Thanks for all the hits I've been getting! PLEASE review! I need to know if this will be worth keeping up with. I'm really excited for the next chapter, and I think all the Snilly fans will be, too! I know I just uploaded a bunch of chapters at once, but I don't think that will be the case from now on. I just had a three day weekend and decided to get as much as I could done before things got really busy for me. I'm hoping to update about once a week normally, but no promises :) Once again, thanks for your interest in this story, and review so I can get an idea of what you guys are thinking! Thanks!

Chapter 4

Lily arrived hoping to meet Severus to apologize and discuss her plan to meet in secret. At first she was glad when she heard his voice, but when she heard him yelling, heard what he was saying, a wave of fear blanketed her. She stepped on a twig just as he finished, and tentatively took a step back. Severus whipped his head around at her, and relief flooded through him. He couldn't describe the feeling he got when he looked at her. Though 30 seconds ago he was hateful at the world, he was grateful she still cared and wanted to talk. He wanted more than anything to be her friend again.

When he looked at her, Lily noticed the bruises and blood all over his face and arms. "What happened to you?" she shrieked, worry and sadness completely erasing whatever emotion she showed from his shouts.

"My father…" he said shyly, looking down. He didn't want to tell Lily, or anyone else for that matter, about him.

She could sense he was uncomfortable, and decided to drop it. "I'll go and get you some supplies", she said, then took off jogging to her house.

"Lily-wait", he tried to stop her, but she was already gone. He hated when she left, but knew she really would come back.

Ten minutes later, Lily came back through the clearing with a first aid kit. "Sit" she ordered. Usually Severus would not take orders from anyone, but it was Lily, and for her he would probably do anything. The thought made Severus wonder for a moment, but quickly put it aside as a burning sensation came from a cut in his arm.

"Dang it, Lily!" he exclaimed.

"Hold still!" she ordered again. He grimaced with each new burn, but let her continue anyway. The serious look she had while she worked distracted him. Most girls hated blood, let alone cleaning bloody wounds.

"Why are you not bothered by the blood?" he asked.

Lily looked up at him and smiled a small smile. "My dad is a doctor, and I've always known that's what I wanted to be, too. Until you told me I'm a witch, of course." She stuck her tongue out at him as if he planned on changing her plans for the future.

Just as Severus was about to grin back, Lily cleaned out another wound, making him grimace instead.

When she finished, she sat beside him underneath the oak.

"Sev, I'm sorry about what Tuney said. It wasn't right, and I didn't want to upset her anymore, so I had to agree with her. I couldn't let you go either, though, so… I thought of a plan. On days when Tuney doesn't want to play with me, can I meet you here in secret?"

Severus grinned, feeling stupid for ever believing she would desert him. "Of course."

Lily grinned back and threw her arms over him. Severus was caught off guard for a moment, but wrapped his arms around her in reply; happy she couldn't see his hot face. When she let go, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and Severus knew he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Neither of them said anything for a while, but Lily suddenly remembered what had confused her earlier.

"Severus?"

A slight smile played on his lips when she said his name. "Yes?" he replied.

"What's a Muggle?"

Anger and guilt flooded through him, unsure of which was more prominent.

Deciding he'd better tell the truth, he said "A Muggle is a person who can't do magic."

"And why do you hate them?" she asked innocently

She sensed this made him uncomfortable again, but this time she couldn't let it go. Something about the way he seemed full of hatred when he was shouting worried Lily to the point of sickness.

Severus hesitated, but thinking about his father made him angry again. "They deserve to be punished" he said darkly.

This seemed to push Lily over the edge, and she got up, her back facing him. She thought about his words. This wasn't the same Severus she was best friends with, and it scared her. She had to keep him from hurting anyone. Suddenly, a deep thought occurred to Lily. What if he really did want to kill people without magic? That meant he wanted to kill my family, too…

Slowly, she turned around, gathering the courage to ask her next question. After gathering a deep breath, she forced herself to whisper it out. "So you'd rather I become an orphan while you hurt so many innocent people? "

"But-", Severus tried to interrupt, but she continued.

"…Maybe your father isn't good, but not all Muggles are bad." She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She took another deep breath and forced her next words out; though she was unsure she really wanted to say them.

"I don't think I want to be friends with such a hurtful person… I thought you were better than that." The words started out clear, but became a sort of whisper at the end. Suddenly, the wetness in Lily's eyes spilled over, and she was crying. Before Severus could think of anything to respond, she turned and walked home.

Severus wanted more than anything to stop her, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. His own tears were light on his face, and he sat there, wishing he could take the words back. He tried to think of something to say to assure himself that she would come back, that she would be his friend again, but all he could think about was the guilt he felt when he saw how much his words hurt her.

At noon, Severus was still sitting there. He thought of everything he could've done differently, angry at himself for being stupid, and depressed for losing his friend. What was the thought he had earlier? For her he would probably do anything. That was it. He sat long and hard thinking about what made him think that. He knew it was true now, because he knew he would do anything to try and get her friendship back, but he wondered why.

Lily was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, for one. Her green eyes seemed to pierce right through his soul. She had the prettiest laugh he's ever heard, not that he's heard much laughter in his lifetime, but somehow he knew hers was the best. Every time he was with her, he felt light and happier than any other time he could remember.

This was how he knew he could never lose her. He definitely had a crush on her, but more importantly, he realized he loved her as much as any person could love their best friend. No matter what happened, no matter what the cost, he knew he would always try to find a way to make things better with Lily. Because of that, he headed home quickly, anxious to work on his new plan to make things right.