Different

This is something I thought up one day and wanted to write. It's also a way of keeping my writing spirit alive for the time being.

It's part of my Severus Snape series but I'm not giving it a number. Just read it as its own thing.

Enjoy my newest story, "Different"!

Chapter One:

Welcome Back

Something was different and Lily could sense it. She could sense it in her friend who she had grown distant from over the course of nearly a year now. He was angrier, more brooding and further ant-social than he near was before. And it scared her.

Her friends continuously pressured her to cut ties with him, that he was toxic and was on the path of becoming a Death Eater. But she couldn't believe it. Not her friend. Not the young boy she had met all those years ago in the park of their hometown.

But the evidence was piling up against her beliefs.

He was using the foul name against other muggleborns like his housemates did. He's attacks against the Marauders were becoming more violent. And his distance from her proved her fear that he was trying to win favor with his housemates. That his fear of being seen with her was more powerful than their friendship.

And so she decided to talk with him later that night once their NEWTs were done. Before dinner she would confront him and give him an ultimatum. An ultimatum she hoped would be enough to him back.

She sat under the shade of a tree, with her friends next her as they talked and relaxed after a hard day of work on their tests.

But her attention was on the dark-haired boy under the bigger tree that was closer to the lake. She watched him as he read from a book and wrote in another. She caught his smile and she couldn't help but smile too. It looked as if he had discovered something as he wrote almost viciously into his other book. He looked excited, like a boy on Christmas Day.

It reminded her of the young boy she once knew and held onto hope that there was still enough of that boy inside him. That he wasn't completely gone. That she could reach him.

"Earth to Lily!" a voice broke her concentration. "You still with us?"

"Hm? What?" Lily shook her head and turned to Mary McDonald.

Mary raised an eyebrow and looked towards the one known as Severus Snape, sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Lily, we've talked about this. Let him go!"

Marlene nodded, "He's a greasy git and a Death Eater wanna-be. I've heard him use that awful word many times since the beginning of this school year."

"And I still remember him smiling at the attack Mucliber and Avery pulled on me," Mary's voice filled with anger. "He's a lost cause!"

Lily opened her mouth to protest, despite her fears matching up to what they were saying, but was interrupted by the sound of Potter's voice, catching her attention.

"Alright, Snape?"

All three of them turned and saw the Marauders approaching Severus, with Pettigrew and Lupin behind Potter and Black.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Black. "There'll be greasy marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Mary and Marlene giggled at the charming voices of the two Gryffindors.

Lily frowned at the silence that followed from her friend. It began to dawn on her that his body was frozen, and his eyes were staring off into the distance, right at the two Gryffindors. Yet, not really at them.

"I think's he's gone deaf, Padfoot."

"Come on, Snivellus! Stop playing around!"

When he didn't answer back, both boys had their wands out and pointing directly at him.

Lily rose and began to speed-walk towards the scene, pushing aside the crowd that had begun to form.

Suddenly, Severus's body began to float upside down, showing his undergarments as his robes fell. The crowd laughed, as did the Marauders. Even Lily smiled at the sight, while Lupin turned away in shame.

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted, managing to push through the crowd and confront Potter, her hands on her hips.

"Lily!" James pushed back his hair earning a blush from the red-haired girl. "You alright?"

"Put him down, Potter!" she demanded.

"I will, only if you go out with me," he responded. "Go on, go out with me. And I promise to never lay a wand on Snivellus again."

Lily scoffed, "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you or the giant squid. You think you're so funny but you're nothing but an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone!"

"Bad luck, Prongs."

"Um, James," Remus Lupin stepped forward, his face full of concern. "You should listen to Lily."

"Why? It's because of the fact that he exists that makes this so much fun."

"No, seriously, James!" Lupin pointed towards Severus's unmoving form. "You need to set him down!"

James Potter and Sirius Black turned their attention to Severus again, their eyes filling with concern at what their friend was talking about. Lily looked as well, and she gasped.

Severus Snape's expression was blank, and his eyes were wide open. He hung from the ground without concern of his wellbeing or any realization of his surroundings.

"Potter, put him down now!"

"Don't make me hex you, Evans! This has nothing to do with you. He's probably faking it."

"Do it now, Potter! Or else I'm getting McGonagall!"

James sighed, "Fine!"

He released Severus from his spell.

Snape's body fell to the ground with an unnerving crack that make everyone's hearts stop beating, especially Lily's.

She ran to the motionless body of her friend and fell to her knees.

"Sev?" she whispered next to him but got no response, making her very worried. "Sev! Please wake up! Sev!"

She turned to Potter, her eyes full of anger, "What the hell did you do to him?!"

Potter struggled to recover from his shock and worry, shaking his head, "I set him down, like you said!"

"You released him from whatever spell you used without knowing if he can land right without hurting himself! He could have broken his neck!"

Lupin ran forward after recovering from his shock as well and knelt beside Severus, checking his breathing and neck.

"No, he didn't break his neck and he's technically still breathing," he then turned his head and put his ear against his chest. "And he still has a heartbeat, though its unusually fast. Something is wrong."

"Did he break any bones?" she asked.

Lupin patted down the Slytherin's body and felt something beneath his back, "No, he landed on a tree branch. The fall didn't break anything else that we know of."

"Somebody go get a stretcher and fetch Professor McGonagall!" Lily cried out.

Only one person out of the whole crowd that gathered around the tree ran for the castle, making haste.

Lily got up and marched up to Potter, point in his face.

"What the hell did you do to him, Potter?!" she demanded. "He was fine before you approached him."

Potter's mouth fell open, "I didn't do anything. He was like that when we approached him."

"Yeah," Black nodded. "We got interested in whatever it was that he was chanting under the tree."

Lily turned to him, "What was he saying?"

Black shrugged, "Beats me. We couldn't hear him from that far away. Probably something dark and twisted, knowing him."

Lily glared at the two of them and declared, "If you've done anything to him, I swear I will make sure your bloodlines end with you, no matter how many witches you shag! Get me?!"

Both boys backed away and quickly nodded.

"Loud and clear!" they said in union.

Lily narrowed her eyes and turned away as a stretcher arrived, along with Professor McGonagall.

"What on Earth happened here?!" she demanded.

Lily relaxed at the presence of the Professor, "Severus landed wrong and has been like this ever since. He's not responsive."

"How did he fall?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the Marauders.

Lupin sighed, "Potter used some kind of spell to lift Snape by his ankle in midair. When he dropped him, Snape wasn't prepared to land right, though he doesn't appear to have any injuries."

"No surprises there, but why he has that expression. He appears to be dead."

"But his heart is beating, and he is breathing. He was like this before James lifted him in the air."

McGonagall glared at the two Gryffindors, "Ten points from Gryffindor from each of you for such foul behavior and disregard for your fellow classmate's wellbeing. And detention until the end of the school year. Someone help Mr. Snape up to the infirmary."

Lily watched as two students lifted Severus onto a stretcher and helped carry him up to the hospital, where Madam Pomfrey was waiting. She ranted about the Marauders' continue pranks and Severus's visits, while Lily stood by and watched as the witch nurse did her job.

After nearly thirty minutes, Pomfrey approached Lily and McGonagall.

"Well?" McGonagall asked.

Pomfrey shook her head, "His body is fine, but he appears to be in some catatonic state. His eyes are wide open and his body is still functioning like as if he is still awake. And his heartbeat keeping rising and falling. I've never seen anything like this before."

The doors to the infirmary opened as Headmaster Dumbledore walked in, his robes moving around him with sway as he approached them.

"Ah, Pomfrey," he smiled. "What news of Mister Snape?"

Pomfrey bowed, "Headmaster! He's stable but non-responsive. Something is keeping him in a catatonic state, I just can't determine what though."

"Will he live?"

"He's in no real danger."

"Good, keep me posted on his well-being. I wish to know when he wakes up."

"Yes, Headmaster," Pomfrey nodded.

Dumbledore turned to Lily, "You may go, Miss Evans. I will make sure you are informed when Mister Snape wakes up. Please enjoy this beautiful day out."

Though Lily wished to stay, she nodded, "Than you, Professor."

As she walked out the doors of the infirmary, she caught a glimpse of her friend's unmoving body before the doors closed.

The next three days were hard for Lily as she waited for any sign of improvement, but nothing changed. She would go to the infirmary every morning and night, her worry and fear rising when she saw that he was still the same. His eyes scared her the most, the way they hung open but held no life in them.

Her friends would pressure her for answers, begging to know about what was happening. Though they seemed more interested in what the Marauders did to him, despite their promise that they had nothing to do with what happened to Severus. But no one believed them, not even Lupin.

Only Lily, Lupin and some of the Professor held skepticism about their involvement, though they all did agree that whatever happened was not meant to produce this.

James and Sirius whined about their detention, believing that their actions were not that bad, nor that they did anything wrong.

But on the fourth day, when Lily went to see Severus in the morning, something finally happened.

She walked through the doors of the hospital and sat down next to Severus's bed, trying to avoid his lifeless eyes.

"Hey, Sev," she smiled, sadly. "I've… um, managed to take notes for you again, though NEWTs are already over." She signed. "I've looked through your book…" She paused. "… I know you'll be angry with me for going through it, but I needed to know what happened to you."

She turned away, tears forming in her eyes.

"I wish you would wake up, Sev. There's something… something I need to talk to you about. Something very important." She took a deep breath. "I can't keep this up any longer. Your friendship with both me and your… housemates.

"I don't understand why you hang out with them, Sev. What do you seen in them? They're evil and twisted. You know what they did to Mary and how I feel about it. How could you laugh at what they did to her?"

She shook her head as tears began to roll down her checks.

"I need you to decide between me and them. I need to know which one you choose, because I can't take this anymore. Either I'm your friend and they aren't. Or I'm just… a mudblood! There, I said it! Like how you say it to everyone else!

"And this!"

She held up the book in her hands, holding his personal diary.

"I've read through it and what I've read scares me, Sev. Use for enemies? Plans for power? Dark spells? You know how I feel about this! You know that I don't like the dark arts!"

She placed the book down on the bed next to him.

"If you can hear me, I need you to know that when you wake up, you need to make a choice between me and them. No middle ground or half choices. Just one clear answer. That's all I want from you. And I…

"… I hope you choose me."

As she got up and began to walk away, something grabbed ahold of her hand, making her cry out in fear. Turning around, she saw a hand on her wrist and looked to its source, her heart leaping with joy at the sight of her friend staring back at her, his eyes full of confusion.

"SEV!"

She embraced him with a tight hug that made him moan.

"Lil-"

She continued to hold him against her, breathing in his scent as she convinced herself that it wasn't a dream, that what was happening before her was real.

"Lily?" he sounded confused and dumbfounded. "What- what's going on? How-"

She released him and backed away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Pomfrey!" she cried out. "He's awake!"

Madam Pomfrey came rushing out of her office as she pushed Lily aside, who barely cared, and began checking Severus over.

"Pomfrey?"

"Come now, Mister Snape. I'm willing to let this slide because of your current state but you should remember your manners."

"What-"

"Now, hold still," the nurse began checking him while Lily turned away, blushing.

After ten minutes of analyzing him, Pomfrey took her leave to fetch the Headmaster, while Lily remained by his side.

Severus stared at her like as if she a lost artifact now returned to him, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Seriously, Sev," she blushed. "It's impolite to stare. And it's only been a few days."

Severus shook his head as he rubbed his eyes, "What- What do you mean? Few… days?"

"Don't you remember?" she asked.

Severus shook his head, "I remember… wait, did we win? Is it over?"

Lily frowned, "What do you mean? Sev, you're not making any sense."

Ignoring her, he threw the covers off of his body and let his feet touch the ground, making a run to the bathroom. Lily followed and stopped at the door, concerned that he may need a moment of privacy. She peeked through the door and saw Severus staring at himself in the mirror, his face full of shock as he touched the glass and then himself. He lifted his shirt and gasped, slowly touching the left side of his ribcage.

Lily could only watch in amusement and concern, unsure what to say or do.

"This-" he was beginning to pant, panic rushing through him. "How am I back? This wasn't supposed to be possible!"

Lily took a step forward, touching his shoulder.

Severus flinched and backed up against the sink, terrified.

Lily felt hurt by his sudden reaction but pushed it aside.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. "You had a pretty nasty fall and you've been in the infirmary for nearly four days now-"

"Four days?!" he gasped; eyes wide. "Lily, what… what day is it?"

She frowned, confused.

"Um, it's Friday-"

"No!" he nearly shouted, making her flinch. "I mean, what- What year is it?"

"Year? Sev, you know what year it is."

"Please… just… tell me..." he pleaded.

Lily stared at him in shock, confusion and pity, chopping it all up to the incident from four days ago. Her mind was already beginning to piece the puzzle together and deduce that he was experiencing memory loss. His sudden outbursts and random mumbling made sense to her in that regard.

"1976."

Severus's eyes widened as he stared at her in pure terror. His mouth dropped open as he slid to the ground and turned his attention to the ground, much to her relief. Tears fell from his eyes as he let out a small sob before closing his eyes and gaining control over himself. He formed fists and took a few breaths before he opened his eyes again and slowly rose up to his feet.

Lily watched in awe and fear, unsure of how to help her friend in such an emotional state.

Severus then looked up at his friend and began to smile, the same kind of smile she remembered from their childhood days before Hogwarts. A smile she feared she would never see again.

Walking forward, he enveloped her into a tight hug, surprising her as he breathed in her hair and scent.

"Lily," he whispered. "I've missed you."

That voice. She recognized it as the feel of cool air against her skin. An old feeling, she desperately had wanted to feel once again. And now here Severus Snape stood, hugging her in his arms without confliction or hesitation.

Ignoring her fear and confusion, she hugged him back and smiled.

"Welcome back, Sev!"

So, what did you think? Please leave a review of your opinion and thoughts. I really want to hear/read them.

See you guys later!