Least Likely Of All

Chapter Four: Parts 16 - 20

Chapter Four, Part One: Till Death Do Us Part

The next day, Severus went up to Dumbledore's office, his father's letter clutched in his hand. Reaching the door, he banged on it impatiently until he heard Dumbledore give him permission to enter.

"Severus, this is a surprised... What is this?" Dumbledore asked as Severus handed the letter to him. He opened it and quickly read it, his expression becoming one of anger.

"What is, as your father wishes to know, your course of action?"

Severus sighed as he paced the room, "It's obvious, isn't it? I have to break up with her."

Dumbledore nodded, "It seems as if it's a choice between life or death. Have you told her?"

Severus shook his head, "No."

Dumbledore nodded and told him to sit patiently. He left the room and came back minutes later, Lily in tow.

"Lily, please read this." Dumbledore handed her the letter. Lily quickly scanned it, then looked up at her grandfather, horrified. She then looked over at Severus, who had his head in his hands.

"But... why?"

"I am Lord Voldemort's greatest enemy. Any Death Eater with relations, however distant, is considered a threat. If Severus were to marry you as you two have planned, he would be killed instantly, and I'm not sure they would spare you either."

Lily sank down into a chair, looking bewildered. "There has to be a way around this... There has to be..."

"If either of you have any good suggestions, I'm open to them." Severus' voice came out muffled from behind his hands.

Professor Dumbledore sat down and thought for a moment. "I could marry you two, the ministry granted me that power early in my life... however, you would not be allowed to tell anyone, or speak of it even to each other unless in complete privacy. You would not be allowed to have any children or any prolonged contact with each other. Both of you would have to live separate lives, away from each other. However, you would be married."

Lily sighed, "We'd be legally joined, but unable to see each other for more than five minute at a time."

Severus looked up from his hands, finally speaking. "It's better than nothing."

Lily nodded, agreeing with him. "Unfortunately, it does seem to be the only way."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, "Do you wish to proceed?"

Severus and Lily exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.

"Very well. As the letter states, you have one month together, and then you must stage your parting of ways. When do you wish to have the ceremony?"

Severus walked over to Lily and bent down to meet her seated height. Looking into her eyes, he quickly got the message across-

Now.

Lily nodded, then looked back up at her grandfather. "Now, if you have nothing scheduled."

Professor Dumbledore didn't seem surprised in the least, "Very well... Please, Lily, stand up and stand in front of me with Severus." The two followed his command, then Lily looked up at him with expecting eyes.

" Do you, Lillian Maria Evans, take Severus Lagasto Snape, to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and promise to be faithful to him until death do you part?"

Lily smiled, holding Severus' hands. "I do."

"And do you, Severus Lagasto Snape, take Lillian Maria Evans to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forwards, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and promise to be faithful to her until death do you part?"

Severus squeezed Lily's hands, looking directly into her eyes. "I do."

"By the power invested in me by the English Chapter of the Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Severus, you may kiss the bride."

The kiss lasted for a short period of time, but to the couple it seemed like eternity.

"Fawkes, maybe I present to you Mister and Misses Severus Snape." Dumbledore directed this towards in phoenix, which was standing on his perch watching intently.

"I shall have a certificate stored here in my office. If at any time you wish to see it, ask me, but for safety's sake, it will not leave this room." Dumbledore told them.

"Yes Papa." Lily said while Severus nodded.

"Good." Dumbledore smiled and looked over at his grandson-in-law. "Severus, welcome to the family."

*

Chapter Four, Part Two: Save Tonight

They had one month. One month to act as if tomorrow would never come; one month to pretend it would last forever, until reality set in. They didn't have forever; they had 30 days to live out a life of a married couple. Once the morning of January 25th came, to the rest of the world they were through. They spent not one night apart, and fortunately Severus' disappearances were not questioned by his roommates, nor was the ring around his finger -- a sign of marriage for a man. Severus doubted they even noticed; Lucius Malfoy, Matthew Crabbe, and Marshall Goyle were part of a tight-knit group he was allowed to enter, but never really felt welcome to join.

Once classes started, Severus and Lily only saw each other afterwards, at night, and in Transfiguration. They spent every spare moment together, not wanting to waste a minute of their limited time.

January 24th was their last night together, and the two were determined to make it special. Dumbledore arranged for three house elves to set up a table in the middle of Lily's room with a small feast, along with flowers and candles arranged all around the room. Set on Lily's desk was a large record player with a stack of about fifty records to choose from, including Muggle albums Severus had never seen.

"Shall we?" Lily was dressed in the silk dress she received for Christmas. Severus smiled and took her arm, leading her to the table. For the first five minutes, they ate in silence, not knowing what to say to each other. Music from the records was playing in the background, setting the mood.

"You know, as of midnight, we're officially an unknown, unregistered marriage." Severus smiled at the irony.

Lily nodded, "Yeah, we are... Severus, I have something to tell you."

His eyes widened a bit, expecting the worst. "You're not pregnant again, are you? Because if you are, that'd be really hard to explain."

Lily laughed, "No, I'm not. Sev, I promised James if anything happened to you and me I'd go back to him. Even if I hadn't said anything, he would have expected it."

Severus' eyes were now downcast, "Your grandfather said we had to do everything in our power to make things seem normal. If you believe it's required of you to go back to James, then do so. It's for the best... The less we're together, the less suspicious everyone will be."

Lily tried to look Severus in the eyes, but was unable to meet his gaze. Finally, she reached over the table and touched his cheek. He then raised his head up to meet her eyes.

"You know I love you, Sev. You know I do."

"I know Lil, right now you do... But what about 5 years in the future? What's going to happen then?"

"By then, Voldemort will be defeated and I would have left James. Our relationship will be out in the open and we'll have at least two babies by then."

"That's terrible optimistic of you."

"It's terrible pessimistic of you to think otherwise... It's 1978, Severus. Voldemort has control of nearly a quarter of the witches and wizards out there. What else can we do but hope?"

Severus become quiet for a moment, listening to the beginnings of one of the Muggle songs. He got up and offered his hand to Lily, "May I have this dance?"

Lily smiled and took his hand graciously and allowed him to lead her to a small clearing near the secret door.

Go on and close the curtains cause all we need is candlelight

You and me and a bottle of wine
Gonna hold you tonight

"What if Voldemort is never defeated and we can never be together again?" Lily asked, laying her head on Severus' shoulder.

"He'll be defeated, I promise."

Well we know I'm going away and how I wish, I wish it weren't so

So take this wine and drink with me
Let's delay our misery

"If you could turn back time, would you still talk to me when you found me in the prefect's bathroom the first night we talked?" she asked, dropping her voice to barely above a whisper.

"Not only would I have talked to you, I would sweep you off your feet in a moment's time and run away with you."

"You mean it?"

"As much as I'm alive."

Save tonight and fight the break of dawn

Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Save tonight and fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone...

The two continued to dance as flames danced in the fireplace beside them, creating their silhouette among the scarlet coloured walls.

There's a log on the fire and it burns like me for you

Tomorrow comes with one desire
To take me away, it's true

"Promise me, when this is all over you'll still remember me." Lily murmured, burying her face in his neck.

"As long as I'm alive, I'll love you, and don't you ever forget that."

It ain't easy to say goodbye

Darling please, don't start to cry
Cause girl you know I got to go, oh
And lord I wish it wasn't so

"I'm going to help Papa with his group... I'll make sure James is a part of it also, we could use all the help we can get."

"So then we'll be able to see each other a lot without it being questioned."

"At least not by our side."

Save tonight and fight the break of dawn

Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Save tonight and fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone...

"I won't let anything happen to you, not so long as Voldemort trusts me. When you get out of here, I want you to lay low... Don't let any of the Death Eaters know your presence."

"I won't."

Tomorrow comes to take me away

I wish that I, that I could stay
Girl you know I've got to go, oh
And lord I wish it wasn't so

"When all this is over with, we're going to have a real wedding, with a dress and organs and family... and a cake." Lily smiled, kissing his neck.

"Of course, love."

"And we're going to have a song... A real song we can tell people about and listen to when it plays in some musty club when we least expect it."

"A song?"

"You know, something we can dance to."

Save tonight and fight the break of dawn

Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Save tonight and fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone...

"Like this one?"

"No, this one's much too sad... One we can be happy about, one we can tell our gazillion babies about..."

"Still a gazillion? Are you sure you won't settle for a thousand or so?"

Save tonight and fight the break of dawn

Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone
Save tonight and fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone...

"Sev, you're gonna love me forever, right?"

"Lil, I promise you... There will never be anyone else."

"And no matter how goo-goo I act around James, I promise the whole time I'm thinking of you and only you."

"Even during the sex?"

"Especially during the sex."

Tomorrow I'll be gone...

Tomorrow I'll be gone...
Tomorrow I'll be gone...

Save tonight...

Save tonight...
Save tonight...*

* - "Save Tonight", Eagle Eye Cherry

*

Chapter Four, Part Three: The Parting of Ways

Looking back on the morning of January 25th, 1978, it was the hardest day of Severus' and Lily's life. Knowing what she was going back to, knowing they would never truly be able to celebrate their relationship, knowing Lily's fantasy life with him wouldn't come true, at least for a long time, was hell to them. 'What if?'s kept running through Severus' head, the each more impossible but fearful. What if he died and James was the one to comfort Lily? What if she was pregnant and didn't know it, how would they explain that? What if she gave James a child and when the time came for him and Lily to be together, for her child's sake, she didn't leave James? Or even worse, she completely ignored him for the rest of their lives? What if she died, leaving him all alone in the world? He was certain he wouldn't be able to love anyone else, even if he tried. What if that bastard beat her so bad she was forced to leave him, leaving her alone in the world? Severus wouldn't be able to take care of her, not without the Death Eaters finding out. Once the Death Eaters found out, he was certain either himself or Lily would die.

Before the sun was up, the two laid together for hours, just thinking. Both had tried to execute a conversation, but failing miserably.

"Lily, if he lays one hand on you ever, come to me and I swear I'll make sure I'm the only one able to give you babies. If he threatens you, makes you do something you don't want to, or even looks at you the wrong way, tell me. Ok?"

Lily nodded, a tear running down her cheek. "God, this is so hard."

"I know baby... I know."

The two walked down together to the Great Hall and gave each other one long, single kiss before entering the Hall. Watching her walk off to the Gryffindor table, knowing what she was about to do made Severus feel just about as helpless as he had ever felt. He made his way to his own table silently, tearing his eyes off of her for a moment. When he looked back, he saw her sitting next to James, and from the look of it she was telling him she and Severus had broken up. Confusion washed over James' face for a moment before a look of relief set in. With rage boiling inside his chest, Severus looked away to endorse himself in a conversation with his fellow Slytherins.

"I see you and Evans broke up." Lucius Malfoy, a Slytherin seventh year commented.

Severus nodded, confirming his suspicions. "It didn't work out."

"You two were together for a year, you were engaged, and all the sudden, things didn't work out? What'd she do, cheat on you?" Crabbe commented, taking a bit of bacon.

"Of course not. We just decided it wasn't for the best."

"So you're letting that Potter fool take her now?" Malfoy sniggered, looking at the Gryffindor table.

"Not by choice, believe me."

"I wonder if the rumors were true... Him beating her and all. Then again, this is Lily Evans we're talking about... No one in her right mind would touch her. Would you believe she's related to Dumbledore? I guess she's not as Muggle as everyone though." Malfoy said through a mouthful of eggs.

"Of course I knew." Severus snapped, "I've known for six months."

Malfoy didn't looked fazed at all by Severus' small outburst. "Of course, the little bitch had it coming to her... F-cking with Potter, then moving on to you. She might as well take on the role as the school slut, it suits her well enough."

A loud scrapping sound was heard as Severus stood up and knocked Lucius off his chair. Around two hundred pairs of eyes turned to look at the two as Lucius toppled to the ground, landing on his knees. When he looked up with startled eyes towards Severus, he immediately regretted his words. Severus was positively fuming, Lucius was sure if it was possible smoke would be coming out of his ears. His fists were balled up and his upper body was stiff, ready to fight.

"Don't you ever talk about her like that, you hear me?" Severus hissed so only Lucius could hear him. Lucius nodded weakly, clamoring back up to the table.

"I would have thought you, of all people Snape, would have enjoyed that comment, seeing as how seeing people in constant misery is what you're destined for. I heard about your contacts with the Inner Circle. My father instructed me to treat you with more respect this year; everyone knows what you're capable of."

"I'm only capable of what I want to do." Severus said stiffly, sitting back down in his seat and avoiding Lily's gaze he could feel from across the room.

"Keep telling yourself that, Severus, and one day you might die trying to pull it off. Our Lord takes no weak Death Eaters; where we're going, only the strongest survive." Malfoy pushed up his sleeve under the table between them, showing him the Dark Mark burned into his upper forearm. "Don't you see? We're on the same side. Trust me, Snape. You and I have one hell of a future together."

Severus was distracted once more; Lily was walking out of the Great Hall with James' arm around her. Following closely were Sirius, Peter, and Remus, only one of which glanced towards him; Remus.

Severus nodded in his direction, confirming Remus' suspicions .He knew their kind of relationship would not end that abruptly, and Severus was grateful for having someone on his side, especially a friend of his now-proclaimed enemy, James Potter.

*

Chapter Four, Part Four: Trouble In Paradise

As Lily took a seat next to James, she noticed Remus giving her a curious look. Avoiding his eyes, she slide the necklace with her ring on it down the front of her robes so only he caught sight.

"Lily... You're here finally. How've you been?" James noticed her a moment later and immediately stopped eating.

"I've been better." She answered honestly.

"What's wrong?" his eyes were filled with concern, but she knew the look all too well.

"Severus and I just broke up."

She noticed his expression change from concern to shock to relief within a moment's time. "I'm so sorry, Lil... He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Not like you ever did, she thought. "No, of course not, he would never do that."

"Then what happened?" James pushed on.

"We just decided it would be best to go our separate ways..." all of the sudden, a loud scrapping noise came from the opposite side of the room. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Severus standing over what looked like a crumpled Lucius Malfoy. She strained to hear what he was saying, but unfortunately she couldn't even hear his voice. Wishing he was there with her instead of over with his god-awful Slytherin house mates, she turned back to James before she could catch Severus' eye.

"What do you mean, 'it was for the best'?" James asked, his eyes still on Lily's pale face.

"I meant exactly what I said. It just didn't work out James."

He nodded, accepting this. "I guess that means you and me...?"

Lily shrugged, "If you want to."

He shook his head, "Only if your heart's in it."

She looked up and him with a weak smile and a look of defeat. "Give me a few days and I'll be ok... You know how the whole breakup thing goes. I'm gonna miss him for a while, but I'll get over him."

I'll get over him the moment Papa joins Lord Voldemort. Lily smiled inwardly. James finished eating and looked over at her plate, which was empty.

"You're not eating?"

"Not hungry." Lily sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Do you want to go back to the common room then? We've missed you." James offered, looking at his three friends to see if they were done. Getting a look of approval from the three of them, he gently guided her up and out of the Great Hall. She felt Severus' eyes watching her, but she was took afraid to turn around to see his expression. She knew he must be feeling betrayed, but he knew it was for the best; in order to lead a 'normal' life, she had to be with James. She had no choice.

Back in the common room, James, Sirius, and Peter went up the stairs to the seventh year boy dorms, leaving Remus with Lily. She glanced over towards Remus with a worried expression on her face.

"It's a full moon tonight... They just want to get ready." He explained, moving over to sit with her in an overstuffed couch. "So tell me, what's the real reason you and Severus broke up? Don't give me any of that 'it was for the best' bull, I know that's not the truth."

Lily sighed once again, "I can't tell you."

Remus shook his head, "Lily, you have to tell someone. I swear, James will never know, nor will anyone else. I won't let Severus know I have any clue of what's going on, I promise."

Lily thought about this for a moment, then decided she could trust him. She reached under her robes and pulled out her chain with her wedding ring on the end.

"Your engagement ring?" Remus questioned, eyeing the jewelry.

"No." Lily breathed in deeply, "My wedding ring."

Remus' face froze in shock. What ever he had been expecting, that was most certainly not it.

"You mean... You and Severus...?" he asked when he finally gained his voice back.

"December 26th. We've been married for nearly a month." Lily confirmed.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Remus exclaimed, the glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening. "You two got a divorce, then?"

Lily shook her head, "Papa married us in secret. You must understand, no one must EVER know. It's a matter of life and death."

Remus nodded, "Why though?"

"Voldemort found out... He didn't want his most promising spawn to be mingling with the enemy, therefore he told us it was either break up or die. We got married the next day, in secret." Lily admitted quietly.

"Does this have anything to do with the baby?" Remus asked cautiously.

"Voldemort took my baby before he found out who I was... who I was related to. It was mistake, he realized it, and therefore he tried to break us up. Papa told us to try and live normal lives, and my normal life without Severus would be with James."

"So you two are still married, but you're going to be dating James? You know he was planning on proposing to you, right?"

Lily nodded, "Papa said it was ok, it wouldn't be illegal under the circumstances. All I have to do is wait until Voldemort is defeated, then I plan on ditching James and going back to Severus."

"Poor James... Can't say the bastard doesn't deserve it though." Remus smirked, "He is a bit of a prick."

"A bit? Remus, he put the 'p' in prick."

"He put the 'd' in dick."

"The 'a' in asshole."

"The 'm' and 'f' in mother f-"

"REMUS!"

*

Chapter Four, Part Five: The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn

They were together again, and no matter how hard Severus tried to avoid them, it was as if he was cursed to see them everywhere he went. He busied himself in his studies, but even then he couldn't concentrate. Each night, he longed to go through the hidden door into her room, to see how she was. Each night, however, he realized the more they saw each other the harder it would be for them to remain distant. He could hear her if he pressed his ear against the wall, straining to listen. Her voice, however faint it was, was the most comforting sound to Severus.

He was having difficulty sleeping; His meetings with Professor Dumbledore were now weekly, after his last lesson on Friday afternoons. He was coming to dread these; without her, he didn't know how long he'd be able to put out the strength it took him to say he was willing to do this. Dumbledore asked each and every time, in the same commanding and intimidating voice. Severus knew the risks; he was already feeling resentment towards Voldemort, and trying to hide this fact around his Slytherin friends was hard. They talked of joining the Dark Lord often, in huddles around the fire late at night. Lucius Malfoy was usually the leader, trying to convince his friends Voldemort was their ticket to power. Showing them the Dark Mark burned into his arm was always a spectacle and afterwards, he always turned towards Severus as if he was expecting him to show the House his own Mark.

It was Calling him more and more now, each time was more painful and harder to resist than the last. Late at night, he ran through the tactics and strategies he and Dumbledore went over, mingling the scenarios with the constant 'what if' questions running through his mind. To him, it was nothing less than torture, like a constant mind game battling between what he knew was right and the easiest road out. Lily haunted him; each time he turned over in bed, he half expected her to be there to push him back to his side. When his conscious mind realized he had the bed to himself, he could sprawl out as he wished, tears threatened to spill out onto his cheeks. Even in the dead of night, he would have been mortified at showing such a weakness this strongly and this often.

He knew she hadn't slept with him yet; at least not in her room. She slept alone each night, and Severus yearned to go through the door and comfort her when he heard her soft, muffled cries. He looked for signs of James hitting her, and thankfully he saw none. As sleep deprived, stressed, and anxious as he was, he feared James would get the best of him even though Severus knew more hexes James could ever wish to learn in a lifetime. It was a constant mental and emotional struggle; he wanted to see her, he needed to see her, but he knew for their own sake he couldn't, unless she wanted him to.

The opportunity came on the night of April 4th, around 3 AM. Severus heard a scream coming through the walls, and another that followed it. He wasn't sure if he had been dreaming, until he heard it once more:

"Severus!"

Her voice was high and shrill; he was surprised neither Lucius, Crabbe, nor Goyle had awoken at the sound of it. He could hear her crying now; loud, racking sobs. Before he could stop himself, he slipped quietly through the door, making sure it was sealed shut before advancing through her room.

He reached her bed and touched her face; sweat was pouring down her forehead, mixing with the tears streaming from her eyes. Her pale body was shaking and clutching her blanket as if she was holding on for dear life. He touched her once again, but she still remained the same.

He sat down next to her and conjured up a damp cloth, gently wiping her hot forehead with it. He didn't know how long he sat there; he only knew how helpless he felt as he continued to try to comfort Lily.

She woke up right before dawn. Seeing him sitting there, hovering above her, made her want to forget about James and go back to Severus; However, she knew she couldn't do that, no matter how much she wanted to.

"You're awake." He stated, looking down at her with fear in his eyes. "Are you ok?"

Lily shook her head, "I don't know... I was having these nightmares for the longest time. Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

Severus helped her sit up, "No, I was still awake. You were screaming and -- I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Lily smiled gratefully, "Thank you. How long were you here?"

Severus checked his watch. "Around 3 and a half hours."

"Oh god, Sev... I'm sorry. You should go back to bed, I'm so sorry for making you come in here."

"You didn't make me do anything, Lil, I wanted to."

They were quiet for a moment, then she spoke up. "I missed you."

He smiled a bit, brushing his thumb against her cheek. "I missed you too baby."

She sighed, "Why don't you come in here more often?"

"I don't want this to be harder than it already is." Severus admitted. "I missed you so much it was painful seeing you."

Lily laid her head onto his shoulder, "I'm sorry baby... With you here, things are so much easier. Come visit me sometimes, ok? No one will find out, James doesn't know where my room is. I'd rather be here with you than him anyway."

There was a pause before Severus spoke. "How are you two doing?"

Lily smirked, "He's being a perfect gentleman, if that's what you mean. I think Papa put the fear of God in him. He's annoyingly sweet and insists on following me everywhere I go."

"Must be love." Severus scoffed, "Are you friends with Remus Lupin?"

Lily nodded, "Yeah, I talk to him a lot. He's the friendliest werewolf I've ever met."

Severus' eyes widened. "He's a werewolf? Is that why James held me back?"

"You mean they didn't tell you?"

"No... I always assumed there was some kind of creature... But never a werewolf."

Lily nodded, "Now don't you think any worse of Remus. Out of the four of them, he's the best. I think you two would actually get along, if you tried."

Severus smiled, "A Death Eater and a werewolf... It has potential."

There was silence once more. Lily scooted over, inviting him to lie down.

"Do you miss me?" she asked quietly, draping her arm over his stomach.

"No Lily, not at all. I can't sleep at night, I only eat to survive, and Everytime I see you and James together I feel like hurling... But I don't miss you."

Lily laughed, "Feel free to throw up on James. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Nah, I'd have to clean up the mess afterward... Besides, I just might miss and hit you, and then you'd want a divorce."

"Me, divorce you? Never."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I love you more than anyone in the world and I can stand a little bit of puke."

"I love you too Lil, but I gotta tell you... If you ever intentionally throw up on me, you're getting the couch for at least an hour, before I miss you too much and make you come back to bed."

"A whole hour?"

"Ok, five minutes."

"Much better."