Lily could only faintly hear the repeated thuds against the common room door. She chose to ignore the sound, and return to her dreams. But a moment later, her slumber was interrupter once more when her friend Marry shook her awake.

"What is it?" Lily whined, hiding beneath her sheets.

"It's Severus," said Marry.

Lily lifted her head immediately. Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness, and the room was filled with nothing but blurry, black images. Worriedly, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Only that he's an idiot," Marry replied, "and he won't stop knocking on the door."

After blinking a few times, she could see the annoyed look on her friend's face. "Okay, I'll go see what he wants."

She made her way to the door, letting her instincts guide her through the dimly lit room. During the short trip, she wondered why Severus had come. In all five years that they'd spent together at Hogwarts, he had never sought her out in this manner before.

The door swung open, revealing young Severus bouncing eagerly on the other side. He had his usual long, dark robes, which hung off his thin body like drape, and his black hair still gleamed in the moon light. But something was different about Lily's beloved best friend, because his eyes glowed incredulously and his usual scowl was replaced by a brilliant smile.

"Sev? Merlin's Beard, you're going to wake the entire castle."

Leaping forward, Severus grabbed her hand and ushered her down the hall. "C'mon, I've got something I need to show you!"

They trudged forward, Lily not knowing whether she should laugh or scream for help. She settled on asking, "But- Sev? What's going on?"

"I found this mirror," he tried to explain, "and it shows the future!"

"The future?" She said, bewildered. She hadn't couldn't recall having ever learned about fortuning telling in school.

"Yeah, now c'mon!"

Together, they ran down the halls. Lily worried that, with every turn they made, there might be a teacher waiting on the other side. Some how, they got to their destination with out getting caught.

It was nothing but an old, empty class room. The chairs were placed atop the desks, and spider webs weaved in between them. The air reeked of dust and abandonment, and Lily figured that this was just one of the many rooms in Hogwarts that went unused for centuries. That is, until she saw the mirror.

It rose nearly to the ceiling, its glass still shiny and polished. A thick frame outlined the edges, which was decorated with what looked like ancient writing. Every nerve in Lily's body got the sense that this mirror was magical, though it only showed her own tired reflection.

"Go on, stand in front of it!" Severus urged.

Lily walked to a spot directly in front the mirror. She stared at herself- the usual messy, red hair and round green eyes.

Then it changed.

She saw her family living room, bright and chipprer with sunshine. Her father was there, with his arm around Lily's mother. They were both smiling brilliantly like they always did when she returned home for holiday break. Her sister, Petunia, was there too. She was sitting beside Severus, and the two were actually getting along! Lily was astonished to see that they both spoke together in pleasant conversation. What surprised her more was that her Grandparents were in the scene, which was impossible, because both of them had died years prior. Lastly, and what might have been the more far fetched of all, was that several of the professors were there. McGonagall and Slughorn chatted merrily with her mom and dad. Dumbledore sat conversing with her grandpa, a achoholic drink in hand. It was a beautiful site, to see all the people she cared about get along so ideally, but Lily knew that this could not be her future.

She turned her attention back to Severus. "Do you see it?" He asked, his smiling stretching from ear to ear. Lily didn't reply, and Severus lost his grin immediately. "Please tell me you saw it."

"What do you see?"

He glanced past her at the mirror. "Nothing," he said, hurriedly. "I didn't see anything."

Lily could tell that something was wrong. His complexion, which was usually quite pale, had flushed pink and he starred at nothing but the ground.

"What did you see, Sev?" She asked again.

He wouldn't look at her. Softly, he said, "I saw me. I mean, I saw you. That is, I saw you and me getting married."

The room became so quiet that Lily would swear that she could hear the sound of his heart beating furiously- or was it her own?
She thought about it. The idea of her marrying Severus was quite logical, really. After all, she loved him more then any other boy she'd ever met. So long as he kept his word about refusing any offers of becoming a Death Leader, Lily actually saw them as a decent match.

But no, she thought immediately. This mirror can't show the future… It didn't show mine.

Severus turned to leave. "Just forget about it."

"Wait!" She called. It was his turn to leap now. She caught his shoulder before he left the room, then spun him around to meet her eyes.

"I don't know if this mirror does what you think, Sev. I saw you and my sister talking like friends! I saw Professors in my house, and my grandparents were alive again. I- I think that it shows us the future as we want to see it."

Lily was extremely aware of her hand still on his shoulder, and she slid it over until she was cupping the side of his warm neck.

"Sorry I woke you," he managed to say.

Lily laughed sweetly, and as she did, her lips tingled. It was like she wanted to say something, but could think of no words to satisfy her.

As her friend's colorless lips quivered on the verge of speech, Lily realized with what it was that she wanted.

"In the mirror," she said, nervously, "You didn't see yourself with the dark mark?"

"No, it wasn't there," Severus answered, thoughtfully.

Lily swallowed, "You sure?"

He nodded, "I watched the mirror for hours."

Then, Lily ignored the voice that told her "he's only your friend". Instead, she listened to the one that screamed, "This boy wants to marry you!"

And Lily leaned forward, catching him by surprise. At first, they both stopped, frozen and still. But then he kissed back, caressing her mouth with his own. He tastes so sweet, she thought, and pushed herself against him. Everything was lost but the feeling of his hand running along her back, and his tong seeking access into her mouth. She parted her lips, letting him deepen the kiss. She felt his warm breath as he sighed softly, thanking her for what was taking place. Lily thought for a moment about the mirror. When she imagined kissing him like this at a wedding alter, her knees buckled. She might have fallen over, if he hadn't been holding her so tight.

Lily could have kissed him all night if she didn't hear, "By Merlin, you two should not be here!"

She looked up to see that Professor McGonagall had found them. "You two, go to your dormitories right now! We'll talk punishments in the morning."

"Yes, Professor," Lily said as her and Severus scrambled toward the door.

She had glanced at the mirror one last time before leaving. The image had changed. It still had her family and friends, but this time they were in a church, watching as Lily and Severus mouthed the words 'I do'.