Greetings, my darling loves! It has truly been a while. Amid other updates of my life, I have grown up (shock), moved to a new place (double shock), and gotten a proper job (shockity shock shock!). But I am still, and as ever, remain your NeverAPrefect (tragically, that was always true, much to my dear mum's dismay.

Here is my newest brainchild...but it's a TEASER! I'm still working on the rest...but here to drive you mad while I continue to live in my land of 'in-progress' is my Prologue!

Enjoy, my ducks!


PROLOGUE:

'I'm sorry.'

'I'm not interested.'

'I'm sorry!'

'Save your breath. I only came out here because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.'

'I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just -'

'Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends - you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?

'I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way. I've chosen mine.'

'No - listen, I didn't mean -'

'- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?'

Lily turned away so that Severus wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. She swore to herself that she wouldn't cry - really, it wasn't like this was entirely unexpected. Based on the last year or so especially, she should have seen this coming. First, Sev had just wanted to be so liked by the older Slytherin boys like Lucius Malfoy, then he started to befriend people like Avery and Mulciber. Lily wasn't entirely sure when, but somewhere along the line, she knew he had begun to be interested in Dark Magic. She knew and denied it. Hoped it was just a phase, something he would grow out of - like horrid pop bands, or a particularly wretched t-shirt - but she was only lying to herself.

And now this. Calling her a Mudblood in front of all those people. Calling her a Mudblood, full stop.

It wasn't like this was the first time she had heard him use that horrid word, but it was the first time she had heard it directed at her. It had always bothered her, and she had told him so - repeatedly - but this was it. Somewhere deep down, she knew she had done the right thing, because she simply couldn't ignore what Severus was doing anymore. She couldn't keep hoping that it was a phase. Merlin, he hadn't even denied it! He wanted to be a Death Eater, wanted to serve the "Dark Lord" or whatever other deranged drivel they believed.

But that certainly didn't make it any easier.

Lily shoved her way through the portrait hole, keeping her head down, determined to get to her dormitory as fast as she could.

'Oy, Evans!'

'Not now, Potter,' she shot, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

'Evans, Evans,' James Potter blocked her path but Lily still didn't look up, 'I wanted to see if you were alright. If you needed a shoulder to cry on, that sort of thing.'

Lily's head snapped up, 'Go away, Potter.'

For some ungodly reason, Potter's red and gold Gryffindor tie was tied around his head and his glasses were slightly askew. He looked so bloody self-assured and ridiculous, which only serve to enrage Lily. He gave her a cocky grin, 'Aw, c'mon Evans, a pretty bird like you should have a good support -'

'Piss off, Potter! Haven't you done enough today?' Lily shoved past him, trying to get to the girls' dormitory stairs.

'Haven't I done enough?' Potter spun around and grabbed her upper arm, 'What the hell did I do?'

Lily whirled around, her green eyes flashing, 'What did you do? Are you bloody well joking?!'

Potter's face hardened, 'Yeah, Evans, because last time I checked, I wasn't the one who called you - something - something right foul, nor would I ever call you that!'

Lily scoffed, 'Oh, because you're such a damned saint!'

'Evans, I would never call you that!' Potter took a step toward her, dropping her arm and slashing his hand through the air to emphasize his point.

'You're just as bad, though!'

'I'm "just as bad?!" Are you fucking kidding me?' Potter's hazel eyes widened behind his glasses, 'Evans, I'm many things, but a Death Eater is sure as shit not one of them!'

That was it. As if it wasn't bad enough that Severus hadn't denied it when she point-blank said it, now Potter was shouting it for everyone to hear. Hearing it out loud from someone else was like a confirmation of sorts.

Severus Snape, the awkward but kind boy she had been friends with was gone. And Lily Evans did not like at all like the horrible young man he had become. Hearing James-bloody-Potter of all people say it made it that much worse.

Lily's eyes narrowed and her voice dropped to a dangerously soft pitch, 'No, Potter, you might not be a Death Eater, but you're the most arrogant, self-obsessed prick I have ever met!' Potter opened his mouth to speak, but Lily cut him off, 'And you're a COWARD! You hex people from the back, bully them in front of the whole school, and then humiliate them further for your own amusement!'

The entire common room had gone deadly quiet, and Lily knew she was now yelling but she was so angry that she really could not be bothered to give a damn, 'So no, Potter, you might not be a Death Eater, but you're no bloody hero either.'

Potter was just standing facing her, looking completely shell-shocked and - Lily noticed with a twinge of guilt - a little hurt, 'Evans -"

'No. Haven't you already ruined enough today?' Lily softly echoed her first words to him, eyes pricking. Damn, of course now was when she decided to cry. Hot tears started to stream down her cheeks. She lifted her head defiantly and met Potter's eyes, 'Leave me alone.'

Potter's mouth was slightly agape as she turned her heel and hurried up the dormitory stairs as the sobs came in earnest.