(The answer to the big question: What was Snape's patronus memory? Gryffindorgal87, this is for you!:)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Fall, 1974
Severus Snape sat alone on a stone bench on the far side of the Hogwarts School Courtyard vigorously writing. It had rained just an hour earlier when he was in charms class—he remembered hearing the faint sound of the droplets against the castle's stained glass window panes during Professor McDonnen's lecture.
And now both the ground and the bench were still slightly damp, but he didn't mind, especially since he had put his Slytherin embroidered cloak under himself and now sat Indian style upon it, safely dry.
He loved being outside.
Growing up, being outside was his only escape from a less than stellar home life. He would leave early in the morning and return late at night, with the trees, the birds and the small animals being his only friends.
His only friends that is, until the day he first saw her four years ago.
He pulled his right leg up to his chest as he shifted position, rolling up the sleeves of his white uniform dress shirt and glancing at his watch before picking up his potions textbook and quill again, balancing it on his knee as he continued writing.
He was working on a new formula configuration for the next assignment to be performed in Professor Slughorn's early potions class the following day.
Suddenly, a pair of slender, fair skinned hands came from behind and clamped over his eyes.
He stiffened in surprise and his book and quill slid down into his lap as he released his right hand and brought it up to cover one of the delicate hands.
An electric current shot through him at the touch and he knew who it was even before she leaned in and whispered softly in his ear.
"Hey Sev…"
Severus smiled as Lily Evans removed her hands from over his eyes and wrapped her arms round his neck, snuggling against him.
"Why, that couldn't be my favorite Gryffindor. She's supposed to be heading to divination class right now" he said indignantly tapping his watch face.
Lily sighed with a smirk as she came around and sat down beside him on the bench, tossing her book bag roughly on the wet cobblestones at their feet.
She put her hands to her temples mimicking Professor Trelawney's squeaky voice.
"I foresee that Lily Evans is going to fake a headache to skip divination and spend time with her long lost best friend who she hasn't see in days!…Yes, yes, I see it! Clearly a message from the beyond!"
Severus laughed
"And favorite Griffyndor?" Lily huffed, leaning back on the bench, "How can I be your favorite when I am the only one you talk to."
Severus nodded his head in acknowledgment of her observation.
"You, know, just because you are a Slytherin, doesn't mean you have to be a loner. I don't see you anymore, you're always with Malfoy and Rosier."
Severus grimaced, "I know. I'm sorry. I never meant—"
Lily put a hand on his shoulder, "I know."
Severus turned and looked up into her face with a weak smile.
They stared at each other for a moment.
"So what are you working on?" she asked looking down to the quill feather sticking out of the top end of his textbook where he had left off with his writing.
Severus followed her gaze and picked up the book, opening it up and taking up the quill once more.
"Nothing special, just a potion configuration for next class—"
"To impress Professor Slugbreath?" she asked
"You shouldn't talk about him like that" Severus replied trying to suppress a chuckle
"Oh, come on, Sev! The guy's seriously batty on several levels and I'm pretty sure he sleeps with his potions text book—"
"Hey! There is nothing wrong with that!" he sprang up defensively, causing Lily to laugh.
"I knew it!" She cried, "You do sleep with that thing! Such insult to injury, since it's already practically glued to your side morning, noon and night! You almost wept when you spilled pumpkin juice on it at dinner the other night."
Severus raised an eyebrow, "Well, it does make a great pillow."
Lily laughed even harder and Snape joined her.
As they calmed down, Lily took the textbook in hand and flipped through it, studying a few pages.
She shook her head.
"You're amazing, Sev…" she said as she ran her fingers over his scribbling down the margins.
"It's nothing really, just scribbling. I just like to study," Severus shrugged, reaching under the bench to retrieve his knapsack.
Lily looked over to him, a slow smile crossing her face as she closed the textbook and she studied him for a long moment, particularly noticing the softness of his face and the way his long dark hair fell over his eyes.
When he finally looked over at her, it broke her trance.
"James Potter stopped me in the hall on my way to transfiguration and asked me if I would accompany him to the Yule Ball on Saturday. I can't believe he waited until the last minute—what kind of idiot waits until two days before a function to ask someone to go? It's so rude—"
Severus furrowed his brow and a wince crossed his face as he gently took the potions book from her.
"You should go—with him—I mean," trying to sound indifferent, though his heart broke, "He's competing this year in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It's all around the school. He's probably a fabulous dancer too," he said, his voice turning angry as he roughly stuffed the textbook into his bag, "He's bloody well fabulous at everything else! Suppose you're lucky he fancies you."
Lily's face softened as she reached over and took the bag from him.
"Alright, first of all," she said as she pulled the bag onto her lap as Severus reluctantly let it go before frustratingly running his hand through his dark black hair, "I'm saving your bag before you do something to it and your potions book that you will regret later. Second, you didn't let me finish and tell you that I didn't accept James Potter's invitation to the Yule Ball."
"What?" Severus asked looking up at her, "Why not?"
Lily's eyes danced over his face for a moment, then spoke.
"Because, I told him I was going with you."
Lily had come to the Slytherin table in the great hall toward the end of the evening feast and silently taken him by the hand, without acknowledging Malfoy, Carrow, Goyle, McNair or any of the other fourth years Snape had been talking to, and led him out.
It wasn't long before they found themselves on the fourth floor hallway, staring at a part of the stucco and stone wall as it quickly began to transform into a tall, ornate wooden door.
Lily took in the door for a moment and then looked over at Severus and smiled.
She then took him by the hand, again, and moved towards the door.
It sensed her presence immediately and opened with a loud creaking noise.
Snape had never seen anything like it before, but being the bookish type he was, he immediately recognized it from his reading.
It was the Room of Requirement.
As they entered, he noted the size and grandeur of the room. The floor was black marble and the walls were stone. On the far wall, was a five sectioned mirror that extended from the floor to the ceiling. As they parted and he walked towards the center of the room to study himself in its reflection, he noted that there was a single object in the room with them as well, clearly visible in the right corner of the mirror.
He turned behind him to see a tall Reginaphone with Lily at its side.
She was lifting the lid and a moment later retrieved one of the metal discs from the cabinet below, carefully placing it under the arm of the turn table.
As it began to play a charming Victorian tune like an old fashioned music box, she glided over to him.
"What is this?" he asked
Lily smiled, "Dancing lessons, silly. We're going to train those clod-hoppers of yours and get them in tip-top shape for the ball on Saturday. And who knows? With a little practice, you might give James Potter a run for his money."
Severus smirked as Lily took his left hand and stepped forward.
"Now, follow me." She said as she put his hand on the side of her waist just above the crest of her jeans.
He looked at her with tentative eyes and saw her breath quicken and her own eyes close for a moment at his touch.
Soon, though, she regained her composure and placed her right hand on his shoulder.
"You're going to have to hold me a little closer…" she said in a lowered voice as she moved into his chest, "like this."
Snape nodded and swallowed nervously as she stood motionless for a moment, then took his right and in her left.
"Now," she said looking up into his dark eyes, "the waltz. We begin by going back. Ready?"
He nodded
"One, two, three…" she coached as she led the dance, moving backward and feeling him follow her steps as she circled the floor, "One, two, three…one, two, three…two, two, three…"
At first, he felt ridiculous, but ever the faithful friend and student, he stuck with it and followed her movements and listened to her counting over the music, trying hard not to focus on the fact that they were so close their chests were touching and he could feel her heartbeat.
After a while, he found that they were moving quite well and in time with the music.
Suddenly, the song ended and Lily stopped moving and pulled away from him.
"Hold on, I need to change the disc," she smiled as she turned and moved toward the Reginaphone, again leaning under the cabinet to retrieve a new metal disc recording and removing the previous one from the turntable as she replaced it.
When she returned and placed herself back into his arms, he smirked.
"What?" she said with a furrowed brow
"I'll lead this time, if you don't mind" he said with bright eyes.
"Well, aren't we the fast learner!" she smiled, "Go right ahead, if you wish, Professor Snape."
Severus studied her eyes for a moment and when the next beat of the song came around he stepped back and, trying to remember her steps from before, began leading her around the floor in soft, sure, gliding movements.
Lily's eyes locked with his and they seemed to float in an abyss of nothing as the music played.
But suddenly, there was a loud crash and the music abruptly stopped as Severus fell backwards toward the ground, taking Lily with him.
He grunted as he hit the cold marble and a second later, grunted again when Lily landed square on his chest as he broke her fall.
Lily rolled off him a few moments later and started laughing as she lay with her back on the marble and looked over to catch a glimpse of the wooden music box across the room, smashed into several pieces. Its demise made worse by the reflection it cast in the near-by mirror.
"Oh! Are you all right?" she asked as she looked back to Severus, continuing to heave in laughter
Severus rolled his head and shoulders as he slowly attempted to sit up without vomiting.
"I think so…."
"We can't say the same about the Reginaphone!" Lily giggled
Suddenly, his eyes caught a glimpse of the Reginaphone and he let out a grimace.
In their blissful moments of dancing, Severus had lost track of their surroundings and danced them right into it, knocking it over and causing them to lose their balance and everything to come crashing to the floor.
"Ahh…I'm such a klutz!" he remarked with self-distain as he put his head in his hands.
Lily sat up half-way, studied him, and then stood up slowly to her feet.
A moment later, she reached down and grabbed Severus by the shoulder and attempted to pull him up.
"Come on, Fred Estaire," she said in good humor, "We'll be sure to look up a spell that causes eyes to grow in the back of your head before the Yule Ball—"
As Severus stumbled to his feet, he pulled himself harshly out of her grip.
"This was a terrible idea, Lily! You don't want to go to the Yule Ball with me, it'll be a disaster—"
"Yes," Lily said insistently, grabbing his arm before he could turn away from her, "I do want to go with you Severus Snape! You and no one else!"
She looked over to the Reginaphone, before looking back to him in anger, "And do you think I really care that you committed Reginaphone homicide or that you sleep with your potions book? Do you think I care that you're a Slytherin and I'm a Gryffindor? Do you think I care about all that?"
She turned him to face her and slipped her right hand into his left as she moved in to him.
"Because I don't," she whispered, her voice just above a quiver, her anger subsiding as she studied his solemn face, "None of it matters. You're my best friend."
He took a short breath as he studied her and brought their hands up to her face.
"And you're mine." he said, as she released her grip and he began tracing his fingers across her cheek, his dark eyes meeting her green.
"Always" Lily smiled
Then she leaned into his ear and whispered softly, "Close your eyes."
Severus gave her a look of confusion, but after a few moments closed his eyes, expecting for her to take his hand and lead him somewhere, but she didn't.
Instead, he felt her move closer to him, her right hand going up his left arms as it made its way to his shoulder and then to the back of his neck, where it rested as she gently pulled him down and their lips collided.
Hers were soft and tasted of bees wax and honey.
It was intoxicating.
The Forest of Dean, 1997
Now, almost twenty years later, with the memory in the foremost of his mind, Severus Snape inhaled a sharp, quiet breath and opened his eyes.
"Expecto Patronum" he said in a low voice that seemed to echo into the cold, dark night, casting his doe patronus into the wooded area just below the hill in the forest where Harry and Hermoine had set up their campsite.
As the doe took shape, he saw Harry slowly stand from his watch post at the base of a large oak several yards away.
Snape slid farther back behind a large pine to obscure himself from view, as Potter moved forward to follow the doe. Snape willed the doe back toward him, leading Harry to the small pond where he had planted the sword of Godric Gryffindor under the iced surface.