A couple of days following graduation, Lily was sitting on the porch swing in the front of her house. The day was still new, so Lily was taking the time to enjoy the peace and solitude. She closed her eyes and allowed the feeling to go deeper, to descend into the lowest depths and fill her. When the front door clicked, Lily was startled out of her reverie, and she opened her eyes, seeing Petunia stepping outside.

"Oh," Petunia said, "I didn't realize you were out here, Lily."

"It's okay," Lily replied, smiling. Patting the seat next to her, Lily said, "Take a seat."

Petunia complied. "I didn't expect anyone else to be up and about this early."

"Neither did I," Lily confessed. "What happened to sleeping in?"

Petunia had a habit of sleeping later than the rest of her family during the summer, but as Petunia made to speak, Lily had a feeling that had changed.

"Ever since I came home to help Mum, I haven't been sleeping in," Petunia explained, suddenly refusing to meet Lily's eyes.

"Oh, right," Lily said in a subdued voice. Brightening, she added, "But Mum's better now. She's been in remission for a while now. You'll be returning to university in the autumn."

"Yes," Petunia acknowledged. "Things will be back to normal, although not quite. You'll be married by September."

"But I'll be close," Lily said softly. "Petunia, are you... are you all right with this?"

"With what?" Petunia asked, but Lily knew her sister was avoiding the question.

"With me marrying Severus," Lily stated gently. Before, she would have been less careful with her wording and tone, but Lily didn't want to break the fragile thread that held Petunia and her together. That thread, after all, had been on the mend for the past few months.

Petunia sighed, then met Lily's gaze. "At first, you know how I felt about him, about your being with him, but- but he's not so bad," Petunia confessed. "I still don't think he likes me very much."

Releasing a breath of relief, Lily replied, "Severus doesn't hate you, Petunia, but, in fact, he thinks you dislike him. You two have never gotten on well, but I recall you both having a civil conversation last week. That's a start."

Petunia shrugged. "It's just... hard. He never seemed to accept me," she whispered.

A part of Lily wanted to protest and point out that Petunia had never accepted Severus, either; from the start, Petunia had wrinkled her nose and spoken with contempt toward the poor boy from the rundown part of the neighborhood. This time, however, Lily held her tongue.

"That will come with time," Lily said.

"You know, the funny thing is," Petunia started to say, then a blush crept onto her cheeks, "I thought all wizards were like Severus, but when I met those other boys at your graduation, I was surprised to find that some of them are handsome, charming, and kind."

Lily's lips pressed together in annoyance. "You're saying that Sirius is everything Severus is not, is that correct?" she posed pointedly.

Petunia's blush increased. "Well, to me... yes. Lily, I know you're in love with him, so he must give you what you're looking for, but as I told you, he was never nice to me. He's always sneering and sarcastic, which is hardly charming, and come on, handsome? Love must be blind. With a nose like that... and although he's much improved now, his hair used to be constantly greasy and his clothes dirty and torn-"

Holding up her hand to silence her sister, Lily stated, "You don't need to go on insulting him, Petunia. You forget that yes, I do love him very much. Maybe Severus isn't classically handsome like Sirius Black, but I find him attractive in a distinguished way, and there are more important things about people besides what they look like. He is kind and charming, just not toward you. I suppose you think that Vernon fellow was handsome, charming, and kind, do you?" Snorting, Lily continued, "He was anything but, and as for Sirius, until recently, I couldn't stand him. Handsome though he may be, his charm is overdone with all the girls in the school, and he isn't that kind. He used to pick on Severus incessantly."

Petunia was about to stand, but Lily, realizing their conversation had escalated into another argument, reached for Petunia's hand. "Petunia, wait... Don't go, please. I'm sorry... Look, can we please not fight?"

Petunia sat down in a huff and slowly uncrossed her arms. "Fine," she said shortly. "But don't go trying to tell me what to feel about someone. Perhaps you don't like Sirius, but-"

"You like him?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Well, yes," Petunia said softly, her cheeks going red again. "You said you used to not be able to stand him until recently, but do you get on well now?"

"Sirius is fine," Lily admitted.

"Will he be at your wedding?" Petunia implored, a bit too forward.

"I, uh... I guess so," Lily replied, shocked at her sister's sudden interest. "Why? Are you wanting to see him again?"

Although Petunia's stony expression said otherwise, her voice betrayed her. "Maybe."

Lily smiled. Who would have thought? Petunia fancies a wizard.

"Why are you smiling?" Petunia asked, annoyed and bothered.

"No reason," Lily said innocently. "No reason at all."

x x x x x

The summer evening crowd in Hogsmeade was light and quiet. A couple of children ran through the street, laughing as they chased each other, much to their mother's protestations from behind as she tried to keep up. A young couple in love sat outside Madam Puddifoot's, their hands clasped on the table and staring adoringly into each other's eyes. Businesses were winding down for the day, some of them already closed, and the sun was lowering in the sky, casting long shadows.

Severus and Lily strolled through the main street, their destination the only thing in mind. While Severus wasn't as anxious to be a part of the Order, this was Lily's first time at a meeting. Severus kept glancing at her face.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I wonder what to expect. I mean, wow, Sev!" Lily couldn't help herself in her excitement. "What do you think they'll discuss?"

"We'll probably have to go through some sort of induction first," Severus explained, "but it'll mostly be talk of the war... what they've found out, who is doing what undercover work..."

He spoke nonchalantly, as if he were just trying to guess, but beside him, Lily's eyes kept growing larger.

"How d'you know all that?" she asked, astonished.

"Just my instinctive, educated guesses," Severus replied with a shrug, careful to keep his composure calm.

Indeed, Severus was wondering what the dynamic would be like. Having not been to an Order meeting until the second war, he hadn't personally known those who had been killed the first time, with the exception of Lily and James. At that thought, his blood ran cold, and he visibly shivered, even though the evening was quite warm.

"Sev?" came the soft, concerned voice.

"I was just thinking about the war," Severus explained. "A lot of people could wind up dead."

Frowning, Lily nodded. She didn't often ponder the grim reality of this war, but why would she? Unlike the man beside her, she had no experience directly.

Finally, the crooked sign of the Hog's Head came into view. They approached the shady pub and walked around to the back.

"There's a door somewhere here," Severus murmured. Finding it, he opened it for Lily and entered after her.

A long staircase led them down into a dark, dank basement. The lighting was poor, so they had to watch their steps, as to avoid falling. Upon reaching the bottom, a small room with a single, long wooden table surrounded by about twenty chairs greeted them. Already seated around the table were many people, several faces Severus didn't recognize. This was the original Order of the Phoenix, after all, and even when he had been spying for Dumbledore during the first war, he had never attended a meeting.

Severus took a hesitant step into the room, swallowing down the bile that was threatening to rise in his throat. He didn't know many of these individuals because they had been killed the first time around, and although he hadn't felt anxious moments ago, that wasn't proving the case any longer.

He instantly recognized Dumbledore and his brother, Aberforth, who was sitting sternly and quietly beside his more outgoing counterpart. Mad-Eye Moody was there, although seeing him without the chunk missing from his nose and missing his rotating eye was strange. He looked remarkably younger and in his prime as an Auror. Elphias Doge, Dumbledore's old friend, Severus knew from before, and he didn't look too different, although an incredibly stupid-looking hat rested upon his head, his flyaway, silvery hair sticking out on the sides.

Dumbledore stood and was enthusiastically shaking Lily's hand, as she had slowly and curiously made her way toward the table, and he was beckoning her toward the others when Severus heard James Potter's voice behind him.

"Fancy seeing you here, Snape," James said smugly.

Turning around, Severus slightly sneered at the other boy. "I suppose I could say the same about you," he drawled. Seeing Sirius and Remus just beyond James, Severus said stiffly, "Black, Lupin."

"Hello, Severus," Remus replied politely.

"I'd be willing to bet you're the only Slytherin here," Sirius murmured, smirking.

Severus was about to reply with an especially biting retort, but Dumbledore was now standing amongst them.

"Good evening, boys... or should I say young men?" Dumbledore asked, winking. "Regardless, welcome. Please find a seat, and now that everyone is here, it's time we got started."

Severus exchanged a look with the Marauders and took a seat next to Lily. Seated on his other side was a young couple who he realized he recognized. The Longbottoms.

Remembering seeing their tragic story in the newspaper, Severus would never forget those faces. They had stared back with blank expressions in the photographs in the Daily Prophet at the time, so seeing them now gazing back at him with interested and very lively eyes was unnerving. The man held out his hand in earnest toward Severus.

"Frank Longbottom," the man stated boldly. "I'm in my first year as an official Auror, and this is my newly-wed wife and love of my life, Alice."

Beside Frank, a pretty, brown-haired girl with a round face smiled kindly at Severus.

Severus gulped, clearly seeing Neville Longbottom's features shared between his parents. He managed a shaky reply.

"S-Severus Snape," he said.

"Well, it's good to have you here, Severus," Frank replied, far too forward for Severus's tastes.

Frank was the opposite of his timid son in so many ways, although, then again, Neville had courageously put up quite a resistance against Severus and the Carrows during his seventh year at Hogwarts. Still, a part of Severus wanted to insist on Frank addressing him by his last name until they were better acquainted, but to Frank, Severus was just a teenager, barely out of school.

Dumbledore stood, raising his hands to quiet those gathered, and the talk around the table slowly grew quieter, until completely silent. Dumbledore smiled, saying, "Welcome, everyone. As you can see, we have some new members tonight. These fine, young people are fresh out of Hogwarts, and in their seventh year there, they stood for the principles we uphold. They have graciously agreed to be a part of the Order of the Phoenix, so let me introduce to you James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, and Severus Snape." As Dumbledore spoke each name, he paused for a couple of seconds afterward, motioning toward each individual and letting them acknowledge their introduction.

There was a polite applause and series of welcomes from around the table, then Dumbledore continued, "Before we get any further into our meeting, it is necessary to officially induct you, our newest members. You will be bound to keeping silence about this organization's secrets and information, and since I am the Secret Keeper for the Order, you only know of our meeting place because I have told you. No one else but me can reveal this location to an outsider. Is everything clear?"

Severus and the others nodded.

"Very well. Now, please raise your right hands and answer with 'I will' to the following questions."

The hands were raised, and Dumbledore asked, "Will you, to the best of your ability, fight for the side of Light, defending what is right and just, in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds?"

"I will," the five voices echoed, and a white ropelike bit of magic left Dumbledore's wand and wrapped around their hands, encircling their wrists.

"Will you, to the best of your ability, be always honest with your fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix and never lie or betray them?"

"I will." Again, the magic roped around their hands.

"And finally, will you, to the best of your ability, be willing to give your life for the greater good if it should come to that?"

"I will." The last chord wrapped around, joining the others, and then they disappeared, breaking away.

Severus inwardly shuddered, reminded too much of the Unbreakable Vow, but he had gone through this process once before. It was so unlike the induction into Voldemort's ranks, which involved pain and a demand to do something to prove yourself and why you ought to be allowed into the Death Eaters.

"Now that that is done," Dumbledore continued, "let us begin the meeting. Edgar, would you like to start?"

Severus's eyes drifted to a man seated on the opposite side of the table, who was probably in his mid-thirties. His brown hair was tidy, and he wore a small mustache.

"Certainly, Albus," Edgar replied. "I'm Edgar Bones, by the way," he said to the new members. "It's a pleasure to have you here. Now, getting down to business, as Frank might be able to tell you, we have be tailing two men who are alleged Death Eaters, Dolohov and Travers."

Upon hearing those names spoken, Severus wanted to jump out of his seat and confirm the truth: that those two men were indeed Death Eaters. Instead, he kept silent. Everyone would think him mad or demand to know how he had such information.

"We last spotted them in Knockturn Alley a week ago," Frank added. "Edgar wanted to send a group of Aurors after them, but by the time they arrived, the two suspects had gotten out of our sight."

Severus listened keenly. It was apparent that Edgar Bones was an Auror, obviously one more experienced than Frank.

"Thank you both," Dumbledore said kindly. "That is good information, and I trust they didn't realize you have been following them?"

"No, I don't believe so," Edgar replied.

Nodding, Dumbledore asked him if he had anything more to share, and when Edgar responded in the negative, Dumbledore asked a tall, regal-looking man named Caradoc Dearborn to speak on any suspicious activity within the Ministry. The man was an Unspeakable, which intrigued Lily greatly, and Severus glanced at her from time to time, observing how large her eyes were with wonder.

Aberforth spoke at great length of the activity and conversations he had managed to hear bits of whilst shady individuals were in his pub. By the end of the hour, Dumbledore was ready to close the meeting.

"It would seem that we need to continue along with what we're already doing, then. Voldemort doesn't seem to be making any bold moves right now, which is unsettling. The fact that he is gaining followers left, right, and center is by itself alarming and calls for caution."

"Constant vigilance, I say!" Moody barked, his mouth in a crooked smile. He looked hungry to catch the next Death Eaters they found. "Put me on that case, Albus, and I'll find 'em for you better than these newbies." He motioned toward Frank and Edgar, who frowned.

"Alastor," Dumbledore stated, "you know you need to work with the Ministry to get yourself assigned to certain cases. Have you been on Rufus Scrimgeour's bad side too recently?"

"Bloke keeps givin' all the good cases to Crouch," Moody practically pouted. "Crouch is more ruthless than I am, or so Scrimgeour says."

Dumbledore nodded. "Barty Crouch is willing to go too far, I daresay. I wouldn't trust a man like that in the Order."

Silenced, Moody gruffly nodded.

Dumbledore ended the meeting, which left Severus with an troubling feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that Crouch was a bit off before his son had been captured. He wondered further what had happened to Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn, among others.

He stood, the names going through his mind of all those who had died the first time, those who he had just met...

Benjy Fenwick, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, Gideon and Fabian Prewett...

Seeing those faces so alive and expressive was unnerving.

Lily joined him a moment later. "Severus?" she softly inquired after him.

Forcing himself back to the present moment, Severus blinked, pushing a strand of hair out of his eye.

"Sorry," he murmured. "It was just..."

"A long meeting?" Sirius asked loudly, laughing.

Severus scowled and turned to see the three Gryffindor boys standing there.

"Aw, don't look so serious, Snape," James stated in earnest. "This was pretty cool."

Yes, thinking about people dying is 'cool,' Potter. "It's late," Severus said. "Are you ready to go, Lily?"

Lily nodded, wishing to stay and talk with the others, but knowing Severus wished to leave, she gave in and took his hand.

"We'll come along," James started to say, but when Lily glared at him, he backed off. "Or not."

Once outside, Lily's hand clasped Severus's clammy one harder. "Sev?" she implored. "Are you sure you're all right? You're looking paler than usual."

Severus stopped in midstride and faced her. "I'm sorry, Lily. It's just... now that we're done with school, everything is all the more real. I have a bad feeling that some of those people in that room won't survive this war."

Lily brought a hand to his cheek and ran it through his soft hair. "You can't do this to yourself, Sev. You'll drive yourself mental thinking like that. Now, come. As you said, it's late."

Sighing, Severus nodded, giving her a half-hearted smile, and they Disapparated.