Chapter Text
Severus was feeling particularly grumpy today.
He had been tasked with babysitting Harry on top of running Lily's errands, which was already more than enough to sour his mood. To make matters worse, he was Lily's Man of Honour—an arrangement he still considered nothing short of absurd.
He could still remember the shock when Lily had first told him she wanted him in her bridal party.
First, he had been shocked and then baffled. And, finally, after staring at her for several seconds as though she had grown another head, he had given her an awkward smile and accepted.
It had not been long after their graduation when Lily and Severus had finally made amends. Lily had forgiven him, and, slowly but surely, things between them had become normal again.
Well, as normal as things could be between Lily Evans and Severus Snape.
At the time, Lily had been pregnant with Harry. Now, four years later, the little boy had inherited his mother's brilliant green eyes and—unfortunately—the unmistakable appearance of his father. Potter's face, Potter's hair, Potter's cheeky little grin. Severus found it deeply offensive.
And so, here he was, carrying several boxes containing the bridesmaids' gowns, Lily's wedding dress—which was unusually light, by the way—and holding little Harry's hand as the boy toddled beside him, happily licking an ice cream.
"I'm tired, Uncle Sev," Harry whined, dragging his little feet against the pavement. "When are we meeting my dad?" Severus sighed.
"Your father is with your good-for-nothing uncles discussing his bachelor party. We shall be meeting them for lunch later, along with your mother." He grimaced at the thought of having to pretend to be civil with Potter and his ridiculous friends. At least Harry was there to distract him. He was happy for Lily. Truly, he was. But being named her Man of Honour meant that he was going to have to spend considerably more time around James Potter than he would have liked. That alone was enough to make him reconsider the entire arrangement.
They soon reached the familiar bridal shop, and Severus felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, Harry still clutching his hand.
The moment the shop assistant saw him, she smiled nervously.
"Good morning, sir."
"Good morning."
Severus led Harry over to one of the sofas and helped him climb up.
"Are you finished with your ice cream?" he asked, eyeing the chocolate-covered boy suspiciously. "Because I rather doubt the ladies here would appreciate you decorating their expensive furniture."
Harry nodded obediently and handed over the half-eaten ice cream. With a resigned sigh, he stepped outside, disposed of it in a nearby bin, and returned to wipe Harry's face and hands with a handkerchief.
Severus approached one of the sales assistants.
"Excuse me. I'm here to have this dress altered. It's under the name Potter." The reaction was immediate. The young woman practically snatched the box from his hands and gave him a hurried little bow. "Oh! Yes, of course, sir. Mr Potter called yesterday. Everything has been arranged." She glanced nervously at the box.
"Would you care for some champagne while you wait?"
"No, thank you," Severus replied. "Tea would suffice."
"Of course, sir." She hurried away.
Severus watched her go, one eyebrow raised.
He returned to the sofa and sat beside Harry, straightening the boy's jumper. "Now," he said, glancing towards the entrance, "where is your mother? She is rather late, is she not?"
"I can hear you bad-mouthing me from a mile away, Sev." Severus looked up. Lily had just walked into the shop with a smile on her face. Smiling, but unfortunately, it did not quite reach her eyes.
"Honestly," she continued, walking towards them, "could you at least refrain from doing it in front of my child?"
"I was merely making an observation."
"Of course you were."
Lily leaned down to hug him, and Severus reluctantly returned it, patting her shoulder. Harry immediately reached for his mother. "Mummy!"
Lily laughed softly and scooped him into her arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Hello, little man. Did you have a nice morning with Uncle Sev?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Uncle Sev is grumpy." Lily snorted and Severus glared. Harry giggled and wriggled in Lily's arms until she put him down.
Severus cleared his throat. "So. Where is the suit you wanted me to try on?"
He still had no idea why Lily had insisted on having his suit fitted at the same shop as her wedding dress. Most brides wanted everything surrounding their gown to be about them. But Lily had never been particularly interested in doing things the conventional way.
"Oh! It's over there." She pointed towards a display near the back of the shop. Severus followed her gaze. And stopped.
A beautiful cream-coloured suit had been laid out on a mannequin. It was undeniably expensive-looking, with a perfectly tailored jacket, matching trousers and a waistcoat beneath.
It was also unmistakably white. Or, at the very least, close enough.
Severus stared at it. Then at Lily. Then back at the suit.
"I..." He blinked. "Lils."
"What?"
"That's white."
Lily's smile faltered. "Well, yes."
"White."
"Technically, it's cream."
"That is hardly the point." He folded his arms. "Isn't it considered rather poor form for a member of the bridal party to wear white? Or for anyone attending a wedding?"
The other bridesmaids were all wearing blue. He knew that because he had helped Lily choose the colour himself and had subsequently endured Mary Macdonald and Marlene McKinnon enthusiastically discussing how beautiful their dresses were. "So shouldn't I be wearing blue as well?"
Lily looked away. "The colour just looks lovely on you." She laughed, but there was something forced about it. "It suits you."
Severus narrowed his eyes. Before he could respond, one of the shop assistants returned with Lily's tea and a glass of water. Lily immediately reached for the water instead, taking a long sip.
"And besides," she added quietly, "James chose it."
Severus froze. "What?"
Lily's eyes widened. "I said—"
"Potter?"
Lily gave him a nervous laugh. "No, I meant that James was with me when I chose it. He said it suited you." Severus stared at her. For several moments, neither of them spoke.
"And you believed him?" He finally sank onto the sofa with a groan. "That man has spent the better part of our lives humiliating me. Why on earth would you trust his judgement when it concerns my clothing?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "James has an eye for these things."
"James Potter has an eye for irritating me."
"Sev."
"Or perhaps he simply enjoys the thought of seeing me dressed like a wedding cake."
Lily laughed and sat down beside him, offering him tea. "You'll look handsome."
"I'd rather look dignified."
"You can be both."
Severus gave her a sceptical look. Then his eyes drifted back towards the suit.
Something about Lily's expression made him pause. She was smiling. But she looked tired. Not merely tired from wedding preparations, either. There was something else there. Something she was deliberately keeping from him. Severus knew Lily well enough to recognise when she was hiding something.
He leaned back against the sofa, studying her for a moment. “Is everything all right, Lils?” He paused, his expression softening. “You look rather tired.” Lily scoffed and lightly smacked his shoulder. “Wow, Sev. Way to make a girl feel better.”
—𐂂—
Severus groaned. Here he was again, carrying what felt like half the contents of the bridal shop while Lily and Harry walked ahead of him, hand in hand, giggling about something he couldn't quite hear.
They were on their way to the Leaky Cauldron, where they were meant to have lunch with his tormentors—ah, Lily's soon-to-be husband and his minions.
He was dreading this lunch like a condemned man awaiting his execution. Seven bloody years of having those four make his school life a living nightmare, and now he was expected to sit at a table with them and pretend they were all old friends. For Lily's sake, he would endure it. He wasn't sure whether his patience would survive the afternoon.
They finally arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, and Severus stopped outside for a moment, staring at the shabby establishment with undisguised disdain. He really did not want to go inside, but unfortunately, Harry had other ideas.
"Uncle Sev! Come on!" the little boy exclaimed, tugging insistently at his hand. "Daddy's waiting!"
"Yes, I'm aware."
"And Uncle Padfoot!"
Severus sighed. "Unfortunately, I am aware of that as well."
Harry giggled and pulled him towards the entrance.
The moment Severus stepped inside, he was assaulted by the obnoxiously loud laughter coming from the back of the pub. He froze. For one brief, unpleasant moment, he wasn't standing in the Leaky Cauldron anymore. He was seventeen again. Back at Hogwarts. Back in the corridor, surrounded by laughter as Potter and his friends mocked him. He forced the memories away and tightened his grip on the boxes.
Then came an awfully familiar voice. "Oh, look who it is!"
James Potter stood from his seat, a grin spreading across his face.
"My soon-to-be wife and my beloved son!" James kissed Lily's cheek before leaning down to ruffle Harry's hair. Lily gave him an awkward hug when he approached. Harry immediately wriggled free and hurried towards his uncles.
Severus watched the exchange for a moment before setting the boxes down with a quiet thud.
James whispered something into Lily's ear. Whatever it was made her glance briefly towards Severus before she nodded and made her way towards the table.
Severus narrowed his eyes. Before he could wonder what that was about, James stepped in front of him. The grin on his face widened.
"Snivellus."
Severus flinched. It was a tiny movement, barely noticeable.
James noticed. Of course he noticed.
"Still being childish, I see, Potter?" Severus scoffed, recovering quickly. "You're about to become a married man. One would think you'd have outgrown schoolyard insults by now." He attempted to walk past him. James caught his arm. Firmly. Severus stopped. James's fingers tightened around his sleeve for just a moment before he released him.
"Now," James said pleasantly, "I wasn't finished with our conversation, was I?" There was something different about his voice. Something quieter. Severus felt an unpleasant shiver crawl down his spine. James looked him over. His eyes travelled from Severus's face to his shoulders, lingering briefly on the dark robes he wore before returning to his eyes. "You look less hideous today, Snivellus."
Severus's lip curled into a scowl. "If you're only going to stand here and insult me, I'd rather get it over with and join Lily." He moved to step around him again, but James shifted with him, blocking his path.
"Don't be like that, Sniv."
Severus's eyes narrowed. He was beginning to wonder how much longer he could endure this. Before he could say anything, James stepped closer and caught him firmly around the waist, as though he genuinely expected Severus to bolt the moment he was given the chance.
Severus stiffened. James merely grinned. Severus instinctively leaned back, but James only tilted his head, studying him with that same infuriating expression. There was something predatory in his eyes, something Severus couldn't quite place.
"You know," James murmured, "I'm beginning to think you didn't want to see me."
"I don't."
James laughed. "Still a terrible liar."
"I'm not lying."
"Of course you aren't." James reached up and casually brushed a stray lock of hair away from Severus's forehead.
The gesture was unexpectedly gentle, almost absurdly so—as though he were handling something fragile, something precious enough to break if touched too roughly.
Severus stiffened at the unfamiliar tenderness. James noticed. Of course he did. A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Come on, Sniv. Don't look so frightened."
"I'm not frightened of you." Severus scowled and pushed against his chest, trying to put some distance between them.
James finally stepped aside, allowing him through. Severus had barely taken a step when James leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur beside his ear.
"Try not to disappear on me again." There was something firm in his voice now. Not a suggestion. A warning. "I'll always find you."
Severus froze.
When he turned around, James was already walking towards the table, laughing at something Peter had said as though nothing had happened.
Severus stared after him.
He hated Potter. He had spent seven years learning exactly how much he hated Potter.
He let out a quiet sigh and reluctantly made his way towards the table, forcing himself to ignore the unsettling encounter with James.