I don't own Harry Potter.

As soon as Potter and Severus started arguing, Lily realized she needed to get involved.

Basically, the argument was very stupid. It reminded Lily of Ivan and Gerald from the grocery store in Cokeworth, who regularly argued about politics or football. This could have been understood if they had reasonable arguments, but it was evident that they did so only for the argument itself.

The situation was not very different here. Severus talked to her and mentioned the Slytherin house, Potter immediately intervened and claimed that this house was not worth and Gryffindor is the best. That was about the whole argument, beyond that it was just insults, with no reasoning.

They were like little kids, so the redhead decided she would be the one to take charge. After all, it is known that girls were more matriculant and smarter. And she knew she could definitely take control of the situation.

She did not like the extremes the two boys took only because of their stubbornness, and she really did not want such animosity to develop from such a silly detail.

"We, the girls, always have to look at what triggered the negativity and try to solve it. Without us, the boys will just fight and fight and come to no solution." Rose Evans always used to explain this to her daughters.

She also told Lily that the right way to control a man and make him do what you want, was to make him think everything was his idea.

And Lily had an idea of exactly how to make it work.

Step one: She had to get Severus out of the room. Well, that wasn't a difficult task.

She tilted her head slightly and gave a sweet smile. "Sev," she interrupted the argument. The short boy turned to her and his slightly irritated face softened with a cute expression when he saw her face. "Can you go buy me a drink please? I'm really thirsty." She felt her pocket and pulled out some coins.

Severus nodded hesitantly, his greasy hair bouncing around his face awkwardly, taking them out. He got up and headed for the exit, shuffling with oversized shoes. He turned his face to her for a moment, she smiled and told him to continue.

As soon as he left, she leapt from her seat to the door. "Sev?"

The dark-haired boy steps back a few steps, "Yes?"

"Can you buy us some pastries along the way too?" She handed out a few more coins, taking care while touching his ribs a little.

Severus exhaled and Lily felt bad about herself, the boy had enough of his broken ribs and she felt guilty to add to it, but she knew it would delay him on her way and she needed the time, so it was actually for the better.

Step two: Make the boys in the cabin change their perspective on Severus.

Lily waited quietly for a minute, slowly wearing an increasingly sad look, she let out a quiet sob and buried her face in her palms with a quiet cry.

She could really feel the innocent look of the boys in the cabin.

"Um..." A short cough and a hand were placed on her shoulder tentatively. "Are you fine?"

Lily looked up, damp tears still adorning her cheeks. She met Potter's eyes behind his glasses.

"It's nothing..." she murmured unconvincingly, rubbing her eyes, she took a deep breath and pulled her nose. And immediately after that, she buried her face in her hands and began to sob again. A real cry. It may have been a show, but that doesn't mean it was a lie.

"Yo, Evans, what happened?" Black intervened still sitting on the bench opposite. Lily just cried louder, "It's... it's just..."

In the moments that followed, the boys tried their luck at reassuring a hysterical girl. In the end, Lily was calm enough to explain.

"It's just... Severus." She paused for a moment.

"That thin snake?" Potter was mocked. "He's so nasty and wants to join the idiots-"

Lily glared at him, and Potter immediately fell silent. "This is... well," Lily mumbled a reddish strand of hair between her teacher's thumb and sighing. "Severus needs help. He's so lonely, but that's not all." She looked up and met Potter's brown eyes, "He's dirty, he's small and his clothes are a mixture of old fabrics. No child would want to walk around like that. So why ridicule him for something that out of his control? "

"Even if he was poor, he could at least wash his hair." Black noted condescendingly.

Lily shook her head. "How exactly? He doesn't even have a shampoo, no warm water for his house and—" Lily paused. She had to control herself, make them deduce the idea themselves. She took a deep breath and considered her words.

"His father hates magic. He hates everything. Severus tries as much as he can to avoid it in any way possible. And yet... he's still in his way too much..." Lily felt new tears tingle in her eyes.

Potter frowned, "His father is muggle?"

Black continued his friend's thought, "So why does he want to go to the house of all the pure?"

"He hates muggles, that's why!" Potter exclaimed.

Lily shook her head, "He is my best friend. He loves my family and everyone there is a muggle. That's not it. Slytherin is just a home. From what I read about the Hogwarts homes, Slytherin is the home of the determined and ambitious. And to tell the truth, I really hope Severus will actually go there. That's all he has. If he wasn't determined... " Lily let the trial continue to fade in the air. She was completely honest, she was afraid to think what would happen then.

A few minutes later she returned to speak, keeping a quiet voice. Sometimes it's better to make others strain to hear things. After all, she reveals a secret. Someone else's secret. Someone who trusted her... but she must.

"Severus has been abused in his home. His father is an alcoholic, he strikes him as a daily sport... There are days when Severus can't move in pain, he's sick, his health is weak. He has no money for doctors, he has no money even for food a lot of times..."

Lily spoke slowly, emphasizing every word, but not too much. Only her voice was heard in the room and when she stopped, there was silence. She knew the boys were considering the information they were given, she really hoped she could explain everything properly. She played for sympathy and human conscience. Just a few more pushes.

"I am so worry... He can't take care of himself. Nobody has taken care of him for years..." A touch of sadness was heard in her voice. "Severus didn't have a chance to be a child, he had no choice but to grow up before the time. But that obviously comes at the expense at other things. His childishness is expressed in the other issues, in which he is much more childish than an ordinary boy... he is so confused..." The girl breaks down, "I try to support him, but I can't do much... I wish there was a kind-hearted person who would take care of the children in such difficult situations... I wish he had someone to care about... When there is no place for the person where to turn and no one to guide him, he goes to bad places. I hope he doesn't turn to drugs, and I don't even know what ways the wizarding world might develop."

What she knew about Gryffindor was easy. Courage, stubborn, leaping for challenges... To put the situation as a challenge, and not just a challenge but an one of kindness...

And these boys have already classified themselves into this house.

She wondered if everything she said was enough or if she had to add something. She wasn't sure what she could add at this point.

As an answer, the door opened and Severus walked through the door, loaded with food she ordered.

Lily received the food and notice that one of his arms lifting his injured chest. Feelings of guilt erupted in her, she reached out gently and touched the spot. "I'm sorry..." murmured softly. Severus gave a small, painful smile, "don't worry, that's not that bad, I had worse," he looked so small and vulnerable that Lily was sure that if there was any sympathy in these boys, he would just enter their hearts.

A quick glance proved to her that she was right; Lupin looked sad and sympathetic, Potter and Black had various expressions of shock, compassion and determination and Pettigrew seemed hesitant and worried.

Step three: In order to make step two to work, she had to make Severus look sweeter.

A/N: I found a super cute pictures series in internet and had to try to write a fanfic about it.

I make a little game in AO3. At the end of each chapter I add a picture. Write in the comments the interpretation, background, opinion and basically anything that comes to mind about it, the comment that will be the funniest, interesting, cute, or just the one that grab my attention, will be the plot in the next chapter.

Unfortunatly, here its impossible to add link...

But! I also receive prompts and requests, so leave whatever you want in the comments! ^^