Notwithstanding, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It is owned by JK Rowling, as published by various publishers as well as Warner Bros., Inc. I do not receive monetary gain from this or any sort of profit, and this work is not intended to infringe upon any such copyrights. I only own any of my own, original characters, as well as the specific plot elements created by me as used in the Harry Potter world.

Part I - Let Me Count The Ways

A breath on still waters, softly, softly. Fate curled and threaded its way through countless lives in countless times in countless ways. So sure and absolute and ever-changing that one could only hope it held something of value for them.

Something, something, something…

It was as if he had never breathed before. His eyes were always lidded, always covered before, before he saw her. She glowed and glittered so brightly he was sure he must be blind now, because no one could be so bright and not inspire blindness at a glance. They only brushed past one another, two souls always on separate paths, separate journeys. Two worlds joined at the seam, but so very different.

Her gaze lingered on his almost too long. She didn't do things by halves. Always perfect, succinct, neat. Not a strand of spun fire out of place on her head. And he wondered idly (he had all the time in the world really, at this point) if that hair of hers was as soft as it seemed to be from a distance. They were separated by a sea of people, their voices mingling into a garbled mess. The only thing distinctive was her as she stood poised on the top step of the train entrance, almost unsure if she should go further. Then the moment ended, their eyes broke from one another's, and she was led away by a plain looking witch who seemed to find his presence unnerving.

And, he supposed, he would find his presence unnerving as well. He was after all a Snape. In that way he and the girl were the same. Snapes didn't do things by halves.

The rumble of a storm outside kept her awake, her bright eyes dimmed with the vestiges of sleep. She needed rest, and the young Alice Prewett had already found it somehow; asleep on the other side of their shared train compartment. Her mind drifted in and out of the train. She was sometimes already wandering the hallways of a castle and other times she was sitting on a swing set back in Cokeworth with nothing to do but swing as high as she could in hopes of touching the clouds.

A bang made her pulse leap, and her head whipped to face the tiny pane of glass keeping her from the other students. A face rushed past, but she couldn't see it properly. It was followed by another, then a third, and finally a head too short to quite see paused in front of the door. Only a crown of messy blonde could be seen. There were few muffled shouts and some laughter. She couldn't help herself really. She had always been a curious child, after all.

The door opened to the sight of out of breath boys, hair tousled and wands in hand. The one that had been visible through the window nearly fell over in shock when the door opens. Five pairs of eyes turned to her in unison, and Lily suddenly felt as if it would have been better had she stayed in the compartment with Alice.

The odd silence was broken by a snicker and all eyes went to one of the boys with long dark hair, his features handsome and striking in his smile. As he laughed the tension left, and a sudden mirth befell the boys. Four of the five laughed, but the fifth… Lily almost choked.

The fifth was the boy whom she had been staring at before.

His eyes seemed to find hers again, and for a small eternity they lingerd, before finally breaking away. He knocked his shoulder against the other long-haired one and all five boys lumbered down the corridor once more. Lily wasn't entirely sure what it was that had just happened, but she was fine with it, in the end.

After all, she had plenty of time to figure out that boy's name. They had years.

The sorting ceremony was a whirlwind of voices and sounds and colours unlike any other. Severus couldn't keep up with all of it; much less Sirius' incessant bragging about how he was so sure he would be in Gryffindor. His eyes followed only one path, and that was of long red hair swaying before him. When her name was called out he tested it on his lips. Lily. It suited her so well. Pale and innocent as she was.

The hat touched her head and Severus held his breath, just hoping – but unsure why – that they would be in the same house. The hat's shout of Gryffindor dampened his hopes. What with Sirius already with the Gryffindors, and Remus already headed there, Severus seemed bound for loneliness for the rest of the year.

The hat brushed his head and muttered to itself. As indecisive as Severus.

"I see, I see. You need to be in Slytherin," His mother's words, 'Slytherin or you tarnish our family name', echoed alongside the hat's, "But… You want to be in Gryffindor. With you friends there, hm?" The hat took a moment to deliberate, and Severus squeezed his eyes shut, letting his hair form a curtain to hide his face as he awaited the final verdict. "Maybe, maybe, in another time you would have been. Another place, but…" A swirl of wind swept through the hall and candles flickered. Severus' hair blew backwards out of his face and a cry of 'Gryffindor' echoed across the hall.

Numb to the cheers, Severus walked stiffly to his table. His home. For the next seven years. His eyes locked once again with sparkling emerald, and he decided that perhaps he wouldn't mind that all that much.

And as Lily slipped underneath her covers and closed her eyes that night, she decided that her first day at Hogwarts had been perfect. In every sense of the word. No matter that she was not at home, or that she knew few people in her year. There would be time, endless time for that later.

His name cluttered her mind and let itself into every nook and cranny of her brain, relentless and without remorse. Severus Snape. It suited him well. Tomorrow she would meet him proper. And perhaps spark a friendship….

…or more.

Something, something, something…

A/N: To clear up any potential confusion, this is this story's changes from canon:

1. Severus is born a Pureblood instead of Half-. No growing up with Lily as a result, and no reason for James to be jealous of him, therefore

2. Severus is on friendly terms with the Marauders, having known Sirius since he was a child. He and James still grate each other though.

3. Sev is a Gryffindor! Closer to Lily, but further from what his parents want. Good or not?

4. The Pureblood supremacy is indoctrinated this time, and is only soothed slightly by Sirius' hatred of blood purists. Sev is going to need a lot of coaxing to get out of his supremacy habits.

That is all! I hope you enjoy! The story will basically be a one-shot group, hopefully in chronological order :D