A/N: Okay, to clarify some issues from the last chapter, here is a longer A/N than usual:

-Hermione actually won't be playing a major part in this story, so anyone concerned about me possibly focusing more on her than Lily, Sev & friends don't need to get their knickers in a twist.

-While the time travel aspect is a main part of the plot, I will also be focusing on building the boys' friendship, Lily's issues in Slytherin, and Lily & Severus' friendship.

-I want to apologize for that "slam-in-the-face" plot twist from last chapter. It would have been rather boring (in my opinion) to build up to something like that and as a moderately-good writer, I'm willing to take risks. Some people loved it, others are confused as heck. That's fine. Everything will be perfectly clear as the events play out, so I assure you your confusion will not last forever.

-Remember, Minerva was speaking from her perspective, so the events will not only be more interesting from a third person's POV, but the motives and consequences will be clearer (if they actually play out as they did in that timeline).

Thank you for your comments, especially those who explained why they were confused, because those reviews helped me tremendously. :)

At last, it was summer.

Upon returning home from Hogwarts, Severus and Lily were showered in hugs and tears from the Evans— excluding Petunia of course. Apparently, the school hadn't seen fit to tell her Muggle parents more than what was necessary, as they would have been sorely confused. All they knew was that their daughter had been injured, then healed, and was now fine. Lily left it at that, as she didn't remember what happened anyway, but she had promptly informed them that if it weren't for Severus she would be a lot worse off than she was now.

"I mean it Sev," Lily said quietly after they finished the dinner that the Evans had prepared in honour of Severus. She hadn't told her parents he actually saved her life, because she didn't want to worry them even more. "He could have killed you and you still helped me…"

She trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words. Exceedingly modest as always, Severus had refused to recount what everyone was calling his 'acts of inspiring heroism' or something like that; leaving Lily to mostly guess what had happened. Over and over again, she asked him to tell her the seemingly-improbable story, but each time, he grew more and more reluctant. He had told her as much as he would tell the Wizengamot, which was supposedly taking him in for questioning any day, yet there was no action or news thus far, to Severus' immense relief.

Ever since James had given him that Daily Prophet with the article about a possible trial last week, he had been restless and jittery almost to the brink of panic. If this was Umbridge's one chance at revenge, then she was going to do anything to get him thrown in Azkaban, Severus knew. The worst part of it all was that the entire Ministry would be on her side, not some loner half blood with his hermit mother and alcoholic, Muggle father. He wondered where Dumbledore was these days…

"See you tomorrow," Lily waved him goodbye after they finished helping Mrs. Evans with the dishes and all of the celebratory cake had been eaten. Severus gave her a small smile, then made his way down the path that went from the cheerful, middle class neighbourhood that was Lily's, down to his lower class, shady neighbourhood known as Spinner's End.

The sun had just set as Severus made it to the door. His mum was visiting her dying sister in Surrey tonight, so it would be just him and his father. Or, so he thought.

As his hand reached for the rusty knob, he suddenly heard several voices coming from the other side. Two sounded like women's voices, and there was another man or two aside from the gruff, irritable voice that Severus recognized as his father's.

"I'm tellin' you, he's not here," Tobias growled at them. Severus pressed his ear against the still-closed door, furtively trying to find out who the guests were.

"Mr. Snape, this lack of discipline has clearly taken a toll on your son…" Severus strained to hear more from the woman, but her voice quickly faded into the background.

"Get outta my house!" Tobias suddenly roared. Severus' heart pounded, wondering what the people had said that had upset his father. "And take those damn twigs with you!"

Severus froze. Twigs? No...wands. There were wizards at his house, and they were looking for him…

Severus didn't need to think twice: he sprinted away from the door and ran up the hill, in the direction of Lily's house.

"There he is!" he heard one of the wizards shout from inside his home. Severus literally ran for his life, but he, an underage wizard unable to use magic during the summer, was no match against what turned out to be four highly-trained Aurors from the Ministry. A simple Petrificus Totalus hex did the trick, and he was down on his back in a matter of seconds.

"I didn't do it!" Severus yelled after they had released him from his rigid position and pulled him to his feet. He couldn't be taken away…not now…not without anyone knowing he would be gone…

The tallest Auror laughed as Severus squirmed and tried desperately to free himself, but his efforts were futile. He had been caught so off guard that he couldn't even keep himself calm and steady. All he could think about was Azkaban, Azkaban, Azkaban.

"Tell it to the Wizengamot, kid," one of the muscular female Aurors said coldly as she braced him for Side-Along Apparition. They were taking him by force, just as Umbridge had probably ordered them to.

"Lily!" he screamed, but his voice was drowned out as the claustrophobic crushing feeling engulfed him, taking him far away from his home, his family, his friend.

xXxXxXxXx

Where's Sev? Lily thought worriedly as she looked down at her watch. Eleven o'clock. He was supposed to meet her at the swings an hour ago. Was he hiding in the bushes? She turned around and her eyes silently searched the shrubbery, but no sign of her friend.

Is he not feeling well?

Shrugging to herself, Lily leaped off of the swing and began jogging cheerfully down toward Spinner's End. If he wasn't feeling all that great, then she would understand, but still, it wasn't like Sev to forget to tell her why he couldn't meet her that day when she had seen him just the night before…

As she knocked on the door, she mentally pictured him opening the door and standing there in his bed clothes, horror-struck to see her there. He never liked her coming to his house…actually, even he didn't like going there.

It was a terribly gloomy place, but Lily didn't care if her friend was a little poorer than her, because he would still be her best friend in the world either way. Wealth and status didn't matter to her.

"What?" a grumpy man's voice barked at her from the other side of the door.

Lily's eyes widened in fear as Severus' father opened the door and glared down at her. She only remembered seeing him once or twice in the past; she could see why Severus didn't like him. He reeked of alcohol, and he had a very intimidating presence that would scare even the bravest of Gryffindors. He had the same droopy black hair and nose as his son, qualities Lily often playfully teased Severus about, except Tobias' facial features did not have the cuteness factor about them as Severus' did.

"Is Se-Severus home?" Lily squeaked in a tiny voice, petrified by the monstrous man despite the fact that he was a mere Muggle and she was a witch.

Tobias' cold black eyes narrowed. "You're that Evans girl, aren't you?"

Terrified, Lily nodded.

"Your lot took 'im. Sticks and cloaks they had, yes, they got the bugger," he said disinterestedly. He almost seemed glad to be rid of his own son.

"Where'd they take him?" Lily whispered, feeling ready to faint. Her mind was whirring out of control: they got him…the Ministry got him…Umbridge finally had him back in her clutches and their plans for hiding him at Potter's house if the warning signs came were now rendered useless…

"How should I know?" Tobias roared, making Lily jump backward in terror. "He's gone! Now get away from my home you bloody little magicking freak!"

Lily didn't need to be told twice. She turned on her heel and sprinted as far away from the Snape home as she could get. Her legs ached and burned going up the hill, but she did not stop until she reached her house.

"What are you doing?!" Petunia shrieked as Lily burst through the front door. She and her boyfriend had been snogging quite obnoxiously on the couch, but were too embarrassed to continue with the 'little sister' around.

"Sev's in trouble!" Lily answered her as she practically flew up the stairs and into her room.

Quill…quill…oh sweet Merlin, where's my quill…?

She made a horrendous mess in her urgency to find writing materials, and once she found the quill, she realized she barely had any ink left. Cursing loudly, Lily grabbed an old sheet of parchment and hurriedly scribbled down a note:

Reg,

Severus is in trouble. What should I do? Please owl back as soon as possible.

~Lily

She jerked open Suzume's cage and tied the note to her leg. Her owl hooted angrily as she tied the knot a little too tight in her rush, but Lily shushed her. She knew Regulus and Severus weren't exactly the best of friends, but she didn't have anyone else she could count on. Narcissa, perhaps, but since she was in France at the moment, it would be so much easier to ask her other best friend.

"Take this to Reg, okay?" Lily desperately pleaded the owl as she flung open the window and hustled her out. Most normal wizards and witches with an urgent message wouldn't have used owl post, but Lily didn't have a choice. She didn't have any Floo powder, Apparition was impossible, she despised flying on broomsticks—and didn't own one, anyway—and she didn't know much about Portkeys. She was trapped.

She couldn't sleep that night. She wondered where Severus was, what he was doing right now. She didn't read anything about his capture or trial in that day's Prophet; perhaps she'd take a closer look at tomorrow's issue. She wanted to go back and ask Mrs. Snape for help, but she wasn't taking anymore chances with Sev's dad. Maybe Mrs. Snape hadn't been home because she was currently with Sev? Lily could only hope that was the answer.

Dumbledore will clear everything up, Lily told herself firmly. She believed that Severus didn't open the Chamber of Secrets, and she believed that he was telling the truth when he said he didn't kill Dolores. Proving it to those already innately against him would be more difficult, however…

xXxXxXxXx

Two days passed without any answers from Regulus. Lily grew more and more frantic by the day; unable to eat or sleep properly whilst knowing her best friend's safety was in jeopardy. She thought about asking her parents to drive her to London, but then what? She had absolutely no idea where he could be, and she didn't know how to get from Muggle-London to Wizarding-London.

On the third day, she spent the entire morning staring out her bedroom window, waiting for Suzume to return with Regulus' response. Around noontime, she figured she'd have to eat eventually and started to get up when she heard Petunia scream.

Thinking it was her owl, Lily immediately ran out the door and leaped down the stairs three at a time. She froze on the last step as she looked into the sitting room and saw the thing Petunia was screaming at: it was a boy covered in ash, emerging from the fireplace. Lily's heart stopped.

Regulus…he Flooed here? But…how…he's going to find out my parents are Muggles!

"Reg!" Lily yelled, her voice flooded with fear and panic. Her secret…her terrible, highly-guarded secret was going to be found out…why had he Flooed here, oh why…

The boy turned around and grinned. Lily's fear dissolved into fury at the sight of his face.

"BLACK?!"

Sirius shook the dust off of himself— Petunia was so shocked by his presence that she was rendered speechless for several minutes— and Lily ran into the room, ready to strangle him.

"Honestly Evans, we're both Blacks," Sirius grinned lopsidedly, clearly pleased by the girls' responses at his sudden appearance. "It would be so much easier if you would just refer to me by my first name."

Lily was too stunned to speak. Tactless as ever, not only had Sirius somehow gotten a hold of a letter meant for his brother, but he had the nerve to show up in her home completely unannounced. How had he known where she lived...?

"Excellent," he muttered excitedly to himself as he set off to explore the room he had just stumbled into without any prior consent from the girls. His manners were rather lacking, as his filthy shoes spread the ash all over the once-white carpeting. He was fascinated by the still pictures— though not yet making the connection between unmoving pictures and Lily's family— and once he was finished with his exploration, he collapsed onto the couch.

"Petunia? Are you alright?"

Lily and Petunia's jaws dropped in unison at the sound of their father approaching. Thinking quickly, Lily shoved a few pillows over Sirius, concealing him for the most part just as her parents walked in.

"We heard you screaming," Mrs. Evans said, her eyebrow raised sceptically as the two sisters eyed each other nervously.

"We're fine," Lily said slowly. "Tuney just thought she saw…someone in the other room…but it was really me," she finished lamely.

Petunia gawked at her but was forced to agree and nod vigorously when her father asked if this was true. When they finally left, the girls breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. Sirius, noting their departure, shoved the pillows off of him and stood up.

"Who are you?!" Petunia shrieked, though her voice was low enough so that only Lily and Sirius could hear her.

"Your worst nightmare," Sirius replied sardonically then turned to Lily. "Is she your sister?"

Lily ignored this question and grabbed his arm. Petunia stared at her as she dragged the mysterious fireplace boy up the stairs and into her room, but at least she kept her mouth shut...

"What are you doing here?" Lily demanded once she and Sirius were alone in her room and the door was locked. "That letter was for Regulus!"

"He doesn't have a window in his bedroom," Sirius grinned mischievously. "Your bird came through my window first and I intercepted it."

Judging by the tone of his voice, he took great pride in the fact that he had done this. Lily stared at him for a moment, overwhelmed with both relief and rage. Sirius was a good friend of Severus, he would be more willing to help than Regulus probably would have been, but still: why Sirius?!

"Why did you come here?" Lily asked exasperatedly.

Sirius shrugged. "Sev's my friend too. I figured we could help each other."

He paused and carefully regarded her for a moment, then continued in a surprisingly serious tone: "The pictures…the ones in the frames downstairs…they don't move."

Lily felt her neck grow hot. "Yes. They're special…Muggle-type pictures."

Sirius seemed to know she was lying. "Regulus told me your mother's a witch."

"She is," Lily said, unable to hide the defiance in her voice. Was it possible that Sirius Black was smarter than she thought was possible for him? "She just…lives like a Muggle for the most part."

"Uh-huh."

Sirius was not convinced. Lily's entire face was red by now; she was not good at this lying thing.

"Severus was taken by the Ministry," she blurted out, trying to change the subject.

"What?!"

Lily nodded grimly. "They took him a couple of days ago. I don't know where he is, and I didn't know what to do so I—"

"Wrote to Regulus?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Regulus? Honestly Evans, I thought you had more brains than that. Severus hates Regulus."

"Why though?"

Sirius bit his lip then shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. Regulus is an evil git, isn't that enough?"

Lily glared at him. "Do you realize that you're talking to one of his best friends?"

Sirius shrugged again. "Your choice in friends isn't my business. But he's my brother, so I can say anything I want about him."

"So…what do we do?" Lily asked after several more moments of awkward silence. She had never been alone with Black before, and it was quite uncomfortable, especially with him snooping all over the place. Where was his proper etiquette?!

"Well, for starters, I suppose we can Floo back to my house— Regeculous has been talking about you nonstop," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I think its love."

"Ha ha," Lily replied sarcastically...then it hit her: she didn't have Floo powder. How would they get to Grimmauld Place?

"Uh…we can't Floo though."

Sirius dropped one of her first year textbooks and looked at her curiously. "Why not? Your fireplace works fine."

"We're out of Floo powder," Lily lied, again feeling her face turn redder than a tomato.

Sirius stared at her for a long time as his mind made some connections, then his jaw dropped. "You are a Muggleborn!"

"No!" No, I'm not, I'm a half blood you idiot," Lily pleaded to him, but it was no use.

"You are! You've been lying all this time, Evans?" Sirius asked, delightedly shocked. "Does Severus know?"

"Yes…I mean no! I'm not…please Bla-Sirius…I'm a half blood I swear…"

Sirius glared at her sternly, all amusement gone from his face. "You're lying Evans."

Lily's eyes welled up in tears. Would he tell Regulus? Will Regulus hate her for lying? Would he not want to be her friend anymore? After all, she is a Mudblood…

"I'm not lying…my parents aren't Muggles," Lily cried in one final effort to assuage Sirius' accusations, but he knew he had stumbled onto a fabulous secret, and he wasn't going to let this go.

He crossed his arms and observed her sceptically. She finally gave up.

"Please…please don't tell Regulus…or anyone," Lily begged him, tears flowing down her face. She was humiliated by her sick desperation, but she had no choice but to give in now and hope that their one similarity— their tie to Severus— would be enough to keep him quiet.

Sirius continued watching her, but this time it was more of a pitying look, than scepticism. Lily loathed the feeling of being pitied, especially from Sirius.

"Severus knows?"

Lily nodded numbly. Was her life as a Slytherin going to be ruined after this…?

"Oh alright, I swear I won't tell anyone…but you gotta make this up to me Evans."

Stunned by her stroke of good fortune, Lily nodded feverishly. She prayed Sirius wasn't the type to go back on his word, as her best friends were his close relatives. If they found out…she didn't want to think about the consequences. It would be a nightmare, that's all she knew.

xXxXxXxXx

"No! Please! I didn't...arghhh..."

Severus trembled violently as the deranged man's voice trailed off, followed by the crushing sound of a body hitting the floor. He was the third escapee this week, and if it weren't for the duo of ruthless Aurors and lone Dementor guarding these dungeons, the man might have made it.

He was from the first sector of this prison, which was situated deep underground, even deeper than the Ministry's headquarters. His section was for the petty thieves and minor criminals awaiting a trial, while Severus was in the fourth sector, the one for questionable murderers and torturers. Judging by the cruel, unfeeling faces of his fellow fourth-ers, they were headed straight for Azkaban after their trials. Severus, on the other hand, was innocent.

Too bad he and Pettigrew were the only people who were certain of that.

So the Ministry had finally captured him. He wasn't sure if he would have gone willingly, though now that he had had time to reflect back on it, he figured he would have at least attempted explaining things instead of frantically screaming that he didn't do it.

His wand had been confiscated immediately upon his arrival at the Ministry, leaving him alone and powerless. He had asked someone about the legality of taking him by force, and apparently it was acceptable to the Ministry as long as the 'criminal' is proven to be a dangerous suspect.

The filthy cell he currently inhabited was right next to the one containing three known Death Eaters. Three of them had to be out of their minds, as they spoke nothing but nonsense all day, driving Severus mad. The man who had been on the other side of his cell had tried escaping two days ago...but the Dementor had caught up with him just as he nearly stole one of the Auror's wands.

The entire place was like a cold and gloomy version of hell. All of the hope and cheerful thoughts Severus had had upon the completion of his second year were diminished by now, as were his plans of escaping. This place was better than Azkaban, where there were thousands of Dementors patrolling the place. That was the only speck of hope he could hold onto at the moment.

Suddenly, the only door out of this place opened, and misty silver light poured through. The prisoners all began screaming and howling at once; this usually happened when an outsider came in, as all of the witches and wizards were desperate to go to trial and potentially prove their innocence.

Severus crawled up to the edge of the cell— feeling ridiculously like a groveling mutt as he did so— and peered out to see who it was. There were so many people in here that he doubted the person would be coming for him, but he was still intrigued by the silver light. The wizards cried out to the person as they passed by their cells, hysterically pleading them to have mercy and free them ; the outsider simply ignored them and continued on down toward the far end of the prison...toward the fourth section.

The silver kitten Patronus paused just in front of Severus' cell. Strangely, he felt no warmth from the cat. He immediately understood why as soon as its caster caught up with it.

Standing in the shadows, pinker and pudgier than ever, was Darcy Umbridge. Her eyes and smile had a cruel, twisted quality about them, as though she was trying to tell Severus that McGonagall was no longer around to stop her from getting her revenge. His fists clenched furiously at the sight of her, walking free, while he, an innocent thirteen year old, was rotting in a prison meant for the real criminals.

He wanted to strangle her. If he had had his wand, he would have performed every Dark spell he knew on that wretched face.

After several moments of icily observing each other, Darcy spoke: "How nice it is to see you again, Mr. Snape."

A/N: Most chapters will be like this, interchangeably focusing on Lily and Severus, as I've always done. No need for panic, I assure you. Dumbledore's lack of help will be explained eventually. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can (it'll have the beginning of the trial), but I do have another story in progress as well, so please be patient. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and comments are appreciated :)