Chapter 1. Silver and Ruby

It was raining. Something the students of Hogwarts had grown used to over those spring months, but being used to things doesn't always make it seem better. A perfect example of this, was sitting with her arms crossed and resting on her knees, forehead down, and tears streaming from her puffy blue-green eyes. Her veil of red hair hid her sobs, but also blocked out her excellent view. She was sitting in the middle of an old wooden bridge that stretched itself across a chasm near the front entrance of Hogwarts.

The bridge was covered by a triangular roof, shingled in thick slabs of wood. If not for the clouds and rain, you would probably see the sun peaking just above the horizon. Lily Evans had not slept at all the previous night, for she could not get over the letter that she received from her sister Petunia. A shiver ran up Lily's spine, creating goose-bumps all along her arms and legs. She lifted her head and moved her eyes to her arms, though; she couldn't see them for her thick black robes covering her.

What she could see, surprisingly through all of the darkness, was a tall figure walking towards the bridge through the rain. Lily wiped her tears, and stood up, cautiously letting one foot fall behind the other, backing up slowly. She only stopped when the figure came closer, and she saw the familiar pale face with a hooked nose and long black hair.

"Severus!" she rushed forward, seeming to hop on her tiptoes as to not trip over the boards. "Oh, Severus, It's horrible!"

Severus Snape let out a small noise of surprise as Lily rammed him and started squeezing his midsection.

"What happened?" his face scrunched up in concern as he wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I was in the common room last night after dinner, re-reading the letter that Tuny sent me, and that sorry good-for-nothing prick James Potter took it!" she let one more tear fall down her cheek as she breathed, her chest heaving against his damp robes.

Severus made a noise in the back of his throat, but waited for her to continue.

"Sev, there were things in that letter about me that I never wanted anyone to know, and HE READ IT!" she buried her face into his shoulder a bit more, nuzzling his neck, her right ear now laying over the Slytherin crest embroidered into his robes.

"Did he read it out loud?" His voice cracked when he said it, and he started the process of mentally beating himself up for that embarrassing moment.

"No… He just looked at me, and his eyes got really wide. Then he made some stupid joke about it, and the whole common room started laughing at me." Lily mumbled.

"Don't mind him, Lils, He doesn't matter." Severus sighed, running his hand along Lily's shaking arm. "I have something for you… That I think may cheer you up…" he started in a soft voice.

Lily loved getting things from Severus. It's not like they were expensive pieces of jewelry, or giant teddy bears… They were more special, because they weren't as special. She had a whole shelf of things at home filled with a number of trinkets and doodads that she had received from him in her lifetime: seashells, rocks, flowers, worthless coins, quills, empty ink bottles with ribbons around them, and so on. They were only special, because they came from him, and they usually came with compliments, invitations to do something rash and exciting, or funny stories with some extremely logical moral.

Lily leaned back only a fraction so that she could see his face. "W-what is it?" she grinned, trying to hide her excitement.

Severus wiped the spaces under her eyes with his thumbs, and then moved them over her cheeks, clearing her face of the tears. "Close your eyes."

Lily followed his command and let her lashes touch the tips of her now smiling cheeks. "Okay." She breathed.

There was a small rummaging noise, and then something that sounded like a rock in a cardboard box as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his gift. He untied the twine around the small package and pulled out the silver ring. He twirled it through his fingers slowly before taking her hand and pushing the ring on her middle finger.

Lily gasped and her eyes shot open as soon as she felt the cool silver come into contact with her skin. "You didn't!"

Severus just smiled, knowing he had done well. Really well.

Without even looking at it, Lily reached up and locked her arms around his neck in a swift movement, then brought her soft lips to his, letting her eyes shut as she let her tongue enter his mouth. For their first kiss, Lily was quite surprised at how comfortable it felt. But, after a while, she figured that if they didn't stop now, they would never make it to potions class.

Severus caught the memo and pulled his lips away, resting his forehead on hers.

"Now, Lily, I know you are a huge fan of interrupting me, and not that I minded this time or anything," he grinned widely, letting out a chuckle. "but, there is more to that little band then silver and some rubies."

Lily was shocked when she heard rubies, how had she not noticed?

She looked down at the ring on her finger, inspecting it carefully. It was silver, but it seemed old and worn, and on the top was a flower-like shape, filled in with blood-red rubies.

"Flower for Lily, Rubies for your fiery locks of annoying frizz!" he laughed, and soon she joined in, as they both remembered the first day they had ever spent in the rain together.

Lily sat on the front porch of the abandoned house, swinging right next to Severus.

"I hate the rain, you know." She said, watching the water fall from the sky, trailing along the many boards of the old wood.

"Why is that? I always thought it to be quite enjoyable." He mused.

"You see this?" she pointed to her red hair.

"Your Fiery locks of death?" said Severus, referring to when she talked about trying to brush her hair and how it retaliated by trying to strangle her.

"Fiery Locks of Annoying Frizz." She huffed.

Lily laughed, knowing that hers and Sev's humor may not have been the best, but with the tingly happy feeling she always got when he was around, they didn't need much else to set them off.

"Severus, I… It's beautiful." She smiled, looking back up into his eyes.

"Now, take it off and read the inside." He nodded, helping her.

When she got off the ring, she looked inside and saw the word "Always" engraved into it. She tilted her head, still smiling.

"Always?" she asked, her voice a bit higher than usual.

"Even though you can't see me, I'll be with you, there for you, and loving you. Always." Words can't explain the feelings that Severus received when his lips met Lily's once more.