Oddest Couple

Lily Potter was a mysterious girl. She spent most of her time in the library studying or in Slughorn's office practising different potions with Slughorn himself and another student who was greatly interested in potions.

'Severus, do you know any way to speed up the process of this Draught of Peace?' Lily asked, stirring the potion clockwise five times.

'When you add the asphodel, add seven drops instead of five,' Snape answered. He didn't even look up from the Sleeping Draught he was preparing.

'Do you memorise your notes?' Lily asked as she added the asphodel.

Snape shrugged as he continued. Lily stared at him. He was the only boy she knew that was just as interested in potions as she was. More importantly, he was the only boy she knew that would put up with her as much as he would.

POW! Lily's potion exploded, showering an incomplete Draught of Peace all over the Potions classroom. Her cauldron was now emitting a greenish fog and a rather fowl smell of dirty socks.

'Lily!' Severus called, making his way through the fog. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine!' Lily called, panting heavily and wiping potion from her face.

Severus finally reached out and grabbed her hand. 'Get away from there before it explodes again,' he said, pulling her away from her cauldron.

Lily followed Severus through the fog and out of the classroom into the dungeon corridor.

Severus smiled when he took a look at her. It was a genuine smile that Lily had grown to love. He reached up and wiped a glob of potions off her nose.

Lily could feel her face growing hot. She hadn't been paying attention to the potion. That was why it had blown up.

'Best just to clean up before Slughorn gets back from lunch,' Severus said, waving his wand at the classroom. Lily watched as the classroom cleaned itself and cleared the fog away.

'You can do non-verbal spells?' Lily said. That was advanced magic. They wouldn't learn that until next year.

'I've had a bit of practise with them,' Severus said. He pointed his wand at Lily now. She tensed. 'Not to worry,' he whispered delicately. 'I'm not going to hex you.'

He flicked his wand at her and Lily felt all of the potion clear off of her body.

'Thanks,' Lily said. She pulled her hair out of a ponytail and let it fall down to her shoulders. She looked up and noticed Severus staring at her. She blushed.

'Lily,' he started, moving an inch closer.

'Severus,' she whispered, frozen in place.

He reached a hand up and touched her face. His hands were ever so warm. And then his face came closer to hers, ever so close...

*****

It was nearly ten o'clock and Lily was sitting in the common room with her Potions textbook open. But Lily wasn't reading. She was reliving her kiss with Snape in her mind. Everything had been so perfect.

'Lily,' Remus said abruptly, snapping her back to reality. 'Do you have any idea what happened in the Goblin rebellions?'

'Well,' Lily said, getting ready to explain in full detail the happenings, 'the goblins -'

But Lily was cut off by a screeching owl, which dropped a letter in her lap. She picked up the envelope and stared at it. Her name was written on the outside of it in green calligraphy. She instantly recognised the handwriting. She only looked at it every day.

'Who's it from?' Remus asked, peering over to see the front of it.

'None of your business, Mr. Nosy,' Lily said, pulling the letter to her chest.

'It's from Snivellus, isn't it?' Remus groaned.

Lily snatched a pillow from behind her and hurled it at Remus' head, hitting him square in the face.

Lily took this opportunity to race up to her dormitory, carrying her textbook and her letter.

Once safe inside the dormitory, Lily hopped in bed and pulled back the curtain. She violently ripped open the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment.

The writing was Severus' neat green script.

Dearest Lily,

Nunc scio quit sit amor. You walked into my life at what I thought was the worst time imaginable. But now I know that your love was what I truly needed. Meet me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest tomorrow during lunch hour.

Till next we meet,

Severus Snape

Lily's heart fluttered. Nunc scio quit sit amor. She had never received a more beautiful love letter. Come to think of it, Lily had never received a love letter. Unless she counted the letters from James that said, 'Want to snog?'

Lily sighed to herself. She fancied a Slytherin, a wizard, and an amazing boy, who just happened to feel the same way about her.

But little did Lily know, their time together would not, could not, last long. And even less did she know that they would grow apart and he would become the man to lead her, her future husband, and future her son to a terrible fate.