The Fine Line Between
Severus had never been popular. That had never been a great bother to him. He would have liked to have had more friends, but it had never been his biggest concern. Lately, however, he'd been aware of an even greater divide shooting up between himself and the other boys at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It wasn't that he disliked girls, that wasn't it all. It was just that he failed to be fascinated with them the way the other boys were. The fact that Hazel Clearbrook was beginning to fill out the front of her robes, or that Rosemary McTavish's had shot up during the summer and her skirts now showed too much leg did not hold him utterly mesmerized. Yet, given their conversations, the other boys in the fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seemed to think nothing mattered more. If it hadn't been for that chubby Hufflepuff girl with the thick ankles and acne, Severus would never have even kissed a girl before, and that had been an awkward and embarrassing episode.
Severus kept to his books, and began to feel more and more isolated.
Apart from studying, (both for class and for his own independent pursuits) his only real enjoyment came from Quidditch. The solidarity of supporting the same team with his fellow Slytherin seemed to ease his loneliness, while the game provided the entertainment so that real social interaction was kept to a minimum. Severus enjoyed it.
He enjoyed the games so much, he even went when Slytherin wasn't playing. That wasn't so odd. A lot of students did in order to see who their house team would be playing. But, Severus found that he enjoyed the game for its own sake. Being a competent, but not overly skilled flyer himself, he admired the skill of the players. It didn't even matter what team they were on. Why, one of his favorite players to watch was the new Gryffindor chaser, James Potter. He flew amazingly well and, in Severus' opinion, was quite the best player in the school. In fact, even when the Slytherin Seeker was about to catch the snitch and tie the game, coming from being 150 points behind, and one of the other chasers shot the Quaffle towards the hoops. James, quick as anything, snagged it and hit it through the center hoop, right past the Slytherin keeper. The Slytherins were all livid, and some of them had tried to claim haversacking, since Potter had been so close to the goal at the time, but to no avail. The score was legal and Gryffindor won. But Severus had been too impressed with the play to be upset.
"Here, that really was a marvelous shot." Severus managed to say.
James Potter stared in open shock at the gawky boy in Slytherin colors who'd stopped him as he left the Quidditch pitch. Several of the Gryffindor teammates joined him, congratulating James on the play. It didn't take them a moment to start in on the boy with the green on his robes.
"What happened? Did your keeper fall asleep when he thought the snakes were going to catch the snitch?"
"Goes to show, a lion can take a snake any time! Even muggles know that." The Gryffindors' high spirits carried on into laugher and boasting.
James knit his brow. "Leave it." He said to his teammates, "He's being a good sport so why don't you all?" He turned back to Severus. "Yeah, thanks, but if it hadn't been for Hornby passing the quaffle I never would have pulled it off."
"But it was you that did it!" Severus answered with some enthusiasm.
None of the Gryffindors seemed quite sure what to make of him. Suddenly, the silence was broken when a tall, very good looking boy with thick wavy black hair and grey eyes bounded over to James like a dog. He threw himself at the other boy's neck affectionately. "I say, James, that was bloody brilliant!" James hugged him back and Severus suddenly realized that he'd seen this other boy before. He and James were almost always together. "Sirius! Can you believe it!" James exclaimed.
Severus cringed when the handsome boy spotted him. The way this boy was looking at him as if he were something that didn't belong there was just too embarrassing. "Well, of course you're not welcome here," he told himself. "You've still got your colors on. They're bound to think you've come to tell them off." James spoke up before Sirius could say anything. "Look, it was awfully big of you to come and say that. Ta."
Sirius raised his eyebrows at James, but followed his lead and attempted to give Severus a smile. The Gryffindors dispersed, and Severus stood alone on the grounds, watching Sirius and James walk away together, laughing and clapping each other on the shoulders.