Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter six- I wish for a pony

Song: Everything You Want – Vertical Horizon

"And the last team member, our last beater is… Berlinson!" Malfoy called out. I stood up and whistled while the rest of the team cheered her on. She blushed, but stepped forward, proud to be the center of attention. She was growing up in front of my eyes. No longer the little passive aggressive girl I had once met. She had gained confidence, and height. She was still small because she probably wouldn't grow much after this year, but she was taller then most of the girls her age.

I smiled fondly thinking back to the little copper haired girl with green eyes that had been so forgettable and hated attention on her. That was changing, and I was changing with her. Ok, I still wasn't very confident, but I was getting better at things like that by the day.

"I made it!" she screamed running over to me

"You sure did!" I said giving her a hug. She was warm and bouncing with energy. I couldn't help but be happy with her in my arms; I couldn't help but feel as if I were in a fairytale.

I could see the Gryffindor team sitting on the bleachers watching our tryouts. Of course Sirius and Lupin and Pettigrew were there too, but James was their leader, clearly. He made faces at me, and more obscene muggle hand gestures that I now understood, and just to be nice I returned his kindness by flipping him one back.

That made them laugh and whisper among each other.

Then my worst fear happened. Sirius left the huddle, ran his hand through his messy hair and headed over towards Regina and me.

"Good job," he said extending his hand to her. "I'm sure you'll make this team a lot better, certainly a lot sexier."

And then he pulled her into a kiss. I would have stopped it, but I was frozen, with rage, or something close to it. Luckily I didn't have to. Regina, bless her soul, pulled away and slapped him in the face. Hard. It left a mark where her hand had been and he proceeded to mutter a string of both wizard and muggle obscenities.

Then Regina made me proud and yelled some of her own obscenities back. Sirius's jaw dropped.

"I think I love you," he said with a smile, and because of that she slapped him again and was met with cheers from both quidditch teams.

I waited for Sirius to scamper away and lifted Regina onto my shoulders, and carried her into the crowd. Where she was met with loud applause from our team and everyone congratulated her. I wasn't sure if it was on making the team or slapping Sirius, but I was proud of her either way, although I would have preferred she slapped James.

The months seemed to fly by, our quidditch team winning every time, I was extremely happy when one of the bludgers accidentally flew into the crowds and would have broken Sirius's skull if he hadn't have pushed Peter in front of him. Peter was in the hospital wing with a broken arm for three weeks.

It was times like these that I regretted making a friend, specifically a friend with conscience.

I sat in the hospital wing. James and Sirius one on each side of me. We were making faces at each other as several thirteen-year-olds do when they don't get along. Lupin sat across from us reading a book, fresh bandages covering his nose and left leg.

"I'm so sorry Peter, I wasn't aiming at you," Reggie said handing him a bunch of daisies. She had asked me to get roses for her and had been extremely mad when I brought back man-eating roses, thus the reason she was now holding daisies.

"Aw, that's okay Regina, I know you wouldn't have done it on purpose," he said taking the daisies.

"Yes, it's not like she would ever try to crack someone's skull or anything," Sirius shot from next to me, rather angry.

Reggie sighed, "Anyway Pete, I have to be leaving I had something I was doing earlier, but I just wanted to make sure you're ok. I would hate for you to be miserable, if there's anything I can do for you…"

"Don't call him Pete!" James muttered.

"No, Regina, I'll be fine, thanks for stopping by," Peter said.

"Can we go now?" I asked.

"Yes, can he go now?" James asked.

I made another face and followed Reggie out of the room.

"Today has just been the worst," I mumbled.

"What do you mean, I thought it was a particularly good day?"

"Well, for starters no one remembered…" I began but was cut off.

"Aw, Sevy I'd love to hear what you have to say, but I was being totally honest with Peter, I have something to be doing," and with that she shot off down the hall her reddish brown hair trailing behind her like a silky curtain.

"…My birthday," I finished, but she was too far away to hear me now.

I stopped to watch the January snowfall freshly on the ground. Tomorrow's game was going to be hard with the snow showing no sign of stopping. I wandered down the hall towards the library. It was dark tonight, and I stayed there for a bit, a book in my lap, but hadn't read a single page. Occasionally I would flip a page to make it look like I was reading, instead I was trying my hardest not to care that every one had forgotten my birthday. I bet no one forgot James's birthday.

I was fourteen today, and that was a big birthday, I guess it wasn't everyone else's fault they had forgotten. I hadn't grown an inch since first year; I hadn't woken up with a deeper voice. I still looked eleven. Suddenly a sound broke through my emo thoughts. The school bell was chiming eleven, and I should have been alone in the library, but I wasn't. There was one other person. At first I thought it was Regina reading a book, but this girl's hair was just a bit too red, her skin a bit too pale. But her eyes were the perfect shade of green. Why had a never noticed a girl that looked so much like Regina in this school before?

I coughed and stood up. She looked away from her book and I could see the Gryffindor tie around her neck. That's when I realized who she was, and I was startled. After I had put my book back I headed over and sat down next to her.

"You're Lily Evens right?" I asked.

"Yes, do I know you?" she asked in a strong voice.

"Probably not, I'm Severus…"

"Snape? Right? I've herd so much about you…"

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"I don't. Why are you hear so late?"

"Studying," I lied.

"Me too," she said with a smile.

"Snape!" I herd his voice before I saw him.

"I've got to go," I said quickly.

"She caught my arm, "Don't be scared of him, he's just a bully."

"All the same I would prefer not get my face pounded in," I said pulling away.

"Did that greasy git bug you?" I heard James ask as I hid behind the bookshelf.

"No more then you're bugging me now," she said, her voice losing its warmth as she stomped out of the library. He followed and after that I left heading back to my dungeon dorm. It was late and I was ready to fall asleep, everyone else in my dorm had. Malfoy sleep talking, Goyle snoring like a pig, and Avery tossing in his sleep.

I collapsed and there was a loud crinkly noise as my head collided with a piece of paper. I picked up the note and read it.

Come to the astronomy tower

I yawned but decided that I could afford to lose a bit more sleep and wearily climbed the stairs, expecting to find a dead body or someone waiting to turn me into a dead body, why else would I be going to the astronomy tower after dark. The strangest part was I didn't care, maybe it was cause today sucked, or maybe I was just tired, but I continued up the stairs and pushed open the door.

There sat Regina, looking up at the stars, next to her was the ugliest cake I had ever seen. It was lopsided, tilting to the left with multicolored frosting smeared all over it. She could have magically made the perfect cake, but somehow the fact that this was an ugly homemade cake meant more to me then if it had been a beautiful magical one.

"I didn't forget," she whispered as I walked into the room, suddenly wide-awake and beaming.

"Is this what you were doing?" I asked as I sat down next to the ugly cake.

"Yes, I'm sorry it looks awful, but I tried."

"It's beautiful," I said taking a bite and fighting hard not to spit it out. It didn't just look awful. But it was the thought that counted right?

"Make a wish," she said waving her hand over the cake and the candles erupted in flame.

"I already have my wish," I said, "you're here, you didn't forget, and you even made a cake."

"Oh stop being so sensitive and make a wish. It doesn't have to be deep. Oh! Wish for a pony!"

"I, Severus Snape, a fourteen-year-old boy, wish for a pony!" I declared as I blew out the candles and left us sitting in the starlight.

But in my mind I wished to be everything Reggie was. I wanted to be confident, carefree, and joyful. But at the same time I wished for Reggie. I wished that she would be happy all her life the way she was now, I wished she would never run out of her ambitious dreams, and I wished she would see how much I cared about her. I wonder why none of those wishes came true?