Chapter Eleven Lily
Snape was sitting at the bonfire and glaring at it as if that would make things happen more quickly. He looked up to see Yuri staring at him, a pipe stuck his mouth, the smoke from it curling into his squinting eye.
"It is time," the man said.
Snape jumped to his feet and turned to Hagrid. "Are you coming?" he asked.
Hagrid was also at the fire sipping at a bowl of tea. "No, Professor sir," he nodded, solemnly, "I'll be staying with Yuri an 'is people fer awhile. You go on."
Snape stood contemplating him for a moment and said quickly, "I'll see you then in a short time, Professor Hagrid."
Hagrid stopped in his motion of bringing his bowl of tea up to his mouth and blushed red.
Snape turned and followed Yuri to one of the wagons.
The Rom opened a wagon door into the dark interior of the wagon. Snape stood looking in and then at Yuri. Several of the other Rom stood by. Yuri motioned him in, "Step in and we will follow," he said.
Snape, not sure what to expect, had reached in his pocket and had his hand over his heart and his wand. He stepped in and stepped through the door of No.#12 Grimmauld Place. He heard a scream from the sitting room and had time to glance back and see Yuri and the other two men step through the door behind him.
He rushed towards the sitting room. Sitting around a table, holding hands, were Granger, Weasley, Potter and Mariah. Harry was bent back over his chair his head back, his eyes wide and his mouth open in a twisted scream. That was not where the sound he had heard came from. Mrs. Weasley was holding on to the door at the entrance to the room, her eyes wide and the strangled scream coming from her throat.
Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were pressed back into their chairs as well. Both had horrific, terrible expressions on their faces as if they were seeing something almost unbearably horrible. The only one that seemed at peace at all was Mariah who sat holding hands with the others; her eyes closed.
Snape hurried into the room, unsure about what to do. Yuri followed, saw what was happening and moved behind Mariah. He closed his eyes, placed his hands on her shoulders and then looked up. He motioned to Molly Weasley to enter the room.
"Are you the mother of this one?" he asked nodding to Ron.
She nodded in reply, still speechless.
"Hurry," he said. "Put your hands on him and call to him. They are lost and they need a mother's hand to guide them back. Be strong now," he said.
Molly Weasley stared and then seemed to pull herself together. She nodded and stepped behind Ron and put her hands on him. Almost instantly her eyes closed and she too, looked shocked and terrified.
"Call to him!" Yuri said.
"Ron!" Molly yelled. "Ron it's your mother. I'm here. Right here!"
It was but a moment and Ron's face smoothed into that of one who sees his rescuer. "Mother?" he cried.
Snape watched as her presence seemed to effect each person that held the other's hand. One-by-one they relaxed, heads dropped and shoulders slumped. He noticed that the last was Harry, who had spittle running from his slack mouth. When the effect reached him, he took a deep breath and slumped, falling from his chair and breaking the bond of joined hands.
Snape caught him and looked at Yuri.
The man smiled, stepped back and looked down at the head of Mariah. "She is a powerful Rom witch," he said smiling.
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As always Harry was a little chagrined at finding himself waking up in a bed somewhere, having lost some time and always feeling like it was a sign of weakness. The room was dark and he assumed that he was in his bed. He opened his eyes to the dark.
A tap on the door and the light of a candle drew his eyes to the door. "Harry are you awake?" It was Remus.
Harry sat up and said, "Yes, come in."
Lupin entered the room, sat the candle on the side table and handed Harry a hot cup of coffee. Harry smelled it and smelled something besides coffee. Lupin smiled at him and waved a hand, "Thought you might need a little something extra."
Harry sipped and tasted alcohol. Several mouthfuls and he felt the warmth of it rush through him. He scooted up and leaned against a pillow. "The others, are they alright?" he asked, quietly.
Lupin nodded and sat in a chair he'd pulled up to the bed.
"I'm glad it's you Remus and not…not Snape or someone," Harry managed. "At least not yet."
Lupin looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "Hermione and Ron have filled us in a little as to what was going on. It was a foolish thing to do you know, don't you Harry?"
Harry glanced at him. He knew that Remus wasn't angry, just concerned. "Did they tell you all of it?" he asked.
Remus nodded again.
Harry also nodded, "She's not finished you know. Mother…she's still not finished telling me what she wants me to know. And she'll keep on trying to find ways to get through. If it's not Mariah, it'll be something else." He said it and almost immediately the bed began to rock of it's own accord. Harry slipped the tea to the table and held on. Remus looked at him and then the bed, stunned.
"You see!" Harry said. He looked behind Lupin and saw writing appear on the surface of the mirror. "Look! Look behind you!"
Lupin spun on the chair, his hand on his wand and stared. Words were forming: Please help him Remus, it read. Lupin stood and walked to the mirror, placing a hand against its cool surface. "Lily?" he asked. His face was a study of longing and sadness and puzzlement.
Like Hermione had been with Mariah before, Remus stared at the mirror looking skeptical and finally asked, "How do I know it's you? Is it truly you?"
Harry saw him gasp and take a step back. When he did he could see a faint misty figure begin to form. He slid off the bed and walked to the mirror, standing beside Lupin. The form never solidified, but was clearly his mother.
"Harreeee," a voice drifted to them from some far away place.
"Mother?" Harry reached for the mirror and placed his hand on it, then leaned in and pressed his forehead to it. "Mother."
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They sat in silence for almost a half hour. Remus had turned his chair to look at the mirror which was now clear and empty of anything but his reflection. Harry sat beside him on the bed sipping at the cold coffee-brandy liquid. His head was down and he was feeling calm.
"Was Snape there when Hermione and Ron told you what we saw?" Harry asked.
Lupin nodded and continued to stare at the mirror. His eyes, however, were unfocused. He swung his head around. "Yes. I think he knew most of it Harry, or least had guessed. he was conscious through some of it before Sirius got him to the street."
Harry sat the cup aside. "I'm sorry about your parents," he said.
Lupin took a breath and smiled, "It's alright Harry. Those are very old wounds, mostly healed I think." He turned back to the mirror. "She was an amazingly brave woman wasn't she? Your mother."
Harry knew he was speaking of his mother. "Yes."
Lupin turned back to him and they stared at each other.
"He's peeking," Harry said suddenly. "Voldemort. When we were in a trance, he was listening in on our thoughts. I think they are still very faint to him and probably don't make sense, but he is listening."
"Yes, what you did was very dangerous." Lupin stood and said, "I can understand now how this might attract you; seeing your dead mother and all." He was looking at the mirror.
"Attract me?" Harry said curtly. "Is that what you think? That I want to see her again because I miss her?" He stood angry for the first time. "Did you read her words? She is asking you to help me."
Lupin nodded again, and answered, "Yes, I see that. But if these visions or trances or whatever lead Voldemort to you, he will kill you. And Harry," he placed a hand on his shoulder, "there is nothing we can do to stop him."
"Yes, but," Harry argued, "she is trying to tell me something; how to kill him. I know it, I just know it!"
"If he reaches you first, it will not help," Lupin said kindly.
Harry dropped to the bed, frustrated and incensed. "So you won't help?"
Lupin sat beside him, folded his hands and remained silent for a minute. "I want to help but we must think this through. So far all we know is that Madeleine Snape taught your mother how to use an ancient blood curse. When Lily-your mother- heard the prophecy from Pettigrew…" Remus glanced at Harry, "yes, we know it was he that told her. When she heard it she thought it was about you. She went to Dumbledore and convinced him to help her perform the charm." Lupin watched him carefully.
"Dumbledore helped her?" Harry asked, quietly. "Then he knew that to use it she would have to sacrifice her life." He looked again at the mirror.
Remus nodded. "Yes. He told me today when I went to him. Your mother was desperate to protect you and she did. The truth is Harry, your mother could be very persuasive when she wanted to be."
He nodded, feeling a tiredness take over. So many things, so many secrets. He stared at the man at his side.
"Knowing that she used the charm doesn't help," Remus continued. "We know it was meant to kill Voldemort when he tried to kill you but it didn't work."
"Does Dumbledore know why it didn't kill him?" Harry asked.
Lupin shook his head. "No."
"Then we must let my mother continue." Harry said and stood, looking down at Lupin. "She knew he would kill her and she was willing to let that happen so I could live. I can't just stand around waiting until he kills me off. She's trying to tell me that. She trying to tell you that too." He clenched his fists in exasperation. "We can't let her sacrifice be in vain."
Harry felt that if the mirror writing, his mother's appearance and his own words could not make Lupin agree then he would go it alone. Lupin seemed to read it in his face too.
"I know what you are thinking," Remus said, standing, too. "Just give us some time to think about this, will you? Severus and I, and now maybe even Mariah and her people; let us talk about it?"
Harry searched Lupin's face and saw the sincerity and nodded. "Alright."
"Let's go down for some dinner, alright?" Lupin asked.
Harry followed him to the door. "How is Snape doing?" he asked finally.
Lupin turned to him at the door, "One never knows what to expect with Severus. Let's hope that some of the anger has washed away. Then again, he may feel like he's had his life exposed to the world or he may not. Who knows? I think it wise to go gently with him."
Harry nodded again and they descended the stairs together.
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Everyone sat at the table eating quietly and not speaking. Mariah and Yuri and his two companions were gone. However, Molly, Snape and Remus had stayed behind with Hermione and Ron and Harry.
Harry broke the silence. "I'm not going back to school this term. I'm not going back to Hogwarts."
Hermione looked up from her plate and gasped, Ron frowned, Molly Weasley stared and Lupin was the first to speak. "You think that wise, Harry?" he asked.
Harry knew what he was referring to. Lupin thought that their discussion in the bedroom would put him off.
"I need to be in this house," Harry said and continued to eat. "It belongs to me now. Sirius adopted me and that means he left this house to me. I'm staying."
It looked like Lupin was about to argue with him when Snape set his fork down. He was at the end of the long table and Harry at the other.
"No," he said simply, but firmly, "You won't." The dark eyes glared down the table and met his own.
"What's to stop me?" Harry asked, laying his own fork down. It was very much like laying the gauntlet down.
"No, you won't," Snape said again. "You are not of age yet and you must have a guardian."
"I don't need a guardian," Harry snapped. "And who would that be anyway? It seems I've run out of people to be my guardian."
"I have applied for guardianship and Dumbledore sent the proper paperwork through this evening." Snape said calmly.
Lupin stared at him and laid his own eating utensil down. "Now, see here Severus..."
Snape glared at him and then looked down the table at Harry. "You will be on the Hogwarts Express, as is customary, on September first, exactly thirty-eight days from today."
"I will be sixteen on my birthday which is July 31!" Harry said. "In case you aren't aware of it, I don't need you, I will make my own decisions."
Snape stood and the two glared at one another. Harry turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He walked into the sitting room and took his arm, stretched it out and started to clear off the tops of tables. He threw a chair over, reached for a vase and dropped it. He moved from one side of the room to another kicking, throwing and shouting. "I hate it here. I feel like a prisoner!"
When he turned from clearing off the mantel he saw, instead of Lupin, Snape standing at the door. He was leaning against it with his arms folded over.
"What?!" Harry shouted. "This is my house I can do whatever I please!" He rushed past Snape into the hallway and strode down to the front entrance. Pulling out his wand he yanked the curtains aside and faced the shriveled, hideous black eyes of Mrs. Black. Before she could open her mouth, Harry pointed his wand and shouted, "INCENDIO!"
The portrait burst into flame, and Mrs. Blacks normal screams turned into shrieks.
"GO TO HELL!" Harry shouted back. "GO WHERE YOU BELONG! BURN!"
The flames were leaping quickly to the ceiling when Snape rushed up and pushed him aside. He pointed his own wand which sent jets of water over the fire. The flames were put out and the picture hung smoldering on the wall. Harry noticed with satisfaction that the face of the woman was entirely burned away.
Snape turned to him his jaw working as he gritted his teeth and hissed, "Finished or would you like to burn the whole house down?"
Harry was inches away from Snape's face. "And if I did, would you stop me?" he dared.
Snape remained silent although Harry could tell that he wanted to say something.
"You should be right beside me helping me burn it to the ground," Harry growled. "This is where she died- in this house. This is where your own mother took her life so that you could live. Doesn't that count?"
Snape drew himself up to his full height. Harry thought that the man would be enraged, instead he put his wand in his breast pocket and said calmly, "We may never know what secrets this house may reveal to us if you burn it to the ground now. When the right day comes Potter, I will be the first to set it afire."
Harry stared into the eyes and dropped his own wand arm. Snape turned and started off down the hall. "Professor," he said softly, "your mother was a beautiful woman. I wish I could thank her for helping my mother." The man stopped for a moment and then continued on down the hall. Harry looked at the portrait and whipped the scorched curtains back over the black hole.
At least Mrs. Black, you won't be opening your big mouth anymore, he thought and turned and followed Snape.
