Quote from CypressWand on January 25, 2024, 12:31 pm

There was a small gathering inside their house. It felt cosy, warm and inviting – and for once the war went unmentioned. Sirius, Remus and Peter. Mary, Alice and her soon-to-be husband Frank. All of their friends from the Order had come to their living-room wedding, and Lily wished it could have been under happier circumstances in their lives.

James’ idea to get married had crossed her mind before. As much as she despised it, she knew she needed the protection that his name offered. Being a Muggle-born in the Wizarding world had reached its lowest point. Her family was gone. With her parents dead and her sister having shown the last of her, her greatest chance at survival now lay by joining a new one.

And James was good to her. She could see it in his eyes whenever he said that he loved her, even if she couldn’t say it back. She knew he would go through hell and back if it meant keeping her safe. It was one of the many things she appreciated about him – but he was a stranger to her, too.

For years, she thought of him as nothing more than a pompous arse. Even after humbling down a bit during their final year at Hogwarts, she still found him to be someone she could work with, but not be with. And yet, she had finally given in to his pleads to go on a date with him. Feeling as if she were standing beside herself, a stranger answering yes in her place while looking confused at herself for saying it.

‘I, James Potter, take thee Lily Evans, to be my lawfully wedded wife.’

James speaking up pulled her out of her spiralling thoughts. Albus Dumbledore was binding the rope around their clasped hands, and appeared to struggle a bit.

‘I, Lily Evans,’ said the stranger from inside of her, ‘take thee, James P – is everything alright Albus?’

‘Something appears to be wrong,’ said Albus as the rope fell down on the ground. ‘The rope will not stay put, and is refusing to bind your hands in marriage.’

‘Is there something we’re doing wrong?’ asked James, and looked like he was ready to panic.

‘This only happens when one is already bound to another,’ Albus explained. ‘Most curious indeed. Have either of you been married before?’

Lily and James shook their heads. ‘I don’t understand,’ said Lily as she looked up at Albus, and in the depths of his blue eyes she could see that he was looking straight through her. ‘I’ve definitely never been – oh.’

‘What do you mean, oh?’ said James with a tilted eye. ‘Lily, what is the meaning of –’

Lily shushed him before he could speak any further. ‘Albus, do you have a moment, please?’

Albus nodded towards the hallway, and together they left behind a very confused looking crowd. ‘I haven’t thought about this in a very long time,’ she said, refusing to beat around the bush.

‘Do go on,’ said Albus, and she sensed there was no judgement to be found in his voice.

‘We did it when we were nine,’ said Lily, and found herself bouncing on her feet as she recalled the memory. ‘My parents didn’t like him – so I thought I would lose him. We made a blood pact that day. Something that I now understand may hold a much higher significance than I understood at the time.’

‘Is it who I think it is?’ Albus asked.

Lily couldn’t help but smile a little. ‘Yes – it’s Severus,’ she said, remembering the blinding flash of light as she proclaimed them married. ‘Severus bloody Snape.’

Quote from JaySM on January 26, 2024, 10:21 am

Severus sat in one of the armchairs of his library reading the Daily Prophet. There was nothing remotely useful to learn from it thus far. The Minister, Minchum, placed another 5 dementors in Azkaban in response to the massive protests at the Ministry. He used the Aurors as crowd control threatening anyone who supported the downfall of the Statute of Secrecy, one of the Dark Lord’s agenda.

Severus scrutinized the black and white picture of the day’s event and scanned the crowd for himself.

No, he wasn’t seen. He was lost in the sea of people. His lips curled at the thought of getting away with it again. As much as he supported most of the Dark Lord’s cause, going to prison was not his idea of a good time. Although the probability of being imprisoned was low while the masses were so large, it was still a good deterrent. Severus needed to be there. He needed to prove he was serious about changing the grand scheme of things. He had one foot in the door to joining the Death Eaters and actually making a difference.

Lucius, his current sponsor, paid him to join the most recent rally. It covered the cost of the fine of bail in case he was sent to prison, he could pocket what was unused. A representative of the Death Eaters wouldn’t do that if they didn’t see value in him.

Severus flipped the page, pausing briefly to read the headline, “Run Away Bride” before skim-reading the article. His eyes froze on the name James Potter and he decided to reread the passage.

A groom has spent what was meant to be his wedding alone returning gifts and apologizing to his confused guests on 9 Oct. James Potter, pureblood, scion of the Potter family known for their successful Potion Brewers, had been left on the alter by his muggleborn fiancée. Sources say this all points to the bride having cold feet since the couple’s history shows they were childhood sweethearts and the incident was unlikely do to the presence of a third party. For the bride’s protection, her name has been retracted.

Severus snorted. It was nice to know Potter was finally getting his just desserts.

Before he could continue reading the article, he felt a sharp prickle down his spine.

Someone just passed the wards.

Seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

Quote from Bol_Stark on January 27, 2024, 1:35 pm

The knock surprised Severus even more than the sharp prickle that had gone down his spine a moment earlier. Sometimes someone would walk past his wards, especially Muggles who didn't even know about them and just happened to come into contact with them.

And these Muggles never knocked on his door, they usually left within a few seconds. So who could it be that wants to visit him?

Lucius, like any other Death Eater, wasn't an option. He kept his address a secret and he knew that Lucius would send an owl rather than enter a Muggle neighbourhood.

His mind raced as he tried to think of someone who would know his address and actually come to visit him. But the name that came to mind couldn't be standing at his door, waiting for him to open it.

No, Lily had broken off all contact with him and made it clear that she never wanted to speak to him again.

And even if she had given his address to the marauders, they wouldn't be able to get past his wards if they came to his house with bad intentions.

It was an extra layer he had woven into the wards after he had left Hogwarts and the relationship between Lily and that arrogant Toerag had been confirmed. Somehow he had been worried that she would give out his address and that the marauders would follow him even after they had finally left the hellhole that Hogwarts had been for him.

Hogwarts, the place that was supposed to be his safe haven, his home. But from the moment he first met James Potter and Sirius Black, he was doomed, a victim of constant bullying who didn't even get help from the teachers.

Not even when Sirius Black almost got him killed by his werewolf friend. No, all the marauders got back then was a slap on the wrist and a gentle warning... As if his life didn't matter to the Headmaster.

There was another knock, and Severus rose with a sigh, walked quickly to the door and opened it, only to stand there with his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

"Severus, my boy, it's been a long time since I've seen you." The sparkling blue eyes looked straight into his as the old Headmaster stood before him.

Quote from CypressWand on January 27, 2024, 2:32 pm

‘Headmaster?’ said Severus, confused, and looked around to see if anyone else was standing outside. ‘May I ask what brings you here?’

‘I’m afraid it is not a conversation that can be held on one’s doorstep,’ said Dumbledore. ‘If you will allow me, please.’

Reluctant, and somewhat embarrassed by the absolute state of disarray his house was in, Severus invited the old Headmaster inside. ‘Is this about the Order?’ he asked as Dumbledore looked through the many books he had stacked against the walls. ‘You know I’m still trying to become part of the Dark Lord’s inner circle, so there isn’t much that I can –’

‘—sorry to interrupt,’ said Dumbledore as he leafed through a book he had picked up. ‘But this is not about the Order, nor about our plans for you to join the Death Eaters. I’m here as a messenger, sent by none other than this young lady.’ He had found an old polaroid photo hidden among the pages of the book, and handed it over for Severus to see.

It had been many years since Severus had seen the photograph. Wuthering Heights was a book Lily had stolen from her sister, and they had read it together by the riverbank. The photo taken by her mother, who had been a bit more kindly towards him than her father had been. He remembered she had taken it shortly before they started attending Hogwarts. The last summer in which everything was good. ‘What about her?’ he asked stiffly as he tossed the photo aside on his cluttered table. ‘Did she figure out I’m part of the Order too?’

‘Some day she will know,’ she Dumbledore, and found the newspaper Severus had previously been reading. ‘But that is not for me to decide. What really matters, is this.’ He held up the news article about Potter for Severus to see. ‘As it turns out, she is already married – to you.’

Severus felt his stomach squirm at the thought that it was Lily who was Potter’s runaway bride. ‘What do you mean, already married?’

Dumbledore smiled at him. ‘Lily told me about the blood pact between the two of you,’ he said. ‘Made when you were only nine, declaring yourselves married.’

‘We were only children,’ Severus answered with a scoff. ‘How can this be binding?’

‘A bond like this, Severus,’ Dumbledore explained, ‘is more permanent than Death.’

Quote from JaySM on January 27, 2024, 5:36 pm

“Surely you jest.” Severus searched Dumbledore’s face but it was devoid of any mirth. There was no twinkle in his eyes, his expression grave.

“I’m afraid not.” Dumbledore gave Severus a once over before he clasped his hands behind his back and methodically walked to the nearest bookcase, perusing the books there. Severus got the impression it was a tactic to buy time.

As if he were conducting a performance, Dumbledore casually stroked his silvery beard in thought before selecting a book and in a façade of disinterest said, “I find your reaction to the news curious. Have your feelings for her changed?”

Severus felt his cheeks heat.

“Forgive me for not jumping for joy,” he scowled. “I was under the impression that this was a temporary matter. Why else would you be here otherwise if not on Lily’s behalf.”

Dumbledore hummed, returning the book to its rightful place. “I can see why you may think so.”

“Is that not the case?” Severus hated how hopeful he sounded.

Dumbledore offered him an almost pitying look. “I can’t speak for Lily. I’m not sure why she hasn’t approached you and told you the news herself but I suggest you not spiral further in your assumptions lest you burn the very bridge that may lead you to answers. I want to make it clear that I have come at my own behest.”

Silence filled the room.

Severus let out a long defeated sigh and sat down, the chair creaking under his weight. He raised a brow for the Headmaster to continue.

Needing no further prompting, Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I have just returned from the Ministry. It was the first place I thought to search after receiving the news of your involvement in this bond.”

“And?”

Dumbledore pressed his lips together as if he were hesitant to say more.

Severus crossed his leg over his lap to prevent it from anxiously shaking.

“The marriage bond you two have created is irreversible. It has been out of practice for centuries and now considered dark.” Dumbledore let out a long exhale, his eyes still closed.

“Just spit it out.”

“Your lives are intertwined. If either of you die, the other will follow. Knowing this, I can’t in good conscious allow you to continue with the plan without you first discussing it with her.” Dumbledore looked pained to say it.

Quote from CypressWand on January 28, 2024, 6:43 am

Severus, for once, didn’t know what to say, and slumped down into his armchair. Their plan did not come without certain danger, impending doom, and high risk of injury or death. All it took was but a single glance from the Dark Lord inside his mind to know of his true mission, and he would be dead before he hit the floor.

Knowing now that Lily was bound to it all. For her to be dragged into his own suicide mission – it changed everything. His mind was spinning and yet the earth stood still. They were married, for more than a decade at this point. Bound to each other until one would release their final breath. Life did not matter to him, but it mattered everything to her. He knew that much. ‘How can I meet with her?’ he asked.

‘I can try to set up a meeting between the two of you at the Leaky Cauldron,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Do understand, however, that this will not be an easy feat. The whole reason for her marriage to James Potter was to offer her protection to begin with. You know as well as I do how Muggle-borns are treated at this hour. The obligation that James was willing to take on his shoulders now rests on yours, and that complicates matters.’

Severus scoffed. ‘As if my life wasn’t complicated enough already.’

‘I’ll leave you to your thoughts,’ said Dumbledore, and headed for the door. ‘Await my owl. Until then, I suggest you lay low.’

Severus nodded in understanding. He watched the door fall back into its lock as the Headmaster left, and got up from his armchair. He picked up the polaroid he had tossed onto the table, and couldn’t help but feel his lips curl into a smile as he looked at it. Unbeknownst to them, they were already husband and wife in it. Their arms wrapped around each other in a tight embrace.

His dream of choosing her to be his family had come true, and it stirred a feeling of both happiness and uneasiness in him. She hated him, or so he believed. The fairytale had become the nightmare, and all that there was left to do was to meet with her and hope that she would understand.

He placed the photo back into the book Dumbledore had found it in. For now, he would have to be patient.

Quote from JaySM on January 28, 2024, 9:23 am

It was a chilly autumn afternoon in the Cokeworth cemetery. The crisp red and orange leaves crunched under Lily’s boots as she walked down the cobblestone road. She veered towards a well-worn path to a large grave marker that held a single crystal vase with two large, yellow lilies. She rested her hand on the cold, hard tombstone.

This. This was the trigger that led her to the most drastic of decisions the past two years.

“Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad.” Lily smiled weakly.

Her parents were her only true connection to the muggle world. It was through them that she would have been able to follow through a feasible backup plan if living in the wizarding community didn’t pan out. She lost them in a car accident in the beginning of her seventh year, and through her mourning process, James had been the biggest help through it all. Even now, she still felt guilty that she couldn’t match the intensity of his love.

“It’s me again.” Lily’s vision started to blur as she let out a choked sob. “I’m trying my best but it just hasn’t been enough.”

She sniffed, wiping the tears that began streaming down her face.

“I thought getting married to James was the next big step. It would have eased so many of my worries, but I’ve already gone and ruined it all for myself.”

A low rumble sounded a distance away.

“I was meant to get married to James.” Lily wrapped her arms around herself. “But instead I’m married to Severus. What have I done?”

Lily’s fingertips dung into her sides.

“I’m so stupid.”

She bowed her head and cried.

A gust of wind raced past the tree tops dislodging several leaves, they silently danced down to the ground rustling slightly upon impact. Another rumble, this time closer.

“I’ve heeded the warnings and listened to others but it was too late. The damage had already been done.” Lily held in a whimper with her convulsive gasp. “Everything’s gone wrong.”

Lily knelt before the grave marker, her maroon cloak fanning out around her.

“I miss you. I miss you so much.” She leaned her forehead against the tombstone and hugged the sides. “You would have known what to do. You would have already known the words to calm me and help pick me back up but all I had was you. I have no one else.”

Quote from CypressWand on January 28, 2024, 10:09 am

The rain had soaked her to her core by the time she was ready to leave her parents grave, wishing to be held in their loving embrace once more. Fuelled by grief, she walked her way down the rows of tombstones towards the exit. A flash of lightening illuminated the dark stone beside her, and with a swift glance she could see the names etched into it.

Snape. No, it couldn’t be. Her eyes must have played a trick on her. ‘Lumos.’ She held up her wand and looked at the tombstone again. Here lie Eileen Snape & Tobias Snape, the tombstone read. September 30th 1977. The same day that her own parents had died.

Something was starting to add up in her mind that had never added up before. She never knew the identity of the drunk driver that killed her parents. The driver, along with his passenger, had died too she knew. It was by her own choice not to learn of their names. There was no point holding a grudge against a dead man.

This could not have been a coincidence. Not much happened in Cokeworth other than factory related accidents, and Tobias was known to be a drunk. Could Severus have known about this? Was his father truly responsible for the death of her own parents? She knew it to be true. A part of her just didn’t want to believe it.

‘Nox,’ she mumbled, and the light from her wand diminished. She left the cemetery, thinking about what Albus had told her of his visit at Severus’ house. Spinner’s End was but a stone-throw away, and she was temped to walk her way there and knock on his door. To talk about anything. Everything. But she knew there was danger in that, and instead she Apparated her way back to Godric’s Hollow, hoping that none had noticed her gone.

On Hallowe’en she would meet with him at the Leaky Cauldron. James and his friends had insisted on coming with her. It was kind of them, but secretly she wished she could have gone alone instead. To meet with the man she had equally grown to love as well as hate, and to whom she was bound to no matter what lives they had chosen to live for themselves. Her husband, she thought, and couldn’t help but snort a bit at the thought of it. I will see you then.

Quote from JaySM on January 28, 2024, 2:30 pm

Lily’s anxiety rolled like a storm as Halloween neared. She had already she bit James’ head off more than she could count for pushing her into making decisions when she hadn’t fully processed her indissoluble marriage to Severus. He was constantly testing her boundaries which should have come to no surprise since persistence was his glaring trait. She needed space and she was more than grateful that her childhood home was passed down to her. Initially, she was against the idea, with her sister being the oldest it was only right that she received it but Petunia was perfectly content with her bequeathment of their grandparent’s property in Surrey and Lily’s protests were never voiced.

After her parents death, James’ parents helped her put her home on the market but it was passed over several times due to its proximities to the slums and the steady rise of immigrants in the area. Lily had been grateful for the delay because it gave her a place to stay when things became too much, she often had to use her goody-two shoes persona as a barrier to give herself some breathing room. If she went by James’ pace, she would have been knocked up and married before she ever left the school grounds in their seventh year. It was too fast. So far, she had enough self-control to never cross that line with him, though, she couldn’t fathom why when she already had relations before.

Lily felt like she was stuck between a rock in a hard place. It was difficult to gain employment when one had no proof of a muggle education. If she were to ask the Ministry for the A-level equivalent of her NEWTs to be transferred, she knew the request would be denied, it was only natural. That brought her to the other problem. The wizarding community wasn’t safe for her right now. Known muggleborns were being sent to the Ministry for interrogation and families were being torn apart. She was lucky there wasn’t an instantaneous registry for married people or she would already be in the Ministry’s radar as well.

When she awoke the morning of her meeting, she felt magically charged, like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. She decided to take Albus with her instead of the marauders and when she met his twinkling blue eyes, she knew she had made the right choice.