A/N: This is not a one shot. And I'm not the lucky one who owns the world of Harry Potter. It's going to follow Snape, obviously. It should stay canon compliant. No James bashing. I like James. Comments?

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath."

It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

"I only came out 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?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "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?"

He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.

"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?"

He struggled on the verge of speech but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole…

He made his way back to the Slytherin common room. The scene kept replaying in his head, over and over and over until he wanted to scream, or find James Potter and curse him into oblivion – no, beyond oblivion – or run back to the portrait of the Fat Lady, blast his way through somehow and shake Lily until she forgave him.

Didn't she realise? Couldn't she see? He thought she knew him, would understand that he hadn't meant to call her Mudblood.

The corridor he was walking down seemed longer and longer.

I'm not interested. It's too late. I'm not interested. Save your breath. It's too late. Save your breath. I'm not interested. It's too late, it's too late, it's too late, …

He'd never thought those words would come out of her mouth. He knew that she would be angry, hurt, furious, but surely she'd forgive him in time. She would, wouldn't she? She hadn't meant what she said.

I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here. It's too late.

No. She wouldn't destroy a friendship that had lasted for years over a single word. She wouldn't. Not Lily. Not Lily, with her dark red hair and her bright green eyes and the laugh that made him want to make her laugh for the rest of her life. She didn't have it in her to break their friendship off.

His pace quickened until he was nearly running. His footsteps pounded down the hall. When he finally reached the Slytherin common room, he was panting slightly. He went to his dormitory immediately, ignoring the other Slytherins who were lounging around, playing Exploding Snap or wizard chess or gossiping.

"Severus! Hey, Severus, where're you going? It's only eight – " someone yelled after him.

"Headache," he muttered, not really caring if Mulciber heard him or not. He entered the dormitory and dragged the curtains across.

He dropped on his bed fully clothed, not bothering to change, just lay there and listened to Lily's words. He heard the anger, the coldness. He didn't hear the regret. Neither did he hear the sorrow. But he remembered the look, the contemptuous look that she had thrown him when she stepped back through the portrait hole… the look she normally reserved for Potter… Potter… did she think of him the same way she thought of Potter…

He stared up at the ceiling. Well, he thought dully, at least she doesn't fancy him then.

He would look for her tomorrow. He would make her understand. She would understand and they would go on like before, as though nothing had happened. It would be all right tomorrow.