"Your room is this way," Severus told her, rather unnecessarily, as they walked upstairs. "It-it wouldn't be proper for us to share a room, but mine's right next to yours."

"I don't mind," Lily answered, from a few steps behind him. "I wouldn't have been uncomfortable sharing a room, but I expect your mum and mine would feel awkward about it."

The way Lily ended her statement made Severus think she wanted to say more, but she went silent. In fact, she didn't speak again until after they were in her new bedroom.

"Oh, it's lovely!" she murmured, grinning widely. "It's so beautiful, Sev! And window seats...I always wanted my room to have them. The female dormitory has them, you know, and they're just darling! And the colors. Your mum did such a great job. Tell her thank you-I will, of course, but make sure you do. And it's so big! It's nearly half the size of the female dormitory." She spun in a circle with her arms out, her robes billowing around her. "It's beautiful."

Severus chuckled as he put her trunk down. "Yeah, our bedrooms are huge. Makes my old one look like a closet-a wardrobe, really. James's is even larger, though, and I reckon our dormitory could fit into Sirius's bedroom."

Lily sat down on the window seat, and after a pause, Severus joined her. "Not that I mind, but why are they so large?"

"Status," Severus answered, shortly. "Pure bloods used to own one main home, and later generations would add onto it. Each one basically had a house of their own. 'Cept it didn't stay that way-I reckon couples wanted space after they got married-but the tradition of adding onto an existing home never went away. And it's not like it is in the muggle world, with taxes and all that. Once you own your home, it's yours until you decide to sell it, and most never do. Besides, we can add on floors and the like by magic-it's not as though we need to hire builders."

"But you-your mum..." Lily faltered.

"I don't know, exactly, how she managed to buy this house. I reckon the blood line died off, or they had moved on to other houses. She just told me that she'd bought it, and that was that," Severus explained.

"Yes, but how did she have the money?"

Oh, that.

"When she reconnected with her parents, they insisted on giving her a bunch of the money they would have as an adult if she hadn't left," Severus explained. "She was expecting me before she was married, and was afraid that if they knew, they'd make her Vanish me. So, she left before they could find out, and we saw how well that turned out." His face contorted. "Not that she could have known for sure," Severus added, generously. "After she left my father, she sent them an owl or something, and they were just thrilled that she was all right. We visit at least once a week, except when I was staying at James's house."

"Then, you're rich, now." Lily looked around the room.

"Yeah." Severus laughed. "I reckon it's still hard for us to believe. We're not buying gold cauldrons by the dozen or anything like that, though. Mum got a job in the apothecary, brewing potions with Slughorn and some other wizard-I forget his name. Not because she has to, but I reckon that she doesn't fancy just sitting around all day."

"Mum doesn't work outside the home," Lily countered. "She says just raising us is a full-time job."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Raising Tuney is more than a full-time job."

"Ugh, tell me about it!" Lily closed her eyes. "She's gotten even worse. Do you know, she wouldn't even touch the box of chocolates I had delivered to them from Honeydukes? Mum and Dad practically inhaled them, they were so good. But Tuney acted like they were-were ear wax flavored beans."

"She's jealous. No, she's envious," Severus corrected himself. "Because you have magic and get to go away to a brilliant school, and she's hardly an average student, and can't even transfigure a match into a needle. And instead of being gracious about it and happy for you, she's a prat."

"That's more or less what Mum and Dad say. Even Dad's getting fed up with her. They were pretty understanding at first, kept saying how hard it must be for her, but they also see how hard I'm trying, and how dreadful she's being. Anyway." Lily just shook her head. "Oh, can I ask you a question, Sev?"

"Sure, go ahead," he replied.

"Why did your mum send the invitation? Instead of you?" she asked, puzzled.

"Oh, it's a tradition amongst pure blood families. When it's the first invite, the parents send one to the family of the child. Even if it's been all but settled by the kids, it's still considered proper." Severus paused, trying to recall what his mother had told him about this. "I reckon it stems from the days of arranged marriages, although they've all but died out for most of us."

"Oh." Lily looked a bit pleased. "Then, it was a compliment?"

"Definitely," Severus reassured her. "Mum isn't one of those witches who thinks that blood matters, but she's still traditional in some ways. Like that."

Lily grinned. "She seems nice, your mum."

"I can't complain." Severus returned the smile. "Anything in particular you want to do after you unpack and have tea?"

"I suppose you expect me to say explore the village," Lily grinned, "and I do want to. But I expect it would be better for me to learn my way around your castle."

"It's hardly the size of Hogwarts, and we don't use half of it," Severus protested, "but all right. I suppose you don't fancy trying to find the loo by your bedroom and end up in the library."

Lily giggled. "Precisely...wait, you have a library?"

Severus gave her trunk a pointed look. "After you unpack, perhaps? I, er, reckon you don't want my help there."

She blushed. "Best not. You're next door, then? I can knock on your door when I'm finished?"

Severus nodded, then rose. "Just don't get lost!" he called, as he left the room.

"You're lucky I can't hex you!" Lily called after him.

Actually, she could. But he would wait after tea before revealing that.

Author's note: short chapter, I know. But while I can have covered more, I plan to do that in the next one. I plan to write the next one or two from Lily's POV, for reasons you will see when you read it.

As always, I greatly appreciate constructive feedback!