Severus laughed at the expression on Harry’s face at the last part of the story. “I’m sorry. I know you do not care for the ‘mushy stuff”. However, I will tell you this, the ‘mushy stuff’, is very important to grownups in romantic relationships. Some day, not too far away, you will not object to ‘mushy stuff’ with some girl or other.”

“Nuh uh,” Harry refused. “Girls are gross.”

Severus furrowed his eyebrows at that statement, “Is your mother gross? Your sisters?”

Harry shook his head no, “Kissing stuff is gross,” Harry clarified.

Severus laughed again, “Just you wait. I’ll bet you a fiver you won’t think the idea of kissing a girl will be gross by the time you’re 15.”

Harry shook his head again.

“We’ll just have to wait and see. Too bad I’m sure I could use that fiver at some point. Moving on with our story, your godfather had basically given me his permission to court your mother, not that I needed it. Still having his… Knowing he would not go out of his way to sabotage my efforts was reassuring. The next step came in finding the right way to ask your mother out for our first date and a suitable activity.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Severus apparated from Lily’s to the back door of his home on Spinner’s End. The wizard fished out a key from his pocket. There were several magical protections that were disarmed with the key without going through the process of the counter spells. Severus was grateful for it as he was too drunk and too lost in thought to deal with that much magic at the moment. He kissed Lily! He just kissed the love of his life.

Severus was certain he could die happy at this moment. He knew this would be the memory he used against the dementor for the foreseeable future. He also knew that the hangover that was to come tomorrow more than made up for the courage it had supplied. Sober, he would never have done such a thing. Oh gods! What did Lily think?

Severus tried to remember Lily’s reaction. He remembered kissing her. Did she kiss him back? He couldn’t remember. Maybe she did. Did he just ruin his only chance? No, Severus promised himself. Even if she hadn’t kissed him back, this night would not be his only chance.

Severus shook his head back and forth to clear his foggy mind. Things would make more sense in the morning. He crossed the room to the potions cupboard in the kitchen. He pulled out a vial of hangover solution for the morning. He then picked up three more. He was certain his drinking companions would need them as well.  Severus put the potions in his pocket before going back to the fireplace and Floo-ed back to Hogwarts.

Severus flopped down on his couch. He was too tired to make the walk to his bed. He would sleep here just as easily. Severus had just removed his jumper when a silver doe came through his wall. Severus’ eyebrows shot up at the sight of the Petronus. Hopefully something hadn’t happened in the few minutes he left. Were Lily and Harry safe?

“Severus Snape, you toerag!” Lily’s voice boomed. “You kiss me and just disappear! Who does that! We need to talk about this.”

Severus sat back shocked. Lily was upset with him. No, he wasn’t that surprised. She was upset he left. She wanted to talk about things. Severus would have to ask her plainly what it was exactly that she was upset about. Hopefully, she would forgive him.

Severus cast his own Petronus to Lily. He suggested a Floo-chat in the morning, when both would’ve had time to think the situation over. He was free from 10:45 or so until after lunch, they could talk then. Lily confirmed their meeting with another Petronus. Her annoyed tone did not pass Severus’ notice.

Severus slept poorly that night, his thoughts plagued with worry at upsetting Lily. What if she never wanted to speak to him again? Then why would they be talking in the morning? What if she accused him of taking advantage of her? She was still grieving for James. They were both  somewhat drunk.

Severus’ nerves and sleeplessness were taken out on his first years. He issued three detentions in the first 10 minutes of class. They would have deserved them in any mood, all three had to go to the hospital wing with burns. The removal of points was overly harsh 20 points was much to take from one, let alone each. Still the boy should know better than to try and light flames before setting their cauldrons up. They had covered that on the first day of class. He had no idea what idiots were so caught up in forget such basic lesson, but they would have good reason to remember it in the future.

Severus ordered a tea tray upon returning to his chambers. He was halfway through his cup when the fire flared to life.

“Lily,” Severus greeted warmly.

“Sev,” Lily said just as warmly.

There was an awkward silence between them. Not since Lily’s visit to his quarters a year ago had Severus felt so uncomfortable in Lily’s presence.

“Lily, I must, “Severus said as Lily said, “Sev, what.” Both stopped.

There was another pause. “Go first,” Severus offered.

“What were you thinking Sev?” Lily asked him. Not asked, demanded of him.

“I wanted to kiss you.” Severus said uncertainly.

“I get that.” Lily said rolling her eyes. “I want to know why you just left.”

Severus didn’t know what to say to this. Lily just sat there waiting. “Sev,” she finally prompted.

“I was scared what you thought of it.” Severus shook his head, “I fear that you would be upset with me for making such a move.”

“Oh Sev,” Lily said softly. She forgot how self-conscious he could be. “The kiss was fine. I was upset when you left. What did that kiss mean?”

“What did it mean?” Severus asked uncertainly.

“Yes, does this mean you want to date? Was it something just because we had too much to drink? Something else entirely?” Lily clarified. “Well Sev?”

Severus paused. He is very bad at discussing his emotions, his desires. He would have to do his best to explain this to Lily. “It was not something done by the fog of alcohol. I will admit if it were not for the beer I would not have made such a move. However, it is something I have wanted to do for good deal of time… Since we were 12.” Severus screwed up his face in concentration. “Yes, 12 sounds right. As for my desire to date, I have told you several times you are the only woman I have a desire to court.”

Lily nodded. She had heard him say that before. She’d never doubted the statements, but it was nice to be reassured. She could see how hard this conversation was for Severus. He hated talking about those sorts of things. Finding out how he was feeling now only slightly more difficult than trying to get him to explain what had happened between his parents at Spinner’s End all those years ago. Lily had to learn to read all of the subtle cues to find out what she wanted when they were young. Severus’ mastery of Occlumency had only made that task harder.

“Okay,” Lily said sitting back. “Okay.” She repeated.

“Okay? Okay what?” Severus asked at a lost.

“Okay, it wasn’t a drunken mistake. Okay, you want to try ‘courting’ me.” Lily explained. “I take it that means you have a question for me.”

Severus sat back, a small smirk on his lips. “Are you ordering me to ask you out on a date?”

“Not ordering,” Lily corrected. “I simply expected that you had a request lined up since you made such a move.”

“You know what they say about assumptions,” Severus said softly. “As for that one, no I do not. Nor will I be ordered to make one.”

“What, you’re not going to ask me out because I said I expected you to?” Lily asked laughing.

“Indeed,” Severus confirmed. “I plan to ask you when I’m ready. Is it not enough to know you will be asked at some point?” The light banter was easier to  handle than trying to explain the fear Lily would once again reject him.

“No,” Lily protested. “You kissed me. You say you want to date me. You need to ask me out on a date now.” Lily was pouting now.

“Too bad, Lily Potter. That will not be happening today. Now I must be going. I have several student injury reports to file.” Severus said seriously.

“Fine,” Lily pouted. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You will,” Severus confirmed.

“Good,” Lily said and terminated the connection.

Severus sat back. Now came the monumental task of deciding what to do for first date. The fact that he knew Lily so well was both a blessing and a curse. He wanted this to be special, memorable. What could they do? This would take careful consideration. There was one things Severus did know at the moment. It would not be in Cokeworth. Other than that, Severus was clueless.

After a week of going over his own ideas Severus looked for help. He knew what people had done while they were at Hogwarts, but they were so much older now. He could do something better than Madam Puddifoot’s. Still not sure if he was on the right track, Severus consulted several women’s magazines. He read through the romantic advice parts. He was surprised and frustrated that most of his ideas were both in the good idea/ bad idea column. There seems to be as many women who thought it was a good idea, then a pleasant/memorable experience as hated it. Of course, like everything else in his life, it depended on the person (people) involved. Severus determined this was a time when knowing Lily would be a positive. He was fairly certain she would enjoy the plans he had forming in his head. His mind made up, Severus was left with the task of asking. He made sure to consult a lunar chart pick a night far enough away from the full moon that Lupin would be available to babysit Harry. If the werewolf had other plans they would figure other things out then.

Severus stepped through the flames into Lily’s sitting room.

“Sev,” Harry greeted running to the fireplace.

“Hello Harry,” Severus said scooping the boy up.

“Hello,” Remus greeted stepping into the room. “I never got a chance to thank you for the Hangover Solution the other week. I had transformations that were more pleasant.”

Severus gave a disapproving look. “You continue drinking after left?”

Remus nodded.

“You would most definitely would have needed a Hangover Solution.” Severus said. “Either way, it was no trouble. Is Lily here?”

“In the kitchen,” Remus confirmed, “She sent me out to say ‘hello’. I think it was just cover to stop me from knicking things off the cutting board.”

“Indeed,” Severus agreed. “If you will excuse me, I would like to say ‘hello’ to our hostess.”

Remus stepped out of the way.

Severus made his way to the kitchen. Harry was babbling about something or other, but what exactly that was, Severus could not tell. He was fairly certain that some of the things were not even words. Severus made ‘hmm’noise in agreement and Harry seemed appeased.

“Hello Lily,” Severus greeted as they crossed the threshold of the kitchen. He wanted to cross the room to kiss her, but he didn’t. Instead he set Harry down and asked, “How may I be of service?”

“Hi Sev,” Lily said that looking up from her recipe book. “You can dice some onions for me, two large ones.”

Severus nodded and set to work.

“Harry, love,” Lily sighed. “Go find Mooney. He would love to play with you. Mummy and Sev need to finish making dinner.”

Severus saw the boy dutifully drift out of the kitchen.

“It’s like he specializes in being underfoot,” Lily lamented.

Severus chuckled at the statement. “What do I do with the onions?”

“You’re done already?” Lily asked surprised.

“The wonders of achieving a mastery in potions. You learn to shred, peel, and dice in a third the time most people.” Severus said dryly.

“I’ll say,” Lily agreed. “How are classes going? It’s been a few days since I heard the last horror stories from Hogwarts.” She had stopped pestering Severus to ask her out after three days of failure.

Severus shrugged. “There have been no injuries or near injuries in my classes. There is much excitement for the upcoming Quidditch match, Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. My snakes currently head the leaderboard, so much of the school wishes to see them dethroned.”

“You don’t sound all that excited.” Lily commented.

“I hope to be otherwise engaged.” Severus explained.

“Really?” Lily asked, “How is that?”

“I was wondering if you would be willing to attend a show in the West End and perhaps dinner?” Severus asked.

Lily could have laughed at him, but she didn’t. Severus was always so reserved. “That sounds wonderful. I would love to accompany you to the theater. Do you have any idea what show you want to see?”

“There is a great deal of talk about a musical. It’s based on of the poems of TS Eliot.” Severus suggested. “It’s called Cats, I believe.”

Lily seemed surprised. “You want to go to a musical about cats? Who are you and what have you done with my Severus?”

“What are you…” Severus began.

“Come on Sev, I know you. You hated Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. You hated Tommy. You hated every musical I know you’ve seen. Why would you want to go to this one?”

This was not how Severus saw the conversation going. Lily wanted him to ask her out, now that he was, she was attacking his choice of entertainment. What was he supposed to do now?

“Is everything okay in here?” Remus asked.

“Fine,” Severus said. “Lily was just wondering why I would propose going on a date to a musical when I have not cared for the shows I have attended. Those all been films, for one. The other reason is I thought you might enjoy it.”

“You should enjoy the experience too, Sev” Lily said softly.

“Excuse me a moment,” Remus interjected. “Did you just say that you were asking Lily out on a date?”

“I did.” Severus confirmed.

“About bloody time,” Remus grumbled. “Also, she’s right you should enjoy the date as much as she does. The theater is a wonderful idea, but if you don’t like musicals, choose something else.”

“Thank you for your opinion, Lupin,” Severus said less harshly that one might have expected.

“I guess I’ll go look for Harry,” Remus said awkwardly dismissing himself from the conversation once more.

“He has a point about that. There has to be more than one play running in the West End. I don’t care what we see. Just pick something we both have a fair chance of liking,” Lily told him.

“What if I thought I could like Cats?” Severus demanded.

“Then I will go with you to Cats. I would even deal with your comments about the show afterward,” Lily promised.

“Lily, you must know the most important part of this to me is just the time spent in your company,” Severus said softly.

“I know. That’s how it’s supposed to be, Sev. We don’t have to do something fancy for a date. You know that right?” Lily asked.

“I wanted it to be memorable. To do something special for you.” Severus explained.

“Alright, whatever you choose to do or go with. It was wrong for me to attack your suggestion,” Lily apologize,“Can you forgive me?”

“There is nothing to forgive. You had a point, even if your conclusion was not wholly accurate. I have enjoyed several musicals: Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, and even, The Sound of Music. I just did not care for the bizarre styling of Tommy nor the boring and irritating songs of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Severus corrected.

“All right.” Lily agreed. “So Cats it is.”

“I’ll pick you up that evening. We can have dinner after the show if that’s alright with you.” Severus agreed.

“Fine, you better get back to tonight’s dinner.” Lily said turning to chop the garlic.

Remus agreed happily to babysit so that the two could go out for the evening.

The week passed quickly and finally it was the night of their date. Severus had washed his freshly trimmed hair. He dressed in a Muggle suit and tie. His long hair was tied back at the nape of his neck with the Slytherin green ribbon. He Apparated into Lily’s after informing the Headmaster he would be away from the castle until the next morning at least. He’d heard the whispers of the few students who caught him in his Muggle attire, but was too anxious for the rest of the day to care. If they said anything he would dock points. Let them mind their own business.

He was greeted by an exhausted Lupin.

“Hello, Severus,” Remus croaked.

“Lupin,” Severus returned. The werewolf looks much rougher than what Severus would expect for this type of the month.

“Are you unwell?” Severus asked after a bit, his concern genuine.

“Fine. Just a little bit tired. Harry’s a bit under the weather. He didn’t sleep well last night so neither did I.” Remus explained.

“Is that Sev?” Lily called from the top the stairs.

“It is,” Severus confirmed.

“I’ll be right down. I just need to find my shoes,” Lily yelled back.

“Lily,” Severus now standing at the foot of the stairs. What was he going to say was lost when he saw Lily. She was in a form fitting bottle green dress, black pumps in hand. Her hair was pulled up slightly. She wore a gold necklace Severus did not recognize. Although, he did recognize the earrings. They were a gift from her mother Christmas fourth year.

Lily hopped down the stairs.

“You look stunning,” Severus greeted.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Lily said with a warm smile.

“Lily, if Harry is ill it would not be an issue to reschedule. I don’t want to pull you away from where you are needed,” Severus said seriously.

Before Lily could say anything Remus spoke up. “I already had this talk with Lily. I can handle Harry. You two go have fun. All I ask is you bring me desert. Now go,” Remus said pointing towards the door.

Lily and Severus exchanged looks. Lily shrugged. “You heard the man . Let’s go.”

Severus offered his arm to her. The two walked arm in arm to the Apparition point. Severus slipped an arm around Lily’s waist, drawing her to him. He turned on his heel and in an instant later they were in London.

“Yuck,” Lily exclaimed as she removed her foot from a puddle of who knew what.

“I apologize.” Severus said casting Cleaning Charm on her shoe. “An unfortunate side effect of Apparating into an alley in such an area.”

“It’s fine, Sev. Relax. Try and remember it’s just me.” Lily told him softly.

Severus gave her another nod. She could tell him that one million times, but it wasn’t ‘just her’. They were trying to be more than ‘Lily and Sev best friends’. Didn’t he need to show another side of himself for her to be able to see him in this new light?

Severus offered his arm once more. He walked out into the Main Street. It was still a bit early for the show, but they headed to the theater to avoid the cold. Severus checked their coats while Lily went to get them something to drink from the bar.

They met halfway, Lily clutching two glasses of wine.

“ What should we toast to?” she asked.

Severus paused and thought, “To new beginnings.”

“New beginnings,” Lily said clinking her glass to his.

They drifted to the side of the hall as more people made their way into the theater. Finally heading to their seats just before the lights flashed. They settled into their seats, as the lights fell, their fingers intertwined on their shared armrest.

By intermission Severus was ready to go. It wasn’t that he hated the play exactly, just didn’t love it. There was something unsettling about Muggles dressed as cats supposedly wandering around an alley. In some ways it reminded him of human Transfiguration gone wrong. He was certainly going to have a problem looking at Minerva McGonagall in the morning. Lily returned from the bathroom not long before the end of intermission.

“Okay there Sev?” Lily asked from her seat.

“Fine, I was just thinking I should get Minerva tickets for this for Christmas.” Severus said with a small smirk.

“You’re horrible,” Lily said with a slap to his chest.

“So I have been told,” Severus said chuckling.

Lily rested her head on his shoulder for the rest of the show. Severus was surprised at how pleasant the slight weight was on his arm. Overall, it wasn’t the worst evening at the theater.

“Is that so bad?” Severus asked after rights came back.

“I should be asking you that.” Lily said with a shake of her head.

“It was… Passable. I will not be on the top list of things to experience again, but it was far more pleasant than Tommy,” Severus said carefully.

The next hour seemed to fly by. Severus didn’t remember much about dinner. It was not that he had too much to drink. No, it was the fact that he spent so much time focusing on Lily everything else was a blur. He did remember them having to call back the waiter when they refused desert to order one for Lupin. Before Severus realized it they were what’s again outside Lily’s house.

“I had a great time,” Lily told him.

“As did I,” Severus said looking into her green eyes. Then they were kissing.

Lily pulled away first. “I should go in.”

“You should. I’m sure Lupin could use the relief.” Severus said resting his forehead against hers.

Lily let out a sad sigh, “Yeah.”

Severus leaned in to kiss her once more. When they pulled away several minutes later he to let out a sad sigh.

“Go in,” Severus urged. “I will call tomorrow. I’ll be spending the night at Spinner’s End,” he added at Lily’s curious look.