Harry had absolutely no idea where he was when he finally stopped running. Which wasn't saying much because he'd honestly had no idea where he'd been when he started. All he knew was that he had twisted and turned through the industrial neighborhood and corresponding district so many times, there was no way he'd be able to remember his was back.

Harry wasn't even sure he wanted to go back. Snape had made it painfully clear how he felt about being forced to take Harry in. No matter what had happened last night, it was clear to Harry that nothing had changed between them.

Harry walked aimlessly for a few more blocks, not even paying attention to which way he was going anymore. Cars went rushing past as he came to a busier street.

Eventually the happy sounds of playing children invaded his troubled thoughts, overriding even the sounds of the congested traffic in the streets beside him. Harry decided to investigate, thinking that a playground would be as safe a place as any to get his bearings. As long as he didn't do anything to draw unnecessary attention to himself, he should be able to sit there undisturbed for a while and figure out what to do.

The sounds grew louder as he drew closer to the source, but he still couldn't see the playground due to a copse of dense trees bordering the sidewalk. As he continued walking and the trees began to thin, he thought he saw the twinkling reflection of water through the trunks and branches…

Harry was about to round the corner to the park's entrance when a small red-headed girl darted out in front of him. She dashed into the road after chasing a bouncing rubber ball, giggling as she chased it. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he saw cars bearing down on her at ridiculous speeds. "JILLIAN!" A woman screamed as the vehicles came barreling towards the tiny girl without any hint of slowing down.

Harry acted on impulse.

"No!" he cried as he reached out for the girl, who was a good ten feet away from him. With a sudden crack! they were both on the ground on the opposite side of the street, the girl wrapped safely in his arms and the traffic continuing to speed by.

What the hell just happened…? Harry thought wildly, holding tight to the girl. Did I just preform unintentional magic? That hadn't happened in a while.

Breathing deep to calm his pounding heart, he lifted his head to examine the little thing in his arms, whose thin arms were currently wrapped around his waist. Wide hazel eyes full of surprise, her little eyebrows slowly crinkled in confusion when she looked up at him.

A frantic woman came running toward them, her steps stilted and halting as she dodged and weaved through the speeding traffic. Successfully making it to the opposite side of the street, her long auburn hair fanned out behind her as she sprinted down the sidewalk towards them.

"Jillian… oh my God! Jilly!" The woman fell to her knees beside Harry, scooping the young girl into her arms and burying her face in her daughter's hair. Harry felt rather like a voyeur witnessing her raw emotion, but he couldn't tear his gaze away as the woman heaved panicked gasps of air into her lungs and gently rocked her child back and forth. His heart clenched at the sight, wondering if this is what his mother had looked like, desperately, protectively clutching him in the final moments before she was killed…

Disturbed by the thought, Harry made to stand and move quietly away in order to give them space. But the woman grabbed his hand before he could back away, and Harry clearly felt the relief surging through her trembling fingers.

"Thank you," she whispered sincerely, staring up at him with wide eyes. He saw that they were green like his but a few shades lighter, and at that moment they were locked on him with reverent intensity. "I don't know what I would have done…"

"Mommy," the little girl cried in a muffled voice against her mother's shoulder, "You're squeezing me too hard!"

The older woman made a nervous sound, the adrenaline that must have rushed through her system not completely ebbed yet. "Sorry Jilly-Bean," she said, releasing Harry and pushing her daughter to her feet as she knelt eye-to-eye with her. She brushed her daughter's hair away from the small, cherubic face. "You scared Mommy. You know you're not supposed to cross the road without me!" She said again, pulling her daughter into another quick hug before holding her out again. "Are you alright?"

"That boy saved me," Jillian said, pointing and smiling brightly up at Harry.

"I know he did," said her mother, glancing sideways at Harry with a smile on her face. "What do you think you should say to him?"

Jilly thought for a moment, her little eyebrows scrunched again in concentration, then turned to Harry, beaming. "Do you want a sandwich?"

Her mother laughed outright, and Harry couldn't help but appreciate the sound. It was so bright and full of life – not things that he had much of these days.

He couldn't help it. He smiled.

"I was thinking more along the lines of saying, 'Thank you'," her mother said through a chuckle. "But sure, he can have a sandwich. So how about it?" she asked, looking up and addressing Harry. "Would you like to join us?"

"Uhhhh…" Harry glanced at the little girl, who was looking hopefully up at him. It's not like I have anywhere to be at the moment... "Sure. I'll join you."

The little girl – Jillian – jumped excitedly up and down, then grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him eagerly forward toward the crosswalk, visible half a block away down the road. "My name is Jilly-Bean. I'm five. I had a princess birthday party last month. How old are you?"

"Um… I'll be sixteen at the end of the month," Harry responded.

Harry was a bit flabbergasted by the little girl's rapid-fire questions, and Jillian's mother laughed her bubbly laugh again at the look on his face. "Only child?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face.

"Well..." How did he respond to that? "Kind of. I have a cousin," he admitted quietly, not liking the feelings evoked by thinking about Dudley. "But he's my age."

"Sorry," the older woman responded with a smile, "Jillian can come on a little strong. She doesn't seem to understand the idea of 'stranger danger', no matter how many times I've tried to explain."

"Oh, that's ok," Harry said quickly, still a little out of his depth with the whole situation. So much for not drawing attention to myself…

They had reached the crosswalk, and Jilly was bouncing up and down on her toes. "Can I push the button, Mommy?"

"Of course, baby."

They walked across the street in companionable silence, and had just reached the other side of the street when the older woman said, "I'm Lilith, by the way, but people call me Lily."

Harry's foot slipped abruptly off the curb, and he would have fallen flat on his face had she not grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Whoa! You ok?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to slow the rapid rise and fall of his chest. "I'm… My name is Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry," Lily said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she reached out to shake his hand. He must have been staring at her with a strange look on his face, because as she pulled her hand away she asked, "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, um… Yeah." Harry said, breaking eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. This is completely mental…

Jilly thankfully saved him even more embarrassment by grabbing his hand again and pulling him toward a hillside overlooking the water. "C'mon, Harry! Our blankets over here. Mom packed a picnic with my favorite sandwiches!"

"I hope you like peanut butter, banana, and honey," Lilly offered, trudging across the grass behind her daughter. They approached a large white sheet with small flowers scattered in a haphazard pattern across it. The blanket was in the dappled shade of a large willow tree, its branches drooping enough to graze the calm surface of the water. In the middle of the blanket was a wicker picnic basket. Jillian and Lilly sat, scooting over to give Harry some room.

"So Harry," Lily said conversationally while passing around the sandwiches, bottles of water, and a large plastic container filled with sliced fruit. "Are you from around here?"

I'm still not really sure where here is, Harry considered before carefully answering. "I'm from Surrey, outside of London."

"London, wow. What brings you up here to Scotland?"

Ok, Scotland, then. "Um, well…" he said, thinking fast, "I go to school here." Not really a lie.

"Oh yeah? Where about?"

Bugger. But he was spared an answer when Jillian leapt to her feet and said, "I just learned to do cartwheels! Want to see, Harry?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" Harry replied with relief, smiling at the girl.

A serious look crossed Jilly's face as she concentrated, raised her hands above her head, placed her feet in the right position, and let loose with a perfectly executed cartwheel. Harry held the sandwich in his mouth to free his hands so he could clap for her, and Lily joined in, laughing. Jillian curtsied for them with a big smile before repeating the performance.

It was at that moment that Harry heard a strangled gasp behind him, and the drawn, pale features he saw as he spun around made his blood run cold.

.:HP::SS:HP::SS:.

Thank God, Snape sagged in relief as the tip of his wand started to glow, showing him that Harry was somewhere close by. He staggered through the park entrance, his side in absolute agony but desperate to get to the boy.

He was in so much pain that he didn't realize exactly where it was that Harry had ended up. Had he been in his right mind, he would have recognized this park, even though he hadn't been there in over twenty years. Every blade of grass, every gentle curve of the hillside, every metal ring on the chains of the swing set… Snape could never forget the place where he first laid eyes on Lily Evans.

His most cherished memories had been made in this very place.

But none of that registered as he made his way across the park in a haze of worry and pain. He groaned as his wand pointed up a small hillside, but he stumbled up the gentle slope nonetheless. Snape's side was on fire only halfway up the grassy knoll, but his wand tip was radiating with intensity. He had to keep going.

Panting by the time he reached the top, the pain his side not allowing him to catch his breath, he looked around. His heart leapt as he spotted the back of a dark, untidy mop of hair that surely must belong to Harry. Seeing that the boy was unharmed, Snape closed his eyes and doubled over in a mixture of utter relief and throbbing agony.

But as the relief started to wear off, it was replaced by a searing anger. How DARE Potter take off like that, knowing full-well the dangers that awaited him in the outside world! Didn't he realize how much people had already sacrificed in order to keep him safe and alive?! The least he could bloody well do was stay within the confines of his security! Eyes flashing in a rage, he lurched toward the boy, the searing pain in his side only nurturing his fury.

It wasn't until Snape was almost on top of him that he realized who the boy was with.

A strangled gasp was ripped from his throat as he stopped dead in his tracks. Wide eyed and shaken, Snape's body began to tremble uncontrollably. He was incapable of moving as he gazed at them, drinking them in like a parched man in a desert dying of thirst. Phantoms from his past come to life, both tormenting and soothing in their presence. Auburn hair tumbling across thin shoulders, swaying gently near her waist – just as it had been the last time he'd ever laid eyes on her. And the other… The younger version… Laughing and free and so full of life that it made his heart twist painfully to look upon her.

Lily…

The world tilted and spun, and before he could stop himself Snape was on his knees, gasping for breath before the world suddenly went dark.