There she was.

Long, flowing hair the color of dragon's fire, falling out beneath her as she swung, higher and higher. He could not take his eyes off of her. It was a pristine, sunny day in Cokeworth, the sky a crystal shade of blue that made it seem as though the whole earth were encased in a bubble. The two sisters were flying, laughing. Innocent. The younger of the two, however, seemed to be going quite a bit higher, and it soon became clear what she intended to do.

"Lily, don't do it!" shrieked the other, as Lily propelled herself off of the swing and soared though the air. She did not fall, however; with an easy grace Petunia so conspicuously lacked, she landed seemingly without effort, like a ballerina. "Mummy told you not to!" The elder girl quickly brought herself to a stop, and stood accusingly over the younger. "Mummy said you're not allowed, Lily!" "But I'm fine. Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do." The bush behind which a pallid boy watched them was covered in flowers, and the little girl with green, almond shaped eyes took one that had fallen. It opened back and forth in her palm like a bizarre, many-lipped oyster. "Stop it!" Petunia yelled, unable to bear it. "It's not hurting you." Still, Lily crushed the bud in her hand. She did not want anything to upset the perfect day. "It isn't right. How do you do it?" Petunia was extremely curious, and also extremely jealous. How did her little sister make these things happen when she could not? Why couldn't she?

But Severus, from where he was concealed, was not interested in her at all. He could not stay put any longer. "It's obvious, isn't it?" "What's obvious?" asked Lily, even though her sister had issued yet another shriek and run backwards, unable to stop herself from watching them. She did not know whether or not to be genuinely afraid or simply angry. Anger, at least, would be easier. He lowered his voice. "I know what you are." "What do you mean?" "You're…you're a witch," Severus whispered. This did not go how he had planned. "That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" She was about to storm off, offended, when he said, "No!" and went after them.

He was wearing a ridiculously large coat that made him look like a big bat, and the girls considered him, unsure. "You are," he said, addressing Lily, the one he had watched greedily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My Mum's one, and I'm a wizard." Petunia's laugh was somewhat rather high and cold.

"Wizard! I know who you are. You're that Snape boy. They live down Spinner's End by the river." Disgust was evident in her tone. He was different, strange, and they were better than him. He was just poor and queer. "Why have you been spying on us?" "Haven't been spying," he returned bitterly, suddenly feeling close to suffocation. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway. You're a Muggle," he could not help but add, somewhat spitefully. She did not ever ask what the word meant. "Lily, come on, we're leaving!" Lily gave Severus a death glare as her sister took her hand and pulled her away, leaving him with his disappointment. He had been so sure, that this time…

The day utterly ruined for him, he sat on the swing Lily had vacated, in no hurry to return home. He knew he was right, though. There was too much magic in her for her not to be a witch, he had seen it. Every young wizard could recognize accidental magic and there was no doubt he had it. She would see. He would meet up with her again at Hogwarts and maybe then she would actually talk to him.

School was only two more years away and he could hardly wait. He already spent a good chunk of his time pouring over his mother's old textbooks and was fascinated by anything having to do with the dark arts. Because maybe when he had his wand he could have some measure of control, of power in his own life. He could not wait to see the look on his filthy Muggle father's face when he finally fought back with his own string of curses and hexes… It would be the last thing the old man ever expected.

He heaved a great sigh, and began pushing himself back and forth, his feet rubbing against the asphalt. The girl once more occupied his thoughts. He had never had a friend before, in all his nine years, but especially not one as pretty as her. She had caught his attention because she could do things other children could not, and he was positive his suspicions were correct. She would be getting her letter. He had waited for so long to tell her and it had all gone wrong, and all because of her stupid Muggle sister.

But suddenly he felt someone sit down on the swing beside him. "Did you… did you really mean it?" Lily asked. Her voice was dripping with curiosity and awe; she was hoping for it to be real. She had devoured fairy tales when she was little, and had an imagination more vivid then any of the other children in Cokeworth. Severus could not help it. He smiled. "Course I meant it. There are loads of witches and wizards, and a whole school where you learn it all…" Her eyes grew wide as he described in glorious detail the castle in all its splendor, the Ministry and how it kept the whole world a secret… She could scarcely believe it. He told her what being Muggle-born meant, and her incredulity gradually faded. They talked for hours, until the sun began to set and they had to part.