1/2 »
Lily sat under her usual tree, reading her usual book. She was alone. As usual. Yes, she had lovely friends, but she always felt like being alone the past couple of days. It was the first time seeing Severus since school ended and Lily couldn’t handle it. She didn’t hate him; no, she would never hate him. She just felt that she needed more time. More time to think. Lily did a lot of thinking, under her usual tree with her usual book.
Snape snapped his book closed and sighed. It was an old potions book and a bit of dust drifted off it and the spine crackled. Carefully he tucked it into his rucksack and stood. For him, sitting down and reading always took his mind off things. And there was a lot on his mind. For just a moment, he really thought he’d convinced Lily to forgive him. His hands curled into fists as he left the library, knocking a few chairs out of the way as he made his way towards the door. He liked the library, he didn’t have to worry about those Marauders wandering in just to bother him since they didn’t study much. They were nothing but bullies and idiots, always harassing him and embarrassing him. But none of their insults had stung as much Lily’s refusal to speak with him. It wasn’t fair! It’d been nearly two years ago and yet she still acted like he had insulted her yesterday. All he wanted was to have Lily back, he’d even put up with the Marauders abuse everyday so long as they could go back to how their friendship had been in third year. Thinking about Lily, Snape found himself wandering down the stairs, headed to the spot that always reminded him of her. Many times they’d studied under the leaves of the same tree or just basked in its shade. Not needing to say anything. Things had only gotten harder the older they got. He wasn’t stupid. He could see how she’d been pulling away from him, even before the incident when he’d insulted her. Hanging out with Lily had really singled him out for ridicule, even in his own House. So he’d had to work extra hard just to make friends, like Mulciber and Avery. Being friends with them only frustrated Lily and put a kink in his friendship with her. It frustrated Snape that he couldn’t seem to win. It was either Lily or his House. As he walked outside, Snape thought through all this for about the thousandth time, it was all he ever thought about any more, how things hadn’t been working with Lily. That, and avoiding the Marauders, his potion notes, and learning Dark Arts from Avery and Mulciber. But mostly Lily. He reached the Entrance Hall without running into anyone, which was a relief.
He finally reached outdoors and happened to look up. A shock of red hair stood out in the field of perfectly kept green lawn and Snape instantly picked up the pace. He’d recognize her anywhere. But what pleased him most of all was where she sat, like old times. It was like he was going out to meet her after a particularly grueling day of classes and they’d study together once again. When he was close enough, Snape called out, “Lily!” pleased that he had caught her alone so he could try and convince her to give him another shot.
