WHO Lily and Severus (the Elder) WHAT Cutetimes WHEN February 12, 1979 WHERE The park they first met at RATING/STATUS PG/Incomplete
It was rough on Lily to see her mother so upset all the time, and also very tiring. Coupled with her apparent inability to sleep alone, this made for a Very Tired Lily. She desperately needed a break, but couldn't go far in case her mother needed something, so while Marie was sleeping, Lily left a note on the counter and snuck out. Maybe a visit to the old park would help her. She'd always found the empty quietness of the park to be calming, so whenever she was upset as a child, she'd come and sit on the swings and just let the breeze push her. Lily had never understood why it was always so empty, because it was well-kept and clean. The snow had melted, leaving the ground somewhat squishy under her shoes, and she had to avoid the bits of mud as she walked over to the swingset she hadn't visited in years. When her father had died, and the relatives had come over to her mother's house, she'd been unable to make herself go there, but now that she'd had time to accept his death, the park no longer held any negative feelings.
The metal chain holding the swing she sat on had begun to rust, but it held her weight, and she gently pushed herself with her feet, back and forth, back and forth. As she sat there, she remembered the day she'd met Severus; she'd been swinging on that very swing and jumped off, floating to the ground - her first use of magic outside of her home. Inspired, Lily pushed off and began to swing higher and higher, until her head got even with the top of the set, and jumped off. It was wreckless and dangerous, yes, but it was also freeing. Usually Lily hated heights, but she'd never been afraid of jumping off a swing; she was also tall enough now that she didn't need to float herself down to the ground - she could just land on her feet, and that's exactly what she did, although she stumbled a bit and fell, rolling onto her back. And for no apparent reason, she started to laugh.