May 2000

Severus rubbed his forehead with his hand. He tore his eyes away from the book he’d been studying. He reached for a glass and drank its entire contents in one gulp. Usually he eschewed alcohol – he had no desire to become a copy of his father – but this was an unusual situation. Those books just couldn’t be understood normally.

He flicked the light switch on, for it had become quite dark, and returned to reading. He knew it was Dark Magic – no news to him. He had had contact with it enough times when he was among the Death Eaters. Now, after the war, he wouldn’t touch it with a ten feet stick, but therein could kie the solution to his problem.

Therefore Snape delved deep into the Dark Magic volumes. He studied the incantations of the charms long forgotten and the ones that not many were brave enough to use. Using one of them was a small price for his dreams coming true.

It was a small price to pay for seeing Lily again. For restoring her to life. No… he preferred to think of it as waking her from her sleep. She’d slept for nineteen years, like a princess from a Muggle fairytale. The time has come for her to wake up. He’ll wake her up.

***

A certain short May night Severus found himself at the graveyard in Godric’s Hollow. It was not a place for his Lily… why did she sleep among the dead? At James Potter’s side? The thought that Potter is dead lifted his spirits – the man will not be able to interrupt him. He had her clothes – he’d found her entire wardrobe untouched in her house.

Snape walked among the graves with certainty. He knew the way by heart, by memory. He didn’t dare to light the way. Of course, the wand wasn’t his – he’d lost his that day when Voldemort sent Nagini forth to bite him…

At last he stood in front of the grave he was looking for. Here his Lily was waiting… in the wan moonlight he could read her name on the gravestone. He smiled.

‘Diffindo’ he whispered, clutching the borrowed wand in his hand.

The tomb of the Potters… of James Potter… broke in two. Like Albus’s marble tomb, when Voldemort searched for the Elder Wand two years ago. The wizard waved his wand again and the dirt arranged itself into a neat pile by the side. He could see two coffins. One belonged to James Potter, and his Lily slept in the other…

He lifted the lid of one of them. A few bones and a pinch of dust. He pressed his forehead against the side of the coffin, wondering whether it was all that remained of the girl he’d known. Then his attention was diverted by the initials carved into the lid. “J.P.”

He shut the coffin quickly and lowered it back into the grave. He deserved what he got! He carefully opened the lid of the other one. A little bit more bones. Slim, slender… like she was in her youth. He wrapped them with care in Lily’s green cloak.

He carefully cradled her in his arms. He’ll wonder later who’d transmuted… changed… her into that pile of bones. Several flicks of the wand and James Potter’s grave looked exactly like it had an hour ago.

Only a small detail was left. Considering Lily had never died, she had never lain here. Snape thought a spell and her name and the dates disappeared from the gravestone.

***

Severus placed Lily gently on the bed he’d had prepared for her. She was so tiny, so brittle, so breakable. He uttered one of the forgotten spells and watched in fascination as her missing bones appeared, followed by the tendons, muscles and skin.

His next word restored her eyes and hair. She looked like she was sleeping… with her eyes open. Snape could not watch her enough. It occurred to him that he knows her body better than her so-called husband. At last he closed her eyelids a bit… she looked so natural, so innocent now.

The man ran his fingers through her red hair. It was just like he remembered. Lily was so beautiful… she seemed to be only a bit older than when he’d last seen her… nineteen years ago.

She was completely naked. He barely refrained from making her his, from taking her. He was stopped by the knowledge that she was asleep. Maybe when she wakes up…

Severus slowly, methodically dressed Lily in her own clothes – that he had freshened up with a few charms – from underwear to a pair of jeans and a blouse. Then he sat back on the chair, wondering how he could possibly awaken her. From time to time he stole a glance at her sleeping form.

Tbc.

Two days later, the work of Harry Potter – a young Auror – was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Ron Weasley, who’d just started his training recently, sighed and went to the door. When he saw the man on the threshold, he cursed.

‘I’m going outta here, boss, I just got in for a moment…’

‘Stay here, Weasley. Is Potter in?’ Gawain Robards asked.

Harry set the papers he’s been reading through aside.

‘I’m right here, boss. What’s the matter?’

Gawain rubbed at his face and sat in an unoccupied hair. He coughed several times, as though he didn’t know what to say.

‘I’m afraid I don’t bring good news. Nah, it’s not about your wife or godson’ he added, lifting his palms up, when Harry started to get out of his chair ‘I don’t know how to say it, so I’ll be short – your parents’ grave at Godric’s Hollow was desecrated’

Ron opened his mouth and went to keep his brother-in-law standing up. The young Auror was shaking his head, as though trying to get his thoughts into a semblance of order.

‘Bloody hell! What happened?’ Ron asked.

‘Someone has broken into the grave of Lily and James Potter. Lily’s coffin has been opened and her body is missing. Her name and the dates were also removed from the gravestone’

‘Who could’ve done it?!’

‘I have no bloody idea!’ a frustrated Robards exclaimed. ‘That looks like pure madness! I’d normally set several Aurors to work on the case, but we’re short on men. I think you two are the best people to solve it.’ The Head Auror moved to leave, but stopped in the doorway ‘Potter? You got any idea who could have done it?’

Harry shook his head weakly.

‘I’m very sorry, Potter’ Robards said and left.

Ron mashed a clean sheet of paper into a ball and threw it at the door.

‘Maybe some guy’d hated your parents?’ he asked almost off-handedly.

‘Who?’ His brother-in-law pierced him with a look. ‘Everyone who’d known my parents well is dead. I could have understood it if it was about James – he must have made some enemies at school.’

‘Well, yeah, and everyone thinks your mum a hero. Almost a saint- Hey, maybe someone is crazy about her? Y’know, wanted to keep her to himself?’

The young Auror got up and reached for his cloak.

‘I have no damned idea’ he said, before he Disapparated.

***

Harry Potter sighed dejectedly. He’d already been to the cemetery in Godric’s Hollow – and had seen that Robards had indeed spoken truly – and he’s already gone through the old photo albums in search of any possible clues.

The door opened with a loud crack and his wife, Ginny, stood in the doorway. She shrugged out of her Holyhead Harpies robes and walked quickly towards him to hug him.

‘Oh, Harry, I just heard… I’m so sorry. Is any of you working on it?’

‘Robards dumped the case onto Ron and me’ he muttered darkly.

‘Well, maybe you’ll have better luck finding the culprit than someone who’d only heard about them in the tales of the Boy-Who-Lived. All the newspapers are already writing about it, but no one has any idea who could have done it’

‘Neither do I’ the young man said angrily, drumming his fingers on the table.

Ginny rubbed her chin thoughtfully while preparing food.

‘Maybe it was someone close to your mum? A girlfriend?’

‘I don’t know that she had one… But that’s a thought! I’ll look into it…’

‘Or maybe…’ Ginny hesitated suddenly ‘You know, your mum was young and beautiful. Did she have… any other admirers aside from your dad?’

Harry wanted to say “no”, but he remembered Snape suddenly. Lily’s childhood friend, whose love was not reciprocated…

‘Gin, you’re a genius! Yeah, there was someone…’ the man stopped, having suddenly remembered something ‘But he’s dead…’

‘You sure?’

‘I’ve seen him die… bleed to death…’

Mrs. Potter furrowed her brows. Those words brought only a single man to her mind.

‘Snape? Professor Snape?’

Harry nodded.

‘Did you know everything he did was for her? For my mother?’

Tbc.

Severus looked up from the texts he was studying, focusing his eyes on Lily’s unmoving form. He devoted his every while to find a way to wake her up. As of right now, he’d managed – he didn’t know if it was a day ago or several hours ago – to restore the correct functioning of her body. The woman breathed normally now and digested what he fed her.

Snape sighed – the most difficult part remained to be done, that is, restoring her senses and then, waking her up. The next spell required he examine her body carefully – the smallest error could result in her lacking a sense of sight, hearing or touch. No, Lily had to be perfect, the way he’d remembered her.

The man knelt by her bed and started to undress her – manually, as he was trying to use the least magic possible. There was no way of knowing how it’d affect Lily – and besides, he had no wish to draw the Aurors’ attention to himself. It was enough that he’d had to use spells earlier… He could very well imagine that the Aurors wouldn’t look at the situation like he did.

Lily seemed to shudder when he took her underwear off. At second glance, however, it became obvious that he’d imagined it… or he’d believed his wishful thinking to be true. He ran his fingers along her skull and checked her nostrils, mouth cavity and ears, and her delicate hands.

She was so beautiful… he ran his hands through her red hair, he trailed one of them along her cheek, and then lower, on her neck. He stared for a long while at her naked body.

Finally he succumbed to the temptation. He touched her breasts, ran his fingers over her nipples. He moved his hand lower, to her flat stomach – it was hard to believe that she’d given birth once. He gently nudged her thighs apart and touched their inner sides delicately.

While he was touching her, he couldn’t believe that her skin could be so delicate, so soft, so… silky. He slipped his hand between her legs and caressed her for a long while. For a moment he thought Lily will react, that she will wake up… but he was wrong. The woman didn’t even stir.

Then when he realized what exactly he was doing. He withdrew his hand like he’d been scalded, cursing. He turned away. ‘She is asleep, what do you think you are doing?!’ he thought. Immediately another voice chimed in ‘And what if Lily never wakes up?…’

He hastily covered her with the bedspread and left the room. He thought he’ll surely go mad in a moment, and besides, he needed a cold shower and a strong Draught of Peace. Never drinking again. He’s an adult man, not a teenager who steals looks and gropes girls!

***

Severus was feeding Lily again when he thought she reacted to his touch. Had the spell he’d recently cast worked? She was swallowing normally – he didn’t have to massage her throat. He felt a bit funny, as if he were feeding a child and not a woman he loved.

Snape remembered well what Lily liked and what she did not, and he made sure to feed her the foods from the former category. When he finished this feeding, he saw a soft smile form on her face. Was she sleeping? Or maybe she recovered the sense of taste?

He sighed. He was not used to the lack of knowledge and certainty. Every one of his potions had to be perfect, and his knowledge about its brewing impeccable. Now his attention was occupied by something much more important and he kept realizing how little he knew.

He was stumbling around blind – no one had ever succeeded in returning the dead to life. And certainly not someone who’d been dead for nearly twenty years. He cursed. The mere thought she’d once been dead… No, she was merely asleep. That’s something else. She’ll wake up, and he’ll throw out all the Dark Magic grimoires.

He imagined Lily’s face when she wakes up and recognizes him. He imagined she’d return his feelings. Only as an afterthought did he remember Potter – the boy she’d given her life for, who owed his life to her. Maybe he could introduce him to his mother – anything to make Lily happy.

Harry Potter shifted from one leg to the other. He could not stop thinking about what Ginny had suggested. Maybe Snape had survived after all? Or maybe it’s some unknown girlfriend of his mother’s? Did Molly and his mother know each other? Or Alice, Neville’s poor mother? Ron – or Hermione, to be exact – advised him to look for answers in the old Hogwarts yearbooks…

‘Enter’ a voice with distinct Scottish accent said.

The young Auror turned the knob and walked inside. He looked around. Nothing seemed to have changed here at first glance. The portraits on the wall hung just the way they did when he was here last – two years ago, just after he’d defeated Voldemort.

‘Good morning, Pro- Headmistress…’

McGonagall waved her hand, ignoring his slip. Harry sat in the place she indicated. He saw sadness in his old teacher’s eyes.

‘I am so very sorry, Mr. Potter. I’ve heard what happened. Your mother – Lily – Miss Evans… was one of my favorite students’

‘Cursed newspapers’ Harry muttered under his breath ‘My boss wants me to explain it… Did my mother have any enemies at school?’

‘Miss Evans was well liked in Gryffindor. I’d think your father and his friends were the closest to her enemies… but then, it was just youthful stupidity – name calling, pointing fingers. I cannot imagine someone hating her that much… Or maybe it was the Death Eaters?’

‘Pardon? Oh, yeah. I don’t think it likely. If they wanted to, they’ve had more than enough time all those years. It had to be someone who could not have done … it… earlier. Did Lily have any close friends? I thought- maybe someone who was very close to her- maybe she wanted to move her somewhere else…’

‘Or cannot come to terms with her death’ McGonagall added thoughtfully. ‘Your mother was close to Dorcas Meadowes and Alice… Alice Longbottom’

‘Oh’ Harry realized that trace led nowhere. Dorcas was dead, and Alice was locked in St. Mungo for years.

‘Do you consider men also, Mr. Potter?’

Harry shrugged.

‘We can’t leave anything out right now’

‘The first person that comes to my mind is Severus. Professor Snape to you. I remember they were very close. I do not know what happened to make them cut all ties. Maybe it was about your father… Severus has always hated him.’

‘Well, but the Professor is dead… Maybe I could talk to his portrait?’

‘I am afraid it’s impossible, Mr. Potter’ before Potter opened his mouth to protest, Minerva pointed her hand at the wall ‘As you can see, Professor Snape’s portrait has not appeared. I do cannot recall such a happening. Maybe it was decided that Severus was not Headmaster?’

Harry cursed under his breath and McGonagall threw him a severe look.

‘Anyone else?’ when the Headmistress shook her head, the young Auror rubbed his face, frustrated. ‘Great. Did- did my mum have any admirers aside from my father?’

Minerva lifted her eyebrows – she did not expect such a question.

‘Of course. Miss Evans was very popular… but- let’s say- her expectations were high. But I am afraid that it leads nowhere… Most of those boys are dead now.’

‘Can you remember any names, ma’am?’

‘Only two. Your father… and Severus.’

‘Professor Snape?’

‘Indeed. I’ve always suspected there was more than friendship ‘twixt him and Lily. Horace thinks the same. I cannae be sure, though. I only know Severus was deeply hurt by her death.’

Harry rubbed his face.

‘So you’d suspect Professor Snape the soonest, ma’am?’

‘Yes’ Minerva nodded.

There was a knock on the office door. It opened after a moment and Ron Weasley came in.

‘G’day, Pro- ee- Headmistress. Harry, we’ve got to go. Boss wants something again. What did you find?’

‘Professor McGonagall suspects Professor Snape. His portrait is not here, we can’t learn anything more. Pity’

‘Did Snape leave anything behind? Maybe you could get boss to agree to searching his quarters next time…’

‘Horace took Severus’s quarters. I’ve made sure that everything Severus left is packed and protected. If the Auror Office wished so, you would be able to gain access to these things’

The Aurors looked at each other.

‘We’ll try to get to it. Thank you, Headmistress, ma’am.’

Ron just scrapped his legs on the floor and they left the office.

Tbc.

Several weeks passed and Severus had destroyed all the alcohol bottles remaining in his flat. He did not wish for a repeat; he had to learn his self-control. He’d already cast a spell meant to wake her and soon after, he’d managed to find a wand – so he destroyed his old one, so that the Aurors would not connect him with the spell. Alas, the spell that was to wake Lily either worked very slowly or with great delay…

Snape was looking through his bookshelves, wondering which books to keep and which to destroy because they were too full of dark magic, too old or too dangerous. It was then that he heard it. At first he thought he was dreaming or hallucinating.

Her voice. The voice he had not heard in years. He’d forgotten how beautiful it was. It was to him like the sweetest music. It took him a long moment to realize that Lily was screaming. Screaming in mortal terror.

‘James! Harry!… Harry!…’

He woke from his stupor and ran to her room. Lily was sitting on the bed, her hand searching for a wand, looking desperately every which way. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

‘Where’s my child?! Where’s my Harry?!’

He drank in the sight of her face, eyes, mouth, her wavy hair. Only after a while did he realize who she was calling. Potter… and her child.

‘Your son is safe, Lily’ Severus informed her, fighting the smile that threatened to appear on his face.

‘Where I am?! Where’s V-Voldemort?’ she pronounced the name in a whisper, as if she were afraid.

‘You’re at my place. You’re safe. Voldemort is no more’ this time he really smiled.

‘No more?’ she looked at him as if he were mad.

‘Voldemort is dead. Your son has defeated him’

‘That’s not possible! A moment ago he- he-’ Lily’s voice broke ‘James is dead…’

The Potions Master gave a low groan. She cared about James? She should be happy, she should have welcomed him. Wait… did she say “a moment ago”?

‘What’s the last thing you remember, Lily?’

The woman burst into tears.

‘Voldemort- he tells me to move aside. He wants to kill my child. I can hear him cast Avada Kedavra-’

Severus cursed.

‘It’s the past, Lily. You were asleep for a long time. You’ve saved the boy. You’re safe. The war has finished’

Lily clutched the quilt closer to her and stared at him disbelievingly.

‘Do I know you? You speak as if I did…’

Snape took a deep breath. Lily didn’t recognize him! It took him a moment to realize she remembered him the way he was at Hogwarts. He was thirty-nine now, not seventeen…

‘It’s me, Severus. I’m just older…’

As soon as he heard what he said, he berated himself in his thoughts. What an idiocy! Only in her company did he say such dunderheaded things…

‘Sev!’ Lily tossed the quilt aside and clung to him, crying hysterically. She was so upset that her entire body shook. ‘When you said that- I’ve slept for a long time- I thought- that you were dead- James is dead- you look- as if years had passed-’

‘Lily, calm down. Your son is alive. You and I are alive. We’re safe. Just, a few years have passed, it’s all. Should I bring you a Peace Draught? I’d Accio it, but it’s a Muggle neighborhood…’

The woman sniffed and nodded. When he returned, Lily was arranging the quilt back on the bed, wiping at her tears with a hand. Her arms were still shaking. She accepted the potion gratefully.

‘Who was taking care of me when I slept?’ she asked in a calmer voice.

‘I was’ Severus said.

‘Is this my room? My clothes-’ she walked to the wardrobe ‘you’ve cooked what I like’ she glanced at the tray on the nightstand.

‘Everything for you-’

‘I thought- you’d joined them’

‘I was a spy’ he said shortly.

The woman nodded. Severus sat on the bed, next to her. He reveled in the fact that he had her next to him, that she was breathing, moving, talking.

‘Severus?’

‘Yes?’ he smiled upon hearing his name.

‘Thank you’ she hesitated for a moment ‘Will you tell me what happened while I was asleep? If the war has finished… Who’s died?’

The Potions Master was filtering his information in his head for a while – what he can tell her in the entirety, what he can reveal partially and what he should keep from her.

‘Alice Longbottom and her husband are in St. Mungo’s – Bella. Her son is in his grandmother’s care – I seem to recall her name was Augusta? Bellatrix is dead, she got what she deserved. All the Marauders are dead. Black died some time ago by Bella’s hand. Lupin died at the end of the war, together with his wife - I don’t suppose you knew Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda’s daughter - their son is in his grandmother’s care. Dorcas has been dead for a long time- the Death Eaters.’ Severus swallowed. ‘Albus is dead too, a powerful curse. Avery, Mulciber and the others are dead. Lucius Malfoy and his wife - Narcissa Black, remember her? – are quite well. I don’t know what happened to the others, say, Mary MacDonald…’

Lily pressed her hands to her temples and bowed her head.

‘So much has happened. I can’t believe it. Sev, my head hurts. Can I go outside?’

‘You’ve been sleeping for so long. I’ll bring something for headache presently. You shouldn’t go out. Several years have passed. I live elsewhere, you’d get lost. Besides, you’d attract undue attention, appearing suddenly after all this time…’

Harry Potter and his brother in law, Ron Weasley, stood in front of the quarters that were once occupied by Severus Snape. When Horace Slughorn opened the door, the Auror waved an order signed by Robards in front of his face.

'Of course, m'boy. It's such an awful situation. If only Severus was alive, everything would have been explained immediately. He's known Miss Evans so well…'

'Where are Professor Snape's things?'

Slughorn pointed at the closed doors at the opposite end of the hall.

'I've got to go. If you could pass my regards to your wife… your wife is extremely talented, if you allow me to say so…'

Ron made a face when the teacher left. As usual, the Potions Master had not even spared him a glance.

'Alohomora' Harry murmured and pulled out what was contained in the cupboard.

Severus Snape's earthly belongings were crammed into several old tattered trunks and then covered with protecting and locking spells. Merely disabling them took the Aurors half an hour. Harry took one of the trunks and Ron the other one.

Inside, Snape's clothing was stored – mostly black, albeit some in Slytherin green too – and some trinkets. A Slytherin scarf from the Professor's school years. Random bits of parchment. A gold-and-red scarf. Gold and red. Harry's fingers clenched on it. An old framed photo was wrapped in it, and a lock of hair that still retained the original red color.

The young Auror lifted the scarf to his face, imagining his mother – Lily Evans – in Gryffindor colors. The lock of hair was undoubtedly hers too.

'Oy, that's a Gryffindor scarf! What's it doing there?'

'Observant as usual. That scarf was my mother's. Snape has also kept a lock of her hair and a photo of himself with her. Look. "Lily & Sev, 1972". They were in their second year at Hogwarts.'

'Y'know, I think he went a bit mental about your mum. This trunk contains a Muggle book signed "For Sev – Lily" and several letters from him to her or the other way around. Oh, and an extremely old Potions books with margins written on and some more notes about Potions.'

Harry glanced into the trunk that Ron was talking about. His friend was right.

'Trinkets from his school years, connected either to Potions or to my mum…' Harry thought aloud. 'Nothing from later years?'

'Nah. He must have kept his secrets well hidden… Hey, what's this?'

Harry dug his fingers into the corner of the trunk. Something caught his attention. He extracted a piece of simple paper, with pen writing in Snape's trademark penmanship.

'That's impossible!' he exclaimed, showing the paper to Ron.

May 30, 1998

Tom Riddle is gone. Lily- Lily has waited for it for so long. "Sleeping Beauty". My sleeping beauty. Will a kiss wake her up?

'What rubbish' Ron said, but Harry was not listening.

He reached for the book signed from Lily. Just as he expected, it was a collection of fairytales. A bookmark stuck out. He opened the book on the marked page. "Sleeping Beauty". He cursed.

'What's the matter, Harry?'

'That's a Muggle story about a princess who was enchanted and was asleep for a long time. It was a prince who woke her up with a kiss. That's what Snape alludes to in the note. He must have read it many times over – look at the tattered corners'

'The thirtieth of May, 1998' Ron pointed out the date. 'If Snape has survived the battle, he probably is still alive. That's not parchment. If I remember well, his wand was destroyed. Reckon he's somewhere in the Muggle world?'

'That's a thought! Both Snape and Lily were brought up among Muggles. Snape is half-blood. I bet he can get by…'

Lily was sitting at the table in the dining room and messing her food with the fork. It was not that she lacked appetite – she had more than enough. But she hated being cooped up in the house, and Severus still did not allow her to go outside. She heard footsteps – he sat down in front of her.

‘You need to eat, Lily. I did not wake you for you to dwindle away now’

The woman sent a weak smile his way. Severus’s eyes lit up before he bent his head over his plate. Silence fell. When they’d finished eating, the man asked.

‘Do you need anything, Lily?’

That question again. She wondered how it was possible for her name to sound so soft. James had never spoken like this, Severus – always. Not for the first time she started thinking why exactly he had woken her up.

‘You’ve asked so many times. I’ve told you already. But… thanks’

Severus made a face, but then a small smile graced his lips when he heard her thanks. Lily got up, her chair scraping the floor. She walked out into the hall. He could hear her footsteps. He collected the dishes and was starting the washing-up, when he heard a crash. He put what he was holding aside and raced into the hall.

The woman was kneeling on the floor, her face as white as the wall – he worried that she would faint. He pried her fingers away from her collar and undid it himself. Lily breathed in a bit deeper. He carried her to the dining room and opened the window.

‘Sev, what is today’s date?’

‘The tenth of June’ he said, wondering why on earth would she ask such a question.

Then he remembered – the only calendar in the house was hanging in the hall. Lily must have seen the year…

‘What is the year now?’ she asked weakly, confirming his suspicions.

He was silent. He did not wish to answer her. Lily repeated her question, her tone a bit sharper.

‘2000’ he replied finally.

The woman hid her face in her hands.

‘The last year I can remember is 1981! Sev, did you mean to say I’ve been sleeping for nineteen years?! That my baby Harry is now twenty years old?! That I’ve lost his entire childhood?!’ Lily burst into tears.

‘I did not wish to upset you’ Severus said after a long while, rubbing her back awkwardly.

Lily sat a bit straighter, peering at him, her eyes full of tears.

‘No w-wonder you look different… y-you’re thirty-nine, Sev!’ she choked out.

Snape did not answer at first.

‘You look less. I’d give you twenty-five, thirty at most’ he smiled ‘Am I not too old?’ he joked.

***

Severus watched Lily sleep. He was proud of how soon she accepted the passage of time, how well she adapted to the new situation. She was sleeping so peacefully this night. Earlier on, she was tormented by nightmares – ones featuring Voldemort, Potter senior, Wormtail. He’d had to brew her some Dreamless Sleep.

He was tempted to come closer to the bed, to touch her red hair splayed on the pillow or her cheek. He was stopped by the memory of what he did several weeks ago. But the mere thought that Lily could be his aroused him.

He ran into the bathroom, not caring that he slammed the door. He tore his clothes off the quickest he could. He knelt in the shower and started caressing himself, visions of her red hair and smooth skin in front of his eyes. He moaned out loud.

Snape did not even notice he had not closed the door completely. Lily, who’d just woken up, stood in the doorway. She could see Severus’s silhouette – he was kneeling in the shower, his back to her. Had he hurt himself? Or maybe he’d collapsed, so tired he was after spending most of the night in her room again? She heard a weak moan.

The worry won her over, she approached him. She was so close that she would be able to touch him. She could see the muscles in his bent back and his long black hair. He was supporting himself with one arm, but she couldn’t see the other. She moved a bit to the side, ready to haul him out of the shower.

Then she saw what exactly he was doing. A blush flooded her cheeks. She was not a virgin and was well aware of how the lone men – like Severus - dealt with their desires. She took a step back in order to leave, when she heard it.

‘Lily…’

She knew that tone of voice. She saw Sev throw his head back.

She ran away, feeling her heart pound. She’d barely accepted one change in her situation and now she was faced with another. How was she to look at him, knowing how much he desired her? Was that why he’d woken her up? She’d always treated him like a friend – for how long has he seen her as a woman? Was that why he’d hated James – because he was jealous?

She rolled onto the other side and tried to sleep. She’ll think on it in the morning. For a brief while she wondered if she should lock the door, but finally decided not to. She trusted Severus.

***

Severus was sitting at the table, reading the morning’s paper. For a few days Lily’s been behaving a bit… weird. She seemed normal, but he knew her so well. Something was worrying her, but she did not wish to tell him what it was. When he’d pressed the matter once, she’d blushed. Maybe she did miss a man? He shifted nervously in the chair – damn it, couldn’t he think about her without wondering how she’d look in his bed?

He saw Lily. She sat across from him, in her nightshirt. She looked like she’d slept poorly. She poked at the food he’d prepared for her.

‘Sev?… Have you seen my son in the time that passed?’

He grunted in reply, trying to get rid of the insistent images in his imagination and to set his train of thought to other matters. He could never concentrate with her around.

‘What does he look like now? My Harry?’ the woman seemed to have taken the sound as an admission.

‘Like Potter at his age. He’s got your eyes’

‘Can’t you tell me something more?’

He sighed and put the spoon aside.

‘He’s got your eyes, and Potter’s face and nose. And his accursed hair, of course. He’s wearing glasses, a bit more stylish than the ones Potter wore-’

‘James’

‘Pardon?’

‘M-My husband had a name. James. You know it, you can use it.’

Snape’s lip curled as though he’d just found a lemon in his plate.

‘Never mind. Since that night in Godric’s Hollow he’s had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead’

‘A scar? But- you said Voldemort hasn’t hurt him’

‘True. He only left the scar, like a sign’

Lily placed her hands on the table, twining her fingers together nervously.

‘Have you got a photo of him?’

‘I’m not collecting photos of the Boy-Who-Lived. Look in any given Prophet and you’re sure to find one. The brat loves the flashes of the cameras’ he snapped, irritated.

He heard her moan softly. She shifted in the hair nervously.

‘My son? My Harry is the Chosen One? I’d hoped he was not… Was it him who defeated Voldemort and ended the war?’

‘I’ve already told you, Lily. Yes, your son is the Chosen One’

‘Why do I get the feeling that you dislike him?’

‘The brat looks like Po- James and behaves exactly like he did. The same arrogance, the same cheek. At least he was not surrounded by a band of idiots, like P- James was!’

The woman stood up suddenly, leaning over the table.

‘I can’t believe you still hate James. After twenty years? Why, Sev?’

Snape did not hear the question. The loose gown revealed her cleavage and her shapely legs. He wanted to touch her so much…

‘Answer me, Severus!’

He looked up. Lily was right in front of him, in arm’s reach. If he wanted to, he could place her in his lap. He swallowed, wondering how she’d react. Luckily, none of them had a wand on hand.

Her face was so close… self-control was torture. Damn it! He leaned in and kissed her. He expected to see surprise in her green eyes – at least that was what the rational part of his mind said. Lily took a step back, but did not run away.

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again, with more force. She did not flinch. He heard her soft exclamation – in surprise? Fear? He did not care. He kept kissing her – her cheek, her jaw, her neck. He pressed closer to her, one hand in her hair, the other one pushing a strap of her gown aside.

He slipped his hand into her cleavage, but did not stop kissing. Lily… Lily… alive and warm in his arms. He ran his other hand along her leg. The woman flinched when he touched her breast. He felt her hands on his wrists and grunted in frustration.

‘Lily…’

Lily slipped out of his embrace, straightening her clothes. Severus was still frozen, with shock written all over his face. The woman wrapped herself in her cloak – thank God it was close by! She sat back on her hair and waited for Severus to come back to his right mind – or at least enough for him to understand her words. It took several minutes.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ she asked quietly.

‘You preferred P- James to me!’ Snape said, his face obscured by a curtain of dark hair ‘And still you don’t want me – after everything I’ve done for you!’

The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead.

‘Sev, it’s been twenty years for you, but I feel as if my husband had died several days ago!’ she saw his face twist in pain ‘Give me some time’ she said, her voice a bit softer.

Tbc.

A week later Lily was woken up by raised voices. Severus was arguing with a man. She got dressed quickly, wishing she had her wand. She went down to the dining room – Severus and the man were arguing in an adjoining room. The door was slightly open.

‘Professor… you realize it’s an official interrogation?’

Severus Snape nodded stiffly. Lily could see the speaker was wearing Auror robes.

‘Well’ a sigh ‘it took me some time to determine you’re still alive, sir, and you’re probably the only person that can shed some light on the matter’

‘What matter?’ Sev asked icily.

The man coughed.

‘My mother’s grave was desecrated…’

‘What?!’ Severus exploded ‘What the-’

Lily wondered for a moment who the Auror’s mother was.

‘I’m sorry’ the young man said quietly ‘but it’s the truth. You are the only man alive that has known her well, sir. Who could have done it, Professor?’

‘No one’ Snape said ‘that is, I cannot imagine anyone who could have done it’

‘Meaning?’ the Auror said, his tone a bit sharper ‘Nearly twenty years have passed… nineteen, to be exact’

Lily felt like she couldn’t breathe. Nineteen years. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Did she sleep so hard that she was declared dead…?

‘Lily Evans Potter has been dead for nineteen years’ the Auror repeated. ‘And you, sir, are the only person that can help me’

‘Go to hell, Potter’ Severus said angrily.

‘Professor-’

‘Go away. I’m not going to talk to you, Potter. Especially not about Lily’

Another sigh.

‘Well, fine, let me ask: who “my sleeping beauty” is?’

Severus opened his mouth and then closed it. Lily could see his expression change.

‘No one. What rubbish is it, Potter?!’ he exclaimed finally.

The young Auror looked at him carefully, extracting a vial from his robe pocket.

‘If it’s rubbish, I think you’ll consent to the use of Veritaserum, sir. Modified so that no antidotes work…’

Snape looked at the boy as if he were holding a poisonous snake. He pressed his lips together and did not reply.

‘Do you refuse, sir?’

Severus nodded stiffly.

‘Then I am afraid I must arrest you, sir’

Snape took a step back, but Harry was faster.

‘Incarcerous!’

The Potions Master jerked suddenly when the scarlet ropes bound him. Lily saw in his eyes… fury? She saw him free one of his legs and kick the boy… She realized suddenly that the boy was her son!

‘Ron!’ her adult son barked.

Another Auror walked out of the shadows – a red-haired man, the same age as Harry who was standing next to him… the same age her little Harry was. Together they managed to subdue Severus, who was flailing like mad. When the redhead was ready to lead the prisoner out, her son said:

‘Ron, tell my wife she was right’

‘I will’ the man smiled ‘but I thought you were not supposed to drag my sister into this…?’

Severus stared at both Aurors. Lily heard him utter the name ‘Weasley’.

‘Right’ her son smiled, flashing a wedding ring on his finger ‘Ginny. Take care of him, and I’ll search the hovel’ he pushed his companion slightly.

Lily could not think clearly. Her son has just arrested Severus! What will he do when he sees her? She hid in a cupboard no one has used in a long time. Her little Harry was married! And if the redhead was Ron Weasley – whom she remembered as an infant in his mother’s arms – then Molly must have been pregnant with his sister when she’d last seen her… in 1981.

She could hear the young Auror’s footsteps. Her son was very thorough in his search. It seemed he has taken nothing – maybe the Aurors will let Sev go free when they understand he’s innocent? The footsteps became closer.

A tug on the handle. A pause. Harry tugged again, and again. Finally the door was opened and her hideout was flooded by light… Her son issued the light from his wand. The woman forced herself to remain motionless. She could see his green eyes close by, like a reflection of her own. Suddenly his hand shot forward.

The young Auror tugged her outside. Lily’s legs did not support her and she crashed to the floor. The next instant Harry was pointing his wand at her and his eyes were narrowed dangerously.

‘What were you doing there?’

‘I heard Sev arguing with someone… I got scared…’

The man looked at her with suspicion.

‘Will you consent to the use of Veritaserum?’

She bit her lip, thinking of Severus who’d refused. She nodded and she let the Auror – her son – place a few drops on her tongue. The man waited several moments for the potion to start working, and then he asked.

‘Name?’

‘Lily Evans Potter’

Her son’s eyebrows arched upwards.

‘Are you aware this is impossible, ma’am? It’s an official interrogation, right now in the function of a witness, but…’

‘My name is Lily Evans Potter’ she repeated without hesitation.

‘How can you prove it?’

‘I was born on 31 March, 1960. My sister is Petunia Evans Dursley. I have known Severus’ she pointed her chin towards the dining room ‘since my childhood’

The Auror stared at her suspiciously.

‘Tell me then, ma’am, what is your Patronus?’

‘A doe’

‘Your husband’s?’

‘A stag’

‘Who is Padfoot?’

‘Sirius Black, a friend of my husband’s and my son’s godfather. An Animagus, a black dog’

The man’s expression softened somewhat.

‘Why did you stop being friends with Severus?’

‘He called me a… Mudblood’ her voice wavered at the memory, she had to force herself to utter this awful word.

‘In what circumstances?’ the Auror’s gaze never left her.

‘James- thought it would be fun to use Severus’s own spell on him. He levitated Severus overhead, his head down, he wanted- he wanted to humiliate him. He managed it. I did not immediately go to Sev’s rescue, and he… he snapped’

The man’s eyes widened. He lowered his wand.

‘Who was the real Secret Keeper in Godric’s Hollow?’

‘Peter was. P-Peter must have betrayed us… otherwise V-Voldemort wouldn’t have been able to…’ she was not able to finish and she burst into tears.

‘You said you heard me talk to Severus?’

‘Yes, yes, I did’

‘Do you know who I am then?’

Lily was speechless. She had expected the question. She swallowed, twining her fingers nervously. The Auror waited.

‘Harry…’ she whispered ‘You’re Harry James Potter, my son. The Chosen One. You’re twenty years old. Severus said you’d finished the war. You look exactly like Sev said… It’s just- just I remember you… being a child!’

She reached with her hand toward him, but withdrew it immediately.

‘Let’s assume it’s the truth… even Professor Snape wouldn’t manage to fool this Veritaserum… What are you doing here?’

‘Sev woke me up. He said I’d been sleeping all those years’

‘Where did you wake up?’

‘Here, in one of the rooms. Severus must have been taking care of me for a long time – everything was prepared: my clothes, personal effects…’

‘What’s the last thing you remember before waking up?’

Lily’s lips trembled when she heard this question from her son’s mouth.

‘V-Voldemort had killed your father… He demanded th-that I move aside…’ she couldn’t finish, she started to cry.

Her adult son rubbed her back awkwardly.

‘Do you remember what had happened further back?’

‘Yes. I have no holes in my memory, except that sleep’ She swallowed. ‘What happens to Severus? Why did you arrest him?’

Her son looked at her, his eyes piercing.

‘For now, we’ll keep him for forty-eight hours, we’ll ascertain his role in the situation… Do you know who “my sleeping beauty” is?’

‘I have no idea’ Lily shook her head with frustration, too much was happening, too many questions she did not know the answers for.

‘You’re free for now. For your own good, I’d prefer if you didn’t leave this house. Until we explain it somewhat’

Tbc.

Lily swallowed nervously. The boy walked in, although he didn’t react when she suggested he sit down.

‘We’ve determined you’re the person you said you are. Unfortunately, it leads to more questions. You need to come see S- Snape with me and establish some contact with him’

‘What do you mean “establish contact”?’ the woman sank into a chair.

‘It means Snape doesn’t want to talk to us. Or what he says makes no sense. Before we decide what to do with him, we need answers to several questions…’

The woman looked at him worriedly.

‘You need to help Severus…’

Lily extended her hand to him after a short hesitation. The world whirled around them and they appeared in front of the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Lily gave her wand to a shocked guard in the atrium and her son led her down narrow side stairs.

A group of Aurors was present here and she could see holding cells on both sides of the corridor. Harry led her in the direction of one of these.

‘Auror Potter! It’s good to see you back! We have no contact with him… Who is the woman?’

‘His friend. I hope she can get through to him’

‘Better talk from a distance. You never know when he starts raging again’ the guard in the doorway said.

When Lily’s eyes focused, she saw Severus. He was sitting, restricted by a long chain affixed to the wall. He was wearing the same clothes as when they took him away. When he saw her son, Sev started swearing and trashing violently. Harry did not seem to be surprised. He swept his fringe to the side and Lily saw the scar Severus was talking about – for the first time.

‘I am not James. I am Harry, his son’ he said calmly.

‘Harry?’ Severus repeated, in a voice hoarse from screaming.

Lily realized something was not right. Sev talked as though he didn’t know her son at all… That was when she felt his gaze. He jerked, making his chains rattle.

‘Lily! Lily, you have to tell them I’m innocent! I haven’t done it!’

‘What is that you haven’t done? What they accuse you of?’ the woman tried to make her voice calm.

‘I don’t know! I don’t know! Tell them I haven’t done it!’ Severus shouted again.

Lily took a step back involuntarily. This Severus frightened her… burning eyes locked on her… the rattling of the chain. She felt a hand on her arm. Her adult son stood at her side. She swallowed.

‘What do you accuse Severus of?’ she asked quietly.

Harry glanced at Snape, and then he led Lily closer to the bars and further away from the prisoner.

‘Snape is accused of desecrating a grave in Godric’s Hollow’ he paused ‘Your and James’s grave’

The woman gripped the bars to prevent herself from collapsing.

‘What do you mean, “my grave”? Was I asleep for so long that I was declared dead?’

Her son looked away, shifted his weight from foot to foot.

‘You weren’t asleep, Lily. Nineteen years ago, Voldemort cast Avada Kedavra on you. He killed you, which saved my life. The same spell did not kill me… it just left the scar. You and James were buried in Godric’s Hollow. Ever since the war ended, I would come often to visit your grave.’ He swallowed ‘You were definitely dead, Lily. And in May Snape broke into the grave. Your body disappeared. If you are standing in front of me, alive-’

Harry did not have to finish the sentence. Lily dropped her head to her knees and took several deep breaths.

‘Are you sure it was Severus?’

‘Who was with you when you woke up? Who said he’d been taking care of you?’ her son responded with questions ‘We have no proof, but it’s the most probable version of events’

The woman glanced at the prisoner. She let go of her son’s arm and walked back to her friend.

‘What have you done, Sev?’ she asked quietly.

Severus shook his head, his black hair obscuring his face.

‘I have done nothing! I have done nothing!’

‘Where were you last May?’

‘Home. I was busy’

‘Did you visit Godric’s Hollow by any chance?’

The man nodded.

‘Was I in Godric’s Hollow, Sev?’

Snape looked at her as though he didn’t understand the question. Lily repeated it again. Her friend opened his mouth, closed it, indecision written all over his face.

‘Yes. Yes. No. I don’t know. You were sleeping…’

Lily felt goosebumps erupt on her arms.

‘Was I in Godric’s Hollow or wasn’t I?’

‘Yes. That’s where you slept all that time. I took you away. I woke you up…’

The woman flinched slightly when ‘waking up’ was mentioned.

‘Are you sure I was asleep and not dead?’

On hearing the word “dead”, Severus started trashing in his chains. There was no way to continue the conversation. Harry gently led his mother out of the cell, from which screams still could be heard.

‘Severus… he is crazy, isn’t he?’ when they sat down in the hall, Lily said aloud the very thing she was worried about ever since she started the conversation with her friend in the cell.

‘Maybe not completely crazy. It’s not like with Neville’s parents. He’s been behaving normally the entire time you lived with him? No signs of madness?’

The woman shook her head.

‘You see. I think that now we know nearly everything, we won’t keep him any longer. We have proof of… mental disorders… so we can’t really prosecute him. I think Snape will be let free – provided he will receive right care’

‘Which means?’ Lily twisted her fingers nervously.

‘Snape is not such a severe case to be placed in Saint Mungo’s. If a specialist who could take care of his healing was found… and if he was in the care of someone he trusts…’

Harry paused and ran his fingers nervously through his hair, in a gesture so very familiar to his mother. How many times has she seen James do this.

‘At this moment, the someone is you. It’s best if the few people know about you, so I’ll try to ask around for specialists. Maybe Neville will be able to recommend someone…’ he paused ‘If you agree, we could let him go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.’

Lily nodded.

‘I agree’