As the group of Potter and Lily came closer and closer to where Severus stood, he decided to lower his head, cover himself with the hood of his black cloak and pass unseen.

 

He didn't want to bother talking to them.

 

He finally passed Sirius, Potter, Peter, and Lily without them noticing, but just happened to bump into the one he least wanted to.

 

'Bloody hell' Severus cursed Remus Lupin for crossing his path. 

 

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't see you, my mistake," apologised Lupin, lowering his head apologetically towards the hooded man in front of him. 

 

It was then that Severus raised his head to look at him and Remus Lupin was surprised.

"No problem Remus, it's a pleasure to see you here," said Severus a little amused at Remus' surprised face.

Severus hadn't planned on interacting with the group, he wanted to leave alone quietly without attracting their attention, but apparently, his plan wasn't good enough, again, very stupid of him to be so careless.

 

But he didn't plan on hiding from them either, it wasn't his style, and he didn't like to run away from trouble.

"I'm not sure I can say the same, Snape," Lupin hissed, giving him a cold stare.

 

Severus grimaced and ignoring the look Remus had given him, he prepared to go on his way without giving the matter any more thought.

"What did you say Lunatic?" asked Potter suddenly confused turning around to look at Lupin.

"He said he's Snivellus, he must be with his death eater friends" Peter muttered and accused with a smirk as he slowly walked away until he was behind the group in case there was trouble.

Lily who heard that looked puzzled at where Lupin was.

"What, where?" asked a confused Sirius, as he tried to find Severus among the people in the vicinity.

Severus sighed at his bad luck and Sirius' idiocy, he calmly turned to look at them.

"Oh, but it is Potter and his gang, why am I not surprised to find you all together?" said Severus mockingly.

Lily just watched Severus for a few seconds and then turned her face away because she didn't want to have direct contact with him.

When the whole group saw that it was Severus, they wasted no time and pulled out their wands.

"Come on, don't be stupid, this isn't Hogwarts, I wouldn't recommend you to be so reckless," Severus hissed disdainfully giving them a cold stare.

 

He didn't like being held at gunpoint, and the wand was a weapon, powerful and dangerous.

Only Lupin and Peter thought about it and lowered their wands.

But Potter and Black kept pointing at him and looking at him as if he was a threat, an enemy.

"Prong, Padfoot, calm down boys, he's right, no good will come of a public confrontation. As soon as you cast the first spell, we'll be knee deep in Aurors," informed Lupin trying to talk some sense into his group to see if they would react to the consequences.

While Peter just watched and waited to see what would happen next.

Lily gritted her teeth but said nothing, she didn't want to intervene for Severus like before.

"At least one of you thinks with that little head of yours, I would recommend you listen to Remus, he's the only one who uses his brain," Severus joked again but his gaze said otherwise, his deep, cold, black eyes had every intention of teaching Potter and his group a lesson if they ever did anything.

 

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She folded her arms and pressed them against her chest.

"James...? Please, you promised not to fight," Lily said to Potter, still unwilling to look at Severus.

That seemed to calm Potter down a little.

"I know Lily, I won't do anything rash, for now, stay away, it could be dangerous, staying behind," Potter replied, though he was already planning to recite a spell.

"Dangerous you say, how funny you are Potter when you are the ones attacking me four against one and I haven't even pulled out my wand yet!" Severus grimaced at his impudence.

"You...!" Potter waved his wand as if he was going to cast a spell at him and Severus was eager for him to try it.

 

Severus just needed a reason to teach Potter a lesson and then he could claim it was self-defence.

"James, please!" cried Lily sadly.

 

"You promised you wouldn't fight or prank Severus if I went out with you. And yesterday was only the first time we went out and it's not even a proper date. Is this how it's always going to be? Insults? Wandings at ten paces? Dueling at dawn?" added Lily angrily not realising that she said it was a date and not just a meal.

That hurt Severus a little, it was supposed to be just a dinner, but as he had imagined, it seemed that she in her head also considered it a date, as did James Potter.

Severus kept his gaze cold on Lily when she said that, she seemed to notice and looked at him for a few moments, but she looked away before he could even get a good look at her.

 

He looked down with a mixture of feelings, sadness, annoyance, exhaustion, and resignation.

 

Severus sighed and looked up again, but now there was a great coldness in his black eyes, one that would make the hair on the back of anyone's neck stand on end who looked into his eyes.

 

This was goodbye for Severus.

 

'No, Lily said goodbye a long time ago' Severus said to himself with a grimace as he looked coldly at Potter and his group.

 

Severus this time saw and heard all he needed to.

 

Lily was no different to any other teenage girl, she liked men like James Potter, but he just wasn't for her.

 

Or maybe he was the right person at the wrong time, she was still too young and obviously, she couldn't like someone like him, so she'd better tell him 'goodbye'.

 

"Huh, better not pull out your wand Snivy" Potter relaxed and thought more about his idea to cast a spell when he heard Lily, but he still warned Severus, even though he didn't like the look he was giving them.

 

Everyone in the Potter group hated it when Severus looked at them like that, those black eyes always managed to make them feel a little intimidated and in danger.

 

Severus didn't care about the warning, he didn't even really pay attention to it, he was just waiting to see how things would develop, if they attacked, he wouldn't hesitate to teach them a good lesson, one they wouldn't forget.

 

"Tell us what you're doing here, Snivellus?" demanded Sirius scornfully as he pointed his wand at him.

 

Sirius knew that just around the corner lay a dark, twisting alleyway devoted to the Dark Arts, Knockturn Alley, and he also knew that Severus used to go there with Lucius Malfoy.

 

The whole Potter gang had always hated Severus for his horrible friendships and dark tendencies, but since last year when Snape insulted Lily Evans, that hatred had become more pronounced in all of them.

 

"Hmm... Yeah, listen, that only concerns me. Or do I have to explain to you what I do in my private life in Diagon Alley, Black?" Severus sneered again but increasingly irritated.

 

"Evading the question, you haven't just come from buying something darker from Knockturn Alley...? Oh right, aren't you already part of the death eaters, excited to be a murderer like You-Know-Who?" accused Potter.

 

Peter nodded vigorously at the comment.

 

While Remus and Lily decided not to comment on the matter.

 

Severus could have simply killed him for telling lies, but there was one great truth and that was that he did buy an object that was considered dark, plus like Darth Vader, he was a murderer, whether he wanted to admit it or not, Severus could not deny what he had done.

 

"That's for sure Jamesy. Hmph, it would have been nice to never have to see you again Snivy," Sirius commented dryly with his wand still pointed at him.

 

"As I said, my private life is none of your business and I really don't care what you like or dislike, Balck or should I stop calling you that?" smirked Severus.

 

"Oh, right, I forgot, your brother Regulus told me that once you finish your fifth year at Hogwarts you will be disinherited. I congratulate you on your early exit from the Black family," Severus added, smiling coldly, he was already a little tired and grumpy.

 

These idiots were accusing him in public of being associated with Voldemort and everyone knew who You-Know-Who was, they were just causing him even more trouble.

 

And that irritated Severus.

 

 

Sirius got angry at the mention of his family and walked towards Snape, bringing his wand close to Snape's neck.

 

"Shut up! You'd better not speak or..."

 

"Or what?" asked Severus amused at what Sirius was going to do, he wasn't the least bit afraid, he had so many ways to incapacitate Black and everyone else, they were nothing but mediocre wizards in his eyes.

 

Severus could see all the weaknesses in Sirius and it was incredibly easy for him to exploit them even with this weak body.

 

He may be very weak but Severus is not incapacitated, with his knowledge alone he is capable of dealing with arrogant bullies with no real combat experience.

 

Besides, they weren't at Hogwarts now, Dumbledore couldn't protect Potter and his party.