The Lily and the Serpent

Chapter 2

Snape didn't even bother to attempt sleep. After a time spent quietly crying on the floor, he'd gotten up and begun to puzzle through it all, fighting his nagging disbelief. Lily was alive. He had grieved and suffered for nearly twelve years, finally resigning to the useful, yet empty life that he was meant to lead, and then suddenly all of that misery was meaningless. She had never died. This was the chance he had never dared hope for. Now he could make things right. Maybe.

Well before dawn, he began to ready the spare bedroom, making sure to put up a silencing spell so as not to disturb those downstairs. In less than an hour, the room was transformed from a cluttered minefield of books and junk into a quaint guestroom with two twin beds, a nightstand in between, a bookshelf opposite, and a little window at the far side. In an attempt to make it a touch homier, he even enchanted the bedsheets into colors which might amuse the occupants. The bed closest to the window he made all Gryffindor red and yellow for Harry, and the one closest to the door he made white, with a pale green comforter, the colors of the simple lily flower.

When Snape finished this task and was satisfied with it, it was only the very first light of dawn, and he hardly knew what to do with himself next. It was too early to go downstairs. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb Lily's rest. It was too early to run the necessary errands. He would need to buy more food and a host of other little essentials now that two more people were living in his house. But nothing would be open at this hour. He had no choice but to wait, so he finally decided to just lie back in his bed for a while and think everything through as calmly as he could.

Of course he was still in love with Lily, but what did that mean now? His grief for her had become his identity. Now that she was alive, what were his goals? Well, firstly, he would find out how on earth she was alive at all. And of course, his biggest priority was to keep her safe. The Dark Lord was on the rise again, and Snape knew that he would use Lily to terrible effect if he could. That must be prevented. At all costs.

But all that aside, he wanted Lily to be happy. Realistically, that would most likely remove him from the picture at some point, but he'd had to come to terms with that years ago when she had married James. Snape grimaced a bit at the thought of James Potter, and deep down he secretly hoped that he would not also be making a glorious comeback.

It was at this point that Snape indulged in the fanciful nonsense lurking in his heart. What if he might have a happy life after all? Suppose Lily forgave him, came to rely on him. Suppose she came to love him back. It would be a bit tricky now that she had a son, a son who was his student, but maybe—

Snape's eyes shot open. "Don't delude yourself, Severus," he muttered to himself, "Fate is against you."

It was only when he heard the footsteps of an eleven year old boy ascending the stairs and going into the lavatory that Snape allowed himself to emerge from his room again. He waited in the hall for the boy to come out; this would be as good a time as any to have a short word with him.

Harry jumped a bit when he came out and noticed Snape looming in the hall, staring at him intently. "Uh, good morning, Professor."

"…Potter…I might as well inform you now that there will be a few rules in this house."

"I thought you might say that."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You are fond of Hogwarts, are you not?"

Harry swallowed. "Very much, yes."

"Well you will find that this house…is not very like your dear school…I know you're one to bend—or rather, to break—the rules. At Hogwarts, you found that this was tolerated, but you will not find it so here." Snape bent over at the waist, bringing his face closer to Harry's. "Do I make myself clear?"

"…Yes, Professor."

Snape straightened to his full height again.

"What are the rules?" the boy asked.

"…Firstly, you may not leave this property without my supervision. If you do, I will know, and the consequences will be severe…Secondly, authority will be given the proper respect in this house. If I, or your mother, tell you to do something…or don't do something…you will obey promptly and without complaint. Let us just say that all punishments will be generally severe if your conduct is not befitting that of a young gentleman…And, above all…you will be kind and gracious to your mother, who has been so…miraculously returned to you."

To this, the boy nodded eagerly. "Of course, Professor. In fact…I thought I'd make her breakfast. I make it all the time for the Dursleys. I bet she would like that, wouldn't she?"

"…Come with me please." Snape headed towards the stairs, but turned abruptly before descending. "And there will be no need to call me Professor when we're not at school." He proceeded to go downstairs, Harry close behind.

"What should I call you then?"

"Sir."

Snape looked all through his kitchen, but found the amount of food to be lacking, breakfast food in particular. (He would normally just have coffee in the mornings). He hated that he was so unprepared, but he reminded himself that there had simply been no way to prepare for this.

Harry stood quietly and watched. It was odd seeing Professor Snape in muggle clothes, making a grocery list like a regular person. He wore trousers, a shirt with no collar, and a simple blazer. All in black, of course. That much, at least, remained consistent.

Snape spoke in a low tone, trying to avoid disturbing Lily, who was sleeping heavily on the couch. "I hate to leave…" he first murmured to himself, then, turning to Harry, said, "I will be back in twenty minutes. Do not leave this house; don't so much as look out a window until I get back…Then you may make breakfast."

Harry smiled.

Snape made his way to the door. "Do not disturb her unless it is absolutely necessary," he instructed in a firm whisper, and then he was gone.

While at the little corner market, Snape tried to think of everything they might need. Though the store was only a short walk away, he didn't want to have to leave Lily again. He bought eggs, bread, milk, sandwich meat, pasta, some miscellaneous fruits and vegetables, pancake mix, toiletries, basically anything that seemed good to have.

When he got home, he was relieved to find that his house was not on fire and that its occupants were still alive. Lily was awake now and sitting in the kitchen with Harry. He'd hardly noticed the night before, but her clothes were practically rags. She very well may have had only that faded, sickly pink dress to wear for the last eleven years. That in itself seemed too cruel, too horrible to inflict on poor Lily, let alone everything else she'd endured. Snape felt a fresh surge of resolution. She would be properly taken care of in this house.

"Good morning, Severus," Lily said with a gentle smile.

"…Good morning," he replied, feeling suddenly awkward.

It struck Harry as odd the way his professor was looking at his mother. Not with his usual condescending stare of intimidation, but with an almost vulnerable look, like Lily was somehow terrifying. But how could that be? She was the sweetest, most amazing person in the world.

Snape put all the groceries on the kitchen island. There was a moment of silence.

"…Harry told me he had a surprise for me and I could have it when you got back," she said.

"Ah yes," Snape replied, snapping back into a more suitable demeanor. "Take what you need from the bags and get started," he said to Harry.

The boy jumped up eagerly and began pulling out the eggs and readying his workspace. His mother grinned, pleasantly surprised. "You're making breakfast?"

"Yeah," Harry grinned back.

"I'm very impressed…I have a very clever son."

It was good to see her so lit up. It took the weariness right out of her features. She was beautiful.

Snape put the rest of the groceries away and made a pot of coffee. He offered Lily some, but she preferred to just have milk. In no time at all, Harry had scrambled eggs and fried ham sitting on the table. Lily was thrilled, giving him a motherly kiss on the forehead before he sat down.

Snape hadn't planned to partake—he was content with a pot of black coffee—but Harry had made three servings. And he had to admit, having breakfast with Lily and her son felt good, almost like he had a family. It was only Harry's extremely Potter-like face that kept him from embracing the feeling.

"I thought perhaps that later in the day," he said to Lily, "we might procure you some new clothes."

She looked nearly embarrassed. "I don't really have any more money—"

"Lily…money is the last thing you need concern yourself with for the time being."

That afternoon, they all went to a couple boutiques. It was good for Lily to get out and walk around, and it was a nice bonding experience for mother and son. Snape stayed entirely out of their way. He was simply the financier.

Lily ended up buying three nice summer shirts, a sky-blue sundress, and a pair of discount jeans. When they got back to Snape's house, she threw her ragged pink dress in the trash and took a shower. When she came down in jeans and a purple shirt with a butterfly design on the front, she looked like a new woman, and Snape's heart fluttered stupidly like a teenager's.

His guests were happily surprised that night when he showed them to their bedroom. It was a quaint and comfortable space, and Lily was especially touched by his personalization on the beds. Tears nearly came to her eyes.

"Sev…thank you so much."

He nodded and back away. "…Sleep well."

Snape barely slept again that night. She hadn't called him Sev since their fifth year together at Hogwarts.