Hours passed before Severus saw her again. He'd been waiting near her house, looking up at the window of her bedroom and willing her to pull back the curtain and see him. It wasn't dark yet, but the sun had crossed the sky, falling close to the horizon as the sky filled with soft shades of orange and red. He was standing beneath a tree across the street from her house. The wind blew harder and he pulled his heavy coat around himself. He'd blown it. The first chance he'd had to talk to her and he hadn't been able to explain anything the way he was supposed to. After the look she had given him, he was lucky she hadn't slapped him.

"What are you doing here?"

Severus jumped and turned, stumbling until his back hit the tree. "I...what are you doing here?"

Lily frowned. "I asked you first. Did you follow us?"

"No," he said immediately. He hadn't. He'd walked the path to their house so many times, he didn't have to walk a block behind her to find the two story home again. It had become a natural destination for him—his feet carried him here without thinking, especially on days when the last place he wanted to be was home.

"So you've followed us here before?" she asked, her voice accusing.

"Just a few times," Severus said quietly. "Lily, don't be mad," he said as she frowned. "It's nothing bad. I just couldn't get up the nerve to talk to you."

"How do you know my name?"

"Your sister said it earlier," he responded quickly, not wanting her to realize just how closely he'd been spying on her.

"Petunia," she whispered, her frown deepening. "And you are?"

"Severus. Snape," he added needlessly.

Lily crossed her arms and eyed him from head to toe, her gaze lingering on the swooping shirt and too small trousers clinging to his skinny frame. "Well, out with it," she said as her eyes returned to his face. "Why have you been following us? Me," she corrected. "And don't give me that rubbish about—"

"But you are a witch," he said. "Please don't be mad," he repeated. "I didn't mean to upset you earlier. I thought...I was happy to find out I'm a wizard. I thought you might be too...to know why you can do all these things. There's so much more to it than the things you did on the playground. We don't get hurt the way other people do. We live longer. There's villages where only we can go. Unicorns and Dementors and other creatures only we can see. We can make things happen just by thinking about them," he said. His voice had begun picking up speed in his excitement. "And there's a school north of here where we go to learn magic."

"A school?" Lily asked. Her brows rose slightly. "That sounds ridiculous. I've never heard of it. Wouldn't people know about it?"

"Only people who can go to Hogwarts know about it," Severus said. "Muggles can't even see the castle."

"What does that mean?" she asked. "That's what you called Petunia earlier. Muggle," she said slowly, trying on the strange word.

"It means someone who can't do magic. Like your sister. And probably your parents," he said. "Of course, there are also Squibs—people born into all magic families who can't do magic either, or they can't do enough to go to Hogwarts or another magic school."

"What if I'm a Squib?" Lily asked. She'd been paying close attention to his explanations, but this was the first indication Severus had that she was beginning to believe any of it.

"No, you're a witch. I can tell," he assured her. "Squibs can't even do the most basic of Charms and you can fly. You can probably do a lot more than that."

"Yeah, I can," she said. Lily smiled and Severus felt himself relax for the first time since he'd approached her on the playground earlier that day. "I once turned Petunia's canary green. It stayed that way for two days before it finally went back."

Severus laughed at the idea of Lily turning her sister's pet such a ridiculous color. The same as her eyes. Suddenly, the color didn't seem so ridiculous and he began blushing as the thought occurred to him. Her eyes held a peculiar little sparkle when she smiled. He dropped his eyes when he realized he was staring. "Was she mad?"

"She thought I'd put food coloring on it or something. Mum tried to convince her I didn't, but she still refused to speak to me for a week," she added with a grin. "It was the most peaceful week of my life," Lily added in a whisper.

Severus laughed again, louder as Lily joined him. She really was beautiful, he noticed as she laughed. A soft flush had colored her cheeks and neck and her dark hair shone in the low light. As her laughter died, she studied him with a sudden serious expression. Her hand met his wrist. His heart began thudding hard against his chest.

"Can you tell me more about the school?" she asked. "And what about the government? Are there witches and wizards in the government?"

"I..." Severus swallowed hard. It was hard to focus with her hand on his arm and her steady gaze boring into his. "There may well be, but we have our own government. The Ministry for Magic controls things like when we can get wands, and...and...animals like dragons," he said, reaching for a subject from his increasingly unfocused mind.

"Dragons?" Lily asked breathlessly. She squeezed his wrist. "They're real?" Her voice had risen to a high-pitched squeak.

"Yeah," Severus said. He smiled. "I can show you one if you'd like. My mum has some pictures. I can go get them now...or maybe we could meet later, if you want. My mum's got a lot of things. Pictures of Hogwarts, her books from school."

"Does she have a wand?" Lily asked.

He nodded. "But I don't think she'll let me show it to you. I don't even know where she keeps it."

"But you can show me other things?" she asked. He nodded. "Can we meet tomorrow? I know where your house is. I can meet you there."

"I...sure," he said. They weren't going to be in his house, Severus was sure of that. But they could meet near his house and go someplace where they wouldn't be disturbed. "How about three?" he asked. "Don't bring your sister," he added. He began to regret his words immediately, wondering if Lily would consider them further insult.

"Don't worry about that," Lily said. Her grin returned. "After today, I don't think she wants to be anywhere near you." Just then, a shrill voice shrieked Lily's name. They both turned to see Petunia standing in the doorway of their house, arms crossed over her chest. Severus could feel the heat of her glare from across the street.

"Mum said you've got to come in for tea," she shouted. "Now," she added quickly.

"Glad she's not the one who's a witch," Severus said. "She'd probably try to hex me."

Lily giggled. "She's harmless, really. Just a lot of hot air and whining. Tomorrow, then." She let go of his wrist, smiled one last time and jogged across the street to her sister. Petunia glared at Severus one last time before slamming the door closed.

He took no notice of her attitude. He'd just spent the best few minutes of his life, with Lily smiling and talking to him, looking at him as if she could find a whole new world in his eyes. Nothing, not even censure from Petunia or what probably awaited him at home, could take away the pleasure he felt in that.