Different

Been on a little role with writing, so here's the next one.

Enjoy!

Chapter Six:

A New Reality

Lily walked down the sidewalk the neighborhood, feeling the wind brush against her face. The sun shined down from high above, with little to no clouds to be seen. The temperature was hot for the day, allowing for the children to play outside. Wearing a sundress that reached her ankles and a pair of shoes, she approached the Snape household, staring at the poorly maintained home. She thought of going up and knocking on the door, hoping that maybe Severus would be there. Or if his parents knew where he be.

But anxiety got the best of her, remembering that his father wasn't the pleasant of hosts. So, he passed it by, deciding to take a detour back to her home. After all, it was a beautiful day, and she didn't want to go back inside just yet.

Over a month had passed since she had arrived back home. Her parents had been overjoyed to see her, with the exception of her sister. Enough hugs and kisses from her mother were quite welcoming after all she had been through, despite being embarrassed. Her father tried to look normal, despite his worries.

That evening was spent writing letters to her friends after her first family dinner in months, informing them that she was alright. She sent her owl off to deliver them before falling asleep in her bed.

It wasn't until the next that Lily had been informed by Dumbledore himself that Severus and Regulus had been reported missing after Aurors had arrived at their respective homes to bring them in for questioning, only to be informed by their parents that the boys had vanished a week before. The news shocked her, wondering where the two boys might have gone. She tried to push Severus from her mind, to enjoy her summer vacation. She believed that the Aurors would find them and sort out the mess.

But as the days went by, her worries grew.

She received replies from her friends, even James Potter, all relieved that she was back home and safe, although quick to accuse Severus of having petrified her, especially on Potter's end. She wished to tell them about what happened but remembered Dumbledore telling her to not tell anyone anything of the Chamber or what had petrified her until the investigation was done, so she only replied that it wasn't Severus or Regulus who did it. Some weren't so convinced but otherwise respected her wishes not to discuss it.

Once a full week had gone by, Lily was left with many questions and little answers. She worried for Severus, wondering why he had chosen to run away. She kept thinking about his strange behavior and the conversations he had with Regulus. None of it made sense to her. She couldn't help but feel that they were talking about having time-travel, yet such a thing was impossible without Time-Turners, which only acted on predestination rules. But yet, it was the only conclusion she could come to in order to understand it all. This was the world of magic, and time-travel was not out of the question. Still, she kept her mind open to other possibilities.

She wondered who Hermione was. The girl who Severus was in love with and had been intimate with. She felt jealous, which confused her. It wasn't like she had feelings for him. Or that

As Lily walked to the tree in the park, where she had first met Severus, memories of their childhood came back to her, and she smiled. Leaning against the tree, she stared out towards the lake ahead, lost in space and time. The wind felt so good, a perfect mix of warm and cool, causing her hair to slightly move with it.

Remembering that Mary was inviting her to come with her family to the beach, Lily decided to take up on the offer as she made her way back home.

Before Lily knew it, summer came to an end when the first of September arrived. After a week at the beach with Mary and then returning home to spend the rest of her vacation with her family, the time came to visit Diagon Alley, where she got her school supplies for the sixth year.

It was a slightly bittersweet visit, reminding her that after this, she would only be visiting one last time as a student before becoming an adult the year after that. It was ironic how it seemed she had all the time in the world when she was a little girl, just beginning her first year at Hogwarts. She remembered what it was like to see Diagon Alley for the first time and couldn't wait to see it again the next year. Now, she would do anything to be that little girl again, with so much ahead of her.

During that time, she had attempted to learn anything she could about Severus. She wrote to Dumbledore, who responded that the Aurors had yet to find both the missing Slytherins. She even reached out to a Ravenclaw student named Amelia Bones, whose father was with the Aurors, asking her if she knew anything, but got a similar response.

Though frustrated, Lily attempted to make the best of her summer, not wanting to waste it being worried or scared.

Once her school supplies were bought, she spent the last few days of the summer with her family as possible, although more so with her parents. Despite her best attempts to reconnect with her sister, it seemed as though Petunia wanted nothing to do with her.

And before Lily knew it, the first of September arrived and she was just about to board the Hogwarts Express, with her parents there to see her off.

"I'll mis you!" Lily embraced her mother just as the horn signaled for its final boarding before departure.

"Come back for Christmas! Your father and I are thinking of a family trip to London to visit your sister at the university."

"Sounds great."

Turning to her dad, she hugged him next, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now, be good."

"I will."

Waving at them, she took her trunk and made her way to the Express and climbed aboard, finding her friends in a compartment and joining them as the train began its journey to Hogwarts for the new school year.

Deep in conversation, mainly about gossip and boys, they were interrupted by a young boy throwing in a newspaper.

"Malfoy and several other Death Eaters have been arrested by the Aurors!" he exclaimed before moving to the next compartment, doing the same.

The girls gasped as Mary picked up the newspaper and read the headlines: "Lucious Malfoy and several high ranking Death Eaters arrested after a fight with unknown vigilantes!"

The whole train was soon talking about what had occurred just the night before, gossip spreading about who the so-called vigilantes were. Some claimed they were heroes, others that they were trying to seize power for themselves. One thing was for certain and that was the fact that the Dark Lord had lost a handful of his high ranking followers, with the likes of Bellatrix now in custody.

But for Lily, her mind went straight to Severus, wondering if he had been there. Her fears of him joining the group were rising, since his disappearance didn't help in the matter. She wondered where he was and if he was alright.

As the new school year began, Lily felt alone without Severus around. Sure, she had her friends and enough schoolwork, but it never dawned on her how much Severus was part of her life, even when they were drifting apart. It only made her fearful of what would happen if their friendship wasn't to last, especially after what had happened months prior.

So, she dived into her schoolwork and tried to spend as much time with her friends as possible, while trying to keep Severus out of her mind. Of course, she had to contend with Potter's sad attempts to woo her, although she was kinda flattered by the attention. Still, she had no intention of dating someone so immature, no matter how handsome and rich he was.

Another week later, she entered the Gryffindor Common Room after her Perfect shift was over and was met with surprise as everyone was celebrating and cheering, music on full blast. Many were drinking from drum barrels, which were clearly filled with alcohol. She quickly deduced that Potter and Black were behind it, as their reputation proceeded them.

Confused and curious, she went to find Mary, who was in the girls' dormitory, knowing that she would be able to tell her. But she found her sitting on her bed, sobbing.

"Mary?"

Her friend looked up at her, her face red and wet from the tears, yet she seemed happy.

"What's going on?"

Mary wiped away the tears, only able to speak two words, "He's dead!"

Lily frowned, "Who?"

"The Dark Lord!" she exclaimed, unable to contain her relief and happiness. "The news just came in. He's gone."

Shocked, Lily stood there as she tried process what she had just heard. Feeling the need to sit down, she moved to the side of the bed and sat next to her friend. They stared off into the distance, hearing the celebration still going on down in the Common Room.

"Do… do they know what happened?" Lily asked.

Mary shrugged, "Only that someone sent a letter to the Aurors on the Dark Lord's whereabouts. He was at some abandoned mansion, just dead."

"Do they know who killed him?"

Mary shook her head, "They're still trying to figure out who sent the letter. But… I honestly don't care, Lily. All I can think about is that… he's gone. And that I feel safe again."

Unable to help herself, Lily pulled her into a hug, which she returned. Mary's control break as she began to cry on her shoulder, finally letting go. Lily held her, listening to her cries.

She understood what this meant for her. What it meant for all the muggleborns, and the Wizarding World as a whole. She felt the same. It seemed as if there would be a war with how things were going. But now that possibility was gone, left with only optimism.

Looking out the window, her thoughts turned to Severus, wondering where he was and what he was doing. Was he now on the run? Had he joined the Death Eaters only to find himself without a master or a group to follow? Or was he somewhere else?

Pushing such thoughts aside, she held her friend and comforted her, allowing for the moment to sink in for them both as a new reality took fold. A new tomorrow to look forward it. And what it would bring for them all.

I never intended for this to be a large story, as I have other stories that will be long. This one was just to be short and more to the point. Plus, it's from the perspective of Lily, so there wasn't going to be a lot of focus on Severus and Regulus.

Both Severus and Regulus have been very busy these last few months. After the incident in the Chamber of Secrets, they wasted no time bolting the moment the school year ended. After all, Lily kinda messed up their plans a little bit, so they got to working in chasing down the Horcruxes. But don't worry, we will see Severus and Regulus again in the next chapter.

Speaking of, the next two chapters will tie up the story. I've finally settled on an ending that I want.

Also, like I said before, "The Night Before" serves as a prequel to this story and explains a lot of stuff going on with Severus and Regulus. Check it out!

I hope you guys enjoyed this. See you in Chapter 7!