A/N: I spy drama. Yaaaay, drama!

It still shocks me how far behind my posting is behind my writing. If you guys are interested, I've already written up to the Christmas chapters in my notebooks… At the rate I'm posting, I'll get to them in December! (And no, this wasn't planned at all. Seriously.)

Image Song: The translated song today is Pangako, which is the Tagalog/Filipino word for promise. It's an old song by Ogie Alcasid, used in the drama Pangako Sa'Yo (lit. My Promise to You) and the more current drama Walang Hanggan (lit. Eternal).

Warnings: Yes, this is a crossover with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xXxHolic. You do not need to go and read/watch those series. Everything that needs to be explained will be explained. (Tsubasa's storyline was summarized in Movement 12.) You'll just have a smidge of an advantage if you know the gist of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xXxHolic.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP, TRC, xXxHolic, or the Image Songs. I only own Iris and Hana.

Melody of Magic

Written by Fenikkusu

Movement XIV – Promise

"Promises, once they are fulfilled, do they disappear like fog? Perhaps… but I believe that they place a new blanket of trust woven out from the strength of that promise."
~Haruka from Love Hina

Snape slowly blinked his eyes open as he came to. Where was he?

"You promised me something a long time ago. Don't you remember? Or have you truly forgotten about me?"

The voice was everywhere at once. The wizard pulled himself into a kneeling position and whipped his head around. There was no light anywhere, and a deep chill seeped into his bones.

"I guess I should give myself a pat on the back. Congratulations, me! You succeeded in making the one person—well one of the two—who truly cared about you to completely forget you existed!" A wry laugh followed, as if one was ringing a broken bell. "I can't help but feel sorry for myself, though. Ah, well. I guess it can't be helped."

There was a familiarity in the voice, one that Snape hadn't felt for quite a few years. Snape closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself down. The warm, comforting magic surrounded him, urging him to respond. The scent of flowers swirled about his form.

"H-Hana?" he whispered in disbelief. This wasn't possible… wasn't she dead? Wasn't she mute?

"Bingo." Snape took a step back and opened his eyes as a spark of light revealed itself to him. It gathered and bubbled until it created a humanoid shape. The light immediately dispersed. A young woman, looking to be about eighteen, stood in front of him. She wore that infamous lavender kimono, its obi barely touching the ground behind her. An amaranth pulled back long bangs behind one ear while butterfly clips kept any stray pieces away from her face. Amethyst irises glistened in the light she emanated.

"Hi, Sourpuss. How've you been?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You look like you haven't changed a bit. Minus the stress wrinkles and the streak or two of gray I see, that is." Hana shook her head. "Have you been worrying again?"

He didn't know what to do or what to say. How could she talk like nothing had occurred between them? Snape found himself, for the first time in eight years, completely speechless. "H-Hana, I…"

Hana unraveled her arms in order to whack Snape on the back of the head. "None of this bullshit, you hear me? Stop blaming yourself over something that was ultimately my decision."

Snape hissed, years of frustration coming forward. "Whoever it was that attacked the school that night was after me."

She gave him a pointed look. "And? I wasn't going to stand by and let you die. There's something that you have to realize, Severus, and realize well." Hana stepped forward, placing a hand on his cheek. Although there was warmth, there was no physical touch behind it. "There are people who love you. I know that this is hard for you to believe but you must. You need to accept the fact that both Lily and I care for you. She and I may have had our differences, but we put up with each other! We did it for your sake, Sourpuss."

He stood still, obsidian eyes wide with shock.

"Do you see now? Only took you a decade or two," Hana commented, trying to lighten the mood. She pulled away and twirled, spreading some of her light across the floor. "You've really gotten rusty, Sourpuss. Lighten up!"

"Hana." The sorceress stopped and looked at the man with curious amethyst eyes. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, shoot."

"That night… What did you mean by protecting something which was most precious to you?"

Hana frowned. "Isn't it obvious, Severus? It doesn't matter at this point." She turned her back to him. "Just forget what I said, okay? You're letting your past overshadow your present." As the girl began to walk away, Snape's hand shot out to grab her wrist. She refused to look at him. "Kindly let me go, Snape."

The shock at hearing his last name caused him to loosen his grip. Hana took the opportunity to wrench her wrist away. She glared at him, her purple eyes filling with an unrecognizable fire. Hana walked backwards, shaking her head. "If… If I have to spell it out for you, there wouldn't be a point to our meeting. Although I do have to admit…" Hana placed a hand on her mouth, her glare fading. "I did miss you, Sourpuss."

He was missed? What a funny thought. "Hey. No need to get all depressed on me, you hear? So I may be a little annoyed at you. You should know by now to not take what I say so seriously." Hana spun on her heel, clasping her hands behind her back. "In order to love someone else, you must first love yourself. Lucas needs someone to take care of him… he's quite the needy boy."

"H-how—"

Hana looked over her shoulder and smiled at Snape. His breath hitched; it was as if that small action could dispel the darkness surrounding them both. "Even in death, spirits dream. How else could we be talking right now?" The sorceress began to walk away from him. "Take care of Lucas and yourself, will you? You're worrying Lily and me sick."

Snape tried to reach out to pull her back but found himself immobile again. "Hana, wait!"

He didn't see the tears slipping down her cheeks as she walked away, leaving him alone in the darkness.

As soon as the tendrils of shadow encompassed Snape, Watanuki grabbed Lucas away from the door. A quick movement with his free arm and a muttered spell re-warded the room. The two boys slid backwards on the floor and hit a nearby wall with a hiss from Watanuki. Regardless of the pain, Watanuki's grip increased around Lucas.

And yet the boy struggled. He reached his hands to the now-locked door, his mouth opening and closing in silent screams. No! He promised that he wouldn't leave me. He said he would protect me!

The others rushed into the hallway at the crash. "What happened?" Syaoran asked, kneeling down next to the two and assessing their injuries. Kurogane had since drawn his sword, glaring at the seemingly harmless door. Fai stood to his right, magic sparking from his fingers.

"Hana wanted to talk to him alone," Watanuki said as he attempted to regain his normal breathing pattern. The wizard placed a calming hand on Lucas' fringe. "Shush. He'll be all right."

Lucas sat up with a glare. "How can you even say that?" he screamed telepathically. "They all say the same thing! Mama said it! Mommy said it! Even the Professor said it! Where are they now, huh? They're all gone and I'm alone and I don't wanna be alone…"

Watanuki's eyes softened. "Look around you, Lucas."

"I don't see wh—" At the even stare from Watanuki, Lucas huffed and did so. His gaze first landed on Syaoran, who smiled softly at him. He then turned his green gaze to Kurogane and Fai, who stood ready to protect him from whatever harm stole the Professor away. Lucas' frustration immediately vanished, causing him to bow his head in shame. "I didn't mean it like that…"

"I know you didn't, Lucas," Watanuki replied. "Now will you calm down and listen to us?" A tiny nod. "The Professor…" the teenager began, "The Professor is not a nice man, Lucas. You've been told this many times." Another nod. "His heart is strong, but it has been harmed many times." Watanuki gestured to the door with his head. "Hana and Lily, your biological mother, have tried their best to heal him. But in order for him to heal, in order for him to truly be ready to take care of you, he needs to realize a few things. Do you understand that?"

The boy nodded timidly. "Did Mama love him?"

Watanuki stayed silent for a moment. "It's hard to say, since I don't know the entire story. I don't want to give you false information, Lucas." He gathered his thoughts before continuing. "But perhaps… perhaps she didn't return his love in the same way."

Lucas blinked. "I don't get it."

"I didn't expect you to, Lucas, and I don't doubt a shred of your intelligence. It's one of those mysteries of the universe. Surely Iris taught you that."

Lucas woke up just in time to see the first snowfall of the season. He scurried to his Mommy's room to wake her, but the bed was already neatly made. Confused, he wandered into the main room of the loft. There he found Iris sitting on the bay window, staring out at the falling snow.

"Mommy?" Lucas dared to ask.

The woman didn't respond.

Lucas frowned and clambered up onto the other side of the window seat. The frown only grew at the far away gaze in her brown irises. "Mommy?" Lucas tried again, tentatively shaking a shoulder.

She blinked and shook out of whatever memory she was in. "Oh, good morning, Lucas!" Iris greeted with a tiny smile. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"'Bout what, Mommy?" He'd never once seen her let down her guard and look so… lost. Lucas crawled over and climbed into her lap. "I don't want you to be sad, Mommy. Can I do anything to help?"

Warm arms came to wrap around him. "I used to love a boy, a long time ago," Iris whispered, gaze still focused on the falling snow. "Today is his birthday."

"Where is he now?"

"Far, far away, Lucas. He's probably in England right now, teaching."

"If you love him so much, why isn't he here with you?"

Iris frowned, her grip only tightening around Lucas. "Because he loves someone else. I would never steal him away from her… she was my other best friend."

Silence encompassed them for a few moments. The boy snuggled closer to Iris. "Did… did you ever tell him how you felt, Mommy?"

A tiny giggle shook her form. It soon bubbled until a full drawn laugh echoed through the loft. That day, Lucas learned that you could cry even while laughing.

Could that boy have been… no, it wasn't possible, was it? Lucas buried his head in his hands. "Watanuki, my head hurts."

"A side-effect from the telepathy," was the murmur above him. "Syaoran, can you go into the kitchen and fetch the vial with the opaque liquid inside? The Headache Drought should alleviate his pain." Syaoran nodded and excused himself.

Kurogane looked over his shoulder at them. "Will the Kid be all right?"

"Yes. You can lower your guard now… both of you. I was shocked, is all," Watanuki placated. Fai helped both Watanuki and Lucas off of the floor. The boy was swept up into Kurogane's grip once he had resheathed his katana. "I don't know how long he'll be in there. We may as well make ourselves comfortable."

"What is that room, anyway?" Kurogane asked.

Fai answered, "You can call it a Room of Requirement. Whoever enters it will receive what he or she needs at the time. There's a similar room at Hogwarts, on one of the upper floors." He paused. "The magic used to create such a room is quite powerful, not to mention dangerous. Imagine… what would happen if someone wished for a weapon of mass destruction?"

Kurogane's eyes narrowed at the door. "Then the wards…"

"Must be even stronger," Watanuki finished. "They were only attuned to the Professor's magic, as well. Come, there's nothing more we can do now but wait."

Lucas whined. "I hate waiting."

Time escaped him in the Dreamscape. Snape couldn't recall how much time had passed since he had been left alone in the darkness. He only knew of the raging emotions he felt being amplified by being here. It took Snape quite some time to sort out what they actually were.

Confusion was the first. There were far too many questions to ask and no one to answer them. Sure, Snape was used to cryptic responses from Dumbledore, but at least they were responses. A sour taste lingered in his mouth; an answer was better than none at all. How in the world was Hana here, anyway? As much as Snape hated to admit it, even to himself, Hana was killed saving his life.

Oh, how he detested showing weakness. And the one time he did, it cost someone's life… or did it?

"Stop thinking so much," Hana started. Severus stilled. "That's better. Now pay attention to what I'm about to say." She took a deep breath before moving her hand to his cheek. "We all have secrets, and I'm not about to pry into yours. If you feel like sharing, well…" Hana pulled away and turned her head to gaze at the full moon which wasn't obscured by any clouds tonight. "I'm not about to leave you like Lily did."

Severus also turned his eyes to the sky. "It was my fault that she broke off our friendship. I called her a Mudblood."

That caused Hana to nearly snort. "Please. If she were truly your friend, she would have blown off the steam by now and come back to you. In my opinion, she's completely smitten by that Potter fellow in your year." She shook her head. "Lily doesn't know what she's missing. How often does one come across someone like you: a boy who doesn't care for all the trivial matters?"

"Not many share my childhood."

"True," Hana interjected. "But at least you're alive, Severus. That's what matters."

Severus paused at the sadness coating the girl's words. Usually she would speak in a neutral tone. Even though Severus had known Hana for the past four years, come to think of it, he didn't know her much at all. When he glanced at her, he was shocked by the tears dripping from her eyes. "Hana…"

Snape raised a hand to his head. What did she mean by 'at least you're alive'? Was she trying to tell me that she herself wasn't? He took his cold palm off of his head and stared at it. She was flesh and blood just the same. But the emotions in her eyes said otherwise. Before that point, Hana had never shown open emotion in front of me or Lily.

That left another problem: Lily. Were the dead truly able to view those who were living? Snape knew of the ghosts at Hogwarts – how could he forget about Peeves? – and there was no spiritual aura which surrounded him. Snape would easily be able to detect if there were ghosts keeping vigil around him, so that eliminated that possibility. He reached into the corners of his mind to attempt to pull out some more information. Ghosts and spirits were not congruent, but they had similar aspects. Whereas ghosts and spirits both had unfinished business, usually, spirits were not as tangible as ghosts were.

Then there was the issue of the room he was pulled into. How is it that it held a physical representation of the Dreamscape? Or was it just that Snape was slowly going insane? He wouldn't so quickly eliminate that possibility. He released a long breath. This is far too much information for me to sort through right now.

His head snapped up as he began to hear simple and familiar music echo through the Dreamscape. This was a piano, its sound clear and crisp. Although Snape couldn't put a finger on what exactly the song was, he knew there was some connection to Hana and Lily there. Without knowing exactly where he was going, Snape began to walk. He chose to close his eyes in order to ignore the confining blackness and focus upon the melody. With each step Snape found himself relaxing even more, the stress and confusion of his thoughts fading away.

"Why is it, that there's sadness in your eyes?
Is it because you don't want me with you, my love?
Don't you notice that I have feelings for you?
I hope you'll listen to my voice…"

Snape paused. That voice didn't belong to Hana. The enunciation was different, as there was an English accent. He gulped; there was only one other person… His heart began to beat faster and faster as he began to run toward the source of the singing.

"And now I am uneasy,
For my heart is lonely.
I hope you take good care of it,
And keep in mind one promise."

He found his knees buckling without his permission when he opened his eyes. White and red greeted his vision. Two figures sat at a small baby grand piano. Hana was obviously the one playing the melody, but as for the person singing… From his position, Snape could only see a wave of red hair cascading down a white-robed back. Hana nodded as she continued to play, not daring to look back at Snape again.

When emerald eyes so familiar turned to gaze at him fondly, Snape knew. Lily smiled gently and stood from the piano bench. She opened her mouth and continued to sing.

"I promise I'll never leave you.
I promise I'll never neglect you.
I promise you'll no longer be alone.
I promise that from now on,
The two of us, will be together."

"L-Lily?" Snape asked, internally cursing at his weakness.

The redhead nodded and knelt down in front of the man, that infernal smile still present. The smile only waned slightly when she placed a hand on the exact spot where Snape felt a headache beginning. "Thank you," Lily whispered.

"What?"

The smile returned. "If it were not for you, Harry would have died the night James and I did. If it were not for you… begging to the Dark Lord to spare my life, my sacrifice would have been in vain. Voldemort—" Lily continued, ignoring the flinch at the name, "would have killed me without giving me the choice to live. Do you understand now, Severus?"

To be completely honest, he didn't. It was then he realized that Hana had stopped playing. She too, came to kneel down next to Snape. Hana caught his gaze and explained, "Lily would not have been a willing sacrifice had you not convinced Voldie to give her the choice of whether or not to protect Harry. L-love is ancient magic, Severus… even now, even Wishgranters like Watanuki, my mother, and even me don't understand. I've personally given up trying to figure it out."

Lily whacked Hana on the shoulder. "You liar."

Hana pouted. "I am not lying! Sheesh." She stood. "I'll leave you two to catch up. Bye, Sourpuss." Hana vanished before Snape could grab her again.

Lily sighed and shook her head. "She's always running, avoiding. That much hasn't changed much since we were together in school." A gentle touch turned his head so that he was looking into pristine emerald eyes. "I don't have much time left to speak to you here, Severus. I'm quite tired, myself." She leaned in and pressed a small kiss to the crown of Snape's head. When Lily pulled back, she whispered, "Take care of my son for me, will you? I know you have been… but there are hard times afoot. Isn't Christmas in a few days?"

Snape dumbly nodded.

"Keep a close eye on him, Severus. Whoever attacked you in Iris' loft hasn't given up their search for him." Lily's countenance contorted into one filled with pain. "As a spirit, I can't do enough. We can only watch, observe, and give what little answers we can through dreams. Try to keep yourself and my son out of trouble, will you?" Snape couldn't find the strength to move when Lily stood. "Take care, Severus."

A woosh of wind. Snape blinked and found himself sitting in a sparsely-furnished room, save for the baby grand he saw Hana playing on only a few moments ago. A crash caused him to whip his head around. At the entrance of the double doors, he saw a shivering little boy with tears streaming down his face. Before Snape got a chance to react, Lucas ran into the room and threw his arms around Snape's neck. He clung with all his might, and Snape could feel the tremors which wracked the tiny body.

He found himself wrapping his arms around the boy as well. By this point, the reaction was only natural, and Snape decided to stop, at least for the moment, thinking about the consequences. This was Lily's son. This is what he needed to protect. This was the promise that he needed to keep.

Severus didn't need to see the pair of smiles behind him to know that both Hana and Lily were there. Now he knew… now he knew there were people who truly cared about him. And perhaps, perhaps he could give that same feeling of security to the little boy wrapped up in his arms.

"Told ya, Lils," Hana said to the woman next to her, in a realm beyond what Lucas and Severus could hear and see, "He just needed a bit of reassurance, is all."

Lily nodded, and the two disappeared.