Following a totally restless night, Lily groggily looked at her exhausted reflection in the mirror of the girls' bathroom. It was clear to anyone that her lack of sleep had left her mood quite drained of its usual bright and helpful demeanor befitting a model Prefect. Still, this did little to temper the ire from her roommate and fellow redheaded witch once she heard the news from the night before.
"So...mind telling me why I don't have my best Chaser or my Keeper for the game with Hufflepuff today?" Marlene called out, her form obscured by the communal shower stall where she was currently cleaning up.
"I don't want to talk about it…" Lily groaned, shaking her head from fatigue, her own shower having not helped her exhaustion in the slightest. She and Mary stood side-by-side, attending to their morning routine. The brunette Muggle-born girl could clearly see that her friend was growing annoyed by Marlene's continued prodding after a sleepless night stressing over her Slytherin friend.
The water pouring from Marlene's shower finally ceased, and a plume of steam poured out of her stall once she drew the curtain, revealing her body wrapped only by a brown linen towel. The only sound cutting through the tense silence was the padding of her bare feet on the floor as she approached Lily and Mary. She looked up at the slightly taller redhead, her brown eyes wide and irate. Marlene was shorter and more stocky than either of her friends, but her solid, athletic build also made her the envy of the other girls who wanted to make their mark on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Lily made no attempt to turn around and simply made eye contact with Marlene through the slightly foggy bathroom mirror, opting instead to tend to her unruly hair. Mary, whose chocolate-colored hair was a more modest shoulder-length than the lion-like manes of either Lily or Marlene, had already moved on to doing her makeup. Her aqua-colored eyes narrowed, however. Clearly in preparation for the argument that was about to ensue.
Marlene pressed her towel-covered, shapely breasts against Lily's back and softly smacked her forehead against Lily's shoulder in a pouty act of frustration.
"You know that two fresh replacements from first and second year aren't going to help us win this game. They can barely handle their own brooms for Merlin's sake!" Marlene spat, refusing to relent from the anger she felt once she heard the news of James Potter and Sirius Black's quick departure from the Quidditch Team during the final game of the year.
Abruptly, Lily dropped her hairbrush onto the bathroom countertop, turned sharply and shoved Marlene out of her personal space.
"There's more to life than bloody Quidditch!" Lily snapped, straightening her posture and towering over Marlene, who yelped with a start at the sudden defiance of her Muggle-born friend. While Lily was the glue that often held the trio of girls together, it was Marlene's temper that was usually the most fiery. She was wildly protective of her friends, but when the sparks of an argument lit, she was more likely to fan the flames rather than smother them. The two red headed witches had a habit of butting heads in quite emotional arguments, often only quelled by the much more demure, even-tempered Mary.
After taking a few shallow breaths, Lily turned back around with a heavy sigh. She leaned onto the countertop and put her head into her hands, feeling the onset of a headache from a night of crying with absolutely no sleep. "I'm sorry, Mar. But Severus' well-being is more important than a Quidditch game. We aren't even competing for the cup this year, so it matters even less…"
"C'mon, Mar...we all saw what happened last night." Mary sighed, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder in support. "Lily's right. Did you see his face? Hear his voice? It doesn't matter whether we like him or not; for a student to be that hurt emotionally...it's horrible. This should be a magical place where all of us can learn and feel like we belong. Muggle-borns like Lily and I know that better than anyone."
Marlene, her anger disarmed by Lily's unexpected show of resolve, lowered her head. "I know, alright? But I have a hard time getting over the fact that he didn't give a toss about what happened with you and Mulciber, Mary. Regardless of the fact that he wasn't the one to cast the Imperius on you, he knew, and he did nothing. How can you be okay with that?"
"Who says I'm okay with it?" Mary shook her head. "But Lily brought up a good point last night. How can he even know what the right thing is? He's surrounded by students who hate us, and when James starts his antics, everyone laughs at him. He probably doesn't feel like he has any real friends…Well, besides you, of course." she paused, smiling at Lily's reflection in the mirror before addressing Marlene again as the pureblood witch began dressing into her Quidditch uniform.
"What I'm trying to say is that he probably doesn't trust anyone. Didn't Lily tell us once that his life at home is pretty bad? So think how Snape feels every time he comes to Hogwarts too. He goes to a place where he was probably so excited to come to like Lily and I were...only for James to make it hell for him. He's got nothing and almost nobody, so why would he feel like he has to help me?"
The sharp tension in Lily's green eyes melted just a bit as she listened and nodded along to Mary. She always loved how much her friend seemed to empathize with other people, even sometimes with no reason to. Mary Macdonald simply had a very kind and understanding heart. And ever since Lily's decision to keep Severus in her life, it was clear that while she was concerned and hoped Lily wouldn't get hurt, Mary supported her fellow Muggle-born's choice.
Still...Lily hoped that somewhere in Severus' heart, once he dealt with the fallout of this latest (and hopefully final) incident with James, that he could look and see what some of his more extreme classmates had been up to. Certainly Mary would be grateful, which hopefully could mean another friend for him in the future.
"Marlene...well...it's probably going to take a lot more for her to come around…" Lily thought as she watched her hot-tempered friend begin to put on her Quidditch boots.
"You've made your point, girls." Marlene grunted as she roughly laced up her footwear. Eyeing herself in the mirror, she made one final adjustment, reaching back and tying her curtain of red hair into its trademark ponytail. "I don't know if there's any way I can be okay with losing James for all of next bloody year, but at least Sirius will be back by then."
She then turned to Lily with a teasing little grin. "And maybe I'll be able to convince you to finally try out next year, eh? Seeker's going to open up once Frank graduates. Not that he's been too productive this year, what with him being Head Boy. Perhaps you could use that agile little hand of yours to catch Snitches for me instead of punching one of my players and bloodying his lip?"
Lily turned beet red and couldn't stop the little snort of laughter at Marlene's suggestion. She'd been trying to get Lily to try out for the Quidditch team ever since third year, but was always unsuccessful thanks to the presence of James Potter on the team. While she wasn't amazing on a broomstick, certainly not like the more experienced pureblood wizards who'd ridden brooms since before they could walk...Lily couldn't deny that the idea was an intriguing one. A position as a Seeker was honestly the one one she felt she might excel in.
"Maybe next year...now that I won't have to deal with Potter's constant flirting and distraction. Could be a good way for me and Marlene to get closer." she thought with a tired smile.
"Alright! Enough hogging the bathroom, girls! Let's go eat, because I've got to finish this Quidditch season on a high note!" Marlene cheered and led the way to the Gryffindor common room with her grinning friends in tow. There was something charming about the girl's ravenous appetite and how it only ever seemed to go to her chest, assuming it went anywhere in the first place.
In the Great Hall...
The three fifth-year Gryffindor girls could not have been more different in their eating habits. As Lily absentmindedly placed her sunny-side up egg onto a piece of wheat toast, she felt a distinct lack of an appetite. The things she witnessed the night before, the events leading up to Severus' accidental casting of the horribly hazardous Blasting Curse, left her feeling nauseous.
Marlene absolutely mauled a full plate of steak and eggs, while Mary politely cut into her stack of pancakes, careful to use her cloth napkin to wipe off a smear of maple syrup that splashed onto her cheek.
"Pardon me, ladies." an older voice broke the breakfast daydreams each girl had been preoccupied by as Lily's green eyes lifted to meet the baby blues of Madam Pomfrey.
"Miss Evans, do you have a moment?" she asked, and before Lily's voice had time answer, she automatically rose to her feet in anticipation of the news.
Once the two witches made way for an unoccupied corner of the Great Hall, Lily's heart was racing. Was Severus okay? Had his injuries been compounded by the incident with James the previous night?
"Regarding Mr. Snape's injuries from last night, you'll be happy to hear that I've taken care of them. A few stray shards of stone pierced into his body, but nothing vital was hit. Mending his flesh and muscles was no trouble once I removed the fragments."
"How is he doing?" Lily asked, letting out a breath in relief.
"Well, he's still unconscious. I'm certain that he'll be sore for the next couple of days, but once he wakes up, I'd like him to take three vials of Wiggenweld Potion in order to help his muscles heal. The combination of bodily injuries with a concussion has left him in an incredibly exhausted state. I still don't know what he was doing out of bed last night, but fortunately he's still on track to be cleared out of the Hospital Wing by tonight."
Lily smiled at the news, still astounded at how effective treatment with spells and potions was in the Wizarding World compared to the more mundane and time-intensive recovery process that Muggles had to endure. Why the advances in wizarding medicine couldn't be shared with the rest of the world, Lily still couldn't comprehend...
Madam Pomfrey held up a cautionary finger to let the young Prefect know that she wasn't finished.
"Regarding the things that happened, however...that is going to take a lot more time and healing. I'm not sure what Mr. Snape has been going through, but I can only recommend a Calming Draught to help avoid any repeats of that emotional outburst. The only real medicine that can be administered for someone's suffering...well…" the medical witch sighed, shaking her head. "-is a healthy and friendly environment. I have helped that boy for many years during these silly fights he has with James Potter, but healing his body isn't going to undo the damage to his heart. That's where I have to rely on you, Miss Evans."
Lily's gaze lowered to her feet, shuffling anxiously as Madam Pomfrey confirmed what she already knew to be true. Despite her usual routine that she followed every morning, she knew that her eyes were probably bloodshot. Her tears and lack of sleep did her no favors for her usual bright and pretty appearance. "Can...Can I see him now?"
The Mediwitch nodded with a smile. "That's why I came to fetch you. The Sleeping Draught that I gave him last night once I started his treatment should have worn off by now.."
With a polite bow of gratitude, Lily excused herself, not even bothering to return to the Gryffindor table before breaking out into a light jog towards the Hospital Wing. She wasn't even hungry; all she'd been thinking about the entire night was seeing Severus…
As Lily neared the chambers, she was passed by the carefree girl she'd seen yesterday during her visit to the Hospital Wing. She paused, looking back at the blonde girl, skipping merrily towards the Great Hall to no-doubt enjoy some breakfast before whatever she had planned for her weekend.
"I'm glad that Pandora is feeling better and out of bed. Hopefully Sev can enjoy the same freedom tonight…" she thought as she anxiously opened the door to the ward.
As expected by Madam Pomfrey, Severus was awake, and was looking down at his lap with that ever-present scowl on his face. He apparently was too distracted by his own problems to notice her arrival, and it was becoming a noticeable pattern that Lily wasn't pleased to see.
"No, Sev...get out of your thoughts, please." she winced inwardly as she broke into a full sprint, reaching his bedside and before she realized it, Lily covered Severus' body with a protective, tight embrace. Before she could stop the torrent of emotion, the young witch felt her eyes tense in soreness, no-doubt a sign of tears coming again.
"Gods, why am I crying so much?" Lily asked herself as she rapidly began a series of sobbing apologies to her best friend. The last time she'd cried about anyone else was when Petunia had berated her during the Summer break following her third year at Hogwarts. Lily had been an emotionally expressive girl, but her fallout with her sister combined with gaining new friends in Gryffindor House had strengthened her considerably. Mary and Marlene could never be her true sister, but they protected and nurtured her in ways that Petunia had stopped doing a long time ago.
Contrary to what an onlooker these past few days might believe, Lily was certainly not this kind of an emotional wreck. Nowadays she was more likely to slap a problem in its face rather than cry about it.
Except, she realized...when it came to Severus, that is exactly what she had been for quite some time now. For the last half of term, she'd often cried about how she was losing her best friend. Cried for how angry and vengeful he'd become, wept when she discovered the true purpose of the cutting curse that he'd invented, and the implications of what he wanted to do with it.
Above all, Lily cried in mourning for the little boy she remembered from Cokeworth, who always spoke so highly and excitedly about Hogwarts and the Magical World. His eagerness and joy was contagious for her younger self who had been frightened of Azkaban and Dementors...and only now did she realize that boy had lost the sanctuary that he dreamed about.
She felt so awful and ignorant of the situation that she'd ever thought that her best friend was leaving her, would eventually turn into a dark and evil wizard who could ever hurt her. A fear that had become so real that she was utterly ashamed to admit it could become her Boggart.
Severus wasn't leaving her. Just the opposite had happened. She had left him alone and defenseless a long time ago, too distracted by new friends and the wonders of a foreign world along with it. Allowed him to feel like vengeance and hatred was his only option when she didn't deter James Potter's advances enough. Abandoned him when he needed her, and rather than give him her support, she had allowed that support and approval to come from more nefarious places like Lucius Malfoy and Evan Rosier. People who didn't fuel the sweeter and more positive side of Severus that she knew so many years ago.
And as Lily rambled out a series of nearly-incoherent apologies, she realized that as much as Severus needed her...she also needed him. She needed her best friend. As much as she loved Mary and how much her fellow Muggle-born witch had helped her cope over the last several, tumultuous months...it just wasn't the same. Severus was her little slice of home that she took with her to Hogwarts. Her Potions partner. Her guide through a splitting society that simultaneously accepted and reviled her.
Above all, he was that little boy who was kind enough to introduce her to this fantastic world that she'd started to take for granted.
As Lily finally caught her breath in the first hug she'd given Severus since they were children, she was able to take in that familiar, bitter scent of Wormwood that clung to his hair from years of expert potion making. While it was often a subject of ridicule from James Potter and many of the girls who joined in laughing at his torment, all it could bring to Lily was a familiar comfort and calm.
She had her best friend back, and that made all the hurt that had been building over the last several months finally begin to heal…
Author's Note: This back-and-forth series of perspectives following Severus and Lily at parallel times is going to ease up soon, I promise, if for no other reason than to get the time at Hogwarts moving more quickly once the opening players and their relationships have been sufficiently established. Though I DO plan on keeping the alternating format of chapters for Sev-Lily, it's not an ironclad pattern; I just like giving them equal amounts of focus. I feel that it's important to establish our two main characters during this extremely jarring time for Severus, and some Earth-shattering realizations for Lily. Now that things have started to heal for them, it's about time for Severus' meeting with Dumbledore. I already know that will be a doozy of a chapter.