XXXVIII. Impressed
"I'm not happy with you, Snape."
As soon as he heard the word 'Snape' come out of her mouth, Severus knew he had done something wrong. It was very rare for Lily to become so annoyed with him that she used his surname – but what had he done this time?
"I don't understand."
Others would have described her expression as cold, but Severus only saw green flames reaching out to burn him to dust.
"You cursed Mary."
"That wasn't me!" he protested. She wasn't listening.
"It might as well have been," Lily snapped. "It was your curse. Everyone knows it. Even though Mulciber was the one who cast it, you're the one who created it, so in a way you're worse than he is!"
Severus opened his mouth then closed it again when he realised he would never be able to say the right thing.
"You may have impressed your Slytherin friends, but you haven't impressed me," Lily hissed. "Not at all. Now go off and play with the other future Death Eaters."
She shot him another blazing glare and Severus felt himself crumble to dust.