Yo! This is my first HP fanfic, clearly in the Marauders' Era. This is a plot that I had stem off of an RP that I was in, but it died. D: I'm now taking it off and refining into a fan-fiction because I can't let this juicy plotline die.

So...If I knew the people that played James and Severus, I'd say their names here, but I can't...so credit for some plots go to them, and then everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. Not me. Unfortunately.

Summer

Breath was nonexistent to those that always lived in a toxic environment. Of course, air always could pass through the lungs like any other human being…but it never brought any relief. For those who would associate themselves with pain on a regular basis, breath usually stung as well. In very many circumstances, it could also be pointless when one wished to be dead.

Severus Tobias Snape shut his eyes tightly and hoped and prayed for his father to just leave their shambled house and drink. He'd come back in even more of a sour mood, but at least Severus could get some peace. There would be no way he could see Lily, but at least there would be no Tobias. His mother and her disapproving, disconnected eyes would always be in the back of Severus's mind, but he could always handle Eileen. Tobias was a monster on a completely different universe. While Eileen never was satisfied with anything, Tobias hated everything in the world and anything he touched seemed to be injected with his own hatred.

Thunder rang through the air and Severus's mind drifted to a bittersweet place—Lily. His best friend and love of almost a decade was within walking distance, yet he felt as though she was on a completely different planet. It was always like that when she wasn't near him with her soft vermillion hair and stunning emerald eyes. Severus sighed under his breath as he stayed on the cold, hard ground in Spinner's End and tried to seem as inoffensive as possible to Tobias. It was a near impossible task, but something about thinking about his Lily made things slightly easier.

A loud crash of lightning illuminated the dark rooms for a moment before everything was dark again and Severus opened his eyes. Worry trickled into his mind as he thought about Lily some more—she hated thunderstorms. Always did and probably always would. Petunia, the twit, would be mocking her, probably, as Lily would cower on her bed, trying not to cry in front of her awful sister. While Lily was strong, her heart was too big and incredibly sensitive—especially since she'd be distressed over her fear of the storms, and Petunia would be using that to her awful advantage.

He hoped she was okay, or that she'd at least hex Petunia. That made Severus crack a slight smile, but it quickly disappeared before Tobias could notice.

Severus was right about all of his assumptions.

Less than five minutes from where Severus was lying on the ground in Spinner's End, Lillian Jeanine Evans was curled up on her bed, her green eyes wide in fear. She always felt incredibly stupid and silly when a thunderstorm rolled around. For Merlin's sake, she was almost sixteen years old and was still just as frightened of the noise and light like a girl ten years younger than her would be! She swallowed hard and wished that she had Sev around to distract her. He was always the best at getting her to calm down. Lily sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees, tucking her head down between them.

"Are you seriously that scared?" Petunia snapped at her. Lily jumped and looked up before frowning at her sister and that harsh, sneering scowl of hers.

"Petunia, just go away. Please," Lily mumbled before ducking her head down again.

"You're nearly sixteen years old! Grow up, already, or does your fancy freak school forget to teach you how to be normal?" Lily didn't say anything to her sister and tried her best to not cry in front of her. Thankfully, Petunia finally turned away before a few tears fell down from her cheeks. Lily sighed and tucked her knees in closer as she closed her eyes. It would be so much easier if she was just at Hogwarts. Of course, there was the pest of James Potter and Sirius Black, but at least she could be safe in her dorm room. She'd be free to create a noise and light canceling ward around her bed so she wouldn't have to deal with the storm at all.

After an hour or so, the storm finally passed and Lily was able to relax. She ran a hand through her hair and walked to her desk. There was an entire stack of letters to the left of her that had been brought to her window by owl, addressed from a 'mister Potter'. The methods that James used to get her address was something that Lily didn't care to know—she almost felt like she'd be an accomplice to some illegal crime if she knew.

Sighing, Lily picked up a piece of paper and pen to write. Severus was apparently sick and couldn't meet her in their park, as he had said in a previous letter, but Lily missed her friend dearly.

Dear Sev,

I know you're sick, but I've missed you a lot. If it wasn't for the fact that you won't let me come to your house, I'd be bringing you soup to hopefully make you feel better, or even a potion of some kind. I could probably think of something. Hopefully, though, you're feeling better. Are you? I hate being sick myself, especially when we're at Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey is just so strict! You'd think that she'd treat the patients with a bit more kindness, but she's actually quite tough. It makes me glad that you and I are good enough to create a potion to ever avoid ending up in the infirmary at Hogwarts.

Speaking of, I can't wait to be back at platform nine and three-quarters. I've missed Hogwarts so much. We're going to be sixth-years now! It's absolutely exciting to me, yet terrifying in a manner I really can't explain. I almost don't want to leave Hogwarts. It's been so much fun there. It seems like it's just yesterday when I was getting sorted. I don't even have the faintest clue about what I want to do after Hogwarts. You'd be a brilliant Potioneer, I know that. Anyone who has ever heard your name knows that, probably. I haven't the faintest idea of anything besides I'll be glad to be out of constant contact with Petunia. She's just so vicious!

"Lily!" The redhead looked up and sighed as she heard her mother call her.

"Yes?"

"Supper's ready. Come on down, dear!" Lily sighed and turned back to her paper.

Oh, no. My mother is calling me for dinner. I'm sorry this letter is so short, but I hate restarting writing them. Please write back!

Your best friend,

Lily

Lily sealed the letter and quickly addressed it before leaving it by her window. She'd find a way to get an owl to it later. When she came back for dinner, it was gone, and in place of it, was the arrogant toerag's owl, a letter in its mouth.

"James Potter!" she growled, taking the letter and throwing it in the trash angrily. The owl flew off, spooked by Lily's small tantrum. Fifteen minutes later, it was perched on James Potter's arm.

"She didn't even read it, did she?" The owl blinked at him a couple times and he sighed before giving it a scrap of meat that James had previously been eating. James shook his head—what on earth was it going to take for Evans to even think about giving him a chance?

He walked out of the kitchen and up to his room, where Sirius was thumbing through a Muggle motorcycle magazine on the floor. It seemed as though he was visiting Potter Manor every week now…James felt sorry for his best mate and the hell he had to go through when he was at home with the rest of his crazy family.

"Y'know, the least she could do is at least read your letters after all the trouble it took to get her address," Sirius muttered as James set the owl on a perch and collapsed on his bed.

"Uuuugh," James sighed into his pillow. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"She'll come around, mate."

"Mmmfaugh."

"I know, I know. She's stubborn. All gingers are."

"Nalljeeiersbefet."

"I know, mate. Lily's perfect. I know," Sirius sighed as he flipped through a few more pages.

James grunted and rolled over so he could breathe. He fixed his glasses on his nose and sighed. Why wouldn't Lily just see he wasn't really that bad? He was a lot better than Snivellus, that was for bloody hell sure.

"I just don't get why she seems to like everyone except me." Sirius shrugged.

"She's stubborn. Everyone knows that. Somehow, you offended her, and she hates it when people offend her," Sirius said nonchalantly before James rolled over to glare at him.

"Most people don't like it when they're offended, Sirius." Sirius just looked over at his best friend.

"I don't know. She'll come around eventually, mate. Just be patient. I know how difficult that is for you and all, but you're just going to have to wait." James rolled his eyes at Sirius and tackled him.

"Oh, shut it, Padfoot," James laughed as Sirius chuckled, the boys wrestling around on the floor.

"Just watch out for my magazine. It was bloody hard to sneak that past Kreacher, y'know," Sirius teased as he put James in a headlock.

"Padfoot, you are such a handful." James shook his head and managed to twist himself out of the headlock before James and Sirius playfully shoved at each other.

"Thanks, Prongs. You're a great friend, too." The boys laughed together as the smell of cooking food drifted upstairs.

"Shall we go and see what your mum is cooking?" James shrugged and shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes.

"Sure. Just don't eat it straight out of the pan, again. You know she hates that," James said as they both walked downstairs.

"You do it too," Sirius mocked.

"Yeah, but I'm better looking. And her favorite," James winked.

"Not true!" Sirius mock-punched James in the arm and they both chuckled at themselves again. Though James was pretending to preoccupied with trying to sneak some food from his mother, his thoughts always occasionally turned back to that spitfire redhead that always evaded his grasp. Hmph. She would be his. Eventually.

So there's the prologue for my story...if you caught the time in which this is, it's the summer between James, Lily, and Sev's fifth and sixth year. Clearly, this is going to be incredibly AU, but hopefully still in character...

Reviews, my loves?