EDIT; JESUS CHRIST, this is long. Sorry guys! If it wasn't already a chapter, I'd make it two. Buut, this is just an edit, so this is a ridiculously long chapter for you! Enjoy!

I told you I'd fix this one day :'))

Chapter Twenty-Six - Albus Severus

Jessica was breathless. Her chest was tight. All breath, all feeling, all life had been knocked out of her.

But still, the tears came.

She hadn't even known Fred. But to see his brothers desperately trying to hold it together, to see George - happy, carefree, joke-cracking George actually crying... it was something that nobody should ever have to see. That said, he deserved to cry - he had just witnessed the death of his own twin brother.

Only two people weren't crying. Gently - because he was a heartless, evil death eater who didn't have the capacity to care for anything but himself - and Percy - who seemed to have frozen solid, his face so white it looked green and his eyes wide and staring. In some ways, this scared Jessica more than the sight of the rest of the adults crying.

She wanted the memories to stop now. She wanted it all to end. She wanted nothing more than to just go home.

But as a new scene formed around them all, she knew she wasn't going to get what she wanted.

They were outside; the fierce night air swirled around them, the stars shining down as if nothing had ever happened, the Whomping Willow standing tall infront of them, suddenly falling still. Looking around, she could just make out three black silhouettes in the moonlight, heading their way down under the tree and into the Shack which Jessica now knew stood at the end of the tunnel. For the first time since the previous memory, somebody spoke.

"We're not all going to fit. Albus, Lily, James, Jess - you go. I suppose this is really our family, nobody else's. I'll follow."

So Jessica led the other children down the tunnel along with Albus, Harry following the convoy close behind, leaving the adults to dry their tears. Finally, they saw a light, and Ron and Hermione pressed up against the crumbling wall...

"Where are you?" Lily asked her father quietly.

"Invisibility cloak," he said, simply.

Then next thing Jessica saw was the room beyond the tunnel. In it sat Voldemort himself - the sight of which sent fresh shivers down Jessica's spine. Next to him, curled up on the floor, was the biggest snake Jessica had ever seen, and infront of him-

"Snape?" Albus whispered breathlessly beside her.

And it was. He was kneeling before Voldemort, apparently begging for his life. Even from her restricted view, she could see the fear plastered across his face, the cold sweat running down his neck, the desperation glistening in his eyes...

"I have a problem, Severus." Voldemort was saying, his voice unnervingly calm - just as it had been in the Chamber of Secrets all those memories ago.

"My lord?" Snape's voice was weak, shaking - he knew what he was there for, there was no escaping his fate.

Voldemort raised his wand slowly, twirling it in his fingers. "Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"

As Snape stuttered a reply and Albus looked on, wide-eyed, James spoke quietly from behind Jessica.

"Did his wand not work?"

Harry's voice was whispered too. "Yes - but he expected more from it. Listen, James, I'll explain all that later; all you need to know is that wand," he pointed to the wand in Voldemort's hand, "is the single most powerful wand in history - if used by the right person."

"And he's not the right person?"

"No."

"Who is, then?" Jessica asked.

"Well," Harry said slowly, "he thinks it's Snape."

Albus took a deep breath next to Jessica. She agreed - this didn't look good. A collective shudder ran through the crowd at they figured out what was coming next.

"It cannot be any other way, Severus," Voldemort drawled, showing no pity to the crying man before him, "I must master the wand. Master the wand - and I master Potter at last."

He turned to the snake on the floor, and made the similar hissing noises to what Harry had done before - he was speaking Parseltounge, Jessica recalled, and whatever he'd said didn't look good.

Snape screamed like a child as the snake began to advance, his black eyes widening and his body collapsing as it sunk it's fangs into his neck. Jessica screwed up her eyes - she didn't want to watch, she couldn't watch.

She heard the three children gasp around her as the body hit the floor; she heard Voldemort as he spoke coldly to his dying servant. "I regret it."

And when she opened her eyes, he was gone. In his place crouched Harry, Ron and Hermione over their Potions Master, his eyes searching their faces as he tried to speak.

"Take it ... take it ... take it ..." he rasped, and then Jessica saw what he wanted them to take. The silvery liquid which she had seen numerous times before was leaking from his head.

"A memory?"

"Look... at... me..." he gurgled, as Harry caught the memory in a flask Hermione had conjured from thin air.

And as his students stared down at him disbelievingly, his eyes closed, his head fell, and Severus Snape was no more.

"My god..." Albus trailed away as the bright light filled the space and the scene melted away.

Now fully reunited, the future party stood in the hall. There were no tables - only bodies. Some standing, some crying - some lying, lifeless..

The first family Jessica saw was the Weasleys, as the younger Ron, Harry and Hermione made their way over to them. Fred's body was not visible, however, as his family crowded around him, his twin kneeling at his head.

But as she got closer, she wished she'd stayed behind.

"No!"

Teddy's scream caused more tears to run down Jessica's face. The sheer force of it could have ripped a hole in the reality of the situation - the anger, desperation and overwhelming grief ringing in her ears long after the scream had gone, when the only sound from the future party was of Teddy's heavy sobs as he fell to his knees at the heads of two bodies.

Remus and Nymphadora Lupin.

"No... please, no..."

All around her, people started to cry. Only Harry dared move. He advanced to Teddy, slowly taking the boy in his arms and whispering into his ear. Instead of shrugging him off, Teddy collapsed into his godfather's arms, allowing the man to rock him like a child as everybody stared at the lifeless, peaceful forms that lay on the floor.

They weren't bleeding, they didn't look hurt - if it wasn't for the masses of people crowded around them crying, it would have been easy to mistake their state for a deep sleep. They lay next to each other, almost hand in hand; his ashy brown hair swept across his peaceful expression, her heart-shaped face framed by a ruffled mousey-brown mess. The only remnants of her earlier anger were the angry red roots of her hair, slowly fading into her scalp, the only trace of battle being the scattered rips in his shirt revealing the silvery scars which lay beneath.

And as Teddy cried, Jessica's heart went out to him. As his hair and eyes faded to those of the people before him, she wished there were something she could do. But of course, there wasn't. He had been orphaned - there was no way of bringing people back from the dead.

It was only then that Jessica noticed the younger Harry slipping away from the Weasleys and running from the hall. The scene began to fade, the only sound now Teddy's crying, which made Jessica's heart lurch.

A sound quickly replaced by tinkling, innocent, childish laughter - a fact which seemed to annoy Teddy quite a bit as he leapt from Harry's arms, looking around.

They were in a playground. There were two girls playing on the swings. Jessica frowned.

"Where are we?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

To her surprise, it was Albus who answered.

"Snape's memory..." he looked to his father for confirmation, who nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from his godson whose tears were still flowing freely underneath his confused expression.

"So it would seem."

"Shut up, Gently."

Gently raised one eyebrow at Ron's angry expression. "I'm merely confused," he drawled, "I have put in another memory, and it seems to have not shown itself..."

But everyone ignored him, not wishing to hear anything from anyone at that moment.

Jessica's thoughts were interrupted at the entrance of a boy into the scene - he looked dirty, neglected, his greasy hair falling in his eyes and his long, black coat trailing to the floor. Flapping beneath the coat Jessica could just make out what looked like a dirty white dress - something which the boy was obviously trying to hide as he succeeded in almost strangling himself with the coat in an attempt to cover it up. His expression was of interest - his wide, dark eyes were glistening with curiosity as he regarded the two girls before him.

Snape.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" he said to the younger girl - aged about 10, with long red hair and curious green eyes, "You're a witch."

Ten-year-old Lily Evans looked outraged at this. "That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"

She turned, her dress billowing out around her legs and marched off towards the other girl - older, thinner, with short, dark hair. Snape ran after her, trying to explain that she'd misunderstood. The two sisters - Jessica had figured out the older girl was her Grandmother - turned to sneer at the messy-looking boy.

"You are!" he shouted, looking for an explanation, "And there's nothing wrong with that! My mum's one too - and I'm a wizard!"

"Wizard!" Petunia's laugh was high and shrill, exactly like it was in the present day, "I know who you are, you're that Snape boy. You live down on Spinner's end. Why have you been spying on us?" Her voice was disapproving as ever, staring down her nose at the boy, obviously knowing that she was better than him.

"Dad, what's going on?" Albus interrupted Snape's reply. Harry turned to him.

"This is your explanation, Albus."

And with that, the memory changed.

Now they were by a river, looking at a boy and a girl sitting together and talking, hidden by a tree.

"Woah," George said softly, "Snape and your Mum were friends?"

"Seems so."

Hermione was looking intently at Harry - she obviously knew what else was going to happen in the memory. Harry didn't meet her eye. Curious, Jessica turned back to the memory, where Petunia had just stumbled into view. Both Lily and Severus looked affronted.

"Tuney!" Lily shrieked, obviously shocked to see her sister. Petunia's eyes darted between the two people as Severus' face fell into a sneer.

"Who's spying now?" he shouted, "What do you want?"

Petunia was breathless, searching for something to say. As it came to her, she smiled. "What's that you're wearing, anyway? Your Mum's blouse?"

First, Snape gasped for a moment, before his expression fell into a full-on scowl. There was a loud crack and a branch from the tree above them fell onto Petunia. Lily's eyes grew wide.

"Tuney!" she cried, but Petunia was already running. Lily turned to Snape, anger glistening in her eyes much like it did in Harry's and Albus'.

"Did you make that happen?"

Snape looked terrified. "No!"

"You did!" Lily shouted, "You hurt her!"

"No! No I didn't!" He looked at Lily pleadingly, as if wishing that what he was saying were true.

But Snape's lies couldn't stop Lily running away as the memory changed.

"Dad, this doesn't explain anything."

"Be patient, Albus."

Now they were on Platform 9 3/4, watching as Lily said goodbye to her parents and Petunia cried, Lily holding on to her hand and Petunia stubbornly trying to shake her off.

"I'm sorry, Tuney! Really, I am! Maybe once I get there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!" Lily was shouting, but Petunia wasn't having any of it.

"You - you think I want to go? You think I want to go to some - some castle and learn to be a - a - " she paused, "you think I want to be a freak?"

"Well she obviously does, or she wouldn't be crying," Teddy said thickly through his dying tears. Harry nodded as Jessica understood.

Petunia had been jealous of Lily - Harry was right. All she wanted was to go to Hogwarts, and when she couldn't, she'd decided she hated the place forever, and everything in it.

Including Lily, James, Harry and Jessica.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes as Jessica had a niggling feeling of pity for her Grandmother - she wasn't a bad person, not really, she was just overcome by jealousy. And instead of being happy for her sister, she decided she hated her and everything different to what she knew.

As the memory changed, they were on the Hogwarts Express, in a compartment with Lily, Snape and - it took Jessica a moment to recognise the other two boys, but she was sure it was James Potter I and Sirius Black. Apparently they weren't friends yet, however, as they showed no interest in each other whatsoever.

"Oh no." Albus said, striding out of the compartment, "I'm not watching this."

"What? Why?"

"Just watch another example of how my namesake was mercilessly bullied by yours? No thanks, James."

"Al! Al, come back!" James sighed. But Albus had already gone, and Harry was already making to go after him.

As he left to find his son, Jessica turned back to the scene in front of her. Indeed, in front of her sat James Potter, lolling across the compartment as if he owned it, despite the fact that he was only eleven years old. Opposite him sat Sirius Black, grinning at his new-found friend. It was obvious Lily had been crying, but Snape seemed to be in a conversation with James, now.

Quite unexpectedly, James thrust his fist into the air, holding something invisible up. Jessica dragged herself out of her own thoughts and zoned in mid-conversation.

"Like my Dad." James Potter finished. Snape snorted. James turned on him.

"Got a problem with that?" He snapped. Snape shrugged. Jessica admired the boy's bravery - James was at least three inches taller than him, and already angry, but Snape carried on.

"No," he sneered, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where are you planning to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interjected. James exploded with roaring laughter. Lily scowled at them both.

"Come on Severus," she said, loftily, "lets find another compartment."

She turned away with the air of her sister, nose in the air, Snape in tow. The scene changed.

They were in the Great Hall now, and Jessica was thankful - it was true to say that the bullying between Potter and Snape made her more than uncomfortable. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. She could see that, and so could Albus - at least, he would have, if he were there with her. He still hadn't returned, and neither had Harry.

Jessica watched as Lily was sorted into her rightful house as Gryffindor, along with James, Sirius, an eleven year old Remus Lupin (which sent Teddy into a statue-like state) and a young Peter Pettigrew (which earned something akin to a growl from most of the adults.

Then, it was Snape's turn. Of course, the hat screamed Slytherin. Snape looked longingly at the Gryffindor table, at the red-headed Lily Evans, who could only offer a tiny smile and a soft shrug before turning back to her new friends.

In the next scene, Lily and Snape were obviously older, at least thirteen or fourteen, walking across the school courtyard with the summer sunlight beating down. They were obviously having some kind of fight, and Jessica walked closer to hear better as Lily and Snape reached a pillar. Lily leaned on it.

"It was Dark Magic, Sev, and if you think that's funny-"

Oh. Evidently, Snape had begun to fall in with the wrong crowd and Lily didn't like it. Their obvious built-up friendship seemed to be thinning, as Lily averted her eyes from Severus' and Teddy shouted "You leave him alone!"

Jessica guessed he wasn't talking about Snape, as she heard Lily say "They say he's ill..."

"Every month at the full moon?"

Lily's voice was icy. "I know your theory."

Snape had obviously begun to figure Lupin out too. Jessica wouldn't have guessed he was so intelligent behind the cold mask. His younger, happier self looked straight at Lily, who blushed.

"They don't used Dark Magic though," Lily said, locking her jaw. Snape rolled his eyes as she carried on, "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there-"

Jessica frowned as Snape's expression exploded. From what she knew, it was Lupin who was down the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, in the Shrieking Shack. Snape tried to argue his point to Lily as Jessica contemplated what had happened - obviously, Snape had gotten too nosy about where Remus went, and put himself in danger, and James had saved him...

Lily's expression stopped Jessica's thought. It was one of pure insult and offence. Her eyes were hardly open, narrowed as she hissed at Snape.

"Let me? Let me?"

Snape looked shocked as he tried to make it better. It was obvious that this boy cared for Lily a lot - just how much, Jessica couldn't tell yet, but a lot. He spluttered and stammered through his backtracking explanation, as Lily looked at him suspiciously. Perhaps this bond was why Albus' middle name was Severus?

Lily said something about James, and how she didn't like him, and Snape immediately relaxed. She admonished him about his friends before walking away, Snape following, and the scene changed once again to one Jessica recognised. So too, it seemed, did James.

"Haven't we been here before?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "When they were bullying Snape, wasn't it?"

"Alright, leave it out, Rosie," James said quietly. Rose looked affronted.

"What? Albus isn't here."

"Yes. Yes I am."

Albus had returned with Harry, a closed expression on his face. He didn't look at anyone but the younger Snape in the memory.

James shot Rosie a look, but Jessica turned back to the scene unfolding infront of her. She watched as they fought, but the memory did not stop as it had done before. As seventeen-year-old Harry Potter kept his distance, Jessica walked towards the group of people in the middle of the grass.

"You might not want to see this, guys." Ron warned. But Jessica kept walking, Lily and James II and Albus behind her.

It was all very different from before. Snape was hanging upside down from an invisible rope and James' face was bleeding. As soon as Jessica reached them, Snape fell. Lily looked ready to explode.

"There you go, Snivellus," James seemed to sing, "you're lucky Evans was here to save you-"

Then came something nobody expected.

"I don't need help from a stupid little mudblood like her!"

Albus let out a very loud, humourless laugh. "The git!" he screamed, "The absolute git!"

"What?" Jessica asked Lily as James tried to calm Albus down, "What's a Mudblood?"

"It's a really, really bad word for a Muggle-born witch or wizard, Jess. Death Eaters - those who believed in blood purity and hated anything to do with Muggles or Muggle-borns, they used to use it. It's so insulting, so terrible - I can't believe he'd say such a thing..."

Thankfully, their surroundings began to melt away and soon enough they were back with their family. They all stood outside the fat lady - an older, red-headed Lily Evans standing, arms folded, face blank as she regarded the boy before her. Upon seeing her, Severus scrambled to his feet.

Albus scoffed. "See? Even Lily hated him. And for good reason. For God's sake Dad, what was the point? His only friend... she hates him Dad, look at her."

Harry didn't answer.

"I'm sorry." Severus said, his expression desperate. Lily didn't seem to care.

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save. Your. Breath."

For a while, they stared at each other in silence. Then, flicking her hair from her eyes, Lily sighed.

"I only came out here because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you mudblood-"

Now Severus was pleading with Lily - he looked on the edge of tears. Their close bond was falling apart, Jessica could see that. And it seemed Snape was going to do everything he could to make it better. Her expression was hard and unforgiving. "Please," he said, "listen, I didn't mean-"

"To call me mudblood?" she let out a laugh that was scarily alike to her sister's, "But Severus, you call everyone of my birth a mudblood! Why should I be any different?"

Severus searched for something to say, but with a final look of contempt and despair Lily turned away, back to the Gryffindor common room - just as the scene faded away.

Nobody spoke. A loud whistling of wind surrounded them all. Adult Severus Snape stood, panicking on a hilltop on a murky night, his eyes darting around in the moonlight and his fear practically radiating from him. He was waiting for someone - Jessica could tell that - but who?

The answer came in a muffled crack of an apparation, as Albus Dumbledore appeared out of thin air. Upon seeing the old man, Severus' eyes widened and he began to back away, arms wide. "Don't kill me!" he pleaded.

"That was not my intention." Dumbledore's voice was cold - it didn't suit him, he looked powerful, fearsome, even. His face was eerily lit by the dull light from his wand, his face forming a nasty scowl. "What is it?" he asked, in a clipped voice, "What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?"

"No - no message," Severus shouted, a little out of breath, "I'm here on my own account!" He began wringing his hands as his hair flew about his face and his robes billowed around him, "I come with a warning - no, a request..."

Next to Jessica, Albus was frowning. "What the hell..."

Dumbledore was also frowning. "What request could a death eater make of me?"

Severus began to nod. "The prediction - the prophecy - Trelawney -"

"Ah yes," Dumbledore said slowly, "How much did you relay to Voldemort?"

Severus threw his hands in the air. "Everything I heard!" he yelled, lowering his arms, "Which is why - it's for that reason -" he paused, "He thinks it means Lily Evans!"

"Why is he telling Dumbledore this?" Albus asked, but nobody bar Jessica could hear him over the wind, although she had a pretty good idea. From what she'd seen in the previous memories, Snape cared for Lily Evans quite dearly...

"The prophecy did not speak of a woman," Dumbledore replied, "It referred to a boy born at the end of July-"

"You know what I mean!" Snape interrupted, "He thinks it means her son! He's going to hunt them down - kill them all..."

"If she means so much to you, surely Voldemort will spare her?"

"I have - I have asked him," Snape sounded as if he were about to cry. Dumbledore, however, did not take pity on him.

"You disgust me," he spat, "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"

Snape said nothing for a moment, but looked to Dumbledore, eyes wide and teary.

"Hide them all, then. Keep her - them - safe. Please." he croaked.

Suddenly, the penny dropped for Albus. "Is he saving my Dad?" he whispered to Jessica. She nodded, unwilling to miss any of the unfolding drama as Dumbledore seemed to contemplate Snape's request.

"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"

Snape's tears had gone. His face was defiant. "Anything."

The scene changed. Now they were in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, a terrible cry echoing through the room - not dissimilar to Teddy's anguished scream earlier. Quickly taking her mind off that, Jessica saw who was making the noise.

It was Snape, slumped in a chair with his head on Dumbledore's desk, looking like he wanted nothing more to curl up and die. After a moment, he lifted his heavy head, his eyes red and bloodshot, his skin pale and mottled.

"I thought you were going to keep her safe?" he whispered.

So, this wasn't long after the Potters had been attacked. And it seemed Snape had taken it hard. Dumbledore, it seemed, didn't care.

"Her boy survives," he said, nonchalantly. But it had the desired affect. All at once, Snape was paying attention.

"Her son lives. He has her eyes. Precisely her eyes. I am sure you remember the exact colour and shape of Lily Evans' eyes, Severus?"

"DON'T!" Snape shouted, fresh sobs making their way to his throat, "Gone..." he whispered, "dead..."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "Is this remorse, Severus?"

Snape wasn't paying attention. "I wish - I wish I were dead..."

Albus was frowning again. "What's he doing? Dumbledore, I mean."

Harry turned to his son. "What do you mean?"

From Albus' expression, he looked as if he were even taking himself by surprise. "I mean - he's being so hard on the guy. It's obvious that he loved her, isn't it?"

"Woah, what?"

Rosie hit Fred on the back of the head. "Are you thick, or what?"

Fred shrank back, but Jessica didn't smile. The weight of the earlier, current and future memories were heavy on her shoulders. Harry was nodding as the scene around them changed, but Jessica was still listening to what he said.

"Yes," he said, "he did. That's the only reason he protected me over all those years."

"But he still protected you." Albus whispered.

"Yes. He kept me alive. And Dumbledore - except I can't show you that."

"Dad- he killed Dumbledore."

Harry shook his head. "Only on Dumbledore's instruction. He was dying anyway - he ordered Snape to kill him to save Malfoy's soul."

"Malfoy? What's he got to do with anything?"

"He was ordered to kill Dumbledore by his Dark Lord."

His Dark Lord, Jessica repeated in her head. Malfoy was a Death Eater.

So that's why Malfoys are trouble, she thought, shivering, Scorpius' handsome face swirling about in her mind.

"And Snape did it?"

"Snape would have done anything for Dumbledore. Dumbledore saved him from himself. He helped him help me - if that makes sense."

Albus was nodding. "Yeah," he said, and took a long pause, "so that's why I'm Albus Severus. They were a team. Snape wasn't a bad guy at all. Infact, Dumbledore seems harsher than him."

Harry nodded. "Despite all he did and said, he did care. It was my father he hated, not me. And with good reason." he paused to take a sigh, "Just be sure that when they both knew what had to be done, Snape was one hell of a lot more outraged than Dumbledore."

Jessica frowned. "What do you mean, what had to be done?"

"In order to defeat Voldemort."

"And what was it?"

For a while, Harry didn't answer, staring off into the scene as Dumbledore and Snape were talking in the castle grounds, a distant look in his eyes. Finally, he turned back to the children.

"I had to die."

As the memory around them changed, Jessica's heart dropped.

He had to die?

James snorted. "Well, that didn't work then, did it?"

Harry turned back to the new scene, apparently dismissing his son's comment. Jessica's heart began to beat faster; James was right, it can't have worked - Harry was alive and well, she could see that herself. The plan failed. Voldemort hadn't been defeated after all. Not completely.

Gently was right.

Voldemort could rise again.