Forever Yours

4. Proof

You may not recall this, Severus, but I assure you I do not have the wrong person.  It was all in the Daily Prophet a few days after, no details, but their obituaries.  Lily and James Potter.  Since then I have wondered about you and your connection to the mother of the famous Harry Potter.  The Boy Who Lived.  This is the story I wanted to know.

I didn't sign my name because I wanted to remain anonymous at first.  Now I see that was a mistake.  I will give you my name at the end of this one though, but only my first for now.  I don't want to give too much away too soon.

I'm sorry you have had a hard time, Severus.  I know life is not fair from my own experience, and I can only assume the reason you would say such a thing has something, if not all, to do with Lily.  I'm not just a lonely woman with nothing else to do but annoy you, Professor Snape.  I am a lonely woman who has no one else to turn to at the moment.  My best friend Jo has a boyfriend now and she's barely home two minutes without she's on the phone with him or talking to him in some capacity.  She can't be there for me because I refuse to burden her with my troubles.  She doesn't know anything.  Not yet.

Please don't stop writing to me, Severus.  I need someone to talk to and I know that you do too.  You strike me as a man with many secrets, a man that doesn't share a whole lot with anyone.  Even as boggled as you were that night at Rosmerta's, you wouldn't tell me anything about yourself other than you were private or about Lily other than what you accidentally revealed in your drunken state.  I don't want to exploit you, Severus.  I don't want you to be alone and I don't want to be alone in what I'm going through right now.  I'm like you in that way, a fort of secrets, including one big one, that haunts me everyday.  I know it sounds strange, but I want to be there for you and all I'm asking is that you do the same for me.

As for Lulu, she is one of my secrets.  I will explain that later, once I am sure whatever this is will last.

Love,

Lucy

Severus placed the letter down on the desk in front of him.  His crankiness was suddenly gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of grief.  This girl, Lucy, knew a lot about him.  She knew about Lily.  Had he really gotten so drunk that he had told her all of these things?  And if so, what else did he tell her?  He had to know.  He felt like he needed to apologize for his behavior.  It was definitely out of character for him to get drunk, never mind spilling his guts to a perfect stranger.  Of course it wasn't everyday you lost the love of your life either.  A twinge of sadness caused his eyes to tear up.  He wiped them quickly away.

Lulu cooed at him.  Severus raised his hand and patted her on the head.  She was such a good little owl.  She always sat there and patiently awaited him to write his response.  He picked up the quill off of his desk.  With a deep sigh, he began to write yet again.  He concentrated heavily on it until he was sure he had written all he wanted to say.  It wasn't sarcastic and disbelieving like the other letter had been.  Lucy had surprised him by knowing so much about him and having only met him one time.  He was definitely impressed by her.  Impressed enough to ask her to do something he had never asked a stranger to do before in his life.  He just hoped she would agree to it.  He sealed the letter in an envelope and Lulu snatched it from him excitedly.  He gave the beautiful owl a rare smile.  She intrigued him, even more now that he knew there was a secret to her unique power.  How many owls could fly through walls (and evidently force fields if she had gotten into Hogwarts undetected)?  Not a one that he knew of.

~ * ~

Lucy bit her lip as she picked the letter up off the coffee table.  Her name was written, long and slanted, on the front of the envelope this time.  It was the first time he had written anything on the front.  She couldn't help but smile.  It seemed that Severus was really getting into this letter writing.  She was too.  Of course they were only a few letters in right now.  She looked forward to his reply.  She wanted to know how he felt about things and what life was like.  If she would let herself admit the truth, she wanted to know everything about him.  Severus Snape was interesting and she identified with him in ways that she never had anyone else before.  Lucy felt strangely close to him.  She had since she met him.