This Fic is Lily and Severus' first encounter from his perspective. This means that it is very similar to the pensive memory in DH. Just thought I'd clear that up.
This one-shot is dedicated to noxnoctisanima, on livejournal, who told me to forget writing chaptered Fics for a bit and focus on publishing something.
First Impressions
The boy crouched behind a flower bush, hidden from sight, but able to see. The two girls were at the park, as they always were at this time of day, as he had known they would be. They were swinging back and forth, competing to see who could swing higher. One of the girls, the youngest, shifted slightly on the swing, crouching forward and concentrating hard.
'Lily, don't do it!' her sister squealed, but she had already let go, soaring gracefully through the air to land on her toes, cat-like on the asphalt.
'Mummy told you not to!' shrieked the elder girl digging her heels in to stop her own swing.
'But I'm fine' replied Lily 'Tuney, look at this.'
She stayed where she was, scowling, and Lily ran back to tug on her arm.
'Petunia, come look!'
Grudgingly, Petunia followed her sister to the flowering bush behind which, unbeknownst to them, the boy was hidden. Lily picked a flower and placed it in her palm.
The boy tensed with excitement. Was this it? The moment he had been waiting for since he first saw her leap of the swing? The undeniable proof that she was like him? That she had magic in her blood?
He glanced at her face and saw the familiar look of concentration, then looked back at her palm. The flower was opening and closing its petals, and Petunia shrieked for her to stop, sounding terrified. This was the moment.
'It's not hurting you,' said Lily, but she dropped her hand.
'It's just not right!' Petunia said 'How do you do it?'
The boy was so excited that he could resist no longer, and leapt out from behind the bush causing the girls to jump in fright. The elder shrieked and ran back to the swings, but Lily remained where she was.
'It's obvious, isn't it?' He said.
The boy's hair was long and black but it was the clothes that caught her eye, as he was dressed very oddly, in items so mismatched they were beyond ridiculous. His jeans were too short, and he was wearing a long coat that was so big, it could not possibly have belonged to him. Underneath was an odd, smock-like shirt.
'What's obvious?' asked Lily.
'I know what you are.'
'What do you mean?'
'You're…you're a witch'
'That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody'
She turned and stormed towards her sister.
'No!'
The boy ran after her tripping slightly on the coat.
'You are!' He said to Lily, when she turned to face him, 'You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one and I'm a wizard.'
Petunia laughed.
'A wizard! I know who you are. You're that Snape boy. They live down spinners end, by the river.' She told Lily as though this explained everything. 'Why have you been spying on us?'
'Haven't been spying." he said scuffing the ground with his worn trainers. "Wouldn't spy on you anyway, you're a muggle.'
Though Petunia hadn't the slightest idea what a muggle was, she could hardly mistake the tone.
'Lily, come on, we're leaving!' She said shrilly, and with that she pulled her sister by the arm towards the park exit.
The boy watched them go, then whispered after Lily.
"Severus. It's Severus"
He sat on Lily's swing to think. This ruined everything. He had been planning this for two days now, telling Lily she was a witch, ever since he had first seen her leap of the swing, on his first visit to the park.
He had been walking, running away actually, because they were fighting...again. They were always fighting-yelling, screaming,-and he supposed he should be used to it by now, but he wasn't, and, he thought bitterly, probably never would be.
But to have a friend, a true friend, someone like him, who wouldn't laugh at him, when he ended up on the roof after running away from the school bully. How he hated him James Potter, Severus' worst nightmare. But no matter, next year, next year he would be free of them all– potter, his parents constant fighting– he would be at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. For he hadn't been lying when he told Lily he was a wizard. His mother had told him so after he returned from school with a note from the principal informing his parents that he had set his teachers desk on fire, resulting in a two day suspension.
But to have a friend! No, Severus corrected to himself, to have Lily. There was something about her, something he just couldn't put his finger on. It had to be her.
It was twilight, Severus realised with a start, and he should be home. They should have stopped fighting by now, he thought. Jumping from the swing he walked quickly out of the park and into the gathering darkness.