Chapter Three
The Wedding
Snape had appeared in a village that Harry and Hermione recognized immediately as Godric’s Hollow. He was dressed nicely, but crept quietly toward the little church, avoiding making loud noises. Moving ahead of the trio, he slipped inside. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed.
The doorway led to a little hall, which Snape walked down. Then, he opened a newspaper and looked down.
“What’s he looking at?” Hermione asked when they noticed what he was doing.
The trio hurried to catch up before Snape put it away. When Harry looked at it, he realized the page was the wedding page. Snape’s eyes were fixed on a certain spot. Hermione gasped, gesturing toward the page. Harry saw what made her so excited. According to the paper, Lily and James were marrying in the church and judging from Snape’s actions, it’d start in a couple of minutes.
Snape quietly put a disillusion charm on himself to hide when he heard some people come close to the door. Entering was James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter, along with more family and friends. James was extremely joyful, as was Sirius. They entered, walked past the trio and through a door at the end of the hall. Harry heard them cheerfully call out when more people entered.
Soon, the place was crowded with well-wishers. The same old tufty man arrived and told everyone to take their places. Sirius and Mary McDonald got up and joined James to wait for Lily. When she arrived, the groups split. Soon, the ceremony began and the tufty-haired wizard started to speak.
Harry’s attention was drawn away from the couple. He’d felt something brush up against his arm. Then, he saw the Potions Master had taken the charm off himself and was staring at the beautiful vision that was Lily. She’d walked down the aisle with Mary (the bridesmaid) and was quietly saying her vows. Then, she and James kissed as a married couple.
As he looked at Snape, Harry noticed the tears running down his face and the anguish displayed. He discovered Snape knew that Lily would never do that with him. Lily, the only one he ever loved, had married James the arrogant.
Snape moved his hand and rubbed a place on his lower arm unconsciously. Harry knew he was thinking about the dark mark branded there for life. Then, Snape pulled up his sleeve and looked at it. His brows were furrowed in thought and what he was thinking was clear. Had I not gotten the Dark Mark and joined Voldemort’s ranks, would Lily love me more than she loves Potter? Or, was it the word that slipped 2 years ago that caused her to pull away her friendship?
Suddenly, Harry heard a stifled sob. Hermione too, was watching Snape and saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes. Apparently, she felt the scene unfolding in front of the trio was bittersweet. He saw the tears slipping down her cheeks as she realized the true love that her old teacher felt for Harry’s mum.
Harry watched as Snape, with his heart full of yearning, take a last look at the newly-wed couple and leave the church and celebrations behind. Like before, he made no sound as he stepped into the village square, took a step forward, and disapparated into the night. Then, the scene disappeared into a blur of colors once more.