Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!

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Nervously, Severus took Lily out of the castle once again on the morning of July thirty-first for her remediation in her ongoing court battle against James.

It was a warm summer morning, which made Severus pity his darling while he escorted her to the Ministry.

The summer heat didn't agree much with expectant mothers.

Although Severus had done everything possible to see to Lily's comfort, as she approached the birth of her child, there were aches and pains that no matter what he tried, he couldn't manage to assuage.

Lily spent the better portion of her time resting and Seveus felt truly fortunate that school was not currently in session.

That meant that there were few obstacles stopping him from hovering over Lily.

He didn't crowd her and he was still careful to attend to his duties, but Lily's comfort and health were his top priorities.

Although she had two weeks left in her pregnancy, Severus had made it a point to study the subject of childbirth in great detail.

He had taken it upon himself to prepare a variety of tonics, elixirs, teas, and creams that he could offer to Lily when the time came.

He hoped to ease the unpleasantness of Lily's task as much as possible, she already had enough unpleasantness to confront.

Severus resisted the urge to place a supportive hand on the small of her back as they entered the Ministry courtroom that afternoon.

When he heard Lily blow out a breath and place her palm just below where her ribs ended, next to her spine, Severus had to stop himself from reaching out and rubbing the tension from the area.

It had both amused and surprised Severus that though Lily carried James Potter's child, the more her pregnancy progressed, the more protective he became of her.

It didn't matter that it wasn't his son or daughter swelling her belly, she was still his Lily.

His Lily was vulnerable.

His Lily needed him.

His Lily wanted him and that was enough to light up Severus's world.

Severus was careful not to touch her, but he loyally stood next to her as they faced the judge together.

A short distance away, James Potter smirked at his pregnant wife like she was a great joke.

Don't let Potter bother you, Lily.

Severus whispered inside her mind, in a place he knew that only she could hear him, using a form of legilimency that only very capable practitioners could correctly perform.

You're as lovely as a queen.

Despite Lily's anxiety as she stared at the judge, she glanced over at Severus and flashed him a quick, grateful smile of appreciation.

The faint hint of a blush covered her cheeks and that provided Severus with a small surge of relief as he stood there.

Alleviating Lily's troubles happened to be one of Severus's most preferred pastimes.

Besides, he hadn't spoken frivolous phrases or mollycoddling non-truths

Lily Evans was Severus Snape's queen.

Lily Evans Potter, her last name an ugly reality that Severus couldn't deny as he glared over at his sneering enemy while the judge ceremoniously banged his gavel on his desk and prepared to speak.

Severus recognized Mr. Williamson, who stood next to James, but it unnerved him that the rest of the Potter legal team along with James's parents had failed to attend the remediation session that morning.

The judge was going to deliver his decision.

Severus had been looking forward to seeing the defeat on the faces of those in his enemy's entourage.

Why weren't they there?

Mr. Williamson's smirk was as arrogant as James' while the judge looked out over the four and spoke, "Mr. James Potter and Mrs. Lily Evans Potter, you two are here today to receive the court's final determination in your civil case, is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor." Lily confirmed with a respectful nod.

"That's right, your honor." James replied as his smirk remained on his lips.

Severus controlled the urge to rid James of his arrogance with a single blast from his wand.

"Mr. Potter, I see Mr. Williamson is with you again today." The judge nodded at James.

"That's correct, sir, yes." James replied as he and Mr. Williamson wore matching grins.

The judge cleared his throat before he turned to the defendant.

"Mrs. Potter, I see that your attorney has again failed to attend." The judge said to Lily as he gazed at her over his spectacles.

"That's right your honor, Mr. Peabody is not here today either." Lily replied, "...But Severus Snape will act in his place again."

It had been a true bungling of service really, the way that Lily's lawyer had never bothered to contact her at all after he mysteriously did not attend her hearing…...

While Lily claimed her new representative, Severus's chest swelled with pride while he threw James a glaring glance.

The judge nodded and glanced down at the parchments in his hand as he spoke, "Very well, Mrs. Potter. If everyone's prepared, shall we begin?"

The courtroom was mostly empty except for the four who stood in front of the judge.

In wizarding civil court cases, the decision rarely drew as many spectators as the debate.

The judge cleared his throat as he looked down and read off of the parchment lying in front of himself, "The court has examined the findings presented in the case on May twentieth, nineteen eighty. Upon interpretation of the evidence submitted that day, it is the court's decision that Mr. James Potter will be awarded sole custody of Mr. and Mrs. Potter's child as soon as he or she leaves the womb."

Severus's black eyes widened in disbelief.

He heard a dry gasp of despairing shock escape Lily's throat.

Tears welled in her eyes as the sting of the judge's decree penetrated her heart.

Across the room, James and Mr. Williamson triumphantly kept their arrogant smirks.

As Severus glanced over at them with narrowed eyes, he looked at their expressions more closely.

That wasn't only bullheaded, haughty confidence that he saw in their faces, no, that was relaxed reassurance as if they already knew what the judge was going to say before he spoke.

For some reason or another……

"Mrs. Potter, Mr. James Potter has agreed to give you limited visitation rights. You are ordered by the court to contact Mr. James Potter when the child's birth is imminent. After the birth concludes, the infant will be placed in his care." The judge explained to Lily.

"B-But………...That isn't right…...I-!" Lily stammered in reply.

Severus watched her press a trembling hand to the side of her belly as she cried out, "Please! I….I want to appeal!"

"We request an appeal from the court." Severus spoke firmly over Lily. He glared ominously at the judge as he demanded, "If Mr. Potter had the ability to move the court dates for his convenience, surely his expectant wife can do the same. Acting as Mrs. Potter's attorney, the defendant and I refuse to accept this clearly biased decision and humbly request that the court consider granting an appeal."

Sevrus saw Lily flinch out of the corner of his eye.

His dark gaze moved towards her for a split second.

Severus's eyes widened in horror as he noted how rigid her posture seemed and the sudden pallor of her face.

The judge looked towards Severus.

Severus quickly moved his eyes back on the judge, although his heart clenched in concern for Lily.

The judge stared menacingly at Severus as he ordered, all the while, the court stenogrpaher's quill was bobbing away while she scribbled down the proceedings, "The court has considered your request, Mr. Snape…….and the court denies your request for an appeal. Mrs. Potter, you and Mr. Potter can choose a visitation schedule or the court will establish one for you. Please be advised that any violation in the rulings set forth here today will result in punishments that may include but are not limited to imprisonment. I'll advise you to see the court secretary with any additional questions."

"Please!" Lily called out pitifully as the judge stood up and walked out of the courtroom.

Severus realized that the agony in her voice wasn't just from her emotions as her nails clawed into her side, but he was grateful that James didn't seem to notice.

Between the judge, James, and Lily, Severus felt like he was being pulled in three different directions but James unknowingly gave him guidance as he walked over and sneered at Lily while he asked, "Alright, Evans? Glad that's over with, now I can focus on what's really important."

Severus really wanted to slap James.

From Lily's posture and the grasp that she had on her side, it should have been obvious to anyone that she was anything but alright.

Lily's pain was deep, rolling, and present.

She knew that the best thing she could do in that moment was to run, before James stopped bathing in his own victory and became aware of her suffering.

"I'm fine, James." Lily snapped with a rough edge in her voice, derived from anguish and pain. Severus blanched at the sound as she spoke again, "I'll write to you later, but I have to leave now! I have an appointment this afternoon."

Lily turned and took a few staggering steps away as James began to follow her.

Severus rushed up to Lily's side and with their backs turned so that James couldn't see, Severus let her grab his hand as she looked into his face imploringly.

"Sev…….." Lily breathed in a great, gasping sigh.

Severus frowned in concern when he saw the look of misery in Lily's eyes, confirmed by the pressure she squeezed his hand with as she added in a voice barely above a whisper, "If you've ever cared about me…... at all…….get me….. out of here……..Don't let James see!"

"Please don't let him see!" Lily whimpered again as she squeezed her eyes shut while she tightened her grip on Severus's hand and tried not to double over as James approached them both with a cocky grin.

"Really, Evans?" James asked, his tone little more than a cacophonous noise to Severus's ears, "With the midwife? Hang on, I'll come with you."

"She's not seeing the midwife, Potter." Severus hissed as he turned and faced James with a stoic scowl, "She has an appointment to speak with Dumbledore at the castle within the hour, so if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way now."

Lily ground her teeth together as Severus turned back around and hurriedly escorted her out of the courtroom.

It was all Lily could do to keep her legs from buckling underneath her as the seemingly never-ending pain sharpened while they stepped out into the Ministry's hallway.

"Sev……!" Lily winced, still clutching onto Severus's hand as he hastily apparated them out of the Ministry and onto the hillside next to Hogsmeade.

Lily struggled to breathe normally as she stumbled on her unsteady legs once they landed.

With Hogwarts mostly vacant, there was nothing to stop Severus from reaching forward and scooping her up into his arms.

Lily looked at him pleadingly once he held her in his grasp.

He glanced down and bent forward to place a quick kiss of reassurance on Lily's forehead before he dashed off towards the castle while she sobbed into his shoulder.

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Severus calmly hoped that Lily's pain was a fleeting event, brought on by stress.

He also hoped that once he had her out of the courtroom and allowed her a chance to calm herself, her pain would pass without consequence.

When Lily's discomfort increased as the sun set, Severus's anxiety heightened.

Lily clenched her jaw and held his hand in desperation while she rode out another pain on the sofa in his chambers, with her back arched and her hand pressed against her side.

Severus stared at her with his brow furrowed.

His dark eyes looked as soft as pools of molten ore as he soothingly spoke to her once her agony temporarily ebbed away, "Lily…..I think we need to get to a hospital."

Severus didn't say that the baby was coming.

He didn't want to panic Lily by speaking the statement out loud, but as she looked up at him, he knew that she was aware of the inevitable, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"No……" Lily said quickly, shaking her head as sad tears of denial welled in her green eyes, "N-No! I can't!"

"Lily," Severus repeated quietly as he knelt down beside where she lay on the sofa.

He let her continue to clutch his hand as he gently stroked her hair with his other, "Lily, listen to me….."

"No!" Lily cried in a defiant little whimper as she stared up at Severus with tears running down her cheeks as she gazed at him sadly, "I-I can't go to a hospital! James can track me there! He'll-He'll find me! Please, Severus," Lily swallowed while she spoke.

Severus felt his pulse quicken when she used his full first name but she added, "Keep James away from me…...I can't….I can't bear to have him with me now."

Severus's frown was so severe and sympathetic as he gazed at Lily that it was nearly painful to witness.

"Don't make me go through this like that….." Lily sobbed as another pain began, "Please!..."

Severus held her hand while she fought for breath and he guided her gently, "Breathe…...breathe, Lily, there you are…...a little longer and this one will pass."

Severus kept a calm outward demeanor but inside, his heart was pounding so rapidly it was turning his stomach.

He had read about childbirth, sure, but he'd never assisted in the process.

What if something went wrong and Lily died?

What if everything went right and he had to meet James's child?

Severus thought he had two more weeks to prepare.

He wasn't ready, he wasn't ready right then to face….

"SEV!" Lily gasped as her emerald eyes widened.

"What is it?!" Severus demanded as Lily struggled to sit up on the sofa.

His black robes swished while he reached forward and quickly helped position her as he asked again, "What's the matter?! What are you feeling?!"

"This one's bad!" Lily declared in a frightened, strangled gasp, "This one's really bad! OOOH!...HELP ME!"

Severus put his free hand over what he could reach on Lily's back and let her continue to grip his other hand while he looked into her eyes and breathed with her, trying to coach her and keep her as calm as possible.

The look of hopeless helplessness on her face made him want to run out of the room screaming and wailing.

It wasn't the gore, the event, or the product that truly bothered Severus about the entire affair, it was Lily's suffering.

As soon as that contraction ended, while he had the chance, Severus summoned Madam Pomfrey to his rooms and eagerly awaited the arrival of Hogwarts' healer.

Someone needed to come and look after the baby.

Severus's only concern was Lily.

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Madam Pomfrey was a strict woman, but her heart was kind and her skill was admirable.

As soon as she arrived at Severus's door and had a good look at her expectant patient, she helped Severus move Mrs. Potter onto his bed.

Severus was delighted when Madam Pomfrey examined the products from his work and approved them for use.

Between the crampbark tincture tonic, the lavender elixir, and the scullcap drops, all infused with small, tolerable amounts of clary sage and a few analgesics, Severus did a decent job of managing Lily's pain.

While Mrs. Potter's labor was still far from comfortable, with Severus's devoted assistance and Madam Pomfrey's careful calculations, Lily could use Severus's hand and her breath for support without screaming.

Although the intensity of the event had been nipped in the bud by Lily's loyal lover, as the night darkened and she laid on Severus's bed in the room they shared together, calm and relaxed, her body opened.

Lily panted at the pressure she felt inside of herself when James's child began to enter the world.

Severus knelt next to her on the bed, with one of her pale thighs clutched in his free hand while she gripped his other palm.

Severus momentarily slipped out of Lily's moistened grasp as she groaned and writhed on the bed when another pain started.

Before she could miss him, Severus reached over and picked up a rag that lay in the bowl of cool water on the nightstand.

"Breathe…..breathe, that's it, you're doing well….." Severus praised his darling in his low, velvety voice while he gently blotted Lily's sweat-slicked forehead and chest.

"Now, Lily, come on, push!" Madam Pomfrey commanded from where she was crouched between her patient's legs.

Severus and Madam Pomfrey had been guiding her as she bore down for the past hour.

At five minutes til midnight, Severus hated the thought of his flower having to endure her ordeal any longer, but he was silently begging for her struggle to last another six minutes.

Six more minutes and the prophecy didn't apply.

Lily would be free, her child would be free.

The guttural groan that left her throat made Severus's eyes widen in doubt as she dropped his hand to sit all the way up and put her palms behind herself.

"NOW!" Lily groaned as she widened her legs and tucked her head to her chest.

"Lily……" Severus started to say as he gently touched her shoulder, but it was too late.

He watched her belly contort as she bore down with every bit of strength she could gather.

"NNNNNGGGGGHH!"

Four minutes until midnight.

"Lily….." Severus whispered as Lily flung her head back and Madam Pomfrey cheered her efforts, "Only a couple more now!"

Lily's chest was heaving as Severus looked down at her with his face twisted in anguish.

He wanted to speak, to beg her to hold on, to bear the torture a few moments more and allow herself and her child a better chance at survival, but he didn't recieve the opportunity.

"I-I can't……..!" Lily sobbed up at Severus before she groaned again as another deep contraction took hold.

The pain seized her by the spine and traveled across her belly.

"Yes, you can. Come on, focus, concentrate." Severus encouraged Lily as he pulled her up and gently moved her damp, red hair out of her face while she bore down one last time.

"NNNGGGHHH!"

Severus saw the time on the clock, noting the hands as they turned.

Eleven fifty-nine.

"That's it! That's it! Well done! Well done!" Madam Pomfrey's confident voice declared as she bent forward under the sheet that covered the lower portion of Lily's belly.

Midnight.

"WWWWAAAA!"

"WWWWWAAAA!"

That single, wailing cry went straight through Severus while it elicited a single, dry laugh of joy from Lily.

Madam Pomfrey turned away from her original patient for a moment to swaddle her newest one in a spare towel before she reached up over Lily's abdomen and handed her the newborn.

Severus moved back and gave his lover a moment with her new infant.

Severus wasn't even looking at the baby, he was too awed by Lily.

Her hair was wet and her skin glistened with sweat, but despite the tiredness in her face, he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so…..alive.

As Lily gazed down at her baby, her green eyes seemed almost ethereally bright and her smile was as beaming and as beautiful as Severus's dreams often amplified it in his sleep.

The expression of purity and love that Severus saw in Lily's face in that moment made her flawless to him, completely flawless.

……...But Lily's fascination with her newborn came to an end when her smile faded and she squirmed on the bed.

"Alright, we're ready for the afterbirth, I see." Madam Pomfrey assessed after she glanced down and Lily let out a soft, exhausted groan.

"Severus?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she glanced over at him.

He blinked at the healer warily while she ordered, "I'll need you to hold the baby for a moment, please."

"A boy or a girl?" Lily asked her healer as she sat up.

Severus bent forward, with his adrenaline racing, and watched as Lily gently placed James Potter's child into his arms.

In Lily's hazy mind, she chided herself for not moving the towel aside to see for herself.

She sighed tiredly while Madam Pomfrey gently pressed on her belly and replied with a smile, "It's a beautiful little girl."

Lily gasped in surprise for a moment before another pain started, but Severus blinked.

With his dark eyes narrowed, he turned his gaze down to the baby that he held.

As Severus stared at the newborn, he thought about how much he had prepared himself to hate.

It was James Potter's son, the child that would stand between him and Lily, the thing that had brought her so much pain.

He would hate it, he would despise it with every fiber of his being……...but it wasn't James Potter's son…….it was a little girl.

An innocent, little girl who stared up at Severus from the towel she was swaddled in, awake and alert, with a sad, pleading frown.

Severus admired the red tufts of hair on her tiny head and the large, green eyes that she blinked curiously up at him with, the exact shape and color of her mother's, which was remarkable for a newborn who was minutes old.

Severus didn't see James as he stared at the baby, instead, he found himself looking at a perfect, miniature version of his lover.

As Lily groaned in the background and Severus's heart hurt with her, he frowned down at the baby in shame as he realized something.

Severus didn't have the strength to hate the child in his arms because she was a petal from his flower, a small piece of Lily.