Different

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait on the next chapter. Just a heads up, this is going to be short. Ran out of time and I'm tired. Need to go to bed for work tomorrow.

I appreciate the support and reviews you've guys been leaving. Please keep making them, they really do help.

Just a reminder, this is part of a Severus Snape series I'm doing, so go check those other stories out if you want.

Disclaimer: "I do not own Harry Potter!"

Enjoy Chapter 2!

Chapter Two:

Not Normal

It took another day before Severus could be let out of the infirmary, due to the insistence of Pomfrey. Severus didn't appear to be happy about it, no surprise there, but his reaction and acceptance of it was… well, not normal. And it was driving Lily crazy.

She couldn't believe how different he was being around her and others. Well, saying others was not saying that much, considering that he only saw Pomfrey, Dumbledore Slughorn and McGonagall. But he was a lot more respectful. And it wasn't because he was supposed to be and he just swallowed his pride, it was like he had real respect for them. It was so bizarre.

But his reaction towards her was definitely the biggest surprise.

He was completely fine talking with her and just having normal conversations. She purposely made sure not to mention anyone from his house or the Marauders, not wanting to upset him. She figured they could talk about those two situations later. All that mattered to her was that he was seemingly returning to the original Sev she knew, with a few upgrades.

But her worries about the future made her feel like she was living under the shadow of a dark cloud, just waiting for whatever was going to fall on her.

Her friends had stopped pressuring her about Severus, though they continued to try and convince her to dump him as a friend, throwing the same old reasons for why at her. It was getting annoying and just downright rude by this point. Hell, it probably had reached that point a long time ago.

Though she can't help noticing there were some things about Severus that made absolutely no sense to her. Like the day before when she came to check on him after dinner and found him sound asleep, looking all adorable and innocent. But when she went to move the covers over his shoulders, she heard him mumbling in his sleep and a name was repeated.

"Hermione."

It scared her half to death, thinking she had woken him up. And kept repeating that same name.

"Hermione."

She was confused as to who that was. As far as she was concerned, there was no Hermione at Hogwarts. Maybe a friend from Spinner's End? No, he didn't like muggles and he wasn't good at making friends. But it sure drove her crazy, wondering just how this 'Hermione' was.

Another weird coincidence was that Regulus showed up when she was just leaving, which surprised her. He said he was there to check up on his friend. She wasn't aware that the two were officially friends. Then again, the two had been drifting apart, so maybe the two had become pals. A thought that scared her, as he also showed interest in joining the Death Eaters.

The moment Severus had left the infirmary, she took her chance to speak with him before breakfast.

"Severus," she called out to him as he walked to the Great Hall.

"Lily!" he smiled, making her stop before she could reach him.

Since when did he smile like that? He never smiled that like. If anything, it went against the Code of Severus Snape. It wasn't normal behavior for him.

"Um, everything alright?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she approached him, awkwardly staring at the ground, "Look, Severus. I don't mean to bring this up and make you angry… but…"

He patiently waited for what she was about to say, another thing that surprised her.

She sighed, "Look, I don't like that you hang out with Mulciber and Avery. Especially Black."

His eyes widened a bit, realization hitting.

"Oh, right, yeah. I have been hanging out with them, haven't I?"

He sounded like he was just remembering this. It almost sounded like he was mocking her or trying to avoid the subject. Or both.

She became angry, "Okay, what is wrong with you?!"

"Um, excuse me?" he frowned.

"Don't play games with me, Sev! You know I don't like you spending time with them. You and I know that they can't wait to join 'You-Know-Who'. What do you see in them?"

His eyes narrowed at her, "Lily, I swear I'm not playing games with you. And yes, you're right. They do want to join Voldemort."

"Don't lie to- Wait, did you just say his name?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's just a name."

She raised an eyebrow and put her hand against his forehead, "Well, you don't seem to have a fever or any type of illness. And you look more healthy than before. What's going on, Severus?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed.

"Then why aren't you acting like yourself?"

"I am acting like myself. It's just a different me."

Lily studied him for a bit before sighing, "Look, Sev, I don't want to do this but with everything that has been happening and since you're now better, I need to do this."

He looked at her with curiosity and wonder, "Alright."

'Since when has he been so calm and patient like this?'

"This is my ultimatum!" she declared. "It's either me or them! No grey areas or trying to find a way to satisfy both sides, you need to choose." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'll be expecting an answer by dinner tonight. You know where to find me."

She turned to walk away, only to be stopped by his own declaration.

"I can give you an answer right now if you'd like."

She stopped and turned to face him.

"I choose you!" he announced, loudly.

Her heart leaped with joy, but it quickly sank at the memories of how he had been acting the past year.

"Do you truly mean it?" she asked, hoping burning deep within.

Severus nodded, "Always!"

Before she could reply, he turned and walked away, leaving her to think about what he had just told her.

The rest of the day, she hadn't seen him except in class, but he appeared to be unable to sit right next to her, due to her friends and the Marauders, but he didn't take it personally. In fact, he seemed to take everything in strides, especially the pranks the Marauders would try to pull on him. But he seemed to be able to avoid them, even turn the tables by making their plans backfire. He had already gotten Sirius in trouble with the loss of points.

Paranoid and curious about what was going on with her friend, she had decided to follow him during her free hour, making sure he wouldn't notice her presence, though a part of her feared that may know.

She followed him into the library, where she found him meeting Regulus. She grew furious, thinking he had lied and used her. But then she got within reach to hear them.

"I heard you had a nasty fall," said Regulus.

"Been through worse," Severus replied, appearing to take a book and begin reading, though she could tell that his eyes were not focusing on the book. "I heard that Bellatrix made you have a rather… nasty fall."

Regulus looked up at him, a look in his eyes that she could not make out.

"So, it happened to you too," he said, confusing her even more.

"It seems so."

"Just to be safe, how do I know that you're really the Severus Snape I know? Tell me something personal."

Severus remained silent, appearing to be thinking hard about his challenge, "I caught you shagging Lavender in the back of the Three-"

"Okay, it's you!" Regulus quickly cut him off, his face turning red. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, mind telling me just what the hell is going on? How are we back in 1976?"

"I have a few theories."

"Mind sharing them with the class?"

"Hey!" a voice interrupted them, forcing Lily to retreat from her hiding spot. She saw Mulciber and Avery approaching them, instantly adding gasoline her anger. But before she could do anything reckless, both Regulus and Severus immediately went their separate ways.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Sev! Gotta go!"

"Yeah, see ya! Oh, here guys! Sorry I can't stay and chat, gotta go do some things before class."

The two were left stunned by their departure, unable to say anything as they walked away.

Lily was left shocked too, never remembering a time when Severus would do such a thing to them. She was further left more confused and surprised when he locked eyes with her and winked, leaving her alone as he kept walking.

Hearing the bell ring, she cleared her mind and focused on getting to her next class, deciding to confront her friend later about what she had heard. Though deep down, she was leaping with joy at the fact that there was a strong possibility that her friend meant what he said and that this was one of many acts her friend would make against Slytherins like Mulciber and Avery.

But her thoughts went to Regulus and the conversation the two had, confused about… whatever it was they were talking about. She wasn't surprised by the knowledge that Regulus slept with someone, as he was the brother to Sirius Black. But why would saying that prove to him that Severus was… Severus?

Shaking her head, she took her seat next to her friends, casting a glance at the dark-haired boy.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to make the next one longer. I don't plan on this one to be long, it's just fun I want to do without it being super big in terms of story. But I expect it may grow bigger than what I intend.

Please leave a review and I'll see you guys in Chapter 3!