Lily struggled quite valiantly, trying desperately to loosen Snape’s grip on her. She failed miserably. Another Death Eater followed closely behind them, dragging an unconscious James. He had tried to single handedly take on five Death Eaters, not the smartest move, but a brave one in any case. Snape snickered loudly.
“It looks like James has fallen asleep on us, maybe we could wake him up with a passion wrought scream?” he asked tauntingly, rather loud for what was supposed to be a whisper in her ear. The other Death Eater laughed sinisterly. Lily glared. Snape shoved her along, however.
“Don’t touch me, slime!” Lily yelled. Snape laughed, but otherwise ignored her. When they reached their destination, Lily was thrown in, as was James, who toppled to the ground, rolling over onto his side. “James!” she said, rushing over to him. She looked around, and saw that the room they were in was much like the one she had just left. It was completely empty, and very dank. She shook James slightly. “Come on, James! Wake up!”
“Here, let me help you with that,” Snape said, raising his wand.
“NO!” Lily cried, unsure what he was going to do. “Luiqwavius!” he whispered, and a gush of water slammed into James from right above his head. He shot up, coughing and spluttering. He began shaking, brushing his long, dark-brown hair out of his face.
“Lily!” he yelled, looking through his splattered glasses. The other Death Eater laughed at his reaction.
“The Dark Lord said I could have them both ‘alone’,” Snape pointed out firmly. The Death Eater nodded.
“You have an hour,” he said, and left swiftly. Snape turned to James, and raised his wand.
“Sorry about this Potter. Marrolissumptia,” he said, pointing his wand at James. Suddenly, James went, still. He couldn’t move anything below his neck.
“What did you do to him?!” Lily said frantically, grabbing his hand in terror. “James? James!?”
“I’m fine, Lily. I’m ok. Listen, slug him and get out of here, now!” James said urgently.
“There is no chance in Hell I’m going to leave you here!” Lily said.
“Lily!” James roared, trying his best to intimidate her.
“What did you do to him? Why can’t he move?!” Lily yelled again.
“Shut up! I paralyzed him from the neck down. Temporarily,” Snape explained, looking around the room. Lily looked around too, wondering what he was looking for. Snape looked into the far corner, and seemed to spot something. He quickly looked away, obviously thinking hard.
“What is it?” Lily asked, frowning. Something odd was definitely going on. Snape turned to her, and then seemed to make up his mind about something.
“Alright,” he said firmly to himself, and he conjured a fluffy looking mattress, right next to the spot he had been looking at so intently. Lily suddenly became terrified. Snape was going to rape her. She backed against the wall. James looked almost as scared as Lily felt.
“Snape, please,” James said brokenly. “I’ll do any damn thing you ask. I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt Lily.” Snape ignored him, and conjured up a rather odd looking book. Lily stared at it. What was he going to do with that book? Read her poetry? “Snape, listen to me! I’ll give you anything that is in my power. Join Dumbledore’s side.”
Snape continued to ignore him, now conjuring a blanket. “SNAPE IF YOU TOUCH HER I”LL RIP YOUR GOD DAMN HEAD OFF!” James finally yelled realizing that negotiating wasn’t going to work. Snape turned at this, looking James up and down in his paralyzed form.
“I’m simply terrified. What are you going to do? Glare me to death?” he said, sitting on the end of the mattress. Lily had noticed something. The Snape she was looking at now was obviously a very different Snape from the one that had been gloating outside. She looked at him curiously, and he looked back. His eyes were not filled with anger, or lust, but great amounts of pain.
“Snape?” she asked softly, trying to talk to him. Maybe she could save herself. “Snape, listen, I know you get pushed around a lot in school. I’ve seen the way you’re treated. I want you to know, you can back out of this now, I’m sure Dumbledore would understand…” but Lily was interrupted by Snape’s laugh. James’ heart broke. Lily was always so kind, so caring. Even to old Snivelly.
“You know, Lily you’re a very smart girl, but you can be a bit of a child at times," Snape said, looking rather lke an old man now. He glanced back into the corner, and closed his eyes in stress. When he next opened them, his eyes showed a great amount of sexual threat. “I think I’m going to have some fun teaching you a few things,” he said rather loudly. He advanced on her. Lily looked at James. His face was beet red from trying to break the spell. It was useless. He couldn’t move an inch,
“Snape, don’t!” James cried desperately. “DON’T!” he then yelled furiously. Snape ignored him and kept stalking towards Lily. She stood up slowly from her spot beside James. Backing up against the wall, she saw James’ look of utter desperation.
“Don’t watch James,” she said soothingly. “I love you.” James opened his mouth to say something, but his head was pounding so hard, from trying to break the spell. He had to get out of this, for Lily. Snape had her up against the wall, and he placed each one of his grimy hands on either side of her, caging her with his arms. He moved his face closer to her, and when Lily thought he was going to kiss her, he missed her mouth, and hung his head just above her head.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. Lily had almost grasped his simple words when he grabbed her roughly, pinning her against him. She struggled, trying to scratch at him with her nails. She got the side of his face, and he cursed as the blood dripped from the gouges. He practically picked her up, and threw her on top of the mattress.
Lily knew nothing but terror. He leapt on top of her, and tiny black spots flitted before her eyes as all the wind was knocked from her lungs. Snape was kissing her, she realized that. Hands were everywhere. All she could feel were his hands on her, all she could hear was his ragged breathing, and all she could think was that James was sitting not three feet away, unable to help her.
As her eyes rolled around in terror, she noticed that one of his hands had grabbed the book beside the bed. He started moving their bodies to one side of the mattress. To an on-looker it would seem that Snape didn’t realize where his body was taking him, but to Lily, she could see that, even though he was looking at her, his entire being was focused on that something he had been distracted by earlier in the corner.
SLAM!
Lily’s heart leaped as she heard Snape slap the cold ground with the book. He froze then, and looked to see where the book had landed. He smiled gleefully.
“Gotcha,” he whispered. He looked at Lily then, still smiling. She was so confused, her mind reeling, her body screaming in terror. She looked up at Snape, and saw his face change from victory to sorrow. He moved off her slightly, and Lily vaguely realized that Snape was getting off her. Then, quite suddenly, Snape was was saved the trouble by being ripped from her into the air. Lily looked above her to see James, his face glistening with sweat.
In that moment, as she stared up at him, his body drenched, his tee-shirt sticking to his well muscled chest, his floppy black hair hanging in his now rigid hazel eyes, she knew that the only person she would ever love, would be James Potter.
James held Snape up off the ground, and then turned quickly, slamming him into the wall. Never in his life had he ever wanted to kill somebody. Now he did. He wanted to kill Severus Snape for hurting the only thing that had ever mattered to him; Lily Evans.
“I’m going to kill you, you slimy, greasy, fucked-up little bastard,” James whispered murderously into his ear.
“James…you don’t understand,” Snape started. James interrupted him by slamming his fist into Snivelly’s face a few times.
“I understand all I need to. You just forced your slimy little body on the girl that means the world to me. Very stupid, I thought you knew better. She even gave you a damned chance! She never did anything to hurt you! SHE EVEN STOOD THE HELL UP FOR YOU!” James roared, making himself even angrier. He threw Snape onto the ground and kicked him in the stomach. Snape raised him wand, trying to cough out a spell, but James quickly yanked the wand out of his hand, pointing it at Snape. “They say you have to really want hurt somebody to use the Cruciotus Curse. I never was able to manage it, but I think I’ll be able to do it with pleasure now.”
“James, you must listen!” Snape insisted through a bloody nose. James raised his wand, ready to make him pay when Lily spoke up.
“James, don’t,” she said, standing up slowly. James immediately dropped the wand to his side and rushed to her. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her all over.
‘I have to, Lily. I can’t let him get away with hurting you like that,” he said firmly. Lily shook her head.
“I’m fine,” Lily said, looking away.
“Lily, I saw the whole damned thing. He had his hands all over you!” James said, breathing loudly. Lily looked up at him, and James saw that she was struggling not to cry. “Jesus…” James muttered, pulling her against him again, closing his eyes and trying to rid himself of the image of Snape on top of Lily.
“I think, just before you grabbed him, he was going to get off of me,” Lily said.
“Lily, you’re just confused.”
“James! I am not a stupid little girl! I know what I’m talking about! I have not addled my brains, I am not a ditzy girl who can’t take care of herself, and I don’t need you to go all macho on me right now! It’s really sweet James, but don’t take it to the point where you think I can’t think for myself!” Lily yelled, quite incensed. James looked away.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sighing in shame. “It’s just…I can’t stand the thought of anybody else touching you. It drives me crazy Lily. Thinking of anybody giving you any amount of trouble…I just can’t stand it,” he admitted softly.
“Let’s just listen to what he has to say,” Lily said soothingly, looking up into his soft brown eyes. James nodded, still holding her tightly. Lily turned towards Snape, fear trickling in her blood. She stood proud, however, not showing her fear. That was rule number one when dealing with a Slytherin. “Alright, Snape. I’m giving you a chance. Spill it.”
“If I try and speak is that oaf going to blast my head off?” Snape asked glaring at James. James twirled the wand in his fingers casually.
“Shut it, Snape. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not exactly in the right position to be making comments like that,” Lily said. Snape nodded. He started to stand up, and Lily jumped back out of reflex. She blushed horribly. So much for acting brave. She needed strength. She reached for James hand, seeking his comfort.
“Fine,” Snape said, pretending not to notice her fear of him. He started to walk back over to the bed, and James raised his wand. “I’m going to show you something,” Snape said, seeing their suspicion.
“Keep your pants on, Snape. I don’t want to see it,” James said boldly. Snape smiled slightly.
“I’ll try,” he remarked dryly, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He pointed to the book, looking expectantly at James and Lily.
“What? You want a bed-time story or something?” Lily said. “Just cut the crap Snape. We don’t have all day. Tell us what you’re on about.” Snape nodded and lifted the book up. Lily grimaced as she saw the smashed up bits of a spider.
“Are we supposed to be impressed by your spider squashing skills or what?” James said angrily.
“You really are an idiot, Potter. This is, or was, an Animagus. Karl Ublane. A faithful spy for Voldemort. I’ll expect Voldemort put him in here to make sure I wasn’t going to do what I plan on doing,” Snape said to the awestruck Lily and James.
“So you were never going to…” Lily said breathlessly. Snape shook his head. James still hadn’t blinked.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice. I thought I would be able to just explain as soon as we got into this room, but I saw that we had a visitor, and I had to put on the show to get close to him,” Snape said.
“Why couldn’t you just walk over and step on him? Why did you have to pretend to do that to Lily?!” James roared.
“If you were sitting as he was, wouldn’t you be a little suspicious if I came up to you, and tried to bluntly squash you? No, he would have turned back into a human, and I would be no match for him. I am surprised I didn’t give it away to him when I conjured the book,” Snape explained.
“So what are we going to do now?” Lily asked nervously.
“Well,” Snape said, standing back up and walking towards them. James grabbed Lily protectively, still pointing the wand at Snape. “What? You still don’t trust me?”
“I’m fine as long as you keep a healthy distance between you and Lily,” James remarked. “And don’t leave my sight.” Snape rolled his eyes, and looked at Lily to back him up. She didn’t however, still looking slightly scared of him. He hung his head. He did all of this to get them out, and this was his repayment?
“Well, we need to get Sirius and Remus out too,” Snape said.
“And Peter,” Lily reminded.
“Oh yeah,” Snape said with a little disgust. James glared.
“How do you suppose we do that?” James asked. Snape smiled.
“No idea,” he said. Lily sighed.
“Does Dumbledore know you were faking?” Lily asked. Snape shook his head.
“No,” he said.
“Well, I don’t know how much time is past, but you were only given an hour by Voldemort. We need to do whatever we are going to do now,” James said fervently. Lily nodded. Snape grinned.
“This should be fun.”