A/N: Babysitting duties for Severus and Lily couldn't have come on a worse day. On the anniversary of her death-an occasion she'd always handled poorly in the afterlife, Lily and Severus are on duty for taking care of their godson. Thankfully, Severus seems up to the task of caring for them both-ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Patrick, as well as helping Lily get over the significance of the anniversary of her death.


Chapter 34 Babysitting Patrick

Armando Dippet the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had a yearly tradition that the students and staff alike celebrated on the day/night of All Hallows Eve. Dippet was a firm believer in the supernatural; how could you not be with ghosts aplenty calling Hogwarts home? Dippet, being the strong proponent of celebrating the sacred Holiday of Samhain, always cancelled classes on the day and allowed the staff and students to celebrate in any way they wished—provided they didn't venture off school grounds or break any rules. Staff would usually decorate the Great Hall, and students would assist; some students would partake in Pumpkin carving supervised by the Groundskeeper Bernard Walters; others would take the time to catch up on overdue assignments and use the one day holiday to its fullest to gain ground on their peers. With classes cancelled, the halls were extra busy with students and staff bustling about the castle in high spirits. For the most part, people enjoyed the one day holiday as it would give them a chance to unwind and grant the inhabitants of the castle a reprieve from the stresses of teaching or studying.

In fact, there were only two people in the castle that were decidedly not looking forward to the holiday, and they just so happened to be the two most recent additions to the Hogwarts Staff. Since most of the staff—Merope included—were involved in the planning of the festivities, supervising the students and putting up decorations themselves; Lily and Severus volunteered to take care of Patrick, a request that Dippet granted much to their relief. The Headmaster usually wished for most, if not all the staff to partake in the celebrations, but with a baby in the castle, he saw good reason to excuse them to care for the boy. So early on the morning of All Hallows Eve, Severus quietly slipped out of bed, showered and dressed himself, then headed out from his quarters to Merope's. He knew Merope tended to be an early riser so he hoped she'd be awake by the time he got there, that way he could avoid coming across any students and their stupid questions about why he wasn't participating in the festivities. Thankfully, it seemed most of the students were sleeping in too, so under the cover of darkness—that was fast disappearing, he crept across the castle to Merope's quarters and knocked on the door.

He could hear signs of life on the other side of the door, the sounds of Patrick babbling away, the high-pitched squeak of Merope's house elf Dyspo, and the voice of Merope herself. With the exception of Patrick's inane baby-talk, all of it seemed to cease when he pounded on the door.

After a brief moment, he heard Merope's voice ring out; "Come in."

Turning the knob, he opened the door and spotted Merope sat on her settee, Patrick perched in her lap. She was already dressed in set of gunmetal grey and bright orange robes, and an earthy-brown crooked witch's hat; she seemed just about ready to leave for her duties in the Great Hall at a moment's notice. Severus glanced over at the Grandfather clock in the corner of the room, then looked back to Merope. "I hope I'm not too early," he said quietly.

"Oh, no not at all," Merope said, waving her hand dismissively. "Patrick and I had just finished eating actually, Dyspo just took away our dishes. Have you eaten yet? I can ask Dyspo to cobble something together for you if you'd like."

"No. But thank you for the offer," Severus said gratefully. "Nail should be preparing Lily's and my breakfast now as a matter of fact. I assumed you would have eaten by the time I got here."

"Well would you like a cup of tea at least, before you go?" Merope offered, gesturing to the pot on the coffee table.

Severus eyed the pot and her half-filled cup. "I suppose I could," he acquiesced. He walked over to the sitting area and lowered himself onto one of the chairs facing the settee that Merope and Patrick currently occupied.

"Great," Merope beamed. She poured him a cup of tea and lifted Patrick from his position—slumped against the arm of the sofa, and set him down on his lap. "He's already been bathed, and fed so…if you could just…entertain him, I guess, that would be great," Merope said.

"That I believe I can handle," Severus replied, giving a small smile to the boy that was rapidly worming his way into his frostbitten heart.

"Thank you," Merope said, smiling sincerely. "How is Lily by the way? I couldn't help but notice that the two of you were the only two staff members that shan't be present for the festivities. Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Severus replied, a little too quickly for Merope's liking given her raised brow. "Yes, everything's fine. Neither of us care for Halloween much, is all…but it does represent a good opportunity to spend time with our godson so we can't complain about that."

Patrick turned about in his lap, his hands seemingly reaching for his toy dragon over on the ground next to him. Sighing, Severus waved his hand and the dragon zoomed through the air into his outstretched palm. Giggling merrily, Patrick reached for the dragon and started babbling away.

"I suppose so," Merope agreed. "Anyways I should get going now. Albus said to be in the Great Hall by Seven to Seven O' Five, I think I should just make it in time if I leave in the next couple o' minutes."

Severus glanced over at the clock, it was Six Fifty Two currently and given Merope's quarters that were on the first floor, adjacent to Albus' quarters, he surmised her estimate was correct. "What time will you be back?" Severus asked as Merope adjusted her crooked witch's hat.

Merope glanced over at the clock as a look of contemplation crossed her face. "Before dinner. So perhaps around five or maybe six. Would you be able to look after him until then?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. Between myself and Lily we should manage just fine," Severus replied. Patrick giggled, seemingly in agreement with Severus' sentiment.

"Thank you Severus, I really appreciate you and Lily doing this. I hope Patrick won't be any trouble for you two," Merope said.

Severus just shrugged. "It's no problem. Lily and I are Patrick's godparents after all."

Smiling, Merope knelt down in front of her son—whose interest was currently ensnared by his enchanted toy Dragon. "Be good for uncle Severus, okay Patrick?" Merope said softly, Patrick's brown eyes rising from his toy dragon to meet his mother's. "Mama has to go now, but she'll be back later. She'll see you really soon, but now you're going to go with Uncle Severus, alright?"

Patrick gave no inclination he'd understood what he meant, but he watched his mother stand from her kneeling position and make her way over to the door with wide eyes. Blowing a kiss at him, Merope then turned to Severus and murmured her sincere thanks once more, before leaving her quarters and her son behind for the Great Hall.

Severus reached for his tea, intent on draining whatever he had left in his cup; but as he reached for it, Patrick's lip began to tremble, and in a matter of seconds, he'd started crying in earnest. Cursing under his breath, Severus knocked back the remainder of his tea—he set the cup down so harshly, it was a miracle the china didn't shatter, or at least crack. Patrick was sobbing quietly—at least he's not like that brat Draco. Wailing and shouting like a petulant…well, he was a child I guess, despite his sobs, at least Patrick had the dignity to cry that wasn't obnoxious or grating, unlike his previous godson. Severus lifted Patrick against his chest, holding him with one arm and shhing the child repeatedly; his other arm, wielding his wand accioed his toy dragon, his toy Phoenix—a recent gift from Albus to commemorate his bond with Fawkes—and a few books. He shrank down the dragon, phoenix and the books and stuffed them in his robe pocket before making for the door and heading out of Merope's quarters into the first floor corridor.

To his horror, several students appeared to be out of bed and were making their way down the corridor towards the Great Hall, most of them were Hufflepuffs given the proximity of the Hufflepuff wing of the castle and the Transfiguration offices—Severus shot every single one of them scathing glares to back them away whilst still holding the sobbing Patrick to his chest. Undoubtedly, this would be spun around the school rumor-mill for weeks—the hilarity of Hogwarts' newest harsh taskmaster being spotted in the halls on Halloween morning, looking all bat-like, yet comforting the the less-than-a-year-old son of Miss Gaunt. His lip curled at the thought. Severus walked as fast as his long legs would carry him, out of Hufflepuff territory and leaving those bleeding-hearted Badgers behind and soon entered the familiar territory of the third floor corridor where his and Lily's quarters were located.

Severus pushed through the door quickly, not caring if the slam woke up Lily, and strode through to the sitting room. He immediately set Patrick down on the couch and summoned a calming draught and an eye-dropper; the sound of a shower running in the next room over told him Lily was indeed awake, so he needn't worry about waking her. Holding Patrick in one hand—rocking him gently, he dropped three drops of the pale blue liquid onto his tongue. The effect was instantaneous and his cries began to abate, his tears dry—all the remained were his wide shimmering eyes and his trembling lip—but those too disappeared soon after.

"Are you going to behave yourself now?" Severus asked, giving the toddler a serious look. "If you are, then you can play with your toys for a little bit. Aunty Lily and Uncle Severus have to eat."

Patrick gave him an inquisitive look—his big brown eyes as wide as golfballs, he then raised his hand and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Yes Patrick, that's what eating means," Severus explained, bringing his pudgy arm away from his mouth. Severus removed the two toys and the books from his pocket; he set the two toys down on the couch, and the books on the nearest coffee table. He enlarged the two toys to their original size first, and then did the same for the books.

Patrick reached out for the toys with his grabby hands, lips curled in a smile so Severus set him down on the couch.

"Pheanie!" Patrick exclaimed, crawling quickly over to the Phoenix and lifting it into his arms. Severus almost smiled at the sight, not quite, but his trademark smirk was plastered on his face.

"Pheanie huh? That's a nice name you've given it, Patrick."

The voice from the doorway prompted Severus to turn around. Sure enough, Lily was leaning on the doorframe to their quarters, an amused look on her face. Severus smiled at her and beckoned her over. Smiling back at him, Lily wandered over to the couch and plopped herself down on the other side of Patrick.

"So how are you doing today young man?" Lily asked, giving him a serious look.

"Pheanie!" Patrick exclaimed again, hugging his plushy-phoenix to his chest tightly.

Just then, a loud popping noice over by their dining table alerted the two adults to the sudden appearance of their food, they barely had time to look behind when Nail and Nam popped into existence right next to them, standing shoulder to shoulder like soldiers at a parade. "Breakfast has been served," Nail said dutifully, giving both Professor a deep bow, Nam mimicking her counterpart's actions, before popping away back to the kitchens.

Gently, Lily lifted Patrick off the couch who was still carrying his favorite plushie, and carried him over to the dining table. Severus conjured a high-chair in-between his seat and Lily's, she murmured her thanks and set him down and strapped him in. Nail had prepared porridge for Severus, just as he'd requested as well as a pot of coffee for the two of them to share(Lily had started taking after her fiancee and his newly acquired sweet tooth for caffeine). Nam meanwhile had prepared some rye toast and scrambled eggs, she wasn't that hungry either. Lastly there was a bowl of cut fruit for Patrick, who greedily grabbed at the closest piece, a minuscule cube of Papaya.

"So you didn't want to wait for me to go collect Patrick then?" She asked tightly. Severus could hear the strain in her voice—it was to be expected given the ramifications of the day and the history it held for them both—Lily particularly so.

"You seemed fast asleep, deeply asleep I might add, so I saw no reason to wake you," Severus said reasonably. Lily seemed placated with his reasoning though.

Lily hummed in thought, idly twirling her fork in her hand. "Fair enough. So Patrick'll be here until tonight then?"

"Until dinner time," Severus confirmed, giving her a singular nod as he lifted a full spoon to his lips.

"Hmm, in that case I think I have an idea then for something to kill the time," Lily remarked, a thoughtful expression flittering across her face.

"And what might that idea be?"

"Flying," Lily said simply, giving him a brief, tentative smile.

Her smile seemed genuine, which came as a relief to Severus since he'd secretly been worried about Lily and how she'd handle having to relive the dreaded date of October 31st again for the first time. Lily had never fully gotten over what happened that day, staring into the crimson eyes of a madman and seeing a sickening green haze overwhelm her as the curse struck her square in the chest. Despite experiencing numerous Halloweens from the afterlife, she'd never quite regained that spirit she held as a child and as a young adult whenever the night of All Hallows Eve came around. So far today, she'd been acting warm enough, but in the lead up to the Holiday Severus had noticed subtle changes in her behavior that were slightly concerning to say the least. In spite of it all, despite the fact that the baby that in another life—in another world, would grow to become her murderer was sitting right in front of her, she was coping really well. It did seem forced though, her smiles, and expressions of happiness in regard to the toddler, but Severus had every intention of making it up to her tonight. All they had to do was get through the day, take care of Patrick, try his best to keep Lily's mood and spirits lifted as high as could be, and they'd all be fine. But when Patrick went back to Merope tonight…he had a very special evening planned out for her.

"So you want to go flying then," Severus deadpanned, his look flat and his tone equally so.

"I think it'd be a good…distraction, y'know? Something that would take our minds off of what today means and all that," Lily said nonchalantly.

"If that's what you want, then we can certainly do that," Severus agreed. "Perhaps one of these days I'll try to teach you how to fly without a broom, if that's something you'd like to learn."

"I think I'd like that Sev," Lily said with a small smile. She took a sip from her hot cup of coffee, sighing happily as the warm liquid settled in her stomach. "But I'm not in the mood for flying lessons today though. I just want to get out and feel the air between my fingers and relax."

Despite her lax tone, Severus could feel the strain in her voice as she spoke. He couldn't blame her for it in the slightest, for he too was quite a mess when May 2nd came around earlier in the year. The date of his death had ruined his mood and turned him into a grouchy, petulant monster—far more than he usually was, at least. He could hardly fault Lily for harboring a bit of resentment towards the Holiday associated with her death; so if flying was what she wanted to do, then that's what they'd do. He certainly didn't disagree that it would help to take her mind off things and help her just forget all that she associated with October 31st and help her pretend that today was just another autumn day. It was just be the two of them and Patrick, flying about the ground without a care in the world. There were many worse ways someone could spend a Halloween, Severus would know since it usually was the one time of year he'd get himself drunk and turn himself into a drunken buffoon like his father; albeit without the child beating part. Despite his past traditions, he vowed that he wouldn't so much as look at, let alone touch a drink today, habits such as those didn't deserve to be carried over from his past life to the current.

The rest of the meal passed without much fanfare, the two professors idly conversed about their plans for flying later, as well as always keeping a watchful eye on the well-behaved Patrick as he consumed his fruit. Severus planned on flying without a broom, he hadn't had a chance to do so much in recent months and he worried he might be getting rusty; Lily of course would be flying with a broom, whilst holding onto Patrick. Their plan consisted of flying out over the forbidden forest towards the base of the mountains in the distance and then looping around back towards Hogsmeade and touching down at their old cottage for a late lunch. Merope had mentioned that if they wished to take Patrick out of the castle and away from all the hubbub and noise associated with the Halloween celebrations, they were most welcome to. Little did Merope know that they indeed would be escaping all of the celebrations, although not so much for Patrick's sake and more for Lily's; then again Patrick had always enjoyed it whenever Lily and Severus had brought him out of the castle so they were sure he'd benefit just as much from the excursion as Lily would.

When they finished eating, Lily took care of Patrick and started reading to him while Severus performed cleanup duty. Once he'd finished he looked over at Lily, clearing his throat bought him her attention, and inclining his head towards his office told her of his intentions. Nodding mutedly, and offering up a small smile that didn't reach her almond-shaped eyes, she gave him her understanding. Severus swept from the room into his office and into the lab, but not before casting one last glance at Lily and the child; it's not that he didn't trust her…it's just that seeing her holding essentially the same boy who grew to kill her in another world, on the anniversary of her death was a bit disconcerting to Severus. Then again, Lily had forgiven him for selling out her family, she'd forgiven him for his treatment of Harry; it seemed her time in the afterlife had allowed her to forgive and forget far more easily than she had in life.

Perhaps going to the afterlife increases one's capacity for forgiveness? I wouldn't know, I was dead for only half an hour or so, wasn't I?

From his position standing in the doorway to his office, Lily seemed to be coping well enough with the boy, she appeared to be propping him up in her lap and reading to him aloud from one of his storybooks. Shrugging, Severus ducked into his office and sat himself down at his desk. Reaching into the drawer closest to the ground, he pulled out a small vial filled with a deep purple liquid and set it down on his desk. This was the final product of several month's worth of hard work. Filling the vial was his topical calming draught, he'd tested it on himself last night and the effects had been almost instantaneous; instant relaxation and a clear mind. However his brew wasn't without flaws, since excessive use of it could render the user an to be an incoherent, high-as-a-kite mess. Still, it was considerably better than a standard calming draught and in his view, using it topically made it far more effective than the standard brew that one had to drink.

Before long, it was time to leave for their mid-afternoon excursion and so the two Professors, with Patrick held in Severus' arms left their quarters and headed towards the quidditch pitch. They'd waited until lunch was being held in the Great Hall before making their escape so as not to alert anyone. To ward off the blustering wind, they both wore cloaks, and Patrick was all wrapped up in a tightly packaged bundle and held tightly to Lily's chest as they navigated the ground towards the Quidditch pitch. Lily couldn't quite keep the sneer off her face at seeing so many damned Jack O' Lanterns and other Halloween-related decorations everywhere. She quite nearly decided to whip out her wand and start casting blasting curses every time she saw one of those infuriating pumpkin heads. Thankfully, Severus' soothing presence calmed her just enough so that she wouldn't do something so rash, it wasn't as if anyone other than Severus knew she'd died on Halloween.

They made it to the quidditch pitch without coming across anybody which was indeed a pleasant surprise, not a soul had crossed their path—ghosts included. Lily handed Patrick to Severus and pulled open the doors to the Quidditch Shed, just the sight of it almost made her shed a tear—too many memories of James and her brought back to her mind's eye. James giving her flying lessons, James teaching her the finer intricacies of Quidditch, James and her doing far more illicit things that rendered her a hot mess—things she had no intention of recalling to anyone. She shook her head, snapping her from her musings; Severus' eyes were upon her back in silent question of what was taking her so long.

"Everything alright?" Severus asked, his voice soft with concern.

"Yeah," Lily muttered, forcing a thin smile onto her face. Sev was trying hard enough as it was to help her so he deserved that at least. "Yeah just…brought back some long-forgotten memories is all. Sorry."

"With Potter?" Severus ventured. For once, there wasn't a sneer in his voice as he spoke the name of his lifelong nemesis. It took a herculean effort, really, he called on every measure of his resolve to keep his tone neutral, but he just about did it. Lily smiled faintly for his effort. James had never been able to keep the scoff or sneer out of his voice whenever speaking about Severus, after all.

Lily nodded mutedly. "I'm sorry Sev, I know you don't want to—to hear about him. It's just…"

Severus raised his hand, cutting her off. "If it'll help you, then don't let me stop you from speaking. I want to help you, Lily, I do. And if talking about it…about Potter will help, then I shall listen attentively. I can't promise I'll contribute anything positive…but I won't say anything negative either," Severus promised.

Tears sprung to her eyes, happy tears that she was all too willing to shed. Leaping forward, her heavy cloak billowing behind her in a way that was quite reminiscent of Severus in his heyday; she hugged him fiercely. "You're the best Sev. Thank you," Lily murmured appreciatively. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then pulled back from his embrace. "I—perhaps it…wouldn't be best if I take you up on your offer now…but maybe later we can—"

"Say no more, Lily," Severus said softly. "If you need someone to listen, I'll be there,"

Her smile broadened by degrees—the significance the 31st of October held for Lily all but vanishing from her mind. She reluctantly stepped away from him and into the shed to find herself a solid, workable broom. One that preferably wasn't too temperamental and held good enough performance to enable her to keep up with the overgrown bat in flight. Generally speaking, Severus restricted himself to sub-thirty to forty mile an hour speeds owing to the unpleasant feeling of wind lashing his face, but when pushing the envelope, he had managed seventy five in the past(wearing goggles of course); Lily was well aware of his flying exploits and eventually she found a broom that she knew would suit her well. It was a Cleansweep Mark II, sold en masse from 1919 to 1925, and was one of the most popular brooms on the market for the first few years it was sold. The polished dark brown handle and smoothened bristles showed it was in pretty good condition. Smiling, she picked up the broom and tossed it over her shoulder before heading out into the noon-time sun.

"Is that your choice?" Severus asked, raising a brow in question.

"Yep. I've flown one of these once before actually," Lily replied, proudly holding out the broom at an arm's length.

"You have?" Severus raised a brow. "Where?"

"In the afterlife," Lily explained, smiling fondly at the memory. "Potter manor had a massive broomstick collection, this was one of them and I loved flying it."

Severus fought to keep the sneer off his face the mention of that ignoramus Potter, the result was his face twisting into an expression one would make when their food smells bad. Lily appreciated the effort, and quite nearly laughed at the expression he was making but just barely held it together.

"Are you sure you'll be able to hold Patrick alright?" Lily asked softly, as they prepared to kick off and take to the skies.

"I'll be fine," Severus said reassuringly, he'd transfigured a harness that held Patrick securely to his chest. Patrick seemed to giggle in agreement, waving his pudgy hands excitedly from within the harness. Whatever fear and sorrow he felt at the sudden disappearing of his mother this morning all but gone as they prepared to take to the skies

Lily beamed at them both and mounted the broom. The Picnic basket was slung beneath the broom, carrying their lunch. She was also wearing a backpack that was filled with Patrick's toys, spare milk bottles, and diapers. Lily glanced sidelong at Severus, he returned her gaze and with a shared nod, Lily kicked off from the ground and Severus leapt skywards. Patrick gave a shrill scream as Severus leapt to the skies, his cloak billowing behind him like a dementor, coupled with Patrick's screaming, meant he made quite the fearsome sight—even more terrifying than a dementor, some scared first years would later attest. They soared high over the tree tops of the forbidden forest, Lily leading the way as her locator spell took effect. The low-hanging mist meant they'd had to climb higher than they would have liked, and so the chill of the mid-autumn air was beginning to affect Patrick. Calling out to Lily, Severus indicated that he would descend a bit lower into the mist to help with Patrick's—suddenly very runny nose. The trio descended into the mist, but following Lily's locator spell, they were still well on course to reach their home as they neared the edge of the forbidden forest.

"You two doing alright?!" Lily shouted over the heavy wind buffeting them as they flew.

"Yes! How much further until we reach the cottage?!" Severus shouted back. Patrick's shrill giggles in addition to the wind meant he'd really had to strain his vocal chords for Lily to get the message.

"Another two miles I think!" Lily shouted, checking her locator spell.

Severus decided to pick up the pace and caught up to Lily; now flying alongside each other, they noticed the low blanket of mist was slowly beginning to recede as they neared the edge of the forest. When they broke through the curtain of low-hanging moisture, the hill their little cottage sat upon—overlooking the quaint town at its base, came into view. Severus and Lily banked to their lift and soared up the hill at a low altitude. The three of them eventually touched down on the cobbled stone path that lead to the front door of their humble abode. Landing higher up on the hill meant being struck by that blistering gale, so they quickly cast warming charms to ward it off. The walk to the door was short and uneventful, as Lily propped her broom up on the side of the house and Severus undid the locking and security charms on the door.

Entering the house was akin to entering a time-capsule of four months prior, practically nothing had changed thanks to the stasis charms Lily and Severus had cast on everything of value. The only difference was an accumulation of dust that had settled on the furniture and fittings. Severus brought Patrick back outside as Lily set to work banishing away the dust that had settled in the foyer. When she was done, Severus, carrying Patrick, went back into the house which was now free of dust and any grime that had settled on any of the surfaces. They heard the loud whooshes of Lily's spells at work in the back of the house as she turned her attention to clearing the dust away from their office and their shared brewing lab. Mercifully, at least the sitting room, foyer and kitchen appeared to be clear; so Severus ventured into the kitchen with Patrick and set the hungry baby down on a highchair.

Lily eventually joined them after finishing clearing the entire ground floor of the house of dust; everything looked spick 'n spam, and despite the smile she'd plastered on her face for Patrick—Merlin she was trying—Severus could see right through it. She was in pain, and it was all his fault, his callous actions a lifetime ago, twenty years in the past…in the future, still haunted her to this day. She smiled, she tried, but that look in her eyes refused to go. He put the thought aside for a moment, he had an idea for later, to breathe life back into her and to make her forget the torment, the hardship, and his potion was crucial to that plan. For now, he'd just enjoy the meal with Patrick and Lily. They ate mostly silently, even Patrick who was thoroughly occupied with eating his fruit slices; after lunch, Severus had an idea to bring Patrick out back and let him toddle around a bit in the garden. They had enough space for him to run around and perhaps showing Lily some of his flowers would take her mind off of things for a while—allow her to forget all that this day represented.

When they finished eating, Severus quickly tidied up their plates and cutlery and then they headed out back into the garden. Patrick was released and immediately started making his way towards a flower garden Severus had been cultivating in secret for the past few months. Marigolds, Asters, Dahlias and Helenium grouped together in clusters in the small patch—they were by far the brightest flowers in the yard and still shone vibrantly in spite of the rapidly cooling weather and the incessant cold rain that drenched them more often than not. It was no surprise that this patch in particular drew Patrick's attention owing to their vibrant colors. The toddler, half-walked, half-tumbled his way over to the patch, the two watchful godparents just a few steps behind, walking hand in hand

"They do look rather nice Severus. You've been coming here to take care of them," Lily commented offhandedly, staring ahead at the flowers. "Haven't you?" She faced him, her expression a mix between curiosity and assuredness.

"Indeed I have been coming back on most weekends to cultivate them. My soil nutrient potion has worked very well as far as preserving their color, vibrancy and overall health goes," Severus replied.

Lily smiled, and relief surged through Severus' heart as this smile too, seemed genuine, unlike the one's she'd made throughout the meal at either himself or Patrick. "When have you been coming here? I haven't been back since…we left, and brought our things into Hogwarts."

"When you hold office hours, I usually decide it's a good time to come back here. Gives me something to do and something to occupy my mind. It also gives…perspective, in a way, I can't be working on my potion or on marking papers all the time can I?"

"I s'pose that's true," Lily agreed—her tone thoughtful as she chewed her lower lip in apparent thought. "Speaking of, how is your project going?"

"I'm glad you asked," Severus smiled—now glancing over at her in whole. "Because you'll find out tonight."

Her eyes widened a touch, and her brows rose in surprise. "It's finished?" She was surprised, and confused, her tone most certainly conveyed both those emotions.

"Indeed. I was hoping that tonight you'd be open to trying it," Severus explained calmly. "I was hoping that it would…well that, you know…it might help with—"

"Help with today," Lily finished, eyes dropping, as did her countenance. "If it'll help…then I'll be open to trying it Sev. I know you've worked hard on it…and—and I do want to forget, I really do."

"I could always obliviate you, if this doesn't work," Severus replied, hoping she'd respond to his teasing in a positive manner

The sound of her merry laughter was a welcome sound to both of their ears', but unfortunately it wasn't to last since the sound of a quiet thud, and a small body falling on the leaf-covered grass—caused the broad smiles to be wiped off of both adults' faces in a hurry. Despite the momentary joy Lily felt, she was brought back to earth as Patrick's cries met her ears—so much like Harry's that night all those years ago. As she ran across the lawn to Patrick, who was sitting on his rear crying his eyes out—the boy bawling incessantly seemed like a mockery of the terror her own son had experienced that fateful night in 1981. The joy she felt was gone—and those cries…although for an entirely different meaning took her all the way back to that night, it made her want to scream.