Minerva inadvertently screamed upon walking into the student.
"Oh, Mr Snape." She sighed, recovering her breath.
"What are you doing out of bed out of hours?" She demanded, silently wondering why he kept turning away from her.
He had his head leant against the wall, and was slumped against it; she wondered whether or not the students had been on another drinking binge.
"Mr Snape, I'm waiting." Her voice came out a great deal sterner than she felt. Indeed, her heart was still racing having walked straight into the fifth year Slytherin.
The young man slowly turned to her.
His normally so guarded face was void of that emotionless state; yet Minerva couldn't be sure if she was correct in presuming that he was as depressed as he looked.
All the same, she gave a worried from.
Severus sighed, and leant his head against the wall.
He looked down, and shakily breathed in. "Professor?"
His voice was small, and vulnerable. So unlike the usual arrogantly confident, condescending voice Minerva was used to hearing from him.
Minerva went to speak; but no sound came out. What could you say at a time like this?
The boy in front of her wiped his tears from his checks, then lifted his head up to look his teacher in the eye.
"Can-" He gave a shaky gasp, "Can you tell Lily Evans I said sorry?"
With that, he bit his lip then ran off; the sound of soft feet hitting the floor the only thing keeping Minerva from thinking she imagined the whole thing.
Shaking her head to her students troubles, yet making a mental note to pass on the Slytherin's message, Minerva continued her corridor duty.
Left on the floor, dropped by the boy and over-looked by the adult; lay a note.
'Severus Snape,
You are vile, uncaring, and not
the boy I thought I once knew and loved.
If you know what's good for you, you'll never
come near me again. I promise you I will
never forgive you.
Don't speak to me – we're over.
Lily.'
Fresh droplets of water smudged the ink, yet it was readable all the same. Those words never left a certain young man's mind; until the very day he died.