Hi people! Well this is my first time writing a Severus and Lily fan fic to give it a chance okay! I decided to write this after seeing the film and sobbing my heart out over Snape's disappear at loosing Lily, and tbh I think he deserves her more than James, but hey thats how I think. Well I hope you enjoy this first instalment of this new story.

Btw, the title of the story means acceptance and loyalty in latin. As this is what Lily and Severus must show towards each other :D

Scene Setting: Severus and Lily's fifth year at Hogwarts, shortly after their OWLs have finished. The incident where Severus called Lily a mudblood never happened. Lily still thinks that James Potter is a toe-rag :P

Chapter 1

Severus was sat under a beech tree next to the lake, casually reading a book on advanced potions. Fifth year hadn't ended yet, but he was already looking forward to the next year and all the things he could learn. He wanted to get a head start, especially in potions, hence the book. Some of the potions were fascinating, and some even terribly complex, but he was sure that he and Lily would be able to figure out some simpler methods of making them, and even improving some of them too.

Thinking of Lily, Severus' best friend since the age of about eleven, had Snape's mind reeling. Lily was his only friend, always had been. He was the one who had told her she was a witch and they had been friends ever since, even though they had been sorted into different houses, that didn't matter to them. Slowly over time she was growing into a great and talented witch, but also an attractive and beautiful woman, Severus would have to be blind not to see it. Their friendship had always been close, very close in fact, they confided almost everything in each other. I say almost as Severus didn't want to hear anything about Lily's womanly problems, those were best left to her girl friends to sort out together. But during this close friendship Snape's feelings had continued to grow, especially over this past year. He was falling in love with Lily Evans, and to be honest he couldn't care less, she was beautiful, clever, talented and kind. What he did care about however was whether or not she thought of him in the same way. This brought him onto the dilemma at hand, should he or should he not ask Lily to Slughorn's end of year party?

Severus never normally attended his head of house's parties, even though he had been invited to everyone since first year. Lily and he both belonged to the slug club, not that he wanted to be, but it did give him and Lily time together away from that annoying James Potter. But Lily had always enjoyed them and was constantly trying to get Severus to go, just as friends, with her to the parties so she wouldn't be alone. But he always refused, not because he didn't want to go with her, because he did, but because he didn't have any nice dress robes to wear and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of many important people as well as embarrass Lily to be seen with him.

But this summer he had saved up all him money and had brought himself a really nice smart set of dress robes, ones that even James Potter wouldn't turn his nose up at. So that was it, he was decided, he was going to ask Lily Evans to Slughorn's end of year party, and not just as friends, as his official date for the evening.

Fate had a funny way of timing things well at the moment, as just then Lily came up next to Severus and plopped herself down on the grass next to him, he bag dumped in front on her as she crossed her legs in front of her.

"Hey Sev, what are you reading?" She asked casually leaning foward trying to see the cover of the book he was holding. H held it up for her and answered.

"Advanced Potion-Making, it's really good. Some of the potions look interesting, although I think you and I could do some improvement in places. " He turned to face her and smiled at her.

"Thats sounds great Sev!" Lily said, her eyes sparkling with excitement, she was the only other person in the world who understood Sev's love of potions and potion making.

"Hey Lily," Sev began, voice off-hand in tone, "Urm, are you going to Slughorn's end of year party this year?"

"Oh I don't know this year, I was thinking about just starting to pack really, in the past I have always left it too late and you know me with all my clothes and things, it takes me forever to find them all." She laughed at herself and Sev chuckled lightly along with her, yes that was a very Lily thing to do.

"Well, I was going to ask you to go with me to the party, but if you're not going then don't worry about it." He started to regret saying it the moment the words left his mouth.

"Oh you were?" Lily said slightly shocked, she knew Severus never like to go to parties and had never gone not matter how many times she had asked him. "Well then I guess I can do my usual rushed packing at the end of the year, besides I always have accio to help me find all my clothes." She grinned at him.

"Is that a yes then?" Sev grinned back at her, his mood flying higher and higher by the second.

"Of course silly!" she cried, "I have been trying to get you to go with me for years and now finally you want to go to a party with me, I wasn't going to say no."

"Well urm," Sev started nervously, "The party is tomorrow night, so I shall meet you in the entrance hall at about 6 ish then okay?"

"That's brilliant Sev," Lily leaned over and wrapped her arms around Severus' shoulders pulling him into a hug.

They had hugged before and did so quite often, but this was different. This was Lily hugging him after he had practically asked her on a date and she had said yes. Well he had never mentioned the word date but that didn't matter surely.

He returned the hug, somewhat awkwardly due to the book he was still holding in his hand. He breathed in her scent slightly, she smelled of roses and fresh spring grass.

They broke apart and they continued to talk until the light started to fade from the sky and the sun sunk lower towards the horizon. They both rose and walked back to school, Sev insisting on carrying Lily's bag until he had to leave her at the bottom of the entrance hall stairs.

"Goodnight Lily, see you tomorrow ready for the party," he said handing her bag back to her and she shrugged it onto her shoulders.

"Night Sev, yeah see you at the party if I don't see you around." She leaned in and gave him once last hug before she waved cheerily and started the climb to Gryffindor tower.

Severus turned on his heel and walked down to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room, really not looking forward to the cold, damp, dimness that they offered.

At the top of the entrance hall stair case a rat scuttled away very quickly, heading in the direction of the Gryffindor common room as fast as its little legs could carry it.