Reborn as Petunia Evans with a System-Chapter 61 - 59

And then she looked up at me, eyes bright, her voice light as a breeze. "We should go to Hogsmeade together this weekend," she said. "Just the three of us. Or maybe just us girls, if you want."

I blinked, startled for a moment, then smiled. "Sure. Let's do that."

She sat up, suddenly, and wrapped her arms around me with one of those hugs that took the breath out of you. "I love you, Lily," she whispered fiercely. "So, so much."

And just like that, the ache faded.

Because how could I ever stay envious of someone like her? How could I be anything but grateful to be loved by someone so good?

I hugged her back just as tightly, burying my face in her shoulder, and whispered the words she deserved to hear: "I love you too, Tuney. Always."

And I meant it even if part of me would always wonder what it might feel like to be loved the way Severus looked at her.

I don't know when it started. Not exactly. Maybe it was the way he looked when he was focused on a book brows slightly furrowed, lips parted, completely unaware of the world spinning around him. Or maybe it was the way he spoke when he explained something complicated patient, articulate, with that velvety voice of his that always made my thoughts slow down just a little. Or maybe it was just... him. The quiet loyalty. The unexpected jokes. The warmth he never showed easily, but that glowed like firelight when he did.

It wasn't a crush, I told myself.

It was just... I liked talking to him. That was normal. He was clever, and thoughtful, and when he said my name — just Lily — it sounded soft and important

Still, I didn't think anyone noticed. I was careful.

But clearly not careful enough.

Because one evening, after Charms, we were back in the Gryffindor dorm, and Marlene, Mary, and Alice were playing cards on the rug. I was flipping through my textbook and trying not to smile about something Severus had said earlier he made a joke about Professor Slughorn's moustache looking like a flobberworm with confidence issues it had made me laugh so hard I snorted in class.

Marlene noticed.

"Lily," she said, all slow and sing-songy, "why do you look like someone just handed you a bucket of treacle tart?"

"I don't!" I said too quickly.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "You do, though. You're smiling all dreamy. Like someone in a storybook."

"I'm just happy we don't have homework in Transfiguration."

"You're not fooling anyone," Mary said, throwing a pillow at me. "Let me guess someone made you laugh today? Someone with black hair and a serious face who reads twelve levels above the class average?"

"Stop it," I groaned, hiding my face in the textbook.

"Oh, it is Severus" Marlene grinned. "You like Severus!"

I sat up quickly. "No, I don't! We're just friends. He's bestfriends with Tuney!"

"And you blush every time he talks to you," Mary said, delighted. "And don't think we haven't noticed how you sit straighter in Potions when he's near."

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Alice smiled gently. "It's alright, Lily. It's not weird. He's really bright. Kind to Tuney. He's... interesting and handsome."

I hugged a pillow to my chest. "It's not like that. It's just—when he talks, I want to listen. And sometimes I... I sort of hope he'll look at me again. But that's silly."

"Well," she declared with mock drama, pointing a finger at me like she was some kind of detective, "you have a crush on Sev."

"Stop saying it like that," I muttered, dragging the blanket over my face.

Mary giggled and chimed in, "Oh no, she's hiding! That's how you know it's true!"

"I'm not hiding!" I said, voice muffled.

I groaned. "You're the worst."

They all laughed again. It was warm, teasing laughter not cruel. Never cruel. It felt like being wrapped in a soft scarf and tickled at the same time. I couldn't help smiling.

But then... the smile faded.

Because I sighed, and the truth slipped out, quiet and small."I know Sev's never going to like me. He... he likes Tuney."

It hung there a moment.

The fire crackled in the common room hearth, and someone laughed faintly from downstairs. But in our dorm, everything went still.

Mary sat up a little. "You think that?"

I shrugged under the blanket. "It's obvious, isn't it? she makes him laugh like no one else can. And she's just so—Tuney. She doesn't even have to try."

Alice sat beside me on the bed and took my hand gently. "But you're you, Lily. Don't shrink yourself like that."

"I'm not shrinking. I just... I see how he looks at her sometimes. And it's not me."

Marlene, who was rarely serious for long, looked a little thoughtful. "Well," she said after a pause, "even if he does like her now, people change. Feelings change. Maybe one day he'll look at you like that."

I didn't answer right away.

Because deep down, I knew I didn't want to steal anything from Tuney. And I didn't want to wish Severus away from her either. I just... wanted to be someone he could look at that way too. Someone who made his eyes soften. Someone who felt chosen.

It was silly, maybe.

But as Alice tucked my hair behind my ear and Mary handed me a chocolate frog to cheer me up, I realized... I didn't want to stop liking him. Not yet.

Even if it hurt a little.

Even if it was just something I carried quietly, like a charm tucked in my pocket.

"Okay," I said finally. "But you lot better not go teasing him about it."

"Oh, we wouldn't dare," Marlene grinned. "But if he ever does look at you the way you want... you have to let us throw a party."

I rolled my eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Hopelessly in love with this drama," Mary said dramatically, tossing a pillow in the air.

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