Severus shook his head, with a whispered, "No," when Lily said she hadn't meant to dredge up bad things. Because, really, the last thing he wanted was for her to be blaming herself for something he always thought about anyway. "You haven't dredged them up," he added, reaching up to pat her hand. "They've been at the forefront of my mind ever since the end of fifth year."
He inhaled, closing his eyes, when he realized that he probably shouldn't have been quite so candid. But it was too late now. Then again, maybe he ought to tell her. He'd always hidden far too much from her, as it was. He'd always kept everything bottled up inside, and he couldn't be certain how much that had contributed to the end of their friendship. Because she, too, seemed to have been convinced that he'd gone over to the Dark long before he'd ever taken so much as a step in that direction.