Chapter 2

Blue, as it just so happened, was Lily's favorite color. Severus noted how the lilies contrasted beautifully with the scarlet on Lily's cheeks.

"Teach me about Hogwarts", Lily pleaded excitedly. Talking about her future, magical life in the enchanting clearing with Severus was one of her favorite things to do.

"What do you want to know?" asked Severus, unable to hide his grin. He loved seeing the admiration in her eyes for knowing things she didn't.

"Tell me about the Houses again", said Lily.

"Well, there's Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor."

Lily couldn't help but notice the way his voice gave a slight sneer as he said the last name.

"Slytherin is where cunning, loyal, and successful people go; it's easily the best House. Hufflepuff is just for average people who don't really have anything going for them, and Ravenclaw is for the people who would rather spend all day studying rather than making friends. And Gryffindor is for the egocentric prats."

Lily knew he was being serious, and she wouldn't usually condone such negative comments, but she couldn't help smiling at his superior tone.

"And which House do you think I'll be in?" Lily asked, already knowing what he would say.

"Definitely Slytherin", replied Severus with a grin.

Lily noted the carefree gleam in his eyes when he smiled. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, Petunia, Lily's sister, stepped from behind a bush.

Remembering the last time Severus and Tuney, (this was Lily's nickname for her) met, Lily grimaced. Tuney and her were swinging on a playground when Snape stepped from behind a bush and told Lily she was a witch. Thinking he was just another rude boy trying to be a jerk, Lily and Tuney stomped away, leaving him there wondering what he did wrong. When Lily went back by herself the next day though, Severus explained to her the truth about what she was. This happened two months ago, and now she and Severus were the best of friends. Petunia, however, still refused to listen to anything Lily had to say about magic, or Severus for that matter.

"What are you doing?" Petunia asked Lily authoritatively, a hint of fear escaping.

Remembering the way Petunia treated him, and seeing the worry in Lily's face angered Severus. "None of your business", he replied shortly.

Petunia pretended to ignore him, though her face betrayed her controlled manner. "Why are you hanging out with this sorry excuse for a girl?" she said to Lily. Lily's eyes widened, looking at Severus with an apologetic expression before turning back to Petunia again.

"Leave him alone", Lily said softly. She hated angering her sister, but she hated disappointing her even more, and hanging out with Severus was clearly not something she approved of.

"I don't have to! Ever since you've been hanging out with this… Freak, you've been saying the weirdest things. It's not normal to believe in magic, Lily! Please, just come with me and stop hanging out with him. It's what's best for you."

Severus jumped up, ready to strike back. He was not losing his one and only friend. "I am not a freak, and neither is Lily. She is free to hang out with whomever she pleases, and she doesn't need you to boss her around!"

With that, Petunia finally lost what little composure she had left. "Lily, you can either choose him, or me. I will not tolerate you having a person like him as your friend! He's nothing but cheap trash!"

Lily's eyes glistened, then were wet as silent tears flooded over her cheeks. She finally had a best friend, someone who could make her feel like she was special for being able to do magic, but all Petunia wanted to do was take that away from her because "it's abnormal". As much as Lily cared about Severus, however, she couldn't lose her sister. They were family. We'll just have to meet in secret, thought Lily, hoping Severus would somehow read her mind.

"Severus, I'm sorry-"

"No, I get it", Severus said angrily, turning away without a second look back.

"Sev, wait!" Lily tried running after him, but Petunia put her hand on her shoulder, preventing her from going any further.

"You've done the right thing, Lily", said Petunia, but Lily wasn't listening. What were a few silent tears on her face was now a shaky waterfall.

Down the road, Severus was stalking angrily. He thought of the smile, the eyes, the hair that he loved, all gone now. He thought of the friend he thought he had, the one person that seemed like she could see right through him. Now all the anger was gone. It was muffled by a new, gut wrenching feeling that he never remembered having before. So this is what heartbreak feels like, he thought. I knew she was too good to be true. And for the first time in two years, something wet and almost unrecognizable fled from Severus' eye.