Author's Note: Sorry this took forever! Time got away from me for a week or so.

Chapter Five: Runes

As it happened, the choice of properties was an easy one. One look around Bracken Cottage was enough for Lily to fall in love and, as it had plenty of room in the magically expanded basement for a sizeable potions lab, Severus was more than happy to purchase it. Though he suspected that Lucius gave him far too kind of a deal on the property. He supposed that he should not complain about that, not when it would need furnishing and turning into a home after not being lived in for quite a while.

Between the two of them, Severus and Lily had soon put the place to rights. It still needed a bit of work here and there but the result of their hard work was a place that they could most definitely call home. Though their relationship had changed rapidly over such a short amount of time it felt completely natural to them both, as easy as breathing. This was how things were supposed to be, how they should always have been.

The greenhouse in the garden had become rather overgrown in its time without having someone there to care for it. But once it had been cut back and put back to its correct state, they found some interesting plants that had managed to thrive despite everything else. One in particular caught Lily's eye, a rare type of fanged geranium that had a rather reptilian feel to it. Its stems were scaled and it hissed in displeasure when anyone dared to get too close to it.

Much to her amusement the fanged geranium seemed rather fond of Severus and did not hiss at him even when he transferred it to a much larger pot. She enjoyed teasing him about it and the irony was not lost on him, considering she had rather the same effect on certain Slytherins. The fact that Lily and Lucius had begun to form a friendship seemed like a minor miracle to Severus, one that he was very pleased about. There remained only one other vital person in his life for him to hope that Lily might get along with.

That person arrived at Bracken Cottage when the new couple was taking a break from the work, sitting on the back porch of their home. Dark hair, grey eyes and a rather self-assured smile marked him as a Black. Lily would have known him to be Sirius' brother even if she had not seen him around Hogwarts during their time there and knew him as such. Regulus Black was the sort of person you could not help but pay attention to.

And he knew it.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Severus. Your new home seems to come with a lion," Regulus drawled, doing his best to hide the amusement that reflected in his eyes.

"Severus knows I wont bite. Not him anyway," Lily replied as she looked up at Regulus with a raised eyebrow and a look of defiance. It had no malice behind it, only a promise that she could give as good as she got.

Regulus laughed at that, taking a seat with them. "I shall consider myself thoroughly warned then."

This was new to him. He had spent his whole life thinking that Muggleborns were beneath him. Why would they not be: his parents had told him that they were. Yet as he had grown older he began to wonder. He had made his mistakes in the name of making his parents proud, he had the Mark on his arm to prove it. But the madman who called himself a Dark Lord was not a lord of any kind. He had figured it out when Lucius had asked him once exactly which Pureblood family he thought that the Dark Lord came from. It did not take much research to find that he did not actually belong to any of them.

With his faith so completely shaken, Regulus had re-examined a lot of things that he had thought to be true. In the end he had come to the sickening realisation that not many of the ideals he had been raised to have were actually worth anything. All magic was worthy no matter who it came from or where that person had come into the world. The Mark burned as he was called but he did not answer, not any more.

Regulus was pleased when Lily gave him a smile, letting out a breath he had not realised he was holding. He caught Severus' eye and saw the smug look that was aimed at him. He had confessed to his friend that he was worried Lily would not accept his friendship considering how he had once been. Severus had promised that Lily was far more forgiving than any of them deserved, that he would get his chance. Apparently Severus knew her as well as he had thought he did.

"As it happens, I come bearing a gift," Regulus began, much happier now that moment was over. He pulled a shrunken object from his pocket and returned it to its correct size with his wand. The box was handed to Lily and when she opened it she recognised exactly what was inside. A set of runes carved into pieces of quartz crystal. Protection runes.

"If you bury them around the line of the wards they should add to the protection. Just in case." Though he would never be the type of person to express his emotions clearly he could do this. He could offer the best way to keep his friend safe.

Lily was up from her seat and wrapping her arms around Regulus before he knew what was happening. He tensed and then, slowly but surely, he wrapped his arms around her in return. When was the last time he had hugged someone? He couldn't really remember.

"Thank you," she said as she let him go, returning to her seat.

Regulus observed her in a rather stunned silence for a moment. Who would ever hug a Black like it was the most normal thing in the world? Only this witch, perhaps. "You are most welcome," he managed once he had gathered his composure once more.

"You carved them yourself?" Severus asked. He knew the answer to the question, but he saw no reason not to endear his friend to Lily a little more. It certainly could not hurt.

Regulus looked almost offended, rolling his eyes. "Of course. As if I would trust anyone else." Which was, by anyone's standards, a rather paranoid Slytherin brand of reasoning.

"Do you work with runes often?" Lily asked curiously, realising that she knew very little about Regulus as a person She supposed she could be forgiven for that, since their paths had rarely crossed before. But now she had a very good reason to want to know him better.

"When I can," he replied with a shrug. "You put a little of yourself into your carvings though." She understood what was being left unsaid, that he would not and could not do rune work for just anyone.

"Do you think you could show me, time permitting of course?" She had taken Ancient Runes at Hogwarts but this was something else entirely, the practical side that she had not truly considered.

"If I can pry you away from Severus, I wouldn't mind," Regulus replied with a genuine smile. Of course he was unable to resist teasing the pair. "Temporarily, of course," he added when Severus shot a mock glare his way, making him hold his hands up in surrender.

Lily laughed softly at the two of them. She had never really seen Severus around people he was comfortable with other than herself. Seeing this gave her a lot of hope and a feeling of contentment. If anyone deserved to be happy then it was Severus Snape, a man who had been through hell and back already in his life.

She swore to herself she would do everything she could to bring him such happiness.