Lily Spared

I

"If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"

"I have- I have asked him-"

"You disgust me," said Dumbledore. Snape recoiled at the tone. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"

Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore.

II

"Step away, girl," Riddle spat. His wand was drawn and aimed at the redhead who shielded a crying infant with her own body.

"Never," she said, calmly, raising her own wand.

With a sudden flick of his own, faster than the blink of an eye, the lady lay frozen on the floor, green eyes wide.

Riddle leaned over her immobile form, a vile grin spreading across his demented face. "A request made by one of my own. Snape. Asked me to spare your life for another." At this, Riddle turned toward the crib that held the crying baby.

Lily, flat on her back and helpless to save her Harry, watched as the room filled with a green light.

The crying stopped.

Tears slid across her face and disappeared into her hair. Riddle glanced back at her once more before exiting the room, and chuckled.

III

All was silent in Godric's Hollow.

No one could ever guess what had just taken place under their noses not two hours ago. None of the neighbors would ever get over the blatant murder of James Potter and little Harry.

Severus entered the residence quietly, his wand at the ready. The Dark Lord had returned and announced that the prophecy was no more. All the Death Eaters had celebrated this victory, but Severus left the moment he could.

Casting a Lumos, he made his way deeper into the home.

Sprawled across the stairs was Potter. Dead.

Stepping over the body, Severus climbed the stairs, unable to stop the shaking that had engulfed him.

Had Lily been spared?

Once on the second floor, Severus saw, at the end of the long hallway, a lit room guarded by a broken door frame. And he raced for it, not daring to take another breath until he knew.

The first thing his eyes landed on was the body of an infant inside a crib. But the only thing he cared to see was the body that lay beside that crib.

Falling to his knees beside her, he immediately noted that she was alive. There were tear tracks along her beautiful face and Severus reached out to wipe them away. The second his stained fingers grazed her skin, emerald eyes flashed open. Incapable of holding back his joy any longer, he grabbed her into a tight embrace. "Lily! Oh, Lily, I was so frightened! I was sure- he said that- but you're alive!" He buried his crooked nose in her hair and exclaimed again, "You're alive!" He rocked her in his arms until his heart finally stopped pounding in his ears. When he released her, there were tears in his dark eyes.

She nearly fell back to the floor, but he caught her, casting Finite apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't know-"

"How dare you!" She shoved him away, and went to stand but her legs, numb from the cold and length of time under the spell, could not hold her. Severus reached out for her, but she screamed, "Don't!" as she fell to her hands and knees.

"Lily-"

"You monster! You disgusting, selfish monster!" Her throat caught and she dissolved into a coughing fit. When they had subsided, she looked over to the man still kneeling beside her. Her fiery gaze bore into his very soul and he flinched away.

"He told me! Those were his last words to me before he murdered my baby!" She broke down into tears at the thought of Harry. "You asked him to spare me. Kill my baby, but save me." Lily lunged at Severus, pushing him into the opposite wall. Tears continued to fall down her face, falling from the once innocent eyes that Severus remembered, eyes that now only showed defeat.

Anger coursing through her, Lily pounded her fists into his body. But energy quickly left her and she released Severus. She managed to stay standing, her arms limp by her side, head hanging.

Severus hesitantly touched the sleeve of her shirt, but she wrenched herself away from him. "Get away from me, murderer," anger had left her voice, now it was drained and laced with tears.

Lily stumbled towards the crib, collapsing against the wooden railings. Sobs broke away from her heart as she gazed down at her baby.

"I wish… I wish I were dead…"

Harry lay on his side, eyes so much like hers open but unseeing. Tight in his small grasp was Blankie, a first birthday present from Remus. Lily reached for Harry and cradled his lifeless body to hers. She swayed back and forth stroking his soft, dark curls. Severus sat still against the wall, eyes full of shame as he watched the childless mother.

She sat down in the rocking chair James had said his own mum used to rock him in as a child.

James.

"My husband- my baby-" Renewed torment flowed through her. Her family was dead. The thought was too much for the young woman to bear. Tears left her as did sanity.

A wave of intense remorse filled Severus. "Lily-"

"Leave me," she said, rocking her baby.

"But, Lily, I'm-"

"GO!" She shrieked, hysteria taking over.

Severus stood away from the wall and began to slowly back out of the room.

"Shhh, baby, mummy's here," Lily whispered. Clutching the dead baby tighter to her, she pressed a kiss against his temple. "Oh, my Harry, mummy will never leave you."

Severus fled Godric's Hollow.

I've been itching to write this since July 22, 2007. I'm one of the most loyal Snape fans out there, have been since '98 when I bought Sorcerer's Stone, and that's partly why I couldn't write this before, because I loved his character far too much to torment him further. When I got to the part in The Prince's Tale, where Severus is begging Dumbledore for Lily's safety, then admits to also having asked Voldemort, all I wanted to do was jump through the pages and give him a good shake! Yes he wanted the woman whom he loved to live on, for her life to be spared, but how would she be able to live on with the tragic loss of her family? So this is my response to if Severus had gotten his wish.

Also you may have noticed that I took liberty in echoing Severus' own words, after Lily's death in Dumbledore's office, through Lily. And also that Lily replicates Severus' actions towards her in this story (such as the holding, the rocking, the tears, the love) towards Harry... not sure why I did that, maybe because that's how Severus had hoped she would've responded to him instead? But alas, it did not happen.