Work Text:
“This one!”
Lily held up a squat, dark brown box, its lid painted with bland looking daffodils. There was an excited smile on her round, freckled face.
Severus scowled.
“That's a jewellery box,” he stated with disgust.
“No, it's not!” huffed Lily. “Look!”
She opened the lid and a delicate piano forte began to play.
Ting—ting-ting—ting-ting—ting-ting-ting-ting-ting
The melody was repetitive. It was unimpressively simple (his mother could play more complex tunes than this!) and it sounded like it was from one of those silly Muggle fairytales both Petunia and Lily were fond of.
“Isn't it sweet?” beamed Lily, closing the box after half a minute.
Severus thought it was shrill and slightly annoying but instead decided upon a disdainful, “It's a musical box, Lil. It's not even magic! And it looks old.”
Lily frowned and hugged the box defensively against her chest.
“So what if it's not magic?” she argued. “And it's not old, it's antique. My mum has one, too. And Tuney got one for her fourteenth birthday last year so—”
“So you had to get one too?” mocked Severus, folding his arms and raising his brow the way he'd seen his father do. “What's next, are you going to wear your mum's pearls and perm your hair like prissy Petunia?”
“Maybe I will,” replied Lily loftily, her nose in the air. “Now cough up.”
Severus's eyes immediately darted to the tiny price tag dangling from the box and he began to glower.
“Lily...”
“Don't give me that look, Sev,” said Lily, already striding towards the counter of the charity shop. “I got you those ghastly fish last time on your birthday—”
“They're called Mottelfish and they're magic. Besides, you didn't spend a penny—”
“Doesn't matter,” interrupted Lily smoothly. “I ruined a perfectly nice dress trying to catch your mottled fish. Now it's your turn to return the favour.”
She placed the musical box on the cash counter and turned to Severus with an expectant look. She was doing that thing again where she used her two inches of extra height to look down her nose at him. Severus glared back at her as he fished the required change out of his trouser pockets.
He really shouldn't have taught her that look.
“Now, was that so hard?” teased Lily as the pair walked out of the shop a few minutes later.
She was beaming again, bright as the midday sun that beat down on their bare heads. She began to swing her shopping bag jauntily up and down as they walked along the footpath.
“It was,” maintained Severus. “You could've bought a dozen better things with my money. A Multi-Ink Quill, a new set of potions phials, Chocolate Frogs, a new book!”
“But I wanted a musical box.”
Severus rolled his eyes and looked away, not deigning to respond. After a moment, he felt Lily grasp his hand and press a quick kiss on his cheek. Severus instantly coloured and he turned back to her with a scowl.
“Thank you,” said Lily, dimpling at him, her eyes happy and filled with genuine affection.
Severus did not respond. Though he couldn't help the slight upward curl of his mouth as Lily led him back home, his hand still in hers.