Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, ideas, or scenarios from the Harry Potter universe. No profit was made in the writing of this fanfiction
Lily's eyes struggled to look through the haze of dust and the dim light of the sun peeking over the horizon as night began to fall. She was running...running alongside what seemed like hundreds of other people. Her eyes scanned the crowd...some faces were familiar. James...Remus...Mary...as well as others that she didn't recognize, but she knew Hogwarts robes anywhere…
The Muggleborn girl was so distracted with her surroundings that she almost tripped over a body...a figure clad in thin, black robes...The man was completely bald...staring up at the sky above with dead, unseeing red eyes. His face was almost snake-like...slits for nostrils. Lily didn't recognize the face as she looked at it, but it certainly wasn't from lack of how horrifying it was.
Looking past the dead wizard, Lily drew in a breath of terror, seeing someone very familiar, fallen on the ground not too far ahead. His black hair was more neatly trimmed...his body covered with a few more scars than she remembered, but it was definitely him. Severus was laying on the grassy field, taking in light, labored breaths.
She saw it...the Mark of Apeiron...pouring forth an otherworldly, azure glow that stretched across Severus' whole body like it was some kind of aura. And as she looked into Severus' eyes for some sign of what was causing this phenomenon, the wonders didn't cease...where she expected to see the calming, black pools that she could almost drown in for hours...she was shocked to see a pair of shining, blue eyes staring weakly back at her.
The roar of the crowd immediately vanished as Lily sat next to him, clutching his hand for dear life as she looked into his enchanted, glowing eyes, begging for some sign of what was going on. Then she heard something that absolutely shattered her heart...she heard the weak, gasping voice of Severus…
"Lily..."
His voice was so weak, it was almost impossible to hear. There was also the booming noise of the crowd, full of faces that seemed to be celebrating...not even noticing or caring that Severus lay there, seemingly at Death's Door.
Severus opened his mouth again, his body shaking and convulsing. "Lily...I...I…"
But he was interrupted by her own, voice, screaming something back at him. What it was, she didn't even register, too shocked and too hurt at the sight to do anything but sob. Slowly, the scene began to vanish...but the echoing voice did not.
"Lily...I…"
"Lily…I…"
"Lily? I'm sorry, but it's time to wake up." she heard the gentle voice next to her.
"Mm...Hm..?" she moaned, opening her eyes groggily and seeing Severus staring down at her with concern. "...Sev?"
"That took far more effort than it usually does. Quite a feat considering one could easily mistake you for a hibernating animal while you're asleep." Severus whispered, his lips curled upward in a very light smirk.
"Ngh...not all of us can wake up at the sound of a pin dropping." she quipped back with exhaustion, rubbing her eyes and giving him a playful slap on his shoulder.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." he defended himself with a shrug before concern etched itself into his gaze. "Did you have another nightmare about the Astronomy Tower? You seemed quite distressed."
"Um...not really." Lily yawned. She wasn't sure if the dream had any symbolism or meaning. Severus was here, and very much alright, so there really wasn't any purpose in dwelling on it further. "What time is it?"
"Eight o' clock."
"Time to wake up? Sev, you KNOW how much I hate waking up early during the holidays…" Lily grumbled, shaking her head.
Severus held up a pair of envelopes, each with the seal of the Ministry of Magic, and both of which were addressed to Spinner's End. "Well, I thought you just might like to know that O.W.L.s have arrived."
"Honestly...how does the wizarding world keep tabs on us so well that they knew I was staying here tonight?" she chuckled.
"It's the trace. Believe me, once it lifts, wizards and witches are no easier to find than Muggles. The only time the post can really get it exact is when we're still underage." Severus looked at Lily's fingers, which were hovering over the seal of the envelope, looking ready to open it. "...Well? What are you waiting for?"
"You first." Lily pursed her lips. "...I'm nervous. And at least I can put it off just a bit longer since I can imagine how well a 38-year old wizard did on a test meant for a teenager…"
"Never mind that half of these are going to be exactly the same as they were in my first life…" Severus scoffed, ripping his envelope open without a further word and letting his eyes glide over the paper.
Lily couldn't decipher Severus' expression as he silently folded the paper with what seemed like disinterest. "...Well?" she asked.
"Pretty boring, really. Just two things that weren't there the last time I received these..." Severus handed Lily the page, and just as he had done, she read his grades silently.
Arithmancy: O*
Astronomy: O
Charms: O
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O*
Herbology: O
History of Magic: O
Potions: O* **
Study of Ancient Runes: O
Transfiguration: O
* Denotes exceptional abilities in both theory and practical application of subject.
** Students have performed sufficiently at the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) and qualified for Alchemy Elective (if desired)
"Well...seems my boyfriend is a genius." Lily beamed as she looked back up at him. "No surprise, really. Alchemy? That's really exciting!"
"Curious, really...I don't recall that being an option the first time I made it into sixth year. It requires that enough students make it into N.E.W.T. level Potions classes for it to even be offered...something that's never happened at all during my time as a student or a professor. I wonder how that came about…" Severus whispered in confusion.
"I dunno...nothing really could have changed just by you being here, could it..?" Lily asked, her green eyes shimmering in the morning sun as she tried to come up with an explanation. Within a few moments, her smile from before returned, but even wider, if such a thing was possible. "I've got it! Mary!" she chirped gleefully. "We had a study session with her before the Potions exam...helped her on the Draught of Peace!"
"...You're joking…" Severus snorted. "...One person's grade made all the difference and allowed one of the most elusive classes in all of Hogwarts to become available?"
"Not everything has some big, mysterious explanation, Sev." Lily giggled. "You know how much the Ministry loves its bloody quotas. I wonder if enough eligible students will want to take it?"
"Count me in. I'm all for a new experience at Hogwarts that I might actually learn something from." he declared with a thin smile. It was the first time since meeting this new Severus that Lily had seen a hint of that boyish excitement grace his features, and it caught her off guard as she stared at him in a momentary silence.
"...Alright. Enough stalling." Severus prodded, breaking her trance. "Open yours. I never got to see them...on account of my teenage stupidity."
"Right." she let out a massive breath, ripping the seal of her own envelope, almost ashamed that she had waited. Severus' grades would be such a difficult act to follow, and she prepared for the worst as she unfolded the paper and glanced down to where the grades were listed.
Astronomy: O
Charms: O*
Defense Against the Dark Arts: E
Divination: O
Herbology: O
History of Magic: O
Potions: O* **
Study of Ancient Runes: E
Transfiguration: O
* Denotes exceptional abilities in both theory and practical application of subject.
** Students have performed sufficiently at the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) and qualified for Alchemy Elective (if desired)
Lily smiled awkwardly as her eyes rose from the page and looked into Severus' black eyes. "Well...it's hardly as impressive as straight O's." she sighed as she handed the page to him.
"On the contrary...it's quite impressive. Charms and Potions, both with the exceptional asterisk. For someone that doesn't have the advantage of my age...impressive indeed."
"Ancient Runes I can accept. That Defense mark though…" Lily groaned, hiding her face with her hands in embarrassment. "...All because of that bloody Boggart."
Severus boldly reached forward and gently took her hands into his. "That won't be an issue anymore. Come N.E.W.T.s...I promise, your Defense marks will be among the best. I'll help with whatever you need."
"...Sev…" Lily whispered blissfully, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him in for a loving kiss. "...I'm almost nervous. I'm positive my Boggart will be different now...I don't have that stupid fear anymore."
"Doesn't matter. No matter what your fears are...you'll learn to conquer them."
A few moments of the hug passed silently before Severus sighed.. "...Something else came. Mum just got a subscription to the Daily Prophet...and I wasn't particularly keen on ignoring this one…"
Lily turned a curious eye towards the nightstand that the Newspaper was folded upon, her eyes widening once she saw the front page, with a moving photo of a face they both recognized too well. The scowling, hateful gaze of Evan Rosier stared back at them. The heading over the photo read ominously. PRISONER ESCAPES BEFORE ARRIVAL TO AZKABAN.
"No…" Lily choked back a breath, shaking her head in disbelief as she reached for the newspaper and began reading it with urgency.
"Last night, sixteen-year old Evan Rosier was being escorted to Azkaban Prison by boat, with what is reported to be no less than four members of the Auror Office on guard. Upon arrival to Azkaban, the ferry was inspected, and the bodies of the guards were found dead, with no sign of Rosier. The condition of the bodies, as well as the damage to the ferry itself, suggests that stowaway passengers had infiltrated the ship with the intention of freeing the prisoner, although no clues were found implicating any such accomplice.
"Rosier is still at large, having recently been found guilty of using the Cruciatus Curse on a fellow student while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"I suppose his delightful cousin Bellatrix was behind the attack." Severus hissed in quiet fury, looking at the photo of the teenage boy with his teeth clenched, the memory of what had been done to Lily still fresh in his mind. "She always did have a knack for leaving collateral damage."
"What are we going to do..?" Lily whispered, a hint of fear in her voice. "You know he's going to blame you for what happened...and if she's that close to Voldemort-"
"Then I can officially say goodbye to remaining neutral in this little war." Severus shook his head in frustration. "Which means...I'm going to have to go to Dumbledore and explain everything the moment we get back to Hogwarts."
Lily's shallow breaths were calmed by the sudden sensation of her boyfriend's arms wrapped protectively around her, and she felt the warm touch of his lips upon her forehead, followed shortly by his voice in her ear. "...He's not going to touch you again. None of them will…I promise."
Even if the promise might have been too good to be true...having Severus so close...hearing his voice so focused...she believed it with all her heart.
Author's Note: It's been a bit of a wait, and for that, I apologize. I realize that this chapter might not have been the longest, but I feel that enough was introduced to have it be separate from the trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies.
Rosier's been busted out by what is undoubtedly a Death Eater ambush, and I can promise that it's not the last that Severus and Lily have seen of the guy. He'll have much to learn, but as a wanted criminal, there's really no place to go but up in the ranks of the Death Eaters.
I thought it'd be a nice, lighthearted little change of pace to also include Sev and Lily's O.W.L. grades, and also have it serve as a little preview to Alchemy Class! It's definitely one of the least explored elements of the Harry Potter universe, and one that I'd love to include (if for no other reason than to give Severus a subject that he hasn't mastered already.)
As far as I'm aware, there is no prerequisite for Alchemy besides just requiring enough interest from students, but my interpretation has always been that Alchemy and Potions go hand in hand. The ideas are so fundamentally similar, and in a lot of fantasy universes, Potions are just another part of Alchemy as a whole, so that's why I included the little idea that you needed enough Students Eligible for N.E.W.T.-level Potions in order to warrant the option of an Alchemy class to begin with. I also thought it would be a nice little way to illustrate the positive changes that Severus is having on Hogwarts besides just with Lily, and who better to demonstrate this than Mary?
As for Lily's dream at the start of the chapter...well, I'll leave it to you to decide what it means, if anything.
AS ALWAYS, please, I greatly appreciate any and all reviews that this story receives. If you enjoyed the read, don't just tell me that you did, tell me specifics, what you liked, what you'd like to see more of, your ideas and theories for certain plot points, etc. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!