I'm in Love and Always Will Be

Lily Evans & James Potter
Would like to invite you to their wedding-

Severus threw the rest of the letter on the ground and collapsed onto his bed. He let out a long sigh and tried hard to hold back the tears that had been dying to come out since he first learned that Lily and Potter were dating.

"I've lost her," he whispered to the bare walls around him. "I've lost her and now I'll never get her back."

Severus wiped away a cold tear that had slipped out onto his cheek. He shivered as he stared at his ceiling, thinking of all of the memories he had with the red-headed love of his life and how now they wouldn't have anymore memories together.

"She'll have memories with Potter now instead," Severus spat out angrily. He was disgusted as to how low Lily had stooped to find love. Why have Potter when he, Severus Snape, was standing right there in front of her?

"Because every girl loves Potter. He was the star of the Quidditch team. Smartest boy in Gryffindor. Prankster of the school. Plus all the girls think he's the handsomest boy at Hogwarts. We're out of Hogwarts now, so why is she still with him? She could do so much better…like me," he whispered, letting the tears escape for the first time in months.

After a few moments of sobbing to himself, he shook off the tears and pushed the pain to the back of his mind. Severus grabbed his cloak on the way out of his small house and muttered to himself, "I need a drink."
-

A tall, pale man with greasy black hair pushed open the door of A Wizards Whiskey, a small pub nestled into the empty backstreets of Diagon Alley. Severus sat down on a tall stool at the bar and called over the young bartender. She rushed over, balancing a tall mug of rum in one hand and a shot of firewhiskey in the other.

"One moment, Severus," she said as she rushed past to give the waiting wizards their drinks. Severus watched as they looked her up and down and gave her a flirty smile and a wink. She smiled back but as she turned around to come back to Severus, she rolled her eyes at the drunken men.

"What can I get you Sev?" she asked as she set her elbows on the bar and leaned down on them. She gave him a comforting smile, knowing that it must be Lily trouble again.

"The strongest thing you've got," he replied to the bartender.

"That bad?" she asked him as she reached under the bar to grab a large cup.

"She's getting married, Alice. I got the invite this morning," Severus answered, blinking back the tears that had returned to his dark eyes.

Alice froze as she poured the firewhiskey into a tall glass, causing it to overflow onto the shiny, wooden bar top.

"Oh, Severus-"

"It's okay. It's not like she would ever want to date me anyway," he replied gloomily.

"That's not true, Sev! Any girl would be lucky to date you," she said, looking into his eyes. Her hazel eyes were filled with warmth but, for a moment, Severus thought he saw a tinge of longing in them. He brushed that thought away as she handed him his drink and cleaned off the surface of the bar.

"If that's true, then why isn't Lily with me? Why isn't any girl interested in being with me, Alice?" he asked with pain in his voice. He hated this feeling of loneliness, knowing that there was nothing he could do to make Lily love him.

"Because girls these days are idiots, Sev. You'll find a girl that you'll spend the rest of your life with soon enough. I promise," she said, adding in a gentle smile while she touched his arm reassuringly.

He was about to respond when the door to the warm pub burst open, letting in the chilly air outside. He looked away from the blinding light that came from the rising sun but heard the familiar yells of a group of boys.

"A round of rum! My best mate's getting married next week!" hollered Sirius Black as he joined Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew at a table in the back of the pub.

Severus sighed and hid his face from the cheering group. He took a large sip from his firewhiskey and gasped for air when it burned the back of his neck. Alice gave him an apologetic look as she carried the mugs of rum over to the loud gaggle of wizards.
Severus risked a glance over to their table and watched in disgust at the scene that lay before his cold eyes: Potter was already downing his rum; Pettigrew was laughing along with Lupin; and Black kept glancing at Alice's arse or down her top. Whenever she would cast him a curious glance he would just give her the same smile that had kept him out of more trouble at Hogwarts. The same smile that would win him any girl in the school. Alice didn't fall for it though; she simply gave her fake smile to him and returned back to her position behind the large bar.

"Eck, isn't that one with the glasses Lily's fiancée?" asked Alice, curiously. Severus nodded and Alice made a disgusted face as she glanced over there again.

"I think that one guy was staring down my shirt," she whispered to Severus as she leaned in closer. He stifled a laugh but not enough to keep it quiet from Potter and his group. They glanced over at the bar and saw him sitting there, chatting it up with the bartender.

"Oh, Snivellus!" yelled Potter from the other side of the pub. Severus sighed as he turned around and looked at Potter. For a moment he wished he could be James, then he could have the girl, have the popularity, have the friends…but he took it back when he remembered how awful Potter was.

"What?" Severus muttered, feeling a little tipsy from all of the firewhiskey he had drank.

"What are you doing here, Snivelly? Are you coming to my wedding with my future-wife Lily?" Potter asked, knowing that that last question would hurt Severus. He smiled maliciously at Severus, waiting for his response.

"I'm out of here, Alice," Severus said groggily, reaching into his pocket for some money.

"It's on the house, Sev," Alice replied, casting a sympathetic look towards the drunk man. Severus nodded and headed toward the door.

"Aw, do you not want to talk to me, Snivellus?" asked Potter, now getting up and walking towards Severus. He placed his arm on his shoulder, pulling him back. Severus curled his pale hand into a fist and slammed it right into Potter's face, causing him to fall back, crashing into a table on the way down.

"She deserves better," Severus said, pain in his voice again, as he stormed away from the pub.

-a week later-

Severus walked nervously toward the wedding hall. It had been a week since he had punched Potter and he was sure that James had gone and told Lily what had happened.

Let's just hope that Potter's pride got the best of him and he didn't tell her, Severus thought to himself as he entered the large, white building. He veered left down a hallway as he saw Black and Lupin standing near the entrance of the room that the ceremony would take place in.

He shook off his nerves and continued down the strange hallway. The walls were white and occasionally there would be pictures of a married couple on them. Instead of waving at him as he passed, they gave him odd glances and whispered to their lovers.

A door opened quickly a few feet ahead of him and a group of giggling girls came rushing out. Their puffy, pink dresses collided together as they shut the door and squeezed past Severus as they went down the hallway. As they passed, they too gave him odd looks, as if telling him that he didn't belong there. Not in that hallway, not in that church, not among Lily.

He dropped their glances and continued onward, stopping curiously at the door that they had just emerged from. He guessed that it was were Lily was so he knocked gently on the door. He waited a few moments but there was no response.

I could just leave this hallway and go into the ceremony room. Lily would never have to find out how I feel-

The door opened and Lily stood in the doorway, looking stunning in a pearly white dress, beaming at Severus.

"You came!" she said excitedly as she reached forward and hugged him. He held onto her for a moment and then let go.

"Yeah, Lily, there's something…there's something I want to tell you," he said meekly.

"What is it, Sev?" she asked him, looking worried.

"I…I-I love you, Lily. Don't marry Potter," he pleaded to her. He watched in horror as she shook her head.

"I'm getting married today, Severus. I love James. I know you don't like him but I do. I thought you came to watch me get married, not to stop me. I can't believe you would do this Sev-"

Severus took off down the hallway, trying to tune out the sounds of Lily calling after him. He hurried out of the building and apparated to A Wizards Whiskey.
"Alice, I told her," Severus said as he burst in. He ignored the shocked glances of the other people in the pub and strode over to the bartender.

"Sev! What'd she say?" Alice asked excitedly, but when she saw the tears coming down Severus' cheeks she gasped and pulled him into a hug.

"It's okay," she said, patting his back. He pulled away and took a seat at the bar. She ran behind it and poured him a large cup of firewhiskey.

"I'm never falling for another girl, Alice," he said as he picked up the glass to take a sip. He saw the pained look in her eyes and took a large gulp, letting it burn the back of his neck. He didn't try to stop the burning though, he deserved it. Only fools let their hearts linger on their sleeves.