Fractured paths

Epilogue

Severus walked with Lily along one of the lowest halls in the Ministry of Magic. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, Severus Snape. You do," Lily said.

"Can't I just send a gift? Tell them I'm busy. They'll believe that."

"Sev, attending a wedding won't kill you." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Why in Merlin's name am I invited to James Potter's wedding?" said Severus.

Lily bit her lower lip, and a smile tipped up the corner of her mouth.

"I knew it. You're having a laugh," said Severus.

Lily snorted. "Come on. It'll be fine. All our friends will be there."

This isn't a battle I'm going to win... "Fine," he muttered. "But for the record, if I see the shadow of one of those noisy reporters, I'm going home."

"Fair. It's a deal then." She kissed Severus' cheek. She could play him like a fiddle—the result of three years of officially dating and two years living together.

They reached their destination, and Severus knocked.

"Please, come in," said Hogwarts' Headmistress. "Hello Severus, Lily." She nodded to them both. "Thank you for coming." She wore emerald green robes, and fatigue shadowed her face.

"Headmistress McGonagall," said Severus.

"Minerva is quite all right," she said.

Severus smiled at the familiarity. "Minerva." The smile faded into a frown. "Why are we here?"

With a sigh, McGonagall said, "Apparently, you're deemed the world's leading expert in dark magical objects. They insist we take this thing to Hogwarts. I say there are enough dangerous things at the school. Perhaps you have an idea of what to do with it." She approached a tall, sheet-covered object on the other side of the room and pulled the cover off.

"Mirror Erised!" Severus gasped.

"You know of it?" said McGonagall.

Severus nodded as he approached it, Lily just behind him. "It shows people their deepest desire." He stopped in front of it and frowned.

Lily stood next to Severus. "What is it?" She took his hand. "Is everything all right?"

Severus turned to McGonagall. "Is it broken?"

"No."

Severus faced the mirror again and reached for the frame. "This is strange. The reflection's normal. It's just the two of us," he said, frustrated, before he realized the trouble. "Oh, right... Lily, it won't work for me if you're in the frame."

Lily flushed. "You're serious?"

"Yes. I have everything I want, so it doesn't work for me."

Lily's blush intensified.

Silence filled the room.

Severus said. "Are you all right?"

"You're sure that's... everything?" said Lily.

"Yes. What else could I possibly want?"

Lily laid both hands just below her stomach. "I see the two of us too. And another. But we... haven't met her yet."

"Are you saying...?"

"Is that bad?" Her hands stiffened. "Sev... I see her in the mirror. I want her! She's ours."

"Bad?" he whispered. "Ours? Our child?" He covered her hands with his. "You're serious? Really?"

Lily nodded. "I am. We're having a baby, Sev."

Tears warmed Severus' eyes. He kissed Lily, and she didn't hesitate to return it. He laughed and swung her in a wide circle—oblivious to McGonagall as she slipped out of the office.

Lily joined him laughing, and when Severus set her down, they touched foreheads.

"I don't have a ring right now, but marry me," Severus whispered. "Please."

"Of course, I'll marry you," Lily said through glad tears.

She met his eyes—so filled with love—before they shared another kiss.

Severus' hand rested over their unborn child as he wondered what kind of person he would soon meet. He had no doubt this girl—their daughter—would be astounding. She was Lily's child, after all. Lily's and his.

Anticipation filled him as he contemplated what their future would hold. He had no doubt it would be... amazing.