Severus Snape's pupils contracted sharply as he stared, incredulous, at the familiar figure in the doorway.
"Lily...?"
Why was she with Dumbledore? And why had she come here in the dead of night, under a torrential downpour?
What in the world had happened?
Her soaked red hair clung to her pale cheeks, and those vibrant green eyes, usually so bright, were now dull and lifeless.
Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
Seeing her shivering form, Snape instinctively stepped forward. He drew his wand and, with a complex flourish, conjured a stream of warm air from its tip.
Pointing the wand at her, he watched as steam rose from Lily's cloak, forming a hazy mist in the dim living room.
As he turned his wand toward Dumbledore, he noticed the older wizard had already discreetly dried his own clothes. Behind his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's blue eyes regarded Snape calmly.
"I hope we haven't disturbed you, Severus," Dumbledore said, his voice icy.
"Not at all." Snape waved his wand, silently pulling chairs from the table for them to sit.
He turned toward the kitchen, igniting a small flame. The kettle's whistle soon pierced the air.
When Snape returned to the living room with a tray, Dumbledore sat quietly across from Lily, who remained motionless, as though her soul had been drained, her breathing barely audible.
He placed steaming teacups before them, but neither touched the tea.
"What happened?" Snape asked, his voice low and soft.
No one answered.
Dumbledore maintained a suffocating silence.
Then, Lily's shoulders began to shake violently. She started sobbing, soundlessly.
Snape hurried to her side.
Before he could think of how to comfort her, Lily clung to him like a drowning person grasping at driftwood. She gripped his black robes tightly, burying her face in his chest.
Snape froze. He could feel her trembling through their closeness, her warm tears quickly soaking his clothes.
After a moment's hesitation, he raised his hand and gently placed it on her familiar red hair, saying nothing.
Time passed—how long, he didn't know—until Lily's sobs gradually subsided.
She let go.
He watched silently as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her emerald eyes now red and swollen.
"I'll get you a blanket," he said quietly, but as he turned, Dumbledore's movement stopped him.
With a gentle wave of his wand, Dumbledore caused Lily's sorrowful green eyes to close slowly. Her body swayed, tilting forward.
Snape quickly reached out, catching her forehead with his hand.
"She's exhausted," Dumbledore explained, a trace of weariness in his voice. "Crying has done her some good. Let her rest for now."
Snape carefully laid Lily on the guest room bed, draping a thin blanket over her.
He gazed silently at the tear tracks on her face, studying her bloodless complexion for a moment before returning to the living room.
"Professor," Snape asked softly, "what happened?"
"The Dark Mark appeared above the Evans' home. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were found dead in their living room," Dumbledore said coldly. "If Lily hadn't been out, you might never have seen her again."
"I was meant to bring you to meet the Order of the Phoenix tonight, but I received word from Mundungus Fletcher that the Death Eaters planned a purge of Muggle-born wizard families," Dumbledore continued, his voice low, "to protest the Ministry's policy allowing them to study magic. By the time I and the other Order members reached the Evans' home, it was already too late."
Snape recalled last summer, when Mr. Evans had greeted him warmly.
"And Petunia? Lily's sister—was she there?" he asked.
"There was no one else at the scene," Dumbledore replied. "We confirmed Petunia was in London. She escaped unharmed."
He stood and walked to the window, his silver-white hair and beard glinting coldly in the dim light. Outside, the storm raged on.
"The Death Eaters' activities are growing bolder," Dumbledore said. "At first, they targeted those who openly defied them. Then, those who merely disagreed. Now, they've turned on the innocent—anyone they deem 'impure.'"
Dumbledore turned to Snape. "So, I ask you now: are you still willing to join the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Professor," Snape said, standing calmly, "the moment I handed you Ravenclaw's diadem, I had no way back, did I? If Tom discovers this, do you think he'd spare me?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, a smile touching his lips, though it held no warmth. "But I can keep your secret."
"You should, of course, keep it secret, but that changes nothing," Snape said, his voice low. He thought back to their days at Hogwarts. "The school never taught us this, but I believe one shouldn't always choose self-preservation. Some things… are worth fighting for."
"I want to join the Order too," came Lily's hoarse but resolute voice from the side.
She had awakened at some point, standing quietly at the living room's entrance, wrapped in the thin blanket.
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. He studied her eyes in silence.
"I know there's no need to dissuade you, Lily," he said at last. "But you can still take some time to think it over."
"I don't need time," Lily replied, her voice unwavering. "The Death Eaters won't give me time. If I don't fight back, will they spare me?"
"Tomorrow," Dumbledore said with a deep sigh, "tomorrow, you and Severus will come with me to meet the other members of the Order."
Silence enveloped the room, broken only by the soft patter of rain.
"Professor, I have one request," Snape said, breaking the quiet. "When the next term begins, let my mother stay at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore nodded. "Will she agree?"
"I doubt she'd approve of me joining the Order," Snape said. "But I don't need to tell her that. I'll find a suitable reason for her to go to the school."
Lily stepped closer to them.
Snape looked at her, and she met his gaze.
In that moment, as their eyes locked, Snape recalled the scene outside the Gryffindor Tower.
He slowly extended a hand toward her.
"Lily, last year, outside Gryffindor Tower, I didn't get the chance to tell you—I will never join the Dark Lord."
She took his hand.
Outside, the curtain of rain continued to fall.
————
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