Lily Evans and James Potter were the couple that everyone wanted to be. Both Lily and James wanted a large family full of children but this was becoming a daunting task as they were having great trouble conceiving. The first year of their marriage they spent trying desperately to conceive a child and at last it happened with help from a very special friend and a potion that he was known for. When the time came their child was born and they named him Harry.
Several months later the couple began to consider trying to have another child that was until James became ill. After consulting several healers it became apparent that James could not father any more children and this broke the couple's hearts. After weeks of tearful conversations the couple came to an agreement. They would find someone who could help them have another child.
When Harry was about 6 moths old the couple decided that it was time to try to have another child. Lily turned to an old friend from their school days to help their family. This is the story of Luna and how she came to be.
It was dimly lit in the old tavern. A young man with dark hair sat slumped over the counter. The door opened and a woman in a dark cloak walked in. She shook the water from her body as she scanned the faces looking for her old friend. She finally spotted him at the counter and she walked towards him removing her hood. Her red hair shone in the dimly lit tavern as she pulled out a stool and sat next to him.
"What brings you here?" She said smiling at him. The young man sat up and looked at her a grin spread across his face at the sight of his dear friend. "Lily" He said embracing her. "Severus can we go somewhere a little more private?" She asked looking at him earnestly. "Sure?" He said his statement sounding more like a question. She grabbed his hand and in an instant they were gone.
Moments later they appeared in a cozy living room. There was a man reading a picture book to a small boy in an overstuffed armchair. He looked up and smiled at the two newcomers. Lily walked over to the man and the young boy and picked up the boy nuzzled him gently making him giggle. Severus smiled as he watched how loving she was with the boy. The other man stood up and walked over to him. "Severus thank you for coming." He said gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "James, why am I here?" He asked in a hushed voice. "Once, Harry is asleep Lily and I will explain everything." The other man answered slowly. Severus looked him over he looked weak and frail. Not like he remembered him from Hogwarts. He remembered James being strong and sturdy. This man looked like a shell of a man.
Severus walked over to the mantle and picked up a picture in a frame and looked at it for a few moments before setting it back down. He waited patiently as the couple took the little boy up the stairs in their small home. Several minutes later they came back as Lily helped James down the stairs. He was visibly weak and this worried Severus quite a bit. He saw Lily wrap her arm around James' waist and he hurried over to the stairs to help guide James to a chair. He could see devastation in Lily's eyes and it broke his heart to see her upset. Lily went to the kitchen and returned moments later with a glass and handed it to James. He hurriedly gulped down the purple liquid. He took a shaky breath before looking at Lily. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he reached up and grabbed it.
"Severus, we need your help." She began before stopping as her voice grew unsteady. Severus walked over to a chair that sat opposite of James. He took it and sat down waiting for more information from the couple. "James' and I we want to ask you for your help in conceiving another child. Only this time James cannot be the father. His illness has progressed too far to allow him to father anymore children." She said as tears began to prick at her green eyes. Severus leaned forward trying to make sense of what they were trying to say. "We know this will sound odd but we were hoping that you would be willing to help us conceive again, but this time you would be the biological father." She asked refusing to look at him in the eyes.
Their request caught him off guard. He hesitated before answering choosing his words carefully. "James' is this something you would be ok with?" He asked aiming the question at the other man in the room. "Severus this is something Lily and I have discussed at length. We know that you both love each other as more than friends and when I am gone I want you to be the one who takes my place. I know you will protect her and I know that you will love her." James said slowly avoiding glancing at his wife. "James, is there no cure?" Severus asked looking at the frail man. "Maybe I could make a potion that could help manage your symptoms at least." He rushed on trying to find a way to help save the man that his true love loved. "a potion could help but there is no cure. If you are not comfortable with this we understand." James said looking up at his wife who was sitting on the edge of his chair. "James, I don't know. This is a lot to take in." Severus said looking from face to face. He loved Lily and he had grown fond of James through the past 2 years. "Severus, please you are our last hope." She said looking sadly at the floor. "James you need your rest. We can finish this discussion in the morning." Severus said standing up and helping James stand he helped the weaker man up the stairs and into his bed. He made sure James was resting comfortably before heading back down stairs.
He watched silently as Lily buried her head in her hands. Severus walked silently over to her and put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She looked up at him pleadingly. "Severus, please…" She asked him as the tears spilled out of her eyes. "Lily, I don't think I can do that to you and James. Even if you ask it of me." He said sitting opposite of her. He took her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. He knew that it was their last resort to ask him and he wanted to help he truly did but he could not do such an unspeakable thing to his close friends. Lily pulled his hands away and ran them through her hair. She stood up walked silently into the kitchen and came back with two glasses and a bottle of wine.
"Severus, James and I have been talking about this for weeks. We both want this and are ok with it. James cannot have any more children and he and I both want more. Please, you have to help us." She said pouring wine into both glasses and handing one to him. "I know this is something you both want. I just do not want to come between the two of you in the way you are asking of me.
They sipped at their wine and continued to converse for several hours until the sunlight began to stream into the house from the windows. Snape looked at Lily and realized that there was no way to avoid what Lily wanted to happen so he finally agreed and he fathered Lily and James' second child. After that night Severus became in integral part of the Potter family. Severus created a potion that helped James manage his illness and with the symptoms managed he began to regain his strength.