CHAPTER 14: THE MEANING OF FRIENDSHIP

Monologue

(Lily POV)

Ever since that night on August the second, Lily Evan's mind has been in mess. So many things had happened, so many things that made her so confused, that it seemed to be turning her world upside-down and back up again, then back down again, then back up gain, her thoughts going around in circles, having no specific direction.

That night, on her father's 50th birthday, Death Eaters visited their house, with the intention of killing her and her family. There was nothing they could do, Lily knew they were outnumbered, and even just two or three of those Dark Wizards would have been enough to take down five inexperienced underage wizards and two Muggles.

Lily knew it was hopeless. She knew there was no way out of it. It was over. They were going to die. The Death Eaters fired their Killing Curses, there was no way out, there was no escape…

"RHO AIUS!"

"GET BEHIND IT, ALL OF YOU!"

Then something shocking, something unexpected, something that was even more nerve-racking than the fear of Death itself happened.

"Hmmm... You've wasted all that magic, yet you can't even penetrate a single layer of the Aius. How disappointing…"

A mysterious girl appeared before Lily and her friends, and not just any girl…this girl, who introduced herself as Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya…

She looks just like me…her hair isn't the same color as mine but…her face is just like mine…her voice is just like mine…even her eyes are exactly like mine… Lily was locked in her thoughts.

The girl then engaged the Dark Lord's servants. A part of Lily was telling her that she should help, that she should not let anyone fight You-Know-Who's people alone…

But she couldn't. She couldn't move. She was frozen, gripped by her emotions, more confusion than fear, all the red-haired girl could do was watch…

"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

Then another shocking event was thrust into Lily's already confused mind. The raven-haired boy, her former friend, the one who was a lover of the Dark Arts, the one who was a follower of You-Know-Who, the one who was taking the path of evil…the one who betrayed her for his ambition to become a Death Eater…her former best friend who she had been friends with until just a few weeks ago…

The raven-haired boy Severus Snape, Sev, who Lily thought was treading the path of Darkness, appeared, and fired a devastating spell at their attackers, as he caught the white-haired girl who looked so much the red-haired girl, the scene so much like in one of those romantic novels Lily had read…

Sev…that voice a while ago was him, wasn't it? What is he doing here? That explosive spell? Dark Arts? I knew it…Then why…Why did he use on You-Know-Who's followers? Weren't they his friends? Weren't they his allies? Why does it not seem that way? Wasn't he supposed to be the one who lead them here in the first place…then why does it seem like he's protecting us? No…why is he protecting us?

And that girl…

Just who is she? Why does she look like me? Why is her face just like mine? Why is her voice just like mine? Why is it that even her eyes are just like mine?

She looks like me. She sounds like. But she isn't me.

And Sev…What is his relationship with her? Is she an acquaintance? A lover? An old friend?

The black wandless spells she was using… that was Dark Magic, wasn't it?… so she's also a Dark Wizard?…but the flower spell… that was hers… even Killing Curses couldn't destroy it…why did she…why did she cast it in front of us…why did she not use it for herself… why did she cast it to defend us?

Having seen so much, having heard so much, having witnessed so much, having had to process a lot of thoughts in a short time, Lily Evans felt like her head was about to explode.

The red-haired girl endured as the Ministry officials interviewed them, asking questions, on their uptake of what happened. But Lily was in a daze, her mind was flying, and she was only half-listening. Fortunately her friends were there, and the Aurors were understanding enough. They simply asked them to swear never to tell anyone else of what they experienced, not even their parents (of course, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, who had a front row seat, were an exception.). If they did it will have consequences. Lily and her friends had no choice but to agree (not that they would go against orders from Ministry officials).

Lily watched from a distance, as she saw the raven-haired boy and the white-haired girl playing with a little brown-haired girl.

Lily wanted to talk to him. Lily wanted to talk to her former friend.

She was confused. She was distraught. She did not know anymore. Still, her mind was able to process everything into four short sentences… in her mind, in her thoughts, without shouting out loud, she screamed inside her head…

WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON?

I MUST KNOW!

I NEED TO KNOW!

I WANT TO KNOW!

...

A day passed. Everything was back to normal.

She remembered everything, but only vaguely now. The Daily Prophet reported that the Aurors fought against You-Know-Who's supporters in Diagon Alley and a certain Muggle residence area.

The red-haired seemed to vaguely remember a hooded figure telling her of how she caused them problems, then how a white-haired girl said that it was her, that they were mistaken.

Lily read the news over and over again, telling herself, convincing herself…

It wasn't real. It was just a dream. It was all just a dream. The Death Eaters attacked and the Aurors arrived just in time to rescue us. The girl…Sev…they were probably just illusions created by the shock that run my imagination at the time…

Lily Evans spent the next few days doing her homework, busying herself, focusing on her studies, distracting herself. If she did so, then she will forget everything eventually, and it will be nothing more than a nightmare that passed, and she should have already awoken from it…

Just a nightmare…just a dream, the red haired girl continued telling herself.

…

Then, Lily Evans woke up one morning feeling great. It was a fine and sunny day. She thought of going out to relax for a bit. She had finished all her homework. What happened a little over a week over was nothing more than a bad dream to her now.

It was nice for the red-haired girl. She had been staying inside her house for over a week, and bit of sunshine and fresh air was good for her. She greeted the people she met respectfully, and they greeted back nicely as always. However, there was something which slightly bothered Lily…

Why are they staring at me? the red-haired girl thought, as she noticed some of her neighbors were looking at her in a peculiar manner.

As she inspected herself to try and check what it was they were all looking at, she noticed that the clothes she was wearing, was already a bit faded. The red-haired girl thought that perhaps this was the reason. The last time she bought new clothes for herself was during the Christmas break.

Maybe it's time I bought some new ones, Lily thought to herself. The red-haired girl then remembered the clothes she tried on at Madam Janet's some three weeks before. She especially liked a white blouse, with rose shaped designs.

The red-haired girl decided that it was time to get herself some new clothes…

When she got to the store however, she was at first annoyed to learn that the clothes she planned to buy had already been bought by someone else, almost shouting inside the building, exasperated. As far as Lily remembered, since she turned fourteen two years ago, there was rarely anyone who had the same body fit as her.

She was irritated.

To think that someone would actually buy the exact same clothes she planned to buy. She was fuming. The manager tried to console her by saying that there were clothes arriving later that month, but Lily couldn't help but continue pouting.

Now what I am supposed to do? This is the only shop in town where there are clothes that suit me. Lily thought to herself. She was just about to turn and leave the shop when…

"Um…excuse me, Madam Janet?" Lily heard her own voice…no, a voice exactly like her own voice.

The red-girl turned around, and found herself face to face with herself… no, with someone who looks exactly like her, except that the hair was silvery-white.

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. Lily Evans was petrified, frozen, stiff as stone, stiff as a statue. Everything that happened immediately rushed back to her.

That night…the Death Eaters…the battle…Sev…and…this girl…who called herself Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya.

She was frozen. Her senses weren't working properly. Just half a minute before she was irritated that she would not be able to buy clothes. Now, it didn't seem to bother her too much. It didn't even bother her that the girl was wearing the blouse she had been eyeing for a while, or that she asked Madam Janet to have clothes her size reserved for her (Even in her numbed state of mind, Lily Evans could still tell that her and the white-haired girl's body fit would be identical), meaning that Lily would not be able to acquire any.

The white-haired girl left the shop, eyeing the red-haired girl, emerald eyes staring on emerald eyes, a small smirk on her lips.

Lily was shaken. Everything else, all other thoughts processes in her mind was haulted. She did not even notice, did not understand what the shop employees were asking her, only few words and phrases, like "do you know her?", "related," "alike," "come again," were heard by the red-haired girl's ears, but did not reach her brain's response unit….

…

Lily Evans arrived at her house and onto her bed. She did not even remember how she got out of the shop, how she managed to get home, as her mind too was deep into itself. Too many things to process, too many things to think about, but there was one thought that finally became clear in Lily Evan's mind.

What happened that night…it wasn't a dream…

End of Monologue

-BREAK-

Flashback

(Lily POV)

"Lily, are you sure you're okay dear? You seem depressed"

"I'm fine, Mom. It's nothing to worry about."

Lily had not got out of bed for two days, and her mother has been worried. The red-haired girl had been deep in thought, trying to think of what she should do next.

Unfortunately, she had not been able to decide on anything. The only option that came to her mind was talking to her former friend Severus Snape. However, Lily, despite the fact that the raven-haired man had come to save her life, still resented the fact that he was infatuated with the Dark Arts and had hurt her, calling her a Mudblood.

The spell he used to save her, while aimed at the Death Eaters, was definitely Dark, and therefore evil, from Lily's perspective. Therefore, the red-haired girl was at loss, torn between forgiving her friend or not. Sev saved her, but used Dark Arts to do it.

It was already four in the afternoon. Unable to decide on anything, Lily Evans went out of the house, thinking that a nice walk and some fresh air will help clear her mind. She walked around aimless, and when she noticed, she realized that she was absentmindedly headed in the direction of the old park.

Then…

"What, I have to jog eight rounds today?" a familiar male voice cried out, exasperated.

"Yes," replied a familiar female voice that sounded like Lily's own. "Yesterday, you succeeded in finishing seven, so I increased it by one."

"But I only barely managed it!" replied the male voice, the voice slightly panicky.

Lily's froze for a moment. Then, as quietly as she could, she approached the old park, hiding herself from behind a tree, and peeped into the park to see who were conversing.

"Well, then, after finishing seven rounds, you are to perform three hundred push-ups and curl-ups instead, three hundred each," Lily saw the white haired girl talking to the raven-haired boy.

"What?" Sev asked the white-haired girl incredulously.

"Well, then choose, the extra round, or the push-ups and curl-ups?"

The raven-haired boy started grumbling inaudibly for a few seconds.

"Is this really necessary, for me to learn magecraft?" Sev said.

Magecraft? thought Lily, as she leaned a bit nearer so that she could hear more, her curiosity aroused. She had read the word before, but never actually heard anyone say it before. Could it be some kind of Dark Arts? the red-haired girl thought nervously.

"It is," replied the white-haired to Lily's former friend. "Keeping yourself physically fit is important for any magus or wizard, or any person, even non-magical people, for that matter, and it is indeed extremely crucial for those who use magic."

The white haired girl took a deep breath, then continued.

"As I already told you before, the type of magic I use is far different to the kind of wand-swishing theatrics you wizards are used to doing. If you wish to use learn magecraft, then it is best that you are at your best condition, not only mentally, but also physically."

The raven-haired boy was still grumbling, apparently his body's aches overriding his ability to think straight.

The white-haired girl sighed.

"You and I both know that Lord Voldemort will probably try to have us eliminated again eventually…" said the girl.

Lily couldn't help but gasp, and hoped that she wasn't noticed.

"He and his followers may have their hand full at the moment, but once they have some time they will definitely come to try and kill us."

The raven-haired boy's face suddenly became serious.

"I know that, Ilya, I know that," said the raven-haired boy. "Which is why I've been doing my best, both to learn more of your magic, and teaching you about mine. However…"

"Sev," the white-haired girl began. "Let me put it this way. Magic, both your brand and mine, can be very dangerous and effective against enemies. However, to try and use high level magecraft when you are not sufficiently trained or ready… well, you actually have a better chance of surviving an encounter with the Death Eaters or Lord Voldemort. You would end up killed by your own magic."

The red-haired girl was now straining her ears, trying to make sure she catches every word.

The raven-haired young man fell silent.

"If you can't control your own magic," the white-haired girl continued, "how can you protect yourself? And if you can't protect yourself, how can you protect the people you want to protect?"

"I guess you're right," the raven-haired boy surrendered.

"Don't worry," chirped the white-haired girl, her voice now cheerful. "I will begin teaching you once I see you are ready. For now, though, you are fifteen minutes late from our usual schedule…"

"Right, I better get going now," Sev replied. "I'll come back once I finish running." The raven-haired boy tried to get away, but the white-haired girl grabbed one of his arms.

"And as punishment for being the cause of the delay in our schedule," said the white-haired girl, a chilling smile on her face. "You will complete eight rounds and do the push-ups and curl-ups as well, are we clear?"

"Ye…yes Ma'm," the raven-haired boy replied, seemingly instinctively.

"Okay, I'll see you later then, Sev."

"Yeah, see you in a bit, Ilya," replied the raven-hair, as he went off jogging.

Lily watched the exchange silently, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret and jealousy . As far as the red-haired girl could tell, Sev and the white-haired girl were close.

In the past it was her who was by the raven-haired young man's side. They were friends, best friends, for a long time, but now there was someone else standing in that place, and to make it worse, it was someone who looked just liked her.

The white haired girl now went and sat down on a swing. After a few minutes however, she suddenly spoke.

"You know… it's rude to spy on people," said the white-haired girl in a cold voice, as she stood up from the swing and turned around to face a tree. "Come out, I know you're there. You've been watching us for a while now."

End of Flashback

-BREAK-

(Lily POV)

They were alone in the park, in the park where she and Sev used to play when they were kids. In front of her was the white-haired girl who resembled her in almost every way except for the hair. They were about two meters away from each other, standing face to face.

Lily Evans wanted to ask the girl, she wanted to know about so many things, about her and Sev's relationship, about their magic (which, to Lily, seemed like Dark Arts), about the reason why You-Know-Who wanted to kill them, about their battle with the Death Eaters, about why she and Sev saved her(Lily) and her family, so many things.

However, for some reason, the red-haired girl was lost for words. She did not know what to say. She did not know where to begin. Now that she was standing in front of the person who could provide her answers, the words just wouldn't come out.

"You wanted to ask me something, right?" the white-haired girl asked the red-haired girl.

Why, why can't I say anything? Lily thought inwardly. She couldn't understand why but she couldn't and thus, she remained silent.

"Nothing, you have nothing to ask me?" said the white haired girl. "Very well… I for one though want to ask you a question."

The white-haired girl's emerald eyes slightly narrowed, although her expression remained calm.

"What do you mean when you say Dark Arts, or Dark Magic?" the white-haired inquired.

Lily did not expect the white-haired girl to ask her a question.

"The Dark Arts are…well…"began the red-haired girl. "Are any kind of magic which is used to cause harm and hurt people, I guess, and the kinds of magic and practices banned by the Ministry are also Dark Arts and Magic."

"I see," said the white-haired girl. "So it means any magic that results in a negative effect to the well-being of another person? Any kind of magic that can harm or hurt people?

Lily nodded, not knowing how else to answer.

"Now then, I would like to ask you another question," said the white-haired girl, and this time the red-haired girl felt a chill emanating from the person in front of her. "Why did you end your friendship with Severus Snape?"

Lily did not expect such a question to be asked, but she had answered this question before, when she was asked by her parents (Her friends never asked her because they have been expecting and wanting her to break her friendship with the Slytherin anyway, so there was no need for explanation.), and therefore she answered automatically.

"Because he's infatuated with the Dark Arts," Lily answered automatically, and her voice gradually began rising. "Because he wanted to join You-Know-Who. Because he wanted to serve the Dark Lord! MERLIN! HE WANTED TO BECOME A DEATH EATER!"

Lily found herself gasping for breath as he shouted out the last sentence.

"Is that all?" inquired the white-haired, her voice quiet, her face still impassive.

"That's not all!" the red-haired began. "All this time I thought he was my friend! But I finally realized that wasn't the case. He may have once been my friend, but not any more! He was in too deep! He was hanging around his Death Eater loving friends, hexing and hurting people, using Dark Magic, Practicing the Dark Arts…For God's sake, he called me a MUDBLOOD! A MUDBLOOD! After all this time, I finally realized, SEV WAS NOT A GOOD PERSON! HE WAS EV…"Lily Evans ranted, but she was suddenly cut off by a scream that sounded like her own voice, but stronger in volume than her own shout.

SEV IS A GOOD PERSON! HE IS NOT EVIL! It was the white-haired girl, her emerald eyes narrowed dangerously. She was furious.

Silence fell between them. Then, the white-haired girl regained her composure, as when she spoke, it was in her calm voice again, but Lily Evans could tell that she was still really angry.

"I will ask you another question then, Ms. Evans," the white-haired girl stated. "Do the Marauders, specifically people named James Potter and Sirius Black, use Dark Magic?"

"No, they don't!" Lily replied automatically. "They're not that kind of…" but the red-haired girl once again fell silent.

The white-haired girl started giggling, a giggling which eventually turned into laughing.

"Oh, my," the white-haired girl cried out, as she tried to control her apparent mirth. "That really hit the spot."

Now it was Lily's turn to turn red with anger.

"What's so funny?" the red-haired girl said, scowling at the white-haired one.

"Tell me again, Lily Evans," said the white haired girl, still apparently struggling to restrain herself. "What do you mean when you say Dark Arts and Dark Magic?"

"It's magic used to hurt or harm people, it's"…

"And the Marauders do not hurt people?" the white-haired girl asked in a mockingly inquiring voice.

"Yes they do," the red-haired replied almost mechanically. "They would jinx and hex people for the fun of it, but they don't use Dark…"

But Lily was once again interrupted as the white-haired girl started laughing again.

"Didn't you just tell me that Dark Arts and Dark Magic is any magic used to hurt people?" the white-haired asked, still laughing.

"What do you mean?" the red-haired asked angrily.

"Well, the Marauders use magic to hurt, harm, and bully people, but they don't use Dark Magic, right?" asked the white haired mockingly, putting stress on the words magic and Dark Magic. "The magic they use harm and hurt people, but it's not Dark Magic?"

Lily fell silent. She did not have any retort. She was confused. She did not know what to say.

"You know what I think?" the white-haired girl began again, and this time she was no longer laughing. Her voice was calm, but Lily could feel the chill emanating from it. "I think you were just looking for an excuse. After all the years you and Sev were together, after all he's done for your sake, you were just looking for a chance to throw your best friend away and make it appear like the whole thing was his fault."

THAT'S NOT TRUE! cried the red-haired girl, as her emerald narrowed and stared straight into a pair of identical ones.

"Oh, really?" the white-haired girl did not raise her voice, but every word from her were drillingly cold, and it would have been better if she just shouted. "Then why did you end your friendship?"

BECAUSE HE CALLED ME A MUDBLOOD! BECAUSE HE HURT ME! shouted Lily Evans.

"Really?" said the white-haired girl in her quiet cold voice. "Did he ever once put you in harm's way? Did he, at least even once, tried to harm you, to curse you using, as what you say, his so-called Dark Magic?"

Lily Evans was a mess. She wanted to escape, she wanted to get away from this girl who looked so much like her. Every word the white-haired girl spoke hurt her. She didn't want to hear. She didn't want to listen anymore.

But she couldn't get away. She couldn't escape, as if a part of the red-haired girl wanted to stay and listen, and thus she was unable to move from the spot where she was standing.

"He never did, not even once, did he?" the white-haired girl said quietly. "He never even once, tried to hurt you. And even though he was hanging around his Voldemort-loving friends, none of them ever tried to harm you, because Sev did everything in his power to keep you safe. And just because of one, tiny little word, Mudblood, you disregarded all that he's ever done for you, and threw him away like a rag doll. Even someone like James Potter would probably never be so cruel to do something like that to his friends."

"Did Sev put you up to this?" gasped Lily Evans, as tears started pouring from her eyes. She was hurting. Every word the white-haired girl spoke pierced her heart. "Did he ask you to do this? To hurt me?"

The white-haired laughed once again, soft, but cold.

"I think you should know one thing, Lily Evans," the white-haired girl began. "During the night that the Dark Lord's servants attacked your home, I never actually intended to come. I actually never wanted to help you."

Lily Evans felt as if another electric shock coursed through her. After all the white-haired girl told her, she completely forgot that she and Sev were the ones who saved her, were the reason she was still alive.

"It was Sev," the white-haired girl continued. "Sev cared for you dearly, even though you hurt him, even though you were the one who threw him away, still, he did not want to see you hurt. Despite everything, he still cares for you a great deal, and he went through great lengths to keep you safe, even defying his own desire to join the Dark Lord. He sacrificed his belief, his ambition, his path, for your sake. Severus Snape is as true a friend as can ever be. And true friends are rare. He was true to you, but you were never true to him."

Lily Evans could only stare at the identical pair of emerald eyes that the white-haired girl wore, and realized that the young woman was speaking from her heart. Yet, every word she spoke, seemed to strike at the red-haired girl's conscience.

"Yet you never even considered it, did you?" the white-haired girl continued in her cold voice. "The only reason I went with him was because I didn't want to him to die. I wanted to protect him, because he is my friend, and he would do the same for me, for I am his friend. But you, you did nothing. You just stood there, watching, as Sev fought for your sake against seventeen murderers, knowing he could get killed in the process."

"You never even saw Sev, did you? All you ever saw was yourself, am I right, Lily Evans? Ever since you were kids, whenever you felt sad, whenever you felt like crying, whenever you had a little misunderstanding with your sister, you always ran to him. You always went to him to seek comfort, even though you also knew for a fact what kind of home he had. You knew he was being abused. He never told you, but you knew the kind of father he had. You knew that he was always in pain. Yet you ignored it. As far as you can tell, he was a nice piece of tissue on which you could dry your tears."

In an instant, without realizing it, Lily Evans ' legs suddenly sprang to life. Before she could stop herself, she dashed forward and slapped the white-haired girl on her cheek, as hard as she could.

HOW DARE YOU! Lily Evans shrieked.

I can't take it anymore. I have to get away from here. I need to get away from her, thought the red-haired girl desperately, for though part of her refused to acknowledge what the girl was saying, part of her acknowledged it as the truth. Lily Evans felt like she was being torn apart.

"I'm right aren't I?" smirked the white-haired girl, as she touched the cheek on the which the red-haired girl's palm hit.

Suddenly, Lily Evans felt a chill, a fear for her life. She remembered, that the girl standing in front of her, was a powerful witch, who could hold her own against many powerful wizards, and for an instant, she felt like she was about to be killed.

Emerald eyes stared into a pair of emerald eyes. The red-haired girl's eyes showing guilt and fear, the white-haired girl's showing cold conviction.

For a split second, Lily Evans thought she was going to be attacked, but instead...

"I'm leaving," said the white-haired girl, as she turned her back on Lily Evans. "I don't want to waste any more of my time sharing and breathing the same air and space as someone like you."

"What did you say?" shot the red-haired girl at the white-haired girl.

"I do not want to stay in the same place as someone like you," the white-haired repeated.

"How dare yo…" but Lily Evans fell silent when she felt the aura emanating from the girl who has her back to her.

"I will say this again. Sev, he truly saw you as a friend, but you only ever saw him as a tool. You. Used. Him. You and I both know his true self, his true nature. He is a kind-hearted person, but you never saw him for who he was. You only abused the fact that he was kind, yet you never ever truly returned his friendship. He was always there for you when you needed a shoulder to cry on. But you were never there for him when he needed one. You, and only you alone, mattered."

Lily Evans wanted to refute, but she couldn't speak.

"You know, Lily Evans," said the white-haired girl. "Sev once told me that you were the best and only true friend he ever had. He regretted hurting you and losing your friendship. He was sorry for the fact the he hurt you so many times, the time he called you a Mudblood."

The white-haired girl paused, and then continued.

"Sev told me that he was never even worthy of being your friend, and that he was lucky that you had always been there by his side. He said you were the reason why he managed to refuse joining the Dark Side."

Lily Evans felt as if her heart was hit by another arrow.

"You know what, Lily?" the white-haired girl said, using her first name as if to put a lot of emphasis. "I think it was actually the other way around…You were the one who was never even worthy of being his friend, you were the one who was lucky to have always had him by your side..."

The white-haired girl started walking away and left, leaving the red-haired girl alone in the park.

Lily Evans fell to her knees, and cried, hot tears pouring down her eyes. But it was so much more painful now, for she was alone, there was no one there for her, no shoulder she could lean on…

-BREAK-

(Severus POV)

The raven-haired man was finally on his eight and last jogging round around Spinner's End. He was only ten minutes from the park, where Ilya was waiting for him. He was tired, he was panting, but he could do it.

It seems like my stamina is much better than before, thought Severus, then he sighed inwardly. Now all I have to worry about are those hellish push-ups and curl-ups.

As he made a pass around his house again, however, he thought he saw a white-haired girl walking around, and stopped.

"Oh, hey," said Ilya, waving her hand at the raven-haired boy. The white-haired girl started walking toward him.

What is going on? thought Severus. Don't tell me she planned to leave me at the park feeling stupid? That wouldn't be very…

But the raven-haired man was frozen from this thought as he saw Ilya's face: the girl was smiling, but the whites of her eyes were red, tears silently flowing down her face.

The white-haired girl stopped, as she leaned her head onto Severus' chest.

The raven-haired boy was very worried.

"Hey, what happened? Are you all right?" Severus asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," replied Ilya. "Though if you don't mind, I wish to stay like this for a while. Some dust fell in my eyes, you see, and…"

"No I completely understand," replied Severus. "You don't need to say anything else. I'm here."

"Thank you," replied the white-haired girl.

Severus watched, gently switching between patting her back and stroking her hair, as the raven-haired man heard sniffles coming from Ilya, who was doing her utmost to stop herself from screaming, so as not to attract the attention of the neighbors, letting the tears fall silently down her face…

AUTHOR'S NOTES

First of all, I would like to greet everyone a Merry Christmas.

Now, about this chapter, I must admit I did the best that I could with it, though I am unsure if it will be good enough. The main problem is that I'm a guy. Yes, I've watched girls fighting in front of me before. Still, I hope my portrayal of the confrontation is to your satisfaction.

Anyway, for those drama lovers out there, I hope you find this chapter good enough, and I hope everybody enjoys reading. ^_^

Later, then.