A/N: By popular demand, I've decided to continue this story, with this chapter picking up a few hours after the last left off. Some back story to Lily and her children's lives back in England during and after the war. Some back story of Severus too and how he's adapted to life in Flagstaff. Oh, and some geographical changes too. I hadn't realized that Flagstaff AZ is actually in a pine forest and not a desert(my bad for not checking before I published chapter 1, sorry about that), so I've made some changes in Chapter 1 to reflect the proper surroundings of Severus' Sanctuary.
Chapter 2 Settling In
Long after she laid down her bed, sleep refused to come to Lily. Even into the early hours of the next day, she laid flat on her back, atop the coverlet covering her queen-sized bed, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling overhead. Lily's green eyes stared listlessly skywards, drawing lines into the ceiling, as her mind ran a mile a minute trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. In the span of forty eight hours, her divorce had been finalized, all settlements between herself and James were agreed upon and enacted; and she'd hopped on a plane with her two children and flown halfway across the world to Flagstaff, Arizona, of all places. Lily could easily acknowledge that within the last two days, her life had undergone the most upheaval and turmoil since the night when Voldemort was vanquished forever, possibly as far back as when her father passed on in her fifth year. In the past forty eight hours, she had done exactly what Severus had when he got out of school, leaving behind the British Isles for greener pastures, except with her two babies along for the ride.
For the last two years, life had been difficult for Lily Evans, previously Lily Potter. For the first year or so after the battle to end all battles, in which Albus Dumbledore did away with Tom Riddle permanently, life had been excellent for the Potter couple. Azalea was born just six days after the battle, which also happened to be a week before Harry's second birthday. Azalea's birth firmly cemented a new source of light in the Potter family's lives, something Lily and James could rally around, and cherish, another new life that they'd come together to create in a time of darkness. James took a year of unpaid leave from the Auror office to care for his newborn child, and Lily put her dreams of charm-crafting on the back burner, with both parents staying at home for the first year of their baby daughter's life. In the immediate aftermath of the war, the Potters gained pseudo-celebrity status, so with their popularity in the wizarding community at an all-time high, life seemed to be going excellently for James, Lily, Harry, and Azalea.
Alas, the good times weren't meant to last, and the first of many cracks in Lily's and James' relationship would rear its ugly head in the not-too-distant future. One year after Azalea's birth, James was set to return to the Auror office as a full-time Auror, and Lily sought to get back to work too as a spell-crafter. This would represent the first of what would become many points of contention that would soon arise between James and Lily. James was adamant that Lily stay at home to care for Azalea full-time, and only pursue spell-crafting as a hobby of sorts so as not to take away from Azalea's upbringing. Lily was equally adamant, perhaps more so, even—that she return to the workplace and begin her career as a full-time spell crafter while the iron was still hot, and she could still take advantage of their publicly-perceived status. James, while willing to support Lily's career as a charm-crafter, was insistent on the care of their daughter taking precedence, while Lily was of the opposite view that she could manage both her career and caring for their children at the same time. Their debate carried on for months with Lily eventually winning out and returning to work, but by that time the iron had cooled significantly and she was having a tough time finding customers to craft spells for.
While that was the first point of contention between Lily and James, what really hammered a fissure into their happy marriage was Lily learning some…unsavory things about what her husband and his best mates had done when they were students. In particular, a certain incident involving the shrieking shack and Severus Snape. The source of her information, naturally, was Severus, and while he stressed that he'd long since forgotten and learned to look past the shortcomings of his time at Hogwarts, Lily was as far as could be from letting the whole thing go. After hearing of Sirius' attempt at murder on her then best friend, she was irate and furious at the man she once called a close friend, more than that, she was furious at herself for even daring to befriend and grow to like a man who thought that Severus deserved death at the jaws of a werewolf. She hated herself almost as much as she loathed Sirius and refused to have anything to do with him from that day forward. When James asked her 'what's the matter with Sirius?', Lily told him, quite clearly, what the matter was with Sirius. And when James asked how she came to learn the truth behind the incident and Sirius' role in it…she divulged that she'd been talking and writing to Severus; something James did not take well in the least. He was furious that that Lily had gotten into contact with her childhood friend, Snivellus, he still called him that stupid name.
A loud crack of thunder overhead startled her into a vivid sense of lucidity, and it was only then, that she realized that the door to her room was ajar, and that soft footsteps were making their way towards her bed. Lily fumbled for her wand, grabbing it from beneath her pillow and lighting it, only to see the freckled face of her daughter at the end of the bed, staring up at her with wide, brown eyes. Azalea whimpered slightly, lower lip trembling, looking as though she were on the verge of tears. She clutched her Welsh Green plushie tightly to her chest, hugging it for comfort, but with a wordless beckon from her mother, Azalea climbed up into the bed and crawled into Lily's outstretched arms.
"Sweetie," Lily crooned, stroking her daughter's back as she expelled a few sniffles. "What's wrong?"
"Th-the lightning's scary mummy," Azalea whimpered, burying her face in Lily's shoulder. "Where's daddy?"
Lily paused, taking a deep breath to partially quell the flames of the inferno Azalea's innocent question had brought to life. "Daddy's not here sweetie," Lily said softly. "But it's alright now, you can spend the night here if you want, and I'll ask Uncle Severus to put up a spell so you won't hear it tomorrow, how does that sound?"
Azalea stared up at her mum with her wide brown eyes, glowing brightly amidst the gloom by the light of a willow wand; she nodded vigorously, her lower lip still wobbling and trembling. Lily hugged her daughter tightly and with a wave of her wand, she gently shut the door to the room. Finger's curling in Azalea's hair as she soothingly stroked her daughter's locks and back.
"C'mon sweetie, lie down next to mummy and let me read you a bedtime story, okay?"
Azalea nodded, breathing a blessed sigh of relief as her mum laid her down underneath the quilt alongside her. Lily summoned a storybook from her luggage, which she hadn't fully unpacked, and caught it deftly in the palm of her hand. Stroking her daughter's auburn locks, Lily read Azalea's favorite bedtime story, calming her daughter, and eventually lulling her to sleep. Azalea sighed contentedly, curling up into her mum's side as she found her sleep at last. Her mum would follow close behind her, her racing mind and heart being calmed by the rhythmic noise of her daughter's breathing. It was ironic, Lily thought, that though she was a mother, it was her turn to be calmed by her daughter's presence at her side. No matter the upheaval, no matter the change and turmoil in her life, she'd always have Harry and Azalea, it was the one constant Lily held on to as she drifted off into a sea of dreams.
A few hours later at the break of dawn, Lily and Severus were stood side-by-side on the front porch of the farmhouse. The sun was just barely peeking over the tops of the firs, casting brilliant rays of golden, bronze, and purple light over them in a warm glow. Harry and Azalea were there too, both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed thanks to the phenomenon that was jet-lag. On most days, the Potter children would be dog-tired at the early hour of six o'clock, but today, they were positively brimming with excitement at the prospect of getting to see some more Thunderbirds. Lily had dressed her children in the most outdoorsy attire they had, both Harry and Azalea wearing jeans made of a thick fabric and long-sleeve shirts, as well as wide-brimmed hats that matched the attire their mother wore. Severus, to Lily's surprise, was dressed very casually, also wearing a wide-brimmed hat, trousers, and flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves.
"Alright Harry, Azalea, you listen to what Uncle Severus says very closely, okay? And do exactly as he says otherwise you'll have to stay inside all day with Poesy, Uncle Severus' house-elf."
Harry and Azalea both nodded quickly, eager to impress Uncle Severus and not disappoint their mother.
"We'll be good mummy," said Harry, his green eyes wide—almost shaking from nervous excitement.
"Yes mummy," said Azalea, parroting her brother's words.
"Good," said Lily, smiling at her two children.
She leaned closer to Severus and said; "I think I'll put these two down for an n-a-p after lunch, and maybe ask Posey to watch over them this afternoon, are you sure it's alright if they tag along for now?"
Severus nodded assuredly. "Of course. As long as they listen to you, and me, they'll be just fine. All the birds are very well trained in any case and most of the rangers will do the heavy lifting. I'm in more of a supervisory role and usually interact with Frank when it comes to dealing with the flock."
The Rangers that worked on the reserve during the day, and who reported into Severus were Dylan, Roseanne, Jacob, Ahmed, Tabitha, Wayne, Tyler and Marcia. Dylan, Marcia, Ahmed and Tabitha were already out on the south side of the range going about their morning duties in feeding the senior Thunderbirds who didn't live in the stables. The rest of the rangers had just come into work a few minutes ago and were headed to the stables to feed the rest of the flock and conduct routine medical checkups on some of the birds. After feeding and the checkups were finished for the birds in the stables, the flock would be released and allowed to take to the skies to join their seniors. With four rangers each assigned to the Thunderbirds in the stables, and the seniors roaming the forest of the grounds and the desert beyond it, that left Severus to go find Frank, the leader of the clock, and bring Lily and her children along for the ride.
"What we'll be doing right now, is calling Frank," said Severus, talking to both Lily and her children. "Now I want you all to remain right here, got it?"
Lily nodded, as did Harry and Azalea. Severus made a discreet motion with his hand towards the bench just behind them, seemingly, it was enough for Lily to understand for she beckoned her children towards the bench and the three of them sat in it. Severus pulled a small item from his jean pocket, shaped similarly to a dog-whistle of some kind and held it just inches from his lips.
"I'm going to call Frank now, so stay seated where you are and only come out here if I say so."
Harry leaned forward in his seat slightly, but was kept from standing by his mother's hand on his arm. Azalea's brown eyes widened in excitement, as Severus held the whistle to his mouth and blew. They were met with silence, the frequency far too low to be heard by human ears, but within seconds of Severus blowing the whistle, the sky above the farmhouse and the surrounding forest seemed to darken, electricity crackling through the air. Frank was on his way. Pulling her vision up to the ominous, black clouds, Lily watched as a single bird broke through the cloud cover, descending at rapid speed towards Severus. It was the largest bird she'd seen yet, the size of a pickup truck, maybe even a small armored vehicle—and it was flying as fast as a fighter jet on its earthward descent. Severus appeared unfazed though, and was staring up at the bird, watching intently as it flew down towards him.
The powerful flaps of Frank's three sets of wings beating against the air blew dust all over the place, causing Lily to protect herself and her children with a mild shield charm. The powerful Thunderbird slowly reduced his altitude bit by bit until his talons landed on the ground, and it sat back on its haunches. Frank chirped loudly, causing electricity to crackle in the air around them, and the darkening skies above to let loose a few bolts of lightning.
"Hello boy," Severus said, laughing softly as he reached up for Frank's face. "Always one for the dramatics, aren't you?"
He stroked the massive bird's cheek, smiling as he did so. Lily, Harry and Azalea watched on in awe, witnessing Severus interacting with and calming the powerful bird until it laid down on the gravel road in front of the house.
"This is my friend Lily," Severus said, gesturing behind him to the porch where Lily and her children sat. "They've come from a long way to meet to get here, is it alright if they come over, Frank?"
Frank's deep grey eyes drifted to find Lily and her brood; the bird cocked his head sideways just a bit, staring at the newcomers intently. After a moment spent making up his mind, Frank turned back to Severus and crooned softly, gently nuzzling his cheek against Severus' palm.
Severus smiled broadly. "Thank you, Frank. I'm sure you'll like them too."
He briefly looked over his shoulder at Lily and her children and waved them over. "Frank accepts you, you're welcome to come over if you wish, Lily."
"Mummy, can we?" Harry pleaded, looking up at his mum with wide, green eyes. "Please?"
Lily's eyes darted between the massive Pickup-sized Thunderbird, and the pleading face of her son. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Stay behind me, and Azalea, stay behind your brother, do you understand?"
Both Harry and Azalea nodded quickly. Lily sighed, relenting to their request and led her two children down the porch onto the gravel, and then slowly, they approached the majestic-looking Thunderbird. Frank was very different to the adult female they'd seen last night, Agatha. He was longer, broader, had golden streaks on his tail feathers and yet more golden streaks on his shoulders, those were markings of a male Thunderbird, Lily presumed. Along his flank, his feathers were silvery-gray, whereas Agatha's and other females had golden streaks there; she spotted the faint outline of scarring along his flank—almost mistaking it for golden streaks, and gasped quietly at the sight of it. Frank seemed to notice the direction of Lily's gaze, and blinked once, eyes softening as if to confirm Lily's suspicions.
"Mummy he's ginormous," said Harry, huddled closely to Lily's side.
"Yes he is, Harry. Stick close to me now."
They approached slowly, with Severus standing between them and Frank. "Slowly reach out your hand, Lily, very slowly, and allow Frank to close the distance. Look right into his eyes, and allow him to understand your intentions. As long as they're pure, he'll do you and your children no harm."
"O-okay S-Sev," Lily said nervously, inching closer to him.
She extended her palm outwards, waiting for Frank to make up his mind. The Thunderbird's eyes remained fixed on Lily's palm, staring at it scrutinizingly. Frank then pressed his head forward into the palm of Lily's hand, prompting Lily to stroke the crown of his head with shaky fingers.
"Wow," Lily breathed, gently running her fingers through Frank's feathers. "This is amazing."
Under Severus' and Lily's careful watch, Harry and Azalea had their turns petting Frank, cautiously stroking the side of the old bird's head and doing as they were told. When Azalea reached out to pet Frank's face, he startled a bit and leapt back, causing Severus to step in to try and calm the bird. Frank rarely got startled, but evidently something Azalea had done, or not done, had spooked him, Severus was flummoxed as to what it was though. After some coaxing, and promises of extra beef for breakfast, Frank listened to his caretaker's pleas and allowed Azalea to approach once more. Her second approach was more successful, thankfully, and Azalea was allowed to pet the Thunderbird's head but with Lily carefully watching over her daughter for signs of danger like a protective mother hen. When Azalea stepped back, Severus waved his wand through the air and summoned a bucket of meat.
Lily eyed the bucket with surprise, then glanced over at Frank, then back to the bucket. Frank seemed delighted at the appearance of food, for he was happily crooning a tune to himself as he awaited Severus to toss him the first cut. "Do they really eat that much, Sev?" she asked.
"Mhmm," Severus said, reaching inside for the first slab of beef. He tossed it into the air, causing Frank to jump to his feet with remarkable grace, poise and agility. He wolfed it down in a single bite, swallowing and then burping, before demanding another.
"Alright, alright, settle down Frank, there's no need to rush," Severus muttered.
Severus fed Frank his breakfast, and once he'd finished, Frank trilled his appreciation and fluffed up his feathers. He cast one last look at the newcomers, then stretched out all six of his wings and took the skies once more. The powerful gusts of his wind generated from the flapping of his wings blew dust into Severus', Lily's, Harry's and Azalea's faces—the latter coughing and spluttering as a result.
After Frank soared away above the trees to a nearby hilltop he'd laid claim to, Severus banished the empty bucket back to the toolshed, and beckoned Lily, Harry and Azalea to follow him. At his request, they ventured up onto the front porch and sat on the bench they'd been sitting on earlier.
"Frank's been here longer than any of us have been alive. He first came to the sanctuary in 1926 back when my former boss was still just one of the junior rangers here," said Severus.
"How old is he? And where did he come from Uncle Severus?" asked Harry.
"He's 117 in October, and he was found in Africa being trafficked by magical creature smugglers," said Severus. "A wizard by the name of Newt Scamander—" Lily's eyes brightened in recognition, "—found him trapped in a cage in Alexandria, ready to be shipped out of Egypt to Sayre-knows-where, and he rescued him. He brought him here to America in 1926, and released him to fly here. Frank settled here, and more Thunderbirds from across the continent flocked to Arizona, and the sanctuary grew and grew as the years passed."
"So it all started with Frank," Lily murmured, her eyes tracking to the stormy skies above where Frank was soaring about.
"Not exactly," Severus said, dispelling Lily's presumption. "Michael Whitehall's parents already ran a preserve of sorts, housing three aging Thunderbirds when Frank arrived. Frank was the fourth Thunderbird and more came in after he arrived here. When those three passed on, Frank assumed a leadership role he hasn't relinquished since."
"So who runs this place? You or him?"
At this, Severus smiled, his eyes twinkling in apparent amusement. "It's not that simple. Frank is responsible for…managing the behavior of his fellow Thunderbirds, I liaise with him and speak to him about the management of the colony and changes I think would be wise to implement. They're very intelligent creatures, Thunderbirds are, and Frank is no exception—in fact, he's probably the smartest one I've ever met. The relationship we share…it's one of mutual respect and understanding, and we make decisions in the best interests of the entire flock."
"So in answer to your question, Lily," Severus went on, his eyes trained on his old friend intently. "It wouldn't be fair to say he runs this place, or that I do, without mentioning the other."
"I see," said Lily, nodding to herself. "And do you interact with many of the other birds much at all, Severus? Or is that something your rangers mainly handle?"
"I always interact with them, not every day of course. Like today, for instance, I only plan on checking in with Frank, Agatha and Tobias; so no…but on some days I do meet with all of them and partake in their feeding, and checkups myself."
"Can we see more Thunderbirds later Uncle Severus?" Azalea asked timidly, staring up at the sky.
"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "Frank is the most…tame of the lot, in a sense, Agatha is also relatively kind and tame, which is why I brought you to see her last night. While most of the other birds are intelligent and relatively docile in their own right, they can act up at times so it wouldn't be best until they grow more accustomed to your presence here."
"They know we're here?" Lily asked, peering out into the forest in search of some of the birds.
Severus gave Lily an amused smile. "Of course. They're very perceptive these birds, so they knew of your presence the moment we drove onto the property last night. Since you were with me, however, they paid your presence no mind and, rightfully assumed that you were no threat to them."
"I never knew they were so smart…that's so incredible."
"It is," Severus agreed. "Now, let's head back inside and I can explain to you all how the sanctuary works."
They ventured back into the farmhouse and into the sitting room. For the next half hour, Severus explained the ins and outs of the sanctuary, including what to do and what not to do. The six eldest Thunderbirds were fairly disciplined, with the exception of Margaret, so Severus said it'd be okay for Lily and her children to approach them provided that they're accepting of them—some of the younger adults though could be a bit more volatile so he insisted that they not approach the more juvenile members of the flock. Lily assured him that she had no intention of approaching any Thunderbird unless Severus was there with her, much to his relief. They had lunch a short while later, Severus' house-elf Poesy preparing a sumptuous spread that Severus and his guests got to enjoy. During their meal, Dylan popped in briefly to inform Severus about a shipment of beef that was scheduled to come in later this afternoon but was being delayed to the evening—giving Lily and her kids their first meeting with one of Severus' rangers. Dylan was polite enough, a bright, young man only a year and a half out of graduation from Ilvermorny.
After lunch, Lily put her children down for their afternoon nap and set a timing charm to let her know when to wake them up. She then followed Severus into the sitting room and lounged around the coffee table to pass the time.
"Are your children asleep?" Severus asked, as Lily appeared.
Lily nodded absently. "Yeah. Harry usually naps for two hours, Azalea for three. I guess with the jet-lag they needed a little less convincing for their nap time today."
Severus released an amused chuckle, "I'm sure."
He then gestured Lily over to have a seat in one of the armchairs. "You look tired," Severus observed plainly. "Want some coffee? I can have Poesy make a pot right quick."
"Yes, please," Lily said.
Severus instructed Poesy to make a pot then bring it to the sitting room, and the elf quickly followed through on her employer's order. Severus poured out two mugs of the freshly-brewed, Peruvian coffee with no need for milk or sugar in either his or Lily's mug.
"Later on, Severus…when you're making your evening rounds. I was hoping I could go with you and ask Poesy to look after Harry and Azalea while we're out."
Severus swallowed his sip and arched a curious brow. "Are your children used to interacting with a house elf?"
Lily nodded. "Yes. James and I…well, James employed two house elves, Mimsy and Wally, and they both helped…raise Harry and Azalea when they were growing up. Especially Harry when James and I were out in the field."
"I see," Severus said, straining to keep his annoyance at the mention of her ex-husband out of his voice. "In that case…as long as they're familiar with house elves and they have no problems listening to them, then I think it will be fine. I take it neither of your children had any issues with—"
"They listened to Wally and Mimsy perfectly fine," said Lily with a smile.
At this, Severus nodded, feeling pleased to hear it. "Well then you'd be most welcome to accompany me on my evening rounds Lily, as I mentioned though, I'll only be checking up on two of my birds and making cursory checks on the rest of the flock. I entrust Frank and the rangers with the rest on most days."
Lily took a sip from her mug, then nodded furtively. The caffeine flooding her system seemed to rejuvenate her, she sat up just a little bit straighter in her chair. "I wish I came out here a lot sooner, Sev," she murmured quietly, staring into her cup.
"I think you'd have enjoyed it," Severus said earnestly. "The open skies, the canvas of stars…you truly feel at peace out here—"
"That's not what I meant. You know what I mean and I…I can hardly believe all that transpired between you and that lot was kept from me for so long, I never knew and they deliberately kept me in the dark about…about all of it. Sirius especially…and yet you never told me until I asked."
"I've said it before, I'll say it again, I thought you knew all that when you agreed to befriend them and date…Potter," Severus said.
Lily fixed him with one her withering looks, the ones she wore when she was unimpressed with someone. "Do you really think I'd date James, let alone marry him while knowing he was still hexing you even after we'd gotten together?" she asked, her arms folded across her chest.
"I hardly knew you by that point, over one year on from our…split. So I didn't want to assume anything. And in any case—" Severus reached forward, and re-filled his mug with more coffee. "—I've gotten over it. I enjoy what I have, and I've learned to pay what happened back in England no mind now."
"Do you genuinely not care?" Lily asked, leaning forward in her seat slightly. "Not even a little bit?"
"I don't," Severus said stiffly, eyes darkening by degrees and the beginnings of a scowl forming on his features. "Life here in Arizona has treated me far better in the short time I've been here than England ever has. Compared to what I have now…everything I've ever had back in England is nothing compared to my life now."
"What about me?"
At this, Severus paused, lips opening, then closing, but not a hint of sound coming out. The brief moment of silence stretched out longer and longer as Severus constructed his response, eventually finding the missing words he was looking for.
"You made life…tolerable, in a sense. I've known nothing but scorn and…and disgust and shame, from my life before and during Hogwarts, and you…didn't contribute to that—were the only one who never did," Severus said softly, yet with utmost gravitas and solemnity that Lily felt her throat run dry and her already-pale face turn ghostly. "I found my dream, Lily, I found it. It wasn't with you…or in a way I could've expected, but I…I truly am happy and living life free of concern amongst those who value me in a way I've always wanted to. You asked me once…when we were fourth years…about the the hopes and dreams we used to have—and would share with each other—do you remember that?"
Lily nodded, she knew exactly what Severus was getting it and could remember as clear as day what Severus' dream was, a life of acceptance, and of freedom, but most importantly…to live in the company of those that truly desired him for who he was. In a round about way, he had achieved that, a statement he wasn't able to make when Lily last asked him it when they were fourth years.
"I remember very clearly, Sev…" Lily said, her throat thick with repressed emotion.
Her green eyes darted to him, drifting over his face, his posture—and she could see just from that alone and how open and carefree he was, that he was a million times happier here than he'd ever been at Hogwarts. While a pang of sadness struck Lily right in her chest that yes, Severus was happier now than he'd ever been before, at Hogwarts or otherwise—even when they were best friends and as thick-as-thieves; she could certainly be happy that her old friend had found peace—even if she wasn't a part of it.
"It seems like it was just yesterday when we were children—confiding that in each other…all our hopes and…and our dreams," said Severus, adopting a wistful, faraway look.
Severus' lips twitched into a smile as a ghost of a memory of days long gone played before his mind's eye, days Lily and he had wasted away in the shadow of their willow along the banks of the Cokeworth River. The two weirdos from different sides of town shared and entrusted each other with their hopes and dreams—making no secret what it was they wanted from Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Lily had found her dream, realized it, and made something of her life in the seven years she spent at Hogwarts; Severus on the other hand…had to wait a little longer for his dream to be realized—and no, he didn't find his happiness with Lily, quite the opposite—he found it with his flock in a place half a world away from home.
"So life in America has treated you far better than life at home ever did," Lily said quietly. She folded her hands in her lap and twiddled her thumbs, seemingly out of nervousness.
"Indeed," Severus remarked with a quiet chuckle. "Now my greatest concerns are things like…if Bess took her medication, or if Lyra and Cooper are making a ruckus…not if a certain quartet were going to steal away my dignity and render me buck-nude to a wanting audience."
Lily flinched slightly at the reminder—what happened by the beech tree at the lake was still fresh in her mind, clearly Severus hadn't forgotten it either. She wasn't proud of her behavior that day, nor was she proud of Severus', but what James did was truly despicable and she genuinely couldn't begrudge Severus if he chose to hate James for the rest of his life. He took away his pride and dignity after all…and half the school saw Severus as he was when he entered this world…she could hardly imagine the things Severus must've been thinking in that moment.
As if he could sense her thoughts, Severus said; "I do not hate him…not any longer. Coming out here helped me exorcise a lot of my negative thoughts and I can credit Mister Whitehall for that, and the Thunderbirds too…to an extent. It's truly been an enlightening experience"
Her throat still dry, palms still clammy, and her face still red, Lily asked; "w-what do you mean?"
Severus blinked slowly, then looked outside at the vast forest around the farmhouse and the desert further beyond. "Out there, Lily, are forty three thunderbirds—thirty eight of which pack enough electricity to power…or destroy a small town and could fry a hundred humans if they so wanted it. They are tame, true, and have been taught from the moment they're born by their parents and the Rangers to never discharge that much—but it could happen all the same. You remember what I said about Thunderbirds being perfect judges of character, nature, and emotion, yes?"
Lily nodded.
"Right. And I was an angry young man when I came here, Lily. I resented a lot of things. Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew and my father were at the top of that list, even you were on it. Mister Whitehall…he knew it wouldn't be safe for me to interact with the birds with the emotional state I was in…constantly wearing all that hate and anger on my sleeve. So he taught me to control it, first, then look past it and leave it in the dirt where it belonged." Severus fixed Lily with a hard stare, unfathomably deep and full of so much emotion, Lily felt her throat become even dryer. "I buried my hatred of all things just behind the farmhouse in a ditch a hundred feet deep."
"Have you ever…or would you ever consider moving back?" Lily asked.
"To England you mean?"
"Yes."
Severus sent Lily a sardonic look and snorted at the absurdity of her suggestion. "Why would I ever think that? I've burned my bridges there and I know that if my old friends weren't stuck in prison, I'd be killed on sight for deserting the cause. I heard what happened to Black's younger brother and I have no intention of even taking that chance."
He took another gulp from his coffee mug and drained it of every last drop, set it down on the table, and then rose from the chair. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Lily blinked in confusion, but stood to her feet nonetheless and followed Severus over to the window. Until that point, the living room had been dimly lit—its only source of light being a lamp on the other side of the room, but upon pulling back the blinds Severus flooded the room with light. Instinctively, Lily squinted her eyes at the harsh, sudden influx of light from the window. Severus only went closer though, peering out through the dust-caked pane at the rolling hills around them and the trees atop it.
"Come closer and have a look, Lily, and tell me what you see."
Still confused, Lily walked closer to her old friend's side and peered out through the caked glass. Lily had no idea what Severus was getting at, but perhaps having a closer look through the glass would help her understand.
"I see a forest, hills…and you've said there's desert beyond that."
"That's very similar to what I said when Mister Whitehall showed me," Severus chuckled. "It's far more than that, Lily, what I see now…is a canvas. Vast and blank…ripe to be experimented on in any way I see fit. I see a canvas, but more than that…I see opportunity to turn it into something beautiful, do you understand what I mean?"
Lily nodded slowly, she was still clutching at straws—truth be told, but was beginning to understand what Severus meant, on a superficial level, she could even relate to it through her charm-creating work.
"This little plot of untouched nature…it represents opportunity to me, a place where I can expand, and grow, and build what little I have into something more. I can turn three thousand acres into thirty thousand, and build and expand my reserve 'til the cows come home. Simply, to me at least, it represents potential, potential that I never had that back in England, but I have it here and I've been trying to make the most of it and make something of myself—to prove everyone who doubted me wrong."
"And that's what you've been doing all this time," Lily said thickly, her gaze slowly drifting over the many trees beyond the farmhouse.
"Precisely," Severus said, wearing the broadest smile Lily had ever seen on his face. He seemed genuinely upbeat and proud—an expression she was sad to admit, she rarely if ever saw on Severus' face back when they were children. "I've done so much in the time I've been…here, and I intend to keep building on what I have, so I can finally have something I can be proud of…of owning, and this reserve Lily…it's given my life meaning in ways I can't even describe. I love this place, and it's where I've found true happiness."
Severus' words brought Lily to the brink of tears and in times past she would have let them fall. Now though, her eyes merely adopted a glassy sheen but not a drop fell. Instead, she came closer and hugged her old friend tightly, arms winding around his neck and fully embracing him for the first time in many years.
She pulled back and wiped away her unshed tears with her shirt sleeve, took a few steps back from him. "I'm so happy for you, Sev, I really, truly am," Lily said softly, but her conviction was as strong as ever. "And Mister Whitehall…he seems like a father figure that…"
"I sorely needed," Severus finished for her, when she appeared unable to. "Other than you, Lily, he's probably the person I value most, even now two years after his passing. He was a great man, and a great mentor to me, helped mould me into the person I am today."
Lily blinked back another, sudden onset of tears. "I'd love to have met him."
"I'm sure you would have," Severus said with a kind smile, one devoid of snark or sarcasm and so…not-Severus-like.
In a sudden moment of remembrance, Lily recalled what Azalea had mentioned about the lightning at night, and asked; "Severus, about the thunder last night, is there a spell that will stop the noise from…you know—"
"Did it wake you up?"
"Azalea, actually," said Lily.
"Oh. Well yes, yes there's a spell, I'll put it up tonight then and have a word with Margaret later about it," Severus said as if the matter was as good as settled. "She's…she likes to do that a lot, do her discharges at night. Funnily enough, there was a report in the Muggle paper not long ago about an airliner that reported massive flashes of lightning in the sky when on final approach. That, as you can probably guess, was Margaret's doing."
"Did you see much lightning at all when you were coming in to land?"
Lily shook her head. "No, none that I can remember at least. But then again it was evening and you said that she—err…Margaret, tends to do that at night, right?"
"Mhmm."
"Anyways, I'll go cast the spell when your daughter is awake, I'll use her room as the focal point so she won't be able to hear a thing outside the house."
"Thank you Severus," said Lily, smiling one of her brilliant smiles at him. "If it's alright I might take a quick half-hour power nap. Mind if I kip out on the sofa?"
Severus smiled indulgently at his old friend. "Be my guest," he said, waving his hand at the couch. "I've got some paperwork I need to settle—should only take an hour at most, so I'll be in my office if you need anything. Give me a holler and I'll come running."
For some reason, Lily found this funny, for she broke out into little titters of laughter that made a frown cross Severus' face.
"I—I'm sorry Sev," Lily cackled. "I'm n-not making fun of y-you, it's just…I remember how you used to—how you used to run, all gangly and awkwardly…you saying 'I'll come running,' just brought that back to me."
Severus' lips twitched, but it was more of annoyance than any genuine humor. "Yes, well, for your sake I hope you stop laughing, I think It'd be pretty difficult to fall asleep in your current state." For the briefest of moments, Lily saw a genuine smile on his lips as he got to his feet and walked out of the room into his adjoined office.
A/N2: Severus truly is a changed man, isn't he? Given how little we know about Thunderbirds in canon, other than that they're very perceptive of their surroundings and that they conduct electricity, I've thrown in their ability to judge character as well. Let's not pretend he was otherwise, 7th Year Severus was a piece of work and before his talk with Lily, he was set to tread the path that Canon!Severus would've followed with dire consequences for himself and the person he cared most about. So, the version of Severus that arrived at the reserve in 1978 would've been in no way fit to interact with the birds hence his need to reform and truly embrace the new chance he'd been given to start fresh. The Severus we see in canon is a jaded man, whereas in this fic Lily might be more fitting of that role.
I hope that you guys liked the Fantastic Beasts tie in, Frank was one of my favorite characters from that movie and although he helped save Magical Society, I was sad to see him go at the movie's ending. Now we know where he ended up, and I look forward to having him as part of the main recurring Thunderbird cast for this fic.
Thank you all for reading! To all who celebrate it, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and to those that don't, I hope you had a great day!