Favorite Place (open)

[lauren]

Lily was currently sitting on the lawns, deep in thought. It was really one of her favorite places to be. She just loved Hogwarts grounds, especially the lawns and even more so if it was away from the Whomping Willow. That's the one thing she didn't like about the grounds, the violent tree. She of course was smart enough to stay away from it, but not very many people were.

At first she had been reading a book, but the book was currently face down. She sorta lost track after awhile and other things came to her mind. A lot of it had to do, with well Severus. It's true she hadn't forgiven him and she knew she wouldn't ever do so, but she still, every now and again couldn't help but to think of what happened those months ago. He had said the one word she thought would never come out of his mouth and at her of all people. That's what really got her. Sure, yeah she hated when he said it in general. It was a horrible word, but she never thought he'd call HER that. Her, his best friend.

She sighed and shook her head. She had to stop thinking about it. It was the past. There was no use in being worried about the past. It was done and over with, she should be moving on not thinking about what's already happened. She should be worried about what's to come. She picked up her book again and started to read.

[severus snape]

THings were dire. Really dire. Yes his OWls had all been fine. with the exception of Herbology in which he had scroed an E. something he was very annoyed about. It wasn't his fault if the stupid plant had decided it had no reason to flower, even after he'd watered it most days. He'd only forgotten once! Why should it die from that?

No, what was dire was that he'd lost Lily. Properly. Not just couldn't see her, or had been momentarily separated by a crowd of third years. He'd lost her. He'd said a stupid stupid thing and now? ...now she was lost to him. PRobably forever. She thought him a junior Deatheater like the rest of his housemates. But he wasn't. Jesus...HE still liked her, still cared. He'd never meant to say it. And now he couldn't undo it. He'd even researched howto make or obtain a time turner, but it was already too long since it had happened.

What was also dire was that he could hear the murmurs everywhere. "snivelly, washed your pants yet?" "hey snivellus, nice arse!" The sniggers, the names, it had been last year! why couldn't they forget it and move on?! HE wasn't a circus act for them to laugh at, to entertain them.

So when things got so dire that he'd nearly given in and stayed in the cubicle he'd locked himself into, he decided to go outside for a cigarette.

A short while later found him fumbling with his matches and lighting the forbidden fag, well out of the way of any prefects. He loved these lawns. He had so many fond memories of them. memories now turned sour of course...but it was his own doing. He took a longer drag to try and quell the aching feeling and the need to just find somewhere and cry. And cry and cry and cry and not care that he was being weak because he'd lost her and he was a joke and he should probably just jump in the lake and let the squid strangle him and drag him to the depths. forever.

Rubbing a hand over his face he looked up and was both elateed and sickened by the flash of red hair. So, harkening back to his days at Spinner's End and the playground, he stayed where he was near the bushes, watching her.

She was reading. She'd shook her head briefly as he'd first spotted her and he saw how beautiful she looked, he couldn't see her eyes from this distance and angle, but he wanted to. He swallowed and tapped ash off the fag. Setting down his bag, he leant against a mossy rock and watched her. Just watching. He wasn't allowed to do any more than that now.

[lauren]

Lily really didn't notice Severus, but then again she was very busy with her book and she loved to read. You didn't just have to learn from text books, or even the tv. Lily learned something every time she read. Of course when she read more educational stuff she learned more, but if she was reading just a regular books, she still learned things like new words. She was getting way to into it actually (her book) and she wouldn't want to be putting it down any time soon, or it would be very very difficult for her to that is.

Another reason why she didn't know he was there, within walking distance was because he hadn't spoken or anything to her, or even at all draw attention to his presence. Of course she was angry at him, so she'd be kind of glad he didn't, if she knew he was in the same area as her. She'd probably also be angry at him for watching her from a distance like that. Before she didn't really care. It didn't bother her all that much.

She found it extremely weird at times yes, as she wasn't sure he was aware of what he was doing at times, but he had been her friend, so him watching her didn't bother her. Him being around her in general hadn't bothered her, not until he called her a mudblood that is. Still the bottom line was that she wasn't aware that he was in the same area as her, so she continued about her business and turned the page on the book.

[frank]

((Is it ok if I join?))

It was one of those days, it was almost lunch and Frank still had an essay to start for potions which was due at the end of the day and he had to practice his animal transfiguration's before his newt class started; still though, with his work waiting for him on a table in the library Frank had let his craving for muggle nicotine to pull him from his dedicated potions research and out onto the lawns; he needed someone with a light. He had tried a few times to light a cigarette with magic but for some reason unknown to Frank the taste was always wrong so he preferred to use muggle means to lit the thin white stick; the stick in question he currently held between his thumb and forefinger where he was gently rolling it in agitation, he needed a light damn it!

Pushing his way through the crowd of first years that seemed to think that the main steps into and out of the castle was a good place to set up a study group Frank looked around him hoping to find someone else he knew smoked or at least the tell tale sign of a cloud of white smoke coming from somewhere...moving away from the castle and further toward the lake; like a starved man it didn't take long for the desperate Gryffindor to find what he was looking for 'Smoke cloud at 0200!'

Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding Frank wasted no time in making a bee line toward the smoking bush, as he got close he tried to figure out if he knew the person leaning so casually against the castle wall.
'black greasy hair? Can only be one person'
"SNAPE!" Realising he was shouting but not really caring at the moment Frank now stood in front fo the bush waiting for the mentioned boy to come out, he would have gone behind the bush himself but Merlin only know what the Slytherin boy was doing behind there, especially when he had seen Lily sitting not so far away, it was no secret that Snape had a thing for Lily even if the two in question had no idea it had been a topic in the gossip mill for a while Frank had over heard enough gossip sessions in the common room to know more than he ever wanted to about this topic or any other concerning the love life's of the students of Hogwarts

"Hey Snape stop wanking over Lily for a second and come out here!?"

[severus snape]

Oh god...Why couldn't he have just kept quiet. They lived so close to each other that summer had been pure torture. HE'd spent day after day on those swings, waiting and waiting. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. He shouldn't expect her forgiveness. He didn't deserve it. But...She hadn't exactly been nice herself that day. And he'd forgiven her. How could he not. That tilt of her head, the way her lips were slightly parted, that long red hair falling gently down her b-

'SNAPE!'

He heard the shout and immediately shoved one hand into his robes to pull out his wand and ready himself for the probable attack. UNfortunately that meant opening his mouth slightly and the lit fag fell from hsi thin lips and caught his chin on the way down. Shit. That hurt. A lot. One hand against his pale chin and the other holding his wand he blanched at the next words. His anger was almost palpable as he burst forward, reaching for the collar of whoever had decided to both make his position known and corrupt and twist the most innocent and sweet thing he'd ever felt for someone. How they could even consider sch a thing....

"You bloody- " he found himself staring into the face of Longbottom, Frank. The year above and renowned enough for being a dab hand with his wand. Just as Severus was renowned for his curse repertoire.

He swallowed the urge to start shouting since it would only serve to make himself look guilty and put his free hand back to his now clenched jaw to rub the reddened burn while the vein near his temple throbbed slightly under sallow skin. It was always gryffindors. Always. Damn the lot of them...well save the one who had damned him.

"What do you want?" The slytherin hissed in as low a voice as he could muster.

[frank]

Not expecting the Slytherin to attack first and ask questions later Frank hadn't so much as thought of defending himself before the other boy had a firm grip on his clothes, not that he made any move for his wand now; he had never had any problems with Severus Snape and now in his last year he didn't plan to give the guy any reason to hold a grudge, if you ignored his last comment of course but that was mainly to get the guys attention and it wasn't like Lily had heard.

"Geez Snape don't be so up tight" Pulling back slightly to hint that he wanted to be released Frank took in the shallow face he found himself facing, if he was honest he had never really paid much attention to the boy; he had heard of the rivalry he had with the Marauders of course, but it wasn't something he had bothered paying attention to though, again being honest here, some of the pranks he had seem had him chuckling for the rest of the day; but looking at the other boy now Frank would say he looked worse than ever. 'I should ask him if he's ok. The worst he could do is - not worth thinking about'

"You look like crap Snape" He stated, his cigarette still held loosely in his hand by his leg "Your voyeuristic tendencies keeping you up at night?" He hadn't meant to say that, a Gryffindor he may be with more courage than was sometimes healthy but he wasn't stupid and seeing as Snape already seemed upset over his last comment...well Frank wasn't stupid, or so he thought 'Ok, distraction' "Are you hurt? Why atre you holding you chin?" 'Nice Frank now why don't you just poke him in the eye next, he's a Slytherin they like to have weakness you know'

[severus snape]

"Don't be so uptight?! Don't be- The nerve you've got, Longbottom....." One fist clenched tightly at his side he raged at the older boy, "You can't just ...slander my name with..such grotesque ideas! I don't -" At that point he ran out of words with which to convey his anger without resorting to insults and his native tongue- Spinner's end dialect.

He stood there fuming and embarassed and mortified and with his bloody chin stil hurting! And this gryffindor had the nerve, the audacity to tell him he looked like crap? Well what else would he look like? What would anyone look like, let alone the universally disliked 'snivellus'. He snarled straight back, a few drops of spittle carried forward by his words.
"I'm well aware of how I look! "With a sneer he gave the older student a thorough once over, sizing him up, and loking down on him superciliously. "You seem altogether too interested in my sexua lhabits, Longbottom. Are you a poofter? It wouldn't surprise me."

"I'm fine!" He dropped his tone slightly, wary of drawing Lily's atention. "i'm fine. It's just a burn. Though you are to blame. What do you want from me? To laugh at me?" His attempt to restrain his volume left the wordsstrangled, or perhaps that was the memory of last year's OWLs fiasco and his humiliation. He was sure he'd seen Longbottom there watching in the crowd as JAmes Potter and his lackeys stripped him. "I'm not amusement for you lot."

[frank]

'Ok this was uncomfortable'
Not that Frank was new to uncomfortable situations; in fact they seemed to follow him wherever he went so it was with practiced ease that Frank jumped on to the first though he had once Snape paused long enough for him to get a word in without having to resort to talking over him, which Frank hated when other people did it to him so he took the effort to avoid doing to other people. "I have sometimes wondered if I was you know" He glanced down at the ple hand still clenched around a handful of his robes.

"Gay I mean, I mean I have tried kissing a guy, well we were drunk and it was in a game of truth or dare and it was either kiss the guy or sneak into the Hufflepuff dorms and lick all the tables; I mean what would you do?" He paused to take a breath perfectly aware he was rambling and that his voice was getting louder and louder the more into his story he got, this was why he tried not to share things about himself, when he shared he went into too much detail; not that he was embarrassed he just didn't think this was a guy who would see the funny side in any of his life stories and here he was in the middle of the grounds telling him on of his worst not only that but it was just after the guy had asked him about his sexual orientation...which wasn't homosexual in any case.

"I didn't mind the kiss so much actually but it wasn't for me, maybe the guy was just a bad kisser I wouldn't know he is the only one I have kissed but really I still wonder about it...." He coughed as he finally seemed to be given back control of his mouth "Er yeah so I was wondering if you could borrow me a light" He lifted his cigarette between them "I know you smoke"

Comment: Not sure what happened here, my idea of the post was funny in my head but it kind of got away from me

[severus snape]

All severus could do when Frankstarted to talk was to stare at him. Not quite in disbelief but certainly not with interest. Well. Perhaps a little. After all, he too had wondered about his sexuality. It was as he told himelf a perfectly natural, perfectly normal part of growing up. PArticularly in an environment with so many other boys around. But in his case, he wouldn't tell anyone about the occassionally arousing dreams or the way he understood some of the girls in slytherin's crushes. He had recently overheard one seventh year tell another that a particular student was the subject of a so-called 'man-crush'. Completelly heterosexual. Just an innocent appreciation for a particularly attractive man. So that was what he had labellked the few, well, several timems he had found himself slightly too interested in another boy.
However, he had never kissed another boy, had never acted out any of those slightly-off-the-beaten-track fantasies that roamed around his mind. So he found himself somewhat under Frank's spell, listening to him while trying not to. So when the opportunity came for him to answer a question, albeit a theoretical, rehtorical sort of uestion, he put his non-existant social skills to use and leant back even further from the prattling madman that was Frank Longbottom and in a slightly strained, slighlty hiher than usual voice, said,
"I wouldn't have played the stupid game in the first place. And-"He swallowed to get a slight grip on himself. "ANd anyway, I wouldn't have gottten drunk. It is a poison you know."

Longbottom kept staight on, rambling through and when he finallly came to an awkward grinding halt, and had managed to just about articulate what it was he wanted, Severus' hand jumper to his pocket to finger the box of matches he kept there, contemplatively.

"Nothing is ever free, Longbottom, especially when you ask a favour of a Slytherin. And IF I offer you a light, it won't be out of the goodness of my heart. I want you to do something for me as well. "He tapped their respective chests as he said this, then pulled out the matches, shaking the box gently, knowing only too well that when the cravings came, this little display would be just like dangling bread in front of a starving man.

"So, I propose that you have a word with those four imbeciles in the year below you, you know the one's I mean. Especially since Lupin the useless prefect won't or can't. Now, you get them off my back for...say...a wekk, and I'll give you a light." His reputation was already in tatter after the pant's incident and subsequent stripping, and now he just wanted to survive his sixth year without toilet and cauldron swirlies [which sounded far more pleasant than they were], trip jinxes, or being dangled upside down by his own spell.

[frank]

He should have expect it really, it was stupid of him not to have come prepared he knew but 'damn why did it have to be that? Nothing could distract those guys when it came to digging a deeper social gap between this Slytherin and the rest of the school, in fact Frank was sure that if they ever had the idea they would be sending messages around to the worlds newspapers about how 'the greasy ugly bog was a deatheater in training'
Eying the matches held just out of his reach Frank went over his options...there were 3 that he could think of right now.

1. He could agree to Snape's terms and try the impossible task. Which he knew wouldn't get far since the group in question seemed to have a vendetta against Severus Snape as odd as it is. Then he had to problem of HOW to distract them long enough to keep Snape prank free for a full week....1A; he could be a secret pranker, but then he had his NEWT's to think about. He hardly had time to breath with the work being piled on never mind time to start coming up with and then executing (hopefully without getting caught) pranks on the schools top pranksters. Not only that but he didn't think he would survive if they found out about him.

Then there was option 2.
He could go and find someone else who smoked, wasn't a Slytherin and was slightly muggle. It wasn't his favorite option and he knew it was out; even as the idea went though his head it was being shoved into a dark corner by the next option which was flashing neon green and luminous pink. He couldn't ignore it in favor of his Gryffindor morals.
Option number 3, it was so bright! So full of possibility and held the promise of a new embarrassing story that he would have to be sure to never tell his grandchildren....He could always Kiss Snape.

They were close enough still that all he would have to do would be to lean over and peak him on the lips. He'd be shocked Frank expected but then he'd possibly loosen his grip on the matches and with Frank being so close he could grab one and he was saved this continued torture and it would mean he wouldn't have to agree to anything Snape proposed.
And really Snape himself had said he had thought about it, this basically offering in Franks mind.'Whats the worst that could happen?'

Without his noticing Franks feet had been slowly moving him toward the other his chin up as he approached he leaned forward slightly "Is that my only option?"

COMMENT: Should he do it?

[severus snape]

To Severus' Mind, Longbottom had three options.

1. He could agree to Snape's terms and some how manage to keep the Mararses off his back for the week in question.
2. He could agree to the terms and fail. But Severus was sure that if Longbottom took up the challenege, like a true gryffindor, he'd at least try and that in itself would either give the four dunderheads a momentary new target, or a distraction as to why their own housemate had turned against them. Longbottom would probably tellt hem why in the end, but not before severus had had at the very least a day's respite from them.
And lastly:
3. The older boy could do without. If he chose to say no, severus would simply return the matches to his pocket and walk away. Not past Lily though. No reason to have her going back to the common in disgust and prompting a valiant avenger in the form of James Potter, Knight in tin foil. Definitely not past lily. He wasn't sure he'd make it past her without trying to talk to her, and that might lead to him making a horrifying spectacle of himself.

Nowhere in the three options had Severur made an allowance for the fact that Frank Longbottom might get closer to him. He leant back slightly, but stood his ground, slightly more wary. Aha! So that was his game was it? HE would try to take the matches by force. Severus made sure his wand was pointed at Longbottoms thigh and a stinging hex was on the tip of his tongue. That would certainly give him something to think about other than grabbing the matches if he tried it.

Severus now leant forward as well, large nose dangerously close to the other boy's. "Don't even think about trying to snatch these-" He shook the box again, "- Snatching isn't nice. " He smirked slightly. Let Longbottom try it if he wanted. He was ready.

[IF you'd like! Severus would certainly drop the matches, and probably his wand too XD.]

[frank]

He grinned, Severus thought he was going to snach them. Of this was going to be interesting, the big back Slytherin being kissed by a Gryffindor behind a bush on the lawns of Hogwarts. It was a good thing no one could see.

'He moved closer! Perfect' Letting out a small laugh Frank slipped his cigerette into his robes pocket, no need to ruin it otherwise what would be the point of all this.
"I wasn't planning on it" Leaving that as his only warning Frank used the long black hair that had been the base of so many nicknames for the younger Slytherin boy; he knew he had only seconds to act before he was on the recieving end of a fews painful hexes.

Taking a breath Frank pulled Snapes lips towards his own, glancing once at the box of matches he looked up into Snape's eyes as their lips met. It was dry, drier than any womans lips he had ever kissed and certainly a lot neater than the drunken kiss he had shared with Andy Davies in the common room.
Snapes lips were a lot softer than he had imagined them being; tilting his head to get better access Frank slowly ran his tongue along Snapes bottom lip, he remembered Andy doing it during their kiss and he knew some girls liked it. He wasn't sure Snape would appreciate his effort but the other couldn't say he was a bad kisser...well he could but at least he participated.

'Pull back Frank, you really don't need to kiss him for so long' Running his tongue over Severus's bottom lip again Frank ignored his inner voice...as usual.

COMMENT: Short but I want to see Snape's reaction before Frank pulls away (or gets pushed off)

[severus snape]

Longbottom was grinning. So he was planning to snatch them, eh? Well he wouldn't succeed.
"I'm warning y-"He found his train of thought and his sentence cut of as the other boy grabbed him and kissed him! He went rigid, dropping both wand and matches and widening his eyes as he finally managed to assess the situation properly.

HE was being kissed, quite thoroughly, actually, by Frank Longbottom, scant feet away form his ex-best friend, and he was enjoying it. NO! NO he wasn't! he wasn't enjoying it! not one bit! He lifted his hands to push the presumptuous Gryffindor away and gripped his arms, able to feel the muscle under those robes clearly. For some reason, he appeared to have lost nerve endings in his arms, he could neither push the Gryffindor away, nor let go of his arms. This was not good. Someone was going to see. And Longbottom was a good kisser. Who'd have known?

Severus decided the only thing to do when one's muscles did not obey was to speak out and protest. He opened his mouth slightly...and that was as far as he got because it really didn't feel bad being kissed like this. He swayed slightly between joining in and remaining impartial, butafter the second lick to his lip, decided this couldn't be a prank and his black eyes, previously wide open in shock, closed.

However, he categorically did not sigh happily. That part didn't happen. Not. At. All.