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"GOODBYE MIONE!! I'LL be back soon so save some yorkshire pudding for me!", lily instructed as she grabbed onto snape's slightly wrinkled hand and skipped off.

snape had apparated the two to a village that had snow melting away under the bright smile of the sun.

lily would've mistaken it for hogsmeade if there wasn't a rustic sign that literally read out godric's hollow.

lily kept quiet as she held on tight to snape's cold hand, looking around as the snow crunched with each step she took.

the little girl had wondered why her father had taken her here for her seventh birthday. perhaps this was the place that she was born?

lily realized that the man had stopped as the two were now in front of a graveyard, specifically, a grave that didn't seem that different from the others until you read the names on it.

'in loving memory of james potter: born 27th march, 1960 and died 31st october, 1981, and lily potter: born 30th january, 1960 and died 31st october, 1981', lily mentally read.

"are they harry's parents...?", lily asked, to which snape had just nodded.

"does that mean I'm related to harry??"

snape let out a puff of warm air, watching it evaporate.

"no. you're not a potter", snape answered, making little lily even more confused now.

"you've always wanted to know where your first name came from didn't you? after lily evans", snape hesitantly said, almost unsure of whether he should have told the girl or not.

it was most likely safe to assume that lily evans was lily potter, harry's mother. yet that still didn't explain why she was named after harry's mother by snape. unless...

"did you like ms. evans?", lily asked, careful not to use the last name "potter" since she knew snape wasn't fond of harry.

"did you, papa?"

a moment of serene silence filled the wintry cold air, confirming lily's suspicions.

"I did", snape finally spoke, though it almost sounded forced, the way that snape had said those two little words.

"what happened to her?", lily hesitantly asked, not sure if snape was ready to disclose his whole story.

through the seven years that they've been together, not once has lily heard snape mention anything about his family, friends, or lover (if he had one, that is).

"she was murdered...", snape answered, suddenly waving his wand in the air as the surrounding had changed into a grassy field.

lily observed as a child severus snape had just walked through her and her papa, seeming as if they were ghosts that people just couldn't see.

lily watched as child snape had met up with who she had assumed to be child lily evans.

the girl was a natural beauty, with luscious red hair and brilliant green eyes.

the two laid on the grass beneath the shade of a big oak tree as they laughed and talked about their hogwarts admission.

"I hope you and I will be in the same house", child snape said.

child lily just smiled as she nodded in agreement.

the scenery suddenly changed to hogwarts as lily witnessed the two children grow into teens.

young snape was being pushed by james potter and his cronies: peter pettigrew, remus lupin, and sirius black.

though lily snape didn't recognize who any of them were, minus james, since harry was practically an identical carving of him.

lily evans suddenly rushed over, defending the poor boy who's books were now splattered on the ground.

without seeing how this ended, the scenery suddenly changed to where young snape was a bit older—maybe a year or two from the previous scene—and sitting under a tree, reading about the dark arts.

all seemed calm and serene until james and his group of friends had shown up, mocking snape and calling him "snivellus".

in an act of frustration, young snape had casted a spell at james, making his face bleed with a huge gash.

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

james quickly used the impediment jinx to cause young snape to fall. young lily protested but couldn't help but hold in a laugh when james made snape hang from the tree, revealing his tidy undies.

students who have gathered around laughed meanwhile lily had forced james to help snape down.

lily watched in disbelief as harry's father was such a bully (for no reason), like draco.

lily had wanted to help young snape but quickly realized that she was transparent, and this was merely just a memory.

"I don't need your help! you filthy mudblood!", young snape spat as he stormed off, causing young lily to be heartbroken.

lily glanced back over at her papa, who's expression seemed to change ever so slightly. though if she looked closer, she would see the swirls of regret and pain filling his dark beaded eyes.

the scenery changed once more. it was godric's hollow though in a specific couple's home.

this was james and lily potter's home, with their newly born one year-old, harry potter.

an older snape, who was closest to the age snape is currently had wobbled into the house, into harry's baby room.

on the floor laid lily potter, who's body was cold and held no human breath.

lily teared up at the sight of her papa holding lily potter dearly, as he broke down completely.

with another swish of snape's wand, the clear blue sky of the present day had resurfaced, revealing lily and snape still standing in front of the two young couple's grave.

lily had finally understood why snape had refused to call her by her first name.

snape loved lily potter and even after death, she was still in his heart, living on.

"papa, it's okay. I'm no lily evans, but I'll always be here with you", lily cried as snape picked the little girl up, letting her sob into his robes.

"thank you...phoebe".

"I promise papa. I'll stay with you forever", lily coughed out, making snape gently pat the girl's back.

"always?"

"always", lily declared.

//❁//

"thank you sir!", lily smiled as the wizard painter just nodded.

lily had decided that after her sob fest, she wanted to spend her birthday getting her and snape's picture painted.

snape wore his usual dark robes while lily wore her favorite baby blue dress that had white frills on the bottom of the skirt and sleeves.

lily sat on snape's lap as the painter started his artwork.

though it was really hard for lily to hold her smile for hours, snape had no problem holding his neutral face.

after hours of sitting still—with small 5 minute breaks in between each hour—lily happily grinned as she observed the painting, in which the lily in the portrait waved back.

"happy seventh birthday phoebe", snape said.

"thank you papa!! don't you think we look nice??", the little girl asked.

"you look very nice", snape answered.

"well I think papa looks nice too", lily smiled as portrait snape gave a ghost of a smile before turning back to his normal facial feature.

"let's head home now. I'm sure ms. granger's saving you your yorkshire pudding", snape said, holding his hand out.

lily happily replied with an "okay!" as she grabbed onto snape's hand and apparated back to the outskirts of hogwarts.

to lily, snape was her papa, and nothing will ever make her leave him.

nothing.

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