A/N: I know that it has been a while since I last updated this. I hope that it will not be so long between updates from now on. I thank everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. Also, I talk about updates for this and my other fanfiction on livejournal under the name cassiesnape.

Chapter Six: Avoiding Each Other

Severus glared out the window of the Hogwarts Express as it took him back to Hogwarts. It was his sixth year, and he had mixed feelings about going back to school. He hated his home life, and this summer had been particularly horrible. His father was often abusive to his mother, and he no longer knew what he could do to help her. She wouldn't leave his father. Then again, his father wouldn't let her. He sighed as he thought about how he spent most of his time in his room either reading through his father's Dark Arts books that he had snitched or mixing potions. He wanted to do something that would get that redhead out of his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how they had last left things, and she was one of the reasons why he was not looking forward to school. There were also the Marauders as well, but he felt more ready for them this year as he had some new tricks up his sleeve. He would make them pay for what they had done to him, and he personally hoped that he would be able to get them expelled.

The train began to slow down and finally stopped at the station. The first years were being called forward to make their journey across the lake while the rest were getting in carriages. Severus walked along with the other Slytherins and managed to find an empty carriage in the middle. He entered and sat down as he glanced out the window. Then, he heard the door open, and he turned his head to see who it was.

Lily had opened the door, hoping to find a spot to sit as her friends had run out of space in their carriage for her. She found this particular one, but she frowned when she saw who was in there. She just stood there for a couple of seconds before she spoke. "I'll find another carriage. I know you wouldn't want to ride with a Mudblood," she spoke bitterly. She then turned on her heel to walk away when she heard someone call out to her.

"Evans, come sit with us," James' clear voice rang out.

Lily hesitated. She was not fond of James as he was too arrogant, but she was very upset about the way Severus had treated her when she thought that he was her friend. Part of her had even wanted more than friendship until he called her that dreadful name. "All right, Potter," she agreed. She gave a slight glance toward Severus before rolling her eyes and going off to sit with James.

Severus was a bit surprised about her reaction towards him, but he knew that he shouldn't have been. He had betrayed her trust, and he didn't think that he would ever get it back again. It was best to just avoid her and try to stop thinking about her. He glared as the door opened again. It was that mousey Pettigrew that hung around Potter, Black, and Lupin.

"Can I sit here? There's not room in the other carriages," Peter said in a hesitant and nearly frightened tone.

Severus didn't want him there, but he figured it couldn't hurt. "Get in," he hissed and the stared out the window as his anger began to boil, knowing that Lily was sitting in Potter's carriage.

The carriages quickly arrived at the castle once all the students were in them. The students mingled as they walked to the Great Hall where the sorting and the feast would be. Severus walked slightly behind Lily and the Marauders, and he heard bits and pieces of their conversation.

"—out with me, Evans. Please."

"—said no for the--time."

He couldn't quite catch the number of times she had said no.

James grabbed her arm. "—know—want—with me."

Lily pulled her arm away and glared at him. She then quickly ran off to catch up with her friends.

Severus took Lily's action to mean no again for Potter. He gave a slight smirk as he thought it was funny.

James turned around and spotted Severus' smirk. "What do you think is so funny, Snivellus?"

"You," Severus stated as he quickly fingered his wand, ready to draw it if need be.

James actually laughed. "Oooh, is Snivellus trying to get a backbone? I thought we taught you a lesson the last time. You just can't beat the Marauders."

Severus did not want to take this taunting again. He was furious with Potter and his friends, and he didn't care what happened. "Call me that name again, and I'll curse you to where you won't wake up for a week," he hissed as he pointed his wand at James' chest.

Sirius quickly had his wand out and pointed it at Severus. "You curse him, and I'll curse you, Snivellus."

Remus sighed. School hadn't technically started and they were already at it. "Let's just go. You don't want detention yet." He glanced over to Peter who was trembling behind him in hopes of not getting cursed himself.

James knew that Remus was right. They did need to just drop it this time. His parents were pretty furious with how many detentions and letters they had gotten as it was. They had almost threatened to take him out of school, and it only helped when Sirius came to live with them after he ran away from home. "This isn't over, Snivellus," he stated with an arrogant smirk as he turned around and motioned for the Marauders to come on.

Severus was furious that James had used that name again. He had told him what would happen if he did use it again, and he was going to keep to his word. "Iacio," he hissed as the red spell shot out of his wand and hit James right in the back of the head. He watched as his adversary moaned and fell to the ground, now completely unconscious. "I told him not to call me that name again," he ground out. He kept his wand pointed at the other Marauders as he went by them and got lost in the crowd.

Lily had noticed what happened. She was so shocked the Severus would attack James when his back was turned. It was so dishonorable. She then ran over to where James was lying on the ground. "Let's get him to the hospital wing."

The other Marauders nodded as they hoist James up to carry him to the hospital wing. Sirius in particular vowed to get Snape back for doing this to his best friend. He would find a way to make him pay.

A week had passed before James woke up from the spell. Severus had gotten detention for the entire week, but he did not lose any points from Slytherin because school had not officially started when he attacked James. Lily had actually visited James during this time in the hospital wing. She didn't think that he would know about it, but Sirius told him what happened as soon as he woke up. Now she didn't get any peace because James constantly continued to harass her about being his girlfriend. He was also as arrogant as ever because he thought that he was the better person to walk away when Snape hit him from behind. She had to admit that Severus shouldn't have done that, but she could understand why, though she still didn't want to be around Severus. He had changed, and he wasn't the boy she once knew any more. She didn't even know if that boy even existed. She had managed to avoid him for the most part, and she noticed that he had done the same. Since James had woken up, she had noticed that sometimes Severus would be around, watching her. She felt unnerved about it, so she had made a point to stay in either her dorm room or Gryffindor Common Room as much as possible. There were times when she couldn't avoid either of them, even though she wanted to.

James was following right beside Lily as she went to the library. "Evans, why won't you go out with me? You obviously care. You stayed by my bedside off and on all that week that I was unconscious."

She sighed. "Potter, you are impossible! Can't you just take no as an answer?" She was becoming rather exasperated with him as she entered the library and went to look for a particular Charms book to do research on the Confundus Charm.

James was relentless as he followed her into the library. "No, I can't take that as your answer. Please go out with me."

"Shh," came the librarian's voice as she heard what James said.

"Sorry," he muttered as he followed Lily to a section of the library where the Charm books were. "Can't you at least consider it for once? You always immediately say no."

She rolled her eyes and paused for an entire minute in order to humor him. "I've thought about it, and I still say no," she whispered as she turned toward the shelf to look for the book Unconfunding the Confunded.

James let out a frustrated sigh. "Come on, Evans! Why won't you go out with me? Give me five good reasons."

"I don't have to play such silly childish games, Potter. I have neither the time nor the energy. Can't you just drop this and leave me alone?"

"Fine. I'll drop it," James said in a tone of resignation. He really wasn't going to give up on her though. He really liked her, and he would make sure that she would go out with him eventually. "Well, can you perhaps help me with my school work? I was out for a week, and it's hard to get caught up in everything."

She looked over to him. "James, you don't even have a single book with you. How can I help you if you aren't even willing to bring your books along?" She knew that she would feel guilty if she didn't help him out with his school work.

"I didn't think to bring them. I haven't been feeling the best. Perhaps that spell hurt me more than they think." He slightly rubbed the back of his head as if it hurt. He would do anything to spend some time with her. "We could go back to the Common Room and study."

She gave him a concerned look when he rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, Potter. I'll check out this book and then we'll go and study together." She didn't realize that Severus was on the other side of the shelf or that he heard and saw everything.

Severus watched Lily check out her book and then leave the library with Potter. His eyes narrowed as he frowned. Despite the fact that he had told himself that he wanted nothing to do with her, he felt insanely jealous that James could manage to spend time with her. Begrudgingly, he was beginning to think that he should apologize to her before she finally did give into James' pleas. He was also furious about the fact that James was using what he had done to him as a way to get sympathy from Lily. He wasn't stupid. He knew that James faked still being injured. Lily just had too good of a heart to refuse not to help him. He suddenly wondered if she had helped him because she pitied him and couldn't refuse. That thought made he feel as if he had been punched in the stomach. He had to quickly shake it away though. "Lily wouldn't do that," he said aloud as he was trying to reassure himself. He too got a rather loud 'shh' from the librarian. He gave her a slight glare, grabbed his books, and left the library.

Swiftly walking the halls, he thought about Lily. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. Deep down, he would have to find some way to apologize to her. If she didn't accept it, which he doubted, then at least then he would know where they stood. He could either move on or move in. It would work out. He wasn't going to let Potter swoop in and take his flower away.

A/N: Please review! They are very appreciated.