Later when she asked him, Severus would tell Lily that she cried for nearly half an hour. At the time, however, it felt much longer; to Lily it felt like an eternity of hitching breaths and pouring tears. She brushed away any attempts at medical assistance, saying that Severus needed help instead. And not even Dumbledore's offer of a royal blue handkerchief embroidered with silver stars had made her feel any better.
Immediately after the battle had ended, Dumbledore had transported them to Hogwarts. Lily and Severus had gone to the infirmary to get treatment, as did several of the other mutants who had been with the professor. She didn't know where anybody else was, but Dumbledore came by to tell her that they'd brought her parents as well, that they were waiting in his office.
They wanted to talk. Everybody did. And Lily didn't feel like speaking to anyone about what had just happened, not even to Severus. Talking about the pain, she felt certain, would only make the wound deeper, make Petunia's betrayal all the more real. For just a few hours more, she wanted to block the thoughts out of her mind, rationalize them to herself, let herself feel anything other than the despair and anger she was sure would follow. But the conversation was a necessary one, so when her tears had dried a little and Severus was feeling better, they made their way up to the gargoyle.
"Licorice twist," Severus said, echoing the phrase Dumbledore had given them, and the gargoyle sprang aside. "Are you alright Lily?" He asked with a soft look of concern.
She only shook her head.
When they reached the top of the stairwell, Dumbledore gestured for them to sit. Lily's parents were already in a pair of high backed chairs in front of the desk. Off to the side sat the Professor in his wheelchair.
"I am sure the course of today's events have left you very confused," the elder wizard began.
"I don't… I don't understand. I thought things were getting better." Tears sprang to her eyes again. "I thought she really loved me."
"Petunia has fallen sway to a very dangerous man," the Professor spoke up. "During the absence you told me about, it is clear that a significant portion, if not the entirety, of it was spent in the tutelage of a mutant terrorist known as Magneto."
"Terrorist?" Lily paled.
The Professor glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded.
"I do not wish to alarm you, Lily," Xavier said in a gentle tone. "But you must be aware of the gravity of the situation Petunia has become involved with. Magneto believes, as some wizards do, that there are superior and lesser races. That humans belong to this lesser race and, because of the persecution that some humans have committed against mutants, the entire race must be destroyed in order for mutants to live in peace. He rejects any ideas of cooperation or coexistence." A rueful look crossed his face. "For Magneto, there is only black and white, those who deserve to live and those who do not. And he is willing to commit acts of unimaginable violence to bring his world into being."
"And Petunia agrees with him," Lily said dryly, hearing Severus shift uneasily next to her.
"Petunia… Petunia is at a very vulnerable point in her life," Xavier said carefully. "Developing powers without knowing their exact nature, being isolated from others like her. To someone alone and frightened, Magneto's doctrine can sound very appealing. And of course there is the element of getting to be a part of a group, of being made to feel special." He looked at Dumbledore. "The Headmaster told me of her letter. Of her desires. And from what I gather, that never truly went away."
"She wanted to be a wizard so much," Lily murmured. "But there wasn't anything anybody could do."
"Not quite. There was an emptiness, a longing." He frowned. "And Magneto seems to have filled that absence for her."
"But what can we do about it?" Lily asked, voice cracking. "Is that it? Is she gone forever? Can't you find her?"
He shook his head. "If we knew where Magneto was, matters would be very different. But we do not. If we ever do, though, we will gladly make whatever attempts we can to rescue her."
"But she'll fight," Lily said. "Like today. If you found them, would you…"
Professor X looked rueful. "You faced her today. You know how dangerous she is. We never seek to kill, try to limit harm. But if she fights, if we are left with no other option…"
Lily's throat grew constricted.
"I never thought something like this could happen," Mrs. Evans suddenly cried. "Growing up, Petunia was such a good girl! And when she ran away, we didn't think that… we thought it was simply adolescent acting out. That she had gotten past it."
"I'm sorry Mum," Lily added, the tears starting afresh. "I should have paid more attention. I should have picked up on the fact that something was wrong!"
"This wasn't your fault Lily!" Snape broke in with conviction. "You showed her all the affection you could, but Petunia had to make her own choices!"
"As we all do, Mr. Snape."
The raven-haired boy swiveled to see Dumbledore's bright blue eyes gazing into him and he felt a brief flush.
"But I am afraid there is more," Dumbledore went on.
"More?" Lily croaked.
Again, Xavier and Dumbledore exchanged a look.
"We have reason to believe that Magneto is working, to some extent, with the Death Eaters," Dumbledore sighed.
"What!" Lily gasped and Severus pressed his lips together.
"We do not yet know the extent of the relationship," Xavier added. "But at least one member of their group has been in touch with the werewolves that Voldemort consorts with. And we believe there has been at least one meeting of the two leaders."
"Magneto knows about wizards. And our existence would be reason for concern and caution on his part," Dumbledore went on. "But his sources of information would have necessarily been limited to what they gained from Voldemort…"
"Until now," Severus finished.
"Until now?" Lily looked at her companion. "No. No… no, you don't think…"
"She went to Diagon Alley with us," Severus hissed. "She was always asking questions. She clearly knew how to grow dangerous magical plants in that battle we had."
"You think she was spying," Lily said in a flat, emotionally blank tone.
"It explains much of her behavior. I don't think there is much doubt…"
"I want to go to bed," Lily interrupted. She went to her mother and father, embraced them. "Can I stay in my dorm room for tonight? Just tonight. I don't want to… I need to think."
He father nodded. "Of course, of course. Professor Dumbledore?"
"Professor McGonagall will be in your Common Room Ms. Evans. Your parents may accompany you there if you wish. I assume you will want to spend the night here as well, Mr. Snape?" He asked as the Evans' left.
"I have one more question. How did you know there was a fight so large? There were so many Aurors…" He grew pale. "Are we going to get into trouble for using magic?"
"That is more than one question," Dumbledore said, the edges of his lips curling. "No, you will not get into trouble. As to our response," he said, "that was not entirely a product of the magic you and Ms. Evans were using."
"What do you mean?"
Dumbledore gave him a long, penetrating look and Severus felt the uncomfortable sensation that he was being judged. Dumbledore looked at Professor Xavier as well, who also seemed to be evaluating him. After a long, silent length of time had passed, Dumbledore went to his desk and drew out a piece of parchment, setting it in front of Snape.
"As you know, when magical children are born, a book at Hogwarts automatically records their names. This is true for many magical societies. Whenever a child of magical talent comes into this world, certain wards are made aware of it.
This is a copy of a page from the Durmstrang Institute from around two decades ago."
At the top of the page the word "Wand" had been scrawled. Then what seemed to be an explosion of ink covered and dribbled down the rest of the page.
"Wand." Snape read. "Wand? What does it mean?"
"Our… presumption is that it is incomplete," said Xavier. "I have discussed the matter with Dumbledore and our suspicions are in accord. If they are correct, it means that you and your friend were not the only magic users earlier today."
"It seems to be the start of the name, written as the child was born and then, for lack of a better word, disrupted." Dumbledore looked down at the page. "That it is not the word 'wand' that the quill was writing, but the name Wanda."
Snape fell silent, a heaviness seeping into him. "Anything that could disrupt magic like that…"
"It would have to be very powerful, Mr. Snape. And indeed, the wards that detected your spells and Ms. Evan's were lit up not long after with a wave of power stronger and more out of control than any I have seen in many years." A distant look crept into his eyes and Snape's nausea grew.
"Uncontrolled magic? Are you saying that one of those people fighting us was a wizard?"
"Not a wizard per se, but someone in possession of the same kind of magic. Only raw, untrained, and mixed with a mutation." Professor X drew closer. "Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, is Magneto's daughter. She is an excessively dangerous mutant. We believe she is one of the few influences that causes Voldemort to take Magneto seriously." He paused. "You understand how very serious and sensitive this information is, Mr. Snape?"
Dumbledore looked at him gravely. "If Lily is involved due to her sister, you both must be aware of the risks. Share with her what is necessary. But keep in mind that any information in a situation as delicate as the one we are all in can become dangerous. Do you understand my meaning?"
A curt nod, and then he stood. "I want to see Lily now."
"Then you are excused."
After he left, Xavier looked at Dumbledore.
"You are sure we may trust him?"
"Are you?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I have been a poor judge of character in the past," Xavier whispered. "Blind."
"As have I." He paused. "But Mr. Snape's attachment to Ms. Evans has grown due to the loss of her sister."
"Emotional attachment can be cast aside, a casualty in the quest for power and influence. Even very deep emotional attachment."
Dumbledore looked at the man with pity.
"Charles. Our mistakes have been of a similar nature. But we have both learned something from them." He placed a reassuring hand on the other man's shoulder. "And dangerous though he may be, there is some difference between seeking safety through violent means and being purely power mad. Our opponents are both dangerous. But some are more dangerous than others. Erik is not Gellert; and he is not Tom."
"I doubt their victims see the difference. But your point is taken." He wheeled himself over to the fire and sighed. "Such a delicate balance that must be struck. Sometimes it is difficult to hope."
"Have faith," Albus said. "It seems hard, but one must. In people like Lily and Severus. And even in people like Petunia."
OOO
Petunia woke up and found herself in her bed, Toad sitting on the footboard.
"Feeling better?"
"How did I get here?" She sat up and looked around.
"You were still sleeping when the plane landed so I carried you in." He blushed. "I hope you don't think it was inappropriate."
She smiled. "No. Thank you. I needed the rest."
He returned her smile with his normal, too-wide, disconcerting grin. It was the best smile Petunia thought she'd seen in a long, long time.
"Did everybody else make it back alright?" She asked, getting out of the bed and picking out clothes to change into.
"Yeah, a couple scrapes here and there but mostly we got off easy. Thanks to you."
"Thanks to me," she scoffed. "I caused the problem to begin with." She shook her head. "I should have handled the situation myself."
"Well… well I'm just glad you're back. Whatever the reason."
She stopped going through shirts and gave him a smile, bright and fresh as the flowers she made bloom.
"Me too, Morty. Me too."
OOO