Reaching his front door, Severus was already forming some strong words for Mrs. Reed. For once, she had told him to take his time, but he hadn't even been gone for five minutes yet. Surely she could have waited just a little bit longer.

He pulled the door open.

"Mrs. Reed, I have not yet had the time to-" Severus did a double take. His elderly neighbour wasn't standing on his door step.

Lily Evans was.

But Lily was dead; it couldn't possibly be her. This was just a strange coincidence. Except she looked too similar. Too much the same. Identical.

But then, it could only be an impostor.

Before he could let himself think otherwise, Severus whipped out his wand and sent a stunning spell at the woman. It was only as he darted forward, to keep her from hitting the ground, that he noticed the small boy standing behind her.

"Potter! What are you doing here?" demanded Severus, heaving the unconscious woman into his arms.

To the boy's credit, he looked about as surprised as Severus felt. "I don't know! What are you doing here?"

"I live here," huffed Severus. "Come inside."

The boy glanced behind himself at a trunk and owl cage.

"Yes, yes, take your things with you. Just get in here."

Trying to slow his racing thoughts, Severus staggered back into the house to lay the woman on the sofa.

This is not Lily. Whoever she is, she can't be Lily.

Not his Lily.

He heard the front door shut behind him and turned to see Potter dragging his trunk into the room. The owl cage sat beside the wall with the boy's snowy white owl sitting quietly inside.

"Leave that and come here," instructed Severus, pleased that his voice remained strong, despite the fluttering in his heart. Pointing to a worn armchair beside the sofa, he said, "Sit there and do not get up unless I direct you to."

Potter climbed into the chair without complaint, pulling his grimy, untied trainers up under him. He took in the sight of the woman lying on the sofa and turned back to Severus, looking quite appalled.

"You knocked her out! What'd you do that for?"

"You cannot be serious. This woman is most likely dangerous, and for some reason beyond my comprehension, you are with her. What are you doing here?"

"I don't know! My mother wanted to come here! We rode the train for hours!"

"Your mother?" Snape repeated with a sneer. "Apparently I underestimated your stupidity. What part of 'dead' do you not understand?"

The boy slouched and dropped his gaze to his mud-stained trousers. "I dunno. I know she's supposed to be dead and I don't really believe it's her. Well, not a lot anyway. But she came to the house and-"

"Wait - your aunt and uncle's house?"

"Yeah, this morning. Aunt Petunia talked to her and then she told me she was sending us both away. Aunt Petunia made me leave. But Professor, she really does think it's my mum. I don't know why, but she does! And she would know, don't you think?"

"No, Potter, I don't."

"Well, I do!"

"Fortunately then, we don't base our decisions off of what you think."

The boy crossed his arms across his chest, saying, "Well, we were going to talk to Dumbledore, but she said we couldn't go to places where people might recognize her."

"That certainly is true," murmured Severus, dark thoughts and possibilities creeping into his mind. "If people were to see Lily Potter walking down Diagon Alley, there could very well be an uproar."

Potter's head shot up. "So you do think it's her?"

Yes.

Severus wanted so badly to be able to say so, but common sense kept him grounded.

He shook his head. This woman on his sofa may look like Lily, but she simply could not be. He wouldn't let himself forget that. He couldn't go through that grief again. He wouldn't.

He stepped closer to the sofa and held out his wand.

Alarmed, the boy sat up straight. "What're you gonna do to her?"

"I will not harm her. I am merely going to find out if this woman, who you claim is your mother, is really who you say she is."

"And if she's not?"

What would he do? The outcome of the perpetrator was something he had not yet considered. Would it be best to kill them instantly? Torture them first into insanity? Left up to Severus, there would be ill consequences for daring to possess the form of Lily Evans Potter.

To Harry, he said, "Then I will deal with the impersonator accordingly. It will not be pretty and I will have you leave the room."

"And if she is? If she is my mum?"

Snape gave him a long, hard look. "If this woman is indeed your mother, then the entire wizarding world is going to be turned upside down, yet again. Either way, you are in very big trouble, boy. Now, not another word."

The child looked like he wanted to say more, but he sat back in his chair once again.

Severus began executing a series of complex wand movements, but Lily, the woman, continued to lie there. She didn't change at all and Severus could feel the blood draining from his face.

After trying numerous spells, he tucked his wand back up his shirt sleeve. He'd tried every magic cancelling spell he knew, every counter that might even possibly reverse a disguise. Some he had performed more than once, just to be absolutely sure.

But nothing had changed.

He turned to look back down at Potter, who was still sitting quietly behind him in the chair. "Up. Now," he commanded, not trusting his voice nearly so much now.

The boy followed Severus through the open doorway built into a bookcase. In the small kitchen, Severus pointed a finger at one of the wooden chairs around the table and Potter obediently dropped into it.

Severus pulled out an identical chair and sat directly across from him.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything at all. Severus inhaled deeply and, digging down inside himself, he tried to regain even the slightest bit of his usual cool composure. In the end, he didn't feel much better, but enough time had been wasted and he broke the silence with yet another direct command.

"Explain, Potter, in detail, how you came upon this woman who claims to be your mother. And let me add, that you had better have a very, very good reason for believing her enough to leave the safety of your relatives' house and come here with a potential stranger. Begin. Now."

Severus listened as the boy relayed to him the day's events. As the story went on, the potions master became more and more amazed by the boy's naivety and sheer idiocy. Was the child really that easy to fool? At so many points while Potter was speaking, Severus found himself wanting to interject, but he bit his tongue. Likely, it would not benefit him to interrupt the boy, now that he had gotten him talking. But it didn't take long to complete the story, and once it was over, Severus wasted no time in berating the boy for his stupidity.

"So, let me make sure I heard you correctly." Severus looked the boy in the eye, observing with interest the way he refused to blink when confronted. The child's mind was an open book. "You decided to leave the safety of your relatives' home with a stranger, simply because your aunt seemed to you to think it was your mother, whom you've always known to be dead."

"She kicked me out!" Potter insisted, as he swung his legs nervously, his shoelaces slapping against the chair leg.

"Does that sound like a solid reason to run off with a stranger to you? As appalling as it is that your aunt would lock you out of the house, you could have stayed there and waited. I'm sure you would have been let back in eventually. Or you could have gone to a neighbour."

"I guess it was kind of stupid," the child admitted, ducking his head.

Severus scoffed. "To say the least. You are fortunate to even be alive after a stunt like that. But as it is, your story sounds plausible and I have yet to succeed in cancelling any spells that may be concealing another person's identity in the form of your mother."

"What does that mean?"

"Absolutely nothing at this point. I am going to speak with Dumbledore. Surely he will be able to solve this puzzle for us."

Or at least he hoped that the older wizard could help. If Dumbledore couldn't solve this, then Severus was quite certain that nobody could. After all, the Dark Lord was afraid of the other wizard for good reason. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard Severus Snape knew of. If Dumbledore could not change Lily's body into a truer form, then that would have to mean that the woman was Lily.

But that was impossible.

"And then you'll wake her up, right?"

Severus glared at the persistent boy, who was still fidgeting in his chair. For a brief moment, he was prepared to make another scathing remark, but found he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when the boy's mother was Lily Evans... Potter... and possibly, Severus dared to venture, lying stunned on the sofa in the very next room. It was all too surreal.

He stood abruptly, not bothering to answer the boy's inquiry.

"I am returning to the sitting room and you are not to leave this chair. Should you disobey, I promise, I shall know and the consequences will be most unpleasant."

Severus strode swiftly from the room. The woman... Severus refused to think of her as Lily... was still lying just as she had been left, looking deeply asleep. Satisfied that the spell had been strong and would not come undone any time soon, he turned towards the fireplace.

He snatched up some Floo powder from the mantle and tossed it into the hearth. Then he knelt down and stuck his head into the green flames, calling for Dumbledore's office.

Within seconds, the familiar office came into view.

"Headmaster!" Severus called out, unable to see the entire room from his current view point.

"Severus!" the old wizard's jovial voice responded. The bearded man appeared in front of Severus and crouched down. "How are you enjoying your summer holiday?"

"I've no time for idle chit-chat," Severus snapped. "I have an urgent matter to discuss with you."

Dumbledore gestured towards his desk. "By all means then, Severus, come through."

"I'm afraid that is not possible at the moment. Harry Potter is here. In my house."

"Harry? But he's supposed to be in Surrey. Arabella Figg assured me that he made it home from King's Cross just days ago."

"Yes, well, he has only been with me for about half an hour, yet it seems he's spent the last few hours travelling here by train."

"Not alone, I imagine?" Dumbledore presumed, but did not wait for an answer; instead asking, "Who brought him to you, Severus?"

"Perhaps it would be best if I showed you." Severus stood and stepped aside.

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Severus would have found the dumbfounded look on his employer's face quite amusing. He was sure that he had never seen the old man look more shocked in his life, not even the night that the Dark Lord had been vanquished by Harry Potter. He looked so shocked, in fact, that Severus was almost concerned that the surprise had given the other man a heart attack.

But Dumbledore regained his composure quickly and asked, "May I come through?"

"Please."

"Where is Harry?" asked Dumbledore upon coming through. He had already pulled out his wand and was walking over to the sofa.

"He is supposedly still in the kitchen." Severus followed Dumbledore and stood beside the other man as he watched him cast a few silent spells over the stranger. "Potter told me she showed up at his relatives' house this morning, claiming to be his mother and Petunia Dursley's sister."

Dumbledore looked up from what he was doing, disapproval etched in the lines of his withered face. "And they believed her?"

"From what I can gather, Potter seems to think that his aunt believed her. She definitely had no qualms about throwing her nephew out of the house with a potential stranger."

Dumbledore frowned and lowered his voice. "And Harry? What does he think of all this?"

"He is confused, although I believe somewhat convinced after spending so many hours with her. Originally, I had thought that maybe he'd been Confunded. He then told me the rest of the story."

"But he seems unharmed?"

"Yes, although he is very adamant that we wake her soon. What do you think?" He gestured to the woman on the sofa.

"This is not a Polyjuice form, Severus. I was almost hopeful that it was. If this is all a glamour, it is very strong. I have tried many simple spells already. I trust you have already performed them?"

"Of course, several times even. I found nothing suspicious."

Dumbledore's frown deepened.

"Can you think of anything else?" Severus pressed. "Anything at all?"

Stroking his long beard, Dumbledore studied him, giving Severus the uncomfortable feeling that the older man was reading his emotions all too well. He heightened his Occlumency shields.

Finally, Dumbledore said, "Only one thing that could be done that would not risk her well being. But it would require a lot of work. Perhaps taking well into the evening to complete. It would also require manually taking down all the spells within the vicinity, which I presume would be on your property alone?"

As far as Severus was aware, he was the only wizard within miles, perhaps even the whole town. He'd spent a lot of time over the years, ever since his father had gone, putting up several different charms and spells until the house and property were just as he wanted them to be. But he couldn't deny that Dumbledore was correct. If they were to truly discover who was lying on his sofa, the magic needed to be removed, and Severus was tired of wasting time.

Only somewhat reluctantly, he nodded his agreement.

"Excellent," Dumbledore declared, his eyes already darting around the room. "Where do we begin? Oh, but first let us move young Harry to a safe spot where there will be no risk of anything falling, dropping, or otherwise flattening the child, shall we?"

"Of course." Severus stalked into the kitchen, noting with satisfaction that the boy startled at his sudden entrance. "Get up and come with me."

Back in the sitting room, Severus directed him to have a seat in his previous chair.

Dumbledore came up from behind them. "Hello, Harry," the old man greeted the child, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Hello, sir. Are you here because of my... because of this lady here?"

"Professor Snape requested my help, after telling me about what happened. Harry, we discussed your parents. Do you remember?"

The boy bit his lip. "Yes, sir. You said my mother made a sacrifice. But how could she have done that if she's here? If it really is her? I thought you said she was... that she died?"

"Yes, yes, I did, and that is the truth as the rest of the world and we know it right now," Dumbledore said, resting a hand on Potter's shoulder.

Severus rolled his eyes. How the man could muster up so much patience, he would never know.

"Professor Snape and I are going to spend the next few hours removing all the spells and magic in his house," Dumbledore went on. "If this woman is not who she says she is, then we should see her body should change into that of somebody else."

Potter slumped in his chair. "You don't think it's her, do you?"

Severus glanced over at the headmaster. The other man wore a sad expression on his face.

"I want it to be. You can trust me when I say that Professor Snape and I could not be more happy to find out that this is indeed your mother," Dumbledore said, his voice gentle. "But you must remember that she has been thought to be dead for close to eleven years now. The chances that... well, it would not be wise to get our hopes up."

"I do believe that it may be too late, Headmaster," added Severus, seeing the look of determination on Potter's face. "You are wasting your time with your sentiments to the boy. He is already hopeful. Let's move on to the actual work."

Dumbledore agreed and after strict instructions for Potter not to leave his chair, under any circumstances save death and physical harm, the two adult wizards went to work, slowly, but surely, taking down every last spell, charm, and enchantment that had been put in place over the last fifteen years.

Hours later, it was very late at night and Severus and Dumbledore had worked their way up the narrow stairs and back down again. The work was long and tedious, but relatively simple. Potter had not moved from his chair and the only interruption they received had been when Mrs. Reed had come to the front door, wanting to know if Severus ever planned on coming back over to finish fixing her cage. After explaining that an emergency had come up, he'd promised her he would be back with a few days and she left, muttering something about undependable young people.

Now Severus and Dumbledore were both standing in the middle of the sitting room. The woman was still unconscious on the sofa and Potter was curled up in an impossibly small ball in the armchair he'd been assigned. Sometime in the last few hours, the boy had pulled a drab blanket off the back of the chair and draped it over himself. He was still awake, though Severus couldn't help but notice the way his eyes were beginning to look glazed over from exhaustion.

Turning to the headmaster, he asked, "Are we ready?"

"I believe we are."

All the spells had been carefully removed, one by one, for the most part. But it was difficult to remember all the magic that had been placed in various places in the house over the years. They were sure to have missed places, both upstairs and down. The purpose of going through each room and manually removing each one was to ensure that things could come down with supervision. If not, many things were sure to fall, spill, or break. It would have been a mess.

But now Dumbledore could cast one absolute spell and remove all the leftover magic in the house.

The man cleared his throat and, performing a complex wand movement, said, "Finite Incantatem Maxima!"

From somewhere upstairs a loud thud could be heard from something hitting the floor, and Severus winced as he then remembered the large, framed map spelled to stick to the wall in his bedroom. A rooster crowed. That was definitely bizarre. Then everything was quiet.

Dumbledore began, "Well, -"

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo...!"

A startled, undignified squeal came from Potter as he sat up, the glazed over look gone.

On reflex, Severus pulled out his wand, but was then left glaring up at the damn cuckoo clock on the wall. He'd forgotten about putting a silencing charm on the bothersome timepiece years ago.

After a few more nerve-racking chirps, the noise stopped.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I do believe it is eleven o'clock."

"Keen observation, Headmaster," Severus growled as he put his wand away.

"Hey! Look! She looks the same," the boy spoke up. Getting out of his chair, he kicked the tangled blanket off his legs and tossed it aside. "So... is she? She is, right? She should've changed by now if she wasn't... right?"

Dumbfounded, Severus could only nod. It was true. She would have changed by now. Actually, that last incantation would have cancelled the stunning spell as well. But she appeared to be sleeping peacefully and, after being out for so long, it was likely that she would need someone to rouse her.

Dumbledore went to the sofa and sat gingerly down on the coffee table. He glanced up at Severus and Potter, who were both watching anxiously.

Yes, Severus could admit it to himself. He was anxious. The way his stomach was churning, he supposed he may be beyond anxious. How could he not be? He could tell by the look on the headmaster's face that the older wizard was becoming more convinced by the second that something big had happened.

Lily Evans Potter was alive and now deeply asleep in Severus' sitting room, of all places.

Another wave of nausea washed over him at the thought. So many emotions were running through him at that moment, but he hid them with much practice. Inside though, they were wreaking havoc upon him. A part of him was screaming to run. It didn't matter where. Just run. Anywhere. That way he would never have to face her.

But he couldn't. A larger, stronger... the finally more mature adult in him knew that he couldn't do anything of the sort. The part of him that was determined to finish every single thing he started just had to stay. Within minutes, his old childhood friend, the woman that he'd never stopped loving, would be sitting right in front of him. He had so much to answer for. So much he needed and wanted to apologize for.

Severus Snape apologized to no one.

Except to Lily. Lily had always been the exception.

Even being given the chance to make the choice between staying and running was something that he would never have expected in a hundred years. Not with all the magic in the world. Not after that after that horrific night.

He'd been given the opportunity, a courtesy extended only by Dumbledore, yet Severus never saw her lifeless body. He'd refused, never wishing for that to be his final memory of her. But he had attended her funeral; although only from a distance, and heavily cloaked. His presence, he'd been sure, wasn't wanted.

How she was alive before them now was something that he'd wager to guess that even Dumbledore did not understand.

"I am going to wake her now," said Dumbledore, and Severus wondered if the man felt as calm as he sounded. He suspected not. "Are you ready?"

Severus nodded at once. There was no reason to stall. He was not surprised to see Potter do the same, the boy's mop of hair bouncing as he did so.

Severus caught himself before stepping closer in anticipation, but the boy didn't appear to have that problem at all. He continued to stand still, looking ready to take flight and run from the room at any given moment.

Dumbledore extended his arm, ready to wake the woman, and then hesitated, turning to Potter. "Would you like to do the honours, Harry?"

Potter wavered, and then shook his head. "No, I don't think so, sir. You'd better do it."

"Very well." Dumbledore placed a wrinkled hand on the woman's shoulder and gently shook it. "Lily, wake up, dear."

She shifted and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes, her gaze first falling on the boy standing off to the side.

"Harry?" she asked, her voice coming out in a groggy mumble.

The child's eyes lit up, although he didn't move. "You... you're okay?"

"I feel fine, but what happened?" She rubbed a hand across her eyes.

"Snape knocked you out!"

"Oh." Understanding dawned on her face as she sat up, swinging her feet onto the floor. "Yes, I remember that now."

Her eyes landed on Severus, then on the older wizard next to her. "Severus... Professor Dumbledore."

Severus tilted his head in her direction, not trusting his voice at all anymore. Or even what he might say.

But Dumbledore smiled widely. "Lily, it is so good to see you again."

The woman's eyes brightened and she launched herself at the old man.

He embraced her, kissed her forehead, and then held her away at arm's length. "You look wonderful, my dear."

She let out a choked laugh, wiping her eyes. "I'm a wreck."

But she wasn't, Severus observed. She was older, but that was hardly significant. Her skin was a sickly pale, like she hadn't seen sunlight in months, and she was much too thin. The faded dress she wore was full of patches, not all of the buttons matched, and it hung too loosely over her meagre frame. Her feet were only protected by a worn pair of house slippers and her long hair was lifeless and tangled. But while she looked exhausted and her face peaked, it was still young and full of hope. Her eyes had not lost any of their vibrancy and they shone perhaps more now, even through her tears, than they ever had before.

She was beautiful.

"Nonsense," insisted Dumbledore, squeezing her pallid hand. "You are as lovely as ever."

Severus felt as if a horrible monster was chewing on him from the inside out. He couldn't continue like this. Dumbledore might be convinced already, and Potter too, but Severus needed more proof. Before this went on for any longer, he had to know for sure and he had to know now.

Pushing in beside Dumbledore, he knelt before the woman, his wand ready.

"Severus," Dumbledore admonished.

But Severus ignored him. He gazed into the woman's all too familiar eyes, and she met his readily, not seeming to be bothered at all by the long ebony wand being pointed at her.

Dumbledore stood and took a step back. "Not convinced, Severus?"

"You know I'm not."

The woman leaned forward. "What proof do you want?"

A pang in his chest reminded him of just how long it had been since anybody had called him that. At least fifteen years. He'd forgotten how much harder it always was to keep his emotions in check around Lily.

"The day we met, what were you doing?" he demanded.

She blinked. "Playing on the swings. Severus, what-"

"And during the summer, when we would go down to the river, just us, what would we play?"

"Pirates, but-"

"And," Severus pressed on, his heart now thudding so that he was sure the whole room could hear it. He lowered his wand, just slightly. "The last real conversation you and I had, what was it?"

Her expression distanced as she looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap. "It was our last night at Hogwarts. After curfew, you came up to Gryffindor tower and asked if James was around, but he wasn't. He was downstairs and I was going to meet him there. But you said you wanted to talk, so we did. It was all a bit awkward, because we hadn't had a real conversation in years. But when I asked you if you were going to keep hanging out with that rough crowd after school, you said yes. So I told you that we couldn't talk any more after that. I couldn't be your friend when you were theirs. I thought you'd be mad, but you weren't. You said you understood and to remember that you'd always be my friend. Then you told me good night and you left. I never saw you again."

Severus lowered his wand completely.

Lily met his gaze again. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

Severus swallowed. "Yes, I just had to be sure."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

"So... is she really my mum then?" Potter asked, his voice small and hesitant.

Severus turned to see Potter still hadn't moved from where he'd been standing. Dumbledore was behind him, a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Severus used the coffee table to push himself up. "It appears she is."

The boy craned his neck up to look at Dumbledore and the old wizard nodded, his eyes twinkling. He gave the boy a gentle push forward.

For a brief moment, Potter looked like he might take a step back again. But instead, he took a tentative step forward. A foot away from where Lily sat at the end of the sofa, he stopped, looking shamed.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he told her.

Lily gave him a sad smile. "That's okay, sweetheart. You were just being careful. Come here."

She held a hand out to him. After a couple seconds of consideration Potter stepped closer, and Severus watched with a slight twinge of jealously as Lily pulled the boy into a tight embrace. But the feeling could not withstand the more surreal one he still had of seeing Lily alive before him.

After a few delicate moments, Lily pulled her son onto the sofa beside her and he pressed himself tightly into his mother's side, his small hands clutching almost desperately to the fabric of his mother's worn dress.

Lily's eyes moved to gaze at Severus and Dumbledore. Her eyes were filled with tears and Severus resisted the overwhelming urge to go to her side. Instead, he remained standing frozen a good distance across the room.

Dumbledore came forward again and took one of Lily's hands in both of his own and squeezed it briefly. "Lily, I am not certain you realize how much of a shock this comes to Severus and I, let alone Harry."

"You thought I was dead. I've been reading the paper every day," she admitted, glancing looking down at her son, who had finally loosened his hold considerably. "I already knew, but it was all reconfirmed today."

Dumbledore straightened, almost appearing battle ready. "I know we all have a lot of questions to be answered. I, for one, am quite interested to know where Lily has been all this time."

"Tonight, Headmaster? Perhaps Mrs. Potter wishes to get a peaceful night's rest first?"

Lily glared at Severus and he inwardly cringed at this.

"I'm perfectly capable of discussing this now." She turned back to Dumbledore and said pointedly, "After all, I had a nice long nap all afternoon, didn't I?"

"If you wish." Dumbledore sat down in the chair that Potter had vacated. "Shall we settle in for the long haul then? I think perhaps some refreshments are in order."

He waved his wand and a tray and tea set came floating into the room, settling on the coffee table.

"Tea?" he offered Lily.

Within a few more moments, everyone was seated comfortably in the sitting room. There was tension in the air and a lot of nervous anticipation. Severus' stomach still refused to settle and he placed his coffee down with disgust.

"Now then, my dear," Dumbledore said to Lily. He took a sip of his tea and sat back. "As it seems our perception was entirely wrong, please tell us what really happened that dreadful night."