"Lily, wait!" Severus ignored the snickering of his classmates, shoving his broom into the hands of the Slytherin girl nearest him, and ran after Lily, his robes swishing around his ankles, making him trip on his way up the hill. He caught up to her and grabbed hold of her elbow, stopping her. Behind them, the students were shuffling over to the broom shed and putting up the brooms. "You alright?" he asked when she faced him.
Over Severus's shoulder, she could see James, standing exactly where she had left him, holding the two brooms in his fists, staring after her. Sirius was talking to him and James was nodding. "I hate them, Sev," she said hotly. "Those boys are just so awful and full of themselves. The way they treat you is just --" Lily shook her head. "I hate them."
Severus sighed.
"I wish I'd gone to Slytherin with you," Lily said. "I miss you so much already."
Despite himself, Severus smiled at her. Knowing she missed him made him feel better. He'd been having himself some wild imaginings of her laughing uproariously before a fire in the Gryffindor common room as Sirius Black told cruel 'Snivellus Snape' jokes. "I miss you, too," he told her. He glanced back and saw the class had gotten the brooms put up and were on their way up the hill, James and Sirius included, and he said, "C'mon, let's get inside before they come up here." He pulled her by her hand into the school and they charged past the Great Hall and down a flight of stone steps that led into a dark corridor. They continued on to the end of the corridor until they'd found another flight of steps and Severus led her about halfway up them before sitting down and patting the spot beside her. "Here, we won't be bothered here," he told her.
She looked around, "What is this place?"
"It's the dungeons," he explained, "They hold potions lessons down here, in a room just around the corner. These stairs go up to the Potions Master's storeroom." He pointed to a great wooden door behind him.
Lily looked, then turned back to Severus, "Well what if the Potions Master comes?"
"He won't," Severus said. "There's no afternoon potions lessons."
Lily nodded. It was dark and cold and kind of wet feeling even though there was no water around in the dungeons, but whatever it took to see Severus, she supposed. She looked up at him. "Do you like Slytherin?" she asked.
"I imagine it's loads better than Gryffindor with those stupid gits," Severus growled.
"I have my own dormitory room," she told him, "All to myself." She made it sound more exciting than she really felt about it. "And I've made friends with a girl from second year called Alice Bell."
Severus frowned, "She's a mudblood," he said.
"A what?" Lily looked confused at him.
Severus hesitated. "It... it means she's half-blood."
"Well so aren't you," Lily laughed.
Severus scowled. "I may be half-blood, but I'm half-blood Prince," he explained, "And that's an important distinction. Besides, I disowned my father ages ago."
"Well you are still a half-blood, you can't change what you are just by coming up with fancy titles and wishing your father away," Lily said sternly. "Besides, what does it matter what sort of blood you are?"
Severus didn't want to get into the whole pure-blood/half-blood/muggle-born discussion with Lily, mainly because he didn't want to explain to her that his family, who only barely tolerated him now, would completely disown him if they knew the things that he felt about her - a muggle-born. Blood traitor, they would call him. He looked into Lily's eyes and knew that one day he would have to tell her about it all, if he planned to be with her for the rest of his life as he did, but that day did not have to be today.
"You're right," he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything nasty about your friend."
"Thank you," she replied. She shook her head, "Severus, things are a lot more complicated here than I imagined they would be when we talked about it. And I miss Tuney a lot."
"So write her an owl," Severus suggested. "I can show you where the owlery is so you can send it off tomorrow."
Lily smiled, "That's a good idea."
"I have them now and then," Severus answered.
"You have them loads," she answered.
Severus felt his neck get a little heated with a flush and he quickly changed the subject, "What classes did you have today?" he asked.
"Charms and Transfiguration. That Professor McGonagall is brilliant! I absolutely adore her. She's our head of house. She turned a tea set into a family of ducks today in the class. We're only learning much simpler things ourselves, but she was showing us what sorts of things Transfiguration could do and it was brilliant." She smiled. "What did you have?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," he replied. "It was pretty interesting. It's the teacher's first year. Professor Tutamen was telling us about basic defense, we learned a shield charm and a disarming charm. You'll really like it. When do you have Defense?"
"Not until Monday," she replied. "We have double Potions tomorrow, though. In the morning."
Severus nodded, "I know, we're in with the Gryffindors for Potions in the morning. You'll get to meet Professor Slughorn."
Lily grinned, "I'm glad that we have classes together, it means I'll get to see you. I think Potions is my favorite class already."
They talked a bit longer about their classes and their respective common rooms, then Severus showed Lily up to the Great Hall for supper. All the other students were filling the entrance hall as they emerged from the dungeons. "Lily!" Alice Bell was coming down the stairs, waving as she approached.
Lily glanced between Alice and Severus as she ran towards them.
"Go on, have fun," Severus told her, "I have to go to the Slytherin table anyway."
"I'll see you in Potions tomorrow morning," Lily said and she squeezed his hand and ran to meet Alice halfway across the entrance hall.
Severus watched as they joined the swarm of people pouring into the Great Hall and disappeared inside the doors, their heads together, talking. He took a deep breath and started to join the crowd as well when he heard voices echoing down from the stairwell.
"Did you have a lovely date, then, Snape?" James Potter was coming down the stairs with Sirius, Peter, and Remus in tow.
"You must be really good at snogging to get someone who looks as good as that," Sirius said loudly.
"Maybe he's filthy rich," James suggested.
"Rich? No, the only thing he is is filthy!" Sirius cackled.
Severus felt rooted to the spot where he was. He didn't dare go after Sirius a second time in one day - didn't want to end up expelled or something for it - so he gritted his teeth and balled his fists and watched as the two of them came down the stairwell and started across the entrance hall toward the Great Hall.
"You know, Snivelly, taking a bath could do wonders for you. And it's easy. Just turn the knobs and this stuff called water comes out... I'll even give you some shampoo since your mother can't afford to buy you any." Sirius's mocking grin seemed to be the only thing fully in focus as Severus's face throbbed with embarrassment and everything became rather blurry and moved in slow motion. Severus's fists were balled so tightly that he was nearly puncturing himself with his fingernails. He closed his eyes and counted to ten.
"Ten points from Gryffindor," came a cold voice from behind him, "For being insufferable." Lucius Malfoy had come up from the dungeons behind Severus and heard the boys bullying him. "Now go on your way before I make it twenty," he hissed. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter ran into the hall quickly.
"Thanks," Severus mumbled.
Lucius replied, "Next time stand up for yourself."
"I did earlier," Severus explained, "And I ended up in the hospital wing with a bloody nose and detention next week with Madam Hooch."
Lucius asked, "And where was Sirius Black?"
"In the hospital wing as well. I gave him a split lip."
"So he was worse off than you were?"
Severus nodded.
"Then it was worth the detention, was it not?"
"I suppose," Severus said with a smirk.
Lucius led the way into the Great Hall, "You musn't let idiots like them bother you." Severus followed him to the table and they sat down. Narcissa Black joined them a few moments later, sitting beside Lucius instead of across from him this time. Mulciber and Avery sat across from them, blocking the Gryffindor table from view for Severus, which was good because Sirius was pantomiming showering and laughing in the direction of the Slytherin table.
Mulciber leaned across the table, "Did you find out why the..." he lowered his voice, "Dark mark... burned this afternoon?" he asked Lucius.
Lucius drawled, "I sent an owl to my mother and she said that the Dark Lord had called his followers to him because he says he's completed his preparations and is ready to begin taking over." He glanced towards the faculty table, where Professor Dumbledore was talking merrily with Professor Slughorn, sharing a box of candied pineapple with him. "He's got a servant on staff here," Lucius says, "As part of his plan to take over the school."
"Why's he so keen on taking over Hogwarts for?" Avery growled. "Seems he could do better at taking the ministry instead."
"All the young blood in here," Lucius said, "It's an ultimate army. Nobody would fight to kill on a bunch of kids. That's the brilliance of it, don't you see?"
Severus asked, "Who's the servant?" He was still staring up at the staff table.
Lucius hesitated. "I can't tell you, Severus, not until you're a Death Eater, too."
"A Death Eater?" Severus questioned.
"Yeah," Lucius answered, "When you're older, he'll offer you a place in his group of followers, if you're lucky, and you'll be given the Dark Mark, like I have, and you'll be able to know these things."
"He would take me?" Severus asked. "Even though I'm... half-blood?"
"If you'll follow him faithfully and renounce your ties to muggles and mudbloods," Lucius said. "There's no reason why you couldn't become a Death Eater, if you wanted to... Which, if you're smart, you'll want to. It's the way the world is going. The Dark Lord will take over and those who are in his court will be greatly rewarded... The Dark Lord provides for those who believe in him and fight for him. And those who offend him..." Lucius's lips turned into a sinister grin, "Well, those people don't live long enough to tell us what he does to them."
Mulciber and Avery cackled.