Scene 3: Getting There

They sat in their own compartment, away from that pack of messy Gryffindor boys. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. All Gryffindors, through and through. Especially James. What was his last name? Whoever he was, he couldn't be a pureblood. He was terrible. None of them surprised Severus one bit. Except for maybe Sirius. Perhaps he had thought a bit more of that one, if only for his family name.

He had heard tell of the ancient Black family, as renowned as the Malfoys among wizards. All their pride and honor and pure, pure blood. This boy, however… 'Sirius' had been a problem since the very beginning, his mother had said. No one had high hopes for him, though the entire family focused much of their efforts on quashing all his hateful Gryffindor ideas out of his being. Severus almost laughed. It was foolish, to attempt such things. It was already apparent to Snape what the boy would become. Nothing. No one. All four of them were headed nowhere fast, and he was loathe to believe that was ever going to change.

Lily sighed. The soft sound shook him from his thoughts, and he focused instead on her. She stared out the window. Wistful, reminiscent. He knew she was thinking of her sister. Petunia. The despicable little Muggle girl who always got in the way. Perhaps Lily was finally giving up on her. He thought maybe she might. Petunia never did anything but push her away, and into Severus' arms. He moved to sit beside Lily. He touched her shoulder, letting his hand run over her silken red hair. She stayed still. Not shying away, not responding. Her put an arm around her and took a deep breath. He had to be strong. For her.

All his own fears, all his worries, should come to naught in the face of her problems. But they didn't. He couldn't bury his fears or his worries. So he simply pushed them away, and put on a brave face for her.

"It's going to be okay."

She finally lifted her face to look into his. Like emeralds, her eyes glittered in her porcelain complexion. Seeking reassurance. Seeking kindness and love. He could offer her none. But he could pretend.

"How do you know that, Sev?"

"Because I know you. Lily, you were never nervous before, and you have no reason to be now… you, of all people, have no reason to worry. You're pretty and you're smart. You're strong and you're brave. Plus, I've never met anyone who is so ridiculously nice, either. It's almost sickening, how kind you can be." He pulled a face, "You are an excellent student, so you will surpass all expectations in that field. Overwhelm all your teachers, vanquish the competition. Enchant them all with just a smile. You can bat your eyelashes and toss your hair, that'll pave your way into any club, open doors to even sports like Quidditch. Mainly because they are all run by silly Gryffindor boys with lots of looks and no brains… no, sorry, you're right — that's completely irrelevant. Truly, though, there's no reason to be frightened in the least, because you will always be the last person they want to leave behind."

Snape sucked in a long breath, wheezing slightly.

Lily's eyes had widened to twice their normal size.

"You have a very big vocabulary for an eleven year old boy." She responded dully. Her eyes got even bigger when she heard what she said and she ducked her head self-consciously. She blinked rapidly and looked at him again. The beginnings of a smile on her face, she said quietly, "Thank you."

He did smile. Being there with her, it was hard not to.

Severus was not quite happy. He was certainly not sure of anything.

But he could be as she wanted him to be. He would do as she had taught him.

For now, at least, he would pretend.