If...

Lily had decided to spend a good part of her day renovating the upstairs while Remus spent some time with Harry in the sitting room. The bathroom, a narrow and dreary room, was her most pressing task. Lily, being somewhat pretty, avoided spending any more time there than was necessary. Mould had spread across the walls, covering most of the yellowed grout, and the single window - the only source of natural light - let in the damp, stale air of Cokeworth.

A chipped enamel bathtub, its interior worn and cracked, dominated the room. There was also a porcelain sink hanging precariously from the wall, held up only by tarnished steel pipes covered in dust and cobwebs. The tap wasn't in much better shape - chalky and dripping. The rudimentary toilet sat in a corner near the sink, separated by a flimsy wooden partition that had been ravaged by damp.

"I really should have started with this," Lily muttered to herself.

The walls were covered with a strange, peeling wallpaper and cheap, yellowish tiles had been laid in an attempt at practicality. The bathroom seemed trapped in a bygone era, a time when comfort was a luxury only the wealthy could afford. An air of resignation hung over the room, as if the Snapes had long since stopped noticing its dilapidation.

Lily had brought one of Mrs Snape's old housekeeping manuals with her, although she had already planned most of the changes. First, she cast several cleaning spells to remove the mould, dust and cobwebs. The night before, she had read about a spell that could make wallpaper stick again. Never having tried it before, she thought the bathroom would be the perfect place to experiment.

"Glutino papyrum!" Lily said firmly, pointing her wand at a corner of the room.

Immediately, the wallpaper stuck back in place. Satisfied with the result, Lily continued the spell where the wallpaper had come loose. She then scrubbed the walls with a few wand movements, whitened the tiles with another spell and reinforced the window. The room looked a little brighter, but she still had to repaint the bathtub, repair the sink and improve the toilet facilities.

Thanks to her magic, the bathtub was restored to its former glory. The cast iron claw feet - now free of rust - gave it a certain elegance. The sink was repaired in no time and the tap stopped leaking. Lily concentrated her final efforts on the toilet, which had a tendency to back up. She found a spell in the manual to clear the pipes and another to improve the flush.

"Honestly, if Mr Snape had been a little less stubborn, he could have had a perfectly decent house," Lily muttered to herself.

Once again, she cast several spells on the toilet and smiled with satisfaction when everything was finally in order. But her moment of peace didn't last long as she heard her son fussing downstairs.

Lily joined Remus and Harry in the living room and found the toddler crying in the Marauder's arms.

"His tower collapsed," Remus explained, struggling to comfort the child.

The young mother saw several small wooden blocks scattered across the floor and let out a small sigh.

"Harry," she said, gently stroking the boy's back as Remus held him. "You've been trying to build a tower taller than yourself again..."

The day before, under the watchful eyes of Lily and Severus, the little boy had built an unusually tall tower, only to have it topple onto the carpet.

"Want Daddy, want Daddy!" Harry sobbed, squirming in Remus' arms.

"Oh... he wants his father," Remus observed with a hint of sadness, clearly thinking of James.

Lily's heart clenched, but she knew her son wasn't asking for James. He was asking for Severus, who had left for Hogwarts a few hours earlier. Remus handed Harry to Lily, who did her best to comfort the little boy, whispering softly in his ear that Severus would be back soon. She wasn't prepared for Remus - or worse, Sirius - to find out that Harry called Severus 'Daddy'. That revelation would only add to the tensions that already existed between her friend and the two Marauders, even though Remus was generally on friendly terms with Severus. Acting as referee between the professor and the two former Gryffindors was the last thing Lily wanted to do.

After a few minutes, Harry calmed down, snuggled up against his mother's chest and began to play with her auburn curls, twisting them around his little fingers.

"We'll put the blocks away for a while," she announced to her son.

"I could bring him some new toys," Remus suggested.

"Anything but blocks," Lily replied, sounding tired. "He's obsessed with them... And definitely no broomsticks. It's too cold to go out in the small garden, and the living room isn't big enough for Harry to fly around without breaking something."

"Duly noted," Remus said with a nod. "Although I wouldn't have bought a broom, knowing Severus..."

There was an unmistakable hint in the Marauder's tone.

"Don't be so sure," Lily said with a smile. "Severus was fascinated when I told him about toy brooms for infants. He asked me lots of questions."

Remus, not believing a word of it, burst out laughing. 

"Impossible! Severus Snape interested in brooms and children's toys? I can't imagine it!" 

The look Lily gave him - more than eloquent - was enough to stop Remus' laughter. 

"It wasn't a joke," he mumbled sheepishly. "I forget sometimes that you know him much better than I do..." 

"Yes, I've noticed," Lily replied. "To you, James, Peter, Sirius - Severus was always a sullen teenager, incapable of enjoying anything but practising the Dark Arts... I know the story." 

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Remus argued. "I'm sure he has other interests." 

Lily rolled her eyes. This was hopeless. 

"You're not helping, Remus," she replied, sounding defeated. 

The Marauder assured her that he was only joking and that he didn't doubt that Severus had fascinating hobbies, such as making potions. 

"He's probably having the time of his life at Hogwarts," he added hesitantly. 

"He's making a living," Lily replied. "Severus has always valued intellect." 

She sat down between the cushions of the sofa, Harry still in her arms. 

"When we were children, we'd read books together and then discuss them. My mother often found us sitting on my bed, reading the same novel. She said we were the quietest children she'd ever seen."

The memories of her childhood with Severus warmed Lily's heart. 

"I was a bit of a wild child," she admitted. "But when I was with Sev, I became as meek as a lamb. Sometimes we'd play games together." 

"What kind of games?" asked Remus, intrigued. 

"Pretend play," Lily replied. "We imagined what our lives would be like at Hogwarts, in the magical world. I didn't know anything about it then, but Sev explained everything to me. At first, I thought it was just a game, a way to escape the dreariness of our surroundings... Strange things would happen - to me and to Severus - but I thought they were normal, or just coincidences."

Bobbing for apples without getting wet, swinging way too high in the air, watching a flower bloom in her hands... Lily recalled all the actions that might have seemed odd to others, but to her as a child felt normal. 

"I really believed it all when Severus healed my skinned knee with his hand. We used to sneak into a small grove to hide or take a shortcut into the city. One day I tripped over a stone and fell. My knee was bleeding, and Severus made the wound and the blood disappear by simply laying his hand over it." 

Lily noticed that Remus looked unsettled by her story. 

"I never thought Severus was such a little boy," he admitted. "I'm sorry we never became friends at Hogwarts..." 

"You tried," Lily replied, a sad smile on her lips. "Sev thought at the time that he didn't need any more friends... And besides, you were a Gryffindor - it was bad enough that I was one. It was too much for him." 

A soft, non-mocking laugh escaped Remus. 

"I have to admit, I found him... difficult. He completely ignored me and made it clear that I annoyed him." 

Lily thought back to her first days at Hogwarts. She'd quickly befriended Remus, a frail and shy boy who, like Severus, had an overflowing imagination. She had wrongly assumed that her childhood friend would like him. 

"Severus was... possessive," Lily revealed. "He was afraid I'd drift away, and he didn't want to get involved with anyone else. Eventually he started hanging out with his Slytherin classmates because I encouraged him to. I didn't know then how cruel and cliquish they could be."

"Sirius would say Severus was as thick as thieves with Mulciber and his lot," Remus replied. "But it wasn't quite true... He always seemed to hold back, barely spoke to them at table... And they never came to his aid when James, Sirius and Peter gave him a hard time." 

Hearing that from one of the Marauders comforted Lily. 

"I should have been stricter with my friends," Remus admitted. "Severus didn't deserve to be harassed at every turn... I found him odd, but he was far from the worst. You have no idea how much I regret... when I think of the night I almost killed him..." 

Lily laid a comforting hand on Remus' arm. 

"The worst part of being a werewolf," he continued, "is waking up and remembering every moment of the transformation, while the monster inside you locks your mind and heart away for the night." 

Lily knew full well that Remus had never willingly taken part in that terrible prank, but Severus continued to believe otherwise. 

"Not to mention what happened at the lake... I was a real coward. If I'd stepped in, Severus would never have insulted you."

Lily had recently forgiven Severus for the insult. Those horrible words were undoubtedly the least of his faults. 

"I'm so ashamed. I never thought it would escalate like this... James, he... he pulled his pant down after you left..." 

"I know." 

Her future husband had been incredibly cruel that day. And yet James had eventually changed, had become better, without which Lily would never have fallen in love with him. 

"We never talked about it," Remus continued, "but did he ever say if he regretted it?" 

"What?" 

"James... about Severus..." 

OO

"Did you get a letter?" asked James, standing in the doorway with Harry on his shoulder. 

Lily, sitting on her bed, looked up from the letter she was reading. 

"Yes... from Professor Slughorn," she replied with a smile. 

"It's definitely not me he's writing to - I was absolutely useless at Potions, unlike my father." 

James's father had made his fortune by developing a potion that could tame even the most unruly hair. 

"What does he say?" 

"Oh... nothing much... the usual..." 

Feeling awkward, Lily folded the letter and put it back in its envelope. 

"Is everything all right?" James asked, clearly worried. 

"I think I've got some good news, but I doubt you'll be interested." 

Perplexed, James raised an eyebrow. Then he entered the room and sat down next to Lily, Harry still nestled against his shoulder. 

"Go on, tell me," he encouraged. 

"It's..." Lily hesitated. "It's about Severus." 

At the mention of his old school rival, the frown line on James' forehead deepened. 

"He's been appointed Potions Master," she continued. "He and Slughorn will share the classes. See? He didn't become a Death Eater. Dumbledore would never hire a follower of You-Know-Who..." 

James was silent for a moment, apparently considering how to respond. 

"In that case," he said at last, "I must admit I was probably wrong. Dumbledore is a great man, and I've always trusted him... He wouldn't put a Death Eater in front of the students."

"I'm so happy for him," Lily said, smiling. "We haven't been friends for years, but Severus has always been incredibly talented and intelligent. Can you imagine? He's only twenty-one and he's a professor at Hogwarts!" 

James lowered his eyes and Lily understood that he was struggling with conflicting emotions. For months they had lived in isolation, confined to this house in Godric's Hollow, while Severus Snape had secured a prestigious position. 

"Sometimes," James said after a long pause, "I think about what we did to him - what I did to him - at Hogwarts... I'm not proud. I was horrible, treacherous, cruel to him... just because I could. I thought I was standing up for something, but I was no better than all those Slytherins who tormented Muggle-borns. And I was jealous..." 

Startled, Lily widened her eyes. 

"I fell in love with you in our fifth year... He was your best friend. He got to talk to you, spend time with you... And I was just this arrogant idiot, always trying to impress you with stupid stunts, trying to get you to go out with me. I thought he was weird, but I really knew nothing about him. I attacked him and he fought back... I'd have done the same in his shoes." 

This confession left Lily stunned. She had always tried not to talk to her husband too much about Severus. 

"Who knows," James went on, "maybe one day he'll have our little boy in his class... And I hope he'll be kinder and wiser to Harry than I ever was to him." 

OOO

"Yes," Lily replied. "A few weeks before... before he died... when he found out Severus had become a teacher." 

The truth had been far more complicated than Lily and James had initially believed. 

"We didn't know he was a Death Eater, spying for Dumbledore," Lily clarified. 

"I don't know what to think anymore," Remus admitted. "I trust him, but..." 

The werewolf paused for a moment. 

"It doesn't matter," he said reassuringly. "You and Harry are being treated well here and you seem to be getting on." 

"I'm trying to keep it together," Lily confessed, her eyes dull. "Severus helps a lot. It's comforting to have a friend around, especially with Harry." 

"Lily, Sirius and I will always be here for you and Harry, I promise." 

Lily managed a small smile and thanked Remus. 

After lunch, Lily returned upstairs to continue what she had started that morning. She inspected every inch of the narrow corridor leading to her bedroom, the unused one assigned to Severus, and the bathroom. The greyish walls were uneven and seemed to bear the marks of violent blows. In some places, Lily noticed fist-sized holes where the plaster had crumbled. She flipped through the Household Spell Guide but couldn't find a single spell for patching holes in a wall. 

"We'll have to resort to the Muggle method," Lily sighed. 

Her gaze shifted to the door of Severus' room. She hadn't been in it since he'd let her in two days earlier. He had been reluctant at first, his private space being rather dreary. But in the face of her persistence, he had finally relented. Lily didn't regret inviting Severus to sleep in her room. His bed was completely unsuitable for an adult, the mattress uncomfortable and probably beyond repair. 

For the second time, Lily entered Severus' room. It was no longer dusty, and the mould had disappeared, but the atmosphere remained oppressive. She approached the bed and pressed her hand against the thin mattress - it was almost as hard as wood. Her eyes scanned the iron bed frame in detail. It had been painted white, but the paint had flaked off, leaving rust on the metal structure. The whole thing was fit for the scrap heap. Lily doubted that magic could make the bed more comfortable, or even bigger. 

Feeling dejected, she sat on the bed, her gaze lingering on the room. Severus had never made it his haven. It was impersonal. Everything was cobbled together, especially the desk, which was nothing more than a rickety wooden table. However, there was an old, wobbly bookshelf holding a few books, some tin soldiers, and a jar filled with a handful of marbles, both clay and glass. The shabby walls had never been painted, let alone decorated. 

“My poor Sev,” Lily murmured, overcome with emotion. 

He would never sleep here again. That was certain.