1994

In a panicked frenzy, Harry realized that his professor was sprouting out some kind of prophecy. Someway or another, the boy was able to think clearly enough to grab a pen and paper to write it down. Lucky for him, Snape repeated his litany two more times before his dark eyes cleared into their normal black. Lucky indeed he was, as he had managed to get every word down.

The professor sat still, panting, as he slowly looked about the room. When his shocked eyes fell upon Harry, the boy froze, his insides churning. “Water,” the man croaked, his voice soft, no where near as powerful or as commanding as it had been a moment ago.

Water! the boy’s mind raced as he grabbed for a glass of water only to find, that he had no glass. The man was thirsty! How could he not have thought about a glass of water? Stupid!

“Sir,” Harry turned contrite emerald eyes upon the professor. “I don’t have a glass for you.”

Still not quite in his normal mind frame, Snape glared over to the large bowl sitting on the desk. “Water,” he said again, making his student feel quite idiotic.

“Oh!” the young wizard instantly caught on. He picked up the glass bowl carefully and watched in fascination as the Potions Master held the side of the bowl with his shaking hands and tipped it back gently as he placed his chapped lips upon it. Harry wisely kept his hands around the bowl as well.

Once the man seemed to have had his fill, he slid back down into the covers, shivering. It was only then that Harry realized that the man’s fever had broken. “I’ll…need more…potions,” Snape muttered before he dozed off into a light sleep, as though he were merely a tired boy rather than a seriously wounded man. How could he do that?

Harry stood stone still for a moment, waiting with baited breath to see just what his unpredictable professor would do next. When it became obvious that Snape was just going to continue sleeping, the boy sat back down in his chair by the bed and stared at his teacher, hoping, but not hoping, that the wizard would wake again. Despite all his effort to turn away, the Gryffindor found his insatiable curiosity getting the better of him.

How was it that this man, the great Potions Master of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was a Seer? Hadn’t Snape always been the one that had scoffed Trelawney, calling her a, “bug brained, narcissistic, crackpot that bordered on dementia, because she believed she had visions that are more than likely just hallucinations brought on by some drug or another with her talk of apocalyptic events.” Or it had been along those lines. But if Snape also shared these same gifts, why then did he try to hide it? Harry found himself slightly envious that the man had the Sight while those that wanted, wished for it, were left blind.

“So, what? You’re a potions making, Seeing Death Eater that goes around injured until you come to a student’s house?” sarcasm was coming a lot easier to Harry then it had in the past.

Sighing, the Boy-Who-Lived decided that there was nothing to it but to make sure the adult wizard was comfortable. Snape would need more potions soon, and water. Perhaps when Dudley left the house, Petunia would let him out. Although just yesterday Harry would not have put it past his aunt to lie and break his trust, today the boy just could not believe that about his aunt.

“So what now Professor?” Harry asked quietly. “Not much in the mood for talking anymore? What’s that?" he cupped his hand around his ear. "You don’t even want to take away any points from Gryffindor? Do wonders ever cease!”

The soft hoot from the corner alerted the young wizard that his owl was feeling particularly left out. There was something calming about Hedwig that easily brought a smile to Harry’s lips. She was a beautiful animal and a great companion. Although Ron and Hermione were great, Harry could tell anything to Hedwig without her jumping down his throat or judging him un fairly. She was his best friend.

“I wish I could let you out,” the boy apologized, stroking the soft white feathers as best as he could through the cage. “But I don’t have the…” his thoughts trailed off.

Wait a minute… he did have the key! His aunt had given him her key ring, the one with all the keys to Harry’s stuff! She had been so focused on Snape earlier, that Harry decided not to interrupt and had shoved the key ring into his pocket.

Grabbing the keys out of his pockets, Harry flashed a huge grin at his still Potions Master. “Thanks professor,” he said jovially. “Couldn’t’ve done it with out you!”

Flipping through the keys, Harry found that this task was going to be harder than he had previously thought. There were so many keys that he found himself wondering just how much stuff he really had. Or perhaps they had placed keys to other things here as well?

Whatever the case may be, it took a good five minutes until Harry came out successful. Throwing caution to the wind, the young wizard threw open the cage door. Not wasting a second, Hedwig jumped from her perch and soared around the room, happily hooting every so often. Her flight was so smooth, so graceful, that Harry found himself mesmerized and enchanted; just as he had been the first time he had seen her in flight.

With all he majesty of a queen, the Snowy Owl landed, perched on the backboard of the bed, almost directly above Snape. There was a moment when Harry feared that his pet would do something terrible to his teacher, but instead, the bird simply looked down at the stranger in her house. Holding his breath unconsciously, the young wizard watched as the owl hopped down from her perch and onto the bed next to the professor.

“Hedwig!” Harry felt it once again necessary to whisper. “Hedwig, stop it! Hedwig! I mean it, get away from him!”

But the owl paid him no heed. She simply went about her way, sticking her neck out a long way so that she could look at the unconscious man that had come into her home. In bewilderment, Harry watched as his pet began to lovingly nip at the wizard’s ear, as she so often did with her owner. The little act of love sent a shiver down the Gryffindor’s spine.

Love? How could anyone love Snape? Sure, he could see like…maybe, but love? There was nothing about the man to Harry’s eyes that could make anyone love him. Snape was just so cruel, thoughtless, sarcastic, malevolent, and volatile for anyone to possibly even consider getting close enough to love him. There was something about the thought of loving Snape that…that frightened Harry.

Oh sure, Harry had thought about what it would be like to be loved by his parents, to be loved by a grandfatherly figure, but when his thoughts turned to someone like Snape, he had to pause. If a man like the Potions Master were to love someone, truly love them, would it change them at all? Although it was hard to admit, especially at school, Snape did display the trait of loyalty and commitment. But that was insane. Snape didn’t like anything except making people miserable, potion making, and showing off the dark arts. The professor was a man without a heart.

Just then, the sound of the locks being opened from outside caught Harry’s attention. He turned around to see his aunt in the doorway. Tentatively, she walked in, nervously glancing about. “H-how is he?” she asked.

Glancing back down at Snape, Harry was surprised when he felt a bit of a jolt. It was quite unexpected and the boy found himself shivering because of it. “Fine,” he said after a minute. “He’ll need some water when he wakes up, and some more potions.”

Petunia nodded, her face impassive. “Harry,” her voice was still so gentle. “You’re cousin will be back this afternoon. Will you please go finish the dishes? And then, if you could, could you start scrubbing the couch? I’ll be done in a few minutes, I have… something I need to get.”

Frowning at his aunt for a moment, the young wizard found himself nodding in the end. “Yes, Aunt Petunia.”

Together, the two walked from the room, leaving Hedwig to watch over the sleeping professor. After shutting the door, Harry went down the stairs while Petunia went into her bedroom. Neither one felt the desire to speak.

Once in her own room, Petunia shut the door softly, as though trying not to disturb the things within. She sat down on her bed and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her face was pasty white, her eyes red and puffy, her body still twitching and shaking. She looked horrible and felt even worse. What could be worse than seeing a man that you believed to be dead for almost fourteen years?

Tears filled the woman’s eyes again and she began to cry. “Oh Lily,” she sobbed. “If only you’d known!”

Petunia straightened her skirt nervously for about the twelfth time that morning. She scowled when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was starting to fall from the bun she had placed it in this morning, after being so rudely awaken by her little sister. Vernon had not been pleased.

“Oh, Tunie!” came Lily’s lilting voice. Turning around, Petunia caught her sister in a hug. “You look so beautiful!” Lily went on.

Unable to keep the scowl on her face, Petunia smiled at her sister as well. “Me?” she laughed. “Look at you!” she held her sister at arms length to get a better look at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful bride!”

Flashing her brilliant smile, her emerald eyes blazing, Lily twirled around in her white wedding gown. “Isn’t this beautiful?” she asked. “Isn’t everything just perfect?”

Smiling softly, Petunia grabbed her sister’s arm and led her to a chair. “Lily,” she said softly. “I am so happy that you are happy. But-”

“But?” Lily’s indignant reply cut off her sister. “What buts? I’ve never been happier in my life than I am right now. There is no room for buts today. Not ever again!”

Sighing, the older sister looked down at the witch’s left hand. There, resting carefully, was a simple, yet beautiful diamond ring. It had been given out of pure, unadulterated love and respect to Lily only the night before.

“But,” Petunia went on. “Do you think it’s wise to do this? I mean so quickly. You only just decided to marry last night!”

“Isn’t it romantic?” Lily was lost again in her euphoria. “He was so sweet, when he got down on his knees and told me how much he loved me; how much he’s always loved me. Then he slipped this ring on my finger and asked that I be his wife and make him the happiest, proudest man in the world,” she sighed blissfully. “He was so handsome!”

Shaking her head worriedly, Petunia touched her sister’s hand, trying to bring the girl back down to earth. “I know it must have been like a dream for you,” the elder sister nodded her understanding. “But Lil’! You’re only nineteen years old. Besides, does James even know that you broke off your engagement to him? Does he know you’re going to marry Severus?”

With her happiness shattered for the moment, Lily looked over at her sister with raging eyes. “I left him a note,” she said curtly. “I also plan on informing him after I’m happily married to Sev.”

“You can’t break off an engagement with a note, Lily,” Petunia admonished icily.

“I thought you didn’t like him?” the red head responded tartly.

“Lily, don’t fight me,” Petunia growled. “You know it’s not right to run off on any man like this, not even James Potter.”

“I told him not to push me anymore,” the witch’s eye filled with tears. “You know how awful he was to me! The way he degraded me in front of everyone, the way he only wanted me around when he wanted to get some, and the way he got angry when I never did give in to him.”

Petunia’s blue eyes chilled instantly at the declaration. Potter really was a bastard! “I know,” she tried to keep calm for her sister’s sake. “But,” she went on, “all this does seem a bit much, Lily. I mean, last year, even several months ago, you would have defended James with your dying breath, telling mum, dad, and I that we just didn’t understand him. Then several weeks ago you came to me cry about what a mistake it was for even dating Potter! Now, after I’ve spent so much time and effort trying to convince you to end your bloody engagement, Severus suddenly shows up on your doorstep, literally, and you’ve changed your mind and are marrying him the next day?”

Lily had the grace to blush at her sisters rebuke. “I know it all seems like I don’t know what I’m doing, but I do Tunie. I really do! You remember what I’d told you. I just wanted…to hurt Sev by dating James, but that got out of hand. He came to me last night, and I told him I loved him and he told me that he still somehow loved me. So what’s the point in waiting?”

With a heavy sigh, Petunia searched her sister’s face. “I know what it’s like to be married to someone you don’t love,” her voice was thick, but she refused to succumb to tears. “I just don’t want you to rush into this, Lily. Do you really love Severus? You said you had loved James.”

Sitting up tall, squaring her shoulders proudly, Lily looked her sister straight in the eyes, her own filling with tears as well. “Petunia,” her voice was serious. “I love Severus with all my heart. I always have, and I always will. He is the man I want to wake up next to every morning, and see him around every day.”

Smiling watery, the elder Evans girl nodded before hugging her sister. “Then nothing else matters, I suppose,” Petunia whispered. “Now, let’s get you married off!”

Standing up, whipping tears from her eyes, Lily giggled. The red head inspected herself in the mirror her sister had only minutes before, before she smiled. “Mrs. Lily Ann Snape,” her smile brightened. “I like the sound of that!”

Laughing, Petunia hugged her little sister from behind. “We had better hope so! Because I doubt he’d want to be Mr. Severus T. Evans!”

The two sisters burst into laughter before they looked over at the clock. It was time to march down the isle. Lily smiled nervously, but gripped her sister’s hand fiercely. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Tunie. I don’t think I could have done this without you.”

Squeezing her little sister’s hand back, Petunia smiled fondly at her sibling. “I’m glad I’m here too.”

Together they marched out of the waiting room and into the sanctuary, hand and hand. Oh Lily, I hope you will not come to anymore harm with all of your secrets!