Hello there! I don't own any of Harry Potter, but please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—
After Christmas, Severus and Lily had barely made it back to Hogwarts before Voldemort summoned Severus.
Severus grew anxious when his dark mark began to burn.
Oh dear…
Lily frowned at the tense expression on Severus's face as he apparated away.
While he rushed to Voldemort's side, Severus's mind raced as furiously as his body.
The house and car were supposed to have been charmed….
Did someone see them anyway?
Did Voldemort know….?
Was Lily in danger?
Had Severus jeopardized his position?
Perhaps not….
Upon his arrival, Severus found Voldemort seated in a large room.
Voldemort appeared to be busy conducting a meeting with several of his high-ranking followers.
The subjects being discussed in the meeting did not concern Severus or Lily and when Severus realized that, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief…
In fact, no one even acknowledged Severus's presence until Voldemort happened to glance over at the time.
With an irritated snarl, Voldemort looked over, saw Severus, and snapped. "Severus!"
"My lord?" Severus asked as Voldemort beckoned him over.
Severus walked over to Voldemort and watched as Voldemort pushed a small box into his hands.
"Use the portkey in the other room and go! Now! Deliver my locket to Odessa, that will keep it safe...But you must go now! I'm….I mean, you're already late! Hurry!"
"Of course…..yes, my lord." Severus said with a quick bow before he darted into the other room and quickly used the portkey.
Just holding the box, Severus could feel the ominous weight of the horcrux, as if it were pulling on his very soul…
In a flash, Severus found that his surroundings had changed and he noticed that he had been transported to a seaside cave.
Severus assumed that the cave was the locket's hiding place which Voldemort had been hinting at.
Severus was secretly pleased with his mission.
Now Severus would be able to tell Dumbledore the exact location of at least one horcrux.
That still wasn't a weapon, but it was a start…..
Severus looked down at the box in his hands.
Deliver the locket to Odessa…..
Severus glanced around the black water and frowned.
Odessa….
So, was Voldemort referring to the cave itself as Odessa?
If that was so, why had Voldemort been in such a rush?
Was the cave going to disappear?
Severus scowled as he thought.
There was nothing in the cave but water and sand…...
Where was Severus supposed to leave the locket?
Dropping the locket in the sand didn't seem secure.
Throwing the locket in the water seemed daft.
Severus was almost disappointed in Voldemort.
Why hadn't the great Tom Riddle planned something more elaborate?
"...Tom?"
Severus didn't hear a splash or a swell in the water.
There was no noise to announce that Severus was no longer alone, there was just a simple question that rang out.
Severus quickly turned in the direction of the voice and his brow furrowed as he found himself looking back at….
Lily?
There, staring up at him from the water, was a woman with long, thick, flame red hair, tied up in elaborate braids.
The black water of the cave made the woman's pale skin glow as her unnaturally bright green eyes gazed quizzically at Severus.
Once Severus studied the woman for a moment, he knew that no, she was definitely not Lily.
However, the woman in the water resembled Lily so strongly that Severus couldn't help but feel strangely….at ease.
The woman's face was fair and her skin shimmered with droplets of water.
When Severus failed to respond, the woman narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Where is Tom?"
Tom….
Severus finally realized who the woman was asking about and he cleared his throat before he spoke, "Tom?...'Tom' is not here. My name is Severus Snape, I'm one of Tom's servants."
The woman scowled angrily.
Severus watched as the water in the cave began to rock violently, as if in response to the woman's rage as she hissed, "Tom refused to come himself?! So he sent a boy in his place?! Tom may fancy himself a king among men but he is still not a god among worlds! Go then, boy, and tell Tom that the ocean won't overlook his disrespect! Tell Tom that-"
Severus watched anxiously as the woman grew more enraged by the second.
Severus felt a wet spray from the water as furious waves rose dangerously along the sand and smashed against his feet, threatening to pull him into the sea.
But fortunately, Severus Snape was a clever man.
In an attempt to assuage the woman in front of him, Severus opened the box and held the locket up.
As soon as the woman saw the locket, her rage vanished and a beautiful smile illuminated her fair face.
"This is the locket of Salazar Slytherin." Severus said very seriously. "The dark-...er…..'Tom'...ordered me to bring it here…...It is a cursed object, the weight it imposes on one's soul is extraordinary."
"What does that matter? I am free from the burdens of man." The woman replied, not taking her green eyes off the locket.
While the woman admired the locket, Severus frowned, "...Are you Odessa?"
"No, I am water, nothing more, nothing less." The woman smirked challengingly.
Severus remained calm and ignored the woman's taunt, but he asked a better question. "Is your name Odessa?"
"I have been called by many names." The woman shrugged. "But yes, that has been one of them."
Severus struggled not to grimace.
So…..Voldemort must have decided that leaving his horcrux in a guarded cave was foolish and instead, he had chosen a living guardian…
Severus knew this would complicate things for the Order…..but at the moment, he was out of options.
Severus walked over and offered the locket to the woman.
The woman eyed Severus with her emerald stare and smiled.
Slowly, the woman turned in the water and put her back to Severus, then she gathered her massive volume of red hair in her hands and lifted it aside, waiting.
Severus felt a bit uncomfortable, but he had watched his mother do that with his father once before and so, he unclsped the locket, bent forward, and fastened it around Odessa's neck.
The woman let out a deep sigh once Severus finished and she turned back around to face him directly.
Severus frowned as the woman looked into his eyes for a moment, then he watched tears start to roll down her cheeks and it hurt him to see.
As he watched the woman weep, it made Severus feel like Lily was crying…
To Severus's surprise, the woman raised her hand and plucked a single strand of flame red hair from her head.
It was an impossibly long, and unusually thick hair…..
The woman stretched out her hand, offering Severus her strand of hair, but when Severus took it from her, the woman whispered quietly, "Sometimes, when a flower wilts, a single drop of water makes it bloom once more."
"Why are you telling me this?" Severus asked, furrowing his brow.
"Why are you listening?" The woman replied.
Severus remained silent and he pocketed the hair but when he looked up, the woman was gone.
No splash…
No ripple…
Just gone.
Severus looked around over the calm water.
With no trace of the woman or the locket, Severus used the portkey and returned to the Death Eater meeting.
As Severus walked into the room, Voldemort looked up at him and asked, "The locket is with Odessa?"
"Yes, my lord." Severus nodded.
"Excellent work!" Voldemort nodded quickly and then turned back to speaking with Lucius and Rodolphus, who were still gathered around him.
Since Voldemort had not asked about the hair, Severus decided to take it to Dumbledore.
Perhaps Dumbledore could use it somehow, to forge a path.
Dumbledore had tasked Severus with finding a weapon, an edge…
So far, Severus only had a name and a hair.
But that was something, at least.
—
The following day, Severus took a break from all of his work and returned to Diagon Alley.
For his birthday, Lily was going to give Severus what he truly wanted, but ironically, that meant that Severus would have to make a purchase first…..
Once Severus reached Diagon Alley, he quickly made his way to Juliet's and Tilly's, again wearing his top hat and overcoat to disguise his face.
Under the high collar of his coat and the shadow of his hat, Severus was unrecognizable to everyone as his true self, but Juliet and Tilly remembered their mysterious customer right away.
"Good day to you, sir!" Juliet chimed.
"We thank you for coming back!" Tilly echoed behind her.
Severus nodded as he walked up to the counter.
Juliet smiled kindly at Severus. "I trust the recipient liked her gift?"
"She did, yes, the bracelet was very nice." Severus nodded.
Juliet exchanged a knowing glance with Tilly and then she looked back to Severus. "Alright, then, sir! What can we help you with this time? Another gift for your mum, perhaps~?"
"No, not today." Severus mumbled. "I…...I'm looking for a….ring."
Severus's voice was already low and he whispered the last word so softly that it was inaudible.
Juliet blinked. "Sorry…...you're looking for what?"
"A….ring." Severus whispered again.
"Sir, I want to help ya, really, I do…..but you've got to tell me what you need." Juliet coaxed, leaning in to better hear Severus.
"A ring!" Severus hissed in irritation.
Juliet squealed and put her hand over her mouth in shock and delight.
To Severus's dismay, he had spoken so loudly that Tilly had heard him too and both women giggled as they looked at each other.
When Juliet sensed her customer's discomfort, she cleared her throat and composed herself, "Very well, sir, follow me this way and I'll show you the lot. We have many beautiful things that any lucky lady would be happy to receive."
Severus's heart pounded as he followed Juliet to the side of the shop where rows and rows of engagement rings were proudly displayed.
While he shopped, Severus wished that Voldemort had never existed.
Severus wished that Lucius could have come with him and helped him choose the best ring for Lily.
Severus wished that he and Lily didn't have to sneak around, although, regardless, Severus would have still come back to the shop in disguise.
The last thing that Severus wanted was for a student to pass by and spot Professor Snape shopping for an engagement ring.
—
Severus made his purchase.
It was a simple ring, gold, with a modest diamond in the center, surrounded by Juliet and Tilly's signature filigree design.
Lily had gone on a road trip with her girlfriends to Dublin for a few days.
Though Severus hated that he and Lily had to be apart, it did give him some time to complete the lesson plans for his upcoming classes, refine the formula for Lily's healing elixir, and attempt to research the new guardian of Slytherin's locket.
During that time though, Lily's ring never left Severus's person, even when he slept, he stored the ring securely in the breast pocket of his nightshirt.
Lily arrived back at her apartment on New Year's Eve and Severus eagerly accepted her invitation to dinner, apparating into her small dining room just an hour later.
"Hey Sev!" Lily greeted Severus from the kitchen once he arrived.
"Hello." Severus smiled at Lily in spite of himself when he saw how beautiful she looked in her plaid half apron and how truly happy she seemed to see him again.
"It won't be long and the food will be ready." Lily informed Severus while she bustled around her little kitchen.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Severus asked, trying not to stare at her bottom as Lily bent over to open the oven.
"Well…...do you think you can stir a pot?" Lily challenged, glancing over her shoulder, across her curtain of red hair to smirk at Severus.
"Yes…...I think I can manage that." Severus replied in his low, slow voice.
Lily put the finishing details on what she was baking while Severus stood beside her, skillfully stirring the soup that was cooking on the stove.
In happy silence, they worked together for a while and Severus had to admit…
He normally hated cooking, but he found himself feeling rather sad when dinner was finally ready.
—
Severus and Lily ate their dinner together and afterwards they sat in Lily's living room, watching the muggle broadcast of the live New Year's Eve countdown on television.
"I don't know why you insist on…...this." Severus grumbled, nodding at the television.
Severus and Lily had grown far more comfortable with each other and how they sat on the sofa showed that.
When Lily had first moved into her apartment, Severus and Lily always sat by side, then gradually, they began to sit closer and closer…..
While they watched the holiday broadcast, Severus was sitting on the far right side of the couch, laid back, and Lily was cuddled up on his chest with her legs stretched out over his.
Severus had his arms wrapped loosely but securely around Lily and he held her close.
"I like 'this', Sev." Lily laughed. "I've watched this program every year for as long as I can remember and I'm not going to stop anytime soon, so you best get used to it."
Severus made a noise of irritation in his throat but Lily glanced up at him with a bright smile.
Severus looked down at Lily and when he saw the smile on her beautiful face, he felt his heart catch in his chest….
As much as Severus detested the muggle world and everything about it, somehow Lily's smile made it all bearable…
Severus sighed when another commercial break began and he shifted underneath Lily.
Lily blinked up at him and sat up a bit, "Is your arm falling asleep?"
"No, It's fine." Severus said once he readjusted himself.
Once he was settled, Severus focused his black gaze on Lily as he ordered, "Lay on me."
Severus's voice was low and rich and the command he uttered made Lily shiver.
Severus spoke so coldly, so confidently…..and yet, all the while, Lily knew that if she refused, it would break Severus.
But Lily wasn't about to refuse….
"As you wish, Professor~." Lily grinned, moving back to cuddle against Severus's chest once more.
Severus blinked.
"Are you trying to give me cheek, Miss Evans?" Severus asked Lily, deciding to play along.
"That depends~." Lily giggled. "Are you asking for it, Professor?"
Lily laughed at the blush that suddenly covered Severus's face when he realized how that question could be interpreted…
Lily looked back at the television but Severus smirked.
Severus glanced down at Lily once more and his eyes traveled over the curves of her hips and breasts…...
Severus felt bravery creep up his spine.
Lily's eyes widened as she heard Severus speak in his low, rich voice as his long fingers began to stroke her side in a slow, deliberate motion.
"...Suppose that I am?"
Severus was terrified, what if Lily said no?
What if he offended her and she threw him out?
Lily was shocked….she had imagined that….
That…
His birthday….
Severus wanted her like this?
Right then?
In her lounge clothes?
Lily didn't realize it, Severus couldn't care less about what she was wearing.
Lily could have been naked or in a ballgown or in a paper sack….it wouldn't have changed Severus's attitude towards her at all.
Lily Evans was the one thing that Severus Snape wanted most in the world, regardless of anything else.
And as Lily raised herself up and pushed her lips against Severus's, Severus locked his arms around her tightly, as if a sudden flood was coming to try and sweep her away forever.
Suddenly, the television program became background noise as their kiss grew intense at shocking speed.
Severus cupped Lily's face in his hands and Lily gripped onto his shoulders.
Lily squealed as Severus gathered her into his arms and stood from the couch, carrying her into her bedroom as easily as if she were a doll.
Severus laid Lily down on the bed, and suddenly, they were engulfed by a whirlwind of clothes as they hastily disrobed each other.
Robes, shirt, pants, socks, underwear, bra, panties…
Neither Severus nor Lily had time to be self conscious and once they were both completely undressed, they looked at each other for a moment.
Both Severus and Lily seemed to gain a new confidence by the look they saw in each other's eyes.
Lily's emerald stare wandered curiously over Severus, admiring his pale, thin form, appreciating the subtle lines of his slender muscles, coming to fixate for a moment on his arousal.
Severus stared at Lily with his mouth agape.
Severus didn't know what to look at first…
Severus's black gaze flickered here and there, ghosting over the pale skin of Lily's throat, the soft, tempting plumpness of her breasts, the smooth skin of her flat abdomen…..
Lily shifted underneath Severus as his stare rested on her navel for a second before it trailed down her belly towards the small tuft of curls that hid her center, finally roaming over to the round curve of her full bottom.
Severus's gaze was reverent as he reached a trembling hand out and gently, very gently, touched Lily on her side as if she were made of glass.
Lily's green eyes softened as she watched Severus closely and she blushed softly as Severus uttered the word, "Beautiful….."
In the back part of his mind, Severus was irritated that his statement was too simple, too cliche, but in the moment, it was all he could manage to choke out.
Lily grabbed Severus's hand and pulled him down over top of her and instantly, they were kissing again.
Lily whimpered as Severus gradually migrated away from her lips and kissed down her jaw, moving along her throat, her neck, her chest…...
Severus felt Lily start to breathe heavier when he kissed across her gorgeous breasts and curiously, Severus gently took one of Lily's hardened nipples into his mouth.
Lily whimpered at the action and Severus glanced up, watching Lily as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Severus's heart raced with anticipation, but he decided to take a risk…..
Severus gave Lily's nipple a gentle suck.
Lily cried out, a soft, wanton sound, and instantly grabbed onto Severus's head, locking him into position as she tangled her fingers in his black hair.
Severus's eyes widened at Lily's reaction and he resisted the urge to growl as he pushed his face into Lily's breasts and suckled, moving to the other nipple once she began to writhe underneath him.
Lily spread her legs and Severus slid his knee forward, feeling something….
Something?
A wetness coated his knee and Severus's heart fluttered as he realized that wetness was…...Lily.
Severus pulled back and Lily looked at him with her green eyes half-lidded.
"Sev….." Lily whispered, beckoning him, urging him on.
Severus knew what Lily was asking, there was no need for her to speak the words.
Severus drew in a breath and he raised himself up, spreading his own legs and shivering when the tip of his manhood nudged against Lily's warm, wet center.
Severus brushed his lips against Lily drowning out her sharp cry with another kiss as he gently, carefully pushed into her center.
Lily's eyes widened at the knife-like pain and Severus tensed himself, trying not to spill over at the sudden tight grip of heat that he found himself ensnared in.
Lily gasped as the pain ebbed away and slowly melted into pleasure after Severus stilled for a moment inside her before gently thrusting so they were hip to hip.
Severus growled in his throat as Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
It took a moment for Severus to find a rhythm, but soon, he and Lily were locked in each other's arms, kissing sweetly while they made love.
Severus never wanted it to end, he wanted to stay buried in Lily, tangled in her arms for the rest of his life.
Severus was so gentle and so sweet, Lily had never felt so cared for.
Severus snaked a hand down between them and began to explore Lily a bit, running his velvety fingertips over the parts of her pink petals that he could still manage to reach.
While Severus picked up his speed, his fingers brushed against something wonderful in just the right way and Lily's eyes widened as pleasure erupted from her core, spreading through her abdomen to overtake her body.
"OHHHH! SSSEEEEEVVVV!"
Severus's black eyes widened too.
Severus was overwhelmed by Lily's throaty cry, by the alluring sight of her thigh twitching, and by the way she squeezed his manhood, placing his member in a death grip from which there was no escape.
Severus groaned quietly, trying to stay strong and silent but he stiffened, and spilled himself into Lily, holding onto her so tightly she struggled to breathe.
Once Severus finished seeing stars and Lily relaxed, she giggled quietly and kissed him as he slipped from her and rolled onto his back, allowing her to instinctively cuddle onto his chest.
"I love you." Severus breathed, stroking Lily's arm.
That was cliche too, and Severus knew it, but he didn't care.
It was true and he wanted to say it.
He needed to say it.
"I love you too, Sev." Lily sighed happily.
Severus glanced down at Lily and by the light that came from the living room, he admired the soft glow that dusted her cheeks, it wasn't a full blush, just a heated shadow from their coupling.
Severus closed his eyes triumphantly.
Lily yawned and by the time midnight came, the television got louder, announcing the arrival of the new year, but Lily and Severus were still on the bed, asleep in each other's arms.
—-
The following morning, Lily woke first and she washed up, dressed, and went to the living room to finally turn off the television.
Lily sat, flipping through an old family picture album her mother had lent her, while she waited for Severus to wake.
A few minutes later, Severus stirred and once he was out of bed, clean, and presentable again, he came to sit beside of Lily in the picture room, enjoying the quiet morning and casually over the pictures with her as she flipped through the album.
It was comfortable and cozy and they didn't speak of the night before because they were both glad it happened and they both knew it would happen again.
Many times over…...
"Our family is really small." Lily said shyly while she and Severus looked at a few of her and Petunia's baby pictures.
"As is mine." Severus shrugged.
Lily chatted to him about family memories while she stood from the couch and went to the kitchen, heating some water for tea.
Severus sat on the sofa while they talked, idly turning the pages in the album.
When Severus turned one particular page though, his dark eyes widened.
Severus stared at the picture in front of him and he interrupted Lily to ask, "-Sorry, who's this?"
"Oh!" Lily exclaimed as she walked over and looked at the page. "That's alright! That's my grandmother and grandfather Evans…..they died when I was very little…..lost at sea on a cruise ship, it was quite tragic. Father was devastated, he's an only child, you know…...Now, Sev, where was I?"
Lily began to regail Severus with more of her stories but he had stopped listening.
Severus wasn't trying to be rude to his love, he was just surprised.
And confused…...
Severus's coal black eyes lingered on the photograph…..
The picture was of a newly married couple.
The picture was old, in black and white.
Severus's brow creased as he thought deeply…..
Lily had identified the couple in the picture as her grandparents.
Severus had no prior knowledge of the man in the photograph, and he didn't care, it was the woman he was focused on.
A chill ran through Severus as he studied her face.
Yes, there was no denying it, even with her hair cut short and a white wedding dress on her elegant frame…..
Severus had met the woman in the photograph just a few days ago, on a mission from Voldemort, in a small, seaside cave.