Author's Note : Thank you all for taking a chance on my little story. It's a definite work in progress but one I rather like, strange though it is. And, yes, my Lily does have a few things in common with Willow of the early years. I do hope that I have her somewhat in JK's version of her character.

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Severus stood in the line with the other first years, head bowed even as Lily excitedly whispered to her. As usual, the redhead was babbling on nervously. Her hands flying about her as she tried to make her point, trying desperately to expel the energy in the only way she knew how to - by excessive talking. Severus didn't mind it, not really. Lily's voice acted as her anchor to the real world, as a needed grounding to her nervous thoughts.

Still, something was not quite right with what was going on.

Though she was surrounded by curious students and the more blasé older students, she knew that she was being stared at unrelentingly. Glancing up once, she saw the steel grey of Lucius Malfoy's eyes resting upon her, focused obsessively. The older man was waiting for the inevitable sorting, the only one that seemed to matter in his mind - Severus' own. Shivering and drawing her robe tightly about her as she had before in the train, she tried to ignore it and focus on Lily, on the speeches that were taking place.

But it was no use.

All she could think about was Slytherin House and the invite she'd had earlier. She could only wonder why Lucius Malfoy seemed so focused on her, so intent. As she'd explained to Lily earlier, pure blood mattered in Slytherin as much as titles did in certain circles. While there was nothing wrong with the house, per se, it seemed to draw in wizards and witches of a certain temperament.

What she kept from Lily were her other thoughts, things she'd gleaned from her mother's journals and books about the house. Surely there were others, far more suitable for his attention than one measly, half-blood girl whose mother just happened to come from the ancient house of Prince. Even if it was a house that was mired in blood and an ominous reputation that bested Lucrezia Borgia's own.

Her thoughts slammed shut at the thought of her mother. Jamming her hands into her pockets to hide their shaking, she clenched them together, ignoring the blood that dampened her palms once again. Ignoring the pain that filled her heart so easily, so quickly. It was better than hearing the screams, the useless pleas for help and mercy that had been her mother's last cries.

Professor McGonagall stepped up to the dais, unrolling a scroll. Her clear, authoritative voice rang out, silencing the students chatter. As each name was read, there were cheers or dignified claps, and the students sat down at their new House table, eager to begin their new year at Hogwarts.

"Snape, Severus Ellen."

Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and walked to the stool and sat down, waiting as the hat descended over her head. In the darkness, she could not see much of anything, though she could still hear the whispers of the students. The condemning, judging whispers of the students. Shivering, she waited, hoping that it would not be a long wait.

She hated the cold, frightening dark.

"What's this? A Prince in the school once more, I remember each and every one of your progenitors, Mistress Snape. Each one was distinct and unusual in that they always ended up right where they wanted to be, even if the fit wasn't for them. So, it had better…"

"Wait, please, if what one wants is truly what you can give them, I have a request."

"I know, I know, you wish for Slytherin, just like all of your ancestors did."

"No, that's not it at all, kind Sorting Hat. Will Slytherin keep me out of sight? Will I be able to disappear in Slytherin? Will I be able to remain unknown in Slytherin?"

"What? Why would you wish to do that? Do you not wish for renown? For power to achieve your goals, your dreams? It's all here in your mind. You could be one of the great ones, one who would even rival Salazar Slytherin himself."

"I just want to be taught. I don't want to cause any trouble. The last thing I wish is to have anyone see me. Please, Sorting Hat, put me in any House that will keep me alive, keep me invisible. My father will kill me if I end up somewhere that I'll be focused on."

This perplexed the Sorting Hat for he could tell that Severus Snape had ambition and cunning to spare. Even if it was to deeply hidden for the girl to appreciate it, it was there. Oh, the child had some knowing ambition, but it was nothing like what he sensed lying in wait. Slytherin would be the best fit for the girl. The Sorting Hat could tell instantly that no other House would be quite right for her.

She would do well, do her very best, in Slytherin.

And yet…and yet, there was something in this girl's voice that spoke of horrors that could not be spoken aloud. She was terrified of her father. Absolutely and completely terrified of her father, something the Hat did not expect. Even though he knew that some wizarding homes had troubled lives, he'd never come across one so apparently fearful.

"Well, I don't know if I should. Your talents lead you into Slytherin. But it is very true that you will be focused on with unrelenting scrutiny if you are in Slytherin. As cunning as they are ambitious, they do have a tendency to make other students nervous and suspicious. I don't know…there is a bit of the genius in you…but does it suit you as your House should? I guess only time will tell…Better be…"

"Ravenclaw!" the voice trumpeted out and was lifted away but not before he heard a very faint, but totally heartfelt, thank you.

It was the first time in a long career of sorting students that the Hat could recall where he'd been thanked for doing his job.

Still, he was uneasy about the sorting. It didn't seem right that a girl with Snape's drive and ambition be buried away in Ravenclaw House. Not that Rowena's House wouldn't suit the girl - he knew it would – she was smart, just like her mother had been at that age. Her mother had been wise beyond her years.

And yet, the Hat had known that there was something not quite right about Eileen. There was that same sense with Severus, almost as if she had been meant to be someone – or something – else.

Even knowing this, Ravenclaw just didn't seem like the best match for her talents.

The girl stood up on shaky legs and stumbled down to the nearly silent table. There were a few polite claps, but nothing like the uproarious applause given to the other students who were sorted. Snape didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she sat down. Even as she did this, she could acutely feel two pairs of eyes on her, tearing her still further apart with confused fear and uncertainty.

One was her best friend, Lily Evans. Her eyes, she could take for she knew Lily meant her neither harm nor any pain. They would be filled with happiness and pride. Lily had been her friend for more years than she thought possible and had always looked out for the ugly girl, though she feared terribly what her father would do to her for her constant support.

Tobias Snape frowned on anyone who looked too long, thought too much of his worthless daughter.

And the other was the mysterious upper classman, Lucius Malfoy. Of him, Severus didn't know what to think or feel. The man was an enigma, a total mystery to her - one that she did not wish to solve or approach. Glancing up carefully, she noticed him staring at her and shivered, chilled, knowing somehow that Lucius Malfoy would not leave her alone - even now.

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Lucius paced the Slytherin Common Room occasionally pausing to stare at the fire place. The grate was clean and silent, waiting for someone to start the flame. Without the fire going, the room was chilly but not uncomfortably so. Besides, he'd been taught all his life to ignore discomfort. Only the common, lower classes gave into the weakness within their bodies.

And Malfoys were anything but common.

It flared to life and he bowed respectfully before kneeling in front of his father, Abraxas, wondering just what he was going to say. He still wasn't sure why his father seemed so interested in the scrawny girl. Snape hadn't appeared to be much of anything to his eyes - and he prided himself on being a good judge of character. "Good evening, father. I trust that you and mother are well."

His father only stared at him, an eyebrow raised, "Well? Did you meet the Prince heir?"

"Yes," he slowly replied.

"Where is she?" he asked, regally staring over Lucius' shoulder – as if he would be able to see the girl hiding behind his son.

"In the Ravenclaw Common Room, I would imagine."

"Ravenclaw?" his father's voice was deadly as he repeated the House's name, as though it was a disease he did not want to catch.

"It is where she was sorted," Lucius replied, ducking his head. There was no other way to avoid seeing the truth, his father was furious. But why? After all, the Prince estate wasn't very large and there wasn't that much money left in the family. Not having that ugly, spawn of a muggleborn in the most honored House of Slytherin was a good thing, wasn't it?

"Ravenclaw," he mused again, softer this time, less vile sounding as he continued to think about it, "A decent enough House, I suppose. If one can overlook their rather friendly tendencies towards Gryffindor House. How did she seem to you?"

"Abused," Lucius said, puzzled by this continued interest. And he knew this was not the end of it, something about the girl intrigued his father. "Father, forgive my asking, but…why are you so concerned with Snape? Surely she is beneath us as her family's fortunes have dwindled over the years and she has no real lands to speak of."

The look he received was mocking at best, loathing of his lackadaisical intellect at worst. It was a common argument between them for his father thought he could do much better in school than he was. "Have you not studied the history of the mystic realms enough to know who and what Severus Prince Snape is?" he asked, barking out a laugh. "That girl is future consort to the rulers of the Nether World – the sole link between them and us. Whatever power they possess is also hers. Whoever controls the girl, controls that power."

"King's Own?" Lucius' eyes widened on the thought, interested despite himself. "But surely they do not care for her. She has all the markings of an abused child."

"Whether they care or not is not the point," Abraxas sternly said, "What matters is that Snape will gain their power upon reaching the age of her magical majority. These lords do not have to approve of her, they will cede the power to her when the time comes. As is written in their law and our own, to preserve the peace between us, one is chosen as the vessel between us – that is Snape."

"She won't do us any good if she's killed, father," Lucius was quick to point out. "As you have pointed out, she has to reach the age of magical maturity in order to attain the protection of her true magical inheritance. How can she do so if she remains in danger?"

"Yes," Abraxas slowly agreed, nodding thoughtfully at his son's point, "I will see what the situation is like for her at home. You keep your eye on her, show her the ropes of our world – but above all, do not let anyone get to close to her."

"That may be easier said than done as she does have a friend that I could not part her from," he told him, remembering all to well the defiance of his orders. And all over some filthy little mudblood whelp. Really, the idea did not bear thinking about.

Abraxas was silent for a time, contemplating his son's expression. There was something there that he could barely read and wasn't sure he wanted to pusue. It was enough that his son earn the trust of the girl.

The rest would come in time, of that he was assured.

For a Malfoy was never denied for long. "Only observe their friendship for now. It will do us little good to save her from her home life if we alienate her at school by trying to separate her from this friend. Boarding schools - especially one such as Hogwarts - have a way of changing people. I do not think their friendship will last, especially if this friend is in another House."

Lucius was silent and thought it best not to mention that the friend in question had not only been sorted into Gryffindor, but was a mudblood as well. Under the circumstances, it would do no good.

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Severus meekly followed the other girls into their shared room in the Ravenclaw tower, unaware of the plans that the Malfoys were putting together about her fate. As quietly as she could for she did not want to disturb any of her chatting roommates, she unpacked her trunk, making careful note of her bed's location.

It was across from the door and adjacent to another door. She figured that had to be the lavatory. Once assured that she knew where she was to sleep, she pulled out a ratty, faded gray, flannel nightshirt and got ready for bed while the others were still getting their things together or talking to each other.

Taking a quick shower, she brushed her teeth and hair, wishing that her hair wasn't so the way it was for it kept tangling about the brush. Greasy and baby fine, she really couldn't do a thing with it, so it always looked uncared for. Perhaps she would be able to create a potion or a spell to help her control - or even get rid of - the problem.

Reentering the room, she nodded shyly at one of the girls, was her name Lucy or was it Anna Marie?, very surprised when she smiled before she turned around to talk to her friends. Before getting into bed, she checked to make sure that it hadn't been jinxed after she'd left. Once she was assured that it was safe, though she had warded it against any kind of incursions that may happen, so she wasn't sure why she'd checked.

Paranoid or not, she hadn't wanted to chance having a human hand - or some other - prank her bed. Having heard about Peeves, she wasn't sure he'd leave her alone. As for the human protection, she was just being practical. It wasn't that she didn't trust her roommates, it was that she knew better than to trust them.

They only let her down.

Though in this, like in everything, she did not include Lily among those she'd met. Lily was simply Lily. She was not like everybody else. Thus, she was the only person Severus believed in fully. Blind faith in her or not, she knew her friend would never willingly betray her. Lily had never lied to her. She would never lie to her, not ever.

Therefore, she was safe to trust.

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The next morning, before the first alarm went off, Severus had risen, dressed and was now quietly making her way to the Great Hall, her old book bag under her arm already. Stifling a yawn, she sat down with a small bowl of oatmeal and a dish of spiced apples. It was blessedly quiet and she enjoyed the solitude, picking up her book, she started to read.

"Sev, what are you doing?" Lily's voice in her ear had her shrieking in shock and she glared up at her, heart pounding erratically. Looking contrite, the redhead stood there with her hands nervously twitching. It almost hid the fact that her lips were twitching with suppressed laughter, "Sorry, Sev. I thought you heard me arrive. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Regaining control over her breathing, she gave her another half-hearted glare before forgiving her. Severus knew that she could never stay mad at her for very long. The longest she'd ever been able to do so was half a day - and that was only because she hadn't seen her after their fight. "Just don't do it again, okay?" she asked. "And do you have to call me that?"

"Yes," she smiled, relieved, and sat down beside her. Stealing one of her apple slices, she dabbed it in some caramel cinnamon before eating it. "What are you doing?" she repeated her earlier question.

"Studying," she replied, spooning up some more oatmeal and chewing on it slowly, relishing the taste for the fist time. From experience, she knew that she shouldn't push himself to hard with the food. It would only make her sick if she ate to fast or too much. Living with her father had made her grateful for whatever was edible.

"But why? We haven't even had our first class yet," she pointed out, deciding to have a bowl of warmed cereal. No matter how it was made, oatmeal never tasted quite right when anyone but her grandmother made it.

"I know that but I want to understand what's going on. For all the things my mother," she choked on the word and had to pause for a moment before regaining her composure, "taught me, I know very little." She fell silent, wondering if Lily would ask her about what mudblood meant. She knew Lily had heard it on the train and didn't look forward to that discussion.

"Sev, we're in school. We have teachers to teach us," Lily pointed out, slightly annoyed with her. "That's their job, you know."

"Hey, Lily! You're at the wrong table," a voice called out from the doorway.

"Hey, Alice!" she replied, waving her hand. "I'm with a friend, how's that being at the wrong table?"

Alice came over to them and sat down slowly, a thoughtful look on her face "I don't know if it's wrong so much as not done. You're a Gryffindor, she's in Ravenclaw, you are supposed to sit with your House."

"That's just dumb," she made a face that could have been a scowl. "Are you saying that just because I'm in one House, I have to give up my friends if they aren't in my house? That's stupid - and I won't do it."

Severus gulped, feeling very awkward. It wasn't her choice to become the center of such a discussion but here she was, being brought to the attention of others, "Lily, if you're supposed to sit at the Gryffindor table, may be you should."

"Don't be stupid, Sev. I'm comfortable and don't want to move just to sit at another table for a rule that's only opinion anyway," she finished, peeling an orange. "Is it just because we're at a magic school that we have such a variety of fruits?"

Alice shrugged, buttering a piece of wheat toast before saying, "Guess so. Of course, there is the greenhouse. They may just grow the fruits and vegetables there. Aren't greenhouses supposed to be warm all the time?"

"Yes, it all has to do with the glass they use and the metals that are used in building it," her answer was slow in coming, bashfully ducking her head when Alice looked at her. "I'm sure we'll learn more about it in herbology."

"Which we won't get until next year," Lily replied, staring at the teachers who were slowly entering, curiously. Of course, she recognized McGonagall and Dumbledore instantly, but she couldn't place the others. Even though they'd been introduced the night before, she'd been far too excited to pay much attention to them. Even as she made an offhand introduction, she regretted her inattention, "Oh, Alice, this is Severus. Sev, Alice. Which one do you think is the Defense teacher?" she went on before they could fully acknowledge the introduction.

"Why?" Alice asked, turning to study the teacher's table. She noticed Professor McGonagall's puzzled look as she saw them at the Ravenclaw table and flushed, quickly looking away. With a feeling of faint jealousy, she noticed that Lily only smiled at their Head of House and went back to what she was doing.

"I've always wondered what someone whose been cursed looks like," she answered, drinking some pumpkin juice with a distasteful look. "Don't they have milk or water or even plain old apple juice?"

Severus shrugged, "I don't think so. As for the Defense teacher, I don't think he's cursed. I think his job is." She rose, gathering his things together, starting to feel jittery as the noise grew in the room.

"There's a difference?" she asked, standing up to follow her out.

"I believe so," she slowly replied, staring at Lily like she couldn't figure out what she was doing. "It doesn't make sense to curse both the job and the teacher, seems like a waste of time and magic to me. But then, I don't know how the job got cursed in the first place - if it really is cursed."

"Of course it is," Lily paused, looking thoughtful before admitting with a careless shrug. "Well, that's what we were told by the older students anyway. I guess it could be a tall tale – like them telling us about the snake that lives below the castle. Oh, well. Mind if I walk with you to charms?"

Smiling shyly, she shook her head, "Not at all. Your friend Alice can join us if she'd like to."

"I'll see you later, there's someone I need to talk to," Alice rose to her feet, watching them go, slightly puzzled. That Severus girl didn't seem like the kind of person a friendly and outgoing person like Lily would be friends with.

For one thing, she was pasty white - as though she'd never seen a day in the sun. And there was some creepy vibe about the way she used her body. It seemed to be both a weapon and yet, she used it like she was trying to disappear into herself.

While Alice wasn't a narrow minded girl, there was just something about Severus that rubbed her wrong.

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King's Own will be explained in further detail, I promise. And I have hair similar to Snape's. I don't care how often I wash it, it always looks greeasy or oily a few hours later. Always. Thus, I sympathize with him.