Happy Endings

Chapter 1: Summer 1969 (Part 1)

"Mum, I'm bored!"

"Petunia, how on Earth can you be bored already? It's the first day of your summer holidays."

"Well, I am. Can I go to the park please?"

"Yes, as long as you take your sister. Take that look off your face. You can take your pocket money to the park and stay there for the afternoon while I sort the house out."

Lily's eyes brightened a little at this. She was 9 and a half and felt ready to go to the local park by herself. Mum had finally listened to her! She was going to get to the park, just her and Petunia, who had left their primary school and was preparing for secondary school.

"I'm ready, Tuney!"

Severus was also in the park today. He was in his den, where he sat every time he managed to leave his little, grim house in Spinners End. He loved sitting in the cool, green shade of the clutch of trees that he had adopted as his den. He saw the two girls as they entered the park. He saw the beautiful, red-headed girl chattering excitedly to the taller one. She took his breath away. She was absolutely beautiful. He crept a little further to the edge of his den to try and hear what she was saying.

…"Oh, Tuney, big school! Aren't you excited? I've got ages to wait."

"Shut up, Lily! You're such a baby, wittering on and on. Now make yourself scarce, I want to sit in the sun and read my magazine."

Severus saw the taller girl shove his Lily – his Lily? – and he saw her fall and scrape her knee on the path just outside his den.

Petunia didn't stay to see a tall, thin, dark-haired boy help her sister to her feet and ask how she was.

"Are you okay? Who was that girl?"

Lily tried to hold back the tears, she really did. After all, she wasn't a baby, despite what Tuney said. She dabbed at her knee and her eyes with her handkerchief, "I'm okay," she sniffed and rubbed the tears away. "Thank you very much for helping me up. I'm Lily. That was my sister, Petunia. She's annoyed because today is the first time our mother has let me come over here without her and has sort of made Petunia bring me."

"May I see your knee, Lily? Does it hurt?"

Lily winced as his long fingers stroked her knee gently. "A little," she gasped in surprise when she saw her scraped knee stop bleeding and slowly knit itself back together leaving just a small red mark behind. "That was like magic…erm I'm sorry I forgot to ask your name." She realised with a slight blush that she hadn't asked her saviour's name.

"Severus, I'm Severus Snape." Why had his mouth gone so dry when he desperately wanted to impress this beautiful creature in front of him?

"Well, Severus, let me buy you an ice cream to say thank you. I've been saving my pocket money since Easter."

Petunia looked up to see her freak of a sister buying an ice cream for a lanky, scruffy urchin. She tutted, rolled her eyes and went back to reading her magazine.

Lily and Severus played all afternoon on the swings - they seemed to be able to swing unnaturally high, Severus showed Lily his den and Lily showed Severus how to make daisy chains.

"Oh no," Lily exclaimed and furrowed her brow in such an endearing way – stop it, Severus – "we're one short."

Lily reached behind Severus and picked a daisy where the petals weren't quite open yet. Severus' eyes widened as he saw the petals open in her hand. Magic! She can do magic!

Lily finished her daisy chain and placed it on Severus' head. She looked into Severus' face and only when she saw the expression of surprise there did it seem to dawn on her what she had done. She paled and clapped her hand to her mouth. He clasped her on the upper arms, leaned in close and tried to reassure her. "Lily, you're a witch."

"How rude! I thought we were going to be friends, Severus."

"We can be. I'm not being rude. I mean that you can do magic. I can too and my mum. Meet me here tomorrow and I'll prove it to you."