"He always was a first-rate idiot."
"What I came for is to assure you that I won't help Albus, Sirius or James to try to take Harry away from you."
"That is good to know. Why don't you come by tonight for dinner? I am sure Harry will enjoy seeing you outside the classroom," Severus suggested. "Seven o'clock?"
Remus nodded and got up to leave. "Thank you for the invitation and I'm looking forward to it."
When Lily came out of the guestroom dressed and ready to go, Severus was scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and making toast. A pot of jasmine tea wrapped in a cozy sat on the small table near the kitchen.
"You remembered, Sev," Lily said pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Yes," he replied setting two plates of bacon, eggs on the table and sitting down. He raised his coffee cup to her. "You look the picture of spring in that dress, Lily."
"Thank you. Cissa has such good taste in clothing." She looked around her. "And your quarters are very homey and comfortable not at all like I remember Professor Slughorn's being." Both Severus and she had belonged to Slughorn's Slug Club and he had held parties two or three times a year in his quarters.
"I had the elves remove everything and find me other furniture and then when I was 25 I inherited the Prince trust and I was able to afford to furnish my quarters as you now see it."
"Do you still have the house in Spinner's End?"
"I do, but I have completely gutted the inside and redid it. I also inherited my grandparents' mansion, Witches Moon in Yorkshire."
"I'm glad things have turned out so well for you, Sev because you deserved it."
They finished breakfast and placed the dishes in the sink. "Blinky always comes about midmorning and does them although I keep telling him he does not need to, but he insists on doing them for me."
"Blinky? Isn't he the little elf that was so attached to you while we were students here?" Lily asked.
"Yes, when I came here to teach we both agreed that he would be my personal house elf."
"I remember you really made an impression on him from first year on," Lily replied laughing lightly.
"Well, he saved me from the Marauders on more than one occasion. He blasted Potter and Black about six feet one time fourth year when they had me cornered."
"Yes, I recall that. James went to Dumbledore and insisted that he be given clothes for attacking a wizard, but the head elf came to Dumbledore and threatened that the elves would not clean Gryffindor Tower if Blinky was given clothes and Dumbledore agreed to let it go. I remember James and Sirius were furious, but the elves that cleaned Gryffindor Tower hated them because they were so disrespectful to the elves and made such a holy mess."
"I cannot say I am surprised," Severus said. "By the way, Remus is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and I have invited him over for dinner tonight."
Lily smiled. "I'll be so glad to see him again. James cut him dead during the war. He claimed he was worried about Harry and mine's safety because many werewolves were siding with You-Know-Who, but his whole intention was to isolate me as much as possible."
"Potter always was an ass," Severus remarked as he got his coat and scarf on. He helped Lily on with her coat and they flooed directly to Gringotts. Severus was able to do so because he was one of the wealthiest wizards in Britain. As they stepped out of the floo, Zort came over to greet him.
"Hello, Zort," Severus replied. "May your riches and those of your family increase every day."
"And may your wealth and the wealth of your family increase sevenfold," Zort replied with the ancient greeting. "How may I help you today, Professor Snape?"
"We will need to see Nangnook," Severus replied.
"If you will wait in my office I will go and summon him."
"Thank you, Zort," Severus replied with a bow. "Your hard work is always appreciated."
As they sat in Zort's office, Lily tapped her feet nervously, looking around. Nangnook entered the office at that moment. Both Severus and Lily stood. Nangnook sat down behind Zort's desk and said, "How may I be of service to you, Professor Snape? Is this something to do with Master Potter's account?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. This is Lily Potter, Harry's mother."
"I will need to verify this," Nangnook replied. "I will need your wand first, Mrs. Potter." Unlike wizards he didn't waste time arguing that Lily coming back from the dead was impossible.
"Of course," Lily nodded, took her wand out of the purse Cissa had bought her and presented it to Nangnook.
He had her do a simple spell and then took it and left the office for a few minutes. When he returned he gave her back her wand. He then said, "May I have your hand, Mrs. Potter?"
Lily held out her hand and Nangnook made a small cut, turned her hand over and allowed the blood to drip on a piece of parchment. Nangnook studied the information that appeared on the parchment. "Very well. Both your wand and bloodline test confirm you are Lily Potter."
Severus took Lily's hand and quickly healed the small cut with his wand and then took a small gold key out of his pocket and handed it to Nangnook. "The key to the Potter vaults."
"How many vaults do the Potters have?" Lily asked. She couldn't recall that James had ever told her the exact amount.
"The Potters were once 25 vaults rich, Missus, but now you only have 20 due to Mr. James Potter ordering Nangnook to empty five of them for war relief."
"Well, if you had to lose five vaults at least it went for something worthwhile," Severus remarked.
Lily frowned. She knew she wasn't going to return to the stifling life she'd lived with James and knew she would need Gallons to support herself. "Nangnook, please take eight vaults out of the Potter trust and establish them under my name."
"Yes, Missus," Nangnook replied.
"Why don't you open them on the seventh level next to the Prince vaults," Severus suggested.