Pain was one of those things in life Severus learned to deal with early on. One of his earliest memories was of his father screaming at him in a drunken rage, blackening young Severus' eye. Where the hell had that thought come from? His mind felt fuzzy; he wasn't even sure if he was breathing or not. Experimentally, Snape tried opening his eyes, and he was rewarded with Lily's beautiful face peering over him. Apparently this was a dream.

"Lily..."

"I think we've established who I am, Sev."

He sighed, but it sounded more like a quiet gasp as another wave of intense pain tore through his body. He closed his eyes tight and breathed deeply for a few seconds until the unpleasant sensation passed for now.

"Severus?" There was concern in Lily's voice. After all this time, everything he'd done, she was still concerned about him. This wasn't a dream, of course, the presence of pain served to clear Snape's mind enough to comprehend that much. But then why was he almost completely nude?

"I'm...all right." he managed. "Where are my clothes?"

"You're not all right," she insisted. "You're wounded. I had to disrobe you in order to save your life. Try not to move so much; I've bandaged you up and the salve I applied should stop any bleeding, but—Merlin's beard, Severus, what happened?"

"I...I don't know. I can't...think straight..." All of his nerves were too busy screaming at his brain in agony for it to process a single coherent thought. "I'm sorry..."

"Okay, you can tell me when you're feeling more lucid," Lily said. "How's the pain?"

"Unbearable." he answered flatly.

"Good." James Potter interjected. He hovered in the corner like a smug shadow. She frowned, but did not acknowledge the comment further, instead focusing her attention on Snape.

"I'm not sure if there's anything I can do. Unforgivable curses don't respond to normal pain potions. I can heal your injuries, but we may just have to wait until the Crucio runs its course."

He'd expected that. At least being here was better than writhing in the street, even if it did mean tolerating James' arrogance and being near Lily when he couldn't have her.

"How severe are my wounds?"

"Probably not fatal, if we can prevent infection," she replied, still wearing a grim expression. "Severus, why didn't you apparate to St. Mungo's?"

"Like I said, I couldn't think straight," Snape explained. "Besides, I might not have made it, and even if I did the Ministry would surely be called as soon as they found out what I am."

"So instead you risk coming here, possibly bring a trail of Death Eaters after you." James chimed in again. He was always so helpful.

"That's enough, James." Lily pulled her fiance into the other room just before Snape fell unconscious once more. It was a dreamless, almost blissful state, and most importantly, a lot less painful.

)O(

"I do not like this, Lily."

"I'm aware, but hush, would you? He's asleep...or passed out. It doesn't look like he has slept well in months." James glared at her. "What? You said yourself that once Sev is healed he will be out of our hair, and you standing around making snide remarks isn't helping him heal any faster."

"What do you expect me to do?" he asked. "Make small talk with a man who is in league with You-Know-Who? What I want to know is how you can just forgive the bastard."

"I don't know," Lily admitted. "It wasn't entirely Sev's fault, James, and I haven't completely forgiven him either. I'm trying to help an old friend who has lost his way. We are not in school anymore, you know. Maybe we've reached a point where we can all get on with life. What if there is something worth salvaging?"

The last thing she wanted right now was to argue. It seemed like that was all they'd done since Snape arrived. Even James started to grow weary of his own protests. This evening had been particularly long for all of them.

James and Lily finally headed to bed, and she lay there sleepless for a long while, unable to quiet her mind. She was worried about Severus, not just because the people who hurt him might return but also on account of how frightfully thin he looked! Sev had never been at what one would consider a healthy weight, but now it was impossible to even entertain the idea. Lily decided she simply must check on him one last time before she ought to get some rest herself, and what she found unnerved her a great deal.

Severus appeared to be in the grip of some awful nightmare. Most likely the Crucio was still causing him unimaginable pain, but he seemed fiercely determined. She could plainly see the mark of dark magic burned into the flesh of his left forearm. In another life, the boy Lily once knew would never have given himself over to You-Know-Who so irrevocably like that. But maybe it wasn't too late.

"Oh, Sev," she whispered, tears blurring her vision from what she told herself was only tiredness. "What have you done?"