0.o You people like my story? I had to write like six chapters of my first fic to get anywhere near this kind of response. Maybe I suddenly acquired mad fanfic skills, or maybe everyone is just in Snape-grief mode, hehehe. Thanks so much to all the reviewers! Knowing that people are reading helps me write : )

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 2

Mud and Flowers

Plunk.

Splash.

Slick.

Plunk.

Splash.

Severus picked up another pebble from the wet, murky ground and threw it into the stream—if it was fit to be called that. By the time the pristine crystal stream of the Winchells wound its way to the Snape plot, it had widened and diluted into lazily flowing marshlands. When croaking toads were not drowning out the other noises of the swamp, chirping crickets and buzzing mosquitoes took up the task. The millions of tiny gnats were another matter all together.

Severus wiped his brow of sweat and swatted at the gnats—sentient specks of dirt. He hurled another stone and listened to the satisfying plunk and splash sound it made as it hit the water. A couple of cattails brush his cheek. He uprooted the plants and tore them in two before casting them on the ground. He lifted a particularly large stone from the muck, it was so heavy he needed two hands to carry it. He hurled it from between his legs like a Muggle child on his first trip bowling.

The stone tumbled a pathetic distance, it rolled into the thickly silted marsh bottom. Severus's cheek throbbed, it was a revolting shade of black and purple. It was swollen and knotted making his sallow face look all the more distorted.

Three more years! Three more long years until he could go to Hogwarts. Then he would not have to throw stones when he was angry, he could levitate them into the marsh. Severus bared his teeth and threw another rock. He could send his stones anywhere with a flick of his wand—at the water, at houses, at people.

"Hey, what are you doing?" called a musical voice, not accusatory, merely curious.

Severus whirled around to see Lily Evans picking her way toward him. Her pastel colored clothes seemed to deflect the surrounding grayness. In one hand she held her sandals so they would not get sucked and soiled by the mud. In her other hand she clutched a brilliant bouquet of freshly picked flowers from who knew where—heaven probably.

When she stood by his side he cast his stringy black hair around his face so she would not see his blush or his delight in seeing her.

"I'm throwing rocks," he said gruffly, picking up another rock and demonstrating.

Lily set her sandals down and copied him.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, pausing after stooping for her second rock.

"Got hit by the door," Severus mumbled.

"You got hit by the door? That seems like a pretty silly thing to do," said Lily.

Severus scowled and looked away from her. He was now determined to ignore her, stupid girl and all her stupid questions…

"Um, well," Lily hesitated, "If you were a wizard, wouldn't you be able to I dunno, stop the door or something? Turn it into a rabbit?"

Severus snorted, breaking his resolve to not talk to her as soon as he had made it, "Real magic doesn't have stupid rabbits. Besides I'm not trained yet, it's pretty much impossible for me to use magic right when I want to."

"How do you get trained?" asked Lily, eyes wide.

He was taken aback by the look of excitement on her face, "I-I thought you didn't believe me."

"Oh, I did! I knew you were telling the truth! Tuney said you were lying, but I believed you! The other day…I was just going along with what she said!" Lily said hastily, blushing in a way that was supposed to make her look shameful, but to Severus simply made her look prettier than before.

"Yeah well she's just a Muggle. So of course she doesn't know what she's talking about," said Severus matter-of-factly.

"A Muggle?"

"A person who doesn't have any magical abilities," Severus explained as the pair started to walke along the shore and up a steep, grassy hill, "Your whole family are Muggles, except you."

Lily frowned, "My parents don't know what to think about it. They had a psychiatrist and some other doctor come over, but they didn't find anything."

"Muggles are a bit stupid," said Snape, "So it's no surprise they would misunderstand everything."

"Hey! That's my parents you're talking about!" said Lily indignantly.

"I—well, I didn't mean…" Severus rambled on until he noticed Lily did not seem to hear him. She was lost in her thoughts, mulling over everything she had been told. He decided to be silent until she was ready to speak.

They had reached the edge of the woods when Lily finally said, "Hey, you want to see something?"

Severus, who had been anticipating another question about the wizarding world gave a rather unintelligent, "Huh?"

"It's a surprise, c'mon!" Lily grabbed his hand and led him into the forest.

It was in Severus's nature to feel suspicious. Things deemed surprises never seemed to end well for him. However, Lily's white hand was holding his soiled brown one, so he probably would have followed her off a cliff. It was part of what he dreamed of after all, Severus and Lily, hand in hand, off to the great castle in the north. He stared at their cupped hands hungrily as she pulled him along, oblivious.

"Here it is," Lily said, pushing through the underbrush, "My hideout! I've never shown anybody this before."

Severus stepped into a cool, green-hued glen. There was a pile of wild flowers resting on the sweet smelling earth. A few dolls and books were scattered about, accentuated by the flickers of bright light flitting through the tree tops. It was wonderful.

Lily plopped in front of the pile of flowers and patted the ground beside her to indicate that Severus should do the same. She scattered the flowers about her, "Watch this."

She crunched her nose in concentration. Severus gasped as the flowers began to change their colors. Pinks to blues to greens to back to pink again. They changed so quickly and so brightly it looked as though they were pulsating with life.

"You're really talented, Lily," he said, still mesmerized by the flowers.

Lily smiled, "Thanks, Sev."

Severus's heart skipped a beat when she said his name. No one had ever called him by his name. It was always boy or that young Snape or simply kid. Never Severus, and to shorten it to be more affectionate, well at least he thought that that is what it was supposed to mean….

Lily took a sprig of lilac and tucked it behind his grimy ear. She observed him and sagely nodded her approval, "Lavender is definitely a good color for you."

Severus gaped for a moment, stuttered something incomprehensible and was silent. Lily laughed and changed the subject back to magic. They talked until the white light of the sun became orange and then red.

"I saw you sometimes at school last year," said Lily.

"Stupid Muggle school…" Severus grumbled.

"Some of the kids were always being mean to you. Even though I didn't know you, I told on them for you," said Lily.

"Thanks…" said Severus, not wishing to tell her that the bullies came down on him harder because they thought he was the one tattling.

"And now that I know you, it makes it seem even worse," Lilly picked at the soft grass absentmindedly, "It's not like you were a jerk or anything, you're really sweet."

Sweet?

The two sat in silence until it was broken when Lily's stomach growled. She sighed, "I better get home for dinner."

"Yeah…me too."

The two walked together until they reached the Evans's well-manicured back lawn, where they parted ways.

"C'ya tomorrow, Sev!" Lily called.

"C'ya," Severus said quietly. He walked home in a daze, a feeling was tickling his chest. It made him want to hop around and smile. He often imagined having the feeling, but this time it was real.

Severus walked up the steps to the Snape household, feeling warm and contemplating his new love for the softer shades of purple.

So, thoughts anybody? Reviews are always welcome, whether they criticize or praise.