'Eyo, guys! I know, it's been forever, but university has been quite a bitch lately.

Actually I had planned to study, but then I read the reviews, that CookieSpells4 and Shikaku Ryoko had left, and thought fuck it, I go on with writing :D
Sorry for the language guys, but you really made me happy ;)
Another thank you to FonzFan, rosebaby123, Slytherin-Heiress1 and Shedaisies who are now following the story!
Keep going with the reviews please ;)

Lots of Love
Jez


Severus chuckled as he watched Aerwyna grumble and pull on the formal dress, she had borrowed from Imogen, who was currently sitting on the couch in the common room, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Oliver wasn't so discreet as he laughed openly at the short dark-head.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Go. There!", she whined, giving up on the dress and glared at the three of them.

"Relax, Wyna, it's just one evening. And it's not that bad, really", Severus tried to calm her, patting her shoulder.

Her glare turned into a frown as she stared up at him: "One evening?"

"For now", Oliver jumped in, laughing.

Imogen slapped his arm: "Don't be like that! You look pretty by the way, Aer."

"Yeah", the other girl sighed sarcastically, "I look like I'm going to attend a trial."

"Well, close enough", Oliver laughed harder.

She jumped at him.

"Aerwyna! Stop! I'll be good, I promise!", he yelled as she tickle-tackled him.

"Come on, chimera", Severus pulled her off the older boy, who panted: "Gods, she's strong for such a little thing."

Severus led Aerwyna down the hallways to Slughorn's office, where her first Slug Club Meeting should be held.
She sighed annoyed constantly and he rolled his eyes, what caused her to sigh even deeper.

"Here we are", he said and pushed the door open for her.

The room looked a lot different than the last time she had been here at the beginning of the school year.
It had been enlarged fivefold and there were candles everywhere, causing a soft, warm light.
Carpets covered the wooden floor and paintings the stone walls.

All in all it was not an unpleasant view.

In the middle of the room stood a large, rectangular table at which Slughorn sat on one end, so he could overview the event.
Aerwyna spotted Lily and hurried over to take the seat beside her.
She was currently talking to Mary MacDonald, who shot her a disapproving look.
It took all Aerwyna had to not stuck her tongue out at her.

"Aerwyna Rivers! Glad, you could make it", Slughorn had waltzed over, giving her his first real smile since she had started her school career.

"It is a pleasure to be allowed to attend the meeting, Sir", she lied, giving her best fake-smile.

Severus chuckled beside her, but made it to turn it into a cough as Slughorn greeted him.
Aerwyna sighed nearly inaudible and sank back in her chair. The reason for her great disliking towards the Slug Club was mostly Slughorn himself.

She didn't like to crawl up his arse after he had ignored her existence quite successfully for the past four years. At first it had hurt her and made her angry, but in the course of years she had accepted it and started to appreciate the fact, that she could lay around in the common room, while Severus had to dress up and hurry to another pointless event.

The evening went by rather slowly and Aerwyna took glances at her watch every five minutes.
After dessert everybody stood up and started small talk with one another.

Severus started a conversation with Dirk Cresswell about the newest developments in the Goblin Liaison Office, Lily approached Aerwyna and said:

"How do you like the Slug Club so far?", she nudged the shorter girl.

"Are you seriously asking me this?", she muttered back, crossing her arms annoyed in front of her chest.

"You should be thankful", Lily's expression turned hard.

"Why?", Aerwyna frowned.

"You could have been expelled, but instead you are now part of an elitist group."

"I do not place value on such things."

"You should be grateful."

Aerwyna got angrier by the minute, staring at the red-head: "You are jealous."

Lily laughed dryly: "Why should I?"

"Because you wouldn't have been able to do what I have done."

Lily looked at her, frozen. She couldn't possibly mean that.

"You can't be serious!"

"I am. You don't react fast enough. Your movements are sloppy", Aerwyna couldn't stop herself, although she saw Lily's cheeks flush with anger.

"You can't brow a simple potion!", the Gryffindor shrieked.

Suddenly Severus appeared beside them, looking from one to the other.

"What do you say, Sev?", Lily asked with raised eyebrows and crossed arms.

He opened his mouth, but closed it again looking like a fish gasping for water.
Lily cocked her head, staring intently at him.

"I…", he trailed off, his gaze grazed Aerwyna, but it clung to Lily's face.

Aerwyna felt suddenly sick.

"I have to get out of here", she mumbled, spun on her heel and hurried away from them.

She excused herself from Professor Slughorn and ran back to the common room.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she fell onto the couch, agonizing over the feelings that left her confused and baffled.
Slowly she sorted out what she had just experienced.

And then realization hit her. Severus loves Lily.

The sick feeling returned to her stomach, her hands clutched the fabric of her dress.
No, no, no, no!
The image of her mother's face as she stared into Tobias Snape's eyes crashed into her mind and she felt disoriented for a moment.
She took a few deep, steadying breaths, closed her eyes and opened them again.
Leaning back she stared at the opposite wall, without really seeing it.

After an hour staring and mentally stuffing her emotions into the farthest niche of her mind, she yomped upstairs and crashed down on her bed after pealing Imogen's dress off her body.

Before drifting off to an uneasy sleep, she took a decision. She would do everything to make Severus happy. She would get them together.


The next morning Aerwyna woke up, her body tense and heavy.
She stretched, rubbing her eyes, but then noticed a shadow at the end of her bed.
Yelping she jumped up.

"Aer, calm down, it's just me", Imogen's soft voice reached her.

She dropped back on her bed and sighed: "Gods, Gen, you scared me!"

"You tossed and turned in your sleep. Even more than usual. Are you okay? What happened last night?"

The memories came flooding back to her and she shivered.

"You finally realized it, didn't you?", Imogen stretched out her hand to grab Aerwyna's.

Aerwyna felt startled and stuttered: "Wha- What are you talking about?"

"Severus loves her."

A moment of complete and utter silence followed.
Stormy blue eyes met calm brown ones, the final truth sinking in.

"Yes", Aerwyna dropped her gaze.

"You have to let him go. Otherwise you will always chase after a dream."

"A sunflower I left behind…", Aerwyna muttered, the bright yellow clear in her memory, causing a light smile to curl her lips.

"Move on."

"I would do anything to make him happy."

Imogen stared at her for a moment, but Aerwyna didn't see her.

The only thing she saw were the soft, bright petals of her sunflower.