Title: A Stroke Of Luck

Author: Pretend Mulling

Rating: M (for language and occasional sexytime... Hey, come on. They're adults, and one's already been married and had a kid.)

Pairing: Severus Snape/Lily Evans Potter

Disclaimer: The vast majority of the characters appearing in this story (that is, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, et al) belong to J. K. Rowling. Shame; if they didn't, I might be able to pay my way through college. (This chapter contains passages from Deathly Hallows, which are Ms. Rowling's, too. Once again, damn.)

Summary: Lord Voldemort spared Lily Potter's life on October 31st, 1981, and now Severus Snape has the one thing he always wanted: A second chance with her. But what will he do with it, now that he's got it? AU, obviously; romance, angst. Cross-posted from the Professor Snape Fans community at LiveJournal (I'm pretend_mulling over there as well).

Chapter One

"Severus. I bring you good news." Albus Dumbledore appeared grave and, unusually enough, sardonic. Severus took the seat across from the headmaster, wondering what this "good news" was. "The Potters were attacked by Lord Voldemort last night."

"Wonderful," Severus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you telling me you can't feel my infectious joy?"

"James and Harry Potter are dead. Lily survived."

Severus was silent for a moment, digesting this news. Lily's alive. His Lily. The Dark Lord had spared her after all.

"You are not pleased?" Dumbledore asked, his half-moon glasses flashing.

"I am," Severus said. "I'm very happy to hear she's well."

"'Well' is not a word I'd use to describe her at the present." Dumbledore stood up and crossed to the front of his desk. Severus trembled slightly; an angry Dumbledore was a powerful presence. "I know what you're thinking, Severus, and your logic still disgusts me. Do not pretend that you asked me to hide the entire Potter family so that James and Harry could have a sporting chance; you asked because it was the only way to give Lily a chance. But if you absolutely must go through with this malarkey, consider that Lily has just suffered the losses of her husband and infant son. Be tactful."

"When I go to meet her, I will be."

Dumbledore started. "You do not want to go to her immediately? How odd, Severus."

Severus nodded. As eager as he'd been for this to happen, for the Dark Lord to spare Lily's life, for him to be the one to comfort her... Somehow, it was a hollow victory. Despite his hatred for the man, Severus had never really wanted James Potter to die. Or Harry, come to think of it; after all, Harry was just a baby.

"Having second thoughts?"

"Not at all. It's just..." He stood up. "I need to figure out exactly what I'm going to say to her. Is there any other news for me?"

"No. You may leave."

Severus nodded and exited the room.

On his way back to the dungeons, he thought about his last conversation with Lily, after he'd uttered the unforgivable word: Mudblood. Even as he'd said it, he had tried desperately to take it back, to swallow the word and never let it pass his lips. But the second the syllables had left his mouth, they were as safe in history as Joan of Arc and Merlin. He would never forget the flashes of hurt and anger that had crossed her face, or the contemptuous way she'd called him the hated name, "Snivellus."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath."

How many times had that conversation kept him up at night?

"Listen, I didn't mean-"

"To call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

Because you're Lily, he thought, and you are different. Her blood status didn't matter; it never had. But his lack of control had pushed her away. Now he was alone, and she was widowed and her child was dead. If he'd never said the word, never followed the idiot Slytherins he'd hung out with, none of this might have happened.

Severus Snape was only twenty-one years old, but on November 1st, 1981, he felt like a man five times his age.

XXX

At the Leaky Cauldron, Lily Potter sat in the backmost, darkest booth in the pub, staring into her mug of tea. James and Harry are dead. It still hadn't sunk in, even though it had all happened in front of her eyes.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-" James's horrified look is enough warning; Lily doesn't hesitate. She picks up little Harry and flees to the baby's room. The front door flies open behind her, and a moment later, James falls to the floor with a dull thump, dead.

Lily shuts the door to Harry's room behind her, locks it through magic, and lays Harry down in his crib. She turns to the door, hearing Lord Voldemort coming up the stairs. She straightens her back; if Voldemort wants Harry, he'll have to kill her first. As the door opens, she begins to quake in fear, but she stands her ground. She's face-to-face with him.

He lets loose a stream of mad laughter; shaken, Lily begins pleading for her son's life. "Not Harry, please not Harry!" she shrieks.

"Stand aside, you silly girl," he says, drawing his wand. "Now."

"No! Take me- Kill me instead- Have mercy!"

Voldemort regards Lily contemptuously for a second, then flicks his wand at her. She is paralyzed, and under the Full Body-Bind Curse, watches in horror as Lord Voldemort casts a Killing Curse on Harry. He's dead before he can start crying. At this, Voldemort leaves, undoing the hex on Lily.

She stands in the middle of the room, for how long she doesn't know, and sinks to her knees. A horrible sound, like the howling of a wounded animal, reaches her ears; it takes her a second to realize that it's coming from her.

Now, sitting in the wizarding pub and contemplating a mug of cold tea, she waited for the numbness to give way to the pain she knew was coming. Her husband and son were dead; and yet, she just couldn't wrap her mind around it. When would she be able to accept it? Sighing, she began to take a drink…

And noticed the man at the bar. It couldn't be… Not after all this time… Not after what he'd said…

A second later, Severus Snape walked over to her table. He looked almost as she remembered him, though his hair was longer and his face was prematurely lined. Had it been that tense six years ago? When he stopped at the edge of the booth, she noticed that he looked diminished. It had to be an act.

"Lily."

"Severus." She gave him a cold, emotionless nod. "Have a seat."

He did, on the very edge. "Lily… I know you hate me, and I don't blame you. I'm not asking your forgiveness. But, for what it's worth… I'm sorry."

"About what?" She asked, still maintaining her cool detachment. "Calling me names? Threatening to sleep outside my dorm? Or are you hoping I'll fall into your arms now that my family is dead?"

He winced; the sight gave Lily a savage sense of vindication. "I'm sorry about everything. All of it. And I'm not at all happy that James and Harry are dead; they didn't deserve it."

They didn't deserve it. The line threw her off. "But Severus… You hated James."

"I had my reasons." True; even Lily couldn't justify James's treatment of Severus during their Hogwarts years. "But he didn't deserve to die."

"And Harry?"

"Of course not; he was a baby." Severus stood up. "I'll understand if you can't forgive me." He turned and walked to the door, while Lily looked after him in disbelief.