Lily's Charm- Severitus fanfiction

James

1979

Severus stood stiffly on the hearth rug next to the impressive stone mantel in his sitting room, while his wife scurried around the spacious room rearranging pillows on the sofa and chairs. Severus was too annoyed to be amused that Lily was resorting to Muggle cleaning techniques, as she often did when she was nervous, instead of flicking her wand to put the pillows in their proper places.

Lily paid no attention to her husband’s foul mood although she had been surprised earlier that he hadn’t yet resorted to the heavy-footed pacing he normally favored when he was angry. Lily took one last look around the room to ensure that it was in perfect order before wiping a hand across her brow. Lily glanced over at Severus then and sighed as she realized he was watching her with a resentful gaze. She placed her hands on her slim hips with a scowl.

“Don’t you dare look at me like that, Severus Snape,” she scolded him and Severus blinked in surprise at the rebuke as if he hadn’t realized he had been frowning fiercely at his wife. Lily laughed at his expression and watched happily as the sound caused her husband to relax his rigid posture slightly and one side of his mouth to curl into something half-resembling a smile.

“James is likely to step on your foot if you stay there,” Lily told her husband playfully.

Severus frowned at Lily again but he did move away from the fireplace and into the middle of the room. Lily tilted her pretty face toward her favorite chair pointedly and Severus with a sigh of his own, sat down in it. His frown deepened as he sank down too far into the old chair’s depths.

Lily smiled as she walked over to Severus and dropped with an unladylike plop onto his lap. She leaned her head on his shoulder and Severus reflexively brought one arm around her waist and drew her closer into his chest. Lily took his other hand, running her thumb over the calluses on his palm.

Severus watched Lily tracing lines on his hand, noticing as her fingers lingered against the spots of skin that were hardened after years of chopping and stirring potions in his lab. He and Lily had spent many hours holed up in Severus’ lab together, Lily sometimes acting as her husband’s assistant, but more often involved in developing potions of her own. Lily’s best subject at Hogwarts had no doubt been Charms, but that didn’t take anything away from her formidable ability with a cauldron.

“Sev.” Severus tensed at the ominous tone in Lily’s voice. Lily brushed her fingers lightly over the hand she held in her own in an unconscious effort to reassure him before continuing. “James is already willing to do this. Please try not to antagonize him.” Lily kept her voice even with an effort, but Severus clenched his jaw anyway and Lily suppressed another sigh.

“I will be civil,” Severus told her, his words stilted. Lily squeezed his hand before turning slightly in his lap so that her back was to his chest.

“I’m keeping you to that, Sev,” she told him seriously. Severus didn’t respond but he did grind his teeth together in agitation. Lily only smiled and brought both of her husband’s arms around her and held them together in front of her waist. Severus relaxed as she leaned fully into his embrace and they sat there together in contented silence as they waited for James Potter to arrive.

As the Floo roared to life, Severus stood up, deftly bringing Lily with him and placing her off to his side with one smooth movement. Severus pulled slightly away from her, for decorum’s sake, but Lily held firmly to his hand. Severus didn’t pull away even though he did feel a moment’s resentment that Lily was going to insist on such a public display in front of Potter.