Coming Back to You
SeverusxLily
Rated T
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling
Coming Back to You
Chapter 10: The Cure
Two weeks had passed ever since Neville began to live at Spinner's End. He and Harry had become really quick friends, as well as him becoming friends with Draco whenever Lucius or Narcissa brought him over. Lily liked being able to take care of the sweet boy, as she felt she was helping out Alice and Frank, but she also knew that whenever Neville's grandmother recovered from being ill, he would be taken back home. But until then, she was glad that this was his temporary home. What had really surprised her was how Severus seemed to take to Neville.
From what she recalled, Neville had originally been afraid of her lover upon arrival. But somehow three days later, he was sitting in Severus' lap as the man read him and Harry and story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Severus treated Neville the same way he treated Harry, and it warmed her heart. And, though she would never admit it, it made her hot to see Severus be all fatherly. She remembered how she had jumped him that night after the boys were asleep, but refused to tell Severus why afterwards. He didn't use Legilimens on her, so he never knew the reason for it, but he wasn't complaining.
At the moment, she was reading one of Severus' potions magazines when the sound of hurried footsteps caught her attention. Looking up she saw Severus standing in the hallway, his hair pulled back in a ponytail and the sleeves of his dark purple button up shirt rolled up to his elbows. He looked her in the eye and beckoned her to follow him. Lily looked to the floor where Harry and Neville were playing on the carpet before setting the magazine aside and following her lover to his Potions Room. When she stepped inside, she found the man leaning over a bubbling cauldron.
"What is it, Sev?" Lily asked as she walked over to him.
Severus looked up at her before handing her a shiny bluish-purple flower petal with a silver base. He smiled and nodded, silently telling her to drop it in the cauldron. Lily looked into the cauldron to see that the potion at the moment looked black. Usually whenever a potion looked like this it was ruined, but it didn't appear to be trying to explode. And if Severus was allowing her to drop something in it, then it was still stable.
Taking a breath Lily dropped the petal into the potion, watching with amazement how the potion instantly turned from black to gold. Severus stirred it three times before transferring some of it into an empty vial. He corked the vial and held it up to the red haired woman, a satisfied smile on his face.
"This is it, Lily. I finally figured it out," Severus said. Lily looked at him for a while before her eyes widened in realization. Looking back at the gold potion, she asked, "Is that really what I think it is?"
The man nodded and answered, "Yes, it is. This is what will heal the Longbottom's minds; I have no doubt about it."
Lily couldn't help herself. She slammed herself into Severus, making him close his hand tightly around the vial to keep from dropping it, hugging him tightly as she grinned brightly. Bouncing in excitement, she exclaimed, "Sev, you did it! You found a cure! I could just kiss you!"
And she did just that. Pulling back from Severus, she planted her lips against his and kissed him, then kissed him all over his face while she chuckled. Giving Lily a kiss on the lips, he said, "Now, I haven't tested it yet, but with every single potion that I made leading up to this has been almost successful. I made a slight change with this one and am most certain this will be the cure we need."
"I don't care about the changes made, Sev. Let's get to the hospital and have them take this!" Lily said as she headed out of the door. Severus smiled fondly and shook his head. Setting the vial down, he grabbed another empty one and filled it with the new potion before covering the cauldron and corking the vial. He grabbed his cloak and placed the vials in its pocket before leaving his Potions Room and going into the living room.
Lily was busy putting shoes and coats on the boys as it was still a bit cold outside, telling Neville that they were going to go and see his parents. Harry looked up at Severus and smiled at him, reaching up to him so he could be held. Severus smiled and picked the toddler up, kissing his cheek while Harry giggled in delight. They waited for Lily to be done getting Neville ready before the four of them left the house and Apparated away. They of course made sure no Muggle were looking before doing so.
Moments later they arrived at the entrance of St. Mungo's, walking inside and heading towards the Psychiatric Ward. Many of the healers and nurses were used to seeing Lily Potter with Severus Snape, supposed Death Eater though it could not be proven. Word had gotten out that she and her son were still alive, thus making the Wizarding World relieved that they had survived Voldemort's murder attempt. Luckily, Severus hadn't been mentioned in the article, but it did bring up worry for the lovers that Voldemort would once again try to come after Harry.
Reaching the Psychiatric Ward, Lily went with Neville to sit next to Alice who looked at them blankly, telling her hello and placing Neville in his mother's lap. Severus put Harry down on his feet, watching his walk over to his mother before going to find a healer. He finally found one and got their attention; they seemed to be on break, so they had time.
The healer, a man, nodded at Severus and said, "Hello, Mr. Snape. What can I do for you today?"
"Hello, Healer Turvine. If you would not mind, I have a potion that I believe will heal Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom and would like to try it out," Severus said in a tone that left no room for refusal. Healer Turvine, who had been three years ahead of Severus back at Hogwarts, knew that Snape was the best Potions Master out there, as well as the youngest. He had probably created something that would indeed heal the couple where he and his colleagues had failed. Nodding, he said, "Alright then, let us give it a go. We will start with Mrs. Longbottom first."
Severus nodded and followed Healer Turvine over to Alice's bed. Alice was still looking blank in the face, but she was looking down at her son who was snuggling into her side. Lily looked up at the approaching men, a hopeful look in her eyes. Healer Turvine nodded and asked, "May I have the potion?" When he received a nod, he waited for the younger man to fish the vial out of his cloak pocket and hand it to him.
Uncorking the vial, Healer Turvine coaxed Alice to open her mouth so he could pour it in. Severus and Lily watched intently as he poured the gold liquid down Alice's throat, watching her swallow the potion with ease. The three adults waited anxiously for a result, hoping that the blank stare Alice was giving would disappear.
Suddenly Alice threw her head back and screamed, scaring everyone in the ward at once, except for Frank who looked at his wife with no emotion. Neville and Harry began to cry from the scare, letting Lily and Severus try to comfort them. Alice grabbed the sides of her head and shook it, still screaming as Healer Turvine tried to calm her down. And then suddenly, she stopped screaming and let go of her head. Alice was breathing heavily, her eyes closed as her head was bent down into her chest. Lily covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide as she waited for her friend to do something else. Everyone, visitors, healers, and nurses all held their breaths as they watched the woman who had just screamed loudly.
Alice slowly opened her eyes, lifting her head to look at everyone. She said nothing as she took in everyone's faces. It wasn't until her blue eyes landed on Lily did she open her mouth to speak for the first time in months.
"Lily?" Alice said in a raspy voice as it had been underused. Lily's eyes filled with tears before she sat Harry on the foot of the hospital bed. Once she did, she hugged her best girlfriend tightly, happily sobbing onto her shoulder. Alice hugged Lily back as she too began crying, remembering how she hadn't been able to say anything to her friend, nor recognize her until now. As the two witches cried and hugged, Healer Turvine shook Severus' hand, congratulating him on his miracle potion. The other healers and nurses all began to clap and cheer, applauding Severus for his brilliant work, as well as for the recovery of Alice Longbottom.
"This is absolutely amazing! Is there another one for Mr. Longbottom, or was one vial all that you brought?" Healer Turvine asked with a hopeful smile on his face. Severus chuckled and said, "Of course I have another."
He pulled out the other vial and handed it to the healer, watching as he once again poured the golden liquid into Frank's mouth. Frank did the exact same thing Alice had done, screaming and scaring only the two toddlers this time. Alice, who was holding her son tightly in her arms, watched as her husband began to heal under the effects of the potion. Minutes later, Frank was looking around as well before settling on his wife and son.
Frank smiled with tears in his eyes, saying, "Neville, Alice." Alice began to cry again, tears of happiness this time, and quickly got out of bed to sit next to her husband on his. The family held each other and cried, Neville's tears having stopped earlier before starting again. Healer Turvine smiled and hurried off to tell his colleagues the wonderful news.
Lily wiped her tears and smiled happily at the sight. She was so happy her friend was back, and in her right mind again. A hand fell on her shoulder, causing her to look up into black eyes. Severus smiled down at her, making her smile and take his hand in hers.
"Thank you, Sev," Lily said softly. Severus nodded and said, "You are welcome, Lily. I told you I would find a way to fix it."
The witch nodded, never having doubted him in the first place. She knew that Severus didn't have to do this, but she also knew he would do anything for her just to see her happy. And she knew that having her friend's back and caring for their son again would make her happy. She didn't know what she did to deserve a man like Severus, but she was glad that she loved him and her love was returned.
Frank, who had finally noticed the other couple, said, "Hello Lily, hello Snape."
"Yes, hello Snape. Was it you who helped us?" Alice said, looking at him quizzically. Severus nodded, giving them a silent answer. Alice nodded as well before smiling and saying, "Thank you, Snape."
"Indeed, thank you. You didn't have to heal us, but you did and have given us another chance to raise our son and be a family again. Thank you so much for this opportunity," Frank said as he held Neville, kissing him on the forehead. Severus, who had turned a bit pink from embarrassment, said, "You're welcome, Longbottom."
Lily giggled and rubbed his pale hand gently, easing his embarrassment. The gesture did not pass Alice or Frank. Alice giggled and said, "I always knew that Lily made a mistake ending your friendship. But she was so adamant that it was truly over, she never gave any thought to how it would be helpful in the future."
"Alice!" Lily said as her face turned red. Severus laughed at his lover's embarrassment, amused that her face turned almost as red as her hair. A pat on his hand made him look down to Harry who was reaching up to him.
"Daddy, up," Harry said, demanding to be held. Severus smiled softly and picked up Harry, ignoring the Longbottom's shocked looks. Alice and Frank both looked at Lily in question before Frank asked, "Lily, where is James?"
Lily's smile faltered a bit before she answered, "He's dead; the Dark Lord killed him trying to get to Harry, but we escaped as James sacrificed himself. And Severus has so kindly taken us in and has allowed us to stay with him ever since that night."
Alice nodded and asked, "Anything else?" She watched Lily's face redden even more as she said, "And Severus and I are a couple now."
There was silence for a while before Alice clapped and giggled happily. Severus and Lily looked at her confused while Frank smiled sweetly at his wife. When Alice finally calmed down, she said, "That is great! Lily, don't get mad at me, but I had always secretly hoped you would end up with Snape back in school."
"Really?" Lily said in surprise.
"Yes, really. I mean, when you told me what he had called you and how you called off your friendship, I thought that you were overreacting a bit; even Frank thought so. And then the next thing I know, you are hanging off of James' arm, Snape's mortal enemy. It was a little strange for me to see you suddenly with James. But I was hoping that you would listen to Snape's explanation and give him the chance to apologize. And also, I was cheering for you two to become a couple after your reconciliation."
"Why didn't you two say anything?"
Frank shook his head and said, "Because we knew that you would be too stubborn to listen. And we were just trying to be supportive friends, though we secretly couldn't support your relationship with James. You suddenly went from hating James and liking Snape, to hating Snape and liking James, and just because of an argument that could have been resolved with just talking."
Alice nodded and said, "We had hoped that maybe you being with James was just a phase, but then you announced your engagement. We still hoped you would back out, but you got married, and then had Harry. It was too late by then."
"But it seems that fate has still turned a wrong into a right," Frank said with a small smile. Both Lily and Severus couldn't believe what the Longbottom couple had just told them. They both thought that Lily being with James wasn't right and had secretly rooted for Severus. And after hearing their explanation as to why, it made Lily feel worse than she ever did about the situation. And the proof that she had been with James was her wedding certificate and Harry who was the spitting image of him. But she knew deep in her heart that she loved Severus and always had.
Looking up at the man, she smiled at him as he smiled back. Harry smiled as well and waved at his mother, causing her to giggle and wave back. Lily stood and walked around the empty bed to Frank's, hugging both of them and kissing Neville goodbye, telling them that she would be back tomorrow. Severus, Lily, and Harry all left the Psychiatric Ward and St. Mungo's, Apparating right into Severus' back yard. The three of them entered the house and headed upstairs, intent on taking a nap.
Harry was already asleep by the time Severus laid him down in between them on his bed. Lily kissed her son's head before looking up into the black eyes of her lover. She smiled and said, "Thank you again, Sev."
"You're welcome, Lily." Severus replied softly. He carefully leaned over Harry and gave Lily a kiss, whispering 'I love you' against her lips. Lily softly replied before they both settled down on either side of Harry. They wrapped their arms around the toddler and snuggled together, falling into a wonderful and content sleep for the first time in weeks.