Short and simple. It's the story of why Severus got his mark.
I looked towards the door again. She's coming, I know she is. She always comes.
The small café was mostly empty. It always was, and that's why we liked it.
I couldn't help myself, and glanced at the door again. Maybe this time she really wasn't coming, but she had to. Something must have only been keeping her.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder and heard a simple whisper of "Hey Sev." There she was behind me, smiling the same smile she always did. Her green eyes were the brightest I had ever seen them. Lily slid into the seat across from me.
"It's been almost a year since we last saw each other. I missed you." Her smile stayed warm and inviting.
"I missed you too." It was all I could murmur in return. I felt like we were little children again. I wanted to just be children again. Children without a care, only playing and laughing. But we weren't and would never be again. Tonight, there was a more serious matter to discuss.
"Oh my gosh, you two haven't been here since ya both graduated that boarding school of yours!" I looked up to see the fat, brown headed waitress who had worked here as long as I could remember. "My, Lily Evans, how have you grown so fast? And Severus Snape, still the same looks about you. Well, I'll just get a four cheese pizza started in the back for you two!" She turned away before either Lily or I could say anything in return.
"This place is still the same as when we first found it, remember?" Lily didn't stop smiling as she played with something in her pocket.
I did remember that day.
"Sev, Can you tell me more about Hogwarts?" The little muggle born was begging to know more. I could already tell she'd be one of the smartest in our year.
"I'm leaving if you two are going to start talking about that place again." Her sister stood to leave.
"You can stay, Petunia. It's ok that you're not a witch. You can still know about Hogwarts, right Sev?" The little greasy haired boy nodded in agreement.
"I don't want to hear about it." Petunia stood and left.
"Don't worry Lily; she's only jealous that you can make magic and stuff. I can see it in her face." Lily nodded. "Come on, I'm really hungry. We can talk tomorrow."
"Oh but Sev! I want to hear all about the houses again! I'm trying to figure out where I'll get sorted!"
"No one really knows where they'll go until they get to school. I really just want to go home and get dinner, I skipped lunch today."
Lily was desperate. "Mum gave me some money. We can go find somewhere to eat in town." He knew she wasn't going to give up and finally agreed.
They wandered the streets in the main town. Severus didn't want to talk in any where that was too public. His mum would get very angry if the entire town suddenly knew about the wizard world because of him.
Severus was getting more hungry by the minute, but they hadn't found anywhere yet. It was all too crowded.
"Here!" Lily turned a corner quickly, and Severus hurried to catch up.
Down the street was a small café that had a advertisement in the window for the best pizza on the street. Severus didn't think that was too impressive, seeing it looked like the only restaurant on the street.
The two kids opened the door to find only one person behind the counter, and two tables full. They made their way to a booth in the back and each slipped in.
A waitress came up to take a drink order. She was fat and had a head of thick brown hair. They each ordered a soda and decided to split a "famous" four cheese pizza.
"Ok," Lily started the second the waitress was out of ear shot. "So there are the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Mostly pure-bloods in Slytherins, which rules me out. Gryffindor takes the brave and Ravenclaw the smartest. What's Hufflepuff for again?"
"The leftovers." Severus smirked as he said it. "Which rules that out for you too. You are better then that."
"But I don't know any magic! I'll be so far behind!"
"No one is allowed to get a wand till they start school anyway. There will be other muggle borns." Lily smiled again.
"Maybe I'll be a Ravenclaw. I get decent marks in school, usually the best in the class." The boy just nodded. This was Lily's favorite conversation and it was repeating over and over again.
They talked until the pizza came, which by that time Lily was starving too. The devoured the pizza and they didn't know if it was because they were so hungry or that it was really good.
It didn't matter, they kept going back anyways.
Lily was beautiful inside and out then too. "I also remember Petunia's face when I first told you that you were a witch."
"She did look extremely funny, but I thought you were kidding too. I've barely talked to her lately. Even on holidays from school we were nasty to each other. Did you know, she got married?" I nodded my head no, thinking who would want to marry Petunia? "I didn't either. It was a month ago, to a man named Vernon Dursley. My own sister doesn't tell me about her wedding! Well! I just won't tell her about my own wedding." She continued playing with that thing in her pocket.
Our wedding. I thought.
The waitress brought out the pizza, and two sodas. "Here you go kids, eat up!" She turned away after one longer look at us.
"Yeah Sev, eat up, it might be our last." Lily laughed as laugh that sounded like bells. "We were always scared it would be our last one, thinking this place would close down before we could come back." Lily grabbed a slice of pizza as I did. She took a bite. "Still as good as it was that first time."
A tiny dot of sauce remained on her cheek. "Lily, you got a bit of sauce on your cheek." She grabbed a napkin and dabbed around trying to find it.
"Here." I muttered grabbing my own napkin and pressing it against her cheek. My fingertips brushed on her skin. It was as soft and warm as it always looked. My hand lingered, before she pulled away.
It was time to tell her. I promised myself it would be tonight, I had to tell her.
"Sev, I need to tell you something." She was still twisting the tiny bulge in her pocket.
"Lily, let me tell you something first." I leaned forward. "Lily I-" There was so much I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. I wanted to let her know how she always made me laugh and that she was in my thoughts each night. And I know all those thoughts could be summed up by three easy words.
"I love you." I watched her smile fade. She became frozen, and then turned towards the window.
She started pulling that thing out of her pocket. "Sev, James and I are engaged." The thing she had been playing with all night was an engagement ring.
All I knew how to do at that point was walk away. I wanted to scream at her, tell her she was a fool. I wanted to know if I told her I loved her before James did if she would have picked me.
Instead I slipped out of the booth. I felt her grabbed the sleeve on my arm. "Severus, Sev, please." Her voice sounded like she was crying. But I didn't look to check. If I did I would say it was ok when it wasn't. I didn't want to hurt her.
I tugged my arm away and walked out while her sobs got louder and louder.
When I got out to the sidewalk, without checking for muggles, I apparated to a place where a special, dark initiation ceremony was taking place.
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