Written for Herbology in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) forum. My first Snily and my first Marauders' Era AU!

THIS IS A ONESHOT. I have no intention of adding to this. Thank you.

Hope you enjoy, and hope you realize that I don't own anything, not even the cat. The cat is definitely canon. (Hint: Think Deathly Hallows, Lily's letter to Sirius.)

Something fell against the front door. Lily had a bad feeling she knew who it was.

Leaving the cat on the couch behind her, she drew her wand and hurried to the door.

With a quick motion, she jerked open the door, only to drop her wand and catch the slumped figure at the door before he hit the floor.

Reaching down and placing the wand in her back pocket, Lily carefully pulled the person up to face her. The utterly exhausted eyes of her husband struggled to stay open.

After shutting and locking the door, she half-dragged, half-carried him to the nearest chair and set him down upon it. She silently assessed the damage.

"Cruciatus," Severus muttered, fighting to stay conscious. "Splinching."

Lily nodded, and hurried to the cabinet under the sink. It was where they kept most of their potions. She grabbed the nearest pain reliever, and a small vial containing Essence of Dittany.

When she got back to him, the cat was sitting next to the chair, gazing at the large gash in Severus's arm. Severus had managed to stop the blood before he had reached their home, but the wound was still open and vulnerable to infection.

Lily opened the vial full of pain reliever and pressed it to Severus's lips, tilting it to empty its contents. Once Severus drank it, the potion took immediate effect. His entire body seemed to relax slightly.

She set to work on his gash, carefully pulling the stopper off the vial of Essence of Dittany and dribbling the liquid over his wound. The potion quickly healed most of the wound. Lily would have attempted to heal the rest but too much Essence of Dittany could make the wound worse.

"Water," Severus muttered. She obliged.

"You'll need rest," she murmured as she held the glass of water to his lips. The cat, seemingly bored, retreated further into the house.

"They found out," he said, his voice cracking.

"About us?" Lily whispered. "How?"

"H-He didn't say," he managed. "Went straight to punishing."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"He told me to get rid," – a hacking cough – "of you. If I return, they'll kill me, or worse." He subsided into violent coughs. Lily pressed the glass of water to his lips once more, and he drained the rest of the liquid.

"So you'll leave," she muttered. "Hide."

"I'm not a fighter, Lily," Severus said, just as he had said many times before. "The best I can do is potions. Create them for the Order. Sell the excess for some money."

"Will I have to hide as well?" Lily asked softly, already dreading the answer.

He winced. "Yes," he admitted. "But once this is over you won't."

"I don't know if this will ever be 'over'," Lily whispered. "Not in our lifetime."

"The best we can do is fight against it," Severus said. They both knew it held no meaning.

"I want to be on the front lines," Lily burst out. "I can't sit holed up at home. I have to fight."

He stared at her for a moment.

"I can respect that," he said slowly. "But don't expect me to do so as well."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

After a moment, she spoke up again. "Thank you. For not arguing about it."

"We make our own decisions." He stifled a yawn.

"You need to sleep. Nothing will heal completely without rest." She pulled him from the chair and wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping him upright.

"Alright," he agreed, swaying slightly on his feet. He was obviously too tired to argue. "Promise me one thing."

"Yes?" she asked, helping him walk towards their bedroom.

"When you go out to the front lines, to fight," he said slowly. "Don't die."

"I can't make any promises," Lily said, and though her tone was light, she was completely serious.

There was a pause.

"Good," Severus said at last. He seemed unable to look at her. "You'd be lying if you did."

They had been living in oblivion all this time.

They were awake now.