𝑭𝑳𝑶𝑾𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑰𝑵 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑹 - Severus Snape

FIVE

5|BAD HABITS

The breeze brushed through her long brown locks, twisting it over her face as she wandered towards the Black Lake. A smile slipped on to her lips as she spotted a familiar ebony haired boy sat against the large oak tree.

"You know they're bad for you." Willow chuckled to herself as he took a long drag of his cigarette. She sat beside him, tightening her cloak around her body to conceal any heat she had. Her head tilted as she waited for him to greet her, confused by his sudden cold behaviour after their late night discussions at the library.

"Are you okay?" She spoke after the deafening silence that had surrounded them.

"Fuck off, Potter." Severus spat, his eyes still focused on the gentle ripples of the lake. "You're no different than your brother."

"I am very different from James." Her hand reached out, grabbing the cigarette from his grasp as she placed it between her lips. "For starters my tits are far bigger than his."

"That's not what I meant, Potter." He sighed with frustration, reaching out to steal his cigarette back.

"Call me Willow." She breathed in the toxic air before giving it back to him. "And I won't leave you alone till you tell me what's got your panties in a twist."

"You're infuriating, Willow." He leaned his head back against the bark, testing her name on his tongue.

"I've been told." Her laughter brought a smile to his lips. "I've also been told I'm relentless."

"It's just Lily." Severus crumbled as he met her stare, falling deep into her green iris's. "I just found out her and pretty boy are dating."

"Lily, my best friend, Lily?" Willow slowly put the pieces of her memory together from the time her and Lily got drunk together. "Lily made it very evident to me that she only saw you as a friend."

"She could do so much better." He grumbled, flicking the used butt into the lake.

"As much as my brother annoys me, he is a good guy and is head over heals in love with Lily." She argued, defending her brother immediately. "He wouldn't harm a hair on her head."

"Who do you think caused my chest wound?" A silence consumed them as Willow swallowed back any further arguements she had building up inside her. She knew her brother tormented Severus daily, many pranks thought out by her, but she never expected him to harm the boy beside her.

"So, you want to become a professor at Hogwarts?" Her usual smile returned to her lips as she looked out across the murky waters of the loch. "Have you spoke to Professor Dumbledore? I'm sure he would happily help you find your footing."

"I don't know what I want to do yet." He answered quietly, eyes watching her as she stared off in a daze. "I didn't expect to come to Hogwarts to begin with."

"You're smart and know how to cast many spells." She met his stare. "You can go as far as you wish to in life. You can escape the life of blood status and the expectations of society."

"So run away." His statement stilled her as she debated his words. "I wouldn't blame you for wanting to leave this life."

"So runaway with me." Willow suggested, leaning her head back on his shoulder as he pulled out another cigarette. He placed it between her lips, smirking as he lit the tip with his wand.

"Looks like you're also developing a bad habit." Severus watched her take a large intake of breath, humming as the nicotine filled her lungs.

He took the cigarette back, resting it in his mouth as a comfortable silence consumed them.

"I called Lily a mudblood." He admitted, refusing to meet her stare as she sat up in shock. "I feel terrible but I know it's too late. The words have already been said, I can't take that back now. I can't stop thinking about that look in her eyes when the slur slipped out. I was just so angry. And Malfoy and Parkinson were there. Shit. Now you probably hate me."

"Severus." Willow paused his rambling, holding her hand over his mouth as she stole the cigarette from her hand. "There is a difference between being a dick and living with it and being a dick that realises it and wants to change. Talk to her, without those assholes around, and apologise. Explain to her that you understand her pain and understand if she won't forgive you. But that you genuinely mean it."

"I, thank you." He mumbled, his voice muffled against her hand. She took a quick drag before sitting back, sliding off his lap and leaning against the tree.

Severus took a quick intake of air, his heart racing as he watched her move. He fought the urges to reach out and pull her back on to his lap, keep her close to him as they created more bad habits.