Severus POV 1

I first met Sawyer when I was five years old. The summer sun was dazzling, but not as bright as Sawyer's smile.

With short black hair, eyes that curved when smiling, and a hearty laugh, 'he' declared 'himself' my first friend. I always thought Sawyer was the coolest person I'd ever met. Even when I later discovered that 'he' was actually 'she', it didn't change my opinion—she was still the coolest.

Sawyer was the first Muggle I met who wasn't afraid of me. She was curious, asking all sorts of questions, and her admiration was clear. I immediately decided she was the best person to me, besides my mother. Later, I found out she was a witch too, but that didn't change the fact that she remained the best person to me, even till the end.

After my mother divorced my father, with the help of Sawyer's parents, he left, and we stayed in our house on Spinner's End. The Hills were wonderful people, and our families grew closer.

My mother started to pick herself up. No longer wearing a perpetually somber face, she began teaching me how to brew potions and started working on opening her apothecary. Life at home improved without the drunken, raging man around, and both Mom and I were much happier. I loved my father, but that didn't mean I wanted him to ruin our lives.

Apart from the Hill family, my mother and I rarely interacted with other Muggles. I still had to endure the looks people gave me, like I was a monster—sneers, insults, disdain. But it didn't matter as long as I had Sawyer, my only friend and my family.

Meeting Lily was a delightful surprise. She was a pretty little witch, and unlike others my age, she understood me. Naturally, the four of us—Sawyer, Lily, Petunia, and I—became friends. Though Petunia eventually warmed up to us, my first impression of her would have been better if she hadn't looked at me like that when we first met.

Later, when Sawyer turned out to be a witch too, the three of us went to Hogwarts together. It felt like a dream come true, even though the fact that they were sorted into impulsive Gryffindor somewhat marred that perfection.

Life in Slytherin was as challenging as I had imagined. I understood my position clearly—in power-centric Slytherin, I needed to prove my strength.

That foolish Potter constantly provoked me with pathetic excuses. As if I didn't notice that he always did so when Lily was around, looking at her eagerly whenever she spoke. It was as if he was seeking her reprimands, like a masochist. If he truly liked Lily, he should pursue her boldly instead of using me as a ploy. His obsession with calling Slytherins evil made me want to show him real evil, rather than engaging in these tedious arguments.

Sawyer often pulled me away from these confrontations, saying she didn't want to clash with our housemates. Was she protecting me? Such verbal attacks didn't really hurt me, but did she think helping me wouldn't anger the Gryffindors? I noticed how some Gryffindors looked at Sawyer, nearly calling her a traitor. Sawyer letting Lily get closer to Potter and his friends was probably to protect her. Those foolish Gryffindors… Oh, because of Sawyer and Lily, I had to be mindful of my words when cursing Gryffindors.

What I could do now was to strengthen myself. I would become powerful, gaining the strength to protect them—my Gryffindor family and friends.