Salvation

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." Lily Evans said, referring to one Severus Snape currently suspended in mid-air, courtesy of the Levicorpus spell casted by James Potter.

"I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on, go out with me and I will never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." James retorted, silently hoping she would say yes.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it were a choice between you and the giant squid!" Lily gritted her teeth and walked away, silently sending an apology to Severus and trying to ignore his injured eyes following her.

He would just have to pretend nothing had happened; Severus knew that very well. He was a Slytherin; James Potter was a Gryffindor. He was a half-blood; James was a pure blood. James was popular; he was just a greasy-haired, hook-nosed, friendless fifth-year. So what good would it do? No one would take his side. No one would say that they'd seen James bullying him.

But why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt to see Lily walking away from him? Why did it hurt when he saw the Marauders: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew laughing together? Why?

Potter would get bored of humiliating him after a while and go away, he knew. He would just have to bear with it till then.

Eventually, the time did come. Potter released him from the spell that Snape himself had created, sending him crashing down to the ground. Potter and Black went away, laughing together. No one even looked at him, pretending that nothing had happened. The lake was calm and as Severus looked at it, he wished he could become one with it; calm, but ruthless.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approach him.

'Now that's a first,' he thought, now looking directly at Remus Lupin coming towards him. He stood in front of him, conveying a silent apology with his eyes. Remus reached out with his hand, which came to stop directly in front of Severus' face, wanting to help him get up.

Severus looked at him questionably; why was he doing this? Did his friends tell him to do that; to humiliate him once again if he reached out and just grabbed his hand?

"I'm… I'm not going to hex you, you know." A softly whispered voice came, tenderness coating it. The type of tenderness that made Severus sick.

Severus looked at Remus' hand once again; did he want to take it? Did he want to make himself vulnerable for someone to stab him in the back once again?

So, he did the only thing anyone could've done in his place: He slapped Remus' hand away.

Getting up himself, he sneered at Remus, just to satisfy himself, and took off towards the castle grounds.

He had been offered salvation, and he had refused it. Severus Snape would leave his own mark on the world, and no one would be able to come in his way.

The End

A/N: Umm…yeah…that came out weird…