AN: Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic so please don't be too harsh! It's mainly a Lily/Sev pairing with a little James too. Bit of a love triangle I suppose! Please review, it would really help!


"Do you have to do that?" Snape eyed Lily as she rolled up the hem of her skirt so that it was dangerously close to showing her underwear.

"You don't have to look," she replied coolly as she stretched out beside him in the sun.
"It's not me who's looking," he grumbled as a group of third years walked past, ogling at her.

She turned her head to the side and squinted at him. "Maybe you should get your legs out, Sev, you can't be comfortable sat out here in those robes," she said, smirking.

"Shut up," he smirked back. "That's what the shade's for." He pointed to the tall tree towering above him. "Oh, Merlin!" He added suddenly, then proceeded to pull his sweater off over his head and flung it across Lily's legs, much to her displeasure.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'm trying to - "

"That's sexual harassment, that is, Snivellus," came a voice in front of them. Lily quickly grabbed Snape's sweater and pulled it over herself, nodding at him gratefully. She didn't want James Potter looking at her body either.

"You can't just go around touching girls however you like," Sirius Black sneered as the group approached the couple.

"Girls like to be clean, Snivellus. How can they manage that when you're trying to touch them?" Potter added.

Lily readjusted her skirt to it's proper length before getting to her feet. "Leave him alone," she said threateningly.

"Or what?" Sirius stepped forward and folded his arms.

Lily drew out her wand and pointed it at them, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't, Lily," came Snape's voice, who was still sat on the ground. He got up clumsily, causing the others to snigger. "Let's just go."

He began to walk away from the others, who for a moment just stared after him until James began to follow him.

Sensing trouble, Lily abandoned her bag and belongings beneath the tree and went after James and her best friend.

"I don't know how you think you can show your slimy face outdoors," James called to Snape as he approached him. "It's an offence to nature, surely!"

"Stop it!" Lily hissed, fast approaching the two. "I told you to leave him alone!"

James ignored her and sent a stunning spell flying dangerously close to his ear. Lily marched up behind James and shoved him in the back, causing him to stumble. "Didn't you hear what I said?!" she growled.

A few metres ahead of them, Snape stopped and turned back. He didn't want Lily to get hurt, and he knew how vicoius Potter was if he didn't get his way. Walking back down to them, he grabbed Lily by her arm and attempted to pull her away from Potter.

"Come on, Lily. Just walk away..."

"No!" She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and turned to him. "No, Sev! You can't keep running away from them! You need to stand up for yourself!"

"He can't - he's so pathetic that he has to have girls fight his battles for him instead." Sirius and the rest of the group had caught up.

"He wouldn't need to fight any battles if you bastards would leave him alone!" she said through gritted teeth as Snape turned again and began to walk back up to the castle.

Before anyone could stop him, James sent an orange spell at Snape which hit him square in the back. For a few seconds nothing happened, until an invisible forced wrenched Snape's legs to the sides and flung him upside down, levitating in the air. His robes fell over his head, obstructing his sight and confusing him further.

"No!" Lily screamed, not knowing if she should run to her friend or to hit Potter. "Let him go! Put him down!" she yelled in James' face, but the others just laughed.

"Right - who want's to see me take off Snivelly's trousers?" James laughed, malice in his voice.

Snape was flailing about in the air, trying his hardest to reach his own wand and do anything that would help himself. He'd just about got a grip on the wand in his trouser pocket until another invisible force pulled the already loose band from around his waist and he felt his trousers slide off of his legs.

"Stop!" He could hear Lily screaming. "Stop - it - you - great - horrible - brute!"

Something must have happened to James as Snape suddenly fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Lily stopped thumping James on the back and ran over to her best friend, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Sev - Severus, are you okay?! I'm so sorry, Sev - speak to me! Are you alright?" She tried to help him to his feet but he pushed her away.

"You bastard," she hissed at James, who was in hysterics, laughing with his friends. "Look what you've done to him!"

By now Snape had managed to put his trousers back on but the humiliation was still humming in his ears. Lily tried once again to help him to his feet. He groaned and let her.

"Come on, Sev, let's get you to the hospital wing..."

He groaned again and then pushed away the delicate hand that was supporting him underneath his ribs. "Leave me," he said to her quietly. Snape wanted to be alone, he needed to be alone. He couldn't stand that Lily had witnessed him being humiliated in such a way.

Why hadn't she tried to help, he thought bitterly, why had she just yelled at Potter instead of helping him get down?

"Severus," she said sternly, "you need the hospital, you look a mess - "

"I said leave me!"

"I'm trying to help you!" Lily said indignantly.

"I don't need help from a mudblood."

He regretted it as soon as the word had left his mouth. He didn't need to see her face to know the sheer disappointment and sadness, not to mention shock, that his best friend was now feeling - all because of him. Her hand slid slowly away from the position underneath his arm, and she took a step back from him.

Lily could feel tears welling up inside her but was determined not to let them out. She was speechless, how could he say such a thing to her?

Snape turned his head to look at her, not daring to make eye contact. "Lily..."

She sniffed and shook her head. "Just go," she whispered, still fighting back tears.

"Lily, I - "

She turned her head away from him, unable to hold her tears any longer.

Snape couldn't take it. He hated to see her cry. He hated knowing that he had made her cry. The worst part it that there was absolutley nothing he could do about it now - the damage was already done. He could do nothing but leave.

With Snape out of sight and earshot, Lily broke down. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. The laughter of the other boys had stopped and she'd realised that they were now stood by her, gazing at her silently.

She didn't care. They could look all they want. They could watch her cry, they could call her pathetic, but she didn't care. She was too shocked and hurt by the words of her best friend.

How could he?

She was only half aware that someone had gently lifted her to her feet and was now walking her back up to the castle. She hoped they'd take her straight up to her dormitory - all she wanted to do was sleep and pretend that it had all been a dream.