Chapter 29

Snape was lying in his bed thinking of many happier times. He turned to look at the pecking on the window. It was a tawny owl looking in at him with a small brown paper bag. Severus rolled off the bed and walked to the window. "Why are you here now?" He asked as the owl offer the bag to him. Snape took the bag and watched as the owl flew off. He walked back over to his bed sitting down and opening the bag. Severus felt an odd sensation course through him as he looked at the pile of snickerdoodle cookies, his favorite with a note.

Sev, I thought you might like some cookies,

I hope they are good since I conjured them

instead of baking them. I never got a chance

to try the other cookies I had conjured, if you

don't mind maybe you could let me know

if these are good?

Lily Evans.

Severus looked at her note, a faint fluttering in his heart. Does she not hate me forever?

Snape thought as he looked at the cookies and the note. Granted it didn't say love but it was better then her completely ignoring him and not even remembering his favorite cookies. But was she dating James now? Severus dropped the cookies to the floor; he wasn't sure what to do now. Snape looked sadly at the bag lying by his bed, looking forlorn and unloved.

"That's me discarded cookies, that no one wants." Severus whispered, a tear slipping down his cheek.

Severus sat looking at the cookies for a long time the sky was very dark and he could hear others starting to move down the hallways to the dormitories.

Snape bent over and picked the bag up. Looking into the bag he reached in and pulled out a nice round cinnamon sugar covered cookie. He stuffed the whole cookie into his mouth. Snape grinned it was delicious as good as the ones he had remember her baking for him at her parents home. Those were days he had enjoyed immensely as they sat at the table and fed cookies to each other.

The only thing that ever mars the fun times for them was her sister, Petunia.

She may not have been a witch but she always seemed to know when they were together and trying to enjoy them selves. Petunia could be counted on to show up and ruin the whole thing just her presence did it. Snape smiled ruefully at the time they were in her room and charming worms into pencils and she burst in screaming to unhand her.

Lily had calmly asked, how did, Petunia know it was a she worm.

They both burst into laughter leaving Petunia fuming at them both. Snape was glad she never came back since they had started snogging after that.

Severus hurried and ate the last cookie as the boys all thundered into the room. Snape shoved the bag and note under his mattress.

"Man you should have seen what Dorthy was doing." Tony Nott shouted at him

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it." Snape said coldly.

He was right; Tony Nott had not only didn't hear the coldness in his voice but had gone instantly into a long-winded explanation of what Dorthy been doing to entertain the males of the house. Nott was happily acting as though he was dancing around the room in imitation of her. Snape found this easy to ignored, he had never cared for Dorthy, like the other boys, but found her snobbiness and standoffish manner irritating at best.

Snape preferred to think of Lily, when they were happy and talking and then some. Severus remembered going to the beach with her playing in the water and making sand castles. The lazy days outside lying under the night sky watching the shooting stars. The other nights of walking during a soft snow fall. Snape could see her so well in his minds eye that he felt as though he could reach out and touch her face, hold her next to him. Snape grimaced as he thought of Potter doing that with Lily. He was her lover and boyfriend, or at least he thought sadly he had been.

Snape jumped as a pillow smack him in the face.

"No dreaming about Dorthy that way she's gotten together with Yaxley now."

Snape throws the pillow back at him. "I'll think of who I want when I want."

The boys started to howl with glee at this. Snape found it easier to let them believe he had the fancies for Dorthy then have them all give him a harder time over Lily.

Snape was thankful he learned how to close his mind; if they saw what he did it wouldn't have been a good night.

As it turned out Severus dreamed of a baby boy with dark reddish black hair and black eyes with Lily's face. He liked this part of the dream he imagined them getting married and having a baby boy like this. Then his dreams changed again, he was looking at Lily in a baby's room she was dead, her mane of red hair fallen around her head like a large halo on the floor. Snape picked her up and held her crying over and over. "My fault, it's all my fault."

Snape awoke with a start his heart pounding hard in his chest as he looked around the closed curtains of his four-poster bed.

"A dream it's not real, she's fine." Severus mumbled to himself as he tried to relax and regain the sleep he was thrust from.

The next morning at the Slytherin table, he was sitting down eating some porridge and looking at anyone but Lily. Snape had figured that if he ignored her and waited for her to come to him that she would be fine that they would one day marry.

The dream last night though was leaving him feeling clammy and nervous.

"So what keeps waking you up at night?" Mulciber asked grumpily.

"What?" Snape asked astounded.

"You keep waking up at night; it seems like to me at least. It's really annoying me too. I don't much feel like hearing you say 'a dream not real' all the time."

Snape was surprised; he had not realized that he was over heard by anyone.

"I don't remember any dreams." Snape said icily.

"Hem hem." A short girl sat down across from them.

Snape felt the familiar nauseating feeling growing in his stomach as she smiled hugely at them. She had now taken to wearing little black bows in her mousy brown hair.

"What do you want?" Severus said in a very cold voice glaring at her all the while.

"Why Snapey you shouldn't take that tone with me. After all I had another one of those dreams." Umbridge smiled at him fluttering her eyes at him.

Snape glared at her. "The teacher said it was an ego dream."

Umbridge laughed airily at that. "I know but truly if one has the same dream over and over; it must mean more then an ego boost, As if I'd need it." Umbridge gave a sickening girlish laugh causing anyone within earshot to shudder.

"Are you only here because of a silly dream? If so then clear out, I have no intentions of dating you so go meet another guy." Snape hissed.

Umbridge looked affronted at this. "Do you seriously think I am trying to get you to date me?"

The guys all around Snape laughed loudly.

"Come on, all you ever do is try and get him to date you."

"You also have his name written all over your books."

"You talk about that lame dream as though its facts."

"You only joined the Dark Lord to try and get close to my man Snape here."

"Fine," Umbridge stood up from the table. "Fine be that way, I am leaving you and I wouldn't date you now no matter how much you beg me too."

"Yeah right if he said anything you'd be on your knees kissing his shoes." Avery laughed at her.

Umbridge looked at them her rage growing. "I shall see you all in Azkaban prison while I enjoy the good life." Umbridge stomped away from them her mousy brown hair bouncing with every step so the black bow looked like a fly getting ready for flight.

"Thanks guys." Snape said and meant it.

"Hey that's what best mates are for." Avery said simply as he gathered up more food. Severus wondered why they had become godo mates and what would have happen had he been placed in another house?

The classes went slowly for students as they sat in their seats trying to learn new things or improve on older ones. It was not easy since their substitute teacher for potions was terribly boring. Lily sat with a girlfriend listening to their teacher talking. Lily kept glancing between Severus and James. Snape seemed to be taking notes while James seemed to be carrying on a game or something with his friends.

"Miss Evans is something the boys are doing more important then what I have to say!"

Lily jumped in her seat looking around at the teacher red face. "No sir." Lily smiled sweetly.

"Then kindly take your eyes off of them and pay attention."

Lily glared it seemed unfair to scold her when they were clearly not paying attention.

"Fine sir, when the time actually comes that you have something important to say."

The hush in the room was instant as people looked from Lily to the teacher.

"I think some detention will help you, don't you think?"

"Not really I see no point in it." Lily sat looking mulishly at him. She really didn't like this substitute for Potions class since they never made anything and he only read about dire consequences when making potions.

"You then figure you are so good at making potions that you shall never make a mistake when doing so."

James and his mates and Severus were all watching her open mouth from the places they were sitting.

They were all wondering why she was being even more flippant to a teacher then she has ever been before.

"Yeah I'd say so and anyway, Professor Slughorn lets us try things out so we can learn how to do them by actually doing it, instead of listening to rubbish talk about someone who was probably terrible in potions class to begin with." Lily didn't know when she had stood up but she was with her hands on the table.

"OUT then, if my teaching is so offensive to you then leave this class at ONCE!"

The short bald man was red face and glaring at Lily as he pointed a fat finger at the dungeon door.

"Fine by me, I can spend my time a lot more efficient then this waste of time and energy." Lily flipped her purse over her shoulder; she had never bothered to take anything out when she saw that Professor Deddle was teaching today.

Lily used her wand to blast open the door as she marched out of the room, leaving a stunned silence and then a none stop buzz of people talking as Mr. Deddle tried to bring calm to the class by pointing out Lily's short comings, this of course did not set well with four boys in the class.

Lily was in the common room reading when the portrait was open and three boys scrambled inside all laughing heartily.

James ran over to Lily, flopping down on a seat beside her. Sirius, Remus and Peter who had been told by the others what had happened in their class, he loved it and wished he could have been there to see it as they all sat around beaming at her.

"Man Evans that was great, he could hardly talk after you left."

Lily smiled pleased. "Thanks, maybe now he'll let us do more in that class then listen to him."

James laughed.

"I doubt it, all he did was go on a tyrant about how disappointing you were and that a good student would never talk like that." James smiled shifty at her.

"He won't say anything like that again though."

The boys howled with laughter.

Lily looked at them her eyes wide. "Oh no what did you guys do?" Lily couldn't quite hide the smirk or happiness with the idea of them jinxing the teacher.

The boys all looked at each other.

"Let's just say we have detention for about two months." James said as though it was not a big deal.

"But he'll be walking like that for a longer time I bet." Sirius laughed uproariously again.

Lily laughed. "You guys didn't have to do that." Lily leaned over and kissed James cheek. "Thanks though." Lily winked at him.

James blushed he was still having a hard time getting use to being kissed by her.

Sirius and Remus smirked at each other with knowing looks.

Peter looked resentful.

The place had of course filled with other students who were all listening to their hero's latest exploits.

It is almost three in the morning and I can't freaking sleep ugh so here I am posting this chapter. Have fun reading while I go back to bed and try fall asleep, I hope. hugs to all.