The Untold Story

Chapter 8: Wizarding Writs and Ways

September 3, 1971

Lily had considered not attending Herbology as she ran toward the Gryffindor tower, but she didn't want to miss a class within the first week. She wondered if Hogwarts sent letters home to parents about missing classes and in the end just decided to get through her last class before she cried herself to bed. However, she wished she had missed Herbology. Potter, who she supposed, was trying to cheer her up, kept, annoyingly, calling her "Lily-Flower" and "My Lady" as he passed planting tools to her. Professor Sprout was a dark haired, recent graduate with little teaching experience and was therefore not an experienced disciplinarian. Marlene and Mary had both tried to talk to Lily, but she just ignored them and dwindled class time by playing with the soil and pretending to plant. She missed home…

Even dinner was a solemn ritual. Lily played with her food dully and ignored the concerned looks Marlene and Alice were giving her. At least it's Friday, she thought glumly. Luckily for the first years, the teachers had been gracious enough to not give them homework during their first weekend. Not that Lily cared, she just didn't understand why Severus didn't want people to know that they were friends. Is he embarrassed to have a… a person like me as a friend? Is it something I did? He wasn't embarrassed before. Does he hate me now? She felt tears prick at her eyes. No, she scolded herself, you will not cry. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye as she roughly rubbed it and stood up.

"Lily?" Alice said watching the redhead rush out of the Great Hall.

"Don't worry about that slimy git, we'll get him for you!" James shouted after her.

"Don't you dare James Potter." Marlene said before standing. "It's none of your business anyway." She turned to Alice, "Let's go." Alice nodded in agreement before standing up.

"What did I do?" James questioned Sirius as the girls left. Sirius shrugged before shoving a piece of chicken in his mouth. What would mother say now? He wondered rebelliously, throwing his etiquette lessons out the window.

"You were being insensitive." Remus muttered from beside them before looking up. "I'm tired." He yawned. "You coming Peter?" he turned to the boy next to him, who nodded.

Sirius watched the two walk away. "What happened to those two?" James asked him.

"Who knows?" Sirius shrugged as he stared at the starry ceiling of the Great Hall.

Up in the Gryffindor tower, in the girls dorm, Alice and Marlene tried to comfort Lily, asking her what happened, and why she was crying.

"I don't get it!" Lily said softly. "He was fine before."

"Severus?" Marlene asked. Lily nodded. Alice sighed before standing up and crossing the room.

"You have to understand the situation he's in Lily." Alice told her.

"What situation? All I see is…" Lily paused for a moment before lifting her tear-streaked face to look at Alice. "Does this have to do what that guy… Fabian, told me?" Alice nodded.

"So, it's true. Slytherins hate muggleborns." Lily said in a horrified whisper.

"No, it's more complicated than that." Marlene explained.

"The wizarding world is made up of what we call pure bloods, half bloods and muggleborns, or, crudely said, mud bloods." Alice said. Lily nodded.

"I know. The pure bloods don't like the muggleborns and the half bloods are looked down upon to a certain extent as well, but that doesn't matter anymore, right?" She looked at them hopefully.

"Not necessarily." Marlene replied. "Some pure bloods don't care about blood status, but other do."

"Wizarding politics is complicated Lily. Maybe even more so than muggle politics. Wizarding children are taught politics from a very young age. We're forced to put mottos to family names, and memorize the diplomatic relationships between the Ancient and Noble families - a group of twenty eight pureblood wizarding families." Alice said monotonously.

"Most wizarding families who find muggleborns distasteful try to get sorted into Slytherin. According to history, Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Slytherin house, believed that magical learning should be kept within magical families. He believed that muggleborns were unfit to learn magic." Marlene told Lily sadly.

"Unfortunately, some wizards still believe that today. Most of them get sorted into Slytherin - that's what people think anyway - but there are some in every house who believe this." Alice explained gently. "Severus happened to get sorted into Slytherin."

"And the Slytherin house is in the middle of the political vortex of the wizarding world." Marlene added. "Most of the children who have politically prominent family members are sorted into Slytherin."

"You have to understand that Severus is trying to keep both you and himself safe. The Slytherins already know he's a half blood, most of them will shun him. Adding you into the mix puts both of you in danger." Alice looked at Lily with a blank expression. "You always talk about how smart Severus is. I think he's dumb." Lily opened her mouth in protest, but Alice went on. "If he really was as intelligent as you say, he should've broken off your friendship as soon as he got sorted into Slytherin. For him to still be hanging around with you… he cares for you Lily… he cares a great deal. And you childishly running to him in public is not helping him."

"Slytherins value conformity and unity, and they will destroy everything in their path to make that a reality." Marlene stated grimly. Lily looked at them and wiped her tears away.

"And what about you? Do you hate muggleborns as well?" She sniffled before looking up at them.

"No." Marlene shook her head. "I don't believe in it." Alice nodded in agreement.

Severus had promptly left Transfiguration, his last class on Friday, to his dorm room. He kicked off his shoes and laid in bed with his curtains closed. Dinner did not really entice him and he ignored the protests of his hungry stomach. Many times, he had gone to bed hungry...what was one more day?

I f*cked up so bad. Lily is never going to forgive me, he thought morosely. He had just lost his only friend and he felt as if his heart was broken into a million pieces. Logically, he knew that this would be the perfect moment for him to push Lily away and cut all ties with her. However, he couldn't. He could not just stop caring and loving Lily.

"I am so dumb!" he chided himself in a low voice. "I should have realized that Lily wasn't fitting well into Hogwarts. Why didn't I even ask her?" Lily had always lived a happy, loved, sheltered life and he should have anticipated that she may miss her family. "Of course she isn't going to be happy to have food on her plate and no drunken father!

This was just another thing to add to the list of "The Infinite Reasons Severus is an Idiot." He would apologize and beg Lily until she forgave him. Even if Lily never forgave him, Severus promised himself, he would always look after her. After all, he did not have any other best friend. There were only two people he loved and cared about: his mother and Lily.

And so while others joyfully ate dinner - Lily talked to her friends, two Gryffindor boys plotted mischievously - Severus Snape was all alone in a cold dark room. He eventually fell asleep, a lonely boy in a lonelier world.

AN: Don't be silent readers! Please let us know your thoughts and constructive criticism is also welcome.