Chapter 1 - Annual
A/N: Hello there! I got this idea from Ctopher on the forum 'Writing challenges' when I was looking for ideas. It was originally titled 'Snape's Makeover,' but I liked my title a little better. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the original idea of the plot.
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"Snivellus the Slimeball! Snivellus the Slimeball!"
"Peter, I know what you are trying to do, but you really just sound childish."
"Yeah, James is right! Here, I'll do it right; Snivellus, you are a dirty, pathetic, grossly unwashed excuse of Slytherin scum. Go back to the slimy hole you crawled from and leave Evans alone."
"Sirius, you got the point right across! I applaud you. However, I think we can give him a little hair cut, to help him out, yeah?"
"Right you are, Prongs."
As if this situation couldn't get any worse, Severus mused. Bullied on his way to lunch. Couldn't he ever catch a break?
Potter came closer to the stiff boy, who was still struggling to stand after being hit with a leg-locker curse. A wand touched Severus' head, and at that moment he knew his reputation, or what little was left, was about to be blown to smithereens as the entire student body looked on and laughed after a trying day of exams. Bullying him was Potter's little gang's favorite annual activity after an exam, as if it needed to be called annual. They still did it every day, just not with the entire school watching.
Severus closed his eyes, preparing to soon be almost bald, or something cruel like that.
"Diff-"
"Stop!"
Severus looked up, greasy black hair in his eyes. Lily? Lily! Thank merlin, she had saved him again! Of course, it was a blow to his Slytherin reputation for him to be saved by a girl, a mudblood no less, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care.
Unfortunately, Potter had noticed it was Lily too.
"Evans? Come to join the party, eh? Couldn't resist being away from your future husband for too long?" he said with a big, cocky, stupid grin on his face.
Her face went red, and she scowled at him. "Of course not, you arrogant toerag!" she moved towards Severus, and took the leg-locker curse off him, "Let's go, Sev."
Severus got up numbly. Lily grabbed his hand, and went over to Lupin. "And we'll be taking this back, thank you very much! Remus, I'm ashamed for you. I thought you knew better!"
Once they got out of the courtyard, and out of the public eye, Severus gave Lily the biggest hug he ever had, and tears started coming to his eyes. She stood there and comforted him as he sobbed.
"I-I'm so….rry, Lily," Severus said as he backed away from her, even more ashamed of himself. She just smiled in a comforting way, and held out something.
"My wand! Thank you so much, is that what you were grabbing from Lupin?"
Lily nodded. That made Severus beam.
Together, the two friends headed over to the other side of Hogwarts, away from the lake where everyone else was. They decided to stop near Hagrid's hut, under a tree.
"Thinking back, I'm sorry, Sev, but why do you never cut your hair, or wash yourself, for that matter? It's like you have no concept of hygiene at all," Lily said with her brows furrowed, "You know, if you started taking better care of yourself, those idiots wouldn't have as much to pick on."
Severus shrank into himself in embarrassment. Quietly, he whispered, "I don't… I don't know how…"
"What? I couldn't hear you."
"I.. Don't know…. I don't know how…"
Lily's eyes widened. "You poor thing! Why not?"
Severus directed his coal eyes directly into Lily's beautiful green ones. "This is the deepest secret I have, you have to promise not to tell anyone!"
Just as serious, she stared back. "Alright, I promise."
Severus looked around, and, for good measure, casts "Muffliato!" so no one will be able to listen in.
"My.. parents.." he took a deep, shuddering breath, "My parents aren't the type to… do that… As in, well, at home… I was being either…. abused… or ignored…"
Lily hugged him as soon as he finished saying that. Severus' eyes widen in surprise, before he returned it.
"It's okay, though. I learned a lot of stuff anyways, I just didn't…" Severus trailed off.
The two friends sit there for hours, silently comforting each other before the feast.
XXX
A/N: So… Yep! That's it! Hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review! If you would like, check my profile bio for the day of the week I'm updating, along with any announcements, or you could follow this fanfic.