We Were Baking? What?
Summary: Lily is bored one summer afternoon and forces Severus to suffer (?) alongside her. But at least they discover each other in a new way. Non-canon as this is the summer after their fifth year and Severus DID NOT call Lily a...well you know. Also, he's not as dirt poor as depicted in the books.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. I would just be like, "Bitch, I'm fabulous. I wrote Harry Potter." Nor do I own the song.
Thoughts are in italics.
15-year-old Severus Snape laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. It was a hot July afternoon and his desk fan wasn't doing him any favors. His dark eyes flitted across the ceiling, trying to observe any nuances or cracks in it. The fan blew his black hair by his nose, causing it to twitch uncontrollably. His head fell to the side to look at the scattered contents on his floor. He had finished his summer homework three weeks after he had come home from Hogwarts, so now he had the rest of the summer to lollygag. His parents were always working, so he had the house to himself, which didn't equate to rumpus. On the contrary, he was content reading books or going to the park with his best friend, Lily Evans.
As if someone had been reading his mind, someone knocked on the door. He groaned and slumped off the bed and ambled to the door. He opened it and immediately his mood perked up as he met two shining emeralds that belong to said best friend.
"Hi Sev! What are you up to today?" Her default mood was happy and for that he was grateful. They made an odd pairing, but she always knew how to brighten his day. His eyes scanned her up and down quickly as she peered into his house, as if to gauge how he had spent his day. He quirked a smile as he took in her outfit. Her fiery auburn hair cascaded down her back. She wore a simple green gingham sundress, which only served to accentuate her eyes. He wondered how he was lucky enough to know someone as beautiful as her. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes when he didn't respond immediately. He shook his head to focus on the present, which was an amused look on her face. He felt his cheeks heat up just a little bit.
"Er, nothing I suppose. Probably just reading some more." He shifted. Living in Spinner's End, which was a pitiful Muggle neighborhood, it was a given that his parents, while they both worked, didn't spare money on things for entertainment.
"Awww come on! You're always reading! You're coming with me back to my house and we're going to do something fun!" She waited for him to lace up his trainers and then grabbed his wrist and essentially dragged him all the way back down the block to her house, which was in the adjacent neighborhood. Being in love with his best friend sort of complicated things. It was a good thing she didn't bother turning around, otherwise she would have seen the enormous blush that had crept up his neck and had spread to his ears and cheeks.
She opened the door to her house, announcing she was back. To her surprise, there was no response. Her grip on his wrist had gone slack so that her hand was in his. Severus had turned even more red, as if that was possible for him. She had paid little heed as they made their way to the kitchen. Her eyes immediately honed in on a note that was on the table.
Lily,
Your father, Petunia and I have gone to the farmer's market over in London. We should be back this evening.
Love, Mum
She shrugged and tossed it back on the table.
"So, umm, Lily. What did you want to do?" Severus asked.
She turned to him and smiled. "We're going to bake!"
He tilted his head at her, eyebrows furrowed. She knew from the look on his face that he was trying to reason why baking would be fun. She giggled. "Sev, it's fun because we get to work together to make something delicious. And then eat it afterwards!"
"Well, I am pretty hungry..."
She let go of his hand, which she just realized had left tingles in hers. When did that happen? she thought. She walked around him to make her way to the cabinet, where her mum kept all the cookbooks and opened the door. She spotted the one that she wanted and frowned when she realized that it was on the top shelf. Even as she went on her tiptoes, her fingers barely brushed the spine. Severus was leaning back on the counter, clearly enjoying watching her struggle. He chuckled and walked up behind her, grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up. Partly because he knew she needed help and partly because he wanted an excuse to get close to her. He enjoyed holding her, but he was wondering how she was feeling.
There were shivers running up and down Lily's spine from him holding her. Pushing those thoughts aside, she managed to grab the book. He lowered her back down and stepped back a little, but he never took his gaze off of her. She was flipping through the book, looking for a recipe that was easy. Chocolate chip cookies were her favorite and she knew for a fact Severus loved them too. Whenever he came over, he would always steal a couple of them from the jar.
He saw the recipe that she had turned to and grinned. "Those are my favorite! How did you know?"
She rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "Sev, you ALWAYS steal cookies from the jar..." But she trailed off because of the way he was looking at her. There was a sense of...tenderness. It wasn't there before, that was certain, but it made butterflies erupt in her stomach and her heart start to race.
Over the past few months, they had been hanging out a lot. That was normal. But what wasn't normal was that they were starting to...interact more physically. There was a lot more hugging, arms around shoulders, heads on shoulders, and the occasional brushing of hands that send sparks up their arms. At first, they ignored it. But because they had been hanging out, they spent a lot of that time talking and getting to know each other inside and out. They had become a lot closer and it was clear to both of them that there was something bubbling below the surface of their friendship. But they were too afraid to admit it.
They just stared at each other, neither even bothering to cut the tension. A true Gryffindor, Lily cleared her throat and walked around him, trying to process the shift that was starting to happen. She placed the book on the counter and reached to turn on the radio. Paul McCartney was singing his heart out and it lightened the mood. She reached down into the drawer and took out a couple of aprons. She tossed one behind her for Severus to wear, when she heard a snort. She turned around to see what caused it, but immediately started laughing. The apron that he held up had cupcakes all over it with a pink and white swirled background. He started laughing too and eventually had to hold onto the counter for support.
"I-am-NOT-wearing-this!" He wheezed out. There were tears running down his face.
"But-your-clothes-will-get-dirty-!" She managed to say. She was wiping her eyes too. She had to admit, it was a pretty horrendous and kitschy pattern.
"I-don't-care!" He threw it back at her, which she caught and put back in the drawer.
"Alright! Well-since-you're-not wearing one, I suppose I'll back without it too." She put hers in the drawer as well. "Can you get the dry ingredients, Sev? I'll get the wet ones and the bowl and all of that."
"Sure."
She let the music fill her up as she twirled around the kitchen, gathering the eggs, butter, and milk, and bowl and whisk to attach to the mixer sitting on the counter. He let his head bob from side to side as he measured out the flour and cracked the eggs into a separate bowl. She reached across him to get the cup to measure out the sugar. They both blushed, but continued working. She creamed the butter and sugar together and slowed it down so that he could add the eggs and vanilla. She stopped it to scrape the sides, and resumed its speed, but increased it. Unfortunately, Severus decided it was a good time to pour the flour in.
"No, not yet Sev-!"
They were both covered in flour. She would have been peeved if he hadn't looked so cute trying to get it off his face. Since when do I think of him in that way? She blushed. She laughed and stepped closer to him, wiping it off his cheek. He stared at her, but she met his gaze confidently.
"You've got a little on your cheek too." He mused.
"Oh? Where?"
"Here, let me get it." He stepped closer and wiped it off. His eyes sought the batter, so he dipped a finger in it and swiped it on her cheek and smiled. Her eyes widened and she retaliated. Mouth open in mock surprise, he flicked flour at her so that it landed delicately in her hair.
From that point, there were various ingredients flying in the air, along with retorts of "You're SO dead meat!" and laughter. Soon, they were both covered in flour, eggs, batter, and sugar. As Severus reached to crack another egg on her head, his foot slipped and he fell, taking Lily along with him. He raised his head, only to be nose to nose with her. He then realized that he was on top of her and settled in between her legs. The blush came back full force. He started to say that he was sorry, but she just put a finger to his lips.
"Sev...what's going on here?" She wasn't mad though. She had a gentle smile on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...we both know that there's definitely something different. If you know what I mean."
He nodded stupidly. How was he supposed to respond to that? Just then, the DJ announced the next song. Luckily, she didn't hear because she was waiting for his response. He gulped.
"Lils. Just listen to this song. Okay?" He let his head fall because he didn't want to see her face.
She left the lyrics drift through her and felt her heart lift.
Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something
I think you'll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
Oh, please, say to me
You'll let me be your man
and please, say to me
You'll let me hold your hand
Now let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you i feel happy, inside
It's such a feeling
That my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide
Yeah you, got that something
I think you'll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you I feel happy, inside
It's such a feeling
That my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide
Yeah you, got that something
I think you'll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your ha-a-a-a-a-a-and
"Sev. Look at me." He did and was delighted to see that she had the biggest grin on her face. She propped herself on her elbows so that they look at each other more easily. He did the same, but moreso because his neck was starting to hurt.
"I-" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and looked away, but willed himself to look her in the eyes. With determination, he threw caution to the wind and just poured his heart out.
"I love you, Lily Evans. From the first moment I saw you perform magic, I knew that there was something special about you. Even when we were parted by the Sorting Hat, I always knew that we would always come back together. But then you started hanging out with Potter," he spat out the name like it was like a bogey-flavored jelly bean, "and those 'Marauders'. I felt like I was going to lose you. But...you defended me whenever those gits gave me hell. I knew then that there would be nothing that would ruin our friendship. This summer has been just fantastic. I feel like I can take on the world when I'm with you and I can tell you anything. And...what better thing to tell you than how I've felt all this time? I always wonder how blessed I am to be with an angel like you. One that's valiant, loving, beautiful," she blushed, "and...just everything that a person should be. I guess what I'm basically trying to say is that, there is not one other person that I would rather fall in love with than my best friend." He watched her carefully, watching the cogs turn in her head based on the way she was looking at him.
Her gut had been telling her that he liked her in a way that was beyond friendship, but never did she imagine that he would love her. Looking back on everything, she was stunned with herself to find that she loved him too. She didn't realize it until now because she had broken down his walls and willed herself to break hers down, allowing for an unbreakable connection to forge. She was a little tongue-tied at the moment and blurted out,
"You can hold my hand, Sev." She quirked a smile and giggled.
"As much as I love that you are responding to the song, I have to know: Why are you laughing?"
"Because...I love you too but I'm not as good as expressing it."
He chuckled and grinned, which was a massive understatement to how he was dancing on the inside. Again, they just stared at each other. Feeling a lot bolder, he started to lean down, hoping to Merlin that she would get the hint. She's the top of her class for a reason: She leaned up too. Their foreheads were touching and they just looked at each other. They tilted their heads, closed their eyes and forever crossed the threshold of friendship.
It was a soft kiss at first. Snape had never been kissed, but had seen it on film, so in his mind, he was mildly panicking. He was under the impression that Lily and James had snogged and was trying to figure out how to be a better kisser than him. After hearing a whimper from her, he thought to hell with that and just let his body take over. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor, with her arms wrapping automatically around his neck. He turned around and sat down with his back against the cabinet and settled her in his lap. The kiss started to get more passionate from this point. He felt her tongue swipe across his lower lip. Out of curiosity, he sucked on the tip and was surprised to her inhale sharply. Taking this as a positive response, he copied her and knew exactly why she had that reaction. It felt like electricity traveled through his whole body. Before he knew it, they were, what did Lucius call it, French kissing. He now understood why Lucius liked it with it Narcissa- WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT LUCIUS? He turned his mind back to the girl currently sitting in his lap. He moved his hands from around her waist to her neck. His fingers fiddled with her ears because he read in a magazine that women find this to be thrilling. She shivered in his arms and he gave himself a mental high five. He let his hands cradle her head as their tongues battled for dominance.
Lily was savoring every moment. She knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later with how close they were. She let her fingers drift through his hair and was surprised to find that it was very soft and not as all greasy like Potter kept saying. Maybe he's using a new shampoo. He groaned and she smiled into the kiss. Severus held her as close as possible, because he was minimally trying to convince himself that this was all a wonderful, albeit bittersweet dream. But as she nipped his lip, he knew it wasn't a dream and kissed her even more passionately. Air was necessary and they broke apart, gasping. She rested her forehead against his, laying a kiss on it.
"We should probably clean up the kitchen." She sighed.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Plus we're covered in...stuff."
She laughed and got off his lap and pulled him up. He pulled her towards him and kissed her. HARD. He let her go and smirked when he saw that she was a little bit dazed. "You know...I could just clean this up with my wand..." He plucked it out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers.
She gave him a look. "Sev, you know we're not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts!"
Normally he would shy away with that look. The one that said, "I hope you're kidding." But he was feeling on top of the world. "What they don't know won't hurt them." He winked at her. He flicked his wand and all the spills drifted into the garbage can, while all the the baking supplies drifted back into the appropriate spots. The bowl and whisk floated to the sink and the sponge scrubbed and the sink ran to rinse it all off. They went back to the mixer, which unplugged itself and coiled around the base. The kitchen was immaculate and she sighed.
"Well, so much for baking. Now what?"
"Oh, I think I know." He jerked his head towards her room upstairs while wearing a wolfish grin. She shook her head and smiled.
She liked this new, more confident Severus. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I could get used to snogging you, but we're both really dirty." He looked down at his shirt and jeans and sighed. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I know. Do you want to go out tomorrow? We could have a picnic down by the river."
"That sounds absolutely delightful. Do you want me to walk you back?"
"I would love that."
They walked out of the house, smiling at each other. He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. They walked down the road in a comfortable silence. Once they reached his front porch, they hugged, but refused to let go. She looked up at him with love and that made his heart pound, but he didn't mind. He leaned down and kissed her, once again holding her head in his hands. He pulled back to look into her eyes and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'll come by your house tomorrow morning. I'll pack the food." He whispered.
"I'll be waiting."
She hugged him again and turned around, but he pulled her in for one more kiss. She giggled. "Sev, I have to go home!"
"I know. But I don't want to be away from you anymore. I love you."
"I love you too, silly. But we have the rest of the summer AND the school year. Our Houses will never keep us apart."
"That's a fact, isn't it?"
"You better believe it." He grinned.
"Bye Sev!"
"Bye Lily..."
He watched her hair float through the summer night air as she skipped down the road back to her house. He went inside the house, showered and sat on his window sill. Yes. She really was the epitome of sunshine and his life had become that much brighter.
