Loving Lily: A Snily Story

Chapter 33 - Severus's Mission

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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Later that night, Severus and Lily lay in their bed with Ellery and Harriet between them after Voldemort had finally taken his leave from their cottage.

Tense silence hung in the air for an unbearably long while as they watched their children sleep and contemplated the horror that evening had brought.

Severus tried to free himself from his own terror enough to speak, but it was Lily's tears that ultimately bolstered him to find his voice.

"Lily, my love......don't weep." He whispered in a low purr as he reached out and laid a comforting hand on his wife's arm.

"How many times does he have to touch my babies, Severus?" Lily asked quietly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Severus frowned as she added, "I......I thought this was all over."

Lily sniffed before she hushed herself by stifling a little shriek with the hand she clamped over her mouth.

"The fault lies with me." Severus whispered.

Lily's emerald gaze flickered to her husband before she removed her hand and shook her head as she answered in a hushed gasp, "Oh, Sev.......don't say that!"

"It's the truth, Lily." Severus drawled as a frown of remorse marred his face, "On the night your labour with Ellery began, the Dark Lord summoned me to his side in a distant forest, along with Lucius and Yaxley.....He had no body....It seemed he had little hope. Clearly, that was a foolish assumption."

"Sev...." Lily breathed as she sat up and pressed her palms against her eyes.

Severus frowned as he deftly moved towards her.

He took care not to wake Harriet and Ellery as they slept on, blissfully unaware of the dangers their parents faced.

Despite his apprehension that Lily may blame him for Voldemort's unannounced appearance, Severus was moved by his wife's distress.

He reached a hand out and placed it comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Oh, Sev!" Lily exclaimed in a choking sob as she looked up to stare into his dark eyes.

Harriet wriggled in her sleep as Ellery whimpered.

The children's reaction to the noise caused Lily to remember the need for silence.

In an effort to escape the bleakness of the evening, she crawled into Severus's lap and settled herself between his thighs.

Severus frowned as he cradled his beloved in his arms.

Lily laid her head against his chest and whispered, "I'm not angry with you, Sev.....You were only trying to protect me.....to protect us."

Severus counted himself fortunate to have such a merciful wife.

He bent down and lovingly kissed Lily's forehead as she clutched onto his robes and repeated, "........You were only trying to protect us."

"Our circumstances may seem grim, my love," Severus whispered as he reverently stroked a few strands of her soft, crimson hair, "But you have my word and my solemn vow, Lily......I will give everything I have to shield you and our children from harm."

He expected his words to be a soothing comfort to his distraught wife.

Severus furrowed his brow when Lily curled against him and buried her face into his robes.