By their third year, Severus and Lily were the best of friends. The only problem (at least to Severus) was Lily's new gaggle of giggling girlfriends. They followed Lily in a crowd wherever she went, and they weren't the only ones who were suddenly finding Lily's company desirable: several boys were turning their heads in Lily's direction too. As Severus had predicted, Lily had moved on to bigger and better friends and new heights of popluarity. She was suddenly invited to summer sleepovers, clubs, dances, birthdays; every boy was jostling for her arm -- and she only thirteen.
Meanwhile, Severus sulked in the shadows, resenting Lily for her newfound popularity yet liking her all the same. He couldn't help but seethe everytime their secret library meetings were interrupted by her crowd of friends or by some young man asking her on a date. Their time in Hogsmeade was always interrupted as well, or sometimes never spent at all, and Lily was showing up for Gryffindor Quidditch practices more and more often as the year progressed.
"What?" Lily demanded of Severus after having politely turned a young man away.
They were in Hogsmeade on a January trip. It was New Years, and a boy had just invited Lily to a party, which she had turned down for Severus's sake. But Severus seemed anything but grateful. Instead, he stalked away, glowering, his arms wrapped tight around his chest and his long, hooked nose red from the cold air.
Lily jogged after him, frowning. "Severus, I can't help it if people like me!" she cried.
"You could," Severus said shortly.
Lily laughed derisively, "How? Sulk behind books and sneer at people, like you?"
Severus gave her a filthy look and stomped faster through the snow.
"It's true!" Lily cried shrilly, hurrying after him, her eyes dark with her frustration. "You don't even make an effort! You just sulk around on your own. You make yourself vulnerable, and then wonder why people like -- like that Potter pick on you!"
"Oh, yes, let's talk about 'That Potter'!" cried Severus, stopping and facing Lily so suddenly, Lily's red hair whipped her in the face as she forced herself to a halt. "I bet you wouldn't keep your friendship to precious Potter a secret, would you? Wouldn't set up secret meetings with him!"
"I wouldn't have to, because -- prat that he is -- people at least think he's cool! But you! You glower at everyone and walk around muttering hexes under your breath! Don't you think that frightens people?"
"That's the whole point," Severus said, his face drawn into a serious expression and his black eyes glittering. "I want to frighten them. It makes me feel . . . safe."
"You never felt safe at home, did you?" Lily said. It wasn't a question. "Because of your father," she added quietly.
"I don't have a father," Severus said coldly.
"This isn't your house, Severus," Lily told him gently. She laid her hand on his shoulder, and he flinched but did not brush her off as he would usually have done. "Your dad's not here. He can't hurt you here."
Severus stared at her then asked suddenly, "Can you keep a secret?"
Lily was startled, but answered, "Yes."
"You're the first girl I ever really liked."
There was silence as they stared at each other. Severus's black eyes glittered without emotion and his face was solemn, but a slow smile crept over Lily's face.
"Do you mean that?"
Severus's lip curled as if he loathed himself for admitting it, "Yes."
Lily's smile widened and she opened her mouth to speak when a familiar voice called, "Hey! Look who it is!"
Severus whipped out his wand in an instant, but it was too late. Someone shouted a curse, and Severus's ears began to grow so large they were soon very like a pair of massive wings. They began to flap so hard, Severus was lifted off the ground as he sputtered to find a bad enough hex. He could hear Lily's cry of outrage, there was a flash of light, and he fell in a heap in the snow.
He was aware of people shouting and a group of students were standing around, pointing and laughing at his shrinking ears. They were shrinking so fastly, that soon, Severus could not hear. His hands grappled wildly at his ears, but a moment later, they were gone. He turned, enraged, to see Lily shouting at James and Sirius. Remus was sulking in the background and soon stalked away, looking gloomy. Meanwhile, Peter was one of the pointing and laughing students.
Severus raised furious eyes to James, who was still standing over him, laughing with the crowd, ignoring Lily's shouts. Then Sirius stepped in, his face full of dark delight, mouthed something, and jabbed his wand. Severus felt his hairline beginning ot recede. His wand had been taken from him long ago, and Peter was holding it, still laughing with glee.
James laughed, mouthed something, and jabbed his own wand. Severus was forced into a wild tapdance, his arms flailing and smacking him in his own face, as his hairline continued to recede. He was helpless, a performing monkey before all those laughing students.
Lily was enraged. She pointed her own wand at James, who was having a fierce laughing fit against Sirius, and both boy's heads began to swell so much that they were both lifted off their feet and onto thier backs. The crowd of students roared with laughter.
But the next moment, McGonagall appeared, sparks flying from her eyes, and the whole mess was cleared up in a flash. James and Sirius had their heads righted, and Severus was given back his hair and his ears. His legs, meanwhile, were so tired from the tapdance that he could no longer stand.
James and Sirius, to no one's surprise, were given double detentions. But there was an audible gasp when the head of Gryffindor house turned on Lily with one too.
"Yes, Miss Evans, you should have left this matter to an authority figure," McGonagall said to a gawking Lily.
Lily did not argue.
A small, seething part of Severus was glad to see Lily get a detention. He felt, perhaps wrongly, that Potter's constant attacks were Lily's fault, not his own. Infact, he was certain it was because of his friendship with Lily that he was often forced into embarassing situations. And when he saw Lily later that week the morning after her detention, he spared her the tiniest amount of sympathy.
" . . . and every bedpan was filthy! How did they manage that when no one's been in the hospital wing lately? You think the house elves . . ." Lily's voice trailed off at the superior look on her friend's face.
"That's sounds awful," yawned Severus insincerely.
"Why so smug?" Lily asked darkly.
Severus said nothing and opened his worn, secondhand Potions book, pretending to look something up. It was Sunday morning and the library was virtually empty. Lily had found Severus seated near the restricted area where books on the Dark Arts were kept. He often managed to get at them with a false note written byan invented spell of his own.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're in a good mood anyway," Lily said crossly when the silence drew on. "What are you reading now? Some rubbish on how to twist people's insides?"
She reached curiously for the several ancient books open around Severus, but he lashed out quickly and covered them with his arms.
"None of your business!" he cried, glaring at Lily.
Lily was unphazed. "Since when is anything you read none of my business?" she said cooly and proceeded to yank one of the books from under Severus's arms. She lifted it to her face, and Severus heard the enevitable gasp from behind its pages.
"Severus?" Lily cried, lowering the book. It was open to a page covered in curly instructions on disembowling werewolves, "What -- "
"I told you it was none of your business!" Severus snapped again and snatched the book back.
"Something happened, didn't it?" Lily said quietly. "That night you were in the hospital wing because of the Whomping Willow."
Severus said nothing and lifted his Potions book infront of his face again. When Lily continued to stand there, he muttered, "Go away."
"I want to help you!"
"Don't you have a party to attend? Or a Quidditch practice? Swells Potter's already-swollen-head everytime you show up at those!"
Severus's face appeared over the top of his Potions book, pale and sneering. He stared malevolently at Lily until her face began to flush with her frustration, and she turned as if she would leave. Satisfied with himself (though feeling a little guilty) Severus went back to his book. When he closed it again to pack up and leave, there was a red M&M sitting on the table infront of him.