Author's Note: This prologue is the start of a 3-part epic that will span (with gaps) primarily Severus Snape's life from 1975 until 1981. All three parts are planned out in detail, and this story has taken my poor head hostage for the better part of a decade, so I will have to finish it in order for it to leave me alone. Strictly speaking, this story is not AU — it follows the events and facts of canon (by canon, I mean the books only; I pick and choose from Pottermore whatever suits my fancy). However, it is a radically different interpretation of canon than what is typically seen in most Harry Potter fanfictions. At times, it will purposely read against canon. Characters may appear OOC at times, particularly as they grow older. What can I say — Sev won't let me write him any other way. Also, this story is not for the kidlets. There will be sex, drugs, and many varied combinations of sex and drugs. (Also some rock n' roll.) Sev grew up in the 70s, and let's just say he took advantage of what the decade had to offer.

This prologue is actually a scene from the second part of the series, "The Prince and the Proletariat," which is why it is set after Hogwarts. I have posted the summary for Proletariat up on my profile if anyone is interested. The next chapter will start us back to December 1974, and we will go on from there.

This chapter was beta-read by the lovely aberrantstrain, who not only helped with the proofreading, but spent hours over skype listening to me blather on about my characters and helped me to hash out the plot and structure of this story. Her SS/LE stories, "Amorestmorta" and "Dittany and Datura" were a major inspiration for me, and I highly recommend you give them a read (they are on this website).

Finally, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, and the first extended piece of writing I have ever done, so feedback (of any kind) is highly appreciated.

Prologue: The Unbreakable Vow

The water slapped against the docks, and in its oily sheen one could see a row of abandoned warehouses hunkered down together like beggars huddled against the cold. The warehouse at the end of the row shimmered faintly in the dead of night with the muggle-repelling and unplottable charms cast upon it. Inside the dank warehouse, a tall man with an unnaturally handsome face, paced leisurely in front of a shivering red-haired woman and her male companion. They were surrounded by a half-dozen masked onlookers, their wands out and pointed at the woman.

The tall man halted his pacing, seeming to come to a decision. Brown eyes met green.

"It seems I have severely underestimated you, Lily Potter." The man called Riddle smiled. "Tell me, have you had a change of heart? Would you like to leave the Order behind and join us in our cause?"

The woman's dark-haired companion drew a shaky breath, its sound echoing in the eerie quiet of the warehouse.

Lily Potter raised her chin. "No, I haven't changed sides. And with all do respect, sir, I will never join you." Her voice rose over the unified gasp that swept the warehouse. "That is not why I did this."

"Then why —?"

"I did it because I had to." Her eyes darted momentarily to her pale-faced companion. "I did it for Severus."

The onlookers broke out in whispers as Severus silently regarded Lily, an inscrutable look on his face. He reached out to squeeze her hand. She squeezed back.

Riddle raised his hand and the whispers fell away. "Come, Severus, Mrs. Potter, let us speak in private for a moment. The rest of you, return home. We will reconvene again as previously planned. Not a word to anyone about anything that transpired tonight." One by one, the onlookers apparated away, until only three people were left in the old warehouse. The smell of rotting wood and fetid water was heavy on the stagnant air of the docks, permeating the warehouse through the cracked windows.

Riddle paced for some time again, Lily and Severus watching him silently, their fingers still intertwined. Finally, he turned to them once more.

"What you did tonight, Mrs. Potter, well it is not an insignificant boon to our cause. I know your only motivation was to save Severus, here. I understand you have no desire to switch sides, to join us…you have made that quite clear." Riddle shook his head with a rueful smile. "Regrettable though that may be…well, nevertheless, what you did tonight, very few would have had the nerve to do so. And you have shown tremendous loyalty to one of our own." Here, his eyes flickered over to Severus before he continued. "You have also put yourself in quite the difficult position with regards to the law. Your actions tonight will have to be kept secret if you are to retain your freedom." Lily tensed at his words, gripping Severus's hand so tight her knuckles turned white. "I want you to know, Lily Potter, that you have nothing to fear from me going forward. Because of the depth of loyalty you have shown in keeping Severus safe, and the tremendous help you were to us tonight, unintentional though it may have been, I will grant you amnesty. I will be no more threat to you, Lily Potter. From now on, it shall be only Dumbledore's wrath and the Ministry's aurors that you have to fear, if your secret should ever be discovered."

Lily drew her hand out of Severus's hold, and took a step forward. "Thank you, sir, but forgive me if I remain skeptical of your amnesty. We remain on opposite sides of a civil war here."

Riddle cast her — and Severus behind her — an appraising look. "Alright then, as a show of my good faith, I will vow it," he said, kneeling regally in front of Lily. "Severus, will you do us the honour?"

Lily and Severus exchanged a bewildered glance, but she dropped to her knees when Severus beckoned her to do so. Severus came to stand over them, his wand drawn in his left hand. He held his breath, darting glances between the two kneeling figures. Riddle held out one long-fingered hand, and after another quick glance at Severus, Lily laid her own hand atop Riddle's. Severus placed the tip of his ebony wand to their clasped hands and waited.

"I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, do vow the following to you, Lily Evans Potter: I vow to not bring you any physical harm." Riddle paused as a thin purple flame burst forth from Severus's wand, binding the two joined hands together. "I vow to grant you amnesty from the Knights and to ensure that none affiliated with the organization will bring you any physical harm." Another flame intertwined with the first. "And, I vow not to reveal what transpired tonight and to ensure that no Knight will reveal it either. These things I do vow to you, and let me be held to my vow upon pain of death." The third flame shot forth, forming a Celtic knot with the first two.

After it was done, Lily slowly stood up. Her previous outward calm seemed to have melted away and she was visibly shaking. Her eyes remained fixed on the stained concrete floor, even as Severus's hand came to rest upon her shoulder. Finally, she allowed him to tug her into an embrace and turn them on his heel, apparating them away.

The moment they landed in the dark sitting room of Spinner's End, Lily wrenched herself from Severus's arms and roughly pushed him away. The room was so narrow that he nearly crashed into the musty bookshelf behind him. He reached out for her reflexively, but recoiled at the hardness in her eyes.

"Don't," she said, her own outstretched arm, a warning. "Don't touch me. It's been a year, Severus. You don't get to touch me anymore."

What little blood was left in his face drained at her quiet declaration, but he nodded imperceptibly. She began to pace. He watched her.

"I always knew it would come to this," she muttered at the dusty floor. "My friends…they all tried to warn me. They saw what I didn't want to see. They tried to tell me that you would join them one day and drag me down with you." Lily stopped pacing and shook her head at the floor. "I thought…I thought if I married James, I thought if I moved on, if I was finally free of you….but no, you can't escape your fate." Suddenly, her head snapped up, narrowed eyes piercing him. "Was it worth it?"

Severus remained quiet, staring past Lily at a crack in the far wall.

"I thought you were dead, you know," she continued blithely, in a conversational tone. "You disappeared without a word and I thought something had happened to you. I thought you were dead." She paused. "You couldn't have left me a goddamn note? 'Hey, Lily, don't worry about me. I've just left you and run off to join the death eaters. Don't take it personally.'"

Severus ducked his head, clasping his hands behind his neck, the tension visible in the set of his shoulders. "I couldn't….I didn't know how to tell you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Lily gaped at him in utter disbelief. "I couldn't get out of bed for a month, and you're sorry? You — you coward," she spat.

Severus' face twisted in agony at the word. "Lily…please," he whispered miserably, but she wouldn't relent.

"I grieved for you, you fucking piece of shit."

He flinched. The silence stretched between them.

"Show it to me," she finally whispered.

"What—?"

"Your mark…I want to see it." After everything that had happened tonight, there could no longer be any doubt as to what Severus had become, but Lily still had not seen the mark itself.

"Lily…" he pleaded with her wretchedly.

"SHOW IT TO ME!" Severus jumped at her guttural scream, but quickly unbuttoned his left sleeve to reveal the skull and snake branded into his forearm. Lily stared at it in silence, her eyes wide.

Then, all of a sudden, her face crumpled, her mouth falling open in a raw-sounding wail. She doubled over, clutching at her middle as if she had been kicked. Still bent over, she turned her face, staring back up at Severus through a waterfall of crimson hair. Her mouth still hung open, though the scream had died in her throat. Tears and snot streamed down her face, which was stretched into a rictus of mad grief and betrayal. For several agonizing moments they remained frozen in a silent tableau of their combined heartbreak. Finally, Lily's knees gave out and she crashed to the floor, rocking back and forth with the force of sobs so violent that she began to hyperventilate, unable to catch her breath. The sound snapped Severus into action, and he lurched forward, enveloping Lily in his arms.

But Lily struggled against him, flailing and kicking and biting any part of him that she could reach, like a woman possessed. Severus tightened his hold, barely flinching as her blows landed. The tighter Severus clutched at her, the harder Lily fought. She managed to maneuver her body around so that her back pressed against Severus's chest, and she used the position to her advantage, wrenching them both to their feet. In a desperate bid to throw him off, she flung her entire body backward, catching Severus in the nose with the back of her head, as her legs kicked out wildly in the air in front of her. Severus was bleeding from his nose, and from where she had clawed at his hands and forearms, trying to pry them apart from around her waist. Still, he held on. When Lily twisted in his grasp and knocked an elbow into his jaw, Severus overbalanced and landed on his back, his own body breaking Lily's fall. Somehow they end up facing one another, both on their knees, Severus's bleeding arms still locked around her waist.

"I hate you! I hate you!" Lily gasped, pounding futilely against his chest. "How could you? How could you do this to me? I loved you!" she wept brokenly. "I hate you. I hate you," she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. Finally, she gave up the fight. "I loved you," she cried softly against Severus's neck, her tears mingling with his.

"Shhh…Lily, I know. I know," Severus murmured, rocking her gently in his arms. She wound her arms around his neck, clutching him to her desperately. "I'm back, Lily, and I'm never letting you go again. It's all going to be different from now on. You'll see. It'll be you and me against the world, Lily. Like it was. Like it was meant to be. Always." Severus brushed a kiss to the hollow behind her ear. "I promise."