When the clock struck one, they were walking out the front door. Spinner's End was set in a rundown neighbourhood just outside of the small town of Baske; far enough away to conveniently forget about, now that the mill was closed. But still close enough to continue to receive the blame for everything wrong with the school or why the churches were feuding once again.

Spinner's End was an old street of dirty and cracked cobblestone. It was cramped with old houses on both sides, all pressed against one another, occasionally separated by narrow alleyways that gave one a glimpse of the next street and more rows of houses. Many of them stood empty now, as they had for years, as the last owners had most likely moved on to bigger and cleaner places. But for some reason, Severus stayed. He'd grown up there and he held very few fond memories of the place, yet he could never bring himself to leave it. He'd considered, at many points in his life, saving and moving into a small cottage in the country. A place where he could be alone during the summer and nobody would ever bother him. But the idea had never become more than just that, and he was still in the same old house, in all its decrepit glory.

Over lunch that afternoon, he and Lily had discussed finances. Severus' salary, while it was more than plenty to support him, would be stretched to house and feed two other people, one of which was a growing boy.

Lily, of course, had access to the Potter vault, but that money was to be used to fund her son's schooling and Severus refused to stoop down and use James Potter's money for anything. Lily and her son were living in his house and he was fully capable of providing for them. It would just require a bit of extra effort; something Severus was not opposed to.

Most of the potions Severus brewed during the summer were used to supply the hospital wing at Hogwarts. But that took very little time and Severus certain he could find a second apothecary to work for. He would put an ad in the Prophet next week. In the mean time, they would just have to make do.

His wallet would take its first hit today.

Soon the houses began sitting further apart, the streets looked somewhat cleaner, and there were more trees and shrubs. They reached the town and Severus could see, in the distance near where he knew the river to be, a little park and playground. One of the few places in life he had fond memories of.

"It's nearly just how I remember it," Lily said, lifting her chin and taking a deep breath.

Severus smirked. "Yes, the air just as foul as it always was. Nothing much has changed, except for some of the people, I suppose."

"Did you live here too?" Potter asked his mother, now walking backwards as to see his mother's face.

"Not right here, no. I lived – turn around, Harry, you're going to run into something. I lived another twenty minute walk that way." She pointed forward, past the school. "But Petunia and I used to come to the park to play all the time. That's how we met Severus. The playground was in town, halfway between our houses."

"Aunt Petunia was friends with Professor Snape, too?" The boy gaped.

Severus frowned. "Before you jump to any conclusions, let me assure you that we were never friends. I considered your mother my friend. Petunia, I considered a nuisance."

Lily sent him a glare. "Well, maybe if you had been friendlier."

"I am not a 'friendly' person in case you have forgotten," Severus reminded her, coming to a stop in front of the doctor's office. "Now, I do believe this is our first stop."

And thank Merlin. He did not wish to reminisce about his childhood with Potter.

Severus waited with the boy while Lily went inside to see if she could get an appointment. After a few minutes, she came out saying she could be seen in twenty minutes. When Severus moved to open the door for her again, she put a hand up in protest.

"I'll be fine here. You don't need to wait here."

He pursed his lips before saying, in a low voice as to not be overheard. "I am not fond of the idea of leaving you here alone."

"I won't be alone. There are plenty of people here."

Severus glanced over at Potter, who was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. The boy didn't need to be privy to such things. Instead, he stepped forward, took Lily by the arm, and gently pulled her a few feet away.

"Yes," he said in a hushed tone. "I suspect all these snivelling children and arthritic old men will be a great deal of help when an ill-intentioned wizard comes looking for you."

She gripped his wrist. "Are you trying to scare me, Severus? Because it's working. I don't need that. I really don't. I've been practically alone for ten years. Don't you think all these people make me anxious enough as it is?"

"I'm sorry." He covered her hand with his free one. "My intention was not to worry you, but to keep you safe. Should anything happen to you, I..."

"I'll be fine. This is Baske; not London." When he didn't respond, she insisted, "I need to do this. Don't you get it? I need to know that I can go, alone, into a room full of strange people and sit there and wait, without getting all worked up."

He let his hands drop back down to his sides. "Is that a possibility?"

"It's how it feels right now. The train ride here was torture." She swallowed, casting her eyes downward. "I used to love being with crowds of people."

The Lily of his childhood had been a social butterfly; always friendly and rarely shy. To see her now, trembling at the thought of being left alone with a large group of people, made Severus' stomach twist.

"You're right. You'll be fine," he found himself urging. "But if you're not certain, then I can stay. Whatever you ask."

"I'm not certain about anything." Lily bit her lip, but brought her head back up to strand straight. "But this is something I've got to do. Maybe you could get Harry out some books from the library, so he won't be so bored at home?"

Home. She'd called his house home. A shiver went up his spine and Severus cursed himself. He did not get shivers, of all the most absurd ideas.

"An excellent idea," he agreed, somewhat reluctantly. But if he was going to be miserable, then Potter was too. "Do you have the money I gave you? And your wand?"

She hesitated, then patted her dress pocket. "Yes, all right here."

In a low voice, Severus said, "Do be careful. As far as I know, there have been no magical people in this town besides myself for many years, but that does not mean nothing can happen."

"I will, I promise. I'll be careful."

"We won't be gone long. If you're finished before we return, wait inside."

She beckoned to her son and gave him a quick kiss on the head. "Be good and listen to Severus, okay?"

"I will," said Potter, but looking none too happy at the prospect.

When she pulled open the door and let herself inside, she was shaking. But one thing was clear; her Gryffindor resolve and courage were just as strong as ever. All was not lost.

When the door shut, Potter spoke up from beside him. "Are you sure it's a good idea? My mum going off by herself like that?"

Severus began to walk down the pavement, knowing that the child would follow. "I will admit that I've had my doubts, but your mother requested the time alone. I do not think we should make this a habit, but it is in all likelihood that everything will be fine."

"Where are we going now?" the boy asked, jumping over the cracks in the pavement.

"Stop that ridiculous hopping, Potter," Severus snapped. "You will behave in public, do you understand?"

"Yeah, sorry." The boy immediately fell into a walk.

"Yes, sir."

"Sorry, sir," Potter mumbled, striving and failing to match Severus' long strides.

"Better."

"So where are we going?"

"Here." Severus stopped just outside the library, enjoying the look of horror that flashed across the child's face. "You are to remain silent inside, unless asked a question. The librarian happens to be one of our neighbours and she is not very fond of children, so I do not need you causing a scene for attention. "

The boy's mouth dropped open and he crossed his arms. "I don't!"

"Silence. We're going in now, and you will pick out two books for yourself."

"But I don't have a library card."

"That's no matter. I do, and because I am graciously allowing you to use it, you will be sure to treat the books with respect. Correct?"

Another mumbled "Yes, sir" and the unlikely pair made their way inside.

When they returned home, the work began of putting away groceries and organizing the kitchen. Potter was given the chore of unloading the bags and grouping the items together on the table, while Severus cleaned out the scarcely used and dusty cupboards. Lily came behind him and filled them with various food items.

"I think next time we'd better bring something to bring these back in." Potter rubbed the palm of his hand. "Those bags were heavy."

Lily glanced over at Severus. "A feather light charm, perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Severus wiped off another shelf. "I don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"You're being too cautious. No one is even looking for me. Everybody still thinks I'm dead, remember?"

Severus glared. "Yes, I am all too well aware of that, in case you've forgotten."

"That's not fair, Severus!"

"Life rarely is." He took the cans of green beans from the woman's hands and set them in the cabinet.

She fumed. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Severus was vaguely aware of Potter watching the two of them, rather warily, from the kitchen table. But the boy was silent for once.

"Then what did you mean, Lily? Do you know what the Dark Lord's plan was? Or how you even wound up in that mansion in London?"

"No, I don't. But –"

"No," he cut her off and looked her in the eyes. "You don't know. None of us do. So that would mean we have no idea yet who may or may not know that you're alive. None at all. I wasn't even aware that you survived."

There was an awkward silence as Lily looked at him. "Why would you know?"

For a moment, Severus felt as if somebody had reached inside of him and gripped an iron hand around his stomach. But he remained stoic and the feeling quickly passed.

"It's rather complicated," he finally said, exhaling. "Something to discuss later."

Lily made a face. "Just like everything else."

"A lot has happened. You must have more patience."

"Ha!" She snatched up a bag of rice. "That's rich, coming from you."

He frowned and went back to vigorously scrubbing out the cabinets.

"Um, maybe we could just bring a wagon next time?" Potter suggested.

Bewildered, Severus sneaked a quick look at Lily to find her with her hand over her mouth, covering a smile. Her eyes caught his, just briefly, and they were shining with merriment. Severus turned back to his work and, with his face hidden from view behind the cupboard door; he allowed a small smile to grace his features.

Right after supper, Harry found himself sitting in the bathtub. He'd managed to evade it for as long as he could, but eventually his mum had said that bedtime would be coming soon, and he was absolutely not going to get into his new bed all filthy. And besides, she was really tired of smelling dead fish. Then Snape had agreed and all but hauled him upstairs and into the bathroom. He'd started running hot water into the tub and handed Harry a towel.

"I will be back to check in on you in three minutes. If you are not in that tub, looking considerably cleaner, I assure you, you will be one very sorry boy," he'd threatened. "Do I make myself clear?"

Harry had grumbled in agreement and Snape left to go back downstairs.

Really, once Harry was in the tub, it wasn't nearly as bad as he made it out to be. It was just that he always preferred to be doing something else. Baths were so boring.

But remembering Snape's threat about looking cleaner, he reached for the bottle of shampoo the man had pointed out to him and poured some on his hair. He scrubbed at his face and dunked his head underwater to rinse off before it got into his eyes. When he came back up, he noted with vague interest that the water had gone from clear to kind of a murky brownish colour.

True to his word, a few minutes later, Snape poked his head in the door. "Are you making progress, Potter?"

Harry nodded. Couldn't he tell?

"The water is filthy. Let it out and refill the tub to rinse off when you're finished," Snape instructed him. "Then go get ready for bed."

"But it's only seven o'clock!" Harry swiped at the droplets of water that were falling from his hair onto his nose.

Snape pulled a silver pocket watch from his trousers pocket and held it up. "I am well aware of what time it is. You are to prepare yourself for bed, not go to sleep. Unless you wish to, of course, because that can certainly be arranged."

Harry shook his head.

Snape smirked. "I thought not. Feel free to come downstairs if you wish, in your time before bed, to do something quiet. Or you may stay upstairs in your room. It's your call. But you will be in your bed at eight o'clock."

"Okay," grumbled Harry.

Snape didn't say anything else and bent over to scoop up Harry's dirty laundry from the floor, then went back downstairs.

A little bit later, Harry wrapped the fluffy towel around him, let the water out of the tub, and hurried down the hall into his new bedroom.

He grinned as he stepped inside. He'd helped his mum and Snape work on it that afternoon. And even if it was in Snape's house, Harry was still proud. It was his and his mum's room to share. All he'd had at the Dursleys' was the cupboard under the stairs and, for a short time, Dudley's second bedroom. Except that had never been Harry's. Not really. But this room was, even though it was at Snape's, and that made him feel good inside.

He'd even got the window like he'd wanted it and he could see out of it when he lay in bed. He knew because he'd already tested it to be sure. Snape had gotten out some spare quilts and sheets and his mum had let him pick whichever quilt he wanted to use. He'd quickly picked out the red one and Snape had mumbled something about Gryffindors that Harry was pretty sure wasn't very nice, but he didn't care. He liked red. His mum had picked out a flowery quilt though, saying she thought it was pretty.

Even Hedwig had her own spot in the room, which she would usually be very happy about. Her cage sat on top of the chest of drawers and she was inside, but she was beginning to look annoyed with being so cooped up.

"Sorry, Hedwig." Harry frowned. He looked out the window, only just then noticing that it had been left partially open. He went to his owl and unlatched the door of her cage. "Go on, the window's open for you. You're probably ready to go play outside. I know I am."

Hedwig chirped happily and flew to the open window ledge. Already she looked more cheerful. She gave Harry another pleased chirp, and then flew outside.

Pulling on the oversized zoo t-shirt he liked to sleep in, he tossed his towel over the end of his bed, and sat down on the mattress.

He still found it kind of unbelievable that his mum was here. It wasn't even an awful joke. At first, he'd kept getting thoughts that would creep up and tell him it was all a prank. But after spending time watching her and Snape, he knew that she had to be his mum, because there was just no way Snape would act so weird to anybody else. He'd only known the Potions professor for less than a year, but he knew enough to know that Snape was acting different. Supposedly because Harry's mum was Snape's friend. Who would've thought Snape actually had friends?

But for friends, they sure did fight a lot. He frowned as he recalled the scene in the kitchen that afternoon. All Harry had done was bring up the idea of taking home groceries an easier way and somehow they got into a fight. It had been pretty clear that Snape was worried about Harry's mum and thought there were some evil wizards who were trying to find her. Maybe even Voldemort.

Remembering the face on the back of Quirrell's head, Harry shivered. No, not Voldemort. He didn't ever want to see him again.

When he went downstairs, his mum was sitting on the sofa alone.

Harry dropped down beside her, looking around. "Where's Professor Snape?"

"Harry, you're not in school and we'll be here all summer," she pointed out, tilting her head to the side. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you called him Severus."

"I think he might, actually. He's funny about those kinda things," said Harry, because he knew better. Snape would probably cut off his fingers for potions ingredients if he ever did such a thing.

"Hmm. Well, he's downstairs in the cellar, checking on the wash." She paused, and then leaned in a bit closer. "Sweetheart, how do you and Severus usually get along together? You've just finished your first year, right?"

"Yeah." He bit his lip. It had become pretty obvious to him over the day that his mum and Snape had been good friends at some point. "Well, um, I guess we get along okay."

Her eyebrows drew together. "Just okay?"

"Er, I don't know..." He didn't want to tell her the truth because that would make her upset, and Harry thought his mum had had enough sadness for a long time. "I just see him in class really. He doesn't like kids much."

But before she could ask anything else, Snape came in from the kitchen. He looked at Harry carefully. "Did you do as I told you?"

"Yes."

Snape just nodded and lowered himself into a chair. He picked up a cup from the coffee table and took a sip of it, then turned slightly, so that he was facing the sofa.

"Now," Snape continued. "Tell me, have you started your summer school work yet?"

"Um, no."

"No, sir," Snape corrected him. "Just because we are not in school, doesn't mean you have no reason to be respectful. At any rate, you can expect to start within the next couple of days. I know your Potions marks, so trust me; you will be spending designated time each day on your school work."

Harry closed his eyes and resisted the urge to groan. "Yes, sir."

He felt rewarded though when he felt his mum's hand gently rest on the back of his neck.

"Good boy," she whispered.

Harry smiled.

Later that evening, with Potter upstairs in bed, Severus found himself alone in the sitting room with Lily. From his favourite armchair he watched her, silently, fully content to say nothing at all. Just having her in his presence was soothing in a way he hadn't felt in far too long. It was relaxing, yet at the same time terribly distracting.

Having changed into some of her new clothes, Severus thought she looked like she was perhaps a bit happier. She'd tossed the dress she had been wearing before into the rubbish bin, saying she never wanted to see the old rag again.

Now she was standing near one of the bookshelves, gazing at the many dusty bindings and titles, her face pained. "So many Dark Arts books. I told you years ago to chuck them out, you know."

"They have been... useful." He waved a hand to indicate the books. "They have taught me a lot; even saved my life a few times."

"Hmm," was all she said, as she came back and sat down on the sofa. But after a few more minutes of silence, she said, "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

He shook his head. "Don't. You know that neither one of us will ever win an award for patience. I became too caught up in my own feelings and emotions. It was... unbecoming of me."

She gave him an appraising look and said softly, "I don't think so."

Severus reached out for the newspaper sitting on the coffee table and forced himself to ask a question that had been gnawing at him.

"May I ask," he began, "why it is that you did not seek out any of your other acquaintances? Better friends?"

She laughed, sounding more sardonic than amused. "What? You mean like the Longbottoms? Or Sally Heathworth? Mary McDonald? I can't even go to Sirius because he's–"

Severus cleared his throat. "I was referring to others actually. Lupin, perhaps?"

"I thought about that. But," she said, shoulders falling, "I wouldn't know where to even begin looking for him."

Severus rapped his fingers against the newspaper. "The Ministry would tell us if we were to ask."

"They have records on where werewolves live?"

"They have records on everybody," Severus said, his lips curling in disgust. "I can go and inquire about him tomorrow morning, if you wish."

"Really? You would do that? I thought you two didn't get on?"

"We don't."

"But you'll get his address?"

"For you, yes." Severus folded up the newspaper. He paused to give her a straight look. "Anything you ask."

"Thank you." She gave him a smile, but it was a pained one. Bowing her head, she began picking at her already short nails. "Listen, I want to talk to you, now that Harry's asleep. It's something he'll have to be told about eventually, but I felt as though I should discuss it with you and Dumbledore first."

Severus leaned forward. Had something happened at the doctor's visit? She said earlier that it had gone fine. Emotionally, the excursion had exhausted her. But physically, despite the fact that she was underweight and needed more vitamins, she was healthy.

Now Severus found himself concerned there was something wrong. Something she hadn't told him earlier. He waited for her to continue.

"I don't seem to have any magic, Severus," she told him, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

"What do you mean? I knew that you didn't have your wand, but-"

"No, I mean my magic is gone. Wand or not, I'm magicless."

Stunned, he sat back in his chair. "How can that be? Are you quite certain?"

"Just about." She shrugged.

Lily's magic was gone? She had lost her magic? How did one lose their magic? That was impossible, wasn't it? Magical energy could be temporarily depleted either by exhaustion or a violent illness, but one could still perform weak spells, if needed.

It was impossible to transfer magic from wizard to Muggle. Various wizarding scientists had attempted such over the years, usually with each experiment ending in catastrophe, often involving lawsuits and gory horror stories. Removing a person's magic wasn't something that shouldn't be done. It hadn't been done. A permanent loss was inconceivable.

Lily was so calm about this information, which Severus couldn't help but find unnerving. The woman talked about her potential loss of magic as you might imagine a person to speak of losing a shopping list.

"I don't understand," he finally admitted, shaking his head. "When... how?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. That... that night, perhaps. I don't remember feeling any sense of my magic since then. I used to be able to do a few wandless charms and such, but I haven't managed even one since that night. I don't know what happened, but I wanted you and Dumbledore to know."

"Lily, you're so calm about this!" He got to his feet and began pacing in front of his bookshelves. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

She stood up. "It didn't seem so pressing."

"Not pressing?" he sneered. "This is your magic we're talking about, not a missing textbook or a favourite quill. Do try and prioritize."

"I have been!" She glared daggers in his direction. "It may come as a shock to you, but my son comes before my magic."

He deflated a bit. "I know. I apologize. That was uncalled for. You've proven where your priorities are, trust me. I'm just rather shocked is all."

"I've had years to grow accustomed to the idea." Her face softened a bit and she laid a gentle hand on his arm. "The first couple of weeks... hell, the first couple of years, it was awful. It felt like a part of my very being had been stolen from me. Eventually I gave up and I cried for days. But lately, it just hasn't seemed as big of a deal to me. Not in light of everything that's happened in the last three days."

"I know," Severus admitted. He gazed at where her thin fingers were resting on his black cotton shirt sleeve, right over the Dark Mark. He wondered if she knew it was there. The feeling of her touch was tantalizing. He couldn't think straight with her so close. Abruptly he stepped back and turned towards the fireplace.

"I'm going to call the headmaster. There's too much to discuss, so much you need to know about," he said, not meeting her eyes. He reached for some Floo powder. "He should be involved in this."

He tossed in the Floo powder and requested Dumbledore's office. There was far too much for he and Lily to discuss, and he didn't trust himself to be able to explain everything he should to her. His pride be damned, he would need Dumbledore's assistance if he was going to tell Lily everything.

Shortly, they had a meeting set up at Hogwarts on Saturday night. There was no going back now. In two days, Severus was sure that Lily would want nothing to do with him ever again.

The ticking of the old clock on the wall seemed more ominous now. Every moment that went by now counted down another moment until he would lose Lily again, but this time he was certain it would be for good.