Honeymoon
‘My house of stone, your ivy grows
and now I’m covered in you.’
Lily awakes to a room washed in a soft breeze, light rays of sun pouring through the window. For the first time in what must’ve been years, it hits her how calm she feels. There’s no sense of urgency as she wakes herself up. She lets herself stretch her arms out like a cat, yawning off the tired in her eyes.
There’s fresh baby's breath in a clear vase on their bedside table, and a glass of water beside it. She sits up, drinking the water gratefully, dehydrated from sleep. Severus always woke before she did, despite staying up later. Lily’s always had a gift for sleep, dozing off whenever she daydreamed.
Severus never failed to get her water when she woke up.
She washes her face in their adjoined bathroom. Her skin is still scarred from those last weeks during the war, before they left. It's hard to attach herself now to that girl, the soldier. Front lines and fire. Change is a powerful thing, and God knows she did. The memories hurt, and sometimes she finds herself sleeping to escape it, dreaming away her life. Lily misses the things she left behind, occasionally.
Lily aches to see Sirius’s smile, or hear Marlene’s laugh. But she knows as easily as she can hear the birds sing outside that she made the right decision.
At the end, when living seemed impossible, Lily ran home.
Lily looks at herself in the ornate, golden mirror hung above the sink. She’s older now. Oddly enough, she never thought she’d make it to twenty-two. But when she counts the constellation of scars, she knows that she survived it.
That’s all that matters now.
The living room is empty when she walks in. Their cottage isn’t large or extravagant by any means, but it’s theirs, through and through. Lavender litters the counters, along with a variety of other potions ingredients. The pot on the stove stirs itself with a wooden spoon.
He must’ve been there just a moment ago, she’s sure of it. Her eyebrows furrow as she rounds the corner. For a moment, just a moment, her heart jumps to her throat.
“Severus?” Her voice comes out softer than she’d meant it to.
“I’m here.” Severus says, poking his head through the French doors that lead to the clearing outside. He’s in simple black attire, despite the spring weather and for some reason that makes her smile. Severus waves her out, holding a hand out for her.
Lily’s heart lifts. She takes his hand easily, letting him lead her outside.
The clearing behind the cottage has nobody for miles, just a small pond and a plethora of willow trees covering the sky. White sunlight streams down through the leaves, ricocheting off the water. Birds hang off low hanging branches, singing tunelessly into the morning air.
Severus turns her head gently with the push of his finger and she smiles.
Sat on the grass is Harry Prince, their son. Next to him is a baby fawn. Harry has his little head leaned on the fawns back, with his eyes closed.
Lily leans her head on Severus’s shoulder, not letting go of his hand. She can feel the cold metal of his doe ring around his ring finger, matching the one she wears on a chain around her neck.
“He takes after you.” Says Severus, a little breathlessly.
She looks up at him, meeting his deep set eyes easily. He used to look so tired, back when they met again during the war. It weighed on them both, a bond nobody can take from them. Lily shakes her head, looking back at Harry.
“Harry’s the both of us, I think. My eyes, sure. But…” She pokes his cheek playfully with her free hand. “He’s definitely got your smile.”
Like clockwork, a small smile is brought to Severus’s lips, like he can’t help it. It comes easy to him now. Sometimes she thinks she sees him smile more now than she did when they were kids.
Harry shifts in his sleep. He really is the both of them, Lily’s curls, Severus’s black hair. Harry gets freckles in the summer that disappear in the cold. He’s a clever kid. Brave, too. Racing around on his little quidditch broom without an ounce of fear.
“Do you ever miss it?” She questions idly. “Being that young?”
“I miss…” Severus sighs. “I miss the summers.”
Lily nods, she knows what he means.
Summer was sacred for them while they were at Hogwarts. Before the war had ever touched them, the worst thing in the world was not seeing each other all the time. Lily remembers it in a hazy, romantic sense. She sees herself, waitressing at her parents' diner in a white dress. The two of them lay next to the river. Cicadas, daisies. Running away, getting into trouble and protecting one another to get out of it.
Childhood was never particularly kind to either of them. Really, they were at their most free during those short, hot months in between Hogwarts years. That’s when they became animagi, actually. It took them forever, but they did it together.
Severus steps in front of her, placing a light kiss on her forehead, his hand moving through her hair. Lily steps up and kisses him slowly. He grins into it, like he can’t believe his luck. The thought makes her a little dizzy, and she can’t believe it took them so long to get here.
Lily lets go of him. “I’ll race you to Harry.”
Severus laughs. “I’ll win.”
Feeling challenged, Lily breaks into a run, racing down the wooden stairs and planting herself onto the grass. A doe she’d recognize anywhere prances past her, quicker than she can run. She rolls her eyes through a laugh.
“Cheater!” She calls. Even still, Lily transforms herself, feeling her limbs stretch easily.
The two of them lay on the grass next to Harry for a long while. Time moves faster in their animal forms, allowing them the peace of lethargies. They transform back once they feel compelled to, and Lily lays with her head on Severus’s stomach. Lily turns, looking up at him, his face blocking the rays of sun that pour around him.
“I love you.” She whispers.
“Always.” He responds, and it sounds like a promise.