A/N: A slice of life chapter shortly after Lily & co.'s arrival. A short trip into Flagstaff, followed by some more fluff with Harry and Azalea back at the sanctuary.

Chapter 3 Getting Reacquainted

About a week into Lily, Harry and Azalea's stay at the reserve, Severus asked Lily if she'd like to go into town for lunch or dinner sometime. Excited to explore Flagstaff and what the Muggle community had to offer, Lily eagerly accepted, but on the condition that Poesy was up to task to care for Harry and Azalea by herself. When she asked the house elf, she was assured of Poesy's capabilities as she'd cared for multiple generations of children before in the Whitehall family and was well-versed with how to care for young children. With her concerns mollified, Lily accepted Severus' offer and the two made plans to go into town for lunch and have an afternoon of sightseeing following that. At noon the following day, Lily ran through her daily routine concerning Harry and Azalea with Poesy one last time, leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the elderly house elf knew exactly what to do with both her children. Lily reiterated to the house elf that if she was having any trouble handling either Harry or Azalea, she need only use a charmed medallion to inform her and she'd come right back to the farmhouse. She then bade goodbye to her children, told them to behave, and followed Severus out of the farmhouse to the garage.

"So…are we taking the Mustang today?" Lily asked, as she shut the front door behind herself.

"Do you want to?" Severus asked curiously.

"I've always wanted to ride in one," said Lily, grinning. "Hmm…it's not a Boss, clearly…so I think it's a Mach One. A '69 if I were to guess?"

"Close," said Severus. "It is a Mach One, well spotted, but it's a '70 model, not a '69. I'm quite surprised you nearly guessed it though."

"You forget Sev," Lily chided lightly. "My dad loved muscle cars, owned a '68 Cuda when I was growing up, but he always loved Mustangs too."

Severus opened the garage door, revealing the muscle car to their eyes. It was painted in a dark, glossy blue, with two white strips running along the length of the car, and with slightly-dulled, chrome fenders. It looked fast, and save for a little dust here and there, seemed to be in good condition. The grille had been switched out to help protect against dust, and the rims and tires weren't stock either as Severus needed hardier tires to survive the car occasionally being taken off-road.

"I'd ask if I could drive it if I had a license…" Lily said sadly as her eyes raked over the car with glee. She turned to him and asked; "Perhaps you could teach me sometime?"

"You don't have a license?" Severus asked, gawking at her.

"I never got around to it," Lily remarked with a sad shake of her head. "Sure, I drove my dad's Cuda a little bit around town provided he was in the car with me, but I haven't driven anything since then, not since I was sixteen."

"You joined the war right away didn't you?"

"Hardly had any time to take a driver's test, and with apparating so readily available…I found it hard to justify the need to."

"I suppose that makes sense," said Severus.

Lily walked over to hood of the car and let her fingers rest on it, as though she were trying to feel the thrum of the engine that sat idle beneath the hood. "You'll have to teach me then, I've already forgotten a lot if I'm being honest," Lily said, her fingers tapping on the sheet metal.

"Another time," Severus chuckled as he made his way to the driver-side door.

They both hopped into the car, and Severus switched on the ignition. The dormant V8 beneath the hood roared to life after coughing and spluttering for a brief moment, the sound of the engine eliciting an unburdened smile from Lily. The rattle and hum of the V8 beneath the hood bringing back fond memories of riding in her dad's Cuda, and then taking it for a spin a few times herself. Severus then shifted into gear and drove out of the garage onto the dirt road that would take them off the property and towards town. The car felt so very alive to Lily, she could feel the thrumming and the rattling of the motor, each kick with every gear change. Her eyes seemed to light up, something that didn't escape Severus' notice.

"I can give you your first lesson later if you'd like," Severus offered, as he steered off the dirt road onto a slip road that led to the heart of town.

"I'd like that," Lily grinned.

Lily reached for the radio and began turning the knob to the various local stations available. Normally, Severus would've batted their hand away if someone tried to mess with his radio, but in Lily's case…he decided to make an exception for now. Lily continued turning the knob until she found a station playing Hall & Oates' hit single, Out of Touch, and then, turned the volume up even higher and started singing along to the tune.

"You like this?" Severus almost shouted.

"Yeah! They're real popular back home!" Lily exclaimed, turning down the volume slightly.

"Same here in Arizona," said Severus, nodding at the radio. "It's not bad…this song, but a little, eh, repetitive for my tastes."

"So, what are your favorites then Severus?" Lily asked with a quirked brow.

Severus grinned, turning the car onto main street and then straighten out before saying; "For starters, this isn't even Hall & Oates best song, Maneater is at least three times better than—"

"Bullshit!" exclaimed Lily, jumping to the tune's defense and almost leaping out of her seat in the process. "Maneater's not bad, I'll give you that, but Out of Touch is way better!"

"I don't know what fantasy world you're living in, but Maneater is much, much better, far more original too," Severus said with a condescending scoff.

"No, Out of Touch is better. It's so much more catchy, just listen!"

"And I say Maneater is, even a deaf person could tell that!"

"You're clearly delusional! Out of Touch is far superior!"

"Agree to disagree?"

"Fine by me."

For the rest of the ride into town—which mercifully only lasted another five minutes, neither passenger nor driver spoke a word as Hall & Oates filled the chasm of silence between them. Severus parked the mustang on a side street just off of main street, Lily stepping out after he.

"So where are we going then?" asked Lily, peering around at the shopfronts as if trying to guess which Severus would be most likely to frequent.

"Follow me," was all Severus said, before striding off down the sidewalk towards Main street.

Flagstaff wasn't a large city by any means, both in terms of population and in geographical area, which meant that Lily and Severus didn't encounter too many other pedestrians on the way to Severus' restaurant. They wandered up the street to an Italian Deli, the awning above which read; Bianchi's Deli. A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over Lily at the sight.

"Is that where we're going Sev?" Lily asked, nodding at the deli a scant ten meters away from them.

"Yes. Why?"

"I thought as much, it just…it reminds of me home," said Lily, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "D'Angelo's, remember? Mum and dad used to bring us there back when—"

"—we were children, I remember that Lily," Severus finished for her. They arrived at the door to the deli, Severus pausing as his hand hovered over the handle. "You'll soon see for yourself that this deli is quite similar to D'Angelo's back in Cokeworth, and I know for a fact that you'll enjoy it just as much as I do."

Lily's teeth flashed in a smile. "Oh, I have no doubt of that Severus. Let's head on in, I'm dying to try some."

Severus reached for the door handle, pulling it aside to allow Lily though before following her in himself. No sooner had he stepped into the deli did a voice call out to him from over by the counter.

"Severus, my friend! So good to see you again!" A short, portly, Italian man behind the counter exclaimed.

"It's good to see you too Alberto," Severus said, smiling at the owner of the establishment. "Just popping in for some lunch."

"I can see that! Come, come! Is this that lovely, young lady friend you mentioned?"

Severus blushed a dull shade of red, coloring his cheeks like beets while Lily only grinned and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be me. I take it Severus has mentioned me before?"

"A number of times, mia cara signora, a number of times. Severus, my friend has quite a high impression of you!" the portly man said with a grin. "Come closer, please, have a look at what I have today!"

Her mouth watering at the delicious smell of all the cuts of meat, Lily eagerly dragged Severus closer to the counter, who followed but at a much more sedate pace. Severus and Lily both constructed their sandwiches, and ordered a side of a salad to share between them as well as a couple beers—an Italian brand Lily didn't know but Severus had recommended she try. Once their meal was ready, they headed over to a booth seat and claimed it. They set their sandwiches, beers and salad down on the table, then slid into the booth facing one another.

Lily lifted the bottle to her lips then took a tentative sip of the frothy liquid within, sighing pleasantly as the alcohol trickled down her throat. "It's rather good Severus," Lily commended.

"The sandwiches here are even better," said Severus as he daintily unwrapped his meal. "You got the Prosciutto didn't you?"

Lily nodded.

"That's one of the best here, although personally, I'm more impartial to the Pancetta, a little less salty," he said, before lifting his sandwich to his lips and taking his first bite.

Lily followed soon after him, biting a little off the end, releasing a moan, swallowing, then taking a second, larger bite. "Mmmm, Sev this is so good!" Lily exclaimed wondrously, tongue darting out to clean off her lips before taking another bite. "It's…it might even be better than D'Angelo's." Another bite, another moan, another dart of her tongue across her lips. "I take it back, it is even better than D'Angelo's!"

"It is, isn't it? Then again, Alberto would have my head if I said otherwise," Severus said with a chuckle.

Lily took a swig of her beer then set it down. "So, tell me Severus, how did you find this place?"

"Michael showed me," Severus answered. "When I first came to the reserve, well, I hardly knew anything about Flagstaff, so Michael told me a little bit about the city, and this was one of the restaurants I was recommended. Lo and behold, when I came here to try it for the first time, I couldn't help but be reminded of D'Angelo's back in Cokeworth. It meant a lot to me, that place."

A shadow passed over Lily's face, expression falling as she grasped what Severus was alluding to. "Yeah," she muttered quietly. "Mum and dad told me, you still ate there with them…even after our fifth year."

"Mmm, but that's enough about that. Tell me, when do you intend to start working on your charm-crafting again?"

"Soon," Lily said with an eager grin. "I've already got some ideas for some charms I want to start working on, one's a…well, if it works, in theory it will be similar to an extinguishing charm, but more effective."

"More effective in what sense?" Severus asked. "Extinguishing charms work well as they are, how would your's improve on—"

"They don't work on Fiendfyre," Lily said. "And if my charm works the way I intend it to, it'll work on any flame, and extinguish it in a great blast of air."

"A great blast of air?" Severus echoed, pausing to take a swig of his beer, then set it back down. "How would that work?"

"Simple. Fiendfyre, like any other flame requires air in order to burn. If there's no air, it doesn't work, and since fiendfyre is used by so many dark witches and wizards around the world yet has no successful counter to it, my charm will simply take away it's fuel, oxygen."

"So, it'll essentially banish the air feeding the fire," Severus surmised.

"And seal it away within a bubble that ensures no air will be able to sustain it, it'll die a very quick death," Lily said, pleased that Severus was following her reasoning. "I've already started work on it, but I'm still quite a ways off from finishing it. When it's done though…I like to think my creation will be valued and…and put to good use, y'know? I've seen enough fiendfyre for a lifetime Sev, and no one's been able to fight it, I just…I want to be able to change that and give people a fighting chance."

Severus knew what Lily was alluding to, she'd lost her best friend Marlene McKinnon to one such fiendish flame. Cast by an unknown death eater, the dark fire spread across the battlefield burning everything it touched, leaving only ash and destruction in its wake. Marlene hadn't been able to get away in time and perished in the flames, alongside several other order members and death eaters unable to summon the focus required to apparate away. The last thing Lily had seen of her dear friend was the terror and fear in her eyes as the flames engulfed her and burnt her to a crisp. Marlene and so many others, innocents too, had died from these cursed, black magic flames in the past war. Countless more had died in centuries prior and there was no existing counter to them, not yet at least. If Lily could change that…if she could really invent a spell that could put an end to those insidious flames of death…it'd vault her into the history books. Severus wanted to help her along, he was somewhat well-versed with dark magic so he knew he'd at least be of some help. Not to mention that both he and Lily were avid spell-crafters in school, although those were far more simple and milder spells to craft.

"I could help if you'd like," Severus offered. "I mean…I'm at least a little familiar with Dark Magic, and how it works and things like that…so I think it'd be right up my alley."

Lily's lips pursed together in a thin line as she was reminded of her friend's proclivity towards such magic. Still, the reality of war had told her that in some respects…Severus was right, her knowledge of the weapons the other side brought to bear on her and her friends was lacking; and that Severus' assertion back when they were still friends that she should study magic in all its aspects was indeed correct. Lily knew that Severus' knowledge of dark magic would be crucial to her success in developing a successful countermeasure to the scourge of fiendfyre. With his expertise in Dark Magic, coupled with her experience and ability to combine multiple charms and spells into one, she had no doubts that they'd succeed.

"I'd like that, Sev," Lily said with a gentle nod. "You were quite the dark magic savant back in the day weren't you?"

To Severus' surprise, there wasn't any concealed derision or disdain in her comment; it was just a simple observation. "I was. So, you'll allow me to help you then?"

Her smile grew broader. "Yes. And I'll be sure to give you equal credit if and when we finish the spell."

Severus' lips curled upwards to match her's, a small laugh flowing outwards. "I'll settle for 60/40, you'll be doing the actual spell-crafting, after all."

Her smile bloomed brighter, eyes sparkling much like they did when she suggested they get up to some mischief as children. "Yeah, 60/40 works for me too."

The pair of old friends shared a few chuckles, before lapsing into silence and returning to their meals. After a few minutes spent finishing off their sandwiches and getting started on their shared salad, Lily's mind began to drift back to Severus, conjuring up a question that would break the silence between them.

"Severus…have you any future plans for the sanctuary? Beyond what you've got in the pipeline now, at least?"

Severus, who had been swallowing a bite of salad, raised his hand and delayed his response for a few seconds. "I have some plans, for starters, I want to expand the sanctuary a bit, it's currently only three-thousand acres, but I want to expand it to closer to ten-thousand. Another idea I've had would be to cordon off a section of the reserve and keep it exclusively for other bird species, you know, Auguries, Phoenixes, Fwoopers…that sort of thing."

Lily looked intrigued by the idea, a thoughtful look plastered on her face. "Would they be able to adapt to the climate here? It's fairly arid, and I know that Auguries at least usually live in Ireland, don't they?"

Severus knew she'd ask that, if his smile was anything to go by. "They are native to Ireland. Which is why I'd have controlled climate zones catered to each of the bird species I'd have on the reserve."

Lily nodded slowly, mulling over Severus' answer to the question she posed, turning it over, trying to see his logic for herself. "You seemed to have put a lot of thought into this," she said slowly.

Severus only nodded in affirmation. "I have. It's been…an idea of mine for a while, but I think that it's a bit further off if I'm being honest. A more short-term goal would be to expand the sanctuary some more to give the Thunderbirds more room to roam."

"Improving their quality of life in the process."

Severus was pleased with how quickly Lily caught on to his thought processes, concerning the birds at least. "Exactly."

"That's great Severus. And, if you need any of my help, I'd only be too willing to give it, it's the least I could do since you offered to help me with my spell," Lily said in kind.

"Any help you offer will always be graciously welcomed, and accepted."

Lily returned his smile with one of her own, nodding gently. Suddenly, her softened expression was replaced by one of remorse, even guilt; Severus stilled at the sight and opened his lips to say something, but Lily beat him to the punch.

"You know…I was sometimes a little bit jealous of you Severus, back when Riddle was still alive and my lot were busy fighting him and his Death Eaters, I was jealous that you managed to get away from it all…"

"You…you were?" Severus asked in a quiet, hollow voice.

"Yeah. I was. It doesn't mean I'd change what I'd done, or if I had a chance to do things over again, it doesn't mean I'd avoid the war…it's complicated to say, Severus, but after my parents died, I lost a bit of that drive that was keeping me committed to fighting, y'know?"

Severus nodded slowly, cautiously. "You mean that since you lost some of that drive to fight…you became jealous of my involvement or lack thereof."

"Mhmm." Lily reached for her bottle of beer, and for a final time, raised to her lips and drained it of all that remained. "Don't get me wrong Sev, I'm really happy for what you've built and all you've done with your life, it's truly remarkable. But back when the war was in full swing, in '81 and '82, before we started speaking again…at times I felt jealous that you'd managed to avoid the war, and that feeling only got worse after my parents passed away, took the wind out of my sails a bit."

"What did I have that made you jealous?"

Lily gave him a hardened look, green eyes shining brightly and radiating an intensity Severus hadn't seen in many a long year. "Peace," she said simply. "You had peace, while I was…in the trenches, so to speak, fighting a war of attrition against Riddle."

Speaking softly, Severus said; "Did you resent me for it?"

To Severus' surprise, Lily wasn't as swift in her response as he'd have thought she'd be. She took a moment to ponder his question, lips pursed together in silent thought, before she gave a half-shrug of her shoulders. Neither a yes, or a no, and that worried Severus. Did she resent him for managing to keep out of the war, even today?

"I want to be honest with you Severus, and I'll tell you that…at for a brief moment in time, I did. I never resented you, Sev; but I resented the fact that you weren't fighting in the war, and that you were living a life of peace. I knew you didn't like my friends, nor my ex-husband and Dumbledore to say the least…and I did understand why you used to hate them so; but I was resentful that you didn't want to join my side, to fight alongside me, it hurt."

She paused, taking a measured breath, then continued. "I know now…that you fighting for my side would've been impossible," she said softly, her gaze burrowing into him with deep understanding. "You hated them, and I don't blame you for it in the slightest. And I…I regret that I felt that way, that you should've been fighting, that you should've been fighting by my side, I regret that I resented you for the peace you had. I understand now, better than ever, why you so loathe them, and asking you to fight alongside men that took glee in tormenting you…humiliating you—" she paused again, swallowing the thick lump in her throat, "—it would've been unfairly harsh. I knew you hated them, back then at least before you found your peace here with your flock…but I never understood the depths your loathing reached, not until recently."

She met his gaze firmly, and in her eyes, he could see lessons learned and ideologies shattered, a sense of openness and depth he'd never seen last he gazed upon her when they were students, and were decidedly not friends. He hadn't fooled himself into thinking that that Lily, and this one across from him were one and the same. 7th Year Lily was bright, idealistic, stubborn to a fault and had ideas and faiths rooted in stone. The girl, no, the woman sat across from him was so different to that, having seen and experienced things one could only witness in the throes of war. Having had her ideologies shattered, beliefs crumbled to bits only to be built back up again from the ground anew. Her soul and heart forever altered by choices made in the heat of war, and a woman hardened against the brutality of battle. Yet there was still kindness in those eyes, a little less on-the-nose than the way Lily used to wear it as a girl, but it was there all the same, and in that sense, Lily's most closely-guarded belief was unshakable. Gazing at her, she was almost an entirely different person now than the girl he'd previously known, naivety and rigidity replaced with depth; hidden layers of understanding of his feelings towards the war radiating outwards as clear as day.

"I could never resent you, knowing what I do now. I'm just grateful now that you were never forced into picking a side and made the right choice in coming here."

She reached across the table slowly, her cool, long fingers coming to rest on his.

"Perhaps a better man would've found the courage to fight for what was right," Severus said softly, with perhaps a hint of bitterness. "Perhaps a perfect man, in my shoes, would've fought for you, and the light. But I'm not perfect, and I was incredibly resentful of a lot of things in my youth. I'm far from perfect, you would know that better than anyone save for myself…so I am grateful you understand that I couldn't fight for a world that gave me nothing."

"Nothing but hatred, scorn, and neglect," said Lily, filling in the blanks.

She didn't need a reaction from him to know she'd hit the nail on the head. She knew the Magical world back home had done nothing for him, neither had the Muggle world, so why should he fight for it? Both intertwined worlds, Magical and Muggle had spat in Severus' face when he needed them the most more times than she could count. With the benefit of hindsight, the mere thought of Severus fighting for a Magical and Muggle society that'd done nothing but prolong his suffering was, quite frankly, laughable.

After finishing their meal, they paid their tab and said goodbye to Alberto, before taking their leave and exiting Bianchi's to return to the car. They swiftly drove back to the sanctuary, and upon arriving, Lily went inside to check on her kids while Severus headed out onto the grounds to go check on his birds.

Later that day, Lily, Harry and Azalea stood on the front porch, waiting for Severus to make his return so they could make a start on dinner. Harry and Azalea were eager to help, having rarely had the opportunity to cook before, they thought it was a novel experience so Lily and Severus came to the decision to let Poesy have the night off and handle the cooking themselves.

"Where's Uncle Sev, mummy?" Azalea asked, her brown eyes scanning along the dirt road and through the trees for any sign of Severus' beige pickup.

Lily arched a sardonic brow. "Uncle Sev? Since when did you start calling him that?"

"It's what you called him!" Harry said brightly. "Right 'Z'lea?"

Azalea nodded fervently in agreement with her older brother. "Can we call him Uncle Sev, mummy?" she asked, her brown eyes wide and pleading.

"I think that's a question you should ask Uncle Severus yourselves," Lily said to both her children. "Speaking of whom, I think I see him."

Sure enough, a rooster tail of dust billowed out from behind the pickup as Severus drove towards them along the dirt path. The plume of dust grew larger as Severus drew nearer, Lily and her two children making to stand as Severus pulled to a stop in front of his garage. Severus killed the engine and hopped out, slamming the door shut before making his way up to the porch.

"Uncle Severus!" Harry greeted happily. "Are we gonna make dinner now?"

"I suppose we can. We'd better make an early start," said Severus.

"Oh, and can me 'n 'Lea call you Uncle Sev?" he asked, a little more shyly and with his eyes wide and pleading. This trick always worked when Azalea wanted something, so he figured he'd try it for himself.

Severus glanced up from the pleading Harry to Lily's face, she was feigning disinterest and pretending she hadn't heard a word her son had said, but Severus knew her better than that. Pretending and feigning nonchalance wouldn't fool him.

"He picked this up from you?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea where you got that from Severus," said Lily, sounding neutral.

"It's quite simple, you're the only person who's ever called me Sev," Severus replied, now smirking. "So, naturally, they'd have picked it up from you calling me that."

"Perhaps…" Lily conceded, still pretending she hadn't a clue, although her eyes flickered mirthfully.

A small hand tugging on his jean leg pulled his gaze downwards, only to meet the bright green eyes of Harry Potter staring up at him. "Can we?"

Severus shared one last glance with Lily, then looked down at Harry and said; "Alright. Yes. Yes, you can."

Harry's smile grew to be as broad as he'd ever seen it, then he let out a small whoop of joy and dashed back into the house. Lily, Azalea and Severus followed Harry inside, with Severus heading upstairs to change and shower, while Lily and her children made their way to the kitchen where they intended to start on dinner. Once Severus had gone upstairs, Lily turned to Harry and Azalea, asking them to sit at the kitchen table.

"Azalea, I want you to sit right here and wait for mummy," Lily said to her daughter. "Harry, follow me and I'll get you sorted," she said to her son.

"Okay mummy."

"Yes mummy."

Azalea dutifully stayed sat in her chair while Harry followed his mum over to one of the kitchen counters, where a small chopping board, some vegetables, and a knife that was charmed not to cut anyone sat.

"Am I going to be cutting the veggies, mummy?" Harry asked, looking down at the board and knife.

"Yes sweetie," said Lily, as she waved her wand to conjure a stool for Harry to stand on. "Even though the knife can't cut you, do be careful with it, it's good to practice proper habits, right?"

Harry smiled brightly. "Right!"

Lily smiled fondly down at her eldest child and ruffled his messy, black locks. "That's my boy. Now you can get started with the tomato, cut it into slices, okay?"

"Okay!"

Lily ruffled her son's hair one more time and turned back to Azalea, bringing over a bundle of cutlery—no knives among their number—to her, so she could get started on polishing them.

Lily set the bundle of cutlery down on the kitchen table, Azalea's eyes following them the whole time. "Alright pumpkin, can you wipe down these forks and spoons for mummy?"

Azalea eyed the cloth, then the forks and spoons. "Yes mummy, I can. What do I do after?"

"After this, you can set the table and then come watch mummy and Harry make the salad, okay? Just be careful with the utensils there pumpkin," Lily said gently.

She'd cast a dulling charm on the forks to ensure she wouldn't poke herself, but Lily wanted both her children to practice proper form when working in the kitchen, Harry especially since he was older. And she also wanted an opportunity to teach her children how to cook, an opportunity she lacked when she was married, since James thought only house elves should cook and that they had no need to learn.

"Okay mummy," said Azalea, nodding eagerly.

Lily smiled at her daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Severus made his return a short while later, whereupon he and Lily began preparing the centerpiece of their meal, a roasted chicken. They worked diligently and swiftly, cleaning the four-pound chicken, then seasoning and stuffing it with a variety of herbs and vegetables, before placing it in the oven and letting it roast for the next hour and a half. In the meantime, Lily and Harry set to work making the salad, while Severus got started on the mashed potatoes. Using the potatoes that Harry had cut previously, he dumped them in a pot of boiling, salted water and let them cook for twenty minutes, while simultaneously checking up on Harry's and Lily's progress with the salad, monitoring the still-roasting chicken, and then retrieving the milk and sour cream from the fridge. Draining the pot, he then mashed them and added the sour cream, milk, and some finely-chopped onions in the mix. The melted butter was the last to go before Severus lifted the potatoes out of the pot and into a bowl, a stasis charm ensured they'd remain as they were until they were ready to eat.

Turning away from the potatoes, he glanced over at Azalea, who sat quietly at the table by herself surrounded by a set of polished cutlery. He then looked over at Lily, who was standing over Harry watching as he washed the leaves of the salad. Lily was bent over the counter slightly, instructing her son on how to wash the leaves and dry them, all the while helping Harry finish cutting up the cucumbers which would also be in the salad. He then decided to sit at the table, next to Azalea and help her polish the knives which he knew Lily hadn't let her handle; yet kept his ears trained on what Lily and Harry were saying and doing. Lily continued to instruct her sone, her tone gentle but firm, a lot like the way Lily's mum used to talk to him and to Lily and Petunia. He hadn't noticed he was staring, but evidently Azalea had as a small hand came to tug on his wrist.

"Watcha doing Uncle Sev'rus?" Azalea asked with a curious-looking frown.

Severus glanced down at the three year old girl, smiling. "Just listening in to what your mum and brother are doing," he said. "Now how about I help you polish those knives, eh?"

Azalea's frown evaporated as she nodded shyly. "O-okay."

For the next few minutes, Severus helped polish the knives; and after that, he and Azalea brought the cutlery and plates into the dining room and set them out around the table. They then ventured back into the kitchen with Azalea following after Severus like an obedient puppy.

"Wonderful Harry, now be sure to mix them around evenly. You don't want to have them grouped up in one place," said Lily, as Harry dispersed the sliced cucumbers into the salad.

"Like this?" Harry asked, as he dropped the slices of cucumbers among the leaves.

"Mhmm, that's very well done sweetie," Lily said proudly.

Severus was distracted by Azalea again, this time, her small hand tugging on his pant leg to gain his attention. "Yes?"

Azalea stared up at him with her wide, brown eyes, the beginnings of a frown etched into her features. "Do you like my mummy?" she asked innocently.

Severus blinked slowly, unsure of what he'd just heard from the three-year-old. "Do I what, Azalea?"

In that same, innocuous tone of voice, she repeated; "Do you like my mummy?"

To say he was surprised by the girl's perceptiveness would've been a gross understatement, he was floored. Clearly, Azalea was far more observant and eagle-eyed than the average three-year-old.

"Now why would you think that?"

Azalea frowned, her brows creasing as if the answer were obvious. "You look at mummy like my daddy looks at mummy," she said plainly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, knowing very well what it was supposed to mean.

"That you like her!" Azalea squealed in delight.

"Who likes who, pumpkin?" Lily asked, having heard her daughter's proud proclamation. She'd turned around and had walked over to them as they stood in the doorframe.

"That—that Uncle Sev likes you!"

"Indeed he does dearie, and I like him very much too," said Lily, not denying her daughter's assertion. "We were best friends once. Like Aunty Mary is."

"But he looks at you like…like daddy does," Azalea insisted, her little fingers curled up into fists as she stomped her foot in frustration. Why doesn't mummy get it? Uncle Sev likes likes her!

"Oh, I'm sure you're just mistaken pumpkin," Lily cooed, ruffling her daughter's messy head of red hair. "Let's go into the dining room, hmm? Dinner should be ready soon."

Azalea heaved a sigh and shook her head, disappointed and dismayed that her mum couldn't see what she had. "Okay mummy."

Lily guided Azalea out of the kitchen and into the dining, then returned a moment later wearing an arched brow and holding her wand. She cast Severus' old privacy charm over the two of them, pocketed her wand, and then folded her arms across her chest.

"I suppose I should've told you that Azalea's far more perceptive than the average three year old. Seriously, she's a real genius that one."

"So it would appear," Severus said, not knowing what else to say.

A little glint appeared to light up Lily's eyes, that, and the devious smirk curling her lip were the only warnings Severus would get before she said; "So that means you've got to can the googly eyes mister. Y'hear?"

Severus gave a quiet grunt and rolled his eyes—those two acts reminding Lily so much of the boy she was once friends with. It seemed, that despite changing so much since she'd last known him, some things just refused to change. He whipped out his wand and brought down Muffliato, and then muttered that he was going outside for a moment. Lily sighed, watching him go, and then moved back into the kitchen to help Harry finish preparing the salad. The Severus of long ago, if he were angry and bitter would've been itching for a fight; Severus now could very easily fall back into his grumpy and snappy side, too, but as she watched through the window as he paced around outside the house, she could see clearly although the way he processed said anger and bitterness was leaps and bounds better than before.

Later that evening, after a sumptuous roast chicken and salad dinner, Lily had put both her children to bed and decided to head back downstairs to do some reading. She needed some inspiration to kick-start her work on her anti-Fiendfyre charm—she still had to work on a more catchy name for it—and she figured there was no better time to start than now. She wandered back into the sitting room, where, sure enough, Severus was sat on the couch, untidy papers arrayed around him in a messy semi-circle. He must've heard her quiet footfalls, for his eyes were already on the door as she appeared in the frame.

"Working?" she asked, nodding at the papers.

Severus nodded back. "Ordering some more medicine. I have to send these off by tomorrow morning," he muttered.

Lily walked into the room and gingerly plonked herself down beside him on the couch, then lifted one piece of paper to her face. Sure enough, it was an order form for some sort of Thunderbird medication which she hadn't a clue about. She assumed that the rest of the papers arrayed around Severus in that messy semi-circle are also order forms for medicine, and for a moment, she's floored by it.

"Are they all order forms?" she couldn't help but ask.

Severus nodded again. "They are. Now if you don't mind, leave me alone for the next half hour and I'll be free to watch whatever infernal muggle show you decide to put on."

The newest addition to the farmhouse was a small television set situated in the corner of the sitting room. Purchased by Lily so she could watch all of her favorite television shows back home, and pick up on some new shows here in America. She'd paid for it herself, and set it up too, knowing that Severus wasn't interested in it; and so far, she'd managed to conjure up an interest in Magnum P.I. within him. Severus quite liked the show, she was proud to say. Lily was hoping to expand his interest in with regard to the many, so-called 'infernal muggle shows' that she liked to watch. Today, she wanted to show him another show, something satire based that she just knew he'd appreciate. Because when it came to making fun or mocking someone, or something, an entity of any kind, both she and Severus got their kicks out of it plenty. So making fun of Parliament and the Muggle Government back home through, Yes Minister, should be right up his alley, by Lily's estimate. Lily turned on the T.V. and flipped through the channels on mute, which with the aid of magic, included both American and British T.V. stations. Severus announced the completion of his work with a heavy sigh, a swish of his wand later and the papers he'd had to fill out were all whisked away to his office, from which he'd send them off tomorrow morning. He packed away his pen and the rest of the mess that had accumulated around him and turned to Lily.

"So, what's on the menu tonight?" he asked his old friend dryly.

Lily's grin was infectious, as was the sparkle in her eyes. "Muggle politicians are stupid berks, yeah?"

"What's this got to do with anything?"

"Just answer the bloody question Sev," Lily said exasperatedly. "They're stupid idiots, aren't they?"

Severus acknowledged her assertion with a sigh and a nod. "Yes. As are Magical Politicians."

"So, what better show to watch than to bring all that to light through the lovely medium of satire."

Severus raised a brow and shifted in his seat slightly so he fully-faced Lily. "Satire of what?"

"Muggle politicians of course! Honestly Sev, this show is amazing, some of the best satire out there, making fun of politicians and governmental incompetence in one fell-swoop," she said with a reverent smile. "I love satire, you love satire; and making fun of politicians is just about the best form of satire there is, Sev. I guarantee that you'll love this show, I just know it!"

Severus sighed and turned to face the television. So far, Lily's TV show recommendations had been very hit-or-miss, more often miss. He could comfortably admit he didn't mind Magnum P.I., but everything else she'd shown him hadn't been to his liking to say the least. Then again, she hadn't been as optimistic about any of the previous shows she'd shown him as she was about this one. Maybe it would be different.

"Alright then, switch the bloody device on then," Severus huffed.

Lily's grin was infectious, but Severus adamantly refused to shift his facial expression away from the scowl that'd curled his lip. "Just you wait sunshine, just you wait. You're gonna love this."

"Will I?" Severus asked, still hanging onto her words.

At that, Lily's smile grows broader, and her eyes sparkled in a very knowing way, telling of the fact that she gets him better than anyone. "Of course you will," she said confidently, assuredly. As if the alternative is but an afterthought, and her one-for-six success rate with regard to presenting shows to Severus that he actually liked, didn't exist.

As it would turn out, Severus would quite like the show, more than he liked Magnum P.I., even, and far more than the half-dozen of other TV shows Lily had made him watch over the past week. The subtle humor, not too on-the-nose so to as to be considered boorish, yet, delivered with sufficient dryness and self-awareness was just right for Severus. It was almost as though the show was making him work to see its subtleties and nuance, but not making it massively difficult to discover it, he appreciated that. And to give credit where credit was due, the show was entertaining, at least the parts of it that he'd seen. For about halfway through the program, Lily had curled up into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. To say that the situation was discomfiting…would've been a massive understatement, and it was only made more uncomfortable by the fact that Lily was cognizant of it all. She hadn't merely fallen asleep on his shoulder, no, she was still laughing, giggling, pointing things out and quoting Humphrey's best quips in the episode all the while her soft strands of hair tickled his cheek. It feels nice, comfortable; like a warm quilt draped over him shielding him from a non-existent blizzard outside. He hadn't shared this kind of platonic-intimacy with Lily since they were children before Hogwarts.

The show airs two episodes, before the next program comes on and it's time for Severus and Lily to take their leave. Lily reluctantly lifted her head off his shoulder, and after stretching her neck, she got to her feet, as did Severus.

"So," she remarked conversationally, her knowing, green eyes boring into his already knowing full-well what his answer would be to her coming question. "What did you think of the show?"

"It was alright, decent," Severus said idly, playing down his enjoyment. "It's…passable, as far as entertainment goes, I guess."

"Merely passable?" Lily remarked with a broad grin. "Only passable when you laughed at least a half-dozen times in the last half hour? I'd like to think it was a bit better than just, passable."

"Marginally better than passable, how does that sound?" Severus muttered back with a little smirk.

"Much better," said Lily, standing up on her toes so she could whisper it in his ear.

She then rocked back on her heels, drawing farther before Severus had a chance to react. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Sev. Goodnight."

Offering a soft smile, Lily then leaned forward and, to Severus' utter shock, planted her lips briefly on his cheek—for all of one second, then drawing away and leaving the room. There was no mark left behind, save for the lingering, burning sensation her lips had imparted on the skin of his cheek. Severus felt it as strong as ever, and he couldn't help but raise his fingers to the place Lily's lips had met him, and trace over the spot in reverence. He stood still for quite some time.

A/N2: Next chapter will be quite a bit different from this one, so I hope the fluff and fleshing out of Severus and Lily's time apart from one another was appreciated. There will be a little bit more fleshing out in the near future, but for the most part, things'll be looking forward. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed!