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There was an explanation. Lily was very certain about that. There must be an explanation for his behavior. People don't just change like that. Or did they?
Alot went through Lily's mind while she was pretending to go through her Transfiguration notes, except the upcoming exam tomorrow. All she could think about was Severus' behavior towards her. Before she could start another train of thought, someone sat down in the chair right beside her.
"Oh, good, Transfiguration. I am so going to fail that exam. Mc Gonogall tells me constantly I am a danger to everyone in my Transfiguration class" A cheery voice said.
Lily turned around and saw her best friend Alice Miller sitting there. Round faced and smiling, as always. Lily wanted to say something to her, but the words got stuck in her throat.
"Are you alright, Lil?" Alice eyed her best friend worriedly. She had the knack to know exactly when somebody had a problem or was in love or anything else. Nobody could hide any emotion from her.
"Yes," Lily said, but then reconsidered. Alice would find out anyway. "Actually no. It's-" Lily took a deep breath and then lowered her voice, so that James, Sirius, Remus and Lupin, who sat just two tables, away wouldn't hear her. "It's about Sev."
"Again?" Alice asked and tried to repress rolling with her eyes. "Lil, give it up, you aren't really friends anymore. At least you shouldn't. He is evil."
"He is not Alice, really not. He can be so kind and sometimes even funny."
"I've heard that plenty of times Lil. But what's really the matter? I mean something must have happened."
"How do you do that?" Lily asked astounded.
"Do what?" Alice asked back.
"It's like you know everything."
"Well maybe that's the reason why I'm so good in Divination." Alice laughed heartily, everybody knew that she detested Divination, and Lily joined in. No matter how depressed a person was, when one heard Alice laugh they had to laugh too.
"But seriously now, tell Auntie Alice what happened."
"James and his gang hexed Sev today," Lily began, looking down at her fingernails, her hands were slightly shaking.
"So? They do that constantly."
"I know, but I can't stand it anymore. Sev doesn't deserve it. Well, never mind. So they were hexing him and I came to help and told James to leave Sev be."
"And he did it, did he?" Alice asked not even expecting an answer. She knew it anyway.
"Yes,he did. But then Sev didn't even say thank you or basically anything to me."
"What did you expect Lil,seriously?" Alice gave her best friend a sympathetic look.
"I just want it to be like before. Before we came to Hogwarts, before he met...you know-"
Lily hushed her voice even more. "he met Avery and Mulciber and everyone."
"I know you do." Alice put an arm around Lily's shoulders. "But you aren't kids anymore."
Lily nodded, a single tear streamed down her face. She looked out of the window, closest to her. The night sky was sprinkled with stars. Lily quickly looked at the brightest and wished herself back to simpler times.
"It's just, you know, I can't imagine that a person can change that drastically.
"Well, I suppose he always had this kind of dark side in him." Alice considered. "In fact, I think all of us. No one is just full of light and eternally good, everybody has a dark spot. And he is just-, just really emerged in it.
Lily nodded again, suprised by the wise words of her friend, and now she couldn't hold the streams of tears back anymore.
"If it he is really that important to you," Alice said, feeling bad for Lily. "then why don't you talk to him in the summer. Away from school, away from Potter and, more important, away from Avery and Mulciber."
Still Lily just nodded. She thought that Alice's idea was brilliant, but for some reason she couldn't stop crying.
"Hey Evans, why so sad? Do you regret rejecting me earlier." James threw himself in the chair in Lily's right.
"Potter, you are the last person in this castle she wants to talk to now." Alice spat at James.
"Oh, Miller, I wouldn't say that. I know Evans likes me very much."
Lily sniffed and then caught her voice, as she spoke it sounded strong and not whiney at all. "I do not, Potter. I wouldn't even go out with you if hell froze over." Lily stood up and ran up the stairs to her dormitory as fast as she could.
"Girls! They'll bring us in our grave," Sirius sighed and let then out a barking laughter, while James still sat there,taken aback and looking at the point where Lily's red, hair had vanished around the corner of the steps.
