A/N: So there's light smut this chapter. All of it in the first half so if you want to skip it, scroll to about the halfway point. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Severus' and Lily's summer before our two protagonists make their return to school for their fifth year.

Chapter 24 Hot Summer Nights

A few weeks after her visit to Marlene on a late-July night, Severus and Lily were lazing around in the living room, watching an old Marx Brothers movie re-run. Mark was out for drinks with a few of his colleagues from work—it was a Friday, and Violet had already turned in for the night. The last two weeks since Lily's return from Marlene's had been rather boring, they'd had their usual shifts at Missus Parker's flower shop, which more often than not they used as time to read and get ahead on all their fifth-year material, particularly potions. They also had their occasional excursions into town or to their spot by the river, and Lily still met up with Cindy once or twice a week when their shifts at her mum's place didn't overlap, but beyond that, Severus and Lily hadn't really had a chance to do all that much.

Ever since returning from Marlene's, her blonde friend's words on how to broach the uncomfortable topic of physical intimacy with Severus had been playing on repeat in Lily's mind. Lily knew Severus was too shy, or too much of a gentleman to make the first move, either way, Lily found the sentiment honorable and noble, but she knew for a fact that deep down, Severus wanted more, just as she did. His physical reactions to their close proximity which she'd taken note of more recently had served as great proof of this. And now, with the movie winding down and the two of them pressed up against each other—well, more so Lily pressed up against Severus and Severus trying to lean away into the armrest—there was no better time to cross that bridge than now. Her parents were either sleeping or out, Petunia was god knows where with her school friends, it was a golden opportunity and Lily intended to make the most of it.

Despite not at all planning for this bit of physical intimacy now, and it being very much a spur of the moment decision on Lily's part, she was wearing figure-hugging sweatpants conveniently enough, which she knew would help her 'case'. She could tell from the way Severus leaned away from her that he had something to hide as well, and Lily only needed a single guess to figure out what. Subtly, she leaned closer to him, turning her back against his front and lying back on his wiry chest. She moved so quickly, the sleepy Severus didn't have enough time to turn away, and now, her back rested on his chest, pushing him back into the sofa's armrest.

There. She felt the evidence of his arousal pressed against her arse, and before Severus could even voice a word, she was pulling away from him.

"You're…you're h-hard, Sev," Lily said dumbly, her voice shaking slightly, and her eyes drifting southwards to the slight bulge in his trousers that was well-hidden by the fabric, she had to admit.

"Wh-what? Lily, I don't know—"

"It's fine, I was just…just curious," Lily stuttered nervously. "Can-I-see-it?" she breathed, speaking so quickly she wasn't even sure he'd heard a word she said.

Evidently, he had, since he replied; "See what?"

"Y-you know, your…your…cock," she whispered, her eyes traveling south to his trousers again and causing Severus to shift away.

Severus looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and now he was pulling away from her again, nervous and scared.

"What?" he choked out in complete, and utter disbelief. "You can't b-be serious, Lily, you're joking!"

"I'm not," Lily whispered, her green eyes finding his. "I want to see you Sev." He blushed a deep red, as did she.

"I-it's quite obvious you find me attractive, Sev—" she started, her gaze flickering to his bulge, then back to his face. "And I do too…it's just…it doesn't manifest as physically as it does for guys. Y-you shouldn't be ashamed of it Sev, I'd hoped you'd be attracted to me a bit at least considering we're dating," she said shakily, her cheeks were still flushed a deep, beet red.

The quick darts her eyes would make down to his lap, then back to his face were making him uncomfortable in turn. Severus groaned, his head falling into his hands. For a moment, Lily felt disappointment, already feeling the rejection he had on the tip of his tongue to tell her he wasn't interested in baring his privates to her.

But his rejection never came.

"Can I see you too?" he asked, not even looking into her eyes.

Lily reached for the remote, and switched off the TV mid-credits. She swallowed thickly and nodded, her throat uncomfortably parched and dryer than the Sahara. "Yeah, it'd only be fair after all," Lily mumbled.

Shakily, Severus got to his feet and extended his hand to Lily. She was shocked, a bit confused at his forwardness and his initiative. Lily just stared at the pale hand outstretched to her as if it were a foreign object from some faraway land she'd never seen before.

"We should go upstairs…d-don't you think?" Severus asked.

Lily nodded quickly, swallowing the large lump in her throat and took his hand. In silence, they walked out of the living room and towards the stairs. Time seemed to dilate around them, each step seemed like a thousand, each breath a million—labored and tense. Their hands gripped each other tightly, both drawing on the comfort from the fact that the other appeared as nervous as themselves. Severus pushed aside the door to his room, and gestured for Lily to go in first. She stepped past him, and sat down on his bed, her hands clasped in her lap as she silently waited for him. Severus shut the door gently, taking care not to wake Violet, then locked it.

"Are you sure you want to do—"

"I'm sure," Lily said, but her voice wavered slightly, "I want to do this. I want to see you, Severus. Do you want this too?"

Severus nodded quickly, still feeling a bit embarrassed by it all, but his embarrassment was on the way out, now being replaced by relief that he wasn't alone on the H.M.S. Nervous & Blushing-Like-Mad.

"Well I supposed we'd better undress then," Severus said quietly, his lack of volume serving as a good mask to his nervousness.

Lily just nodded in agreement. Severus reached for the hem of his shirt, and pulled the garment over his head, while Lily pulled down her sweatpants. This wasn't new to the two of them, they had seen each other sans shirt and trousers in the past, but never without their clothes underneath. Severus then pulled down his trousers as well and Lily pulled her baggy band shirt off of her.

Now, the tenting of his trousers was more prominent than ever, only one piece of offending clothing in the way. Lily asked him to sit down beside her, and he duly did so.

"C-can I touch it?" she asked.

Devoid of higher thought-processes, and purely acting on base need, Severus nodded. Lily's hands were shaking slightly as she reached for his bulging member and wrapped her hand around it over the fabric. She felt it jump slightly, reacting to her touch in the most positive and confidence-inspiring of ways. She gave his hardened prick a few tentative touches through the material, amazed by the subtle jumps and twitches it made from just her touch.

"Wow," she said breathily, her eyes fixed on his bulge as her fingers squeezed lightly. Severus groaned at the sensation

"May I?" Severus asked, his eyes on her breasts conveying his wishes clearly.

Lily nodded and turned her back to him so Severus could undo the clasp. Despite his intelligence, his brain in its hormone-addled state had difficulty undoing her bra-clasp, just when it seemed Lily wanted to take matters into her own hands, he'd finally undone the finicky mechanism and the strap fell away. Lily's hand left his groin and helped pull the garment off her shoulders and tossed it onto the bed.

Severus willed his eyes upwards, his gaze fixed firmly on the back of Lily's head and ignoring the milky, pale skin of her back. Slowly, Lily turned back towards him, her cheeks as deep a red as her hair. He couldn't help himself, his eyes darted down to her chest, seeing her perfectly-shaped breasts and the dusky, pink nipples anointing them at attention. Her breasts weren't large by any standard, certainly nowhere near as big as the muggle porno mags he'd seen in John's bedside table in the dorm. To him though, they were beautiful, just large enough to snugly fit in the palm of his hand, soft and supple. Severus had worked wonders for Lily's self confidence over the years, from when they were children to before Hogwarts, right up until this very moment. Breathy exhales, and quick darts of eyes down to the mounds of her breasts, then back up into her eyes had her glowing on the inside, sending her confidence to skies unknown.

"Can I see you now?" Lily whispered.

Severus' brain must've been running on autopilot, for Lily was so sure she'd encounter resistance of some kind, perhaps a shake of his head and a blush, or maybe he'd just leave the room entirely. But no. Severus just reached for his boxers, and pulled them off his legs without voicing a word of complaint.

Lily's eyes were transfixed, raking all over his naked form for the very first time. Only now did it seem the consequences of his actions caught up to Severus, who was now blushing a strawberry red and had averted his eyes from Lily's staring gaze. Without even needing to ask, Lily slid her knickers down her legs and set them down on the bed beside her bra. For a moment, they both just sat there, committing this moment to memory and safe-keeping. This moment would be treasured by both for all time, and they intended to savor it for as long as was possible. For a long while, no words passed between them, only need, want, and desire, all channeled through the insatiable heat both were giving off. The air was hot and thick, the tension palpable, their eyes smoldering with love and desire so strong—their chests hurt at the mere sight of the other.

"May I touch you, Sev?" Lily whispered, holding his gaze.

"I…are you sure you want that?" Severus asked quietly.

Lily nodded quickly, her breathing thick and labored. Her green eyes were fixed upon his, trying to convey to him her confidence and assuredness.

Severus shut his eyes, then nodded. "Okay Lily," he whispered.

Lily reached over, slowly enough so that if Severus wanted to stop her, he easily could have. He didn't stop her though, and the sigh of blessed relief he gave as Lily's fingers wrapped around his hardened cock calmed her nerves. Clearly, she was doing something right, and so she began to move.

She just barely managed to wrap her hand around his shaft, and slowly, her fingers began to move. Just like how Marlene had shown her, Lily's fingers moved up and down slowly. Her eyes were trained on his face, observing his pleasure and trying her hardest to keep that expression of ecstasy he wore etched onto her face as long as she could.

"F-fuck Lily, that feels so good," Severus moaned, his eyes scrunched shut, as Lily's fingers glided over him. "J-just up and down, like…like that."

"Not so loud," Lily whispered. "Mum's still asleep."

"Right. S-sorry."

"It's okay," Lily said, smiling softly at him as her hand hastened its pace. "I'm enjoying this too."

"You are?" Severus breathed, his eyes cracking open just a touch to bear witness to her beautiful green eyes on him—drinking him in.

"Yeah. Making you happy makes me happy, and seeing you look so relaxed and blissful…it gives me pleasure too," Lily murmured, that rosy tint returning to her cheeks and nose.

Lily shifted them further along the bed, both coming to sit against the headboard as her hand returned to his shaft.

He twitched and trembled in Lily's hand as he neared his edge, he had to warn her. "L-Lily, you should stop, I'm going to…I'm going to come if you—"

"Isn't that the point?" Lily challenged, squeezing him in time with her words. He moaned softly, a symphonic noise to Lily's ears. She worked him over some more and squeezed again, another moan rang forth. "Don't you want to?"

"I do, but…it'll make a mess…"

"That's to be expected though, right?"

Severus nodded jerkily. Lily leaned over, kissing him softly and pressing her full breasts against his wiry chest, her hand moving all the while as Severus felt himself being worked closer and closer to his pleasure. Lily's tongue licked over his closed lips then prodded them, and he allowed her entrance, he was so close, so, so close.

"Lily," he groaned against her lips, just as she pulled away for air. "I'm going to…I'm about to—mmph—"

Her lips crashed down onto his completely, sealing his words. Severus twitched in her hand once, twice, then thrice as Lily brought him over the edge. Severus' hand wrapped over her's, guiding her as she lessened the frequency of her strokes, allowing him to ride out his orgasm until his well of euphoria had run dry. Entirely spent, and with nothing left to give, he released Lily's hand from his softening prick and flopped back on the bed as his hazy eyes tracked upwards to the ceiling.

"That was incredible, Lily," Severus said, in awe of what he'd just felt.

"It was wonderful for me too Sev," Lily replied, tenderly wiping away the mess they'd made. "I'm glad I could do that with you, you were amazing."

"So were you," Severus said reverentially. His hand stroked her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, sighing as she curled against his side.

"Can I…can I touch you now?" he asked, his eyes drifting lower to her glistening femininity.

"I thought you'd never ask," Lily said, grinning.

"Severus closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled. "Can you show me how you like to be…to be touched?" he asked, seemingly embarrassed with himself.

Lily kissed him sweetly on the cheek, hoping it would give him some courage. "L-like this." Lily grasped Severus' hand, and brought it down her stomach, letting him feel her smooth skin before settling it on the junction of her thighs.

"Circles Sev, that feels good, so…so just…rub it like this," Lily instructed.

Severus' lips found Lily's, nipping and biting at her lower lip as his thumb and fingers traced circles over Lily's labia. The pads of his thumb coated in her arousal as he traced lazy circles into Lily's clit, feeling her moisten under his touch worked wonders for his confidence.

"Mmm—ooh, that feels good Sev. Keep going like that…just like that," she encouraged.

Lily rolled her hips into his fingers, loving the irresistible pressure that Severus' fingers—so much longer and girthier than her own, could give her. Severus gently pressed into Lily with his pointer finger, pushing in to the second knuckle, her squeal followed by another breathy sigh served as additional encouragement for Severus to experiment further. His thumb traced slow circles over the surface of her femininity as his finger searched for that bundle of nerves within her—the sweet spot that would drive her over the edge. By following her quiet sighs and throaty moans, Severus soon learned what Lily loved best and strived to please her as best he could. Within moments, Lily's cries had to be muffled by the palm of her hand, as Severus thrust his digit in and out of her with ever increasing speed and force. Her walls fluttered around him, so close to the euphoric heights Severus sought to send her to.

With a sharp, muffled cry, she came; her sex trembling and fluttering erratically around his finger in the blissful afterglow of an orgasm. Severus had only just withdrawn his soaked pointer-finger when she'd rolled over onto him, her hips straddling his thigh as she kissed him.

"Sev that was brilliant," Lily murmured against his lips.

Lily ground her hips against his knee, smearing her arousal against his leg in a desperate bid for greater friction. Evidently, her needs weren't satisfied with just one orgasm, she wanted more. Severus was only too happy to oblige, when another golden opportunity presented itself for him to learn how best to please Lily, of course he'd take it in a heartbeat. He pried Lily's hips off his leg, and rubbed her womanhood gently in circular motions with his calloused digits, coating himself in her dripping arousal and earning yet more moans from her. Just as he prepared to press in however, the opening of a door downstairs, prompted the two teens to spring apart faster than a kneazle from water.

"Fuck, Lily, you've got to get out of here!" Severus hissed, keeping his volume low but urgent so as not to wake anyone. Lily didn't even bother slipping on her knickers or her bra, just her sweats and top would do for now.

Lily gave Severus one last peck on the lips before fleeing his room for the safety of her own as the heavy footfalls of Mark Evans came up the stairs. When Mark came in moments later, Severus had pulled the covers all the way up to his chin, his discarded clothes safely hidden underneath them. Mark bade him goodnight and Severus did so too, pulling his eyes away from 'the book he'd been reading' to meet those of Lily's father. The two men exchanged their goodnights, with Severus setting his book aside and switching off the bedside lamp he'd been using.

The following morning, the first emotion Severus felt was complete and utter confusion. He could've sworn Lily had left his room mere seconds before her father had come home, and fled to her own room for the night, so imagine his bewilderment when the first thing he saw that very next morning was a head of thick, dark red hair. Severus blearily opened his eyes, seeing the redness of Lily's mane pressed right up into his face, and lower, her body flush against his. He'd never bothered to dress himself last night before falling asleep so his member was pressed harshly into Lily's arse cheeks.

Now aware of his surroundings, and more importantly, the state of his undress with a girl in bed next to him, he made to pull away but the feeling of soft, familiar hands on him stilled his retreat. Lily's hand had wrapped itself around his aching member, her thumb tracing gentle circles onto his head. For a moment, all coherent thought left him, simply drawing on the mind-numbing pleasure Lily was giving him. Despite his embarrassment, he groaned at the sensation, unable to help himself.

"Morning Sev," Lily mumbled, rolling on her side and coming face to face with him.

"When did you get here?" Severus demanded, confused at how Lily managed to sneak into his room without him knowing.

"Aren't there more pressing matters to attend to?" she asked quietly. Severus sighed and rolled onto his back, but Lily didn't relinquish her gentle grip on his prick.

Unlike Severus, Lily wasn't naked, simply dressed in a bra and knickers, but still in a greater state of undress than she'd ever been before when the two of them had shared a bed. She would've also seen him naked, asleep under his quilt when she came into the room sometime during the night.

"Come on Sev," Lily urged, she threw a leg over his and pressed her bra-clad breasts up into his ribs. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. "It's clear you've got yourself a little…well—ahem, a big problem, don't you want me to—"

"Of course I do, don't be an idiot," Severus snapped, instantly regretting his words as a hurt look passed over her face. It was the wrong thing to say, as Lily pulled her hand away entirely, angry and hurt by his abrasiveness. "L-Lily wait, please come back," Severus pleaded, just as she kicked aside the covers to get out of bed.

"I do want you to, it's just…you don't have to do this," he confessed. "In fact…I don't want you to do this if you're not comfortable or—"

"I am comfortable Sev. Remember that morning a few weeks ago when the, um, the same thing happened and you were…well you were pressed up against me?"

Severus blushed, recalling the memory as clear as day, his own embarrassment and Lily's incessant teasing and sniping afterwards. But to his relief, Lily's cheeks were a similar shade of dull red to his own in the here and now.

"Well I want to do this," she insisted. "It must be painful right? So just…just let me…help you, then," she finished quietly.

Severus looked into her eyes, and when he did, he felt as though his heart would burst from what he saw. Reflected in her eyes, so clear for all to see was her desire for him to be happy, to be contented, and that was all he needed to see. He shifted closer to her, and leaned back into the pillows.

Lily moved back next to him, lying down beside him and tucking her head against his shoulder. Her hand snaked its way down beneath the covers and grasped his softening member. A few quick pumps later he was hard again, and Lily's hand moved at a far more sedate pace. Severus looked over at her, transfixed at the concentration and sense of immovable will to succeed written onto her face. He then moved lower and kissed along her jawline, then her collar bones and lastly the milky, smooth skin of her chest.

For Severus, it was all over too soon, Lily's hands gliding over his slick shaft, leg draped over his and her supple, curvaceous breasts pressing into his ribs was too much for him and he came quietly. He offered to return the favor but Lily shook her head, muttering 'later', as she feared her parents would be up soon.

Severus cleaned himself up and grabbed a change of underwear and outerwear while Lily quickly dressed in her nightgown and straightened out her bird's nest of hair then crept out of the room. When Lily stepped out, just about the last person in the world she wanted to see in that moment was stood in front of her with their arms folded across their chest and a reproachful expression etched onto her face.

"Petunia, it's not what it—"

"For god's sake Lily, don't even try to lie to me. It's pretty fucking obvious what it was you and Severus were doing," Petunia hissed.

"Wh-what do you mean? I just wanted to wake him so we can start on breakfast together and—"

Petunia scoffed, "yeah right. I'm sure you woke him up alright with that hand—"

"Keep your voice down!" Lily hissed, glaring at her. "Look, okay I was…doing that, alright? What do you want me to say? You and Robert do stuff all the time and I never judge you for it."

"Not in our own house, Lily, we at least have the decency to not suck each other off while under the same roof as mum and dad!"

"Oh yeah, that's right. You do all that over at his house, don't you?" Lily retorted angrily.

An ugly scowl twisted itself onto Petunia's horse-shaped face, the older sister took several menacing steps towards Lily and jabbed her pointer-finger into Lily's nightgown. "Oh that's rich, coming from you! You're the one in hot water, not me, so you should be on your knees begging me to not tell mum and dad that you and that Snape boy were doing things you shouldn't be," Petunia snarled, her lip curled upwards into a vindictive sneer and her eyes glimmering with something wicked.

Petunia loomed menacingly over her younger sister, and although Lily wasn't that much shorter than her, she felt so much smaller than their size difference actually reflected when Petunia got like this.

"Fine then," Lily said softly, staring up at her big sister with an equally harsh look. "Tell Mum and Dad, Petunia. See who they believe. You or me. You know they'll believe me over you any day of the week so do you really want to embarrass yourself?"

Lily knew she was playing dirty, and hitting Petunia below the metaphorical belt, but she was past caring right now. It wasn't as if she'd started this anyways. A vein throbbed on Petunia's head, but just as she made to storm off to her room, Lily quickly grabbed her sister's bony upper-arm and blurted out; "I'll keep any secret of your's in exchange, Tuney."

Petunia yanked her upper arm out of Lily's grasp and whirled around to stare at her, a look half-way between anger and confusion etched into her long face.

"It's only fair. A secret for a secret," Lily whispered solemnly. "Please…don't…anything you want, you name it and I won't tell a soul."

Just when it seemed like Petunia would storm off and through Lily's offer back in her face, Petunia nodded slowly. "Fine. And I might need to call in that favor rather soon," she said.

"On my honor as an Evans, I swear not to tell a soul, even Sev, no matter what your secret is," Lily promised, placing her arm over her chest.

Petunia just snorted, lifted her chin primly and sent one last sneer Lily's way down the length of her nose.

"Fine." Was all she said, before marching down the hall and down the stairs.

Lily breathed a heavy sigh of relief once Petunia left. She felt a little guilty resorting to tactics that she had, playing on the knowledge that her parents most definitely favored 'their special Lily', over normal Petunia. At the end of the day though, it is what it is, and Lily couldn't help being favored by her parents over her elder sister, and Petunia had built up quite some resentment as a result, that couldn't be helped too. She did feel a bit of pity for her older sister though that in most things Lily happened to steal the limelight, whether it be in her magical prowess, or even something as vain and insignificant as their physical appearances. While Petunia wasn't ugly by any stretch of the imagination, she was rather…bland. Nana Gretchen had said so several times and Lily could never quite suppress a wince as their Great Grandmother muttered one of her callous, and at times, cruel remarks about how Petunia could do this or do that to spruce up her appearance. Gretchen really could be a vain, hag of an old woman at times. Lily wasn't as tall as Petunia, and lacked her sharp cheekbones and elongated neck; but on the flip-side, Lily's stunning green eyes and vibrant red hair, not to mention that puberty had been far kinder to Lily's slim frame, granting her curves she knew Petunia would kill to have, meant that of the two Evans sisters, Lily often drew more attention in a crowd.

The truth was, Lily did feel somewhat guilty at times, even comparing herself to Severus she felt guilty. She now knew the whole truth about his home life, about how he'd been abused and suffered, and yet here she was having loving and supportive parents. Severus lacked all of that, and Petunia lacked most of what made Lily special too. She didn't appreciate Petunia's resentment in the slightest, she hated it as a matter of fact—that Petunia could resent her for having things she had no control over, her magic and appearance being a chief example of that. Life isn't fair, she thought, recalling Severus' motto. She knew that first hand having lucked out in so many facets of her life. She was a powerful witch, had loving parents, a loving boyfriend who was so attentive and in tune with her wants and needs it made her heart ache, not to mention being easy on the eyes certainly wasn't a negative in most people's books. There were some causes for resentment though, in her life, so the feeling wasn't entirely foreign to Lily. Early in her Hogwarts career, she'd resented a lot of the purebloods that looked down on her for things out of her control too, namely her blood heritage. She didn't like having a perceived 'weakness', but in the end her and Severus' move to Ilvermorny had taken care of that problem easily.

Lily walked into her room, and flopped down on her unmade bed. She stared up at the ceiling, tracing mindless paths into the grooved surface while wondering how things had become the way they had between her and Petunia. While Petunia had made strides in tolerating Severus and no longer hated him on principle after learning a bit about all that he'd suffered through. Her thoughts still lingered on the just-concluded argument she had with Petunia, and she couldn't help but wonder if her relationship with her sister had grown so toxic, that it'd be irreparable. Lily liked to think it wasn't, and that with time and some Elmer's glue, all would be well between herself and Petunia; but she had a sinking feeling deep in her gut that things between her and Petunia were on a slippery slope. At least Lily could find some semblance of solace in the fact that if Petunia's resentment never went away, their inequity in life would not be the result of Lily's choices, nor things she could control. At its core, the widening gap between the two Evans sisters could not be traced back to anything of Lily's choice, just their allotments in life doled out randomly at birth.

Why did Petunia have to resent her for things she couldn't help, or control?

Later that day, Severus and Lily had left the house and were walking down the street towards their old Willow tree. A few other families were out and about, given that it was a Sunday afternoon, but their trek was entirely uneventful. The park was quiet when they arrived—only a father, mother and their young daughter playing at the swing set as they arrived. Lily and Severus moved past the sandbox and swing set, the former offering the two parents and child a smile in greeting, before heading over to the edge of the river where their old tree resided. Severus parted the reeds for Lily, and the two moved to sit up against the base of the willow.

"Sev I want to ask you something," Lily said suddenly, turning on her side to face him. "And I want you to be honest with me too, okay?"

Severus glanced over at her through his curtain of long hair, then shrugged. "Go for it."

Lily smiled gratefully at him and nodded. In a quiet voice, not at all representative of the turmoil roiling inside of her, she asked; "What do you think of my relationship with Petunia?"

Severus looked over at her in surprise, he was quite shocked that of all people, Lily was approaching him on this. He didn't harbor an incredibly favorable opinion of Lily's older sister to say the least, so his shock was obvious in his expression as he heard Lily's question.

"What about your relationship?" he asked, shock being replaced by curiosity.

"Like…the state of it, and things like that. I just…I feel as though I'm doing all I can to make sure things don't get worse. I've been writing to her all year just as much as my parents about all I'm learning about Muggle America, keeping her up to date with all the pop-culture goings on that I know she obsesses over." She turned to face him, a sad, and somewhat pleading look in her gloomy, green eyes. "What more can I do to foster a connection with her?"

"I'm probably not the best person to ask this sort of question Lily," Severus answered honestly. "Perhaps Marlene is better suited to answering this than I? You did mention she'll be staying over a few days next week, didn't you?"

"She is, I mean…she will be, on Thursday through Sunday," Lily clarified. "But that's not what I meant Sev, sure Marlene may be more…emotionally in tune than you, I guess? But you know Petunia much better than she does."

"That, I can't deny," Severus said amusedly. "But believe me Lily…if I had a choice in the matter at all, I would much rather it be that she knew Petunia far more than I," he added, sporting a small, teasing grin.

Lily's laughter was a welcome break from the sour state she'd fallen into since she'd asked Severus her question. Even if just for a moment, Severus was glad that Lily had forgotten the source of her misery and that she found his quip amusing.

"You're trying to be funny, aren't you?" Lily chuckled, whacking him chidingly along the shoulder. "Do you think this is a laughing matter?"

"I don't know," Severus replied, shrugging his shoulders exaggeratedly. "You're the one that's laughing, so why don't you tell me?"

She tried as hard as she could, but alas, Lily's attempts to maintain a frigid exterior failed miserably—her faux-cold facade cracking into peals of laughter. It was a welcome break to Severus from the seriousness of her questioning, and he hoped it would help lighten the mood a bit when Lily inevitably pressed for his opinion on her relationship with Petunia.

"Seriously though Severus, I'm…I really do need your thoughts on this," Lily insisted once she'd ceased her laughter. "From what you've seen, is there anything I can do better with Petunia? Because I…I get the feeling that it'll all be for naught and that sooner or later it'll all come crashing down between us."

"At the end of the day Lily, you can only ask that question of yourself, because only you know how much you're willing to cater to Petunia's whims," Severus responded. He leaned back against the knobbly trunk of the tree, hands falling to the grass and shredding the blades by fistful. Talking about the elder Evans sister, always set him on edge, especially in this glade of all places. "Because at the end of it all, Lily; only you know if you have more to give, and from my perspective, I don't think there's much else you can do. The ball's in Petunia's court, and if you feel as though you've done all you can…then why worry about it?"

"But I don't want my relationship with her to be ruined!" Lily cried. "You've seen it yourself, just this time last year she seemed so much…more open, and in comparison to this year, it's like…it's like there's a whole ocean between us!"

Lily pounded her fists into the dewey grass and got to her feet.

"I've written her, I've tried to reach out to her, what more can I do?" Lily said desperately, as she paced around the shade of the tree.

"Lily, relax," Severus said firmly. He rose off the ground and stalked towards his frustrated girlfriend and grasped her hand—tightly. "What's brought this on so urgently, anyway?" he asked in a softer tone of voice.

Lily sighed loudly and hunched in on herself, defeat written clearly for Severus to see all across her face. "After this morning…after we, well, I left your room…Petunia heard that I was…well that I was giving you a handjob and she wanted to tell my parents about what she'd learned…and it just brought back all these thoughts about how…how we've been drifting apart so much over this past year," she said miserably. She looked up from the ground, staring deeply into Severus' eyes.

"What more can I do?" she pleaded. "In this past year alone…our relationship has gone so sour, she'd be willing to rat me out, just for her vindictive pleasure when I can't imagine she'd have ever done that before!"

Severus scrunched his eyes hut, a pinched look of displeasure crossing his face. "I don't see a relationship worth saving, in all honesty Lily," he said softly, quietly. "I don't think Petunia's worth it, and although my perception of her has improved, it's clear to me that you've put in far more effort than she has to sustain the…amicability of your relationship."

He glanced up from the ground, he was tempted to hold his tongue, to not say what he had to share next because he knew, what he would speak in the coming minutes just might help make or break Lily's relationship with her sister. The light flittering in through the reeds highlighted the desperation on Lily's face all too clearly, and once more, Severus found that couldn't deny her this little nugget of information he owned. Not when it would cost little to no effort on his part to impart on her what he thought would save her relationship with Petunia. His own less-than-favorable feelings about Petunia aside, he couldn't let that interfere in Lily's desperate bid to hold on to the last threads of her dying kinship with her sister.

The eagerness and desperation on Lily's face for something, anything, that might salvage her relationship with Petunia was only exacerbated by the light piercing the gloom. After all Lily had done for him, on his behalf, it'd be criminal to withhold what he knew from her now, so without any further internal debate, Severus began to speak.

"Perhaps…Lily, and this is just a thought, mind you, but instead of writing Petunia about…about yourself, which from Petunia's perspective might seem rather self-centered…just ask Petunia about herself. Don't write about yourself, magical or muggle, ask how she's doing, and maybe that might change things," Severus suggested, speaking softly. "It's no secret that your parents favor you over your sister, Lily, perhaps a better course of action in the immediate future might by trying to change your parents' perception of that. Things like…speaking more about Petunia at dinner, or just…doing something as innocent and easy as asking about Petunia's day…things like that, it could help."

Severus took one step back from her and shrugged his shoulders, Lily had stayed silent throughout his entire monologue, searching his face and listening so intently she was hanging off of each and every word he spoke. He met her gaze, and seeing that brilliant, burning fire of hope and gratitude made it all worthwhile to Severus. Choosing not to let his dislike for Petunia get in the way paid instant dividends for Severus in seeing Lily happy, it was all worth it to him for that.

Lily's smile was blinding. She stepped towards Severus and hugged him, tucking her head in against his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his body as his did the same.

"I'm an idiot," Lily said thickly, her voice muffled by his flannel shirt, "I should've…why didn't I think of that? Gosh, you're right Sev, it must've felt so self-centered to Tuney, I was only writing about myself and not even bothering to ask after her…how could I have not thought of that!"

"Need I remind you of all the times you've pointed out something obvious to me?" Severus muttered in return.

"No," Lily chortled, her chest vibrating pleasantly against his. "No I guess you don't."

Severus laughed too, but stepped out of Lily's hug and held her at an arm's length.

"Of course…there's no guarantee that what I said will work Lily, I hope you recognize that," he said seriously, to which she nodded. "But in my humble opinion, I do think asking after Petunia in your letters will hopefully help improve things between you two."

Lily smiled and nodded, understanding that Severus' suggestion was far from a sure-fire solution to her relationship issues with Petunia but still grateful for him nonetheless. "It's the intent that matters, remember? I can't fault you at all if what you suggest doesn't pan out the way I want it to, but I can be grateful that you've given me such a suggestion in the first place," Lily said softly.

Her hand rose to cup his cheek, brushing over the smooth skin and feeling the warmth radiating from his face. Under the mid-afternoon sun, she could see little flecks of brown in his eyes, twinkling and sparkling away like chipped bits of andalusite floating atop a midnight sea. They shone brighter than diamonds, brighter than stars—even. Lily was amazed at her new discovery, every time she looked upon his face she found something new, a new layer, an obscure facet—something that only made the boy stood before her that much more intriguing, and wonderful. Beyond his complexity though, there was no denying that he was simply brilliant, a wonderful friend and an even better boyfriend.

"What would I do without you?" she asked, half-rhetorically, half-hoping he'd answer. She searched his face with a piercing look, feeling—embracing each and every micro-emotion that came and went— flickering in and out of existence like fireflies against the pitch black darkness of the night. When he'd made up his mind and finally come to rest, the emotion she felt strongest was simple, but pure, gratitude. Gratitude for her was drawn all across his features in such a way that Lily wanted him to retain that look, bottle it up tightly, and ensure it never went away. A flight of butterflies floated through her chest, filling her with a warm, cozy feeling she'd give anything in the world to keep.

"And what would I do without you?" Severus asked in return.

An abashed look rose to the fore, supplanting any other emotion written into her pale, but lightly blushing face. In the end she just shrugged her shoulders, she didn't know the answer to his question. Which was just as well because Severus hadn't the foggiest idea either.

A/N2: Severus giving relationship advice? Who'd have thought it? In-universe, this version of Severus' emotional maturity/intuition is much higher than it was in canon. This is mostly down to how his life has diverged massively from canon in the sense that he's now living with the Evanses and going to school overseas, not to mention that he's made friends with people that actually like him. All of this comes together to massively improve his perception of the emotions of those around him. Long story short, by building actual friendships beyond Lily, and having loving and supporting parents in Mark and Violet has worked wonders for Severus' ability to understand people.

Let's be honest here, canon!Severus is about as dumb as a bunch of rocks when it comes to understanding emotions at this point in time; but this Severus has already diverged so much from canon at this point in time, I hope that help explains his actions a bit more