For the next couple of weeks, life back at home was uneventful. Severus liked having the house completely to himself, and as much as he missed his mother, he preferred solitude by nature, with the exception of a few people in his life. The television was now gone, as were any other electrical appliances. Having no desire for them, Severus had made Spinner's End truly into his place.

Surprisingly, he hadn't seen any more of his father. Upon his initial encounter with Tobias, Severus had expected the man to be appearing on a regular basis. Having no idea where his father lived nowadays, Severus decided to leave the issue alone. If his father wanted a relationship with his son so badly, he could come by more often. Severus found that he was actually wanting to talk to Tobias again, if only to get some answers to the many questions in his head.

More concerning than his estranged father, however, was thought of the war. Severus would glance out the window every night before going to sleep, finding a peaceful neighborhood just beyond the glass. The summer nights were usually cloudless and calm, adding to the illusion that all was well. Severus knew better.

A part of him entertained the idea of telling Lily they ought to see less of each other, lest she become a target for Voldemort and his Death Eaters because of association with him. His love for her was mature enough to know when to let her go if need be, but this idea, he knew, was folly. Lily was already a target by default for being Muggleborn, and the fact that she strongly opposed what the Dark Lord stood for also put her at risk. No one was truly safe anymore, and so, Severus quickly pushed that foolish notion away. There was no way he was going to lose Lily this time, whether for noble or not-so-noble reasons. To hold fast to her was like breathing a fresh breath to sustain life. He knew what life was like without her, and he didn't wish to return to that place. If that made him somewhat selfish, then so be it.

Severus kept these thoughts to himself. He could easily imagine Lily's reaction if he said anything about "trying to protect her for her own good." Like most Gryffindors, she was headstrong. What mostly seemed to be occupying Lily's conversations had been complaints about her older sister. The more Lily told Severus about Petunia, the more he wondered if he should do something to intervene.

"You're really that upset that you keep pursuing your sister?" Severus had asked last time they had spoken about the topic.

"Yes," Lily had said adamantly. "I even tried simply asking her how school was, now that she's at university and all. I've seen her talking in hushed tones on the phone, and I suspect she even has a boyfriend, but I know nothing of his name."

As Severus got ready this morning, he focused on what lay ahead today. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had decided it would be a "lovely idea," as Mrs. Evans had put it, to invite Severus and Petunia's unnamed boyfriend over for dinner. Lily had bemoaned her mother's attempts at pacifying things between her and her sister, saying it was a pointless endeavor, that Petunia would never change.

With low expectations, Severus looked himself over in the mirror one last time before heading out. He knew he would be arriving several hours early, but Lily and he never wasted a moment in seeing each other. He almost always went to her house, or they would meet in the park.

When he reached the Evans' front door, he was just about to ring the bell when the door suddenly flung open. In a flurry of red hair and a lilac blouse, Lily bounded directly into Severus, nearly knocking him over.

"Lily, what the-?" he started to say, but she cut him off.

Grabbing his hand, Lily practically yanked him off the porch and down the steps, across the front yard, and down the sidewalk. Once they were a couple of houses away, Severus forced her to slow down and inquired, "So, are you going to enlighten me as to what that was all about, Lily?"

"Petunia's... boyfriend," Lily huffed.

"He's there now?" Severus asked incredulously.

"Yes," Lily panted, gathering herself. "The sodding arse arrived only a half an hour ago, and he's simply awful, Severus. How appropriate for Petunia to have anchored herself with someone like him."

Severus thought back to his other life, trying to see if he remembered who Petunia's husband was. Just because she had brought home a boyfriend didn't mean the bloke would be her husband one day. He had never met him before, but he had heard the name mentioned, and then he had a vague recollection of Harry Potter's memories. A large, beefy man with a thoroughly menacing attitude came to mind.

"Dursley," Severus muttered, realizing too late he had spoken the cursed name aloud.

"What did you say?" Lily asked, giving him a strange look.

"Er, nothing," Severus lied. "Just... thinking."

Lily didn't look convinced, but she didn't say otherwise. "Anyway," she stated hotly, "he's severely overweight and has made a right pig of himself already, and dinner isn't scheduled to start for another five hours. He tried to be saccharinely sweet toward Mum and Dad, but he's a complete bootlicker."

Severus felt his insides go numb. He had been right. It had to be Dursley. Hopefully Lily hadn't heard him correctly when he had muttered the lousy man's name.

"Well... you don't have to be back for dinner for quite some time," Severus explained. "Let's just stay away from the house as long as possible and return only when it's ten minutes before dinner."

Lily nodded. "I like your thinking, Sev."

Severus and Lily went to the park, where the old playground was located, the place they had first met. The playground had since fallen into a state of disrepair, and no swings hung where they used to play for hours. Upon reaching the spot where Lily had shown Petunia the wonder of how she could magically open and close a flower in the palm of her hand, she frowned, the memories flooding her mind.

"Petunia and I played here nearly every day in the summer when we were kids," Lily reminisced sadly. Shaking her head, she whispered, "What happened?"

Severus watched her quietly, not sure what to say. He glanced uneasily at the bushes he had hidden behind, an awkward and unkempt little kid who had watched in awe as a lovely and pure flower of a girl played with her less than desirable sister. In comparison to Lily, Petunia had seemed so plain, so ordinary, and to the young Severus, she hadn't been worth his while. Of course, he had mostly longed for someone like him, someone magical who would understand him and would share that with him. He had found her, and she stood beside him now, so alive and vibrant, her hair reflecting the sun's rays and the smell of her sweetness tickling his nose.

Severus's hand brushed against Lily's, and then he clasped her hand with his, squeezing it gently. "She won't stay mad at you forever," he murmured. "How could anyone stay mad at you for long?"

Lily gazed at him and searched him. "You're biased, Severus," she said seriously.

"Perhaps, but regardless of that... if Petunia has any sense, she will come round."

His words surprised him more than they did her. Not so long ago, Severus would have told Lily to stop wasting her time on a person who obviously didn't want to be friends. He would have bitterly remembered how she had stopped being his friend because he had been lousy toward her on more than one occasion, and his self-loathing would have spread to his judgment, whether warranted or not, of others. Ever forced to have seen the worst in himself, so he had seen only the worst in others. Now, however, the long buried compassion his once-broken, stopped-beating heart possessed had surfaced, and he knew a large part of loving another was wishing for their happiness. To see Lily so distraught over the apparent loss of her sister hurt him, too.

"Do you really think so?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

They spent the rest of the afternoon outside, walking through the woods and stopping every so often to rest under a favorite tree. They knew these woods inside and out. Eventually, though, the time came when they had to return to Lily's house, and with heavy footsteps, Lily headed home. Severus hoped the dinner wouldn't be a complete disaster, and he didn't know how he would react if Petunia or her boyfriend were rude to Lily. If they wanted to hate him, that was fine. He didn't care what they thought about him, but he hated to see Lily hurt.

The moment they stepped through the door, Mrs. Evans came bustling toward them, looking flustered.

"There you two are!" she exclaimed, waving her oven-mitted hands in the air. "I was worried you wouldn't be back in time for dinner. You just ran off, Lily, and I had no idea where you had gone off to."

"Sorry, Mum," Lily apologized, blushing. "I just... had to get out of the house."

Mrs. Evans flashed her daughter a half-annoyed look. "Well, go wash up. You may as well, too, Severus. Honestly, where have you two been? Romping around like a couple of kids?"

Lily was about to protest, but Severus grabbed her hand and led her to the first floor bathroom. "It's not worth it," he whispered into her ear.

They washed their hands and tidied up as best as they could and then headed into the dining room, where everyone else was seated. Lily's parents were patiently waiting, but Petunia looked as impatient as can be. She was pointedly looking everywhere but at Lily and Severus. As Severus took his seat, he surveyed the large young man next to Petunia. His hair was brown, and like Lily had said, he was very overweight. He was reminded of Slughorn, as he didn't know anyone else who was so fat.

"Wonderful," Mrs. Evans said, clearly pleased. "Now that everyone is here, we'll say grace and get started."

Mr. Evans said a quick table prayer, and as the meal commenced, Mrs. Evans said, "Severus, this is Petunia's boyfriend, Vernon. Vernon, I'd like you to meet Severus, Lily's best friend since they were just kids and her boyfriend now as well, I'm happy to say."

Severus felt his cheeks go hot at her appraisal. He wasn't used to being called someone's "boyfriend." It sounded so juvenile, but then again, he looked seventeen to the rest of the world.

"A pleasure, I'm sure," Vernon said with his mouth full of food.

Petunia scoffed and stated, "Did you know, Vernon, that Severus attends that school for freaks just like my sister?"

Vernon's eyebrows went up to his hairline, and he coughed, nearly choking on his food. Severus wished he would have.

"You mean the one for criminally-behaved children?" Vernon asked, chuckling rudely.

"Petunia, really," Mrs. Evans admonished.

"That's not the truth," Mr. Evans said. "We didn't raise you to be a liar, darling. If Vernon is to one day be a part of this family, the least you could do is be honest about your sister."

"Part of the family?" Lily asked. "What?"

Petunia smirked and held out her hand for everyone to see. An engagement ring adorned her left ring finger.

"If you had been here earlier, Lily," Mrs. Evans said, "you would have been here for the announcement. Anyway, I think it's wonderful."

Lily gaped. She wanted to ask if this was all an enormous joke. Petunia was only nineteen, and Lily couldn't imagine herself engaged in only two more years.

"Uh... congratulations," Lily said softly.

Severus watched as Lily's face fell. He wished he could have been alone with her, as being at the table seemed inappropriate. Not wishing to be swayed from Vernon's earlier comment about their schooling, however, Severus took the discussion back to that point.

"To answer your question truthfully, Vernon," Severus said firmly, "Lily and I attend a school called Hogwarts. She's a witch, and I'm a wizard, and since you're going to be a part of the family, you ought to know. Lily is just as normal as any one of you, I assure you."

He glared at Vernon, daring the idiot to protest, but Vernon simply had a look of shock and outrage on his purple face. "You're lying, surely," the large man gaped.

"No, I assure you, I am not," Severus stated. He cast a glance at Lily, who was gazing back at him with something between awe and wariness.

"What Severus says is true," Mr. Evans interjected. "We're quite proud of our younger daughter. I'll admit, when we first found out, it was quite the surprise, but what a pleasant one."

"Lily was always an imaginative child," Mrs. Evans beamed, "so when we found out she was a witch, many things suddenly made a lot more sense."

"Oh, how delightful!" Petunia shrieked, standing up and tossing her fork and knife to the ground in the process. "'Look, we have a witch in the family! Isn't it wonderful?' Well, I don't think it's wonderful! No one ever asked me what I thought, though, did they? Everyone was simply too happy for pretty, little Lily to give a damn about me!"

Petunia left the table, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vernon was sitting there, a stupid expression on his face. Lily's parents were beyond shocked, and Lily felt mortified. Unable to help the tears that rebelliously poured from her eyes, she stood.

"Lily," Severus said desperately, "what-?"

"Not now, Severus," Lily said in a choked voice, and she ran off, up the stairs.

Severus stood, wondering if he ought to go after her. "I'll be right back," he said in way of apology to Lily's parents, but not caring if his departure was rude to Vernon.

Severus walked toward the stairs, intent on going up to see Lily, but as he passed a window, he saw Petunia's back to him. She was outside, and her face was buried in her hands. He paused, watching her for a moment.

Not knowing why he was doing it, Severus went outside and found Lily's older sister. He stopped a short distance from her. Hearing someone approaching, Petunia lifted her face from her hands, thinking it to be Vernon.

"You!" she said hatefully, glaring daggers at Severus. "Get out of here! Can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Petunia," Severus said levelly, "get a hold of yourself."

Wiping pathetically at her puffy eyes, Petunia sniffed. "Oh, that's rich coming from you. Have you come here to gloat, to tell me how unreasonable I'm being toward my perfect sister?"

"I-" Severus faltered. What could he say? "I know how rejection feels," he said softly.

"If this is some kind of trick-"

Holding a hand up to silence her, Severus continued, "Listen to me. I know you and I don't like each other a whole lot, but I do love Lily, and I hate to see her so upset. She's been telling me for days now how hurt she is that you won't talk to her. Frankly, I don't know what she sees in you, but you are her sister."

"I don't see what she sees in you," Petunia sneered.

"Lily always sees the best in people," Severus said quietly, looking at the ground, an odd feeling of shame washing over him. He chanced a glance at Petunia. "Look, I know you don't like me. I don't care what you think of me, but think of Lily. Give her a chance."

"She never gave me a chance," Petunia said coldly. "I was just ordinary, plain-looking Petunia. She was always the one who got all the credit, all the attention, even before she found out what she was."

Unsure if what Petunia was saying was actually true, Severus chose not to argue the point. "Even if that's so, she wants to have a chance with you now. Doesn't that count for something?"

"I just wanted to be included, to be recognized," Petunia nearly whispered. She wasn't really talking to Severus anymore. Then, she looked him straight in the face and said, "You didn't want me to be a part of your games. You were cruel to me."

You weren't exactly kind toward me, either, Severus thought spitefully, but instead he said, "We should have... included you. We were kids, Petunia. Kids are unnecessarily cruel."

"I find adults aren't much better," Petunia muttered sourly.

Severus conceded that much was true. How many times had he been unnecessarily cruel toward those who had done nothing to deserve it? That was a sobering thought. He wasn't here to bare his soul to Petunia, though.

"Next time she wants to talk to you, let her. Or better yet, you find her and talk to her. Life is too short to be wasted being angry and bitter. What would you do if you lost her, I mean really lost her, forever?"

With those words, Severus walked away, leaving Petunia to her thoughts. He had never known what had gone through Petunia's mind after Lily had died before. If Petunia's treatment of Harry was anything to go by, she had resented the boy as much as he had.

Severus went back inside, thinking of how he had chosen to live his miserable life before. How many years had been thrown away being the monster he didn't want to become? He took the steps to the second floor and went down the hallway. He found Lily's door and didn't bother to knock. He entered and before Lily could say a word, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her, the most precious treasure in the world.