A/N: Hello my amazing readers and followers. I know I have been gone for a while. I apologize. I know I have taken lots of breaks recently and I can only say that I've been having a hard time dealing with lots of things like anniversaries and unfortunately my muses flew away in my depression.

However, it seems that I have started to catch them again and we were talking in an HP group on Facebook about Lily and Snape, and this brilliant piece popped into my head. It won't be exactly what some may be expecting but I hope that what you do read, you will enjoy. I am working on my other works and they will hopefully have new chapters soon.

I know this isn't much but it is just a prologue and I've left you with a cliffhanger.

Like Red On A Rose

Ch. 1

Prologue

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord arises, born to parents who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies."

Severus could not believe what he was overhearing on the other side of the mahogany double doors with their bronze knobs and knocker. He hadn't meant to overhear his fellow deatheater as he spouted a prophecy he had overheard to the dark lord, but he was just there when it happened. It felt like ice poured through his chest as he heard Lily's name fall from those cursed lips.

Severus threw up his occlumency shields as he backed away quietly and ran down the barely lit hall and out the doors to the dark bathed lawn. He had to tell someone. He had to warn them. They had to hide. They couldn't die this way, not for this.

Stupid Dumbledore for not using a privacy spell so he wasn't overheard. How moronic could that man be? He had just set a bounty on the Potter's heads because of his negligence.

Severus apparated the second he crossed the ward boundary and hit the ground running up to the castle cloaked in darkness that felt like some bad omen laughing him in the face.

He knew every twist and turn it took to get to the headmaster's office. He should after the many times he had ended up here thanks to the marauders. He had never had a good relationship with those boys, but even so, things had evened out between them once Lily decided to give James Potter the time of day.

It was his fifth year when he had nearly ruined everything by joining the deatheater youth, but Lily had stood by him despite her disappointment and made him swear not to kill or torture in cold blood. He hadn't wanted to kill or harm anyone anyway and he never had thanks to his usefulness in potions, except for his initiation where he killed a woman who had been tortured close to death by the psychotic men in the group and Bellatrix Lestrange. The poor woman would not have survived the night.

He still felt horrible about ending her life, but it was either him or Bellatrix and Bella well she was evil incarnate. Her idea of ending a life was nauseating even to the toughest of stomachs. It was too horrendous to even repeat in his head. He had spent a lot of time purging those images from his head.

The climb up the silent stairs felt longer than it usually would. It always seemed to take a longer time when someone was in a rush. It almost felt foreboding on that night. No moon shown through the plate glass windows for the sky was covered in clouds that threatened to break out in a downpour of rain at any moment.

The gargoyle, ugly as ever, lept aside as he approached. He guessed Dumbledore expected company. He had always seemed to know when he was needed in his office. Probably from spying portraits. He didn't know what reception awaited him at the top of the stairs, but he couldn't allow Lily to be targeted. He took a deep breath and began to ascend the spiral staircase.

A/N:

I hope y'all enjoy this new story as much as I am. The next chapter is in the works. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of this idea.

As always my faithful readers,

With Love,

Faithy