A/N: Simple idea I came up with awhile ago, but never did anything with since I was focusing on other things. I actually forgot about it and found it while looking for an old assignment. Will go back and forth between Lily's POV and Severus's POV (in third person). Despite the beginning, it's not a James/Lily story. Thanks for reading!

*I changed this story up a bit and decided I wanted to switch the first two chapters around so that the action is seen first. I'd appreciate suggestions for improvement if you have them. Any praise or critique you have would be thoughtful.

Broken Wings

Chapter One: Prophecy

Severus sat alone at the slightly scuffed, dark oak table in his parent's kitchen. The only sound came from a couple birds chirping outside and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room. His mother was upstairs in bed, complaining of feeling unwell again. His father was out somewhere. He pushed a copper coin across the table with his wand, watching it spin and collapse with a clink. Now that he was of age, no one cared that he used magic and he was bored. He and Lily had not made up from their fight. She did not seem interested in being friends again and he decided to forget it. A little part of him, a small part still hoped she would come to like him again though he knew that wasn't going to happen. She had other friends and plenty of other guys pining for her affection. She didn't need him. He had the Death Eaters now and he didn't need her either. At least that's what he told himself.

Still, when Lily was his friend, they would hang out in the summer holidays. It took away the solitude and boredom he felt otherwise. There was never anything to do at home and he much preferred school and the world he knew and belonged in. He never wanted to come back to this drab place again. Next summer he was only coming back long enough to pack his things and then he was getting as far away as he could from this house and these people. Here he was nothing, a nobody, a washed-up has-been, but with his Death Eater status he would not be a nobody anymore. He would prove himself worthy of something. He would get the power and get Black and Potter back once and for all for what they did. He would get Sirius back for trying to get him killed and get Potter back for all his bullying. They wouldn't pick on him anymore.

The front door handle turned and Severus let go of the coin and shoved his wand into his pocket. He heard someone stumble into the house. "Goddamn umbrella holder." The man mumbled.

Severus summoned a deck of cards and dealt them out, pretending to be playing a game as his father entered the room. He pretended to be unaware of someone in his home.

His father entered the kitchen. "Whatareyou doin' up?"

"It's only two-two in the afternoon."

Tobias got into the refrigerator and grumbled. "Where's the damn food?"

Severus shrugged. "At the store."

Tobias turned around, glaring daggers at Severus. Severus flipped a card over and looked his father in the eye.

"Smartass." His father mumbled with clear bitterness on his lips. His dad grumbled. "I'm going to bed."

Severus said nothing and watched his dad leave the kitchen and fumble up the stairs. His dad could complain all he wanted and yell and nag, but he couldn't do a damn thing to him any longer. Severus now had the power and control he wanted. He was going to meet Voldemort and get in the circle this afternoon. He could do magic even if he wasn't supposed to do them in front of muggles. His father knew about magic and that his son was a wizard so it wouldn't bce a surprise. He would get in trouble for doing anything to his father, but that didn't mean he couldn't frighten his father into submission with tales of his future powers and abilities with the Dark Lord. It would feel great to make his father cower like he had made him and his mother cower. Just imagining his father in the foetal position put a sly grin on his face. He didn't want to kill the man, just let him have his comeuppance for once.

A loud rapping at the door put a sudden halt to his thoughts of revenge. Severus got up from the table and went to answer the door.

"Uh, Avery-what are-"

Avery grinned. "The Dark Lord wants us early. My dad is taking us up to the manor."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, come on."

Severus was not expecting to go until tonight. "Okay, let me just let my folks now I'm leaving." He turned and went to the stairs. "I'm going out with some friends! We'll be back tonight! I don't know the time!"

The only sound back was a slight growl of his father. The cuckoo clock in the kitchen made a noise. Severus turned back to Avery. "I should change into some old robes."

"We don't have time. Come on."

Severus really didn't want to show up in his trousers, shirt and jacket, but Avery was waving him to hurry impatiently. "Fine." He was a bit uneasy at the thought of showing up in muggle attire and being called out. "I hope I won't get in trouble for looking like this."

"You're a half-blood, not a mudblood. The latter would find you in trouble." Avery spoke the term mudblood with great disdain. Severus took Avery's arm and they apparated to a large manor.

Severus had been excited to see what a Death Eater meeting would entail and was thrilled at what awaited him when he arrived into the room with others who were already branded Death Eaters. He thought he would get his reward and the life he always wanted. In one year, he would get the sort of power and influence he always dreamed of having in his grasp.

However, at the large manor, in the meeting with Voldemort, the ideas he had before were crushed before him. At first, it seemed well as a couple new people took the mark. Then, Severus watched as Voldemort spoke to a few people who were meant to be loyal Death Eaters.

"So, you all have no new information on who this girl could be?"

A couple middle-aged men shook their heads.

"No." One spoke.

"And you, you disobeyed my orders." His snake-like eyes pierced a man who looked to be in his mid-20s.

"We tried, my Lord, but he refused to talk. We-"

"I tire of your excuses." Severus watched as Voldemort pulled out a wand. "Crucio!" He shouted.

Severus watched as the group of men fell to the ground one by one, fighting off what seemed to horrendous pain. Then came the taunts as a man with a ghastly complexion arrived.

"Here stands a mudblood. This mudblood is a former student of Hogwarts. He claims he does not know anything about a girl a year younger than him who matches the description I've given. I'm going to ask for the last time. My patience is wearing thin. Give me the name of any girl who matches the description."

"I-I don't know." The man's eyes were wide and thin and his lip trembled with fear. "I-there's a couple girls. One was a Ravenclaw and one was in Gryffindor. I don't remember their names though."

"You don't remember their names?"

"I-I think one was Lila or something and the other was something with an M. Monica or something. I think that was it. Monica."

"Lila and Monica? They match the descriptions I gave you?"

"They have the same hair you mention, flaming and red."

Severus turned at that, paying closer attention. "Red hair? Gryffindor? Lila?" He swallowed hard. "Don't tell me he means Lily? Not Lily."

Severus heard jeers from Mulciber and Travers, but was unsure if he should say anything since he was not a Death Eater yet.

"Thank you." The man looked relieved until Voldemort raised his wand. "You have given me all I need for now. Avada Kedavra." Right before his eyes, the poor man was murdered. Severus cringed a little. He had never seen someone murdered before. The man laid on the ground with his eyes open. Severus had to look away.

"That is what mudbloods and muggles deserve. Unfit to live. Cowards who cannot defy their own mortality."

Several people snickered.

"You can get through this. This is what you want. Muggles are worthless. Look at your dad and neighbours. You will have power and influence-everything you want. It didn't mean Lily. It's not Lily he wants. Why would he want anything to do with her anyway?" That was when Voldemort turned his attention to the young recruits like Severus.

"In part of joining, you must cut your ties with mudbloods and muggles if you have any." He spoke in a icy tone and his cold eyes bore into them. "Do any of you know of any mudbloods in your year that were born in the winter?"

"Severus was once friends with a mudblood." Travers exclaimed, clearly desperate to keep the attention away from him as one of the youngest people in the room. "I think she was born in January too."

Severus held back any fear and attempted to remain emotionless. Before he could defend himself, he saw Voldemort's snake like eyes glaring at him. He gulped.

"Look at me, Severus."

Remaining as stoic as he possibly could in the situation, ignoring the eerie, deafening silence in the crowd and piercing glares of everyone in the room, he turned to look at Voldemort. He discovered quickly that this was a mistake. Severus found himself gliding through a variety of old memories, some he did not remember until now. He was four or five and having another kid shove an ice cream cone in his face and his mother dragging him out of the shop quickly. When he was six and his father was screaming at his mother while he cowered in a corner. When he was nine and met Lily, when he was ten and hiding under the covers with Lily like it was a tent while a storm raged outside during one of their playdates, when he was eleven and going to Hogworts, when he was thirteen and having a snowball fight with Lily on the school grounds, when he was fifteen and arguing with her, calling a mudblood at sixteen and admitting to himself that Lily did not like him and he would just have to forget about her. Several more memories came to the surface. Severus wanted to yell at the man to get out of his head, but he did not do so for fear of what might happen.

Severus finally, in desperation, unhappy about the memories he was seeing, some of which were his dreams and private thoughts, threw up a shield charm. He hit the ground with a thud, taking the chair with him. He was breathing hard and heard shouts, laughter and gasps throughout the room. His head spun and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he saw some of his housemates staring at him in shock. He picked himself up, put up the chair and sat back down calmly, ignoring the eyes that glared into him.

"The red-headed girl you have feelings for in those memories is a mudblood?" Voldemort mocked.

Severus said nothing. He did not get the chance.

"What is the name of this filthy mudblood that a promising future has his eye on?

Severus raised an eyebrow for a second and then shruggedc. "She's nobody."

"It is obvious you like her. Even a dream where you slept with her, quite intensly."

"I'd like to see that." Someone said. "Where did you screw her in your dreams?"

Severus felt his cheeks burn. That was an older dream, back when he was sixteen and they were still friends. He was over Lily. A few people snickered while other's faces were wrought with disgust.

"I do not like her anymore." Severus spat out without thinking.

"You are lying to me?"

Severus looked at Voldemort, avoiding his eyes for fear of having his mind tapped into again. "We aren't friends anymore. We have not spoken in more than a year."

"You still think about her. You were thinking about her a moment ago."

Severus wanted to say "That's because you brought her up by invading my mind, idiot." but he didn't dare.

"You always liked her. When she broke the friendship, you were depressed and hardly ate or did anything for the rest of the school year." Avery snickered.

"Depressed over a mudblood? And you call yourself a future Death Eater?" Another man scoffed.

"Does it matter what happened? We aren't friends and I-I chose" He paused. "Something different." Severus turned to glare at Avery. He was going to get Severus killed if he did not watch his mouth. "Thanks a lot." He mumbled.

"What made you stop being friends? If you are still attached to a silly girl who is of no worth-"

"We decided to go our separate ways, that's all. We have different beliefs and views."

"You put her on a pedestal already, speaking of her like a human." A crazy haired woman with cold, wild eyes spoke up. "Filth, worthless, deserve to die, they do!"

Severus became slightly unnerved and clinched his fist into a ball in anger. He calmed himself back down quickly. He had to stay calm. It was not Lily they were talking about killing so much as mudbloods in general. It also unnerved him to realize that he had forgotten about some of those memories of them together. He realized he missed her a little now that he remembered them.

"What do you think about muggles, Severus?"

Severus eyed him suspiciously. "Not very highly having lived among them."

"So, you do not care about mudbloods?"

"No."

"The red haired one is your fancy though. Do you care about her? Love her?" Voldemort asked in a mocking tone. The words care and love got sneers and chuckles and scoffs toward him.

"I do not love her." He spoke, not looking at the Dark Lord. "We aren't even friends anymore."

"What is her name?"

"Who?"

"The girl you want to screw, Snape." Wilkes spoke up.

Severus turned and looked daggers at Wilkes. "I don't want to screw her."

Wilkes paid Severus no mind. "Lily Evans."

Severus froze at that. He was not sure if he wanted anyone to know about Lily. It was bad enough for the Dark Lord to see those memories and dreams and to know he was friends with a mudblood, but to say her name was pushing it. She didn't need involved in this. If Travers had just shut his trap, they would not know the difference about his past relationship to a muggleborn.

"And what is the birthday of Lily Evans? What day in January?"

Severus choked, his nerves rattled as fear gripped him. What was with all the questions about his ex-friend?

"End of January." Avery said. "Snape always used to get her something."

"He always liked her. He still does though he denies it. You can tell by the look in his eyes each time he sees the mudblood." Mulciber said with a sneer.

He suddenly got cackles as they mocked him. He was over Lily. They weren't friends anymore so none of this should matter. A couple older Death Eaters began to sing a song about him and Lily in mockery that made him want to hex them all. Stupid arses, the lot of them. Yet, he still desperately wanted to be one.

"Barty." Voldemort suddenly said. "Come to me for a chat." The subject was now turned on someone else and Severus was relieved. No one said a word about it besides a few offensive gestures about him and Lily for the rest of the time there so Severus assumed it was over.

Severus left about an hour later. As he walked down the stone walk to the gates of the manor, he found himself on the ground, withering in pain and heard someone laughing. The pains racked his whole body while his insides wrung and burned with agony. It suddenly stopped as he reached for his wand.

"Snape?" Severus lifted his head and turned to see who was talking to him and who had knocked him down. "The recruit in love with a filthy mudblood, imagining playful, passionate sex with her, huh?"

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

A young man who was a few years older than Severus was the one who was speaking. "I don't think we've met. Wilbur Papino. Severus, is it?"

"Yes."

"I was thinking, since you know where that fancy of yours, Lily is it?" Severus didn't answer. "Since you know where she lives I was considering us all going and giving her a proper greeting ourselves."

Papino grinned and Severus knew that the greeting would be anything but proper. He had a very bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling. He picked himself up off the ground and turned to Papino in surprise. "Greeting?"

"We can do great things, Severus. We just need to deal with that mudblood you fancy.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "You want to hurt her? Why? She's not important to you."

"No. I don't want to just hurt her." Severus started to relax. "I want to kill her."

"Kill her?" Severus felt a shock wave through his body. "Why?"

"I have heard from the Dark Lord. You heard of that prophecy that the seer made? Lenora, I think was her name? After seeing the mudblood in your thoughts, and both you and her were born in 1960, the Dark Lord thinks your fancy is the one the prophecy refers to. Girl of flaming hair? Lily Evans has red hair. Born of muggles in 60? She's a mudblood. Her parents are muggles. As the first month began to die? Lily Evans was born at the very end of January."

Severus clinched his fists. "You're wrong? She's not-she's not who they mean."

"Because you don't want her to the one. In her twentieth year, she shall birth a boy when the seventh month dies. He shall have powers the Dark Lord knows not. She's the one. Born to those who will defy the Dark Lord many times."

"It's not her. It's not her, you hear me!" Severus slowly reached for his wand in his trouser's pocket

"Why? Because you like her and don't want her to be?" He narrowed his wild eyes. "It doesn't work that way, Snape."

"You won't touch her!" Severus snapped, his blood boiling.

"Won't I?" Papino grabbed Severus's shirt. "You coming in here to my manor dressed in filthy muggle rags. I let someone who imagines hot sex with a mudblood because he loves her in my home. You can't just join up that easy. I have more power than you think. One bad word and you'll never see what you could have with us. You will lose everything. That's a promise."

"I don't love her now let me go." Severus glared daggers at the young man holding onto him.

"You want to be a part of us? You want to join the cause?"

"Yes."

"Then you do what you need to do." Papino glared at him with a coldness that stung him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Prove it. Prove you don't really care about her. She's the one, Snape. She's the only one it could be. How many red-haired mudbloods born at the end of January in 1960 are there? Just her."

"I don't answer to you." He snapped back.

"You want to prove yourself to the Dark Lord? You go and do whatever you want with that mudblood and bring back evidence of your task. I will happily give him a word. You fuck this up and I will bring you down-understand, Snape?"

"Evidence?"

"Her head."

Severus's head spun in a thousand different directions, but he knew one thing: Papino would not lay a finger on Lily, ever. Not if he could help it. "Her head?" He gulped hard. "You're joking."

"Do I look like I am joking? That will get you everything."

Severus felt like he had been punched in the gut hard. "No. No-I-you're crazy! If the Dark Lord wants to take someone down, then he can do it. I won't do anything. It's not her. It's not."

"Ooh. You do like her."

"Shut up. I didn't say that."

"She's just a filthy mudblood. Make use of her. If you don't actually like her, what does it matter? If you don't-we will. I'm sure some of the others who seek to join would love the task. Destroying the girl who will give birth to a baby who'll destroy us-destroy our cause will be the best way to get the Dark Lord to accept you for the mark."

Before Severus could speak, he found himself on the ground again, writhing in pain. His stomach acid bubbled inside. He choked back the rising bile, dizziness suddenly plaguing him.

"She isn't anybody. You can't tell me there isn't another person who could be the one-the one meant in the prophecy. How do you know it's not a joke? The prophecy? It sounds ridiculous." He grabbed his trousers at the thigh to stop his legs and fingers from trembling as he attempted to get up only to find himself struck in the back by a hex and bound in robes.

"She's the only one and you know it!" Papino snapped. "You said it yourself. She's not anybody."

"But why not, Severus? She is the girl you desire to bang more than any of us." Another boy spoke. "Some of your pals told us about her. Travers there told me that your Lily was nothing but a little whore-"

"Shut up!" Severus yelled, not willing to listen to them talk about her that way anymore as thrashing around wildly and tried to reach his wand. Bound as he was with the ropes made it impossible to reach. He wanted his wand terribly and he wanted to slash their faces with his curse, to make them pay for even thinking such things about her.

Wilbur pulled the robes tighter on Severus and shot a curse at him that burned his arm. "Do you wish to join us in the quest for greatness and power?"

"Yes." He said. "But-"

"Then prove your ties have been cut. Use her for your purpose and you will be a Death Eater-no qualms there. Destroy her and you win with us and especially with the Dark Lord."

Use her for his purpose? No, he couldn't do it. Lily had nothing to do with this. "I won't do it." He said, his confidence suddenly increased outwardly while his empty stomach churned and his body quaked internally. Severus noticed the crowd of seven had quieted and were watching them. His mind swirled with confusion, but he knew he could not do what he always wanted to do at that point. He could not harm her or let them harm her. He was not someone's slave to do as they wished just because they said so and especially not something like that. Severus would not allow it. Not his old friend, not Lily, but refusing or not allowing them to hurt her would be end of him as a Death Eater.

"You won't?" One of the older men spoke.

"I won't hurt her. You won't hurt her. I won't let you."

"You won't let us?" Papino asked in aggravated surprise. "Are you defending the mudblood, Severus? You are telling us she is someone at our level?" An older young man with wild eyes spoke up. "You make me sick."

"Someone else will have to do the task for you since you are too weak to do it yourself."

Severus stopped himself from hyperventilating. "Why her? Why not someone else? She can't be the one." He blurted out and instantly regretted it.

"MacNair can do the task, can't you? He's good at killin things."

MacNair got excited and was quick to agree. "I will show my worth. I can do all the unforgivables. I have practiced. I will prove my worth to the Dark Lord."

"Get the blood traitor off of our manor. Torture him, maim him and leave him for dead. That will show him." A tall, gangly young man with wild eyes spoke. He looked a couple years younger than Wilbur, but a lot like him. Severus assumed it was his brother.

He felt himself suddenly writhing in pain once again. He cringed, trying not to cry out. He was not going to act like this bothered him. He attempted to stand up. His whole body shook in pain. Severus found himself on the ground again. He bit back a yelp as his insides burned with agony and his skin outside burned as if someone had set him on fire along with stabbing him with a knife in several places. After what seemed like an eternity, though it was likely only a couple minutes, the pains stopped. He didn't know what all he had been hit with, but it was more than one curse.

"Let's go. We have a mudblood to find." Wilbur Papino spoke. He turned to Severus. "You made this choice. Her blood is in your hands. You were the one who fell for her."

"I didn't-do-anything. Leave her-leave her-alone." He said, barely able to talk through the agonizing pain. He was shaking terribly.

He found himself withering in pain once. It happened, he thought, twice. He could hardly move. A couple other curses were fired at him. His face and body stung and burned from the boils and stings. He felt his chest, legs and back being slashed by his own curse.

Severus felt a heavy shoe kick his chest hard, making him gasp for air. "Death Eater future fancies the mudblood. You lost your chance with her. We will get the power you couldn't. Coward." Papino cackled.

Severus's blood boiled over. The only person who would die would be them. He'd make sure of that.

"She does not like you. She fancies the blood traitor James Potter. She'd never want a loser like you." A young man two years above Severus in school spoke. "Now Potter won't have her either."

"Pathetic coward you are. You're a worthless piece of rubbish." Wilbur said.

"Thinking you can actually get one of the popular Gryffindor girls to fall for you. Ever hear of shampoo, Snape? Or washing your clothes?" The other young man spoke again.

All the emotion of the day burst in him and hit the pit of his stomach. "Ever hear of a-"

Before he could finish, several curses struck him at once, causing him to cry out in pain.

Severus continued to try wandless magic to get his wand, but it was not working. He was kicked in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The horrific pain of the crucios and the kick caused him to curl pitifully in the foetal position to avoid another blow.

"This is what happens when you defy us and the Dark Lord." The older man with wild eyes spoke and turned. "You and the mudblood will be in the same position soon. Dead." The ropes and totalus curse were lifted.

Severus heard them talking about what they would do with his and Lily's bodies as they walked away. If he didn't get out of here and wasn't dead by the time they came back out from the manor, he would not live to see the sun set.

Though he was in horrendous pain, but he had to get to Lily. He had to warn her that they were after her and it was his fault. Maybe he should have agreed and pretended he would do the task?

"No, because agreeing and not doing it would be worse, Severus." He thought to himself. He did the right thing and he knew it deep down, but it was his own fault. Maybe if he had listened to her about the Death Eaters she never would have been targeted. No, she would have been. They said it already, she was just a worthless mudblood to them, someone to be rid of and prove their worth to Voldemort. They did not even consider her human. She would have eventually been targeted and he knew it.

He kept trying the wandless magic and reaching into his robes for his wand. In a fit of desperation, the wand suddenly came into his hand. He had no time to be glad about his first achievement of wandless magic though. He had to get to Lily. Severus gathered up as much strength as he could muster and apparated.

Severus found himself staring at thick grass. There was a loud rumble of thunder and a bright flash of light overhead. Something wet hit his face and he realized it was starting to rain. Breathing hurt and he knew that trying to move would be nothing short of misery.

"No, get up, you are not a coward, go warn Lily." He told himself. If he hadn't been alone when he apparated to the park in Cokeworth, he would have worried about being followed. He knew that while his Slytherin pals knew where he resided on summer breaks, they did not know about Lily's place of residence. He hoped it stayed that way.

The world spun around as he got up. He staggered to the swings and clutched the pole.

"Don't give up. You are almost there. Keep going. You'll make it. They don't know where she lives." He forced himself to continue and dragged himself to Lily's home. Tears fell down his face from the pain as he tried to walk. He brushed them off. He knew Lily would probably be shocked to see him and even more shocked to see his condition. He knew he must look like ghastly after all the physical torment of the day.

Every step was torture. Ripples of stabbing, pounding, burning, stinging and twisting pains hit his body with every move he made, but he was determined. He knew he could not apparate because he was in no condition to do so. He clutched his wand tightly anyway, in case the group discovered where he was or where Lily lived and showed up at any moment. If they attacked Lily, he would use all his strength left to fight back.

He feared losing consciousness. The storm raged on, soaking him to the bone, causing his clothes to stick to his skin. This made the cursed marks burn with pain. He winced with every slight movement. Nausea hit him in waves. He retched once, but nothing was in his stomach. He did not stop though. He had to get to her and warn her that they were coming and it was once again his fault. He would not let them touch her. He would not allow it. He had caused enough trouble with her over this. He did not have any chance of becoming a Death Eater now. It was too late. All he could do now was try and protect her.

He made it to her door and began pounding, begging, pleading she was home.

"Please?" He thought. "Please don't be gone. You have to know-have to hid-run."

Just as he started to think no one was there, he saw the doorknob turn slowly. He came face to face with Lily. He expected her to be mad-maybe even yell at him. Instead, her face was wrought with confusion, surprise and horror.

"Severus? What?" He saw her pause. "What happened to you?"

"Lily" he stammered out. "Death eaters looking for you." Speaking was a nightmare. The world spun. He saw two of her and grabbed the doorway to steady himself. "Hide. You need to hide. Want to hurt you. Can't do it-won't let them-do it-to you. Hurt-torture-crucio-want to kill you. Looking for you now. Unforgivables. All of them on you." He saw stars, unable to finish. His world went black and he collapsed onto her floor. She realized too late the he had lost consciousness and was unable to stop his fall. He landed on her rug, bleeding profusely.