Disclaimer: All mentioned characters are property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 10. Sealing fates

As Severus made his way to defence against the dark arts class that morning, he never could have guessed, despite knowing this class was to take place with the Gryffindor students, just how horrible this day could be. How much it would change the rest of his life. Something made him uneasy that morning, there seemed to be some invisible shift in the air, or some unheard whispers in the halls. But when he stepped foot in class that morning, some invisible hand seemed to clench around his heart at the sight of Lily Evans laughing amongst the Marauders. She was leaning close to Potter, eyes beaming and lips turned up in a radiating smile. Too often, Potter would bend close to her, pushing a strand of her glossy hair over her shoulder, and whisper in her ear. What struck Snape the hardest though, was that not only would she let him, she would be positively glowing. And even if he couldn't be certain from where he stood, he was nearly positive that the two had their fingers tightly woven together. It made him sick.

All of a sudden, it was too much. He needed to know. He never could have brought himself to violate Lily's mind the way Legilimency permitted him to, but he had no qualms about invading Potter's. And so, even if he still had a long way to go before becoming a perfectly skilled legilimens, he was positive he would be successful in breaching his mind. At this point, Potter's mind was practically screaming to be read. And so, clearing his mind, it took but a few seconds and the images were swarming into him, uncontrolled, unadulterated.

His lips, tracing their way from her jaw to her shoulders as his body presses hers to the mattress. Her fingers, running up his bare chest as her hips press up against his. Her eyes rolling to the back of her head with his name on her lips. A soft moan. A shirt discarded, followed by a belt - trousers. Hands roaming. Bare skin. Her hands in his hair as he's sighing her name. Eyes boring into one another, he pushes into her. It's soft, full of love and care and endless passion. The desire is burning him. And then she's resting against him, falling asleep in his arms as he kisses her hair. And he loves her. Has always. Will always. And her eyes open, just slightly. Just enough that she can peak into his "I love you, James".

It hits him like a ton of bricks and it takes all his willpower not to gag. He can't believe it. Lily, his Lily. She turns to him as his books fall to the floor and he can imagine how absolutely awful he must look because he feels the color drain from his face and she's looking at him, and even if they haven't been friends in years, her eyes are wide with worry. He can't move though. So she does. And without him knowing how or when she got there, she's standing right in front of him.

"Sev? Are you ok?" He doesn't quite know what does it, probably the use of his old nickname, but suddenly his mouth snaps shut as his eyes jump to hers. A blinding rage burns threw him but the words that escape his lips are barely above a coarse whisper. He's not even sure that she'll hear him.

"How could you?"

"What?"

"You let him. You and - you let that - that swine - he - he's all over you!"

"Sev?" She's blushing now. But he can't possibly know, there's no way. So it has to be something else that's bothering him. She reaches out to grab her old mate's shoulder. "What are you - "

He flinches back at her friendly movement as if she had hit him.

"Don't touch me! Don't pretend - don't you dare lie to me!" And before she can decide on what to say, he's glaring at James.

"It's disgusting is what it is." He spits looking back at her. And as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Lily would never understand what had happened that day. And although James had a very good idea, having heard a very disgusted and very angry 'you hurt her and I swear I'll kill you' in his mind at the exact moment that Snape had been glaring at him, he never told her.

And despite her knowing that her actions the night before had sealed her and James' lives forever, she never knew that this very moment had sealed another. She would never know that when her old friend had looked back into her eyes, something inside him had snapped. He might have already started down a different path than her, but in that moment, he had reached a point of no-return. In that moment, he swore to become a more powerful man that she could ever believe. The kind of man that she would have no other choice than to be enamoured with.

And Snape would understand far too late, that she never wanted power. Lily Evans was a woman that wanted love and courage. And above all else, she wanted loyalty. It would be her death sentence that would stir those things within him. It would be her execution that would finally bring forth the man she knew he always could be. The man she could have loved.

But it was in those moments, that their lives were sealed.