"Snape?" Grumbled Rictor Vale. "Give me moment, would ya?"
Severus looked up from his book and saw the Slytherin 7th year starring down at him. He was momentarily shocked to find him in the library, but he supposed even Quiditch addicts had to study too. He slammed down 1000 Tips to Potion Making, and said, "Yes?"
Victor's voice was a whisper, "Do think you could help me out?" He looked greedily at Severus' potion book.
"You need tutoring?" Severus asked, confused.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Victor growled. His fist slammed down onto the table. "I want some of whatever' yer taking to make yerself so big. What is it, a potion? An elixir? Tell me, Snape!" "
At being affronted in such a way, Snape went back to his former scowl. "For your information, Vale, I have no such elixir and have obtained this muscle the natural way."
Victor inspected his housemate. He studied him for a moment then asked, "Yer telling me the truth?"
"I'd unbreakably vow to it," Severus smirked.
"Alright," said Victor, turning to leave the library. "Oh," he added, before he reached the door, "Practice is next Tuesday, Seeker."
Severus' legs felt like they were pulsing with energy, like he'd just been struck by lightning. He nearly ran down the hall to the Dungeons. He couldn't wait to tell Narcissa. He wanted to share his excitement.
In the back of his head, a snide little voice reminded him that he had hated Quiditch a year prior. But he told that voice to go to the Hell and rushed around the corner.
There was a quick crash. Severus saw a flash of dark red and heard quills and books scattering against the ground.
"Lily? I'm so sorry," he dropped to the floor immediately to pick up all that he had caused her to drop.
"It's fine," she said, collecting some quills.
Severus looked up at her, and met her eyes for the first time in a long while. "Hi," he said.
"In a rush?" she joked. It had been the first time in a long while that she addressed without resentment.
"I was just looking for Nar…" he faded away, not whishing to talk about that witch, "I made the Quiditch team."
"Congratulations." The friendly smile she offered made his heart melt.
"Where are you going?" Severus asked after a short silence.
They stood up in unison. "I was on my way to Professor Nickle's class…"
"Can I walk you there?" he asked, before the sad realization hit him that she was bound to say no.
But Lily Evans, ever so full of surprises, said, "Okay."
The two walked together in near silence. They spoke only once or twice. She asked him about his summer.
"It was bearable; I met a lot of new people and got a lot of exercise. Erm- How's you're family?"
"Petunia's awfully happy," Lily said, smiling inwardly. "And Mum and Dad are good too."
"So all is well? That's good."
"Yupp…" she said.
Finally, Severus sheepishly asked, "So, you aren't mad at me anymore?"
He watched her think of her response. She bit down on her bottom lip. That was a new habit, he observed, she had never done that before.
"It's like this," Lily said, quietly, "When two dragons fight, they both get burned." Severus said nothing, so she continued, "I'd rather be… detached. I'd rather sit back and let you, just another Slytherin, do what ever Slytherins do. I don't care enough to be mad."
Severus starred down at his feet, feeling as though any happiness he had was drained from him. He decided that her being indifferent to him was worse then anger. Trying hard to keep his voice level, he said, "But how… how can you just decided who you care about?" He looked up at her, all seriousness in his tone. "I've never been able to choose who I love or hate." Love, how foreign the word tasted coming from him. He went on, "So even if you don't give a fuck, then fine. But don't assume that I'm going to hurt you, Lily."
"Assume?" She cried, loud enough to make Severus stop walking and stare at her. "I've never… You've proved that you can hurt me! You have! Don't pretend I'm being prejudice… I'm just thinking of myself, and not you, for once."
"Thinking of me?" He shot back. "You were sure thinking of me when you went with Potter to the ball, or when you practically ignored me all of last year!"
"Who I associate with is none of your concern, and I wasn't ignoring you, I just didn't want to be around those freaky friends of yours!"
"But I'm hardly friends with them anymore," Severus sputtered, hopelessly.
"It doesn't matter," Lily's voice was small again. Her head hung low, as though she was ashamed of her outburst. "Don't you see, Sev? You've chosen your way…"
Severus, however, had not calmed. He shouted, "There you go, assuming again! Do you know what I was planning on doing with my life? Do you?"
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.
"I wanted to brew for St. Mungus patients. I wanted to make potions for the sick. Is that such a crime?" They stared at each other in silence. He could see tears forming in her awe-struck eyes. He felt horrible for being the cause of them, but he couldn't stop. "Hard to believe, isn't it? That me, a Slytherin, could be a bloody decent man? Why are you crying? You don't care about me, remember? You gave up on me, can't you recall?"
"Shut up!" she said.
"Why should I?" He growled.
"Because you're an asshole," she said, "You're not an asshole because you're in Slytherin, you're an asshole because you're an asshole." She was walking away from him now, but Severus hurried to catch up. He got to her in time to hear her say, "Talking to you was a huge mistake. You're a huge mistake… I didn't want to get burnt, but I got set ablaze!"
As tears seeped from her eyes, Severus' madness at her was overpowered by his anger at himself. "But- but what if I could be a peaceful dragon?" He pleaded.
"Look at the world, Sev, look at the greed, the hatred, the war! We're all just hot-headed dragons, destined to hurt each other sooner or later. And you- you're a Hungarian Horntail."
With that, she sped angrily away.
Severus went straight to the dormitories. He didn't spare a moment to tell anyone about Quidith, because accomplishments didn't matter. In reality, men are noticed for they're failures far more often.
He ignored all his homework and books, and lay on his bed. He starred up at the dark dungeon ceilings. For a moment, he wondered how things would be if he and Lily had been placed in the same house. Then he laughed at the thought of him sharing a dormitory with Potter and Pettigrew, but it was a strange, demented laugh that nearly made him break into sobs. He might have cried all night if he hadn't bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. The bite hurt, but what hurt more was the thought of how beautifully Slytherin green would bring out Lily's eyes.
There was the screeching sound of doors opening as Narcissa came into the room. "Heard you made the-"
"This is the boys' dormitory," Severus cut in.
"Ouch," she said, "What's wrong with you?" She looked at her boyfriend, now curled up on his bed. She came forward and sat beside him. "Are you crying?"
He turned his back to her immediately. "No."
Narcissa watched as he tried to wipe away the dampness under his eyes. She sighed audibly and cupped his face in her hands. Gently, she led his head onto her lap and stroked his hair. He seemed too concentrated on thinking to protest.
"What happened?" she asked, gently.
He said nothing for a long time. When he spoke, his voice was as calm as ever. "I bumped into Lily in the hall. She was perfect, she was sweet, and when I asked her if she'd forgiven me… She basically said she didn't give an Owl's ass about me."
"Sev-"
"And I know you don't see it, I know no one in this bloody house see's why I fancy her… I'm starting to question why I was even sorted here at all."
Narcissa's hand made its way to his chest, and now rubbed it soothing. "Do you dislike being a Slytherin?"
"I dislike being different," he replied.
"You're not different." He had begun to close his eyes, block off all the light and all his vision and everything else.
"I am different," he mumbled.
"You're not," she protested. He had wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her like he would a pillow.
"I am. I- I don't wish to serve You-Know-Who anymore, I love Muggleborns, I'm half-blood…"
Narcissa stood up so fast that Severus rolled off the bed and landed on the hard floors with a thunk. "Y-YOU'RE WHAT?" She cried, loud enough for half the castle to here her.