Is it a tad too soon and far too greedy to ask if/when there may be a Part III? 🤍
Alright y'all, I'm gonna go ahead and put this on ao3 so I don't have to keep linking back to old tumblr posts. I'll do it this time, but any more than two tumblr links is too many. Also if I post it on ao3, I won't have to tag all of you lol
Tagging: @steadygalaxyychild @little-mee @moonpuup @flyingpalomita @jinahshedidntly @maybedancanwrite @constancezin @tragicromanceftus @sunshine-marauders @victoria8719 @sami210-blog @uchihako @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world @earth-to-japha @the-dream-team @charmingwillow @mlw10 @decaffeinated-donut
And if I missed anyone I apologize <3
Thank you all for being so lovely!
Part One | Part Two
AO3
“Black and MacDonald,” McGonagall called out. “Jones and Meadows, Bones and Prewett, and lastly, Potter and Evans. Your assignment is due next week so get started on it as soon as you can.”
Lily had her lips pressed together before McGonagall was done talking, but when she saw the back of James’ head start to turn toward her, she forced a smile onto her face. Everything between her and James was forced as of late. It was forced and hard and it sucked. It sucked a lot. She hadn’t wanted to lose her friend, but it was impossible for her to pretend that she hadn’t.
“Mary!” Sirius called back to Lily’s tablemate, “You good with doing this one for us?”
Mary rolled her eyes as McGonagall chastised Sirius and Lily held her breath as she watched James walk toward her, his hand in his hair. James arrived at their desk and rapped his knuckles against the surface. “Looks like you and I are partners, Evans.”
“Yeah,” Lily nodded. “Library after dinner?”
“Sounds like a plan.” He nodded. He pushed his glasses up his nose and then nodded a second time before he walked back to his desk without saying anything more. Lily’s chest tightened as it did so often around James now.
Lily let her chin drop to her chest and then sat up straight. “I’m gonna see if I can switch partners.” She said to Mary and then stood. Mary grabbed her arm.
“Are you sure?”
“He can hardly even look at me, Mary.” Lily huffed. “Working out rounds with him last Sunday was like torture.” They had sat in near silence the entire time and then James offered to finish it up by himself, which Lily couldn’t let him do, but then they were sitting in silence knowing that James had tried to escape. Lily had already worked out most of next week’s schedule so that they wouldn’t have to put themselves through that again.
“Alright. He’s gonna know that you asked though.”
“I’m only asking before he does.” Lily nearly rolled her eyes and then started toward the front of the room. The rest of the class started filing out of the classroom and McGonagall waved her wand at the board, erasing the days notes.
“Ms. Evans,” She smiled as Lily approached her. “Did you have a question about today’s lesson?”
“No, I have a question about the assignment.”
“Of course,” McGonagall nodded, waving her wand at the stack of scrolls on her desk, sending them flying neatly toward her office. “And what is your question?”
Lily tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked over her shoulder. “Is there anyway that I could switch partners?”
McGonagall’s smile disappeared and her brow narrowed. “You best have a compelling reason to ask.”
“Yes, professor, I just think I could work better with someone else.”
“You and Potter are the Head students, you would together quite frequently.”
“Yes.” Lily nodded.
“Has Potter done something recently-“
“No, this isn’t about James.” Lily interrupted. “I mean it is, but it’s not. He’s great and pulls his weight and all that, I just…” She quite suddenly felt the urge to cry, because now that she was trying to justify this to McGonagall it sounded like she was being daft and overly sensitive. She should be able to do an assignment with James and not make a big deal out of it.
“Lily,” McGonagall spoke more softly.
“Oh, it’s so stupid,” Lily shook her head and clenched her fist at her side. She looked over her shoulder, but the classroom was empty now. “I shouldn’t have bothered you with this. It’s fine.”
“You already bothered me with it, might as well get out with it, dear.” She raised her brows and looked at Lily over the tops of her glasses.
Lily tilted her head. “I fancy him.” She said, defeated and tired and still feeling ridiculous. She couldn’t look at McGonagall as she said it. “He’s got a girlfriend. He found out that I fancy him and can hardly look me in the eyes anymore and he’s still got a girlfriend.” She shrugged a shoulder and unclenched her hand only to ball it back up. “I didn’t tell him how I felt because I didn’t want to lose my friend, but I lost him anyway.” She finally looked at McGonagall. “And, more importantly, I think I’ll do better on the assignment if I have a different partner.”
McGonagall was quiet for a moment and then she nodded her head. “You and MacDonald can be partners. Black and Potter will be happy with that switch.”
“Thank you so much, professor!” Lily bounced on the balls of her feet, but even though she was getting what she had asked for, it didn’t feel like a win. It wasn’t really what she wanted. She wanted to shake James until he could smile while in the same room as her again. His smile was her favorite- that wasn’t a train of thought she needed to follow.
“Yes, of course.” She leaned over and opened the top drawer on her desk, pulling out a dark purple tin. She pulled the top off and held it out to Lily. “Have a biscuit.”
Lily, never one to turn down a biscuit, reached out for one.
“The two of you will have to work through this eventually.” She said, her tone softer than Lily was used to hearing it.
“I know.” Lily nodded. “I think a little bit of space will help.”
It wasn’t what she wanted, but she couldn’t pretend that James was still her friend. Not like he used to be anyway. If she wanted to salvage any part of her relationship with him, things were going to have to change, and if that meant that she had to see him less, than that’s what she would do.
I know a lot of you are on the edges of your seats, wondering what happened in the past...we finally get a glimpse of Lily's past in this chapter! enjoy!
Lily's settled into the- wake up, study, eat the bare minimum, study- routine quickly. She’s still sleeping on Marlene’s couch by week 4 - her flat searching futile and the dorms out of the question. Starting in Semester two was a slight curveball in logistics as well as making friends. Majority of the students in her course were paired or grouped up already, and Lily always felt like she was infiltrating friend groups when she came across larger groups. She does love the work though, loves problem solving, the magic of learning science still hasn’t lost its spark. Learning at a university level is above and beyond learning at her local college. She gets to use sparkling labs and impressive equipment, she gets to listen to top lecturers and gets to lose herself in the towering bookshelves of the library.
Marlene loves her being around, no matter how much Lily can see she’s encroaching on her personal space. The flat isn’t big, and Lily’s had Marlene huff multiple times by taking too long in the bathroom. She does however love Lily’s cooking, which is probably half the reason Marlene hasn’t sticky taped for lease notices on her forehead while she sleeps.
So I got a wonderful anon telling me that this is their favourite Lily Rescues James fics, it’s part of my canon maraders fic We Can Be Heroes. But, because it works as a stand alone, I’ll be posting it here in four parts. I hope you enjoy it! Set during first wizarding war, Lily is very BAMF (but tbh so is James)
Read part I here : After their worst row ever, Lily and James get captured by Voldemort
Read part II here : James tries to save Lily
TW: angsty and violence
PART III
Lily’s raw voice echoed through the castle walls, a lone, hauntingly beautiful gaelic song. The words indecipherable to any of the Death-Eaters who heard it, yet clearly a lament of some kind. She hadn’t been able to stand it, hearing James’ screams, imagining what was happening to him. And when she couldn’t hear him, dread clawing at her every pore, wondering…
Are you dead, my love? Did they kill you? Please don’t die, I beg you!
Haunted by the silence, almost relieved when his screams returned, because she was selfish and wanted him alive, needing him to be alive… almost immediately replaced by rage and terror and guilt and begging them to leave her husband alone, screaming herself hoarse.
She couldn’t stand it when the sound from the dungeons suddenly stopped – a spell, she was sure.
What did it mean? Was he-
She started to sing. She sang in Irish. Fuck them, no Death-Eater could get inside her head now. She pictured him as she sang, her lively lad, turning around mid-laughter and catching her eyes as he and Sirius poked fun at each other, she saw him saying something ridiculous to Minnie and watching as the strict teacher’s mouth broke into a huge grin despite herself, saw all the Marauders chasing each other and yelling and James landing on top of the others. And always his mischievous, adoring eyes turned to her, searched for her. She saw him propose to her surrounded by fireflies, vividly heard that muggle record, the lyrics bittersweet…
”Yours in the gray of December
Here, or on far distant shores
I've never loved anyone the way I love you
Yours to the end of life's story”
“No!” her voice faltered. “No! Not today!”
She breathed in sharply, as someone knocked on the door, twice, in abrupt succession. She recognised that trademark sound.
“Severus?” she croaked.
Severus pushed the heavy door slowly, almost reluctantly, now that it came to it. He looked uncharacteristically agitated, his waxy cheeks flushed. Relief swept over him as he looked at Lily. She looked upset but safe. She was shackled to the wall, her hands above her head, tied together. She was trembling and pale. There was no sign of the Cruciatus, or other dark magic.
“Are you alright, Lily?” He said, hurriedly throwing a potent heating charm at her.
“What are you doing here?” Lily’s husky voice surprised him, he hadn’t heard her screaming.
“What happened? Did they hurt you?” Severus said, moving closer to Lily and regarding her anxiously.
“They hurt me by hurting him,” she whispered.
Tears tracked down her cheek, and Severus wiped it with his thumb.
“I’m so sorry, Lily,” he said, his voice trembling – he was slightly scared of her, and then there was unexpected guilt - guilt about lying, guilt about how James was going to die. “I tried to... I tried...”
He stopped and took a few breaths, looking at the ground.
“I tried to save him, I tried some healing charms and... and I sent the others away. I wasn’t sure what to do, Lily, but then I was called away and Avery had... I was too late, Lily, I’m so sorry.”
He couldn’t look at her.
“No, Sev, please, not James, please,” Lily’s broken whisper made Severus’ heart ache.
“I’m so sorry, I’m... you don’t know how sorry I am,” Severus whispered back. “I’m desperately sorry.”
Lily didn’t say anything, silent tears streaming down her face.
“He... James and I, he spoke to me, he thanked me for trying to save him, before he... he asked me to save you, to get you out of here. I promised him I’d do it. Do you understand Lily?”
She was looking at him blankly, through her tears, her mind far away in some distant time or place.
“Lily!” Severus whispered urgently. “Lily, he wanted you to be safe! He insisted I save you! He told me a code word - I’ve no idea what he meant, but he said to tell you - Graham’s Number.“
“Graham’s Number,” Lily repeated quietly, as though dazed. “James.”
“Yes, James,” Severus said, trying not to sound impatient. “We have to leave now, I promised him I’d get you out of here! Do you understand?”
Lily nodded, still crying.
“My beautiful,” she said. “My gallant lad.”
“Yes, yes,” Severus said, eying the door of the cell. “We need to leave! Now! If Voldemort finds us, we’re both dead!”
Lily stared at him intently. After a few seconds she smiled vaguely.
“I’m so sorry Sev, let’s go, I just... it’s so much to take in, you know? I can never thank you enough, for trying to save him, for being such a noble person?”
Severus squirmed.
“It means everything to me,” she said, her red-rimmed eyes looking into his soul.
“It’s nothing,” he said firmly, refusing to hold eye contact and pointing his wand at the chains. “Frangit!”
The chains broke, and Lily collapsed into Severus’ arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Can you help me? I don’t think I can walk?”
“Of course!” Severus said, feeling a bloom of warmth spread through his chest.
This was what he had longed for, desperately, for as long as he could remember – Lily, holding onto him, needing him, weaker than him, reliant on him, asking him, begging him for his help. He tucked his wand in his pocket and lifted her up, looking lovingly into her stunning eyes. Surely she could also feel the deep attraction between them, the passion sizzling beneath their fingertips?
“Lily,” he murmured, bringing their lips closer.
“Severus?” she said hoarsely.
“I love you, Lily Evans,” he said, holding her closer. “I always have.”
“Your idea of love sickens me, but I’m glad you’re so predictable, Severus.”
Lily’s voice was cold as she stepped back from him in disgust, and he found himself staring at the tip of his own wand.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he said, his heart pounding as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
“Change of plan, Snape!” Lily said. “You don’t get to sweep me away like a lying bastard-“
“Your husband agreed to this! It was his idea!” Severus’ voice rose.
“Gobshites, the pair of you!” Lily said, her voice quivering with rage. “Probably one of the only things you two ever agreed on - that James Potter should sacrifice himself to save me? That James Potter was expendable, that I would cope without him?”
Severus dropped his gaze in the face of such fierceness.
“You see, I’m not leaving here without James. If he’s dead, and you better hope to fuck he isn’t, I’m still bringing him with me. He means more to me than anyone else, everything else, in the entire world. I’m not leaving my soulmate to rot in this hell!”
Severus looked at her hand with trepidation as she aimed at his chest.
“I was trying to save you, Lily,” he said, stepping away from her.
“Trying to save me for yourself, Severus! Killing my husband was never going to buy you my love!” Lily’s green eyes were incandescent.
“I didn’t… I had no part in it, it was Hugo Avery!” he said.
“No part at all? That’s strange,” Lily sneered. “Because your friend Hugo payed me a lengthy visit which only finished a short while ago, you practically overlapped.”
Snape’s eyes widened with surprise and alarm.
“He wasn’t meant to go near you!” he said.
“He did,” Lily said, shuddering despite herself. “Came in to tell me everything he was planning on doing to my husband, and later on, to me. It took rather a long time.”
“What do you think you’re-“ Severus said in fear, as Lily lifted his wand.
“I’m sorry, Severus,” Lily’s voice was hard and implacable. “Imperio!”
Continue reading BAMF Lily here
Snape’s eyes widened for a split second as the invisible spell hit his chest (so powerful it almost threw him backwards) before they seemed to fade, the fear in them replaced by a dullness.
His hands fell by his side.
“Is this castle surrounded by anti-apparition wards?” she asked.
“Yes, and the nearby forest,” Snape answered mechanically.
“Where can we use a portkey?” Lily ordered, poking Snape with her wand.
“From the courtyard in front of the main entrance.”
She hated the strange empty look in his eyes, as though he was unable to think for himself and devoid of any thoughts at all, until commanded by her to do so. She hated it.
“Good,” she said. “Now you will do exactly as I say! You will bring me to the oubliette, and you will help me save my husband if it’s the last thing you do! But first, you will bring me to your potions lab!”
********
“Step away from Potter, now! I’m taking over!”
Avery’s head jerked upwards in shock as Snape landed with a heavy thud right beside him, closely followed by Lily Evans, who had a glazed look in her eyes.
“She’s under the Imperius,” Snape added, glancing around at the other men.
“Snape?” Avery said, glaring aggressively at the half-blood. “What the fuck are you doing here? You said I could finish him off?”
“Change of plan!” Snape said, sounding furious. “Back the fuck away from him now, or you’re a dead man!”
“What?” said Avery. “Why?”
“The Dark Lord wants to take over torturing Potter and Evans himself, he needs to find out about his missing book. He will be livid if Potter is dead or unable to answer him! I mean murderous.”
Avery looked terrified.
“Fuck! Snape, you said...” Avery whispered hoarsely.
“You fool, you should have thought to check with your Master before you went this far! If I were you, I’d make myself scarce, unless you want to face the Dark Lord’s wrath!” Snape hissed.
Avery had never seen Snape look so imposing, so powerful. He looked like he wanted to obliterate them all.
“Shit! I... but what if he asks who...” Avery stammered.
“I’ll cover for you as best I can, but I suggest you leave until he calms down, unless you want to risk being here when he loses it,” Snape said, looking at Avery as though he detested him.
“Fuck. Okay. Thank you, Cerberus,” Avery said, frantically grabbing his cloak and stepping across James’ body as he latched onto the rope ladder and sped upwards. “Fuck Voldemort, I hate that bastard!”
Nobody answered, aware that Avery was extremely unwise in voicing his feelings about the Dark Lord’s unpredictable behaviours.
“Severus, you moronic shit,” Severus said between his teeth.
Mulciber and Rosier snorted, enjoying Snape’s irritation.
“You two better help me get Potter looking more presentable and less dead, unless you too want to join Avery and get AK’ed to hell!” Snape whirled around menancingly.
The two men looked at him blankly.
“You don’t think the Dark Lord is actually going to forgive Avery, do you, you pathetic fools?” Snape scoffed dangerously. “Throw every healing spell you can think of at this traitor, and I’ll see what I can do for you two imbeciles!”
Rosier cleared his throat and looked stunned. Mulciber glared at Snape.
“We hardly did anything!” he said. “You probably did more of the Crucios than we did!”
“I presume you haven’t forgotten that the Dark Lord is an extraordinarily gifted Legilimens?” Snape smiled thinly, sticking the tip of his wand into Mulciber’s abdomen. “He’s going to die of blood loss, not of Crucios, obviously, you fool! Care to tell him yourself the extent of your role in this… shambles?”
Mulciber’s lips thinned and he shook his head.
“Thought as much,” Snape replied smugly. “Mulciber, get me the blood replenishing potion immediately. Rosier, give me a hand here – Vulnera Sanentur over his entire body, Brackium Emendo over his ankles, quickly!”
Rosier nodded his head and started firing healing spells anxiously. Snape did the same, deep in concentration, his wand flying over James’ body. Mulciber reappeared moments later, holding a half-empty bottle of dark red liquid. Snape grabbed it off him wordlessly and carefully placed three drops into James’ mouth, scanning his face anxiously. Blood trickled from James’ right ear.
“Still looks pretty moribund to me,” he muttered to himself, touching James’ hands tenderly.
James’ fingers felt frozen, white, almost blue.
“Perhaps Rosier should come with you?” Mulciber asked, inching backwards towards the rope ladder.
Snape’s lip curled.
“Don’t be pathetic, Rosier is a liability, and far too skinny to be able to lift Potter. I need you with me,” he ordered.
Mulciber opened his mouth.
“The Dark Lord specifically asked that you accompany me,” Snape said. “He said he may need our help in questioning Potter, that’s if he isn’t already dead by the time we get there. We need to hurry!”
Mulciber swallowed.
“Now help me lift Potter, and for fuck’s sake be careful, he’s perilously close to death as it is!” Snape said.
