Lily was nervous as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. She looked over at where the remaining first-years were standing, waiting for their turn to be Sorted. She caught sight of Severus, who gave her a weak, desperate smile.

Severus really wanted her to be in Slytherin, but Lily wasn't so sure. Severus had made Slytherin sound so great to her, but there just was something about that House that didn't feel quite right to her. Lily couldn't fully explain that feeling, however. It was just a feeling that she had.

But it was the House that Severus wanted to be in. And it was also the House that Severus wanted her to be in. He wanted them to be together in Slytherin.

And she really liked Severus.

"Slytherin, eh?" the Sorting Hat remarked. "So, you want to be in Slytherin? I don't know, Lily Evans. I don't think you would be happy in that House. They really don't care for your kind."

"My kind? Do you mean Muggle-borns?"

"Yes, exactly."

Lily once again looked over at Severus. The expression on his face was both hopeful and sad.

What if Slytherin was not the right House for her, despite everything that Severus had said?

However, Lily really didn't want to disappoint Severus. She really didn't want to hurt him. She really liked him.

"I don't care if I'm not exactly welcomed in Slytherin," Lily spoke to the Sorting Hat. "That's the House I want to be in. Besides, I don't have to tell any of them that I'm a Muggle-born, do I?"

"No, of course not. But Slytherins are cunning and smart. There is a chance that your true heritage may one day be discovered."

Lily once again looked over at Severus. His eyes were filled with such adoration for her.

"I don't care," she said. "I still want to be in Slytherin."

"Then, Slytherin it is," the Sorting Hat replied. "Good luck, Lily Evans."

Lily took the Hat off her head and walked over to the Slytherin table. She was immediately greeted by a tall, blond-haired boy with a badge on his chest. She remembered Severus telling her about that badge. It was a prefect badge, a badge that was always given to two fifth-year students from each House.

"Welcome, Lily Evans," the Slytherin prefect greeted. "I'm Lucius Malfoy. If you ever have any problems, feel free to come to me. I look after my snakes."

"Thank you," Lily mumbled. This Lucius Malfoy sounded nice enough on the surface, but there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes that indicated he wasn't someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

Lily just hoped that her Muggle-born heritage would never cause her to get on Lucius Malfoy's bad side. She was starting to regret her decision to be Sorted into Slytherin.

Lily's fears, however, were quickly put to rest when the other Slytherins began to welcome her as well. Narcissa Black especially sounded very nice.

And the night only got better when Severus was Sorted into Slytherin. He grinned at Lily as he received his round of welcomes. She grinned back.

The first year passed by without much incident. Severus's and Lily's friendship continued to grow, and Lily rarely felt out-of-place. Lucius and Narcissa were especially helpful and friendly towards her. It seemed as if one of them was always around to give useful tips to the younger Slytherins and to make sure that none of them got lost.

Lucius also proved to be true to his word. He was very protective of his snakes, and he did look after them. Anyone who dared to hurt one of his Slytherins had the tendency to end up in the hospital wing after suffering an "accident." It could never be proven that Lucius was the one who was responsible, but Lily didn't need proof. She just knew.

Lucius's actions disturbed Lily slightly, as it always reminded her that the older boy was a lot more dangerous than he appeared to be on the surface. But another part of Lily was touched by his devotion to his fellow housemates. He lectured them when he felt like it was necessary, of course, but he was always there for them whenever they needed him.

And it certainly didn't hurt that Lucius was especially protective of Severus. The older boy, in fact, seemed to be genuinely fond of the younger boy.

And to make things even better, Lucius was also very fond of Lily. He especially valued her Potion abilities, which was the same reason why he was so fond of Severus.

There were some housemates, however, that Lily wasn't so fond of. Avery and Mulciber, for instance, were bullies that were often mean to other people for no valid reason. It never was about protecting a fellow housemate. It always was about being mean just for the sake of being mean.

And it also didn't take Lily long to figure out that Slytherins indeed didn't care much for her kind, just as the Sorting Hat had warned. Muggle-borns, or Mudbloods as they were more typically called, were the main targets of Slytherins such as Avery and Mulciber.

But for the most part, Lily enjoyed being in Slytherin. It seemed as if Severus was the only one who knew that she was a Muggle-born. Everyone else just accepted her on her word.

Things began to change, however, in Lily's second year.

"Hey, Evans," Avery said one night in the common room when Lily was trying to do some Charms homework with Severus.

"What do you want, Avery?" Lily growled.

"I've been doing some research," Avery began.

"Oh, so you know how to open a book after all," Lily responded. "Good for you." She and Severus exchanged grins.

Avery's face went slightly red, but he quickly recovered. "As I was saying," he sneered, "I've been doing some research, and I can't find any information on you or your family. Now I can't help but wonder, Evans, whether or not you come from magical parents. I can't help but wonder if you're a Mudblood."

This was exactly what the Sorting Hat had warned her about.

"Lily is no Mudblood," Severus snarled at Avery. "She has just as much right to be in this House as you do. Besides, she is too smart of a witch to be in any other House."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily noticed that Severus was reaching for his wand. She tensed. She tensed even more when she noticed that Avery was also going for his wand.

Lily knew that both Severus and Avery were capable of casting dangerous curses. And in that moment, she wished that she was somewhere else. She wished that she was someplace where she wasn't always having to worry about accidentally being hit by a curse, hex, or jinx meant for another housemate.

"Is there a problem here?" came Lucius's drawling voice.

Lily breathed in relief. She knew that it would not take Lucius long to get things back under control.

Severus and Avery immediately pulled their hands away from their wands.

"There's no problem here, Lucius," Avery said quickly. "I was just teasing Evans a little bit. I meant no real harm."

"There must be something wrong with my ears then, Avery," Lucius remarked, "because I swore I heard you call Lily a Mudblood."

"Only because I can't find any records on her or her family," Avery responded.

"That means nothing," Lucius sneered, "especially considering that there's not much information to be found on you or your family either. Perhaps you're the Mudblood, Avery."

Avery flushed, but he didn't say anything.

"I better not hear any more talk about a Mudblood being in Slytherin," Lucius warned. "Only the elite are allowed to be in this House."

"Yes, Lucius," Avery said. "You will never hear me mention it ever again. I promise."

"You're not still thinking about what Avery said, are you?" Severus asked Lily the next day over breakfast when she refused to say anything to him. Lily was usually very talkative and friendly.

"It's only a matter of time, Severus, before the others start to become suspicious of me as well," Lily insisted. "If an idiot like Avery can figure it, then so can the others."

"You are a Slytherin, Lily," Severus responded. "That means more than blood ever could."

"Don't be silly, Severus," Lily snapped. "Blood means everything to our housemates."

"You are one of us, Lily," Severus said in a soft voice.

Lily just turned her head away from Severus. He didn't get it. He had one magical parent. She didn't. Both of her parents were Muggles. There was no way that Severus could understand.

Things began to take a turn for the worse after both Lucius and Narcissa had graduated from Hogwarts.

But things really climaxed in Lily's fifth year. She was one of the prefects for her House, but that didn't seem to matter to Avery, Mulciber, and several other Slytherins that were determined to make her life as miserable as possible.

"I saw you with your family on the platform," Avery taunted Lily. "I saw how they were dressed. They were dressed like Muggles. They are Muggles, aren't they? Which means that you are a Mudblood after all. Aren't you, Evans? Aren't you a Mudblood?"

Lily was crying by this point.

"Leave her alone, Avery," came Severus's voice from behind her.

"And there's the Mudblood lover," Avery sneered. "Or are you a Mudblood as well, Severus? I can't believe it. Our noble House is being tainted by such dirty, filthy blood."

Both Severus and Lily pulled out their wands. Avery only laughed. Severus and Lily were just two. Avery, on the other hand, had about six other Slytherins with him.

Predictably, Severus and Lily lost the wand fight.

And they both ended up in the hospital wing.

Lily sat down beside Severus on one of the benches outside.

"Hi, Lily," he mumbled.

Lily was about to greet Severus in return when both of them suddenly noticed that Avery and his gang of Slytherins were slowly making their way towards them.

"Let's get out of here, Lily," Severus spoke. He stood up and quickly gathered his things.

Lily, however, refused to budge. She remained sitting.

"Come on, Lily," Severus pleaded. "Let's go."

"You go if you want to, Severus," Lily replied, "but I'm staying here. I have the right to study wherever I please."

"Lily," Severus begged.

"I'm tired of it, Severus," Lily snapped, standing up. "I'm tired of being insulted and cursed because of my blood. The Sorting Hat didn't even want to put me in Slytherin. The only reason why I'm in this House is because I didn't want to disappoint you."

Severus looked completely dumbfounded.

Angrily, Lily gathered her things and walked away, leaving Severus alone by the bench.

"So, you finally decided to get rid of that Mudblood, Severus?" Lily heard Avery's voice saying. "Good for you. Perhaps there's hope for you after all."

Lily didn't hear Severus say anything in return. He didn't discredit Avery's words. He didn't defend Lily in any way.

Perhaps Severus was tired of getting beat up just because his girlfriend was a Mudblood.

And he had claimed to love her. Well, so much for that.

Lily had given Severus so much. She had even chosen Slytherin over all the other Houses for him.

And he had given up on her, as if none of her sacrifices had really meant anything to him.

Lily wished now that she had listened to the Sorting Hat. She should have never asked to be placed in Slytherin.

What was she going to do now? She still had two more years to endure at Hogwarts. How was she going to avoid her other housemates for those two years?

How was she going to survive being a known Mudblood in Slytherin, the House that hated Mudbloods like herself?

All that Lily knew was that she was completely alone. She couldn't depend on anyone to protect her. Not even Severus. No, Severus had failed her.

Somehow, she was going to have to find a way to protect herself.