Disclaimer: I own nothing, but my thoughts of AU and OC, the rest all belong to J K Rowling.

Chapter 37

How ironic was it for Harry Potter to chance upon the Mirror of Erised in his first year? Snape had fumed below his stoic features when Albus Dumbledore wanted that godforsaken mirror to be a part of the elaborate scheme to hide the Philosopher's Stone. Both Filius and Minerva had objected, pointing out the dubious nature of the mirror, but the former Headmaster had raised his hand to quieten those two.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Albus had looked at Snape and said," Harry has already seen his family in it because it was his deepest desire! I fear so has Mr. Ronald Weasley taken a peep at it. I have told him, many bright wizards and witches have wasted themselves sitting in front of it and watching their dreams come alive. But the reality is always far from our imagination."

Old Couth! He knew! Of course, he knew, Severus Snape too had spent fallen for that trap led by the trickster of a mirror.

Every night sitting in front of this lonesome mirror, under a strong disillusionment spell, he did not see himself garnering applause, getting famous, and shining like a bright star. Instead, he saw himself standing by his mother and by his love of life. Yes, this heart-wrenching distance had made him realize he truly had loved her all these years. He did hear the soft click of the latch, but her scent had alerted him, not to attack in retaliation. She was a prefect now, and she had the privilege to walk around the castle in hunt of rule-breaking students.

He had heard those soft footsteps over the stone floor. He had felt her skirt brush against his shoulder. Had she come to berate him? Well, he did earn that, her disdain? If she would choose this moment to crush his heart, he would let her…If he had not been straining his ears to just hear the minute sounds of her breathing in and out, he would have missed that question, "What do you see?"

Severus had gone stiff the moment Lily Evans had come and stood beside him. He had gulped several times, not to sully this moment any further by saying something ridiculous once again. And she had to ask of all things, what was it, he was looking for in the mirror? She was clever, she had worked out the true function of the charmed mirror. But she was his Lily. She had not gone and expressed her groundbreaking condolences. She had harped on one thing that had anchored him to the present. That mirror. Never leaving his eyes from the mirror, he had whispered back, his voice coming from the deepest pits of his soul, "Mother."

Lily had been shocked, thrilled, baffled, and had felt gravitated at the resonance of Severus's voice. And she had found it hard not to respond to that deep baritone silk textured voice of her friend. She had to hear it again, or else those fluttering butterflies at the pit of her stomach would drive her crazy. "And?"

Snape couldn't lie, he could manage to hide from the whole world, but Lily knew him through and through. He was cunning, he was ambitious, he had to survive as a Slytherin and he had to go and kneel in front of the Dark Lord, the one who was going to challenge Albus Dumbledore. But Lily…he was in two minds. His mind was hungry for fame, his heart, it was slowly flapping its wings, soaring through the night sky, chanting the word, "Lily" like a prayer. He had told her the truth, "And…you."

He had heard her or rather felt her sit down beside him. Their shoulders rubbed against each other. His legs were taller, but his body could fold into a bundle, a practiced trick through all those years living under his father mitigated brutality, bullying of the Marauders and his own house turning him into a punching bag just for the fun of it. He had gathered the courage to steal a glance at her, and for the first time in several weeks, he had seen her smile, a smile he had dared to think crossed over her face at his expense. He had to ask something, just in the pretext of making her talk to him. Gathering up some more amount of courage, he had whispered back, "what do you see?"

Lily had been mesmerized with whatever she was seeing in the mirror, and she had replied, her voice laced with fascination, "My Sage, His Lilac…" and a light blush had crept up her cheeks, "and their Baby's Breath…" If he had been looking for a piece of fitting forgiveness for the heinous crime, he had committed against her, this was it. Her complete acceptance, her unwavering friendship.

And she had succeeded yet again to unlock his dam of emotions threatening for so long to wipe away every ounce of his self-preservation. He had broken down into uncontrollable sobs. And no sooner, he had found her, pulling him towards herself, and hold him within her arms, nestling his head at the crook of her neck. In an apology, he had whispered, again and again," I am sorry, Lily, I…I …am really sorry." She had been hiccupping in her grief, her voice wet with tears and remorse, "Oh! Sev, I should have come earlier, I should not have left you so…".

She had turned and had righted his askew hair, she had held his face, cheek stricken with tear tracks and had caressed his jaw, and she had pressed a kiss on his left brow, then the other, followed by one each of his eyelids, then one on each of his moist cheek, then the next had brushed essence of forgiveness and pure love on the tip of his nose.

Severus did try hard, retrieving that precious memory and storing it for later visitation, in a pensive he would have the honor to own years after. The memory of his first kiss. But he could never see who had made the first move. One moment, they had been sitting nose to nose, and the very next, their lips were dancing to the coy music of the finest expressions of newfound love. A tentative pressure here, a lick there, a quick press at one corner, a brave lick, a subtle pull, and bolder grip. Their lips had cuddled and fought for dominance. Their hands had stolen the treasures hidden in the relish of a lover's warm embrace. It was sweet and heady. It was primal and scorching. If expressions of love meant burning with pleasure within, with Lily, he would love to die and come back alive for the rest of eternity.

As they had eased out of the series of kisses, they had rested their heads on each other, had brushed their noses against each other, playfully, and had whispered back in unison, "For Baby's Breath". A profound promise, made in front of the mirror of Erised.

Curses had flown and had bounded through the unsuspecting corridors of sleepy Hogwarts. Students had died that night. And the school had been brought down to its knees. Severus had succeeded in smuggling Lily into the Forbidden Forest, where several of the students had managed to flee, while death-eaters had climbed out in hundreds through the bowels of the ancient castle. The last he had seen of her, was by a considerate Remus Lupin. The werewolf, after coming to know that he had nearly killed Snape, had cornered him in the library after his spat with his friend. And had vowed to him, that he would get them together, no matter what.

In those fearful woods, Severus could hear, Lupin's voice, "You will not lose your friend." And she had been safe. In hiding at least for all those times, while the school had been suspended, and Order of Phoenix and its Legion of the Light had surfaced as the force that was determined to curb the malicious advances of the Dark Lord, Voldemort.