I didn't really mean for this to turn AU when I wrote the first chapter, but I've sort of just run with it and now it's gone so AU it's hard to believe it started with the Marauders. Basically I sat and thought about it-if Severus died the night before Lily and James' wedding, surely Voldemort would not have found out about the prophecy?
And yes, I know that without Harry defeating Voldemort as a baby, Voldemort could still be around. But for the purposes of this, it's vague how/why but Voldemort is not a threat in the Wizarding World and it's all pretty peaceful. We cool? :)
James wandered sleepily into the kitchen, kissing his wife on the cheek and inhaling the delicious smell of the bacon she was cooking.
'Nice and crispy for me, yeah?'
She turned to look over her shoulder at him, rolling her eyes.
'We've been married for twenty years, I know how you like your bacon. Harry up yet?'
'Probably, Ginny's coming over so he'll have to fight his hair flat in the bathroom for…..oh, three hours?' He grinned, and added 'just as I used to have to do for you, sweetheart.'
She smiled back at him, running her fingers through his hair affectionately.
As she turned back to the stove, she tucked her own hair behind her ear, fixing it in place with the sapphire hair pin.
'I still think you should get that thing valued, Lils' James said, his voice muffled as he spoke with his mouth full. 'Not to sell it, just so you'd know. Blimey, I want to know, even if you don't. Where did you get it, anyway? A gift from your parents?'
She sat opposite her husband and opened her mouth to speak, a sad look in her eyes, but her mouth dropped open further as she saw Harry strutting in from the hallway; for a moment she saw James as he had been in their 7th year at Hogwarts .
'What on Earth have you done?' she gasped, trying not to laugh at Harry's simultaneously slick with gel but somehow messier than usual hair.
Harry tried to comb it flat with his hand defensively, sitting beside James and helping himself to toast.
'I tried a charm Ron gave me' he replied, then under his breath 'his hair's bad enough, I don't know why I'd trust his judgement….'
The doorbell rang and Harry jumped up, blushing slightly. 'Seeyoulatergottogobye' he said, rushing to the door.
'Who's that then? Neville, is it?' James called after him, laughing.
'Shut up, Dad!'
Lily fidgeted in her seat, wondering if she should tell her husband about that night before their wedding day. It had been twenty years, but still she had never heard from Severus, and she had given up asking in the apothecary in Diagon Alley. Once, just after she and James had returned from their honeymoon, she had even summoned enough courage to ask if anyone had seen him in Borgin and Burkes, but old Borgin just shook his head, laughing. She still told herself, twenty years later, that Severus was alive, with his own family, perhaps abroad somewhere. Anything else didn't bear thinking about.
'James….' She started, seeing the worried look in his eyes.
'What's the matter?' he asked, watching her readjust the hairpin. He knew she'd got it as a wedding present, and she always fiddled with it when she was nervous or anxious.
'This pin….it was a gift from Sev before our wedding.' She spoke quietly, looking down at the table, not knowing how James would react. She tilted her head up to see James, who looked shocked, but not angry.
'Oh.' He said. He had known the story of when Snape had told Lily about her powers when they were children, and he had always thought the daisy pin opening and closing its petals was a remarkable coincidence. Not any more, he supposed; of course Snape would give her such a sentimental gift.
'But we haven't seen him in over twenty years…..have you?'
'No, I haven't even heard from him, I've asked around every so often but nobody has seen him. He didn't even give me this in person, it was pushed through the letterbox.'
The two sat in silence, Lily suddenly terrified for what had become of Severus, and James concerned that Snape had done something stupid that night before the wedding. After all, that looked like an very rare pin.
'Where would you like to go, sweetheart?' Harry asked Ginny, linking fingers with her as he stepped outside the door.
'Just for a walk? The weather's not nice enough for practise, even though I brought my broom' she held it up gloomily, but carried on 'and I don't really want to go to Diagon Alley again, Mum just took me the other day to look at new hands for that old clock of ours. Too many Weasleys have too many children, that's our problem' she laughed.
'Sounds fine by me' Harry said, starting off towards the gate. 'Leave your broom by the wall, it'll be safe there.'
Years before, James had put an enchantment around the garden wall so the family could keep magical things outside without the Muggles getting suspicious. Harry watched Ginny carefully lay her broom amongst old cauldrons and his toy broomstick from years ago caught his eye; he thought of a photograph his Mum had on her bedside table of him flying round the garden, only a few inches off the ground.
They set off through the village towards the church, walking slowly, holding hands again.
'Shall we walk through the graveyard, for a change?' Ginny asked him, pulling him in that direction without waiting for an answer.
'Bit morbid, no?'
'Oh be quiet, it's nice here' she said jokingly, sitting down on a bench near the entrance.
Harry joined her, then something caught his eye. There, in the middle of the path, a lily was blooming through the cracks in the paving slabs. He stared at it, gasping as it started to glow gold.
'What's the matter, Harry?' she asked, looking where he was pointing, seeing nothing but thin air.
Even though Ginny couldn't see the flower, Harry was worried that Muggles might be able to and so tried to pick it; planning on taking it home and planting it in the garden. He was shocked to find that it was as strong as iron and wouldn't break away from the path, so he carefully hid it with snow, his hands turning numb.
'Wait here for me a minute?' he called to Ginny, already running home.
'Of course!' she called back, wondering why the pile of snow Harry had just made was melting a lot faster than the snow on the gravestones.
'Dad!' Harry shouted as soon as he reached the front path, not even waiting before he put his key in the door.
'What's the matter?' James asked. 'Where's Ginny?'
'She's fine, she's waiting at the graveyard. There's a magical Lily growing there, I can't pick it, but it's glowing and allsorts. The Muggles will see, and I really don't want to have to move house!'
'Don't be dramatic Harry.' said Lily, appearing at the doorway. 'I'm sure we can move it with magic, even if your, uh, brute strength hasn't worked' She smiled reassuringly, and set off towards Ginny.
As she got closer and closer to the lily, the petals of the hairpin began to move faster.
Next chapter will be the last, everyone! Sorry this isn't so Snily orientated as the other chapters, but even though I'm a Snily shipper through and through I figured James wouldn't be a horrible husband/father, and I wanted the Potter's lives to be happy. Next chapter in a few days xx