Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all characters, locations, and the entire
Harry Potter universe. I own nothing here. I am not making any money on any
of this, this is strictly for fun.
Lily's Eyes
Professor Severus Snape stared down the length of the long tables in the Great Hall, his attention riveted on a particular new first-year student. He was unremarkable, really - a shock of black hair, glasses, medium height for his age, a completely ordinary young boy. Except for one thing.
He had Lily's eyes.
A memory struck him suddenly, of those same eyes, glittering with joy on her wedding day. It was quite a crowd, he remembered. Everyone wanted to give their congratulations to the happy couple.
She really did look so happy. Severus knew he could never have made her that happy. He had long since given up any romantic aspirations he might have had for her, but he still adored her. He always would.
Lily - well, Lily was the sort of person everyone adored. You couldn't help but like her - smart, funny, kind, gentle and she also happened to be beautiful. Never more so than on that day, Severus mused.
But beauty wasn't important to Snape. What mattered was that Lily Evans was the first person to ever believe in him, his staunchest friend - his only friend, at times. When everyone else deserted him, he always knew she'd be there for him, with her laughing eyes, bringing humor and light into the darkness of his soul.
No, Severus knew he could never have had Lily for his own. He knew, in the depths of his heart, he would never consider himself worthy of an angelic being like Lily Evans.
The trouble was, he wasn't entirely convinced that Potter was worthy of her either. He kept his peace, because Lily had asked him to; for her sake, he genuinely tried to like James. Some days he even suceeded.
On this day, their wedding day, it seemed every wizard in England had turned out. Severus remembered thinking that if Voldemort got word of this wedding, he could wipe out the entire Order of the Phoenix in seconds.
After what seemed like ages, he was finally able to pry James away from Sirius for a quiet word. The reason he was here.
"You've made her happy, and for that I forgive you for any foolishness that lies between us. But I want you to understand one thing. If anything ever happens to Lily, if one hair on her head is harmed, no matter where you go, I will find you, and I will kill you."
"No," James had replied quietly, "you won't." Severus had looked up angrily, but before he could reply, James continued.
"If anything happens to Lily, I will already be dead."
As it turned out, James had been right.
Severus always blamed himself for her death. He went over it in his mind, again and again, trying to find some way he could have known, could have stopped it, some way he could have saved her. Even more than he blamed himself, he blamed James.
And the worst part, the very worst part of the whole wretched thing, was that he was completely incapable of keeping the promise he made on her wedding day. His greatest failure, and his deepest torment, in a life that had been filled with both.
Twelve years later, across the Great Hall, their son looked up sharply at him, suddenly aware that he was being watched. Those same green eyes that he'd loved so much stared back at him, distrustful, suspicious, wary - accusing, condemning, reproaching.
Lily's eyes.
Lily's Eyes
Professor Severus Snape stared down the length of the long tables in the Great Hall, his attention riveted on a particular new first-year student. He was unremarkable, really - a shock of black hair, glasses, medium height for his age, a completely ordinary young boy. Except for one thing.
He had Lily's eyes.
A memory struck him suddenly, of those same eyes, glittering with joy on her wedding day. It was quite a crowd, he remembered. Everyone wanted to give their congratulations to the happy couple.
She really did look so happy. Severus knew he could never have made her that happy. He had long since given up any romantic aspirations he might have had for her, but he still adored her. He always would.
Lily - well, Lily was the sort of person everyone adored. You couldn't help but like her - smart, funny, kind, gentle and she also happened to be beautiful. Never more so than on that day, Severus mused.
But beauty wasn't important to Snape. What mattered was that Lily Evans was the first person to ever believe in him, his staunchest friend - his only friend, at times. When everyone else deserted him, he always knew she'd be there for him, with her laughing eyes, bringing humor and light into the darkness of his soul.
No, Severus knew he could never have had Lily for his own. He knew, in the depths of his heart, he would never consider himself worthy of an angelic being like Lily Evans.
The trouble was, he wasn't entirely convinced that Potter was worthy of her either. He kept his peace, because Lily had asked him to; for her sake, he genuinely tried to like James. Some days he even suceeded.
On this day, their wedding day, it seemed every wizard in England had turned out. Severus remembered thinking that if Voldemort got word of this wedding, he could wipe out the entire Order of the Phoenix in seconds.
After what seemed like ages, he was finally able to pry James away from Sirius for a quiet word. The reason he was here.
"You've made her happy, and for that I forgive you for any foolishness that lies between us. But I want you to understand one thing. If anything ever happens to Lily, if one hair on her head is harmed, no matter where you go, I will find you, and I will kill you."
"No," James had replied quietly, "you won't." Severus had looked up angrily, but before he could reply, James continued.
"If anything happens to Lily, I will already be dead."
As it turned out, James had been right.
Severus always blamed himself for her death. He went over it in his mind, again and again, trying to find some way he could have known, could have stopped it, some way he could have saved her. Even more than he blamed himself, he blamed James.
And the worst part, the very worst part of the whole wretched thing, was that he was completely incapable of keeping the promise he made on her wedding day. His greatest failure, and his deepest torment, in a life that had been filled with both.
Twelve years later, across the Great Hall, their son looked up sharply at him, suddenly aware that he was being watched. Those same green eyes that he'd loved so much stared back at him, distrustful, suspicious, wary - accusing, condemning, reproaching.
Lily's eyes.