The next week unfolded with a rhythm Elias never expected to tolerate, let alone crave.
School.
Walk to the river.
Lily's laugh.
Severus's questions.
Quiet moments where the three of them fit together like pieces of a puzzle no one else had ever bothered to assemble properly.
It was dangerous, this fragile peace.
Elias knew it.
Dangerous because he could already feel how much Severus needed Lily, and how much Lily seemed to ease something inside Severus that Elias had never been able to touch.
Dangerous because Lily Evans—the girl who resisted his aura without effort—was becoming a gravitational force in their small universe.
And Elias Snape did not trust gravitational forces.
They pulled.
They tore.
They broke things.
Still, he continued meeting her. In the mornings, she waved across the street as she hurried to school. In the afternoons, the three of them walked the muddy river path until the light dimmed.
Then came Saturday—an unexpectedly cold one, with a sharp wind that dug into coats and turned the river into a frothing grey beast.
"We don't have to go today," Severus muttered, hugging his elbows as they stepped outside. "It's freezing."
"She'll be waiting," Elias said simply.
Severus didn't argue.
And indeed, the moment they reached the end of the street, Lily appeared—coat buttoned wrong again, scarf half-wrapped around her neck, eyes shining despite the wind whipping her hair into her face.
"You came!" she exclaimed, sounding delighted enough to warm the air around her.
"Of course we did," Severus said, beaming.
"You didn't have to," Lily said. "Mum said it's too windy near the water."
"Then she's right," Elias said automatically. "It isn't safe."
Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Safer than climbing the iron bridge yesterday?"
Elias's jaw clenched. Severus burst into snickers.
"All right," Lily conceded. "But if we're not going to the river, then where are we going?"
Her eyes sparkled—she trusted them to have an answer.
Elias didn't.
Severus did. "There's an old warehouse behind the factory," he said. "It's abandoned. Mum said it burned a little inside once and no one fixed it."
Lily's eyes widened. "A burned warehouse? We're absolutely going there."
Elias sighed. "No, we're not."
"All in favor?" Lily asked, hand raised.
Severus's hand shot up eagerly.
They both stared at Elias.
He exhaled through his nose. "Fine. But we're careful."
Lily grinned triumphantly and led the way.
The warehouse loomed behind the mill like a rusted skeleton, its broken windows jagged like teeth, its doors hanging crookedly. The wind howled through the gaps, creating a soft, eerie whine.
Lily gasped. "It's perfect."
"It's dangerous," Elias corrected.
Severus touched the wall reverently. "Bet no one's been inside for years."
"Bet it smells weird," Lily said cheerfully.
It did.
The moment they stepped through the warped door, they were hit with the scent of charred wood, dust, and something metallic. But there was space—vast, echoing space—with lingering hints of old machinery and soot-blackened beams overhead.
Lily twirled in a wide arc. "We could make this our hideout."
"Absolutely not," Elias said.
Severus already looked convinced.
Lily walked ahead, kicking loose stones across the floor. "Elias, you worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough."
"That's what Sev says too."
"He's right."
Severus made an offended sound. "Hey!"
"Proving my point," Elias murmured.
Lily laughed and wandered deeper into the warehouse. Severus followed. Elias scanned the shadows, senses sharp. Something about the stillness bothered him.
"Don't go too far," he warned.
"We're not," Lily called. "Look at this—there's a whole back room."
Elias stiffened.
He hadn't planned on going inside the back room.
It looked darker, the ceiling lower, and the smell stronger.
Severus disappeared through the doorway first. Lily hesitated only long enough to flash Elias a reassuring smile before darting after him.
Elias followed.
The back room wasn't much—just a space where bags of grain once lay, now charred through. The floor was uneven, and black scorch marks spiderwebbed across the walls.
Lily walked along the center beam, arms held out like a tightrope walker. "This room is so creepy I love it."
Severus crouched near a pile of debris. "Look! Old machine parts. Maybe magical? Probably not. But maybe!"
Elias didn't approach either of them.
He stood just inside the doorway, fists in his pockets, hyper aware of every creak and shift in the wood above.
Lily stepped on a warped plank.
It groaned loudly.
"Don't move," Elias said instantly.
She froze. "What is it?"
Severus looked up. "Elias?"
But Elias didn't answer—he didn't need to.
The beam overhead bent.
Lily sucked in a breath, body gone rigid.
Severus scrambled backward.
The beam snapped.
The world seemed to slow, sound dulling, air tightening.
Elias didn't think.
He didn't calculate.
He didn't weigh consequences.
He moved.
The ancient magic inside him lunged with him—an instinct that felt older than he was, older than Spinner's End, older than anything he could name.
His mind reached outward without him meaning to—
STOP.
The collapsing beam froze mid-fall.
Not because of wandless magic.
Not because of a spell.
Because Elias's mind simply commanded it to.
Severus gasped. "Elias—!"
Lily's eyes were wide, her breath caught in her throat, her body inches from being crushed.
Elias stepped forward slowly, hand raised, though his touch was not what held the wood suspended. His aura flared, unseen but palpable. Even Lily felt it now; her hair lifted slightly as though brushed by static.
Then, gently, he guided the beam upward—floating it back into place until it hovered harmlessly above them.
His eyes narrowed.
Down.
The beam lowered carefully to the floor, laying itself neatly like a well-trained dog.
The air snapped.
The moment ended.
Elias swayed, dizziness pricking his temples.
Severus rushed to his side. "Elias? Are you all right?"
He didn't answer. He was looking at Lily.
She stared at him as though seeing something impossible—something terrifying and beautiful all at once. Not afraid. Not yet. Just stunned.
Slowly, she approached him.
"Are you hurt?" she whispered.
"No."
"Are you ever hurt?" she asked, voice soft with awe.
He blinked. "What?"
"You move like nothing can touch you," she said. "Like you knew before it happened. Like… like your magic warns you."
Severus's mouth fell open. "Does it?"
Elias didn't know.
He only knew that when danger came, magic came with it.
Not as a tool.
Not as an ally.
As instinct—raw and fierce.
"It doesn't matter," Elias said quickly. "We're leaving. Now."
They left the warehouse in silence.
Outside, the cold air tasted sharper. Lily stood just beyond the doorway, looking pale.
Severus kicked at the dirt nervously. "Lily, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suggested—"
"No," Lily said quietly. "It's not your fault."
Her eyes were still on Elias.
Severus noticed and scowled lightly. "Don't stare. He hates that."
But Lily didn't stop.
Her gaze was too full.
Too searching.
Finally she asked, "How long have you been able to do that?"
"Do what?" Elias said flatly.
"That." She gestured helplessly. "Stop… falling beams. With your mind."
Elias's jaw tightened. "I didn't stop it with my mind."
Severus let out a skeptical sound. "Yes, you did."
"Shut up," Elias muttered.
"No," Lily said gently. "Don't shut up. I need to know."
Elias looked away. The river rippled behind them, grey and endless.
"I don't know how long," he admitted. "It happens when it needs to."
Lily's breath hitched. "That's not normal magic, is it?"
"No," Severus whispered.
Elias shot him a warning look, but Lily placed a hand on his sleeve.
"It's all right," she said. "You don't have to explain it. I just… want you to know something."
Elias didn't move.
Lily stepped closer until she was directly in front of him.
"What you did in there wasn't scary," she said. "It was… brave. You saved me."
Elias stared at her, stunned into stillness.
Lily smiled—small, gentle, real. "Thank you."
He didn't know how to respond.
No one thanked him for his magic.
Ever.
"Don't do that again," he finally muttered.
Lily blinked. "What?"
"Don't walk somewhere unstable. Don't go first through dark doors. Don't climb things. Don't risk falling."
Lily stared. "You're giving me rules?"
"Yes," Elias said.
Severus groaned. "Elias, she's not going to listen to—"
"I'll listen," Lily said immediately.
Elias froze.
Severus froze.
Lily nodded, eyes steady. "If it keeps me safe—and if it keeps you from feeling like you have to throw yourself in front of everything—then yes. I'll listen."
Elias didn't breathe.
Lily tucked her hair behind her ear. "Also… you should tell your mum what happened."
"No," Elias said instantly.
"She should know."
"She would panic. And she would tell me to stop. And I won't."
Lily searched his face. "Because your magic is part of you."
"Because my magic protects what I care about."
The moment stretched.
Lily opened her mouth—quiet, tentative—just as a voice bellowed from across the lane.
"ELIAS! SEVERUS!"
Tobias.
The three children jolted.
Elias's heart plummeted.
Tobias stood at the end of the street, swaying, red-faced, smelling of ale even from a distance.
"Get here," he slurred, pointing at the ground. "Now."
Severus froze in terror.
Lily grabbed Severus's hand—but her eyes flicked to Elias.
He stepped forward instantly.
"Stay behind me," he murmured.
Lily didn't argue.
Elias approached Tobias slowly, Severus trembling behind him, Lily standing firm despite her fear.
Tobias jabbed a finger at Elias's chest. "Where've you been? Sneaking around? Causing trouble?"
Elias didn't blink. "Walking. With Severus."
"And her?" Tobias snarled, jerking his chin at Lily. "Little red rat from across the way?"
Lily stiffened.
Elias stepped closer to Tobias, forcing the man to focus on him.
"Go inside," Elias said quietly.
Tobias blinked. "What?"
"Go," Elias repeated.
Lily's breath caught—recognizing the tone from the alley.
Tobias wavered…
but anger overrode hesitation.
"You think you can boss me?" he spat. "You think you're better than me, boy?"
Elias didn't speak.
The air thickened.
Something ancient stirred beneath Elias's skin—dangerous, effortless, terrifying even to him.
Tobias swayed, confused. "What the—what are you—"
Elias's voice was a whisper.
"Stop shouting."
Tobias's mouth opened—
but no sound came.
Severus gasped.
Lily clapped a hand over her own mouth.
Elias stepped forward, lowering his voice further.
"Go home," he said softly. "Sleep. Leave us alone."
Tobias staggered backward—confused, frightened, eyes glassy—then turned and stumbled toward the house, muttering incoherently.
Severus looked at Elias with a mixture of awe and terror.
Lily looked at Elias with something else entirely—
Recognition.
Understanding.
And a fear that wasn't directed at him but for him.
Elias closed his eyes, breath shaking.
He had crossed a line.
A line he couldn't uncross.
He waited for Lily to speak first.
She did—voice soft, careful.
"Elias… what are you becoming?"
He opened his eyes.
"I don't know," he said.
And the wind howled in the distance.