One October morning,  the students and staff were in the Great Hall eating breakfast.  All but one Slytherin. He was sitting by the window reading a book and crying. The boy had long black hair reaching his midsection tied up with a silver ribbon and shining black eyes brimming with shed and unshed tears.

"Hey, Snivellus! What are you reading today,  how to be a jerk?" James Potter shouted from the Gryffindor table. The entire hall erupted in laughter at the irony of the taunt, even Dumbledore was hiding obvious amusement. Severus cast a Sonorus spell on his vocal cords and stood in front of the staff table. Facing the student body, he started singing.

I'm so tired of pretending

Everyone was confused. What did he mean by that?

Where's my happy ending?

I followed all the rules

I drew inside the lines

I never asked for anything that wasn't mine

I waited patiently for my time

But when it finally came

She called his name

And now I feel this overwhelming pain

I mean it's in my veins

I mean it's in my brain

My thoughts are running in a circle like a toy train

I'm kind of like a perfect picture with a broken frame

I know exactly who to blame

At this, he glared at the Marauders and Dumbledore.

I never thought of myself as mean

I never thought that I'd be alone

And there's no in between!

'Cause if I can't have friends, then I will be the leader of the cunning and the sly

Now there's a devil on my shoulder where the angels used to be

And he's calling me the King of Mean

He started pacing across the podium and some of the students were a little frightened. But the Slytherins saw Severus in a new light.

Being nice was my pastime

But I've been hurt for the last time

Lily winced at that part, remembering how she broke their friendship over a stupid mistake.

And I won't ever let another person take advantage of me

At this, he glared at Dumbledore, who was being stared at with disgust by the staff and students.

The anger burns my skin 3rd degree

Now my blood's boiling hotter than a fiery sea

There's nobody getting close to me

Lily again flinched at what he said.

They're gonna bow to the Heir-Lord Prince

Your nightmare's my dream

Just wait until they fall to my sneaky schemes

I never thought of myself as mean

I never thought that I'd be alone

And there's no in between

'Cause if I can't have friends,  then I will be the leader of the cunning and the sly

He walked down the stairs with a malicious smirk on his face.

Now there's a devil on my shoulder where the angels used to be

And he's calling me the King of Mean

"Sssssseverusssss~~ Ssssssseverusssss~" a voice called to the distraught boy in parseltongue.

'Uncle Salazar Slytherin' Severus thought.

Something's pulling me

It's so magnetic

My body is moving,  unsure where I'm headed

All of my senses have left me defenseless

The darkness around me is promising vengeance

The price that I'm willing to pay is expensive

There's nothing to lose when you're LONELY AND FRIENDLESS

Everyone winced at that. They knew he was bullied harshly,  but not to this extent.  And Lily abandoning him for James Potter was the final straw.

So my only interest is showing these 'pranksters'

That I am the prince and my reign will be ENDLESS

A bright flash overtook the Great Hall.  When it faded, Severus was glaring with cold, blue eyes, his hair long, clean, and white, and dressed in the best suit ever made.

I want what I deserve

I want to rule the school

Sit back and watch them learn

It's finally my turn

If you want a prankster for a prince

I'm gonna be one like you've never seen

I'll show you what I mean

Now that I am that, I will be the leader of the cunning and the sly

Cause the devil's on my shoulder where the angels used to be

And he's calling me the King of Mean

The King of Mean

I want what I deserve!

Lily Evans has never felt so guilty in her entire life.  It was her severing their friendship that pushed him over the edge. She was his bridge of light in the darkness,  and that light faded away.

Then, Severus walked right in front of her and the Marauders. "Stay away from her, Snivellus! You're an even bigger jerk now than you ever were," James sneered. Severus didn't answer and said to Lily and the silent Great Hall, "Tell me, Lily, do you remember the promise we made when we became friends?" Lily shook her head,  so he continued. "We linked our pinkies and promised to be best friends today, tomorrow, and always no matter what happened. " After he said that, he gave Lily a picture of the two of them as kids with the promise right there on the picture. James, Remus,  Sirius, Peter, and the other Gryffindor students saw the picture and guilt started to eat at them. The two of them really did look happy together, and they had no right to split them up. The house of the brave finally noticed that Severus was crying because he missed his best friend and the girl he loved the most.

"What have we done?" James whispered.

TBC....