After All This Time?

Quidditch.

  It was worth staying in Hogwarts just for the food, Severus thought, as he started to eat several delicious muffins. His mother wasn't a great cook, so the breakfast table was like heaven to Severus Snape.

Although Severus just spent a very eventful few hours, something has been nagging him, a small disapointed voice kept whispering in the back of his mind. As though he had a twitch, Severus turned to look at the Gryffindor table.

At first, he didn't find her. He scanned the table again, searching for a girl with flaming red hair. And then he found her, sitting next to Frank Longbottom and another girl that had short, brown hair.

Lily didn't look at him, in fact,  she didn't even notice that Severus was focused on her. She seemed to be listening carefully to what that girl was saying.

Maybe she didn't see him, Severus thought. Yes, that must be it, she looked for him but didn't find him. After all, he was quite small, and his black hair blended in.

As for Severus, he was sitting beside Wilkes and Bellatrix. The latter, apart from a 'Morning', ignored him completely. Wilkes was talking animatedly about his brother and all the spells he cast on muggles without being caught.

Finally, the bell rang. Just as the Slytherins started to leave the table, someone rushed to Severus and hugged him so hard, he felt suffocated, but in a good way.

'Sev! How are you? I have loads to tell you, and you probably do too!' Exclaimed Lily, her face flushed with happiness and excitement.

She and Severus didn't notice the commotion they had caused at the Slytherin table. The first years were looking bewildered, but the older students were disgusted. Gryffindor and Slytherins were sworn enemies since the beginning of time, just seeing them hurt their eyes, let alone hugging a Gryffindor; that is torture.

'Snape! What are you playing at?' Hissed Malfoy.

And they didn't even know she's a muggle-born.

Severus heard Lucius, but chose to ignore him. He got off the bench and walked beside Lily out of the Great Hall. 

He told her all about his 'adventure' yesterday, including his meeting with Peeves the poltergiest and the Bloody Baron. Lily drank in every single word. She was a great listener, oohing and aahing in the right moments, but when Severus told her about what he and the others did to Rudolphus Lestrange, Lily frowned.

'What?' Said Severus.

'You paralysed him!' She said, shaking her head.

'Well, technically, it wasn't me-'

'Yes, but you told them about the full body bind curse and how to do it.'

'Look, I performed a counter curse afterwards, the boy's perfectly fine, okay? It was just a joke, quit telling me off.' Answered Severus, mildly hacked off.

Lily stayed silent. Thinking quickly, Severus said, 'I can't wait to start lessons, what do we have together?'

'Potions only, this afternoon, and Broomstick flying afterwards.'  She replied. 'Oh, Sev! It's been amazing! I didn't wander in the school after dark, but I had a great time with Alice, she's a girl in Gryffindor, we share our dormitory with three other girls, Mary and-'

The second bell rang, and it was time for class. Rosier appeared at Severus' side, his face expressionless.

'Come on, Severus, we'll be late for Charms.' He said shortly, and walked away.

'See you.' Severus told Lily and hurried after Rosier.

'Who is she?' Rosier asked, wrinkling his nose.