The Results of Self-Conscious Behavior

[gothic rose]

So, I have been predominately a lurker on this, and other sites, for about 10 years (posting very rarely), and in that time I have read many wonderful stories. However, I never got up the nerve to actually participate fully. So, to combat my own nervousness and to show my appreciation, I thought I’d give my thanks to all of you by trying a hand at writing a story myself. I’ve never written anything before, so I hope that this isn’t completely horrible. If you have any tips, I am always open to constructive criticism! I do plan on continuing this story, as I did find it kind of fun to write (and too many stories are left abandoned), so I hope to post the second part as soon.

Now that I’ve talked too much, please enjoy as I run and hide!

Title: The Results of Self-Conscious Behavior

Author: Gothic Rose (or L)

Disclaimer: I wish I had written Harry Potter, but alas, I am not nearly that creative. This fic is set in the Marauder Era, and follows canon.

Summary: Severus Snape hates his nose for many reasons. My first fanfic of any kind.

Chapter One

For the most part, Severus Snape didn’t pay attention to the way he looked. He knew that he wasn’t conventionally attractive, but, in his opinion, there were far more important things to spend your time on. So what if his hair was oily and his clothes didn’t fit quite right? He’d rather people notice him for his intelligence, rather than how he looked. Not that he could’ve afforded new clothes even if he wanted to, but that was beside the point. The point was that he, Severus Snape, didn’t often dwell on his appearance…except when it came to his nose.

He hated his nose. Well, to be honest, he hated most of his appearance; but his nose was by far the worst part about him. And, as he stared into the bathroom mirror, his nose was all that he could see. He swore if the thing got any bigger it would start to take over his face!

His feelings towards his nose weren't helped by the fact that it was the one feature that he had inherited from his father. While Tobias wasn't what you’d call handsome by any means, Severus did have to admit that his father at least had some sort of air of masculinity about him. Big boned and rugged looking, Tobias looked strong and powerful: the complete opposite of his weedy freak of a son. Severus often wished that he had inherited at least some of his father physique; even the Snape family nose didn’t look so huge when paired with the rest of his father’s features.

“IHhh…”

As though sensing that it was the subject of his thoughts, Severus’ nose twitched suddenly as he felt the overwhelming need to sneeze fill his sinuses. Severus found himself inhaling sharply, taken aback from the sudden sensation, and quickly made a grab for his flaring nostrils. The last thing he wanted to do was risk waking his parents up with an ill-timed sneeze. He hadn’t slept well the night before due to the screams that signaled their latest quarrel, and he wanted to be long gone before round two, which was certain to begin as soon as they were both conscious.

Severus stood frozen by the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, thumb and forefinger pinched tightly around his nose, before he felt the offending tickle back off. Exhaling in relief, he rubbed fiercely at his nose to ensure that the sneeze was not planning on coming back. When he was satisfied, he quickly finished up in the bathroom, before slipping quickly back into the safety of his bedroom.

Once in his room, Severus dug through his dresser until he found a pair of muggle trousers and shirt that would fit over his growing frame. Having not had to wear any “normal clothing”, as his father would say, since the previous summer holiday, Severus had found that he had outgrown a lot of his old clothes over the school year. Luckily there were still a few items in his closet that could be deemed wearable.

As Severus sat on his bed buttoning up one of his father’s old work shirts, he felt the tickle start to return to his nose. He brought his right hand up, and almost absentmindedly rubbed his index finger under his nose hoping to stop the sneeze in its tracks. After a moment, his index finger turned to the palm of his hand as the tickle gave no sign of backing off. Nose wiggling back and forth now, Severus tried to pinch at his nostrils once again, hoping to have similar success as before. It seemed to work. Slowly Severus removed his hand, and gave a tentative sniff through his nose. Immediately the sneeze was back upon him. It was no use, he was going to sneeze.

“Huh…huhhh….huhhHHH…”

Severus breathed hitched as the sneeze built rapidly through his nose. He could feel his eye lids start to close, as his brow furrowed and mouth fell open. He just wanted to get this over with.

Breathes coming in short gasps, he looked around for something to sneeze into. If he couldn’t stop the sneeze, he could at least muffle the sound. Having spotted what he needed, Severus grabbed at the greying pillow that lay next to him on his bed. Hands cupped under the center of the pillow, Severus only had to wait a moment longer before the sneeze was upon him.

In an instant, Severus pitched forward as the pillow came up to meet his face. With the sound almost completely muffled by the pillow, Severus’ body shuddered, once, twice, three times before he lifted his face from the pillow. Eyes opening for a moment, and head leaned back; he had only resurfaced for a moment or two when he snapped back down into his pillow with another two muffled, but forceful sneezes.

“H’ISH, H’CMH”

When the fit had passed, Severus stayed buried in his pillow for minute to make sure that his nose wasn’t about to surprise him again. Slowly he pulled back, discarding his pillow back on his bed. Listening closely, he heard no sign that his moment of weakness had woken his parents. Still slightly dazed from the sinus explosions, Severus shuddered in disgust as he swiped the back of his hand against his now slightly runny nose.

He hated to sneeze. He probably hated to sneeze more than he hated his nose that allowed the horrible act to occur. The lack of control that occurred during sneezing was discomforting to Severus, who yearned for power in any type of situation. But that wasn’t the only reason. The Slytherin truly hated sneezing because it was humiliating. As someone who was constantly made fun of for his oversized nose, the last thing that he wanted to do was draw more attention to it; and that’s exactly what sneezing did. It didn’t help that, in his mind, he was once again screwed over by genetics when it came to his sneeze. Unlike his appearance, where each feature clearly favored one parent over the other, his sneeze was a mix of the worst of both worlds.

From his father, Severus had inherited a rather loud and strong sneeze, the type that one would only assume came from a nose such as his. But if that wasn’t bad enough, than came his mother’s contribution. From his mother, he had inherited the inability to stop at just one sneeze; his nose often opting for around five or six or even in some instances over ten sneezes before it was satisfied. For his mother, whose sneezes were soft and quiet, the fit was a mere annoyance. For someone whose sneeze already drew attention, it seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.

He had tried stifling a few times, but he had often found that that caused more problems than it was worth. Not only did it tend to make his long fits even longer, it left his ears ringing for hours afterwards. The only solution that Severus had ever found was simply not to sneeze; although, like most things in life, it was never that simple.

Snapping out of his daze, Severus turned his thoughts to the reason for his most recent fit. While he had the typical minor allergies to pollen and dust, he didn’t know if they were to blame. It was too late for the pollen that usually affected him in the spring, and he had cleaned his room from top to bottom when he had first returned home from Hogwarts.

Could he be getting sick? It would be his luck that he would catch a cold in the middle of the summer, when he was miles away from any source of potion that could nip an unwanted virus in the bud. He swallowed slowly, but his throat didn’t seem to be bothering him. While he did have a slight headache, his lack of sleep the night before could just have easily been the cause of that. Finally, it was impossible to tell if the congestion he felt was the cause of the sneezing, or just the after effect from it. Resigning himself to not knowing the cause, Severus resumed his process of getting ready for the day. Sniffling softly, he finished buttoning up his shirt, before he scanned his bookcase for something to bring with him for the day. Settling on his History of Magic text, he grabbed his father’s hand-me-down work boots before leaving his room.

Headed for the staircase, Severus stopped suddenly and listened for any sort of sound that could be coming from his parent’s bedroom down the hall. Hearing nothing, he slowing placed his book and boots on the ground and tiptoed once again towards the bathroom. The congestion that he had felt in his nose earlier had turned to liquid as soon as he stood up, and it was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Grabbing a handful of toilet paper, Severus quickly wiped at his nose. Realizing he’d need to blow his nose for full relief, he discarded the wad into the waste basket, and stuffed his pockets with the toilet paper.

Having everything he needed, Severus turned towards the door but stopped when a sharp prickle filled his nose. Not wasting any time, he locked his nose between his fingers. He could feel the moisture from his nose against his thumb as it had started to run again. Moving swiftly he returned to the hallway. With one hand still grasping his nose tightly, he used the other to gather up his belongings. Fighting against the sneeze, he slipped down the stairs and out of the house without waking a soul.

Although the sneeze had backed off long before, Severus didn’t remove his hand until he was fully away from his house. Once down the street, Severus stopped to sit on the curb and put his shoes on. He sniffed wetly as he tied the laces up, and once finished reached into his pocket to pull out some of the toilet paper. Breaking off a piece, he blew his nose loudly, cringing at the sound. After tending to his nose, he continued his walk towards the play park near the river.

While Severus thought himself too old for the playground, there was a pathway in the park that led near the river. Off of that path, was a small clearing near the water that was incased by trees. It was almost always deserted. Well, expect for when he and Lily were there. They had found it early on in their friendship, and had unofficially claimed it as their own. “The spot” which they affectionately called it, had been their escape while they were home from school. Here, Severus could get away from his unhappy family, and Lily could hide from her jealous sister. But best of all, the two didn’t have to hide their friendship from anyone here; and after the growing pressures from their houses at Hogwarts, that alone made the spot seem like paradise.

As he walked, Severus rubbed at his nose which had again begun to tease him with the possibility of more sneezing. Slowing his pace, he glanced around him to find that he was alone. Having reached the park, there appeared to be no one else around at this time of morning, something that Severus was thankful for as his nose twitched involuntarily. Deciding that he would take advantage of the isolation, Severus let the sneeze grow naturally. Taking out another piece of toilet paper, he shifted his book so that it was under one arm as both hands came up to cup the paper around his nose.

“ihh…Ihh…IHH…” But nothing came. The sneeze disappeared into nowhere, without even leaving so much as a twinge behind. Relived, but also slightly annoyed at having had to stop for nothing, Snape continued on his way to the spot.

When he arrived, he was disappointed to find that it was empty. He shouldn’t have been surprised; it was still too early in the morning for Lily to have been there. Settling down by a large rock, Severus figured that he probably still had a good hour to kill before Lily showed up. Opening his book, he decided to read up on the Goblin Wars while he waited. Even though Severus considered himself to be a diligent student, he had to admit that staying awake during History of Magic was a struggle. That was why, if he wanted to

have any hope in getting an O on his O.W.L, he needed to study the subject in his off time.

He wasn’t reading for long when he was interrupted by another tickle in his nose. Lifting his hand to rub it away, he stopped himself. It was becoming clear that this sneeze was going to keep plaguing him until it ran its course, and it was better to give in now, than make a fool of himself in front of Lily later.

The tickle was small at first, and Severus breathed in slightly to try and help it along its way. Very slowly it spread from the back of his nose until his sinuses felt as though they were burning. His fingers itched to rub at his nose, but he forced himself not to give in. He had been growing increasingly frustrated with this reoccurring situation, and right now his hatred of sneezing was outweighed by his hatred of needing to sneeze!

“huhh…uh..” His breath caught in the back of his throat as he felt any sense of control leave his body. His hand, which was held a few inches from his face, was frozen as he waited for the inevitable fit to come.

“Uhhh….Ihhh” He could feel the sneeze right at the tip of his nose. “IhHHH” And there it sat, seemingly stuck in its place. Of course, right when it was completely safe for him to sneeze, right when he actually wanted to sneeze, it wouldn’t come.

Forcing his eyes to open, which had shut behind the building urge, he tried to squint up at the sun hoping that the light would help the process along. Head titled back, staring up at the sky, Severus felt as though he was prisoner to this sensation.

“Uhhh…Come on..UhhHUHH…” As he urged the sneeze to come out, he inhaled slightly through his nose. That was enough to send him over the edge, and the sneeze finally decided to take over.

“Huh-HASHOO, HUHSHOO, HUHSHOO” The first sneeze, which sent him flying forward, was immediately followed by two others, nearly identical to each other. The hand which had been hovering in front of him was wet from the resulting spray; however he didn’t move to remove it from his nose. He barely ever sneezed only three times, and he could feel the next sneeze lingering in the arch of his nose.

Severus took a strangled gasping breath through his mouth, as he gently rubbed at the bridge of his nose with a long finger, trying to coax the next sneeze out.

“Hahhh-HahISHOO, Uhh…Uhh-ISHOOO, UHH…ahh ”

Sneezing twice more, Severus sighed in relief as he felt the sixth sneeze back off. He removed his hand from his now very runny nose, and reached into his pocket for the toilet paper.

“hah-HAHSHOOO”

But before he could get there, the sixth sneeze reappeared and caused his head to fly forward as he sneezed completely uncovered onto his lap. Black hair having flown in front of his face Severus groaned as he realized it wasn’t his lap that had caught the full effect of the explosion, it was his text book.

Placing the book aside for now in frustration, he ripped of a piece of the toilet paper and blew his nose roughly. After working his way through a few pieces of the makeshift tissues, he stuffed the mess back into his pocket and let his upper body flop down to the ground with a groan. He was getting sick.

Well, maybe not sick sick. But he was at least catching a cold. If he was unsure before, the final sneeze had sealed the deal. His nose felt clogged, even though he had just finished blowing it, and his head was pounding more than ever. It was as though his last sneeze had given the cold permission to take over his body.

Severus dug his palms into his eyes, hoping the pressure would relieve the ache in his head. His only saving grace right now was that Lily hadn’t been there to witness his fit. His face turned red as he thought about how ridiculous he must have looked a moment ago. He wouldn’t let himself be humiliated in front of her, he just wouldn’t. With that thought, caused by a combination of his poor night, his growing cold, and the warmth of the sun, Severus drifted off to sleep.

Edited August 12, 2012 by gothic rose
Updated title.

[Spoo]

You know, it isn't often we get a Snape fic. Especially one that deals with him in his adolescence. I really liked that you captured a lot of his insecurities (and the description of his nose/sneezes were wonderful as well!). I'm curious to see where you go with this - especially once a certain redhead shows up. Wonderful start, gothic rose!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Definitely a treat. Like the spellings, and as Spoo said, the lovely nose description. Think you've captured a young Snape very well.

[snuffle-bunny]

Definitely a treat. Like the spellings, and as Spoo said, the lovely nose description. Think you've captured a young Snape very well.

^ This.

[Garnet]

Ughuhhh yesss. I'm not a snip interested in Harry Potter EXCEPT FOR SNAPE and I hardly ever see people writing him. A grievous oversight, IMO, because DAT NOSE. This was beautiful and tripped all the right triggers, thank you so much for writing it <3

[gothic rose]

Thank you all for the wonderful feedback, I'm glad you are enjoying it! And I agree, Snape fics are to far and few between (although there was a boom of them a few years back.) As promised here is the chapter. I half apologize for it's length. I debated cutting it into two pieces, but I couldn't seem to find a place that balanced both sneezing and plot nicely. So, as a result you get a very long section.

Minor spoiler warning only if you don't know the basic plot of Cyrano de Bergerac and would like to stay in the dark about it.

Hope you Enjoy!

---------------------

Chapter Two

When Severus awoke the first thing he noticed was that he was outside, the second thing he was he wasn’t alone. Next to him reading, lying on her stomach, was Lily. Her head at his feet, she hadn’t noticed when he had started to stir.

Normally, he would have been happy to see her. They never seemed to be able to find the time to spend together during the school year anymore, and this had put a serious strain on their relationship. Summer was supposed to be their time together, something that they both looked forward to immensely. However, right now, Lily’s presence put a knot in Severus’ stomach. Why did he have to catch a cold during the summer?

As he lay on the ground, Severus ran through his options. He could either stay here and risk Lily finding out that he was sick, or he could return home to suffer in his room. Returning home was tempting, until he thought about what else awaited him there. He didn’t really want to be around his parents when they were arguing, and he definitely didn’t want to have a run in with his father when he was sick. No, staying here was the lesser of the two evils. At least he enjoyed Lily’s company.

As Severus pulled himself into a sitting position, Lily turned at the sudden movement.

“Well, look who’s up.” She said with a smirk, her red hair blowing in the light breeze. “Good Morning”

“How long have I been out?” Severus questioned, stretching his arms. He truly didn’t remember falling asleep, but he couldn’t deny that he needed the rest.

Lily shrugged. “You were asleep when I got here, and that was probably about thirty minutes ago. Can’t say that I blame you, History of Magic always puts me right to sleep as well.” She gestured to the book that was lying next to his leg. “Sometimes I

think Merlin himself couldn’t make history sound interesting.”

“It’s not that bad”

“No? You’re nap tells a different story.” Lily’s smirk increased to a full blown smile. She was enjoying the opportunity to badger him.

Severus on the other hand, was not in the mood to be teased. “I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, that’s all.” He began to pick at the grass absentmindedly.

Lily’s good mood sobered. “Oh” She chewed on her lips, a nervous habit. “Were your parents - ?”

“Yes” Severus cut her off before she could finish the sentence. He glanced up, hair concealing his face, and took in her worried expression. “It’s fine. Nothing happened.”

Lily nodded, her worry seeming to abate a bit.

“What are you reading?” Changing the subject always seemed to work to get Lily’s mind off of dwelling over things. Predictably, she perked right up.

“Cyrano de Bergerac” She handed him the book.

“Why are you reading that?” Severus wrinkled his nose at the muggle book.

“Because some of us like to read other things in life, things that can’t be linked with studying Sev.” She shoved the boy playfully, causing him to scowl in response.

“I read other things besides school books!”

“Sure you do, when you get tired of reading your school books, you read next year’s books instead.”

As a response, he threw himself in his book fully knowing that this just further proved the red head’s point. Lily grinned in response, and settled down next to him once again.

While Lily quickly became absorbed in her book, Severus did not have the same luck. He was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate, as it became more and more difficult to hide his running nose. He had to admit that when he had first woken up, he had felt better than before he fell asleep. His headache had dulled until it was almost non-existent, and his throat still didn’t seem to be bothering him. Even his nose had seemed to calm down. But, as he continued reading, it took a great deal of effort to keep from sniffing and alerting Lily of his condition. Without trying to draw too much attention, he scrubbed at his nose with his shirt sleeve for the third time. So far, Lily either was too lost in her book, or was just not commenting on the disgusting act. Either way he was grateful.

As he dropped his hand to turn the page, he felt what he had dreaded feeling the whole afternoon; the telltale prick of an oncoming sneeze. Groaning inwardly, he sucked in his inner lip, hoping that the movement would relieve him of the sensation. When that didn’t work, he began to wiggle his nose around, thankful that his hair obscured his facial contortions from view. Luckily, Severus found that after a moment, the tickle seemed to disappear.

Despite the relief, Severus found that he couldn’t relax. It was inevitable, it was still many hours until sunset, and he was bound to have to sneeze again. He didn’t really understand why he was nervous about it, she was his best friend. And shouldn’t you be comfortable in front of your best friend? But Lily made him anxious. Rationally he knew that Lily wouldn’t make fun of him, not really at least, but he still didn’t want to give her any reason to. He wanted her to look at him and see that he was strong, and powerful, and in control; not see him fall apart like the mess he really was. He wanted her to be impressed by him, like she was when they were children and he would tell her about Hogwarts. Back then, she was hanging off his every word. Now, those moments were far and few between.

He was in love. In love with her hair, in love with her eyes, in love with her laugh, her smile: in love with her. He had finally admitted it to himself during the school year, although he had yet to reveal this news to her. No, first he would have to prove to her that he could make something of himself, that he could get out of Spinner’s End and become a great powerful wizard. Then she was sure to love him back. Although, as Severus rubbed at his nose again, he had to admit that with this ruddy cold, he felt far from powerful or great.

He turned his attention back to task at hand. How could he keep himself from sneezing? At the moment, all was well, but Severus knew that that peace was not going to last long. He could try stifling again, although he tended only to do this in his dormitory, where he could be hidden by his bed curtains. However, it wasn’t as though it stopped the movements of the sneeze, it just stopped the noise. If he tried that here, Lily was still certain to notice his fit.

But maybe that was better than her both seeing and hearing it. After all, the noise was part of the embarrassment. Severus let his eyes drift to Lily, still absorbed in her book. If he sneezed now, she’d probably be scared out of her mind. He shuttered at that thought. He didn’t want to risk startling her; that would be even more humiliating! But with the size of his sneeze, how could she not be startled?

He could warn her that a sneeze was approaching? He rubbed at his nose with a little more force. No, that was the last thing that he wanted to do. If he told her, then her full attention would be on him, watching his every move. She’d witness the whole mortifying display. Rubbing even harder still, he decided that if he needed to sneeze, he’d have to just try his hardest to make it go away. He couldn’t risk sneezing in front of her without embarrassing himself, so he just wouldn’t sneeze…but he needed to sneeze.

His stomach felt like lead. In all of his thoughts about how to avoid sneezing, he failed to realize that the thing he feared was slowly approaching. As he felt his sinuses burn, he grab at his nose and squeezed so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After what felt like forever, the burning sensation started to die down. He sighed softly, and released his now red nose from the death grip. He was about to return to book when his breath hitched sharply.

“Ehhh”

Severus reached up and scrubbed at his nose, but the noise had done its damage. Lily looked up from her book and stared at her best friend, who was leaning against a rock, legs tented in front of him. His eyes were snapped shut, and he almost looked like he was in pain.

“Sev, what’s wrong?” She asked, worry filling her emerald eyes.

Severus’ own eyes snapped open, and took in her concerned look. His face felt flush. He could feel his nostrils pushing against his fingers as the urge grew. There was going to be no holding this sneeze back. Lily was still looking at him, worry now fixed with confusion etched on her face.

“Ehhh..I..uhhh…I have…EHhhh…to sneeze…UHhhh…” Severus managed to get out the sentence through his hitching breathes. He was mortified.

“Oh, is that all?” The worry disappeared from Lily’s face. “Well, get on with it then.”

She gave a small chuckle in amusement. If it was possible, Severus’ faced turned redder. Didn’t she understand that he was humiliated right now?

But Severus didn’t have much time to focus on this, as the moment he had dreaded had finally arrived.

“ehhhEhhhHEHSHOO” Hands cupped around his nose, Severus snapped forward until his head reached his tented knees.

“Bless you.” Lily said matter-of-factly, turning her attention from her best friend, back to her book.

Severus stayed hunched forward, breathing deeply. For a moment, he let himself believe that this was one of the very rare instances where he just sneezed once. Though as the tickle flared up again, he knew that wasn’t the case.

“huhhHUHEhshoo, EHSHOO, huhSHOOO” The force of each sneeze rocked him forward, as his face stayed buried in his hands and legs.

“Bless you!” Lily exclaimed, looking back up from her book. “You weren’t joking when you said you had to sneeze!”

Severus lifted his head, black eyes meeting green briefly, before his breath hitched again.

“Ihh…IHH….IHHSHOO, ihhSHOO, ehhIHSHOOO, HUHishhooo, urghhh”

Severus snapped back down with four more sneezes. His face was burning with embarrassment.

“Bless you! Sev, are you alright?” Sometime during his last bought, Lily had shifted her position so that she was sitting next to him, her hand on his back. Severus could tell by the sound of her voice that she was concerned. For some reason this humiliated him even more. He didn’t need her to be concerned for him; he was supposed to be in control.

The need to sneeze was still plaguing him. This was turning into one of his larger fits, and he had no desire for her hovering.

“I’m fine.” Severus growled, shrugging Lily’s hand off of his back. He pushed himself off of the ground, and stalked away from Lily heading towards the line of trees outside of the clearing.

“ehhhISHshooo” He stumbled as the force of his sneeze knocked him off balance. Removing the hand that had been cupped to his face, he braced himself against the trunk of a tree.

“ehh..ehhEHHSHOO” Severus sneezed into the crock of his elbow, leaving his face buried there trying to catch his breath. He still needed to sneeze. Merlin, when would this end?! He didn’t look back to see where Lily was. He probably had offended her, but in all honesty he was too embarrassed to care. He could feel his eyes and nose streaming, and was sure that he looked a mess.

He could feel the eleventh sneeze start to build, but was too tired to put up much of a fight.

“huh…huhhhHuhishoo, ishshoo, IHH- ”

Severus’ breath caught before the thirteenth sneeze, and he used the opportunity to dig out the toilet paper from his pocket. Holding the tissue up to his nose he only had to wait a moment for relief.

“Ehh...HEHSHOO” Snapping forward once again, Severus was relieved when the tickle seemed to vanish. He turned and slid down the trunk of the tree until he was sitting on the ground. Tissues till held to his nose, he blew loudly, trying to clean himself up. Normally, blowing his nose in public would have been uncomfortable, but after his latest display, it seemed to pale in comparison. He worked his way through the paper, before wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. When he was done, he leaned back against the tree, eyes closed.

“Are you done?” Severus opened his eyes to stare at the red head in front of him. She was a ways back, where he had been sitting before. She was standing now, complete with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. He couldn’t tell if she was angry at him, or amused. Either way it made him uncomfortable.

“Sorry.” He muttered. He bowed his head so that his burning cheeks would be covered by curtains of black hair, and he crossed his arms over his body, trying to disappear.

He watched as Lily gathered up the books, and came to sit beside him.

“I’d say bless you again, but I think it would be an understatement.”

“Lily.” He didn’t think it was possible for his face to get redder, but apparently it was.

“I mean you said you were going to sneeze, but I didn’t think –“

“Lily!” He meant to growl her name, but it came out sounding more like a desperate whine. As she turned to look at him, he tried to hide deeper into himself. She looked him up and down.

“Sev, are you embarrassed?” Severus gave her a weathered look in response.

“Well you’re being ridiculous if you are. Everyone sneezes.” He remained silent, not wanting to make eye contact. They sat in silence.

“Are you allergic to something? This place has never bothered you before.”

No response.

“Now you’re really being ridiculous, Severus.” He looked up at that, she almost never called him by his full name. Her green eyes shown with annoyance, and he broke eye contact almost instantly. He already felt horrible, he didn’t need to her mad at him to make him feel worse.

“It’s not allergies.” He sniffed, his nose starting to run again.

“He speaks.” Lily raised her eyebrows at him. “Are you ill?”

He didn’t want to admit his illness to Lily, but he didn’t want to make her mad either. Once again, he bit back his pride.

“I’m catching a cold” Severus sniffled, rubbing his hand against his nose.

“It sounds like you’ve already caught one.” Lily reached out her hand towards his forehead. He jerked back in response. “Let me feel.” She demanded, her maternal instincts taking over.

This time letting her hand connect with his forehead, he suppressed a shiver at how close she was to him.

“You don’t feel warm.”

“It’s a cold Lil, it’s not like I’m dying.” He rolled his eyes at her concern, but not before noticing the worry in her eyes. He could always tell what she was thinking just by looking at her eyes.

“I honestly don’t feel that poorly.” He said stretching out his legs in front of him. It wasn’t a complete lie. While his throat had started to feel a little sore, and he was congested, he knew he could have been feeling far worse.

“Well, that’s good at least.” Lily shifted so that she was now lying perpendicular to Severus, her head resting on his out stretched legs. “I wish I had some pepper-up on me. Your mother wouldn’t have any, would she?”

“No. I don’t think she’s brewed in ages.”

They lapsed into silence after that, although it was a more comfortable silence then before. Severus slowly twirled his fingers through Lily’s hair, as she seemed to fade into a light midday nap. This was how most of their afternoons together played out, a mixture of conversation and relaxation; and studying, if Severus had his way.

For the most part, Severus’ cold had behaved itself as well. The light cough he seemed to be developing, hadn’t disturbed Lily; and after his last fit, Severus had been able to squish any signs of a sneeze long before they posed any real threat. Unfortunately, as he felt his nose twitch, he realized his luck had run out.

“Lily. Lily!” He said anxiously, nudging her on the shoulder. Resigned to the fact that he was going to have to sneeze in front of her again, he at least wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to sneeze on her.

“Lily, you need to get up.” As she began to stir, Severus turned his head away from her, arm raised inches away from his face. “Ehhh…”

“Sev, what’s going on?”

“Ihhhh…I havahhh have to hahhIHSHOO” Before he could finish the sentence the first sneeze struck. Severus buried his face in his elbow, curving his body as far from Lily as possible. Lily, in turn, extracted herself from his lap to give him is much needed space.

“Bless –”

“ihISHOO, IHHShoo, IHSHOO….ehhhhehhHEHSHOO” The next three sneezes had come immediately following the first, with the final sneeze following soon after. Severus paused after the fifth sneeze, waiting patiently for the rest to follow. However, he was pleasantly surprised when none did. Rubbing his nose, he flushed when he turned back to Lily.

Groaning audible, he tried to apologize for his loss of control. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Lily smiled, “You didn’t sneeze on me, if that’s what you think.” Lily started to return to her place on his legs before stopping. “You are done, right?”

Severus, cheeks burning red, let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding and nodded, as Lily settled back down into her previous position.

“Bless you than. Do you always sneeze like this?” She said, looking up at him. “I mean, I know you’re sick, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sneeze before. Do you always sneeze so much?”

Hiding his face behind his hair again, he shrugged his shoulders and muttered “More or less” Often more, seldom less he thought to himself. He wished she’d just ignore it.

Lily stared at him for a moment, taking in his posture, and the tone of his voice. She lifted herself up to get a closer look. “This really does embarrass you, doesn’t it?”

“No.” He said defensively, avoiding her gaze.

Lily sighed, “The fact that you’re lying is written all over your face.” She shifted her position until she was sitting cross-legged in front of him. “Out with it.”

“Out with what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Severus shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms around him. “It’s humiliating.”

“Sneezing?” Lily gave an incredulous look. “Sev, I’ve probably sneezed hundreds of times, I’ve never found it humiliating.”

Severus’ response was muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

Speaking more clearly, but still not looking up he replied, “I said that it was different.”

“And how exactly is it different, may I ask?” Lily raised her eyebrows.

Severus’ eyes snapped up, “Because people barely notice you when you sneeze!”

“And you think they notice you?”

“I’m pretty sure even dementors would be startled if I sneezed in front of them.” Severus said as he continued to sulk.

Un-phased by Severus’ somber mood, Lily giggled. “Oh, so that’s the reason there are no dementors around here! I should thank you for keeping them away.”

“It’s not funny, I’m being serious!”

“If you’re Sirius, does that make me Potter?” Lily started to grin, but stopped after seeing the glare she received from Severus.

Despite realizing that this was probably the last thing that her friend wanted to talk about, the Gryffindor inside of her plowed ahead. “So what if your sneezes are a little loud, it’s not unusual.”

“A little loud? Lily, potions explode quieter than me.” He ended the sentence with a wet sniffle.

“You’re exaggerating and you know it.” She hit him playfully on his leg. “Besides, you didn’t see me ducking for cover did you?”

Severus rolled his eyes, before sniffling again. Reaching into the pocket of his trousers he removed the final piece of unused toilet paper, regretting that he hadn’t decided to grab the entire roll. Holding the paper to his nose, he turned away from Lily and blew. The result was a wet sounding gurgle that caused him to cringe. He had to refold the piece a few times before his nose was fully clear. He just hoped that it would stay that way.

Turning back to Lily, he blushed before muttering “Excuse me.” As he leaned back against the tree, he left out a small groan; he could already feel the congestion returning.

Searching for something to say to direct the topic away from him, he spied Lily’s book. “What’s it about?” He said, gesturing towards the book.

Following his gaze, Lily picked up the hardcover. “It’s a play actually. It’s about this man who is extremely intelligent and talented in every way possible. And there is this girl that he loves, and she’s perfect for him, but despite his talents, he doubts that she would ever be able to love him back. It’s tragic, really.”

“If he’s so great, why does he think she won’t love him?” This story sounded like it was taken directly from his life.

“She’s in love with another man. But what she doesn’t know is that the letters that she has been receiving from Christian, the other guy, have actually been written by Cyrano. She’s been falling in love with the wrong man!” Lily was getting more and more animated as she explained the story.

“But why wouldn’t he just tell her the truth?” Truthfully, he didn’t really want to know, but the topic did seem to have distracted her.

“Because he’s foolish! He thinks that just because he has a big nose, no one will ever love him!” She seemed to scoff at the idea.

Severus, however, completely understood where this man was coming from. He rubbed at his own nose self-consciously as Lily continued.

“I just don’t understand how some people can think so little themselves.” Pausing, she smiled to herself a little, “Can you imagine how loud his sneeze would be?”

“What?” He said, snapping back to attention. He had certainly heard versions of that comment before.

“With a nose that big, if he sneezed he’d probably blow someone over!” She laughed at the growing image in her mind.

Severus on the other hand, was not amused. He had begun to feel oddly protective of this Cyrano fellow, and that comment had struck a bad chord with him. “Gee, the bigger the nose, the bigger the sneeze. That’s original.” He said sarcastically.

Still giggling, she gave him an exasperated look. “Come on Sev, it was just a joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t very funny.” He had never had a strong hold on his temper, and he could feel it started to slip away from him as he continued to talk.

“Did you ever think maybe that was why Cyrano thought so little of himself? Maybe it was because he was constantly surrounded by people that laughed at him over something he had no control over. Who probably not only made comments behind his back, but to his face as well!” He was standing now, pacing back and forth. “Maybe the reason he was so self-conscious of his nose, was because people were always telling him that he should be!”

Stopping to stare at Lily, the anger brought on by her comment started to die down as he took in her confused expression.

“Why do I get the feeling that we aren’t taking about Cyrano anymore?”

He looked away, shifting his head so that his face was hidden behind his hair once again.

“Is this what all this has been about then? You think your nose is big, so people must be commenting on it?” She scoffed, not believing the twist this conversation had taken. Suddenly his anger was back.

“I know what people say about me, I’m not deaf. But thank you for proving that you think the same things. I wonder what else you say behind my back.” He didn’t know why he was saying what he was, but he was too infuriated to stop himself. Deciding that returning to Spinner’s End was better than staying to face the fight he knew was brewing, Severus walked past Lily grabbing his book, and started to head back to the playground.

“Severus! Severus, come back here!” She called angrily after him.

He turned around to face her. “Sorry Lily, I’m not feeling well, and I’d hate to sneeze and risk blowing you over.” He turned back and disappeared between the trees leaving Lily to wonder what in Merlin’s name just happened.

[ID2006]

You have successfully converted me to a snape lover, especially with lily involved.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Very in character. Is it bad that, despite knowing he'd probably get angry, I was still hoping he'd keep his temper in check and stop pushing Lily away? Lovely update.

[pinknose]

Severus x Lily always breaks my heart a little. ;__; *whimpers* So many feels!!

[Graham Cracked]

...

I...I can't...

All of my love...ALL OF IT!!! This story is WIN!!!!

[Spoo]

GAHH! This update was soooo gooood. I loved the interaction between Severus and Lily. I felt so bad for him! The poor thing. One part in particular that I enjoyed was this bit:

He meant to growl her name, but it came out sounding more like a desperate whine.

Awwwwwww. This story is progressing so wonderfully! You're doing a fantastic job of portraying Sev.

[VividBubbles!]

I've never really liked Snape before but OMG WOMAN! GUH!

I love his adorable self-consciousness and his love for Lily. I think too many people only concentrate on Snape's bad qualities instead of the good. Snape deserves much more credit than he's given and your story does a wonderful job in pointing that out.

I hope you continue soon!

BYE!

P.S. Oh, and I know I'm a little bit late in saying this (and a lot under-qualified) but welcome to the writing community of SFF! I hope you have a long and prosperous (oh, and happy) stay!

BYE! Again.

Edited August 4, 2012 by VividBubbles!

[sneasons greetings]

Oh. My. Jesus.

The angst.

Yes.

[gothic rose]

Thank you all so much! This story is starting to wind down, probably only one or two chapters left!

I'm a little nervous about this chapter. One of the characters really took over, changing my opinion of her along the way. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Enjoy!

-----------------------

Chapter Three

Before he knew it Severus had arrived at the door of Spinner’s End, his anger having stayed with him the whole way. As he approached the house, he felt a familiar prickle at the back of his nose which signaled an approaching sneeze. He thought about fighting it, but decided there really was no point. His parents would be up by this point, and if he was going to have to spend the rest of the day here, they were bound to find out he was ill eventually; best just to get it over with now.

His breath had begun to hitch as he opened the rusted front gate, and the first sneeze was upon him as he climbed the stairs to the door.

“ehh…hehh…ehhehHEHSHOO” Severus folded in half, directing the uncovered sneeze towards the ground. The first sneeze was followed by two more as he turned the knob to enter the run down house.

“Severus, is that you?” He heard a voice call as he crossed the threshold.

His mother appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, her greying hair pulled back in a bun. Her shallow faced was etched with signs of aging.

“hehhh…hehhh…HEHHhehhHEHSHOOO” Severus sneezed loudly towards the floor. Even though Eileen had watched the sneeze build, she couldn’t help but jump a little from the force.

Lips pursed, Eileen approached her son and placed a hand to his forehead. While he knew better than to pull away, to Severus the sentiment was much colder than it was when Lily performed the act.

“huhISHshoo” Still uncovered, he turned his head to direct the much weaker sneeze away from his mother.

Eileen pulled her hand away from here sneezing son. “You’re warm.” She stated matter-of-factly. “Up to your room. Dinner’s not until your father gets home, and that’s not for a few hours more.”

Severus nodded, making his way up the stairs, pausing to sneeze twice more before the fit ended. He ducked into the bathroom and grabbed the roll of toilet paper before entering his bedroom to lie down.

Kicking off his boots, he flopped down on his bed. Breaking off a piece of paper from the roll, he began to tend to his nose, his congestion having been loosened by the recent sneezes.

Discarding the used toilet paper next to him, he groaned. He wasn’t sure if it was to do with his fight with Lily or with his burgeoning cold, but he was beginning to feel miserable. Coughing lightly, he rolled over burying his head into his pillow.

As he was drifting off, he heard a knock on his door. Before he had time to answer the door opened slowly. Eileen entered, steaming cup in her hands. She placed the cup on his nightstand.

“I brought you some tea.” Her voice was tight. He watched her as she gathered the used toilet paper from his bed, rolling her eyes when she spotted the roll. Taking it with her she left the room returning moments later with a box of tissues.

“Use these.” She instructed. “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” With that she swept out of the room, not waiting for a response.

Severus never knew how to feel towards his mother. He didn’t hate her, not like he did his father. But he couldn’t say that he was close to her or her to him. The tea and tissues had been one of her more maternal moments.

Sitting up he sipped at his tea. The warm liquid did much to sooth his sore throat, and he felt his eyes getting heavy as he succumbed to its comfort. Lying back down, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

----

“Boy, get down here!”

Severus’ eyes shot open as his father’s loud voice shock him from his sleep. This was not the way he wanted to wake up.

Knowing his father expected him soon, he slowly sat up on the bed rubbing at his eyes. Unlike his earlier nap, he did not feel better after waking. In fact, he was pretty sure he felt worse. Coughing dryly, he lifted himself off of the bed. Stumbling to the door, he gave a tentative sniff through his nose. Much like he expected, the congestion made it impossible to breath. Just great.

Severus wandered into the kitchen just as his mother ladled a cup of stew into a bowl by his spot at the table. He wasn’t really hungry, but he knew that the broth would at least feel good on his throat.

“What’s wrong with you?” His father was sitting at the head of the table, staring at his son over the newspaper that was open in front of him.

“He’s sick” Eileen answered before her son had a chance to respond. “Sit down Severus and eat your dinner.”

Severus slipped into his seat, avoiding eye contact with his father.

“Better stay away from me. If I get sick, it’s on your head boy.” Tobias sneered down his hooked nose at his son as he cracked open his bottle of beer. Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. As if he would ever purposely go near his father.

Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair, much to Severus’ relief. Tobias’ head stayed buried in the paper; apparently what was in there was more interesting than picking a fight with his wife, a fact that Eileen didn’t seem to mind.

Severus, who had been trying not to cough throughout the meal, swallowed another mouth full of stew before setting his spoon down. While the stew felt good on his throat, the congestion had dulled his sense of taste and smell, which did nothing for his rapidly disappearing appetite. What he really craved was the warmth of his own bed and the box of tissues that sat on his nightstand. He rubbed at his nose with his wrist. There had been a very slight tickle at the back of his nose since he had woken up, but it didn’t seem to be posing too much of a threat.

“Finish your supper.” Severus jerked his head up towards the voice. Tobias, having surfaced from his paper, was now glaring at his son with cold grey eyes.

“I don’t know what goes on in that freak show school you go to, but in this house we eat what’s put in front of us.”

“Tobias, he’s -” Eileen started to speak but stopped when her husband’s fist came crashing down on the table. Both Eileen and Severus flinched at the noise.

“No excuses! I worked hard so that I can put food on this table, and that boy is going to damn well eat it!” Wrapping a thick, callused hand around his beer, he took a swig from the bottle.

“It’s fine, Mum.” Not wanting to tempt his father’s temper further, Severus picked up his spoon and resumed eating the stew. He gave his mother a small smile as his father took to his paper again. At least she had tried, that was something.

After that, the only noise that could be heard with the rustling of paper and the clinking of spoons hitting bowls. It took him longer them normal, but he was able to finish the stew without too much of a problem.

Severus laid his spoon down and went to reach for his bowl with the intention of bringing his dishes to the sink, however, at the last second he was forced to grab his napkin instead. Burying his sizable nose in the folds of the napkin, he pinched at his quivering nostrils, fighting to contain the sneeze that was threatening to break through.

“heh...h’txnt, h’txnt, h’TXNT” The stifled sneezes caught in the back of throat and the momentum caused the legs of his chair to scrap against the kitchen floor. He strongly disliked stifling, but didn’t want to face his father’s reaction to sneezing openly at the table, or in front of him for that matter. As it was, he was pretty sure he had heard his father mutter something to the tune of ‘disgusting cretin’ at his restrained display.

Ears ringing and nose still tickling, Severus kept the napkin pinched to his nose with one hand, while he used the other to grab his dishes. Avoiding eye contact with his parents he made his way over to the sink, depositing his dishes and turning on the tap before he was overcome with the next set of sneezes.

“h’txnt, heh..h’TNXT, h’TNXT, huh…HUH…H’-”

“Severus?”

“’-TNXT” Severus turned at the sound of his mother’s voice, and looked at her with watery eyes over the napkin.

“Just leave them tonight, I’ll clean up.” Eileen said as she stood and started clearing the table.

Severus’ eyes flickered over to his father who he found looking at him in disgust.

“Stop coddling him –” Tobias growled the comment to his wife, but Eileen cut him off.

Still looking at Severus she spoke, “I can’t have you spreading your germs all over his house, and risk getting the rest of us sick.”

Tobias seemed to agree with his wife since he added. “Listen to your mother boy.”

Stifling another sneeze, he turned off the water and made his way out of the kitchen. He should have been glad that he hadn’t had to stay in that room with his parents any longer, but he couldn’t help being resentful that his mother treated his illness like an inconvenience. He stifled two more sneezes as he climbed the stairs entering the bathroom.

“h’TNXT, h’TXNT”

Turning on the shower, Severus removed the napkin from his nose as he waited for the steam to fill the room. He looked into the mirror taking in his reflection. Even he had to admit he looked worse than usual. His hair was tangled from his nap and was sticking up at weird angles, his eyes were watering, and his nose was red from the constant attention.

He watched at the next sneeze began to make itself known on his face. Giving in fully to the sensation, his eyebrows furrowed as his mouth became slack and nostrils flared making his nose look even larger.

“ehh…huhhHUHhuh…” Which each hitching breath his adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “…hih…hIHhh…hIHHHhh” The short spurts of breath got more desperate and high pitched as the sneeze grew.

“IHhh-IHH-IHSHOOO”

Slamming his eyes shut, Severus braced himself against the sink as his sneeze threw him forward. The force of the sneeze caused him to break into a coughing fit, and he had to sit down on the toilet as he struggled to catch his breath. Miserably he sat, head in hands, amidst the steam filled bathroom.

“uhhh…huhhh..uh-huhshoo, huhshoo, huhshoo, HUH-ishoo” He sneezed weakly and groaned. A cold combined with a fight with Lily; this was not how he had wanted to spend his day.

----

“Severus…Severus, wake up!” He could hear someone calling his name, but he couldn’t tell who it was. Whoever it was, they had started to shake him as well. Where was he? He couldn’t see anything, everything was dark around him. He couldn’t catch his breath…

Severus bolted upright in his bed, startled out of his slumber. Immediately he realized he was coughing. Hunching over, fist to his mouth, he struggled to stop.

“Shhhh, shhhh, calm down.” He suddenly became aware that he wasn’t alone. Someone was sitting on his bed, and whoever it was, they were slowly rubbing circles on his back. He began to panic.

Sensing this, the person began speaking again in a soft tone. “It’s ok. Shhh….shhhh, it’s alright. You’re safe…you’re safe”

“Mum?” Recognizing the voice, Severus’ panic started to subside. Coughing having stopped for now, he focused on regaining his breath and figuring out what was going on. “What are you doing here? Has he done something?”

Severus started to get out of bed, only to be pushed back down by a firm hand on his shoulder.

“He hasn’t done anything; he’s passed out in the bedroom.”

“Then why are you here? What time is it?” Severus honestly couldn’t remember the last time his mother had come into his room in the middle of the night for reasons not involving his father.

“It’s late. You were coughing.” Severus looked at her confused, still slightly dazed from having been woken up.

Eileen leaned over and switched on the lamp on her son’s nightstand. Now able to see better, he could tell that it must have been late. His mother had on a faded blue dressing gown that was tied tightly around her thin waist, and her hair was braided down her back. She had clearly already gone to bed.

“I came to check on you. I could hear you coughing from down the hall.” She pushed a piece of lank hair away from his face. “Here, sit up. I brought you some water.”

Eileen reached over and grabbed a glass from the nightstand. She handed it to her son, who had propped himself up on one arm.

“Thanks.” Severus took the water, drinking it slowly. He hadn’t realized how much his throat had been burning before now, but as he drank it felt like it was on fire.

“I’ll be right back.” Eileen swept out of the room, Severus watching her leave. He couldn’t understand why she was doing this. He had never really been close to his mother, and once he went to Hogwarts they had seemed to drift apart even more. No longer was she his only connection to the magical world, a world that she had seemed to willingly leave behind.

Eileen returned moments later carrying a small plastic cup. “Drink this, it will help.”

“Is it -?”

“No, it’s muggle. It’s a cough suppressant.” He nodded, not knowing why he would think that it would have been a potion. He took the small cup and swallowed the liquid down in one go.

“How are you feeling?” Eileen asked, taking the plastic cup from his hands.

Severus just shrugged in response. Truthfully he felt awful. After he took a shower, he had gone straight to bed hoping that he’d feel better with enough sleep, but that clearly wasn’t going to be the case. His head was pounding from his congested sinuses, and his chest and throat hurt from all of the coughing.

“I’m sorry I woke you.” Severus lied back down on his bed, Eileen having sat down next to him. “He didn’t wake up, did he?”

“No.” She shook her head, a weary look coming over her. “He stumbled home from the pub a few hours ago, and has been passed out ever since. A banshee probably wouldn’t be able to wake him at this point.”

He smiled at the last comment, it wasn’t often that his mother made any reference to the magical world any more, and he always savored it when she did, no matter how small.

“Which brings me to the subject of tomorrow.” she continued. “He’s going to be in a right sour mood when he wakes up, always is after one of his binging nights.”

Severus coughed. “So you want me to make myself scarce?”

Eileen reached out and laid a hand on his arm. “I wish there was another way. I hate to kick you out with you feeling like you do, but I don’t see another option. You know how he gets Severus, and if you stay he’ll just take his temper out on you.”

“What about you?” He said, getting agitated. He may not have been close to his mother anymore, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care.

“Now don’t you worry about me, I can handle him.” Severus raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t give me that look; he’s a lot rougher on you than he is on me.”

Severus had plenty of memories that suggested just the opposite, but he kept them to himself. It wasn’t worth fighting over, not right now.

Eileen sighed “I’ve put some of the left over stew in your father’s old thermos, and put it in the refrigerator. It’ll be cold, but you can bring that with you for lunch tomorrow. And you can check to see if there’s any paracetamol in the cabinet in the bathroom, you’re welcome to that as well. The fresh air might do you some good. And I’m assuming you’ll be spending the day with the Evans girl? She’ll keep your mind off of things.”

He groaned loudly, he had almost forgotten about his fight with Lily.

“You two are still friends, are you not?” Eileen was clearly confused by her son’s reaction. As far as she knew, those two had been inseparable from the time they were nine.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t want to talk about it.” He had no idea why he was even still talking to his mother; this was by far their longest conversation in years.

“You put your foot in it, didn’t you?” Eileen said knowingly.

“Why do you assume it was me?” He replied defensively.

“It’s a Snape family trait, that’s how. So even if it wasn’t your fault to begin with, I’m sure you said something you shouldn’t have before you left. Swallow your pride and apologize. You don’t want to lose a friend like her.” She reached up and combed her fingers though his hair. “Now, we both should be getting some sleep. Tomorrow will be a very long day, I’m sure.” She started to rise from the bed, but stopped when she heard her son’s voice.

“I’m sorry if I get you sick. I know how concerned you were about me spreading my disease all over the house.” He said spitefully. Her last comment about Lily had struck a never, and he felt the need to lash out.

She smiled sadly. “See, Snape family trait.” He looked away guiltily. She hadn’t deserved that, not after tonight.

“Sometimes, people say things that they don’t really mean. Sometimes, those things are said as a way to keep other people, such as your father, from disagreeing with your opinion. And sometimes Severus, things are said in the heat of the moment by people, such as yourself, who have the misfortune of letting their temper get the best of them.” She rose from the bed, “Just apologize to her, then you two will be right as rain.”

Eileen paused in the doorway, looking back as her son. “Feel better my Prince.” She shut the door behind her.

Severus switched of the light by his bed, and laid back down. It had truly been a bizarre night.

[LovelyLinda]

Mmmmmm *_*

This is soooo good! You spoil me!

I love Snape, and young Snape is even better!!

Your descriptions are so fitting and spot-on, I can't believe that this is your first story,

you are such a talented writer, I really hope you write more!

I'm totally hooked, I neeeed to read more, I love this story so much <3

Thank you soooo much for writing it, you totally made my day!

[VividBubbles!]

If I had time to leave a longer comment that praised every freakin' thing in this chapter, I would. Trust me. But, I don't. So, what I'm going to say is that I love this so so so so much and pleasepleaseplease continue soon! This is such a great fic!

BYE!

[Dusty15]

I rarely read Snape fic...he's not my favorite...but this is really really great! I don't see much of young Snape, especially at home. Thanks so much for sharing and I look forward to the last bits!

[sneasons greetings]

...I almost cried.

[JulesSneeze]

Oh my God, I didn't almost cry...I AM CRYING!!!!! Just soooo beautiful and touching AND ANGSTY (which we sure all love!) It's been so long since I've read such a great sick!Snape fic. This adolescent Severus and the relationship with his mother is something you don't see much in fics and I can't imagine why it's so scarce after reading this! Damn! You're a great writer, can't wait to see more from you!

[gothic rose]

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback, it made writing this all the more worthwhile (and much less frightening as well! ) Tackling Eileen and Tobias was almost as intense as trying to get a handle on Snape, so I'm glad you enjoyed the last part.

...I almost cried.

I hope this was a good thing! lol

I apologize for the delay in updating, this final chapter just did not want to be written. Now that it is done, I can say that I have now completed my very first fanfiction, having it clock in with a little less than 15,000 words total; something I never thought possible.

Thank you all for reading thus far, and I hope you aren't disappointed by the final installment!

-----

Chapter 4

The following morning found Severus lying listlessly on the grass near the river, box of tissues positioned strategically near his right hand. While he had understood his mother’s reasoning, he wished that he could have spent the entire day curled up in bed under his covers. However, his father had made sure that that wish wasn’t going to be possible.

His father, Severus reflected, wasn’t a kind man. On a normal day, he had a horrible temper, but when he added alcohol to the mix…well, Severus had quickly learned to stay out of his way.

He had been about six when his father had started drinking on a regular basis. His mother told him that it was because of Tobias’ work at the mill. She had explained that the economy had taken a turn for the worse, and people who worked at the mill were starting to be told that they were redundant. Tobias, while being lucky enough to still have a job, was fearful of what was going to happen when he lost it. So, to fight the fear, he drank. He hadn’t believed a word of it.

Although Severus had never told his Mum, he already had known the real reason why Tobias drank: his only son was a freak.

Unlike most children, Severus remembered his first burst of underage magic vividly. He had been about six and had been learning sciences in school. His teacher had shown his class what happened when vinegar mixed with baking soda; and after that, he had been obsessed with mixing objects together.

He was playing on the floor of the kitchen. His mother, quite amused by his activity, had given him a pot out of the cupboard and he was having fun mixing in random objects (soap, salt, flour, leaves from outside,) and trying to get some sort of response. She had given him a cup filled with cold water before she had gone upstairs to fold laundry and he remembered pouring the water into the concoction and staring at it intently, waiting for a reaction. Disappointed when one didn’t occur, he stared at the pot in deep concentration trying to figure out what to do next when the water started to boil. All of a sudden bubbles started to rise from the mixture. They would float up until they were hovering in front of his head, and would stay there until he clapped his hands over them to make them pop. He had been beyond thrilled.

That was until he noticed that he wasn’t alone in the room. He looked up to see his father staring at him, a look of horror on his face. Simultaneously, the remaining bubbles all burst as the water calmed. His father hadn’t said anything; he just turned around and walked right back out the front door, slamming it shut behind him.

When his father came home later that night, reeking of alcohol, it had been one of the scariest moments of his life. Severus couldn’t understand most of what was being said, but he could tell by all of the yelling that it wasn’t good. It was the first time he had witnessed his father being that angry, but it certainly hadn’t been the last. As his father had towered over his cowering mother all Severus could do was to curl up crying in a corner of the room, yelling for the fighting to stop. A few days later, his mother had sat him down in his room and told him about magic. She had a bruise…

He shuddered; he didn’t like to think about that memory. Really, he didn’t like to think of most memories that involved his father. It was his father’s fault that they didn’t have money, that he never had clothes that fit, or decent supplies for school. It was his fault that both wife and son had to be constantly on guard in their own house, a house that was becoming more and more run down as the years went by. And, it was his father’s fault that his mother no longer practiced magic.

Severus hadn’t believed his mother when she had first told him about magic; his logical mind wasn’t able to wrap his head around the idea that magic could really exist. However, when more and more strange things started happening around him, he knew it had to be true.

For the next few years, whenever he was feeling hurt or alone or scared, he would ask his mother about Hogwarts and she would tell him all about this special world where he would soon be able to escape…It had taken him a while to understand that his new haven caused only pain to his mother.

He had never asked his mother why she had left the wizarding world, but he knew that she had done so willingly. Eileen had told Tobias all about magic right before they had gotten married; and while his father had been upset and uncomfortable about the idea, it was Eileen who had sworn that she would never bring ‘witchcraft’ into his house. The future saw Tobias clinging to that promise.

His mother once told him that when she was younger she had contacted an illness that had greatly weakened her. Although she had recovered, the healer had told her that her chances of having children were grim, and her chances of her passing on magic to her child were even grimmer. Eileen had thought it a wonder when he had been conceived, and when he had failed to show any signs of magic by age four, she had been content to believe him to be a squib.

He had never told anyone this, not even Lily, but sometimes, after he had a bad run in with his father or had been humiliated by the Marauders, a part of him secretly wished that he had been born a squib.

Severus groaned, he hadn’t meant to think of Lily. He knew that he would have to apologize to her, but lately it seemed like that was all he was ever doing.

People argued, it was a fact of life; one that Severus knew better than most. However, even Severus knew that people weren’t supposed to argue as often as he and Lily had been lately, especially if they were best friends.

It was all the same. She’d say something that would set him off, and then he’d say something back to her; it was endless. Then, a little later, he would always go back and apologize. When she was ever going to apologize to him? Surely he was not in the wrong every time!

In the end, it didn’t matter really; she didn’t have to apologize to him. No matter what she did, no matter what she said, he would always forgive her without question or comment. He couldn’t bear the thought of being without her.

He could feel his sinuses begin to prickle, and he groaned loudly. Merlin was he sick of sneezing. He had only been awake for about four hours and already Severus figured he had sneezed over twenty times!

Gearing up for another fit, the Slytherin moved his hand to pluck three tissues from the box and lifted the bunch to his face. His nose, red and sore, twitched against the soft material.

He had sneezed six times when he had first woken, and five times when he was getting dressed. Seven sneezes on the walk to the park made eighteen, and another fit of six was he was settled at the spot had brought the total up to twenty four. Vaguely, he wondered if there was some sort of record for sneezes within a day. If there was he’d be breaking it at this rate.

“hahaa…” His breath caught in this throat. He hoped that this was going to be one of his smaller fits.

“Hahhah-SHOO, huhSHOO, huhSHOO, huhSHOO” The sneezes can one right after the other. Severus caught each explosion in the tissues, his torso jerking up from the ground as the momentum threw him forward. He sat up; eyes closed and body tensed as he waited for the next round.

“HUHSHOO, huh…huhh,..HUHSHOO, HUH-”

“Bless you.”

The seventh sneeze caught in his throat, as he jerked his head up at the sudden sound. In front of him stood Lily, arms crossed a look somewhere between concern and resentment plastered across her face.

“I didn’t know if you’d be here today.” she said.

He looked down, wiping at his nose with the now wet tissues. He could feel the tickle, which had retreated at Lily’s interruption, present at the back of his nose. He knew the next sneeze wouldn’t be far away, but as he sniffed to coax it forward, the tickle stayed firmly in place.

Severus looked back up at Lily. She was clearly waiting for him to acknowledge her. Probably waiting for an explanation about yesterday, he thought bitterly.

Any sense of vocabulary seeming to leave him momentarily, he managed to choke out a feeble, “I didn’t know if you’ve be here either.” He rubbed a finger against his nose.

She stared down at him for a moment, before uncrossing her arms and taking a seat next to him. The resentment that Severus had originally seen in her face seemed to have faded a bit.

As they sat in silence, Severus debated whether or not to make the first move. On one hand, he was getting sick of always having to apologize, but on the other, he had to admit that he had been the one to lose his temper yesterday. He paused a moment before taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

Severus snapped his jaw shut. Those had been the words he was planning on saying, but that hadn’t been his voice. He looked at Lily as she continued.

“You were ill and uncomfortable, and I shouldn’t have teased you.” She was staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with him. Apparently apologizing wasn’t easy for her either.

He rubbed at his nose again as he hid his face behind his hair. “I’m sorry too.” He said, watching as the tension in her body decreased a little.

“I shouldn’t have said those things; I know you’re not like the rest of them.” She looked at him expectedly.

He sighed, “And I’m sorry for leaving. I mean I’m sorry for leaving like I did. I can’t be sorry for leaving because I probably would have said something worse if I hadn’t, but I shouldn’t have left –”

“It’s fine, Sev.” She cut off his babbling, smiling at him. “Are we okay?”

“Yeah.” Severus nodded, “I mean, I want us to be.”

“So do I.” She reached out and squeezed his hand tightly. He couldn’t help but be disappointed when she broke the contact.

Lily took a deep breath, “I was thinking about what you said.”

“Lily, don’t.” He thought that they had just agreed not to continue this fight. He scrubbed at his nose forcefully.

“No Sev, I don’t want to fight, I just…Something you said, it just got me thinking. You said something about how people had no right making fun of Cyrano for something he had no control over.” She took a deep breath, “You weren’t really talking about Cyrano, were you?”

Severus groaned, why couldn’t she leave well enough alone? A dark look crossed over his face as he muttered, “I suppose not.”

Lily hesitated, knowing that she was walking on rocky ground with this conversation. “People make fun of you, right? For how you look and dress, things that you can’t fully control.”

He just glared at her in response. He could feel his father’s temper starting to simmer through his bloodstream.

Lily pushed forward, “What I mean to say is that while you know what that feels like, so do I. I mean, isn’t it the same as someone calling me a Mudblood? That’s something I have no control –”

“I’ve never called you that!” Severus snapped back at her. He knew where this was going, he absolutely did not want to have this conversation right now.

“I didn’t say you did Sev, but you can’t deny that your housemates do.” Lily said angrily.

“I don’t want to talk about this, Lily.” He warned, but she paid him no mind.

“And you probably don’t say anything to them when they do. And isn’t that just as bad, Sev?” She looked at him, pleading with him to see it her way.

He met her gaze, staring straight back as her. “And do you?”

“Do I what?” A look of confusion passed over her face.

“I know what your friends say about me, about our friendship. McDonald doesn’t hide her thoughts from me, so I doubt she does from you.” He had seized his opening, already knowing the direction this conversation would go.

“What does Mary -?”

“Do you tell her off? When she comments on my hair, or the fact that my robes are too short? What about your other roommates? I’ve heard you lot has taken to critiquing your classmates after hours, I’m sure I never receive a positive review. Do you say anything then?” He had managed to keep his voice calm, keeping his temper in check. After all, he wasn’t trying to start a fight; he was trying to end one.

Lily dropped her gaze looking embarrassed, her silence serving as her answer.

“I’m not angry.” It wasn’t a lie, he wasn’t. Well, not really anyways. He secretly would have loved to see Lily stand up to Mary on his behalf. Lily looked at him puzzled.

“I don’t expect you to stand up to your housemates.” He continued. “At the end of the day, you still need to share a room and fighting doesn’t make that any more comfortable. Besides, I don’t expect them to like me, and frankly I don’t like them either.”

Lily looked as though she was going to reply, but he continued speaking. “But you can’t expect me to say anything either. You know I don’t say those things about you, and that should be enough.” That fact that he did say those things about others he kept to himself; she didn’t need to know about that.

“I suppose that’s right.” She didn’t look entirely convinced, but he knew that she couldn’t think up a way to counter his argument. Evidently, he had hit the nail on the head.

However, despite the fact that the argument was over, he could still feel all the unsaid words floating between them. Why did everything always seem to come back to this? They had probably had this argument a hundred times during the last year alone.

The two sat in silence as the minutes ticked by, hoping the other was going to make the first move.

Lily broke first. “Petunia’s thinking of moving to London.”

“What for?” This wouldn’t have been his first choice in conversation, but it was better than fighting.

“She wants to take a course. Typing I think. Mum told me about it a few days ago.”

He nodded, rubbing at his nose. The tickle that had been sitting in the back of his sinuses was becoming increasing annoying.

“I suppose it’ll be good for her; to leave home and move so far away. I know it’s only a few hours but she’s never left home before.”

Severus nodded again, but he wasn’t paying attention. All of his focus was now on his tickling nose. He rubbed more forcefully with the back of his hand.

I don’t know why she’s chosen typing, but it might be interesting. It makes more sense than writing – Bless you!”

Despite his efforts, the tickling sensation overwhelmed him and Severus folded over in a loud, wet sneeze.

“Huh-ISHSHOO” The sneeze did nothing to get rid of the tickle, in fact, Severus was certain that it had just made it worse. His nose now burned with the need to sneeze.

Lily continued unaware of her best friend’s nasal plight.

“Anyway, it makes more sense than writing with –”

“huhhHUHSHOO” He sneezed again.

“- quills. Bless you. Why do we still use –?”

“HUHSHOO” And again.

“Bless.” Lily tried to continue her thought. “Quills seem so –”

“huhSHOO” And again.

Lily made to bless him a fourth time, but he held a long finger up to her, signaling for her to hold on.

“huhh…huuhhhuHUSHSHOO, UHSHOO” He sneezed into his cupped hand, turning his head away from Lily. He wiped his hand on his trousers and pressed his wrist under his nose to try and halt the next sneeze. He saw Lily open her mouth.

“Liihhh-Lily ihhh j-just wahhh wait a moment Ihhhh…” His words were rushed and fragmented by the oncoming sneeze. His wrist, which was doing nothing to quall the urge, was damp from his streaming nose. He tried to sniff, but the sneeze made it impossible to take in a deep enough breath. In one quick movement he removed his wrist and turned his head sharply to bury his twitching nose into his shoulder.

“Ihhh…ihhhh…iHH-IHSHOO…ishoo, ishoo, ishoo…ishoo.”

He snapped forward, the loud sneeze echoing off the trees. He kept his nose buried as the sneezes continued to come, softer in tone but still forceful.

“Bless you again”

Face flushed in embarrassment, he opened his eyes to find himself looking directly into a pair of two green almond shaped orbs. Lily nodded down to her hand which was outstretched towards him holding the box of tissues.

His resisted the urge to roll his eyes; he wished that she could just pretend like this wasn’t happening.

“You know, you’re just going to keep sneezing until you blow your nose.” Lily said cheekily.

This time he did roll his eyes, she had no idea what she was talking about. Despite this thought, Severus plucked a few of the tissues from the box and held them to his nose. He knew from experience, that if he blew his nose before the tickle had fully worked itself out, he would only aggravate it further. And, while he was still mortified to find himself sneezing in front of Lily, at that moment he had a sudden strong desire to prove her wrong.

He blew roughly, alleviating him of the congestion that had been loosened by his fit. After a few blows, he pulled the tissues away and sniffed slightly. He could feel the next sneeze in his nose. It seemed to be seated dead center, right where his nose arched downward in its hooked shape. He breathed in through his nose a little harder and he felt the tickle start to slowly spread through his nostrils. Beside him, Lily noticed nothing.

“See, isn’t that better?” She said smugly, certain that she had solved all of his problems.

“uhhh” His breath hitched softly as he prepared himself for the next bought.

Lily seemed to mistake this noise for a response and continued talking, “I knew blowing your nose would solve -”

“hihhh…HIH-IHSHOO” Had had made no effort to cover the sneeze as he twisted his head away from Lily and directed the explosion into the ground. The sneeze, which had sounded like it came in three separate syllables, had stung the back of his aching throat. Besides him, Lily had been startled by noise.

“You were saying?” He said back to her, imitating her earlier cheek before turning away again. Enough was enough, he thought, but the tickle had not yet disappeared.

“ehhhEHSHOO, EHSHOO…hehhh…Ehhh-EHHSHOO, Ehhshoo, Ehhshoo…urghh” Black hair flying in his face, Severus groaned, getting even more annoyed with his nose.

“hhahHahhhHAHISHOOO” One last loud sneeze reverberated through his body. He tented his hands around his nose, catching the explosion as he jerked forward one last time.

Severus blinked a few times, clearing away the fog in his head. Removing his hands, he glanced over at Lily an apology on his lips. However, the words when he saw her expression.

Lily was staring at him, eyes wide, having been stunned, half by her friends fit and half by the fact that her advice didn’t work.

Severus felt his face flush in embarrassment. He had obviously frightened her; which was no easy feat considering her Gryffindor characteristics. The edge of his lips started to twitch. It was a rare sight to see her startled, she usually hid it quite well, and he found himself enjoying it immensely. Merlin, she looked like a deer in headlights. And with that thought, Severus found himself starting to laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Lily said, trying to remain serious, but Severus’ mirth was contagious and soon the two found themselves consumed by laughter. The remaining tension from earlier disappeared instantly.

Minutes passed before the two began to pull themselves together again. Lily passed the tissue box to Severus, but not before taking a tissue to wipe her streaming eyes.

Severus blew his nose and dried his own eyes before looking back at Lily. Struggling not to laugh again he spoke, “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Lily chuckled, “I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in ages.”

“It’s just that your face…you looked…” He covered his mouth to keep from laughing again.

“Well, it’s your fault! You frightened me!” She hit him playfully on the arm.

“Some Gryffindor you are, being frightened by a mere sneeze.” He teased. Armed with something to tease her back with, he didn’t seem to feel embarrassed by the conversation.

“Do you have a record? I think I’m going to have to start keeping count!” She stopped after she said this, seeming to remember his reaction from yesterday. She wondered if she had gone too far.

The question had caught Severus off guard. He flushed red in embarrassment, but bit back his tongue. He looked at Lily, seeing the joy on her face. He didn’t want to ruin her good mood and start another fight. He took a deep breath to conquer his self-conscious thoughts.

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Tried to count once, I was grabbing some of my Mum’s old books from the storage space; everything was covered in dust.” His face grew redder. “I lost count around twenty-five.”

Lily beamed in response, her face lighting up with her smile. Severus grinned back, happy that he was the one who had caused her to look so happy. Suddenly his own embarrassment didn’t seem to matter; not as long as he was on the receiving end of that look.

“Well, I’m going to count next time.” Lily stated firmly. She laid back on the grass, staring up at the canopy of leaves. “How are you feeling?”

“Better since you got here.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. He quickly averted his eyes so that he couldn’t see her reaction.

Lily looked at him, a slight blush on her cheeks. She smiled softly, “I’m glad I could help.”

There was an awkward tension around them now, one completely different from the earlier tension fuelled by anger. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and it certainly would not be the last, he thought. This feeling was happening more frequently now, and he keep his gaze directed downwards trying to think of something that might break it. She beat him too it.

“It’s very masculine, you know.”

“What are you going on about?” His head snapped back up and he look at her oddly, having no idea what she was talking about.

“You’re sneeze, it’s very masculine.” She said matter-of-factly.

“That doesn’t even make sense!” What in Merlin’s name was she talking about?

“Sure it does. It’s strong, forceful…it has a purpose.”

Severus continued looking at her strangely. “Did you drink a babbling beverage or something?”

She looked at him, holding his gaze for a moment before dissolving into giggles. “I suppose that did sound a bit strange, didn’t it?”

“Just a bit.” He smirked back, watching as the red head pulled herself together.

“It’s just that…your sneeze reminded me of…” She was trying to keep from giggling again.

Severus didn’t know whether to enjoy or dread what was coming. “Reminded you of what?”

“Just…” She looked at him, “Have you ever heard James Potter sneeze?”

Dread it was. Severus never enjoyed any conversation that involved James Potter, especially conversations that were brought up by Lily.

He tried to keep his temper from flaring, as he scowled, “My sneeze reminded you of Potter.”

Lily continued to giggle. “Lighten up Sev! I didn’t say that it reminded me of him, I just asked if you had heard him sneeze.”

Not seeing what was so amusing, he replied. “Not that I can recall. Are you saying his sneezes are masculine?” It would figure, everything else about Potter seemed to be.

Lily laughed harder, “No, no. Have you really not heard him?” He shook his head no. “I’ll demonstrate then.”

And with that Lily pushed herself up into a sitting position. She grabbed a nearby stone, and Severus watched as she tossed it up in the air as she used the other hand to mess up her hair.

“What’s the rock for?” He questioned; his mood lightened as he realized she was going to make fun his enemy.

“It’s a snitch. He’s constantly tossing one around in the common room.” She threw it up and down a few more times.

“Well, get on with it.” Severus smiled.

“Hold on, you need the full effect.” And with that she continued to toss the ‘snitch’ up and down, puffin out her chest in a false show of bravado. Running her hand threw her hair again she stopped suddenly, ‘snitch’ falling to the floor. Severus watched as she took her hand and fanned it in front of her face, she begin to imitate Potter’s hitching breath.

“hih…hih…”

She continued for a few more moments before exaggeratedly pitching forward, both hands raised as though giving herself up for arrest.

“hih-CHEW” The end of the sneeze was high pitched, higher even then Lily’s normal voice, and it almost sounded like she had stepped on a mouse.

Lily looked up at him, smirking wildly and instantly the two fell back into fits of laughter.

“Does he really sneeze like that!?” Severus laughed, clutching at his sides.

“You have no idea, it’s so obnoxious!” She wiped at her eyes, “He’s not one of the ones who make fun of you for sneezing, is he?”

“Not anymore he’s not! Not with that bit of knowledge.” He rubbed at his nose, grinning. He knew exactly what he was going to say next time Potter made any comment to him.

The two settled down next to each other, both laying back staring up at the sky through the leaves. Silence fell upon them.

“I finished the play last night.” She said quietly.

“Did you?” Severus said neutrally. “Did you enjoy it?”

Ignoring the question she plowed ahead with her originally intention. “There was a quote in it that Cyrano said; I thought you might like it. He said ‘A great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul.’”

Severus turned his head to look at her, startled to find that her head was already turned to him. Black eyes meeting green, she spoke again. “I’m inclined to agree with him.”

He gave a small smile as he looked at Lily, cherishing how close she was to him. One day he’d be good enough for her; he’d make sure of it.

But for right now, he was content with just being able to lie here next to her. And when his next sneezing fit came upon him, all feelings of embarrassment vanished and he laughed as Lily insisted on counting aloud next to him. At this moment, everything was perfect.

End

[VividBubbles!]

LOVE!!!

Oh my gosh, Snape. And James too! Just, just

LOVE!

Love this, love you, love everything!

LOVE!

BYE!

[Ciuty80]

i´m not so into snape...

BUT hey this was so well written with so much

and i fell in love with this story!!

thank you so much for writing this!

about this passage and waht followed afterwards...i just drooled over myself. it made me smile when he was going to prove lily that noseblowing only made it worse!!!

This time he did roll his eyes, she had no idea what she was talking about. Despite this thought, Severus plucked a few of the tissues from the box and held them to his nose. He knew from experience, that if he blew his nose before the tickle had fully worked itself out, he would only aggravate it further. And, while he was still mortified to find himself sneezing in front of Lily, at that moment he had a sudden strong desire to prove her wrong.

Edited August 12, 2012 by Ciuty80

[Galaxy]

Ohooo, your young!Snape was simply too precious. It was so painfully in character, too! His issues with his nose just killed me dead. ;u; Nothing more adorable than being embarrassed about a large nose and all its functions~

So well written, and your sneeze spellings were just perfect for Snape. Epic job on this~!

[Aria]

This is beautiful and perfect! I love your characterization of Lily, Snape and their relationship. Great inner monologue from Snape - his love for Lily is gorgeously written. Poor sniffly Snape. I just wanna hug him!