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Severus Snape was devastated when Lily Evans ended their friendship during their fifth year at Hogwarts.

Severus Snape continued to watch Lily from afar.

He felt the knife turn in his heart when he learned of her relationship with James Potter.

Lily was seeking a way to hide from her true feelings, her feelings that she dared not acknowledge, her feelings that had nothing to do with James.

James was handsome, athletic, wealthy, and popular.

Everyone convinced her that it must be true love.

At graduation, it seemed that Severus and Lily had both immersed themselves in the false truths they were so desperate to believe.

Lily committed herself to James.

Severus committed himself to acting as the Dark Lord's most trusted agent and he buried himself in his master's ideals.

At least, he tried.

As he stood one evening, in the aftermath of a Death Eater raid, Severus listened to Voldemort while he made a grand speech, praising his followers' success and enveloping them in his vision of a world free from all mudbloods and muggles.

As Voldemort spoke, Severus's eyes were drawn away to a vibrant mass of red hair that peeked out from some unfortunate woman who lay lifeless behind the ruined tavern's wooden counter.

Severus's stomach clenched in sympathy for the slain and his heart skipped a beat as he realized one undeniable truth.

All mudbloods and muggles…

All.

Severus understood then what he had been too blind to see when he had sworn his allegiance to the Dark Lord's cause.

If Severus continued on his path, if Voldemort wasn't defeated, then one day…...one day that mass of red hair would belong to Lily.

It was easy for Severus to betray Voldemort in favor of protecting the one he loved.

He discreetly returned to his old school grounds and presented himself to Dumbledore, which surprisingly, resulted in multiple job offers.

"Your time will be filled, Severus." Dumbledore nodded at the young man in front of him, "Slughorn is retiring….I'll need you to serve as the new potions Professor and also as my informant. Do you think that you're up to the task?"

"...Surely I'm too young to be a staff member, sir?" Severus blinked incredulously.

"Such decisions remain in the headmaster's hands, Severus. Slughorn told me he's never seen a student with such a natural aptitude for potions such as yourself." Dumbledore asked as he looked over his spectacles and asked once more, "Besides, will Tom not be thrilled to have one of his men employed here?...What do you say?"

Severus's black eyes flooded with determination as he gazed at the headmaster.

If it meant protecting Lily Evans, there was no task that Severus Snape was not up to.

The next months passed by in a hazy blur.

Severus was trying to maintain his positions with both Dumbledore and Voldemort while he gradually learned how to be an efficient teacher.

It was a show of his great cunning that Voldemort never discovered he was secretly working for Dumbledore.

The look that Severus wore on his face for the entire week after he found out that Lily and James had married left Dumbledore certain that he would never have to doubt Severus's loyalty.

Dumbledore was no fool.

Severus Snape belonged to neither him nor Voldemort.

Severus Snape belonged to Lily Evans and that kind of devotion was as stable and as unchanging as eternity itself.

—-

"We're eagerly trying to contact the Longbottoms and get them to safety. However, I need your help with the rest of the matter, Severus." Dumbledore said to his spy as the two men spoke in his office late one evening, "I've been advised there are two magical children slated to arrive in the time frame that the prophecy referenced."

"How can I assist, sir?" Severus asked in a low whisper, barely moving his lips.

Dumbledore tried not to let his eyes shine as he opened his mouth to speak.

He had spent days thinking the matter over and he saw no better approach to the issue.

" I've had scouts searching for safe houses, but I'm confident that there's not a more secure location for the expectant mothers than Hogwarts. I need you to collect Lily Potter and bring her here." Dumbledore nodded.

Severus's jaw dropped, "L…...Lily Potter, sir?"

"Yes, Severus." Dumbledore nodded, "I'll provide you with the Potters' address and don't worry, I'll let her know to expect you."

Severus felt like he had been patted on the head and slapped in the face.

He was going to see Lily again!

But she was…she was…...with child?

James's child…..

"What about….?" Severus began. He was grateful when Dumbledore finished his thought, "James Potter will not be with her. Only Lily, Severus."

Severus was curious to learn more about the situation, but Dumbledore's clarification of his assignment felt like a breath of fresh air.

Only Lily, Severus.

Only Lily.

Three days later, Severus found himself walking up to the brick house that Dumbledore had instructed him to visit.

He looked up at the building with his brow furrowed before he walked up the front steps and stood on the stoop.

As he lifted a hand to knock on the door, he scowled as he heard something from inside.

It was a sound that Severus had encountered often as a boy, shouting, arguing voices battling angrily with each other.

Severus rapped sharply on the wood in an effort to drown out that horrible noise.

Silence followed, then footsteps came stomping towards the door and at last, it swung open.

Severus's black eyes widened as he found himself face to face with Lily.

Once the pleasant surprise wore off, his heart soared into his throat before it plummeted into the soles of his feet.

Lily was just as beautiful as he remembered, her hair full and rich, her kind eyes a deep green, her face so lovely and…

Red.

The reddened skin around her blood-shot, wet eyes bothered Severus even more than her rounded belly as she quickly tried to wipe away her tears. She flashed him a nervous smile, as she greeted him politely, "Hello, Sev!...It's been a while!"

Lily spoke as if the events of the past had never happened between them and he answered her in a similar manner.

"Hello, Lily…...Yes, it certainly has." Severus replied with a frown. Behind her, from inside the house, he heard something slam and she wiped away more tears as Severus broke the silence and went on, I'm here to escort you to Hogwarts. Dumbledore mentioned that he would tell you I was coming?"

Lily laid a hand on the side of her belly and Severus followed the motion as she nodded and smiled, "Right, let me just get my things. Wait here a moment….."

Lily carelessly left the front door open as she turned and hurried away.

Severus loitered on the porch while he blinked after her with a scowl.

Severus could be a rather nosy person by nature, and he was more than intrigued to find out the circumstances behind why James wasn't coming with Lily and why the face of his happily married, pregnant friend was drenched in tears.

Severus looked into the house from the open doorway, but he dared not enter, wanting to respect Lily's wishes.

That romantic notion was abandoned when he heard a shriek ring out from the house's interior, followed by a thud.

Severus would have recognized James Potter's voice anywhere as he heard him shout, "LILY!"

Severus was off of the front stoop and over the threshold so quickly it was almost unnatural.

He dashed through the darkened, vacant living area and towards the only light he could see, shining from the back of the house.

As he passed by, he couldn't help but notice the stacks and stacks of packed boxes that sat around the room and littered the staircase to his left.

Severus came bursting into what appeared to be James and Lily's kitchen in a swirling torrent of his black robes flying and in an instant, his wand was in his hand.

Severus saw Lily lying on the tile floor, unconscious, as James crouched over her.

His black eyes narrowed as a horrible scowl clouded his face.

"You're a monster, Potter! A monster!" Severus shouted as he accusingly stretched his wand out towards James.

As James hovered worriedly over Lily, he looked up at Severus and raised his hands defensively, "I…...I didn't touch her! She slipped….she's fallen! I didn't touch her!"

Severus stared at his old nemesis with the utmost loathing as Lily started to stir.

The only thing that kept James Potter alive in that moment was Lily and her rounded abdomen.

A groan issued from Lily's throat as her eyelids fluttered and Severus stepped closer while James bent over the redhead and cried, "Lily! Lilyflower! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?!"

Severus tried not to vomit when he heard James use that disgusting pet name but he murmured, "Don't shout at her, Potter. You're only going to startle her more."

"Yeah…...I can hear you…..James." Lily groaned again as she opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

James frowned in worry and laid a hand on his wife's shoulder as Severus boldly approached and knelt down a very short distance away.

Lily put a hand to her head while Severus and James watched her tensely.

"Lily…." Severus began but Lily's hand trembled slightly and she swallowed thickly.

"It's alright." She whispered, "I fell…...it was my fault. It was an accident."

"Are you having any pain?" James asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"

Severus hissed at James through grit teeth, "No, she's not alright, Potter! Does she look alright to you, you-"

"-I'm fine!" Lily snapped with a ferocity that surprised them both.

James and Severus both reached out to help her as she pulled herself to her feet, but Lily ignored them and used the kitchen cabinets for support instead.

She turned away from James and looked at Severus as she said, "Sorry, my trunk's there, behind the table….I'm ready to go now."

"You need to get to a healer!" James shouted, "Let me take you!"

"It's none of your business what I do, James!" Lily shouted back as Severus glided over to the table and retrieved her trunk.

Severus ignored James's sneering face as he looked down at Lily while she begged him, "Please, Severus, get me out of here."

"Don't worry, Potter." Severus sneered as he let Lily clutch onto him so they could apparate, "I'll have Madam Pomfrey tend her immediately as soon as we arrive."

Severus had to actively suppress the triumphant grin that threatened to break out across his face when he saw the defeat in James Potter's eyes.

Lily was quiet while Severus helped her up to the hospital wing of Hogwarts.

He sat quietly at Lily's side while Madam Pomfrey meticulously examined her.

"Do you remember how long you were out?" Madam Pomfrey asked Lily while she shined a bright light in her face.

"I…..no, a few seconds maybe?" Lily stammered.

Severus scowled at the reflexive way that Lily's hands slowly came up to her face as she tried to block out the light's unwelcome assault.

"She was unconscious for a moment or two." Severus honestly answered Hogwarts' healer.

"Probably nothing more than a mild concussion, then." Madam Pomfrey asserted once she finished her exam, "The child seems fine."

The child.

Severus's black eyes flickered to Lily's belly as Madam Pomfrey helped her patient stand from the examination table.

Severus hurried over and let Lily lean on him as Madam Pomfrey instructed, "A bit of rest should right her. Monitor her closely, though. When she wakes in the morning, make sure she has her wits about her."

"Of course." Severus nodded.

Careful to support Lily, he helped her from the hospital wing all the way to his personal chambers.

"You don't have to have me here…" Lily said groggily while Severus helped her sit down on the sofa.

"I can watch over you more easily if I have you nearby." Severus said very matter-of-factly as he thoughtfully placed a pillow behind Lily's head, "Give me just a moment….."

Lily's eyes started to close as Severus hurried away.

Severus hadn't anticipated having Lily as a guest in his own rooms, but when Madam Pomfrey stated she needed to be watched, he saw no better place for her.

Severus walked into his bedroom and quickly changed his bedsheets, fluffed the pillows and threw on a clean duvet before he walked back to the sofa.

When he saw Lily slumped over uncomfortably, sleeping with her neck crooked, he frowned.

He didn't wish to disturb her or injure her further, and so, he was extremely gentle as he gathered her from the sofa, lifted her into his arms, and carried her down the hallway.

Severus laid Lily down on his bed and cocooned her in the sheets as tenderly as if she were made of glass.

He pulled the duvet up to her chest, but he blinked in surprise when she grabbed his hand and cracked her eyes open, "...Thank you….Sev."

"You don't need to thank me, Lily." Severus replied.

He knew Lily was in no state to talk of such matters, but in that moment, he couldn't resist saying to her, "I do hope that someday you'll realize…. I truly am sorry….for what I did, for what happened."

"I'm sorry for what I did, too." Lily said with a bitter smile as her eyes opened more and she gazed up at Severus.

Severus furrowed his brow and looked down at her as he replied, "...What are you talking about? You haven't done anything. It's important for you to rest….Close your eyes and sleep."

"I abandoned you when I should have stood by you." Lily said as she squeezed Severus's hand tightly and more tears welled in her green eyes.

The raw emotion in Lily's voice shook Severus down to his core and his mouth fell open as he listened to her speak, "I should have….been there…..more, for you. I should have…...I should have…"

Severus frowned as Lily broke off with a loud cry and placed her hands over her face while great, heaving sobs wracked through her body.

"Oh, Lily…" Severus rumbled in his low voice.

She reached for him and he didn't dare turn her away.

He sat down on the side of the bed and let her cling to him while she wept.

He even reached out and placed a comforting hand on her back.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but he could have promised that he felt her lean into him.

"There's no need to apologize, Lily." Severus whispered, "The past can't be changed…I'm not angry with you…...Besides, you and James have a lot to look forward to."

"James…" Lily whimpered. Severus was frightened that she was calling out for her lover until she sobbed again in a breath that wrenched itself from her chest, "...James and I are divorcing!"

Severus's dark eyes widened when he heard that statement.

Suddenly, everything regarding the evening and Dumbledore's instructions made much more sense.

In the silence that followed, Severus gently rocked Lily back and forth in his arms while she continued to cry.

He didn't enjoy lying to her, but he certainly wasn't sincere as he whispered, "Well…..I'm very sorry to hear that."

"It's my fault….." Lily whined quietly, "I….I made the wrong choice."

Severus's heart raced as she laid her cheek against his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a moment before she took a deep breath and sighed, "It should have been you, Sev. It should have been you…"

When Severus heard Lily's words, he felt as though he would rise from that bed, sail through the sky, and collide directly into the sun that would rise in a few hours.