Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy!

—

Severus Snape seemed to be a man of ill luck.

Born into a poor, abusive, and neglectful family, Severus was a withdrawn, broody child who was often criticized and bullied.

Lily Evans, Severus's neighbor, friend, and classmate was the sole bright spot in his life.

Severus fell deeply in love with Lily before he even realized it.

But Severus was soon aware that his feelings for Lily would never change…...

Unfortunately, the world did.

Dangers appeared and young Severus, seduced by their power, aligned himself with those dangers.

Lily turned the opposite way and ended their friendship.

That was Severus's first regret, losing Lily.

During the last of their school years, Lily started dating James Potter, Severus's arch enemy and bitter rival.

Shortly after graduation, Severus learned that Lily was engaged to his former tormentor!

Severus felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest.

That was Severus's second regret, chasing Lily into the arms of his nemesis.

Severus had never gotten a chance to tell Lily how he felt, but his undying love for her remained….

When the dark forces that Severus served targeted his beloved , Severus began to see more clearly and he sought to right his wrongs.

To protect Lily, Severus met with Albus Dumbledore, the talented headmaster of Hogwarts, one night on a lonely hilltop close to Hogwarts.

By then, Severus had already found employment as the new potions professor at Hogwarts, and he was proud to be one of the youngest faculty members in the school's long history.

"Do whatever you can to keep her safe! Please! I beg you!" Severus implored Dumbledore.

"What will you give me in return, Severus?" Dumbledore asked shrewdly.

"Anything!" Severus promised quickly.

"Very well, I'll protect Miss Evans and you will serve the Order of the Phoenix as a spy from this day forward. Agreed?"

Severus nodded with a jerk of his head.

It was done.

Lily would marry James in a few short months, and Severus would never be happy, but Lily would be safe.

That was all that mattered to Severus…

"Oh and Severus?" Dumbledore asked before Severus apparated away.

"Yes, sir?" Severus replied, his face twisted with stress and worry.

"I think you'll find that the more you seek the light, the more the light will seek you." Dumbledore replied cryptically.

Severus did not heed Dumbledore's words as he returned to his quarters.

Severus quickly undressed and crawled into bed, holding one of his pillows and wishing it was Lily.

The light?

Severus chuckled mirthlessly to himself.

There was no more light for Severus Snape.

…..Or was there?

—

Since graduation, Lily had been working as an apprentice at a local apothecary in Diagon Alley.

Severus was well aware and at least once every two weeks, he wandered inside the apothecary to buy some supply or another.

Really, though, Severus just came to see Lily.

Severus and Lily had both apologized to each other.

Though they weren't as close as they once had been, Severus and Lily were civil to one another and to Severus, that was better than not speaking at all.

On Severus's first visit to the apothecary after his meeting with Dumbledore, though, things were different.

Lily approached him.

"Hey, Sev." Lily smiled as Severus walked in the door and approached the counter.

"Hello." Severus nodded.

"Pleasant day?" Lily asked shyly while Severus handed her the list of items he had come to purchase.

"I suppose." Severus replied while Lily scanned over the list and turned around to fill Severus's order from the wall of jars behind her.

"Yes, it was quite warm this morning. Summer will be here in the next week or two!" Lily laughed, trying to make conversation.

Severus missed the days when he and Lily had meaningful, long talks about anything and everything.

Lily finished her work and turned back around, laying Severus's order on the counter.

While Lily tallied up what Severus owed, she leaned across to him and whispered "I heard about…..you know…...I'm really proud of you, Sev! I think that's amazing."

Severus tried not to puff out his chest.

Lily knew?!

Lily thought it was amazing?!

Severus cleared his throat and added, "I'm sure Potter won't."

Severus couldn't help himself, he mentioned James.

A shadow fell across Lily's face and she replied quietly, "Actually, I'm not sure what James would think…..I haven't talked to him in a while."

Severus's black eyes widened in realization. "Oh…"

"Yeah, it's alright, don't feel bad, Sev. Really, everything's fine. We called the wedding off about a month ago and it was for the best. I'm much happier now." Lily said and as she smiled at Severus, he saw that her expression was genuine.

"That's good, then." Severus nodded.

Yes, that was very good.

Very good, indeed~.

No more James in Severus's way….

Severus paid his bill and just before he left, Lily asked him, "Come again next week?"

"Yes, of course…..I go through lavender quite a bit….I'll be needing more." Severus replied in his low, slow voice.

As Severus stepped out of the apothecary, he grit his teeth to stop from smiling.

Yes, Severus would gladly come back next week!

So Lily and James were no more…..

Perhaps Severus Snape's luck was starting to change….

—

Severus returned to Lily's apothecary the following week and the week after that.

Having made himself somewhat of an underdog hero in Lily's eyes, to Severus's joy, he earned Lily's true forgiveness and their friendship was rekindled.

Though they still had to be cautious, Severus and Lily began to spend copious amounts of time together again, just as they had when they were younger.

Those long, meaningful conversations with Lily that Severus had missed so greatly returned.

So did Lily's smile and the wit she shared with him….

Severus was trying to work up the courage to ask Lily out, but since her break up with James was still fairly recent, he didn't want it to appear as if he were preying on her.

And after just being reunited with Lily, Severus didn't want to risk her pushing him away.

So for the time being, Severus contented himself with Lily's friendship.

At least that way, Lily would be in his life.

At least that way, Severus could sit beside the woman he loved.

One evening, while Severus laid in bed, Dumbledore's words replayed through his mind and he smirked.

The more you seek the light, the more the light will seek you.

Perhaps Dumbledore had been onto something after all…..

—

By the end of the summer, secretly, Severus and Lily were once again, the best of friends.

But Severus's luck seemed to be improving while Lily's seemed to be draining away.

Sitting in a muggles doctor's office one afternoon, Lily wiped away tears from her green eyes as the doctor frowned at her and repeated, "I'm very sorry, Miss Evans, but it's really in your best interest if the surgery is performed right away. The hospital will call you to schedule the procedure within the next week."

Lily left the muggle doctor's office weeping and as soon as possible, she consulted with a healer in Hogsmeade who unfortunately didn't offer much better news.

"I'm sorry, love." The healer, a kind woman in her fifties, frowned. "I can buy you another year, but…..I'm afraid that the muggles are right about this. It's going to have to go! All of it….I know this must be devastating to a young woman of your age."

With a heavy heart, Lily accepted the healer's assessment.

The healer frowned in sympathy when Lily left after her treatment, still crying.

A year?

A year…..that was it?!

When Lily returned to her apartment, she sat on the sofa and sobbed, but after an hour passed, Lily used her courage and pulled herself out of her self pity.

Very well.

It was what it was.

If Lily couldn't change her situation, then she was determined to work around it.

Lily spent a few days doing some research.

Lily visited some muggle facilities, she made some calls, she looked at her bank account, and calculated her wages.

If her parents had still been alive, Lily could have gone to them for help, but Lily knew that she was alone.

Petunia, her sister, would offer no sympathy.

And that was alright.

Lily kept her heart held high.

Lily was a Gryffindor.

Lily would be fine all on her own, after she had a little help, but she needed to use a little cunning.

And no one new cunning better than a Slytherin…...

—

Severus, known to his students as Professor Snape, was seated at his desk one evening, working diligently on grading essays when a knock came on his office door.

Startled, Severus narrowed his eyes and looked up.

"Come in…." Severus called suspiciously.

The door creaked open and to Severus's shock, Lily stepped inside. "Hi, Sev…."

"Lily!" Severus blinked. "What a surprise….."

Severus tried to ignore the way that his heart sped up at seeing Lily's beautiful face walk right into his office and into his evening.

Severus didn't know it yet but Lily was about to walk into his life more than he could have imagined…

"Sorry to bother you." Lily said with a nervous laugh. "I just….Um…...this is incredibly awkward, but I've come to ask you something…...A favor, of sorts."

"It's no bother at all." Severus replied with a purr, trying not to stare at the way Lily's shimmery, red hair fell elegantly over her shoulder as she sat down in the chair across from him.

Lily was quiet for a moment, but eventually, she cleared her throat and looked shyly down at her hands, "Sev, do you remember when we were children?"

"Yes." Severus replied.

Oh, Severus remembered those times very, very well.

"Do you remember the doll I used to carry around?" Lily asked with a giggle.

"Yes…...Samantha?" Severus asked, calling Lily's favorite toy by name.

"You do remember!" Lily chuckled, looking back up at Severus. "Well, you know, she was a baby doll and I loved playing with her. I always liked to pretend I was her mother…"

As Lily fell silent again, Severus couldn't help but wonder where this was going…

"Anyway," Lily went on, the happiness vanishing from her voice as she dared to reveal her predicament to Severus. "I….I need to have a surgery…..Around this time next year…...I've been to our doctors and I've been to the muggles…..I'm afraid it can't be avoided."

Severus was concerned for Lily's health but a part of him felt more at ease.

Alright, Lily needed money.

Well of course Severus would give his beloved Lily money.

Severus wasn't a wealthy man by any means, but to get Lily what she needed, Severus would work for free for the rest of his life if he had too.

"Lily, there's no need to worry, I can secure any amount necessary." Severus reassured Lily.

Lily blinked her bright, green eyes at Severus. "Oh, no, Sev! It's not about money! I-I have the money! Uh…..you see, it's a…...it's a woman's surgery….and there's quite a few things they'll have to…...take out."

Lily swallowed and Severus narrowed his eyes at her.

On the outside, Severus Snape was stone, but on the inside, Lily was melting him down.

There was nothing that Severus wouldn't give Lily…

This was nothing Severus wouldn't do for Lily…

Lily glanced down at her hands again. "And once those….things….those pieces of me...are gone, I obviously won't be able to use them anymore…"

Severus's eyes were practically slits in his face and his heart felt like it was about to explode it was beating so quickly.

"There's places I could go and pay for….." Lily alluded vaguely. "But I don't…..I don't really want to do that….I'd rather…." Lily swallowed again as she looked back up at Severus. "I'd much rather have…...your help…..Sev."

Severus's black eyes remained narrowed and his jaw clenched as Lily looked at him with a deep, intense longing.

Severus could not believe his luck.

Was this really happening?

Had his precious Lily really just come into his office and…..?

Severus had to be certain

"So, Lily, you're asking me…" Severus summarized in his low, rich voice, wanting to make perfectly sure that he understood. "...for a child?"

"Yes, Sev." Lily replied, her eyes boring into his. "I am."