He could tell from the slump of her shoulders that there had been another fight. She was running her thin fingers up and down the sides of her glass, making designs in the condensation. She lifted the glass to her lips, then clunked it back on the bar top without drinking. The remnants of her drink swished around with the ice cubes.

His spot in the corner booth allowed him an unobstructed view of the man who took the stool by Lily's side. He watched as she shook her head, red curls drifting over her hunched shoulders. The man shrugged and waved the barkeep over.

A young woman in an apron came over to the booth, grinning brightly. "What're you drinking?" she chirped.

"Glass of water," said Severus flatly. "Sherry in an hour."

The woman nodded and returned to the bar. By the time she delivered the water, Lily and the stranger had begun a new round of drinks.

The wand in Severus' pocket was hot against his leg, pulsing with his anger. He fought to keep his breathing measured and slow. He knew the potion would burn off far too fast if he gave into his emotions, and he certainly couldn't sit in such a pub wearing his own face.

The imbecile at the bar was now laughing, probably at some inane line that had failed to amuse Lily. His hand landed on her shoulder. Her head snapped sideways, and Severus smiled. He knew precisely which look she was giving the man. It worked, and her admirer took his drink and moved a few stools down the bar.

Lily was once again alone. Severus watched as she toyed with her fingernails on her lap. She had done that since she was a girl to deal with her nerves. She was even dressed like a Muggle now, apart from the plain navy robe draped over the back of her stool.

Severus sipped at his water as Lily glanced around the pub. Though she was advanced in her craft, he wasn't concerned that she would be able to detect the magic altering his appearance. It wasn't the sort of magic she would have encountered, even during her exploration of Hogwarts' Restricted Section.

How many nights had she ended up in this place? It was filled with clueless Muggle men and women getting drunk and making fools of themselves. The typical clientele ranged from harmless drunks to punks and criminals. For someone like Lily Evans, it was a perfect place to lose oneself.

The barmaid returned with his glass of sherry precisely on the hour. Lily had also started on another drink. Severus left his drink where the woman had placed it. He didn't feel like indulging his bad mood, not when he was able to watch over Lily.

Too many nights— that was the answer. Too long since he had been able to speak with her. Too long spent in this corner booth, watching Lily nurse another drink. Alone.

A cold gust of wind slapped his cheek as the door opened. In hurried a snow-covered figure, leaving small puddles in its wake. Lily turned, and from her expression, Severus knew who it must be.

But when she left the bar and crossed to the figure, the name she whispered was, "Sirius."

"Hello, Evans," said Black, shaking some of the snow off. "Fancy finding you in a place like this."

"Are you all following me?" demanded Lily.

Black chuckled. "Stealth isn't your strongest suit," he said, "but no, we're not all following you. Just me."

"I just needed some time to myself," said Lily crossly. "I'll be back soon."

"Will you?" said Black. "Because you looked pretty fed up when you stormed out on James."

"He's being an idiot," sighed Lily, "but of course I'll be back. I just can't be around him when he gets like this."

Black removed his hat and shook out his hair. It was shorter than the last time Severus had seen him, reaching only just past his ears. He glanced around, his eyes sweeping right over Severus in his booth.

"You can't run away like this anymore," said Black seriously. "You know that, Evans."

Lily laughed. "Still going to call me Evans?" she asked playfully.

Black took her hand and Severus' chest collapsed in towards his spine. Twined around Lily's ring finger was an ornate silver ring.

"Not for much longer," said Black, pointedly looking at the ring. "James thinks you're getting cold feet, you know."

Severus could see Lily shaking her head, but his ears filled with a vicious buzzing that drowned out all of the pub's sounds. He stared at the glass of wine on the table, trying to focus his rage on that one spot. The glass began to steam.

"'Scuse me," said a shrill voice, cutting back into Severus' ears. He looked up to see a woman pushing past Lily and Black. Her hair was dark, like her long dress, and she wore a fur overcoat.

"Sorry," said Black, stepping out of the way. As he followed Lily back to the bar, he gave the woman an appreciative once-over.

She stopped in front of Severus' booth. "Hello," she said, her voice low.

"Not interested," he said icily. "Go."

He shifted to see Lily, but the woman stepped aside to block his view once more.

"We're leaving, Severus."

His wand was in his hand before he realized that the woman's face had transformed. The dark hair had lightened, and the sharp features were now familiar.

"Narcissa," he said coolly. "How pleasant."

"Time's up," she said. "You almost just lost your cover. There's no need to cause a scene over my half-wit of a cousin."

"I can handle it."

Narcissa touched his arm, ignoring his sharp reaction. "Not alone. That's not how we do things, Severus. There's a plan underway, you know that. If you weren't so personally attached—"

"Enough," he snapped. He returned his wand to his pocket. Her voice wasn't accusatory but filled with pity. He would have much rather dealt with disgust. "Let's go."

A last glance around the bar showed Lily's head tilted back in laughter and Black waving down the barmaid. The ring on Lily's finger seemed to be catching the light of all the candles in the room.

Married. She was to be married.

And with that thought, Lily turned to look in his direction. The smile on her face froze, then fell. As she grabbed Black's arm, Severus realized that there was once again hair brushed his shoulders. His disguise had broken.

Black was on his feet, and Narcissa was at Severus' arm, and there was a hazy barrier spread across the room. Narcissa pulled him back, but Severus' eyes were still locked on Lily. She was at Black's side, wand drawn.

"Lily," he breathed.

"Out!" barked Narcissa, her wand still sustaining the shield.

Severus turned and stumbled out into the storm. The snow bit at his cheeks and began to build up on his robes. By the time Narcissa ran out of the pub, his footprints had already filled with snow and Severus had disappeared into the air.