Chapter 11: Chat with Lily

The Golden Group was doing their summer homework in the library. They would have done it outside, but they were grounded.

"I can't believe I'm grounded." Ron groaned.

"I don't think your Mum truly knows why she grounded you." Hermione said. "It's only because Harry was grounded, so she figured you were in on it, and if Mrs. Potter thought it was worth grounding, then you would be grounded."

"True. If Mum knew the truth, forget grounded. I'd be dead." Ron said

"Ron's right." Harry agreed. "We were let off easy."

"No. Your dad was let off easy." Ron reminded him.

"No. Grandma chewed him out after Remus woke up a month ago." Harry said with a laugh.

"You know Harry." Hermione said leaning in. "I don't think the adults know you're a multi."

"I don't think so either." Harry agreed. "Let's try to leave it that way."

"That dirty rotten rat." Ron swore. "Ratting us out like that to You-Know-Who."

"He didn't rat US out." Hermione reminded him. "He ratted Mr. Potter out."

"Which Mr. Potter?" Harry asked. "There's three of us running around."

"James Potter." Hermione answered.

"I'm just teasing." Harry said.

"Shouldn't you three be working?" Lily asked from behind them.

"We are Mum." Harry said.

"Harry. Could I have a word with you?" Lily asked.

Harry turned to his friends who gave him sympathetic looks.

"Okay?" Harry said.

"Not here." She said.

0000

In the Owlery,

"I used to come up here to think all the time." Lily explained after seeing Harry's questioned look.

"I do it too sometimes." Harry said.

"Harry. I noticed that my grounding you is having little effect." Lily said with her arms crossed. "Care to explain?"

"Not really." Harry said. "I've had worse."

"Worse?" Lily asked "What did my sister do?"

"It wasn't her as much as Uncle Vernon." Harry explained. "And the most he did was lock me in my room for days at a time."

Lily was growing white as a sheet.

"Of course," Harry continued before he could stop himself. "for the first ten years, my room was the cupboard under the stairs."

"They didn't." Lily gasped.

"It's over now." Harry said. "Dumbledore once told me, "it does no good to dwell on dreams". The same goes for the past."

But Lily wasn't done.

"Did they ever lay a hand on you?" she asked.

"Just the occasional backhand." Harry said. "And they would reward Dudley for beating me up."

"I'm so sorry Harry." Lily said with tears in her eyes. "You were never meant to go there. If Sirius, Remus, or ... the other Marauder couldn't take you in, you were supposed to go to the Longbottoms. Your father wanted Dumbledore and McGonagall to take you in, but as teachers, it would have been too much to ask."

She then turned and looked out over the lake while leaning on the overlook.

"I should have just portkeyed us out of there that night instead of just standing there listening to the duel." She continued to herself.

"He still would have found us." Harry said as he joined her. "He had to mark someone. Besides, it freed the world from his reign of terror for thirteen years. It's a shame it had to end."

Both mother and son sighed.

"You DO understand why I grounded you, right?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Harry answered. "We did something dangerous and illegal. Actually, we think you let us off pretty easy."

"I did." Lily admitted.

"Care to explain?" Harry asked his mother.

"A number of reasons. One, it's to our advantage that you have this ability. Two, it's my first time grounding you. And three…a certain someone's birthday is coming up."

"Dad's?"

"Yours. You're father was born in March."

"Oh." Harry said after some thought.

"Did you forget your own birthday?" Lily asked with a grin.

"Yeah." Harry admitted. "It was never really celebrated. Just a few presents around midnight after I turned 11."

Lily frowned.

"I have GOT to start thinking before I speak." Harry said to himself with a wince.

"So," Lily asked changing the subject. "What's this I hear about your expertise in Polyjuice. According to Severus, you're decent in Potions, but not THAT much."

"He said I was decent? He hates my guts!"

"No. He hates your father's guts. You just happen to look like your father. We can blame genetics for that."

Harry had to laugh at that.

"I wonder what would have happened if I was sorted into Slytherin like the sorting hat wanted." Harry thought out loud

"Your dad would roll over in his grave." Lily answered with a laugh. "But back to the subject at hand. Polyjuice?"

"Hermione, Ron, and I brewed it in our second year." Harry admitted. "We wanted to know if Malfoy knew anything about the Chamber of Secrets, so Ron and I became Crabbe and Goyle."

"Three second years brew Polyjuice potion by themselves?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded.

"I didn't learn to make it until my seventh year." Lily said in amazement. Then she laughed.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I was just remembering when I made it." Lily said. "I became Sirius for an hour behind his back. Your father really opens up to him. I found out more than I wanted to know about him. Such as how his bigheadedness back in fifth year was only an act."

"Well, Ron and I found out that the Chamber had been opened before and a muggleborn died. Turns out, it was Myrtle." Harry said as he told his mother what he learned while under the influence of the potion

"You know Myrtle?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. We brewed the potion in her lavatory. Also, that's where the Chamber is. I can't say for sure, but I think she has a crush on me."

"Yeah. She has a thing for guys with messy black hair." Lily said.

Harry gave his mother a look.

"Back in fifth year, I…locked your father and his friends in her toilet." Lily admitted. "They had been giving Severus a hard time."

Harry's mouth dropped.

"YOU played that prank on the MARAUDERS to defend SNAPE?" Harry asked.

Lily nodded sadly. "My repayment, the next time I saw Severus, he called me a…"

She closed her eyes tightly at the memory.

Flashback

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

End Flashback

"He had been my first friend." Lily explained to her confused son. "Snape had lived down the street from us growing up. When my magic started showing, he explained everything to me. He just hung around the Slytherins too much."

"Oh." Harry said in understanding. "I never knew. The only real reason I hate Snape so much is because, basically, he hates me. I never saw any real reason to like him."

"Everyone deserves chances." Lily said. "I gave your father a chance. True it happened after six, almost seven, years, but I still gave him a chance. Look where it ended up."

"Yeah." Harry argued. "And you and Dad gave that rat a chance. Look where it ended up."

"True. But there's a difference. Your father and…the rat made different choices. Your dad took the chance as an opportunity to show me his true hidden self. Pettigrew choose to betray those who cared for him. He lost our trust."

"And Snape?"

"Snape…I gave him a chance. He blew it in our fifth year. However, Dumbledore has explained to us about Snape's position right now concerning the war. True, we will never be the best of friends again, but he is risking a lot. I'm considering giving him a second chance."

"Maybe I should talk to him." Harry thought out loud.

"Normally," Lily advised. "I'd say that would be the best thing. However, considering Snape's position and how well Voldemort is in Ligilimens, that probably wouldn't be wise. When this is all over, you may."

TBC