"Lily."
The voice was too familiar, too heartbreaking. Lily Evans hesitated from looking up from the heavy tome she was studying, her eyes lingering on the page a couple of milliseconds longer than they should have.
Her eyes flickering upwards, she took in the sight before her: the pale, hook-nosed boy with curtains of greasy hair framing his face, his tie green and silver, his robes looking far too small to be comfortable.
"Severus." She said curtly, not quite meeting his solid black eyes, knowing that instead of emotions, she'd find barrier and walls constructed to prevent her from looking into his soul. How different it had been, all those years ago - when those eyes were trusting, excited, almost happy…
The Slytherin shifted awkwardly. His eyes flickered around the library before he moved to sit down on her table, but it didn't go unnoticed. Anger instantly flared within the redhead, mingled with threads of pain and hurt - her green eyes flashed as they locked onto Severus's black ones, her expression turning cold.
"Oh please, Severus, don't sit next to a muggleborn like me." She spoke in a clipped voice, each word drenched with contempt. "Merlin knows what your Death Eater friends would say if they saw you in the company of such filth."
Severus seemed to wince, but his expression remained emotionless.
"I noticed you've been getting friendlier with Potter…"
Of course. She should have known that that would be the only reason Severus had approached her.
"Seriously, Snape?" She snapped, slamming her book shut with loud smack. It hurt to refer to him by his surname - her mouth ached to say 'Sev', but 'Sev' didn't exist any more. The little boy who had introduced her to the magical world, who had made her feel like she truly belonged somewhere, had vanished years ago. Severus Snape was a hateful boy who clearly couldn't wait to join Voldemort's ranks, a boy who would gladly hurt his best friend for many years with a word that hardly anybody dared to say, a boy who rubbed shoulders with students like Mulciber, who'd done truly awful things to a fellow students…
Embarrassingly, Lily's cheeks flushed slightly at the mention of the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Severus's voice cut through her thoughts: He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!
"Lily - " Severus started, but Lily cut him off sharply.
"No, Snape. You don't have any right to tell me who I can talk to, or be friends with, especially when you're mates with people who'd leap at the chance to murder hordes of muggleborn wizards, wizards like me. You lost any right you had to advise me the moment you called me a Mudblood, (her voice cracked at the word) when you showed me just how much you loved the Dark Arts. You can't wait to kiss Voldemort's feet, can you? You can't wait to get out there and start purging the world of people like me. Don't you dare think your opinion is worth anything to me, don't you dare approach me and disapprove of me!" She took a pause for breath.
"But Potter's an absolute - " Severus started, a disgusted look on his face, but once again, Lily interrupted him.
"He's not that bad! You've always had a bias towards him, and that's unfair, Severus. Yes, I know he hexes you all the time, but you're not a victim! I've seen you numerous times, jumping at the chance to jinx him behind his back! That's cowardly, Severus. You're a coward. Merlin, you even tried to use sectumsempra on him! Everyone knows what that does now! Not only did you invent a Dark spell, you used it in spite! James Potter may be a lot of things, but he'd never use a potentially fatal curse onanyone. Now, Severus, I'd like to continue with my work, so if you'd please leave, I'd very much appreciate it!"
She ducked her head down so Severus wouldn't see that tears were pricking at her eyes, threatening to spill over and run down her cheeks.
"I don't want you mingling with that sort of company." Snape mumbled weakly.
Lily's eyes narrowed into slits, her tone disgusted.
"You absolute hypocrite. Potter's nothing compared to your thick, blood obsessed friends. You have no right to judge him, either - you don't know him! And don't pretend that you know me, either! I… I can't even begin to rant at you, Snape. Just leave me alone!"
She almost shrieked the last part of that sentence, causing Madam Pince, the newly established librarian, to hiss at them in horror for speaking so loudly.
Severus gulped, his hands still tightly clamped on the strap of his bag, so tight that his knuckles seemed to want to burst through his skin. Lily fixed her gaze on the book she had just opened again, determined not to acknowledge his presence.
Soundlessly, Severus Snape walked out of the Library, more broken than before.