Today was the worst day of Severus's life. While he sat in his living room in Spinner's End, hand clasped around a glass of firewhiskey, the love of his life was out in the country somewhere, getting married.
Severus stared absent-mindedly at the wall, only tearing his eyes away once in a while to take a sip of firewhiskey. He was in deep thought, the only thing that could pull him out of his own thoughts was the chiming of the church bells down the road from his house. 'Two o'clock' he thought. 'The wedding has begun.' On the table next to him lay the invitation to the wedding he had dreaded.
'How dare she invite me, she knew how I felt!' Snape was getting angry, firewhiskey often had this effect. Whether or not he wanted to be at the wedding of the love of his life to his arch enemy he would not have been able to. He, a known Death Eater, could not have attended the Wedding of those most prominent in the Order of the Phoenix.
'And yet, if she asked, I would drop the Dark Lord for her without a second thought.' Snape thought back to the argument that had brought about the division between himself and Lily. Her accusing him of joining the Dark Side, him calling her the worst thing he could think of. Mudblood.
Mudblood. That small word. Eight letters long. It had ruined his life. How things would be so different if only he hadn't let the word slip out of his mouth. Mudblood. It would forever haunt him.
'If it had not been for that word, is it possible it could have been me she was marrying today?' As he sat in his worn out leather arm chair, he thought deeply of Lily. He felt an ache in his heart that he never wanted to feel again. Severus was desperately in love. So desperately in love he could die for the feelings it gave him. And yet. She didn't love him. Lily Evans did not love him.
Snape drained his glass, pouring himself another and bringing it up to his lips again. He paused.
'To you, Lily, may you lead a bright and happy and long life with him. I hope he treats you the way I should have.' And once again, Snape drained his glass.