Earthbound Misfits

After discussing Houses on the train heading to Hogwarts, Lily and Severus hope to be together in Slytherin. However, they find that Slytherin is not always so welcoming of those with muggle backgrounds, and that Slytherin is not particularly popular as a House. Despite this, they have each other and nothing can really change the fact that magic is real.
A lot of grotty optimism. A certain amount of grim misery combined with the wonders of magic. This story will be long. Might not play out the way you're expecting, but then it really depends on what you're expecting.