Chapter 2

The Next Great Adventure

My dark eyes fall upon the school once more, and I feel a sudden pang of regret and foreboding – there is a mission I have still yet to complete, and it is only by time and luck's mercy could I attempt to conclude it. I draw a measured breath and my thoughts ebb away to be replaced by the solemn mask of an apathetic face; I then follow suit my companion out of the door and into the soft light of the inn corridor. Not a word do we speak to the other; Lucius leads me a ways to the residence the Dark Lord has taken up in refuge during the battle, and as I approach the jagged profile of the house do I realize what a grave situation indeed has bequeathed itself on me.

In reality, I believe now there is only one possible way for me to complete the task that had been forced upon my shoulders, a small hope that will never travel far in these desperate times. I myself could not fathom the ways of the Elder Wand the Dark Lord had acquired; in all punctuality, it was only until the Dark Lord had revealed to me what I had not seen did I recall the defeat of Dumbledore at my hand, and I realized how thin my thread had been truly stretched.

Never have I hated a man in a way that I do of Albus Dumbledore. He deceived and tricked me into his service; yes, what a fraught and credulous man I should seem, to fall prey to the lies Dumbledore spread to gain trust. After all these years of watching over Potter and protecting him, I have been brought to the plain truth that only by the death of Potter could the Dark Lord be defeated. It was entrusted to me to tell Potter of what was to become of him, Potter's last instruction from Dumbledore. Over the years I was reduced to a role of that of a messenger – I look at it and detest what I have done, and all of the work built behind the years to protect her son – Lily's son – would soon come to an end.

It was then, as I lay shattered and bleeding upon the godforsaken floor of the Shrieking Shack, did those green eyes swim before me, and I realize the time and the luck has come at last. It is true, that your life flashes before your eyes before you die. I allow the memories to come free and in the form of delicate, smoky and weightless substances, they bleed from me, and I see in imprecise shapes and forms my past: my very existence.

"Take it…" I whisper to the boy hovering above me, the voice that issues from my throat a terrible rasp; the words are loosely formed, my powers draining away from me like the silvery blue memories as still they flow from my face. The pain is searing, the crimson liquid streaming from my throat; I feel all beginning to fade, my heart pumping fervently from me the very substance that aids in my survival. "Take it…"

I see through the haze that has started to descend upon my eyes Harry Potter, who has stoppered my memories securely inside a vial, and I know now my work is finished. I remember the last I saw of Hogwarts, the last I saw of that magnificent structure in which the memorable days of my life as a boy were carried out. I try to draw Potter closer, my hand trembling upon his collar as I tilt my head ever so slightly to look up at him… Lily Evans, she was all who I was, she was the essence of why I lived, and now I was dying for her, and I was dying because it was I to blame for the loss of her life…

"Look… at… me…"

Again I see the brilliant green, shimmering before my eyes… I am looking up into the face of Lily Evans, and she is leading me to a better place. My last breath dies upon my lips, and the dark abyss of my eyes slowly close, for I am, at last, complete.

Severus Snape stood nervously looking at the ground until he lifted his ebony black eyes to the girl, who still seemed intrigued by what he had to say. She had bright green eyes, a green that made the life of the trees that surrounded the small playground pale by comparison. Her name was Lily Evans.

"You're a witch," Severus said anxiously to her in a low voice, shooting a sideways glance over at her sister, Petunia; she was hovering by the swings, her eyes narrowed. "And – and I've been watching you–"

"You've been spying on us?" spat Petunia with disgust, having caught his words, a deep grimace forming on her face.

Severus looked over at her in the bright sunlight, his dark eyes narrowing in distaste.

"Why would I ever spy on you?" he said fiercely. "You're a Muggle."

The girl gave in to high color, but still she glared haughtily at Severus, her nose wrinkled in disgust at his dirty black hair and poor choice of clothes. Suddenly, she remembered why he looked so familiar, a vague memory floating back to her from a year ago.

"You're that Snape boy!" she declared loudly, although it was more like a shriek of surprise. She then marched forth and took hold of Lily's hand, as if to drag her away. "He lives on Spinner's End by the river," Petunia told her younger sister; her tone clearly denounced the address, a foul look on her taut face. "And I have to agree about the rumors they say about the people who live there!"

"No," said Severus, flushing; he looked over at Lily, who seemed to be on the verge of making up her mind to leave. "You don't understand. Don't you see?" He looked nearly desperate to get the red-haired girl to understand. "You're a witch, and–"

"Stop saying that!" Lily cut across sharply, her eyes staring insolently at him. "That's not a very nice thing to say!"

"Come on Lily, don't listen to him, I've had enough of this rubbish," Petunia said savagely, giving another critical look at the boy dressed in his odd clothing. She began to tug on Lily's hand, intent upon leaving. Lily consented to her elder sister at once, and they both began to march for the street, their heads high in the air in their utter disapproval. Severus went after them at once, his large coat fluttering and flapping behind him.

"Wait! It's okay being a witch," he called after Lily, who turned and looked at him despite herself, frowning. Petunia rolled her eyes, sighing exasperatedly, her free hand on her hip.

"My mother," Severus said hastily, "she's a witch, and I'm a wizard!"

"Wizard!" shrieked Petunia suddenly, her disbelief shouted shrilly over the playground. A piercing laugh stumbled from her lips, cold and punctuating.

"Yes," Severus scoffed loudly, trying to make himself heard over Petunia's continued shrieks of laughter. He then managed some defiance in his voice, his dark eyes turning cold at the elder sister: "But of course I wouldn't expect you to understand what it is, even if you are a Muggle."

Petunia shortly realized what he had said and her laugh stopped short, her grey eyes staring at him; she didn't know what a Muggle was, but she knew an insult when it was slapped across her face.

"I'm leaving!" she screamed, cheeks flushing deep pink, and she pivoted on her heel and stormed away out of the fence.

"You're so mean!" Lily said harshly to Severus as she, too, began to walk away. "Why can't you just leave us alone?"

This time Severus stayed where he was as the two sisters vacated the playground in haste; Severus's disappointment was radiating off of him in large, crushing waves as he slowly sat down on the playground swing, numb from the complete failure it all had become.

He couldn't believe it; why had everything gone so wrong when he had thought it would be all right? Sighing, he leaned on the chains of the swing and let the wind gently push him, his eyes boring holes into the hot asphalt of the ground. It had been to his great surprise when he'd discovered that Lily possessed magical talent, like himself. Severus saw that she could do many great things, and it'd been his plan since he first saw her making a top spin on its own that he would tell her of Hogwarts. Ever since Severus could remember he had been excited to go to Hogwarts; at the right times his mother would even sit with him and tell him of the times she herself had been there, and she had said it had been the best days of her life.

Later, as Severus stared out of his grimy bedroom window as great tears from the sky rolled down the glass, he knew he'd have to try again later to convince Lily of what she was. He had seen the curiosity in her, and only time could tell when she'd start asking questions. Severus watched the drops of water leak down the window, tracing them with his finger as they bunched up against the bottom at the sill.

Lily would eventually understand; he knew it.

The very next day, Severus found that he was quite right when he thought Lily was curious. Severus was sitting out by the river, throwing grass blades into the gushing torrents of water, when he heard her approach. He looked up and saw her flaming red hair bordered by white; she was standing in front of the sun, and she seemed quite radiant in this way.

"How'd you find me?" Severus asked, looking over at Lily after she'd sat beside him.

She gave a little sigh, and looked over at him shyly. "Tuney said you live by the river. It's nice here… very peaceful."

"Oh," Severus said shortly, somewhat surprised she had remembered that. He wrenched more grass up and began picking through it absently, trying to distract himself. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday with your sister, I didn't mean it."

"It's okay," she said, and after that they didn't speak much for quite a while.

The river trickled merrily under the bright sun, the little minnows swimming up and down the currents; their scales flashed when the light hit them in the right way, and it really was a curious sight to see them like that, iridescent and shimmering in the sun's rays.

Eventually, Lily moved about and straightened her legs out in front of her, nervously playing with her hair as she turned to the rather stiff boy beside her.

"Um… What was that you called her, before?"

She spoke very quietly, her bright green eyes roving over his hunched back; his face was turned away at the moment, and his answer was spoken in a way that made Lily think that everyone should've known what he had said.

"A Muggle. Like your parents and sister. They can't do magic, and they don't know about the wizarding world, either."

"I can do magic?" Lily asked at once, her green eyes almost glowing with excitement at his words. "Wizarding world, did you say?"

"Yeah," replied Severus, turning to her now, a smile cocking onto his slightly flushed face. "There's a whole world the Muggles don't know about, and there are witches and wizards and all sorts of creatures, and there's a ministry and schools and–"

"Are there wands?" Lily asked quickly, giggling and covering her mouth.

"Yes!" shouted Severus in his fervor, laughing. "Yes, it's all true! Wait 'till you see it all, it's wonderful!"

"Wait, so you said world? Another planet?"

"No, it's not like that," Severus said promptly, amused at the idea. "We live in disguise. There are wizards all over the place but the Muggles haven't got the brains to notice us, and because we're all so clever. We've been living right under their noses for centuries and they haven't taken notice!"

"Where?" Lily asked, her eyes shining and her mouth opened slightly with amazement of this sudden unveiling of another world. "Where are they?"

"In Muggle towns and villages, spread over different countries, blending along with the Muggles. There are a few settlements that are entirely for wizards, but most of us are scattered about Muggle civilizations."

Lily sat still for a few moments, trying to decide which question to ask next. Suddenly, the calculating in her eyes stopped, and she looked quickly around at the boy, nearly at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry… I never really asked what your name was."

Severus felt his face redden, and he said in what he hoped was a casual voice, "Severus. Severus Snape." He then paused awkwardly, wondering whether or not he should ask the same, seeing as he already knew. "Yours?"

"Lily Evans," she replied, smiling. "I like your name, I've not heard of it before."

"Er– thanks," Severus muttered, quickly tearing up yet more grass and shredding through it with his long fingers. He tried to keep his face turned away from hers, because he knew he must be in high color by now.

Lily sighed, and her attention was turned back to the stream; her green eyes watched the blades of grass Severus was now feeding into the water, and she laughed when the fish started nibbling at the little green bits.

"They're hungry," she said pensively, dipping her fingers into the water. "We should bring bread next time."

"Yeah," agreed Severus, jumping at her words: Next time. He looked over at Lily with a sort of longing in his eyes, quite plain in the smooth ebony irises. He couldn't have been happier.

"How's your family?" Lily asked, looking over at him, too.

Severus decided now wasn't the moment to lie, and he couldn't really imagine his family being normal, no matter how hard he tried.

"It's not what you'd call a happy family," he said slowly, a scowl forming on his pale face. "My parents argue all the time; my father, he has… drinking problems, you could say. Even at his best he has a nasty temper. I try to stay out of the house whenever I can… My mother is better, though. She at least told me about everything, the wizarding world." He said it all in a way as if recalling an event in which an accident had occurred, and he hadn't meant it to happen. But the more blatant tone told of how Severus had accepted the ways of his family, and that nothing could be done for it.

"Oh, that's horrible," Lily said, looking worried. "I hope it gets better."

"Yeah, me too," Severus said blandly. It was one of his deepest wishes, and yet, it was one of the more impossible ones.

After a few moments of a still silence a distant call came from behind the two children, and Lily stood up at once, frowning.

"That's Mummy," she said, and then gasped; "Oh, Tuney's recital! I have to go, I'm sorry!"

She turned away and began to start up the embankment when Severus said quickly, "Wait, Lily! When–?"

"Tomorrow's fine, same place, same time!" Lily called back, and then she disappeared over the small knoll. Severus could hear her footsteps against the wet grass until they faded away; he then turned back around to the river, a small smile on his mouth. He was boundlessly happy, his day entirely better than yesterday. He needn't worry about his family, he could just forget about it…

Severus lay down on the grass and stared up at the blue sky, the white and wispy clouds reflecting on his brightened eyes. He really couldn't believe his luck.


Stay tuned, there's more to come. Feel free to leave a comment. Thank you. (: