Thunderstruck [Harry Potter]

III

         

"What does that potion do?" screamed Lily, thunderstruck.

    "I don't know what to call it yet, but just watch," Severus answered, looking on pridefully.

    The frog squealed and flailed its little legs. It hopped weakly a few times as huge boils appeared on its back, popped, and released a foul green pus, which burned more holes into the poor creature's flesh.

    Lily couldn't look. She turned her head away as she heard the frog squeal one last time. She could hear it thrashing around for its final seconds, before the room became silent. A flash of lightning illuminated the basement for a second, before the following growl of thunder rumbled from outside.

    Severus finally looked away from his masterpiece to see his friend turned away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    "What's the matter, Lily?" he asked, brushing a single lock of red hair out of her face. "Don't you like it?"

    He just didn't understand. He had created something so wholesomely powerful, so strong, so mighty, but Lily didn't appreciate it. He had power over the tiny little creature and could use that power to force the animal to his will. Couldn't Lily see what great opportunities such magic could bring?

    Severus brushed the tears from her cheeks compassionately. He had rarely touched her face so intimately before. Lily looked up at Severus and he could see in her eyes that she hadn't completely turned against him yet. He could still convince her of the incredible possibilities that the dark arts displayed.

    "Watch this!" he said, shuffling over to another jar, this one occupied by a rodent of some sort.

    He eased it out of it's enclosure and placed it on the table in front of Lily. She hesitantly watched whatever he was about to do, still clinging to her childhood trust of Severus. Her best friend.

    Sev pulled out his long, dark, wooden wand and pointed it at the creature, saying, "I created this one, too. It took a lot of work, but I'm really proud of it."

    Lily took a step back. Sev held his wand inches away from the animal's dark brown fur and yelled, "Sectumsempra!"

    There was a white flash of light for a moment, and then the rodent began shaking violently. There was a huge, gaping wound on the creature's back, as if it had been sliced with an invisible knife. It trembled as blood streamed from it's back and wet the pockmarked wooden table.

    Lily couldn't take it. She screamed and backed away from Severus, her mind jelly. Why had he done this? How could he have created such terrible works of dark magic?

    Severus saw instantly that it hadn't worked. That he had lost his best friend. Tears streamed down Lily's cheeks and she made no effort to stop them. Severus took a step forward, but Lily kept stepping backward, scared. Scared of him. She shook her head at Severus, a silent message to stay away, and he stopped in his tracks.

    "How could you?" she croaked out.

    "Lily, I-"

    She turned her back on him, grabbed her satchel, and ran towards the still-open cellar door.

    "Lily, wait!"

    She didn't show any sign of hearing him. She whipped out her wand and for a moment Severus thought she was going to use it on him.

    Instead, she held it up and said, "Ascendio."

    Lily was lifted into the air and out of the cellar forever. As she sprinted through the storm, her tears mixed with the rain and the thunder matched her sobs. She clutched her satchel, not caring that she had left her potions textbook behind. She didn't want anything to do with potions, or the madman that was obsessed with them.

    Severus dropped his wand and chased Lily out into the rain, tears of his own sliding down his cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. The rain highlighted his mood and the thunder growled like the ache in his heart. The rain soaked through his mismatched clothes and dripped in rivulets down his black hair.

    "Lily, wait!" Severus Snape called. "I love you."

    Lily Evans never heard him.