Chapter 2 Rebirth

A split-second later, they popped into existence and fell with a thud onto a sloping riverbank. For a moment, neither moved as they groaned in annoyance at the pain in their rears.

Severus glanced down and saw that his robes had changed, gone were his pearly-white robes and in it's place, were his normal black, teaching robes that he wore while he was alive. Once his head had stopped spinning, he glanced over at Lily and saw she was wearing crimson red robes with light green highlights, much like those she wore in the years following their graduation.

"Well it looks like we're here, and I'm young again," he said tiredly.

"You look about twenty Sev, how do I look?"

"Twenty as well," he said as his eyes glanced over her form. "It seems that bit of inter-dimensional travel de-aged me by about 18 years, and you look just the same as when you died." He remarked.

He offered her a hand to help her to her feet, and the two glanced around their immediate surroundings. This was Cokeworth, the mill town the two of them had grown up in, albeit it was vastly different from the Cokeworth they were used to, with it being 1926 and all. The town-houses were still there, tall, and intimidating, although their lawns were better kept, their gardens actually seemed rather nice, and for the most part, the paint wasn't falling off the buildings and the road wasn't in a state of disrepair. Given the town's proximity to Manchester, it wasn't a surprise that the roads had already been paved

They glanced out over the river, which was clear for once, the murky, polluted water that Severus and Lily had spent days looking out over as children was gone. As was normal for this time of year, their nearby willow tree that they had spent countless hours under as children was smaller and bare, but for the most part, their old town looked to be in a much better state compared to what they were used to.

"We should probably go," Severus said, glancing at Lily as her eyes swept over their surroundings.

She nodded tightly and grasped his hand. "Yeah, I think so. Where to first?"

Severus looked thoughtful for a second before a look of realization flickered in his eyes. "We should go to Gringotts. See if we have any money in our vaults first…before we make contact with Merope."

"Alright then Severus, looks like we have a plan then," she replied with a small smile.

He nodded, then withdrew his wand in his free hand. With one last melancholy glance at his old town, taking in the park, the river, the houses, even the mill itself up the river he turned on the spot, and they apparated away to Diagon Alley.

When they suddenly appeared in the middle of the busy street, they were struck dumb by just how little the small street had changed since they'd last been here. Severus in 1998, and Lily in 1980, a real indication of how insular Wizarding Society was. They entered the bank, which to no-one's surprise, looked just the same as it did in the future, minus a few decor changes and after taking in their immediate surroundings, they approached one of the free tellers. Severus glanced at the nameplate on the kiosk before clearing his throat and addressing the Goblin directly.

"Excuse me, Garnok, may I have a moment of your time?" Severus asked politely.

The Goblin snorted and set down his quill, he then turned his beady eyes upon Severus, "and you are?" He asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"Severus Snape, although I can't seem to remember my account number, I trust you only need my name and a blood test to verify my identity?"

The Goblin eyed the dark-haired man appraisingly and nodded. "Yes. Your finger."

"Certainly," he held out his finger and let the Goblin cut the tip with a sapphire encrusted bronze dagger. Blood dripped onto a piece of parchment and as it did so, a swirl of numbers formed on a the parchment moments later. The Goblin glanced down and his beady eyes widened in acknowledgement of the positive blood test.

"Ah yes, Mr Snape, vault number 603, with an account balance of 176,354 Galleons, Seven Sickles and Two Knuts. Does that appear to be in order?" He asked.

"Very much so Garnok, thank you. I wish to make a withdrawal of 5,000 Galleons if that isn't too much trouble?"

"It isn't. That will be all?" He asked with a grunt.

"Also can you please verify Miss Lily Evans' identity and account balance?"

The Goblin merely nodded and gestured for Lily to come forward. Severus stepped down from the stand while Lily took his place. She bowed graciously and offered her finger. Garnok pricked it with the knife and sure enough, moments later, the parchment sprouted details of Lily's account balance on it.

"Miss Evans. Vault Number 529, with an account balance of 159,268 Galleons, Nine Sickles and Eleven Knuts. Does that sound accurate?"

"Yes it does Garnok, thank you very much for your time and help," Lily replied, bowing once more which the Goblin returned.

"Mr Snape, your withdrawal."

He reached behind the desk and took out a small money pouch which in no way, shape or form would be large enough to fit 5,000 galleons.

"This pouch," Garnok said, gesturing to the pouch grasped in his sharp claws, "is fitted with an unidentifiable extension charm and a feather weight charm to ease your burden when carrying it. You will find 5,000 galleons in there to start and if you'd so like, we can connect it directly to your vault to enable easy withdrawals."

Severus nodded his head. "Yes that would be most kind if you could do that. Would it be possible to arrange the same type of pouch for Miss Evans? One connected directly to her vault."

The Goblin bowed his head, "certainly."

He signed another piece of parchment and after dripping some of Lily's blood from the finger prick onto the parchment, another pouch appeared in his hands. It looked almost identical to Severus' except her pouch was labeled with the initials L.M.E. and Severus' was tabled with S.T.S. Lily graciously accepted the pouch and bowed her head in thanks. They checked their pouches and when everything seemed to be in working order, they offered Garnok their thanks and headed for the exit.

"Thank you for your time Garnok, may your enemies fall and your Gold flow freely my friend," Severus and Lily said as one.

Garnok's narrow eyes widened a fraction at hearing the traditional Goblin farewell, he gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement. "May you prosper as valued customers of Gringotts," he muttered before returning to his work and not sparing Severus and Lily another glance.

Severus walked to the grand, gold and bronze doors and pushed them open, holding it aside for another patron entering the bank and then Lily who trailed after him and headed out into the chilly end of autumn air.

"So, where do you think we can find Merope Gaunt," Lily mused out loud, scanning the alley for signs of Merope.

"Perhaps we should split up. You can stay here and I can go check Knockturn alley and see if she's there." Severus replied, gazing at Lily curiously.

Lily's emerald eyes continued glancing over the alley for a moment longer before turning to face Severus and nodding. "Sounds like a plan then, I guess we'll split up and search for clues."

"Huh?"

Lily grinned at him, "Scooby Doo Sev? Come on, you must remember! We used to watch it almost every Sunday morning at my house over the summer!"

Severus scowled at that. "I almost forgot that godforsaken show," he said disdainfully.

"We meet back in here twenty minutes, hopefully with Merope in tow," he muttered before stalking off down the cobbled-stone path towards Knockturn Alley.

Lily watched his tall, striding form and couldn't help but be amazed at how the boy she once knew, who always sulked and remained hunched over could have changed so much. Sighing, she shook her head and headed out into Diagon Alley to track down Merope Gaunt. Lily's eyes glanced over and through all the shopfronts she came across, so far, there was no sign of the heavily pregnant woman, but that didn't mean she'd give up her search. She went shop by shop, first checking the outside, then wandering in and checking everywhere for signs of Merope, unfortunately for her, Merope was nowhere to be found and it was soon becoming an exercise in patience.

Lily methodically checked every shop on one side, before looping around to the Leaky Cauldron and doing a twice-over in there. With no sign of Merope, she checked the row of shops on the opposite side, facing the ones she'd scanned a short while ago. Again, to her disappointment, there was nothing. Perhaps Albus was wrong? Perhaps there was no Merope Gaunt here today, and their information was off.

She headed for the entrance to Knockturn Alley, at the far side of the street, adjacent to Gringotts when she spotted Severus in the crowd. This time however, he was not alone, for there was a short, black-haired woman, wearing tattered robes, and shoes by his side, holding his arm for support. She looked almost as if the slightest gust of wind would blow her away. For while she was heavily pregnant, seven and a half or eight months, upon Lily's estimation, she was just skin and bones everywhere else.

After some time searching, but with no luck, she spotted Severus with a woman next to him, she waved at him before running through the crowd to his side. Several passers by didn't seem too pleased with the redheaded young woman roughly pushing them aside on her quest to reach Severus but she didn't care and seconds later she was standing in front of them.

"Lily," Severus began, addressing her. "This is Merope," he continued, turning to the frail young woman. "Merope this is Lily, a good friend of mine."

"G—greetings," Merope said quietly, her tone hoarse.

Severus was holding Merope's hand, and her other hand was holding a bag of what Lily presumed was her belongings.

"Here, let me take that for you Merope," Lily offered, stepping forward to relieve her of the bag.

"Thank you," the young woman replied.

"I was just telling Merope here that we should take her to Hogwarts, we have ample money to provide medical care for you and your child, and we are good friends of the Transfiguration professor there," Severus explained to Lily who nodded thoughtfully.

"Merope are you okay with that? We'll get you to Hogwarts and keep you safe there, you won't have to worry about Tom or, your father or brother ever again," Lily said softly, stepping closer to the young woman intending to hug her.

"How do you know about my family?" Merope hissed, suddenly recoiling from Lily and hiding behind Severus.

"We're not like them, but we've heard things Merope, we are not like them and I swear on my magic that I only want to help you. And so does Severus." Lily said quietly, her gaze gentle with understanding and sincerity.

Merope stepped out from behind Severus and gazed deep into Lily's eyes. All she saw was sincerity, understanding and hope. A smile formed on Lily's face as she stretched out her arms to offer the smaller woman a hug. A ghost of a smile, formed on Merope's face as she accepted Lily's embrace and felt herself sink into her arms.

"Severus and I will take care of you Merope, we only want what's best for you and your child alright?" Lily said gently, as she patted the raven-haired witch's back.

"Alright. Th—thank you."

"Don't mention it, we're just trying to help," Lily replied with a smile.

"Come Lily, Merope, we should be going, we still have a meeting with Albus to get to and we should aim to get there before sundown." Severus said brusquely, he grabbed Merope's wrist, in a grip not too harsh and began pulling her and Lily in tow towards the Leaky cauldron where they could floo to Hogsmeade.

"Wait Sev hold on," Lily said, yanking her wrist of out his grasp.

He stopped turned around, facing the two witches. "What is it?" he asked, fixing the two woman with a glare of annoyance. "We really should get going to sort out our accommodations before nightfall," he insisted.

"Relax Sev, it's a Monday night, Albus and the other Professors are all busy probably marking papers and all that. How about we rent a few rooms above The Three Broomsticks and stay the night there? That makes much more sense than trekking about in the dark to get to Hogwarts."

His eyes widened a fraction and he glanced at Merope's swollen belly and then flickered back to Lily. "True. And with Merope's…condition, she probably needs rest."

"See? Now if you could be a dear and apparate Merope to Hogsmeade, I'll meet you there after I pick up some essentials for us alright?"

He nodded slowly. "I'll meet you down below in the bar in—"

"Half an hour. Give me half an hour and I'll be there. See you Severus, Merope," Lily said with a smile and wave as she vanished into the crowd.

"Come with me Merope, we'll find a place to stay tonight, I won't have you stay on the streets anymore like some beggar. We'll—we'll talk with Albus tomorrow and see what we can do for your child," Severus said, addressing the young woman.

Merope didn't reply, but clung to his arm that much tighter as the two walked to the apparition point. Upon reaching their destination, Severus withdrew his wand and turned on the spot, apparating away to Hogsmeade. They materialized in the alleyway right next to the Three Broomsticks.

Severus walked with Merope by his side to the front door and pushed it open, he held it as Merope in her tattered, threadbare robes passed him and entered the pub. It seemed mostly quiet, a few patrons here and there eating and drinking to their heart's content, but mercifully, it was far from a full house.

"Can I help you?" A tall, round man asked them, his gray eyes narrowed slightly but curious nonetheless.

"Yes, you can," Severus replied, stepping up to the bar where the man; who he presumed to be the owner of the establishment stood, polishing a glass.

"I wish to rent two rooms for the night if that is agreeable. What rate do you charge?"

"Four galleons a night, per room. So if you're gonna stay just the one night that will be eight then."

"Of course," Severus replied, he took eight galleons out of his expandable money pouch and placed them on the counter.

The man nodded stiffly, taking the coins and placing them in the register. He reached under the bar counter and withdrew two keys, one labeled with a seven, and the other with an eight.

"Room Seven and Eight, they're first two rooms on your left at the top of the stairs," he said gruffly.

"Thank you Mr…"

"Stebbins, Winston Stebbins." He said curtly.

"Thank you Mr Stebbins, about dinner…is it possible to eat in the—"

"Yes. It is, just summon a house-elf and they'll take your order, and have it ready for you within ten minutes."

"I see. Thank you Mr Stebbins. You've been most helpful," Severus said quietly.

The large man's eyes remained as neutral as ever and he merely gave a stiff nod, before turning back to polishing glasses as Severus gently pulled Merope by the hand to the stairs. They climbed slowly, carefully taking their time due to Merope's advanced pregnancy. Upon reaching the top, they turned left as he said and came face to face with a door with a number on it.

"Here we are," Severus remarked. He pushed his key into the lock and turned it, unlocking the door.

He stepped into the room first and his eyes glanced around their surroundings, taking in the dingy state of the room. Upon entering, there was a small hallway, with a bathroom to the left and a wardrobe to the right. Beyond the hallway was the room itself which expanded to the left of the hallway, a queen sized bed with two bedside tables, each with lamps that looked like they'd seen better days. A series of candles were mounted on the walls, dormant, but with the wave of his trusty Rowan wood wand, they became lit. Merope left his side and moved past him, her black hair looked dull and dark and her posture exuded weakness and frailty as she sat on the mattress, it wasn't luxury by any stretch, but a bed was better than none at all.

Severus watched her, as she leaned back on the bedspread, letting the cotton envelop her as she stretched out. The malnourished girl locked eyes with him and gave him a ghost of a smile.

"Severus…" she said slowly, "I—I don't know why you're doing this, why you're choosing to—to help me, but I am grateful, and I thank you for helping me…in regard to my child. Thank you."

Severus waved off her concern and sat in the chair at the foot of the bed facing her. He met her gaze with as much compassion and earnest as he could muster, in an effort to reassure her of the sincerity behind his charitable actions.

"It was the least I could do. I couldn't leave you there in good conscience, starving, on the brink of death…I wanted to help because I've made terrible mistakes Merope. Terrible. And I want to atone for them and help you in any way I can."

She smiled then and nodded. Her lank hair obscuring her aged face. "Thank you Severus. One day…one day I'll pay you back. Thank you for all you've done for—helping me. My life was—as you saw, not pleasant…and I thank you for helping me out of that."

He waved off her appreciation and settled for a nod. "You're welcome, I'm just astonished no one helped you first. Oh and when Lily returns, she said she'd be buying clothes and everything else we need for all three of us. I suggest you take a shower, get freshened up and tell me what you want for dinner so I can go order it."

"Some Mushroom Soup would be nice," Merope said quietly, her eyes fixed on the creaky and dusty floorboards.

"Then you shall have mushroom soup. Perhaps for now it'd be best for you to lie down. I'll be in the next room over sorting out my things."

Merope sat up partially and gazed quizzically at him, "my key?" She asked.

Severus pointed to the dresser facing the foot of the bed where it already sat. "Right there. Lily will be here soon so get some rest and I'll order our food once you get freshened up."

Merope nodded at him and a sad smile formed on her face. "A—alright. Thank you, Severus."

"It's fine," he muttered.

With that, he turned on his heel, his black cape billowing behind him as he strode from the room and into his own next door.

A while later, Lily arrived at the Three Broomsticks, after conversing briefly with Mr Stebbins she made her way upstairs to room seven, hoping to find Severus or Merope present. She was carrying a small leather bag, but inside was an undetectable extension charm enabling her to carry all her purchases in a relatively confined space. She rapped her knuckles on the ratty, aged door and seconds later it swung open, although she remained standing in the doorway.

"Lily," Merope said simply, her face a mask devoid of emotion. "You're back."

Lily smiled at the tired woman and nodded. "Indeed I am. I bought some clothes, toiletries, towels, and a few other knick knacks and things I thought you'd like. May I come in?"

Merope nodded, "Of course," she stepped aside and Lily brushed past her into the room, eyeing up her surroundings. She couldn't fully choke down the slight tinge of revulsion she felt at their surroundings. After all, she'd spend the last 17 years living in paradise in Potter Manor with James, waking up in a lavish mansion every day with the man she fell in love with.

Now, she was in the real world again, with another man she'd fallen in love with long before, and with the mother of a man who would become the Bane of all of Wizarding Britain. She set the bag on the bed and began laying out Merope's toiletries, towels, clothes and all the other things she'd bought for her. She'd bought four sets of robes, three dresses, and several nightgowns too, not to mention underwear, socks, mittens, and hats as well to round her wardrobe. Lily planned to get some more shopping done tomorrow in Hogsmeade either before or after their meeting with the Headmaster…well, not yet, the Transfiguration Professor to round out her wardrobe. She did hope however, that her selection of clothes this would suffice for the time being.

"Merope, could you come here for a moment please?" Lily called over her shoulder.

The Gaunt girl appeared by her side a moment later and her eyes widened at the sheer number of pristine robes and other garments that were laid out on the bed before her.

"Is—is this all for me?" She asked quietly, her gray eyes scanning the clothes before her in avid interest.

Lily smiled and nodded indulgently. "Of course. My stuff is still in the bag so all this is yours. I hope it's alright—"

"It's more than alright, this is wonderful!" She exclaimed, in a very rare display of emotion, Merope hugged her.

"How could I ever repay you for this? How can I—"

"You don't need to," Lily said firmly, stepping back from their embrace. "All I ask in return is that—you treat your child well, and you let us help you…I've learned a lot about you Merope…and no one should have to go through what you did. And I'm so—so sorry for all that you've been put through."

"Y—you are?"

"Yes, that's why Severus and I want to help you. Because you've suffered so much and I couldn't bear to—to have that continue for you Merope. We want to help, we want to get you back on your feet. Because we know you, and your child, can be capable of great things if given the chance. That is why we're helping you…to give you the life you both deserve."

Merope's eyes misted over as tears sprung forth and she hugged Lily again, she murmured her thanks over and over, incessantly into the redhead's Crimson robes, while Lily eagerly embraced her in turn and rubbed her back consolingly. "It's alright Merope, it's alright. I'm going to go talk to Severus so how about you go get a shower and I'll be right back okay?"

Merope stepped back and nodded, her eyes still misty with tears. "Okay…thank you."

Lily merely smiled broadly at her and nodded. "You're most welcome dear."

Merope fetched a change of robes, a nice blue and gray set Lily had picked out, a towel, all her toiletries and slipped past her into the bathroom to go freshen up. Lily watched her go, giving one last smile as she shut the door before walking out of the room and heading next door to find Severus.

She knocked on the door and moments later, Severus appeared, undoing the lock and stepping aside to allow her passage.

"Hi Sev, I—uh, I got you some things that I think you'd need. Mind if I come in?"

"Of course, please…" he stepped aside and Lily slipped past him and went straight for the bed. Once there, she began unloading Severus' things from the magically expanded bag and laid them out neatly on the sheets.

"I'll be taking a shower shortly, did you manage to find a change of clothes for me?" Severus asked, peering into the bottomless bag that Lily had set on the bed.

"I do, so tell me how does this look?" Lily asked, holding up a set of casual black robes that appeared to be made of a softer, less rough fabric than the ones he wore whilst teaching.

Severus frowned as his hand carded through the strange material. That frown lessened until it formed a smile as he deemed it appropriate for his needs.

"This will do Lily, thank you."

Lily smiled warmly before turning back to the bag. "Don't mention it. Oh and what do you want for dinner by the way? I can order while you're in there."

"Fish and Chips," Severus replied as he headed to the bathroom.

As Severus went into the bathroom, Lily went back to unpacking, she sorted out her stuff and Severus' stuff on opposite sides of the bed. As she did so, her thoughts wandered to her previous life, her parents, Petunia, who of course was still alive, Harry, her oh so sweet darling boy who by now would have defeated the Dark Lord, and James. James would soon be due for his return to the mortal world, albeit born in a different body and in a different timeline. She wondered how Harry was doing in his time, whether he'd settled down with Ginny or not, or whether he'd found fulfillment and happiness. She hoped he did, for he deserved it more than anyone else.

So did Sev for that matter, for she'd watched him almost as diligently as she watched her own son. At first, despite her previous love for her long-time best friend, she was disgusted, she couldn't believe that Albus had hired him, had allowed him to work as a Hogwarts Teacher with the frankly abhorrent way he treated his students. She saw him humiliate, bully, and insult any student, not without cause necessarily, but for even the slightest transgression. She feared for Harry when he finally arrived at Hogwarts in 1991, for she was afraid that Severus would treat her son as poorly as those who had not performed in his classes. She was wrong. Severus treated him even worse, singling him out and targeting him from the moment he set foot in his classroom.

She was furious at Severus' treatment of her son and she swore that when Severus arrived in the afterlife, she'd throttle him as best she could and give him a taste of his own medicine before swearing to avoid him for all eternity. But then things became rather confusing, he saved Harry's life numerous times, from Quirell attempting to kill him, from Remus as a transformed Werewolf, jumping in front of her son to shield him two years later. He then saved him from Bellatrix who may have very well killed him had he not stepped in. To top it all off, in Harry's seventh year, spent on the run from Voldemort, he gave them the Sword of Gryffindor that enabled them to destroy the Horcruxes they'd collected and thus, destroy Voldemort's tethers to the mortal world.

And then he died. A horrible, gruesome death at the jaws of a snake that had crushed his neck beyond comprehension. That truly muddled her feelings, for he had died in service of her son, a boy he treated horribly through his ridiculing and bullying, yet, still saved on countless occasions, and enabled him to emerge victorious. He treated his students exceedingly harshly, yet he suffered hours of agonizing torture on the end of Voldemort's wand all for the sake of a woman who had long ago passed on, and even longer ago left his life. He inflicted pain on others, he was a bully, a menace, a right bastard to his students at times, but he was dealt so much more, and Lily was sure so many times that he'd go back on his word and pack it in, he'd call it a day and leave it all behind. But he endured. He fought. He fought to the end against the greatest Legilimens in history and kept from him, a secret that lasted eighteen years, his true loyalty. As he died, Voldemort hadn't a clue that Severus Snape played such an enormous role in his death.

So in the end, that was what she judged him by, that was the man she saw upon his death. A flawed man who made terrible choices and who did terrible things, yet at the same time, a man who did great things and who she thought to be the bravest man she'd ever known. She hated him for how he treated and ridiculed Harry, yet she would have eternal respect and love for all the sacrifices and hardships he faced in the name of the greater good. For she loved him, yet hated him, but in the end the love won out as while he was an ass and a menace, he performed his role to perfection and did something that no one else could have done and quite literally, saved the world.

She knew that he risked nothing less than his life for three years, since every time he returned to his master, even the slightest slip up would've made his actual death seem as gentle as falling asleep. She missed Harry, but she also missed James, and while their time in the after-life by each other's side had been sweet, she missed Severus most of all. She smiled at the memory of when she received word of the plan to send her back to the past, for it was one of the happiest moments of her time in the afterlife, she saw it as a chance to make things right, not just with Severus, but with the entire world.

Now that the long awaited day when she'd be reborn had finally come to pass, she was happier than she'd ever been. So as she stood there folding away her clothes, she promised to herself that she would not just make things right with Severus, but that she would also make a better world for all those that had given their lives in the war that had consumed her own.