Centaurs Attack!

(Fanon-verse, Lucius is the same age as everyone else)

(open thread)

"Really Evans- are you certain about this?" Lucius drawled out as he walked with the red headed girl and his partner from the Slug-Club. "Seems rather unnecessary. We both have top marks in potions. Seems like extra credit is over kill."

"You'd just rather laze about, Malfoy. I know you. Get a weekend off, and you want to spend it relaxing."

Lucius sighed. "Heaven forbid that." Thankfully he told Severus he was leaving to go collect an ingredient for Slughorn- just in case he was gone far too long.

The two partners made their way into the forest, Lucius holding the lantern as they crunched over the dead leaves and various other bits and pieces littering the floor of the forest. They didn't say anything else as they began their search for the elusive root Slughorn was harping on in the last meeting. The two unwittingly made their way further into the forest- concentrating on the task at hand and not on where they were going.

Dusting her hands off on her skirt, Lily stood up. She glanced around a few times, and then frowned. "Oi, Malfoy- er... I think we're lost."

"Nonsense! W-we're not lost." Lucius frowned back and gestured vaguely to where they came from. "We came from over there!"

"...Are you CERTAIN it wasn't over there?" Lily bit her lip and motioned toward a small clearing. "I thought we came from there."

Lucius turned around in a slow circle. "Er... the trees all look the same, Evans. Means we're screwed I think."

"N-no, we're not screwed, don't be crass!" She made a face. "Come on... let's keep going. We'll find our way out soon enough."

"Your optimistic view on our current condition does nothing to help, Evans." Lucius grumbled and followed her further into the forest. "And I do think we should be heading back, not forward."

"...How do you know we aren't going back now?"

Lucius pressed his lips into a thin line, thinking for a moment for a good answer. He never came up with one, continuing to follow Lily through the maze of trees. Another hour ticked by and suddenly, Lucius came to a stop. "Evans... hang on. I think I remembered something about this part of the forest. I think-"

Lucius never got the chance to finish his statement as an arrow whizzed by his head, getting lodged in a tree right by his head. Lily turned to him, her green eyes matching the terrified look in his silver ones. She grabbed his hand and the both of them went running faster through the woods- the sounds of hooves and arrows far too close around them. "Trees! Climb the trees!" Lucius shouted to her and grabbed a low hanging branch. He swung himself up, climbing deftly through the branches toward the top of canopy of branches. Lily followed suit, and soon enough the both of them were nestled in the maze of branches- obscured from view.

"Where are they!" One of the centaurs barked below them.

"I don't know, they just vanished! Tricky women."

"We haven't seen a human woman in fifty years, and we manage to lose them both!"

Lily nearly gave their position away as she covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "They think you're a woman."

"Really now. How obviously wrong of them." Lucius muttered dryly, looking unamused as can be. The two of them remained in the trees for hours as the centaurs circled their tree. Eventually the beasts slowly left the area. "...I think it's alright to start moving again."

"But where are we going to go? If we jump down, they'll see us! And you know what centaurs do." Lily murmured quietly. "I'm going to send a message to the Gryffindor common room. Hopefully some one will be willing to come get us down."

"I did tell Sev we were coming out here. M-maybe he's alerted some professors to our absence."

"I'm still sending an SOS to the common room board." Lily quickly scrawled out a note on a spare bit of parchment.

-

On the bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room, a new note slowly began to take shape.

HELP. STUCK IN A TREE IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST. SURROUNDED BY CENTAURS WHO THINK MALFOY IS A GIRL. WOULD BE HILARIOUS ANY OTHER TIME. -LILY EVANS.

Snape was getting agitated. Lucius had been gone for far to long--and of all places--into the Forbidden Forest. Snape moved through the corridors twitchily, his lank hair swishing at the sides of his pale face as he went, keeping his eyes open for any sign of Potter and his group of idiots. Suppose I should go check on them... He had assumed his friends could take care of themselves but maybe he should have tagged along anyway. He now regretted his decision to stay behind, as he made his way across the grass towards the forest.

"Hey Snivy!"

Snape whirled so quickly that he almost fell over. His wand was out in a flash, pointed at the source of that damned nickname.

"Potter, fuck off. I'm busy." Snape snarled.

"Oh such a dirty mouth, Sniv. But it does suit the rest of you then, doesn't it?" James added. "Put your wand away, no one wants to see it anyway. Besides, I'm on a mission myself." James shoved past Snape, who shoved his wand up his sleeve and jogged to catch up with James.

"The Forbiden Forest?" Snape asked, his voice quiet as he raised an eyebrow slightly and then let it drop back into place.

"Yeah. I'm about to go save Lily and Lucius. I can see it now..." James held his hands up in front of him indicating a headline, with a smug expression that Snape wished to hex off his face. "Valiant Gryffindor Hero Saves--"

"Oh please..." Snape's face screwed up with disgust as he kept in stride with James, though made sure not to be too close to him.

"--Two Beautiful Women--" James went on.

"Lucius isn't a female. I know you're impossibly thick, Potter, but I would assume even a complete moron like you could distinguish between male and female easily enough."

"Lucius is pretty enough, I'd say he counts, Sniv. Besides, ugly gits like you can't really afford to be bothered with something like gender, could they? I mean no ones lining up to see the impressive Snivy out of his skivvies now are they?" James made a big deal about looking around, as if looking for Snape's endless line of suitors. Severus was glaring harder than ever, his jaw clenched tight. He had decided James wasn't worth speaking to, and that the moment Lucius and Lily were okay, he was going to turn James into something even more disgusting than what he already was.

"Wait a minute, how did you know Lucius and Lily were in the forbidden forest?" Snape asked, narrowing his dark eyes at James as they approached the outer line of trees that would open up into the forest.

"Oh. Lily sent a notice to appear on the Gryffindor board. She wanted help, apparently she and Lucius have been chased up a tree by Centaurs. What were they doing in the Forbidden Forest anyway? You probably sent them after some damn potion nonsense." This last part James sneered accusingly at Snape who didn't have time to glare back at him--Snape bolted ahead of James into the forest.

"You're never going to find them." James muttered to the empty space that had been Snape. He pulled out the Marauders Map, tapped it, and found Lucius and Lily's name on the map. Easy. "Accio broom."

Snape was still tracking through the forest as quickly as possible, going just on his knowledge of the Forbidden Forest that he had come up on in research. He knew which direction he had entered the forest from, and also knew which area was supposed to be set aside as restricted habitat for the creatures, and so he did his best to get to that area that Lucius and Lily had probably mistakenly ran across. How James expected to find the duo was beyond Snape, as he was sure the smug Gryffindor preferred to use his books as paperweights rather then crack them open--and Merlin forbid a poke through the library.

Snape muttered to himself as he went along, and smiled to himself triumphantly when he came across footprints, both human ones and hooves. Now all he had to do was follow the fresh human prints in the soft dirt...

Severus ducked behind a tree, having spotted some centaurs gathered around the base of a tree. He looked upwards, and near the top of the tree he could make out two figures. Severus was considering his best course of action. Maybe using magic on the Centaurs wasn't really the best option, they were powerful creatures. There had to be a way to get Lily and Lucius down. Snape went through a list in his head, finally settling on a vanishing charm. He would make himself invisible get up the tree, make Lily and Lucius invisible as well, and then the three of them could get down the tree and away from the creatures without being seen. Severus preformed the spell on himself, and wove his way around the group of creatures surrounding the tree--he stopped in his tracks however, when James Potter flew out from the trees with some sort of stupid war cry to herald his arrival. Snape's shoulders slumped. A broom was of course the most logical idea and Snape would have used one. Brooms however, were very expensive items even at the cheapest, and so Snape did not own one.

James stopped his broom next to the branch where Lily and Lucius sat.

"Climb aboard, my lovely ladies, and your handsome hero will take you to safety." James grinned, and below him, the invisible Slytherin scowled murderously.

"My ass hurts." Lucius mumbled as he shifted around on the branch. "This was the worst idea ever, Evans."

"You've told me that several times, yet you have yet to experience sitting on a branch in a skirt."

"And why would I wear a skirt, in the first place?"

Lily raked her teeth over her bottom lip trying hard not to laugh. "Because you're my girlfriend!"

"Not funny! NOT FUNNY!" Lucius hissed and swatted her leg.

She wiped a tear from her eye, shaking her head. "Yes... yes it totally is. To be fair, you'd give half the witches in school a run for their money if you wore a skirt, Malfoy."

"...Not my fault half the witch population has stumpy legs." He rested his arms across a branch, watching the centaurs bellow. "I hope... some one comes for us. I feel so idiotic right now. I can't think of anything..."

"Well... I can't either. I'm tired. Sore. Got splinters. And hungry." Lily sighed, and then took the offered chocolate frog from Lucius. He ate his other one, sitting in silence with Lily- that was up until a war cry came from out of no where.

"Oh thank Merlin." Lucius sighed in relief. They would get to leave at last. He reached out to board the broom when Lily snapped him out of the thrill of getting to leave.

"Potter! Potter you idiot they have arrows!" Lily sputtered. "You've alerted them!"

Lucius looked down in time to see one of the centaurs taking aim at James's direction. He reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling James on their branch as an arrow sliced through the leaves and branches from below- lodging itself just above their heads. "They're riled up again. If we try to leave now, we'll be shot out of the sky ...So. Welcome to the branch. At least we've got a growing population, Evans."

Lily sighed. "Quite. Three. Well... now what do we do?"

"Severus- he knows we're here. He'll come." Lucius said firmly.

"Sev! Of course! Why didn't we take him with us? That would have been the smart thing." Lily sighed.

"I don't know, this whole thing was a mess from the start." Lucius said glumly. "If Severus doesn't come, we can try to fly out of here when they've fallen asleep."

James sat on the branch in between Lily and Lucius, trying not to let his failure get him down too much. He had thought the war cry had been a nice touch...well, until the arrows, at least.

"They're horsepeople, surely they can't have that good of aim." James ducked quickly, narrowly avoiding an arrow that zoomed past his head and stuck into the tree near the first one. "Bollocks." Should have brought the invisibility cloak.

Snape watched the scene unfold, shaking his head at James's stupidity and recklessness. Leave it to a Gryffindor. Snape recast his vanishing spell just to make sure it continued to last, and climbed his way up the tree. He finally made it up to the branch the three were sitting on.

"It's me!" Snape said. "I'm invisible..."

"You should do that more often then, invisible suits you." James interrupted.

"...we have to be quick about it. It doesn't last very long." Snape went on, ignoring at least for now, James's jab at him.

He touched his wand to Lucius' blond head, and cast the charm. Lucius vanished. James was next, and then Lily. He then cast a charm onto James's broom to make it a bit longer so it could seat them all, and climbed onto it.

"Everyone onto the broom. Once we're all on, I'll make it invisible as well and we'll be out of here. Don't sit on me--I'm near the back." Snape clutched onto the broom when he felt a shove. "Who was that? Potter? Don't go trying to shove me off!" He snapped.

"I can't see you Sniv, but trust me, if I could see you, I'd love to give you a shove." James settled himself onto the broom. James ignored the irate, muttered curses, from Snape. "Is everyone on?"

"Regretfully, they do. You're lucky they don't consider you a woman. Centaurs are infamous for-Sev!" Lucius said enthusiastically. "You're here, I knew you'd come. You have no idea how happy I am to see you- er, if I could see you I'd hug you." He said whilst getting on the broom with Lily. "...Who am I sitting on?"

"Not me." Lily said. "Is that your hand on my leg?"

"Not sure- as I can't see it." He said dryly. His hands collided with someone's hips, but he held on, not wanting the person in front of him to fall off. Not when they had come so close to escaping. "I'm sorry to whomever I'm grabbing. It's unintentional."

Lily put her hands on the person in front of her, holding on to whomever's shoulders it was. "Alright, we're all on. Unintentional groping included... Let's get the hell out of here- and fast!"

"Whoever is flying- fly to Hogsmede. I need a butter beer after this. My treat. And I don't treat often." Lucius offered.

"That's because you're a cheapskate, Malfoy." Lily grinned.

"Evans... I'm putting a spider in yours."

James kicked off as well as he could from the branch below them.

"I'm flying of course." He added. "Who else could be expected to handle a broom so expertly in such a harrowing situation?"

He grinned smugly, though invisibly, as he steered his elongated broom with three extra people on it. The extra weight did make things feel much differently, and it took him a bit to get used to it but he didn't have much time to waste feeling things out. He soared them over the treetops and away from the forest, towards Hogsmede.

"You know Lucius, that's awfully nice of you to offer to treat us. Women are so liberal these days! It's a good thing, don't you think, Evans?"

Merlin get me off of this damn broom-Severus thought, glaring hard, as he held on to whomever was in front of him and tried to tune out Potters smug banter. This was entirely uncomfortable, and not just being on the broom, but being snuggled up to someone--not just someone, but he knew who it was even without her being visible. He could feel her curls flying with the wind, and they were in his face, the soft feel of them and the scent of her hair making his glare soften until it was completely melted in to something of almost contentment. Snape's black eyebrows remained drawn upwards and together, as he still felt awkward being so close to her like this. His arms were circled around her waist but then that began to feel too weird. Maybe he was clinging too tightly to her.

He was afraid to move his arms and hands at all, lest they touched something he shouldn't, but at last he did move them though he wasn't sure where he was moving them to. His hands gripped her hips as James swooped down, narrowly between to buildings--the stupid show off. He had no time to mutter curses under his breath at James, because his brain broke through with: Oh fuck get your hands off her--you're GROPING her. You're groping Lily's hips and she'll think you're disgusting or something horrible!

As if he had touched something hot, Severus yanked his hands off of Lily and with a small cry of surprise, Snape toppled off the end of the broom. Luckily this happened only a few feet off the ground, as James was coming in for his landing. Snape saw that the three still on the broom had become visible once more. He realized a bit belatedly that so was he. James had already hopped off of his broom, and turned to point and laugh as Snape hurriedly picked himself up from the dusty ground, almost falling over again from a combination of dizziness and complete embarrassment about all of it.

This is HORRIBLE. Snape thought, as his clammy hands brushed at his school robe. He could feel his face hot and high with color. And you were groping her. He knew later on he would recall the closeness more fondly, and when he was alone he would savor that bit of the memory more than he was at this moment--but right now he felt nothing but awkward and here was that prick James just making it worse, as always.

"Shove off, Potter, before I hex your face to look like an arse." Snape growled, his teeth clenched as he moved past the other teens and into the pub.

Lucius relaxed once the tops of trees slowly faded into the distance and the rooftops of Hogsmede were coming into view. He had no idea how they got so lucky to get out of there without any harm coming to them, but he was more than grateful for it. After awhile he figured out where everyone was on the broom. He was behind James, Lily was behind him, and that left Severus sitting behind Lily. He idly wondered how his friend was fairing back there, given his feelings for Evans. He didn't dwell on it further, when James opened his mouth again. "Potter- when we land, I'm borrowing Evans' purse and I'm hitting you with it."

"Wait until I put a brick in it." Lily snickered and enjoyed the freedom of the cool fall air whipping through her long red hair. "I'm sorry to whomever is sitting behind me. You must be getting a face full of my hair!" as for the hands on her hips, she didn't notice- not one bit. And if she had paid it more than a second's worth of time, she passed it off as needing balance while they rode. Especially considering the way James flew.


"potter! Oh Merlin watch out for the house! Ooooo who taught you how to fly?!" Lucius moaned as the large dip. Once they were on the ground and stable, he looked to Lily. "Purse please."

"Gladly." She handed him her purse and went over to Severus as he entered the pub. "Oh Sev, are you alright? Potter's a maniac flyer, I know. thank you for coming to save us. We really would have been stuck in that tree if it wasn't for you."

Lucius smacked James in the back of head with the purse. "That's for repeatedly insinuating that I'm a woman." He hauled off and punched him in the upper arm. "THAT'S for picking on Severus- you know we'd be stuck in that tree if not for him." he grabbed james by the shoulders, pressing his lips hard and fast to the other teen's- so quickly it was as if they weren't even there- "And THAT'S for trying to save us. Evans! Wait up! I have your tacky purse!"

James stood there stunned. First of all, he was smacked with a purse, but that hardly compared to that kiss. It was quick but still--it was a kiss, and from Malfoy no less. Lucius's good looks made him a whispered about topic among lots of students at Hogwarts. Of course, he was a Slytherin, and most Slytherins were to be despised--it was like some sort of unwritten rule due to old rivalries between two of the founders, who were friends-turned-enemies. James thought it over for a moment. He had looked inappropriately at Lucius a time or two, but he'd never before considered actually pursuing him. At last James made his decision, deciding to go by his gut which told him as usual that rules, in the end, were made to be at least bent, and sometimes even broken.

And besides, he wanted another kiss.

"Fine." Severus said shortly, to Lily, trying to keep from blushing so hard. He glanced down at her hips for a moment, and then just as quickly looked away--to anywhere--realizing that he had been about to start staring. She's your best friend. You see her all the time. Snap out of it! Snape schooled his face into a passive expression. "Of course I would come, but I should have went with you in the beginning. You shouldn't wander to places if you don't know them. If anything ever happened to--what I mean is--well, it's dangerous."

Severus looked towards the bar, wishing he could buy Lily a drink, but he had nothing in his pockets but holes.

Lily sighed. "It was such a stupid mistake. We were so wrapped up in trying to find that root for Slughorn. Hubris, really, Sev. We thought we were so good, that we could find it together when he couldn't. Stupid, hm? It a potions master can't find a root, what could a couple of upperclassmen do?" She made a bit of a face and sat down at a table in a bit of a huff. "I suppose we got exactly what we deserved, hm? Chased up a tree by centaurs. We're more than lucky they didn't catch us. I'd hate to see what would have happened when they noticed Malfoy wasn't a woman." She snickered. "It's not funny but... oh hell. It is."

She tossed her long hair back, looking to Severus with her fetching green eyes. "I do owe you one, Sev. Maybe we can do something with the remainder of our weekend that doesn't involve the forbidden forest?"

Lucius headed into the bar, tossing Lily her purse. "Evans, your tacky purse."

"Oh it is not tacky. You're just picky."

"I'm not picky, I just have good taste." Lucius sat down at the table, flagging down the waitress to give her an order for four butter beers. He reaches up and pulls out a twig from his blonde hair. "Evans. You have leaves."

"Damn!" She muttered and started plucking leaves from her red hair. "We must look a total mess..."

"Well. You do. I look as elegant as always." Lucius reached down to dust off his dirty pants. "...Kidding. We're both filthy, require a bath, and a long meeting with a hair brush."

"...Wait, what did you do to Potter? He hasn't come in yet." Lily cast a look to the door.

"I dismembered him." Lucius said simply.

"...You did not."

He gave an exaggerated huff and an eye roll. "Oh fine. I didn't dismember him, I kissed him."

Lily stared at him, to Severus, and then back to Lucius again. "...Merlin, you DID dismember him, didn't you!"

She tossed her hair and those beautiful, intense green eyes were on him. He had been intrigued by them since he had first laid eyes on her, peeking timidly around a bush where he had hid often to watch Lily and her sister, planning the day when he would finally approach her.

"You owe me nothing." He said, very quietly. Sometimes when he looked into her eyes too much, he found it quite hard to speak. He glanced down at his hands, pale, small, fiddling with a bottle cap that lay on the table from its previous occupant. "But um...we could...perhaps study together?"

Ugh. That was stupid. They studied together all the time. She probably wanted to do something a bit more fun with the rest of her weekend. Snape took one of the butterbeers the waitress had just sat down on their table.

"You dismembered him?" Here Snape smiled over the top of his butterbeer. He looked rather satisfied had that really been the case, but of course he didn't believe it. "But you didn't let me watch? And I thought you were my friend." Severus took a small sip of the sweet butterbeer, but almost coughed it back out at what Lucius said next. Snape swallowed quickly to avoid further catastrophe, and then stared across the table at Lucius with a look of shock on his face which was almost funny to see there, as he normally didn't allow much to take him by surprise.

"You kiss...kissed..." Snape sputtered for a moment before getting the name out. "POTTER?!" His surprise melted away into a look of skepticism. "Don't joke about such things, Lucius. If you were to kiss that you would surely end up with a disease. Not to mention, the thought of it turns my stomach and I am trying to enjoy myself. You should give me that rare opportunity, instead of speaking about...snogging the toerag."

"You shouldn't call names Sni--Severus. It isn't nice." James said as he messed up his hair as was his habit when he felt the need to impress. He sat down next to Lucius, so closely that their hips touched. He grinned at the blond. "Wasn't that a great escape? Did you see how expertly I sped my trusty broomstick out of that forest? That's quite an accomplishment with three people on the back, not that I'm surprised I could pull it off--if anyone could then it would be me. Oh and wasn't that brilliant how I swooped over those rooftops and between those buildings? They didn't beg me to be seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for nothing, mate."

James took a swallow of butterbeer.

"He's going to make me sick." Severus muttered.

"Oh, you're only jealous." James said simply, but then turned back to Lucius. "You know, you're hair is really gorgeous. Like...spun sunlight. Has anyone ever told you before?"

"Study? Severus Snape. You're as bad as she is, wanting to collect things on a Saturday night. Homework... on the weekend." Lucius just shook his head. His best friend had a chance to spend time with Lily and that's the best he could come up with? Clearly, he needed some friendly advice on the subject.

"Studying is fine, Lucius." Lily rolled her eyes. "We can have a picnic by the black lake while we study- enjoy the nice fall weather before it gets too cold to." She suggested. There was nothing wrong with studying- besides, she didn't exactly have the money to go out anywhere either, and having a picnic while the work was being done seemed like a nice way to spend a Sunday. "Besides, we're having butter beers in Hogsmede right now, so I think we're doing quite well for our selves fun wise."

"Oh fine. And no Severus- if I was going to do that I'd give you a front row seat- maybe let the Mundungus twins sell tickets." Lucius went back to his drink. He bristled slightly when he felt James invading his space, and scooted over a bit to regain some of it back. He watched James fix his hair, raising a blonde brow in wonder if his messing around just got him into more trouble. He bit back a reply for the sake of politeness- knowing well how he got to be sitting comfortably in the pub. "Yes, it was something. That's for sure."

Lily blinked at James' behavior, wondering what exactly happened out there. "Er... maybe this is a blessing in disguise, Sev. Malfoy's keeping him busy."

Lucius sighed slowly at the comment to his hair, his eyes drifting to Severus and Lily. Severus was the first friend he made- that he could trust more than anything. And Evans, Evans let him get away with nothing and as much as that annoyed him, he knew he needed it to be that way. However.. he also knew how much Severus cared for Lily, it was all over his face at times... It would be very good of him to give them more time together. He made up his mind at turned back to James. "Why thank you. I pride myself on my hair. ....Amongst other things, you know. I see that they put in a billiards table- I'm going to go over to play. I suggest you come, Potter." He slowly got up from the table, heading over toward the pool table with an enticing swing of his hips.

His father liked this game, and taught a mildly disinterested Lucius how to play. Every night. He could entertain James with a game of pool while Severus and Lily spoke- oh yes. Lucius Malfoy was a terribly good friend, or at least he thought so.

James slid out of his seat with a wink to Lily.

"Don't let Snivy get grabby while I'm gone." He said to her, and then sauntered over to the pool table. Lucius' swaying hips had been all the invitation James had needed. "So...how do you play this game?" James picked up one of the pool cues, and dragged his fingertip over the end of it, coming back with a chalky blue smudge.

Snape opened his mouth to direct a parting barb at James, but then closed it again, just glowering at him instead. He would never be so bold and crude as James was to just grope Lily, especially in public. No, only on the back of brooms. He wasn't James Potter, which meant he wasn't a disgusting toerag. The least thing he would want to do was to make Lily feel uncomfortable or to be rude to her. She was too wonderful to be treated so poorly and should Snape ever catch anyone 'getting grabby' with her he would hex them in a heartbeat with some of the worst ones he knew, and he would enjoy it.

Severus tuned back to Lily, intent on not letting the presence of James' ego and stupidity ruin their time together. He missed when it had just been him and Lily as children spending what seemed like endless days together. They were his best and brightest memories. Time with Lily had been his ports of escape from a horrible childhood. At the end of the day he still had to go home, hear the screaming and arguments, remain victim of his father's heavy hand and hateful words, and his mother's disconnectedness from it all--but in the worst of times he could close his eyes and look into hers, and know that all was not lost. There was hope for him after all, because Lily had befriended the boy who no one wanted. She was all that he had, and she was all that he loved.

"A picnic sounds perfect. It has been a while since we've done something, just...just you and I. You've been with your other friends a lot, lately." He added a bit stiffly. "I know you've been busy."

Of course, that was a horrible thing for him to have said to her. It was a very jealous thing for him to have said to her. It wasn't as if he owned her...but she was his friend first, and he was the one who loved her. He wondered if he would ever be able to tell her.

"Well Potter, it's fairly simple. My father learned it from the soldiers." He went about explaining the game of Stripes and Solids- where the player had to sink in all of their assigned balls, and then pocket the eight-ball.

"So... it's not the rules that are the hardest part, it's trying to hold the cue." He grabbed one out of the rack, as the enchanted pool table set the balls up for them in the middle of the table. "The power comes from the back swing, but the success of the stroke comes from guidance in the front." He leaned over the pool table, setting up the shot. He was aware of the mildly sexual position he was in, but he figured James' competitive nature would over ride the nature of his pose to learn a new game.

He executed a decent break, scattering the balls across the felt table. He handed James the cue. "Give it a shot. It is a bit awkward, Potter." He warned.

-

"Yes, but the start of the fall semester is always busier. Everyone's getting caught up with what happened over summer, complaining about this and that. It's nearly overwhelming." She shrugged. "My other friends all live away from me. They aren't as lucky as us- we're always caught up because we live so close." She nodded.

"But you're right, we haven't been able to spend much time- Once this project with Malfoy and the Slug Club is over, we'll have more time to hang around." She smiled at him. "Starting with tomorrow! I can't wait. I love picnics." She jumped slightly when she heard the sound of the billiards scattering across the table when Lucius broke.

She glanced over at them, wondering how James would play- this was a newer game to the wizarding world. Her father played it with his co-workers down at the pub, and she had tried it before to no avail. "Sev... Check it out. Potter's going to take his shot. I'm wondering how he'll do as this is not an easy game. It's awkward to say the least."

"James should be a pro at this--handling a stick and balls is right up his alley." Snape watched with a smirk on his thin lips. He was hoping James would fail horribly. It was only pool, it really wasn't a big deal, but then again it was because Severus could tell by the ridiculous way that James was acting that it wasn't just a game of pool. James was trying to impress Lucius. It was so overly obvious that it was ridiculous.

James eyed Lucius appreciatively as the blond bent over it. This game didn't seem so difficult. Lucius was about to be impressed. James took his shot. The cue hit one of the striped balls and that ball clacked into the eight ball, and knocked it into one of the side pockets.

"Heh. Meant for that to happen. This way it's quicker, you don't have to muck around with all the other balls." James grinned at Lucius. "Should we reset it, then?"

Snape turned his attention back to Lily, satisfied that Potter had failed on his first shot.

"Mmmmmhmmmm." Lucius smirked a little. "We can." He tapped the butt of the cue on the table, and it reset. "I suppose to your credit, most people scratch on the table on their first shot." He drawled and started back to the front of the table to make his shot.

"Sev- that's terrible." She shook her head at his date, but couldn't help but chuckle. She never pegged James for the type to be into the male persuasion, but this was Lucius he was entertaining, and most students with a pulse sometimes cast a wayward exploratory eye over his pleasing form. "Knew he wasn't going to get it." Lily snickered a little. James didn't seem undeterred from trying to impress Lucius. This was going to be a long evening. She drank more of her butter beer, enjoying the background noise up until the doors swung open with a loud bang.

In strolled Gilderoy Lockhart, putting a hand on his hip while his other hand held up a mirror to examine his wavy golden hair. His eyes surveyed the area- wanting to find the perfect victim- or rather- patron of the night.

Lily instantly made a face. "Sev- come dance with me. Lockhart won't bother us if we're dancing." She whispered to him and stood up, extending her hand to him.

They were in luck- Lockhart set his sights on James and Lucius playing some sort of game with sticks and balls. Believing he was clearly superior to this strange game without even playing, he swaggered over. "Gentlemen! What do we have here?!" He said loud enough to interrupt Lucius who was in the middle of a break. The white cue ball popped right off the table, and Lucius tumbled over the felt after losing his concentration. "Ohhh Lucius. Lucius, Lucius, Lucius. I don't believe that's how this game is played at all!" He made a tsk tsk noise, shaking his head.

"Hello Lockeroy Gildhart." James gestured to himself and Lucius pointedly. "What we have here, is myself and Lucius playing a game of pool. In other words, you're not invited." James was looking around the floor for the white cue ball, but it had magically reappeared back on the green felt by itself. James glanced at Lucius with a small smile as the blond collected himself off of the table. He turned back to Lockhart, and shoved past him to bend over as he went to take his next shot.

"Out of the way."

James lined the end of his pool stick with the white ball, and squinted at the colored ball he was aiming to put into a pocket, the tip of his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth in concentration. He took the shot, delighted to see his ball clunk into the pocket but just behind it--the white ball went in too.

"Damn it." James' look of victory fell from his face. "You're messing up my game!" He accused Lockhart. "Bugger off! You don't even know how to play!"

Severus followed Lily, his heart racing a bit at her request to dance with her. He stopped in front of her and stood there with too much space between them for dancing. He could feel the color rising in his face again and tried his best to ignore the feeling of butterflies in his stomach or the way his hands were sweaty and beginning to shake a little. He wished not for the first time that he didn't have to feel so awkward, but it came with the territory of being Severus Snape. He had never been very socially adept and though he and Lily had been friends for years there were plenty of times like just now when his feelings for her made him behave as if he were a complete idiot. His hands hovered between them and more than once made a move to place themselves somewhere on Lily's body but then he would jerk them back. He finally gave up, letting his arms droop to his sides. Why was there a slow song playing anyway, in a bar like this it hardly seemed appropriate.

"Lily, I don't know how to do this. I'm afraid my mother wouldn't allow me to take ballet classes no matter how much I begged." He put a mock-offended look on, carrying on with the sarcasm. "She said I would look horrible in pink."

After getting off the table Lucius snickered, but kept it behind his hand. He didn't want James to know something he said he generally thought was funny. He didn't think it was too funny however when Gilderoy shoved Lucius out of the way to grab a cue and join James. "Hey!"

"Oh Lucius, don't worry. This is a game for blue collar men- not aristocrats. Why don't you watch the two of us fine examples of manliness show you how this game is done? I wouldn't want to trouble you any by making you play and having you break one of your finely manicured nails or fussing with that perfectly placed blonde hair of yours. Not that it can compete with mine of course."

Lucius smacked his lips in annoyance, his lips then puckering together in a scowl. He watched James' take his shot and then lose it for sinking the cue ball in with the pocket. He took in a slow breath, letting it steam out of his nostrils before regainin composure. "Quite right, Lockhart. It is a game for tough men. So I am going to watch my man play you. Just earlier, he saved me from a whole pack of centaurs by flying me off heroically. What have you done today, hm?"

Gilderoy looked miserably off put but recovered fast. "Oh, centaurs? Really? Really? Saving damsels in distress from centaurs is terribly passe. But right up your alley, James. Good show." He gave a polite gold clap. "My evening was far more impressive- I took on-"

"I don't care Lockhart." Lucius snapped and looked to James walking over to him. He whispered in his ear. "I will let you have another kiss if you beat him. ...Maybe more if you do it soundly."

-

Lily watched Severus with some amusement as he looked so confused and a bit lost. "Sev- first off. Pink would look terrible on you. You're right. You're more of a lavander in my humble opinion." She grinned and then let it evolve down to a gentle smile. "It's just me, Sev. I swear to you I haven't taken up biting people after being sorted into Gryffindor. Relax, alright? I don't expect you to be Fred Astaire or some ballroom champ. I just want to dance with you. You put your hands here..."

She reached out and took them, placing them on her hips. "Mine go here." She put hers on her shoulder. "And we move together in time to the music. That's all." And with that, she began to move, slowly, carefully- not wishing to frighten her long time friend or get him too nervous. "There- it's not so bad, right?"

James made a show of looking around after Glideroy was finished with his little speech about pool and manliness.

"So, Lucius is going to watch two specimens of manliness compete at this game? Well, I'm here--but I don't see the other." He stared at Lockhart with a smirk, making his point. "I mean, that color of er...what is that color anyway? How many flowers did you kill to have it made?" He was referring to Gilderoy's lavender vest. "Was that what your big manly feat was today? I spent my day saving my fellow students from Centaurs, and you took on a flock of daises." James snorted. "As for your hair...it looks like a squirrel. It certainly doesn't begin to compare with Malfoy's."

James chalked up the end of his pool cue, looking very smug.

The next moment he almost choked on air when Lucius said: "I'm going to watch my man play you..."

He played it off into a cough.

When Lucius came over to offer him a kiss...possibly more...for winning a game against Lockhart, James' mouth went dry. Lucius lips so close and puffing warm breath against his ear made him have to fight off a shiver that wanted to twist down his spine. Oh, he was going to win this game, and not just win. James Potter was going to wipe the floor with Gilderoy Lockhart.

Meanwhile, Severus' hands rested against the curve of Lily's hips. It was just like on the broom, except now he could see her--well he could have, had he not been staring down at his hands as they rested there. He looked up quickly, finding her beautiful eyes with his own dark ones. He moved with her stiffly, very slowly loosen up a bit and losing some of his nervousness. Soon enough he was gliding well with her, still a bit stiffly but with a sort of grace that he didn't know he had or was displaying.

It's just me, Sev. Lily had said.

"But you don't understand, Lily. It's not just you. It's YOU. It's you and you're...I...you're so very special to me. You have been since the moment I saw you, and you will be until...well...always."

Severus smiled a little, wishing he could have actually told her all that instead of just thinking it in his head. Instead he just danced with her, watching her intently and taking everything in as if this was a moment his life depended on. Every moment with Lily was that important to him, and he wanted all of his memories of her to be with him forever because he knew very deep down that she would not. They couldn't always be the best of friends. Their life after school would probably separate them. Lily would fall in love one day, and Severus didn't think it likely she would fall in love with him. He had dreams of being with her, having a life together, but he was afraid to believe in those dreams too much. How could any of that happen when he couldn't even bring himself to tell her exactly how he felt? And even if he could tell her...would she...could she?

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, not wanting to think about them now. He was having a good time, and he spent enough of his time being morose as it was. He realized that as they danced, and as he lost himself in her brilliant jewel-green eyes, he had moved closer to her. He was holding her as they moved to the music, and she felt so very warm and good in his arms.

Don't let this moment end, ever.

"No," He said quietly, realizing that he hadn't responded to what she'd last said to him. "It certainly is not bad."

Lucius gave a curt nod in understanding. James knew his reward, he knew what he had to do to get it. He sat on a stool by the table, one leg stretched languidly over the other as he sat perfect on the seat.

Gilderoy chuckled. "Oh James, how crude. As if I would have to make my own clothing! I'm not poor you know. You Gryffindors- always so funny." He waved his hand dismissively and twirled a pool cue in his other hand. "And of course you would say that about my hair. Your lovely lady here needs defending- you're merely protecting his reputation by knocking my perfect coiffed hair. We all know who has the best hair here." He winked over at James and went to go take his shot.
"Now- I know I have concentration skills of pure steel, but quiet please."

Lucius pulled his hair ribbon out, transfiguring it into a key ring. He watched Gilderoy line up his shot awkwardly, waiting for just the right moment. He brought his arm back, and once he did Lucius dropped his transfigured ribbon- it clanged loudly on the ground which caused Gilderoy to scratch on the table. The cue ball went absolutely no where. "Oh... Oh I'm sorry. Butterfingers!" Lucius drawled and picked up his key ring. He changed it back into a ribbon with a bit of a smirk. Nobody messed with HIS hair.

-

"That's better, Sev." Lily smiled. "You're loosening up a bit. You're pretty good at this. Maybe you snuck in ballet lessons that you're not telling me about." She turned them around in a different direction to move in.

"No time is ever bad with you, Sev. I.... I know we haven't had much time together yet but...You're still my best friend. Nothing will ever take that away- especially since... I would miss you too much if you were gone- I can't talk to anyone else about the things we talk about. No one else understands, nor are they willing to try. So much of my day is spent having frivellous chats. It's maddening really. I wish we were sorted into the same house, but I guess we would cause too much trouble." She joked though deep down, she serious.

She missed Severus like hell. He was the one person on this earth she could have a real conversation with- being seperate was incredibly difficult to deal with. The song started to end- moving into the next one but she didn't notice.

James smirked over at Lucius, impressed with the keyring distraction. James went on with the game, and he had less time to boast and brag as he was highly concentrated on the game. Even the majority of what Lockhart said managed to go in one ear and out the other. James Potter loved to win, and with the prize that was at stake with this game, he loved the idea of a victory even more. James would win, that was all there was to it.

The game was winding down, only a few balls left on the felt. James had been doing well but Lockhart had held his own better than James had expected. James played it cool however, oozing confidence. He leaned on the corner of the table and watched Lockhart line up another shot, messing up his already messy hair a bit more.

I've got this in the bag. James though smugly to himself, and his gaze left Lockhart and rested on Lucius again, specifically on those Slytherin lips that had better pucker up and get ready to be kissed again. This time James would be sure and have the wits to respond back appropriately, and when he did, Lucius Malfoy would not know what had hit him.

--

Lily's words made him feel much better. At her joke about them being sorted into the same house, Severus lips curved into a small smile. Obviously he would have preferred Lily to have been sorted into Slytherin with him, but the Sorting Hat had not seen it that way.

He continued to dance with her, a bit more confident with each step they took. The rest of the bar and people in it had melted away in Severus' mind. It was just him and Lily like it used to be, laying in the grass talking, twirling as fall leaves whispered down around their heads, pushing her on the swing at the playground as her hair flew out behind her like flame...

"Sorted into the same house? But you're far too nice to be a Slytherin, and I'm far too...me to be a Gryffindor. I don't think Potter would have survived this long had we been dorm mates--at the least, he'd been living in St. Mungo's."

Severus smirked, as if relishing that thought. Thoughts of Potter were fleeting though. He was more concentrated on Lily and trying not to become to warm. He was not used to being so close to her--or anyone, really. His dark eyes had focuses away from her green ones and had moved to another place that held his interest. He wished to kiss her--just a quick, chaste, kiss to her lips--but could not gather the confidence to do so. Dancing was fine too. Dancing was very nice.

"There isn't anyone quite like you, Lily, of that I'm sure."

Gilderoy had his sleeves pulled up to his elbows, his hair sticking a bit to his forhead due to the slight sheen of sweat that had formed there. There was only the eight ball left now. If he didn't sink it where he called it, he'd loose the game and it would go to James if he could do it. He walked around the table, pausing every second or so to put out the cue to examine the best proper location to fire the eight ball in to. He did a moment of brief areobics to limber up.

"Lockhart would you get on with it for the love of EVERYTHING!" Lucius moaned and threw up his hands.

"Shhh, Lucius. A man needs concentration- especially in a game of honor. But what would you know about that, you tarted up trollop! Don't think I haven't noticed you trying to seduce me this whole entire time!"

Lucius nearly fell off his stool at that. He stared at Lockhart for a bit before simply shaking his head.

Lockhart bent over the table, carefully lining up his shot. "Eight ball, upper left pocket." He hit the ball, it bounced, rocketed off the middle, and rolled into the upper right pocket instead. "NO!" He cried out dramatically sinking down to his knees. "I've LOST!"

Lucius smirked. "Well then. You have, haven't you? James, if you can correctly do it, then you've won the game. And I KNOW you can do this, James."

-

"Mmmm, I suppose we'd make a lousy member of our opposite houses, huh..." Lily sighed. "I guess it's for the best that we wound up where we did." She sighed and and as the second song ended. "Well- that was lovely Sev- I enjoyed dancing with you. We should do it more often." She leaned in, pressing her lips to his cheek in a quick thank you kiss.

"...That was for the lovely thing you just said. Thank you. You do have a way with words." She smiled and went back over to her chair at their table.

"Seduce you, Lockhart?" James guffawed. "Right, like Lucius would prefer to be with a total jackass when he could be with me." James watched Lockhart finally take his shot, and was very pleased to see the eight ball roll into the pocket.

"Of course you've lost, that's what losers do." James stated. He laid his cue onto the felt and moved past Lockhart, stopping to give the defeated wizard a smug look. "And that's the perfect place for you anyway, on your knees." He added, and then happily bounded over to Lucius.

"Did you see that? I won--as if any of us should have ever had any doubt that I would." He leaned closer to Lucius, grinning. "How about a victory snog?"

--

Severus rested his palm against his cheek as Lily walked back to their table. Yes, they should dance more often. For moments he just stood there stupidly lost in the brief moment that her lips brushed his cheek. It was as if some haze had enveloped his brain momentarily, but a new song starting broke through and he realized he was the only one on the dance floor, and he was standing there touching his face and probably smiling as stupidly as if he'd had too much fire whiskey.

Snape moved back to the table and worked his face into a neutral expression until he noticed Lockhart kneeling. One side of his lips twitched into something that wasn't sure if it wanted to be a smile or a frown. Lockhart looked defeated, which was amusing, but James was leaning near Lucius with the smug look that Severus hated--though he hated all of Potters looks, he hated that one with the most passion--as if James was expecting Lucius to grab him and snog him senseless.

"Looks like Potter won the pool competition. Now we'll have to listen to him gloat about it the rest of the evening and the entire trip back to Hogwarts. Perhaps on the return flight James will mysteriously fall from his broom and land on his face. I of course would have nothing at all to do with it...aside from the laughter that would ensue." Snape smirked, he was deviously amused.

Lockhart drew himself up to his feet, swaggering from side to side as he looked very defeated. He sucked in a breath and in a dramatic tone muttered "Well played, Potter. But I won't forget this defeat! We'll meet again soon." He gathered up his robe and started out the door of the bar in a huff.

Lucius watched him go and sighed in relief. "Obnoxious git." He looked at James and blinked- he had another one to deal with right now, but he was a man of his word and Lockhart was defeated. "Very well. You did win, and I did promise that didn't I?" Lucius said casually as he reached back to remove the hair ribbon from his hair. He tied it on James' upper arm, signifying that he had won, and won the right to own that favor. He leaned over, running a finger down the other teen's cheek in a slow, appraising way. He ran it over the bottom of James' lip, pressing his own against them- soft, barely there at first before moving in to a hot and heavy embrace. His tongue briefly swiping at James' lip before plunging inside his mouth.

-

Lily crossed one leg over the other, blinking in surprise at Lockhart. "I forgot he was even still here to be honest. Apparently he's been bothering Potter and Malfoy the whole entire.... time...." She trailed off watching as Lucius mauled James. "Sev, I think we missed a whole lot of things. Er.... Yeah."

She turned from them and grinned at Severus. "Well! That's pleasant, isn't it? With Potter's sights on Malfoy, it'll make the trip back to Hogwarts better. He'll probably be bothering Malfoy the whole time. Which is fine! ...So long as Potter doesn't fly into a tree while being distracted."

Lily folded her hands on the top of the table, shaking her head. "Oh... Sev, I wanted to ask you. Did you want to go to the fall ball with me? I think it'll be fun and you can dance, now that you've shown me."

Severus hid his face behind his hands as Lucius snogged Potter. His nose peeked out from between his hands, which he slowly lowered as Lily spoke. She...she wanted to go to the fall ball with him.

"I--I...of course! I'd..." Dress robes "I'd love for us to go to the ball together."

Fuck the dress robes, that was certainly not going to keep him from going with Lily. He would find a way to buy some, and not nasty used outdated ones either but nice new ones. He could never pull something nice off the way Malfoy could but he would do his best to look presentable. He would need to first earn the money, and then take Lucius along with him to pick out something nice, as he had absolutely no idea about clothing.

--

James returned Lucius kiss eagerly, greeting the tongue that prodded into his mouth with his own. His hands trailed through Lucius' beautiful blond hair--he couldn't resist touching it and it felt like silk slipping through his fingers. He wondered how much he was allowed, and his hands itched to move down the body that was pressed close to his. James being James, decided on bold and daring and screw the consequences should Lucius object. He took a quick feel of Lucius' rear and then went back to the hair, pulling it slightly as he overtook the kiss and slid his tongue past Lucius' lips and into his warm mouth.

Lily brightened immediately when Severus said yes. "Great! I can't imagine going with anyone else. It'll be so much fun. We'll dance the whole night!" She grinned at the thought, instantly thinking of what she was going to wear. "I have a bronze dress I've been wanting to wear. It's hard to find a color that goes with red hair. All the usual colors clash. Like pink? Purple? No." She shook her head at the thought.

"I suppose... Once they come up for air... we should go. It's getting late. And it's been fun, but we should get back."

-

Lucius pushed James back the second hands were on his backside. "That is quite enough, Potter. You'll get your something else some other time." He glanced toward the clock. "It's far too late now. I can't be caught going in late as a prefect. That wouldn't be appropriate at all." He sniffed and straightened his collar and gray sweater he wore over his uniform. He brushed his long hair back, smoothing out any tangles that may have worked their way into his locks from their brief make out.

However, his cool demeanor was betrayed by the flushed face and kiss bruised lips he could not hide. It was a good kiss, one he would have continued- but now was not the time. He glanced at James briefly, a flicker of something other than ice reflecting in his gray eyes. Pride deemed that he didn't outright and say he enjoyed it, as he figured a guy like James would be one who liked a challenge.

Instead, he left the ribbon tied on James' arm, rather than taking it back as a passive sign of interest in the other teen. He went to the hook containing his school robe, and put it on- casting another look James' way before heading over to Snape and Lily. "Ready to go?"