If...

The daylight awaked Lily. For a brief moment, she thought that the horrible events from yesterday had been a horrible nightmare, and that she was going to find James groping with her hand. But she wasn't lying in bed at Godric's Hollow, near James. She had fallen asleep on the sofa in Severus' living room, without realizing it. He had even thought of covering her with a blanket so that she wouldn't catch cold. Suddenly, Lily remembered that she had left her son upstairs, in the room lent by the owner of the place. She stood up and discovered with astonishment that Severus was giving Harry the bottle in his chair. Her son was quietly suckling.

"Looks like you've been doing this your whole life." Lily remarqued.

Severus choked a sneer, and Lily could see an amused grin on his lips. She hadn't seen him smile in years.

"You don't know I've been trying to nourish him for an hour. I finally figured out how to do it."

"Is it your own bottle, or did you change a glass?" asked Lily.

"No, there's nothing left of my baby stuff here...and my Transfiguration skills are pretty limited. Dumbledore informed his allies that we needed some things for the little one. A certain Molly Weasley kindly put through the fireplace some clothes, several bottles, some toys, and some food. I understand she and her husband have many brats."

Lily rubbed her eyes and could see that it was just nine on the clock, resting on the fireplace.

"No doubt" contented herself with answering Lily, still sleepy. "But that's very kind of her."

"Some of your friends will come here today" announced Severus. "Lupin and Black."

It didn't seem to enchant him. Harry had finished drinking his bottle, and Lily felt obliged to tell Severus that her son had to burp to avoid reflux. But Severus didn't know how to do it.

"You must rub his back for a few moments... Otherwise, let me do it" she said as she was about to leave the couch.

"No, rest. I can take care of the kid."

Gently, he massaged the baby's back, holding it snuggled against his shoulder.

"Does it matter if he doesn't burp?"

"At best, he'll regurgitate on your redingote" dropped Lily.

Severus grimaced and stroked Harry's back slightly. The rot finally came, and Lily found that her friend was relieved to find no trace of milk on her black clothes.

The witch, who didn't wish to spend the morning sitting on the couch, took over and took care of her son. Severus prepared for her - an upstairs - a bath for Harry and put at her disposal the clothes graciously given by Mrs Weasley. Lily had noticed that Severus had taken advantage of the time, during which she had slept, to clean and tidy up his house thoroughly. It always seemed so dilapidate and outdated, but it was sparkling clean.

Shortly before eleven o'clock, two wizards appeared at number 394 of Spinner's End, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Instinctively, Severus and his two old enemies drew their wands, as if a duel was inevitable.

"When Dumbledore told us that Lily and Harry were at Snivellus' I thought he was under Imperius!" said Sirius, with a black eye. "Or become senile!"

"Yes, are you surprised, Black?" replied Severus, a sardonic smile on his lips. "You see, I first thought you had sold your friends!"

"How dare you?!" bellowed Sirius.

Remus barely caught him as he planned to throw himself at Severus. At the same time, Lily, who was carrying Harry in her arms, appeared, and asked that the commotion cease.

"Lower your wands, all three" ordered she.

"Lily!" shouted in chorus the two visitors.

Severus put away his wand, and the other two wizards imitated him.

"Dumbledore warned us" said Remus, who was tired. "And Sirius..."

"I went to your house after the attack. Dumbledore sent me there with Hagrid."

The fury, which flashed a few seconds earlier in his black eyes, had given way to sadness and disarray.

"We removed James' body and made him safe" he added.

Lily shook her head in gratitude. The idea that James could still be in that desolate place was unbearable to her. Tears came to her eyes, and Sirius embraced her to console her.

"What happened?" asked Remus. "Dumbledore was very brief. All I know is that banquets are being held across the country, and Death Eaters are on the run."

"Yes, I see one right beside me" said Sirius, sharp, nodded to Severus.

The principal concerned addressed him an even darker look than his hair.

"Shut up, Sirius" warns Lily. "Severus came last night to save us. If he hadn't been there, I can't imagine what would have happened to Harry. Death Eaters would certainly have had time to—"

And her voice was shattered by a new wave of sobbing. She really realized the usefulness of Severus' intervention. Fortunately, Voldemort had informed him that he intended to end the Potters game on Halloween night. But he had perhaps entrusted his plans to some of his faithful disciples who would have been happy to see the lifeless bodies of the Potters.

"And Peter? Is it true what they say?" asked Remus. "You chose him to be your Secret-Keeper?

Lily shook her head painfully in response.

"One finger" whispered Sirius. "That's all I found of him, right next to James' body. I feel so bad—"

"Are you sure he's dead?" asked Lily.

"I then passed into her hiding place" replied Sirius, pale. "It had been ransacked, turned upside down, and there was blood... We thought the use of torture spells would have no effect on the will of the keeper, but... We're talking about You-Know-Who— Peter must have gone through things you can never imagine—"

His gaze sank painfully. He didn't think that a happy conclusion was possible for their friend.

"As I told you, Remus" he continued. "No one - except Lily, James, Peter, and I - knew. I guess Voldemort had spies all over the place, and they'd been watching our whereabouts for a while."

"They must have seen Peter at Godric's Hollow at the time he was sworn in" said Lily, in a weak voice. "We had taken precautions..."

At Hogwarts, Lily had never been remarkably close to Peter, whom she considered stupid. He had always expressed great devotion to James and Sirius and agree to everything they did. But after their studies, he too had joined the Order, and Lily had seen that the clumsy boy could be very brave. He had been deeply distressed by the McKinnon deaths last July, and he hadn't hesitated a second when James asked him to be the Secret-Keeper. Lily wasn't mad at him for revealing their cottage to Voldemort. The evidence spoke for itself. Peter had been tortured for a long time before speaking, and the dark wizard had killed him in appreciation. They should never have asked him for such a service and should have managed otherwise.

"And you?" asked Sirius to Severus. "What were you doing there?"

Lily glanced at Severus. Would he reveal everything to the two Marauders? The truth would cause a real duel. Lily decided to answer for her friend.

"Severus has been spying on Voldemort on behalf of Dumbledore for several months."

"You? A spy under the heel of Dumbledore? Let me laugh!" taunted Sirius. "Me, I know you took the mark!"

"It's true" nodded Severus. "I don't deny it" he said, unbuttoning the sleeve of his redingote.

He then exhibited a very inconspicuous mark which testified that Voldemort had been destroyed.

"When Severus learned that we were being threatened" Lily continued. "He decided to change sides by informing Dumbledore."

"It's a joke?!" exploded Sirius. "You hated James! I'm sure you're glad he died!"

"Sirius" warned Lily, in a threatening tone.

"Sirius" intervened in turn Remus. "You forget a few years ago Lily and Severus were friends. I guess Severus didn't really want to see his friend die, did you?" he said, looking the spy.

Severus nodded his head.

"And I especially didn't forget that their friendship ended just after our O.W.L.s, when dear Snivellus insulted Lily!"

The witch didn't need to be reminded of that horrible story. She hadn't forgotten the infamous insult uttered by Severus, filthy little Mudblood... And she hadn't forgiven him. The present circumstances were hugely different, and she knew that, for the time being, Severus was her best ally. A few hours earlier, he had confessed to her that he had always loved her, and he had sworn to protect Harry.

"I didn't forget" answered Lily, bitter. "However, I have complete trust in Severus."

And here she said the opposite in front of Dumbledore a few hours earlier.

"That's enough for me" said Remus. "If Lily trusts you, Severus, so I do. Sirius?"

Sirius hesitated long before giving his answer.

"Deal" he answered. "But, your first false move is the finish!"

Remus then added that they were able to retrieve some personal belongings before coming here. He handed Lily a bag in which he and Sirius had stored several items in good condition from Godric's Hollow. Lily's heart tightened painfully when she discovered James' glasses and wand intact.

"Thanks" she whispered, tears in her eyes.

Sirius and Remus spent some time with Harry, and Severus isolated himself upstairs in his room.

"All that matters is that both of you are safe. That's what James wanted" Sirius said. "He couldn't bear to live with you both dead."

"I know" answered Lily, heartfelt. "Do you know what will happen?"

"Dumbledore wishes you to stay here for an indeterminate time in the palace of Snivellus" he said with disdain. "It's a real mess here!"

"Sirius" disapproved Remus. "As I was telling you, some of the Death Eaters are on the run. They'll never think to come here. And then Severus put powerful spells on his house."

"I don't understand why Dumbledore doesn't keep you and Harry in Hogwarts. It's the safest place on earth!" said Sirius.

"And probably the most obvious" added Lily. "There's no way children and teachers are in danger because of us."

"I pity you... To have for company this idiot of Snivellus" mocked Sirius.

"That's mean, Sirius" Lily objected. "I know you're enemies, but I want you to know that Severus is my childhood friend. When you know him well, he's far from sinister. We are adults now. Maybe it's time to put aside our old grudges from the past."

Harry's godfather sighed.

"Lily is right, Sirius" approved Remus. "The hour is serious, and we don't know what the future will be. We know that Severus is our ally and that he saved Lily and Harry."

"Don't count on me to become his best friend and to drink tea with him" replied Sirius, annoyed. "However, I can try to behave well with Snivellus" Sirius conceded, with a smirk.

"Calling him by his name would be a good start" Lily suggested in a detached tone.

Sirius winced at the idea.

"Snape, that's enough" he conceded. "He calls me Black!" he said with disgust.

"All right Padfoot" Remus congratulated him without a smile.

"The neighbourhood isn't great" said Sirius, posted at the window. "I wonder if it's really safe for both of you to stay here. You didn't live on this street with your family when you were a child?"

"No" replied the redhead coldly. "We lived on the other side of the river."

Outside, it was drizzling, and the sky was full of grey clouds. In the distance, Lily saw scrolls of black smoke coming out of the factory chimney.

Harry, sitting on an old carpet, was having fun stacking cubes with Remus.

"Does his scar hurt?" asked Remus, anxious.

"No, he doesn't complain" said Lily "He's incredibly calm and hasn't cried since..."

Her voice choked. Harry had been incredibly brave since the events of last night. She remembered that her baby had cried only once in his crib. His tears stopped flowing as soon as Severus had pulled him out of his little bed and showed him that his mother, Lily, was alive.

"You know, Lily" Sirius calmly added. "Remus and I will always be there for both of you. If you don't want to stay at Sniv... I mean, Snape, we can take you to safety and protection. Right, Moony?"

Remus nodded and a sad smile appeared on his lips.

"Yes, I'm sure it will all be over soon" said the werewolf. "Soon, you and Harry can return to something of a normal life."

A normal life? She had never led something of a normal life, only perhaps before learning that she was a witch. Then she went to school in Hogwarts, far from Cokeworth. She and James had started dating in grade seven, and soon got married after graduation. They hadn't hesitated for a second when joining the Order, and she had become pregnant, having faced Voldemort three times. And Dumbledore had finally told them, when she was a few months pregnant, that she, her husband, and her unborn child had become targets of significant importance to Voldemort and that they had to hide. No, she didn't know what a normal life was, and her son, a fifteen-month-old baby, much less.

"While waiting for all these stories to settle" continued Sirius. "I hope that Sniv..., um, Snape, treats you well, and that he isn't vicious with Harry. He'd be able to poison him. Watch his bottles and baby food jars, Lily."

Lily froze a desire to laugh. A few hours earlier, the repentant Death Eater had taken the initiative of feeding Harry, when he had certainly never approached a baby.

"No, Severus is perfectly correct with Harry" Lily replied, watching her son play.

Remus and Sirius remained for another hour. Before leaving, they assured Lily that she wasn't alone, and that she could count on them. Severus joined her in the living room, once the two Marauders are gone.

"I'm going to cook a little" said Severus. "You haven't eaten anything since you came here."

"I'm not hungry, Severus."

"You must eat, Lily" he insisted. "Uh... I was wondering..."

He was now looking at Harry, who was still so obsessed with the little cubes he was stacking.

"Yes?"

"He doesn't drink only milk? Right?" hesitated Severus, who scratched his head.

Lily chuckled. Seeing Severus learn the basics of nursery was the only thing that made her laugh right now.

"He's a fifteen-month-old baby, Sev. He can eat vegetables, soup, meat and fish, but only chopped or cut into small pieces."

"Well, I'll see what I can do with what I have. Molly Weasley also gave us some vegetables, eggs, and some meat."

"Can you cook?" asked Lily, surprise.

She didn't imagine Severus cooking behind his stove with an apron.

"It's no more difficult than the potions" Severus replied, looking pinched.

Her host went into the kitchen, which was in a room next door. Lily hadn't really bothered to detail the premises.

During her childhood, she had come only once to Severus, but hadn't crossed the threshold of the porch. She was eleven at the time and had defied the parental ban by crossing the creek. It was a Sunday morning, early summer. The day before, Lily had received her first letter for Hogwarts. The professor McGonagall had made the trip to give it to her and had explained everything in detail to the Evans. Lily recalled that Petunia had been initially frightened, then very curious.

The next day, Lily ran to Spinner's End, at number 394, to announce the news to Severus. A gruff man, with a marcel on his back and a cigarette on his lips, had opened it to her. He was Severus' father. He hadn't been very polite to her, and Lily had pretended that she was a school friend of his son. This wasn't false since they both attended St Melchior's school in Cokeworth. But Severus often played hooky and was often scolded by the principal and his teacher. The man, however, had bellowed his son's name and pushed him outside. Her friend hadn't been incredibly happy to see her outside his door, and Lily had no trouble understanding that he was ashamed of his neighbourhood.

Severus' living room was narrow, and the furniture certainly dated from the time his parents settled here. The room was dark, and shelves loaded with old books covered most of the walls with wallpaper yellowed by cigarette smoke. The fabric coverings of the sofa and armchair were damaged. The light, very dim, came from a lamp filled with candles on the ceiling. There was also a rickety chair in a corner on which a pile of old newspapers had been placed.

Lily saw at her feet the bag that Remus and Sirius had brought her. It contained among others the glasses and the wand of James, but also the doudou of Harry. Lily took it out of the bag and handed it to Harry, who chirped with pleasure as he received his fabric owl. She wondered if these few things were the only ones that could be saved in their cottage, if her whole life spent with James and Harry was contained in this little leather bag. Voldemort had ravaged their house and he had taken her husband, her soul mate. Lily took her wedding photo out of the bag. The frame glass had been broken, but she would have no trouble magically fixing it. They were so beautiful, her and James, with Sirius as their wedding witness. Her friends also had James' wedding ring back. Lily remembered wearing it the night before while he was having fun with Harry. Lily foolishly left hers in the kitchen... Could she ever go back there to save some things? And when could she bury her husband? She wasn't going to be here for weeks—

Severus passed his head behind the kitchen door and informed her that lunch was ready. Lily put all the effects in the bag and joined her host with Harry in her arms. Severus had prepared a pumpkin puree and cut into small pieces of chicken for Harry. Lily made her son eat by sitting him on her knees.

"Don't you want me to?" said Severus. "I want you to eat a little..."

Her friend had cooked for both of them the same meal but hadn't cut into small pieces their meat.

"That's very kind of you, Sev. But it's up to me to do it" Lily politely refused.

"I'm counting on you to feed you."

He kept his eyes on her as he ate. When Harry had finished his meal, he served her a plate and took the little boy in his arms. Her stomach was knotted, and she didn't think she could touch her plate. Harry had swallowed everything without making a fuss. It had to be good. She felt the gaze of Severus weigh on her, who apparently had no intention of letting her leave the table before she had eaten. She forced herself and took a bite of the orange puree, which was tasted and well-seasoned. The chicken was cooked well. The meat was golden and juicy. Lily would never have suspected her friend's gastronomic talents.

"It's very good" she smiled.

"There was nothing complicated" replied Severus, modest.

Harry toyed with Severus' straight hair, which almost fell on his shoulders. He didn't mind and kept an impassive face that didn't reveal any signs of tenderness or annoyance.

After lunch, Lily went to her room with Harry and gave him a nap. Her baby face was peaceful. He had become accustomed with disconcerting ease to their temporary home and to Severus, whom he had never seen before Halloween. Still, Harry didn't really like meeting new faces. Since his birth he had known only the walls of their cottage at Godric's Hollow. She and James had rarely had the opportunity to walk him in his pram safely. He had met some of their friends, Remus and Sirius, his godfather, but also Bathilda Bagshot, their neighbour. Peter had also come to their home a few times, but their friend had always been greeted by attacks of tears from Harry.

The baby may have felt his mother's grief, and perhaps understood that she wouldn't be able to handle her crying. Lily dozed off with her son and dreamed of the happy days spent with James.