Edit A/N: I know the dates are wrong (Thursday), but I have absolutely no time for extra research… 3
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January 9, 1977
Seven months, four days, two hours and some minutes ago, Severus Snape lost his best and only friend in the whole world.
It was on a Thursday, the day he was humiliated. Right after the OWLs, right after his Outstanding mark in Potions. That had been a piece of cake, and then he'd been planning to read a nice book- long abandoned now. Then, it happened. He crossed the line. Used an unforgivable word.
Now he was sixteen years old, thinking about this time last year. January ninth, nineteen-seventy-five. That had been a good birthday. Lily had given him a chocolate bar and a new Slytherin scarf she'd made herself, not to mention all the Christmas gifts. The only ones who were ever nice to him were the Evans', and then he'd gone and lost everything.
The lake was pretty in the winter. It wasn't snowing, but it was cold, and he had the scarf from last year firmly wrapped around his neck. It was still warm, and enough so that he didn't need to use a heating charm.
Everyone would be inside by now, he imagined, which was nice, because the girls a few yards away weren't speaking at all. It was silent except for the giant squid's love of breaking the top layer of ice in the Black Lake.
No "happy birthday" yet. So far, so good. Severus wasn't sure he could stand for it, although a letter from his mother would be heavenly. He'd stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas and hadn't seen Eileen since September. But that was normal. Time away from Spinner's End was paradise.
There was a splash of water and a great wave, which rippled to the edge of the lake like sand dunes in the wind. Severus watched as the girls all squealed and ran from the spray of cold mist, trekking through the snow back to the castle. He almost felt sorry for them, almost, until he remembered that it was his birthday, that he had no real friends, that a Dark Mark was polluting his skin, and only Hell awaited him.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He absentmindedly brushed his fingers against the silver-green scarf and turn at the sound, but no one was there. Fresh footprints lay on the snow, which crushed any alibi. Someone was trying to prank him. Like always. A simple Disillusion Charm (which actually wasn't very simple at all) could be used to disguise anyone, but when he blinked, nothing seemed to be tricking his eyes.
"Happy birthday, Sev."
He froze, but not because of the cold. It had been ages- seven months, five days exactly- since anyone had called him that. A whole year since that full sentence had been uttered.
Severus could hardly bring himself to move, but he turned around and saw Lily Evans, really her, smelling of flowers and looking like Aphrodite in front of him.
He did not speak, and she looked away awkwardly.
"S-sorry," Lily muttered. "I just... I thought I should talk to you. On your birthday. At least."
He let out a breath, eyeing her a little incredulously. "I- I don't understand," he said truthfully.
"I'm speaking plain English," she teased, smiling slightly. "Come on, Severus. For ten minutes, for your birthday."
"Ten minutes?" he asked weakly. Ten minutes with Lily. Ten whole minutes in her presence, being acknowledged, talked to. Utopia.
"Yeah."
He could not answer to that. His throat was dry, seeking water and impossible to quench. She looked at him expectantly and sighed after a few seconds.
"I'm sorry. I knew you'd be like this. I... I shouldn't-"
"Lily," he murmured. "Please. Please don't go."
Her face drained of colour, but she shook the feeling of dread away and leaned closer to embrace him. As they hugged she whispered in his ear
"Severus Snape, you were my whole world for five years. I thought about you constantly, ever since that first time you told me. I loved to talk with you about magic and Hogwarts and everything else in-between. You made me feel safe at school, and helped me with homework. We studied together and had inside jokes. We were best friends, and lived in our own world. But we were Romeo and Juliet, Sev, separated- Slytherin and Gryffindor. I cared when they hurt you, those nasty boys. And I'm not even talking about Potter and Black. But then you started to be just like them... Mulciber. Avery. Malfoy. You... you studied the Dark Arts, Sev, and I tried, I tried to stop you. I tried, I swear to God. But you just dug deeper and deeper, and then you called me that- a Mudblood. It hurt, Severus, it hurt real bad, but that was only the breaking point. You would have messed up at another time. But it's okay now, Sev. I need you to move on. I need myself to move on. I really miss hanging out with you, but we're different people. Too different to be friends. To be anything short of enemies. You've chosen your ways, I've chosen mine. Just... understand, Sev."
Some birthday present.
Severus choked on a sob that he hadn't even noticed was there. No- it had been years since he'd cried. Years. He'd never cried in front of Lily, even if he'd cried before they met together at the playground. He had to stop...
She pulled back and watched him cry. One, silent drop of water trickled down the awkward, long nose. He wasn't embarrassed, though. It was Lily. Lily could do whatever she wanted to him, could think whatever she wanted, and he would always love her despite it.
"I love you."
He didn't know which one of them said it, or if it was even spoken out loud, but after it was said, she leaned in and kissed him right on the mouth. It couldn't have lasted more than a moment.
"Severus?"
He didn't answer.
"Happy birthday... Goodbye."
He didn't answer, and she stood up and wandered away.
He touched two fingers to his lips and shook his head, not believing that that had all actually happened.
Seven months, four days, three hours and some minutes ago, Severus Snape lost his best and only friend in the whole world.
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I didn't even proofread this. –shameface-