"She won't talk to you, Sev. I think you should just let it go." Regulus said, sitting next to him, his back against the wall in front of the picture of the Fat Lady. Severus Snape had been there for almost three hours now and it was starting to worry Reg – his brother and his friends were gone for the time, but they could pop up around any time and the last thing the young Black wanted was another fight between them.
Not that Severus seemed to care, really. He just sat there, staring at nothing, his mind too far away from that place to even hear his only friend. His throat was still burning from what he had said to Lily and that was killing him; he needed to talk to her, explain that he only said what he said because he was out of his mind. He wouldn't bear to lose her. He couldn't.
He just couldn't.
"I think I can take from here on, Regulus. You can go now." A voice said, bringing his mind back to the corridor. Lily had just left the Gryffindor common-room and by the look in her face, Snape knew she had been crying. It hurt even more.
"Lily, I'm sorry, I jus-" He tried to say, but Lily asked for silence with a gesture. She looked serious, resembling a lot Professor McGonnagall. She crossed her arms, looking straight at him.
"Do you like me, Sev?" she asked.
"What?" he almost spilled the words, shocked.
"I asked if you like me." She repeated, getting closer to him. "Do you want to still be my friend?"
"O-of course. Yes, of course I do." He gagged, blushing. She was so close he could count how many freckles she had under her nose.
"Then I don't want you to hang out with that bunch of Slytherins." She said, pointing a finger right in the middle of his chest. "That Avery kid, for example. He and his friends are never up to good. I've heard some of them even joined the Death Eaters. Killing muggleborns, Sev, it's what they have been doing. If you want to be my friend, I want you to let go of all that stupidity; mudbloods, purebloods, half-bloods… It doesn't matter. Can you get over this, for me, Sev?"
Snape could feel her heart, beating against his chest. Her big, green eyes were staring deep into his soul, as if Lily was searching for something – something to show her that Severus would take her hand; a guarantee.
He wanted to do so. He really did. A part of him saw the future he could have if he was to be at her side – even if it was just as his best-friend; the other one, the biggest one, saw all the wonders he could do if Severus was to follow the other side. The Dark Lord had promised him so many things… more than even Lily could offer.
If he would really accept or not, Lily never knew. Severus felt the Dark Mark itching under the clothes in his right arm and he withdrew. Tears shined in Lily's eyes, but she didn't say anything – just turned around and went back to the common-room.
That was the last time she spoke to him properly.