Despite his newfound feeling of self-worth, Severus still was no optimist by any stretch of the means. His first week back at Hogwarts proved interesting, for lack of a better word. The admiration in the eyes of several younger students was a mixed blessing, but Severus quickly grew tired of the attention and impatient with the looks he received. While many of these students were even in Slytherin, that didn't help matters when it came to those, like Mulciber's younger brother, who opposed him. The Gryffindors continued to either ignore his plight with the Dark Lord last spring or to look upon him with apprehension, still too wary to trust him, simply because he was in Slytherin.

"What good could ever come out of Slytherin?" was the question the other houses asked, especially the valiant and brave of Gryffindor.

Sneering at the very thought of having to share Potions with the Gryffindors, Severus entered the classroom and waited for Lily to arrive, the only Gryffindor he thought he would ever care for. He gazed indifferently at the front of the classroom, his eyes watching anywhere but the area where the Marauders would sit. Somehow, even that idiot, Pettigrew, had managed to scrape by, probably aided heavily by his friends. Black and Potter were usually the ones Severus had to worry about in class, but Lupin and Pettigrew were still just as annoying. He hadn't seen much of the boys yet this year, but based on the frowns Potter cast his way in the hall, Severus could easily imagine Potter had quickly forgotten his truce with Lily a few months earlier.

Unfortunately, the Marauders arrived before Lily, but unlike the beginning of last year, they sat far away from Severus. He couldn't help but notice Black beckoning his friends to a table at the back of the classroom.

Good, thought Severus. I don't care if they hate me... just as long as they leave me alone.

The last thing he needed was more rude comments from Black about having been made Head Boy. He didn't want to look in their direction, but for some reason, he didn't tear his eyes away immediately. Pettigrew had the nerve to gaze stupidly in Severus's direction just long enough to irk him, and with a heated glare at Pettigrew, Severus turned in his seat as Lily sat next to him. Slughorn entered the room seconds later.

"You were very nearly late," Severus whispered to Lily.

Shrugging, Lily returned, "You know, that time of month." She smiled slightly.

Severus, clearly uncomfortable, blushed. "Er... right." He knew what she meant, but never had Lily or any other girl felt the need to impart such information to him. He would have been perfectly fine without knowing those details.

"Sorry," Lily murmured, noticing his discomfort.

From the front of the classroom, Slughorn's voice boomed, "Well, well, students! Welcome back to Potions during your final and seventh year at Hogwarts!"

Severus sighed, wishing Slughorn would tone his speech down. Severus admired the man's enthusiasm for the subject, as he himself had a passion for Potions, but he always felt his opening speech to be better. Then again, Severus was about as jovial as a crab about to be cooked for dinner.

Slughorn's words were lost to Severus, as he didn't really need to listen to know what to do in the lesson. The subject would be as much of a breeze this year as it had been the previous year. Severus found his eyes drifting over the students, curious if anyone had dropped the class. Sure enough, there were a few less students this year, and when his eyes rested on the Marauders for a second, Severus once again noticed Pettigrew gazing at him.

What the hell? Severus thought, now truly irritated, but also confused.

Pettigrew almost looked... in awe. Severus decided he would keep an eye on Pettigrew, knowing the other boy's history... or future in this case. Was Pettigrew admiring him because he had stood up to the Dark Lord?

Slughorn assigned them some reading in the first chapter before starting the lesson, so while the others actually read over the material, Severus's mind drifted. He had never known Pettigrew very well before, and he truly had no idea what had motivated the rat of a man to join the Death Eaters in the first place. Unlike being in Slytherin, where the pressure was high to conform to the Pureblood ideology, Pettigrew wouldn't have had that happening to him in Gryffindor. Plus, it wasn't like the simpering wimp didn't have friends who were actually good friends. As much as Severus disliked the Marauders, he supposed they were all best friends, as they were inseparable... weren't they?

Then again, Severus had overheard Potter's demeaning comments toward his little friend. Potter wasn't exactly known for his kindness, though. What Severus felt for Pettigrew wasn't sorrow or compassion, but all the same, knowing what his role could ultimately be regarding the Prophecy, Severus didn't want the rat joining the Death Eaters if he could help it. Now that he was with Lily, he had a direct interest in ensuring her safety, and his own.

The Prophecy, Severus thought, frowning. How does that factor into all this?

Severus was well aware that many events had already been altered in this life. His intentions after leaving Hogwarts were to be with Lily, to hopefully marry her, but he wouldn't be foolish enough to have a child within the next few years. What horrible irony it would be for his child to be marked as the Chosen One or the Boy-Who-Lived. He shuddered at the very thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by Slughorn saying, "You may now begin brewing."

Lily noticed Severus's troubled expression as she set a flame under their cauldron.

"Sev?" she asked quietly. "Is something wrong? I couldn't help but notice you weren't reading."

"I'm fine," Severus lied, distracted.

Lily sighed and said, "Well, whatever it is, you're not off the hook that easily. We'll talk later. For now, let's just prove that we're the best Potions students again."

"Right," Severus murmured, forcing himself to pay attention to the assignment.

He saw they were brewing Skele-Gro and instantly began cutting the bicorn horn.

"How'd you know- ?" Lily started to ask. "Did you even look at the instructions?"

"I looked at the assignment before class," Severus lied again.

Thankful Lily wasn't a Legilimens, Severus determined to close his mind to those bothersome thoughts from minutes ago. He had plenty of time to speculate over what could happen as the war progressed, but for now, it would do them no good to fail their assignment.

After class was over, Lily walked next to Severus. He was quiet until they came to the point when they would need to go their separate ways to their next classes.

"I'll see you later," Severus said.

Lily nodded, a slightly hurt look on her face. She wanted to drag him aside and demand he tell her what he was keeping from her, but they couldn't be late for class.

"Okay," Lily sighed. "Just promise me you'll be honest?"

Severus smiled, hoping it appeared convincing. "Honest, right."

Still not sure if she was satisfied, Severus went to Charms. How was it that Lily could see right through him when he had been able to fool Voldemort, a highly skilled Legilimens, for years?

The answer to that question would have to wait, for after Charms, when Severus returned to the Slytherin common room, there was a notice on the board that drew his attention. A couple of the prefects were standing there, seemingly accustomed to reading the patrolling schedule. Severus checked the rest of the week and saw that he was scheduled to patrol the halls from ten until eleven o'clock this evening. That was after curfew for all other students. When he saw who he would be patrolling with, he scowled and walked away.

Of course it wouldn't be Lily or even a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Of all the prefects, Lupin was the last he would have picked to spend an hour of his day with. He thought he heard a snigger coming from behind him, and when Severus turned to see the source, he wasn't surprised to see Roger Mulciber there.

"You ought to be happy to be spending time with a goody-two-shoe Gryffindork, Snape," Mulciber jeered.

"Keep it up and you'll force me to remove house points from Slytherin," Severus replied, trying to keep his resolve.

"Oooo, house points, what a loss there!" Mulciber exclaimed in a mock-concerned voice. A couple of the students near him laughed.

Severus chose to ignore the ingrates, as he wasn't going to be provoked by the likes of third years. He left the common room and went to his private room, where he tried to study, but thoughts about how the war would be changed kept invading his mind. When it came time for dinner, Severus went down to the Great Hall and forced himself to consume some food, even though he didn't feel particularly hungry.

A part of him wanted to avoid Lily for the evening, as he really didn't want to answer her questions about his behavior earlier. What was he supposed to do, admit he was reliving his life, tell the truth? As much as he loved her, he didn't think she would believe a word, even if he did tell her. Anyone would think him crazy, and for good, logical reason. He had his old memories from another lifetime, that was true, but for now, Severus decided to keep them a secret. He would hold on to his secret as long as possible.

The larger part of him longed to sit with Lily outside on one of the last days of summer. He was leaving the Great Hall when she spotted him, and he waited by the door for her to catch up.

"I wondered if we would get to hang out for a little while tonight," Lily said, catching her breath.

"Of course," Severus complied. "Did you want to head outside now? It'll be getting dark in another hour."

"That would be great."

They left the castle and headed toward the lake. Several other students were already outside. Severus sought Lily's hand, and together, they walked in companionable silence around the lake.

"I was worried something was really bothering you in Potions," Lily finally remarked. "Sev, is everything really okay?"

"Things are different, yet the same," Severus replied honestly. "The week isn't even over, and I'm having to deal with what's clearly a divided house."

"Isn't Slughorn doing anything?"

Snorting disdainfully, Severus muttered, "What do you think, Lily? Slughorn only shows an interest in students who he sees reason to take a liking to. It surprises me Dumbledore even made him Head of House and that he's been so for so long." Thinking of his days as Head of Slytherin, Severus added, "If I were Head of Slytherin, things would be quite different."

"Oh, like how?" Lily questioned, truly intrigued.

"Well, for one, I wouldn't have an exclusive club for a select group of students. I wouldn't tolerate anything but the best work from my students, and I would expect the proper respect that's due to a teacher. Then again, I would never teach if I could help it." He smirked slightly, realizing his past predicament, glad he could find some humor in the situation.

"No, I don't suppose you would like teaching," Lily said, chuckling gently.

Severus gave her a tight-lipped smile, his sense of humor waning. Sobered back to the reality of his knowledge of the war and those involved, Severus hoped he had distracted Lily from asking further questions.

He was wrong.

"So, that's all that was bothering you?" she asked.

"Mostly," he admitted. "There's the whole thing with my father, too. Now that I'm not around, I have to trust his judgment, and that's a precarious thing."

Lily nodded with understanding. "I can see how that would be concerning."

Severus knew she wasn't yet convinced, so he finally broke and said, "And there's the usual - this damn war. You know it's always on my mind, Lily."

Only you have no idea to what extent, Severus thought grimly.

Lily squeezed his hand. "I know," was all she said.

Severus expected her to say more, but was glad and relieved she didn't. As the sun set, they watched the sky change color, and once darkness was dominant and the temperature started to cool, they went back inside.

"Do you want to go to the library for a bit?" Lily posed.

"I have to patrol the halls with Lupin in a couple of hours," Severus said sourly, "but I guess so."

For close to the next two hours, they were in the library. Severus did his assignments with his mind only half on the task. When the time came for Lily to return to her room, Severus wished her a good night, and they parted with a kiss.

Severus returned his books to his room and waited in the Entrance Hall for Lupin to show up. He grew impatient, thinking the werewolf must have been slacking and might not even come. He hoped that was the case.

But Lupin sauntered down the stairs and to Severus's side at ten on the dot.

"Good evening, Severus," Lupin politely greeted him, offering him a smile.

Severus returned the greeting with a sneer. "Since when did you assume it okay to address me by my given name, Lupin?"

Lupin frowned and was about to speak, but Severus cut him off. "Let me make one thing very clear. I don't care if we are forced by our duties to spend time together. I don't care if you think you're being kind toward me because you are enamoured like countless others by my supposedly great courage to stand up to You-Know-Who. We are not friends, Lupin, and we never will be."

Taken aback, Lupin replied, "Let's just get this over with then, shall we?"

Severus detected the rejection in Lupin's voice and couldn't help but wonder why the werewolf was so adamant about being on friendly terms with him. They walked down the corridor in silence for ten minutes, making turns here and there. Nothing was amiss. Finally, Severus's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Why do you persist?"

"Persist?" Lupin echoed.

"Yes, you persist in trying to be something akin to a friend to me when I have given you absolutely no inclination that states your presence is welcome or wanted. You were always insufferably annoying like that, yet if you really cared like you falsely let on, you would have stood up to your friends," he sneered, "a long time ago. You never once stopped them."

"And risk losing their friendship?" Lupin asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not popular like James and Sirius. Peter and I are lucky just to be included."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, a werewolf?" Severus inquired harshly.

"I don't-" Lupin started to say, but then glared at Severus. "What's your problem, Snape? Yes, I'm aware you know of my condition, but in case you're still festering over that incident that happened in fifth year, you must know that I had no hand in it. Besides, you're not the only one who's had it rough. I just thought... maybe you would understand what it's like to be a bit different from everybody else."

Severus was floored into silence for a minute. "I always thought the four of you were inseparable," he said quietly. "You have real friends, Lupin, contrary to what you might think sometimes. They even tolerate Pettigrew, which is ridiculous because the idiot-"

"Don't talk about Peter like that," Lupin interrupted hotly. "You don't know anything-"

"I know he practically worships the ground Potter walks on. Pettigrew aligns himself with those who he sees as powerful, those who will protect him." As Severus spoke, he realized he might understand Pettigrew's motivation for joining the Dark Lord before.

Lupin shifted uncomfortably. "A good observation. I suppose you noticed the way he was looking at you today?"

Severus nodded curtly.

"It is true that... Peter has been greatly intrigued as to how you managed to escape last year from You-Know-Who. Like the rest of the wizarding world, he fears a war."

"And am I to assume he thinks he can get in my good graces, that I would offer him protection better than that inflated-ego, Potter?"

"You know, you don't need to constantly insult my friends when you speak of them," Lupin retorted, "but yes, I think that is what Peter intends."

Interesting, Severus thought, intrigued by the turn of events. While he didn't care for Pettigrew, he now was definitely going to be keeping a close watch on the little rat. If he could keep Pettigrew from joining the Death Eaters, that would be one less problem he had to worry about. Just as he had protected Harry for the benefit of Lily, so he would keep Pettigrew from becoming a Death Eater for Lily's benefit.

"Sev- er, Snape?" Lupin asked, wondering why Severus hadn't replied.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Severus said, "Your little friend might actually be wise for once."

"What are you talking about?"

Severus waved him off. "I believe we have corridors to patrol?" he posed sarcastically, cutting off the topic.

Lupin sighed. "Let's get this over with, then."