Hello everybody! Third update in two days. Oh I am brilliant. Please please PLEASE review! I haven't got one yet, but I've been favourited once already and I have about 100 hits between both chapters!

Okay so I keep forgetting to do this:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other affiliated characters, settings, objects or concepts. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. The characters who are unrecognisable are of my own creation.

There! Okay so have fun. Read etc. A lot of these conversations were built on the excerpts from the Order of the Phoenix and the Deathly Hallows. But this is the last chapter to use those, and everything else will be purely my creation from then on!

Always, Eleanor x

'I'll see you in the common room,' Lily directed this to Aurelia, who looked up in alarm.

'But you've hardly had anything to eat! It's Shepherd's Pie! You're favourite!'

'I know but, I just need to go for a walk, not really hungry,' Lily lied easily.

'Okay... Are you sure you're all right? I can come with you if you like!' Aurelia looked up at Lily concernedly.

Lily looked around her sitting with the Marauders. Aurelia and James were friends, and she really wanted some time alone.

'No, it's okay, I'll let you eat,' Lily smiled, it felt like a grimace, 'I'll talk to you when you get back to the dormitory.'

With that, Lily turned on her heel, adjusting her bag and keeping her eyes focussed ahead of her, determined not to look where she knew Slytherin sat.

James watched Lily's retreating figure. 'Aurelia,' he started, flickering his eyes towards her, 'did Evans say Snape did this?'

Aurelia smelt trouble already, 'No James, I think she's just a bit shocked about today, Snape was her friend, you know.' Aurelia smiled guiltily at her lie, but James didn't seem to notice. He grunted in response.

That was one thing he would never understand about Evans. How could she be friends with a slimy, Dark Arts loving freak like Snape and refuse to even give James the light of day?

What was wrong with him? What, heaven forbid, did Snape have that James didn't?

While everyone was distracted, Severus stood and slinked his way towards the entry of the Great Hall. He himself needed to speak to Lily before it was too late.

He'd spent all of dinner in disbelief watching as Lily sat voluntarily near Potter and even spoke to him at one point. Though he could not hear what they were saying, for all he knew she could have been insulting him, but Severus was always first to jump to conclusions.

He had to be sure.

Lily was breathing deeply, trying to regain her thoughts. Everything in a space of 20 seconds had just rushed around her, muddling her brain. She was never affected by anything like this. Then again, maybe it was because nothing this severe had ever been brought to her attention.

How could Severus do this to her? After all they've been through, he goes and does the one thing he promised her that he would not do. That spell... not a spell, she corrected herself, a curse. Causing such damage to a person, physical damage. Not to defend, but to seriously maim. Why would Sev wish that upon anyone?

Her thoughts were disrupted by the faint sound of footsteps on the cobbled stones of the courtyard, muffled slightly from a layer of weeds that had forced their way through the pavement. Lily turned her head in alarm, her hair swishing violently and whipping her across the face.

There he stood, tall, but lean, shrunken, seemingly unloved and uncared for. Lily could feel the tears well up, but she refused to show him this side of her. No longer would she remain vulnerable in his presence.

'I thought I'd find you here,' Severus murmured softly. Seeing the look in her eyes as one that didn't seem threatening, he started towards her.

'Stop!' Lily cried, her eyes flashing in anger, and, did Snape detect a flicker of fear? He paused, ten metres away from her. He ached to be nearer.

'What's wrong with you, Lily? I thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends.'

'We are-We... We were, Severus. I dont like some of the people you're hanging around with. I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev? What do you see in any of them?'

Snape was silent. It was obvious that she still needed to say more. He would allow her that.

Lily wrapped her arms around her and continued, 'What did you do to Mary, Severus. Tell me the truth.'

His sallow face paled. He had not been expecting that. 'It was nothing, we were having a laugh and Macdonald sticks her nose in everyone's busine-'

'It was Dark Magic.' Lily cut him short, ending his tirade of speech abruptly.

'It was Dark Magic', she repeated, 'you... You promised me that you would never use that spell. Never. And you use it twice in one day? Severus what is wrong with you!'

'What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?' demanded Snape. His colour rose back into his sallow cheeks, he seemed unable to contain his resentment.

'What's Potter got to do with anything?' said Lily.

'They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where do you think he keeps going?'

'He's ill,' sighed Lily, she was tired of this conversation. 'They say his ill-'

'Every month at the full moon?'

'I know your theory,' Lily sounded cold, 'Remus is kind, he's very smart and I think whatever it is that is wrong with him, we should give him the respect to keep it private.'

'It is our business if he's a werew-'

'Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? What do you care about what they're doing? Sneaking around and following them...' Lily trailed off at the look in Severus' eyes, something close to disbelief and fear was lodged there within the black, emptiness. Lily could not understand why.

'I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are.'

'They don't use Dark Magic, though.' She dropped her voice to a whisper. 'And you're being really ungrateful. I head what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there -'

Snape's face contorted with rage.

'Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his own neck,' the fear in his eyes grew more prominent. 'You're not going to - I won't let you-'

'Let me? Let me?' Lily's green eyes turned to slits, she looked unrecognisable, no one could ever make her this angry, not even Potter.

Snape began to backtrack immediately, 'I didn't mean - I just don't want to see you made a fool of- he fancies you, James Potter fancies you!' The words tumbled from his mouth as if against his will. 'And he's not... Everyone thinks... Big Quidditch hero-' Snape's dislike became more prominent with each word, spitting them out as if they were venom.

Lily on the other hand, grew more suspicious, her eyebrows travelled up her forehead until they threatened to disappear behind her fringe.

'I know James Potter is an arrogant toerag, you don't need to tell me that. But he'd never call me a Mudblood.' Lily thought of how he yelped when she suggested it that afternoon.

'Don't call yoursel-'

Lily laughed savagely, 'Don't call myself that? Well, you called me that. If you can rattle your brains to think that far back. And you come back here telling me who I can and cannot see? Who do you think you are?'

'I'm sorry.'

'I'm not interested.'

'I'm sorry, though!'

'Save you're breath.'

'I never meant to call you a 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 become! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?'

Snape opened his mouth, but no words came.

Lily's voice dropped in volume, 'I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine.'

'No - listen, I didn't mean-'

'-To call me Mudblood?' Her voice strengthened with passion, 'Why should I believe you? You call every one of my birth the same name and somehow I'm different? What makes me different Severus? Go on.'

Snape struggled with speech, as if he was trying to finally tell her something he had been concealing for years. No sound came.

Vivian sat at the Ravenclaw table for dinner, digging into a pile of baked potatoes and chicken wings She briefly considered her Quidditch fitness regime, but shrugged the thought away and continued eating. Olivier Durand made his way towards her and sat himself down on her right. A fellow fifth year and very close friend, Olivier moved to England from France when he was six, and spoke without an accent at all, though he was very fluent in French. He had olive tanned skin, was average height with a thin face and dusty brown hair that fell into his eyes. He had dark brown eyes that stood out through his hair and they always told Vivian what he was thinking.

'Hey Viv, how are you?' he asked, smiling at her quickly and moving to steal one of her chicken wings.

'Oi!' She swatted his hand away, his grin becoming a scowl as he nursed his hand, 'I'm fine thanks, how're you and Rachael going?'

Rachael Faukner was a fellow fifth year Ravenclaw, and unfortunately one of the girls with whom Vivian never got a long with in their dormitory. Beautiful yet rambunctious, Rachael enjoyed attention, and was very skilled in getting it. She was easily talented, but the kind of simple grace in which she gained her intelligence was always irritating to Vivian, who always worked above and beyond to achieve her marks. Rachael and Olivier had been seeing each other for the majority of fifth year, all seemed to be going strong.

Olivier grimaced, 'She's been a bit moody lately, that's the one thing about dating Rachael, you never really know what she's thinking or where you stand.'

Vivian snorted in a very undignified manner, 'Sounds like extreme dating to me.'

He laughed, 'Merlin, I'd never thought of it like that! But I guess you're right,' he smiled again at her.

'How's Lily?'

Vivian shrugged her shoulders, her mouth full, swallowing, she said, 'to be expected.'

Olivier nodded in affirmation, an understanding smile crinkling his eyes, 'Mmm, why she puts up with it, I have no idea. She deserves better. She's never been...' He searched for the word, motioning with his hands, 'involved with him has she?' Vivian spat out her Pumpkin Juice. 'Oh Merlin, no!' She laughed and shook her head.

'My what a disturbing image, what made you think that Ol?'

'Just that she spent so much time with him,' he shrugged, 'Snape always seemed to like her.'

Vivian shook her head as if to get the image out of it. 'Urgh, Snape and Lily, that's disastrous, he's so evil though, Ol!'

'That's true, and I repeat again, Lily deserves better. Oh, I think Celeste is trying to get you're attention.' He motioned behind Vivian, and turning, she saw Celeste, looking much more coloured, racing towards her with a slightly concerned look on her face.

"Uh, Olivier,' Vivian said, turning back to him, 'I think I'm gonna go okay, I'll see you in the Common Room! You promised me a game of Exploding Snap, remember!' Then hugging him fleetingly and placing a small kiss on his cheek Vivian jumped up, ruffled his hair and went to meet Celeste.

'Cell, what's wrong?' Vivian said, as she approached her friend.

'I was talking to Amelia Bones, you know, in Hufflepuff?' Vivian nodded, 'Well, she said that she saw Snape and Mulciber running away from one of the corridors this afternoon, she was just walking back towards the library when she saw them.' She lowered her voice.

'You don't think... That, well... Snape did it?'

Celeste seemed to be struggling with the concept of people purposely hurting each other.

Vivian spoke up to comfort her, 'Look, Cell, I think Lily would have figured it out too, let's go find her and talk about it okay?' Celeste nodded, the distraction was helping.

'Have you seen Lily though? I went to find her before, but Aurelia is sitting at the Gryffindor table with Potter and his friends, I didn't see Lily anywhere.'

Instantly suspicious, Vivian's hazel eyes flickered around the room quickly, landing at an empty place next to Avery on the Slytherin table. Her eyes widened, and, gripping Celeste's hand, she rushed towards Aurelia.

'Aurelia, where is she?' She looked up in alarm at the pair, 'She said she went back to the dormitory, that she wasn't hungry, why what's hap-argh!' Vivian cut her short, pulling her by the scruff of her neck off the stool completely and, with Celeste pulling on her arm, was led down the Great Hall towards the courtyard while the boys roared with laughter at Aurelia's performance.

'Severus, obviously you have no more to say to me, so if you don't min-' Lily was cut short by Snape's anguished expression, he walked towards her. 'Sev, stop it. Stay right there...' He kept walking towards her, 'Severus! Stop it. Don't move closer!' He was almost completely in front of her. 'Snape! Get away from me!'

Her eyes widened in fear, and Snape's hurt eyes looked searchingly as he reached out for her.

'Why are you scared of me Lily?'

'I now know what you're capable of.' Her voice shook.

Severus looked into her eyes, and in a swift motion, moved towards her as if to embrace her, but was interrupted.

'Lily? Where are you? Oh Merlin, Vivian I should never have let you lead us anywhere.'

'Look, how am I supposed to know where she is, Aurelia?'

'Guys, calm down for a minute I thought I heard voices,' Lily identified the softer voice as Celeste's. She breathed in relief.

Snape looked at her and stepping back, shrunk into the shadows, his dark eyes, hair and clothing camouflaged him instantly.

'Lily!' Celeste was the first to reach her, 'Merlin, we've been worried, when we didn't see you at dinner and then we noticed Snape was missing we thought the worst. Did he come to see you?'

'Not now,' Lily whispered, hoping that Severus wouldn't hear her. 'Let's just go to our common rooms now okay? I'm really tired.'

Vivian looked like she wanted to object, but Celeste placed a gentle hand on her arm and began moving back towards the yellow lights cast from inside the castle.

Inside the warmth of the Entrance Hall, Celeste turned to the trio. 'I'm this way guys, I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast?'

Lily smiled at her, 'Of course Cell, then we'll go get the carriages to the Hogwarts Express. But we'll discuss this all tomorrow!'

Aurelia and Vivian bade their goodbyes, and with a smile and a small wave, Celeste headed down the side corridor with Amelia Bones towards the kitchens and the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Aurelia shivered, 'It must be so warm in Cell's dormitory, they're right next to the kitchens and underground! Us kids in the towers just freeze on nights like this.'

Vivian laughed and was joined by Olivier who sidled up next to him with Rachael Faukner on his arm.

'Now what are you lovely ladies doing out on a night like this?' He grinned at the three, his eyes landing on Lily with concern as if to say, Are you all right? Lily smiled in response.

Rachael looked particularly miffed at his friendly countenance around three other girls, and dragged him away slightly.

'Oh! Duty calls m'ladies, I'll see you on the train tomorrow!' And Vivian, frowning slightly turned back to Lily and Aurelia.

'I've never liked her.'

They climbed another staircase.

'We know,' Aurelia and Lily said in unison. 'You've been saying that for, oh, how long?' Lily asked.

'All day?'

'All week?'

'All month?'

'All year?' They again ended in unison.

Vivian grumbled. 'Yeah, yeah, really funny guys. I can hardly contain my laughter.'

Lily laughed, and Aurelia draping her arms around Vivian with some difficulty (Vivian was a bit taller) said, 'Aww, Viv, you know we love you! But you should really get a move on with Olivier.'

Vivian spluttered, and turned to Lily to share an indignant glance, but Lily was wearing a smile and knowing look upon her delicate face.

'You're kidding.'

'Nope!' said Aurelia, her evil grin back in place.

'Lily, back me up here,' they stopped at the top of one staircase, 'tell Aurelia how bonkers she's being!'

'I can't do that, Viv,' Lily winked, 'that would be lying!'

'What!' Vivian was aghast. 'You both have gone insane! I cannot stand insane people, one of the reasons I was sorted into Ravenclaw! Now go get some sleep and return to me tomorrow with an actual sane comment about the matter!'

Lily laughed and bade her goodnight, Aurelia saluted her and they parted ways, Vivian heading up towards Ravenclaw tower alone, while Aurelia and Lily continued up several more staircases.

'You'd think,' Aurelia puffed, 'that after five years of being in this damned place,' she took a deeper breath, 'that we'd find more short cuts to get to the common room without all this pain!'

Lily just shook her head in amusement and they continued to climb until reaching the corridor that led them to the Fat Lady.

The portrait today wore a dress of pink, puffy, satin, and her hair had been newly curled.

'Password?'

'Oscen,' pronounced Lily clearly.

The Fat Lady inclined her head, swung forward to reveal the familiar round hole in the wall, and helping each other up, they both entered the warm common room, adorned with red and gold furniture, and, spotting a pair of the good armchairs by the fire that a couple of second years had just vacated, they raced towards them to warm up.

Settling in, Aurelia said, 'Lily, tell me what happened, I know you're upset. I can see it in your eyes.'

Lily looked down at her twisted hands in her lap, and drew her feet beneath her.

She remained silent, as if finding the words.

'Lily, look at me,' Aurelia's voice was sweet and understanding.

Lily raised her eyes, and once she met her wide, gold ones, words spilled from her mouth. She told her everything. From noticing small changes in Severus, to seeing him hanging out with Avery and Nott. She spoke about how she once caught Snape practicing the Sectumsempra curse on some old sheets, and how she remembered the clean slices in the linen, imagining them on a persons skin. And she spoke about tonight, the fear in Snape's eyes, the look of longing that he directed at her. How uncomfortable she felt.

Tears welled once again, 'And the worst part is, Aurelia, that I don't know what to do now, all I'd ever known about this world is from him. Now he's gone. When I look at him, I don't see the Severus I used to know. I don't know where he's gone, Aurelia!' The tears spilled out onto her cold cheeks, causing her to shudder.

Aurelia looked distressed, and standing up off her chair moved towards Lily's shuddering frame and engulfed her in a hug.

'Lily,' her voice was soothing. 'Listen to me, okay? This is really important.' She drew back to look at her, 'Are you listening?' Lily nodded. 'Okay,' she wrapped her arms around her again.

'You are not alone. Vivian, Celeste and I are here for you. We've always been. Even though we didn't introduce you to this world doesn't change anything. Celeste found out through a letter, she didn't have anyone else to tell her, and look at her! She's fine! Maybe not as confident as the rest of us, but she didn't depend on anyone to get her through the change.'

Lily looked up at Aurelia.

Aurelia's heart panged, she'd never seen Lily cry before. Her emerald eyes stood out against the previously whites of her eyes. They were bloodshot, and tear stains were streaked down her cheeks.

She was a very sorry sight.

'Sometimes I think Celeste ought to have been in Gryffindor with bravery like hers,' Lily said, her voice thick and heavy.

Aurelia laughed, 'the Sorting Hat knew what it was doing. And it knew when it sorted you, too! Lily, you're so brave! You know that you can do this.'

Lily's faced cracked into a smile, and Aurelia passed her a few tissues and wiped a final tear from her cheek.

'Come on, let's get us to bed, we have a lot of last minute packing to do in the morning.'

Lily stood up and walking towards Aurelia, took her hand and together they walked up the staircase towards the girls dormitory.

Just some background info:

Oscen - means Songbird in latin. I was very proud of myself for google translating it

I hope you all noticed, when Snape was stepping closer and closer to Lily, that her defence and her fear grew so much that her addresses to him went from Sev, her nick name for him, to Severus, to Snape. Further creating that gap between them.

This is the third chapter I've posted in 24 hours. Hell to the yes!

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