Same disclaimer as other chapters
author's note-sorry this took so long people :)-really I am...I've been so busy lately-I also hope the story plot line/style hasn't changed over time/because I saw the Harry Potter movie lol. If you find that it has-please tell me. Thanks :) and please review.
Ch. 7: The World isn't perfect
Lily Evans and Tara Richards sat on the Hogwarts Express talking about their summer.
Summer had been extremely boring for Lily, so she was actually glad that school was starting. She ha spent most of her time wondering what Jessica was up to. A few letters from Severus mentioning that Jessica was going to stay at his family's mansion for a few weeks did not help her state of mind.
"I haven't seen either of them yet," Lily proclaimed sounding very worried.
Tara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Jessica probably convinced him to skip school altogether and elope with her," she stated sarcastically.
"That wasn't funny," Lily replied angrily, "I'm worried."
"So am I," said Tara in a matter of fact way, "but there's nothing we can do about it now."
Lily sat up straighter and said determinedly, "Yes we can! We can start getting ready and planning what we're going to say to Jessica!"
"That would be pointless," Tara pointed out, "since Jessica will control the conversation anyway."
Lily ignored this comment and said, "My plan is, to talk to Severus alone before we meet up with Jessica, if its at all possible. He's been my friend for quite a while now and he should..."
Just then the door to their compartment opened and in stepped James and Sirius looking very pleased with themselves. Lily was a little surprised to see that Sirius had grown and was only a little shorter than James now.
"Lily! We found you!" They both exclaimed simultaneously.
They all laughed and talked for the rest of the train ride. Lily tried to put worry about Severus out of her mind, but she couldn't. She had to make him see sense. She had to make Jessica pay...she had...
***
The first glimpse Lily caught of Severus was on the train platform after arrival. At first she didn't recognize him, and only realized who she was looking at when he called out to her.
"Lily," he called, "come over here!"
She blinked, then blinked again. This couldn't be Severus. This wasn't Severus. Severus Snape was not that tall, he did not wear the trendiest robes, and he certainly did not have a pony tail.
It was not a long pony tail, she admitted to herself. It looked to her exactly like the one Wesley has on her favorite movie, "The Princess Bride." The pony tail even gave him a slight "Wesleyish" look, but that didn't matter. Severus wasn't Wesley, so he needed to cut his hair.
Severus got tired of waiting, apparently, for she had just finished this thought when she found herself face to face with him.
"Lily! Its so good to see you! I've missed you so much...well I guess I should have written more, but I've been so busy with Jessica..." He paused and looked at her sideways. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Cut your hair," she said curtly, and then looked very surprised she had spoken aloud.
"What?" He raised his eyebrows at her slightly and then changed his tone. "You don't like it? I've gotta say I'm surprised, because everyone else has. What's wrong with it? Doesn't it make me look cool?...Jessica suggested it after all...and as you know Jessica's..."
"Perfect," Lily finished wryly for him. "Really Severus, do you do everything Jessica asks you to do?"
"I wasn't going to say perfect..." Severus said, blushing slightly. "I was going to say stylish. I learned these past few months that she isn't perfect...she can be incredibly stubborn, and even...a little annoying. Personally, I don't really like the pony tail, but since everyone else does, I decided to keep it. Do you really think it looks that bad?"
Lily smiled slightly, "No, it doesn't...but its just not...you."
Just then Jessica walked up to them whining, "Sevy...you're keeping me waiting. Stop spending time talking to someone like her..."
"Someone like me?" Lily asked heat rising in her voice, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jessica gave her an annoyed look and muttered, "Severus understands."
Severus calmly turned towards her. "Actually, I don't Jessica, would you like to explain it to me?"
Jessica's eyes popped open and she stammered, "Uh..."
"Didn't think so," he turned back to face Lily.
Jessica snapped. "Sevy! How dare you ignore me! Stop talking to the mudblood!"
"What did you just say?" Severus said in a tense voice. "Because if you just insulted Lily, I'd take it back, because Lily is my friend. No one insults her."
Lily rolled her eyes slightly. Severus was just too full of himself.
"I'm not taking it back! Its true!" She said taking a step back, "And if that's the way you're going to be, you're going to have to make a choice. Me or Lily." With that she turned and stalked off to the coaches.
"Jes!" he pleaded after her. "Don't be that way..."
She kept walking and he didn't follow her.
***
"What am I going to do?" Severus groaned about a half an hour later. Lily, Severus, and all of his friends were seated at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall waiting for the banquet to begin.
"Why are you asking me?" Lily sighed. "Ask Lucius, he's a little more unbiased."
He turned slightly to face Lucius and waited expectantly.
"Uh...um..." the surprised Lucius said uncomfortably. "You should...er...Well..." He coughed. "What I'm trying to say is...no...well... Jessica's pretty..."
"All that waiting for this brilliant conclusion!?" Lily said mockingly.
Lucius glared at her. "But, as you just saw, Lily can be very mean," he said, irritated. "So, she can make your life miserable if you make enemies with her. In one week I guarantee she'll have James and his gang on a mission to destroy your life."
"Hmm..." Severus mumbled. "Pretty, destroy my life, pretty, life, pretty, life...I think I'll take Lily."
Lily's eyes flashed with anger, and Severus quickly added, "Because I like her better...er...Lily's a better friend..." He rushed on, "Jessica's just been trying to control my life or use me for my money or something."
"That's better," Lily said happily. "Now when are you going to tell Jessica?"
Severus moaned. "I dunno...do you think you could Luc? Or maybe even you Lil..."
"No," they both said at once.
"Well at least you two agree on something," he said with a weak laugh.
Just then the banquet started, and Lily sank back into her seat. She had been so worried about Jessica for nothing.
***
"Maybe she'll decided we can all be friends after all," Severus desperately said after the banquet when they were back in the Slytherin common room..
Lily sighed and Lucius grunted.
"That's the 100th time you've said that, but o matter how many times its repeated it won't be true!" Lily exclaimed.
Severus stood up and started pacing. "I just can't tell her! You don't know what she's like! She's practically got our wedding planned...and she's rather...forceful.."
Lucius nodded in understanding.
"You bunch of wimps!" Lily yelled, exasperated. "If you can't stand up to a little 100 lb. Girl...no matter how loud she can yell, you're worse than...than..Gilderoy Lockhart!" Gilderoy Lockhart was the wimp of the school. He was a 2nd year and constantly was getting beaten up.
"But, you don't understand Lily! She's...so..." Severus stammered.
"No she's not," Lily interrupted, "and until you can prove you're man enough to be my friend, I'm going to spend all of my time with James!" With that she stalked up to her dormitory.
After a minute of staring at her closed door she heard a loud, "bang" against it. She hurriedly opened the door and found a broken apart book sprawled on the floor. Turning it over, she burst out laughing to see it was the textbook for potions. She looked down nto the common room, but Severus was nowhere in sight.
***
The next day, Lily was as good as her word. She ignored Severus completely, and every free moment she spent her time with James.
James was happy to be receiving all the attention, and obliged her by talking practically non-stop. Through it all, Lily had a plastered smile on her face. She kept looking around for a glimpse of Severus.
He finally noticed. "Uh...Lil..." James said slightly uncomfortably. "Don't get me wrong, but is there some hidden reason you're talking to me so much?"
"Oh James!" Lily burst out sounding agonized, "its Severus! You see, Jessica told him he could only be friends with one of us and, well...he told me he picked me, but that might be because he's too scared or sad to tell me the truth! Last night he was saying he couldn't tell Jessica-and I yelled at him and made it worse! I could lose him as a friend-he's...my only friend in Slytherin."
James took a step back in surprise and then gave Lily a small hug. "It'll be ok, Lil-I mean, you don't need that greasy haired, pony tailed, idiot anyways..."
"You're not helping!" she moaned.
"Uh...I mean...even Snape is smart enough to see you're 100 times prettier, nicer, and all around a better friend than she is.
"Oh, I hope so!" Lily exclaimed worriedly. "I mean...I mean...Oh I can't take this anymore!" With that, she got up ad ran off in search of Severus.
She found Jessica first and was surprised to see her crying.
"Jessica?" she asked more curious than concerned, "What's wrong?"
"I...I hate...men!" she stammered between sobs. "They're two faced-pigs!" She broke off going into what Lily could only describe as hysterical crying.
"What happened?" Lily questioned, becoming more intrigued by the second.
Jessica took a deep breath. "Severus dumped me. He said I was a rat and that I only used him for his money. But-well-so what if its true! My parents are horribly poor! This year I had to sell Sev's gifts to me to pay for my school things."
Suddenly realizing what she was saying, she took a step back. "Why am I telling you? Fine...go ahead and laugh at me. I have nothing left to live for anyways." She broke off in another fit of sobs.
Lily's eyes widened in complete surprise. Was this really Jessica? "Uh, no I won't laugh at you, Jessica, but you ought to learn a lesson from this. You can't use people like that! Maybe you should go talk to your friends now, though, and they'll make you feel better...you can have a guy bashing party." Lily was very proud of herself for being so nice to Jessica after being her nemesis for quite some time.
Looking lost Jessica whispered, "I don't have any friends."
Lily stood aghast for a few seconds. When she recovered, Jessica was already running off in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.
***