It was hard. Very hard.
Severus watched from afar as Lily spoonfed Potter yogurt as they sat on a blanket. She was laughing at something ridiculous Potter had said — the buffoon wasn't funny at all, but Lily seemed to find him hilarious. She was laughing a lot more these days and it lit her up from the inside like a lantern.
Severus hated Potter with every fiber of his being, but he begrudgingly admitted that he made her happy.
The Hogwarts grounds were bustling with activity; students were letting off steam after classes and the weak winter sunshine streamed in between the clouds. The rain had momentarily stopped so everyone was taking advantage of the nice weather. Many were like Lily and Potter; they'd snatched up a coveted spot under a tree by the lake and were talking, eating, and generally enjoying themselves.
Not Severus, though. He had noticed the Marauders whispering amongst themselves during Potions and had immediately grown suspicious. He'd meant to follow them and catch them redhanded, but evidently, they'd all split off into groups after classes. Black and Lupin were standing a few meters away from Lily and Potter, and Black was whispering something into Lupin's ear. Lupin blushed, cast a furtive glance at Potter, and then grabbed Black's hand. Black wore the biggest grin as Lupin dragged him towards the castle.
Severus felt a pang of loneliness and pushed it aside with a scowl.
"Why are you scowling to yourself, Snape?" It was Mulciber, a scowl of his own etched permanently on his face, but he bit back that remark.
He didn't want to admit that he'd been spying on Lily and Potter out of jealousy, so he gave Mulciber a version of the truth. "I felt as though those four were up to something, so I decided to watch them and make sure I caught them."
"Are they?"
Severus fidgeted with the hem of his smock, meeting Mulciber in the eyes. "Nothing so far, but I'm going to continue to keep on eye on them," he said firmly.
"You do that, then." With a dignified nod, Mulciber walked away.
Severus returned to watching the grounds, but Lily and Potter were gone. He shifted his gaze and saw now it was Lily dragging Potter up to the castle and Potter had a silly smile on his face like he was about to get lucky.
Stupid, he thought to himself, turning away. Stupid of you to ever have loved her.
415 words
Written for:
Talent Show - Entry: Professor Snape
Char App - 12. (action) Staring
Record Collection - 21 - 10. Lovesong - Write about loving someone when they can't be together.
Time Machine - 16. Era: Marauders
Elizabeth's Empire - 9. (plot point) hiding
Lizzy's Loft - 2. Write about trying not to get caught
Scamander's Case - 5. Severus Snape
Bex's Basement - 14. Star Lord - unrequited love
Kiss, Marry, Kill - Kiss - Word: Suspicious
Pumpkin Carving - Pumpkin - (word) Firm
Bingo - Unrequited Love
Fortune Telling - Heart Line - JamesLily
Apple Bobbing - Apple 5 - Marauders' Era
Costume Party - Bowling Pin - Unrequited Love
Leaf Picking - Orange - 5. Emotion: Jealousy
Pop Figures - Game of Thrones - 13. Brienne of Tarth - Unrequited love
Sticker Club - Portugeuse Long Snout - Trait: Slytherin
Coming Out Day - Green - Write about a Slytherin
National Pizza Month - Avocado: Unrequited Love
