AN: This is the first story for Aldira's Zodiac Challenge. I'm a Leo, so my way to say "I Love You" is "I Like Being With You". I hope you all like the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, that's all Rowling.

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1970

"Lily, you know that I like being with you, don't you?" mused a small, 10 year old Severus Snape out loud, his dark eyes looking anywhere but at his only companion and best friend, Lily Evans.

"Of course I know you do, and I like being with you too! You're my best friend Sev," the red haired girl almost gushed out happily - it wasn't everyday that Sev was anything close to affectionate. Dark eyes met green for a brief moment before Severus looked away again, getting up from his seat on the ground as he said, "I guess that's enough then," slightly confusing the girl, but it was soon forgotten as they spent the day together enjoying the weather and one another's company.

1974

The day had been horrible for the black haired boy - first Potter had stuck eye of the newt into his potion behind Professor Slughorns back, causing his potion to be unusable and losing house points, then while he was waiting for Lily by Black Lake, Potter and his mindless drones had thrown him into the lake. Hogwarts was supposed to be the place that he learned and enjoyed, able to get away from his mother's blank eyes and fathers alcohol raged fists.

Now the only difference is that there is less alcohol, and his mother's blank stares were replaced by disgust by his House and distrust from the other Houses.

Truly, the only reason he stayed was because of Lily - she'd be sad and disappointed by his giving up, Gryffindor that she is.

Both of them sat at the lakes edge after using multiple drying charms to help Severus. They'd talked about Charms, Potions, and how much of a git Potter and his little followers were.

When comfortable silence took over, Severus looked at Lily from the corner of his eye and was stunned yet again - as they'd grown so had her beauty and intelligence. He was more than luck to have her as his friend, let alone anything else . . .

"I like being with you," he blurted out in the most un-Slytherin of ways.

Green eyes widened in shock before her laughter rang out, carrying farther than it would have, had they not been next to a bloody lake. Severus blushed lightly, before controlling that reaction - no need to completely make a fool of himself .

Once her laughter subsided, Lily looked the pale boy in the eyes, her own swimming with happiness and adoration, "I like being with you too. I feel so at home with you - I don't know what I'd do without you here Sev." Then she hugged him close, and he closed his eyes, content with what he had now and not really needing her to understand that he meant something so completely different than what she thought.

1976

"Lily, I'm sorry! Please, I was just angry- I didn't mean to call you a, a-," Severus rambled, flustered. After being hung upside down by Potter and then having to be defended by Lily - again- he'd lost his cool and called a mudblood and cursed at Potter. Now, he sorely regretted as he looked into the hurt but assuredly furious eyes of his best friend and longtime crush.

"That isn't an excuse Severus," Lily barked out, causing him to flinch at the full use of his name instead the affectionate 'Sev', "and it's not just you calling me a Mudblood - you have been hanging out with Avery and Mulciber, and getting into Dark Magic, and there's talk of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, and-" she'd gone to continue, but Severus stepped forward.

"Lily you know I'd never join them. . . don't you?" was asked wearily at the end. She was his best friend, surely she knew him better than to assume he'd join that madman.

"I don't know anymore, Snape. I don't even think I really know you anymore."

"But, I ... I like being with you," Severus stuttered, hardly able to hold onto his emotions. She wouldn't do this to him, couldn't - she was kind, and forgiving, and amazing, she'd never hurt someone purposely.

Sadly, Lily seemed to want to contradict him this day :

"Well, I don't like being with you Severus. Not anymore," with that she turned around and left him with the blurry sight of a trail of red disappearing from his line of sight. The dark eyed teen didn't even make it five steps before he burst into tears, loud ugly sobs being wrenched from his body. Later he would be thankful that Lily had dragged him to an unoccupied section of classrooms, so he at least kept some form of pride.

For now, all he could think of was living a life without Lily by his side and 'Why doesn't she realize how much I love her?'

1981

Severus stood over two graves, face as cold and blank as the stone before him.

There was nothing to be done - Lily was dead, the Dark Lord defeated by a new orphaned toddler, the Wizarding putting itself together slowly.

"Lily," he called to one of the stones that was engraved with her name, "I liked being with you, even if you could no longer say or feel the same. But, I promise to protect your son - with my dying breath if that is what it takes. Dumbledore has already set it up so that I can be in a position to do so. I . . . I hope you are at peace."

Black robes billowing behind him, the new Potions Professor left the graveyard. As he left, he past the shambled house of Godric's Hollow, broken glass littered the ground. He meet his own dark, blood shot eyes in the glass and he made the vague connection of his expression to that of his late mothers, blank with no end in the depths of blackness.

He never visited Lily's grave again.

2006

The Wizarding World was once again settled from Voldemort's reign of terror, most of the Death Eaters were thrown into Azkaban or outright kissed by a Dementor. Severus Snape was one of the few who had not been dragged away - mostly by the graces of the Boy-Who-Lived, one Harry Potter. He'd testified on his behalf, as well as Draco Malfoy's. Severus hadn't even been at his own trial, confined to the Critical Care section of 's as he and the Healers fought for his life trying to save him from Nagini's potent poison. He'd only heard about his trial a week before he left the hospital, 3 months after the fact.

He'd taken the rest of the year off from everything. And then Minerva had contacted him, asking him to take up the Potions position as well as that of Head of House. After much consideration, he'd agreed - without Dumbledore breathing down his neck, or the constant fear of the Dark Lord, or the need to look like the perfect before the sons and daughters of fellow Death Eaters, teaching had become easier to do, almost therapeutic. That, by no means made him a kind man, he still called it as he saw it, but he was fair, not favoring his Slytherins as he'd done in the past, and he actually tried to explain things thoroughly and patiently, which showed as the number nearly doubled in the amount of students that were OWL approved for NEWT Potions class.

That was how the last 7 years had passed.

But the last 6 months had been different, in the most annoying of ways.

Headmistress McGonagall had hired a new Care of Magical Creatures Professor - to Severus' horror and embarrassment it was one Miss Luna Lovegood. Also known to him as the girl that used to follow him around when she was a student and ask him when he would go out with her. And that had been when she was in school! Now she was much bolder, coming in after classes and sitting on his lap, putting him in a body bind so that she could braid is growing, mid back length hair, and make flower crowns to put on his head. And he couldn't get away from her - Minerva had given her the password for his personal wards so he'd sometimes awaken to her cooking in his rooms kitchen, or with her asleep next to him, with clothes on thank Merlin.

Over the next months, Severus became desensitized to the weirdness that is Luna Lovegood - and with that came more personal knowledge about Luna and her life and herself in general. And slowly, so slowly he didn't even see it, didn't even suspect. It was only a few years later when he finally understood.

2009

It was another winter break, only a handful of students were at the school and even fewer teachers. Luna and Severus were two of five teachers still on the grounds.

Snow fell to the ground outside, wind carrying small flurries around the plains and over the frozen Black Lake, while inside it was full of warmth, despite Hogwarts being made of stone.

In his personal quarters Severus, now only a month away from being 50 awoke warm in bed, his 28 year old lover curled up to his side, sleeping peacefully. His pale, long fingers made small, nonsense designs on her slim, naked shoulder that wasn't covered by the green quilted blanket. Staring at her blond hair and small elfin features, the black haired man had a startling thought, I can't imagine my life without her in it.

The thought shocked him so much that he flinched at the suddenness of it. Unfortunately the movement awoke the slight blond, her pale eyelashes fluttering to present her pale blue eyes to the world. Groaning softly, then stretching out like a lazy house cat before practically humming out, "What's wrong love?"

There was a beat of silence which caused her to look up into his dark eyes, which prompted him to blurt out his heart yet again, years after he'd done it last.

"I like being with you."

As he said this, their eyes never broke - and while he didn't know what his eyes showed her, it was obviously what she had been looking for, for her usually dreamy smile was strong, broader. More Luna than she usually showed. Her blue orbs shimmered with held back tears as she lifted herself so that their foreheads touched, eyes never disconnecting. The world seemed to go deathly quiet as it waited for something, anything to happen.

"I love you too Severus. I have for a very long time. Thank you for not breaking my heart," was uttered from her pale pink lips and the world as he knew it would never be the same -

Because someone finally understood it, understood him, and still loved him.

Their future was just starting, and it was more frightening than lying to Voldemort's face, yet more exhilarating than anything he'd ever experienced. He was happy to just let life play out as it would for once in his life, with Luna by his side and possibilities before them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was later that day when they finally got out of bed to open their Yule presents that Luna dragged him to the meal hall where 15 students ate their feast along with Minerva, Filius, and Longbottom, the fairly new Herbology Professor.

Before they made it past the front of the head table, Luna turned around and kneeled before him, causing the small crowd to look at them.

"Luna, what -?"

Before he could continue Luna pulled out a velvet box, opening it to show a plain golden band ring. That's when it hit him what, exactly, she was doing. "Severus Snape, I have been in love with you since I was 13, and I seem to have finally caught your love and attention, no matter how many nargles got in the way. It would my pleasure if you'd become my lawfully wedded husband. Will you be mine?"

Silence held after the initial gasps of shock, all waiting for his answer.

Shaking his head ruefully, he pulled her up by her slim waist until she was standing before snogging her breathless. The only reason he stopped was because a beaming, slightly pink Minerva coughed to interrupt them. Pulling away, the Potions Master took the ring from the box and pulled the ring on.

"I'll happily be yours Luna."

Shouts of congratulations from the few students ensued, and all Severus could think was, Future possibilities indeed.