Gifting October, Amelia. Enjoy!

Warnings: Gen Gap.

Word Count: 2333


Severus looked down at the recently bought bundle of lilies that were in his hand. So much had happened over the last several years, all of it a bit of a blur, if he were honest with himself. The Dark Lord had been defeated on Halloween, starting the messy end of the war. The Death Eaters had fled, caused a rampage, and killed many more innocents.

Severus, after finding out that Lily and James had lived upon the Dark Lords' demise, had fled back to Dumbledore. He didn't want to follow the other Death Eaters and cause terror, he was lost. He had previously begged Dumbledore to protect Lily, and it appeared that Dumbledore had come through.

Dumbledore had taken him in and allowed him to work at Hogwarts.

In the weeks after the war had ended, Severus had sent Lily a few letters, all unanswered. He had lost hope in ever being able to reconnect with his best friend - former best friend. He struggled to make friends, he always had, and even though he eventually got on with his fellow professors at Hogwarts, it was never the same. It was work colleagues.

As the excitement began to buzz regarding Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, Severus wanted to reach out again.

He had spent many nights, and multiple trips to Minerval's office, crafting and writing the letter. The most difficult decision had been to include James' name in the letter. Maybe that had been why he had finally received a reply.

Sucking in a breath of fresh warm air, Severus walked into the Leaky Cauldron and looked around.

There she was. Her hair was still vibrant red. Her skin was just as flawless. And her bright green eyes instantly connected with his.

Severus looked around, his brows furrowed together when he couldn't see James or any of the other Marauders. He walked towards the booth that she was occupying. "Where's James?"

"I thought it would be best if we spoke first," Lily replied, pushing a butterbeer towards him.

Severus nodded, feeling his shoulders relax in relief at the knowledge that it was just her. "Thank you," he said as he sat down opposite her, placed the lilies down, and took the butterbeer in his hands. "And thank you for meeting me."

"Are those for me?" Lily asked with a kind smile.

"Yes. I wasn't sure if I should…"

"They're lovely. Thank you," Lily said, picking up the flowers and smelling them. She smiled again as she placed them down. "May I start?"

Severus nodded. He was thankful to not start, he wasn't sure what he'd say.

"I'm sorry I never answered your letters. I was angry at you, angry that you were a part of the Death Eaters. Angry that I didn't stop it. That I didn't try and support you or intervene…"

"It wasn't your fault that I joined them."

"If I was a better friend to you, maybe things would have been different." Lily took a sip of her half-drunk butterbeer. "I was also very scared. My baby boy had stopped an evil man; everybody wanted a piece of him. We were getting hundreds of letters a day, from reporters, fans. The worst part was that they were sent to Harry. My one-year-old! It took months before we were able to get that stopped."

Lily took a breath. "I saw your letters. I did. I put them in a separate pile but never went back to them. Even without them, I should have reached out to you when I caught up with other people. Checked on you and checked that you were okay."

Severus nodded. "I understand. We haven't been friends in a while, you didn't owe me anything."

"I did. You did so much for me. It's the least I could have done."

Severus took a sip of the butterbeer. The liquid smoothed down his dry throat. "Thank you. Really, your words have really helped." He paused, contemplating what to do next. Her apologising for her part had moved him so much. "I have much to apologise for. To say sorry."

Lily looked at him, her bright green eyes giving him all of her attention.

"At school, I was so conflicted. I wanted friends, desperately, and I didn't know how to do that. Being friends with you was easy. But I wanted to be friends with my fellow Slytherins too. They weren't all bad, I could have chosen better friends. I didn't need to turn against you."

"You didn't, Sev." Lily ran a hand through her hair, deshelving it. "I was scared that if you were friends with the Slytherins, we wouldn't be as close. But I made friends with the Gryffindors over the years. I did what I asked you not to. And there's no reason for that. Even if they might have been evil, we were all children, we got to choose our paths."

Severus cleared his throat in an attempt to halt the tears that were welling in his eyes. He hadn't expected to have so much closure in such a short conversation with Lily. He wanted to apologise for everything he's ever done, but Lily accepting some of the responsibility and forgiving him, was overwhelming. "I… I'm sorry for everything."

Lily reached forward and touched his hand. "Water under the bridge. I'm happy to put it all behind us, if you are." She pulled back. "Alternatively, I'm fully willing to discuss and rehash anything you want to."

That was an offer. He thought through everything and couldn't think of anything right this moment. "Starting fresh. But if I think of anything to discuss in the future?"

"Just let me know and we'll talk."

Severus nodded. "Do you think we might be able to be friends in the future?"

"I hope so. But it's not just me."

"James. And your son, Harry. Sirius and Remus, too. Right?"

Lily nodded.

"I can try."


While Severus did not become close friends with any of Lily's friends, they did become acquaintances. Severus sometimes felt that he and Remus were friends. He wouldn't say it out loud, but it was nice to know he could contact Remus directly if he needed to.

The years passed and Severus began to be more content with his life. He started to enjoy his job as the potions professor, and even more when he was asked to teach a few DADA lessons alongside the newest professors. It was mainly the first and second years, but it was still refreshing.

When he wasn't teaching and Hogwarts was on break, he had somewhere to go. He bought a little home in Hogsmeade; close enough to visit while working, but far enough away to get some distance. He even had visitors.

However, despite feeling happy and content in his life, unexpected visitors were not always welcome. When somebody knocked on his door at 3 pm on the first Saturday of the summer, Severus didn't want to answer.

"I know you're in there!"

Severus rolled his eyes when he recognised Lily's voice. He walked and opened the door, surprised to see not only Lily, but Remus too.

"Finally," Lily said as she walked into his apartment without asking.

Severus watched her walk in and then opened the door further. "Come on in, Remus."

"Thank you. Did you not get my warning owl?" he asked.

As though on cue, an owl swooped in and landed on the couch. "What did I do?"

Remus leant in. "Not living your life to the fullest."

"This again." Lily had been adamant that Severus should be dating or socialising more. As much as he had tried to convince her that he was content alone, she was stubborn. He appreciated her concern though.

Severus walked past Lily who had made herself comfortable on his couch and into the kitchen. "I'll make tea," he called back, feeling the need to explain his reasoning for walking off without being followed. However, it seemed that his words weren't enough.

He noticed a shadow lingering by the door. As he brought down three cups, he glanced back to see Remus.

"I thought it would be Lily that followed me."

Remus shrugged. "Thought you could use a hand."

Severus offered him a smile and started to make the teas; he knew how they all took it. "I understand why Lily is here to pester me about finding somebody and settling down, but why are you here?"

Remus chuckled and leant against the wall. "Because of whom Lily is convinced you are in love with."

Rolling his eyes, he poured the hot water. "And who might that be?"

"Hermione."

Severus froze for a split second, carefully putting the kettle down and turning to face Remus. He had heard his friend correctly. Remus had just said the name of one of his former students. Hermione Granger, next in line to be the Minister of Magic at the age of 25. "Where on earth did Lily get that idea?"

Remus had a small smirk on his lips. "Apparently you are more quiet around her…"

"Perhaps she's just annoying."

"She takes your attention instantly upon entering the room…"

"I don't recall that."

"It's difficult to pull your attention when you're talking to her…"

"I never even see her."

Remus chuckled, clearly not bothered about being interrupted several times. "You saw her yesterday at James and Lily's party, remember?"

Severus frowned. He had told himself plenty of times that he just found the young woman intriguing on an intellectual level. There weren't any feelings beyond curiosity of her thoughts and they weren't more than acquaintances. His only friends were Lily, and sometimes Remus. Everybody else just put up with him, including Hermione.

"I recall there were a number of occupants at the party." He turned away from Remus and finished making the tea.

"She's single, you know."

Severus picked up the three cups and turned around. "And you're here to tell me that age doesn't matter," he said matter-of-factly before walking past him and into the lounge.

Remus followed quickly.

"Thank you," Lily said, holding her tea in her hands and taking a deep sniff.

"Age is just a number," Remus spoke.

Lily looked up, her eyes finding Severus', and quickly put down the tea. "You started without me!"

Severus sat down on the wooden chair; the couch he has was for guests, he rarely used it. "I am not interested in Hermione. And not just because there's a massive age gap!"

"It's only about 18 years," Remus stated, he had clearly come prepared with that.

Lily sat up straighter. "I'm not saying that you need to drop to one knee or anything, Sev. But you clearly find her interesting, and she finds you interesting too! Surely you can see that it might be worth meeting up with her for an intellectual conversation instead of waiting until you happen to see each other at my house."

Severus had created several counters to any possible relationship with his former student, however, Lily was smart. She wasn't asking him to go on a date with Hermione, nor to even ask her out. Just meet up. "We don't have anything in common."

"Weren't you and Hermione just talking about her proposed bill to enforce a more rounded education for those who partly live in the muggle world? She mentioned that you offered a great perspective." Lily picked up her tea again. "She even mentioned that she would be interested to discuss it further."

His eyes glanced from Lily to Remus and then back to Lily. "Really?"

They both nodded.

Severus was torn. He liked his life. He was happy. Why would he want to complicate life? On-the-other-hand, talking to another person would give him more to do on the long days when he wasn't teaching. "If she wanted to discuss the matter, I could make time."

"Great! I'll set it up for you," Lily said with a huge grin.

He really hoped he didn't regret this.


Severus glared at himself in the mirror. The new, sparkling clean, black robes hung off his body perfectly. He hated them. He missed his oversized cloak which bellowed behind him as he walked. The tight waistcoat which helped keep his back straight.

His glare turned to the door as it opened. In walked Remus, the man behind this ridiculous outfit.

"I hope you're not planning to look at Hermione with that gaze."

Severus didn't dignify that with a response, he simply turned his gaze back to his outfit. The personalised cufflinks glimmering in the light.

Remus approached him, holding up a drink. "Relax. You look great."

"My normal robes…"

"Severus," Remus interrupted. "This is your wedding day."

Severus frowned deeply. It had taken three years since that first meet-up with Hermione before they went on their first date. Everything since then had happened so fast. Today was their two year anniversary of that very first date; Severus was pretty sure his feelings for her were already strong. Now, though, he'll be tying his life to hers.

"I'm not ruining her life, am I?"

Remus visibly froze. "Wedding day," he repeated feebly.

Severus turned around quickly, his fitted cloak flurrying out only a foot or two. "I love her. More than anything. More than I thought I could love anybody. But…" He indicated himself.

"She loves you."

"Is that enough?"

"Yes."

Severus waited for Remus to continue. Seconds turned into minutes. Finally, he nodded. Yes. It was such a simple answer. That's all he needed, though. A simple confirmation that he was doing the right thing and not about to ruin her life. He would never want to do that to somebody he loved.

Glancing towards the mirror, Severus nodded again. "Okay. I'm ready."

Remus beamed from ear to ear. "Let's go then."

Severus straightened his tie and stepped out of the room and to the front of the church, ready to start the rest of his life with Hermione as his wife.