After All This Time

Lily stepped into the living room to see her parents sitting down to tea. Petunia was chattering on the phone in the kitchen. Lily loved her family, but she hated being away from Hogwarts. She couldn’t perform spells or see her friends. She desperately wanted to see Mary, but her parents insisted the holidays were a time for family.

“Oh Lily, come here.” Her mother said gleefully.

“Tuney, you as well!” their father called out.

Lily sat down and heard Petunia’s audible groan when she hung up the phone. Tuney trudged into the room and sat in the chair opposite Lily, ignoring her gaze. For a seventeen year old, she was acting like a five year old.

“So, tell us how your school year has gone.” Lily and Tuney’s mother asked excitedly.

Lily turned red and shrugged. “Nothing too much has happened.” She muttered.

“Oh please, you must come across such adventures…you’re a prefect.” Their father said adoringly.

Petunia gagged.

Lily shrugged, turning even redder. “Nothing has happened too much. I’ve pretty much been studying and getting good marks.” She blurted. There was so much she could brag about, but she didn’t want to in front of Tuney. “So how was your year, Tuney?”

Petunia ignored her.

“Oh, come on, Petunia.” Their mother chided.

Petunia rolled her eyes. “Nothing.” She said curtly. “I’m going to my room.” She said, getting up and walking away.

Lily bit her lip dejectedly. She wished she could just go back to the way things were before. She wished her sister could love her again.

But then again, magic would never be in her life.

*~*~*~*

Severus Snape sat in the dungeon, pressing himself closer to the light. It was too dark; always too dark to read in the common room. He had gotten a letter from Lily and his mother. Along with his letters came presents.

Lily’s letter was just complaining about how much Petunia hated her. Snape rolled his eyes; Petunia Evans was always so jealous of the two of them. She wanted to be a witch; it would never happen. She wasn’t good enough.

Anyway, Lily had sent him a nice warm scarf. It was scarlet; not particularly his color, but it smelled like Lily’s perfume. He wrapped it around his neck and opened up the letter from his mother.

Dear Severus,

I hope you’re having a good school year. Everything is fine at home; don’t worry about me. Your father is alright. He’ll be home in a few days. I’m a bit sad you didn’t come home for the holidays, dear. Anyway, here is your present; I hope you like it.

Love, Mum

Severus could sense the underlying feelings. He knew his mother dreaded when he left; that meant his father took his anger out on her. He couldn’t stand seeing his mother like that, but it wasn’t like the two of them could leave him. Tobias would just find them.

Severus opened the package; inside was a knitted blanket in his favorite color-forest green. His mother had obviously worked on it; knitting was her escape from Tobias. Severus nearly started to cry when he saw it; he should’ve gone home. He shouldn’t have left her to herself on the holidays. It simply wasn’t fair for her to suffer for his comfort.

Blinking several times, Sev stood up and took his presents to his room. He set them on the bed and fixed himself; it was nearly time for dinner. No one could see his vulnerable side; that’s why he was practicing occlumency. No one would know his thoughts; no one could.

Sev couldn’t risk it. He knew his friends would ridicule him if they knew he envied James Potter. He knew Lily would never speak to him again if she knew he loved her. He knew his father would kill him if he even knew the thoughts that ran through Severus’s head.

*~*~*~*

James Potter and Sirius Black sat in the window sill of James’s father’s study. They watched the snow fall and sipped the hot chocolate Mrs. Potter had made them.

“I’m going to visit Mary tomorrow. Do you want to come?” Sirius asked.

James nodded. “Yeah; Dad’s going to town, so might as well. I wonder how she’s doing.”

Sirius shook his head. “I couldn’t have gone home…I would’ve killed Regulus. That idiot; how dare he even touch her?” He fumed.

James sighed. “What’s done is done, Sirius. We can’t go back in time and stop them.”

Sirius snorted. “If we had a time turner, we could.”

James laughed. “I wonder what Lily is doing right now.” He trailed off.

Sirius groaned. “Not again…James, you’ve been pining for her for nearly five years now. We’re all almost sixteen. I think it’s time you start thinking about dating other girls. Hell, mate, you’ve got your own fan club.”

James shook his head. “None of them are as perfect as she is.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “No one is perfect…mate, you might as well date some other girls before Lily comes to her senses and realizes you’re the one.” He joked.

“You really think so?” James asked hopefully.

Sirius laughed. “I bet you that if you stopped chasing after her, she’ll come to her senses. Trust me, mate.”

The two boys laughed and watched the snow fall.