"Lily?" whispered someone, gently shaking here. "Lily?"

"Hmm?" asked Lily groggily. Slowly sitting up in her bed, she squinted in the darkness and aw Mary's anxious face looking down at her.

"Oh god. How long have I been sleeping for?" asked Lily, now alert.

"A couple of hours... you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," replied Lily. She stifled a yawn.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," said Mary apologetically. "It's just... Severus is waiting for you downstairs."

"What?" asked Lily, confused.

"Yeah, he's outside the portrait hole. He says he won't go until he's spoken to you. He's even threatened to sleep outside..." Lily groaned. Swinging her legs over her bed, she got up.

"I'd better go and see what he wants," she told Mary grudgingly. Mary nodded and scuffled over to her bed opposite Lily's. Lily made her way downstairs and was quite astonished to see the common room empty. Normally, the maruders' would be up at a time like this. Wierd... She walked to the portrait hole and opened the door to see Severus pacing up and down, talking to himself. When he caught sight of her, he stopped short. A silence hung over them.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!" he said again, desperately.

"Save your breath. I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you a mudblood it just-"

"Slipped out?" asked Lily angrily. "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 be! You can't wait to join you- know- who can you?" Severus opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"I can't pretend anymore," carried on Lily. "You've chosed your way, I've chosen mine."

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

"To call me mudblood? But you call everyone else of my birth mudblood, Severus, why should I be any different?" He struggled to talk again, but shooting him a look of scorn, Lily climbed back through the hole. She didn't want to ever see him again. Trudging back up the stairs, she silently sat on her bed, thinking. Making up her mind, she pulled a trouser and long sleeved white tee shirt out of her cupboard. She needed some air. Pulling her hair free of her headband, she made her way downstairs, and couldn't help thinking again where the marauders were. She held her breath as she climbed through the portrait hole but was glad to see Severus wasn't there. Good. The rest was easy. She didn't have to really hide from the caretaker since he was so blind, and she was slim so she found she could slip in between small walls easily. By the time she was outside, it started drizzling slightly. Rubbing her arms, she ventured further away from the castle, more into the darkness, letting it engulf her.

As she walked on, she thought she heard a wolf cry. Shaking her head, she blindly walked on. It started pouring then. The rain droplets fell onto Lily, plastering her dark red hair to her face, drenching her clothes so it stuck to her curves. Lily couldn't help crying then. She had lost a friend. Her best friend. Her Slytherin friend. Her mind wandered to the time they had first met... when she was playing on the swings with Petunia. She couldn't help smiling at the memory. Suddenly, a branch broke behind her. Whirling around, Lily instinctinvely dug her hand into her pocket. Then with a falling heart, she realised she hadn't brought it with her. Damn. Keeping her eyes' on the spot she had heard the noise, she cautiously moved backwards. And then it came out. Lily gasped. It was a stag. But not just a stag. It was the most beautiful, graceful stag she had ever seen. It stood on the same spot as if it too, was stunned to see the other. Then it slowly moved forward, towards Lily, stopped then looked up at her. Lily giggled. Bending down, she looked down at the stag. Lifting a hand, she gently stroked its side. It bowed its head and nuzzled her neck. Lily laughed. It looked up at her. It's eyes' were quite startling. A vivid hazel. She could've sworn she had seen those eyes' before... but where- There was a sudden clap of thunder. gasping, Lily abruptly stood up. The stag was still watching her. She stared at it for a moment, stroked it one more time then headed back to the castle. But the stag still stayed where it was, watching...