"Lily,

I'm sorry. I know you hate me, but we were friends for five years. We laughed and cried, and fought against those idiotic marauders together. Please stay away from them. And, seriously, are you going to let one word ruin all of our friendship?

Sev

Lily,

Please can I have just one more chance? I'll never hang around Mulciber, or Avery, or anyone like that again. Look, just meet me behind Hagrid's pumpkin patch, so I can talk. If you don't turn up I'll never bother you again, I swear.

Sev

Lily,

You didn't come. This is the last letter I'll ever send you, I promise. I want you to know I love you. I do, honestly.

Love,

Sev

"Well, how very touching..." James sneered, waving the letter over his head, like a banner. "Who knew Snivellus were capable loving a girl like Lily?"
"How- How dare you?!" Snape spluttered, his face burning with embarrassment and rage. "Those letters- they were private- how dare you?"

"Ooooh," Sirius catcalled. "Private, were they? Ah, Snivellus, is in lurve."

"You- perfi-."

"Oh, no you don't, Snivells- Expelliarmus !"

His wand shot from his hand like a bullet, and though Snape snatched uselessly in the air, the wand flew into James' hand.

"You- Potter- you fucking-."

"Wow, wow, wow, Snivellus," James said, causally shooting a stinging hex at Snape, which hit hard between the eyes, making him double up in pain. The crowd sniggered, almost eagerly. "Do I need to wash your mouth out again?"

"Don't- you- dare!" Snape spluttered, rubbing at the huge red appearing on his forehead.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Snivells, you look less ugly when we can't see your face," Sirius said coldly, and the crowd erupted with sniggers again.

"I think we better try and wash him a bit, he is in serious need of a bath, don't you think," James said, spinning Snape' wand between his fingers.

"Don't associate the wonderful name of Sirius with that piece of grease," Sirius laughed.

"Does he ever wash that hair?" James said, flicking his wand, causing Snape to soar up in the air, robes flying up to show his pants. Peter pushed past them, nose quivering, small, watery eyes eager. Remus lolled back in the grass, laughing, rather nervously. "I am doing this, Snivellus, for the greater good," James said, adopting a noble, self-sacrificing air.

With another flick of his wand, James sent Snape flying into the middle of the lake. Snape thrashed about, spitting and coughing, his robes pulling him down.

"Can't even swim?" Sirius said, as Snape vanished under the surface again, pond-weed clinging to his hair. "We'll teach you, Snivellus."

"What are you doing?" Lily said, appearing, red hair swept dramatically across her forehead. A great groan of disappointed rose from the crowd.

"Evans!" James said, swinging round. "Oh, I'm just teaching Snivellus here a lesson."

Lily watched, a strange veil crossing her piecing green eyes. Snape kicked his way to the surface again, and looked straight at Lily, his drenched robes dragging him down.

"Lily... Lily... help me..." he gasped, and reeled over, dirty water and pond weed sticking to his tongue. Lily stood stock still, looking icily from James to Snape. Then, without saying a word, she turned away, and smiled, quite sweetly, at James.

"I hope your lesson goes well, James," she said, nodding at him.

"No... Lily... Lily?" Snape said. His throat was too soar for him to express it properly, and it came out as a croak.

Lily looked straight at him, struggling in the water, with a poker face. After a few seconds, Snape seemed to break, and he slipped, quite silently under the water, without a word.

"You called me James?" James said blankly, watching Snape uninterestedly.

"Well, isn't that your name?" Lily said coyly.

"You called me Potter before," he said.

"Opinions change over time," Lily said.

"Does that- does that-?" James stuttered.

"You sound like little Snivellus," Lily said, laughing.

"Evans- Lily, do you want to go out with me?"

Lily paused for several seconds, her eyes roaming the grounds; Snape struggling miserable, cold, desperate in the lake, seeming to beg Lily to help him- to refuse Potter, Sirius watching him, enjoying it in such a sick way , Peter still watching, a horrible hungry look on his face, the crowd who were watching with bated breathe, the boys looking at James with deep, idiotic admiration, the girls with annoying adoration, finally to James' wide brown eyes, and then, she nodded.

"Why not?" she said, shrugging, and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

Behind them, Snape let out a strangled gasp.

Lily wondered if it was the sound of his heart breaking.

How she hoped it was.