who: Lily Potter & Severus Snape when: August 6, afternoon. where: Florentescue's What: It happens: Severus and Lily get ice cream at the same time. warnings: Awkward relationships. Severus is a bit selfish, but otherwise well-behaved status: complete.
Perhaps he should have expected that he would run into Lily at some point. After all Tumbleweed was not so large, and after all, there were only so many places the displaced tended to visit. They were both magicians among Muggles, people pulled from their own times and homes, and trying to make their way i n this one. So, perhaps Severus Snape should not have been surprised when he looked up from the counter at Florentescue's to see Lily Evans - no, Potter - walking in the door.
Had it been situations reversed, perhaps he would have turned and walked out the door again, but she had seen him, their eyes had met, and besides he had already ordered some of the ice cream, a weakness born of nostalgia, although why he should feel nostalgic for a world that would literally kill him, he had no particular clue.
But here he was. And here she was as well. He took a breath and offered a tight smile.
"Lily," he spoke in a simple form of greeting and acknowledgement.
It took Lily more than a moment before the warm smile of greeting that most people expected from her settled into place on her face. It wasn't that she was upset about running into Severus, not really. More that she wasn't certain how awkward this entire situation might be, that first time they finally came face to face. It was bound to happen eventually, she reminded herself.
"Severus," she said with a slight hitch in her voice, maybe a little bit of trepidation. "What flavor are you having?" Lily walked up towards him as she half-turned to look at the menu at the same time. "Would you recommend it?"
And just like that he was having an in person conversation with his childhood, once upon a time best friend, the woman he'd definitely fallen in love with, and who had instead fallen for his worst enemy. There was no way this could possibly turn out well, but he turned his attention to the sign that she was looking at, as if it might provide him the inspiration to talk to her, even though obviously he knew what ice cream flavor he'd just requested.
He turned his attention back to Lily and quietly said: "I thought I would try the Basil, with a bit of the chocolate syrup on top."
Lily nodded a few times, as though weighing that as an option. "I've always enjoyed the basil flavor," she admitted, "though I often pair it with something like the lavender, or the lemon." She pursed her lips in thought, thinking that maybe she was more in the mood for as sweet as possible. "I think I'm going to go with the double chocolate and hazelnut," she finished off decisively. She turned to look at him. "That's a good idea, right?"
The fact that she had asked for his opinion startled him. That was the last thing he'd expected, even over something as mundane - relatively - as ice cream. He nodded, and offered her a soft smile. "I do think that's a good idea, yes."
Not that he could say the same about the conversation. He didn't know what to expect from her at all, obviously. As something as simple as this was throwing him off.
"How have you been?" He asked, awkwardly.
Lily smiled and, set in her decision, stepped forward when it was her turn and ordered her ice cream. As it was being prepared for her, she and Severus moved down the line a little, out of the way of a group of loudly-chattering teenagers who had just entered the shop.
"I've been good," she said. With not-her-Harry's arrival, and some of the distance she felt from her other distant family members at times, not to mention the constant worry about people coming and going, she really wasn't good, but Lily Potter wasn't the type to ever admit any of that, at least not to anyone besides her husband. "How have you been?"
"Good," Severus said. It didn't feel like a lie, but it maybe didn't feel one hundred percent like the truth either. On the other hand he didn't feel as if he could give Lily one hundred percent the truth, so it'd be what it was. "I've been trying to figure out how to put my potions knowledge to work here. I believe Lily Luna and I may do some worth together." Because that wasn't… incredibly bizarre to say. It was all bizarre to say, really.
Her face broke out into a smile. "Oh, wonderful! I know Lily Luna is very talented in that area. I already told her she's welcome to any of my potions stores, ingredients and such. You are as well, if you choose to go that route." She hadn't, but that was because she wanted to spend time with other people, given the opportunity, rather than holed up brewing potions. "Perhaps some sort of apothecary?"
"You have potions ingredients here?" Severus couldn't help but be intrigued suddenly even if he knew he probably shouldn't be too intrigued. It was one thing for Lily to offer it to her granddaughter, but it felt different to offer it to him. He'd love an excuse to talk to her about potions, but he didn't know if Potter would like it much. No, replace that thought, Potter certainly wouldn't care for it. "I have a few things, and Charlie Weasley has offered me some as well. Right now I have been focusing more on lotions and very basic things - less deeply magical potions - but I'd like to do some of the other to sell to the displaced at least."
"I do," she said. "One of those times when we got a gift from St. Nick or whomever's out there bestowing things on the displaced." Lily shrugged a little. "It was a very nice surprise to find waiting for me, though I admit I haven't really done much with it at all yet. You're welcome to take a look at what I have."
Severus nodded and for an instant he was quiet not certain if she really meant the offer. He supposed he could have used legilimency to find out, but it felt unfair, and he didn't like the potential of it. So instead, he reached for the ice cream they'd made for him, but instead of walking to find a table he lingered.
"I suppose I missed all of that. But perhaps next year." He took a bite of the ice cream, a small one, and tilted his head. "I - thank you for the invitation. I wouldn't want to intrude though." Because wherever it was probably James was around, and Severus really didn't want to make Lily's life terrible. He had never wanted to, but perhaps he was more aware now of the ways in which he might have done so in the past.
"You wouldn't be intruding," she insisted quickly, though she second guessed herself about it too, thinking that more than likely James wouldn't want Severus over. But she could convince him, she knew, that it wouldn't be a big deal. "You should come by and take a look."
Severus wanted to say yes. For one thing, Lily was asking him. He wasn't having to invite himself or beg for her to agree, she was asking him. But weirdly he didn't want to make life challenging for her here. Perhaps in some ways it felt too easy to be invited over to her place, and not right at all when he'd taken so much from her. Even if that hadn't been intended.
"I'll… think about it," he offered. "You can let me know if there's a better time than other times."
Lily paid for and accepted her ice cream before turning back to Severus with a smile. "Any time I'm not working, really. And - er, perhaps not when James is around." Though it wasn't like she wasn't going to tell James about the invitation should Severus accept it. "He spends a lot of time on the Quidditch pitch lately, so that shouldn't be too difficult."
Severus's gaze flickered up to hers again. The mention of James not being around made him wonder if she was planning on telling him. But, that wasn't really his problem, was it? That was hers. If she felt that she didn't want to tell James, then, that was on her to decide. He nodded. "Text me a time when it would be good. If I am not otherwise engaged, I'll come by."
Lily smiled again. "That sounds like a plan," she said, taking another half bite of her ice cream. "I'm looking forward to it."
Severus wasn't certain if he was looking forward to it, or dreading it, but there was that flicker of something akin to hope that couldn't quite be quashed, or maybe he was just that selfish. Regardless - "So am I."