The first of September. A Severus Snape one-shot.

The first of September. Severus Snape had been looking forward to this day all summer. He had even washed his hair for this special occasion, in fact he had been counting down in his head.

The first of September. The day when Lily's son, Harry, would be starting Hogwarts.

Severus' mind wondered back towards his first day at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, the day when Lily had chosen Gryffindor over Slytherin, James over himself. For the rest of his life Snape would regret being placed into Slytherin. And now Severus' mind wandered back to the boy, they said he had his mothers eyes. And now professor McGonagall was leading the first year into the great hall, his heart exploded. He had spotted a boy with jet black hair, like potters, so he had inherited his father's looks, Snape was barely listening as the sorting hat sang, barley paying attention to the sorting, his eyes seemed to be fixed, even if Snape had wanted to look away he wasn't sure he could. Dumbledore's eyes where upon him, but Snape did not move his gaze, he knew that Dumbledore was also interested in the boy too.

"Potter, Harry" Snape jumped when he heard the name casting him annoyed looks from the nearest teachers. He held his breath as the boy trembled forwards............................

....."GRYFINDOR" the hat shouted, Just like his mother, Snape grinned he remembered her bravery and stubbornness, her fiery attitude, he remembered her sorting, the rivalry, the arguments.
He's going to be popular Severus thought and the smile on Harry's face as he got handshakes reminded him of another Potter male.

Harry sat down and looked up at the high table, Severus could see his face now, how very much like James he looked, he even held his body in the same way.

Professor Quirrel kept talking to Snape. This bothered Snape very much of course, but the headmaster had told I'm to keep an eye on the stuttering professor. All through dinner Snape kept looking back at Harry past Quirrels turban, to the place where the boy sat, Snape hated the boy, hated anything to do with James Potter, Yet at the same time he was Lily's boy.

Half way through pudding when Quirrel was waffling on about which different coloured turbans would suit him best. He looked back at Harry like he had been doing all evening. Black and green eyes met, they were the darkest of Blacks and the Brightest of greens, they were gone. Snape looked down, he didn't look back all evening, he had seen pain in those green eyes, in Lily's eyes.

Snape watched harry carefully over the next few days, awaiting, anticipating. He didn't have Harry in till Friday, Severus was sure the headmaster had done it deliberately, to tortured him. He needed to see those eyes again but he was only permitted a few minutes as they passed in the corridor or else at a distance over dinner.

Severus didn't sleep well on Thursday night, in the few hours he did manage to sleep he had nightmares of a young witch yelling at him down the corridor while The dark lord stood there laughing. The tossing and turning irritated Severus so much that he awoke two hours earlier than normal, he soon found that he couldn't concentrate, he couldn't prepare for that days lessons, or else do the marking he had neglected last night. Severus debated taking a sleeping potion, but Lily kept wandering back into his mind, and if he was truly honest, he didn't want her to leave. Severus turned back to bed and lied on his side looking at an old photograph. He lie there for several hours imagining Lily beside him, her hands resting on his side.

"Crack"

"Sir" said an old house elf Severus could not remember the name off.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has not seen yous at breakfast sir, he said he wished to have a delightful conversation about socks sir."

Severus looked the few centimetres from he photo frame to the clock and realised it was half past eight.

Damn Severus thought.

"Thank you, can you please bring up some toast?" Severus only had half an hour to get ready for class and he arrived only a few minutes before the bell to find a group of really small first years. And there standing next to a ginger kid was a lump of messy black hair.

"Enter" he said trying to keep the grin from his face.