to.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Daughter's. Bedroom."

Lily's eyes bulged at the look on her father's face. His face was red, veins pulsing in his forehead, his fists clenched.

"Dad!" Lily squeaked, looking back at Severus and realising what he saw, what he thought he saw. His daughter straddling some young oik, inspecting what lay beneath his trousers. "Dad, no, it's not like that!"

"Don't! Just don't!" Her father was glaring so hard Lily worried his eyes might pop right out. "Didn't you hear me, boy? I said get out!"

Severus leapt from the bed, tripping over his trousers as he did. Hastily he picked himself up from the floor, yanked his trousers up and shot out the door.

"Daddy..." Lily began again.

"Don't 'Daddy' me, Lily Evans. This is the kind of thing I expected from your sister, not you!"

"But..."

"But nothing. You are not to see that boy again. Ever!"

Lily stayed in her room, not daring to go out to join everyone for dinner. She sat there, stunned, listening to Rose and her parents strained conversation over dinner, hearing Rose leave for her room, the door clicking shut, then the hushed voices of her parents.

"I am not standing for it!" The sudden bellow in the almost silent house made Lily jump. "I am going over there and telling that boy's mother I will not stand for it!"

And then Lily listened in terror as she heard the front door slam. Her father had no idea, no idea what Mrs Snape was like. She couldn't let him go over there, completely unarmed. She ran from her room, pounding down the footpath behind him, finally catching up to him as he was banging on the Snapes' door, hitting it so hard with his fists Lily thought he might break it down.

"Dad, don't!" Lily pleaded with him.

"I am not having you see him again, Lily," he said in a harsh whisper. "Never again, you here me?"

"Fine, I won't see him again. Let's just go home. Please?"

But at that moment, the front door was wrenched open. Glowering, Mrs Snape loomed in the doorway, surveying the pair of them.

"Oh, it's you again," she said to Lily, sounding disgusted.

"Again?" Lily's father bellowed, glaring at his daughter. He turned back to Mrs Snape. "I do not want your son coming near my daughter again! Do you know what he's done to her? She's just a child! A child!"

Mrs Snape eyed her father. "Fine."

"Fine? Fine?!" Mr Evans yelled.

"I had no idea this was the girl that has my son so besotted. I assure you, it won't be happening again. I don't wish for my son to be consorting with..." Mrs Snape looked Lily over from head to toe, then took in her father's appearance, "with her sort, anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mr Evans demanded.

"It means the Snape family does not associate with Mudbloods."

Mr Evans looked confused. Like he wanted to yell at her, but obviously had no idea what she'd just called his daughter.

"Come on, Daddy, let's go," Lily said, tugging urgently at his arm, trying to pull him away.

Mr Evans stared at the woman, his mouth open to start yelling again, but it simply closed again, floundering for something to say.

"Dad, she's a witch. Come on," Lily urged. Finally, he seemed to snap back to life.

"Fine. You just tell your son what I said." And he turned away, pulling Lily back to the house.

"Oh, I assure you," Mrs Snape's chilling voice resounded in Lily's ears, "my son will get the message."

Fear gripped Lily like a hangman's noose about her neck.

She turned back around, looking up at the house, hoping to see Severus at his window, hoping she could warn him. But he wasn't there.

Her father dragged her home, his hand gripped her arm tightly, so hard it hurt. Lily didn't care though, she doubted the pain was anything compared to what Severus was going to have to endure.

"Severus!" she screamed back at the house, but the only response was the creak of the front door as Mrs Snape pulled it shut.

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A big thank you to my beta for all her help with IT :-)