As ten pm approached, Severus made his way to the entrance hall to hand over patrol to Professor McGonagall. His shift had been fairly uneventful; just a few sugar high students to chase back to their respective common rooms.

The Transfiguration Professor was waiting for him. “I’ll be going off site for the rest of the evening,” he reminded her.

“Yes, I know,” she replied. “Severus – you do know that it is just a story that the spirits of the dead walk the earth tonight, don’t you?”

“Of course,” he lied. Ha, if she only knew, he’d almost seen Lily a couple of times already and he had a plan for tonight. He’d read that carrying an item belonging to a relative of the desired person would help to draw them through the veil.

At Number Four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Harry was happily sucking on the second of two lollipops Aunt Petunia had rather unexpectedly thrown into his cupboard tonight. He would have liked to save it for another day, but Dudley had an unerring ability to smell sugar and would certainly have stolen it if he’d left it uneaten. He stiffened at the sound of the front door opening and someone quietly climbing the stairs.

Oh, no, perhaps it was a burglar, or someone come to murder Aunt Petunia in her bed. It definitely wasn’t Uncle Vernon coming home. Could it be Aunt Marge? No, she stomped up the stairs just like Dudley, and besides he hadn’t had to hoover the guest room, and he always got that job when she was coming to visit. Uncle Vernon told Harry he had to sleep downstairs to deter burglars and he was supposed to yell really loudly if they came. But a burglar wouldn’t open the door with a key would they? Perhaps he’d better go and investigate.

Harry crept out of his cupboard. Oh, no! There was a blue orb of light moving down the creaking staircase. It must be an alien! He backed away, bumping into the hall table in his haste. The light followed him and illuminated the face of the creature. Oh, oh, oh! It was definitely an alien; it had a HUGE nose and its skin looked a funny colour. If it asked to be taken to his leader, was that Uncle Vernon?

“Potter!” the alien spoke in a soft, deep voice. How did it know Harry’s name, and how come it spoke English? Harry retreated to his cupboard as quickly as he could.

“Are you from Mars?” he asked, bravely peering out from the shelter of the room under the stairs.

“What? Of course not, you silly child. Why are you hiding in a utility cupboard?”

“This is my bedroom,” Harry answered. “And why have you stolen Aunt Marge’s teddy bear?”

Severus had identified the other rooms upstairs and assumed Harry was staying with a friend tonight and that the empty room with a bear sitting on the bed was his.

“Oh,” the alien/man said. “I thought it belonged to you.”

“I’m a boy AND I’m six,” Harry told it indignantly.

“Hmm,” Snape banished the bear back to where he’d found it. A wild idea came to him and he reached forward, grabbed Harry, and Apparated away, casting a hasty Notice-me-not Charm on the cupboard door as he left.

They landed in the dark shadow of a squat church tower, in a churchyard lit by a bright silvery moon.

“You MUST be an alien to do that!” Harry declared. “Where are we, what are you going to do with me?”

Severus looked at the wriggling child in horror. What had possessed him to kidnap Potter? This could get him into so much trouble; abduction was a serious crime. Oh, well, he’d done it now so might as well make the most of it and pray that his hurried charm held.

“I’m not going to hurt you Harry, and I’m not an alien. Your mother was my friend when we were young, and I knew your Aunt Petunia,” Severus reassured.

“She doesn’t like me,” Harry confided.

“No? Well I don’t like her either. Look, let’s go and sit on that tomb over there, and if we’re lucky and wish very hard we might get to see your Mum.”

“She’s dead,” Harry told him bluntly. “My Dad crashed their car when he was drunk.”

“Who told you that!” spluttered Severus, carrying the barefoot child over to the table-like tomb which sat opposite to Lily’s gravestone and plonking him down on a conjured cushion.

“That’s what Aunt Petunia said. Uncle Vernon says my Dad was a bad man to drive when he’d been drinking, but I bet he’ll be drunk and nasty when he gets back from the Golf Club tonight. Where did you get this cushion from? Do you think the man in this tomb will mind us sitting on it? What if he wants to get out?” Harry shivered – it was cold in the graveyard, and he was only dressed in thin pyjamas.

Severus smirked. The barrage of questions reminded him of how a curious Lily had always made him feel so alive when they were children. “I’m sure he won’t mind, we’re not dancing on the tomb are we? As for the cushion, it was magic. I expect your Aunt has told you all about that.” Severus cast a Warming Charm on Harry, and picked up a strand of ivy and began to Transfigure the leaves.

“Uncle Vernon says there is no such thing as magic,” Harry announced. “Hey, how did you do that!” he exclaimed as Severus produced a pair of thick socks, followed by some mittens and a woolly bobble hat.

“Magic,” Severus replied dryly. Merlin, had Petunia really not told the boy anything about the magical world. It certainly seemed she hadn’t. He would have to put that right.

“Hey, leave that alone.” Harry had grabbed for his wand as Severus inspected the items he’d Transfigured.

“I only wanted to look and see how you made that light,” Harry pouted.

“Oh, all right then. You hold the wand just here,” Severus told him.

“Ooh! It feels all warm and tingly up my arm!” Harry giggled.

“Good. That means you are a wizard. Now say ‘Lumos’.”

“Loo-moss.” A tiny light flickered from the end of the wand, but quickly faded.

“Huh. Loo-MOSS!” Harry was rewarded with a small ball of light for a few seconds.

“Why doesn’t it stay like your light did?”

“That will come with practise. You did very well for a first attempt,” Severus praised. “Now, put this hat on.”

“Only little babies wear hats like that,” Harry grumbled.

“Just put it on, it’ll keep you warm,” Severus ordered, turning a leaf into a thick cloak which he wrapped around the boy. “Now, I’m sure you’d like to see your Mum, and tonight is a very special night when those who are dead can sometimes visit us again.”

Harry inched closer to Severus when an owl hooted as it flew low across the graveyard. Severus wrapped an arm around him. “Okay Harry, if we both concentrate really hard on wanting to see her I think she may just appear.”

“Wouldn’t my Dad want to come and see us too?” asked Harry as they waited.

“Of course he’d have liked to meet his little Marauder,” said a soft voice from behind Harry and Severus. “But the pull through the veil wasn’t as strong for him.” A woman wearing white robes walked to stand in front of them, her long red hair flowing over her shoulders, and a faint glow about her.

“Lily,” Severus whispered.

“Hello, Severus,” she said. “Hello, Harry. How my baby has grown up! Now make a space and let me sit with you.”

Lily settled next to Severus with Harry on her lap. He looked up at her face and reached out to touch her hair.

“So you’re still with Potter on the other side,” Severus spoke first.

“Yes,” Lily answered slowly. “And no. Things are very different on the next adventure. I can’t explain. Now, why don’t you go and clean the moss off of my gravestone for a few minutes while I get reacquainted with my son. Don’t worry, Sev, I have plenty to say to you and I won’t be leaving until you’ve heard it. I just need a little time with Harry before he gets too sleepy to listen and talk.”

Severus reluctantly moved away to a position where he could drink in the sight of Lily looking just as she had in the past.

After a while she smiled at Severus and beckoned him over, Harry now asleep cuddled up to his mother.

“Thank you for that Sev. I hope you understand that Harry comes first for me. He’s my baby and he’ll always come first, but you know I love you too.” Lily leaned into his side, and he hesitantly snaked an arm around her waist.

“I need to ask a favour of you, Severus. Please will you go and check on him. This little one isn’t saying much, but my sister and her husband are not treating him well. Can I rely on you to look after him?”

“Don’t worry, Lily. I’d come to that conclusion myself, and I will certainly be visiting Madam Petunia at the first opportunity. I hope she has good answers for me. But, Lily, I am so sorry that I failed to save you. Can you forgive me? Please,” Severus begged.

“There’s nothing for me to forgive, Sev. You just need to forgive yourself.” Lily leant over and kissed Severus’ cheek. “Neither James nor I hold you responsible for what happened. Please stop wasting your life. Don’t turn into a bitter, lonely man. You can get out and enjoy life, maybe meet someone special to share it with, but just don’t waste any more time like you have these past five years. Stop thinking about what you didn’t get, and look at what could be. Promise?”

Severus felt as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders, and smiled at his friend. “If you’re sure you don’t blame me, I’ll see what I can do.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Lily transferred Harry to Severus’ lap and stood up. “I have to go now, Severus. I’ll see you again, but not for a good few years, and not on this side of the veil.” Severus watched sadly as she walked towards her grave, gradually fading away from his sight.

Harry stirred, and looked sleepily up at Severus with shining eyes. “I dreamt I met my Mum! She was beautiful, and she loved me.”

“She does Harry. She always will.”

Harry smiled contentedly. “I thought I dreamt you too, but you’re real,” he mumbled.

“Definitely not dreams, Harry, and I will help to make sure you always remember this special night. Now I’d better get you home before anyone realises you’ve been missing.”

Standing up, Severus pulled the child closer and turned on the spot to leave the graveyard deserted once more.