Chapter 12 Welcome to Ilvermorny

"Alright you two, let's head on inside and I'll take you to the Headmistress, she's expecting us all in a short while," Esmerelda said, ushering them in from the courtyard.

"Where's the Headmistress' office?" Lily asked, still in awe of their surroundings, her eyes never ceasing their journey to devour as much of their new home as possible.

"That's what I'm here for," Esmerelda explained. "However I don't think the Headmistress would mind if we took a bit of a scenic route. I'm sure you'd like the opportunity to learn a little more about the castle's layout wouldn't you?"

"Would the Headmistress mind?" Severus asked, shooting her a quizzical look.

"I'm not so sure," Esmerelda mused, her hand rising to grasp her chin in contemplation. "But who says she has to find out?" So let's just keep this between ourselves, deal?"

"Deal," they both replied in unison, grinning at their professor.

Esmerelda too was sporting a toothy grin of her own. She summoned her house-elf and told the creature to take Lily's and Severus' luggage to her own personal quarters for the time being until they'd been sorted. The diminutive creature nodded in assent and did as it was told, taking their luggage away off of them and away to the Potions Mistress' quarters.

"Alright you two, stick close to me now," she ordered, turning on her heel and leading the way into the entrance hall. "This castle isn't quite as big as the one you're familiar with…but you can still get lost rather easily."

"Alright Professor," Lily replied, falling in step with the woman of shorter stature, Severus moving to her other side.

Ilvermorny's two newest students followed their professor from the courtyard and headed into the castle. They entered the cavernous entrance hall, although it wasn't quite as large as Hogwarts', it was still massive and had numerous corridors and doors branching out from it. Upon entering, to the right was the entrance to the Eating Hall, where they would take their meals and mingle with their housemates, Esmerelda said it would also serve as a study hall between meals. To their left was the Ceremony Hall, where the runic carvings were held that sorted all the incoming students, the hall also served as a ballroom and was used for certain events when the occasion called for it. Unlike Hogwarts, sorting at Ilvermorny was a private ceremony not taken in front of the school. Straight ahead were a series of corridors that lead to different parts of the castle, the leftmost corridor lead to the kitchens, she said, the rightmost, to Pukwudgie Tower, second from the right lead to the Thunderbird Wing. The last of the four doors, the second one from the left was the one they were headed for. Through it lead to the Headmistress' office which sat at the top of the second tallest spire in the castle; the doorway also lead to the other parts of the castle that branched away through numerous side-corridors off of the main one.

Opening the door, they were greeted with a grand, and very old staircase, it didn't move like the ones at Hogwarts did. They climbed the stairs slowly, as Esmerelda took her time explaining where each exit of the stairs lead to, one of the early exits lead to Wampus Tower, and another lead to Esmerelda's own stomping grounds, the Horned Serpent Wing. They kept climbing and climbing all the way to the top. Little did Severus and Lily know, but they were ascending to the second highest point of the entire castle, the tower they climbed was known as the Head Tower, owing to its primary function of housing the Headmistress' quarters and offices. There were several towers at Ilvermorny, Pukwudgie Tower, Wampus Tower, the Watchtower, and lastly, the Head Tower of course. Naturally, the watchtower was the tallest of them all, and was used for observing the grounds of the castle, the night sky, and the rolling hills of the mountain range their castle resided in.

As they climbed the seemingly never-ending staircase, Esmerelda told the pair that now was as good an opportunity as ever to take a peek out of one of the numerous windows they passed by, she promised the view was nothing short of spectacular and would even give Hogwarts a good run for its money. Heeding her advice, they did as she recommended and were awarded with a sight that stole their breath away. Through the ornate, stained window, they spied the Berkshires, a series of rolling hills covered head to toe in all manner of greenery. They seemed to stretch on forever. Peering down from their vantage point, they spotted a building about half a mile from the castle. It was perhaps the size of a small townhouse, it was Edward Sawyer's residence, and the numerous pens around out presumably housed the creatures he was raising.

"It's quite the view isn't it?" Esmerelda asked, interrupting the two teens from their reverie.

"Yeah…it really is quite something, professor," Lily readily agreed.

Severus nodded.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed that. Follow me now, we're almost there."

Esmerelda turned on her heel and resumed her skyward climb, Severus and Lily trailing after her.

"Remember what Dumbledore said about Maxwell," Severus warned in hushed tones as they climbed the tower.

Lily chuckled slightly but nodded. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder Sev but I remember. She's quite the harsh task-master I've heard," she whispered back.

Severus nodded solemnly. "Just wanted to make sure you remembered. 'cus if you tried anything like what you did with Dumbledore at the end of last term…" he shuddered at the thought.

Lily frowned in confusion. "Why would I be mad? If anything, I'd be grateful since she decided to admit us!"

"That's true, you may not be mad now per se," Severus agreed, "but with your temper, just about anything could set you off so I'm warning you in advance," he added, throwing her a little, amused grin.

"Well if makes you feel better Sev, I promise you on my honor as a Gry—wait, I mean—as an Evans, that my temper shall not make an appearance today, happy?"

"Very. I don't think it'd be smart of us after all to begin our tenure here by getting off on the wrong foot with the Headmistress," Severus said warningly.

"Yeah? Well you and me both are in agreement there," Lily replied.

When they reached the top of the tower, a tall, dark brown door stood in their way, the fittings of which seemed to be some sort of gold alloy. "This door was made from the Snakewood tree on the grounds. I'll show it to you later, or perhaps…you two will discover it for yourselves," Esmerelda said.

She raised her hand to the knocker and swung it against the wood twice. The door then swung open of its own accord and they entered a large, circular shaped office. At the center of which was a desk, and an old woman in a chair. Said woman, was none other than the Headmistress of Ilvermorny, Cedrella Maxwell.

"Good morning Headmistress," Esmerelda greeted respectfully, bowing. Severus and Lily quickly did the same. "One Mister Snape, and another Miss Evans delivered as promised ma'am."

The old woman bowed her head, seemingly a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you, Esmerelda, please do join us, I wish for you to be here for our meeting," Maxwell replied. Her tone was soft, and quite high too, not at all like what Dumbledore implied she'd be like.

"Mister Snape, Miss Evans. Please do take your seats and we shall get right to business," Maxwell said, turning her attention to the two teens.

"Of course Headmistress. Thank you for accepting us. " Severus said swiftly, bowing to her and then entering the office.

"Thank you for the welcome ma'am. As Severus said, we're truly grateful to be here," Lily added, giving a bow of her own as she followed Severus to Maxwell's desk where three chairs were placed facing it.

Severus sat in the middle, Lily to his left, leaving the rightmost chair for Esmerelda.

"Firstly, I would like to welcome you both to Ilvermorny school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is not often we accept transfer students, but I must admit Miss Evans that your letter was very persuasive and insistent if I do say so myself. Our Potions Mistress too couldn't foresee passing up two individuals as talented as yourselves."

Lily flushed slightly in lieu of her praise. "Thank you ma'am. We greatly appreciate this opportunity to become a part of your prestigious school," she said sincerely.

"I also appreciate this opportunity Headmistress, I can assure you that Lily and I won't let you down," Severus added, holding Maxwell's gaze.

"I'm sure you won't," Maxwell replied, sounding confident.

"Now. If you both will follow me to the fireplace, we shall floo to the Ceremony Hall for your sorting."

She stood up from her chair and strode over to the fireplace at a remarkable pace for someone of her age. Clearly, she and Dumbledore had gone to the same school of fast-striding seniors. Esmerelda brought up the rear of the group as they walked over to the floo. Line-a-stern, they flooed away one after the other to the Ceremony Hall. The room they entered wasn't massive by any stretch, it was…perhaps moderate sized, a quarter the size of the Great Hall back at Hogwarts by Severus' estimation. They must magically expand it whenever they host a ball or an event…otherwise this place'd fill up really quickly, Severus mused.

Despite the relatively unimpressive size of the Hall they'd stepped into, they had to admit it was furnished spectacularly. Tapestries and Paintings of all sorts lined all four walls, and where there weren't works of art, numerous ornate lamps took their place higher up on the wall that cast the room in a warm glow. There were a few stained glass windows with a direct view overlooking the courtyard they'd landed in not half an hour ago, and beyond to the school grounds and the wider Berkshires. Beyond the tapestries, torches and windows, the main feature of the room sat in its center; a series of Runic Carvings, all laid out in a neat circle in the middle of the room. There were a few standing torches around the periphery of the Rune-filled circle that granted additional light, and in the very middle of the circle was a stool.

"Miss Evans, do take your seat on the stool and your sorting process will begin," Maxwell said, gesturing over to the stool.

Lily nodded. "Out of curiosity, how long does the process take, Headmistress?"

"Anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes. It depends on the traits and values of the sortie," Maxwell answered. "Proceed to the circle if you will."

Lily dutifully did as she was told and sat herself down on the stool. For a moment, nothing happened, but as the seconds ticked by a dull vibration began shaking the floor beneath them and the four quadrants of runes lit up all at once. Lily said nothing, merely staring straight ahead as the floor vibrated in different places, the runes seemingly in tune with one another as they decided on which house was best to take her. Lily shut her eyes then, and her lips began to move, silently whispering the same two words over and over again. "Horned Serpent. Horned Serpent. Horned Serpent." After a few moments longer of deliberation between the runes, three quadrants went dark, that left only one illuminated. The Horned Serpent. Sensing the vibrations had stopped, Lily cracked open an eye lid, and then two, taking a moment to adjust to the light; upon spotting the illuminated rune representing the Horned Serpent, she yelped loudly with joy and sprang off the stool as if a firecracker had been lit beneath it. Her jubilant reaction was met with a smirk of approval from Severus as well as polite clapping from her now Head of House, Professor Rosier.

"Well, well Esmerelda, it seems you've received a new student," Maxwell said, her tone conveying her amusement as well as her surprise. "She seemed more like a Wampus to me, but…the runes don't lie."

"Anyways…Mister Snape you're up next. Take your seat on the stool."

"Good luck," Lily whispered as he stepped past her and moved with purpose to the middle of the room where he claimed his seat.

Much like with Lily, the lights seemed to dim and the ground began to rattle and hum from the force of the magic the Runes gave off. Severus too decided to shut his eyes and embrace the process as the ancient scriptures over which he sat sprang to life. Several thoughts flowed through his subconscious, gauging the boy's response as the Runes engaged him and one another, jockeying for the honor of who would claim him. Severus made his thoughts on the sorting crystal clear, he repeated 'Horned Serpent' over and over again in his head like a mantra until finally, three quadrants went dark and only one remained lit. It also just so happened to be the same quadrant as Lily, he was a Horned Serpent. Just like with Lily, Esmerelda clapped proudly for him and Lily once again cheered with delight.

"Way to go Sev!" Lily hollered, cheering as if there were no tomorrow.

Severus just grinned happily, he hadn't been looking forward to the potential prospect of being separated from Lily, but it seemed that history wouldn't repeat itself here.

"Congratulations Severus, welcome to the best house in Ilvermorny," Esmerelda added, smiling triumphantly that not one, but two of her future potions prodigies had fallen into her house.

Maxwell too gave him a nod of approval. "Although it would have been nice if you had been sorted into Wampus House," she said loudly to no one in particular.

"There are all things we want but don't get Headmistress," Professor Rosier replied, grinning teasingly at the older woman.

"Yes, yes. Well now that that's sorted, I believe now would be an opportune time to head over to Quincy Market to get your school items and sort out your Gringotts accounts. The Shops should be opening up right around now. Esmerelda, I'm afraid I must ask you to help sort them out."

"It wouldn't be any trouble at all Headmistress, especially since they're both Serpents now," Esmerelda replied happily.

Turning towards Severus and Lily she said; "Your luggage shall be delivered to our common room by the time we get back."

"Thank you Professor," they responded together.

Maxwell bade them goodbye and flooed away back to her offices whilst Esmerelda lead them out of the Ceremony Hall and towards her own offices. Fireplaces within the school were separated from the outside world for the most part with Professors only being able to modify their own personal ones to enable travel to locations outside of school grounds. When they arrived in her office, Esmerelda lifted the enchantment on her fireplace, allowing them to floo to Quincy Market. To the Muggles, Quincy Market was simply a historical site, but to the magical community it still very much operated as a market to this day. Much like the barrier to platform Nine and Three Quarters back in London, a solid Granite wall served as a barrier for them to enter and exit the magical portion of the market. They wouldn't be using that wall today however, they wouldn't even be venturing into the Muggle world today since they would floo directly to the market itself—the magical half, although Esmerelda would tell them that the Muggle version of the market was almost identical to the Magical one they'd be visiting.

The Market itself housed an array of shopfronts that sold all manner of things, ranging from potions supplies, to owls, to century-old tomes and anything in-between that a wizard's or witch's heart could desire. Furthermore, its location in the heart of Boston meant they would always have easy access to the largest city in New England just one floo jump away, despite having to wait several years before they could apply for apparation licenses. After a short five minute walk from the ceremony hall, they arrived in Esmerelda's office, which resided on the ground floor of the castle in the west wing, otherwise known as the Horned Serpent wing that Severus and Lily would come to call home over the next few years. Esmerelda's office was significantly smaller than Maxwell's, but despite the modest size of the room, it was clear it belonged to a Rosier if the lavish fittings and expansive, towering bookshelves were anything to go by. After all, Rosiers certainly loved their money and despite not sharing her family's views on blood purity and the like, it was clear that Esmerelda was no different.

"Alright you two, repeat what I say precisely with not a syllable out of order, understood?" Esmerelda asked, once they arrived at her fireplace.

Both Severus and Lily replied their assent and so she took her position in the fireplace and hurled down a fistful of floo powder whilst shouting, "Quincy Market!" as clear as could be. Lily repeated the process, and Severus went last, they had to try especially hard to match their head of house's accent but they just about managed. When Severus stepped out of the floo half a state away, he was met with an onslaught of noise, and bright lights shining down from the Rotunda he'd found himself beneath. He'd never seen Quincy market, the Muggle or Magical version but boy was it a sight to behold.

"It's quite something isn't it Sev?" Lily asked, she too was looking all over the place, seemingly in an effort to take it all in as quickly as possible.

"Yeah. Yeah this is really quite something."

The Market was a singular, long building built of Granite in the early 1800s. In the middle of the building, where the two teens and the Professor currently resided was a single Rotunda with high ceilings and stained glass windows. Stretching out in either direction were the two wings of the market that played host to a number of shops, restaurants and bars of a magical nature.

"Is the Muggle Quincy Market just like this?" Lily asked interestedly.

"Yes. The building is precisely the same, the only difference being this Market we've currently entered exists in parallel to the Muggle one. In other words, where we are now, the Magical portion of Quincy Market lies directly over the Muggle one, they're superimposed."

Severus nodded, seemingly in deep thought as he processed the information he'd just been given. "How do we access the Muggle one?" He asked.

Esmerelda turned away from them and pointed at the far wall at the end of the east wing. "You see that wall there?"

Lily and Severus both nodded.

"It's a lot like platform nine and three quarters, run straight at the wall and when you pass through it, you'll have entered Muggle Boston and you'll be just outside the Muggle Quincy Market," she explained.

"Oh, so to access it from the Muggle world…we have to run at the wall from the outside of the building then?"

"Precisely, Lily," Esmerelda replied. "Now do you two have any more questions or can we get started doing your shopping?" She asked, her brow raised. It seemed she was almost daring them to ask her another question.

"We can start," Lily said quickly.

Giving them a satisfied nod, the Potions Professor led them down the market towards the local Gringotts outlet. They passed numerous shopfronts, an Apothecary, a pair of bookstores, a Wand shop, and a potions supplies store before reaching the far West End of the Market where Gringotts resided. Unlike the Gringotts of Britain, this outlet seemed much smaller and wasn't its own standalone building. In Boston, it appeared to them as a single-story shopfront, perhaps the size of your average run-of-the-mill flower shop, but when they pushed open the door, the building inside was considerably larger than they'd been lead to believe. While the foyer they entered wasn't nearly as grand nor as ostentatious as the one in Diagon Alley, it was still a very meticulously decorated room with numerous fittings at each of the kiosks that were made of what appeared to be gold. The goblins sure loved their gold.

Esmerelda gestured them through to one of the tellers that was currently sitting idly at his kiosk. One after the other, Severus and Lily had their identities verified and their newly opened American accounts linked with their vaults back in Britain. The entire process didn't last long and within ten minutes, they were leaving the Boston Gringotts outlet with their withdrawals to go purchase their things. Severus had asked Esmerelda how much she reckoned they'd need for their all their purchases and withdrawn exactly two galleons more than that, despite inheriting his mum's account after her passing he didn't have a lot of money to say the least.

"So where to first Professor?" Lily chirped as they left the multi-story bank that was disguised as a small single-story shop.

"Hmm…normally I'd take new students to get their wands first…but in your case you obviously both have your own. We'll save books for last so I think our next stop shall be the Apothecary. As future students of my advance class, you two shall both need a substantial stock of potions ingredients on hand," Esmerelda answered.

Nodding in understanding, Severus and Lily followed her down the Market towards the apothecary which was just a few shopfronts over. When they entered the Apothecary, Esmerelda greeted the middle aged man behind the counter with a few kind words, Lily and Severus echoed her greeting, before following the professor into the store. They both picked up a basket each and soon found that maybe just one basket wasn't enough as rosier was filling them up at a rapid pace. Sure enough, a second basket was required and too was promptly filled with all manner of potion ingredients ranging from Lavender Sprigs to Newt Eggs and anything in-between. All four of Lily's and Severus' baskets were full soon after and so they headed over to the counter to pay. When they approached the counter and the two teens reached for their pouches, Esmerelda held her hand up and paid for the goods herself, as she said was her custom. Severus protested, angrily stating that he had enough money to pay for his ingredients, but it was then that Esmerelda informed Severus that when she gave him her estimate for how much everything would cost, she didn't factor in the potion ingredients they'd just picked out. He couldn't afford it lest he compromise his mandatory purchases as a rising 4th Year later on.

After purchasing their Potion ingredients, they left Sullivans' Apothecary and headed to the next store on their agenda, Wilson's Runes. Whilst Lily's Rune-deciphering kit was still in good nick, Severus who had inherited his from his mother was in dire need of an upgrade.

"Can I wait outside please? If it's alright with you Professor I'd like to take a look around a bit," Lily said as they neared the store.

"Don't venture too far. Maxwell would have my head if you go missing," Esmerelda replied, giving the redhead a firm look.

"Oh don't worry Professor, I'll be fine," she reassured.

Esmerelda gave her a curt nod; and Severus, a small smile, before the duo entered the Rune shop to find a good kit for him. Lily meandered around the market place a little bit, taking in the sights and trying to guess which shops they'd be heading to next on their trip. Obviously books was a large component of their agenda today, perhaps the robe shop too…but then again the few wizards and witches she'd seen wandering about mostly wore Muggle clothing. The young muggleborn witch had not taken kindly to having to forgo dresses, blouses and jeans in favor of bulky, awkwardly constructed robes. Needless to say she was happy that wizarding society here in America had more thoroughly embraced developments in the muggle world, pop culture and fashion being chief examples. Robes were still required at Ilvermorny, smart-looking cranberry blue robes being their future uniform, but after graduation…Lily would be more than happy to never wear them again. Her smile broadened just at the thought.

As she walked about, she spied a few restaurants that served cuisine rather…interesting, to say the least. Pausing outside a seafood place, she peered down at the signboard menu and looked over the meals they had on offer.

Grilled Haddock

Fried Calamari Roll

Deep-Fried Trout

Sea-Bass Steak

Lobster Roll with Butter

Lobster Roll with Chili

Lobster Sandwich

Lobster Bisque

Clam Chowder

What is with Bostonians and lobster? Mum never told me anything about this at all…strange. I wonder if Sev would like to try this…it sure sounds interesting.

Lily peered into the restaurant, which like all the other stores, was magically expanded beyond the size they appeared to be to the naked eye. She wasn't sure just how much bigger it was, but based on the fact that Gringotts appeared to be the size of a simple flower shop yet was about half the size of the outlet back home meant this place would probably have more than enough seating too.

She then moved back towards the Rotunda in the middle of the Market and peered around at the shops and artwork in display. She had to admit the entirety of Quincy Market was an impressive display of spacial magic at work, and she was silently impressed that whomever had built this place, they must've been charm and ward casters of an incredibly high caliber. Moments like this, now that she could begin to understand the basics behind all these incredible things the Magical World had to offer, filled her with awe.

She continued walking around the Rotunda a while longer until she spotted Severus and Rosier leaving the Rune shop. Esmerelda spotted her a moment later and motioned her over quickly. Weaving through the throngs of shoppers, she eventually reached them, although Severus had hardly noticed her arrival given that his head was buried quite deep in his shopping bag—checking over the Rune Deciphering kit he'd just purchased.

When she'd finally arrived, the sound of her voice caused Severus' head to snap up from his bag. "Professor…may I ask you something?"

Esmerelda, who had been looking through the crowd, looked over to Lily. "Go ahead Lily."

Lily smiled in thanks. "I was wondering what's the deal with lobster here, and why it's…such a popular dish. I was looking at a signboard for a seafood restaurant just over there—" she pointed down the market towards the restaurant with the red and white awning. "—So much of the menu was—was lobster! I was just confused as to why it's so popular here."

"There's lobster here?" Severus ears perked up his eyes followed the direction of Lily's arm towards the restaurant. He squinted, black eyes narrowing and brow furrowing in concentration as he tried to read the signboard. He couldn't hold back the unburdened smile that crossed his face when he finally spied what Lily meant. There was lobster indeed, and far more than Lucius had ever given him before. "There is lobster!" Severus said excitedly.

Lily grinned and almost burst out into laughter at the sudden sound of abject glee from Severus, she'd never heard him sound so…childlike and carefree. He sounded just like a nine year old in a candy shop. "Oh yes…lobster is one the most popular delicacies in New England, Lobster Rolls in particular are especially delicious in my opinion. Would you two like to eat there?"

"Yes!" Severus blurted out without thinking. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands, like he thought he could keep his words to himself with the gesture. Lily just had to get to the bottom of this and find where Severus' love for shellfish came from. Honestly Sev…I had no clue you loved lobster so much! Well…the more you know, and I guess I know what meal we've gotta eat every January 9th now!

"I think that's your answer," Lily added, smiling.

"Excellent. You're not the only fan of lobster here Severus, it just so happens to be my favorite shellfish and quite possibly my favorite seafood as well," Rosier grinned.

"Should we get our books first Professor, or are we going to eat first?" Lily inquired.

Esmerelda pursed her lips for a moment, then pivoted over to face the bookstore a few shops down. She peered inside for a few moments and then turned back to the two expectant looking Horned Serpents. "We can go now, the store is still quiet so it shouldn't take too long. After we get your books, I'll floo back to my office and drop our things off there."

"Yes Professor."

"Sure Professor."

"Alright, now follow me. Reynolds' & Baker's is right around the corner and you'll be hard pressed to find a better bookshop than this one in all of New England."

The crowds of shoppers were getting thicker as the clock wound closer to noon, now, they still didn't have trouble keeping up with their professor's pace, but they were at times losing sight of her as she navigated through the crowd at her quick gait. Cutting through the growing crowd, they arrived at the book store and sure enough it was filled to the brim with fellow shoppers. It seemed Esmerelda wasn't the only person aware of this book store's supposed excellence. There were only a few books left on their items list that they had yet to purchase in Diagon Alley so the moment they entered the packed store,

Namely:

Fourth Year Transfiguration Techniques and Methodology IX Edition by Bruce Aaron

Elemental Transfiguration and Transmutation XIV Edition by Claudia Davis

Archibald Brown's Guide to the Magical Creatures of North America 1972 Edition

Geraldine Smith's Advanced Potioneering Guide for Fourth Years

A Complete and Comprehensive Directory to North American Potion Ingredients by Larry Benson

An Aspiring Charm Caster's Introduction to Enchanting by Selena Walker

They moved through the bookstore quickly, and thanks to Esmerelda's trained eye, they were able to locate the six books they both required fairly quickly and made their way towards the cash register. Between the twelve books they carried, Severus' rune kit, and the plethora of Potion ingredients that weighed down their bags, they were beginning to feel the the strain of all the books they bore. Thankfully, Esmerelda was nice enough to cast a feather-weight charm on their collective purchases, thus easing the two teens' burden. Before long, they reached the front of the queue and the two teens promptly paid for their purchases in full. With their books all arranged nicely in their bags and the rest of their purchases all organized, they left the packed bookstore and headed over to the bank of fireplaces to floo back to Ilvermorny.

When they reached the row of fireplaces, Esmerelda whirled around to face the two teens that followed her and said; "Wait right here you two. I shouldn't take longer than two or three minutes," she said firmly.

"Yes Professor," Severus and Lily responded swiftly.

She levitated their purchases out of their hands and into the air with a swish and flick of her wand. The bags hovered in fine balance with one another and moved through the air to meet her free outstretched hand. The featherweight charm meant she could carry all of their bags in a single hand, so with the other, she reached for a pinch of floo powder.

"I'll be right back. Stay put."

"We will professor," they chorused together.

"Good." Without further delay, Esmerelda chucked the pinch of floo powder at her feet, exclaiming her office as she did so and vanished.

She returned a minute later; with the tilt of her head, and a firmly uttered; "follow me," the trio set off for the seafood restaurant.

"Psst Sev," Lily whispered, speaking in a hushed tone of voice so only the boy in question would here.

"Yeah Lily?" He whispered back, glancing over at her through his curtain of hair.

"Since when did you like lobsters?" She asked, gazing up at him with a slight frown of scrutiny. Hearing her slightly accusatory tone, Severus frowned in turn causing her to blush.

"I—I didn't mean it like that," she said, flustered with herself. "I just meant…like how would you know what lobsters taste like? I mean…with you know…how could you have—I don't—" she was rambling and had lost her train of thought entirely, not quite sure how to pose her question without bringing up his wealth—or lack-thereof, which always was a sore point when talking with Sev. Thankfully, Severus rescued her from her derailed train of thought, although it was with a frown and with knitted brows.

"I spent a week during the summer after our first year with Lucius. He introduced it to me when I was over at the manor and have loved it ever since," Severus said crisply.

"Lucius? As in Lucius Malfoy?" Lily asked. She was doing her best to keep her tone nice and even, masking it well despite her disdain for the former Slytherin Prefect.

He gave a singular nod. "He…offered me a place to stay for a few days. It was a few weeks after mum had died so—so I took him up on his offer and spent a week there," Severus explained quietly. He met her gaze earnestly, "I didn't want to put you and your family out. You mentioned Mark had just gotten laid off at that point so…I didn't want to trouble you guys."

Despite her disdain for the boy, she felt a slight twinge of gratitude towards Malfoy. Her family had been struggling at the time and in all likelihood would've struggled to have coped with Severus as a fifth member of their house. When Mark found a new, very well paying job for an insurance firm a few months later, the Evanses were on far better financial footing and no longer in danger of having to sell their house. She understood why Severus had no choice but to ask Malfoy…but she was still worried Severus would try to contact him and re-establish a correspondence with the former Prefect. Lily wasn't deaf either, she'd heard rumors flittering about the school, especially within Gryffindor of who did or didn't become a death eater after their graduation. Lucius Malfoy's name was towards the very top of the list of those that did, and frankly, she was worried that sustained correspondence between Severus and he.

"Sev it's a good thing we're leaving all of that behind us though isn't it?" Lily asked quietly. "I mean, we can focus on what we really want, being potioneers and being the best brewers in the world. I know you liked Malfoy and he was your friend…but Sev he's made the wrong choice, he's…I know what he is."

"What do you mean?"

"I know he became a Death Eater," Lily said lowly, her eyes narrowed into angry slits. "And I know that one day, I intend to fight them. To fight for the right for my parents to live—to exist, I'll fight them and fight for my parents and people like me," she said, conviction of the highest order cascading off of her in waves.

"What about being a Potions Mistress? Wasn't that what you wanted to be?" Severus asked mildly.

"That too Sev, I can do both those things I think. I can be a potions mistress and join the fight against You-Know-Who, it's not like they're mutually exclusive," Lily answered.

"As will I," Severus said softly, but his tone was laced with conviction.

Lily was gaping—her mouth wide open like a fish out of water as she struggled to mask the surprised she felt. "You will?" She asked, unable to keep her shock from her voice. A smile morphed from her shock and she threw her arms around him. "You'll fight them? With me?"

"I will. I know how important it is to you, Lily. And I've learned a lot over these past few months, seen that Muggles aren't all that bad even—" he paused, smirking slightly at the sight of his flustered and gobsmacked-looking girlfriend, "even Petunia's not quite as bad as I once thought she was. She's still terrible at times—"

"Severus!" Lily exclaimed loudly, whacking him on the arm as he said that. "You can't say that, she's my sister!"

"Yeah so what?" Severus challenged, daring her to disagree with him. "She's only a nosey bint, remember what she tried to do that day we camped by the river? Do you remember how nosy she can be?"

Lily gave a resigned sigh and murmured a; "Yeah…I s'pose you're kinda right then. But it's still not nice to say those things."

"True, but has Petunia ever held back on me?"

Heaving another sigh, she muttered; "no."

"See then? Besides…I was saying that she's not as bad as I once thought she was. And your parents too…besides yourself they're the nicest people I've ever met!"

"So you no longer think all Muggles are bad then?" Lily asked, her brow raised appraisingly.

"No," Severus answered quietly. "And—and I'm sorry for believing those things about Muggles in the past…my father was—"

"I know Sev, there's no need to say it," Lily said softly, "I know what you mean." She flashed him a wan smile.

They arrived at the restaurant a few moments later and headed into the moderately crowded establishment. They found a corner booth that overlooked the market and settled down into their seats. Esmerelda informed them that to order, all they had to do was speak their dish aloud and that the house elves on staff would promptly deliver it within a few minutes at most. Lily took a moment to peruse the menu whilst Severus ordered a Lobster Roll with Chili almost the instant he spied the item on the menu. Lily in the end, after a bit of soul-searching opted to order the Swordfish Steak and Esmerelda went for her tried and tested Grilled Cod and Fries. They ordered their food in one go and sure enough, it appeared before them just three minutes later. Three piping hot dishes and three cool glasses of lemonade popped into existence and they began their meal in earnest. As much as Severus loved the Lobster that he had at Malfoy Manor, this was even better and he made short work of his meal, much to Lily's amusement.

They continued their meal in relative silence, but when Esmerelda politely excused herself to go to the bathroom, Lily took took it as the perfect time to ask a question that had been bugging her for quite some time.

"What made you start liking Muggles Sev?" Lily asked abruptly, once Esmerelda was out of earshot.

"Hmm?" Severus' voice was muffled since he currently had a mouthful of lobster roll between his chompers so he hastily swallowed his bite—coincidentally, the last of his roll. Once his mouth was clear, he said; "I wouldn't say I like them Lily, I just…don't care any more. And I have you to thank for that, to be honest, you, Mark and Violet," Severus answered truthfully.

"Me?" Lily seemed shocked and rather confused. "How did I help? I assumed it would've been more to do with my parents since they're the ones that—that are muggles so—"

"It's not about that," Severus interrupted, holding up his hand. "You've shown me that…there's no reason to—to hate, to harbor resentment any longer. D'you know what I'm trying to say?"

Lily glanced over at him, her lower lip worried by her incisors. "I guess so…"

"I don't think you get it," Severus said with a shake of his head. "What I mean to say, Lily, is that you've shown me that resentment, anger…why should I feel those things when I can feel love, and appreciation. I'm not the biggest fan of Muggles," Severus admitted with clenched teeth,

"I don't care about them at all, 'cept your parents that is. On the whole, I just…don't want to be angry, or hate them any more, because—because not all of them are bad, your parents are living, breathing proof of that to me. But if you want a proper answer, I don't hate Muggles, Lily. I just…realize there's so much more to life, than hate, rage, and resentment. You've shown me that. " he said, giving her a serious look that conveyed his gratitude as well as his sincerity.

"I'm glad I could help, Sev," Lily replied, smiling at him. She reached for his hand, just as he reached for hers. "I'm glad you've changed," she said softly, her green eyes searching out his and holding his gaze. "

Deep down, Severus was glad he'd changed too, living light heartedly was so much better than that perpetual feeling of resentment and anger he'd found himself in before he met Lily. For the first nine years of his life, he constantly felt angry and furious all the time, that or he was miserable or sad. With Lily, his sweet angel, he just felt so light and free, there was no time to feel anger towards Muggles, nor hate towards his father when she was there—by his side and holding his hand. His anger would vanish, and he would feel as light as a cloud. Feeling light, loved and blissful was a far easier existence than feeling angry, resentful and miserable all the time, so it was a no-brainer as to what he would rather feel and immerse himself in on a daily basis. Lily had changed him, had changed his entire outlook on life for the better, he no longer had to be mad, he could be happy; happy that his red-haired angel was here, telling him there was a life beyond hate and anger. She was right, the world he'd never ventured to until quite recently was a vast one, full of love and joy and all those things he'd longed to feel but never could due to the shackles of anger he'd found himself in.

Then along Lily came, and showed him what it was like to love someone, and beyond that, bestowed upon him her own sweet brand of love. He finally felt what he'd been missing out on for the first decade of his life. Why would he willingly resign himself to anger and hate when her love was so readily available? He had no reason to. And so he immersed himself in the power of her feelings for him, and she did the same, basking in the feeling of her warmth was simply blissful beyond compare for Severus. She showed him love and showed him how to love, and compared to his angry, I-hate-everything outlook on life he held before she came along, it was a no-brainer as to which he would rather immerse himself in if given the choice. He didn't hate Muggles, far from it, he simply found that there was so much more to life than hate and misery, and he much preferred the way he lived and felt now compared to just one or two years ago and the state of his life then. Now that his soul had been set free and soared high into the stratosphere, he only had one woman to thank for that, for showing him this wonderful existence, and she was sitting right across from him wearing a smile that could warm the iciest of hearts.

Only you, Lily. Only you could do this for me. Thank you.

A/N: So we've got a little bit of world building in this chapter, both at Ilvermorny and in Boston. There'll be more to come later in the story and I'm currently trying to come up with inventive/unique ways to tie in different areas of Massachusetts/New England with Wizarding Society. I was a big fan of Rowling's world building, and I'm gonna try my best to replicate just a little bit of that in New England. As the story progresses, I'm gonna be introducing more areas of wizarding society in as seamless a manner as I can manage.