Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies, it's in chapter one in case it needs to be repeated.

In all honesty, I'm not happy with this chapter, but am posting it anyway...it may be revised later. And I promise I'm not fishing for nice reviews J

Four

Lily sat on the floor with Harry, the colourful shapes that fit into the big ball according to shape spread out in front of them on Sev's parlour floor. It was Friday night. They had brought Harry here for the weekend; Severus had insisted they had nothing to worry about. Harry grabbed a triangle and tried to put it into the square hole.

"No dear, that's a triangle." She turned the blue and red ball around so he could see the triangle and perhaps make the connection.

She looked up when she saw Sev come down the stairs.

"Supper is almost ready."

He nodded and she thought for a moment he was going to just settle in his chair with a book, but he surprised her by getting down on the floor at her side. He made no comment on her cooking for them the muggle way, after all, they had both been raised muggle and he had cooked for her the second night he had been home, stating that it was much like potions. James had always laughed and reminded her they had a house-elf, but she found it relaxing to cook. Severus had been home two nights during the week. He had not once commented on her doing things the muggle way, at this point she wanted the mind-dulling work to keep her time occupied when Harry was asleep. He had taken her to see Harry both times. Both nights she had come back here with him in tears and he had just held her and allowed her to cry. She didn't know if he was silent because he didn't know what to say or silent because someone along the way had told him that 99% of the time if a woman is crying, just hold her and keep your mouth shut, but she really didn't care.

"How are you feeling?" He spoke, his deep baritone voice almost a tangible rumble.

"I told you not to ask me that." She looked at him and he cast his eyes down for a moment and nodded. She didn't know the answer. Sometimes she wanted to be alone, sometimes she wanted company, sometimes she was unbearably sad and at others she just wanted to laugh and be normal. When Minerva McGonagall had visited earlier in the week, on one of the evenings Severus had not been able to return, she had explained that that was perfectly normal behaviour for a grieving widow. It would take time for normal to return. Somehow she didn't think that would be soon.

"I wanted to talk to you about Harry."

"What? Dumbledore has come up with another brilliant plan?"

Sev shook his head, a hint of a smile tugging at this corners of his mouth. "No. I want us to bring Harry here. He'll be safe, you protected him before, it is your blood—your love – that keeps him safe. I have strong wards on this house and have added to them since you arrived; the connection to the floo network is limited by a password, and there are additional anti-apparition wards. Lily, you are miserable and so is he."

He nodded towards her son who had managed to find the triangle hole and successfully gotten the shape inside the ball. She smiled and clapped for him. "Yay, that's right, Harry!"

Harry smiled up at her, obviously pleased with himself and went after another shape on the floor.

"What if Death Eaters decide to visit?" She spoke quietly, recalling that horrible night. She had been upstairs putting Harry to bed, she had heard James yell for her to take Harry.

"The Death Eaters that are not in Azkaban are trying to please the Ministry and convince everyone they were under the Imperius. I do not think they will bother looking for Harry or you at this point. The only reason they could want you would be to somehow get to Harry, and I do not believe they would attempt anything in the near future. And, as I just said, they would have an impossible time getting inside, you would have time to escape by floo."

"Sev, you're spying on them, protecting us could cost you your life."

He took a deep breath, she wasn't sure if it was exasperation or something else. "I am well aware of that, but I really am not worried about the Death Eaters, I know what to say. And in the unlikely event one of them finds out you are here," he paused, "I have only to blame it on, well, shall we say my baser instincts, they will leave the issue alone. They have been nagging me for years to get a woman, I am sure they would be thrilled, even if . . ." He stopped.

"I'm not a pureblood."

He tensed and she could see guilt mixed with anger flicker across his dark eyes. Part of her wondered why she had been so stupid as to toss away a friendship over one horrible moment, a moment he had apologised for with absolute sincerity. She'd hurt him back, perhaps worse than he had hurt her and yet he sat there perfectly willing to put his life in danger for her and her child. He spoke again. "I could care less. And besides, I would never do that."

She reached out and put her hand on his arm. "I know that. I know you would not use me to...to simply slake your lust." She smiled, she remembered him shyly holding her hand when they were children, the very brief kiss that was the first for both of them. Something inside of her wondered if that had been the last time Severus Snape had been kissed. Shaking off the thoughts she watched him.

Severus looked at her hand and back into her eyes, his lips slightly parted like he was going to say something.

"Mummy!"

She turned her attention to Harry who was shoving the toy towards her and felt Sev stand up and retreat from the room.

XXXXXX

Severus faced Lily across the kitchen table. He had to admit, even if only to himself, he enjoyed the company. He knew he would not have enjoyed anyone else's as much. Even though he never knew if she would be smiling or dissolving into tears—he hoped she would eventually settle back into her normal self, but he had the sense not to say as much—he still preferred her company to others.

Harry sat in his high chair between them. The chair was the old fashioned kind, wooden with a tray that lifted up and out of the way. He was almost too big for it, but it worked for now. Harry was contentedly eating the bites of meat and green beans that Lily had put in front of him, using his fingers. The child did not fuss much, for which he was grateful and assumed he took after Lily rather than Potter.

"Sev, are you really all right with the idea of me and a small boy living here, with you?"

He put his fork and knife down and looked at her. Part of him could not believe she was asking, she should know that if he did not want her here, she would not be here. But he knew that right now her emotions were in turmoil. He attempted to smile as he spoke. "Yes. I would not have offered my home if I was not all right with you being here. I will be here very seldom as it is. I will expand the upstairs to give him a room of his own."

Lily smiled and he felt a warmth in his chest he had thought died years before. "Thank you, Sev. I . . . I will need to get him some things, I'd rather not continue to transfigure everything."

He nodded. "Understandable. I suppose we could go shopping tomorrow." Severus frowned and turned his eyes back to her when he realised she was trying to hide a giggle within a cough. "What?"

"You, shopping, for baby things? Please be serious." She spoke as she moved to put some slices of potatoes on the tray, Harry had finished what she had given him and was looking for more.

Taking a deep breath, Severus spoke again. "Lily, while I will not go back on my opinion that you are safe, I still would prefer you not go about too much alone. I will go with you and Harry. It will look more natural that way. Unless you would prefer someone else go with you?"

"No. We'll be fine going with you." She paused. "I was wondering if it would be all right to contact Remus Lupin."

Severus froze. Lupin. Lupin was one of them, friends with Potter and Black and Pettigrew. Although his allegiance to the Order had been proved true, he was not someone he particularly wanted to see, he had a hard enough time not thinking about Potter every time he saw Lily and Harry.

"Please, Sev. He's been a good friend." The plea in her emerald eyes was clear. "Sev, he was not, is not like James and Sirius were to you. You know that, don't you?"

She spoke quietly. He closed his eyes for a moment. He could not recall Lupin ever being the one pointing a wand at him or doing or saying anything directly, but he had been a prefect, he could have done something to stop them, but he had not. He felt a hand on his and opened his eyes to see Lily watching him, her hand over his.

"Sev, if it makes you that uncomfortable. . . ."

He shook his head. "No, if you want to see him, I shall contact him, I am certain he will want to know how you and Harry are."

"Thank you."

The remainder of the evening was quiet. He settled into his chair before the fire with a book and Lily played with Harry until it was time to put him to bed. He heard her soft footsteps coming back down the stairs and into the room. Severus kept his eyes on his book, not looking up until he heard her settle on the couch. He closed the book and set it on the table next to his chair.

"What are you reading?" Lily spoke, her eyes on him.

"An ancient volume on potions, from the middle ages, it is quite interesting. There are a few things I would like to try."

"Really? In a medieval book? May I see?"

He took his wand and levitated the book, sending it her way. She smiled at him and he wondered if she remembered him doing that when they were in school. The room was dim, the light from the fire and two lamps giving off their own soft glows. She took the book and opened it.

"Sev! It's all in Latin." She frowned, her nose crinkling just a bit. He got up and sat beside her, pulling the book into his lap.

"You know Latin."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do." He smiled at her although he was sure she probably thought it a smirk. "What does accio mean?"

She looked at him a moment. "Call?"

"Summon. What does incendio mean?"

"Set on fire."

"Right. Veritas?"

"Truth."

"Yes." He paused and stood, stepping over to a shelf and pulling a huge volume out before coming back to her. "A Latin-English Dictionary containing both classical and medieval usage, declension and conjugation paradigms. I think you will enjoy the potions book."

Lily watched him as he sat down at her side, placing the large dictionary between them. "It will be nice to have something challenging to do while Harry's napping. Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Lily checked the roast once more, it was almost perfect. She had left Harry with Severus. Sev had been nervous about the idea, but had settled into his chair with a book and Harry without complaint. Remus was due to arrive at any moment, Severus had contacted him.

"The big dog ran."

She heard Sev's deep voice intone in a somewhat ominous manner for a children's book. She stifled a laugh at the exasperated sigh that was preceded by her son's. "End!"

She knew he had closed the book. Severus wanted to go page by page to the end and Harry didn't. There was a knock on the door.

Lily walked into the parlour, picked up Harry and let Severus head for the door.

"Lupin."

"Snape."

She heard nothing else until she heard the door close and saw Remus, followed by Severus, enter the room.

"Lily!" Remus crossed the room to her and hugged her and Harry both. "I'm glad to see you both safe. I'm so sorry about James."

Lily nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat that seemed to form suddenly. She looked up, past Remus, to see Severus standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, concern very clear in his dark eyes. It was going to be a long evening.

Remus played with Harry, talked to her, tried to talk to Severus who responded with the shortest possible phrases. At least he was being civil.

They sat down at the kitchen table to eat, she took her place at Sev's side and Remus sat on her other side. Harry was between her and Severus.

"Snape, I didn't expect you to live in a muggle neighbourhood."

Severus looked at Remus as he sliced into the roast that Lily had prepared. "This is my family home." He took a deep breath.

Lily watched him for a moment, his countenance was inscrutable. She could not tell if he was preparing for disparaging remarks about the poor muggle community or if he was simply trying to figure Lupin out; after all she had pointed out to him that Remus had never done anything directly to harm him.

"Ah, I see. Nineteenth century, rather solidly built. They don't build homes the way they used to."

Again, she detected a slight trace of suspicion cross Severus's eyes just before he nodded in agreement.

XXXXXX

By the time Remus left, Lily could tell that Severus was bothered by something, something more than putting up with Lupin for the evening. She put Harry to bed in his new room. They had spent the day before shopping and setting up Harry's room. Sev had put the furniture together, using a mix of muscle and magic. James hadn't done that. She took a deep breath. "Nox." She whispered, the light went out and she crossed the hall to see Severus standing in his bedroom doorway.

"Are you all right?"

He drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I am tired and have to return to school in the morning. Nothing more."

Lily had the distinct feeling he was lying through his teeth to her, but would not push him. He would talk when he was ready to talk, not before, she had learned that when they were children.