DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.

The fourth day of the week dawned. Severus was quite excited when he woke up that morning as he remembered that he and Marlene were going out together to Hogsmeade. He made sure to brush his hair back in the best possible way and put on his best black robes. The previous night, Lily had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Severus was going to go out with Marlene. She had pointed out that it would be a best to look as neat as possible, especially for a first date.

That morning, he went and sat with the other Marauders, Lily and Marlene at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. He ate quickly, eager to have his time with Marlene as soon as possible. As soon as he was finished, he looked up to see James and Sirius laughing their heads off, Lily and Marlene smiling, and Remus, shaking his head disapprovingly at James and Sirius.

Severus and Marlene skipped along hand in hand as they made their way to Hogsmeade. They first walked all around the village, and then decided to stop by the Three Broomsticks to have lunch.

They had just entered the pub when they heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey Sev! I see you're enjoying your first date. Come and join us." Severus looked around to see James, sitting at a table nearby, calling out to him and Marlene, and Lily sitting right next to James. Severus and Marlene waved to them and joined them.

They were eating their lunch and chatting amongst themselves. Lily said, "I was quite surprised when Marlene told me she was going to go out with you. You two look so perfect together right now."

Severus replied, "She's a lot like you Lily. Now that our NEWTs are over, I've found myself on this wonderful date."

Marlene said, "You know, there's the matter of what we're all going to do. Every person has to pick their own path."

James replied, "Well for sure, most of us including Severus, Lily and myself are planning to join the fight."

Severus spoke up, "Speaking of which, I thought about being an auror yesterday. If I remember clearly, I received Outstanding in both Potions and Defense in my fifth year. In Transfiguration, I think it was Exceeds Expectations. For Charms, it was either Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding, but I'm not so sure. I'll have to look at my OWLs list, but I definitely should be able to qualify for being an auror. So, I'm planning to join you and Sirius in becoming aurors."

James replied, "Cool! That means we'll be able to work together! Whether we join Dumbledore's organization or not, we're definitely going to fight!"

After lunch, the two dating couples went their own ways. Severus and Marlene went and sat under a tree from where they could see Hogwarts.

Severus said, "You know, I never expected things would actually go this way. I surely wouldn't have had all that if I hadn't apologized to Lily and renounced Voldemort."

Marlene replied, "On the day you became friends with James and Sirius, I saw you in the Great Hall, looking like you just wanted to escape."

Severus replied, "I thought everybody hated me that day. I know you're probably not going to like what I'm about to explain, but it explains everything."

"I won't judge you by what you have to say. I know that you're a good man."

"Let me begin. You probably know that I am actually a half blood. My father was a muggle and my mother was a witch. She passed away after my fifth year. My father was unfortunately, an abusive man. And my mother didn't do much. She showed me some affection when I was a child, but that was it. I grew up with Lily in Cokeworth, and she was the only friend I really had. As I grew older, I started wanting to be appreciated. That feeling intensified soon after I got sorted into Slytherin. Lucius Malfoy was my first friend there. Soon afterwards, I became friends with Avery and Mulciber. I used to hang around them very much, and without realizing it, I got wrongly influenced by them. You probably know how some of us used to bully Muggleborns. I did the same except to Lily, in order to show them how strong I was. That was also the time when James and Sirius used to bully me and call me names. Lily used to defend me all the time. That ended the day I called her a Mudblood. I still can't believe I ever did that. She wouldn't forgive me. I was devoted to Voldemort and his ideals at that time to an extent. And I was not willing to let go of my Slytherin friends who I used to hang out with. Finally, last year, in the first term, I realized where I had gone wrong and decided that I wanted my true friend more than power, and so I renounced Voldemort. But I was still not forgiven immediately. You know the rest of the story."

Marlene looked at him for a long time and softly said, "What matters is that you finally realized your mistake and you did what any true friend would do. You renounced them all and made it up."

"And in return, I got new friends who are not the wrong sort; close friends in fact."

"And your love for your friend who's now like a sister to you, made you renounce bad company that appreciated you and offered you power. You're a true friend. I want to be like you."

"No, you do not want to be like me. I couldn't help getting sorted into Slytherin and I'm not ashamed of it, but I made several huge mistakes."

"But you made up for them. You became a true friend. I want to be a true friend like you. In fact, that's what made me fall in love with you, being a true friend!"

Severus was stunned by what he had just heard. He said, "What! You actually love me? When I have made so many mistakes?"

Marlene replied, "Yes, I love you Severus! You're a good man and a true friend, and that's what has made me love you."

And with that, Marlene pulled Severus towards her and they shared their first kiss.

After they ended the kiss, Severus whispered, "I love you too Marlene."