"Leave him ALONE!" I heard her yell.
Potter and Black spun around faster than I could have imagined. Potter's free hand went where it did every time Lily was in his line of sight –his hair.
"All right, Evans." Potter said trying to sound much more mature than he really was.
"Leave him alone". I heard Lily repeat. It made my heart soar that she was looking at James with every sign of loathing. "What's he done to you-
"Well." Potter said. "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."
I felt my skin grow warm when many people sniggered. I noted that Lupin didn't and of course Lily didn't.
"You think you're funny." Lily said in a voice that made me flinch. I knew the wrath behind that voice. "But you are just an arrogant bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."
"I will if you go out with me Evans." Potter supplied. Yeah right. "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."
The Impediment Jinx was wearing off and I prayed Lily kept them occupied until I could reach my wand. I hacked up another wad of soapy spit as I crawled.
"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid." I heard Lily utter.
"Bad luck Prongs." Black said just as I wrapped my hand around my wand. "OY!" but he was too late I sent a silent Sectumsempra at Potter before I sat up.
I felt a rush of satisfaction when I saw a deep gash appear on his cheek.
Next thing I knew I was upside down in the air flashing most of the Hogwarts student body. I felt my face burn with mortification when I heard loud cheering.
"Let him down!" I heard Lily yell. The burn of mortification grew hotter. I had promised Lily I would buy new under things not that long ago. She had a bad habit of riffling through my drawers at home and had come across the pair I was currently wearing.
"Certainly." Potter said just before I fell onto the ground hard.
About the time I made it to my feet Black cast "locomotor mortis!" and I keeled over again, only this time rigid as a board.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. I saw she had out her own wand and had it pointed to Potter and Black.
Embarrassment ran through my veins. I had a girl protecting me. And not just any girl but Lily!
I heard James say something, then Lily reply before Potter turned back to me and muttered the countercurse.
"There you go." I heard him say as I fought my way to my feet once more. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus…"
That was the last straw for me.
"I don't need any help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" I yelled in frustration.
"Fine. I wont bother in the future. And I'd wash your underpants if I were you Snivellus." Her voice was full of anger and hurt. I had royally fucked up this time.
"Apologize to Evans!" Potter yelled. Didn't he know that was what I was trying to form in words as I gaped like a fish out of water?
"I don't want you to make him apologize. You're as bad as he is…"
I was too busy trying to come up with a way to apologize to my best friend for insulting her out of turn that I didn't hear what they said except for "you make me SICK!" from Lily before she turned and left.
I heard Potter calling to her and I slipped away running as fast as possible. I knew were Lily was going.
The Library.
A good half hour later I found her. She was in the upper level all the way in the back. She was crying. Over what I said. I felt lower than hippogriff dung.
I walked slowly to her. She was leaning against the wall between two bookshelves with her head on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs with her bag sitting about a foot away from her. I saw her wand sticking out of her bag.
I crept closer and closer before I head her let out a heart-wrenching sob.
I fell to my knees in front of her with a soft thud. It was loud enough to make her stop sobbing and look up at me.
Her beautiful bright green eyes were red and puffy.
I watched as those eyes I loved so much change from shock to anger and hurt again.
"Go away." She growled.
"Merlin… I'm so sorry Lily…" I tried.
"No you are only sorry I am mad at you." She said not looking at me. "You call everyone else with my parentage that. What makes me different from them?"
"I… you…"
"That is what I thought… please Severus. Just go away." Her tears ran nonstop now.
"Lily… please. I'm sorry I said that. It… it was wrong."
"Yes it was. Please leave." Her voice cracked on the word please.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you…"
"Please, Sev. Just go." She said before she put her head back on her knees. She was quite for a few minutes after I shifted and sat across from her.
She must have assumed I had left because she sobbed loudly again. I had to be a masochistic fool. Because I stayed. I stayed and listened to her cry until I am quite sure she cried herself to sleep.
I cast a notice-me-not charm over her and myself before I conjured two blankets and covering her with one after her breathing evened out mostly.
Hours later I woke in a dark room with a crick in my neck and my back felt like hell. I looked around and saw Lily was still sitting like she had been while I was still awake. It was late and we had missed diner.
"Oliver!" I called out softly. The house elf arrived with a rather loud crack. Lily stirred but she didn't wake up.
"Master Severus! Why are you sleeping on the floor?"
"Long story Ollie. Can you bring Lily and me something to eat? We missed diner."
"Right away master Severus." He said before he left with another crack. This time it woke Lily.
She jumped like she had been hit with a stinging hex.
She blinked owlishly around her before she saw me.
"Sev?" she asked and I nodded. She smiled before she remembered what I called her then she looked away. "I thought you left."
"I didn't."
"Obviously not." She muttered darkly before her stomach gave a loud growl.
"I'm sorry Lis." I whispered again. She had adored the name since I had said it sometime near the end of our first year.
"Sev… I… how could you?"
"I didn't mean to. I was mortified. It slipped out. I didn't mean it. I don't think that way about you. It's… its just being surrounded by Pureblooded Slytherins all the time has gone to my head."
"Then don't hang around them!" she said like it was the most obvious thing ever.
"I can't just not hang around with them."
"Why not?" she asked offended.
"Whom else might I hang around?"
"You have me." She said in a little voice.
"I know I do. I love… the fact that I do but its just not that simple. That would be like telling you to drop all of your friends. I wouldn't do that to you."
"But I like my friends." She countered hugging her legs closer to her.
"And I like mine. In a weird roundabout way."
"I know…" this was an old argument. "I just… it hurts to see you with people who think so little of me…"
"I could say the same you know?" I said looking at the floor.
"I know." She mumbled softly.
I was about to reply when Oliver returned.
"Here you are master Severus. Oh! You are awake Miss Lily. Oliver brought you some of your favorite muggle fruit snacks."
"Thank you Ollie. Do you think you could take us to the seventh floor?"
"Yes, Miss Lily." He said before snapping his fingers and we landed on the floor of what I assumed to be the seventh floor corridor. Without another word Ollie left.
Lily stood and streaked before pacing back and forth a number of times in front of the tapestry on the wall.
"What are you…"
"Shh!" she hissed before turning to the wall and opening a door I hadn't seen moments ago.
"Where are we?" I asked as I looked around the room. It looked like a common room but it had a door off to the side and two four-poster beds. There was a dresser next to each bed.
"It's commonly known as the Come and Go Room or the Room of Requirement." She said placing her bag on one of the couches and walking to the bed next to the bathroom and opening the door to the dresser.
"Yours." She said absentmindedly before going to the other one and opening it only to pull out a light green nightshirt and a pair of cut off sweatpants shorts.
"I'll change in the loo. You change out here." She said sending me a smile before ducking into the other room and shutting the door.
I stared at the door for a moment before I quickly changed into a pair of drawstring sweatpants and a gray shirt. About the time I pulled the shirt over my head I heard the bathroom door open.
When I looked up she was staring intently at my shirt.
"Lis?" I asked softly.
"Food…" she mumbled before going to the couch in front of the fireplace and digging into the food box Oliver had brought.
I followed her a moment later.
She handed me a sandwich. It had to be ham and cheese by the look of disgust she was giving it. She had a thing against ham.
"Thanks." I said before biting it.
"Mmm." She said around a mouthful of gummies.
After a while of complete silence other than the fire crackling.
"Lily…" I said waiting for her to look at me. "I am sorry. I will never utter that foul word again as long as I live." I promised as I took her small hand into mine, looking her straight in the eyes.
"I believe you." She whispered softly. "I'm glad that tomorrow is Saturday. If it wasn't I would be sleeping all day anyway. Come on. I'm tuckered out." She said unfolding her legs and stretching once more before moving to the bed next to her dresser.
I watched as she turned down the bed and climbed into it before I made my way to the loo. Once I had brushed my teeth and emptied my bladder I returned to the other room.
I heard Lily's soft yet uneven breathing. She was still awake.
"Sing to me." I heard her whisper after I was in the other bed.
"Do… do you forgive me?" I asked quietly.
"Yes." She said softly. She didn't say anything else so I couldn't help but chuckle before I sang her and myself to sleep.
All was well… for now.