Everything Severus had been waiting for converged into this moment.

Violet walked down the aisle first, taking her seat in the front row of chairs as the bride's mother. Petunia followed shortly thereafter, keeping her eyes focused on the minister, and she appeared a little nervous. When she reached the front, she glanced briefly at Severus, raising an eyebrow, but giving him a small smile. The gesture spoke of her acceptance of his marrying her sister, but also that she would be watching out for Lily.

Severus would have given her a nod under most circumstances, but he couldn't move. Tobias murmured some reassuring words that sounded like nonsense, but all Severus could do was keep his eyes averted from all else. He had eyes only for Lily.

People stood. Then she was there... walking down the short aisle. Severus thought his insides might drop out of him, because surely his soul was flying and couldn't be contained by his mortal coil. Such ecstasy had never been felt. What pure exhilaration, what rapturous delight beyond any words and thought! Severus knew he must have been smiling widely. Lily was an angel, so tranquil, so sweet, so lovely... his angel.

Lily was beaming back at him. He looked ever bit as happy as she imagined, and in his tuxedo, Severus was handsome and divine to her. She had always loved his smile, but more than any physical attraction, Lily was moved, pulled toward him, both literally and spiritually, and now she found herself standing next to him. Her father's kind hold on her arm was barely felt.

Severus and Lily kept their eyes locked on each other as the music stopped and the minister began to speak.

"Severus Snape and Lily Evans, by being present here today to be joined together as one in marriage, you are taking part in an act of faith, to be wedded in holy matrimony. This faith of which I speak has been growing and grows and will continue to grow long on into the future if you both ever strive to believe and embrace it and make it a reality.

"If the foundation of your marriage is the love and devotion you feel, you have, you exchange between each other, and it is to last forever, then you may rest in the hope of a beautiful future together. Do not allow such precious love to wither and fade with the passing years, for life has a way of challenging and trying to take from us that which we hold most dear.

"The dedication you feel for one another in this moment will continue to grow and mature with the passage of time, in ways you cannot yet grasp. Only when you remain steadfast in your devotion toward each other, through the good times and the bad, will you conquer the evils of the world that will threaten love such as yours. Have faith not only in one another, but in God, who has blessed this union.

"Now, I ask, who presents this woman to be wedded to this man?"

Ross replied, "Lily's mother and I do."

He leaned forward the kissed Lily on the cheek, giving both of her hands a gentle squeeze and retreating to sit next to his wife. Lily gave her father a smile and mouthed, "I love you."

"Please take each other's hands," the minister kindly instructed the young couple.

Severus and Lily, trembling, took each other's hands and faced one another.

"As you have written your own vows," the minister said," you, Severus, may give yours to Lily."

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Severus began, "I, Severus, take you, Lily, as my best friend and the love of my life, who has been by my side for many years, in both good times and bad, asking you to just be yourself always, loving all I know of you, yet trusting what I may not know right now, throughout life and all that may come."

Severus then took the ring and slid it slowly onto her delicate finger, continuing, "I bestow this ring upon you as a token and symbol of my vow and pledge to you, on this day and always, and with all I have and who I am, I love you and honor you, with God as my witness."

"Now, Lily, is it your turn," the minister announced.

Lily's eyes were misty with happy tears as she repeated what Severus had promised her a moment ago. "I, Lily, take you, Severus, as my best friend and the love of my life, who has been by my side for many years, in both good times and bad, asking you to just be yourself always, loving all I know of you, yet trusting what I may not know right now, throughout life and all that may come."

Lily placed the ring on Severus's long, thin finger, saying, "I bestow this ring upon you as a token and symbol of my vow and pledge to you, on this day and always, and with all I have and who I am, I love you and honor you, with God as my witness."

Their vows exchanged, the minister concluded, "In the presence of God and these witnesses, having heard what these two young people have professed in love and trust, I now pronounce you, Severus and Lily, as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Unable to contain his joy, Severus threw all restrictive feelings to the wind and took Lily in his arms, kissing her deeply. Applause erupted around them, and the music began again. People stood as the newlyweds walked down the short aisle, and smiles spread on faces everywhere. Severus thought he had to be in heaven, for never in his life had he been this full of happiness and seen that people were happy for him. Lily was holding his hand tightly the whole time.

"We're finally married, Sev!" she exclaimed, kissing him once more.

"I know," he chuckled. Then more softly, he whispered sweetly, "I know. And it is wonderful."

As was tradition, the guests formed a line to receive the couple. Lily's parents were the first to approach them, hugging them affectionately and expressing their congratulations and well wishes. Tobias was next and then Petunia. After hugging Lily, Petunia was face-to-face with Severus. A brief awkwardness fell over them, but Severus extended his hand to her. She took his, shaking it firmly, but they didn't embrace. Petunia gave him a single nod and a tight-lipped smile, which Severus returned.

Several members of Lily's family passed through the line, and Lily had to introduce Severus to them. He knew he wouldn't remember the names and faces tomorrow, even though there were about twenty people in all, not a huge number. Had this been a magical wedding, all these Muggles would have been shocked to see floating goblets of wine and trays of food which served themselves, but Severus was fine with pretending to be a Muggle for a day.

Bringing up the rear were Mary and the Marauders. Mary hugged Lily tightly, saying, "You look so beautiful, Lily! Is it fair to express my jealousy that I'm not the one getting married?"

Here, Mary eyed James, and he gazed back, caught off guard. Scratching at the back of his head nervously, James replied, "All in good time, Mary. I promise." He offered her what was supposed to be a dashing smile.

Lily and Mary both laughed, and Severus tried not to roll his eyes at the display in front of him. Smirking smugly, he drawled, "And I suppose you thought you would be the first one married out of Hogwarts, Potter?"

Lily stopped giggling upon hearing Severus's remark, and an odd expression passed on her face. She had supposedly married James in Severus's first life, and now, looking at James, she was made uncomfortable. While Mary moved on to quickly shaking Severus's hand, James was now standing in front of Lily, not sure what to make of her expression.

"Congratulations, Lily," he said. He then leaned in and did something that Lily wasn't prepared for. He hugged her!

"Th- thanks, James." Lily clumsily patted him on the back and was relieved when he released her.

Beside Lily, Severus became aware of Lily's discomfort and immediately regretted his comment. Now wasn't the time to discuss it, though. James and Lily were done, and James extended his hand toward Severus. As Severus made to shake hands with the man who had been his nemesis for so many years, he half-expected him to pull his hand away and laugh cruelly, but James kept his hand out, and Severus clasped it.

"Treat her well, Snape," James said in earnest.

"I intend to," Severus stated curtly, as if he would do anything else!

Following James was Sirius, who was just as quick to shake hands with Severus as he had been after the Triwizard Tournament. Severus pulled away, glad for the contact to be over. Thankfully, Sirius didn't say anything and instead was off to the side joking with James and Mary. Finally, Remus was upon them.

Lily hugged him for several seconds.

"I'm happy for you, Lily," Remus was saying. "You always deserved the best."

"Thank you, Remus," Lily replied, touched.

The best? Severus thought in shock. Lupin thinks our union is "the best?"

Finished with Lily, Remus shook Severus's hand firmly.

"You may not believe me, Severus, but I am happy for you, too. You and Lily were friends for years, and it only seems right that you are marrying her."

"Thank you, Lupin," Severus murmured, not sure how to express his gratitude toward such unexpected sincerity.

Last to wish them well was Madam Pomfrey. Taking Lily and Severus each by the hand, she gently squeezed their palms, gushing, "Lily, Severus... thank you for having me here, and may your marriage be everything it's meant to be. I'm so happy to see you happy."

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," Lily said. "Severus always said you were a positive influence in his life, and we wanted you to be here."

Blushing, Severus admitted, "It's true, Madam Pomfrey. I... I know I haven't gotten to speak much with you in the past year, but those times in the infirmary when I was younger, you were always kind to me. I'll never forget that."

Waving their words off, Madam Pomfrey said, "You have grown into fine, young people, both of you. My best to you."

Once they were done receiving all the guests, Violet approached them, asking them to take their seats, as dinner was about to begin. Lily led Severus to the table at the front, where they were surrounded by their immediate families. Seeing the smiling faces, Severus wished his mother could have been there, but kept those feelings to himself.

Each of Lily's parents and Tobias gave a toast to the newlyweds, but Petunia remained quiet. Severus noticed she kept looking over at the table where Sirius was seated, and whenever Sirius would notice her and give her a smile or wiggle his eyebrows, Petunia would turn away, blushing. The minister followed with a prayer of blessing, and then they went up by table to the buffet line.

The food was nothing extravagant, but Severus had insisted on paying for it rather than letting Violet cook for thirty or so people, which she would have done. The meal was filled with pleasant chatter. Once dinner was finished, the tables broke up, and people stood and moved about, continuing to talk.

An elderly woman who Lily said was her great aunt Lydia took a seat next to Severus when Lily had vacated her chair to go mingle with her cousins. With no one else at the table, Severus was left to the old lady's scrutiny.

"You say you've known my Lily for nine years?" Aunt Lydia questioned.

"That's correct," replied Severus, wondering where this was going.

"You seem awfully young to be getting married. In my day, it was expected that a young lady would be married right away, but times have changed. I trust you have means to take care of her?"

Feeling like he was being interrogated, Severus said stiffly, "Of course."

"Hmmm, well, Petunia informed me of your location of residence. It's not exactly the type of place I would expect Lily to reside. What are your plans, young man?"

Pressing his lips together in annoyance, Severus said, "I assume you're referring to my profession? That would be a doctor, madam." Telling her he would be a Healer might have been amusing, but he had to keep his magical side quiet.

"A doctor?" The old lady's eyes grew large behind her glasses. "Well, that is a most respectable career choice, Severin."

"Severus," he corrected her.

"Right," she said. "Rather an unusual name, isn't it?"

Wondering how much longer and how many more things she could find to disapprove about him, Severus said between clenched teeth, "Perhaps, but it's my name all the same."

Just then, Lily joined them. "Ah, Sev, I see you've met my dear aunt Lydia. Auntie Lydia, I hope you haven't been giving Severus the third degree," she joked lightly.

"Certainly not!" Aunt Lydia exclaimed, affronted.

"Sev," Lily said, ignoring her aunt, "it's time for our first dance."

Severus hadn't expected there to be dance music, as they were outside on the grass. This, he realized, was something Lily and he hadn't really discussed about the wedding. He had been more focused on the actual ceremony, not all the celebrating that followed, some of which Severus felt frivolous. If he hadn't been with Lily, he would have gladly hidden away from mingling.

"Oh," Severus said, surprised. "Then I'll try not to step on your toes too much."

Giggling, Lily took him by the hand. "Nonsense. You're graceful naturally, so I would expect you to be just as graceful on the dance floor."

"What dance floor? And what if I told you I don't dance, Lily? As long as you've known me, have I ever danced with you?"

"No, but there's always a first. This really will be our first dance, then. As for the 'dance floor,' it's just a saying. The open space among the tables is perfect."

Lily winked at her father as she passed him, and Ross set the needle onto the record on the player they had set up outside.

"Just hold me close like you would if you were hugging me," Lily whispered into his ear. "Close your eyes and pretend no one else is around."

"Okay," Severus replied, unsure of himself, pulling Lily to him and wrapping his arms around her. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Sirius and Petunia together. His stomach flip-flopped, and he wished he had removed his jacket sooner. After this dance, the damn thing would be coming off.

The music started. Severus recognized the old song... "Unchained Melody."

He could feel Lily's body meshed with his own. She smelled of flowers, and she was soft and gentle. They swayed to the melody, and as Lily said, the rest of the people around them melted away. He opened his eyes and gazed into hers. He could be lost forever in that green gaze and not care.

Just as the music wound down, a series of pops reverberated around them, followed quickly by screams. Rudely broken out of his dreamlike state, Severus turned to see what was going on. Several masked figures in black robes were surrounding the wedding guests, and only James, Sirius, Remus, and Mary were standing there with their wands out. Everyone else, save Madam Pomfrey, was a Muggle.

Shit, Severus thought, his insides like ice.

His eyes quickly assessed the situation. There were six Death Eaters in all, and Lord Voldemort was absent. Wishing they had actually invited Dumbledore now, Severus turned to Madam Pomfrey, shouting, "Go! Alert him!"

How he wished he could have been less obvious, but what choice did he have? With a rapid nod, Madam Pomfrey Disapparated.

The Marauders and Mary were much closer to the Muggle guests than Lily or he were, so Severus next turned toward them, shouting, "Take them and get out of here!" He didn't have a moment to think or the time to waste explaining further instructions. He trusted the Marauders to think on their toes.

Understanding immediately, James nodded and said something to Sirius, Remus, and Mary. Although afraid, Lily's relatives complied with taking the hands of these strange people with sticks of wood. Each wizard could only manage to take two people at most, so that left many Muggles still at the mercy of their attackers.

"Leave them alone!" Severus yelled at the advancing Death Eaters. "Your fight is with me!"

Lily wanted to rip her dress off. Fighting in a wedding dress wouldn't do, so she flicked her wand at the bottom, transforming it into a short, regular skirt.

"What a happy occasion," one of the Death Eaters drawled.

Severus recognized that voice instantly.

"Lucius," he breathed.

"How thoughtful of you to remember, Severus," Lucius said. "But apparently not thoughtful enough to remember to invite your old friends."

"Hello, Snape," Mulciber's menacing voice sneered.

"Sev," Lily hissed into his ear. "What do we do?"

Mulciber grabbed the nearest person to him, one of Lily's cousins, a girl with blonde hair who couldn't have been older than ten. The little girl screamed, trying to pull away from Mulciber, but the Death Eater held her to him, his hand roughly around her, his wand aimed at her throat. The girl's parents were looking desperately toward her, too afraid to speak.

"Leave her alone!" Lily demanded. "She's done nothing to you!"

"Shut up, Mudblood! She's a filthy Muggle. It's the fact her kind exists that they need to be dealt with!"

"Now, now, Michael," Lucius said calmly. "There is no need to resort to such language."

Severus knew Lucius was simply taunting. The man tried to act with finesse, but he hated Muggles just as much as Mulciber. A series of pops came again, and James and his friends had returned. Just as they made to take more Muggles to safety, though, the Death Eaters all aimed their wands at them.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere, Potter," Lucius said more maliciously.

"Oh?" James asked. "Try me, Malfoy."

Severus wanted to curse James for being so pompous. Did he think this a joke, a game? He wished the Order would show up, but knowing he couldn't keep standing there, Severus took the distraction of the Marauders' arrival to aim his wand at Mulciber. With a harsh flick, his nonverbal Sectumsempra sliced the man's throat, leaving blood gushing. Mulciber tried to scream, but gurgles only came instead. With his hands groping at his neck, his grip on the little girl was released, and she ran to her parents.

"You bastard!" Avery cursed Severus. He made to hit Severus with something, but then Avery turned his attention to Lily. With horror, Severus tried to block whatever vile curse the Death Eater had aimed at his wife, but Lily could stand her ground well. She parried the curse, and a jet a red light issued forth from her wand, a Stunner. Unfortunately, Avery was more advanced in duelling than he had been a year ago, and he blocked Lily's spell.

"Ah, so I see you want to play dirty," Lucius said harshly, no longer keeping his composure collected. "Very well. Death Eaters, attack!"

The five remaining Death Eaters, what with Mulciber on the ground in agony, targeted the defenseless Muggles, but Severus and Lily dashed into the fray, joined by James, Sirius, Remus, and Mary. Lily's relatives began to flee, but couldn't get too far without taking hits. Thankfully none of the spells had been the Killing Curse, but a couple of people were writhing on the ground, twitching under the Cruciatus Curse.

Severus wasn't going to play games. Stunners and Disarming were jokes. He intended to take down as many Death Eaters as possible with his most useful spell, his own invention. He aimed for Lucius, but the older man was an effective dueller.

In the midst of jets of light, a group of five people arrived. For a fleeting moment, Severus thought more Death Eaters were coming, but relief flooded over him when he saw Dumbledore amongst them. The Order of the Phoenix was here.

While trying to stave off the Death Eaters, Severus had lost sight of his father. Now, he frantically gazed around, as Lily did likewise. Petunia was running with Violet toward the house, but there was no sign of their fathers.

The Death Eaters, upon seeing Dumbledore, drew back momentarily in fright. Such a formidable wizard was not easily reckoned with. Before Dumbledore or any of the Order could attack, though, a bang went off, and with shock, Severus turned his head to see Ross and Tobias running toward the Death Eaters, brandishing guns. Seeing the satisfied look on Tobias's face, Severus knew his father had shot his gun off.

"Father!" Severus yelled, but Tobias kept advancing.

"Think you're so clever, do you, with your fancy magic?!" Tobias bellowed at the Death Eaters.

"Father, stop!" Severus demanded, his voice tremulous, for Tobias was writing his death sentence.

Dumbledore, Moody, Frank Longbottom, Edgar Bones, and another whose name escaped Severus took the distraction of the Muggles with guns to attack. The Death Eaters were obviously at a disadvantage. They were outnumbered and were of the younger lot.

A full on battle pursued, and Severus fought with all he had, but now that the Order were here, the battle was short-lived. One by one, the Death Eaters Disapparated, retreating like the cowards they were. Such chaos for ten minutes had left Severus and Lily confused, yet worried.

Only Mulciber remained, and Severus approached him, the man rasping, glaring up at Severus.

"Think you're... so brilliant... do you, Snape?" he said in between shallow breaths. "I... killed your old mate... Pettigrew... He thought he was... brave, too... defying me. He didn't last... more than a minute. You'll be... meeting the same fate soon."

A horrible choking noise issued forth from Mulciber's mouth, and he stopped breathing, his eyes staring lifelessly at the sky. Stunned, Severus stepped back, realizing he had just killed a man.

He couldn't fathom the events that had just taken place. Staring around at scared Muggles, who were being escorted away to safety by the Order, Severus tried to find Lily. Tobias was no worse for the wear as he ambled over to Severus.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y- yes," Severus croaked. "Are you?"

"Fine as the day had been," Tobias stated.

"Have you seen Lily?"

"Saw her just a minute ago... going that way." Tobias pointed toward the house, where the corner was surrounded by an overgrown bush.

Severus could feel his heart beating in his ears. Oblivious to the conversations around him, he continued on. Violet and Petunia were now coming out of the back door, looking for Lily... and Ross, apparently. Severus hadn't seen the man around since he had gone running into battle.

Hearing sobs, Severus's chest clenched. He stopped, seeing a pair of unmoving feet peeking out from the corner. Fearing the worst, Severus forced himself to step around the bush.

There knelt Lily, tears streaming down her face as she looked down upon her father's lifeless body.