— You knew Lily had been a part of his past. He never hid it. He told you everything when you were still students—about their friendship, the falling out, the regret. And still, he chose you. Loved you. Married you right after Hogwarts, believing you were his fresh start.

And he never looked back.

Until the night he found out she was gone.

Since then, something shifted. He became quieter, not distant—but heavy, like the weight of everything had finally caught up. And now here you are, watching him pace in front of the fire, your fingers curled around the edge of the armchair as he speaks.

“I asked Dumbledore to let me take the boy,” he says, not meeting your eyes. “Harry.”

You blink. “You mean… bring him here?”

Severus nods. “I don’t want him with those Muggles. He doesn’t deserve that. I know what it’s like to grow up unloved.”

“And you think you should raise him?”

“I need to,” he says, voice thick with something you recognize—not love for Lily, but sorrow. “I couldn’t protect her. I told the Dark Lord… I led him to her. And now her son’s been orphaned, left to people who won’t care for him. I can’t undo what I did. But I can try to do right by him.”

You inhale sharply. “So this is about atonement.”

He finally meets your eyes. “It’s not about still loving her, if that’s what you think. I love you. But this—this is something I have to live with every day.”

Your heart aches. You believe him. But it doesn’t make it easier. “And what about us, Severus? Raising a child—her child—that’s not just your burden. That’s ours.”

His voice softens. “Then let it be ours. Not for Lily. For Harry.”