She beamed at him and replied quietly but sincerely, "I'm so very glad you think so."
Lily wrote part of the next answer, and then she could contain herself no longer. Things needed to be said; it was no help bottling everything up. "I know you've got your other friends, but I hope we can do this more often. And I know you're reluctant to spend time with me because... because, certain people have to be so rude and..."
She had been trying not to think of James and his crew, because it made her incredibly angry. "I can't believe they could be so horrible to you," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm s-so... sorry. Oh, Severus..."
She threw down her quill and hugged her friend, letting her tears spill freely onto his cloak.