Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or concepts of the Harry Potter series. Thank you, Jo, for giving us a world we can love enough to create our own stories with.

Tossing and turning at the sound of the clock tower chiming midnight, Lily rolled to her side to gaze out the window into the clear night sky. She'd spent the last two hours in her four poster, unable to sleep as she kept considering the day's events.

Severus hadn't been easy for her to figure out for a long time now. On one hand, he'd find the tormenting of Muggleborns, the vile curses thrown at them by his fellow Slytherins, amusing. So amusing, in fact, that he'd been creating his own spells, many of which hadn't been particularly harmful, even commandeered by James Potter on some of his pranks. But then there was that spell. A curse so violent that even the creation of it was more cruel than she ever could've thought Severus to be. She knew why he'd done it; it was a spell he could use to fight back against James and not risk it being stolen because of how dark it really was.

Then there was that wretched word, Mudblood. Though she'd never heard Severus say it himself, she'd been told by her friend, Mary Macdonald, that he uttered it in laughter at the incident with Mulciber. Lily denied it at first, approaching him about it to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the fact that he'd played it off as nothing told her all she needed to hear, resulting in one of their worst rows ever. The very idea of such a disgusting word coming out of her best friend's mouth made her cry herself to sleep the night of the argument.

On the other hand, Severus would study with her. He'd listen to her when they weren't in the midst of an argument (which had become quite common in recent months). He'd still have a shy look whenever their eyes locked, still stumble over his words in her presence.

If she were honest with herself, Lily suspected that Severus had a crush on her, but shivered at the thought. It wasn't that she couldn't feel that way towards him; after all, he had a number of wonderful traits. His intelligence, a quicker wit than even James Potter, his bullheaded stubbornness and the inner strength to stand by what he believed in. If he took care of himself more, he might even be handsome.

No, it wasn't that Lily COULDN'T return those feelings if her suspicions were true, it was that she WOULDN'T. Severus was a boy who hadn't kept his priorities in order. The friends he was making within his own house frightened her, and equally alarming was what they were turning him into. His normally wonderful, onyx eyes had begun to harbor hatred and resentment to what the Death Eater aspirants called 'Blood Traitors', most of all to James Potter.

His shyness around Lily turned into an almost possessive jealousy at the attention she received from his hated rival. Severus insulted Muggles and Muggleborns, yet wanted to be near her, stay friends with her, as if trying to convince himself that she was the exception to a disgusting Slytherin rule.

For those reasons, Lily had long considered heeding the words of her other friends and cutting Severus out of her life. The notion of it broke her heart; Sev was her rock. Her anchor that her memories of Hogwarts started with. But before the bizarre talk in the Hospital Wing, it seemed like Sev was dying. Sev, the boy who brought her to this wonderful world, played with her when her sister had abandoned her, was turning into Severus, a thorny, prejudiced sociopath.

Until today, that is. His behavior, even before the concussion, startled her. He hadn't retaliated against James Potter even though he had the chance; there was plenty of time his wand was drawn to throw that spell at him. When Severus was hoisted up, he should've been mortified that Potter was putting his pants on display for all of the students to see, yet the only thing that seemed to concern him was Lily's reaction, pride be damned.

"And you smiled. You smiled at his embarrassment and flirted with Potter for over a minute when you could've stopped the incident at the soap. Then he never would've gotten hurt."

Lily shut her eyes in shame, her lips trembling at what she'd done. The truth was that she wanted Severus to feel humiliated like all the Muggleborns that he and his friends were targeting. She wanted that attitude of his to be taken down a peg so it might give him some perspective. Yet none of that seemed to matter to him. He'd been acting strangely mature about the whole ordeal. He hadn't whined about Potter for the hundredth time, he hadn't shouted at her inaction, he'd only been hurt, obviously deeply, by her smile.

It was so decidedly NOT Severus. They hadn't argued about it; he hadn't pressed the issue of her smile any further than he'd needed to make his point. He seemingly forgave her for it enough to have friendly banter and even thank her after it was done. It was as if he was afraid of something, chose his words so carefully as to not make her upset. Severus Snape was not one to speak in such a way, even with her.

Then Lily's doubts started to surface. "It could just be the concussion symptoms. Madam Pomfrey did say that Severus might act strangely for the next couple of days." The possibility scared her. Could she take any of his pleasantries at face value, let her guard down, only to have them thrown back in her face later once he came to his senses and saw that he was friends with someone like her?

Lily wrapped herself tightly in her blankets, the image bringing tears to her eyes. She wasn't sure whether to accept this new Severus as anything but a temporary blip on the radar. All she knew as she finally drifted to sleep was one thing: she wanted her Sev back…

Within the open space of the hospital wing, there was deathly silence everywhere around Severus. He couldn't deny, looking at his own, young hands, that Dumbledore had told him the truth. The throbbing pain in his head would not have been possible if this were a dream in the eternity of the afterlife. The implications had only sunk in when Lily had left, that beautiful smile on her face a stark contrast to the pain that his worst memory gave him.

Laying back steadily, his eyes settled on the alabaster ceiling of the large room. It was strange to Severus as he contemplated the last three days of his, apparently, two lives. For years, he was a man with no peace in his life, no desires or ambitions to cling on to in order to desperately stay alive. When he had been killed by Nagini, it was almost like the release of an enormous burden of pain, his only regret at the time being that Harry Potter would die, rendering Lily's sacrifice in vain. The truth was that he welcomed the peace of death, was almost angered when Albus interrupted what would've been an eternity of silence and rest.

Yet now that he was here, back in his teenage years, able to see the face, hear the voice, and look into the eyes of the one he had loved so much, it was as if the pain of the concussion, the pain of his previous life, turned to dust and was scattered to the winds. None of the petty things mattered as much, and he'd been able to muster his first, sincere smile in many years, thin as it was.

Still, there was something that was bothering Severus, turning his head to his bedside table to look at his wand. During the incident at the lake, it was like his magic seized up on him, preventing him from casting a simple spell he'd used hundreds of times before. It had been for the best at the time; Lily might not have been so friendly with him had he stooped to Potter's level and fought back against juvenile spells. It would be child's play to simply protect himself, and although he was sure he'd take great pleasure in outclassing James Potter in a duel, there was little sport in it.

With the most careful of movements, Severus reached for his wand, feeling the ebony wood in his hands and the dragon heartstring within tugging back against his own magical core. Drawing in a startled breath, he closed his eyes and set up his walls of Occlumency, determined to find out what was causing this abnormality. Once he was certain that he and his emotions were as separate as could be, Severus concentrated, pointing his wand at a pillow on a bed at the other side of the room.

"Accio pillow." came the empty whisper. Yet there was nothing. Not the slightest twitch of the target, nor could he feel the hum of the wand's core anymore. Eyes widening, Severus aimed for a closer bed. "Accio pillow." Again, nothing.

His patience breaking, Severus pointed his wand at the bed immediately to his right and began frantically repeating the incantation. After the third cast, Severus growled, throwing his wand to the table in a rage "Dammit!" The throbbing returned as his Occlumency fell, his breathing shallow as he dropped his head back to his own pillow in defeat.

Severus shut his eyes, too tired and frustrated to focus on anything besides the pain. This wasn't good. How could he function in a magical world if he couldn't cast the simplest of spells?

The following morning, Lily poked her head inside the hospital wing, smiling to see Severus awake and writing in his Potions textbook that had become a journal as of late. She was glad she had brought his belongings up with him, rather than have them sent back to his dormitory, as he'd no doubt be bored being in bed for at least another day.

The noise of the door closing behind her sufficiently got his attention, his head raising up from his book and that narrow smile lighting his face ever-so-delicately again. As Lily sat down near him, she could see the smile actually filled to his eyes. There was a wonderful feeling of realization that he was legitimately happy to see her. With a smile of her own in return, she handed Severus a plate of breakfast as promised the day before.

"Scrambled eggs for scrambled brains, Mr. Snape." she teased with a gleam in her eye.

"Why thank you for the service, Miss Evans. I'll tell your employer that you deserve a raise."

There it was again. The playful sarcasm she'd been missing. Tilting her head to the side to observe him eat for a moment, she noticed that he seemed deep in thought.

"How are you feeling, Sev? Has Madam Pomfrey given you any updates?"

Swallowing a mouth full of toast with strawberry jam, he set his plate to the side, deciding not to stuff himself while Lily was attempting conversation. "The throbbing has lessened; she says I'll be out of here Saturday night, Sunday at the latest. So I should only miss today's O.W.L., but honestly that's the least of my problems right now." His expression hardened, gazing into Lily's eyes. "I can't do magic."

"Wh-what?!"

"I can't do magic. ANY. My wand has stopped reacting to me, and I haven't been able to muster any of the simplest wandless magic either, so I know it's not just my wand. My own magical core is still intact; I can feel it shifting around in my body when I try to cast spells." Indeed, he had still been able to conjure his Occlumency shields, but all manner of simple, external charms he had tried that a first year would excel at, Severus had failed at. He had gone through all of the motions of casting spells that he'd done ever since his first days with a wand, clearing his mind of distraction and emotion had always produced the maximum effect. "But when I try to focus, it doesn't matter if I enunciate it properly or cast it non-verbally, it fails. It feels like my wand's core is pulling back against me every time I cast."

Lily reached into her school bag, pulled out a quill which she deftly transfigured into a brass goblet, handing it to Severus. "Show me. Try the water-making spell. There's very little simpler than that."

As he'd attempted for an hour before Lily arrived, Severus gathered his wand, emptying his thoughts as he brought up his Occlumency to keep the red-haired Gryffindor from distracting him. The last thing he needed right now were silly butterflies embarrassing him around the girl he'd loved for so long. When he was locked in his own world once more, he again could no longer feel the humming of his wand's core, and even before he cast, correct wrist movement, proper incantation and all, he knew it'd fail.

"Aguamenti." Nothing.

Though startled by the failure of Severus, who by all accounts had been a genius near the top of Hogwarts Fifth Years, Lily found something equally disturbing as she watched him cast. It was like watching a soul die, his eyes lost their shine, his voice became barren of anything. "Sev...what's that thing you did with your eyes and your voice? It was really creepy…"

Almost with a wince, Severus' eyes retreated from the goblet and back into Lily's, letting his shield back down immediately. He'd forgotten that Lily knew nothing about his ability to Occlude. It was a skill he had acquired after their separation in his previous life, something he almost needed as a crutch to function after she left him at the Gryffindor portrait. Shaking his head hastily, he quickly made up an excuse. "Just concentrating, is all. Still didn't work."

His frustration was obvious to Lily, who meekly offered a suggestion. "Perhaps it's just symptoms of the concussion, and you'll recover from it? I can't imagine something so severe being a lasting effect. Wizards have had head trauma before and I've never heard of anything like this being anything more than a passing breeze."

With a sigh of defeat, Severus cast his eyes downward. Lily didn't know that he tried to cast before the concussion, and it was pointless to make her worry further until he had more answers. "Perhaps. I suppose it's good luck that none of my remaining O.W.L.s require use of my wand or spellcasting for practicals. Besides Potions on Monday, it's going to be quite a dull week. Arithmancy, Astronomy, History, and the Ancient Runes make-up on Saturday."

"Same here, minus Arithmancy for Divination. Oh! I'd forgotten to tell you, I cast a Patronus during the Defense Practical!" She proudly announced, grinning happily.

Severus' eyes lit in surprise, remembering his own inability to cast the Patronus Charm until after Lily's death, remembering the sight of the silver doe they both shared. He wondered, offhandedly, if even she would appear anymore. "Impressive. Was it corporeal?"

"No, but I was awarded quite a few bonus points, because few in our year were even able to cast the incomplete one, let alone anyone casting an animal." The excitement in her voice was radiating, bringing that thin smile back to Severus' lips.

"Well, give it another year of practice, have a strong enough positive memory, and I'm sure it'll appear. You're a natural in the wizarding world, Lily." He was interrupted by the sound of the door closing, turning his head and his expression hardening at the sight. "Oh, bloody hell…" he muttered.

Turning her head to the source of the noise, Lily's heart sank. Skulking up the aisle was Jacob Avery, with his trademark, sneering glare upon Lily as he approached the bed of his Slytherin Housemate. Despite his obvious disapproval of her presence, he ignored her as he smiled a toothy grin to Severus. "Shame about yesterday, mate. We'll get the bastard back, though. Can't have him sullying our house's reputation."

The intruder flashed an eye to the plate of food, then snorted in Lily's direction. "Oi, Snape, tell this bint to take a hike back to her boyfriend. I got some questions for you about the Runes exam. Mulciber and Rosier were too busy cooking up their usual schemes to help."

Lily's expression locked into one of disgust as she turned her face to Avery. Her mouth was agape, speechless at his behavior.

Avery's lips lifted into that sneer again. "Got hearing problems? You should listen when your betters give you an order, Mudblood."

There was an audibly sharp intake of breath that was heard at the mention of that word, but it hadn't come from Lily. Immediately after, only one word was spoken.

"Apologize…" Far from empty, the deep voice absolutely resonated with obvious anger.

Startled at the source of the voice, Lily looked back down, only to gasp softly at the sight of Severus, wand drawn, pointing it at Avery. The look in those endless, onyx pools was subtle; in fact, Lily doubted many others had seen that look. It was the dark, hateful flicker that she had only seen Severus wear for James Potter before.

Avery raised a questioning eyebrow, honestly bewildered by Severus' behavior. "Apologize? What are you going on about, mate?" Turning back to Lily, his tone became even more aggressive. "I said get lost, Mudblood!"

Lily didn't know what happened faster: Severus jumping out of his bed to grab Avery by his collar, or her own, startled jump out of her seat at his seething fury. Yet she knew, despite the shock in her eyes that matched Avery's, that Severus wasn't close to expressing the full depths of his fury. That look in his eyes spoke only one thing: a coiled spring ready to pop.

Then came his voice, speaking so softly, so methodically, yet it was obvious to Lily that Severus was shaking to his foundation. "Say that word again, Avery." He pointed his wand to touch his housemate's throat, just above the Slytherin-colored necktie. "Say it again, and I'll feed you your own tongue after I cut it out."

The red-headed Gryffindor winced at her friend's words. Not only because it was such a stark contrast to his pleasant demeanor towards her, but also because, despite his earlier showcase of being unable to cast even simple spells, the way his voice flowed almost told her that he could do it.

"You're cracked, Snape!" Avery stuttered, eyes bulging. "This isn't you, threatening a fellow Slytherin over some Gryffindor slut!"

"Langlock!"

Avery's tirade was immediately silenced, his tongue affixed to the roof of his mouth. The only noise that pierced the silence was Avery's whimpering juxtaposed by Severus' rapid, angry breaths, which slowed and calmed as the moment passed.

Severus gradually lowered his wand and released the death grip on Avery's collar, causing the latter to sprint out of the hospital wing in silent terror. Following his housemate's retreat with his gaze, settling back onto Lily as black met green. His anger faded, morphing into what seemed like a protective tenderness.

Yet Lily's eyes only showed fear and confusion as she backed away steadily. That look, that threat, THAT had been the Severus of her nightmares, yet it came to her defense. Why? What was so wrong with him hearing the word Mudblood? She knew he'd used it before. What made this time so different to cause such a reaction?

Avery's words echoed in her thoughts. "This isn't you…"

Lily gasped at the realization. "No, it's not. It's just the concussion…"

Seeing her sudden show of fear startled Severus, and he looked into her eyes, searching for something. "Lily, please, wait!"

"I have to go, otherwise I'll be late for the Ancient Runes O.W.L." Her voice was quivering with fear and disappointment, filled with sadness. Unwilling to look into those ebony pools anymore, Lily turned her back to rush toward the exit, leaving Severus alone in the Hospital Wing without so much as a goodbye.

Author's Note: I'm not sure if I'll have an easily predictable schedule of what days I update this, but my goal is two chapters a week, assuming my well doesn't slow down. That being said, this is going to be a long road, so I hope I'm laying a decent enough foundation to start with.

As usual, reviews are appreciated! I love seeing feedback to content almost as much as I love writing it!