"Sometimes, change begins with a small choice—and a little kindness that stays in your heart."
The faint smell of smoke still clung to Severus's robes as he stepped into the dormitory, the memory of burning his Dark Arts book still fresh in his mind. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, the scent clung to him like guilt.
With a flick of his wand, he muttered, "Tergeo." The soot vanished, but the sour, burnt smell stayed. It reminded him of what he'd done—and who he had been.
He sighed.
He grabbed his towel and slipped into the Slytherin bathrooms. The torchlight flickered softly, casting a greenish glow across the cold stone walls. The air was damp, and the sound of dripping water echoed faintly through the room. Everything felt quiet, like the world had slowed down.
He filled the tub with steaming water. As it rose, little clouds of steam curled into the air. He undressed and stepped in, letting the heat sink into his skin.
He scrubbed hard. Not just to clean his skin, but to try to scrub away the past. He washed his arms, his face, his neck. When he got to his greasy hair, something inside him gave way.
Enough.
He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a tiny glass vial. The edges of the pale lavender label were worn from being touched too many times. In delicate handwriting were the words:
For your hair—stop hiding behind it. Love, Lily.
He had carried it for years. The old Severus had never dared to use it. It was the first real gift anyone had ever given him. Too precious to use.
But he wasn't that Severus anymore.
But now… now he was new Severus. And he understood something the old one didn't: gifts given with love aren't meant to be hidden.
He opened the vial and poured the silky potion into his palm. It smelled fresh—like spring rain on grass. As he worked it through his hair, the thick, oily strands softened right away. With each pass of his fingers, it got lighter, smoother.
When he looked in the mirror afterward, a different boy stared back at him. Still pale, still thin—but his hair was clean and tidy. He didn't look perfect. But he didn't look lost anymore.
He kept looking for a while. Like he didn't recognize himself.
Then he reached into his robe again. Another small bottle. A second gift—one the old Severus had brushed off as "girly." A gentle skincare potion. Also from Lily.
He opened it and dabbed it on his face. His skin tingled as it worked. The roughness faded. His ghost-white face softened just a little.
He didn't become handsome—but he looked better. Less haunted.
More human.
More… loved.
Lily... She had seen something in previous Severus that no one else had. Even when previous Severus couldn't see it himself.
He put on fresh robes and stepped quietly back into the dormitory.
Rosier and Mulciber were snoring like trolls, twisted in their blankets. The air was thick with sleep and silence.
"Silencio Duo," he whispered, casting a quiet bubble of silence around his bed.
He tossed his old robes into the laundry bin and lay down on the bed, staring up at the green-and-silver stripes on his curtains.
"Tomorrow's the Walpurgis gathering at the Hog's Head," he murmured. "Practically a Death Eater recruitment meeting."
He let out a slow breath and closed his eyes.
The smell of smoke was gone now. In its place was something soft and clean—Lily's scent from the potions. Gentle. Safe.
And that confused him.
He wasn't the Severus she had known. He was someone else, living in this body. So why did her kindness reach him like this? Was it the memories he carried? Or just the care itself—something he had never known in his own world?
He'd only seen her once since arriving.
Was this what people meant by love at first sight?
He didn't know.
But the scent stayed with him.
And for the first time in this world, sleep came easily.
---
Meanwhile, in Gryffindor Tower…
It was almost 2:00 a.m., but Lily Evans was still awake. She stood at the dormitory window, arms folded across her chest, looking out over the moonlit grounds.
The full moon hung low above the lake, its silver light dancing on the surface of the water. It looked brighter tonight. Softer somehow.
Like something in the world had shifted.
Behind her, someone spoke.
"Lily? You're still up?"
Mary MacDonald stepped out from her bed, her voice low and tired. Her red flannel pajamas were rumpled, and her dark hair was a bit wild.
"If you don't sleep, it'll wear you down," she said. "You're hurting yourself over that boy. The one who called you… that word. He showed who he really is. He's a Slytherin. He'll end up like the rest of them."
Lily didn't turn around at first. When she finally did, her green eyes were glassy. Not crying—but she clearly had been.
"I'm not awake because of him," she said quietly. "I just… couldn't sleep. The moon looked nice tonight. That's all."
She looked back out the window. "Please don't talk about Severus. I don't want to hear it. I'm going to bed."
She walked to her bed and pulled the curtains shut behind her.
Mary stood there, watching the closed curtains for a moment.
She knew Lily too well.
Without saying anything, Mary crossed the room, lifted Lily's curtain, and gently slipped under the blankets beside her.
She didn't ask questions. She didn't try to fix it. She just wrapped her arms around her friend.
Lily lay still for a few seconds. Then she let out a long breath.
She didn't speak—but she smiled.
Just a little.
Maybe she had lost one best friend.
But she still had another.
And in that quiet comfort, she finally fell asleep.