Tuesday January 7th, 1975

Severus was nervous that morning in Potions, absorbed in his thoughts. Occasionally Lily would chance a look at him, hunched over his cauldron, chewing his lower lip in a thoughtful, almost worried fashion as he counted out the right amount of shrivelfigs or ground up lace wing flies in his mortar and pestle. He seemed preoccupied to Lily, and though they talked in class, she could tell that his mind was elsewhere.

"Sev," She said, after pouring an ounce of dried nettle into her cauldron, "You're about to add an extra ounce of Nettles."

Severus looked at the jar of nettles in his hand. "You're right," he said, and set them on the table. He leaned over his cauldron and peered into the metallic blue mess that bubbled there.

"You're distracted," Lily said.

"Just thinking," He said dismissively, and looked at her. Her sleeves were rolled up around her elbows and her long red hair was held back in a loose braid. She gestured with her hand towards his cauldron.

"Well, you'd better think of your potion, it's starting to boil."

Severus swore and poked at the fire with his wand, reducing the heat and stirring it with a grimace.

Towards the end of class, Slughorn was going about the potions lab, examining the contents of everyone's cauldrons and making a comment or two to each student about the quality of their work, giving bits of advice where needed, encouragement in some cases, and a helpful suggestion here or there. Students were talking quietly, waiting to be formally dismissed after he made the rounds. When Slughorn got to Lily and Severus' shared table he peeked into their cauldrons and had only words of praise.

Before he wandered away and on to the next table, he turned and looked at them. "Would you mind terribly popping down to Greenhouse three to get me some Glorywort leaves?" He asked.

In no position to refuse, they nodded their agreement. After class, bundled up against the cold, they had left the relative warmth of the castle, trying not to slip down the frozen steps outside the great front doors, or in the icy muck on their way. Several inches of fresh snow crunched beneath their shoes, but in other places the path was a dark slush of mud and ice. It was cold but bright, however, and Severus was in a good mood because walking to the Greenhouse would serve as the perfect opportunity to ask Lily if she wanted to. His heart pounded and his palms were sweaty in his gloves despite the cold.

"'Radical Potionmaking' is so excellent, really breakthrough." Lily told Severus as they gingerly made their way down the long sloping hill towards the greenhouses.

"It's amazing to me that more people haven't embraced the philosophy." She said, and slipped a bit. Severus grabbed her arm to steady her and she laughed a little at herself, getting her footing.

"I think the reason more people don't go by his methods is because most people don't have the confidence in their ability to brew on the fly." He said. "You and I are different, it comes naturally to us. Not everyone is as good as you or me."

"I guess that's true," She agreed. "I am really enjoying the book, I know I already said thank you, but really, I do appreciate it. I think it's going to improve my brewing."

Severus smiled at her- she was so animated and full of life when she talked about the things that interested her, her love of learning was infectious.

"And you know what it said in 'Radical Potionmaking?'" Lily asked.

"What did it say?" He asked her mildly, amused by her passion and pleased that his gift was such a success.

"It said that you don't really need to stew the spider eyes if they're not fresh! I've been wasting time all year, can you believe it?"

"Lily, I want to tell you something," he said, and slowed his walk to a halt. His heart was like a frightened bird in the cage of his ribs. She stood beside him, peering up into his long face.

So now she would hear what had been bothering him, she thought to herself. Her mind went through a list of things it could possibly be, from his drunken, fist-slamming father to his sinister friends.

"What is it?" She asked, immediately concerned.

"I think.." He started off, and began again. "I mean to say.. Would you want to-?"

"Look out Snape, ya' wanker!"

Later that night, Severus turned over the day's events in his mind until his thoughts seemed polished and hard like stones. He was lying still on his bed on his back above the blankets, Lily's kerchief held loosely in his left hand. He looked at his blood that had stained the delicate cloth, and saw Lily's pale pretty face in his mind's eye, saw her mouth pulling down in disapproval as she had told him than he was better than his impulse to fight James back.

Though his two attempts to ask Lily on a date had been disastrously interrupted, he was heartened by her obvious annoyance at Slughorn's sudden appearance in the greenhouse and thought he would definitely try to ask her again soon, but this time he would do it when he would be certain that no one would interrupt them. Potter and his friends had a nasty way of turning up exactly when Severus least wanted them to, and it triggered Severus' suspicion and inherent dislike of him.

He pictured James Potter's swollen face with satisfaction. It had felt good to see Potter fall under his own curse, humiliated, his smirking grin hideous and bloated. He deserved every second of it, and more, Severus thought to himself vengefully. He didn't know how exactly, but he knew that someday, he would see Potter get what he deserved.