Severus and Lily: The Snape Family

Chapter 49 - Lily's Return

Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Severus's life had been miserable on several fronts.

As he knelt and mourned his flowers, he paused to marvel at the fact that despite years of happiness, his existence had become misery once more.

Lily had provided the light for his bleak world.

She had given him Harry and Zinnia as proof of their unending love.

She had depended on him to protect their children, as much as he had depended on her to love him.

Severus's remorse tripled his grief.

Why had he said those terrible things to his daughter out of pure anger?

What purpose had his words served?

He knew that his hateful outlash wouldn't alleviate the tragedy and they certainly wouldn't-

Behind him, Severus heard Harry take a faltering step as a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

He felt himself being dipped into an unignorable pool of comfort, as if someone had wrapped a warm bandage around his bleeding heart.

He blinked as he turned and looked.

His dark eyes bulged while he exclaimed in a shocked gasp, "LILY!"

"I'm right here, Sev." Lily said with a smile.

No longer sick or pained, Lily appeared to be in perfect health as she stood behind her husband, next to her son.

The vile, purple tint had been removed from her eyes, skin, and fingers.

Her belly was as flat and her waist as trim as it would have been if her lengthy struggle against decay had never happened.

"Mum!" Harry whispered as he clenched his teeth.

Severus was on his feet in an instant.

He took Lily into his arms as he failed to muffle the wild cry that escaped his chest.

Harry had watched his parents embrace before but he had never seen his father cling to his mother so desperately as he did in that moment.

To see them, it seemed as if Severus was in danger of falling off a ledge and holding onto Lily was the only thing that could stop his doomed tumble.

"I'm here, darling." Lily murmured to Severus with a gentle chuckle as she kissed what she could reach of his pale face, "....I'm here."

Harry abandoned all thought of ruining his parents' reunion as he asked his mother in bewilderment, ".........How?"

Severus scowled over at Harry before Lily wrestled out of his grasp enough that she could face her son and speak, "........Well, I was sent back, sweetheart."

"By your soul bond with Dad?" Harry asked curiously.

Severus frowned.

"No." Lily smiled, "...........By your sister."

Harry and Severus glanced over at Zinnia's burning body with looks of tortured despair on their faces.

Lily only smiled softly at her daughter as Severus glanced over and whispered in his low drawl, "Lily, my love.......I'm.......I never meant for this to happen! You have to believe me! I spoke out of anger, I never wanted her to-"

"-Sev, I'm not upset." Lily said as she gave her husband a contented smile, "I don't know what you said to Zinnia, or what passed between you two....I only know that she finally went to where she should be and that is a very good thing, indeed."