"Mother? Professor Dumbledore? What are you doing here?" a strangely familiar voice (to the elder three) asked. All four turned around, and gasped. There was Lily, in the flesh! 

Or so they thought. Lily walked towards them, almost ethereally. Tears ran down her cheeks, as she looked upon old friends she thought she would never see again. By the time she was less than a metre away, she lost all semblance of composure, and began running towards her mother, whose face was no less wet. 

"Mother!" she cried, flinging herself into the open embrace Minerva held out. 

"Lily..." Minerva held her daughter tightly, and the two of them stood there, while Albus and Harry looked on, smiling. Severus, on the other hand, stood awkwardly, though his face betrayed no emotions. 

Lily turned to Harry next, and pulled him into a brief hug. "Oh, Harry." 

She stood there, appraising him. All Harry wanted was a longer hug, to be held longer by the person who gave birth to him...but why was she staring so at him? Lily glanced questioningly at Albus and Minerva, and quietly asked, "What happened?" 

"We were hoping you could tell us, Lily," said Albus. "Harry...looked like James Potter just two hours ago." 

Lily turned her eyes to Severus. "Well, what did you do?!?" 

"Ms. Evans -" 

"It's Mrs. Potter, Mr. Snape," hissed Lily. "What did you do to my son?" 

Severus blanched, but within seconds, his mask was back up. 

"Why, nothing, Mrs. Potter," Severus said, his face as blank as before. "But apparently, he is my son, which you obviously neglected to tell me." 

"You threw me away," said Lily venomously. "You didn't even want us." 

"Oh?" Severus's eyebrow rose, mockingly. 

"You didn't even say goodbye. All you did was kick me out of the house and hand me the papers for divorce." Tears threatened to run down her face again, and her voice broke. "You didn't even tell me why?!?" 

"It was for your own good." 

"And our family's?!?" 

"You ran to Potter, didn't you? There, happy family, all neat and tidy," scorned Severus. "Oh, but wait, you had to go and die on our son, didn't you. So I am not the only one guilty of neglecting to care for our so-called "family", am I?" 

"I didn't die," mumbled Lily. 

"Oh, even worse," sneered Severus, and then froze. "W-What?" 

********

Sirius was upstairs in his room, perusing the Daily Prophet, when, all of a sudden, he heard a familiar voice downstairs in the bar. Remus? He started to sprint down the hall, when, all of a sudden, he realized what kind of a reception he might receive downstairs, and mentally berated himself. Stupid Padfoot. Think before you leap, or have you forgotten that already?   

Sighing, he went back into his room, and pried off a loose floorboard. In his last stay here, he had been bored to tears, so he had taken to eavesdropping on the tenants and customers in the bar. Highly amusing at the time, he realized how important this could be in aiding his search for truth and justice. 

Voices wafted upwards, and Sirius could hear everything. Or well, most of it anyways. He transformed, in order to take advantage of his dog form's better hearing. 

"- your butterbeer," said Aberforth gruffly. "So what're you doing down here, Remus? Thought you were out of town this summer." 

"Dumbledore asked me to come back and teach," said Remus, his voice almost apologetic. How typical! "I just came back to see what old Hogwarts is like now." 

"Hogwarts hasn't changed since I went there, lad," said Aberforth. "And that was a long time ago." 

"You're right about that," said Remus ruefully. "That stain in the Great Hall where Sir -" 

Remus trailed off, and Sirius could just imagine him blushing. He strained his ears further to catch the conversation. 

"Surely, lad, you know the boy's innocent?" asked Aberforth. "Makes no sense for him to have killed off the Potters like that." 

"It made no sense for him to kill thirteen Muggles and Peter in public, either," argued Remus. "And there were witnesses!" 

"Eyewitness accounts generally tend to only see the surface, lad," said Aberforth gently. "They can always be manipulated." 

"What do you mean?" Remus's voice sounded almost...curious.  

"Well, if you believe you saw something, then you're more likely to state it as the truth, yeah?" asked Aberforth. "And if everyone else says the same thing, then wouldn't you?" 

"I suppose," said Remus doubtfully. 

"To top that, without a trial, none of the witnesses were thoroughly questioned," said Aberforth. "And no one knows whether Sirius did it because they never bothered to ask! And if you ask me, they were downright stupid for breaking his wand before checking for spells first." 

"You really think he's innocent?" asked Remus incredulously. 

"Sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, lad," said Aberforth. "You better finish that butterbeer before it gets warm." 

"Y-yeah..." said Remus. "I have a lot to think about. And ask Dumbledore about." 

"You do that," said Aberforth firmly, and he set about placing the glasses on the shelves. 

Sirius transformed and sat back, stunned. He knew that most people thought he was guilty; he just didn't think Remus and Dumbledore did.  Well, he knew...it just didn't hit him until now. Thank God he had Aberforth. Without him, he truly didn't have a single soul left to vouch for him in the world. 

A part of him wanted to confront Remus, and show him his memories. But he dismissed the possibility almost immediately. No, better to have Remus realize on his own what mistakes he had made. If forced upon him, Remus was probably more apt to turn tail and run. Sirius would have to wait.  He knew, though the wait was torturous, that it was better to think things through. That much he had learned from Azkaban. 

It wasn't fair at all. What had he done to Fate for her to treat him so? Or perhaps it was Fortune's Wheel: no matter how hard you tried, you were bound to have bad luck. Or maybe his life was a mishmash of a bad joke. Sirius sighed, and got up. He flung himself on the bed, and gazed unseeingly at the ceiling. The cracks he and his friends had made back in their seventh year after graduation were still there. The largest one had been created by James, though using the word "created" gave him far too much credit. He had accidentally flung one of the motorcycle's parts, and it had gashed the ceiling. Thankfully, Sirius had caught the part (it had cost him a fortune, for Merlin's sake), but the four of them hadn't been so lucky. Aberforth had been furious and kicked them all out. 

He heard footsteps then, and then a knock on his door. "Come in!" 

"You all right, lad?" asked Aberforth. "I know you heard -" 

"Yeah," said Sirius grimly. "Remus. I-I knew things were this bad, but I didn't really know, you know?" 

"Truth is sometimes a hard thing, laddie boy," said Aberforth. "But Remus is one of the better ones. There have been some who have called for your death." 

Sirius shuddered. "They would do that to a man who was denied basic human rights?" 

"You're stuck in the Muggle world, lad," said Aberforth gently. "With Cornelius Fudge in power, the Wizarding world will never rise to its full potential." 

"I bet you elected him in," said Sirius bitterly. "Why would people do that? Why elect someone so obviously incompetent and so utterly stupid?" 

"Hell, no!" laughed Aberforth. "Vote for Fudge? I voted for...hmmm, who did I vote for?" 

"Amazing," said Sirius sarcastically. "You could've voted for Fudge and not even known it." 

"I think I voted for myself, actually," said Aberforth. "No use in wasting a good vote."

"No offense, Aberforth," said Sirius, trying to hold back his laughter. "But you'd make a terrible Minister of Magic." 

"Better than the pompous idiot who's in power right now," said Aberforth, who was trying to hold back a grin himself. "But I've got you all cheered up again." 

"You could've just asked me to smile or something," said Sirius, a bit put out. "So when's Remus coming back?" 

"Probably when he wants another butterbeer," said Aberforth. "Lad, go to work. There's no use in moping about things that haven't come to pass yet. You have a couple more dishes to wash." 

"Yes, sir!" said Sirius incorrigibly, and bounded out the door. However, just outside the door, he paused. "Aberforth, have they announced my escape yet?"

Aberforth looked at him, surprised. "By Merlin, you're right! No, they haven't, laddie. That's odd. Oh well, you stand to lose nothing if they don't announce the escape." 

"It doesn't matter," Sirius shrugged, and continued down the stairs. It really didn't. If they never announced it, he could go free as he pleased. He had to think about getting a disguise though; overuse of caution was never a bad thing, especially so close to a place where his old friend resided.

********

The shadow of the former Dark Lord flitted among the more unseemly areas of London. His presence lent an air of malevolence, leaving even the most evil of men shuddering and trembling. Having his body, or rather, Quirrel's body, destroyed by the Boy-Who-Lived, he now knew his fatal weakness: the boy himself. If he was to live, he would have to destroy the boy. It was no longer a question of pride; no, for self-preservation, he had to die. 

He learned one other lesson: it was impossible to co-exist with another person. Therefore, he had to find a person with no mind or soul - literally. That was nigh on impossible, unless the Inferi were counted, and he had no desire to occupy an Inferi. There were ways on destroying a person's soul and mind. If the soul was destroyed, the mind would no longer have an anchor, and would dissipate. Now he only had to find the right person: someone not too well known, but with characteristics not unlike his own. For two years he had haunted both Muggle London and Knockturn Alley. Finding nothing, he had moved abroad, back into Romania, where he had first joined with Quirrel. If a wizard was taken, his magic could be added on to his own. The downside of this was the fact that everyone knew everyone else in this world. If he took on a Muggle's body, there would be no additional magic, but his own. Somehow, this appealed to him. Later, when he had regained his rightful place as Lord of the Wizarding world, he would merely choose another body. 

His senses attracted to a Muggle who was walking quite confidently, despite the time of night. This was the man! Every night, he had walked out of a building, labelled Dr. Rose and Associates. In every way, he was perfect. A man of mid-forties, he looked like he was still in his prime. His eyes displayed his intelligence, and most importantly, he was good-looking. Perfect, indeed. For months, he had waited for Samhain, where his strength would be at its most. Tonight would be the night he would become flesh again. 

Silently, he entered the man's body, destroying the man's soul with the darkest spells known to man. The body of Dr. Rose crumpled, and he was officially no more. Where his soul had been, Voldemort's soul now took its place. His mind pushed out the remaining vestiges of Dr. Rose's mind. It was over. 

Voldemort silently picked himself up, and flexed his fingers, cracking them. He smiled. Tomorrow, he would be returning to London. 

********

"I'm not dead," said Lily, her eyes bright and glaring. 

"T-that's impossible!" said Harry. "If you weren't dead, then why was I stuck with the Dursleys'? Why didn't you come for me? What is this place then?" 

Minerva, Albus, and Severus were all shell-shocked. Not dead? Harry was right. It was impossible! 

"You refuse to come to terms with your own death?" sneered Severus, after he had recovered. "How pathetic." 

"I'm not dead, Mr. Snape," said Lily, her eyes gleaming, this time with passion. "If I was dead, you would see James with me, wouldn't you?" 

"Speak not of him!" spat Severus. "That low-level scum."

"Low-level scum or not," said Albus mildly. "I must admit, my dear Lily, your reasoning is correct. However, perhaps this is the afterlife and James has merely...become lost?" 

"No," said Lily firmly. "This is not the afterlife. I have met people I know here who are still alive. Sirius Black, Meredith Scott, Alice and Frank Longbottom. The list is endless. Mother, Headmaster, James, and you, Mr. Snape, are dead in this world. And...I have no son here."

"You don't mean to say, Ms. Evans," said Albus, his maddening eyes twinkling yet again. "That we are on a different Plane?" 

"I believe we are," said Lily simply. "Everything I've seen suggests so." 

"Different Plane?" sputtered Severus. "I'd sooner believe the Dark Lord was alive than this." 

Minerva glared at him. "Why must you edge on my daughter so?" 

"Yeah," chimed in Harry. "Leave Mum alone! It's not her fault she chose my da- James over a greasy git like you!" 

Severus turned on him. "I am your father," he sneered. "And you will treat me with respect." 

"You sure don't act like one," muttered Harry. "I'd rather have James as my father!" 

Severus stalked towards him, the anger evident in his eyes. As he moved on his son, Lily suddenly darted forward, in an effort to stop him. Severus couldn't stop his momentum, and collided into her. His lips, coincidentally, landed on hers. For a moment, he lost all sense of reality, and began to kiss her. Lily, in shock, did not pull away, but instead, pushed forward instead. 

The other three looked on in shock as Lily and Severus began to kiss passionately. Harry groaned. "Mum, you were supposed to yell at him, not snog him!" 

This pulled them out of their reverie, and they stumbled apart. Both faces bore deep blushes, but Severus was the first to regain his stance. He quickly walked away, his posture stiff, but the tremor in his hands betrayed him, but only those who knew him best, who at this moment, only comprised of one person - Albus. 

Minerva coughed. "Lily dear -" 

Albus placed his hand on Minerva's arm. "Not now, dear, she's in shock." 

Harry, on the other hand, had no such qualms. He rushed forward, and wrapped his arms around her. "Mum, are you all right?" 

"I'm fine, Harry," said Lily, and then momentarily re-gained her fire. Straightening, she asked, "Well, shall we head into the house? I'm sure you'll want to know how I came to be here." 

To the right of the clearing, past a little woods, they saw the vague outline of a small cottage. It was made of all timber and wood, and gave off a rustic air. Behind the cottage was a forest, with great majestic oaks towering above them. As they neared the house, they noticed a little brook off to the side, and an abundant garden in the front of the house. There was no hint of the suburbs Lily had grown up in; no, this was all country. 

A light breeze danced its way across the clearing. The newcomers smiled - even Severus - as they felt as if they no longer had a care in this world. When they arrived in the front of the cottage, Lily cleared her throat to gather her visitors' attention. "Please remove your shoes when you come in." 

They dutifully did so, and gazed around the cottage. It was beautifully coordinated, with a wooden tile floor and various paintings hung around the place. To the left was the kitchen. There was a small circular table, with four chairs around it. Surrounding it was the usual kitchen, with a sink and a stove. To the right was the living room. There was a couch on the far end of the room, and another couch located on the immediate right. In the middle was an ornate coffee table, an oak finish, by the looks of it.  On the other side of the room, was an upright piano, and right next to it was a wide window, with sunlight streaming in. 

They entered the living room, and sat down on the available seats. Severus found himself sitting with Albus, and Minerva with Harry. Lily walked in last, carrying tea. She set it down on the coffee table, and joined Minerva and Harry on their sofa, refusing to look at Severus. She concentrated on Albus instead. 

"Lily, can you tell us what happened that night?" asked Minerva, flinching a little bit from the pain of that night when she had found out her daughter had died, and her body missing.

Lily sighed. "I'm not really too sure, but this is what I've been able to piece together." 

She closed her eyes, and began, as if reciting. "I heard James fall. I knew...I knew, after what you said, sir," referring to Albus, "That he was after Harry. I was about to Disapparate when I felt a wand to my head."

Gasps of horror surrounded her, but she continued. "I knew it was You-Know-Who. He told me...I would live, if I would just give Harry to him. 

Severus's eyes closed in guilt and shame. To think the prophesized child was his! The others didn't even notice. They only had eyes for one person - Lily. "He ignored me, and aimed at Harry.  Avada Kedavra...and I jumped in front of him."

She opened her eyes, troubled. "This is the part where I'm not so sure what happened. I collided into something, and I saw the Death Eater's mask Severus gave me fall on my face. Next thing I know, I was here."