A/N: Ok, guys, this is the prequel to "When the last blosson falls". If you haven't read it, go read it first, and then come back to this one, cuz if you don't, the ending of this here 'story' won't make much sense. Again, don't be shy, leave me reviews, an author is always happy to know that their work is apreciated :)

He was an outcast, he always was. But having Lily as a friend made things… well, not easier, but a bit more bearable. Although after she fell in love with James, she didn't spend as much time with Severus as she used to. Alice saw that as a chance and decided she would introduce herself to him. Even though they were in the same house, he hadn't even noticed her before. She was an outcast like him. She spent her days alone, watching him from afar. Afraid to go to him and say "Hi". She wanted to, but she didn't have the courage. So it came as a surprise to her when one day, after she had tripped over her robe on the meadow, the only hand she saw reaching out to her, offering help, was his. She took it and stood up.

"Hi, Severus." She said and blushed a little.

"Hi… Alice, right?"

"Yes…" she blushed even more. "How do you know my name?"

"Uhm, we have Potions together. You sit behind me, right?"

"Yeah… Thanks for helping me get up."

"You're welcome. Hey, do you want to go to the lake? For a walk?" he said a bit awkwardly.

"Uhm…" her face flushed real red. "Yeah, sure, I'd love to." A spark appeared in her gray eyes, that made them glisten like molten silver.

After that, they started hanging out more often, becoming really close friends. Alice was always giving him hints, some of them quite obvious, that she really liked him, as more than a friend, but he never seemed to notice. Soon, she started to feel desperate, and had to resort to something she hoped she'd never have to do.

One night, as Severus was getting ready to go to bed, he saw a note on his pillow.

"Meet me in the common room at midnight. I want to tell you something very important. S.W." S.W. stood for Silver Wonderland, a pun with her name and the color of her eyes. That's how she always signed her notes to him, so no one would know it was her.

When it was time, he snuck out of his bed and went in the common room. There he saw… Lily.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" he whispered.

The girl turned around and looked at him. Even though she looked exactly like Lily, there was something different about her, the look in her eyes.

"It's me, Sevvy… Alice…"

"Alice? But… why are you…?" he asked confused.

"Polyjuice potion. I… I want to tell you something, but I just don't have the courage to do it as myself because… Well, you've ignored all of my hints and signals… And… I'm not brave enough to just be straight forward with you about this, but… Severus, I… I'm in love with you…" the girl said, looking down at her shoes, and a slight blush rose to her cheeks.

"How… How long have you been… in love with me?"

"It's been quite a while… but I think I realized it that day when you helped me up…" the polyjuice potion was wearing off, and the red hair started to turn to raven black. "I gave you a lot of hints, and sent you many signals, but you didn't seem to notice any of them… And I was afraid to speak up and-" she was cut off midsentence, the boy's arms wrapping around her body, pulling her into a gentle hug.

"If only you had told me earlier…" he released her from his embrace, and cupped her face with his hands. The polyjuice potion had worn off completely, and now Alice looked like herself again, tears at the edges of her gray eyes. "You would've saved both of us a lot of trouble." He said and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. One of his arms was around her waist, the other one stroking her silky hair. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer…

Ever since that day, they became inseparable. They didn't tell any one they were dating, then again, there was no one they could tell even if they wanted to. They would always go to the lake together, just sitting on the ground in each-other's embrace, gazing at the water and the sky, enjoying all the time they had, while they still had it. Alice was going to move to the United States when she graduated from Hogwarts, so they wouldn't be able to see each other much. It really hurt her, because she put all her effort in helping Severus get over Lily and find new love. But deep down inside her heart, she was always afraid that something would happen and his feelings for Lily would be revived again. She simply knew it, but she tried not to pay any attention to it and soon she learned to completely ignore the feeling, she almost erased it even. She figured, if he was still in love with Lily, he wouldn't be with her, he wasn't that kind of guy.

Before they knew it, their final year at Hogwarts had ended. When they got to King's Cross station, Alice told Severus that she had to stay in London for a few more days before heading home. She asked if he would come see her off before she headed home and he said he would, promising he would bring her a very special gift. And he kept his promise. He came to see her off, and he gave her a very special flower. For the last time they saw each other, for the last time they looked in each other's eyes, and for the last time they kissed, saying their last "I love you". Alice never stopped hoping that someday Severus would follow her so that they could finally be together, forever, but she always had this weird feeling that it would never happen. And as fate would have it, she was, unfortunately, right.

He was never able to go back to her.

She always loved her Severus, and she kept the flower's ashes in a sealed box on her night-stand.

Alice never loved another man again.