Lily looked down at the photograph. She had forgotten about it in the 7 years which had elapsed since taking it.
It showed her and Severus, smiling into the camera. They looked fresh and care-free, happy and innocent. An old playground, with trees in the background, filled the background. She saw their swings in there; one looked as though it might have just been jumped off of. She wondered who by...
It was a muggle photograph, so they weren't moving. She wondered what they would be doing if they could. Probably laughing like they used to.
They looked a lot different than they did now. Lily's dark red hair was in a short bob, and Severus' hair was shorter. Obviously, the photo was after one of his infrequent haircuts. Their smiles looked glazed. After years of moving photographs, it was quite eerie to see her and her ex-best friend frozen like they were.
She turned the yellowing, battered picture over in her hands, looking for a date. She found one in the upper right hand corner, in her Mum's neat writing. 'Lily and Severus' It read, 'the play park. April 23rd, 1969'
She sighed, and felt a twinge of regret at their lost friendship. She felt slightly guilty. If only she'd tried harder, he could still be the good, innocent boy she had met all those years ago...
She mentally kicked herself. Blaming herself for his mistake. What an idiot! It wasn't her fault, Severus had always been like that, and she just hadn't seen it. But she couldn't throw the memory of their happiness away. It reminded her of a time before betrayal and pain and war.
Lily stared at the photograph for a long time, silent tears flowing down her cheeks.