"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him…"
"Get away from there." A gruff voice sounded from behind Severus and he could feel himself being pried away from the door which his ear was firmly pressed up against. A variety of bangs could be heard as he tumbled down the flight of stairs and landed on his back. A man, with similar eyes to Dumbledore himself glared at him with his wand pointed at Snape's face.
"You have two options…" the man continued while Snape laid there, back and bottom both in pain, "You can leave now or I can call in the aurors."
Snape didn't take any time to think and ran out of the tavern. His mission was half completed… but he didn't have any choice now. The dark lord would see everything anyways and Aberforth would later inform his brother of the incident.
Apparating to Diagon Alley, he snuck through an alley and stopped at a grimy looking wall. Placing his dark mark to the cold wet surface, a door appeared, and he entered. It was just one of the many lairs the dark lord formed from each of the death eaters homes.
"Severusss back so… soon?" he asked, with a slight infliction of confusion. The modern looking flat was a lot less intimidating than the Malfoy manor.
"Yes my lord." Severus answered and dropped to his knees before the balding man who could hardly be considered human.
The dark lord approached him and with his cold, prying fingers, placed the tips on the top of Severus Snape's head while flooding his mind. It was only mere hours ago that he was in the arms of Lily Evans, but he made sure that the mission was the only thing on his mind.
Lord Voldemort listened to the prophecy closely and then saw the vision become a blur as Severus was being yanked back and fell down the stairs.
"Crucio!" he screamed in anger at the failure of one of his most loyal servants. The screams were quickly replaced by those of Severus, as he withered on the floor.
"You failed me Severusss" he announced, and small chuckles could be heard from the shadows of the room, where other death eaters had been watching from.
"I'm sorry my lord." Severus croaked out, starting to feel his loyalty falter. Starting to wonder if Lily was right and if all of this was worth it.
A sound of a whip from the tip of Lord Voldemort's wand silenced the room and Severus could feel the white hot pain sear across the skin on his back as it slashed through his robes.
"I should have you flagellated in the streetsss, but….." and he paused for dramatic effect, "you did not completely fail me."
Severus could feel his body slightly relax, knowing that he wouldn't have to endure any more pain. He didn't dare move from the floor though, even though he wasn't entirely sure if he could…
"A baby born at the end of July… it's almost to easy." And Voldemort laughed (if you could call it that).
"I told you James, it is Order business and I was told to tell no one about it." She reiterated to James for the like umpteenth time. Although the first half of the sentence was true, she wasn't entirely sure about the rest.
Weeks had passed since their first lesson in Occlumency, and she met up with Severus nearly on a weekly basis. Each time she got better at blocking him, the harder it got. But after every lesson they couldn't keep off of each other. Sometimes they would just kiss but then after another week they would get to second base and then third, till one night they actually made love.
Her sex life with James hadn't really improved, and on many occasions she would have to stop herself from comparing. She never believed that the quality of sex was an important part of the relationship but at the same time, she found Severus to be almost like an addiction. Every week she told herself that she wouldn't sleep with him, that they would just do the lesson and leave, and every week she was moaning his name louder. It was a bloody nuisance in her mind and she wondered how long she could live with the guilt. When Albus Dumbledore told her to be friends with Severus, I don't think this was the type of friendship he meant.
Snow was littering the ground, and falling from the sky in big white puffy clouds. This was Lily's favourite type of snow, the marshmallowy type that stuck to your clothes in big globs.
"Isn't it beautiful Sev?" she asked, holding her palms face up.
"Yah I guess." He grumbled as they trampled through the field of the park, heading back to his house.
"Don't be a scrooge." She joked, as she entered his house and hung up her coat. Everything was routine now. "So are we going to try anything new this week?"
"Well I was considering the kitchen table.." he answered casually.
"Not like that!" she scowled, "I meant in our lessons! When will I get to read YOUR mind." She poked him playfully.
"Never" he replied flat out, not even having to think about it. "You know… You are looking a little paler than usual" he remarked.
"Thanks." She blurted out, rolling her eyes. He sure had a way with words. "I'm fair skinned, what do you expect in the winter?" she joked.
"Yah I guess…" he said, not sounding completely convinced. He placed the wrist of his arm to her forehead.
"What are you doing?" she asked confused, was this suppose to be part of her lesson? She knew that physical contact wasn't needed to practice legilimens, but there are some theories that it makes the link stronger.
"Checking your temperature." He answered, now feeling her tonsils under her chin and then pressed two fingers just above her throat and timed her pulse with his pocket watch.
"This isn't necessary." She grumbled.
"Ssshhhh." He protested and stepped back to observe her. "Well I can't find anything physically wrong…" with his wand, he swept it across her whole body, and she could feel her skin tingle, "and I don't detect anything broken or damaged." Without coming to any conclusions, he gave up and shrugged.
They continued their lessons as usual. Lily could now fully block any bland or impassive memories about mundane things, but she was having difficulty with gloomy or bad memories.
"I'm sorry. I am feeling rather weepy today I guess." She said, not really sure why she was tearing up. They had practice on this memory many times before.
"Perhaps." He agreed, non-convincingly but the following weeks were the same.
"Maybe the war is getting to me…" she suggested this time, a month later from the first time it had happened. Or maybe the guilt… her subconscious suggested which she quickly disregarded.
"Perhaps." Was all Severus would answer each time. It was starting to get on her nerves. But then it happened.
Blllarrgghh.
"I am so sorry." She said between breathes and then it happened again.
Aarrgghhee
"Honestly, it must be something I ate. I promise I'll clean it up. This is so embarrassing." She was nearly in tears, but didn't have time to cry, as it happened a third time. She was bent over what appeared to be an umbrella stand, or maybe it was a large vase, in his hallway. He was gently rubbing her back in circles.
"It's fine, I've seen worse." He wasn't at all troubled.
"O.k I think I am done." And she tapped the umbrella stand with her wand and said "Scourgify" to clean the inside. "I think I'll use the washroom." She suggested and nearly tripped over the umbrellas that had jumped out prior to her heaving.
After rinsing her mouth, and splashing some water on her face, she left the washroom but didn't go far. Severus was standing there, holding a small vial. "Drink." Was all he said.
"Why? What is it?" she asked, staring at the contents. They didn't look to good.
"Just drink it." He said, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was afraid to tell her in case she wouldn't go through with it, and she should know him well enough by now to trust him.
"Alright." She said, knowing he wouldn't answer. "This is when legilimens would come in handy." She poked fun.
Taking it down in one gulp, she licked her lips. "Taste like snips." She remarked but then had the sudden urge to use the washroom. "Excuse me!" she said quickly and slammed the door shut and ran for the toilet. It was as if she drank a gallon of water and had been holding it. "What the…"
Looking down in the toilet, the water had turned a bright blue. Similar to the colour of muggle washrooms in public bathrooms after they cleaned them. Or anti-freeze.
Severus scowled and prepared himself for the reaction.
"What was that!" she demanded, and flew the door open (after flushing of course).
"What?" he sounded confused. Didn't she know?
"What do you mean what?" she demanded again. Clearly she had no idea what the potion was.
"Come with me." He guided her to the kitchen table and made her sit. He sat across from her and placed his hands over hers.
"Pregnacia. A pregnancy potion."
"And let me guess.." she said bitterly, "Blue means boy."
"Was it blue!?" he asked surprised, not sure if he was suppose to be happy or not.
"Maybe." She answered and pulled her hands away from him and crossed them over her chest.
"I thought you were on The Potion." He asked.
"I was on THE potion." She replied, "but clearly THE potion didn't help."
"What do you mean the potion didn't help? The contraceptive potion is 99.9% effective."
"I am aware Severus." She said between clenched teeth.
"Well are you taking any other potions with it?" he questioned.
"No, the only potion I took was the one that Poppy gave me a week ago when I got that cold."
Severus sighed.
"What?" she asked, feeling her face redden. She knew this wasn't necessarily his fault but with the combination of lack of reaction and the bombarding of questions, she couldn't help it. The hormones were also not helping.
"Anti-potions, like those to clear colds or infections, often annihilate the affects of a contraceptive potion, assuming they may be the cause of the bacteria. It takes at least a week for the full effects of a contraceptive to regulate." He explained.
"Well isn't that great." She replied, "You could have told me a little sooner."
"I just assumed you knew."
"Well why would I know."
"It's on the back of the bottle. And anyways, I am sure your husband will be thrilled!"
"My Husband?! Who's to say it isn't Yours!" they were both nearly yelling now, and half standing off their chairs.
His? Could Severus Snape really produce a child. And if so, what would that mean? He couldn't really be with Lily, how would he explain that? Oh by the way, I decided to drop the cause and marry a mudblood and join the order. But Lily really wasn't a mudblood to him.
"Well, you don't have to keep it." He suggested meekly, not sure how she was going to react.
She thumped back down in her chair. She never really thought about that.
"I guess not…" she replied gently, not actually sure if she would be able to go through with an abortion or adoption. "I mean, I guess I have some time to think about it. I mean I have til.." and she counted on her fingers, "end of July, beginning of August."
... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ...
Snape swore, which was a habit that had progressed since the war started.
"What?" she asked confused. A little happier that he was actually having some sort of reaction now. His face even looked a little paler, if that was possible.
"Nothing." He breathed, clearly off in space, "I just forgot to do something…" he lied, but as his focus returned to her, he could see tears pouring down her face.
"I'm sorry. I am just feeling so overwhelmed. I mean a BABY! I don't know what to do with a BABY. Especially in the middle of a war." She cried.
"I'm sure loads of people have babies during wars." He tried to help. "Isn't that Weasley lady on like number three? I'm sure she would help out. And I'll do what I can."
"Yah, I know." She sniffed.
"Come on, lets lay down, I don't think occlumens lessons would be any good today." He suggested and they both went up to his bedroom. While they laid there, and he held her in his arms, he thought about what he would have to do to keep her safe.
