greeneyes-17

I have been writing 'Lily and the Half-Blood Prince' for a while now, a story that is based on canon, in so far as it continues seamlessly from the snippets of back-story we glimpse in the HP books, and any other facts as presented in the books, or as explained by the author, J K Rowling .

Since the story description is so limited, I am elaborating a bit on the scope and vision of this fanfiction (something I should have done long ago, I know).

In my opinion, one of the most interesting back stories of the Harry Potter series is the one about Severus Snape. His chequered history, from his unhappy childhood , through the bittersweet Hogwarts years, to the darkest hours of his Death Eater days, makes him one of the most inspiring fictional character  I have come across.  A complex,  multifaceted and intriguing man.
Lily, on the other hand, is a character that is a bit more difficult to write about, for there is much less directly known about her. However, we learn that those who knew Lily, recognised many characteristics of her nature in that of her son, Harry, so I am keeping that in mind when writing her.

One of the most crucial facts known about the two main characters, Lily and Severus, is that they were best friends from when they were children, up to June 1976, the end of their fifth year. Beyond this date very little is known, except that Lily started going out with James Potter in their 7 th year, and that Severus sunk ever deeper into the activities of the Death Eater fraternity.

These obscure years reached a turning point with Lily's death, and Snape's change of allegiance. The love he had for his childhood friend, was so strong so powerful, that he risked his life again and again, especially during the second war, until finally, he paid the ultimate price, and laid down his life for Lily's memory.
He knew full well what might one day happen, and moreover, he knew that despite the risks he ran, and the sacrifices he made, he knew he would always be remembered as 'the traitor' and 'the betrayer', by The Order; the Death Eaters, and the wizarding world in general.
And yet he did what he had to do.
All for her, for Lily.

It was this love that intrigued me.

I think there must be very few instances in real life, or in fiction, when somebody would lay down their life for the sake of a long-gone childhood friendship. Especially when that person is dead, already.
This made me wonder about Snape's unrequited love. To me it seems that the bond between these two was stronger than mere friendship. On Severus' part, definitely. On Lily's part? They were best friends, as well as a teenage boy and a teenage girl, too. So the possibility must have crossed her mind, definitely. And she did love him, as JK Rowling confirms, but perhaps not in the way he would have wanted to recognise.

The story of Lily and Severus is my interpretation of what could have happened. It is  based on the canon facts as we know them, but with a twist that relies on my views as explained above,  and the following excerpts from JK Rowling Interviews:-


- Did Lily ever have feelings back for Snape?
JKR: 'yes. She might even have grown to love him romantically ( she certainly loved him as a friend) if he had not loved Dark Magic so much and been drawn to such loathsome people and acts.'
Rowling Bloomsbury Interview/webchat
30 th July 2007


Lily detested Mulciber and Avery. If Snape really loved her, why didn't he sacrifice their company for her sake?

JKR: 'Well, that is Snape's tragedy. Given his time over again, he would not have become a Death Eater, but like many insecure, vulnerable people (like Wormtail) he craved membership of something big and powerful, something impressive. He wanted Lily, but he wanted Mulciber, too. He never really understood Lily's aversion; he was so blinded by his attraction to the Dark side, he thought she would find him impressive, if he became a real Death Eater'
Rowling Bloomsbury Interview/webchat
30 th July 2007

- Has Snape ever been loved by anyone?
JKR: 'Yes he has which in a way makes him more culpable even than Voldemort, who never has.'
Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron Interviews, 2005

Lily and the Half-Blood Prince will continue until the end of their fifth year. After that, the story will continue, but under one, or more, different titles, as I map out the intervening years,( largely obscure from a canon point of view), between their last two years at Hogwarts, until Lily's death in 1981.

FINALLY the Disclaimer: All the characters, human or otherwise, as well as the places, are  J.K Rowlings, if they are instantly recognisable. I'm eternally grateful to her for the creation of such inspiring witches and wizards! The text in italics is directly from the books, tweaked slightly, so that it fits in seamlessly with the rest of the fic.

I would like to repeat once again, that the story here is MY interpretation of canon facts. And it remains just that – one interpretation out of hundreds of other, equally valid, points of view. The fact that there are so many missing years in backstory is a good thing, really, because it gives some leeway for fanfic writers to have some fun!!

I am writing an illustrated fanfiction about the Severus and Lily story. I have decided not to depart too far from what is canon, but. of course, there are whole years that have not been touched upon, in between the brief glimpses we get to see in Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale) of the last HP Book.

I find it interesting to try and glean what may have happened in the interim years; how Lily's character developed, and how Severus became what we are presented with in the HP books...
Many aspects of their character's development ( especially Severus) is implied, or indirectly refered to in the books, so that was an important guideline.

What I am also using as my guiding principles are the following quotations by J,K.Rowling about Severus Snape:

Did Lily ever have feelings back for Snape?

JKR: "Yes. She might even have grown to love him romantically( she certainly loved him as a friend) if he had not loved Dark Magic so much and been drawn to such loathsome people and acts."
Rowling Bloomsbury Interview/Webchat
30 th July 2007



Has Snape ever been loved by anyone?

JKR: "Yes, he has, which in a way makes him more culpable even than Voldemort, who never has."
Mugglenet and The Leaky Cauldron Interview,2005