Snake in the Grass

After I was released from the Hospital Wing, life went back to normal again, well, as close to normal as it get. The Marauders stopped picking on me, but doubled their efforts by picking on Sev more. I tried to stop it but it never worked, they just laughed it off and walked away. Also, I set to work on repairing Lily and Severus’ relationship. I couldn't bare to see them apart, knowing that they had been friends for so long.

Waking up the next day, I roll over and check the time. Ugh, 5:30 AM, way to early for me. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and took a nice, relaxing hot shower. It was the weekend so I found some comfy jeans and a emerald green lace top before I headed to the common room with my potions book. I sat in a big, soft love seat in front of the fire and opened the book, surprisingly to the page of the stoning potion . Not long after I started reading, some of the other Slytherins came down and started playing games, causing way too much noise so I decided it was time to leave. I get up and head out to the black lake and sit under my favorite tree. I lose myself within the pages, re-reading my notes scribbled into the margins. I look up when I hear a twig crunch to my left and see Lily walking towards me.

“Hey!” I say to her.
“Oh, hey. How are you?” She asks. I can see something is bothering her by the look on her face, it is not shining confidence like it usually is.
“Been better, you?”
“About the same.”
“I, uh, heard what happened between you and Sev.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. You really don’t feel the same way about him?”
“No. He is like family. Like a brother.”
“Oh. You do know that he is sorry for calling you a, um...”
“He is sorry for calling me a mudblood?”
"He is. He really is,” I sigh, hoping she will believe me. I know what it is to be called names and how hard it can be to forgive someone but I really hope she sees how important the friendship between her and Sev is.
“I’ll believe it when he says it to my face.”
“Lily, please, trust me when I say he’s sorry. He cried for hours after the two of you fought. Sure I might have been paralyzed and in a coma I remember him telling me about what happened.”
“Really?” A wave of surprise spreads across her face.
“Really. He is sorry, he didn’t mean what he said, he was just mad that you didn’t feel the same way. He adores you so much. I just wish...”
“You just wish?” She snaps back right away.
“It’s nothing,” I say, shaking my head.
She studies me and then gasps, “You have feelings for him don’t you?”
“I – What?” I blush. I realize I hesitated before answering and know that now she'll never believe me.
“You do!”
“No – I...”
“You just wish he felt that way about you.”
“Lily, please.”
“How do you know he doesn’t?”
“I just...”
“You just?”
“Lily... Please?”
“I won’t tell anyone,” She smiles, wrapping me up in a hug.
“Thank you.”
“Does he know?” She pulls back and looks me in the eye.
I shake my head.
“Ava, you need to tell him.”
“I can’t Lily.”
“Why not?”
“I’m scared to,” I whisper, "He still has a heart ache over you and I don't want him to make any wrong choices under pressure."
“Oh I understand,” She says as she hugs me again.
“Can we please drop it Lily?”
“Ok.”
“So... You and Sev?”
“I’ll wait for him to approach me. But now that you have told me he didn’t mean it...” She shrugs.
“I’ll talk to him. See if I can get him to talk to you.”
“Alright,” She nods smiling.
“I’ll go see him now,” I say, hugging her. I bend down and pick up my potions book. I wave to her and head back to the common room.