Severus stared at the colour staining her cheeks with something akin to an almost sick fascination. Certainly she'd never blushed before around him that he recalled. It made him oddly satisfied to think he made her feel uncomfortable now or on edge perhaps.
There were so many times he'd gone over this in his head all summer. There had been OWL results, unremarked on by any, not even his Mother, although his first thought had been that he had to show Lils, a thought he pushed down as quickly as it came. Every time he imagined it, he always said something to hurt her more, feeling pleased, wanting to make her feel as badly as he did, or, alternately, he begged her again to give him another chance.
Instead he did neither, although when she looked at him, he looked back, his eyes meeting hers, something almost like regret shining in his for a moment. He did regret her loss, quite deeply. It was something he thought of daily, sometimes hourly, although lately the pain had become less acute, instead, deeper and more mixed up with hatred.
"You should," he said. "Wouldn't want your grade in here to slip." Professor Slughorn passed by and he gave the man his vial, before shoving his hand into the pockets of his robe, his fingers tightening into a ball when out of sight.