Dumbledore gently closed the door of the wooden cottage, other matters awaiting his attention.
Before leaving, he informed Severus Snape and Lily Evans that he would return promptly at noon the next day to fetch them.
Snape brought Lily a brand-new feather pillow and a set of deep blue morning robes.
"Would you like to sleep in the guest room tonight?" he asked softly.
Lily nodded.
As Snape turned to leave, he felt a faint tug. Lily was lightly holding the hem of his robe, her touch so delicate it was barely noticeable.
He looked down into her dim emerald eyes.
"Rest well tonight," Snape said tenderly. "I'll be right here with you."
With that, he left the guest room to fetch an armchair from the living room.
When he returned, Lily had changed into the morning robes and was curled up under the slightly thin blanket, her red hair splayed across the pillow.
Snape placed the chair beside the bed, positioning it so he could watch over Lily without making her feel crowded.
He sat by her side, hesitated for a moment, then reached out to hold her cold hand, which lay exposed outside the blanket.
Lily suddenly gripped his hand tightly, with surprising strength.
"Later… I did notice the changes in you…" Her voice was so low that Snape had to lean closer to hear. "But… I'm sorry…"
"It's alright. It's all in the past," Snape said, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "It's the old me who should be apologizing to you."
Lily turned slightly to face him. Moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating her pale face. She gazed at him for a long time, her eyes filled with an emotion Snape couldn't decipher.
At the first light of dawn, soft footsteps startled the two from their light sleep.
Snape realized he had dozed off at some point, his neck stiff and sore from the awkward position.
Eileen stood at the guest room door, looking surprised at the scene: Lily lying in bed, Snape seated beside her, their hands still clasped tightly.
"Oh, Mrs. Snape," Lily said, releasing Snape's hand as if shocked and sitting up hurriedly, her voice sheepish. "Good morning, I…"
"It's fine, it's fine," Eileen said, stepping back, a mix of unease and understanding in her tone. "I'll go prepare breakfast."
Snape stood from the chair, rubbing his stiff neck muscles.
"I'll step out for a bit," he said to Lily before leaving the guest room and closing the door behind him.
Lily quickly changed and emerged from the guest room, heading to the kitchen. She offered to help, but Eileen stopped her.
"No need, just sit," Eileen said, waving her wand to place a steaming cup of milk on the table in front of Lily.
The breakfast table was laden with an even more lavish spread than usual.
Snape watched as Eileen kept piling food onto Lily's plate and cleared his throat. "Mother, Lily will be staying here for a while. Is that alright?"
"Of course," Eileen said, slicing a few pieces of white bread for Lily and spreading butter on them. "Lily, it's been so long since I last saw you. You were just a little girl then…"
"Thank you, Mrs. Snape," Lily said quietly. "This is too much food…"
"Eat up," Eileen insisted, adding two sausages and three poached eggs to Lily's plate. "I'll prepare a proper bedroom for you upstairs. The guest room down here is too plain."
"No, please, that's not necessary!" Lily nearly knocked over her cup. "The guest room is perfectly fine…"
"Don't be so polite, Lily," Eileen said firmly.
After breakfast, Eileen suddenly turned to Snape. "Why don't you move to another room? Yours has the best view from the window."
Snape stared at her, stunned.
"No, really, it's fine," Lily said quickly. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Snape. The guest room is more than enough."
"That won't do," Eileen replied. With a casual flick of her wand, the dishes on the table flew to the sink, where they began washing themselves with a clinking sound.
While Eileen went upstairs to prepare the room, Snape accompanied Lily to the small garden in front of the house.
They stood side by side in silence.
Morning dew glistened on spiderwebs, and bees buzzed busily among the flowers. The faint sound of a stream and the chirping of early birds drifted from the distance.
Last night's storm seemed to have left no mark on the world; everything remained as it always had.
"Lily!" A window opened upstairs, and Eileen poked her head out. "It's ready! Want to come take a look?"
Snape waved up at her, then walked with Lily back into the cottage, heading toward the stairs.
On the second-floor corridor, Snape saw Eileen standing at the door of his room, happily beckoning Lily over.
"Well… alright," Snape thought, realizing Eileen had indeed switched his room.
"Come on," she said warmly to Lily. "See if there's anything you're not happy with."
"No," Lily said, shaking her head gently. "It's perfect."
She stepped into the room, taking in the freshly changed bed linens, the tidy desk, and the gleaming floor. A flicker of sadness passed through her eyes.
"Could I have a moment alone here?" Lily asked softly.
"Of course," Snape said, stopping Eileen with a glance and leading her out of the room. "Call us if you need anything."
After closing the door, Snape thought it best to give Lily some privacy.
He and Eileen went downstairs to the living room.
"Mother," he said after a moment's thought, glancing toward the staircase. "Something happened yesterday… Mr. and Mrs. Evans… they've passed away. That's why Lily is here…"
Eileen covered her mouth in disbelief.
Glancing toward the staircase as well, she lowered her voice. "What happened?"
"An accident," Snape said, shaking his head, choosing not to share the full truth. "Just don't mention it, and act like you don't know anything else."
"And Professor Dumbledore will come at noon to take Lily to deal with yesterday's tragedy. I'll go with her."
Eileen nodded slightly, her face filled with pity.
At noon, sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting dappled patterns on the lawn in front of the cottage.
Dumbledore knocked on the door right on time.
"Eileen, it's been a while," the headmaster said, his usual calm and composed demeanor restored.
"Good afternoon, Professor," Eileen said, opening the door and wiping her apron subconsciously, a bit nervous. "You're here. Would you like to stay for lunch?"
"Thank you, Eileen," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'm afraid we're a bit pressed for time, so I'll have to miss your cooking this time. Next time, I'll definitely have to try it."
By the time Dumbledore arrived, Snape and Lily had already grabbed their cloaks.
After saying goodbye to Eileen, they followed the headmaster out of the cottage.
The three descended the hillside, Dumbledore's long robes billowing in the wind.
After walking some distance and leaving the area covered by the Anti-Apparition Charm, Snape asked, "Where are we going?"
Dumbledore didn't answer. Instead, he extended an arm to each of them.
"Hold on tight," he said softly. "This might be a bit uncomfortable."
They each grasped one of Dumbledore's forearms.
When their feet touched the ground again, they stood on an unfamiliar street.
The street was narrow, lined with old buildings. Most were made of brick, their walls etched with the marks of time, some peeling to reveal rough stone beneath.
Various shops dotted the street, the most eye-catching being "Winstanley's Books and Stationery." Its small storefront displayed an array of books, stationery, and newspapers in the window. The sign above the door was faded, the lettering barely legible.
Soft piano music played inside, a strange contrast to the rundown surroundings.
Besides the stationery shop, there were other small stores—a grocer, a tailor, a cobbler. Business seemed slow, with only a few customers, mostly elderly people in worn clothes, coming and going.
"Where are we?" Lily asked, letting go of Dumbledore's arm.
Dumbledore pulled a piece of parchment from his robes and held it out to Snape and Lily. "Read this and memorize it."
Written on the parchment in an unfamiliar hand was a single line: The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at 421 Vauxhall Road, London.
After they read it, Dumbledore tapped the parchment with his wand, and it curled up, burning to ash that drifted to the ground.
Lily looked up at the buildings around them, frowning in confusion. They stood in front of Winstanley's Books and Stationery, marked as number 422.
To the left was number 420, an old apartment building; to the right, number 423, a tailor's shop.
"Where is it?" Lily asked, puzzled.
Was this the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War? A glint of understanding flickered in Snape's dark eyes.
"The Fidelius Charm," he said quietly to Lily, then turned to Dumbledore. "421 Vauxhall Road. You're not the Secret-Keeper, are you, Professor?"
"No, this is the Prewett family's house," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "Gideon Prewett is the Secret-Keeper himself."
As he spoke, a deep brown oak door materialized between numbers 420 and 422, a brass plaque clearly bearing the number "421."
Then, a window with tightly drawn curtains appeared above the door, as if an extra house had suddenly expanded, pushing the neighboring buildings aside.
The music from Winstanley's shop continued to play, and a few Muggles at the window, engrossed in their books, noticed nothing.
"Let's go," Dumbledore said, leading the way to the door at 421 Vauxhall Road.
He drew his wand and tapped the door three times.
Snape heard a loud clanging of metal and the clicking of gears.
The door creaked open.
They crossed the threshold into a brightly lit entrance hall.
"Albus, you're here," Moody said, his distinctive figure stomping out from a door at the far end of the hall. "And you two as well. You're of age now… Come in, the meeting's waiting."
They followed Moody down the corridor toward the door he had emerged from.
Snape noticed portraits lining the walls, depicting witches and wizards with dark golden hair. Some were dozing, while others opened sleepy eyes and smiled warmly at Snape and Lily.
The door opened, revealing a room filled with witches and wizards.
On the wall opposite the door hung a large, pale red tapestry. Golden threads glimmered in the light, tracing a sprawling family tree that stretched back to the Norman Conquest.
At the top, bold letters read: The Valiant Prewett Family—Ever Forward.
Snape glanced at the bottom of the tapestry. Next to the names of Fabian Prewett and Gideon Prewett, a double golden thread connected Molly Prewett to Arthur Weasley, with three single threads extending downward to William, Charlie, and Percy.
Higher up, the names Ignatius Prewett and Lucretia Black were linked by another double thread.
Fabian Prewett, with his short dark golden hair, winked at Snape—they had met at one of Professor Slughorn's parties. Beside him sat a man with similar dark golden hair, strikingly resembling him.
That must be Gideon Prewett, Snape thought.
Dumbledore strode to the side of the room with the tapestry and sat at the center of the long table.
"Sit," he said, his voice silencing the hum of conversation instantly.
The witches and wizards promptly made room for Snape and Lily.
"I'd like to introduce two new comrades," Dumbledore said in a low, resonant voice. "Severus Snape and Lily Evans. They are still students at Hogwarts."
"They're of age," Moody explained to the puzzled Order members. "They'll be starting their seventh year soon."
"But," a wizard with a round face and light blond hair said quietly from the other end of the table, addressing Dumbledore, "they're still students."
A witch with gentle features beside him lightly squeezed his arm.
"Frank," Dumbledore said, raising a hand, his tone calm but firm, "they have their reasons for joining the Order, just as you and I do."
Frank Longbottom said no more, nodding amicably at Snape and Lily.
————
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