A/N: My first oneshot for 2015. Hard to believe I've been on this site since 2010. Anyways, it's a drabble and I don't own Harry Potter.

One day when they grow up

Was he too young, at eight years of age, to believe the words coming from a princess' mouth?

They had been playing; a game of pretend, for he had no toys and Lily wasn't allowed to take her toys outside.

"I'll love you until I die." The princess promised, a crown of tiny white flowers resting on her red hair. She had 'knighted' him.

What she said was true, for a moment anyways, but then the duo grew up. What happened when they grew up was not exaxtly what he had imagined.

Severus knew that was when his crush started. When she promised to love him. Despite his awful lot, the poverty he lived in, the abusive father and his mentally absent mother, she would love him.

It wasn't that he regretted it, no. If given a choice he would have it all over. Lily was quite an amazing friend to him.

But he would never let her leave, if he could have it over.

The younger the heart, the bigger the hope. And his young heart had hoped for them to, at the very least, remain friends until they died. That would count as love... he was sure.

She changed how he walked through life. Or her death did. She would always be his best friend, even if she didn't want to acknowledge his very existence.

It was because of her that he was where he was: in Dumbledore's pocket. He didn't mind, for a while it was safe and he could watch her son grow up. He was never the nicest individual and he didn't like the fact that the boy looked like James Potter.

But he learned a sort of respect for the boy. He would never admit it out loud, though. Lily had a knack for causing trouble too, but it wasn't to bully. The boy tried not to bully.

Sometimes he wished he was nice. No doubt word would get out, though, and both he and the boy would be in even more danger than they already were. Not to mention it was nigh impossible for him to be 'nice'. He'd tried. He'd gotten a bigger reaction from the students when he was a snarky nightmare figure than a smiling nightmare figure.

He probably shouldn't be mad that she didn't love him forever, or until the day she died, she was too young to prevent the words.

But, he reckoned, there was more than enough time for her to decide she wanted to throw away her first promise to him.

He'd harboured some hope that when they grew up, they'd at least stay friends. But that didn't work out.

She never meant her promise. Yes, he'd made a mistake. So had she. Clearly she didn't love him enough, even as a friend, to fight for their friendship.

He sighed. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything.

Despite his thoughts, the moody professor still missed the times they'd spent together. But it was all past now.

He had a new life. And she had none. He could still make a difference. She couldn't.

. . .

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