ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

Chapter 45: Confrontation

Near the Potions classroom

Lily leaned her back against the damp wall and crumpled the hem of her robes in her hands. She had red lips, red cheeks and red eyes, looking like she had a severe incurable fever.

Severus, haggard and even more pale than usual, with black, sunken eyes, stopped nearby. As always, he arrived long before the beginning of his favorite lesson.

When Lily saw Snape, he licked his dry lips, but couldn't say a word.

"I know everything, Severus," Lily finally said. "I know what kind of potions you're cooking."

It was like a shot at point-blank range from that thing that Black was waving in the Great Hall. And the effect was the same.

"I just can't understand, Severus... Why?"

All she said left a burning bitter taste inside that he wanted to wash off the tongue.

"Why did you do it, Severus?"

Lily rushed forward, almost clasped Snape's collar, but something stopped her. His name fallen from her scarlet lips whistled in the air and like a bullet entered Severus' brain.

Lily was standing very close to him so that he could see thin veins under her skin, inhale honey smell of her hair, admire bulging clavicles and pretty freckles that Lily so diligently concealed for the first four years at Hogwarts.

Snape looked into her eyes, not understanding how he dared to after all that he had done. But he couldn't take his eyes off either; he admired her like a dream, unreachable and, therefore, delightfully beautiful.

"Don't come near me ever again," Lily said quietly.

She walked away down the corridor, embracing herself with her fragile hands and forgetting about the lessons.

Probably, coming here, she wanted to say something different. Probably, she was waiting for him to apologize, even if it would be insincere, then she could pretend that she believed his words. But Snape just couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say and didn't know why.

Severus was staring into the dark opening Evans had disappeared in. He didn't understand very well what had happened, but a single thought stirred inside him: you will understand, Lily. Later. You'll understand that I am doing this for you. You'll understand when I protect you from the whole world, rising above it with the Lord. You'll understand when I prove to you what I'm worth.

The corridor flooded with students. Various groups of Slytherins and Gryffindors who looked at each other unkindly, with secret anger. Nobody was going to forgive anyone for anything.

Severus looked at his house mates and their enemies and noted that they didn't seem to care about the expulsion or upcoming exams. That day, Dumbledore was supposed to read out the official list of expelled, say a farewell speech and go to his office surrounded by a golden glow.

Snape was extremely amused by all this artificially created hype. Send seventeen-year-old boys and girls to the front line? Easy! But how can one hide their absence in school? How can we hide their obvious involvement in the partisan movement? The Ministry of Magic won't approve of using students like cannon fodder. But if it's former students...

At first Severus asked himself why Dumbledore wouldn't wait a couple of months till the exams were over, and then he realized that the Lord would want to take over the school before everyone left for holidays. The Lord needs to consolidate his position, he can't wait a whole summer before striking a blow.

Hogwarts was a symbol, and for symbols they fight to death.

The Lord wanted to subdue Hogwarts, Dumbledore wanted to take the battle outside its limits, sacrifice people but save the symbol. Dumbledore was damn right in his actions, but it didn't get any easier.