Instantly she’d sitting down next to him, shoulder bumping against his. “That’s the green and silver one, right? The clever house?” The movement of this leaf between his fingers held her attention, the simple movement entrancing, keeping her from seeing his meaningful glance. “That seems like Merlin.”
Resting her head against his shoulder, she hummed as she cracked open her book again. “We have whole books about him,” Lily told him with a bit of a grin. Then it turned into a frown as she glanced up. “But…I thought Muggles weren’t supposed to know about witches and wizards. How come we know about Merlin, then?” Sure, he could be the greatest wizard in the world, but wouldn’t the greatest wizard in the world follow the rules too?
Lily’s SOFT affection, her gentle touches -- the way she leans against him, as if he were more than a simple, undesirable thing, but an EQUAL, a person of merit, deserving of a treatment so comforting -- it’s an incredibly warm feeling. It soothes him, he’s never experienced it before and he wishes he could have it with him ALWAYS. Maybe he can, if he just sees her every day . . . yes, that would surely be enough.
He dares not to move, as if Lily were a small kitten, afraid of disturbing her and causing her to flee from his grasp forever . . . but rather tilts his neck a bit to give her a more comfortable position, his own frame stiff as he continues to turn the leaf in his fingers. ❝ Merlin liked Muggles a lot, ❞ he explains, after a moment. ❝ He helped with their rights, and he didn’t believe we should use magic on them, so that’s why it’s against the law. ❞ Muggles, on the other hand, weren’t quite so kind . . . but Severus still bites his tongue. ❝ He wanted them to live peacefully. ❞