Harry's mind was still reeling from shock and his thoughts were racing. When Snape had been the one to answer the door that afternoon, Harry had thought it a terrible coincidence that his teacher would live where Lily's old friend used to. But after Snape had interrogated her, Harry finally put the pieces together. Snape was the "old friend" Lily had been talking about earlier. His mother was friends with Snape.

All day long, Harry had been preparing himself for the moment when Dumbledore would tell him that it had been a trick the whole time, that the strange woman wasn't his mum. But he hadn't. She really was and now, when he should feel happier than he had in his whole life, Harry just felt more confused than he had before.

He took a tiny sip of his hot chocolate, careful not to splash any onto the lenses of his glasses. The liquid was still too hot and he grimaced as it left a slightly painful burning sensation on the tip of his tongue.

Hedwig had been released from her cage, much to her delight, and sent outside into the night. Harry had been concerned about this at first, but Dumbledore had assured him that Hedwig knew where to come back to, so she wouldn't get lost.

"Now," said Dumbledore, "Obviously things did not happen exactly as I had thought that night. I also realize that this conversation could be quite difficult. So if at any time you wish to pause or retire for the evening, do let me know."

Lily took a deep breath. "James and I were just getting ready to put Harry down for bed. He'd just had his bath for the night." Glancing down at Harry's stained clothing, she said, "And it looks he could use one now too."

Harry flushed. He'd forgotten how grimy he'd got from working in the garden that morning. Had it only been that morning? It felt like so much longer.

She explained how, when Voldemort showed up at their house, Harry's dad told her to take Harry and run.

He wouldn't admit it, but Harry felt a chill run up his back in this part of the story. He didn't remember the night Lily was talking about. Just sort of a green light he saw in nightmares sometimes. But even knowing he'd been there... it was a weird feeling.

Harry looked up at his mother, but she was staring into space, obviously preoccupied with her memories. Then he glanced down at the space on the sofa he had purposely left between the two of them and wondered if she would mind much if he moved a bit closer. He supposed he was a little old for cuddling, but the hug he'd got from her a few minutes before had felt wonderful. All his life, he'd watched other kids get hugs from their parents and had always wondered what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that sort of affection. Now that he knew, he craved that natural closeness more than he ever had before.

But he didn't dare move closer. What if she pushed him away? Or what if she didn't want him so close? They'd both been without each other for so long, and Harry knew that he felt awkward. Maybe his mum was feeling a little awkward too, and if she was, then Harry didn't want to make her feel even more so. He didn't want her to push him away, so he'd let her have some space.

"...he wanted Harry and told me to move aside, but of how could I? When he lifted his wand, and I just knew he was going to cast that terrible curse, I jumped in front of it. Then I saw a green light, and everything went black.

"I was almost sure I was dead, except for the fact that I could still feel. It was as if I was Apparating." With a strangled laugh, she added, "I know it sounds crazy. It sounded mad then and it still does when I think about it. But the Apparation feeling went away within a few seconds and I landed some place hard. But I barely had time to even notice before I lost consciousness. Or at least I think I did, it was so long ago. I don't remember much after that, until I woke up, maybe a few hours later."

"But you said he cast the Killing Curse, correct?" Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair.

"Yes," she said, eyes glazing over. "I can hardly bear to even think about it, even after all this time. Every time I do, I see him and that light... hear his voice. To know who the curse was meant for." Brushing the hair back from Harry's forehead, she touched his scar. "You should never have gotten this," she murmured.

Harry noticed that Snape was watching Lily touch his scar and, involuntarily, he shivered.

Lowering her hand, she asked him, "Are you cold, sweetheart?"

He just shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. Why did a question as simple as that make him feel like crying? That was so stupid.

Dumbledore handed his mum the blanket Harry had left in the other chair and she carefully draped it over him.

"Thanks," Harry managed, feeling warmer, but unsure if it was because of the blanket or because his mum had just covered him with it.

"I do not mean to interrupt," Snape said then, his eyes raking over Harry. "But is it wise to continue this with the boy sitting right here? He looks exhausted and I do not believe that the risk of nightmares is unwarranted. Perhaps it would be better to continue this tomorrow?"

"No!" Harry objected. He wasn't scared and he wasn't a little kid. He could take care of himself, just like he always did.

Relief washed over him when Lily shook her head.

"It's fine. He deserves to know where I've been all these years. But thanks for looking out for him, Severus."

Snape, although he looked like he disagreed, didn't argue.

Harry studied his teacher, sitting there so stiffly in his old armchair, with a mug of steaming coffee in his hands. Snape looked weird, Harry decided, without his usual black robes. Instead, he was wearing ordinary Muggle clothes, not unlike the clothes Harry's old primary school teacher had usually worn. His hair was still lank and oily looking, but with black trousers and a grey, buttoned shirt, he almost looked normal, which was disturbing in itself.

Lily began describing how she had woken up in a strange room, in a huge bed. She hadn't known where she was, she said, but soon discovered that she was alone in a huge mansion of a house. There were at least forty rooms, she'd counted later, and also an old house elf by the name of Miffy.

After interrupting to find out just what a house elf was, Harry down and rested his head against the arm of the sofa, listened to his mum talk about how Miffy had offered her food and showed her where the wardrobe of clothes were. She had gotten scared then, she said, because she wasn't planning on staying there. She didn't know how long she'd even been there at first, but Miffy had told her that she'd been asleep for hours.

Lily had thought for sure that little Harry had been killed by Voldemort. But very soon, Miffy brought her a newspaper and she learned that her baby had lived and Voldemort was dead. Everyone else thought that she and James had died, but she had no way of letting anybody know that she hadn't. She didn't even know where she was at.

But the rest of the tale began to blur as Harry's vision became fuzzy, and even though he fought it, he drifted off into sleep.

Severus listened to Lily's tale, only intervening when he thought it necessary, which was not often. For the most part, Lily spoke alone; although Dumbledore did offer comments and questions at certain intervals. Severus suspected the older wizard was trying to piece together the pieces of the very bizarre puzzle within the intricacy of his brilliant mind.

Watching the little brat sleep on the other end of the sofa, Severus had to admit that the child seemed less of a threat. The boy looked younger when he was sound asleep and curled up beneath a blanket. He was still a brat, of course; after all, he was of James Potter's blood. But it was now that Severus was reminded of the jarring little fact that he'd so conveniently turned a blind eye to. As much as James Potter's blood ran through his son, just as much of Lily's blood did the same. Lily's pure, kind-hearted, beautiful blood. And Severus had to conclude, begrudgingly, some of that kind-heartedness and purity must also be there in her son... somewhere.

Perhaps he could convince himself that the boy wasn't quite as dreadful, and or nearly as much trouble, as Severus had always thought him to be? Clearly, Lily loved the boy, but what mother didn't love her own child?

During their last year at Hogwarts, every time she would look at James Potter with that utmost adoration, Severus would feel his heart ache from jealousy and grief. But now his heart ached to see her face so haunted.

"For years I stayed in that house. I never left. I tried, but I couldn't. There were strongly placed wards placed on the house that wouldn't let me out. I didn't have my wand. I didn't have anything."

She gave her soundly sleeping son a quick glance. "When I first woke up in that terrible place, I was completely naked. My wand was gone, even the pins in my hair were gone. It was as if somebody had deliberately taken me away from everything I had or owned."

Severus was glad to see Dumbledore's gaze darken. The old man was angry.

"But you were not hurt?" asked Dumbledore.

"No one ever laid a hand on me."

"You're sure?" asked Severus.

"I'm sure," Lily reassured them, her expression softening. "No one ever hurt me. I was there all day, every day. For years, with rarely anybody to keep me company. Occasionally, perhaps a few times a year, an older man called Forrest would stop by the house. He'd check on things, make sure nothing was required."

"A caretaker?" asked Dumbledore.

Lily shook her head. "For the longest time, that's what I thought too, until Miffy told me that he was actually the owner of the house. He never said much to me and he was always very kind, but he wouldn't allow me to leave, either. Eventually I stopped asking him."

Dumbledore glanced over at Severus, and then turned back to Lily. "You say this man was named Forrest?"

"Yes." Lily shifted slightly on the sofa, careful as to jostle her sleeping son. "I don't know his first name. He never told me, and of course, Miffy always called him 'Master'. But he's not living any more. That's how I escaped."

The name meant nothing to him, but Severus was furious. Somebody, somewhere, had known that Lily was alive, and whoever he was, he'd said nothing about it to anybody. It was a terrible shame that the man was already dead, because Severus found that he would really have liked to cause him some harm.

Determined to find out who this man was, Severus asked, "When did you last see him?"

"Two nights ago and he seemed fine." Lily shrugged her shoulders. "Then yesterday morning, I woke up to find Miffy distraught. She was just sitting there in the hallway outside my room sobbing, so I asked her what was wrong. She told me that Master Forrest had died the night before, and apparently, he was the last living of this particular Forrest family, so she was worried that meant she had no master now. But I started to think, maybe since he had owned the house, now that he'd died, maybe the wards keeping me inside would have finally fallen."

"Wards that strong wouldn't just fail like that," said Severus, turning to Dumbledore. "Someone would have had to take them down on purpose."

Lily hesitated, and then said, "Well, something happened to them. Because yesterday morning, for the first time, I could touch the front door and all the windows and open them."

"Severus is correct." Dumbledore leaned forward and placed his teacup on the table. "Wards as strong as you describe would have to be deliberately removed."

"Perhaps someone else found out you were there," Severus suggested, darkly. "Perhaps they are the ones who removed the wards."

"That is possible." Dumbledore appeared deep in thought as he rubbed his hands together. "I will be sure to begin looking into this man right away. But what matters at the moment is that you escaped, and that you are safe."

She gave them a weak smile.

"I didn't leave right away. I was too afraid. I hadn't left that terrible house in over ten years, and as twisted as it sounds, I felt safe there. But I'd seen Harry's picture in the paper a few months ago, when he started school and I knew I had to find him." She rubbed a hand over her face. "I was terrified, and still am really, but I knew this might be my only chance. It took me about a day to get up enough courage to do it, but this morning I told Miffy good bye and I left."

Severus put down his empty cup. "Where is this house, Lily?"

"I don't know," she admitted. She fingered a mismatched striped button on her dress. "It was on an estate of sorts. When I looked out the windows, all I could see was an overgrown garden and a long driveway that disappeared through some trees. I opened the door and ran out before I could change my mind. I hadn't any idea where I even was, but I ran down the driveway until I reached a main road. I followed it until someone kindly stopped and gave me a ride. That's when I learned I was in Richmond."

"Richmond?" Severus repeated, trying to ignore the twisting in his gut. "All this time?"

"I couldn't believe it either at first. It was all so terrible and wonderful at the same time."

Severus couldn't see how it was wonderful.

"I had no money," she explained, "so I took the most expensive things I could from the house, which really wasn't much, just a few decorations and such, and I pawned them. Didn't get a lot though; that house was big, but it wasn't fancy by any means. Then I went straight to Little Whinging, hoping to find my sister still there."

Severus' eyes narrowed at the mention of Lily's cold, horse-faced sister. He had never liked her, not even as a child. She had been much too pushy, bossy and had too little imagination for Severus' tastes. Living her life in a little square box, always, never venturing outside of it to try new things. Quite boring.

But that was all trivial in comparison to what Severus knew now, thanks to his earlier conversation with Potter. After hearing of how Petunia Dursley had behaved earlier that day, he couldn't help but want to do very unkind things to her; things that would perhaps be frowned upon by individuals in higher authority than himself. The fact that he himself had not initially believed Lily to be herself was scarcely important. At least he had made a proper effort to discover the truth. And, he might add, he had not kicked a young, nearly helpless child out onto the streets with a possible stranger. Even if said child was unbearable. Even if said child was Harry Potter.

Petunia Dursley was despicable.

Lily continued her story up until she had been stunned by Severus outside his door. It was at that point that the blasted chirping clock on the wall began screeching again.

This time, Severus did not hesitate to shoot a new silencing charm at the timepiece. If it had not been his mother's, he would have ridden himself of it long ago. But as it was, he'd never been able to find it in himself to throw it out. Not when his periodic trips down memory lane brought up that clock time and time again. The clock would always stay.

However, his concealed sentiments for it did not keep Severus from silencing it. He did not need to hear that infernal chirping to know that it was one o'clock in the morning.

When the clock had been silenced, Dumbledore stood wearily from his chair. "It is quite late. Or early, shall we say? I think Harry here has the right idea. A good night of rest will do us all good."

Severus stood up as well. "Headmaster, what are your plans?"

"At this point, I do not believe it would be wise to alert the wizarding world to the news that Lily Potter is indeed alive." Dumbledore smiled at the woman still seated. "As much as we are beyond overjoyed for this news, my dear, I fear for your safety if we do not take some necessary precautions."

"Of course, Professor. Should I accompany you back to Hogwarts? And what about Harry...? Can he stay with me?"

Lily eyed Severus, looking a bit lost, and he could not bring himself to make eye contact with her. Not right now. Not with Dumbledore here. He would not be made so vulnerable in the other wizard's presence.

But Dumbledore, as he always did, seemed to have plans of his own.

"I believe it would be wiser for both you and Harry to stay here, if Severus does not mind. No one is usually at Hogwarts for an extended period of time during the summer, except for Argus Filch. There is not a high population of magical people in this old mill town, perhaps even no others at all. You will not be recognized, nor will Harry. Until we can unravel this mystery, I think you will both be much happier here, as opposed to being confined within some rooms at Hogwarts. What do you think?"

He was asking both of them, but Severus knew that Lily was waiting for his opinion before voicing her own. For a moment, he did try and fool himself into thinking that he would contemplate the situation, but he knew that he would do no such thing. Dumbledore was offering him an opportunity to have Lily here in his house for the next eight weeks. Lily, who he had loved since he was only a child; who he would have done anything for, except for what was right. Now, with a second chance, how could he turn that down?

Yes, the brat would need to stay, but if it meant Lily staying also, then the boy's presence would be well worth the pain he would surely be. Besides, the educator in him weighed, it would give him ample opportunity to straighten the boy out. Iron out a few of those nasty, little Potter wrinkles.

"That would be acceptable," he nodded. "if Mrs. Potter also agrees."

There was that glare again. Severus pretended he didn't see it and wondered how well he pulled the act off.

"I'd love to stay," Lily stated firmly. "A quiet place to try and re-settle into some sort of normalcy would be nice, I have to admit."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore looked pleased with himself, the meddling coot. "In that case, I shall leave you young people to the rest of your night. Severus, I will return in the morning to help you reinstate the necessary security charms and such, although I do think your usual precautions on the locks would be suitable for the night. We do not want to leave you unprotected for an extended period of time, of course, but I believe you will all be safe for the time being. And Lily, I happen to have your old wand stored away in my office. I will be sure to bring that with me."

For the briefest moment, Lily looked like she was going to argue, but instead gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, I appreciate that."

Severus agreed, beyond ready to get the old man out of his house. "Goodnight, Headmaster."

"Goodnight, Severus, Lily."

The man was gone within moments and once the green flames died down, Severus lowered himself into his chair once again, somewhat uncertainly. All was silent between them at first, but Severus soon got up the courage to ask the question that had been demanding an answer since Lily had first appeared earlier that day.

"Why did you come here?"

He forced himself to meet her eyes, sure that he would never be able to tear himself away. If the woman had been a Legilimens, she would have had access to his deepest memories, because he knew he could never have forced her out.

She just watched him at firs without saying anything. It was unnerving. But after a few moments she said, "I trusted you."

"You trusted me?" he scoffed, finally pulling his gaze away from hers and moving it to the row of books above her head. "You are foolish then."

"Yes, I trust you!" Her voice, although whispering, came out in a heated rush. "I know you, Severus."

"You do not know me. You cannot possibly. Not any longer."

He could feel the glare. He didn't need to see it to know it was there.

"Oh, is that right?"

Severus had nearly forgotten just how fierce she could be when she was upset.

"Nothing you might have read in the The Daily Prophet over the years could be close enough to the truth, believe me. I've done a lot of terrible things. Things I don't think I could ever tell even you about. Some things I wish I didn't have to tell you, but I know I do."

She hesitated. "Like what?"

"Not now. It's too late. Later."

"I will hold you to that, you know."

"I would expect nothing less from you, Lily."

"Well, it's about time!" She chastised him, blinking back tears. "I was beginning to think you would call me 'Mrs. Potter' forever. I don't want to deal with your standoffishness, Severus Snape. If that's the shield you want to pull up to protect yourself from people, then you go right ahead and do that. But you're not going to pull it up around me. I won't let you. We both deserve better than that."

There were very few people Severus would ever let speak to him in such a manner, Lily being topmost on that list. She could get away with most anything where he was concerned. She was still his absolute weakness, just as she had always been. That alone made her dangerous, to both her and himself. Potter too.

Abruptly, he stood up and waved his wand. A thick stack of blankets came rushing from down the stairs and landed neatly on the coffee table. They were quickly followed by a set of pillows.

He gave Lily, what he hoped, was an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I've not anywhere for you or the boy to sleep. Not tonight. I have a room upstairs but it is cluttered with potions ingredients, cauldrons and other harmful substances. It needs a thorough cleaning, which I should be able to accomplish tomorrow. Then we can put two beds in there for you both. It will be a tight fit, but it will work. Tonight, all I can offer you is the sofa and a bed on the floor for the boy. I apologise."

"It's fine, believe me. Sleeping on the sofa won't hurt me. I can just be content in feeling safe." She gave him a pointed look; one that Severus knew meant she still trusted him, for some foolish reason. "Truly safe. It's been too long since I felt that way."

He didn't know what to say. Still, even after all these hours, it was difficult to comprehend the fact that Lily was here. It was a numbing shock, one that allowed him to go on as normal, only to sneak up randomly and remind him once again that she was indeed alive and well. It would take some getting used to. Perhaps even more than eight weeks of summer, and yet, he admitted only to himself, he could get used to having her around everyday very easily.

He nodded in acknowledgement of her words, and then went to work preparing comfortable sleeping places. He pushed aside the heavy wooden coffee table and spread some thick, folded comforters on the floor. Then he glanced down at Potter, who continued to sleep soundly, his glasses pressed into his face.

Seeing no other way about it, he reached down and put one arm behind the boy's shoulders and the other under his knees. He lifted him from the sofa, noting with vague interest how light the child was, and placed him upon the bed of blankets. He stood to find that Lily had moved to the boy's other side and was kneeling there, carefully removing his worn trainers and muddy socks.

She reached for one of the quilts still on the coffee table and spread it over her son's small form. After kissing the his forehead and setting his glasses down on the table, Lily stood up. Reaching for a bed sheet, she paused with it in her arms to smile down at the sleeping boy.

"He looks so much like James, but I think less so without the glasses," she murmured.

Severus said nothing in response to this, allowing her to observe her son in his sleep.

"People always said he looked like him, even when he was only days old. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but the dark hair definitely helps. He's got his nose too." She gave a satisfied sigh, and then glanced at Severus. "Does he know?"

"That he looks like James? I believe so. People must tell him often."

"Does that bother you?" she asked, sounding tentative.

He cleared his throat. "I cannot say that it is something I necessarily admire about the boy," he admitted, his voice coming out gruffer than he'd intended. "I'm sorry, Lily, I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, and I know you loved James. But we never did care for one another, and I cannot help but see him every time I look at your son."

The rest of what that sentence entailed was left unsaid, but she didn't appear bothered by his words. She didn't even give him her signature glare. She had a different look about her; one that Severus found much more disturbing. One of satisfaction.

"I thought that might be the case," she said, as if it were a simple matter. She spread the sheet over the sofa and threw a pillow onto one end of it.

Severus stood there watching, feeling quite uneasy and awkward, not so differently from when he was a child and had met Mrs. Evans for the very first time. He'd stood there in her kitchen in his old, dirty hand-me-downs. His unwashed hair had hung in long clumps around his dirty face. He'd felt so vulnerable there in the kind woman's pristine kitchen, unsure of what to do or say, or even where to stand. He'd finally given into Lily's pleas for him to meet her parents and eat supper with her. Unable to say no to her, he'd reluctantly agreed. But Mrs. Evans had been a tidy woman and insisted upon taking him into the back garden first and trimming his hair. He hadn't let her cut it all the way. His hair was like a safety curtain, allowing him to hide behind it, if he wished to.

That had been the first of many meals he would come to share in that household.

Now, as he watched Lily make up her own bed on the sofa, he was reminded unnervingly of that day in the back garden, and many others that followed in the coming years as he grew up. He got the distinct feeling that just as her mother had trimmed away the broken, messy parts of his hair; Lily was going to slowly trim away the messy parts now in his own life. It was both unsettling and comforting and Severus found himself lost, with not much direction as to where to go.

She spread a quilt over the sofa and Severus could take the silence no longer.

"Lily, I-"

"Don't," she cut him off, holding up a hand. "Like you already said, it's late. You and I have a lot to discuss, but let's not rehash it all tonight. We'll both get some sleep and be better for it tomorrow."

"Of course." She was right, after all. This time of the morning was no time for such a discussion. "The bathroom is upstairs and my bedroom directly to the left on the landing, should you have need of anything. Can I get you anything before I go?"

"No, thank you. I'm set for the night, I think." She smiled at him. A true smile and Severus felt his heart lighten.

"Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

Passing through the door, he stopped and turned to her, unable to shake the feeling that she would disappear the moment his back was turned. But she was still there, pulling the slippers off her feet.

He cleared his throat. "Lily?"

"Yeah?" She dropped down onto the sofa.

"You've been in that house this whole time? Alive?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Yes, of course I have."

"You're certain?"

A nervous, high pitched laugh escaped her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because," Severus swallowed and combed his fingers through his hair, "you had a funeral, Lily. We buried somebody. Somebody else is dead."