the marauders- an inseparable bond

[15] back to hogwarts

Lily was sitting in a compartment with her Gryffindor friends. She forgotten this feeling of being liked and wanted. Well, her parents had liked and wanted her over the summer, but that wasn't exactly the same thing. Suddenly, the compartment door slid open. She froze. Standing in the doorway was a hook-nosed and greasy-haired teen. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lily couldn't contain herself anymore, all those hours spent crying in her room poured out and she acted on instinct. She stood up and flung her arms around him, saying:

"I missed you."

They hugged for a long moment, none of Lily's other friends daring to say a word, neither Severus nor Lily wanting to ruin the moment. They finally broke away, and Snape said:

"I thought you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

She shook her head of reddish-brown hair.

"I always liked you, but I just- I just didn't want to get hurt."

"I would never hurt you." he said, dark eyes solemn.

After a second of Lily's friends awkwardly looking around and silently wondering if it was okay to go back to making noise, Lily suggested:

"Want to go outside for a minute?"

He nodded gratefully.

When they closed the door behind them and began to stroll down the train, Sev asked:

"So how your summer?"

She smiled sadly.

"Not so good, honestly. I didn't have you and Petunia hates me more than ever. She didn't even come to see me off."

"How dare she?!"

Lily only shrugged.

"Probably the only interaction I had with the outside world was when James Potter wrote to me. Mary, Amy and Camilla were all on vacation and things like that, so-"

"Wait, what?" he cut her off.

"Huh?" she glanced up at him.

"James Potter wrote to you?"

"Oh, yeah, I did think that was a bit weird, but anyways-"

"What did he say?"

"What? Oh- um, I don't know, to see how I was doing, random stuff from his life, I guess. Why are you so focused on that?"

"Why would he write to you?" Snape demanded.

"Look, I don't know, okay?" said Lily, frustrated.

Severus didn't know what to say, he just stared angrily down the hall.

"How was your summer?" Lily prompted.

He shook his head sadly.

"I nearly spent all of it crying- be-because of you."

"Oh, Sev! Me too! I'm so glad we're friends again."

She pulled him into a hug, but then added:

"What about your friends? Avery and Mulciber and people. Didn't they write to you or something?"

Severus shrugged it off. He knew it was no use explaining it to Lily, that they would just get in another fight. His gang of Slytherins weren't those types of friends...

Lily was about to say something else when James Potter came parading down the hall.

"Lily!" he cried joyfully, and to her surprise, he ran up to her and hugged her.

Snape stood there, frozen on the spot, anger radiating off every inch of his body.

"Oh, uh, hi James." she said, patting him on the back slightly awkwardly and unsurely. He let go, and beamed at her.
"I got your reply, but since school was starting so soon, I figured I would just wait to see you instead of writing again."
She nodded. He scanned the train around them and then noticed Snape. James' emotions were hard to read- he looked as though he were fighting within himself. Finally, he gave a strangled, short nod, smiled at Lily, and walked away.

"You know," said a sullen Severus as he walked Lily back to her compartment, "if you hadn't been there, he would have tried to hex me or something."
She let out a long sigh and looked at him.
"What?" he asked in disbelief. Was she really taking James' side?
"He's growing up Sev! So am I! So is everyone! The question is, why can't you?"
He looked up from the floor and into her eyes, hurt.
"Don't look at me like that. When was the last time you James Potter actually fought? Verbally or physically, I don't care."
"We- I- uh-" Snape stuttered.
"Exactly! I know you'll never be mates, but you could at least try and be civil."
I was with great difficulty that he forced out:
"You're right Lily, I'm sorry. Let's not fight again."
Maybe, he thought to himself, this time they would stay friends.