Round Robin: The Post-Grad Prince: Part 2 ***COMPLETE***
"But you'd need a full foundation from your grandfather, I mean... We don't need to beat about the bush, I'm obviously aware of your financial situation - and no, I don't care, Severus." She had said the words before he could even speak.
"I wasn't going to say anything about it." He huffed, drawing a laugh from Lily.
"Oh, we both know you wanted to say something, Sev." She said with a smile. "But you should really know that I don't care if you're rich or not, all that matters is that you're you."
Severus felt her hand on his, squeezing it gently.
"I'm just pointing out that you won't make it without him and that it will force you to have contact with him, probably even work with him." Lily said in a calm tone. "I want you to be okay with that."
"I've already agreed to it," Severus said, gesturing to the letter he was writing.
Lily read it over taking another bite of her sandwich. "So... when are you planning to meet with him?"
"I've left a note," Severus explained as he pointed to a line on the page. "He'll reply with a time and place." As the two continued eating, Severus checked the time. "I should be heading back to my place soon."
"What?" Lily looked surprised. "Why?"
"I just thought--"
"You can spend the night, if you'd like."
Severus was surprised by the offer, and it seemed like Lily was equally surprised by the words leaving her mouth based on her reddened expression.
"I..."
The surprise was so great that he really was at a loss for words. It wasn't as if he'd never spent the night at Lily's before, the Evans never had a problem with it, and sometimes he had the feeling they even encouraged it and were happy about it... But this time they were alone.
"We should put up some protection spells against your former fiancé... I think he will probably come here at some point to look for you... You know he was always after you."
And Severus really didn't want to be attacked while he slept, something he just knew Potter and Black wouldn't shy away from.
"I'll do the upstairs," Lily said, quickly standing up.
"The upstairs?"
"Knowing him, he might try to get through the window on his broom or Black's motorbike."
"... he's done that before?"
"You're surprised?"
"Suppose not." Severus finished his sandwich and stood to wash his hands at the sink before drawing his wand.
The two began warding the house, Lily doing as she said she'd do and focusing on the upstairs portion, while Severus took care of the ground floor. It was simple enough, taking no longer than five minutes, which left Severus some time to wait for Lily... which unfortunately allowed him to think about his sleeping arrangements while here. He had nothing to change into, and his toiletries were all back at his house, and the one thing Severus couldn't abide was unbrushed teeth before bed.
As he waited for her, his eyes fell on the fireplace in the living room. The Evans family had often spent time in front of it during the winter months, Lily's father reading a book while her mother did a crossword puzzle over a steaming cup of tea.
"Lily..." Severus called out as another thought about the fireplace crossed his mind. "Did your parents ever connect their fireplace to the Floo network?"
It was a variable they hadn't considered. If the chimney was connected, then it should be protected against anyone trying to get into the Evans' house.
And then there was the matter of his toiletries... The toothbrush shouldn't be a problem, he could just conjure it up.
"Not until Petunia moved out," Lily called back down. "Could you ward it for me?"
"I can't; you're the only one who can."
Severus heard Lily hurry down the steps and saw she'd put on a bathgown, now fully obscuring whatever she might be wearing underneath. Lily flicked her wand at the fireplace, and metal bars sprang up and formed a cage around where someone might appear.
"There we go," Lily said. "Is that everything?"
Severus nodded. "I've done everything else."
"I'll go take a shower, then. Unless you need to go first?"
"I just need to brush my teeth," Severus replied, drawing his wand and conjuring a toothbrush. "Do you have any tooth powder?"
"No, we use toothpaste," Lily said. "You use tooth powder?"
"Just baking soda, if you have it."
"Not for brushing, but I can get some for you to use."
Severus waited as Lily searched the kitchen to find enough baking soda, before conjuring a jar to store it in. "Thank you," he said, taking it from her.
Severus noticed that Lily glanced at the glass once more before turning and heading back upstairs to the bathroom to take the shower she had been talking about.
He was grateful that she had decided against saying more on the subject. While toothpaste was probably the most normal thing for Lily, it was a luxury for Severus. His family could barely afford food, so the price of toothpaste simply wasn't in their budget.
When he heard the bathroom door close, he finally made his way to the kitchen, where he took a mug from one of the cupboards and filled it with water before starting to brush his teeth, looking out of the window at the street.
Cokeworth had never had too many automobiles apart from the richer families owning family cars (the Evanses being one of them); the streets hadn't been designed with such vehicles in mind. Most people rode bicycles, which was fine for them until someone without a bike decided to steal it, whether discreetly or openly depending on the temperament of the thief. The streets around Lily's house, however, were more modern, meaning that more than one car (a maximum of two) could take up the street at the same time. Even with this innovation, very few people bothered buying a car, and he could count the number in Cokeworth on one hand.
This was to his greater surprise when he heard what sounded like a car backfiring, followed by a brief flash of light. He flinched at the sudden stimulus, then looked back out the window to find the source. There were no cars in sight, and in fact, nothing had changed... save for the shapes of two people standing on the other side of the street.
The End of Part 2
