Disclaimer – I own nothing, J.K Rowling owns everything. That about sums it up.
A little ficlet idea that I got from a paragraph in DH. This may or may not be continued, I'll see how it goes.
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Snape and Dumbledore stood a little apart in the Entrance Hall while the last stragglers from the Yule Ball passed them on their way to bed.
"Well?" murmured Dumbledore.
"Karkaroff's Mark is becoming darker too. He is panicking, he fears retribution; you know how much help he gave the Ministry after the Dark Lord fell." Snape looked sideways at Dumbledore's crooked-nosed profile. "Karkaroff intends to flee if the Mark burns."
"Does he?" said Dumbledore softly, as fleur Delacour and Roger Davies came giggling in from the grounds. "And are you tempted to join him?"
"No," said Snape, his black eyes on Fleur and Roger's retreating figures. "I am not such a coward."
"No," agreed Dumbledore. "You are a braver man by far than Igor Karkaroff. You know, I sometimes think we sort too soon…" He walked away, leaving Snape looking stricken…
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Severus Snape stood in line facing the candlelit house tables in the Great Hall. He felt both nervous and excited. This was it! He was finally going to Hogwarts and leaving his old life behind him. Well… hopefully not all of it. He gazed at the red headed girl standing next to him. She noticed him looking and gave him an encouraging smile. "Evans, Lily!" announced the stern faced professor.
Severus watched as the red headed girl walked forwards on trembling legs and sat down upon a rickety stool. The old sorting hat was placed on lily's head. Severus crossed his fingers behind his back, but barely a second after it had touched her head the hat cried, "Gryffindor!"
"He let out a tiny groan as Lilly took off the hat, handed it back to the Professor then hurried towards the cheering Gryffindors. As she went, she glanced back at Severus, and there was a small sad smile on her face. The arrogant black haired boy from the train moved up to make room for her on the bench. She took one look at him and folded her arms, sitting instead next to another small girl. A weak smile tugged at the corner of Snape's mouth at this and he turned to watch the others being sorted. He looked around the room vacantly, searching for another friendly face. He didn't recognize anyone else and his eyes rested once again on Lily Evans. He remembered all those days he had spent watching her, fascinated by her. No matter what they had said on the train, it would all change if they were in different houses. She would change, maybe he would too.
At last when only a dozen students remained, the Professor called Snape. He walked up to the stool and watched the hall of expectant faces disappear beneath the brim of the hat as it was lowered onto his head. Then he heard the hat's voice, murmuring into his ear. "Hmm, cunning I see, and determined yes, that much is true… Perhaps Slytherin is the place…"
He was hardly paying attention. All he could think was 'Lily. We won't be friends anymore. It will all come to an end, before it's even begun!'
"Hmm? What's that? Having misgivings are we?" The Sorting Hat replied. Severus startled as he realized that the hat could hear his thoughts.
'I don't know what to do, my friend, she was sorted into Gryffindor,' he thought back.
"Ahh, the red head, yes I see… There is quite a rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin," said the hat. "Thought I suppose if you are such close friends, you would still see something of each other." Rather than reassuring him, the Sorting Hat's words made him sure that he had been right. What would his mother say though? She had always wanted him to be in Slytherin like her. Being sorted into her rival house would seem like betrayal. The arguments would get worse… Then he caught a glimpse of Lilly beneath the brim, smiling up at him hopefully and he knew that he had already decided when he first met her. For this girl, he would face anything.
'Please, put me in Gryffindor, Gryffindor please, Gryffindor,' he thought hard.
"Well if you're sure…" The Hat asked. He repeated the same request over and over again in his mind. "Then it must be, GRYFFINDOR!" Severus blinked as the hat was taken off his head and the Professor smiled at him as he shakily walked towards the table decked with red and gold. Lily looked surprised but delighted to see him and as he sat next to her he knew that whatever happened next, he had made the right choice.
He would do anything for her…
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
'After all this time?'
'Always.'