"Aren't you feeling hot, Sev?"
Severus jerked around, head shooting up in the direction of that voice. He had been too far in his thoughts to notice Lily walking up to him, not to mention the fact that Petunia was sneering at him from not too far behind Lily. For Merlin's sake, Petunia was like a blasted bodyguard for Lily whenever he was around.
Severus shook his head quickly, tightening his jacket around his body. It was rather hot, but Severus couldn't possibly take the jacket off and he definitely wasn't about to admit that to Lily, or he would never hear the end of it. He was wearing one of his shorter shirts today, having not expected it to be this hot. It wouldn't cover much of his back, and especially not some of the bigger scars that his father had given him. The only thing that stopped his bare back and scars from being visible to everyone today was this heavy jacket. It didn't matter how hot it got, he wouldn't take it off. Severus didn't think he would be able to stand it.
"Are you sure? You don't look particularly comfortable in it anyway…"
Lily was wearing a spaghetti dress, and she still looked like the heat bothered her to some extent, her skin having turned pink in some places. Petunia was dressed similarly, the only difference being the colours of their dresses and the face that Petunia's stance could be considered somewhat hostile. She looked like she was more likely to curse him, than anything else.
"If he doesn't want to take his jacket off, let him sweat, Lily. I don't see why you care so much," Petunia said, shrugging. "It doesn't look like you're going to change his mind, anyway."
Lily looked a bit put off, but didn't continue the topic. Severus sighed in relief. He didn't want Lily, innocent Lily, to know the reality of the world. He would shelter her from that for as long as he could. She didn't need to know what his father did when he actually came home.
It would only scare her away from him, and he couldn't let that happen. She was the only person, other than his mother but Severus's mother couldn't lift a finger to help him anyway so Severus didn't really know if she counted, who cared for him, and didn't shun him. It may have had something to do with the fact that he was the one to tell Lily about magic, and they were the only two nearby who could use it, but Severus ignored that.
They were similar, and that was what brought them together. That may be the only reason Lily was his friend, but he was thankful for that. His father certainly didn't care about their blood relation while he was angry.
All Severus's father did was mark him, physically and emotionally, as if neither really mattered. As if, Severus wasn't really a person in his eyes.
He had once been so naïve to think that was love. The only love he would get from his father. He had believed that until he had met Lily's family. Until he had realised that the scars on his back weren't hidden because they were a good secret, rather because they were bad. His father could get in trouble for them if he showed it to anyone.
But…
But his father was right too. It was a mark of his weakness, something to be embarrassed about. He couldn't possibly show it to anyone without them mocking him for being that weak. Everyone already mocked him for everything else, they didn't need one more thing to add to that never ending list.
It didn't matter. No one needed to know.
"What were you planning on doing today?" Sev asked, pushing his thoughts aside as he summoned a smile to his face.
"Oh, I don't know. I was thinking…"
Written for Triwizard Tournament: Finals [A character must be self-conscious of a part of their body]
