Title: Spellbound

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. So sad am I.

Pairings: Snape/Lily implied.

A/N: *bows head in shame for the cliche*

Summary: In the early days of the First Wizarding War, Dumbledore has a conversation with a young Severus Snape.

Lily Evans was one of those girls you could hear from across a crowded room- not that she was particularly loud, per say, but because she had the kind of voice that made you want to stop and listen, no matter if you were young or old, male or female, pure-blood or Muggle.

Albus Dumbledore, despite his age and own personal preference, was no exception. So when the words, "Catch you later, Sev!" were thrown carelessly into the air, he automatically glanced toward the sound, though his hands remained steady on his work.

What he saw, however, made him pause. Maybe a hundred feet away stood Lily, smiling delightedly, and a young boy in a Slytherin cloak whose face was shaded by his long, unruly black hair. As Dumbledore watched, Lily leaned forward impulsively and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek. Then, with a laugh, she skipped off to join her Gryffindor friends.

The boy didn't move for a full minute, and Dumbledore was pretty sure if he hadn't walked up and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, he would have remained there for the rest of the day. As it was, he flinched at the touch and shook himself from his trance, though he continued to stare after Lily's departing form.

Now that he was closer, Dumbledore could see that the boy was in fact Severus Snape, a first-year student who had arrived at the school brimming with promise, dancing circles around even the seniors in potions and spellwork. But, when Dumbledore had last spoken with him, he had been sure the boy was the text-book definition of "socially awkward".

So what was he doing with a friend like the popular Lily Evans?

After a beat, the headmaster sighed inwardly and shrugged, passing it off as one of the great mysteries of life. A glance down confirmed that the boy was staring up at him curiously. Clearing his throat, Dumbledore said, "A man's eyes may wander, eh, Severus?"

Severus immediately flushed and shook his head, looking flustered. "N-no, sir! It's not… I just…"

The old man chuckled, vaguely amused. "It's all right, boy," he assured with a smile. "I understand. She's a friend of yours, then?"

"Y-yes," Severus replied in a hesitant voice. His eyes wandered back to Lily, who was laughing as she walked with her friends to her next class.

Dumbledore nodded knowingly, and followed the boy's gaze. "She's a keeper, Severus," he said after a moment. "You don't find a girl like her every day. I'd advise you to hold on to her."

"I plan to," Severus replied quietly, his coal-black eyes never wavering as the girl disappeared behind a large throng of students. If Dumbledore hadn't lived as long as he had, and hadn't seen this many times before, he would have said the boy was under a spell, and the girl had cast it on him.

"Well," the headmaster said finally. "Shouldn't you be off to class, now, Severus?"

The boy blinked, and the spell was momentarily broken. "R-right!" he exclaimed, stooping to gather up his books, which Dumbledore hadn't noticed were spread across the floor. "Thank you, Headmaster!"

And as Dumbledore watched the boy stumble down the corridor, he thought to himself that he had yet to find a spell more powerful than the one he had just witnessed.

fin