Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic ever! I love feedback, good or bad, so please comment! This story doesn't really follow the HP series... in fact, I started working on this fic almost four or five years ago! I know, I know, what a long freakin' time... But I was actually cleaning out some boxes of old writings and stories and such and came across some of my old fanfics, and I was like "oh man, I so should continue some of this stuff"… and here I am! Anywho, enjoy. And remember. I don't own Harry Potter… as much as I would like to, heheh, it's illegal to own slaves here in the U.S. Hah… just kidding…about the wanting him for a slave. And, I don't own the books, just my ideas.

The students of Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had all left for the summer holiday. The corridors of the old castle lay still
and silent. A solitary figure emerged from the dungeons. He was pale and dressed all in black. Behind a veil of greasy black hair was ahawk-like face, that, were it not for the look of perpetual disgust, would have suggested that there was a time many years ago when he was devilishly handsome. This was Professor Severus Snape, Hogwarts' most feared and disliked teacher. Snape had not always been a bitter man: Dark and brooding, sometimes- but not bitter.

Snape raised his eyes toward the ceiling and listened hard. A smirk-like smile crossed his mouth as he murmured, "Silence at last," and swept off down the corridor. But as he passed the doorway to a long-unused classroom, he paused for a moment, as if frozen within time. This was a room that for years he had avoided at all costs; and yet today he felt strangely compelled to visit this place of betrayal.

He opened the door and crossed to the large window that looked out over the lake and beyond it to the Forbidden Forest. Here he had stood, that night twenty-four years ago. Behind him they had entered and he had caught them together. Snape closed his eyes and rested his head against the cool pane of glass. He swore he could still smell her perfume; perfume that smelled like the flower she was named for. "If only you had stayed with me," He whispered, "You might be alive today."

Twenty-five years ago it had all actually begun, twenty-five years to the day. Severus was a boy of sixteen at the time and as he was preparing to board the Hogwarts Express for his own summer vacation, had been when he first met her.

"Severus," called a small timid voice behind him on the platform at the Hogsmead station. The voice belonged to a very pale, delicate-looking girl. The wind was wisking her long dark hair across her face; she was so small and frail that it look as if the wind threatened to blow her away as well. This was Serena Snape, Severus' thirteen-year old half-sister, who was in Ravenclaw house. Serena was very weak and often so sick that no amount of potions or spells ever seemed to make her any better. "Severus," she called again, exhaustedly, "could you get my trunk for me please? I don't think I can manage it."

Severus looked kindly at his sister, for he felt sorry for her. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied, looking around.

"Where is it?"

"My friend Lily's got it over there," said Serena pointing to a spunky looking girl with curly red hair that fell to the middle of her back. She was sitting on top of a blue trunk and resting her feet on a black one. "She's been so sweet to help me."

Severus walked over to Lily and tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Excuse me," he muttered shyly, "I just need to get my sister's trunk." Lily smiled sweetly and stood up, her vivid green eyes glimmered brilliantly in the morning sunlight. "Oh… so you're Serena's brother," she mocked almost playfully. "I'm so sorry, I never really made the connection. I know I have some classes with you, but we've never actually talked." Snape nodded while looking down, almost too embarrassed to voice any reply. But Lily just kept talking, seeing Severus's nods as encouragement to continue.

"Of course I know who you are, seeing as I'm only second to you in all of our classes, but, you know…" she paused for a second and cocked her head a bit, trying to look directly at him as Severus almost refused to meet her eyes and glanced almost anywhere except towards her. She smirked again. "Well, I've heard some very nice things about you from your sister. I just didn't know it was you she was talking about."

Severus made a point to keep his hair in his face as to try and cover the shade of red she had caused him to turn from a mix of her being so forward and from him being quite shy around someone who he always found was quite a visual distraction in the classes that they had together. He also knew that she made no point in trying to keep the shock out of her voice that he was in fact the sweet brother that his sister spoke so fondly of all the time; Severus knew he had quite a negative dark image and a run-down reputation for being a heartless nerd with among all of his peers; it was something that James Potter had made sure of.

They were marked by silence for a moment, neither of them moving, but with Lily just looking at him with a mysterious smile on her face, and Severus just kinda' watching her feet, almost as if they were tap dancing or something of those likes. The other kids around them shuffled by, some bumping shoulders with Severus as they dragged their trunks to board the train.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few passing seconds, Lily held out her hand and said "Hi, I'm Lily," as if meeting him for the first time. Severus shook Lily's hand and gave her a half-smile. Although he could be bold and at times even outspoken, the truth was that he was incredibly shy around girls, especially girls who were as pretty as this one. "I'll just get this then," he said as he grabbed Serena's trunk and carried it aboard the train. Lily followed after with her own trunk. They found an empty compartment near the far end of the train and stowed the trunks overhead.

"Thanks so much," Lily said. "I didn't think I could manage both trunks, and I knew Serena wasn't up to it. She's in a really bad way today." Severus nodded. "Yeah, poor girl," he said, "I feel bad she's always so sick."

Lily looked at him in a way that bordered on adoration. "Serena is so lucky to have a brother like you." She smiled softly, and for the first time, they made eye-contact and held it for a moment. Severus suddenly felt even more nervous, whether it was from being paid such a sincere compliment or because of the way Lily was looking at him, he couldn't say. But, as he stood gazing at her he felt as if he could lose himself within her eyes. The train blew it's whistle, it would be leaving soon.

"Serena!" cried Severus. "You wait here, Lily, while I go get her." He turned and ran through the doorway and toward the front of the train, where he found his sister waiting, leaning against the wall for support.

"Thank goodness you're here," she whispered when she saw him. "I'm so sorry I took so long," He apologized as he took her arm and helped her down the compartment to where Lily was waiting. "Severus, what do you think of Lily?" Serena asked as they walked slowly past the long row of closed doors filled with other students. "I hardly know her, but she seems nice enough," Severus answered, smiling slightly. He wasn't about to say what he really thought. "Do you suppose mother and father would let her come to stay for part of the summer?"

"I don't see why not. They let you have everything else you want, don't they?" He answered a little bit more coldly than he had intended. "That was not a very nice thing to say," Serena scolded. "I'm sorry, but it's true."

"Yes, I know," sighed Serena sadly. "If you don't want Lily to visit, then I won't ask."

"I didn't mean it like that. She can visit, that's fine with me, and perhaps having some company will give Artemis a good reason to leave me alone."

Serena looked reproachfully at him. "Why can't you just call him father? Maybe he'd be nicer to you if you did say that."

"He's not my father, and he's never bothered to act like it, so why should I bother?" Severus tongue cut sharply. "Anyways, there's Lily." Severus led Serena into the compartment where Lily was waiting, and when she had sat down he asked, "Will that be all then?" Serena nodded and closed her eyes. "I think I'll sleep for a while." She whispered.

"I'll be back to check on you later."

"You're not staying?" Asked Lily, who looked slightly disappointed.

"No," answered Severus, although he almost changed his mind when his eyes met Lily's. "Malfoy and the other guys are waiting, but I'll just be three compartments down if either of you need anything."

"You're brother seems really nice," Lily told Serena after Severus had left. "How did someone like him end up in Slytherin with Malfoy and those gits?"

"There are reasons," Serena replied quietly. "You know…he doesn't know that you're a muggle born."

Serena half-smirked in a sad kind of why as she looked towards the ground.

"would he hate me for it?"

"It's possible," sighed Serena as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.