January 10, 1995

Severus continued thinking about the conversation he had had with Karkaroff and the presence of the Dark Mark, growing darker and darker on his arm.

Dumbledore also shared his suspicions that the Dark Lord was regaining his strength, and that the day would come when his return was inevitable.

The professor wondered, not for the first time, what would happen when that day arrived.

Dumbledore had already asked him to return to his old role as a spy, which was not without risk. Not even Severus, with his masterful skills in Occlumency, was free from suffering the wrath of his former lord. What would happen if he was not able to fulfill his role?

His life wasn't worth much outside of his work as a spy, but Severus felt that it wasn't just about him anymore. He had to think about Lily.

As much as he had promised to help and protect Harry Potter, Severus was not deceived, the boy was not alone. Dumbledore watched him like a bird of prey, and there were also others like Lupin, Black and the Weasleys who would jump to his defense if necessary. Even the irritating Alastor Moody was at his service, like a fussy old bodyguard.

But Lily had no one. No one cared about her, and what was worse, everyone thought she was a muggleborn.

And precisely for that reason, Severus felt that it was his responsibility to prepare her for the future, so that she could defend herself the day he was no longer at her side.

Because Severus knew better than anyone that sometimes you had to fight for yourself, because no one else would.

ooo

Lily entered the office curiously, wondering what Professor Snape would want with her. The wizard had asked her to stay after class, with that expression he wore when he wanted to be secretive and mysterious, and Lily wondered if he wanted to tell her something about the Christmas party.

"Miss White, you no doubt remember a conversation we had last year about your ability to perform non-verbal spells," she nodded, wondering what he was getting at. "Have you done it again?"

"Sometimes, when I practice alone."

"I think you should progress in your training, especially learning defense and attack spells," Lily looked at him blankly. "What I mean, Miss White, is that I am going to train you in magical dueling, and I hope that by the end of the course you will be able to face me without saying the spells out loud."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. That was not part of the usual syllabus for a third-year student, but the teacher's tone gave no room for a reply.

"Of course, the headmaster has given his permission," Severus lied. Dumbledore didn't know anything, and he hoped he would never find out. "But I would appreciate it if you didn't say a word to your colleagues."

"Should I tell them that I am following the advanced potions course?" Lily raised her eyebrows and gave a small smile that Severus recognized very well. It was a grimace he made himself when he was scheming.

"I will give you a list of the spells you must learn during the week, and on Thursday afternoons you will practice them with me, in silence," he continued, trying to keep his face in an imperturbable expression. "You can leave."

Lily obeyed, but before opening the door she turned to him.

"Professor, someone sent me a package of candy for Christmas, but it didn't have a return address," she said tentatively. He crossed his arms and replied with a bored look.

"Why should I care?"

"It is not the first time it has happened."

"Are you complaining about a Christmas present, Miss White?" she blushed and looked down.

"No, it's just... it doesn't matter," she murmured, slumping her shoulders. "Good afternoon, Professor."

ooo

April 24, 1995

Three months had passed since Severus decided to train Lily, and he had not regretted it.

Every Thursday the two met in one of the largest dungeons to practice. They were still slowly making their way through the long list of spells Lily had to learn before embarking on the curses, but Severus hoped that perhaps during the next course he could teach Lily the basics of the dark arts.

The fact that she was still thirteen didn't matter, no Death Eater's hand was going to shake because of that, Severus knew that very well. And anyway, it was clear that she could handle that and more.

Lily had not disappointed him. Not only was she smart and learned quickly, but she showed fierceness when fighting, without losing her cool. The girl took the training very seriously and always came to the weekly appointments with the spells learned and prepared.

She still had to polish her technique, and Severus could still guess her next moves as if she were shouting them to him, but he still felt satisfied.

He was being a little tougher on her that particular day, since they were practicing shield spells, and Severus wanted to know how much she could resist.

Lily was thrown back many times, but she always got back up, wand in hand and a look of determination on her face. To Severus's relief, she had no longer been afraid of him, but instead got into position, again and again, with a glint of confidence and defiance in her eyes that he knew all too well.

Definitely, the next school year was going to be very interesting.

"Drop down, Miss White."

"What do you mean?"

"You already know that you don't have enough strength to stop my attack. In that case, it's not worth trying, just drop down and attack me from the ground."

"But Professor, you told me that if I fell, I would lose the advantage."

"And so it is, but in a duel, you must take advantage even from your weakness. It's better to fall to the ground whenever you want rather than being thrown back and losing your wand."

Lily tilted her head to the side, thinking about his words, but snorting through her nose, she shook her shoulders and got into a defensive position, signaling that she was ready.

Severus attacked her silently, and Lily raised her protective shield, but this time she used the momentum of the offensive charm to let herself fall back. As soon as she hit the ground, she pointed at Severus, and his wand flew out of his hand.

Severus smirked. Obviously, he had allowed himself to be disarmed, but it wasn't that bad for a first attempt. Lily's technique still needed improvement, but Severus couldn't be happier.

ooo

May 2, 1995

"Today I am going to teach you how to use the ground as a conductor for your spells."

"Why are you so obsessed with the ground? Do you think I'm going to fall all the time?" Lily had gained more confidence and dared to question him more casually. He didn't dislike that change, so he didn't scold her.

"Your enemies will be larger and more numerous than you. You must be prepared for the worst possible scenario. You must use your disadvantages to your advantage and attack the enemy where they least expect it."

"How do I do that?"

"Instead of pointing your wand at me, you must stick it into the ground, and deploy the energy around you. Set up a security perimeter around yourself and prevent the spell from touching you. At first just cast the spell, and once you get it under control you can practice aiming at the dolls."

Lily did as he told her, kneeling and resting the tip of her wand on the stone floor. She focused on the cold, hard surface, imagining it was air.

"Incendio," she didn't say the spell out loud, but the fire spread quickly and with more energy than she expected, flooding the room and engulfing the surprised professor.

He fell backwards, waving his wand frantically to put out the flames consuming his robe.

"Professor! Are you alright?" Lily ran towards him and knelt next to him, helping him put out the last embers. "I'm sorry, Professor, I'm very sorry."

"What are you doing, Miss White?"

"I didn't want to hurt you, Professor."

Severus looked at her stunned. Was she worried about him?

"Miss White, you have done exactly what you were supposed to do, don't worry about it. In any case, it was my mistake for underestimating you. You are stronger than I expected."

She still looked at him with fear in her eyes, but Severus realized that she was afraid for him, not of him. This was an unknown experience, so he decided to proceed with caution.

"Miss White, if helps to calm you down, I will stand next to you to prevent you from burning me. Are you ready to try again?"

She nodded, still trembling, and got into position, but kept looking over her shoulder to check that the professor was still inside the security perimeter.

"Stop distracting yourself, Miss White," but to reassure her, Severus did something he had never done before. He put a hand on her shoulder.

She tensed momentarily, but instantly relaxed, and expelling the air from her lungs she repeated the spell, flooding the room with flames.

"Very good, now try to focus your spell on the dolls."

Lily repeated the spell, each time with more control. At the end of the lesson, she was able to burn the doll using just a thin line of fire.

And all the while, Severus's hand never left her shoulder.

ooo

June 23, 1995

The sparks bounced off the walls, but the two magicians ignored it, concentrated as they were on their particular duel. They still used spells and incantations, but their speed and strength were much greater than a few months ago. And this time, Lily took the initiative.

She had trained very hard, going over the spells over and over again every time she was alone, and not only that, she had also trained her body, running, jumping, and practicing controlled falls. This time, she would not let herself be defeated.

She knew the professor was stronger than her, but Snape was holding back, and that gave her the advantage.

Lily took advantage of her greater agility to cast a quick flurry of spells, a trick she had learned two weeks ago, and ran quickly to the side.

Snape cast a fainting spell on her, but she fell to the ground and rolled over. While she was crouched, she brushed the stones on the floor with her wand, causing the flagstones beneath the professor to transform into a deep puddle, distracting him.

And then, quick as lightning, Lily cast an Expelliarmus, and this time, she managed to disarm Severus by herself.

They both looked at each other, catching their breath. Snape was surprised, but smiled. Not a smug smile or an evil smile before blurting out a venomous comment.

This was a sincere smile, and Lily couldn't remember ever seeing him smile like that. He looked younger and kinder, and it was a strange but pleasant sight. And there was also something else, something that made his eyes shine.

Pride.

Was he proud of her?

"You have improved a lot, Miss White," he congratulated her, retrieving his wand. "This will be our last duel of this school year. I hope you continue studying during the summer."

"Will we be able to practice exes next year?"

Severus caught himself before laughter left his lips. He still had to maintain the facade of the cool, unflappable professor, but sometimes he found it terribly difficult, especially when Lily smiled at him like that, her eyes shining and her face beaming with energy.

He contented himself with a slight smile, but Lily was not fooled.

"If you continue with your studies, I may teach you something else," he answered, with a mysterious tone.

Lily wanted to ask what it was about, but she knew he wouldn't say anything. Even so, she did not stop smiling, she was convinced that the wait would be worth it.

ooo

June 25, 1995

"Cedric Diggory has been killed by Lord Voldemort"

The students cowered in fear, and some cried. No one knew how to react to the news.

Those who came from wizarding families and had heard the stories of the First Wizarding War understood more clearly what that news meant.

"Everything will be fine," Daphne tried to remain calm, taking her sister's hands in hers. "Everything is going to be fine."

Astoria tried to hold back her tears, but she was very nervous.

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll go home, dad will know what to do. Lily, come with us," she offered. "Dad and mom won't care. You can spend the entire summer at home, you will be safe."

"But... I have to go back. Miss Anderson...and Susan!" Lily shook her head. "I can't leave them alone."

"Lily, you can't do anything. If someone attacks you—"

"I can defend myself! I can..." Lily looked towards the teachers' table, helplessly. Professor Snape was still absent. Where was he? "I must come back. I must go home," she repeated, on the verge of tears.

Daphne reluctantly accepted her decision but held out a hand to her.

"We'll write to you, okay? We'll be in touch."

Lily tried to smile, but couldn't. She was afraid. Lord Voldemort had returned. What would happen now?

...,...

When Severus gets something in his head, there's no going back, and his new goal is to protect his new Lily.

And luckily, Lily seems to like the challenge, and also hanging out with her new favorite teacher.

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