Previously: Both Lily and James go to Diagon Alley to complete their Hogwarts shopping. Alice Prewett and her family volunteer to show Lily around, and Lily and Alice quickly become friends. They meet one another (Alice and James already know each other) as well as have a less-than-cordial meeting with future classmate, Lycoris Mulciber.


Chapter 3: The Under-Crups

Without even meaning to, Lily's bedroom had turned into her and Severus's informal training room. All her decorations had been pushed aside as the two of them made space to practice magic. Her stuffed animals and dolls had been thrown into a precarious pile by her closet while the desk supplies were shoved unceremoniously into already-full drawers to make way for scrolls upon scrolls of parchment, bottles of varying shades of ink, and dozens of quills, each from a different kind of feather. In the corner sat Lily's cauldron with her ingredients in a haphazard pile. Severus had borrowed most ingredients from his mother's storeroom, insisting that she would never notice since Mrs. Snape hardly ever did magic anymore.

Signs of magic were already visible since the two days Lily had acquired her wand. There was a giant blotch of color that resembled a mix between an elephant and a giraffe on her wall from when Severus had accidentally turned the regular light blue color a green, which also happened to match Lily's eyes. While Severus had tried over and over again to apologize, Lily had found it hilarious, saying that it added character to her room. Only Petunia had been furious at the colors changing in the house, regardless of whose bedroom it was. She had tried to complain, but Lily's parents encouraged the two to keep practicing, and Severus had been overjoyed when he saw how much it annoyed Petunia.

"I'm telling you, Lily, with all this studying we're doing, we'll be the best in the class," said Severus as they sat on Lily's bed, pouring over The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One that Lily had recently bought on her trip to Diagon Alley while Severus's mother's copy of Hesper Starkey's A Guide to Potion Ingredients lay next to Lily's feet. Severus also had his own copy of the Standard Book of Spells, but unlike Lily's, it was a hand-me-down from his mother and covered in dust from disuse.

Lily smiled in reply while trying to hide her worry.

"It depends on how much the pure-bloods learn at home," she said while she flipped to the page of the Wand-Lighting Spell.

Based on what Alice said, most children from magical families did not learn anything significant before starting Hogwarts, but Alice was only one pure-blood. What if she was the minority? What would happen then?

A mewl caused Severus and Lily to jump. Ever since getting the cat, her parents had installed a cat flap both on the backdoor and in the door of Lily's bedroom, so now she watched her little kitten leap and land on the bed rather clumsily in front of Lily, holding a dead mouse clamped in his mouth and looking expectant for praise and rewards. Lily stroked his soft fur, and her cat gobbled the mouse down in less than a minute.

"Have you decided to name your cat yet, Lily? He needs a name," said Severus as he stared at Lily and the kitten that had curled up on Lily's lap while she scratched his ears. While the cat tolerated Severus and occasionally begged attention from her parents, he seemed to have bonded most strongly with his owner.

Lily's lower lip jutted forward a little, almost like she was pouting, as was always the case when thinking hard.

"I suppose … Crackerjack?"

"Crackerjack? Why Crackerjack?" asked Severus.

Lily shrugged and said, "I dunno – because Petunia hates Cracker Jacks?"

Her sister and Crackerjack had been enemies from the moment they met. Petunia absolutely hated having, of all things, a black cat wandering around the house, and Crackerjack had not been fond of Petunia either.

Severus stared at her for one second and then started cracking up, and Lily found herself joining him. With every passing week, the divide between the two sisters deepened more and more, and though she hated herself for it, she and Severus had taken to practicing their charms on Petunia. It only ended after Petunia went completely bonkers and started shrieking when she discovered that Lily and Severus had fused her favorite dresses to the coat hangers for practice with the Attachment Charm. Though her mother had given the two children a stern lecture about what could and could not be spelled, it was still memorable.

"Really, though, how many pure-bloods study at home?" she asked as Crackerjack the Cat purred and settled more deeply into her thighs, seemingly right at home.

Severus snorted.

"Most of those people just sit and order the house-elves around after trying and failing to play Quidditch, and – what's wrong?" he asked a frowning Lily.

"It's going to take a long time to get used to belonging to a world with legalized slavery," sighed Lily.

"The house-elves don't care."

"Yes, but still …" said Lily, "It's not right for wizards to take advantage of another race just because they can. At least give them sick days and vacations if they need them. Just because they're servants doesn't mean that they shouldn't be happy."

Lily looked to Severus in confirmation, but he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Lily," he started seriously, but Lily detected the smile in his eyes, "If you say that to one of the Hogwarts house-elves, they'll be crying before you can say 'sorry'. If you want to do something for them, just be nice and thankful to the elves; that's what they really want. They'll probably end up falling over each other for your praise."

"Do they usually not get praised by wizards?"

"No, but their idea of happiness is how much their masters love their work."

"That isn't right!"

"I know, but it's the most you can do for them. Let's try some of these spells out."

Lily huffed but complaining about the treatment of house-elves was not going to accomplish anything – yet – so she returned to her book and ran her finger down the page until she found what sounded like a simple enough incantation. Lily carefully mouthed the words under her breath. Taking in a deep breath, she said clearly, "Lumos."

She watched with amazement as the tip of her willow wand sparked, went out for a moment, and then lit up bleakly for another two seconds before extinguishing once again. Crackerjack jumped up at the sight of the light, batting at it with his paw. Severus cheered before trying the spell with his own wand. His attempt was more successful, and a wondrous feeling bubbled within Lily as Crackerjack stared at the lights with interest.

"We did it! We made magic, Sev!" squealed Lily, and she pulled her friend in for a tight hug. Technically, it was not the first time for Lily, but saying the word out loud and causing her wand tip to light up even if only for a little bit made Lily feel a sense of accomplishment that was rare enough for anybody.

Severus blushed faintly as Lily pulled away, but she ignored it, too caught up in her own joy.

"Let's go down to the park for a little bit, Sev, before Mummy makes dinner."

"Sure. Whatever you say," said Severus, smiling dreamily at Lily, his hand still lying near hers. Crackerjack must have realized that they were leaving and slinked across the bed before settling himself on Lily's pillow.

Grinning, Lily took Severus's hand and pulled him out of the door and down the hall. It was impossible for anything to distract her from the happiness she had felt when she and Severus had made magic. She did not care if her mother came up and said that supper was done thirty minutes early, she did not care if a terrible storm below in and ruined any chance of playing at the park, and she did not care if Petunia –

"What's that?" asked Severus, pointing to Petunia's room. Lily's mental wall immediately slammed into place just like it always did whenever Petunia was involved.

"What's what?" she asked cautiously, peering into Petunia's room.

It was very tidy, the exact opposite of Lily's. Where Lily's was bursting with snapshots and little trinkets that showed her personality as well as her newly bought equipment, Petunia's bedroom made Lily think of office buildings. There was a picture of Petunia and her parents but little else save for store-bought decorations. A stab of pain cut into Lily as she noticed that there was no picture of Lily, no memory of them as the two loving sisters without anything coming between them. When Lily was younger, she had always been awed by how neat Petunia was, but now she did not like it – it was just another reminder of how different the two sisters really were.

She was about to brush off Severus's words when Lily noticed an open letter sitting on Petunia's desk. With the lack of decorating, it stood out like a sore thumb, and her curiosity gnawed at her. It was Sunday after all, and no Muggle post came on Sunday, which meant that it could only have been a wizard's letter, but why would Petunia be writing to a wizard? She had made it quite clear that she hated Lily and the rest of the Wizarding world.

Lily walked forward slowly, her attention focused solely on the letter while Severus scurried in behind her.

"Is that from Hogwarts? How did she – the post office, there must wizards undercover in the post office – um, Lily?" he said, noticing that she had not left the room yet, "I don't think we should be here 'cause we're probably going to get caught. Maybe we should come back when your sister isn't in the kitchen just down the stairs. C'mon, Lils, let's just go."

"So go," said Lily quietly, still fixated on the wizard letter that was laying on Petunia's desk, wide open, waiting to be read …

There was nothing else to be done; it was simply too tempting, and though she hated herself for the sneaking, Lily could not help herself as she picked up the letter and read:

Dear Petunia,

I regret to inform you that I cannot enroll you in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We can only accept students who have demonstrated the ability to use magic. While you are a wonderful student in your own school, and Hogwarts could use somebody with your dedication and hard work, you simply would not be able to complete most of the classes without the ability to perform magic. It may not be what you want to hear, but it is the sad truth that only certain people demonstrate a capacity to use magic.

I understand that you wish to stay with your sister and be there for her like you have been in the past, but you must attend school in your own world. There are many opportunities awaiting somebody with your abilities, and while the Wizarding world would be lucky with you as a part of it, it is the Muggle society who will benefit from having you instead.

Wishing you the best of luck,

Albus Dumbledore

"She tried to get into Hogwarts!" said Severus loudly. "I thought she hated us, the hypocrite! How did she think that a Muggle could get into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

There was a scornful emphasis on Muggle, like he could hardly believe that Petunia tried to insult Hogwarts by making them waste their time on a Muggle.

However, that was not what held her attention, and Lily let Severus's words slide over her ears like water while she reread the line again and again, the full meaning of what it meant only slowly dawning on her.

I understand that you wish to stay with your sister and be there for her …

There was no other way to interpret it: Petunia had wanted to go so she could be with Lily.

Lily held back the tears that threatened to leak in front of Severus; if he could see her reaction to something that involved Petunia … well, it was not something that she needed now. Somehow, despite all the talk about how much Petunia hated her and had no wish to associate with a "weirdo", she had still sought out a way for them to be sisters and be together.

In Lily's mind, that spoke louder than anything that Petunia had ever said to her.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1971 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Remus Lupin stared miserably around at the small basement that he called home for one night a month. It was not even the real basement, just an attachment that his father had made shortly after moving in from their previous home. The underground box of concrete was not big by any means, only twenty feet by twenty feet, but it was as big as his father could make it. Though his parents had tried to make the room as homey as possible, any evidence of human civilization was marred by the deep gouges in everything – the walls, the mattress, the carpet, even the ceiling. The only thing that remained untouched was the door, reinforced by as many different protective spells as Lyall Lupin knew, and the gilded but necessary prison was surrounded in whole by several powerful Silencing Charms.

This is my future, thought Remus as he curled up under a blanket with several slash marks and observed the cold stone walls underneath the various comforts the Lupins had provided for the full moon. Seclusion, lies, loneliness … that was his life now, ever since that fateful night when some poor werewolf affected by the same curse that now ran through Remus had forced open his bedroom window to fulfill the wolf's bloodlust.

A soft knock interrupted his silence, and he heard his mother's gentle voice asking, "Remus, sweetheart, the sun is finally up."

Remus said nothing; he was, as always, completely exhausted after the painful transformation. There were fresh scratches and bite marks across his skin that would soon join the scars that already crisscrossed his body, and Remus exhaled, his eyelids falling a little more.

There was the sound of the door opening slowly and hurried footsteps across the floor, muffled by the warm carpet. His mother draped a thick bathrobe across him and tenderly helped him to a standing position. Remus staggered from drained limbs, but his parents had plenty of experience, and Hope Lupin held him firmly and helped him from the confine up to his bedroom where Remus lost consciousness the instant his head hit his pillow.

He did not feel as if he had been asleep that long before he woke to his father placing a bowl of a white, cloudy potion on his bedside table. Remus struggled to prop himself up on his elbow. While there was not much magic could do for the transformations, the potions that his father was always brewing had helped alleviate several of the symptoms afterwards. The pain from the self-inflicted scratches lessened slightly and the stupor lifted faintly as the potion worked its way through his body.

His father smoothed his hair down and said, "The night's over, son. You've got some time before the next one."

Remus glanced over to where his wand was next to the lamp. Unlike most witches and wizards his age, he had gotten his before the summer. As it was impossible for him to learn magic around other kids, his father homeschooled him, and Remus found himself asking, "Are we learning about boggarts today, Dad."

Mr. Lupin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You should be resting, son. We can start up with education again tomorrow after you've had time to recover your strength."

As it was all the time, Remus slowly regained his strength from the transformation and began to once again integrate himself into his home life. Though he had accepted that he could never attend a regular school, Remus still devoured texts and new spells that his father taught him. He was young and not quite as accomplished, so the number of enchantments he could practice was limited, but that did not stop Remus. He loved learning and always eagerly took on each new topic, whether it was magical from his father or simple but needed Muggle lessons from his mother.

One day as Remus lay on the plush rug of the family's living room and turned the pages of a book detailing Kappas and their environment, the doorbell rang. His mother, who had been baking, looked up curiously, and his father ran from the downstairs where he had been redoing all the protective enchantments on Remus's monthly prison. Remus himself leaped to his feet and peeked out from behind the doorway as Mr. Lupin opened the door.

"Professor!" gasped Mr. Lupin while Remus's mother watched from behind his shoulder. "W-what are you doing here?"

Remus leaned forward on his tiptoes to get a better glimpse of the visitor. With long silver hair and a matching beard that quite nearly reached the belt of his robes, it could only be Professor Albus Dumbledore beneath that gold speckled hat and half-moon spectacles. Remus had seen pictures of him and often heard stories of the famed headmaster of Hogwarts, but he had never in his wildest dreams suspected that Dumbledore would show up on the Lupins' doorstep.

Professor Dumbledore gave an entertained smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Lupin. It has been quite some time."

His brilliant blue eyes shifted to Mrs. Lupin. "Ah, this must be your wife, Hope. You are as beautiful as your name, Mrs. Lupin," said Professor Dumbledore, giving a little bow.

Mrs. Lupin went pink while Remus dared to take another step forward. Before he had been bitten, Hogwarts was the one thing that he looked forward to more than any other, and having the headmaster here, in his house, seemed unreal.

Professor Dumbledore finally fixed his piercing gaze upon Remus who took a hesitant step back. He gave Remus a kind smile and said, "You must be young Remus Lupin. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Professor Albus Dumbledore."

"Hi," said Remus in a small voice.

"May I come in?" asked Professor Dumbledore, and when neither Mr. or Mrs. Lupin said anything, still in awe that the headmaster had decided to grace their doorstep, he swept past them into the hallway, taking in the tiny and quaint home that the Lupins had only moved into the previous year.

"Um, Professor," said Mr. Lupin, "Not that we're not glad to see you and all, but what are you doing here?"

"I would have thought it would be obvious," said Professor Dumbledore, "I am a teacher at Hogwarts after all."

Remus could not help the gasp that escaped him. Ever since he was old enough to understand what school was, Hogwarts had been the embodiment of magic and dynamism. Every year on the first of September, he would envision what it would be like to board the Hogwarts Express, surrounded by witches and wizards just like him, eager to learn and live in the legendary castle. Even after he became a werewolf, those dreams still existed, save for the tinge of envy that now tarnished them as the realization that neither the ride nor the Sorting would ever come to pass.

"Um, Professor, I'm not sure that's the best idea, sir. Remus can't go to Hogwarts, so perhaps we shouldn't tell him everything. It will just make him feel worse," said Mr. Lupin remorsefully, glancing between Dumbledore and his wife.

The words popped Remus's bubble of happiness, returning him to the land of reality. The werewolf inside him would be a danger not just to him, but to the other students as well. There was a reason why Wizardkind feared werewolves after all, and Remus slouched forward, his lips pulling in a moping pout.

"Are those Gobstones? You know, I have not played that game in such a long time, bless my old age. Remus, would you consent to play a few rounds with me?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

Remus jumped. The question of Hogwarts was still on the forefront of his mind, but he could not refuse the professor a game. His parents were still trying to think of something to say, so there was nothing else for Remus to do but lead Dumbledore into their sitting room to start a game of Gobstones that he had forgotten to pick up. His parents did not look too thrilled, but they did not do anything to stop him either.

Before he knew it, he was engaged in a thrilling game of Gobstones with the headmaster of Hogwarts and one of the most famous wizards in the world. Remus was always very good at that game, and Dumbledore seated himself on the floor with the dexterity of a much younger man, ready to play. Several rounds passed, with Remus winning about half, and despite his image, Dumbledore simply seemed amused as the stones squirted their pus at him. His mother could not stop the games, so she simply gave the two a plate of crumpets, the same ones she had been making before Dumbledore rung their doorbell, while Mr. Lupin seated himself on his usual armchair to observe the game.

After the sixth round, Mr. Lupin finally broke his silence while Mrs. Lupin perched herself on the arm of the chair.

"Professor, really – why are you here? It's not that I'm not pleased to see you again, but … well, it's unexpected."

Dumbledore rose to his feet and gave a flick of his wand, vanishing all evidence of the games save the actual set of Gobstones. Remus scurried to his feet as well as Dumbledore said, "I have come to offer Remus a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft Wizardry. He is eleven after all, and very talented as I can see."

Fireworks went off in Remus's head. The headmaster of Hogwarts was here, offering him everything he had ever hoped for. To be allowed to enter through those double doors would quite literally be a dream come true. All his life, he was forbidden to play with the other children in the towns and villages his parents frequently moved him to, not because his family was cruel, but so that Remus would not accidentally let slip his condition to any young witch or wizard who would then in turn repeat what they heard to their own parents.

Mr. Lupin sighed and said, "I can understand your thinking, Professor, but it's impossible for Remus to attend. He has an … affliction that many people would not want to be around."

And then at those words, Remus's world came crashing back down to the cruel, harsh reality that he lived in.

"I know about Remus's lycanthropy, Lyall," said Professor Dumbledore gravely. "Word reached me when one of my people overheard Greyback boasting about it right after it happened. You have my sincerest apologies for the pain it has inflicted upon your family."

"Greyback," growled Mr. Lupin.

"Greyback?" asked Remus.

"You don't need to worry, son," said Mr. Lupin quickly, "He's far away from here."

Deciding to ignore the name for the time being, Remus turned to Dumbledore and said, "You know about my curse? Why aren't you afraid of me then? Everybody else is afraid of me."

Dumbledore gave him a gentle pat on the back and a kind smile before saying, "My dear boy, I see that you are what you always were, a clever and talented youth who Hogwarts would honored to teach. As long as certain precautions are set up for that one night a month, I do not see any reason why you should not attend school if you so wish to."

"Really?" asked Remus, and sheer joy swelled inside of him faster than his mother could fill a balloon with air, but his parents still looked unsure.

"Who else would know of Remus's condition?" asked his mother. "Not many wizards respond kindly to people like my son."

"Only myself, our school nurse Poppy Pomfrey, and the head of his House. None of them will ever tell a single soul without the express permission of Remus or myself."

"What kinds of precautions will you be taking?" asked Mr. Lupin, leaning forward on his hands and gazing steadily up at Professor Dumbledore.

"The afternoon preceding the full moon, Madam Pomfrey will escort Remus through a tunnel that I have created which leads to a house in Hogsmeade. The house has been given every protective enchantment that I can think of; the only way to access it is through the tunnel. Professor Sprout has been kind enough to procure a Whomping Willow to place above the entrance to prevent anybody from coming across Remus in his werewolf state. Afterwards, Madam Pomfrey will heal him up as best she can before Remus resumes his school life."

Mr. Lupin gave his son a long look.

"The choice is up to you, Remus. Do you want to attend Hogwarts?"

Did he want to? Did he want to immerse himself in magic? Did he want to surround himself with students just like him? Did he want a chance to have real friends?

Of course he did.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1971 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

"So is it true?" asked Lily, pumping her legs harder and harder so that she could swing higher and higher. She had reached the point when the chains were parallel to the ground, but Lily, daring as ever, did not slow down. Severus was on the swing next to her, but while he still moved, he got nowhere near Lily's elevation. Unlike her, Severus preferred to swing for fun rather than Lily's attempts to jump higher and farther with each time they claimed the swings.

It had been two weeks since Diagon Alley, two weeks since she had come back with her wand and cauldron and all the other things she and her mother had purchased, and Lily still surprised herself when looking back at all she and Severus had accomplished since getting their own wands. In the space of fourteen days, the two had completely re-colored Lily's bedroom wall – both accidently and intentionally, adding red and gold to the already green splotch; they had succeeded in sealing the door to Petunia's closet shut even after the debacle with the dresses glued to the hangers (Petunia had responded by hurtling lamps at her head); Lily and Severus even managed to multiply the dead bird Crackerjack brought back in the living room, though that had been completely accidental. After the bird disaster and much shrieking from Petunia, Mrs. Evans had eventually confined practicing magic to Lily's bedroom.

Severus's response to Lily's earlier question was just a simple shrug.

"It depends on the person. Many pure-bloods, like the Weasley family, are completely accepting of Muggles and all for mingling with them on a regular basis, but there are a couple families who see Muggles as inferior – but there are very few people who think like that, Lily," he added hastily.

Rather than jumping off like she usually did, Lily let her feet drag across the woodchips with each oscillation until she was only swaying lightly in her seat. Severus had also stopped moving when he noticed the sudden change in movement, but he made no effort to stop the swing unlike Lily.

With her lower lip jutted slightly, she asked, "How many?"

"How many what?" asked Severus blankly.

"How many families, Sev?" reiterated Lily. "I mean, how many people think badly of my Muggle family? If it's enough that people talk about, it has to be more than a couple."

Plowing his feet into the ground to stop the swing, Severus could only give Lily one glance before hurriedly dropping his eyes to his palms that were twisting in his lap. "You don't have to worry about them, Lils. You've got loads of magic, maybe even more than them. Besides, I'll protect you – that's what best friends are for."

"Friends," echoed Lily, and slowly a smile emerged. "I just remembered, Sev! We never got to see who can spin the merry-go-round faster."

Severus looked nervously weary, but the brilliant sparkle in Lily's vivid green eyes was already there. "I'm not sure, Lily. I don't want to fall off."

"Don't you chicken out on me now, Severus Snape," twittered Lily joyfully.

She hopped off her swing and began pulling Severus's arm towards the merry-go-round. She got him an inch closer to the whirling structure, but then he refused to budge, digging his heels into the ground.

"C'mon, Sev, we're friends," moaned Lily.

Severus reluctantly following her to what he dubbed the "Wheel of Death."

She was Lily Evans, his first and very best friend, after all, and Severus Snape could never say no to Lily Evans.


Note: The story will mostly follow Lily and James's point of views, but if it is necessary or I feel that it would add more to the story, there will be an entry with another character's thoughts.

So I have a confession to make: after reading Remus Lupin's biography on Pottermore, I just really, really wanted to write his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Do you think I did it enough justice? I wanted to stick to the story itself, but I also wanted to make sure that I wasn't simply copying everything that J.K. Rowling wrote.