Severus Snape is haunted by visions of a beautiful woman who appears both in his dreams and his reality and is plagued by the question of whether or not his dream is a reality or just an escape from his waking life.
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chapter two
a hint of freesias
It was absolutely thrilling to see his spell in action. He could walk the halls completely invisible, in a different way than usual, and not have to worry about anyone.
Severus headed toward the only place he’d be able to speak to Lily. If she wasn’t there, she’d be in the Gryffindor common room and he would not be able to see her. As Severus navigated the twisting halls and moving staircases, his mind drifted back to the strange girl in the hall he’d seen earlier that day. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. Severus was so distracted, he didn’t realize he had arrived at his destination until he saw the rows and rows of bookshelves. The library held an air of omniscience and knowledge, as if all your questions could be answered if you just knew where to look. He was always astounded and filled with awe each time he entered the library.
Severus began to weave through the rows, searching for Lily. Finally he caught a glimpse of bright red hair and, turning toward it, found Lily hunched over a book. Slipping quietly behind her, still invisible, he whispered “Bookworm” directly into her ear. Lily jumped, frantically searching for the source of the voice. Severus dropped his concealment. On the inside he was laughing hysterically, but due to his extreme control he merely smirked mischievously.
“Oh, Sev, please don’t do that! You scared me half to death! I see you’ve finally finished the spell you’ve been working on?”
“Yes. Works well, doesn’t it?”
Lily had known Severus for a long time and had learned to read the slight changes in his expression.1 Though he rarely shared much of his thoughts. At the moment, he seemed distracted.
“Sev, is….is something the matter?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing. I’m just a little tired,” Severus mumbled. “Um, Lily…do you know a female student, pale with freckles? Blue green eyes and long, mahogany hair…” Lily noticed the wistful tone to his voice that made her curious.
“I’ve never seen her before. What House is she from?”
“I…I don’t know. It’s no big deal.” Severus began to absentmindedly pace back and forth near the table. They chatted lightly for a while before classes resumed, and the rest of the day passed excruciatingly slowly for the young Slytherin. None the less, it was finally over. After he had returned from dinner, Severus was so exhausted that he merely removed his robes and collapsed in his bed, not bothering to don a nightshirt. He was asleep immediately and once again dancing with the beautiful woman. This time, she rested her head on his shoulder while they danced. When it was time to remove their disguises, he expected to awaken. He sighed a everyone but the girl in front of him removed their masks.
But then he looked up and saw…her face. The girl from the corridor. He pulled her closer, on an urge he didn’t really understand, and felt a deep longing to kiss her. As she brushed against him, he caught her scent again. Rain, parchment, and freesias. What did it mean?
The second before their lips would have touched, he woke up.
Severus jumped out of bed and reached into his robe pocket, pulling out a glass phial of pink liquid.2 Pulling out the stopper on the phial, he laid down on his bed, surrounded by the scent of the mysterious dream woman.
