Seeing Thestrals

Harry sat in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the headmaster to to return. He had a question he wanted to ask the old wizard, one that he had wanted to know the answer to for quite a while. He amused himself by watching the thestrals wheel over the grounds out Dumbledore's window. Finally, the headmaster entered the office.

"Lemon drop?" He offered with his usual twinkle.

"No, thank you, sir. I've actually got a question for you." Harry said, going back to his seat from the windows.

"What is it, my boy?"

"Well...why didn't I see the thestrals my first year? I mean, I saw my mother die when I was little, even though I don't really remember it. Why only this year, after Cedric..."

"Good question, my boy. The answer, I'm afraid, is rather complicated." Dumbledore twinkled at him. "This may take a while."

Nodding, Harry settled back into his chair. "Please."

"Now, muggles have a different definition of dead than wizards do. For a muggle, death is no brain activity and no heartbeat. The same is true of wizards, except for a wizard to be truly dead, they must also have no magic. In this respect, Lily Potter is not dead."

"What?! My mum's alive?"

"No. Not really, Harry. You see, the ancient magic of sacrifice that she invoked to protect you from Voldemort was not accidental. Your mother, as I'm sure you know, was very good at Charms. She distracted Voldemort for a couple seconds, while casting a little-known charm." Harry's mind involuntarily recalled the sound of his mother's voice, pleading for his life to the Dark Lord. That had been a distraction? Dunbledore continued. "It had an effect similar to that of a Horcrux--a very Dark spell--except, of course, the Charm was a very Light one. It is called Agape Charm.(1) It uses a strong sense of love to bind the magic of one witch or wizard to the one they love, shielding them from their greatest enemy."

"Voldemort."

"Exactly. Lily's magic is not gone, as it must be for a wizard to be truly dead. It's in you, shielding you, from Voldemort."

"So...is there any way I could..."

"Bring her back? No. There's more to a wizard or witch than just magic. I'm sorry, Harry."

"It's okay..."

"When you were born," Dumbledore said, changing topics, "You didn't have green eyes. They were blue. But after Voldemort came and your parents died, they were green. The exact same shade as your mother's. You really do have Lily's eyes, Harry. I think that the charm left it's own sort of mark, like the scar. Wherever you go, Harry, your mother will be with you, in your eyes, protecting you."

Harry felt all choked up. His mother was with him, watching over him. "Thank you, sir. I...can I be dismissed now?"

"Of course."

Harry left Dumbledore's office and went out on the grounds. He sat at the edge of the lake, watching the thestrals wheel overhead with his mother's green eyes.

(1) Agape--which is pronounced like "aGApae" is the Greek word for a type of love characterized by sacrificial giving.

When I was reading about thestrals in the books, it occurred to me that Harry had seen people die before—specifically, his mother. So shouldn't he have been able to see thestrals all along? This was a random little fic that popped into my head late on night. It's up for adoption, of course, if anyone wants it.

~Slvrstar