Voldemort set his eyes on Lily Potter, who stood with her back to him and, seeing as her arms were wrapped around something in front of her, she was holding Harry. Could she have made his job any easier? Probably not.
"I didn't have to kill him, Lily. If only you two had just cooperated…" Voldemort's voice was as smooth as melted chocolate, but menace was behind every syllable that left his mouth. His tone had a forced affection to it. "There's still a chance for your life to continue."
"And why would I want that?" Lily spat, setting Harry down inside his crib, where he grabbed his favorite teddy and hugged it tightly for comfort. She turned around d to face Voldemort, the remnants of her tears gleaming in the light from Harry's bedside lamp. "You've taken my husband from me, and you're about to take my son. My life will have no purpose."
Voldemort smirked evilly. "Lily, Lily, Lily. So bold, I shouldn't have expected anything less from you, of course. But I have an offer for you."
Lily raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What type of offer?"
Voldemort smirked inwardly. "The whole story should be known first, my dear. It begins with a young man you should remember named Severus Snape…"
Severus Snape pounded on the door of the large shack which the Dark Lord Voldemort lived with his snake. He wasn't afraid; Severus had heard the talk around the camp. Voldemort was going to attack the Potter house one week from today, Halloween. He heard a hissing from below and saw the Dark lord's pet snake coming out from underneath the door. Snape took a step back and drew a sharp breath, his eyes wide. It was no secret, he was scared of snakes, and Nagini almost scared the living daylights out of him.
"Who is it?" Voldemort's harsh voice penetrated the cold, crisp, Late-October air, sending chills down Snape's spine.
"It's me, m'lord, Severus Snape," Snape's voice was shaky with nervousness. What have I gotten myself into? He thought as the door creaked open. "Come in."
Snape gulped and entered the house, dust coming up from the floor in clouds as he walked across, spider webs in every corner, potion ingredients in jars full of odd-colored liquids, possibly for preserving said potion ingredients. All in all, the place was an absolute mess. As Snape looked around he saw Voldemort hunched over a table, staring at a piece of parchment
"My lord," Snape said, coughing at the vast amount of dust in the air. "I need to discuss something with you."
"Can't it wait until the next Death Eater meeting, Severus? I am exceptionally busy at the moment," Voldemort's voice was raspy; it sounded like he hadn't slept in three days.
"But, m'lord," Snape said, sneezing. It's too dusty in here, Snape thought as he made his way to the Dark Lord. "It's about the attack on the Potters."
Voldemort looked up from the parchment, an eyebrow raised at his Underling's statement. "How did you know I was to attack them?"
"Pettigrew," Snape said simply, grabbing a chair and dusting off the cobwebs so he could sit down. "He's told about half of the Death Eaters in Brittan, the filthy rat."
Voldemort scowled, looking back at the parchment. "He'll learn to keep his mouth shut." There was a long, awkward silence between the two men before Voldemort looked up at Snape, who was staring at the floor looking almost as if he had just murdered his best friend. "Well… you came to tell me something?"
Snape snapped out of his trance-like state and nodded. "Actually, it's more of a request. I want you to spare Lily Evans, I mean, Potter." Voldemort looked like he was about to laugh.
"Spare that mudblood? An interesting joke, to be sure," Voldemort smirked, looking back to the parchment. "I have no time for hilarities. Be on your way." Snape didn't move.
"My lord, I'm serious. I want you to spare her," Snape said, his voice level. Voldemort looked up at him, face expressionless.
"You're growing soft, Severus?" Voldemort asked, his voice as cold as Antarctic ice. "You have feelings for this MUDBLOOD!" Snape looked to the ground in time to see Nagini slithering up his leg. He drew in a sharp breath and nodded slowly.
"She was my only friend while I was attending Hogwarts. She wasn't even my friend to be honest, but she was the only one that ever stood up for me. I feel it's the least that I should do." Voldemort glared at his underling in disgust. He snatched his bone-handled wand from its spot at the top of the parchment and pointed it at Snape. He gave it a quick flick and watched as his minion shrieked in pain and doubled over, almost falling to the floor.
"You're pathetic," Voldemort sneered, looking down his nose at Snape, who was beginning to recover from the curse. "You love her, how sweet. It's not sweet, it's disgusting! And you call yourself a true pureblood." Snape opened his mouth to correct the Dark Lord, to tell him he was a half-blood, but held his tongue and stared guiltily at the floor. Voldemort walked around the table and knelt down so he was level to Severus.
"Look, Severus," Voldemort said, his voice calm and understanding, but it still had the menacing snake-like lisp. "I know what you're going through, but I do not intend to let any of the Potters survive!" at the end, Voldemort's voice returned to a harsh, cruel scowl. "Now get out of here, before I make you an example of what happens when someone gets on my bad side."
Snape glared at Voldemort as he stood up, grabbing Nagini behind the head. He made sure his footing was stable before he threw poor Nagini across the room, hearing her hit the wall on the opposite side of the shack before turning to head out the door. Unfortunately, in a burst of rage at the cruelty directed to his familiar, pointed his wand at the back of the retreating Severus Snape.
"Crucio!"
Severus fell to the floor, partially on the dusty floorboards, partially in the mud outside the door. As he writhed in incomparable pain, Voldemort glared down his nose at his half-blooded underling. "Severus, how many times have I told you not to take your rage out on my pet snake? Are you really going to stoop as low as animal torture?"
"Promise me you'll at least try!" Snape said, trying not to let the Dark Lord hear the pain that the curse was causing him in his voice. "Just try! Please, Tom, Please!"
Voldemort was taken aback. None of his Underlings had ever dared call him by the name he had gotten from his filthy, Muggle father, given to him by his pathetic excuse for a witch mother. "And why should I?" Voldemort asked icily. "Of what use would she be?"
"She is a very talented witch, My Lord," Snape said quickly, not giving Voldemort time to change his mind. Severus told the truth, for Lily Evans was a very gifted witch, with excellent grades in Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts; you name it, she was a professional at it. "She's very powerful, too, despite her lack of wizard blood."
"QUIET!" Voldemort shouted, causing Snape to recoil in fear, his muddy face showing signs of sheer terror. "If she is as powerful as you say, she may actually be of use to our cause."
"But, My Lord, the Death Eaters do not allow Muggle-born witches or wizards into their ranks..."
"I can make an exception in this case. Now go, Severus, before I change my mind about this Mudblood's life!" Voldemort commanded as Snape picked himself up off of the floor and ran, right into a tree, before getting his bearings and following the path on which he arrived by.
Lily looked at the man who had just killed her husband, confusion on her face. "Severus Snape begged you to spare my life? But...but why? We were always so different and he hated me."Voldemort shrugged.
"Damned if I know. Anyways, I've been thinking about what he said. Lily, you are a very talented witch. Your power is strong, and it should be put to good use. Join me, Lily, and become great. Join my forces, and you will rule beside me as my equal in power. Just step aside, and let me kill the boy. A small price to pay for eternal glory, don't you think?" The Dark Lord was becoming impatient, and his gaze kept shifting to the boy in the crib, who was staring at him with large, green eyes. Eyes like his mother.
Lily sneered. How could this murderer, this disgrace to Wizarding kind, ask her to join him after destroying those who she loved? "Not for all the magic in the world!" she shouted, eyes tearing up again. I'm sorry, Harry, she thought, closing her eyes, bracing herself for death. I'm so sorry...
A blinding flash of neon green light filled the room, accompanied by Lily's scream and Harry's crying.
Back in London, in an uncharted house known as Number 12 Grimuald Place, a young, greasy –haired man sat at the wood kitchen table, sipping a steaming mug of Earl Grey tea, two cream no sugar. A red-haired, plump woman sat across from him, watching him drink.
"Look, Severus," she said sympathetically. "I know how you feel. Poor Bill and Charlie caught the Flu at around this time when they were young. Just relax and get plenty of sleep, okay dear?" Severus Snape nodded.
"I will, thanks Mo-"Snape felt a strong jab of pain in the vicinity of his heart and clutched his chest, gasping for air. This feeling, this pain, had appeared out of nowhere, with no apparent cause at all. What was it? Severus's eyes widened in realization. He set down his half-finished cup of tea and bolted for the coat rack next to the door. "Molly," he said over his shoulder to the plump redhead. "I have to go. I just remembered I had to meet my brother tonight at the Leaky cauldron. I'll be back in a few hours!" With that, he grabbed his long black cloak and hurried out the door, leaving Molly Weasley staring after him dumbfounded.
"But Severus doesn't have any living family..."