The Three Broomsticks was warm on a cold December day. Every time the door opened, silver snowflakes flurried in and melted soon after. Students huddled together for warmth in booths and around tables, talking and laughing. It was noisy. Madam Rosmerta, the proprietor of the Three Broomsticks, was behind the bar, assuming the role of barmaid. Teenage

boys sat on bar stools, glassy eyed, watching her serve drinks. An undertone of something brewing could be heard, even with all the commotion. Severus Snape was used to the pandemonium of The Three Broomsticks and ignored it. Every

Hogsmeade weekend, he spent his time in a corner booth with his best friend, Kathryn Carothru. Today was no different. He had brought his battered Gobstones set and they played. Severus looked miserable with ink all over his face.



"I win!" Kathryn shrieked, pumping a fist into the air. "Oops! Sorry, Severus. I'll fix that."



"I've got it," Severus muttered. He pointed his wand at himself, and the ink disappeared.



"That's the first game I've lost to you, ever."



Kathryn shrugged. "No, it's just the first time I've won."



Severus grinned. Leave it to Kathryn to lighten the mood. She'd started to talk about something else and Severus smiled. Whatever she was saying didn't seem that important to Severus. He just half-listened and watched her talk animatedly.



She was his best friend. Though they'd been in the same year and house, Severus had never noticed Kathryn. When his older friends left Hogwarts, Severus noticed the girl who sat in front of him in practically all his subjects for the first time. He'd thought someone as beautiful and well liked as Kathryn wouldn't have time for him. But, as fate would have it, they enjoyed similar things: Gobstones, Potions Club, to name a few. Kathryn was very open with Severus, something his male friend, Lucius Malfoy had never been. Not only did she say more than a few sentences to him, she listened to him. She listened to his problems, his hopes, and helped him in his weaker subjects. And without Lucius still at school, Severus knew he wouldn't be

laughed at for having a girl as a best friend. Occasionally, Severus wondered if friendship was all he felt for Kathryn. He often caught himself staring at her, thinking of her, dreaming. He always looked away quickly, hoping she didn't notice.



The Gobstones put themselves back on the small wooden board, and the board reset itself. Brushing a strand of brown hair from her face, Kathryn glanced casually over to the door; Severus' eyes followed. A group of boisterous boys bounded in. Severus felt his shoulders tense. The four boys were none other than Severus' worst enemies: Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.



"And then he says to me, 'Detention, Potter!' Just like that! Can Filch do

that?" the dark haired boy with glasses whined. He was James Potter.



"Afraid so, mate. It is bad luck, Prongs, but it's detention next Saturday, so what are you complaining about? McGonagall is making me do lines that night," said Sirius Black, the boy to Potter's left, as he elbowed his friend.



A sandy haired boy next to Black sighed, "Sirius, honestly. If you and James keep landing yourselves in detention it'll..."



"Scar us for life, yeah yeah. Permanent record, blah blah. Shut up, Remus.

Let's sit down." James said rolling his eyes.



The fourth boy in the group, Peter Pettigrew, giggled. His beady eyes began watering and he clasped a pudgy hand over his smile. The boy called Remus slammed the textbook he was carrying onto a table not far from Severus and Kathryn. Kathryn apparently didn't notice, in the busy tavern, loud noises were indistinctive.



Only Severus cared that they were so close. He hoped they wouldn't notice him. He found Sirius and James too full of themselves, too popular, too perfect. Remus never said much, but it was within his power to stop his friends, and he never did anything about them. Peter, Severus had decided, was annoying and dodgy. Not to mention, power of association made him a bad person. Sirius nudged James. Glee was written all over his face. Severus hoped that he could just ignore them and maybe start a second game of Gobstones with Kathryn.



"Pst, James. Pst," Sirius hissed, loudly enough for Severus to hear.



"What?" James asked, and he ran a hand through his already messy hair.



"I found something to cheer you up," Sirius said in a singsong voice, inclining his head toward Severus and Kathryn.



Severus saw James glance over and his stomach dropped, as did his glass of Butterbeer. The way James' eyes lit up when he looked at Severus was enough to make anyone slop their drink down their shirt.



"Excellent. It’s Snivellus," James said his voice low and loud.



Sauntering over with both Sirius and Peter at his heels, James smiled almost balefully. He cast a grin at Peter and Sirius then. Looking beyond them to Remus, who was blissfully unaware of the confrontation about to break out under his prefect's nose, James' smile

broadened.



Severus wished that Remus was more proactive and could exercise control over his friends. Maybe if he stepped in, thing wouldn't have escalated as far as they had. With one futile attempt to catch either Remus or the owner, Madam Rosmerta's attention, Severus knew he'd have to settle any fight that broke out on his own.



"Oh no. Why today?" Severus muttered darkly as he noticed trouble headed his way. James and Sirius never gave him a moment's peace. Now, on his day-off, here they were, ready to torment him. He didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Kathryn.



Several heads turned. Practically everyone at Hogwarts knew about the enmity between Severus and the Marauders. They were all eager to see the outcome of the fight. Only Kathryn seemed unaware; she was still talking to Severus, who twitched slightly, and she suddenly became alert.



"Why today, what?" Kathryn asked her back to the oncoming menace. She

swiveled her head around and saw James, Peter, and Sirius. Kathryn groaned.



"Ignore them. But if it's a fight they want..." Kathryn began fiercely.



"Why, Snivellus! Fancy running into you here!" James said mockingly.



"Shut it, Potter," Severus growled.



"Ooh. Snivelly's a tad cranky. Not so nice today, are we?" Sirius said, smirking.



"Shove off, Black. You too, Potter." Kathryn said; she sat up straighter and gripped her wand.



Severus realized that Kathryn was standing up for him, and he felt a wave of gratitude toward her. He tried to smile at her, when his thoughts were interrupted.



"What's this, Snivellus? Has Snivellus gotten himself a girlfriend? Oh

Jamesy, isn't that sweet? Ickle Sevvie's got himself a Sweetie!" Sirius shouted, and grinned stupidly.



Sirius, James, and Peter laughed. Severus felt hot. His cheeks had flushed slightly, but otherwise, he kept his cool.



"Jamesy? Have you two finally admitted you're a couple?" Severus sneered. The words had jumped out of his mouth all too quickly. The next thing he knew, he was hanging upside down, by his ankles.



Severus heard Kathryn shriek from the ground, "You put him right! You foul, evil..."



Sirius' grin was lopsided, almost punch-drunk, "Why do you hang around with Snivellus anyway? He's a loser. You could better spend your time with someone a bit more... refined."



"Like you?" Kathryn snorted to show her disgust. "You hex people into the air for fun. No thank you."



Severus felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment. He'd invented the Levicorpus spell, and now it was a hit among students. Unfortunately, it was also now being used against its maker. He glanced down and saw Sirius put his arm around Kathryn's shoulders.



Severus gasped, praying Kathryn wouldn't react as every other girl would, that she would not swoon and get flustered; that she would not leave him behind, dangling helplessly.



"C'mon. Why hang out with Horklumps when you can dance with dragons?" Sirius asked.



The next thing Severus heard was a loud SMACK! Kathryn had slapped Sirius across the face.



"I said no! Can't you take a hint? You get Severus down now, and I won't hex you. Got it?" Kathryn said heatedly.



"Alright, alright…unless you want to join him?" Sirius said almost brightly. Kathryn glared; Sirius let Severus down.



"Until we meet again. Au revoir, mademoiselle," Sirius said, bowing to Kathryn.

As he, James, and Peter left, Sirius turned around, flicked his wand toward Severus, and hexed him one last time before leaving the bar.

---

Two years later, a warm spring morning found Severus Snape at the end of his seventh year. To celebrate, he took a book down by the lake to relish some moments of peace. Immersed in a chapter about the Polyjuice Potion, he didn't notice James Potter perched in the tree overhead.



"Hey there, Snivelly," James said, swinging down, nearly kicking Severus in the

face. "What's up?"



Severus continued reading, but he could still feel James' eyes on him. It was an uncomfortable feeling; he didn't like James watching him. Severus gave an involuntary twitch. He sighed loudly in annoyance, glanced up and snapped, "What do you want, Potter?"



"Oh not much. It's just that Sirius and I were talking and he said something about a Miss Kathryn Carothru, who for some unknown reason, has the hots for Y-O-U. I thought that it was sweet, in a revolting sort of way. Sirius bet me several galleons that you never kissed a girl. I hate to lose a bet, and well, I think you could stand to prove Mr. Black wrong," James said casually.



"Get to the point," Severus snapped. He had slammed down the book and folded

his arms.



"I'll give you a percentage of my winnings if you kiss Carothru before noon today. What do you say?" James dropped down from his branch with a soft "thud".



Severus had opened his mouth to say something when Remus Lupin ran up to James, slightly out of breath. "James, Peter got his head stuck in between the railing again. Sirius and I can't get him out. We've taped his ears down, buttered his neck,

everything; he won't come loose."



James sighed and rolled his eyes. He stood up from his squatting position and

sprinted after Remus, but not before he had turned around and mouthed, "remember, noon,'' to Severus.



Severus had a lot to think about now. Kiss a girl on a bet from James Potter, his sworn enemy? It simply didn't seem right. Something was wrong. He could sense it. James never once showed an interest in Severus' lack of a love life. The excuse of Sirius bet several Galleons didn't seem fitting either; James' family was rich enough to buy Hogwarts. He didn't need the pocket money. But Severus did, he was broke. And he had liked Kathryn for some time. He felt a little hopeful; maybe Kathryn returned his feelings. Checking his watch, Severus saw that it was nine o'clock; he had three hours to figure out what he was going to do. Before returning to his book, Severus

glanced over his shoulder. There she was: Kathryn, talking to Lily Evans.



Charismatic Kathryn. Severus was sure she'd gotten better offers than him: greasy, oily-haired "Snivellus". There had been a time two years before when Kathryn had been his friend, but lately, they hadn't talked much. Kathryn had dated Sirius Black, and Severus, outraged, told her to leave him alone. She did for a while, but every time she came back, Severus was seething, and Kathryn would back off again. She broke up with Sirius, but it was too late. Severus was too angry with her. So, they had drifted apart. Severus regretted turning her away, and had thought she had moved on to greener pastures. If James was right, there was a chance Severus could rekindle his and Kathryn's friendship and perhaps progress it to something more.



Kathryn saw Severus staring and waved, but did not come over. He hastily picked up his book and pretended not to notice her smiling at him. He felt his cheeks burn. He still liked her, but logic told him she probably didn't return the feelings.



By a quarter to twelve that afternoon, Severus still had not made up his mind. Fortunately, he had not run into James or Sirius either, who would undoubtedly have reminded him that he only had fifteen minutes to decide. He ran a hand through his lifeless hair and sighed. Suddenly, a voice called out to him. "Oy, Severus!"



He jumped. Recovering, he turned around, to find himself face to face with Kathryn. He inhaled sharply, as though someone had kicked him in the shin.



"You dropped your book," she said, handing him the tattered Potions Book. Severus muttered a barely audible "thanks", and took the book from her. She smiled warmly at him. Here was his chance. He glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and suddenly, he roughly seized her and pressed his lips to hers.



His mind raced. How did she feel? To him, the kiss was wonderful. He wanted to kiss her for longer. He wondered if they would be a couple. He wondered what James and Sirius would do, what they would say, when he told them. He wanted so desperately to prove them wrong.





The kiss had lasted a few seconds and when they broke away, Kathryn looked slightly uncomfortable.



"I... er...need to see Madam Pomfrey about something." Her voice became low and she dashed off toward the hospital wing. Open-mouthed, Severus watched her run away from him. He had never felt stupider in his entire life. What was more; James and Sirius never witnessed the kiss, so they considered it "invalid". Severus never got any money; all he succeeded in doing was embarrassing himself. It was his first and worst kiss. It was also his last.







A/N: I don't own anything except for Kathryn and the plot. All the other characters featured and mentioned belong to JK Rowling.