Fate

Disclaimer : The characters and basic plot belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter Three

Suddenly he knew. It was as if he had just awoken from a dream. Two parallel sets of memories now coexisted in Severus Snape's mind.

The first one was and Lily's friendship had ended when Severus had uttered the unforgivable word : Mudblood. Shortly after, Lily had begun to go out with James Potter until she had finally married him. Severus had become a Death Eater and caused James and Lily's death. Their son Harry had just started at Hogwarts and protecting him despite his negative feelings had become Severus's mission in life.

These memories were now like a bad dream. Severus had suddenly awoken to a different reality. His new set of memories was, at least, guiltless. After his visit to the future, young Severus had stuck to his older self's advice and not become a Death Eater, which had caused him to lose his former friendships, including Lucius Malfoy's. Professor Snape had been right : these people had just been using him.

Severus had resisted the temptation to lash out at Lily on that fateful day, even though he had noticed her lips twitching at his humiliation. He had swallowed his pride and kept quiet. But that had only postponed the inevitable : Lily was pretty and popular. Nothing could stop her from becoming the star Quidditch player's girlfriend, even the fact that her boyfriend repeatedly bullied her childhood friend. Indeed, she had made her choice. Again James and Lily had ended up married and their son Harry, who had started school this year, was one of the worst brats Severus had ever met. His parents, who were still very much alive, spoiled him rotten.

How and why Severus had ended up teaching at Hogwarts, Severus wasn't sure himself. Dumbledore, who used him as shamelessly as Avery and Mulciber had done, had somehow convinced him to join both the Order of the Phoenix and Hogwarts staff.

But being Potions master and Head of Slytherin was not so bad. Severus had come to care about the Slytherin students. Slytherin was his family. And lately Lucius Malfoy had renewed attempts at some sort of friendship, now that his son Draco was one of Severus's students.

It still seemed possible to reconsider his choices.

With a sigh, Severus opened his drawer and flipped through the drawings Lily had left him a few minutes ago, twenty years ago.

He looked from the fireplace to the dustbin and back to the pictures Lily had drawn when she was still his best friend, before she had grown up to become...

"Stupid cow," he muttered, pushing the pictures to the back of the bottom drawer.