Chapter 2

A/N We will be trying to post a new chapter once a week, probably on Mondays, just as a heads up. We always love reviews to know what you think so far too :)

Also, we own no part of Harry Potter, that all belongs to the amazing J.K Rowling. We love her.

"There you go," James said to him, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" He retorted, instantly regretting his remark as he saw Lily blink at him, surprised for a minute before her expression turned stone cold.

"Fine," She said coolly, "I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I was you, Snivellus."

"Apologize to Evans!" James roared at him, wand pointed threateningly. He almost wished James would hex him for a moment. Lily Evans, his best friend, his true love, now hated him. There was nothing left for him to do.

Snape woke with a start and stared at the blank ceiling as his dream slowly floated from his mind. His head was pounding from drinking too much last night and the feeling of regret became as fresh as it was when he had first uttered the unforgivable word; Mudblood. His heart was heavy as he mechanically rolled out of bed and staggered out of bed. He tromped out to his kitchen for breakfast with vague thoughts of whipping together a potion for his head.

Ever since he had been out of Hogwarts, he had lived in Spinners End. He had lived there with his neglecting parents who constantly fought until they both died, leaving him alone in a house filled with nothing but horrible memories from a subpar childhood. Having little money however, he was forced to remain in his old house and try to ignore the unpleasant thoughts that crept toward him in every room. He had, though, stayed in his old room rather than move into the master to suppress the worst of his home memories like his father's abusiveness towards his mother and the screams they had procured.

Lost in his thoughts, Severus was barely aware of his hands producing the headache cure he knew by heart by the numerous times he had to make it. As soon as it was done, he drank a serving and immediately felt the soothing effects of the cure and felt marginally relieved as the pounding slowly subsided. With his mind newly cleared and focused, the events of last night came spinning back to him, including the meeting with the Dark Lord in which he had been assigned a specific and important task. Reckoning he had better begin tracking Dumbledore sooner rather than later he immediately set off towards his room to change into his robes and begin contemplating where Dumbledore could possibly be.

Not Hogwarts, he decided. It was too early for him to already be at his school, even if he was headmaster instead of just the transfiguration teacher. Perhaps he would be out in Hogsmeade, visiting one of the numerous pubs, bars, and shops. It was a town famous for its various attractions and was very inviting to the common wizard. Unable to fathom another location for the Headmasters possible location, Severus set off at once and apparated to to the popular wizarding town.

The town, which was brimming with people, was not the ideal place for someone to be when they were trying not to be seen. Severus kept his head down as he made his way out of the middle of the street. It wasn't exactly a secret that he was into dark magic, and for that people stayed away from him. He didn't need anyone telling the Aurors that he was a Death Eater.

It didn't take long for him to reach the end of the street where the Hog's Head Inn sat, dingy as ever. He opened the doors softly and walked in, slipping in the corner of the entrance. Dumbledore sat at the bar with a butterbeer in hand, completely oblivious to Severus' arrival. Only two other people occupied the bar, and one was coughing up something he couldn't see, but was quite sure he didn't want to see.

As Severus stood there, he felt odd in a way he had never felt before when tracking someone for the Dark Lord. But something about Dumbledore was different. Nothing about him personally made it hard for Severus, it was something more. Albus Dumbledore had been the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts when he was still young enough to be a student there. Back then, Hogwarts hadn't just been a school to him, it had been a home away from home. More importantly, it gave him a complete environment away from all the fighting and hardships he had to endure as a child, and that he was eternally grateful for.

Sitting a safe distance away from his old teacher at the bar, Severus ordered a drink; a flask of pumpkin juice, rather than an alcoholic drink given the time of day and last nights endeavors, as he had no desire to repeat his horrendous hangover from this morning. Minding he kept his face hidden while continuing to watch the old man, Severus began to let his mind wander a bit more freely than he possibly should have done, given the relevance of his assignment.

His mind wandered back to last night, back to the possibility of that laugh and that hair belonging to none other than Lily. Lily Evans, as he still thought of her, though he had heard that she had married Potter. The thought of this repulsed him however, as did the thought of Potter himself. He had also heard that she had given birth to a son sometime in the middle of last years summer. He couldn't, or wouldn't, depending on a person's mindset, however, count these as facts, seeing as he had scarcely talked to Lily since they had both left Hogwarts four years previously.

He longed to see her again though, to see if she was the same as she had always been, her timelessness always awing Severus. If he could just talk to her again, perhaps they could renew their long lost friendship. Of course, there was the problematic situation of him being a Death Eater, something Lily had always despised. This made sense though, seeing as she was a muggle-born witch.

The scratching of a chair on floor re-awakened Severus from his reverie as Dumbledore pushed out his bar stool and stood up. For a moment it seemed as though he had spotted, and recognized, Severus, but the man just continued out the door and Severus contemplated the possibility that he was just paranoid of the man's omniscient legacy. Deciding it seemed as though Dumbledore was doing nothing worth noting today, Severus decided to end his pursuit and, once the old man had left the bar, followed suit and stood up to leave. Once he was at the edge of the busy town once more, he turned on the spot to return to his home.