Chapter One

Lily awoke the next morning with a start and a pounding head ache. She didn't remember falling asleep, only the tangled web of dreams that had followed her into slumber. The memory of each nightmare was vivid and intense in her mind, not faded as they usually were: running through a dark, shadowy wood, screaming as she fell, her bronze hair a wild halo as she toppled forward. She recognised the parchment – still tucked within her fingers – but it had become crumpled in her fitful sleep. Her uniform was still attached to her body, equally as messy, and she soon realised that the rest of the dorm had left for breakfast.

She ran, fast as lightning, from the common room – her bag whipped up into her hands. With little time for gentleness she stuffed the parchment letter into her pocket and sprinted for the Great Hall. When she arrived Severus was standing uncertainly near the Gryffindor table, ignoring the shouts and insults he was receiving from James and his crew.

"Sev!" Lily cried, feeling exhausted. She was never one to sleep in, and it was having its toll on her already. Rushing wasn't something she enjoyed. She carefully flattened her hair down, straightened her skirt, and then made her way to the boy. He smiled at her widely, receiving a dark glare from James, and she quickly snatched up a piece of buttered toast before she took his arm and made their way to the dungeons. The Slytherins and Gryffindors had Potions together this year.

"Are you okay, Lily? You look a little… flustered." He said, with a sheepish expression. Lily took huge bites from the bread in her hand, and then wiped crumbs from her fingertips. Severus's gaze moved from her wide, green eyes to her practically empty bag. "Didn't you remember your books?"

Her bag was hollow, and Lily drew her hand up to her forehead. It was her first day and already she felt as if the life had been drained from her. "You go ahead, Sev. Save me a seat!" And for the second time that day she took off at a run, auburn her flying.

The dorms were eerily quiet when she returned. Light streamed in through the window, and cast beautiful scenery of the grounds. In the distance, she could see students preparing for their first Care of Magical Creatures class of the year, and her heart thumped as she thought of being late for her first lesson. Her trunk was still packed with clothes and textbooks, and after a moment of hectic searching and a stream of Gryffindor-coloured jumpers being chucked over her head, she soon found the book she was looking for. Without a second hesitation she shoved it into her satchel, and swung onto her feet.

At that moment, the parchment letter delicately lowered onto the floor as if being levitated as it fell from the wide pocket of her school skirt. Something jolted in Lily, and a feeling of turning and running hit her insides. What was wrong with her? It was just a letter – in fact, she could remember opening it yesterday evening, but the contents were a mystery to her. Just like her surprise sleeping fit.

With pale fingers she picked up the envelope – looking at the strange purple seal that had evidently been broken. As she pulled out the paper within, a puff of green smoke whirled into the air – but it was weak and dull, as if it had already been used to its full potential before. The smoke made Lily cough and made her eye lids droop ever so slightly, but as she stumbled against the beam of her bed to hold herself steady, she read the inked words on the aged paper:

"Dearest Lily,

Why do you torment me so? This summer was like a hell for me, when I cannot watch you day and night, my little angel. You are so sweet in slumber. Forgive me for not reaching out to you sooner – but now, whilst I see your distress, my moral justice forces me to comply with the symphony of my heart.

You loathe him, don't you, Lily? Both of them. Severus Snape and James Potter. I see how you watch them, how they treat you. They don't deserve you. I know what I would do to them if I could. I'd line the walls with their blood for hurting you. But I mustn't.

I will speak to you again, soon, my sweet. And I'm sorry for the dust. It entrances the most beautiful of slumber – and I couldn't wait for you to drift off before I could see you in the innocence of sleep.

Unknown."

The paper fell onto the floor.

By the time Lily managed to compose herself, Potions was in full session. Students worked on their cauldrons, stirring bubbling mixtures and dropping ingredients into the black cauldrons. The strange scents in the classroom drew Lily's mind away from disturbing matters, and she soon found her place beside Severus. She couldn't help the shaking in her hands, as she slammed her books onto the desk and pulled herself into her seat. Severus was already well underway with the potion, tending to it as if it was as delicate as a baby.

"What are we making?" she asked, although the class was working in pairs and Severus would need little help.

"Amortentia – something easy for the first lesson." He muttered, eyebrows knitted in concentration. For a moment he glanced up at her, and immediately he dropped the ingredients in his hand onto the desk. "Is something wrong, Lily? Your eyes, they're all-"

Immediately he was cut off short as a ball of parchment smacked into the back of his head, forcing it to jolt forward, dangerously close to the open top of his steaming cauldron. He turned around with a deep frown, his face reddened from the heat, only to see James Potter grinning behind him.

"Snivellus! What do you smell in the pot? Oh wait, let me guess: mothballs, dragon dun, and greasy hair? Wait! I'm wrong, that's just what you smell like." He burst into laughter, along with Sirius Black, and Lily turned her eyes onto him with a deadly glare.

"Just leave him alone, will you? Perhaps if you spent less time picking on others, James Potter, you would realise that you're not so perfect yourself." She spat, her cheeks flushing with the anger this boy could cause so easily. Remus and Peter stared at her with wide eyes over the shoulders of their two friends, but the fury Lily was feeling from her first day back was easily released on James. With a single noise of anger, she whipped her head back around – relishing in the silence of the four Gryffindor boys behind her.

"Is something wrong, Lily?" Severus whispered, looking at her with concern. "You've been crying, haven't you? Your eyes are red." Absentmindedly Lily wiped at her eyes, hoping to hide the red on her skin. It was true, she had been crying. But how could she tell Severus about the letter she had found, when it spoke so horridly of him? Instead she just shook her head, and smiled at him carelessly.

"I just miss my parents, that all."

Lily hated lying.