The Lily and the Serpent

"The fact is that love is like a tree. It grows of its own accord, strikes deep roots throughout our being, and continues to put out leaves on a heart in ruins."

—Victor Hugo

Chapter 1

The home of Professor Severus Snape was one of a handful of little houses on Spinner's End. From the outside, it was not a particularly attractive place. There was a yard of pale brown dirt, and a dull, lifeless garden in the back. The house was old and rickety-looking, and it was itself very dull.

Inside, the house was narrow. The front door opened directly into a small sitting room, which held little more than an ancient, faded yellow couch, a coffee table, and a couple of comfortable chairs, one of which was a tired old recliner.

If one were to sit on the couch and look forward, he would be looking directly at the kitchen. To the left, near the front door, was a fireplace of disproportionately large size. This was the professor's mode of transportation to and from Hogwarts, and other locations occasionally. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, and a few barstools at its outward side. On the other side, there was the sink, above which was a small but perfectly clean window.

The next room over was the dining room. It held a large table, which was loaded with stacks of books, papers, recipes, etc. Only one space was kept clear, and that is where Snape sat to do his paperwork or take notes from his hundreds, if not thousands, of books.

If one were to sit in that place and look forward, he would see the front door. To the left, one would see a small staircase. This led up to a short and narrow hallway. On the right was an overflowing supply closet and then a spare bedroom, which was used for storage as well. On the left was the lavatory and then Snape's bedroom, which was practically just a storage room with a bed in it.

Under the stairs, there was a trap door which led down to the basement. This was where Snape did his potion-making. He brewed nearly everything for the Hogwarts Infirmary, and occasionally he sold to the nearest apothecary. These buyers—Hogwarts in particular—paid more than enough for one man to subsist on. That, in addition to his teacher's salary, made certain that he was never without a little gold in his savings account. Often, when making a deposit, he found himself wondering who the money would go to when he was dead. Hogwarts, perhaps. He had no one else.

These were Professor Snape's living arrangements when not at school, and he was at school for nine months out of the year.

It was only early summer, but he had fallen immediately into his routine. Each morning, he rose very early and had a strong cup of coffee whilst thoroughly reading the daily paper. He would then go about his reading, writing, and potion-making until mid-afternoon. A quick, unceremonious lunch was followed by whatever errands needed to be run, if any, and then it was back to his work. No matter the time of day, Snape preferred to keep himself busy. He was much more comfortable and useful that way. If he stopped for too long, he would only think of what was all too fresh on his mind.

This last school year, Harry Potter had attended Hogwarts for the first time. Snape had been his Potions instructor, in fact. It had all been a great deal of trouble. The boy had caused a general uproar, and already dark clouds were looming. The incident over the Sorcerer's Stone was gravely disconcerting, and Snape knew it was only to get worse. The Dark Lord was making his comeback.

Deep down, he knew he would do anything to protect Harry Potter. After all, he was Lily's child. Yet, despite that fact, the boy was too much like his father, and Snape found it next to impossible to grow overly fond of him for that reason. This year had been nothing but a terrible reminder of past wrongs and past sufferings.

He was just sitting down to a modest dinner when there was a knock on the door. When he opening it, Snape's spirit leapt, simultaneously breaking into a thousand pieces. Lily Evans Potter stood alive and well before him. She was thin and her clothes were dingy, but it was her.

"Hello, Severus."

Within an instant, he first wanted to lose consciousness, then he wanted to throw his arms around her and cry, but thankfully his senses returned.

"Stupefy!"

She slumped to the ground. Harry Potter, mouth agape, watched her fall, then looked back at his Potions professor.

"What did you do that for?" he asked incredulously.

"Potter!" Snape exclaimed in surprise. He paused to look at the boy, then stooped to pick up the woman. "She's an imposter."

"Are you sure?" Harry began to follow him into the house.

Snape paused and turned back to him, the woman in his arms. "She has to be."

He laid her on the couch and looked her over thoughtfully for a moment, his hand over his mouth. This was terrifically painful for him, and when he found out who was responsible for this trickery, the consequences would be dire.

Harry looked on silently as Snape began to try every disguise-lifting spell he could think of. Nothing worked; nothing changed. This magic was beyond him. He needed help.

His intense gaze turned to Harry, and he pointed at the woman. "Do not go near this person. Stand just as you are and watch her." Without further explanation, he strode from the room to make an urgent call.

A mere moment after Snape returned to Harry's side, the fireplace burst with green flame and Dumbledore stepped into the room. Harry's eyes widened in awe.

"I've tried all I know, Albus—" Snape began, but Dumbledore held up his hand.

"We shall come to that in just a moment, Severus," the old wizard replied, looking at the boy. "Harry. Do you wish to explain what you are doing with this woman?"

"I…I didn't believe it at first either, Professor…But it's my mother. I can feel it."

"You realize that you might have been put in grave danger by leaving with this person."

Harry still felt certain, but he looked down, unable to deny the danger in hindsight.

"But of course," said Dumbledore kindly, "we understand why you did."

"I certainly do not," interjected Snape.

"That'll do, Severus. Now, let us turn our attention to the individual in question."

All eyes turned to the figure on the couch. With some caution, Dumbledore approached and knelt at her side. He first did as Snape had done, casting a few spells to no effect. He then hovered his hand over her face and probed her mind. It took several minutes. The tension and suspense hung heavily in the air, slowly suffocating those who stood in it.

At long last, Dumbledore opened his eyes and stood.

"Well?" asked Harry and Snape together.

"I can find no sign at all that this woman is an imposter. As difficult as it is to believe…this is indeed Lily Potter."

Snape stepped forward. "That's impossible. I went there myself, Albus. I saw her body. Lily Potter is dead."

"And yet here she lies, asleep on your couch."

"Wake her. Bring her around at once. There must be an explanation."

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently, "come and wake her. Come, she is only sleeping now. Just give her a nudge."

Harry approached his mother timidly and patted her shoulder. "Mum…Mum, wake up."

Lily stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled weakly, "Harry." Her eyes then darted around the room, and she sat up to face everyone. Her look was friendly, but a bit shy. "Dumbledore…Severus…"

When she made eye contact with him, Snape had to employ every ounce of his self-control not to sink down and weep where he stood. Instead, he stood as tall as he could manage and took a deep breath.

"Explain," he commanded, his voice barely steady.

She looked down for a moment, a bit perplexed, but finally spoke. "Of course…you all must have a thousand questions. But I'm afraid…I may not be able to answer many of them…You see, for more than a decade, I have lived alone, trapped in a house somewhere by the seaside. A lone house-elf came over once a day to see to my needs and bring me a newspaper, but he would not speak to me. I had my wand, but it had been broken irreparably, and I was kept inside by some kind of powerful magical seal. It was only two days ago, after all this time…that I was finally able to walk out that door. I knew Harry was alive; I'd read it in the paper, so my first thought was to find him. After I had him…well, I wanted to go somewhere quiet and safe, and my mind turned to this place."

She looked up at Snape again, but he said nothing.

"How did you get to Surrey?" Dumbledore asked, "And for that matter, how did you acquire Harry from his aunt and uncle?"

"I stole two wallets and took a bus…I'm not proud of it, but I was desperate. As for my sister and her husband, they were more than willing to rid themselves of Harry, as long as I promised to leave immediately. It was neither kind nor responsible on their part, but I was glad to have my son back."

Harry smiled and put his hand on hers. "And now I have a mother," he said, smiling.

"How did you come to be in that house, Lily?" Snape had found his voice.

"…I know about that night, when my husband was killed…but I wasn't there."

"I saw you." Snape stepped forward. "I saw your body, Lily…I felt you."

"It…must have been someone else. It couldn't have been me. I had been kidnapped earlier that day…I have no idea who did it or why, but I was far away by the time—" She did not want to finish her sentence.

All were silent for a moment.

At length, Dumbledore spoke. "This is all a great deal to take in. And I'm sure we can all agree that, for the time being, we must be the only ones to take it in."

There was a general murmur of agreement.

"Now, it is quite late and I'm sure, Severus, that your guests are very tired. Let us allow them some rest."

"…I'll see to sleeping arrangements in a moment," Snape told them, "but I would first speak to you, Albus. Alone, if you…don't mind."

The two men stepped into the other room and spoke in hushed tones at the foot of the stairs.

"I expect you'll be looking into this very closely," Snape said drily.

"I expect we both shall be looking into this, Severus. In the meantime, we cannot risk the public finding this out. She must stay with you, at least over the summer. This place is relatively isolated from the magical community."

This was all too much to bear. "Albus…your logic may be sound enough, but have you forgotten my guilt in this? The last thing she deserves is to live in the house of the man who betrayed her." His voice remained low, but emotion was rising in it.

"Severus, she does not know the part you played. I imagine that you will tell her in due time, and she may come to forgive you. But in any case, on this arrangement I must insist, at least for the time being. She's safe here. Safer perhaps…than anywhere else on earth."

On that note, Dumbledore made his exit, leaving Snape to deal with this alone. After a brief pause looking into the fireplace, he turned to face his company.

"…Tomorrow I will clear the spare bedroom upstairs. For tonight, I can make up the couch for you, Lily, and the recliner for the boy. I apologize for the poor accommodations."

"Not at all, Severus," Lily replied graciously, standing to meet his gaze more properly. She held out her hand, and he took it, squeezing it a bit harder than he meant to. Her hand was warm. "I can't thank you enough for taking us in like this."

His words nearly faltered. "…Anything…anything you might need, you have but to ask."

Snape got the necessary pillows and blankets and such, and got them both settled. Putting out all the lights, he then climbed the stairs, entered his bedroom, locked the door behind him, and cried.