Author's Note: Thank you for reading! This Chapter's a little peek into what's going on between Lily and Severus. As always, read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter Three
Conflicts
Lily, library later…? – Sev
The one-liner note, scrawled hastily on a piece of parchment, was inserted in her Potions book.
She looked over her shoulder to where Severus was tossing ingredients into his cauldron. He had raised his eyebrows questioningly, a slight smirk on his lips, and she replied with a smile. It had been a week since the term began and they had had little time to talk. She missed him already.
"You're still friends with him…?"
Her best friend, Harriet, was comparing their potions. It was her weakest subject, and she would probably fail if Lily was not kind enough to constantly look over what she was doing. "Snape is bad news, Lily. He isn't one of us. The other day, he had a row with Bailey."
Bailey Baldwin was a Ravenclaw student. He was a handsome lad, pureblood, and the seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He was good friends with Lily, and she often said that if he was more of a risk taker than a logician, he would have been in Gryffindor. He had a crush on Lily when they were in their third year at Hogwarts. And during the first quarter of last year, he and Lily tried dating but realized that they were better off just friends. Lily wondered if that brief relationship had anything to do with the argument between Severus and Bailey.
"I didn't know that," Lily said, her brow creasing.
"Well, at least it didn't get to them drawing their wands out." Harriet said. Lily nodded. She knew that Bailey was not the type to get into fights.
Harriet continued, in her gossip-hungry tone of voice. "The story didn't get to me until this morning, really, when I overheard some girls at the Ravenclaw table talking about it. I missed out on how it started, but I think I got the gist of it. Snape started bashing Bailey's mother. She remarried last year, to a muggle, and had a baby girl this summer. Then Snape went on and on about how Bailey's little Mudblood sister was going to be a Squib."
Lily noted how appalled Harriet was, and her own frown deepened.
"Snape is just lucky that Bailey doesn't have a single bad bone in his body, or the results would have been disastrous. If it had turned for the worse, I bet the story would've spread like wildfire," Harriet finished saying, just as their Professor started walking around to check their concoctions.
"See you later, Lily," Harriet said with a wave. She was smiling sincerely in spite of her disapproval of Lily's friendship with Severus Snape. "Try not to do anything you're going to regret, okay…? Remember; he's nothing but bad news."
Lily laughed a little, slightly uneasy, and waved back. Harriet's story was still on her mind as she walked down the halls to the library. She always looked at Severus like a shy little boy who needed caring and protection. And that was how he was, several years ago. His first year at Hogwarts was not as they had expected it to be. Severus may have gotten into the House of his choice but he was still an outcast, disliked at first sight and hated second.
Before that, when they were still in their quaint little hometown, Severus had been more self-assured. He was the one who knew everything, and he had been the one Lily ran to. Then it was as though they traded roles. As the years passed and progressed, Lily watched as her best friend was constantly teased. She often stood up for him, despite the feud between his House and hers or, rather, his House and the other three Houses.
At first, Lily never doubted that it had been the right thing to do. Severus, after all, had always been kind to her. He accepted and praised her magic even when her own sister objected to it. He had told her all about Hogwarts and they had spent hours just talking about the magical world and all the wonders that would be available to them once they came of age. But every year, it seemed to her that Severus was changing. The fight he had with Bailey was not the first.
Without even realizing it, she had reached the library. Breathing deeply, she entered and headed to where she knew Severus would be; near the Restricted Section.
Severus was not much of a bookworm. But he liked the library. It was quiet, secluded, and the brawny bullies that often picked on him did not frequent it. Studious students were not often tormentors and he was safe from them. They could do no more than stare at him with antipathy in their expressions. And the Restricted Section was perfect. No one hung around there, worried that the librarian might catch them and assume they were up to no good.
He smiled as Lily approached, but it quickly faded when he saw the uneasiness on her face. "What's the matter, Lily…?" he asked.
"Severus, I'll get straight to the point, okay…?" she said. "I heard you had a fight with Bailey…" She pressed her lips tightly together and Severus frowned.
"Are you taking his side?" he asked, unable to keep the frustration from staining his voice.
"No," Lily replied. "I am not taking sides. I want you to tell me what happened."
He relaxed. Lily never was one of those girls who listened to rumors. "Look… His friends were… They said things… And he just happened to be there. It just happened that it was the only way I could fight back." Lily's uneasiness did not abate. "Lily, I'm sorry. It was wrong, I was wrong. But…"
She stopped him, and smiled slightly. "I missed you. How about we forget this…?" Right after she finished speaking, her mind reeled. She was overlooking his faults, like she always did. She didn't have to. Maybe she shouldn't. Why did she?
He, too, smiled. She was an angel. He loved her. How he wished he could tell her he loved her. They sat down on the floor and leaned on the wall, and then they picked up right where they left off a week ago.