Disclaimer: As much as I wish it was none of this is mine.

Dinner at Lily's

"Come on Sev, my parents want to meet you," Lily begged, "They want to know about Hogwarts!"

Severus hesitated, I wasn't that he didn't want to see where Lily lived, it was just that he didn't want to be surrounded by muggles all afternoon-especially if her sister was there.

However, when Lily gave him the hurt begging look she always gave him when he wouldn't do something, he caved immediately, he always did, he couldn't help it.

She smiled, led him up the road to a much more beautiful neighbourhood than Spinners End, and walked up the path of a house with an incredibly neat garden.

"Be careful not to stand on any of the plants, dad likes his garden to be always perfect," Lily told him rolling beautiful green eyes.

Lily opened the door and was greeted by a pretty dark haired woman; Severus noticed that Lily looked quite a lot like her except for the colour of her hair and eyes.

"I'm guessing that this is Severus." She said hugging Lily, before turning to him, "Lily's told us quite a lot about you."

"Really?" he asked trying to hide the jolt of happiness he had felt at that.

Lily's mother smiled at him knowingly and asked him if he would be staying for dinner.

"Yes Mrs Evans, if that's OK."

"That's fine love, and it's Linda," she turned back to Lily, "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour so do you want to show Severus your room for now?"

Lily nodded and started walking up the stairs. Severus followed her into a purple room that was quite cluttered, there were stuffed toys sitting upon two of her shelves, books scattered all over the place that she probably hadn't bothered to put back after reading them, she had a record player like his dad in the corner, with quite a lot of the records piled up on top and the rest of them stacked on a table next to her bed.

Lily put on one of her records and turned back to him, "I bet you don't like muggle bands do you?"

Severus shrugged, "I've only ever heard my father's music when he's in a good mood, he doesn't bother putting it on otherwise,"

"Well, you'd better not decide you don't like the Beatles," she grinned, "Do you know any wizard bands?"

"Some, my mum has mentioned that she likes a woman called Celestina Warbeck, but she hardly dares put on her old wireless anymore so I don't know much else about wizard music."

When Lily's mother called them down for dinner, they all sat round the table (something which never happened in his own home as they didn't even eat their meals at that the same time), much to Severus's disappointment Petunia was there but she ignored everyone all through dinner, while Lily's father (a cheerful fair haired man who made daft jokes) and mother questioned him about Hogwarts and about the wizarding world.

They waited until Petunia left the table before asking him if it was possible for people to learn how to become magical. Severus guessed that they were worried about their eldest daughter.

"No, you have to be born magical," he told them, they exchanged miserable glances and Lily looked quite downcast for a moment.

When it was time for Severus to leave Lily walked with him round the back streets to the long road they had come up.

"Just think, next time we see each other will be on the train to Hogwarts," he pointed out.

Lily nodded with a look of delight spreading across her face, which made Severus incredibly proud that he could make her that happy simply by telling her things he had known for years. She would never be as happy as him to get to Hogwarts though, after all her parents clearly loved her.

"Yeah, I can't really believe it even though I've been to Diagon Alley now; I still keep reading the letter just to prove it's not a dream,"

"It's not," he told her softly.

She smiled, "Bye Sev!"

Since he had gathered up the courage to talk to Lily, Severus's excitement about going to Hogwarts had only increased. They would get to be together all the time (as long as they were in the same house), he could watch the amazement in her eyes as she looked around Hogwarts for the first time, when they could visit the village in their third year he was sure they would go together.

He was sure his life could only get better by going to Hogwarts. As long as he had Lily.