Don't hate me for this one. I wrote this scene almost when I started writing the story, so there are some repeated themes.

They Call chapter 14

Could it Get Worse?

They were up on a hill by the lake. Xeno had mostly stood by as his girlfriend made over the sloppy Slytherin boy, until he felt he could help. "Wait, collar up." He made a flipping sign at his own.

"Up?" Sev asked.

"It will make you look cool."

"This picture is for my Mum."

"Still can't hurt to look cool."

Snape grinned and turned up the collar of his new wizard wear jacket.

"You are going to look great at the dance," Rona said. She was a proud stylist at the moment.

"Who said I was going to the dance?"

"Oh you're going all right."

"I am."

"Let me warn you now," Xeno advised, "when it comes to Corona, resistance is futile."

"I am forewarned."

For good measure Rona added one more, "You're going."

"Right now he needs to be posing," Xeno reminded.

So Snape sat strait in his new black suit actually smiling. The moment that Xeno's flash bulb went off, something else flashed. It was a spell. At the moment the camera was capturing the image, something exploded in Severus' face. His hair was blown back like a porcupine. Soot covered his face. The collar of his new suit was torn and smoking.

Laughs could be heard from behind a shrub. Snape's want was out just as fast. "INFERNO!" The small tree burst into flames. Potter and Black were forced out. "James, you're hair's on fire." Sirius shouted then slapped it out.

"It was worth it," Potter blurted out.

"What is wrong with the two of you!" Xeno shouted at the two marauders. Corona laid a calming hand on her boyfriend's arm. "No wonder Snape is always tries to curse you."

Said young man was nowhere to be seen when they looked back at where Severus had been. Snape had felt as if he didn't get out of there that second, he really would kill Potter and Black. His friends were still there defending him.

"You two are real jerks," Corona lambasted. "Severus just spent all of his money on that suit."

Black and Potter were still laughing. They laughed even harder when Xeno took the developing paper off of the picture. It was a perfect representation of the moment; Snape getting blown up, looking bewildered, and aiming his wand.

The Ravenclaw girl continued to shout, "It's not funny!"

"I'd like to make a poster out of that," Sirius stated.

Rona did something that was not in her normal character. "You'd like to make a poster out of it?" She walked over to Black and slapped him across the face with the picture. The momentum of the blow hit Potter as well. "It was for his mother! She's sick in the hospital!"

Snape had not cried, but Rona started to. Xeno wrapped his arms around her. "It's all right. We'll try again."

"I don't - - " Rona spoke between sobs. "I don't think Sev is ever going to try this again."

"We'll figure it out." Xeno turned back to the other two boys. "You can be such - - " He didn't like to swear, but he couldn't think of a better word to call them. " - - A-holes!" He went back to Rona. "We'll work it out." They walked away from where Black was now laughing at Potter.

"Your hair." Sirius pointed at James. James didn't look amused as his friend thought he should.

"I think we may have gone to far - - again," James admitted.

"One can never go too far when it comes to Snivelus. Didn't last week teach you that?"

"But it was for his mother."

"I'd be happy if my mum were in - - "

"Don't say something you don't mean. You'd be upset if your mum were in the hospital, and a couple of berks like us did what we just did."

"I suppose so."

-

Corona was drying her tears as she and Xeno walked further away. Then she grew concerned for their friend. "We've got to find Severus."

Xeno knew what Rona was suddenly afraid of. She had told him how she had met Sev the week before while the boy contemplated taking a nosedive off of Ravenclaw tower, so he understood her worry. They shouted as they made their way down the road that went back to the castle. "Severus!" Both of them called out. "Severus, where are you?"

Xeno wondered aloud, "You think he'll answer us if he doesn't want to be found?"

"I'm not sure," Rona answered as they kept looking. "He was so upset he didn't even hex Potter and Black." The girl gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched into fists. "Gerrr, I get so mad." She took a deep breath and relaxed. "I know Sev's a little odd. That doesn't give them the right - - "

"At least he's got you in his corner now."

Rona stopped walking. "Don't you mean us?"

Xeno's face danced around as he gulped. "Yes, of course, it just - - I think you take it a bit more personal. I don't like the unfairness of it no matter who it is."

"I take it personal, because I know how it feels."

"That was a few years ago. Now everyone loves you." Xeno laid a smooch on Rona's forehead.

"I don't know about love, Lovegood," Rona joked. "But they don't tease me anymore. I wish that for Severus, that's all. And you were right. He does remind me of Thalion."

"You don't think Severus would really - - "

"Speaking of the devil," Rona interrupted. Xeno followed her eye line to see Snape sitting on a tree stump a little ways off the path. Both of them saw the Slytherin's wand aimed near his own face. Flashes of light were coming forth. Without words the two Ravenclaws flew to what they saw.

"SEVERUS DON"T!" Rona shouted.

"Don't what?" Snape turned around, his hair hung back around his tear soaked face. They could now see where small patches of pale skin shown through the soot. Sev had been trying a removal spell, but had only been able to produce results in small areas. "Oh, I see. You thought - - " He didn't say what he knew they thought.

Corona took out her wand and cast a spell of her own. "Repario!" It worked. "Good as new, almost." Snape still looked a bit disheveled.

Even thought they were just friends, only for a short time so far, and they would never be anything more than friends, Corona's smile warmed Severus' heart. Those days not much did that. He looked over to Xeno who didn't seem to mind that his girlfriend was paying so much attention to another boy, and told him, "You're a very lucky man Xenophillius Lovegood." Snape stood. "I'm all right. You don't have to look after me." Those hands were back in his pockets. "I'm going for a walk, alone."

"But - - " both friends protested.

"Really, it's all right. There's a lot I need to think about." Sev could see the look on their faces, especially Rona's. "I don't plan on visiting anyplace high."

Being very perceptive, the two Ravenclaws knew not to push him. In her heart Rona wanted to drag Sev back to get that picture for his mom. She knew this was not the time for that. She didn't know what to say besides, "We'll see you around."

Severus' only comment was, "yes, around."

Snape really did want to be alone. No not alone, what he was seeking was solitude. He followed one of the paths around the lake not sure exactly where he was going, much like the path of his life. He was trying to figure out how his life had gone so out of control until it reached the miserable state it was in. Every time he thought on it, there was one answer. The same answer he always came to, 'James Potter and Sirius Black.' He still refused to look at any part he might have in the situation. If he did not react to their teasing maybe it would have stopped long ago. In being a retaliator, he had given them exactly what they had wanted.

After a while of walking and thinking, Snape didn't even know where he was walking. Looking down at the ground nothing around him was in his sight. When he looked up he was near a secluded cove. Someone was sitting on a large rock, feet in the water, throwing pebbles in as well. It didn't dawn on Severus that this was Lily until he was almost on top of her. Lily turned just as he looked up. It registered with both of them at the same time who the other was. Snape stopped short stunned, like an animal caught unaware. Evans looked as if she'd would've ripped him apart if he got any closer.

"Give it a rest Snape," Lily snapped. "You're unbelievable."

"I didn't know you were here," Sev protested.

"Yeah right. You better leave."

"Is this your own private lakeside?"

"If you don't stop stalking me, I'm going to tell a teacher."

"Stalking you," Snape sputtered. "I told you I didn't know you were here."

"So you say."

"You don't believe I could have just been walking out here, and happened to come across you?"

"No, I don't believe that." She was standing now, grabbing her shoes. "Don't think I didn't see you last week up in Ravenclaw tower trying to sneak a peek."

"What?"

"Reverted to hiding in bushes have you?"

"I wasn't - - "

What seemed to be Lily's favorite words were on her lips again, "Save your breath."

"Thought you were smart enough to come up with something else to say," Sev snipped.

Lily had to pass Sev on the path to get back where she wanted to go. It was not till she saw his new clothes and his extra disheveledness that she asked, "What are you wearing? What happened to you?"

Severus made a scrunched up face, and answered, "Answer to question one, new clothes. Answer to question two, Potter and Black, what do you think happened."

"Again with Potter and Black." Lily headed away. "You are pathetic."

Severus felt as if he were being slapped in the face, figuratively, al over again. He was feeling as pathetic as Lily thought he was. He didn't even turn to see her leave. If it hadn't been for the words that had come from two people he hadn't even known a week ago, he might have let that feeling fester. He might have tried to do something drastic again. He should have gotten angry; told Lily Evans to jump in the lake herself, but he would never tell her that. Severus was still convinced that when Lily calmed down, she would come to her senses, and he was still hopelessly in love with her.

tbc