A/N: Hello! Sorry about the last chapter. I'd say that it gets better from here but it doesn't so... I've tried (quite possibly unsuccessfully) to make this slightly more light-hearted but who knows? I hate to say it, but we are kind of close to the end :( Thank you for sticking with me, reading, following, favourite-ing, reviewing - all of it. You're all fabulous!

Anyway, I hope you (try to) enjoy this and have a lovely day!

(On a completely unrelated note, what on Earth was Allegiant? I don't know why I bother with those films, honestly I don't.)

SEVERUS' P.O.V

SEPTEMBER 1981

SPINNER'S END

~FLASHBACK~

"We're different, you and me."

"I don't know if I like being different," Lily says, her long red hair tangled in the grass; "Tuney doesn't like it."

"Well I don't like her."

"Once you get to know her, she's really nice," Lily says weakly.

"She's not nice to you."

"That's because she doesn't understand. My dad says people are afraid of things they don't understand."

"She can't understand, she's a Muggle."

"She's my sister."

"Why d'you like her so much?"

"Because she's my sister."

"That's a stupid reason to like someone."

"No it's not."

"It is. I don't like my dad – I don't care if he's my dad or not."

"Severus!" she exclaims, sounding horrified, "of course you care!"

"I don't. If you met him, you'd see."

"Is he horrible?" she sounds worried now.

"Only when I'm not fast enough."

~FLASHBACK OVER~

"Snape," Lucius saunters over to me, "we're meeting upstairs."

I say nothing but follow him down a few corridors, pretending to listen to his pretentious chatter whilst thinking of as many ways to kill him as possible. I wonder how long it would take people to notice if I hung him up on the chandelier… Narcissa would probably mind quite a lot – maybe it's best if I refrain from doing anything violent.

Oh but the temptation.

"Snape! Malfoy! We've been waiting for you."

I see the Dark Lord before me, looking youthful and almost cheerful. I hate it when he's in this sort of mood. I take a seat – there are a few Death Eaters in the room – we're in an old abandoned house of some sort – or maybe it was only recently abandoned when Death Eaters took it over.

Bellatrix is sat beside the Dark Lord, practically glowing in his presence. I see Rosier and Mulciber, too.

"The reason you are here is because most of you are at least a little competent and for what I'm about to do, I need brains."

Nobody says a word. These meetings have always been so balanced in conversation.

"Now, there has been an interesting turn of events," oh here we go, "Snape, remember that little prophecy you told me about?"

"Yes," I say, my voice clipped.

"Well I think I have the answer. I hadn't thought much of it – it was from Trelawney after all and I've been… preoccupied."

Silence falls; I can hardly hear anyone breathing.

"My Lord?" Bellatrix asks. "What prophecy are you talking about?"

"That matters not, what matters is how we're going to deal with it. I'd give this responsibility to one of you worthless lot but no doubt you'd fail somehow. I'm looking for Order members with a child born in July…"

Again, no one so much as breathes.

"I see we're not very warmed up today. No matter – Rosier!"

Rosier snaps to attention, "Yes, my Lord."

"I'm entrusting you with collecting information on Order members with children – I want locations, profiles, history – I want detail."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Now that that's settled the next order of business…"

The meeting goes on this way, high tension in the room. The Dark Lord has not been around very much lately so we've been pretty much running ourselves. Now that he's back and leading meetings and giving orders, everything is running a lot more smoothly. We have plans to obliterate several Wizarding families in the hopes of first, scaring those who are undecided about their allegiance in this war, second, to gain some power within the Ministry (many members of prominent Wizarding families are in high political places – someone needs to fill those jobs) and also to bring down the ranks of the Order. There really aren't very many of them. We, however, have many people on our side and not just Wizards, creatures as well. Maybe we will win this war. It's hard to see how the Order will win when the odds are tipped so far in our favour.

The Dark Lord has been thinking a lot about the Prophecy. He's assigned Rosier the job of collecting information (something I have no doubt that he'll do) but other than a small circle of Death Eaters, the Prophecy is not common knowledge. Most Death Eaters know absolutely nothing about it and from what I gather from Dumbledore, it's the same on the Light side of the war.

Personally, I think the Dark Lord should spend less time pouring over the Prophecy and whatever it is that he does when he goes off by himself and more time on logistics of war. I hate to say it but at least Dumbledore is absolutely focused on the task at hand. In comparison, the Dark Lord seems an awful lot like a small child getting distracted by shiny objects when they should be doing homework. It's hard to have faith in a cause when the leader is absent in more ways than one.

LILY'S P.O.V

OCTOBER 1981

I was over at the Burrow earlier today – Fabian and Gideon died yesterday.

Everyone's still in shock. They were two of our best fighters, two of the smartest and now they're dead. Moody seemed particularly affected by this, in a way he wasn't when other members died. Molly is distraught. I just sat with her, I brought her some cake and that was it – there wasn't anything to say, no way to console her. I'm now in Cokeworth –in the graveyard.

James doesn't mind as much, me being here. It's one of the only places that I can clear my head. Besides, it's usually deserted.

I take Harry here sometimes – we plant flowers together, dig up the weeds and tend to the garden in general. I know graveyards are supposed to be grim but this one is beautiful and ironically full of life. It's sad to think that my parents never got the chance to meet Harry – they'd always wanted a grandchild. I wonder what they'd have made of Dudley. I've only seen pictures but if he's anything like his father then I don't suspect he'll be a very nice child. I have tried getting in touch but the responses are always very short and blunt – they want absolutely nothing to do with us, which is just fine, just fine by me, just fine by James. They are family though and I feel a little regretful that we aren't making more of an effort.

I hear footsteps.

It's Snape. His silhouette is unmistakable.

For Merlin's sake – I've had enough of him. I've had enough of him waltzing into my life when he feels like it and making me feel like shit. I've had enough of him thinking he has the right to just talk to me like we're not on opposite sides of a war, like we're friends. I get up and spin to face him, my wand out, disarming him quickly and mentally preparing myself to Apparate away. There's something about his expression that makes me hesitate, however and he grasps the opportunity, speaking hastily.

"Lily – wait- I need to tell you something!"

I back away, my wand-arm still outstretched. "I don't want to hear it."

"You're not safe Lily! You need to –"

"I don't need to do anything. Now please can you leave me alone?"

"It's not just you! It affects Harry – Harry and Potter- it affects them too – you're all in danger."

That stops me in my tracks. He must be talking rubbish – how can I believe a word that comes out of his traitorous mouth? "If you don't leave right now, I'll make you."

"There's a Prophecy, it doesn't matter but the Dark Lord's hunting Harry down. You have to hide – please, go where he won't find you – let me help you –"

"Why can't you get it into your head? I don't want your help!"

"What about your son? Don't you care about what happens to him? Don't you know what He'll do to him when he finds him?"

"Shut up! You're a sneaky, mendacious, disingenuous bastard! Why would you tell me this, so you can finish off what you started in seventh year? Haven't you caused enough suffering in my life yet? You don't get care what happens to Harry –"

"I care what happens to you."

I glare at him with as much loathing as I have ever felt in my life. How dare he? How can he talk to me this way? As though I need him, as though he cares.

"I don't believe you. You said we couldn't be friends. You said you didn't love me anymore –"

"Well I lied," he snapped, "don't give me that look; I'm trying to help you and that pus-filled airhead stay alive. You could at least be grateful."

"Be grateful? How can I possibly trust you? You're a coward – and a liar."

"We're on the same side, Lily. You don't have to trust me, just hide, please –"

"No – I can't deal with this – with you- right now. Why can't you comprehend that I don't want you anywhere near me! You decided to get out of my life so do yourself a favour and fucking stay out of it."

I hex him then, throw his wand on the ground and Apparate home.

SEVERUS' P.O.V

OCTOBER 1981

COKEWORTH

I climb the hilltop, the cold and the darkness making my skin numb, the wind is whistling through the branches of the trees. The autumn has already washed away the leaves of summer. Perhaps if I had more time, I'd think about all the time Lily and I spent here together but I don't – I've run out of time.

My meeting with Lily did not go well – but maybe he can help. Maybe he can make her see reason.

I'm out of breath, panting. He said he'd come. My wand tightly in my hand, I look around. Where is he? I can feel the fear grip my soul. I can almost feel the time slipping through my fingers.

A bright, jagged stream of white light flies through the air. He has arrived. My wand is snatched from my hand and I am brought to my knees.

"Don't kill me!"

"That was not my intention."

Dumbledore stands before me. The wind starts to roar, snapping at my robes and stabbing through my body. Though it is dark, Dumbledore's face is lit by the light of his wand. He looks expectant, wary. How can I convince him to trust me? How can I make him help me?

"Well, Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?"

"No—no message—I'm here on my own account!" I am desperate; there is no doubt about that. "I—I come with a warning—no, a request—please—"

Dumbledore waves his wand and whilst the branches still wave and shudder, silence begins to fall. It's deafening.

"What request could a Death Eater make of me?"

This is certainly going to be difficult. Oh what a mess I've made of it all.

"The—the prophecy. . . the prediction. . . Trelawney. . . "

"Ah, yes," says Dumbledore. "How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?"

"Everything—everything I heard!" I say. "That is why—it is for that reason—he thinks it means Lily Evans!"

"The prophecy did not refer to a woman," Dumbledore has his eyes narrowed. "It spoke of a boy born at the end of July—"

"You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down—kill them all—"

"If she means so much to you," Dumbledore says, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"

"I have—I have asked him—"

"You disgust me," the raw contempt in his voice makes me inch back.

I was wrong to come here –he won't help me but I have to try. For her, for Lily.

"You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"

I say nothing but I look at him. I should have known that this would be the only way – he doesn't understand. Nobody ever understood – all I care about is Lily but Dumbledore – he cares for them all.

"Hide them all, then," my voice is croaky – I'm exhausted. "Keep her—them—safe. Please."

"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"

"In—in return?" What a question, what would I give in return for the safety of Lily? Well, I know the answer to this question at least, "Anything."