The Water's Too Deep || Lily & Severus
Lily sat crouched, her wand in hand and her thoughts focused on the task at hand. She snuck a glance behind her hiding spot at the festivities being held. It made her sick to see how happy they all seemed, almost as if everything in the world was perfectly fine. She supposed from their point of view it was. Everything was right where they wanted it, and so they could afford to celebrate without worry.
She gripped her wand tighter, wondering how their plan would work out. It seemed simple enough, but perhaps it was a little too simple. There was no second guessing now, they were here and just waiting for the signal from Potter to attack. If Tuney knew she was here, she’d be having a fit. Thankfully, she had bought Lily’s library excuse without much question, allowing her the chance to get here with the rest of the Order without a million questions and even more attempts to persuade her to stay.
She made a mental note of where the guests of the event were standing, and even caught sight of Severus standing fairly close to her hiding spot. Thankful to see that their double agents were already working their magic in the crowd, she felt a sudden burst of confidence. This plan was going to have to work, they were ready and it was all mapped out perfectly.
Suddenly her wand gave a slight vibration and the charm to show the signal came forth. It was time. Not wasting the moment, she spun out from her hiding place with the rest of her comrads, wands drawn and ready to start the chaos.
When the Order attack hit, Severus didn’t panic. It wasn’t his way; even when legitimately surprised he reacted with clarity and composure, and this would be no different.
He’d been briefed about how he was meant to behave in this sort of situation by both sides. As a spy he was granted certain immunities – nobody was supposed to involve him, and he wasn’t expected to compromise his position in either group by actively engaging in combat. He was to get out of the way, to keep an eye on proceedings, and to be ready to act as soon as he received orders.
Tucked away in a sheltered nook, hidden under a disillusionment charm and protected by a magical shield, everything was going according to plan until a shock of flame-red hair flashed across the scene.
No, surely not – she couldn’t possibly be foolish enough to show her face in public after everything that had happened. She might be cursed with the unfailing recklessness and gallantry typical of Gryffindors, but she knew what these people did to her kind. And the others - Moody and Lupin and even blasted Potter – they knew better than to allow her to needlessly risk herself like this.
But when he looked closer, he felt his insides turn to ice as he recognized the features of the absolute last person he ever hoped to encounter in the midst of a battle.
He had dropped his shield and begun crossing the room before his mind had fully caught up with his actions. To hell with precision and reason and meticulous planning – he needed to get away before his inability to master his emotions with Lily in danger ruined everything, and he needed to get her to safety before somebody else got to her first. And somebody would get to her; even beyond her vulnerability as a mudblood surrounded by those sworn to eradicate her kind, there were too many amongst the Death Eaters who suspected her power over him for her to possibly walk free.
He could figure out how to explain away everything later. For now, he needed to ensure that all of his efforts and sacrifices to protect her hadn’t been in vain.
He was within range of her in moments, wand up and dropping her in her tracks with a full body-bind before she had even registered his presence. As he approached, he fired off curses in every direction, hoping to halt any Order members who might rush to her rescue and ruin their escape. There was no time for finesse – he could allow nothing to get between him and his target.
As he reached her, he leaned down to wrap a hand around her wrist. Anchored by the solid feel of her arm, he forced his mind to focus on his destination, and after a moment’s hesitation, they were gone.
They crashed onto the top of the staircase leading to his flat. As grateful as he was for anti-apparition spells keeping his residence safe, he couldn’t help but regret the inconvenience as he considered how to get them both inside. She appeared to be unconscious, rather than simply frozen - he must have accidentally knocked her out in his sloppy barrage of curses. No matter; it was probably better that she remain unconscious until she was safe in his flat he could explain everything. As he lifted her from the ground he was immensely grateful that at least he wouldn’t have to carry her up the steps.
Her body was limp in his arms as he hefted her through the door, dragged her across the room and deposited her clumsily onto the threadbare sofa up against the wall. After ensuring that he’d negated the full body-bind, he took her wand, pocketing it. It wasn’t that he wanted to disarm her, exactly – she’d get her wand back as soon as he’d explained himself and had ensured that she wasn’t going to hex him and try to bolt.
With her secure, he made a quick round about the flat, locking the door and checking that all the necessary defences were in place. This done, he collapsed onto his armchair, dropped his head in his hands wondering what the hell he'd just done, and waited for her to awaken.
