The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

The Rumor

The Rumor

Whispers went through the castle. Like most rumors, as it travelled, it slowly got distorted and blown far out of the realm of the truth...

"James Potter's hurt."

"Susan saw him out on the grounds... bleeding all over, bruised up and down his arms..."

"Rushed to the hospital wing."

"They say he's really bad off, barely recognizable."

"Me uncle died of injuries lesser'n the ones Potter's got!"

"They say he could die."

"James Potter's dying in the hospital wing."

"May be dead already."

Lily Evans pulled away from Severus Snape, catching her breath. They were hiding in an empty broom closet they'd found just down the hall from Gryffindor common room. They'd just returned from lunch - they'd each gotten food from their house tables and snuck it off to an empty classroom and now Severus had walked Lily back to the safety of her common room, and they'd taken a bit of a detour. Lily stared up at Severus, her green eyes still a bit foggy, and a dopey smile on her face. She ran her hands over his shoulders, "Oh Sev, you're just so incredible... You're so brilliant... I'm so lucky that you're in my life..." she'd said the words possibly a hundred times, her mouth curled into the same smile she wore now.

Severus enjoyed the compliments. He'd longed to hear them from her for so long that he almost didn't mind that they were being paid at the cost of the love potion. Almost. His stomach ached a bit with guilt each time he looked at her emerald eyes, which, under the influence of amortentia, had a slightly duller shade.

It's not forever, he told himself, It's only until she's learned to love me and then I'll take her off the potion once she doesn't need it anymore...

"...sooo brilliant," she whispered, running her fingers along his jaw. She kissed him softly on the cheek. "And so handsome, too. I must be the luckiest girl in all of Hogwarts to have you as my boyfriend." She circled her arms about him and pulled him tightly to her, nestling her head against his chest.

He breathed her scent deeply.

Although he could've stayed there all day with her, he knew he needed to go. There was to be an emergency meeting for the Knights of Walpurgis in the Slytherin common room that evening and he needed to get down there ahead of time to do some homework for Slughorn before it started. So he carefully kissed her forehead and held her out at arm's length.

"I love you, Lily Evans," he told her.

She flushed and giggled - like she always did when he said it - but she didn't say it back.

Then they'd said goodbye - and Lily had cried a bit over him leaving, she hated it when he left her because she felt funny and empty inside and she didn't like it. He gave her a raspberry soda as a gift to make her feel better, told her to drink it later, while she was doing her studies, and he kissed her and left. Lily carried her raspberry soda back to the common room, dragging her feet, missing him so, so much and wishing he'd come back. He didn't, though, and she made it to the portrait hole.

"Snargleluff pod," she said with a sigh.

The Fat Lady opened up and Lily walked inside.

Annalee McKinnon was sobbing by the fire, McKenna Alliston beside her. Half the girls of Gryffindor house were in tears all about the common room. Frank Longbottom sat in a chair looking pale, and Carly Shaw was kneeling on the floor next to the couch, holding Andy Woodhouse's hand in a comforting manner.