The next day, as Severus headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, he wondered when his mood had become so unpredictable. It was as if he really returned to his youth and his body had filled with the adrenaline of a seventeen-year-old. But Severus didn't think his seventeen-year-old self was as emotionally unstable as this. One moment, he was excited at the thought of seeing Lily again; the next, he contemplated how he would face her. He felt elated one moment, and the next, a deep melancholy would set in, making him feel more alone than ever. As he descended to the common room now, he felt a nearly forgotten emotion sprouting within him: fear. It was a mixture of excitement and great fear, to the extent that his knees were trembling. Hogwarts, his home, seemed so unfamiliar to him.

"Move on, Snape!"

It was Mulciber. Severus hadn't pleased him by moving so slowly in the crowded corridor. Being late for breakfast could ruin Mulciber's whole day apparently. Severus forced himself to take a deep breath, picked up his pace, and hurried toward the Great Hall to avoid collapsing with another person again.

When Severus arrived at the Slytherin table, he was breathless, and his pale cheeks had flushed. Both the Slytherin table and those at the other tables had stopped eating, their eyes fixed on him. Severus sat down at the table, ignoring how his hurried and disheveled entrance was so unlike his usual style. Somewhere in the back, he was sure Lily was also staring at him in shock. But he didn't turn to look; he didn't think he could handle seeing Lily right now.

"Are you okay, you bloody git?! What's wrong with you?" asked Rosier.

"I think he really got busy with one of the girls last night, didn't he?" giggled Wilkes.

A wave of laughter washed over the table. Strangely, Severus wasn't bothered by it. The weird thing was how much he felt like a teenager again. He was just another boy who knew more than the kids sitting at this table. He raised his head and looked at the professors' table. Dumbledore had his eyes fixed on him. To escape the x-ray vision of those blue eyes, he looked at the chair next to Dumbledore's. Slughorn was sitting there, eating his breakfast with great attention. It was clear he was not completely full yet. After he finished eating, he would cheerfully chat with the other professors and have his post-meal snacks. Snape stared at Slughorn for a long while. It was so strange! Until two days ago, that chair had been his. He shook his head and lowered his gaze to his empty plate. Having a little breakfast wouldn't be a bad idea.

He took a piece of omelet and helped himself with two fried sausages, a handful of french fries, and some porridge. He poured himself plenty of pumpkin juice from the pitcher. He was very hungry, and even if he was't, he needed to eat and gather strength. He took a bite from the warm omelet and started chewing slowly. He had no need to rush.

His thoughts were interrupted by the burst of laughter from the Gryffindor table. Unable to resist, he turned his head to look. Potter must have said something funny just now, considering that everyone was looking at him, Snape assumed the subject was him. Only Lily hadn't turned. Obviously, she didn't want to see Snape either, but her reasoning was different. Then he saw Lily getting up.

"I WILL NEVER DATE YOU, POTTER! I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT!" she declared to the whole hall. Then she turned and left. Snape's heart leaped as she exited. Because he had seen her profile from the side. For the first time in years, he had seen Lily's face in person!

As the laughter at the Gryffindor table gradually died down, the victorious expression on Potter's face had also disappeared considerably. Whatever he had said just now, it must have been about Lily or Lily must have thought that James hadn't matured enough yet. In the last few years, James had matured considerably. At least, he had become sensible enough not to cause mischief in front of Lily. But the joke he couldn't resist making now had made Lily yell at him. Snape was sure that the joke had something to do with his morning run. Because he didn't remember this scene from his previous life. Well, yes, James always made jokes about him that the Gryffindors loved to laugh at. And yes, Lily used to shout about many of them, but after their fifth year, she had stopped defending Snape. She just thought that Potter's big ego was still a nuisance. Snape wondered how James had convinced her that he had changed. Okay, he had changed, at least he wasn't cursing at everyone anymore, but he was still a brat. Severus hated him so much...

He turned to his food in frustration. He was an expert professor! If he wanted to, he could even perform a spell that would destroy the entire Gryffindor table. If he wanted, he could take their minds away. He cheerfully took another piece of omelet. He was stronger than all of them now! This thought was sweeter to him than reuniting with Lily for a moment. He wanted to crush, humiliate, and disgrace Potter. He wanted Potter to feel terrible. He wanted to take Lily away from him. Potter should be unhappy, very unhappy. But to humiliate Potter in front of the whole school? What if Lily started to hate him? She didn't like boys who showed off. So Severus had to be more careful. As long as Potter didn't provoke him, he shouldn't attack. Unfortunately, Potter had never dared to taunt him in front of Lily in his seventh year, the filthy git! He would attack though, when she wasn't around. He would get a share of the embarrasment in some of these events, but in some (a larger percentage), he would succeed to humiliate Severus. The bitter part was that whenever Potter succeeded, the crowd around him got bigger. And when Snape was successful, no one found it funny. Also, Potter always had his three disgusting friends with him. He had never been an opponent in a one-on-one duel. He clenched his teeth and muttered, "coward!"

"Did you say something?"

"No, just mind your own business!" Snape snarled through his teeth. Then he stopped and, turned to Rosier who was looking hurt at Snape, "Or you can give me your class schedule?"

"What?" Rosier said, now looking confused. "What are you going to do with my class schedule?"

"I lost mine, you see."

"Well? What will you do with mine?"

Snape blinked his eyes. That's right; he was taking the classes he had chosen himself. His class schedule and Rosier's weren't identical. To avoid looking like he had come from outer space, he immediately adopted a mocking tone.

"Don't be funny, Rosier. I was just going to check something in yours. I know mine by heart, of course..."

"What are you going to check in mine?" Rosier asked sternly.

It was a good question. He couldn't think of a logical answer.

"I was going to look at the class with little red hearts around it," Snape said. "You're daydreaming about Minerva in Transfiguration."

A few people chuckled, but Rosier didn't smile.

"Since when do you address McGonagall as 'Minerva'?"

Snape bit his tongue. Oh yes...

"You didn't used to ask so many questions," he said, grabbing his bag and turning to Dumbledore's side, he was moving away.

"You didn't used to act so strangely either. Walking around naked in the bathroom, rushing into the Great Hall... What are you trying to do? Seeking attention?"

Snape was about to open his mouth, seeking attention, huh? But before he could speak, Rosier finished his own words:

"If so, you've succeeded, my dear friend. Just allow me to point out that you look very pitiful!" And with that, he left.

Snape was left with his mouth half open. He must have looked like a complete idiot. Everyone thought he was trying to show off. Maybe that's why he had become the butt of Potter's jokes. The Great Hall had suddenly become much larger, or Snape had shrunk terribly. He hurried to find Dumbledore, his face bright red.

He found him at the end of the second corridor. The old man seemed to be waiting for him. As soon as he reached him, he handed him a schedule.

"Your first class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's in the usual classroom, and the class is about to start. Come on, run!" he smiled.

Snape took the schedule and scowled at the smiling man. He walked to the classroom where he had taught two days ago, now as a student. No, he didn't run this time. He didn't think he would be running for a while. Trying to seek attention, huh? Merlin!

When he arrived at the classroom, he realized that the lesson had already begun. Feeling anxious, he knocked on the door and entered. Professor Arnold Redhouse turned his head with interest. Severus remembered this man; he was quite disciplined, Severus liked him, and the man liked him back. He was the teacher of Severus' best lesson after all.

"I apologize, Professor. The Headmaster wanted to speak with me," he said. Well, it was somewhat true. Professor Redhouse raised his eyebrows.

"What did the Headmaster want to talk to you about?" Snape felt uncomfortable again. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't talking secretly with students normally. But Snape did not give this much attention. Dumbledore could have wanted to talk to him about anything.

"Well, it's, uh, private," he replied. Looking at the Professor's questioning expression, he added, "You can ask Professor Dumbledore if you like. But I was told to keep my mouth shut."

He took his seat at the back of the room. He knew he had angered Professor Redhouse. However, the man did not react beyond shaking his head a few times. Then he went to his desk. He checked whether the students were all settled.

"Keep your books in your bags, and take out your wands. We will practice in this lesson."

Most of them had not touch their books anyway. Everyone eagerly took out their wands and placed them on their desks. Severus did the same, all the while keeping an eye on his surroundings. Most of the Slytherin students had passed their DADA O.W.L.s. Evan Rosier, Calvin Avery, Isaac Mulciber, Samuel Wilkes, Rabastan Lestrange, Bloom Adela, Rose Heaven, and Erica Angie were here. There were only two Hufflepuff students; Edward Cotton and Melody Candy. From Ravenclaw, there were five students; the Halloween twins (Jack and John), Christian Poorman, Elizabeth Pillow, and a beautiful Spanish girl named Linda Airado. The Gryffindors were sitting in the front rows. Potter, Lupin, and Black had undoubtedly passed their DADA O.W.L.s. However, Pettigrew was not in the class. Severus remembered with pleasure that he had received a D in Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL. On the other hand, Gryffindor students Susan Grey, Ellen Screech, and Steve O'Henry were also present. The girl with the red wavy hair in the middle row was Lily. Severus still hadn't looked in her direction, couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Yes, Mr. Snape?" Severus raised his head.

"Sorry?"

Professor Redhouse had his hands clasped in front of his chest and was clearly waiting for an answer to a question he had asked a moment ago.

"I was asking you to remind us where we left off in the last lesson," Severus blushed bright red. He really couldn't remember what they had covered in the previous class. He raised his head and looked into Professor Redhouse's eyes. He started searching his mind for an answer from the back of his head. Unfortunately, what the Professor was primarily thinking about was not the topic they had covered in the last class but Severus's strange behavior. After a bit of searching, he found what he was looking for, but he had wasted too much time.

"You're not going to tell me you can't remember, Mr. Snape, are you?" said the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with a slight shock. Severus smiled.

"Of course, I remember, Professor. We were discussing non-verbal defensive spells. I suppose we'll be practicing that in this lesson."

"Yes, yes, well done," Arnold Redhouse said, relaxing. For a moment, he must have thought Severus couldn't answer. "Alright, first, we'll need two volunteers. Who's going to show some courage?"

All the Gryffindors had raised their hands, including Lily. Melody from Hufflepuff was also a volunteer, but her classmate Edward was hesitantly raising and lowering his hand. It was clear that he didn't want to embarrass himself, but he also didn't want to miss out on the honor of the task. The Slytherins, on the other hand, seemed to have made a pact not to raise their hands or show any interest. They all leaned back, trying to figure out what was going on. Professor Redhouse smiled and surveyed the class. Then he said:

"Yes, Mr. Potter! Let's take you. And against you..."

"ME!" The words had slipped from his mouth before he could stop himself. But he really wanted to cast a horrible curse at Potter and make it look like a lesson.

"Well, Mr. Snape, I was actually going to choose Miss Pillow, but... well, since you want to. Alright, gentlemens, take your positions at the front."

Snape walked to the front of the class. He stopped right in front of Potter and raised his wand. All eyes were on them. The Slytherins had leaned forward, eagerly awaiting for the show. They weren't the only ones waiting like this. The classroom had suddenly become extremely tense. But James Potter was grinning.

"What's the matter, Snivellus?" he said with a smirk.

Severus grinned wickedly, so much so that he saw Potter's smile falter.

"What are you planning, you scumbag?" Potter said, but before Severus could reply, Redhouse intervened.

"Alright, kids, what you need to do is quite simple. One of you will attempt to attack non-verbally, and the other will try to defend."

They nodded.

"This might be a bit challenging for your first attempt, but remember, determination and confidence, feel the magic within you. Focus your mind on the spell and cast the curse. Go on."

James thought, 'Levicorpus,' but the light that came out of his wand hit Severus's shield and rebounded. The following spell was so fast that James didn't even have time to scream. Severus had transformed James into a small, ugly piglet. In the piglet's eyes, there were circles reminiscent of Potter's glasses. But the truly interesting part was not this. The piglet was pink and had circles in green, purple, and blue colours. On its forehead, the word 'IDIOT' was written in large letters.

The classroom fell into a deep silence at first. It was clear that they hadn't expected this. Then, the Slytherins burst into laughter. Professor Redhouse approached the piglet and began to examine it. He looked shocked. Yes, Severus was a talented student, and his ability to perform non-verbal magic wasn't that surprising. However, transforming someone into a perfect piglet, and doing it non-verbally, was an incredibly advanced spell. Redhouse reluctantly realized that he couldn't even perform such a spell himself. The spell wasn't a defense spell; it was a transfiguration spell. Moreover, it was embellished with imagination. To give it this shape, he would need to first turn his opponent into a pig and then change its color and patterns. He couldn't achieve this with a single spell.

"You've surprised me, my boy," he said afterwards. "This is an extremely advanced spell. I believe Slytherin deserves twenty points." A few people in the back whistled. Redhouse was still examining the squealing piglet. He looked at its forehead, behind its ears, with the hope of finding some flaw. "Brilliant, truly exceptional," he muttered.

Snape glanced at the students from the corner of his eye. Remus looked bewildered, Sirius appeared purple out of anger. The Hufflepuff boy and girl seemed a bit intimidated. Some of the Ravenclaws were looking at Snape with an expression of admiration they couldn't hide, while others seemed to examine the piglet. Finally, one of them asked,

"Can we take a look too?"

"What?! He is not an animal!?" exclaimed O'Henry. And he managed to earn an appreciative look from Sirius.

"Fix James right away!" Sirius asked.

"What did he do to him?" another Gryffindor student shouted.

"DARK MAGIC! HE'S A DARK WIZARD!"

The last sentence was shouted by Hufflepuff student Edward Cotton to the entire class. He had squinted his eyes and was gazing at Snape in a mysterious manner, as if he were extremely certain that he had just uncovered a hidden truth. Snape chuckled sarcastically.

"You shouldn't be pointing fingers at a dark wizard, Cotton!" he whispered, and these words caused a murmur in the class.

"Someone put him in his place!"

"Who does he think he is?"

"FIX JAMES!"

"Leave him alone!"

"Look at him, how triumphantly smirking!"

"Show them, Sev!"

"You slimy bat!"

"ENOUGH!"

The class fell into an irritated silence and turned their attention back to their professor.

"I won't tolerate disrespect in my class! Five points from each house! Now," He paused and took a deep breath, "this isn't a dark spell. It's a rather successful Transfiguration spell. Furthermore, there's no harm in a little pink piglet." A few Slytherins chuckled. "Our class is Defense Against the Dark Arts! In real life, you'll encounter much worse, and believe me, shouting and screaming won't solve anything. Now, pair up in twos. IMMEDIATELY!"

No one dared to protest. Everyone found a partner and assumed fighting positions. Only Sirius, who was paired with Remus, was looking at Redhouse with annoyance.

"Is everyone ready?"

A few people nodded. Only Severus and a plump, pimply Ravenclaw girl named Elizabeth Pillow were left without partners. And...

"Is James going to stay like that until the end of the class?" Remus asked. He was also holding Sirius from his shoulder. Clearly, without Remus's hold, Sirius would be swearing at Redhouse very badly. Now instead, he was giving him a fierce look. Severus read the most obscene profanities in those eyes. The professor turned his head, the pink piglet was staring back at him too with a similar expression Sirius wore.

"Ah, of course, my apologies..."

He gave his wand a little shake and swiftly transformed the pig into James Potter, who stand up with a sour expression. The class burst into a new wave of laughter. James was still pink and covered with different color of circles. Redhouse turned his wand once more and restored him to his normal appearance.

"You know, different spells..." he muttered. He smiled at James, thinking he was being understanding. James shot him one of his nastiest glares. His face was beet red. Severus saw him looking towards the back somewhere. He knew where he was looking; at Lily. A sudden wave of pity surged through Severus. He knew this feeling. But just as it came, the feeling went away. If he knew it, it was because of Potter. Why should he feel sorry for him? He deserved it! Nasty little pig!

"Well, Mr. Potter, if you're feeling well, partner up with Miss Pillow."

James nodded as if to say, "I'm fine." Then he went towards Pillow without saying a word. In the meantime, he didn't even turn to look at Snape. Apparently, he didn't want to see his face right now. With a triumphant smile, Severus looked at Redhouse, whom he knew had died from a Dragon Pox in 1986.

"I don't have a partner?"

"You will be partnering with me, Mr. Snape," Arnold Redhouse smiled. "We wouldn't want more pink piglets, would we?"

All the Slytherins laughed heartlessly. Some of them pointed at James and oinked. Even a few Ravenclaws were smiling. Severus suddenly felt relieved. But he still couldn't bring himself to look at Lily. He wondered what she's doing? Is she smiling, or is she angry like Sirius? Unable to resist, he turned his head a bit. There she was. She wasn't smiling, but she was not angry either. Her eyes were going back and forth between James and Snape. Then the green eyes met the black ones. Severus could easily read behind those eyes; he needed it so badly. He wanted to know what she was thinking, to understand what she was feeling... But he couldn't. He looked away. Later, he saw Lily looking at James. The expression on her face was pity. Severus knew this expression too. Sometimes Lily would look at him this way. Her face would take on this look when she asked endless questions about his family, and Severus tried to dodge every word. Severus hated being pitied by her. Now she had directed the same looks to Potter. But Severus didn't like that either. Lily shouldn't feel sorry for Potter. She shouldn't feel anything for him. She shouldn't even hate him. Potter shouldn't matter to her.

"Now, let's get started. One of the partners will attack, the other will try to block, and there's no cheating, we're working purely on nonverbal spells, remember."

Then he turned to Snape. His eyes were shining with excitement. Snape understood what the professor was trying to do at that moment. Apparently, the professor had been deeply impressed by the recent event. Now he intended to measure Snape's power. Snape looked at the man with a sense of contempt he couldn't control. This man was below mediocre in Occlumency and Legilimency, although Severus believed that this branch of magic was some sort of a forgotten branch, he thought at least those who were trying to fight Dark Arts needed to know them. On the other hand, Redhouse was a good teacher and a strong duelist. But he didn't have much chance against Severus. Severus wasn't seventeen anymore. He was thirty-six years old and armed with magical abilities that many wizards couldn't even imagine. He raised his head.

"Should I try to block you, Professor?" he said, hoping it would be that way. But the man didn't hesitate to give the expected answer.

"No, fight me! With any kind of attack you can think of, and do it nonverbally, go!"

Severus looked around. No one seemed to be interested in him. Everyone had turned rather purplish, pointing their wands at each other, trying to cast spells nonverbally. Meanwhile, Sirius Black had cast a strong leg-binding spell on Remus Lupin, knocking him to the ground. Redhouse rushed over. With a quick spell, he got Lupin back on his feet. Sirius seemed somewhat regretful, but Remus grinned at him.

"That was really good, Padfoot!"

At that moment, James had succeeded to slam Pillow against the opposite wall with a loud crash. Redhouse rushed over there this time. He lifted the girl and shook her. When Pillow regained her focus, he sat her in a chair.

"Yes, I think five points to Potter and Black, I suppose. Quite impressive!" However, neither Sirius nor James appeared happier. In fact, James seemed to be burying himself in embarrassment due to having earned points. "Now, if you wish, Mr. Snape and I will have a duel. We'll continue afterward."

Snape couldn't believe this. A show in front of the entire class! Redhouse was practically forcing him. He should have been teaching a lesson, not putting on a show! Nevertheless, the teacher stood in front of him, raised his wand, and said,

"On the count of three..."

The whole class had retreated, leaving only Snape and Redhouse in the arena. Snape noticed that Potter's face had regained his original colour slightly. It was clear he wanted to see his revenge being taken, but Severus couldn't allow it. He held his wand firmly, keeping it at eye level.

"One... Two... Three..."

The Professor's purple spell came swiftly, so much so that most of the students thought Snape would fall screaming. However, Snape easily blocked the spell and sent a silent red beam toward Redhouse. The spell was countered, and he realized a huge black snake was approaching him. Then he vanished the snake in a puff of smoke, creating thousands of tiny bats in the smoke. As the bats flew toward Redhouse, the Professor moved slightly to the right in mild panic and obliterated all the bats with fire. Then the fire grew and headed towards Snape. He extinguished the fire with water, and the water engulfed Redhouse, freezed on him. The ice began to crystallize and shattered into pieces (most students had jumped back to avoid the fragments). A red waterfall cascaded over Snape. He quickly conjured a massive concrete wall in front of him, then shattered the wall over Redhouse. He escaped the wall and sent flying ropes towards Snape who turned them into chains and re-headed to Redhouse. He managed to break the chains, turning them into scorpions that he directed towards Severus. Under the enchanted gazes of the class, Severus enlarged the scorpions. Now giant scorpions, appearing menacing, were heading towards a somewhat frightened-looking Redhouse. The Professor sent them into a cloud and then sent Severus a yellow beam. Severus countered the beam so quickly that he didn't have any difficulty sending another red beam at him before Redhouse could cast another spell. Due to the spell's force, Redhouse was shaken, flew through the air, and landed against one of the back rows.

A deep silence fell. Everyone was frozen, staring at Snape. Neither Slytherins, nor Gryffindors, nor students from other houses spoke or made a sound. Then, slowly, they turned to the Professor on the ground. He lay motionless. His black hair was stained with his own blood.

"No," Severus whispered. "No." He hurried to Redhouse. He checked his pulse and then turned to the crowd. "Someone, get help!" he said. No one moved. Snape seemed on the verge of losing it. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT? HE'S JUST FAINTED! I CAST A DISARMAMENT SPELL, NOT AN UNFORGIVABLE CURSE!"

"You... you killed him!" Edward Cotton said. "You killed him!"

Severus, muttering a "Merlin!" under his breath, examined Redhouse's wound; it wasn't deep. The crash had temporarily knocked him out. Using a healing spell, he bandaged the man's head, then conjured a stretcher and levitated the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor onto it. He then levitated the stretcher itself and began moving toward the Hospital Wing. The class followed behind, as if they were under a spell.

As Severus walked the corridors toward the Hospital Wing, he couldn't help but think how strange they all looked. He, carrying a stretcher with an unconscious professor, and twenty-two seventh-year students trailing behind him. After a short distance, he saw a young McGonagall approaching from the opposite direction.

"What's happen- Oh my goodness! Professor Redhouse!"

"An accident occurred in the classroom, Professor," Severus began, but Candy chimed in from behind.

"Snape attacked Professor Redhouse, Professor! We all saw it!" Most of the students nodded in agreement, but Rosier said,

"They were duelling! for the lesson! Severus didn't do anything. He just used 'Expelliarmus'!"

McGonagall looked from Snape to Rosier to Melody, then said, "Follow me!"

Madam Pomfrey gave quite a tantrum about the sudden influx of twenty-three students into the hospital wing. However, when McGonagall let out a high-pitched scream, exclaiming, "Merlin, Popy!" she stepped back. There was an unapproving expression on McGonagall's face. When McGonagall turned and said more firmly, "Please, can you attend to Professor Redhouse?" Madam Pomfrey moved closer to the DADA professor and didn't say anything else. McGonagall turned back to the students and said,

"Explain."

They all started talking at once, and she raised her hand to silence them. Looking at the quietened students, she pointed at Snape.

"You! What did you do?"

Severus briefly explained the situation. McGonagall seemed moved by the story but didn't entirely believe it. She looked at the others.

"Is this true?"

They nodded with grumbles of agreement. However, O'Henry chimed in with a shout,

"He did attack a professor, after all! And before that,to Jame-..."

His sentence was cut short because Remus had nudged him, Sirius had elbowed him, and James had given him a kick. Severus smirked triumphantly at James. McGonagall glared at O'Henry, her eyes firing:

"So what if he did? It appears that Mr. Snape has rightfully won the duel. What do you think, Popy?"

"Nothing serious. He just took a blow to the head."

"That means Mr. Snape is telling the truth. No one was attempting to kill anyone here."

A feeble attempt was made to say,

"But..."

However, McGonagall interrupted:

"But what, Mr. Cotton? Are you trying to deceive me? I thought an attack had taken place on a teacher, by a student no less. Turns out it was just an accident during a lesson. I'm deducting two points from Hufflepuff."

"An accident?! You didn't see how he attacked him! Professor, he is obviously trained; he is taught by someone…" Everyone turned to look, and Edward lowered his voice and his gaze. "by You-Know-Who!"

McGonagall gave him an icy look.

"Detention, this weekend in my office, Mr. Cotton. Now that your professor is unconscious, everyone can go back to their houses. My advice is to prepare for your N.E.W.T. exams rather than play exploding snap. Being at the beginning of the school year shouldn't give you any false sense of security."

No one questioned her words. Severus joined his Slytherin friends who were headed to the dungeons. They kept looking back at him. Rosier was the first to speak:

"That was amazing, Snape!"

"Well, yes," Mulciber chimed in, as if he had just been granted permission to speak. "That piglet was fantastic."

"How did you do it?"

"Black's face turned purple! Did you see that?"

"Black looks adorable when he turns purple," Adela muttered dreamily. When all heads turned sharply to her, she continued, "I mean, Severus, 'you should make him turn purple more often.' I was gonna say"

Severus smiled. His face was flushed. He was aware that he didn't deserve most of these praises. He was a grown man. A seventeen-year-old child and a twenty-four-year-old young man were child's play to him. But who would know, right? It's better to let it go-...

"Mr. Snape?"

When he turned around, he saw Dumbledore, who was looking at him knowingly, and just like their previous encounters, he was not pleased at all. Who would know? Dumbledore, of course! The bane of his existence, Dumbledore!

"Professor?" he said, almost with a pleading look. But Dumbledore either didn't understand or chose to ignore it.

"I would like you to come to my office."

"Professor, he didn't attack!" Evan Rosier snapped. "It's all the Hufflepuff idiots exaggerating!"

Dumbledore looked at Rosier with great sorrow on his face. Severus understood the reason immediately. Evan had been killed at the age of twenty. In a clash with Aurors... He dueled quite well, before leaving, he had even taken a piece of Alastor Moody's nose. He was a brave and stubborn boy, very talented. It was such a pity.

"I didn't say he attacked, Mr. Rosier. Calm down. We're just going to have a little chat."

"Well, you've already chatted!" Rosier replied. "You've called Snape to talk. That's why he was late for class this morning."

Dumbledore didn't seem too interested, but he still shot Snape a discreet glance.

"So, if you got the impression that I am not allowed to talk to a student more than once a day, you have received incorrect information," he said. "Yes, Mr. Snape, please come to my office."

Severus reluctantly followed the headmaster. When had this man learned about the incident?

"I believe encountering with Minerva a moment was a lucky coincidence," Dumbledore said.

Snape grumbled. They had arrived at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Raisin cake." The statue shifted to the side. "Remembering the password took me some time, you know? Fortunately, the list of my favorite sweets never changes."

As Snape climbed the spiral staircase, he responded with more grumbling.

"Please allow me to offer you a piece of candy."

More grumbling.

"Or a glass of Lemon Sherbet?"

Grumbling.

"Ah, Severus," the old man said with a smile. "I truly understand you. But don't you think you're drawing a bit too much attention?"

"I didn't do anything!" Snape growled.

"I'm sure a duel in front of the class was impressive, but let me point out..."

"I'M NOT SHOWING OFF!" How many times was he going to be told this today? And how many times would he lose control today? Merlin, what was happening to him? He closed his eyes and counted to ten in his mind. Then, with an unbelievably calm voice, he continued, "Okay, I wanted to curse Potter. But the duel wasn't my fault. Redhouse, the idiot, practically forced me into a duel. There was nothing I could do. Should I have said, 'No, Professor, maybe another time'?"

"Ah, but Severus, a pink piglet with colorful rings on it will draw everyone's attention. It's no wonder Redhouse wanted to test you. Besides, you dueled completely non-verbally. Do I need to remind you that you should be seventeen years old."

"I am seventeen already. I feel that way." He paused. "Is that normal?"

Dumbledore's forehead furrowed.

"I think it is. This magic can have such an effect. In fact, it should. You're not thirty-six years old right now. Feeling like a young lad is normal. But I would like to request that you don't repeat performances like today."

"Why?"

"Goodness gracious, Severus! I hope you won't curse everyone just because you can."

"I'm not cursing everyone. I was asked to duel. Should I have let him knock me down on the ground? Well, sorry, but I can't allow that."

"You won't win Lily over like this, Severus."

A heavy silence fell. For a few minutes, perhaps a few hours, even a few days... In that silence, they stared at each other. Then Snape hissed. His voice was colder than the ice.

"Lily has nothing to do with this! I didn't even look at her!"

"I'm glad to hear that, my dear son. Because if I know Lily even a little, she's not someone who can be won over with a show."

"YOU- YOU KNOW LILY? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? YOU- SHE- SHE'S MY..."

He took deep breaths, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Then why did she marry Potter?"

He hadn't intended to say the last sentence. The words had spilled out. Dumbledore's face took on a look of great pity.

"Ah, Severus..."

But Severus didn't hear the rest. He slammed the door and was gone.

Damn it! Why couldn't anyone acknowledge that he was more than a pitiful or detestable creature? He was a great wizard, a very great wizard. He excelled in everything. Why was he resented or pitied instead of appreciated?

Ughh!

"GET OUT OF THE- Ah..."

It was Lily. She stood right in front of him, her eyes wide with surprise. She still had her bag in her hand, which meant she hadn't returned to the common room yet. After a moment of shock, she tried to walk past him. But Severus reflexively stopped and hold her arm. The girl stopped but didn't turn.

Severus remembered this scene. He had done the same thing before, stopping Lily and showing her the mark on his arm. But it had happened after Lily started dating Potter. Severus felt the dark mark somewhere on his left arm. It felt like it was an extra part there... Lily was currently unaware of its existence.

"I- you- ... Lily?" She turned around. Her green eyes pierced him like a dagger. Right now, Severus could cry. He had killed Lily! Sent her to her death! He had caused those eyes to close forever!

"Yes?" The girl said coldly. When Snape didn't respond, she continued. "Hmm, congratulations. You did very well in class!"

Severus let go of Lily's arm. They locked eyes once more. Their gazes penetrated each other like drills. She was disgusted by him! That's all it was! His heart shattered into pieces...

"Lily..." he said with a feeble voice... "Lily, please..."

"What happened, Snape?" Lily said quite coldly. But Snape could tell that she was pretending. She clearly didn't expect such vulnerability from Snape. Weakness, weakness... Damn it, why did it always turn out like this?

"I- I want to talk to you. I mean, I have to talk to you. Please..."

Lily raised her eyebrows.

"What can a Death Eater like you talk to me about, Snape?"

"Lily, please, don't say that, don't do it!"

"Why not? Isn't it true? Or have you not been honored with that title yet? Well then, let me give you some advice: a performance like the one you just showed in the class would serve you quite well."

Lily turned to leave, but Snape hold her arm again. Lily drew her wand with her other hand and pointed it at Snape's throat.

"RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT, YOU FILTH!" he shouted. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE! I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU ATTACKED DAVEY THE OTHER DAY! JUST LIKE YOU ATTACKED BERTHA BEFORE HIM, YOU SCUM!"

"Lily, listen!"

"WHAT WILL YOU DO IF I DON'T LISTEN? TURN ME INTO A PIG TOO?"

"Lily, no, of course not..."

"I AM DISGUSTED BY YOU! I REGRET EVERY MINUTE WE'VE SPENT TOGETHER, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? REGRET EVERY MINUTE! YOU'RE A DISGUSTING FILTH! FILTH! YOU MAKE ME SICK! YOU MAKE ME SO SICK!"

She was meaning every word. Severus could see that. Lily didn't hate him; she despised him. She is disgusted by him! Worst of all, the most painful...

"I- I need to talk to you," he said in a small voice. A lump had settled in his throat, causing him physical pain. His eyes were burning. Hoping that Lily hadn't noticed, he tried to make his tone sound more indifferent. "I have something to tell you. It's important - very, very important, Lily!"

"Evans. Please call me 'Evans'!" Lily said. She seemed to have calmed down as well.

"Okay, then, Evans. Tonight, I mean, it's really important, Evans. Lily, Lily, please! We must talk, we must!"

"What's so important?" Severus noticed that he had managed to pique her curiosity.

"Not here. I want you to listen to me one last time. Then you can go, I mean, if you want to... But first, you have to listen to me, Lily, oh Lily, please!"

Lily stared at him in complete surprise. Severus was practically begging. Severus, Severus Snape!

"I-I don't understand why you can't say it here..."

"No! Look, this evening, come to our usual spot! You know, the tree where we used to meet..." Lily's face quickly cooled down and turned icy. She didn't seem to appreciate the 'we' reference. But Severus couldn't dwell on that now. He didn't want his words to be interrupted again. "At half past eight this evening, please come for one last time!"

Lily didn't seem convinced, but she didn't object either. She simply slung her bag over her shoulder and walked past him. Severus called after her,

"I'll wait you tonight!"

Lily didn't turn back.