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It was the end.
There was no turning back now. Not after what he had done. Lily had always been patient. She did her best to understand him, justify him, even protect him. And that’s what she paid for: she had only tried to stand up for him — and he exploded.
Mudblood.
He had called her Mudblood.
Lily couldn’t tell what hurt more — the word itself, or the hatred trembling in his voice when he said it. Or maybe it was the cruel twist of his pale face.
Probably all at once.
In a single moment, he destroyed everything. He destroyed them. Their childhood friendship was gone.
The truth was, he’d been changing for a while. The boy who once opened the door to the magical world for her was slowly, but inevitably turning into something monstrous.
At first, she refused to see it. Refused to believe.
Then she tried to stop him — because how can you just stand by and watch your best friend fall into darkness?
But it didn’t matter. He had made his choice.
And today, she saw it plainly — had to see it — the way his soul had been warped by darkness.
She couldn't let herself think of him again. Never. No more memories of who he had been to her — and never even look his way.
But would she have the strength?
***
She’d done it. She left behind everything that once tied them together, erased him from her life.
He came, asking for forgiveness. Said he’d wait outside the Gryffindor common room all night if she didn’t come out.
And she did. But only to put an end to it.
It was even harder than she’d thought it would be.
It hurt, unbearably, to see his slumped shoulders and his eyes full of pain.
He nearly dropped to his knees, begging for forgiveness, swearing he never meant to say that.
And she pretended not to care — perfectly. But inside, her soul was screaming — screaming to reach out, to take his hand, to say that everything would be alright.
But it would be a lie. Nothing would be alright.
She walked away without saying she forgave him. Severus had to understand that it truly was the end. The little boy in the ridiculous jacket and the naive red-haired girl who used to sit hand in hand by the river, talking about everything and nothing — they were gone.
And there was no place in Lily Evans’ life for a Death Eater.