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Lily was still sitting in the armchair; blankly staring at the hearth while Severus was ranting about Death Eaters and secret notes. Maybe her sheer will alone could drown out his voice. It's been almost two weeks since the breeder program was introduced. Two weeks since Bellatrix exploded and left the castle, only returning for meetings. Two weeks since Lily was a laundry maid. Two weeks since both Lily and Severus got a full night's sleep. The bed was large enough to fit them both, but the wall of pillows down the middle took up most of the space. Like clockwork, each night ended with of petty bickering, then keeping the other awake with some intolerable sleeping habit. Severus would snore and talk in his sleep. Lily would toss and turn so much the pillow wall would topple and provoke another round of bickering. "One of these days, I'll smother your snide face with a pillow," Lily subconsciously clenched her fists.

"Are you even listening to me? Did you hear what I said?" Severus groaned at her silence. "Your absence has been noticed."

"And?"

"AND your absence reflects poorly on us both. You're expected at dinner tonight."

"Well, won't they be disappointed."

"Lily, please. You can't stay in here forever. You have to make an appearance."

Lily waved her hands irritably. "No, no. I never agreed to play tea party with your Death Eater friends and their wretched wives. We agreed to stick together for two years, while you figure out a plan to get me out of here." She turned to face Severus with an unpleasant look. "You're fucking ridiculous. One minute you're begging me stay and the next minute you're begging me to leave. I'm not going anywhere near those bloody bastards, so you might as well stop it."

"Lily."

She ignored him. Lily felt sick to her stomach. Pretending to participate in their vile breeding scheme was humiliating enough; but sitting at their table and breaking bread with the same bloodthirsty perverts that tortured her and wanted her kind dead crossed a line. Severus and his never-ending list of favors and demands in order to keep appearances, none of which Lily was willing to obey. This was her way of punishing Severus for daring to love her. But what mattered more? His inconvenience, or her life? "What are they serving for dinner?" Lily asked tonelessly.

"I don't know."

She rolled her eyes and bit her lip. "Fine. I'll play along."

Severus narrowed his eyes, suspicious of her sudden change of mind. "And you'll stay for at least an hour?"

"Fifteen minutes, maybe longer if the food is worth eating."

"Half an hour."

"Fine." Lily stormed. "But if any of those cunts talks to me, touches me, or so much looks at me, I'm leaving."

"Fine." Severus bristled. "Get yourself cleaned up. The least you could do is look presentable."

Lily had been in the dining room before to collect the tablecloths and napkins. She didn't get the chance to view the grand room as a guest. Even after the plates of food appeared in front of the dinner guests, all eyes were still on Lily. From the Death Eaters, they stared at her with a mix of disgust and greed. Their wives glared at her; eyes darting back and forth like pendulums. Lily desperately wanted to get up and leave, but she found herself frozen in her seat. In front of her was a plate of roasted chicken and potatoes. The rich smell of butter, garlic, and herbs made Lily hungry, however she couldn't eat. All around her, Death Eaters chewing, drinking, loudly talking with their mouths open, polished knives scratching their plates trying to cut their food. Still, their eyes never left her. "Am I nothing more than their entertainment?" Lily thought bitterly. For a moment, Lily considered doing something ridiculous to get them to stop staring at her. "How many of their wives would faint if I ate through my nose?"

"You should eat." Severus muttered to her.

"I can't. I feel sick." Lily noticed him refilling his wine glass for the second time.

"At least try. I'm not bringing up food for you anymore."

"What?" She hissed. "I can't eat here every fucking night! Can't you see how they're looking at us?"

"This is how they've been looking at me for the last two weeks." Severus poured her a very full glass of red wine. "Drink up. You'll forget all about them soon."

Lily looked blankly at the glass, fighting the urge to throw her drink at Severus. She looked around the table for Rosaline and the air-headed witch was nowhere to be seen. Bellatrix was gone too. After Lucius decided to take the breeding program seriously, she loudly left the castle, screaming out that she would rather cut a toe off than be in the presence of blood-traitor breeders. Lily felt slightly safer now that Bellatrix was out of the castle, but the air was different without her. Bellatrix was an outstanding Death Eater, a leader. Without her, the lower-ranking Death Eaters seemed more wicked than usual. Bellatrix left her seat empty at the table, and someone had to fill it.

"Poor thing." An unpleasant voice simpered.

Lily shot a glare to Rosier sitting across from her. "What do you want?"

"I want what you want." Rosier smirked at her annoyed expression. "Why is it that you loathe me so much, Lily?"

Her skin went cold when the Death Eater used her name. "Find someone else to talk to."

"But I want to talk to you."

"Well I don't."

"And yet … here you are." Rosier took a very slow sip of wine. "They're all looking at you, I know."

"So are you, you bloody idiot."

"I look because I am disappointed." Rosier lowered his voice and stared at her. "Across from me, she sits; the mudblood Snape fights tooth and nail to have. How many pureblood blood-traitors he slaughtered to call you his own. How many red-haired muggles and mudbloods destroyed and given off because they just … weren't you. All that hard work and searching; and here she is, dressed in rags, smelling of cigarettes, and neglected. Don't tell me you aren't disappointed too?" Lily gripped her fork tighter and tried not to think about what happened to those poor women. Rosier leisurely continued. "What is it that makes you so special?"

"Talk to someone else." Lily shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Severus was in a deep conversation with a middle-aged Death Eater.

"Disappointing; tragic almost. If your friend wasn't so quick to snatch you, you would be under my care. You would be a guest of honor at this table, only eating and drinking the finest foods in the castle. You would only wear the most elegant robes. Believe me, their eyes would be so green with envy, none could take their eyes off you."

"I don't want them looking at me at all."

"Then they wouldn't even dare to. I would hex anyone that dares to look at you. If you wanted to stay in your room, I would let you stay for as long as you pleased. Food, clothes, books, whatever you desire would be delivered by house elves. I wouldn't parade you around like some gilded carnival attraction."

Lily didn't want to hear the Death Eater's words. Rosier promised luxury, comfort, and slightly more freedom than Severus could provide. Rosier had to be a liar, and Severus couldn't be a murderer. But Lily knew that was a lie.

"Leave her alone." Severus interrupted the conversation. "She doesn't want to talk to you."

"Why don't you leave her alone? She doesn't want you at all." Rosier spat back.

"I want to leave." Lily mumbled quietly.

"Then leave." Severus wasn't taking his eyes off Evan Rosier.

"I want you to take me back upstairs."

"Yes, Severus, why don't you take your poor girlfriend back upstairs?" Rosier grinned wickedly and glanced at the almost empty wine bottle in front of Severus. "Assuming you can even stand up."

Lily didn't realize how much Severus had to drink. "Sev?"

"Our … friend here, has had too much to drink." Rosier stood up gracefully and offered an arm to Lily. "Come, I'll escort you back to your bedroom."

"No!" Severus drunkenly glowered. "You stay where you're at, Rosier. I know it's you!"

"You know what?" Rosier scoffed and sat back down, forgetting all about Lily. "Let's hear it, what are you talking about?"

"I bet it's you, you fucking creep. You've been jealous of me since school."

"Sev, please, let's go."

"Jealous? Watch who you're calling a creep!"

Lily stood up and threw her napkin on top of her uneaten food. She stormed out of the dining hall alone while Severus and Rosier drunkenly hurled insults at each other. Surprisingly, the table was not disturbed by the outbursts. She could tolerate the looks and whispers about her. She could tolerate Rosier's slimy, simpering conversation. She could even tolerate Severus drinking and humiliating the both of them. But Lily couldn't tolerate hearing about Severus anymore. The image of the muggleborn servants carrying Marlene's lifeless body out of the drawing room was still fresh. The servants had told her Severus killed Marlene. Marlene had told her Severus killed James Potter. Evan Rosier had told her Severus killed dozens. Yet, Lily had never seen Severus raise his wand to kill.

The bedroom was so silent and still. The magic black lines that divided the room seemed bolder and uglier. Despite what she had been told, Lily considered what she knew. As a laundry servant, she went to bed freezing in a nest of burlap. She was starving, picking the scraps off plates and scavenging pockets for forgotten snacks or sweets. Just like when she was on the run with Mary and Marlene, she had to be moving and hiding constantly; never knowing or what the next threat was. Whenever Lily was with Severus, she had never gone hungry, cold, or unprotected. No matter how intense the argument, he always left her breakfast and brought her dinner. He respected the black lines. Lily's side was almost barren except for the occasional change of clothes he brought. His side was crowded with books, notes, and pickled creatures in jars. Not a single cigarette butt fell on her side of the black line.

"He drinks because of you." Lily bitterly thought to herself as she removed the wall of pillows and shams from the bed, preparing for Severus and his inevitable hangover.