living with them, ginny weasley & the marauders

twenty

chapter twenty; a interaction with your former best friend is bound to end in tears

Lily thundered down the second floor corridor as tears created their own storm in her eyes. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do, but she needed to get away. There was no way that she could go back to the heads dormitory now; at least not while James was still awake.

She wanted nothing more than to clear her head, and sort out the thoughts that were currently zooming through her mind. But of course, with Lily's luck, that was never going to happen; the universe is always against her.

Just when Lily thought that her situation could not get any worse, a familiar, cold voice emitted from behind her. "Lily! Lily, wait!"

Without hesitating, she spun around on her heels, as the cool night breeze gushed through the castle's windows, causing her red locks to gently whip the sides of her face. Lily's body trembled with a sense of dread as she discovered that her assumption had been correct; there stood Severus Snape, with his lanky build and greasy hair, billowing towards her in his Slytherin robes.

"What do you want from me, Severus?" Lily spoke timidly, not wanting him to know that she had been crying. She turned once again so that her back was now facing Snape, and she was looking down at the ground.

"I want you to listen to me," Snape replied, now standing only a few metres away.

"Lovely offer, but I think I'll pass," Lily began to walk away, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard him speak again.

"I told you that this would happen. Why didn't you listen to me?"

"First of all," Lily replied, her tone as nonchalant as she could make it. "I don't know what you're talking about. Secondly, you have no right to think that I should listen to you."

"I know that, but you need to listen to me about this. You should've just taken my advice in the first place."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Lily chuckled nervously, a little anxious, but more so disgusted that he had the nerve to speak to her this way.

"I warned you about Potter, Lily," Snape said calmly. "I told you he'd hurt you like that. You should've trusted me."

"Trusted you?" Lily turned around yet again, this time in an outrage. Her fists were clenched by her side, and her teeth were gritted together. "Trusted you?! I did trust you, and you betrayed that trust when you called me by that filthy name!"

"Lily I didn't mean to—" Snape began to reach out to grab Lily's arm, but she immediately yanked it away.

"You didn't mean to call me a mud blood," Lily spat venomously, and Snape retreated slightly out of shock. "I get it, Severus, I've heard it all before. But you need to face it — our friendship was wilting like a flower. You're just lucky that James came along and picked it to put us out of our misery and prevent all the suffering."

"Lily, listen to me! He's bad! He's no good for you! He doesn't deserve your friendship!" Snape protested, but instantly regretted his choice of words.

"How dare you!" Lily advanced on Snape angrily, who began walking back in fear of her. "How dare you tell me who does and doesn't deserve my friendship! You have no authority over me any more, and especially not when it comes to matters like this!"

"I'm so so sorry, Lily," Snape spluttered. "I—I swear I am. Please, please just forgive me!"

"I forgave you a long time ago, Severus," Lily said quietly, breathing heavily. "I've learnt not hold grudges. You know, karma is bitch and all that other shit."

"Then why—"

"Then why, what? Then why aren't we friends? Then why don't we talk anymore? Then why do I still ignore you? Well the answer is simple; in case you haven't noticed, I don't want to be friends with someone like you," Lily said calmly. "And frankly, I don't think you have the time to be friends with a mudblood like me."

"Lily, this isn't about us. And you know that I never meant to call you that," Lily heard Snape's voice crack slightly as he spoke, and she briefly looked away for a second to avoid eye contact. "It's about you and Potter. You need to stay away from him."

"I think I'm perfectly capable of choosing the right people to be friends with," Lily shrugged. "And for your information, you are not one of them."

"But Potter is?"

"Yes," Lily said confidently. What she had said was true — unlike the statement that she followed up with. "Yes, he is. James Potter and I are friends, and I don't know what would give you the impression that we aren't."

"He hurt you, Lily," Snape repeated. "He's a bad person. He kissed that new girl, who I am 100% sure is also not who she says she is—"

"Leave Ginny out of this!" Lily yelled, gladly cutting him off. "This has nothing to do with her, nor does it concern you. And just to humour me, do you mind telling me why else I shouldn't be friends with James?"

"Because — because he bullies people!" Snape stumbled, and Lily rolled her eyes because she honestly didn't think that he would have been stupid enough to answer her rhetorical question. "And he hangs around with bad people! And—"

"You absolute hypocrite, Severus Snape!" Lily shouted, not holding back her emotions. She had free reign now, and she was going to say exactly what she thought. "Take a look in the mirror, will you? He doesn't bully people anymore. He's matured a hell of a lot, and I'll have you know that Sirius, Remus and Peter are all perfectly good people! Jame is twice the man you are, and is twice the man that you will ever be! And if you and your little wannabe death eater friends so much as lay a finger on him — or any of my friends — than you'll have me to deal with. Do you understand?"

"Lily—"

"Do you understand?" Lily repeated sternly.

"Lily, pl—"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Lily drew her wand from the pocket of her robe and pointed it at her former best friends face. Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, and bit her lip to stop the tears spilling from her eyes.

"Lily, please."

"Leave."

Snape didn't say anything else, he just looked at her longingly for a second, and then turned around and walked away, his dirty cloak sweeping, and his greasy hair bouncing behind him.

Once he was well out of sight, Lily lowered her wand and placed her head in her hands as she finally gave her glistening tears permission to spill.