Trust and Loyalty

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

AN: Captain of the Tutshill Tornados for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition - Round 9

Prompt: Golden Snitch: Write about a witch or wizard displaying undying loyalty to someone.

Word Count: 2,236 words

~.~

What had been seen and known throughout history had not always been taken at face value or true. One such instance in history was that a particular fight in Hogwarts was staged, making it seem like a pair of friends broke their friendship. The friends were in two different houses, one was a half-blood in Slytherin and one was a muggleborn in Gryffindor. They were friends before Hogwarts and continued their friendship through school until their fifth year, or that was how the story was told to and seen by the public, the truth was very different.

Before their Hogwarts years, the friends led very different lives. The muggleborn was a girl that was the apple of her parents eyes and lived as a low middle-class family. The half-blood was a boy that was abused by his muggle father and lived close to poverty.

One day when the boy was nine, he went to the park to escape his father for a while, while there he met a girl who did a little accidental magic. Seeing an opportunity to have a friend he introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Severus and you're a witch," the boy said to the girl. While he was smart he was also a child, and children blurted things out all the time.

The girl replied, "Hello I'm Lily. What do you mean I'm a 'witch'?"

Severus was very happy that she spoke with him so he told her everything he knew, from where they were going to go to school to all the magic they could do. Lily listened attentively and continued to ask more questions. The more she listened, the more intrigued she was. While Severus was thinking that he could finally have a friend, Lily was thinking of what more information she could squeeze out of him, but she had to play her cards right.

"So Sev, you don't mind if I call you that?" She asked and he just shook his head. "Well, this is all really fascinating. I mean I'm a witch, that's exciting. How long have you known you were a wizard?"

Severus the poor fool boy, was so starved for positive attention that he was already in Lily's clutches and did not even know it. He knew from that moment on that he would be best friends with Lily, she was already showing him more attention than both his parents combined and he meant the good kind.

~.~

First year after the sorting

Severus was nervous, he was sorted into Slytherin, the house where mostly pureblood's and dark families were. Lily on the other hand was sorted into Gryffindor, the house everyone considered light and had a mixture of blood families. He was worried that Lily didn't want to be his friend anymore since he might go dark. He started working himself into a frenzy and was brought out of it when he was yanked into a classroom.

He turned to the person who pulled him into the room and saw it was Lily. She just finished shutting the door before turning to him. He flinched and looked down, he did not want to see the hate that was sure to be in her eyes. In that next moment he stood stock still as he felt Lily hug him. He froze for a few moments before putting his arms around her to return the hug.

"Sev…we're still friends no matter what okay? Just because you're in Slytherin and I'm in Gryffindor doesn't mean we still can't be friends. We'll ignore everyone who tries to change that." Lily said as she hugged him.

Severus was so relieved that he could only nod his head into her shoulder and hold her tighter. He was relieved that his only friend wouldn't leave him alone. He didn't want to be alone ever again, without Lily he didn't know what he would do.

While Severus was thankful Lily didn't leave him, she was feeling something different. She didn't say that because they were friends, she said that so he wouldn't leave her. She was not his friend and only made Severus believe they were. He was too clingy for her, but she needed him. While him being in the Slytherin house wasn't ideal, it did give her another angle. That house had mainly pureblood's and she needed more information, so maybe Severus could glean more info from his housemates for her and her future plans. Lily pulled back from the hug and placed her hands on his shoulders. She gave him a smile which he reciprocated.

"Remember, as I said before we will always be friends no matter what. This might give you a good chance to have some more friends. Maybe you can befriend some of your housemates? It would be good to know more about them." Lily commented, subtly manipulating him. She could outright say it to his face and he would still do it. Severus was hers and he didn't want to leave her ever.

"Really? You think so?" Severus asked shyly and a little afraid of rejection.

"Yes really. This is a great opportunity for you! Then you can tell me all about them," Lily smiled.

"Thanks Lily. What would I do without you?" Severus smiled back, glad his friend was there for him.

He didn't know it then but he could never lie to Lily and he would tell her everything he knew about his housemates. Lily would keep this information to herself, information was the best currency. Every new piece of information he got from a housemate, whether it was gossip or not, he would tell Lily, she didn't even need to ask most of the time. The closer he got within the Slytherin house's circle, the better it was for Lily and her schemes.

~.~

Fifth year

"But why Lily? Why are we doing this?" Severus asked in an abandoned classroom.

"Because Sev you need to get closer to the Slytherin's and the Death Eater's while I need to get closer to Potter and his gang," Lily responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But couldn't we still be friends? I could still get the information from them and still be friends with you," Severus whined and close to tears. He didn't want his only friend to leave him. Yes he knew his housemates but he wasn't friends with them.

Lily was annoyed with how clingy Severus was but she still needed him. Heaving a sigh she turned to look at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look Sev, we'll still be friends but secretly. It will only be in public we won't be friends. Okay?"

Severus bit his lip in worry. If he was closer to the Slytherin's and Death Eater's and Lily was closer to Potter they wouldn't get to meet often. He was worried they wouldn't be friends anymore.

Lily could see he was still caught so she decided to add a little more incentive for him to do this. A smirk graced her lips as she thought of a new idea. It would be a small price to pay, but it would get him to cave and follow her without question.

"Sev, I know I am asking a lot but would you do it for me? For us?" Lily asked sweetly and placed a hand on his cheek. Her thumb rubbed his cheekbone in a loving manner causing him to still. A blush started rising on his cheeks and his eyes widened. Lily leaned her face closer to him and his breath caught in his throat. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and then pulled away.

"Please Sev. I need you, you are all I have," she whispered, her eyes shiny like she was going to tear up.

Severus' mind was in overdrive after receiving that kiss from his best friend. He started to fall in love with her but didn't say anything since he didn't want to lose his best and only friend. Then Lily kissed him and he knew she reciprocated his feelings. He was so high in the clouds that he didn't think he could come down.

Quickly he wrapped Lily in a hug, holding her against him. He felt her arms wrap around him and he smiled. "Of course Lily. Anything for you. Do you really…do you really like me that way?"

Lily smirked into his shoulder as she answered, "Of course. You've always been there for me and I couldn't think of anyone else who I'd rather be with."

Severus was extremely happy in that moment. His best friend liked him more than a friend and would always be with him. Nothing could go wrong for him.

"Okay, so how are we going to make it seem like we aren't friends in public anymore?" Severus asked. Lily told him her plan with him nodding along. He needed to figure out how to get into a fight with Potter and his lot to make it believable.

~.~

A few years after graduation

Severus waited in his home for Lily to arrive. He needed to tell her something and it was very important. While he waited, he reminisced on his special relationship with his Lily throughout the years.

After pretending to break their friendship in public with him calling her a mudblood, they continued to meet in secret. He got closer to the Slytherin's when it circled through the grapevine that they weren't friends. In getting closer to the Slytherin's he got closer to the Death Eater's, and would eventually join them.

While he did that, Lily got closer to Potter and his gang. He almost cursed Potter good when Lily started dating him. He was furious that Lily would do that to him but she told him she had to for the plan. She was going to marry Potter in public but she didn't love Potter since she loved him. They continued their relationship in secret throughout the years. He couldn't take her purity away since she needed to be pure on her wedding night with Potter but he knew he had her heart. He laughed to himself wondering what Potter's face would look like if he knew the truth.

Another thing that Lily did for him was father him a child. Potter was impotent and Lily said she'd go to a clinic to have a child and Potter could blood adopt it. Lily did not go to a clinic, but instead went into bed with Severus. They had been together many times before but this one was special, he had a child, a boy. The only thing about the child that made him Potter's was the hairstyle, everything else was pure Lily and him.

That was why he needed to talk to Lily. It was about her and the boy. The Dark Lord had part of a prophecy and he was going to kill his son and Lily because of it. He was anxious for Lily to arrive, he knew it would be hard for her since she was living under a Fidelius Charm. After what seemed like forever, Lily arrived. She was a little frazzled but still as beautiful as ever.

"Lily, my love," Severus said and greeted her with a kiss. "Are you alright?"

"Yes I am Sev. It was a little harder to leave but I did it," she replied. "Now what did you want to speak to me about? You said it was urgent."

Severus gestured Lily to take a seat and took one himself. "The Dark Lord has part of a prophecy and it's about our child. He means to kill him and anyone who is at the house when he attacks. You have to run Lily, all three of us can run and be together as a family."

Lily looked grave at the news, she knew about the prophecy but didn't know that Voldemort had it, even only partially. She needed to plan this carefully. She knew she wouldn't lose Severus since he was completely devoted and loyal to her, he would die for her if she asked him.

"I can't leave yet Severus. It will take a while to set things up and take Potter's money, but once I do that then all three of us can be together. Okay?" Lily asked him and he nodded slowly. "Don't worry, but there's one thing I want you to promise me. Promise me that if anything happens before we can leave and if I die, you will look after our son no matter what. He has to be a Potter though."

Severus looked confused and sad but nodded his head in understanding. His son needed to be a Potter for a little while longer and even though he couldn't bear to live without Lily, he would at least promise her this just in case.

"I promise Lily," Severus responded, eyes downcast.

"Let's forget the sadness now. We're together at the moment and I want to spend it happily," Lily smiled at him, placing a hand on his cheek in a loving manner.

Severus leaned into her hand and smiled at her slowly, he still had her, no one would have her like he did. She would always be his and he would always be hers. He would keep his promise no matter what because it was a promise to her, his love, his Lily.

~.~