Summary: 'Of course he didn't insult Lily Evans. He didn't need to. If he ever chose to reveal the truth, that- well that would do far more damage than any insult'

Pairing: LE/SS and LE/JP

Disclaimer: Not mine. 'Nuff said.

Be warned, this is an extra long chapter…

Rating: PG-13 

" I'm on the outside,

   I'm looking in,

   I can see through you,

   See your true colours

   Cause inside you're ugly,

   You're ugly like me,

   I can see through you,

   See to the real you "

- Outside by Staind

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He was stood at the desk adjacent to Evans', on the back row. For this to work he would have to not only get the powder into her cauldron, but into his own. And pray that no one else went wrong. If he wanted an audience he would shout it across the great hall.

Ahhh…just as expected, Potter, at the cauldron on the other side, began distracting her. She turned away for an instant. Nervously he flicked his eyes to the front. The Professor was looking away. Quicly, he reached out and scattered the fine black powder over the surface of her cauldron, where it disappeared into the dark green goop.

He stared at his own potion. He'd never done a potion wrong before. It felt kind of like…sacrilege. He closed his eyes, and swiftly dusted the remains of the dark powder from his palms.

Ten minutes until the end of the lesson. Five minutes until the cauldrons melted all over the desktop. However there were two things that could go wrong. Someone else could get it wrong- though he doubted even the idiots in this class could go drastically wrong at this stage. The second was more likely, and that was that Evan's might not get out of the way of the melting metal, and end up in the hospital wing.

He should feel guilty about that.

He shrugged mentally. Skin heals. He had learnt that a long time ago.

His potion began to bubble ominously, flicking tiny specks of green onto the desk. To his right, Evan's was frowning at the same result in her mixture. She turned back to Potter and muttered something furiously, to which he shook his head with an innocent expression- obviously denying any involvement. He felt Potter's glare boring into the side of his head, and Evans too looked over- until she noticed that the same thing was occurring in his cauldron. With a bewildered gaze, she looked around the room at the other nicely calm potions.

"Right class, could you please fill a vial full of your potion and bring it to the front, then you are free to leave"

The Professor announced, and all around the room students began carefully ladling the thick liquid into the vials.

The bottom of his cauldron was looking distinctly misshapen. He didn't want to know what would happen if he stuck a ladle in there at this point. The Professor had noticed his concerned look, and matched it with one of her own. She took a step towards the back of the room…

"Snape, what's…"

As if on cue, both cauldrons gave up all pretence of solidity, and he leapt back from the desk, perfectly synchronised with Evans' own jump- except he didn't scream. They were using pewter cauldrons, and the green and sliver blended together nicely, creating an interesting pattern across the desktop. Slytherin colours. How fitting.

The Professor bustled up, as the class craned their necks to see what had happened.

"Snape, Evans I don't know what you have done but you are going to have to clear this up. The rest of you leave please- yes, even you Mister Potter they do not need an audience thank you"

The class drifted out, Potter the very last with a mutinous look upon his face at not getting his own way, shooting one last threatening glare as he left the room.

The Professor gathered her belongings.

"If you will excuse me, I have a staff meeting to attend. Now you are both sensible students, so I trust I can leave you to do this without any silliness?"

He nodded, and Evans smiled her assent. Satisfied, the Professor bustled out of the room, and he and Evans were finally alone.

He turned to his desk, wondering how to start. The silence was deadly.

She spoke suddenly, suspicion heavy in her voice.

"This was you, wasn't it? I suppose you were aiming for James' and got mine by accident"

He turned to face her, considering how to answer. What would wind her up the most? The truth probably.

"Nope"

He answered casually.

"It was 'specially for you mudblood"

A cheap insult, but he didn't have the time to be subtle. And it got the desired result. Her eyes narrowed in anger, and if looks could kill…

"I'm warning you Snivellus"

Oh he'd never heard that one before.

"Oh no, are you going to get your big boyfriend to beat me up?"

He mockingly made a scared expression, before rolling his eyes disdainfully. Surprisingly she didn't say yes.

"I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself"

Her voice was now threatening, and she had a pretty impressive sneer on her face.

So it was a sore point, was it? Score one for him. He had to continue winding her up- well, he could just accuse her….but this was fun!

"Ahh, well that explains it"

"Explains what?"

"It"

"SNAPE!"

He sighed melodramatically before answering.

"Why you always look so pissed off when Potter does the 'macho' act"

Her expression was just a touch too scornful.

"I do not. What the hell do you know?"

He raised one questioning eyebrow, and then turning back to the mess began to scrub. Then added

"The again, nothing about you and Potter makes sense"

"Because I'm a mudblood I suppose?"

Well there was that. But that wasn't the point at the moment.

"And because he's an arrogant bastard, whereas you seem quite…nice. Why would you be with him?"

She stared at him for a moment, obviously not sure what to make of the compliment. But she answered in a condescending tone.

"Maybe because I love him? And he's not a bastard"

Ooo, nearly slipped up there Evans, remembered to defend him just in time. She had totally walked into his trap. He had expected better really from what he'd seen of her behaviour. He spoke questioningly.

"You love him?"

"Yes, I love him"

"Ohhhhh"

He drawled the last word, and with a frustrated sigh she turned back to her desk, scrubbing furiously at the stains and no doubt imagining it was his face. Give it 60 seconds. Sure enough she wheeled round again.

"What did that 'Ohhhhh' mean?"

He gave her an even stare. Time to throw the gauntlet.

"You don't love him"

She was immediately all righteous indignation.

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't "

"Yes I do!"

"No, you, don't"

"Yes, I d…"

She stopped mid sentence of their childish bickering, exhaling angrily and closing her eyes. She was doing the counting-in-her-head thing again.

It wasn't until a few seconds later, when her eyes flew open full of bemusement, that he realised he had been counting with her. Out loud.

He felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks, and mentally began cursing. Evans calmed slightly, and he lost some of his control of the argument. She spoke, casually amused. If she was worried it didn't show.

"Why would you think that I don't love James, Snape?"

He knew what he had observed about her. She may look calm, but he wasn't going to underestimate her acting skills.

"You never kiss or touch him- only reciprocate"

"I'm shy"

She replied smoothly.

He smirked back.

"You certainly weren't shy with Saul Johnson at the Fifth Year Yule Ball"

She didn't show any reaction, but he had the advantage again.

"When he comes up behind you, and you think nobody's looking, you grimace"

At this, she swallowed slightly, but that was all. Time to move in for the kill.

"When you kissed him the other day, you had your eyes open"

Her eyes widened in shock, then went as hard as glittering emeralds, and she spat venomously

"What the hell are you, my stalker?!"

In contrast, his expression was carefully schooled and calm. Unconcernedly, he simply said

"You don't love him"

Seconds stretched out between them, as he wondered what she would say, and she seemed to be wondering the same thing.

And then abruptly, she burst into tears and buried her face into his shoulder.

What the hell did he do now? Even the girls in Slytherin didn't cry; it was a sign of weakness. And if they ever did, the last person any Slytherin- scratch that, anyone would turn to was him. A girl crying on his shoulder was just…weird. Awkwardly he patted her on the back, his forehead furrowed in bewilderment.

At his touch, she looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, lip trembling, and he felt a stab of guilt. He opened his mouth to apologise, but she got there first.

"Okay…okay, I don't love him. I guess I'm just a…"

She seemed to search for the right word, which normally he would have found suspicious. She finally seized upon a word.

"...gold-digger. My parents, they're quite poor, and Daddy's ill, and they have to take care of the other three. I just wanted someone who could, you know, buy me nice things…"

With that she burst into fresh sobs

"…but now everyone knows, I'm so ashamed…"

"No"

He replied quickly. There was no one else capable of noticing, and no one else quite as obsessive as him.

"I'm the only one who knows"

Her eyes suddenly filled with hope, and locked with his. And he found himself saying something his brain totally disagreed with.

"And I won't tell anyone"

Bloody hell, what did he just do? He could have split them up so many ways. He could have blackmailed her. Even just dropped hints to make Potter suspect. What was he doing?

Girl. Pretty. Sad.

Well she wasn't sad anymore. She swung from one extreme to the next, her smile lighting up, and he felt a horrible urge to grin back. Which he fought. He did have some pride left.

She seemed to bounce up and down. Breathlessly, she squealed

"Oh thank you! Thank you thank you so much!"

She swiftly hugged him. She pulled back and her face was only inches from his. He could see the tear tracks on her cheeks; each wet eyelash was clearly defined.

"That's just wonderful"

She said exuberantly, and then her lips were on his in a sudden, firm kiss that ended nearly as soon as it started.

He stared at her, aware that he was letting her see his shock, but unable to persuade his brain to do anything about it.

She too looked shocked, and backed up hesitantly.

"I shouldn't have done that…"

She but her lip nervously, seemingly unaware of how cute that particular act was.

"I'll just go"

She quickly slung her bag onto her shoulder, and moved away through the empty desks, even as he stood, frozen.

And so he didn't see the smirk on her face as she walked away.

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Songbyrd14- thanks! Yeah, Sev was suggesting Sirius fancied him lol

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