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—

"So Tom has given you one hour, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as he spoke with the nervous potions professor who stood in his office.

"Yes…" Severus answered in a harsh breath with his jaw set, clearly distraught, "What shall I do?!"

"There are several things that you can do, Severus. However, perhaps the best option, in this instance, is to give Tom what he wants." Dumbledore wisely replied.

"...Sir?" Severus asked with a confused scowl.

"Red hair can easily be concealed with a hood. A face can be covered by a veil. Two drops of Linguatorquin, which I know you keep on hand, will disguise any voice. You're well aware that it's safe for expectant mothers…." Dumbledore nodded as his voice trailed off.

"Are you suggesting that I bring Lily Potter to Voldemort directly, sir?" Severus asked as he furrowed his brow in disbelief.

"I am suggesting, Severus, that sometimes, the best way to keep things hidden is by placing them in plain sight." Dumbledore replied.

Shock fell over Severus's face at the outlandish idea.

"He'll be able to tell the child isn't mine! The Dark Lord can sense such things!" Severus hissed.

"That's not entirely true." Dumbledore said calmly as he blinked at Severus, "Magic designed to verify an unborn person's heritage is faulty at best. There is one charm that Tom may use, but that particular charm relies entirely on the feelings of the two parents that the caster interprets."

Severus furrowed his brow as Dumbledore went on, "That's why the spell itself is generally unpopular, even among dark wizards and witches. It may be nonverbal and unnoticeable while it's being cast, but relying on two people's emotions towards each other is not a trustworthy measure of paternity. The results are often wildly inaccurate."

Severus pondered Dumbledore's statement for a moment before the older wizard leaned in and nodded as he went on, "Therefore, Severus, I don't think that you and Mrs. Potter will have a difficult time fooling Tom tonight. You may want to hurry though…...we've been talking for nearly fifteen minutes now."

—

With Dumbledore's guidance, Severus hastily formed a complex plan that he hoped would be successful.

To save Lily, he needed to get rid of Voldemort.

However, to preserve Lily's happiness, she needed to keep her baby, and for that to happen, something had to be done about James.

Severus wondered if there was not a way to use one enemy to defeat the other and somehow, emerge victorious?

If such a feat was possible, Severus didn't have much time to ponder over it that night.

Five minutes before the hour was up, Severus and Lily appeared in the Malfoy's dining room with a loud pop.

It had been difficult to explain the situation to Lily, dress her in a disguise, and then allow her to take the minimum dose of Linguatorquin in such a short amount of time, but Severus was accustomed to working quickly.

Lily's green eyes were bright and wide as she stood there in Malfoy manor beside Severus, posing as his pregnant lover, hidden head to toe under a thick, black, hooded robe that covered her red hair and diminished the prominent curve of her belly.

A dark veil hid Lily's face from plain sight.

To make their sham believable, she clutched Severus's hand in her own as they faced the room full of people who would delight in slaughtering them on the spot if they knew the truth.

"Ah, Severus!" Voldemort greeted his spy with a smile that was too friendly to be genuine, "You've made it early!...And I see you've brought your lovely mate!"

"Yes, my lord." Severus nodded quickly as he gently ushered Lily over and presented her to Voldemort with a hand on the small of her back, "Master, this is…..Laima. As I said, she doesn't speak much English."

As Lily faced Voldemort, her instincts accelerated and she was filled with an urge to do whatever it took to ensure her child's survival.

"Laima, my dear….." Severus spoke as he looked over at Lily, "This is Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard the world has ever known, our leader and commander."

As best she could, Lily inclined her head towards the Dark Lord and gave him a polite bow.

The wide grin of approval Voldemort flashed Lily in return was reassuring to her and Severus both.

If Voldemort enjoyed anything, it was when people flattered him by acknowledging the tremendous power he felt that he held.

"You have her all covered up, Severus!" Voldemort exclaimed, "We can barely see her. Remove the wrappings from her face and let me have a good look at her."

"She's not wearing the beautiful clothes that I saw you buy for her!" Narcissa chimed in with a haughty smirk as she called out to Severus.

"Silence, Narcissa!" Voldemort glared over and snapped before he turned back to Severus.

Narcissa frowned as Severus ignored her and answered Voldemort in a very serious tone, "My lord, we don't wish to burden your sight. She had an unfortunate accident recently and her wounds are still healing. As elated as she is to be present this evening, she can't bear to befoul your vision with the unpleasantness of her injuries."

Voldemort would not have accepted that claim from any other Death Eater, but Severus had done a remarkable job of earning the Dark Lord's trust.

"Very well then, Severus. You and your lover are just in time for dinner." Voldemort said with a smirk as he looked at the couple then gestured towards the table with his pale hand, "It's still a bit early, but please…..join us."

Lily tried to calm herself.

Severus pushed away the tension that threatened to creep across his features.

No!

Severus had been hopeful that he would present Lily, Voldemort may ask her a question or two, and afterwards, he'd grow bored of her and they'd be dismissed.

As every set of eyes in the room watched them closely, Severus and Lily silently walked over to the two vacant spots at the long, ebony table.

Even in the face of unparalleled terror and tension, Severus chivalrously pulled Lily's chair out for her and helped her into her seat before he took his own.

Voldemort, along with everyone else at the table, stared directly at Severus and Lily while the Malfoy house elves slowly brought in the silver serving trays that were piled high with food.

Voldemort's eerie eyes narrowed as he scrutinizingly studied Lily.

Severus held a silent breath, hoping desperately that his dark master couldn't see through her disguise and that he himself would pass the silent test of paternity that Voldemort was possibly conducting at that very moment…...

"Well?" Voldemort asked his faithful servant with a scowl, "We're all ears, Severus. This little party is being held to celebrate our new members that will join us very soon. Why don't you let Laima speak?" Voldemort commanded as his cold stare moved over to Lily.

Lily swallowed thickly.

The Linguatorquin worked well, but as Lily opened her mouth, she stammered hopelessly, not sure how to begin or what to say, "I…..I...We….."

"-She's from the east, my lord, please forgive her." Severus interjected, "She's very shy and truly understands very little English."

"What a pity." Voldemort replied with a disappointed frown, "I was hoping to learn more about the woman that captured Severus Snape's dark heart. You'll have to teach her, Severus."

"Of course, my lord. We've been so busy preparing for our child's birth that I haven't found the time." Severus nodded.

Voldemort eyed Lily's round belly skeptically and asked, "Yes…..when should that be? She looks close to term."

Trelawney's haunting words echoed back to Severus as he sat there and stared at Voldemort:

A male child, born as the seventh month dies….

"This autumn, my lord." Severus nodded quickly, trying to extend Lily's due date as far as he plausibly could, hoping to allay any suspicion that her child, "their" child, may be the one of which the prophecy spoke, "...A daughter."

Autumn, not summer.

A daughter, not a son.

Under her veil, Lily kept a pleasant smile on her lips while Severus attempted to cunningly lie their way towards survival.

"A daughter!" Voldemort grinned, "How useful….. When she grows into womanhood, we can marry her to a foreign wizard and foster alliances there, or, if that's no longer necessary, perhaps she can at least make a decent match for Lucius's son."

Lily stayed silent.

"Perhaps….my lord." Severus agreed as he glanced over at the Malfoys.

Lucius and Narcissa responded with polite smiles of forced delight.

"What a wonderful idea, my lord!" Lucius nodded at Voldemort, "If such an arrangement would please you, then Narcissa and I would be elated."

"We'll discuss the matter later. Your lover, Severus, her blood is pure?" Voldemort asked.

"Completely." Severus calmly answered,

"Are you two wedded?" Voldemort prodded.

"No, master, not yet." Severus replied.

"You should marry her, Severus. I never took you for a rake." Voldemort said with a laugh, earning chuckles from his followers who were seated at the table.

Although Voldemort laughed, Lily could see the disbelief in his evil eyes.

It may have been that her costume wasn't convincing or that the circumstances which Severus had presented were too convenient to be true, but Lily was sure that Voldemort was not entirely persuaded that she and Severus were a couple.

"My…...lord?" Lily quietly asked Voldemort, pretending to struggle with the pronunciation of the words.

"Yes, Laima?" Voldemort asked with a sneer, "Go on, speak! What does the woman who's ensnared Severus Snape have to say?"

Severus looked over at Lily as doubt and fear flooded his mind.

What was she doing?!

"My…..lord," Lily began again as she looked at Voldemort before she turned her head and gazed deep into Severus's black eyes while she spoke, "Sev-erus…...is….my love."

Lily pulled down her veil for a split second and before Severus could react, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

With his heart racing from adrenaline, Severus almost forgot his surroundings.

Instinctively, he melted into Lily's sweet display of affection and let one of his hands cup her face.

Lily was as lovely and gentle as he had dreamed.

She devoured the taste of Severus's thin lips as their kiss evolved into something borderlining inappropriate for an audience.

While Lily's lips touched Severus's over and over, he felt the true emotion in her gesture, despite the motivation behind her action.

Everyone at the table looked on in shocked awe as stoic Severus showed a never-before-seen carnal side of himself as a man in love.

A few Death Eaters whistled as the amorous couple's display of affection continued.

Voldemort watched closely, with his eyes narrowed and a satisfied smirk on his lips.

That night, Severus and Lily's relationship may have been a fraud, but their kiss was real.

When Lily finally pulled away, with her eyes half-lidded and Severus gasping for breath, there was no more question about their feelings for each other from Voldemort or the others at the table.

As dinner commenced, the conversation drifted away from Lily and Severus, although the kiss they had shared firmly remained on both of their minds.

Once the meal was finally over and the evening grew late, Lily and Severus left with the others as they apparated away after the Death Eaters had all congratulated them on their upcoming bundle of joy.

It would have been a completely successful evening, if Lily's hair hadn't brushed her shoulders inside her robes when she stood from her seat.

A single, red hair loosened from its roots and slipped off of her shoulder, down her arm, and out of her sleeve.

That single, red hair gently floated to the floor, unnoticed by Lily, Severus, Voldemort, and his Death Eaters in the hubbub of the evening's guests leaving the dinner party.

The Malfoy house elves did an excellent job of keeping the grand mansion clean, but even they couldn't exterminate every rodent that slipped into the manor's walls.

One particularly fat rat scurried across the dining room floor as the dinner party concluded, having spent the night cowered in the corner while it watched and listened.

The fat rat had seen that red hair drift from Lily's sleeve and the vermin hastily scuttled over to where it lay on the dark, intricate carpet under the table.

Quickly, the fat rat grasped that single, red hair in its teeth and dashed away…..