“Dad actually didn’t tell me about that meeting.  It was the Headmaster, who told me after I got back from the Ministry… the night that I…Sorry,” Harry choked out.  “So, where was I?”

Severus listened to his son’s description of the events of the night he confronted the Headmaster about the truth of Harry heritage.  Severus let his mind drift back to how this amazing boy even came to be.  He remembered the day Lily had come to see him like it was yesterday.

****

October 1979

Severus groaned as the pounding on the front door continued.  Pulling the pillow off his head he made his way towards the door, muttering under his breathe a mixed stream of curses and foul names about whoever was standing on the other side of the door.  When he reached the door all thoughts of what the best hex to use were lost.  There stood, his onetime best friend, his only real friend, Lily Evans.  No, Lily Potter, Severus corrected himself mentally.  

The two hadn’t spoken since the night outside of Gryffindor Tower.  Severus had regretted his actions of that afternoon as soon as the words had left his mouth.  He wished he would have been able to take them back with all his heart.  He waited outside the Tower for hours so he could apologize to Lily.  But, after being shot down so viciously outside, Severus had not been able to bring himself to try and offer another olive branch.

“Sev, may I come in?”  Lily asked, her voice was rough, as if she had been crying recently.

Severus said nothing, but moved aside letting her pass.

Sitting herself on the ratty couch Severus had just abandoned Lily took in the sitting room.  It wasn’t much different than the last time she had visited Spinner’s End.  The furniture was the same old beaten set.  There still were the many books lining the room as well.  What was new was the fine layer of dust covering all of these.  Eileen Snape had always kept the house in immaculate condition, probably in hopes of giving her drunken husband, Tobias less of a reason to attack, not that he ever needed a reason.  

Severus hadn’t changed much either.  His hair was still long and greasy.  He had grown several inches since then, but he had yet to fill out.  

“Are you going to sit down Sev, or just stand at the door gapping?”  Lily snapped.

“What are you doing her Lily?”  Severus asked taking a seat across from his long lost friend.

“I came to see you.”  She said barely able to stop herself from rolling her eyes.  

“Why?  We haven’t spoken since the night outside of the Tower.”  Severus said slightly confused.  In the almost five years since that incident there had not been a word exchanged between the two.  Now Lily sat on his couch.

“I wanted to see you… to apologize for the way I treated you that night.  I was hurt and angry, Severus.”  Lily said, her face dropping so she was speaking to her shoes. 

Severus stared at the young woman flabbergasted.  This was not the Lily Evans he knew.  The Lily he knew looked people in the eye when she spoke to them.

“Lily, look at me.”  Severus said sitting across from her.  

Lily looked up; tears had collected in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

“I understand Lily.  I was hurt as well.  You made me look like even more of a fool.”  Severus tucked a strand of his unwashed hair behind his right ear.

“Well, I’m sorry Sev.  I’m sorry I was trying to stand up for my best friend.”  Lily snapped back, a tear escaping her eye.

“I know.”  The young wizard returned tersely.  He was too tired to have this discussion right now.  He had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the last several days.  He was emotional exhausted as well, having spent most of the previous night in the company of the Dark Lord.  “I tried to apologize.”  Severus said, his voice loosing much of its previous heat, though none of the hurt.

“I know you did.  I should have listened to you, but it was too fresh.  My best friend of seven years had just called me that foul word.  The friend that had told me it didn’t matter if I was Muggleborn.”  Lily said brushing away another tear as it rolled down her pale cheek.  

“It doesn’t matter to me Lily.”  Severus said his own voice becoming rough with emotion.  

“But it does!  Why else would you call everybody else of my birth that foul name?”

“It doesn’t matter for you.  It never affected the way I felt about you.”  Severus said blinking rapidly trying to avoid the tears from falling.

“Why?  What’s so special about me?”

“I – I love you Lily.  I always have.”  Severus said in little more than a whisper.

“Oh Sev,” Lily said throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

Severus regained his balance much quicker than he was able to retrieve his wits.  He had never been very good with people and this situation was probably one of the most uncomfortable he had ever been in.  He awkwardly began to pat her back trying to provide some sort of comfort.  However, the position was rather uncomfortable.  Without thinking Severus pulled the petit redhead into his lap.  Lily let the tears fall freely from her eyes.  She continued to cry for what seemed like hours to Severus, but really could not have been more than a half an hour or so.

When Lily finally stopped crying Severus risked shifting ever so slightly.  He figured that she had cried herself into exhaustion, falling asleep on his shoulder.  He was startled to see her emerald eyes staring back at him.

 With some effort Severus cleared his throat before he chanced speaking. “Lily, you shouldn’t be here.  Not like this, I’m not the person you knew all those years ago.  You’re married to… Potter.”  

A new wave of tears overtook Lily at the mention of her husband’s name.

Severus had not expected such a reaction.  As far as he knew Lily and Potter were happily married.

“Lily, what’s wrong?”  Severus asked gently pushing away a strand of auburn hair that had fallen into her eyes.

Pain shown plainly through the beautiful emeralds, “James is d… they think James is dead.” Lily chocked out before burying her face into his shoulder once more.

“Lily, I’m sorry,” Severus said tightening his grip around the young woman in his lap.

“Are you?”  Came a muffled reply, Severus could almost feel her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.

“I never liked Potter, but I never wished to see you hurt.”  Severus said brushing another strand of auburn locks away from her face.

“Sev, I’ve missed you so much!”  Lily exclaimed as she tightened her grip around the willowy wizard once more.

Lily spent the next week and half living at Spinner’s End.  The two friends spent much of their time catching up on what had happened in the other’s life since the end of fifth year and more specifically since leaving school.  Severus was always guarded about what he said.  He had no desire for Lily to discover he had actually become a Death Eater.  

Lily talked about her family.  Her parents still lived in house she had grown up in, only a short distance away from where they presently sat.  Petunia had been married the previous year to a bore of a man.  He seemed to make her happy though, and that was all Lily cared about.  Severus had a hard time not showing his contempt when Lily mentioned her older sister.  

Severus too talked about his family, though none of the news was as happy as Lily’s.  Both of his parents had died within the last year, his father from complications from alcohol, his mother in a pedestrian versus car hit-and-run.  Severus had never cared much for his father.  He was an abusive, ill tempered bastard.  He had cared more for his mother, though that did not take much, but neither of their deaths were troubling him to a great extent.  

Severus learned that Lily had taken an apprenticeship with Committee on Experimental Charms.  He had also learned about the circumstances in which James Potter was believed to have been killed.

Potter had gone out on a mission with Caradoc Dearborn neither had been seen for over a week by the time Lily had come to see Severus.  Lily had spent the first several days of James absence at their home waiting diligently.  The remaining Marauders had been there constantly trying to comfort Lily, but it all became too much.  The next thing she knew was on Severus’ doorstep.

Severus had listed to her tale patiently, doing little more than nodding or grunting to show he was still paying attention.  He could sense that Lily just needed someone to vent to and he was more than willing to play that part.

After such a grueling experience Severus began to think Lily needed something to lift her spirits.  As it was Halloween he came up with the brilliant idea of throwing them a small feast.  With a little encouragement Lily made her way to her parents’ home giving Severus free roam to make the preparations.

Since Lily had been staying over Severus had not cooked.  Lily had taken it upon herself to prepare all the meals, arguing it was the least she could do to repay his hospitality.
When Lily came back she was greeted by the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.  Severus had dressed for the occasion, well, sort of.  He had broken from his customary all consuming black robes.  Instead he wore a white dress shirt with the collar open with black trousers and a fitting black vest.  His long hair was well washed and pulled pack into a ponytail.

“This smells great Sev.”  Lily said taking a seat in the dining room.

“Happy Halloween Lily, and thank you,” Severus said placing the last dish on the table.  

“I didn’t know you cooked.”  She said taking in the dishes speared across the table.

“I normally do much simpler fair for myself, but I wished to present you with something to lift your spirits.  I did not think takeaway fish and chips would be able to achieve such a feat.  Severus explained pouring each of them a generous measure of red wine.

They enjoyed a dinner of prime rib, roasted vegetables, mash potatoes and gravy, with a rich chocolate pudding for desert.  The conversation was pleasant mostly about what was going on with Lily’s family.  As the night wore on and more alcohol was consumed things began to fog.  

The next thing Severus remembered was waking the next morning, Lily’s head resting on his naked chest.

Severus held his breath as he felt the head begin to shift.  Lily let out a groan as she snuggled closer into him only to shot up wide awake.

“Oh God,” she cried as she jumped out of the bed and began a frantic search for her discarded clothing.

“Lily,” Severus started to say, but stopped at Lily’s steely glare.

“No Severus, we did something wrong!  My husband hasn’t been gone for three weeks and I’m sleeping with another man!”  She raged, pulling her blouse over her head.  “What kind of person does that make me?”  She demanded, but she did not wait for an answer.  Instead she threw down a pinch of Floo power and was gone.