Chapter 23

Luck be a Lady

Severus hadn't lost many memories from his seventh year.

He'd always remembered the tasks he'd performed as the Dark Lord's young minion, and they were not very exciting. The Dark Lord was clever, and to prevent his secrets from leaking out to Dumbledore, he had given the Death Eaters who still attended Hogwarts few tasks and fewer secrets. For the tasks the young Death Eaters were given, they were forbidden from collaborating with each other, or even revealing their tasks to each other. Everything was, it seemed, on a "need to know" basis, and Severus needed to know very little.

Severus had been told to invent a potion to create a "loud bang that would not echo," and a second potion to make objects weightless for exactly 30 minutes. Severus could not discern why the Dark Lord would need such potions, and the Dark Lord certainly wasn't telling.

James, who prided himself on his ability to concoct unusual pranks, could not discern the use of such potions, either, and Lily was distracted by the weightlessness potion that, in her words, 'must violate conservation of mass.' Then, once Severus had convinced her that the potion was safe, she had been too eager to try the potion to think about its use in battle.

Between Severus's potions research, his research into dark arts, and his NEWTs, he was unable to sneak a sample of the potion to Lily, nor did he have many opportunities to see her at all. He contented himself with watching Lily and James from afar, feeling a sort of bittersweet satisfaction as they became head boy and head girl, gained early apprenticeships, made record-breaking scores on their NEWTs, and were admired as the golden couple of Hogwarts.

Severus, in his own way, was just as accomplished in his final year, but he wasn't admired. Most of his professors would hardly look at him.

When NEWTs were over, and Severus returned home, an unfamiliar owl was waiting for him. He took the owl's letter, and he found a lock of hair pressed underneath the wax seal. Inside was a love note, written in loopy but uneven handwriting, signed by "Your Secret Admirer."

After a few moments of astonishment, Severus realized that if something was too strange to comprehend, it probably wasn't true.

"Revelio, Laurelwood Park," he said, reciting the password Severus, Lily, and James had worked out some months before.

Dear Cousin Will,

I know that we need to be careful, but I miss you. My parents are throwing a graduation party tonight, and it wouldn't be right for me to celebrate without you.

Apparate straight to the new spot before 6, if you want to come. Under the seal you will find the key,

Yours,

Bucky

It took Severus very little time to work out the riddle in the letter. Bucky was obviously James, whose animagus form was a stag- or buck. The key under the seal was a lock of hair belonging to a cousin Will, who was likely a distant enough relation that he wouldn't come to the party, but near enough to not be out of place if he did.

Severus went over the house, fortifying the security spells he'd placed there last year. Then he opened his school trunk and opened a hidden compartment, where he kept his more valuable potions. He took the one labeled "PJ-1," dropped in the hair, and then drank.

Severus gagged, and then he put the bottle away. He sat hard as the unpleasant transformation took effect, and after it was over, he was glad to find he was only slightly shorter than he had been, and he seemed to be just as skinny. He put on his nicest pair of black robes, and then he spun, apparating not to the greenhouse, but to theempty room in the east corner of the cottage.

Within moments, Lily apparated with a *pop* next to him, and then her eyes went wide and she flinched away from him.

"Er- sorry. Who are…"

"What's the main ingredient of Coca-cola?" Severus asked quickly, keeping his guard up.

"Oh- cocaine, of course," Lily said, relaxing slightly. "What's in my formula for rocket fuel?"

"Liquid oxygen, kerosene, hellebore, and ashwinder eggs," Severus said.

"*Phew* Sev," Lily said, taking a deep breath. "You frightened me out of my wits- I thought only us and James knew about this room, so to find a stranger here was terrifying. Things have been so frightening, lately. Are we going to have to verify each other's identities every time we see each other?"

"Verify the identity of everyone you see if you're alone, or if you are going to disclose anything of importance. It would be best to do a hominim revelio, as well," he said.

"Right," Lily said with a resigned sigh. "I won't cast it tonight, though- wouldn't want to break your disguise."

At that moment, James entered the room, followed closely by Sirius.

"What's the main ingredient in Coca-cola?" Lily asked James as he entered.

"Not sure, but I know it's not cocaine," he said.

"And somehow, that's also the correct answer," Lily laughed.

"So- cousin Will," James said with a wink. "I see you got my letter."

"I did," Severus replied.

"Stop making that face, Will," Sirius said. "You sneer like a Death Eater."

Severus gave Sirius his ugliest sneer.

"Lily- where's Mum and Da?" James asked, ignoring Sirius.

"If you mean yours, I have no idea," Lily said airily. "If you mean mine, they are coming here by car, and should arrive in about 30 minutes. I apparated so I could spend more time getting ready. And by getting ready, of course, I mean napping."

Despite Lily's assertion that she had been napping instead of getting ready, she looked incredible. She was wearing the same peasant-style dress she'd worn on her date with Severus, but her hair was carefully coiled into a sleek ballet bun, into which she'd pinned a cluster of rosebuds. She was wearing the faintest hint of makeup, though it was more than Severus had ever seen her wear, and on her long, slender neck she wore the locket James had given them both two summers before.

Severus looked around and noticed that both Sirius and James were wearing expensive-looking formal robes, though while Sirius was well groomed and looked every bit the young heir he wasn't, James looked like he'd fallen out of bed and put on his most expensive robes by mistake.

Still, the conclusion was inevitable. "I'm underdressed," Severus sighed. Severus seemed to care a lot more about being underdressed at James's party, even though no one would recognize him, than he had at Malfoy's party, where everyone could see his face.

James, however, seemed unconcerned. "No one who knows cousin Will would be surprised. You look fine."

At that moment, a gong rang out through the house.

"The first guests are arriving," James sighed. "I have to go greet them. You guys coming, or-"

"You and Lily go ahead," Sirius said lightly. "I need a word with Snape."

Severus lifted an eyebrow, but he didn't object. Lily and James hesitated, but after a little more prodding, they left the room.

"Come with me- I have another set of dress robes in my room."

Sirius turned to lead Severus from the room, but Severus froze.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I may or may not have a special reason," Sirius said with a grin.

"It just occurred to me that we forgot to verify your identiy," Severus persisted. "What is Lily's greatest fear?"

"Azkaban," Sirius said. "Now- verify your identity. What is your greatest fear?"

"I never told you my greatest fear."

"No- but I know it," Sirius said steadily.

Severus remained silent for a few moments, and then sighed. "Werewolves."

"Good man," Sirius said, clapping Severus on the back in an almost friendly way. He squeezed Severus's shoulder very hard, however, as he marched him from the room.
"Now come on- you'll wear proper robes if I have to force them over your head."

#

Few guests looked twice at Severus, for which he was grateful.

The party had been set up in the garden, where fairy lights- provided by actual fairies- danced over the fragrant night-blooming flowers. Tables of cakes, puddings, dainties, and punch lined the garden on all sides, and an impromptu dance-floor had sprung up around the whitewashed gazebo, though strangely, no-one was dancing inside of it. Awful music was being piped into the garden from who knew where, which could be heard over mingling voices.

Severus drifted around the garden's perimeter, behind the tables, glad of the opportunity to disappear from the crowd. Lily and James were dancing very badly, and he couldn't help but smile as he watched them jerk out of time with the music with complete abandon.

When the song ended, however, Severus's smile faded. Without Lily and James to distract him, his eyes wandered, examining the crowd. To his surprise, he saw dark families and death eaters swarming in the crowd.

Then he stuck his hand in his pocket, gripping his wand, and stepped forward resolutely.

"Hey, easy," Sirius said from behind him, grabbing his arm. "I think you need to calm down."

"Your mother and brother are chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Severus said. "I have to stop-"

"Stop what?" Sirius hissed, drawing Severus back further from the table. "Mother isn't going to try anything in public. It would be unseemly; she's only here to keep up appearances."

"The Evans are muggles," Severus said, almost choking on the words.

"They're dressed in formal robes," Sirius said appraisingly. "I wonder where they got them?"

"Mrs. Evans made them. She was so excited to learn about the wizarding world that…"

"Ah, of course. Lily's dad is a vicar, right? And her mum is a housewife?"

"Yeah- so?"

Sirius snickered. "So my Mum is talking to two muggles and she has no idea. She won't be able to tell if she asks their professions, since there are wizards of all religions. This is perfect!"

Sirius carried on laughing, watching as his mother nodded cordially to the Evans, and then turned to mingle with the next group, seemingly none the wiser.

Severus relaxed slightly as Mrs. Black turned away. "If she eventually does find out then… wait a minute. What in the world is Pettigrew doing?"

Severus had glanced down the refreshment table, where a certain boy with a rat-like face was pouring the contents of a vial into the punch bowl.

"Shhhh, Snape. It's fine. It's nothing dangerous."

"If you think I'm going to stand aside and let you ruin-"

"James is going to love this surprise- trust me. He's going to have one lucky night."

Sirius winked, and before Severus could follow him to argue further, a gentle hand took his.

"Hey, Will," Lily said cheerfully. "This is a party. Don't waste a good time by arguing with Sirius."

"But he-"

"Forget him," Lily said firmly. "Come on. Dance with me."

"You shouldn't be seen with me," Severus said.

"Why not? It's the perfect time for me to get to know James's family, isn't it, cousin Will?" Lily said. "This is fine."

Lily dragged Severus onto the dance floor, and just like that, he forgot all about the Maurauders' prank.

#

One night, when his father was very late at the pub, Severus's mother had put on the radio, taken his hands, and had pulled him around the living room with a smile on her face- one of the three genuine smiles he'd ever seen her wear. She'd told Severus that he was a natural, and though she'd never danced with him again, he'd often practiced the steps when he was alone, committing them to memory.

Thanks to this practice, though he was a little off the music, Severus was able to lead Lily smoothly around the garden. The two gazed into each other's eyes for a time, gliding through a world of their own, before Severus realized that cousin Will shouldn't seem too familiar with Lily. He cleared his throat and glanced around the garden, distracting himself by watching the couples all around him.

The first couple he noticed was Robert Martin and Harriet Smith, from Hufflepuff. As Severus passed, Robert trod on Harriet's toes, and Harriet dropped his hands.

"This isn't working out," Harriet said.

"I think I can get the steps if-"

"No, not the dance. Our relationship. We should see other people."

Robert sighed, as though in relief. "I was waiting for the right moment to bring this up, but… you're right. There's a whole world of people outside of Hogwarts, and we should meet them. Friends?"

Harriet shook his hand. "Friends." Then the two laughed and started dancing once more.

Then, as Severus and Lily passed the edge of the makeshift dance floor, they heard another conversation, carried out in whispers.

"Come on, Fanny, dance with me," the first said.

"But Mary- we're both girls."

"So?"

"You… you don't think it's weird?"

"Of course not, silly. I've liked you a long time. Don't you like me."

"I… I do. I would love to dance with you."

The music stopped, then, and Lily took Severus's arm, leading him back into the crowd.

"Oh look, there's professor Slughorn," Lily said, and before Severus could stop her she called out, "Professor!"

"Miss Evans," Slughorn said, turning away from professor Flitwick and a sixth-year girl who was in tears. "Congratulations on passing your mastery, and at such a young age!"

Lily froze. "I… passed my mastery?"

"Slughorn!" Flitwick squeaked. "I wasn't going to tell her until her certificate had been filed!"

"I'm sorry for spoiling the surprise," Slughorn said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "But, my dear, your device was so splendid, and your explanation of the principles so thorough, that I'm sure you knew the board would approve your mastery. Now good old Flitwick here is free to take another apprentice."

The girl, Jane Bennet, looked up, her face streaked with tears. "I was sure that Teresa Davis would get the apprenticeship. I'm so ha-happy!"

And then Jane let loose a sob and cried into her hands once more. Lily stepped forward, her own eyes brimming with tears.

"Stop it- you're making me cry, too," Lily said, putting her arms around Jane. "I never thought I'd get my mastery on my first attempt."

"Girls! Girls!" Slughorn chuckled jovially. "Well, I'm glad you are both happy, and I'm glad I got to see this moment. I was afraid I would miss it, since I'm going…"

Slughorn trailed off, looking askance at Severus. Then he cleared his throat.

"Well, it's getting late, and I must be off. Congratulations, my dears. Good to meet you… Potter, is it? You have the family features. Goodbye." And Slughorn disapparated before Severus could answer.

"Yes yes, congratulations," Flitwick said, floating two handkerchiefs over to the girls. "Now Miss Bennet, do dry your eyes and get some rest, tonight. I expect to see you bright and early for our first lesson."

Bennet blew her nose and stood a little straighter. "Yes sir, Professor. Good night, Lily."

Miss Bennet disapparated as well, along with several other guests. Severus looked around, noting half of the guests had gone already, and the rest were… all of them seemed strangely giddy. Some were laughing, some snogging, and some were dancing, even though the music had ended.

"Oh- I'm overwhelmed," Lily said, dabbing her eyes. "I need something to drink. You want some, Will?"

"Allow me," Severus said, and he wedged himself past a group of Ravenclaws who were engaged in the largest group hug he'd ever seen. He returned with two glasses of punch, one of which he handed to Lily.

"A toast," he said, holding up his glass, "to your success."

Lily smiled, they clinked their glasses together, and time seemed to slow down as Severus realized what he was doing.

It was too late. The liquid was already in his mouth, and he swallowed by reflex.

"Oh no!" he said to himself. "I can't believe I just…"

"James," Lily said, swallowing her own punch. "We have to go tell James the good news, don't we?"

"I- yes. Yes we do!" Severus said. Now that Lily had mentioned it, he could think of nothing else. "We have to go see James."

They didn't know where James was, of course, but that didn't matter. Through some unspoken agreement, Lily and Severus went straight into the house, where James was waiting for them.

James beckoned for them to follow him; his expression was serious, but his eyes twinkled behind his glasses. He led them through a hallway and into a side-room that was lit only with candlelight.

"James," Lily said in a hushed voice.

"My parents are leaving tonight- and I don't know if they'll ever come back. Besides, I can't wait any longer. Marry me- both of you marry me, tonight."

"Tonight?" Lily gasped. "James!"

"Yes," Severus breathed.

"How?" Lily continued. "We don't have a license, and the law-"

"Who cares about the law? The laws of magic will allow a binding with three people, and your father can perform a religious ceremony. What else do we need?"

"Yes," Severus said again.

"Will he- do you think he will approve?"

"Yes!" Severus said in a stronger voice. He took Lily's hands. "Lily- marry us."

Lily looked between Severus and James, and then tears came to her eyes once more.

"Yes," she whispered.

Then the three of them fell into each other's arms, laughing and crying, as they waited for the final guests to disperse.