“Um, excuse me?”

Severus turned to look into the largest, greenest pair of eyes he’d ever seen, fringed with lashes as red…

“Your eyelashes are the colour of my wand”

“Huh!” the little redhead looked at Severus with a quizzical expression on her pale, heart-shaped face.

“Um! Er.. I’m sorry” Severus said, a blush spreading over his high cheekbones “I was just, er, well your eyes are a pretty amazing colour.”

The girl blushed brighter than her auburn hair “Thanks! I’m Lily!”

“Um, Severus. Severus Potter. Er… you wanted to ask me something?”

“Er yeah! I was wondering, um… Where do I change into my school clothes? Do you have changing rooms?” the young girl asked shyly, looking down. Severus’s hazel eyes were riveted by the smattering of tiny, russet freckles over Lily’s little nose.

“Yeah but there’s a quicker way.” Severus indicated to Lily’s blue dress “I could have you out of those clothes in a second.”

Lily giggled “My sister would have slapped you for a line like that!”

Severus looked surprised, then realisation, quickly followed by horror, dawned “I didn’t mean…”

“I know!” Lily grinned, pulling out a small set of dark-grey robes with sable embroidery around the hem, neckline and sleeves from her trunk “So, what’s the spell?”

Severus wiggled his wand, dragging it from the clothing to the girl and, suddenly, the robes were on the girl and the dress was on top of the trunk.

“Oh wow! You can cast non-verbal spells!”

“Errrrrrrrrrrr…” Severus was looking, mortified, at the little pair of socks and- oh gods no- knickers on top of the dress. They had a kitten on them.

Lily gasped when she caught sight of them blushing as red as Severus. She turned to look at him, their wide eyes mirroring each other’s horrified, embarrassed expressions.

“I’msosorryIdidn’tmeanto!”

Tears streamed from Lily’s eyes and she doubled over, her breath fast and gasping “Oh, oh no!”

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” Severus cried.

“The funniest thing…”

“Wh… You’re laughing” Severus asked incredulous.

Lily nodded and, grabbing her knickers and socks, ran to the girls bathrooms, pressing a kiss on Severus’s cheek as she passed.

oOoOo

“Hi, is it okay if I sit down?” Severus asked, peeping into a carriage where only one child, a dark-haired boy was sitting, gazing out of the window. He was wearing very expensive green robes and, from what Severus could see of his face, he had good cheekbones and a lofty forehead.

“Free country” the boy replied with a shrug, his eyes still fixed on the scenery.

Severus sat down and, after running a hand to smooth his unruly hair, lest Lily return, pulled out “Quidditch Through the Ages” and started reading. Although he’d mastered the basics of flying, he’d only just managed it before the end of the summer and, therefore, it wouldn’t hurt to impress Papa when he got back.

The book reflected in the mirror and, by degrees, the other boy’s interest gained supremacy over his sulk.

“You like Quidditch?”

Severus looked up into a handsome, aristocratic face “To tell you the truth, I can scarcely fly. Brooms hate me.”

The boy looked at him with a bemused look on his face, which crinkled into a smile. “Honesty. Wow, obviously not a Slyth, are you?”

“I don’t really know what I’ll be” Severus smiled, closing the book “I mean, I love to learn, so I might be a Ravenclaw but my intelligence has a practical bent and I’m quite ambitious, so that might be Slytherin. Gryffindor is also an option but I don’t think I’m quite idealistic or fool-hardy enough to be a proper lion; I have as much common-sense as courage. And although I value fair play and loyalty…”

“Who’d want to be a puffie?” the other boy laughed “You speak like a Professor, old chap, so I bet you’re going into Ravenclaw.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“You are a Black, Sirius, and, therefore, you will be in Slytherin.” Sirius said in a scratchy falsetto, then, in a normal voice “My mother’s a bitch.”

A little shocked at Sirius’s disrespect towards his mother, Severus latched onto his surname. “Black… are you a descendant of Phineas Nigellus?”

“Esteemed Head of Slytherin House and the last decent Headmaster of Hogwarts” Sirius added in the scratchy falsetto. “Yeah!”

“Oh, me too, he cast off my great-grandfather” Severus said stiffly.

“Blacks cast anyone half-decent off, take it as a compliment” huffed Sirius. “I am not going into Slytherin. I won’t! I don’t want to be a vicious, twisted, hateful old thing like my father.”

“So where will you go?” Severus asked, intrigued.

“I dunno. Gryffindor I guess.”

Severus smiled wryly “Might be a bit foolhardy, seeing as the two houses are rivals.”

“Heh, so I’m already Gryff material. Where would you go, if you were me?”

“Well” Severus said thoughtfully “You seem to have realised by yourself that the ‘Toujours Pur’ Blacks don’t have a very nice outlook on life”

“Damn right”

“So you could easily be a Ravenclaw. Of course, if you’re breaking with tradition, you’ll need a solid support system because, well, the Blacks aren’t all that understanding of people who want to be different. The Puffies are loyal, kind and noble-hearted.”

Sirius smirked “Makes sense. By they way, I’m Sirius Orion Black, but I bet you guessed that already.” He put out a hand.

“I’m Severus Roderick Potter” Severus shook Sirius’s hand with the firm yet gentle handshake his father had taught him.

“Um, excuse me?”

“Hi Lily” Severus stood up and smiled at the shy redhead “Come in and take a seat.”

Lily walked in and sat down two seats along from Sirius and opposite Severus, who also sat back down. As Mummy said, a man must always stand when a lady enters the room.

“Sirius, this is Lily, Lily Sirius. And I’m Severus.”

“Severe and serious, oh dear.” Lily said with a smile.

Sirius grinned “By name and not by nature.”

“We were talking about Houses, which do you think you’ll be sorted into?” Severus asked.

“Um, I’m not sure. I mean, McGonagall explained to my parents and me a bit about the House system but she just said I’d be sorted where I was meant to be.”

“Oh, are you from a non-magical background?” Severus asked.

“Yes, the first thing I heard was when Professor McGonagall knocked on our door one Saturday evening. Before then… well, strange things happened sometimes but I didn’t know it was magic.”

“What sort of accidental magic did you perform” Severus asked “I once caused a toy-broom to snap in half. Papa was trying to teach me to fly”

Sirius snorted with laughter.

“Well, brooms don’t like me, I don’t like brooms, fairs fair.” Severus said levelly, with a shrug.

“Um… I disappeared my teacher’s chair when she was mean to me” Lily whispered with a blush.

Sirius grinned “Good for you. Wish I’d done that to my uncle. Probably would have got me beaten though.”

“Your uncle beats you?” Lily gasped.

“Some pureblood families are rather archaic” Severus explained, wincing.

“Being a mud-blood has something going for it then!” Sirius added, lightly.

Severus jumped up, his wand in his hand “Take that back”

“Severus.. wha… what’s going on?” Lily said in a frightened voice.

“Relax, old man. I’m sorry” said Sirius, putting his hands up “That’s what my family calls, y’know, muggleborns. Force of habit.”

Severus sat down stiffly, his wand still held in his clenched fist.

“What’s a mudblood?” Lily asked.

“It’s refers to muggle-borns in much the same way that ‘whore’ is a synonym of ‘mistress’.” snarked Severus.

“It means..!” Lily said, expanding like a tiger puffing up its fur.

“No! No, it’s just a nasty word, okay.” Sirius hastily explained “It doesn’t mean whore. Just, y’know, dirty blood. I’m sorry and I won’t use it again. My parents aren’t all that nice.”

“Well, okay,” said Lily, her green eyes still hard as emeralds.

“Right” said Severus “Houses. There’s Slytherin: practical intelligence, brave but not foolhardy and ambitious, though that doesn’t just relate to status and career, it can mean keeping people you love safe or creating a better world, like my great grandfather.”

“Or being a prejudiced, nasty, vicious old bastard, like my and Severus’ great great grandfather.”

“You’re related?” asked Lily.

“Yeah but we only met today, Sev’s family are the white sheep” laughed Sirius.

Severus rolled his eyes “Then we have Ravenclaw: researchers, scholars and…”

“All around eggheads. Sev’s going to be one for sure” Sirius interrupted.

“Gryffindors, meanwhile are brave, noble and loyal. However, they can also be rather idealistic, seeing the world in black and white, not shades of grey. Not the most logical of houses, either: give a Gryffindor the choice of saving one person now or a hundred later, they’ll always choose the former.”

“Whereas Ravens would coolly let the one die to save the many and the Slyths would laugh as they both died.”

“You’re not giving a very unbiased account, Sirius.”

“Well, she can’t go in with the snakes, they’d eat her alive.”

“I can stand up for myself, thanks!” huffed Lily.

“And Gryffindork it is. That’s where I’m going; the land of the stupidly brave and bravely stupid.” Sirius chortled “Seriously, don’t go in Slyth just to spite us, okay?”

Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Finally, Hufflepuff: loyal, generous, kind-hearted and noble.”

“Sounds pretty good” said Lily

“Yeah but Puff is considered a bit wet.” Said Sirius with a sigh “Still, I should probably aim for them, if I have an ounce of self-preservation.”

Lily looked sympathetic “I know how hard it can be, having a family member… My sister Tuney… We used to be really close, close as any sisters but, when she found out that I had magic and she didn’t…”

Sirius nodded solemnly “Not good. My brother Reggie is like that, snotty little twat: thinks I don't have enough family pride!”

Lily nodded, turning her face away.

“But, look, we’re going to Hogwarts!” Severus said, in a desperately cheerful voice “I’ve heard that the school has the most extensive library in Wizarding Britain.”

“And the opening feast is supposed to be absolutely amazing: chips and roast potatos and lots of meat and sauces and gravy. The puddings often take up the entire house table, with scarcely room enough to put your plate.”

Lily smiled, blinking away her tears, Severus and Sirius were a very odd pair.

oOoOo

The sorting was just as magical as Severus had hoped. After a really amazing boat trip across the lake, on whose black waters the moon and stars shone, they had arrived at the beautiful, turreted castle and been ushered into the entrance hall. A strict looking woman had coaxed them into line before a spindly little stool upon which sat a positively ancient hat, the Sorting Hat, from the song it had just sung. Severus took a peek at Lily, smiling at her open, enraptured face. He hoped she’d go into Puff: they’d be most likely to ensure that wonder and delight did not dwindle into feelings of inferiority and alienation.

“Black Sirius” the woman, some people were saying she was Professor McGonagall, called.

Giving Severus and Lily a shy thumbs up, Sirius loped to the stool and yanked the hat over his head. Barely half a second later, it yelled ‘Gryffindor”.

Severus shrugged, smiling wryly and walked over to the cheering Gryff table, humming a few bars of the funeral march as he passed Severus, who giggled. A boy with lank black hair, sallow skin and sharp black eyes glared at him.

A couple more students were sorted and then “Evans Lily”

“Wish me luck” Lily whispered

“Good luck- it’ll be fine.” Severus called softly.

The hat spent somewhat longer deciding with Lily before saying “Well, my dear, if you’re sure, Hufflepuff!”

Severus clapped, beaming. A nasty snide voice behind him said “What’s there to clap about? I’d leave if they tried to put me in Puff.” Severus, knowing that someone was out for an argument, decided to ignore him: what good would getting into a fight do for him?

When it was finally Severus’s turn to be Sorted, he was slightly surprised when the hat actually spoke inside his head. “You’ve got a very fine mind, my boy”

“Thank you” Severus replied, a little awestruck.

“Oh, yes. I can talk to you. Bet you’re already wondering how it’s done, hmm?”

“Yes, Mummy says I’m too inquisitive for my own good.”

“Well, my dear boy, I’m seriously considering Ravenclaw or Slytherin. You’re a loyal, kind-hearted boy with a fine sense of justice, but I don’t think Gryffindor or Hufflepuff will do for you.”

“I think I’d prefer Ravenclaw; I’m not a blood-supremacist and I’ve already got friends in Gryff and Puff and, really, I’d rather be studying than having to fight my corner all the time.”

“Ha! Just what I wanted to hear, logic! Ravenclaw!”

Severus strode over to the clapping Ravenclaw table, sitting down beside a fair-haired boy and smiling over at Lily, who was happily chatting to a few little Hufflepuffs, who seemed to have taken her under their wings.

“It’s Prince, not Snape. And I’m Jimmy, right?!” Severus’s head jerked towards the snarling voice, the same voice that had given the taunt about Hufflepuff.

Professor McGonagall looked rather taken aback but, on a signal from Dumbledore, held her peace and offered the hat to the boy, who snatched it.

“Slytherin!”

“Am I ever glad that I chose Ravenclaw” Severus whispered to his neighbour, as the Ravenclaw table filled with delicacies, each with a little tab telling their country of origin and history.

“Too right, mate. Pass the paella, please”

oOoOo

From the Desk of Professor Filius Flitwick. Charms M(hons). Defence M(hons).

Dear Mr and Mrs Potter,

I am simply delighted to welcome young Severus Potter into Ravenclaw although, I confess, we are rather running low on things he doesn’t already know! Young Severus’ tutors have been telling me what a delight your son is to teach and, indeed, how impressed they are not only by his mind but with his interactions with others. Ravenclaw is a scholarly set, we tend to become absorbed in our own thoughts, but young Severus definitely has the common touch and has amassed three good friends and a dozen or so pleasant acquaintances already.

Severus has expressed an interest in learning Duelling and Mind Magic, as a Duelling champion, myself, I would be delighted to teach your son the art and Professor Slughorn, an accomplished Legilimens, is very enthusiastic about showing young Severus the basics of Mind Magic. With your consent, we will arrange lessons on Saturday and Sunday mornings, from nine am to 11 am.

Yours Sincerely, Filius Flitwick.

oOoOo

“Merlin, that James Snape gets on my nerves” Sirius grumped, kicking the ground. “He’s so full of crap, always going on about how purebloods and halfbloods are superior to muggleborns. He’s dead nasty.”

“Sirius, ignore him” Severus said, turning a leaf of his heavy book.

“Yeah but…”

“Look, Sirius, if pummelling the racist twats worked, they’d all be cured now.” Lily said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah but he’s such a git” Sirius turned his attentions on a dandelion clock, kicking the fluff away “He’s always on about how he’s the best chaser Slyth ever had! And he gels his hair to make it look like he’s just got off a broom! The twazzock!”

“Sirius, how many times do we have to tell you…” Remus sighed.

“Yeah, I know. Freedom of Speech, he has a right to be as much of an arsehole as he likes provided he doesn’t infringe on our rights.” Sirius groaned, paraphrasing Severus’s normal lecture.

“After all, you don’t want to end up an intolerant, bullying bitch like James”

“I’d never…” Sirius spluttered

“Same modus operandi, old chap: one cannot oppress those who don’t comply with one’s ideal in one breath, then complain that the other side is victimising those who don’t comply with their ideal in the next.” Severus added

“I guess. But he really gets on my nerves.”

Lily patted Sirius’s arm, saying in a mock-consoling voice “There, there Siri.”

“Naff off!” Sirius laughed.

oOoOo

“Remus, can I talk to you a moment?” Severus asked, indicating an empty classroom.

“Yeah, sure” the second year said amiably. Sirius, while being Remus’s best mate, was often hard work, so it was nice to hang out with Sev, who didn’t need a responsible supervisor to check him every moment of the day.

“Listen, Remus,” Severus said solemnly, sitting on the edge of the desk and casting a quick muffliato “firstly I want you to know that what I’ve discovered doesn’t change things between us, I mean, I feel sorry for you, it must have been so difficult to live like this, but it doesn’t change you in my eyes, not in a material way. And the only reason I’m saying anything is because, well, I think it must be jolly awful to live in fear all the time.”

Remus’s tanned face paled to a deathly white “You know..?”

“I’ve realised that you’re a werewolf, yes. You are always ill on the full moon so, really, it stands to reason. Not to mention that the whomping willow was planted on the year we started Hogwarts, it’s always struck me as a strange installation, considering how deadly it is. I figure that it covers a secret passageway?”

“Please don’t tell anyone!”

“You know me better than that, Remus. Um… you always look a bit… roughed up when you get back.”

“It’s the wolf… It doesn’t have humans to savage so it bites and scratches itself. Madam Pomfrey heals me but…” Remus shook his head.

“I quite understand. Look, I’m going to do some research and see what I come up with. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe.”

oOoOo

“And this is my particular favourites, the Elgin Marbles. Isn’t the carving just exquisite?” Severus said, tucking a strand of unruly hair behind his ear

“Sirius get down!” Remus called to his incorrigible friend, who was sitting atop Anubis.

“Naff off, Dad! I’m riding the grim!”

Severus rolled his eyes, sighed and turned back to Lily “When the barbarians, probably people somewhat like our dear Sirius, destroyed the Parthenon, the locals were going to grind these down for road surfacing, so Lord Elgin gave them the equivalent amount of stone and took the marbles.”

“Still, I think it’s pretty hard on the Greeks that they were never given back” Lily countered “Elgin did get his money's worth out of them before he donated them. If he ever paid the government for them at all.”

“Well, we all know that history is written by the winners…”

“Hey! Get down from there this minute, young man, or I’ll tan yer behind!”

Severus sighed. He simply couldn’t Sirius anywhere.

oOoOo

/Hello Shadow/

/Hello Moony. How are you this fine, moonlit evening?/

/Not too bad./ the werewolf replied, curling up on the gnawed, threadbare bed. The black akita joined him.

/Not hurt, are you?/ Severus said, nosing the smaller wolf’s head.

/No, the madness doesn’t start until I’ve been alone for a couple of hours/

/Wolves are pack animals; their hunger for company, rather than hunger for human flesh, causes the desperation/ the hazel eyed dog said sagely /It is a shame that De Marcie’s book on Lycanthropy is but a rare volume/

/Yeah. Who’d have thought that transformed werewolves and Animagi could be pack?/

/Well, it’s entirely possible that the first werewolves were wizards whose attempts to become Animagi failed rather tragically/ Severus said, resting his broad muzzle companionably over Remus’s neck. /Night Moony/

/Night Shadow and… thanks/

/You’re welcome/

oOoOo

Severus patted Lily on the back “Shush. Come on, Lil, don’t let him get to you.”

“My dress robes are ruined. Totally ruined! And the Yule ball is tomorrow” Lily sobbed. The girls from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had decided to have a dress rehersal, so they could check that none of their robes clashed. James Snape had found out somehow and the nasty little bugger furnished Peeves with permanent-ink filled balloons, on the promise that he’d only aim for the mudbloods.

Sirius was out hunting the little bastard now. And Remus was following Sirius, trying to catch him in time to prevent an insident. Thank Merlin full moon had only been a day ago, so his senses were still very sharp.

“Look, Lily. You’re easily the prettiest girl here. I’ll find you something, okay? There must be a charm to transfigure clothes somewhere. Let’s go to the library.”

Lily pressed her cheek against Severus’s “Thank you.”

oOoOo

“Could you sink any lower, Potter? Taking a mudblood to the Yule ball- couldn’t find anyone half-decent, I suppose? ”

“Excuse us, Mr Snape.” Severus said ushering Lily past the sneering boy with, his arm tightly around her waist.

“I guess she must put out, like all mudblood whores.”

Severus stopped dead and, without turning around, stiffly said “Tomorrow, Flitwick’s office. Let’s settle this like gentlemages.”

“A duel?” the dark eyed boy said with a sneering laugh “Whose your second?”

“Lily Evans.”

“What?!”

“Indeed, please excuse us.”

The skirt of Lily’s blue, taffeta and chiffon dress, flowed and fluted as she and Severus danced that night, the little blue stones on her bodice sparkling in the candle-light. That night, Lily decided to marry Severus. All she had to do was to convince him that she was more interesting than Potions.

oOoOo

“Well, gentlemen, I must say that it’s a refreshing change to have a formal, teacher supervised duel rather than all these scuffles” Flitwick glared at James Snape, who sneered back. “No Hexes or Curses. Stick to jinxes, am I understood?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Whatever.”

Severus, sighing at James’ sheer bad manners, bowed with a respect that he was sure that his opponent didn’t deserve. Severus respected himself, however, and he respected his teacher and he’d be damned if some oik made him forget that.

“On three, boys one… two…”

James cast a Furnunculus but Severus, who had noted the look in his opponents eyes, quickly shielded and cast expelliarmus.

James’ wand flew into Severus’ hand and, enraged, James leapt at the slighter, weaker-looking Severus. He was very surprised to be tackled to the ground by a huge, muscular black dog.

“Good show, good show. I think Severus has won the duel. Come on, boy; off you get.” Flitwick patted Shadow’s shoulder, keeping a weather eye-and his wand- on James, lest the boy was unsporting in his desire for revenge.

Lily smiled as the large black dog trotted to her side, laying James’ wand at her feet before changing back into a young man again.

“How come you never told me you could do that?!” Lily said, half-scolding, half-delighted.

“He promised me, my dear, when I taught him” smiled Professor Flitwick “The Animagus charm is high level magic and, while many desire it, few can accomplish the transformation.”

“Oh, can I try to learn! Please” Lily begged.

“What makes you think you can learn, Mudblood?” James spat, getting to his feet.

“I think that’s a months worth of detentions, Mr Snape, for foul language and your blatant disrespect.” Professor Flitwick said coolly, before turning back to Lily. “We can talk this later, my dear. You may inform Mr Black and Mr Lupin.”

James shot a sharp look at Flitwick, grinning nastily.

“Now, Severus, Lily, off you trot. Not you, Mr Snape, we are going to have a word with the Headmaster.”

oOoOo

On a hill, carpeted with soft grass, daisies and celandines, under a warm, blue summers sky, a russet wolf, a pretty, auburn Afghan hound and two black dogs; one stately, with the pointed ears and demeanour of Anubis, the other, a woolly Leonburger, joyously chasing butterflies.

/Ten Outstandings. I knew you’d come top of the year/ Shimmer, the Afghan hound, yapped, nosing the Akita’s cheek.

/Two E’s though/ said Shadow ruefully, pawing his letter from the exam board

Padfoot barrelled into him, playfully wrestling Severus to the ground/Oh woe is you. Shadow. Twelve OWLs and you didn’t get all O’s. Shame on you, Shadow, shame on you/

/Budge off/ barked Moony, entering the fray and pushing Padfoot off his prostrate victim. It appeared that werewolves could become animagi, provided they didn’t mind their transformation being a wolf.

/Are you going to take everything next year too?/ Shimmer asked, tilting her pretty head.

/No, even with a time turner, it’s pretty stressful/ sighed Shadow /I mean, I gave myself extra time for sleep and study but it’s worrying, always looking over your shoulder to see if someone’s noticed you’re literally in two places at once./

/So, what are you taking, aside from Potions?/

Shadow gave a bark of laughter /Defence, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Charms and Transfiguration/

/I’m doing Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Defence, Herbology, Charms and Transfiguration/ barked Padfoot /Want to be an Auror/

/Me too, though I’m going to do Arithmancy instead of Care of Magical Creatures/

/Cos you already know how to look after yourself, Moony?/

/Thanks, Padfoot, just thanks/ the wolf sighed, rolling his blue eyes.

/Welcome. Actually, thinking about it, I might do Muggle Studies to piss of the parents. Damn, it’s great living with Shadow; I can be as much of an ass as I like and, when Regulus informs on me, they can’t do the slightest thing about it/ the big dog relaxed back against the ground, soaking up the summer sunbeams /I wish I’d got myself disowned sooner/

/How about you, Shimmer/ Shadow asked solicitously.

/Herbology, Potions, Ancient Runes, Charms, Astronomy and Transfiguration/ Shimmer said, laying her muzzle over Shadow’s neck.

/It might be wise to continue with Defence, Shimmer. Some of the Slytherins, Snape, Avery, Mulciber, etc are making strange comments and mentioning a ‘Lord’: I don’t like the looks in their eyes, nor the asides of ridding our world of the ‘unworthy’/

/There are no wizarding Lords, Shadow/ Padfoot said, lying on the grass, scratching his back.

/That is why it troubles me, Paddy. The only lords in our world tend to be Dark Lords/

oOoOo

“Lily?”

“Yes Severus?”

“Um… As head-boy and, er, having come top of the year, Dumbledore wants me to make a speech” Severus said, ushering the pretty sixteen year old into an empty classroom.

“Oh, pre-speech nerves?” The teenage girl asked, straightening her sunlight yellow Alumnus robes.

“Nerves, yes, but not about the speech” Severus said, his hazel eyes earnest. “Lily Aurora Evans” he got down on one knee “Will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?”

Severus pulled out a large walnut shell, sanded, varnished and hinged to form a beautiful wooden box, inside, on a bed of black velvet, was a golden ring with a large, cushion-cut emerald, flanked on either side with smaller peridots.

Lily fell to her knees and hugged Severus tightly. Many men would have asked their fiancés to be during their speech, leaving them, potentially, in an embarrassing situation. However, there was no question as to what Lily’s answer would be.

“Yes, Severus, yes!”